westNDNbeauty
Well-Known Member
I've always seen Oyin all over hair boards, bit I discovered Oyin Handmade's Shine & Define locally at a natural product boutique. It was a complete spur of the moment purchase as I was originally looking for Karen's Body Beautiful's Creamylicious.
Price: $12 (4 oz)
Where to Buy: Oyin Handmade, Sage Naturalceuticals
Product Claims: Tired of styling products that provide hold but strip moisture with drying alcohols? That promise shine but deliver crispety, crunchety, bulletproof hair? That control frizz but rob you of softness? Oyin Shine & Define is a new philosophy in styling products. Formulated from vegetable sources renowned for their moisturizing & shine-increasing properties, Shine & Define Styling Serum imparts softness, light hold, great shine, and gentle definition.
Top 3 Ingredients: purified water, organic flax seeds, organic aloe vera gel
The first thing that caught my attention with Oyin Handmade's Shine & Define was the fragrance. I can't pinpoint which fruit it actually smells like, but I will classify the scent as 'a bag of skittles' lol. It smells grrreeeaaat! I haven't tried any other Oyin product, but if any of the others smell like this....oh K-Ci, Mary, & Jojo! It's on like popcorn!
I used the Shine & Define post deep conditioning with Aussie 3 Minute Miracle(<--- great stuff btw!). I decided to Braid-n-Curl my hair since I had not done that style in months. Section by section, I added the styling cream to my damp hair. The consistency of Shine & Define is like a whipped yogurt. It is hard for me to describe, but each time I added the Shine & Define, it seemed to change the texture of my hair a little. It made my hair softer and more manageable. It was not sticky, thick, or too heavy in the least. I really loved the way my hair felt and how smooth it looked with just the application of the product on wet hair. The product itself applied so lightly that I was concerned about the holding ability.
I don't know why I was concerned because my hair turned out great! I air-dried overnight. As I unbraided, I could feel the moisture in each braid. It felt really silky and super soft. My hair was so soft I thought my curls would drop at some point during the day. (You guys know I make an effort to have my styles last at least 4-6 days using THIS method of nightly preservation, so I was really happy to find my curls maintained their form.) Even with all of the moisturizing agents this product contains, my hair did not feel greasy, oily or weighted down. Actually, my hair has a light, airy swang and still does 4 days later. The pic below is 2nd day hair. Curls were still poppin', but unfortunately for me, the aroma of the product had worn off by the end of the that day.
The one qualm I have with this product is regarding a labeled specified use -- slick/smooth down the hair line. In no way, shape, or form is this product heavy enough to execute significantly slicked edges even if you tied it down. It is too light. Remember, the consistency is like that of whipped yogurt.
With that said, Oyin's Shine & Define is still a winner! Although it is more expensive, this can actually be a natural, more healthy alternative for the LottaBodysetting lotion I usually use when I execute my signature style.
Originally posted on my blog.
