My hair got so BIG in the days to come! I retwisted every night and it just got fluffier and softer each day!! I liked it!!

I used pretty big twist.. Maybe go smaller next time?

My first twist out results. Meh..

Getting all twisted up. :)

Definition from EcoStyler

Back and Trying All KINDS of NEW Stuff!!!

Well, not really.. Yall know I ain’t got dimes for that. :p

But I have been playing with my hair more.

One thing most natural know is after a time.. Your hair get boring…

Really… REALLLLLY boring!! I mean..tedious even!! I have gotten to a state where I don’t even want to wash or detangle or.. NOTHING my hair!  I DO occassionaly cowash my hair nowadays, so I was able to make that work… But most often when I cowash, I don’t bother to detangle..

Now some will say, well thatl’s good. You’re not manipulating your hair much. Helps with length retention.  But I’m pretty sure I end up breaking more hair when I DO comb it out because it gets tangled… But then again… It does seem to be longer… So.. Maybe my laziness is actually helping  me reach my length goals.

But enough of my laziness…  No I will not perm or cut my hair so it ain’t that kinda party. I had a friend suggest my hair would be so BEAUTIFUL flat ironed. And I was like girl.. just bye… LoL! So I still love my natural hair, but with Winter and dry forced heat, my hair is dry and crispy more often than not and my curls aren’t always plump and juicy unless they are wet, and honestly I’m sick of walkiing around with wet Jheri curl ass hair! LoL! So, with more length comes options..

And in comes banding.. Bands, will not ONLY make her dance, but they will stretch your fro out to  new lengths! I actually tried the banding as mini pineapples, but my hair isn’t long enough to really do it right. So instead of preserving my curls, it just made my hair really  REALLY big!! I  got more complements than I ever have because of that giant ass hair! Loved it.. My hair was soft and fluffy..

But the next week, I did my cowash and didn’t detangle and it wasn’t as big and as the days and weeks went on it just looked nappy (In a BAD unkept way.) and I was desperate.. I ACTUALLY tried a petroleum ladened product that I hate and twisted my hair with it.

And it wasn’t bad.. I mean that product still sucks, but the twists came out pretty good…

So in comes TWISTNG.. Which is what I’ve done this week.

But first.. My hair was dry.. Hard… Crunchy.. And that wasn’t the EcoStyler talking either!! My hair needed some moisture and TLC. Tresemme Naturals is great, but honestly I just needed something more moisturizing..

In comes products I don’t like..

PLus oil…

I mixed my Tresemme Moisture Rich Conditioner,  some Hello Hydration, vegeteble oil in my jar of  Soft n Free Milk Protein and Olive Oil. (There was still a little of it in the jar.) Once mixed I shampooed with my Loreal EverCReme, and applied Tresemme naturals to my freshly washed hair. I just felt I should get SOME moisture in there before I added this oil and silicone ladened mixture. I’m sorry I just don’t like cones. LoL! But to use up that stuff I’d risk it.. A little.

Well, at first it felt kinda bad.. So I was like.. OK.. This was a complete waste of my damn time. But since it was in there now, may as well settle in and let it work..

AND WORK IT DID!! When I rinsed it out, my hair was light and soft and felt really moisturized. So I was happy with that.

I decided I was going to twist my hair up this week. Not so much for a “twist out” but just to preserve and stretch my curls out a little. So right now, I sit in twists.

To twist, I used my trusty Long Aid Activator gel as a moisturizer, and Eco krystal for hold and definition. I haven’t added any oils yet, as on day one I never do. I actually can’t wait to see how my first “twist out” comes out.

I know this isn’t very interesting, but hopefully I’ll have some new products soon. I’ve been hearing about this Aunt Jackie stuff and it’s affordable AND available at get this… THE DOLLAR STORE!! Not sure if it’s around these parts yet, but I can’t wait to try it. Unlike Miss Jessie’s it is PETROLEUM FREE!! And just about 5-10 bucks a jar/bottle. I’m still not crazy about creamy stylers, but if I’m gonna be twisting now, I am willig to give a good Vaseline free product a fair shot.

I’ll upload some photos in a seperate post, as for SOME reason, I can’t do it here.. Seriously?

Anyway, photos to come.

Giving Co Washing a Second Try…

Yes, I know.. Last time it was a HOT ass mess, but this time I’m using a different conditioner and I don’t plan on doing it exclusively. I will still be shampooing when I feel I need it. But with the cooler weather and dry heat all around, I figure a little extra moisture couldn’t hurt.

 

When did all this start? Well, I got lazy actually. LoL! I went the whole weekend and did SQUAT to my hair. Come Monday, my hair was dirty and needed redoing. So having like an hour to get ready, I decided to just rinse with some conditioner and slather up with gel as best I could. Well, I got several compliments!! And I had a pretty good and easy hair week. Most days I just spritzed and maybe added a little oil and went. I was shocked every time I got a compliment!!

 

So, after watching one of those irksome Wen commercials,  I’m trying it out again. This time instead of using a cone filled conditioner like Aussie, I’m using my Tresemme Naturals which to my best knowledge is cone free. Plus I don’t use as many products as I did in the beginning. I was kind of worried about the Ecostyler not getting completely washed away, but it seems to be working pretty well. And my hair feels way more moisturized, obviously, than it did with even the WONDERFULLY perfect L’Oreal EverCreme shampoo. I think winter is the perfect time to try this again. So hopefully this will end well.

 

And product reviews!! I have tried a few more products! Some I reviewed on YouTube, but not on here, so look for those in the near future. Among the products I’ve been using I finally tried Eco Styler and fell in LOVE with it!! I’m also on ,as mentioned above, Tresemme Naturals and L’Oreal EverCreme shampoo. Both have been working wonders for my hair. I’ve examined my hair texture and came up with some interesting discoveries. Well, one discovery and came to a very peaceful conclusion. So look for all those posts to come.

 

But for now, I am done. Thanks for Reading.

 

Jen

Couldn’t Hardly Wait!

  And I’m glad I DIDN’T!! That could have been a DISASTER!

 

 What am I going on about, you may ask… I decided to try the My DNA Honeybee Leave In tonight… I rinsed out my conditioner that had sat over night.. I was good as moisturized… So I said, “What the hay? It’s just a watery leave in, what harm can it do…”

  Well… I spritzed my little Rebel up good… And this stuff started LATHERING!!! Yes, soap! Foam!! Stripping soapy FOAM!! My hair balled up in a matted knot! I made a video with the stuff in my hair, but I’m not sure if I’ll air it. (Translation: I was looking ROUGH!!!! LoL!) But it looked and felt, even SOUNDED like shampoo in my hair! It was the weirdest thing. And the way my hair felt, I was honestly SCARED that it had some how DAMAGED my hair! Oh yes.. It was that MAJOR!! There was no slip, no moisture, just… extreme matting of my hair

 

So, I had to rinse it out and cowash my hair to try and get some of the moisture back into my hair. I did this with my Tresemme and PRAYED my hair would feel ok after. And it feel just that.. “OK”. Nothing special. Normally my hair is super soft after an overnight condition, but that stuff just stripped all that right back out. It made my hair feel like the Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Shampoo n Conditioner 2 in 1. Now to be fair, the conditioner didn’t make my hair hard. I used it as my pre poo and I noticed my hair was actually pretty soft, which makes me wanna try it. It does have protein in it, so… I don’t know. Well, actually it has Corn Silk which I ASSUME is protein. That may have actually been the issue with the Honeybee Leave In, it may be high in protein. That would explain the hardness, but not the lather.

 

  My hair actually feels pretty soft NOW after washing that product out of my hair so it didn’t do any damage I guess, but I obviously won’t use it again. A common complaint about the rest of the products is that being for curly/wavy/kinky hair, they have zero slip and aren’t moisturizing enough.Any product for those hair types- Especially for tightly curled hair have to be MOISTURIZING. We need all we can get. And that slip has to be there. No ifs ands or buts about it.

 

  I’m sure these products work for someone, just not for ME. I still have yet to try the other 2 products they sent me, but as of now I am in no hurry. I know I won’t try them if I’m going somewhere. I have an appointment tomorrow.. Imagine if I’d tried this at the LAST MINUTE… Disaster. 

 

  So, I’ve gotten my first review out of the way, and it is not good. Which is a shame because these products were generously sent to me for free by the company and I was hoping I’d be able to give them a glowing review instead of this not so stellar one, but honesty is best. And honestly… I’m scared to try the other two products. LoL!

 

A little about my hair. My hair is 4a/3c if that matters at ALL. (Not really.) I’m low porosity.. VERY low porosity. LoL! Stuff will literally just sit on my hair, which may be why this product lathered. It says you can use it on wet or dry hair. I’m scared to try it again on dry hair. I can’t handle protein. If these products are high in protein (I won’t know because they didn’t include an ingredients list. Which also annoyed me. You know how we naturals are. We like to know. I searched the site up and down (
http://mydnaisuniversal.com
)  and I found NOTHING. The ingredients are on the full sized products, but.. Obviously.. Not buying that.

 

  So, in short this product didn’t work for me at all. It may work for you. I’d try for a free sample if possible. The products aren’t SUPER expensive but they aren’t cheap either. This leave in is $14.99 for 8oz. Honestly this is too rich for my blood. When water works great as my leave in, I can’t see spending nearly $15 for a liquidy spray unless this stuff was the pure-T JUNK! And.. Just.. NO.. Not for me. But it may work for you. If you’re feeling brave hit them up and give it a go. Who knows? You may find your new favorite product.

 

That is all..

 

11:11

 

Jen

New Products? Why?!

  When I locked my hair nearly 7 years ago, I wanted to try every single loc product out there! Butters, shampoos, scents- THE WORKS!!! But as my locs got older, I realized (luckily within the first few months.) you don’t even need all that. Sure if you’re a 1-2c hair type, MAYBE you’ll need something to hold your locs until they take hold. But I’m a “4a/3c”. My hair will lock all on it’s own when left alone just kept clean and moisturized. So for all those years with those enviable locs I used just shampoo- regular shampoo, whatever my hair liked- conditioner, and oil. A $2 oil and then just peanut oil, then coconut oil. Nothing extreme or fancy.

  Well, when I decided to go loose last year I got the PJ itch again. I wanted to try every curly girl product out there! Gels, creams, butters, EVERYTHING that promised beautiful curls. I was realistic. I know your hair will only do what it can do. All you can do is work with it to make it look it’s best. So Miss Jessie’s didn’t turn my head as they want you to get that dang Silkener (aka Texturizer) they want you to believe you need. And they promised to make your curls “better” then they were. Very good hair/bad hair mentality that product encourages. So I had no interest in that. But I was all up on Amazon and  Curlmart just going through pages and pages of products wishing I was filthy rich so I could try them all.  There are still a few I’d love to try even to this day! I AM still a woman, though a minimalist one. Moisturizers and conditioners still turn my head.

But then I get to thinking.. Why? I mean, my Long Aid is both my moisturizer and my styler. It gives me defined curls that last all day, my hair is easily refreshed for an entire WEEK with this product.. It’s ALMOST like I have a process using this product. Back when I had my hair processed and was using this product, I used the same methods I use now (except I don’t baggy every night anymore. Though in the beginning I did.) and it works just as well. So basically I am just washing my hair with a cheap sulfate shampoo (Most sulfate frees dry my hair out. Go figure.) cut with my TRESemme conditioner, I detangle with TRESemme and it serves as my deep over night conditioner, I spritz my hair daily with water (free, well you have to pay your water bill or buy bottled water. Or catch rain water. :p ) and just add a little gel everyday.. And that’s it. And looking at everyone elses refresh routine.. It’s pretty much the same.. And their products cost a fortune. But they still have to do what I do everyday…. So I’m getting in extreme cases 14 day hair!! (A couple of times, yes I did. By day 14 it was JACKED, but it lasted!!!) Every time I’m getting 7 day hair. So…. I think my lil’ Long Aid is doing a pretty good job for just $6 a jar. LoL!

  This isn’t knocking those who like to shop around. In all realness, if I was better off financially I probably would have bought every single product I could get my hands on. My brokieness (YES THAT IS A WORD!! ) actually saved me from being a PJ honestly. Miss Jessie’s probably would have sold me something that I probably would have been disappointed with due to all the mineral oil they load their products up with. Curlmart and Amazon would have just gotten super rich off me!  Some of that stuff looks UNREALY yummy for curls!! So yeah, if I had the disposable income, I’d be right there with the rest of them. But because I have to budget my money so tight, it forced me to find what works at a cheap price. And I can’t really think anything would be better. The only thing I wish I could do was find something that defines my hair but doesn’t dry sticky. Oil on top of Long Aid cuts the stickiness quite a bit and I can live with it.. But still.. If I could find that product, it might share the spotlight with my fave. But from what I can see any of the products that other curlies use is just gonna make my hair stiff and hard for the price I wanna pay- and some for the price I REFUSE to pay for crunch! I wouldn’t mind trying EcoStyler gel someday if I can find it at a good price. At my local store it cost like almost $5 for 16oz. Not expensive, but it IS the clear, AND that is higher than it normally costs. Still some day I might give it a go. Just to say I did.

  And then, speaking of other curlies… SCRUNCHING… I just…. can not…. I tried it just to be funny.. What scrunching is supposed to do is super define your curls.. Well, I put my conditioner in yesterday and said.. Wow.. Look at those curls… So I tried to scrunch… And my hair… Well it just balled up.. LoL! Stuck together and balled up.. So unless my hair is knee length, scrunching is a no ma’am! LoL! Like using conditioner as a styler. Conditioner is not heavy enough to hold my curls right. My hair would be a white, knotted, dry, ashy MESS if I did that. I can just see it! My hair is just totally weird. Rebel is one of a kind. She likes what she likes. And if she doesn’t like it, you will suffer if you try to push it on her.. (Reminds me of someone else I’ve known for many years.. ***MEEEEEEE*** ) So yeah, and that makes it more likely that all these wonderful products wouldn’t do anything for my hair. Nothing other curlies do works for my curls. NOTHING!!! So I’m guessing the products they use won’t either. Which means I’d be wasting my money…

  Well, that’s pretty much it for now. Just a quick rant. Stay tuned for a new product review. I’m not sure if I actually reviewed the product already. I think it was a first impressions review. The TRESemme Flawless Curls conditioner review. I have a more in depth review now. I’ve used it a few times.

OK.. So… Yeah..

11:11

Jen

Surprise in My Mailbox!! (My DNA!!)

  Yep, I received some products in the mail today. My DNA is Universal products from Universal Beauty Products. I received The Monoi de Tahiti Moisture Rich Shampoo, the Shea Monoi de Tahiti Detangling conditioner, and the Honeybee Leave In conditioner. Three nice sized samples, 2 oz each.

 

OK. I haven’t used the products yet. I got them after I washed my hair and had it soaking with conditioner, so it will be at least next week before I try them. All I have for you now is that they are really thick and rich as far as I can feel and they smell pretty good. They kinda smell like Cream of Nature shampoo. (Thanks Elle for nailing that fragrance!) It’s not the BEST fragrance in the world, but far from the worst. I’m pretty sure it won’t linger in your hair… PRETTY sure.

I may (MAY!!!) spray a little of the leave in in my hair when I wash my conditioner out just to be doing something, but I really wanna try all the products together. I WISH they had included their Shea Monoi Honey Butter. I think that would have rounded the test off a little better, but beggers can’t be chosers.

Up front, I don’t like that the company is so secretive about ingredients. Several posters on NaturallyCurly.com have had similar issues with the company and I find that a bit off putting. I did get to see the ingredients on Elle’s YouTube review and noticed the leave in does contain Sodium Hydroxide. Some say it’s just a preservative, I say it’s Sodium Hydroxide.. It won’t stop me from trying the product, but it is what it is. These products all contain honey I believe as well. I have nothing against honey, but someone might. You never know. It’s not a sin, but it is just a little iffy when  a company makes it hard to get hold of an ingredients list. You wonder, what y’all hiding? I don’t know..

But ANYWAY, that will be a review for next week. Hopefully I can get that up over the weekend. NEXT weekend.. LoL! But for now, that’s all I can say for this product.

11:11

Jen