After a long and unintentional hiatus concerning natural hair blogging, I'm BACK with my first product review in a few months.
As you all know(or most of you), I like getting more bang for my buck. In terms of natural hair products(or products in general), if I'm spending over $15 bucks PER product, it needs to last longer than 3 months, and it must deliver in its claims. And if it can be substituted for more expensive and less readily available products....SCORE AGAIN, as I really don't like ordering online but my current staples aren't available state-side.
Anyway, back to my review....This past weekend, I went shopping for a product for my twists since I had just run out of my Ori Organics stylers(my curl styling buttercream specifically, as I still have more than half an 8oz jar of the moisture balancing buttercream since purchasing in JANUARY). Went to my local BSS and found a local line I already had familiarity with, as I had used their custard many years ago for my WnG's(with success). The product purchased is called, Twist Like This Herbal Putty by Barry Fletcher. Came in multiple sizes, but the 16oz jar at $17.99 was the better deal. As per the labeling:
Penetrates, holds and protects natural hair(jar had grammatical errors....I corrected them, lol)....Can be used for braiding, texturizing or natural setting.
Jar also states that it provides a "firm, glossy finish." Ingredients can be seen in Picture 3, which are all natural, which I like.
Pros:
- This jar could last me through August, if not September. I barely skimmed the surface of this jar doing more than 70 twists. The ability to spread out usage is a HUGE deal, as I'm all about getting my money's worth and using products that last for more than 3 months.
- Hair felt moist/soft. Now, considering it's SUPPOSED to provide a "firm hold", I'm actually glad that it didn't. I don't really need hold for my twists, I just need it to seal in moisture and help to keep my twists looking good for at LEAST a week.
- Easy application. It goes on smoothly on each section being twisted.
- Works well over my leave in. No dreaded hair product balls!!!! LOL!
- Ingredients are natural. And pretty simple. Sometimes simplicity is a good thing. The aloe (if juice or gel) is humectant-based, which means this product will be good for use during the spring and summer(if your hair isn't highly porous and you don't live in a high-humidity region) in that it'll help to draw in and HOLD moisture.
- I'm a stickler for products doing what they say, and it DIDN'T provide hold. Now, the hair may have needed to be more than just damp for there to be moderate hold, but if your claim is that the product provides x, y and z, then it should.
- Semi-vague ingredient listing. Is "African butter" shea butter? And is the "oatmeal" oatmeal powder, or the "aloe vera" the oil, gel or juice? Because its shelf-life will be reliant upon this knowledge, and water-based products(if indeed aloe juice OR gel-based) NEED an antimicrobial based preservative to prevent rancidity and bacteria growth. I had to put that in bold because this is very important.
- Non-important con, but it looks like their relaxer. LOL! It even smells somewhat like a relaxer. I was ready to cut some folks if it indeed wasn't what it was labeled as. That's most Naturals worst fear....using a product and finding out it's a relaxer.
All in all, it's a good product. I haven't had the opportunity to use it over other styling products that I use, and I'm hopeful they will work well with them. And if they don't, I will update this review accordingly. So if you happen to see this on your local BSS's shelf, I say it's worth a try. And considering I've paid $10+ for 8oz for OTHER products and this is double for less in terms of $$ per oz, it's a win-win (although I will say those 8oz products can last me a LONG time. :P)
Natural Urbanista
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