I went shopping this past weekend. Isn't that what all girls do? :)
I went to JCPenney's to return my Keracare Dry and Itchy Poo because I'm just getting sick of sulfate shampoo's! I didn't have a receipt so they gave me a merchandise credit --- but for TWICE as much I paid for the shampoo. I tried to explain to the cashier that this was too much of a refund but she just said, "The computer does whatever it wants too."
Well, thank you "computer" for my free bottle of PhytoOrganics Humectin Extreme Moisturizing Conditioner! The ingredients look so great: honey, glycerin, vitamins and coconut milk. It does have mineral oil also. I haven't tried it yet though --- we'll update later. It smells heavenly though!
Afterward, I went to Sally's because the Silk Elements Mega Cholesterol Treatment was on sale for $3.49 and I've been wanting to try it. It smells so good. I DCed with oils and honey with it on Sunday and man-oh-man my hair was smooth like butter! I haven't found a great leave-in routine yet so my hair was still dry after I air dried but not as bad as usual.
I also bought the Olive Creme Hairdressing by Hollywood Beauty at Walgreens. It was only $3 with a trial container of their Deep Conditioner. I really wanted to buy the Castor Oil complex because I'm almost out and I love the texture and smell. It's a great sealant. But this Walgreen's didn't have it. I sealed with the rose-smelling creme on Saturday. I don't really like the smell but it retained moisture better than the Castor Oil when I unwrapped my hair the next day! I was impressed! It does leave a bit of a white film on the hands and hair.
MY WISH LIST:
- Gold N Hot Hood Dryer: My friend bought it for me; Problem is she lives 3 hrs away!
- Dr. Bronner's 2 oz Soap (Target): Will buy when I run out of poo. Only $1.69!
- Motions Leave-In conditioner: My old stand by
- Herbal Essences LTR Leave-In: All the 4a/4bs rave about it!
Sulfur MN Mix
I couldn't help myself. :) I know I said I would do no more challenges or jump on any bandwagons in an effort to keep it simple, but I'm getting greedy.
Doing a sulfur-MN mix has been on my mind for awhile after I read something about it on some of the boards. I finally researched it and went out to Wal-Mart and Sally's, here's the mix I came up with it.
SULFUR 8 & MN MIX
What you need:
1/2 can of regular Sulfur 8
1 tube of MN
2 oz of your moisturizer of choice
2 tsp of coconut oil, optional
2 tsp of castor oil, optional
1 tsp of olive oil, optional
1 empty container
1 comb/ applicator brush
Few drops of peppermint oil, optional
Few cap-fulls of vanilla flavoring, optional
Directions:
1. Take a can of Sulfur 8 and microwave it for 30 seconds or until the grease has turned into a liquid.
2. Pour half of the melted Sulfur 8 into your empty container. It will harden a bit but don't worry.
3. Cut the square end of the MN tube. Peel back the tube to expose and the MN and squeeze half of the MN into your container. DO NOT HEAT
4. Melt your choice of oils in the microwave for 30 seconds until melted.
5. Add the oils and moisturizer into your container.
6. Blend all of the above ingredients; the texture should remind you of pudding.
7. Smell the mix and determine how much flavoring/peppermint oil should be used.
(I add a half cap of vanilla flavoring, blend, and then sniff again to see if I need to add more).
8. Once you've reached a good scent, apply to scalp in 6 sections.
My mix comes out really creamy like pudding. It looks so yummy, but don't eat it! LOL
Based on my research, I can use 10% sulfur safely 1x - 3x times daily. Since Sulfur 8 has only 2% Sulfur, I'm safe. According to this website, sulfur has no side effects that would affect me personally. However, if you're using acne medication, breast feeding or curious, you should take a look.
I've used MN in the past with no bad experiences or side effects.
So, of course, I had to come up with a new regimen. A lot of girls on the hair board noticed that sulfur is a little drying on the hair. So I'm officially increasing my co-washes and I'm baggying for 2 hours after the Sulfur-MN mix is applied. For right now, I'm just applying it 1x day and we'll see how it goes from here. This regimen will also show the recent Protein Challenge I've joined.
UPDATED REGIMEN AND PRODUCTS:
REGIMEN:
Shampoo 1x Sunday
Cowash 2x Tuesday and Friday
Moisturizing Pre-Poo/DC 2x Sunday and Friday
Protein Treatment 1x Tuesday
+Moisturize and seal daily.
+Leave-in after every wash.
+Baggy with NTM and SulfurMN mix daily for 2 hours.
PRODUCTS:
Shampoo -Kera Care Dry and Itchy Shampoo *NEW*
Cowash -Silken Child Conditioner
DC -VO5 Conditioner, Aloe Vera Gel, Honey, Coconut/Castor/EVOO, Salt
-or Fantasia Protein DC
Moisture -Africa's Best Kid's Organic Conditioner Lotion with Shea Butter and EVOO
Leave-In -Motion's Leave-In
Detangler - Aussie's Leave-In
Seal -Hollywood's Castor Oil Treatment or EVOO
USEFUL LINKS REGARDING SULFUR-MN MIX:
- Salicylic Acid and Sulfur (Topical)
- 10% Sulfur soap is used 1-3 times daily
- LHCF
user's Sulfur-MN updates
- LHCF thread on suggestions for making your own Sulfur-MN mix
Doing a sulfur-MN mix has been on my mind for awhile after I read something about it on some of the boards. I finally researched it and went out to Wal-Mart and Sally's, here's the mix I came up with it.
SULFUR 8 & MN MIX
What you need:
1/2 can of regular Sulfur 8
1 tube of MN
2 oz of your moisturizer of choice
2 tsp of coconut oil, optional
2 tsp of castor oil, optional
1 tsp of olive oil, optional
1 empty container
1 comb/ applicator brush
Few drops of peppermint oil, optional
Few cap-fulls of vanilla flavoring, optional
Directions:
1. Take a can of Sulfur 8 and microwave it for 30 seconds or until the grease has turned into a liquid.
2. Pour half of the melted Sulfur 8 into your empty container. It will harden a bit but don't worry.
3. Cut the square end of the MN tube. Peel back the tube to expose and the MN and squeeze half of the MN into your container. DO NOT HEAT
4. Melt your choice of oils in the microwave for 30 seconds until melted.
5. Add the oils and moisturizer into your container.
6. Blend all of the above ingredients; the texture should remind you of pudding.
7. Smell the mix and determine how much flavoring/peppermint oil should be used.
(I add a half cap of vanilla flavoring, blend, and then sniff again to see if I need to add more).
8. Once you've reached a good scent, apply to scalp in 6 sections.
My mix comes out really creamy like pudding. It looks so yummy, but don't eat it! LOL
Based on my research, I can use 10% sulfur safely 1x - 3x times daily. Since Sulfur 8 has only 2% Sulfur, I'm safe. According to this website, sulfur has no side effects that would affect me personally. However, if you're using acne medication, breast feeding or curious, you should take a look.
I've used MN in the past with no bad experiences or side effects.
So, of course, I had to come up with a new regimen. A lot of girls on the hair board noticed that sulfur is a little drying on the hair. So I'm officially increasing my co-washes and I'm baggying for 2 hours after the Sulfur-MN mix is applied. For right now, I'm just applying it 1x day and we'll see how it goes from here. This regimen will also show the recent Protein Challenge I've joined.
UPDATED REGIMEN AND PRODUCTS:
REGIMEN:
Shampoo 1x Sunday
Cowash 2x Tuesday and Friday
Moisturizing Pre-Poo/DC 2x Sunday and Friday
Protein Treatment 1x Tuesday
+Moisturize and seal daily.
+Leave-in after every wash.
+Baggy with NTM and SulfurMN mix daily for 2 hours.
PRODUCTS:
Shampoo -Kera Care Dry and Itchy Shampoo *NEW*
Cowash -Silken Child Conditioner
DC -VO5 Conditioner, Aloe Vera Gel, Honey, Coconut/Castor/EVOO, Salt
-or Fantasia Protein DC
Moisture -Africa's Best Kid's Organic Conditioner Lotion with Shea Butter and EVOO
Leave-In -Motion's Leave-In
Detangler - Aussie's Leave-In
Seal -Hollywood's Castor Oil Treatment or EVOO
USEFUL LINKS REGARDING SULFUR-MN MIX:
- Salicylic Acid and Sulfur (Topical)
- 10% Sulfur soap is used 1-3 times daily
- LHCF
user's Sulfur-MN updates
- LHCF thread on suggestions for making your own Sulfur-MN mix
Hey Protein, wanna be my friend?
First off, I want to say I've been on a moisture rollercoaster! So much fun. lol
Before the journey (and even during), my friends & fam know my hair is dry... always and forever. When I first started the hair journey, I read about baggy-ing, and gave it a try. My hair loved the extra moisture.
Somehow, I forgot all about baggying. My hair has been pretty dry since my last relaxer in May, even though I co-washed 1-2x a week and moisturized frequently. Then randomly I remembered baggying! I looked it up on one of the hairboards to make sure I had the info right and got to it.
I mostly do full-head baggy's. I apply a dime-sized amount of NTM Leave-in throughout my hair and cover with a baggy. The only rule I have is that I only baggy previously moisturized hair. The reason I baggy is not to moisturize my hair but to maintain the moisture. I love to leave the baggy on for 2 hours during the day when I'm at home. Leaving it on overnight is just too much, considering that I do 2x a week pre-poo's as well. After the 2 hours is over, I take the baggy off and my hair is usually damp. I seal with extra virgin coconut oil and wrap with my silk scarf.
So, all this moisture has been wonderful. My hair is soft to the touch and glowing.
But, it got me thinking... is my hair balanced (moisture vs. protein). It hadn't gotten to the point where my hair was mushy (a common side effect of imbalanced hair) but it was breaking off just as bad as when my hair was dry.
I was reading Sunshyne's blog about the Protein BFF challenge. Now, I'm currently trying not to join challenges in an effort to keep it simple. But it seemed as if that's exactly what my hair needed... some good ol' protein.
So I joined :)
1. Must condition with a protein 1x a week.
Simple, right? Well, because I've had bad protein experiences in the past, I was kind of hesitant.
Last night, I prepooed with VO5 Moisture Milks Conditioner, 1 tsp honey, 2 tsps of coconut oil, 1 cap of EVOO, 1 cap of castor oil (oils were warmed in microwave). When I woke up, I rinsed the pre-poo out, I shampooed my scalp 1x with Keracare dry and itchy poo. I then used my Fantasia IC Deep Penetrating Creme Moisturizer. I left it on for 5-10 minutes (per instructions) while I showered.
When I rinsed it out... ahhhhhhhh! My hair had definition again! I had gotten so used to the soft, undefined hair that I've been rockin' for the past few weeks.
I dried my hair off, used Aussie Leave-in as a detangler (hate it as a leave-in) and detangled my hair. There was still a lot of breakage and shedding but 1/3 as much as I've been experiencing in the past few weeks. I then applied NTM Silk Leave-in and EVOO and currently airdrying under my scarf!
So, protein, you think we can make this a long term thing? :)
Before the journey (and even during), my friends & fam know my hair is dry... always and forever. When I first started the hair journey, I read about baggy-ing, and gave it a try. My hair loved the extra moisture.
Somehow, I forgot all about baggying. My hair has been pretty dry since my last relaxer in May, even though I co-washed 1-2x a week and moisturized frequently. Then randomly I remembered baggying! I looked it up on one of the hairboards to make sure I had the info right and got to it.
I mostly do full-head baggy's. I apply a dime-sized amount of NTM Leave-in throughout my hair and cover with a baggy. The only rule I have is that I only baggy previously moisturized hair. The reason I baggy is not to moisturize my hair but to maintain the moisture. I love to leave the baggy on for 2 hours during the day when I'm at home. Leaving it on overnight is just too much, considering that I do 2x a week pre-poo's as well. After the 2 hours is over, I take the baggy off and my hair is usually damp. I seal with extra virgin coconut oil and wrap with my silk scarf.
So, all this moisture has been wonderful. My hair is soft to the touch and glowing.
But, it got me thinking... is my hair balanced (moisture vs. protein). It hadn't gotten to the point where my hair was mushy (a common side effect of imbalanced hair) but it was breaking off just as bad as when my hair was dry.
I was reading Sunshyne's blog about the Protein BFF challenge. Now, I'm currently trying not to join challenges in an effort to keep it simple. But it seemed as if that's exactly what my hair needed... some good ol' protein.
So I joined :)
1. Must condition with a protein 1x a week.
Simple, right? Well, because I've had bad protein experiences in the past, I was kind of hesitant.
Last night, I prepooed with VO5 Moisture Milks Conditioner, 1 tsp honey, 2 tsps of coconut oil, 1 cap of EVOO, 1 cap of castor oil (oils were warmed in microwave). When I woke up, I rinsed the pre-poo out, I shampooed my scalp 1x with Keracare dry and itchy poo. I then used my Fantasia IC Deep Penetrating Creme Moisturizer. I left it on for 5-10 minutes (per instructions) while I showered.
When I rinsed it out... ahhhhhhhh! My hair had definition again! I had gotten so used to the soft, undefined hair that I've been rockin' for the past few weeks.
I dried my hair off, used Aussie Leave-in as a detangler (hate it as a leave-in) and detangled my hair. There was still a lot of breakage and shedding but 1/3 as much as I've been experiencing in the past few weeks. I then applied NTM Silk Leave-in and EVOO and currently airdrying under my scarf!
So, protein, you think we can make this a long term thing? :)