Product Review: Mizani Coconut Souffle

So as you know, I have been on a quest for an alternative to Miss Jessie's regularly priced products.  I have no problem buying their products when they are on sale, but I need a cheaper alternative.  Through a suggestion from one of my beautiful sorors, who JUST did the BC, I bought a container of the Mizani Coconut Souffle.

Product Description (from website):Natural coils and curls—and even some wavy hair types—require extra moisture, protection and style control. New whipped-texture, Coconut Soufflé Light Moisturizing Hairdressdisperses evenly and absorbs quickly for touchably soft waves and curls. Using a concentrated, natural-oil blend of coconut and camellina oils, it instantly envelops each strand and infuses it with uniform moisture from the inside out. Additionally, coconut oil helps strengthen hair and reduce breakage. The result is targeted moisturization, along with extra protection at the "stress" points of curly strands. 


Price: $20 (8 ounce container)


Positive comments:  The product is very light and smells good.  I used it for my dry twist out last night and my hair feels soft and moisturized today (it is still twisted).  There are some good ingredients in the product such as Coconut Oil, Glycerin, Camellina Oil, and Rice Bran Oil.  You don't need to use a lot so the 8 ounce container should last a while.


Negative comments: The product is a little slippery for dry twist outs and I prefer a heavier, creamy textured product for dry twist outs -  that is one thing I love about Miss Jessie's Buttercreme.


All in all I would recommend this product as a daily moisturizer and I would purchase it again.  But, I am not convinved that this is the best for dry twist outs, but it is great for keeping my kinks moisturized.  Miss Jessie's is still in the lead for my dry twist out go-to-product!

Miss Jessie's Withdrawal

I am basically out of Baby Buttercreme, but I am trying to wait to replenish my stock, hoping it will go on sale.  I have yet to find an alternative creamy product, that moisturizes my hair like MJ Baby Buttercreme does.  My attempts to find it on eBay have failed miserably.  I am tempted to try making my own "butter".  I know what ingredients my hair "likes", but it is just so much easier to buy something!!!


Any suggestions as an alternative to spending $50?

New Lazy 'Do

I am always excited to share something new, even if it is really nothing, so thank you for putting up with me as I express a lil bit of joy :o).  My hair is growing at a nice pace, so I am able to do more.  I blew it out this morning, but didn't want to just pull it back like I usually do.  So before my Board meeting, I threw some clips in it and did a "half" pull back.  The 'do is nothing special, but I can add it to the my list of lazy hairdos.  Check out the pictures.

 

Overnight Oil Pre-Poo

After my trip to Cornell, in the mountains, my hair was feeling pretty dry.  I wanted to do some sort of overnight treatment, so I decided on an overnight oil pre-poo.  Since I am still on this Peppermint Oil kick, I was eager to mix up a concoction.


My mix included:
Peppermint Oil
Avocado Oil
Olive Oil 
Vitamin E Oil


I didn't drench my hair in the oil, because I didn't want to wake up with a mess, but I definitely used more than I normally would; I would say that I used enough to coat the hair shaft.  As I was applying my mixture, I made sure to massage the oil into my scalp as well.  I put a plastic cap on my head and tied a scarf around my head.  I figured that the heat would help the oil to penetrate as much as possible.


I woke up this morning and washed out the oil, and then continued with my normal wash/condition/deep condition routine.  My hair is very soft and is full of life.


An oil pre-poo can be a cheap alternative to a overnight deep conditioning treatment.  Chances are that you have oils in small amounts already.

I *heart* Pureology

So I finally washed my hair; I had enough of the straight 'do.  I am in LOVE with Pureology shampoo and conditioner.  Please splurge on yourself and try the Hydrate line - it is simply amazing!  The shampoo doesn't leave your hair stripped of all life and moisture and the conditioner is very moisturizing (and tingles)!  Both products smell fantastic!  Below are some of the ingredients in each:
Hydrate Shampoo: Melanin, Sunflower Seed Extract and Oil, Glycerin, Rose Extract, Sandalwood Extract, Hydrolyzed Oat, Wheat and Soy Proteins.
Hydrate Conditioner: Sunflower Seed Extract, Sage Leaf Extract, Peppermint Leaf Extract, Rosemary Leaf Extract, Shea Butter, Hydrolyzed Oat Protein.

I tried using the Paul Mitchell products highlighted in the routine I posted a few weeks ago.  After my hair was mostly dry, I used some BioSilk as well and that gave me a nice sheen and locked in moisture.  I am really happy with the curl definition that both the Paul Mitchell Sculpting Foam (red top - Flexible Style line) and Paul Mitchell Foaming Pommade (red top - Flexible Style line) deliver.  I didn't experience terrible shrinkage and my hair doesn't feel crunchy.  The foam also allows your hair to dry very fast, so this could definitely be done in the morning before work.

I will post a YouTube video of this styling technique once I "perfect" it.  This will work well when I am feeling lazy and do not feel like twisting my hair and this is the closest that I will get to the wash and go.

I love the tingle!

I hope that everyone enjoyed their holiday weekend - I know I did!  I was able to relax and get some work and studying done. 

So it has 9 days and my hair is still straight!  Being in Virginia Beach did cause some "poofiness" due to the humidity, but I was able to use a little heat to get it back to normal.  It is supposed to rain through Wednesday in DC so I am not sure how much longer I can keep this look up.

My scalp has been itching something terrible, so I mixed up a concoction of pure Peppermint, Avocado and Vitamin E oils (I simply took a plastic Tupperware lid and mixed a few drops of each; I didn't make a big batch).  I gave myself a scalp massage and let me tell you, my scalp feels great.  The tingling sensation is so refreshing and I must admit that I smell great!  Not only will this help with the itching, the peppermint oil promotes scalp stimulation and promotes hair growth.  For more information on Peppermint Oil, check out my article at the The Coil Review.

PS - If you are looking for 100% pure Peppermint Oil, check your local vitamin and health shops.  I picked some up from GNC for only $7.

Flexi Rods aren't just for wet hair

Day 4 and my hair is still straight and full of volume.  On Sunday night, I wasn't quite sure what to do with my hair to maintain the curls because I didn't want to use any heat during the week.  So I looked through my closet and came across spongy pink rollers, hard pink rollers and flexi rods.  Not sure if you all remember, but I attempted to flexi rod my hair when it was wet a few months ago and that was an epic fail.  But I figured they had to be good for something, why not dry hair?


They have worked well!  My hair is at the length that it doesn't matter which way I roll it because it will look great in the morning no matter what.  So I have been using the flexi rods and pincurls to maintain the curls and I only use heat to touch up the roots in the front or to tame a wild piece.  To finish off my look, I used KeraCare's Oil Sheen with Humidity block and I am pretty happy with the results.  I took the below pictures this morning before I left the house:

Check out my article on The Coil Review!

Good morning!  I have another article up on The Coil Review, about Peppermint Oil.  It is a wonderful essential oil, so hopefully you will find the article useful.

Gym or no gym, that is the question...

First - don't judge me.  And yes I am having a vain moment.


So we all know that I don't get my hair blown out often, so it makes sense that I want to keep it straight as long as possible.


I think I am forgoing all gym activity for the week!  Let me try to rationalize this:

1. We all know that the minute I hit kickboxing, my hair will "poof" and I will leave looking like Simba and there goes my money down the tubes.
2. I count my calories, so as long as I eat like I am supposed to, missing a week of the gym won't be too bad - right?!?!?! (hmmm - let's not think about how I didn't go last week either).
3. (I'm fresh out of reasons already).

When you hair is blown out, how do you keep your hair straight through workouts?  Clearly I need some help here!!!!

Salon Visit + New Products + Pics

Well I had a wonderful weekend and I hope everyone did as well.  My appointment with Nicole at Pure Beauty was wonderful as usual.  She really knows natural hair is an expert colorist - I adore her.  I highly recommend her to anyone in the DC area who wants color (single process, highlights, etc) or a very good blow out.  Her blow drying technique is fantastic.  This time she just touched up my roots, gave me a little trim (not much at all), and blew out my hair in a cute curly look!  Check out the pictures (notice I threw in a picture of my "date night" outfit haha).

I had coupons for my hair services as well as products, so I figured I would splurge a bit.  I feel in love with the Pureology hair products, during my first visit to Pure Beauty, so I picked up the Hydrate shampoo and conditioner (purple bottle) as well as Redken Butter Treat hair conditioner.  The last time I saw Nicole, she said my hair was very dry and told me to use the Butter Treat.  Well in 3 months I finished the whole bottle and she said my hair felt like it did the first time I went to her for a below out - before I had any color.  I warn you that Pureology is expensive, about $30 a bottle, so I don't think I will be able to keep this up! 

In my quest to one day be able to the "wash and go" look, I asked Nicole for some suggestions.  She assured me that there is no reason for me or anyone else not to rock this look.  So here is what she suggested:

1. Wash and condition (and deep condition) as usual.
2. Detangle with conditioner in your hair and rinse.
3. Use a generous amount of Paul Mitchell Sculpting Foam (red top - Flexible Style line) mixed with some of the Paul Mitchell Foaming Pommade (red top - Flexible Style line).
4. Distribute thoroughly through your hair.  Your hair should be saturated and covered with white foam, so don't be alarmed.
5. After you work it through, pull it through your hair.  (When I watched the other stylist do this step, it look kinda like she was shingling in an upward motion.)
6. Sit under the dryer for 5 - 10 mintues, just so the foam will disappear.
7. Shape your hair and you are done!

I recorded a video blog post on Friday night and I haven't been able to upload it yet.  So I will try again and this time tape myself trying this new "wash and go" technique.