Out With the Old, In With The New

Once in awhile, I look back to the days when I first got the BC and how I was still trying to learn and explore what products work best for my hair. Some I have kept since Day 1, while other products I have just stopped using all together.

Here's my list of products that I used to incorporate in my hair regime but don't use anymore and probably will never use again:

* Shea Butter

I wasn't too sure about this stuff, but at around, hm, I suppose 8 months after I got the big chop, I decided to give it a shot. I ordered my shea butter from TreasuredLocks.com, and I also once bought a jar of it from my loctitian. Here was the exact jar that I ordered from: http://www.treasuredlocks.com/trlo10nashbu.html.

For some reason, I loved the smell. It was very nutty and had a yellowish white color to it. The texture though was so grainy. When I used to put it through my TWA, it felt as if i had put sand through my hair. And the smell for some reason sort of bothered me once it was in my hair lol. Even when I had protective styles I still didn't like what shea butter was doing to my hair. It made it feel a little too oily and just grimey. On my skin, though, it was nice, it left it soft and smooth. Once I ran out of shea butter though, I just gave up on it and moved on. One, I just didn't feel like ordering another jar or going all out of my way buying it someplace else, and second, with all the debate and controversy over what is "real" shea butter and what isn't, I was just overwhelmed and felt like there was too much drama surrounding just one product. I finished that one jar and never really went back to it again. Good riddens lol.

* Black Earth Protective Mist Bodifier

This was another product I bought from TreasuredLocks.com around my early days of wearing natural hair for the first time. I'm not sure why I decided to buy this. This was just before I decided to make my own spritz/mistifier. I remember ordering this before I went to Ocean City with a friend for holiday. The great thing about this product was that it smelled just wonderful, like a pina colada. It claimed that it was meant to moisturize hair, but instead it made my hair feel very sticky and didn't leave my hair feeling moisturized at all. It was such a bummer. After using this product I then decided to make my own moisturizer.

*Yogurt

Yes y'all, way back I used to use plain, flavorless, colorless, all natural yogurt to condition my hair. I also mixed the yogurt with honey and olive oil. Actually, my hair had never been as soft and luxurious as when I used this stuff. It's a little strange, yes, but it left my hair SO soft and shiny. I stopped using yogurt once I got my locs installed. I don't really miss using yogurt though, because after awhile it did get kind of messy and I'd much rather eat the yogurt then put it on my head haha. I doubt I would use this yogurt conditioner on my locs one day, but who knows.

*Burt's Bees Conditioner

Again, another product I used in my early days of wearing my loose natural hair. I forgot which scent of conditioner it was, but I really didn't like it. I didn't actually use it to condition my hair, I used it as a leave-in conditioner in a spritz bottle filled with water, oil, and glycerin. It left my hair feeling very hard and brittle. I know some people swear by using this leave-in conditioner mixture, but for me it left it feeling nasty and gross. When I did use the conditioner normally, it still had that grimy stripped feeling. Burt's Bees is just not for me.

*Honey

I used this in my loc gel when I used to retwist my locs, and my loctitian actually used straight up honey and olive oil for my first ever loc retwist. I have no gripes or regrets from using honey, but after awhile I just got tired of using it.

Here's a list of the keepers:

* Extra Virgin Olive Oil

What's not to love about this stuff? Since day 1 I have used olive oil, and it has never failed to impress. Leaves my hair soft, moisturized, shiny, and conditioned. Plus, I can practically buy it anywhere.

*Coconut Oil

My second favorite oil next to olive oil. Love the smell! The only downside to coconut oil is that it really isn't a year-round oil, it's great for the warmer months but during winter it just remains a solid in your hair, which makes it appear as if you have build up. Otherwise, love this stuff.

*Vegetable Glycerin

This was also another product I used since day 1. It leaves my hair soft, and a bottle can last forever. The bottle that I just finished using had lasted for 2 years. I only use this stuff during summer though, but it is definitely a go to product for me.

* Apple Cider Vinegar

I don't remember when I started using ACV, but ever since I've used it as a major staple for after I shampoo and condition my hair. I don't mind the smell as much as some people; after using it so many times I just get used to it. It leaves my hair soft and detoxes my locs.

*Dr. Bronner's

Love, love, love! I have tried practically all of their scents except for eucalyptus and orange. If I ever have kids I will use the baby formula scent on them lol. Plus it also does a nice job at helping me clean my laundry, dishes, counter tops, etc. Especially nice and convenient during my college years!

* Suave Shampoos

I only use suave shampoos when I run out of Dr. Bronner's or when I'm out of town. I'm not a fan of all their ingredients, but as a basic and cheap shampoo to use on occasions, it does the trick.

*Essential oils

I just started jumping on the essential oil band wagon. I must say, essential oils are just wonderful. I just ordered an assortment of essential oils, I will post a review for each one explaining the smell, its benefits, and so on.

*Water

Naturally, I had to add this! Water is basically what keeps my hair and my locs going.

Finally, here are a list of products that I for some reason stopped using, but don't mind going back to them again.

* Grapeseed oil

I used to use this as part of my daily spritz mixture, but for some reason just stopped using it. It's not expensive, you can get a large bottle for $4, and just like olive oil, you can find it in most grocery stores. It is probably one of the lightest oils there is, plus the light green color of the oil is just gorgeous and really pretty. It works better for the skin though, because it easily absorbs and doesn't make your skin feel greasy, plus there is hardly any smell to it. For my hair, it was also wonderful. Eventually I want to bring grape seed oil back in my regime.

* My Herb-Infused Water Spritz

Before there was essential oils, I used just dry herbs to ensure that my hair was getting the all natural good stuff. I either grew the herbs (rosemary, thyme, basil, etc.) or bought them from the grocery store. I used to put these herbs in a jar and pour hot boiling water over them, let the herbs seep like a tea, and then spritz the infused herbal water mixture into my hair every morning and night. It smelled great and I think it did encourage much hair growth when I used to have really really short hair. Plus I got so many compliments on the smell. I think I stopped using fresh herbs mostly because I became too lazy to make the herbal spritz, and since I've started using essential oils, I just don't feel the need to buy fresh herbs anymore. Yet, I really do miss this spritz. I need to get my butt back in gear to making this stuff. The work in making it was worth it.

* Aloe Vera Gel

I used to use this as a twisting agent for my locs, but since I decided to freeform I hadn't felt the need to use it. However, aloe vera gel in general is just such a great product that I will probably use it again by rubbing it through my locs once they are more mature. For now, I just use it very occasionally on my skin.

So here's basically all the things I have ever used on my hair. Other products I do want to try and in the future are:

- More essential oils!
- Castor oil (i have heard such great things about it in regards to making the hair thicker and softer)
- A cheap shampoo from a Wholefoods or Trader Joes (i'm just curious to try their store brand shampoos)
- Conditioner (I want to wait until my locs are mature enough to use conditioner, right now, they just aren't ready. For now, a hot olive oil treatment works best for condtioning).
- A brush (I can't wait!)

So ladies, what is your list of products that you have thrown away, still keep, and want to bring back again. Don't forget to also mention products that you are curious to try out one day. Please post your response on my blog or post it as an entire blog post on yours. I can't wait to read your lists!

Much love,
Ness