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Should by next blog post be on the Try by Made Beautiful hair care products, Ulta Beauty products, Colourpop beauty products or facial products?? 

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Deva Curl B’Leave-In 

$20 for 6fl oz (177 ml) and can be found at multiple retailers. I originally purchased my first bottle of the product while in Europe inside of the military BX. The product was on sale at the time due to them selling out of the original packaging, so I only paid $16. I purchased my second bottle at Ulta, where I received points and was able to use a 20% off one item coupon. 

This product is not something that I would recommend using alone. When I used it alone, it made my hair feel dry and almost like hay, which was strange for a product that is advertised as a leave-in. On the Deva Curl website, it is recommended to “Rub between your palms and apply generously to wet or damp curls.” It does not recommend using it with any other products, so I didn’t. The feeling was off and I felt like I was throwing away $16 on a product that many people heavily rave about. Two days later, after failing to achieve the results that so many natural hair bloggers where able to achieve with this product, I decided to pair it with my Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Leave-In Conditioner and holy smokes, it worked!

I repeat again: this product is not one that you can use alone, if anything, by using it alone you are setting yourself up for dry hair.. When paired with a leave-in or cream, this product is likely to define your curls and provide an extra slip and moisture to your hair. The two claims it makes on the front of the bottles are “texture and volume”, both of which you will achieve once you figure out which products in your stash pairs nicely with the B’Leave-In. 

At a heavy price of $20 this product is not budget friendly to buy if you’re like me and plan on using it every time you perform a wash and go (my daily style). You will find yourself buying a new bottle once every two months and $20 might not sound like a lot, but for a college student on a budget- that’s a lot for a product that you have to pair with something else to see results. Is it worth the $20 once paired?? Yes. I have just recently bought my second bottle and can not wait to buy my third, fourth and fifth. 

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*All Shea Moisture hair products are sulfate free and color safe.

Welcome back guys! So, in my last post (Shea Moisture African Black Soap Clarifying Mud Mask with Tamarind Extract & Tea Tree Oil review) I asked you all which product I should review next. Well, I realized that this is a new blog and without a high enough follower count and promotion, it would be forever and a day before I had enough responses to know which product I should review next. To keep the blog active and hopefully pull in more people, I decided to review Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen & Grow Shampoo, Strengthen, Grow & Restore Conditioner and Strengthen & Grow Leave-In Conditioner, as a special add on, I will also include a very short review of the Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen & Grow Thermal Protection. Now, before I tell you how I feel about these items. Let me give you some background on them and where you can find them.

The items pictured above are the standard size bottle of the shampoo, conditioner and leave-in conditioner. If you’re looking to try these products but not looking for the commitment of buying the standard size bottles, there’s also single serve packets of the shampoo and conditioner and also, travel sized versions of the shampoo and conditioner. Sadly, the leave-in conditioner is only available in the full size jar.

The items pictured above all are different prices and oz. The shampoo pictured above is 8 Oz and priced at $6.99, the conditioner pictured above is 8 Oz and priced at $6.99 and the leave-in conditioner pictured above is 16 Oz and priced at $10.99. You can also find a smaller 8 Oz jar of the leave-in conditioner that is priced at $6.99. Each travel sized bottle (not pictured above) is 3.2 Oz and priced at $3.99. You can also find tubes of the shampoo and conditioner (not pictured above) that are 10.3 Oz each and priced at $8.99. DEAL ALERT: if you want to just try the products before you commit to buying either of the sizes mentioned above, on Shea Moisture's official website (http://samples.sheamoisture.com), you can order sample single serve packets of the shampoo and conditioner for FREE! The catch?? You have to catch them when they have restocked each sample items. You can also find the products that are metioned above all on this page (http://www.sheamoisture.com/Jamaican-Black-Castor-Oil_c_1659-1-3.html).

The key ingredients in all of these products are: Organic Shea Butter and Jamaican Black Castor Oil. In the shampoo, it also includes Apple Cider Vinegar for a deeper clean. In the conditioner, it also includes Peppermint, for stimulation of the scalp. In the leave-in conditioner, it also includes both, Apple Cider Vinegar and Peppermint.

The recommended order to use these products are shampoo, conditioner then leave-in conditioner. They each claim to benefit your hair in different ways, but the one shared way that I can mention is from the Shea Moisture website, “Strengthen, Grow & Repair fortifies and renews, while supporting healthy growth for all hair types, including chemically treated, heat styled, natural and transitioning. Restores dry, brittle, damaged hair with a special blend of nourishing, natural, certified organic and ethically sourced ingredients.”

I followed the recommended order to use these products in and boy oh boy, let me tell you something. The shampoo and conditioner?? I do not like them. The shampoo is very runny and the conditioner is so thick it's almost hard to use on my hair, it does the exact opposite and makes my hair feel like it's being clumped together instead of moisturized. I have 3b/3c hair texture and my hair is fairly moisturized when curly and overly moisturized when straightened. The shampoo and conditioner did nothing to help me. My mom, who does not wear her hair natural but had dandruff and itchy scalp loves the shampoo and conditioner, she insists that they help her scalp itch and dandruff. So, maybe keep that in mind when choosing to buy or not. Now, I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE the leave-in conditioner! I am already on my second tub of the 16 Oz. I use it behind any and every shampoo and condition or co-wash I do if I need a product that I know is going to moisturize my hair and separate my curls while keeping them nice and lightly defined.

Would I recommend the shampoo? Yes and no. I personally did not like it and if it seems like we have a similar hair type, I would not recommend it for you. Would I recommend the conditioner? Yes and no for the same reasons stated above for the shampoo. Would I recommend the leave-in conditioner? Yes, a thousand times yes. It has enough slip to help detangle your hair, moisturizes your hair enough to where you only have to use a small amount and honestly, it smells amazing. You can find these products on the official Shea Moisture website, target, Walmart, Ulta and multiple drugstores (CVS, Walgreens, Etc.) Anywhere that carries Shea Moisture should carry this line.

Additional review: Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen & Grow Thermal Protection. I’m going to keep this very short and to the point- do NOT waste your hard earned money on this product like I did. I bought it hoping to protect my natural curls from the harsh heat when I wanted to blow dry and flat iron my hair. This product somehow managed to make my hair hard to get fully straight and sticky. I would not recommend this to anyone, not even my enemy.

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To kick off this blog, my first post will be a review of the Shea Moisture African Black Soap Clarifying Mud Mask with Tamarind Extract & Tea Tree Oil (try saying that three times!) This is a mud mask that Shea Moisture came out with that is included in its skin care line. Now, before I tell you how I feel about this item. Let me give you some background on it and where you can find it.

The item pictured above is the single packed version of this item, this mud mask also comes in a jar if you decide that you like it and want a bigger container to save you some coins in the long run. 

The packet pictured above is .5 fl oz/ 15mL and priced at $2.50 and can be found at multiple Walmart locations. The jar (not pictured) is 6 oz and priced at $14.99 on the official Shea Moisture website.(http://www.sheamoisture.com/African-Black-Soap-Clarifying-Mud-Mask_p_1801.html). 

The key ingredients in this mask are: African Black Soap, Tamarind Extract and Tea Tree Oil. The only thing it’s missing is a small bottle of Witch Hazel and it would be YouTube beauty guru approved (LOL)

This products claims to be good for blemish-prone skin and as described on the Shea Moisture website “This clarifying mask draws out dirt and congestion while helping absorb excess oil and improve the appearance of troubled skin. A proprietary blend of African Black Soap and Raw Shea Butter helps to clarify, balance and soothe blemish-prone skin. Skin feels purified and refreshed.”  Sounds promising, right?

The recommended usage is as follows “Apply a thin layer of mud with fingertips to clean skin, avoiding eye area. Keep on for up to 10 minutes. Remove with damp face cloth. Use weekly or as needed. Rinse well.” 

I followed the recommended usage and applied a thin layer and left it on for ten minutes and I must say- I was impressed. One recommendation I would personally make is to go beyond the ten minute limit, when I went to wash the mud mask off, it was still damp in some areas and not fully dry- 15 minutes would be better. I have oily skin and it is extremely acne prone. I am not fond of the feeling most mask leave on my skin after removal, so I was pleasantly surprised at how refreshed my skin felt after removing this mask. I could see just from one short ten minute use that this mask did what it promised. My skin look and felt noticeably different. I followed up the mask with Witch Hazel to tone and clean my pores more thoroughly.

Would I recommend this mask? Yes. If your skin is acne-prone and oily, I suggest you drive to your closest Walmart and grab a packet or the jar. Don’t live near a Walmart? Don’t worry your pretty little head. Shea Moisture is carried at Target and Ulta, and this mask can be find at those locations. 

*This is my first blog post and review, if I missed any important information that you would like to be mentioned in my next blog post on the Shea Moisture Coconut and Hibiscus Shampoo, Conditioner and Curl & Style Milk or the Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Shampoo, Conditioner and Leave In. Leave a comment down below on which collection you would like to be reviewed. If you have recommendations on anything else you would like to be reviewed- send me a message or email! If I already own it, I would be happy to review it and if I don’t, I would be happy to buy it and try it to save you guys some coins!!