SilkenDove

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

Sunday, January 1, 2017

Happy New Year and 2017 Personal Goals

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!

Friday, December 30, 2016

2016 Favorites

Hey, beautiful people! Merry Christmas and a happy new year (in advance)! The end of the year is here, so it is time for my annual list of favorites. This year, there were a few surprises for me because the products were not on my radar till I tried them. Of course there were also some reoccurring favorites:

Moisturizing, Light Protein Deep Conditioners:

- Silk Dreams Vanilla Silk Moisture Dream

- Aubrey Organics Island Naturals Replenishing Conditioner (discontinued?)

- Silk Dreams Mocha Silk Infusion

- Silk Dreams Shea What Therapeutic Conditioning Masque

Cleansers

- Aubrey Organics Swimmer’s Shampoo (discontinued?)

- Carol’s Daughter Black Vanilla Shampoo

- Camille Rose Sweet Ginger Sulfate Free Cleansing Rinse

- Camille Rose Carmel Cowash

Rinse Out Conditioner

- Herbal Essence Long Term Relationship Conditioner
- Herbal Essence Totally Twisted Conditioner (discontinued?)
- Garnier Fructis Hydra Recharge Conditioner

Leave-in Conditioners & Moisturizers

- Oyin Hair Dew

- Silk Dreams Wheat Germ Butter Conditioner

- ORI Essentials Leave-in

- Curl Junkie Curl Assurance Smoothing Lotion

Gels (for bunning and wash n’ go)

- Uncle Funky’s Daughter Curly Magic Curl Stimulator

- Camille Rose Curl Maker Gel

- Wetline Extreme Gel

Braid & Twist Creams

- Silk Dreams Almond Buttercream

- Camille Rose Aloe Whipped Butter Gel

- Jane Carter Curl Defining Cream

- Embrace The Natural You Twist Truffle Whip

Heat Stylers

- Carol’s Daughters Chocolat Blow Dry Cream

- It's A 10 Leave-in Conditioner

Oils & Mix-ins

- Glycerin

- Avocado Oil

- Grapeseed Oil

- Jamaican Black Castor Oil

- Camille Rose Cocoa Nibs & Honey Ultimate Growth Serum

- Tea Tree & Lavender Essential Oil

- Silk Amino Acids

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

Thursday, November 24, 2016

Silk Dreams Battle of the Butters (The Braiding Files #9)

Hey, beautiful people! Happy Thanksgiving! This post is long overdue, so I decided to type while I am waiting for all the things in the oven to finish cooking, may daughter is taking a nap and my hubby is watching football.

As you already know, Silk Dreams Haircare is one of my favorite brands. So, when they had a sale a while ago, I picked up three of the moisturizing butters: the Who’s That Curl? Buttersilk Balm; the Satin Smooth Hair Cream; and the Almond Buttercream. There is also a Mocha Silk Bling Butter, but I prefer a butter that has water as the first moisturizer and it has mango butter as the first ingredient, followed by a series of other butters and oils.

I have been using all three butters for a few months to see how my hair reacts each one. Surprisingly, the ingredients are very different, but my hair reacts similarly to two of the butters and not that much different for the third. I wanted to make sure that they remained similar long term. They did not.

Price: All 3 are $12 for 4 oz., which seems a little pricey, but a little goes a long way. Thus, these butters end up lasting as long as some cheaper products, if not longer.

Ingredients: All 3 have great, quality ingredients. Who’s The Curl and Almond Buttercream both have water as the first ingredient, which is likely why they work better for my hair. Satin Smooth has aloe vera juice as the first ingredient, but is the better butter for people who do not like glycerin. It is the only one without any. Who’s That Curl has glycerin as the third ingredient, and Almond Buttercream has it as the 9^th. Who’s That Curl is the only one with BTMS, and silk amino acids (two of my hair loves). Almond Buttercream has hydrolyzed silk protein, but it is way down on the ingredient list.

Scent: All 3 have a nice scent. I have yet to find a bad smelling Silk Dreams Haircare product. The Almond Buttercream has my favorite of the 3 scents though.

Consistency: Who’s That Curl is a whipped butter. It reminds me a lot of Embrace The Natural You’s Twist Truffle Whip. Almond Buttercream is an oily cream (you have to shake it on occasion to mix it up). Satin Smooth is a gel, oil cream consistency that is hard to describe (you have to vigorously shake this one to keep it together).

Verdict: It is a close call between Almond Buttercream and Who’s That Curl as to which one is my favorite. If I had to go by which one I am using up the fastest, it would be the Almond Buttercream, but I still really love the Who’s That Curl. The Satin Smooth is nice, but it left my hair a little dry/hard after a few hours.

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:

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.

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.

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.

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?

Saturday, September 3, 2016

Black Friday Thoughts in September

Hey, beautiful people! I know it's a little early, 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:

6 deep conditioners
2 shampoos / cleansers
7 rinse out conditioners
9 leave-ins / moisturizers
2-3 gels (including bun & wash n' go gels)
3-5 braid & twist creams/butters
<1 heat styler
1-2 oils (I run through oils slowly)

It's kind of embarrassing to admit it, but I have all of this in my product stash already, except the rinse out conditioners. I currently have 39 products in my stash, with 4 more on their way to my house. I recently purchased products from both Silk Dreams Hair Care and Camille Rose.

So, this Black Friday, I may just pick up a couple deep conditioners if there is a good sale, and buy some more Camille Rose products with my daughter's hair in mind. My daughter's hair loves the Camille Rose Coconut Water Penetrating Hair Treatment (as a leave-in) and the Carmel Cowash. I also want to try the Moroccan Pear Conditioning Custard (if I catch a good deal), and get a back-up Curl Maker gel and Aloe Whipped Butter Gel for myself.

Am I the only one with Black Friday on the brain already?