Hey Maicurlies,

I hope this post finds you well! I am excited to share this one with you.

This one is all about my first impression upon unboxing the Revlon Realistic Black Seed Oil line!

So before I even begin, I need to first say THANK YOU to both Revlon Realistic USA for their product line which, I was sent by Brown Girl Bloggers. THANK YOU so so much!!!

I was sent an email with a link to sign up to receive the products through Brown Girl Bloggers (I was following them before that happened) and that’s how I actually was introduced to Revlon Realistic USA. One of the reasons why I opted to try the products is because it is designed for and caters to natural hair! If you have been following me for a while, you’ll know that I have been all about that DIY life after a couple of months of being fully natural (and still am). But one of the main reasons why I did was because I do not have access to all the well known international natural hair brands locally because the market here caters to other ethnic hair types. SO, if I happen to find something “commercial” or store bought that caters towards natural hair and catches my eye, I will try it! In case you are interested in trying the products yourself, I suggest checking out both Revlon Realistic USA and Brown Girl Bloggers. That’s  the back story.

Before I get into it: while I was sent these products to try out, I have no issue what so ever to state exactly how I feel or what I think when I have tried products/ingredients that did/didn’t work for me so all opinions stated below are all my own and are HONEST!

Ok let’s get to the good stuff shall we….

I was sent a total of 5 products in my box along with a really cute T-shirt (I got to pick the size and opted for small which, fits perfectly), a comb set (a rat tail and wide tooth comb) and a really cute fan! As I write this, I have yet to try the products but I wanted to share my initial thoughts/impressions on the products in terms of ingredients, consistency and scent.

Black Seed Oil Product line

Revlon Realistic Strengthening Shampoo

For those of you that have followed me for a while, you will know that I usually do not use commercial/store bought shampoo. Most of my experiences with commercial shampoo has been less than pleasant (at least the type of shampoo we have available locally which again, isn’t necessarily catered towards natural hair). So I have stayed clear of it for a while. Instead, I normally reach for an Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) rinse, shikakai or Raw African Soap. I am however, intrigued to try this shampoo because of the fact that is catered to natural hair and also because of the fact that some of the ingredients in the shampoo are nourishing and makes it sound like it won’t be stripping. Here are some of the ingredients:

• Glycerin
• Nigella Sativa (Black Cumin) Seed Oil,
• Plukenetia Volubilis (Sacha Inchi) Seed Oil
• Argania Spinosa (Argan) Kernel Oil
• Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil
• Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil

When it comes to the scent, this shampoo has a really light citrus smell with that familiar cleansing shampoo scent but it is subtle. The consistency of it is slightly creamy which, makes me believe it might provide a little slip (still have to put it to the test) along with it being nourishing (versus stripping like normal shampoos) because of all the oils and moisturizing ingredients (stay tuned for my next post about this line where I will use the shampoo). 

Revlon Realistic Strengthening Conditioner (Intense Moisture)

I had to jump right in to that part of the consistency of the conditioner because it is THICK! When I pulled the pump off to get a look at the consistency and scent; there hardly was any on the pump itself because of how thick it is! Yes, it was that thick (take a look at my video below for my reaction). So I am anticipating how this will feel on my hair because I believe it will provide great slip because of the fact that it will coat the hair while providing moisture due to the ingredients:

• Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter
• Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil
• Nigella Sativa (Black Cumin) Seed Oil
• Plukenetia Volubilis (Sacha Inchi) Seed Oil
• Salvia Hispanica (Chia) Seed Oil
• Crambe Abyssinica (Abyssinian) Seed Oil
• Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil
• Adansonia Digitata (Baobab) oil
• Macadamia integrifolia (Macadamia) Nut Oil

The instructions on the bottle says to leave the conditioner on for 10 minutes before rinsing it out (which I shall follow) donning a shower cap. It has a really soft sweet scent to it. In all honesty by the time I got to smelling the conditioner I already was in love with the scent of their products.

Revlon Realistic Butter Crème Strengthening Leave-In Conditioner 

This is another product from the line that is SUPER thick, it actually has a custard consistency. I am SUPER EXCITED to put it to the test because I have fine hair so I am interested to see if it will weigh my hair down or not. My hope is that my hair will be left moisturized, bouncy and shiny  without being weighed down. It contains some really good ingredients as well such as:

• Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter
• Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil,
• Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter
• Nigella Sativa (Black Cumin) Seed Oil
• Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil
• Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Extract

One thing about this product is that it includes cones. So, if you have been following me you’ll know that I usually do not apply cones on my hair for the simple fact that I don’t usually use shampoo. Shampoo is the only real way to remove cones from the hair and since I did get a natural hair shampoo with this line, I am willing to give the leave-in conditioner a try. (I shall be using the shampoo on wash days whenever I use the line in general).

Revlon Realistic Strengthening Curling Custard 

The curling custard is a curl defining product that I plan on testing for a wash-n-go (I shall be sharing that via a YouTube video & blog post). The curling custard has a rich creamy consistency but is less thick than their leave-in conditioner. Every product in the line has a slightly difference scent to it and this one has a slightly different citrus smell to it in comparison to their leave-in but is equally divine. In terms of ingredients:

• Glycerin
• Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter
• Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil
• Nigella Sativa (Black Cumin) Seed Oil
• Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter
• Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil
• Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil
• Argania Spinosa (Argan) Kernel Oil

Aside from some of the ingredients above, the styling product does include cones as well. So, as with the leave-in conditioner, I shall be following up with  their shampoo on wash day.

Revlon Realistic Strengthening Twisting Pudding

This is obviously a styling product that can be used for twist-outs along with other styles such as Bantu Knot-outs, braid outs etc to give you extra definition. The Twisting Pudding is the “lightest” product in the line in comparison to the rest that I received and also has a light citrus scent to it. Some of the ingredients are:

• Glycerin
• Nigella Sativa (Black Cumin) Seed Oil
• Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Extract
• Bambusa Arundinacea (Bamboo) Leaf Extract
• Glycine Soja (Soybean) Seed Extract,
• Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein PG-Propyl Silanetriol

This also happens to be another product with cones in them, so yes, it too shall be followed up with their shampoo on wash days after using it. 

All products in the line have no mineral oil, no petrolatum, no sulfates, no parabens and no colorants. They have two additional products in the Black Seed Oil line that were not included in my particualr box: a Strengthening Edge Control and a Strengthening Curl Revive. 

So as I mentioned I got 5 products in total and will be using them in combination to do a Wash-n-Go as well as a Bantu Knot-out that will be recorded. But first, take a peek at my unboxing video below where you can see each product (including the t-shirt, combs and fan) I received.

Once again I want to thank Revlon Realistic USA and Brown Girl Bloggers for my product box and I look forward to sharing my review and styling videos using the line!