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".

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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....

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.

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.

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.