Hello Beautiful People!  I'm so excited!  I got a good wash n' go by doing something I didn't think would work, while trying to use up products.  

As I was updating my product stash for 2018, I realized that I never did a Black Friday aftermath.  That was, in part, because some of my products just showed up this week...  This year, I completely ignored my original Black Friday intentions, returned to my usual product junkie ways, and bought way more than I intended.  However, I did stick primarily to four of my favorite brands:  Oyin Handmade, Mielle Organics, Camille Rose, As I Am Naturally, and Curl Junkie.  However, I do want to try out more Ayurvedic products this year, so I bought some products from an Ayurvedic etsy store -- Jakeala.  Here is a list of what I ultimatley bought:

Hey, beautiful people!  Like last year, but Black Friday is already crossing my mind.  This year may not be that exciting because there isn't really much I need, even with keeping my daughter's head in mind too.  In looking back over the past two years, I typically use about:

I have all of this in my product stash already, except the rinse out conditioners (which I don't buy during Black Friday), 2 leave-in/moisturizers and possibly 2 deep conditioners.  I currently have 36 products in my stash.

So based on my favorite brands list, this Black Friday, I plan to focus on looking for a sale from Silk Dreams or Mielle Organics, though I may pick up another Uncle Funky's Daugther Curly Magic and an As I Am Leave-in Conditioner for me.  I am also torn on whether to give the Camille Rose Fresh Curl and Curl Love another try.  I also have to keep my daughter's hair in mind now when I shop, but I may only pick up an As I Am Coil Defining Jelly for her because she has quite a few products too.  I can always buy during Mother's Day sales if we start to get too low on products.

Am I the only one with Black Friday on the brain already?

Hey, beautiful people!  I'm on a wash n' go streak at the moment, so I did another one.  This time, I started with a deep condition with Mielle Organics Mint Babassu Deep Conditioner overnight.  I love this deep conditioner.  

The next day, I cleansed with Camille Rose Sweet Ginger Cleansing Rinse, then I detangled with Garnier Whole Blends Conditioner.  I used the Garnier Whole Blends Hydrating (Coconut Water and Vanilla Milk) Conditioner this time because I realized the Replenishing (Olive Oil) Conditioner has mineral oil in it that made my shower slimy.  The Hydrating Conditioner made my scalp itch, but less so than the Honey Conditioner. 

When I got out the shower, I first used the Soultanicals Mango Dip Detangling Slip.  This was my second time using this leave-in for a wash n' go.  It has amazing slip, but I don't think I will use it again as my sole leave-in because it doesn't seem to keep my hair moisturized, for the reasons I will mention below.

Finally, I raked the Mielle Organics Honey & Ginger Styling Gel through my hair.  On the right side of my hair, I just used my fingers to rake.  On the left side, I first used my fingers, then I used my Tangle Wrangler.  I can never get a Denman brush through my hair and the tangle wrangler works for me the same way other people use a Denman.  However, instead of clumping my curls, the tangle wrangler separated them.  In looking at some Youtube videos, it may be that my technique was wrong.  I used the brush on the full length of my hair, instead of just the ends.  I will try this again to see.

As you may recall, when I used the Mielle Organics gel for my wash n' go before, it flaked.  I assumed that was because I used it in connection with the curl cream.  I was wrong.  It flaked again this time, though a little less than when I used the curl cream.  I've also learned that some other ladies have had this flaking issue as well.

Overall, this wash n' go for my hair.  In addition to the flaking, my hair was so dry by the second day that I had to promptly wash it out.  I think the dryness was the Soultanicals because (1) my hair was not dry when I did the Mielle Organics curl cream/gel combo; and (2) this is the second wash n' go using Soultanicals where my hair was desert dry.

Hey, beautiful people!  This weekend I was in the mood to do a wash n' go with a product that has been in my stash for awhile but unopened.

First, I deep conditioned my hair overnight with the Shea Moisture Superfruit 10-in-1 Renewal System Hair Mask.  This conditioner is just ok.  My hair has never been a big Shea Moisture fan, and this was no exception.  Additionally, I've found that my hair needs at least a little protein each deep conditioning to stay strong, likely because it is fine in coarseness.  When I don't have protein in my deep conditioner, I see more hair in the shower and more breakage during styling.

Next, I washed my hair with the Camille Rose Sweet Ginger Cleansing Rinse.  I have always thought of this as a shampoo until someone corrected me, and told me that it is a cross between a shampoo and a co-wash as a "rinse."  

Then, I used Garnier Whole Blends Replenishing Conditioner (Olive Oil) to detangle my hair.  This performed better than the Honey Treasures (which made my scalp itch).  I had no itching with this one, so I tossed the Honey Treasures.

Next, I used As I Am Leave-in Conditioner on one quadrant of my hair before I ran out, and Soultanicals Mango Dip Detangling Slip for the rest.  I love the As I Am leave-in, and I think I like the Soultanicals too, but I want to use it a few more times to be sure.

Finally, I raked and shingled Aunt Jackie's Don't Shrink Flaxseed Elongating Curling Gel.  I was not going to try this gel because I hated a different Aunt Jackie's product in the past, but the thought of flaxseed swayed me and I am glad it did.  This gel reminds me of Wetline Extreme Gel, but it may be easier to spread.  It gives my hair similar definition and sheen.  However, by day two of this wash n' go, my hair was dry and crispy.

ETA 10/1/2017:  The dryness may be from the Soultanicals Mango Dip Detangling Slip.

Hey, beautiful people!  I was not loving my Mane Choice wash n go because of the flakes it gave me, so I decided to wash my hair and try again.  This time, I did a deep condition overnight with Mielle Organics Babassu Oil & Mint Deep Conditioner.  I like this deep conditioner because it leaves my hair nice and strong, while still somewhat moisturized.  

Next, I used the Garnier Fructis Whole Blends Repairing Conditioner Honey Treasures.  I had a better experience with this than the first time I used it, but it is still not a favorite.  It still had no slip.  I also notice that I'm using about a third of a bottle each time I wash my hair.

To style my hair, I first used the As I Am Leave-in Conditioner.  I really like this leave-in and plan to repurchase it.  Finally, I ended up using two gels for my wash n' go.  First, I applied the As I Am Curling Jelly, which has incredible slip and clumps my curls.  I have used this in the past with ok results.  However, this time, I thought it was going to be too light for the defined look I was going for because it is almost like a liquid gel.  It is even thinner than my "snot" like gels (Camille Rose Curl

Because I knew the Curling Jelly was going to be too light, I layered on the As I Am Coil Defining Jelly.    This is much thicker, like strawberry jam and is similar in texture to Wetline Extreme Gel or

When my hair dried the next day, it was soft, moisturized and fluffy.  Also, there were no flakes, which was nice.  However, I also had a lot of frizz, without much definition.  I essentially skipped right over first and second day hair to third/fourth day.  I also had to pull on my hair quite a bit to shape it because it kept shrinking up.

I don't think I would purchase the As I Am Coil Defining Jelly again, but I might pair the Curling Jelly with another gel to see how that goes.