Hooray! I'm fast on track to hit my goal of waist length by the end of the year!
I just need to avoiiiid the scissors! Easier said than done.
Thanks for reading.
Sunday, June 22, 2014
Hair Tracker Part 10: June 2014
Hello, everyone! I've been busy (as I generally am) and have just decided to put up my length shot for the month.
I measured in at 27" today!
Hooray! I'm fast on track to hit my goal of waist length by the end of the year!
I just need to avoiiiid the scissors! Easier said than done.
Thanks for reading.
Hooray! I'm fast on track to hit my goal of waist length by the end of the year!
I just need to avoiiiid the scissors! Easier said than done.
Thanks for reading.
Monday, April 21, 2014
REVIEW: Henna Sooq's Sweet Honey Enriching Hair Nourisher
Hello, all! Today I've got a review for a product that I simply adore- Henna Sooq's fantastic Sweet Honey Enriching Hair Nourisher!
-The Lowdown-
I like deep conditioning treatments, and honey is a fantastic ingredient for conditioning for many people. It is a humecetant, which means that it draws in moisture from the air. For people, like me, who live in humid climates, this makes it ideal as a hair treatment during the sticky summer months!
This treatment caught my eye on the Henna Sooq website because of its list of hair-friendly ingredients, so I thought that I'd give it a try and see how it went!
-The Ingredients-
pure honey, organic vegetable glycerine, organic sunflower oil, organic extra virgin olive oil, castor oil, behentrimonium methosulfate (and) cetearyl alcohol, meadowfoam seed oil, panthenol, organic cassia obovata, lemongrass essential oil, and optiphen (preservative)
(Ingredients list taken from the product page on the Henna Sooq website)
-How to Use-
I've tried this a couple of different ways, but the best that I've found is to CO-wash my hair, then gently squeeze out excess moisture and apply in a thin layer to my hair, concentrating on my ends. I then braid it, or bun it- anything, really, to keep it out of the way, then cover my hair in plastic wrap and let it sit for at least 30 minutes.
It has a putty-like texture (see the pic to the right), which can make it somewhat tricky to work with. If I have a little bit of residual conditoner on my hair from washing, this stuff is so much easier to apply.
After letting it sit on my head for a little while, I rinse it out and towel dry my hair, then apply a bit of my leave-in on my ends. Viola- happy, happy hair!
The first time I used it, I applied way, way, way too much- using almost the entire 4 oz jar on my hair in one go! I was left with limp, grumpy hair, though it was thoroughly detangled! I've discovered that a little bit is all I need. Your mileage may vary, but if you find it weighs down your hair too much, you might want to consider using less and give it another try.
It has a strong, sweet, lemony scent (from the lemongrass essential oil) that does linger in your hair- be aware if you don't like the scent of lemon. I personally love the smell, but some people may not!
-My Thoughts-
Initially, like I said, I used it differently, and was not very happy with my results. Thankfully, I gave it another chance, and I am extremely pleased. This stuff eats my tangles for breakfast and leaves my hair smooth and silky. It has a strong, but sweet, lemony scent- like I said earlier, I love it, but it is definitely not for someone who doesn't tolerate that sort of smell. Incidentally, it does look quite different than the picture on the website- it looks more like a thick honey putty than a creamy conditioner.
It's not too expensive if you use it carefully. I don't use very much- a few little scoops to cover the length of my hair to the tips. I'm currently using my 8oz jar up, and I've gotten about 4 treatments out of it so far- with several more still left in there.
I can use this multiple times a week without any issues. My hair really likes honey a lot, but I reserve it for the more humid months. During the drier winters, honey is a no-go. If you live in a very dry climate, you might want to take that into consideration since honey doesn't always play well with drier air.
I absolutely recommend this treatment- especially if your hair's dry and needs some good moisture. It's got lots of great hair-nourishing ingredients and smells wonderful. Henna Sooq sells it in both 4oz and 8oz sizes.
Here it is on Henna Sooq's website
Thanks for reading!
 |
| 4oz and 8oz jars |
I like deep conditioning treatments, and honey is a fantastic ingredient for conditioning for many people. It is a humecetant, which means that it draws in moisture from the air. For people, like me, who live in humid climates, this makes it ideal as a hair treatment during the sticky summer months!
This treatment caught my eye on the Henna Sooq website because of its list of hair-friendly ingredients, so I thought that I'd give it a try and see how it went!
-The Ingredients-
pure honey, organic vegetable glycerine, organic sunflower oil, organic extra virgin olive oil, castor oil, behentrimonium methosulfate (and) cetearyl alcohol, meadowfoam seed oil, panthenol, organic cassia obovata, lemongrass essential oil, and optiphen (preservative)
(Ingredients list taken from the product page on the Henna Sooq website)
-How to Use-
I've tried this a couple of different ways, but the best that I've found is to CO-wash my hair, then gently squeeze out excess moisture and apply in a thin layer to my hair, concentrating on my ends. I then braid it, or bun it- anything, really, to keep it out of the way, then cover my hair in plastic wrap and let it sit for at least 30 minutes.
 |
| The texture is different than pictured on the site. |
It has a putty-like texture (see the pic to the right), which can make it somewhat tricky to work with. If I have a little bit of residual conditoner on my hair from washing, this stuff is so much easier to apply.
After letting it sit on my head for a little while, I rinse it out and towel dry my hair, then apply a bit of my leave-in on my ends. Viola- happy, happy hair!
The first time I used it, I applied way, way, way too much- using almost the entire 4 oz jar on my hair in one go! I was left with limp, grumpy hair, though it was thoroughly detangled! I've discovered that a little bit is all I need. Your mileage may vary, but if you find it weighs down your hair too much, you might want to consider using less and give it another try.
It has a strong, sweet, lemony scent (from the lemongrass essential oil) that does linger in your hair- be aware if you don't like the scent of lemon. I personally love the smell, but some people may not!
-My Thoughts-
Initially, like I said, I used it differently, and was not very happy with my results. Thankfully, I gave it another chance, and I am extremely pleased. This stuff eats my tangles for breakfast and leaves my hair smooth and silky. It has a strong, but sweet, lemony scent- like I said earlier, I love it, but it is definitely not for someone who doesn't tolerate that sort of smell. Incidentally, it does look quite different than the picture on the website- it looks more like a thick honey putty than a creamy conditioner.
It's not too expensive if you use it carefully. I don't use very much- a few little scoops to cover the length of my hair to the tips. I'm currently using my 8oz jar up, and I've gotten about 4 treatments out of it so far- with several more still left in there.
I can use this multiple times a week without any issues. My hair really likes honey a lot, but I reserve it for the more humid months. During the drier winters, honey is a no-go. If you live in a very dry climate, you might want to take that into consideration since honey doesn't always play well with drier air.
I absolutely recommend this treatment- especially if your hair's dry and needs some good moisture. It's got lots of great hair-nourishing ingredients and smells wonderful. Henna Sooq sells it in both 4oz and 8oz sizes.
Here it is on Henna Sooq's website
Thanks for reading!
Sunday, April 20, 2014
Hair Tracker Part 9: April 2014
Long time, no see! I've been exceptionally busy as of late, and between everything else eating up my time, and just not feeling up to it, I'd left my blog alone for a while. But now I'm back and ready to write again! I didn't do a big post for February, which is unfortunate because it was my 2-year anniversary, but I still got a photo from then and am happy to share my progress!
I took my hair measurement after hennaing the other night and couldn't believe it! I'm at 26"! On the left is my photo from February, when I measured 24.5".
Hooray!! It looks like my hair's been growing slightly faster than usual. Who knows- maybe I'll finally get to waist by this December?
Next time, I'll post a product review, so keep an eye out for that. :)
Next time, I'll post a product review, so keep an eye out for that. :)
Saturday, February 8, 2014
~*~ REVIEW: Nature's Gate Aloe Vera Moisturizing Conditioner~*~
As promised, I've got a nice little review for everyone today.
This is Nature's Gate's Aloe Vera Moisturizing Conditioner.
-The Lowdown-
I've tried some of Nature's Gate products in the past. My first trial was their chamomile shampoo and conditioner. I liked it, since it was gentle for my hair, but I wasn't really wowed by it and it didn't compel me to buy their products again.
Until one day when I was in my local grocery store, I spotted this conditioner, advertised as moisturizing for normal/dry hair. Well! I do love things that are moisturizing, and it smelled pretty good in the bottle, so I figured I'd give it a try.
-The Ingredients-
Water, Glycerin (Vegetable Derived), Stearyl Alcohol (Vegetable Derived), Cetyl Alcohol (Vegetable Derived), Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride (Vegetable Derived), Benzyl Alcohol, Stearalkonium Chloride (Vegetable Derived), Panthenol, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Borago Officinalis (Borage) Seed Oil, Tocopherol Vitamin E), Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Juice, Hordeum Vulgare (Barley) Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Fruit Extract, Viola Tricolor (Pansy) Extract, Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed Oil, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Hydroxyethylcellulose (Plant Derived), Potassium Sorbate, Citric Acid, Fragrance*.
(Taken from their website)
-How to Use-
This is a thick, creamy conditioner. I use it daily as part of whatever washing routine I choose to do. For CWC, that's a light coating of this conditioner prior to shampooing, then a liberal amount afterwards.
Right now, I CO-wash with Suave Naturals Wild Cherry Blossom conditioner as my initial cleansing/detangling conditioner, and then follow it up with this as my final conditioner and leave some in on the bottom portion of my hair after rinsing. I am careful not to leave too much in, however. On my fine/medium hair, too much can make it look stringy and clumped together.
I do not like to use it alone as my only CO-wash conditioner. If you have drier hair, then you might be able to use it as your only step in a CO-wash routine. I find that using it alone causes my scalp to become slightly greasy, so I avoid that by using my other conditioner first.
-My Thoughts-
This stuff works really well- it does definitely do what it promises for my hair. It also smells really, really good. It is my go-to conditioner for my daily conditioning needs, and my preferred conditioner for herbal mixes, deep conditioning treatments like SMT, and leave-ins. It's my little hair multitasker!! I've completely switched from my Ice Shine to this stuff because I like it much more.
My results have been wonderful. My hair is very shiny- the shine is sort of like what I get when I use a coney conditioner, just minus the buildup potential. I do not find that I have issues with the proteins in this conditioner- they do not seem to make my hair dry or tangly. I have been using it daily for probably the last 6 months.
The drawbacks- it is kind of expensive. It's about $7.75 per 18 oz bottle at my local store, but you can save some money if you buy it in bulk off Amazon, which is what I do. This stuff is so versatile and is really great, so I'm okay with spending a little be of extra money on it. However, the price point could make this prohibitively expensive if you wanted to CO-wash exclusively with it, or if you have very long hair. My hair is not even BSL and I go through a couple of bottles a month. I also do not really like it as my only conditioner in a CO-wash routine. It goes along great with my "cleansing" conditioner, however.
In short, it's a wonderful conditioner. It's great if your hair needs lots of moisture and it smells amazing! I highly recommend it. :)
Here are some links to check out:
Aloe Vera Moisturizing Conditioner at Nature's Gate website
Buy on Amazon
Thanks for reading!! :)
This is Nature's Gate's Aloe Vera Moisturizing Conditioner.
 |
| Bottle, picture from the Nature's Gate website |
-The Lowdown-
I've tried some of Nature's Gate products in the past. My first trial was their chamomile shampoo and conditioner. I liked it, since it was gentle for my hair, but I wasn't really wowed by it and it didn't compel me to buy their products again.
Until one day when I was in my local grocery store, I spotted this conditioner, advertised as moisturizing for normal/dry hair. Well! I do love things that are moisturizing, and it smelled pretty good in the bottle, so I figured I'd give it a try.
-The Ingredients-
Water, Glycerin (Vegetable Derived), Stearyl Alcohol (Vegetable Derived), Cetyl Alcohol (Vegetable Derived), Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride (Vegetable Derived), Benzyl Alcohol, Stearalkonium Chloride (Vegetable Derived), Panthenol, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Borago Officinalis (Borage) Seed Oil, Tocopherol Vitamin E), Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Juice, Hordeum Vulgare (Barley) Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Fruit Extract, Viola Tricolor (Pansy) Extract, Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed Oil, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Hydroxyethylcellulose (Plant Derived), Potassium Sorbate, Citric Acid, Fragrance*.
(Taken from their website)
-How to Use-
This is a thick, creamy conditioner. I use it daily as part of whatever washing routine I choose to do. For CWC, that's a light coating of this conditioner prior to shampooing, then a liberal amount afterwards.
Right now, I CO-wash with Suave Naturals Wild Cherry Blossom conditioner as my initial cleansing/detangling conditioner, and then follow it up with this as my final conditioner and leave some in on the bottom portion of my hair after rinsing. I am careful not to leave too much in, however. On my fine/medium hair, too much can make it look stringy and clumped together.
I do not like to use it alone as my only CO-wash conditioner. If you have drier hair, then you might be able to use it as your only step in a CO-wash routine. I find that using it alone causes my scalp to become slightly greasy, so I avoid that by using my other conditioner first.
This stuff works really well- it does definitely do what it promises for my hair. It also smells really, really good. It is my go-to conditioner for my daily conditioning needs, and my preferred conditioner for herbal mixes, deep conditioning treatments like SMT, and leave-ins. It's my little hair multitasker!! I've completely switched from my Ice Shine to this stuff because I like it much more.
My results have been wonderful. My hair is very shiny- the shine is sort of like what I get when I use a coney conditioner, just minus the buildup potential. I do not find that I have issues with the proteins in this conditioner- they do not seem to make my hair dry or tangly. I have been using it daily for probably the last 6 months.
The drawbacks- it is kind of expensive. It's about $7.75 per 18 oz bottle at my local store, but you can save some money if you buy it in bulk off Amazon, which is what I do. This stuff is so versatile and is really great, so I'm okay with spending a little be of extra money on it. However, the price point could make this prohibitively expensive if you wanted to CO-wash exclusively with it, or if you have very long hair. My hair is not even BSL and I go through a couple of bottles a month. I also do not really like it as my only conditioner in a CO-wash routine. It goes along great with my "cleansing" conditioner, however.
In short, it's a wonderful conditioner. It's great if your hair needs lots of moisture and it smells amazing! I highly recommend it. :)
Here are some links to check out:
Aloe Vera Moisturizing Conditioner at Nature's Gate website
Buy on Amazon
Thanks for reading!! :)
Thursday, January 23, 2014
~*~Hair Tracker Part 8: January 2014 and a Happy New Year!! ~*~
Happy belated New Year!! I've been very, very busy lately and have not had the time to really take care of my blog. But, I'm happy to come back to report that, yes, my hair has, in fact, grown since my last update. And I'm going to share a few pictures with everyone!
The picture on the left is from December. The picture on the right is this month. I measured my hair at 24" today. I've cut off a bit to straighten my hemline some. I prefer the look of a blunt hemline, but have never really taken the steps necessary to maintain it! Well now I know how to properly self-trim, and I'd say it doesn't look too bad at all! It's a work in progress.
This year, I really want to make it to waist, which is about 30" on me! I guess that means I'll have to hold off on the scissors if I really want to make it there. Maybe it'll be my Christmas present this year? Fingers crossed...
Next month'll be my 2 year blogging anniversary (!!!), and I have a few reviews that I've got in the pipeline for some new products I've tried (and fallen in love with!), plus my updated routine... And maybe I'll even have a hairstick review or two?
Thanks for reading!!
The picture on the left is from December. The picture on the right is this month. I measured my hair at 24" today. I've cut off a bit to straighten my hemline some. I prefer the look of a blunt hemline, but have never really taken the steps necessary to maintain it! Well now I know how to properly self-trim, and I'd say it doesn't look too bad at all! It's a work in progress.
This year, I really want to make it to waist, which is about 30" on me! I guess that means I'll have to hold off on the scissors if I really want to make it there. Maybe it'll be my Christmas present this year? Fingers crossed...
Next month'll be my 2 year blogging anniversary (!!!), and I have a few reviews that I've got in the pipeline for some new products I've tried (and fallen in love with!), plus my updated routine... And maybe I'll even have a hairstick review or two?
Thanks for reading!!
Thursday, September 5, 2013
~*~Hair Tracker Part 7: August 2013~*~
This is kind of late- like, really, really late! My apologies.
My hair has not seen a substantial amount of growth since February because back in June, I took off about 2 inches or so. I'm pretty solidly at 23" now, and I don't think I will need to trim for the rest of the year because my hair's in really really good shape.
So I guess I'd better revise my hair goals for the end of the year..originally I'd planned to grow to 27"...though uh...now that doesn't look so feasible! I'd be really happy if I were at a good 25", which I believe, is BSL for me.
I'm still really happy with my hair though. It's in good shape and is growing well. The only thing I want to change about it is the color- the red is building up and is a bit darker than I'd like. It's beautiful and definitely red, but I think I would be happier if it were a more orangey copper color. I dunno. We'll see.
I've also noticed my texture is looking more and more like 1c rather than 1b. I'm washing daily with a sulfate-free shampoo and conditioning, but it could also be due to the fact that I wear my hair up almost constantly and my hair just loves to hold a curl or wave from anything. We'll see how it continues to grow, though!
Until next time...
My hair has not seen a substantial amount of growth since February because back in June, I took off about 2 inches or so. I'm pretty solidly at 23" now, and I don't think I will need to trim for the rest of the year because my hair's in really really good shape.
23"
So I guess I'd better revise my hair goals for the end of the year..originally I'd planned to grow to 27"...though uh...now that doesn't look so feasible! I'd be really happy if I were at a good 25", which I believe, is BSL for me.
Comparison between February of this year and this month. Notice the texture change and the gradual disappearing black dye.
I'm still really happy with my hair though. It's in good shape and is growing well. The only thing I want to change about it is the color- the red is building up and is a bit darker than I'd like. It's beautiful and definitely red, but I think I would be happier if it were a more orangey copper color. I dunno. We'll see.
I've also noticed my texture is looking more and more like 1c rather than 1b. I'm washing daily with a sulfate-free shampoo and conditioning, but it could also be due to the fact that I wear my hair up almost constantly and my hair just loves to hold a curl or wave from anything. We'll see how it continues to grow, though!
Until next time...
Thursday, February 21, 2013
~*~Hair Tracker Part 6: February 2013 & 1 Year Anniversary!! ~*~
Hello! It's time for February's Hair Tracker Update! And this one is extra-special! It's been one year since I first started this feature of my blog!! I am so excited to share my photos for this month because I'll get to see, side-by-side, my progress for one year!!
I am currently at
and interestingly, some of my longer hairs are getting close to 23"! How exciting!
I am currently at
22"!
and interestingly, some of my longer hairs are getting close to 23"! How exciting!
I am so happy! My hair is in such good shape and I love it! Here's a side-by-side comparison showing February of last year and this year!
My hair's grown a lot since then- about 6", including trims! I'm so happy! My hair's so red now, too!
Well, let's hope I can get some good growth in this year, too! And we'll see how my hair looks next February! (Hopefully a little closer to my goal, eh? Here's hoping...)
On another note, I've got a few exciting new things coming up soon! It's not likely I'll have a hair tracker update for March, so I'll probably see you guys back in April with that. But I'll definitely be around. I've got some new updates and reviews I'm excited to share with everyone!
Until next time! :)
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