Hair, Beauty & Mental Health

I love testing out coconut oil based products, because I absolutely love coconut oil.I heard so many positive things about this hair mask, but never got round to purchasing any, as I couldn't find any reviews for curly hair types.I was very lucky to be contacted St.Tropica back in May, asking if I would like to try and review them, and of course I accepted straight away.This review is not sponsored in any way and its 100% honest and based on my experience.

I'm not sure if the bow comes originally with the packaging but I still found it really cute.The box got a little damaged (thanks customs!) which isn't St Tropica's fault at all, so I was unable to get pictures of the box properly.The box contains 3 hair masks and a cap, which I thought was an added bonus as my current silk cap is pretty much ruined.The packets contain solid coconut oil, which needs to be melted with either using a microwave for 20seconds or a kettle for 30 seconds, which then you can either put the oil into a bowl or distribute it from the packet by cutting off the corner.I personally prefer cutting off the corner, applying the oil directly onto my hair or by putting it on my hands to then massage it in, making sure I apply it to my scalp too.

What the hair mask states that it can:

I remember using this mask for the first time and honestly thinking nothing positive would come from it, as it sounded too good to be true.Firstly my hair absorbed this oil up so fast, I was tempted to use a second packet.It didn't leave my hair feeling heavy either, which some oil based products can leave my hair feeling like that which isn't nice.I also did use the cap that came with it, which did help to penetrate the hair cuticles even more, but I decided to stop using it as I personally feel silly using it.I decided to use my Kérastase Curl Ideal Cleansing Conditioner to remove it, as it works as a shampoo and a conditioner to provide the nutrients back into the hair.These are the results after using the hair mask for the first time, and after applying a little bit of cream to add that extra definition.

Each time I've used this mask, I've noticed a difference each time which are all positive.The normal frizz that I would always get on a wash or deep conditioning day has been reduced by a lot.I would love to say that I have zero frizz, but I constantly touch my hair so I can't really avoid it.I have quite a lot of hair already anyway, but I felt this mask helped with not only detangling the mess that it can get into, but also gave my hair more volume and bounce.I could of easily gone about my day without applying a curl cream, but I love having that extra definition.

My hair tends to get quite dry in the summer, especially because of the heat and the sun causes my hair to change either red or blonde.This mask does help lot with dry hair, leaving my hair not only soft afterwards, but extremely moisturised.The strength of my hair has improved a lot too, with not a lot of fallout when brushing my hair and I'm able to tie my hair up in a bun, without the worry of my hair breaking when taking the hairband out.I'm also able to style my hair in a bun with dry hair, which I couldn't really do before, as I had to constantly re-wet my hair to not risk it from breaking off.

I was worried about the scent of this product, because sometimes coconut oil based masks can smell a bit funky (like an odd smell).This mask smells really really nice of coconut and left my hair smelling really good.

The only difference which I haven't found with this mask, is the hair growth.I feel like I haven't used it that long to be able to see results or give my opinion on it, as its only been other a month.I would say that my edges have gotten thicker, but no new growth has come through yet.I also think where I've had less fallout with my hair, I will hopefully see a difference when it comes to hair growth.I wouldn't count this as a negative, because it does take 2+ months to see any difference.I haven't found anything negative to say about this mask so far either and I've been enjoying it so much I want more!

This is a picture of my hair which I took on the 21st June, using my last St Tropica mask and applying some curl cream afterwards.As you can see my hair is a lot more thicker, especially my curls.I have a lot more bounce to them now as well and I hardly get any frizz in this crazy summer weather.Depending on your budget, you can spend as little as £10 ($15) to £38 ($42) as a bundle on these masks.Since now trying this out and seeing the benefits that its done for my hair, I would purchase the 6 pack during the summer and the 12pack for the winter.My hair does get more dry during the winter time, because of the cold and the constant rain (yay for UK weather), so being able to treat my hair on a monthly basis would be perfect.If you're still not sure about this mask, then I would recommend trying it out by purchasing the cheapest option, that way you can see how well it works for your hair or feel free to ask any questions on here or over on my instagram @shanisemorgan

Below I've listed some more positives about this mask, which you may find beneficial:

L'Oréal has been stepping up there game recently, by not only adding more foundation shades to cater for us medium and darker skin toned folks, but now a range our curly, afro, kinky hair too.This range has been out for a little while, but its either selling out completely or the store don't stock it.I couldn't find it at my local Boots and Superdrug, so when I saw it available at Amazon, I picked it up so fast.I decided to just pick up the cleansing conditioner, along with the hair masque, because I'm perfectly happy with the current shampoo that I've got and the shampoo has been getting quite a lot of negative reviews.I owned the original Extraordinary Oil range and although my hair loved it at the beginning, it got to the point where my hair was feeling extremely yucky from the buildup after longterm use.My curls are a mixture of 3a/3b/3c

The packaging is always on point when it comes to L'Oréal, and I'm really glad that they decided to shape the bottle like the Kérestase Curl Ideal Cleansing Conditioner, that are also owned by L'Oréal.I've found with this new design that its so much easier to pump the product out, instead of shaking the bottle to get the product out like the old packaging.It was also a nuisance to stand the product on the cap, and the product had hardened, making it a mess and wasting the product (shown below).You don't have this issue with this new designed bottle, however L'Oréal have kept the same styled bottle for the other conditioner in this range, so thats something to keep in mind.The masque is the exact same design like the others which I'm glad that they've kept, because its easy to just scoop the amount of product that you want out of the pot, and screw the lid back on with zero mess.The original conditioner bottle is shown below and its grim:

I've been through a lot of conditioners, even the expensive Kérastase products as mentioned in this post, but this cleansing conditioner does such a good job for the price.Before using this product, I want to point out that I had not washed my hair properly for 2weeks, because I had the flu.I had to constantly just apply product after product to keep it moisturised and you can imagine the amount of build up that was sitting on my scalp and hair.The cleansing conditioner doesn't foam like it says on the bottle, but you can seriously feel it working its magic on the hair.In the photo above, that is just one pump, but for me, I need at least two pumps to work for the whole of my hair.Its recommended to massage onto the scalp, whilst combing or finger detangling to separate the curls.I always use my trusty Denman or Lily England paddle brush for this, as they don't tug on the hair at all.After doing that for about a minute, I washed my hair with luke warm water, which was super easy to wash out and my scalp was left feeling very clean.My hair wasn't left feeling dry or stripped and smelt so delicious.If you're not a fan of the scent from the original extraordinary oil range, you might like this one because they smell completely different and has more of a floral scent to it.I feel this cleansing conditioner can just work well on its own like a co-wash, but if you're wanting that extra hair treatment or nourishment, I would follow up with the hair masque from this range.I will be switching to this cleansing conditioner once my Kérastase runs out, because I prefer this L'Oréal one more and I'll be saving pennies.

I admit, I did try applying just a walnut sized amount on my hair, because its not gonna hurt right?but like I predicted, I needed at least another 2-3scoops for my thick curls.It recommends to then leave it on for 2-3minutes which sounded good to me, so I went to go cuddle my cats until it was time to rinse it out.This masque was incredibly easy to wash out, like it was melting away from my hair strands.My hair was not only left extremely soft with a lot of moisture and no frizz, but I had some definition going on too!I wanted to make sure that this definition was going to stay though, beause you can't have too much definition, so I applied my favourite curl product which is the Camille Rose Naturals Curl Maker.

I had such a good hair day on that day, that I was comfortable with just having my hair down and being able to take pictures for my other blog posts.My hair only got a little bit of frizz on top which is mainly my fault, because I couldn't stop touching my hair.I'm so shocked at how well these two products worked on my hair and how they left me with such great results.The prices vary between each retailer, but sell from just £1.98-£5.99 each, which is a fantastic price, especially since I've spent so much more on other brands that don't leave my hair feeling and looking this good.Although I'm intrigued to try the shampoo and conditioner from this range, I'm currently very happy with just the two of these.I think it would be interesting to see L'Oréal releasing a curl cream, oil or spray for this range like the others.

Back in may I purchased a bottle of these hair vitamins, because they were all over social media and you guys requested me to review them for you too, which I love doing as it helps you.These are the first hair vitamins I have ever given in too, with me only trying Biotin based tablets from Holland & Barrett (which are awful) so I really wasn't expecting these to work at all.As mentioned in my first post of trying these, I was extremely impressed to find that their was new growth along the hair line and edges, which hasn't happened in years since damaging my hair from relaxer 6-7years ago.Being natural has improved my hair overall, however I still struggled with maintaining the hair along my edges, as they would only grow to a certain length and eventually break off.During the first month, I've noticed a lot of improvements which I have broken down for you below, after explaining a little about SugarBearHair.If you already know this, you can just skip it :)

What are SugarBearHair Vitamins?:

These vitamins have been designed to improve hair growth and be healthy, whilst also making them super tasty for you so you can take them without the nasty aftertaste.They state that they:

- Helps improve hair growth

- Growing stronger hair

- Improving the hair elasticity (like hello shrinkage?!)

- Reducing hair breakage

Main Ingredients:

- Vitamin A

- Vitamin C

- Vitamin B-5

- Vitamin B-9

- Vitamin B-12

- Biotin

- Coconut Oil

Full list of ingredients can be found here

I started putting it in a bun again 2weeks after taking the vitamins and again got positive results.The breakage has reduced a lot, and my hair stayed in a sleek bun for the whole day.I was doing the exact same routine by applying Eco Styler along my edges and using Bounce Curl for the rest of my hair to stay moisturised.Frizz begins to show roughly around 13hours around the back, but thats still pretty remarkable (in my opinion) for it to last that long.I've also had to invest in a new hair tie, as my hair has got so much thicker and of course I didn't need this as my hair is thick enough already, but I take this as a positive still.Its great to know that these vitamins do help with the elasticity, and although I would never push my hair to the extreme limit of testing this, its still done very well at maintaining my hair bun on a daily basis with no hair snapping off.

There is only 1 negative that has affected me personally and may actually be a positive for you.I don't know if its a coincidence, but my eyebrows have been growing like crazy.My eyebrows have always been quick to grow, but never at this rate to the point I have to constantly sort them out.I did end up removing a bit too much of the hair on one the other day, so I'm kind of happy that the hair will grow back soon to even it out.It has began to slow down recently, not growing through as fast but the hairs are fairly thick and need a little trim now and then.On the positive side, its working great towards achieving the eyebrow shape that I want, so its really not a negative.Overall I've had a really great experience with SugarBearHair so far, and they were even kind enough to of sent me a 6month supply with the little brush to continue my hair journey and of course let you guys know how I get on.I'm really exited about my results in the next 6months to see how much my hair is going to change as its changing already.I also look forward to taking my vitamins everyday (one in the morning and before bed) as they taste really nice (berries) and don't leave a nasty after taste at all.If your thinking of joining the SugarBearHair family, I'd highly recommend purchasing the 3month supply to start off as you get a discount and to continuously see results.Can be purchased here