Al fin! Tengo algo me mole!!

I’m so excited, can hardly type. Those of you, who have been following my dilemma, know that I have been stressing ( I mean that seriously) over finding a replacement shampoo.

I do NOT understand why Creme of Nature formula changed. I mean, seriously folks! Did I complain? Did you complain? NO!! The shampoo was working and left my hair extremely manageable. After reading the reviews on the “new and improved” version, I decided that it was not going to be my next love.

You all also know that I bought a gallon, yes a gallon, of the original formula during my last trip to the Big Apple right? Well, knowing that I would not be able to replace it, I have used it sparingly (sniffle, sniffle) and have been experimenting in the meantime.

So, here’s what happened today.

I was trying to transfer some shampoo from the gallon bottle to a smaller, easier to handle bottle. That turned out not to be simple, because I don’t have a funnel. I wasted at least 3 good ounces of my “fix” and was heated. No. Seriously, I was PO’d. I canNOT replace my Creme of Nature, so I cannot afford to watch 3 ounces float down the sewage system.

Rather than fight with the bottle, I decided to wait to buy a funnel, but I still needed to shampoo my hair. I wanted to give one of my other test-and-failed-shampoos a try. The first lather was a mess. I instantly had tangles, couldn’t even get my comb near my hair, let alone through my hair.

The second lather, I tried something a little different. I poured some shampoo into my hand and then about equal portions of a cheap cream rinse into my hand.

Initially, I didn’t think that I was going to get a decent lather, but I knew that I would at least have a clean scalp and that I would be able to pass the comb through my hair. Well, after a moment of massaging the mixture in my hair, I felt that familiar foam developing. I didn’t get a real intense lather, but a foam…just like I get when I use my beloved Creme of Nature.

This was only the first attempt, but I’m going to try it next time around to confirm my results. If any of you have done this before, or try it, let me know what the results are like. I’m especially interested in hearing from fellow Creme of Nature fans.

Besitos,
LaNegra

i would like to 1st say that i am sooo proud of you. tu no
na mas pasa blower y ya but you know what your talking about que
protien this and chemical this …. im a senior in highschool ..and if
they ask me to write about a significant person …i will deffinately
write about you ..gracia hermana Rep for us !

Lizz, te mando mil besos!!!
I am so honored. I hope I do a good job repping for all
las mujeres trying to gain, retain or maintain healthy hair.

LaNegra

BioInfusion results are in…after little deliberation, my conclusion is that this shampoo really, really is bad. I first let mi hermanita try it because she’s my gineau pig (im sure i spelt that wrong ) . he normally soft coils and curls, were hard and crunchi even after conidtioner. It really stripped her hair it took almost 3 days to get the moisture back into her hair. Then i made a section in my hair (my hair is relaxed) and washed only a little section…gurl i took that bottle back to walgreen with a quickness.lol, and ran to my secrect beauty supply store, where there are the last 3 bottle of cream of nature that no one knows about, and bought some more of my good stuff. i don’t know what i’m going to do when i can’t find any.

I had high hopes, but I guess that bubble was just bursth

Thanks for the review mija!

Christmas came and went, but I had a surprise package waiting for me today.

Mi familia me quiere muchisimo. My mother knows that I’m always on the hunt for new products. Although, she’s busy with her own list of things to do, she always thinks of me when she sees a product that I might be interested in.

So, I opened the package figuring I had a new pair of gym gloves (I wasn’t very subtle with my hints lol) or a pair of Nike workout pants; I didn’t expect anything that wasn’t on Santa’s list. I did get my Nike pants, a gift-certificate to pick out my own gloves and then I was shocked by the hair products in the box.

My mother packed a jar of Smooth ‘N Shine Therapy – Silk Fusion Sixty-Second Critical Repair. Guess what one of the first ingredients is? You guessed it! Silk amino acids AND pearl extracts. Now, I confess, never heard of pearl extracts, but I’m all over the silk amino acids.

Out of curious, I checked to see if there were anyone else had anything to say about this product. I was surprised that the responses were mediocre, but I’m still going to try it. One thing that I noticed is that it says it’s safe enough to use every week. That means it’s not safe for every day use and for those of us who do our rolos and blowout every other week, we may only want to use it once monthly.

I also got a bottle of Hair So Shine Instant Repair Hair Polisher 8oz, which also contains silk amino acids. The nice thing about both is that both products cost about $5. That’s a heck of a deal for those on a restricted budget, providing they live up to the standards of my beloved CHI.

If you have used either product, please let me know what you think. Sharing is caring

I’ve been wearing weaves for about 6 years, and recently decided to wear my real hair. I cut my hair Rihanna length and used a lot of harsh chemicals so when I got pregnant this year I decided to cut my hair to about 2  inches, and wear weaves for the rest of the year to grow out my hair as much as possible. The result is shoulder length hair that is very thick and healthy. Here’s the problem. I don’t have ANY experience with managing my real hair and have no clue where to even begin. I’ve used a mild relaxer on my hair which has
made it more managable, but the only way I know to straighten it is with a flat iron or if my grandmother hot conbs it. I’ve done that for about a week, and I know how damaging that is to ethnic hair. I tried the roller set and blow out techniques on the 1st and FAILED HORRIBLY.

My question is, do you have any tips on perfecting the roller set and blow out technique. And if so, how often do you recommend doing the process a month?

First, congrats on growing out your hair! Regardless to the texture, length, thickness of your hair, waiting for it to grow, is like watching a blade of grass grow. It’s a process that seems to be well beyond slooooow. So, job well done.

I’m not going to beat you up, but if you’ve ever read any of my posts, you’d know that I do NOT like flat-irons, curling irons, or anything else that puts “fire” right on your hair. I’m a stickler for avoiding that kind of heat, because it’s just so much easier to cause damage to your hair.

Now, you may be asking, what’s the difference between using a hooded dryer, a blower and using a flat-iron or curling iron? The difference is that with a hooded dryer and a blower, the heat is not coming directly in contact with your hair and you do not necessarily have to sit under hot dryer in order to dry your hair. With a flat-iron and a curling iron you are putting your hair right in harm’s way. The hot utensils are touching your hair and it seems to me that there is very little chance of NOT burning your hair…that’s just my opinion.

So, if you are using a mild relaxer and getting good results, stick with it. There’s no point in putting harsher chemicals on your hair if you do not really need to. However, you may want to consult with your stylist to ensure that you are using the right strength.

As for your roller set, there is only one bit of advice that I can offer. Practice. When I first started doing my own rolos, I was terrible at it! It actually took me over a year to get to the point where I was competent and comfortable enough to know that I was capable of handling my own tresses.

Keep in mind that it does not matter what your roller set looks like. What IS important is that your hair be completely dry, from roots to tips. If your hair is very thick, then you may need to make your sections a little smaller, and you may want to put more rollers in your hair, but it’s not in the least bit important what direction you roll your hair, or how it looks.

As for blowing out your hair do not forget this point. KEEP THAT BLOWER MOVING! You do not want to stop the blower in any one spot and leave it there. The point of using the blower is to straighten out your curls/kinks, so that means that blower is HOT, right? Where there is heat, there is the potential to cause damage to your hair, so you really want to focus on moving your blower constantly; this too takes a lot of practice.

I do not usually do my hair more than twice a month, even if it has frizzed up, curled up or dried up. Too much of anything can be bad. I do have friends and relatives that will go every week to the salon, but I have also noticed that some of them are experiencing thinning, or dried out hair.

In the meantime, while you are learning to take care of your hair, condition, condition, condition! Moisturize frequently and keep your ends trimmed; get your trims done professionally.

Do NOT give up and if need be, alternate between doing your hair and visiting your stylist. Be as patient as your were during the growing out process. You won’t regret it

Suerte,

LaNegra

We’re in a new year and even a new decade. I have tested new products and experimented with my own concoctions. I’m pleased with my hair growth; I believe that I managed to grow the 6″ of hair that was cut off last year.

Now, I have to decide whether or not I want to keep my current length of cut some off again. I cannot go too short, because it’s just too much work, but too long requires just as much work. Ah well…there’s time to decide.

Right after pulling rolos out
After blowing out hair
The next morning, after pulling out dubi
After my trim

Hi my name is Dee…I havent had a relaxer for 2 years.
I’ve been wearing my hair braided because I cant find anyone that can
press/straighten my hair like my grandmother use too. Im now hearing
about the “Dominican Blowout” do u think it would be beneficial or
should I continue my search for someone that can press my hair

Hola Dee,

I will share my opinion on the question above. Ultimately, it is your decision, but I will give you something to consider.

I like to wear my hair straight and although it takes a big chunk of time out of my schedule to get it that way. I had to ask a friend what “pressing” hair was and she explained that it’s very similar to using a flat iron. You are putting heat directly on your hair and in most cases an oil or “grease” is used to prevent the hair from burning.

Personally, I avoid any type of heat that is applied directly to the hair, such as flat irons and curling barrels. A pressing comb falls into the same category. While there are two types of pressing combs, the ones that are put on the flame and the electric ones (supposedly control the temps a lot better), I still do not like this method, as the chances of burning your hair increase significantly.

If your hair is natural and you do not think that it will respond well to doing a roller set and then a blowout, you will probably be better off just blowing your hair out with a comb attachment and then doing finger-curls. You cannot undo damage done to your hair by way of chemicals, heat or mistreatment.

Also, as you mentioned, finding a stylist to press your hair is a difficult task, so you may want to exercise other options. If you are adamant about getting your hair straightened in a particular way, you may also consider taking the DIY, do-it-yourself, route. It’s what I ended up doing when I could not find a stylist near me and now I rarely visit a stylist.

I’m sorry that I cannot be more helpful, but truthfully, only you can answer your question. I can only supply food for thought.

Good luck,
LaNegra

Hello ladies, I picked up some KeraCare Humecto after reading this article. I had braids in my hair for a few months and hadn’t had any conditioning treatments! So I sat under the dryer with the Humecto on for about 20 minutes. Then I remembered a post I read on this site where a lady said she had wrapped her silk scarf around her plastic cap with the conditioner on there and slept with it on. Well I did the same thing!! In the morning when I woke up, I decided to keep it on there while I went to clean a house that took about four hours! I left the plastic cap and scarf on and kept my knitted winter hat on. So my hair was getting conditioned for about 15-20 hours! Ladies let me tell you….when I rinsed the Humecto out, my hair felt like…..wonderful!!! lol!! Just silky! I then applied the Chi Silk Infusion that I also read about on here to my hair for my roller set instead of the usual setting lotion. The entire holiday weekend, I have been getting countless compliments on how silky, and flowy…..but most of all healthy my hair looks! This is all after one treatment of these two products. I can’t wait to see what they do to me in the long term and to try the other recommended products from LaNegra! Thanks so much!!! Marlena

Marlena,

Gracias para escribiendo esto! I’m telling you, Humecto and Chi Silk Infusion are keepers! I do not go without either!

Hey guapas!

I have been trying to find a substitute for my beloved Creme of Nature shampoo since I learned that the original formula was going extinct. Why do companies change products when consumers are happy with them?!

We could go back and forth pondering why they change recipes, but it will do us no good. So, I decided to find a fill-in for me favorite shampoo. Thus far, I have not come across any shampoo that worked like Creme of Nature. This shampoo was a favorite, because it cleaned my scalp without stripping my hair. It also made combing easier than any other shampoo I have every used.

After mulling things over, it occurred to me that there was conditioner added to the shampoo. Maybe that’s what made Creme of Nature different. I started experimenting with a shampoo that I have that I do NOT like at all. Believe it or not, I found a CHI product that my hair HATES!

CHI Infra Shampoo was not my friend! It gives you a great lather, but for me, it left my hair stripped and feeling that all of my natural oils were totally gone. In fact, my hair felt as if I had used a clarifying shampoo. I only use clarifying shampoos when I go swimming or when my hair is overly saturated with product. What that translates to is, rarely.

I decided to try adding a little conditioner to the CHI shampoo to see if I could get similar results to what I get from Creme of Nature. The first two tries, I added a thick conditioner, some Humectress in varying amounts. I was not very pleased with the results; each time I ended up having to pull out the Creme of Nature in order properly shampoo. There was no lather or my hair still felt like it had been stripped.

Today, however, I decided to give it one more shot. After all, that gallon jug is not going to last indefinitely, right? Right.

This time, I used my last 2 or 3 ounces of CHI with a teaspoon of silk amino acids.

Girls, I think I’m on to something! My scalp felt very clean; my hair didn’t feel dried out and it seems as if I can actually comb my hair without a problem. But, don’t run out and try this just yet, because you know any good experiment has to be tried again and again with the same results. So, let’s just keep our fingers crossed!

While I’m experimenting, I may try adding some silk amino acids to any random shampoo and see what happens. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right? Right

My hair is in the process of growing back from short Rihanna-cut last year. I’m basically natural(I got a texturizer maybe 4 months ago but I didn’t see a difference so I haven’t tried it since). I guess my hair is growing back OK, people notice, but I want it to grow back FAST. I try to get to a Dominican salon at least twice a month, sometimes more, and when I wash at home I use Silicon Mix Shampoo and a mixture of  Silicon Mix and Diez en Uno conditioner. My hair seems healthy always feels good when I get it done, but it seems like when I get a trim alot has to come off because the ends are so damaged. What can I do to prevent  this, and speed up the hair-growth process?

How frequently do you use the Silicon Mix? You may be OD’ing on the protein.

There is nothing that will speed up the growth of your hair. It grows at the rate it grows and that’s it.
However, what you do to maintain your ends it where you will notice the huge difference.  For instance, last year (don’t know if you were following my issues last year) I had to get about 6 inches cut off for surgery. While, I hated to lose the length I learned to love layers, but more importantly, I KNEW it was going to grow back.

I kept my ends healthy by using moisturizing conditioners religiously. I only use reconstructors and/or protein treatments every other month and keep my diet pretty healthy.

Limiting the amount of heat you use on your hair will aid in keeping your ends healthy and if you find that your stylist chips too much away, find a different stylist for your trims. There’s no point being loyal to a stylist, who isn’t giving you what you want.  You do need to keep an open mind. If your ends genuinely need a trim, then there’s no point in holding on to them; cut your losses and be patient, is what I say.

So, while you try to wait for your hair to grow out…which always seems to take forever, assess your current routine and determine whether or not your over doing something, or whether your stylist is scissor-happy.

Happy growing!

LaNegra