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.

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?

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.

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

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.....

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

avocado oil

i really want healthy hair and i really love oils. so why not come up with a super healthy hair oil right? well thatsnot exactly whats going to happen. i have just decided that i will be using avocado oil on the regular. i will be using it in several differnt ways to get healthy, strong and long hair.
1) i will be mixing it into my pre poo's.
2)i will be mixing it into my deep conditioners
3)and i will be mixing it with a small amount of coconut oil to seal and/or use on my scalp

heres why: avocado oil is one that is made up of proteins and vitamine E. we all know that protein is good for the hair. it keeps it strong and can also help keep moisture in the hair. vitamine E is great for hair loss. some people rather use avocado butter or a ripe avocado to make a deep conditioner but im a simple gal and i think i'll just stick to whats easier for me.

i just went to the grocery store this past weekend and picked up a bottle of virgin avocado oil. this is my first time using it and i must say while i am not fond of the smell, i do however think its going to be very easy for me to use this on the regular. i find that its lighter than olive oil so it shouldnt be an issue for me to seal with this oil. i tend to go to my trusty coconut oil or vatika fronsting(coconut oil based) because it's so light and i know that it actually penetrates the hair. well watch out coconut babe because i hear avocado oil penetrates as well. not only that but it actually has a HIGHER penetration value than oils such as almond. so for those of you in love with almond oil, why dont you give avocado a try for......say a week and see if you like it better.

im also in love with protein and anything thats supposed to keep my hair strong so thats just another "go ahead" for me to use this oil. im going to mix it with coconut oil because.......well..........i love coconut oil lmao. but also because nothing gives my hair that silky shine and softness like coconut oil. but the mix will be 2 parts avocado and only one part coconut. however, when i mix avocado into my pre poo's and deep conditioners it will NOT be mixed with any other oil.

so look out for my update of the wonders of avocado oil.

carols daughter: why you hatin'

stop talking about how her products are trash ok? just because her shampoo or smoothies dont agree with your hair does not mean her products are trash(can you tell i love CD?). now dont get me wrong, her products are not the best in the bunch but i can name a few products that cost more than a little bit that did less than nothing for my hair.
i use to use Carol's Daughter products before i really knew about good hair care. my hair was not at its healthiest and i had little to no idea what deep conditioning was. but i knew i was in love with the healthy hair butter. that stuff made my hair so soft, and i remember not finding hair all over the bathroom sink during the time i was using it. then when i ordered my second jar it was different. i think i felt my heart crumble lol. the formula was no longer a butter but more of a cream. i dont know if the ingr. changed because back then i didnt even look at the back of the jar. so i stopped using all of her products.

here it is 2 years later and my hair is the healthiest its been in a long time and i am back on the CArol's Daughter high. right now i am using the black vanilla smoothie, black vanilla shampoo, tui shampoo, and healthy hair butter.

let me give you my thoughts on each product.
healthy hair butter: i love this stuff. i use it everyday and my hair is thanking me for it. my hair stays soft and moisturized and i get no breakage when i have this dream cream in stock. it is water based and contains not petrolium or mineral oil. it has yummy ingr. like jojoba oil, soybean oil and wheat germ oil. and the smell is really earthy. i will never be without this cream.

black vanilla smoothie: this stuff is amazing. i actually use it as a pre poo. what i do is slather it on my tresses from root to tip on dry hair. i then place a plastic cap on my head and sleep in it. the next day i shampoo it out and when the water hits it my hair is instantly detaingled. thats what we all want right ladies??? soft, detaingled hair. i know thats what i want. im on my second jar now and i will always keep at least 2 of these in my stash.
now i dont know how this works on wet shampoo'd hair. there are some conditioners i only use on dry hair and this happens to be one of them.
the ingr. are as follows: Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Amodimethicone, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Brassicamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Peg-40 Castor Oil, Polysorbate 20, Prunus Amygdalys Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ Oil, Aspartic Acid, Cyclopentasiloxane, Fragrance, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Potassium, Sorbate, Hexylene Glycol, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Theobroma Cacao ( Cocoa) Seed Butter, Tetrasodium Edta, Simethicone, Panthenol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice.
and this conditioner will run you about $19. but because i apply it to dry hair it lasts a long while.

black vanilla and tui shampoo: i actually like the tui shampoo much better than the BV. the tui shampoo is very gentle on my hair and lathers very well. it does not strip my hair at all and if i use it after a good pre poo then all i need i one lather and my hair will remain super moisturized
the BV shampoo is gentle but not as moisturizing as the tui shampoo, yet i find myself using it more. hmmm im not sure why that is. maybe saving the best for last??? could be. the black vanilla has to be my most fave smell out of all her collections(not counting body products). that smell is so intoxicating and relaxing. its like nothing i've ever smelled before. but the funny thing is if this were a body lotion it would probably be too strong lol.
anyway, i think you cant go wrong with anyone of these lovely shampoos. again my opinion is that the tui is better if you need that extra moisturization.

check Carol's Daughter out. i was not dissapointed and i would hope that you wouldnt be either.

product haul

i went shopping at Sally's today. i love this store. its a small store and yet i tend to spend so much time looking and reading lables as if i've never seen the products before.
today i got silk elements mega silk olive oil conditioner, deep treatment and heat proectant. i've never used any of these above mentioned products before but i've heard so many great things i just had to have them. i also picked up a bottle of the aphogee shampoo for damaged hair(i needd this because i went to my stylist on this past friday and i know i need to baby my hair). i've used and loved the aphogee line but Joico has since taken over.

anyway im on an olive oil kick right now so thats another reason for the silk elements haul.
the heat protectant is actually the only one i will review with my next wash, so look out for that review.
what its supposed to do: silk elements mega silk olive heat protectan spray, formulated with olive oil and silk proeins, helps protect the hair from damage caused by heated appliances. leaves hair soft and silky while providing a luxurious shine.
wow. sounds amazing right??? i cant wait to use it. i use heat every week and as we all know, using heat protectant is very important. fi i love this then it will put my beloved Paul Mitchell heat seal to bed(review coming soon). i love my heat seal but it isnt that recession friendly ya know?!

shopping spree in NYC

i love going to NYC. i have family there so i have been going a couple times a year since forever. i remember walking down the streets and seeing people everywhere. i remember how busy and noisy it is there. i remember different smells coming from every corner and chatter coming from every mouth. and those memories makes me smile. there is no other place on this earth like New York and i think im due for a visit. i think i need to hop on a bus and take that ride. just me and my purse. no baggage, i want to feel free and light.
i want to hop in and out of every pizza joint feeling stuffed. i think i may go in every store and try on clothes i know i wont buy just for the hell of it. NYC is where i want to be.
i also want to take that trip becuase even before i was into hair care i remember it seemed like every lady in New York had nice, thick, long hair. this was before i knew anything about the dominican salons on every corner.
now that i know, i want to go get a doobie. i want my almost bsl mane to swang with light curls from getting my roots blown out mami. i also want to go to the Carol's Daughter store on 125th street. we have one here but i want to go to that one. please exscuse my stuborness but there's no place like the NYC. i want to go to the Karen's Body Beuatiful store and smell all her body goodies. im not natural but i want to purchase all her milks, nectars and creams. i want my hair to smell sweet.
i think i need to take that trip to NYC.

CHI vs FHI

ok my lovely bag ladies. this is what im pulling out my bag today.
the flat iron battle. DUM DUM DUM(did that sound scary enough? lol). today i want to talk about the importance of a good salon quality flat iron and the difference between the CHI and the FHI when it comes to my hair.
lets begin class.
ok for years i was using the same gold n hot chunky flat iron. i didnt mind the hair snagging and pulling, didnt mind the burnt smell and didnt mind the fact that i was damaging my hair. i didnt mind because i didnt know any better. i was using this flat iron every single day to get my thick hair straight and then bend the ends. but thats my fault. now that i know the differnece between cheap flat irons that push their coat plates and real quality ceramic irons i will never go back to gold n hot.
ceramic irons do not have to be pricey to give salon results. im sure you could find a good flat iron for $60 bucks but i chose to spend a little more because i wanted to get it right the first time. i did my internet research before i made a purchase, to put my mind at ease. ceramic flat irons are supposed to be less damaging on the hair. and some of these name brand irons even clame to lock in moisture. while the coated plates of a less than great flat iron only flatens the hair(instead of smoothing) and possibly causing dryness.
the first salon flat iron i purchased was the pink FHI technique. it was cheaper than the CHI and i heard they were made by the sme company so i figured, what the heck go fo it. the first couple of times i used it my hair was so silky smooth and soft. then i noticed over time my hair would have that dry ashy look to it. this was the case even though i would moisturize and seal 2x daily. this flat iron was drying my hair out. o dont know how or why but over time i could not retain moisture using this iron. with that said i decided to use it on my mom's hair, which is a type 4b(and thick as nails) and it worked amazingly. her hair was silky and NOT ashy. i have been using it ever since and her hair seems to love it.
the second quality flat iron i purchased was a CHI original. i had been wanting this flat iron for a while but knew that my pj-ness(product junki-ness lol) was getting out of control. well when Beauty First had a 20% off sale and i had a coupon i ran to the store and came out with a pretty gold cylinder shaped bag with my flat iron inside along with 2 CHI nail polishes. who knew CHI made nail polish???? any who i couldnt wait to get home to do my hair. i instantly noticed how the CHI just sliped down my strands so easily. no snagging at all. and my hair wa straight with the FIRST pass through. that was back in November of 2008. i have been using this flat iron on my hair once a week ever since and i have not experienced any dryness, breakage nor split ends from this iron. i love this iron so much that if it decided to be a butt hole and break i would run to the store and repurchase. i guess i should also tell you that my hair is a 3b. i am relaxed but have been transitioning for a long time so that may help some of you if you are considering getting a flat iron.

oils

ahhhhhhhh oils.
dont they just make your hair day? i know its not just me lol. my most fave oil is, drumroll please.............coconut oil. this oil is so light that i can literally slather my hair in it and less than an hour later that oil is gone. not that my hair drinks it up and is dry again but the oil isnt oily lol. it gives the most ridiculous shine and its one of the few oils that actually penetrate the hair strand. and if applied to the scalp it could reduce hair fall. this oil is amazing for so many things as far as healthy hair goes.
my hair hates hot oil treatments but coconut oil would be a great choico for a once a month HOT treatment. its great to mix with other oils to make that dream sealant or scalp tonic.
it does wonders if mixed well into any conditioner. the coconut oil actually makes the conditioner penetrait better.
and if smell is your deal breaker than you wont be dissapointed. you will not have to walk around smelling of old dirty alley cats. the coconut oil brand i use is from GNC. its called Emerald laboratories and it smells like coconuts. go figure right?????
well i used spectrum's unrefined coconut oil and couldnt figure out why it smelled like A$$ crack and baby vomit. i kid you not. and it was an amber color while EL's coconut oil is white as snow and silky to the touch. ahhh GNC here i come baby.

but there are other oils that are amazing too.
EVOO(extra virgin olive oil)
sweet almond oil
avocado oil
jojoba oil
vatika oil
amla oil
castor oil
and the list goes on and on. these oils are all different in texture, smell and purpose. castor oil being my second fave. and IMO EVOO being the best to use in conditioner.

color treated hair

hey ladies.
today i want to talk about color treated hair and how to keep it on your head.
actually these are tips that are great to use even if you are not color treated.

tip #1: pre poo. i pre poo'd before i was color treated and i will do so while i am rocking my new honey streaks lol. you can pre poo with oil (as in hot oil treatment) but i prefer conditioner. if i use a protein conditioner (aubrey organics gpb, shescentit's fortifying mask or aubrey organics blue green algae mask) i only leave it on for 30 minutes. but if i choose to use a moisturizing conditioner i always mix with honey, coconut and or extra virgin olive oil. and i will slather it on in sections from root to tip and will leave on anywhere from 1 hour to overnight.
but my fave pre poo treatment is as follows: a half of can of coconut milk. 2 ounces of EVOO and a table spoon (or two) or honey. this treatment is to die for.

tip # 2: if you shampoo (i know we have some strict no shampoo ladies here) make sure its a moisturizing shampoo. or a sulfate free shampoo. we dont want to strip the hair just to condition it to death to get it feeling half way decent. we want the whole wash day exsperience to feel like we're on cloud nine right? so the moist (i mean most) moisturizing shampoo i've ever used is Redken All Soft Shampoo. i love this whole line but the truth is this shampoo actually made me glow. ok not really but you get my point. i really really really love this shampoo and will continue to repurchase. a 10oz of this shampoo will run you just a bit under $10 but its so worth it.

tip #3: protein baby. i love protein but i know we cant all handle it. there are different levels of protein and of course i would start with a light protein to see how your hair responds to it. the purpose of protein is to stregnthen the hair and to prevent it from breaking. there are actually proteins that moisturize as well. while the hair is color treated (esp. if its relaxed as well) we want to make sure that it stays strong. we all know that once you put a chemical on your hair you weaken it. well protein is to the rescue. my fave protein treatment is joico k pak deep penetraiting reconstructor but before i started using that i was in love with aphogee two minute reconstructor. you can find this 2 minute dream at almost all bss(beauty supply stores) but i usually purchase mine at Sally's. dont you just love to hate that store -but thats a whole nother post lol. reconstructors that say 60 second reconstructor or 2 minute reconstructor or any treatment that you dont have to sit under heat with is considered a light protein(for the most part). so dont fear it. and if you do fear it just a little, follow up with my next tip.

tip # 4: moisture moisture moisture. moisture can mean a lot of different things to different people. you may feel like your hair is moisturized because its wet all day. or because its cool to the touch, or maybe because its silky. whatever the case, moisture can be done everyday to keep the hair in tip top condition. the bast way to keep moisturized hair is to deep condition with a moisturizing conditioner at least once a week or with every shampoo. also you could co wash a couple times a week with a cheapie conditioner like suave or vo5 moisture milks. me likey vo5 over suave but you have to find what works for your hair.
but the thing that keeps my hair on my head when it comes to moisture is moisturizing daily with a water based moisturizer and then sealing with a light oil. the oil is what keeps the moisture in the hair without blocking moisture out(get it? got it? good). my water based moisturizer of choice is carols daughter healthy hair butter. i have been using this hairgazmic hair butter for about 2-3 years on and off and i keep coming back sooooo........it must be good right?
my oil of choice is coconut oil or vatika frosting which is actually coconut oil based. coconut oil is an oil that...............well that deserves a post of its own.

this was a long post but i hope it was helpful.

product review: joico

ok ladies.
today i want to talk about my new best friend. yes he's a guy and men and women CAN just be friends. His name is Joico. actually his full name is Joico Deep Penetrating Reconstructor lol. and he makes me feel so good.
no but seriously i have been using this product for about 2 months now and my hair is so much stronger and healthier for it. i have had next to no breakage and my hair feels like each individual strand is thicker. this is great for me because i have fine hair so i can use all the thickening i can get. so to all my fine haired sista, this one is for you.
how i use it: after i shampoo in the shower i apply this thick, creamy, yummy smelling conditioner to my hair and comb it through. i then place my plastic cap on my head and let it penetrait for 5 minutes. when i let the water from the shower rinse it out i can run my fingers through my hair so easily with no problem at all. my hair intantly feels stronger and softer but i always follow up with a moisturizing conditioner.
more about the conditioner: this conditioner smells like yummy bananas. i mean the smell takes over the whole bathroom and i just want to stay in there forever. add that to the steam from the shower and i feel like im in heaven. its thick but it spreads very easily so its not necessary to use too much. i know how easy it is to over do it because lets be honest, we all want strong, healthy, and soft hair. but a little really does go a long way with this one.
i consider this to be a light to medium reconstructer. it is most definately not a hard core protein treatment. but it will get the job done. i use it once a week because i use heat weekly and again i have fine strands. so to keep my hair on my head a weekly reconstructor is needed. but this is also great for just a once a week treatment.
i seriously doubt you will be dissapointed.

just the cherry on top

hello and welcome to herbeautybag.
i am Che and this is my blog. its actually more of an open diary because i will be discussing beauty as well as everyday issues. i want everyone who view and/or subscribe to this blog to know that i will always give my honest opinions on reviews but, i will also always be respectful. i welcome all comments and feedback as well.

now, just a snid bit about me. i am 22 years old and have always wanted to start a blog. so yaaaaayyyyy me lol. i finally decided to do so and am excited to see how this grows and changes with time. i have always been a writer at heart so this is like my baby. this is something that i am doing because i have come to the realization that i dont want time to pass me by. i want to be able to say that i always wanted to do something and i actually did. and if it is a success then thats just the cherry on top. ladies (and gents) this is just the beginning but i think im just gonna shoot for the stars and say that i got my cherry.