Blue Magic. Scurl. Queen Helene. Cholesterol. Do these names ring a bell? I know for me these were common products (along with Pink Lotion) that were used on my hair as a child, and you know what? My hair thrived!
For most of us, once we were exposed to the healthy hair care world, most of the products that we used on our hair way back when are huge no no’s now.
For most ladies, “natural” products or products without mineral oil* are the way to go for healthy hair care, and grease and anything looking remotely like Jherri Curl Juice is considered harmful.
Well guys, I’m here to tell you that this is not always the truth. While we agree that we can probably do without parabens and toxic ingredients, with some products the problem is how they are used rather than what is in them. In this post, we attempt to crush the myths by sharing with you three inexpensive “old school” hair products that can aid in creating healthier hair.
1. Petroleum Based Grease (Blue Magic, Dax, Dixie Peach, etc.)
I had to start off with what seems to be the biggest no-no’s in the healthy hair world: grease! Now, I’m not talking about Shea butter* creams or beeswax* pomades – I am talking about good ole’ petroleum laden hair grease.
Although many people may think that grease is a bad product for out hair – period – you can find ways to incorporate it in your hair care regimen, taking advantage of some of the good things it has to offer.
How is grease beneficial in creating healthy hair?
Grease is the ultimate sealant when it comes to holding in moisture. The reason why most of us think grease is or was not beneficial was because when most of us used grease, it was applied to dry hair or to the scalp in an effort to hydrate and not to seal. This left many of us with dry, breaking hair and bad memories of grease spots.
Let me tell y’all it can be the total opposite when you apply it to your strands correctly. Here’s how: To have a positive experience with grease, it is a good idea to apply a hydrating leave-in or a good hair spritz and THEN apply the grease over all that goodness. Girl let me tell you….you will have moisturized hair for days. Just try it once if you are leery. Since most greases cost between $1.99- 3.00 , you will not be losing much in terms of investment.
On the flip side of the coin, if your hair is fine or tends to be low in density, then you may only want to apply a dab of grease to each section. It’s very easy to over apply grease. Additionally, you will have to use a clarifying shampoo* more often to get rid of buildup when you use alot of grease on your strands. We would suggest using small amounts and focus on your ends.
I totally agree. I started using Royal Crown, and have experienced remarkeable breakage results.
I still use the old school methods and I save money and my hair is very healthy.
I’ve recently gone back to old school products for mine and my daughter’s hair. It’s like night and day
Luv this!!!
Finally!
I use them all!!! If you can find it, try the Hawaiian Silky (pink product) curl activator! It’s the ultimate best for my 3b/4a hair!
I bought some last week. Please share how you use this in your hair.
StaSofFro
I love that spray, omg
That’s my go to pre wash detangler. Used it in the 70s for my huge afro
went back to the Blue magic for winter, I did not do a protective style and leave my hair out at -12 degree, so i find that the grease and raw shea butter help to protect and seal my hair from drying out of breaking in harsh whether unlike those water based products. Summer only.
On my wave length. .. just realised how well my behaves with all those products I’ve put aside in preference to an au naturel approach… looking for a happy medium now… Thanks for the advice…. x
I use care free gold activator for my curls and I love Queen Helene cholesterol conditioner
I was on the product, bandwagon too! until my mom told me about curl activator. Now I’m a bonafide worlds of curls, sulfur 8, and le kair cholesterol girl!! My hair is doing GREAT!!!
I returned to old school products: SCurl, Pink and a random “coconut” oil hair grease, along with my Blackseed Oil about 4 months ago. First time the products hit, I could almost hear my hair singing the Hallelujah chorus. My hair is thriving!
I have to agree with you sis the blue magic coconut oil still works for me and the Queen Helene in conjunction with a A.C.V. treatment every two weeks and aloe vera gel mixed in to the Queen Helene is priceless
True stuff! Embracing old school products!
I love royal crown and sometimes plain ole vaseline petroleum jelly. I wash it, use egg and mayonnaise condition, grease scalp two string twist and Chinese knots. Beautiful results.
My hair loves EVERYTHING that was mentioned. In the winter my hair loves grease, not a Shea mix, but hard down grease. You have to do what works for you!
I went back to old school last winter after all those blizzards & harsh windy weather made my fine hair dry & brittle. In the past I’d used Qhemet, Curls, & Shea Moisture in winter but they couldn’t cut it November 2013. Got me some Blue Magic & used it over the S Curl & Qhemet. Also got some Lite Pink oil moisturizer as leave in. Saved my hair ! No more split ends,brittleness. & breakage. I recently revisited Carol’s Daughter & am using the Monoi line. Phenomenal for stopping breakage. I use Blue Magic bergamot or Super Sure Gro over the Healthy hair Butter on damp to wet hair. Just came back from New England & a snowstorm on Thanksgiving week. To keep it simple I just took CD monoi shampoo & condish, lite Pink Oil, & BlueMagic all in little bottles & jars, & 8 oz bottle of SCurl / AVJ mix. Hair moisturized all week ;mostly used plain water spritz & SCurl for daily moisture. OLD SCHOOL RULES !!!
I had this big bottle of and it added so much moisture to my hair. I used dax when I was younger; it smelled really good. I might use it now because of winter as my sealant but I still need shea butter.
Yes, but don’t you feel the smell of these products is generally unpleasant? My brother once whispered to me that my hair was giving off an unpleasant odour, when I was wearing Sta Sof Fro.
YEA–DA OLD SCHOOL STUFF IS **REALLY* STINKY AFTER AWHIE AND THE BUILD UP ON A HAIR JUST AINT WORTH IT. ##RATHAHAVEGOODSMELLINHAIR
Add some essential oils like peppermint, rosemary or which ever one you want to StaSof Fro to kill that “old man smell”
You will find all in my haircare bucket….I LOVE THEM ALL. Only difference is I use the hollywood cholesterol hair grease not as heavy and works wonders. My hair has been growing ever since. =)
I’m considering going back to old school products as my hair is having some bad shedding, tangles and dryness problems. I was natural for 3 years and my hair was well moisturised on its diet of coconut oil and castor oil, and creamy leave-in.
Now I’m transitioning and my hair is just out of braids and it’s not the same. I remember having none of these problems with the old school stuff. Hoping the classics can help me out!
Those old school products still around from my parents’ days thru the 60s – 70s afro days are TRIED & TRUE! That’s why they’re still here. My mom used Dixie Peach & Ultra Sheen on my hair, as well as baby oil & olive oil. My hair was down my back & very healthy. I used Vitapointe,Afro Sheen, StaSof Fro,Pink Oil & LeKair on my afros in the 70s. I went for the new products,too:Shea Moisture, Qhemet,Carol’s Daughter, & KinkyCurly. Kinky Curly is my summer staple & Qhemet is in the winter. Carol’s Daughter has some great anti breakage stuff but I got some Blue Magic in November 2013 to seal over all of them because of the harsh winter. Now It’s a staple,too. Never used when it came out in the early 70s because it was too heavy for my fine hair,but it sure has improved.