Review: Jamaican Mango & Lime

Rasta Locks Twist Jamaican Mango & lime Protein Conditioner, Whew! That's a mouth full.
I ran into this product during one of my many "window shopping product searches".  Of course it was tucked away in the row or plethora of natural hair products.  Honestly, I never even heard of this line so I was extremely pleased and mesmerized to stumble upon this rare gem.

First what I loved about this product, I loved the color of the bottle.  I know that seems so elementary but this was the main reason that I even noticed it in the sea of so called natural hair product.  The bottle was vibrant, the bottle was fun, for goodness sake the bottle was yellow! Jamaican Mango & lime is packaged with easy to read ingredients and easy to read was enough for me to pick it up and finally purchase it with its easy on the pocket cost, ranging from $4.89 to $5.99. I must say it was a steal.

So it's true, I purchased this only because of the package and not to mention the intense and I do mean INTENSE fragrance!  I had to take a whiff of this stuff on my way to purchase it! The smell was heavenly.  It has a tropical or Island scent of lemon, lime and mango fused together.  I absolutely love scents.  It doesn't matter what scent it is as long as it smells good and this fragrance is heavenly.

The consistency is perfect.  Not to thick not to thin just right.  Now for the technical parts.  I often co-wash my hair.  This means I often forgo the shampoo stage and use conditioner instead of shampoo.  My hair is currently not Locked!  This product is for those whose hair is in a natural loc or often twist state.  That does not mean that it cannot be used on loose naturals it just means that my hair isn't loc'd and I may not have been able to receive the fulleness of what the product was meant to do.

It states that it

• strengthens locks
• prevents breakage
• moisturizes
• natural conditioner

My favorite of the 4 proclaimed actions that I expected and what it actually did for my naturally loose tresses was prevent breakage.  I found less strands after as little as 3 co-washes and I also perceived that my strands were strengthened.  I give this product a score of a 79%. 

Here's why:

• The smell was phenomenal.  If you are someone who does not like strong scents I would suggest steering clear from this product line.  Their products pack a punch and I love it.  It's an awesome change to the normal vanilla, cocoa butter scents that many product have. 20%

 

• The packaging caught my I.  Many times I find the packaging to be a mimic of another line that could be easily confused (pink lotion and pin motions are the same except the wording is in a different color) Their package is vibrant beautiful easy to distinguish and most importantly easy to read.)  20%

 

• Directions and ingredients.  Not all the ingredients are organic but I that is not an issue for me considering that more than half of the ingredients are.  They are also extremely easy to read and follow directions in both English and French so for me that's another 15%

 

• Here's where the points are deducted.  The actual efficiency of what the product proclaims to do.  It is supposed to do4 things two of which would be to be a natural conditioner and moisturize your hair.  it definitely fell short in these areas for me however I take in account that I am a loose natural given my final score in this area 10%

 

• I know that this score is mediocre but let's keep in mind that we need our products to actually do all or close to all of the main areas that we want out of them so for the idea of being a Protein conditioner I give  it a 14%

 

My final opinion on Rasta Locks Twist Jamaican Mango & lime Protein Conditioner, I would buy this again.  It does clean your hair and give a refreshing cleansed smell.  I liked the consistency however desired a little more thickness because I am a loose natural.  The slick or ease during detangling was average.  But the scent and ability to strengthen my strands was what won me over.

 

What are some of your thoughts on this product?  What id you like or dislike and what did I forget to mention.

When to get PROFESSIONAL HAIR HELP!



bglhonline.com

So your on this journey with me.  I have to assume this considering after all your reading a "natural hair blog." Or maybe you are considering leaving the white Crisco alternative alone.  Either way let me warn all of you back of the house, in your bathroom late at night COSMOTOLOGISTS!  Yes, COSMOTOLOGIST.  Eh hum,  SEEK PROFESSIONAL HELP WHEN TRIMMING, DUSTING, OR CUTTING YOUR HAIR. 

Yes, I am yelling because, yes it is that serious.  I have been natural for 11 months eagerly educated myself and researched and cross canceled...You get the picture I studied, every technique known yet I made the reckless mistake of UNEVENLY  big chopping.  Now this was not a problem at all in my earlier phases but I tell you Bob, or Karen or you, I hate that I now embark on my 1 year anniversary after have retained a bit of length yet in my 11th month noticed that I will at some point have to ...cut a CHUNK to even it. 


Now I know that this doesn't have to be done now I can just let it go slowly but my point being I could have avoided this had I not Big Chopped at 2am in the morning after watching endless hours of my fellow Youtubers!  As a whole I am pleased with my length retention and a great deal of it has to with protective style as well as my 6 month transitioning.  I have to say a piece of me sure wishes that the whole of my head was as long as the piece that effortlessly touches the collar bone of my neck.  Sigh, lesson has been learned so YOU don't have to. 

Natural Hair Envy is Why I became a Natural!

Compliments of Google Image

There I was sitting in the mall's food court staring endlessly at a women's hair.  Her curls streamed the back of her neck endlessly, cascaded over her shoulder's effortlessly and shined radiantly under the soft iridescent light of the fluorescent bulbs in the food court.  I remember wondering what treatment or process she used to get such healthy hair. I sat wishing that I had the nerve to ask her where she got her hair done or what product's she used.  And that, is exactly what I did.  I sat there, wishing,  that one day those long flowing stresses would be my crown and glory.  I had no idea of the ethnicity, the process or if it was a treatment.  I just knew that my hair in its relaxed state was not given the body that this girl's hair was.  So I did as many of us would have done.  I went home and braided my chemically treated strands to give the illusion of wavy or curly hair.  Now this may not have been everyones instinct to do but something about the freedom the health and the style in this woman's curl captivated and intrigued me to no end.  After trying thin braid outs that came out to stringy, thick braid outs that came out to limp and wet braid outs that came out too limp. I finally just twisted my hair out and yes, the illusion of the wave was definitely there, but the volume the strength and the sheen were no where in sight.  Why?  I had no idea as to why at the time.  Several years passed and I still had the vague memory of that woman's crown and glory.  I still remembered the strength that ran through both her presence and her hair.  Time went on and never did I think to ask anyone of that hairstyle.  Often in the past if I seen a fly doobi' or rockin' wrap I wouldn't think twice to ask someone or even the person how they obtained that look.  But I never did, I continued processing my hair and chucked her hair up to simply be hair of a different persuasion.  Before long I notice a new fad that had taken place in many of our hair was singing the same song as woman I had encountered year's earlier.  Was the Jerri curl making a come back in a more chic way, was it that more babies of multiple diversities were being birthed, or was there a new brand of weave on the market. The answer for all was no.  They had simply embraced the hair that naturally toiled, turned and curved out of their scalps.  they had embraced the soft and kinky strands that we had all to often forgotten long after receiving that first flat iron, press out or texturizer.  After all, the purpose was to "maintain" or make our hair "manageable".  But why was their hair so tamed in it's natural "skin"

African American women have been rocking there hair in it's natural persona long before Chris Rock's well known biography "Good Hair" hit media.  They have been silently educating through their display of beauty and effortlessly rocked their hair in all it's glory.   From Whoopi Goldberg to Camille Cosby these women have supported and flawlessly grabbed the attention of the media to show that our hair is not only beautiful but fierce.  Our hair demands attention, it demands to be noticed and more than ever it demands to be accepted.  After several long evenings of seeking and scouring to find the answer to what I was silently wanting, I found it, and everywhere.  I found it on Facebook through I <3 Naturalista, I found it on YouTube through YouTube Alumni and veterans such as NikkiMae, Kimmytube and MsVcharles my favorites.  I found it through twitter and blogs such as Naturalsunshine.ning, and CurlyNikki.  I found it through women that decided to break out of the status quo embrace beauty in all its textures and pave the way for many of us to follow.  My journey has just started and it has been just that, a journey.  I have had to explain, encourage, answer and defend my decision to choose to accept the hair that God has chosen for me.  And I don't mind doing it, because if my hair can stream the back of my neck endlessly, cascaded over my shoulder's effortlessly and shine radiantly under the soft iridescent light of the fluorescent bulbs I have did my part in representing our healthy hair.