Doing Hair - Kids Edition

Last week we were on the beach, enjoying the clearwater and white sand.

This week, we're battling the tangles.

Tangled left side. One big matted ponytail

It's my fault. I wanted to enjoy my vacay and not fight a toddler who didn't want to get her hair done. So for one whole week, I didn't touch her hair. Through the salt water and sand, through bedtime with no bonnet and baths where every single strand of hair got soaked. I knew I was going to have a disaster on my hands at the end of our vacation, but I figured I'd worry about it later.

Well, later was today when I had a marathon session with my baby girl. It took me about an hour and a half to dentangle her hair. I worked in small sections, drenching her hair with a mixture of conditioner and water. I used my fingers to detangle because the mattes were so bad. I'm ashamed of myself. After her hair was detangled, I saturated her hair with a deep conditioner and covered with a cap. 

I used this to deep condition with. It's my first time using this so after I use it for awhile longer, I'll post about how I like it (or don't like it).

I washed her hair with Hello Hydration Shampoo, which is my go to. The slip on that stuff is amazing. Ahh, freshly washed hair. 

It's almost impossible to get a good picture of a moving toddler

After too many breaks to count, I finished her hair. It's not my best work but both of us were happy to be done.

Gotta unpack that suitcase...

I learned a valuable lesson this past week. I can't ignore my girl's hair. With my relaxed hair, it's easy to go a few days without doing anything major to it, but natural hair is a whole other story. I'm still learning.

I wanted to relax and enjoy my vacation, but my baby girl's hair suffered for it. I put twists in my older girls hair so they could enjoy swimming and playing without getting their hair done every day. Maybe it's time to give baby girl some twists. 

How do you handle your kids hair on vacation?

REVIEW: Palmer's Coconut Oil Replenishing Hair Milk

It's always been a struggle to find a product that works for all three of my girls and me. All of our hair types are extremely different and we need different things.

That's why this product saves my life.

It's Palmer's Coconut Oil Formula Replenishing Hair Milk. It has no sulfates or parabens, which isn't one of my requirements for a hair product but it is a plus.

It's extremely moisturizing and it's lightweight. I also really feel like it soaks into the strands and really hydrates. I love the light coconut scent and the fact that it leaves no residue on the hair. I really love this stuff. It's a staple.

*I purchased this product. Review is my own.

Simple Make-up Routine

 I like to keep my makeup routine fairly simple because most of the time, time is of the essence. I usually have somewhere between 10-15 minutes to get myself together before I have to be out the door, so I focus on 3 simple things: face, lips and eyes.

FACE

The foundation that I use is Revlon ColorStay in Mahogony (440). I love this stuff because it is so lightweight and it's the only foundation that I have found that matches perfectly right out of the bottle. I have yellow undertones and find it pretty hard to find foundation.

I use a foundation brush to apply and I tend to apply my foundation very lightly. I use a powder to set and I'm done with my face.

EYES

I always play up my eyes. Eyes are the center of the face and they absolutely cannot be ignored. I stick with a pretty neutral palette for daytime. I use Maybelline New York Bronze Glitz palette. I love this palette. It's understated but adds that pop. I use the top for inner corner of my eye to brighten my eye. Next I use the middle on my lid and the bottom color on my brow bone. And of course I finish up with eyeliner and mascara.

Perfect eyes every time.

LIPS

I always have this stuff in my bag. It's inexpensive and I love the way it looks on my lips. It's N.Y.C. Extreme Lip Glider Lip Gloss in Downtown Brown.

Unless it's date night, I have to keep things simple in the beauty department. What's your beauty routine?

Is it simple or complicated?

Loving Lately: Loving Lately: Organix Nourishing Coconut Milk

I neglect my hair.

I put it in a bun most days and forget I even have hair.

The two products that really save my hair's life are the Organix Nourishing Leave In Milk and the Anti Breakage Serum.

I use Organix Nourishing Leave In Milk daily as a moisturizer. It leaves my hair feeling silky and hydrated.

I follow up the leave in with the Anti Breakage Serum. It locks in the moisture and I have really seen an improvement in the strength of my hair using this product over time. It also adds killer shine and it smells scrumdiddlyumptious.

*I bought these products myself. Review is my own.

Texlax Update - May 30, 2010

2:47p

This texlax did not go as well as I planned. In fact, it was kind of a disaster. My time management was horrible and I used double protein on accident and didn't have adequate time to deep condition my hair after the double dose of protein.

I did have some breakage after the deep condition and I was horrified, but my hair seems to be recovering fine now, with no additional breakage.

The main disaster was that I left the relaxer on for too long on the front of my hair and it came out a lot more straight than I would have liked it to be. It still has some texture, but it is not uniform with the rest of my texlax.

I have done some research and I've decided that I have not been relaxing my hair enough to get the texture I want. My hair has more texture than I would like and that leads to tangles and lots of frustration for me. Since I mainly would like to wear my hair straight, I have decided that while I won't relax bone straight, I'll relax my hair somewhere in between my previous texlaxes and bone straight.

It doesn't make sense to underprocess to a point where it causes frustration for me and thus hair loss when I can texlax to a point that is managable but also doesn't compromise my texture too much.

This texlax has been a learning experience for me, as I'm understanding what my hair needs and what I need in order to manage it. I believe that I can have healthy hair if I do process it a tad more than I have been doing and still gain the benefits of thickened, manageable hair.

Product Review: Garnier Fructis Sleek and Shine Anti Frizz Serum

10:58a

Product Description: The Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Anti-Frizz Serum offers long-lasting frizz control. Its revolutionary, ultra-light, leave-in formula is rich in micro-nutrients that penetrate deep into the hair to nourish it intensively. Your hair is protected against humidity, making it silky-smooth and shiny.

My Finds: I was at my local CVS one day, trolling for a product, even though I didn't really need anything. For some reason, the Garnier Fructis line always catches my eye even though I have had less than stellar results from products I have tried from this line before. Maybe it's the green and the sleekness of the bottle. *shrugs*

I was pretty excited to try this because I was wearing my hair flat ironed and I wanted something to add shine and nourish my hair at the same time. Everything this product promised to do.

Nourish and shine it did not. This product had no effect on my hair. No shine. No nourish. No nothing but a waste of $3.33. Promptly the next day, I returned the product. The first hair product I have ever returned.

Don't waste your time or money on this one.

UPDATE: Eco Styler Gel

11:40a

Last night I deep conditioned, washed, conditioned again, blow dried and flat ironed my hair.

I have done this before and my hair has turned out excellent. Moisturized with movement and body.

This time, my hair is decent, but it's cruncy on one side and it would not hold the curl. I wracked my brain trying to figure out what would constitute this change in my hair.

The only different product that had been added to my hair was the Eco Styler gel. So of course I had to go look up the ingredients.

Ingredients:Water , Carbomer , Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein , PVP , Glycerin Triethanolamine , Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate , Polysorbate 20 , Tetrasodium EDTA , Fragrance

Of course number 3 on the list would be protein. Water fine, Carbomer is a thickening agent and HYDROLYZED WHEAT PROTEIN.

I did some research and HWP is a moisturizing and conditioning protein derived from whole wheat. It increases the hair's ability to retain moisture and impart shine and gloss to damaged and dull hair. Due to its low molecular weight, it easily penetrates the hair shaft. Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein attracts and retains moisture, builds body, reduces porosity, improves hair manageability, improves luster and smoothness.

My hair is extremely protein sensitive so even though HWP is supposed to be moisturizing, I wonder if that's what caused my damage.

I'm immediately cutting the use of the Eco Styler, doing a moisturizing deep condition with heat and I will reassess the damage to my hair. My ends look horrible and I'm afraid a trim may be in order.

REVIEW: Eco Styler Krystal Styling Gel

8:51a

Product Description: Eco styler krystal gel is a maximum holding gel with the added advantage of PVP to allow for styles that need a strong holding gel. It can be used to hold hair in place for tapered sides, upsweeps and wraps without the fear of flaking. It is a perfect hold for natural or synthetic hair, ideal for use with curling irons.

My Finds: I love this gel. I have been using it for about a week and a half and it's become a staple for laying my edges down. The great part about this gel is that it doesnt take much at all. It doesn't leave hair stiff or flaky. I used this on my daughters hair quite a bit. I used it on the length of their curls and it's not sticky, leaves no residue and their hair is still brushable after the gel dries. And at just over $2 this gel will stay stocked in my cabinet.

REVIEW: L'Oreal EverStrong Reconstruct Conditioner

9:59a

Product Description: Introducing formulas so gentle, yet so strengthening. Free of harsh sulfates, the EverStrong Sulfate-Free Fortify System* contains our patented Bio-Ceramide Complex, which strengthens the hair fiber after just one use, helping it resist breakage. Natural aromatic properties from rosemary and mint help energize and invigorate the senses.

EverStrong Reconstruct Conditioner gently conditions while strengthening hair to prevent breakage and tame frizz. Nourishes damaged hair and leaves hair strong and silky.

100% sulfate-free

No drying salts

Natural botanicals

100% vegan - Formula not tested on animals, no animal byproducts

For frizzy, damaged hair


My Finds: I bought this at CVS for $6.99. The reason I picked it up was because the bottle said that it contained ceramides and I have been wanting to try ceramides for quite some time. Part of me was convinced that this conditioner would just not work. I thought that I wouldn't be able to tell the difference after I washed out this conditioner and I would be horribly disappointed by it.

However -- I was happily surprised.

First, the good. This conditioner has a nice consistency and spread nicely over my hair. I had to use much more conditioner than I would normally use but I am not sure if that was because my hair is getting longer or if the product really soaks in, giving an illusion that the hair is not completely covered. I like to get my hair really covered in conditioner. The instructions say to let the conditioner sit for 1-2 minutes, but I pinned it up and covered with a shower cap and left on for at least 10 minutes.

After washing out the conditioner, I will admit that my hair felt noticably stronger. It was great. During my detangling session, I had only a few shed hairs. Much less than normal.

Now for the bad. The smell of this product seriously stinks. I hate it. It smells like men's shaving creams which has always given me the heeby jeebies (I'm weird). I even put another conditioner on afterwards to combat the smell, but the smell of this product has staying power. I can smell it as I type this.

Smell aside, this is a pretty great conditioner. I'll continue to use to determine if my hair benefits from repeated use.

REVIEW: Maybelline Lash Stiletto™ Ultimate Length Washable Mascara

10:04a

Product Description: The only mascara that does for lashes what stilettos do for legs. The Grip & Extend brush grasps each lash and coats from every angle. Elastic formula stretches lashes for provocative length. Pro-Vitamin B-5 formula conditions and smoothes for black-patent shine.

My Finds: I love this mascara. It really highlights my eyelashes and makes them super long and defined. It delivers on it's promises and at $5 it's a pretty good bargain. I'm guilty of loving mascara so I actually use this as my second coat of mascara. The first coat I use another brand that thickens my lashes and then I use this one to lengthen and define. Together, it's a winning combo.

Used alone, I find that this mascara made my eyelashes seem to thin. Maybelline has a Lash Stiletto Voluptuos that both thickens and lengthens. I plan to try that next.

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REVIEW: Elasta QP Feels Like Silk Leave-In H2

9:56a

Product Description: New and Improved Organic Infusion, vitamin-rich/ with olive oil. Softens and detangles. Superior moisturizing. For natural and relaxed styles. QP H-Two leaves hair incredibly soft, silky-smooth with great body, movement and shine. Perfect for natural, braided and relaxed styles leaving hair texture feeling like sik without build-up, dryness or frizz. Advanced Vitamin-rich Organic formula infuses healing restorative moisturizers that instantly detangle and strengthen hair deep inside. Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Avocado Oil and Organic Extracts rich in Vitamins help protect hair from thermal styling damage.

My Finds: I love this leave in. I use it only for specific purposes, which is normally when I play to blow dry or flat iron. I spray this on wet hair and then blow dry or air dry and then proceed to flat iron. I also use this on flat ironed hair since it is so light weight and with my fine hair, a moisturizing product that's also lightweight is really hard to find. Instead of spraying when I use it as a moisturizer on flat ironed hair (for fear of reversion), I spray it into my hands and evenly smooth it over my hair.

This product is light weight, very moisturizing and has a pleasant scent. I love this and it's a staple for my flat ironed hair.

REVIEW: Star Lacio Lacio High Shine Leave in Hair Conditioner

9:36a

Product Description: HIGH SHINE LEAVE IN HAIR CONDITIONER "LACIO LACIO" CONCENTRATED SILK PROTEIN LACIO LACIO: It is a leave in high shine scientific developed formula to provide softness shine and new life to over processed, porus or dry hair. LACIO LACIO is an intensive hair treatment that restores split end over processed hair.

Ingredients: WATER, CETEARYL ALCOHOL, HYDROLIZED SILK, DIMETHICONE COPOLYOL, CETRIMONIUM CHLORIDE, PANTHENOL, DMDM HYDANTOIN, METHYLPARABEN, PROPYLPARABEN, FRAGRANCE, COLORANT FREE

My Finds: I bought this product awhile ago and have been using it for a few months. Every time I use it, I fall deeper and deep into love with this product. It provides a softness and shine that has been unparalled. I use this only when I blow dry or flat iron and it has consistently given me the results I love to see when I flat iron. For soft, silky and shiny hair, this product gets an A+.

Hollywood Beauty Olive Cholesterol Deep Conditioning Creme for Damaged Hair

9:28a

Directions: For quick conditioning while in the shower, shampoo and rinse hair. Apply a generous amount of Hollywood Beauty Olive Cholesterol to hair scalp. Leave on for two minutes and rinse hair thoroughly. For deep conditioning, follow the above but mix in a few drops of Hollywood Beauty Olive Oil to the cholesterol before applying to hair. Wrap hair in a moist towel for 5-10 minutes, then rinse hair thoroughly.


Ingredients: Deionized Water (Aqua), Cetearyl Alcohol, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Stearalkonium Chloride, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Olive Oil, Propylene Glycol, Glycerin, Mineral Oil, Tea Tree Oil, Jojoba Oil, Avocado Oil, Coconut Oil, Egg Protein, Cholesterol, Aloe Vera Extract, Calendula Extract, Lemon Extract, Rose Mary Extract, Great Burdock Extract, Ivy Extract, Pine Extract, Sage Extract, Watercress Extract, Chamomille Extract, White Nettle Extract, Capucine Extract, Fragrance, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Diazolidinyl Urea, DMDM Hydantoin, Disodium EDTA, D&C Yellow 10, FD&C Yellow 5, FD&C Blue 1, FD&C Red 33.

My Finds: I really liked this conditioner. Even though it does contain mineral oil, it effectively softened my hair and it was really moisturizing. I'm becoming a firm believer that just because one person (or a million) swears off mineral oil, that it doesn't mean that it's not okay in moderation. I have to do what's best for my hair and this product really did the trick for me.

The smell is delicious. I found myself wanting to lick my hair and the smell linger so even after my hair was dry, I would get a delicious wiff every time I turned my hair.

The consistency is thick and covers nicely. Overall this is a great deep conditioner and for under $3 it was very pocket friendly.

For a naturalista's review on this product check out the all natural Renise B's review here.

REVIEW: Suave Professionals Almond and Shea Butter Conditioner

9:06a

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.

Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Cetearyl Alcohol, Cyclopentasiloxane, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil (Sweet Almond), Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter) (Shea Butter), Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil (Jojoba), Aloe (Aloe Barbadensis) Leaf Juice (Aloe Vera), Cymbopogon Schoenanthus Oil (Lemongrass), Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil (Rosemary), Chamomilla Recutita Flower/Leaf Extract (Matricaria), Lavandula Angustifolia Flower Extract (Lavender), Dimethiconol, Behentrimonium Chloride, Fragrance, Dipropylene Glycol, Potassium Chloride, Lactic Acid, Disodium EDTA, TEA Dodecylbenzene Sulfonate, PEG 150 Distearate, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone

My Finds: This conditioner has great slip. It's great for detangling. I first tried it on my daughter whose hair is crazy curly and tangles like a beast. After slathering this on her hair and letting it soak in for awhile, detangling her hair was super easy.

The smell of this conditioner is truly reminiscent of Herbal Essences Hello Hydration. So much so that I was in the shower sniffing both bottles because they smelled so much alike. I love the smell of HEHH so I was thrilled.

The consistency was great. Not too watery and a great thickness that allows it to really get in the hair and do it's thing.

At less than $2 this product is pretty amazing. It will be a great cowash conditioner for the summer and great for my girls. I will most certainly purchase this conditioner again.

Trader Joe's Tea Tree Tingle Conditioner with Peppermint and Eucalyptus

11:06a

Product Description: We've worked with an upscale boutique to bring you this salon-quality conditioner that will rejuvenate your hair with its refreshing tingle. A blend of certified organic botanicals including peppermint and tea tree work together to moisturize and clarify your hair while alleviating dry scalp. Our product contains no laurel/laureth sulfates found in most shampoos and is suitable for all hair types.

Ingredients: Purified Water, Tea Tree Oil, Peppermint Oil, Eucalyptus Oil, Rosemary Oil, Nettle Oil, Thyme Oil, Birch Leaf Oil, Chamomile, Clary, Lavender, Coltsfoot Leaf, Yarrow Oil, Mallow,Horsetail Oil, Soybean Oil, Cetyl Alchohol, Vitamin E, Trace Minerals, Citric Acid, Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate, Grapefruit Seed

These ingredients make my mouth water! This conditioner is organic and has only a trace amount of protein in it.

My finds: I LOVE LOVE LOVE this conditioner. It smells wonderful and the peppermint in it tingles nicely. I mixed it with EVOO and microwaved it for a few seconds to heat it up. Once applied to my hair, it really did it's job. My hair came out so moisturized that I didn't even need to follow up with anything. I actually used this product like a deep conditioner. I used this in the midst of my stretch when my new growth was literally throwing punches at me. It melted the tangles right away and the amazing slip made detangling almost enjoyable! Almost.

This set me back a whole $3 and change and was so worth it. If you have access to a Trader Joe's, I would HIGHLY recommend this conditioner. It's fabulous.

REVIEW: Smooth 'N Shine Polishing Silk Style Iron Styler - Heat Protect

9:24a

I was perusing the aisles at my local Target and I came across this product. I was pretty intrigued since I had been flatironing alot (big NO-NO...and I paid for it dearly).

It claims: Smooth 'N Shine Polishing Silk Style Iron Styler is a heat activated styler that protects hair from dehydration and damage.


Leaves hair smooth and shiny!

My finds: I like this product. The consistency is neither runny nor thick, and it covers hair easily with out having to use too much. I found that it did leave my hair both silky and shiny (and my girls hair - I used it to blow out their hair). I have become pretty paranoid (though one cannot tell!) about heat and I doubled up on the heat protectant, opting to use another heat protectant over this one.

It cost about $3 and was worth it. I make sure to use this when blow drying and flat ironing along with another heat protectant.

Ingredients: AQUA (WATER), GLYCERIN, CETEARYL ALCOHOL, BEHENTRIMONIUM METHOSULFATE, SILK AMINO ACIDS, PANTHENOL, HYDROXYPROPYL BIS-HYDROXYETHYLDIMONIUM CHLORIDE, POLYQUARTERNIUM-11, AMINOPROPYL DIMETHICONE, AMODIMETHICONE, HYDROLYZED WHEAT PROTEIN, LACTIC ACID, HYDROXIPROPYLCELLULOSE, BUTYLENE GLYCOL, OCTOXYNOL-40, ISOLAURETH-6, METHYLCHLOROISOTHIAZOLINONE, MRTHYLISOTHIAZOLINONE, PARFUM (FRAGRANCE, LINALOOL, HEXYLCINNAMAL, CITRONELLOL, BUTYLPHENYL METHYLPROPIONAL, CI 17200 (RED 33).

Not sure what all that means or if there was anything I should stay away from in it, but I noticed the silk amino acids and wheat protein first when I read the ingredients. Those two ingredients made me purchase it.

Overall, this product was a good buy. I will continue to use.

Review: Gold N Hot Jet Bonnet Dryer Attachment

12:00pm

A few days ago, on wash day, I tried Gold N Hot Jet Bonnet Dryer Attachment. I was in the BSS shopping for barrettes for my girls and I saw this. I have been with out a table top dryer since I started the journey and haven't invested in one yet. So when I saw this {for $9.99}, I decided that it was worth a try.

I usually blow dry my hair, so my purpose for using this was mostly for deep conditioning. I liked the fact that it's mobile, so wherever I can plug my blow dryer up, I can use it {including lounging out my couch watching Project Runway - with the captions on}

Once I removed it from the box, I saw that it was basically just a bonnet with a large tube attached. Easy enough. Wasn't scared away yet.

I attached it to my dryer and turned on to high. It almost burned my head off, the heat was so intense. Then I read the directions, which specifically say to use only on low heat. I knew there was a reason my second grade teacher always said to read the directions first...

One thing that I did not care for about this dryer was that the force of the air from the dryer makes the bonnet part blow off, if it is not pulled all the way down. If it is pulled all the way down it becomes difficult to see. I grabbed a book and was able to deep condition and read at the same time. So that wasn't a deal breaker for me at all.

Overall, I have to say that I really do like this for it's mobility, low maintenace and how well it heats up. It did a great job deep conditioning my hair. I will definently use this with all my deep conditioners.