Wash Day Update and Product Review

It's been a hectic past few weeks with Wash Day, but going very well what with my weekly business classes and shipping out Etsy orders. I did have one snafu with my labels, but that's been resolved! I'm also waiting on my domain to be repointed so my website will be up and running. 

Also, look for Wash Day samples in the very near future and the release of a new product to compliment the Wash Day line. If you haven't yet placed an order, do it soon before the free shipping disappears! Wash Day updates are also on Facebook and Twitter. And, if you're on LinkedIn, Wash Day is there, too.

In the meantime, I've been trying out a few products. First up is fellow Etsy seller Brown Butter Beauty's Babassu Cream Deep Conditioner. Conditioners and deep conditioners will always be my downfall (sigh).

I purchased a sample of this a while back, but forgot I had it! A few weeks ago, I used it with my weekly steam treatment and enjoyed it very much. I like babassu butter and I love conditioners, so this is a win-win for me. The product has a light, pleasant scent and is amazingly smooth and creamy. And, it left my hair very soft. I like this very much, but not enough to add to my arsenal of products.

During a visit to my fave local Indian grocer, I found a few more Vatika products so I decided to give their Black Shine shampoo a try. My bad...when I got it home, I read the ingredients and found formaldehyde in the ingredients list.

So, I wrote the company and asked about the inclusion of this ingredient and got a lackluster response. Now, most of you would probably have thrown this away, but I was curious. My hair is strong, thick and is super healthy so I used it. It smells great, has an abundance of suds and is black in color...a boon since I'm trying to keep the greys at bay, but not enough to make me want to use it again given what's in it.

I also tried their Nourish & Protect Styling Hair Cream. HUGE disappointment. This get two coils down.

There was just enough of this product for me to do two sets of twists. For the price, I can live with that, but overall, this product was a huge fail. Granted it's super light and added great shine to my hair, it left my hair feeling filmy. And, after about two days, my hair felt SUPER dry so I had to add more product to my hair which is a huge no-no for me as part of my low-mani regimen. If I use a hair product, I do not nor should I have to use it again until my next wash day.

What new products are you trying out? Care to share?

Hair Pomade and Other Product Reviews

Bored with my twists this winter, I jumped the gun and straightened my hair last night with a blow dryer and flat iron. Unlike last year's attempt, this time around yielded much better results due to my Denman brush. So, bye bye round brush!

I'm also remiss in mentioning that I've been trying As I Am Naturally products over the last few months. I got a ton of samples, one each of their numerous products, last year and have used every single one. I must say, their products are far superior than any other commercially-made product I've ever tried and my hair is very picky about what it likes and doesn't like. 

I often switch up shampoos after a few months and had forgotten that I had an unused sample of Curl Clarity Shampoo. After wearing my hair in twists most of the winter, I knew I had some unaddressed build-up and Curl Clarity took care of my build-up problem without stripping my hair. It's light, has a refreshingly pleasant smell and bubbles galore. This product and As I Am as a whole get two coils up!

After straightening my hair, I decided to try another product sample in conjunction with Aveda Brilliant Anti-Humectant pomade (love this stuff!). 

I've been eyeballing Brown Butter Beauty's Mixed Greens pomade for at least a year, but just couldn't get myself to try it. I'm not crazy about the price and my scalp usually freaks out if I put anything on it. But, being that it's winter, my scalp's been mega dry and I knew it needed something because the JBCO just wasn't cutting it. 

I applied this to my scalp as a finishing product, tied on my satin scarf and went to sleep. This morning, I am pleased to announce that I have no flakes and no itchiness! My scalp has been cured! Mixed Greens might be pricey, but it's worth it and a little goes a long way. It has nettles (anti-itch fighter), horsetail and tons of other herbs and oils. And, I love the product name, the color and the pleasing scent. Mixed Greens is a keeper and gets two coils up.

With spring right around the corner, you too might want to re-evaluate the hair products and techniques you're using and do a little tweaking. What are your spring/summer hair plans?