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. :)

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.

super late hair update pic...oops. :)

11/08/10

So i took this picture on 12/9/10. it doesn't look like much growth from the last picture I took but when I brush it to the front it looks a lot longer than it did before. I think some of it had to do with the relaxer getting rid of my shrinkage. I believe I will definitely be full shoulder length by February 2011. I went to the salon to get my relaxer but this time I don't know what kind of relaxer she used. All I know is that it was in a white bottle with pink writing. I really liked the relaxer because it didn't burn and it made my NG lay down extra flat.

Friday I washed my hair:
Pre-pooed for 30 minutes with Pantene curly hair series DC. I really liked it.
Aphogee shampoo- 1 wash
Aphogee 2 min recon. (i used it as a regular rinse-out conditioner and didn't leave it in for two minutes or put on a plastic cap)
lustrasilk shea butter and mango- 2-3 minutes
Then I DC'd for about 2 hours:
lustrasilk mango butter
Silk elements mega silk olive oil moisturizing treatment (NEW)
SE intense conditioning mayo
fantasia frizz buster
Eucalyptus oil
coconut oil
When I DC I put saran wrap around my hair then put on a plastic cap. Then I sit under the dryer for the last 20 minutes.

The newest thing that i have bought for my hair is One n Only argan oil. I've been wanting to try argan/morrocan oil on my hair since omgitsvictoriaXD (youtube) said she used it on her hair and liked it. I used it last night as a sealant and liked it, but i want to try it more before I give a full review on it.

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

Hair Journal: Pantene Curly Hair Series- Dry to Moisturized Review.

A few weeks ago my mom signed up to recieve a freebie of pantene shampoo and conditioner in the mail. So we recieved a small sample sized and I used it to wash my hair once i took my braids out. It made my hair SUPER soft. But.. I did notice that I used the conditioner more than I used the shampoo. (I had my eyes closed and didn't realize I was using conditioner instead of a shampoo--so I conditioned my hair about 4 times and washed w/ shampoo twice)

-It did make my hair soft, but it didn't detangle at all.
-The smell was decent- it didn't stink, but it wasn't scented.
-I don't think theres any mineral oil in it.

On another note, I've decided to try coconut oil instead of jojoba oil. I think it'll help my hair just as well but its less expensive and you get more product. So I'll wait until I run out of jojoba oil until I get the coconut oil. (unless it goes on sale :) ) Another reason I want to try coconut oil is because it helps with dry hair. specifically dandruff. when I took out my braids I noticed A LOT  of dandruff. I don't see it any more now (weird) but it could've went away since I started moisturizing and sealing.

Also, I've tried moisturizing and sealing for the first time this week. I've noticed that my hair is a lot shiny-er even after doing it for only 1 night it was a lot shiny-er. It also feels soft but that could just be the shampoo and conditioner. When I run my fingers through my hair, my hands feel oily. not greasy and nasty though. I guess this is normal for M&S'd hair? And I don't understand people who can M&S their hair twice a day, If i did that then it would be sooo greasy-Mc-nasty. But i guess that's for people with thicker/longer hair.

I also learned this week that it is important to have a hair goal. I want to go as far as i can and still maintain it- hopefully bra strap length by Dec '11. (maybe that's wishful thinking, but I think I can do it)

And lastly, I learned that i don't have to get my hair trimmed every time i get a relaxer at the hair salon, just to 'listen' to my hair and wait until I need a trim or to get dusted.

GOOD YOUTUBE VIDEOS FOR HEALTHY HAIR:

(don't underestimate youtube now, they got some really good people on here with really healthy hair that are helping me with my hair journey and they can help you too!)

-Tips for achieving long healthy hair during your hair journey- by tiondrab

-healthy hair tips- by omgitsvictoriaxd

-almost any video by ulovemegz

-Hairlicious Inc: My hair care journey- by HairliciousInc