Tam taking inventory!

I finally decided to take inventory of ALL my hair products. It’s a shame when you don’t remember what you have. There’s a Detroit Natural Hair meetup coming Feb.25 so maybe I’ll be able to swap out some stuff. Ok here we go….(don’t judge me) LOL

Key:

*1-2 uses left

**New Purchase

Shampoos

• Shea Moisture Moisture Rentention Shampoo
• MyHoneyChild Honey Nutt Scalp Cleanser *
• Suave Naturals Tropical Coconut
• Trader Joe’s Nourish Spa
• Curls Curlie Cutie Cleansing Cream*
• Bio Infusion Rosemary Mint

Conditioners (Rinse Out)

• As I Am Naturally Cowash (1 1/2)
• Avon Naturals Banana & Coconut Milk (2)
• Avon Naturals Cherry Blossom
• Avon Naturals Almond Oil & Avocado
• Herbal Essences Touchably Smooth
• Herbal Essences Totally Twisted
• Herbal Essences Hello Hydratioin *
• Aphogee Balancing Moisturizer (1 1/2)
• TRESemme’ Flawless Curls
• Afroveda Holy Basil* (Free)
• Curl Junkie Smoothing Daily Hair Conditioner
• Aussie Cleanse & Mend

Deep Conditioners

• Bio Infusion Rosemary Mint
• GVP Nexxus Humectress Moisturizing Conditioner
• Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose
• Mixed Silk Nourishing Deep Conditioner**(2)
• Elasta QP DPR-11*
• Lustrasilk Olive Oil Cholesterol

Protein Treatments

• deFabulous Reviver Hair Repair Conditioner *
• Aubrey Organics GPB Balancing Conditioner **
• Aphogee Keratin & Green Tea Restructurizer**
• ion Repail Solutions Effective Care Treatment **

Leave-In Conditioners

• Kinky-Curly Knot Today*
• Curl Junkie Beauticurls
• Taliah Waajid Protective Mist Bodifier*
• Biosilk Silk Therapy 17 Miracle Leave-In*
• Silken Child Leave-In Detangler
• Curl Junkie Hibiscus & Banana Honey Butta
• Dollar Tree Paul Mitchell The Conditioner
• Curls Milkshake
• Hairveda Whipped Creme Ends Hydration
• Curls Junkie Smoothing Lotion
• Hair Rules Nourishment Leave-In Conditioner* (Sample)
• Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Leave-In (1 1/2)
• Mixed Silk Leave-In Conditioning Creme
• As I Am Naturally Leave-In
• Yes to Carrots Leave-In**
• Beautiful Textures Tangle Taming Leave-In**
• Hawaiian Silky 14-in-1 Miracle Worker **
• GVP Sebastian Potion 9

Butters/Moisturizers

• Qhemet Biologics Burdock Root Butter Cream* (sample)
• Wonder Curl Butter than love Pudding
• WonderCurl Butter than Love Whipped(never used)
• Donna Marie Super Buttercreme (never used)
• As I Am Naturally DoubleButter Cream**
• Elasta QP Olive Oil & Mango Butter Moisturizer
• Curls (for Target) Curl Creme Brule
• MyHoneyChild Coconut Hair Milk
• Silk Elements Silken Child Moisturizing Creme **
• Shea Moisutre Curl & Style Milk
• Motions Oil Moisturizer Hair Lotion

Stylers/Finishers/Gels

• Darcy’s Botanicals Avocado & Honey Twisting Cream
• Pureology Crl Define Creme (free/never used)
• Kinky-Curly Curling Custard **
• Silk Elements MegaSilk Heat Protection Spray
• Mixed Silk Curly Gel (free/never used)
• Eco Styler Gel Krystal
• Curls (for Target) Goddess Curls
• Wonder Curl Get Set Hair Jelly (sample/never used)
• Jamaican Mango & Lime Springing Gel (2 samples/never used)
• Curl Junkie Curls in a Bottle
• As I Am Naturally Smoothing Gel (1 1/2)
• Hair Solutions Curl Keeper
• got2b Smooth Operation Smooting Lustre Lotion
• Elasta QP Feels Like Silj Liquid Styling Gel
• Curls Souffle *
• Curls Whipped Cream*
• GVP Smoothing Ultimate Styling Creme
• Miss Jessie’s Quick Curls
• Jane Carter Solutions Wrap & Roll
• Taliah Waajid Curly Curl Cream*
• Taliah Waajid Kinky,Wavy,Natural Style & Shine (used once)
• Kinky-Curly Spiral Spritz
• One ‘n Only Argan Oil Styling Cream*
• Victoria Secret So Sexy Smooth & Glossy Shine Serum (used twice)
• Kenra Platinum Straightening Gelee (free/never used)
• Motions Light Hold Workng Spritz

Oils

• Vitamin E
• Jojoba
• Hairveda Cocasta Shikakai
• Wonder Curl Get Slick Hair Smoothie
• Grapeseed
• Coconut Oil
• Beautiful Textures Shine & Silken Growth Oil
• Amla Light
• Bergamot Essential Oil**
• Neem Oil EO**
• Lemongrass EO
• Rosemary EO
• Ylang Ylang EO

I think I got everything

Mixed Silk Curly Gel- A Closer Look; You will be surprised!

Good evening ladies and gents! I have been on a rampage! The last few days I have released my inner PJ and purchased so many hair products! In all honesty it was my birthday treat to myself lol because I have not indulged in quite some time. It felt good to release and just buy want I want!!! But I’ll get back to that later and let you know what I picked up But it was one product in particular that I was sooo anxious to try. MIXED SILK CURLY GEL!!!  I love the deep conditioner with all of my heart and soul! So it was the icing on the cake to see they add a gel! There is also the shampoo and leave-in I’m not 100% sold on the leave-in just yet.

 

 

So while patrolling the hair sites I decided to visit TightlyCurly.com I came across this site ages ago but never really visited too often. I really like the ingredient list she provides. She THOROUGHLY breaks down the ingredient and whether it’s harmful for your hair or not. Anyway I sat here thinking, hmmmm let me check out this gel….and look what I found…..

 

Water

 

Hydroxyethylcellulose   
Okay
Thickener made from plants, often used as an emulsifier. This is known to be very mild, even in high concentrations [Hunting (Conditioning) pgs 239-240].
Source(s): Hunting http://www.cosmeticscop.com/

Pectin

Her website didn’t list the ingredient. But this link here talks about how it’s found in KCCC and it’s used in a lot of homemade gels.

 

Fragrance

 

Diazolidinyl urea   
Caution
Preservative that has had some controversy for being a formaldehyde-releasing preservative. Often used as a pesticide in the cotton industry, and to kill microbes for cosmetics. The CIR Expert Panel found it to be safe for use in cosmetics so long as its concentration is below 0.5 percent of the product. May cause skin irritation (as all preservatives can to some degree). [Winter pg 197].

Diazolidinyl urea is a fine white powder that’s soluble in water. Works best against molds and yeasts, and it’s known to be stable over many pHs. It needs to be used with other preservatives, such as parabens, to insure that all types of fungi are killed [Hunting (Conditioning) pg 179].
See also: Preservative Formaldehyde-releasing preservative
Source(s): Winter Hunting

Disodium EDTA   
Okay
Chelating ingredient that attracts the minerals away from the hair shaft and helps them rinse away. Good to use after swimming.
See also: Chelating agent
Source(s): Begoun

Benzyl benzoate   
Okay
Often added to make a hard product more flexible, such as in nail polishes. Benzyl benzoate occurs naturally in Balsam Peru and Balsam Tolu, as well as other oils from flowers. It’s a clear oily liquid, or can be in white crystals. It has a light floral scent [Winter pg 103-104].
Source(s): Winter

Alright everything appears to be ok BUT the Diazolidinyl urea??? A formaldehyde-releasing preservative??? What in the world?

 

I found an article via safecosmetics.org (for the full article click here) explaining the history behind the ingredient. It has been more commonly found in hair smoothing products. hmmm…..the article then goes on to say it’s found in a wide variety of hair products, body washes, and cosmetics. After time the low levels have been linked to skin irritation and maybe cancer. I’m no scientist and I have not conducted a THOROUGH research. I’m not so sure about this now. This accidental post turned out to be pretty informative. I hope it was helpful to you as well. As most products marketed towards natural, the ingredients are everything BUT natural!

 

*Disclaimer*

If you have serious concerns about this ingredient please do your research. This post was to raise awarness of what is in the gel.

 

All information has been provided from TightlyCurly.com and safecosmetics.org

 

Miss Jessie’s Quick Curls: Revisit

Happy Tuesday!! I decided to try posting from my iPod touch using the WordPress app. No particular reason, just curiosity and laziness lol But anyway today’s my 27th birthday I wasn’t really in the mood for a special “birthday-do” but it has been awhile since I’ve did a wng.

I am surprised how many products I Don’t Have because of this finish-to buy challenge. I stumbled across Miss Jessie’s the other day. And I thought to myself, I really need to use this stuff!! For what it cost me….. Because everyone knows the products are not cheap! My only issue was the dry crunchiness I experienced the few times I did use it.

After careful planning lol I finally decided on a leave-in *drum roll please*

Yes I chose my boo As I Am! Lol It was my wash day Sunday but I was too tired after partying Saturday night. Soooo I unintentionally prepood over night with Evco. Yesterday I used suave coconut with grapeseed oil to shampoo. And Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose (AOHSR) with grapeseed and honey, baggyed and dc’d over night. I was never really wow’d with the condish before, but my hair felt like butter. Not sure if it was the overnight that did it or what.

Acv rinsed and another quick shot of cold water……I couldn’t believe how soft my hair was!!! Seriously! I plopped with a tshirt and proceeded with the products. I decided to diffuse but I added some heat protectant first. Here’s the results

So far no crunch….

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!! =^)

Well it’s not my birthday OFFICIALLY but I did have a blast this weekend in the great city of Royal Oak!! We had dinner at Black Finn and headed over to Wild Woodys.The weather was AWESOME. Winter+ Feb.+Detroit= Horrible! I can not remember one birthday when it DIDN’T snow. I really enjoyed myself…you’re probably wondering what did I wear right? Well wait no further…..

The dress (I recieved NUMEROUS compliments) was from Avon! Yes I said Avon lol I’ve had it for awhile but was waiting for the right occasion. I apologize for the bathroom pics :/ I was in a rush *shrugs* LOL Enjoy!

 

Accessories: Earrings and necklace were thrifted. Belt from Dots (?) and bangles JCP.

Boots : Worthington(Jcpenny)

Coat: Worthington (JCPenny)

Clutch: Payless

Back seamed pantyhose (Sears)

Makeup

• Foundation: Loreal True Match
• Loose Powder: CoverGirl TruBlend Mineral (love)
• Eyes: E.L.F.  eye palette
• Lipstick: NYC mixed sheer red and blossom together
• Mascara: NYC
• Eye Liner: Bonnebell

Nails: China Glaze in Liquid Leather

Smell Goods: DKNY Be Delicious Fresh Blossom

My hair was simple. Wet bunned with Flawless Curls conditioner as my leave-in. As I Am Naturally Smoothing Gel to slick down the sides. I think that just about covers everything !

 

Randomness at it’s best: Hair Talk

Happy Thursday!!!!

Before we get into Hair Talk….for my Twitter followers, earlier today I tweeted asking for input on what kind of accessories to wear with my birthday dress. The color is iridescent and most thought black would be best. Hmmmm…that was too boring and typical. After venturing from store to store I finally chose GOLD!!! My mom suggested silver, but although I value mommy dearest opinion…I stuck with my decision. When I have to dress for a special occasion (or just for any outfit) I visualize in my head the look I want to go for. For some reason gold just felt right! No worries I’ll post pics

Ok a little bit ago I was moisturizing and sealing my hair to rebraid for the night (did a braidout 2 days prior).  Check out Nina Pruitt 6 Plait Braid Out Part 1 and Part 2. I find her technique is  the best because I prefer full hair over super defined hair. She also put me up on Silk Elements Silken Child Moisturizing Creme. (Have I mentioned this stuff before? *shrugs*)  That stuff is the BOMB!! It smells soooooooo good and it’s cheap! Ingredients are awesome and the price is even better. I highly recommend it. But anyway back on track. LOL While rebraiding my honey was showering so the bathroom began to get steamy from the door being shut. I started to notice the steam from the shower was making my hair feel really nice!! Prior to rebraiding I spritzed my hair (lightly) and heavily saturated my ends with my h2o and oil mix Oils used: castor, grapeseed, vit.E, and amla light I was thinking hmmmm…I wonder is that how my hair WOULD feel if I used the Huetiful Hair Steamer??? The wonder machine retails for a whopping 114 buckaroos!

 

 

 

 

 

Photos courtesy of BeHuetiful.com

 

Do you own a Huetiful? Did you notice changes after the first use? Was it worth the money? I would love to hear your thoughts!

 

Thrift Crawl with FashDet: Recap!!!

Ok I apologize for being tardy for the party, I’m just now posting the recap for the  Thrift Crawl with FashDet this past Saturday! I was so looking forward to this! Everyone met at Caribou Coffee of Royal Oak. I was able to sip a tasty smoothie and chat with the founders of FashDet before the rest of the guest arrived. I would like to say Inez and Erika are the sweetest ladies you could ever meet! I felt like I’ve known them forever!

 

Shortly after, a few more guest arrived. We all snapped pics and tweeted about the excitement of thrifting! First stop was Paris Antiques. There I purchased a really cool owl necklace. Afterwards we shimmied next door to the Salvation Army. They had some nice things there. I got a skirt by J.Crew. Then we fought the wind, it was vicious, and headed to Chocolate Shop Vintage. This is where the madness begins! Most items were marked $5. I purchased a sweater,dress,and blouse! Last on the roster was Lost and Found Vintage. Their collection was awesome! I got an 80′s peplum dress from here.

 

I had a blast, and I’m looking forward to more meetups! Below you’ll find a list of all the attendees and their blogs. Pics can be found >>>here<<< on my facebook page!  

• Erika of Love of Style by Erika
• Inez of Style Chic 360
• Lauren of Fashion A lo Mode
• Mar of I Don’t Live in Paris
• Tracy of Gen321
• Daisy & Sicara of The Style Dolls
• Shaunah of Pens and Pencil Skirts
• Crystal
• Lauren of Testify Communications
• Mama Joy (Erika’s Mom)
• Mrs. M. (Lauren’s Mom)
• Sincere
• TaQuinda of T. Marie Media
• Yolanda

Spring Trend 2012 Pleated Maxi

There is nothing more classic and chic than pleats! A new style trend for the upcoming spring season is the pleated maxi. Naturally Chic did a great post  >>here << on how to rock a pleated mid-length/maxi. Don’t be afraid of bright colors and mixing textures. Statement jewlery are an effortless option to pull the entire look together.

• (First Pic) I love the color blocking and different lenghts of this skirt. A nude crop top works well not pulling the attention away from the skirt.
• (Middle Pic)Look at our First Lady looking oh so FAB! in her pleats!
• (Last Pic) The metalic maxi and skiny belt are from different ends of the spectrum but it works.

Miranda Kerr is looking oh so stylish in black on black!

Ketchup Mustard!

Hello ladies and gents! I have been neglecting my blog and my readers…shame-shame on me! But the good news is I’m back! There is so much for me to catch you up on! I met the wonderful ladies of FashDet!!! Erika and Inez (the creators of FashDet) are so pleasant and I had a blast checking out all the great Vintage Boutiques in Royal Oak. The other bloggers were very friendly as well! The positive energy from this group was phenomenal! Stay tuned for a recap of Saturday’s Thrift Crawl! Meanwhile check out the photos here. I’m so excited to show you guys the great pieces I got!!

In other news I have an interview with another Detroiter (Detroit is making moves out here!) His name is Edgar Powell. Founder of I Love My Life Clothing. I don’t want to give away too much info just yet! Stay tuned for that as well!

Your’s truly will be turning the BIG 2-7 on Feb.7 Yes, yes I’m approaching 3-0 *awkward silence* lol I plan to celebrate this Saturday, Feb.4 at Black Finn of Royal Oak. I would love to see you there so we can party like rock stars!!  What will I be wearing??? You’ll have to wait for that one too As always thanks for stopping by!

Muah,T 

 

ACV Rinses,Peppermint, and a Miracle Leave-in?

Tonight I decided to do my hair rituals since I was feeling under the weather this past weekend. It’s been awhile since I did an ACV rinse. Why I stopped? I’m not really sure…was it beneficial? Yes! I started finger detangling with Vatika Oil to remove shed hair. Once I was all twisted up 8 twist to be exact, four on each side….I hoped in the shower. With my jar of As I Am cowash sitting on the edge of the tub I cleansed my scalp, nervously eyeing the large jar of coconutty creamy goodness. Oh how I wish the jar came in a pump! It’s beyond nerve wrecking making sure the entire jar doesn’t spill over every time I take a scoop of heaven. Once the condish is all rinsed out I plopped with a tshirt for a min to remove excess water to apply  Bio Infusion Rosemary Mint Conditioner as my DC. I wanted to add some honey and EVOO buuuut I’m all out of EVOO so I applied the condish alone with a heat cap for about an hour.

 I have never been a big fan of peppermint or rosemary. The smell has always been way too strong. I have rosemary EO but I only used it for prepoo with EVOO. Before I even put the heat cap on, my scalp was beginning to tingle. Some naturals loath this feeling. It started out ok….but it was just weird to me, not calming at all. The tingle just intensified once I put on the heat cap. Finally it was time to rinse. For some reason I decided to add AVJ to my ACV rinse. I poured the mixture into a squirt bottle for easier application. Was there a difference? I can’t really tell, it’s been forever since I’ve done just a ACV rinse. Are there benefits to adding AVJ ummmm not sure LOL I know AVJ is moisturizing, for the longest I thought my hair didn’t like AVJ…that’s a whole different post.

(I’ll do a quick review of the Bio Infusion at the end)

Usually the smell of the ACV is really strong, I used to add One ‘n Only Argan Oil from Sally’s to help with the smell. But maybe the AVJ neutralized the stench because it wasn’t that bad. I plopped again, twist still intact, and it was time for the leave-in. BioSilk Silk Therapy Miracle Leave-In. This was an impromptu purchase from Kroger (it was clearance lol). This stuff does everything. I was skeptical because of the squirt bottle, and I don’t care for squirt bottle leave-in’s no matter how great it is. (i.e.Taliah Waajid Protective Midst Bodifier). Here’s what the back reads:

Miracle Leave-In Conditioner; 17 Miracle uses for your hair and skin

• Conditions and hydrates hair and skin instantly
• Provides volume and body
• Controls and defines curls
• Reconstructs and repairs dry and damaged hair and skin
• Strengthens the hair
• Revives dull lifeless and hair and skin
• Smoothes the cuticle
• Controls frizz and flyaways
• Prevents Split Ends
• Stops hair breakage
• Seals the hair
• Protects hair color from fading
• Protect’s hair and skin from environmental damage
• Thermal protector from blow drying
• Thermal protection from flat and curling irons
• Leaves hair and skin soft and silky
• Adds incredible Shine

Directions: Spray all over hair, style as desired. For skin, spray all over body.

Judging from the benefits this stuff really does sound like a “miracle” right? I stopped using this awhile back, because I have so many products I was trying to work my way through. Now that I typed all this out, I’m thinking about using it on a consistent basis to see if it works “miracles”. Here are the ingredients.

Water, cetearyl alcohol, hydrolyzed silk, behentrimonium choloride, cyclopentsiloxane, cclohexasiloxane,propylene glycol, quaternium-80, panthenol, phenoxyethanol, caprylyl glycol, potassium sorbate, hexylene glycol, fragrance, hexyl cinnamal, benzyl benzoate, linalool, citronellol, hydroxycitronellal, geraniol,eugenol.

This is what I found about hydrolyzed silk (via ingredientstodiefor.com)

What are the benefits of Hydrolyzed Silk Protein?

HAIR CARE-Aids in moisture retention due to its strong hygroscopic properties (silk is credited with the ability to retain 10,000 times its weight in water), resulting in optimum conditioning and increased strength. Provides superior conditioning properties, making it ideal for natural-type conditioners, shampoos, and hair repairing systems. Links hair fibers to improve elasticity, resiliancy, and restore the moisture balance.

SKIN CARE- Aids in moisture retention due to its strong hygroscopic properties (silk is credited with the ability to retain 10,000 times its weight in water), resulting in optimum conditioning and increased strength. Provides superior conditioning properties, making it ideal for natural-type skin care such as gels, serums, and emulsion systems. Links skin fibers to improve elasticity, resiliancy, and restore the moisture balance.

The reviews that I read (there’s a few on Amazon) most were from people with color treated hair (like myself). If you have color, (they say) protein is your friend. I’m no scientist, but I probably should read up on stuff and see why it’s beneficial…..

I sealed with Amla oil and used Darcy’s Botanicals Avocado and Honey Twisting Cream. I still have a whole friggin jar. Not because it’s garbage but you don’t need that much AT ALL it’s very concentrated and creamy. Unlike the silk therapy which  smells heavenly, the twisting cream has no smell. I put some satin sponge rollers on my ends (my bestfriends for a good nights sleep) and I’m calling it a night after this (very long) post LOL

The BioInfusion Conditoner has excellent ingredients also. It’s very moisturizing. The only downfall….the lingering peppermint smell. If you like that sort of thing, this may work for you. I purchased both the shampoo and conditioner from Walgreens for $7.99. I think it was buy one get one 50% off or free. The consistency was light but creamy. This isn’t really a detangling conditioner if you asked me. But everyone is different.

Ingredients
Deionized Water (Aqua) , Rosmarius Officianalis Leaf Extract (Rosemary) , Mentha Piperita Leaf Extract (Peppermint) , Cetyl Alcohol , Stearalkonium Chloride , Polyquaternium 11 , Olealkonium Chloride , Peppermint Oil (Mentha Piperita) , Panthenol , Glycerin , Jojoba Oil (Buxus Chinensis) , Wheat Amino Acid , Tocopherol , Grapefruit Seed Extract (Citrus Grandis) , Diazolidinyl Urea , Quaternium 22

Soho Makeup Brushes *First Impression* and French Twist Updo

Happy MLK Day!

I’ve used a couple of the Soho Brushes from Walmart twice already. So far I can tell a major difference between them and the E.L.F. brushes I purchased from Target. I’m not knocking E.L.F. it’s a great starter brush/eye palette for beginners like myself. I used the eyeshadow brush,smudger, and foundation brush. First the Soho brushes are noticelably softer. I used the same eye primer by E.L.F. but for some reason the color POPPED a lot more! I forgot to take pics from both days. But I do have some.  I think the Soho brushes picked up the pigment better and the entire look came together even more with the smudge brush. Foundation by L’oreal True Match, mascara by NYC. What ya think?

I’ve been wanting to try CurlyNikki’s look, the french twist. I used a banana clip and bobby pins to achieve the “twist” and the scarf from Dollar Tree.