I recently picked up these two bad boys! I must say, they've been rocking my world lately. I've been using both of them for a few weeks now and want to share with you what my experience with them have been like.

Likes

Consistency - It's light and watery, just what I love. Curly hair naturally yearns for moisture and using water based products helps to satisfy that craving. I've used other leave-ins that were thicker in consistency and have found that I have to be careful with the amount of those products that I use. But with the Shea Moisture's JBCO Leave-In, I can use a lot or a little and never feel like I've used too much.

Great for refreshing - I love wearing wash and go's, but the key to making them last for days and days is refreshing the curls each morning. Now this took me some time to master as sometimes i would use too much product and end up with a heavy, weighed down look. And at times i would either not use enough product and end up with frizzy, crazy curls. Also took me some time to develop a technique that would work for my curls. Now that I've got that all out of the way, I'm happy to report that this product is great for refreshing as its light and the hair absorbs it very well

No product build up - A lot of times I find really great products with great ingredients, but they just don't work for my hair. They leave my hair with residue as they don't mix well with other products, but with the JBCO Leave-in, i have not experienced this. My curl texture needs a holding product for my curls to last. Just using leave-in conditioner on my hair is not going to cut it. I love this stuff because no matter what holding product I've used it with, it blends with it like a match made in heaven.

Smell - Although I love this product so much, I'm usually hesitant to use it because of the way it smells. This is very sad to me because it works so well with my hair. However, for me smell is really big when it comes to whether I use a product or not. Generally my hair is worn down, so really close to my nose. As you can imagine, I'm smelling it all the time! I've been experimenting with using the leave-in with products that I love the smell of, such as Bounce Curl's Light Creme Gel and Miss Jessie's Coily Custard. Since it isn't such a very strong smell, it's been working for me.

Container - The only other thing I have to complain about...well, not really complaining, just giving some constructive criticism :)....is the container that it comes in. Because it's a tub, I have to stick my fingers in it whenever I want to use it. I'm not a big fan of this as sometimes its difficult to scoop the product out, especially since it's so runny. Even though I always make sure I style my hair with clean hands, I don't really find it sanitary to stick fingers/hands in product over and over again. It is also very prone to getting loose hairs stuck in the product. Truthfully, with its watery consistency it would fit perfect in a bottle or a pump. This would make it easier to access along with ensuring the product stays free from debris, germs and bacteria. I'm going to try putting it in my own bottle/pump container and see if that works!


All in all, despite the 2 negatives I've found with using this leave-in, the positives for me, truly out-way the negatives. I will continue to use it and work around my dislikes as I have found myself doing lately anyway.

Smell - Now, unlike the leave-in, the masque actually smells pretty nice. It has a vanilla, musky smell that I am really into. It smells like the type of candles I like to burn. For me, Shea Moisture product smells are always hit or miss. Because I love all their products so much, I wish I also loved all the smells just as much, so that I can use every last one of them. Unfortunately, that's not reality. But lucky for me, this masque smells wonderful and i'm glad because it makes my hair feel soooo good.
Consistency - Just like with the leave-in, I love the consistency of the treatment masque. I use it as a deep conditioner on wash day. It's light, creamy, whipped texture feels very moisturizing, yet not greasy. It also has great slip for de-tangling. This is always a plus as it will save you from having to use another conditioning product to de-tangle before using this masque to shoot that much needed moisture into your curls. It also rinses out of the hair well, leaving the hair soft, shiny, and moisturized. And finally, it does not leave any residue. Check out below for a visual of the consistency.



Potency - Honestly, I couldn't think of anything that I truly disliked about this product. But if I just had to say something, it's that even though I like the smell of the masque, it does linger on your hands for a long time, longer than most product smells usually stay on your skin. It may seem a bit extra, but you can always avoid this by applying the deep conditioner using latex gloves.


Bottom line is this treatment masque is bomb. Nothing left to say. But seriously, it has definitely become one of my favorites and a staple in my wash day routine. If a product smells nice and works well with my curls, I'm sold.

All in all, I hope this review was helpful to you. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below. But before I let you go, here are some pictures of my curls using these products.

Enjoy and 'til next time.....Stay Curly!

Ever wonder how some Curlies keep their curls healthy and strong? Here I share 3 tips I've picked up from my favorite Curlies!

2. Protective/low manipulation styles - these hairstyles offer you a way to switch things up while keeping your hair's health. Protective styles will keep your ends tucked away and free from the elements. Low maintenance styles like wash and go's and pony tails offer your hair some style with less fuss and less steps to create the looks. I know a lot of us Curlies do wash and go's and twist/braid outs as our go-to styles but trying some new low maintenance hairstyles can break up the monotony of the lion mane we all love to rock!

3. Deep condition regularly - deep conditioning is almost like exercise for your hair. You're not going to see the results right away. It's going to take weeks, maybe months of consistent deep conditioning treatments to see any improvement, just like exercising your body. Deep conditioning adds the much needed moisture that curls lack due to the nature of the hair texture. Our ends rarely see the natural oils that our scalp produces and the natural oils are essential to hair health. Also, the curlier your strands are, the more likely your natural oils are not making their way down your hair shaft. Therefore, a deep conditioning treatment (at minimum) on a weekly basis is critical to a curlie's hair regimen. Check out my article (3 Steps to Effective Deep Conditioning) for some tips on getting the best out of your deep conditioning sessions.

Deciding to love and rock your curls means doing things to them that help keep them healthy and strong! 

I hope you enjoyed these tips! Till next time.....Stay Curly!!

"What is a teacher? I'll tell you: it isn't someone who teaches something, but someone who inspires the student to give of her best in order to discover what she already knows." - Paulo Coelho.

Being a natural curly can be hard sometimes. Dealing with curly hair has its good and bad days. Sometimes its difficult to find the right products and techniques that help you achieve your best looking curls. But having others to look to for guidance and inspiration could be a big help. Today I share with you 3 curlies that have inspired me throughout the years! Nowadays I follow many great curly gurus, but these 3 ladies were the very first that I started following when I embarked on this empowering and truly special, healthy, natural curly hair journey (enough adjectives for ya? lol) Check them out!

She was one of the very first youtubers I ever started following. She inspired me to really want to "go natural" in terms of my product choices with my curly hair care. I've always been a curly girl but I didn't learn to treat my curls right until I started watching her journey. I incorporated a lot of the things she was doing into my hair care regimen, such as finger coiling, pineapples and using coconut oil. And as I watched her transition into an organic lifestyle, it influenced me as well to be more aware of the products I use, not just on my hair, but in my everyday life as well.

Here I share with you some tips on how to build a great curly hair products collection without going overboard or broke!

As always, I hope these tips were helpful! And I hope they helped take away some of the stress that can come with owning too many products or not owning the right kind of products that will give you those First Class Curls!

Thanks for the visit....Stay Curly!