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???

I broke down...

No...I didn't get no funky perm...

I broke down and shampooed my hair...I was trying to co-wash exclusively for the winter, but I couldn't do it. I HATE excessive build up, and clarifying doesn't do it for me on a continuous basis...I just like to shampoo...

OH and another reason why I broke down is that I was trying out some new shampoo bars that I bought... ;) (that's the reason more than anything...)

I bought some shampoo bar samples from Chagrin Valley Soap.

http://www.chagrinvalleysoapandcraft.com/

I bought a few samples, but I used the:

Babassu & Marsh Mallow Shampoo Bar

Here's the "blurb" about the bar:

Emollient rich, deeply nourishing babassu oil moisturizes, and restores hair strength and elasticity, for shiny, healthy-looking hair. Camellia oil provides luster and shine, while it moisturizes, softens, and protects hair. Women from the Japanese island of Oshima, where Camellia tress are very abundant, are said to have the most beautiful hair. A shampoo formulated with camellia oil may help with dandruff and hair loss. Walnut oil, an excellent hair care oil, helps condition hair. Shea butter and avocado oil moisturize, restore luster, and conditioner the hair and scalp. We infused the march mallow in grapeseed oil and created a mucilage, by mixing organic marsh mallow root with filtered rainwater and organic aloe. Marsh mallow root soothes and hydrates the hair and scalp, providing relief from scalp irritation. It also detangles and provides a great natural moisturizer for hair. Aloe strengthens the hair shaft, makes hair smoother, silkier, and more manageable. The essential oil blend has lovely floral and spice scent. Ylang ylang, has a stimulating effect on the scalp which helps promote more luxurious hair. Ylang ylang and lemon help balance the production of sebum making them good oils for all hair types. A Chinese folk remedy recommends rubbing ginger root on the scalp to stop hair loss. Essential oils of lemon and ginger also help restore body and shine.

Did ya get all of that????

I can dig it...Lots of talk, but I appreciate the education and information. I mean really, so many products have so much to say, but really never say anything, right? Well obviously they're into educating...

Anyway, if you haven't tried a shampoo bar, this is a great opportunity. The samples are pretty cheap, so you can buy a few to see how you like it. The downside is that they run of of product often, so there may be a type here or there that you cant order until they're finished curing...

I lathered up twice with the bar. My hair was SQUEAKY clean...It was almost scary. It squeaked and screamed every time I touched it. It was crazy...My hair almost had an attitude with me...seriously...It literally stripped it completely down...I think I shouldn't have shampooed twice...ONCE would have been plenty, but with EVERY shampoo I've used, I have to shampoo...rinse...repeat...

It doesn't smell like much of anything...kinda medicinal...kinda minty...but it's really good stuff...My husband wont let me buy it again (pouts) because he said it looks and feels no better than the soap I make. He doesnt see the point. (BUSTER!)

Here's a picture of the super clean hair...Shhh....Do you hear that? It's my hair squeaking...

New Hairware!

Doesn't this sizzle? This is a fascinator I made for a fellow BAB (www.brownandbridal.com) sista. Mo gave me carte blanche on the design, and it had me a bit intimidated at first...I was like UHHHH...WHAT IS I'M GONE DO???? Okay...Not really...but close...

Crazy, but I actually saw this piece in a dream...That's how I usually come up with designs...I go to bed one night stressing over what I'm going to do, and sometime during the night I think God gives me the inspiration...

So here's what He gave me. It's the MONIQUE. It works...

Sulfates...at it again...

I ran across this article and thought it was rather interesting...

http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/19516

If you have no idea why we’re pondering that question today, go brush your teeth real quick and grab a drink (orange juice, iced tea, beer—anything except water). Awful, isn’t it?You can thank sodium laureth sulfate, also known as sodium lauryl ether sulfate (SLES), or sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) for ruining your drink, depending on which toothpaste you use. Both of these chemicals are surfactants – wetting agents that lower the surface tension of a liquid – that are added to toothpastes to create foam and make the paste easier to spread around your mouth (they’re also important ingredients in detergents, fabric softeners, paints, laxatives, surfboard waxes and insecticides).
While surfactants make brushing our teeth a lot easier, they do more than make foam. Both SLES and SLS mess with our taste buds in two ways. One, they suppress the receptors on our taste buds that perceive sweetness, inhibiting our ability to pick up the sweet notes of food and drink. And, as if that wasn’t enough, they break up the phospholipids on our tongue. These fatty molecules inhibit our receptors for bitterness and keep bitter tastes from overwhelming us, but when they’re broken down by the surfactants in toothpaste, bitter tastes get enhanced.
So, anything you eat or drink after you brush is going to have less sweetness and more bitterness than it normally would. Is there any end to this torture? Yes. You don’t need foam for good toothpaste, and there are plenty out there that are SLES/SLS-free. You won’t get that rabid dog look that makes oral hygiene so much fun, but your breakfast won’t be ruined.

Moisture...

What is it??

I got this question the other day, and I thought I'd post it in the blog because I think there are a lot of people who don't know what moisturizers are and what they're suppose to do...First and foremost, let me start off by saying sorry to all y'all sending the "nasty grams" because I haven't updated the blog...I've been trying to get Tress Dressed up and running, and it's been A LOT of work. I was in a craft fair yesterday, and sold most of my pieces, so I have to revamp my website...I pretty much have to start all over...I COULD have worse problems, right? I'm not complaining...I'm having the time of my life...Anyway, y'all keep praying for ya girl...God is blessing me BIG TIME!

Anyhoo, on to the moisture subject...

Water is the only for real, for real "moisturizer". The only problem is that water evaporates quickly, so it (alone) can't keep our hair moisturized for very long. Oils help in moisturizing by preventing the water (for real, for real) moisture from evaporating from the hair...

So technically speaking, no...Oils aren't moisturizers...They aid in the process of moisturizing...What you want a moisturizer to do is to increase the water content (by hydration) while at the same time reducing its evaporation...This is a moisturizer's one and only goal.

The hard part is to find one that doesn't leave your hair, sticky, greasy, gooey, gluey, or hard in the process...And unfortunately, we've learned to THINK that moisturizing the hair means our hair has to be greasy or oily at the same time. It doesn't...Thankfully technology and research has afforded us vast offering of moisturizers out there with a ton of benefits...

Which brings me to one of my must haves HUMECTANTS!!! Man, if Obama hadn't won the Presidency, I swear I'd be voting for humectants for President! A humectant is a moisturizing "vehicle" (for lack of a better word) that is benefical to our hair (and skin) . Humectants (like glycerine and honey) draw the moisture from the air. Having a product that has both humectants and oils in it is best (IMO, of course...;) )

Different moisturizers do different things, and everyone's hair responds differently...Some folks swear by shea butter while others swear by olive oil. There's no magic potion, so it's always best to try out different ones to find the one that's best for you. I make my own hair butter with a mixture of shea butter, sweet almond oil, and some other stuff. It works for me...

So here's a list of some great moisturizers that I've tried:

Shea Butter

Olive Oil

Sweet Almond oil

Coconut Oil (Refined, Virgin, or Fractionated)

Carol's Daughter Healthy Hair Butter

Curls Quenched Curls Moisturizer

Oyin Handmade Whipped Pudding