Showing posts with label products. Show all posts
Showing posts with label products. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Edited Curly Girl Product list
I don't normally make a post when I edit the Curly Girl Product list on the left because I usually just edit it to add products. This time, however, I made a change to the actual format of the list. I broke down the styling product section down further into 8 categories: cream, gel, heat protectant, mousse, pomade, serum, shine enhancing/moisture products (non-spray) form, and styling/shine spray. Previously, I had just one general category for styling products then a separate category for heat protectants. Hope this makes it easier!
Monday, February 9, 2009
Happy Monday!
I feel like this calorie counting and working out is turning into a part-time job that's taking away from my hair experiments. I didn't get a chance to take any new hair pictures but, I did use a new technique this weekend. I wish I had taken pictures because I know I enjoy posts that have pictures more than words.
My new technique included the use of this microfiber towel that I purchased last week from Ulta.
I've been using the Kinky Curly Knot Today (KCKT) leave-in and Kinky Curly Curling Custard (KCCC). I really like these two together because they give me good curl definition without the crunchiness but, if I don't put enough KCCC my curls go limp and if I put to much I get the crunch. There's definitely a learning curve as mentioned by some of the members of naturallycurly.com.
I now have 3 techniques for when I want to style my hair naturally wavy.
Technique 1. After washing my hair, wrap my hair in a towel until I'm done applying my body lotion, moisturizer, etc. Then apply KCKT and comb through then scrunch KCCC through hair. This I usually do when I'm stubborn and don't feel like changing my old ways because this was they way I used to style my hair.
Pro: Easiest of the techniques. Drying time is decreased. An old routine that I'm used to.
Con: Gives me the least curl definition. Sometimes it makes my hair look dry because products are applied to my hair after it's been drying a bit in the towel instead of products being applied on soaking wet hair like the other techniques below.
Technique 2. After washing my hair, I leave my hair dripping wet and kind of try to gently separate and lift my hair with my fingers so that my hair isn't completely flat on my head and apply KCKT while scrunching then apply KCCC while scrunching. I plop with a turban for 10-45 minutes depending on how much time I have while I get dressed and do my makeup. I discussed this technique here.
Pros: Hair is not on my back while I do my after shower routine. I can do other tasks while I plop. I get pretty good curl definition and hair looks shinier.
Cons: Increased drying time. I usually end up diffusing my hair when I do this technique. Sometimes the front and top of my hair end up squished.
Technique 3. After washing my hair, I leave my hair dripping wet and gently separate and lift my hair like I do in technique 2. I scrunch in KCKT then srunch in KCCC. After I have applied both products, I turn my head upside down and take the microfiber towel and scrunch all the water out. I would say after scrunching with a microfiber towel my hair is 75% dry. I don't usually diffuse after this technique. This is my favorite technique right now because I can kind of guide and shape my hair while I scrunch and I don't have to have wet hair for that long. When I went to Imago Salon, this was how they styled my hair after my haircut except they used an old t-shirt instead of a microfiber towel.
Pros: My roots aren't flat on top and I can easily style the front of my hair. My hair is mostly dry by the time I leave the house even when I don't diffuse. I get good curl defintion but, the shininess varies depending on whether or not I put the correct amount of product in my hair.
Cons: My slightly damp hair is on my back while I do my after shower routine. Not that big of a deal except my whole life I've just been used to having my hair wrapped in a towel while I did this part. Why is it so hard to change your habits?
When I get a chance, I'll add pictures or videos showing techniques 1 and 3 since technique 2 was already discussed in a previous post.
My new technique included the use of this microfiber towel that I purchased last week from Ulta.
I've been using the Kinky Curly Knot Today (KCKT) leave-in and Kinky Curly Curling Custard (KCCC). I really like these two together because they give me good curl definition without the crunchiness but, if I don't put enough KCCC my curls go limp and if I put to much I get the crunch. There's definitely a learning curve as mentioned by some of the members of naturallycurly.com.I now have 3 techniques for when I want to style my hair naturally wavy.
Technique 1. After washing my hair, wrap my hair in a towel until I'm done applying my body lotion, moisturizer, etc. Then apply KCKT and comb through then scrunch KCCC through hair. This I usually do when I'm stubborn and don't feel like changing my old ways because this was they way I used to style my hair.
Pro: Easiest of the techniques. Drying time is decreased. An old routine that I'm used to.
Con: Gives me the least curl definition. Sometimes it makes my hair look dry because products are applied to my hair after it's been drying a bit in the towel instead of products being applied on soaking wet hair like the other techniques below.
Technique 2. After washing my hair, I leave my hair dripping wet and kind of try to gently separate and lift my hair with my fingers so that my hair isn't completely flat on my head and apply KCKT while scrunching then apply KCCC while scrunching. I plop with a turban for 10-45 minutes depending on how much time I have while I get dressed and do my makeup. I discussed this technique here.
Pros: Hair is not on my back while I do my after shower routine. I can do other tasks while I plop. I get pretty good curl definition and hair looks shinier.
Cons: Increased drying time. I usually end up diffusing my hair when I do this technique. Sometimes the front and top of my hair end up squished.
Technique 3. After washing my hair, I leave my hair dripping wet and gently separate and lift my hair like I do in technique 2. I scrunch in KCKT then srunch in KCCC. After I have applied both products, I turn my head upside down and take the microfiber towel and scrunch all the water out. I would say after scrunching with a microfiber towel my hair is 75% dry. I don't usually diffuse after this technique. This is my favorite technique right now because I can kind of guide and shape my hair while I scrunch and I don't have to have wet hair for that long. When I went to Imago Salon, this was how they styled my hair after my haircut except they used an old t-shirt instead of a microfiber towel.
Pros: My roots aren't flat on top and I can easily style the front of my hair. My hair is mostly dry by the time I leave the house even when I don't diffuse. I get good curl defintion but, the shininess varies depending on whether or not I put the correct amount of product in my hair.
Cons: My slightly damp hair is on my back while I do my after shower routine. Not that big of a deal except my whole life I've just been used to having my hair wrapped in a towel while I did this part. Why is it so hard to change your habits?
When I get a chance, I'll add pictures or videos showing techniques 1 and 3 since technique 2 was already discussed in a previous post.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Kinky Curly Knot Today
As much as I hate shipping charges, I love the feeling of coming home and finding a package. I finally got my Kinky Curly Knot Today leave-in. I can't wait to use it. I'll probably end up using it the next time I go out which will be Friday. At work I just throw my hair into a ponytail because of safety regulations. I don't really fix my hair unless I'm going somewhere.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Long time no see, Curling Iron
I decided to take a break from my natural wave. I blow dried my hair and used a 1.5 inch 
curling iron to curl my hair.The night before I had gone to a baby shower and then to a bar. My hair smelled terrible like smoke and fried food. I shampooed with Herbal Essences Shampoo for Color, Permed, Dry and Damaged Hair to really cleanse my hair. It contains Sodium Lareth Sulfate but, no silicones. I conditioned with Back to Basics Pomegranate Moisturizing Conditioner. Before I blow dried, I used Tresemme Thermal Creations Heat Tamer Protective Spray, Giovanni Frizz Be Gone, and coconut oil. The Tresemme Spray contains Amodimethicone (slightly soluble silicone). The Giovanni Frizz Be Gone contains Cylomethicone (slightly soluble silicone) and Dimethicone (non-soluble silicone). Even though it contained Dimethicone, I hoped it being an "organic" product, the build up wouldn't be so bad. I like the smoothness and shininess it gave me. I can't really report on the build up yet because I haven't had an opportunity to use it multiple times yet.I believe cutting out the frequent use of harsh sulfate shampoos from my hair routine has helped with the health of my hair. I think it's been about a month, before today, since I used a shampoo that contained Sodium Lareth Sulfate. Before I used CG products and straightened or curled my hair, my hair always looked so dry. It definitely looks a lot shinier than before.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
The Great Debate
If you do a search on whether or not silicones are bad or good for your hair, you'll come across some heated discussions believe it or not. The rest of this post will be purely my opinion from researching online, discussion on forums such as Naturallycurly.com, and my own personal experiences. I don't think silicones are that bad. It's the removal of silicones with harsh cleansers that seems to cause the most damage to hair which is why silicones that are not water soluble at all should be avoided.
Silicones fall into 3 categories: water soluble, slightly water soluble, and not water soluble. Just a few minutes ago I updated this list:
Silicones
Not water soluble (Will buildup in hair)
1. Cetearyl methicone
2. Cetyl dimethicone
3. Cyclopentasiloxane
4. Dimethicone
5. Dimethiconol
6. Stearyl dimethicone
7. Trimethylsilylamodimethicone
Slightly soluble (May cause buildup in hair but some have found will still wash out with cowash)
1. Amodimethicone
2. Cyclomethicone
3. Bis-Aminopropryl Dimethicone
4. Behenoxy dimethicone
5. Stearoxy dimethicone
“CG approved” Water Soluble (Will not buildup)
1. Dimethicone copolyol
2. Hydrolyzed wheat protein hydroxypropyl polysiloxane
3. Lauryl methicone copolyol
4. Silicones with PEG listed before it
I moved Cyclomethicone to the slightly soluble list for a couple reasons. First, some have found that Cyclomethicone can be removed with a mild cleanser or conditioner washing. The same goes for Amodimethicone, which is found in DevaCurl One Condition, a product developed by Lorraine Massey. Lorraine Massey is the author of Curly Girl - the handbook that started the whole curly girl method revolution. Kind of ironic that she has a silicone in her conditioner. Secondly, having three categories opens up various prodcut possibilites for you. When I first started using CG products, I felt so restricted. When I was able to see I had more options product-wise, shopping for CG products became fun again. I was actually finding products without non-soluble silicones and with only slightly soluble and water soluble silicones. Some Garnier Fructis products, for example, contain the sole silicone Amodimethicone. It was actually the leave-in I tried the first time I attempted the Curly Girl method and was the best Curly Girl hair day I've had since. At that time, all I knew was only water soluble silicones were good. I didn't know about the other secret hidden category of slightly soluble silicones. I stopped using the Garnier Fructis leave-in and tried other leave-ins with less success and strayed from CG products because I was getting frustrated.
Then I learned more about slightly soluble silicones and picked up products that had them. Now, I have fun experimenting with my hair and trying out products that were closed off to me before. Even on the days I want to use heat styling tools, I have options. For the days you want to use heat styling tools and want a heat protecant without the hard core (non-soluble) silicones, you can turn to Tresemme Thermal Creations Heat Tamer Protective Spray and Sunsilk Thermashine Detangling Shine Spray which both have Amodimethicone.
I hope this helps anyone reading this that has been trying to follow the Curly Girl method and is thiiis clooose to giving up - hanging on by a thread. For those using the product list on the left hand side of my blog, I indicate which products contain soluble and slightly soluble silicones, for those that do not want to dabble in the slightly soluble products.
For the Twilight fans: The whole time I was reading this I felt like I was talking about the Cullen family. There are other options to killing people even if you are a vampire. To all the people out there trying to do curly girl method but about to give up, there are other options besides the hard core (non soluble) silicones.
Silicones fall into 3 categories: water soluble, slightly water soluble, and not water soluble. Just a few minutes ago I updated this list:
Silicones
Not water soluble (Will buildup in hair)
1. Cetearyl methicone
2. Cetyl dimethicone
3. Cyclopentasiloxane
4. Dimethicone
5. Dimethiconol
6. Stearyl dimethicone
7. Trimethylsilylamodimethicone
Slightly soluble (May cause buildup in hair but some have found will still wash out with cowash)
1. Amodimethicone
2. Cyclomethicone
3. Bis-Aminopropryl Dimethicone
4. Behenoxy dimethicone
5. Stearoxy dimethicone
“CG approved” Water Soluble (Will not buildup)
1. Dimethicone copolyol
2. Hydrolyzed wheat protein hydroxypropyl polysiloxane
3. Lauryl methicone copolyol
4. Silicones with PEG listed before it
I moved Cyclomethicone to the slightly soluble list for a couple reasons. First, some have found that Cyclomethicone can be removed with a mild cleanser or conditioner washing. The same goes for Amodimethicone, which is found in DevaCurl One Condition, a product developed by Lorraine Massey. Lorraine Massey is the author of Curly Girl - the handbook that started the whole curly girl method revolution. Kind of ironic that she has a silicone in her conditioner. Secondly, having three categories opens up various prodcut possibilites for you. When I first started using CG products, I felt so restricted. When I was able to see I had more options product-wise, shopping for CG products became fun again. I was actually finding products without non-soluble silicones and with only slightly soluble and water soluble silicones. Some Garnier Fructis products, for example, contain the sole silicone Amodimethicone. It was actually the leave-in I tried the first time I attempted the Curly Girl method and was the best Curly Girl hair day I've had since. At that time, all I knew was only water soluble silicones were good. I didn't know about the other secret hidden category of slightly soluble silicones. I stopped using the Garnier Fructis leave-in and tried other leave-ins with less success and strayed from CG products because I was getting frustrated.
Then I learned more about slightly soluble silicones and picked up products that had them. Now, I have fun experimenting with my hair and trying out products that were closed off to me before. Even on the days I want to use heat styling tools, I have options. For the days you want to use heat styling tools and want a heat protecant without the hard core (non-soluble) silicones, you can turn to Tresemme Thermal Creations Heat Tamer Protective Spray and Sunsilk Thermashine Detangling Shine Spray which both have Amodimethicone.
I hope this helps anyone reading this that has been trying to follow the Curly Girl method and is thiiis clooose to giving up - hanging on by a thread. For those using the product list on the left hand side of my blog, I indicate which products contain soluble and slightly soluble silicones, for those that do not want to dabble in the slightly soluble products.
For the Twilight fans: The whole time I was reading this I felt like I was talking about the Cullen family. There are other options to killing people even if you are a vampire. To all the people out there trying to do curly girl method but about to give up, there are other options besides the hard core (non soluble) silicones.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Easy to find Curly Girl Method Products
I found myself continually updating my post about CG products so I decided to just make a list on the left hand side of my blog. Easier to maintain and find. You can also cut and paste into a Word document and take the list to the store for easier shopping.
When I was checking on products on this list, I actually found differences in ingredients listed on websites and the actual physical bottle of the product I already owned. I wish ingredients on websites and on the bottles were more consistent. Sometimes you don't feel like going to a store just to check ingredients. Sometimes the products are sold in stores hours, even days away from you. If there are any products you would like me to add to the list, just let me know. I hope this list is helpful.
When I was checking on products on this list, I actually found differences in ingredients listed on websites and the actual physical bottle of the product I already owned. I wish ingredients on websites and on the bottles were more consistent. Sometimes you don't feel like going to a store just to check ingredients. Sometimes the products are sold in stores hours, even days away from you. If there are any products you would like me to add to the list, just let me know. I hope this list is helpful.
Conclusion to my Richmond Trip
After my Imago haircut, my boyfriend and I went to Ruth's Chris Steak House. Thanks to Christle and Christine, we had a very generous gift card to use. I've only been to one other Ruth's Chris but, I was surprised at the outside of this particular Ruth's Chris. It reminded me of the Southern type mansions from a long time ago.The inside of it reminded me of the movie Titanic. I'm sure the interior of
the Titanic was way nicer but, that's the first thing that came to mind as we were being seated to our table. Our waitress brought out some bread while we waited to order. I think what makes their bread so good isn't actually the bread but the butter. It's like a whipped butter. For our appetizers, my boyfriend and I got Caesar salad and jambalaya. The Caesar salad had these tasty crackers. Our waitress said it was actually fried parmesan cheese. I would have expected fried parmesan cheese to be softer. We both ended up ordering the Mixed Grill for our main course. It's my favorite entree there. You get a crab cake, petite steak and stuffed chicken. We also had mashed potatoes and mushrooms. Dessert was mint vanilla ice cream. I didn't really see anything I wanted on their dessert menu. I think I was still thinking about that cake from Maggiano's I had seen earlier and nothing on the Ruth's Chris dessert menu could compare.After Ruth's Chris, we went to Chesterfield Mall because it was right around the corner AND I had seen an Ulta there too. The Ulta seemed a bit bigger than the one back home and they carried more curly hair products such as the Deva line. I ended up getting clips to pin my hair up while it dries so it wouldn't be flat on top, Back to Basics Pomegranate conditioner, and Redken Fresh Curls Curl Boost spray gel. I looove the scents of most of the Back to Basics conditioners. I'm so happy it was suggested to me by readers on naturallycurly.com when I was ready to completely go back to silicones because I missed the fragrances of products with silicones.
The Redken Fresh Curls Curl Boost spray gel does not contain any silicones but, has glycerin and PEG 40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil which may give people some problems. Actually with the castor oil, I'm assuming it may not be too bad because of the PEG. However, you know what they say about assuming. I haven't had a chance to try the spray gel yet.The Kinky Curly Curling Custard, my current love, and Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose conditioner were my purchases from Whole Foods. I also purchased Kinky Curly Knot Today leave-in online. Oh....how shipping costs hurt. I guess I shouldn't complain since shipping costs were $12 and I know others out there who are much farther pay 3 times that much. The Kinky Curly Knot Today leave-in will be my last purchase for a while. Well, maybe - Everywhere I go L'oreal's new hair product line, Everpure, is like "bam in yo face, come buy me now".
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
My Imago Haircut
Tonight I used Avalon Organics Shampoo, Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose conditioner, Giovanni Direct Leave-in and my beloved Kinky Curly Curling Custard. I still can't get the front of my hair the way I like it but, the thing is I don't even know how I want it to be. I just know it bothers me. I just included the first picture because it looked kinda neat even though it was a mess up because the flash wasn't on and you can't really tell what my hair looks like.Now that I'm looking at these pictures. I think my hair does look different. I don't know if it's
the products I'm using or my haircut. I have a hard time taking pictures too. My left eyebrow always goes up when I'm looking at myself in the mirror or if I try to take a picture of myself. You can even sort of see in this picture that my left eyebrow is going up. I can only seem to take good candid pictures, not pre-planned pictures. I tried to get all artistic with the look away poses too.Next pictures are with my daughter (yes, she's a dog) and the usual back of the head pose. These pictures were taken after I got home. It was kind of sprinkling outside so I'm surprised my hair held up pretty well and didn't end up in a frizz ball.
Richmond, Virginia
My boyfriend and I had a fun weekend in Richmond. I wish we would have had more time to visit other sites and places there. First thing we did when we got there was eat - of course. We 
decided to eat at Short Pump Town Center for lunch. We usually like to eat at non-chain restaurants but, since we didn't have a Maggiano's close to home and we've never eaten there, we just decided to eat there. We ended up splitting the lobster ravioli and side of fettucine alfredo. We didn't want to both get meals since we had reservations for Ruth's Chris later that night. The waiters and waitresses kept on passing by with what looked like a quarter of a huge chocolate cake and big cups of ice cream. Took all my strength not to order it. I liked the bread and fettucine alfredo but, I've had better lobster ravioli. I would still go back to Maggiano's to try a different entree and the chocolate cake and ice cream.
On the way to Short Pump, we passed a Whole Foods. I knew we were going to definitely have to make a stop there before we left to go back home. My curly cut appointment at Imago Salon was at 3PM and according to our GPS the salon was 18 minutes away from our location. After we finished at Maggiano's, I figured I could spend 20 minutes at Whole Foods and still get to my appointment on time. I was surprised at how many people shopped at Whole Foods and how big the store actually was. The parking lot was pretty packed too.
I walk into Whole Foods and look for the organic/CG beauty product section. My eyes almost fell out..I was so excited. I'm used to having a small section on a shelf of CG products when I go to a store. At Whole Foods it was a couple aisles of organic makeup and various hair and skincare products. I was also very happy to see that they carried Kinky Curly Curling Custard. Before we had gone to Richmond I made a pact with myself. I wouldn't buy new products until after the products I already had were at least half way empty. After seeing all the products at Whole Foods, I moved the pact to after I left Richmond. I ended up getting Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose conditioner and Kinky Curly Curling Custard - both recommendations from the friendly people on naturallycurly.com when I asked about CG products that smelled good. First thing I did when I got to the car was tear open the top to the Kinky Curly Curling Custard and it smelled oh so good like marshmallows and vanilla.
We then hurried to my hair appointment. We had about 30 minutes to get there. I ended up being a little bit late because Imago Salon is located in this cute little town called Carytown with backed up traffic due to narrow streets and an abundance of stoplights. You won't find any chain stores there. It definitely did not have a big town feel like I was expecting. I wish we could have explored more there. When I first heard of Imago Salon, I pictured it to be located at an uppity (is that a word?) section of Richmond. After my experience at Imago Salon, Carytown was definitely the right place to open that salon. It fits nicely with Imago Salon's motto - "Where the fun people go."
Right when I walked in I was greeted by two small Yorkies. I knew this was going to be a different experience from my normal haircuts. My stylist was a tall girl named Stephanie with a short, straight pixie cut. She was really nice and patient with me. I hadn't found a hairstyle I
liked so I just asked her to suggest what would be best. She ended up cutting off 2 inches from the bottom layer of my hair because "it was getting stringy" and then just started cutting like 1/2 inch pieces randomly around my head (all while my hair was dry). That bottom layer was bothering me so I'm glad she was able to fix that.
Stephanie then rinsed my hair with water (no shampoo) and conditoned with DevaCurl One Condition conditioner while using her fingers to comb through my hair. She then made me sit so that my hair was upside down and she scrunched in DevaCurl Arc Angell gel. She told me all I really needed was gel for my styling product. I didn't need a leave-in conditioner. She scrunched my hair with an old cotton t-shirt until my hair wasn't dripping wet. Went back to her stylist chair and showed me how to clip up the top of my hair so it wouldn't be so flat. After she was done clipping my hair, I stayed under a heat lamp for about 30 minutes. She parted my hair so I had a deep part. Usually I wear my part down the middle and just move it all around.
My hair was still a little wet even after sitting under the heat lamp so she diffused it for like 5 minutes with a DevaFuser. I felt like she was high-fiving my head everytime she diffused a new section.
After being able to experiment with my hair for a couple days now, I honestly can't tell if a curly cut is any different for my hair type as a straight cut. The curly cut included cutting my hair dry, not shampooing, only conditioning, pinning my hair, drying my hair with a heat lamp and hand shaped diffuser, reading the Curly Girl handbook by Lorraine Massey while my hair dried, and overhearing a customer say "So, do you cut straight hair too?" A straight cut for me includes getting my hair cut after it is shampooed and conditioned with sulfates and silicones then blow dried straight with a blowdryer and round brush. Sometimes they run a flat iron through my hair. The two processes are different but, seemed like the end result for me was the same. Maybe my hair didn't drastically change because I don't have a tight curl pattern and my hair is more wavy than anything else.
I was still happy I got a chance to experience my first "curly" haircut (thanks again Laura Lee) with a nice stylist in a homey salon with two cute puppies running around. If I wasn't always on naturallycurly.com, I would have forgot a lot of what Stephanie taught me. She reinforced a lot of what's already said on naturallycurly.com such as not using harsh sulfates or insoluble silicones, using a microfiber towel or old cotton t-shirt to scrunch out the water or plop with, etc.
I'll post up pictures tonight of my hair since I didn't get a chance to take a picture right after my haircut. I'll also continue the rest of my Richmond adventure then. This post is already too long. I'm sure you guys are holding your eyelids up with your fingers by now. Until later...
Images courtesy of:
http://cavecibum.blogspot.com/search?q=maggianos
http://www.capitalregionusa.co.uk/virginia/hires/vshoppingrichmond.jpg
http://a1604.g.akamaitech.net/7/1604/33/ad28673e612680/images.citysearch.com/advertorial_profile/eb/9e/V-RICVA-55107387_ID209528_guide_inclusion.jpg
http://store.devachansalon.com/Detail.bok?no=25
decided to eat at Short Pump Town Center for lunch. We usually like to eat at non-chain restaurants but, since we didn't have a Maggiano's close to home and we've never eaten there, we just decided to eat there. We ended up splitting the lobster ravioli and side of fettucine alfredo. We didn't want to both get meals since we had reservations for Ruth's Chris later that night. The waiters and waitresses kept on passing by with what looked like a quarter of a huge chocolate cake and big cups of ice cream. Took all my strength not to order it. I liked the bread and fettucine alfredo but, I've had better lobster ravioli. I would still go back to Maggiano's to try a different entree and the chocolate cake and ice cream.On the way to Short Pump, we passed a Whole Foods. I knew we were going to definitely have to make a stop there before we left to go back home. My curly cut appointment at Imago Salon was at 3PM and according to our GPS the salon was 18 minutes away from our location. After we finished at Maggiano's, I figured I could spend 20 minutes at Whole Foods and still get to my appointment on time. I was surprised at how many people shopped at Whole Foods and how big the store actually was. The parking lot was pretty packed too.
I walk into Whole Foods and look for the organic/CG beauty product section. My eyes almost fell out..I was so excited. I'm used to having a small section on a shelf of CG products when I go to a store. At Whole Foods it was a couple aisles of organic makeup and various hair and skincare products. I was also very happy to see that they carried Kinky Curly Curling Custard. Before we had gone to Richmond I made a pact with myself. I wouldn't buy new products until after the products I already had were at least half way empty. After seeing all the products at Whole Foods, I moved the pact to after I left Richmond. I ended up getting Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose conditioner and Kinky Curly Curling Custard - both recommendations from the friendly people on naturallycurly.com when I asked about CG products that smelled good. First thing I did when I got to the car was tear open the top to the Kinky Curly Curling Custard and it smelled oh so good like marshmallows and vanilla.
We then hurried to my hair appointment. We had about 30 minutes to get there. I ended up being a little bit late because Imago Salon is located in this cute little town called Carytown with backed up traffic due to narrow streets and an abundance of stoplights. You won't find any chain stores there. It definitely did not have a big town feel like I was expecting. I wish we could have explored more there. When I first heard of Imago Salon, I pictured it to be located at an uppity (is that a word?) section of Richmond. After my experience at Imago Salon, Carytown was definitely the right place to open that salon. It fits nicely with Imago Salon's motto - "Where the fun people go."Right when I walked in I was greeted by two small Yorkies. I knew this was going to be a different experience from my normal haircuts. My stylist was a tall girl named Stephanie with a short, straight pixie cut. She was really nice and patient with me. I hadn't found a hairstyle I
liked so I just asked her to suggest what would be best. She ended up cutting off 2 inches from the bottom layer of my hair because "it was getting stringy" and then just started cutting like 1/2 inch pieces randomly around my head (all while my hair was dry). That bottom layer was bothering me so I'm glad she was able to fix that.Stephanie then rinsed my hair with water (no shampoo) and conditoned with DevaCurl One Condition conditioner while using her fingers to comb through my hair. She then made me sit so that my hair was upside down and she scrunched in DevaCurl Arc Angell gel. She told me all I really needed was gel for my styling product. I didn't need a leave-in conditioner. She scrunched my hair with an old cotton t-shirt until my hair wasn't dripping wet. Went back to her stylist chair and showed me how to clip up the top of my hair so it wouldn't be so flat. After she was done clipping my hair, I stayed under a heat lamp for about 30 minutes. She parted my hair so I had a deep part. Usually I wear my part down the middle and just move it all around.
My hair was still a little wet even after sitting under the heat lamp so she diffused it for like 5 minutes with a DevaFuser. I felt like she was high-fiving my head everytime she diffused a new section.After being able to experiment with my hair for a couple days now, I honestly can't tell if a curly cut is any different for my hair type as a straight cut. The curly cut included cutting my hair dry, not shampooing, only conditioning, pinning my hair, drying my hair with a heat lamp and hand shaped diffuser, reading the Curly Girl handbook by Lorraine Massey while my hair dried, and overhearing a customer say "So, do you cut straight hair too?" A straight cut for me includes getting my hair cut after it is shampooed and conditioned with sulfates and silicones then blow dried straight with a blowdryer and round brush. Sometimes they run a flat iron through my hair. The two processes are different but, seemed like the end result for me was the same. Maybe my hair didn't drastically change because I don't have a tight curl pattern and my hair is more wavy than anything else.
I was still happy I got a chance to experience my first "curly" haircut (thanks again Laura Lee) with a nice stylist in a homey salon with two cute puppies running around. If I wasn't always on naturallycurly.com, I would have forgot a lot of what Stephanie taught me. She reinforced a lot of what's already said on naturallycurly.com such as not using harsh sulfates or insoluble silicones, using a microfiber towel or old cotton t-shirt to scrunch out the water or plop with, etc.
I'll post up pictures tonight of my hair since I didn't get a chance to take a picture right after my haircut. I'll also continue the rest of my Richmond adventure then. This post is already too long. I'm sure you guys are holding your eyelids up with your fingers by now. Until later...
Images courtesy of:
http://cavecibum.blogspot.com/search?q=maggianos
http://www.capitalregionusa.co.uk/virginia/hires/vshoppingrichmond.jpg
http://a1604.g.akamaitech.net/7/1604/33/ad28673e612680/images.citysearch.com/advertorial_profile/eb/9e/V-RICVA-55107387_ID209528_guide_inclusion.jpg
http://store.devachansalon.com/Detail.bok?no=25
Friday, January 16, 2009
Ooh la la Ouidad!
To prove once again that I have no self control when it comes to beauty products, I finally received my order of Ouidad hair products. On naturallycurly.com, I saw an ad for Ouidad saying you get two free deluxe samples with any order. When my two sides - product junkie and bargain hunter - collide, it's no stopping them. I ordered the smallest of the Balancing Rinse daily essential conditioner and received Botanical Boost conditioning and refreshing spray and Climate Control Heat and Humidity Gel. The driving force behind my order was actually the Climate Control Heat and Humidity Gel. I kept on hearing a lot of good reviews on it and have been wanting to try it for a while.
I believe the Botanical Boost conditioning and refreshing spray is CG friendly. The Balancing Rinse daily essential conditioner has Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein which might give some people difficulty. The Climate Control Heat and Humidity Gel also contains Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, dimethicone copolyl (water soluble silicone) and dimethicone (a silicone that is not soluble in water). If it's any consolation to those who are CG, but want to try this gel, the dimethicone falls in the middle of the ingredient list so buildup may not be as bad.
Balancing Rinse daily essential conditioner ingredients:
Water, Cetyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Cetrimonium Chloride, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Disodium EDTA, Lactic Acid, Benzophenone-4, Sodium Benzoate, Methylparaben, Diazolidinyl Urea, Fragrance, Annatto
Botanical Boost conditioning and refreshing spray
Water, Panthenol, Cetrimonium Chloride, Hydrolyzed Rice Protein, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Hydrolyzed Corn Protein, Centella Asiatica Extract, Hydrolyzed Wheat Starch, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Rosa Canina Leaf Extract, Spirulina Maxima Extract, Methyl Gluceth-10, Butylene Glycol, Propylene Glycol, Benzophenone-4, Benzalkonium Chloride, Fragrance, Polysorbate 20, Sodium Hydroxide, Disodium EDTA, DMDM Hydantoin.
Climate Control Heat and Humidity Gel
Water, Tocopheryl Acetate, Retinyl Palmitate, Panthenol, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Extract, Actinidia Chinensis (Kiwi) Fruit Extract, Lawsonia Inermis (Henna) Extract, Wheat Amino Acids, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein/PVP Crosspolymer, Propylene Glycol, PEG-60 Almond Glycerides, Dimethicone Copolyol, Dimethicone, Polyquaternium-28, Glycerin, PG-26-Buteth-25, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, PVP/DMAPA Acrylates Copolymer, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Methylparaben, DMDM Hydantoin, Fragrance
So, last night we went out to dinner and I was able to try out these products. I cowashed with Suave Naturals conditioner in Ocean Breeze. Conditioned with Balancing Rinse daily essential conditioner. I didn't leave my hair dripping wet after my shower, I squeezed out some water and just wrapped it in a towel for about 5-10 minutes while I put on lotion, moisturizer, etc. I used the Botanical Boost conditioning and refreshing spray as my leave-in. Applied coconut oil to some of the drier parts like the ends of my hair. Used a wide tooth comb to comb my hair. Scrunched with the Climate Control Heat and Humidity Gel. I was surprised that the consistency of the gel was closer to that of a frizz-free serum than a gel. I was kind of worried that it wouldn't hold any of my curl. I let it air dry for 5 minutes then ended up diffusing it for about 10 because it was too cold outside to leave the house with wet hair.
It dried pretty quickly. I was surprised how much hold the Climate Control Heat and Humidity Gel actually had without the crunchiness. I've been trying to find a gel just like this. It gave me a lot of volume too. When I was diffusing, I was thinking I was channeling Mufasa a little too much. I thought the Balancing Rinse conditioner and Botanical Boost spray were okay. I'll have to try using them again. Maybe the combo of the 3 is what actually gave me the volume. I really liked the Climate Control Heat and Humidity Gel. Only con is that it has dimethicone. I still see myself using this in spite of the dreaded silicone though.
I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! I may be checking out the Biggie movie with my boyfriend.
I believe the Botanical Boost conditioning and refreshing spray is CG friendly. The Balancing Rinse daily essential conditioner has Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein which might give some people difficulty. The Climate Control Heat and Humidity Gel also contains Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, dimethicone copolyl (water soluble silicone) and dimethicone (a silicone that is not soluble in water). If it's any consolation to those who are CG, but want to try this gel, the dimethicone falls in the middle of the ingredient list so buildup may not be as bad.
Balancing Rinse daily essential conditioner ingredients:
Water, Cetyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Cetrimonium Chloride, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Disodium EDTA, Lactic Acid, Benzophenone-4, Sodium Benzoate, Methylparaben, Diazolidinyl Urea, Fragrance, Annatto
Botanical Boost conditioning and refreshing sprayWater, Panthenol, Cetrimonium Chloride, Hydrolyzed Rice Protein, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Hydrolyzed Corn Protein, Centella Asiatica Extract, Hydrolyzed Wheat Starch, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Rosa Canina Leaf Extract, Spirulina Maxima Extract, Methyl Gluceth-10, Butylene Glycol, Propylene Glycol, Benzophenone-4, Benzalkonium Chloride, Fragrance, Polysorbate 20, Sodium Hydroxide, Disodium EDTA, DMDM Hydantoin.
Climate Control Heat and Humidity Gel
Water, Tocopheryl Acetate, Retinyl Palmitate, Panthenol, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Extract, Actinidia Chinensis (Kiwi) Fruit Extract, Lawsonia Inermis (Henna) Extract, Wheat Amino Acids, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein/PVP Crosspolymer, Propylene Glycol, PEG-60 Almond Glycerides, Dimethicone Copolyol, Dimethicone, Polyquaternium-28, Glycerin, PG-26-Buteth-25, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, PVP/DMAPA Acrylates Copolymer, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Methylparaben, DMDM Hydantoin, Fragrance
So, last night we went out to dinner and I was able to try out these products. I cowashed with Suave Naturals conditioner in Ocean Breeze. Conditioned with Balancing Rinse daily essential conditioner. I didn't leave my hair dripping wet after my shower, I squeezed out some water and just wrapped it in a towel for about 5-10 minutes while I put on lotion, moisturizer, etc. I used the Botanical Boost conditioning and refreshing spray as my leave-in. Applied coconut oil to some of the drier parts like the ends of my hair. Used a wide tooth comb to comb my hair. Scrunched with the Climate Control Heat and Humidity Gel. I was surprised that the consistency of the gel was closer to that of a frizz-free serum than a gel. I was kind of worried that it wouldn't hold any of my curl. I let it air dry for 5 minutes then ended up diffusing it for about 10 because it was too cold outside to leave the house with wet hair.
It dried pretty quickly. I was surprised how much hold the Climate Control Heat and Humidity Gel actually had without the crunchiness. I've been trying to find a gel just like this. It gave me a lot of volume too. When I was diffusing, I was thinking I was channeling Mufasa a little too much. I thought the Balancing Rinse conditioner and Botanical Boost spray were okay. I'll have to try using them again. Maybe the combo of the 3 is what actually gave me the volume. I really liked the Climate Control Heat and Humidity Gel. Only con is that it has dimethicone. I still see myself using this in spite of the dreaded silicone though.
I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! I may be checking out the Biggie movie with my boyfriend.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
I am a PRODUCT JUNKIE
I have a hard time not rushing out to buy something when I see a good review about a product. I used to try to stay away from blogs and forums because by the end of the day I had a list of stuff I had to get like RIGHT NOW. I've gotten a little bit better and I have a wish list where I just add products that I'm curious about and maybe at a later time buy it. Sometimes I forget about these products which is a good thing financially. A couple months ago most of my must have products were makeup. Now it seems to be hair and skincare products.
Last night, instead of going to the gym, I found my coconut oil. I had found coconut oil last week at the Vitamin Shoppe but, wasn't sure if the cooking type of coconut oil was the same oil I could use for my hair. I was told it was. I even picked the coconut oil that I did - Nutiva Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil - because it listed cooking, skincare and haircare as some of its uses. Before I got to the Vitamin Shoppe I had actually stopped at Walgreens, Bed Bath & Beyond and Target looking for coconut oil. Somehow I ended up getting two mousses, Herbal Essences Totally Twisted mousse and Giovanni Natural Mousse - Air Turbo Charged, after going through those stores. I wanted to try a mousse because I wanted the hold of a gel without the stiffness and crunchiness. Giovanni mousse was definitely an impulse buy. Or a "surprise" buy. I didn't know that Giovanni made a mousse and was "surprised" to see it so I bought it.
I tried out all three products last night. I used the coconut oil all over my hair, not too much on the roots. Then I used Herbal Essences Totally Twisted mousse on the left side and Giovanni Natural mousse on the right side. There wasn't a real big difference between the two sides. I liked the results right before I went to sleep but, I'll have to see how I truly like it when I can actually get out of the house.
Last night, instead of going to the gym, I found my coconut oil. I had found coconut oil last week at the Vitamin Shoppe but, wasn't sure if the cooking type of coconut oil was the same oil I could use for my hair. I was told it was. I even picked the coconut oil that I did - Nutiva Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil - because it listed cooking, skincare and haircare as some of its uses. Before I got to the Vitamin Shoppe I had actually stopped at Walgreens, Bed Bath & Beyond and Target looking for coconut oil. Somehow I ended up getting two mousses, Herbal Essences Totally Twisted mousse and Giovanni Natural Mousse - Air Turbo Charged, after going through those stores. I wanted to try a mousse because I wanted the hold of a gel without the stiffness and crunchiness. Giovanni mousse was definitely an impulse buy. Or a "surprise" buy. I didn't know that Giovanni made a mousse and was "surprised" to see it so I bought it.
I tried out all three products last night. I used the coconut oil all over my hair, not too much on the roots. Then I used Herbal Essences Totally Twisted mousse on the left side and Giovanni Natural mousse on the right side. There wasn't a real big difference between the two sides. I liked the results right before I went to sleep but, I'll have to see how I truly like it when I can actually get out of the house.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Bad versus Good silicones
On naturally.com, I noticed there were a lot of questions about how to identify whether or not a product was curly girl (CG) approved. I looked at my old post about identifying which silicones were bad and good and thought it could be clearer. I condensed the old list even more and tried to break them down into more understandable categories.
If you are going CG, I would definitely avoid category 1 (not water soluble) because you need harsh sulfates to remove them. Category 2 is kind of iffy. Some people report buildup that is hard to remove while some say that these silicones can be removed by just washing with conditioner or shampoo with mild cleansers. If you really want to use a product that has silicones from category 2, I would just try it out and see how your hair reacts to it (if you do or don't get buildup). Category 3 has the silicones you don't have to worry about because they are water soluble. If you find these in a product, it is still a CG product even though it is a silicone because it washes out easily.
Silicones
Not water soluble (Will buildup in hair)
1. Cetearyl methicone
2. Cetyl dimethicone
3. Cyclopentasiloxane
4. Dimethicone
5. Dimethiconol
6. Stearyl dimethicone
7. Trimethylsilylamodimethicone
Slightly soluble (May cause buildup in hair but some have found will still wash out with cowash)
1. Amodimethicone
2. Cyclomethicone
3. Behenoxy dimethicone
4. Stearoxy dimethicone
“CG approved” Water Soluble (Will not buildup)
1. Dimethicone copolyol
2. Hydrolyzed wheat protein hydroxypropyl polysiloxane
3. Lauryl methicone copolyol
4. Silicones with PEG listed before it
If you are going CG, I would definitely avoid category 1 (not water soluble) because you need harsh sulfates to remove them. Category 2 is kind of iffy. Some people report buildup that is hard to remove while some say that these silicones can be removed by just washing with conditioner or shampoo with mild cleansers. If you really want to use a product that has silicones from category 2, I would just try it out and see how your hair reacts to it (if you do or don't get buildup). Category 3 has the silicones you don't have to worry about because they are water soluble. If you find these in a product, it is still a CG product even though it is a silicone because it washes out easily.
Silicones
Not water soluble (Will buildup in hair)
1. Cetearyl methicone
2. Cetyl dimethicone
3. Cyclopentasiloxane
4. Dimethicone
5. Dimethiconol
6. Stearyl dimethicone
7. Trimethylsilylamodimethicone
Slightly soluble (May cause buildup in hair but some have found will still wash out with cowash)
1. Amodimethicone
2. Cyclomethicone
3. Behenoxy dimethicone
4. Stearoxy dimethicone
“CG approved” Water Soluble (Will not buildup)
1. Dimethicone copolyol
2. Hydrolyzed wheat protein hydroxypropyl polysiloxane
3. Lauryl methicone copolyol
4. Silicones with PEG listed before it
Weekend update
This past Saturday I think I got 5 minutes of outside air. I woke up at around 10AM, ate some breakfast, then started watching Property Ladder on TLC. Property Ladder is about flipping houses and is usually done by people with limited flipping experience. I also ended up watching the House marathon that was recorded on my DVR the week between Christmas and New Years. There was probably about 6-8 episodes. Each episode was about 45 minutes because I fast forwarded through all the commercials. That's all I did. Watched House all day. I stopped watching House to eat twice. Then around 9 at night I got the urge for Nacho Bell Grande from Taco Bell. Any time I have a craving, I have to have what I'm craving. So off my boyfriend and I go to Taco Bell. This is where I get my 5 minutes of outside air - the walk to and from the car. Ate the Taco Bell at home and continued watching TV. It was a very slow day but, I enjoyed it. Some days I just want to sit around and really do nothing at all.
My Sunday was a little bit more active. Got up for Church, went to a chinese buffet, then a shopping adventure. I had no plans to really buy anything except for tea tree oil and coconut oil. I heard tea tree oil was good for breakouts and I've been trying to get my skin under control. Coconut oil is supposedly good for your hair and really penetrates your hair for good conditioning. I also wanted to return a Denman brush and coconut moisturizer from Sally Beauty Supply. I didn't like the bristles on the Denman brush and the coconut moisturizer contained a lot of ingredients that would build up on my hair really quickly. I should have double checked the ingredients before I left the store. When I returned my stuff to Sally Beauty Supply, I noticed a section for Elizabeth Arden skincare products. I hadn't been into a Sally Beauty Supply in a while so I'm not sure if this is something new or not but, I know in the olden days those products weren't being sold there.
I've been wanting to go this one Health Food store for a while to find some organic skin and hair products. We drove all the way there to find it was closed on Sundays. Another organic store down the street though was open. It was called "Herbal Farmacy". The outside of it is modeled after a log cabin. You walk in and you're greeted with jars full of I'm guessing um herbs and then even more shelves of herbs or herbal medicine. My boyfriend said he felt like he was in a witch's lair. We were about to leave when this one hair product caught my eye. It was called Nature's Blessings Hair Pomade. It's second from the left in the picture. It's a conditioner, restorer and rootbuilder. You apply it to your hair after you've washed your hair and don't rinse it out. Ingredients include Nettle, Rosemary, Sage, Peppermint, Thyme, virgin Olive Oil, and pure coconut oil. Pure mineral jelly is listed at the end which means there is not large amounts of it in the product. I'll still be watching for possible buildup.
After we left there, we went to the mall. I still wanted to find some tea tree oil. The tea tree oil was $21 at Herbal Farmacy for a little itty bottle. I ended up stopping at Bath & Body Works too. I got Tropical Passionfruit and Japanese Cherry Blossom body washes and Cotton Blossom body lotion because it smells like laundry detergent to me and I really like the smell of laundry detergent. They are 1st, 3rd and 4th, respectively, from the left in the picture above.
I finally bought my tea tree oil at the Body Shop. I've probably been in 3 Body Shop stores in my
life. I was packing up my tiny tea tree oil when the sales woman at the Body Shop starts talking about the best way to prevent breakouts after I tell her the reason I bought the tea tree oil. She shows me this travel kit with different skin care products. She really knows how to hype up this stuff cuz I get hooked. Plus, her skin was really nice and she wasn't wearing makeup. She said she consistently used the Body Shop products. I hope she wasn't lying. So I end up buying the Seaweed skincare line travel kit. I have no will power. The kit included Seaweed deep cleansing facial wash, Seaweed clarifying toner, Seaweed mattifying day cream, facial blotting tissues and a facial brush. I started using it this morning. I'll try it out for a week or two to see if it helps any. The tea tree oil is on the left.
Other products I've recently bought, from left to right, are Herbal Essences Shampoo and Conditioner for Perm/Color treated/Damaged hair, Sunsilk Waves of Envy Shampoo and Conditioner and Generic Value Product (GVP) Matrix Bioloage Conditioning Balm. I also bought the Sunsilk Waves of Envy Sea spray but forgot to include it in the picture.
I've always loved Herbal Essences Shampoo and Conditioner for Perm/Color treated/Damaged hair because of the scent and it does moisturize my hair pretty well. Even though it doesn't consistently give me good curly results, it's the one shampoo and conditioner I've bought more than once.
The Sunsilk Waves of Envy Shampoo, Conditioner and sea spray moisturizes my hair well and made it softer but, provides no real curl definition. The Herbal Essences Shampoo and Conditioner for Perm/Color treated/Damaged actually gives me better curl definition than these products. I also like the scent of the Sunsilk Waves of Envy products. I think it has a powdery smell. My boyfriend thinks it smell like carpet cleaner. I guess along with this and my Cotton Blossom laundry detergent smelling lotion I'm on my way to smelling like a very clean house.
The GVP Matrix Bioloage Conditioning Balm is a CG approved product. I've only used it once so I can't give any good feedback right now. I'll continue to use it and see how it works. This can be purchased at Sally Beauty Supply.
Oy, this was too many products when all I wanted was some tea tree oil and coconut oil. Anyone know where I can find coconut oil? I saw some at the Vitamin Store but, it was for cooking. I'm wondering if it's the same kind of oil that can be used for your hair.
My Sunday was a little bit more active. Got up for Church, went to a chinese buffet, then a shopping adventure. I had no plans to really buy anything except for tea tree oil and coconut oil. I heard tea tree oil was good for breakouts and I've been trying to get my skin under control. Coconut oil is supposedly good for your hair and really penetrates your hair for good conditioning. I also wanted to return a Denman brush and coconut moisturizer from Sally Beauty Supply. I didn't like the bristles on the Denman brush and the coconut moisturizer contained a lot of ingredients that would build up on my hair really quickly. I should have double checked the ingredients before I left the store. When I returned my stuff to Sally Beauty Supply, I noticed a section for Elizabeth Arden skincare products. I hadn't been into a Sally Beauty Supply in a while so I'm not sure if this is something new or not but, I know in the olden days those products weren't being sold there.
I've been wanting to go this one Health Food store for a while to find some organic skin and hair products. We drove all the way there to find it was closed on Sundays. Another organic store down the street though was open. It was called "Herbal Farmacy". The outside of it is modeled after a log cabin. You walk in and you're greeted with jars full of I'm guessing um herbs and then even more shelves of herbs or herbal medicine. My boyfriend said he felt like he was in a witch's lair. We were about to leave when this one hair product caught my eye. It was called Nature's Blessings Hair Pomade. It's second from the left in the picture. It's a conditioner, restorer and rootbuilder. You apply it to your hair after you've washed your hair and don't rinse it out. Ingredients include Nettle, Rosemary, Sage, Peppermint, Thyme, virgin Olive Oil, and pure coconut oil. Pure mineral jelly is listed at the end which means there is not large amounts of it in the product. I'll still be watching for possible buildup.
After we left there, we went to the mall. I still wanted to find some tea tree oil. The tea tree oil was $21 at Herbal Farmacy for a little itty bottle. I ended up stopping at Bath & Body Works too. I got Tropical Passionfruit and Japanese Cherry Blossom body washes and Cotton Blossom body lotion because it smells like laundry detergent to me and I really like the smell of laundry detergent. They are 1st, 3rd and 4th, respectively, from the left in the picture above.I finally bought my tea tree oil at the Body Shop. I've probably been in 3 Body Shop stores in my
life. I was packing up my tiny tea tree oil when the sales woman at the Body Shop starts talking about the best way to prevent breakouts after I tell her the reason I bought the tea tree oil. She shows me this travel kit with different skin care products. She really knows how to hype up this stuff cuz I get hooked. Plus, her skin was really nice and she wasn't wearing makeup. She said she consistently used the Body Shop products. I hope she wasn't lying. So I end up buying the Seaweed skincare line travel kit. I have no will power. The kit included Seaweed deep cleansing facial wash, Seaweed clarifying toner, Seaweed mattifying day cream, facial blotting tissues and a facial brush. I started using it this morning. I'll try it out for a week or two to see if it helps any. The tea tree oil is on the left.Other products I've recently bought, from left to right, are Herbal Essences Shampoo and Conditioner for Perm/Color treated/Damaged hair, Sunsilk Waves of Envy Shampoo and Conditioner and Generic Value Product (GVP) Matrix Bioloage Conditioning Balm. I also bought the Sunsilk Waves of Envy Sea spray but forgot to include it in the picture.
I've always loved Herbal Essences Shampoo and Conditioner for Perm/Color treated/Damaged hair because of the scent and it does moisturize my hair pretty well. Even though it doesn't consistently give me good curly results, it's the one shampoo and conditioner I've bought more than once.The Sunsilk Waves of Envy Shampoo, Conditioner and sea spray moisturizes my hair well and made it softer but, provides no real curl definition. The Herbal Essences Shampoo and Conditioner for Perm/Color treated/Damaged actually gives me better curl definition than these products. I also like the scent of the Sunsilk Waves of Envy products. I think it has a powdery smell. My boyfriend thinks it smell like carpet cleaner. I guess along with this and my Cotton Blossom laundry detergent smelling lotion I'm on my way to smelling like a very clean house.
The GVP Matrix Bioloage Conditioning Balm is a CG approved product. I've only used it once so I can't give any good feedback right now. I'll continue to use it and see how it works. This can be purchased at Sally Beauty Supply.
Oy, this was too many products when all I wanted was some tea tree oil and coconut oil. Anyone know where I can find coconut oil? I saw some at the Vitamin Store but, it was for cooking. I'm wondering if it's the same kind of oil that can be used for your hair.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Baby come back..
ETA: Thank you to Patti, the webmistress for the band Player's website, for pointing out incorrect information I had posted. I had written that "Baby Come Back" was by Ambrosia but, it was actually by Player. My apologies about the mistake.
I'm sure you've seen the Swiffer commercial where the mop and broom want to be used again and the song "Baby Come Back" by PLAYER is playing in the background.
Video by TheMacaroniBand on YouTube
Well that's how it's been with me concerning silicones and sulfates. I tried my hardest to stick with the curly girl routine but for the following reasons I strayed:
1. I started getting too worried and paranoid about whether or not a product was CG approved. I'd read labels like a madwoman making sure I wasn't using any silicones. I even have a note in my phone listing all silicones for reference. All the worrying turned something fun, shopping for hair products, into a task.
2. I didn't like missing out on products that caught my eye while I was shopping. When I would be near hair products and I saw one that I really wanted to try I'd put it back because it wasn't CG approved. It almost felt like I was on a diet.
3. I prefer the fragrance of silicone products versus CG products. Most CG products are organic. I can't say 100% natural because a lot of them still include human-made chemicals. I still have not found a CG product whose fragrance I really liked. The call (or should I say smell) of most sulfate/silicone shampoos and conditioners, Herbal Essences Shampoos and Conditioners especially, is just too good. The first time I shampooed my hair with sulfates, after cowashing for a couple weeks, just felt so satisfying. Maybe that's why the girl in the Herbal Essences commercials really enjoyed her "organic" experience - she was stopping the CG method and reverting to her pre-CG ways.
Video by nastyplayboy69 on YouTube
4. The whole CG routine can be a lot of work. From picking the right products, plopping, diffusing and long drying time (during which you shouldn't touch your hair). I wanted a routine where I didn't have to apply products dripping wet and I didn't have to plop. I may do the CG routine every now and then but not all the time. Even though I use silicones, I still cowash. When I feel I may have buildup, then I use a shampoo with sulfates.
Soooo..lately I have been using both CG and non-CG approved products. Today I finally came across a pretty good combination.
Shampoo: Bumble and Bumble Curl Conscious Shampoo for fine to medium hair
Conditioner: Bumble and Bumble Curl Conscious Shampoo for fine to medium hair
Leave-in: Bumble and Bumble Curl Conscious curl creme
Mousse: Nexxus Gorgeous Curls Curl Enhancing Styler
Gel: Herbal Essences Set Me Up gel
I washed my hair. Combed conditioner through my hair. Continued with my shower with conditioner still left in my hair. Rinsed my hair at the end of my shower. Squeezed the water out of my hair but not handling my hair roughly and wrapped it in a towel. After I was done with my after shower routine, I removed the towel. Added curl creme throughout my hair and combed to distribute the product. I added mousse to my hair scrunching the whole time. I even scrunched with my head upside down. I let my hair air dry for maybe 5 minutes while I did my makeup. Added a little bit more of mousse while scrunching. Continued finishing my makeup then added a little bit of gel while scrunching for more definition. I actually liked how it ended up and my hair was pretty much dry by the time I got to Church 30 minutes later. My waves aren't usually as defined as this unless I use a diffuser but, I let my hair air dry the entire time. The waves held up good too. This picture is from when I got home later that night.
The products I used:
The Bumble and Bumble Curl Conscious Products were part of a kit that I found at the Cosmetics Company Outlet in California. I was glad I found it because I wanted to try the Bumble and Bumble Curl Conscious line without spending money on full sized bottles. The kit also comes with a shower cap and instructions on how to use the products which of course I didn't follow.
When I did my CG versus non CG product experiment, I should have done more experimenting before concluding that CG products were better than non-CG products. I just hadn't come across the right non-CG products.
There are still more products I would like to try both CG and non CG. They include coconut oil, Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose conditioner, Beyond the Zone Noodlehead Curl creme, Redken Ringlets or Fresh Curls line, Biolage daily leave-in tonic, Tigi Curls Rock creme, and Garnier Fructis Curl Scrunch gel.
I'm sure you've seen the Swiffer commercial where the mop and broom want to be used again and the song "Baby Come Back" by PLAYER is playing in the background.
Video by TheMacaroniBand on YouTube
Well that's how it's been with me concerning silicones and sulfates. I tried my hardest to stick with the curly girl routine but for the following reasons I strayed:
1. I started getting too worried and paranoid about whether or not a product was CG approved. I'd read labels like a madwoman making sure I wasn't using any silicones. I even have a note in my phone listing all silicones for reference. All the worrying turned something fun, shopping for hair products, into a task.
2. I didn't like missing out on products that caught my eye while I was shopping. When I would be near hair products and I saw one that I really wanted to try I'd put it back because it wasn't CG approved. It almost felt like I was on a diet.
3. I prefer the fragrance of silicone products versus CG products. Most CG products are organic. I can't say 100% natural because a lot of them still include human-made chemicals. I still have not found a CG product whose fragrance I really liked. The call (or should I say smell) of most sulfate/silicone shampoos and conditioners, Herbal Essences Shampoos and Conditioners especially, is just too good. The first time I shampooed my hair with sulfates, after cowashing for a couple weeks, just felt so satisfying. Maybe that's why the girl in the Herbal Essences commercials really enjoyed her "organic" experience - she was stopping the CG method and reverting to her pre-CG ways.
Video by nastyplayboy69 on YouTube
4. The whole CG routine can be a lot of work. From picking the right products, plopping, diffusing and long drying time (during which you shouldn't touch your hair). I wanted a routine where I didn't have to apply products dripping wet and I didn't have to plop. I may do the CG routine every now and then but not all the time. Even though I use silicones, I still cowash. When I feel I may have buildup, then I use a shampoo with sulfates.
Soooo..lately I have been using both CG and non-CG approved products. Today I finally came across a pretty good combination.
Shampoo: Bumble and Bumble Curl Conscious Shampoo for fine to medium hair
Conditioner: Bumble and Bumble Curl Conscious Shampoo for fine to medium hair
Leave-in: Bumble and Bumble Curl Conscious curl creme
Mousse: Nexxus Gorgeous Curls Curl Enhancing Styler
Gel: Herbal Essences Set Me Up gel
I washed my hair. Combed conditioner through my hair. Continued with my shower with conditioner still left in my hair. Rinsed my hair at the end of my shower. Squeezed the water out of my hair but not handling my hair roughly and wrapped it in a towel. After I was done with my after shower routine, I removed the towel. Added curl creme throughout my hair and combed to distribute the product. I added mousse to my hair scrunching the whole time. I even scrunched with my head upside down. I let my hair air dry for maybe 5 minutes while I did my makeup. Added a little bit more of mousse while scrunching. Continued finishing my makeup then added a little bit of gel while scrunching for more definition. I actually liked how it ended up and my hair was pretty much dry by the time I got to Church 30 minutes later. My waves aren't usually as defined as this unless I use a diffuser but, I let my hair air dry the entire time. The waves held up good too. This picture is from when I got home later that night.
The products I used:
The Bumble and Bumble Curl Conscious Products were part of a kit that I found at the Cosmetics Company Outlet in California. I was glad I found it because I wanted to try the Bumble and Bumble Curl Conscious line without spending money on full sized bottles. The kit also comes with a shower cap and instructions on how to use the products which of course I didn't follow.When I did my CG versus non CG product experiment, I should have done more experimenting before concluding that CG products were better than non-CG products. I just hadn't come across the right non-CG products.
There are still more products I would like to try both CG and non CG. They include coconut oil, Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose conditioner, Beyond the Zone Noodlehead Curl creme, Redken Ringlets or Fresh Curls line, Biolage daily leave-in tonic, Tigi Curls Rock creme, and Garnier Fructis Curl Scrunch gel.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Not Curl Girl Today
I haven't straightened my hair in about month which is a pretty long time, especially since I always used to straighten my hair. I tried to straighten it silicone free too. I think my hair needs silicones though to look shinier. I straightened it and then used a big curling iron so that it could get straighter but not flat. When I use a flat iron it gets too straight and I don't think I look right with really, really straight hair which is probably why God didn't give me straight hair. I'll have to find a better silicone free heat protectant and try it again.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Going out vs. Staying home products
I have a ton of beauty products at my house. I have an assortment of shampoos, conditioners, body washes, lotions, moisturizers, styling products, lip balm - the list could go on and on. I have a shower stand that's overflowing with stuff. It's so full I've started putting products on the sides of the tub, which is the whole reason why the shower stand was installed in the first place.
All the products get used eventually. I use them according to what I've categorized them as. I have separate "Going Out" products and "Staying Home" products. We'll refer to them as GO and SH products from now on. GO products aren't necessarily more expensive than SH products but, they are more effective. It's kind of like you reserve your best stuff for when you're actually leaving the house and other human beings are going to see you. The SH products you'll use and won't really care the outcome of it too much. I've never had my dog say anything about the way I look when I use my SH stuff. Some of the products are both GO and SH. Am I making sense?
My hair product inventory used to be a lot worse. It used to be broken up into 3 categories - straight hair, curly hair and staying home. (I'm getting Monica - from Friends - flashbacks right now.) Now it's only the two categories GO and SH.
My Current Going Out (GO) Products:
Giovanni Tea Tree Triple Treat Shampoo
Giovanni 50/50 Balancing Conditioner
St. Ives Elements Microdermabrasion face scrub
Sephora Birthday Cake bodywash (Remember that one I got for free? It smells so good.)
Dove Soap
Neutrogena Deep Clean Invigorating Dual Action Toner
Aveeno Daily Moisturizer with SPF15
Blistex Lip Balm
Giovanni Direct Leave-In Conditioner
Herbal Essences Set Me Up gel
My Current Staying Home (SH) Products
Giovanni Tea Tree Triple Treat Shampoo
Nexxus Humectress Moisturizing Conditioner (more expensive than the Giovanni 50/50 balancing conditioner but, I think the Giovanni conditioner works better)
St. Ives Apricot Cleanser/Mask
Caress Bodywash
Dove Soap
Neutrogena Deep Clean Invigorating Dual Action Toner
Oil of Olay moisturizer with SPF15 (I need to pick up another one of these. I just ran out the other day)
Blistex Lip Balm
Giovanni VitaPro Fusion Leave-in Hair Treatment
So folks, is this normal behaviour?
All the products get used eventually. I use them according to what I've categorized them as. I have separate "Going Out" products and "Staying Home" products. We'll refer to them as GO and SH products from now on. GO products aren't necessarily more expensive than SH products but, they are more effective. It's kind of like you reserve your best stuff for when you're actually leaving the house and other human beings are going to see you. The SH products you'll use and won't really care the outcome of it too much. I've never had my dog say anything about the way I look when I use my SH stuff. Some of the products are both GO and SH. Am I making sense?
My hair product inventory used to be a lot worse. It used to be broken up into 3 categories - straight hair, curly hair and staying home. (I'm getting Monica - from Friends - flashbacks right now.) Now it's only the two categories GO and SH.
My Current Going Out (GO) Products:
Giovanni Tea Tree Triple Treat Shampoo
Giovanni 50/50 Balancing Conditioner
St. Ives Elements Microdermabrasion face scrub
Sephora Birthday Cake bodywash (Remember that one I got for free? It smells so good.)
Dove Soap
Neutrogena Deep Clean Invigorating Dual Action Toner
Aveeno Daily Moisturizer with SPF15
Blistex Lip Balm
Giovanni Direct Leave-In Conditioner
Herbal Essences Set Me Up gel
My Current Staying Home (SH) Products
Giovanni Tea Tree Triple Treat Shampoo
Nexxus Humectress Moisturizing Conditioner (more expensive than the Giovanni 50/50 balancing conditioner but, I think the Giovanni conditioner works better)
St. Ives Apricot Cleanser/Mask
Caress Bodywash
Dove Soap
Neutrogena Deep Clean Invigorating Dual Action Toner
Oil of Olay moisturizer with SPF15 (I need to pick up another one of these. I just ran out the other day)
Blistex Lip Balm
Giovanni VitaPro Fusion Leave-in Hair Treatment
So folks, is this normal behaviour?
Monday, December 22, 2008
I'm going to be a Jabbawockee!
Orrrrr maybe I'm trying to clear up my skin with Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque. I've never tried a mask before. I'm starting to have a couple problem areas in between the middle of my eyebrows and near the right side of my chin. I've been using Mario Badescu drying lotion but, I want something to work STAT.
After reading Ailene's post about skin care, I decided to try a mask and Clean&Clear Persa-gel 10. I'll let you know if it works. I won't gross you guys out buy posting a before picture with pimples galore. I'll definitely post an after picture if my skin clears up.
By the way, that picture above was my best attempt at smiling. Those masks harden up quick. I feel like this mask makes my lips look bigger and really enhance (might not be the right word for what I'm about to say) the unevenness of my eyes. My left eye looks bigger than my right eye. This is not a spot the stuff wrong with Marjorie's face game either, haha. I'll be getting comments like it's not JUST your eyes that look crazy but also your (insert other facial feature here)....
Monday, December 15, 2008
Proof Curly Girl method works
This post should have been the second entry of my blog, following my introduction. I did an experiment this weekend. I wanted to see if the curly girl method really does make a difference. In one of my earlier posts, I discussed why sulfates and silicones were so bad and not CG method approved. Chemically, it made sense. Silicones that were not water soluble prevented conditioner from penetrating your hair and silicones could only be removed by sulfates which were too harsh for your hair so sulfates and certain silicones should be eliminated from your hair routine.
This weekend, I did my hair as usual, EXCEPT I used products with sulfates and silicones. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that using CG method approved products DO indeed make a difference. When I used products with sulfates and silicones, my hair did have a slight wave to it but, nothing like the results I got from the CG method. Products with sulfates and silicones weighed my hair done and my curl didn't hold. My hair was limp and by the end of the day I barely had any curl definition.
Day 1 - I used Pantene Hydrating Curls Shampoo and Pantene Hydrating Curls Condtioner. For my leave-in conditioner I used Frederic Fekkai Glossing Creme. Frederic Fekkai Glossing creme is a more high-end product. It's usually found at salons, Sephora and Ulta. For my gel, I used my usual Herbal Essences Set Me up gel.
These two pictures were taken right after I was done fixing my hair. My hair looks a little weighed down. This was right before I left to go Christmas gift shopping.
The next two pictures are after I got home from the mall. I barely have any curl left and I feel like my hair looks drier.
Day 2 - I used Herbal Essences Totally Twisted Shampoo and Herbal Essences Totally Twisted Conditioner. I used the same leave-in conditioner and gel - Frederic Fekkai glossing creme and Herbal Essences Set Me Up Gel.
Before I took a shower, I noticed my hair felt drier. It took me forever to comb my hair after I put conditioner in it during my shower. It was actually hurting me to comb through it because my hair was so dry, tangled and knotty. Another thing I noticed is my body felt waxy by the end of my shower. I'm guessing the waxiness is from the Herbal Essences Totally Twisted conditioner which contains silicones that are not water soluble. Even when I rinsed my self really well, I could still feel the waxiness. I never noticed that waxiness before I started doing the CG method.
These pictures were taken at the end of the night. I had just come back from eating at a Mexican restaurant. My hair was limp and some parts weren't even curly.
Conclusion: Curly Girl method definitely works. You don't even have to do the CG method step by step either. I mentioned before that I actually do a modified version of it. A plus side to the CG method is that a lot of CG method approved products are easy to find and cheap. Even when I used the more expensive Frederic Fekkai glossing creme (which has silicones that are not water soluble), it was no competition for my $7 Giovanni Direct Leave-in Conditioner.
I was going to do this experiment for a week but, I really disliked how my hair looked and felt. I will be starting CG method over again, getting rid of the silicones with a clarifying shampoo, the next time I wash my hair.
This weekend, I did my hair as usual, EXCEPT I used products with sulfates and silicones. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that using CG method approved products DO indeed make a difference. When I used products with sulfates and silicones, my hair did have a slight wave to it but, nothing like the results I got from the CG method. Products with sulfates and silicones weighed my hair done and my curl didn't hold. My hair was limp and by the end of the day I barely had any curl definition.
Day 1 - I used Pantene Hydrating Curls Shampoo and Pantene Hydrating Curls Condtioner. For my leave-in conditioner I used Frederic Fekkai Glossing Creme. Frederic Fekkai Glossing creme is a more high-end product. It's usually found at salons, Sephora and Ulta. For my gel, I used my usual Herbal Essences Set Me up gel.
These two pictures were taken right after I was done fixing my hair. My hair looks a little weighed down. This was right before I left to go Christmas gift shopping.
The next two pictures are after I got home from the mall. I barely have any curl left and I feel like my hair looks drier.
Day 2 - I used Herbal Essences Totally Twisted Shampoo and Herbal Essences Totally Twisted Conditioner. I used the same leave-in conditioner and gel - Frederic Fekkai glossing creme and Herbal Essences Set Me Up Gel.
Before I took a shower, I noticed my hair felt drier. It took me forever to comb my hair after I put conditioner in it during my shower. It was actually hurting me to comb through it because my hair was so dry, tangled and knotty. Another thing I noticed is my body felt waxy by the end of my shower. I'm guessing the waxiness is from the Herbal Essences Totally Twisted conditioner which contains silicones that are not water soluble. Even when I rinsed my self really well, I could still feel the waxiness. I never noticed that waxiness before I started doing the CG method.These pictures were taken at the end of the night. I had just come back from eating at a Mexican restaurant. My hair was limp and some parts weren't even curly.
Conclusion: Curly Girl method definitely works. You don't even have to do the CG method step by step either. I mentioned before that I actually do a modified version of it. A plus side to the CG method is that a lot of CG method approved products are easy to find and cheap. Even when I used the more expensive Frederic Fekkai glossing creme (which has silicones that are not water soluble), it was no competition for my $7 Giovanni Direct Leave-in Conditioner.
I was going to do this experiment for a week but, I really disliked how my hair looked and felt. I will be starting CG method over again, getting rid of the silicones with a clarifying shampoo, the next time I wash my hair.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Do not read if you LIKE pimples!
Now that I'm older I seem to be breaking out more. I thought you were supposed to have your acne issues during puberty. I seem to break out in the worst places too. The other day, I started getting this big pimple right between the middle of my eyes, prompting my coworker to ask if I was transforming into a unicorn.
Seems like I always break out anywhere up and down the middle of my face. It's weird. Maybe my pimples think it would be unfair to my face to stay just on the left or right side of my face so it chooses the middle.
Anyways, what seems to really be helping me is toner that I've added to my usual skincare
routine. Currently I'm using Neutrogena Deep Clean Invigorating Dual Action toner. Now I wash my face, use toner, then use a moisturizer. You'd be amazed how dirty that cotton ball is when you use toner after washing your face. Don't judge until you've tried it. Makes me wonder what I'm actually doing when I wash my face.
The other product that is helping me out a lot is Mario Badescu drying lotion. You apply this on
your pimples when you know you won't be going out because it's definitely not clear. The lotion kind of reminds me of calamine lotion and has a slight but bearable scent. I usually apply it before I go to bed and I always notice a difference the next day. The only con is the price. It's $17.00 for a 1 oz. bottle. This 1 oz bottle has lasted me (and my boyfriend, but you didn't hear that from me) for 3 months so not too shabby even if the quantity is small. I don't see having to buy another bottle anytime soon either.
I started using St. Ives Elements Microdermabrasion face soap. I was a big fan of the original St. Ives Invigorating Apricot scrub so I figured newer is better right? Incorrect. I prefer the original Apricot scrub. The Apricot scrub was a bit rougher but, I liked that because it seemed to get my face cleaner and softer. The Microdermabrasion face soap has "fine mineral crystals". The fine mineral crystals are a little too fine though. They somehow get into my eyes even when they're closed and my face doesn't seem as soft after. Lesson for the day folks - newer is not always better.
Ehhhh??
Oooohhh!!!
Seems like I always break out anywhere up and down the middle of my face. It's weird. Maybe my pimples think it would be unfair to my face to stay just on the left or right side of my face so it chooses the middle.
Anyways, what seems to really be helping me is toner that I've added to my usual skincare
routine. Currently I'm using Neutrogena Deep Clean Invigorating Dual Action toner. Now I wash my face, use toner, then use a moisturizer. You'd be amazed how dirty that cotton ball is when you use toner after washing your face. Don't judge until you've tried it. Makes me wonder what I'm actually doing when I wash my face.The other product that is helping me out a lot is Mario Badescu drying lotion. You apply this on
your pimples when you know you won't be going out because it's definitely not clear. The lotion kind of reminds me of calamine lotion and has a slight but bearable scent. I usually apply it before I go to bed and I always notice a difference the next day. The only con is the price. It's $17.00 for a 1 oz. bottle. This 1 oz bottle has lasted me (and my boyfriend, but you didn't hear that from me) for 3 months so not too shabby even if the quantity is small. I don't see having to buy another bottle anytime soon either.I started using St. Ives Elements Microdermabrasion face soap. I was a big fan of the original St. Ives Invigorating Apricot scrub so I figured newer is better right? Incorrect. I prefer the original Apricot scrub. The Apricot scrub was a bit rougher but, I liked that because it seemed to get my face cleaner and softer. The Microdermabrasion face soap has "fine mineral crystals". The fine mineral crystals are a little too fine though. They somehow get into my eyes even when they're closed and my face doesn't seem as soft after. Lesson for the day folks - newer is not always better.
Ehhhh??
Oooohhh!!!
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Curly Girl Method Approved Products
ETA: Please use the curly girl method approved product list on the left hand side of my blog. I had a list below but, it was too confusing having an outdated list in this post and then the updated list on the side of the blog so I just removed the list that was previously in this post below.
I think the hardest thing about the curly girl method is finding which products are sulfate and silicone free. Many organic products are cg approved but not all.
You can either read and dissect labels for the ingredients below which gives me a headache. Or you can do the lazy way like I did and just find a list of curly girl approved products.
The following information is from www.naturallycurly.com and http://www.wikihow.com/Follow-the-Curly-Girl-Method-for-Curly-Hair:
Silicones and Sulfates
• Silicones that are not soluble in water and build up on the hair: Cetearyl methicone, Cetyl Dimethicone, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone, Dimethiconol, Stearyl Dimethicone, and Trimethylsilylamodimethicone.
• Silicones that are slightly soluble in water and will build up on most types of curly hair: Amodimethicone, Cyclomethicone, Behenoxy Dimethicone, and Stearoxy Dimethicone.
• Silicones that are soluble in water and safe to use (they are not listed with PEG in front of them): Dimethicone Copolyol, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein Hydroxypropyl Polysiloxane, and Lauryl methicone copolyol.
• Some common sulfates are Alkylbenzene sulfonate, Ammonium laureth or lauryl sulfate, Ammonium or Sodium Xylenesulfonate, Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate, Sodium cocoyl sarcosinate, Sodium laureth, myreth, or lauryl sulfate, Sodium lauryl sulfoacetate, TEA-dodecylbenzenesulfonate, Ethyl PEG-15 cocamine sulfate, and Dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate.
• Some mild cleansers, less drying and included in modified CG, are Cocamidopropyl betaine, Coco betaine, Cocoamphoacetate, Cocoamphodipropionate, Disodium cocoamphodiacetate or cocoamphodipropionate, Lauroamphoacetate, and Sodium cocoyl isethionate.
A big clue that a product has sulfates or silicones is if an ingredient ends with -ate or -cone. The closer an ingredient is to the beginning of the list, the more of that ingredient is present in that product. Definitely avoid the silicones in the table listed below that are not water soluble.
This list is from www.naturallycurly.com
For a simpler breakdown of silicones, click here.
The following products are Curly Girl Method approved and can be found at:
http://healthycurls.awardspace.com/free.html
http://ladylonghair.googlepages.com/%27cone-freeconditioners
I just combined the two lists so that I won't have to keep going between the two sites. Check out those sites though. They're very informative.
I am also adding products as I learn of new CG products.
List has been removed. Please refer to the list found on the left hand side of my blog.
I think the hardest thing about the curly girl method is finding which products are sulfate and silicone free. Many organic products are cg approved but not all.
You can either read and dissect labels for the ingredients below which gives me a headache. Or you can do the lazy way like I did and just find a list of curly girl approved products.
The following information is from www.naturallycurly.com and http://www.wikihow.com/Follow-the-Curly-Girl-Method-for-Curly-Hair:
Silicones and Sulfates
• Silicones that are not soluble in water and build up on the hair: Cetearyl methicone, Cetyl Dimethicone, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone, Dimethiconol, Stearyl Dimethicone, and Trimethylsilylamodimethicone.
• Silicones that are slightly soluble in water and will build up on most types of curly hair: Amodimethicone, Cyclomethicone, Behenoxy Dimethicone, and Stearoxy Dimethicone.
• Silicones that are soluble in water and safe to use (they are not listed with PEG in front of them): Dimethicone Copolyol, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein Hydroxypropyl Polysiloxane, and Lauryl methicone copolyol.
• Some common sulfates are Alkylbenzene sulfonate, Ammonium laureth or lauryl sulfate, Ammonium or Sodium Xylenesulfonate, Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate, Sodium cocoyl sarcosinate, Sodium laureth, myreth, or lauryl sulfate, Sodium lauryl sulfoacetate, TEA-dodecylbenzenesulfonate, Ethyl PEG-15 cocamine sulfate, and Dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate.
• Some mild cleansers, less drying and included in modified CG, are Cocamidopropyl betaine, Coco betaine, Cocoamphoacetate, Cocoamphodipropionate, Disodium cocoamphodiacetate or cocoamphodipropionate, Lauroamphoacetate, and Sodium cocoyl isethionate.
A big clue that a product has sulfates or silicones is if an ingredient ends with -ate or -cone. The closer an ingredient is to the beginning of the list, the more of that ingredient is present in that product. Definitely avoid the silicones in the table listed below that are not water soluble.
This list is from www.naturallycurly.com
| Silicone | Water soluble?
| Recommended cleansing agents |
| Dimethicone | No | SLS, SLES, cocamidopropyl betaine, cocobetaine, ALS, or ALES
|
| Dimethiconol | No | SLS, SLES, cocamidopropyl betaine, cocobetaine, ALS, or ALES
|
| Phenyl Trimethicone | No | SLS, SLES, cocamidopropyl betaine, cocobetaine, ALS, or ALES
|
| Amodimethicone | No | SLS, SLES, cocamidopropyl betaine, cocobetaine, ALS, or ALES
|
| Cyclomethicone | No | cocamidopropyl betaine, cocobetaine, other mild surfactants, or conditioner washing
|
| PEG-modified dimethicone | Yes | cocamidopropyl betaine, cocobetaine, other mild surfactants, or conditioner washing
|
| Dimethicone copolyol | Yes | cocamidopropyl betaine, cocobetaine, other mild surfactants, or conditioner washing |
For a simpler breakdown of silicones, click here.
The following products are Curly Girl Method approved and can be found at:
http://healthycurls.awardspace.com/free.html
http://ladylonghair.googlepages.com/%27cone-freeconditioners
I just combined the two lists so that I won't have to keep going between the two sites. Check out those sites though. They're very informative.
I am also adding products as I learn of new CG products.
List has been removed. Please refer to the list found on the left hand side of my blog.
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