Hey y’all, sorry I’ve been MIA, but now I’m back! I was recently in DC, where I heard you can get SheaMoisture’s infamous leave-in on the ground, rather than order it. So obviously, this became my quest. I am not familiar with beauty supply stores in the area b/c I went natural right before I moved, so I had no idea where the good ones were, and these stores don’t ever have online sites with their inventories. That’s cool. WildChild was not going to lose!
Initially, I randomly found a BSS while driving into DC (I was staying outside of the city in MoCo), and made my bf pull over so I could check and see if they had the leave-in (he really likes me). However, they were closed – fail. I peered into the windows like a weirdo stalker to see if I could see it in the store, and recognized the bottle in one of the aisles, thinking I had hit the jackpot.
The next day, I drove back out to the store IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC in order to pick it up. Seriously, the drive should be about 20 minutes, and it took me over an hour. But I really wanted it!! So I go to the store – right to the aisle where I had seen the bottle the night before and….FAIL. MAYJAH FAIL. I had seen a bottle of SheaMoisture Body Wash, which looks EXACTLY like the Leave-In. Sigh. Not to be discouraged, I got out my trusty Evo and Googled nearby stores. Hmmm…there was another store a mile and a half away down Georgia Avenue. Being the oh so efficient person that I am, I decided to just walk thinking, “Well I need some exercise anyway…”
As I walked down Georgia Ave, I came across some interesting characters. Shout out to the lady with no teeth yelling on the street, the old dude who tried to hit on me at the gas station, and all the people I passed hanging out outside of dominican salons. Hey y’all! Anywho, after walking in 90 degree HUMID weather, I get to the store – it was called #1 Beauty Supply. Hmm, that’s debatable.
I went inside the store and there were aisles and aisles and aisles of…junk! LOL, no kidding, just about every single “ethnic” hair care product you can think of…but that is filled with mineral oil, petroleum, wax, cones…and just about everything else I don’t want to put on Izzy! Except for Long Aid…they had a ton of that, but the jars were half empty and said “not for consumer resale.” You’ve got to be kidding me!!! I wanted to take pics on my phone of the place but I didn’t want them to think I was from the BBB and kick me out.
Oh well…I searched up and down the long aisles for the SheaMoisture, and found a little section of their products. They had that darn body wash, some lotion, exfoliating black soap…and an empty space that my little heart knew had been the leave-in. I looked down at the floor in despair, hoping that the PJ gods would come help me. Then, I got an idea. I began shifting all of the bottles out of the way, hoping that someone had tried to hide a bottle (I used to do this all the time when I was younger). Then…BAM! At the very back, there was MY LONE BOTTLE of the SheaMoisture Leave-In! I did a little dance in the aisle, twirled, and clutched my bottle with my humid, sweaty palm. MINE! I had won. For good measure, I also grabbed a bottle of the Exfoliating Black Soap and headed to the check out, where the woman looked at my picture and said, “You cut your hair!”
I replied, “Yea, I had to cut off the relaxer.”
Then she looked at me funny and says, “What were you relaxing your hair for?” I ask myself that same question often.
With my new products in tow, I made the triumphant walk back to my car, the heat only making me stronger (and the fact that I stopped for a Skinny Cow Ice Cream Sammich on the way) and with a big ol’ PJ smile on my face. A review is coming soon.
Elle: 1, Washington, DC: 0
xoxo
questfortheperfectcurl.com 
Ha! You were in my neck of the woods. I live not to far from #1 and USED to go there for long-aid. But as you saw, their long-aid is a bit shady….not only is it half empty and not for resale, but it’s also NOT called Long-Aid at all. I did get them to start stocking Tigi Bedhead Moisture Maniac. That and Ecostyler are the only products I can get from that place. And yeah, if you’re hair is curly, they got something to say about it. They always ask to touch my hair and question my product selections every time I go there. I think they initially thought I had a “kit” in it, and I sometimes thought they kept asking trying to see if I was lieing. But their good people. At any rate, I hope DC left an impression on you (well, other than Georgia Avenue. lol)
Hah! Oh, I’m from the DMV; that’s how I know about Ga Ave! And yes, that Long Aid was so shady! Too funny.
You know a month ago I danced with this around the BSS for 10 mins; but I was protesting anything over $5. of course now I look at the big ass Tressseme Naturals, Pantene relaxd & natural, cantu leave in, Sunsilk AntiPoof I purchased for my wash n gos all used once and ready to be trashed; I shoulda just got the dern SheaMoisture that my heart was telling me would work….not my PJ.
Psssh, with all the expensive prods out there, $8 is a treat! It’s even cheaper than the Target line!
I think the Shea Moisture is the same company at Target but they revamped their labels and came out with a new line specifically made for Target, so you can’t get that line anywhere but Target.
Yea I’ve been trying to find that old SM leave in “on the ground” FOREVER but its hard to find. Curly Nikki used to swear by it.
I’m moving back to DC in a month after being gone for 4 yrs. What were the streets of that BSS? and Review this item soon please!
;o)
It was on Georgia Ave right when you get into DC from Silver Spring…I can’t remember the the cross streets because I was walking, I’m sorry! Actually…I’ll do you one better, I Googled it for you! 🙂 Here’s the address: 5928 Georgia Ave Nw, Washington, DC 20011. Hopefully they won’t be all sold out when you go! I also recommend the Exfoliating Black Soap; I’ve been using it as a face wash.
PS…I’m going to review it tomorrow. I am seriously so behind. I will never go two weeks without blogging again! 😉
Hey there, not sure if this is the same SheaMoisture that they sell at Whole Foods or Target, but both stores have a brand with that name. Although the descriptions on the labeling are similar, the branding/logos look different. I’m in Philadelphia though, not DC. But at any rate, may be worth checking them out. Target definitely sells it online. Would definitely save you the hunt you recently endured at the not-so-clean/friendly/healthy/full-bottle neighborhood beauty supply stores 🙂 Good luck! I look forward to reading your product review.
Thank you! No, this is a different leave-in than what they sell at Target – which is why it is so coveted! The bottle of SM was full…not sure what was going on with that other stuff though, lol! I’ve never seen any kind of SM at Whole Foods…but it might be in Philly b/c the company is based out of NY.
I call that a hair coup! I just found devaone in a hair salon on vacation in Puerto Rico. I almost swallowed my gum. Isn’t it like christmas in July?
Lol, well it was supposed to be there, but these BSS in MD are crazy to me! All this miracle grow African Pride stuff…took me back to my childhood!