I BIG CHOPPED!!! 6-4-10

Okay…so I was in Target looking for hair products to make my flat-ironed
hairstyle look great, and a woman with beautiful natural hair was on
the same aisle as I was, and she was having trouble finding some
products. I heard her question the location of the product and
recognized the brands (Giovanni and Say Yes To Cucumbers) and told her
that the organic products were near the beauty section (I was already a
product junkie, and a Target addict) I lead her to the products that she
was searching for. I then told her that for 6 months I had been
"transitioning" (which, now I know that I was going about this
completely wrong, I was blow drying and flat-ironing every week/2 weeks
and not taking care of my hair at all, and definitely not
moisturizing!!) Anyway, we had a 20 minute conversation and she told me
she went to this website named CurlyNikki.com and read about the
products that "CurlyNikki" used. When she showed me her list, I asked
her if I could take a picture of it with my phone. Luckily, she said yes
then we soon parted ways. That day, I bought as many of the products on
the list that I could find in Target (can we say Product Junkie!?!?)
Since that day two weeks ago, I’ve been on a healthy natural hair
mission!

welcome!!! the other neighbors are probably asleep but you'll hear them loud and clear tomorrow!!!

Thanks for the welcome!! It took me 2 weeks to gain the courage to post my story, LOL!

Welcome glad you made it! Tell all of your stories we are very supportive around these here parts!

Welcome divineanalysis!

Hi divene...

Welcome to CSJ!!! I love your story because I think that Target is becoming the place to meet potential CN members!! LOL I always run into someone there and end up giving them the website information!!

You know I've haven't seen Giovanni or Yes products at Target. So you know what that means?? Yes...will be hitting Target on my way to work!!!

KNH

Welcome!!

Welcome Divine!! Great to have you join us! We're like family here and you've come to the right place! Look forward to following your thread!

Welcome to the neighborhood!!! Great story!!!

So how long do you plan to transition? And what did you purchase at Target? Do tell!!

WELCOME to Curl Street! You'll love it here!

welcome to curl street where you will get alot of support and help along your journey

Welcome!!!

Welcome!!!

divineanalysis wrote:Ladies, sooo much thanks for all the support!!

@ KinkyNappyHappy, be sure to look for the Giovanni and YTC products near the beauty bags and nail care
items.

@ Lynnieluve, When I first thought about transitioning, I was thinking long term (18-24 months), but after reading comments from many CN forums, blogs, and Fotki albums, I am thinking more and more about getting the BC really soon. I am becoming very anxious to cut my hair. Just this morning, called my stylist to schedule an appointment to cut at least 2 more inches of my relaxed hair, but she was booked for the day, lol!

While shopping at Target that day (before I experienced CurlyNikki.com), I purchased the following:
HEHH Shampoo
HEHH Conditioner
HETT Conditioner
HETT Gel (My friend says it makes her curls last longer and controls frizz)
Giovanni Tea Tree Shampoo
Say Yes To Carrots Conditioner
Say Yes To Carrots Leave In Conditioner
Say Yes To Tomatoes Facial Cleanser

I know I know, that's way too much. And that was only day one! To Be Continued...

Looks like you're off to a great start in terms of products! The HE HH line is what I started using about 3 months post BC, and I love it to this day! I've since switched to different condishes, but I love it as a leave in and it smells so good! I also use the Gio TT Shampoo. Great clarifiying shampoo. I like it.

Hi there!

Oh my, there are more parts to your Target experience. I look forward to it.

I like the HE Set Me Up gel.

Have fun on your journey, I know I am!

Hi Divine!

Just stopping by to say hi **waving* I see you got some goodies at Target!!! I am going to expand my Giovanna experience...I tried the direct leave-in for the first time, and I must say I really liked it!!

Hope you are having fun on CS.

KNH

Okay, so it's been CRAZY busy b/t graduations, my A/C unit breaking this weekend, and a little traveling, but I finally got a chance to share some of the millions of products that I have acquired. I don't really know where to start but here goes...

MY NEW FAVORITE SHAMPOO
KeraCare (Sulfate Free) Hydrating Detangling Shampoo. It's a new formula and I L-O-V-E this stuff! It makes my hair so soft, I’m tempted to try detangling with this shampoo! I almost always used Avlon/KeraCare products when I still used the creamy crack. I bought it because it was in a new gold bottle (not the old white bottle). It’s been sitting on the shelf for about a month, I never used it on my hair b/c I found CurlyNikki before it was time for a wash, and I just assumed it had sulfates. I never read the label until yesterday and silly me, never noticed that it said SULFATE FREE right next to the name of the shampoo! It’s also PARABEN FREE! BTW, I bought it from Sally’s (need a professional card to purchase it) but you can purchase it online at
http://www.avlon.com/KeraCare/shampoos.asp?category=2&cartid=

Also, here are the ingredients (please let me know your thoughts):
Aqua/water/eau,disodium
cocoamphodipropionate, trideceth-7 carboxylic acid, lauramide mea,
polysorbate 20, glycol stearate, peg/ppg-120/10 trimethylolpropane
trioleate, disodium lauryl sulfosuccinate, hydrolyzed wheat protein,
polyquaternium-7, polyquaternium-10, citric acid, fragrance/parfum,
methylisothiazolinone, tetrasodium edta, yellow 5 (C1 19140), benzyl
salicylate, hexyl cinnamal, linalool, alpha isomethyl ionone.



I’ve also tried(but not yet a fan of):
-Giovanni Tea Tree
-Giovanni 50/50
-Wen Cleansing Conditioner

Conditioner:
-Aubrey Organics White Tea Camellia – this is the last condish that I used, did not sit under the dryer, only left it in for 5 minutes. After I rinsed, It didn't look so great (didn't like the way my curls/waves looked) but my hair was soooo soft while styling!

Other conditioners that I’ve used only once (As of now, I like them equally):
-Herbal Essences Hello Hydration
-Aussie Moist
-Silk Elements MegaSilk with Olive Oil
-Say Yes To Carrots

DT:
-Aubrey Organics Honey Suckle Rose- It’s okay, no wow factory yet…
-KeraCare 5 n 1 Reconstructor - All time favorite for relaxed hair, and my aunt's natural hair (not the greatest for my transitioning hair )

Now on to product that”s I purchased but have yet to try:
-Jessicurl Weekly Deep Conditioning Treatment (worked really well on my little sister's relaxed hair)
-DevaCurl Heaven in Hair
-KCCC
-KCKT

And I'm sure there's more in my PJ closet, lol. I will keep you guys posted as the experimenting continues...

heeeey and welcome!! i see ur inner pj busting threw, lol.

i got a few more products to try myself to give a final yea or nay but i gotta use em at least 3 times before i totally discontinue them from my stash!

Okay Ladies, I bought the following oils etc. Please let me know of any mixtures I can try with these ingredients:

EVOO
Rosemary Oil
Castor Oil
Grapeseed Oil
Onyx Oil
Jojoba Oil
Vitamin E Oil
Vegetable Glycerin
Peppermint Oil
Lemon Oil
Orange Oil
raw shea butter
aloe vera gel
coconut oil


@NubieNatty, I don't usually have the patience to try a product 3 times, I can barely try it twice! But since you mentioned it I will try my hardest to give the products a few more tries before I toss in my "has-been" box! Thanks for the suggestion! P.S. I think I'm the biggest PJ that you'll ever meet, I'm sure my future posts will give that away, LOL!! I'm working on releasing that PJ demon!


@KinkyNappyHappy I. tried the Giovanni Direct Leave In for my silk wrap this weekend, and I really liked it! It has a nice consistency, which is good for me b/c I have a heavy hand , plus it was not heavy, YAY!!



Thanks so much for all the support! I feel sooooo loved!

divineanalysis wrote:Okay Ladies, I bought the following oils etc. Please let me know of any mixtures I can try with these ingredients:

EVOO
Rosemary Oil
Castor Oil
Grapeseed Oil
Onyx Oil
Jojoba Oil
Vitamin E Oil
Vegetable Glycerin
Peppermint Oil
Lemon Oil
Orange Oil
raw shea butter
aloe vera gel
coconut oil

EVOO & coconut oil make a good oil rinse and DC. You can also add in aloe vera gel to amp moisture.

I like a mix of aloe vera gel and vegetable glycerin. Adding EOs of rosemary, peppermint & lemon will make it smell good. I use it as a leave in or under my leave in.

A mix of shea butter (1/2 c), aloe vera gel (start with 1/4 and add little more if needed), coconut oil (2 T) and vitamin E (3-4 drops) make a good moisturizer.

Adding the EOs to moisturizers, conditioners, DC and shampoos just gives it an extra oomp. A little goes a long way.

Castor oil and jojoba oil or castor oil and grapeseed oil is good for sealing hair's moisture.

Thanks Chrs! I really appreciate all the info! I would really like to try an oil rinse first. I will work on my first mixture tomorrow and I'll let you know how it turns out! Wish me luck...

Hello there and welcome

divineanalysis wrote:Okay, so it's been CRAZY busy b/t graduations, my A/C unit breaking this weekend, and a little traveling, but I finally got a chance to share some of the millions of products that I have acquired. I don't really know where to start but here goes...

MY NEW FAVORITE SHAMPOO
KeraCare (Sulfate Free) Hydrating Detangling Shampoo. It's a new formula and I L-O-V-E this stuff! It makes my hair so soft, I’m tempted to try detangling with this shampoo! I almost always used Avlon/KeraCare products when I still used the creamy crack. I bought it because it was in a new gold bottle (not the old white bottle). It’s been sitting on the shelf for about a month, I never used it on my hair b/c I found CurlyNikki before it was time for a wash, and I just assumed it had sulfates. I never read the label until yesterday and silly me, never noticed that it said SULFATE FREE right next to the name of the shampoo! It’s also PARABEN FREE! BTW, I bought it from Sally’s (need a professional card to purchase it) but you can purchase it online at
http://www.avlon.com/KeraCare/shampoos.asp?category=2&cartid=

Also, here are the ingredients (please let me know your thoughts):
Aqua/water/eau,disodium
cocoamphodipropionate, trideceth-7 carboxylic acid, lauramide mea,
polysorbate 20, glycol stearate, peg/ppg-120/10 trimethylolpropane
trioleate, disodium lauryl sulfosuccinate, hydrolyzed wheat protein,
polyquaternium-7, polyquaternium-10, citric acid, fragrance/parfum,
methylisothiazolinone, tetrasodium edta, yellow 5 (C1 19140), benzyl
salicylate, hexyl cinnamal, linalool, alpha isomethyl ionone.



I’ve also tried(but not yet a fan of):
-Giovanni Tea Tree
-Giovanni 50/50
-Wen Cleansing Conditioner

Conditioner:
-Aubrey Organics White Tea Camellia – this is the last condish that I used, did not sit under the dryer, only left it in for 5 minutes. After I rinsed, It didn't look so great (didn't like the way my curls/waves looked) but my hair was soooo soft while styling!

Other conditioners that I’ve used only once (As of now, I like them equally):
-Herbal Essences Hello Hydration
-Aussie Moist
-Silk Elements MegaSilk with Olive Oil
-Say Yes To Carrots

DT:
-Aubrey Organics Honey Suckle Rose- It’s okay, no wow factory yet…
-KeraCare 5 n 1 Reconstructor - All time favorite for relaxed hair, and my aunt's natural hair (not the greatest for my transitioning hair )

Now on to product that”s I purchased but have yet to try:
-Jessicurl Weekly Deep Conditioning Treatment (worked really well on my little sister's relaxed hair)
-DevaCurl Heaven in Hair
-KCCC
-KCKT

And I'm sure there's more in my PJ closet, lol. I will keep you guys posted as the experimenting continues...

okay...the KeraCare shampoo was my favorite shampoo when I was relaxing! I had no idea they have sulfate-free now...interesting..thanks for sharing!!! Oh and it does make your hair feel very soft!!!

divineanalysis wrote:Okay Ladies, I bought the following oils etc. Please let me know of any mixtures I can try with these ingredients:

EVOO
Rosemary Oil
Castor Oil
Grapeseed Oil
Onyx Oil
Jojoba Oil
Vitamin E Oil
Vegetable Glycerin
Peppermint Oil
Lemon Oil
Orange Oil
raw shea butter
aloe vera gel
coconut oil


@NubieNatty, I don't usually have the patience to try a product 3 times, I can barely try it twice! But since you mentioned it I will try my hardest to give the products a few more tries before I toss in my "has-been" box! Thanks for the suggestion! P.S. I think I'm the biggest PJ that you'll ever meet, I'm sure my future posts will give that away, LOL!! I'm working on releasing that PJ demon!


@KinkyNappyHappy I. tried the Giovanni Direct Leave In for my silk wrap this weekend, and I really liked it! It has a nice consistency, which is good for me b/c I have a heavy hand , plus it was not heavy, YAY!!



Thanks so much for all the support! I feel sooooo loved!

EVOO, Castor, Jojoba, and Coconut oils are carrier oils so you can use those alone or mix them with just about any of your essential oils

Here is a website link explaining the benefits for most of these oils http://blackhaircaregrowth.blogspot.com/2008/09/word-or-two-about-essential-oils-and.html

...you bought a lot! LOL! Have fun!!