Hairfinity Pros
Contains effective ingredients like biotin and folic acid
Affordable

Hairfinity Cons
Contains horsetail which is possibly unsafe
Pills are large/hard to swallow
Complaints about the smell of the pill
Vegetarians should know, contains collagen and gelatin

Hairfinity is a vitamin supplement that helps with hair growth. While it does contain effective ingredients such as biotin and folic acid, it also contains ingredients that can be harmful to your body and to the hair growth process.
Horsetail is not a recommended ingredient to include in multivitamins. According to WebMD, horsetail is possibly unsafe when taken by mouth long-term.
Consuming horsetail can cause your Vitamin B1 levels to drop. This is because Horsetail contains a chemical that breaks Vitamin B-1 down, causing a deficiency. If you don’t get enough B-1, you can experience symptoms such as difficulty breathing, heart damage, mental sluggishness, and hair loss. Having Horsetail in a vitamin that's supposed to promote hair growth is counterproductive. This may be why many Hairfinity users are reporting hair loss over time.
Hairfinity also contains substances that come from animals such as collagen and gelatin. This is not a vegetarian-friendly vitamin.
Based on customer reviews, the vitamins are large and smelly, making them hard for a lot of people to take consistently. The smell could be due to the fact that ingredients that derive from animals degrade quickly, and therefore smell bad.

SugarBearHair Pros
Contains effective ingredients such as biotin, folic acid and Vitamin C
Affordable
Doesn't contain any unsafe ingredients
Doesn’t contain any meat or beef by-products
Easy to take (chew and swallow)
Smells delicious
Gluten free
Dairy free

SugarBearHair Cons
For those allergic to nuts, contains tree nut oil
For those on a strict no sugar diet, contains sugar
Diabetics should request permission from doctors

SugarBearHair is a new, gummy bear hair vitamin. It contains the some of the same effective vitamins as Hairfinity but without the unsafe ingredients. They also don’t contain any gelatin or collagen, so that's good news for vegetarians. If you are sensitive to dairy and/or gluten, you don't have to worry since the vitamins don't contain any of those ingredients either.
These vitamins are chewy making them easy to take. SugarBearHair vitamins also have berry flavor that's from actual berries. They're really delicious so you could actually enjoy taking them every day.

I've been using a satin pillowcase for about 3 years and honestly it makes everything so much easier.
I had a common issue of my satin scarf coming off at night and I would wake up to a dry, tangled mess of hair in the morning. At the time my pillowcase was just the normal cotton one.

What I didn't know was the reason my hair looked like that in the morning was because the cotton material sucked the moisture out of my hair. Whenever my scarf slipped off at night it was as if an apocalypse happened on my head and it would take something short of a miracle to fix it.

When I switched to a satin pillowcase, I stopped waking up to a dry bush of hair. My hair was noticeably softer and my curls stayed intact. Eventually I even became lazy and started slacking on wearing a satin scarf. My hair was still fine. Now I only wear my scarf if I need my edges to lie down for the next day.

I definitely give satin pillowcases 5 out of 5 stars.

 

ACV Rinse Pros
Simple Recipe

ACV Rinse Cons
Didn't work

The Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse didn't do anything for my scalp or my hair. My scalp was still just as oily as before and my hair still had product in it. Other people have used the rinse and their hair was stripped, but not in my case.

Baking Soda Cleanse Pros
Simple Recipe
Got the build up out of my hair

Baking Soda Cleanse Cons
It was uncomfortable the do this in the bathroom sink lol

When I did the cleanse I could see the residue and flakes from my locs in the mixture. After washing and conditioning my hair, it was a lot shiner and healthier. The cleanse removed the bit of product build up that I had in my locs.

I can't judge on how it cleansed my scalp since it was done in the sink and it was difficult to clean. It removed a bit of oil but not a significant amount.

Either way, it was still a lot more effective than the ACV Rinse and I plan to do it once or twice a year.

Price: $30
My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Description:
SugarBearHair vitamins are soft and delicious chewy hair vitamins! They are vegetarian, cruelty-free, and made in the U.S.A. They're flavored with natural berries for a sweet taste you can enjoy!
Formulated with essential hair-friendly vitamins like biotin, folic acid, and Vitamin D, it nourishes your hair from the roots to improve strength, elasticity, length, and shine.
Just chew and swallow 2 gummy bears a day to get all the nutrients needed to meet your hair goals! Unlike the conventional large, gross vitamins, our gummies are easy to take and are gentle on your stomach.
Our vitamins do not contain hormones so it will not affect your facial or body hair.
No gelatin. No dairy. No side effects.

Review:
SugarBearHair is a new hair vitamin that I've been trying out since I have a hard time swallowing pills. Because of that, trying Hairfinity and Hairburst didn't work out for me, so when I heard of these chewable gummy bear hair vitamins I knew I had to try it.

The vitamins taste really good and I haven't missed a day of taking them yet. I wish the company sold just the gummies as a candy (without the nutrients inside) so I could just eat them all. But I control myself and just chew the recommended 2 gummies per day lol

Another cool thing about SugarBearHair vitamins are that they're vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, and cruelty-free. However, for those who are allergic to nuts, they do contain tree nut oil.
Since I started taking them 2 months ago my hair has been growing about an inch every month, which is double the normal rate for my hair! I will continue to take these vitamins because they really do work. SugarBearHair has officially become a holy grail product for me.

Bottom Line:

Great chewable and vegetarian hair vitamins that have helped my hair grow twice as fast.

 

Price: Free (I had all of the ingredients in my house)
My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Recipe:
Large bowl/sink of warm water
1/4 cup of baking soda
2 tsp of lemon juice
1 tsp of sea salt
3/4 cup of apple cider vinegar

Stir until all is well dissolved

Review:
I tried this on my locs more as an experiment to see how much build up was in my locs after a year of having them. I got the recipe from Chescaloc's YouTube video where she recorded herself doing the cleanse in the sink. She, along with other people, did the cleanse on their locs and the mixture in the sink turned from clear to brown. I wanted to see where my hair stood when it came to product build-up.

When I did the cleanse, my water did not turn brown, but it was slightly darker and I could see residue and flakes. I chose to shampoo as well since it couldn't get much of the oil from my scalp. After washing and conditioning my hair, it was shinier and looked healthier in general.
I am relieved to know that I'm not using too much product in my locs lol

Bottom Line:

Great recipe for getting the build up out of your locs. Wouldn't recommend doing a harsh cleanse like this more than twice a year.

Black Soap Pros
All natural
Affordable
Effective

Black Soap Cons
A bit drying on the hair
Scalp was oily the next day

Shampoo Pros
Affordable
Effective

Shampoo Cons
Can be drying to the hair
Usually has sulfates (unless labeled as sulfate free)


I've tried Raw African Black soap for my face and scalp. My face loves it (especially when I follow up with shea butter) but it may be too drying for my scalp and hair. It cleaned my scalp well but I think it may have done too good of a job. My scalp produced even more oil than usual as punishment, so I was back to square one.

I'll just stick to using sulfate-free shampoos. It may not necessarily be completely natural but it's what works better for my hair.

Price: $9.50
My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Description:
Dudley’s Scalp & Skin Antiseptic is a soothing pre-shampoo treatment that removes odor-causing bacteria and excess oil and helps control dandruff. It stimulates the scalp for a better shampoo and conditions the skin, making it feel soft and refreshed.

Ingredients:

• SD Alcohol 40 – a readily evaporating colorless liquid is a powerful stimulant and antiseptic.
• Clove Oil – has antiseptic properties derived from a dried flower bud of a tropical evergreen.
• Peppermint Oil – a healing agent with cooling properties.
• Eucalyptus Oil – a colorless pale to yellow liquid.

Review:
I consider this product to be the reason my oily scalp and dandruff problem hasn't driven me insane. Other dandruff-targeted products didn't do anything for my scalp. This is the only one that has made a difference. This is a pre-shampoo that helps remove the oil and bacteria from your scalp and keeps scalp fungi in check.

The instructions say to use a cotton ball to apply it to the scalp, which does not work for dense hair. Since the product is a liquid, I put it in a bottle that has an applicator tip. After wetting my hair and scalp, I use the tip to pour it throughout my scalp (not hair), massage it through, and then rinse. I do it a total of two times and then use my regular shampoo.

Something that surprised me is that it burned a bit the first time I used it, but after that it didn't really burn; it only tingled.

This product is very drying to the hair strands so it's best to try to avoid getting it all over your hair. After you follow up with your usual shampoo, make sure you have a good conditioner.
If you have dry "dandruff" (which is actually dry scalp flaking; not dandruff) this product is not for you. It will make a dry scalp worse. Only use this product if you have issues with oily dandruff.

Bottom Line:

Perfect pre-shampoo treatment for oily scalp and dandruff issues. Not recommended for those with dry scalp issues.

 

Commercial Facial Cleanser Pros
Effective

Commercial Facial Cleansers Cons
Can be expensive
Only a little bit of product in the container
Can contain harmful chemicals


Raw African Black Soap Pros
Affordable
Great value (a little goes a long way)
Effective
All natural

Raw African Black Soap Cons
Can be a bit drying


Raw African Black Soap is the only thing I use to clean my skin for the rest of my life.
Commercial skin cleanser were effective, but to be honest they always dried my skin out too much. I've had other cleansers leave residue on my face, causing my acne to become worse.

I tried Black Soap after my cousin recommended it to me. She uses it on her face to remove her makeup and she attested to it being a good cleanser.

My acne improved significantly since I started using Black Soap, but I saw the most improvement after incorporating shea butter. These two work well together, as if they were made for each other. Black soap is a bit drying to the skin, but shea butter restores moisture. They are truly my holy grail products for keeping my skin healthy.

Commercial Facial Moisturizers Pros
Effective
Smells good

Commercial Facial Moisturizers Cons
Can be expensive
Only a little bit of product in the container
Can contain harmful chemicals


Raw Shea Butter Pros
Affordable
Great value (a little goes a long way)
Effective
All natural

Raw Shea Butter Cons
Some may not like the smell


My skin loves shea butter and so does my wallet. I've had the same container of shea butter for over 2 years and I use it on my face every day. I also occasionally use it for my hair.

Commercial skin moisturizers were effective, but my skin always looked dull. I switched to raw shea butter after seeing so many naturals boast about how it helps their hair and skin. I love it because it gives my skin the proper moisture it needs as well as a healthy glow.

As another perk, my acne improved A LOT since I started using shea butter along with Raw African Black Soap. These two products together saved my skin.

The only downside to shea butter is that if you're used to your facial products smelling like flowers or a tropical island, it could take some time to get used to the earthy smell of shea butter. I never cared for smelling like fruit so it was cool with me.

Giovanni's Pros
Great for cleansing an oily scalp
Feel-good tingle
Affordable

Giovanni's Cons
Can be drying to most hair types


Trader Joe's Pros
Great cleanser
Feel-good tingle
Cheaper than Giovanni

Trader Joe's Cons
Can be drying for some hair types

These shampoos are so similar that for some people it's almost hard to tell the difference. They both stimulate your scalp, smell fresh, and may help with flakes.

In my experience Giovanni's shampoo cleans my scalp better. I have to use more of the Trader Joe's shampoo to get my scalp clean. Because of this, using Giovanni is a better value for me.
I like to dilute Giovanni's shampoo a little because it is a tad thick. It truly lasts longer for me than Trader Joe's version.
If you don't have a scalp with a lot of build up from oil, sweat, etc, then Trader Joe's version would be sufficient for you (and it is cheaper than Giovanni).

Bottom Line:

Use Giovanni's for a deeper clean. If you don’t need a deep clean then Trader Joe's is fine.