D-I-Y Nappturaliciously: It's BRAID-cation Time Again!!!!

It's that time of year again!!! It is the time when Miss Mooch gets some much needed rest and relaxation for the next few months... and goes on a much needed BRAID-cation.

This weekend, I will be a braidin' fool and this year I am going for some long, black, box braids. I cannot wait!! Next week, I will be sure to post about the installation of the braids, so be on the lookout for that one.

I am thinking of trying something a little different this year in terms of how I maintain my braids while they are in. So I decided to check out CurlMart to see what products might be good for moisture, protection, and shine. And of course I need something that will smell fabulous! Which lead to a bit o a dilemma... I not only found one product I thought might be good... I found FIVE!! LOL

As I know that all of you are wise and know your stuff when it comes to products, I am leaving the decision as to which of the five to pick in YOUR hands!! Here's the options (in random order):

As I Am CocoShea Spray ($15.00, CurlMart)

Nourishes, softens and enhances shine
Hydrates hair
Seals in moisture
Protects against weather damage
Moisturizes the scalp

EDEN BodyWorks Jojoba Monoi All Natural Hair Oil ($9.99, CurlMart)

Decreases dandruff and itchy scalp
Strengthens hair
Prevents breakage
Leaves hair full of shine

Jessicurl Oil Blend for Softer Hair ($11.95, CurlMart)

Adds softness and shine
Available in three scents:
Citrus Lavender
Island Fantasy
No Fragrance

Kinky-Curly Perfectly Polished ($18.00, CurlMart)

Protects hair
Adds Healthy Shine
No Mineral Oil
No Petroleum
Silicone free

Darcy's Botanicals Organic Coconut & Hibiscus Conditioning Oil ($10.00, CurlMart)

Provides healthy conditioning
Encourages hair growth
Adds sheen and softness to hair

Which of the five products do you think I should try this summer? If you've tried and loved any of them, be sure to share your feedback. Leave a comment with your pick!!

Miss Moon's Musings About: The Pros and Cons of Being a Product Junkie..

I admit to being a bit of a product junkie. While I wish I could boast that my cheap and frugal side often wins out when presented with the opportunity to try out a new goodie for my hair. But alas, its my hair's alter ego, Freida (Or FRIZZ-eida, as I call her during the summer) that wins the battle 9 out of 10 times. I am definitely trying to improve, but it's hard!!!. I watch YouTube and read other Natural Hair Bloggers, we all know and Love.... and after that I want that new, sweet smelling concoction to nourish my hair with. I wanna wanna wanna!!!! LOL

So just for laughs, I am going to share my list of the pros and cons of being a product junkie.

PRO: You learn about a product by using it. And knowledge = power!

At least that's what G.I. Joe used to always say. This is especially true when you're a blogger who happens to blog about natural hair & natural hair products on occasion (or many occasions in my case!). Each time I try a product, whether I'm really diggin' it or "Not so much..." about it... I am going to blog about it and share my experiences. See y'all? My PJ-ism... it's all for YOU! :)

CON: You need to build a wing in your home to house the mountains of jars and bottles.

Yes, if I could get away with that, and I had the money to do it... I just might build a little extension room/closet in my apartment just for my hair products. My goal is to find an apartment for my honey and I that has a walk in closet big enough for my products AND my purses! LOL

PRO: Finding a product that makes your hair go "Whoooooooooooooooooooo" like Little Richard!

That moment when you look at the finished product and your hair is shiny, it's healthy looking, its healthy feeling... because it's HEALTHY! Admit it, you're like me: you have to resist the urge to scoop up every single piece of that product you can get your hands on!!!

CON: Finding a product that makes your hair go "Whoah!" like Black Rob.

I wish I had more of the Little Richard moments than the Black Rob moments... nuff said. Like Whoah! LOL

PRO: Trying a new product that smells like deep fried nuggets of sugar coated heaven.

I think I am as much a smell junkie than I am a product junkie. Want to get me to buy your product? Don't tell me promises that my hair will resemble Rapunzel's by the end of the week. Tell me what scents is in it. If its a scent I like, I'm yours.

CON: Trying a new product that smells good enough to eat only to discover... it ain't! LOL

I really wish I could lie to y'all and say I was kidding... but I'm not. I have, admittedly, on at least two occasions, tasted a product for my hair to see if it would taste as good as it smells. I know, I know... not my finest moment, but hey, I'm all about keeping it real! LOL

PRO: Splurging on hair goodies at a discount of the price!!!

Coupon codes are enough to make a Product Junkie like me catch the vapors!! And I just so happen to have a 20% COUPON CODE to share with all of you, courtesy of NaturallyCurly.com's One-Stop-Shop for Textured Tresses...Curl Mart.

Visitors to Curl Mart can take 20% off their orders by entering the coupon code "CURLMART20" at checkout. This code expires on Wednesday, August 10th, so to get shopping, be sure to click the banner below.



CON: Picking out which goodie you want to get first!!!

Be sure to leave a comment as to what you picked up with your discount. Happy Shopping!!!

D-I-Y Nappturaliciously: Carol's Daughter Monoi Collection Review

When I still worked for Carol's Daughter (in their Customer Service Department), I remember a lot of buzz around the company about the Monoi Collection they were developing and how it was going to be a game changer in regards to their hair care lines. The key ingredient in this line, of course is Monoi, (pronounced "muh-noy") a 2,000 year-old sacred, Tahitian ingredient that (according to their website) " undoes and prevents damage for fewer breaks, snaps and splits."

Since Frizzeeda 2.0 has been running things on top of my head for most of June, I thought this would be a good time to invest in the Monoi collection, because for me frizz=dryness=shedded hair & breakage, and I need all the protection I can get during the rest of summer.

What I bought:
Monoi Repairing Shampoo
Monoi Repairing Conditioner
Monoi Repairing Hair Mask

Since my usual summer staple, Kizzy "Stay Put" Hair Pomade is not in stock, I also snatched up a jar of Mimosa Hair Honey (Kizzy fans - this and Loc Butter are both good alternatives)... And boy I miss my employee discount!! LMAO

A little info about each product from the Carol's Daughter Website:

MONOI REPAIRING SHAMPOO

Monoi Oil provides all over conditioning from root to tip
Hibiscus Extract helps improve detangling when hair's wet
Coconut-derived Cleansers gently cleanse your without stripping away moisture

MONOI REPAIRING CONDITIONER

Monoi Oil intensely conditions your hair
Bamboo Water helps reinforce your hair's structure from the inside

MONOI REPAIRING HAIR MASK

Monoi Oil deeply nourishes your hair
Bamboo Water helps reinforce your hair's structure from the inside
Hydrolyzed Silk helps fortify your hair against future damage

Excited to put my newly acquired goodies to use, I headed home and after separating Frizzeeda into two sections, I stepped into the shower to apply the shampoo and conditioner.

After rinsing out the conditioner, I wasn't really bowled over at how my hair was feeling.. it felt a bit frizzy and stripped, but I chalked it up to possibly applying too much.

If you can believe this... this is my wet hair just out the shower!!

I followed up with the Repairing Mask, which my hair really seemed to like as I was applying. It had some great slip, but on my thick, shoulder length hair, I had to almost use the entire jar!

Side-by-side comparison of my freshly washed and conditioned hair, with my hair after applying the mask.

After applying the mask to my entire head, I covered it up with a conditioning cap and let it stay in my hair for about an hour and a half.

After rinsing, I noticed my hair felt very soft, but still extremely frizzy. Using the Mimosa Hair Honey (and sealing my ends with some Vatika Oil), I braided my hair as usual...

All in all, I wasn't thrilled with the results of using the Monoi Collection. It seemed to make my hair excessively frizzy, and once I let the braids down and rocked my usual braid out for the week, the frizz only got a lot worse, which made detangling my hair this past weekend a lot more difficult.

I think that the Monoi Collection might be a better winter option for my hair, and I will definitely try it again during colder weather to see if the results improve. Have you tried Carol's Daughter Monoi Collection? What were your thought?!?! Leave a comment and dish!

D-I-Y Nappturaliciously: Anita Grant's Rhassoul Deep Condish Review

I have to admit that when it came to Anita Grant's products, I am a bit of a curly-come-lately... but encouraged by Chai from the wonderful blog, Back to Curly, I decided to try the Rhassoul Deep Condish to see if my hair would love it.

I've had my two condish hearts for about a month now, and was waiting for a really good time to use them. I am currently enjoying a three day weekend (Yay!) and since experimenting with flat-ironing no doubt caused some stress to my hair, I figured my curls needed a treat and could definitely benefit from a little TLC.

Mixing the condish was actually pretty easy! I have a lot of hair, so I knew that I would need to use both hearts. Instead of mixing them with water, I decided to use Coconut Milk -

I used a bit too much of the Coconut Milk (I used about 1 and a half cans), so when the hearts melted and combined with the milk the consistency was a bit more watery than I wanted it to be.



I thought as it cooled it might thicken a bit, so I went to the shower to shampoo my hair with my usual Mixed Chicks Gentle Clarifying Shampoo. Once my hair was thoroughly washed, I covered my bathroom floor with some old towels and went to town adding the mixture to my hair...


Yay!!! My curls are back.... Whoo Hoooooo!


When I was one, my parents through me a birthday party and my older sister baked me a little mini cake that was all mine. I had a blast eating that cake, and it got all over me: my shirt, my face and definitely in my hair.


Adding the clay mixture to my hair made me think back to that moment in time. My one-year-old self must have had as much fun as I had "playing in mud" and nourishing my hair! LOL

I wrapped my hair in a conditioner cap and kept it in for about an hour. I wanted to keep it in longer, but the mixture was melting and starting to drip all over my bed, plus I was anxious to see the results, so I rushed back to my bathroom to rinse it all out.



Rinsing was (surprisingly!) a breeze... after a few moments the water was completely clear. I had anticipated finishing the rinse with a little conditioner, but the moment the water hit my hair, it felt like BUTTAH!!!


I was amazed at how wonderful my hair felt... it felt heavenly and the curl definition was crazy!!!



Since today was all about trying new products, I decided to use Shea Moisture's Raw Shea Butter Restorative Conditioning Milk as my leave-in before twisting my hair with a little Healthy Hair Butter.



I haven't twisted my hair in about a month, so I was happy to see the end results after sealing the ends with a little Vatika Oil.







I am going to leave the twists for about a week, just to give my hair a much-needed break after flat-ironing. I am definitely going to be investing in the big block of Anita Grant's Rhassoul Deep Condish... it's expensive, but I am definitely diggin' the results.

For any of you who have been curious about trying this, I would wholeheartedly recommend buying a couple of the hearts first to see if your hair will like it as much as mine did! To purchase the Rhassoul Deep Condish and check out everything Anita Grant has to offer, please feel free to visit https://anitagrant.com/ .

Be sure to check out the Miss Moon's Musings YouTube Channel for a Video Extra: My thoughts after just rinsing out the condish in my hair!!

I SWEAR I'm Not Obsessed (But I AM a Little Dorky) About...

Oyin Handmade's Burnt Sugar Pomade!!!!!

One of the highlights of my evenings for the past few weeks (since buying the 4 oz. sample jar) has been coming home and taking a bit of this delicious concoction and putting it in my hair before braiding it in my two trusty braids for the night.

In the morning, my hair is softer and shinier... which is a feat because it is COLD and WINDY here in New York. My hair usually struggles to regain luster and sheen during winter months, and come spring, my hair is hanging on for its life. So far this winter (which in my opinion has been the COLDEST in years!!!), my hair is defiantly telling Jack frost to "Bring it, Baby!"


Not my sexiest photo, but I am in ready-for-bed mode here! LOL

Burnt Sugar Pomade is a blend of oils, butters, and veggie waxes that acts as a humectant and protectant for hair, so you know it increases the shine and locks in moisture ( AMUST NEED during "Brrrrr...." season!) It's packed with essential fatty acids to nourish the scalp, and absorbs easily with a long lasting, non-greasy feeling.

That's on the surface, but we all know that what's inside is what counts:

Contains virgin coconut cream, mango oil, and hempseed oil in a base of nourishing castor oil. Fragranced with a subtly sweet vanilla-sugar scent that is appropriate for both men and women.....

And now, let me say a few words about the SMELL....

If this product did NOTHING AT ALL for my hair... I would still use it just to perfume my hair!!! When I first received my jar, I spent the day opening it and sniffing it repeatedly. LOL

I am really looking forward to warmer weather, and I do believe I have found a replacement for my summer braid-out product (Kizzy "Stay Put" Hair Pomade by Carol's Daughter). I will be sure to post my results then!!!

In the meantime, I will be placing an order for a couple 8 oz. jars this time.... and maybe a 4 oz. jar, just to keep on my desk! But I SWEAR I'm not Obsessed!!! LOL

D-I-Y Nappturaliciously: Celebrate V-Day with 14 Days of Curly Love

:::singing a la Frank Zappa::: Give Me.... Your Curly Love! LOL



Valentine's day is to show love and gratitude for the love brought into your life. I don't know about you... but considering the time I spend listening to my hair and giving it what it wants to nurture and thrive, I consider my hair a very important part of my life, as well! And it has definitely shown me love and infinite patience over the years.... so why not hook my hair up with a little something-something, too? The Lovely People over at NaturallyCurly.com, the leading social network for people with curly, kinky and wavy hair, seems to think the same way I do. Why... do you ask?



They're giving away more than $10,000 worth of prizes, plus a Curly Love Grand Prize — a $1,000 American Express gift card to spoil yourself!!!

Starting today, February 1, 2011, the site will feature daily giveaways of various hair products and styling tools from brands we know and love like Hair Rules, It’s a 10, Blended Beauty, Kinky-Curly, Miss Jessie’s, Paul Mitchell, Carol’s Daughter, Ouidad, Curly Hair Solutions, Twisted Sista, Amourai Organique, DermStore, AG Cosmetics and Folica. (Today, you have a chance to win goodies from Hair Rules!!)

In addition to the fabulous giveaways, each entrant will qualify for a chance to win the Curly Love Grand Prize, a $1000 American Express gift card to use on spa treatments, products or anything their heart desires. (Any guess what THIS Brooklyn Geechee would buy? I'll give you a hint...it sounds like roach hag! LOL)

“Love is in the air this month so we at NaturallyCurly.com want our readers to love their curls and enjoy our awesome giveaways, ” says Michelle Breyer, president and co-founder of NaturallyCurly.com.

I couldn't agree with you more, Michelle!! So mosey on over to http://www.naturallycurly.com/curlylove to win the opportunity to give yourself and your beautiful hair a Valentine's Day to remember!!!!