Design Essentials, a UK based hair brand recently re-launched their hair product line in Kampala. As bloggers, (Fiona Laker and I) were invited to the product launch and here’s what we think of these products! Are they worth buying or should we say just bye to them? Read on to find out!
Before we get into product reviews, here’s a little bit about Design Essentials. Design Essentials is a hair care brand with a wide range of hair products meant for different hair textures and types. It’s an internationally renown and was founded by Cornell McBride, Sr., an African-American pioneer in the black hair care industry (click here to see more of Cornell’s work). Cornell was one of the people that created products that actually soften natural black hair which makes me feel more comfortable with Design Essentials .
When it comes to kinky hair hair, their products are meant to make it more manageable and easier to style.
On their website (click here to go to it ) they state that, ” Our products are engineered to infuse hair with a natural balance of vitamins and protein that promote movement and manageability…”. They go on and say, “… Our brands provide you with effective, professional-quality products that you can depend on to cleanse, condition, nourish, revitalize and restore your hair to its natural beauty…” They have a range of products specifically made for natural hair and that’s what I will be reviewing today.
Let’s get into it, shall we?
ALMOND & AVOCADO CURLING CREME
Let’s start with the Design Essentials (am abbreviating it to DE) Almond & Avocado Curling Creme. It is a white creme that comes in a 12.0oz tin. It’s consistency is medium so it’s not so thick or uncomfortable to use and it smells good. I should say most of DE products smell really good and many of them contain Almond or Avocado or Jojoba oil which is really great for hair.
It “… provides maximum moisture, long-lasting curl definition and adds shine to curly and textured hair…” according to the site. At first I used this creme alone while doing Fiona’s hair and I realized it works best on damp 4C hair textures. It will give you the curl definition. The shine? not too much but when used with the DE Natural Curl Enhancing Mousse you do get a good amount of shine in your hair.
It’s also a great product to use for the Twists-out style. Undo your twists, apply the creme generously and massage into hair, style, let it dry then enjoy your new look! You will most definitely get the shiny hair with this style.
It contains Almonds which are known for promoting hair growth because of the fatty acids contained in them. The DE Almond & Avocado Curling Creme retails at $13 (about UGX 48,000) depending on where you get it from.
ALMOND & AVOCADO CURL ENHANCING MOUSSE
This is probably one of my favorites! It’s a foam that comes in a 7.0oz bottle (that’s for travel size, there are other sizes too) with a pump. I love the pump because it makes product application really easy.
This mousse works really great on it’s own and with the curling creme too. However for better results I think its best used on damp hair.
I have to say though this mouse really works but the effect is much better on 4A hair types compared to 4C hair. The mousse retails at about $16 (about UGX 59,000) depending on where you get it from.
ALMOND & AVOCADO CURL CONTROL & SHINE MIST
I love this mist probably because of it’s smell. It’s a product you use to finish off styling hair so it ought to smell good because let’s face it, no one likes badly scented hair! It comes in a medium sized bottle with a spray pump for easy application.
For me, it feels like a light weight formula that adds shine to your hair and I can’t believe am saying this, but to a certain extent it does protect your hair from frizzing. The shine is more of like a “clarifying shine” as opposed to plain “shiny hair”. So if you’ve got brown or grey highlights in there , the mist will highlight them in a nice way.
It retails at about $13 ( UGX 48,00) depending on where you get it from.
ALMOND & AVOCADO DETANGLING LEAVE IN CONDITIONER AND SULFATE FREE SHAMPOO.
Both the DE shampoo and conditioner are light weight formulas, which is something I like about them. They come in 8.0oz* bottles. They are sulfate free which is a good thing because sulfates tend to strip natural oils from the scalp and hair thus damaging it.
I don’t have much to say about the shampoo because I think it’s fine as it is, it’s light weight but is not as nicely scented as the other products.
Another great thing about DE products is that they are paraben free! Parabens are synthetic chemicals that mimic the estrogen hormone’s activity and are associated with some cancers like breast cancer.
There are so many Design Essentials products out there for different hair textures and types, I obviously couldn’t exhaust them in a single post. But I hope this post gave you an over view of what to expect from Design Essentials and yes I think its a “Buy” definitely! So go on, buy Design Essentials products and let me know what you think of them!
Till then,
Truly,
Humura Ruth
satisfashionug@gmail.com
