Phenomenal . . .

Phenomenal . . .
Life, Growth, and Connection (This sunflower was nourished by my hands.) 2010; Photography by Benita Blocker. Please become a follower of this blog.

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Friday, August 26, 2011

Product Review: Naked by Essations Honey and Almond Conditioner



Naked by Essations Honey and Almond Moisture Whip Conditioner has been ecstasy this week for moisture conditioning. It feels soooo good as it is massaged into the hair. The clients are loving it. I brought it back with me from the Hair Show. The closest distributor is in Raleigh, NC area, but the salesperson said that he can make sure that my salon gets serviced.

So far the conditioner is definitely a "keeper." The shampoo is great too! I am still a Pureology fan for shampoo though. Also, I believe the Naked line is excellent for naturally curly hair.

September 17, 2011 Update: This Essations Naked conditioner actually has a lot of wheat protein in it. So if you are doing a separate protein treatment, then this conditioner will NOT serve as a moisturizing conditioner. This conditioner by itself should be enough protein and moisture balance without using a separate protein treatment. In a nutshell, if your hair is relaxed, then one should be careful about overusing this conditioner. It could be drying from the protein. Naturally curly hair is probably the best match for this conditioner. It still feels great going onto the hair and scalp . . .

35 comments:

  1. I stopped using the Naked conditioner. Some clients were returning back to the salon complaining of frizziness within a few days of the hair appointment. Mizani Moistufuse conditioner under the dryer seems to have reset and sealed their hair. I will save the Naked conditioner for my natural twist set clients.

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    1. I GOT THE NAKED RELAXER AND MY HAIR WAS FRIZZY AND I CALLED MY SYLIST AND SHE SAID IT WAS FROM MY VITAL RELAXER I BEEN GETTING IN THE PAST IT'S GROWING OUT SO MY ENDS ARE NOT THE NAKED RELAXER SO THAT'S WHY IT'S FRIZZY. SO I DECIDED TO GO BUY THE MIZANI AND I USED IT TODAY. I'LL LET YOU KNOW HOW IT WORKS. AND I ALSO WILL LET MY HAIR STYLIST KNOW TO. THANKS.

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    2. Hi Lisia: If your ends were not frizzy before the Naked relaxer then they should not be frizzy after a relaxer service unless some damage occurred. The conditioner that comes with the Naked relaxer could be the source of the frizz. Definitely, keep me updated!

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    3. well it worked ,but now they have took naked off the shelves I can't find online any were. Ensley does not have it they said essations took it off line so they can't sale it. and they might get it back. i'm not sure what hair relaxer to put in my hair now.

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    4. They probably had good reason to pull the Naked Relaxer. Paul Mitchell and Vital Pro are my two most popular relaxers right now.;

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  2. I have a 13 year old daughter, I am African Caribbean (with thick hair but I relax it) and her father is Irish and German (with naturally curly hair). I have managed to not relax my daughter's hair but with her being in middle school and within two years going to high school the topic of chemically straightening her hair is coming up more frequently.

    I am not familiar with many hair products and do not want to damage her natural hair (when wet it is very wavy and beautiful, when dry very difficult to manage), so I have not allowed her to straighten her hair with chemicals, very rarely I would use a flat iron or hot comb to try to relax some of the curls but this doesn't last but a few days at the most, with the Florida weather.

    I was told about Essations, that this product was not a relaxer; you wash it in and uses a flat iron to straighten, this holds for weeks or until you wash your hair but then you could just flat iron again and you have the straight style back. Is there any truth to this? I also keep seeing the statement no-base relaxer used by Essations from what I understand this uses lye which I was always told is very unhealthy for any ones hair?

    If you can please provide me with any information as far as products or insight on how to help my daughter I would be greatly appreciative.

    Thank you so much for your time,

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    1. I hope you have discovered the Alikay Natural line. Wonderful products for natural hair, very few ingredients.

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  3. Hi M H: I believe Essations has or had a "Soy" line that was designed to assist in "pressing" the hair and blocking out humidity. Mizani (brand) has a Thermasmooth Line that works very similarly as well. Namaste (brand) also has a similar shampoo/conditioner/leave-in serum and anti-humidity type spray.

    It sounds like you are at the crossroads between "styling" and "health" of your daughter's hair. Choose health until her social activities require a different style. (i.e. dance recitals)

    I do not recommend straightening curly hair. I am not fond of the "ionic flat irons."

    I recommend using the shingling technique using either Miss Jessie's Curly Pudding or Design Essentials Defining Creme Gel. The Curly pudding is best suited for medium to coarser hair. The Design essentials is best suited for medium to fine hair. I have a separate article on shingling on this blog. Also, Mixed Chicks leave-in conditioner can be used daily to maintain the look for about five days at a time. I hope that this advice helps.

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  4. Thank you so much for the advice, I have tried Miss Jessie's Curly Pudding and it is very helpful. I have heard of a few other but never tried them because I just wasn't sure about them and it is too expensive to sample some of the products and they not work but with your input I think I will invest in the Mixed Chicks conditioner as well as check out other areas of your blog.

    Thank you again!

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  5. HI I HAVE NATURAL HAIR I WAS TOLD ABOUT NAKED ESSATIONS BUT WHEN I WENT ON THE WEBSITE IT LOOKS LIKE A CHEMICAL PERM, I WAS LOOKING FOR SOMETHING TO STRAIGHTEN MY HAIR WITHOUT CHEMICALS OR A FLAT IRON PLSE HELP ME THANKS

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    1. Ms. Z S: Are you looking for a temporary straightening solution or a permanent change? Options for you to research: 1) smoothing treatment, 2) Diva Smooth and 3) Caramel Treatment. Best Wishes.

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    2. Naked has a relaxer product as well as a curl stretching line as well. I have used all products. I haven't had any trouble with their relaxers actually my clients love the product. The curl stretching system is not a chemical. It simply stretches the natural curl pattern making your hair manageable and full of body. When hair is wet your hair goes back to its curly state but curl is not as tight. I've used this products on clients with relaxers but desire to come out. Also, you shampoo hair before applying product and we all know that hair cannot be shampooed before applying a relaxer. So that step is proof enough that it is not a chemical. I love hat utube is informational but their are some services should only be done by a professional in order to receive best results. Also, taking a class on the product line of your choice is also recommended to ensure proper technique. Hair care is very important. If your hair is not in a healthy state applying chemicals is not a good idea. One may need a protein treatment or treatments to get hair healthy before applying any type of chemicals. I make sure I attend hair classes in order to stay educated on the products and services I'm introducing to my clients. As far as shampoos I love naked but I have clients whose hair is not compatible with the product. I love Jane Carter for my clients that have soft hair. Remember, everyone's hair is different and what works for one may not work for the next. Having a stylist that knows hair texture and is able to determine what product will work best for their clients hair will always have a happy client.

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    3. Dear unknown: I am uncertain if you are addressing the regular consumer or if your are addressing other hairstylists? Regardless, thank you for following my blog.

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  6. Hi! My hair was heat damaged around May at a salon. My hair was falling out in chunks. It since has stopped coming out so drastically. I still believe to much hair is coming out every time I comb or brush it. I have several spots where my hair broke off very short. I'm thankful I have no bald spots though. I've been trying to stay away from heat by doing twist outs or braids with just my hair. The texture of my has changed drastically to me. No matter how much conditioning and moisturizing I do it still feels rough and stays super frizzy. I'm so lost! I don't know what to do with my hair. I want to just go on ahead and go back to flat ironing it but I really don't want to damage it any further. Please help with any suggestions on what to do or products to use. I've never had any chemicals in my hair. I've always only had my hair pressed and I didn't even have it done on a regular basis.

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    1. Dear Tee Tee J: Consider the Caramel Treatment by Etae. It is a honey and bananas based conditioner. Otherwise, you can try other natural masques recipes to try to heal the hair. I assume that you have already had a protein treatment followed by a moisture treatment. I am so sorry that you are frustrated. Please consider going "flat iron free." Many, if not, all of these suggestions are addressed in different articles on this blog. "Homemade masques," "honey," "Redken CAT protein treatment."

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  7. Hello,
    I live in the Houston area, I've just used Basic line for my 11yr old 3 weeks ago. Her hair is extremely thick and is a year post texturizer. I am looking for something to use that will keep her hair hydrated, as the Basic is a protein treatment. Do you have any suggestions?

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    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    2. Dear Igrace05: Keracare Humecto is the best hydration conditioner on the market right now. Depending on her curl behavior, hydration sprays such as Tress Therapy may need to be used everyday without rinsing.

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  8. I used the KeraCare Humectant Conditioner while she was actively getting texturizers (2 yrs). It worked better for her than anything else. I just thought maybe another conditioner would be better with the keratin treatment. I'll go back to the KeraCare.

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    1. I just completed a new article on the Basic Hair Care One Step Treatment. It is best to stick with their maintenance line. Otherwise, consider Avlon's sulfate free MoisturRight line.

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    2. Thank you so much! I've never heard of the MoistureRight line. Is it new? Can you tell me how they're different? Thank you again.

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    3. Yes, it's their newest line. I like the MoisturRight Hair Repair Masque the best. I am not sure why they introduced this new line. I can only guess that they wanted the salons to have a more exclusive line since Keracare is becoming readily available everywhere.

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  9. One more thing Benita (I think)-I saw you mention Etae earlier in this blog. I saw the product on Tendrils' FB page I'm very interested in it. I have natural hair also-it seemed to be a good product however everything doesn't work for everyone. I've tried many products-I especially have frizzy hair with high humidity levels-wash and gos are fine if my hair is blow dried twisted and taken down it will be a frizzy mess in no time. Any suggestions?

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    1. Etae Carmel Treatment is essentially a honey and banana deep conditioner. It may help to naturally fill the hair strand to control the frizz. The Etae shampoo and conditioner should be used with it to prevent stripping the conditioning out. The Carmel Treatment is not a smoothing treatment. It is a monthly deep conditioning.

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  10. Hi I want to know is the naked by essasions with almonds and honey conditioner good for natural curly hair. Will this make the natural curls go away I think there's keratin in it or is it

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    1. Dear unknown: I have not taken the manufacturer's update class for this line for 2015. The company has made some changes. I believe they do have a smoothing treatment, but it is separate from this conditioner.

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  11. A very interesting article. The insights are really helpful and informative. Thanks for posting.
    Best Hair Conditioner

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  12. My hair is very fine. It wasn't always this way. It has started coming out in the top/crown and is longer in the back. I had gone natural for 3yrs but my hair was soft. My stylist made a hair piece which I wore for 8 months. When I took it off my hair was worse. The hair on the sides is missing along with some other areas. She put the Naked relaxer on my hair after removing the hair piece because I wanted to go back to straighter hair. What can I use to strengthen my hair and grow it back?

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    1. Redken CAT treatment is recommended once a month along with roller set or flat wrap. Biotin supplement is good too.

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  13. I have just started getting my hair relaxed again; after, 7 years natural . I am not sure what the problem is but my stylist use a relaxer named Serenity. My hair started to break on the sides and in the back after one use. I have asked my stylist to use a different relaxer but she stated that this was very mild. My hair continues to shed! Help!

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    1. I'm sorry for the delay in response. I'm behind checking comments. If your hair is under processed, it can be more likely to break in those areas.

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  14. Hi Benita...AFter months of going to the wrong salon and seeing my hair break over and over from high heat and over processed perms. All the articles about black hair products has me Scared. I recently used a boxed perm by luster products pro silk conditioner after using it twice I'm seeing great results my hair isn't so dry it's actually shining and no breakage I also used in between weeks products by Carol daughter it makes it a little frizzy but no breakage. Because of my bussy schedule I'm back in the beauty salons.
    Most hair dressers frown on box perms the two ladies that i like best one use Bantu the other naked.Bantu use to burn my hair years ago, Essations thinned my hair but no burning. I no this is a lot my question...What do you think about box perm? And what do you think about Essations? Lastly in between relaxers which shampoos and conditioner can u recommend to keep the hair healthy and thick?

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  15. Hi There, Box relaxers eventually can cause dryness. Maintenance shampoo recommendation is Colorproof SuperRich Moisture and Conditioner: Design Essentials Almond and Avocado Conditioner. If the box relaxer is working for you, then continue using until it stops working.

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