Archive | Hair RSS feed for this section

Curls for the Girls!

5 Jun

I did another flexirod set and i’m happy to report that I got two weeks out of this style! I pineappled my hair and covered it with a ridiculously large bonnet at night to preserve the curls. The next day I just shook it out and separated the curls as necessary. After I did my usual wash day routine, I simply combed my hair into small sections using a fine-tooth comb, coated it with aloe vera gel and then rolled it on the flexirod to achieve this look. Once my entire head was rolled with about 25-30 orange flexirods I sat under my hooded dryer until it was dry. That’s it!

20140604-220111.jpg

20140604-220123.jpg

20140604-220134.jpg

20140604-220145.jpg

20140604-220157.jpg

20140604-220211.jpg

The Princess and The Flat Iron

12 Jun

I washed my hair last night for the first time in two weeks. It was beyond dirty! But I have to admit that it was a pleasant experience. I was also pretty stoked that my ODing on heat protection wasn’t in vain because my hair reverted right back.

Here’s the technique I used to flat iron my hair:
– Wash
– Clear rinse
– Deep Condition w/moisture and protein
– Leave in/detangle: It’s a 10 is a heat protectant, too
– Air Dry
– Heat protectant spray
– Blow dry
– Heat protectant serum applied to each section
– Flat iron on 410 degrees
– Apply serum for smoothness
– Wrap + Satin Scarf

It seems like I added a lot of product to my hair, but my hair was not weighed down at all, so in the future I will continue to put all that crap on my hair to protect it. I noticed right after I flat ironed my hair that my ends looked thin. So I was sad. I still am, actually. I’m sure the thinness is a result of the detangling battles I’ve had in the past, but it’s only a minor setback (still repeating this to myself) and a reminder not to slack off. I think imma chill on the heat after my cousin’s wedding though.

Tags: , ,

Miss Kitchen Beautician

4 Jun

Because I am growing out my relaxer, it took me a while to figure out the best way to detangle and style my hair. I lost a lot of hair and got a lot of knots on most of my detangling sessions (until very recently). To add insult to injury, I wore a lot of ponytails in which my hair was tangled underneath; meaning I would pull and brush my hair over the tangled part. Bad Idea. To get my hair back on track I have decided to get kinky twists for the summer and a sew-in for the winter. The last time I had any kind of weave in my hair was the summer of ’94 when my cousin put box braids in my hair. Since my hair is broken in certain areas (particularly the nape) and I’m dealing with a whole lotta new growth, I think keeping my hair braided up is the best solution for me. I’ve read a lot of information about taking care of your hair while in braids or sew-ins so that it actually helps your hair instead of harming it. I don’t have a set in stone regimen for when I have my hair braided, but it will probably include cleansing my scalp with ORS Creamy Aloe Shampoo/Abba Pure Moisture Shampoo, oiling my scalp with some kind of oil that promotes growth and controls itchiness, and spraying on a moisturizing spray. I’m excited about the braids, but It won’t be until mid June when I’m able to get them because my cousin is getting married and I’m a bridesmaid!

Being the kitchen beautician that I am, I have decided to try do the kinky twists myself. I’ve watched more YouTube tutorials than I care to announce on the matter, and I honestly think I can do it myself. I think that if I can wax myself I can put in a few kinky twists, right? Right. An added bonus is that I would only have to purchase the hair, so that would save me about $150.  If When this goes well, my next feat will be conquering the self-installed sew-in. Wish me luck!

Tags: , , , , ,

Drum Roll, Please…

30 Dec

I’m pretty damn happy with the results of this week’s wash day! *bankhead bounces*

Products used:

Burt’s Bees Avocado Butter Pre-Shampoo Hair Treatment

Abba Pure Moisture Shampoo/Conditioner

Herbal Essences Long Term Relationship Leave-In

It’s A 10 Miracle Leave-In Product

Lottabody setting lotion

Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Tags: , , , , ,

I want that old thing back: It’s A 10 Miracle leave-In Product

30 Dec

Somewhere about midway through 2011 I tried It’s A 10 miracle leave-in product. I remember being wowed by its detangling capabilities, but in my quest for an all-natural regimen, I put it in a drawer somewhere until today.

I washed my hair with what I believe is going to be my go-to shampoo/conditioner today *squeal*.  After I got out of the shower, I tied a towel around my hair and did a few things.

When I got done, my hair was no longer soaking wet, so I re-wet it in the sink and applied a few pumps of HE LTR. I then started to comb my hair out with a wide toothed comb. Hoooooowever *Franklin from My Wife and Kids voice* my lamb’s wool was resisting. A serious matter called for serious solution. So I broke out the It’s A 10. I sprayed one mist on the problem area from about seven inches away from my head and INSTANTLY it was detangled. I did this on about two more areas and was done detangling.

Even though I used this product primarily for detangling, that isn’t this products only claim to fame. It has 10 functions (hence the name). According to the bottle, it:

  1. repairs dry, damaged hair
  2. adds shine
  3. detangles
  4. controls frizz
  5. seals and protects hair color
  6. prevents split ends
  7. stops hair breakage
  8. creates silkiness
  9. enhances natural body
  10. 10. flat iron spray and thermal protector

The texture of this ten-in-one product is like a watery cream. You have to be careful not to use too much so that you don’t weigh your hair down. But it’s easy to apply since it comes in a spray bottle. It smells nice, but it is rather fragrant. IDK how to describe the smell, but it does smell really good (I’m sure that’s a big help, lol).  I think I may have to incorporate this into my regimen since it not only detangles, but supposedly does all those other things too. So far, we’re 1 for 10 and the prospect is good!

The only bad thing I will say about this, is that it costs a whopping $18 dollars for 4oz at Ulta. Not to mention it’s excluded from most of their coupons. It can be bought at a cheaper price on Amazon, though. But I do believe you’d get your money’s worth, as it only requires, at max, 5 mists for a whole head. Because it’s in cream form, 5 mists won’t even put a dent in the bottle.

Ingredients: It contains ‘cones and parabens (my verdict is still out on whether either of those are really all that bad), but it also has some really good stuff in it, including panthenol, sunflower seed extract, green tea leaf extract, and silk amino acids

Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Behentrimanium Chloride, Propylene Glycol, Cyclomethicone, Fragrance, Panthenol, Silk Amino Acids, Heli Anthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Extract, Camelia Slnesis Leaf Extract, Quaternium-80, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Eugenol, Coumarin, Cinnamal, Linalool Methylchloroisothiazolinane and Methylisothiazolinone.

Tags: , , , ,

Wash Day: Herbal Essences Long Term Relationship

29 Dec

Ok. So. All year I have been avoiding commercial hair products because of their ingredients (you know, sulfate= bad), but I’m just about at my wit’s end. It seems like everything labeled “natural”, “organic”, or “handmade” that I’ve tried is lacking in one way or another. So out of desperation, and the sheer will to spend money on ish I know I don’t need, I purchased Herbal Essences Long Term Relationship shampoo and conditioner.

I actually liked the duo.

I love the leave-in conditoner from the same line, so almost on a whim I decided to try the other two products. This line is supposed to protect long hair from breakage and split ends by including Brazilian silk (I guess Brazilian is supposed to be better? whatev…) and raspberry extracts in the ingredients.

The Shampoo: The shampoo smells great, of course. However, neither of these products smell like the leave-in to me. It’s a surprisingly thick, pink liquid that lathers well. I was also surprised at how gentle it was in my hair. My hair didn’t feel the least bit stripped or hay-like. It was just clean and fragrant.

Ingredients: Water, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Glycol Distearate, Zea Mays (Corn) Silk Extract, Hydrolyzed Silk, Rubus Idaeus (Raspberry) Fruit Extract, Fragrance, Sodium Citrate, Cocamide MEA, Sodium Xylenesulfonate, Dimethicone, Citric Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Polyquaternium 76, Sodium Chloride, Tetrasodium EDTA, Ammonium Laureth Sulfate, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Red 33, Blue 1

The Conditioner: The conditioner smells like the shampoo: great. It had a regular conditioner consistency. Not thin and watery, and not thick and cream-like. I applied it liberally and covered with a plastic cap, a scarf, a baseball cap, and a hood and went to the mall to finish buying Christmas gifts. When I rinsed my hair, it was easy enough to detangle, but it wasn’t oozing with slippery, buttery goodness like I’d expect from a regular conditioner. But on the bright side, it didn’t weigh my hair down or leave it dry. My hair felt pretty darn good.

Ingredients:Water, Stearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Chloride, Cetyl Alcohol, Bis Aminopropyl Dimethicone, Hydrolyzed Silk, Rubus Idaeus (Raspberry) Fruit Extract, Zea Mays (Corn) Silk Extract, Fragrance, Benzyl Alcohol, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Hydroxide, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Red 33

After that, I rollerset my hair as usual and followed up with a “silk wrap” using Saran Wrap (but that’s a whole other post, smh). Nonetheless, my hair came out nicely for Christmas 🙂

 

 

Tags: , , , , ,

Monday, Wash Day

20 Dec

Yesterday was a wash day. I was thisclose to buying new hair products prior to washing my hair, but then I came to my senses. I have way too much crap to even think about buying new stuff. It doesn’t help that Christmas is in 5 days and that I still have a few gifts to buy. So instead, I washed my hair with Dessert Essence Coconut Shampoo and conditioned with Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Moist.

I’ve had the Aussie conditioner since May, but yesterday was my first time using it (trying to stay ‘cone free). It was ok. My hair was moisturized after leaving it on for about 30 minutes, but I expected more slip from a regular drugstore deep conditioner. That’s not to say that there was none at all, I just expected more. But it smelled really good!

About those ‘cones, anyway…they don’t weigh down or build up on my hair. I really don’t have a good reason to avoid them. *shrugs*

Anywho, after I washed and conditioned, I decided to do a braid out. I haven’t had a relaxer since September, so I’m about 12 weeks in this thang. I wanted to do something simple since I know I’m going to do my hair again for Christmas.

While my hair was still wet (not dripping, though) I applied Herbal Essences Long Term Relationship leave-in cream and sorta-kinda combed out my hair using my fingers and a wide-tooth comb. I then liberally applied aloe vera gel to my edges and brushed it in. I also put a little Jojoba Healthy Hair Serum by Shescentit on my hair, focusing on my ends. Next, I put on a satin scarf until my hair was about 75% dry, give or take.

After that, I began parting and cornrowing. On the parts that were hard to comb through, I used a little more LTR. After I finished (I did 6 cornrows), I banded the loose ends together, put my satin scarf on, and went to sleep. I was really pleased with the results when I took my hair down this morning. I think the key is to braid the hair after it dries a little. Violà!

Don't mind my fat cheek, lol

Aloe Vera Gel does WONDERS for my edge

Tags: , , ,