Best. Wash. Day. Ever.-Keracare

Today I washed my hair. (I normally wash it on Sunday, but I had to work an eight hour shift so I didn't want to)

I used Keracare's Sulfate Free Detangling shampoo and conditioner.(I'll tell you how I got that in a later post, It's not allowing me to upload pictures.) OMG I loved it! My hair is super soft!

Sequence of Events:

I came home and put Suave almond and Shea butter into my hair for a prepoo with out adding any oils. While I was waiting to get into the shower, I read the back of the Keracare bottle. It said to leave it in for 15-20 minutes. For a moment I was confused on what to do since I already DC with Kenra for at least 45. It wouldn't make since to prepoo, wash, put conditioner into my hair, get out the shower, wait 15-20 minutes, rinse that out, then add Kenra. So instead I rinsed the out the suave, then put the keracare conditioner into my hair for about 40 minutes. (LOVED IT!)

Since I just got a relaxer I think it's necessary to add some protein into my hair. I used Aphogee's 2 minute reconstructer. And I DID NOT KNOW that mineral oil is the fifth ingredient on that bottle! I guess at the time I bought it, I figured since everybody else used it, it didn't have mineral oil in it! #WRONG! Trust me, It's in the trash can now. I've learned my lesson.

Anyways, Then I used the Keracare shampoo. It was really good. My hair didn't feel super moisturized like it did with the herbal essences, but it was super soft, detangled, and didn't feel stripped at all. Also, it's really runny. Which can kind of be a good thing because I don't have to use a lot.

Then I deep conditioned with Kenra Moisturizing Conditioner. I only added rosemary and eucalyptus oil to it and it was the best DC I've had since being on my hair journey. Literally.

Do I love my new products? Absolutely.

NOTES:
-I thought I was going to either continue to use Herbal essences until I ran out, but then I thought about it and figured-"why should I continue to torture my hair with silicones and parabens when I have a good quality shampoo and conditioner right there? So I threw out the shampoo and will use the conditioner as a co-wash.

-Can't wait to see what my hair is like when I'm a few weeks post! Will the detangler in the shampoo/conditioner detangle my new growth too?

-I'm going on a trip in two weeks so I can't take my kera care or kenra on the plane. So I'm going to get these small Nexxus Humectress and Therappee for the plane ride. I've wanted to try it since Megan has been raving about it, and it's the perfect excuse to use it!

- I love Keracare. :)

Yesterdays Wash Day

Yesterday was an interesting wash day for me for two reasons:

• it was the first time I had to wash my hair before going to work
• I didn't mix anything into my DC (as requested)

On saturday, I put a lot of Africa's Best Herbal Oil into my hair before going to bed. Then in the morning I pre-pooed with ORS replinishing pak and it went great. (click here for more details) After I rinsed my hair out, I washed with HE Reconditioning Shampoo/Conditioner- it went well as usual. Then I tried something different. I was requested to use the Kenra Moisturizing Conditioner with out any added oils into it just to see how it went. It was good! I liked it! My hair was soft after using it. A lot softer compared to the first time, but not as soft as last time. (which was expected because I didn't add any oils)

Then I used Garnier Fructis Sleek and Shine Anti-Humidity Smoothing Milk. I think I'm going to stop using that. My hair feels less soft after using it, on top of that I don't think my hair is that frizzy with out it, so it's not adding any benefits to my hair. If I notice an increase in frizz, I'll continue to use it. Until then, its OUT the regimen. I also added Fantasia frizz buster and aphogee green tea and keratin mist. I think I'm going to get a relaxer this week so I keep using small doses of protein.

Kenra Moisturizing Conditioner First Impression

On Sunday for the first time I used the Kenra Moisturizing Conditioner as a DC. It was fine. Made my hair soft. What I wanted. Not AMAZING. I'm not jumping out of my seat or anything. But it was fine. Its a lot better than the other random mixtures that I concocted before. I guess because it's more expensive than the products I was using before, I expected it to work extremely different compared to a cheaper brand. It's now Tuesday and my hair still feels soft, but it always feels super soft after I wash it with herbal essences. I do have a huge liter bottle of it so I'll keep using it and have an official review of it later.

I mixed it with sweet almond oil, eucalyptus oil and rosemary oil.

Color: the packaging is grey and the conditioner is yellow

Smell: Smells like ordinary conditioner. It doesn't smell like coconuts like a few other people said, not in my opinion at least.

Cost: 10.1 ounce- $9-$14, Liter- $30

Consistency: Not really thick, not runny. Average

Where to buy: Only available in salons. Not sold in drug stores or online (according to the website. However I did see it on folica.com)

Bottom Line: It's pretty good. Defiantly not the 'Holy Grail' Product I was looking for, but with time I think I'll progress to like it. Not sure if I'll be repurchasing again.

New DC and pre-poo mixture

Thus far in my HJ, I've been mixing a bunch of random things into my deep conditioners. Sometimes it's a hit. Other times it's a miss. To prevent this problem I'm going to come up with a special recipe in order for it to work consistently.
DC Recipe:
6 cap fuls of Kenra Moisturizing Conditioner (or what ever one I use at the time)
about 10 drops of two different essential oils (right now I have eucalyptus and rosemary)
about 5-7 drops of a carrier oil (whatever I choose to use)


It's not exact, but it's better than mixing a lot of random things into a bowl and not knowing what works best or needs to be avoided next time. Also, I used to use a lot of oil in my DC's and they would always be runny. With much less oil used, it won't be so runny.


Pre-poo:
about 6 scoops of a pre poo (lustra silk or sauve)
10 drops of essential oils
few drops of a carrier oil
a few scoops of what ever conditioner/moisturizer I'm trying to get rid of

Kenra Moisturizing Conditioner- Can't wait to try it!

Additional Uses: (copied and pasted form kenra.com)

• Add maximum moisture by applying Moisturizing Conditioner, covering hair with plastic cap and placing client under warm dryer for 10-15 minutes.
• Revitalize old perms by working Moisturizing Conditioner and Styling Gel into relaxed curls and diffusing with a blow dryer.
• Work small amount of Moisturizing Conditioner into dry hair ends to control frizz.

Key Ingredients: (Copied and pasted from kenra.com)

• Stearalkonium Chloride A humectant moisturizer for added manageability and softness.
• Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein A protein that adds moisture to hair.
• Benzophenone-4 Sunscreen for UV protection from drying and color fade.

Yesterday, like I said, I bought the Kenra Moisturizing Conditioner. My plan was to get the 10.1 ounce bottle, but instead I got the 33.8 ounce (1 liter) bottle. My original plan was to walk around the mall and search for the best price since there are three salons that carry Kenra products. So I walked into Trade Secret and noticed that they were having a 50% of liter sale. I still wanted to check to see if I was going to get the best price, so I left the store. I must of walked less than 30 feet away from the store and turned around because I couldn't pass up such a great deal. So, instead of paying $30 for it (the regular price), I only paid $16.10. I thought this was a great deal because the 10.1 ounces are sold at prices ranging from $9-$14. So pretty much I got over three times more for (at most) an extra seven dollars. I didn't even look at the other salons.



Example of a liter-sized conditioner
with a pump

 What I don't like about the packaging is that most of the time when you buy shampoo/conditioner a liter, it comes with a pump instead of having to pour it into your hand. The pump would have made it easier to measure how much conditioner I'm putting into my mixing bowl.
 
(random) When I was reading the reviews on this product, a lot of people said it had a strong coconut smell, it didn't really smell like coconuts to me.
 
What if I don't like it? I already committed to the liter size and it's going to take me forever to get rid of it. I'm not buying any more products for a while unless I run out of something, so I really hope it works well.

HJ, random thoughts, oil facts :)

Soo... I bought the coconut oil at GNC for about $8 yesterday. I forgot how much i hate coconuts and their smell though. lol. my hair isn't much different from not using it. I hate getting all excited to use something new and then its just okay. The same thing happened with the silk elements and stuff. But I want to try the Pantene Conditoner once i finsh the SE one b/c it worked so well last time. And I also want to get either Hot Six Oil or Africas best Herbal Oil. It doesn't matter which one (whatevers cheaper). I like the ingredients b/c they both have alot of oils that are good for hair and no 'bad' ingredients. (besides fragrance) I don't want to use them to MS my hair, more just to use for HOT and to mix into DC.


-Ik its a lil soon (10 days), but i think my hair has grown a little. :)
-I'm thinking of getting Pantene daily oil cream moisturizer again. the reason i stopped using it in the first place was b/c it has mineral oil in it, but it works great for my hair so i might get it again anyways
-I decided not to buy any products for 3 weeks after I get the herbal oil or hot six oil. I want to see how the products i already have work and stop buying so many products so i won't become a product junky.
-i won't take pics of my hair growth until atleast 10/8/10. that'll be exactly 1 month from my last pic. I'll take pics in 1 month increments so I'll see the difference.


H A I R  G O A L S: to be completed by December '10.
-lower manipulation- touching, twirling, smoothing, brushing/combing unnecessicarily.
-Find a regimen that works- I'm already started on this process, but ugh its taking such a long time and i hate wasting money on stuff that is okay/doesn't work at all.
-Find heatless hairstyles that work/ Lower heat styles- I've tried bantu knots, they work okay but i have to flat iron it a lil bit b/c i think it works better. I've also tried braid outs before, it turned out okay but i want it to look better. Next time i do it i'll make the braids bigger so I can get bigger, waves instead of little ones. Eventually I hope to lower my heat styles to 0-3 times a month.
-Learn to Roller set-  roller sets are so pretty to me, I hope I can learn to do them and they'll look nice. What I don't like about them is that their so time consuming.
-Get Castor Oil- When my 3 weeks is up of course. :) (read why below)


Oils: How and Why I choose them:
How I choose my oils:
-figure out what I want my hair to do (longer, stronger, thicker, moisturized, ect.)
-find a oil that does that by googling it and looking at numerous websites that talk about an oil
-once I find an oil i'm interested in, I look for personal reviews and experiences with that oil.

example- I looked up SAO and websites said a lot of great things about it, and i read a lot of personal reviews and a lot of people liked it so i bought it, but when I looked up grapeseed oil, a lot of websites said a lot of great things about it, but personal reviews said it didn't penetrate the hair very well so i decided not to get it.

Why I chose my oils (what they do):


-Sweet Almond Oil:
-nourishes hair and smooths hair cuticle
-makes hair long, strong and thick
-adds shine
-no smell


-Jojoba Oil (ho-ho-bah):
-moisturizes the scalp
-non-greasy
-develops new hair cell growth
-antibacterial
-prevents hair from being brittle and dull
-no smell


Coconut Oil:
-growth
-shine
-gets rid of dandruff, lice, and lice eggs
-provides essential proteins
-controls frizz
-no more hygral fatigue (hygral fatigue: Damage due to swelling and contraction of the hair during the uptake and loss of water. Swelling and de-swelling of hair is one of the causes of hair damage.- more info on hairlista.com)


Castor Oil:
*I don't have this oil yet, but i hear so many good things about it and I really like what I hear.
-moisturizes scalp
-promotes hair growth and thickness
-reduce and prevents damage
-soft and shiny hair


Purpose of DC/Mixing DC:


Purpose:
Deep conditioning affects the outer layer which is called the cuticle. The cuticle resembles shingles on a roof. They overlap each other, and should lay down flat. When your hair becomes dry and damaged, these shingles will stand up away from the hair shaft. This is what gives hair the dull, frizzy look. Deep conditioning the proper way and with the right products will help to smooth the cuticle, making the shingles lay down again, giving your hair a smoother, shinier, healthier appearance. (according to http://www.essortment.com/all/deepcondtionyo_rlhp.htm)


Why I mix:
The first time I saw someone mixing their deep conditioners was ulovemegz on youtube. I thought It was a genius idea that she came up with herself. Then i started using hairlista.com and realized that for people with healthier hair, its more common to mix your conditioners with other things than not to. I mixed my conditioners for the first time last week and compared to not mixing it, it worked A LOT better. my hair was super soft and moisturized compared to not mixing.
   --random: I like to mix my HOT into the DC, but you don't really need a lot of it b/c it'll make the consistency of the DC runny. 1- 1/2 tbsp should be enough.