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?

Semester's End + Swap Haul + New Regimen

Ciao, bellas!

This semester has been craaaazy beyond belief. Finals week is quickly approaching (*gulps*), and I have so many things to read and study beforehand. I'm trying to get all As this semester, so I really need to slam into the books as hard as I can. Ooh, kind of random: The best thing about this semester has been the Bible study that some other believers started on the Germantown campus. It's really nice to go there and fellowship and talk about God's Word and pray with other Christians after a long day of being surrounded by insanity and profanity. It's so refreshing for my spirit, and I always leave feeling energised.

I don't know if I ever told y'all, but on the CN forums, I purchased some products from another curly, Breezie24, on the swap boards. Here's what I purchased from her:

Carol's Daughter Healthy Hair Butter
Carol's Daugher Tui Moisturising Leave-In Conditioner
Oyin Handmade Juices & Berries
Darcy's Botanicals Vanilla Delight Leave-In Conditioner
Curls Curl Creme Brulee
Taliah Wajid The Great Detangler

All for $43, which is pretty good, considering the lines I purchased. First off, Breezie was great to work with; everything came taped down, in great condition, and quickly. It was a pleasure ordering from her, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat :-) Second, why the heck didn't anybody tell me how NASTY that CD butter smelled?! I almost vomited when I sniffed it! My sister, who usually likes fragrances that I don't like, wrinkled her nose at it. And my brother, who is just crazy, said that it smelled like our baby cousin's diapers o_O I haven't used it and don't plan to. I just need to figure out something to do with it other than throw it out. Ugh. More on the other products in my stash post :D

I've figured something out about myself: I cannot, for the life of me, stick to one set regimen for months at a time. My techniques (styling, detangling and whatnot), yes, but products? Forget about it! I'll use something for 3 weeks, and then I move on to something else because I get bored. I like the idea of having one regimen with one way of doing things, but I can never actually do it. There are so many ways to do things, different ways to use the same product, and ways to mix things up (literally) that I never get around to sticking to anything. I'm not ashamed of it, but it's just something interesting that I've noticed about myself. At any rate, I washed my hair today. Here's what I did:

1. DCed hair last night in 4 sections (Suave Naturals Tropical Coconut + Nubian Heritage EVOO & Moringa Repair & Extend Treatment Masque + honey + EVOO + EVCO + GSO + VO5 Pomegranate & Grapeseed Extract Strengthening Conditioner).

2. Cleansed scalp with my creamy chamomile conditioning cleanser (I added about 3/4-1 tbsp of my sulphate poo; it increased the cleansing power x 10, but it was still conditioning, and it didn't foam up like shampoo).

3. Conditioned hair with TRESemme Naturals Nourishing Moisture Conditioner (the old formula; it smells like nail polish remover, and I HATE it! I need to stop by Weis and get the new formula kind).

4. Detangled one section with Darcy's Botanicals Vanilla Delight Leave-In Conditioner; tried adding gel, rinsed, and added Pantene Curly Moisture Renewal Conditioner instead; sealed with GSO.

5. Finished rest of hair with Pantene Curly, sealed with GSO, and put hair into 8 big twists, and pulled them back into a little bun.

So, contrary to my palm test, the DB doesn't mix well with my HG gel :-( I was so disappointed. It balled the conditioner up in my hair, so I quickly used the remaining portions of my cleanser to wash it out. And, let me say, that the Pantene Curly was another FAIL. I haven't been doing CG for very long, and still, my hair is just rejecting any and all silicones. I'm so sad *sniffles* I didn't feel like doing my hair during the week, so into 8 chunky twists it went, and I was able to snatch them all up into a little bun thing. No maintenance during the week, at least! This will probably be my finals style, too lol.


OAN: Forgive the image-less state of my blog. My phone is acting a fool and won't send the pics; my camera is void of both batteries and a memory card. Foo. I shall provide images, shortly, though, my fellow curlies! I know how boring this must be without images...

Vintage Posts from the CN Forums - Part 5

28-08-2012
So, after my failed mini twists attempt, I put in regular, chunky twists, and did a TO for a few days. I wanted to change up my look for orientation today, so I shampooed with TRESemme Climate Control Shampoo, and conditioned with Herbal Essences Honey, I'm Strong Conditioner. I let my hair (which was in 7 twists) dry slightly while I got dressed. For each section, I untwisted it, lightly finger combed it, took about a quarter sized dollop of Fresh Elements Captivatin' Color Mixed Berry & Silk Conditioner and fingered it through for several minutes. I tried to define my curls as much as possible, which was easier in the back than in the front. Then I took 2 pumps of John Freida Frizz Ease Extra Strength Formula Hair Serum and fingered it through the section as well, trying not to disturb the curl definition I'd already achieved. Then I took the front section and pinned it back. My hair looked pretty good for my first time doing a wash and go, methinks. My curls were shiny, and only shrunk 1-2 inches. They still looked shiny after I left orientation (more than 5 hours later). I think I might try pineappling or twisting tonight and see what I get tomorrow morning. Here's hoping!



04-09-2012
I finally bought my school supplies today! Binders, NoteTabs, contact paper, spiral bound notebooks - it all smells wonderful! I've spent the past 3 hours prepping my books, and I'm still not done! But I should be in be by 22:15 or earlier. Meh -_-



09-09-2012
Nothing much going on hair wise. Oh! But I did get to Amazon and buy a 1 lb jar of bentonite clay (the Aztec Healing Clay), Bragg's Raw Unfiltered ACV (just because the clay is supposed to be mixed with raw ACV...and it was $2.28 for 16 oz), and Nature's Way Organic coconut oil. It's supposed to be here by 12 September. I'll be washing on Friday or Saturday; I'll update then! 

oh! My wash day regimen for yesterday! Me olvide, lo siento! 

I did a quick (5-7 minute) pre poo with VO5 Extra Body Volumizing Conditioner with Collagen. It gave me some swing and helped stretch out my length, so that was good. But, it smelled and felt like a shampoo. It was weird. Next, I shampooed with TRESemme Climate Control Shampoo. This time I diluted about 1 oz of it with 2 oz of water. It pretty much felt the same as using it full strength, but I felt better about spreading it further down my hair shaft. I conditioned with my new favorite rinse out, Herbal Essences Honey, I'm Strong and rinsed it out with cold water to close my cuticles. I stepped out of the shower and had no frizz. I didn't feel like doing much to my hair, so I just pumped out my TRESemme Smooth Salon Silk No Frizz Serum into my hands and lightly spread it over my hair (so as not to disturb the curls), and then pumped more of it directly into my hair. It rained cats and dogs yesterday (and I got soaked), and my hair still looked great! I'm thinking that this would be a good summer routine...when I'm more able to just do whatever. I rinsed my hair, conditioned with more HE, and added more serum to my hair before I went to church this morning. My curls were popping (and still are)! Now I actually have to think of a protective style to wear this week. Ugh.  

Vintage Posts from the CN Forums - Part 4

19-08-2012
I've decided that I just can't take it! I can't finish these mini twists! Maybe when my hair is longer, I have more patience....I don't know. But this just isn't the business! I'm going to take out my twists, do something to my hair for the night, and will likely co-wash (my first in a loong time) with Herbal Essences Honey, I'm Strong, clarify with ACV, and then detangle and twist with the Nubian Heritage EVOO & Moringa. Back to my good old 2 strand twists! *sighs with relief*

I just finished trimming a few of the ends in the front that were raggedy from my BC (I used blunt scissors to BC *hangs head in shame*), and they're finally curling the right way!

And, like I posted in the random thoughts thread, I'm thinking of making Nubian Heritage my fall/winter line because of all the oils (and how much mi pelo loves them ), and doing TRESemme, Aussie, and heavy silicones during the spring/summer because of the humidity. Hmm. Still thinking about it. But I might do it.



20-08-2012
I'm ready to give my first impressions of my Herbal Essences conditioner! Last night, I took out all the mini twists (sprayed with water, slathered with TRESemme Vitamin E Moisture Rich conditioner, and gently untwisted each one) and deep conditioned on dirty hair with TRESemme Moisture Rich Conditioner. I just got out of the shower, and I cleansed my scalp with Creme of Nature Sunflower & Coconut Detangling & Conditioning Shampoo. I don't think I've ever posted the ingredients for this shampoo, so here they are:
Aqua (Water, Eau), Sodium Laureth Sulfate [more gentle than sodium lauryl sulfate], Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Polyquaternium-7, Glycol Stearate, Polyquaternium-10, Cocamide DEA, Amodimethicone, Polysorbate 20, Isotearyl Ethylimidazoliniumethosulfate, Citric Acid, Tetrasodium EDTA, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Helianthus Annus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Leaf Oil, Ocimum Basilicum (Basil) Extract, Polygala Senega Root Extract, Nasturtium Officinale (Watercress) Extract, Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Leaf Extract, Thymus Vulgaris (Thyme) Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Seed Extract, Parfum (Fragrance), Hexyl Cinnamal, Limonene, Linalool, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, CI 14700 (Red 4), CI 19140 (Yellow 5), CI 17200 (Red 33), CI 42090 (Blue 1). 

It's chock full of stuff! But I didn't realize that it had parabens in it. Meh. Anywho, this is the least drying shampoo I've used before. But, because of the peppermint, basil, sage, rosemary and thyme, my scalp gets irritated. And now the parabens have surfaced. TRESemme has much less ingredients, no parabens, no dyes, minimal fragrance, and my scalp doesn't tingle after washing and it's much cleaner (I'm finding more white gunk on my scalp after using CON ). So maybe Creme of Nature is out for me now. Anyway, this is a pretty great shampoo! If you like more natural ingredients in your shampoos and don't mind sodium laureth sulfate and amodimethicone, and your skin doesn't easily react to herbal extracts, this would be great. 

After rinsing that out, I undid each twist and slathered a generous amount of Herbal Essences Honey, I'm Strong Strengthening Conditioner into each twist, and then twisted back up. I lathered up the rest of my body, rinsed off the soap, and then used cool/cold water to untwist and lightly finger detangle. Oh. My. Goodness. I squeezed this stuff out, and it was a light yellow/orange shade, which I thought was cool. It was thick, but not as creamy as other HE conditioners - because of the honey, I assume. When I finger detangled in the shower, I was amazed at the slip! And I didn't lose as many fine hairs as I usually do. I'm really liking this conditioner right now! Here are the ingredients, in case you're interested:

Water/Eau, Stearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Chloride, Cetyl Alcohol, Bis-Aminopropyl Dimethicone, Honey/Miel, Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot) Fruit Extract, Fragrance/Parfum, Benzyl Alcohol, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Hydroxide, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Blue 1, Yellow 5, Red 33

I love, love, love, love this conditioner! Herbal Essences did a GREAT job! I think VO5 has finally been kicked out of conditioner status! Hello, HE! I have coupons for $3 off 2 bottles of Aussie or HE products too, so that will be put to very good use  I'm about to finger detangle with my Nubian Heritage EVOO & Moringa leave in conditioner. I'll report back later! 



22-08-2012
I detangled my entire head with the Nubian Heritage leave in conditioner, and it went pretty easily. My "do not pass go" area in the back was still pretty stubborn. But all of my twists look super shiny and moisturised. I've baggied for the past couple nights, so my twists look nice and juicy. That's it for today so far :)

Vintage Posts from the CN Forums - Part 1

Ciao bellas! As promised, here are some of the posts from my mini blog on the CN forums:

13-08-2012
I haven't washed my hair in nearly 2 weeks (gross, I know). My scalp was itching like crazy, there were brown and white flakes popping up in my twists at random times, and my situation was D.R.Y. So, I made today wash day! 

I put my hair into 11 twists before I went to bed last night, so pre-pooing was easy this morning. I undid each twist, poured some oil onto it, worked it through with my fingers (and lightly finger detangled), and twisted up again. I let it sit while I was here on CN for almost 2 hours. Then I hit the shower. I let the water run over my hair for a minute or two, and then shampooed my scalp with TRESemme Climate Control shampoo (OAN: I wish I could use more shampoo than just a few quarter sized dollops!! I made the mistake of buying the 32 oz size of TRESemme shampoo, and it will likely last me until next year, easily. *sighs*) and rinsed well. I then undid each twist, applied generous amounts of VO5 conditioner (Strawberries & Cream and Pomegrante & Grapeseed extract) and retwisted. I let the conditioner stay in while I soaped up and cleaned the rest of my body, and then I rinsed it out. It wasn't a super thorough rinsing, so I didn't undo each twist and let the water run through, etc. But most of the conditioner is out.

I'm about to do my DC of Aussie Sydney Smooth and grapeseed oil, which I will cover with a plastic bag and leave in until tomorrow. I plan to rinse out most of it, and then follow up with a 2:1 ACV rinse to help clarify any other parts of my scalp that I might've missed with the shampoo. Afterwards, I will coat each section in coconut oil, flat twist, and let my hair stretch out and dry to be ready for mini twist installation (I want to do a practice set before putting in the real ones; just to make sure I know what I'm doing).


Update: My DC has changed for the year! I have to use gel on my mini twists to help them stay together, but I was having problems with white stuff coming up everywhere with my Fantasia IC gel and TRESemme. Somebody posted in another thread to put a little gel and conditioner in the palm of your hand to see if they'll mix well. So I tested all of my conditioners, and the ones that pass are:

Aussie Sydney Smooth
Aussie Moist
Fresh Elements Captivatin' Color
TRESemme Vitamin B12 & Gelatin Anti-Breakage

The rest of the TRESemme conditioners were a total no-go with the gel. They balled up, made the gel turn into gunk, etc. I was glad to find that out in my hand before turning my hair into a gunky white mess! So TRESemme Moisture Rich,Flawless Curls, Climate Control and Smoth & Silky will be my weekly DCs instead of Aussie. I tested my Pantene Anti-Breakage too, and that was one was...eh. So that'll also be on my DC list. The only problem is that most of the conditioners that mixed well with the Fantasia gel, I only have half empty containers of! TRESemme is the only full one. So I'll have to buy more Aussie and Fresh Elements when I run out.

I slathered lots of TRESemme Smooth & Silky on a few twists with some grapeseed oil to see how it'd turn out. It feels weird not using TRESemme as a leave in, but it makes a pretty darn good DC. I can easily finger detangle with it in my hair, which is a plus!



I finally finished off my bottle of TRESemme Smooth & Silky! I was getting so tired of using it. Now, I'm back to an old favorite for DCs: TRESemme Vitamin E Moisture Rich! I haven't used this since I was transitioning, so it's like visiting an old friend. It was gloriously moisturising on my last few twists!

Regimen update: I'm considering alternating between protein and moisture DTs every week while my mini twists are in (and even when they're not). VO5 conditioners are loaded with hydrolysed collagen, hydrolysed keratin, silk proteins, silk amino acids, gelatin, hydrolysed silk proteins - pretty much anything for strengthening or protein treatments. I like VO5 and the conditioners are dirt cheap, so why not use what I have? Those, combined with coconut oil, should be a "beasty" protein DT that my many fine strands will appreciate. Today was obviously a moisture DC, so my next wash session will be protein galore!

There's been another hair success in my household: my sister! She's a stubborn, hair lazy natural with super thick, fine-stranded raven colored waves that cascade down her shoulders. Her weekly routine is very simple: shampoo with TRESemme Moisture Rich shampoo, condition with Suave Naturals, detangle (and leave in) with Pantene NatureFusion Moisture Balance or Aussie Moist conditioner and John Freida Frizz-Ease Extra Strength Formula serum. She puts her hair into 10-12 braids, or simply buns it, and she's done for the week. Usually, by the next day, her hair looks dry and is frizzy. This week though, I convinced her to spritz her hair with water, add 2-3 quarter sized dollops of conditioner to her entire head, and then seal with Fantasia IC Olive Moisturising Shine Serum. The results were amazing! Her hair looks so much shinier, and is holding moisture better. Her frizzies are nearly gone, too. Looks like my sister will be taking my container of Fantasia...

FINALLY - An Update!

Ay! I have been so terrible about posting on here. I started doing a blog on CurlyNikki, but I think that I'll move my blog back here again. I'd like to have something separate from my other online stuff. And I feel like I can be a bit more in my element here. On CN, I felt like I was writing just to get other people to read it (not many did because I guess I just don't have that magic blogger touch *shrugs*). Here, I can blog to just blog. So here will I stay! :-)

Well, SO much has happened since I last wrote! I'm in my first full-time semester of college, my hair has grown, I had my 13 month nappyversary (more about that later), I've gained weight (*sobs*), I'm starting a YT channel and I've gone silicone free until the spring or summer! So let's start from the beginning:

 College

The last I wrote, I was trying to make a decision on which college to attend. UMBC gave me a mid-tier scholarship ($10,000 per year) for their humanities program, plus I won another $5,000 per year from my dad's job. But, that still left a great deal to pay, and my parents would've had to take out loans. I have a 100% no-loan policy, so I chose to stay home for 2 more years and be in the honors program in my CC (I've been taking classes there since the 11th grade). 15 credits per semester are paid for, so I just pay for books and whatnot. I wasn't sure how I'd like it, but I love it! The classes are very demanding, but it's enjoyable. I was afraid of not knowing anybody, but I have 24 friends that I grow closer to every time I see them. We hang out outside of classes, have parties, picnics, etc.  I think I actually might have a social life now lmbo. Oooh! I'm a bit of a nerd, so I want to tell you which classes I'm in this semester:

World Literature II Honors

World History II Honors

World Music Honors

Introduction to Philosophy Honors

Intermediate Spanish II Honors

General Psychology

Dance Aerobics

First Year Seminar

...a total of 15 credits. The four classes at the top are actually an interdisciplinary set of courses, so those are actually just 6 credits for the semester...I'll explain later lol. I'm already signed up for next semester, and then I'll be taking:

World Literature II Honors

World History II Honors

World Music Honors

Introduction to Philosophy Honors

Introduction to Sociocultural Anthropology Honors

Principles of Biology I

Elementary Korean I

...16 credits next semester. I'm pumped! I especially can't wait to start Korean. I'm a fan of Kpop, and I just got into Korean dramas (I'm currently going through The Iron Empress on Hulu). Plus, I was thinking of teaching ESL/ESOL there someday, so I thought it was worth a try. I'm so nervous! I've never had to take a 101 language class before. But I've ordered some Korean audio things from the library (Pimsleur materials), and I found a YT channel that has videos to help with pronunciation, and a website to help with the written segment. Random fact: Korean is considered an Altaic language, and not Asiatic, like Mandarin (Chinese). I always wondered why Korean didn't have that same metallic sound as Chinese lol.

Hair

Yes, it has grown! I'm now a bit past collar bone length (CBL) stretched. I'm so happy! Keeping my hair in twists a lot has helped with length retention, methinks. I've had to trim a few ends because they looked straight, but it ended up being nothing.

13 Month Nappyversary

This one is going to be hard to explain. Bear with me. Earlier this year, in May to be exact, my grandmother (Nana) was hospitalised at Holy Cross. We found out what she had known for months but not mentioned: she had ovarian cancer. She was in there for a month, her life in the balance. After 4 long weeks, she was allowed to go to the Rehabilitation Center, but she fell into poor health yet again (this time at the hands of the doctors), and was readmitted to the hospital. She was never able to come back home. It was so difficult for me during that time. School was finishing up, I was dealing with graduation, and because of classes, I couldn't visit her very often. She passed away on 10 June 2012. I was devastated. It was one of the most difficult summers of my life. But this year, on my nappyversary date (3 September), I realised something - my Nana's birthday is 3 October. I BCed exactly 1 month before her birthday! So, in remembrance of her, I celebrate every 13 months that I've been natural instead of every 12.

Weight

Needless to say, my ambitions for losing weight were lost. I started out well, but due to the circumstances over the summer, I just got further and further away from healthy eating. I'm now at my heaviest - 230 pounds :-( But I won't give up! I'm going to Asheville in the summer, and I will NOT be buying a plus sized swim suit, nor will I be embarrassed to show my legs! I'm reading Dr. Fuhrman's book called Eat to Live, and it looks doable. So I'll be trying that starting in January methinks.

YouTube

Yes, you read it correctly, chicas! I'm going to be starting my very own YT channel! I want it to be good quality, though, so I need to purchase a camcorder, learn how to use an editing program, etc. And I want it to either be in Spanish or English with Spanish subtitles. It won't be ready until the summer, probably, though. I want to focus entirely on school and exercise next semester.

Silicone Free?! O_O

Yuppers...I've crossed over to the other side! Lmbo. After my silicone serum obsession of the summer, I was eager to see how my cones would do during the autumn. And somehow...they sucked. Like badly. Like, my hair looked like the Sahara desert bad. I wanted to cry. Soo, thanks to some encouragement from the wonderful ladies on CurlyNikki, I've been exploring some silicone free options. And, to my surprise, my hair is loving it! I'm floored. I didn't know that no 'cones could be so wonderful! So, now my plan is to use 'cone-free products in the autumn and winter and early spring (September-April), and then use regular silicone products in the spring and summer (May-August). Here's my current regimen:

• Prepoo/DC overnight with VO5 Silky Experiences Shea Cashmere Conditioner cocktailed with honey, EVOO, EVCO, and GSO (I'm going to start using the honey and oils with 2 overripe pureed avocados instead, because I want to find another conditioner for DCs that doesn't have isopropyl alcohol in it and is a bit thicker).
• Cleanse scalp with Paula's Choice All Over Hair & Body Shampoo.
• Condition hair and scalp with Spa Haus Salon Conditioner (I actually found this at the dollar store lol. I really like it; a review will be coming soon! :-) ).
• Detangle with TRESemme Naturals Nourishing Moisture Conditioner.
• Twist hair with Shea Moisture Curl & Style Milk or Curly Q's Red Velvet Moisturising Curl Cream; seal with my EVOO/GSO mix.

I've been doing this for about 2 weeks now, and my hair looks great! I'll be keeping this up until May hits! :-D

That's about all for this update, bellas! I'll be posting almost everything that I posted on my CN blog on here over the next few days. 

Ciao!