Product Review of my Bebe Shea'loe (Homemade Shealoe)

Hey All!


As most of you know on my home forum BHP, we did Secret Santa. I had trouble finding the other items listed on my SS's list, so I substituted (Lol). 


Here is what I sent her. 

I was already about to make my own batch, until it dawned on me that I could send her some too! I am really glad I did, because it turns out that she liked it. I am too proud, over here, and yes I call it Bebe Shea'loe, because it sounds like name, and the Bebe gave it a nice ring. (LOL)

"I tried Naomi's shealoe to twist my hair earlier this week. Overall my hair loved it! I started with the front of my head and I noticed how well my dry ends absorbed the shealoe. It left my twists with a neater, shinier look than I've EVER had. The only downfall is that after twisting for hours and hours, I had the container open as I used it and I let too much air  This changed the consistency of the shealoe so I had to switch to SM Curl Enhancing Smoothing for the back. But the front is soooo on point! I finished my twists Wednesday and they are holding up really well and still look nice and neat. I owe that all to the shealoe!!"


Here are her results

"Naomi, you should really look in to selling your shealoe!"




For those curious as to how I made it. I used blender to whip, and the ingredients list goes as


Ingredients: Shea Butter, Aloe Vera Gel, Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and Jamaican Black Castor Oil. 




I love it myself, but it feels great to know that it works for someone else too; especially because we are not the same hair type.  I am taking orders :) Oh please look out next month for her feature in February!!! Also if you would like to be featured next month please send me an email at beautifulkinks@gmail.com. 


~Naomi

New Shealoe Batch (Whipped Method)

Hey All!

I have been out of Shealoe for a good month...or two, and I just decided to stop being lazy and make a new batch.

This batch is slightly different, as I used a blender this time around, so this is Whipped Shealoe, opposed to the Melt & Blend method.

I also opted to use an oil, in hopes that it would help give this batch a creamier texture. The oil I used is Africa's Best Ultimate Herbal Oil. I originally wanted to use Olive Oil, but I am all out!

The Shea Butter I had, was from Halo's Homemade Soaps, it was 1 pound (16oz) and came in a plastic baggy. I have ordered from them before, but through eBay. I know it's their Shea because it has their label on it.  The Shea is of good quality, at least in my own opinion. The texture is smooth, and smells nutty, as it should! I paid $5.50 USD, and the shipping was $5.00, so altogether I paid $10.50 USD. Here is  Where I buy my Shea Butter.

First I put the Shea Butter in the blender, I used maybe 8oz of that, let it mix a bit, stopped it, then added, my Aloe Vera Gel, which I used about 4oz of, stopped once more, and added my Africa's Best Ultimate Herbal Oil, I did not measure how much I used, but I would say I roughly used about 2oz.

So if you have not caught that it's about..
8oz of Shea Butter
4oz of Aloe Vera Gel
2oz of Africa's Best Ultimate Herbal Oil


To ensure everything was getting mixed in I would stop the blender to mix with a fork, scrape the sides, and continue. This process was so quick, I was done in about 10 minutes.

Here's how it looked in the blender when finished

I already started scooping some of it out.

This batch gave me two 8oz batches, yes I said TWO, which I can say that I did not expect in the least. So I am super happy about it!

Here's how the batches came out

Close up of one of the batches

Comparison Melt & Blend- Whipped

So there is a difference in the coloring, as well as the texture. The Melt & Blend batch was a bit thicker, and I found myself having to reheat, and mixing before use. Since these new batches are blended, there is no need to heat or mix.

Another difference is that when using the Melt & Blend Shealoe, I found myself overusing it, and having white residue in my hair from Shea that had not fully blended.

I used new Whipped batch, and I did not get any residue. Though both resulted in soft defined hair.

One last thing that I like about this batch is that it smells nice, as it smells like the Africa's Best Ultimate Oil which smells like baby powder, so perhaps if I used oil when I did the Melt & Blend method, it may have smelled a bit better, and helped with the texture.

I think what also contributed to the last batch not smelling as nice, could have been that the Shealoe was not blended as well. The last batch had a funny smell, and started to go bad.

 I am not saying the Melt & Blend method does not work, it is just that you have to work harder to keep your ingredients blended (reheating & mixing) to get the texture that you desire.

What is great about Shealoe is that it is great for Low Manipulation styling, like Twist/Braid Outs, Bantu Knot Outs, or even Protective styling  like Buns, Two Strand Twists, etc. It also works great as a Moisturizer/Sealant.

I am undoubtedly a fan of Shealoe, especially because it's natural, and so easy to make. Try making your own batch, to see what all the rave is about!

~Naomi

Africa's Best Ultimate Herbal Oil (w. Ginseng)

Africa's Best Ultimate Herbal Oil

This product has been a staple in my regimen for a while now, and it is a gem!

I originally intended on using African Royale Hot Six Oil, since I heard so many great review, but I decided to go with Africa's Best Ultimate Herbal Oil, since it was easier on the pockets.


 An 8 ounce bottle of Africa's Best Ultimate Herbal Oil goes for $1.99 USD vs. $4.00-5.99 (depending on the retailer) for African Royale's Hot Six Oil.

African Royale Hot Six Oil

I cannot attest to whether one oil is better than the other, as the both contain natural ingredients, all except the last, which is fragrance.

This oil smells like baby powder and has a very light consistency. It is pretty easy to apply. I can tend to run if you use too much, but to combat that, you put the oil in an applicator bottle for easier and more controlled distribution.

I add it to everything, I seal with it, I use it on my scalp, as a prepoo, mix it in my setting lotion for rod sets, in my deep conditioners, I adore this oil! It can also be used for your skin, and nails/cuticles! It always leaves my roots soft, and hair with a nice sheen!



The Ingredients:
Soy Bean Oil , Walnut Seed Oil , Kiwi Fruit Extract , Olive Fruit Oil , Castor Seed Oil , Sesame Seed Oil , Jojoba Seed Oil , Carrot Seed Oil , Sweet Almond Oil , Tocopheryl Acetate , Safflower Oil , Calendula Extract , Yarrow Extract , Cucumber Extract , Carrageenan Extract , Ginseng Extract , Sage Extract , Comfrey Extract , Aloe Extract , Fragrance


For $1.99 this oil is a great deal! It will always be a staple in my regimen. It gets a 5/5 from me!


Until Next Time, Naomi~

African Royale BRX Braid & Extension Sheen Spray - Review

I use my own concoction to moisturize my braids, but staying with family I came across African Royale BRX Braid Sheen Spray, so I gave it a try.  I have always wanted to use braid spray, but never got around to buying one, I don't wear braids too often, so I suppose that is why.

I sprayed my braids, and made sure to do the full length, and then sprayed my scalp.

It smells nice but literally 5 minutes later, my scalp was itching like crazy! I can't scratch my scalp, so I've been doing the 'Pat My Weave' dance. It does not itch as much since a few hours have passed, but I am quite disappointed. I had high hopes for this braid spray, especially since it was my first time using this product. I must be allergic to one of the ingredients, I am not sure which.


Ingredients:
Deionized Water , Glycerin , Propylene Glycol , PPG-12-PEG-50 Lanolin , Dicetyldimonium Chloride , Polyquaternium 32 & Paraffinum Liquidum , Tea Tree (Melaleuca Alternifolia) Leaf Oil , Polysorbate 80 , Oat (Avena Sativa) Kernel Extract , Allantoin , Silk Amino Acids , Sheep Sorrell , Yarrow , Slippery Elm Bark , Sage , Henna , Comfrey , Burdock Root , Goldenseal , Cherry Bark , Ginseng , Black Walnut , Chamomile , Alfalfa , Hyssop , Wheat Germ , Methyl & Propyl Paraben , Fragrance


The spray smells lovely, but I find that it dries very quickly, so I am not sure how moisturized my braids are. Either way, I cannot use it on my scalp. I am going to try to pay attention to the ingredients in this spray, to see if any other products I have contains any of the ingredients and see how my scalp reacts.

Sadly enough trial and error are the only way to see how well your hair will react to a product, luckily for me, I did not have to purchase this spraIy. So if you can try sample sizes, or travel sizes when trying a new product, I suggest doing so. It can save you some money!
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As far as moisturizing goes, my hair does not feel any better or worse than it did before I sprayed them with this product, I cannot speak for my scalp, since I had an allergic reaction, so even with only one use, this product did not do it for me.

I guess I can give it a 2 out of 5, just because I like the way it smells!