The Process: featuring Bentonite, Aubrey, Giovanni & a Blended Beauty February 9, 2009

Who’s ready for winter to be done with? I AM!! Yesterday was my day to be indefinitely fed up with what winter brings.  Aggravation! The weather was  sort of a mixed blessing with temperatures in the mid 50’s, add to that just a hint of spring in the air.  But in NYC, if there’s even just a whisper of spring in the air, it’s almost inevitable to find the streets stocked with ppl. soaking in the feeling.

 

Two things I learned that added to my aggravation:

1. Do not go to Ikea on a Sunday afternoon
2. DO NOT go to Trader Joe’s on a Sunday afternoon

I have no excuse as to why I decided to do two of those things on the same day, but needless to say…I was beyond tired by the time I reached home and realized that I had to do my hair.

I fought it…I fought it all the way to 3:30 when I realized that if I didn’t start now I’d be raising more than a few eyebrows at work with my ‘new look.’ So by late afternoon I entered my zone…

…Pre-pooed this week with Suave Coconut Conditioner, mainly because after a morning of having my hair tossed around by dry winds…it was beyond necessary! Left the conditioner in my hair for 20 min, rinsed, then on a whim sneaked a bentonite clay treatment in. 

This go-round I kept it simple, mixing the clay with water and about 2 tblsp of honey (apparently honey has amazing anti-bacterial properties when mixed with water).  I applied the clay in sections, making sure to apply directly to my scalp by massaging it in.  Covered with conditioning cap (a helpful step because you definitely do not want the clay to over harden, rinsing is much easier if it’s still moist), then after 25 min or so rinsed thoroughly.  I rinsed with luke warm water, then applied a handful of co-wash conditioner to make sure to get any chunky deposits from the clay out.  I do believe that on my second attempt I achieved success! My curls popped instantly once I applied the mixture and after rinsing I noticed my hair felt cleansed without feeling stripped…not sure about added moisture, but I’m certain I retained whatever I already had.

And for the sake of covering all bases when it comes to my scalp I quickly put together an ACV rinse, applied directly to my scalp with an applicator bottle and massaged in circular motions to get the blood flowing. I did let the ACV sit in my hair for 5 min before rinsing.

My moisturizing conditioner this week was Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose, which I applied in small sections while detangling ( a bit of a chore cause this conditioner is amazingly thick and hard to get out of the bottle!). The conditioner sat in my hair for 45 min before my final rinse of  a ridiculously long process,  whew!

Totally forget to restock on my KCKT and had to call on a sub leave-in conditioner. Still had a full bottle of Giovanni Direct Leave-In and decided to use it instead of waiting for the summer to re-purpose or re-use.  But on my second go with this leave-in I was more than pleasantly surprised!! It has amazing moisturizing properties, and defined my curls before I applied my final styling product.  I still sort of prefer KCKT though because it offers a ton more slip in my opinion, making it a lot easier to finger comb..but as a last resort the Giovanni came through.

To cut back on drying time though, I did soak up some extra water with my micro-fiber towel…an amazing tool if you’re ever in a hurry and need to cut back on time and avoid frizz!

After applying the leave-in I twisted with Blended Beauty’s Happy Nappy Styles  creme.  Now, when I say this thing is rich and thick I do mean it ranks up there with some of the richest butter cremes I’ve tried in the past! I was a bit surprised, and also hesitant because I didn’t want something to weigh my hair down, I just wanted MOISTURE!  (I’ll post a full review later this week;-)

After twisting, I sealed my ends with my new fav, Coconut Oil and allowed my hair to somewhat air-dry before going to bed. Waking up this morning, I quickly applied my unrefined shea before untwisting. 

I’m still mixed on the results…the twists are well defined and my hair is moisturized, but the bounce  and shine I had last week are clearly missing.  Frustrating! I’ll have to comb over my steps to see what could’ve been missing or a step I could alter in the future.

Giovanni Direct Leave-In January 8, 2009

When it comes to curly hair there are indeed three elements or products typically necessary to acheive any respective look. 

1. A nourishing PH balanced conditioner

2. A moisturizing leave in conditioner

3. A versatile styling product.

All three are important, and for some curlyheads/naturals one more so than the other.  I find that my emphasis lately has been primarily with finding a solid leave in conditioner to set up my styling process.  Several folks on the haircare boards have suggested the uber popular (organic) Giovanni Direct Leave-in conditioner!

I have to admit though, I tried this on a reallllly lazy day of not really feeling what I refer to as ‘the process’.  A couple weeks back I set aside an afternoon to style my hair for work the next morning and all I remember was bitching and moaning in front of my mirror.  I was a bit out of sorts I guess you could say, even though I was trying a new product…something that usually leaves me excited with anticipation!

I ended up using the leave-in after a light conditioning and twisting it onto slightly damp hair.  I made several medium-large size twists after detangling with a wide tooth comb. I pincurled the ends with bobby pins, let it air dry for a bit and went to bed peeved.

Unraveling my hair the next morning was….well it wasn’t altogether horrible.  After unraveling the twists, I noticed most if not all were a bit frizzy and not relatively moisturized.  I ended up pinning the hair up with half a dozen pins, smoothing the front with gel and utilizing one of my hair bands.  This was pretty much the look for a good half week before I sucked it up and started ‘the process’ over again.

I say all that to say, I like the product…lol! Irony I know, but the error does fall on me this time.  Going over my usual steps I could’ve predicted what the end result would be.  First, I failed to condition properly (my minimum condi.time is 30min.),  + my hair turns out best when I section it into into smaller twists while adding the right amount of product, and last but not least….I desperately needed a trim!! When my hair is in dire need of a trim it has a distinct way of letting me know….basically by not behaving. 

This leave in is also quite light, letting me know that because of the density of my hair I should layer it with something else.  Instincts tell me if I add more to compensate for the amount of hair I have, my hair will feel overly saturated.  The ingredients are fabulous though!!  It’s an organic product, a factor I’ve been trying to add into my decision making these days.

I guess the jury is still out on this one though.  I clipped my ends last week so I’m pretty positive I could get different results the next go round.  So it’s a keeper for now.