New Perspective on Some Old Products

Ok, so if you guys have been following my blog, you know that I'm trying to find something to use besides my shealoe butter because it makes my scalp hurt/itch.  I've been using EVOO as a sealant, and it works really well, but I need something to moisturize my scalp.

I know a lot of people are against using things like Blue Magic or those old products with the "bad" ingredients, but I've been reading around on blogs and things and I've decided to try some of that.  That being said, if it hurts my scalp/doesn't work like I want it to, then I'll find a different product.  I just remember when my hair was relaxed, it was one of the only things that would make me stop itching and soothe my scalp.

Also, I've heard people say that it can clog your pores and make your hair not grow, but when I was relaxed, my hair grew really well, and I used Blue Magic all the time.  I think that in my opinion, I just need to use what works for my hair, and not worry what other people are using for their hair.  I know that sounds kind of obvious, but a lot of naturals I know and a lot of natural blogs that I follow tout everything natural, which is fine, but I think I'll try this and see what I think.

I don't use a lot of it at all because like a lot of people remember, it can be horrid when it's sunny outside.  If I use too much, it'll just make my hair a greasy mess, so I definitely will use it in strict moderation, but I'm going to try it and see how I like it.  My mom just found some that has coconut oil in it too, so she bought a regular one and one with coconut oil in it, and I'll see which one I like better.

I'm just ready not to have an irritated scalp anymore.

Shealoe Butter Troubles

Ok, so many of you already know what shealoe butter is, but for those of you who don't know, it's just 100% raw unrefined shea butter mixed with 100% aloe vera juice/gel.  Mine was made with aloe vera juice.  I just put the two together in a tupperware and whipped them with a hand blender.

Well anyway, I think I'm allergic to it.  It makes my scalp flake a lot and I had a lot of tender spots on my scalp as well that were itchy, but they hurt too much to scratch.  Anyway, I stopped using it two days ago and those tender spots have already almost all faded.

I seem to remember when I first started my hair journey I did well with just cowashing.  It really kept my hair and scalp moisturized for most of the day and it was really good.  After my hair grew a little longer, I started using shea butter - which kinda weighed my hair down and made parts of my scalp a little itchy, but I didn't really think anything of it.  I think that mixing it with the aloe vera juice made it worse for my scalp.

Soooo I think I'll probably stop using the shea butter.  I just need to find another sealer so I can keep the moisture in my hair.  Any suggestions?

Hair Update: Keeping Hair Moisturized

Ok, guys!  Remember how in an earlier post I talked about how my hair kept getting really dry and I couldn't keep it moisturized in this Texas heat?

Well I tried Giovanni Direct Leave-in and Giovanni Deeper Moisture Smooth as Silk Conditioner and I LOVED them if you recall (I still do).

Here is my new routine:  Before bed, I shower and rinse my hair out really well with just water.  After that I squeeze all of the excess water out of my hair, so it's still wet, but I don't dry it with a towel.  Then, I take 3 pumps of the Giovanni Direct Leave-in (I bought the liter-sized bottle with a pump on it) and distribute it throughout my hair.  Then, I take some of my shealoe butter (I blended it myself, it's just 100% natural unrefined shea butter + 100% pure aloe vera juice) and distribute it throughout my hair on top of the Giovanni.  After that I put on my silk sleeping cap and go about getting ready for bed.  In the morning I just spray water on my hair (I used to use a water+glycerin mix, but I figured out that in this heat it just takes all the moisture out of my hair instead of putting any back in) and fluff it out into a WnG sort of style.

As for washing my hair with shampoo, I usually try to do that like once a week so that my hair doesn't dry out.  When I co-wash - which is what I do when I want to clean my hair, but not strip it - I use the Giovanni Deeper Moisture Smooth as Silk Conditioner. I usually don't do it that often, but when I do, it works pretty well.  I think as a co-wash, I prefer Herbal Essences Hello Hydration conditioner, but I'll use the Giovanni until I run out because it works just fine.

Giovanni - Product Review

The products I bought were the Giovanni Direct Leave-in and the Giovanni Deeper Moister Smooth-as-Silk Conditioner.

As for both products: I LOVED them!

What I did: I co-washed with the Smooth-as-Silk and then after I got out of the shower, semi-dried my hair so that it was still wet, but not dripping, and applied some of the Direct Leave-in.  After that I put on my sleep cap and went to sleep.  When I woke up in the morning, I used my water-glycerin mix in my spray bottle to kind of puff out my hair like normal, and my curls were soooo amazing!  While I was at work today, 2 people actually commented on how they could see more curls than usual in my hair!

How they worked for MY hair:  They worked amazingly!  I got so much curl definition with the leave in!  My hair was actually really moisturized - which is good for me because of this Texas heat.

Will I buy them again?:  Most definitely!  This time I actually went on www.massagewarehouse.com/ to buy a liter of each - I had heard really good reviews - and I'm glad I did!  I'll have a both products for a while and I won't have to buy more!  If you buy from the website, it's a lot cheaper than buying it from HEB or Rite-Aid or something.

Movie Review: The Sorcerer's Apprentice

Ok, I'm not gonna lie to you.  I liked it.  :)  But I'd definitely go see it yourself because sometimes I can be a movie whore and like all the movies I see.

The only thing that kinda made me not want to see the movie was because Nicholas Cage was in it.

I wasn't really a fan of National Treasure - it wasn't bad, but it wasn't my cup of tea - but the Sorcerer's Apprentice wasn't too bad.

Can I tell you who I really liked in the movie? Jay Baruchel!  I personally think he's really cute, and he was a good pick for the movie.

Go see it for yourself, but I really kinda liked the movie.  I saw it on a whim because my friend's air conditioner was out today and she needed to get out of the apartment.  I would tell you more about the plot of the movie, but it's kinda predictable..so you probably already know what happens.  lol

**DISCLAIMER:  I don't own any of these pictures, I googled them.

Summer Heat + Natural Hair

Ughhh.  So, I live in Texas.  Today, along with being a heat advisory day it was about 104 degrees outside.

Since the beginning of summer, I've been having trouble keeping my hair moisturized, and I thought that my hair was changing texture or something, but I've realized that it's just the excessive heat we have here.

My hair can be good and moisturized at the beginning of the day, but by the middle of the day, my little afro is just crying because it's so dry.

I think one of my problems is that I co-wash my hair everyday - which is good during every other time of the year - but I think by doing that, it's like I'm starting over with moisture at the beginning of each day.  I've decided to try just co-washing maybe every other day or every 3 days or something.  Also, it could be that my hair is getting longer and I just can't co-wash everyday.  I've never actually tried doing second day hair at all or anything, so I'll try that.

Usually the glycerin in my water/glycerin spray bottle would help bring in moisture, but the air is so dry that it's not helping, it's actually pulling moisture from my hair and putting it into the atmosphere, so maybe I'll make a spray bottle of just water and see how that goes.

Anyway, I'll see how everything goes and keep you updated on what happens.  I know I'm not the only one who lives in a climate like this, so hopefully I can look around and get ideas about what to do and see what others are doing so that my hair doesn't get damaged from this heat.

Movie Review: Predators

I'm not afraid to say that I liked the movie!

I haven't seen the other "Predator" movies, and I didn't even know they were related (haha shows how much I care about the movies I decide to watch).  Anyway, but I really liked it.

As you can see from the picture up there, the monsters were a bit..unrealistic..to say the least.  Also, Laurence Fishburne's character was..interesting.  lol  When he first takes his mask off after appearing behind Adrien Brody's character, I actually laughed out loud in the theatre.  It was so dramatic, and then I saw him and I was like...hmm..ok.

Also, Adrien Brody.  Come on.  I don't know if it was just the way the lines were written, but ALL of his lines reminded me of the over-dramatic way that Horatio (David Caruso) says all of his lines in CSI: Miami.  lol I was like, no.  I. just. can. not.

BUT, that being said, I really liked Alice Braga's character a lot!  Her lines were so much better, and she's just hot in general.  Good cast.  I think she saved the movie for me.

OMG!  You know who else really saved the movie for me??  Topher Grace!  His character has this really weird twist at the end, and I absolutely didn't expect it!  ( but then again, I'm more adept and guessing the endings to House Hunters on HGTV than for any movie I've ever seen..so if you're good at guess what happens, you probably won't be surprised..)  Anyway, I loved him in this movie!  But then again, find him really attractive in general.  Whatever, be your own judge.

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

*DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of these photos/pictures, I found them online by searching the google database.