Carol's Daughter Has a New Line: Chocolat

Y'all know I'm really not a product junkie. I have a few staple products and only experiment from time to time. However, I am excited about the launch of a new line of products from Carol's Daughter: the Chocolat Smoothing Collection. From huffingtonpost.com:

The 3-step collection (Smoothing shampoo, Smoothing conditioner and Smoothing Blow Dry Cream) of sulfate-free products is designed to physically rebuild hair structure from the inside out. Whether you chemically treat your hair of have natural tresses, the products will work on all hair types...

There are hints of Ylang, Iris and vanilla to help round out the sweet chocolate base.

"It's a very wonderful experience when you're blowing our your hair to have this chocolate floral thing going on. Usually you just smell hair when you blow out your hair, but with this you have a really great sensory experience in the shower and out of the shower," Price adds.

[caption id="attachment_1708" align="alignright" width="246" caption="Impossibly Smooth Curly-to-Straight Set"][/caption]

On the Carol's Daughter website, there are several Chocolat sets to choose from. The one that I'm ready to try? Impossibly Smooth Curly-to-Straight. It includes Smoothing Conditioner, Smoothing Blow Dry Cream and Macadamia Heat Styling Hairspray. Here are the claims:

 

Deep-conditions and tames curly hair for an Impossibly Smooth blow-out that lasts

This collection straightens out all the frizzy issues that usually come with naturally curly hair—from having parched locks to flaky product buildup. The main ingredient Cacao, found in the deeply nourishing Chocolät Smoothing Conditioner and Blow-Dry Cream, adds extra moisture to each strand to fight unruly flyaways after a blow-out. Finish and protect your new tresses with Macadamia’s lightweight styling spray for added shine and control.

Added bonus,they give instructions on how to properly use the products included for the desired results. That's great for someone like me who tends to buy things and then ask "So what do I do with this now?" (Don't judge me!)

Sounds promising! Since the weather is cooling off (OMG

it was in the upper 30s this morning y'all!) I'll be wearing my hair straight every now and then. Considering my past problems with straightening, I'm looking forward to seeing whether this will make a significant difference in the results. I've only used one other Carol's Daughter product before, the Black Vanilla Leave-In Conditioner. Since I had good experiences with that, I have high hopes for this line.

Anyone else excited to try this line? Already ordered it? Share your experiences with Carol's Daughter products.

Product Review: Kinky-Curly Knot Today

This should have been posted last week. I wanted to show y'all a before and after video using the Knot Today, but my video editing skills are.... Well, I don't have any video editing skills. So I'll just have to go with words for now and add a video should I ever be able to get it like I want it.

Anyway, I finally made my way to Target not long ago and remembered that one of the products on my must-try list was Kinky-Curly Knot Today. Last week I decided to wash and twist my hair, so there was no better time to try it out. I washed it with my usual shampoo (Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus) then sectioned my hair off to make detangling and twisting a little easier. I applied a little of the Knot Today (maybe a nickel sized dollop? Or quarter? I don't know) to about a fourth of my hair and worked it in. Y'all wouldn't believe the look on my face when I was able to finger-comb my hair. I've always had to use the comb after washing because it tangles up like crazy, even when I deep condition and detangle with the conditioner in the hair. But this time my fingers slid through with ease. I was definitely amazed. I even had to go show my mom, who couldn't believe it either!

(This is where the video was supposed to go. Just imagine my hand being stuck basically at my roots, then magically gliding all the way down my tresses. Yeah, that's what happened.)

Knot Today is great, but not without its drawbacks. Once I got to the last two sections, my hair had dried significantly. Although the Knot Today still made it easier to detangle, I noticed that 1) it was not as easy as when the hair was dripping wet and 2) it made my hair feel a little sticky. So even though the bottle says "leave-in" I don't think I'll be able to use it in that capacity. Now that I have taken the twists down, I also realize that my hair is not as soft as it is when I use something like Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie. Don't misunderstand me, it's not super crunchy or anything, it's just not super soft.

Overall, I have to say that this product really impressed me. The complaints I have are minor, especially when compared with how much easier and quicker detangling was. Knot Today made the most dreaded part of my routine go a lot smoother, so that makes it a win in my book.

Have you tried Knot Today? Or any of the other Kinky-Curly products? What was your impression of this line? Yay or nay?

Make-up Break: Sephora Nano Eyeliner

From the site:

What it is:
A highly pigmented eye pencil.

What it does:
Sephora Brand Nano Eyeliner glides on smoothly and comfortably, creating a lovely line of color. Shea butter and rosemary extracts make this formula soft and easy to work with.

What else you need to know:
Make impact with your eye look—this must-have comes in an amazing range of colors, for va-va-variety!

These little eyeliners are heaven-sent, I swear. My first attempt at eyeliner was with a liquid liner and the results were messy, to say the least. While wandering around Sephora one day, I spotted the Nano. The thing that grabbed my attention was that one of the ingredients is shea butter. In my mind, that automatically registered as smooth, so I was with it. And at $5.00, it wouldn't be a horrible loss if it didn't work. So I bought two, in black and blue jean. The best quality about this eyeliner was instantly obvious: it was super forgiving for a shaky handed novice like myself. The way it glided on felt almost like a crayon, and I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly and easily I was able to line my eyes. Another great thing about this product was the fact that it didn't take much to get the nice little pop of color that I wanted.

[caption id="attachment_1361" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Sephora Nano Eyeliner in Blue Jean"][/caption]

I ended up going back for four more colors. My favorite by far is the Azur Blue. I had the bright idea to cover my lid with it and wearing it like an eyeshadow... loved the result!

[caption id="attachment_1364" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Azur Blue... I LOVE it!"][/caption]

(Note to other brown-skinned beauties: the chocolate eyeliner looks great on your hand, like it'll be a nice alternative for when you want to line your eyes but don't want something as bold as black. WRONG! Save your money. It will look like you have nothing on at all. -_-)

[caption id="attachment_1366" align="aligncenter" width="240" caption="Chocolate eyeliner on my hand..."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1365" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Chocolate eyeliner on one of my eyelids... but which one?!"][/caption]

 

The other colors I purchased were Wild Spirit (a purple which wasn't as wild as it could have been, in my opinion) and Precious Silver, which I plan to use under eyeshadow (like most people do with NYX Milk--I couldn't find a white) but haven't done yet.

The only bad thing I have to say about this eyeliner is that it smudges a little too easily; I tend to rub my eyes a lot during the day and ended up with liner on my hands. The thing that makes it great makes it a little bit of a hassle too. :-/ But I'm not complaining... too much.

If Sephora wanted my advice, I'd tell them that they should expand their line to include more bright, vivid colors. That's it! I'm going to be on the lookout for more of these little gems.

Review: the Tangle Teezer

Yes, I am 100 years behind everyone else, but I finally bought a Tangle Teezer two weeks ago. I'd honestly forgotten about it, but a quick trip to a different Sally's jogged my memory. Lo & behold, they had one! I was super excited since I'd heard so many great things about it since its debut.

As soon as I got home, I tested it on a small section of hair. It did okay, nothing special. I didn't want to go further since my hair was super dry; I decided the time to test it would be when the hair was wet. Fast forward a few days when I decided to wash & twist my hair. After I washed my hair & let it dry just a bit (I hate working with sopping wet hair) I sectioned off my hair and tried to go to work. One problem: I couldn't get a sizable section through the TT. With too much hair, the comb just seemed to glide over the hair instead of actually getting in there and detangling. I had to keep making smaller and smaller sections until I finally had just a tiny bit of hair between my fingers. My hair is too thick and my head is too big to deal with all those little sections, so I said forget it.

Fast forward again to Monday night, when I washed and DC'd (I need not ever go more than three weeks again... Lawd it was a struggle!). While the conditioner was still in, I decided to give the TT another go. This time it was a little better, and I actually got through most of my head. (By the time I got to the crown where the real monster hair is, I was worn out.) I was still a little frustrated that I had to divide my hair into such small sections to make it work. And the hair loss was about the same as when I use my wide-tooth comb to detangle. One pleasant surprise though: after rinsing the conditioner out, the hair that detangled with the TT did not tangle up again as bad as it usually does. The whole re-tangling after detangling thing is my least favorite part about doing my hair, so I was pretty happy with that.

Overall, the Tangle Teezer is an OK product to me, but not the miracle that it was made out to be. It doesn't seem to be made with the super thick haired gals in mind. I'll give it a few more tries before I write it off, but for the time being my old faithful wide-tooth comb has it beat.

(Sidenote: I've been seeing some updates with people saying that after using the TT for a while, they've noticed breakage, damaged ends, etc. Have any of you experienced this?)

Shea Moisture Review (Part I)

 

This particular review should have been done a long time ago... My apologies!

Often times when I'm out, I get asked what products I use. Really, I haven't been loyal to any particular products; I mix & match & experiment. However, since going natural, there has only been one brand that has remained consistent for me: Shea Moisture. Out of their four lines-- Coconut & Hibiscus, African Black Soap, Raw Shea Butter, and Yucca & Baobab--I've tried products from three (the first three listed). The following is a brief review of each product that I have tried so far. This is only part one because I have not used a complete regimen. I'm sure that these products are grouped together in lines for a reason, so I want to see if that will make a difference. In the meantime, here's what I think about the products I've tried so far...

Coconut & Hibiscus Curl Control Shampoo
Confession time: I can never tell a difference with my shampoos. Maybe it's just because I've happened to try some really great shampoos, I don't know. Whatever the reason, I can't say that this shampoo was any different or produced better/worse results than the others. But I do like that it has organic ingredients. And it did have a great smell. *shrugs* That should count for something. I'll use this again when I'm using the whole Coconut & Hibiscus line together, but as a stand-alone product... I'm not completely sold. I mean, the Softsheen-Carson Oil Therapy shampoo gives me the same effect for a few dollars less (although it does contain synthetic ingredients & some 'cones). No complaints about this shampoo though.

C&H Curl Enhancing Smoothie
I have fallen in love with this product. This is the latest that I have tried and so far the results are phenomenal. The Curl Enhancing Smoothie makes my coils so soft it's unreal. A lot of times I'll just work it into my hair while it's dry for a nice, soft puff or fro. However, this product has proven itself to be invaluable when it comes to my twist outs. I'll lightly mist my hair (using my water/coconut oil/glycerin mix), detangle, then add a little of the smoothie to my strands before twisting. When I take the twists down, not only is the hair defined, but it's super soft & fluffy. Bonus: it adds a little shine without being greasy.

C&H Curl & Style Conditioning Milk
This was the first Shea Moisture product I tried. The results were very similar to those that I got with the Curl Enhancing Smoothie. The only difference that I found was that it left my hair slightly oily. However, it wasn't enough to completely write off the Conditioning Milk. I believe this would be best to use in winter.

C&H Hold & Shine Moisture Mist
I was pleased that the Moisture Mist helped battle frizz, but I was a little disappointed that it didn't provide the shine I expected. I haven't tried it on a style that required hold, only on my fros/puffs, so I can't really attest to how well it does that.

Raw Shea Butter Restorative Conditioner
The Raw Shea Butter formula is supposed to be for dry hair, so I tried it out when the weather was still cold, figuring that was when it was at its driest. Unfortunately, I can't say that I loved this conditioner. My expectations just weren't met. When used as a leave-in, my hair would end up feeling a little stiff and brittle at the end of the day. When used in my co-wash, it would take forever to get it worked in and then rinsed out. I'm chalking this up to the thickness of the conditioner, but I'm really not sure so don't quote me on it! Of course, it could have just been the fact that I don't have really dry hair so it didn't respond well to the formula. Add to that the medicinal smell and I was turned off. I probably won't be trying anything else from this particular line.

African Black Soap Purification Masque
This was a spur of the moment pick, from when Walgreen's had a 2-for-1 sale on SM products. It came in handy though. I was having a bout of itchy scalp (not sure why) and although I washed it good and was sure to condition it, nothing would relieve it! So I applied a generous portion of the masque to my hair & scalp and let it sit for about an hour. (On the label it says 30 minutes but I kept getting distracted.) Once I washed it out and let my hair dry, my scalp felt sooo much better. It really had the soothing effect I was looking for. I am completely sold on this product and will probably try other products in the African Black Soap line.

Once I try a full line of products, I will do another review. Until then, I'd love to know if any of you have tried Shea Moisture and what kind of results you got. Speak on it! For info on the ingredients, description and usage of these and other Shea Moisture products, check the following link: SheaMoisture_Organic_Hair_Products_Info 8.18.10

Relaxed Hair Must-Haves

I think I've said this here before, but can't remember for sure. When I had a perm, I didn't know how to do a thing with my hair, and didn't know what products to use. The most I did was wrap it, roll it, or put it in a ponytail. My mom was gracious enough to oil my scalp with Sulfur 8 after I got it done. That was it. I think I washed my hair all of ONCE back then, and that was because it was an emergency. I was in college and used whatever shampoo sample I had lying around from one of the campus events. Had no idea what I was doing! LOL

Well, for any permies who come across this blog, this link's for you! The Anti Hair Slave has a list of must-haves for you ladies that relax your hair. I was slightly surprised to see the same products/tools that are recommended for natural hair, but then again I guess I shouldn't be, huh? Anyway, don't say I never gave you anything! LOL

Wishlist

Although I'm not big on the holidays, I'm always up for getting stuff! (And I'm not so grinch-tastic that I don't give gifts as well... but only to a select few!) My short wishlist this year is mostly comprised of hair & beauty goodies that I either can't splurge on right now (pockets are kinda tight) or would feel bad about if I bought them now, but would definitely accept if someone gave them to me. After all, I'm not a product junkie if someone just gives them to me, right? Right. So here is what you can send your favorite blogger (who? me, of course!) if you're full of the holiday spirit.

1. Wen haircare system I've been curious about Wen since I started transitioning, but I have yet to try it. I'm a bit skeptical of its claims to work on all hair types, but nothing like putting it to the test to be sure.

2. Huetiful hair steamer Since starting my transition, I've read several blogs that mentioned hair steaming. I didn't really think too much about it, but that has since changed. Since it's gotten cooler, I can tell a huge difference between how my hair looks and feels when I first wake up and after I take my shower. The steam has it so soft and big! It would be awesome to get the benefits of steaming my hair while deep conditioning, but usually when I DC I'm doing a million other things so I never just sit in the bathroom. With the Huetiful hair steamer I could set it up in whatever room I happen to be in and let it do its thing while I mindlessly watch tv do something productive. And sure, I'll take the facial attachment as well!

3. A Denman brush I've still never seen one in real life. LOL Yes, I've checked Sally's, but the times I've been they didn't had them. So I don't even know which one to get! And I refuse to order it online, seeing as I have no idea how it feels and whether it would be worth it. Yeah, I've heard they're great and all, but still... But if you wanna pass it along to me, I'll take it!

4. A Sephora gift card I've fallen in love with Sephora, y'all! There's only one little Sephora around here, tucked away in a JCPenney's. That is the only thing I visit that particular Penney's for ('cuz that location's plus size selection sucks). Now that I've found out they have Carol's Daughter products and well as a buncha yummy delicious makeup to try out, I need some extra funds specifically for Sephora!

5. A phony pony that looks like it's natural hair that's been blown out. Most of what I've found has been either shiny super straight ponytails, or puffs that look duller, tighter, and all around worse than my hair. There is this one ponytail that I bought, not too straight, sorta wavy. But I dunno how well it will work considering that it's rather shiny... We'll see. I still need more though; gotta switch it up!

So that's my little wishlist. Got anything on yours related to hair and/or beauty?

Morning Quickie: My Hair is Soft Again!!

You know, last week in one of my posts, I discussed how the change in weather had caused my hair to be a bit dry. I used Suave Almond & Shea Butter conditioner as a leave-in until I was able to find a good leave-in. (BTW, I used the Suave when doing my twists recently, and they came out great! You can see a few pix of it on TGHP, and I'll be doing a post on it soon.)

The other day I dropped by the Sephora counter and was pleasantly surprised to see that they now carry Carol's Daughter! I've been saying I was going to try their products for a minute now, but I hadn't. I figured now was the time. I was tempted to get the Hair Milk that I hear so much about, but something else piqued my interest: the Black Vanilla Leave-In Conditioner. The label said "Hydrating refresher and detangler for dry hair." I figured "It's only $12, let's give it a go." The first couple of days I used it, I couldn't really tell much difference because I still had my twists in. When I finally took them down and used it, my hair was so soft!

Then yesterday, I got the bright idea to mist my hair before using the Carol's Daughter. I used the same mist that I'd used on my hair the night that I did my twist: a simple mix of coconut oil, olive oil and water (I didn't use measurements, just eyeballed it). Y'all... OMG... I never knew hair could be that super soft. I couldn't keep my hair out of it because I couldn't believe it. I love love love the results. The Black Vanilla Leave-In is a light mist, so it didn't weigh my hair down and it wasn't drippy. Also, it smells so yummy! I don't have a single bad thing to say about it. Now I'm anxious to try some other CD products!

BTW, here are the list of ingredients (courtesy of carolsdaughter.com):

Water (Aqua), Polysorbate 80, Glycerin, Panthenol (Pro-vitamin B5), Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium PCA, Butylene Glycol, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Flower/Leaf Stem, Lonicera Caprifolium (Honeysuckle) Flower Extract, Lonicera Japonica (Japanese Honeysuckle) Flower Extract, Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Leaf Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Hydrolyzed Wheat Starch, Hydrolyzed Corn Starch, Potassium Sorbate, Citric Acid, Caramel, Fragrance (Parfum) 

Suave Almond & Shea Butter Conditioner

The sudden change in weather (and I do mean sudden--open toes one week, boots the next?!) has left my hair feeling something awful. It's been pretty stiff and woolly... just not soft at all. Up until now, my Shea Moisture Curl & Style Milk did the trick. Even though it's not technically a conditioner, that's what I was using it for; it was perfect during the warmer months. Now? Nothing.

[caption id="attachment_989" align="alignleft" width="245" caption="Note: I've only used the conditioner."][/caption]

I'd purchased the Suave Almond & Shea Butter Conditioner on a whim a few weeks ago, simply because I was out of conditioner, needed to do a co-wash and wanted to try a different product. Really no rhyme or reason in my choice. So I used it... and I wasn't too impressed with the results. Although it did have a nice amount of slip while I was washing my hair, once it dried, I wasn't left with the super-soft feel I was hoping for.

Fast forward to last night. My hair was just... blah. I didn't have time to do my usual deep conditioning with my mix of Palmer's Coconut Oil Deep Conditioning Protein Pack and Organic Root Stimulator Olive Oil Replenishing Pak, but I needed something ASAP. I did a quick search online to see if others had tried regular conditioner as a leave in. And they had; there were mixed reviews for the Almond & Shea Butter as a leave-in. Some reported that it worked great, some said they had some flaking. I figured, what the heck? So I sectioned my hair off, worked the conditioner into my dry hair (I didn't think to mist it), and did my usual chunky twists.

This morning I woke up to much softer hair! It's still not super-soft like I like, but it's a 100% improvement over yesterday's roughness. Not sure why I didn't think of this before. Of course it doesn't take the place of doing my DC, but it will do in a pinch. One drawback is that my hair looks a little duller than I thought it would. Not a big deal, but still...

So yeah... I tried something new and fortunately it worked out for me! I'll still be looking for a good leave-in that's actually a leave-in but until then, this will do!

Winter Regimen

This is the *plan*. It may or may not go like this because it's really trial and error. But for my first winter as a natural, I think it's gonna go something like this...

For most of the winter, I plan to wear kinky twists as my protective style. I would love to be able to do this using only my hair, but I think I'm gonna have to go with some additional hair to get the length that I want, since I'd like to be able to pull it back in a ponytail or wear it up occasionally. I really love my soror Dandria's twists (shown to the right) and I'm hoping to achieve a similar look.

I also plan to straighten my hair a couple of times while the weather is cooperative. The first time will be around the first of December so I can do a length check. Although I considered going to a salon to get this done, I've decided to do this myself get my mom to do it. There are two main reasons for this decision. The lady that I went to for my trim was great, but admitted that she doesn't do too much with natural hair other than wash, cut and color it. As fearful as I am of heat damage, I know not to press my luck with that. Secondly, Jackson doesn't have a lot of options for a natural girl, and the one salon I found that "specializes" in natural hair wants to charge a minimum of $65 for a shampoo and press. Ummm, I didn't pay that much to get touch-ups, I'm certainly not gonna pay that for a press. No ma'am, my budget is too tight for that. So the plan is to wash and deep condition as usual, then apply a heat protectant (the Oil Therapy 3-in-1 Creme Moisturizer claims it works as a heat protectant, but I'm not sure... Anyone have a recommendation?) and let my mom blow it out using a blow dryer and flat irons. I'm going back to the lady who clipped my ends before to have her trim and style my hair, because I know nothing about that.

The straight hair will probably last a week, week & a half. Maybe two weeks if I act right. In the time between pressed hair and kinky twists, I will probably continue to do twist outs. I need to work on my two-strand twisting so that I won't be ashamed to wear them for a couple of days. I've gotten so used to doing the chunky twists and immediately doing a twist-out; I think I've gotten rusty!

As far as my product line up, I'm not sure what to change! I know to give the glycerin a rest for a while, since there won't be nearly as much moisture in the air. I'm trying to figure out which essential oils I'll be trying out. First up to try are rosemary and jojoba oils. And I may be regularly going back to Sulfur 8 to oil my scalp. Hey, it works for me! And I know how my scalp gets when it's cold. Of course I'll give the oils a try first, but if it's not satisfactory... back to the grease I go. I'll probably be changing up my shampoo, but that's just because I want to try to full Shea Moisture line. I already stretch washing to about a week and a half, with little to no co-washing in between (bad, bad Tori!) so I'll probably start alternating between shampoo and co-washing every 2 weeks. As the season progresses I will make whatever changes I see are necessary. Hopefully there won't be many!

Soooo yeah! That's how my winter regimen is shaping up in my head. Any natural hair old heads have some advice or go-to winter products?

Never Never (Again) Land

I have been pretty fortunate when it comes to products. I haven't developed product junkie-ism *knock on wood* and the majority of the products I have tried work pretty well with my hair.

However, as I was looking through my little bag of hair goodies, I did notice some products tossed in that I know I'll never purchase again. I haven't thrown them out because... well that would be wasteful, considering they are all over half full. I mean, they must be good for something, right? Oh gosh, am I a product hoarder?!

I digress.

Here are the four items that I can do without. No product bashing here, but they just don't work on the fickle follicles atop my head.





1. Softsheen Carson Optimum Oil Therapy Hair & Scalp Quencher

Contrary to the name, it did not quench my scalp. I bought this product as a replacement to the Sulfur 8 that I used to use to oil my scalp after I got it done (during the relaxed days). I was basically shooting in the dark trying to find another product, but since I was already a fan of the Optimum Oil Therapy Shampoo & Moisture Creme, I figured I'd give it a shot. I didn't care for the consistency of this... product (I still don't know if I should call it grease or oil or what). It was really pretty watery and melted to the touch--not in the good way either. My scalp felt like there was nothing on it, still just as dry as before I put it on. Not sure why it didn't work for me, but I'm not planning to revisit that. I'll stick with the Sulfur 8. Never had an issue with it before (other than the smell, of course).

2. Miss Jessie's Stretch Silkening Creme

I basically told everything in this post. Tried it on soaking wet hair and completely dry hair. Didn't work either way. The one redeeming quality was that if I misted my hair and used this on the edges, it gave me decent waves for my puffs. But that's just not good enough for the $22 price tag.

3. We Rock Roots Rock Out Butter

My complaint with this is very similar to the issue with the Hair & Scalp Quencher. It was too light. Felt (and looked) like nothing was there. The rest of the We Rock Roots line was amazing to me, but this one fell short of my expectations. If I need butter, I'll stick with their Rock On butter.

4. Urban Therapy Twisted Sista Curl Activator

This gave my curls some definition, but no more than my Shea Moisture Curl & Style Milk. On top of that, it left my hair feeling... icky. It was stiff and kinda lifeless. After two tries with this one, I decided to count it as a loss and haven't used it since.

Have you purchased any products that didn't quite live up to the hype? Or tried something new with less-than-stellar results? What products have you vowed to never use again?

Vegetable Glycerin: My new fav

For a while now I've been hearing/reading the term "vegetable glycerin" from various naturals. I didn't know anything about it, so I turned to the net to see what I could find. In the blogosphere I found a post on The Natural Haven that explained what glycerin is and how it works. In short:

1. It is hygroscopic - meaning it bonds to and retains water. (Hygro meaning 'moisture' and scopic in this case meaning 'seeking' - therefore moisture seeking) (Griffin, W. C. et al Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists, 1952)

2. It is a humectant (because of no 1) and therefore can be used to stabilise the water/moisture content in products (perhaps as in KY) (Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists,pg 19, 1958)

3. It makes hair softer (Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists pg 251-263 1989)

Sounds pretty good right? So I made my way over to Rainbow Grocery for the first time ever (if you're in the Metro Jackson area, go over to Fondren and check it out) and got a couple ounces of VG. It's colorless, odorless, sticky, and sweet (so I've read, I haven't tasted it and don't plan to). It's advised to mix it with water, as just plan VG (or too much in the mix) isn't particularly good for your hair. I added it to my usual concoction of water & coconut oil. (2:1:1, water, coconut oil & VG). It works great! I usually spritz my hair with the mix every other night before bed. My hair is softer, so that I don't even have to use a product in it unless I want to. My curls also seem to pop a little more, which is always great.

I'm thinking about getting some rosemary & jojoba oils to mix with the water & VG. I can't remember where I got this from, but I do recall reading that these two oils stimulate hair growth when combined and work great with VG. We'll see.

Have any of you used VG in a different mix? Had a bad experience with it? Found a great product that you can buy with VG as the main ingredient? Let us know!

A Few of My Favorite Things (and some new products)

I'm feeling kinda Oprah-ish today (okay, not really, but it sounded good) so I want to share some of my favorite things with y'all. The inspiration for this post was my impromptu trip to Target on Sunday. Of course I wandered over to the health & beauty section and ended up finding something I've been looking for for a while (and got some new finds... more on that later). So I got to thinking about how much I love certain products/items for my hair & decided to let you in on them.

I love these Goody bobby slides. They hold more hair than a regular bobby pin, and don't pull my hair out when I remove them. I bought some years ago but somehow managed to lose most of them. Now they are available in the color collection: blond (not pictured since they were out), brunette, & black. I am happy that I got my hands on these again, although I would have loved to find some straight up silver slides. My one complaint: Goody didn't use paint that would stand up to hair & hair products! After wearing one for half a day yesterday, the paint is already peeling. I experienced this before, though, so I knew what I was getting myself into. At least this time around the paint is black instead of light pink like last time... :-/ Anyway, a set of six will cost you about $3.49 at Target.

What are these, you ask? Cloth belts, the kind that come with tops from places like New York & Company. Now if you didn't know, these belts are the big girl's natural enemy. Here I am trying to find ways to minimize my tummy, and this belt comes along drawing attention to it! Hmph! These belts from old tops almost took a trip to the dump, but I realized they could serve another purpose: headbands. Yup, I use these babies as cute little headbands, especially when wearing a puff. It's a simple little way to add a bit of color, and I don't have to pay for new headbands, so yay! Ghetto? I guess. Cheap? You bet!

Although I'm just seriously getting into eyeshadow, I tend to get a ton of compliments when I use these eyeshadow palettes. As much as I love MAC eye shadows, $14 a pot is a bit pricey for me. Plus I have to sit there and figure out what colors to pair and I really suck at that. But for $4-$6 (depending on where I'm shopping) I can get Maybelline's Expert Wear Eyeshadow Quads or Rimmel's Colour Rush Trio Eyeshadow. (IDK why Rimmel's site only shows eight shades. The one in my hand is Dark Angel.) They have great pigmentation and last all day. Plus the Maybelline shadows have a little diagram on the back for slow folks like me who don't know where to apply what... LOL

I got this super wide-tooth comb in a pack of like six combs for $2 at Big Lots years & years ago. Never had much use for it until I went natural. Unfortunately, I forgot about this comb until after I bought another comb, but hands down, this one is my fav! It gets rid of tangles like it's nothing. Unfortunately, I have no idea what brand it is, where you can find it, anything. Sorry.

 

This photo combines old and new. On the left is Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Gunmetal. The right is Milani in Wild Violet. I picked it up at Target on Sunday (for $.99!) because I needed a purple polish. It wasn't quite the shade I was looking for, but it was cute so I figured what the heck. I got it on & loved it! Since I'm really feeling purple and gray/silver right now, I had to do both. The result:

I love it! In person, the purple is more of a metallic plum color :)

The only things I planned to buy were the bobby slides, but then I thought about the fact that I was out of leave-in conditioner, so I wandered up & down the isles looking for something new to try. I came across Shea Moisture Organic Coconut & Hibiscus Curl & Style Milk. I'd never heard of the Shea Moisture brand, but at $8.99, why not? My aunt told me that my cousin had been using Carol's Daughter Hair Milk and that she liked it, so I figured I'd try this. (Yes, I know it's not the same thing, but milk is milk is milk, right? IDK) So I've been using it since Sunday and I am in love! I usually mist my hair with the water/coconut oil mix, then apply the hair milk. It has my hair feeling sooo soft! It doesn't dry out & get all stiff/crunchy feeling, but it's not oily. It gives my curls some nice definition, even in the spots that appear to be type 4b/c. Plus I get a nice natural looking shin and it smells great. Now I want to give some of their other products a try! And I will, once I run out of my current products. I'm trying to avoid becoming a product junkie! According to the Shea Moisture website, their hair care collection is only available through Target.

I also picked up the Twisted Sista Curl Activator by Urban Therapy. I realize now that I really could've done without this, seeing as how the hair milk says CURL & Style Milk right on the label... But whatever, I have it now. I must say, I could've done without this one. It doesn't do much as far as defining curls, and I find that my hair is a little stiffer than I'd like. Not a terrible product, but I don't think it's right for me. It was only $4.99 at Target, so I don't feel like it's too big of a loss.

So there you have it, a few of my favorite (hair) things... plus one not so favorite thing! Feel free to share yours!

Product Review: Miss Jessie's Stretch Silkening Creme & the We Rock Roots Line

About two weeks ago I made my way to Target and picked up my first ever Miss Jessie's product. The selection at the store I went to was pretty slim, so I ended up with the Stretch Silkening Creme. I was not happy about shelling out $22 for the 8 oz. jar, but I'd heard so many good things about Miss Jessie's that surely it would be worth it, right?
Well, not quite.
Here are the directions from the Miss Jessie's site:

Apply product while hair is soaking wet for full coverage based on your length and density. Do not rinse out. Air dry or dry under an overhead dryer. For maximum stretch silkening: After curls are fully dried grab a section and stretch downward for tension. Using a blowdryer with a nozzle attachment blast heat from root to midshaft. This will further stretch those kinks to curls. Enjoy!

I did like the definition Miss Jessie's gave my curls

So I applied it with my hair soaking wet. While it definitely held true to it's claims that it would not make hair feel dry or crunchy, I wasn't expecting it to keep it feeling and looking wet. For most of the day I looked like I had a jheri curl. No bueno. On top of that, it didn't actually stretch my curls. (I didn't have time to use the blowdryer, so maybe that extra action would've given me the results I was looking for.) After that, I decided to try it with my hair lightly misted (my simple mix of distilled water and pure unrefined coconut oil). I was a bit more pleased with those results. The Miss Jessie's still didn't stretch my curls, but they did define them and gave my hair a nice shine.
My final verdict? While the Stretch Silkening Creme is a decent product, it's not something I'll be buying/using regularly. And I'm not so sure if I'll be buying any other MJ's products; I feel like I fell victim to the hype. I dunno, maybe I'll try the little $2.00 packets of shampoo and conditioner, just to see if it gives me different results than my current products. I'm not expecting miracles this time around, though. (In retrospect, it may have worked better if my hair was longer. I've seen pictures of some of the people who rave over MJ's, and when the hair is about shoulder length, it seems to get pretty good results. Maybe I'll save this and try it again in a few months. *shrugs*)

A few days after buying the Miss Jessie's, I received my We Rock Roots prize from the contest over at Kinky, Curly, Coily Me! Included in the prize pack were samples of the following:

RockOUT Butter – Uses: To set twists, coils, braids, or curls when setting on rollers and lock maintenance.

Ingredients:  Aloe Butter (Aloe Vera with Coconut fraction) Unrefined Shea Butter, Pure Aloe Vera Gel, Vegetable Glycerin, Tea Tree Essential Oil, Fragrance

RockON Butter – Uses: Apply for daily moisture.

Ingredients:  Unrefined Shea Butter, Soy Butter, Golden Jojoba Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, Vegetable Glycerin, Orange Essential Oil, Tea Tree Essential Oil

RockSTAR Oil –Uses: Apply as needed for added shine and moisture

Ingredients: Sweet Almond Oil, Unrefined Shea butter, Golden Jojoba Oil, Flax Seed Oil, Fragrance

RockTHERAPY Oil – Uses: Apply daily for itchy or dry scalp.

Ingredients: Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Horsetail Herb, Amla Oil, Hemp Seed Oil, Golden Jojoba Oil, Peppermint Essential Oil, Tea Tree Essential Oil
(Uses and ingredients per JenellyBean on KCCM!)

I wasn't sure what to expect because I'd never heard of WRR, but I figure I'd give it a shot. It would be rude not to! And I have to say that I am soooo glad that I did! Here's a quick breakdown of how each product worked for me.
RockStar oil: It gave my hair a really good shine without being heavy like some oils I've tried before. It was slightly oily and wasn't absorbed into my hair, but that it wasn't a major detractor from my overall love of this product. Plus, it smells like cookies! (#fatgirltendencies lol)
RockOn butter: I loved the whipped light texture! It almost felt like it sorta fizzed when I touched it. RockOn gave me the most awesome curl definition and good healthy shine to boot.

Result of RockOn Butter & RockStar Oil.
Sorry it's not clear, I should've used the digital camera!

RockTherapy oil: This was right on time for me. I have one particularly dry/itchy area near the crown of my head. One day after co-washing, I applied some of this oil to my scalp. It feels soothing (I'm assuming that was the peppermint at work) and calmed the itch. I'm not a fan of the scent but it's not overwhelming, and not an issue since it gets the job done!
RockOut butter: This was extremely light. In fact, I wasn't sure that it would work on my twists/twist-out because it was so light. My assumption was correct. When I took my twists down, it was as if they had no product on them at all. Depending on what you're looking for, this may not be a bad thing, but for my twists I like something a little heavier with a better hold, like my Cantu Shea Butter.
Three outta four ain't bad, huh? I've gotta say, WRR has found a loyal customer in me.

If you're interested in purchasing these products, you can find them at www.missjessies.com and www.wix.com/werockroots/werockroots.

What are your go-to products? (Plus a Product Give-away!)

When I first started transitioning and reading about natural hair, the term product junkie jumped out at me. It seemed inevitable that I would go through product after product trying to find the perfect shampoo, perfect conditioner, perfect whobobbitz to do this, that and the other to my hair.

Fortunately, that has not been the case. From the time I decided to take charge of my own hair care (remember the horror story that prompted that?) my arsenal of products has been relatively small and consistent (though some changes need to be made). A good number of them are from the same line because they seem to work great for me. Of course I don't do a lot in the way of recommending different products because I'm still learning all of this stuff as well. So here is my disclaimer: While *most of* these products work well for me, I do not know how they will work for you. Look into product ingredients, speak with a professional if you feel the need, and make an informed decision! "Tori D. said..." will not hold up in a court of law! =D Also, please note that these products are not 100% natural. While I do try to look out for "cones," petroleum/petrolatum, and mineral oil, I'm not a stickler for everything being all natural.

The Good

1. Optimum Oil Therapy Recovery Shampoo: I love it! It gives a little bit of later but not too much (unless you go way overboard with it, as I have done on a couple occasions). It gives me a pretty good amount of slip, so I can easily run my fingers/comb through my hair after washing.

2. Optimum Oil Therapy Moisturizing Creme: This product is great for detangling! I often use it before washing my hair since I've learned that detangling is a must before the water hits it. I would love to use it every day, as it gives a ton of moisture, but I don't since I've noticed it takes a while for the white color to fade. Although it says it works as a heat protectant, I have not used it as such just yet. I will try it out and see how well it does.

3.  Organic Root Stimulator Olive Oil Replenishing Pak (not shown) and Palmer's Coconut Milk Protein Pack: I use these together when deep conditioning. Usually I let it sit for about 30 minutes or more since I'm usually trying to watch TV while doing my hair and lose track of time. I've noticed that my hair is a bit softer when I use them as opposed to just shampooing. Never used either of these for a co-wash so not sure how that would work. Also, I don't know if there are any real benefits to using them both at the same time, but I like the way it feels when I do so... *shrug*

The Bad (or just bad rap?)

Motions Leave-In Conditioner: I admit it, I may have dropped the ball on this one. I got this before I was into the whole "read the label" thing, so I didn't realize until last night that this product is chock full o' "cones." Now, I have read conflicting information as to whether or not silicones are bad for your hair, but I'm trying to stay clear of them. Plus, I'd love to find a leave-in conditioner that also works as a detangler. But honestly, I don't have any complaints about this particular product. If you're not picky about the cones, this may work for you.

The verdict is still out

1. Cantu Shea Butter: I really only use the shea butter when I'm doing the two strand twists. It works great for holding them in place, plus it gives the hair a little extra shine. Admittedly, I'm not that familiar with the benefits of shea butter. I don't have anything bad to say about it, but I don't know if it's something I'd keep in rotation.

2. Optimum Oil Therapy Scalp Quencher: I just started using this about a week ago. My scalp was getting a little dry so this was just a shot in the dark at finding a solution. So far... meh.

Honorable Mention

Tropical Traditions Virgin Coconut Oil: I did a post on my first experience with coconut oil, and not much has changed since then. I still use it mostly for my skin! However, I do occasionally use it in my hair, mostly to give it shine. The drawback is that instead of my hair absorbing the oil, it just kind of sits there, leaving my hair feeling greasy. No bueno. I'm considering trying TT's coconut oil that is specially formulated for hair. We'll see.

There are some products that I want to try because I've heard good things about them. Namely, Miss Jessie's, Carol's Daughter Hair Milk, and (to a lesser extent) Mizani's True Textures line. Plus there's the little voice in the back of my head saying, "Yeah, your hair is doing okay now... but what if it could be better?" And considering my most recent hair issues (shedding and tangling are a beast right now!), I probably do need to make some additions and/or adjustments to my product arsenal.

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Now for what you really want: the give-away!

This is not my giveaway. It is being done by fellow blogger/naturalista JenellyBean at Kinky Curly Coily Me! to celebrate reaching the 100 follower mark. She is giving away samples of We Rock Roots products (click here for details). To enter, all you have to do is send a picture of you rocking your natural hair to KinkyCurlyCoilyMe@gmail.com. But hurry, the deadline is July 4. Yeah I know I gave it to you on short notice, but c'mon, all you're doing is taking a pic and emailing it! You know you have 681 pictures of yourself on your phone.... No? That's just me? Oh, okay then....

A few pix, mid-style

So I decided to try my hand at two-strand twists tonight. For my first time, I think they're gonna be okay, although I wish I could've done them a little smaller than I did. (To kind of give you an idea of how big they are, I only have 34 of them. Yes, I counted!) I washed my hair using Optimum Oil Therapy Ultimate Recovery shampoo (yeah, I'm still using shampoo, although I know a lot of people don't...), then conditioned (Palmers Deep Conditioning Pure Coconut Milk, let it set about 20 minutes). Detangling went fairly smoothly, and although there was some hair loss, it wasn't enough to make a fuss over. I sectioned the hair off and got to twisting! I used Cantu shea butter to sculpt the twists & then put them on cold rods since I figured the relaxed ends would unravel otherwise. Sooo, here are two pix, front & back, taken before I got under the dryer. I have to have some heat, otherwise my hair would be damp all tomorrow & Sunday morning. So I put it on warm for about 10 minutes, then lowered the setting to cool for about 30. I'm excited to see how they turn out! I plan to keep them in until Tuesday, then do a twist-out Wednesday morning. We'll see how it goes!

Product Review: Tropical Traditions Pure Virgin Coconut Oil

 

*Seeing as how this is my first product review, please be patient/understanding with me!*

A couple of weeks ago I received a jar of Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil. When I first opened it, I was a little confused. It was rock solid! LOL The next day, after sitting in my sauna-like house, it had softened up so I began my experimentation with the coconut oil!

Skin
Before I get into the review, let me explain something. Last winter I noticed that my skin had changed. For some reason (not sure if it was due to diet, medication or what) it had become extremely dry. Regardless of how much lotion I slathered on in the mornings, by lunch my legs and arms were not really soft & smooth. I'd read that coconut oil was beneficial for skin as well as hair, so I figured I'd try it. I began using it with the Vaseline intensive care that I usually use, and noticed that it actually lasted! So I started using just the coconut oil and I love it! I can tell a difference in my skin's overall appearance, even fresh out of the shower before I put it on. The biggest difference can be seen on my elbows. They weren't as smooth as I'd like since they're always rubbing against the rather rough arms of my office chair. After only about a week of consistently using the coconut oil they are so soft & smooth! I'm trying to find some way to incorporate the coconut oil in some kinda homemade foot scrub. (#random: I *heart* DIY pedicures, even more than going to get my feet done professionally.) All in all, I am extremely pleased with the results and I'm definitely gonna continue using virgin coconut oil as a part of my daily skin care regimen. 

Hair
I am not as pleased with the results of using coconut oil in my hair. I tried using the coconut oil and EVOO as a hot oil treatment and I followed the steps that I found online to the T. I was expecting super soft tresses after that; the results were less than stellar. Fortunately I've never really had a problem with really dry hair, so it's not like this was a major issue. But still, for all that time & effort, I felt like there should have been a noticeable difference. I may try this treatment again and either let it stay on my hair longer, not use a shampoo when I wash it out (or use one that's sulfate-free), or try mixing in other ingredients. I'll update with a part II on how that turns out, should I do so. In the meantime, I am using the coconut oil occasionally just to oil my scalp, especially around the edges. No big TA-DA or anything with that, but at least it gives my hair a nice lil shine when I do it.

Overall, I think I will continue using PVCO, but probably more so for my skin than my hair. Has anyone else used PVCO for their hair and seen positive results? If so, share your secret, por favor!

I've Got Coconut Oil!

Now can someone tell me what to do with it?

Hello, hello! Last week I signed up to receive a free sample of Tropical Traditions Virgin Coconut Oil so that I could do my first product review. I expected some travel-sized bottle to arrive in the mail. Instead, today I got this huge jar! I'm excited because this means I not only get to try it out on my hair, but my skin as well. From what I've been reading, pure coconut oil is beneficial to hair, nails, skin, and aids in weight loss as well. Since it is pure coconut oil, it should be okay to ingest, but I'll definitely double & triple check that before I do. Anyway, just wanted to share! Product review coming soon!

Oh yeah, if you have any recipes or ways you use coconut oil, please share! Y'all know I'm new to this so any and all help is greatly appreciated! Just send it to ToriDBlogs@gmail.com.