Jane Carter Interview: Full Audio

Thank you for being patient as I upgrade my technical skills! There is still much more work to be done in that area :-)

I've added a Podcast of the full Jane Carter Interview for your listening pleasure. It runs about 45 minutes, so be prepared for an earful of great conversation.

To listen, simply click the link of this blog entry!

I can tell that Jane Carter loves her career and this interview could have easily gone for much longer!

Enjoy!
(And excuse my editing skills - or lack thereof:-)

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Jane Carter of Jane Carter Solution Interview: The Beginnings

In part 2 of the Hair2Toe Beauty interview with Jane Carter, she discusses the beginnings of her product line, the motivation, and challenges of providing a quality product among common beauty market competitors.

For Part 1, click here.

Jane Carter: A lot of products in the health food market and in the natural products market are not performance oriented. I made this one product after I took an essential oil and formed the Hair Nourishing Serum. It’s an essential oil and vitamin product. I used it specifically on a client whose hair I watch on a daily basis. She had super, super coarse hair that nothing could penetrate it. She used it on a daily basis and said, “This is not my hair anymore. I don’t know whose hair this is.”

The thing about essential oils is that they have this tiny molecule and the ability to penetrate. We got great results and clients were asking if they could buy this. And this is how this unfolded.

 As a colorist, I had all kinds of clients. From blondes to reggae artist with waist length locs. So I had to find a product line that addressed the needs of all my clients. It was a pet peeve of mine because we needed a line that, in certain combinations, any consumer could use.

When I did approach three chemists. they asked who is my market and I said everyone. They said in the beauty business products are segmented so they needed to know specifically so they can do a product formulation for that specific population. [The product market] is broken into general and ethnic. They sent me products from the ethnic formulary and from the general market, everyone non-ethnic.

All of the samples from all three chemists had the same ingredients of products that were in the market: dimethicone, petroleum, mineral oil, and alcohol. I thought, what do I want to deal with you for? That’s when I decided to do two semesters of formulations and do one product at a time.

I am an end user. Typically, people that make products are a lot of times men with no hair. They don’t have a  relationship with the end user. Nor have they spent anytime in the salon and I think that is one of our strengths. 

Our price point is a little bit higher because we use quality ingredients that really work.  How do you compromise on that? (Jane Carter refused to “cheapen” her line for profit’s sake in order to produce a quality, performance oriented product that truly benefits her clients and consumers.)



Stay tuned for Part 3 of the Jane Carter interview :-)

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H2t Flexirod Tutorial on YouTube

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One Lather or Two?

For the most part, I have been a two lather girl. In the last couple of months, I've become a one lather girl. I absolutely believe it is possible to clean your hair and scalp sufficiently with one lather of shampoo. On the off occasion that my hair is filthy from product buildup or random whatnots, I will do a clarifying lather, then a moisturizing lather. 

I believe I'm able to do this due to technique and product choice. Prepoo oil choice is very important. You don't want an oil so thick and heavy that shampooing is counterproductive. You still have to remember that oil and water don't mix so simply rinsing oil from your hair with water, will not clean your hair. It will be slippery and feel soft and many people mistake that for conditioning.

Now, my technique tip was picked up from an article written on Healthy Textures. The tip is simply this: let the shampoo sit a minute or so and then rinse. Don't just lather and rinse immediately.

Think about it, when you're washing dishes, do you just apply the soap to a dirty plate and immediately begin washing? No. (I hope not or I'm not eating at your house.) You let the soapy water marinate a little bit in the dirty dish and then wash and rinse. It's the same principle.

On top of this, I take time to make sure I get all the way down to my scalp and massage the shampoo in. I don't stop massaging until every inch of my scalp has been touched. This literally takes less than 2 minutes and it feels nice. I do my business in the shower and rinse my shampoo.

This has reduced the amount of shampoo I use by half, which saves money! I hope it works for you!

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Jane Carter of Jane Carter Solution Interview: Shampoo

There is so much information Jane Carter shared that it is absolutely necessary to break this interview into a several part series. I could literally write a book on all of the knowledge she is sharing with us. 


First, Jane discusses her lines new SLS-free shampoo, Hydrating Invigoration Shampoo. She also talks to us about the dreaded Sodium Lauryl Sulfate. She also explains her vast experience and the history of her hair care line, Jane Carter Solution.


Hair2Toe Beauty: I love the line and I’m happy to see you have a new shampoo out! I just wanted to get you to explain the difference between this one and the Moisture Nourishing Shampoo.

Jane Carter: This is one of the products that we just introduced. We are also introducing a new product called Curl Defining Creme which is really for women with natural hair that want to wash and wear there hair. The biggest complaint I get all the time is that, “My hair shrinks when I wash and wear it and I hate it. I want it to have a little more volume.”

So we decided to create a product that didn’t have the plastic polymers and resins that alot of the gels have that kind of give you the same effect.

We decided to introduce this new this new shampoo because we used Sodium Lauryl Sulfate in our original shampoo. SLS really got a bad rep in the last two years. SLS is not a terrible thing for your hair. It’s a complex conversation.

Shampoo is detergent. Bar soap is designed to cleanse. Dish soap is designed to cleanse. But, it really depends on what else you add to it to buffer it to make it less harsh.

I’m a hair colorist so I use a pre-shampoo treatment on my clients before I color. SLS is a great cleanser. If you really have to remove product and dirt from the hair, it’s really great. It’s not terrible as long as its buffered the right way and the pH is adjusted the right way. It doesn’t necessarily have to be drying.

So we decided to use something to create a SLS-free shampoo. We've gotten really great results. We added a little peppermint extract to it. It works really well.

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Jane Carter Interview Coming Soon!

I'm super excited that I got the opportunity to have an extensive phone interview with Jane Carter, the owner of the Jane Carter Solution hair care line!

I'm currently working on transcribing the audio and will present the interview in a series for an easy read!

As you can tell from my blog, I'm a fan of her line and have been well before I had this opportunity to interview Jane Carter.

What first drew me into her was a recommendation from Hair2Toe forum member, TamikaG. After learning about the webinars Jane Carter hosts from her website, www.janecartersolutions.com, I was sold.

I was sold on her candidness, willingness to communicate with consumers, and motivation for a natural based hair care line for textured hair.

There is so much more principle behind the line as well as Jane's advice as a stylist and colorist about ways to keep textured hair health, whether relaxed or natural!

Stay tuned. I won't keep you waiting much longer :-)

www.JaneCarterSolution.com

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KeraCare's 1st Lather and Detangling Shampoos

As previously posted, finding a shampoo to replace my old Creme of Nature has been a daunting task to say the least. Lately, I've been using KeraCare Detangling shampoo and have liked the results. It feels very moisturizing going on my hair. And it feels great when I massage it in. It's decent alone, but with a prepoo, it's great! I have also paired it with the KeraCare 1st Lather shampoo which is a very gentle clarifying shampoo. 

Now, this may seem counterproductive, but it was purely by accident that I pre-poo'd before I clarified. I never do that. Either way, the 1st Lather shampoo very innnncredible. It didn't strip my hair not one bit. By the time I applied the Detangling shampoo, I thought I was using conditioner. My hair felt soooo good, clean, and soft.  It felt like it had already been deep conditioned. The key was the oil prepoo. It always has been.

So, I'm glad to see with the Stick 2 It! Challenge that I just need to use an oil prepoo to prevent the dryness from shampoo. I mean, I knew that, but I was really trying to simplify my regimen more and take pre-pooing out of the equation. But that just won't work.

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Stick 2 It! Challenge Update - 2 Weeks In

My scalp irritation has calmed down, but some of the dryness still remains.

I still haven't changed my mind about returning to my stylist, but I do consider it. I guess I will decide when it comes closer to my next relaxer.

I've been using Jane Carter Solutions Scalp Nourishing Serum to get my scalp back on track. It's a very light, but rich blend of powerful essential oils and vitamins especially made for the scalp.  It definitely helped with soothing the irritation and itchies.

On the Stick 2 It! Challenge we have going on at the Hair2Toe Beauty Forum, I've been sticking with the same products for the last two weeks. We have two more weeks to go. I'm really seeing the benefits my products have and also the ones that I won't continue to use in the same fashion .

I'll give a final update at the end of the challenge!

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Hair2Toe Beauty Supports Sister Soldier Project

http://www.sistersoldierproject.com/

Thanks to Hair2Toe Beauty forum member Letha for finding out and posting this information about this program! Thank you!

If you are not familiar with it, Sister Soldier Project is a donation organization that allows member to donate money which the organization will then send that amount of care products to female soldiers who are deployed overseas.

I can personally testify that it is incredibly difficult to get quality products and maintain hair while over there. The water quality is terrible and that alone can wreak havoc on hair.

I would like to set up a donation on behalf of all of us at Hair2Toe Beauty. 100% of monies donated will be sent to Sister Soldier Project to benefit the service members.

You can use the Donate button located on the Homepage of Hair2Toe Forum, in the Store tab, or from Hair2ToeBeauty.com!

Again 100% of donations will go to Sister Soldier Project Donations!

Again, thank you Letha for finding out this wonderful donation project!

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Flexi Rods = Fast, Fun Styles

I had forgotten how much I like flexi rods. I love these because they take half the time to set with compared to magnetic rollers and give the perfect spiral set. My curls are always luscious and bouncy! And the style shrinks my hair up off of my shoulders making this a great protective style for winter!

Today was wash day and after I finished my regimen, I set my hair on the magenta flexi rods which are 1 1/8". I used 12 rods and it took me about 15 minutes, if that to set my hair. Very fast.

Here are my results...For more pics, visit my Fotki album.

The most important tip to maintaining this style is to not separate the curls too much initially after unrolling. At night, you can gather the curls and lightly re-roll with your fingers into a pin-curl securing them with a bobby pin at the base.  Cover with a hair net or satin bonnet and hit the sack. In the morning, simply remove your pins, lightly finger comb and go!

For daily moisture, I recommend lightly misting a water based leave in conditioner and dabbing your fingers in a very light serum prior to pin curling. While you curl, you are lightly adding product to your hair to maintain shine and moisture. My favorites are Jane Carter Solution leave in conditioner and hair nourishing serum.

For more tips and tricks on how to create and maintain curly styles, visit us @ Hair2Toe Beauty Forum.

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GREAT SALE @ FOLICA!! Ends 12/4

Folica Private Event Save Up to $365 On Your Purchase 12/4 Only!

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How Did I Get My Hair So Healthy?

I've been getting this question more often. (Finally!) LOL... On the forums, I went from "Don't worry Cheezy, it will get there." to "How did you get your hair so healthy?" I MADE IT! LOL I kid...I kid...

But seriously, I just decided to post my reply to a lovely member of one of the hair forums I frequent for all to see! *Start subliminal message: Join Hair2Toe forum :end subliminal message*

     "Thanks! My regimen is very simple and I think the most important parts have been 1. reducing       direct heat 2. weekly deep conditioning 3. getting rid of split ends before they become a pain and 4. stretching longer (about 10-14 weeks) to prevent relaxer overlap. I'm a big believer that it's more about technique than products and no matter how often I switch products, my regimen stays the same for the most part.

1. prepoo
2. shampoo
3. protein (if needed)
4. DC (with heat 15-20 mins)
5. leave in/serum (or oil when airdrying)
6. style

I don't mix this and that simply because I'm lazy and I know it'll discourage me if it's too much work. I use pincurls and rollersets alot for curly or sleek styles. I like clips for different updos. I trim when needed. I protect my hair at night!

Tis all! :-)"

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Stylist Decision Reversed

Last night I thought I'd come to a decision about my stylist. But after my wash day and waking up this morning to huge white patches of flakes on my scalp, I got mad all over again. It began to occur to me that I'd suffered from these big white patches the entire time I was under his care and I could not get rid of them. Granted, I didn't know then what I know now.

However, I thought this last incident was isolated. But with the reappearance of these patches when I hadn't had a flake of dandruff in over a year of my DIY care and self relaxing leads me to believe that my relaxers from him were the root cause of these flakes.

I'd actually erased this blog from what I'd previously written. I'd decided to give him another shot. But now my scalp is in bad shape and I have to fix it.

At this point I'd rather self-relax without perfect results than to have to go back to having scalp problems.

I am considering this my first HHJ setback and I am soooo not happy about it.

Those of you who relax, take this as a lesson. Be persistent. Do not allow yourself to be dismissed in your concerns. Politely speak up and make the best decision for you and your hair.

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December Member of the Month!

Hair2Toe, please congratulate Keishadt on becoming December Member of the Month on Hair2Toe! *crowd goes wild*


Keisha, Alaska

3 Favorite Products The usual suspects, Giovanni Smooth as Silk Shampoo, Giovanni Smooth as Silk Conditioner, and NTM Triple Moisture Silk Touch Leave-in

Hair regimen
Weekly
Prepoo with oils,conditioner, or both
Shampoo - Shikaki Shampoo bar or Giovanni Smooth as Silk Shampoo
Deep condition - Giovanni Smooth as Silk Conditioner, NTM Recovery Mask
Apply Leave in NTM Silk Touch Leave in
Apply shine serum - Hask Pure Shine serum or Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum
Airdry - I use Garnier Fructis Curl sculpting cream gel. With bantu knots, braid outs, or twist outs.
Moisturize - JCS Leave in, Mizani Coconut Souffle, Wave Nouveau Finishing Lotion
Seal with -JCS Nourish & Shine or Shescenit shea butter.
Style
Weekly- Cowash V05, JCS Revitalizing Conditioner
As needed I'll do a protein treatment - Vitale Super Reconstructor
I relax every 8 - 12 weeks

Why and when did you start your hair journey?
My journey started in February 2008. I moved to a completely different climate. I went from hot & humid to cold and dry, and my hair didn't like it. After a bad salon experience followed by tons of breakage and shedding, I went online to do some research. Next thing you know, I found HT. It's been a long journey fraught with setbacks and bad hair days, but now I'm self reliant, my hair is much healthier and I get compliments all the time.

What is the best piece of advice you've gotten to obtain healthy textured hair?
Do what you think is right for your hair. People are always going to say something about your regimen, products, or how long you stretch, etc. But at the end of the day, you know your hair best. Pay attention to what your hair needs and it will thrive.

Be sure to join us on the Hair2Toe Forum to share hair and beauty tips and tricks and dish about the latest goings on!

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