Shopping mega-site Amazon.com just launched a new men’s grooming site at www.amazon.com/mensgrooming.  The new site offers a special male-friendly hub to help you shop for your favorite brands as well as discover new ones while looking through great information on the best ways to keep yourself looking and feeling fresh.

In addition to having all your brands in one easy place, you can also read through the “Problem Solvers” section which will help you brighten your smile as well as ease the symptoms of razor burn.  The “How To Guides” section comes to Amazon via Men’s Fitness to help you step up your grooming game too.  And, its intuitive, offering you specific products while you browse.  Not bad, eh?

For those of you familiar with MANE MAN, you know that I personally really love mostly natural or organic products.  Because of that, I was a bit skeptical that I would find the 2in1 scalp comfort helpful at all.  It turns out, it was better than I expected.

Much to my surprise, the 2in1 scalp comfort has a lot of what most natural-haired curlies look for…SLIP.  Slip is that feeling when shampoo or conditioner easily glides through your hair, and this product has a surprising amount of it.  Because it’s a 2in1, I began my detangling process while shampooing which definitely cut back on some of my time spent in the shower.  The active ingredient Pyrithione Zinc (1%), helps ease dry scalp and theoretically also helps with psoriasis, but I haven’t been using it long enough to find any discernible difference over time.  I will say that it does help with scalp itchiness, which trust me, is no easy feat for my often dry scalp.

Overall, it seems that Clear Men’s 2in1 Scalp Comfort is definitely a step above a good amount of drug store shampoos.  It’s readily available which makes for easy access.  For me, the ingredients list is not what I usually look for and at the moment, I’m not sure that I would make it a regular staple of mine. But, I’m admittedly pretty picky.  My advice?  Give it a shot yourself and let’s compare notes in the comments section below.

Here is a list of the product’s ingredients:

Water (Aqua), Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Chloride, Dimethiconol, Fragrance (Parfum), Carbomer, Dimethicone, Sodium Lauroyl Isethionate, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, DMDM Hydantoin, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Stearic Acid, Citric Acid, Tallow Acid or Palmitic Acid, Zinc Sulfate, TEA-Dodecylbenzenesulfonate, Sodium Isethionate, Poloxamer 407, Laureth-23, Laureth-4, Tocopheryl Acetate, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, PPG-9, PEG-9M, Panthenol, Lysine HCl, Hydrogenated Coconut Oil, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Xanthan Gum, Methylisothiazo

Shea Moisture’s line up of hair care products for men.

Disclosure: The products listed were provided courtesy of Shea Moisture for the purpose of this review.

When I found out a few months ago that Shea Moisture was going to release a new hair care line for men, I almost lost my mind.  I’ve been a huge fan of their body products and Shea Moisture has definitely gotten me through some brisk New York Winters.  But, today is all about their hair care line for men and I’m very excited to share my thoughts and reactions with you.  Read on!

Three Butters Utility Shampoo: I’m never one to put too much stock into shampoos as I often find that they strip my hair and sensitive scalp of my natural oils and leave me feeling dry.  That being said, the Three Butters Shampoo does a really good job of balancing cleansing and moisturizing both.  The shampoo is very creamy (and smells really nice I might add) and has a rich lather that doesn’t make you feel like you’re stripping you hair of anything. That has been my experience at least.  To be honest, it also helps me start the detangling process as I think it has some good slip that helps my fingers battle through my thick mane of kinks and coils.

Three Butters Utility Gel Mousse:  I found the gel mousse to be very effective at giving girl definition and major shine (not like greasy fried chicken shine, but just normal shine, ya know?).  It also has the rich, earthy and masculine smell that the whole line up has which is a definite bonus.  I don’t have any major negatives to note here except that the gel gave my hair a bit of a crunchy feeling but that’s probably due to my heavy hand in application as well as it being tailored to “wavy, curly hair”.  That’s clearly not my hair type, but hey it was worth a shot.  As far as a styler goes, I have to say that the Three Butters Styling Smoothie really stole my heart over this gel.

Three Butters Styling Smoothie:  I like to call this one the man’s answer to Shea Moisture’s Curl Enhancing Smoothie.  This is, by far, one of the best hair products I have used since growing my fro.  Seriously guys, I can not get enough.  It’s rich and creamy but also has a light enough weight so that it doesn’t weigh your hair down.  The Three Butters Styling Smoothie is, simply put, a miracle product!  Whether I use it on dry hair to shape the fro on day two or use it on wet hair right out of the shower, this stuff performs well.  It always gives me good curl definition and soft hair.  It also smells manly enough so no need to worry about bright or sweet floral scents here.  Also, let me take a moment to just read off the first five ingredients: “Deionized water, Shea Butter, Coconut Oil, Macadamia Seed Oil, and Mango Seed Butter”.  After that, the barrage of stellar ingredients continues. If you don’t buy anything else from this line…TRY THIS!

Three Butters Styling Pomade: Rich in smell and texture, the styling pomade is a great shea based pomade to help me tame frizzies and revitalize a style after using something like the Three Butters Styling Smoothie the day before.  It works fine on its own too, but I really prefer something that helps give me a bit of definition along with moisture and shine.  This would be a great product for guys looking for all natural wave pomades at a reasonable price or someone looking to add nourishment and shine to their locs or twists.  Did I mention it smells good!?

Three Butters Utility Scalp Conditioner:  The line up also comes with a Utility Scalp Conditioner made for bald men. Clearly, I do not fall into the category (and don’t intend to) so I think I’m going to have to pass this one along to a friend pretty soon.  But what I can tell you is that it smells pretty damn good too.

Overall Impression: I feel like I’ve been waiting a few years to say this, but I’m really glad that Shea Moisture finally developed a hair care line for men.  Too often am I faced with the reality of products that 1) have not so stellar ingredients and 2) are made for women and make no qualms about the fact. I won’t front, women’s hair care products have given me a lot of good hair days and lots of comments, but at the same time it’s also nice to have a company recognize that men have specific hair care needs too.  All in all, this entire line smells GREAT, looks GREAT, and is priced GREAT.  I feel pretty good using this stuff and some of the line will definitely stay in my personal rotation.

Luckily for me, I still had some money left on my trusty gift card and headed over to Ricky’s to pick up the much buzzed about Carol’s Daughter Hair Milk Pudding.  Check out the full review below!

Packaging:  Generally, I like Carol’s Daughter packaging and this was no exception.  I did not find it overtly gaudy or feminine which is nice.  The jar holds 6 ounces of product and is pretty easily handled.   I have two (small) issues with the packing 1) the orange text that describes what the product does it terribly hard to read and 2) the jar is a bit wide to fit on the lip of my tub. Now, I know that’s not important to everyone but I have seriously limited bathroom space (that’s NY for you) so every centimeter goes a long way.  All in all, pretty solid. 

Consistency:  With a name like “pudding” I was expecting a thick, luxurious, heavy cream styling product.  Imagine my surprise when I opened the jar and got a medium weight, almost fluffy styling cream.  I was concerned that the consistency wouldn’t be able to work its way into my mane, but surprisingly it worked well and was easy to apply.  Generally I prefer thicker styling products but this ended up working just fine.

Smell:  This is, without question, my least favorite part of the experience using this product.  When I initially caught a whiff right out of the tub, I was pretty shocked by the artificial smell.  Not that I’m incredibly familiar, but I’ve heard some other reviewers state that it smells like a hair relaxer which makes a lot of sense as to why I immediately thought of a hair salon when I first tried the product.  The truth is, I hate the smell of this stuff but I’ve basically gotten use to it. 

Price: At $22 a jar (for 6 ounces), this product is pretty pricey! 

Overall Impression:  Initially, I wasn’t too thrilled with the Hair Milk Pudding but I have to admit that it only grew on me with time.  It definitely delivers on the style and define fronts but really misses the boat on the promise of offering hold.  Unfortunately, I think there are as equally as good products on the market and for much less, no doubt.  While the pudding offers some good benefits, I just can’t say that it’s worth the hefty price tag.

Today, I’m excited to bring you a comprehensive review of natural hair and organic body care brand Koils By Nature.  Read on for a review of their best natural hair care offerings!  Disclosure: Products were provided courtesy of Koils by Nature for the purpose of this review.

Replenishing Cleanser:  I was a bit shocked by the consistency of this product when I first unwrapped the package of goodies from KBN.  With its light golden color, the natural shampoo is more water than anything, which made my results an even greater surprise. It turns out that my initial skepticism was a bit unwarranted and that cleanser proves to be an effective cleanser.  That being said, I do find myself using quite a bit more than I would with traditional shampoos so those with dense curl types may want to consider the overall value of the bottle.  Oh, and it smells pretty nice too. 3/5

Hydrating Shealoe Creamy Conditioner:  Creamy conditioners are my thing.  With its light and fruity smell, this conditioner is both effective and creamy.  By the way, does anyone know how to pronounce the name?  Is it shea-low?  Shea aloe? Shallow?  I found myself pondering this many times while in the shower…but I digress.  The good news is, it’s a competent conditioner with a great smell.  On the other hand, I think the consistency is probably best suited for thinner manes. 3/5

Moisturizing Shealoe Leave-In Conditioner:  OK, I just decided…I’m going to go with “shea-low” as a pronunciation. But anyway, I have to be honest that I have a love/hate relationship with this conditioner!  I love it, because well, it works.  It helped my mane stay moisturized underneath the gel for a few days, BUT (and that’s a big but) application was a bit annoying. Unlike the Hydrating Shealoe Conditioner, the leave-in has a bit of a tacky quality on my hair. Have you ever used an otherwise good product that kind of got stuck on your strands as you applied?  Well, that’s what this one does for me.  Truth be told, I prefer the hydrating conditioner to this one on the whole and it works just as well as a leave in.  2.5/5

Herbal Soothing Curl Defining Gel:  This gel packs a serious punch of peppermint, so the mint-adverse should probably steer clear.  Upon sight, I was a bit skeptical about this gel as lately I’ve become more accustomed to thicker gels and creams, however, I was pleasantly surprised by how the gel performed.  I don’t know if others find the gel typically thin, but mine was sort of soupy in the container which made my pretty skeptical about application but I have to say I had no problems applying.  The smell, however,  is a bit much for me to handle.  On days two and three I felt my hair was a little drier than I’d like despite using a leave in. 2.5/5

Nourishing Hair & Body Butter (Tranquil Virility):   This might be, hands down, the best smelling product I have ever put on my hair!  I seriously can even describe how great the smell of this stuff is.  I literally let out a little groan of pleasure EVERYTIME I open the container and yes, it is THAT serious.  On top of that, the texture of my butter is perfection…it’s creamy and light and emulsifies quickly in my hands.  It also works wonders for both my hair and skin. I can only wonder if the entire line of butters works this great.  If they do, I want them all.  Two words…sickeningly good. 5/5

Overall Impression:  Koils by Nature clearly has great products that combine the best of natural ingredients to formulate pretty well-behaved products.  On the other hand, consistency was an overall problem for me as my dense, kinky hair tends to argue a bit with even the best of products.  All in all,  I had some mixed results but the Nourishing Hair & Body Butter is without question, the best hair OR body butter that I have ever used.

Creamy Castor Custard: With a lot of awesome ingredients, the Creamy Castor Custard Deep Conditioning Treatment  is designed to help create a more “intensive conditioning experience”.  Let me begin by saying that the consistency of this stuff is great!  In my experience, the conditioning benefits were great, however I have to say that I had some trouble  following the instructions thoroughly as I have never deep conditioned my hair at home for more time than it takes to finish my shower.  The first time I tried the treatment, I was not impressed, but I have to be honest and say that I did not give it much time to do its work.  I fared far better on the second trial when I left in the treatment for about 10 minutes or so.  It definitely worked to moisturize and soften my dense, coily hair.  My only qualm is that there is not a lot of slip, which is almost a must for someone with thick hair like mine.  2.5/5

CoCo Castor Nectar Leave In:  I found the CoCo Castor Nectar functioned well both as a leave in conditioner and second day curl refresher. Honestly, I was a bit surprised that it delivered on its promise to “give your hair a touch of softness “.  My previous run-ins with similar products left me with dull, dry, hard to style hair.  Generally speaking, I don’t have much faith in curl sprays due to my past trials with them but, I have to say that this leave in really delivered.  It is the best curl refresher I’ve run into thus far.  4/5

CoCo Castor Pudding:  During the cooler months, I opt for curl creams and puddings instead of gels as the humidity often drops dramatically, causing my fro to dry out like nobody’s business.  So for me, the castor pudding had the most promise.  I followed the directions to a t and got consistently pretty good results.  The pudding left me with moisturized, defined curls.  The only negative for me is that there is really no hold in this product which shortened its ability to be stretched into multi day hair.  It paired beautifully with the CoCo Castor Nectar Leave In and packed some serious moisture.  I imagine that this product could be a standout favorite for all your curly guys and girls out there who rock twists regularly.  My hair felt moisturized and healthy even when the definition dissipated.  This definitely comes highly recommended!  4/5

*Bonus* I also had the opportunity to try the Macabassu Hair Milk which can be paired well with the other products for added moisture.

Overall Impression:  For me, it’s always nice to try out new products, but it’s especially rewarding when I come across a brand like Bel Nouvo. For a relatively quiet brand, I have the feeling that Bel Nouvo will make a lot more noise once more of you out there give them a try.  My trial of their hair care products has made me really curious about the body products as well.  And the products come with an exceptional list of ingredients and smell like freshly baked, delicious goodies.  Oh, and for the record, the castor pudding doesn’t taste nearly as good as it smells, I just thought you would like to know that.  How’s that for a comprehensive review?!

For more information about Bel Nouvo, follow its creator, Mr. Arcman, on Twitter @MrBelNouvo.

Get frizz free, soft shiny coils using our best selling Coil Jam Natural Styling Gel & Satin Roots Leave In, made from natural ingredients that will give you definition while adding a medium hold with no crunch.

So does Curly Kinks live up to its own hype?

Three products were provided courtesy of Curly Kinks (Satin Roots, Coil Jam, and Curl ReFresh) for the purpose of this review.  I’ve used the system for about a week now and thought it was the perfect time to share my review with all of you.  Let me begin by saying that Curly Kinks has a definitively feminine brand design which is supported by the large pictures of ethnically different women on their website (no guys in sight! lol).  Now, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, after all the company is targeted to female consumers. Nonetheless, I was all to happy to get my hands on these products as I had been thinking about purchasing something similar to the Kinky Curly line to help my fro manage the increased humidity and warmth.

Satin Roots

Satin Roots:  Before using the line, I experimented washing with a couple of different shampoos and found no real difference depending on what I used.  After rinsing out the shampoo, I applied a generous portion of Satin Roots to my mane and let me tell you it was all good.  The one exception is that the smell is SUPER sweet and floral.  It smells candy-like but in a natural, I visited Willy Wonka’s Factory and had candy flowers, sort of way.  To be honest, the scent is my only real downside to the product. It’s of medium thickness and glides on easily to hair. My mane soaked it right up and I was able to finger detangle within probably two minutes…easy.  It’s super slippery which is much-needed when you have a fro like mine.  All in all, I give it 4/5. This stuff is seriously good.

Coil Jam

Coil Jam: I was most nervous about trying out the Coil Jam, as it is similar to Kinky Curly’s Curling Custard which can be tricky to get right in terms of amount used, etc.  When I used KCCC many moons ago, I also found it difficult to apply because lots of it would slip right out my hands during application.  Unexpectedly, Coil Jam has so far resolved all my problems with KCCC.  I don’t know if I received a particularly good batch or what, but my product’s consistency is super smooth and I found it relatively easy to keep in my hands during application. The addition of Agave Nectar and various oils (coconut, olive, avocado, etc) really helps in product distribution and a strong shine factor.  I’ve applied to soaking wet hair and my curls pop something serious with this stuff.  It’s pretty awesome! 5/5

Curl ReFresh

Curl ReFresh: This is my least favorite of the three products.  While the ingredients are awesome and mimic the Coil Jam, I find the Curl ReFresh spray bottle is not that effective for distribution as it sort of comes out in a clumped spray pattern.  I tried spraying some on my hands and rubbing it over my ends, which just worked alright.  Then, I put about 2 tablespoons of the Curl ReFresh in a spray bottle with about 6 ounces of water in a different spray bottle and that works out a little better for me. 2/5

Overall Impression:  All in all, I have to say that I’m really enjoying the Curly Kinks line and from my test uses, I feel it has defined itself as a good competitor for similar products like Kinky Curly.   Moreover, the Coil Jam retails for significantly less than Kinky Curly’s Curling Custard which is a great deal!  Personally, this has jumped to the top of my Summer hair must-have list and I’m excited to check out the rest of the line.  For me, Curly Kinks definitely delivers on its promise of defined curls with medium hold. Check out some pictures of my results below!

For my most recent foray into drug store products, I decided to revisit Suave Professionals Humectant Moisture Conditioner.  Like some of my previous reviews, I tried this product maybe a year and half ago for the first time and initially liked it but moved on to another conditioner for some unknown reason (probably product junkie-ism!).  So I decided to revisit, and plus I wanted all of you to get my two cents on this product as it is readily available in most drug stores across the country.

Packaging: Suave is generally a pretty basic brand, which makes the branding and packaging a bit hard to critique but I will say that the bottle is great to handle in the shower, even with wet hands. 3/5

Consistency:  Bar none, this is one of my favorite parts of this product. Unfortunately it is heavy on the “cones” which make it not so suitable for those holding strict to the curly girl/guy method of hair care, but it gives GREAT slip.  Distributing the product is easy as pie with its rich and creamy texture. If you’re looking for a conditioner to help you detangle your tresses then you might want to give this a try. 4/5

Smell : The scent of Humectant Moisture vaguely reminds me of Tresemme Naturals, which I love, which is definitely a good thing.  But, I do have to say that it smells a bit more “chemically” than I would like.  I can’t really put my nose on it, but there is something a bit off-putting and artificial about the smell that makes me roll my eyes when I use it.  Truth is, “fragrance” is high up on the ingredient list and that probably accounts for that artificial smell. 2/5

Price : I remember getting the conditioner on Soap.com (seriously, if you haven’t used it, you need to!) with a really good deal.  I can’t remember exactly, but I believe I got 3 bottles for $6, which is what I usually pay for one bottle of Tresemme Naturals, so I thought it was the perfect time to give it a shot.  Regularly, the conditioner retails for anywhere between 3 and 6 bucks, depending on where you buy it. What’s up with that?! 3/5

Overall Impression:  All in all, Suave Professionals Humectant Moisture is not anywhere close to being my favorite summer conditioner.  With the help of plenty of  cones I get great slip which makes for easy detangling but I have to say that I found the smell to be too artificial and perfumey for me.  In addition, I don’t really feel the product lives up to its promise of delivering 2x more moisture.  2/5

Way back in the day, Miss Jessie’s Curly Pudding was one of the first products I tried when I started growing out my fro. It’s promises elongated and defined coils for natural curls and fros so I thought it would be a good fit.  Ultimately, I loved the look of my hair when I used it but felt it did nothing for the health or feel of my hair.  I recently began using it again to see if my opinion changed and I thought I’d share my experience with all of you.  Enjoy!

Consistency: This was one of the first puddings I used after I started growing my hair out, so I have to thank Miss Jessie’s for at least giving me that direction. Whereas gels gave me clumped curls, my hair sopped up way too much product leaving my hair crunchy and full of gunk even on day one. This styling pudding is thick and has plenty of body to it, just like my hair. Ever since I first used this about two years ago, I have been looking for a replacement product that gives me the same thick consistency. Ironically, I do have a little bit if trouble raking in this product whenever I use it. It doesn’t slide down my strand as easily as I would like. That being said, while few other have come close, Miss Jessie’s Curly Pudding has one of the best consistencies…period.

Scent: Part nostalgia and part laboratory, I have a love-hate relationship with the scent of this product. First off, the smell is strong so those of you with a sensitive sense of smell and scalps should take heed. I’m actually convinced that the perfumey ingredients irritate my scalp which is why I don’t use this daily. When I first opened the jar, I was immediately transported back to my childhood and the sweet indulgence of Laffy Taffy. Seriously, this stuff smells (and looks) like Laffy Taffy. By the way, do you remember that terrible song?!  Anyway, at times I love the smell, but more often than not I feel like it’s too perfumey for me and feel paranoid about people thinking I smell like some throwback candy.

Price: Curly Pudding will set you back a hefty penny. For $38 you get a 16 oz jar. An 8 oz jar will set you back $22 and the product is available in a 2 oz sample for $10. I purchased mine at Ricky’s on the ground and able to avoid shipping costs.

Overall Impression: There are things that I love and hate about this product. I love the stretched elongation and weight of this product but hate paying for it with crispy hair on days two and three. Luckily for me, it’s been humid in NY lately which helps with that stiff, dry feeling. All in all, this is too pricey to use as my everyday styler, but I’ll probably revisit every once in a while when I want to enjoy stretched, shiny hair that smells sticky sweet.

Have you tried it? What do you think?

Sophisticated. Modern. Light.  These are the three words that come to mind when I think about Frederick Benjamin products. After years of working in the industry, Michael James founded Frederick Benjamin as a bit of an homage to his ever so-stylish grandfather.  When I came across Frederick Benjamin products, I was instantly excited about the brand’s emphasis on providing multicultural men with modern and sophisticated products, which is missing from the current marketplace.  Frederick Benjamin meet MANE MAN!  Today, I’m thrilled to share with you my first impressions of the Frederick Benjamin hair care line.

Shampoo (Invigorating Cleanser): I have to admit, I was a little skeptical of using the shampoo. All of Frederick Benjamin’s products are designed for normal to dry scalp and hair and the second ingredient in this product is Sodium Laureth Sulfate, a product that many natural hair care enthusiasts (including myself) try to avoid as much as possible.  Many people claim SLS (Sodium Laureth Sulfate) is drying to hair and since most traditional shampoos use it, I found it very surprising that I didn’t find this shampoo drying at all.  I actually found it to be quite gentle on my scalp (and my self diagnosed dermatitis).  The combination of oils left my hair and scalp feeling clean, nourished and not stripped of natural oils.  Overall, a very good product. Oh, and it smells minty too!

Conditioner (Invigorating Moisturizer):  Like the invigorating cleanser, Frederick Benjamin’s conditioner also has a minty, natural smell.  I personally don’t find it overwhelming and unlike some other mint-based products I’ve used, once I started using the conditioner, I actually started to feel my scalp tingle a bit.  I definitely got the feeling that something was happening up there (my head) and it was a pretty enjoyable experience. My only real qualm about the product is that it didn’t have a lot of slip so those with longer and thicker hair may want to take extra care to be patient when detangling. That being said, on my second try, I used a bit of Tresemme Naturals Conditioner with it and was then able to detangle with relative ease.

Daily Hydrator (Styling Creme): By the time I applied the styling creme on wet, clean hair my scalp was tingling away.  And I mean TINGLING! This product is super lightweight which made it surprising that I enjoyed it as much as I did, especially because I tend to favor heavier creams and puddings for styling.  I really love the softness that I get once this dries, and it dries relatively quickly.

Overall Impression: So far I have thoroughly enjoyed using Frederick Benjamin products. This line provides me with soft and touchable hair while providing lasting moisture and hydration.  In my book, Michael James has absolutely filled a gap in the male grooming market and I’m excited to continue using the products and see what he comes up with next!

So far I’ve had a pretty good track record using Shea Moisture body products.  While I have sampled a couple of the hair products, I have had such great results with the body products I keep forgetting to buy the hair stuff!  I got this product from a friend who used it on her chemically treated hair and found it too greasy, so we thought my natural mane might soak it right up.  Today, I am reviewing Shea Moisture’s Raw Shea Reconstructive Elixir.

Packaging:  The Raw Shea Butter Reconstructive Elixir is pretty true to Shea Moisture’s consistent branding.  From a marketing standpoint, I think Shea Moisture really has a great look that’s pretty androgynous and unassuming.  That is certainly something I appreciate!

Consistency: The elixir itself is housed in a helpful spray bottle which aids in product distribution. I tried the elixir right out of the spray bottle and found that the pump wasn’t good for me as I tend to get trigger happy when using pumps and this left my hair feeling super oily and greasy.  Then I sprayed the product into my hands and still found it to be oily.  So I put on my thinking cap and used another empty spray bottle and put in 1 part elixir to about 5 parts water and voila!  This was the best use of the product for my hair as my mane seems to have a hard time absorbing shea and other thick butters. My simple concoction is a great daily moisturizer.

Smell: This product is all shea!  If you’re familiar with shea butter (and like the smell) then you will likely appreciate the smell of Shea Moisture’s Reconstructive Elixir.  If not, then be prepared for the seriously nutty smell.  I am more or less neutral on the smell, but I’d generally describe it as a pleasant nutty smell.

Price: Generally retailing for $9.99, the 4 oz. elixir is currently on sale at Walgreens.com for $7.99.  Given that a little goes a long way, I imagine this product could easily stay in your medicine cabinet for months. I’d say that’s a pretty good value.

Overall Impression: In its original form, Shea Moisture’s Raw Shea Reconstructive Elixir is simply too much oil for my hair, but with a little coaxing I was able to create a daily spritz/midday moisturizer that is pretty good at reviving second day curls and softening my mane while offering protection from the elements.  You also get a pretty healthy shine, which is good for those with super kinky, coily natural hair.

While I like to promote all natural products as much as possible, every once in a while a wild card product comes along and just blows everything out of the water.  Today, I’m sharing my experience with  Pantene Pro V’s Intensive Restoration Treatment.  I discovered this gem sometime last year when I bought it on a whim and now it’s my go-to deep conditioner any time of the year for my natural hair.  Read my full review below.

Packaging: The Pantene Pro V Intensive Restoration Treatment for Medium – Thick Hair is pretty simple.  There’s nothing over done about it while it still is recognizable on the shelf as part of the Pantene brand. Unlike most of the other conditioners, the treatment comes in a small, square plastic box of sorts which is a little too wide to rest on the lip of my tub.

Consistency: The treatment is pretty slippery which is to aid in product distribution.  The only real downside to this is that I have to be pretty careful to not be wasteful during application. Even in hair as thick and dense as mine, the treatment is easy to use and makes detangling a breeze.

Smell:  Maybe it’s me, but I tend to think that some brands have a distinct smell and Pantene is one of them.  I can’t think of a very good way to describe it, but I can say that it’s pretty pleasant and doesn’t have any particularly overwhelming floral or sweet scents. I personally think it has a “clean” smell to it which I like a lot.

Price: I got my treatment from Soap.com for about 6 bucks (in a 10 oz tub). I personally think it’s well worth the money!

Overall Impression:  While this product is nowhere near natural, it is probably the best treatment I’ve ever put on my hair. I try to promote all natural products as much as possible, but I have to tell you that nothing has slid through my mane like this stuff.  I highly recommend this stuff for those with thicker natural hair textures as a weekly treatment. For those with finer hair, Pantene makes other weekly treatments for you to try out.

Recently, I rediscovered that I had a bit of Hair Rules Kinky Curling Cream left in my stash so I decided to give it a go again.  Unfortunately, it was definitely a miss for me.  Read below for my full review and experience with Hair Rules Kinky Curling Cream.

Packaging: As you can see from the image above, the curling cream comes in a white, plastic bottle which is good for those who tend to have butterfingers…like me!  The design is more geometric than other brands which made it stand out on the retail shelf. It has a pretty clean design which I can definitely appreciate as I’m pretty minimalist when it comes to designs.  So far so good.

Consistency: There are two very important parts of the packaging that help compliment the thick, creamy nature of the product.  The squeezable plastic bottle and wide spout squeeze top greatly help with ease of use. The cream itself is a really awesomely-thick consistency which seems great for super thick hair like mine.

Smell:  I found the smell of the cream super sweet but pleasant.  It does linger a bit so that’s not something I was a huge fan of.

Price: At $20 for 8 ounces, this product is pretty expensive especially for its less than stellar ingredient list.  Generally, this is definitely too much for a hair product for me.  If the product ran for $20 for 16 ounces, I would be more comfortable spending that amount, but unfortunately for 16 ounces you have to shell out $33!  Too bad it doesn’t perform small miracles.

Overall Impression:  There are things that I really liked about this product, mainly the consistency and packaging but unfortunately that is not enough to make me repurchase what was otherwise a bad product for my hair.  I used the product according to package instructions and ended up with dry, hard and scraggly hair, and this was after several attempts.  The last time I tried it, I washed it out immediately.  Needless to say, I will not be repurchasing this one.  I don’t often have bad experiences with hair products, but I will say that this ended up in the garbage before it was empty.  It’s too bad, after seeing the advertisements online I really wanted to like it!

Disclosure: Product was provided for review courtesy of Anita Grant.

Packaging: In my previous review of Anita Grant’s Pure Shave Oil for Men, I said how much I liked Anita Grant’s branding so I won’t go much into that here.  It’s clean and simple and pretty gender neutral if that’s important to you.  The one thing I would add is that Anita Grant spares no expense when it comes to containers and this pomade is housed in a super thick, white coated, glass container which seems to be nearly impossible to break.  Not that I’ve thrown it around the bathroom or anything, but sometimes I have butter fingers.  Go figure.

Consistency:  This is where I was the most confused(?) by the product.  In the container, it has a weird, pasty, puddy looking consistency but when you emulsify in your hands it melts almost instantaneously into a smooth hair dress.  When I use it, I just smooth it over my ends gently for frizz control.

Smell:  The pomade has a really distinct smell, but I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad thing.  I assume its mostly the sapote seed oil which is something I’ve never heard of before. I seriously can’t even describe it except to say that it’s strange and fruity.  I did a little bit of research on the ingredient and it turns out that its native to Mexico, the Caribbean and South America (Pouteria sapota, Wikipedia).  I don’t find it overwhelming which is good for people who are sensitive to smells, but in my opinion its no where near as pleasant as the shave oil.

Price: You can get a 3.5 oz pomade (which I imagine would last forever!) for 17.45 British Sterling or about $27 (US). So it’s a bit pricey for the amount. 

Overall Impression:  It seems like these days I’m having a bit more luck with hair pomades and butters which is awesome!  While I’m not a fan of the scent, The Organic Sapote and Coconut Pomade delivers on its promise to tame frizziness. I think this would perform well for people seeking soft and fluffy twists/twist outs and good for promoting wave formation for those with low caesars as well.   So far I have had a pretty good experience with Anita Grant products and I’m curious to give one of their deep conditioners a try.

Disclosure: Products were provided courtesy of Shea Radiance.

Recently I had the chance to try out some of the products from the hair care line from Shea Radiance. Read below for my full review.  Scroll to the end for some pics of my results!

Maximum Moisture Conditioner:  To begin, the products have this great woodsy, lemony scent which probably comes from the hemp seed oil in the products. The scent is light and definitely gets the MANE MAN stamp of approval.  My hair is super dense so it’s generally difficult for any conditioner to travel through my strands.  After letting the conditioner set on my hair for a few minutes in the steaming hot shower I started to detangle.  It didn’t offer me the slip that a cone filled conditioner would but I could tell almost immediately that the fro was sopping up all its goodness and softening up quite nicely.

Nourishing Hair Repair Cream:  Coupled with the Maximum Moisture Conditioner, the Hair Repair Cream is like the Sub Zero “FINISH HIM!” move to knock out tangles.  In my opinion, a little goes a long way here during application.  I could be wrong, but I really think this helped keep my fro moisturized for days which is what I’ve been missing!

Maximum Curl Defining Cream:  I used the Maximum Curl Defining Cream in the hopes that it would provide me with a super light styler that gave awesome curl definition.  Ultimately, it seems it was little light for my fro but I’ll keep at it and see what happens. I had some curl definition but I usually prefer stylers with a little more weight as I think my dense hair really needs it. So far, this is not a win for me. It may generally be better suited for those with less dense hair or looser curl patterns.  It performed better on my hair when paired with Donna Marie’s Dream Curling Cream.

Moisture Rich Hair Butter:  To be honest, I’m not really a huge fan of hair butters or pomades. Generally, they are too greasy and never really absorb in my hair.  I must say, this hair butter has me starting to come around a bit.  For one, it absorbs really well.  It doesn’t leave my hair feeling greasy or weighed down.  Actually, it gave me added softness and actually helped save my first attempt with the curl defining cream. The smell is great too! It has a great shea scent and has an unrivaled list of ingredients.  This could be used on twists, braids, wash and go’s and even on super short cuts as a wave pomade.

Overall impression: I can’t remember the last time my hair has ever been so soft.  I seriously could not keep my hands out of my hair for like two days after the first time I used it.  I have to say that the fro really loved these products. The pump bottles made them all super easy to use and they all fit perfectly on the lip of my tub. While the curl defining cream didn’t work for me as a styler alone, the Nourishing Hair Repair Cream and Moisture Rich Hair Butter were stand out performers for me.

Here are some pics from my trial run with the product. I apologize for the image quality.

Left: Wet hair with Shea Radiance. Right: Dry Hair

Left: Dry hair styled with the SR Hair Butter. Right: Dry hair along with Donna Marie's Dream Curling Cream.

BONUS: I also got the chance to try out the Rainforest Spice Ultra Rich Shea Butter Cream.  To keep it short and simple, it’s probably one of the best things I’ve EVER put on my skin.  It’s super creamy and leaves your skin feeling ultra smooth and the scent is spot on for guys.  Luckily, Shea Radiance offers a variety of scents for your choosing.  Give it a shot!