Aphogee Review/Today's Wash

Ok So now I know why so many ladies rave about this stuff. LOL. Since I used it about a two weeks ago, I've noticed a change in my hair. I don't seem to be shedding as much. And the overall feeling of my hair is softer. When I go to comb my hair up just a little, I don't see as many hairs in the comb. It'sgood stuff. I know that eventually, I will have to do a strong protein, but this worked out really well. I'm happy. :)

Now for the information about today's wash... Let's start at yesterday. Overnight, I let a mixture of VO5 and amla oil sit on my hair. I'm glad I did this because as I was rinsing, I realized that I was able to run my fingers through my hair. The new growth had laid down considerably. I was really happy about this.

I shampooed my hair. I didn't get as much lather, but I didn't mind that. I could tell that my scalp was clean, so that's when I stopped. Then I followed with a deep condition under my dryer. And when I rinsed that, I could feel how happy my hair and scalp were. It was nice.

I put in a leave-in and some frizz control. And from there, I let my hair air dry hanging down. It drie nice and soft. But something was bothering me. My ends looked a little ragged. So I had to dust them. I was disappointed because I didn't want to see my scissors for awhile. But now that it's done, I won't be doing anymore cutting for awhile. It was so painful. :(

I moisturized and sealed. Everything seems ok. My hair is really soft. I keep reaching up to smooth it. It smells nice as well. And it feels really light as well.

iHerb.com=My New Best Friend...LOL

I found a site today (iHerb.com) that was able to cater to my hair needs today. And I was so happy about it. So I ordered up those things that I had a hard time finding close to me. Here's what I got. And I'll be sure to make these into hyper links that will take you directly to the products.

Giovanni Smooth as Silk Deeper Moisturizing Conditioner
Giovanni Smooth as Silk Deep Moisture Shampoo
Now Foods 100% Pure Coconut Oil
Now Foods Vegetable Glycerin
Home Health Rose Water

The only thing I didn't get was aloe vera juice and jojoba oil. I will get the aloe vera juice at Super Wal-Mart. And the jojoba oil will have to come some other time.

Speaking of Wal-Mart, I did pick up a few things. I got this heat protection spray made by Dove. It comes in an orange spray bottle. And I think it was about 4.00 USD. I also got my daughter some shampoo. It's Johnson's No More Tangles Shampoo+Conditioner for Curly Hair. I'm excited to be trying this on her hair. I think that since it's formulated specifically for curly hair and it is a children's hair care product, it should be extra gentle. Plus it's tear free. How could I lose? LOL

That's my spill for today. I'll be sure to keep everybody updated on my progress. HHG! :)

Moisture Mixture

After looking at the success that lots of ladies are having with the homemade moisture spritz, I've decided that it's time for me to give it a try. I had made one of my own a few months back. And it was working out well, but after awhile, it was as effective. My hair eats moisture all up. So I'm needing a more intensive moisture formulation.

I'm pretty sure about the ingredients that I want to use. I'm just a little confused on the amounts for each product that I want to use. But here's the list at any rate:

Vegetable glycerin (Wal Greens- $5.99)
Aloe vera juice (Wal-Mart- about $14)
Rosewater or Distilled water (still on the lookout for pricing, but inexpensive I'm sure)

Mind you, these are only the main ingredients. They are the most used among those ladies that make their own mixes. But I'm thinking that it wouldn't hurt to put my own spin on things. For instance, I would like to add some conditioner or oils to the mix. I may not have to depending...I'm not sure yet. But to say the least, I'm ready to try something new. wish me luck. :) HHG!

Hair Goals

Ok. I just had to do one more post before I logged off. And this one has to do with the ultimate goals for my hair.

Of course I want long, silky hair. But I want that long silky hair to be strong, shiny, protected from the elements, easy to manage, and healthy. Without the health of my hair being up to grade, I know that my goals will be out of reach like no other. So at this point I'm concentrating more on getting my hair nice and healthy rather than just trying to retain length.

I was thinking in terms of family genetics and whatnot. And I came to the conclusion that bra strap length would be more than achievable. The thing is, I would rather get it to my waist or longer if possible. And I don't want it to just be waist length or longer just in the shape of a V. I want my hair to be all one length all the way around. Maybe it seems impossible or something like a mistake. But that's what I want.

I've been using my growth serum off and on now. I love my Bee Mine Serum, but I've been a little lazy about putting it on and such. But I'm going to go straight back to it over spring break. I credit it to a lot of the growth I've achieved. And the oils in it are great for the hair and scalp. It promotes health and growth at the same time. That way even though I'm focused on strengthening my hair, it will still grow in healthy.

I know what there is a ticker on my page counting down to the time that I will be trimming my hair. Thing is as long as there is no damage and everything comes in nice and healthy, I won't be cutting a thing. I'm not even allowing a dusting until late April/early May. And I may not even do it then. I've been babying these ends with all my might. And I won't cut them away as long as they are healthy. They may not be even, but so what? The hair isn't naturally even anyway.

I've been watching a lot of the girls around my cut their hair into these hard to maintain styles. And I feel so blessed that I haven't crushed under the pressure. Even worse, these same girls that claim they do it to get their hair healthy go and dye the hair and get highlights and all. Then they use all this heat to keep the style looking good. And the result is short damaged hair. Next thing I know, they're wearing weave and wigs. And at that point, it's the best they can do for the hair because there is no manipulation. But look at all that damage and stuff that happens.

I'm sitting here in my satin scarf right now just happy to know that the little bit of torture that I'm going through will be well worth it in the years to come. I'll be able to overcompensate for the pain with a beautiful head of hair that most black women don't think is possible. But it is possible. We can take care of our hair natural or relaxed. I just encourage every woman to follow her hair dreams and don't give up. Keep on growing! LOL. HHG! :)

Denman Brush To Go

So, I finally picked up the brushes of all brushes. I like the design. It's very easy to clean. And the price for this brush is probably worth it. The thing is, I don't like this brush for myself at certain times. For instance, If I'm stretching, this is not the brush for me. It sorta brought out a few more strands of hair than I liked. But if I'm freshly relaxed, this is the brush for me. So, it's not a bad brush at all. There are just specific times when I will and won't use it. This is not the brush for me past freshly relaxed hair. That being two weeks or less since my hair is growing super fast right now. (I'll get to that point in just few...)

The true beneficiary of this brush has been my daughter. My little honey is three years old with virgin 3c/4a type hair. It works beautifully for detangling and styling. I don't have to use a bristle brush anymore because the Denman smooths and detangles all in one swoop. And a comb for her hair is strictly for parting now. Her hair is amazingly strong and all natural. So she has little to no shed and no line of demarcation where breakage can occur. So moms, if you have a daughter who is natural, I would definitely recommend this brush. It will cut down on styling time by about a quarter to half the time.

Now let's talk about my new growth! Wow y'all. My new growth is coming in really fast. I think it's because i've cut down on manipulation by about25%. I've been wearing my buns daily and moisturizing as usual. I've even cut out some cowashing. It's just that I'm busy with school and all. So all the steps, plus this freakishly hot and cold weather...I don't want to get sick. Back to the newgrowth though... It's not as crazy as it has been in the past. My moisturizer (Wave Nouveau) is doing great things for my hair. The new growth is shiny, pretty easy to manage, and not that big of a pain. As a matter of fact, if things go well, I will wait until week 10 before I relax again.

The issue that I'm having with my hair now is it's strength. It just seems a little weak to me. So I've been using the Aphogee Two Minute Reconstructor. And I can feel an improvement taking place. But I'm in the market for a good, hard protein. I could use the hard protein once every 8 weeks or so. And then I could use the Aphogee in betweent that time.

That's all for now I guess. I'll be back with more reviews by next week because I'll be on spring break then. HHG! :)

I Went to Sally's Again

Ok. On my way home from school, I decided to make a stop at Sally's. And I'm so glad that I did. I picked up some nice things in my opinion. LOL. It was just a little treat to myself. Nothing too big. Just a few things I'd been wanting to try.

Let's start from the left! First, we have the ever important satin scarf. I have the night cap, but I wanted the scarf for nights where I wanted to wrap the hair or have my braidouts to come down. Next is a familiar favorite. I got this for my daughter actually. It's the Silken Child moisturizer. When I go to Sally's, it's usually sold all out. But this time, I grabbed up the last bottle. Next to that is the Aphogee Keratin 2 Minute Reconstructor. I've heard so many good things about it. I just had to try it. Next to that is my new pride and joy. It's a Denman brush! I was looking for a good detangling brush and this is supposed to be the one. I'm gonna try it and see. It costs enough. LOL. The top right item is for lightening the skin and knees. I would normally never purchase something like this, but they are really bad. Trust me. Last is Queen Helene Cocoa Butter Creme. I'm trying to get my skin soft and clear for spring. And this stuff, which I put on about an hour ago is the bomb.

One other purchase I made that I didn't include was a satin pillowcase. I got a white one because it's the most hygenic I guess. I don't know. It's was the first one I saw as well. LOL

I'll be sure to have some reviews up soon. HHG! Ladies.

Back in the Bun

I've been trying a lot of protective styles lately. And I've liked them all really well. But I had the urge to go back to my bun. So I did it. It's got to be the easiest and least time consuming. And I trust it because it was my original protective style. So I'm back to basics. Yay! LOL

Another thing I wanted to comment on was my progress with the AMBI moisturizer I've been using. It's amazing. I can see a change in my overall complexion already. I had some blotches that never really cleared up after having the baby. And I just got tired of it. But now I'm using the AMBI and I like the results. I've taken a before shot. And when I get to 4 weeks of use, I'll do an update shot and post them here.

And girls, if you like to do reviews, and want access to a site where you can have it for all the world to see, check out RateItAll.com. This is a little propaganda since a friend of mine works for the site. But it's a lot of fun. So just head over and check it out.

Peace and love. And HHG!