Monday, August 31, 2009

my story

sorry ladies, i dont have a big dramatic story of why i decided to go natural. honestly i have always wanted to be natural. i didnt know at the time that it was called "going natural", i didnt even understand what i was doing to my hair each time it was relaxed. i was young, maybe eleven, when i decided that i wanted the big beautiful curls like the Ethiopian girls. they seemed to be the only ones i saw with hair that wasnt straight and lifeless. i didnt know why i couldnt achieve that look, i only knew that family and hair stylist kept telling me "you dont have that kind of hair" and "if you stop getting a relaxer your hair will fall out". not shed, not break off, but actually fall out????? well i didnt want to walk around "bald headed" because i stopped getting a relaxer so i put the thought to the back of my mind. what eleven year old wants to have chewed up hair? not me, not when my hair was already long and thick. it just wasnt the big, beautiful, bushy and sometimes frizzy curls that i dreamed of.
many many years later(about 3 years ago) a few of my friends started chopping their hair off to grow locks. i remember saying over and over again that one day i would go natural too. but i didnt want locks, i wanted an afro. so at the time i was working a job where all i did all day long was sit at a computer. i started researching how to care for African American hair and i came across many sites and forums. one of them being LFCF. i instantly fell in love with the information that was given. so about six months later i paid my fee and became a member(im Chebaby over there). anyway, at the time i was still relaxed, still felt like i was my hair. if my hair was out of place i was a hot ass mess. i had bleached my hair all shades of brown and blondes only to color over it with bright reds and almost purples lol.
i was in high school and the first half of college and you couldnt tell me my bright red hair wasnt the ish. i was fly.....that is until i took a picture and realized my hair was so thin that you could see through my curls and straight to my scalp. i was so heart broken. but i had already found long hair care forum so i used that site to help me get my relaxed hair up to par. i learned so much from products that i shouldnt use, all natural butters and oils that would help moisturize, thicken and benefit my hair. and then i started transitioning.

i didnt have to transition mentally though. it was all about the hair for me. i didnt have to learn that i was beautiful without long relaxed hair. didnt have to open my eyes and really see. i was already mentally natural. that was already who i was. i was just waiting for the outside of my appearance to show who i was on the inside. when people said i was crazy for wanting to walk around with "nappy" hair it didnt make me feel like this journey wasnt for me. didnt make me change my mind even for a little bit. it only made me sad that people couldnt except me wanting to be me. that made me sad but i pushed through it. i just continued to do research on what was good for my hair and what wasnt.
that didnt keep me from getting heat damage though. with the great products that i learned about on that wonderful forum i found the CHI flat iron. woooooowwwwww. i thought that was the best thing in the world for my hair. that was until i actually did the big chop. and then i saw all the real damage, even though i had been relaxer free for eleven months that flat iron fried the front of my hair. my bang area was completely straight, no bends, no curls, not even a zig zag in sight.



stay tuned for the rest of my big chop story.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

since when...

did love come in the form of a shampoo?
well let me answer that for you.
this past weekend i went to my local bss to purchase another tub of shea butter. i took my SO along with me and made him purchase a tub for himself as well, i even had him in the kitchen mixing lmao. anyway above the shea butter shelf was the black soap shelf. they had the liquid and the bar kind. it was cheap too so i grabbed it. but then as i walked the store i went to the shelf that contains the Essential Balms and Natural Oasis products. they are all natural products that can be purchased and DC and MD. i think everywhere else you have to purchase on line. anyway i saw that they had black soap as well, it was more exspencive at $9.99 but i like the ingredient list which contained water, shea butter, and natural oils.
that night i went home and washed my hair with it. OMG i was in dream land. amazing. that stuff had my hair clean and soft all at the same time. i was deeply in love.
i didnt want to give a review because i wanted to use it again before doing so. that was on Sunday.
well i have been using my shea butter and coconut oil mix as if my life depended on it. my hair really loves that stuff. but yesterday my hair became very oily, i mean every time i thought about touching my hair my hand became oily lol. but i made up my mind that i would not shampoo again until this up coming sunday when i did my deep conditioning treatment. well this morning i just decided to shampoo again. im not sure why since when i woke up the oily feeling was gone. all the goodness had sunk into my hair. but i decided to shampoo again using the black so and then do a quick conditioning using kbb deep conditioner. OMG my hair is really in love. like real love at first sight.

also i've noticed that this shampoo makes my hair feel thick, i dont know if i mentioned it here before but my hair is fine and not as thick as it used to be. but when i use this black soap my hair feels so much thicker. love. and you onlu need a little bit. this stuff is so watery that when you squirt it in your hand you will think about adding tons more but it lathers sooooo well you just dont need more. love lol. i then conditioned and detaingled the best i could in what little time i had. it is now 2 hours later and my hair feels amazing. with this black soap shampoo i can use it twice a week without any problems. man i love this stuff.

and when you get a chance check out http://www.naturaloasishairproducts.com/

Monday, August 24, 2009

banana no no

i have taken this mixing thing too far. fo' real. this banana crap is on hold for me until i get the proper mixer. i mashed up less than a half of banana as best i could with my fork. but when i added honey it looked like oatmeal. i was like oh nooooo!!!! i put it in my hair anyway.

i added a little coconut oil thinking that would help the chunks slide out when i was done.
when i rinsed it out 2 hours later my hair did not feel soft at all. in fact it felt a little hard and stiff. so i co washed with vo5 mixed with coconut oil and honey. i wont say i hated the honey and banana mix but i didnt like it like i thought i would. i will use it again but not until i get a mixer.

it didnt take me long to get the chunks out but it took long enough. in fact my mom took a chunk out today lmao. so this is on hold. another reason i dont want to use it anytime in the next couple of weeks is because i need to let them riped. i need to let them turn a beautiful(hahah) nasty brown because its best to use that way, from what i hear, and also because its easier to mix up that way.


but for right now i have to say that i do not like it.

im so happy

i have recieve two compliments on my hair today. both came from women at my job.
today i didnt do anything different to my hair, just a simple wash and go with the front slicked back. i decided to use my kbb hair butter to slick it back instead of hairveda's whipped gelly. it worked out really well.
also im happy because i fell in love all over again with oyin burnt sugar pomade. i mean i am really in love with it. it slicks the front of my hair down without a problem and keeps it soft and shiny all day.
im also happy because my hair feels amazing after the much needed protein treatment i did Sunday with my beloved Joico Deep Penetraiting Reconstructor. i know i said i was gonna try and stick with all natural products but until i find a natural alternative, joico it is. my hair feels the way i wanted it to feel, strong and soft. i was begining to get mushy hair because i was co washing daily so now thats out.

just wanted you all to know the things that made me happy today.

Friday, August 21, 2009

shea butter and coconut dreams

i made a mess last night. between melting shea butter, mixing coconut oil and dealing with that bentonite crap i had a time on my hands last night. but i made magic.

i sat my tub of shea butter in another tub of hot water. that melted it completely and i was not exspecting that. i came back five minutes later thinking it would just be soft but it was almost all oil. so i had to devide it into two 8oz plastic tubs. i then scooped about 7-10 (yes ten) spoon fulls of coconut oil into each jar. then i sat each jar in the refrigerator, taking it out every 30 minutes for and hour and a half to stir it with my litttle plastic spoon lol(i really need to invest in a food processor). it turned out really well. i did not leave it in the 'fridge all night long. this morning it was so soft and creamy and i was in love before i even tried it on my hair.
so i took my shower and instead of co washing i just rinsed my hair. i never realized how much conditioner smooths the hair but it really does. when i got out the shower my hair was so big and curly and poofy. i love that. i added just a dime size of kbb hair milk and then the shea and coconut oil mix. my hair was instantly soft but i knew the real test was to see how it dried. i didnt even use my usual hairveda whipped gelly to slick my hair back. i didnt need it because the shea butter and coconut oil handled it. that was around 1:30pm. my hair is still soft and shiny. i dont think i put enough though because i still have to moisturize before i go to bed tonight. i will be exsperimenting to see how much i need to last me how long. i really am loving this mix though.
so that just goes to show you, i dont care what anyone says, not all shea is the same. just because it may say unrefined doesnt mean its going to act the same as the next unrefined shea butter. im positive they have the same benefits, its just that they wont make your hair feel the same. this yellow african shea butter is the best IMO and i will continue to purchase it.

not fo me

this bentonite thing is not for me. so i told yall that i was gonna do a face mask last night. well i did and to keep from saying i hated it i will say its not for me. first of all its hard to work with as in its messy. but when i put it on my face it felt fine. like a regular mask. i liked the way it tightened my skin. but i hated the way all around the bottom of my chin itched sooooo bad.
then when i washed it off with a warm towel, there was nothing. no spark, no magic, no "i cant believe it took me so long to try this". nothing but the side eye and stank face. i guess it cleaned my face. i dont know but it didnt wow me at all.
i will try it on my hair in the future but no time soon because its so messy and im dissapointed.

Thursday, August 20, 2009

update on bentonite clay

so apperantly bentonite clay is very clarifying. its good to get all the gunk out of your hair and thats exactly why its a great facial mask as well. tonight i will make a small amount of a bentonite mix using water, although you can use acv. i will apply it to my face and let it sit for 10 minutes ar until its dry. then i will follow up with my coconut oil.


also tonight im going to make my shea butter mix. i was gonna wait until this weekend to make it since i wasnt planning on using it until i do my twists, but im going to make it tonight. all it will be is the african shea butter and EVCO. lots of EVCO. as i've stated before, i dont own any type of mixer so i will be doing it by hand. i will melt the shea butter in the microwave for no more than 30 seconds and then add as much coconut oil as i see fit. i will use this mix on my hair tomorrow when i do my wash and go so that i can get a since of how it makes my hair feel. when i used my first mix on my twist(that i took out that very next day) my hair was very soft but that was because i used a lot on each section of hair. also that first mix had other oils like avocado and cocasta(which is a very thick oil consisting of other oils and whatnot. it contains castor oil so its very rich). i didnt like the first mix very much because it made my hair look dull and ashy. i hope this new mix makes my hair very shiny concidering the diference in the shea butter color. for some reason i think the african shea butter will give me amazing shine.

holla at ya tomorrow with my results of both the shea butter mix and the bentonite clay.

whats up with me and my hair.

i didnt do the twists that i had planned on. you know how life is, things get in the way. but i do plan on doing them this weekend. Sunday is the day im looking at.
also i have been looking at my stash of products and it makes me so sad. i cant believe i have all these damn products. dont get me wrong, almost everything i have i love and i actually use them but that is way besides the point. i have realized that the only things i need for my hair are:
coconut oil
coconut milk
honey
shea butter
olive and avocado oils
bananas(actually im going to try this out for the first time on sunday)
water(DUH lol)
oyin honey hemp conditioner and oyin J&B

these are products that i feel like i need. the bananas and coconut milk are what i would use for deep treating my hair. i cant get rid of my honey hemp because i love it too much so thats a keeper. i can make my own spray and please believe i will but i love the oyin J&B. everything else i can get from the grocery store, whole foods and vitamine shoppe.

i also just purchased some indian healing clay. this week has been extra special(and i dont mean that in a good way). this week has taken alot out of me so sunday will be the day for me to pamper myself. i've never used the clay before but i know many people use it on the face and hair. sounds yummy right? of course i will do research on it and come back with that info for you. even if i like what it says about the benefits of using it on my hair i wont do that this week. i think i will just use it on my face and use the banana mix(check out Sunshine's blog, thats where i got the idea from) on my hair. sunshines mix is bananas and honey, i will be adding coconut oil because i cant get enough of that oil.

changes i will be making are:
i will no longer be co washing my hair daily. i may wet my hair most days but i will not be using conditioner, just water. i may co wash twice a week and thats it. also i wont be doing any more overnight deep treatments. i will still deep condition for an hour or two but no longer overnight.
and once all my products(you know, the kbb, curls, blended beauty, qhemet biologics and everything else) are gone and used up i will not be repurchasing.

also, i purchased some african shea butter today. it was sooo cheap at just $5.99. it says its 100% unrefined shea so im happy about that. i already have some shea butter that i purchased off line at coastal scents but that shea butter(although unrefined) is tan in color and the african shea butter is yellow. i just wanted to buy it and see what the difference is. i know when i first started using coconut oil i made the mistake of thinking they were all the same as long as it said unrefined and that is so not true.
the coconut oil i get from GNC is the best i have ever tried. it is soooo silky smooth, completely white in color and smells just like coconut oil. spectrum coconut oil smelled rank and was amber in color. vitamine shoppe's coconut oil is good, i like it but i like it on my face better than my hair. i use it all over my body and as my facial moisturizer. but it will have to do for my hair this time because GNC was all out of coconut oil today and vitamine shoppe has a sale so.....


i know that was a whole lot of babbling and stuff but hey, i just wanted to catch you ladies up :)

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

how do you detangle?

i always detaingle in the shower. always soak my hair in a thick conditioner first and then using a wide tooth shower comb i start at the bottom and work my way up. thats all. it works out well for me and really if i do this just once a week thats enough. i sometimes use my denman brush which i purchased from Sallys but its not mandetory.
the reason for this post is because i have my eye on a detangling spray by AfroVeda. the ingreadients sound so yummy and i love spray leave in conditioners so this seems right up my alley. except for the fact that i dont need it lol. i mean i know i have many products i dont need but i REALLY dont need a detangling spray. on wet hair my hair should have already been detaingled in the shower, and on dry hair well, i really wouldnt use it because i dont do too much to my hair while its dry.
i guess what im trying to get at is, do you detangle in the shower, only on wet hair?
and if so do you use a detangler in the form of a spray as well?

let me know ladies.

also go to http://www.afroveda.com/ to check out her products. when you run across the Seven products, take a look at that spray detangler and let me know your thoughts.

speaking of love....

i find myself falling deeper in love with shea butter. now i usually dont like shea butter unless its mixed with water or oils but i have been using shea butter by itself this past weekend and my hair loves it so im gonna stick with it. i have a good amount of creamy shea butter that i got from coastal scents and i really like it. now that its hot the shea butter is soooo soft and so it just glides right onto your hair. it makes my hair sooooo shiny and soft. so....HAPPY.
infact im going to twist my hair tonigh using either shea butter and coconut oil or KBB hair cream. karens body beautiful hair cream is nothing more than shea butter, glycerin and a few oils. i love that stuff. i mean i damn near use it everyday.

and speaking of love, shea butter and coconut oil, do you know Sunshine from http://naturalhairnaturalproducts.blogspot.com/? well i just found her blog about a week ago and i just love it. i love how her blog and her personality just seems so bright and uplifting. there are many blogs that i follow and i just added hers to my list because i think she has great information and i usually agree with her POV on many subjects regarding natural hair. that and the fact that i think her TWA is drool worthy lol.
anyway, she has a product called coconut confidence and im going to purchase some this week. you can find more info about her products on her blog mentioned above and also on etsy where they are sold. the coconut confidence is a mix of shea butter and coconut oil. very simple. so simple that i have unrefined shea butter and EVCO at home but i really like the brightness of her lables and i love supporting Black businesses. so i cant wait to give this product a twirl. and because it is an all natural product, and we know the greatness and benefits of shea butter and coconut oil, this product would be great on the hair and the skin.
if any of you have already tried the coconut confidence please leave a comment letting me know your thoughts.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

i was scurred

i cant believe i forgot to tell yall that i went to the Exit the Apple store this past Saturday. this is the store in baltimore where the wonderful Oyin products are hand made with love. i cant believe i forgot to post this. anyway guess who i saw.....
ScandalousBeauty. yep i sure did. and do you know i was too scared to say anything. in my mind i kept saying "just tell the girl you love her blog, or you watch her youtube videos, just say something". but instead i just watched her get up and go to the back with The Mixtress. i felt like two pennies.
now how im gonna go back to my blog and let ,my followers know im a punk?
oh i just did.

boyfriend say whaaattt!!!!

yep, this post is about the men. i want to know what does your man think of your hair?

well i went from almost bsl relaxed hair to hair that was so short i might as well have used the clippers. my dad hated it and he let me know every chance he got. he has always thought that women should have long hair and i knew this before i cut it off so his reaction was no surprise. what did surprise me though is that i have the same texture(well not exactly) as he does so why no love. he has type 2b silky curls. my hair is clearly 3c, so while my hair isnt as silky and thin as his the curls are the same. so again, why no love lol.
my SO has seen my hair go from thick past the shoulders light brown hair to thin fire engine red hair. then from jet black almost bsl to almost none at all and he says he likes it. and ya know what? i believe him. when i first cut my hair he said it reminded him of the really short style that Jada Smith used to rock in the '90s. i didnt see it but it made me smile. the fact that he may be lying but said nice things anyway makes me happy everytime i think about it. now he has a habbit of asking me on a daily basis "are the curls poppin' today?" i love it.
he is so supportive. when i get frustrated because the left temple is different than the rest, or that the crown is still heat damaged and i want to chop it all off all over again, he's there to pull me back over the edge and tell me how beautiful my hair really is. he takes hour long trips with me to Baltimore JUST to vist the exit the apple store to get ONE bottle of conditioner. i dont really know if he likes doing this with me but i am happy that he does. i am happy that he cares enough to ride along with me on this journey even though he always say "stop calling it a hair journey, that retarded".

my shea butter blunder

so i made the shea butter i was talking about yesterday. i wanted it to come out like a cream but this being my first time and all, i managed to make a butter. i had no idea i ran out of honey so i am dissapointed to have to report that obviously thats out. so instead i just used the shea, coconut oil, avocado oil and cocasta oil. i used more coconut oil than anything else and i guess that was a good thing because this butter is sooooo silky. it seems like it would make an excellent body butter. anyway i loved the way it smooth onto my wet hair. but it did the thing that i hate most. it gave my hair this filmy look. almost making my hair look ashy. URGHHHHH. i hate that. so while i love the way this butter made my hair feel i hate the way it made my hair look. i only made a small bathc though so i will be using it up. i assume if i put coconut oil over it my hair wont look so ashy lol.

onto the braid/twist out. umm can i get a NO for 500? this is not for me. let me make this clear, the twists were so pretty and i will be rocking twist all winter long. i mean them things were nice lol. but when i took them out what i was left with was what we like to call a hot ass dog doo doo mess. i mean some parts were cute but it seemed like no matter how much i played with it, no matter how much i scruched it together, some parts would not dissapear. now i made these twist somewhat big so maybe that was the problem becuase im still in the twa stage. and there were gaps all over the crown of my hair and they just would not come together for the sake of making me happy. sigh, oh well, maybe next time.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

random ramblings and new things

hi all.
i have been pondering (yep, pondering) about making my own cream. i kept thinking about it but never got around to it. well today i have officially decided that tonight is the night that i will make magic. or a complete bust lol. this cream or butter, dont know how its gonna turn out, will consist of unrefined shea butter, unrefine and organic coconut oil, honey and im not sure if i want to use cocasta oil(hairveda) or avocado oil. im leaning towards the avocado oil for several reasons. one reason being that its just sitting on my dresser colecting dust(ewwww).
i dont have any type of mixer so i will be doing it by hand. i will first melt the shea butter in the microwave for no more than 20-30 seconds. then i will add in LOTS of coconut oil.

heres the thing about my love for coconut oil and why i will be adding tons of it into my mixture. for one, we all know that coconut oil is the bomb. it makes the hair bling, cuts down on the frizzies and it is one of the few oils that actually penetrait the hair strand. now i dont know about you but i love oil. so if i use a butter that seems oily or just a tad bit greasy it doesnt bother me as long as it doesnt leave a film on my hair. i touch my hair alot so it needs to stay soft without coating my hand.
the humidity as been crazy lately. yesterday i was driving home(right before someone crashed into me) and i touched my face and couldnt believe how soft it was. it felt so juicy lol. so that got me to thinking about how long its been since i've used my honey. i used to mix it in my deep conditioners as well as my co wash conditioners and my pre poos. its been at least 6 months since i've done that. so since the weather in on my side and i want my hair to feel as happy as my face did last night, i will add some honey to my concoction. honey is great for drawing in moisture and keeping it there. i dont thing i would use it all year long because i think it would have an adverse effect during the colder months.

the shea butter i have had for some months and was using it on my face at night but then i started to break out so that had to stop lol(now i use coconut oil on my face). so i havent done anything with the shea butter in a while. another reason im using it to mix is because shea butter used alone just sits on top of my hair. it does nothing, just sits there. but if i mix it with anything else it is a fab product. adding just water to it does wonders but in this mix i will leave the water out.

although i will be creating other mixes too, becuase i need to exsperiment with some alovera gel, this mix is consisting of things i just have laying around the house.

stay tuned ladies.

Friday, August 7, 2009

darcy botanicals: an amzing cream

so i was reluctant to try more of her products because i tried the juicy peach butter and was dissapointed some time ago. but the madagascar vanilla styling cream just kept screaming my name. so finally i placed an order and i am almost speachless. ALMOST lol.
i love it. first of all the smell took me some time to get used to. i was exspecting vanilla as in Curls whipped cream vanilla. but this cream smelled of spicey vanilla, very unexspected. after the third day of randomly smelling the jar i am now in love with it. the texture and look of this styling butter cream reminds me of a very whipped and creamy shea butter. that in and of itself is a plus in my book.
also this cream gave me maaaadddd definition. curls were popping all over the place and i had alot of shrinkage, which is very noticable on my twa lol. i applied it on soaking wet hair after my kbb hair milk. i spread the hair milk through my hair in the shower and when i got out my hair was still soaking wet. that made it very easy to apply the madagascar styling cream. my hair stayed glossy all day long. it gave my hair a wet look without the jerri curl look that many naturals complain about.
also by my standards this butter is a little greasy and/or oily. thats great for my hair but you have to know what your hair likes. my curls thrive on products that contain a lot of oils and appear to be just a tiny bit greasy. this is coming from a fine haired natural so keep that in mind.


i hope this helped someone out there.
also she was kind enough to send me a sample of her pina colada daily leave in conditioner so stay tuned for that review.

Thursday, August 6, 2009

darcy's botanicals coming right up

i know its late but its gotta be done. just wanted to let you ladies know that my post about Darcy's Botanicals is coming tomorrow. i used her madagascar styling butter yesterday so i will post my reviews.

also there will be a review of all things oyin. and im taking another trip to the Exit The Apple store this saturday so i hope they let met take a few pics.

but so as not to spoil you......have a blessed night.

Monday, August 3, 2009

Afroveda. the good, the bad

i recieved my afroveda in the mail last Thursday and Friday and i was so excited. i ordered the ashlii amla conditioner, the hair butter sample set which included the cocolatte, shea amla butter, totally twisted and the curly custard. i also ordered the pur whipped gelly and the priti bodhi rice bran oil.

i love love love (with no commas in between to stop me) her pur whipped gelly. that stuff is amazing. i dont use it all throughout my hair to define my curls, i just use it on the front to slick my hair back into a puff or whatever. it is F.A.B. it really is. its consistency is much thicker than that of the whipped gelly by Hairveda(which i love as well) so it doesnt take much to get the job done. and if you love the smell of the KCCC then you will fall in love with the smell of this gelly.

every youtube video or rave that i've seen or read about afroveda said that they just fell in love with the shea amla cream. so this was the first butter i tried. its not my cup of tea. it has alot of hold, which i do not like for my moisturizers. and if it did give my hair moisture i couldnt tell because i couldnt get past the smell or the hold to notice.

the totally twisted butter is amazing. the only thing i did not like about this butter is that is made my hair look dull. i used it doing twist just for fun. i ended up taking the twists out because i like the freedon of co washing my hair every single day. this products has hold too but i like that for twists. it also moisturized like nobody's bidness.

now for my two fave products(well actually the whipped cream is my faves but of the butters....) we have the cocolatte moisture mask and the curly custard.
the cocolatte is THE BOMB!!!! it blew shea amla out the water for me. and the smell was sooooo freaking good and intoxicating i justa bout fell over. these are samples but within the next two weeks i will be making another order for this cocolatte butter. it smells like chocolate but not as chocolatey as oyin whipped pudding. amazing. i used it the same way i would any other moisturizer on my TWA.
the curly custard put me in hair heaven. it defined my curls and it lasted all day long without giving me stiff or hard crunchy hair. i hate gels which is why i only use afroveda and hairveda whipped gelly. but this curly custard will also be repurchased in a bigger size. but i made sure i used a good leave in and coconut oil because i had a feeling that it wasnt going to be enough moisture for me. and i was right. my hair wasnt hard but you could telly that this was not a moisturizer, its a curling custard lol. i will repurchase.

the ashlii amla deep conditioner will be bought again and again and again. when i woke up my curls were so shiny(i deep conditioned overight) and soft. i always deep condition on dry hair but i had been out ALL DAY LONG in the hot hot sun with bugs and sand so i decided to shampoo first with the chagrin valley carrot milk and honey shampoo bar and the towel dry. i then put this conditioner through my hair making sure that every strand was coated because this stuff is very thin. i usually go for thicker conditioners but this stuff is amazing. i woke up with the most lush hair ever. and im sure i used maybe an ounce because its so thin there is no need to use a lot. it sinks in the hair like a moisturizer.

on to the bad. im still waiting for a response from the owner. when i recieved my order the priti rice bran oil was open and had spilled out all in the box. all onto my mother's sofa. we are still trying to get the stain out. out of that 8oz bottle i was left with MAYBE 2 ounces. i sent an e-mail and am still waiting. i used some of the oil that was left and it was ok. it was thick which i liked but it was ok. i think it made my scalp thingle when i baggied overnight with it but im not sure.


overall i like her products. i will never order another bottle of oil from her again and thats no joke. but the 3 butters, the ashlii conditioner and the whipped gelly are keepers.

Thursday, July 30, 2009

for real this time..... :)

im really back.
i have updates and product reviews galore but first i want to say hi. lol, how has everyone been? im sending a huge hug to everyone.

now that thats out of the way lmao, things have been very busy. which is why i havent been able to blog as frequently as i would have liked. but im back at it and i mean serious bidness. even though i havent had the right amount of time to write, i never once neglected my hair. i made the time to tend to my twa(i know, i know). some may think that a twa is sooooo easy and carefree, when in fact its not so cut and dry.
a twa CAN be easy because for most, if you are like me, you can just wash (co wash) and go. i wear my hair wet everyday because in its curly state it is less than five inches long and not at a good legnth for me to rock twists. with that said, as easy as that may sound, my left temple is very different than my right side therefore it does not absord product the same and it needs to be detaingled more. i try to only use my shower comb(run to cvs, you will thank me) or my denman D3 no more than once a week but as my hair gets longer it seems i need to detaingle more. also the curls on my left side are much more frizzy and more wavy than anything else. not a good look in my book. but i know that because its such a small section that when it grows out it wont be so obvious. infact, no one else probally notices the difference. just my mind in overdrive lol.


anyway stay tuned for reviews of AfroVeda and Darcy's Botanicals.

i tried as hard as i could to stay away from that AfroVeda site but it just kept calling me. so i ended up ordering the hair butter sample set, a full size Priti Bodhi rice bran oil, Pur whipped gelly and ashlii amla deep conditioner.
from DB i only ordered the madagascar styling butter. yep.....im showing some restraint. hahahaha

until next time ladies......stay blessed

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

im back

wow, ok so its been a while. i figured i better go ahead and let you ladies know whats been going on in my hair world. well i have been co washing everyday and my hair loves it. whatever my hair loves i love even more because that means we wont have any problems(crosses fingers). i have been using HE totally twisted, giovanni deeper moisture conditioner, trader joes mourish spa and yes to carrots conditioner. i love them all but i doubt i will be re-purchasing the yes to carrots or the deeper moisture. why?? you ask. well heres why:
for 1 the deeper moisture is almost exactly the same as the trader joes nourish spa. they have almost the exact same ingredient list, same texture, and they work the same. why i chose TJ?? because i get 16oz for $3. and i rather pay that then the $5-8 dollars(depending on where you go) for the giovanni deeper moisture. i love them both but i see no point in having both. and they are both great at being used as a leave in after a quick co wash so i think i win on all sides dont you think?
the yes to carrots is great, well maybe not great but its good. it has a wonderful yummy list, all natural and it has a fresh smell. i dont see this becomming a staple because its only good. i like great. although my vo5 conditioners dont compare as far as ingredients goes, they both work about the same. the same moisture i get from one, i get from the other. so i think im going to stick with my vo5. besides the fact that i already have more than 10 bottles of the vo5 moisture milks, i put myself on this thing they call a budget(i had to google. just jking) so im trying to stick with cheaper alternatives ya dig????

in later news......i find that this new weather is doing my hair some good. not only is my hair staying soft all day but its getting bigger and bigger. its still a twa but its growing good. it hasnt even been a full month yet and i know i already have an extra inch if not more.
what i have been using and doing:
besides co washing daily with the conditioners i've mentioned above i've also been
using totally twisted or nourish spa as a leave in
using karens body beautiful hair milk as a moisturizer
curls milkshake as a leave in
deep conditioning overnight 2x a week using giovanni deeper moisture conditioner
spraying my hair nightly with either cd black vanilla leave in, oyin juices and berries, ojon revitalizing mist, or a mix of all of these and water.
i've also started sealing with jane carter's nourish and shine hair butter at night.

my hair is thriving and i love it. by the end of this summer i know im going to have a lot of growth. you know how you can just feel it? well i've got that feeling. im very happy. and most of all since i did the chop i never once thought "damn, what was i thinking" or "i think i made a mistake".

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

frizz fighter and other matters of the hair

yall i cant keep my hands out of my hair. when my hair first air dries there are curls popping everywhere!!!!! im so serious. and then midway through the day there is nothing but a frizzy puff. why???? not because of some obvious answer like humidity, oh no, its because i keep touching and plucking my hair. i find a curl and i have to stretch it out. i want to know just how boing oingy that baby is. i cant just leave it alone. i HAVE to pull it. and i have to admit i was surprised but how silky soft my curls were individually. its like the cuticle lays so flat because when i run my fingers down the curl it has shine and is so smooth.

but i still need to keep my hands out of my hair. there is no excuce lol.

on another note, i made two more purchases today. i ordered 3 hair milks, 1 hair nectar, 1 deep conditioner, 1 LL hair mask, 1 hair cream and 1 hair butter all from Karen's Body Beautiful. i cant wait until they arrive.
then i couldnt just stop there. i had to order some more CURLS products. you ladies know i love my milkshake so i had to get another bottle. but i ended up seeing the kit that comes with the cleansing cream, deep tea conditioner, milkshake and quench moisturizer. so i hit submit and it'll be on its way lol. this kit really did come out cheaper than purchasing everything i wanted seperately.
also im not a gel girl(even though im slowly starting to like the kinky curly curling custard) but i really want to get my hands on that curls gel-ousy(i think thats how its spelled). i think when my hair gets a couple of inches longer this will come in handy. but for now i love the shine and definition the custard gives me. i can leave the crunch it gives sometimes though.

and i must admit that the KBB hair milk works so much better than the curls milkshake. i cant believe im saying this seeing as how i love the milkshake. but theres enough hair to go around so no worries. i wont be giving either one of these up. cant you tell my my recent purchases???? i notice that the curls milkshake gives my hair instant moisture but unless i seal and lock that moisture in, its gone within the next hour. with the KBB hair milk, i can put this stuff on wet or dy hair, seal or let it go and my hair stays moisturized the whole day. i kid you not. when i say i am usually out all day i am out all day lol. and with the hair milk my hair stays moist. last night before getting in the bed i rubbed in some hair milk and had to stop myself from putting on more just to keep touching my hair. its a bad habbit. but i love this stuff. and my SO is so sweet. he said he would take a trip with my to the Big Apple JUST to stop by the KBB store. aint that sweet??!!!?? yep, so ofcourse when i go i will be giving you the scoop on the layout and whatnot lol.

have a blessed night

Monday, April 20, 2009

the importance of scalp massages

last thursday made 2 weeks since i have done the big chop. since then i have had several people tell me my hair looks as though its growing. i checked and it has. it seems it has grown a half an inch already. there are several ways i can tell its growing. the first way is in the shower during my co wash. when i first did the big chop, when i co washed it was like the hair on each side didnt even meet. when i would massage the conditioner in it was as if the hairs were so short that on either side of my head they couldnt meet to touch. i hope im explaining this now. well now in the shower its obvious my hair has grown because when i co wash some of my hair can touch each other. of course i cant get a pony tail but it has grown. this gives me encouragement.
the next way i can tell is that when i first cut my hair, when it would air dy there were big spaces in between all the litle curls. now there are no spaces. it has completely filled in and i can actually stretch out a curl and twirl it in between my fingers lol.

i guess some people could argue thats average growth if you get an inch per month but nontheless i credit it to my many scalp massages. i do this every morning in the shower when i co wash and i also do it at night whenever i decide to do an oil treatment instead of an overnight deep condition. the last time i used vatika oil mixed with avocado oil. scalp massages are very important because this is a great way to stimulate the scalp and really work in all the great ingredients of your oil or conditioner. it doesnt take very long to do this process, esp. if you do it everyday. when i was relaxed i normally forgot to do it so it got done maybe once a week or every two weeks. so i would spend at least 10 minutes doing this while in front of the tv. but now that i do it everyday i think 3 minutes in the shower is good enough. and with the steam from the shower also causing the oils to penetrait deeper, thats ALMOST better than a spa treatment.

this will continue to be a staple process for me because i also find it to be very relaxing. and whats better than relaxation????

my new addiction

karen's body beautiful. i know many people love and swear by her hair products but if im going to be honest, when i fisrt tried her hair milk i was less than pleased. it left my transitioning hair hard when i woke up and i was ready to toss the product. the only thing that kept my from tossing it was the fact that i had three bottles(buy 2 get one sale) and my father loved it. he has really silky soft and thin curly curls and his hair ate this up. so i kept it for him lol.
but then the weather decided it was time to show us its spring and i wanted to try the milk again. so i left in some of my conditioner(giovanni deeper moisture) and then applied the KBB hair milk and my hair stayed soft and moist all day. can you say in love??? then i used it on top of my curls milk shake and it was still a beautiful hair day. there is no denying it, my hair loves this stuff. the ingredient list is nothing short of yummy and i can pronounce every item on the list. and its all natural. so i decided to keep this bottle for me, my dad still has two bottles so he's good lol.
so i decided to try her other products and scents(my hair milk is in cranberry cocktail) and i will place my order tomorrow. here's what i want:

4 hair milks
2 hair nectars
2 hair creams
1 hair butter
2 deep conditioners
1 LL hair mask

dont ask me why i am buying more than 1 of an item i've never used before. its the pj in me.
the scents i want are:
creamy coco mango
sultry sandalwood
egyptian musk
vanilla latee
and i think thats all.

i cant wait to try them.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

CURLS CURLS CURLS

i recieved my package today.
and i am in love. i know, i know, i havent used these products but for one day so how can i be in love? well i'll tell you. but first let me retract what i said from an earlier post. the first ingr. in the whipped cream and milkshake is water. ok? now on to the good stuff. i ordered from urbanbella and got free samples of hair rules daily drench conditioner and their clarifying shampoo. i will be using the both of these tomorrow as i have build up so bad right now that when i apply product my hair just turns white. yuck!!!!
so anyway both products smell so devine. its like a mix between french vanilla ice cream and those litle packs of grandma vanilla cookies i get from the vending machine here at work(i cheat on my diet lol). so the first jar i opened was the whipped cream and it is sooooooo thick. LOVES it. so i scooped some out, rubbed it in my palms, and rubbed it through out my hair and it was like omg amazing. so of course i couldnt just stop there. i had to see what the milkshake was working with. now while the whipped cream's consistancy is like shea butter or really frozen ice cream, the milkshake it textured just like a milkshake lol. and it works just as well so far. it goes on really smooth and easy and while the color dissapeared right away, the feeling of pure soft hair didnt. neither of them are greasy so thats a plus, and they both are made up od natural goodies like jojoba oil, sunflower oil, cocoa butter and coconut milk. can you say yum?????

you can get them or find more information about the whole line at the following websites:

http://www.curlmart.com/
http://www.urbanbella.com/

if all goes well these will most def take the place of miss jessies. dont get me wrong, i love my baby buttercreme and i've even grown fond of the curly pudding but my budget hates these creams and i cant same i blame it. the curls whipped cream and milkshake cost between $17-18 dollars while the miss jessie products can run you 32dollars for 8oz. i think not. since i already have my new baby buttercreme i dont have to worry about that for a while but i the me and CURLS are gonna becaome good friends. like ace boon coons lol.

if youre a natural and you have tried any of the curls products let me know what you think. leave me a comment.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

update on curl junkie

im sorry to report this but i dont think these products are for me. the hibiscus and banana deep fix is a keeper, it is very hydrating and the smell is intoxicating. but the coffee coco curl cream and hibiscus and banana honey butta are just not for me. at first it seemed they worked like a dream, but days later i can give a proper review now that i know how soft my natural hair can be. both these products leaves my hair hard and crunchy unless i follow with a heavier moisturizer. i dont mind doing that until i run out but when that time comes it doesnt look like a repurchase with be in order. the CCCC(ya know, the coffee one lol) gives great definition but does not moisturize, i may try it on dry hair tonight to see what its working with but other than that its not a staple in the least. the hibiscus and banana honey butter does not produce great definition-if any at all-on my hair and it doesnt seem to moisturize either. i applied it to my dry hair last night (because on wet hard i gets nada) and i had to apply my trusty baby buttercreme on top of that because it just does nothing for me. my hair is not unruly so its not me lol. this product, actually neither of them are thick enough for my liking but i just thought i would give it a try anyway. like i said before, im a sucka for all natural products.

i will use these products as leave ins under my heavier moisturizers but when its gone its gone. except for that deep fix, thats my baby daddy fo real.

speaking of products that arent thick enough for me, after doing some research on the CURLS products, i found that the milkshake is appearantly not thick. oh no....this is what i get for doing my research AFTER i make a purchase(not that i needed convincing to buy a product anyway). and since water is not the first ingre from what i remember, i will probaly not use it on wet hair. i mean, i will use a water based leave in first and then apply this. and it seems like it may work great on dry hair too. stay tuned as my package is suppossed to arive tomorrow.

Monday, April 13, 2009

goodies in the mail

so lately my pj-ness has been out of controll. i have been purchassing everything that has anything to do with natural or curly hair. i found that miss jessies baby buttercream seems to be >>here<< with my hair. i only had a small sample of it so i logged into my computer and put in an order for the 8oz size. and i recieved it today. im so excited because i have been using just a tiny bit so as not to run out. lol i think i would have had a melt down. i finally found something that keeps my hair from being crunchy so i dont ever want to be without.
but to stretch the miss jessies BBC i have been using carols daughter hair milk. now everyone who knows me knows that i love me some carols daughter so it was an easy ride over to that side. add to that the fact that its cheaper that miss jessies and you have a winner. the hair milk is actually very nice. i love it. what i do is apply my devacurl one condition mix(which includes avocado oil, JBCO and honey) as a leave in on soaking wet hair and then follow with about a quater size amount of the hair milk and let it airdry. if i pat it a couple of times with a t-shirt then i find that it helps keeps the moisture in, im guessing because.....actually i dont know why lmao. but i wont argue or protest. my hair is loving all the great products i've been using. and that devacurl one condition as a leave in is the ultimate hair-gasm giver i tell ya. you dont want to miss out on that so you need to run on down to the nearest beauty first and grab one. if your hair is anything like mine then you will be very pleased.

almost forgot to tell you what else i have coming in the mail. wait for it, wait for it lol. ok it CURLS. yaaaaayyyyy!!!!!!. yes baby. i ordered me the curls milkshake and the curls whipped cream. now i have type 3c 4a hair and iits a twa so i dont need much product but i do need the right product. and if that means i have to order everything out there that dammit thats what i'll do. i cant wit to try these two products. i also want to get the shampoo, both conditioners and that quench moisturizer. ummmm ummm chile i am a sucka for a spray moisturizer so i was sold when i saw the picture on the CURLS site. i didnt even have to read what it does i just wanted it form jump lol. anyway my hair is pretty fine and thin but that doesnt stop me from loving thick moisturizers. thats why i ordered the whipped cream. and i added the milkshake because i like the name and it seems to be the most talked about product they make. im sure when my hair gets longer i will have more use for these creams but for now i will just slap it on and rub it in lol.

Friday, April 10, 2009

whats in your beauty bag

i will do one for the makeup bag later but right now i want to know whats in your emergency hair kit.
i know im not the only one that has one.
i use a makeup bag from the fafi collection at mac. im sure overtime the products will change and i will add more and more things but as of right now i have:
a little comb from ojon
a sample of miss jessies curly butter cream
a sample of miss jessies unscented curly pudding
a sample of giovanni direct leave in
a sample of watermelon oil
and i think thats it. if i remember to get to it, i know i want to add a satin bonnett in case i spend the night out. i cant sleep without my bonnett lol. oh and i need to add a spray of some kind. they sale those cute little travel spray bottles at cvs and i may pick one up. i can do a mixture of water and oil. you know i love my EVOO and castor oil. and i'll have to throw in some coconut oil too. yeah that sonds good.
when the weather stays warm i will start to experiment with the water, rosewater and glycerin mix. i keep hearing about it so you may find that in my beauty bag soon.

so whats in you beauty bag????

the difference between leave ins and moisturizers.

how could i have missed this? when i was relaxed i knew there was a difference. heck, i would never put a moisturizer on wet hair to then blow dry and flat iron, and i would never put a leave in on my flat ironed hair. it just aint right lol. some women can use them interchangebly but not i said Che. so why didnt i apply this to my natural hair? this whole time i have been just using a leave in and going out the door and then wondering why my hair was hard as rocks.
then the light bulb went off.
duuuhhhh thats what baby buttercream is for. so i realized that my leave ins like coffee coco curl cream and hiiscus and banana honey butter were for defining my curls while the miss jessies BBC was for moisture.
so my new routine is to apply my leave in to soaking wet hair and then blot with a t-shirt. i will wait until my hair is maybe 80% dry and then apply my BBC.

here are a list of some of my leave ins:
HE totally twisted
devacurl one condition
carols daughter hair milk
coffee coco curl cream
hibiscus and banana honey butter

so far my only moisturizer is miss jessies baby buttercream and a sample of the curly buttercream. i also have a jar of the qhemet biologics burdock root buttercreme.

when i was relaxed i was not a fan of the qhemet creme but i may give it a chance to see if it will deliver magic. and of course you can exspect a very detailed review. so stay tuned.

ladies have a nice weekend and remember to always keep your beauty bag right and tight.

random updates

ladies how are you? hope you are enjoying the first of you weekend....

i am still loving my twa. i've found conditioners, leave ins, and moisturizers that work so far for my hair.

i just celebrated my one week anniversary yesterday yaaaaayyyyy!!!!!! me lol.

did i tell you i was in love with miss jessie's baby buttercream and curl buttercream? well let me say it again. i love it!. although i do truely hate the peppermint smell of the curly buttercream.

i had to return the devacurl mister right that i was using everyday like my life depended on it. it was giving me the most defined and beautiful curls i've every seen. but can you say crunchy???? yea i took that sucka back and traded it in for another devacurl one condition so im happy about that.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

haul: curl junkie

yaaaaaayyyyyy!!!!!! my curl junkie haul finally came in the mail. i recieved the cofee coco curl cream, hibiscus and banana deep fix and the hisbiscus and banana honey butta.
tonight when i get home im going to mist my hair just to dampen it with water. then im going to slather my hair with the deep fix conditioner and cover with a plastic cap and call it a night. i love doing overnight deep conditioning treatment, esp. with all natural products. in the morning i will cowash with HE totally twisted because i know that conditioner never lets me down. then on soaking wet hair i will put about a quarter size amount of coffee coco curl cream on my hair and seal with castor oil. i will then pat my hair just a little with a t shirt so as not to walk out the house with dripping hair.

i will tell you more about it tomorrow.

also on a much better note: i got my best curl definition today when i used carols daughter hair milk on soaking wet hair and sealed with cocasta oil. my hair does not feel as soft as i like but im almost certain thats because of the devacurl mister right. that stuff gives me crazy definition but makes my hair hard so its out. i will be returning it to Beauty First in exchange for a bottle of devacurl one condition. so im happy because i basically get a free bottle of my precious one condition.

so peace for now....

Monday, April 6, 2009

herbal essences totally twisted

i love this conditioner. i couldnt go in safeway this weekend and walk out empty handed so i had to get something. it was between this and suave and totally twisted won hands down. i co washed with it and left it on the remainder of my shower, i should have left some in as a leave in so i could really see how it worked but i didnt. but once i rinsed it out my hair was so moisturized. but it was a coated moisturizing feeling. let me see if i can explain this. its like when i rinsed it off with water i had to keep rinsing to make sure all the conditioner was out because it coated my hair. ya get it?? good lol.
now i know some of you may not like that but it doesnt bother me because i co wash everyday anyway and when i need to shampoo i break out the wen. and it didnt make my hair feel yucky or sticky, it was coated in a good way if that makes since.

i recommend it and think you should give it a try. next time i will use it as a leave in as well.

update: i love this conditioner more than my beloved devacurl one condition. and what makes it so much better is that its more than $10 cheaper. how can you beat that??? i will be seen at safeway or cvs soon stocking up on this conditioner.

Friday, April 3, 2009

what a surprise

ladies ladies ladies, let me tell you.
there is a woman where i work that has the most beautiful natural hair. i noticed it before i even cut my hair. anyway we dont work in the same department so when we see each other we only say good night to each other. so when i finally did the big chop, even though i only know her in passing, i wanted her to comment. i work as a receptionist so the people here always notcie a change in you. people were stopping by my desk left and right to say "oh wow you cut your hair" or "i like the cut".
so like i said she normally says good night and keeps going, well yesterday she kept looking back telling me how nice it looked. today she actually stopped and said "so what made you big chop?"(so now im thinking shes a member of a hair board, maybe lhcf). so after i gave my answer she asid "well i just made some butter the other day and i'll bring you some". lol. i was so surprised.

im excited she likes my hair because i've admired her hair for as long as shes been here because it seems so healthy and she does so many styles with it. but im even more excited to get my hands on that butter lmao. did i mention i was a pj????

my salon exsperience

this salon is huge, its the technicolor salon and spa located in the capital center blvd. i was a walk in so i didnt have an appointment and i was still helped right away. i probally wont return but that has nothing to do with the service, i just dont need to visit a salon to keep up and take care of a twa.
anyway the lady that did my hair said she was known for her coloring skills and she was damn good so maybe i will return for that in the future. she also said she had been natural for 12 years and just added tracks for fulness. she wore these really big curly tracks that were way to big and out there for me but i loved them. anyway she was very nice but didnt talk TOO much for my taste. did i mention the salon is huge? well it is. when i looked to my right there was a whole nother world i had yet to see lmao.
heres what i didnt like: after my hair had been washed and conditioned she didnt use a leave in and let me go. oh no, what she did was slick on a lot of foam lotion and sat me under the dryer. can you say hard hair???? then when i was dry she sprits on some type of design essential spray.
so i went home and used my trusty devacurl one condition and the world was back to normal.

what i did like: her wash girl was very gentle in washing and conditioning my hair. and when i told her i wanted 2 inches of hair she showed me what that was before she cut and that surprised me in a good way. i still was left with less than 2 inches of hair but oh well.

do i recommend this salon??? yes! i do. because the service was great, the staff was nice and if all else fails you have much to look at because the place is huge lol. i've never been to a spa before, can you believe that? well, i havent but i will definatly get a massage and maybe a facial done.

oh yea, the cut and color cost me $80 big ones. dont know if thats alot but remember, you get what you pay for.

devacurl one condition

hi ladies,
i wanted to use this conditioner a few times before i gave my review. since i purchased this wonderful conditioner i have been using it like crazy. i love it on my new twa and i have been leaving it in as a leave in as well. my hair needs this in its life. i co wash with it everyday except today and i can tell the difference. im pretty sure my hair will do just fine without me using this as a co wash everyday(i also use vo5 and hello hydration) but i need to use this as a leave in. yester day after i came back from the salon my hair was hard-but i'll get to that later, so i used the one condition and my hair was so moist after leaving some in. and it stayed that way all day. i love this stuff. and not only that but it defined my curls like crazy, even my straight area in the front had waves.
please dont confuse this with the devacare one condition which i have never used but may purchase since beauty first has a great sale going on. the devacurl(the one i use) is in the green bottle. if im not mistaken the devaCARE line is for extra moisture for color treated hair. i am color treated so that may be even more of a push for me to try it.
anyway if you have not tried the deva curl one condition please do. i may even use it overnight one day as i sometimes do with my conditioners. its not all natural but it does contain some amazing yummies and i think its well worth the price so dont be afraid to try this and then purchase the big bottle like i am doing lmao.

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

re-big chop

ok ladies, i have to re-big chop tomorrow. im going to wake up early in the morning and go to the salon(first time visit) to get my hair cut and colored. im thinking i want about 3 inches of hair left -i think i have 7 inches now- and i want a pretty brownish reddish color. i cant go too drastic on the color because 1)my heart cant take too many changes at once and 2) i need my job, 'nough said lol.
again i have never been to this salon before but i did step in last week and i noticed the woman behind the counter had beautiful natual hair and when i told her what i wanted done she said "we have 21 people on staff and i promise you someone will get it done". well since she promised......lmao. i will upload pics that night of my new cut and i will try to post a pic of my hair before i cut it. i was about two inches from bsl and it was pretty healthy minus the fact that i was relaxed with heat damage and bleached hi-lights lmao, ok i am on a roll tonight.

anyway tomorrow im also going to review devacurl one condition. i think its love.
stay tuned and you ladies have a wonderful night.

Monday, March 30, 2009

product review: miss jessie's rapid recovery

hi ladies
i did the big chop on saturday and decided that now was as good of time as ever to use this product. it is a deep treatment that i recieved in my sample pack along with other miss jeassie goodies. its very thick and has a pleasant but unfamiliar smell. believe me, i tried to put my finger on what the smell was and just couldnt hit the nail on the head. so because its a sample it was only 2oz and i figured im just going to get rid of this litle jar and decide if i want to purchase the 12oz, but no no, i still have another use in the small jar. like i said before it is thick, but it spreads very easily and my entire head was covered without the use of the entire jar. so thats a plus.
i did not deep treat under the hooded dryer but i did leave it on in the shower for 10 minutes and when i rinsed it off i said OMG out loud lol. it was that good. i've used many conditioners before and i must say this is one of the best. its hands down in my top 3.
with my little bit of knowledge(tiny bit) of ingreadiants i can say that it doesnt seem to have very good yummies in the mix(i like my conditioners to have many natural goodies in it) but it does contain shea butter.

and like all the other miss jessies products its not cheap at all. a 12oz of this baby will run you darn near $50 bucks. wow is the word. can you believe that????? but it is well worth it.

update on evoo and honey

thanks to the poster that reminded me to do this update. i dont know how it slipped my mind.
so heres what i did: i mixed evoo and honey together in a plastic bowl. i didnt know how much of each to use so i went by eye. when i placed it on my hair i was a bit scared because it made my hair hard right away and i didnt know if it would be easy to wash out. when i finished i realized that i needed a lot more than i actually used so next time i know to be just a little more heavy handed.
so because i was nervous(and down right shaking lol) i ended up only leaving the mix on for 10-15 minutes but now i know better. when i rinsed my hair in the shower the water instantly softened the honey mix and i could tell my hair liked it. so now i know that i can leave it on without the fear of sticky hair. i also co washed it out with the mix of vo5 strawberries and cream, evoo, and a tiny bit of honey. my hair felt amazing and on top of that my hair detaingled like a breeze. that extra oil in the conditioner really helped the slip factor.

so do i recommend the evoo and honey mix as a pre poo? yes!!!!. i think the next time i try this mix it will be better because i wont rush to get it out. and it was much better on my hair than any other hot oil treatment i've done. i know i've mentioned before that for some reason HOT just makes my hair a hot tangled mess lmao.

i will be using this again.

Thursday, March 26, 2009

oyin

ok here it goes.
oyin was a big dissapointment. i wouldnt say i hated it but i will say the juices and berries just didnt do it for me. first of all i purchased the product because i am transitioning and i heard a lot of good things about it. the first thing i noticed when i opened the package was the smell. this stuff smells so darn good. like sweet juice and berries lol. anyway last night i did my evoo and honey pre poo, co washed with vo5 passion fruit smoothie mixed with evoo and honey and did a in shower conditioning with oyin honey hemp conditioner(will give a review on this as well). after i got out the shower my curls were popping and i was so excited to try the juices and berries.
heres why i was dissapointed. when i sprayed my hair with it it was like it instantly dissapeared. it didnt make my hair "wet", it was like i didnt spray it at all so my hair still felt dry. so i decided to use my trusty ojon revitalizing mist. that stuff never fails me.
here my opinion on why this didnt work for me. and its a simple answer but an answer notheless. it contains no oil. it has amazing ingredients, most of them being estracts but no oil. so im thinking that if i add just a little coconut oil and more water then it would work great. i will try it and see.

oyin honey hemp conditioner:
i think i like this but im not sure. it was only left on my hair for 5 minutes or so so i dont know if it was left on long enough. i will use this aain and give you lovely ladies and update. what i will say is that unlike the juices and berries, i dont feel that this product needs to be altered at all. i dont think i need to add any oils or honey to this products so thats good right?

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

EVOO and honey

ya know ya girl loves to pre poo. and while i hate to do hot oil treatments because they just simply do not agree with my hair, i did hear about this treatment that involves oil thats suppossed to be wonderful.
what is it you ask.....well its a mix of evoo and honey. i will warm it just a little and then slather ALOT on my hair. focussing on the ends because they seem a little fuzzy tonight.

i will leave this on for an hour before i rinse and conditioner wash. i will be using oyin's honey hemp conditioner so tune in for that review as well.

i will also be using oyin's juices and berries for the first time and will give a review on that too.

i will then moisturize with miss jessies baby buttercream and seal with an oil, put my hair in one braid at the base of my neck, wrap in a scarf and call it a night.

wish me luck with these new products and stay tuned for the reviews.

baby buttercream

ok ladies,
this is one of the products i recieved in my sample kit from miss jeassies and so far its my fave of the bunch. i didnt do my twist out last night because i have a lot more new growth than i thought i did and it was getting tangled so i slathered on some curly pudding and my curls were instantly defined. i loved it. then i had to slick my hair back into a braid for the night and i did the slicking with the curly meringue and i can tell that for my hair this is more of a gel. i wouldnt say it wade my hair hard but it did have the hold of a gel and i hate gel so we will see what happens with that.

so this morning i took down my braid to moisturize and decided to use the baby buttercream. so i sprayed my hair with the ojon revitalizing mist and then slathered on some buttercream. my hair was instantly softened. and then i redid my pony tail.

i will say that when i put on the curly pudding you can tell that that product is just for curly hair because my relaxed ends felt so coated and nasty. my my curls were screaming for joy.

i cant wait to big chop now more than ever. i have about 7 inches or natural hair in some places and more in others. i think i will wait until december right before my birthday. by then i should have 3-5 more inches. i cant wait.

stay tuned for more miss jessie updates.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

WEN

i think im giving up shampoo. not because i hate it but im just in a no shampoo kind of mood. and i remember back when i was co washing daily my hair took off. but now i am in love with WEN. well actually i have been using this cleansing conditioner for a while. almost a year to be exact. he has five flavas lol but the ones that will always be in my beauty bag is the fig and the sweet almond mint. i really love these. i'ved read reviews where people complain about the smell but i love both smells. and it doesnt last anyway.
these cleansing conditioners do just what the names say. they are conditioners that cleanse the hair. they do not lather like a shampoo but do contain ingresients that rids the scalp of dirt and oil while conditioning the hair. these products are very thick and can be used as a conditioner and leave in. i have never used it as a leave in but it is great as a cleanser and in shower conditioner. i love the way it makes the hair seem to exspand and become thicker. this will be great for me when i go all natural because i love big hair. i can just see me now with a set of wild curls curtesy of WEN and miss jessies.(smile).

anyway, if you are a no/low poo gal you might want to check these products out. its better than using cheapie conditioners and best of all, its sulfate free(so dont exspect a lather). it is rather exspensive but i always get mine from www.amazon.com and they seem to last me a while. i still have my 16oz bottle of sweet almond mint so you really do get what you pay for. its a wonderful product.

tingle tingle tingle

i dont know about you but i love for my scalp to tingle. i've tried dr. bronners peppermint castile soap for a shampoo and i got nothing. i tried dr. miracle scalp oil and i got nothing. but would you like to know what product finally got the job done???
ok it was design essentials stimulations conditioner. i have been wanting to try this product for months but always gravitated to something else. well this past saturday i wondered into my local bss and picked this up. sunday was wash day and i decided to use this thick, creamy, lightly peppermint smelling conditioner and i do not regret it.
this conditioner is so thick but is easily spread so you dont have to use much to get the job done.
when i put this conditioner on my hair and covered with a plastic cap my scalp instantly felt cool. i was surprised but i enjoyed it. however, i exspected my scalp to tingle a lot once i sat under the hooded dryer but it didnt. it still felt cool but not quite what i was looking for. it did moisturize my hair but im just not sure if it will become a staple. i know i will buy a tube here and there but for right now i cant say that i LOVE it. maybe one of these days you will find it in one of my "old friend" posts lol.

im sure you can find this product at a local bss and it will run you anywhere between $9-$12.
and it comes in a cute grey and purple tube lol, i just love looking at this bottle on my dresser.
it does contain mineral oil, but it also has peppermint and jojoba oil. so its not packed with alot of long words that no one can pronounce. i would say that this product if worth a try.

miss jessies

as you all may or may not know, i am transitioning and have been for a while. i plan on doing the big chop in either september or december. but i wont lie, im itching to do it now. my relaxed hair just doesnt seem to be acting right ever since i got my hi-lights. yes, i do regret getting the color. but there's nothing i can do about that now but to wait until it grows out.
anyway i ordered the sample pack from miss jessies because im a product junckie and i just couldnt wait until i big chopped.
the sample pack comes with 2oz sizes of the curly pudding, curly murangue, baby buttercream, curly butter cream and the rapid recovery deep conditioner. they all smell amazing and i cant wait to try them.....and that time will come tonight.
after i pre poo, wash and condition my hair, i plan on adding one of the creams to my hair(not sure witch one yet) and doing some flat twists. if the twists look nice then i will leave them in until the weekend when i go out. i havent done a twist out or braid out in years but i remember how cute i looked with them lol. this will be a great style over the weekend. and i need a break from my hair before i cut it.
anyway you can find more about miss jessies products here: www.missjessies.com

Friday, March 20, 2009

product haul

hey ladies
today and yesterday i went to town on my CC. i ordered some KBB(karens body beautiful) LL hair mask, super silky and juicy shampoo bar. i also ordered a super sized ojon revitalizing mist, mizani conditioning shampoo, scalp care conditioner(because it has peppermint oil), nioxin hair, skin, and nails vitamins and what else......oh yeah. i ordered some stuff from darcy botanicals hair products because im a sucker and i just cant help myself. im not natural but it all sounded so good.

i just wanted to let you ladies in on my hair haul.

have a nice weekend. i'll be back with more.....

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

OMG: MAC baby

OMG have you seen the new sugarsweet collection at the mac website? if you havent you need to check it out. either get on the computer and snatch em up or run to your nearest mac store. this whole collection is amazing. but what i want to try is the tricolour lipglasses. ALL OF THEM!!!. they look beautiful.
the one i think im going to love the most is tastey. i really love bright lips but bright lipstick just doesnt look good on me. but i can rock any color lipglass so that baby is gonna be mine.

you can find the collection here:http://www.maccosmetics.com/product/spp.tmpl?CATEGORY_ID=CAT1322&PRODUCT_ID=4450.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

im just saying

lol i just had to report i just walked past a mirror and thought "damn my hair is getting long".
thats funny because just last night i was thinking it seems my hair isnt growing. but the thought i had walking past the mirror tonight has me wanting to take better care(much better) of my hair. it has me wanting to find tribal secrets to haircare and stuff the average person doesnt know about.

just had to report. good night ladies.

my regimen

ok ladies, what i do to my hair may not work for you for several reasons.
1: i use a lot of protein. not everyone is gonna need protein
2: i use heat every week. i know some of you are on a strict no heat regi.
3: last but not least, no ones hair is the same.

i just want you all to know what i have been doing to my hair. i will post pics later.

1)pre poo. i always pre poo. if its protein i do it for no more than 30 minutes. if it moisture i can leave it on anywhere feom 1 hour to overnight. i usually use carols daughter smoothies.
2)shampoo. i only do one lather because i wash my hair every week so its not that dirty and i never put anything on my scalp so one lather is best for me. i usually use aphogee shampoo for damaged hair or joico k pak.
3)protein treat. i do a light protein treat every week and it has been working out great for me. i always use joico k pak deep penetraiting reconstructor. i love this stuff.
4: deep moisturizing treatment. i always follow up my protein with moisture. i have many treatments that i use and love. but the most used are joico k pak intense hydrator and redken all soft heavy cream. i use these with heat for no less than 20 minutes.
5: heat protection. this is a must. i always use paul mitchell heat seal.
6: leave in conditioners. i have many but the one that is always used is paul maitchell mositure mist. i love this stuff. i also really ojon revitalizing mist and paull mitchell the conditioner.
7: blow dry. i blow dry my hair using a salon quality blow dryer. i use my new T3 pro. i blow dry with the blow dyer in one hand and a wide tooth comb in the other. this is easier for me and i think its less damaging because there is less pulling.
8: flat iron. i flat iron with a CHI and i love it. i go over each peice of hair only once. my hair is pretty fine-hence all the protein- so i dont need but so much heat. if it doesnt get strait on the first try then tough titty.
9: then i moisturize and seal. i usually moisturize with carols daughter healthy hair butter and seal with vatika frosting. lately i have been using ojon RT.
10: then i wrap my hair in a dominican style doobie and cover with my silk scarf and call it a night.

thats not so hard and for me its simple. i went from just under sl to almost bsl in less than a year doing this method. and now that my regi is almost perfected i exspect to hit mbl by this december.
here ar some sites you can find the above mentioned products.
www.carolsdaughter.com
www.sephora.com
www.hairveda.com
www.tradesecret.com
www.beautyfirst.com

an old friend: ojon tawaka conditioner

i have a habit of stocking up on hair products. esp. conditioner. so it doesnt surprise me that i forgot all about this product. i remember when i first got it (from sephora about 9 months ago) i used it once and loved it. and i havent used it since lmao. so last night i decided to use it agin and i am back in love. the conditioner has a strong chocolate smell but its much milder than the smell of the restorztive treatment. anyway the conditioner is amazing. i only left it on for 5 minutes(i was in a rush) and my hair felt crazy soft and mositurized. i have been transitioning for a long while and my curls and waves were so defined(naturals this will be great for you).
this is back in my rotation.
next week i will use it with heat as a deep treatment for no less than 20 minutes.

check out more info on this delish conditioner at http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P193703&categoryId=C13569.

too silky??????

well i was watching a video on youtube yesterday where this girl undid her wrap and her hair just fell so silky straight and smooth. well, i flat iron my hair once a week but i only go over each piece of hair once. its still straight and it keeps the mooisture and shine i like. but to get it to fall like hers, i would have to go over each hair like 2-3 times. so i did. and i remembered why i stopped doing that in the first place. after wards my hair was super silky. but it lacked shine. although it felt good, it looked dry. i had to keep putting ojon restorative treatment on it to get the shine and moisture back.
heres what i did:
i pre pood with ojon RT
then i shampood with aphogee shampoo for damaged hair
did a five minute treatment with joico k pak deep penetraiting reconstructor
did another treatment with ojon tawaka conditioner
for a leave in i used paul mitchell heat seal, paul mitchell the conditioner and paul mitchell moisture mist
i then blow dried with my new T3 pro dyer(and i love it)
then i placed a 2 drops of Oscar Blandi's jazmine hair serum on my hair and used my CHI to flat iron. i went over each peice 2-3 times and it turned out super silky and soft. WITHOUT shine. and it looked like there was zero moisture. did i say never again??? well let me say it again.

i will never do this again. everything was great until i went over each peice 2-3 times. my hair looks amazing when i go over it once so i will stick to that. lesson learned.

you can watch the youtube video of the girl that had me wanting extra silky tresses here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNH3g10RSCs

Monday, March 16, 2009

beautiful face

http://www.philosophy.com/web/store/shop_10001_-1_10001

i know you've heard of the philosophy products. well those late night infomercials had me running to sephora to spend all my little bit-o-moneys lol. the whole line is amazing but the best face product IMO is the microdelivery peel.
the product: is a two parter. the first part is the yummy smelling crystals. they smell like yummy oranges lol. anyway you take out a small amount and place it on you finger tips. then you lightly massage it into your face in a circular motion. then comes step two. there is a gel like serum if you will that needs to be applied atop the crystals. once applied and then lightly massaged in it will start to foam.
the great thing about this wonderful two-some is that it can be used once a week or once a month and you will still get all the benefits. it contains just the right amount of vitamin c so that afterwards your face will not only be softer but it will glow. and we all want to start our day with a glowing face right?

the truth about vitamin c:http://www.smartskincare.com/treatments/topical/vitcderiv.html.
im going to be honest and say that i read a lot of information in the article that i did not know. im glad i read this because i love what the philosophy microdelivery peel does for me and will not stop using it. im 22 years old so i have zero rinkles but i guess you can never start taking care of your skin too soon right?
this article helped me understand the benefits of vitamin c better and it also helt me understand to look for the quality of the vitamin c because of free radicals and oxidation.

ojon: trading places

have you heard of the Ojon Restoritive Treatment?
well let me tell you about it. this treatment comes in two sizes and they are both expensive.
the 1.35oz will run you just over $20 and the 5oz will just about break the bank at, get this, $55. so is it worth it???
well this treatment is meant to be a pre poo treatment. you place it on dry hair with a plastic cap and it can be left on anywhere from 1 hour to overnight. i did myself a favor and purchased the kit that comes with this treatment along with the ulta hydrating shampoo and conditioner, and the styling cream and revitalizing mist(love this stuff).
the first time i tried the treatment i didnt like it. well let me rephrase that. when i woke up(i did an overnight treatment) and took off the plastic cap my hair was sooooooooo soft. i was amazed and instantly smitten. well that all changed once i jumped in the shower. as soon as the water hit my hair it became a tangled and knotty mess.
so i decided to use it again a couple weeks later and when i washed it out this time there were zero tangles. so i used it again and again and i got the same results. soft hair and zero tangles and knots. funny how you look at that little jar and think "there's no way im paying $21 for 1oz of solid oil". but i got at least 5 treatments out of that one little jar and i had apl hair at the time.
so i decided to invest in the big jar and i still have more than half left(of course i dont use this with every wash).

trading places: well it had been a while since i had used this wonder oil and decided to see if it would work as a mmoisturizer or sealant. with my new colored hair it stayes moisturized but it constantly looks dry-now i remember why i stopped getting color-so i decided to rub a small amount of my ojon in my hand and apply it like an oil. then i wrapped my hair, applied my scarf and went to bed. the next morning my hair was crazy soft. but the gotcha is the smell. the smell is of really strong cofee and i cant take it. when you use it as a pre poo the smell gets washed away but as a moisturizer you can smell it all day long. i hate it. but it did what i need it to do as far as keeping my colored ends moisturized.
will i use it again? of course. as a pre poo it is a dream and as a daily moisturizer it is even better if you can get past the smell.

so i recommend that you run to your nearest beauty first or sephora and snatch this up.

read this: you can grow long hair

ladies, how are you this fine day?
i love to read any and everything. well now that im into hair care and beauty secrets i have been reading and researching the goods. while on my fave forum today i came across a post that said i should read this artical http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1480582/terminal_length_and_the_role_of_genetics_pg6.html?cat=69.
and i did. its a great read and it'll only take you a couple of minutes to soak in all the knowlege she is giving.
read this. i promise it'll change the way you think.

Friday, March 13, 2009

sebastian and all his goodies

hi me ladies. how are your beauty bags doing?

ok, well the only product i tried by sebastian was the potion #9 leave in and i did not like it. apparently it contains protein and it must be a lot because it made my hair hella hard. but now i want to try his Laminates. in case you did not hear lol, last friday i got hi-lights done with bleach and now i want to apply a color over it. i want a pretty new penny color and i want to do it with a salon quality color instead of Adore. i have been using Adore for years but i want something different. most of the products i use are salon quality so why not make sure my color is on the right track too???

im going out tomorrow to search for this color. im also going to pop in and out of different salons asking questions and getting consultations.
i'll let you lovely ladies know how it went.
have a blessed weekend.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

product review: blue green algea conditioning mask

ladies i am in love.
i used this last night for the first time and i love it. it is meant to be used as a pre poo so you know i love that since i pre poo with every wash. it is all natural and it is packed with protein(their words, not mine lol). it says on the jar its packed with protein but im going to say that its light protein because it also says it can be use every week.
what i did: i sectioned my hair and placed the conditioner on from roots to tip. after i placed my plastic bag on my head i only left it on for 10-15 minutes but when i rinsed it off my hair felt so soft. i was exspecting it to feel almost like i did a hard protein treatment. i was exspecting it to feel hard but i was pleasantly surprised. what i got was soft hair that i want to feel again.
more on the conditioner: this conditioner was so cold to the touch. i used the tips of my fingers to apply the mix and when i was done i had to rinse my hands with warm water. can you say uncomfortable? lol. the first ingr. is coconut fatty cream base. that just makes me smile lmao. i love aubrey organics and their wonderful conditioners because its filled with great oils and butters and things like blue green algae. did you know what blue green algae was before this conditioner??? i know i hadn't heard of it. anyway, you have to stir the conditioner/mask before you use it. and be careful when you do because this stuff looks thick but when you touch it its actually light and whipped. it sort of reminds me of yogurt. and it has a very strong smell that i would not call pleasant. its very strong.
the gotcha: im letting you know so you wont be surprised when you go looking for it. there are several gotchas(this is what i call a catch) with this product. first lets talk about the price. this little 4oz jar costs about $13. not really recession friendly. well i think i can get 3 uses out of one 4oz jar. last night i didnt even use half the jar and i made sure each section was coated. we have to remember that the hair will only suck up what it needs and the rest will wash off, so dont over use the expensive dream in a jar. now moving along, you will have to search for this mask. i didnt see it in my whole foods with the rest of the AO products and i didnt see it in vitamin shoppe either. i had to buy it off line and you know that shipping adds to the price. so now this little jar cost up to $18. maybe more.
i was hoping i wouldnt like this stuff so that i would not repurchase but like i said it works like a dream.
the options: i always come with options. well this product is actually from the aubrey organics line as well and it packs a good protein punch. its the AO GPB conditioner and it will fill your mane with a wonderful protein/moisture balance(i've used this too).
the ingredients are: coconut fatty acid cream base, organic aloe vera, wheat germ oil, lactalbumin, organic rosemary oil, organic sage oil, horsetail extract, coltsfoot extract, amino acid complex(cysteine, methionine), glycoprotein (from oyster shells), balsam oil, aubrey's preservative(citrus seed extract, vatimin A, C, and E) sounds yummy right?? try it if the Blue Green Algea is too exspensive for you.
ETA: you can find a 16oz bottle of this for $10-$13. so its about the same price as the mask but you actually get more for your money.

update: silk elements olive oil heat protectant

ok ladies, truth be told i think im going to take this stuff back to Sally's. i havent used it on my hair yet but i did however use it on my mothers hair last saturday. after i blow dried and flat ironed her hair it was not soft or shiny but when she moisturized and sealed the softness came back. so i had already decided that i didnt like the heat protectant for her hair but i would still try it on mine because we have two different hair types. she is a 4b and i am a 3c. well here it is Thursday and she calls me to tell me that her hair has never felt as dry and hard as it does now. the heat protectant is the only thing different i used on her hair so it has to be the culprit.
even though my hair type is different than hers, i have found what works for my hair. and though i tend to use different products here and there, i have not had anyset backs and i wont use this for fear of a set back. funny thing though is that i tend to fall in love with Silk Elements and my mother's hair seems to do well with that line as well. this products stands alone though and i will not take that chance.

so this heat protectant will have to go back.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

from the inside out

we have to remember that beauty comes from the inside first. i mean that in more ways than one. first off, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder and if you are ugly on the inside(personality) than it doesnt matter what you look like on the outside. we've all heard those sayings before right? and we all know what they mean correct?
well secondly, taking care of the inside first can really make a differnce on how you look on the outside. take care of the body first. i've siad it before and i will say it again, water will make all the difference. you have acne? drink more water. you need to loose a couple of pounds? drink more water. your scalp is dry? DRINK. MORE. WATER. lol. its not just milk that does a body good.
well, you ask, what else can i do to keep me and my hair healthy? there are many things that can be done to keep both the hair and the body in tip top condition. there is excercising. we all know excercising is great for the body. it regulates the blood and keeps the fat away. because it regulates the blood it can be a great way to help the hair growth process. also a great tip would be to slather conditioner on the hair and cover with a plastic cap while you get your work out in. your body heat will help the conditioner penetrate better and when you take off the plastic cap you will be surprised at the amount of steam you see.
then theres suppliments. taking a simple womens suppliment can do the body wonders. you'll be surprised at how your energy will increase. your skin can clear up and with taking the right suppliments comes benefits like lowering your cholesterol. you've seen those commercials lol.
i personally take flax seed oil pills and i drink aloe vera juice. i started taking the flax seed pills twice a day because i wanted clear and beautiful glowing skin. i didnt have acne but my skin had been dry lately and there wasnt a glow. i'd seen a youtube video(when i find it again i will post it) of this beautiful model with gorgeous clear skin and she said she takes flax seed. so i went to my local target a i purchased the first bottle of flax seed pills i saw lol. its hard for me to swallow pills so it was a plus that these are gel pills. not only are they great for the skin but they are amazing for the hair as well. flax seed oil is packed with omega 3, 6, and 9. with that said i would start out light because too much of anything is never good IMO.
i started drinking aloe vera juice because i read its good for the digestive system. again, im working my way from the inside out. but aloe vera jucie can also be used as a shampoo or a daily moisturizing sprits. if you are one of those lovely ladies that co wash daily or a couple times a week than an aloe vera sprits would be great for you. you could mix the aloe juice with water and glycerine or even throw in some rose water. there are many that love a sprits like this and it keeps the hair moisturized all day.

i think it will do us all some good to put ourselves on a personal inside out challenge. send me comments letting me know what your challenge will consist of.
im going to look into other supplements and keep you gals updated on whats good for what.
my personal challenge is to continue to drink my aloe vera juice, take my flax seed oil and drink no less than a liter of water a day.

random ramblings

i cant wait to wash my hair. im supposed to wait a week but i may do it tonight.

that elasta qp mango butter is still keeping my hair sooooooo soft.

i need to update my beauty bag lol. i think i need some new blush.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

more on moisture

we can never have too much moisture right??? right.
so my question is, can a butter(shea, mango, cocoa) moisturize the hair?
i've aways heard that a great moisturizer should be water based. because as i've previously stated, water is the ultimate moisturizer. with that said there are ladies that sware by shea butter. the great thing about shea butter is that if its too heavy for you then you can melt it down and use it like an oil. and we all know that oils rock lol.

well i have to do more research to give you an answer that i can say is fact, but what i can say is that while my hair is thriving from using water based moisturizers, my hair loves butters as well. have you ever heard of Jane Carter's nourish and shine? well if you havent let me give you the run down.
nourish and shine is an all natural butter that contains shea butter, mango butter, kokum butter, vatamins a, d and e and essential oils. lets start with the smell. it's smell is like grape fruite to me. its strong but not overwhelming. and the feel is so smooth. its a butter but its not hard at all like some butters. in fact i keep mine on my dresser closest to my vent and it stays soft. you wont have to worry about greasy, weighed down hair at all with this dreamy mix. its fab.

when i use this butter my hair is always soft and did i mention it gives ingredible award worthy shine? well let me tell you it gives amazing shine. and you want to talk about soft hair, well you dont know soft until you've used this butter.
with all that said i still dont know (for a fact) if it moisturizes the hair. but i do know that my hair stays silky with this stuff.

so i will say that yes!!!! butters can moisturize the hair.

an old friend: elasta mango butter

i used this for a couple of days late last year. the reason i went to the store to purchase it was because 1)it is sold at cvs so its convenient. 2) you can find it from $5-$7 so its cheap. and 3)the lovely ladies at LHCF were bragging about it. so i thought "i have got to get my hands on this stuff".
well i used it and i felt it made my ends too hard. i mean it wasnt like protein overload hard, but it wasnt soft at all. it made my ends feel damaged or something so i discontinued use in like 2-3 days.
well last night i decided to give it another try because i hear it contains protein and right now (with the recent visit to my stylist) my hair can use it. so last night i applied a good amount to my ends and sealed with vatika frosting and then proceded to wrap my hair in my silk scarf. this morning i unwraped my hair and my ends felt soooooo soft. i really was in awe because i wasnt exspecting it to do anything more than it did last time but i was so wrong. so i put a little bit more on my ends and then re-sealed. i have my hair pined up today but i can still feel my ends(as they are not tucked under) and my ends are still very soft.

but the real test comes after i wash my hair this week. i say that because right now my hair is a greasy mess(my stylist uses tons of grease, i dont use grease at all) so that could be why my hair feels soft. when i do my hair myself there wont be any grease. just moisturizer(mango butter) and sealant. we'll see how it does then. it contains yummy yummies like mango butter, cocoa butter, olive oil, coconut oil and hydrodrolized silk. and of course its water based.
and we all know the best moisturizer are what????? water based.

Monday, March 9, 2009

moisture, moisture, moisture

i've been talking a lot about protein thus far. sorry ladies but its because i know that most of us already know about moisture but may have never heard about protein. i know i didnt know what it's purpose was until 2008.
but clearly this post will be about moisture. i love moisturized, soft and supple hair. nothing beats running your hands through soft tresses and one of the ways to keep hair soft is by upping your mositure. and what better way than to moisturize your mane than from the inside out? there are products that will give your hair the feel you are looking for but nothing beats a healthy body. nothing trumps water.
water is the best moisturizer for the hair and the overall body. drinking water daily can help keep the flakes away if you suffer from dry itchy scalp. water can also keep your new growth from being so brittle. you ever have 2 inches of new growth and cant figure out why its so dry and brittle when it hasnt even been relaxed? maybe its water(or rather the lack there of).
somthimes when the hair isnt growing propery and you've used every product heard of, taking care of the body and its health can make all the differnce.

i have a friend that never took care of her hair. she would slap on som blue magic grease and go. her hair would only get done when she saw her stylist once a month or 2 months but her hair was never shorter than bsl. now that i know about the many benefits of water, when i think of it she always had a bottle of water with her. and it was very rare that she drank soda.
snd you know something else? her hair has this amazing shine that not even my beloved coconut oil will give.

drink water for more than just your hair. its great for the skin and cleansing the body. you want a glow like you've never exsperienced? water will do it. its the ultimate and cheapest moisturizer in more ways than one.

water=moisture. use it how you see fit. i promise you will see a change for the better.