Results: Miss Jessie's Pillow Soft Curls

Description:
Miss Jessie's Pillow Soft Curls is a light-as-a-feather styling lotion that incorporates "fabric softener" technology to help you obtain large, flowing curls. Helps prevent tight, ramen noodle curls, instead offering larger, expanded curls. 
This lotion delivers fluffy, touchable curls and larger than life volume, without weighing down your hair's natural bounce. It’s made with a healing blend of avocado, coconut, sweet almond, and olive to repair dry, damaged locks.

Took a picture with flash so you can see fluffy curls

End of day hair

Wednesday's experiment with Miss Jessie's Soft Pillow Curls was...interesting. I washed and conditioned my hair, then split my hair into four sections and worked some of the product through. I wasn't heavy handed with it and still have plenty left in my sample pack. I don't think my hair turned out bad, and it seems the product did exactly what it promised to do: curls with volume. But there's a reason why I washed it out of my hair last night: the smell. It wasn't a joke when they said this product "incorporates "fabric softener" technology" because that is exactly what my hair smelled like. It gave me a headache and I couldn't shake this feeling of being at the laundry. I don't know, guys. I'm glad I got a sample and it wasn't a complete disaster but for $22, I won't be purchasing. The smell alone turns me off and I just can't take it, but some people can.

Have you tried Miss Jessie's Pillow Soft Curls?

Trying: Miss Jessie's Pillow Soft Curls

I subscribe to Birchbox to get samples of beauty, hair and lifestyle products and this month, I found Miss Jessie's Pillow Soft Curls in my sample box. I've never tried anything from Miss Jessie's because I've read reviews where they're hit and miss and they were too pricey for my college wallet.

I've looked up some reviews specifically on Pillow Soft Curls and I admit, I'm not hearing too many great things, but I'm going to give it a try and report back tomorrow - might as well. For the record, here is how my hair looks now:

Pardon the tired look, it's been a long day of work (as usual, ugh!) From the description of the product, it's promising the big hair I love and possibly some definition. Off I go to try this out!

Luv Naturals Products - Will You Be Trying?

I just took a look at this video from Kim Love (from Kimmaytube) and her new line of hair products at Luv Naturals. I've always been an admirer of her channel because her videos and hair info are so informative and visually pleasing. I know some folks don't like her for various reasons (yes I followed the "natural drama" at some point) but  I'm really focusing on the product line she's created. There are four products on the market right now:

"Don't Be So Clingy" Hair Detangler

 "Wash Me Gently" Hair and Scalp Cleanser

 "Conditional Love" hair conditioner 

"Love Me & Leave-In" Conditioner.

Honestly, the ingredients for these products look great and it costs about the same (and maybe less) as other brands I like, such as Jessicurl. I'm into supporting small business, especially ones by Women of Color so I think I will be giving this a try.  

Are any of you interested in trying the Luv Naturals Products?

Recent Purchase: Curls Cashmere Jelly

 Remember earlier in the summer when I posted about Curls latest product, Cashmere Jelly? I didn't like the wording of "turn your kinks to curls" because it seems very misleading for reasons I stated in that post. Ignoring that annoying tagline, I decided to place an order for the product because I have been curious to try it. They are having a 35% off sale (enter BLOWOUT at checkout) until midnight tonight, so this seems to be the perfect time. From the description of the product, I'm hoping to have defined and fluffy braid-outs.

I also bought the Champagne & Caviar Curl Elixir which promises to strengthen hair, which is something I definitely need to focus on as the cool weather approaches.

There doesn't seem to many reviews on these products, so if any of you have tried please let me know what you think!

Product Review: La Plancha Deep Heat Reconstructor

Product Description: Helps restore texture, body and shine, replenishing essential proteins, amino acids and humectants to your hair.
How to use: This product can be applied in three different ways depending on your particular needs:
1st Option: Apply La Plancha after shampoo, leave in hair for 3 to 5 minutes, rinse with warm water. Style as usual
2nd Option: For moderate conditioning, shampoo and towel dry hair. Apply La Plancha from scalp to ends, wrap hair in plastic cap and place under dryer or blower for 15 minutes, rinse with warm water. Style as usual.
3rd Option: For deeper conditioning and intensive hair repair, after shampooing apply La Plancha, divide hair into sections, wrap each section in aluminum foil. Proceed to heat each section with a professional hair ceramic iron for 30 seconds. Rinse with warm water. Style as usual.


Ingredients: Deionized water, behentimonium methosulphate, cetyl alcohol, propanotriol, cetyl trimethyl ammonium chloride, ciclomethicone, PPG-3 benzyl, eter mirystate, dimethicone, propilene glycol, hidrolized silk protein, fragrance, lanoline, decyl oleate, metyl/propilparaben, ceramide, panthenol, citric acid.


Towards the end of the summer I really started to access the state of my hair. I had a lot of single-strand knots from too many wash-n-gos (which I'm not mad about, because that comes with the territory of tightly curled/coiled hair) and some breakage, most likely because I was being too rough. I vowed to step up my deep conditioning game up and while talking about straightening hair on one occasion with SP, she mentioned La Plancha hair products which she likes for heat-styling. Curious, I wondered into the Beauty Supply Store and found they had a deep conditioner on the shelf.

I thought I'd give this Dominican product a try, considering they haven't failed me in the past. No, the ingredients aren't organic or "natural" but I saw behentimonium methosulphate and was like, there goes the de-tangling agent that works for my hair! I generally shop for products this way, looking at key ingredients I know work well for me, which you start understanding after much experimenting! Anyway I have to say I like this conditioner! It smells faintly sweet like maybe citrus, and it's very creamy. I slabbed it onto my hair, de-tangled, and put on a plastic cap (option 2). I also turned off the AC in my apartment so it could get warm and I could pretend I sat under a dryer. Once I rinsed, my hair felt super soft and after a few uses my hair is definitely getting back to that silky-strong texture, and I'm also wondering if it has anything to do with my diligence to keep DCing (in other words, will my hair still get stronger without using this conditioner?) After my first use, I did a rollerset using Lacio Lacio as a leave-in, and then because I was bored that night I actually passed a flatiron (once) over sections of my hair, without doing the roots; then pin-curled. I thought I got nice results from that:

My verdict: This is a very nice deep conditioner. I plan to keep this on rotation as part of my Fall 2012 products!

Hair Adventures: From Curly to Straight (in the Summer?)

I posted my summer routine last week, and I meant to show what my hair looks like on day 1. This was my hair last Friday:

 

I used my water/oil/gel combination to define my curls/coils and used a banana clip to hold it back. I'm not sure if you can see it clearly but if you can, you'll notice the variety of curls I have which range from tightly coiled to tightly curled, to wavy-coiled - at least that's how I describe it. I'm not much into the hair-typing system *shrugs* I actually really liked my hair, I think it's one of the best "wash n gos" I've done thus far. I was at my dress fitting and the tailor, a Dominican woman, admired my curls telling my friend and I that "her hair goes just like that" and my friend kept telling me how much she wanted to play in it.

Anyway, over the weekend I decided to straighten my hair. I know, pointless for the summer right? Well at first I was in the beauty supply store for something, and then I ended up purchasing two products that promise to be anti-frizz and "smooth" your hair: Lacio Lacio Leave in Conditioner and John Frieda Frizz Ease Straight Fixation Smoothing Cream - and I decided I was going to blow my hair out.

The Language of Hair Products - Still Chasing the Curl

So I recently got this email from Curls about their latest product Cashmere Curl Jelly. I have no problems with the Curls line as I use the clarifying shampoo and adore the Curlicious Curls Cleansing Cream. What rubs me the wrong way is the misleading language, "Go From Kinks to Curls." It makes me think of a couple of things: that some naturals still have not fully accepted their hair texture/shape and are still chasing a certain "hair type" that they don't have, and the tricky language companies use to get you to buy products - Curls is obviously NOT the only company to do this and this isn't an attack on them what so ever.

If you don't have a certain kind of hair, a product will not magically make it appear. I think this product may define your curl/coils but if you don't have a certain curl pattern, this product will not make it appear. I have a variety of curl patterns and textures: the front being very fine with coily waves, the middle being tightly coiled and medium to fine strands and the back section having loose, medium curls. I don't expect this product to suddenly turn my coils into the loose curls I have in the back, but by looking at this ad, it seems like it could happen!

In any case, there are other reasons to try this product: the ingredients look good, and it probably will define the kind of hair you already have, and if you're into high-end, organic stylers, it could be for you. Heck, even I'm interested in buying it; the shampoos from this line have not failed me, so it might be time to give the stylers a go!

Boring Hair Week

Happy Belated Mom's Day!

The weather over the weekend was great, but it's rainy and humid again today. I think this is going to be a boring hair week for me; even though I'm always happy to be back to curly, I really have no desire to style my hair. Yesterday I washed and deep conditioned my hair, then used conditioner for my leave-in and added some Ouidad Climate Control Heat & Humidity Gel. I've actually been experimenting with this gel for a few weeks now and haven't made up my mind about it. I will say that my hair is less frizzy when using it, but using it alone I'm not sure. So I just let my hair air dry yesterday which took forever and I had a lot of shrinkage. When bed time came I tossed my hair in a couple of braids and then this morning I quickly pulled it into a bun with a little flat-twisting (single) from the front all the way to the back for a side-bun.

Nothing spectacular, but it was quick and easy. Plus my hair is already well de-tangled and I'd like to keep it that way. The self-trim I did when I straightened my hair was great because I had a lot less breakage when handling my hair yesterday. Also, the product I picked up during lunch last week worked out pretty well. I won't say it was anything to dance about, but it did do a great job and I will most likely be passing this conditioner on to one of my sisters. That's all for my quick check-in, hope you're all doing well YAIS readers!

Lunch Break Product Pick-up: Pantene Pro-V Conditioner

Basically I should be confined to my desk when I take lunch, especially when I have the urge to buy something. Even though my hair is straight(ish) right now and it's only Tuesday, I am already thinking about curly styles when I wash my hair this weekend. Naturally, I walked around and found that CVS was having a sale on Pantene Pro-V, and so I picked up two bottles of their Dry to Moisturized Conditioner from their Relaxed to Natural line.

I decided to try this conditioner for a few reasons: one, I'm interested in trying something new - I've been getting a major case of PJ-ism lately; second, I am quietly searching for drug-store products that I can pass on to my sisters. I have three of them, all on a budget in high school/college, and even though we have different textures of hair (save for my youngest sister who shares the same texture as me but with looser curls) but since I know their hair pretty well, I want to experiment with my hair and then let them know which ones they can find locally and relatively cheap that might work for them. Finally, I did a quick ingredients check when purchasing and saw that there's Behentrimonium Methosulfate which is great for de-tangling. I'm looking to use this as a rinse-out conditioner, so we'll see how it goes this weekend. If any of you have tried this conditioner, let me know what I can expect!

Perfect Second Day Hair + OOTD + Product Review

I know this is like an A-D-D post totally but f&%$ it! lol

I just had to post a pic from my hair today because I'm never able to achieve second day hair that looks the same or better and I finally did!!! Again, all I did was moisturize my hair, throw it in 3 loose, tucked under buns to sleep, and then took out and fluffed this morning. I put a few 2 strand twists in the bang area for definition, and same as yesterday, I just put my head band behind my bangs, and pushed it to the left. I figured while I was @ it I would just do a quick little OOTD + my accessories for you all while I looked semi-cute, lol.  Funny thing is I bought those earrings a while ago and hated how they looked on me, but now that my hair's bigger, I like 'em!

Wondering what has my edges held back so beautifully? One product I will quickly review:

Thanks Domin for recommending this because I < 3 it! (Click the link to watch her review 

She is definitely my number one hair inspiration, if she's not everybody's, lol)

I haven't really tried it for twist outs yet, but I will say it's amazing for slicking your hair back in ponytails. I wouldn't say it gives you as much hold and sleekness as a gel per say, but if you don't want that wet super sleek/slick look but still want to be able to control frizz and flyaways this is perfect. 

As you can see my edges and the hair going back into the puff looks well tamed. You know what?  It actually does exactly what it says on the jar: Fights frizz, Adds Shine, and Moisturizes. This cost me about $4 and a little bit goes a long way so you really get your bang for your buck. Plus the smell is divine... everyone loves a product that smells edible right? lol 

Done ranting now... goodnight! = )

Re-attempting the Perfect Twist Out

About 2 weeks ago I discovered how to achieve the twist out of my dreams... by doing a twist out on hair that was roller set with end wraps. Though it is a bit of a time consuming regimen, I am going to do my best to make the time to stick to it because my scalp seems to do okay with this method, as last time I didn't feel the need to wash for almost 2 weeks! Normally I can't go longer than 4 days... Also, I'm really attributing a lot of my length retention to this method. Anyhoo, notice anything different from the last post where I roller set my hair? Yup, bigger rollers! I bought these larger capped rollers for future endeavors and realized I could actually use them now! #superpsyched

 When my hair gets a little longer maybe I'll attempt to wear one of these roller sets, but until then, I just snapped a few flicks of what what hair looked like brushed out and fluffled a little after silk wrapping. I also used a new foam wrap that I must say I'm pretty impressed with, and a little with myself as well, as I did spend like a good hour in the BSS comparing foam wraps. I promise to give it a review sometime before this new week is over but I will say I love that it left my hair light, fluffy, and super moisturized instead

 of dried out. No sign of any residue, nor greasiness, and I used this product alone. I did do one thing different this time, I decided to use Bentonite Clay for the first time and I will say that I loved it. It left my hair super soft and had my curls popping. I dusted my ends, then twisted my hair up in hopes of a perfect twist out again so stay tuned for the post of the outcome and product review of the foam wrap I used!

What do you think about roller setting your natural hair as a part of your regular regimen? 

I think this may be one of the best regimens for winter length retention for me

Tips on Curbing Product-Junky-ism

A lot of folks who are "going natural" or just discovering how to care properly care for their hair succumb to being a product junky, where you buy a ton of products to try out. Some might be looking for their "holy grail"--the product that will solve all your curly hair problems. Trying products is obviously a good way to figure out what your hair likes in combination with various techniques. But how can we try products without going flat-broke, overcrowding our cabinets (and perhaps irritating those you live with)? As a former product junky--who was in college at the time I started figuring my hair out--here are some things to keep in mind.

Shopping List: Keep in mind that all these shampoos you are buying don't get used at the same time! You only need one at a time. Might I suggest this list when buying products: 1 shampoo/cleanser, 2 conditioners (detangle, leave-in, deep conditioner), 2 stylers (mousse, gel, "butter") and an oil. I'm just suggesting the maximum of what you could buy, get less if you need to. And this gives you lee-way to play with the combinations of these products (i.e. Conditioner A isn't a good mix with styler Y but great with styler X). Which brings me to my next point...

Use the Products Properly: When using a product, I think it's crucial to use it as directed to achieve the best results as you most likely will be able to judge it better. Also, try the product more then once to get a feel for it. I know that products like Kinky Curly Curling Custard (KCCC) can be difficult to apply because of how it reacts with certain products. It may keep you occupied from buying another product *wink*

Don't Jump On Bandwagons: or rather, be selective as to what advice to follow. Do not continue to use a product that isn't working for your hair just because your "natural hair guru" says it's the best thing ever. Don't follow methods that don't work for you because a natural says that's how it's SUPPOSED to be. Different naturals have different hair and you may or may not get the exact same results. I find it true that you should probably look to those who have a similar "hair type" you have, but you may be like me where you have only come across one other natural who has similar hair to yours (which in my case is a natural at the LITK blog, and who happens to now be free-form locking their hair). Sometimes you can follow the techniques of others who don't have your type of hair but adjust it to your needs.

Learn About ingredients: I've read somewhere that the first five ingredients in a product are used in the highest quantity. So if you like coconut oil, and a product claims to be "fortified" or whatever with it and it's way down there on the ingredient's list, it's probably not worth it. Especially if the product is expensive. It might be best to keep it moving.

Access What Your Hair Needs: Dealing with dryness? Need a good cleanser? Want to do a roller-set or twist out? Buy products that address the issue at hand! If you want a deep conditioner, then search for one and try not to be side-tracked into getting a gel. Trust, it helps it the long run. Focusing on a certain aspect of your hair will keep you pre-occupied.

As a former product junkie myself, I know all too well about the temptations. At this point, I no longer buy products on impulse and it takes me a long time to actually give it a try (see SheaMoisture products). I only shop when I know I need something and if I want to experiment with a style. Hope this was somewhat helpful!

Gushing Over New Products: Shea Moisture and TRESemme

I've been itching to try new products for a while but didn't know where to go to first. Product hunting is overwhelming am I right? Anyway, earlier this week after work (at around 11:30pm smh!) I wandered into Duane Reade to just browse. Then I saw TRESemme, and I've been chatting with the good folks at the CurlyNikki forum who had mentioned how nice the product was, and since it was on sale I decided to give  the TRESemme Naturals Conditioner a go. Then I saw SheaMoisture products, which SP has been raving about for a while. I decided that I did want to try a new shampoo and a new leave-in, which turned out to be the Curl and Style Milk.

Folks, I'm mad at myself I didn't try these products sooner! So far, I'm extremely happy with my items. The TRESemme conditioner had nice slip, and my detangling session was a breeze. The SheaMoisture shampoo, (my goodness the shampoo!) was great. My hair didn't mat up or feel dry. There was a nice silky liquid cleansing my strands. The Hair Milk is a great leave-in. After washing, I added it to my hair in sections, then put a few big plaits in my hair for a braid out, although I'm pretty sure I ended up putting my hair in a bun because of the sticky heat.

Viola! My hair is in box braids for now, but I will probably co-wash with TRESemme mid-week if I feel it needs some moisture. So yeah, these products are definitely in my summer rotation. I'm so happy I could find something locally and so late at night!

Tip of the Day: Trying New Products

The natural hair world is overwhelming at times. So many thoughts, opinions, regiments, products--how can we get through it all? When I first decided to embrace my hair I thought managing it would be expensive and that I had to everything the bloggers told me to in order to get healthy hair, but I still had no understanding of it. I tried countless products and *wished* for my hair to come out well. I did things to my hair whether it was actually helping or not. I wondered what would happen if I read a crash course on what it means to embrace your curls and coils? Here's my tip of the day:

On Products:
There are many, and you may want to try them all especially if someone used it and their hair is fly. When first trying a product make sure that you follow the directions of the product to the letter to determine if it actually works. This may be a combination of technique as well. If, after a few times, it does not work as directed experiment a little. In the end it will help you decide if the product is for you or not.

If the product is expensive and you want to save, be sure to check for samples, get it on sale, or see if anyone else has it lying around. It may take a minute for you to figure out what works for you, especially if you're new. Take you time with the product, have patience and most of all, have fun!



Questions or comments? Email us at yais.nyc@gmail.com

Product Stash: Stylers

Note #1: See my stash of cleansers and conditioners.

Behold! My collection of stylers.

(note #2: I know, this is a lot but in all fairness, Mr. Smooth uses some =P)

Okay, so let's start with the Aloe Vera gel. I like to use it on both my skin and my hair because it leaves it soft. I moisturize with it mostly when my hair is in a protective style, like twists or braids as my "water based" product before I seal my hair with an oil. By itself it makes my hair feel really soft and it's nice and light. (note #3: this has been Mr. Smooth's favorite product for about a year). Next to it is the IC Fantasia Heat Protectant Serum. When I used to flat iron a lot, this was my staple. I recently bought it when I blew out my hair. It's a decent heat protectant to me and inexpensive. And next to that is Motions Foaming Wrap Lotion. This was actually passed to me from SP because she knows I set my hair with curl formers and she wanted me to give this a try. Then I have my IC Fantasia Gel which I've already reviewed and will still use it for wet setting. 

There are also three little bottles in the front, which are Jessicurl products that I have not really experimented with which are: Rockin' Ringlets, Confident Coils and Awe Inspiraling Spray. At the moment I don't really have a use for them because they seem to be 'wash and go' products and I'm not doing that any time soon. You can also see I still have the Jane Carter Solutions Wrap and Roll which I've used for dry setting (curlformers, twist outs ect) and it seemed to work okay. I'm still trying to finish the bottle and have no intentions of repurchasing. There are a couple of Aveda products back there: Phomollient Styling Foam and Brilliant Anti-Humectant Pomade, both given to me and that I'm experimenting with and probably won't buy because of their scary expensive prices. Next to that, you can see my beloved Burt's Bees Avocado Butter Pre-Shampoo Treatment which I'm running low on and will always buy because it's a staple. I use it as a styler as well as a pre-poo treatment. (oh and note #4: Kinky Curly Custard is in that picture, but I accidently hid it. I love it but it's pricey and I use sparingly and I probably won't be buying again)

Whew! I don't think I need to be buying anything until there's less products! This has really helped me put things into prospective!

Product Stash: Conditioners

Back with my conditioner stash!

Okay, so here we have Suave Naturals Tropical Coconut, a tiny bit of Kinky Curly Knot Today, Marcia Teixeira Brazilian Keratin Conditioner (normal hair), Renpure Organics My Hair is Parched, and Herbal Essence Hello Hydration.

The Suave conditioner I used over the summer a lot, and then I strictly started using it to rinse out henna and now whenever I do a Bentonite Clay treatment. I like having it around as a "rinsing" conditioner and it's cheap and can be found anywhere. That's really all I use it for. Knot Today I use as a leave in before I put anything else in my hair. It's great for detangling and to use under gels and other styling products in my experience. It hasn't failed me yet and I'm a little sad that I'm running low.

The Keratin conditioner from Marcia Teixiera was actually a sample I got when I ordered my Jessicurl Trial pack from Curlmart. It came with the shampoo too which I really liked (but gave away to one of my sisters) but the conditioner is nothing to rave about (in other words, I won't ever buy it). The Renpure Organics I've been using as a deep conditioner since I don't really have any more of the Jessicurl Weekly Deep conditioner. And I only buy the Renpure Organics when it's on sale for under 5 bucks. The Herbal Essence I had only bought for my mini-trip to Ohio but it's a good conditioner for me to have on hand so can't complain. I really would like a thick, emollient conditioner for deep treating, so I'll have to look into that. I want to re-order the Weekly Deep Conditioner and perhaps try the Sheamoisture mask that everyone has been raving about. Any other suggestions?

The best TWA twist out i ever had!

So obviously i can't control myself and keep in a hairstyle for too long... well i was tempted okay! (what was i thinking when i said locking? lol) Yesterday i went to the health food store to pick up some Aloe Gel and essential oils when i came across a product line i had seen and heard much buzz about, Beautiful Curls. I am such a product junkie so you know i had to get something!!! Lol

I tested it out on one of my little twists in the store and i loved the way it felt in my hair, not to mention how beautiful it made my little curls look.  I sat up last night while on the my computer, untwisting my twists with this cream, doing a little finger twirling, not even looking at what i was doing. When i got up and looked in the mirror, i couldn't believe how beautiful the twist out looked. I sprayed my scalp and hair with my Aloe grow, put on my bonnet and went to sleep. When i woke up this morning and took off my bonnet... WOW! My twist out is so soft and looks so silky and shiny and is by far my best twist out to date... it also looks like a i got a little bit of growth... tomorrow will be one month since i chopped again, so that's prettty cool.

A little TWA hairporn? 

Short hair don't care! Lol