Stash Haul #2: Cleansers + MC Essentials Kit Giveaway!!

Buon pomeriggio, bellas!

I'll start off with the best stuff first :-D MahoganyCurls, one of my favorite CG YouTubers, is having an Essentials Kit giveaway! It's sponsored by MahoganyChic, a fashion and beauty blogger. Entering is super easy, and there will be 3 winners! The contents of the Kit include:

1. As I Am Coconut Cowash
2. TRESemme Naturals Nourishing Moisture Conditioner
3. Eco Styler Gel
4. Paul Mitchell The Conditioner

What more can I say? It's free products being offered! And, this is an international giveaway, so curlies in other countries could also win the package. What are y'all waiting for? Head over to YT land and tell Jess that you want that Kit!

Alrighty, now on to my stash haul! Yesterday, I went into deets about my DCs, which is the first step in my regimen. Today is the all-important cleanser! Before I go into detail about my stash and what I use, let me give a bit of background:

Cleansing has been one of the most difficult things for me to get a handle on. I'll think that I have a good cleansing method, only to find out a bit later that it's not working as well as it could, and my hair is suffering for it. I have tried shampooing, cowashing, ACV rinses, just water and fingers, bentonite clay washes, Terressentials mud wash...on and on and on. None were sufficient. I liked the way that shampoo cleansed my scalp, but many times it stripped my hair unless I piled on the DCs beforehand. Cowashing on its own left too much buildup on my scalp, making it itchy and flake frequently. And it didn't get the product off of my hair. ACV rinses were good, but I like my cleansers to be thicker. The water and friction mess...*crickets*

Bentonite clay worked well for a while, and I was singing its praises - until it started to get stuck at my roots and wouldn't rinse out. I was horrified and disgusted. Ugh. Terressentials (I ordered the Fragrance Free wash) was great for my hair and cleansed everything, but the skin on my neck, face and shoulders were irritated beyond belief. I think it might have been the nettle *le sigh* I wanted so badly to like it, too. But a no-go it was.


I was desperate for a solution! I felt beyond the realm of help; everybody else seemed to do well with all of the aforementioned cleansing options. But, one day, while browsing Naya's blog on CN, she noted that she was going to try making her own shampoo with aloe vera gel. I forgot about it, until I dreaded my next washed day and her comment popped into my head. I decided to mix my own concoction for a cleansing conditioner with this recipe:

2 tbsp conditioner (something thin and watery like VO5)
2 tbsp aloe vera juice

I mixed them together in a nifty little travel sized bottle I had in my room, shook it up, and then decided that I wanted it to be a bit more clarifying. So I took about a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar and added it to the bottle. Since AVJ has to be kept cold, I stuck my little mix in the fridge overnight while I DCed. In the morning, I let my hair cool down, rinsed my DC, and then applied this mix to my scalp to see if it would work. Oh. My. Gosh. Never have I ever had such a thorough, moisturising cleanse! I think the AVJ is a big part of why my scalp was so clean. But, the conditioner also kept my hair moisturised. Not a trace of product, dirt, or gunk, but my curls were moisturised and not stripped of their natural oils. Finally, a cleanser that worked for MY hair! I'm beginning to experiment with adding shampoos instead of ACV, adding both, and whatnot.

This cleanser has been the one thing that I do not (and will not) change in my regimen! The conditioner I use may on occasion, but this has been a cleansing revelation for my curly hair. I love having the best of both worlds! I keep my hair in twists for this step (as I do with most of my regimen). I squeeze the mix onto my scalp and around the base of my twists, and use the pads of my fingers to really scrub my scalp to help get rid of product buildup, dirt, etc. I focus especially in the crown area of my scalp, because it's a more sensitive area, and seems to get dirty rather quickly. If I have any of it left over after my scalp is taken care of, I can run it over the length of my twists. I rinse thoroughly (about 5-6 minutes) with warm water, but I don't unravel any twists while rinsing. I do lift up each individual twist, and make sure that I run the water through the base of each one, scrubbing all the while.

That being said, I really only like to use one conditioner for this for some reason. It's the VO5 Tea Therapy Calming Chamomile Tea Nourishing Conditioner. There's nothing super special about it, but I just don't want to use any other conditioner for this mix lol. The only problem is that this type happens to be one of the least common VO5 conditioners I see sold. *le sigh* So, two other conditioners that could potentially work well with this are shown above: Spa Haus Salon Conditioner (dollar store buy) and VO5 Repair & Protect Strengthening Conditioner. I don't want to use conditioners with dyes in them for this step, because of how much it's being scrubbed into my scalp, and I have sensitive skin.

So, that's my cleansing sob story, stash, and deets...and photos - finally!

What do you use to cleanse your scalp and hair, curlies? Have you ever had a cleansing fiasco?

Stash Haul #1: DCs + Blogger Shoutout

Shout out to Valerie of Curls2Envy for featuring me on her blog!  It was so fun putting all that together, and I really appreciate her blog and for letting me be a guest for the day :-)

So, I've decided to do a bit of a stash haul. I always feel like I have so many products, and then when I compare what I have to the serious PJs...I have nothing lol. At any rate, I love doing inventories, so here's a bit of a peek into my hair box :-D First up, the all important DC (deep conditioner). This can make or break your regimen. Whether comprised of yummy produce found in your kitchen (avocados and whatnot), or with a myriad of conditioners in your arsenal, this all important deep moisturising treatment adds much needed moisture to your hair strands. Especially during the colder, drier months of autumn and winter, moisturising treatments help to replenish the moisture that your hair has lost being exposed to the dry air and elements in it; keeping your hair bouncy, shiny and healthy.

I'm not very picky when it comes to doing DCs. I do them on damp dirty hair, and leave mine on overnight, so I just prefer products that won't irritate my skin in that amount of time. I've used lots of different products, from ones marketed for deep treatments, to regular conditioners cocktailed with additional ingredients, to vegetables I find and puree. The possibilities are endless!

Side note: If you have fine strands of hair, you'll want to incorporate light proteins into your deep moisture treatments. This will ensure that we finely stranded curlies don't neglect the building block of our hair whilst also restoring high levels of moisture. If you're purchasing a DC/DT, look for ones with hydrolysed proteins: keratin, collagen, silk amino acids, silk protein, wheat protein, gelatin, coconut oil, etc. If you're a mixtress, add some mayo (for overnighters), eggs (for those of you who like to only leave a DT in for a few hours), or coconut oil.

Okay, so, finally, here are the DCs I have! Heh heh heh. My cocktailed concoctions go first:

VO5 Silky Experiences Shea Cashmere Moisturising Conditioner + Nuance Raw Honey Color Protect Conditioner + Taliah Wajid The Great Detangler + Nubian Heritage EVOO & Moringa Treatment Masque + EVOO + EVCO + GSO + honey

There are waay too many ingredients to list! Lol. This is obviously a cocktailed DC - one of my favorite types to use. I haven't yet utilised it, since I was trying to be strict CG. I may try it next week, though. No harm in splurging a bit...

Suave Naturals Tropical Coconut Conditioner + Nubian Heritage EVOO & Moringa Treatment Masque + VO5 Pomegranate & Grapeseed Extract Strengthening Conditioner + EVOO + EVCO + GSO + honey

Again...crazy long list of ingredients because this is a cocktailed treatment. But, I tried this on my hair last night. It was just okay. I was so wary to use it because Suave Naturals has potassium chloride in it (a salt), and as high as it is on the list, I was loathe to try it on my curls. I did it anyway though. My hair felt kind of weird. I don't think I'll be trying that again lol...

Suave Naturals Juicy Green Apple Conditioner+ Nubian Heritage EVOO & Moringa Treatment Masque + VO5 Pomegranate & Grapeseed Extract Strengthening Conditioner + EVOO + EVCO + GSO + honey

Okay, again with the ridiculously long lists. This is the only downside to cocktailing so many products. If I take 1/2 cup of this, add 2 pureed avocados, 1/4 cup of mayonnaise, and more honey, EVOO, EVCO and GSO, this would probably be a great DC.

And now, my homemade DCs: 

Avocado Masque

2 pureed overripe avocados

1/3 c. honey

1/4 c. EVOO

1/8 vegetable oil

1/4 c. mayonnaise

This is one of my absolute most favorite DCs! Even more so than my cocktailed concoctions. It's uber moisturising, and the mayo adds some protein. I might add some EVCO the next time for even more protein the next time. Side note: This mix can be runny, so be prepared! I keep my twists away from my forehead, and cover it with a plastic bag and my shower cap to keep the oils from running into my eyes (and me from running into the bathroom screaming in pain). It rinses easily, which I love.

Banana Masque

1 pureed overripe banana

1 pureed overripe avocado (optional)

1/3 c. honey

1/4 c. EVOO

1/8 vegetable oil

1/4 c. mayonnaise

This is another super rich homemade DC. I absolutely abhor the smell of bananas, so I like to add that avocado in to keep the smell away for the most part. It's optional, but with my mental banana allergy, I can't be too careful ;-D

Also, taking either of those above homemade recipes and adding your favorite DC to it is another great option. Taking any conditioner and adding oils and honey can turn it into a miracle-working deep treatment :-)

Goodness, that was a long post lol.

So, curlies, what are your favorite DCs or DC recipes? What's your typical DC approach? Is it necessary for you? How often do you do it?