Loving GVP's Reformulation of Nexxus Humectress

So awhile back I tried GVP's original Nexxus Humectress and I absolutely hated it! It gave no slip and didn't moisturize worth anything. I was left wondering what all the hype was surrounding it and left with a bottle of conditioner that I hated (which luckily got accidentaly knocked into the toilet.). Like a year after that trial Nexxus reformulated the ingredients to the conditioner and I waited for Sally's GVP version to reformulate theirs to match Nexxus. I was apprehensive to get it, but I bought it and fell in love! I use it as both a rinse out conditioner on the weeks I don't do a deep condition, and as a deep conditioner. And both times my hair has a lot of slip and has a nice moisture to it. This is one product I am glad the company decided to change the ingredients to.

Maxiglide MP Flat Iron Review

Ok so I know I am probably late with this one, but here is my review of it anyway. So after a month or so of stalking Bed, Bath, and Beyond's store and wondering should I get it or no? I finally purchased the last maxiglide that was on the shelf. At first I was a little apprehensive about buying it because of the teeth on the plates and I worried about breakage. But as you can see and something I didn't know the MP model comes with a smooth plate as well (yay!!). That day I did a protein treatment with two eggs, conditioner, and avocado oil for two hours. I then washed and conditioned my hair. I used Garnier Sleek and Shine Leave in and GVP Silk Infusion. I air dried my hair, and then applied heat protectant to blow dry. I used the plates with the teeth to flat iron, and surprisingly the teeth didn't harm my hair at all. I kind of made the mistake of thinking the ten setting of the iron was one of the low settings, but I then realized it was the highest setting of the iron. So next time when I go to flat iron my hair I will most definitely use the 5 or 6 setting since I am relaxed. But overall I liked the results and how silky and soft my hair looked and felt. Usually when I flat iron my hair I have to use Wild Growth Oil and a heavy leave in which would only weigh my hair down when I flat ironed. I do however need to learn some sort of technique when sliding the iron down my hair though, but it really does detangle your hair and straighten at the same time. It's a keeper, and since I like it so much I will be flat ironing my hair once a month when I want straight hair. I will be posting pictures up of the results soon!

Number One Mistake I See From People on Hair Journeys Is....

Jumping on hair bandwagons or switching up products because their hair "idol" uses such products. I feel this is the biggest mistake people make when on their haircare journeys. I understand that for newbies who aren't quite sure how to start up or create a regimen will go to a person who has been on their haircare journey for awhile for regimen inspiration. But a lot of times they don't tweak the regimen so it will work for their hair. The hair of a newbie and the hair of person who is been on a Haircare journey sometimes are in two different conditions. So deep conditioning with a moisturizing conditioner two times a week for a hair guru, who knows their protein/moisture balance versus a newbie whose hair is breaking a needs protein and not so much moisture is going to warrant two different results. Also I notice people will have a set regimen and will be using products that are working for them, but as soon as the next craze or blog raving on a certain product they will ditch the product that was working for them to use something that might not work for them as good or at all. Which as the saying goes: Just because something works for someone else doesn't necessarily means it's going to work for you. And, "If it ain't broke then don't try to fix it." So stick with what works for you. If using a sulfate shampoo, or using something with petroleum or mineral oil is working for you and you aren't seeing any adverse effects then don't stop using it because someone bashed using products with such ingredients. One person's hair toxin could be another person's hair remedy. So ladies please remember and keep in mind if it's working for you and you are seeing good results from it, keep it up!! Stay away from hair product/method bandwagons and unnecessary product switches!! HHJ

MetaGrip Ponytail Hooks

So I finally got a chance to try out the MetaGrip Ponytail hooks. And let me say they are strong and sturdy elastic and do seem to give a good hold. But they just didn't work for me at all. I'm guessing my hair is too thick to use these, I had a hard time trying wrap the elastic around so I could hook it. And the hook would get stuck in my hair when I would try to wrap it around. I am going to say these ponytail hooks are better for people with finer hair, and not so much for thicker hair. I'm not sure if you could hook two of the hooks together to make it work, it could be worth a try. But I wont be using these any time soon. HHJ

Aphogee 2 Step... Uh....

So usually I do a light to medium protein on my hair once a week on dry hair. Well since I am trying to simplify my regimen, I figured instead of doing a weekly light/medium protein treatment why not just do one heavy protein treatment for that month and be over with it. So enters in Aphogee 2 Step, I decided to use it my last wash and put it in a spray bottle so I could evenly distribute it. This stuff gets really sticky on your skin not to mention it has a very horrible smell! I wasn't to sure about using it and I don't think I left it in my hair long enough which is probably why I wasn't too impressed with the results. Most people I seen that use this sit under a hooded dryer till the Aphogee 2 Step hardens in their hair, I waited till it started feeling sticky in my hair. I don't think I will be trying this again, I didn't like how my hair responded to this and it seems like I see small ends here and there since using it. So no more heavy protein treatments for me. I am going back to using eggs, conditioner, and Avocado Oil that I use to do in the past. This will be the last new product I try and am going to be sticking to all the things I know worked for me in the past. HHJ

MetaGrip Black Ponytail Hooks

I have been staring at these for quite a long time at Sallys and finally decided to pick up a pack. I want to see how this compare to traditional ponytail holders. They are supposed to give a looser more secure hold, and keep your ponytails from droppin. The directions say to wrap around your ponytail or braid and hook the hooks together. I will be giving these a try and will let you know what I think of them. HHJ

Braidouts, Buns, and Bantu Knot... Oh My!! Winter Time Coming Soon!

With Winter being right around the corner it is time to bust out those protective styles! My protective style of choice for the cold months is the tried and true bun. Buns can be done in many different ways besides the traditional donut bun you see a lot. This Winter I plan on giving different kind of styles of buns a try and will be posting pics up to show the hair style of the day. I feel buns do a great job of protecting hair from the winter climates, because the hair is tucked away from the elements. Always make sure that you tuck the ends underneath when creating your bun, because leaving them exposed will cause your ends to dry out. As far as the other two hairstyles for the Winter months, I feel they are good in moderation. Bantu knots and braidouts keep your hair out in harsh elements more and your hair comes into contact with scrafs, and other wool like materials you could be wearing. I use to try to do the braidout look all the time in the Winter, but hair would always get caught in my coat zipper or backpack strap. And while doing this hairstyles, don't forget to moisturize your hair. Many women in the Winter time find that they have to use a heavier moisturizer than they did in the Summer months. I feel that some of the moisturizers you use in the Summer could work just as good in the Winter, just that you should switch to a heavier oil sealant to lock in moisture. But listen to your hair's needs during the colder months to determine what is good for your own hair. Now ladies let's all have a wonderful Winter, so by Spring we can have hair swaying down our backs!! HHJ

Giving GVP Nexxus Humectress Another Try

Ok so in the past I tried the GVP version of the Nexxus Humectress and was not impressed at all with the results. Well this weekend when I was in Sallys I seen they had the new formulation change to compare with the new formula of Nexxus Humectress. Hopefully I like this one better, because Sally's sells big bottles of this as well. My new regimen calls for me to deep condition every other week, but since it is getting cold out I might deep condition every week. Depending on how I feel I will give the GVP Humectress a try and let you know how it works out HHJ =]

V05 Shampoo

I used this Sunday for my first wash since getting a relaxer. I first detangled my hair with conditioner in it and then washed my hair with V05 Free Me Fressia Moisturizing Shampoo and a hand full of baking soda to kind of clarify my hair. I then shampooed my hair with just the shampoo. I absolutely love the smell of this shampoo, some people don't like it but I love it! Yes it does have sulfates in it, but frankly when using it I didn't even notice. My hair felt clean and not stripped at all. I know women on hair care sites rant and rave about V05 conditoners for co-washes but I feel this shampoo does get slept on. The good thing about it is the price it goes on sell almost everywhere so stocking up on it isn't that hard to do. I have like 4 bottles of the shampoo now since it was on sale at Walgreens for 79 cents. I can say I will be adding this to my revamped up regimen. Anyway, after shampooing I deep conditioned for 25 minutes with Moisture Maniac by Bed Head, I love this conditioner, just don't love the price. But since I am cutting down on products I should be able to manage to get this one. But still paying 20.00 and up for a bottle of conditioner is kind of steep, but I shall see. After deep conditoning I rinsed out in the shower and then applied more conditioner to detangle under the running water. I dried my hair using the turbie twist (love this by the way). Applied Infusium 23 Leave in Treatment and sealed with GVP Silk Infusion. My hair was sooooo soft!! I didn't have to moisturize for 2 days!! The stuff I have tried out so far are keepers. I will keep you posted HHJ!!

Officially Waist Length!

I got my hair relaxed yesterday at the salon at about 17 weeks post. And I am happy to say that I am waist length now!! I feel after this I am going to continue to grow my hair out as long as it will grow. Also I am in the makings of simplifying my regimen down and cutting out a lot of steps. As my hair gets longer I am getting to the point where I feel all the extra steps like pre pooing(something I never really did anyway) and moisturizing and sealing everyday don't seem that necessary. I feel the simpler the better, because I don't feel like spending all day on my hair nor do I want to be breaking the bank buying expensive products. So I am going to be giving V05 a try, most of their products you can get anywhere and they usually go on sale for a pretty reasonable price. I will be giving their shampoo a try, since I like their conditioner a lot for cowashing I will see if I feel the same way about their shampoo. I will be giving you a review of the new regimen once I compile it and try it out for some weeks but on that note... Yay waist length!!

Wash Day!!

So I finally washed my hair today, and stopped being lazy. I stopped at Sally's, the BSS, and this hair salon to pick up some products. I deep conditioned on dry hair with my protein conditioner (Mane N' Tail Deep Moisturising Condish). And then I shampooed my hair once with Silk Elements Sulfate Free Conditioner. I then deep conditioned with Bed Head Moisture Maniac, my hair dresser used this on my hair and I liked the way it made my hair feel. I bought the small bottle of the Moisture Maniac it was 60% off the price to see if I liked it before I shell out the 30 something dollars for it. The small bottle comes with a pump which I really liked, and it gave good slip when I combed it out my hair. I will do a more through review on it soon. After washing the conditoner out I towel dried my hair, applied detangler, and since I am trying a new method of the braid out by a member on Hairlista named Brianna that I got the idea from. I spritzed my hair with a leave in made with water and Suave Almond and Shea conditioner, since my ends and hair was getting dry. Then I applied Cantu Strengthing Leave in, combed it through and applied Elasta Qp Olive Oil and Mango moisturizer. I then applied Motions Foaming Wrap to my hair and combed it through. I then applied Paul Mitchell's Foaming Pomade to each section before I braided and applied rollers to the ends. I haven't taken my hair down yet, but will be taking it down tomorrow morning, and will be taking pictures of the results and will post them up. And giving reviews for all the new products I tried. HHJ!!

Dr. Bonner's Peppermint Bar Soap Review

So I know everyone rants about the liquid form of this soap, but I don't really hear much about the bar form of this soap. I have been looking for a bar soap that will clean my skin without stripping it, and also wanted to try something on the natural side as well. I was on Hairlista's forum and I seen one of the member used Peppermint soap, and wanted to give it a try. I was using African Black Soap, but when I use it continuously it starts to burn my skin. Anyway Dr. Bonner's Peppermint soap smells really nice! As soon as you lather it on your skin the smell just comes at you. Personally I like the smell, others might not depending on how you feel about Peppermint. I feel the scent is a plus when you wake up early in the morning and have that groggy feel it kind of wakes you up a bit. I also like the tingle you get on your skin when you use it. It makes me feel clean, refreshed, and the leaves the skin soft. All in all I really like this soap and just bought two more bars of it today. So I am thinking this will be a staple soap for me. The bar also comes in Tea Tree, Sweet Almond, and Lavender. It is sold for around 3 or 4 dollars at Health Food Stores, Target, and other Grocery and drugs stores!

Coconut Oil Back in my Regimen

For thos of you that know or have been following on my hair journey, I use to use Coconut Oil in the beginning. Then when I bought my second batch I fell out of love with it and began to venture out to other oils. I have fallen in love with Avocado oil and it took me a long while to find it so when I purchased it I was so happy. Then the store I bought it from closed, and considering it's a hard find something in my mind told me to incorporate Coconut oil back in. This time I went to the store I bought my first batch from. And now I am back in love with Coconut oil!! I think the last batch I bought was bad, because I remember opening it and seeing where it looked rancid. But this has become my go to oil for right now. I have learned how to apply it now so it doesn't weigh my hair down or leave it feeling greasy when I seal with it daily. So I guess it's safe to say... Welcome Back Coconut Oil, I missed you!!

Hawaiian Silky 14-in-1 Moisturizer

Promises: Hawaiian Silky Miracle Worker 14-in-1: Is the very best product for protecting and maintaining your hairstyle. This versatile product can be used as a curl activator, a moisturizer on natural curls, and perm waved hair and leave-in conditioner for relaxed, natural, and braided hair. This non greasy, non staining formula helps to soften and detangle hair while moisturizing the scalp and repairing damaged hair leaving a vibrant sheen.

Directions: Hold bottle about 12 inches away from hair and spray evenly. Massage into hair and scalp and style. For curly hair and braids use daily. On relaxed or straight hair use prior to drying.

Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Glycerin, Propylene, Glycol, Mineral Oil (Paraffinum Liquidum), PEG-75 Lanolin, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearalknoium Chloride, Polysorbate-60, Triethanolamine, Acetamide AME, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein, Stearyl Alcohol, Menthol, Pathenol, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Angelica, Archangelica Root Extract, Arctium Lappa Root Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Extract, Symphytum Officinale Leaf Extract, Viscum Album (Mistletoe) Extract, Urtica Diocia ( Nettle) Extract, Avena Sativa (Oat) Meal Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Salva Officinalis (Sage) Leaf Extract, Nastuttium Officinale Extract, Methychlorosiothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Fragrance (Parfum)

My Thoughts: When I first purchased this, I thought it was just going to be like S-Curl, but it is not. This product seems to have more of a thicker consistency and sprays in a more controlled manner. Which is perfect if you like spraying the product directly onto your hair rather than your hand. I wasn't too keen on the smell, the scent reminds me of the original formulation of Silken Child Moisturizing Creme before the formula change. This product did it's job, though when it comes to applying it to your edges the S-Curl does a better job of smoothing the edges down. It did make my hair soft and was light despite there being mineral oil in it. Will this be replacing my S-Curl or Carefree Curl Gold, No, but it could possibly be an added addition to the too. Though I might use this more on the lengths my instead of S-Curl and just use S-Curl for my edges when I am making a bun. Next time when I was my hair I will use the Hawaiian Silky as a leave in to see how it works on wet hair. I feel this product is good for those who like the creamyness of oil based moisturizers, but want the moisturization of a Glycerin based moisturizer.

Price: $4.79 at Sally's Beauty Supply, and $4.69 with the Sally's Beauty Card. Not sure how much it goes for at other beauty supply stores.

My Summer Regimen

This is my Summer Regimen, I know looking at other's regimens helps newbies with their own regimen starting process... So here goes....

• Wash with shampoo 1x a week
• Co-wash with a moisturising conditioner 2x's a week
• Deep condition with protein conditioner on dry hair 1x a week
• Deep condition with moisturising conditioner 2x's a week
• Moisturize and seal at night(might moisturize in the morning as well to bun)
• Buns during the week, and braidouts, bantu knots during the weekend

Products I Use

Shampoo/Cleanser

Bee Mine Nourishing Shampoo

Hair One

Ion Clarifying Shampoo

Conditioner

Motions Moisture Plus (Tub)

Skala Shea Butter

Vitale Mayonaise

Ion Effective Care

Leave Ins

Herbal Essence LTR

Vo5 and Silken Child Moisturizing Creme

Moisturizers

Carefree Curl Gold

S-Curl

Profectiv Split End and Breakage Protector(only used after a wash)

Oils

Avocado Oil

Coconut Oil

Olive Oil

Hollywood Beauty Castor Oil

Sally's Argan Oil

Olive Oil

Wild Growth Oil (only used on straight hair)

**Side Note** I am in the Jheri Juice Challenge on Hairlista and the Bunning Challenge on KISS to retain length

About Me and My Hair Journey

Well I am so excited to have finally started a blogpost. Anyway I started my hair journey April of 2008, the reason why I wanted to start taking care of my hair is because I was going from natural to relaxed and wanted to keep the length I have. Before I was a pressed natural and abused my hair a great deal. I would stay flat ironing my edges and the rest of my hair when it would revert and the only time I would get my hair conditioned or washed was when I would go to the hair salon. And the times I were brave enough to do my own hair it would be a lot of breakage due to rough handling of my hair when it was wet. I then got tired of wondering how come women of other races had this wonderful flowing hair and how the few black women I did see with long hair achieve these lengths. Back then my hair care journey pretty much consisted of layering as much grease I could on my hair. Now I am grazing waist length hair so all the hardwork I have done is really starting to pay off, and am hoping to reach my goal of full waistlength hair soon. I am only 4 or 5 weeks post relaxer, so hopefully by my next relaxer date in November I will be there. I can't wait to share all that I have learned with you all and watch as we learn and grow in our journeys together!!