One of the consolations of summertime, for those of us who don’t enjoy heat and humidity and the constant sight of other people’s unkempt feet in flip-flops, is the abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables. Even I, a dedicated starch-lover, experience a craving for something a little more colorful at this time of year. I’m grateful for the network of farmers’ markets that has expanded to urban areas, and for the tiny city-yardspace behind our new home, where my husband and I are making our first attempts at growing a few potted edibles.
Oyin Handmade’s Juices & Berries is a spray-on, leave-in conditioner for hair, and it smells like the kind of fruit salad that you can only make at the height of the summer season. It’s scented with a mix of natural and synthetic fragrance oils, and it turns out to have a much more appetizing and realistic aroma than many berry-fragranced toiletries on the market. Juices & Berries smells mostly citrus-y if you sniff it directly from the bottle, thanks to a dose of sweet orange oil. (The ingredients list also includes lavender and ylang ylang essential oils, although they’re harder to detect.) When shaken up and spritzed into the air, it releases a blend of strawberry and raspberry and apple-like notes, sweet and just a little tart, that has tricked my mouth into watering more than once.
The basic recipe for this conditioner is a blend of flaxseed, aloe vera, and vegetable glycerine, designed to add and retain moisture. I’ve been spritzing it onto my just-washed hair before I apply other products and reach for the blow dryer. I have a mess of wavy-curly hair that doesn’t always cooperate with my styling efforts, not to mention the weather, so I need all the extra help I can get. My hair has been feeling softer and calmer since I started using this conditioner. Juices & Berries has the added incentive of smelling tasty, so I remember to apply it every day; its scent lasts for a minute or two and then gently fades out, so that no one near me will think I’m carrying a stash of fresh fruit with me. Then again, it does put me in the mood for some of the fruitier perfumes in my collection, like Bond no. 9 Bryant Park or Creative Universe Vita, which also appeal most to me during the summer, so I may end up smelling a bit juice-y after all.
Oyin Handmade Juices & Berries Nourishing Herbal Leave-In sells for $11 for 8 fl. oz. I purchased my bottle at Georgia; it is available online at Curlmart and the Oyin Handmade website.
Note: top right image is Summer Fruits [cropped] via Wikimedia Commons.
10 Comments
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Okay, I fell! I am having a hard time with leave-in products for my hair – I break out on my scalp and it’s painful. I’m a bit over-bleached right now, and have waves, so hopefully this will help. I also ordered the body oil in the cedar & fig scent – sounded too yummy.
I’m curious about their “Frank Juice,” the one with the frankincense scent… maybe I’ll try that one for fall/winter!
I know – it was a toss-up!
Thanks so much for the tip. I just went to the website and the owner or the company is such a cutie with her big afro. I’m going to order their sample pack. Its reasonably priced for $17 with 4 items.
I really enjoyed the visuals on that website. And I didn’t even notice the sample set!
“don’t enjoy…the constant sight of other people’s unkempt feet in flip-flops.”
Amen. Thank you. What are they thinking?
I am very judgmental on certain issues. This is one of them.
Are kempt feet in flip-flops OK with you, or do you not like flip-flops at all? BTW, I have never even owned a pair of flip-flops in my life; I want my footwear to stay on my feet. I do wear sandals in the summer, but I make sure my feet are well-groomed.
Personally, I can’t stand to wear flip-flops in public (since I walk so much on city streets, in grimy subways… no thanks!), but I will accept the right of other people to do so, if they keep their feet neat and clean. I’m sure yours are quite nice!
I have decided to grow my hair loooong again and leave in conditioners also work as a detangler, so are quite necessary. This sounds like a good one to try!