Hey everyone! I am back with yet another review on a small black owned business for hair care! Now I know I've been coming at y'all with review after review and it could be a little overwhelming because I must say - everything I post is amazing. However, I want you all to know that the purpose of these detailed reviews is not to get you to buy every single thing I post, but for you to have enough information on a product so that you are able to discern whether or not it is a good fit for you. I know sometimes other reviews on products could be really vague and its not very helpful when everyone is being paid top dollar to say pretty much the same thing about every single product - only for you to realize that product you just spent one of your legs on is a no go. Anyways, I'm digressing.
Today I am introducing you to what seems like one of my new favorite brands on the planet. Now listen ya'll, I am a self proclaimed natural hair product connoisseur and I have tried scores and scores of products and brands so it definitely takes a lot for me to say that an entire brand has now become a favorite. What makes a brand my favorite? simple; when every single product under the umbrella blows my mind. I know you all have that particular brand where you love some products but not others.. well for this particular brand... every product has become a staple. Even the oil - and I'm not even a big fan of oils. This brand is called Habesha Handcrafted!!
Background
Habesha Handcrafted was founded by a sister named Kendra Monchery. She was born and raised on the Caribbean island of St. Lucia. There, she became a neighborhood hair stylist for natural hair. She used natural and organic products (not packaged and sold but rather those used regularly as a part of her cultural norm) to style her clients hair. Eventually, relaxers and texturizes became popular and for a short time, she too permed her hair. However, not long after perming her hair, she transitioned back to natural. At 19, she migrated to my hometown (no wonder I get along with her so well) Brooklyn, NY where she would pick up her styling skills again as a means to maintain her livelihood.
So listen y'all, we are talking about an ordained natural hair stylist here. Not someone trained by white folks on straight hair in cosmetology school, but someone who had literally grown up styling and caring for natural hair using ingredients from her environment. This woman is seriously a master at what she does for that reason (I mean come on, do you trust someone who has studied black culture, or someone who's actually lived it to give you the 411?). Her brand, handcrafted and packaged by her and her awesome husband is a powerhouse of natural ingredients that suit all kinky curly hair types - even locs! Now lets get into my experience!
Wash Day
So y'all, when I tell you I was super excited about washing my hair with Habesha Handcrafted product, I totally mean it. I'm not sure If I washed my hair Friday, or Saturday with these products (it's kind of a blur since I haven't gotten good sleep this weekend), but I know for a fact I had gotten up around 5:45-6:30 in the morning and just couldn't wait to wash my hair.
These products had been sitting on my shelf for about 2 and a half weeks just waiting for their turn to be used. I haven't even so much as smelled anything, but judging by the beautiful African inspired packaging and natural ingredients - I knew I was in for something fantastic.
I started my wash day with the Black Soap herbal Shampoo. Black soap is commonly used in all natural shampoos because of its clarifying properties. I have one other black soap shampoo in my stash with a very similar consistency, however the ingredients are slightly different. The consistency of this product is very very thin (kind of watery), which is safe to cleanse loc'd hair and all other types of hair. The shampoo is super effective and doesn't sud too much unless you use ALOT. My only recommendation for users it to make sure you apply this product directly to the roots of your hair and the middle of your hair shaft (not in your hand cause it'll just fall out of your hands) and work it in. It is a super gentle cleanser and doesn't leave your hair feeling stripped. My only recommendation to the company is to change the bottle tops to applicator tips - especially for a product with such a thin consistency.
Next, I used the Coco-lemon Anti-Bacterial conditioning whip. Now, I don't know about y'all but I love the smell of lemongrass and this just wreaks of it. It just smells so pure and so potent that it's unbelievable. Hands down one of the best smelling conditioners I have ever used. Not only is the small amazing - but the efficacy as well. If you watched my instagram video on my wash day, you get a peak at how much I used for a whole half of my hair. Only about a quarter and half size amount (which is unheard of for me with all my hair). Normally, I used about a palm full of conditioner to get enough slip to detangle my hair. With this product, I used less than half of that and I was able to detangle my hair in RECORD time. I mean it legitimately melted my hair on contact. My hair was definitely detangled and soft afterwards and smelling like heaven.
Conditioning Tea Rinse
After cleansing and conditioning my hair, I then turned to the Tea Rinse conditioning blend. I had never used one of these before so I was super duper excited. I followed the directions on the bottle and poured it over my hair and y'all... this was literally the bomb.com. I'm not an expert on tea rinses since I've literally never heard of them or used them before this one, however I must say that my hair felt clean, soft, and moisturized after using this rinse. I definitely see myself committed to the bigger bottle which is just 20.99, the smaller bottle is around 8 bucks (and you only need a little for use & it can be used twice).
This wash day was unique on all aspects. Especially with the conditioner and the tea rinse. It is 100 percent loc safe, however I have a few recommendations for those who choose to purchase this product. For one thing, if you have low porosity hair, I recommend that you still follow up with a moisturizing (protein free, ph balanced) deep conditioner after this wash day otherwise your hair will feel a little dry from all that cleaning. Additionally, I think these products will be most ideal for naturals who are just finishing up and taking down a protective style because of its anti-bacterial properties and otherwise cleansing properties. The conditioning tear rinse is especially perfect for those who are sensitive to apple cider vinegar (like me).
Styling
After fully completing wash day, I t-shirt dried my hair and styled with the Herbal Leave in conditioner and the Twist and Define Natural hair moisturizer. Ya'll already seen via instagram that my twist outs were the truth but I'll leave some photos for you below so you can check those out. I absolutely loved these products, however, me saying I love them is not enough information for you to know whether they are ideal for you.
For one thing, the Herbal leave in conditioner is very watery in consistency (kind of like a mist) rather than those creamier leave in conditioners. This is even thinner than say the Mielle Organics White peony conditioner. In fact, it could even be mistaken as just curl refresher. However, I'd say this leave in conditioner packs a punch, containing aloe vera which gives it that super moisturizing effect. The only catch is, if you're a 4B or 4C natural, you most definitely shouldn't use this product on its own thinking its going to deliver you from the evils of dry hair. You absolutely must follow up with the Twist and define Natural hair moisturizer which is much thicker in consistency (however not super thick and not greasy either - that was a shocker to me). These two products combined can 100% deliver you from the evils of dryness. And if your one of those curlies who's hair will look all shiny and moisturized in twist and then a day later you're out here looking dryer than a desert - seal in that moisture with Hair growth moisturizing oil. It is lightweight, smells yummy, and really gives you that extra push you need to get that beautiful long lasting moisture. That oil can also used as a pre-poo hot oil treatment which is a double win. I definitely see myself purchasing again.
Now as far as the gel, I can't really give an adequate review on that because I didn't use it. I am really not much of a fan of gels or anything that defines my hair too much. So I'll leave it up to other curlies to test it out and try it. However, what I will say is that I am probably going to use this gel to slick down my hair for puffs and I'll give you an updated review on that. This gel is not goopy like eco styler, contains no alcohol or other harmful chemicals in gels, and I am 100% sure it will not leave any residue or flaking in your hair (yes, I am just that good at this lol). Besides, if all 6 of the products I tried are absolutely amazing - what would make me think the 7th isn't? I mean come on.
Overall, I rate this brand a 7/5 on the scale of 5. It's uniqueness, potency, and overall quality brought it 2 points over the top. This brand literally needs to grow and grow and grow till it can't anymore. I will be continuing to update you on my journey with Habesha!
