The Afro hair and beauty show 2014 – 28/7/2014

I’m not a huge fan of the event but it costs a tenner, it’s on my doorstep, so I go.

 

I follow my usual modus operandus.

 

I visit every stall methodically and collect every sample on offer.

 

And this is my litmus test. So far I have always come home with more samples that I can’t use rather than those that I can.

 

This is one of main reasons that the event isn’t entirely for me.  There aren’t enough natural products with natural ingredients being showcased.  It’s all about the usual suspects: sodium lauryl sulfate, silicones, petroleum and mineral oil.

 

But it’s a good day out I see a lot of afros styled to their finest, I can always pick up a discounted hair magazine subscription and I am entertained by the bull shit claims accompanying some of the lotions and potions on offer.

 

Is the Reversible Straightening Texture Manageability System (TMS) a case in point I wondered?  There was a big stage, a live tutorial, Felicia ‘the hair whisperer’ Underwood and an audience lapping up the free samples.  The TMS (let’s not mention the offensive product name again) makes some big promises.  It claims to be all things to all hair types.

 

The condensed spiel went something like this:

 

It’s a protein treatment leave-in; once flat ironed on the hair, the hair can remain straight for up to 6 weeks.  The leave-in alone (without flat ironing) on afro hair will pop your curls.  It’s a perfect relaxer substitute and the perfect product for managing a transition (between relaxed and afro hair); a win-win for everyone and there are no harsh chemicals.

 

Now I was seduced, not by the-straight-hair-for-6-weeks claim, (nothing would persuade me to put heat in my hair and commit to styling straight hair).  I was seduced by the fantasy that the inner active leave in conditioner could be the ultimate detangler.  I found myself considering the application of this 37-item-ingredient-list product to my hair…

This is what’s in the Inner Active Leave-in Conditioner

 

Aqua	Glyoxyloyl carbocysteine	Glyoxyloyl keratin amino acids	Shea butter cetyl esters	Behentrimonium methosulfate	Shea Butter amidopropyl trimonium chloride
Hydrolyzed triticum vulgare protein	Hydrolyzed avena sativa protein	Hydrolyzed glycine soja protein	Hydrolyzed vegetable protein	Citrus aurantifolia peel oil	Hydrogenated vegetable oil
Argan spinosa kernel oil	Butyrospermum parkii fruit	Olea europaea fruit oil	Mangifera indica seed butter	Cocos nucifera oil	Prunus amygdalus oil
Citrus limon peel oil	Citrus limon peel wax	Phenoxyethanol	TBHQ	Cetearyl alcohol	Butylene glycol
Cyclopentasilozane	Dimethiconol	Dimethicone cross polymer	Silanetriol	Panthenol	Peg 90m
Isopropyl palmitate	Polyquaternium 67	Methylchloroisothiazolinone	Parfum, d-limonene	hexyl cinnimal	Methylisothiazolinone

 

It’s a long list; 37 products only 18 of which I recognize and understand the function of and even fewer of which I’m confident about the safety of.

That quelled the seduction. I’m a raw vegan I couldn’t put this largely unknown chemical product in my hair.

So it’s there in my cupboard along with the rest of the sample haul.