Dark & Lovely Au Naturale

Having natural hair should never be a burden, and as much as it is quite the job to maintain – there should be hair care products that lighten our load a little bit. If you are like me, and you’ve been constantly disappointed by overzealous adverts and tubs of products that bare nothing but empty promises; the struggle is finally over.  Dark and Lovely has created a range of hair care products especially for the Au Naturale woman. The four-part range consists of a Moisture Replenishing Shampoo, Knot-Out Conditioner, Afro Moisturizing Butter and a Plaiting Pudding Cream.

My ‘fro has been fortunate enough to be loved on by these token products for about two weeks. I’m here to share my thoughts, tips and experiences on each product.

1. MOISTURE-REPLENISHING SHAMPOO (R34,95): A burst of mango scent permeates my steamy bathroom as I lather the shampoo all over my textured tressses. An instant foam oozes between my fingers and for a second I forget the tediousness of the task at hand. My hair is quite short, so one wash is usually sufficient without having to section my hair off to make it more manageable. I usually wash my hair once every 7 – 10 days mostly because I read somewhere that one needs to let their hair’s own essential oils come into play before washing it (to whoever wrote that, I believed you). But obviously the frequency of your washes depends on your texture, oiliness, dirt etc. This shampoo is especially great for those with dry hair as it moisturizes the scalp during the cleansing process. So no crispy tresses.

2. KNOT-OUT CONDITIONER (R34,95): My hair usually tangles a lot when I have taken out my protective styling (usually synthetic braids) and this conditioner definitely did it’s job  with detangling my locks which made it easier to comb with minimal shedding. I comb from the ends first, removing all knots before combing again from the roots. I always let my hair air dry because towels x heat = breakage.  

3. AFRO MOISTURIZING BUTTER (R69,95): A certain baby-like softness comes with applying this butter to my hair. Not only does it feel good on my ‘fro but it feels good on my fingers as well. I try to moisturize my hair daily, but sometimes a girl gets lazy (haha, that rhymes). I love the texture, not too oily, but it gives me that luster finish I desire.

4. PLAITING PUDDING CREAM (69,95): The epitome of maintaining my textured hair is plaiting. I try to wear it in twists every night before bed. Because my hair coils up tightly and shrinks, this helps to maintain its length while I sleep. The plaiting cream assists in making my hair more manageable when styling and it locks in the style almost like a gel. I However, I am not a fan of the flakiness when the product is dry. In the morning, I will shower without letting my twists get wet. The heat from the shower revives my curls before I undo the twists and head out for the day.

I am usually a sucker for shiny packaging that’s good to look at, but when it comes to things like haircare, it is the contents of the package that counts. Dark and Lovely’s Au Naturale range is free of mineral oils, parabens and petroleum. All of which are unnatural ingredients that can affect your health.

The Au Naturale range will be available in major retailers from next month.

X, Eleigh

Products courtesy of Dark & Lovely and Beauty Bulletin.