Haircare Review: Cantu Refresh Apple Cider Vinegar Root Rinse

Hi all,
It's been a long while since my last post...almost 2 months.
Todays review is on the ACV root rinse from Cantu; I've been using this for almost 3 months while my hair is in faux locs.

I struggle with a dry flaky scalp, especially when I wear braids and regular sulphate-free shampoos don't work for cleansing my scalp. I use the shampoo bars ("Soak & Float" and "NEW!") from Lush but these don't work so well when I have braids installed.
I decided to try the Cantu root rinse which is part of their Refresh range, since the reviews online were overwhelmingly positive.

Product blurb from the Cantu Beauty site
Cantu Root Rinse is made with apple cider vinegar, tea tree oil and shea butter – a deeply cleansing yet nourishing cocktail that replaces your shampoo when you need a deeper scalp detox and extra conditioned strands. Rinse away the old and bring on the new revealing stronger, healthier hair with a natural shine. No mineral oil, sulfates, parabens, silicones, phthalates, gluten, paraffin or propylene.

Ingredients list

What's it like:
The root rinse comes in a 355ml (12 fl oz) bottle with a nozzle. fragrance wise, there's a floral scent mixed with mild vinegar scent and mint. I quite like it. I'm not a fan of a strong vinegar scent, which is why I don't do vinegar rinses but I can handle this scent. The rinse is clear and has a very runny consistency.

The root rinse is clear runny consistency.

How I use it:
Before I apply the rinse, I divide my hair into four sections, then I spritz my scalp and roots with water. I apply the rinse to each section and massage my scalp (with my fingers) and leave it on for ~ 5 minutes. I rinse out my spritzing with water and wipe my scalp with a cotton t-shirt. You can repeat the application if you need to.

Got my water bottle, root rinse and oil #washdayready

How it performs: 
The root rinse has a soft lather, but not too much; which is good because...WATER RESTRICTIONS! Once I rinse it out, there's cooling sensation and my scalp is clean with no dry patches or flakes. My roots also feel soft and moisturised.
I follow up with my scalp oil mix (which mainly contains olive oil, ximenia oil and Jamaican black castor oil) or the Caivil Fusion Oil Hair Gro Essence (sometimes I reapply the oil midweek, if I need to). 

Jamaican Black Castor Oil and Oombeke (ximenia) Oil

One bottle of root rinse is enough for 5 washes (that's 5 weeks for me) and I'm already halfway through my second bottle.

Where to buy:
You can get this at Dischem, Foschini and takealot.com for R 199.95 (regular price). It's currently on sale on takealot for R 149.95 and at Dischem from R 159.95 (until 8 April).

Final thoughts: 
My relationship with Cantu haircare products is love and hate; when I first started transitioning back to natural, The Cantu shea buter leave-in conditioning cream was my jam. My transitioning hair loooved it and then as soon as I chopped off the last of my texlaxed ends, that love affair came to an abrupt end.
I switched to the Cantu for Natural hair leave-in and that didn't go well either. Although, combining this leave-in with the the Ecostyler gel when installing braids or locs is the best combo for retaining moisture of hair while in braids 🤷‍♀ I've tried some of the other products in sample packs that I got goody and they were just ...meh

The root rinse is my favourite Cantu product hands down! I never thought I'd be this excited about anything from Cantu 🙈 but here we are. This stuff is amazing.

Have you tried anything from the Cantu Refresh line?

Let me know in the comments below 👇

See you in my next post, 

xoxo

N 

Hair & Beauty Empties (March & April)

Hi loves,
Welcome to my first empties post. let me tell you about how I found the products and whether or not I would repurchase.

1. Sunny Isle Jamaican Black Castor Oil 236ml
I've been using JBCO for over two years now; I use it for my hair in a number of ways:
* with a cheapy conditioner (Tresemme Naturals) as a pre-shampoo/detangling treatment.
* with a hair masque/deep conditioner after shampooing.
* mix it with grapeseed oil (herbal infusion) and essential oils for my hair and scalp oil
I started using this oil during my transition period and it made the whole process so much easier; my hair is definitely stronger and thicker. JBCO is the one staple in my hair regimen since I'm a bit of a product junkie so I'm always trying out new shampoos and conditioners.

 

Would I repurchase? Hell yeah! I already have a second bottle. 

Price: ZAR 269.00 from www.african-flair.co.za 

2. Dark & Lovely Au Naturale Knot-out Conditioner 250ml
Dark & Lovely launched a hair care range for natural hair in South Africa late last year. I've already reviewed some of the products in this range (Click here for the link). I don't really use rinse-out conditioners after shampooing, I prefer to use deep conditioners and hair masques. I use rinse-outs for pre-poo and detangling (mixed with JBCO); this conditioner is perfect for this it's got tons of slip and it's super affordable. It will never replace Tresemme Naturals in my heart but it's an acceptable replacement. Also 250ml is only enough for 3 pre-poo sessions (I've got a lot of hair).

Would I repurchase? Yes. Until they launch the Tresemme Botanique range in South Africa.

Price: ZAR 39.95

3. The Body Shop Honeymania body Butter 250ml
I'm a sucker for a good body butter; I've got dry skin, so I can do with the extraness. This tub lasted a year, and I love how it made my skin feel. It locks in moisture without making things greasy which is awesome. It was a little difficult ot use in the winter beucase it gets a little hard and it feels cold in the winter (who else has this problem in the winter? My mission after a bath is to jump into PJs as quicky as possible and then bed. Butters and lotions feel really cold in the winter, so it becomes a chore). The scent was a bit too sweet for me at times, but other than that it's pretty good.

Repurchase? Probably not. I prefer the Brazil Nut and Atlas Mountain Rose Butters.
Price: ZAR 170.00


4. The Body Shop Seaweed Oil-Balancing Toner 250ml
This toner has been part of my skincare regimen for almost a year now. It's light and refreshing, and gives my face that one last clean before my serums and moisturisers. One bottle goes a long way; at least 3 months (even when using it twice a day), which is really good for the price.

Repurchase? Always
Price: ZAR 120.00


5. The Body Shop Seaweed Oil-Balancing Clay Mask 100ml
Another one from The Body Shop :-) I've only been using face masks dilligently for the last 6 months and I bought this mask, because I use the cleanser and toner from the Seaweed range. It's based on kaolin clay which is really good for purifying and detoxing the skin. It's got a slight cooling effect when applied, the tingling only comes afterwards, after rinsing. I found that if I used the toner straight after rinsing off the mask, then there's slight burning sensation, but nothing bad happens.

Would I repurchase? No, only because I've found something better. The masks from the Recipes of Nature range.
Price: ZAR 190.00


6. Fountain  - The Hair Molecule
I've talked about this beauty supplement in my favourites post (here); I've been using for more than a month. It's got a sour berry flavour that's a bit powdery but I don't find that off-putting. I'll do a review on it, after my 3 month trial period.

Would I repurchase? For now...Yes I'll talk about that in my full review soon. But I'm currently on my second bottle.
Price: ZAR 712 (Bay One for Africa) $39 (Deciem)

I can now throw these into the recycling waste bin. Done!

See you in my next post, 

xoxo, 

Let's Talk About...My Hair!

I've been mulling over this post for more than a month. I wasn't sure about what to talk about or how...meh so here goes
History
I had a big *ss fro up until I was 21, at which I point I decided I wanted straight hair. I relaxed and then texlaxed for about 7 years.

Afro puff at 3 years old

 In the last 2 years before going natural I cut my hair for the first time in my life into a Cleopatra bob...I loved it but as you all know manitaining hair cuts is a mission. So I grew it out and then in April 2014 I did my last relaxer and decied to transition (for 24 months) back to natural hair. 

December 2010: My hair had already started breaking.

I wasn't happy with the texture or the feel of my hair. It felt dry and brittle, I couldn't retain length and truth be told..I just MISSED MY AFRO!
So fast forward 18 months (I couldn't take it anymore); I chopped off the relaxed ends. Best. decision. ever. 

Braidout, 8 Months post big chop

I've been natural for 8 months and I'm in love with my hair once again. For the most part, I keep my hair in box braids and twists. It's just easier that way (I get lazy).

Kinky twists

Silver box braids

Before relaxer, I had bra-strap length hair...so my immediate goal is to get it back to that. 
I'm currently at armpit length (I've already had one trim this year, and I'll probably do another in November).
 
So below is a summary of my current hair regimen, which contiunes to evolve as I discover new products. Also, I've linked to the products to the supplier websites for more information. I haven't included any of the products that I use to straghten my hair. I'll deal with that in a later post (it's not something that I do very often).

Hair regimen
Co-wash (I'm trying not to shampoo every week, so I alternate: shampoo every 2 weeks)
As I Am Coconut Cowash
Shea Moisture African Black Soap Purification Masque
 
Pre-shampoo/detangling (I like to detangle my hair before I wash it. So I mix my cheapie conditioner with JBCO and add that to sections of my hair before detangling with my fingers, wide tooth comb and finally denman brush).
Tresemme Naturals Vibrantly smooth & Colour radiance conditioners (No longer available in South Africa :-( I've got 1and 1/2 bottles left).
Sunny Isle Jamaican Black Castor Oil
 
Shampoos (every 2 weeks)
Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen and Grow shampoo
Giovanni Ecochic Wellness System shampoo
 
Deep conditioners (every week)
The Body Shop Rainforest Radiance Butter
Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen and Grow deep treatment masque
 
Leave-in conditioners
Cantu shea butter for Natural hair Leave-in Conditioning Cream
African Black Soap Balancing Conditioner
Jamaican Black Castor oil Strengthen & Grow leave-in conditioner
  
Styling products (I use these after adding my leave-in for a braidout or a twistout. I prefer braidouts because I get better definition and longevity).

Coconut & Hibiscus Curl & Styling Milk
Jamaican Black Castor oil Strengthen & Grow styling lotion
Shealoe butter mix (Shea butter, Coconut oil and Aloe vera juice)
Ecostyler Argan oil gel 

Protein treatments (I've lightened my hair and I use semi-permanent colour, so I need all the help I can get).
Light (Once a month): CHI Deep Brilliance Silkeratin 17 & Moisture Treatment
Heavy (Every 8 weeks): Aphogee Two-Step Protein treatment


Done! I'm feeling very accomplished :-)

See you in my next post, 

xoxo, N

Wash Day - Kinky Twists are Gone

Hello everyone, thanks for dropping by. Today I'm going to chronicle my latest wash day. 

I removed my latest protective style - waist-length kinky twists ...what was I thinking? 
Anyway, after 5 hours I was finally done removing the extensions and it was time to detangle and pre-poo; I do this in one step and this time I mixed the Garnier Ultimate Blends The Nourishing Repairer conditioner (available at Clicks, Dischem and major supermarkets R 39.95-59.95) with Jamaican black castor oil from Sunny Isle (I purchased this from www.african-flair.co.za 236ml for R 249.00).

Pre-poo treatment: conditioner and Jamaican black castor oil

I have thick hair, so I divide my hair into 4 or 5 sections for wash day; I applied the mixture to my hair focussing on the tips and finger detangle before using my Denman D7 brush to finish the job starting at the tips (I could write songs to my D7...it's that good!) and then I twist each section. after I'm detangling all my hair, I cover it with a plastic cap or cling wrap and wait a minimum of 30 minutes before shampooing.

On to the next step; I rinsed out my pre-poo treatment and proceeded to shampoo with the Don't be Flaky anti-dandruff shampoo from Giovanni. I apply the shampoo to each section focussing on the scalp and then massage with my fingers, and keep it on 5 minutes before rinsing it out. One application is enough to cleanse my scalp and hair without stripping it. 

I dry my hair with a t-shirt and since I wanted to refresh my colour I mixed my Crazy color in peacock blue with the CHI curl preserve low pH treatment. After applying it generously, I coverred my hair with cling wrap and waited 90 minutes before rinsing it out. My hair was really soft afterwards and my coils were popping!

Deep condition and colour in one step: CHI Curl Preserve System and Crazy color in peacock blue

Cantu Leave-in conditioner and Body Shop Beautifying Oil

I covered my hair with a t-shirt to dry and then followed up with the LOC method to moisturize and seal: Cantu leave-in conditioning cream, Body Shop Brazil nut beautifying oil and hair butter cream (with shea butter and Jamaican black castor oil).
Because the weather is wet this week, I decided to wear my hair in 12 braids and wear headwraps. I'll unwrap and unravel for a braidout over the weekend since I'm going to a wedding on Saturday. 

...that's a wrap!

xoxo, 
N