Review: The Book Of Mormon

         I FINALLY got a chance to see "The Book Of Mormon" here in Dayton at the Schuster Center. I know I mostly review skin care and hair products, but I definitely had to make a review on this musical.


It's fucking amazing.

That's it. Go see it if you haven't or go see it again if you have. Trust me.

And seriously.... Hassa diga eebowai.


-Asia Aneka Anderson

I was the last name picked. Luuuucckky.

In the very first row.

Review: Curl la la

As promised, over a month ago (I know. I know.), here is my review for Curl la la.

        With Curl la la I only use this on my shampoo or cowash days. I use this while doing the L.O.C. (liquid, oil, cream) method when twisting my hair after I've shampooed or cowashed. It's pretty light and very creamy. I've used different products that don't feel as creamy and end up drying my hair out a bit, but not with this. Curl la la has a light floral smell to it. I'd say it smells almost like lavender, but definitely not overbearing.
         When twisting my hair I'll use plain water to wet my hair, then I'll put a small amount of whatever oil I'm using at the time (which is canola oil for right now) and then add the Curl la la. This product does give my hair shine and holds my twists without making my hair feel hard. For instance, when I first transitioned I used all of Pantene's natural products and their custard made my hair hard, dry, and very brittle. I used it for a while because I didn't know any better in the beginning.
        I will say that although I do like this product I don't feel like it gives my hair the 100% moisture it needs. I have been natural for almost two years now and am still learning. So far this is the best cream/custard I have encountered. Hopefully, down the line I will come across a cream that I think is perfect for my hair. For now Curl la la is getting the job done.

Curl la la: B-

Review: Curls Cashmere Curl Jelly

Hello my naturalistas!

        I want to review a product I've been using for about the past two months that I very much love. It's from Curls and it's their cashmere curl jelly.

        I have never tried a product from this line before. My aunt, who passed in January, was a hair stylist and I found this in her collection and thought I'd give it a try. On the bottle it does say "for sale in professional salons only". Searching online I have yet to see a bottle this size. I've mainly only found this product in 8oz bottles.
        How I use this product is after I've done my LOC method (liquid. oil. cream). I use it so that it will hold my twists better. It has a great slip to it and it isn't thick or sticky like you would assume with a jelly. It also has a nice smell to it. It sort of reminds me of oranges, but not too strong. I apply a very small amount to my hair and then twist. I can tell right after I twist my hair that it has a nice shine to it. Once I undo my twist it still has that shine. It's not crunchy, stiff or dry. Using this product actually makes me love my twist outs. Before this, every time I would undo my twists my hair would sometimes look dry, the ends would be frayed, and my hair just wouldn't cooperate with me. Last week, for the first time since I got this, I didn't use it when I twisted my hair. My twist out was OKAY, but definitely not like it was when using the cashmere curl jelly. So, from now on I will be using this. I would most definitely recommend this to anyone. Also looking online the 8oz bottles are around $17-$18, but I would say it's totally worth it. If you're like me and would only use a very small amount it will last a very long time making it worth the purchase.

Curls: Cashmere Curl Jelly: A-

Review: Kera Care Conditioner

        I haven't posted any reviews on any hair products I've used lately. Sorry I've been a little busy. I came across a few products that my aunt, who was a hair stylist, had. One product I decided to use was Kera Care conditioner.

        Now this conditioner was something I remember my aunt using on my hair all the time when I was younger and would get my hair done in her salon. Those were the old days when I was still using relaxers and flat irons on the regular. Back in those days I remember not having a problem with it and that it made my hair feel really soft.
        This time around I decided to pair it with one of my favorite shampoos, Pantene for natural hair since I'm currently out of the Pantene deep conditioner that I normally use.

        After shampooing my hair I was prepared to smooth on the Kera Care conditioner, put on a plastic cap and let it sit for a few hours. I would do this all the time with my deep conditioner. I was surprised when I poured it into my hand that the conditioner was liquid. I did not remember that from back in the day. I still put it on my hair and let it sit for a few hours. I wasn't too pleased when I put it on. It made my hair feel kind of sticky and I didn't feel like it really coated my hair. The Kera Care still smelled the way I had remembered it. The only way I would describe it when I was younger was like a fruity perfume that would've been popular in the late 90s.
          Once I rinsed my hair it no longer felt sticky put it didn't really do much for my hair. I didn't feel any volume. My hair didn't really feel all that soft. It was just blah. The smell of the conditioner didn't really linger in my hair. I just didn't really like it as much as I once did. I'm not sure if it's that it works better on straight hair or maybe it didn't pair well with my shampoo. I most likely won't use it again unless I run out of conditioner again and have to use it.

Kera Care conditioner: D-

Review: Now Solutions Coconut Oil

Hello, everyone!

I finally got around to making this post. I picked up the Now Solutions coconut oil about a month ago. I've been shopping around to find a coconut oil that works really well and saw this at a local health food store.

 

With this particular kind of coconut oil it's more of a waxy texture, but quickly and easily melts in the hand. Which I prefer over just straight liquid form. In my opinion, it doesn't give off a coconut smell like I'm used to with other oils.

You can see here that it looks more like a wax.

Here you can see it's starting to melt.

 The first few times I used this oil I used it after I would wash or co-wash my hair and then I would twist my hair afterwards. Now it took me a while to do this review because I didn't really like how it left my hair after I twisted it. I felt like it left my hair kind of dull and after a few days my hair would start to smell. The only way I would describe it was sort of a stale smell or the type of smell you would get from a plain candle after it's set for a while. It wasn't an overwhelming smell, but I could tell it was there. Last week I co-washed my hair. After I detangled I put the coconut oil on and decided not to twist my hair. It worked much better this way. It probably had something to do with my putting in a hot oil treatment also, but my hair was shinier and felt healthier. Even a few days later I wet my hair and put some of the oil on and I didn't get that dull feeling.

My hair has shine to it.

For the Now Solutions coconut oil: C+

Review: Pantene Clarifying Shampoo and Deep Conditioner for Natural Hair

Hi everyone. This week I wanted to give my review for the Pantene Clarifying Shampoo and Deep Conditioner for natural hair. Both of these products I've used many times since going natural a year ago.

Now I will admit when it came to the shampoo I wasn't amazed the first few times I used it. It felt like it stripped my hair of all natural oils and caused it to feel brittle when it dried. This time I did things just a tiny bit different. Instead of combing it through with my fingers I let it sit for a few seconds and then massaged my scalp for a few minutes. While I was doing it my scalp felt loads better and I my hair felt cleansed. Once I rinsed it out my hair felt light and soft. So now I am amazed by it and I will continue buying it.You can find this everywhere from Target to CVS and I believe I've even seen it in Dollar General. I never pay more than about $4-$5 for it, if that.

The deep conditioner I've always loved. I put it in after I've made sure I've rinsed out the shampoo completely. I usually just put on a shower cap and then wrap a towel around and let it sit for several hours. This time around I let it stay in for about 6 hours or so (I wash my hair in the afternoon and will rinse right before bed).

This deep conditioner always leaves my hair feeling moisturized and soft. Same as the shampoo I massaged my scalp as I put it on and also when I rinsed it out. This method worked a lot better for me. And as in my review for the Pantene co-wash I always dry my hair with a t-shirt and NOT a towel. It's so much better for your hair. And even with the shirt I try not to leave it on for too long.

The whole line of the Pantene products for natural hair are favorites of mine. I will say that the co-wash tops the list though.
As far as the shampoo: B
And the deep conditioner: B+

Review: Mane 'n Tail Shampoo & Conditioner

This week when I washed my hair I was finally able to use the Mane 'n Tail shampoo and conditioner. I haven't used this brand since I was a kid and that was back when I had a relaxer.

 With the shampoo I didn't need to use much. Just a few quarter sized amounts in the palm of my hand was enough to cover my whole head, and it is pretty thick. I can't describe what it smells like. The closest I can think of is a bouquet of flowers, but just a bit more subtle, either way I'm just trying to say that it smells great. At first I could tell that it made my hair feel light and clean, but as I rinsed it felt like my hair was stripped of ALL moisture. The conditioner made it a little better.

 Same as the shampoo, I didn't need to use much. The smell was exactly the same also. I left it on for about 3 minutes. Afterwards my hair felt a little better and fuller once I rinsed it out. No too many complaints on the conditioner. Once my hair dried though I had to use a little more oil than usually because of how stripped my hair felt after the shampoo.

Mane 'n Tail Shampoo: C+
Mane 'n Tail Conditioner: B+

Me and my natural

Hello, everyone. Well I previously posted about sharing my natural hair journey with you lovely folks. I really want to start off by showing you these pills I take on a daily basis.

 They're hair skin and nail pills. You can pretty much find these anywhere; Target, CVS, Walgreens, and even Dollar General. To be honest the ones at Dollar General have about 5,000 mcg of Biotin whereas everywhere else, like this one, only has about 3,000. I know a higher number is better, but the downside to the DG ones is that there's usually only about 50-60 pills to a bottle and everywhere else usually has anywhere from 150-200. Also if you get them from Walgreens or CVS it seems like they always have them for BOGO which is always great. I take these 2-3 times a day and have been for about 8 months. My hair has grown a bit, but not that 'down your back overnight' kind of result I'm always wishing for. I will say that my lower edges had broken off a lot due to stress. It wasn't bald, but damn near close, now in that area my hair is about an inch past my jawline. Also I've noticed that my skin is a lot smoother and I don't have as many blemishes. My nails have also grown a lot. When I was younger my nails were always creepy long, but over the last few years because of stress those started to break. With these pills it's getting me back to the nail growth I'm used to.

 

If you haven't tried out any hair, skin, and nails pills I'd say it's definitely worth a try (and also drink lots and lots of water). The ones at Dollar General range about $5-$7 dollars and everywhere else can be anywhere from $10-$14, but again you get more pills and can almost always run into a sale. Out of about the 8 months I've been using them there's only about 3 times I've had to buy them at retail price, that's how much they go on sale. I don't really have many pics from when I first made the decision to go natural. I didn't do any type of big chop so with the shrinkage and my decision to go natural 2 months after my last relaxer you can't really tell anyways. I will be posting pics of where my length is now in the next few weeks because I'll be taking the castor oil challenge in Sept. I'll post more info about that in case any of you want to join. :)

Review: Pantene for Natural hair Co-wash and Africa's Best hot oil treatment

Now the co-wash from Pantene I have been using from the beginning of my transition. I. LOVE. IT!

 As soon as I put it in I can feel my hair become softer. It's not heavy at all and you don't need a lot. When I use the co-wash I use it by itself. I've seen some people use the Pantene shampoo for natural hair and then use the co-wash right after. For me I'm good with just the co-wash. It gets rid of all the build up alone, so in my opinion you don't need anything else when using the co-wash. Now when I use the co-wash I make sure to add water to it so that I'm not using a lot. I usually let it sit for about 5 minutes then rinse. I've heard from other bloggers that washing with cool water is ideal so that is what I do. I say use whatever temp you're okay with. Since it's summer, for me, the colder the better. Also I only use the co-wash 1-2 times a month. Now today I used a hot oil treatment since I've been slacking the past few months (I like to do hot oil treatments at least once a month). I usually use Africa's Best mainly because it's cheap. I know that's bad to go for the cheapest, but it gets the job done.

 Africa's Best herbal oil is a bit thicker, in my opinion, compared to like Doo Gro, which is another brand I sometimes use. I will admit I go a little overboard with it. I always feel like I'm not using enough to cover my whole head. Today I put in the hot oil treatment and just slapped on a shower cap and towel. Now the label says to keep it on 15-20 minutes, but I kept it in for an hour because I had to do a few errands.

After about an hour or so I rinsed it out, also with cold water then I placed a t-shirt, instead of a towel over my head. This is something else I've picked up from other blogs, which makes sense. It doesn't make your hair dry and brittle like when I use a towel.

Okay so I'm usually lazy when it comes to twisting my hair. I hate it so much. I don't feel like my hair is long enough to do bigger twists without completely unraveling and I'm horrible at doing flat twists because my fingers seem to have a mind of their own when I try. So when I'm letting my hair air dry it's usually several hours until I get around to twisting it. I didn't add any other oils or anything else since I used the hot oil. I have a spray bottle that's just filled with water and use that as I twist my hair. When I'm done twisting my hair I use bobby pins to pin several of them down to make sure they don't fall into my face and also for close to the crown of my head because for some reason my hair likes to stick straight up lol.

So I just pin my twists in the direction I want them to go. I wash my hair ever 7-8 days. For the most part I keep my twists in until the day before I shampoo. Very rarely do I take them out before. I'm trying to get my hair to grow out so I can do something with it. For now I'm in the awkward stage where it's not shot enough to a really cute short style or fro and it's not long enough due to shrinkage. I usually end up looking like Questlove lol. When I go out I have several wigs to choose from and I'll keep doing that until I'm comfortable with my length.

So as far as the products I used today
Pantene co-wash: Highly recommend! A+++
Africa's Best herbal oil: It is a little heavier than most, but it's still really good at locking in moisture B-