In My Condition

Ms. New Beauty's hair has always been dry. Ever since she started washing and caring for her own hair, with her hairdresser's help of course, she has always conditioned her hair dutifully and faithfully. She's worked creme conditioners through her hair with the thoroughness of a stylist combing through a relaxer. She's purchased hooded hair dryers just so she can cover her tresses with a plastic cap and sit under for a good heated deep conditioning. In the past, Ms. New Beauty has blogged about all parts of The Beautiful Life. Makeup, skincare, fashion, style, current happenings. In the shuffle, hair care has gotten lost in the midst. Since the birth of Ms. New Beauty, the blog, not the woman, no posts have covered haircare. MNB just realized this oversight this morning as she was washing and conditioning her own hair. Aghast at her absentmindedness in skipping over this vital part of any beautiful woman's personal care, MNB is going to make up for lost time by profiling some her favorite conditioners.

Phyto Phytojoba Intense Hydrating Mask

Phyto is one of my favorite hair care lines. I’ve been in love with this line since I first used Phytovolume shampoo and my fine tresses were left looking thicker than a snicker. All Phyto products use high quality ingredients derived from plant and botanical sources. They are so, so effective. The Phytojoba hair mask really penetrated and hydrated my hair and has just the slightest citrus scent. I applied this to my hair last week and actually let it stay on for two or three hours. I just went on about my day and when I finally rinsed it out, my hair was soft and silky.

I realize that Phyto is not a line that is specifically marketed towards women of color. However, unlike a lot of people, I don't believe that there is any such thing as "black" hair care. I believe that there are products designed to meet certain hair needs - dry hair, thinning hair, color or chemical treated, etc. - and those needs are color blind. So, while some women have told me that I'm using products designed for "white girls," I don't care and continue to use Phyto, and whatever else catches my fancy.

Phytojoba is $36, available at Sephora, C.O. Bigelow, Neiman Marcus and other finer retailers.

Keracare Dry & Itchy Scalp Conditioner

This product does happen to come from a “black” haircare line. But, I use it because it works, not because I’m black. When the cold winter air finally rolls in, my scalp gets dry and itchy just like the rest of my skin. Keracare Dry & Itchy Scalp Conditioner is the only product that has ever kept my scalp moisturized and flake free. After using this regularly for 6 weeks, my flakes were completely gone. No more snowy shoulders. I still use this regularly to keep the flakes away. It's been two years and I haven't had any dandruff since. Cooling ingredients in the conditioner make your scalp feel tingly clean. I typically apply this conditioner just to my scalp and use a different hydrating conditioner on my ends. Keracare Humecto Crème Conditioner gives excellent results when used in tandem with this one.

KeraCare is a professional product line and can be purchased through licensed stylists. However, I have found it sold in reputable beauty retailers, like Ulta, and in one of my favorite haircare stores, Super Cuts. I wouldn’t get my hair done there, but Super Cuts tends to sell salon products at low prices. This conditioner typically retails for $10-15 per bottle, but can be more expensive at salons.

Lush Retread Conditioner

A new Lush shop opened up right downstairs from my yoga studio. You know a new cosmetic and beauty store can’t be opened up for too long before I wander in. Last week, I walked into Lush and went straight to heaven. Everything in their store is handmade from all natural ingredients. I went crazy, buying bath jellies, body wash, fizzing bubble bath balls for a friend, hand cream. I ended up spending almost $100 in less than 20 minutes. Lush products come in the cutest packages, and even have stickers on the back with the expiration date and name and picture of the person who mixed and created that product. A pretty woman named Kokeb made my hand cream.

My absolute favorite purchase was the Retread conditioner. Designed to be used with their Rehab shampoo (dontcha just love the names), Retread is formulated for dry and damaged hair. Formulated with soya milk, seaweed, and oils to soften and strengthen your hair, Retread really moisturized and conditioned my hair. But the best part was the smell! After I rinsed, roller set, and dried my hair, it smelled luscious. I literally spent the next two days smelling myself (literally and in the colloquial sense). Even my hairdresser commented on how nice my hair smelled when I went in for my weekly appointment.

Lush cosmetics are available in a number of countries through their website. Retread costs $20.95 but right now, it’s so popular that it’s currently sold out, but it’s well worth the wait.

Have silky soft hydrated tresses, no matter what color you are, and don’t forget that Ms. New Beauty told you!