SilkenDove

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, June 6, 2015

Wash Day 06-06-2015 (Koils By Nature & Uncle Funky's Daughter Wash N Go)

Hey, beautiful people! For this wash day, I did a couple experiments. The first was unintentional. As usual, I did an overnight deep conditioner first. I had just enough Hairveda Acai Phyto Berry Conditioner in the bottle for one side of my hair. I wasn't ready to open up another bottle; so, on the other side of my hair, I used another favorite light protein deep conditioner - Aubrey Organics Island Naturals Replenishing Conditioner. These are both awesome conditioners for my hair. The Hairveda was easier to apply because it glides better on my strands. However, the Aubrey Organics left my hair softer when I washed the conditioners out of my hair the next day.

Next, after I rinsed out the conditioners, I went straight into styling. After my successful wash n go last week, I wanted to see if I could duplicate the results with another favorite leave-in conditioner -- Koils by Nature Leave-In. After applying the leave-in, I applied my oil mix and applied Uncle Funky's Daughter Curly Magic for my wash n go. So far, so good. My hair seems a little bit shinier and it dried a little faster; but, other than that, it looks pretty much the same. It did flake a little, but it was barely noticeable.

Wash and style time - 35 minutes, including periodic pauses to entertain the baby, who was watching me apply products

Dry time - ~6 hours for the front, and the back is still damp.

The top is a picture of wet hair, and the bottom is dry

Power Product Review: Koils By Nature (& The Deep Conditioner Files #14)

Hey, beautiful people! As I mentioned last year, I purchased a single Curl Collection box when they featured Koils by Nature. As part of the box, I received the Ultra Moisturizing CocoAloe Deep Conditioner, the Moisturizing Shealoe Leave-in Conditioner, the Peppermint Herbal Soothing Curl Defining Gel, and the Marvelous Mango Hair & Body Butter.

Ultra Moisturizing CocoAloe Deep Conditioner with Argan Oil ($18 for 12 oz) - I love this product! This and the leave-in are my two favorite products out of the box. It is a lotion consistency (not overly thick). It goes on smooth, has a lot of slip for detangling. It actually makes a great pre-poo. I was able to use this to detangle my dry hair without any water. It also revived my hair within a couple weeks, after I had been neglecting it a little.

Moisturizing Shealoe Leave-in Conditioner with Argan Oil ($20 for 12 oz) – I love this product. It has a creamy consistency, which seems to be best for leave-in conditioners for my hair. It goes on smoothly, has a lot of slip and is moisturizing. I’m not sure why, but it smells a little like citrus fruit. It is a very light scent. I would definitely re-buy this.

Peppermint Herbal Soothing Curl Defining Gel ($14 for 8 oz) – This was my least favorite product in the box. I tried it on a wash n go. I also tried it on a bun. It smooths on easily, and has a lot of slip (probably because of the marshmallow root and slippery elm), but it has little to no hold and it flaked a little on my wash n go. My wash n go also shrunk A LOT and frizzed. My favorite part of this gel was the peppermint. It smells strongly of peppermint, and leaves a cooling tingle on my scalp, so I know the peppermint is not just fragrance. Because I couldn’t find a way to use this that worked for me, it is a “leave it”.

Marvelous Mango Hair & Body Butter ($25 for 4 oz) – I took one look at the butter, and knew that I could not use it on my hair. However, I love it for my hands and elbows. It is kind of creamy and melts easily, leaving my hands baby soft. I keep it in the diaper bag, and use it whenever my hands get dry. In complete disclosure, I also used it on the baby’s legs once when I noticed they were a little dry at the pediatrician’s office. Do not buy this if you do not like the smell of mango, however, because it does have a strong mango scent. This would be a “love it”, but my hubby thinks the mango smell is too strong and it is expensive. Thus, this is a “like it”.

INGREDIENTS:

Ultra Moisturizing CocoAloe Deep Conditioner with Argan Oil (pH 4.5-5.0) – Distilled Water, Aloe Leaf Juice, Cetyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Coconut Oil, Aloe Butter, Argan Oil, Macadamia Nut Oil, Grape Seed Oil, Organic Olive Oil, Mango Alphonso Powder Fruit Extract, Hydrolyzed Oat Protein, Kosher Vegetable Glycerin, Potassium Sorbate , Willow Bark Extract, Vitamin E, Pro-Vitamin B5, Fragrance, Citric Acid.

Moisturizing Shealoe Leave-in Conditioner with Argan Oil (pH 4.5-5.0) – Distilled Water infused with Organic Calendula Flower Whole, Burdock Root, Organic Horsetail Shaved Grass, & Organic Nettle Leaf; Aloe Leaf Juice; Cetyl Alcohol; Behentrimonium Methosulfate; Organic Marshmallow Root Powder; Organic Burdock Root Powder; Organic Calendula Flower Powder; Organic Slippery Elm Bark Powder; Chamomile Flower Powder; Shea oil; Rice Bran Oil; Organic Olive Oil; Macadamia Nut Oil; Tropic Isle Living Jamaican Black Castor Seed Oil; Argan Oil; Aloe Butter; Grape Seed Oil; Mango Alphonso Powder Fruit Extract; Kosher Vegetable Glycerin; Potassium Sorbate; Willow Bark Extract; Vitamin E; Pro-Vitamin B5; Essential Oil & Fragrance; Citric Acid.

Peppermint Herbal Soothing Curl Defining Gel – Distilled Water infused with Organic Calendula Flower Whole, Organic Burdock Root, Organic Horsetail Shaved Grass, & Organic Nettle Leaf; Aloe Leaf Juice; Carbomer; Organic Marshmallow Root Powder; Organic Slippery Elm Bark Powder; Chamomile Flower Powder; Shea Oil; Organic Olive Oil; Macadamia Nut Oil; Jamaican Black Castor Seed Oil; Grape Seed Oil; Mangifera Indica; Potassium Sorbate; Willow Bark Extract; Peppermint Essential Oils, Citric Acid.

Marvelous Mango Hair & Body Butter –Shea Butter, Coconut Oil, Kokum Butter, Mango Seed Butter, Avocado Butter, Aloe Butter, Sweet Almond Oil, Jojoba Seed Oil, Grape Seed Oil, Organic Olive Oil, Jamaican Black Castor Seed Oil, Illipe Butter, Vitamin E, Pro-Vitamin B5, Organic essential oils & fragrance.