Travel Hair Ramble

In about two weeks I'm going to Tennessee to visit my grandma for spring break. I'm so excited! I keep thinking about what I'm going to do to my hair though! I can't bring something big because I'm going to be flying by air and I can't take huge bottles with me. Since there's a Walgreens right up the street (thank GOD!) I'm going to go there for hair supplies. I'll only need to get small things since I'm only going to be there a week. Online, Walgreens carries Nexxus Humectress travel size shampoo and conditioner, and I would like to try that. The ingredients are full of silicones and things I can't pronounce, but I still want to try it. I mean, I'll only use it once or twice while I'm there.

Then again, do I even need to buy the Nexxus shampoo? Can't I just co-wash twice? Something to consider..

As far as moisturizers go I'm so confused! I'm not sure what to do! I can only bring 3 ounce bottles on the plane and everything I own is around 8. I know they sell small containers that you can pour your personal care items into, but what if the person checking my bag doesn't believe me? Okay, that's silly. But I guess I'm going to have to try to take some with me. Just because I'm on vacation doesn't mean I can slack on my hair care.


Oils? My grandma cooks a lot so I'm sure she'll have some extra virgin olive oil laying around. She'll look at me funny for putting it in my hair, but that's okay.


I hope Walgreens has some coconut milk. I was at the grocery store today and noticed coconut juice and milk sitting next to each other on the shelf. I looked up coconut milk and saw some people deep condition with it. I don't know..it just sounds interesting to try.


Tennessee Hair Regimen (may change):
Sunday:
deep condition with Nexxus conditioner for a looong time! (to make up for not pre-pooing)
wash with nexxus shampoo
use what ever moisturizer I take as a leave in.
air dry


Thursday:
deep condition with Nexxus conditioner
rinse
leave in
air dry


every night: moisturize (may not seal)

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. :)

Oh Wait...There's more!

Continuing from my last post, The stylist also said I have dandruff! WHAT! I thought I got rid of that problem a long time ago! I've been mixing eucalyptus and rosemary oil into my DC's for months now so I thought I would be over that. Earlier this week I mixed castor oil and sweet almond oil together, I'm now going to mix some eucalyptus and rosemary oil into it also to get rid of this darn dandruff! UGHH!

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.

Oranic Root Stimulator Olive Oil Replenishing Pak

Today was a shampoo-wash day so, as always, I did a pre poo. I plan on getting a relaxer sometime this week so I used Organic Root Stimulator Olive Oil Replenishing Pak because it's a light protein. I really liked it. The night before I soaked my hair in Africa's Best Herbal Oil, and this morning I woke up and mixed this pak with eucalyptus oil and rosemary oil. While I was rinsing it out in the shower about an hour later, I noticed how soft my hair felt. I was afraid to use it at first because I thought it would be too much protein in my hair, but it felt just fine. I actually think it's too good to be used as a pre-poo, I might use it as a DC from now on when ever I think my hair needs extra protein.
Besides that, it smells amazing. It has a citrus-y smell to it that I love. I'm going to have to get some more paks.
 I know they sell it in a bottle, but it's easier for me to get the pak because they sell it at my job.

Wasn't Expecting This...

I DC'd again today with the Kenra moisturizing Conditioner. I noticed such a big difference from the first time I used it compared to now. My hair feels so soft and is manageable. My New growth is softer than it was before and I'm loving it! I hope it keeps improving this way! This time I mixed it with Castor oil, eucalyptus oil and rosemary oil. Next time (Sunday) I'll use it by it self and see how it does with out any added oil.

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.

AGHHHHH! Ingredients...

Frustration. Pure frustration. Why? I thought I found the best shampoo/conditioner for me. Sigh, I suppose I was wrong. Herbal Essences contains a few if-y ingredients. It has a few silicone's in it and I'm scared its going to ruin my hair! I know silicone's are bad, but I love the way this shampoo makes my hair feel. Now I'm beginning to wonder if it's just crap in a bottle. I'm not sure. Both the shampoo and conditioner contains high amounts dimethicone. (A silicone derivative. Adds luster and sheen.) I also looked up a couple of other ingredients and a lot of them were linked to causing CANCER! (but then again, isn't pretty much everything a link to cancer?) I used to think that as long as mineral oil and petroleum weren't in the product then it was good, now I'm scared to buy anything. I hope what ever ingredients they did put in there are to help my hair become healthy and are not temporary fixes that only make my hair look good for now.

I found a deep conditioner I want to try called 'Kenra Moisturizing Conditioner.' Not many people on the hair forums use them, but Sunshyne (the creator of Hairlista.com) used it and she liked it, also after reading a lot of reviews, a lot of other people love it and swear by it. I'll get it tomorrow while I'm shopping and it should cost around $10-$14. (almost five times the amount the HE costs me, but that's okay because hopefully it'll be a quality product and worth it.)

NOTES:

-I know I said I was interested in the MoroccanOil for a DC, but I read the ingredients and they said NOTHING about Moroccan oil. I know just because the brand is called Moroccan oil doesn't mean they have to put Moroccan oil in it, but it's HIGHLY assumed.  

-I might start doing what Megan from 'ulovemegz' on YouTube does- instead of having a rinse-out conditioner and a separate DC, she just leaves the rinse-out on her hair for a long time and considers that her DC.
-Silicone: Some will say that silicones bond to the hair and do not allow moisture into the hair shaft. Supposedly once the silicone is on the hair it acts as a barrier between your hair and prevents moisture from penetrating your hair shaft.

Still lookin for a Deep Conditioner.

I'm still on the hunt for a good DC.  

I thought I found it when I found Africa's Best Rinse-Out and leave in Deep Conditioner. Wrong! I mean..as a DC, it's okay. After using it my hair feels kind of soft, but not as soft as it can be. However, as a nightly moisturizer, its AMAZING! One of the best I've used so far. So much better than Herbal Essences Long Term Relationship (I quit using that once I found out it was protein), and almost as good as Garnier Fructis Leave-In Conditioning Cream. Since it can be used as a leave-in, I decided to also use it as a moisturizer and it has been great! The only downside is that it smells like beer, so to fix that problem I added some rosemary oil to it.

I've been wanting to try some kind of Shea Moisture's conditioner, since Shilinda1 on Youtube has been raving about it for months, but my Target store is out of it and has been out for a while now. The Clinique has been working for me so well and it got me thinking; since department store facial products work so well for me, wouldn't a department store or salon brand conditioner work well? Lately I've been looking at MoroccanOil conditioners. Everybody seems to love them and considering that its 'salon quality', its reasonably priced. I don't know..we'll see. :)

Herbal Essences 1st Wash

I used the regimen that I said I would last time. I LOVED the shampoo and conditioner. But after the deep condition, it went down hill. The DC was bad. I could have done with out it. It actually took away from the softness that the herbal essences gave me. Then I took used Garnier Fructis Sleek and Shine anti-frizz serum and smoothing milk. I didn't like the serum, but the milk was good. I might use the serum as needed, but not as a weekly leave-in conditioner.

I hope the Herbal Essences works for me for a long time. I've noticed that I either hate a product at first and continue to use it then like it, or like a product and then hate/dislike it. (Lustrasilk, Aphogee)

Herbal Essences Shampoo and Conditioner

I just washed my hair with the HE Reconditioning shampoo and conditioner. I really loooovvvveeee it! I thought the conditioner was just okay last week, but with the shampoo, it was amazing! Actually, I think the shampoo was more conditioning than the conditioner. Weird, huh? When I very first put the shampoo into my hair I loved it. It just felt sooo moisturized. A feeling I never got with Silk Elements and obviously not with Aphogee. It was not stripping all. The conditioner complimented the shampoo well and I'm already considering these to be staples. This was really surprising to me because normally I don't like products the first few times I use them.

So now I'm deep conditioning my hair with Silk Elements Olive Oil Moisturizing Treatment. It's okay, but I got my  eye on Shea Moistures conditioner. Honestly it doesn't matter which one because they all seem like they would work well. As long as its high moisture and low protein or none at all, I'll buy it.

I want to find a curl definer. Since I'm going to do so many braid outs, I need something to make my curly hair curlier and not frizzy. I'll look at the Herbal Essences Tousle me Softly line.

Lastly, as for as the pre poo, I used the Suave Shea Butter and Almond. It was pretty good, nothing amazing.  How much can you really expect when you pay less than two dollars for it though?

Lustrasilk?

I'm not sure if Lustrasilk is good enough for a deep condition. I like the product, I'm just not sure its moisturizing enough for me. I think I should invest in a new DC. I still have 1 1/2 tubs left of it, so I might use it as a pre-poo and/or co-wash until I run out of it. I'm not sure if I'll repurchase after that. So now I'm on a hunt for a new DC. Tomorrow will be my wash day and I might use that, also when I co-wash this week, but after that I really hope to have a new product in my stash! :)

new regimen

WEEKLY:
-shampoo wash 1x
-co-wash 1x
-DC 2x


DAILY:
-oil w/ Castor oil
-M&S

PROTECTIVE/LOW MANIPULATION STYLES:
-braid outs
-bantu knot outs
-rollerset saran wrap


Shampoo- HE Hydraliscious Reconditioning Shampoo, Aphogee shampoo for damaged hair (only used when using heat)
Conditioner- HE Hydraliscious Reconditioning Conditioner, Aphogee 2 minute reconstructer (only used with heat or before relaxer), HE long term relationship
Deep Conditioners- Lustrasilk shea butter and mango, silk elements olive oil moisturizing treatment, oils, ORS replenishing pak
Leave ins- Aphogee green tea and keratin (only when using heat), fantasia frizz buster, Garnier Fructis leave i conditioning cream, HE Long Term Relationship, GF anti frizz serum, GF smoothing milk
Moisturizers- Garnier Fructis leave-in conditioning cream, HE long term relationship
Heat Protectant- Tresseme thermal creations
Pre-poo- ? (i'll figure it out)
Oils- Sweet almond oil, castor, olive, one n' only argan oil, eucalyptus, rosemary, Africa's best herbal oil, coconut oil
Co-wash- suave almond and shea butter


AS NEEDED:
Protein Treatment-egg, Aphogee wash (instead of herbal essences)


Relaxer Every 10 weeks (at least)


Misc: apple cider vinegar rinse


Notes:
-no more Pantene products (might have caused dandruff)
-AVOID MINERAL OIL (threw away some products because of mineral oil)


Wish List:
HE reconditioning shampoo
GF anti frizz serum
GF smoothing milk
Suave almond and shea butter

HJ- fish oil, DC's, and roller sets. :)

3 weeks ago i told you that i will not be buying hair products for three weeks because I don't want to become a product junkie. Well, that three weeks is up. :) now I can buy products but I don't really have my eye on anything at the moment. I think my regimen is fine as it is and doesn't need any thing new. (well, I'm almost out of my DC, but I'll climb that hill when i get to it.)The only thing I really want at this point is fish oil pills. Fish oil is supposed to help with a lot of things. (more details below)
Yesterday I DC'd my hair (no shampoo) for about two hours. ( I used to keep track of what I put in my DC's, but now I just put a hojpoj of things in there. I normally just put the stuff on my hair, but yesterday I applied similar to a relaxer and it worked much better. I'm not sure if its how I applied it or what I used to make my hair feel that way though. Then my mom roller setted it. (tools used: clips, rollers, triangle hair net, hooded dryer) When I took it out, It looked..eh. not great like i hoped. But i won't give up because it defiantly had potential to be better. Then I woke up and flat ironed it. :\


Fish Oil Benefits:
hair
-promote faster hair growth
-nourishes hair follicles
-rich in protein which contributes to healthy hair
-improves texture, makes it softer
-improves density, makes it thicker
-adds moisture
-maintains a healthy shine and luster
skin
-makes skin smoother (Gets rid of acne)
other
-brain health
-joint health
-cardiovascular health
-makes nails harder

Of course, instead of taking dietary supplements, you could simply eat more fish or increase your Omega 3 intake- but i don't like fish that much so I'll choose to take the supplements instead.

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.

HJ- washed my hair

Today I decided to wash my hair again b/c lately I've been doing a lot of bantu knots in my hair (super cute!) and i use gel and hair spray to hold the curls through out the day. WELLL... that made my hair crunchy and stiff so i washed it today after school. (took me about 4 hours! -_- ) And I did the DC with the HOT mixed in and it worked GREAT! my hair is a lot softer than it was the last time i washed it and it looks great too.

WHAT I DID:
-HOT for about 15 minutes (a long time, huh?) w/ plastic cap on
-washed & conditioned hair as usual
-mixed a big glob of SE intense mayo, 2 squirts of Aussie 3 minute miracle, 8 drops of jojoba oil, and the rest of my HOT (which was still warm)(about 1/3 of the bottle)
-put the plastic cap on, left it on for 30-40 minutes, then sat under the dryer for 15-20 minutes. (I hate sitting under the dryer for more than 20 minutes, its soooo boring!)
-rinsed, and continued as normal

My hair is super soft and I will be doing this again and again for my later DC's. (But i still want a new conditioner though)

DC-  deep condition
HOT- hot oil treatment
SE- silk elements