I first went natural back in 2009 when there were more product lines for kinky-haired ladies than ever before, but definitely not as many as there are now. The first company I tried on my freshly done big chop was Carol’s Daughter. I loved the Mimosa Hair Honey, but you know how that ole PJism can creep up on you. As many products and lines emerged, I tried everything I could get my hands on whether something worked for me or not. Since that time I’ve grown my BC out, returned to the relaxer and gone completely natural all over again picking up numerous butters, conditioners and cleansers along the way.

My kinks, coils and curls have been giving me an attitude lately. Due to the sun and my lack of deep conditioning as of late (my fault), my strands are a bit weaker and dryer than I’d like to see them, so I thought I’d find a new product to throw into the mix. For some reason, I was drawn to Carol’s Daughter once again, but instead of the Mimosa Hair Honey, I wound up purchasing the Marguerite’s Magic Restorative Cream Hairdress for $17. I hadn’t tried it before, but it contains wheat germ, soybean oil plus cocoa and shea butters – exactly what my thirsty strands were looking for.

I deep conditioned my hair then applied Marguerite’s Magic. Although I normally would add oils and a leave in conditioner, I wanted to see how this product alone would cooperate with my hair. Ladies, I think that I have fallen in love a second time around with Carol’s Daughter. The Marguerite’s Magic claims to undo the most intense damage, restore natural strength, improve manageability and soften. Rarely do you come across a product that actually does what it says, but my hair says it all. Upon application, I could feel that my hair was smoother and softer, but the next morning I could see that it was also shiny and had a nice hold – an added bonus that I didn’t expect. It truly looks healthier and I’ve received loads of compliments on my bouncy, shiny curls. This is definitely a new staple. The ingredients are beneficial to any hair type and the smell is absolutely heavenly. I highly recommend it to anyone whether relaxed or natural. I’d love to hear if you’ve tried it and what you think!

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Back in the day, everyone used to have those compact hair dryers with the plastic bonnets. You know what I’m talking about. Those hard machines that you held like a briefcase and stretched to maximum capacity so that you could attempt to watch television over the janky clunking noises coming from it. Then everyone moved onto the much better, hard, portable hooded dryers. These worked well for deep conditioning until…

Yes, ladies – the hair steamer. It’s always been around in salons, but as the natural hair movement progresses, so have the number of steamers in homes. Although smaller and more portable than the salon version, these steamers are supposed to pack quite the punch.

The steamer works by opening up your follicles so that the conditioner can really seep into your strands, resulting in a head full of soft, shiny and fully moisturized hair. They typically range from $90-$120 depending on the brand whereas a hooded dryer can be as little as $25. I wondered if a steamer was really worth the extra cash.

After years of hooded dryer use, I received the Vega Steamer as a gift and decided to see for myself. Excited to try it out, I immediately put it to use. After shampooing my hair, I put on my fave moisturizing conditioner – Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose. The steamer was easy to set up and since you don’t need to wear a plastic cap, I quickly settled underneath the hood. About five minutes after pressing start, the steam began to filter out. Unfortunately, the conditioner also started to run down my face and I had to put a headband on to keep my hair out of the way. 15 minutes later, I was done. I noticed that my hair was softer than after using a hooded dryer. My curls were more defined and the conditioner had literally melted into my hair. I definitely think a steamer is worth the extra expense. Maybe next time I’ll try the award-winning Huetiful Steamer to compare.

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Have you tried using a hair steamer? What is your personal verdict?