Gentle Lather Shampoo

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Ingredients

Conditioning Agents
Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride

Film Forming Humectants
Panthenol

Gentle Cleansers
Decyl Polyglucose
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate

Verified – Caution
Diazolidinyl Urea
Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate

Verified – Okay
C 12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
PEG 150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate

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Hair Cleansing Cream

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Ingredients

Conditioning Agents
Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride

Humectants
Glycerin

Gentle Cleansers
Decyl Polyglucose
Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Behentrimonium Methosulfate

Moisturizing Alcohols
Cetearyl Alcohol

Botanical Ingredients – Extracts and Oils
Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil

Verified – Caution
Diazolidinyl Urea
Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate

Verified – Okay
C 12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
PEG 150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate

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Let’s break it down. Looks like they have very similar ingredients with a few differences.

Conditioning agents: Both contain Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, which is very good for detangling but has a higher potential for build-up.

Humectants: They both contain Humectants … Gentle Later has Panthenol which is a Film Forming Humectant meaning it will form a film over the hair and will help resist dehydration. These ingredients are also safe to use in low dew points. Hair Cleansing Cream contains Glycerin which can be helpful or hurtful for retaining moisture based on your climate and dew point.

Gentle Cleansers: Both contain a good amount of gentle cleansing ingredients, but the Hair Cleansing Cream has an additional cleanser: Behentrimonium Methosulfate, which sounds like a sulfate but is not. It is an extremely gentle surfactant and a mild detangling ingredient. It does not cause buildup, and is non-irritating to the scalp, which makes it great for cowashing.

Moisturizing Ingredients: Hair Cleansing Cream has a few more moisturizing ingredients than the Gentle Lather Shampoo: Cetearyl Alcohol and Avocado Oil. Cetearly Alcohol is a fatty alcohol that works as an emollient to soften the hair and Avocado Oil can also help soften the hair and has deep moisturizing, regenerative and strengthening properties. 

Bottom Line:

Both are great products and have many beneficial ingredients for your hair. Hair Cleansing Cream has a bit more moisturizing ingredients, so if you hair craves moisture and can stand the weight of the extra oil – Then the cleansing cream would probably be great for you! If you are looking for a lighter cleanser that has great cleansing properties – give the Gentle Lather Shampoo a try!

Where to buy:

Amazon: Jessicurl Gentle Lather Shampoo | Jessicurl Hair Cleansing Cream

Want to see more product comparisons? Drop me a line or leave a comment on which products you would like me to compare and analyze.

The post JESSICURL Product Comparison: Gentle Lather Shampoo vs. Hair Cleansing Cream appeared first on Is it CG?.

If the product you are researching includes a large amount of botanical oils and extracts, it will surely provide lots of nutrients for your curly hair. Many have moisturizing and strengthening properties that will help maintain the moisture/protein balance that curly hair loves. Be careful though because all of those oils and butters could have the potential to be too heavy and weigh the hair down. Below are descriptions of some botanical ingredients commonly found in hair products.

Common Botanical Ingredients found in hair products

Argan Oil (Argania Spinosa)
Argan oil, or “liquid gold” as some like to call it, is made from the fresh kernels of the fruit of the argan tree in Morocco. This oil is full of fatty acids (oleic acid and linoleic acid) and antioxidants (vitamin E), which make it a great lubricant to help maintain moisture, reduce frizziness and promote shine. Argan oil has also been used for centuries as a sun protectant preventing drying and other damage from ultraviolet rays.

Product to try: Curl Junkie BeautiCurls Argan & Olive Oil Daily Hair Conditioner

Jojoba Oil (Simmondsia Chinensis Seed)
The jojoba plant is a desert shrub native to the southwestern United States. This oil is full of nutrients like vitamins E and B, as well as minerals like chromium, copper, and zinc. These properties nourish and protect hair from environmental stressors and its oily composition makes it a great moisturizer. It is also added to conditioners to give added protection against dryness, breakage, and split ends.

Product to try: Bounce Curl Moisture Balance Treatment – Primer & Sealer Leave-In Conditioner

Lavender Oil (Lavandula Angustifolia)
Lavender oil has many hair and scalp benefits which include helping promote hair growth and reducing scalp inflammation and dryness. It also has antimicrobial properties which helps prevent bacteria and fungi from growing. Bonus!! … its aroma adds a relaxing and calming effect.

Products to try: Love Beauty and Planet Argan Oil and Lavender Smooth and Serene Shampoo and Conditioner

Lotus Flower Oil (Nelumbium Speciosum Flower)
The seeds from this sacred flower are rich in protein, amino acids, unsaturated fatty acids, starch, tannins, and minerals, which helps to increase the volume, strength, and elasticity of the hair. It also stimulates melanin synthesis which prevent premature graying. 

Product to try: Bamboo & Lotus Water Deep Conditioner

Mango Seed Butter (Mangifera Indica Seed)
Mango Butter is derived from the seeds contained inside the pits of the Mango fruit and it is chock full of fatty acids and vitamins, including: Oleic Acid, Stearic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Linoleic Acid, Arachidic Acid, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and Vitamin E.  This nutrient rich butter seals in moisture controlling fizz and adding volume. It strengthens the hair follicle reducing breakage and hair loss and has sun protectant properties that guard against ultraviolet rays.

Product to try: Jane Carter Solution Nourish and Shine

Pumpkin Seed Oil
Pumpkin Seed Oil is a nutrient-dense oil that contains omega-3s, essential fatty acids, zinc, vitamin E, Vitamin K, and phytosterol. This is a great hair moisturizer that nourishes hair follicles and has been known to promote hair thickness and hair count, especially in men. 

Products to try: ACURE Ultra Hydrating Shampoo and ACURE Ultra Hydrating Conditioner

Sweet Almond Oil(Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis)
Almond oil contains high amounts of vitamin E , a natural antioxidant, and works as an emollient making hair feel smoother to the touch. It contains lubricating properties that diminish friction during hair styling making hair stronger and less prone to split ends. Almond oil can also be used as a treatment for flaky scalp (seborrheic dermatitis) and scalp psoriasis. 

Product to try: Eden Bodyworks Almond & Marshmallow Hydration Serum

The post Botanical Oils and extracts: Nutrient dense ingredients for healthy hair appeared first on Is it CG?.

Say no to Sulfates

A sulfate is a cleansing agent and surfactant that can be found in household cleaners, detergents and shampoos. The two biggies that many shampoos contain are Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) and Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES). These and other sulfates create the lathering effect that removes dirt and oil from your hair and scalp. Sounds great, but these harsh sulfates can disrupt the moisture/protein balance by stripping the hair of it’s natural oils. Long-term daily use of a sulfate shampoo can create dry, frizzy and undefined curls. 

Say no to Silicones

Silicones are polymers that are meant to provide slip and shine while taming frizz. Wonderful, right? Unfortunately, these silicones can build up on the hair over time and create a residue barrier, which blocks moisture from reaching the hair shaft. The only way to remove silicones is with a sulfate shampoo, which can strip the hair. Endless cycle begins and no moisture/protein balance can be achieved. 

Always avoid both sulfates and silicones

Scenario 1: Sulfate shampoo followed by silicone conditioner and stylers. The shampoo strips the hair and the silicones block the moisture. This creates an endless cycle leaving you with dry, frizzy, lifeless hair.

Scenario 2: Sulfate-free shampoo followed by silicone conditioners and stylers. The sulfate free shampoo is not strong enough to remove the silicones from the hair. The silicones will eventually create an almost plastic-like barrier – no moisture can get in. Ugh … another formula for dry, frizzy lifeless hair.

Scenario 3: Sulfate-free shampoo and silicone free conditioner and stylers (otherwise known as the Curly Girl Method). Gentle cleansing or cowashing does not strip the hair of natural oils. Moisture can penetrate the hair shaft allowing the moisture/protein balance to thrive and curls become juicy and defined! Yay!

The post Say no to Sulfates and Silicones for juicy and defined curls appeared first on Is it CG?.

GIOVANNI Tea Tree Triple Treat Invigorating Shampoo

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Hard Water Shampoo 10.5 ounce

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Briogeo Curl Charisma Hydrating Shampoo, 8 oz

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1. Analyze the ingredients with the isitcg? app

The first step… know what ingredients are in the products you use. That’s where the isitcg? app comes in handy. This app breaks down all of the ingredients in your products by putting them in categories. This allows you to see if there are any common denominators in your routine. Maybe your hair hasn’t been looking so great and after running all of your products through the app, you notice that a lot of them contain coconut – this could be a culprit. Some common ingredients that have potential to cause problems are coconut, aloe, protein, glycerin, shea butter, polyquats, etc.

2. Use the same products for an extended amount of time

A good way to know how your hair reacts to a product or ingredient is to use those products over and over for an extended period of time. It’s very possible to use a product once or twice and have good results, but if you can get consistent results over an extended amount of time, it’s very likely that those ingredients will consistently work for your hair.

It’s good to note that hair can be finicky and products can just flat out stop working or the weather can change and signal it’s time to change things up. I typically change up my wash and condition routine, but keep my styling products pretty consistent. Also, if you try a new product and your results go haywire … you can compare the ingredients to your go-to products and see if anything sticks out.

3. Add neutral protein filler

Adding neutral protein filler to a protein free conditioner is a great way to determine if you hair likes protein or not. Neutral Protein Filler is a product available at Sally’s beauty supply and Amazon.

First try a wash without the protein filler. On your next wash day, try adding the filler to your conditioner. Mix a small amount of the filler with the conditioner in the palm of your hand and condition as usual. Now compare your results, if your hair perks up on the second wash than you know your hair likes protein. If it falls flat or looks frizzy, protein is probably not your friend.

4. Not so happy accidents … trial and error

So much of this curly hair journey is trial and error and with time and patience, you will start to see a trend of what works and doesn’t work for your hair. Sometimes happy or not so happy accidents can help speed up this process.

For example, I was super excited to try a new line of products. I splurged on black friday and bought a shampoo, leave-in, serum and gel. I thought for sure this was going to be amazing, but unfortunately, I had the worst results ever. I was so disappointed! I tried it again .. same results. I thought to myself, what the heck?!?!? So I checked the ingredients and each product had aloe as one of the first two ingredients and wow! I had no idea my hair didn’t like aloe. So I started to remove the aloe from my routine and wouldn’t ya know … my hair started to snap back and I was having good results again!

5. Use a hair diary to track your results

There are a variety of hair apps available that allows you to track your hair results. You can take pictures of your hair on wash day and log the products you use. This allow you to look back on your results and easily see what products/ingredients produced the best results. HairDays is one app that comes to mind. You can also easily do this with phone camera and photos app by adding a caption to your photos with the details of your washday.

So there you have it … 5 easy ways to help you figure out what ingredients work and don’t work for your hair. I hope these tips help you on your curly hair journey! I would love for you to share some of your experiences with ingredients in the comments!

The post 5 tips for learning what ingredients work best for your Curly hair appeared first on Is it CG?.

Amazon, on the other hand, is not a credible source for ingredients. It is a great place to purchase (some) products and to read reviews, but I do not recommend copying the ingredients from that source. I have seen too many discrepancies with ingredients like the example below from their site.

Example: Ion Hardwater Shampoo (inconsistent ingredients bolded)

Amazon’s Ingredient List

WATER ,SODIUM C14-16 OLEFIN SULFONATE, SODIUM LAURETH SULFATE, COCAMIDE MEA, PPG/PEG-2/10 GLYCERYL COCOATE, SODIUM CHLORIDE, PROPYLENE GLYCOL, SODIUM LAURYL SULFOACETATE, PEG-120 METHYL GLUCOSE DIOLEATE, FRAGRANCE, DISODIUM EDTA, WHEATGERMAMIDOPROPYL DIMETHYLAMINE HYDRO, PANTHENOL, PHENOXYETHANOL, POLYQUATERNIUM-10, CITRIC ACID, SODIUM GLUCONATE, METHYLPARABEN, GLUCOSE, PROPYLPARABEN, TOCOPHERYL ACETATE, ASCORBIC ACID , BLUE 1, YELLOW 5

Sally’s Beauty Ingredient List

WATER, SODIUM C14-16 OLEFIN SULFONATE, COCAMIDE DIPA, SODIUM CHLORIDE, BUTYLENE GLYCOL, COCAMIDOPROPYL BETAINE, GLYCERIN, PHENOXYETHANOL, DISODIUM LAURETH SULFOSUCCINATE, DISODIUM EDTA, FRAGRANCE, SODIUM LAURYL SULFOACETATE, SODIUM GLUCONATE, PEG-120 METHYL GLUCOSE DIOLEATE, POTASSIUM SORBATE, PANTHENOL, CITRIC ACID, POLYQUATERNIUM-10, GLUCOSE, LINUM USITATISSIMUM (LINSEED) SEED EXTRA, BENZOIC ACID, ASCORBIC ACID, BLUE 1, BUTYLPHENYL METHYLPROPIONAL, HEXYL CINNAMAL, LIMONENE, LINALOOL

Holy Moly! You can see from these examples that these ingredient lists are soooo different. Amazon’s list basically says it is not curly girl approved because it contains Sodium Laureth Sulfate. It also has a couple parabens, which is a deal breaker for some. These look like totally different products to me.

Here’s what the bottle says!

Looks like Sally’s Beauty has the correct ingredients and Amazon was way off.

Lesson learned! Always double check the ingredient lists. I would hate hate hate for anyone to purchase or not purchase a product because the ingredients that were entered into the app were incorrect. Please try to find the most accurate ingredients before using the app.

The post PSA: go to the source appeared first on Is it CG?.

Typical shampoos contain sulfates that strip the hair of its natural oils while also causing dryness and irritation on the scalp. This is especially detrimental for curly hair because curls thrive on moisture.

Gentle cleansers create a subtle lather and cleanse the hair without stripping it. This is especially effective for fine hair wavies because a co-wash only routine tends to be too heavy and can weigh their hair down. A co-wash/no poo routine works better for those with thick, dryer curly/kinky-coily hair.

That doesn’t mean that you should use a low poo every time you jump in the shower. Your hair does not need to be washed that often despite what many of us learned growing up. It’s a great idea to mix up your hair routine between low poo-ing, co-washing and just rinsing and conditioning.  A lot of times, I find my hair does not need a full wash but just needs to be rinsed and detangled. Of course, like many aspects of the Curly Girl Method, a lot depends on your individual needs and the best way to figure that out is through trial and error.

One thing to keep in mind is that low poos are not strong enough to remove silcones or build-up from the hair and scalp. That’s why it is not advised to use products that contain silicones with a sulfate-free routine. Also, using a clarifying shampoo once or twice a month followed up by a deep conditioning treatment is a great way to keep build-up at bay.

Gentle Cleansing ingredients include:

*As is with all ingredients in hair products, there are many variations and synonyms to the ingredient names. If you see a discrepancy with the ingredients listed above, please contact us. Please site a source for the information.

The post Gentle Cleansers appeared first on Is it CG?.

Xtava Black Orchid Large Hair Diffuser

Xtava 1875 Watt Pro Hair Dryer

Curly Girl: The Handbook

Continuous Mist Empty Spray Bottle For Hair

Curly Hair Towel, Large Microfiber

Deep Conditioning Thermal Heat Cap

Denman Classic Styling Brush 7 Rows

invisibobble Power Traceless Hair Ties

Prong Root Lifting Curl Clips

Scunci Effortless Beauty Mini Slinky Black Twisters

Scunci No-Slip Grip Jaw Clips

Soft Bonnet hooded hair dryer Attachment

YANIBEST Extra Large Adjustable Satin Lined Slouchy Beanie Sleep Cap

Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer Iron/Fuchsia

Wooden Wide Tooth Comb

The post Recommended cg styling tools appeared first on Is it CG?.

There are two categories of film forming ingredients: Plant gels and Hydrolyzed proteins (source: Science-y Hair blog)

Plant gels:

• flax seed gel (linseed)
• okra gel (made from okra seed pods)
• aloe vera
• hydroxyethylcellulose
• pectin
• xanthan gum
• guar gum
• marsh mallow root
• slippery elm
• carrageenan (also known as irish moss or seaweed extract, sea emollient, sea algae, sea vegetable)
• nettle leaf tea or nettle extract
• panthenol*
• Hydroxypropyltrimonium honey

Hydrolyzed proteins:

• Hydrolyzed ________(source of protein) protein 
• Peptides (wheat, oat, soy…)
• Amino acids (wheat, oat, soy) or glycine, alanine, proline, etc.
• Cocodimonium hydroxypropyl hydrolyzed _________ (source of protein, i.e. keratin, silk, rice, soy)
• Cocoyl hydrolyzed ________ (source of protein)
• Potassium cocoyl hydrolyzed ________ (source of protein)
• Hydrolyzed oat flour

We try to capture all of the possible ingredients that fall into this category, but it can be difficult with ingredient name variations. If you notice an ingredient that should be in this category but is not, please contact us.

Products with Film Forming Humectant Ingredients

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