Brand Breakdown: Kopari Beauty

The Story
The Co Founders of Kopari Beauty are Kiana Cabell and Gigi Goldman. These two are from different generations but shared a love of coconut oil from the get go. They love all of the multitasking things coconut oil can do because it is microbial, hydrating, healing and more. They both use coconut oil in their day to day lives as a "cure all" for everything according to and article from Los Angels Confidential.  Gigi came up with the idea for a pure coconut oil based beauty brand due to her love for the ingredient. She brought Kiana on board, who really embodies the brand herself, and who helps with marketing, branding and more.


The Brand

Kopari Beauty is a skin care and hair care brand that uses 100% pure, organic coconut oil as the base of each of their products. This coconut oil is sustainably sourced from small family farms in the Philippine, which I think is super cool. Kopari's website says "We believe everything you put onto your body matters. Each one of our products is made with luxurious skin-loving ingredients for all of your beauty needs." and their products are all sulfate free, paraben free, phthalate free, cruelty free and vegan.

The Products
Now as is the case with every single brand breakdown I have not tried every single item Kopari offers. I would LOVE for you to drop comments below about your experiences with the brand and what items you loved or didn't care for so much.

Coconut Melt
So here's the deal. This stuff is amazing BUT it's literally just solid coconut oil. Nothing else. Yes it's organic and pure coconut oil, which has vitamin E and tons of great things about it, but you can head to your local health food store like Sprouts, Good Earth and Whole Foods and pick up a container of Fair Trade Organic Coconut oil for far less than $28. You can use solid coconut oil for all kinds of things like hydrating your hair, shaving your legs, as a body butter, and more. This is a diverse product for sure, and it works well, but I don't think the cute packaging is worth the huge mark up.

Coconut Crush Scrub

I love a good scrub! I was super excited to try this but when I looked at the ingredients I noticed something sad, beeswax! The first issue with the beeswax is that on the site they say all their products are vegan. Vegans don't use anything from animals, even animal produced products so beeswax isn't vegan. The second issue is that beeswax is a filler that is seriously unnecessary. When you put the wax in your scrub it helps to keep the crystals suspended so they don't all sink to the bottom of the scrub, but coconut oil does that on it's own when it's in it's raw original form. Wax also create a coating on your skin that can trap in moisture, but will also keep moisture out. It's not a great ingredient. Next we have Silica listed. This is a major issue because the product says right on the label that it is silicone free, but silica is a form of silicone. It has a similar effect on your skin as beeswax. It's not that these two ingredients are horrible for your skin, but that they void claims made by the company in general. Plus coconut shells are the exfoliating ingredient in this which is mildly concerning to me. I am very conscious of what we are putting into our oceans right now. What goes down your drain matters, especially if you live near a coast. Coconut shells are not water soluble. They will basically become one with the sand, so it's not the end of the world, but there is a reason brands aren't allowed to use plastic beads in their scrubs anymore. Sugar and salt like most scrubs use do dissolve in water, so I prefer those myself.

So now that I am done pointing out ingredients issues I will get down to my experience using this product, which was that this scrub was very average. I have personally made better scrubs at home myself using just sugar and coconut oil, along with essential oils for fragrance and sometimes a little argan oil or shea butter too. I will post a recipe for that on my blog soon.

Coconut Lip Glossy
This is a good product. Lip gloss has made it's way back after a few years of the matte lip being the big thing. I am so happy because matte lipstick is so drying for your lips and I love glosses (even though my hair gets trapped in them). This tinted gloss is also treatment. It's super hydrating, glides on smoothly and has that perfect kiss of color that isn't overpowering, but is still visible. It doesn't feel sticky or tacky on my lips and I really enjoyed using it. My lips definitely felt softer and more hydrated after a couple of days of wearing this.

Coconut Cleansing Oil 

This product stood out to me as the first I found on the website that didn't have coconut oil as it's first ingredient. Unfortunately the first ingredient is Ethylhexyl Palmitate which is incredibly comedogenic (which means it clogs your pores easily).  You can click here to learn more about that. I won't lie I didn't even use this product. I wanted to be able to use and review their whole Coconut Skincare Essentials set, but I couldn't bring myself to put this on my face. I read the ingredients and knew it wouldn't be a good choice for me. There are also some other ingredients that could be a bad choice if you have oily skin or large pores. It also has several ingredients that could trigger fungal acne if that is something you are concerned with. 

Coconut Rose Toner
Here is another product I liked. Despite Coconut oil not being the base ingredient of this one either, the ingredients list was clean. A good toner will be a pure shot of lightweight hydration and a great toner will also include some healing ingredients that can help to calm and repair skin that might have been damages during cleansing or exfoliation. This product does both. I am a major fan.

Coconut Face Cream

This is another product that passed my ingredients test! I am a big fan of this. My skin felt baby soft after using it and it contained a lot of great hydrating and skin loving ingredients. The facial oils and moisturizers we use possibly matter the most when it comes to comedogenic ingredients, and this one is really good. IF you have huge pores that clog often you may want to steer clear of this line as a whole, an choose oil free product, but otherwise this is not a bad pick. However I do not recommend the line's face oil which has multiple comedogenic oils in it like Squalene. 

Coconut Oil Pullers
Oil pulling is all the rage right now. It's the idea that swishing around real organic oil in your mouth for a few minutes before brushing your teeth will pull the toxins out of your mouth and teeth and gums and create a much healthier mouth for you, as well as whiter and brighter teeth. There is a lot of research to back up those claims, but I was curious about this set. Why are we paying a premium when you can buy oil at Walmart that works well? I have tried oil pulling and honestly I hate it. It's a weird feeling having to swish warm oil in your mouth. It's not pleasant at all.

Kopari makes oil pullers that are individually packaged so they are convenient. They are also flavored which makes the experience better. They have three flavors. Mint, Vanilla and Pina Colada. The mint was my favorite, and the vanilla was horrible. It was super sweet and strong. I like the pina colada although it was still to sweet for me. But the experience had me wondering, how hard would it be for me to flavor my own coconut oil with essential oils and herbs I like to make a better experience without the premium pricing? Not only to save money but because the individual packages create waste.

My Take

So this line was hit and miss for me. The Face Cream and Rose Toner were the two items I felt like might be worth buying. The other items I like I felt you could buy locally or make yourself for a third of the cost. But really to me Kopari Beauty is a great example of why we can't trust marketing or packaging. There are a lot of subtle lies and buzz words used in this brand that tells you their products are the highest quality, when they use ingredients that are straight up horrible for your skin (like in the cleanser). Beeswax is in more products than I pointed out making this line not vegan as a whole, despite their site saying it is. But they expect you (the consumer) to just trust their labels. This is why it is SO important to know the ingredients on each item. Not all of these are bad, but the ones that are really are.

REVIEW: Pony-O

Packaging - 4 (very good)
Durability - 5 (excellent)
Grip - 4 (very good)
Ease of Use - 5 (excellent)
Comfort - 5 (excellent)
Damage - 5 (excellent)
Overall:

I have seen ads for this popping up all over my social media. I am a huge fan of the super cute full high pony tail thing, but you guys, my hair is not full. My pony tails are sad. I was excited to try this one out and see if it would really give me that fuller look. What does the Pony-O claim exactly? They say that it holds your hair all day, that it's comfortable and easy to use, they claim it to be damage free and that it won't pull on your hair. So let me break down the claims and my experience here for you.

Their website is a little basic and sketchy looking to be honest. But it's a small company so I gave them the benefit of the doubt. The price point is high. You can buy a pack of 50 hair ties at the dollar store, and some nicer ones at Walmart for $5 for 50+. So with Pony-O you get two ties for $20. It was a lot. I am a cheapskate and I was looking at their refund policy before I hit "buy" for sure. But I had some requests for this product and I REALLY wanted to try it, so I did. They have 8 colors ranging from different shades of brown, to a "ginger" shade as well as black and white.

The package came in 3 days, which was a very pleasant surprise to me. It came in a little box and inside the box was a canvas drawstring pouch, which had the two ponytail holders inside of it. They came totally flattened out. For those who don't know yet, Pony-Os are a copper bar surrounded in a silicone covering, so you shape your hair with it more. to the right there is a gif that shows the way it kind of works.


So I got it out and immediately put it in my hair. I was able to shape it into a ponytail on the first try in less than 3 minutes. So I would say it's SUPER easy to use. These things aren't going anywhere. I have passed it around at my work and have several girls in my salon try it on (taking it in and out again) so I could see how easy it was for different people to use as well as how it fared with different hair types. All of my coworkers had a very easy time using it. I had one coworker with extremely thick hair that did have to try 2-3 times to get it to stay in place right, but everyone else got it on try #1. They are super durable. I haven't felt any give or issues during the few weeks I have had it.

They grip the hair well and are WAY more comfortable than a traditional hair tie. I found myself feeling nervous because I am used to having my hair pulled tight and this one I can not feel at all, but if I jump or run it stays put, which I love. No more headaches and no more creasing too! And they'd on't pull my hair at all. I am so in love with this thing. When I first got it I had buyers remorse. I kept thinking "$20 for this?" but I have worn it every day since (almost) and even find myself putting my hair up after work on "non pony tail or bun" days.

I am obsessed with my Pony-Os and I think you will be too. Click here to get yours and to learn more about them!

REVIEW: Beauty Protector Protect and Oil

Packaging: 4 (very good)
Scent: 4 (very good)
Hydration: 4 (very good)
Heat Protecting Power: 5 (excellent)
Longevity: 4 (very good)
Overall:



This "Protect Oil" is pretty awesome. When I was asked to try it I was wary. I thought it would make my hair look ultra shiny and greasy and smell way to strong (which has been my experience with other oils in the past) but this one was great! It conditioned my hair and added a small amount of shine (although my greasy hair did not look greasy at all). It smelled like vanilla which isn't really my favorite scent but it was very light and pleasant. It also did a great job protecting my hair, in fact I found it to work better than a couple of my current favorites. Also a little bit of this oil goes a long way so you wont have to replenish your supply for at least 6-9 months after buying it, and since it comes in a bottle with a pump nozzle it helps you control how much you are using and really makes it last. I found it works best to put it on your hair while damp and then blow dry it. Then you can use hot tools on it and the heat protection is still in place!  I definitely recommend this product.

What is the best deep conditioner for my hair?

 Not all Deep Conditioners are the same. They just aren't. Their ingredients are different and that will create different results which will benefit different needs. Today I am going to talk about hair types, what results they need and what deep conditioners work best.

Chemically Damaged Hair

If your hair is chemically damaged that means you have dry, brittle, porous ends that have seen color, lightener, perm solution or permanent straighteners. Your hair is on it's last lengths here, and has had the keratin stripped from it as well as may of it's bonds permanently broken. But there are a couple options for you.

Olaplex Treatments and Brazilian Blowout B3 Demi Permanent Conditioning Treatments. Both of these treatments have a powerful in salon option that repairs broken bonds, strengthens existing bonds, and creates false supporting bonds in the hair to prevent breakage and transform your hair. They also both have at home options that are really best when used after the salon service. For Olaplex that is the #3 (pictured on the left above) and for Brazilian Blowout B3 Systems that is the Instant Restore and Protect Reconstructor (pictured directly to the right).

Unfortunately most other masks and conditioners only hydrated and heal the outside of the hair shaft, but do not make real lasting change. So you will need to invest. Please note that these two brands do not sell through Amazon or online retailers and only sell through salons. PLEASE go through a salon for these, as these products have a lot of popular knock offs that are horrible for your hair. I do believe you can get the Olaplex #3 at Sephora, but that is it.

The biggest difference between the two is that the Brazilian Blowout is a hydrating mask that nourishes the hair and moisturizes, while also creating bonds, where the Olaplex mainly focuses on strength and bond building. If your hair is fine or prone to getting oily then go for the Olaplex. If you need frizz management or if you have coarse hair the Brazilian Blowout is the better option.


Heat Damaged Hair


Heat Damaged hair comes from the use of hot tools. Things like blow dryers, curling iron, curling wands and flat irons can truly take a toll on your hair. Th biggest issues that you will find form heat damage is that the cuticle (which is the outer protective layer of the hair) is damaged and blown open, and this can result in loss of protein and moisture. Check out my Guide to Hot Tools Here to learn more about choosing hot tools that are high quality and won't damage your hair.

If you have fine hair I highly recommend the Living Proof Restore Mask Treatment. It is lightweight, packed with protein and will help to heal your hair. I also like the Redken Extreme Antisnap and Sexy Hair Core Flex for leave in treatments on fine hair. Just be sure you aren't over using any of these. The mask should be once a week, and the leave ins 2-3 times a week only.

Now if you have coarse or frizzy hair I prefer the Joico KPak, which is a fan favorite among salon stylists. This one will have more weight to it and will do more to smooth your hair as well. I feel it's to heavy for fine hair.

If you have hair that is "normal" or in the middle, I would probably go with the restore from Living Proof just because you don't need the extra weight to fight frizz. Just know that the KPak (like the other mentioned products) should not be over-used.


Dry and Frizzy

Sometimes your hair is dry and frizzy even when you don't chemically treat it or use heat. This is often a result of poor choices in shampoo and conditioner. Click here to see my guide on choosing a good shampoo and conditioner for your hair type. So your hair still needs incredible moisture, without the protein. I mentioned a few times above that the repairing deep conditioners should not be used to often. I know a lot of people that use the general moisture treatments in between their repairing treatments to keep their hair soft and hydrated, but not overdo the keratin. So that is also an option with these.

One of my die hard favorites is the Joico Moisture Recovery Treatment Balm. I also love the It's a 10 Miracle Hair Mask along with the Redken Frizz Dismiss Mask. I also don't hate the Hask Beauty Macadamia Oil Moisturizing Deep Conditioner. It's a decent inexpensive option for those on a budget. If you have fine hair you need to be careful not to use a moisture mask that is to heavy. For you I would recommend something more like the AG Texture Moisture Mask, which is weightless, but still hydrating. I also don't mind the Biolage R.A.W. Uplift Rebodify Mask for fine haired people.



Curly Hair

If you have curly hair your hair has different needs. Your cuticle layer is consistently open due to the coiled nature of your hair and it makes frizz and dryness a constant in your life. There are certain ingredients that sren't horrible for your hair because of this, that are not recommended for others. In the end you really can't go wrong with any of the Deva Curl Masks. But I particularly like the Deva Curl Melt Into Moisture Matcha Green Tea Butter Conditioning Mask but they also have the Deva Curl Deep Sea Repair Seaweed Strengthening Mask which is better for repairing curly hair, not just moisturizing like the first. You can also pick up this great little trio set called the Curls on the Go Treatment Trio which has small samples of their build up buster along with both of the previously mentioned masks.

REVIEW: Tigi Beg Head Oh Bee Hive! Dry Shampoo

Packaging - 4 (very good)
Scent - 1 (bad)
Oil Absorption - 3 (average)
Longevity - 4 (very good)
Volumizing - 5 (excellent)
Overall:




Oh Bee Hive! Is a fun and volumizing dry shampoo that creates a matte finish on oily roots. the packaging is super cut and fun, which is on brand for Bed Head. BUT I hate the cap on it. I hate it when products have these micro tiny caps that you loose easily. It absorbs the oils super well, but it leaves your hair looks white really quickly. A little goes a decent way, I wouldn't say it goes a long way, but it does well. It gives a ton of volume though, so if you like big hair, this may be a choice you want to consider.

The biggest issue I have with it is the smell. It has a sickly sweet, but still baby-powder-esque scent that is so gross. It literally made me feel sick. And it's SO strong. For this reason alone I will not use this moving forward.

REVIEW: Beauty Protector Protect & Detangle

Packaging: 4 (very good)
Scent: 4 (very good)
Hydration: 3 (average)
Heat Protecting Power: 3 (average)
Longevity: 4 (very good)

Overall:

I was little disappointed with this product. After trying a loving the Beauty Protector Protect & Oil (I bought 2 bottles) I was expecting a lot from this product. While it smells like vanilla, but is not overpowering at all and is very pleasant, it also leaves my hair looking greasy. The Protect & Oil protects your hair from the heat of a blow dryer, straightener or curling iron, where I feel this one really only protects from the blow dryer and the sun. But like I said, it made my hair looks greasy, which is a big no-no in my book. The packaging was a little tacky to me, especially compare to the sleek black and gold of their other product, and a little did not go a long way. It't not something I would buy again.

What hair shampoo and condition is best for repairing damaged hair?

Damaged hair can be a real problem, and people don't always treat it right. It's a difficult balance, it truly is. So I am going to go over what I consider damaged hair, what you can use at home to help it, and what NOT to use or do. Hopefully this can help some of you! You can click on the product names throughout the article to learn more about them and purchase them.

Why is my hair damaged?

Hair becoming damaged is normal. The truth is everything damages our hair. Hair ties, bobby pins and clips can cause breakage from tension and pulling. UVA/UVB rays from the sun can cause our hair's cuticle layer to open, which causes our color to fade as well major loss of hydration. But the two main culprits of damage are chemical services (perms, relaxers and coloring) as well as heat styling. Both of these things cause your cuticle layer to open, and can eve cause your cuticle layer to break and chip in a way that is irreparable.

In order to heal your hair you have to repair that cuticle layer. There are some at home products you can use and in this post we are going to talk specifically about shampoo and conditioner, as well as repair masks and leave in conditioners because I think they all go together. But first...

What Not To Do

Some common mistakes that I see people make include using hot oil treatment, over treating and using to much protein in your hair. Big mistakes. There are some treatments in the salon that can be made more effective by adding heat to slightly open the cuticle so the treatment can penetrate better, but these are not oil treatment. When you heat up oil what does it do? It literally cooks things. We don't want to literally fry your hair. And there are some wonderful treatments out there, many of which I will recommend, but you don't want to use to use them to often. I get the idea, that your hair feels frizzy and that this treatment should help it, but to much can actually cause more damage. If it says 2-3 times a week, only use it 2-3 times a week MAX, not 5, not 7. Especially with protein and keratin products. There is a balance in all things. Switch up your products. Use a good keratin treatment or protein shampoo every other wash, and a ultra gentle hydrating one every other time. Trust me on this one, you will get better results.

Last but not least we need to take off the kid gloves. Don't decide you're going to use Pantene's Restore shampoo and get results when I am recommending high end options. There truly are some decent products on drug store shelves, and I am trying to review them more frequently on my blog. But when it comes to repairing damage you have to commit to the best products if you want results. If you can't afford it, you'd be better off using sulfate free and wax free options that are anti-frizz or smoothing. But cheap repair products (even from the best of walmart brands) are simply not effective, and can often do more harm than good.


Shampoo and Conditioner

To me the holy grail shampoo and conditioner for bond repair and maintenance is the Olaplex No4 and No5 (pictured on the left). These will cost you a pretty penny, but they are worth it. Another option is the Joico KPak Shampoo and Conditioner, or the Bumble and Bumble mending shampoo and conditioner. All of these option will help to repair your hair, but like I said it's important not to solely use a keratin or protein based option.
 
I like to supplement with a good moisturizing option. You need to be sure that whatever hydration shampoo you use only has the highest quality ingredients. It must be free of silicone, wax and sulfates. Some good choice are the Bumble and Bumble Hairdresser's Invisible Oil shampoo and conditioner, or Redken's Frizz Dismiss Sulfate-Free shampoo and conditioner but make sure it's not the new frizz dismiss in the orange bottle. It needs to be the sulfate free option in the gold bottle (pictured on the right). I also love the new Biolage RAW Nourish. I also love the Living Proof No Frizz line, which is the one I personally use at home right now.


 Masks and Leave Ins

 Same as with the shampoos and conditioners you must remember not to over do it on the treatments and leave ins. Use a mask every other shampoo, and every other mask should be keratin or protein, while every other in a simple hydration mask. So your shower routine would go No Mask, Repair Mask, No Mask, Hydration Mask, and then repeat itself. My favorite protein masks and treatments are the Joico KPak as well as the Kerestase Resistance Masque Therapiste Hair Mask (pictured on the left) Olaplex No3. For hydrating masks there are tons of great choices honestly. Some of my tried and true favorites are the Joico Moisture Recovery Treatment Balm, the Redken Frizz Dismiss Mask, the It's a 10 Miracle Hair Mask.

For leave in treatments you should do the same, use leave in treatment every single day, and only use a repairing one every 2-3 days. For your standard hydration I like UniqOne all in one leave in hair treatment for those with thick to normal hair. For finer hair I love the Biolage Smoothing Shine Milk or for a more matte option the Wella EIMI Perfect Me Leave In Beauty Balm. For something to repair I like the Strong Sexy Hair Coreflex (pictured on the right) and the Redken Extreme Leave In.
      

But really the very first step to healthier hair is a haircut. You need to get your haircut every 6-8 weeks, there are no ifs, ands or buts about it. You can read the post linked below to get a better idea of why it's so necessary.

Does Cutting Your Hair Actually Help It Grow?

REVIEW: Wella EIMI Dry Me Dry Shampoo

Packaging - 5 (excellent)
Scent - 2 (average)
Finish - 5 (excellent)
Oil Absorption - 5 (excellent)
Texture - 5 (excellent)
Overall:



I really do love this dry shampoo. It has super sleek packing that looks modern, high end and clean. One thing I love about this dry shampoo is that is truly invisible in every sense of the word. My hair doesn't look dry when I put it in. It feels soft and cushioned and I can run my fingers through it. It deosn't dry it out and make it feel stiff. It is totally invisible. You could spray a ridiculous amount in one area and your hair won't turn white. It's perfect for those with dark hair. A little goes a long way and it works great. The only downside to me is the scent. I hate it. It smells kind of chemically and it's pretty strong. BUT it does go away, which is the upside there.

REVIEW: Unique 1

Packaging - 4 (very good)
Scent - 5 (excellent)
Hydration - 5 (excellent)
Heat Protection - 5 (excellent)
Repairing - 5 (excellent)
Overall:


This is truly one of my die-hard favorite products and has been for years. I can't believe I haven't reviewed it before. The packaging is functional. While it's not elegant it's not ugly either. It's very simple. I love the fragrances this product is available in! The one pictures is the original scent which smells like fresh towel from the dryer. They also offer a coconut fragrance, lotus (which has a water scent that is mildly floral), and Green Tea (which is very earthy).

This works, plain and simple. It hydrates, protects, repairs and smooths the hair. It prevent split ends and will make your hair feel like a million bucks. It also protects your hair from UVA/UVB rays. The only real draw back is that it isn't weightless. It is light enough that this is only an issue for those with super fine hair, but for me it's not a problem. If your hair is normal to coarse in texture this is the product for you. It's super well rounded and seriously everyone could use it.