WANTED: Clarifying Wash!

Hey there!

Once I came accross a car that was so dirty that someone finger wrote on the dust: "LAVAMI!" i.e. from Italian "CLEAN ME!". Well,my hair just did the same: "CLARIFY ME!".
I haven't clarified for a month, maybe more, I do not even remember the last time I did it.

 

What made me realized my hair was needing it desperately? Dry frizzy hair no matter how much moisturizer I put in. I've ventured out of my confort zone experimenting with a mix of Herbal essences hellow hydration conditionner mixes with rose water and aloe vera juice as a spritz. Boy, I should know better that my hair does not like when a rinse out conditionner is left on it for days. The only exception so far being Hairone in small amount as leave-in conditionner. I've cowashed in between but no real wash. It was time to bring out the arsenal and bring my hair back to its normal status.

I started the washing session by lathering with Redken Hair cleansing creme to get out all residues. It left my hair squeeky clean as usual.
I then followed with Paul Mitchell Super Strong treatment which I left on for 20 minutes under my heating cap.
After rinsing it out, I applied Roux Porosity control for 3 minutes before rinsing.
I applied then Paul Mitchell The conditionner as leave-in and sealed lightely with my mix of oils.
Right now my hair is buttery soft yet strong and no frizz around.

I've been doing more protein treatments this time as I feel that my hair needs it a bit more than usual. I've been shedding also more than I do this time of the year. I think it's because I do not take anymore hair vitamins. We will see in the coming weeks how it goes.

I'm getting over experimenting here and there new products, yes I've said it. I will clean my stash in the coming weeks, getting rid of any non/under performing products. The dryness and frizzyness beside the desperate clarifying need, was also due to the unconsistency of my regimen, experimenting with products. Sometimes, you have a good hit and sometimes not. Lately the underperforming ones were way too many for my hair to handle it. I'm gonna go back to basics....... for now ;-)

Ciao ciao

Long overdue....

Hey there!

Long time, no read... Sorry for not posting for a while but life had been hectic during the past few months. I've been quiet busy with work, travels, family... Thanks for the new follower and to those of you who are still around. I really appreciate.

I relaxed my hair somewhere end of June, one or two weeks shy from the 6 month mark. I did not planned to stretch this long. I just kept going on with my regimen without worrying about the calendar. I was pretty happy about the results of this stretch even though I wish I added more protein in my DC sessions. My hair was great but a little on the weak side for my liking. No setback (crossing finger for the future!). I have a long torso and BSL seems far for me but I'm working my way to it. The goal will be to reach it by December 2013. MBL and BSL are 2 to 3 inch far for me so the big step is definitely reaching BSL.

I've added more DC/cowashing sessions to my regimen as the temperature rose. Every other day, I cowash alternating moisture and protein conditioners. My hair likes it so far. I would DC with one of the cowash sessions twice a week. I also clarify once every two weeks to get rid of any product build up.

I've been moisturizing and sealing following the L.C.O. method. The area I live has a very dry weather, so this way, I can keep the moisture level in my hair in check.
Besides, I keep manipulation to the minimum. Since it's been this hot, I do not want to rock that may braid outs but mostly buns. That's helping a lot to reduce manipulation. I spice up the buns with some cute accessories or throwing a messy bulky braid here and there et voilà!

See you for the next post!
Ciao Ciao

Moisturizing and sealing

Hi there!

This is the part of my hair routine/regimen I struggle the most with.
I did get quiet quickly into moisturizing every night or every other day but boy, finding the right produtcs was a struggle!
I took me a very long time to find out products that work for my hair. I consider this part the most delicate one. I found out quiet quickly DC and shampoos that work for my hair but the backbone of my regimen that is moisturizing was still missing. All my efforts were pointless without it as I would still experience dry hair and breakage leading to no length retention for a while and unhealthy hair.
I finally figured out what my hair liked and started to see results: soft, moisturized healthy hair and length retention.

I sometimes tweek it but the basics are:

• leave-in conditionner
• hair spritz
• creamy moisturizer
• oils

Leave-in conditionner

I wondered for a while if this step was necessary in my routine. My shampoo and DC routine would give me enough slip to detangle my hair and moisturize that I thought I could skip it. I'm still not fullly convinced about these type of products but they do not hurt. I sometimes skip it when using my aloe vera spritz or when I use my Kerastase produtcts. I'm using them on and off though. On the other hand, they saved my hair when the DC used that day did not deliver.

Hair spritz

My hair hate liquid moisturizers when used alone. It took me a while to figure it out but also to find a spritz that would work. I make my own using the following:

• 1/3 rose water
• 2/3 aloe vera juice
• a squirt of light weight oil. I rotate between argan oil, linseed oil or olive oil.

I use this spritz as a detangler, leave-in conditionner, moisturizer.
When used as moisturizer, I first use my aloe vera spritz, then a creamy mosturizer and then the oil to seal. The L.O.C. method becomes the L.C.O method for me.
As a leave-in conditionner, I use it before a creamy leave-in such as Kinky curly knot today or any other creamy leave-in. It gives me enough slip to detangle easily my hair even with tons of new growth. PLUS my hair is moisturized for the next couple of days.

Creamy moisturizer

I rotate between my home made all natural moisturizer and Elasta QP mango  butter. The Elasta QP mango butter works well during autumn, winter and my home-made creamy moisturizer works all year round. My hair loves it so much that I use it 80% of the time. Any of this creamy moisturizer works wonders after the aloe vera spritz.

Oils

I must confess: I'm an oil addict! I have different types of oils that I purchase from the grocery, in the organic section. I use only cold-press organic oils as they are full of nutrients.
My favourite to seal the moisture in are:

• Coconut oil
• hemp seed oil
• grapeseed oil
• argan oil

I've learned through this journey that moisturizing and sealing consistently with the right products will give you the most amazing results. It's a key point of any routine for healthy hair and length retention.


Ciao Ciao

Using up products

Hey there!

Lately I've been focusing on using up products laying in my stash more than ever. I did buy random products here and there but overall, I've been good at cleaning my stash up;
Products I've used up:

Oro fluido hair mask

This mask got great reviews but my hair did not agree with it. The product would sit on top of it, doing nothing for it and leaving me with a grease ball, yeah that's how bad it was. I used it as a DC on dry, wet (damp) hair, before or after washing but nada! I ended using it as a prepoo, specially to detangle my hair before washing it.
I think it's the high amount of cones in it that my hair didn't like. I saved the packaging though as it's sleek and elegant.

Omnia Capelli maschera anticrespo (aanti-frizz hair mask) with Aloe Vera

This mask was on the light side but not as runny as a conditionner. I found it too light for a good DC session but great as a prepoo or DC on dry hair. my hair would absorb it completely and I was left with soft, frizz-free, moisturized and detangled hair for 2 to 3 days. I like it a lot. Although it's not as thick as the average hair mask, I found myself to use way more for my liking and used it up to quickly. It's an average price of 5-6 euros but I will not be repurchasing because it's too expensive in the long run for a drugstore hair mask.

Fructis Nutri repair 3 huiles

This mask is thick, very thick! I like thick masks that are very nourishing. This one fufilled all. I used this on dry hair before cowashing with the corresponding conditionner from the same line. I was left with the softest nourished hair and a lovely smell that lingered for days after the cowash. I would definitely repurchase this product.

Wash day: finishing up products

Hey there!

There are certain products I have a love/hate relationship with that I wanted to get rid of. Because of the price, I did not want to throw them away. One of them is the Kiehl's argan hair mask.
The product is efficient but I have this on and off thing with the smell.
I decided to used it up for this wash day as there was not much left in the jar.

My ends were frizzy because I travelled  to cold areas this past week. I started by prepooing yesterday with grapeseed oil and left it over during the night.

This morning, I shampooed my hair out with Paul Mitchell Super skinny conditionner once and followed with Hairone argan oil. I could feel how smooth my hair was while rinsing of these products.
I slather then the Kiehl's argan hair pak on and covered with Paul Mitchell Super skinny treatment. I sat under the steamer for 25m minutes. I left it cool down before rinsing with lukewarm water. I finished rinsing with cold water.
I left the turby twist on for 10 minutes to soak up the water. I applied then Paul Mitchell Super Strong leave-in treatment, a dime size of Kinky curly knot today, grapeseed oil and few drops of Kerastase oleo-relax serum.
I airdried before detangling and styling. Even though my wash process starts with detangling, I like to detangle with all my leave-ins to finish the process.

Have a wonderfull and sunny sunday!
Ciao

Wash day

Hey there
Wash day is back here.

I prepooed overnight wih a Swharzkopf bonacure mask that I wanted to finish up. I coated my hair with grapeseed oil then.
I kept this prepoo until late this morning before I washed my hair. I used Paul Mitchell Moisture shampoo once and then lathered again with Paul Mitchell Super strong shampoo. After rinsing, I slathered on Paul Mitchell Super strong daily conditionner and cover it up. I left it on my hair for 3 hours without heat before rinsing.
I then applied my Chi Keratin mist as my leave in, grapeseed oil and a small amount of Kerastase oleo relax serum.
I detangled my hair with my Hercule Sagemann 5660 comb and then air dryied.
Thanks to this comb, I had only few strands on the comb.
Low manipulation is key.

Ciao

Home facial Spa

Hey there
Today the weather is not that good out here and I'm in a Spa mood, home Spa mood.
I have sensitive combination skin that is on the dryer side. Only the ails of my nose ares oily and the rest is dry and dehydrated.

I started up with facials starting from exfoliating white clay mask. Ileft it on 5 minutes and then scrub my face before rinsing.
Then I applied yellow clay mask to purify mechanically my skin.

Clay masks exist in a wide variety for any skin type:
- white clay is good for any skin type as it is gentle enough
- yellow clay is for dry skin
-pink clay is for sensitive skin
- green clay is for oily skin
I usually alternate between yellow and pink clay. White clay is already in the exfoliating mask I used.

I then followed up with a gentle purifying mask for combination skin from Terra Humana that is packed full with natural and effective ingredients.
After 10 minutes, I rinsed and followed with an hydrating repulping mask. So far this is the best hydrating mask I've came across. I left it on for 15 minutes to sink in ad then gently massage it until it completely disappeared in the skin. The excess has been wiped over with a cotton pad soaked in witch hazel water.

My skin is glowing now. I love the results.
Ciao

Hair goodies!

Hey there!
My new hair goodies arrived today and I'm sooo happy!

I lost some month ago my magic star wide tooth comb. I'm finally back to low manipulation.
Yay!

Shiseido Radiant Lifting foundation SPF15

Hey there
I stumbled across this foudation from Shiseido during my last trips in Europe. I was positively surprised to find out they had my colour, D20!

This foundation is medium to full coverage and have a nice glowy finish. I really like the finish of this foundation. I have combination skin that is more on the dry side rather than the oily. This foudation is more suitable for dry skin but with a mattifying primer, you can work with it if you have normal skin or combination dry as I do.
I will use it for special occasions during fall/winter are I really liked how smooth the finish was.
Rating: A
Ciao Ciao

Makeup me!

Hey there!
This is the makeup I'm enjoying right now. It's very neutral even though I throw here and there a bright red or fuschia.

 

• Estee Lauder Invisible fluid make up , Teint fluide invisible - 6WN1
• Nars Pro-Prime Oil free pore refining primer, Soin minimiseur de pores
• Nars blush -Taos
• Maybelline Master precise liquid eyeliner - Black
• DiorShow New look mascara - 090
• Mac paintpot Blackground
• Mac Mineralize eyeshadow - Twilight falls This one is limited edition and came up with the natural collection last year
• Mac eyeshadows: Soba, Texture, Swiss chocolate, Embark
• Kiko double touch 10 hour lipstick - 101 and 104



Ciao Ciao

Kiehl's Superbly Smoothing Argan Hair Pak

Hey there
I went to restock on the Kiehl's olive oil deep treatment and on whim decided to purchase this product instead.

After trying the Olive oil ask, I was pretty convinced that Kiel's might have other gems to discover.
So I went ahead and purchased a few more products, among them this Superbly Smoothing Argan Hair Pak. The nice lady at the Kiehl's counter gave me samples of the argan oil shampoo and conditionner to try the full system. The hair mask is the only one I've used several times so the only one that will be reviewed here.

When I first used it in December 2012, I was more than 12 weeks post relaxer. I was dealing with a bunch of new growth. What a better timing to try a smoothing product, right? Well, mmm, how can I say it?
I was expecting my new growth to lay down and finally behave but.... none of that happened! My relaxed ends were thrilling when the new growth was just laughing at it. I was mad at myself because of my pjism that pushed me not to restock on the olive oil mask but to try this one. Hell no!
Beause this baby cost 33 euro, I was fully motivated to make it work for me and not wasting my money.
Since only my relaxed ends liked it, I saved the product for later.
I used it again after my first wash day post relaxer and I must say, the same thing happened again.
My hair was soft city, buttery soft yet strong. A big plus: my hair stayed moisturized between the washs, so for 6 to 7 days!!!! Amazing! Same results as the Super charged mositurizer from Paul Mitchell! I was so happy!
Now the only downside is the smell. If you do not like strong spicy smell, pass on this one. I purchased without smelling it as there was no tester on the counter . I know, I know, but since I love, love the smell of the olive oil mask, I was expecting this one to be nice also. Well, the first wash day I hate it. Since I DC before cowashing with hairone, the smell did not linger too much on my hair.
The other wash days, I DC after washing and man, the smell is no joke! I hate it so much that I tried to cover it with my leave in, oil and moisturizer but, still I could smell it for days.
After the 3rd DC with it, I started to get used to it and it does not bother me any more. That's when the hubby came in.... Mind you: he is fully supportive on this hair journey and does even listen when I speak about APL, BSL; enough to have the patience when I'm hunting for new products.  Sooooo, the hubby after the 3rd DC asked:
Hubby:  -" what's this nice smell? Did you change your perfume?"
This would mean that I'm acting up as I wear faithfully Chanel n°5 and Chanel n°19 for years now.
Me: - "Me? No, not at all!"
He went on:
Hubby:  - "it's really nice. Is it your hair?"
Me: - " You're kidding. This smell is not nice at all and so strong! It's just acceptable"
Hubby: - "Well, I like it a lot" walking away...

I was shocked. He never reacted before to any of the hair product scent I was raving about except for the Elasta QP mango butter.

Well, all this to tell you that this is a particular scent, you like it or you leave it.

This product can be purchased
- online at www.kiels.fr
- counters: Printemps Haussmann or Le Bon marché Paris

Rating: A, because of the smell
Ciao Ciao

First wash day after relaxer

Hey there
I've started today with a hot oil treatment which consist of a mixture of grapeseed oil, wheat germ oil, few drops of essential oils (pepermint and rosemary). I let it sit for 30 minutes before shampooing.
I shampooed once with the neutralizing shampoo from the kit I used last week and then shampooed once with Paul Mitchell Super Skinny shampoo.
I applied then Affirm 5 in 1 as my protein treatment and let it sit for 15 minutes under heating cap. I followed up with Paul Mitchell Super charged moisturizer for 30 minutes with heat.

I applied Aphogee green tea reconstructurizer and Kinky Curly knot today as my leave-in conditionner.
I let my hair airdry afterwards.
It was stranged feeling my scalp without any new growth: I seriously missed it!!!
My hair is super soft but strong.

Relaxer day

Hey there
I finally ended up relaxing my hair today.

I parted my hair in small sections and applied coconut oil to my scalp only. Then I applied Paul Mitchell Super Charged moisturizer sealed with coconut oil. On top of that, I applied Chi Silk infusion, saturating my ends.
I followed my regular process and this time I did have my Affirm 5 in 1 conditionner! Lesson learned!
I only missed my sprush which I do not have right now but will definitely use for the next relaxer.
I relaxed with Optimum salon care regular relaxer as usual and used the Affirm 5 in 1 as my protein step after rinsing out the relaxer. I let it sit for 10 minutes on my hair under a plastic cap, no heat.
I rinsed then and started to neutralize my hair with the neutralizing shampoo from the relaxer kit. For the last shampoo, i let it sit 3 minutes before rinsing.
I then applied the reconstructor from the relaxer kit, let it sit for 5 minutes. After rinsing, I applied my moisturizing DC, Paul Mitchell Super charged moisturizer, covered with my heating cap for a good hour.
I applied then Aphogee green tea reconstructurizer as my leave-in. I moisturized and sealed before air drying.

My hair came out buttery soft. I still have some bone straight relaxed ends but they are a lot less.
My hair is BSB now and BSL is around 3 inch away.
I'm very happy with the thickness of my texlaxed hair and the health of my hair!
Yaay!

Happy 2013!

Post party hair rehab

Hi there
I hope you all had a nice new year eve.
I wish you and your family a delightfull 2013 full of joy and achievement. Above all, I wish you all health and to be safe.
Blessings to all of you!!!

For the new year eve party, I bunned my hair and use Eco styler gel to tame the new growth. For maximum hold, I applied it on damp hair and styled. I tied up the front of my hair with my satin scarf and then went under the dryer.
My hair was sleek with the nice pattern of the 4 month new growth. It was a battle to get it under the sleek bun and it reinforce my decision to relax next friday or saturday. The amount of gel used was also ridiculous.
I woke up this morning with a helmet!!! I applied some oils on my hair before cowashing with Hairone argan oil (review to come). Since I did not DC with a moisturizing DC yesterday, I slathered Paul Mitchell Super charged moisturizer on my hair  and let it sit for an hour under my heating cap.

Successfull rehab session!
Ciao