tickledpink: I feel you. Sometimes I think Optimum and Luster's are playing we me! My hair laughs at me if I come at it with some Pink Oil. *lol*
My favorite nowadays is Carol's Daughter. (www.carolsdaughter.com)
Their skin/hair products are all organic. They are so popular sometimes it can take a while for them to fill your order because they get overwhelmed. I'm a big fan of their growth promoting shampoo and their hair milk. When I go to NYC I'm going to visit her store and stock up. I too use olive oil once a week to keep my hair happy and you don't have to use o.o. made especially for hair. I used generic o.o. from Safeway and my hair just eats it up. Many things I used to by in the store I found I can make at home and it saves me a lot of money.
Miss. Mocha, I'm glad you don't think I'm some natural psycho trying to "cure" the permed heads of the world. *lol* I just love talking about hair/beauty, and even though I no longer perm, I still like to share old beauty secrets I used when I was chillin' with Dudley's.

If people don't constantly remind me that I have natural hair then I don't show my militant/judgmental side. Some people just love to point it out like I didn't know. That drives me crazy!