Follow Me!

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Back To My PJ-i-ness...

...or is it PJism?

Anywho...

Last Saturday, Imade the critical mistake of going the the beauty supply store with my friend. Let me start off by saying that this store is huge (it's Ensley Beauty Supply for all you B'ham natives) so there are products everywhere! It was so hard to contain myself! I have been itching to try new products all summer and now that my hair is out...I'M GOING FULL STEAM BABY! (lol...I'm such a nerd).

One of the new products I picked up is a leave in conditioner by Mizani. Let me preface this by saying that I am a fan of Mizani products. I have come to find that for my hair, they provide the right amount of moisture. I have always wanted Mizani to come up with a leave in and now they have!



I believe I paid around $12 (this includes tax) for it and so far so good. It is really moisturizing. I'm not sure if it could replace my beloved Jane Carter Solution but it is definitely running a close second. Also, since I do have my staple products in place, I just think it's nice to have substitutions for them (just in case some evil corporation decides to change the formulations or discontinue products. This leave in may be a substitute. I just need a few more uses to be really sure.

I also tried a new moisturizing DC. I tried Mizani Moisturefuse and I'm torn.


I paid $7 for the 8oz bottle. But that isn't what I'm torn about. In terms of slip, this conditioner is amazing. My hair was feeling oh so silky smooth with this DC. However, it smells AWFUL! I just couldn't take the smell. It smelled kinda....medicinal to me. I'm not sure if that warrants me purchasing an entire tube of this stuff. SMH

I almost bought some shea butter as well (gotta prep for the cold winter months) but I had to restrain myself. Maybe I'll get it on my next visit to the BSS.!

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Aussie Moist Conditioner: It's A'ight




For the past couple of months, I have had a liter of Aussie Moist Conditioner in my cabinet. I don't even remember why I bought it in the first place but there it was...taking up space in my cabinet. I do know that I paid $6+tax for it though. Hmmmm. Anyway, I've finally decided to use it and figure out if it is worth keeping (and possibly replacing my beloved HE Hello Hydration). So far I have used Aussie Moist Conditioner as a pre-poo and a co-wash.

As a pre-poo: It's pretty decent as a pre-poo (when used with heat). I just applied it to my hair without adding any extras (e.g.-coconut oil)and sat under a heat cap for 30min. It kept the sulfate shampoo I was using from stripping my hair. My hair felt moisturized but not over moisturized- which was awesome.

As a co-wash: I'm not too impressed with this conditioner as a co-wash. Don't get my wrong, my hair felt moisturized but it didn't feel moisturized enough. It just seemed like the conditioner fell short on that one. When I use HE Hello Hydration my hair feels OMG moisturized. I didn't get that feeling from this one.

The Verdict: Getting a liter for conditioner for $6 seems like a good deal.Aussie Moist is an awesome pre-poo on its own. However, as a co-wash, this conditioner falls short of being moisturizing enough for my hair. I will definitely use up the rest of this conditioner but I wouldn't purchase it again.

The Never Ending Quest.....

...to smooth down my edges.


SMH! My edges are some stubborn little so n' so's. I've been wearing phony ponies lately because quite frankly I'm too lazy to do much else (I know, sad). However, I've been finding that it has been difficult to keep my edges down. They always seem to want to pop up and say "HEY THERE!" I don't like that.

Now I know that for some people, their edges won't stay down. I get that. I really do. Is it possible that I am one of those people? Perhaps. However, I'm not going down without a fight. Last night I found the trick to keeping my edges down. After I co-washed my hair, I sprayed some Hawaiian Silky 14 in 1 on my hair. I then gathered my hair into a high pony tail and applied some EcoStyler gel to my edges. I then tied my hair down with a satin scarf. Perfection! My hair doesn't look like who did it and why anymore!

So if you're having problems keeping your edges down, you may want to try these products:

-Hawaiian Silky 14 in 1 (or Carefree Curl or whatever you use)
-EcoStyler Gel

...apply to damp hair (I don't do this on sopping wet hair) and voila! You have a nice slicked down style!

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

What Every Bunning Diva Should Have: Goody Spin Pins




Happy Hump Day everyone!

So as you guys know I have been bunning lately. What you guys don't know is that I was about to give up on it. Yep. I was. It was just so frustrating trying to make the bun....all those bobby pins...dang bun not staying put....UGH! It was just too much. But..something told me that I should try those Goody Spin Pins that I have seen on those commercials. One pin that can do the work of 20 bobby pins!? I definitely had to check them out.

Last night, I swung by my local Wal-mart to pick them up. The come 2 in a pack and come in 2 colors: blonde and brunette. I have to admit, I was kinda skeptical about these pins at first. I stood in the aisle staring these little corkscrew pins down. They look like the kind of pins that can get tangled in your hair and cause all kinds of disaster. Well let me take that back. They look like they would get tangled in my thick mass of hair. Nevertheless, I purchased them anyway. The PJ (product junkie) in me wouldn't let me NOT try them.

I promise you, these pins have been one of the best purchases of the my hair journey. I gathered my hair into a bun, stuck these pins into it (one at the top and one at the bottom), and BAM! Instant chic for less than $6! I haven't tried them on wet hair yet (for wet bunning) but we will see how that goes.

If you haven't gotten these pins already get them today! They will make bunning that much easier for you!

Friday, August 6, 2010

Happy Birthday to.....ME!!!

Hey everyone!

Well today is my birthday! I have finally joined the 25 and up club lol! Since my birthday falls on a weekend, I have a weekend full of shenanigans planned. However, since this blog is about hair, I have to post what I did to my hair.

I went to The Hair Cuttery and got a blowout. I know you're thinking "The Hair Cuttery though?" Let me explain. I am back home in northern VA and to my knowledge,there aren't Dominican salons there. And if there are, it's like finding a needle in a haystack. I didn't feel like driving out to DC or Maryland to go to a Dominican salon. You can forget that. I didn't even feel like driving to Bubbles salon-which is my standby when I do go home. Anyway, I had washed and DCed my hair at home and went to the Hair Cuttery to get my hair blow dried. The thing about these hair cutting places (like Supercuts, MasterCuts, etc.)that I don't like is that everything is priced individually. I was quoted a price for blowdrying and a price for flat ironing ($12). I passed on the flat ironing and figured that I could do it myself at home. However, I do like the professional atmosphere. I waited for about 2 minutes before I was in the chair. I like that. They don't waste any time.

HOWEVER......

I learned something today....apparently my hair is considered "long hair" and I had to pay the "long hair" price for a blow dry. $36! Are you serious!? However, the stylist did a really good job of blow drying my hair. I was impressed. Everything was nice and straight. My hair is as thick as all get out but it looks really pretty. My mom was shocked. She said " I didn't think your hair was that long. It's always curled or pinned up!" That made me smile. Here's a quick pic of my hair:



Oh and I also picked up the Redken Smooth Down heat protectant....just to try it. So far, I like it but I want to give it a few more go's before I make a definite decision on it.

Anyway, that is it. Just wanted to drop in with my hair plans.