Haircare Review: My Natural Hair...Local is Lekker

Hi all,
This post is long overdue, but work has been crazy and it took me a while to get to this post.

My Natural Hair is a South African hair care range that launched late last year; it is the brainchild of Catherine Williams.
I came across it in early October on one of my exploratory stolls through the hair product aisles in Clicks (Canal Walk). as a natural, one is always on the lookout for new and better products (that work and are reasonably priced). So I was really excited when I saw this range, I picked up the conditioner to try (that's usually the deal breaker for me in any haircare range...I'm a sucker for a good conditioner!). I promptly snapped a shot and posted it to the Cape Town Naturally Support group (sharing is caring! Can't leave my curlfriends out in the cold).

FIRST! Facebook post of my new find

I was pretty impressed with the condtioner, so I picked more of it at their stall during the Cape Town Natural Hair Festival (December 2016).

Got my pciture taken at theMy Natural Hair stand at the Natural Hair Festival. Image courtesy of My Natural Hair

And then I got lucky enough to win a hamper during a let your hair speak social media campaign.

I've been using the entire range for a couple weeks and so i'm ready to give my thoughts...

Wash Day things

1. Nourishing Shampoo 250ml 
free from (Sulphates, Pthalates, Parabens, Petroleum & Mineral oil)
Ingredient List (as listed on the website)
aqua, sodium lauroyl sarcosinate, lauryl glucoside, cocamidopropyl betaine, PEG-18 glyceryl oleate/cocoate, cocamide DEA, PEG-7 glyceryl cocoate, glycerine, parfum, ethylene/sodium acrylate copolymer, sodium chloride, acetamide MEA, dimethiconol panthenol, hydrolyzed keratin, hyaluronic acid, disodium EDTA, methylchloroisothiiazolinone, methylisothiazolinone, linoleic acid, dimethiconol cysteine, simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) oil, sorbitol, citric acid.

I really like this shampoo, I've used after removing braids a couple of times and while my braids were installed. It cleanses without stripping the hair (even with a double shampoo). It leaves my hair really soft and manageable (I can't handle shampoos that leave my hair so stripped, that I'm afraid to touch it for fear of breaking it!). It's a clear formula with a light floral/herbal scent. It does foam up quite a bit, so you do have to rinse really well.

2. Hydrating Conditioner 250ml
Ingredient List (as listed on the website)

aqua, cetearyl alcohol, cetyl alcohol, cetrimonium chloride, glycerine, butyrospermum parkii (shea) butter, cocos nucifera (coconut) oil, PEG-20 stearate, prunus amygdalus dulcis (sweet almond) oil, polysorbate-60, simmondsia chinensus (jojoba) oil, parfum, acetamide MEA, dimethiconol panthenol, hydrolyzed keratin, hyaluronic acid, linoleic acid, methylchloroisothiazolinone, methylisothiazolinone, sorbitol.

I've used this conditioner as a pre-shampoo treatment and as a deep conditioner, and it works well in both instances. I apply this to damp hair section-by-section, detangle with my denman and cover my hair with a plastic cap (or cling wrap), then put a towel over my head and wait 30 minutes before rinsing. After rinsing, my coilys pop and clump together (this is my measure for a good conditioner...popping coils). 

Compared to the holy grail for coilys and curlies, Tresemme Naturals (Now Botaniques) it doesn't have a much slip but it works well enough to detangle without tugging and pain. My only gripe...I wish the contianer were bigger; I'm already more than halfway through the first bottle and the shampoo has hardly moved. You know how it is - it's one bottle of shampoo to a gazillion of conditioner. Tall n Curly the struggle with the most hilarious and honest illustrations (below).

 

True story

the struggle is real

 3. Moisturising Butter 125ml
Ingredients
aqua, butyrospermum parkii (shea) buttter, cocos nucifera (coconut) oil, cetearyl alcohol, stearic acid, glycerine, trehalose, glyceryl stearate (and) PEG-100 stearate, helianthus annuus (sunflower) oil, polysorbate-60, olea europaea (olive) oil, ceteareth-20, niacinamide, phenoxyethanol (and) ethylhexyl glycerin, cetrimonium chloride, parfum, acetamide MEA, benzophenone-3, tocopherol acetate, carbomer, disodium EDTA, benzophenone-4, dimethiconol panthenol, hydrolyzed keratin, hyaluronic acid, linoleic acid, dimethiconol cysteine, simmondsia chinensus (jojoba) oil, sodium hydroxide.

4. Strengthening Oil 150ml

Ingredients
helianthus annuus (sunflower) oil, vitis vinifera (grape) seed oil, ricinus communis (castor) seed oil, persia gratissima (avocado) oil, prunus amygdalus dulcis (sweet almond) oil, olea europaea (olive) oil, coco caprylate, tocopherol acetate, parfum, benzophenone-3, butylated hydroxytoluene.

I applied the butter to damp hair, after towel drying (sometimes I'm too lazy to find the t-shirt); then I comb through with my denman and seal with the oil and then braid the section up and allow the hair to dry for a few hours or overnight before blowdrying on medium heat to stretch my hair. 
the butter has a chocolate mousse consistency; it's easily absorbed without leaving any white residue. Also, a little goes a long way so this little tub should last quite a while. I've used this as a moisturiser between washdays and as a moisturiser when installing braids. 
The oil is light without being greasy or too viscose, so it's easy to apply. as with the butter, a little goes a long way (too much of any product just ends in a big mess). 

Final thoughts: I'm impressed with this range, I tend to be sceptical of locally made products; a symptom of many decades during which ethnic or curly/coily hair was ignored. As a child, my mum washed my hair with sunlight green soap bar and sealed my wet hair with vaseline or Wella hairfood (the stinky yellow one), so seeing these locally made products with good ingredients, that work really well is super exciting.

Where to find them: the entire range is available at the My Natural Hair online store, takealot.com and in Clicks stores, Jet Mart and  Africa Cash and Carry wholesalers. All the products cost ZAR 79.99 at the My Natural Hair store, and cost between ZAR 89 and 99.99 at Clicks (in-store and online). 
 
Media Event
My Natural Hair held a media event for Cape Town at the Bunglow in Clifton last month. Let me tell you.. I had such hair envy seeing all those curly fros as I had Goddess locs installed at the time. It was an event for local curlies to mingle, we also got a chance to meet Catherine the creator and ambassdor to My Natural Hair (I met her briefly at the Natural Hair Festival in December). Here are some pics from the event. The rest are available on the The Little Black Book Facebook page (here)

Images courtesy of My Natural Hair

I always feel acomplished when I finish a post *waves hands in the air*

Until my next post ,

xoxo,