20 posts tagged “product reviews”

I need to work on the anniversary post with length comparisions, etc but first....

Over the last month or so, I have noticed a change in my hair color. At first I thought that maybe my locs were getting duller due to buildup. But with regular baking soda washes and vinegar rinses, I ended up with squeaky clean, build up free locs that were starting to turn brown.

Now I have seen lovely brown locs. My mom's have slowly lightened over time and look great. But I am kind of attached to having black hair. So this seemed like as good of a time as any to try my first home dye job.

I have used henna at home before and ended up with great feeling hair and no discernable change in color. As much as I like the way henna makes my hair feel (and I do have some henna to dye hair black already) the lengthy messy process with a disappointing end result wasn't what I wanted this time. So I went to Sally's to investigate hair dye.

I only looked at semi-permanent and temporary dyes - I'm just trying enhance my natural color and I'm going darker so no need for the havey artillery. I ended up getting Ion Color Brilliance semi-permanent dye. It seemed easy to use and came in it's own applicator bottle. I picked up a brush to distribute the dye and I was all set.

Although the process was less messy than henna (especially the rinsing part) the application stage was still a little tough. Fortunately, I managed not to stain anything. 2d minutes with a shower cap and a rinse later and I had lovel get black locs.

I don't think that I rinsed my hair enough so I ended up washing it the next day. My hair does feel a little drier now but not excessively so. And I had the added bonus of the dye covering the lint. I'm planning to use temporary hair dye rinses to maintain the color from her out since my major concern is about my ends rather than the roots.

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I tried a baking soda rinse last week and I didn't see much difference in my hair. But I'm not sure if I had the correct ratio of baking soda to water, so I will give it another shot this weekend or next. I also need to get back in the habit of sleeping in a scarf - I haven't been consistent with the satin pillow and I've noticed a lot of lint lately.

I haven't updated a while because the last few months have been very hectic. I also neglected my hair maintenance beyond the regular wash, condition, and separation.

As this has been a very hot and humid last couple of weeks, my hair and scalp were begging for some extra attention. So I decided to try out an ACV (apple cider vinegar) rinse. I consulted the loc forum on Nappturality and found that the recommended ratio was 1 oz of ACV to 4 oz of water. I was worried about the smell, so I did about a 1/8 ratio. Then I hopped in the shower, did an ACV pre-shampoo rinse, shampooed my hair, put the rest of the ACV rinse on my hair and covered with a shower cap for 15 minutes. Then I rinsed.

Now that my hair is dry and latched, it does feel a little bit drier than normal, but my scalp feels great. There is no vinegar scent at all in my hair. I'll have to see how it feels and looks in the morning but so far, I am quite pleased with the results.

I still have some fuzziness, but other than that my locs are pretty set. I've started brushing more frequently to keep the lint menace in check and my hair looks really good. I had stopped wearing a scarf at night and relying on the satin pillowcases, but my ends are starting to suffer so I am back to the scarf.

I finally ran out of my Avalon Organics shampoo so I had to find a new clarifying shampoo. I'm trying out Nature's Gate Rainwater clarifying shampoo and it is working pretty well so far. It is not a shampoo for frequent use since it gets my hair squeaky clean but it is great for clearing up build up. I'll stick with the Poo Bar and the Trader Joe's Citrus shampoo for more frequent use and after swimming.

I would like to see some growth - I can tell that my hair has grown when it is wet but once it is dry, the shrinkage kicks in.

I am starting to feel deprived because I don't have a Trader Joe's or a Lush near my home. Fortunately, I can get my TJ fix in Atlanta and my Lush fix in Orlando, but it still isn't convienient.

The last time I was in Atlanta, I picked up more of TJ's Essential conditioner and the Nourish Spa moisturizing conditioner that I didn't notice the last time I was there. I still love the Essential conditioner, but I have found that the moisturizing conditioner is a wonderful post swimming/exercising/two+ weeks protective styling conditioner.

As for Lush, I ordered some of the Caca Noir and Caca Rouge to see if either would show more of a color effect on my hair. I tried again with the Caca Brun, leaving out the olive oil and I made sure the mixture was very warm when I put it on. I saw a few highlights, but not much. I'm going to use up the last couple of blocks this weekend and then try something else. My hair feels great through.

As for styling, I'm back into my usual routine of twists. I was too busy to take my twists down and restyle this weekend, so I am spending today in a wash and go fro (w/headband) and thinking over whether I am going to put the twists back in tonight or wear my hair out for a little longer.

A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to visit a Lush store. I have heard about their products before, particularly the henna but I have never been in an area that had a store, so I never got around to trying any. While I was there, I picked up a bar of their Caca Brun Mama henna and a sample of the Retread conditioner along with a couple of body products.

I used the Retread conditioner sample the evening that I got it and I loved it. It made my hair look and feel wonderful. However, $20 is a lot to spend on 8.5 oz of conditioner and I can't say that it did a better job than my Honey Hemp conditioner, so I probably won't buy it again.

I'm using the henna tonight (it's been sitting in my hair for about an hour now) and I will post again when the whole process is over. So far it has been kind of messy and kind of stinky (fortunately, I read the instructions ahead of time so I've been able to control some of the mess). My hair is so dark that I doubt that it will make a significant difference, but I'm hoping that it will make my hair color a little less blah.

I'm going to be back in the area of the Lush store next week and I am planning on picking up some of the Caca Noir Mama for when I decide to go darker - depending on how my hair feels after this henna treatment.

I have mentioned that I have oil hating hair. My hair does not absorb most oils at all. They tend to leave my hair greasy, hard, and irritate my scalp.

There is one exception to the rule: Nasabb's Kelechi Hair oil. I use it sparingly, but it is a wonderful, light oil that is great for adding a little protection to my edges and my ends when I wear my hair out. The fragrance is wonderful also.

Nasabb also sells high quality unrefined shea butter and a shea moisturizer that keeps my dry flaky skin moisturized all day long. Their products are a little pricy, but they are worth every penny.

I love microfiber towels. I have two, one purchased on Ebay and the other at Walmart. The Ebay one is turban style and the Walmart one is just a small towel. A couple of weeks ago, I was in the hair care aisle of the grocery store and I saw this microfiber turban on sale for $7.99. I had been looking for another towel anyway, so I bought it.

My mistake.

I have washed this towel several times, but whenever I use it to dry my hair, I end up with a head full of lint. My hair looks dirty and lint covered and I hate that. What worse is that the whole point of a microfiber towel is that it is lint free.

I tried the Honey Moisturizing Conditioner about two weeks ago. It was very much like the Oyin Honey Hemp Conditioner, just a little thicker and a little less natural feeling, if that makes any sense. Considering the cost, I will stick with Oyin.

I also tried Trader Joe's Essential Herbal Conditioner (a cheapie at $1.99). I've only used it once for no pooing, but I think that I am in love. I also have a bottle of Trader Joe's Citrus conditioner that I have not used yet. I doubt that either will replace my tried and true Suave Milk and Honey simply because of availability - no Trader Joe's where I live, they don't have an online store and I don't go to Atlanta enough to make it worthwhile (although I am sure that my mom would mail it to me if I asked). But it could certainly be an option in my routine since it is very high quality and did I mention CHEAP!

I did a pretty major trim/ borderline cut last night. Wearing a puff and pressing my hair really hurt my ends so I gave in to me need to cut my hair and took about an inch or so of fraying, knotted, nasty feeling ends off. I'm leaving my hair in twists for a while (the twists have been in for about a week - I am shooting for three weeks). I'm hunting around for head wraps - I think they will be a nice change for the winter.

My routine hasn't changed much for the winter, except that I wash my hair less. I've been going along with whatever my scalp wants and right now my scalp wants to be left alone, with the occasional application of Greg Juice twice a week and shower steam daily.