New Purchases!

So I said that there would be an end to stash hauls, but I will update on new purchases! Here are the products I've purchased recently:

In addition to that, I just bought the Shea Moisture Organic Yucca & Baobab Volumizing Conditioner from Target. It should be here soon :-) Anywho, here are the other products!

1. Yes to Cucumbers Color Protection Shampoo

Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit Extract*, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Extract, Rosa Canina Fruit Extract, Salix Alba (Willow) Bark Extract, Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Leaf Extract, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Sea Water, Chlorella Vulgaris Extract, Spirulina Maxima Extract, Hydrolyzed Algin, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Xanthan Gum, Glycerin, Fragrance (Parfum), Sodium Benzoate, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Phenoxyethanol. * Certified Organic Ingredient

I used this on my last wash day. Oh my goodness gracious, this stuff is a miracle worker! How does one create a shampoo that lathers gently, doesn't contain sulphates or harsh cleansers, cleans, yet moisturizes? There is gold in that bottle! Lol. I look forward to using it again; I may begin to look forward to wash days now. Heh heh heh.

Price: $7.99
Size: 11.5 oz/340 mL

2. Nature's Gate Aloe Vera Moisturizing Shampoo

Ingredients: Water, cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine (coconut derived), sodium cocoyl isethionate (coconut derived), disodium cocoamphodiacetate (coconut derived), glycerin (vegetable derived), aloe barbadensis leaf juice, panthenol, hydrolyzed soy protein, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) seed oil, borago officinalis (borage) seed oil, tocopherol (vitamin E), ascorbic acid (vitamin C), hordeum vulgare (barley) extract, urtica dioica (nettle) extract, persea gratissima (avocado) fruit extract, viola tricolor (pansy) extract, ascorbyl palmitate (vitamin C), sorbitan sesquicaprylate (coconut and corn derived), polysorbate 20 (vegetable derived), hydroxypropyl methylcellulos (plant derived), sodium hydroxide, glyceryl undecylenate (vegetable derived), phenoxyethanol, fragrance*. 
*Phthalate free.

I haven't tried this yet, but it smells exactly like its matching conditioner (like bubble gum), and the ingredients look divine! It'll be a while before I try this, though; I want to finish my other shampoo and a cowash mix before starting this one.

Price: $4.39 (on Vitacost.com)
Size: 18 oz/532 mL

3. Nubian Heritage EVOO & Moringa Repair & Extend Conditioner with Quinoa, Fennel & Henna

Ingredients: Deionized Water , Olea Europaea Fruit Oil (Olive) , Cocos Nucifera Oil (Coconut) , Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter) , Sorbitol Esters , Mangifera Indica (Mango) Seed Butter , Persea Gratissima Oil (Avocado) , Vegetable Protein , Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil , Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil , Lawsonia Inermis Leaf Powder (Henna) , Panthenol (Pro-Vitamin B-5) , Proprietary Essential Oil Blend , Behentrimonium Chloride , Chenopodium Quinoa Extract , Foeniculum Vulgare Extract (Fennel) , Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract , Rosemary Extract , Bamboo Extract, Lonicera Caprifolium (Honeysuckle) Flower (and) Lonicera Japonica (Japanese Honeysuckle) Flower Extract.

I know that it's a RO condish, but I'm going to use this as a sort of protein DT...but mix it into my carrot DC (more info on that a bit later) so that I can get both softness and strength (and color). I should be using it during my next wash day, so I'll have preliminary thoughts for you by then.

Price: $11.99
Size: 12 oz/355 mL

4. Taliah Waajid Protective Mist Bodifier

Ingredients: Deionized Water (Aqua), Wheat Germ Extract (Triticum vulgare), Aloe Vera (Aloe barbadensis) Leaf, Cetrimonium Bromide, Cetyl Alcohol, DMDM Hydantoin, Olive Oil (Olea europaena), Glycerol (Vegetable Derived), Silk Amino Acids, Bay Laurel Extract (Lauris nobilis), Fragrance (Parfum).

I think that I'm going to like this stuff! Even after being charmed by Oyin Juices & Berries, I knew that I still needed to find a good, inexpensive ($10 or less) liquid leave in that I could find on the ground. If I ran out, I could still run to Target or Wal Mart with $10 and be able to purchase it. I was perusing The Forgotten Natural the other day, and saw that Ravenpriestess (the author) uses it as part of her LOC method. So, I decided to give it a try. I found it at Target, copped it, and gave it the palm test with my other products in my hand to see how they'd mix. It's very well tempered, methinks. I won't be using it for a while, though; I'm still finishing up my Oyin Juices & Berries and Carol's Daughter Tui as my Ls. So there might be a review for this in March or April *sniffles*

Price: $6.99 (Target; it costs more at Wal Mart)
Size: 8 oz/237 mL

5. Shea Moisture Organic Yucca & Baobab Volumizing Conditioner with Biotin & Bamboo Extract

Ingredients: De-ionized water, Cocos Nucifera (coconut) oil*, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea butter)*, Sorbitol Esters, Mangifera Indica (mango) seed butter, Persea Gratissima (avocado) oil, Aloe Barbadenis leaf extract, Yucca Filamentosa extract, vegetable protein, Glycine Soja (soybean) oil, Adansonia digitata (Baobab) extract, biotin, rosemary extract, bamboo extract, Lonicera Caprifolium (honeysuckle) flower and Lonicera Japonica (Japanese honeysuckle) flower extract. 
*Certified organic ingredients.

This was another product that I heard about through The Forgotten Natural, and another YTer, Katie Douglass. Both are Shea Moisture and/or Nubian Heritage Queens, so I purchased it from Target.com (outrageous shipping, but I didn't want to wait! :-/ ) and it should be here this week or next. Again, no reviews on it for a good bit because I have a wee bit of my Nature's Gate Aloe Vera condish to get through, the Nubian Heritage condish, and another Nature's Gate conditioner before trying this. So it'll be probably around April or even May when this product is reviewed. Lo siento :-(

Price: $9.99
Size: 12 oz/355 mL

Have you purchased anything (doesn't have to be hair related) new lately?

Core Finals: Day 1 + Mi Pelo + Regrets

Today was the first day of studying for finals! I didn't get there until the afternoon, but only Becca, Daniel and  Andrei were at Vicente's house. It was difficult to focus because we enjoy talking about other things too, but despite the fact that we went off onto many, many tangents, we got a lot accomplished, methinks. We discussed literature a bit, and then when Stephen came, we got more into history. Becca and Daniel left, and then Allen  - our resident philosopher - came. He is probably one of the deepest guys I know, so we got our philosophy on when he arrived. I love that he's so open to learning about other people's beliefs, even when they differ from his own. We can talk about our faiths (he's Muslim and I'm Christian) without the conversation turning into a heated debate, and we end up seeing a lot more of the similarities between our beliefs instead of the differences. I've actually seen that there are many more similarities between Islam and Christianity than there are anything else. Both religions have Abrahamic roots, just like Judaism, so it makes sense. It slips my mind so often, though, that it usually takes a person of another faith to remind me of how much we share. But I digress...

Throughout the afternoon, we went onto rabbit trails about culture, religion, philosophy, science...you wouldn't believe it unless you were there. After everybody else had left. Allen and Andrei even got into this deep discussion about what time really is, the definition of 3 dimensions, time travel, quantum physics, calculus...it was amazing. I thought it was over my head at first, and I remarked how dumb I felt, but they both encouraged me to just think about it in different ways. I did, and I actually comprehended it. It totally changed my attitude and view of physics (not my favorite science) and the practicality and application of mathematics (most especially algebra and calculus). I'm looking forward to math classes now. Or even just learning math on my own. I'll show you some shots of the group - finally, faces to the names I mention so often!

SN: Andrei wanted to know why he wasn't on my blog, too. Lol. So, I wondered about just doing a Scholars Stories series, and do interviews with all of the people in the program - even the professors. What think you? Let me know what you'd think about getting to know my classmates and friends! :-)

So, now, presenting some of my fellow Scholars! (I did let them know that I'd be blogging about them, and they knew about the photos :-D ):

 

From left to right: Daniel, Andrei, and Stephen while we discussed the major points of history that we learned this semester.

Allen (left) and Andrei (right) talking about the finer points of history in the kitchen.

Vicente (left) and Stephen (right) enjoying Allen and Andrei's conversation.

Allen and Andrei deep in a discussion about the effects that religion has on culture.

In the basement: Allen and Andrei's physics and calculus oral dissertation lol. I looked on from the couch, taking in the incense that Vicente (sitting off to the left) burned. Vicente's younger sister came down to listen in, too, and she was also intrigued. Who wouldn't be?

This is a short clip I recorded during their discussion. This was the tip of the iceberg! Sorry for the poor video quality; their voices are more important than the images, though :-)

Andrei used my scrunchy to describe what time is (my mind was blown, btdubs). And speaking of scrunchies, peep the 'do! I went up to the bathroom to take out my twists, and was greeted with this (I did pin back one side with a couple bobby pins I found in my hair):

Not too bad, eh? I think I'll wear my hair out on Fridays again. I'm loving this look, methinks. Oh, and I just mixed up my cleanser for tomorrow morning. I added some Paula's Choice shampoo because of the silicones from the Pantene that are in my hair. Uggh. Ooh, and I'm DCing with Nature's Gate Aloe Vera Moisturizing Conditioner. I'll probably add EVOO, EVCO, grapeseed oil, sesame oil, canola oil, and mayhaps a carrot or two, and some mayonnaise. I'll dish in the AM.

Last but not least: Please, please, please keep those CT families in your thoughts and prayers. The fact that somebody was sick enough to murder so many young, innocent children is troubling to my soul. I was devastated when I heard the news. I work with that age group a lot, and I just cried and cried. What are we coming to?

Stash Haul #3: Conditioners/Detanglers

Buenos dias, chicas (y chicos) rizadas!

In this third installment, we move along to one of my potentially favorite parts of my regimen: conditioning and detangling. Depending on the product used and your technique, this aspect of your regimen can either be heaven or hell. I choose the products for this part scrupulously, since a little will inadvertently be left in. That being said, I tend not to use products with salts (sodium chloride, potassium chloride, etc.) or short-chain alcohols in their formulas for this step. However, if I like the product enough, I will add a lot of oils to it to counteract the drying alcohols (hey, it works in my head, right?). I haven't ever really had issues with this part of my regimen. I just need a conditioner with plenty of slip for this step. Before CG, the Herbal Essences Honey, I'm Strong Conditioner was my ISH for detangling. I had to rinse it totally out because of the sodium hydroxide, but honey boo boo chile - that detangling ability was like none other! Even Suave Almond + Shea Butter didn't compare! But, sadly, that conditioner is not CG *sniffles*

Buuutt, thankfully, I can still use products from my abosulute most favorite hair product company in the entire world - TRESemme! For a year now, I'd been hearing curly girls everywhere sing the praises of TRESemme Naturals. I was skeptical, but I found a bottle of the Nourishing Moisture variety at Wal Mart and decided to try it. Oh. My. Word. It is no HE HIS, but for a non-silicone conditioner, it is amazing! I could easily detangle my sections with my Denman, and even finger detangle (another long story lol). It is my HG conditioner and detangler, and I don't see that changing any time soon! My only problem with TN is difference in the old and new formulas of the Nourishing Moisture Conditioner. I first tried the new one, but when I went to the Rite Aid in Essex and bought more, I didn't realise that it was the old formula. I think I can tell the difference between the two, though. The old formula bottles say "NEW" above "Silicone-Free Conditioning," but the new formula bottles don't, which makes sense. So, since I have the old formulas, I had to add a lot of oils to my bottles. I added EVOO to the old Nourishing Moisture conditioners, and grapeseed oil to the Radiant Volume conditioners. Then, today, I added a capful of canola oil and sesame oil into one of my Nourishing Moisture condishes.

Besides those, I also purchased two great conditioners from Safeway last month: Yes to Cucumbers Color Protection Conditioner and Nature's Gate Aloe Vera Moisturising Conditioner. I don't think that the Nature's Gate condish will be a good detangler, but I'm eager to try the Y2C condish

After cleansing my scalp, I slather globs of a rinse out conditioner into my twists and finish up the rest of my shower. Once I get dressed, I take down one twist at a time, divide each twist into halves, and then detangle each half. Then I rinse out most of the condish, apply my leave in mixture, seal with an oil, and style.

What's your conditioning/detangling regimen?