New Product Alert: Whoop Ash Body Butter Cream

Created by Will Smith's first wife, Sheree Fletcher, the totally organic cream is chock full of hydrating white honey, mango and shea butter--a luscious combination that keeps dry, flaky skin moisturized from sunup to sundown. ~Essence.com

I saw this over on Essence and had to ask- would you buy this product?

Reading the description, it sounds heavenly with shea butter and honey as two of its main ingredients and it's apparently organic. I just wonder what it smells and feels like. Scent is a huge factor to me when it comes to buying new skin or hair products. The price is also a factor and at $19.95 for an 8oz jar, this would really have to make my skin feel amazing. However, in my opinion, the packaging leaves a bit to be desired. Something about it reminds me of the Let's Jam hair glaze I used to use back in middle school!

So weigh in. What requirements do you have when it comes to purchasing new products for skin and hair. Would you give Whoop Ash a try?

Tress Tools: Scented Denman Anyone?

I saw these at urbanoutfitters.com and wondered if anybody has tried them. I have a traditional black and red denman brush and I like it for certain things. I can't imagine using one that smells like coconut or any other fruity "flavor" for that matter. What do you guys think?

Lemon

Grape

Strawberry
Check out familygoingnatural's review below:

I just saw this and wondered what you all think....

"Unlike Black Barbies of yesterday that appeared to have more Anglo facial features and hair texture, S.I.S. vary in complexion, coiffs and physical attributes with fuller lips, distinct cheek bones and wider noses.The dolls which range in price from about $8 to $25 features fashion forward BFFs Grace, Kara and Trichelle who are all about having a good time, but not before sharing their wisdom with the next generation. In the spirit of mentorship, McBride-Irby created a "little sister" for each of the dolls with diverse interests including music, math and science. Each doll's hair can be styled with the help of new Auqa curl technology which allows them to go from straight to curly with a spritz of a water bottle and hairstyling tools." for the whole article click here on Essence.com

Little Miss Sunshine!

Hello guys and girls! This post is dedicated to Sunshine of the blogs Sunshine Loves Peace and Natural Hair...Natural Products: Beauty Made Simple by: Sunshine.

Her blog Natural Hair...Natural Products is devoted to her current venture into natural hair products which she sells called Peace Love and Sunshine on Etsy.com:

"It is a natural hair blog that focuses on natural products and natural hair (duh) with an emphasis on self esteem as it relates to ones hair. I like to talk about accepting our uniqueness, and also about inner beauty being more important than physical beauty."

Pic of her Raw Shea Butter (isn't the pkg cute!)

So go on over to her blogs and check out her products for yourself. I myself have personally never tried them so I cannot make any suggestions. However, it is really cool to see young women becoming entrepreneurs and creating more options for those who do not want to buy from Beauty Supply Stores.

Sunshine and I will be following each other on blogger so we can swap info and natural hair inspiration. You can see her link to the right under the Natural Hair Hot Spots section.
Check her out!

If You're a CD Fan...

Image from SoufulBeauty.com

"Carol's Daughter has just inked a deal with Disney to produce a bath and body line commemorating the company's first African-American princess. Princess Tiana makes her limited film debut on November 25 (a full release is scheduled for December 11) in the highly anticipated animated project. The collection comprises four items (hair detangler, conditioner, shampoo and bubble bath), each retailing for $10 a piece. While the products are suitable for all consumers, the ingredients were particularly developed for African-American hair, according to Carol's Daughter founder Lisa Price. Ingredients such as aloe, cranberry extract and sweet almond oil make the products that will be sold at department and specialty stores beginning in October a must-try.--BB" from Essence.com

A Miss Jessie's Trial

Hi guys!!!! I have not been able to post in the last few days, school is keeping me quite busy and exhausted! But, I wanted to post about a new product I am going to try.

In the past, before my second BC and after for my short curls, I have used Miss Jessie's Baby Buttercream, Curly Meringue, and Curly Pudding. I used the CM/CP for twist outs and wash-n-go's and the BB for moisture/twists also. I liked how the CP smelled, although it was strong at times, and I liked the CM because the hold was not as hard as with the CP. The BB was a bit greasy, but in a filmy kind of way (probably because of the mineral oil and petrolatum) and I did not really like the smell after a while. As my hair grew I started experiementing with other products and have not really thought about Miss Jessie since. That was until today!

My aunt just recently did a BC and was interested in products for her short hair. I remembered how much the CP defined my curls when I had about an inch of hair and so I sent her a link to the site. The website is so different since I last visited and I found myself browsing through all the pictures of beautiful curls. Their product line has also expanded a great deal. One of the new products caught my eye - the Stretch Silkening Creme.

Here's the description from the Miss Jessie's site:

Stretch Silkening Crème is a quicker to dry whipped soufflé that delivers an amazing plump curl and a brilliant shine. Fabulous for fingerstyling. The lightest of the curl crème bunch.

I purchased the SSC from a local beauty shop. The total price with tax was around $40. I know, I know! That is a ton of money, and believe me I was hesitant. I wasn't going to get the big size (16oz) but my mom and I share produts and go halfsies. I am hoping it will provide nice hold for two-strand twists/twist-outs as well as some moisture. It smells delicious-kinda like how Pantene used to smell before it changed scents and before the relaxed and natural line came out. There is dimethicone and hydrolized wheat protein, which I know these ingredients bother some people, but I usually shampoo once a week anyway so I don't mind trying things with cones. And I have never had any problems with the wheat protein either. Anywhoo...just thought I would share. I hope to try this weekend so I can post about the results. We'll see!

L'Oreal's New Line is Sulfate Free

L'Oreal's new line of haircare is called Ever Pure and it's sulfate free. It's being targeted at those with color treated hair as a way to cleanse without stripping color and moisture. I don't color my hair but I know some naturals who do. Apparently, there are some cones in the shampoos and conditioners, which I know are a no-no for many of you. If you're interested in reading what other naturals have to say about this product, click here to read a thread on Naturally Curly. Just thought I'd share. Happy nappy Saturday!

Pantene Nature Fusion Collection

So it seems Pantene has jumped on the natural bandwagon. I may be late seeing this but apparently Pantene Pro-V as a new line of products called Nature Fusion and there are two collections, Moisture Balance and Smooth Vitality. The packaging is beautiful and sleek looking, just what we'd expect from a major hair care brand. But I'm wondering what's in the stuff! So I clicked around on the web and this is what I came up with:

Pantene Pro-V Moisture Balance Shampoo:
Water , Sodium Laureth Sulfate , Cocamidopropyl Betaine , Sodium Chloride , Cocamide MEA , Cassia Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride , Cassia Tora Seed , Cassia Obtusifolia Seed , Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder , Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract , Ginger Root Extract - Zingiber Officinale , Panthenol , Panthenyl Ethyl Ether , Citric Acid , Corn Starch , Sugar Cane , Dimethiconol , Fragrance , Sodium Benzoate , Disodium EDTA , PEG-7M , Methylchloroisothiazolinone , Methylisothiazolinone , Sodium Citrate , Sodium Xylenesulfonate , Yellow 5 , Orange 4

Pantene Pro-V Moisture Balance Conditioner:
Water , Stearyl Alcohol , Palm Oil , Palm Kernel Oil , Coconut Oil , Cyclopentasiloxane , Cetyl Alcohol , Palm Oil , Palm Kernel Oil , Coconut Oil , Behenamidopropyl Dimethylamine , Cassia Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride , Cassia Tora Seed , Cassia Obtusifolia Seed , Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder , Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract , Ginger Root Extract - Zingiber Officinale , Panthenol , Panthenyl Ethyl Ether , Citric Acid , Corn Starch , Sugar Cane , Dimethicone , Glutamic Acid , Benzyl , Fragrance , EDTA , Methylchloroisothiazolinone , Methylisothiazolinone , Yellow 5 , Orange 4

Pantene Pro-V Smooth Vitality Shampoo:
Water , Sodium Laureth Sulfate , Cocamidopropyl Betaine , Sodium Chloride , Cocamide MEA , Cassia Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride , Cassia Tora Seed , Cassia Obtusifolia Seed , Bambusa Vulgaris Shoot Extract , Grape Seed Extract - Vitis Vinifera , Avocado Oil - Persea Gratissima , Panthenol , Panthenyl Ethyl Ether , Citric Acid , Corn Starch , Sugar Cane , Dimethiconol , Fragrance , Sodium Benzoate , Disodium EDTA , PEG-7M , Methylchloroisothiazolinone , Methylisothiazolinone , Sodium Citrate , Sodium Xylenesulfonate , Yellow 10 , Red 33 , Blue 1

Pantene Pro-V Smooth Vitality Conditioner:
Water , Stearyl Alcohol , Palm Oil , Palm Kernel Oil , Coconut Oil , Dimethicone , Behentrimonium Chloride , Cetyl Alcohol , Palm Oil , Palm Kernel Oil , Coconut Oil , Cassia Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride , Cassia Tora Seed , Cassia Obtusifolia Seed , Bambusa Vulgaris Shoot Extract , Grape Seed Extract - Vitis Vinifera , Avocado Oil - Persea Gratissima , Panthenol , Panthenyl Ethyl Ether , Benzyl Alcohol , Fragrance , Disodium EDTA , Sodium Hydroxide , Methylchloroisothiazolinone , Methylisothiazolinone , Yellow 10 , Red 33 , Blue 1

Has anyone seen this new line or used it? I don't think I would use the shampoos but I might try the MB conditioner. Maybe... I gotta read up on some of those words first! There is already talk about it here on the Long Hair Care Forum. I know a lot of people have their gripes about Pantene and would never use anything else they make. But others, myself included, use their masks. So...what do you guys think?