Sun & Fun

It feels good to be back from a much needed, but much exhausting vacation.  7 days in the Caribbean sun and beach water did good for relaxation and rest assured I was fully equipped to handle my hair.  My hair care items were just as important as my bathing suits and sunblock, and let me tell you, I felt good handling my hair like a real pro, no tangles, no snarls, no dryness.....it made the vacay that much easier.

First off, before I stepped off the boat for each island I made sure I thoroughly saturated my hair with water while taking a shower that morning.  I then used my mixture of avocado and olive oil that I prepared in a small bottle, making sure it was distributed along all of  my hair strands.  I pulled my hair back in a pony and bun.  On the way to and from the beaches I wore a large straw hat to protect my hair from the sun.....We spent so many hours on the beach each day, so on return to my cabin I would step in the shower really quickly to rinse the sand from my hair and out of my bathing suit. I then towel dried and alternated the application of either Jessicurl or Hairveda's SitriNillah.  Shout out to Traycee at KISS b/c I picked up this next part from her, I would go up to the steam room and sauna with the dc in my hair to really let it penetrate while I further relaxed from all the wear and tear on the beach (falling off the banana boat (twice!), jumping the tarzan swing off the pier into the ocean, the water trampoline...I'm just glutton for punishment sometimes..lol). I spent about 1/2 hour alternating between the sauna and steam room, then headed back to my cabin and showered while I cowashed my hair with Nature's Gate.  I did a final cold water rinse and t-shirt dried while I handled my business.

I then used Kinky Curly Knot Today leave-in (review later today, maybe tomorrow) and moisturized and sealed w/Bee Mine Luscious Balanced Cream Moisturizer (review to follow) and my olive oil/avocado oil mixture.  I primarily air-dried except for two nights which were elegant/captain nights on the ship where I blow dried and flat ironed. My hair felt and still feels amazing!  It was so soft, and moisturized and felt really healthy.  My new growth was so manageable, detangling was a breeze, I was on easy street.  I only brought along these six products and it made me realize how much of a solid regimen I have. Not one bump in the road!  Cowashing 5 out of 7 days gave my hair some serious moisture benefits, I may just up the amount of x's I cowash until the weather changes.

 BTW, I am 15.5 wks post (more on that later)

Nature's Gate Herbal Daily Conditioning Conditioner

So I finally found it!  Thanks to From Short to Long (FSTL) for hooking me up with Nature's Gate, my new cowash conditioner of the year.  Lemme tell you how it all begin.  You gals know last year I finally figured out that my hair hates cones. At 1st I couldn't figure out why my hair wouldn't fully absorb moisturizing products and always felt like it had build up and a stiff crunch.  I stopped the protein so I knew it wasn't that and that's when I realized it was cones.  I did my research for natural condishes/poos/moisturizes and that's how I came to build up my Hair Arsenal. My only prob was that I could NOT find a condish 2 cowash w/that was cone free, and honestly I was thinking about  not looking further b/c I absolutely loved my Aussie Moist and didn't think that nothing would compare.  I was willing to take the risk of having some cone some of the time w/my Aussie but lo and behold along came the good news!.... FSTL did a post on cones and I mentioned my dilemma about a cowash condish and she referred me to Nature's Gate.  I immediately ran out to purchase some for my next cowash and try it out.  Folks, I wasn't disappointed!  This stuff is the truth, it has an earthy, musky scent, it reminded me of the spa, my cousin said it reminded her of baby powder and mom says fruit ( I think she needs to be tested...lol).  Anyhoo, this stuff puts some serious moisture into your strands, it's definitely up there w/Aussie Moist. I've used a couple of x's, even after clarifying to test the moisture and ya'll it works.  It's brown, which I found weird, dont ask why.  It resembles apple pie filling sans the apple chunks with the viscosity of apple sauce sans the clumps and graininess (I think I need to stop eyeing this apple on my table!!!!)

 I can't wai to try other condishes from this line.  If I had to rank it, it would come a close 2nd ( I mean neck in neck close) to Aussie (the smell of Aussie by far, nothing can top, I'm in love with it and it's a tad, just a tad bit more moisturizing), but since it finally makes me 100% cone free, it's #1 to me!

Product Description: With herbal extracts to naturally fortify, smooth and detangle hair.
Our Original Herbal Conditioner is created from an exotic blend of unique botanicals that add intense shine and help smooth the hair shaft. Our rich brown conditioner works great on all types of hair leaving it soft, glossy and naturally radiant. Effectively conditions hair while helping to enhance texture, shine and radiance. Hair is revived with a unique blend of Water Lily, Lotus, and Oak Bark used for their amazing conditioning benefits. Soothing Chamomile, Lavender and Cherry Bark leave hair soft, silky and smooth, making this the perfect conditioner for everyday use.


Ingredients: Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Quaternium-87, Polysorbate 60, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Urtica Dioica (Nettle) Extract, Prunus Serotina (Wild Cherry) Bark Extract, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Flower Extract, Arctium Lappa (Burdock) Root Extract, Yucca Schidigera Root Extract, Lilium Candidum (White Lily) Bulb Extract, Nelumbo Nucifera (Sacred Lotus) Flower Extract, Quercus Alba (Oak) Bark Extract, Butylene Glycol, Glyceryl Undecylenate, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance, Caramel.