What to look for when shopping?

You’re going to want to find a hairdryer with an adjustable heat and speed setting. An added plus is if the hair dryer comes with a cool shot button that can help close the cuticle of the hair and lock it in place, which preventing frizz once you’ve finished drying your hair. Make sure the different attachments fit your hair: they really make a difference in textures as they affect a hair dryer’s airflow.

Diffusers

Diffusers are ideal for those with curly hair as they move air to the ends of the hair while spreading the air-stream from the hairdryer to avoid frizz, which can add extra bounce and volume to your hair.

More on diffusing curly hair here

Concentrator nozzles

For different purposes, they come in different sizes:

• Broad, extended concentrator nozzles are for larger hair sections and are useful for thick, long hair as it drys faster.
• Thin, narrow concentrative nozzles provide a smooth blowout to curly and frizzy hair, as their strong flows are great to remove frizz.

Best Budget Hair Dryer

The Bennet Read 2600W Professional hair dryer is a powerful budget dryer. It comes with 2 speed settings, 3 heat settings and a cool shot function. Selling for only R509 on Takealot.

Best Value Hair Dryer

The Parlux 3000 1810W Hair Dryer is durable having a long life motor and impact resistance casing. It comes with 2 speed settings, 4 heat settings, instant cold shot button and 2 nozzles one for styling and one for quick drying. Selling for R1600 on Takealot.

Top Performing Parlux Hair Dryer

The Parlux 285 Power Light 2150W Hair Dryer, another Parlux product which means the quality is top notch. Much more powerful then previous Parlux product and it is eco friendly. If you have the extra cash I would go for this one. This Hairdryer comes with 2 speed settings, 4 temperature settings and comes with 2 nozzles one for styling and one for fast drying. Selling on Takealot for around R3000.

Best on Takealot and in top 10 in the world

The Dyson Supersonic is recognised internationally as one of the best hair dryers you can purchase. Comes with multiple attachments for all hair styles, 3 precise speed settings, 4 precise heat settings one being constant cold. If you want top of the range this is for you. At the time of posting this the price was R6400 on Takealot.

What is your favourite hair dryer? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!

The post Best hair dryer for every budget on Takealot appeared first on The Hair Diaries.

I don’t know about other women, but I love trying out new curly-friendly shampoos and conditioner every time I run out. Today I’m reviewing the Not Your Mothers Naturals Tahitian Gardenia Flower & Mango Butter Curl Defining shampoo and conditioner. There is also a detangling spray, hair masque and combing crème in this collection, but I will not be reviewing these today. You can find the entire Not Your Mothers Naturals range at selected Dischem pharmacies.

The ingredients

The Not Your Mothers range of products are free from sulphates, silicones, gluten, parebens and dye. When I saw the ingredients “Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate” and “Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine” it set of a red flag, but rest assured, its actually plant derived making it safe for your hair. Another plus, is that the products from the Not Your Mother’s range are NOT tested on animals. I love a good cruelty free company, don’t you?

The packaging

The bright pink bottle reminds me of something out of a teenage movie, it definitely caught my eye in the shampoo aisle. The pump bottle makes it easy to control the amount of shampoo/conditioner needed for your hair. The pump on the shampoo and conditioner bottle are black and white respectively. I’m not sure if that was done intentionally, but it really helps me differentiate between the two products. There have been times where I accidentally poured out conditioner when I wanted to use shampoo instead, so this small little design change helps me avoid that mistake. the generous 473ml bottle really does last a long time, making the price of the product very worth it.

The texture

The shampoo is a semi-sheer cream that has a thin, almost runny texture. It suds up quite well, I was surprised as most sulphate free shampoos don’t offer me the suds, which I admit, I really like. The conditioner is also quite thin in texture. I appreciate a thicker conditioner, but that’s my personal preference.

The smell

This stuff smells so friggen good! It’s like a tropical explosion of scents on your hair, as if your hair took a trip to the Bahamas. Even after rinsing, the smell still sits in my hair. Only down side is that it’s not that long lasting, by the end of day 2 the smell has disappeared but this isn’t a deal breaker for me.

The wash

This stuff left my hair feeling super clean, which is something I appreciate in curly-hair shampoos. Sometimes these curly shampoos leave my hair feeling greasy with the intention of not stripping the hair from its natural oils so that it doesn’t dry out the hair, but not this one! It reminds me of that feeling I used to get when I used sulfate shampoos, except it doesn’t strip my hair of oils. I use this shampoo when I want to give my hair a thorough clean, but I don’t recommend it for daily use, twice a week at most. If you use it daily, I have a feeling it may dry out your hair which is what we don’t want, right ladies?

The conditioner, despite being thin in texture does moisturize my hair. Because it’s so thin, I even apply a small dime sized amount to my hair one I’m out of the shower as a leave-in crème, and it doesn’t weigh my curls down and doesn’t leave my hair feeling greasy either. Is it moisturizing? I’d say it’s pretty average in that department. Doesn’t make my hair feel very moisturized, but it’s not dry either if you know what I mean.

Did I see a difference in my curl pattern from using the Not Your Mothers Naturals range?…No. But the fact that I know the product is curly-girl safe puts my mind at ease.

The verdict

I rate it this product a 8.5/10, I would definitely buy these products again.

Have you tried any products from the Not Your Mother’s range?? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!

The post Not Your Mothers Curl Defining Shampoo and Conditioner Product Review appeared first on The Hair Diaries.

Hair products you will need:

• An old cotton t-shirt
• A microfiber towel
• Water bottle
• A wide-tooth comb or detangling brush
• Hairstyling products of your choice. I’m using conditioner, a curl defining crème, a gel and some coconut oil (but any oil will do)

Method

1. Drying

When I get out of the shower, I wring all excess water out of my hair. Then using a microfiber towel I gently pat-dry my hair, which helps soak up the excess water while still keeping it moist. Think wet, not dripping.

2. Detangle

I then I comb through my hair to make sure it’s free from any knots. I like to use a dime sized amount of conditioner to make the combing process easier. If my hair has started getting a bit dry, I will add small amounts of water to my hair till it is about 90% wet again. This is because your hair needs to be wet for plopping to work.

3. Add in your products

Now add in the hair products of your choice, I use a small amount of curl crème, some hair oil and a tiny dollop of gel. First I rake the conditioner through my hair, then rake in the curl crème, then the oil and lastly the gel. The raking method works well as my hair gets evenly coated with all the products. My ends lack a bit of a curl (as I am transitioning and have not done the big chop yet!) so I ever so gently scrunch my hair, being sure to get the ends to make them more curly.

4. Plop till you drop

 I lay a t-shirt on a flat surface (a bed works best) with the sleeves of the t-shirt facing down.

Tilting my head down towards the bed, I slowly start folding my hair on top of each other in the t-shirt, with the ends of my hair being the first to touch the shirt. Just imagine the t-shirt being some sort of bowl for your hair.

Once the top of my head is touching the t-shirt, I take the end of the t-shirt and fold it over to the nape of my neck.

Then take the sleeves of the t-shirt and tie them to secure the t-shirt in place. All of this is down while my head is still tilted upside down.

You want to make sure that the t-shirt is tightly secured on the crown of your head as this is the region where your curls will form. The more lose the plop, the more lose the curl, girl.

At this point, I will get dressed and do my makeup to give my hair some time to dry. The longer you leave it, the better. Let it sit. You’ll look crazy, but hey, totally worth it, trust me. II usually try to let it sit for at least an hour or two, and longer if I haven’t run out of patience.

Once it has sat long enough, I remove the t-shirt to reveal the most beautiful curls. There are some days where I have to rush and don’t have two hours to spare, so I’ll remove the towel while still slightly wet and go in with a diffuser on the lowest heat and speed setting. This is so that all our hard work doesn’t go to frizz. Lastly, I’ll add some more gel r oil if needed and scrunch and fluff my curls till I’m satisfied.

I have seen many plopping videos on YouTube, and everyone seems to do it in a different way, but I have found this method of doing it to be the best for me. It can be quite tricky flipping and folding the t-shirt at first, but you get used to it after the first or second attempt. It’s really just trial and error till you find your plopping method!

The post Defined Curls: Plopping 101 appeared first on The Hair Diaries.

Usually shampoos contain a surfactant that helps produce foam and emulsify the dirt and grime in your hair. The surfactant is sodium lauryl sulfate or sodium laureth sulfate in most hair products, both of which have received a poor reputation in the past decade due to discomfort concerns.

Those who wish to stop sulphates will search for the lauryl glucoside detergent. Removing dirt from your hair, being gentle but still successful at removing grime.

Shampoo-and-Conditioner Combinations

Polyquaternium-7 or polyquaternium-10 is the best nourishing element in shampoo-conditioner combos. These conditioning polymers are charged positively which balances the detergent’s negative charges and harsh effects in the formula. In particular, Polyquaternium-7 helps with detangling, and softens the hair.

Conditioner

The gold standard for the conditioners is coconut oil. It satisfies lovers of natural ingredients, as well as those looking for effective ingredients. Coconut oil has been shown to help with hair flexibility by penetrating the hair and improving hair strength.

Palm oil, jojoba oil, and olive oil are other oils that nurture the hair and give it shine and moisture. Although each works well individually, they produce much better results together. Each of these natural oils has sebum constituents, the oil which our bodies create. So these oils are hair friendly, so they are enhancing something that’s already there.

A protein found in hair and skin, hydrolyzed keratin nourishes hair by protecting the hair shaft and preventing breakage. It is useful to treat hair that is damaged by persistent heat and hair bleach, and also smooths out chipped cuticles.

At-Home Hair Color

Although mango, shea butter and coconut oil are often used in conditioners and some styling products, they are especially beneficial for at-home colour treatments, which can strip strands of moisture.

These hair butters provide a protective shield to lessen the effect of harsh treatments on hair shaft. Coconut oil can actually get into the hair strand to provide extra conditioning. Shea butter, like mango butter, locks the hair cuticle down, seals moisture in.

Heat-Styling Products

Silicones help boost shine and buffer hair from the damaging effects of heat. Silicones create a stable barrier that will prevent anything from going through your hair. They have a higher heat tolerance than natural oils, which when used as a thermal protective will dry out the hair. The most used silicone is dimethicone, which sits on the hair and seals the cuticles really well to lock in moisture.

The post Top Ingredients to Look for in Your Hair Products appeared first on The Hair Diaries.