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

My fabulous facial regimen, courtesy of Brown Butter Beauty!!

Summers in NYC can be tough on my face. I talked a bit about the horrible prickly heat I experienced last year, which turned my face into an itchy, scaly, dry as the Sahara mess.

Nothing I purchased in the drug stores worked, super expensive facial treatments (which put a serious dent in my then-unemployed wallet) did squat diddly damn, too. I decided to pursue a more natural approach, and thought that I would give Brown Butter Beauty's facial products a try.

One year later, these adorable brown bottles are all that adorn my sink! Wow... what a difference! It's June, I sweat up a storm roaming the streets and at the gym, and (knocks wood) I've had no signs of prickly heat! And I've noticed that my skin has fewer breakouts and looks much much healthier. And though I am a fairly young 35, I also like the fact that my face has a much more youthful glow to it!

I start each morning by washing my face with the Botanical Cleansing Cream ($12.00). Just 2-3 pumps will be more than enough to get your face clean, fresh, and feeling fabulous. I was admittedly leery about using a cream cleanser, but I did not know what I was missing!

After cleansing, I apply a bit of the Fresh Face Cream Moisturizer ($12.00). A little definitely goes a long way with this stuff. I gently put a bit on my finger tip and dot my face and neck before smoothing into my skin. My skin is normally very dry, and my face is not exception. I love that my face feels just as soft and full of moisture hours later than it does after I just apply it.

In the evening, I repeat the process before going to bed. Twice a day, everyday, these 2 ounce jars give me about 3 months of healthy, happy skin!! You couldn't ask for better!

Wash.... Moisturize... Finished Product
(We are going to ignore my 30+ day old gel manicure and my desperate need of an eyebrow waxing... Agreed? )

If you haven't tried these fabulous face duo from Brown Butter Beauty, what are you waiting for? Check em out!

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

I'm REALLY Diggin': Thayer's Lavender Witch Hazel Toner

When I wore my hair in braids, I never had a significant skin problem. From the moment I took the braids out in 2006, the hair in my face ushered in a sort of second puberty for me. LOL In the years that have passed since then, I've been trying every type of skin regimen under the sun in the hopes that my skin can be clearer and healthier.

Here's what has always been my problem: my skin is a combination of two extremes - super dry in some places, super oily in other places. Using medicated skincare products dried me out and moisturizing skincare products made me broke out. It's a toughy trying to find a balance, and I think I am closer and closer to finding one, thanks to the newest weapon in my clean face arsenal... Thayer's Lavender Witch Hazel Toner.



This alcohol-free formula is light, gentle and smells heavenly!! This coupled with Cetaphil's Gentle Skin Cleanser has really improved the over-all appearance of my face, as (I hope) you can see from my picture, taken this weekend... of course it doesn't improve those SCREAMING to be waxed eyebrows, but's that's another tale for another time! LOL



The final tool that I'm searching for is a moisturizer that will not clog my pores and ruin all the work I've done. I am open to suggestions, y'all... what's your must have item for facial care?

D-I-Y Nappturaliciously: Carol's Daughter Black Vanilla Frizz Fighter Set Results

Last week, in my never-ending quest to tame the frizz, I used Carol's Daughter Frizz Fighter Set.

This was my hair Sunday, when I let down the braids for my braid-out. I was very happy with the results!




As I promised, I periodically took pictures of my hair during the week, to show the progression. This week was pretty hot, but not ridiculously so. I did manage to get caught in the rain once this week. Here's the forecast from this past week in NYC:



So did I win in the battle against the dreaded "Frizzeeda"? Let's see:

Each night, I applied a small squirt of Hair Balm to my hair and separated it into two sections. I then pinned my hair into kitten buns (that's what I call 'em.. if they have another name, let me know! lol), covered with a scarf and proceeded to BED-fordshire!



See what I mean? Kitten Buns! LMAO

Here's how my hair looked Monday evening after work:



Not bad, huh? Here is how my hair looked on Wednesday after work:



And this is how my hair is looking tonight (AFTER riding home on the C Train with no air-conditioning!!!)



So all-in-all, I think that the Frizz Fighter Set did what it claimed it would do... While it didn't eliminate my frizzy hair entirely... I still had curl definition after a week of sweating up a storm. And most importantly... my hair didn't feel like a tumbleweed with dryness!!! As my usual ritual, I am going to finish using the set until it runs out and decide if it is ultimately worth the expense.

D-I-Y Nappturaliciously: Carol's Daughter Black Vanilla Frizz Fighter Set Review

My hair has been taking on a life of its own the past few weeks.... a life I have come to name "Frizzeeda". While I love the way the frizz makes my hair look, I do not like the excess of tangles and dryness. For the past few weeks, I've been searching and searching for a product that would curtail the excess frizz without weighing my hair down and causing a lot of product build up, some I've actually liked for other reasons, but none has really done the job.


It's super cute, but the tangles and dryness I had at the end of the week were no bueno!! I want my hair to look good and feel good!

I remembered that last summer I did a braid-out using Kizzi 'Stay Put' Hair Pomade from Carol's Daughter (using the remnants of a HUUUUGE 16 ounce tub of the stuff from my days working for the company!) and loved the results. So I decided that this weekend I would get myself over to Carol's Daughter and get some tout suite!

I ended up getting the Black Vanilla Frizz Fighter Set ($46, Carol's Daughter)



This set includes:

Black Vanilla Shampoo, 8 fl. oz.
Black Vanilla Smoothie, 8 oz.
Hair Balm, 4 oz.
Kizzi “Stay Put” Hair Pomade, 2 oz.

I also got the Black Vanilla Leave-In Conditioner, primarily because I love it! I have never used the Black Vanilla Shampoo before, so I was excited about trying it out.

Recently I my Natural Hair Tips for the fantabulous blog Everything She Wants where I shared an epiphany I had recently: I don't need to lather, rinse and repeat as my hair cleanses thoroughly very easily. Since recognizing that... the stripping I've experienced with shampoo in the past has been a thing of the past.

So I separated my hair into four sections and braided them down, got into the shower, unbraided a section, applied the Black Vanilla Shampoo, lathered it up, and rinsed thoroughly. The first thing I noticed is that the shampoo lathered a lot more than I am used to with Carol's Daughter shampoos, which made me have to check out the ingredients:

Water (Aqua), Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Cocamide DEA, Lauramide DEA, Urtica Dioica (Nettle) Leaf Extract, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Flower Extract, Melilotus Officinalis (Sweet Clover) Extract, Rosa Canina Flower Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Leaf Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Glycerin, Caprylyl Glycol, Hexylene Glycol, Potassium Cocoate, Polysorbate 20, Polyquaternium-7, Polyquaternium-10, PEG-150 Distearate, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Caramel, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance (Parfum)

Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate is supposed to be a milder alternative to SLS, perhaps a "lesser of two evils" sort of chemical.

Once I washed each of the four sections, and braided each section, I applied the Black Vanilla Hair Smoothie. The consistency was a lot thicker than I remembered, which I instantly loved because in my mind thick conditioner = more concentrated conditioning.



Yikes!! I need to get my eyebrows waxed!! LOL

Anyway -- I left it in my hair, under conditioning cap for about two hours, rinsed thoroughly and proceeded to doing the braids for my braid out.

I sprayed each section of my hair heavily with the Black Vanilla Leave-In Conditioner, which is just dope as hell. I then parted my hair in rows, applied the Kizzi and braided my hair down. I did this Saturday night, so I had to use my Mum's trusty hooded blow dryer just to ensure that my hair will be dry in time for work on Monday (Yeah, that's right.... MONDAY!!!!!!! LOL)



So far I noticed that after every step in the process, my hair was noticeably shinier and easier to work through. The Black Vanilla scent is addictive..... and I've missed the high! But what about the frizz fighting? We shall see on Friday, for my follow up on this review.

During the week, at night (possibly every other night) I plan on applying the hair balm to maintain the shine. I will be sure to take pictures during the week for the final results!!

"Not So Much...."* about Miss Jessie's Stretch Silkening Creme

For an explanation on the phrase "Not so much...", click here.

It's officially summer and for me it's time to switch my Healthy Hair Butter to lighter, more balmy substance for doing my braid-out and twists-out. As I mentioned in a previous blog, I generally use DOO GRO® Triple Strength Medicated Hair Vitalizer . But for some reason (I smell conspiracy!!!) I could not find that stuff ANYWHERE!!!

Since I'm started to dig Miss Jessie's Super Sweetback Treatment (On a scale of 1-10, I give it a 7!) I figured I would try their Stretch Silkening Creme for my braid-outs!!!



Ugh!!!! My scalp has been screaming bloody murder at me for two weeks now!! It's itchy as heck and for the first time in many, many years... I'm getting flakes. I am not heavy handed when it comes to applying my product (which, imho, attributes to 75% of the dissatisfaction people experience using hair products) so if I'm this unhappy I've come to the conclusion that this product is NOT for me at all!!!

Fortunately, I was able to snag a few jars of the Medicated Hair Vitalizer (Yay!!). This weekend I also purchased the new Avocado & Honey Twisting Cream from Darcy's Botanicals. This is my first time trying out their products, but I've heard some rave reviews online, so I am really looking forward to seeing how they may work for me.

D-I-Y Nappturaliciously: Miss Jessie's Super Sweetback Treatment Review

This will be the first product from Miss Jessie's line that I ever tried. When I read about Miss Jessie's Super Sweetback Treatment, I thought that a)this would be a great Valentine's Day Present to Myself and b) this would be a good product to try for the first time!

According to Miss Jessie's: Miss Jessie's Super Sweetback Treatment is the essential treatment for growing out naturally curly, kinky, and wavy hair. Healthy growh and length is what most curlies covet. Miss Jessie's can assist you in this process. An elongated curl has more bounce, is more manageable, and is less prone to frizz. Be Super Sweet to your curls. Miss Jessie's Super Sweetback Treatment is a decadent softening treatment which ensures that your curls reach long luxurious lengths. This reach treatment full of shea butter and centella extract is a growth stimulant that promotes long healthy curls. Your hair is gonna love you for this!

The Ingredients: Water (Agua), Behentrimonium, Methosulfate (and) Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Cyclopentasiloxane, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Fragrance, Dimethicone, DMDM Hydantoin (and) Ioopropynyl Butylcarbamate, Ceteareth-20, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Lipsome (Centella Asiatica), Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, EDTA Disodium, Tocopheryl Acetate, Mangifera Indica (Mango) Seed Butter, D&C Red #33, Citric Acid

The Process: As per my usual cleansing routine, I separated my hair into four sections which I loosley braid. In the shower I loosen each section, finger detangle, apply shampoo (Apoghee Shampoo for Damaged Hair), lather, comb with shampoo comb and rinse out. After rinsing, I loosely braid it back up and move on to the next section.

Once out of the shower, I took down each braided section and applied a small scoopful of Super Sweetback Treatment, smoothing down each section from root to ends.

In the jar, the smell was very subtle and nice, kind of like Juicy Fruit gum. This is smelling it while the protective seal is still on, mind you. Once I opened it and started to apply it, the smell took on a smell that was more like Pepto Bismol Chewtabs... which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it's no Juicy Fruit! LOL

According to Miss Jessie's: After applying, run a wide tooth comb through hair to detangle.



This isn't part of my usual regime, so I did it my way. After adding the treatment to the section, I braid it right back up and keep it moving.

The slip is amazing, though I've always heard from Jess Heads that their conditioners have excellent slip. I would've been shocked and surprised if this was the exception.

After all four sections were done, I scooped a little bit more out of the jar and applied it solely on my ends (in their braids) and covered my hair up with a plastic conditioning cap.

According to Miss Jessie's: Super Sweetback Treatment's growing properties ae amplified when used during a steam treatment or under an overhead drying on a heated setting.

I deep condition using a heat cap (this is the only heat I've applied to my hair in almost two years!), so I covered applied this to my hair for about two hours (which is NOT my normal deep conditioning time... but I got caught up playing Wedding Dash.. LOL). The instructions recommend you keep it in for 30 minutes.

Sexy, huh? (And in case you're wondering... yes... that is a Snuggie!) LMAO

After washing the conditioning out of each section, I didn't notice a ridiculously dramatic difference, but my hair was soft and tangle-free and the curl definition was a bit more apparent.

I styled my hair in my normal braids and am now letting it try as I type this. So far, I like Miss Jessie's Super Sweetback Treatment. I plan on using it weekly (Replacing my Olive Oil Deep Conditioning Treatment) until it runs out... and at that time I will blog a follow up to this entry (So it will probably be a "I'm Really Diggin'" or a "Not So Much" entry... depending on the results! LOL

I'm REALLY Diggin': Avon's ADVANCE TECHNIQUES Dry Ends Serum

So My Mum (Mizz Lennnid) is THE, I repeat THE Avon Queen.... so please feel free to address her formally as Queen Mizz AVON Lennid. LOL

She has so many unopened boxes and bottles of goodies that she could very easily open a small store, or at least a kiosk somewhere and make a grip on the stock she currently has.

About a month ago, I wrote a blog about Winter Hair Regimens and around the same time she was raving about ADVANCE TECHNIQUES Dry Ends Serum from Avon and was suggesting I try it out. I was still in the process of putting together my routine and figured I would try it for a few weeks to see if I like it on my braid outs, which (as I've mentioned before) get very dry at the ends by week's end.

I've been diligently following this routine for about three weeks now and WOW!!! My hair is shinier, healthier and I am actually starting to see just how much my hair has grown in the past few months!

My routine is a simple variation of my normal one, with a few twists. I am thinking of doing a picture tutorial blog to show you what I do with my hair during the course of 7 days and would get to it if there was an interest for it (Let me know!)

For more information on Avon's Advance Techniques Dry Ends Serum, go to http://www.avon.com/1/1/990-advance-techniques-dry-ends-serum.html