(SMH)

Okay, so by now y'all probably realize I'm a huge fan of LUSH hair products. I won't live without their Jungle Conditioner and I will continue to use their Jasmine & Henna Fluff Eaze Hairmask, but I am deeply disappointed in their H'Sua Wen Hua Hair Moisturizer. I'd gotten lots of feedback from LUSH fans that if I liked the Jasmine & Henna hair treatment, I'd love the H'Sua Wen Hua. Not!

Similar to Jasmine & Henna Fluff Eaze, this hair treatment comes in a cute little black pot. If you have hair like me, you'll think you just wasted your money for what you'll assume is for one hair treatment. But, to LUSH's credit, you can get about 3 treatments per pot. And, if you're fortunate to live near a LUSH store, you can trade in five empty pots for free product!

H'Sua Wen Hua looks and smells great, is thick, goopy and creamy. It contains egg, bay leaf, watercress, banana, avocado, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lanolin, rosemary, cinnamon and lecithin-just to name a few. Obviously, this is a very nutritious treat for your hair. I just wish it'd done something tangible to mine!

I used it as a deep conditioning steam treatment, but my hair felt no different compared to when I use a Cholesterol conditioner-based treatment. Yes my hair was soft, but that's about the extent of any outward benefits I saw. It didn't even smell as heavenly as it does after a Jasmine & Henna Fluff Eaze treatment. So, as hard as it is for me to do this to a LUSH product, I have to give this two coils down.

There are other LUSH hair products I'd like to try, but the price can be a little steep. Fortunate for me (and you), LUSH is offering three hair care packages for just $24.95!!!!! Pick up your own "Head Case" package at http://www.lushusa.com/shop/hair-to-hair/. Meanwhile, I'm going to be trying out the "Volume & Shine" package...not for it's purported benefits, but for the ingredients. 

Miracle in a Jar

I've been sporting a two-week old bantu knot out. Even though I'm dealing with a health issue, my hair was in dire need of washing. My curls still looked great and needed little maintenance the past two weeks, but my hair (especially my roots) was feeling a little like felt. Product build-up and single-strand knots do not a pretty picture make.

So, to make the process go as quickly as possible due to limited mobility and lots of pain, I doused my head with the old tried and true, Mane 'n Tail Detangler. I've used this off and on over the years, but never really gave it a second thought. Now, I've decided to give this a second chance. My hair was super snarled and gnarly, but this product made the detangling process smooth, easy and fast. In fact, I was so impressed, I think I'll be keeping this around. So, Mane 'n Tail Detangler, two coils up for you!

As promised earlier, I decided to wash my hair with this. This retails for $30+ in some places, but when I saw it on sale for dirt cheap, I had to take the plunge. Who could resist a name like "Hamadi" or a product named "Ginger Soymilk Hair Wash?" You can! As amazing as this smells, it's crap! And, I should have known better. I've known all my life that my hair does not respond to clear shampoos and this is a clear shampoo.With the ingredient of soymilk, I was rather dismayed that it wasn't a creamy shampoo but you can't tell the difference looking at an Internet image, especially if the product's in an amber-colored bottle. Unfortunately, this shampoo left my hair feeling like a damp cotton ball which is really too bad since I was eyeballing the Ginger Soymilk Conditioner. Sadly, I have to give this two coils down.

But, before I washed my hair, I did a deep conditioning steam treatment with Tropic Isle Living's Jamaican Black Castor Oil Protein Conditioner, also purchased on sale. I buy and use the JBCO on a regular basis, and my significant other uses their pimiento oil treatment, so I thought it'd be nice to try as well. I don't know how many staples one is allowed to have, but I MUST keep this on hand. It's like cholesterol conditioner on steroids.Once you scoop out a dollop and massage it into your hair, it turns into pure oil! Combined with hot steam, my hair was scrumptious! Initially this thick cream had an overwhelming smell, not a good one either, but while steaming, my significant other said it made the room smell like sugar. Go figure! A little bit is all you need to hook your hair up. I used too much and had what looked like Jherri Curl drips everywhere. Also, follow the directions. I didn't, but it's recommended that this be used as a post-wash treatment. Personally, I can't wait to try it as it was intended. And, it'd be great for a post-henna or dye treatment. This product gets two coils up.

I am NOT a Product Junkie

It's been a hot minute, but I do want to provide a quick prequel to an upcoming post.

My Jessner peel turned out marvelously and I'm looking forward to my next treatment. So far, I am virtually blemish-free, but I still have a few things to get rid of. As a reward to myself, I switched to another cosmetic line-MAC. I was skeptical about the coverage, but their powder and concealer are more than doing their job. I can actually see my face underneath my makeup and I love it! Fortunately, I've found a cheap source for some of the things I want.

As for the hair, I'm on week two of wearing my fave style, the bantu knot-out. I can't believe it's lasting this long without doing anything to it, but it is. So, if you want to know my secret, drop me a line!

And, if any of you are tried-and-true product junkies, you are very well aware of all the holiday sales. As a result, I've coveted the following:

• LUSH's H'suan Wen Hua (not on sale but they also gave me a sample of their Reincarnate solid shampoo with henna bar)
• Hamadi's Ginger Soymilk Hairwash (with a handful of Shea Hair Cream and Shea Leave-in samples)
• Tropic Isle Living's Black Castor Oil Protein Conditioner and my usual bottle of JBCO
• Dr Adorable Inc's 12 oz. bottles of sweet almond, jojoba and avocado oils

With a little time off during the holiday, I also took the time to clean out my "hair closet." Much to my surprise, I found five shampoo bars from Chagrin Valley Soap and Anita Grant Rhassoul Deep Condish blocks I'd totally forgotten about. Who says Christmas in July doesn't exist?