The folks at Belegenza reached out to me a while back for a story I did for Madame Noire. The perks of blogging is not such much that it pays well (it doesn’t; at least for now) but that you get to try a boatload of free samples. And if you like it, you write about it, and if you don’t, you give it away. Just kidding about that last part. My mama always told me to never give a gift I wouldn’t want for myself. Which is why I always ask for two of everything.

They have a bunch of products, but I’m only going to focus on the few I’m using. The first is their GrowOut Shampoo & Strengthener. It gets a thumb’s up because it contains peptides, which is clinically-proven to extend the length of time hair stays on the head. The longer the hair stays in, the longer your hair grows.

This is a good clarifying shampoo as well, because it gently removes silicones, plasticizers (whatever that is), mineral oil, petrolatum and other yucky stuff. Note: this is a protein shampoo, so follow up with a conditioner that’s moisturizing or you’ll have crispy hair.

The second item I’ve tried and liked is the Simply Straight Progressive Straightener. Now, I’ll admit that the idea of this product naturally loosening my natural curl over time gave me shiver-laden flashbacks of burning perm sizzling on my scalp, so I let it sit in my cabinet for months before I had the courage to try it. Why would I bother, you aks? Well, one side of my head coils more than the other and my hair looks lopsided sometimes. It was either cut it or try the stuff.

I did, and good news, it’s not poison. And it does loosen the curls a bit, but effects won’t stay unless you use it all the time, which I don’t. But I think some of you with tighter-coiled hair might find it more appealing than a chemical texturizer. Wouldn’t hurt to at least try it first. The owner says it’s one of the best-sellers too. I scrounged the interwebs, and couldn’t find a single case of someone’s hair flying off their heads from using it either.

The last item I haven’t tried, but I can hardly wait to. It’s the GrowOUt Scalp Treatment spray that promises to make me look like Cousin It by tomorrow morning. Just kidding about that last part.

Which now leads me to segue into the giveaway. The next BB&W Crew member who is natural and on the fence about getting a chemical texturizer because your tresses won’t tame, HOLD THE PHONE! I’ve got a brand, spanking new bottle of chemical-free progressive straightener for you.

Ready, set, go!