My Honest Review:

Melanin Haircare Twist Elongating Style Cream and Leave in

today’s episode of GoOD Mornings with CurlyNikki’ – I felt God say, “There’s more”…

GoOD morning!

The years 2003 to 2013 were less of a natural hair journey for me, less of a wandering, and more of an expedition.  I had set out on a mission to find a specific styling product that had yet to be discovered. One that clearly stated on the label that it could be used on ‘wet or DRY hair’. One that would both stretch and define my curls, while not feeling drying or tacky to the touch during the styling process. It also had to have some slip (preferably Behentrimonium Methosulfate), for the never-ending story of detangling and re-detangling my curls, even after detangling and re-detangling in the shower. And, as a North Carolinian at the time, it had to keep wash-day moisture in, and curl-shrinking atmospheric moisture out… ’cause as soon as I opened the weather app, my hair would frizz.

I searched high and I searched low. I used products in ways they weren’t meant to be used. I used products not intended for my fine strands  (heavy creams and gels).  I tried everything.  And after using Ouidad’s Featherlight Styling cream for a stint (still recommend that one), settled for styling foams, as they’d leave me fluffy and defined, always shiny, but sometimes dry.

So, after having fun playing in my hair last week, I ordered a few styling creams on Amazon. All of them came over the weekend, but the one I was most excited about is the one I’m sitting here writing about…Melanin Haircare  Twist Elongating Style Cream  ($20).  From the label-

How To Use: Use as little or as much as desired! Our nourishing style cream is lightweight and buildable, making it adaptable for those with thick, coarser hair, as well as those with thin, softer hair! If you have thin hair, use less… for thick hair, use more – simple as that!  On wet or dry hair, massage styling cream into hair one section at a time, and style as desired. May be used in conjunction with your favorite leave-in conditioner and oils!

Ingredients: Water (Aqua, Eau), Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Glyceryl Stearate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Ceteareth-20, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Stearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Caprylate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Mangifera Indica (Mango) Seed Butter, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, Behentrimonium Methosulfate (Non-Sulfate Derived From Rapeseed Oil), Citric Acid, Glycerin, Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed Oil, Garcinia Indica Seed Butter, Theobroma Grandiflorum Seed Butter, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Juice, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Argania Spinosa Kernel (Argan) Oil, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil,Tocopheryl Acetate, Rosa Canina Fruit Extract

My Styling Experience:

From the name of the product, to the ‘how to use’ description, to the ingredients, I was sold. I am the demographic lol.  As usual, I did a black tea rinse in the shower to prevent hair fall and encourage healthy growth, before co-washing and detangling with Aussie Moist Conditioner.  I rinsed clean, wrung dry, and wrapped my naked hair into a t-shirt (low bun style), and left it to dry for about 30 minutes. This is my base for every style, whether blowing it out, wearing a twist-out, or protective styling. I always apply products to damp or dry hair, never sopping wet.

When I took my hair down it was about 80% dry.  I  began two-strand twisting with a similar pattern from last week, using a dime sized amount of the Melanin leave-in and a nickel sized amount of the Styling Cream per twist. I always save the rolling to the end, and like my quick-dry foams I needed to re-dampen my ends before doing so. One thing I noticed, a good sign, was that I wasn’t racing to pin my roots down.  THEY WERE STRETCHED, not shrinking back into my natural wave pattern as I went along. I did pin some for good measure, but I was truly impressed by that. The only product that did that for me was Innersense’s Whipped Cream Texturizer. I loved how stretched it would leave me, but it would flake or get stiff if I wasn’t extra light handed, and over time, was drying. The foams always shrink up my roots, as do most other curl creams. So this was most welcome.

My twists (19 in total) as they were drying were soft, not crunchy, not white, not dull… just shiny and smooth.

Fragrance

The smell. I’m more of a floral girl, and while this light, cucumber-mint isn’t my favorite, it’s absolutely not a deal breaker. I was trying to figure out what it reminded me of and it hit me! Have you ever had old school, metal braces? Remember that alginate mold they’d make of your teeth? EXACTLY THAT! It smells like a pretty smile!

The Take-down:

No residue, no greasiness, no stiffness, no flakes, no guilt, because I didn’t have to choose style over health. I have the same body and LIFE I get from foams (the curls just aren’t set as hard– a little droopier) but with the moisture and nourishment I can usually only get from a cream. I’ll take it!

Overall:

It’s a lightweight cream that stretched my hair while not decreasing volume. I’m absolutely impressed. It checks all of the above boxes (if used with the leave-in for slip), except for the humidity only because it’s still Summer jr. here. When Big Summer hits, and if I’m not on to other products, I’ll report back on how it holds up! The Cream’s texture would have been too tacky for me on dry hair by itself, but with a teeny bit of the leave-in mixed in, I found my sweet spot.  I’d highly recommend both products for stretched yet defined, soft, fluffy, and nourished natural hair. Whitney, you did it, you did it! I love you and I’m thankful for you!

Chat soon!
Nik

Have you tried the Melanin Haircare line?! Tell me about it below!

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