Ooh la la Ouidad!

To prove once again that I have no self control when it comes to beauty products, I finally received my order of Ouidad hair products. On naturallycurly.com, I saw an ad for Ouidad saying you get two free deluxe samples with any order. When my two sides - product junkie and bargain hunter - collide, it's no stopping them. I ordered the smallest of the Balancing Rinse daily essential conditioner and received Botanical Boost conditioning and refreshing spray and Climate Control Heat and Humidity Gel. The driving force behind my order was actually the Climate Control Heat and Humidity Gel. I kept on hearing a lot of good reviews on it and have been wanting to try it for a while.

I believe the Botanical Boost conditioning and refreshing spray is CG friendly. The Balancing Rinse daily essential conditioner has Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein which might give some people difficulty. The Climate Control Heat and Humidity Gel also contains Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, dimethicone copolyl (water soluble silicone) and dimethicone (a silicone that is not soluble in water). If it's any consolation to those who are CG, but want to try this gel, the dimethicone falls in the middle of the ingredient list so buildup may not be as bad.


Balancing Rinse daily essential conditioner ingredients:
Water, Cetyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Cetrimonium Chloride, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Disodium EDTA, Lactic Acid, Benzophenone-4, Sodium Benzoate, Methylparaben, Diazolidinyl Urea, Fragrance, Annatto




Botanical Boost conditioning and refreshing spray
Water, Panthenol, Cetrimonium Chloride, Hydrolyzed Rice Protein, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Hydrolyzed Corn Protein, Centella Asiatica Extract, Hydrolyzed Wheat Starch, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Rosa Canina Leaf Extract, Spirulina Maxima Extract, Methyl Gluceth-10, Butylene Glycol, Propylene Glycol, Benzophenone-4, Benzalkonium Chloride, Fragrance, Polysorbate 20, Sodium Hydroxide, Disodium EDTA, DMDM Hydantoin.






Climate Control Heat and Humidity Gel
Water, Tocopheryl Acetate, Retinyl Palmitate, Panthenol, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Extract, Actinidia Chinensis (Kiwi) Fruit Extract, Lawsonia Inermis (Henna) Extract, Wheat Amino Acids, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein/PVP Crosspolymer, Propylene Glycol, PEG-60 Almond Glycerides, Dimethicone Copolyol, Dimethicone, Polyquaternium-28, Glycerin, PG-26-Buteth-25, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, PVP/DMAPA Acrylates Copolymer, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Methylparaben, DMDM Hydantoin, Fragrance



So, last night we went out to dinner and I was able to try out these products. I cowashed with Suave Naturals conditioner in Ocean Breeze. Conditioned with Balancing Rinse daily essential conditioner. I didn't leave my hair dripping wet after my shower, I squeezed out some water and just wrapped it in a towel for about 5-10 minutes while I put on lotion, moisturizer, etc. I used the Botanical Boost conditioning and refreshing spray as my leave-in. Applied coconut oil to some of the drier parts like the ends of my hair. Used a wide tooth comb to comb my hair. Scrunched with the Climate Control Heat and Humidity Gel. I was surprised that the consistency of the gel was closer to that of a frizz-free serum than a gel. I was kind of worried that it wouldn't hold any of my curl. I let it air dry for 5 minutes then ended up diffusing it for about 10 because it was too cold outside to leave the house with wet hair.




It dried pretty quickly. I was surprised how much hold the Climate Control Heat and Humidity Gel actually had without the crunchiness. I've been trying to find a gel just like this. It gave me a lot of volume too. When I was diffusing, I was thinking I was channeling Mufasa a little too much. I thought the Balancing Rinse conditioner and Botanical Boost spray were okay. I'll have to try using them again. Maybe the combo of the 3 is what actually gave me the volume. I really liked the Climate Control Heat and Humidity Gel. Only con is that it has dimethicone. I still see myself using this in spite of the dreaded silicone though.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! I may be checking out the Biggie movie with my boyfriend.