Calling all naturalistas! Do you have urgent tress questions? If so, you’re in luck. Every Thursday, natural hair blogger extraordinaire CurlyNikki will be solving your curly hair conundrums! Submit your questions by emailing them to BeautyEditors@essence.com.
READER QUESTION: There are so many new hair products on the market right now. I wanted to know, what are your favorite, go-to products? I’m not trying to become a product junkie!
CURLYNIKKI’s RESPONSE:
Although I’ve been rocking a plethora of styles including blow-outs, buns and wash and go’s, my products of choice have stayed rather consistent. I’ve broken them down by category below.
Pre-poo: Yogurt + Coconut oil on dry hair. I use this as a pre-poo to minimize the stress and potential mechanical damage of wash day.
Shampoo: Trader Joe’s Nourish Spa Shampoo. This product is effective but non-stripping! Also, the price is RIGHT! This is by far one of my favorite shampoos of all time.
Detangling Conditioner: Trader Joe’s Nourish Spa Conditioner. A lot of folks use this as a conditioner and styler with a wash-and-go. It is full of awesome ingredients and leaves my hair smooth, detangled, soft and shiny.
Deep Conditioner: Aubrey Organic’s GPB or Honey Suckle Rose + Yogurt
Stylers: Ouidad Hydrafusion Curl Cream and Trader Joe’s Nourish Spa Conditioner
Sealant: Coconut Oil or Ouidad’s Mongongo Oil
Tools: My fingers! I swear by finger detangling. It’s time consuming, but it rocks. I do it in small sections, working from the ends up, and I’m able to gently remove shed hairs and tangles with minimal (if any) breakage.
Nikki Walton, founder of CurlyNikki.com, is a successful psychotherapist and creator of the most credible online source about natural hair care, maintenance and decoding the psychological ties between black women and their hair. She’s the author of the book Better Than Good Hair.
