Showing posts with label herbal essence. Show all posts
Showing posts with label herbal essence. Show all posts

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, October 29, 2016

Detangling Tools

Hey, beautiful people!  With Michigan winter coming soon, I am moving back into more protective
styling, which means more shed hairs get trapped close to my roots and I get more tangling. I have to be careful when detangling because, even though my hair is high density, it is also very fine in most areas.   Thus, typically, I just finger detangle 1-2 times per week.  Every few months, however, I do a more thorough detangling session.

For those more thorough sessions, here are my favorite tools:

  1. A good rinse out or leave-in conditioner with a lot of slip.  I like Herbal Essence Long Term Relationship Conditioner; Herbal Essence Totally Twisted Conditioner; Silk Dreams Wheat Germ Butter Conditioner; and Curl Junkie Curl Assurance Smoothing Conditioner.  I have also used Oyin Hair Dew with my oil mix to get the job done.

  2. A wide tooth comb.  After finger detangling and putting my hair in sections, I next use the wide tooth comb to get out the more easier tangles.  I have two Hercules Sagemann Magic Star Rake Combs that I really like because they are seamless.  However, sometimes I just use one of my $4 Diane or Annie Jumbo Rake Combs.  They are not seamless, but I have never had a problem with them.

  3. Paddle Brush.  After going through a section with a wide tooth comb, I go in with my Conair Paddle Brush to get out the remaining tangles and some of the loose shed hairs that I missed with finger detangling and my wide tooth comb.  I have the old school square wooden handle one.  I am not sure that they make still make it because I no longer see it in stores, but the plastic and "velvet touch" handle ones are pretty much the same.  The only downside about my Conair is that it is big, which makes it hard to get close to my roots.  I may try the Wet Brush as it appears a bit smaller.

  4. Tangle Teaser Or Similar Brush.  This is my final step before braiding up the detangled section.  I don't have a Tangle Teaser.  I have a Goody Tangle Fix, which looks the same to me; is cheaper; and works great.  This is good for getting any knots out of my ends, and for getting final shed hairs out of the length of my hair.  I am careful with this brush, however, because I have had heard of other ladies getting mid-shaft splits.

I have tried some other tools, based on their rave reviews from the natural hair community, but they just did not work for my hair:
  • Denman brush - I bought the original D3; the D41 with more widely spaced bristles; and a D4 (nine row).  All of them just ripped my hair out.  I could literally hear my hair ripping, as I tried to pull the brush through.

  • Felicia Leatherwood Detangler Brush - I bought this brush because one of my favorite YouTubers raved about it.  When it arrived, the edges of each bristle were jagged and uneven (see picture).  I looked at it and instantly knew I could not use it in my hair without causing some serious damage.  

  • Evolve Dual Sided Boar/Paddle Brush - The paddle brush side worked ok, but not as smoothly as my Conair Paddle Brush.  There was some definite ripping when I ran it through my hair.

What do you use to detangle?

Monday, July 4, 2016

07-04-2016 Wash Day - Quick High Bun


Hey, beautiful people!   Because it is a holiday and I was feeling lazy, I wasn't really in the mood to wash my hair, but I had to because I spent Friday afternoon and Saturday morning at a waterpark full of chlorine.


First, the moment I got home on Saturday, I put Silk Dreams Mocha Silk Infusion on my hair to deep condition.  I meant to wash my hair that night, but it didn't happen on Saturday or Sunday, so the deep conditioner was in my hair for a day and a half.  This is a good protein deep conditioner, but it is on the border of almost being too much protein for my strands.  I like some of the other Silk Dreams conditioners better, like the Silk Dreams Vanilla Silk Moisture Dream deep conditioner.

This morning, I washed my hair with Aubrey Organics Swimmer's Shampoo.  This is still my favorite swimmer shampoo because it is both chelating and clarifying.   Next, I tried the Herbal Essence The Sleeker The Butter Smoothing Conditioner on one section of my hair, but this did not work well for me.  It had little slip on my hair and did not soften my hair at all.  This surprised me because it worked well for my daughter's hair.  It gave it slip and made it incredibly soft.  However, I'm pretty sure her hair is closer to high porosity than mine.  

Because the conditioner did not work, I finished off the other three sections with Herbal Essence Long Term Relationship Conditioner, my holy grail conditioner.  When I got out of the shower, I put Oyin Hair Dew and my oil mix on my hair, then I put my hair in a high bun with Eco Styler Krystal gel.  It will probably stay wet for a few days in the middle.

Total Styling time - 20 minutes


Sunday, June 26, 2016

06-26-2016 Wash Day - Eco Styler Krystal Gel Wash 'N Go

Hey, beautiful people!  I am in the process of wrapping up the last of my reviews from my braiding challenge, and then I will post the recap.

Summer is back, and so are my wash 'n gos.  Today, because it was going to be over 90 degrees, I decided it would be a good day to re-try doing an Eco Styler wash n' go.

First, I accidentally deep conditioned my hair for two days using the Silk Dreams Mocha Silk Infusion (I'll do a review later).  Then, I washed my hair with Carol’s Daughter Black Vanilla Shampoo, and conditioned/detangled with Herbal Essence Long Term Relationship Conditioner.  When I got out the shower, I decided to do something different from my normal practice because of how thick Eco Styler is.

When I got out the shower, I left my hair dripping wet.  I did not towel dry at all.  Next, I applied my Oyin Hair Dew and Eco Styler Krystal Gel in 4 sections on the left side, and 6 sections on the right side.  However, instead of raking the gel through my hair like last time, I decided to shingle because of the thickness of Eco Styler.  I also used literally gobs of gel to the point that I thought it would all still be stuck together when it dried.  Afterward, I sat outside in 91 degree weather to jump start the drying process, and lightly shook my head periodically to loosen the curls.

My wash n' go was wonderful! I had great definition, shine and hang time, though I had less volume.  This is a great wash n' go for when I want a more "tamed" style.  It also dawned on me today that I have reached my curly length hair goal (shoulder-length curly), though I have decided to keep growing my hair for now.

Total wash & style time - 41 mins (24 mins spent on shingling).

I don't post videos on YouTube, so here is a video of someone else doing the shingling method, though I applied about double the gel.

 Post Edited 7/3/16 - My hair was still wet on Tuesday (3 days later). Also, because I used so much gel, I got goop under my fingernails when I touched my scalp, and I also got white residue on my edges. It finally fully dried Wednesday (day 4), but it was time to put it up.  Thus, I do not think Eco Styler gel is right for me as a wash n go gel.

Sunday, June 19, 2016

Wash Day 06-19-2016 (Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil line)

Hey, beautiful people!  It's summer, so I am going to try my best to do recaps of my wash days again.  My sister is visiting for a couple weeks, and she brought products from Shea Moisture's Jamaican Black Castor Oil line with her, so I decided to try them.   I previously reviewed the edge treatment here.

For this wash day, I forgot to deep condition beforehand again; so, my wash day just started off with a shampoo.  I washed my hair in four sections, shampooing and then detangling each section with conditioner.  I used the Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen, Grow and Restore Shampoo and my Herbal Essence Long Term Relationship Conditioner.  The shampoo was not bad and not good, just ok.  It did not leave my hair feeling stripped, but I didn't necessarily feel like my hair was clean either.   Also, my eyes itched a little while I was washing my hair, but I can't say for certain that it was the shampoo that did it.  I would need to try it gain to be certain, and I don't think I'm going to try it again.

After my shampoo and condition, I dried my hair lightly with a regular towel.  Yes, I know this is a no-no in the curly girl bible, but I just scrunched my hair, making sure I didn't rough up my cuticles.  Next, I put in the Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen Grow & Restore Leave-In Conditioner.  This leave-in conditioner is surprisingly light, especially because it is in a jar.  It is the consistency of a very thin lotion.  Because it is so light, I was worried that it would not be enough, so I also used Camille Rose Almond Jai Twisting Butter.  Then, I put my damp hair in two cornrows to dry. 

Total wash and styling time:  ~30 minutes

Monday, May 30, 2016

Wash Day 05-29-2016 (Mop Top Citrus Kumquat Curly Hair Custard Wash N Go)

Hey, beautiful people!  Given the long weekend and the fact that summer has finally come to Michigan, I decided to do a wash n’ go with a product that has been sitting in my product stash for most of the winter – Mop Top’s Curly Hair Custard.


I forgot to do an overnight deep conditioner, and I didn’t have time to hop in and out of the shower; so, there was no deep conditioner this week.  First, I washed my hair with Carol’s Daughter Black Vanilla Shampoo.  This shampoo continues to be a favorite of mine.  It cleans my hair without stripping it, as long as I don’t use too much.


Next, I conditioned and detangled my hair with Herbal Essence Long Term Relationship Conditioner.  It is not often that I call something a holy grail product, but this one is one.


Finally, I used Curl Junkie Smoothing Lotion as my leave-in (another holy grail product), and put the Mop Top Curly Hair Custard on top.  The Mop Top went in easily.  It has a lot of slip and a little goes a long way.  In that regard, it reminds me of Kinky Curly’s Curling Custard.  It doesn’t leave my hands with the same sticky feeling as the Kinky Curl; however, maybe it should.  Apparently, Mop Top has little hold, which is not good given that at least 4 of the top 5 ingredients are humectants (aloe vera, glycerin, honey and pectin).  When my hair dried, it frizzed, shrunk significantly and uneven, and took flight.  In short, I looked a hot mess.  To make matters worse, this stuff flakes horribly.  I was wearing a black shirt, and it looked it snowed on my shoulders.  The next day, my hair looked even worse. 

I do not plan to use this product again.

Monday, April 18, 2016

Wash Day 04-17-2016 (Jane Carter Curl Defining Cream Wash N Go)

Hey. beautiful people!  It has been awhile since I did a wash day post.  However, the weather was really warm here in Michigan, and I had a natural hair event to go to that evening, so I decided to break out the wash n' go.

First, I did a deep condition overnight with Camille Rose Coconut Water Penetrating Hair Treatment.  I have liked this product more than I ever thought I would, but more on that in other post.  The next morning, I put Carol's Daughter Black Vanilla Shampoo in my hair.  This is definitely one of my favorite shampoos.  It smells amazing, and my hair does not dry out.  Next, I used Herbal Essence Long Term Relationship.  This conditioner is a holy grail for certain.

Finally, I did a wash n' go with Jane Carter's Curl Defining Cream.  I love this cream.  It may be the most versatile product I own.  I have used it for braids, twists, braidouts, and twistouts, and it has not failed me yet.  I also used it once for a wash n' go when my hair was shorter, and it worked well then.  So, I decided to give it another try.  The result was big, fluffy hair, but in a good way.  I think I still prefer my gels for wash n' gos, but this is a good alternative.  Plus, unlike gel, the next day, I was able to just braid my hair up for work.

Have you ever used this product for a wash n go?  What are your thoughts?


Saturday, December 26, 2015

Favorites of 2015




Hey, beautiful people!  It's that time of year again for my favorites list.  I already did my favorite deep conditioners and wash n' go gels at the end of those challenges, but I'll re-post them again.  I'm listing my product categories in the order that I use them and in order of preference.  I am posting the regular prices for these products, but I typically buy my products on sale (20-40% off).

Deep Conditioners:
Shampoos:
Conditioners:
  1. Herbal Essence Long Term Relationship ($4 for 10 oz)
  2. Herbal Essence Totally Twisted ($4 for 10 oz)
  3. Garnier Fructis Hydra Recharge ($4 for 13 oz)
Leave-in Conditioners / Daily Moisturizers:
  1. Silk Dreams Wheat Germ Butter Conditioner ($16 for 16 oz)
  2. Oyin Handmade Hair Dew ($23 for 16.9 oz)
  3. Koils by Nature Moisturizing Shealoe Leave-in Conditioner ($20 for 12 oz) 
  4. Curl Junkie Curl Assurance Smoothing Lotion (summer only) ($25 for 12 oz)
Oils/Daily Spritz Mix-ins:
  1. Now Foods Avocado Oil ($14 for 16 oz)
  2. Essential Depot Vegetable Glycerin (summer only) ($13 for 43 oz)
  3. Tropic Isle Living Jamaican Black Castor Oil ($7 for 4 oz)
  4. Now Foods Peppermint Essential Oil ($7 for 1 oz)
Wash n Go Stylers:
  1. Camille Rose Curl Maker ($22 for 12 oz)
  2. Uncle Funky’s Daughter Curly Magic ($25 for 18 oz)
  3. As I Am Curling Jelly ($22 for 16 oz)
Braid and Twist Creams:

Saturday, July 25, 2015

Wash Day 07-23-2015 (Garnier Fructis Hydra Recharge)



Hey, beautiful people! As much as I love my Herbal Essence Long Term Relationship and Totally Twisted conditioners, I have been testing out some other alternatives so that I have back ups. This is particularly important for when I travel.  Anyone who has traveled with me knows I hate to check a bag. Thus, if I know I am going to need to wash my hair, I typically just bring my styler and I buy conditioner when I land at my destination. Any drugstore will carry cheap conditioners, but they always have my favorite Herbal Essence. I would like to have a favorite cheap conditioner in every popular line. 


Today, I finally found my favorite in the Garnier Fructis line - Hydra Recharge.  It smells good and it has AMAZING slip for detangling, plus it left my hair feeling soft.  After I co-washed with it, I used my Koils by Nature leave-in. I'm not sure how many uses I've gotten out of this, but it is the bottle that keeps on giving. Next, I put my hair in a bun with a little oil and pink eco styler gel.

Saturday, July 18, 2015

Wash Day 07-18-2015 (Kinky Curly vs Uncle Funky's Daughter)


Hey, beautiful people.  Today was a little bit longer of a wash day because I needed to detangle.  I didn't get a chance to put deep conditioner in my hair before I fell asleep (long week), and I didn't have time during my wash day, so there was no deep conditioner this week.

I used Aubrey Organics White Camellia Shampoo to cleanse.  I still like this shampoo, but not as much as the Uncle Funky's Daughter one. With Aubrey, I can't use to much or it leaves my hair feeling a little too clean, if that makes sense.

Because I was traveling last week, my hair didn't get the detangling it needed, so I spent extra time detangling with Herbal Essence Long Term Relationship.  Then I used Curl Junkie Curl Assurance Smoothing Lotion as my leave-in, followed by my oil mix.

After my last gel experiment, I wanted to try out two of my favorites.  I used Kinky Curly gel on the right, and Uncle Funky's Daughter on the left.  They performed the same wet and dry, and they have the same ingredients based on the back of the bottle.

I noticed that my hair dried shorter and frizzier than last time, and I think it was the oil.  Next time, I'll try one of these gels on my wash n go without the oil.

Total wash to style time - 50 minutes


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.

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Wash Day 07-07-2015: The Traveling Bun

Hey, beautiful people! I haven't posted a wash day in bit, but my wash days have been very straightforward lately.  I just do a quick wash with Uncle Funky's Daughter shampoo (which I love), detangle with Herbal Essence Long Term Relationship, put in leave-in and gel, and bun.  It takes 20-30 minutes.  Sometimes, I skip the shampoo step.

This morning, I was still on vacation because I went to the Essence Fest, and I packed travel sizes of some new things to try.  First, I co-washed with Garnier Fructis Sleek and Shine Conditioner.  I was not a fan.  It was not creamy enough, and it felt like it made my hair hard.  Next, I used Oyin Hair Dew and Tresseme gel to bun.  I was not a fan of the gel.  It reminded me of a slightly more liquid version of Eco Styler, but it had no hold.  Plus, even more than Eco Styler, the gel kept my hair sopping wet, even after I used a regular towel to soak up some of the water, and I had to go through airport security with water periodically coming down my face and neck.  Not wonderful...

What brand do you travel with?


Sunday, June 14, 2015

Wash Day 06-13-2015 - Crown Twist


Hey, beautiful people!  This weekend, I didn't do a deep condition overnight because I fell asleep before I put the conditioner in my hair.  Then, when I woke up in the morning, I didn't have time to do a deep condition because we had a long day ahead.  Thus, I just did a quick co-wash with Herbal Essence Long Term Relationship.  Then, when I got out the shower, I wasn't in the mood for a wash and go, so I got creative.  I divided my hair into four ponytails, twisted each ponytail into two twists, and wrapped the twists around my head (using bobby pins) to make a crown.  For my twists, I used the Jane Carter Curl Defining Cream and Hairveda Red Tea Hair Ends Serum.


Total wash to style time: ~50 minutes.


Saturday, May 30, 2015

Wash Day 05-30-2015 (Curl Junkie & Uncle Funky's Daughter Wash N Go)

Hey, beautiful people!  Today, I was in the mood to use up some things and try out an oldie but goodie. 

First, I did an overnight deep condition last night with the Koils By Nature deep conditioner.  I am in love with this stuff, and it may end up on my staples list.

This morning, I washed my hair with the Uncle Funky's Daughter cleanser and detangled with Herbal Essence Long Term Relationship.  As my leave-in, I went back to an old favorite that I have been using since my BC - - Curl Junkie Curl Assurance Smoothing Lotion.  Then, I added my oil mix, and used Uncle Funky's Daughter Curly Magic for my wash n go.  Next, I tied a t-shirt around my hair for an hour to suck up some of the water.

It has been 8 hours, and my hair is completely dry in the front, and 90% dry in the back.  I am loving the way my hair looks, and it is surprisingly soft. This may be my favorite wash n go so far. 

Wash and style time - 1 hour, including a pause to change and diaper a baby


Saturday, May 23, 2015

Wash Day 05-23-2015 (Eco Styler Wash N Go)

Hey, beautiful people!  Today was another simple wash day.  I started off by deep conditioning overnight with the Koils by Nature Deep Conditioner.  I am really loving this deep conditioner.  It has amazing slip that allows me to detangle dry hair with no water.

This morning, I rinsed out the deep conditioner.  Then, I detangled my hair with  Herbal Essence Totally Twisted Conditioner.  I didn't completely rinse out the conditioner today because I've noticed that it really helps my hair to clump. Next, while still in the shower with sopping wet hair,I applied pink Eco Styler gel, first running it through,then using the praying hands method. 

Since I did this all on sopping wet hair, it took forever for my hair to dry.  I had it in a Turbie twistie for 30 minutes because it was dripping wet.  Then, I used a regular bath towel because the turbie twistie could not hold all of the water.  It was still sopping wet 4 hours later.

When it finally dried, it was Epic fail. I got dull, mushroom hair that flaked ALOT and it took over 12 hours to dry. I won't do Eco Styler for a wash n go again, unless it is an updo.

I forgot to take a pic once it dried. I have a pic of it wet.

Total time from wash to style - 30 minutes (end time 8:13 a.m.)

EDITED 4/3/2017 to add -- In looking back on this post, I am not entirely convinced that the pink Eco Styler gel is the culprit for my results.  It might be the process I used (which was not my typical process), or the fact that I left in Herbal Essences Conditioner (something I normally don't do).  I plan to try Pink Eco Styler gel for a wash n' go again in 2017 to see how it goes, and I will link the results here.


Sunday, May 17, 2015

Wash Day 05-13-15 & 05-17-15 (The Co-wash Initiative)

Hey, beautiful people!  I had been neglecting my hair because of work, so I am currently on a mission to get more moisture into it.  As part of my mission, I'm trying to co-wash 2-3 times per week.


On Wednesday and Sunday this week, I did the exact same thing.  First I co-washed and finger detangled with Herbal Essence.  On Wednesday, I used the Totally Twisted Conditioner.  On Sunday, I used the Long Term Relationship Conditioner because I ran out of Totally Twisted.  These are my holy grail conditioners.  My curls clumped together so well with the Long Term Relationship that I may incorporate it into my next wash & go.


After I rinsed out the conditioner, I ran Koils by Nature Leave-in Conditioner through my hair, and put my hair up in a low bun.  On Sunday, I put a little bit of the Koils by Nature peppermint gel on the top of my hair to keep down flyaways.

Total wash time (including styling):  36 minutes
Subscribe to: Posts ( Atom )

Thank you

Animal graphic by Freepik from Flaticon is licensed under CC BY 3.0. Made with Logo Maker

Contact Form

Name

Email *

Message *