Ever since I went natural, I have been reading about certain products which are specialised for kinky or curly hair, or those that do not use harmful chemicals like sulfates and parabens. One of the most famous is Kinky Curly. They have a range of products and many naturals swear by their Knot Today leave-in conditioner and their curling custard. Their come clean shampoo is also widely acclaimed. One of the objectives of my US trip (other than work), was to stock up on as many products, hair tools and gadgets that I could get my hands on. In the end, time and budget only allowed me to purchase a few key items on the list. One of them was the Come Clean Shampoo and the Knot Today Leave-in conditioner

Come Clean shampoo

I bought the Come Clean shampoo and have used it three or four times. I think it is good. It makes the hair feel very clean and because products such as castor oil and shea butter can be quite thick/heavy, a good shampoo should make the hair feel clean. However, since this is a product that I would have to order from overseas, I don’t think it is that good to warrant all that trouble.

One of the biggest challenges in the natural hair community is that many of these products are so celebrated, but you would be hard-pressed to find them here in Zambia.

As a side note, people keep asking me why I don’t buy to re-sell — the buying and selling of small items is for people with a certain level of patience that I don’t have. Even if you say “cash only”, you still end up begging people for your own money and I have so many more interesting and useful things that I could be doing with my time.

Back to the issue at hand, it would be nice to use sulfate-free shampoos and if anyone can tell me where in the SADC (Southern African Development Community) region to buy one, I would be happy to do so. Otherwise, I do not think that you need these special shampoos in order to have healthy and strong hair. It would definitely help, but I do not think it is a pre-requisite. NB: I will write to JC at The Natural Haven/scour her blog for an expert and scientific answer. When I find it, I will let you know.

Knot Today leave-in conditioner

On to the Knot Today leave-in conditioner. I bought this for two reasons. I have never actually used leave-in. I wasn’t all that into my hair when it was relaxed, so, other than the basics of good hair care, I didn’t go out of my way to treat it especially well. Thanks to genetics however, it was still relatively healthy. Second, I am a subscriber to Kimmaytube’s YouTube Channel and she (like many other natural hair YT/blog gurus) highly recommended Knot Today. It is also a key ingredient in Kimmaytube’s own recipe leave-in.

Despite what I have said about the shampoo, I would definitely go out of my way to buy more of this. It has a lovely fragrance, is very light, is not greasy or thick. Also, it is not watery either. I am totally in love with this product. I came back with three bottles from the US, and they will be carefully rationed.

The last product is the Curling Custard. Since twists are my main hairstyle, a good alternative to my shea butter and cocnut oil mix is most welcome. I couldn’t afford to buy this when I went, so I will save the review for another day, when I have managed to get my hands on some and have used it for two or three times.

.