The key to having healthy hair is using the right products and having an efficient hair regimen. When I shop for new haircare products, I look for a few key elements — that it has natural ingredients, restores moisture, promotes hair growth and retention, and is offered at affordable prices. I want products that are good for me and my pockets, okurrr.
Mielle Organics' Rosemary Mint collection offers five products that use biotin and rosemary as key ingredients to lock in moisture and promote healthy hair growth. The line includes Shampoo, Edge Gel, Oil, Hair Masque, and a multivitamin Styling Creme capped at $10 each.
I tried the entire Mielle Organics' Rosemary Mint collection to see if it held up to its claims and this is how it did:
Rosemary Mint Strengthening Shampoo Infused with Biotin
Krissy Lewis/xoNecole
The Rosemary Mint Strengthening shampoo provides your hair with a deep clean plus soothes your scalp upon application. The shampoo felt so good, I went ahead and massaged my scalp during my wash. Another benefit of the biotin infused shampoo is that it has a lot of slip — making the detangling process very easy and working into your strands to provide moisture. I love shampoos that add moisture; it makes wash day much easier and your hair more manageable.
I want to note that, although the shampoo smells very minty, it's not too much. Also, it has a good lather to it, so a little goes a long way.
Rosemary Mint Scalp and Hair Strengthening Oil Infused with Biotin
Krissy Lewis/xoNecole
I've used the strengthening oil everyday and it's almost finished! Like the shampoo, it soothes your scalp instantly. I apply it to my hair every night to promote hair growth and combat any dryness. I also apply this before using the hair masque and massage it into my scalp. I find that adding the oil and masque increases blood circulation and opens up my pores to get more moisture.
Rosemary Mint Strengthening Hair Masque Infused with Biotin
Krissy Lewis/xoNecole
I skipped my usual conditioning step and went straight to the hair masque. First, I made sure my hair is damp, which I would highly suggest and once my hair was damp, I worked in sections and applied it to my hair. I noticed immediately that it gave my hair definition. I was very generous with the amount of hair masque I used because I wanted to make sure my hair got all the moisture it could get.
I left the masque on for 45 minutes and used my hot head so the masque can get into my strands. I would recommend to go under the dry or use a Hot Head if you tend to need more moisture. I also suggest that you leave the masque in for at least 15 minutes — applying it to your hair and rinsing immediately, would not allow the product to work as well as it could.
When I rinsed out the masque, I was really impressed with my results! My hair was defined and very moisturized. I honestly could have applied a leave-in conditioner and rock a wash-and-go at that point.
Rosemary Mint Multi-Vitamin Daily Styling Créme Infused with Biotin
Krissy Lewis/xoNecole
To be honest, the multi-vitamin styling créme caught me off guard a little bit. Due to the fact that it can be used for daily use, I thought it can act as a leave-in conditioner. Instead, it acts more as a styling créme and gel in one, so it had a strong hold to it. While I love that, I would still use a leave-in conditioner to soften my hair prior to adding this. I used way too much the first time and my hair was very firm, but surprisingly, not stiff. It gave me more definition and hold, without any while flakes (and I used a lot).
I would suggest using a moderate amount — just enough to coat your strands. Its definition and hold make it perfect for twist-outs, braid-outs, and wash-and-go styles.
Rosemary Mint Strengthening Edge Gel Infused with Biotin
Krissy Lewis/xoNecole
The strengthening edge gel gives you a very sleek laid finish without making your edges too firm and crunchy looking. Although it has a jelly-like consistency, it has a soft hold and makes your baby hairs feel moisturized. I suggest applying small amounts at a time and add more as needed.
My Results:
Krissy Lewis/xoNecole
Overall, I would definitely use this line again. In my opinion, the all-star products of this line is the hair masque and styling créme. I know frizz is a big issue naturals battle with, and the styling créme is perfect for reducing frizz without any flakes. And, if moisture is your biggest plight, the hair masque makes a great deep conditioning treatment.
Check out my tutorial and review of each product in real-time by watching the video below:
Featured image by Krissy Lewis/xoNecole
Did you know that xoNecole has a podcast? Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to join us for weekly convos over cocktails (without the early morning hangover.)
Originally published on November 29, 2018
That's where play comes in, especially in reference to the importance of enjoying life. Research has shown that adults who explore their favorite activities or hobbies from childhood and deliberately seek activities of joy can increase feelings of happiness, support, comfort, and creativity. And it's no secret that those feelings are the key to success behind many of the successful, fly Black women in business we all admire or want to emulate.
Two enterprising acquaintances-turned-friendpreneurs know just how empowering the pursuit of enjoyment can be, and they've seen the benefits —in their careers, friendships, and within the community of Black women they've built via their platform Paradise + Vibe.
Founders Iana Edwards, CEO, and Kasondra McConnell, CFO, launched the platform in 2020, offering retreats, pop-up events, and other ways for women to connect, relax, release, and, of course, have fun. Friends since 2014, they'd been on the pulse of the intersection between wellness and play in their own respective lives before teaming up for Paradise + Vibe.
"In 2019, Iana became a yoga instructor, and her career just took off in the yoga space to the point where hotels were asking her to teach," Kasondra said. "Later, we went to Jamaica for her birthday, and the last day we were there, we were just in the ocean, talking, and I said, ‘I really think you could do something where you bring people together—because you’re the attraction for the yoga—so why not use your own platform to better yourself?' From there, we came up with a name and launched with the intention to provide a space for wellness for people of color to feel safe and connected and in tune with all of the things that make you feel well and whole."
"With our retreats, we are bringing people together where they can connect in a place where they can play, be present, and get back to what they need at their core—just to feel good."
Even outside of the retreats and other events they host, Iana and Kasondra make sure they infuse play into their everyday lives, and reiterate that the activities don't have to be super-strenuous or structured. Many of the things they love to do for enjoyment in adulthood tie directly into fond memories of their childhood. Kassondra loved watching Legends of the Hidden Temple, a '90s action-adventure game show and used to create backyard obstacle courses in the backyard with her family. Today, she still loves being out in nature, enjoying the mental clarity of walking or hiking. "I oftentimes have to use my brain a lot, but with hiking, you don't. You're just putting one foot in front of the other. I live near a trail, and so I'll go walk there. And anytime I'm engulfed in water, I love it," she said.
One of Iana's favorite childhood memories of fun is going with her schoolmates to a dinosaur exhibit at Fernbank Museum in Atlanta. "We had peanut butter sandwiches, and I was just enamored with the surroundings, getting out of the classroom setting and being with my classmates. It was then that I realized joy is simple, and it's sometimes just a choice."
Iana and Kasondra pride themselves on embodying a different take on wellness, especially for Black women. "We bonded over that before I went to yoga training, and we just saw, inadvertently, a need for something that wasn't there," Iana said. "We have always been very rogue when it comes to wellness. We've given pushback on the whole [idea that] you have to eat a certain way, you have to be a vegan, you have to eat raw foods, [or] you can't eat this, you can't eat that— this trope of, to be a yogi, you have to look and identify as a certain type."
"We love to dance. We love to go out. We love to listen to ratchet music. We do yoga. We do move our bodies. But we're also people, human, and women, and we are a little bit of everything. We approached it like, 'You know what? We're going to take a true holistic approach to wellness and encompass it all and not leave out the turn-up aspect.'"
Iana, who has been practicing yoga for almost a decade (and has been trained by the best to teach it), and Kasondra, a serial entrepreneur who has worked in real estate, retail, and events, merged their talents, skills, and experiences in order to provide something to the market they felt was missing.
Courtesy of Paradise + Vibe
Both agree that wellness is all about intention and energy, not just what you put into your body. And when Black women are able to truly enjoy the things that lead to laughter, comradery, amusement, and pleasure, innovative, life-changing, and culture-shifting things happen. "One day, Kasondra said, 'Friend, wellness is about connection. It's not about whether we're eating a salad. It's so much deeper than that,'" Iana recalled.
"When you think about [when we were] children, in our most pure form as humans, we were a little more connected then," Kasondra added. "When you were playing, you were outside, taking in Vitamin D from the sun, energy from the Earth. You were connecting with other people. Play takes you out of being so heady and into the present moment. You're not so worried and anxious about what you have going on and more so connected to being present."
With Paradise + Vibe retreats, women are supported in participating in group activities and yoga, with the backdrop of paradise in global locales—including South Africa, Brazil, Mexico, and Indonesia—that truly facilitate freedom, leisure, and bliss. "There's proof that, if you look at what depression is, it's essentially being stuck in the past, and anxiety is being occupied with the future and what's to come," Kasondra said.
"So if you can do things like Bikram yoga, which Iana teaches, it's so hot and so intense but so rewarding. It gets you into the present moment. [With] play [it's] the exact same thing, so we took these ideas, and we injected it into our retreats. We select activities that allow people to do things that will take them out of their comfort zones, especially for our audience, which is predominantly Black women. We're talking about in Costa Rica, where we're white-water rafting. In Jamaica, we hiked Mayfield Falls. There's parts of the water where you have to swim, and [that took] people out of their head and got them into the present moment."
Changing the narrative on wellness, enjoyment, and self-care for Black women is vital, especially when choosing a holistic approach that's both considerate of one's personal experience and passions and pushes them to break boundaries. That's what connected Kasondra and Iana in the first place. "We love a hot spring, a body of water. Let’s get on an ATV. Let’s go to an elephant sanctuary—any kind of activity that breaks our adult avatar," Kasondra said. "When you are engaged in some sort of play, you’re the closest you’ve ever been to your childhood version of yourself."
For more on Kasondra, Iana, and Paradise + Vibe events, visit them on Instagram or their website.
Let’s make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for daily love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.
Featured image courtesy of Paradise + Vibe
