When I first went natural back in 2011, I had not idea what I was doing but I knew that I had to start with Shea Moisture products. I have tried quite a few of their products but most of them have not done anything fantastic for my hair so I soon gave up on trying every new release (I was a die hard product junkie).
In all the years of being natural I have only just (2 months ago) managed to wear a twist/braid out! Can you believe it? Twist/braid outs are like the ABC of natural hair styling but for a few reasons they never worked for me:
My hair would get really dry after an hour and I hate crispy looking hair
Definition would go from 100 to -10 before I even left my house
Keeping the twists in overnight took all the volume out of my hair
One of my best friends has been natural all her life so when I need a good natural hair recomendation I call her. Somehow I had never discussed my twist/braid out woes with her (moisture retention is always #1 on my complaints list) so when I did, she recommended the Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curl & Style Milk. Now, if you know anything about Shea Moisture, you know that the Coconut & Hibiscus Curl & Style Milk is one of their first products and has been around for years so the suggestion threw me off, the product junkie in me was expecting a new miracle product. I had previously tried the Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie and it did absolutely nothing for me, it just left build up on my strands, and since that was everyone's Holy grail product I just assumed that the Curl & Style Milk couldn't be much better.
I expressed this in the conversation and as we sometimes do hair product swaps, I gave her my Curl Enhancing Smoothie for her Curl & Style Milk (she ended up liking the Smoothie by the way!).
So I twist my hair up with no expectations of being able to wear it out but hoping for a nicely defined braid out ponytail and the next day, after the take down I have moisture, volume and definition! I wore the braid out for 2 whole days! Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curl & Style Milk is now one of my staple products when trying to obtain definition in my twist/braid outs and I now know I can actually rock one.
FACTS ABOUT THE PRODUCT
Packaging: It comes in a transparent 254ml plastic bottle wrapped in a coral coloured label. The product is dispensed through a press top cap.
Product: White, slightly thick lotion with a sweet but not overpowering scent.
Notable Ingredients: Coconut oil, vegetable glycerin and shea butter - all known to keep hair moisturised (individually these ingredients don't work for me but they do in this mixture).
How I applied it: At the end of my wash day I do the LCO (Liquid > Cream > Oil) method where the Curl & Style Milk is my cream. I then braid/twist my hair into about 10-12 sections and let air dry overnight.
Where to buy it: The most reliable and affordable place to buy it in the UK in my opinion is Superdrug or Amazon (Afro Hair shops sometimes produce fakes). In the US it can be purchased more or less everywhere that sells hair products but I usually get mine from Target.
FINAL THOUGHTS
It is a little pricey (in the UK) for a hair product but having been a product junkie and trying so many things, it's worth it to me.
As a low porosity girl, product build up is a real concern for me but this product is so lightweight that it doesn't weigh my hair down at all.
I love my hair to smell nice and this definitely does that.
It doesn't transfer to my scarf/bonnet which is another major issue for me; if the product is saturating my scarf/bonnet then it can't be moisturising my hair.
I really wish it came in a much bigger bottle!
Product overall rating: 4/5 - I like it and it's great for my braid/twist outs.
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