Just a little spritz

Shortly after I did my bc, I read how a lot of people would spritz their hair throughout the day to help combat dryness. I tried that, I don't remember what I was using (something I made, I believe) and my face started breaking out. I discontinued the use of it and dumped it down the drain. I rinsed my spray bottle and filled it with filtered water. I would only use it to revive my hair in the mornings.

With the moisture issues I've encountered, I felt I should try again. I don't want to moisturizer and seal everyday. That would clearly lead to buildup and I'm not a fan of shampoo. I filled my bottle with mostly water, added some EVOO and a little bit of Herbal Essence Totally Twisted. (I don't measure so have no idea how much. And the water was warm.) I shook the bottle for a few minutes to blend and help break down the conditioner. HETT is pretty thick so I had to shake for a while.

Just like with the plain water, I only use once in the morning to revive my hair. I have to say, this is soooo much better than just plain water. It helps to keep my hair from drying out through out the course of the day. I only use enough to dampen my hair. It's dry within 10 minutes.

Although this and using plain EVOO work okay, I'm still on the hunt for some way to better retain moisture. I still end up with really dry hair a lot. I'm going to have to set aside some time to go back through the things I've done in the past and figure out what I need to reincorporate into my routine. Pure shea worked really well but I don't like the buildup. Hmmm...what to do.....

Olive Oil to the Rescue!

I'm sure I've mention before that I have been experiencing issues with moisture retention. I know a big part of this is because I wear my hair out a lot. But I'm at that odd length and can't really do the great protective styles. I can only get a good pony puff with a blow out or hair stretched from a old twist out so I can't do a bun yet. I haven't even tried pin up styles on stretched out hair yet. I haven't had the patience to play around with that. So wng and twist outs have been my styles.

I was twisting up and old wng last Monday while having worried thoughts about how long it would last due to dryness. I applied a liberal amount of Elasta QP Mango Butter, followed my shea mix. I added IC Fantasia gel because I wanted a lot of definition the next day. I had the thought of wanting shine (my hair always looks dull to me) to I grabbed the olive oil, poured too much in my hand and applied it through out my hair. My hair immediately felt softer.

The next day, my twistout came out funky because too much olive oil prevented it from becoming defined. I had to pin the front back. But my hair was very soft, shiny and held moisture really well for a couple of days. I've added olive oil straight from the bottle after a wng this week and was pleased to have similar results. This will probably be a step that I'll incorporate into my routine once or twist a week. My hair really loves olive oil.

Product mistake

This post is extremely late but as I've told you guys before, the hectic work schedule I have is to blame. But there have been a few changes over the past 2 wks that will hopefully cure this for the most part.

Anyway, on to business! I headed to my local bss to pick up the new Elasta QP Mango Butter with the added olive oil ingredient. I love it. It works just as well as the original formula although here is a slight difference in the consistency. It's only a little bit thinner.

So, I took a quick trip around the store because I'm always on the hunt for a  new moisturizer to try out. I saw this stuff from Ultimate Organics. It was a whip made from extra virgin olive oil. I looked at some of their other products and wasn't really impressed. The whip didn't have anything that JR doesn't like so I figured I'd give it a try. It was thick just the way she likes. I wasn't impressed with the smell. It had the hair product smell. You know how someone's hair smells when it's loaded with chemical based products? It's hard to describe but it smelled like processed hair.

I get it home and figure I'll try it out when I do a twist out. I have to admit, I'm not one to analyze a product too much before I purchase it. I took a quick look in the store and decided to buy. When I start to read everything on the container, this is what I read:

Directions: Rub a generous amount of cream into dry skin, concentrating on hard to soften areas as needed.

I was like what the heck? This nasty smelling stuff is for your body. I was shocked. I couldn't imagine using that and walking around all day with my skin smelling like a hair salon. I was too through. But that's what I get for not paying attention to what i was buying. Still smh at myself.

Suave's Professionals Almond and Shea Butter Conditioner

After reading MSatch's review of Suave's Professionals Almond and Shea Butter Conditioner, I had to run out and buy me a bottle. I was just about out of conditioner anyway.

Product Description: Salon proven to moisturize your hair as well as Aveda® Dry Remedy® shampoo and conditioner. Infused with 100% natural almond and shea butter, which are known for their rich emollients. The shampoo and conditioner system replenishes lost moisture, leaving your hair well-nourished and beautiful. (I straight jacked this whole section from MSatch's blog! lol!)

First, I love the way it smells! It's sooo yummy. I really wanted to lick it off my fingers. It's nice and creamy which Jessi Rose loves and the slip is great. I've used it 3 times I think and it has made detangling really easy. I do have to use a lot of it though. More than any of the Herbal Essence conditioners. And did I mention I love the smell!

Although it smells good and is nice and creamy, I don't think it works well for JR. I've had it for about 2 weeks and am not pleased with how it leaves my hair. When I wng, I leave some in for hold. This products isn't holding anything. My hair ends up frizzy and curls undefined as if I washed all the condish out. I even added a little extra after I rinsed yesterday and ended up with the same results. And the worse part is, I think it's sucking the moisture out of my hair. I always end up with rough feeling and dried out hair by the time it's dry. I applied more Elasta QP mango butter than I normally do and it still ended up really dry. The only time I retained moisture is when I had my hair in two strand twist. But about an hour after my twist out it was dry and dull again.

So despite the great things, I won't continue to use it. I'll be making a trip to the store for some of that good 'ole Herbal Essence. I'll probably get the Hello Hydration. I miss that stuff and I know JR loves it! (And MSatch, this is another condish I'll be passing on to you and the girls next month!)

Random

I don't think the overnight dc caused the itchy scalp issue. I'm feeling that since my hair is longer and I wearing it in more stretched styles, not as much product is reaching my scalp. No moisturizer on the scalp obviously leads to dryness and the itchies. I'm going to incorporate some type of moisturizing spray for my scalp or "greasing" it directly while wearing two strand twist. Shea butter will act as grease.

Speaking of two stand twist. I love them. I've begun to wear them often. I knew before I did my bc I would love wearing the twist. I am surprised at how much I love twist outs as at one point, I had a strong dislike for them.

I've been wanting to wear a beanie style hat since winter. I could never find one that seemed to look right. I was at a bss and saw one. I grabbed it without even bothering to try it on. Gave myself a twist out. Let the front hang out like a bang. I loved it! I was really feeling myself and the outfit that accompanied the hat.

With the exception of when my hair is stretched from a twist out, I continue to detangle a couple of times a week. The really tight curls in the back demand it. The twist out allows me to go longer since I retwist often and sort of detangle when I do that.

There will be a product review and product mistake coming up later this week.

Itchy Scalp

I'm not sure what happened but the overnight dc made my scalp all itchy. I've never had an issue with dry itchy scalp before. I'm pretty sure that I rinsed it all out before using HETT for a cowash. But for some reason, my scalp was extremely itchy on Monday after I'd rinsed and styled. I was at work scratching like crazy. It was especially annoying b/c of how long it takes my hair to dry. I had soaking wet hair and itchy scalp for hours. I wished I had taken the time to diffuse my hair.

The itching continued all week. I did an awesome twistout on Wednesday which I wore wild and crazy for an event I went to. I absolutely loved it! For work the next day, I pulled it into a puff, using IC Fantasia to gel it down. The itching was worse than ever! I ended up adding some olive oil to filtered water and using it to spritz my scalp. It worked like magic. I could tell the spots that I missed b/c those still felt itchy.

Though I normally don't shampoo so quickly but I'm going to do so again tonight to clarify my scalp. Hopefully it won't be so itchy but if so, I'll just use the spritz again. I have to admit that I loved the spritz.