Tuesday, August 25, 2009
patting myself on the back
im still styling challenged, so i was super excited when i managed to do 2 braids on the munchking. it took me almost 2 episodes of dora to complete, but i did finish and boy was i proud!
perfect curl technique: smoothing every curl
recently, everyone has been talking about teri from tightlycurly.com and her smoothing every curl styling technique. if youve been living under a rock, and i say that with love :) and have no clue what im talking about check out the website and the video:
i tried it for myself and i have mixed reviews. technically i didnt style my entire head this way because i have neither the time nor the patience to smooth every curl. so i shingled in my products (elucence mb conditioner+ castor oil and fantasia ic gel w/ sparkelites) and just smoothed the defiant curls and rogue areas of frizz. all in all, this styling technique did as promised. my curls were defined.
pros:
- defined curls
cons:
- takes too long for my liking
- if you prefer a voluminous look, this is not for you
i think if my hair ever gets to be teri's length, this will definitely be a perfect curl technique.
i tried it for myself and i have mixed reviews. technically i didnt style my entire head this way because i have neither the time nor the patience to smooth every curl. so i shingled in my products (elucence mb conditioner+ castor oil and fantasia ic gel w/ sparkelites) and just smoothed the defiant curls and rogue areas of frizz. all in all, this styling technique did as promised. my curls were defined.
pros:
- defined curls
cons:
- takes too long for my liking
- if you prefer a voluminous look, this is not for you
i think if my hair ever gets to be teri's length, this will definitely be a perfect curl technique.
Monday, August 17, 2009
product review: mixed chicks leave in conditioner/styling cream
a while back i posted an email i received from an acquaintence singing the praises of the mixed chicks product line (http://subbrock.blogspot.com/2009/04/mixed-chicks-products-testimonial.html). now im not trying to knock anyone's hustle, but the major thing that turned me off from the mixed chicks line in general is their marketing strategy. i personally feel like theyre capitalizing on mothers (white mothers in particular) of bi/multiracial children with curly hair. but i guess thats a-whole-nother issue...
i had the opportunity to sample their shampoo, leave in, and deep conditioner but i decided to go only with the leave in (the shampoo has SLS). i tried it on both myself and the munchkin.
pros:
- it smells yummy
- it has an element of hold to it
- left munchkins hair shiny and frizz free
- definitely gave our hair some bling (munchkin had blinging curls that lasted all day. mine were blinging at first but once my hair dried 100% no bling)
- depending on where you live, you can get it locally
cons:
- hate their percieved marketing strategy
- the ingredients are definitely not CG friendly. the shampoo has SLS, and both conditioners contain non water soluable silicones. the leave in has emulsifying wax (my hair hates waxes) and multiple parabens. many chemicals ive never heard of are listed in ingredients.
baby girl's hair styled with leave in + curl keeper:
my hair styled with only the leave in (no oils or gels added). i used my modified braid out technique (http://public.fotki.com/subbrock/2009/winter/pony112.html)to style instead of my usualy wash n go.
you can get mixed chicks products at www.mixedchicks.net (check their store/salon locator to see if they have a retailer near you) or www.curlmart.com
i had the opportunity to sample their shampoo, leave in, and deep conditioner but i decided to go only with the leave in (the shampoo has SLS). i tried it on both myself and the munchkin.
pros:
- it smells yummy
- it has an element of hold to it
- left munchkins hair shiny and frizz free
- definitely gave our hair some bling (munchkin had blinging curls that lasted all day. mine were blinging at first but once my hair dried 100% no bling)
- depending on where you live, you can get it locally
cons:
- hate their percieved marketing strategy
- the ingredients are definitely not CG friendly. the shampoo has SLS, and both conditioners contain non water soluable silicones. the leave in has emulsifying wax (my hair hates waxes) and multiple parabens. many chemicals ive never heard of are listed in ingredients.
baby girl's hair styled with leave in + curl keeper:
my hair styled with only the leave in (no oils or gels added). i used my modified braid out technique (http://public.fotki.com/subbrock/2009/winter/pony112.html)to style instead of my usualy wash n go.
you can get mixed chicks products at www.mixedchicks.net (check their store/salon locator to see if they have a retailer near you) or www.curlmart.com
product review: herbal essences none of your frizzness smoothing leave in creme
the little one and i went to the beach and i realized that i had left her/the man's leave in (generic paul mitchell the conditioner) at home. so i was forced to buy something (anything!) from the grocery store. i decided upon herbal essences none of your frizzness smoothing leave in creme.
pros:
- cheap
- love the smell
- leaves her hair very soft
- lightweight
cons:
- the ingredients. it contains dimethicone (im not opposed to this silicone)and its no where near natural. most of the ingredients are chemicals ive never heard of. also, it contains 5 different alcohols.
im still on the fence about this one. like i mentioned before, it left her hair extra soft even after full days of swimming in the salty ocean water and chlorinated pool water. but im worried that over time, the silicone and alcohols will leave her with a hair disaster. im going to finish this bottle and possibly repurchase one more time before i give it my seal of approval/disapproval for the munchkin. my hair gave it a seal of disapproval. too light to be effective on my dry 3c coils.
here is her hair with the none of your frizzness leave in + curl keeper:
the pics are kind of crappy but i wanted readers to note (a) the lack of frizz, despite the fact that we're at the beach and (b) the bling aka how shiny her hair is.
link to product info: http://www.herbalessences.com/us/collections/none_of_your_frizzness/creme.jsp
pros:
- cheap
- love the smell
- leaves her hair very soft
- lightweight
cons:
- the ingredients. it contains dimethicone (im not opposed to this silicone)and its no where near natural. most of the ingredients are chemicals ive never heard of. also, it contains 5 different alcohols.
im still on the fence about this one. like i mentioned before, it left her hair extra soft even after full days of swimming in the salty ocean water and chlorinated pool water. but im worried that over time, the silicone and alcohols will leave her with a hair disaster. im going to finish this bottle and possibly repurchase one more time before i give it my seal of approval/disapproval for the munchkin. my hair gave it a seal of disapproval. too light to be effective on my dry 3c coils.
here is her hair with the none of your frizzness leave in + curl keeper:
the pics are kind of crappy but i wanted readers to note (a) the lack of frizz, despite the fact that we're at the beach and (b) the bling aka how shiny her hair is.
link to product info: http://www.herbalessences.com/us/collections/none_of_your_frizzness/creme.jsp
product review: burt's bees super shiny conditioner
ive tried burt's bees conditioners on my 3c curls and in general, theyre too light to do much for my hair. but ive been on a quest to find great products locally, so i decided to revisit burt's bees for my daughter's 3a/b curls.
ultimately, i went with their super shiny grapefruit & sugar beet conditioner because it does not contain protein.
pros:
- relatively inexpensive
- can be purchased locally
- natural/CG friendly ingredients
- leaves the munchkin's hair unbelievably soft
- good for co-washing
cons:
- doesnt "melt" tangles away
- not heavy enough on its own to tame frizz
im not in love with it, but i dont hate it either. if youre still experimenting with products, its deinitely worth a try.
here is a pic of baby girl's hair using the super shiny conditioner:
for more info, check out this link to the product info at burtsbees.com: http://www.burtsbees.com/natural-products/hair-conditioners/super-shiny-grapefruit-sugar-beet-conditioner.html
ultimately, i went with their super shiny grapefruit & sugar beet conditioner because it does not contain protein.
pros:
- relatively inexpensive
- can be purchased locally
- natural/CG friendly ingredients
- leaves the munchkin's hair unbelievably soft
- good for co-washing
cons:
- doesnt "melt" tangles away
- not heavy enough on its own to tame frizz
im not in love with it, but i dont hate it either. if youre still experimenting with products, its deinitely worth a try.
here is a pic of baby girl's hair using the super shiny conditioner:
for more info, check out this link to the product info at burtsbees.com: http://www.burtsbees.com/natural-products/hair-conditioners/super-shiny-grapefruit-sugar-beet-conditioner.html
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