Mmm, smells like coconut love

A few weeks ago my husband stumbled upon Suave's Tropical Coconut Body Wash and we have been in coconut heaven ever since. I say we because it smelled so incredible that I couldn't let him have all the fun. For once his frugality has paid off (I shop to balance quality and price, he wants to know: how cheap is it?) because I have been in love since. The rich smell permeates the house long after you have left the shower without being at all overpowering. I wouldn't call it a moisturizing body wash, which is what I normally go for, but it not drying either. I just follow it with my usual post shower routine of Jergen's Shea Butter lotion and a few spritzes of good ole Johnson's baby oil (I transferred mine to a spray bottle for easier application). If moisturizing then sealing works for your hair, why not your body, right? I was previously cycling between Dove's Deep Moisture body wash and Olay's Body Wash plus Body Butter Ribbons (which unfortunately leaves an oily film on your hands... ick) but this stuff is cheaper and just as fabulous.

All of this led me to try Suave's Tropical Coconut conditioner which I got on sale for about $1.50. I've used it mixed with coconut oil as a prepoo (pre-shampoo treatment) and as a quickie conditioner in the shower. I must say this stuff is wonderful! It really is an instant conditioner because all I did was apply it on my hair and rinse it off about a minute later and my hair felt so incredible. I could not believe it. I normally use Nexxus Humectress as my in shower conditioner (this used to be my staple deep conditioner but I have since found things I love even more so I am using it up) but this Suave works just as well (if not better, shhh) as an instant conditioner. And you cannot beat the price! Mind you, I would not use this as a deep conditioner without some finagling but as a instant or a conditioner wash? Puhlease! This stuff is the ishh. Sorry, Brooklyn moment. Either way, it has the same great smell as the body wash too, so all I need is a coconut body lotion and I'll have the trifecta of coconut deliciousness.

Ingredients:

Water (Aqua), Cetyl Alcohol, Cetrimonium Chloride, Potassium Chloride, Fragrance (Parfum), Distearyldimonium Chloride, Disodium EDTA, Glycerin, 2 Bromo 2 Nitropropane 1, 3 Diol, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Propylene Glycol, Silk Amino Acids, Honey (Mel), Nettle (Urtica Dioica) Extract, Rosemary (Rosmarinus Officinalis) Extract, Coconut (Cocoa Nucifera) Extract

Post-relaxer hair care regimen

I just got my hair relaxed on Saturday, so you know I am feeling myself right now a la gorgeous Gabrielle Union in this photo (well, at least in my own head). But then comes time for the often dreaded first wash. Will the same shine and "swang" I had after I left the salon still be there? Should I do anything special for this wash? Well, your hairmakeuplove guru has come to the rescue with my battle tested post relaxer hair care regimen.

You all know that with the added ease and versatility that relaxing our hair gives us comes the need for greater diligence in caring for our hair. In order for relaxers to “relax” our hair’s natural curl pattern, they must break the protein bonds in the hair. If you do not attempt to restore some of this lost protein, you will be left with weak, dry, brittle hair. In order to combat this problem, I have come up with a special wash regimen that I use for the first wash after my relaxer.

I normally wash my hair every 3-4 days depending on how it feels. I will do a pre-shampoo treatment (or prepoo… yes, I said poo), shampoo my hair, do a quick in shower conditioner, then deep condition my hair and set it. For the first wash after my relaxer, I do a pre-shampoo treatment with a mild protein based conditioner. Last night I used Aphogee’s 2 Minute Keratin Reconstructor. This stuff is wonderful and restores some of the protein lost in the relaxer process while not leaving your hair hard, as some other protein conditioners can. I then wash my hair with a neutralizing shampoo to ensure that there is no residual relaxer still active on my hair. I follow that with a shampoo with a clarifying shampoo to remove any other buildup from the relaxer process. Since, the neutralizing and clarifying shampoos can be so harsh and strip your hair, I then use a moisturizing shampoo to restore some of the hair’s moisture. I like Nexxus Therappe and Keracare Hydrating Detangling shampoo. While I finish the rest of my shower I apply Nexxus Humectress to my hair for a quick in shower conditioning step. I know this process sounds long and possibly unnecessary but I have had great success using this method.

Now that I am a mere pruney shadow of my former self, I hop out of the shower and apply my deep conditioner. I like to use the Organic Root Stimulator Replenshing conditioner as my deep conditioner. (I just did a review on this conditioner.) I apply this to my hair in sections, cover my hair with a plastic cap and sit under my hair dryer for 20 minutes. If you do not have a hooded dryer, you can wrap your hair with a moist, hot towel prior to placing the plastic cap on your head and then let it sit for anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. Once, this is done, I rinse out the conditioner, apply my leave-ins and style.

For your hard work and dedication, you should be rewarded with soft, strong, and shiny hair and a new appreciation for your hair stylist. Oh, the things we do for beauty.