DIY: Coconut Hair & Body Cream via Roots4U45

I adore YouTuber Roots4U45, she is like the Black Paula Dean of natural hair and body products.  I love watching her vids, they are informational and inspirational.  Here is a simple hair and body cream that is shea butter free for those of you who cannot use or do not like shea butter.  Incredibly simple. Click the link to watch her video.

Coconut Hair & Body Cream

• 1 part coconut oil
• 4 parts vegetable shortening

With items at room temperature, scoop into mixing bowl.  Stir with a spoon until well blended.  Store mixture in a airtight container at room temperature out of direct sunlight.

Now I know some of you are thinking vegetable shortening…you mean Crisco? Yes m’am. I know the use of Crisco in a hair or body product may seem cray, but seriously it is just mix of soybean oil, palm oil and preservatives. Besides if it is good enough to eat it is good enough to put on your skin.

Are you willing to try it? Leave us a comment stating why or why not. And if you do try it please come back and share your results.

Product Review Nubian Heritage Body Products

 Nubian Heritage.  You may have seen these products in your local BSS or Vitamin Shoppe and wondered what’s the deal.  I’ve seen them everywhere and finally decided to give them a go.  Nubian Heritage is owned by Sundial Brands and is a sister company to SheaMoisture.  Sundial actually has 10 different brands under their belt! Nubian Heritage  makes black soap bars, body wash and lotion in a variety of scents/ingredients.  I picked up the Honey & Black Seed, Goat’s Milk & Chai and Mango on a special deal at a Black Expo.

Black Seed Soap

$4 for 5 oz

ing: Black Seed Oil, African Shea Butter, Apricot Oil, Organic Honey, Black Seed, Palm Oil, Essential Oil Blend, Vitamin E, Rosemary Extract, Soaps of Coconut and Palm, Iron Oxides.

This is a hefty sized soap bar, it is bigger than the standard soap bar for sure.  I am not really a fan of bar soap but I liked it.  It lathers well and rinses clean does not leave your skin feeling coated with residue.  We used this as both a soap bar and a shampoo bar on my son and it worked well on his hair, cleaning without stripping and did not leave build-up.  This bar is much more nourishing as compared to Ivory, Dove, Caress and lasts a lot longer.   I used it on both my body and my face and my skin felt a bit tighter which is normal with black soap.

Goat’s Milk & Chai Body Wash

$12 for 13 oz

ing: Cocamidopropyl Betaine (Coconut Oil Soap), Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate (Palm Kernel Soap), Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate (Palm Kernel), Glycol Stearate (Palm Kernel), Stearamide AMP (Palm Kernel), Deionized Water, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter)*, Goat’s Milk, Essential Oil Blend, Panthenol (Vitamin B-5), Sodium Lauroyl Hydrolyzed Silk (Silk Proteins), Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Rose Extract, Green Tea Extract, Lonicera Caprifolium (Honeysuckle) Flower (and) Lonicera Japonica (Japanese Honeysuckle) Flower Extract

This body wash is very thick and lasts a good while. It really reminds me of a thicker version of Dr Bronner’s and has the same kind of potency in that it is super concentrated.  It is important to note that the ingredients listed above are the new ingredients the old formula contained parabens and it is still available at discount stores so if you are avoiding those ingredients make sure you read the labels carefully.  I absolutely loved the scent of this stuff it smells so fresh, sweet and clean.  It does not smell exactly like chai tea but it is reminiscent of those tea scents.  I also used it as a shampoo and it works as a clarifier (like Dr B’s).  It was pretty drying as a face wash but did not dry out my body.  It will burn like heck if you get it in your eyes so I do not advise using this on kids.  If you like castile soap but dislike the lack of viscosity I think this is a good alternative.

 Mango Butter Body Lotion

$12.00 for 13 oz

ing: Mangifera Indica (Mango) Seed Butter, Deionized Water, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter)*, Stearyl Alcohol (Palm Kernel), Ceteareth 20 (Emulsifying Wax), Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, Vegetable Glycerin, Jojoba Oil, Essential Oil Blend, Carbomer, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Orange Oil, Allantoin (Comfrey Root Extract), Lonicera Caprifolium (Honeysuckle) Flower, Lonicera Japonica (Japanese Honeysuckle) Flower extract

This lotion is super thick and the scents are long-lasting but not strong or over powering.  It  is more of a body cream than a body lotion.  While $12 may seem a little pricey for a lotion this stuff is so thick you really only need a small amount so it lasts longer.  Like the body wash, the ingredients listed above are the new ingredients the old formula contained parabens and which is still available at discount stores so if you are avoiding those ingredients make sure you read the labels carefully.  This scent is fun and tropical and did a great job of fighting off the ash.  The lotion was a bit to heavy to use in the humid summer months but was perfect for fall and winter.  You can feel the butters in this lotion which help make it long lasting but it does not leave a heavy coat or greasy feeling.

Alba TerraTints

Alba Botanicals

TerraTints

$5 for .15 oz

Available online at Amazon.com or local health food stores

TerraTints are naturally tinted lip balms that leave your lips feeling soft and supple while providing a subtle hue.  The all natural ingredients  are important as what you use on your lips will inevitably end up in your mouth.

ing:  Hydrogenated coconut oil, beeswax, euphorbia cerifera (candelilla) wax, ricinus communis (castor) seed and olea europaea (olive) fruit oils, iron oxides, mentha piperita (peppermint) oil, tocopherol and tocopheryl acetate (vitamin E), natural flavor, mica, calendula officinalis flower and echinacea purpurea extracts, titanium dioxide and glycine soja (soybean) oil.

I have always been a fan of tinted lip balms.  I am notorious for losing my lip sticks so I tend not to purchase the more expensive brands and the cheap ones leave my lips feeling dry.  Tinted lip balms do a great job of sealing and protecting the lips while adding a dash of color.  I keep them in my purse, my desk, my makeup bag and on my dresser so I always have one available.

I saw the TerraTints at the check-out stand of Rainbow Blossoms and decided to try it.  I liked that the ingredients were natural,  the Kona color matched my natural lip color and used iron oxide as the colorant which I thought was cool.  I have two different colored lips: my top lip is brown and the bottom lip is pink.  When I was younger I was really self-conscious of this (silly, I know) and would always look for a tinted lip balm that would match my natural lip tone.

TerraTints come in a variety of colors although I am in love with Kona I will probably try Sienna or Blaze next.  The balm has pepermint oil which gives a nice cool feeling and is rated SPF18 for protection from the sun’s harmful rays.  TerraTints are a great product to have around for lip care and provide a little pop of color.

SheaMoisture Organic Baby Collection

SheaMositure

Organic Raw Shea Chamomile & Argan

Baby Line Incldues Wash, Oil, Lotion & Ointment

Available at Walgreens and Target

I received a package from SheaMoisture containing several new products to review.  While I was excited about this body line on myself, I wanted to do an authentic review on a baby.  The problem: my baby is 6 years old.  So I spoke with my good friend Camille and asked if she would do the reviewing on her 1 year old son Jackson.  She happily agreed to use only these products on Jackson for 1 week and report back.

Shea Moisture Organic Raw Shea Chamomile & Argan Oil Baby Head-to-Toe Wash & Shampoo

12 oz $9.99

ing: Deionized Water , Decyl Glucoside (Sugar Beets) , Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice (Aloe Vera) , Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate (Coconut Oil) , Raw Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter) , Cocos Nucifera Oil (Coconut) , Argania Spinosa Nut Oil (Argan) , Tocopherol (Vitamin E) , Guar , Lonicera Caprifolium Flower Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract (Honeysuckle and Japanese Honeysuckle) , Calendula Extract , Lavender Oil , Rose Extract , Chamomile Extract , Boswellia Serrata Oil (Frankincense) , Myrrh Extract

Camille’s Thoughts: Good ingredients not harmful on babies skin.  I liked that it was sulfate free but nervous as to whether it was tear free.  The product lathered well and cleaned well no complaints.

My Thoughts: The product is well concentrated, reminds me of a thicker version of Dr. Bronners.  It rinsed clean with no residue and was non-drying.  I like the scent, smells light not too lingering.  I used it just as a body wash, but I used it head to toe on my son and liked the results also, his hair was not overdried at all.

Shea Moisture Organic Raw Shea Butter Baby Oil Rub (not pictured above)

8 oz for $9.99

ing: Sunflower seed oil, Shea butter, Sweet Almond oil, Jojoba oil, Evening Primrose oil, Castor Seed oil, Safflower oil, Coconut oil, Argan nut oil, Olive oil, Rosehip seed oil, Borage oil, Vitamin A, Vitamin E, Honeysuckle and Japanese Honeysuckle flower extract, Chamomile oil, Frankincense oil, myrrh extract.

Camille’s Thoughts: l liked it, the oil absorbed well and was non-greasy. I normally use Aveno’s body cream due to dry skin but this was a good replacement.  Downside is the scent, not a fan of frankincense and myrrh, and it is much stronger than the body wash.

My Thoughts: I loved this on both me and my son.  These oils are an amazing blend and it was a great after bath/shower oil to seal in skin’s moisture and soften.  I found the scent to be nice and calming. This is a MUCH better alternative to the traditional baby oil for baby’s skin.  I also rubbed a little on my son’s wet hair to seal moisture before bed and his hair was soft in the morning without being greasy.

Shea Moisture Organic Raw Shea Chamomile & Argan Oil Baby Healing Lotion

12 oz for $9.99

ing: Deionized Water , Raw Butyrospermum Parkii Oil (Shea) , Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter (Cacao) , Mangifera Indica Seed Butter (Mango) , Olus Oil , Argania Spinosa Nut Oil (Argan) , Centhera Biennis Oil (Evening Primrose) , Borage Officinalis Oil , Simmondsia Chinensis Oil (Jojoba) , Rosa Rubiginosa Seed Oil (Rosehip) , Tocopherol (Vitamin E) , Boswellia Serrata Oil (Frankincense) , Chamomile Extract , Myrrh Extract , Lonicera Caprifolium Flower Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract (Honeysuckle and Japanese Honeysuckle)

Camille’s Thoughts: The lotion was pretty thick.  Just 1 pump covered Jackson’s whole body.  Like the oil above it had the strong scent of frankincense and myrrh which I just did not prefer. The lotion did work really well though.

My Thoughts: The lotion is much thicker than I thought it would be considering it has a pump applicator.  I liked this better for my son over the oil because he was able to apply it himself.  I liked it also this would be a great all year lotion as it leaves the skin softened without leaving a heavy layer.  I was able to use all over my body with just a few pumps.  It smells the same as the other products which I liked however on days I used the lotion I did not wear perfume as it would be much too odoriferous.

Shea Moisture Organic Raw Shea Chamomile & Argan Oil Baby Head-to-Toe Ointment

4 oz for $9.99

ing: Raw Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter) , Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter (Cocoa) , Mangifera Indica Seed Butter (Mango) , Olus Oil , Centhera Biennis Oil (Evening Primrose) , Ricinus Communis Seed Oil (Castor) , Simmondsia Chinensis Oil (Jojoba) , Carthamus Tinctorius Oil (Safflower) , Cocos Nucifera Oil (Coconut) , Argania Spinosa Nut Oil (Argan) , Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice (Aloe Vera) , Natural Wax Blend , (Carnauba , Non-GMO Soy) , Persea Gratissima Oil (Avocado) , Rosa Rubiginosa Seed Oil (Rosehip) , Olea Europaea Oil (Olive) , Retinyl Palmitate (Vitamin A) , Tocopherol (Vitamin E) , Lonicera Caprifolium Flower Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract (Honeysuckle and Japanese Honeysuckle) , Calendula Extract , Lavender Oil , Rose Extract , Chamomile Extract , Boswellia Serrata Oil (Frankincense) , Myrrh Extract

Camille’s Thoughts: I used this with every diaper change and liked the mixture.  I wish it was a bit thicker because it emulsifies at body temperature so you need to apply it quickly.  Could possibly keep cold in fridge to help with thickness but that doesn’t really help if your changing table is in a back room.  This scent was not as strong as the oil and lotion which was better.  Absorbed nicely into skin and protected from diaper rash without leaving a thick difficult to remove residue.

I did not review this product but I imagine it might be nice for elbows, knees, hands and feet especially during winter time.

Overall Thoughts on the Entire Line

Camille: The scent was a little too strong for a baby. Not a fan of frankincense and myrrh and would prefer it to be unscented or a much lighter scent in something fruity, tropical or citrus.  I took the products with us on a trip out of town and my relatives loved it.  The bottles traveled well in their own packaging nothing came open or spilled.  The size of the products seems that it would last a good while.  The products have a great price point that is agreeable to quality of ingredients and size.  The ointment would last maybe a month, while the baby wash and lotion 2-3 months.  I would purchase this product.  

Me: I love the product line and it would make a great shower gift for new parents.  I think this is a fantastic alternative to the popular baby lines and has much better ingredients.  I think these products are great for the entire family and that the scent is acceptable for men, women and babies.  I would purchase the wash, oil and lotion for my family.

Have you tried the SheaMoisture Organic Baby Collection?  Now through October 22nd 2011, save $1 on these products at Walgreens stores.