LottaBody Ready to Use has new Packaging!

 Surprise!  Lottabody "Ready to use" Setting Lotion has new packaging and more oils in this newer version.

Those who still want the original formula may want to get to your local beauty supply store as soon as possible and stock up because Walmart stores only have the new version! I have not tried the new version yet, but I will update this posting when I do!  

New KeraCare Humecto tub packaging is less durable

 You may want to hold on to your old tub of KeraCare Humecto conditioner.  The tub pictured on the left is the old packaging .  It has longer vertical lines running along the opening area versus the shorter vertical lines pictured on the right.  The opening is not a big deal, but look at the picture below.

The old packaging has a  rounded bottom on the left and the new packaging has sharp corners that can cause some discomfort when handling a full tub of conditioner.  Also, even though, you can not see from the pictures that I took, the new packaging is LESS DURABLE.  I could see the shadow of the conditioner inside as I moved it around.  The bottom of the tub also felt like it could barely support the five pounds of product inside.

In a nutshell, if you accidently drop the new packaging of this KeraCare Humecto tub, you probably will have no product to savage because the new packaging does not seem to be built for accidental dropping.

No one plans to drop products or tools, but it can happen.  When holding this new packaging of the KeraCare Humecto, I literally can feel the conditioner in the palm of my hands. The walls of the tub are even thinner in density than the old packaging. I will probably pour the new tub of conditioner into the old tub packaging.  I really do not trust myself to move the new packaging around too much without hurting my hands or dropping it.  Needless to say that I am disappointed in the cheaper quality container that Avlon went to.

Product updates: Design Essentials and SisterLocks

 The Design Essentials Organic Cleanse Deep Cleansing Shampoo with Oatmeal Protein has been discontinued.  It has been replaced with Design Essentials Oat Protein and Henna Deep Cleansing Shampoo.  Based on the ingredients, there is more propylene glycol in the newer version of the shampoo and less of what I thought was the good stuff.  Our hair industry is really going backwards.  Manufacturers are going to continue to cut cost which may mean cheaper ingredients being used in their products.

On the flip side, Sisterlocks(tm) has been tweaking their "Starter Shampoo" for awhile trying to get the best product consistency.  The bottle on the right is the newest packaging of the Sisterlocks Starter Shampoo.  There is nothing in the ingredients list that screams that they are sacraficing quality.  So I really think Sisterlocks has improved the shampoo.  This starter shampoo is designed to clarify and rough up the cuticle to aid with hair locking.  I do sell Sisterlocks products within my salon.

Bee Mine Products Packaging Change

Both of these jar of Bee Mine Products Luscious Balanced Cream Moisturizers have 8 ounces written on the packaging, but the size and shape of the jars have changed. So I decided to weigh each jar. Do you think that they weighed the same?

The results are "new packaging" weighs in at 10 ounces and "old packaging" weighs in at 10.25 ounces. The plastic or the label could be a factor in the weight difference, but it is no big deal to me! I believe International sales may have prompted the packaging change.

Just for Me Texture Softener packaging change?

If you see this old packaging of Soft and Beautiful Just for Me Texture Softener, please check to make sure the product is not expired before using it. I had a new client to call. She explained that she usually buys this "texture softener" every three to four months from Walmart for her daughter's hair, and everything always went well. However, the last time, she decided to run out to a local "national" drugstore chain to purchase her box of "Texture Softener." She started using it and noticed something was going wrong. She rinsed and shampooed multiple times, but it took about two weeks to get the granules out of her daughter's hair. In addition, there was a lot of hair in the bowl, and her daughter's hair has been breaking ever since. She said she called the company and based on the product code, the "texture softener" was expired by a year or more. This means that the product was probably manufactured about five years ago. The company blamed the drugstore for still having it on the shelf.

In the meantime, it has been an emotional toil dealing with the damage from using the expired product. I asked the mom about smell. She said that the product did not have a bad smell. I asked her if it even straightened or texturized her daughter's hair because usually old relaxers do NOT relax very well. She said that I was correct in that the product did not texturize nor straighten; it just caused damage.

So my theory is that the "conditioners" that buffer the "hydroxide" must have broken down and were not able to protect the hair. Relaxer have a high pH (alkaline pH). The conditioners that help prevent the relaxer from being corrosive probably were ineffective and could not balance the alkaline pH of the hydroxide.

I explained to her that just like a vegetable, if the hair is "overcooked" then you have to start over or gradually, trim it away over time.

Pictured is the newest packaging of the Just for Me Children's relaxer. The words "Texture Softener" is no longer on the packaging. I went to two grocery stores and one national chain drugstore (different from the one that the client went to) on yesterday and all of them had the new packaging of the Just for Me Children's relaxer on the shelf.

If you look at the top of the box, you see a product code that starts with "12." I believe that this box was manufactured in 2012. This box was from the drugstore. The two grocery stores had boxes that started with "11." So I believe their relaxers were probably manufactured in 2011.

I have written blog articles before about buying discounted hair products and calling the companies to make sure the product is not expired before using "clearance" products. Most clearance products are about to expire unless the company is discontinuing the line or is changing the packaging.

Let me clarify that the client paid full price for the expired product. It was not a clearance item. She just bought the "texture softener" from the drugstore for convenience. Buying old product can happen anywhere. If a store is in a neighborhood that does not cater to a "relaxer buying" population, it is probably going to have slower product turnover. This could lead to expired product on the shelf.

Just be careful with chemicals and all hair products. A shampoo that goes bad can cause the hair to tangle. The same thing for a conditioner that goes bad. Expired product may cause more hair challenges.

If more people start calling the companies to make sure their product is not expired, then this may make companies put expiration dates on the product packaging. Some lines do have expiration dates. Some stores hate expiration dates on products because they can not sell the product past the date on it. When the expiration date is not on the product, it makes them feel less liable.

Even as a hairstylist, I have to protect my clients. I have to make sure that my products are fresh. I have to pay attention to old and new packaging. I have to call the manufacturer sometimes to learn how to read the product code to make sure that I always purchase fresh product.

Hair grows a half inch of month. If you are used to long hair, then that can be a long two years if you have to start over.