Hair Typing Is Stupid....

That is all...

Okay...No it's not...I've got too big of a mouth for that to be all...

I'm really tired of folks talking about 2b, 3a, 4q...whatever...I still don't get the point of this exercise in futility...

Does it REALLY matter at the end of the day? I've heard it said that it helps folks know what type of products to use, but I'm starting not to believe that...

I honestly think that there are a lot of folks out there that use it to further promote the "good hair/bad hair" foolishness...

That's all I'm saying...

*runs out of post*

Mixed Chicks? Who'da Thought...

So I tried another product (from my curlmart purchase). Based on product description and reviews, I chose the Mixed Chicks Leave-In Conditioner. I don't usually try leave ins because I've been satisfied with the concoction I make, so I was really interested in the results I'd get...I ALSO always passed up this product because of the name of the company...I'm no "mixed chick" so I didn't think the marketing was for me, lol...eh...

I like this product...Almost love it. I definitely like it better than the DevaCare Arc AnGel because it's a creamy product and not a gel. I applied the product after co-washing. My hair dried a lot faster than it did with the Arc AnGel which is an added bonus considering I don't like to spend much time styling and dealing with the whole drying issue. It probably took my hair 20-30 minutes to dry...

The next day when I woke up, I took my bonnet off, shook my head, and got this....

That's a first. Usually my hair is smooshed beyond repair, but honestly, I don't need anything in my hair other than some oil. That's the only criticism I have. It's not moisturizing enough for me. I think that's not a reason to stop using the product, however...

I also like that it's one of the only products that doesn't leave my hair looking jherri curl-ish. Because of the size of my curls, some products can make me look like I've got a jherri curl...

I give this product a solid...A...I'll use it for a while and see how I like it or love it in the future...

Day 3...

The value of a styling product (IMO) is how it wears over time. So here's the result of my DevaCare style. I covered it the night before, and in the morning, my curls were all smooshed...

I spritzed it with my concoction mixed with water. Shook it a little, and voila...I had enough product in my hair still from the co-wash and first day of using the Arc AnGel that I didn't really need anything but a refresh...I like it...

Product review...

So I broke down and decided to try some new products. I had been threatening to buy something from Curlmart, but I've always been overwhelmed by the offerings. BUT guess what?! They hooked me in with a sale they were having...

So, I bought Deva Care One Condition.

It's got some fabulous ingredients. I initially chose it based on reviews...Of course I was skeptical...I wouldn't be me if I wasn't, so I didn't think it would do what I needed it to do...Be a conditioner with great slip, and left my hair soft and frizz free...

It actually did that...I was impressed...After using it, my curls were separated and really defined...I actually give this stuff an A.

I followed up with Deva Care Arc AnGEL a Firm Hold Defining Gel.

I actually like this too. I read reviews of how it made some folks hair hard and crunchy, and I can understand why...If you use too much, it'll crunch your situation...But it's GEL...Duh...When I squeezed some out into my hand, my first thought was, "hmm...This is gel...Just like the bottle says...I'mma use a little bit and see what happens..." That's all it takes...A little bit...I give it a B+. If it had it's own oils to moisturize, I'd give it an A+...But I can't have it all right?

This is what my hair looked like with the Deva Care products.

I got lots of compliments and "stares" at work...(I've learned those are compliments too...) Tomorrow, it'll be a little "wilder" so it'll be bigger...How I like it. I'll take pics of that too.....

Raise your hand...

if you belong to the "If I Can't Pull It Together In 20 Minutes, It's Not Gonna Happen" hair club...

I know there has to be more folks who belong to this club than me?? When I was on maternity leave (tee-hee), I perused many hair blogs, videos and websites about hair. I was amazed at how much time some folks spend to achieve a particular style or texture for their hair. That's not to even mention the products out there that you have to apply in layers to sopping wet hair and you can't touch it until 60 hours later once it dries...Good LAWD!

I'm on a quest to maintain simple hair and styling. I LOVE looking at folks who can put the time in and who have the gift and patience to twist their hair for HOURS only to untwist and wear a twist out, or wear the twists...I wish I could...

So in answer to how I make it "do what it do"?...Here's what I does...er..do...(Is that right?)

Freshly co-washed hair...No products...

I apply my "concoction" and comb through to the ends, and put it in a braid...

Then I go to bed...(this step is really important!!!)

In the am, I take the braid out...Shake and I get this...My hair was still a little damp, so I didn't need to apply anything...Also, if I would have left it braided for a few more hours, it wouldn't have shrunk up as much...All I have to do to get some length is pull on it a little...
Pretty simple...

Take Your Vitamins!!!

I get questions and rants from folks who try different natural conditioners like the Honey-Olive Oil conditioner thinking something magical is going to happen...

There are sooo many deep conditioners and natural remedies out there, but I think many folks have a misconception of what to expect...

One day when I was trying to explain it, it hit me...VITAMINS!!!

You know how you know you need to take your vitamins? You don't see any immediate results from taking them, but you KNOW they're doing some good?

Same thing...

So do your deep conditioners like the Honey-Olive Oil, Banana, or Mayo-egg...

Mayo-Olive Oil-Egg Deep Conditioner

1 Cup of Mayo
1/2 Cup of Olive Oil
3 egg yolks

Mix ingredients together. Part hair and apply all over your hair!!! Cover with a plastic cap and sit under a dryer for 30 minutes. Rinse REALLY REALLY WELL...(You don't want the ingredeintes getting all funkdified on you)...

Benefits are said to be: moisturized, soft, shiny and strong hair!

Enjoy!

Rinse...Repeat...

Noooo, not your hair silly!

OLD POSTS!!!

One of my readers requested that I pull some of the old puts up to the front. We were talking about some things that I've covered in past postings, and I kept sending her links...

"Why don't you repost them?" Those were her exact words...

BRILLIANT! Very good idea....

So, here's a recap of some issues I'm quite passionate about...

1. Transitioning-http://imnotlyeing.blogspot.com/2008/09/transitioning.html

2. To BC or not BC http://imnotlyeing.blogspot.com/2008/08/to-chop-or-not-to-chop.html

3. Braids Don't Grow Your Hair...This concept is still rather interesting to me...There's a comment from an "anonymous" reader who kinda had issue with my post, but was actually saying or attesting to what I was saying...hmmmm....
http://imnotlyeing.blogspot.com/2008/08/braids-dont-grow-your-hair.html

4. Learning to accept your texture and hair....This should be first on the list...If I had a dollar for every time I had to talk to somebody about their texture....LAWD! http://imnotlyeing.blogspot.com/2008/09/give-us-free.html

I'm a conditioner junkie...

I have come to this realization...Other products, not so much...I don't know why I've never figured this out...

During some cleaning and consolodating, I found no less that 14 types of conditioners in various sizes...Wow...I'm shame...

I'm the queen of "Quit buying random garbage", and I've got a gang of said garbage...

But eh...

Anyhoo...I tried this pretty decent conditioner the other day, lol...

It's nothing to write home about, but the ingredients are pretty good...It's Esencia by Samy. I bought it from Kroger on sale, and have a little rebate certificate so it's essentially free...Which is why I bought it...($7.99)


I used it for my co-wash, so I was rating it based on what I need a co-wash conditioner to do...The main requirement is detangle...I'd give this conditioner a B-. Now let me qualify this grade with the fact that if I had more time for detangling, maybe would have gotten a solid B. I don't want to be detangling for more than 3 to 5 minutes...That's the cut off for me...

It's 97.1% natural with certified organic ingredients...

Purified Water, USP, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Dicetyldimonium Chloride, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Retinyl Palmitate (Vitamin A), Panthenol (ProVitamin B5), Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice*, Santalum Album (Sandalwood) Extract, Phellodendron Amurense Bark Extract, Hordeum Distichon (Barley) Extract, Humulus Lupulus (Hops) Extract, Urtica Dioica (Nettle) Extract, Equisetum Hiemale Extract, Salvia Sclarea (Clary) Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract**, Rosa Canina Fruit Extract**, Limnanthes Alba (Meadowfoam) Seed Oil, Jasmine Officinale (Jasmine) Oil, Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil, Thymus Vulgaris (Thyme) Oil, Zingiber Officinale (Ginger) Root Oil, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Citrus Acid, Polyquaternium-7, Ceteareth-20, Hydroxyethyl Urea, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance.

It's goal is to replenish moisture and restore manageability.

After my hair dried, it was decent...My curls were light and not coated. It just wasn't the Liquid Soul Train I'm looking for...

Guess Who's Bizack?!!!

It's me!!!

Okay...so quit it with the hate mail!

What have I been doing?! Not my hair...let me tell you...A sista been lookin' BUST-TID...

In all seriousness, I've been VERY busy cooking up me a batch of deliciousness...

Yup...I had a baby...A little boy. His name is Shiloh Xavier. He's the joy of my life and he consumes all my time...I am learning how to balance work and family though, hence why I'm attempting to blog again...He's now 3 months old, and he's learning how to entertain himself for the most part...

Dang...I spoke too soon...The hatertot is over there doing his pre-cry....

I'll chat with y'all in a minute...I gots some stuff I want to talk to y'all about ;)

The skeptic's Blog....

That's probably what I shoulda called this blog...

What up y'all...Sorry I've been MIA...TressDressed has been keeping me VERY busy...

Anyway...I tried a hair mask that I've been hearing about all over the internet...I've seen video tutorials on YouTube and everything...

The Rhassoul Clay Hair Mask...

I make soap, so I have different clays here, and Rhassoul is one of them, so I decided to give it a try...

For me...eh...whatevs...

Sometimes, it seems like a lot of us in the "natural" world will jump off the deep end spending major loot trying all of these concoctions and remedies....Sometimes, I also think we overstate some of the results we get because everybody else is "oohing and ahhing" over it...But....that's just me...That's what I think...

Well considering this economic down turn of MY wallet, I have to keep it completely real for me...

I tried the mask and it didn't do anything anymore than anything else out there...It's no miracle product (not saying anybody has claimed such), but if you like natural products, this is just another one to add to all the others...

Here's a recipe:

4tbs Rhassoul Clay
2tbs Olive Oil
2 drops of Thyme Essential Oil.

I'd like to hear if anybody else tried and liked....

I'm soooo fly...

I know this blog is suppose to be about natural haircare, but I can't help pubbing myself. I made these cute little clips for a gorgeous bride-to-be named Monique...She's having a destination wedding and wanted these orchid clips to add to her flyness...er...birdcage veil...LOL...

Pics of my mother-in-law!!!

So my gorgeous mother-in-law got married last month. I made a fascinator for her hair, and it was PERFECTION!!! It matched her dress perfectly...I was really happy, and so was she!!

Mother-in-law is natural, and dyes her hair a gorgeous blond color...She's got the thickest hair I've ever seen in my life too...She wore her hair in a twistout and I arranged the fascinator on her hair. I "swooped" everything to one side so she'd look "diva-ish"...Here are some non-pro pictures of her in her flyness...

Don't stop, get it, get it!!!!!

SOMEBODY told me the Holidays were over and I was overdue for a posting...(humph!)...! HATERS!!! That's all I'm saying...HATE-UHS!!!

So...Happy New Year!

This year is bound to be very fabulous for me...I believe it...I've got so much stuff planned for my hurr...

I've been thinking about something lately, and I think I'll blog about it right now...So my husband and I were in an Indian grocery store recently, and I started browsing their haircare offerings...There were various bottles with gorgeous Indian women with the THICK, lush, long hair...They had shampoos, conditioners, dyes, and hair oil.

I was very interested in the hair oils because a few of them had pictures of women with unbelieveably thick and long hair...One had a lady with floor length hair on it...It was insane...So of course I immediately flipped the bottle over to see the ingredients...I PROMISE YOU that every single bottle of hair oil on the shelf had the CHIEF ingredient as MINERAL OIL...So it started me to thinking...How much are products actually helping, and how much is this journey actually CARE and GENETICS?????

Sometimes we spend so much time trying to find the perfect set of products that we don't pay attention to the fact that products may only play a small part in the overall "fierceness" of our situation...I know I'm VERY guilty of this...

I often get emails asking how I deal with split ends, and what products do I use...I honestly, honestly, honestly think there are so many things that cause split ends and products are only a small part of addressing the issue...I think weak and splitting ends can be attributed mostly to environment (the weather), styling habits (combing, brushing, heat styling), and maybe genetics...

When I was in Florida over the holiday, the weather down there soooo agreed with my hair...I washed it once, and applied my "concoction" every other day...It was insane how the weather held my moisture in...Here in Tennessee, no can do, man...I best to moisturize EVERYDAY, or there are going to be serious problems...

And that brings me to genetics...I drool over folks with thick hair...I envy women who can seemingly abuse their hair with heat, crappy products and styling methods, and their hair doesn't flinch...I've come to learn that there are certain things that I JUST can't do and expect to have healthy hair...It's not in my genes...I spent some time with my mom this holiday down in Florida, and I started studying her hair. She's natural and has some amazingly gorgeous hair that she keeps in a braided bun most of the time. I studied the texture and density...I was all up in her situation...I've never looked at it like I did at that time...It's sooooo similar to mine. Fine strands that curl, wave, and frizz...She's my hair twin...She's my mom...We talked about what we do, and we pretty much have the same issues. We just address them differently.

So I said all that to say that this year, I'm going to start paying more attention to everthing else...Sure products and styles are fun, but I believe that they don't play the major role in the health of my hair.

You go first...

I just got off of Amazon.com trying to spend some money...

I'm buying my husband some Christmas gifts...Searching around and hit the Beauty section...I was there for waaay too long...I decided that I'd pick one product to try...I'm such a weirdo with products...I'd click on one, put it in the shopping basket...then look up the ingredients or the marketing....then take it out of the shopping basket...I must have done this with 10 products or more...I was trying y'all...Then I came across this stuff...

Ojon® Restorative Hair Treatment

HEY!!!!

Focus...stop looking at that little hand claw thing...I need you here >...<

So, this 5 oz jar costs $55.00. Whhhhaaaaatttt??? I clicked on that just to see what "hunka, hunka" something would be applying this stuff to my situation everytime I used it...SURELY somebody comes with the stuff??

Seriously...What's the deal? Do you know how much 5 oz is??? Take a kleenex...Blow your nose...THAT'S 5 oz., dude...Okay...I kid, but you see where I'm going...

I looked at the ingredients...Looked at the marketing and the claims and I'm a little annoyed to say the least...The marketing is wacked out...IMO... (http://www.ojon.com/)

Tawira, "the people of beautiful hair" (a phrase that they've trademarked...) are of the Miskito people...Miskito are a Native American tribe of people whose territory spans from Cape Camarón, Honduras, to Rio Grande, Nicaragua...There are sites and publications that state that the Miskito people are the result of runaway African slaves intermixing with the Native American people...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miskito
http://sidewalkmystic.com/Miskitos.htm

So they have this Ojon (also a trademarked name for the palm tree grown there) tree that they produce this fantastic oil from its nuts...Okay....oil...lubricates...aids in moisturizing...sure...got it...

BUT I'm not buying that it's this stuff that causes the magical beauty that you see...I think it's genetics...I'm such a skeptic...ESPECIALLY when it comes to hair/beauty products...If it's such a "beautifier" I'mma need them folks to use it on their skin too cuz some of the pictures I've seen, the people are pretty leathery...NO offense...It's just an observation...And considering hair and skin are made up of some of the same stuff and have some of the same needs...I'm just saying...

I do believe that the harvesting of the product might be a bit more expensive than the ingredients that the mofos who make Dax hair grease or Soul Aid or whatever use but...still $55.00?

I applaud the company using the indigenous people and helping them sustain their environment (if if fact they truly are), but I know you can get less "sexy" (sexy meaning less marketing) at places like http://www.agbangakarite.com/. (Their black soap, shea butter, and red palm oil is the business in a bag...for serious)

Anyway, back on task...Amazon has the ingredients for the Ojon® Restorative Hair Treatment as:

Elaeis Oleifera, Fragrance, Lecithin, Tocopherol, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Citric Acid, Serenoa Serrulata, Prunus Africana.

I started researching the ingredients, and lo and behold...all I had to do what scroll down on into thr review section...Somebody broke it down to the brokest...(Whew...now I wont need to spend the day googling...)

It's titled: If people would just read the label............., (I fluffy, puffy, jello heart this person...)

First, let me list both the pros and the cons of using this hair product.

PROS: 1) The product consists of 95% of all natural ingredients that will benefit your hair much better than those alternative synthetic conditioners found on the cosmetic shelves. 2) It can definitely work on all types of hair - especailly ethnic hair which tends to be on the dry side & therefore would need more emollients.

CONS: 1) Most of the ingredients (see below) that this product is made of can be found at your local health food store or ordered on-line from a herbal supply company at a fraction of the cost that Ojon is requesting.

2) The main ingredient in this product is simply oil. It's the same concept of the "hot oil treatment" but marketed in a different way in order to make Ojon seem more exotic. The fact is that using any oil - e.g. olive oil, coconut oil - will give you the same results. Now, I am going to break down the ingredients label so that you can see what you are paying for.

Ingredient #1: Elaeis Oleifera is American Palm Oil. It is native to the tropical Central & South Americas and is a very low cost oil (10 cents per oz) so therefore it is widely used in many industries such as food, candles, & cosmetics. It is very emollient & leaves a non-greasy shine to the hair & skin. The entire base of this 5-oz jar is made up of this palm oil, so the cost is estimated to be no more than a total of 50 cents. Ingredient

I have to interject here...I might add that Abinga Kirite has a great Red Palm Oil...Get that for a FRACTION OF A FRACTION of what 'ol dude is charging... (carry on...)

#2: Lecithin is a natural emollient that is heavily found in egg yolks. It has great conditioning properties & feeds the skin & hair natural carbohydrates. Many local health food stores sell it for about $2 for a 16 oz bottle. A little goes a long way, so for or a 5 oz jar of oil, only 1/4 teaspoon of lecithin is required. Ingredient

#3: Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Ascorbyl Palmitate, & Citric Acid are types of preservatives that many cosmetic industries are required to use to make sure that the oils do not go rancid. They do not contribute any benefits to the hair - they are only additives to ensure the product stays fresh longer. Ingredient

#4: Serenoa Serrulata (Saw Palmetto Extract), Citronellol (roselike odor derived from citronella oil), Linalool (liquid distilled from certain essential oils) & Parfum (a man-made fragrance) are all used to give this product it's unique "smokey" scent. Since most of this fragrance base is synthetic (& cheap), these ingredients do not contribute that much benefit Ingredient

#5: Prunus Africana. This may be the only ingredient worth paying attention to. It is an herbal extract derived from the bark of an African plant that many men have used to treat prostate illnesses. It has anti-swelling & healing properites. I would predict that this ingredient is added to promote balancing to the scalp, or to add a natural coloring to the oil (as most herbal extracts will do). But, since there is only a miniature amount used in this product, it is highly unlikely that there is enough to add any benefit whatsoever. Now that I have listed a breakdown of what you are paying $55 for, it is up to you whether you want to try this product or not. It's not a bad product, but it's definitely not the greatest or most original product either to justify paying that much money. My suggestion to you is to go to the local health food store, buy some natural oils & herbs for about $7, and create your own conditioning hair oil. Apply it to your hair the same way that you would apply this Ojon (as a pre-shampoo treatment) and not only will you get the same if not better results, but you will have enough money left over to go towards something more practical.
Things that make you go hmmmmmm.....

I've got a gallon of palm oil on my baker's rack that I use for soap making...Wouldn't need the preservatives as I'll make small batches...I have my own essential oils, and the Prunus Africana (wild cherry extract)...I can do without...it's the LAST ingredient on the list...If you got the loot to spend, and/or don't like to mix it up...try it...i guess...

Maybe it's that frightful little petrified hand/hook thing that makes it cost so much...

MMMMM....TAYter Tots...

Okay...That was tre corney...

I usually do my showcases on diva's who are natural or going natural, but I decided to take a break from the norm...

As we struggle through our journey of not only better hair care, but with working with the mindset of accepting our NATURAL selves, one has to look back to how that "mind" was developed...So many times I hear people say that "natural" hair isn't for them or they look stupid with natural hair, but it makes me say...Ummkay...The stuff that's growing OUT of your head? The stuff that GOD created??? For serious??? Okay...

I have a girl friend with the cutest little diva. Her name is Taylen, but we affectionately call her TATERS!!! Tay had a challenge getting here, and she fought so that she could bless us with her presence. Her mommy the lovely and loving elementary school teacher, Trice is allowing me to showcase her precious girl...

Trice is committed to making sure Tay learns to love herself from the beginning. I'm very curious to watch this from the cradle...

Anyway...Heeeeerrrrreeee's TATERS!!!

Y'all, Tay is rocking a twist out...Are you ready for that?? Too much...

Trice is narrating this story, so take it away mama...
Taylen came into the world with her head covered with hair. Not a head full of hair. It was straight and it covered her head.

Then the top started growing and the sides sat still. Then it started looking like the sides were thinning out. Her head was just getting bigger. But anyway people starting asking us if we styled her hair in a fro (yes those colored people). So eventually by the time she was 5 months she had a full out frohawk. She would rarely even wear a headband with it because ever since she was in the NICU she had things stuck to her head and she would panic when we put stuff around her head. Twice she allowed me to put a velcro barette in her head. I can remember clearly. I took pictures those days.

I didn't know what to do with her hair so I would put baby lotion or baby oil in her hair after a bath or before we left and let it run free.

(CUUUUTTTTT!!!!!!! Umm...Trice...spank yourself, please...) Okay...continue on...

Then the hair on the top of her head kept growing and the sides started to grow again! She could have ponytails but they looked so weird. I did them anyway. She had three! My mom came to visit and stopped me from using baby oil in my baby's hair. She started using LIV conditioner instead.

(ummm...do yall know they're about the same thing...as far as ingredients go??? I'mma beat on y'all...but carry on...)

I wet her hair and rubbed it in. She moved all the way up to a maximum of 6 ponytails before we started getting places and half of her hair was now out.

The child started taking her ponytails out on our way to places. I'd get to church and her right side would be neat and pretty and the left side would be all over the place. She was eating the ponytail holders. So then...I agreed with her that ponytails were for babies and she was a big girl. She allowed me to twist her hair after a shower and a few days later she had them all out! She wore her afro for 2 weeks. Some nights I would retwist it and let her take it out.

Look at Tayters stylin' in the Tutu I made her!!! Loving the stylish drool under her chin...Work it girl!

She has worn it in french braids/corn rows once but she took them out before I could even put batteries in the camera to take a picture.

I loves me some Tayters!!!! Butterum...Trice...we gone fight like rolling on the lawn if you don't stop using that greasy mess in my baby's hurr...

So...

I just came out of a very stressed 12 hours...

My mother-in-law is getting married next weekend, and she asked me to make her a fascinator 2 months ago...

I just finished it...today...

No...I wasn't slacking...

I was stressing...

She's getting married in the most non-traditional dress EVA...It's a pewter-ish color. She wanted feathers and browns and metalics and such...I tried a few different designs, and I swear the end results looked like something that needed to be in Beyonce's Upgrade U video...I wasn't having that...

I love my mother-in-law, so I want her to be happy, I also don't want my husband looking back years from now talking about how I had his moms looking a Hot Mess...

She said she didn't want to wear a veil, but guess what...She bout to wear one...Well some...I must be crazy adding that to my stress, right? I'm a fool, but last night I saw the fascinator I needed to make...in my dream...I always have dreams about pieces I create without design inspiration...

So here's what she's going to be wearing...

I think it came out beautifully...Okay...I'm going to bed now...I'm BEAT!!!

Kickin' it OLD SKOOL!

My mom used to use this stuff on our hair years ago, and I must say I loves the stuff...It's a leave in conditioning treatment. For curly and coarse hair - helps smooth away rough cuticles and tangles. Moisturizes to reduce dryness and frizziness. Improves manageability. Increases shine. You can get it from Sally's Beauty Supply...or online...

It makes my hair softer...Helps with detangling, and gives my tresses some strength...

Here are the types out there:

Double 007 for Fine/Limp hair
Doubel 0233 for Chemically treated hair
Double 0619 for Dry/coarse hair (the one I use)

The blurby-blurb:

See what Fermodyl products can do for your hair:

Improve damaged hair after a relaxer or perm
Restore moisture to dry, dull hair
Enhance colour shine after a colour service
Add fullness and volume to thinning hair
Build body in fine hair

Here's a slick chart to see which one is best for your situation:

Vee's Milkshake....

Whether she likes it or not, this piece 'o sexiness will bring the all the boys to the yard. Trust. Soft pink ostrich feathers with the center bling....

CLEAR COLOR????

That's STOOPIT! That's like the ultimate in double talk...

Yeah, well it works...

My hair is naturally this weird sandy color. Not the cute sandy, but the dull sandy. The color that ALWAYS looks dry, no matter HOW much oil, sheen, gloss or grease is in it...UNTIL I learned about clear semi-permanent color THAT CONDITIONS!!!!!

Every now and then I'll use a clear semi-permanent to help with shine, and to add continuous conditioning.

The prices range from @ $4.00 a bottle to $20.00 for an application. I'm in love with Paul Mitchell professional hair color - Inkworks (@ $12.00) This stuff is some Soul Train, let me tell YOU...

Le "blurb" says...INKWORKS is the ultimate fun and professional semi-permanent color solution. • Vegetable Base—a gentle formula of pure vibrant pigments is suspended in a conditioning base of pure vegetable proteins, moisturizers, and shine-enhancing agents • Semi-Permanent Hair Color—incredibly vivid, non-damaging shades last up to three weeks (depending on hair’s porosity)

How does INKWORKS work? INKWORKS sits primarily on the outside of the hair shaft; the greater the porosity and the lighter the base color the more intense the end result. Conditioning proteins, especially in an acid base, have an affinity for the hair fiber making INKWORKS a long lasting, shiny temporary color.

I like the idea of semi-permanent color. They're ammonia free and the conditioning lasts a lot longer...'Specially when I get a little lax with the deep conditioning...

ORS Revisited...

I was in the BSS store the other day looking for some hair clips, and decided to try the ORS Replenishing Pak again. I hate BSS, but that's a whole OTHER story...seriously...

Anyhoo...I tried it eons ago, and never bought it again, but since I've keep hearing great reviews for it, I decided to give it another go...

It's still just EH... to me...

Here's why (I think)...

It has 'cones in it..kinda high on the ingredient list. I can't tolerate too many cones...It conditioned...pretty well, but it left my hair a bit coated...

I can see folks with thicker hair and who LOVE 'cones using this. It WOULD be the bomb.com...BUT if you have really fine, curly, 'cone hating hair, this may not be the stuffus...

I'd love to hear from folks with fine, thin, curly hair. What was your experience???