Dominican Hair Product Review: La Plancha Deep Heat Reconstructor

How to use: This product can be applied in three different ways depending on your particular needs:

1st Option: Apply La Plancha after shampoo, leave in hair for 3 to 5 minutes, rinse with warm water. Style as usual

2nd Option: For moderate conditioning, shampoo and towel dry hair. Apply La Plancha from scalp to ends, wrap hair in plastic cap and place under dryer or blower for 15 minutes, rinse with warm water. Style as usual.

3rd Option: For deeper conditioning and intensive hair repair, after shampooing apply La Plancha, divide hair into sections, wrap each section in aluminum foil. Proceed to heat each section with a professional hair ceramic iron for 30 seconds. Rinse with warm water. Style as usual.

Ingredients: Deionized water, behentimonium methosulphate, cetyl alcohol, propanotriol, cetyl trimethyl ammonium chloride, ciclomethicone, PPG-3 benzyl, eter mirystate, dimethicone, propilene glycol, hidrolized silk protein, fragrance, lanoline, decyl oleate, metyl/propilparaben, ceramide, panthenol, citric acid.



Review: La Plancha Deep Heat Reconstructor seemed like a protein treatment at first because of the way my hair  would feel after air drying. I found however that after a while it was making my hair very soft especially when I would use it with heat as in step 2 followed by flat ironing. I used this almost weekly all of November and December and found that I got more results with flat ironing as opposed to just air drying. I was at the salon every week since thanksgiving day all the way up to new years eve so I needed all the help I could get from this deep heat reconstuctor and it did just the trick.

I was also flat ironing in between so that made it even worse. Although my ends have suffered a bit, my hair overall stayed very healthy and reacted very well to La Plancha. I had been using la plancha since last fall and with no complaints. Throughout my straight hair phase during the holidays I dealt with zero frizz and did not have to moisturize and seal as much.

I wanted to try step 3 but did not find it necessary nor did I get the time to do it. Right now I have gone all natural with my regimen. But if I ever decide to come back to my Dominican hair products La Plancha is definitely on the list as well as their leave-in I was curious about. I find that the more heat you apply to this DC the better. Be it 20 minutes under the dryer or with styles requiring excessive heat, La Plancha  is definitely the product to keep handy.

The scent is very sweet and the texture is a bit creamy but not too thick either. For under 5 bucks at your local Beauty Supply Store, it’s worth every cent. If you use a lot of heat be it blow drying, flat ironing, La plancha can help strengthen your hair while at the same time providing it with adequate moisture. The great thing about this product is that it’s made to withstand heat, hence the product’s name implies (The Iron) making it an ideal Deep Conditioner for those who get a little too happy with heat appliances.

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Amal Oils Hair Review

This was my hair right before rollersetting a couple of weekends ago.

Lately as you all may know, I have been in the process of getting rid of a lot of hair products, anxious to jump start my new hair regimen sometime mid November or early December, which will be mostly based on natural, organic products and ingredients. I have come across several DC and one that seems to never come around for me is Nacidt’s Avocado Deep Conditioner. However this time around I added oils to it and the results were amazing.

Earlier in September Jalila of Amal Oils, sent me 100% organic Moroccan argan oil to try. The day I received the Argan Oil for review I had just did my hair (party that night) and since I typically DC every weekend I had to wait for my next DC session (but I did use it in a facial that day). Finally the weekend came back around and off to roller setting I went.





I can never get a straight line!

 I shampooed with Dr.bronnner’s castile soap, diluted with water. Then I used La Plancha (which I have been using biweekly). I’m really loving La Plancha’s Deep Heat reconstructor treatment. There are 3 ways to use it, I will tell you more in my review about it. 

I used the first method which is to leave it in for 3-5 mins and then rinsed, followed by Nacidt’s Avocado deep Conditioner (and several drops of amal oils argan oil). Left it in for 15 mins with heat. Once I rinsed the Deep conditioner I followed with Mane N tail. Once the conditioner was rinsed, I followed with my beloved Chi Keratin mist and several drops of argan oil as my leave in.

I wasn’t sure what DC to use, when suddenly I gave a mean look to nacidt’s avocado. This deep conditioner and my hair have issues. So for the sake of not wasting it, I decided to try adding Amal Oils Argan oil.

I do my best and anchor each one for proper hold.I feel like I get decent results considering rollersetting is so dam hard….

 I try my best! As my hair gets longer the harder it is to rollerset on my own especially the back. My skills are also a bit rusty since I did not rollerset much this past summer.

I stay in that dungeon of a dryer for a whole hour, reading, napping whatever….

The the end results. Very soft shiny hair.

Usually Nacidt avocado tends to leave my hair feeling like a straw, but after trying it out with the argan oil, I have been curious to see how my essential oils would let up as well. I love how Amal Oils Argan oil leaves my hair so silky. I tend to do well with argan oil and the products infused with them. So I had no complaints considering I had 100% organic Argan oil.

Leaving the oil as a leave in worked very well. I have other argan products but by far I like Amal Oils because it’s scent is non existant. The feel is not too oily either, it worked wonders on my DC and hair  without weighing it down.

Right after I came out the dryer, I wrapped my hair in a wrap. After a couple of hours I twisted it into a low bun and when I let the bun out I got some very pretty wavy spirals. I styled it to the side pinned with a few pins and there I had it. Soft shiny bouncy hair.

Argan Oil is definitely a great treat for any regimen. I noticed how soft my hands and cuticles have been as well as how my deep conditioners are instantly transformed using Argan oil.

Pretty much that is what I have been doing mixing and experimenting as well. Today I will follow this same regimen but will flat Iron after I rollerset so check out my next post on my results. I also will start adding other oils especially essential Oils to my Deep Conditioners. So stay tuned for my opinion on that as well.

In the mean time don’t forget to enter my sponsored giveaway by Amal Oils 100% Organic Argan Oil!

 Ends this Friday the 22nd!

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Dominican Hair Product Review: BPT Wheat Germ

I bought BPT Wheat Germ back in January and have used it maybe once or twice throughout last winter while rollersetting.  For the past month or so I have been using BPT weekly and so far my curly fro is loving it. I don’t remember what I thought about BPT Wheat Germ when I tried it the first few times, (I guess at the time silicon mix stole the show) but this time around I have to say I’m impressed.

At first I was not sure how to categorize BPT Wheat Germ, either as a protein or deep moisture conditioner since I feel it provides me with both. Even though it says vegetable protein conditioning cream, the ultra softness kind of throws me off a bit.

So far I feel that with my hair BPT Wheat Germ acts like a mild protein conditioner, while also providing me with adequate moisture (just like the label says). Since I have been using this weekly I find that my hair sheds a lot less than usual and my hair feels stronger too. My hair loves protein and with all the cowashing I have been doing on a weekly basis (hello hydration), BPT helps keep my moisture and protein levels in check. So I don’t think using BPT weekly on my hair will hurt in terms of protein overload.

BPT has a light sweet scent, is very creamy and detangling is a breeze which I really need especially now with my curly fro in full force. To help keep my protein/moisture in balance I usually always follow up BPT with a moisturizing conditioner even though I’m tempted not to, since my hair is so incredibly soft after rinsing.

I have a few deep conditioners around I’m almost done with so I decided to mix a few. This time I used Queen Helene’s cholesterol, my very first deep conditioner when I began my hair journey a year ago, and La Bomba a Dominican product. This Combination was amazing and left my Curly fro soft and moisturized.

I have been experimenting with my own shampoo concoctions recently and right now I’m loving Dr. Bronner’s. The shampoo I have been using, Hair One Sulfate free, tends to cause build up so I have been interchanging them every now and then.

 I prefer Dr. Bronner’s lavender castile soap over the orange since I notice the orange tends to dry my hair out a bit.  It’s very simple just 2-3 cups of water and about 15 drops of Dr. Bronner’s soap and you instantly have your homemade shampoo. There are many recipes online which you can add all sorts of oils to your Dr. Bronner’s shampoo mix. If interested CHECK this video out.

This was my hair after it was all said and done, BPT Wheat germ, and the deep conditioner combo I did. This was right before the fourth of july weekend and that major heat wave that hit earlier this month in NYC, so I decided to rollerset that day and use Agadir’s Argan oil as a leave in.

 So instead of using lacio lacio as usual, I used my Agadir Argan oil treatment as a leave in and went on to rollerset my hair.

Right before I went into the hair dryer I lightly sprayed my hair with Agadir Argan oil Spray Treatment….

 

and lightly sprayed my hair right after. This was my hair after the rollersets, very soft, silky and bouncy hair. My hair reacted nicely to Agadir’s oil and may incorporate it into my rollerset regimen regularly this coming winter.

 Since that was the time that heat wave struck NYC I decided to take advantage and do protective styles. I just did a side bun with a cute flower I’ve had for years I bought at Claire’s. Simple yet protected hair.

For the past two weeks or so I have been sporting my fro everyday and so far I have my good times and bad times…

This is what I have been working with these past two weeks. Trying to maintain moisture for my curly fro has been an issue for me but I have discovered aloe vera gel works to make a little difference. I also have been trying to perfect a daily spritz but I been frustrated with that so far because nothing seems to work. I tried glycerin, conditioners and oils and so far my hair soaks up all the moisture. The front of my curly fro is OK but the back feels like mini Brillo pads which are hard to untangle. So what I have been doing is moisturizing with ORS olive oil in the jar and sealing with Castor oil, which I feel with this weather is not helping seal in moisture. I ‘m going to buy Jojoba oil and see how it works for sealing soon as I run out of castor oil. I also have been braiding my hair right after washing that way it won’t get so dried out. This helps me manage my hair much better when it dries as opposed to just wash n go. Hello hydration is a great conditioner I’m on my second bottle and like BPT, Hello Hydration helps detangle my hair nicely during co washes. I like BPT and so far it fits in nicely with my current curly fro regimen which has been:

• Co-washing 2-3x a week ( Hello Hydration ) or Mane n’ Tail (to balance protein, when needed)
• BPT Wheat Germ 1x week ( mild protein )
• Shampoo with Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap
• Nacidt Olive oil/ La bomba ( deep conditioning ) 1x a week with heat for 15 mins
• CHI keratin mist ( love this! I use it every other day after co washing )
• Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse ( bi-weekly )
• Moisturizing Daily with ORS olive oil in the jar.
• Sealing daily with Castor oil
• Sometimes I use a spritz sometimes I don’t my next try may be just aloe and water
• Desert of Lily 99% aloe vera gel to style and keep curls defined a bit

 Bpt works very well for both my curly hair and also straight rollerset hair. Provides enough moisture and makes my hair feel very strong too. Overall it’s a learning experience trying to master the very different textures my hair tends to transform itself into. By my next hair post I should already have my results for my Waist Length Challenge.

I’m excited to see my results and the rest of the ladies.

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Silicon Mix and La Bomba

The past month or so I have been using Nacidt olive oil as my deep conditioner treatment exclusively. Usually every other week I’ll alternate protein treatments followed by a deep moisturizing conditioner. Lately I have been using “organics” hair mayo I guess it’s a knock off of ORS mayo. It’s been kind of drying my hair out and wanted to switch it up.Then I noticed that I have another great  treatment around called Silicon Mix, a Dominican protein conditioner, according to the  label it’s an intensive keratin, silicon, ceramide treatment.

I have used Silicon Mix a few times including in this review here and the results are usually always great. The reason why I don’t reach so much for Silicon Mix is because the scent is so strong that my sensitive sinuses can’t handle it at times. The scent even lingers after I wash and roller set which annoys me but not as much as when I first apply it. Thankfully after a day or so the scent fades. Silicon mix has this very creamy feel when applied to the hair and actually feels very moisturizing in the hair as well. It is recommended you leave in the hair for 2-3 minutes.

Other than the scent issue this is a great protein conditioner. Everytime I use Silicon Mix I always notice my hair is much stronger and notice a lot less shedding and breakage. My hair  feels very strong, tough and if you are not careful can even make your hair feel hard, as with most protein conditioners. For me it doesn’t feel too hard though, just this very thick and healthy overall feel. I would recommend using this twice a month at the most of course depending on your hair since it seems to be a little strong on the protein side. Of course with any protein treatment it is advisable you follow up with a deep moisturizing conditioner. No, I did not use Nacidt Olive oil, instead I used La Bomba With “cream of avocado”.  More pictures below 

To start I can give you mixed reviews about La Bomba avocado because truthfully this is the first time that La Bomba avocado has actually cooperated with me. Unless I just want to attribute all the credit to Silicon Mix, THIS time La Bomba actually came through for me somewhat. I got La Bomba back in November and when I first tried it I was not all that amazed. It felt kind of watery and I just felt that it did not penetrate enough or leave me with that everlasting moisture like nacidt olive oil does. So I used it a couple of times with heat for 15 mins mixed with castor oil and got just about the same old blah results. In the Dominican hair community many rave about La Bomba but with the few times I have used it I did not see what all the fuss was about. When I bought this product I thought that because it had avocado in it that it would be even better than the original which comes in a black jar I believe.

Now I can’t speak on the original La Bomba which comes in a black jar because I have never tried it. But I have noticed a theme with my hair which is that most products claiming to be infused with avocado don’t seem to agree with my hair. But anyway long story short I believe that La Bomba worked OK as a deep conditioning treatment after Silicon Mix somewhat. I say somewhat, because my hair felt kind of on the hard side when I rinsed La Bomba out. So I reached for Nacidt olive oil rinse and left it in my hair for the remaining of my shower and rinsed and my hair felt a little better.

After that I put Chi keratin mist then Lacio Lacio and started to rollerset. This is my hair a week after my last treatment with Nacidt olive oil deep conditioner and rinse. Throughout the week I would just moisturize every other night with ORS moisturizer in the jar, sealing with castor oil and protective styles like braids and buns.

(Before wash)

(After with la bomba, silicon mix)

(My rollerset game is almost on point)

This is how my hair loooked after I took the rollers out. My rolleset set game is trying to improve but it is not easy reaching and roller setting the back of your hair. Roller setting is very time consuming but the results are so well worth it. As you can see my hair is very shiny, smooth and moisturized. After this what I did was moisturize with ORS moisturizer in the jar, just little along my edges, brushed my hair especially my roots and wrapped my hair into a dubbie wrap .

Now the next day my hair was gorgeous, smooth and bouncy, however my roots were very wavy as a result of me not perfecting the roller set quite right but the wrap tamed the roots down a bit. I have been on a no direct heat challenge since new years eve. Since new years eve my hair has not seen a blow dryer, flat iron or any direct heat other than the indirect heat from the hair dryer. So I decided to flat iron on mild heat, just to see my length and see how well my hair has turned out since I began that no heat challenge. So these were the next day’s results.

I have to tell you I’m actually shocked to see the results of my hair in pictures . You have no idea the mess of hair I had before I began paying attention to my hair and learning the basic principles to maintaining it. It’s truly not an easy task but basic attention is really what you need. Going to the beauty salon is great and results are guaranteed but most of the time you dont’ know what’s really being used in your hair and how attentive your hair dresser is to your unique hair type. Surely you can bring in your own products with you but then there is the treatment of your hair, some people have rough hands and just don’t have the best interest in your overall hair’s health and progress.

I still like going to the beauty salon especially for special occasions and usually bring my own products or just walk in with my own treatment. But truthfully I can do it all pretty much myself. It takes time and patience and dedication. Once I  head out to the salon this weekend I will go back on my no heat challenge again for another 2 months or so. It is very beneficial for my hair and with just roller setting and wrapping I get decent results with no intense heat required.

This was my pony tail 4 day later (thurs) Still shiny moisturized so I guess La Bomba came through……

SUNDAY’S REGIMEN 4/4

Dr. bronners castile soap peppermint (shampoo)

Silicon mix (5 MINS)

La Bomba Avocado 1 hour w/o heat (15mins in heat hair dryer ) 1.5 hour total time in hair

Nacidt Olive oil Rinse

Chi keratin mist

Lacio Lacio

Chi iron guard (sprayed over rollers heat protectant)

So overall I can say that Silicon mix is a great product to have I really like it and will purchase it again to have for the winter because I will be using mostly all natural treatments for my hair soon come summer. So I’m trying to use up all of my hair products so once June comes around 100% natural hair treatments all summer long.  I like to keep my kinky curls active as well and natural treatments really help keep them alive. For now I’ll just keep using what I have so I can determine what is working for me or not. La bomba may not be a repurchase unless I’m tempted to buy the original one in the black jar but it did not do such a bad job this time around. Next review may be about BPT wheat germ protein conditioner followed by 10 and 1 deep conditioner. we’ll see how my hair behaves until then.

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Nacidt Olive Oil rinse

This is another installment of my Dominican hair care products review. Today I will be rounding up my Nacidt oilve oil rinse experience I have been on for the past 3 weeks or so.

This Rinse or rather conditioner compliments the deep conditioner very nicely. I been using this rinse right after my protein or moisturizing treatments for about 3 weeks. From what I have read regarding rinses is that they tend to not penetrate the hair but just detangle but I have to say that after I rinse with this conditioner my hair is left very soft and moisturized whether I use it after  a deep conditioner or protein treatment.

Nacidt Avocado also has an accompanying rinse as well but since I did not like the deep conditioner I will most likely skip the rinse as well. Overall I like Nacidt’s olive oil  rinse and the way it leaves my hair after I rollerset. My hair does not feel weighed down and it leaves my hair very soft after my protein treatments. I like the way it compliments Nacidt’s Olive Oil Deep Conditioners which is a plus. Overall I like the Nacidt Olive oil line and may look into their shampoo since my sulfate free shampoo tends be causing buildup on my scalp. But I may have to check it out since most shampoos can be stripping on my hair.

So stay tuned for more reviews this weekend I will be using Silicon mix followed by la bomba, review soon!

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Dominican Hair care: Nacidt Deep Conditioners

(nacidt olive oil, lacio lacio, nacidt avocado)

This is going to be a double review of both Nacidt Olive Oil and Nacidt Avocado. First Off I have very dry curly hair which can be tamed with moisture. My hair is very dry and course along the edges (3a- 3c depending), my hair kind of resembles alicia keys’s hair to give you all an idea.

I have to say that this is my favorite Dominican moisturizing deep conditioner. Everytime I rollerset and use Nacidt Olive oil with heat for 15 mins the results are fabulous. My hair is shiny, moisturized and bouncy and I have yet to try another deep condtioner that leaves me with the same results. It just never fails to deliver especially when I pair it with Lacio Lacio ( review soon ). Nacidt Olive Oil  has a very light scent to it and it’s kind of creamy but not too heavy.

Lacio Lacio to me is what really gives it the finishing shiny results after I rollerset but the LASTING results are another thing. I say lasting reults because Nacidt Olive Oil leaves my hair  moisturized even after five days. I moisturize and seal with ORS moisturizer in a jar along with castor oil to seal and the results are truly everlasting. Braidouts are beautiful and bouncy and my hair feels very thick soft and shiny.

(Nacidt olive oil in hair)

(Nacidt Avocado)

 Nacidt avocado unfortunately does not deliver the same for me in terms of softness. When I used it with the same procedure as I did with the olive oil one it left me disappointed. However I have to consider that the olive oil one says in spanish ( para cabellos quimicamente processados) which means for chemically processed hair and mind you I’m natural no relaxer or hair colors. So i’m guessing that for those with chemicaly porcessed hair Nacidt Olive Oil will provide more than enough moisture.

On the other hand Nacidt avocado is for ( cabellos secos/ quebradizos) meaning for dry brittle broken hair.

So I guess Nacidt avocado tends to have a little more protein to it than Nacidt Olive Oil. It did not leave me with that moisture or slip I was looking for. It left my hair a little hard and was not as bouncy as with the olive oil kind.

So this week I headed to the beauty supply store and picked myself up the larger version of  Nacidt olive Oil and was so curious that on my way picked up the Rinse (conditioner). I want to see how it turns out using the rest of Nacidt’s products. I’m also eyeing the coconut oil hair masque as well.

This is how my hair looked the next day. It was very shiny and soft and as usual my hair felt moisturized as opposed to dry and hard. I also did not have to put extra hair moisturizer to make it soft again. This weekend I will try nacidt’s olive oil hair conditioner (Rinse) and see how well it turns out!

This weekends regimen:

Hair One Shampoo

Nacidt Olive Oil ( 15 mins w/ heat )

Silicon Mix (When needed, this week I did)

Hello hydration Conditioner

Chi Keratin Mist

Lacio Lacio

Rollerset

I usually switch it up every other week and my hair just does not look or feel the same unless I use this method. But I know it’s Nacidt Olive oil which is why This week I headed to my local BSS and got me the biggest jar since this one has passed the test for sure. 

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