Hi! You're probably going to be seeing a lot more of me as I've ended the majority of my year over at ATV, so get ready to get very tired of me very quickly. lol I'm subscribed to a site called Naturally Curly, and every few months they have a month of giveaways, with new products being up for grabs every day of that month. I've been entering the site's giveaways for years--and I mean years--but never won. Until last month, when I finally won something! lol When I was contacted by the company for my address, I didn't even remember what contest I'd entered--probably a hint that I enter too many--but I found out that I'd won a small bundle of products from Luster's You Be-Natural line. You Be-Natural is a line of haircare products geared toward those with Natural hair and those who want to either bring out or enhance their natural curl patterns. The products are meant to hydrate and moisturize both the hair and scalp and caters to those with both soft curls and tight coils. Before I get to the review, let's talk hair for a minute. (Or you can skip on down to the little divider if you're just here for the review.)
For the longest time, probably because I wasn't Natural, I wasn't sure what curl pattern I had because it varied. I was on the creamy crack for a good portion of my life because that was the only way that both my mom and later I could manage my hair (I had a lot of hair as a kid), so I was never able to see a consistent pattern. My hair has always been frizzy but between perms, it always had a deep wave, so I just figured that was its pattern. After I went completely Natural last year and did my chop in February, a completely different pattern emerged. Some parts of my hair were so tightly coiled that they were probably closer to knots than curls, while other parts were just frizzy and had no set pattern. I couldn't find an answer from the different curl pattern tests, including Naturally Curly's, and I couldn't find many articles by chicks with a similar texture until sometime this summer, when it was a little more obvious.
I figured out that I fall somewhere in the middle of a 4b and 4c curl pattern, which would be a combination of a coily & crimpy and coily & undefined pattern. My hair doesn't retain a lot of moisture, so it is insanely dry a lot of the time and because it's so tightly coiled at the roots it has to be wet in order for me to comb through it. It is very prone to breaking, shedding and shrinkage, so I wasn't even able to see that my hair had grown from the chop until late summer. I'm pretty good on my hair now; I don't use heat on it at all except for when I straighten it, and since February I've straightened it twice. I deep condition it twice a week and shampoo it once. Once a month or so, I'll use a clarifiying shampoo to remove any buildup, but I follow that up with a leave-in conditioner to put some hydration back in my hair. I always let it air dry, usually under a silk cap so the conditioner or oil I've put on my hair has time to set. The first day or two are usually fine, but after that, my hair goes right back to the kinky, coiled desertland it usually is.
I mentioned all of that to explain exactly why I needed to find some new products for my hair and so that if you were confused about your curl pattern but your hair sounds similar to mine, you'd know what your curl pattern was and what types of products you'll need for it. Now that that's out of the way, let's get to the fun part--what I won!
For the longest time, probably because I wasn't Natural, I wasn't sure what curl pattern I had because it varied. I was on the creamy crack for a good portion of my life because that was the only way that both my mom and later I could manage my hair (I had a lot of hair as a kid), so I was never able to see a consistent pattern. My hair has always been frizzy but between perms, it always had a deep wave, so I just figured that was its pattern. After I went completely Natural last year and did my chop in February, a completely different pattern emerged. Some parts of my hair were so tightly coiled that they were probably closer to knots than curls, while other parts were just frizzy and had no set pattern. I couldn't find an answer from the different curl pattern tests, including Naturally Curly's, and I couldn't find many articles by chicks with a similar texture until sometime this summer, when it was a little more obvious.
I figured out that I fall somewhere in the middle of a 4b and 4c curl pattern, which would be a combination of a coily & crimpy and coily & undefined pattern. My hair doesn't retain a lot of moisture, so it is insanely dry a lot of the time and because it's so tightly coiled at the roots it has to be wet in order for me to comb through it. It is very prone to breaking, shedding and shrinkage, so I wasn't even able to see that my hair had grown from the chop until late summer. I'm pretty good on my hair now; I don't use heat on it at all except for when I straighten it, and since February I've straightened it twice. I deep condition it twice a week and shampoo it once. Once a month or so, I'll use a clarifiying shampoo to remove any buildup, but I follow that up with a leave-in conditioner to put some hydration back in my hair. I always let it air dry, usually under a silk cap so the conditioner or oil I've put on my hair has time to set. The first day or two are usually fine, but after that, my hair goes right back to the kinky, coiled desertland it usually is.
I mentioned all of that to explain exactly why I needed to find some new products for my hair and so that if you were confused about your curl pattern but your hair sounds similar to mine, you'd know what your curl pattern was and what types of products you'll need for it. Now that that's out of the way, let's get to the fun part--what I won!
Benefits:
-locks in moisture
-softens hair
-elongates tight curls
-helps with frizz
This lotion is supposed to be a daily moisturizer with quite a few benefits if used daily. Daily usage is supposed to soften the hair cuticle, giving it some protection against damage and dryness, fighting frizziness and loosening tight curls. I've used this a few times since I received it and I haven't noticed any benefits yet, but I've been applying it after washing or conditioning my hair in hopes that it will retain at least a bit of moisture. It does seem a little softer to the touch for a day or so afterward. I've used this on my niece after her hair is washed, and it's pretty much the same story. It's not spectacular but it does soften the hair and that makes it a little easier to manage while you're brushing the hair out.
Benefits:
-no flakes
-holds all day
This gel is soft but still solid to the touch so I was worried that it wouldn't be pliable, but it is. It's not a watery formula at all so if you're used to old school runny gel you won't have to worry about that here. A little of the product went a long way with my baby hairs as I didn't have to pile on a lot of the gel to get them to lay down. When I first applied it, I liked it a lot. It didn't leave dry flakes behind or give the front of my head that shininess that comes with a lot of hair gels, which I liked.
Unfortunately, it also doesn't hold all day. If you have fine hairs that frizz or coil when you're hot (or in a hot/humid environment), this gel probably won't hold for longer than a couple of hours. When I went to reapply, I noticed that my hair was a bit stiff so I'd suggest wetting your toothbrush or comb a little then reapplying the gel so that you can reshape your hair. Maybe using a light spray on top to set the gel would help it to work a little longer but for me, but it definitely didn't hold all day.
Benefits:
-best for coarse or tightly coiled curls
-stretches and lengthens tight curls
-reduces frizz
This was the creme I used on my hair, more so in an effort to bring out a defined curl pattern than anything else. After I washed my hair, I used the lotion on it first, then sectioned it off and used this creme for a regular twist out. After twisting each section regularly, I then twisted it around my finger to form a spiral and left it alone overnight. Since I'm usually awake all night, I just put a satin cap on over it and went about my business. The longer I'm Natural the less moisture my hair retains so it dried pretty quickly but the creme took longer to absorb. The resulting twist out was much better than the last few times I'd tried to do one.
The first day was probably the best, as the curls were the most consistently defined and the texture was the softest. Every day after that, I saw more shrinkage, more frizz and by the third day, the defined curls were once again hidden behind a field of coarse frizziness. If your hair texture is similar to mine, I would suggest using this creme immediately after drying the excess water off of your hair because my ends had already started to dry when I got started, so those came undone first. I'd also recommend using small sections so that the curls last a little longer.
The first day was probably the best, as the curls were the most consistently defined and the texture was the softest. Every day after that, I saw more shrinkage, more frizz and by the third day, the defined curls were once again hidden behind a field of coarse frizziness. If your hair texture is similar to mine, I would suggest using this creme immediately after drying the excess water off of your hair because my ends had already started to dry when I got started, so those came undone first. I'd also recommend using small sections so that the curls last a little longer.
Benefits:
-best for loopy & spiral curl types
-moisturizes curls and keeps them well-formed and defined
-hydrates hair
Overall, the You Be-Natural products that I won are good products. For the most part, they do what they say they'll do with creating more curl definition, making the hair softer and more manageable and keeping the hair hydrated. What it fails to mention, however, is that these benefits are only for a short period of time. If you want to maintain these benefits, you have to put these products into a daily or twice weekly regimen. For ten bucks a pop though, I would have liked the softness and improved texture to have lasted a little longer. If you don't go overboard on how much product you use, these might last you awhile.
Even though I wasn't completely satisfied, I'd still recommend these products to those who are Natural and in the learning process with their hair. If you're confused about your Natural texture because you're still transitioning, these products will bring out the definition you're looking for. If you have long hair and require a lot of product, however, I'd suggest something else because you'll probably run through these amounts fairly quickly. I'd also recommend this if you have Natural children and just want their hair to be more defined and hydrated on a daily basis. None of these products clog the hair or scalp and they're easy to put into a daily regimen. You may not want to do twist-outs every day (I certainly don't lol) but even if you don't, these products mostly do what they say they'll do. My mom said she's seen the You Be-Natural line at Sally's and I've been seeing some new products in the line pop up at Dollar General, but I included the links from Luster's site directly if you're interested in buying them. I also saw them on Amazon when I was trying to find the prices for the post.
Even though I wasn't completely satisfied, I'd still recommend these products to those who are Natural and in the learning process with their hair. If you're confused about your Natural texture because you're still transitioning, these products will bring out the definition you're looking for. If you have long hair and require a lot of product, however, I'd suggest something else because you'll probably run through these amounts fairly quickly. I'd also recommend this if you have Natural children and just want their hair to be more defined and hydrated on a daily basis. None of these products clog the hair or scalp and they're easy to put into a daily regimen. You may not want to do twist-outs every day (I certainly don't lol) but even if you don't, these products mostly do what they say they'll do. My mom said she's seen the You Be-Natural line at Sally's and I've been seeing some new products in the line pop up at Dollar General, but I included the links from Luster's site directly if you're interested in buying them. I also saw them on Amazon when I was trying to find the prices for the post.
But that's it for me today. For my other Natural chicks out there, how much do you typically put towards your haircare products? I hope you enjoyed this review and I'll see you soon!
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