Happy New Year! My Favourites of 2017 - Hair Edition

Hello beautiful people,
Happy 2018! I'm never sure when to stop saying that, but I know I'm late 😁 I hope this year is going well for you and may all your dreams come true.

I had to share my look for the Cape Town Naturally HairFest from last December 😜. Photo by BrianEngel Photography

For my first post of the year, I'm gonna go with the crowd and talk about my hair favourites for last year. So here we go:

Shampoo - Lush Shampoo Bars NEW! and Soak & Float
I've long since given up on drugstore anti-dandruff shampoos, they just don't work for me I've gone from the most accessible to some pricey ones... and all I achieved was dry tangled hair and no improvement to my dry flaky scalp. These shampoo bars from lush have been my saving grace; they contain sulfates but they cleanse my hair and scalp without drying it out so they get to stay in my stash. Price is R 115.

"Soak & Float" Shampoo Bar

Conditioner - Baylis & Harding Great Hair Coconut Conditioner
I very rarely use rinse out conditioner as directed, instead I prefer to use it for my pre-shampoo treatment/detangling. For this I just need a cheap silicone-free conditioner and this one's my favourite. It's got a creamy consistency and a whole lot of slip and it comes in a 500ml bottle for R 60.

Pre-poo combo: Sunny Isle Extra Dark JBCO and the Baylis & Harding Conditioner

Deep Conditioner - Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen, Grow & Restore Treatment Masque
Hands down my favourite deep condtioner for when I need to revive my hair after a month of braids or twists. It's got amazing slip for detangling and it doesn't necessarily need heat to be effective. I love the scent and though the price is a bit steep R 270 at Clicks, a little goes a long way.

Shea Moisture JBCO Treatment Masque

Leave-in Conditioner - My Natural Hair
For me, the best leave-ins need to have a ton of slip to help detangle my coils, because they love to hug each other. This one from My Natural Hair is the best one included in my stash. It's creamy lightweight formula and a little goes a long way. I haven't sen it stores yet but you can get it online on the My Natural Hair site and on Shop for Life as well for R 99.99.

Styler - Camille Rose Naturals Almond Jai Twisting Butter
Meet my current #bae! I know that Camile Rose Naturals is super pricey 🙈 but I like nice things and this one is really nice. It's a toffee-coloured cream with pudding like texture. It smells like Old Fashioned vanilla ice cream with almonds. It's super moisturizing and the twist-outs I get with this butter are amazing. It also plays well with others (including products from other brands). The price is a very nice R 550 from Style Studio.

My Natural Hair Strengthening Oil and the Camille Rose Naturals Almond Jai Twisting Butter

Oils - Sunny Isle Jamaican Black Castor Oil and My Natural Hair Strengthening Oil
My longtime #bae has been with me since I started transitioning back to natural. I've stuck with one brand (I'm loyal 😊) I use JBCO predominantly as my pre-poo/detangling treatment mixed with a cheapy conditioner. When I feel like my hair needs extra love, I mix it into my deep conditioner as well. Thirdly, I mix JBCO with grapeseed/olive oil and jojoba oil with whatever other oils in my stash to make a scalp oil. R 270 for 236ml from African Flair and Obulunji

Strengthening oil from My Natural Hair is the perfect oil for those who aren't interested in being kitchen mixtresses. It's light and non-greasy. My favourite way to use this is to seal moisture into my strands as part of the L.O.C method. It goes for R 80 online.

All-rounder/Multi-purpose - Shea Moisture Raw Shea Conditioner
I use this conditioner 3 ways: As a rinse out conditioner to detangle post-shampoo, as a deep conditioner and as a leave-in. it's got lots of slip and it's super moisturising. Shea Moisture is now available in Clicks stores and the prices are very nice...not! Wait for the 3 for 2 specials and 30% off sales.

Best new product - Buuya Beauty Intense Hair Masque
This is a moisturising deep conditioner; I use it as a regular weekly deep conditioner and to restore moisture balance to my hair following the ApHogee protein treatment (here's the review). It's light and not as creamy as some of my other deep conditioners. My favourite thing about this one is the fragrance - grapefruit 😊. It's available from Buuya beauty and Beautyontapp for R 325 for 450ml.

Best Underrated/Over looked  - Caivil Fusion Oil  and Root Nourisher
I can't get over how well priced this range is; the root nourisher is R 30 and the oil is R 35, it will not get much better than that considering the ingredient list. I have the root nourisher and I like to use it to oil my scalp and seal moisture into my strands when installing braids and twists.

And that's my list. What were your favourite products from last year and what are you excited to try this year?

Let me know below.

See you in my next post, 

xoxo

New Hair, Who Dis? My Experience with Brazilian Wool Hair

Hi lovelies,

This is definitely one of those, the internet made me do it. People were talking about it and I got curious. Took almost a year for me to finally try it though.

I've styled my hair wool before, the regular knitting kind. it's quit a mission, there's a lot of folding and cutting. The upside of using wool is that you don't find X-pression fiber 2 weeks later 👎
Here's a picture of my first try at yarn braids 2 years ago

Yarn Braids with 100% Acrylic

I enjoyed wearing these and though some people complain of drying, I didn't experience any. I was excited to try Brazilian wool hair because it's got very hair-like feel and look. Also, it takes less work to prepare the wool for installation, compared to regular wool.

Installation
First thing I did was watch a YouTube tutorial and read a gazillion blogs before attempting installation. Here's a link to Natural sisters video on installing faux locs with wool hair (click here).

Do your research

My initial plan was to install purple faux locs, but I changed my mind half way through and decided to add black into the mix.

I cut the wool into equal length pieces that were about 1.5 m long: I then used 4-6 pieces of wool to twist my hair. I braided the root and twisted to 3cm longer than my own hair and tied a knot. As always, I moisturised my hair with the Moisturizing butter from My Natural Hair and sealed with the Caivil Fusion Oil Hair Root Nourisher.

Brazilian Wool Hair 100% Acrylic Yarn

It took about 6 hours to twist my hair and another 6 to wrap it 🙈 (I wasn't feeling it, wasn't in the mood to install). I used 6-8 pieces of wool to wrap; I pulled the wool through the roots of my twists using my latch hook to keep the wool from slipping down the twist, especially once I wash it.

My locs are about bra-strap length, I cut the ends and burnt them using a lighter.
I used 5 and half packs of the purple to twist and wrap, and then I got black wool (enough for one bundle) from Rozanne (who installed the wool as a box braid bob).

Half and half faux locs: Purple hair don't care

Maintenance
I'm supposed to spray my hair with moisture mist and oil it every couple of days.
I've got the Refreshing moisture mist from Buuya and a bunch of oils I use (I use whatever is closest when the mood strikes 😎.

My thoughts
I've had faux locs installed for a week now and I really love them. The wool is super light and I managed to install without pulling my hair to much, so there's no tension.
I've already cleansed my scalp with and it still looks neat, so I think I'll be able to keep them in for 4 to 5 weeks.

Where to buy
I purchased my wool from Nat Moisture; they charge ZAR 20 for a single bundle, and ZAR 180 for a 12 bundle pack. The colours available are black, brown, purple and maroon.
You also have to pay for shipping, which is ZAR 60 to anywhere in South Africa.

You can also purchase the wool from @africanhair_galore an Instagram seller, based in Goodwood.

Have you tried wool hair? Is it something you're willing to try?

Let me know in the comments below

See you in my next post, 

xoxo

N 

It's my 1 Year Blogger-versary! Giveaway + Buuya Beauty Review by the BFF

Hi lovelies,
It's been over a year since I started blogging; I honestly didn't believe that I would be able to keep it up this long.
I would like to thank you all for the support over the last year. I wasn't sure whether anyone would be interested in my thoughts on anything. Starting this blog, is a way of paying it forward in a sense, since I consult blogs and YouTube whenever I need an opinion on certain products or want to try out a new makeup look or hairstyle.
I try out all sorts of products and hairstyles and I thought "hey! you might as well share it with others"  seeing as that's how I learn as well.

Anyway, I've asked my BFF to review Buuya Beauty range for my blog and she always graciously agrees (Thanks friend 💜 )

The BFF

Hello!

Rozanne here (BFF to the blogger). I am the first to admit that I am a product junkie and a product snob. Now, despite several serious efforts towards rehabilitation (to no avail), I have decided to redirect my energies towards more constructive tasks, such as looking for high quality products that are also good value. Okay so I got all that fluff out the way, let me introduce you to our new find:

The product line is the baby of businesswoman, Kasuba Stuurman, who I met as part of the Cape Town Naturally Group administrators and planning committee for the natural hair events hosted by the group. I purchased the product line at the Curls and Cocktails: White in Winter hair event and I was blown away by Kasuba’s enthusiasm and confidence when speaking to her about her products. I ended up purchasing her Total Treatment Travel kit, which consists of the travel sized packs of the Deep Cleanse Shampoo, Intense Hair Masque and Herb infused oil (retail price - R140).

The next wash day, I tried all the products on the Hair Model’s (Lloyd – Loving, patient boyfriend) hair.

Total Treatment Travel Kit

All the goodness contained in the Total Treatment Travel Kit. Left to right: Intense Hair Masque, Herb Infused Oil and Deep Cleanse Shampoo

Source: www.buuya.co.za

 

Deep Cleanse Shampoo:

Product Description:

A deep cleansing, sulphate free, conditioning hair wash with Cape Coastal Honeybush, Baobab Fruit and Kigelia Africana extracts. Buuya Deep Cleanse Shampoo rids the hair of build-up and residue without striping your hair of essential nutrients. The cleansing wash leaves your hair feeling fresh and light.

Review:

I applied shampoo twice on Lloyds scalp and spread the suds down to his hair, since his scalp tends to act up with product build up. This product lathers up quite well, which is great for me because it gives me the feeling that the product is working (although suds are not necessary to cleanse). After shampooing, his hair felt squeaky clean and almost stripped, but I know it is because of my overzealous shampooing. For most people, one shampoo will be enough to cleanse the hair, unless you need a complete clarifying session after protective styling. I do not expect much from shampoos, except that they clean my scalp well, and this product does exactly that.

Intense Hair Masque:

Product Description:

Restore much needed moisture and nutrients to thirsty strands with the Buuya Intense Hair Masque. With Mongongo Oil, Mafura Butter, as well as Cape Coastal Honeybush, this deep conditioning treatment contains antioxidants, essential vitamins, and minerals that are meant to strengthen and condition hair, leaving it soft and manageable.

Review:

This product is hands-down my absolute FAVOURITE. It has a light apricot scent to it and it spreads well enough but it did not have enough slip to detangle, which is perfectly fine since it is marketed as a hair masque. I applied it to Lloyd’s hair and covered it with a plastic cap for 30 minutes. This stuff here is AMAZING! It restored the moisture and oils lost in the shampooing process and made his hair buttery soft. I mean, soft. Softer than a baby’s bottom soft. But it also felt strong and his curls were all springy and healthy. This product delivers on its promise and then some. It’s going into my wash day round up as a staple and is a firm favourite.

Herb-infused oil:

Product Description:

Packed with antioxidants and Omega 3 Fatty Acids, Buuya Herb Infused Oil acts as a conditioner for the hair, making it soft, sleek, and shiny. It seals in moisture, prevents frizz, and nourishes and soothes the scalp. Infused with rosemary, parsley, rooibos, and chamomile, it restores dry hair, promotes growth, and gives the hair body.

Review:

I used the oil on his scalp and as a sealant on his hair. It has a herb-like scent to it, but it’s not overpowering. It absorbs well into his strand and scalp, and left no oily residue that I tend to have with some oil mixtures days later. On this basis alone, I give it a thumbs up as well. I do love my lightweight oils.

Overall review:

This line offers a great variety and all the products are of high quality. I am ecstatic about this line of products and the consistent results they offered. I got two uses out of the trial size and each time I got the same result. If you just want one thing out of the range, I say the masque is the way to go. The tub is huge (450ml - yes I bought one) and will last you quite some time, so it’s bang for your buck (or rand).

I hope you found the besties review informative as well as helpful.Feel free to contact her on Instagram (@rozanne.adams) if you have any questions, she's always happy to share her knowledge with fellow curlfriends.
You can purchase Buuya products online www.buuya.co.za or you can find Kasuba at various markets around Cape Town. Follow her on Instagram (@buuyabeauty) and Facebook for updates. 

To celebrate my one year blogging anniversary, I'm hosting a giveaway for a haircare hamper with Buuya goodies and Darling hair ombre hair extensions. The giveaway is open to South African residents only. To enter: 1. Visit my Instagram page @ndapewai 2. Follow my blog Facebook page & 3. Comment below on what you'd like to see reviewed/covered on the blog.
Click on the link below for details and entry.

My 1 Year Blogger-versary Giveaway

See you in my next post, xoxo