Life and Hair Update...

Well, chicas, it's been more than a month since I wrote my last post. Life has been crazy busy since then, and it's getting even more hectic with graduation coming up! Ugh. Anywho, I thought I'd give you a brief life update since I haven't been posting regularly.

1. I was accepted into 6 of the 8 colleges I applied for! A 75% acceptance rate is pretty good methinks, especially with SAT scores as low as mine. God was so faithful during this process! I was fretting about money and how school was going to be paid for, but I was chosen to be a member of a scholars program at my community college, so my first two years of tuition will be totally paid for! I couldn't believe it! And there's a really high chance that after I transfer, I'll be able to get a good scholarship for the last two years of my undergrad degree. Praise God!

2. My weight loss plan was a major fail. I've been so stressed, and I didn't stick to my plan, so I've been gaining a ton of weight this semester. I'm now at 230 pounds :-( *sighs* I'd like to start eliminating sugar, meat and dairy in April so that maybe 15-20 pounds could be dropped by the time my high school's banquet is near.

3. Spiritual growth seems to have been stunted this year too. I've not been reading my Bible as much as I used to, even though I've been praying a lot more (the crazy people at my job are part of that reason).

Sooo, my 2012 resolutions seem to have been a no-go, but I'm determined to start again! I won't quit only a few months in. The year is still new! :-D

Also, I've got a ton of hair updates for you too. In the time that I was absent from the blog, I reevaluated my regimen, and found a few things that weren't working for me. Shampooing for one. It was drying out my scalp and hair, so I decided to try co-washing (using a conditioner like a shampoo). It was okay for a couple of weeks, but after a while, my scalp was full of build up, and my hair looked dull. I asked for help on the CN forums, and somebody suggested that I try apple cider vinegar. So at my next wash session, I mixed 3.5 tablespoons of ACV with 1.5 cups of water. I poured it onto my hair, rubbed it into my scalp, etc. And then I rinsed for several minutes (to make sure that funky smell was totally out). My hair felt so clean and moisturized! I'm hooked and never going back to a regular shampoo! The ACV has helped with shedding, reduced or totally eliminated my scalp's irritation, and helped with curl definition. Unbelievable. I can't believe I hadn't tried this before! I'd highly recommend it to any curly who's willing to try this.

Anywho, I have to go for now, but I'll be back soon to finish my hair update!

Hasta luego, chicas!

Updates on Products, Life, etc...

So I tried the Rejuvenating Mud Masque during my last wash session. It wasn't like, "WHOA!!!" but it was good. When I read the ingredients label, I saw that it was formulated just like a regular conditioner, with extra oils (olive and coconut), bentonite clay, and honey. I could've done the same thing with my regular TRESemme conditioner, adding in the extra ingredients. Plus, it was an 8 ounce jar, and I used every gram of it in one deep conditioning treatment. I'm not sure if I'd pay extra money for a product I'll use only once. But it was very moisturizing. When I rinsed, I washed out about 40% of it, and then applied the shampoo to my scalp. After that, I finished rinsing out the rest of the masque and shampoo. I did it to keep the shampoo from drying out my hair too much, and to thoroughly rinse the masque out of my hair. My curls were soft and felt really moisturized, so all in all, it was a great deep treatment.

I also tried the Liquid Gold Shine Therapy. I L.O.V.E.D this stuff! My hair usually loses its luster about Tuesday, and I have go through the rest of the week with dull-looking hair. I applied at least 20 pumps of this product to my hair after washing out my rinse conditioner. I left it in for about 8 minutes (which is 3 minutes too long, according to the directions). When I started rinsing it out, though, none of the "micro crystals" rinsed out. I'm pretty sure they were lodged in the twists of my little curlies. But oh.my.goodness. The shine that came from these coils was unbelievable! Even 5 days after wash day, my curls are still glossy! I am in love with this product, and I will definitely add this to my regimen. It's not a total necessity, but it'll keep your precious tresses shining all week long.

I'm trying the Protein Renewal Creme this upcoming Saturday, and I'm excited about that one, too! I'll post results as soon as I can.

In other news, yesterday, I started my first "official" job! I went in at 3 pm, but since it was a slow day, I left at 6 instead of 7. Everything went well...except that I'm the only one on the team who speaks fluent English. My manager and one co-worker who arrives before me speak a Semitic or Sanskrit language, and the two women who come in later than me converse in Spanish. The customers were so patient, despite me working as slow as molasses. And one coworker and I are developing a crush on each other...we were flirting big time. The cool thing is that he's Asian, and where I live, most Asian guys and black girls don't "mesh" socially. It's an odd little unwritten rule. Black guys and Asian guys hang out together, black guys and Asian girls have relationships, and black girls and Asian girls talk. But for some reason, Asian guys and black girls don't really associate in this part of the country. It's strange. But my co-worker obviously didn't get that memo. I'm glad he didn't :-D

Well, I've gotta run, chicas. Lots of homework due next week...eeek! And my driving test is tomorrow. Ay...so much to do and so little time. Hasta luego!

Have you tried any new products lately? If so, which ones? How did you incorporate them into your regimen? What were your results? Would you recommend the products to other naturals? Anything new going on in your life? Dish!

Taking the Plunge...

As I sit here typing, my jar of TRESemme Rejuvenating Mud Masque is impatiently staring at me, waiting for me to open it and use its contents. I can hardly wait! Here's my DC process, below:

1. Spritz entire head with water.
2. Rub EVOO between hands, spread throughout hair.
3. Take a fingerscoop of product and saturate a section with it. Proceed likewise on the rest of the sections.
4. Once all hair is saturated, cover head with 2 plastic bags (or plastic caps) and a satin/silk bonnet or scarf.
5. Leave in overnight or for at least 3 hours.

The next day, I wake up, rinse thoroughly, and proceed with my regular regimen. I might not be able to post results today, but I'll try to get them up as soon as possible.

Hasta luego, chicas rizadas!


P.S. I checked out the phenoxyethanol, and it turns out that it's just a preservative. Guess I need to brush up on my organic chemistry :-D

New Products!!

I apologize for not posting sooner. What with applications, college classes starting up again, and everything those entail, the past few weeks have been hectic. As a result, blogging sunk to the bottom of my "To-Do" list, and I kept putting off writing more posts. However, something happened today that warranted one! I'm a member (and devoted reviewer) of TRESemme.com, and as such, I am paid privy to new product lines, special offers, etc. About two weeks ago, I received an e-mail asking if I'd like to receive several TRESemme products to try. The first 300 responders would be given four products from TRESemme's newest line, Nourishing Rituals (which hasn't yet reached stores or even their website). As a moderate PJ, I filled out my information, and ecstatically waited for the new products to arrive. Well, they came today! I excitedly tore open the box, and gasped as I gazed upon four new-found treasures. Here's what I received:

1 8 oz jar Rejuvenating Mud Masque
1 8 oz tube Protein Renewal Creme
1 6 oz bottle Liquid Gold Shine Therapy
1 3.3 oz bottle Cashmere Touch Hydrating Serum

All looked good at first glance, but disappointingly, I can't use the serum because it contains denatured alcohol (which is drying) and crosspolymers (an ingredient that would make my hairs stick together). But the other three look promising. The only two ingredients I'm not sure about in the others are bentonite (a type of clay) and phenoxyethanol (probably a type of alcohol).

The Liquid Gold Shine Therapy is supposed to make your hair shinier, and it's supposed to be applied to damp hair, left in for a few minutes and then rinsed out. It looks like I could use this after my rinse conditioner is out of my hair. The Mud Masque - which has a light scent and is colored green - looks like an amazing deep moisture treatment, so that's going to be my DC on Friday night. From the ingredients list, I doubt that the Protein Renewal Creme will have enough proteins in it to qualify as a protein treatment, so it'll also be used as an overnight DC.

One very pleasing aspect about this product line is the moisturizing oils that are infused into the formulas. Coconut oil and olive oil were in the ingredients list of all the products I received today. I was surprised, because most products marketed towards naturally straight-haired women don't contain these oils. I'm glad TRESemme thought otherwise.

 The feedback TRESemme receives from everyone who volunteered to try these products will most likely determine if the line will sell and where the line will first be available. Needless to say, I'm even more pumped about sharing my opinions on the products with the company and with you!

Hasta luego, chicas rizadas!

My New Go-To DC

Okay, so you remember me saying that I was going to use an avocado/EVOO blend for my weekly deep conditioning, right? Well, as it turns out, I didn't do it for the first couple of weeks of the new year because I didn't have any avocados (lame excuse, but it's true). But, I finally went to the store last week, and I picked up four overripe avocados (being overripe helps them blend smoother, meaning there's less green fibers getting stuck in your curls!). I asked the advice of the wonderful CN ladies about what to do for a homemade DC. They suggested avocado, EVOO and honey, and also suggested that I check out this page for additional recipes. I browsed through those recipes, and an idea popped into my head: Why not combine two different recipes, and create one super-duper moisturizing deep conditioner? So, off I went to my kitchen, excitedly preparing a rich mixture to saturate my tresses in overnight. Here's what I used:

Super Deep Conditioner
1/2 cup VO5 conditioner
5 pumps Aussie Moist conditioner
1/2 overripe avocado, sliced
2 tbsp EVOO
1 tbsp honey

I mixed the conditioners in one container and stirred them a bit. Then, I mixed the avocado, EVOO and honey into a blender and pulsed for about 15 seconds, then pureed for about 30 (I need to do more the next time). After that was nice and blended, I scooped it out and added it to the conditioner and stirred for about 2 minutes. I then sectioned my hair (which took forever), lightly spritzed each section with water, and then added a few drops of EVOO to the section as well (as you can tell, I love me some olive oil...). Next, I took a fingerscoop of the avocado deep conditioner and saturated each section with it. Some of the areas in the front didn't receive as much because I ran low, so I took a few more pumps of Aussie and smoothed it over those areas. Then, I took more Aussie and smeared it over my entire head - just to bump up the moisture more. I covered my head with 2 plastic grocery bags and a satin bonnet, went to sleep, woke up, and washed it out. Let me tell you, my hair has not felt so soft directly after a shampoo in a loong time! And the shine my little coils have now...it's unbelievable! I'll definitely be doing this DC as my mainstay during the 12 Inches in 12 Months Challenge.

I did suffer a few adverse effects, however. The most notable being my itchy scalp, especially once I rinsed out the DC. I attribute this to the avocado (I'd read on the TightlyCurly website that it could be irritating and drying), and the different fragrances and dyes in the VO5 conditioner - linalool, hexyl cinnamal, Red 33, Yellow 5, etc. Overall, this has been the best DC ever! I can't wait to try this with bananas or mayonnaise...


What about you, curly girls? Do you make your own hair products? If so, which ones? What type of ingredients do you use? Do you think that they're better than store-bought products? Why or why not?

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