Battle of the Shampoos - Ouidad Climate Control and Yes To Cucumbers (Round 1)

There are two shampoos I've been experimenting with at the moment. On the "high end" we have Ouidad Climate Control Defrizzing Shampoo and on the "low end" (drugstore, whatever you want to call a less expensive product) Yes to Cucumbers Color Care Shampoo. 

 

VS

Before I say anything more, I want YAIS readers to be aware of what I look for in an everyday shampoo. (Clarifying ones don't count, because they shouldn't be used often) I've played around with a few over the years, but I'm a little picky when it comes to cleansing my hair; I don't want my hair to be more tangled then I started with; I don't want my hair to feel like straw (dry and crunchy) or for my scalp to get dry and flake; safe for color-treated hair; it should smell pleasant; my hair needs to actually be clean - I use gels and other products that can cause build-up, but at the same time it needs to be gentle enough for everyday use since I tend to shy away from harsh sulfates.  I don't think these criteria for an everyday cleanser are all that challenging, and with so many products on the market finding a shampoo I love to bits should be easy in theory, but it's not. I really only have two shampoos I go back to, and that's Jessicurl's Hair Cleansing Cream (which I haven't ordered in so long!) and SheaMoisture Rentention Shampoo. So if I know my staples, why am I buying other shampoos?

Simply because I'm curious. Finding a great cleanser has been a product weakness for me, because I will splurge on a shampoo a lot faster then I would any other hair product - which isn't saying much because I'm cheap as hell. So I picked up Yes To Cucumbers at a Duane Reade when I was waiting to have a prescription filled, and then my Ouidad Shampoo came a week-and-half or two weeks ago. Since using them both I have to say initially they didn't leave an amazing impression on me. I was in the shower like #shrugs, washing my hair like I was supposed to - but how my hair behaved after was what left me nodding in satisfaction. My curls were very defined and felt very clean, and yes, less frizzy even when drying my hair with a towel. My only complaint about Yes To Cucumbers is that my hair is slightly more drying then Ouidad.The drawback of Ouidad is the price - I'm not sure I would use this shampoo everyday because of that. Nonetheless, it seems to be perfect for this kind of rainy, random weather NYC is experiencing and will probably be great for summer.

So that's my initial feelings for these two shampoos. I'll go another round of comparing and contrasting in a couple of weeks!

Clarifying Methods

At times, your hair may start feeling a little "gunky" or it may look a little dull. The products you normally use may not seem to work. Your scalp could be itchy and dry; it might just seem overall unmanageable.

 It might be time to clarify to remove product build up from your hair. Here are some methods/products to choose from:

Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse: Commonly referred to as "ACV rinse" in the natural world, it's great for the hair and skin. It has anti-fungal and anti-bacterial. I personally used to do this every couple of weeks for the sake of my scalp and to keep my hair shiny--I don't anymore because my hair is colored. Apple Cider Vinegar should be diluted with water because it is very acidic. I loved the results because my hair would be shiny and my curls would pop.

(Reference 1 Reference 2)

Bentonite Clay: I've discussed my experiences with the clay  and have loved it. It is said to remove product build-up and is great for the skin as well. Mixing it is very easy, (just be sure not to use aluminum) and left on for 20 minutes tops. It can used as a shampoo replacement or after shampoo.
(More References here and here)

Brown Sugar Scrub: I personally have never used this method for my scalp, but it sounds interesting. Brown sugar is an exfoliant used in many beauty products (I've used it for my lips); some naturals use it for the scalp. Here's a recipe  for an easy brown sugar scrub.

Clarifying Shampoos: If you're not interested in using any of the above methods, you can just find a clarifying shampoo to use. They generally shouldn't be used very often because it can dry out your hair, and if you have color treated hair it can fade the color faster. Lately I've been using Curls Clarifying Shampoo which works really great so far. My hair doesn't feel dry and stripped and after using it my curls are defined and ready for conditioner.

Have any of you used any of these methods? What are other methods of cleansing/clarifying do you folks use?

Gushing Over New Products: Shea Moisture and TRESemme

I've been itching to try new products for a while but didn't know where to go to first. Product hunting is overwhelming am I right? Anyway, earlier this week after work (at around 11:30pm smh!) I wandered into Duane Reade to just browse. Then I saw TRESemme, and I've been chatting with the good folks at the CurlyNikki forum who had mentioned how nice the product was, and since it was on sale I decided to give  the TRESemme Naturals Conditioner a go. Then I saw SheaMoisture products, which SP has been raving about for a while. I decided that I did want to try a new shampoo and a new leave-in, which turned out to be the Curl and Style Milk.

Folks, I'm mad at myself I didn't try these products sooner! So far, I'm extremely happy with my items. The TRESemme conditioner had nice slip, and my detangling session was a breeze. The SheaMoisture shampoo, (my goodness the shampoo!) was great. My hair didn't mat up or feel dry. There was a nice silky liquid cleansing my strands. The Hair Milk is a great leave-in. After washing, I added it to my hair in sections, then put a few big plaits in my hair for a braid out, although I'm pretty sure I ended up putting my hair in a bun because of the sticky heat.

Viola! My hair is in box braids for now, but I will probably co-wash with TRESemme mid-week if I feel it needs some moisture. So yeah, these products are definitely in my summer rotation. I'm so happy I could find something locally and so late at night!

Product Stash: Cleansers

I was doing some serious cleaning today, when I got distracted and started accessing my hair product stash once again. I think this help me figure out exactly what I'm doing with my products and what I need or discard. So let's start with the cleansers, aka shampoo.

So here we have the Giovanni Tea Tree Triple Treat, Curlicious Curls Cleansing Cream, and Jessicurl Hair Cleansing Cream all shampoos I have reviewed. Now the Giovanni Tea Tree is the same bottle I have had since the beginning of summer 2010 and I bought it for about 7 bucks. It does wonders for my scalp and I enjoyed using it in the summer, but I will not be purchasing again. I need something more moisturizing and with some detangling power because of all my hair. I'm going to somehow finish up this bottle.

Now the Curlicious Curls and Jessicurl shampoos, I'm going to continue to alternate with them. I love both and haven't made up my mind as to which I like better. They are both pricy but totally worth it to me. They both will last me a while too, since every other week I plan on using the bentonite clay to clarify and strengthen my hair. I know that most naturals don't seem to shampoo quite as often as I do, but every 5-7 days is for me. Especially since I'm using very moisturizing shampoos I haven't noticed my hair being dryer or anything.

Stay tuned for my next post discussing my conditioner stash....

Reader Comment

This comment came from an anonymous transitioner on an old post about products I used a few months ago. 


Thank you for sharing your product lineup. I have been transitioning for a year this month and I am planning to do the big chop before the new semester begins mid-January so I have been researching a lotttt of natural hair products. Aside from the Giovanni are there any other shampoos that you like or recommend? I have heard and read that the Oyin shampoo bar is really good and I noticed that you have a few Oyin products in your arsenal, any thoughts? Also, have you tried the Giovanni leave-in? I know some naturals use it in lieu of the KCKT. Any thoughts? Thanks. I really appreciate your opinion and Happy Holidays!


First off, congrats on making a decision to go natural! As far as shampoos, I have posted that my new favorites are Jessicurl Cleansing Cream and Curlicious Curls Cleansing Cream. SPStyles was just telling me yesterday about how she likes YES to Carrots Nourishing Shampoo (which she was kind enough to give me some of to try). It's considerably less expensive and more attainable to get--you can get it from Duane Reade so maybe you want to try that. I've also used Organix shampoos at one point which seemed fine--and again less than $10 and can get at a drugstore. I haven't tried Oyin shampoo bars, I'm not sure why really other than I haven't gotten around to it but I probably will one day. As far as Giovanni products, other than the Tea Tree Shampoo, I haven't had the chance. To be honest, their conditioners are not on my list of "must tries" for me. SP does use one of the conditioners...


Anyways Anonymous, hope this was helpful and feel free to let us know when you do your BC! You can email us at yais.nyc@gmail.com if you have any other questions/comments and that goes for all of our audience.


Happy New Years!