Time to divulge some truth.  I do not like pomades. Yessir. I do not adhere to the wonders of the grease as I once did when these strands were  once relaxed.  Now though, when I say ‘grease‘ you have to understand something, maybe even take a short trip back with me to a time when we were all little brown girls getting our hair parted, braided & laced up with bows for kindergarten to KNOW of what I speak. My visual may be different from yours, my two french braids may have even been a bit more crooked, but I hint and point to that fanciful pic on the left…you’ll hopefully understand where it all began.

I’m a product of the ’80’s, the decade of cultural identity & Carebears.  Rainbowbright & L.A. Gear…all the good stuff.  Hecked if I sound old, yet in those days mothers like my Mum used the powers of DAX to cure everything a hot comb couldn’t.  I promise you, the smell of this stuff still lingers in the child-full colors of my mind…the memories are both good and cringe appropriate. After my first perm relaxer  in the 6th grade, I continued the greasy tradition, using the DAX to store the kitchen hairs that typically escaped my dollar scrunchy.

There really was no reason to cease the grease over the years, but in High School the idea of using Let’s JAM! to obtain that slicked back grown look was much too tempting. But even that only lasted until my hairline and remaining baby hairs screamed at me to stop the crazy and just let my Dominican Hairstylist take the wheel.

Wow, so I say all that to say that I’ve quietly reunited with a lost love in the form of Oyin’s Burnt Sugar Pomade! Wooozah! I’ve kept this love under wraps for a few months because…well it was really that hard for me to get my nose physically out of the jar. If you’ve already sampled this stuff, you might just get it.

Some have compared it to the smell of warm pancakes slathered with maple syrup…oh my.  I won’t disagree with the consensus, but the scent is strong enough to force you into the worst food cravings if you were born with a sweet tooth, or just discovering the joys of comfort food.  It’s sniff worthy to the tenth degree, and I can’t get enough!

As per usual, the gist from the site:

Does your hair love oils? Our “Burnt Sugar” Pomade is a nourishing all-vegetable pomade and styling product named for the uniquely translucent, shimmery quality of warm, homemade caramel.

Similar in texture to an old school ‘hair grease,’ This blend of oils, butters, and veggie waxes acts as a humectant and protectant for hair, increasing shine to a high glossy sheen and locking in moisture. It’s packed with essential fatty acids to nourish scalp, and actually sinks into your hair and skin for a long lasting, non-greasy feeling. It’s great for braids, imparts shine and moisture to loose hair, brushes nicely into the hairline for a glossy finish, and adds luster to locks!

This was an impulse Oyin buy many months ago when I began the search for the now infamous Honey Hemp conditioner. A store in my neighborhood that typically stocked up was out, so I compensated by purchasing the pomade, never really thinking it’d be a gem because…well, my history with pomades runs a bit deep.  The consistency is very similar to a traditional pomade, it might even be a bit more hardened before first use, but  is also quick to emulsify and spreads fairly easily.

A l’il dab will do so very much to impart crazy duty shine, and how I’ve been using it lately to seal my ends when needed after a wash, or even midweek when the twists begin to slightly unravel. The Summer months found me a bit heavy handed with the pomade, using it to slather over the crown of my twist-out fro, and I won’t lie…the best part was leaving a scent trail every which way I turned…forewarning, heads will turn if you dabble more than a l’il.

But what I love best about the pomade is it’s truest claim, NON-GREASY! It instantly sinks into the hair/scalp, letting the hair absorb all the goodness, leaving hair shinny and locking in any existing moisture in the hair.  It’s a natural humectant which scientifically means it draws moisture from the air, pulling in what’s needed to moisturize the hair.  In winter this can signal some trouble if the the air where you live is naturally dry, yet using the pomade while in the run of protective styling helps to avoid this slight, at least for me.

In the vid below, Jamyla and her hubby explain the best ways in which to winterize your current humectant stash if your hair is not adjusting. (Added Oyin Coupon code @ the end of vid!)

If you’re not a scent person, you will not be entertained by this product.  The site description hints to a ’subtly sweet fragrance,’ and my trigger foot is down to say….Ummm…no. On my best days I do not mind smelling like a floating pancake so it suits a purpose in my PJ stash, but if you’ve ever walked by a candle store and gone (WTH!!), abort this mission & wait until the lovely Jamyla introduces a scent free version.  Either way, disappointment is not an option.  A 4oz jar runs $10 while the new larger 8oz size will set you back $16.

Alright, all systems are a go, my dilly dallying is temporarily on pause until tomorrow night’s Yankee game. Don’t judge;-).

My hair is happy to report  though that the pre-poo has made it’s return, thanks to a quick pit stop at CVS this past weekend. Seriously…V05’s Strawberry Milks condish has my heart, and at 99 cents it can afford to love me back.  My hair does well when I apply (liberally I might add because the consistency is watery), and this week was no exception.  My hair was still in twists when I applied the condish in sections, followed up with a new poo by Naked Naturals. Picked this up also while at CVS, and took a chance, hoping it wouldn’t be too stripping.  The formula is the Shea Butter & Avocado Smoothing Shampoo, contains no Lauryl/Laureth Sulfates, and has an added plant protein (Keravis).  Is there anything smoothing about this Shampoo? To be honest, a bit hard to gage on this claim, thought it certainly cleansed my scalp without leaving the hair completely stripped. Automatic thumbs up!

In hindsight, what I would do differently is NOT poo the hair while it’s still in twists. Time over the years has taught me this one thing…there are no short cuts to doing this thing on my head. NONE! So why did I think adding shampoo to tiny twists would affect my weekly routine for the better? Dunno…

Pushed forward though and used Jessi Curl’s Weekly DC again, this time 30-35 min. under a heating cap to ensure effectiveness.  Heat did make a noticeable difference with much added softness and manageability…an upgrade from last week for sure.  Styled this week with Darcy’s Botanical’s Herbal Leave-in Spritz under the Madagascar Vanilla Styling Creme. Twisted the hair while watching the game…which meant Miss Dilly Dallying ended her session after over 4 hrs of arm torture.

Compensation = aweSOME HaIR!! Twists came out lovelier than love, moisturized and easy to pin up, pull back or just hang. Options with twists are limitless in my book, always bringing the promise of good hair days! Monday for work, pulled the twists back with just a few twists swinging on the side.  Last night used a few perm rods to curl a few twists than have stragly straight ends. So Protective Styling lives to see another week, and I am predictably falling into a groove. Niiiiccce!

*What I really want to push out by the end of this week are a few PJ reviews.  Been a bit lax on those for some time, and just recently did a winter product haul.  All purchased products include several oldies and a lot of new butters and stylers to add to the mix. Had a lovely visit to the Karen’s Body Beautiful shop this past weekend (finally met the SUPER nice Karen!) to pick up the last of the haul and will share my trip in a future post!

Till then…..goooOOOOO YANKEES!! (it’s almost over y’all;-)!

See, what I really should be doing right now is updating this week’s Process….but…the Yankees are up 3 games to 1 and are playing to clinch the Series tonight…Soooooo.

I’m a bit…slightly…just a TAD distracted.  I’ll be working on the post for tomorrow while watching the game, but in the meantime, this video below absolutely BLEW me away in terms of creativity, content and delivery.  To me this lovely youtuber by way of kimmaytube is in myopinion the best of the best on the Tube so check her out!

Lately I’ve been feeling a bit…lackluster. Happens most around this time of the year.  The light in the day draws shorter, and I tend to hurry home after work to snuggle underneath the warmth of my sheets.  It’s also my time of the year to turn into a bit of a hermit, sort through my library collection, read all those books on my reading list, and organize my wardrobe and living space.  This is ALWAYS my Fall/Winter activity.  In many ways it keeps me sane and helps to avoid the sometimes inevitable winter blues.  This year is really no different…it’s time again to focus on the four walls and reinvent my living situation.  Last year I painted the walls a dark sea mist blue that I’m still really diggin, yet still left somewhat bare.  Haven’t hung too much up…no paintings or screens to accentuate the mood.  Never had the time, or came across anything too inspirational.  UNTIL….these past few weeks.  Take a peek at these adorable prints & decals from some very creative Etsy sellers.

How can you choose a favorite? These lovely prints have been floating round the sphere for some time, AphroChic featured them just this past week on her site & I instantly thought it was time to snag a piece before all’s said and done.  All prints can be purchased here at Etsy seller Urban Bazaar.

This is another favorite of mine by  Etsy seller Ten23 Designs, a personalized Decal shop.  This one is available in two sizes, the larger at $50, while the smaller version will run you an easy $24. Decal is made to order, which means you can custom color to suit your own personal style.

Another week, another protective style. Never thought I’d be the one to become gung ho for these challenges, but I’m finding that it suits not only the weather, but a lifestyle if you’re a no fuss type of gal…which I tend to be;-). It’d been two weeks since my last wash, and needless to say my hair/scalp/entire being wanted to go dunking in bucket of water. Didn’t have a case of the itchies, but did manage to get caught in the NYC downpour this past Saturday. Rain coupled with unusual humidity for an afternoon in October…and well, Sunday morning I rose with the sun and commenced.

Shocking, but no pre-poo this week. Boo. Shoulda, woulda, coulda, done one, but didn’t have the right condish/oil blend to assist. Instead began sectioning hair into about 7 or 8 large twists and applied Neutrogena’s Triple Moisture directly to scalp to poo. Worked in a decent lather, followed up with a DC, this week with Jessicurl’s Weekly Deep Treatment. This was my first time using a product from this line, and thought it best to start with the hefty duty DC. NC.com readers recently voted this as one of the ‘Best of the Best’ in hair conditioners for 2009, and with good reason. A peep at the ingredient list below:

“Water infused with Lemongrass, Nettle, Burdock, Kelp,Marshmallow Root, Horsetail, Basil, Bay Leaf, Oregano, Rosemary, Peppermint,Sage, and Thyme; Behentrimonium Methosulfate (and) Cetearyl Alcohol, Shea Butter, Avocado Oil, Cocoa Butter, Lecithin, Aloe Vera Powder, Diazolidinyl Urea (and) Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, Fragrance”

Ideally you’d want to use this conditioner along with some heat under a conditioning cap for 20-30 minutes as suggested by the owner/creator. But I decided to bypass this step ( do not do this!!) and conditioned sans heat for 30 minutes, rinsed and applied Afroveda’s Hair Oil directly to scalp and my ends. After applying the oil, donned the condish cap yet again, found my heating cap and sat happily for another half hour or so.

Fresh Twists

Still going light on the leave-in while undergoing protective styles, so opted this week for Oyin’s Greg’s Juice, an herbal tonic that can be used for a whole host of different ways. It aids in detangling, moisturizes and refreshes dry hair.

Ingredients: Purified Water Infused with Rosemary, Nettle, Horsetail, Red Sage, Lavender, & Chamomile, Flaxseed Decoction, Organic Aloe Vera Juice, Vegetable Glycerin, Essences of Rosemary, Lavender, Sweet Orange & YlangYlang, Grapefruit Seed Extract, Vitamin C.

Took a chance using this under Afroveda’s Shea-Amla Whipped Crème, but was happy with the results. Twisted with this pair into small twists, then air dried for the remainder of the day.  Monday for work, wore the do up and pinned every which way by just grabbing and pinning haphazardly. Today, twists were pulled back again, half up, the rest down & the faux bang swept/pinned to the side.  All in all, good times with the hair this week.  Whether I’ll keep the twists in for another two weeks like before is still

Back View of Twists

TBD.  The rainy/humid weather is playing my hand a bit but I have a few tricks….and pins I can dig up to prolong the do. Not too many drawbacks of wearing a protective style, save for… perhaps the lack in variety.  I adore leaving my hair alone for days at a time, getting up in the a.m. and to simply GO! Can’t really beat it, but Winter is no doubt a long season, and I anticipate some sort of boredom down the line.  In my stash I do have perm rods, flexirods etc. to maybe break up the inevitable monotony, so will try and experiment with a twist-fro sometime before the week’s up, or even next week once the twists are freshly washed so they can set better & last longer;-)

Alright, so lately I’ve been stuck as to what to highlight as a Spotlight over the past few weeks. Haven’t been hunting for the hottest/greatest product for the skin/hair for a while. Mostly just been preoccupied with saving a couple pennies like every other free spending broke spirit these days. Definitely penny pinching, yet still I have to say I’ve found time to snag a goodie product a few weeks back.

It’s been getting colder outside and I’m being forced into the habit of layering up my wardrobe and digging deep into my closet to find those now dusty closed toe shoes. These changes I don’t mind…for the most part. My deal though always seems to be transitioning over to a different skin routine that complies with the change in weather. Frankly, I’m a lazy girl in the winter! I have a harder time getting up in the a.m. and have zero trouble hitting the bed after a long day at work. But what’s usually considered a big beauty don’t, I usually DO. I typically succumb because my eyelids seem to have minds of their own.

I come home from work, rummage to find stuff to cook up for the din din, catch up on the news, hit up some of my favorite blogs/sites, call the folks to say ‘I’m still alive’ and slowly retire to bed only to do it all over again the next day. My night routine is virtually non-existent, on a scale of 1- 10….I’d be kind and place me in the 3’s. To be honest, with a head full of natural hair, time is usually spent on remoisturizing and tying down the hair as opposed to anything else. So rather having to make time to do other things like match my pajamas, wash the dinner dishes or plan out next days outfit, I decided to invest in something that would save time instead.

Now, this is certainly anything but revolutionary, in fact facial wipes have been in women’s beauty routines for a while now. I don’t know, you could call it my paranoid need to read the ingredients in just about every product that goes in my body…or again my laziness, but I never seemed to find the right brand best suited for my sensitive skin. Thankfully, it was when I wasn’t fully searching for something, that Simple Wipes kind of landed in my line of vision. Alcohol free, Fragrance free, Oil free. All essentials if you live in the land of sensitive skin. Without even leaving the comforts of my bed, I’m able to cleanse my face & remove any eye makeup, while the wipes leave my skin…seriously soooo soft and fresh feeling! These have been a must staple in my sub-par routine now for the past several weeks, & at $6 for a pack of 25 it neatly fits into my current budget.

The company’s based out in the UK, but many of their wipes are availble in the U.S. in stores, if you’re in NYC, hit up your local Duane Reade to find, or visit duanereade.com to peruse.

A while ago I stumbled upon the beautiful work of Dawn Okoro while stalking this Fly site.  Her art is truly some of the more inspiring portraits of women I’ve seen in a long time.  And to my suprising delight, several of her prints are available for purchase at an insanely good price.  Click here to check out the goods, and for drips of creative inspiration. Click here to purchase.

I think I’ve finally hit a milestone in my hair this week! Unexpected, but very much welcomed. I’ve been fighting an impending cold over the past few days, took the day off from work just yesterday, and could not muster up the strength to dip my head in water. So while Sunday flew by, & Monday made its appearance, I played it cool and simple by re-twisting my hair last night using a light moisturizing spray.

Last week Thursday, took down the protective twist style, unraveled without separating too much and just let the hair be, probably the best thing I could’ve done. Sunday all day wore my hair up in a pony and tied down, essentially going for the ‘I’m sick don’t care,’ look. Worked great! Monday night found me really with no choice but to re-twist my hair, while I spritzed a bit of Jane Carter’s Revitalizing Leave-In.

That was it! From the time I had my hair up in twists to the takedown, the only moisturizer of choice was surprisingly the Jane Carter spray. My hair was still shinny and relatively frizz free. My biggest concern with skipping my wash day was my scalp. I need that puppy to be prime and cleaned each week to ward off a case of the itchies, but a dab of Afroveda’s Shikakai Oil on the scalp before heading to bed seemed to do the trick. Before donning the bonnet, I did cover the twists with a conditioning cap to seal in the moisture…similar to the baggy method, yet my hair was fully dry.

This morning, I kid not…I walked out the door with what resembled first day hair! Frizz-free, moisturized and shiny from root to tip. I do feel a bit leery about not washing/styling this week, almost as if I’m getting away with something…Yet the results after last week’s hot oil treatment was probably the best thing I could’ve done to kickstart my winter hair routine. It’s been more than a year since I’ve gone longer than 7 or 8 days in between washes, and today marks the 10th day! I’d call it a milestone because I’d long given up on going this long due to my scalp problems.

I won’t lie, my scalp irritations do still exist, but I do believe a happy medium has been found in choosing the right shampoos to cleanse the scalp, the right routine to help eliminate unwanted buildup, and just because I think it’s important to mention…what goes in the body as well. I’ve been carefully monitoring what I eat over the past few months and also hammering down my stress levels…all past contributors to flare ups in/around my scalp.

Essentially though I’m excited! Protective styling is the bizness, and I certainly plan on continuing well into the winter months. Why mess with what works?!

Yah, I’m in a zone…Baseball Playoffs are in full swing and I’m a girl turned Yankee whore right about now.  It’s unfortunate…or my friends tell me, but thankfully it only comes my way once a year.   In the meantime here’s a brief update on the do.  Took down the first in a series of protective styles, and really decided that a low level of manipulation is best until wash day Sunday.  So while the twists are down and un-done, I still plan to pin up for work & play on Saturday:

(click to enlarge)

On another note, while biting my nails during the games this week and next, I tend to alleviate frustrations by listening to music and updating my set lists.  Here’s a cute vid I stumbled upon a while ago that really just made me naturally smile.  The artist is Georgia Muldrow, a beautiful voice and inspiring song to boot! Her LP drops November 10th, but in the meantime…keep a sharp eye out for all the pretty natural fros in the vid;-)

Anyone make it to a GOOD HAIR screening this weekend? The buzz so far aims in the more positive directions, which I think is a great thing! Positivity all around is a good thing;-).  I’m a late bird, so I’m off to see it tonight with a friend after work.  Brief review and thoughts TBD tomorrow!  I’ll be taking mental notes while munching on some snacks and surveying the crowd of peeps to see the general consensus of those in attendance.  Anyone who’s willing to shell out $12 (!!!) to see women/men talk and ramble about hair for an hour and a half are …in my short book, special people!

I really did want to show up to the theatre with my hair praising all things natural and wow! But the inkling I had that the weather might take a nasty windy turn was right on point.  Quest # 1 of my protective style began this past Saturday, and commenced as usual with a pre-poo ( Aubrey Organics Island Naturals Condish diluted in some H2O).  I’m still determined to find a relatively good sulfate-free shampoo that will not strip my hair like my previous try with J/A/S/O/N/’s aloe Shampoo.  The road was scary especially after last week’s dry fest, but I sank back into my earlier PJ stash and found an oldie yet goodie in Neutrogena’s Triple Moisture Dry Scalp Remedy Shampoo.   At a relatively good price of about $6.99 to $9.00, it’s more than an effective poo at fully cleansing the scalp without leaving hair stripped.  What I used to find especially pleasing is after shampooing, my hair actually felt a bit more moisturized (++)!!  The Shampoo does have active ingredients ( Pyrithione Zinc (0.5%) (Purpose: anti-dandruff), that are meant to alleviate scalp irritations, and a mild  surfactant sulfate (Sodium Trideceth Sulfate),  yet because it has never stripped my hair, it’s a definite keeper for now. 

DC this week was a first for me, and also a new found love!! I’d never done a Hot Oil treatment until this past weekend, and I cannot believe what my hair has been missing out on!  I think too much of the time we hear about traditional DC’s packed with our favorites (shea butter, coconut cream, etc.) that we pardon the idea of treating our hair to an oil treatment much too quickly.  To be honest, it was on a whim that I decided to try it, time on my hands as well…but I used some Hairveda CoCasta Oil along with Oyin Handmade’s Blended Body Oil.  That’s right….BODY OIL!  I had a full bottle since the beginning of the Summer, only using a dollop here and there….but the ingredients where just too good for me not to use.

Descrip from site:

AfterBath is a blended vegetable oil mix rich in Vitamins E, D, B1 and B2. Some of its ingredients include olive, virgin coconut, jojoba, avocado, sweet almond, wheat germ, rice bran, and black seed oils. It glides on smoothly, making it ideal as a massage oil; penetrates deeply, making it a lovely body oil.

As with most of the Oyin goodies, it’s multipurpose and lovely smelling! I was able to safely and effectively detangle my hair with the oil saturated in, sit under a plastic cap with heat for two hours, fully rinsed (lightly co-washed) and was just the most giddy person looking at the shine and moisture BACK in my hair! Mission Accomplished!! Hot Oil Treatments are simply…THE BEST! Frankly, a tad messy, but heck anything with practice gets better right? That’s the track I’ve set for myself…a once a month Hot Oil treatment with an oil goody of my choice and my hair will soak in the rewards.  As of now (Monday, did my hair Saturday night), my hair is rocking the Black Cedar Fig aroma of the Oyin Bath Oil.  It’s a warm lovely, inviting smell perfectly suited for the current weather.  Me loves!

So beyond the Oil treatment, for styling I opted for simplicity, going with a light leave in, Jane Carter’’s Revitalizing Spray & to style the reliable Darcy’s Botanicals Madagascar Styling Creme.  The point was NOT to have my hair appear one gleepy globby mess of oil, and the Jane Carter leave-in stepped up to the plate.

Ingredients:

Purified Water, Extracts of Aloe Vera, Comfrey, Watercress, Myrrh, Panthenol, Essential Oils, Anthemis Noblis Flower, Symphytum OfficinalLeaf, Equisetum Arvense, Urtica Dioica (Nettle), Rosemarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf, Humulus Lupulus (Hops) Lawsonia Inermis (Henna), Butoxyethenol, Polyquarternium11, Soyamid DEA, PPG30, Cetyl Ether, Oleth-3 Phosphate, Hydantoin, Glyceryl caprylate, methylisothiazolinone (preservative)

I’d like to say it’s more of a setting lotion than a leave-in…? Yep, going to say just that because while it does hydrate, it fails to aid me in detangling my coarse hair.  I’ve tried with a large toothed comb before, and there just was no give.  If your hair is sufficiently conditioned (DC’d), and you’re able to run a comb through it without any resistance, treat yourself to this spray because it’s effective in acting as a humectant (Panthenol is high on the list), and it doesn’t weigh the hair down if you’re prone to using a heavy styling butter/creme.

Protective Styling. I’m new to this game, let me just say that.  I’ve never fully committed to a hair challenge or style in the past, and honestly never thought to until this past week.

But Inspiration is sometimes the best motivator….that and a very bad hair week, so I took cues from fellow bloggers and tweeters on the web and went for a protective style this week, inspired by the FAB Andrea of Fly.  Last week she debuted a hair video tutorial showing a real simple twist/up-do.  Simple + Easy = my kind of protective style.

Saturday night I finished twisting with Darcy’s Vanilla Creme, covered my hair first with a plastic conditioning cap to seal in the moisture, then donned my satin bonnet.  In the a.m. I came armed with my bevy of bobby pins, twisted and secured the entire head of hair until it was one colossal  nest of twists. I wore the style out yesterday while visiting a friend, and again today to work. To be honest, I really can’t see myself taking it down anytime soon because of the practicality of it. SIMPLE!  Here are just a few shots of the do, my camera work is getting better I think;-) (Click to Enlarge)

For my first ever protective style I think I did alright. Still hunting for other ideas though, but will likely stick with this cute do until next week.  Still going to unravel for a twist-out…maybe Saturday, depending of course upon the weather.  But here’s where I leave it to you…I’m rambling…lol but also curious if you guys are involved in any style challenges or protective wear for your hair?