Mane Diva : Product Overload

Since October there have been quite a few products I have tried and used. I've held off from reviewing most of them because as you know I have really been focused on controlling the breakage I was experiencing in an effort to retain length and therefore I have been blogging more about that. As well, there are so many reviews out there about similar products I figured there was no real rush right? Well, as I finish off most of the oils, poos and conditioners I am using and scaling down to only a few selected more natural products I have become more aware of what has and hasn't worked for my hair and wanted to share the information (please note I am picky and hard to please. I know how I want my hair to feel/look and if a product doesn't do it for me it will get a poor review--you may not feel the same). A few I have already written about (e.g. Aveda Dry Remedy, Komaza Shea Butter Lotion and Aphogee Balancing Moisturizer), so this list will cover everything else. Going forward I plan to discuss and review the products I am using more consistently as I am using them.

Protectiv Mega Growth Daily Strengthener ($8.99 CDN). Well I will say as a pro, it smelled good. It is a rich cream so a little goes a long way. I don't even know if it is really suitable for the whole head because of its density, particularly if you have fine hair such as myself. Con: not moisturizing at all. Initially, I thought it was helping out my hair, but it was actually drying it out. It made my hair feel greasy, so over all, it's a no no for me. I even tried to mix it with the Komaza and no real change. With all this considered it gets a

. Definitely will not be continuing. I have a whole jar sitting under my sink.

Silk Elements MegaSilk Moisturizing Treatment ($15.99 CDN). Unlike it counterpart (SE MegaSilk Cholesterol Conditioner) this one does not contain mineral oil, which is why I chose it. Hmmmm I will say I don't get all the hype about this product. I tried a small pack rather than buying the larger container and I am glad I did. I found it very perfumed and the consistency was too thin for my liking. I also didn't get that much slip when I used it. However, when I washed it out I will say my hair dried nicely and my new growth was soft (I used it at about 8 weeks post). More and more I am convinced I should use all natural products given the price and what it did. With these things considered I gave it a

. I just wish more products made sample/trial sizes.

Aubrey Organics Rosa Mosqueta® Nourishing Conditioner ($17.99 CDN). I know, I know--$18.00 for a conditioner?! This stuff better be the bomb diggity right? Well it definitely fell short there. I put this stuff on my dry hair and my hair slapped it back on its ass. Pro: the smell is okay and it is thick and rich (so rich it was hard to get out of the bottle). It also has everyday products you can find in your fridge

or local health food store, which I also appreciate given I am trying to find all natural products. My hair also had some slip, but I really didn't think it was that great for the price. My hair and new growth dried nicely, but not as soft as it has with other conditioners I have used. I actually carried out a little experiment and did a side by side comparison with SE Moisturizing Treatment Conditioner and Rosa Mosqueta® and they fared about the same. The SE did make my new growth feel softer and my hair appeared fuller as well. For these reasons (e.g. price and benefits) I've given the Rosa Mosqueta® a

. Very disappointing indeed. I will mix it with my AO HR as a DC and use a bit of it as a leave in until it's finished (please see updated review).

Lustrasilk Shea Butter Cholesterol Plus ($3.69 CDN). I have heard good things about this conditioner as a DC. I don't get it because for me this conditioner is way too runny/thin for that. I realize it may just be my preference, but I like rich dense conditioners. I have found that I get more slip with heavier conditioners, so it may just that is not the conditioner for me. Pro: smells good. Con: did not moisturize my hair very much. My hair just drank that conditioner up like it was water. Consistency is really thin and feels almost like water. I am glad it was only $4.00. For these reasons I gave it a

. I will use it as a pre-poo until finished.

Neutrogena Triple Moisture Silk Touch Leave in Conditioner ($9.99 CDN). I keep hearing about this product and how great it smells and leaves the hair. It was just okay for me. I found it way too thin for a leave in and it did nothing for me. I had to mix the Komaza Shea Butter, which actually created a really nice consistency (I find the Komaza too thick for a daily moisturizer). As a daily moisturizer it was much better, and made my hair and new growth feel l-o-v-e-l-y. I gave it a

I will use it a daily moisturizer until it's finished.

Organic/Unrefined Shea Butter ($5-21.99 CDN). I had to write about this because I posted information about this product when I first started my hair journey, but never wrote about how it has responded to my hair. All I can say is it's not for me. I have tried it on my scalp and my scalp itched like crazy. I tried it on my hair, it felt weighed down and too heavy. In my conditioners, again a weird feel. It just doesn't work for me on my hair, natural or not. Now that is not to say it is a bad product, because some women love it, and truth be told, shea butter has very nice properties that benefits the hair. Unfortunately, for my hair it is a no go. For this reason, and this reason only it gets a

as far as a hair conditioner goes. Disappointing (as an aside, it works great on my skin).

See, I told you I was hard to please

! You should try these out for yourself though. I have very challenging hair (fine, 4a/b, dry and breaking), and you may find, as so many other women have, that these do great things for your hair. For me, my ratings stand.