Today I’m gonna start my blog post off with a little story, so grab you something to drink, sit tight and read on. As a child, I absolutely hated my hair, among other things that most girls are not very happy with on their bodies. I developed my woman parts earlier than most so they stuck out and I had to use a bra before other girls did, my hair was difficult to manage and to top it all off – I came from a family that lived paycheck to paycheck, struggling to make ends meet. Growing up was a challenge, as it is for most girls – but for me, I not only dealt with bullying, but I had to fight for my right to be who I am. I later realized that I needed to truly love myself in order for others to see who I was and that bullying (while wrong and a terrible thing for anyone to go through), happens more times than not. My story (the very short version of it) was shared with you today because it offers me a connection between my life and that of Vanessa’s Essence. This natural and organic hair care line was was developed by a mother who reacted to her child Vanessa’s experience of being bullied and she was inspired to do something positive for other girls. The gap in availability of natural hair care products for girls can be a challenge to find and the companies goal is to not only encourage young girls to love themselves and be who they are naturally, but to also stop the bullying by starting conversations that raise awareness of the serious consequences of bullying. Today – I share with you Vanessa’s Essence.
Vanessa’s Essence is a hair care line that offers a variety of products that are geared to help young girls with wavy, curly, coily and afro-textured hair and assist them in understanding their hair and loving what they were given naturally. Vanessa’s Essence worked with experts to develop a special line of natural hair care products just for girls. The finest natural and organic ingredients were formulated to create products that work best for thick, curly, coily, kinky and wavy hair. The products are compliant with US Food and Drug Administration Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) standards and come with nourishing ingredients that you and your hair will love.
Ingredients like: Organic Coconut Oil infused with Grape Seed Oil, Capuacu Butter, Organic Madagascar Vanilla Bean, Mango Butter, Manuka Honey and Yucca Leaf Extract help to keep your hair moisturized, frizz free and easy to manage.
I had the opportunity to the try the following products: Lovely Locks Hair Milk, Clean my Koils 2 in 1 Shampoo and Conditioner, Knot Dry Revitalizing Moisture Cocktail and Let’s Hear It For The Kurls Hair Jelly Curl Definer. I’m going to share with you each product and let you know how each one worked for me.
Lovely Locks Hair Milk $17.39 / 8oz – nourishes your curls by locking in moisture and giving it a gorgeous shine. It’s perfected to style 3 and 4 type kinky curls in need of a light twisting styler and adds the much needed moisture your hair craves. It’s a creamy leave-in conditioner that I apply after my shampoo/conditioner and hair mask while my hair is still damp. I also apply on dry hair when I need a little extra something but rather use it when my hair is wet.
Formulated with Organic Aloe Juice that acts as a natural conditioner to help nourish your hair follicles, while rice bran oil stimulate hair growth and help prevent split ends if used regularly. Shea Butter helps to sooth, shield and protect your hair from dust and heat and keep your hair silky soft and smooth. The Lovely Locks Hair Milk smells great too and I love how my hair feels after using it.
Klean My Koils 2-in-1 Shampoo & Conditioner $19.00 / 8oz – Of course a good clean for our hair is always a wonderful thing. Ideal for dry hair types – this product helps infuse your hair with hydration while cleansing with a light lather. I have noticed that after using this product my hair feels light and has so much shine and luster. My hair feels clean, looks fabulous but it doesn’t sacrifice my curls while drying out my hair like other cleansers can do.
The core ingredients used in the product accelerate hair growth and heal damaged hair. They include Organic Aloe Juice, Shea Butter and Peppermint Leaf Extract, which alleviate dandruff and dryness. Yucca, Horsetail, Nettle and Melissa Leaf Extracts help in addressing hair loss. The Soybean Oil helps the nutrients absorb more fully into your hair. Distillates of Sour Cherry and Grapefruit act as a deodorizer, cleanser and detangler, strengthening hair follicles and stripping hair of damaging chemicals. Another core ingredient, Witch Hazel Distillate (Witch Hazel Distillate is a clear, colorless botanical extracts prepared from the recently cut and partially dried, dormant twigs of the Hamamelis Virginiana Linne plant) delivers bounce and volume, Pro Vitamin B5 locks in the moisture and Pomegranate Seed Extract adds luster to dull hair. The high antioxidant and vitamin content of Pomegranate Seed Extract helps to increase the blood circulation in the scalp, strengthen blood vessels and thereby promote healthy hair growth. You can experience the results over the long-term.
Knot Dry Revitalizing Moisture Cocktail $16.95 / 8oz – this product has easily become one of my favorite hair care products. My hair tangles all the time because of my curls, the weather and of course, because I can’t figure out whether to wear my hair up or down. I’m always looking for something to help detangle my hair while leaving it feeling soft and silky too. This product provides my hair with much needed moisture to help with handling and detangling so that detangling my hair doesn’t hurt and a can run my fingers or a comb through my hair easily. It provides hydration to my hair while leaving it looking glossy (not greasy) and offering shine.
The enzymes, vitamins and minerals in the Organic Aloe Leaf Juice promote growth and condition from within, and Honey heals damaged hair. Coconut Fruit Juice improves blood circulation in the scalp and enhances the density of hair and strengthens the hair follicles, which prevents it from breaking. Organic Green Tea has antioxidants, and its anti-inflammatory properties help to stop hair loss and promote the growth of new hair. Knot Dry also Organic Cranberry Extract which is known to be good to grow long and lustrous hair. It also promotes hair growth and prevents hair loss. The Vitamin C and Vitamin A in cranberry increases the growth of hair and keep the hair strong. The anti-fungal and antiseptic properties of cranberry helps to prevent the formation of dandruff. There is a light fragrance to this product, but it’s not overpowering at all.
Let’s Hear It For The Kurls Hair Jelly Curl Definer $18.00 / 8oz. – This product is a favorite among girls with 2 and 3 type curls/hair. It helps to accentuate and enhance your natural curls so you can embrace and love the hair you’re born with. This hair Jelly is one of my favorite products as well since it helps to condition my curls, leaving them looking like they have been revived and brought alive. I find that this is perfect to add to my hair after I have just washed it or when I need to revive my curls and twist them up some. It helps to tame my frizzles without adding stiff, crunchy hair and it is not sticky at all. You get medium hold that you can still run your fingers through.
Agave Nectar and Manuka Honey help define and condition your curls, prevent split ends, fight frizz and remove build up on the scalp. Vitamin B5 minimizes hair loss and promotes hair growth. Combined together, the ingredients strengthen hair follicles and nourish hair from root to tip.
I have come a long way in this hair journey of mine. While my hair is not perfect, I can honestly say that after years and years of hating it and hating how curly it was – wishing for straight locks like my friends, I’ve finally embraced my natural curls. I can only hope that my love for my hair will increase over time and that I’ll love it even more.
I can honestly say that after using and testing out Vanessa’s Essence Hair Care products over the last several months, in combination with some of my other hair care faves, I’ve fallen in love with them. When you try a product and immediately notice how different your hair feels and looks, you know that it is something good and great and you must hold onto it. I will be a lifelong customer of Vanessa’s Essence and can’t wait to replenish my product stash with more. The products are costly, but I have used SO MANY hair products in the past with similar price tags and even heftier ones that haven’t nourished and moisturized my hair the way these do.
As an adult, I have learned so many great and inspiring things – like how to love myself. Things like that are not taught, but have to be learned when you come to terms with who you are and figure out how to embrace it. I love that Vanessa’s Essence strives to work with young girls so that they can love their natural beauty because I know that young Honey could have used something like this many years ago. Sometimes, just a few words of encouragement, a smile and great hair can go a long way.
Check out Vanessa’s Beauty products on their website: https://www.vanessasessence.com/
Disclaimer: The products featured in this post were sent for review consideration. All opinions are my own, 100% honest & unbiased. Affiliate links are posted through out.
