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:

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.

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?

Hey, beautiful people.  Happy New Year!!!  Like many others, I am happy to see the end of 2016.  It just was not one of my favorite years.

For many, the new year brings a time for resolutions.  It may be a distinction without a different, but I have always disliked the term “resolutions” because it feels like a setup for failure.  I prefer goals, and I like to start the ball rolling before the new year.  Here are 5 goals that I low key started in December that I plan to continue:

1.   Drink at least 80 oz of water per day.  I have found that my whole body does better when I drink a good amount of water throughout the day.  From what I have read, studies have moved away from drinking 8 glasses of water to drinking half your body weight.  For me, I wanted to up that a little bit.  My plan is to drink 12-20 oz of water first thing in the morning, and then two 32 oz – 1 liter (33.81 oz) bottles of water during the day.  I have two plastic mason jars that are 32 oz. each.  I also have a bunch of old soda stream 1L bottles that I can no longer use because my soda stream broke (tear).  To help keep me motivated, I have joined a “Drink Your Water” challenge, with daily check-ins, and I am using the water tracker in my Fitbit app.

2.   Have 7 good, quick styles that work on my fine hair, and a regimen that incorporates more protein.  As you may remember from some of my other posts, my hair is low porosity, fine, high density, and a 4A/4B mix.  In the past, I have been very focused on taking care of my hair based on it being low porosity, and spent little time researching how to make my fine strands look best.  For example, individual mini twists tend to look very sad when I try to use them as a style, and tend to break my hair when I take them out.  My hair seems to do better with low manipulation, “big” styles, like 2 cornrows, buns and wash n’ gos, and I am a lazy natural, so I need quick styles.  I plan to play around with styles in 2017 to give myself some more versatile looks (more on this throughout the year).  I also haven’t been using as much protein as I should, and I have seen more breakage as a result. 

3.   Create mini makeup challenges every 1-2 months until I can do a full face.  Growing up and even now, I have not been very big on makeup or beauty upkeep in general.  Most days, you are lucky if you see me in lipstick.  I’ll also admit there have been some days that my eyebrows needed serious help.  At the end of last year, I put myself on an informal challenge, forcing myself to fill in my eyebrows every day for two weeks.  I was proud of myself because I stuck to it too.  One day, I even had to stop at the drugstore on the way to work because I forgot to do my brows before I left the house.  It worked out well because I saw marked improvement in my eyebrow shape, and I learned a few tricks through Youtube.  Youtube also inspired me to go a little crazy buying makeup products on Black Friday/Cyber Monday, and I bought a few makeup organizers.  With all the new stuff I bought, I want to extend my informal challenge to other makeup areas over the course of 2017.  I may stay in the eye area for now, and work on eye shadow.  I have always wanted to learn smoky eye and cat eye.

4.   Exercise for 30 minutes at least 1 time a week.  This may sound like a bare minimum, but I like to set goals that are measurable and achievable.  Typically, I say that I am going to work out every day or 3 times per week, fail miserably and stop working out altogether.  This time, I am starting with 1 day and we will see how it goes.  I have no excuse for not getting in 1 day because I have 7 days and multiple options.  If I am traveling that week, the Sworkit app on my phone is awesome for squeezing in a workout.  If I am feeling ambitious, there is a gym less than 10 minutes from my house and I can text a friend to meet me.  If I want to do something fun, there is a community center that is about 20 minutes away that has drop in classes and, in the summer, there is outdoor Zumba.

5.   Read a book every two months, alternating between one self-improvement book and one “just for fun” book.  I love reading.  I just did not do much of it in 2016.  I have a Goodreads account and set a goal for myself of 6 books in 2016, but I only finished 5.  I also haven’t been to my one of my book clubs in about a year (I'm in two), and I miss it.  In 2017, I’m going to do better because it speaks to how many other things took priority over what I did for myself last year. 

What are your goals for 2017?  Make them measureable and achievable!

Price:  $29 for 12 oz.

Ingredients:   Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Hydrolyzed Keratin Protein, Sunflower Seed Oil, Panthenol, Keratin Amino Acids, Hydrolyzed Yeast, Glyceryl Stearate, Jojoba Seed Oil, Glycol Stearate, Apricot Kernel Oil, Cetyl Alcohol, PEG-100 Stearate, Tocopherol Acetate, Citric Acid, Disodium EDTA, Fragrance, Propylene Glycol, Diazolidinyl Urea, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate

Promise:  Excellent for chemically damaged, weak and brittle hair. Helps fill in cracks in the hair shaft to help give strength and prevent further breakage. Also great for general maintenance of the hair. Makes a great once a month treatment to help keep your hair in top shape!

Scent: Coconut

Consistency:  Creamy, medium thickness.  Not too light, and not too heavy

Results:   This is another favorite.  It has good slip, and leaves my hair feeling soft, yet moisturized, even though protein is high on the ingredient list.  I have used it both overnight and as a traditional deep conditioner under a heat cap.  My only hesitation on this one is the price.  Through my deep conditioner search, I’ve found other deep conditioners that work well and are cheaper.

As I mentioned in my previous protein conditioner post, the science geek in me started doing research to see what types of protein are out there.  That way, I can do a more educated job of figuring out what protein conditioners are right for my hair.  Here is what I have learned so far in my research.

Proteins have different origins.  It appears that are usually either animal derived (such as milk, silk, glycoprotein, placental, natural keratin, collagen, or elastin); plant derived (such blue-green algae, corn, soy, rice, oat, coconut milk, or wheat); or synthetic (such as man-made keratin or silk).  My previous post indicated that it is best to avoid animal proteins because they can coat the hair, causing build-up.  However, on further research, I don't think that is true for all animal proteins.  Instead, I agree with Natural Maven.  I think it is more important to look at where the protein is on the ingredient list, and the size of the protein.  Hydrolyzed proteins are proteins that have been broken down into smaller proteins or individual amino acids (proteins are long chains of linked amino acids).

If your hair needs a strong protein, then keratin is a good one.  Your hair, skin and nails are all made from keratin, but you will still need keratin in a protein conditioner to be hydrolyzed for it to be properly absorbed into the hair strand.  One of my favorite protein conditioners contains both hydrolyzed keratin and keratin amino acids.  However, be very careful in reading bottles when looking for keratin so that you do not accidentally pick up a straightening system, which also contains keratin.  Look for words like "reconstructor" or "conditioner".  

Blue-green algae is another source of strong protein.  For example, aphanizomenon flos aquae and spirulina are both over 50% protein.  I've personally found this protein source is too strong for my hair.

Hydrolyzed wheat and oat proteins strengthen, increase elasticity and help your hair hold on to and retain moisture.  Silk amino acids are also a great strengthener for the hair, but they are somewhat controversial because of how natural silk amino acids are obtained.

It is also important to look out for ingredients that act like a protein.  For example, while henna and coconut oil are not proteins, some people say that these products act like protein.  They bond to the hair shaft and help the hair retain proteins.  I've never tried henna, but coconut oil seems to act like a protein for my hair.  I do not use it unless it is diluted.

HAPPY STRENGTHENING!!