In the chocolate community, there’s been so much made of going natural where hair is concerned. Sometimes it seems as if it’s a movement! I have been a natural chica (chemical free) since the 90′s. I just tend to wear my hair straight – a lot. For YEARS I’ve gone back and forth with my hair. Sometimes it’s curly but most times it’s straight. When it’s freshly washed, it’s full of little springy curls. I like that. The issue is, from flatironing my hair so much, the ends of my hair sometimes flat out refuse to curl anymore. Boo!
That being said, I have recently decided to make my hair do what I want because I said so. For me that means wearing my hair natural, heat free and in all it’s curly glory more often. I figure the more it stays in it’s natural state, it will eventually get with the program and give me all my curls back. Right? Maybe.
The cool thing for me is right when I made this decision, I was offered the chance to review some products by Pantene Pro-V for natural, African American hair. I was totally game! I had already used their “Relaxed and Natural” line before, so I was excited that they had now separated the two and have a Truly Relaxed line and Truly Natural line. I got these goodies in the mail and immediately went to work on my head.
Here’s what my hair looked like before. Its was just blow dried. I hadn’t flatironed it, so it was a little on the lion mane side of things.
I washed with the Clarifying Shampoo. I had a lot of oils in my hair from wearing it slicked back all week and this really worked to get my hair clean. Then, I followed that up with the Cowash Cleansing Conditioner. That one was new for me. I’d heard of co-washes but hadn’t used one before. Once I rinsed that out my hair felt pretty soft. Then, I used the Deep Conditioner. I rinsed it out and began to detangle my hair. It suprisingly didn’t take as long as I though it would. My hair was pretty soft after washing and conditioning so the detangle went pretty smooth. I followed with the Curling Custard. I had used some others before and it was kind of hit and miss. I watched a few YouTube videos to help me with my application method and got the hang of it immediately. I had to keep spraying my hair using my water bottle to keep it wet and keep the application smooth. I swear, my hair soaks up water like the Mojave desert! After that, I let it air dry.
That’s the other thing about my hair. It sucks up water for the most part and dries pretty fast except for the center of my head. That part could stay wet for days, I tell you! My curls were really defined and being their cute, springy selves. I was excited to see how it would turn out after it was dry.
Here I am all dry and curly! I used a little of the Pantene Shine Serum to control any potential frizz and to soften a bit from using the custard. I wore my hair in a few styles with this wash and go. I just let it run free at times and then I’d pin some of it back or wear a bun. I was happy with how versatile my hair is.
Day One
End of Week One
Week Two
It’s been about three weeks of me using the products and it’s true, the longer I wear it heat free, the curlier it gets. I guess that means I am the boss of my hair! Whoot!
The Pantene Pro-V line of Truly Natural products are all under $6. From what I’ve seen regarding products for natural hair, this is a deal! My only issue is that for me and others going natural is more than a hair style choice it often applies to other areas of our lives. For me, it’s about what I put on my body and in my body. So, I wish these products for naturals included more natural ingredients.
That being said, the products worked for my hair and I have gotten LOTS of compliments.
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
