Bare Minerals

I just left Ulta to "try on" a better foundation as I found out that MAC Mineralize Skinfish Foundation broke me out to high hell. I have oily skin on the T-zone and upper cheeks and I'm dry to normal on my jawline. It's crazy.

I'm under prescription cleanser and a topical treatment so I can't have makeup making my progress counterproductive. After much research (and trial and error), I decided on Bare Minerals vs Prescriptives. I won't be wearing makeup very often so I'd prefer an all in one type of product that's weightless. Besides Ulta was 5 minutes away...lol.

The makeup specialist looked at my skin briefly, asked me what I wanted and recommended Urban Decay or some other brand I have never heard of. She tried a pressed powder foundation that I didn't care for. So we moved on the Bare Minerals.

She recommended the Matte foundation as opposed to the original foundation and mineral veil because of my oiliness. It is weightless and I really can forget I'm wearing anything at all. My old blemishes were reduced dramatically...almost 90%. That is kinda like a big deal to me.

Anywho, the final verdict was on Warm Tan Matte SPF 15 Foundation. My skin doesn't look ashy or pale. It looks even, but not pasty. And like I said, if I would catch amnesia right now, I'd forget I have on foundation.

So, I'm happy with this choice and hope that it works out in the long run. I'm also very pleased with the service I got as I was not rushed and my concerns were addressed.

Yay!

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Fire My Stylist/Friend: Chemical Burn Woes

I can easily give a bad review to a salon of whom I have no allegience to. But when it comes to bad service coming from a friend, there is a grey area. However, I am not here to be biased and you don't read my blog for half ass information. So here goes...

I've been going to the same stylist while I lived in the US since 2004. I happily went back to him when I moved back so he can do my trims and relaxers. My first relaxer in September was great. No problems.

This relaxer I got this past Friday has given me issues, however.

1. I told him I was burning on my nape and front hairline before he finished applying the relaxer. Mizani regular, by the way. But instead, he stopped with the relaxer on my head for about a minute to take a phone call.

2. During the second neutralizing shampoo, I noticed my head was not lifted to reach my nape from the edge of the shampoo bowl. Those of you who've been following me from last year know that my nape was a very bad area and I have now overcome it. I don't need any setbacks back there.

3. During the conditioning, I said my neck was still burning. He told me it was the tingle from the conditioner. I know the difference between refreshing tingle and relaxer burn. I was dismissed.

4. During detangling, my hair was flipped from side to side up and down with a paddle brush while being blow dried. It was not detangling from tip to root in sections. It was grabbed and blowdried. It had the potential for tangle hell.

5. I got a curly style on which I have posted pics that I did not ask for. I always get my hair straight flat ironed for a relaxer. After he made the first curl, he apologized b/c I didn't ask for curls. But since he'd already started, he had to finish. If he tried to straighten it it wouldn't have looked right. To boot, the style looked bad in the front, I had to fix it when I got home. It was some kind of hard Donald Trump combover.

So....I am really torn b/c he is a friend and this was an isolated incident. But I have to mention that I am sitting at my computer with Vitamin E and Amla Oil slathered on my hair and around my hairline with a heat cap on.

I have chemical burns from all around my entire hairline. My nape, my edges, my front hairline, my ear...all chemical burns, however minor. My nape is the worst.

The plan is to massage this heated oil into my scalp gently to loosen the scabs without taking out my hair in the process.

Yes, I did let him know I had chemical burn on my neck and he was extremely apologetic. At that point the ones around my hairline and ear hadn't formed. But I did not follow up. I told him I still liked my relaxer and it's all good. But truth be told, I am ready for another stylist.

Chemicals are nothing to play with and I feel like this could have been avoided had I gotten the full attention I needed with a relaxer sitting on my head. And I feel like it wouldn't have killed him to be better safe than sorry and re-rinse my hair. Stylist have to know that client requests are not always frivolous. It was an ego thing and it shouldn't have been and now I'm burned.

I'm not happy.

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Relaxer Update

My relaxer schedule always seems to fall on a rainy day. *ugh*

Either way, I got my relaxer yesterday at exactly 10 weeks post by my regular stylist. Again, he used Mizani regular which I'm not absolutely crazy about, but it gets the job done. He blew out and lightly flat ironed my hair giving me some nice curls that promptly fell after walking in and out of a heavy drizzle.

Luckily, I snapped a pic before I gave up and just wrapped my hair.

I'm very pleased with the length I've gained which was a little bit over an inch in 10 weeks. And there was no need for a trim although next relaxer I'm expecting to get one.

The next time I wear my hair straight, I'll post a comparison shot. The bend in it is not consistent with my last progress pic.

L8rs!

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Rusk Sensories Calm Nourishing Conditioner

Sidenote: Why do companies insist on making names for products that are hella long?

Name: Rusk Sensories Calm Nourishing Conditioner: Guarana & Ginger

Where to buy: Walmart, Target, Drugstore.com, etc.

Price: 13 oz 2@ Walmart $11.99 or 33 oz @ Target for only $14.99

Ingredients: Water (Deionized), Cetyl Alcohol, Behenalkonium Chloride, Propylene Glycol Ceteth 3 Acetate, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Hair Keratin Amino Acids, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Ginger (Zingiber Officinale) Extract, Guarana (Paullinia Cupana) Extract, Cystine, Magnesium Sulfate, Amodimethicone, Tallowtrimonium Chloride, Nonoxynol 10, Fragrance, Neopentyl Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Tridecyl Stearate, Tridecyl Trimellitate, Propylene Glycol, Citric Acid, Sodium Chloride, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone

They say: (courtesy of Drugstore.com)
Rusk sensories calm 60 second hair revive awakens the senses as it spontaneously nurtures troubled, stressed hair. Formulated with guarana extract to add a healthy, natural sheen and ginger extract to maintain the natural moisture balance. Also contains natural amino acids and naturally derived vegetable proteins for added strength and body.

All rusk sensories feature CFT (compressed formula technology) to enhance and expand the users sensory experience. Compressed formulas expand with the addition of water and gentle manipulation, releasing unique botanical/ozonic aromas as they transform their physical appearance for easy and thorough distribution. Compressed formula technology achieves twice the performance using 30-50% less product.

Made in USA

No animal testing. No animal derived ingredients.

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WEN Revisited

Really quickly...

I've finally gotten WEN back in my life. For anyone who is not familiar with WEN, it's a cleansing conditioner. The reason I won't call this a glorified cowash is because it's not the same.

WEN is comparable to HairOne found in Sally Beauty stores. It is only comparable, in my opinion, in regards to both of them being cleansing conditioners designed to simplify product usage in a regimen. The similarities end there.

I've tried both and HATED HairOne. It immediately left my hair coated and completely jacked up.

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Shame On Me

Lately, I've found myself rushing through my hair. I've been airdrying for the most part and keeping it moving. However, I haven't been properly detangling and it's lead to unnecessary breakage.

Even with the use of a wide tooth comb, it's absolutely necessary to take time to properly detangle. While I'm nowhere near a setback, I've still lost strands I shouldn't have and that bugs me.

I've always had to check myself when detangling because I would detangle from root to tip instead of the other way around. The tip to root method of detangling is safer, but it takes a smidgen longer than I have been caring to spend.

Now that my hair has gotten fuller and thicker from a year ago, my habits have to be tweaked. While I could get away with quick detangling on my hair before, blunt ends require more care when detangling. In reality, it's only an extra 3-5 minutes, but it feels like forever.

Anywho, I'm missing my rollersets. My Pibbs still has not found its way back into my arms from my previous residence in the mail and I'm a little more than upset about that. So, I ordered a Pibbs knockoff that should be here by this weekend. My tabletop Hot Tools dryer was NOT getting 'er done.

So, I look forward to proper detangling and my silky rollersets!!

Next Product Review: Rush Sensories Calm Conditioner :-)

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Amodimethicone: Good or Bad?

I have been seriously contemplating switching to a low-silicone product line-up lately. It's not because I think silicones are the devil, it's because my hair has not been getting along with shampoo lately.

So, I'm about ready to go back to WEN. I used Sweet Almond Mint last year and LOOOOOOVED it. Ooooh wee! Hairgasm!

But I digress...as I checked what I could find of the ingredients, I noticed Amodimethicone. After doing some research, I found an incredible article by Tonya McKay called CurlChemist: Amodimethicone and other Amine-functionalized Silicones.

This article is very technical and breaks down the chemistry of popular silicones.

In a nutshell, popular silicones like Amodimethicone and Dimethicone do coat the hair. Here's the catch, there is an "electrostatic attraction" to damaged areas of hair and will coat that area of hair also providing selective conditioning agents to last through a few washes.

Here's a quote from her article:

"Once the amine-functional silicone is deposited onto the surface of the hair, it spreads out and forms a cross linked film when it dries. This cross linked film can last through several washings, which is considered to be advantageous in most applications. A unique property of these polymers is that once in place on the surface of the hair, they repel further deposition of amine-functional polymers on top of the existing layer, preventing buildup. This cross-linked film seals moisture inside the hair shaft, holding the cuticle flat and providing excellent wet and dry comb-ability. An additional benefit of these silicones over other cationic polymers (such as polyquats) is their high refractive index, which gives the hair a high degree of gloss and shine."

According to this article, some silicones can provide benefits to our hair. I believe that products that contain silicones further down the ingredient list are still better for textured hair than those that contain silicones in the first 5 ingredients.

Click the article title for a direct link to the article.

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