Product Rave: Rusk Sensories Purify Shampoo

I'm really loving this shampoo!  I bought it to replace Suave Daily Clarifying and it's working better than any clarifying shampoo I've tried to date.

Rusk Sensories Purify shampoo cleanses my hair while refreshing my scalp with pumpkin seed, tea trea and peppermint oils.  The essential oils are near the top of the ingredients list.  My scalp hasn't felt this fresh in a long time.  It felt as if the shampoo penetrated into my hair follicles and removed all the build up that has been going on for some time.  The sensation was ahhhh-mazing.  My scalp felt "tinglely" for hours after usng this awesome shampoo.  It also smells very refreshing, like a mixture of citrus and mint. 

It's a very concentrated and thick shampoo, so diluting it is a must.  I mix a couple tablespoons with 16-18 oz of water, then spray it through my locs.  Although it's diluted, it produces a very rich, dense lather.  I had a huge "lather afro" happening in the shower.  It rinses out cleanly and easily, so there's no build up.  I've found a winner! 

The company says:

"Rusk Sensories Purify Cucurbita and Tea Tree Oil Deep Cleansing Shampoo awakens the senses while providing a natural, deep cleansing that wakes up the hair.  Specially formulated with cucurbita and tea tree oil, Purify shampoo adds vitality and luster, while ridding the hair and scalp of impurities. Purify is ideal for problem scalps that are oily, flaky, or have dandruff.  All Sensories products feature Compressed Formula Technology.  CFT enhances and expands the user's sensory experience.  Use 30-50% less product and achieve twice the performance."

Directions:  Apply to wet hair and massage in thoroughly.  Rinse completely.  Repeat if desired.

Ingredients:  Water, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Lauamide MEA, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, PPG-2 Hydroxyethyl Cocamide, Panthenol, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Keratin Amino Acids, Melaleuca Alternifolia(Tea Tree) leaf oil, Mentha Piperita(Peppermint) Oil, Cucurbita Pepo (Pumpkin) Seed Extract, fragrance, Benzophenone-4, Tetrasodium EDTA, Citric Acid, Propylene Glycol, PPG-33 Buteth-45, Methychloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Green 5 (CL 61570), Yellow 5 (Cl 19140), Hexyl Cinnamal, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Limonene, Hydroxylsohexl3-Cyclohexene Carboxaldehyde, Linalool.

Updated Regimen

My hair was in desperate need for moisture and protein, so this month I decided to upgrade my hair products. 

Eight Months In

July 21, 2011 made eight months I've been locked.  I'm starting to notice fewer curly ends and more sealed ends.  I'm having issues with my newly retightened hair unraveling when I wash, so I still have to braid and band.  I've also started using diluted conditioner on my hair.  We'll see how that goes.  Still loving my locs!

Loc Video

Here is a video that I made concerning my locs:

The first video is a slideshow of my first 5 months locked. 

Month 6: The Locs are on AutoPilot

Sometimes it seems as if my hair was specially created for locking.  This is the path of least resistance because my hair has never been this hassle free.  This is the way beauty should be:  effortless.

The locs are doing great this month.  I did have some scalp problems and build-up, but that's old news now.  I solved my build up problems with Suave Daily Clarifying shampoo and the dryness with Kenra moisturizing shampoo.  My first time using a moisturizing shampoo was awesome.  It didn't leave any buildup and it gave my hair the moisture it was craving.  I plan to use the moisturizing shampoo as a "conditioner" for now.  I've also started oiling my hair and scalp, which is something I didn't do in the beginning.  My hair feels awesome and so do I.

Freshly washed and retightened on May 21

The locs have entered the "swelling" phase.  There's no turning back now.  Notice how the braid pattern is completely gone.

Month 5: Scalp Issues

April makes 5 months that I have been locked.  It's going great except for my scalp issues.  I learned the hard way of the importance of using the right products for locks.  I found it's best to use water thin products that do not leave a film/build-up.  I tried a new leave-in and my scalp went crazy.  I looked at the ingredients and the leave-in contained dimethicone.  Never again. 

Luckily,  I got the flaking under control.  I now do extended rinsing (rinse for 5 minutes before and after shampoooing) in addition to my usual routine and it really made the difference.  My hair has body and my scalp is relieved.

I hit another milestone this month.  The braid pattern is disappearing.  My husband commented that my hair looks like locks instead of braids.  Very happy about that.    

Freshly washed and retightened.  The left side is on a growth spurt. 

The braid pattern is finally disappearing at the crown.  The pattern is long gone everywhere else. 

Month 4: Growing Like Crazy!

Well, it's been 4 months since I locked my hair and it is growing like crazy.  I never realized how fast my hair really grows until I locked my hair.  It seems that I'm always retightening my hair and I must do them every 3-4 weeks or else.  Any how, I gained inches of hair and lost 5 pounds.  Really happy about that! Still loving my braidlocks. Oh, and I HAD to use conditioner and oil.  My hair was so dang dry, that it started to crunch and crumble in my hands.  It was awful.  I had little broken pieces of hair covering my hands and sink.  After shampooing with my usual products, I used my homemade conditioning mist (which is as light as water) and oiled my hair with olive oil.  No more dry crunchy hair.  All that "no conditioner or oil until your hair matures" mess is not for me.

Back Shot.  I'm still in the process of retightening my hair.  I have locs starting to travel down my neck.

The hair has completely covered my ear this month.  Compare this to last month.

Milestone?

I'm so happy because it seems that I have hit a milestone with my locks.  My hair no longer unravels when I wash it.  Just a few months ago, some of my locs would unravel whenever any type of moisture hit it and I would have to re-establish the loc.  Now, just the new growth area unravels.  Very happy that I'm making progress!

Month 3

Back View. 

The crown area seems to have flattened out a bit.  The locks above my ears have grown a lot when compared to last month. 

The top has not changed one bit.  My hair in this area is very soft, so it may take years for it to lock.

Not much has changed, except my hair seems flatter. It seems to have less body than month 1 and 2.  I tried the clarifying shampoo from Tresseme, but I shall wait until my locks are mature before using it again.  It made my hair too silky and felt as though my locks would slip out.  So, I've returned to using Aura Rosemary Mint and Nizoral shampoos.  I completed retightening my hair on Feb. 10 and plan to do another towards the end of March.

Month 2

Not much has changed from month 1, maybe a little more frizz.  Still freestyling and enjoying my hair to the fullest.  I started using Suave Daily Clarifying shampoo and it works great.  It didn't dry my  hair out like I expected.  My hair is still very soft with curly ends.  I retightened my hair earlier this month and plan to do another retightening mid February.  I <3  my locks!