Nutiva Extra Virgin Coconut Oil Review

iherHey All!

I'm finally doing a review on this oil, as promised!

This oil is amazing! Coconut Oil is not exactly a protein, but it acts as one because of it's strengthening properties. So it may bother those who are protein sensitive.

This Extra Virgin Coconut Oil is light, and has a nice coconut scent, but what I really love about this oil is that it leaves my roots feeling so soft! So it is great for you (relaxer) stretchers out there!

If I can recall, I got similar results using Jarrows Expeller Pressed Coconut Oil. Though the scent of was really reminiscent of Gasoline, it was not as strong though.

Besides Nutiva having a better scent it also has a better consistency, and I am getting the full benefits of the Coconut Oil with it, as Extra Virgin Coconut Oil is extracted from fresh coconut, opposed to Expeller Pressed, which is extracted from dried coconut flesh.

  Though whatever brand you are using, EVCO is a Jack-of-All trades! It can be used alone as Prepoo, Oiling your scalp, Sealing, and it's great for your skin too! I have also found that is a great addition to any deep conditioner or treatment.

Please keep in mind that this oil changes form. It can be white colored solid that  melts to touch (as pictured) if in cooler climate, or turn into a clear liquid, in a warmer climate. So lets say it's summer and you do not have any air conditioning on, your EVCO will be a liquid and clear, but if you have air conditioning on, it while be a white colored solid. Get my drift? lol

You can find this oil from any Natural/Herbal shops, Whole Foods, Amazon, iHerb, Vitamin Shoppe, etc.

There are none of these kind of stores where I live, so I order mine online from Vitamin Shoppe. There are the 15oz size, which is what I tend to buy, for $8.99, the 29oz for $16.99, or the 54oz for $21.11. (All prices are in USD)

This oil lasts a long time, and I have used mine for all the things I have listed. Whether you are natural, texlaxed, or relaxed, EVCO is a MUST in your hair repertoire, but this brand in particular, gets a 5/5 from me!

~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

Coconut Oil As A Selant in the Winter= Hard Hair!

Hey All!

I learned something new today, and just had to share. So Sunday's are my wash day, and after prepooing, washing, deep conditioning, moisturizing and sealing, oiling my scalp...I then have to endure the chore of putting my hair in some kind of style or prep style to start off the new work week.

This week I went with a braid out, a style which I have not done in a good while, only because braids are harder to take out than twists lol. The results of this braid out was very similar to my twist out, which I found strange because I did not use shealoe as I usually do with my twist outs. I oiled my scalp and used my Super Moisturizing Coconut Leave In, and decided to seal with my new jar of Nutiva, (which I am loving so far, and will do a proper review for soon!) to tie in the coconut theme I had going.


My hair felt nice and moisturized, I braided my hair up in 15 plaits, put some rods on the ends, put my satin scarf on, and went to bed. Again, the results are very similar to my twist out, just more of a crinkly than wavy curl (wish I had a picture, but I'm away from home, and left my camera)

So everything was fine...until I stepped outside! As soon as the cold wind blew, my hair felt as crunchy and hard as I don't know what, then when I stepped inside somewhere, it would return to it's natural soft state. Which is very similar to what the oil does while in the jar, it turns into a liquid when warm, then a solid when cold.

I have come to the conclusion, that EVCO (Extra Virgin Coconut Oil) is not the best oil to seal with in the colder months for that reason. I will continue to prepoo, and add to my deep conditioner, just not as a sealant, not at least until it gets warmer.

I guess we do learn something new everyday!

~Naomi

Update & New Discovery! Vegetable Oil = Soybean Oil!

Hey guys, just wanted to give you a quick update. I flat ironed my hair a week and some days ago, and finally got around to washing my hair. I was worried because I flat ironed more than once in the week period, and thought I could have some heat damage.

Thank goodness that was not the case. My hair started to curl up right after I Clarified (using VO5 Herbal Escapes Clarifying Kiwi Lime) and cowashed (w/ matching conditioner). I made sure to prepoo before clarifying, so my hair would not feel completely stripped.

I Dced with protein mixing mayonnaise into Organics Africa's Best Hair Mayonnaise, I let that sit for about an hour and a half, and used a plastic bag to cover my hair instead of a plastic cap ( I ran out lol).

My hair felt great afterwards, super soft. However to make sure I don't experience any unnecessary shedding, I followed with a moisturizing dc.

Thing is I ran out of my moisturizing dc (Hollywood Beauty Olive Cholesterol) so I made one. I just used one of my cowashing conditioners, Suave Naturals Tropical Coconut, and decided to try using Vegetable Oil. I decided on giving it a try since I am running low on Coconut Oil. 


I left it on for an hour and a half as well. My hair felt really soft, and detangling was a breeze!


For some reason I looked on the back of my (Crisco) Vegetable Oil bottle, and looked under ingredients, and found out Vegetable Oil, is Soybean Oil!


Reading up on Soybean Oil, I've learned that it has many benefits. This oil helps moisturize hair because it contains Omega 3 fats and lipids, that can penetrate the hair shaft, which results in hydrated hair. Soybean Oil also contains proteins, and vitamins, which can help strengthen and nourish your strands as well.

I have not used it as a hot oil treatment, but I have heard it is great for that as well. 

I like this oil! It is light in comparison to Castor Oil, so I may use it as a sealant. My hair seemed to like it.

Anyway, I just had to share my discovery with you all!

Never Use Shea Butter In your DC!

I purchased pure unrefined Shea Butter not too long ago, and to be honest I have not found much use for it, in terms of hair, I know it is a great sealant, but I don't really need it for that right now, so I thought, why not add it to my preoo, but using it in a dc, on clean hair, not a good idea!

 I  know the title is a bit harsh, but guys, I had the worst experience last night!

For my prepoo I used Melted Shea Butter, Castor Oil, a little Africa's Best Ultimate Herbal Oil, mixed with Herbal Essence Hydralicious Self Targeting Conditioner- which reeks of Alcohol, I'm not sure if I didn't notice it before, but It is definitely noticeable, which I do not like, will be using out, and not repurchasing, anyway that was not my problem.

It came out nice after shampooing, and since it worked so well in my prepoo, I said, why not add some to you DC. Boy was I wrong. I added all the same ingredients excluding the Hydralicious, and mixed it with my Hollywood Beauty Olive Cholesterol, applied and put on a shower cap.

I would say I left it on for close  2 hours, and I went to rinse. Now here is where my problem lies, I rinsed with water, and used my wide tooth comb to detangle, like always, and I put my towel on my head and head to the bathroom- I wash my hair in the kitchen sink, and my hair was coated! It was thick and slick feeling, I could use my nail to scrape the Shea butter off my strands of hair!


I immediately went to cowash, I used my VO5 Herbal Escapes Clarifying Conditioner Kiwi Lime, and my hair went back to normal.

I don't know if I added too much , or it was the combination of Shea and Castor Oil, but my hair did not like it, at least not if I'm not going to wash it out.

So for those of you out there who are Do It Yourself-ers, or 'Chemists' as I like to call myself, be careful of the ingredients you add, and what you add them to, I did not get any adverse results, just slick hair, but I sure didn't like it. However, I did like it in my prepoo! Shea Butter is a sealant too, so that could be why my hair felt coated.

Just wanted to share my experience with you all! Happy Product Mixing!


Until Next Time, Naomi~