Spring Empties 2016

Now that it's officially summer, I wanted to share my spring empties. Since I started sharing my "empties" my hair stash has decreased significantly and I'm getting down to the bare necessities. Here is a list of my spring empties.

1. Mielle Organics Detangling Co-wash - Love, love, love this co-wash! It's gentle, keeps my hair soft, cleans my hair and helps with tangles/knots. I don't see this leaving my product stash anytime soon.

2. Mielle Organic's Advanced Healthy Hair Formula Vitamins (bottle #6 or so?) - As I mentioned in this post, I am enjoying these vitamins and I can see how my hair has improved. I'm currently at the end of my 3rd bottle and I just bought a four-month supply :)!

3. Mielle Organics Babassu Oil Mint Deep Conditioner-  Probably one of my favorite deep conditioners. This is still a top favorite of mine. My hair and scalp always feels amazing after using this conditioner. I personally like to pair this deep conditioner with my Hot Heads Cap for about 30 minutes. 

4. Soak My Body Muscle Milk Bath from Tangles and Beyond's BodyFrenzi Line-   Like Mielle Organics, Tangles and Beyond is my other go-to hair product line. All of the products are handmade, which only makes me love the line even more. A few months back I was curious about her body product line and decided to try those as well. Since I love working out (when my schedule allows), I thought the muscle milk bath was a great product to try. Check out my review for more of my thoughts.

5. Mielle Organics White Peony Leave-In Conditioner- Such a great leave-in conditioner! I have nothing but great things to say about this one. If you want a lightweight leave-in that will help retain moisture, decreases frizz and protein your strands, you should give this leave-in a try.

6.  Aloe Vera Juice from Lily of the desert -  When I started revamping my regimen back in the fall, I started looking for other ways to increase moisture in my hair. After doing some research I found that using aloe vera juice in my hair regimen has a lot of benefits like hair growth, reducing shedding, and helping with the pH balance of my hair and scalp. Read this to learn more about the benefits of aloe vera juice/

7. Jia's Caribbean DreamCreme (16oz)-  It only took me a year to use this bottle up! Lol. But in all serious I definitely got more than my money's worth out of this bottle. This leave-in has become an important part of my LOC method and the smell is to die for. 

8. Mint Almond Oil (8 fl oz)- This oil is my jam!!! I use it as part of my LOC method on wash day and on a daily basis to retain moisture. I'm convinced that my hair stays healthy because of this oil. And the smell is great :).

There were also a few products that didn't make the cut and had to be thrown away:

I really wanted to love this shampoo by Carol's Daughter. This particular bottle was gifted to me by Ulta as I was checking out. The first few times I tried it, I found that my hair felt a little weird after but I ignored it. Since it was my regular shampoo, I didn't use it very often. A couple of weeks ago I used the shampoo again and my hair felt horrible after. I don't know if was the expiration date but I knew this shampoo just wasn't for me. 

This was a gift from one my co-workers, who happens to be a hairstylist on Grimm. I used this product when I first went natural and loved it. But then I started using other products and replaced it with something I liked better. So when I got it as a freebie, to be fair they were cleaning out their stations at the end of the season and it was half a bottle, I figured it wouldn't hurt to use it again. Boy was I wrong. I used this along with the shampoo and it left my hair feeling fried and stiff. I think the product has too much protein in it and my hair hates it.

                                             What products have you used up recently?

Fall Empties 2015

I admit it, I've kind of become a product junkie over the past year. When I first began my natural journey, I kept my regimen pretty simple and only used a couple of products. But, as my journey continued and my hair grew, I realized that I needed to experiment in order to keep my hair healthy. Fast forward to today with me cleaning the bathroom and being slightly horrified with the amount of hair products that I've accumulated in the past six months or so. In an effort to clean out my arsenal, I will try to do an "empties" post for fall, winter, spring and summer. And now I present: Fall Empties 2015. 

1. Organic Virgin Coconut Oil - I bought this particular jar (I think) from Trader Joe's or Safeway. I wanted extra virgin but couldn't find it at either one of these stores. This coconut oil did the job but once I finished the bottle, I ran to Whole Foods and scored the jar I really wanted.

2. Mielle Organic's Advanced Healthy Hair Formula Vitamins (bottle #2) - As I mentioned in this post, I am enjoying these vitamins and I can see how my hair has improved. I'm currently at the end of my 3rd bottle and I just bought a four-month supply :)!

3. Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie - This has been a staple of mine since the very beginning. While our relationship was great, I have decided to explore other options for awhile. You can check out my recent posts to see how I bring out my curls. Will I stop buying this    product forever? Who knows. Maybe I'll use it again in the future. 

4. Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Co-Wash Conditioning Cleanser (not pictured)- Another product that I've used since the very beginning of my natural hair journey. After this bottle was finished I decided to start using Mielle Organic's Honey Dew Berry Co-Wash . Now, does that mean my relationship with Shea Moisture is over? For right now I want to use another product line to see the results. But, I will always have a soft spot for Shea Moisture and I may come back to the products again in the future.

5. Bragg's Organic Apple Cider Vinegar with the Mother (not pictured) - I love this stuff! I use it for my weekly rinses and as a cleanser for my face. 

             What are some of your fall empties? Are there any products you would or wouldn't buy again?

~Adventures of a Nappy Chica 

Wash Day Recap: In Love With My Twist Out

Hey loves!

This is super late but here is a recap of last Sunday's wash day.

Pre-Poo/ Hot Oil Treatment:  I mixed EVCOwith EVOO and put it in the microwave for 30 seconds. I added this mixture to my scalp, massaging it in for about two minutes. Then I sprayed my hair with my Aloe Vera spritz/oil mix and using my hands to get rid of any shed hair or knots.  I sectioned my hair into four sections with my Goody Ouchless Elastic Bands, placed a plastic cap on my head and put on my Hot Heads Conditioning Cap for an hour.

Co-Washed with Detangling Co-Wash by Mielle Organics in four sections. 

Protein Treatment--GPB Balancing Protein Conditioner by Aubrey Organics for two minutes. 

Deep Conditioned with Babassu Oil and Mint Deep Conditioner by Mielle Organics under my Hot Head cap for 30 minutes.

Detangled with my Eternally in Amber Detangling Comb with the deep conditioner in my hair and then rinsed it out.

ACV rinse: Massaged the rinse into my hair paying attention to my scalp and then rinsed it out. 

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

Leave-ins + Oils  With my hair still in four sections, I applied Mint Almond Oil to my scalp and then did my usual LOC Method- Aloe Vera with Water, Mint Almond Oil, Jia's Caribbean DreamCream followed by the Kera Care Twist and Define Cream to twist my hair.  

I wore my hair in twists for most of the week and undid my twist for a twist out. I loved my twist out so much that I'm still rocking it and I pushed my next wash day till Tuesday. I'm really loving the definition I'm getting recently, so this will be my go-to style for awhile.

How was your #WashDayExperience? What are your favorite fall hairstyles?

Wash Day Recap | New Products/Changes = Healthier Hair & a Better Twist Out?

Happy Hump Day!

Last week's wash day produced my best twist-out to date. In order to achieve the same results I repeated the same steps on Sunday. Before I talk about my wash day recap, here is the twist-out I rocked on Friday and Saturday after wearing my hair in from Sunday-Thurs.

  

           

Pre-Poo/ Hot Oil Treatment:  I mixed EVCO (the last bit that I had) with EVOO and put it in the microwave for 30 seconds. I added this mixture to my scalp, massaging it in for about two minutes. Then I sprayed my hair with my Aloe Vera spritz/oil mix and using my hands to get rid of any shed hair or knots.  I sectioned my hair into four sections with my Goody Ouchless Elastic Bands, placed a plastic cap on my head and put on my Hot Heads Conditioning Cap for an hour.

Co-Washed with Detangling Co-Wash by Mielle Organics in four sections. This co-wash really makes my curls pop.

Protein Treatment--GPB Balancing Protein Conditioner by Aubrey Organics for two minutes. 

Deep Conditioned with Babassu Oil and Mint Deep Conditioner by Mielle Organics under my Hot Head cap for 30 minutes.

Detangled with my Eternally in Amber Detangling Comb with the deep conditioner in my hair. My hair was so soft and easy to detangle!! Usually it takes some effort to detangle my  hair but this conditioner made it so simple! I barely had to detangle with the comb. This is only my second time using this deep conditioner but I think this is going on my staple product list. #winning.

All the hair lost from shedding and detangling

ACV rinse: I missed this step last week but made sure to do it this week. 

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

Leave-ins + Oils   I loved the twist-out results I got from my last wash day so I decided to follow the same steps.  I sectioned my hair into four sections and applied Mint Almond Oil to my scalp. For the LOC method, I used a spritz bottle with water and Aloe Vera juice, Mint Almond Oil and Jia's Caribbean DreamCreme. I also used Kera Care Twist and Define Cream again to twist my hair because I think it helped me achieve a great twist-out.

I don't know if it's my imagination but I feel like my hair feels more moisturized and looks longer. I plan on following this new wash day regimen for awhile to see if my results continue. Here's to hoping I have another awesome twist-out at the end of the week.

How was your #WashDayExperience? Are you trying any new products or techniques?

New Products Added to My Regimen

Hey loves,

I recently added a few new products to my regimen and I just wanted to share. Until recently, I my main product line has been Shea Moisture and Tangles and Beyond. But I've been wanting to try some new products and I felt like the time was right. So here are some of the products I've been trying.

The ingredients for my Aloe Vera Spritz

Now, as some of you may know I started taking the Mielle Organics vitamins back in September. I absolutely love the vitamins and wanted to try the hair products as well. I've started out with three products and I will probably try the whole line as well.

My last two additions are a result of my visits to Studio Six Nine Hair Design. Che're used these two products on my hair and I loved the results as well as the smell. So I bought both products and have been using them for a couple of weeks.

So far my hair loves the new additions/changes to my regimen. I'll keep you posted.

Have you tried any new products lately? Be sure to comment below!

Adding Oils To My Regimen

Happy Monday loves!

As I continue my natural hair journey, I am always looking for more ways to keep my hair healthy. I would love my hair to grow but hair health is more important to me. One of the things that I am still trying to get a handle on is finding the right balance of moisture for my hair. I hope finding this balance will also help with the pesky knots I'm still experiencing.

Last year I saw HealthyHairJourney72 's video on making her Aloe Vera Spritz for her hair. I remember thinking that I would try the spritz at some point in my journey. Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago when I made my own version of the spritz.


           

Now, I modified this a little because I didn't buy all of the oils that she uses in her video. I wanted to see if this spritz worked for me so I started out with just three oils: Sweet Almond, Grapeseed and Jojoba Oil.

It's only been a few weeks since I started using this spritz but my hair feels more moisturized. So far I like using it on my ends (usually one of the last steps on wash day) and also when I re-moisturize my hair/scalp midweek.

Another way that I've incorporated oils into my regimen is by adding them to my scalp. After applying all of my leave-ins on wash day, I massage Sweet Almond Oil into my scalp. I also use the oils for my pre-poo. Lastly, I add Jojoba oil to my deep conditioner, which helps make my hair softer and gives it more shine.

Want to add oils to your regimen but don't know where to start? Check out this post from Kinky Curly Coily Me to read about three oils that can be incorporated into your regimen.

What oils do you use in your regimen? Feel free to comment below.

Wash Day Recap | BlakIzBeautyful's Retro Roll, Tuck & Pin

Happy Tuesday everyone!!!

On Sunday I decided it was time to take out my protective updo and wash my hair.  Here's a recap of my wash day.
                                                            

My wash day arsenal (minus my spray bottle with my ACV rinse) 

[1] Pre-Poo: I parted my hair into four sections and applied Grapeseed Oil to each section with my hands. I use this time to get rid of any shed hairs from the past two weeks and massaged my scalp for about 5 minutes. I left the pre-poo on for about 15-20 minutes.

[2] Co-Washed with Shea Moisture's Cleansing Cowash Conditioner in the same our sections.

[3] Deep Conditioned with  Shea Moisture's Jamaican Black Castor Oil Stregthen, Grow and Restore Treatment Masque. Using my Hot Head Deep Conditioning Heat cap, I let the deep conditioner sit on my hair for 15 minutes. 

[4] Detangled with my new Eternally In Amber wide tooth comb with the JBCO hair masque still in my hair. I won this comb set from the Mane Objective's giveaway .

[3] ACV Rinse: After two weeks in an updo, I definitely had a little bit of dandruff and product buildup.  ACV rinses help curb my dandruff and removes any product that I didn't wash out.  I like to spray the entire mixture into my scalp and massage it in. I know some people like to rinse this out but I like leaving it my hair.

Shed hair/hair that came out when detangling- Not bad for two weeks

                                   


[4]  Dried my hair in twists overnight. I applied Jia's Caribbean Dream Cream by Tangles and Beyond Shea Moisture's JBCO Leave-In Conditioner and put my hair in twists to dry.

[5] Styled my hair : The next morning (Monday), I tried my hand at old tutorial from BlakIzBeautyful .

        



I think I did a great job for my first time and I received a lot of compliments at work yesterday :).

A pic from Monday

A pic from this morning (I just woke up. lol). 

                                                                 

     

                                     
              How was your #WashDayExperience? Join the link-up and share your wash day.

~Adventures of Nappy Chica

Taking the Challenge: Mielle Organics Advanced Healthy Hair Formula Vitamins

Happy Wednesday everyone!!

I hope you all had a fun Labor Day weekend with family and friends. It was great having a three day weekend with the hubby. I had an opportunity to recharge my battery, have a little bit of fun and relax. Before my work week gets intense, I wanted to share another hair update/challenge that I'm currently doing.

 Several months ago I thought about taking hair vitamins. After much internal debate and hours spent reading reviews, I decided not to take the vitamins I purchased. Instead I hosted a giveaway and was happy that someone was able to use the vitamins. Then about a month ago, I started the search for a hair vitamin again. This time around I knew what I wanted: a vitamin that had benefits for my hair and my body. Because I have acne prone skin, I wanted something that wouldn't cause a breakout.  Thanks to Instagram (social media is great for finding out about new natural hair products and companies), I stumbled on Mielle Organics. I had heard great things about the hair care products before but didn't know they also had a hair vitamin. After reading reviews, watching YouTube videos and looking at the ingredients, I decided to take the plunge.

 

So far, I'm nine days in and I'm loving the pills. I haven't noticed any breakouts or adverse reactions. I take the pills with food and I try to drink a ton of water (which can be hard to do while working on television set). My plan is to take the pills for 3 months and post a review at the end.


            Have you tried the Mielle Organics Vitamins? If so, what was your experience? Feel free to comment below!



~Adventures of a Nappy Chica

Old Faithful: Three Strand Twists | The #WashDayExperience

Summer is here and as always I'm looking for easy no fuss hairstyles. Before yesterday's wash day I rocked a half down, half faux updo. Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures but I will share pics next time. Although I love wearing my hair out my hair gets extremely tangled. Which is why I'm only wearing my hair out once or twice a week.  Anyway here is a recap of yesterday's #washdayexperience:

                                           

Pre-Shampoo: Hair Trigger for 45 minutes . I like to do a little finger detangling during this step. Plus, this leaves my hair so nice and soft after.

*My hair has been shedding a lot recently. Has anyone else experienced this lately? Is it because it's summer? I swear I'm finding little hairs everywhere. Lol.

Co-Wash: Shea Moisture's Cleansing Cowash Conditioner

Protein Treatment: ApHogee Intensive Two Minute Keratin Reconstructor for 2 minutes.

Deep Condition: SheaMoisture Raw Shea Butter Deep Treatment Masque + Tangles & Beyond Deep Moisture Conditioner for 35 minutes under a plastic cap. I had a little bit of the Deep Treatment Masque left and decided to mix it in with the Deep Moisture Conditioner. Once I started using it again, I realized how much I love this conditioner! I started to use the Denman brush to detangle but opted for my wide tooth comb instead. With all of my recent shedding I thought it would be more effective.

ACV Rinse: I sprayed the rinse in my hair and massaged it into my scalp for a couple of minutes.

Tea Rinse: For this week's tea rinse I used three bags of Earl Gray (my gray/silver strands on the side have been laughing at me recently) and two bags of green tea. I usually pour the mix over my head and repeat until it's gone. But this ends up being so messy and I'm not sure if I get all the black tea in my hair. I'm going to go back to putting the tea rinse in a spray bottle and applying it that way. #nomess #nofuss . I apply a cotton t-shirt on my head for about 15 minutes to catch any excess liquid.

Leave-ins: SheaMoisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil and SheaMoisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie

 

I think this might be my best three strand twist. Before I started twisting, I put my hair in five sections (front, middle, back and one for each side). Instead of waiting until the end I did the front section first. Then I did the sides, the back and finished with the middle section. And guess what, this made the whole twisting process so much better! I know, some of you probably already do this, but hey, this was a breakthrough for me. Lol.

                    How was your wash day? Join the link-up and share your #WashdayExperience

Wash Day Recap: I got 99 problems but my Fro ain't one of them

Ok, I don't have 99 problems but I thought the title was super clever and wanted to use it for today's post. As someone of you know, I celebrated my 1 year natural anniversary on Sunday. To celebrate I undid my twists and let my fro out all day Sunday. The plan was to do my normal wash day and then twist my hair for the week, which has been my routine for the past month or so.

[1] Pre-pooed with Hair Trigger for about an hour.

[2] Shampooed with Tangles and Beyond Rhassoul Whip Poo . I normally only shampoo once a month by I ran out of my Shea Moisture Coconut Hibiscus Co-Wash Cleansing Conditioner. I didn't realize that until I put the Hair Trigger on my hair.

[3]  Protein Treatment : ApHogee Intensive Two Minute Keratin Reconstructor . 

[4] Deep Conditioned with The Antidote by Tangles and Beyond for about 40 minutes. Unfortunately we don't have a microwave at our current place but I can't wait until we move. I'll be able to incorporate heat  again. This stuff is amazing! It's my first time using it but so far I love it!

[5] Detangled-- I wish I could say that I did but didn't. The good news is I didn't really need to. The Antidote made my hair soft and manageable, I honestly didn't need to detangle it.

[6] Tea Rinsed - I'm seriously slipping on my tea rinses. In my defense, we are leaving Monterey in about two and a half weeks. So needlessly to say life has been a little hectic. We already have most of our things packed #wearereadytoleave . Unfortunately my tea rinses have suffered because of the upcoming move.

[7] ACV rinse  No rinse this week because I didn't find my spray bottle until the next morning. But it will be back on the next wash day.

[8] T-shirt dried for about an 30-40 minutes.

[9] Applied my leave-ins: Jia's Caribbean Dream Cream  and Tangles and Beyond Deep Moisture Shea Butter.

[10] Stretched my hair-- I don't know if it was because of my hair anniversary or if I was just tired, but I didn't twist my hair. Instead I used my hair ties to stretch my hair over night. 

When I woke up the next day I was too tired to do anything to my hair so I decided to wear my fro out. My hair is longer, which means my fro is bigger. I was self conscious about wearing my hair out at work because it's not how I usually wear my hair but with the some pep talks from my hubby, I strutted into work proud of my fro.  I was surprised on how many compliments I received from co-workers, many of whom said they would love to see my hair out more.

My fro at the end of the day yesterday

A close-up 

Last night I stretched my hair again using hair ties. This morning I wanted to do a couple of braids but my hair was out of control. That's the problem with wearing the fro, once it's out it is hard to tame it (at least from my experience). Instead of fighting with my hair I rocked a frohawk today.

How was your wash day? Don't forget to join the linkup and share your #WashDayExperience.