Design Essentials Quinoa And Bamboo Hair Repair Collection Review.

I had been rocking these absolutely gorgeous kinky twists (if I may say so myself) for a little over 3 weeks and I was in love and not having my usual withdrawal symptoms of missing my own hair. Then of course something had to come in between me and my beloved twists -breakouts on my face!!! Anytime the extensions I have on begin to get old AND touch my face, it's a wrap.

Happens EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. I had to take them out. I would rather deal with bad hair than bad facial skin - FACT lolll. I can't shout.

Anyway, I took them out Sunday morning and I had no time to detangle much less wash the hair - I had a full salon work day ahead of me! So I applied Natmaine's Pre Poo butter which leaves my hair soooo soft and shiny; and then put it into bun and went to work.

 I was mentally contemplating what I would do with the hair and knew I would have to wash it  - but the thought of detangling, washing, doing a henna treatment for strength and then a moisturizing deep conditioner was exhausting in and of itself! I knew my hair needed some strength and nourishing particularly as I'd just taken out synthetic extensions which weaken and dry out hair.

I then remembered we had these Design Essentials Quinoa and Bamboo Hair Repair collection kits which offer a simple 3 step routine to stronger hair, more body and shine. I was definitely digging that. Best of all, it says on the box ' No heat required. 30 minutes or less' I was definitely sold at this point!

I used it last night and have come to share my experience, my thoughts and most importantly how my hair felt then and feels now. So here goes!


WHAT IS THE TREATMENT?

The Quinoa and Bamboo Hair Repair Collection is from Design Essential's 'Natural' range and was created to strengthen hair, encourage length retention and promote growth. Quinoa (pronounced keen wah and which a lot of us already know as everyone seems to be on a healthy diet these days) contains 8 essential amino acids which revitalize weakened, dry and damaged hair.

Bamboo which is the richest known source of silica is excellent for hair growth and strength. Another key ingredient is Biotin which promotes healthy strong hair and protects against dryness and prevents breakage.

Unlike other amino acid based treatments these days which need heat to activate the ingredients, this doesn't require heat  and promises up to 10X stronger hair in 4 treatments.

It has 3 products in the kit:
 - Hair repair replenishing shampoo
 - Hair repair liqud strengthening masque
 - Hair repair leave in conditioning sealant

So! last night, I came back tired and weary but determined to get my wash day out of the way. I detangled with VO5 moisture milks conditioner and then proceeded to shampoo with the hair repair replenishing shampoo.

My hair was oh so soft even after shampooing twice! I then applied the liquid strengthening masque and waited the mandatory 5 minutes before going on to the final stage. My hair started feeling a little differently at this stage - the hair in front and on the crown was still soft but with a bit of strength to it while the hair in the back (the looser texture) started feeling a little coarse to the touch.

I then sprayed the leave in conditioning sealant and my hair in the back definitely felt coarse and I started to think 'oh oh'

I had no desire to wash anything out or do anything so I just got my Namaste Organics Castor and Jojoba sealant and applied it all over, putting my hair in single plaits so it could stretch and dry nicely. I contemplated slapping a wig on this morning because I just didn't want to have to deal with any issues but I decided to brave it.

Rubbed some 'It doesn't get much butter than this' by Mane Choice on my fingers and took down my plaits and to my surprise, my hair had not only dried nicely but didn't have that icky feeling it did last night! It felt soft yet strong and i barely had any hairs in my fingers while styling!

My drying time is usually quite long because my leave ins are usually creamier but with this one, my hair was 90% dry by the morning and I could wear my hair in a stretched out style.

I'll keep up the treatment for the mandatory 4 weeks while watching my hair to make sure it doesn't revolt but so far, my hair feels much better! I'll refrain from scoring this product till after the 4 week mark.

Catch you later!