Desert Essence Coconut Soft Curls Cream & Shine and Refine Hair Lotion

[Ogoma]

Has anyone tried these products?

Price: $5.99
Ingredients: Water (aqua), cetearyl alcohol (coconut oil), behentrimonium methosulfate, glycerin (plant), avena strigosa seed extract (black oat), hydrolyzed rice protein, cocos nucifera (coconut) extract, panthenol (provitamin B5), agave rigida (sisal) extract, aloe barbadensis leaf juice, yucca schidigera root extract (yucca cactus), carthamus tinctorius (safflower) seed oil, cocos nucifera (coconut) oil, hydroxyethylcellulose, symphytum officinale leaf extract (comfrey), tocopheryl acetate (vitamin E acetate), cetyl alcohol, glyceryl stearate SE, glyceryl caprylate, lecithin (soybeans), sodium hydroxide, sodium benzoate, fragrance (parfum), citric acid.

Price: $5.99
Ingredients: Water (aqua), cetearyl alcohol (coconut oil), behentrimonium methosulfate, avena strigosa seed extract (black oat), cocos nucifera (coconut) oil, carthamus tinctorius (safflower) seed oil, glycerin (plant), hydrolyzed soy protein, agave rigida (sisal) extract, panthenol (pro-vitamin B5), cocos nucifera (coconut) extract, opuntia vulgaris extract (nopal cactus), yucca schidigera root extract (yucca cactus), aloe barbadensis leaf juice, symphytum officinale leaf extract (comfrey), tocopheryl acetate (vitamin E acetate), yucca schidigera leaf/root/stem extract (yucca cactus), glyceryl stearate SE, glyceryl caprylate, hydroxyethylcellulose, lecithin (soybeans), citric acid, sodium benzoate, fragrance (parfum), sodium hydroxide.

 

[Lilmama1011]

Never heard of it but it looks heavy to me for some reason

 

[MsLauren]

No I haven't but I'm very interested in hearing reviews. Bumping for you OP.

 

[LisaMar]

In interested in trying them, where can I purchase them?

 

[Ogoma]

In interested in trying them, where can I purchase them?

They are at my local Whole Foods and should be in most health food stores. I buy the brand online because they are about half the price:

http://www.vitacost.com
http://www.iherb.com

 

[leiah]

Looks nice, i'll have to try them. I like their lip balms.

 

[NaturalEnigma]

I saw this at Whole Foods as well. I wanted to buy it, but my order of Oyin Handmade's Hair Dew had just arrived. I think once I'm finished with the bottle. I'll try their moisturizers.

 

[Ogoma]

I saw this at Whole Foods as well. I wanted to buy it, but my order of Oyin Handmade's Hair Dew had just arrived. I think once I'm finished with the bottle. I'll try their moisturizers.

Please review once you have tried it. Thank you in advance. I'll like to try it, but I have only seen one review and she has straight and, it seems, fine color-treated hair. She really likes it, but I would like to see other reviews.

 

[Kurlee]

subscribing

 

[Ann0804]

No, but those ingredients looked really good until I saw sodium hydroxide.

 

[Lilmama1011]

No, but those ingredients looked really good until I saw sodium hydroxide.

Guess I won't try it then!

 

[APrayer4Hair]

I use desert essence pure jojoba oil but that's it...
Ditto on the sodium hydroxide??? WTF is up with that??

 

[Ogoma]

Did some research:

Sunday, June 26, 2011
Sodium Hydroxide in Hair Products, Should You Be Alarmed?


As natural hair women many of us want nothing to do with lye which is scientifically known as, sodium hydroxide. As more of us start reading product labels and becoming more aware of what we put on our hair, we start to see ingredients we wouldn't have otherwise paid attention to. Recently, there has been much discussion about sodium hydroxide and it's place in hair and skin products. Many naturals run from sodium hydroxide, when in fact it is actually pretty harmless in some formulations.

First, what exactly is sodium hydroxide?
"sodium hydroxide chemical compound, NaOH, a white crystalline substance that readily absorbs carbon dioxide and moisture from the air. It is very soluble in water, alcohol, and glycerin. It is a caustic and a strong base (see acids and bases ). Commonly known as caustic soda, lye, or sodium hydrate, it is available commercially in various solid forms, e.g., pellets, sticks, or chips, and in water solutions of various concentrations; both solid and liquid forms vary in purity....." [SOURCE]
Is sodium hydroxide harmful?
Yes, in it's natural unadulterated state (like straight out of the bottle) it is caustic and can burn right through your skin.

Should I be alarmed if a product I use contains sodium hydroxide?
No. The fact is, you use sodium hydroxide every single day. Say what!? Yes, if you use soap, you are using a product that has sodium hydroxide. Sodium hydroxide is used to make every single soap you buy whether handmade or storebought. You can't make soap without lye and very few (I mean very very very few) people know how to use wood ash to make soap. In soap the lye goes through a process called saponification in which the lye reacts with the oils (lye and oil is what makes soap) and the lye neutralizes. There is no floating lye in the finished product...not so scary huh?

Look on the back of your shampoo or conditioner and you may find sodium hydroxide is in there too, maybe even in your lotion! But, why these products you ask...well, it's there to balance the pH.

The Natural Hair Haven explains it better:
"The base (sodium hydroxide) reacts with acid to produce a salt and water. This action means if you add sufficient sodium hydroxide you can change the pH from highly acidic to low acid or neutral or basic."


Will the sodium hydroxide eventually relax my curl?
No! There is a difference in the amount and reaction caused by the sodium hydroxide in conditioner, soaps, etc. than in relaxers.

Here is the explanation from The Natural Hair Haven:
"The difference is concentration and therefore pH. Relaxer has sufficient amounts to keep the solution basic, other products such as conditioner will have enough to keep it slightly acidic to neutral (in most cases)."

So see, no need to freak out if you you see sodium hydroxide in your beauty products, more than likely it's not harmful. Unless the product says "Silkener", "Texturizer", or "Relaxer", I wouldn't worry about it.


http://wahmtown.blogspot.ca/2011/06/sodium-hydroxide-in-hair-products.html

 

[Lilmama1011]

Well let me know if it's heavy or Wet feeling?

 

[APrayer4Hair]

Ogoma thanks for the info. I still give it the side-eye but I'm probably tripping. I do a lot of things to my skin that I wouldn't do to my hair.

 

[Ogoma]

Well let me know if it's heavy or Wet feeling?

I haven't tried it yet, but I will once I get through some of the moisturizers I have in my stash.

 

[Kurlee]

No, but those ingredients looked really good until I saw sodium hydroxide.

trace amounts, most likely to balance pH

 

[loulou7]

Thanks for sharing this. I shop quite a bit at Vitacost, but haven't seen this product. I'll be checking for it.

 

[kupenda]

I'm interested. Will be grocery store stalking these products for awhile...

 

[Miss*Tress]

Here are some reviews of the cream from Vitacost: link

 

[Ann0804]

Ogoma
No, I can not do Hydrogen peroxide at all. I'm just really choosy when it comes to ingredients and that is one on my list of no thank you.

 

[manter26]

Dawnyele on YT uses this brand, I think. I didn't know it was so cheap. I might try these.

Sent from my iPhone using LHCF

 

[DaiseeDay]

Bumping!!!

 

[Onhergrind09]

I've used the wash out conditioner and it smell's AMAZING, and works great. I might have to put this on my list of moisturizers to try.

 

[NaturalEnigma]

I brought the desert Essence Coconut Soft Hair Cream a while back. The consistency was light and it absorbed easily into my hair. I didn't like it though. My hair didn't feel any more moisturized or softer after using it. I tried to use it as a leave in and it made my twist out look bad. I like their conditioner though, the "Desert Essence Coconut Conditioner". It's very moisturizing and works great as a cowashing conditioner.