SilkenDove: mielle organics

Showing posts with label mielle organics. Show all posts

Sunday, December 24, 2017

2017-12-24 Wash Day: As I Am Curling Jelly & New Wash N' Go Technique

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.

I started with deep conditioning with Mielle Organics Babassu Oil and Mint Deep Conditioner. This deep conditioner has been a life saver and has reached holy grail status because I lose less hair on wash day, and my hair is noticeably thicker and stronger.

My hair didn't really need a wash, so I just rinsed out the deep conditioner while detangling my hair. Next, because I wash my hair in four sections, that is how I applied my products. I used Oyin Hair Dew as my leave-in, followed by Camille Rose Cocoa Nibs and Honey Ultimate Growth Serum, then DevaCurl Supercream. To style, I raked gobs of As I Am Curling Jelly through a section, then very loosely twisted and put a white curling rod on it. Then I moved on to the next section. My hair is low porosity and takes literally days to dry, so I wasn't worried about this turning into a twistout. The only reason I twisted is because the As I Am Curling Jelly gives me no hold, and I watched this woman on YouTube twist her hair temporarily to get length and clumping.

After about an hour in the twists, I took them out to let my curls dry. My hair is the most defined it has been in awhile!! (I've been struggling with lots of frizz.) This is particularly impressive given the gel I used. I still have super shrinkage because As I Am Curling Jelly has no weight, but I'm ok with that. Shrinkage makes it look like my low-medium density hair has more volume.

Saturday, December 23, 2017

Black Friday Aftermath (2017)

Hey Beautiful People!

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:

Oyin Handmade
- Oyin Hair Dew x2
- Oyin Ginger Mint Co-wash
- Oyin Oh My Glide Prestyling Detangler
- Oyin Shine & Define (to gift away)

Mielle Organics
- Babassu Oil Mint Deep Conditioner x5
- Pomegranate & Honey Hair Smoothie
- Pomegranate & Honey Leave-in Conditioner
- Pomegranate & Honey Curling Custard
- Pomegranate & Honey Twisting Souffle
- White Peoney Leave-in Conditioner (for daughter)
- Avocado Moisturizing Hair Milk x3 (came with Mielle Organics Babassu Conditioning Shampoo samples x2)

Camille Rose
- Curl Love Moisture Milk
- Fresh Curl Revitalizing Hair Smoother
- Cocoa Nibs & Honey Ultimate Growth Serum

As I Am Natuurally
- Leave-in Conditioner
- So Much Moisture Hydrating Lotion
- Coil Defining Jelly x2 (for daughter)
- Doublebutter Cream
- Coconut Cowash

Curl Junkie
- Daily Fix
- Beauticurls Argan & Olive Oil Daily Hair Conditioner
- Pattern Pusha Hair Styling Gel
- Hibiscus & Banana Deep Fix
- Smoothing Daily Hair Conditioner,
- Coffee & Cocoa Hair Cream
- Curls in a Bottle Hair Styling Solution

Jakeala
- Keratin Protein Hair Conditioner
- Sweet Honey Moroccan Rhassoul Hair Mask
- Amla Shea Hair Parfait with Eucalyptus Mint Essential Oil
- Flaxseed Hair Gel
- Sweet Thang Hair Caramel
- Matcha Green Tea Hair Mask
- Apple Cider Vinegar Cleanser Shampoo

Other
- Uncle Funky’s Daughter Extra Butter
- Sunny Isle Lavender Jamaican Black Castor Oil
- Jane Carter Curls to Go Curl Cocktail
- Herbal Essence Long Term Relationship Conditioner x3
- Herbal Essence Totally Twisted Conditioner
- Alikay Naturals Moisture Rich Hair Parfait (for daughter)
- Alikay Naturals Lemongrass Leave-in Conditioner

Sunday, October 1, 2017

Black Friday Thoughts (2017 Edition)

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:

4-6 deep conditioners
2 shampoos / cleansers
7 rinse out conditioners
9 leave-ins / moisturizers
2-3 gels (including bun & wash n' go gels)
3-4 braid & twist creams/butters
<1 heat styler
1-2 oils (I run through oils slowly)

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?

2017-09-24 Wash Day: Soultanicals Mango Dip Detangling Slip and Mielle Organics Honey & Ginger Styling Gel

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.

Sunday, September 10, 2017

My Top 6 Favorite Brands

Hello, beautiful people! After my last post on my top products, I felt like I did not do justice to some really incredible brands, so this post is focused on products that I like from some of my favorite brands, even though I don't buy them all the time. My favorite products are asterisked.

As I Am Naturally
- Coconut Co-wash*
- DoubleButter Cream Rick Daily Moisturizer*
- Leave-in Conditioner*
- Curling Jelly
- Twist Defining Cream

Camille Rose Naturals
- Curl Maker Gel*
- Sweet Ginger Cleansing Rinse*
- Cocoa Nibs & Honey Ultimate Growth Serum*
- Aloe Whipped Butter Gel
- Carmel Cowash
- Almond Jai Twisting Butter
- Coconut Water Penetrating Hair Treatment
- Coconut Water Style Setter
- Camille Rose Curl Love Moisture Milk

Curl Junkie
- Repair Me! Reconstructive Hair Treatment*
- Curl Assurance Smoothing Lotion*
- Hibiscus & Banana Deep Fix Moisturizing Conditioner
- Coffee-Coco Curl Cream
- Daily Fix Cleansing Hair Conditioner

Mielle Organics
- Moisturizing Avocado Hair Milk*
- Babassu Oil Mint Deep Conditioner*
- Mint Avocado Oil
- Honey & Ginger Styling Gel
- White Peony Ultra-Moisturizing Leave-in Conditioner
- Babassu Oil Conditioning Sulfate Free Shampoo

Silk Dreams Haircare
- Vanilla Silk Cream Moisture Dream (Deep Conditioner)*
- Silk Dreams Shea What Therapeutic Conditioning Masque*
- Almond Buttercream*
- Wheat Germ Butter Conditioner*
- Who's That Curl? Buttersilk Balm
- Mocha Silk Hair Milk
- Mocha Silk Infusion (Deep Conditioner)

Uncle Funky's Daughter
- Curly Magic Curl Stimulator Gel*
- Extra Butter Brilliant Shine Cream*
- Rich & Funky Moisturizing Cleanser
- Midnight Train Leave-in Conditioner
- Supercurl Miracle Moisturizing Creme (needs to be paired with something else)

Thursday, September 7, 2017

2017-09-05 Wash Day: As I Am Wash N Go

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

Maker and Uncle Funky's Daughter).

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

Eco Styler gel, but without the same hold.

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.

Monday, September 4, 2017

2017 Mid-Year Favorites

Hello Beautiful People! I have always wondered why Favorites lists tend to only come out on blogs at the end of the year, after all of the Black Friday sales are done. I am also trying to minimize and focus the number of product brands that I purchase from because my product stash is a little bigger than I would like it to be (currently 46 products, not including my daughter's products). Thus, I challenged myself in this list to only identify my top two products in each category right now. As natural haircare has evolved, every product on this list, except one, is available in brick and mortar stores.

Favorite Overall Brand
- Camille Rose Naturals
- Mielle Organics

Favorite Multi-Use Products
- Jane Carter Curl Defining Cream (leave-in, wash n' go definer, twist/braid cream)
- Oyin Hair Dew (leave-in & moisturizer)

Moisturizing, Light Protein Deep Conditioners
- Silk Dreams Vanilla Silk Moisture Dream
- Curl Junkie Repair Me! Reconstructive Hair Treatment (this is a strong protein for some)

Cleansers
- Camille Rose Sweet Ginger Cleansing Rinse
- Carol’s Daughter Black Vanilla Sulfate-free Shampoo

Rinse Out Conditioners
- Herbal Essence Long Term Relationship Conditioner
- Garnier Fructis Hydra Recharge

Leave-in Conditioners
- As I Am Naturally Leave-in Conditioner
- Curl Junkie Curl Assurance Smoothing Lotion

Moisturizers
- Oyin Hair Dew
- Mielle Organics Moisturizing Avocado Hair Milk

Wash n Go Gels
- Wetline Extreme Gel (ulta defined wash n go)
- Uncle Funky’s Daughter Curly Magic Curl Stimulator (fluffy wash n go)

Braid & Twist Creams
- Jane Carter Curl Defining Cream
- Camille Rose Aloe Whipped Butter Gel

Heat Stylers
- Carol’s Daughters Chocolat Blow Dry Cream
- It's A 10 Leave-in Conditioner

Oil Pre-mixes
- Camille Rose Cocoa Nibs & Honey Ultimate Growth Serum
- Mielle Organics Mint Almond Oil

Pure Oils
- Essential Depot Avocado Oil
- Tropic Isle Living Jamaican Black Castor Oil

I'll check back in March 2018 to see if/how this list has changed.

What are some of your favorites?

Saturday, June 17, 2017

Wash Day 06-16-2017: Mielle Organics Brazilian Curl Cream and Honey & Ginger Gel

Hey, beautiful people! In one of my more recent posts, I talked about trying Mielle Organics products, and how much I liked them. At the time, I didn't have the Brazilian Curly Cocktail Curl Cream or the Honey & Ginger Styling Gel, but I wanted to try them.

This wash day, I did a deep condition overnight with Silk Dreams Haircare Vanilla Silk Cream Moisture Dream. Since I washed my hair earlier this week with shampoo, I didn't shampoo again, except for the back right quadrant of my hair (don't ask). For the rest of my hair, I skipped right to the conditioner, and used that to "co-wash" my scalp. This time, I used the Beauty 360 Deeper Moisture Conditioner for Dry and Damaged Hair. It is supposed to be the CVS generic brand of the TRESemme Moisture Rich Conditioner. Normally, I would not have purchased this because Dimethicone was the sixth ingredient, but I decided to give it a shot because it was so cheap. It was ok, but I am still not a fan of regular Dimethicone for the reasons I described in this post. I prefer -cones that are water soluble, evaporate or are build-up resistant.

After washing my hair, I applied Mielle Organics Brazilian Curl Cream and the Honey & Ginger Styling Gel to my hair in 12 sections (3 sections per quadrant). I didn't need to use a ton of gel, but I did have to use quite a bit of the curl cream. Ultimately, my hair was ultra-defined while still wet, and kept a lot of that definition when it dried. While there was a slight crunch as my hair dried, the crunch left pretty quickly when I touched my hair, and my hair became super soft. As an added bonus, my hair smelled like delicious herbal tea.

Overall, I like the curl cream and gel as a first impression. I only had three issues: (1) my ends are frizzy, which may not be the gel's fault; (2) the roots of my hair were still wet over 24 hours later, which tends to happen to my low porosity hair with heavy products; and (3) this combo flakes.

Total Styling Time: ~35 minutes

Saturday, April 1, 2017

Power Product Line Review: Mielle Organics

Hey beautiful people! I have been trying to keep my product junkism at bay, and I have been doing a pretty good job at it. However, courtesy of a tip on Long Hair Care Forum, I got wind of a clearance sale on Mielle Organics products, and picked up a few items. Here are my thoughts:

Babassu Oil Mint Deep Conditioner - 8 oz. ($13.99): This is a very nice deep conditioner, and my third favorite product from the line. It is lightweight, but still has substance to it in that I can feel the benefit to my hair. The smell is also divine, and reminds me of mint tea in the summertime. The slip is also incredible for a deep conditioner. I literally detangled my hair with this before deep conditioning my hair overnight. I was shocked. The only thing that gives me pause about this product is the level of protein. My hair needs a good, lightweight protein-based conditioner that is still moisturizing. When I put this in my hair, I could instantly notice the protein, and the back of the jar shows that it is packed with protein. If I am not careful, I could get protein overload because this product is just barely on the border of being ok for my hair. For this reason, someone who needs more protein would likely love this product even more.

Detangling Co-wash - 8 oz. ($11.99): This co-wash is more of a conditioner than cleanser. It has amazing slip and did a great job detangling my hair, but it didn’t clean it. My hair felt coated before I used it, and it still felt coated after using it. As a low porosity girl, I need a real cleanser.

White Peony Ultra Moisturizing Leave-In Conditioner - 8 oz. ($12.99): As the name suggests, this product is moisturizing. It is also light-weight, which is good for low porosity hair. I just like my homemade spritz better, and it is cheaper. Also, the spray nozzle on this product bothers me. It comes out as a stream, rather than distributing across my hair. I actually ended up transferring it to another bottle to make it easier to use. However, in looking at the Mielle Organics website, it looks like they have changed the top to a spray pump, so that should fix this problem.

Avocado Moisturizing Hair Milk - 8 oz. ($12.99): This is very moisturizing, and is probably my favorite product in the line. My hair felt so soft after I used this. Unfortunately, it doesn't absorb into my hair right away when I first put it on, but few things do. The other downside I notice is that it clumps when I mixed it with EcoStyler gel in my hands, which is what I usually use to bun my hair. Nevertheless, because of how wonderfully moisturized it makes my hair feel, I would repurchase this product.

Mint Almond Oil - 8 oz. ($12.99): This is a very nice oil, and my second favorite product in the line. It is lightweight enough for my low porosity strands, and the peppermint smell is heavenly. The oil essentially has three main ingredients -- Sweet Almond Oil, Soybean Oil and Peppermint Oil, so you could make it yourself if you consider yourself a mixtress. I would definitely purchase it again at the $7 price point I purchased it for, but it is not a repurchase for me at the regular price. That being said, this isn't overpriced. Peppermint oil is expensive. I have seen a 4 oz. jar sell for $11. It's just that I already have a bottle of peppermint oil that I haven't been able to use up in the past 5 years, and I typically buy a 32 oz bottle of avocado oil (my favorite straight oil) for about $15. I do thank this product, however, for teaching me that I can add more peppermint oil to my other products without irritating my scalp.

Honey Ginger Edge Gel - 4 oz. ($12.99): While I had high hopes, this edge gel suffered the same fate as many others. It initially slicked down my edges, but that did not last long. Thus far, it still remains that Eco Styler is one of the few things capable of slicking my edges long term.

Advanced Healthy Hair Formula Vitamins - 60 vitamins ($18.99): I was a little hesitant to use this product because I am not a big believer in hair vitamins. Also, biotin in my daily multi-vitamin gives me acne, and this product has a lot of it (as you would expect). But, I gave this product a shot because the price was so good. I have two bottles (60 days worth), so I will check back in on this one. Stay tuned...

I still want to try the Brazilian Curl Cream and the Honey & Ginger Styling Gel. I guess I will just have to wait for another great sale.

Do you like this line? What products do you use from it?

Saturday, November 26, 2016

Black Friday Aftermath 2016

Hey, beautiful people! Looking at my Black Friday purchases, I didn’t do half as much damage as I have in years past, and my purchases were more focused this year. I think the further I get into my healthy hair journey, the less of a product junkie I become (though I still have some product junkie in me):

Oyin Handmade (saved $27.30 / 30%) – total $63.67

- Hair Dew (1 Liter)
- 2 Free Hair Samples
- Whipped Shea Butter Rich Almond Scent (for body)
- After Bath Body Oil in Rich Almond Scent (for body)
- Black Nerds Unite T-shirt

Naturalsis72 (saved $23.80 / 20% + free shipping) – total $65.20
- 2 Satin Lined Hats
- 2 Satin Scrunchies
- 1 Satin Scarf Hood

Curlmart (saved $79.58 / 25% + 15%) – total $174.87
- As I Am Coil Defining Jelly (8 oz.)
- As I Am Curling Jelly Coil and Curl Definer (8 oz.)
- As I Am Leave-In Conditioner (8 oz.)
- Camille Rose Naturals Aloe Whipped Butter Gel (8 oz.)
- Camille Rose Naturals Cocoa Nibs & Honey Ultimate Growth Serum (8 oz.)
- Camille Rose Naturals Coconut Water Penetrating Hair Treatment (8 oz.)
- Camille Rose Naturals Curl Maker Marshmallow and Agave Leaf Extract (12 oz.)
- Camille Rose Naturals Moroccan Pear Conditioning Custard (12 oz.)
- Camille Rose Naturals Sweet Ginger Cleansing Rinse (12 oz.)
- Carol's Daughter Black Vanilla Sulfate-Free Shampoo (12 oz.)
- Curl Junkie Curl Assurance Smoothing Lotion (12 oz.)
- EDEN BodyWorks Coconut Shea Curl Defining Creme (16 oz.)
- Mielle Organics Babassu Oil & Mint Deep Conditioner (8 oz.)

- Mielle Organics Moisturizing Avocado Hair Milk (8 oz.)

- SheaMoisture Superfruit Complex 10-In-1 Renewal System Hair Masque (12 oz.)

- Soultanicals Mango Dip Detangling Slip (8 oz.)

- The Original Curly Tee Towel - Xtra Long

- Free Sample - Ouidad Moisture Lock Leave-in Conditioner Packette (0.6 oz.)

- Free Sample - Ouidad Curl Quencher Moisturizing Styling Gel Packette (0.6 oz.)

- Free Sample - Curly Hair Solutions Curl Keeper Original Packette (1 oz.)

Total Spent - $303.74