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?

Brushes, blow dryers and wigs...Oh My!

Wow, so it's been eons since I've posted anything, but I needed to regroup. Now that I'm back, I'm delighted to share a few new things with you! 

I used to abhor the idea of brushing my hair, wet or dry, and have not brushed my hair in more than 15 years (I've always used a wide-tooth comb). But, I swallowed my fear and (gasp), bought the Denman D-3 brush! 

Just last week, my hair was a tangled, nappy mess after undoing the tight, tiny braids I'd put in my wet hair. I couldn't even get my detangling comb through my roots! So, I whipped out my Denman, took a deep breath and was shocked. The Denman glided through my snags and snarls like a hot knife slicing through cold butter. And, not a single hair ripped or snapped! It was an amazing experience and I look forward to adding this to my weekly arsenal of hair maintenance tools! Might I add that this brush also is super easy to clean as the rubber bristle pad just slips right in and out.

I also added this nifty gadget to my maintenance arsenal-the Solano Willie Morrow's Unbreakable Thermo Blow Dry Nozzle Hair Drying Dryer Pik (ain't that a crazy name?!).

I haven't tried it yet, but I will when it's time for me to straighten my hair. It's made of rubberized plastic so I'm pretty sure it won't break. Note: this attachment comes with three adjustable nozzles so it's sure to fit my or your hair dryer. Sadly, I think my hair's become too much for me to do an effective blowout with my trusty old roller brush. Farewell old friend.

But, I won't be blow drying any time soon as we here in Michigan are finally fully ensconced in a white winter wonderland. So, for my protective style (another gasp), I've resorted to wearing Miss "La Jay!" I had to make her a little larger to comfortably fit my head, but so far, I am really digging her even if she does cause a few bad hair days.

On another note, Wash Day efforts have temporarily been placed on hold. But, all is not lost and I hope to rebound from a less than shaky start this spring.