Now Reviewing - Anita Grant

So y'all know I was super stoked to receive my Anita Grant package, I almost couldn't contain myself!  In all my excitement it didn't occur to me that it may take me some time to actually use the products...I could not find the immediate time to sample the goods :( I had heard so many wonderful things about her product line, and reading about her story and what lead her to develop such yummy natural hair goodies was truly inspiring.  I have the pleasure of writing today about a few of her top products, the Babassu Amla Shampoo Bar and the Creamy Cafe Latte.  I see why these products have gotten rave reviews that they have...and it was well worth the wait in shipping :)

Babassu Amla Shampoo Bar

Let's start with the Babassu Amla Shampoo Bar.  The shampoo bar is touted to cleanse your tresses and clarifies your scalp without stripping the natural oil from your hair.  This was my first time ever using a shampoo bar, so I wasn't sure how much of a learning curve there would be.  I've seen people on YouTube talk about them, and I re-read the instructions indicated on the website...I figured it couldn't be that hard so I jumped right in!  The instructions are clear, and she also provides a note of advice before using the shampoo bar.  Now how many companies out there will tell you that you will get the best results by doing a step prior to using their product?  None that I know...except for Anita Grant.  She notes: For optimum results please ensure that you rid your hair and scalp of product residue, build up, silicones & other deposits - before - you Babassu.  So I actually did 2 new things with this experience - I did an ACV (apple cider vinegar) wash and used a shampoo bar :) YEA ME!!  So the process went a little something like this HIT IT!

• I started with my hair sectioned in 4, and I kept them braided until it was time to work on that section
• I mixed up a 50/50 mix of ACV and water...now this is probably too much, as most people I saw did anywhere from 50/50 to 33/67 ACV to water.  I use a applicator tip bottle which made application super easy!!  Anywho, I didn't need use very much to saturate my scalp, but a word of caution DO NOT GET IT IN YOUR EYES!! I though I was being careful but boy did that sting!  I also added about 8-10 drops of Lavender & Rosemary essentials oils to mask the smell because it was tart. 
• Once I did the rinse, I proceeded to wet the shampoo bar and apply to my saturated hair.  It was really a breeze...just like using a bar of soap to wash your body.  I went section by section, ran the shampoo bar through 3-4 times and it produced a wonderfully rich lather.  I concentrated on my scalp since the lather would run down my hair and clean the strands.  As I finished a section, I rinsed thoroughly, used my Suave Tropical Coconut to quickly detangle (the shampoo bar did allow me to finger detangle most of my hair, so this step probably couldn've been skipped) rinsed, then applied my Elucence Moisture Balancing conditioner.  I rebraided that section with the conditioner in, pinned it back up and repeated until all sections were washed, detangled, and conditioned.

 Post Shampoo

Detangled, post conditioner

Creamy Cafe Latte

Now on to the Creamy Cafe Latte...YUMMY!! The website proclaims that the Creamy Cafe Latte will:  Stimulate your follicles & caress dry curly hair with our non greasy, velvety rich leave-in.  A tantalizing mix of Brazilian coffee oil, virgin coconut oil & macadamia nut oil plus other natural and organic ingredients that will leave your Afro curly hair huggably soft for days.  I almost didn't order it...but because I needed to get my order to a certain dollar amount I added the Creamy Cafe Latte.  Now I went back and forth between ordering something with a scent or unscented so I ended up going with the unscented version.  Why you ask?  1) it IS scented with the natural ingredients incorporated into the mixture and 2) I normally like sweeter, fruitier scents for my hair products (I'm spoiled off of Karen's Body Beautiful Pomegranate Guava lol!) So it smells pretty much like a latte to me :)  So here's how I used this product:

• My hair air dried in 3 big plaits, one on each side of my face and one in the back.  I sprayed each section with just enough water to rehydrate but not drench.
• I added a bit of Kinky Curly Knot Today as my leave in, about a quarter size for each section
• Once I separated a section, I then added a bit of the Creamy Cafe Latte...just enough to coat my hands when melted.  Maybe a dime size or a little smaller.  The container had been in the fridge so I just kind of scraped some off and melted in my hands, so just enough to coat my hands before twisting.
• I ended up with about 17 medium sized twists total, and I added a bit more Creamy Cafe Latte to the ends to seal.

Twisted using Creamy Cafe Latte #SHINE

VERDICT

My thoughts on these 2 products?  Well deserving of the hype!  The shampoo bar was surprisingly easy to use, lasted through 3 washes (for the small chunk I started with), allowed me to even get a little finger detangling in as well.  The only downside I could see was trying to use the last little corner...it basically disappeared!  But it's soap so what else could you expect lol! Elucence Moisture Benefits shampoo I would place this one a couple notches below, maybe 8 of 10.  This shampoo bar is definitely more convenient than a liter of shampoo, and although moisturizing, it did not allow me to finger detangle as thoroughly as I was able to with the Elucence, nor can it compare to the moisturizing feeling.  The cafe latte? Okay this is GOOD stuff!!  It's nourishing yet not greasy like I was expecting it to be.  It just seeped into my hair (and hands) during twisting and my hair feels very soft, shiny, and smells divine!  I can definitely fit this into my arsenal, especially since it can be used on dry hair.  I can imagine using this to re-twist my hair before I go to bed ;)

I will say that these products did work well with my hair, but this is my hair.  Please keep in mind that what may work for me may not work for you and vice versa.  I did purchase these products with my own money, and I thank Anita Grant for making products worth ordering...even if it's coming all the way from the UK!

Babassu Amla Shampoo Bar runs approximately $10.77US for 3.88oz bar

Creamy Cafe Latte runs approximately $10.16US for 3.5oz
*Prices on the site are reflected in Pound Sterling, so the price may vary with currency exchange rates

Lisa Michelle :)