Shea Moisture Hold & Shine Moisture Mist

With Target selling products for natural hair and my hair being dry, I figured I'd check out the selection. Of course, they had Ms. Jessie's but that's out of my price range. I looked at the Shea Moisture brand and saw they have moisturizing spritz. This line claims to be organic but like many others, it's just mostly organic. One of them actually had alcohol in it so I clearly didn't pick that one. I didn't want to contribute to the drying issue.

The one I selected says it's for thick, curly hair. The bottle says: Our all-natural moisture mist eliminates frizz, while hydrating hair and creating brilliant shine and curl control.

I really love the smell. It's got that coconut smell but not too strong. It's light weight and actually helps add shine to my hair. I guess my curl pattern does not promote shine but this definitely gives it a bit of shine. I've applied it to wet and dry hair, getting great results each time. It keeps my hair moisturized and helps it stay soft. I normally use it after I used water to fluff out my wash n go. I love the fact that it's not really greasy also.

This is will stay in rotation for me.

Product Haul

I was trying to straighten up my bathroom closet and wicker back that I keep my products in today. It was easy to do since I never let it get that messy but I realized just how much product I have. It's not a lot compared to a lot of people but I was surprised at just how much stuff I have.

My wicker basket that contains the things I don't use every day. It's pretty much tons of conditioners and poos. I have a baggie full of headbands and 2 jars of IC Fantasia gel (don't use that very often). My beloved olive oil and honey are in there too.

Sorry for the sideways picture but this a 2lb tub of shea butter. One of the two I bought at AFRAM Festival in Norfolk,VA.

Protein dc mix.

Moisturizing dc mix.

Best moisturizer ever!

The Shea butter/Hollywood Olive oil Creme mixture. (I've been debating adding some olive oil and re-whipping this one.)

The base for all of my moisturizing dc mixes.

The only shampoo that doesn't strip my hair.

These are my regulars. The 4 products I use almost daily. Elasta QP moisturizer sitting on top of Shea/Hollywood Olive oil mix. A spritz bottle with the water/oil/condish mix ( I wrapped a bunch of headbands around it to stretch them.) And my all time favorite condish for wng and detangling Hello Hydration.


Whew!

Deep Condition

Lately, I've been shampooing and deep conditioning with protein every 2-3 weeks. That's based off of whenever I feel that my hair needs to be shampooed. This week, I had a lot of product in my hair from doing a blowout ( I wore a wng but decided I wanted big hair. I used the Palmer's Hair Milk when I blow dry. I did a puff so I applied tons of gel. I ended up turning the blown out puff into a twist out and then into a twisted out puff. And yeah, all this was within a week. lol!)


I was really tired last night but I knew I had to do my hair. So I shampooed with Renpure and applied the protein dc mix that I previously told you about. I left that on for a few hours before rinsing. I then applied the moisturizing dc mix. I ended up putting a bonnet over my shower cap and sleeping with the dc mix in my hair. I was too tired to finish washing my hair. I put a tight headband over my bonnet to make sure it and the shower cap didn't come off over night. When I woke up, I rinsed and detangled with Renpure. I then applied a little HETT to shingle and leave in a little bit for hold. 


My hair turned out so great. It's soft and very  moisturized. My curls are tight and well defined. This was truly a great treat for my hair. I will have to do this every once in a while, especially in the winter. I took some picts and was amazed at how my curls looked. 

Renpure Organics Conditioner

Again, the one in the green bottle: i love my hair! body &shine conditioner with hydrolyzed soy and wheat proteins, and chamomile flower extract.


I'm on the fence about this conditioner. I liked it the first time I used it but I also used all those dc mixtures so the results may have been from those, not this condish. The 2nd time I used it, was for a cowash. The slip is really good and made detangling really easy. I don't remember why, but I ended up using HETT for the leave-in when I did a wng that day. 


I used this for the 3rd time and hated it. The slip was still good but the wng was horrible. My hair was frizzy and didn't even have close to the definition that I get with Herbal Essence. When I do wng styles, I don't completely rinse the condish out. Once my hair is dry, this condish leaves my hair feeling crunchy. It has done this every time I used it as a leave-in. I don't like crunchy hair. I love when my hair feels soft to the touch. 


It's really interesting to me how Jessi Rose loves the poo but isn't fond of the condish. I'm thinking I'll use the rest of this bottle since the slip is good but probably won't purchase again after that. Guess as far as condish goes, I'll be sticking with Herbal Essence for now. Also crazy that she loved HE condish but hates the poo. lol! 

Renpure Organics Amazing Miracle

Okay, first let me say I'm sorry it's taking so long to review these products. My work schedule has been beyond ridiculous.

On to business. Renpure Organics Amazing Miracle deep penetrating reconstructor with aloe, kukui & silk protein. I'm not sure what the kukui nut does. I'll research and update when I have a bit  more time.

I mixed this with 1 ORS packet, some DRP-11, honey and olive oil. I let it sit with no heat for an hour or so. My hair felt sooooooo soft. I really loved what it added to my moisturizing dc. It made it a little bit thicker and my hair really liked it. The wng I did after using this was one of the best I've ever had. People who see me with wng on a weekly basis were asking what I'd done differently to my hair. Permies were asking how to get curls like mine. It was crazy. Whatever this did to my hair, I love it.

I've used the mixture twice and gotten the same results. I know I say it every time I try something new with my dc but this is going to be a permanent part of my dc mixture. It seems to be giving consistent results and that is what my hair needs.

Next 2 blogs will be the Renpure poo and condish. After those, some new hair styles! I'll try to get a bit more blogging in b/c there is so much I want to share with you guys.

Hollywood Olive Oil Creme

In my last post, I talked about all of the products I purchased at Walgreen's. I'm going to start doing reviews on them. First up: Hollywood Olive Oil Creme (HOOC). I purchased this to use as a sealant. When I opened the jar, it was really creamy (hence the name but I had a duh moment. lol!) I was worried that with it being so creamy, it wouldn't seal in the moisture. I immediately decided to whip it with shea. I have tons of shea that I wasn't really using because I didn't like how it made my hair feel coated. I actually thought I was the only one with that problem but I have found out that some peoples hair just doesn't like oils. Their hair works better with creamier products. I knew this from using products too watery but didn't make the connection to oils until just recently.

Anyway, I whipped the entire container with a a little less than equal parts shea butter. I also added 2 tbsps of olive oil but I just did that because I felt like I should be adding something to the mix. I'm sure it didn't need it. It came out really fluffy and creamy. When I scoop it out, it looks like whipped cream!

I used this to seal after applying Elasta QP Mango Butter. The combination was perfect! The HOOC mix didn't leave my hair feeling coated and oily like most sealants do. When I touched my hair, it felt smooth and moisturizer, not oily. I kept touching my hair, expecting to pull back oily fingers but nope! None greasy moisturizer hair. The only thing I don't like is the smell. YUCK! It smells like Cholesterol Deep Condish from Lustrasilk or any other cholesterol dc. Those smells remind me of perms and always make me nervous when I use them. I keep thinking I'm going to rinse and end up with permed hair. lol! The mango butter and shea balance out the smell a bit but not enough for me. I'm going to have to get some type of EO to mix in there asap! But I love it despite the scent.

4 more products reviews to come. Stay tuned!

24hr Walgreen's

Headed to Walgreen's to satisfy the pj in me when I got off work. To say this was a GREAT experience is an understatement. First, I only went to purchase two products: Renpure Organics poo and condish. I was initially disappointed because I wanted the moisturizing set but the tops were broken on all of them. I settled for the "I Love My Hair!" body and shine duo. Then, I was thinking about the fact that I haven't done a dc in forever so I grabbed Renpure Organics Amazing Miracle Deep Penetrating Reconstructor (with aloe, kukui & silk protein). Remembering that I needed something to seal and I'm out of Castor oil and not loving Shea right now, I turned around and grabbed Hollywood Beauty Olive Creme (smells like a perm though :-( yuck!). But I picked it up because it had a free container of Olive Cholesterol deep conditioning creme. Then, I saw Organic Root Stimulator Replenishing Paks (grabbed 2 for $1.39 each). And as I walked down the aisle, I saw shower caps (needed one for my dc as I just had to throw away the one I had) and black headbands (all black ones are broken). So, this long list of products cost me LESS than $25. The Renpure Organics was buy one get one free and all 3 of them have mail in rebates. So really, after I mail them in, I'll have spent $13!

All this for less than $13 after mail-in rebates

When I was checking out, the clerk told me how beautiful my hair was and said her granddaughter had natural hair down to her waist. She had been having trouble finding products to use on the child and asked my advise. I told her for detangling, I use HEHH or HETT. Upon her request, I showed her the two products, explained how I detangled and showed her a few other products I'd tried or heard were good. She was so happy! She told me again how beautiful my hair was and that she was so happy she was at work tonight so that she could meet me. She said that God sends angels when we least expect it and on this night, I was her angel. That was about 30 min ago and I'm still smiling. I almost went to Walgreen's last night but changed my mind and went tonight instead. There was obviously a reason why. I feel really good.

I feel the PJ in my coming alive!!!!!!!!

I've never been much of a PJ (product junkie). I can honestly say I buy few products and use them completely before I purchase something different. But with this list of silicone-free hair products, I can feel my PJ clawing it's way to the surface!

http://ladylonghair.googlepages.com/'cone-freeconditioners


(link from Tia's blog Her Best Hair)

One of my new favs!

Elasta QP Mango Butter Moisturizer. I had been wanting some for a while but was having the hardest time finding. Not sure why. I finally found some and I was super excited to try it. I co-washed immediately so I could use it on fresh hair. The smell is divine!!!! Everyone in my house was oohing and ahhing over the smell (mainly b/c I was pushing it under their noses saying "smell this!).

It's really thick which is something I and my hair absolutely love. The thick moisturizers work so much better for me. I was already aware that EQMB has silk protein so I was worried about using it. My hair doesn't require a lot of protein and will quickly feel rough from the application of it. On the ingredient list, silk was pretty close to the bottom so I felt a little bit safer. There's probably not that much in it. I still only used a small amount and followed that with the shea/softsheen carson mix that I made before (hoping to offset any protein overload). Then, I sealed with castor oil.

I did this for a couple of days before realizing using all 3 of these was too much. My hair was feeling really good. Well moisturized and strong and soft but...it was too much product. You could feel it on my hair when you touched it. So I washed with poo to clarify and tried again. This time I used shea to seal (shea doesn't moisturize my hair) but still used both moisturizers (still have this protein fear). It was lighter with the shea instead of castor oil but I still felt it was too much. I cut back on moisturizing though. I normally have to do it every day. Esp in this cold weather. But with this combo, every other day or two was working perfectly.

I'm going to be brave and try just using the EQMB and shea and see how that works. Either way, I love this stuff and will be keeping it in supply. I love the smell and it really does make my hair feel silky smooth. (lol...silky smooth...so corny!)

Liquidy yet creamy

If you remember, last week I was talking about the SoftSheen Carson moisturizer I purchased and how it was too liquidy for my hair. I was contemplating whipping it or something to thicken it up. Reason being, I'm broke so even when I get a product that doesn't give stellar results, I'll work with it and see how I can make it work with my hair. I have only purchased 2 products that I haven't used (because they had mineral oils) and even those, I gave away to people who wanted to use them.

Taking the advise of other naturals, I decided to whip the SSC with shea butter. I didn't want to use too much shea butter because I feel it doesn't act as a moisturizer for my hair, but a sealant. I melted the shea using the double boiler method (Or in my case, double cups. I use a microwave safe cup to heat up some water. I scoop shea into a disposable cup and set that inside of the heated water until shea is mostly melted). I poured both into an emptied and cleaned jar that once held Cholesterol deep condish. Since the mouth of that jar is really wide, I was able to blend them while in the jar. I have a hand mixer so just had to remove one of the blades to fit in the jar. I mixed for about 5 minutes and them put it in the freezer to help set it.

Initially I was disappointed. It was still pretty liquidy. I let it sit for a few days before using it and it thickened up a little bit. The consistency right now it okay but it's still not creamy enough for my personal preference. I'm thinking of whipping it again but I'm afraid to add more shea and end up with no moisture making it to my hair.

I've still got quite a bit of this stuff left though. I'm not sure what I'll do with it. Lessons learned from both moisturizers: 1. research before purchase to make sure it's not a protein since my hair doesn't like that stuff. 2. ONLY purchase cream moisturizers as the liquid forms aren't thick enough to work.

Still in control

Okay, so I know this post is late but here is my review of the SoftSheen Carson Strengthening Oil Moisturizer from the Roots of Nature Collection.

What the bottle says: Strengthens and increases hair’s elasticity to eliminate breakage and help prevent split ends. Provides long-lasting moisturization and conditioning to repair damaged hair.

What the forums say: I wasn't able to find anything.

What I say: It smells just like the other moisturizer I was using from SoftSheen Carson. The smell doesn't bother me but it's not something I love. This moisturizer is not in the cream form like the ones I normally use. It's similiar to the hair milk from Palmer's but a little bit thicker. I don't think it's thick enough becuase I have to use quite a bit to give my hair the amount of moisture I need. Since the moisturizer is white, it makes my hair white and also doesn't mix well with pure shea. It made my hair really white but went away as my hair dried. It works okay but I think I'll stick with cream moisturizers, My hair seems to like them better.

Sidenote: I'm thinking about whipping this moisturizer to make it creamy. If it works, I'll let you know. Also, if you have suggestions or comments about trying this, please let me know.

Moisture Control

After a week of dealing with dry and rough hair, I finally made a trip to Walmart to purchase a much needed moisturizer. I bought two new products. Palmer's Coconut Oil Formula Replenishing Hair Milk and SoftSheen Carson Strengthening Oil Moisturizer from the Roots of Nature Collection. *both items purchased without prior research*

As for Palmer's, I gave that a try first. Actually, I looked on some hair care forums while I was sitting for an hour with a deep condish in my hair.
What the bottle says: Formulated with Pure Coconut Milk and Coconut Oil, Palmer's Coconut Oil Formula Hair Milk is a lightweight hair lotion that replenishes essential oils and adds incredible softness and shine.
What the forums say: Although some like, most do not because this product has protein. Protein is not something that most naturals need. Permed heads do need it as the chemicals in the relaxers weaken their hair. Naturals don't have to balance this out as much so protein overload is easily caused from even small amounts.
What I have to say: Okay, I love the smell because it smells just like the Cocoa Butter lotion that we've all used at one time or another. The smell was just as strong and long lasting as the lotion. I was smelling it for days until I washed my hair and I only applied it once. The consistency also reminded me of the Cocoa Butter lotion which I personally found to be a bit watery; not creamy enough. The protein was unfortunately too much for my hair. When it dried, my hair felt rough and wiry. Also, when I applied pure shea butter to my hair after the Hair Milk, they didn't mix well and left my hair white for a while. I'll just be using this as a backup if I run out of moisturizer and haven't been able to make it to the store. But once this runs out, I won't purchase again. (But I really love the smell and how long the smell lasted!)

I'll review SoftSheen Carson's product on my next post.

Mixtress

I know I haven't done much lately but complain about these twist in my head. So I promise not to do that...for a few days. LOL! Actually, I really am not going to post anything about them until I write the words "they are finally out."

So I've been thinking about my role as a mixtress. I've tried a weak mixture with my shea butter. I was looking to make a combo of moisturizer and sealer. I ended up with just a sealer. I know this is because of the HCO. It's too heavy and I think I used a lot.

There are so many products I wasnt to incorporate into a mixture: mango butter (i'm dying to try this) JoJoab oil and Coconut oil being the top of my list. I also want some type of scent to add. Like...strawberry kiwi or something. But I realized something very important: I don't have the funds for that! It's rare that I come across extra money and although I love my hair, this would be an unnecessary purchase. I don't have to purchase these things.

I am in need of a moisturizer. That is a need, not a want. In the next couple of weeks, I'm going to scrap together some money and purchase some Aloe Vera gel so that I can make some Shealoe. I have never heard anyone say a harsh word about the mixture. I'm going to give it a try. And it won't break my pockets!

Holy Hydration

I've run out of Herbal Essence Hello Hydration conditioner. I had every intention of going to the store to get more but somehow I haven't made it there. Prior to doing the twist out , I was in need of a cowash on Wednesday. I grabbed the only conditioner in my closet....Cantu Shea. I followed my normal wash n go steps and.....

IT WAS THE WORST MY HAIR HAS EVER LOOKED. I had barely any curl definition. My hair looked extremely frizzy and just a horrid mess. And it felt rather rough.

At this point I should have run to the nearest Walmart, Target, CVS, Walgreens...anywhere. But did I? No, of course not. I don't learn lessons very easily.

The next day I say to myself, "Renise, yesterday was a disaster. But today won't be. Cantu Shea will be forever banished to the back of the closet. But, today is a deep condish day and a great day to try the Elasta QP." I smile and nod my head thinking how great this is going to be. MSatch loves this stuff! (Sidenote: yes, my bestie love this stuff but she also adds things to it. I normally add the same ingredients to all of my deep condishs. Of course, one of those is HEHH). I add the usually stuff, minus HEHH, apply and go on as usual. I rinse and again, hardly any curl definition! Enter the twist out to remedy that issue.

Moral of the story, HEHH is my holy grail condish. It gives me curl definition like nobody business! I may try other HE condish but my hair has spoken. But just becuase I need back up for days when I run out or heavn forbid, HE discontinues this brand, I am going to get some Aubrey Organics that I've been dying to try. If it can give me organically whatHE gives me with the chemicals, I will have a hairgasm.

Why is this a secret?

Why haven't my fellow naturalistas and healthy hair journey goers been singing the praises of the retail chain The Vitamin Shoppe? I was YouTubing again and came across a woman talking about her shea mix and she had a note saying she purchased ALL her essential oils (EO) from TVS. I stared at the screen blankly and then said "duh!!"

That should have not been something I never thought about. They are clearly a store that sells things that are good for your body. Why wouldn't the sell EO and things of the sort? I guess I just assumed it was a store that only sold supplements to be taken internally.

So I go the website and burst into a Koolaid smile when I see how inexpensive this stuff is. Every EO was under $10, some less than $5. Veggie Glycerin was $14 but it was a pretty big bottle. They have all types of scented oils also. And I just checked out the blog The New Napptural Me and this chick said she got coconut oil there. I checked TVS and they have a 14oz jar of organic coconut oil for $5.99!!!!!!!!!!

Again my healthy hair sisters: Why is this a secret?!?! We need to be shouting out TVS from the rooftop of every building! I will so be there tomorrow. I've made my list and checked it twice....sure I've been naughty but TVS seems to be so nice. Lol! Sorry for the rhyme, the writer in me came out! I'm just excited to go to TVS tomorrow.

Slander

Just thought I'd mention this. I've been seeing my name slandered an awful lot lately. I won't mention the name of the telaxed diva with the fierce new hair cut, but below, you will find a list of post where the good name of Renise B. has been dragged through the mud. Enjoy! Lol!

Hair Cut

Review of ORS

Today's Randomness

I went to the BSS yesterday and purchased something I wanted and needed. I needed more gel as I had used almost all of what little I had left doing kinky twist on my friend this weekend. I've been dying to try the IC Fantasia because I have NEVER heard anything bad about it. I also bought some hair so I can practice Senegalese twist on myself. It's much harder to braid/twist my own hair. So I parted a small section of hair and applied some of the gel (I was doing this to practice a twist) and my hair curled sooooo well! OMG! The back of my head has hardly any curl, never has. But this gel....DAMN! I love it already. Can't wait to apply to the rest of my hair.

I am getting a bit frustrated with my hair. It seems the back is getting curlier, producing tighter curls while the front is getting straighter. Uugh! I am getting so irritated with front and crown of my head. My best friend has been telling me to relax and just see what happens as it grows. When the hair gets heavier, the texture will change. She's right but I'm just worried about how it's going to come out as this will affect how I am able to style my hair. I'll probably twist my hair a lot sooner than I intended to so this will stop driving me crazy.

I was mixing together some stuff trying to figure out what to do for a moisturizer. I don't really like the mixture and won't bother to post ingredients. I noticed the few times I've used it that my hair feels kind of hard and sticky. I've used it 3 times and only made a small amount. It occured to me last night that I used too much honey. It's making my hair sticky. That was a "duh" moment. Lol!

And I came across something interesting when reading a blog The Golden Sparkle. She was talking about PJs (product junkies) and how she's trying not to become one. She came up with a great challenge to stop herself from accumulating a lot of products. I am totally not a PJ but thought her challenge was cool. http://thegoldensparkle.blogspot.com/2009/05/its-challenge.html