Maintain Your Hair With Cream of Nature

Exorbitant prices at the salon combined with a terrible economy has made some of us dye hard "blondes" return to our natural brunette; what else can be done to trim the proverbial fat off our maintenance routine? If you haven't considered it in the past, now is the time to keep your hair as healthy as possible to extend the life of your hair color (if you dye) and increase the interval of time you can go without a trim by guarding against split ends.

How frustrating is it to see your expensive dye job go down the drain every time you wash your hair? How tired are you of seeing your highlights turn yellow or orange a month or so after getting foils? The reason for this happening is the harsh ingredients (such as sulfates--any ingredient with the suffix "sulfate" such as sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate, etc.) that strip the color out once your hair cuticle is opened with the heat and steam when you shower. These harsh detergents attach to your hair shaft and wash away your natural hair oils along with the color resulting in hair that feels dry and flat.

Creme of Nature is designed for relaxed hair and is sulfate-free. It truly is a creamy, conditioning shampoo and delivers upon its claims to condition and cleanse all at the same time. While it does leave one's hair feeling conditioned, I suggest you use a moisturizing conditioner anyway because the protein in the formula may build up and leave hair feeling dry otherwise (*An Aside on Protein: it is good for your hair in small quantities and absolutely must be followed by moisture since the hair structure is a combination of a protein layer combined with moisture--water. If you use a protein mask regularly, it may not be necessary if you plan to wash your hair with Creme of Nature more than a couple of times per week). This is another one of those inexpensive miracle products that one expects to find in a designer haircare line but it can be purchased at Sally's at a price of $6 for a 15.2 ounce bottle. Be sure to get the REGULAR FORMULA (for normal hair) as the other variations in this line have inferior ingredients. Speaking of ingredients, they are:

Water, Trideceth-7 Carboxylic Acid, Decyl Glucoside, Glycol Stearate, Polyquaternium-10, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract (this is just plain ol' aloe), Hydrolyzed Milk Protein (*don't forget to moisturize!), Honey, Citrus Medica Limonium (lemon extract), Triticum Vulgare (wheat germ oil), Abies Balsamea Resin, Pectin (according to Wikipedia, pectin helps to bind cells together and regulates water in the plant), Lecithin, Foeniculum Vulgare (fennel extract), Barosma Betulina Leaf Extract, Commiphora Abyssinica Extract, Origanum Marjorana Leaf Extract, Iris Florentina Root Extract, Sodium Hydroxide, Fragrance, Disodium EDTA, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Quarentium-15, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Red 4, Yellow 5, Red 33, Blue 1

Creme of Nature made my hair feel clean but not the slightest bit dry. But on a less than stellar note, this does smell like your grandmother's old Chanel No. 5 (a.k.a. rat poisoning). Luckily, the scent did not remain in my hair after it dried. All the more reason to use a conditioner afterwards ;).

Life Preserver for Your Strands

Your hair is dry, unmanageable and frizzy. Your wallet is near empty and your bathroom cabinets are full of hair products that aren't as effective as you'd hoped. What to do? If your hair is anything like mine, the solution is in your local drugstore's "ethnic" aisle!

Those who know me will be amazed to hear that I am impressed with a drugstore hair product. I insist on purchasing only the best high-end products for my hair (damaged, dry and coarse) and skincare regimen as drugstore products normally contain ingredients I prefer to avoid. I am also the type that will read every single ingredient in a haircare product prior to purchase. Yes, I'm the one in your way as you maneuver your way to that shampoo. Sorry, but you probably don't want it anyway as its primary ingredient (sodium laureth sulfate) will likely trash your hair. If your hair is damaged and/or dry, the ingredients you put on your head are as important as the ones you put in your mouth. On to the review...

I bought this deep treatment on a whim. I was perfectly happy using my Redken Buttertreat at the time but wanted a product without any silicone ingredients for daily use. For those on a 'cone-free diet, there isn't a one in sight! Take a gander at the ingredients:

Water - Aqua , Cetearyl Alcohol , Mineral Oil - Paraffinum Liquidum , Dicetyldimonium Chloride , Ceteareth-20 , Cetyl Acetate , Phenoxyethanol , Propylene Glycol , Fragrance - Parfum , Polyquaternium-22 , Methylparaben , Propylparaben , Acetylated Lanolin Alcohol , Panthenol , Butylphenyl Methylpropional , Amyl Cinnamal , Hydroxyisohexyl 3-Cyclohexene Carboxaldehyde , Benzyl Salicylate , Limonene , Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone , Olive Fruit Oil - Olea Europaea , 2-Oleamido-1 , 3-Octadecaniol , Jojoba Seed Oil - Simmondsia Chinensis , Coconut Oil - Cocos Nucifera , Avocado Oil - Persea Gratissima , Laurdimonium Hydroxypropyl Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein.

These components make for a very moisturizing and smoothing conditioner without the side effect of buildup in your hair. No matter how dry my hair feels, I leave Optimum Oil Therapy Ultimate Recovery Conditioner on towel-dried hair for about 30 minutes, rinse and my hair feels smooth again. This doesn't weigh my hair down but if your hair is thin or fine, it may be too heavy for you. I wouldn't recommend this for ladies who chemically straighten their hair on a regular basis; an emollient, oil-based conditioner might be more effective.


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