

I Tried Dove's New Hair Collection On My Type 4 Hair — Here's What I Think
When I heard Dove was releasing a line for natural hair, I was curious. They could either surprise me and the products are lit or it could be a complete fail. To be honest, I don't usually check for Dove products on wash day but I wanted to see how it would work for my type 4 hair and if it can possibly be a part of my weekly routine. Spoiler alert: Not only did it work, I liked the entire collection.
The Amplified Textures collection enhances the texture of coils, curls, and waves while adding moisture and nourishment to our hair. So if your hair likes a lot of moisture, this is for you! The line features 6 products and is made with Dove's moisture-amplifying blend of honey, aloe vera, jojoba oil, and coconut milk. Now, let's get into the breakdown of each product…
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What’s In The Collection?
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Amplified Textures offers six products:the Dove Amplified Textures Hydrating Cleanse Shampoo, the Dove Amplified Textures Super Slip Detangling Conditioner, the Dove Amplified Textures Moisture Recovery Mask, the Dove Amplified Textures Moisture Lock Leave-In Conditioner, the Dove Amplified Textures Twist In Moisture Shaping Butter, and the Dove Amplified Textures Shine & Moisture Finishing Gel.
I started my wash day by pre-pooing my hair with water and jojoba oil so I had enough moisture and slip for detangling. Then, I moved on to the Dove Amplified Textures Hydrating Cleanse Shampoo which I immediately noticed had a light floral scent and a serum-like consistency. My hair tends to soak up liquid or products with light consistency better than heavy creams can. I really like how the line starts with a product that can easily work its way into the strands. When I applied the aloe vera-infused shampoo, it gave me a lot of slip and suds very nicely so a little goes a long way. As I massaged the shampoo into my scalp and strands, it gave me moisture like a conditioner, but a very gentle clean. I washed my hair two times and moved on to conditioning.
The Dove Amplified Textures Super Slip Detangling Conditioner is very hydrating and clearly has even more slip than the shampoo! The creamy coconut milk blend provided immediate moisture to your curls softer and easier to detangle. When I applied the conditioner into my hands, it softened and moisturized my skin. It does that very same thing to your hair. I left the conditioner on until my hair was completely detangled and moved on to their recovery mask.
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No wash day is complete without a deep conditioner and, because dryness is a problem for me, I have to deep condition every time I wash my hair. One thing that really stuck out to me with the Dove Amplified Textures Moisture Recovery Mask is that it's recommended to stay in your hair up to five minutes. I'm used to leaving my masks/deep conditioners in for at least 30 minutes. Another thing I noticed is, the recovery mask can be used as a mask or a conditioner. Leave it in for a while if you want to or wash it out after detangling. I left the creamy honey-infused recovery mask in for five minutes to add another layer of moisture then rinsed it out and began styling.
For my style, I'm doing twist outs with the leave-in, cream, and gel method. I used the Dove Amplified Textures Moisture Lock Leave-In Conditioner to start styling my hair. Although the leavin-in is a cream, like its conditioners, it melts nicely into your strands if your hair is wet or damp and locks in the moisture.
Krissy Lewis/xoNecole
Next, I used the Dove Amplified Textures Twist In Moisture Shaping Butter, which is one of my favorite products out of this entire collection. This is actually the first time I used a butter like this. It's not a cream by any means, instead, it has a runny, liquid-like consistency. I'm not mad at it though, like I said before my hair soaks up liquid-based products very well. As I was applying the cream to my hair, I noticed that the butter is recommended for curls and coils; however, I think it will work well for waves too.
Lastly, I added the Dove Amplified Textures Shine & Moisture Finishing Gel. The gel is also like a serum; it has a very light hold, gives you a moderate hold, adds shine and eliminates some frizz. When I applied it after my cream, I was worried that the gel would be too much and cause flakes. I did notice small clumps after adding it to my hair, but it dried without leaving any flakes (thank God). It wasn't recommended to use after the butter cream and is labeled for only curly and wavy hair, not coily. In the future, I probably won't use it together. Instead, I would swap the gel with an oil when I'm doing twist/braid out styles. The gel would work better for perm rod styles and maybe a wash n' go.
Overall, What Do I Think?
Krissy Lewis/xoNecole
Overall, I think this is a great line to try if you need extra moisture and shine to your curls. I think this line was specifically created for those who tend to have dry hair or want the moisture in their hair to last longer. This may be too much for those with oily hair, so keep that in mind. I also think it was formulated with curly, coily, and wavy hair in mind. The line also does a good job with product consistency; it has a great mix of cream- and liquid-based products and that variety allows your hair to soak up product regardless of if you prefer creams or liquids.
The Amplified Textures collection solves the three biggest problems for textured hair: moisture, tangles, and curl definition. If you can't run out and get the line, the Dove Amplified Textures Hydrating Cleanse Shampoo,the Dove Amplified Textures Moisture Recovery Mask, and the Dove Amplified Textures Twist In Moisture Shaping Butter are the highlights of this collection. You'll still get the moisture, ease of detangling, and definition with these products. Although I liked the gel, it is arguably the weakest product of this collection and my only feedback is to have an oil instead of the finish gel. An oil could have still added shine and moisture and would be more useful than the finishing gel.
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Featured image courtesy of Krissy Lewis/xoNecole
Freelance writer, content creator, and traveler. She enjoys the beauty of simplicity, a peaceful life, and a big curly fro. Connect with Krissy on social media @iamkrissylewis or check out her blog at www.krissylewis.com.
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TW: some depictions of intrusive thoughts may be disturbing for readers.
Have you ever caught your mind drifting off to entertain the most disturbing scenarios imaginable? Maybe you can’t stop thinking of all the ways a loved one could pass away or worrying that you left every candle lit in your apartment to which you’d return to a home in ruins. If distressing ruminations like these have crossed your mind, you may be experiencing an intrusive thought.
What Are Intrusive Thoughts?
Intrusive thoughts are unwanted or distressing thoughts, images, or impulses that pop into your mind without your control or consent. These thoughts can be repetitive, unsettling, or even violent in nature, and can cause anxiety and frustration for those who experience them.
“Generally they're unwanted thoughts that come up in our head that interrupt what we're doing or thinking, and can feel very foreign,” says Adia Gooden, PhD, licensed clinical psychologist and host of the Unconditionally Worthy podcast. “It’s any thought that intrudes or interrupts what you are doing. They can be distressing and upsetting for us because it feels like we are not in control of them, and they're coming up out of nowhere and aren’t in line with how you normally think.”
What Causes Intrusive Thoughts?
Certain trauma or stress can contribute to the development of intrusive thoughts, so having a challenging experience from the past or current life situations may trigger them to form. “An intrusive thought could come in the form of a flashback, image, or a thought about something that's happened to you,” Dr. Gooden tells xoNecole. “When it gets to the point where you feel like you can't function or make clear decisions, that's when intrusive thoughts become really challenging.”
While some of the 1 billion videos found under the #intrusivethoughts hashtag on TikTok would lead you to believe that these thoughts are nothing more than casual displays of our imagination going untamed. Intrusive thoughts are more than sticking your hand in a soap dispenser, wanting to cut all your hair off at 3 a.m., or having a random impulse to eat fake bread in public.
The Anxiety & Depression Association of America reports that approximately six million individuals, equating to roughly two percent of the American population, encounter intrusive thoughts. Intrusive thoughts are often linked with obsessive-compulsive disorders, but they can also manifest in individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, or anxiety.
Examples of Common Intrusive Thoughts
Because of the explicit nature of intrusive thoughts, they tend to cause shame and internal conflict in those who experience them. Although these thoughts can differ from person to person, these ideation can consist of:
- Violent or aggressive thoughts towards oneself or others, such as harming or killing someone;
- Sexual thoughts that are unwanted or inappropriate;
- Repetitive thoughts, such as a song or a phrase that keeps repeating in your mind;
- Contamination or germ-related thoughts or the fear of contamination and getting sick;
- Religious or blasphemous thoughts, such as questioning one's faith or having thoughts that go against religious beliefs;
- Doubts or uncertainty about one's own actions or decisions, such as fear of making a mistake or fear of not doing something right.
Intrusive Thoughts and OCD
That’s why Dr. Gooden encourages everyone to understand the difference between our fleeting thoughts and impulses and true, intrusive thoughts. “What level of distress does it cause and is it something you would never consider,” she says. “If you're finding that these thoughts are getting in the way of you living your life and that you're controlled by the thoughts, those are some signs that it would be good to get some support in navigating it.”
She also emphasizes the importance of understanding that while we may not always have control over our thoughts, we can control our behavior. “On TikTok, people are sort of blaming intrusive thoughts on their behavior, and our behavior is always a choice,” she says. “If we are in our right mind and we're not having a psychotic episode, our behavior is our choice — we are not obligated to follow any given thought that we have.”
Are Intrusive Thoughts Normal?
With intrusive thoughts, it’s natural to question whether these thoughts are “normal” to have. However, these thoughts are not meant to define who you are as a person but simply indicate that you have a functioning human mind with automated thoughts that you, or any of us, can’t control. These thoughts may come, but they don’t have to be acted upon, nor do they define who you are.
“I've worked with clients in the past who say, ‘Why am I thinking these things? What's wrong with me?’ But if you're not acting on the thought, then it's probably not a huge issue,” Dr. Gooden says. “If you are thinking a harmful thought towards yourself or someone else and you are making plans to act on that thought, then yes, we need to do something about it.”
How To Manage Intrusive Thoughts
If you are struggling with managing unwanted thoughts, Dr. Aida suggests taking these tips to help manage your mindset when they occur:
- "Recognize that it's a thought and thoughts are just thoughts. We often put a little bit too much weight on our thoughts, and that can create a lot of distress. But remember that thoughts are not facts."
- "Having a thought that's disturbing or upsetting doesn't make you a bad person, and it doesn't mean that you are suffering from a mental illness."
- "Sometimes the best thing you can do is say, 'Huh, that was an interesting thought. I'm going to let that go. That thought is not helpful for me right now."
- "Ask yourself: is this helpful? Is it helpful for me to buy into this thought and believe this thought? Asking that question can be really helpful because we are not at the mercy of our thoughts. If it's not helpful, you can let it go."
Intrusive thoughts can feel bizarre and foreign when they come up, but they aren't inherently "bad." Our minds can sometimes be filled with random and inappropriate thoughts, but that's what our stream of consciousness does: it thinks. Fortunately, we can release those thoughts at any moment; you don't have to follow through with them.
And ultimately, not every TikTok diagnosis is one that we should label ourselves with.
"It's important for people to acknowledge what they're experiencing but not run too quickly to diagnose themselves with some mental illness or disorder," Dr. Gooden advises. "It ends with confusion, and we miss the opportunity to understand the people who really do have that mental health challenge."
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