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26 March 2010

a match made in heaven (a review in story book mode!)

i was able to go home earlier this week, so i decided to treat my hair to a few new goodies (my denman brush and lush shampoo). and the entire process, from when i stepped in the shower to when i styled was a dream. i was loving every since step and every single product and i was so happy, my heart even fluttered just a little bit. so excuse me if i wax poetic in this post, but if you'd experienced what i did, then you'd completely understand.


around the beginning of the year, i'd received a nondescript sample of a lush shampoo. for some reason, i'd poised myself to hate it (possibly because the sales associate claimed it would help with frizz - what are you tryna say, lady?). its scent was too strong, its color too dark, consistency too syrupy, its small black container too small, black, and container-y. hmph. the lady even forgot to label the container so i didn't even have the privilege of knowing what it was i had already despised. how dare she? despite all that, i don't throwing away anything and i do enjoy lush products, so... why not?

well. after a single lather, i was forced to retract everything i had ever thought (and now, written) about it. the consistency is a perfect saccharine syrup, thick enough to make your mouth water, but thin enough to spread easily. i didn't even use half of my most generous sample to get a thorough clean. the scent is strong, i will say, but once i'd gotten accustomed to the heady smell of beer and florals (& it's much less offensive than it sounds, i promise), it made for a unique treat. i wasn't worried of it stripping my hair since it was all natural, though when i felt a tiny bit of roughness on my strands, i was mildly put off. but once i rinsed, my hair was soft and clean. it was a very gentle shampooing, which i was happy about. i didn't expect it to do any heavy lifting, which it didn't, but i could always add a few taps of baking soda to clarify.

later that evening, i'd simply HAD to know the name of this miracle working shampoo and it was quite a doozy: cynthia sylvia stout. quite affordably priced, at whatever size bottle you desire to purchase. me, a cute, cozy 3.3 ounces for 8.75 is but a small price to pay for hair this divine! being natural, shampoo doesn't get much play in my routine, but this stuff is so singularly marvelous, that i might even spring for the 8.4 ounce for a moderately "steep" 17.45. cost and worth are two completely different things, however, and is it worth it - hellll yeeeeah. it might even be staple status.

after shampooing, i grabbed my honey+hemp condish, which is so orgasmically wonderful, it deserves its very own post (which is forthcoming, as i've promised). i slathered on a generous handful of this magical elixir and went about my usual showerly duties. when i rinsed, i was met with hair that was deliciously conditioned, moisturized, and happy. i cannot wait to tell you all about this conditioner which i have been seriously sleeping on (in a coma on, if we're being truthful). it was the perfect, creamy topping to my good-hair-sundae.

when i hopped out, i'd planned to use my kinky curly curling custard, which i've been determinedly trying to decipher all the why's and wherefore's as to its usages. the kinky curly line is so finicky, trying to suss out the perfect balance for your hair is nothing less than turning tricks in a circus. like the honey hemp, it deserves its own (very long, very detailed) post, but for very different reasons. but, i continued in my experiment with gusto, and sloppily parted thick, one inch sections/rows over my noggin and slapped in the slimy gel.

and here is where the magic begins. and i will warn you, once this magic had been visited upon me and my modest little noodle, i'd wanted to scream, shout and dance. i wanted to roll around, do a jig, and click my heels. i wanted to marry this amazing device after the first stroke, i'd wanted to make love to it like it so gently made love to my hair.

i told you it was that serious.

my denman brush. my denman, my denman, MY DENMAN. even its very name is like a soothing balm to the strands of my humble afro. ahh~ i'd purchased a denman when i first went natural and returned it the same week. i'd used it once on dry hair and i honestly don't know what the heck i was expecting, using it in such a manner, but it obviously didn't give me the miracle i'd been expecting. i repurchased this week on a whim and it is so amazing, it almost makes me rethink my second chop.

i "gently" "detangled" on soaking wet hair. translation: i chopped at the ends with the brush until i could get it through. and once the ends were taken care of, so was the rest. the brush glided through, from root to tip, like a hot knife in some butter, mm mm! it clumped my curls beautifully (which i'd bough the brush for), distributing the kinky curly far for efficiently than my fingers could ever hope to do. i could brush a single section of hair over and over and over, just to feel the gentle tension and to watch my juice-ified curls spring into place. my hair that day (yesterday) was FIRE. my afro was perfectly shaped - no lumps, no frizz, and no fuss and my curls were thick and juicy.

the best part? with my denman, my entire head took no more than twenty minutes. shingling barehanded can easily take an hour or more, especially if you try to take small sections of hair to get good definition. with my denman, i can easily brush through larger sections of hair, cutting down on my styling time drastically.

i know i'll only need this one brush for the rest of my life, but i want to go out and buy a truck full to sleep, swim, and live in. i want to give one to everyone i know - relaxed, natural, long, short, boy, girl. the denman should be a fixture in every natural's arsenal. if you've read this and don't have one (or worse - don't even WANT one) - what the heck is wrong with you?

i plan to repeat this little routine again and enjoy every minute of it. i should've taken pictures yesterday, while the sun was smiling and shining all over me. today wanted to be dreary and rainy so even though i shakily managed second-day hair (a lack of real effort and time on my part), i couldn't take any pictures.

but i am in loooove. go! try a denman, NOW!

2 comments:

Skeeta said...

This is a really good review!You write so well- You make me wanna go out and buy that shampoo, condish AND denman! I seriously need to try some products because You sound like u are having way too much fun!

Anyhoo Im not into wash and gos at the moment, not with gel, but if I try and do them with condish this summer do u think the denman will work for that? cause at this point I'm one of those freaks who doesn't even want a denman. ;o)

Melyssa said...

thank you! i used to write a lot and i haven't had time to, so this was a little awkward in a few aspects. i hope to make my reviews read a little more like a story while getting to the point too. haha.

and i hate to be yo' pusha... but, they are all WONDERFUL products!

i think your hair will be sooo long when the summer gets here, a denman would be GREAT! like i said, it detangles, defines, clumps, and de-frizzes. it's about ten dollars, but quickly pays itself off. it's an INVESTMENT!