Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I didn't love this product when I initially purchased it. I tried it once and felt it didn't do well to help my hair retain moisture. That is, until I found a way to use the Cantu Leave in with a different process for moisturizing my hair. I truly believe that one of the most life changing aspects of my hair journey was finding out that I have low porosity hair. For years I'd tried so many different methods for moisture retention, following steps from several naturals on YouTube, but nothing seemed to work. And I found that this was because I hadn't learned about hair porosity. Low porosity hair means hair follicles are more tightly closed, making it harder for moisture or product to get into the strands. When applying product to low porosity hair, hair can often feel weighed down or feel dry within 24 hours of applying a moisturizing product. Low porosity hair also tends to take a while to get fully wet when washing. That said, I believe we often judge products based on how our hair receives them before we first understand our hair. For low porosity hair, you want to get those hair follicles open to get moisture and product inside and that is done through the use of mild heat. That means applying warm products to your hair will help open up the follicles. I've been natural for close to 5 or 6 years now, and I have only learned this about my hair in the last 1 or 2 years. Once I figured out that my hair was low porosity, the next step was to find a regimen that worked and that is something I have only discovered in the last month or two. Can you believe that? Using this Cantu Leave In, I have adopted a modified form of the LOC method for natural hair and I can already tell a HUGE difference! Here is my new and improved wash and moisture retention routine: 1. Shampoo - Because low porosity hair means moisture struggles to get into the follicle, I now always shampoo to get rid of product build up to make it easier for the follicles to take in moisture. Once upon a time I would co-wash weekly and shampoo only monthly, but my hair just never felt moistened and always felt weighed down. As well, I always now only wash with warm (not hot) water and NEVER with cold water. Cold water closes up the follicle, which is the opposite of what we want low porosity hair to do. I use Trader Joe's Tea Tree Tingle Shampoo. After shampooing, I use a tshirt to soak up some of the water from my hair so that the water is not blocking the way of the next product I use. (Tshirt vs towel has been known to cause less damage to hair due to the softer, less rough material.) 2. Conditioner - This is where one of the big changes occurred in my regimen. Following resources I've read from other naturals, I now warm up my conditioner. You can boil water and place the conditioner bottle into a bowl of the hot water, or you can put the conditioner into a bowl and set that bowl into a larger bowl of hot water. When the conditioner has warmed up, I apply it to my hair in sections. The conditioner just seeps right into the strands. I may leave the conditioner on for 10-20 minutes in a plastic cape before rinsing. Once rinsed, I again use the t-shirt to soak water out of my hair and I move to the next step. And this point, it would be a good idea to put a plastic cap back on to keep the warmth trapped and keep those follicles open. 3. Leave-In Conditioner - This is the other big change and also why I actually came to love the Cantu Leave In. I actually warm this product up too using the same method above for warming up the conditioner. And here's the BIG thing I noticed. So usually, when I apply a cream or even conditioner, which is normally room temp or cold, I can see product sitting on top of my hair. Because my hair is dark, it's easy to see a white or light product on my hair. It never occurred to me that the conditioner wasn't actually soaking into my hair. When I first used this product, I hadn't warmed it up so I didn't reap the benefits. This time around I did warm the product up and OMG - the leave in seeped right into my hair. I applied the leave-in in sections and it just melted right into my hair. I didn't see conditioner sitting on top of my hair; rather, it was blending right in. That was an amazing change! 4. Shea Moisture Curling Soufflé Gel - Of course this is optional, but I wanted a product that offered some hold but without hardening my hair and also while providing added moisture and nutrition to my hair. I love this product. I use this in combination with #5. 5. Oil - This is the last step. Going medium section by medium section, I apply the Shea Moisture Gel from #4 and then seal that section hair with olive oil, which is one of the thicker oils good for sealing hair (not all oils are good to use as sealants.) I twist that section up and move on to the next. And that concludes my new wash and moisture retention routine. I know it seems like a lot to go through, but the entire process only took me about 1.5 to 2 hours, and it was well worth it. My hair felt moisturized and detangled (that's another bonus) until my next wash day a week later. It's a small amount of time to dedicate to a week's worth of moisture retention. I don't want to make this any longer than it is, so I'll stop here with just a couple of tips: Find out your hair's porosity, then find resources via blogs or YouTube on how people with that same hair porosity are maintaining their hair. Again, often it's not the product, but the fact that we don't understand how our hair works. It's one of the toughest parts of the natural hair journey, but we can all get there! Last, for those with low porosity hair - when you are working on one section of hair during the conditioning and oiling phases, try to keep the rest of your hair under a cap to trap the heat and help keep the hair follicles open - hair gets very cold very quickly when it is wet and has product on it. Today my sister commented on how healthy and moisturized my hair looks. I told her about my new hair regimen and she said, "yeah...keep doing that." Lol. I wish you all naturals out there the best on this hair journey!