My hair hasn't stayed this soft, for this long... maybe ever!

Lovelies, I have a new discovery!  What's my secret weapon, you ask?  Dove Damage Therapy Intensive Repair conditioner.  For months, I have been wondering about Dove hair care products, but already had way too many shampoos and conditioners to justify a new purchase.  Finally I gave in an purchased the Intensive Repair conditioner anyways.  


One Friday I worked from home and decided to try the conditioner as a pre-poo and I left it in for hours.  The smell isn't overwhelming and is pleasant, the conditioner feels thick and substaintial (too often non-salon conditioners feel thin and like water), and the ingredients are okay.  Here are some of the ingredients and info courtesy of Tightly Curly.  I didn't list all of the ingredients, so be sure to research them and make the call for yourself.  The ingredients are listed right on the Dove website as well.


The Good
Dimethicone - a silicone that conditions by preventing water loss.
Behentrimonium chloride   - Used for detangling and as an anti-static ingredient and emulsifier.
Lactid Acid - Adjusts the pH and acts as a humectant, helping to attract moisture to your hair.
Dipropylene Glycol - Humectant


The Bad
Stearamidopropyl dimethylamine - This is used to keep the product from separating and can be slightly corrosive to hair if not properly neutralized.  
Potassium Chloride - Is a cheap thickener.

So after a lengthy pre-poo, I continued on with my normal routine for the most part.  But for my deep conditioner, I mixed my go-to Redken Butter Treat with Dove Damage Therapy Intensive Daily Treatment.  I followed with the Knot Today leave-in and two-strand twisted with Jane Carter's Twist & Lock cream.  Perfection is what I got!!!!  My hair has been super soft and moisturized for almost a week.  I haven't experienced this in a very long time, if ever.


So think about it, learn about it, and perhaps you will give it a try.  I have no complaints and I am sitting here right now pre-pooing with my new staple product!

To Leave-In or Not to Leave-In...

As you all know, I have an absolute love affair with Redken's Butter Treat.  Over the past 4 years of experimenting with every product out there, Butter Treat is by far the best deep conditioner I have found.  The instructions state that the conditioner doesn't have to be rinsed out and can be left in as a treatment.  I have never done this before, because I wasn't completely convinced that this was the case.  So last week I decided to leave it in, instead of rinsing it out.  With that said, I didn't use Knot Today, like I normally do.  I added a little Miss Jessie's Curly Meringue to each twist because I wanted my twists to maintain definition.  I used very little because I didn't want my hair to have the crunchy feeling that I have had before from using the Curly Meringue.

So all was well until I untwisted my hair the next norning.  My hair had this "dusty film" to it (sounds gross, doesn't it).  I think I used way too much Butter Treat and the excess product dried and created a "dusty film" on my hair.  It wasn't a huge deal and wasn't really noticeable, but it was gross at first because I didn't know what was going on.  I'm doing my hair again today and I'm going to try using the Butter Treat as a leave-in, but I will definitely use less.

I have also been experimenting with updos, now that my hair is longer.  I LOVE wearing my hair up, but it takes so many pins to keep the style secure.  I bought a cute, pink flower from a craft fair last weekend in Jersey City and now I am on the hunt for more cute hair accessories.  I think updos + hair accessories are my new summer go tos!