Right now my hair looks and feels dry, lackluster and just downright sad. I know that I could've taken better care of my hair, but sometimes it's much too easy to neglect my hair care routine and just disguise less than stellar hair with a cute braid or bun. Agreed? I decided to start the process of devoting more time to healthy hair by reevaluating the products I use to clean it.  A lot of shampoos actually have a drying effect on my hair (textured, curly) so finding an alternative to drying shampoos was my first order of business. This first hair cleanser I tried in my quest to undo the havoc I've wreaked on my hair was a non-sudsing, oil-based shampoo called From the Lab Transforming Hair Cleanser No. 724.  This hair cleanser contains a combination of traditional oils and high tech stem sells that clean, condition and detangle hair.  I will admit that it was a challenge psychologically to get used to a cleanser that does not produce suds since that is what my brain has been conditioned to understand - suds = cleansing. However, my hair did feel really clean after using the Transforming Hair Cleanser No. 724 and once dried, my hair did feel less dry and brittle.  As I mentioned, if you are like me and are accustomed to seeing and feeling soapy suds when you shampoo your hair, this product will take some getting used to, but it does work and I would highly recommend it for naturally curly, textured hair like mine. If you just can't see yourself cleaning your hair without soap or suds you may want to give Colorado Aromatics Sage Angel Falls Conditioning Shampoo a try.  Angel Falls shampoo is a natural shampoo with conditioners to soften hair.  The all natural, ecocertified, biodegradable surfactants in this shampoo are gentle on hair and will not strip your color. Plus the botanical extracts and Vitamin B contribute to both hair and scalp health.  I absolutely love the soothing, minty scent of this shampoo.  It seemed to gently cleanse my hair and left it feeling clean and refreshed without that stripped, dry feel.  What is great about this shampoo is that I can not only pronounce the all natural ingredients that it contains, but I also know what they are...a first for any shampoo I've used. Another one of the hair cleansing products that I tried and positively loved was the Mane Choice "Give It To Me Straight" Moisturizing Shampoo.  This shampoo is infused with Moroccan Argan Oil to nourish, protect and hydrate hair.  It's gentle enough for chemically and color treated hair and even to clean extensions. It's free of parabens, sulfates and sodium chloride.  I  loved the delicious lemony cookie scent of this moisturizing shampoo and immediately after using it my hair felt softer and not at all dry or stripped. I especially like using the Mane Choice "Give It To Me Straight" Moisturizing Shampoo when I plan on blow drying or flat ironing my hair because it contains thermal protectants formulated to protect hair from straightening appliances. All of the cleansers are cruelty free. I'd love to hear from you if you've used any of the above mentioned products - or to tell me about your favorite that I should check out! Subscribe to A Girl’s Gotta Spa! Watch our reviews on YouTube, see our pins on Pinterest and check us out on Instagram and G+. Got a Kindle? We’re on Kindle too! *Disclosure: Press Samples

Let's face it once summer arrives, for us naturally curly haired girls, there is absolutely no use in trying to battle with what our hair naturally wants to do...which is to suck up the summer humidity and curl to its utmost content.  And why would you even want to spend precious time indoors trying to battle with your hair anyway when you could just wash, apply a bit of product and just go enjoy summer in all of its glory? I plan on spending most of my time at the pool or on the beach and the last thing I want to worry about while partaking in is frizzy straight hair that wants to go curly or weird, crunchy, "jheri curled" looking hair.  So in an effort to embrace my natural texture but still have soft, smooth curls, I decided to give Miss Jessie's Jelly Soft Curls a try. First of all I went weak in the knees by the scent of this product.  I am a huge fan of clean, fresh scents...especially during the warmer months and this product has the most amazing clean, fresh but still feminine scent--exactly how I would want my hair to smell...all of the time!  I followed the suggested application process, which stated that I should squeeze a quarter size of Jelly Soft Curls into my palms and apply it section to a section of my damp (not wet) curls.  I loved that this styling gel never felt sticky or tacky in my palms during the application process.  I actually took a gamble with this product using it a few hours before a photo shoot and I was ecstatic with the results.  For the shoot I had curls that were bouncy, shiny, soft and full of movement.  My curls never went limp or got crunchy and frizzy.  This was my first time trying Miss Jessie's products and I am definitely a fan and cannot wait to try a few of her other products.  Needless to say I shall be embracing and reveling in my natural curls all summer long!

Subscribe to A Girl’s Gotta Spa! for more beauty reviews! Watch our reviews on YouTube, see our pins on Pinterest. Got a Kindle? We’re on Kindle too! *Disclosure