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Beloved readers, Brianna asked:

“I’ve searched the entire internet(at least it felt that way).

I need a conditioner combo that will supply me with:
Moisture
Little to none silicones
Slip
Will give me soft pliable hair.
Nice scent (I am not particular, I just like my hair to have a pleasant smell)
I am willing to spend up to $15- 25

I know its hard to offer suggestions without seeing the hair, but I am relaxed, its neck length, fine but alot of hair so I have to be careful not to weigh my hair down with products. I shampoo, deep condition, and flat iron my hair twice a month. I moisturize every other day with HHLTR leave in and seal with Grapeseed oil.

Just for more information, my hair likes HH Hello Hydration and Yes to Carrots C is for Conditioner. These products work the best out of the many I have tried.

My hair hates any ORS conditioner, the organix coconut conditioner, Suave almond and shea butter conditioner, and Aussie. Thats just a quick list.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.”

My dear that is a tall order, to be sure! You noted your hair likes HH and Say Yes to Carrots.

I would suggest trying the Say Yes to Cucumbers line as well, by the Say Yes to Carrots company as well as well as J/A/S/O/N conditioners and shampoos. Both lines do contain silicones, but are formulated very well to be clean-rinsing.

They  leave hair smelling fresh, and feeling smooth, soft, and supple without weighing it down. You can read my reviews for J/A/S/O/N products here and Say Yes to Cucumbers here.

My relaxed hair appreciated Kinky-Curly products (don’t let the emphasis on curls scare you away from the line). You can read them here.

If you want to spend a bit more, No Frizz by Living Proof is currently blowing my little, golden mind with their amazing, hard-working products that have no silicones.

Aveda’s Damage Remedy line (also a bit pricey) may also suit your fancy. You can read my reviews for Aveda here and Living Proof here.

I have three more Living Proof reviews coming (two in February and one in March –I’m still using the product).

I hope this is helpful, dear heart.

Thank you for reading!

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As of the writing of this post, beloved readers, Living Proof’s No Frizz Solutions is my staple brand as I grow out my texlaxed TWA (which is half natural, and half texlaxed/colored).

Much of this review will contain snippets on my review of the conditioner (which can be read here) as they are similar in several respects.

I wrote:

I am pleased with this product’s performance in every way possible. After a chemical-free life in 2011, I’ve redefined for myself what chemicals I’m comfortable with in my beauty regimens and this not only made the cut, it set the curve.

I love the modern, natural palette, deliciously efficient packaging –indestructible tab tops, ergonomic shape, and invertible bottles– and it’s great layout and sleek font. CHIC!

It has an unobtrusive, unisex, “fresh” scent. It lingers only slightly, if at all. I love that it is not floral-y,powdery or creamy sweet, like many products marketed toward women are.

This is SILICONE AND PARABEN-FREE, and is choc full of exclusive ingredients.

The only caveat to this product, for some ladies, is going to be it’s price. You get what you pay for and in this case I’m willing to pay for perfect hair days.

I NEVER have a bad hair day with this line and that kind of certainty with curly, coil locks is pert near priceless.

In this case, it’s about $26 at your local Ulta, Sephora, or Salon. I tried the travel sizes first, which were $10-$12 each, at my local Ulta.

There you have it, beloved readers, my little, golden staple line for 2012 (and perhaps beyond!).

Check out their site and other lines here.

The major differences are the feel and appearance of the product, unsurprisingly.

This product is a pearlescent (Read: pretty!) white, super “slippy”, non-sticky, thin, and runny. It’s easy to use too much with this, as the formula is very thin. Don’t let that fool you –it explodes into a creamy, milky, thick blanket of tiny bubbles that works into your hair with ease.

This left my hair clean, smooth, fluffy, and silky sans parabens, heavy oils, or silicones. HUZZAH!

There are only two caveats that may be encountered with this product:

1) The price. You get what you pay for. I gladly pay for it, personally, but it could be a concern –especially for ladies with long hair. This cost about $26 at my local Ulta. Try the $10 trial sized bottles first. (That’s what I did!)

2) You can’t skimp when you use it. You will have to use a decent amount for the length of hair you have; however, it will do ALL that it claims to do for you trouble.

I LOVE LURVE THIS SHAMPOO!

Texlaxed ladies, natural ladies, and relaxed ladies alike well enjoy how this cuts down detangling time and helps pave the way for smoother, less tangle-prone hair. (Something we can all enjoy, no?)

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As of the writing of this post, beloved readers, Living Proof’s No Frizz Solutions is my staple brand as I grow out my texlaxed TWA (which is half natural, and half texlaxed/colored).

I am pleased with this product’s performance in every way possible. After a chemical-free life in 2011, I’ve redefined for myself what chemicals I’m comfortable with in my beauty regimens and this not only made the cut, it set the curve.

I love the modern, natural palette, deliciously efficient packaging –indestructible tab tops, ergonomic shape, and invertible bottles– and it’s great layout and sleek font. CHIC!

The product itself has a slick feel, yet is gorgeously thick WITH NO SILICONES OR HEAVY OILS!

It is opaque white, which isn’t too surprising. What is surprising is that this thick, slick (yet, somehow fluffy) conditioner provides the most slip of ANY conditioner I have used to date. This is the product line I will always com back to –if I ever leave it, JUST for this conditioner alone.

It has an unobtrusive, unisex, “fresh” scent. It lingers only slightly, if at all. I love that it is not floral-y,powdery or creamy sweet, like many products marketed toward women are.

This is SILICONE AND PARABEN-FREE, and is choc full of exclusive ingredients.

This slid over my strands and wrapped them in moisture, locked down my cuticle, melted tangles, and left my hair SILKY smooth –AND WEIGHTLESS! NOTHING has every given me so much slip with NO WEIGHT on my individual strands . It’s just BLASTED GLORIOUS!

Better still? NO BUILD UP. Period. I do not get build up with this using it per the directions AND EVEN  WHEN USED AS A LEAVE-IN, I am build-up free! It even gives shine as a leave-in to my 3c/4a curls and coils!)

The only caveat to this product, for some ladies, is going to be it’s price. You get what you pay for and in this case I’m willing to pay for perfect hair days.

I NEVER have a bad hair day with this line and that kind of certainty with curly, coil locks is pert near priceless.

In this case, it’s about $26 at your local Ulta, Sephora, or Salon. I tried the travel sizes first, which were $10-$12 each, at my local Ulta.

There you have it, beloved readers, my little, golden staple line for 2012 (and perhaps beyond!).

Check out their site and other lines here.

Relaxed ladies –this will keep you super smooth and frizz-free and their straightening line is fantastic. My recently bone-laxed hair rejoices.

Natural and texlaxed ladies, this will significantly reduce frizz for you and when used with a light hand is a decent leave-in (use a clarifying poo once a week or bi-weekly, just to stay on the safe side, if you use it this way!).

One final note: This will not give you a texture you do not have. It will only perfect what you have. If you have no discernible curl pattern, this will cut frizz dramatically, but may not do so in the jaw-dropping way it did for me.

Ingredients: Water, PolyfluoroEster, Ethylhexyl Stearate, Polyacrylate-13, Cetyl Alcohol, Polyisobutene, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Fragrance, Polysorbate 20, Sorbic Acid.

Continue reading »]]> Beloved readers, a fellow beloved reader Jamira was kind enough to bring a work of hers to my attention.

One of the purposes of this blog, if not its primary purpose, is to provide useful information.

Enter in: beautyx.com

It’s like an UBER emporium of make-up/beauty/hair/you-name-it tutorials by WOC for WOC.

Nice.

How exactly does that occur?

“BeautyX is an exciting new website where women of color can share and discover beauty styles and products!

 

At www.BeautyX.com, users can create LookBooks by uploading a photo and tagging the hair or makeup products you used.

 

Then share your style inspiration with the community.

 

You can browse LookBooks to discover a new makeup style, find the perfect eye shadow for your skin tone, or learn about the products and process for creating a twist out!

 

In the products section, you can read about concerns like hair breakage or discoloration and learn how to build a regimen to solve your concerns.”

Super nice.

If you have more questions, you can reach dear Jamira here: jcotton@beautyx.com

I love seeing women create the change they want to see and this site is an excellent example of that. My apologies, dear hearts, for taking so long to devote a post to this wonderful resource.

 
Check it out! I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences!

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Beloved readers, Tia, asked:

“I was reading a post about shampoo on another site and someone commented that they use a sls poo instead of a sls free one because they have issues with build up and that had me wondering if I should switch to a sls poo later in my stretches when I have issues with build up as well. Now I have added baking soda to my shea moisture poo to deal with build up and it works but I don’t want to have to that everytime if because the baking soda breaks the shampoo down (or at least that’s what it looks like) when you let it sit for more than a couple of days. Also I don’t know how good it would be for my hair to wash it weekly with a poo/baking soda mix. Are sls poos helpful with build up?”

To your first question, there are “natural” shampoos out there strong enough to remove build up. Kinky-Curly makes one that I have used (read my review here) as does Garnier (read my review here). They are both harsh and best used weekly.

Using a stronger shampoo if you only wash once a week or when you have build up issues is not a bad idea. I did it frequently in the past while texlaxed, natural, and Relaxed at longer lengths.

Try adding baking soda, if that’s your preference, to your regular shampoo in your hand right before use, when you feel you have product build up. I would never mix them ahead of time and let them sit for risk of spoilage and product waste.

Many women, especially naturals with all-natural regimens used a mix of baking soda and water to remove build up weekly. As long as its diluted long enough and used weekly, I have seen women have clean, soft hair and retain length without issue.

To answer your final question, for myself and others chemically-altered and natural alike, SLS poos (in a regimen that balances out their strong cleansing abilities) can be a helpful tool in having healthy hair.

I have gone back and forth with SLS over the years, and I have found that it comes down to a balanced regimen over all.

NOTE: If you color your hair, baking soda WILL fade your color quickly!

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Beloved readers, JazzFest, asked:

“Is there ANY safe way to colour hair aside from indigo and henna?
My mum might end up going with Bigen or some other box colour because she needs it within a week and stuff ordered online won’t come in time :S”

There is a product called Herbatint, that is supposedly safe. I don’t know much about it and have not used it, but it may be worth researching.

Aveda has supposedly low-toxin or non-toxic color, used during services at their salon. I had a pleasant experience having a demi-permanent color applied there, that did not irritate my scalp.

It’s hard to avoid harsh chemicals when it comes to color, unfortunately, but we can mitigate their effects.

Thank you for reading, dear!

Continue reading »]]> I outlined my full creed here.

This is my first of a series of posts that will elaborate on the points mentioned there before I get into the nitty gritty of femininity going into 2012.

The first belief I expressed in that post was this:

“It comes from the inside out.You can’t be full of inner chaos and have a GENUINE, TRUE, EFFORTLESS femininity. You may have the outside painted well enough, but it will difficult if not impossible to exude a warm and legitimate feminine air.”

I’d like to again refer people to my first intro post on my femininity content (click here).

I want to strongly to reiterate that I want to take an approach to femininity that I have yet to see become popular in the blog-o-sphere:

Attaining (Greater) femininity from the INSIDE out.

Why?

As I noted in that post:

“I am TERRIBLY weary of blogs that reduce femininity to learning the “Charm Secrets of Cleopatra” or “Geisha” or what have you and neglect the deep inner work that goes on with getting in touch with out femininity and gaining a true sense of womanhood. Especially, when we live in a world where women are subjugated, physically brutalized, and psychologically assaulted daily by a photoshop-and-plastic-surgery-laden “reality”.

This is even harder for women of color who has racism and a history of colonization to add into the mix.

Those resources ARE important. Oh, yes, beloved readers, they certainly are.

I feel they are one half of the coin however, and I am endeavoring to provide information that would reside on the other side of that same coin.”

Why does that matter?

“You can’t muse upon the charms and graces of Audrey Hepburn when you can’t navigate through your own emotions.

How can you ruminate upon how to walk more attractively or have more pleasing facial expressions when you lack the skills to purge your life of toxic friends who steal the “girlish glow” right out of you (yes, I have a tutorial about that)?

There’s a lot to be said about knowing how to walk properly in heels (which I will cover, I am a surgeon at this! See my Part 1 post here.).

There’s a lot MORE to be said about having TRUE, LASTING, AND TOTAL peace of mind. You will walk more attractively no matter WHAT you’re wearing when you’re fully at peace with yourself.

Being at peace with yourself, beloved readers, is where I believe the beginning of finding your true femininity lies.

All of the perfectly applied make-up in the world cannot mask a woman that’s not in step with womanhood –in the form of her particular, personal, and unique brand of femininity.”

With that typed and read, I wanted to delve just a bit further into what I mean by “true” and “real” femininity.

I’m talking about sincerity, which is growing rarer by the minute in men and women the world over.

Sincerity in how you treat YOURSELF and others. Sincerity is not to be confused, on this blog, with “flattery”, “deceit”, or “manipulation”.

No.

Sometimes we have to completely relearn what it means.  Many of us were not treated to sincere kindness often in life, or at all. It can be difficult to find positive examples of sincerity. The media certainly isn’t churning them out .

There are plenty of examples of sincere hate, cruelty, selfishness, anger, bigotry, sorrow, despair, and hopelessness.

There are fewer examples of sincere mercy, generosity, hope, kindness, generosity, and so forth.

Why all  of the mumbo-jumbo about “feelings”, you ask, beloved readers?

Femininity involves emotions.

That’s not to say Masculinity does not –they are just expressed in an equally valid, but different way.

To get in tune with your true feminine self, you’re going to have to be able to deal with your emotions in a healthy way and display them in your everyday life in a sincere fashion (hopefully, the positive ones will be seen most often!).

You may need to change your diet, seek hormone therapy, see a therapist, join a church, cut toxic people out of your life, find good examples if you have none in your current social circles, and FIGHT to learn how to deal with your own emotions.

It’s not easy (I can only do so through my belief in Christ, to be honest).

I don’t claim to have a tutorial for that –there are hordes of other blogs, websites, books, seminars, etc. devoted to that.

I simply want to bring awareness to it and encourage you to pursue it. It IS worthwhile and YOU ARE SO VERY WORTH IT, beloved readers.

Are you in charge of your emotions, so you can show and experience them in a  healthy, sincere way? (If so, hurray!)

.

.

.

If not, what are you going to do about it?

Continue reading »]]> Beloved readers, I love that this product is

I really love that it is comprised of: botanical infusion of water, horsetail, chamomile, nettle and marshmallow, organic aloe vera juice, agave nectar extract, tocopheryl acetate (vitamin e), pectic, citric acid, potassium sorbate and natural fragrance.

I absolutely love its reasonable price (around $12), for the amount that you get and how long a teeny dab of this product will go.
I don’t love how tricky it is to find the perfect use for this product, when not paired with anything else.

My texlaxed hair (3B) would not agree with it. If I used enough for hold it took too long to dry or was crunchy (leading to tiny flakes that caused a dulling effect).

My natural curl pattern (4a/3c) benefited from less frizz, but took forever to dry or was slightly softer then it would be without product and little else. My dense TWA was simply not having it.

When used (as suggested!) paired with Kinky-Curly Knot-Today (See my review) it performed slightly better, but for my texlaxed and natural hair it was only good for a light touch on the ends to keep them looking crisp.

It has a pleasant creamy-sweet fragrance, that lingers slightly in the hair after application that I greatly enjoyed. That and the chic tub (I’m not a fan of tubs, I might add) is rather cute.

I so desperately wanted to slather my teeny mane in this, because the ingredients are simply magnificent, but that was not to be.

I passed this on to a relaxed relative who ADORED it for holding her bangs in place, slicking back her (fine) hair, keeping her hairline in check, and adding shine over all (use small amounts or your heat-styled hair may revert).

So, relaxed ladies that prefer more natural products or fine-haired naturals you may find this product is just what you’ve been looking for!

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Beloved readers, Niki asked:
 

do you know what the ingredients are?

in relation to my review of this product, by Victoria Secret.

To answer your question, no, m’dear. I did a Google search and did not turn up anything within the first few minutes. I know they have revamped their hair products a while a go, so the ingredients may have changed from those used in the formulation I reviewed. Sorry about that!

 
 
Thank you for reading!