Ask Dajewel

Love it!!! Yes yes yes. I am all over your answer and yes I am building a list as well for myself. I am transitioning and I do not want to have saved on perms and salons and spend on products. That just doesnt compute for me...lol. Not at this stage of my journey anyway, because I know things will change.

Anyway, love it and keep up the good work.

I've got some!!!

- I recently tried Organix Coconut milk conditioner (and I loooooved it!) but I'm wondering if it would be good to use as a DT on a long term basis (I DT once a week). It contains egg white proteins and I know that too much protein can be bad if you don't need it (not sure if I do or not, because still learning about my hair). Also, I'm slightly scared because it contains Dimethicone and I've been trying out the modified CG method (using HE Hello Hydration).

Here's the ingredient list: Water, Cetyl Alcohol, Behentirmonium Methosulphate, Parfum, Ceteary Alcohol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Glyceryl Stearate, Glycerin, Cylopentasiloxane, Dimethicone, Jojoba Seed Oil, DMDM Hydantoin, Panthenol, Silk Amino Acids, Coconut Extract, Albumen, Coconut Oil, Hydrolyzed Milk Protein, Vitamin E, Tetrasodium EDTA, Methylchlorothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone (are these considered 'cones?), and Coumarin

I guess what I'm asking is: are there enough good ingredients to outweigh the bad? Also, is there another way to tell immediately if an Alcohol is a Fatty Alcohol or not (without having to look it up)?

kea, am on it!!

Intelligentbeauty wrote:Love it!!! Yes yes yes. I am all over your answer and yes I am building a list as well for myself. I am transitioning and I do not want to have saved on perms and salons and spend on products. That just doesnt compute for me...lol. Not at this stage of my journey anyway, because I know things will change.

Anyway, love it and keep up the good work.

yes, it is def possible to save tons of money when transitioning and being natural. however, at the end of the day, we are ladies that like nice smelling stuff on our hair/skin!! in order to help save money and moderate your PJ maybe you can just hone in and try out one ingredient or product once a month? this is a great way to try the full power of a product. You can then be your own mixtress by doctoring up the product to fit your hair's needs. Fun, huh??

yay!!! ur the best

dajewel I just wanted to say that you are so awesome!

Ok, I have a question now. What would you recommend for our homemade mixes to use as a preservative? Where can you find it? How long will it keep a product fresh? [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Hi Dajewel, this is Newme10. My hair is fine and naturally curly, however, I have had gradual thinning at the crown for years. I am now 41, soon to be 42, and really want this hair to grow back because it is very noticablly thin now after all these years. I just ordered a hair growth elixir from Afroveda and use volumnizing shampoos but find them to be somewhat drying and leave my hair looking and feeling dull (the volumnizer I used last night on my hair is from aubrey organics). any advice on what shampoos and conditioners I should use?

Ok dajewel, love your name by the way...lol

Last question. I have alot of bad conditioners (mineral oil, petro,etc) that I had when my hair was permed that I dont really want to waste. Is there a way to incorporate some ingredient in them to make them beneficial to my hair in some way as a pre poo or something. Maybe glycerin or something that would balance out the bad? and then what should the estimated measurements be.
Thanks

dajewel wrote:

Lynnieluve wrote:Dajewel, Can you tell me what ingredients in Aussie Moist Conditioner makes my hair melt in my hands? I [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] this stuff!!!


Ingredients: water, stearyl alcohol, cetyl alcohol, stearamido-propyl, dimethylamine, glutamic acid, fragrance, bis-amniopropyl, dimethicone, benzyl alcohol, edta, ecklonia radiata extract (australian sea kelp extract), simmondisa chinensis (jojoba) seed oil, aloe barbadensis leaf juice extract, methylchloroisothiazolinone, methylisothiazolinone

I had a hard time typing that. LOL! I may not be able to pronounce these words but my hair loves this stuff!

Hey, there!!


i bolded the ingredients that contribute to the make-your-hair-melt feeling:

water, stearyl alcohol, cetyl alcohol, stearamido-propyl dimethylamine, glutamic acid, fragrance, bis-amniopropyl dimethicone, benzyl alcohol, edta, ecklonia radiata extract (australian sea kelp extract), simmondisa chinensis (jojoba) seed oil, aloe barbadensis leaf juice extract, methylchloroisothiazolinone, methylisothiazolinon

i haven't tried this product, but I am really liking how this combination of ingredients intrinsically work together!! The items that have been bolded seem to even further maximize the benefits of the australian sea kelp extract, jojoba seed oil and the aloe leaf juice. I would take slight caution, however, because the stearamidopropyl dimethylamine could lead to dermatitis; the sea kelp, jojoba seed oil and the leaf juice will help counteract this condition, though.

Thanks Dajewel!!!!

Dajewel, I have another request. Can you tell us all of the "secret" words for protein? And can you distinguish which ones are stronger than the others? I think I may be protein sensitive or it could be that I am just not getting the correct balance. Thanks you in advance.

Kea::curls wrote:I've got some!!!

- I recently tried Organix Coconut milk conditioner (and I loooooved it!) but I'm wondering if it would be good to use as a DT on a long term basis (I DT once a week). It contains egg white proteins and I know that too much protein can be bad if you don't need it (not sure if I do or not, because still learning about my hair). Also, I'm slightly scared because it contains Dimethicone and I've been trying out the modified CG method (using HE Hello Hydration).

Here's the ingredient list: Water, Cetyl Alcohol, Behentirmonium Methosulphate, Parfum, Ceteary Alcohol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Glyceryl Stearate, Glycerin, Cylopentasiloxane, Dimethicone, Jojoba Seed Oil, DMDM Hydantoin, Panthenol, Silk Amino Acids, Coconut Extract, Albumen, Coconut Oil, Hydrolyzed Milk Protein, Vitamin E, Tetrasodium EDTA, Methylchlorothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone (are these considered 'cones?), and Coumarin

I guess what I'm asking is: are there enough good ingredients to outweigh the bad? Also, is there another way to tell immediately if an Alcohol is a Fatty Alcohol or not (without having to look it up)?

Hey, there!!

in regards to your first question:
have you applied any product that have any protein on your hair before using the Organix Coconut milk conditioner? Yes, it is true that many naturals are sensitive to different levels of protein. This has a lot to do if your hair cuticles are fine or more coarse, how strong your hair is (which is an extension of my first reason) and when was the last time you added protein to your hair. Usually, the more fine your hair is, the more likely you will need protein to help fortify your strands. The more coarse, the less protein. There are alot of naturals that are sensitive to differing levels of protein, and the only to find out is to trial and error. I know you said that just BC'd in November and you are just beginning your healthy hair journey. Chances are you haven't been mindful to add protein once in a while to your hair? If so, at least in the beginning, I believe your hair cuticle would thank you for the added protein. Even so, I would strongly suggest to follow up with a DC w/a moisturizing condish. The more stronger your hair gets, the less frequency of needed protein DC. Perhaps when your hair reach this stage, a co-wash with a protein condish followed with DC with a moisturizing condish ever so often (your hair will tell you) would be good.

in regards to your second question:
are you using HE Hello Hydration as your co-wash and/or DT? I am not familiar with the CG method.

Silicones do cause heated debate as to which silicone is safer than others. Silicone is a general name given to a class of polymers that contain the element silicone. There are some good silicones and some bad silicones. The bad silicones, after repeated use, will weigh down the cuticle and/or dry out the hair.

Dimethicone, an organosiliconic polymer, is used to make your hair feel velvety and smooth. In fact, dimethicone is considered to act similar to sebum (and jojoba oil) because of its coating and smoothing action. Dimethicone achieves this due to its crazily flexible nature; the tetrahedral bonds around silicone allow for relatively unhindered rotation about silicone. So, this flexibity allows it to REALLY coat the cuticle, especially inside and outside the curls, kinks and coils of our hair. Because of its polymeric nature, dimethicone is used also thought of aa hydrophobic-like(water-fearing like) ingredient; this allows dimethicone to be used as a hair protectant in shampoos against loss of dye when hair is colored and harsh hair environments (eg. heat-styling).

Dimethicone's intended purposes are good, but what about in the long run??

Sure the protection from dimethicone's coating action is good, but repeated use without using a good clarifying shampoo will be too heavy on your hair's cuticle. Also, since it is hydrophobic-like(water-fearing), it won't allow for needed water/moisture to enter the cuticle. This will lead to drying.

AfrikanLatina wrote:dajewel I just wanted to say that you are so awesome!

thank you, AfrikanaLatina!!!

Thanks dajewel,

you answered the question head on! by CG i meant "Curly Girl" method which suggests avoiding ALL products with silicones. my hair was ok today, but somewhat dry by the end of the day, so i followed up with a moisturizing deep treatment, as suggested & it feels great. I am probably going to only use this as a co-wash periodically as you suggested (for protein benefits). since i know that i do use a few products with silicones (including HE Hello Hydration), i've been looking up different "clarifying" methods. instead of using a shampoo, i think i will go with the baking soda treatment (when the time comes). As of now, no problems with build up (yet!)

Thanks for dropping the knowledge

AfrikanLatina wrote:Ok, I have a question now. What would you recommend for our homemade mixes to use as a preservative? Where can you find it? How long will it keep a product fresh? [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

am on it!!

Intelligentbeauty wrote:Ok dajewel, love your name by the way...lol

Last question. I have alot of bad conditioners (mineral oil, petro,etc) that I had when my hair was permed that I dont really want to waste. Is there a way to incorporate some ingredient in them to make them beneficial to my hair in some way as a pre poo or something. Maybe glycerin or something that would balance out the bad? and then what should the estimated measurements be.
Thanks

am on it!

newme10 wrote:Hi Dajewel, this is Newme10. My hair is fine and naturally curly, however, I have had gradual thinning at the crown for years. I am now 41, soon to be 42, and really want this hair to grow back because it is very noticablly thin now after all these years. I just ordered a hair growth elixir from Afroveda and use volumnizing shampoos but find them to be somewhat drying and leave my hair looking and feeling dull (the volumnizer I used last night on my hair is from aubrey organics). any advice on what shampoos and conditioners I should use?

am on it!!

Lynnieluve wrote:Dajewel, I have another request. Can you tell us all of the "secret" words for protein? And can you distinguish which ones are stronger than the others? I think I may be protein sensitive or it could be that I am just not getting the correct balance. Thanks you in advance.

am on it!

Kea::curls wrote:Thanks dajewel,

you answered the question head on! by CG i meant "Curly Girl" method which suggests avoiding ALL products with silicones. my hair was ok today, but somewhat dry by the end of the day, so i followed up with a moisturizing deep treatment, as suggested & it feels great. I am probably going to only use this as a co-wash periodically as you suggested (for protein benefits). since i know that i do use a few products with silicones (including HE Hello Hydration), i've been looking up different "clarifying" methods. instead of using a shampoo, i think i will go with the baking soda treatment (when the time comes). As of now, no problems with build up (yet!)

Thanks for dropping the knowledge

Your welcome!!! baking soda/acv rinse would be good! also, bentonite clay would be good.

@Kea,

In reference to your 3rd question:
do the good ingredients outweigh the bad?
this ingredient list have very good ingredients. don't get scared when seeing the technical names because they are just that: technical names. alot of these ingredients were either procured from natural resources (animals, vegetables, plants) or are exact synthetic copies of ingredients that are from natural resources. This product has a ALOT of agents that do the following: detangle the hair, gentle cleansers, conditioners the hair, soften the hair, make the hair feel silky and velvety, moisturize the hair, reduce breakage when hair is combed/brushed, coats the hair, protectant, humectants, reduce frizziness, strengthen the hair and effective ways to keep all ingredients intact.

Methylchlorothiazolinone and Methylisothiazolinone are not cones. They do not contain any trace of the element, silicone, and they are not polymers. In fact, they possess an aromatic structure. They are preservatives, specially fungicides and bactericides, due to thiazole constituent (containing sulfur and nitrogen).

Nonetheless, here are my concerns:
1)although they list 'Parfum,' we don't know what they are using for parfums. companies have the ability to not disclose the specific ingredients in their fragrances because its considered to be proprietary information. FDA does allow the word 'parfum' to be listed in the ingredients list. so, technically speaking, this product is not considered to be adulterated.
2) DMDM Hydantoin is used as a preservative. Although the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Board approves the safety of this ingredient, the non-profit Enviornmental Working Group DMDM Hydantoin a pretty high rating for possible carcinogenic. To my knowledge, the FDA have not deemed this ingredient as a prohibitive substance.

In conclusion: I believe the two not so good are greatly outweighed by the plenty good!

Kea::curls wrote:

Also, is there another way to tell immediately if an Alcohol is a Fatty Alcohol or not (without having to look it up)?

Unfortunately, there is not an immediate way to tell if an alcohol is a fatty alcohol or not. Fatty alcohols are good for the hair because of their dual nature: water-loving(due to the hydroxyl head), fat-loving natures (due to the long, single hydrocarbon chain). The common fatty alcohols used in hair products that are beneficial are the following:

cetyl alcohol
stearyl alcohol
cetearyl alcohol
lauryl alcohol
myristyl alcohol
behenyl alcohol

the following are alcohols that are not considered to be fatty alcohols. they do have a hydroxyl groups (allows them to be water-loving), but they either have branched hydrocarbon chains or pretty short hydrocarbon chains(doesn't let the alcohol to be fat-loving).
ethanol/ethyl alcohol

SD Alcohol
SD Alcohol 40/SD 40/SDA-40
propanol
rubbing alcohol/isopropyl alcohol

other beneficial alcohols that are not fatty alcohols:
Panthenol is in the ingredients list. Its actually another name for the provitamin B5. It does have hydroxyl groups. It coats and seals the hair. is a humectant. also softens the hair.

keeping these two lists in mind will generally help you decipher the good and the bad alcohols.

dajewel wrote:

Kea::curls wrote:

Also, is there another way to tell immediately if an Alcohol is a Fatty Alcohol or not (without having to look it up)?

Unfortunately, there is not an immediate way to tell if an alcohol is a fatty alcohol or not. Fatty alcohols are good for the hair because of their dual nature: water-loving(due to the hydroxyl head), fat-loving natures (due to the long, single hydrocarbon chain). The common fatty alcohols used in hair products that are beneficial are the following:

cetyl alcohol
stearyl alcohol
cetearyl alcohol
lauryl alcohol
myristyl alcohol
behenyl alcohol

the following are alcohols that are not considered to be fatty alcohols. they do have a hydroxyl groups (allows them to be water-loving), but they either have branched hydrocarbon chains or pretty short hydrocarbon chains(doesn't let the alcohol to be fat-loving).
ethanol/ethyl alcohol

SD Alcohol
SD Alcohol 40/SD 40/SDA-40
propanol
rubbing alcohol/isopropyl alcohol


Panthenol is in the ingredients list. Its actually another name for the provitamin B5. It does have hydroxyl groups. It coats and seals the hair. is a humectant. also softens the hair.

keeping these two lists in mind will generally help you decipher the good and the bad alcohols.

thank you so much! this will definitely help me a lot (up until now, i've just been looking the diff alcohols up individually online whenever I run into one). i didn't realized i had asked so many questions all at once!

dajewel wrote:@Kea,

In reference to your 3rd question:
do the good ingredients outweigh the bad?
this ingredient list have very good ingredients. don't get scared when seeing the technical names because they are just that: technical names. alot of these ingredients were either procured from natural resources (animals, vegetables, plants) or are exact synthetic copies of ingredients that are from natural resources. There are ALOT of agents that do the following: detangle the hair, gentle cleansers, conditioners the hair, soften the hair, make the hair feel silky and velvety, moisturize the hair, reduce breakage when hair is combed/brushed, coats the hair, protectant, humectants, reduce frizziness, strengthen the hair and effective ways to keep all ingredients intact.

Methylchlorothiazolinone and Methylisothiazolinone are not cones. They do not contain any trace of the element, silicone, and they are not polymers. In fact, they possess an aromatic structure. They are preservatives, specially fungicides and bactericides, due to thiazole constituent (containing sulfur and nitrogen).

Nonetheless, here are my concerns:
1)although they list 'Parfum,' we don't know what they are using for parfums. companies have the ability to not disclose the specific ingredients in their fragrances because its considered to be proprietary information. FDA does allow the word 'parfum' to be listed in the ingredients list. so, technically speaking, this product is not considered to be adulterated.
2) DMDM Hydantoin is used as a preservative. Although the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Board approves the safety of this ingredient, the non-profit Enviornmental Working Group DMDM Hydantoin a pretty high rating for possible carcinogenic. To my knowledge, the FDA have not deemed this ingredient as a prohibitive substance.

In conclusion: I believe the two not so good are greatly outweighed by the plenty good!

This is great! It also gives me a better idea of how to view/consider the ingredients in products, while trying to set my routine. you are like my natural hair big sister!

Kea::curls wrote:

dajewel wrote:

Kea::curls wrote:

Also, is there another way to tell immediately if an Alcohol is a Fatty Alcohol or not (without having to look it up)?

Unfortunately, there is not an immediate way to tell if an alcohol is a fatty alcohol or not. Fatty alcohols are good for the hair because of their dual nature: water-loving(due to the hydroxyl head), fat-loving natures (due to the long, single hydrocarbon chain). The common fatty alcohols used in hair products that are beneficial are the following:

cetyl alcohol
stearyl alcohol
cetearyl alcohol
lauryl alcohol
myristyl alcohol
behenyl alcohol

the following are alcohols that are not considered to be fatty alcohols. they do have a hydroxyl groups (allows them to be water-loving), but they either have branched hydrocarbon chains or pretty short hydrocarbon chains(doesn't let the alcohol to be fat-loving).
ethanol/ethyl alcohol

SD Alcohol
SD Alcohol 40/SD 40/SDA-40
propanol
rubbing alcohol/isopropyl alcohol


Panthenol is in the ingredients list. Its actually another name for the provitamin B5. It does have hydroxyl groups. It coats and seals the hair. is a humectant. also softens the hair.

keeping these two lists in mind will generally help you decipher the good and the bad alcohols.

thank you so much! this will definitely help me a lot (up until now, i've just been looking the diff alcohols up individually online whenever I run into one). i didn't realized i had asked so many questions all at once!

ur welcome!! is ok! ask me any and all questions! i purposely number the questions to help me better organize my thoughts.

Kea::curls wrote:

dajewel wrote:@Kea,

In reference to your 3rd question:
do the good ingredients outweigh the bad?
this ingredient list have very good ingredients. don't get scared when seeing the technical names because they are just that: technical names. alot of these ingredients were either procured from natural resources (animals, vegetables, plants) or are exact synthetic copies of ingredients that are from natural resources. There are ALOT of agents that do the following: detangle the hair, gentle cleansers, conditioners the hair, soften the hair, make the hair feel silky and velvety, moisturize the hair, reduce breakage when hair is combed/brushed, coats the hair, protectant, humectants, reduce frizziness, strengthen the hair and effective ways to keep all ingredients intact.

Methylchlorothiazolinone and Methylisothiazolinone are not cones. They do not contain any trace of the element, silicone, and they are not polymers. In fact, they possess an aromatic structure. They are preservatives, specially fungicides and bactericides, due to thiazole constituent (containing sulfur and nitrogen).

Nonetheless, here are my concerns:
1)although they list 'Parfum,' we don't know what they are using for parfums. companies have the ability to not disclose the specific ingredients in their fragrances because its considered to be proprietary information. FDA does allow the word 'parfum' to be listed in the ingredients list. so, technically speaking, this product is not considered to be adulterated.
2) DMDM Hydantoin is used as a preservative. Although the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Board approves the safety of this ingredient, the non-profit Enviornmental Working Group DMDM Hydantoin a pretty high rating for possible carcinogenic. To my knowledge, the FDA have not deemed this ingredient as a prohibitive substance.

In conclusion: I believe the two not so good are greatly outweighed by the plenty good!

This is great! It also gives me a better idea of how to view/consider the ingredients in products, while trying to set my routine. you are like my natural hair big sister!

your welcome!!!! ask me anytime!!!