5 of My Favorite Products from 2016

Usually at the end of the year I do a run do a "hits" and "misses" from the year. But since I'm running out of time and I didn't post as often once I moved in August, I'm going to do a brief run down of my favorite products from this year.

1. The Chocolate Antidote by Tangles & Beyond 

Hands down the best product to pre poo your hair. I know that people use this as a styling cream but for me, it works best at rejuventating my dry, tangled hair. Once this is on my strands, the knots don't stand a chance. If you're interested in more of Ashley's products, check out her website: www.tanglesandbeyond.com .

2. Mielle Organics Mint Almond Oil 

Hands down one of my favorite oils to seal my hair or to add to my spritz bottle to refresh my hair. This lightweight oil is good for the scalp and hair. Plus it smells great, which is always a plus!

3.  Mielle Organics Babassu Oil Mint Deep Conditioner

Finding a good deep conditioner can be hard but once you find one, you  never want to stray. At least that's how I feel about this conditioner. It gives my hair so much life and I can attribute the healthy state of my hair in part to this conditioner.

4. KeraCare Twist and Define Cream

I always loved the definition that I got when I visited my hairstylist in Portland. Then she shared her secret with me-- this cream. Once I added this product to my twist routine my twist outs were defined and moisturized. A little goes a long way, which I had this one jar for several months. Now the only problem is finding it here in Los Angeles. I've tried a couple of Sally's Beauty Stores with no luck :( . If you know where I can find it, please let me know!

5.  Scalp Invigorator 

In my quest for healthy, long hair I look for products and accessories that can improve the health of my hair. The scalp invigorator is a great way to loosen up buildup before you co-wash or shampoo. It can also be used to simply massage your scalp to stimulate growth. 

What are some of your favorite products from 2016?

Wash Day Recap | Last Wash Day of 2016

I told you I had a lot to share with you before the new year! Lol. So here is a recap of the my last wash day or 2016.


Prior to this wash day (which was last Sunday), I let my hair go without washing it for two weeks. This was new to me because I usually wash my hair once a week. Luckily, I had my hair in two strand twists so my hair was protected. I decided to rock a twist out for Christmas Eve and I ended up wearing the style for a week.

Day 1 of my twist out

Day 4 of my twist out

Pre-pooed Naturally when I finally decided to wash my hair I had some knots and tangles because I wore my hair out for a week.  In order to get a handle on the tangles and knots, I applied a generous amount of warm water, coconut oil and The Antidote. I worked the product in with my fingers paying attention to the ends before using a comb to detangle. After detangling each section I twisted the sections so that my hair stayed knot free.

Co-washed with Be Clean Cleansing Conditioner from Be Kekoa. This stuff is amazing!

Protein Treatment- Used Aubrey Organics and let it sit in my hair for about 2 minutes before washing it out.

Deep Conditioned with TGIN's Honey Miracle Mask-  With my hair still in twists, I applied the mask to each section and made sure to really work into the ends of my hair. I put on a cap and did a 30 minute workout while I deep conditioned.  Once the mask was completely rinsed out I could already tell the difference in my hair. It was moisturized, soft and smelled great!

I'm out of my ACV rinse so I made sure to give my strands another big rinse to make sure I removed all the products.

Then I applied the TGIN's Daily Moisturizing Cream, Mielle Organics Mint Almond Oil and TGIN's Twist & Define Cream. Because our show is currently on holiday hiatus I decided to skip the twists and went for something simple: two big braids. After braiding each side I create a halo look by connecting the two braids using bobby pins.

                                           What styles are you rocking this holiday season?

Black Friday 2016 Haul

It's never too late to share Black Friday deals, right? Yes, I know Black Friday was over a month ago but I still want to share the good deals I snagged. Unlike previous Black Fridays, I was determined to stick to a budget and not buy things I would never use. In order to prep for the sales I referenced The Mane Objective's comprehensive list. So without further delay, here is my Black Friday Haul for 2016:

                                                       Thank God It's Natural

I've heard so many great things about this natural hair product line but could never find it at Sally's in Portland. But once I saw their Black Friday sale, I knew this could be my chance to finally try their products. All of their products were on sale for $9.99, so I went with three of their most popular products: Honey Miracle Hair Mask, Twist & Define Cream and the Butter Cream Daily Moisturizer

Curls 

A few months ago Jenell B. Stewart (a.k.a. BlakIzBeautyful) posted about a new liquid vitamin from Curls. I made a mental note to try the vitamin at some point in the future. Prior to the Black Friday Sale I purchased one bottle to try it out. But then I saw their Black Friday Sale and knew I had to buy more. This particular sale was buy 1 get one free! So I got two bottles of the vitamins for $30 ($5 for shipping). Since this would be my first time taking the vitamin, I didn't buy a lot just in case I didn't like the vitamin.

Be Kekoa

Now if you follow the blog (although my posts have been a little scarce in the past few months) you know I had a chance to visit the Be Kekoa salon. At the time I only purchased the Tamanu Oil, I know silly me. Because I love Brandie and her products, I purchased the travel sample pack for $20. In addition to the products I also got this cute little bag with the salon's logo. The sample sizes are great for trying out products but I plan on stocking up the next time I visit her in Temecula. 

Summer + Fall 2016 Empties

Happy New Year's Eve!  There is so much content I want to share before the new year so expect a number of blog posts today. In this first post, I want to share some of the empties from the summer and fall.

1. Mielle Organics Babassu Oil Mint Deep Conditioner 

This has been one of my go-to deep conditioners for the past year. I love how soft and moisturized feels after using it.

2. Mielle Organics White Peony Leave-in

If you're looking for a lightweight leave-in that moisturizes your hair without weighing it down, this might be the product for you. I like to use this as part of my LOC method and also in my spritz bottle with oils. 

3.  Lily of the Desert Aloe Vera Juice

I didn't get hip to the awesomeness of Aloe Vera juice until the middle of 2016. I found that Aloe Vera Juice comes in handy during my pre-poo session and I like to use it my spritz bottle when I need to add moisture to my strands.

4. Be Kekoa Tamanu Oil 

Another great thing about my visit to Be Kekoa is that I got to experience her amazing products. I decided to try this oil to seal in moisture. I loved the consistency of this oil and also that it did what I  wanted: sealed in the moisture.

5. The Chocolate Antidote 

I don't need to tell you how much I love this product because you already know. This has become an essential part of the pre poo process and it literally melts away my tangles. 

6.    Rapunzel Hair Multivitamin (x2) 

                                                           

In my quest for natural hair I have experimented with hair vitamins. While I'm longing for length,  I won't compromise the health of my skin to gain that length. Prior to taking the Rapunzel vitamin I took Mielle Organics' vitamin for several months. Before switching to Rapunzel I did my research regarding side effects. I will post a review telling you about my experience with the vitamin.   

7. Mielle Organics Detangling Co-wash 

One of my favorite co-washes. I just wish it came in a bigger bottle!

8. Curls Blissful Lengths Liquid Hair Growth Vitamin 

My third hair vitamin that I am trying out. What's great about this is that is in liquid form. This is the first bottle that I  completed. I'm going to take this vitamin for 3 months (6 bottles total) and share my results.


8. Keracare Twist and Define Cream (not pictured)

I have nothing but great things to say about this defining cream. It gives my hair moisture and also helps me achieve the best twist out results.

9. Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar (with the Mother)- not pictured 

My wash day isn't complete without an act rinse. I know some naturals even use this to clarify their hair.

10. Eden BodyWorks All Natural Cleansing Cowash 

I used this when I ran out of my Mielle Organics Detangling Co-Wash and couldn't find it at my local Sally's. Great product and definitely something I can see myself using again.

What are your some of your hair product empties from the summer or fall? 

Wash Day Recap | Mini Hair Update

Man, I've really been slacking on the blog as of late. That's what happens when you're juggling work, writing and spending time with the hubby. Luckily I've still be taking care of my hair through all of it. My wash days have pretty much stayed the same with just a few minor updates. I'm still co-washing and deep conditioning my hair once a week. Since I want to retain length, I mainly wear low manipulation styles like twists or two strand twist halo braid (not sure if that's the proper name).
Here are a few pictures of my hair over the past month and half

This twist out from 10/29/16 was everything!

Smiling because I love my twist out.

My other go-to protective style from 11/6/16

Another view form 11/6/16

Rocking a twist out for Thanksgiving 2016

I've also been experimenting with products as well. Currently I'm using True by Made Beautiful. But since I scored some good deals on Black Friday and Small Business Saturday, you will probably see a change in my wash day products :). I didn't go too crazy but I'm excited with my purchases which I'll share soon.

I'm not trying the whole line, just their co-wash, hair masque and leave-in conditioner

Now that my mini hair update is out of the way, here is a recap of Sunday's wash day.

Pre-pooed  I'm still loving my current pre-poo routine which consists of applying water, EVCO and  The Antidote to  sections. Then I detangle my hair using my wide tooth comb from Eternally in Amber. Once the section is detangled, I put the section into twists. 

Shampooed  with Mielle  Organic's Babassu Conditioning Shampoo with my hair in twists.

Protein Treatment- Used Aubrey Organics and let it sit in my hair for about 2 minutes before washing it out.

Deep Conditioned with True Intense Treatment Masque- I applied the masque to my hair (still in twists) and left it on for about 20 minutes under a plastic cap.

ACV Rinse - I did a final rinse on my hair (acv mixed with water).

Styled my hair- As I mention before I've been keep my hair in low manipulation styles. This week I opted for my two strand halo braids. I plan on moisturizing my hair every other day and keep this style until my wash day on Sunday.

                                                   

                                                 How was your recent wash day?

Wash Day Recap | Last Wash Day of September

This post is a little late (by a couple of weeks) but I still wanted to share my last wash day of September. As part of my new regimen/routine going forward, I plan on co-washing my hair three weeks in a row and shampooing on the 4th week. So my first shampoo day happened to fall on my last wash day of September. Here's how my wash day went:


Pre-pooed by spraying my hair with a mixture of aloe vera juice and water. Then I applied EVCO to my strands, focusing on the ends. Lastly, I applied The Antidote and used my fingers to detangle. I then detangled with a wide tooth comb before putting my hair into two strand twists.

Shampooed with Mielle Organic's Babassu Shampoo (with my hair still in twists). I really worked the shampoo in and gently used my Shampoo brush I purchased from Vanity Planet. I made sure to use a downward motion to avoid getting tangles and knots (thanks for the tip NappyFu!)

Protein Treatment- I used my usual treatment, Aubrey Organics and let it sit in my hair for about 2 minutes before rinsing it out.

Deep Conditioned with Eden Body Works Coconut Shea Hair Masque Treatment. Instead of simply using a plastic cap, I decided to use my Q-Redew for the first time! Yes, I know I bought it on a Black Friday, which means I should have used it by now but...I didn't. Anyway, I used applied my hand-held steamer to each twists keeping some distance so I wouldn't burn myself. I learned this lesson early on when I put it a little close to my edges when I started. Luckily I didn't really burn myself and I'll never make that mistake again. After I finished with the steamer, I put a plastic cap on my hair and waited another 15 minutes before rinising out the masque.

ACV Rinse- Before wrapping up my wash day, I did my apple cider vinegar rinse. I like to dilute the acv with water so it's not too potent and then I either spray or pour the solution

Styling my hair- Once I'm finished with the ACV rinse, I let my hair dry using a t-shirt for about 10-15 minutes. Then I do a quick survey of my twists to see which ones need to be re-twisted. Since I used up the last of my Kera Care Twist and Define cream, I picked up Eden Body Works Coconut Shea Curl Defining Cream to twist my hair. After that I applied a little of my water + Aloe Vera Juice mixture, Tamanu Oil and Jia's Carribean Dream Creme to my hair and ends.

                                                                                                                              

Wash Day Recap | Time for a Protein Treatment

    Happy Sunday! Here is a recap of last Sunday's wash day. 

Pre-poo/ Detangle Session:  I'm still following my same pre-poo routine. I part my hair into four sections and spray each section with a mixture of aloe vera juce & water. Then I apply The Antidote to the length of my hair as well as EVCO paying special attention to the ends. After I finger detangle each section, I use my Eternally In Amber wide tooth comb. Once my hair is fully detangled, I put my hair in twists. 

Co-washed with Eden BodyWorks All Natural Coconut Shea CoWash-  I co-washed my hair in twists and applied this to my strands and gently massaged it into my scalp. Then I rinsed out the co-wash with lukewarm/cool water.

Protein Treatment- I added a protein treatment back into my routine for this particular wash day. 
Deep Conditioned with Tangles & Beyond's Deep Moisture Conditioner. I applied the conditioner to my twists and let it sit under a plastic cap for 20 minutes.

T-shirt dried my hair for about 10 minutes. With my hair being in twists, my hair didn't feel like it was soaking wet.

Styled my hair-  Now that I wash my hair in twists, I usually don't have to really style my hair at the end of wash day. Once my hair is a little dry, I simply re-twists any twists that look a little worse for wear. 

Throughout the week I kept my hair moisturized by spraying water (mixed with leave-conditioner) and sealing it with Tamanu oil.  I picked up this tip for moisturizing my twists from Craving Yellow. Check out the video below to learn more.

How was your wash day? Be sure to share below.

Wash Day | Did I just find my new Wash Day Routine?

After my trip to Be Kekoa, I'm on a mission to keep my battle with single strand knots to a minimum.  Like Nappy Fu always say, "to have healthy hair, you have to do healthy things" and that is what I intend to do.

By now I'm sure you all know how much I love BlakIzBeautyful's channel. Well, she recently launched a channel for her daughter Elle, which I follow as well. Earlier this week I stumbled on her detangling routine for Elle. From what I can tell, Elle and I have the same curl pattern. This detangling/wash day routine seemed easy and let's face it, who doesn't want an easy wash day?  So I grabbed my tools: spray bottle (filled mostly with tap water and some aloe vera juice), 5 butterfly clips, EVCO and The Chocolate Antidote.

Here's my hair before the pre-poo session right after I took out my old twists.

        

Pre-poo/ Detangle Session: In the video, Jenell uses Creme of Nature Coconut Detangling Conditioner but I used The Antidote instead. I actually wanted to try out the Detangling Conditioner but of course I couldn't find it anywhere.  I basically followed the same steps from the video.

Step 1: Using my spray bottle filled with tap water and aloe vera juice, I wet my hair so it was almost soaking wet.

Step 2: I parted my hair into four sections and put them into butterfly clips.
Step 3: I decided to start with one of the back sections first. I sprayed more of the spray bottle into the section and then added coconut oil starting at my ends first.
Step 4: Detangle with my fingers first, getting any shed hairs out of the way.
Step 5: Add The Chocolate Antidote to the section
Step 6: Using my Eternally in Amber wide tooth comb, I started at the ends and worked my way up gently.
Step 7: Once that section was complete, I put that section into two strand twists.

**I repeated these steps until my whole head was detangled and in two strand twists. And let me just say, this was by far the EASIEST detangling session ever!!! The comb was going through my hair effortlessly. Why didn't I do it this way before? I'm sure my curly cut contributed to the ease of my detangling session too.

Co-washed with Eden BodyWorks All Natural Coconut Shea CoWash-  With my hair still in twists, I applied this co-wash to my strands. I gently massaged my scalp as well with the pads of my fingers.  Then I rinsed out the co-wash with lukewarm/cool water.

Deep Conditioned with Tangles & Beyond's Deep Moisture Conditioner. I applied the conditioner to my twists, applied a towel to my hair and let it sit for about 20 minutes.  I originally planned on finally using my Q-Redew but I forgot to buy distilled water, so I'll try it out next week.

I skipped out on doing a protein treatment again this week.  My hair didn't feel like it needed it. I might decide to do it next week, we'll see.

T-shirt dried my hair for about 10 minutes. With my hair being in twists, my hair didn't feel like it was soaking wet.

Styled my hair- The washing my hair in twists is that my hair is already styled! There were a few twists that were a little worse for wear from the wash day process. I simply re-twisted them and applied Jia's DreamCreme Leave-In Conditioner and Be Kekoa Tamanu Oil to seal in the moisture.

Hands down this was my favorite wash day.  From the pre-poo/detangling session to finishing my wash day in twists,  it was an easy wash day. Since I'm about keeping it simple, this will be my new wash day routine! 

        How was your wash day? What do you do to detangle your hair?

Wash Day | New Detangling Methods

I wrapped up a great Labor Day weekend with the hubby with wash day. After my visit to Be Kekoa last week, I realized that I needed to focus more on my detangling techniques, if I want to keep retaining length. Sure my hair was in need of a trim but single strand knots have been an off an on issue for me. I'm making it my mission to incorporate better practices and having healthy natural hair. Now let's get into Monday's wash day.

Pre-pooed- I recently started following Naturally High's YouTube channel and it's great. I'm trying to follow more women with my hair type (4C). Anyway, she posted this video awhile back and I decided to give it a try. I applied EVCO and then used my fingers to detangle. The oil really helped work out the knots and tangles. Once I detangled a section, I worked in The Antidote to give my hair extra moisture. After I finished with each section, I twisted my hair to keep it from getting tangled. All in all it took me two episodes of The Office (an hour) to do my whole head.

Here's another updated video about detangling from Naturally High below

 

Co-washed with Eden BodyWorks All Natural Coconut Shea CoWash- I decided to wash my hair in twists. I don't know how these vloggers keep their twists in while co-washing. By the time I was done, about have of my twists were undone. Oh, well maybe it'll get better with practice.

I didn't do a protein treatment this week. My detangling process took longer than I thought, so there wasn't any time.

Deep Conditioned with Tangles & Beyond's Deep Moisture Conditioner. I applied the conditioner in sections and then twisted the section. Since we don't have a microwave in the our new place, I couldn't use my Hot Head thermal cap. Instead I put on a plastic cap and left the conditioner in for 30 minutes before rinsing it out.

T-shirt dried my hair for 10-15 minutes. 

Styled my hair- I knew that I wanted to wear my hair in twists, but I wanted to wear it a little differently. So I opted for a hairstyle from Naturally High's channel using two strand twists.

It only took me about an hour or so to do all of my two strand twists. After I finished I put on my bonnet and went to bed. The next morning put all of my two strand twists into two big plaits and pinned them to get a crown braid look.  

Looks like I lost a bobby pin here in the back during the day

This will probably be my style for the week. I plan on undoing the plaits on Thursday to moisturize the twists and then re-do the crown braid.

How was your wash day? Are you trying out any new hairstyles or techniques?

Wash Day Update: My First Curly Cut at Be Kekoa Salon

I finally got my hair trimmed! I mean it's only been a year since the last one (hanging head in disgrace). My last trim was done on textured lightly blown dried hair. Now I know some naturalistas love using direct heat but as for me, I prefer sticking to that #noheat life. So a few months ago I started asking other naturalistas for recommendations on salons that did curly cuts. Although I received many great suggestions, I was ultimately intrigued by Christina (of Mane Objective's ) recommendation to visit Be Kekoa Salon in Temecula. At the time I was still living in Portland and wasn't sure when I could make the trek to Cali.

Fast forward about three months later when I booked my appointment with Brandie at Be Kekoa. Life happened and presented me with an opportunity to be closer to the salon sooner than I expected (more on that in another post). Anyway, I patiently waited the four weeks until my appointment keeping my hair tucked and protected. Yesterday the hubby and I drove from Sherman Oaks to Temecula. And like all of my trips to new salons, I was nervous. I swear all black women, myself included have had horrible experiences with scissor happy stylists. But, from what I saw from the Mane Objective's Instagram feed and other reviews of the salon, I was confident about my decision.

As soon as I walked into the salon, I knew I was in the right place. Brandie and her assistant Audra were so welcoming and lovely. Before the cut, I had a consultation with Brandie. She asked me about my hair care regimen and any concerns/questions I had. Unfortunately single strand knots and matting have been my worst enemy as of late but Brandie assured me that it would be okay.  In addition to a much needed trim, I also asked for a little shaping for the fro.

A peek inside Be Kekoa Salon

Brandie got to work examining my strands and began cutting curl by curl. I've seen YouTube videos of the curly cut technique but it was amazing seeing it up close. Brandie's care and expertise is absolutely amazing. As she worked I asked her questions about my current regimen and how to reduce the occurrence of pesky single strand knots.

Once she finished with the cut, Audra got to work cleansing my hair and scalp. I wish I could have Audra wash my hair all the time! She was gentle and very thorough.  And I realized that I have not been giving my scalp the attention it  needs during my cleansing session.  Going forward I will be giving my scalp more attention and incorporating scalp massages during the cleansing stage. After Audra finished cleansing my hair it was time for my steam hydration treatment. I got the Monoi Orangesicle Protein Smoothie, which was amazing. But the best part of the treatment was the steamer. This was my first experience with a steamer, I know I'm late to the game. I swear this steamer gave my hair life! My hair felt amazing after the treatment and I need to start using the Q-redew I bought on Black Friday. 

I decided to go with two strand twists for my style. So Brandie and Audra twisted my hair while chatting with me and the hubby. Once my twists were done, I sat under the dryer briefly so my hair could soak up the product. Before leaving I made sure to grab buy some Tamanu Oil. I wanted to buy some of the Be Clean Cleansing Conditioner but they were out of the 8fl oz bottle. I know I said I wasn't going to add new products but I will be trying out the Be Kekoa line soon.

I had such an awesome experience and I can't wait to go back! I'm planning on going back in about 3 months to maintain healthy ends.

My before pic

Showing off my curly cut and style

I absolutely loved my experience at Be Kekoa and I will definitely be back! 

Wash Day | Last Wash Day of July

I can't believe it's already the first week of August! This summer is really flying by. July was such a busy month that I didn't have time to blog as much as I wanted to. I still need to share what's been going on with me lately, but for now, here is my last wash day of July.

Pre-pooed with my Aloe Vera Juice mix and The Chocolate Antidote + The Antidote for 30 minutes under my Hot Heads cap. Oh a side note: I finally finished the original antidote!! 

Co-washed with Eden BodyWorks All Natural Coconut Shea CoWash Yup, I'm still using this because I haven't had a chance to order my normal co-wash online. But, like I said in my last wash day post, this co-wash is really good. This will probably be my 2nd go-to Co-Wash.

Before rinsing the co-wash I detangled with my Eternally in Amber comb. This co-wash is great for detangling and makes the whole process a breeze.

Protein Treatment  This week I did my normal protein conditioner treatment using GPB Balancing Protein Conditioner by Aubrey Organics.

Deep Conditioned with Tangles & Beyond's Deep Moisture Conditioner.  I really need to make a Mielle Organics purchase but I'm a fan of these products. Like usual, I used my Hot Heads cap for 30 minutes before rinsing it out.

T-shirt dried my hair for 10-15 minutes. 

Styling my hair- The LOC method really keeps my hair moisturized so I continue to use the same products. If ain't broke, don't fix it! I used a spritz bottle with water and Aloe Vera juice, Mint Almond Oil and a few other oils. I also used  Jia's Caribbean DreamCreme as my leave-in conditioner along with the Kera Care Twist and Define Cream. I might have applied too much because I had oil and such on the back of my neck well into the next day. Better too much than not enough.  

My personal goal for the next four weeks is to keep my ends tuck until my scheduled trim. So this week I decided to revisit the Roll Tuck and Pin. I love this style because it is quick and very easy to master. It took me about 5 minutes or so to complete the look.

How was your wash day? Are you revisiting any old hairstyles? Be sure to join the link up!