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.

S-Curl No Drip Acitiviator and Moisturizer

Today I bought what many people call their staple product. It's called 'S-Curl No Drip Activator and Moisturizer'. I think it was originally made to be used to 'activate' a jheri curl, but a lot of women now use it to moisturize and seal their hair. I bought it because I wanted to try a wash-n-go with it. BUT THEN I came home and watched a video you youtube and the lady said she didn't like to use it on wet hair because it made her hair feel funny and weird. I know that everyone's hair is different so I'll continue  to consider using it to activate my curls. Until then I'll keep using my Garnier and Africa's Best for moisturizing.



Michael Jackson's Jheri Curl
RIP

 But just as a very first impression: I like that I can pump it right on to my new growth. I've been noticing that I don't really moisturize my new growth very well and this is a spray that I can use directly on it. When I came home I sprayed my hair with it and I automatically felt it on my scalp so I was excited about that.

Co-Washing. :)

I've been co-washing my hair every Thursday and my hair loves it! It could be contributing to the extra softness I've been feeling and/or the added growth. All I've been doing is pre-pooing for 30 minutes, co-washing, deep conditioning, leave ins, styling. That's it! I thought I was going to give it a try until April (when the heat challenge is up), but I'm not quitting this, my hair has been thriving too much!

I've been using a lot of moisture in my hair lately and I think it's time for a small amount of protein. So I'm either going to co-wash with Herbal Essences Long Term Relationship Conditioner, or DC with ORS replenishing pak.

Lovin my Hair!- Updates

I'm still using the Herbal Essences Reconditioning Shampoo and conditioner and still loving it! NOW that I bought it about three weeks ago, Target has it on sale 2 for $5 for the regular sizes and $5 for the bigger sizes. UGH! That sucks! lol. I'm not going to buy it because something I've learned on my HJ is not to buy things in bulk. I really enjoy trying new things but I can't if I have a full bottle of an old product laying around.

Bantu Knot
This picture is not me-
I know her curls were GORGEOUS after this

Example: I bought a Herbal Essence LTR leave-in a few months ago when I already had one at home (it was the same 2 for 5 sale at Target). Then I decided to stop using it regularly because I figured out it was protein, so now I have 1 1/2 bottles n my room collecting dust. Also, I have 1 1/2 tubs of Lustrasilk sitting in my cabinet and I can't stand that now! So I'm just going to continue to stick with buying my products 1 at a time. (even though I'm pretty sure I'm not going to be switching shampoo/conditioners any time soon)

I was thinking about doing a 'wet wrap' to get my hair straight- from what I understand it's just washing your hair, putting wrap lotion in it, wrapping your hair, and sitting under the dryer for a while. I decided against it because I said I would use NO form of heat (including indirect), I really like the way curly hair looks on me; but its been such a hit/miss. Bantu-knots look terrible after a few days and my braid outs are okay sometimes, but their always really cute when someone else braids it the night before. (I can't keep pestering my mom/sister to do my hair though) So that's the only reason why I want to straighten my hair other wise I would rock curly hair everyday!

My hair has been feeling super soft lately, I'm not sure if its the no heat or the products I've been using, but I'm loving it and noticing growth. If I don't reach shoulder length by April I don't know what I'm going to do. I've been babying my hair so much and never had any huge set backs, but gosh it's taking a long time to get to where I want to be!

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. :)

Clinique 3 Step System

Ever since 4th grade I have suffered with acne. It wasn't until 8th or 9th grade that I started to use drugstore cleansers on a daily basis every morning. It wasn't until 10th grade year that I started washing my face twice a day while still using drugstore products. They did help with getting rid of some pimples but my skin was never really clear. About two weeks ago I bought Neutrogena's Pink Grapefruit Cleansing Scrub and hated it. I now figure drugstore products aren't working for my skin and its time to step my skin-care-game up. The first thing that popped into my head was 'Clinique'.
So on Friday I went to Dillard's and walked straight to the Clinique counter. The lady took a quick glance at me and told me I had oily skin. I never knew I had oily skin. I actually thought I had normal skin, then I thought I had dry-combination skin but apparently I have oily skin. Any who..I left the Clinique counter because I didn't want to pay $41.50 for some facial soap. After that I continued to walk into the mall and stopped at Wet Seal and spent about $30 on clothes. It wasn't until I woke up the next day and realized that I spent almost the same amount of money on clothes as I should have spent on the Clinique. I sat at the computer and Youtube'd 'Clinique 3 Step Review'. Juicystar07's video about her experience with Clinique was the first and last I watched before I made my decision. Not because she used it and liked it, but because she said something that made me think. She said: "My skin is something I'm willing to invest in". Ever since I've gotten my job at Target, I've spent a lot of money on clothes. If I can spend $12 on a shirt, couldn't I spend the same amount to better my skin?
That same day I bought the Clinique system. I got the bar soap (you can choose bar or liquid- the bar costs less but you get more), clarifying lotion #3 and the dramatically different moisturizing gel. I haven't used it for that long now but I can form some opinions on it.
1. I don't like the clarifying 'exfoliating' lotion. I always thought exfoliation had to be a scrub, but this is more like a toner. It smells terrible (like witch hazel) and stings even worse.
2. The moisturizing gel doesn't moisturize enough. I always have to use another moisturizer afterwards so my skin won't feel so tight.
3. Using a bar soap doesn't bother me as much as I thought it would. Especially since it comes with a soap dish.
As far as how well it works and a review on it, that'll be coming later but so far it's okay I guess. Even if I hate the toner, I'm still happy I bought the system. I feel the same way as when I bought the Silk Elements. I mean, even though Silk Elements didn't work out for me very well, I felt like I was taking the first step in bettering my hair care and was on the road to a new journey and chapter in my life. The same way I feel about my skin care. :)

Clinique Facts:
1. they say your skin will get worse before it gets better because it's pushing all the 'gunk' out of your face, so whiteheads might appear. Yuck!
2. It's sold at department stores. (Macy's, Sephora, Dillards, ect.) Also sold at kiosks in the mall.
3. It's allergy tested. (They test 600 people 12 times before the product goes on the market. If one time one of those people have an allergic reaction, they reformulate their product--that's 7200 applications!)
4. No Fragrance is added to it.
5. There are 4 different 3-step lines which you can choose to match your skin. (Type 1= very dry skin, Type 2=dry combination, Type 3= Oily combination, Type 4= Very Oily)
6. They also make makeup, sunscreen, fragrance and a lot of other stuff.

For more information visit Clinique.com