Product Description:

O.B.I is a company that creates hair care products with natural ingredients for people with natural hair. There is no mineral oil, parabens, sulfates, toxins, petroleum, colorants, phthalates, or gluten.

Neem & Tea Tree Shampoo Bar:

I washed my hair using the Neem & Tea Tree Shampoo Bar. I thought this product was real interesting. I have never seen shampoo in a bar. Since I’ve ever used a bar shampoo I didn’t know how to use it. I didn’t know if I was suppose to rub it on my hands and let it lather or was I suppose to rub it directly onto the hair. I tried both ways. I didn’t get much of a lather and I usually judge my shampoos by the way they lather; however, after I finished my scalp did feel clean so it did it’s job.

Curl Moisture Cream:

I applied the Curl Moisture Cream to my hair prior to detangling. This product is used to add moisture and to hydrate curls. I could see the definition of my curls come out when I applied this product to my hair. My hair also felt easier to detangle than usual.

Curl Enhancing Custard:

I used this product before styling. This product is used to make the curls pop or to smooth down the edges of the hair in any style. This product reminded me a lot of Cantu Shea Butter, which I love, except it is thicker. I think the thickness stops some shrinkage that usually occurs with natural hair. When I braided my hair and took it down for my braid out I noticed I kept some of my length. However, like Cantu Shea Butter I think it is a better stand alone product.

Curl Hydration Spray:

This product can be used daily to moisturize your hair and scalp, or to refresh your style. I sprayed this product on my hair before taking my braids for the braid-out. I gave my hair a great shine. I still use it everyday on my puff.

Product Review:

Overall, I loved the results of this braid out. There was added length and I had well defined curl over night. Usually when I do a braid out it takes a day or two for it to look as full as I like it and hide all the gaps but I had a full braid out on the first day using these products. These products can be purchased at: http://www.obinaturalhair.com/ or you could win all the products mentioned above by following the giveaway instructions below.

Giveaway Instructions:

1. You must be a subscriber to our YouTube channel, http://www.youtube.com/user/naturalnessdotcom.

2. Go to Youtube, rate, and comment on the video below by telling us what you think of the results.

3. Rate and comment on two other naturalnessdotcom videos.

You have until March 1, 2013 at 11:59 pm to enter. The winner will be announced March 2, 2013 on www.natural-ness.com and in the description box of the video below on YouTube.

This video shows how I used the products and the results:

This video is long overdue, but here it is.  My daughter recently celebrated her 4th birthday and I wanted to come up with a cute style for this special occasion.  I decided to style her hair using Curlformers along with Kinky Pride’s Shea-Loe Butter and Twist and Loc gel, and the SNO Natural Herbal Hair & Scalp Therapy.  Here are the results (scroll down for video):

Even though I had 40 Curlformers to work with, it was not enough.  I decided to remedy the situation by styling the top of her hair into two pony tails and adding the Curlformers to the ends.

I borrowed this set of short and wide Curlformers from my sister Coco.  I ran into another problem, the Curlformers that I was using was designed for up to 9 inches of hair.  I quickly discovered that my daughter’s hair is way longer than that…

To solve that problem, I two stranded twisted the first few inches of hair (in some cases 3-4 inches) and added the Curlformers to the last 9 inches of her hair.

The Kinky Pride and SNO Naturals products gave my daughter’s hair a nice healthy sheen.  It’s hard to find products that do that because of her dry/cottony hair type.

Initially, I planned on untwisting the two strand twisted roots of her hair, but after removing the Curlformers, I decided not to.  I really liked the result.

All ready for her 4th birthday party!

Video Notes: This is my demonstration on using Curlformers on my 4-year-old daughter along with my review of Kinky Pride’s Shea-Loe Butter, Aloe Vera Lock & Twist Gel and SNO Herbal Hair & Scalp Therapy. These products were not purchased by me, but were sent to me after I contacted the co-owner and asked her if I could review her product. I fell in love with the Kinky Pride products after they were demonstrated on my hair at the Tennessee Natural Hair expo. You can see that video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iva8Wsy4NE

Kinky Pride products can be purchased here:http://snonatural.com/products/products.html

Be sure to check their site for a list of the product ingredients. I will also list the ingredients on our website: http://www.natural-ness.com

Music credits:

“The Natural Hair Song”, was written and performed by Anitra Jay (http://www.AnitraJay.com). You can download the song for free at: www.facebook.com/anitrajay

Instrumental “untitled” and created by Francis “mr. faia” Turner

Thanks Anitra & Francis for sharing your talents!

I shared these pictures in my Kinky Pride product review video (seen here), but I wanted to post pictures of the style for those who have not seen the video.  Here is the result of my first attempt at doing rope twists on my own hair:

Although I am not new to a rope twist out as a style (I’ve been doing them on my daughter for quite a while now), I had never tried the style on myself.

To create a rope twist-out, you divide a section of hair into two strands and you twist each strand before your twist the two strands together (see video link above for detailed instruction).  You later remove the twists and voila…you have a rope twist out!

Twisting each strand before twisting the two strands together gives you a tighter twist with less shrinkage.

It also gives your resulting twist-out a slightly different texture which is what I was looking for.

Products used to create this style: Kinky Pride Shea-Loe Butter and Aloe Vera Lock and Twist Gel (see my video link above for my review of these products)

Description from Ouidad website:

Double Rows of teeth eliminate difficult knots and prevent curls from springing back and re-tangling.

Longer Teeth reach through the most dense curly hair.

Fewer Combing Strokes help curls remain defined and frizz-free.

Spaced teeth are just the right width for detangling knots.

Rounded Tips on teeth are soft on the scalp.

Time Savings since curls are prepped to be styled or washed in half the time.

Products Used:

Ouidad Double Detangler

Creme of Nature Shampoo, Detangling Conditioning, Sunflower & Coconut, 15.2 oz.

Creme of Nature Leave-In Creme Conditioner for Dehydrated Hair, Lemongrass & Rosemary, 8.45 oz.

Product Review:
I loved using the Ouidad Double Detangler on my hair. I always had easy to detangle hair but I still couldn’t stand the detangling process. The Ouidad Double Detangler glided through my hair with ease and got rid of my toughest tangles. It only took me about 15 minutes to detangle (14:54 to be exact) which is a lot quicker than normal. Plus, usually after I detangle my hair I have to sweep up little beadie beads that have fallen to the flood, but there were no beadie beads to clean up after using the Ouidad Double Detangler. I would recommend it.

Click on the video below for a live demonstration:

Coco & I have been on a forced hiatus from the site for a week; we’ve been very busy.  Thanks for your patience!  I can’t promise that updates will come much faster, but please bear with us, we will continue to create new videos and posts as time allows.

Below is my demonstration on creating a rope twist-out along with my review of Kinky Pride’s Shea-Loe Butter and Aloe Vera Lock & Twist Gel. These products were not purchased by me, but were sent to me after I contacted the co-owner and asked her if I could review her product. I fell in love with the Kinky Pride products after they were demonstrated on my hair at the Tennessee Natural Hair expo. You can see that video here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iva8Wsy4NE

Kinky Pride products can be purchased here:http://snonatural.com/products/products.html  (see ingredient list below the video)

Ingredients List:

Kinky Pride Shea-Loe Butter – Shea butter, aloe butter, soy butter, avocado butter, almond butter, grapeseed oils, rosemary oils, ylang ylang oils, peppermint oils, olive oils, jojoba oils, wheat protein, nf wax , vitamin E, fragrance

Kinky Pride Lock & Twist Gel – Aloe leaf extract, wheat protein, nettle, horsetail, apple cider, lavender, ylang ylang, castor oil, vegetable glycerin, vitamin E, potassium sorbate, fragrance.

I sometimes hear women say the only reason they will not go natural is because it is too expensive. A lot of women are under the impression that it is imperative that they have to buy all these expensive natural hair products on the market today. So, I just wanted to do a post featuring my must-have items to show those skeptical women out there that natural hair does not have to cost a lot.

I am a reformed product junkie. These are my essentials items, I can get by on these and don’t really need anything else. I do try other products now and again when other people recommend them to me so this list may change in the future but as of right now this is all I need.

 Depending on my budget, I love to use either Suave or Creme of Nature shampoo and conditioner. Suave can be purchased for as low as $.85 and Creme of Nature cost slightly more at $3.99 depending on where you buy it.

I love Organic Root Stimulator Smooth-n-Hold Pudding, this is my favorite product. This product can be used on every hairstyle I like to do. I use it on my braid-outs, two-strand twists, flat twists, and it can be used to slick down puffs (though I have been using other gels to do so just because I want to use them up). It doesn’t flake and it holds my hair well. I purchase mine at the beauty supply for $5.49.

I usually use my Cantu Shea Butter before styling unless I’m using another product on my hair. I have found that Cantu Shea Butter doesn’t play well with other products and will clump up in my hair. I love the smell and I love the way it makes my hair look. Cantu Shea Butter can be purchased for $5.99.

I like to use Virgin Coconut Oil on my braid-outs to make them shiny or to sustain my two-strand twists. I purchased from Tropical Traditions through Amazon.com for $19.99 which is more than I normally spend for hair care products but this was before I knew any better. However, it is a pretty big jar and I’ve had this jar for over a year now and it’s still over 2/3 full so I’m getting my money’s worth. However, coconut oil can be purchased from just about any grocery store for around $4.

  
  
Here are all the utensils I use to accomplish my styles. I like to detangle using my pick and deman brush. I use my rat tail comb for parting. The goody bands and clicks help secure the hair I’m not working on out of the way. My black rubber bands are used to hold my flat twists. A silk bonnet to maintain my styles while I sleep and a silk wrap scarf to secure my puffs.

Product Description:
A light, alcohol-free, Conditioning hydrating gel. Stops frizz, adds moisture, defines, shapes and seals in any size or texture of curl.  Dries soft and adds shine with no flaking.

Ingredients:
Soft water, (Aqua) glycerine, polyquatenium 10 and peg 14, polyquatenium 37, dmdm hydantoin, yarrow extract (achilea millefolium), jua extract (zizyphus Joazerio bark), lemon extract (citrus medic limonum fruit), wild mint extract (mentha avensis leaf), Soap bark extract (quillaja sapponaria bark), polysorbate 20, fragrance.

Product Review:
This product was recommended to me by a colleague of mine, Shay (pictured below). After seeing how defined her TWA curls were I had to try it. Her curls just popped out without the stiffness of most hair gels. I used this product myself on a braid-out. Usually when I do a braid-out, to get the definition I want, I have to leave the braids in for at least three days before taking them down. However, with this product I braided my hair the night before and then took them down the next day and my hair was well defined, saves some days trying to plan your styles. On top of that this product smells great and made my hair feel soft. I would recommend this product.

Here is Shay wearing her TWA.
  
All she does is wash her hair in the morning and rub this product on while it’s still wet.

Here are pictures from my braid-out this morning using this product.
  

This product can be purchased at your local beauty supply. I paid $7.99 for a 6 oz. container which is pretty steep for me but now that I’m working in a professional environments I can’t be wearing hats for 3 days waiting for my curls set. So, I guess the price is worth it if I decide to wear a braid-out in the middle of the week.

Product Purpose:

Heal, grow and strengthen dry damaged hair

Ingredients:

Deionized Water , Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter) , Argan Oil , Vegetable Glycerin , Emulsifying Wax , Sea Kelp Extract , Panthenol (Vitamin B-5) , Essential Oil Blend , Avocado Oil , Lonicera Caprifolium Flower and Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract (Honeysuckle and Japanese Honeysuckle) , Tocopherol (Vitamin E) , Hyssopus Officinalis Extract , Salvia Officinalis Leaf and Equisetum Arvense Extract (Sage) , Soybean Oil , Daucus Carota Sativa Seed Oil (Carrot)

Product Review:

This review is well overdue because I have been using this product for a while on myself and my daughter.  In fact, I just ran out.  Still, it is a little tough for me to write this review because I have not been blown away by this product.  When I sat down and thought about my hair, and my daughter’s hair, as result of using this product, I could not think of much to say.  I don’t know if that is a good thing, because for $9.99, I really want to be blown away.  Now to be fair, I have not applied this product and used it under a dryer.  However, the instructions do not say to use it under a dryer.  The instructions say to apply it and leave it in hair for 5-30 minutes, then thoroughly rinse.  It also gives the option to leave in hair and use as frizz-free moisturizing styling cream. I have tried the product both ways.  The results are not bad, but I do not feel that my hair, or my daughter’s hair, gets the full deep moisturizing treatment that it needs. I may try this product again, but I’m still in search of a “must have” deep conditioner.  Perhaps one that requires some heat. This is not it.

As always, what works or doesn’t work for my hair (or my daughter’s) may have another outcome on your own.  If you would like to try this product, it can be purchased at your local Target or Walgreen’s store for $9.99.  Or you can purchase it at amazon.com: Shea Moisture Raw Shea Restorative Trauma Masque – 12 oz.

I love this product when it comes to washing my face. Black soap in it’s natural form is just to rough for me and I don’t like to use it on my face but this is perfect. I apply it with an exfoliating sponge and it leaves my face smooth. Only negative is that it’s very drying and you must apply a moisturizer immediately after use. I love the way my skin feels after. Liquid black soap can also be used to make black soap shampoo which I may try at a later date.

Ingredients:
Pure honey, shea butter, osun (carmwood), cocoa pod powder, plantain peel powder, palm kernal oil, coconut oil, water, aleo vera

This product can be purchased at www.racosmetics.com.

Over the past few weeks or so, I’ve been doing sort of an informal comparison of AfroVeda Curl Define and Goddess Curls Gel (Curls Brand).  I wanted to make sure that I was fair in my review and comparison of both products.  Again, I have to say that I like both products.   Also, I must be fair in saying that they are not the same type of product.  One is a cream and the other is a gel.  The only comparison that I am doing is comparing the results when I use each product for a braid out.

I am doing this follow up, because in my review of AfroVeda, the pictures of my braid-outs were either too far away or were pictures of my hair in a puff, where you could not fully see the results.  I wanted to post new pictures of my hair after using AfroVeda, so that you could really see what my hair looks like after using this product.

Here is the top of my braid-out.  This braid-out was done on freshly washed hair.  After washing I applied AfroVeda Curl Define to small sections of my hair, before braiding into about 12 – 15 braids.

I must say that my hair was very soft to the touch after using the AfroVeda.  There are definitely some conditioning qualities to the product.  I love the texture created and there is actually quite a bit of shine!

On my first review of the product, I rated the product as “not bad”, but based on the results of this braid-out, I would probably bump my rating up to (great product):

I have about half a jar of this product left.  I am not sure if I am going to repurchase it after I run out.  I think it would consider repurchasing it if it were available in a store close to me (i.e. Target…hint,hint).

For now, I will continue to use this product.  I may even consider using it on my daughter to see what effect it has on her hair.  We’ll see…overall, I think this product is definitely worth checking out.  I hope this review helps!