Showing posts with label As I Am. Show all posts
Showing posts with label As I Am. 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?

Saturday, September 16, 2017

2017-09-16 Wash Day: Aunt Jackie's Don't Shrink Flaxseed Elongating Curling Gel Wash n Go

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.


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.


Sunday, September 3, 2017

2017-09-03 Wash Day: Mane Choice Crystal Orchid Biotin Infused Styling Gel

Hey, beautiful people!  I have been on the move, traveling for work and for fun.   So I have not had a chance to post in awhile.  I'm taking advantage of the long weekend, however, to post another wash
day.

Yesterday, I did a deep condition overnight with Shea Moisture Superfruit Complex 10-in-1 Renewal System Hair Masque.  This was the second time I used this mask, and I'm not a huge fan.  It is not a bad deep conditioner.  I just have deep conditioners that I love better.

In the morning, I washed my hair with Camille Rose's Sweet Ginger Cleansing Rinse, then detangled with Garnier Fructis Whole Blends Honey Treasures Repairing Conditioner.  This conditioner was just ok, and comes nowhere close to performing like my favorite conditioner (Herbal Essence Long Term Relationship Conditioner).  It was too thick, and did not help much with detangling.  It is also possible that it made my scalp itchy temporarily.

When I got out the shower, I used As I Am Naturally's Leave-in Conditioner, which I still love for its slip and ability to absorb into my hair.  Then, I did a wash n' go with the Mane Choice Crystal Orchid Biotin Infused Styling Gel.  This gel's performance reminds me a lot of Wetline Extreme Gel in terms of the hold and definition on the first day, but that is where the similarities end.  It has more slip; however, the next day, I got a ton of white flakes.  I heard from other reviews that this gel flakes, so I wasn't that surprised to see it.  I just assumed that using a lighter leave-in, like As I Am, would minimize the chance of that happening.  I was wrong.

After my hair dried for a day, I cut my hair from shoulder length to what I thought was chin length.  I was wrong about this too.  My hair continued to dry throughout the second day, and is now ear length curly.  When stretched, this takes me from waist length in the back to about bra strap length.  I cut my hair because it was starting to get too heavy, was growing uneven and was harder to take care of.  Plus, the shorter length frames my face better, and I still have enough hair to throw it into a ponytail.

Sunday, March 12, 2017

In Review: Eco Styler Coconut Gel

Hey, beautiful people!  As you may have heard, Eco Styler recently came out with two new styling gels.  One is the coconut gel.  The other is the black castor oil and flaxseed gel.  I recently purchased the coconut gel in my beauty supply, and I have tried it on a variety of styles to see how it works on my hair in comparison to some of the others.

Overall, this gel seems to mix well with my other products, particularly the As I Am Leave-In Conditioner.  However, despite the level 10 hold stated on the Coconut Gel jar, it seems to have a lighter hold that is more similar to the pink gel (pink is a level 8).  Because of the lighter hold, my hair has remained soft, but I have had some styling issues.  For example, with my bun, the gel did not smooth down flyaways. 

With my wash n’ go, my first day hair was just ok.  The coconut gel did not give me the same definition as the Krystal or Argan Oil Eco Styler gels, likely because of the lighter hold.  Also, the hold I did get was completely gone by the second day, and my hair looked pretty terrible by the end of the day (see picture).

In short, I would not add this to my list of favorite Eco Styler gels, and I probably wouldn’t repurchase it because I like other Eco Styler gels better, but I don’t hate it enough to throw out my current jar.  I will not do a wash and go with it again, but I will use it for messy buns.


Have you tried it?  What are your thoughts?

Saturday, February 18, 2017

Wash Day 02-18-2017 - As I Am Leave-in Conditioner

Hey beautiful people!  Today was a rare, warm day in Michigan winter, so I decided to do a wash n go.  Prior to today, I left the Silk Dreams Vanilla Silk deep conditioner on my hair for a couple days.

I started today with the Carol’s Daughter Hair Milk Cleansing Conditioner.  I have used this for a few washes, and I still like it.  Next, I used the HerbalEssences Wild Naturals Turkish Fig (with Cassia), which I let sit on my hair while I showered.  This is a good conditioner for detangling.  It has great slip, but it still doesn’t beat my Herbal Essence Long Term Relationship as my favorite.

When I got out the shower, I put As I Am Leave-in Conditioner, Camille Rose Cocoa Nibs and Honey Ultimate Growth Serum, and Uncle Funky’s Daughter's Curly Magic gel.  Then I wrapped my hair in a microfiber towel to suck up some of the moisture while I did my makeup and got dressed.  This sped up my dry time immensely.  My hair was not dripping when I took off the towel, and it was 75% dry about 4 hours later (the picture below).

The As I Am Leave-in was the star of this wash day.  As a low porosity girl, it is rare that I put a leave-in conditioner on head and have it absorb immediately without making my hair white.  When I put the As I Am on my hair, there were very minimal white spots.  If it performs the same in later wash days, it may become a favorite.

Total Wash & Style Time - 27 minutes


Saturday, February 4, 2017

Wash Day 02-04-2017


Hey, beautiful people!  I have been lazy, but it is time for me to get back to posting my wash days.  I noticed recently that my hair is getting a little thinner.  I suspect it is because I haven’t been regularly deep conditioning like I used to, but the only way to tell for sure is to start tracking it.

To start off this wash day, I used the Carol’s Daughter Hair Milk Cleansing Conditioner.  This was a birthday gift from a good friend, who knows I have a love for certain hair products (thanks, Margeaux!).  As a first impression, this is great at detangling.  I couldn’t really tell if it cleansed my hair because my hair wasn’t that dirty, but I am going to try it a few times in a row to see if I get buildup.  The only downside to this conditioner was the smell.  I am sensitive to certain smells, and this one has a very perfumed scent.

Next, because I didn’t do an overnight deep condition, I used an old favorite – Hairveda’s Acai Berry Phytokeratin Hair Reconstructer.  This product only needs a few minutes to work and it gives my hair a lot of strength.  It takes me right up to the line of protein overload without getting there, so I don’t need to follow it up with another deep conditioner.

Once I got out the shower, I used As I Am’s Leave-in Conditioner, which is great.  Then, I layered on Camille Rose’s Coca Nibs and Honey Growth Serum, which is my favorite mixed oil product.  Finally, I used the Eco Styler Coconut Gel.  I don’t know how I feel about this gel yet, but it may have the best smell of all the Eco Styler gels.

To style, I did a top knot bun.  First, I put the top half of my hair in a ponytail, and did a loose two-strand twist bun.  Then, I took the back half of my hair and draped it over the first.  This two-step process makes the front look cleaner, and creates a fuller bun for me.  Next time I do this, I’ll take pictures because it is hard to describe.

Total Wash Day Time:  56 minutes

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

Sunday, December 6, 2015

Wash n Go Recap 2015

Hey, beautiful people!  As you may remember, over the summer, I wanted to try out a a number of gels to determine the best wash n go combination for my hair.  I tried quite a few, and posted 10 results to my wash day series.  As much as I wanted to love Eco Styler because it is cheap, I couldn’t make it work because it was just too thick.  I learned that my hair loves runny gels that are snot like in consistency.  While I can do conditioner only or a cream-based styler for my wash n go, I don’t get the same hang time.  Here are the top 4 wash n go gels that worked best for me, based on the way my hair looked, price and on-the-ground availability:

  1. Uncle Funky’s Daughter Curly Magic
  2. Camille Rose Curl Maker
  3. As I Am Curling Jelly
  4. Kinky Curly Curling Custard

My results with Camille Rose and Uncle Funky's Daughter were very similar.  While I like Uncle Funky's Daughter a little more, Camille Rose is available on the ground.  Kinky Curly gave me good results, but it also left a very sticky residue.  I hated having wet hair on any part of my skin when I used Kinky Curly. 

Next summer, I think I am going to try a few more gels because the product junkie in me won’t let me be.  Next up on my list to try:

Which stylers do you use for your wash n go?

 Note:  This post was edited on 12/20/2015 to add another gel that I want to try, and updated on 6/15/2017 to change the order of #1 and #2.  I noticed that the Uncle Funky's Daughter Curly Magic has a longer shelf life than the Camille Rose Curl Maker.  Over time, the Curl Maker becomes more sticky/tacky, and it is harder to rake through.  I do not have that problem with the Curly Magic.


Sunday, November 29, 2015

Camille Rose Black Friday Haul

As I mentioned in my Black Friday post, I’ve been thinking about transitioning to almost exclusively using one product line.  Since I like the gel and two of the twisting butters, Camille Rose was a strong contender, so I bought a nice chunk of products in a Black Friday haul directly from the Camille Rose site.  Below is what I bought.  With a coupon code, my total price was $106.50.
  •  Ajani Growth and Shine Balm ($12)
  • Caramel Cowash ($14)
  • Cocoa Nibs & Honey - Ultimate Growth Serum ($16)
  • Coconut Water "Style Setter" ($15)
  • Coconut Water Leave-In Treatment ($14)
  • Coconut Water Penetrating Hair Treatment ($20)
  • Nourishing Cream Cleanser ($11)
  • Nourishing Cream Hair Bath ($16)
  • Nourishing Cream Leave In ($13)
  • Sweet Ginger Cleansing Rinse ($11)


Aside from Camille Rose’s site, I also did an early Black Friday sale, and bought some products on super discount from Curlkit.  With a coupon code, my total price was $68.68:
  • Camille Rose Naturals Almond Jai Twisting Butter ($16.50)
  • Camille Rose Naturals Aloe Whipped Butter Gel ($15.50 x 2)
  • As I Am Curling Jelly Coil & Curl Definer ($12.50)
  • Eco Styler Pink Styling Gel Tube ($1.99)
  • Kinky Curly Curl Custard Gel ($17.99)
  • Oyin Handmade Hair Dew ($13.50)
  • Ori Essentials Moisturizing Leave-In Conditioner ($11.99)


Saturday, July 11, 2015

Wash Day 07-11-2015: Kinky Curly and As I Am


Hey, beautiful people. For my wash day today, I did a deep condition overnight with Curl Junkie Deep Fix. I have liked this deep conditioner since right after my big chop. However, now I have more hair. I used up half a jar in one sitting.

Next, I co-washed and detangled with Herbal Essence Long Term Relationship, and used Curl Junkie Curl Assurance Smoothing Lotion as my leave-in.  Finally, I did a wash n go experiment. On one side, I used As I Am Curling Jelly. On the other side, I used Kinky Curly Curling Custard. The Kinky Curly was easier to apply, and kept my hair more elongated. The As  I Am side was noticeably shorter while wet and when it dried. Also, the As I Am side dried a little crazy and misshapen, so I had to pull on it to stretch it into shape. 

Total styling time was about 30 minutes.

Edited to Add:  I didn't have great second day with either product, but the Kinky Curky was a little better. Both sides frizzed out, but the Kinky Curky side kept at least some definition.  The Kinky Curly side also left my hands sticky when I rewet it.  I also don't like as much volume in my second day hair, and I got a ton.  My hair looked more like a ball.  Uncle Funkys Daughter may still be my favorite gel for wash n go.

Saturday, December 13, 2014

Power Product Line Review: As I Am Naturally


Hey, beautiful people!  As I mentioned in my prior post, I purchased the As I Am Coils & Curls Care Package.  Recently, I decided to have an As I Am wash day to try out the products.  Since, As I Am has been around a long time and I know a lot of people have reviewed it, I’m not going to do an in-depth review of each product, just the highlights.

As I Am Hydration Elation Intensive Conditioner:  If you have been following me for awhile, then you should know by now that my usual routine is to deep condition overnight first.  The conditioner itself is light like cake batter, and it allowed me to detangle some, but it left my hands feeling a little weird.  As for results, this deep conditioner was nothing to write home about.  I felt like it didn’t do anything to moisturize my hair, despite the name.  A couple days later, I tried using this in the shower as a regular conditioner, and it didn’t do anything that way either.  I would not repurchase this product.

As I Am Coconut Cowash:  Next to the SheScentIt Blueberry Cowash, this is my favorite co-wash. It cleanses while moisturizing.  In the past, when I’ve had a deep conditioner that left my hair dry, but I still needed to cleanse, I’ve used this and it brought my hair right back.  This wash day was no different.  I love this stuff!  I’m not currently purchasing any more cowashes because I want to see if I actually need them.  Otherwise, I would repurchase this in a heartbeat.


As I Am Leave-in Conditioner:  This was surprising.  Of the As I Am products I tried for the first time on my wash day, this was my second favorite.  It was creamy and has great slip.  It reminded me a little of Curl Junkie’s Curl Assurance Smoothing Lotion in terms of texture and the effect it had on my hair.  I may repurchase this at some point in the future.

As I Am Curling Jelly:  This was my favorite of the As I Am products I tried for the first time on my wash day.  It had great slip, so it was easy to rake it through my hair.  It also helped define my curls while damp.  The Jelly reminded me a lot of the way Kinky Curly Curling Custard and Uncle Funky’s Daughter Curly Magic (original formula) work on my hair.  The only issue I had was when it dried.  For some reason, my curls stretched.  It could be because I had to diffuse my hair to go outside.  This was the first time I ever diffused my hair.  I’m going to try using this on another wash day and do another review.


As I Am Double Butter Cream Rich Daily Moisturizer:  In the days following my wash day, I tried to use the double butter cream to moisturize my hair.  It didn’t work.  This product is much thinner than I thought it would be given that you normally see it in a jar.  The top 6 ingredients are:  Water infused with extracts, Shea Butter, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Cocoa Seed Butter, Sweet Almond Oil, and Emulsifying Wax NF.  However, even though water is the first ingredient, this had more of a sealing effect on my hair than a moisturizing one.  I also think that my hair doesn’t like Emulsifying Wax.  The remaining ingredients also made me dislike this product.  Given the price of a regular sized jar of the double butter cream, I was surprised to see hydrogenated vegetable oil in the list of ingredients at all, and definitely surprised to see it as the third ingredient.  While I’m sure it works perfectly fine as a sealant simply because it is an oil, I haven’t heard of any great benefits that it has.  The cream also has lanolin and some other ingredients that are not so great for my hair.  There are a ton of good oils in this product, but they are further down the ingredient list and likely in low concentrations.  I won’t be repurchasing this product.
In short, I like the co-wash, leave-in and gel.  I would leave the rest.

Have you used As I Am products?  What did you think?

Friday, December 5, 2014

Head-to-Head: Jane Carter Curl Defining Cream vs As I Am Twist Defining Cream


As I mentioned in a previous post, now that my hair is longer, I want to try more styling.  To help me out, I have a number of stylers in my stash that I am trying out to help me firm up my staples.  My first comparison is with two of my heavy hitters -- Jane Carter Curl Defining Cream and As I Am Twist Defining Cream.

Price:  As I Am wins, but not by much.  These are both on the pricey side, but Jane Carter is more expensive without a sale.  Jane Carter is $34 for 16 ounces, while As I Am is $22.  However, for the past two years, Jane Carter has been 40% off during their Black Friday sale or 30% the days after, bringing the price down.  Tomorrow, they are having a 50% off sale for 4 hours.  Other retailers sometimes follow suit.  For example, as of this post's publication, Jane Carter is on Amazon for $23.50.  Of course, retailers that sell As I Am have sales too, but I haven’t seen one with that high of a percentage.

Consistency:  Jane Carter wins for me.  Jane Carter is a creamy consistency, like a heavy lotion.  As I Am is more jelly-like.  Imagine if you mixed cream with a thick gel, like Eco Styler.  As I Am is also sticky and leaves a weird residue on my hands.  The stickiness is odd because it has little hold.

Ingredients:  Jane Carter wins this one for me too.  Both have infused water as the first ingredient.  Looking past the water, the next 5 key ingredients on my Jane Carter jar are Shea Butter, Jojoba Seed Oil, Avocado Oil, Vitamin E and Glycerin (in that order).  The ingredients on the website are different.  In As I Am, the next 7 key ingredients after infused water are Glycerin, Acetamide MEA, Sunflower Seed Oil, Castor Seed Oil, Triethanolamine, Coconut Oil and Shea Butter (in that order).  Depending on how your hair reacts to Glycerin and the weather, Jane Carter may be better because glycerin is lower on the ingredient list meaning there is a lower concentration of it.  Acetaminde MEA is also a humectant.  Michigan winters can be very drying, so Jane Carter is the better pick for me for year-round use for this reason alone.  The fact that As I Am has two amines (Acetamide MEA and Triethanolamine) also makes me a little uneasy because they can be cancer-forming when mixed with other products, like DMDM Hydantoin.

Styling:  This is another Jane Carter win, but not by much.  I’ve tried both for twists (flat twists & box twists) and wash n’ gos, and they both work for both.  Both leave my hair soft and get the job done.  However, with As I Am, the biggest issue for me is the weird sticky feeling it leaves on my hands while styling and the coating it leaves on my hair.  Also, if I use too much As I Am, then residue shows up in my hair.  This might be ok if As I Am actually had some hold to it, but it doesn’t.  Also, I find that my hair stays a moisturized just a little longer with the Jane Carter.

Final Ruling:  In a head to head comparison, Jane Carter’s Curl Defining Cream is my preference, but not because As I Am’s Twist Defining Cream is a bad product.  I just like Jane Carter’s cream better for my hair.

Sunday, November 16, 2014

Ingredient Investigation: Limonene


Hey, beautiful people!  As I mentioned in a previous post, I picked up some As I Am products during an early sale.  While looking through the ingredients, I noticed that a lot of them have Limonene listed as the last ingredient, which I assumed was a preservative.  However, I decided to dig a little deeper.

Limonene is made from citrus fruits (d-limonene), pine trees and certain mint plants (l-limonene).  For cosmetic purposes, it is usually used as a fragrance.  It is also used in medicines, botanical insecticides, household and other cleaners as a solvent, and water-free hand cleansers. 

In terms of risk, while some research indicates that limonene can be used to treat cancer, other research indicates that it could promote the growth of tumors.  The biggest issue, however, is that limonene can be a contact allergen.  In other words, it can cause skin irritation or respiratory irritation in some people.  Additionally, it can enhance side effects of other skin irritants, such as alcohol.  As a result of the limonene’s irritant aspects, the European Union has put certain restrictions on its use in cosmetics.  It is one of the contact allergens found in fragrances that must be listed if it exceeds 0.001% in leave-in products and 0.01% in rinse-off products.  However, just because limonene is listed in an ingredient list, doesn’t mean it meets this threshold amount.  Some consumer-conscious companies list it as an ingredient to notify their customers that they may have a potential allergic reaction.  Additionally, just because a product doesn’t list limonene doesn't mean that the product doesn’t contain limonene, especially if there is a generic reference to “fragrance” and the product has a lemon or orange scent.

Based on what I’ve read, I’m fine with using products with limonene because I don’t seem to have an allergic reaction to it.  I use a lot of products with lemon or orange oil, which are high in limonene, and I haven’t had an issue.  I’ve also used As I Am products without issue.

As a final note, limonene should not be confused with Lemonene (also known as Biphenyl), which comes from coal tar, crude oil, and natural gas, and is used as a preservative to preserve citrus fruits during transport.  Lemonene is mildly toxic. 

Saturday, September 20, 2014

Update 09-20-2014: Black Friday In September

With the new baby coming in less than a month and Curlmart having a Sweet16 sale, I decided to get started on my Black Friday shopping early.  As you may remember from last year's Black Friday post, I went overboard so I wanted to make sure I kept myself in check this year.  I may have still gone a little overboard, but nowhere near as much.  Here is what I bought from Curlmart:
Grand Total:  $132.08 (plus $5 shipping)
Savings: $50.88 (plus shipping savings)

I saved a lot of money by doing my shopping a little early and coupon hunting (use cm15 with your order to save more).  We'll ignore the fact that I could have saved more if I did not buy as much.

Here is what is tentatively left on my Black Friday shopping list:

What is on your Black Friday list?  Have you started shopping?

HAPPY SHOPPING!

Saturday, February 15, 2014

Cleansing Agents Part 2

Hey, HHJs!  In my last post, I talked about the three types of surfactants usually used in cleansers:  anionic surfactants (negative charge), zwitterionic / amphoteric surfactants (hybrid charge), and nonionic surfactants (no charge).

This post is about some of the cleansing agents in these three categories to look for.  Based on what I’ve read, here is a list of some cleansing agents to look for in a cleansing conditioner or a shampoo:

Anionic surfactant-based products include:

 Zwitterionic / Amphoteric surfactant-based products include:
  • Cocamidopropyl betaine aka cocobetaine or cocabetaine (used in Burts Bees Baby Shampoo and Jessicurl Hair Cleansing Cream)
  • Sodium lauroamphoacetate (used in Ouidad Curl Co-wash)

 Nonionic surfactant-based products:

 Some cleansing products may also contain citrus fruits, such as lemon or orange extract, or contain apple cider vinegar, which break up oil.  Also, some cleansing products may contain plant-based ingredients that are high in saponins.  For example, SheScentIt’s Blueberry Co-wash Conditioner contains yucca root.  Wikipedia has a long list of plant-based soap substitutes, which can be found here.  I know that yucca root is a surfactant, but I’m not sure what kind.  I’ve seen some articles refer to it as anionic and some refer to it as non-ionic. 

Finally, some cleansing conditioners may contain clays that have cleansing properties, such as kaolin, bentonite, rhassoul (also called ghassoul), or green clay.  While it is not marketed as a cleansing conditioner, I’ve found that Shea Moisture’s Purification Mask feels like it cleanses my hair.  It contains both African black soap and kaolin clay.

Based on personal experience, I can’t use shampoos containing sodium laurel sulfate, olefin sulfate or sodium lauroamphoacetate.  These cleansers are too harsh for my hair, so I avoid them.  Thus far, my hair seems to like sodium cocoyl isethionate; cocamidopropyl betaine; decyl glucoside; and PEG-40 castor oil, which are all mild cleansers.

If you can’t figure out the cleansers in your product, look for the INCI name, which may give you a clue.  SwiftCraftMonkey also has a wonderful chart of surfactants and a 17-page document walking through some of the key ones.

What are some of your favorite surfactants for cleansing your hair?

HAPPY CLEANSING!!!
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