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BGLH readers recently asked J, Shari and I — who all have different textures — to list our top products. J went first. Now Shari weighs in. Of the three of us, Shari (our resident graphic designer) is the one transitioning to natural hair. Peep her top picks.

If you want more product talk, check out this ongoing thread of BGLHers Top 5 products. While you’re at it, don’t forget to check out J’s interview about her former life as a model in NYC.

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Shari

MY TEXTURE:

*sigh* my texture. Well, I have about 3-4 of them. All with different personalities. In the front, I have wavy hair. Which often leads people to ask me if I have Indian in my family (I’m not joking). At my temples near my ears, I have tightly coiled, kinky hair with no discernible curl pattern to the naked eye. And at the nape of my neck, I have a small section of springy curls. And all of my hair is coarse except for the curly part in the back. Coarse wavy hair is an interesting texture that doesn’t seem to respond to a whole lot of things. So I often spend money on products that don’t work for me. *cues sad violin music*

My hair is strong, rebellious and moody. I used to think that was a bad thing until I realized that you can have nuclear warfare on my head and my hair will still be standing.

“MY FAVES”:

Coconut oil: I loves my coconut oil. It moisturizes my scalp situation and preserves my sexy on a daily basis. I only discovered this magical not quite liquid/not quite solid back in the summer and it really does the trick. And pre-treating with it is the only thing that can save me from the next item on the list…

Water*: I am the self-proclaimed wash and go queen. I used to wash my hair EVERY DAY. It’s mystifying that my hair didn’t jump off my head in revolt. But I digress. The real reason water is on my list is because, my other fave products would be crap without it. And my hair just doesn’t look right without at least a little spritz of it. *Disclaimer – I’m referring to purified water. I bought one of those shower filters and it has been a great investment. My hair seems happier since I bought it. I live in Chicago and the water here is not quite right (my tap water smells like feet).

Oyin Handmade Burnt Sugar Pomade: First of all, this stuff smells like butterscotch and caramel apples. I sometimes want to eat it but then I have to remind myself it’s not food. But why I really love burnt sugar pomade is because it makes my slick-backed hair look shiny and luxurious and adds a little extra luster to my knots and twists.

Shampoo: I know a lot of my fellow natural ladies swear by co-washing, but my scalp says oh. hell. no. to that. I went granola (i.e. all natural products) a few months back and I gave away all of my shampoo. I tried co-washing, baking soda, no-poo, the whole nine. It all equaled failure (I won’t lie, Oyin’s Grand Poo Bar worked aight, but I don’t do well with bars). My scalp just doesn’t get clean without it.

Suave aloe & waterlilly conditioner: God bless the folks at Suave for making a family size bottle of conditioner with no protein and impeccable detangling qualities all for $2.12. I love ya’ll, really. My conditioner spending used to be out of control, but no more. I still use Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose to co-wash and cleanse my scalp. But I go through gallons of conditioner, so this is my old faithful.

So, there you have it folks. My top 5 products. I found my list surprising to even myself because I’m the biggest product junkie ever. Kinda crazy all the cheap items made the list.

Jenteel

MY TEXTURE:

I have about 3 different textures on my head.  Because of this, I find it easy to relate to naturals of many textures.   The front and back of my hair are looser textured – wavy.  This part of my hair is a breeze to detangle, but is hard to hold a style as twists and braids loosen quickly.  The middle of my hair is curly to coily textured.  This is the part of my hair that holds a style the best.  Unlike most naturals, my crown area is more coarse, but because it is a very small section it blends in easily with the waves.   I find more knots here and I have to pay special attention to moisturizing it more often.  This is the part of my hair that reverts the quickest.  All in all, my hair can be soft and pliable or tough and relentless.  It’s super thick and “big” which causes it to be the center of attention.  It is quite resilient and because of this I say it matches my personality!

MY STORY:

I am 10+ years in this natural game! I celebrated my nappiversary in May.  In 1998, I big chopped after 10-11 months of transitioning with braids (cornrows and twists done by me) and professional extensions.  Then in 1999, I went natural again by doing a “little” chop from a short relaxed cut that I sported for only 3 months.  I wore my hair short and natural for quite a while before I decided to grow it long.

“MY FAVES”: (in deliberate order)

Castor Oil: This is honestly one of my “stranded on a deserted island” picks. I l-o-v-e castor oil, particularly the pure “black” castor oil!  I was raised on castor oil.  We Haitians call it l’huile palma cristi (palm of christ) or maskreti.  When my aunt goes to Haiti, she brings me back the good stuff.  My Caribbean naturals, can relate to this   When I was a little girl my mom would use it mixed with herbs as a hair treatment.  Castor oil penetrates my strands, leaves my hair soft and shiny without feeling greasy.  I drench my ends with it.  Besides hair, castor oil has about a dozen uses.   Another way I use it is on sore muscles or injuries.  When you massage it into your skin it heats up and away goes the pain!

Trader Joe’s Nourish Spa Conditioner: Yes it’s a conditioner but it acts like a cleanser.  It even foams up a bit.  TJ’s cleanses gently, leaving my hair moist and detangling afterward is simple.  If I have product buildup, I just add a tiny bit of baking soda to a heaping handful of conditioner.  I love Trader Joe’s so one day a few years back,  I took a chance on the shampoo and conditioner.  My hair really takes to natural and organic ingredients.  When I started co-washing, this product did the trick.

Floral Waters: These are the hydrosols of flowers.  The best known is probably rosewater.   My favorites to use are chamomile or sandalwood.  I discovered them online when I was searching for natural ingredients to add to my spritz.  Camomile soothes irritated skin and is calming.   Sandalwood helps hydrate dry, itchy skin and serves as an antiseptic.  They both have bactericidal and anti-inflammatory properties.  They smell incredible,  soothe my scalp and even serve as my aromatherapy (take me away… ).

Gel: I have a confession – I love gel.  Yup, I’m not all juices and berries!   I know many naturals avoid gel.  I never advise on gel because some can be too drying, but anything with this viscous type of consistency gets me thru!  There are natural gels out there with great ingredients too.  One healthy gel in particular is African Formula Natural & Organic Styling Gel.   A fotki member with gorgeous curls named Spiral suggested it to me.  Because of my hair’s density, gel and only gel can smooth away the fly-aways and make my myriad of textures operate as one unit.   When the humidity gets crazy in the summer, I can rest assured with a wave-popping gel-ed back bun.    Depending on the weather or my pleasure, I may use the purest of the pure aloe vera gel to the “bad for you, but it hurts so good” black gel    All in moderation, baby!

Jheri Redding Natural Protein Conditioner: This find I discovered  in passing on a forum or on someone’s fotki.   I was very attracted to the idea of a protein treatment that didn’t use animal protein.  This one uses hydrolyzed vegetable protein and apple cider vinegar (another ingredient my hair loves).  After I use this my hair feels strong and soft!  Can’t beat that!

So there you have it.  The things that make my hair sing, dance and thrive!

~j~

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Want more product talk? Check out the BGLH forum HERE.

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