Revisiting the Wash 'n' Go

After 2 months of constantly keeping my hair in two strand twists, I decided to give my hair a break and try a signature CG style wash 'n' go with gel this weekend. Here's what I did:

• Pre-detangled/pre-pooed with coconut oil on dry hair. I used my fingers to remove some of the shed hairs from my twists. It left my hair feeling soft and moisturised.
•  Tried to DC with the samples of the Shea Moisture Organic Raw Shea Butter Deep Treatment Masque I received from Glam Natural Life. Alas, its fragrance was much too strong. My scalp turned red, started itching, swelling, and aching. *sniffles*
• Cleansed scalp and hair with Yes to Cucumbers Color Protection Shampoo.
• Conditioned and finger detangled with TRESemme Naturals Nourishing Moisture Conditioner
• Plopped for 10 minutes.
• Applied nickel sized amount of the Curls Curl Creme Brule to each section; sealed with safflower oil.
• Applied Xcess Sport Hold Styling Gel to each section.

I'm happy to note that the finger detangling went MUCH better than it usually does! I went through each section like I do with the Denman - start at the ends, and move knots down. I got rid of much of my shed hair, plus I could easily comb through my hair from roots to ends after I finished a section. And the bonus? I wasn't in the shower for nearly 2.5 hours. Anywho, here's some shots I took of my hair in various states yesterday and today:

The back/right side of my wet head a few minutes after I finished applying all my products.

The back

Left side

Right side

After diffusing for a good 10-15 minutes and several hours of air drying, the back of my head/left side looked pretty good, methinks.

Left side

Front

This looks ridiculous, I know. But I can't yet pineapple, and didn't have a satin scarf. So I just flipped my hair upside down, bobby pinned different sections, and went to sleep. Here's the back view.

The front

This AM's results from pinning my hair up overnight. The back, of course...

Left side

 
The front. It was worth looking like a 
fool to get these results. 
Please excuse my eyeballs, btdubs. Lol.

I'm loving my results so far! Oh, and here are my "empties" (products that I've finished) for the last 2 weeks! :-D

Darcy's Botanicals Vanilla Delight Daily Leave in Conditioner

TRESemme Naturals Nourishing Moisture Condtioner

Yes to Cucumbers Color Protection Conditioner

Spa Haus Salon Conditioner

What "oldie" styles have you revisited lately?

Product Review: Garnier Fructis Pure Clean Fortifying Conditioner + POTW

I did a video on the magic YT (there's a story behind that name, btdubs :-P ) about this product, but I've decided that YouTube land isn't for me. I like being a subbie only :-) So, I'm redoing the video just for the blog :-D

Here are the ingredients, as promised:

Aqua/Water/Eau, Cetearyl Alcohol, Distearoylethyl Hydroxyethylmonium Methosulfate, Octyldodecanol, Zea Mays Starch/Corn Starch, Parfum/Fragrance, Pyrus Malus Extract/Apple Fruit Extract, Camelina Sativa Oil/Camelina Sativa Seed Oil, Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil/Apricot Kernel Oil, Glycine Soja Oil/Soybean Oil, Tocopherol [Vitamin E], Caprylyl Glycol, Benzoic Acid, Niacinamide, Pyridoxine HCI, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Linalool, Hexyl Cinnamal, Citric Acid, Saccharum Officinarum Extract/Sugar Cane Extract/Extrait de Canne a Sucre, Citrus Medica Limonium Peel Extract/Lemon Extract, Camellia Sinensis Extract/Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Malpighia Punicifolia/Acerola Fruit Extract.

Not too shabby ingredients-wise, methinks. Update: I tried this condish as a detangler today in the shower on my back sections. It worked well, but I needed a LOT to do it. I'll try it on a looser section next week.
On the bright side, this product does rinse very clean and leaves almost no residue. It actually rinses more clean than VO5, so a new staple cowash has been born :-D


Ooh! Since I only do my hair on a weekly basis and I don't really moisturize in between wash days, I've decided to add a Products of the Week (POTW) feature every weekend so that y'all can see what I'm using. Here's this week's video :-)

I ended up using all three conditioners to detangle my hair. I had my hair divided into 12 twists, so I used TRESemme Naturals on my first four twists, Garnier on the next four, and Yes to Cucumbers on the last set of four. It worked out pretty well, I believe. Since I didn't use TN for my entire head, I still have a tiny bit left...quite an aggravating amount that's staring back at me at this moment lol. Quick note: Remember how I mentioned the fragrance that the Garnier Pure Clean condish has? Well, it wasn't nearly as strong when I was in the shower detangling. It smelled mostly like an apple-ish type fragrance; I could hardly smell the fragrance. I'm thinking that the concentration of fragrance might be less in this formula than in the other types of Garnier conditioners. Whatever the case may be, I'm really liking this! It's already mixed up in an empty Nature's Gate conditioner bottle with aloe vera juice and vinegar, ready for my next cowash :-D

I also gave the Taliah Waajid PMB another shot, and I'm glad that I did. One curly on CN mentioned that she used it on damp hair. So I plopped for about 30 minutes, and then spritzed each twist 6 times with the PMB. My hair was barely damp, and it worked much better this go! It still doesn't have that slip that I want that the Oyin Juices & Berries has, but it's better than it was the last time.

That's about it for today, chicas!

When is your wash day, curlies? Do you like quickie regimens, or do you like to give your hair a slower, more delectable treat? What were your POTW?

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?