May 2017 Hair Products Haul + Bonus Product

Welcome to my first ever haul! I know what you're thinking: It's not a mountain of products piled onto the floor. This is more of a mini haul, so go easy on me. 😅 

All except for one is a mixture of hair products, but keep reading to find out what the bonus product is. Since I'm planning on doing tons of experiments with different hairstyles, I wanted to stock up on a variety of products. I also did this because I'm still playing around with products to see how my hair reacts to them. 

Deep Conditioners

I am a deep conditioner junkie. I love trying them out because they all react differently with my hair, yet they always leave my hair soft and moisturized. This is the Creme of Nature Professional Nourishing and Strengthening Treatment. 

I bought this because it has Jojoba and Olive Oil. It's also full of coconut oils, Shea butter, cocoa butter and wheat protein that is supposed to reduce breakage, heal damaged ends and protect against thermal damage. I bought this for $12.99 at my local hair supply store. I can't wait to try this! 

The second deep conditioners I bought were a couple of samples from Kmart. It's funny because I actually came across these packets in Walgreens a few weeks ago but I wasn't sure whether I wanted to try them. But once I saw them again I just had to get them. 

The yellow packet is the Hask Coconut Milk and Organic Honey Curl Care Deep Conditioner. What stood out to me was the Memory Curl Complex, which is actually a fancy name to describe its curl enhancing and frizz control abilities. It's also free of sulfates, parabens, phthalates, gluten and alcohol. 

The black packet also stood out to me because, well, the charcoal immediately caught my eye. This is the Hask Charcoal with Citrus Oil Purifying Deep Conditioner. As you know, charcoal has great purifying properties, and this particular treatment promises to clarify the hair, remove impurities and to deliver lots of moisture. These packets cost about $2.00 each, but I think the full bottles cost between $12 to $15. I'm suuuper excited to try the charcoal deep conditioner on my next wash day! 

Gels

Here we have the Coconut and Hibiscus Curling Gel Soufflé with Agave and Flax Seed Oil from Shea Moisture. This line isn't particularly new to me because I have a sample of their Coconut and Hibiscus Curling Enhancing Smoothie, which I purchased about two years ago. It smells so heavenly, but back to the gel. If you're concerned about the ingredients, this gel contains no: 

sulfates
parabens
phthalates
paraffin 
propylene glycol
mineral oil
synthetic 
fragrance or color
DEA

This product is also not animal tested. Its promises include curl definition, hydration and sealing of the hair shaft, and no buildup. I plan to attempt Marley Twists pretty soon so this along with my Hick's Edges might help me achieve smooth results. 

I think we've all used the second gel at some point in our lives, natural or relaxed. It's the Ampro Pro Styl Protein Styling Gel, or "the brown gel" as I call it. The last time this gel was used on my hair was when I was in high school and I still remember the amazing hold. This gel did not move for anything, at least not until I caved at the beach and went for a swim. This island girl NEVER goes to the beach without swimming in the ocean. 😏 This is a gel that won't be used as much as the gels I use on a daily basis, but it will come in handy when I want to keep certain styles firmly in place. 

Leave-In Conditioners 

I love trying out different leave in conditioners, and sometimes, I prefer when comes from a spray bottle. The first is another Creme of Nature product, and it's the Coconut Milk Detangling and Conditioning Leave-In Conditioner. Coconut oil is the magic ingredient I'm this leave-in, which is meant to soften the hair and improve manageability. What I will say is that the fragrance may be too strong for some. It doesn't bother me but the scent did stand out to me quite a bit. I think this product runs for about $8.00 at Kmart. 

This Mane 'n Tail Maximum Herbal-Gro technically isn't a leave-in conditioner. I categorize it as a leave in only because it's applied to washed and dried hair, but it's a grease. This is a throwback to my elementary school days, and although I usually stay away from greases, I thought I could try it to keep my hair smooth whenever I twist my hair for protective styling. Mane' n Tail products are known for promoting hair growth, mainly because many of them contain the ingredient colts foot and horse chestnut, which is pretty self-explanatory. The benefits of this include scalp nourishment and conditioning breakage prevention and promotion are stronger and shinier hair. 

Oils

If this oil looks familiar, it's because I already mentioned the first Reshma Henna oil in my last post. This oil, while it has the same amount of oils, is a little different. This oil is meant for normal skin and the blend of oils are supposed to add shine to the hair, keep it nourished and strong, and has benefits for the skin as well such as softening the skin as well as minimizes wrinkles and ease stretch marks. I shall be the judge of that as I'm actively trying to get rid of a few stretch marks. The five oils in this blend are cinnamon oil, olive oil, almond oil, clove oil and henna extract. I'll be adding it to my Fenugreek-Moringa oil blend. I purchased this oil on sale for $5.00.

Bonus Product

A few weeks ago I shared the Spin for Perfect Skin 70% off sale that Vanity Planet was having on my Facebook page. Well, I took advantage if the sale and purchased the $99.99 skin brush for $29.99! This is my third product I've purchased from them, and yet again, I am one satisfied customer. The system not only includes the exfoliating body brush, but it comes with two face cleansing attachments and a pumice stone attachment.

 I've been wanting to get into the habit of "dry brushing", which is just exfoliating dry skin to get rid of dead skin cells. It can also be used in the shower if need be. What I also love about this product, and my other Vanity Planet products is that the packages always come with a promo code that takes 50% off on your next purchase.

And guess what? The sale for the Spin for Perfect Skin brush is STILL going on! I'm not sure how much longer it'll last, so if you want 70% off the original price, I suggest you buy it now. I have no idea what I might come across next on their website, but I have a strong feeling I'll be purchasing more from them. Let's just say the next Black Friday should be really interesting... 

If you made it to the end of this post, thank you for being such a good sport. It was a lot of information but I wanted to let you guys know exactly why I decided to buy these products in case you were interested in buying them yourselves. I'll definitely be posting updates, whether good or bad, and I'm just looking forward to using them. I hope you're having an awesome weekend so far and join me next Saturday for Smoothie Saturdays. This one will include a yummy yet healthy treat that can be a great substitute for dessert. 

See ya!

Fenugreek-Moringa Oil for Hair Growth & Thickness

In my fenugreek hair spritz post, I mentioned that I took inspiration from some of these concoctions from my favorite natural hair YouTuber, Ife of ife360tv. My latest concoction was inspired by her as well. I used whatever oils I had lying around my bedroom, but the two main ingredients that make this recipe so unique is the mixture of Fenugreek seeds and Moringa powder. 

Consuming Moringa in my smoothies in tandem with using it in my massage oils or hot oil treatments may possibly aid in hair growth. It's pretty impressive considering I haven't had time to care for my hair like I usually would over the past few weeks. One day I'll follow the recipe exactly but for now, I have tons of oils that are in need for use. Here's the link to Ife's recipe. 

If you have different oils than me, feel free to make your own mixture, but don't forget the Fenugreek seeds and Moringa! Make sure to use a glass container to store your oil as well. I started by toasting about 1/4 cup of Fenugreek seeds in a skillet. They brown pretty quickly so just keep stirring them around the pan so that they toast evenly. Let the seeds cool completely before adding them to your glass container. 

I then added 3/4 cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, followed by a heaping tablespoon of Moringa powder. Use a funnel if you'd like to avoid making a mess, and give the mixture a good stir. 

Add in your other oils and stir again. These are the remaining oils I used, which included Peppermint oil and Jamaican Black Castor Oil. I also added a few drops of Rosehip seed oil. 

However, my favorite oil at the moment is this Reshma Henna oil. It has five different oils: basil oil, olive oil, jojoba oil, henna extract, and cedar wood oil, that help to nourish a dry scalp and skin. I love it not only because it's moisturizing, but because it smells like tea! 😍

And there you have it! Your Fenugreek-Moringa Oil. Here are a few tips I recommend before using this oil. 

• After creating this mixture, I was inclined to immediately slap it onto my scalp and start massaging. But I followed Ife's advice and left it out in a sunny area for about a week before using it. The color will change considerably but that's because the oils have had time to settle into each other. 
• Stir before each use, of course. 
• This is a last-minute tip, but use a piece of cheesecloth or pantyhose to strain the oil before applying it to your scalp. I learned this the hard way this past weekend. Because the Moringa powder doesn't really dissolve into the oils, putting it on your hair may leave behind tiny green balls of residue. A regular strainer may not work because the holes are too big to prevent the powder from getting into your hair, so that is why I recommend using a cheesecloth or pantyhose. 

If you try this recipe with different oils, let me know what you used and how it worked out for you. I'll make sure to post an update so you guys can see how much my hair has grown after using it. Once again, thank you so much for reading and happy Hump Day!

April Length Check

Welcome back, guys! What a crazy few weeks it has been. It feels like forever since I've posted. Life happens and sometimes and you gotta do what you gotta do, but I promise I'm back this time. For my St. Thomian readers I hope you all had an awesome J'ouvert and Carnival! 

Yet another month has passed and I've gained some more length. During this monthly length check, I kept track of the maintenance and habits that I kept up with throughout April and I'm still making adjustments as I go. Since I've been so busy lately I haven't had much time to really care for my hair like I usually do, but I think I did pretty okay considering the growth I achieved. 

Right now at its longest point, my hair has finally reached 7 inches. I kept my hair in its usual twists while moisturizing and massaging my scalp ever so often. I suspect that consuming Moringa in my smoothies is lending its hand to my growth as well as my waistline. You'll find out more in my next Smoothie Saturdays post. 😉 

At first, I was going to do my length checks at the beginning of each month however, I changed my mind and decided that it would be best to do it at the end of each month. As this month is halfway over, you'll be seeing another one of these posts in about fifteen more days. As you can see, as I stretched my hair to see it's true length, it's considerably longer than my first length check. I have officially surpassed collarbone length!

Here is me breaking my arm to hold my strands from the back. Hopefully, on the next length check, I'll be able to hold my hair comfortably.

As far as length checks go, it's pretty self-explanatory so enjoy the rest of the pics. 

This post wasn't very long but I'll be back pretty soon with another post. And guess what? I'm now on Snapchat! Follow me at Hair, Health & Heart! I'll be showing all my behind the scenes antics and other fun stuff. Thanks for reading and have an awesome day!