Products I Use

This post is particularly for my South African based readers out there! Pretty and Joy both asked about the products I use and where I find the ingredients I put into them. So ladies, thank you for asking and here you go…

When I first decided to stop relaxing my hair, I had no idea what I was going to do. So I did what I usually do when I want to find things out, I scoured the internet. Lo and behold, there was this massive world of natural hair bloggers and vloggers, that I never knew existed all over the place with really useful basic and advanced tips on how to care for natural black hair. Thing is, the majority of them were based in the States. And although they saved my life in terms of what to do with my hair, they were using all of these fabulous products that I couldn’t find ANYWHERE here, in Johannesburg.

So I had to do it on my own. One key thing I’ve learned is to always read the label on the products I
buy. I hate not knowing what I’m putting in my hair. Before I went
natural, I researched what to look out for and what to avoid and it’s
not the same for everyone out there. I’ve decided to stay away from the
majority of products that are targeted to Black women as they didn’t do
much for my hair even before I went natural. And many of them contain
some dodgy ingredients like petroleum.

And after a year and somewhat of trial and
error, I can safely say that I’ve come to a happy place with my
products. Not to say that I’ve stopped experimenting, my curiosity still leads me to try new things. And my fro is forever changing its mind about what works for it and what doesn’t. But if those new products fail, I go back to old faithful.

Here they are:

I got the VO5 on promotion at Clicks two months ago for R15 each! I think they may have discontinued them now because I haven’t seen them since and VO5 have released a new range.

My current routine:

• Every other weekend: Shampoo + Deep Condition (at least 1 hour) with Organic Root Stimulator (ORS) DC; I detangle my hair with a wide-toothed shower comb with the conditioner on. After rinsing,
  I spritz my Daily Spritz on as a leave-in conditioner and massage lemon butter onto my hair. I braid about 10-15 chunky braids while my hair’s damp to stretch it.
• Everyday: Spritz twice with Daily Spritz, once in the morning
  before undoing braids/twists and once in the evening before re-doing
  braids/twists. I always make sure to spritz some onto my scalp to keep it
  moisturised. I also massage my Zesty Lemon Butter onto my scalp after undoing the braids/twists in the mornings. I don’t use a comb during the week, I only finger comb. A day after I’ve washed, my hair’s stretched enough to braid 8-10 chunky braids or 5 flat twists.
• If the weather’s not kind, I wash my hair with just conditioner (“co-wash”) and it doesn’t dry my hair as much as shampooing. I usually do this during winter.

Results so far: My hair feels soft, detangled and stretchy. I also don’t suffer from itchiness and usually only start experiencing dry hair/scalp after about 10 days.

For my beloved Daily Spritz, I use:

For the exact measurements, please see my products page. I mix them all into my re-purposed 150ml spray bottle and that usually lasts me a week. Herbal Essences doesn’t seem to be available in SA, but you can use your conditioner of choice in its stead. I love it because of the smell so I stack up on my stock when my sister sends it to me from Tanzania.

For my enhanced Tresemme shampoo, I use:

For the exact measurements, please see my products page. I add the juice and oil to my Tresemme shampoo to give it more moisture and my hair doesn’t come out dry and squeaky clean. Instead, it’s soft and spongey, just the way I like it. I alternate with the VO5 Elixirs shampoo.

For my deep conditioning days, I use:

I add about a tablespoon of Vatika oil to my ORS conditioner into a bowl and slap that on for a double deep condition and hot oil treatment. I used to cover my hair with a shower cap but my hair has grown, so I use a plastic bag. Yes, a normal grocery plastic bag. Does the job even better than a shower cap. I’ve gotten over the embarrassment.

The latest to my collection:

Okay, The main reason why I bought these was because of the packaging! They’re just tooooo cute. But also now that I have colour in my hair, it made sense to try a range to keep that colour intact. Plus, I’m currently using VO5’s other line and I’m loving it so I figured they should be cool to use. I’ll be doing a review on them once I get onto using them.

If I’ve missed anything out, if you found this helpful, or you’ve come across some fabulous products for natural hair here in SA, drop me a line 🙂

Thanks to Joy and Pretty for inspiring this post 😉