March 29th, 2009 by Apjonabudget
From Missjessies.com
From Missjessies.com
As a Product Junkie even if I find a really good moisturizer i’m always on the hunt for a better one. This is a winter one, or this smells better, or this is just easier to find. I make up excuses till im blue in the face so I was really surprised at how long it took me to try the Buttercremes. Miss Jessie’s actually has two Buttercremes, the original Curly Buttercreme and the Baby Buttercreme. The only difference is the scent, although there seems to be a slight consistency difference, probably because the Curly Buttercreme uses peppermint oil as its scent. The Curly Buttercreme has a yellow color and has the consistency of a good deep conditioner. Since it has cocoa butter and that peppermint oil, it kind of smells like a York Peppermint Patty. If some gets on your scalp you’ll definately get that invigorating tingle. I had a bun that was getting a little dry but I was too lazy to cowash again so I tried it out. It really did the trick, but I shouldn’t be surprised, my hair loves products with butters in them. Now I must mention that this product has Mineral oil and Petrolatum so as a moisturizer this gives me serious pause. Several fillers and this stuff costs more than the Meringue and Pudding! At $32 for an 8oz. jar I would have expected better. Again, I can’t lie, my parched kinks were all good after I put the stuff on and I found myself using it several times these past few weeks, but I was admittedly paranoid all the while. After a fresh wash and another go at the Curly Pudding I was ready to try the Baby Buttercreme after a few days. Let me tell you this stuff smells really good. Its an eggshell color and I swear it should be some kind of cake icing or something, I had to remind myself it was not edible. It also brings the sexy back, but I’m not sure if its because I kept on using it since it smelled so good or what but I did have a little build-up after awhile. It wasn’t alot, but I decided to clarify after using that and the Curly Pudding before reviewing anymore things. Fortunately for you not so much for my pockets, I have plenty of Product Reviews in the queue. Long story short, I really like the buttercremes I cant say i’m in love because of the two issues I mentioned earlier; $32 for 8oz and the Mineral Oil/Petrolatem – they are not high on the list of ingredients but still. That being said, please believe I’ll be using these sample jars until there ain’t nothing left. If I had it like that then i’d put either one on my shelf for sure, but i’d use it sparingly if you follow a Curly Girl regimen (no-poo or low-pooer).
March 27th, 2009 by Apjonabudget
I must confess I let my PJism get the best of me again. I promised myself no more growth aids, but I let the demons talk me into trying the Viviscal Hair Vitamins. Now I have been hearing about these supplements for years, but the price always turned me away. I’ve definately gotten worse about what kind of things I will tolerate, but the price of these vitamins are alot cheaper than they used to be. Now mind you, they are still very expensive. The going price on the internet is 49.99 per box of 60. Of course for the first six months you are supposed to take two a day so that’s only a months worth. I know, pretty darn steep. Outside of the price, i’ve heard nothing but good things concerning this product. Some people even said they found success using only one pill a day. It doesnt seem like its too much to the vitamins, but whatever the Marine Complex is combined with the Horsetail and Silica, it seems to do the trick for alot of people so I broke down and ordered some. Most people(LHCF, BHM) say they see additional growth in the first month, but time will tell for me if that’s true. In general topical growth aids dont do much for me, the exception was Surge and that was discontinued go figure, but internal things usually fare better. I did try Kelp tablets in the past and got an initial growth spurt that tapered off after the first month. Since that’s one of those seaweed type of things i’m pretty optimistic, just dont know if i’ll see great growth for 6 months or more. One important thing to mention is that this product contains fish byproducts, so if you are allergic this is not for you. Same goes if you are allergic to cherries as its their source of Vitamin C.
I did some comparative shopping so here’s what I found as far as deals. Almost everyone offers free shipping with this one. They have it at iHerb.com, so if you havent shopped there yet you can use the SAB871 coupon code to get $5 off. I used a code the first time I shopped there so I know for a fact that works, thanks retailmenot. Then there’s Amazon.com, they have a few vendors that sell them. Drugstore/Beauty.com has it for 54.99, still with free shipping and you rack up drugstore dollars that lowers the price a few dollars. Spend a few more bucks and you can use the $10 off $60 coupon from the Deal Finder page. CVS.com also has them and they were also giving $10 off $60 or more, no special link needed, with free shipping and ExtraCare bucks. Making either or those $45 and $40 a box respectively even before the additional savings using their rewards cards. Last but not least there’s the Viviscal.com website, their deal is the $49.99 a box but if you order three boxes you get the fourth free so about 37.50 a box. I didnt take that leap yet, but generally with a new supplement you are supposed to give it at least three months before you would see any change anyway. Ive only been taking them a little over a week so I cant give a full review yet, but they are not huge horse pills so i’m happy and they dont stink real bad either. I did have a funny smelling burp for the first day, but no biggie. I’m excited, and I’ll be sure to keep you guys posted on my progress.
March 24th, 2009 by Apjonabudget
I dont know how I missed this email, but GNC is having a 20% off your entire order sale 3/22-3/24 TODAY!
I need some more hair vitamins, Ultranourishair or Hair,Skin, and Nails…. decisions, decisions. Click on the banner to take you to the site, enter SAVE20 at checkout.
If you are not ready today they have
Or if you just want one item, this one lasts all the way until the end of next month.
I’ll continue to update the Deal Finder page with all the coupons I get.
March 22nd, 2009 by Apjonabudget
From MissJessies.com
I’m back, I know its been longer than usual so my bad. I could come up with a few excuses but i’m sure you dont really care so on with the review! Well if you’re anything like me, this is the one you’ve been waiting for. I popped open the jar, its a light purple shade with an interesting scent. I dont hate it, its kind of a grape candy with something else I cant quite put my finger on, i’m not in love like the Meringue though. Its a little thicker than the Meringue as well, not much, but it seems to have a higher wax content. I used some Sunsilk defrizz as a leave in, more about that later, and begin to apply it using the rake and smooth method. In the beginning I can see that its trying to elongate my curls. They are stretched out longer than they were with the Meringue, but as it continues to dry it shrinks right back up like normal. Oh well, I guess it tried, lol. At first i’m a little concerned because my hair looks kind of white in places, the wax i’m sure because I have gotten this with another product, but it does go away as it starts to dry more. By the way make sure you use a small amount if you had plans to do the go part of the wash and go with this product because although the white look went away it took at least an hour. My hair was wet for hours, which is actually normal in a wash n go for me, but still. I gave up after awhile and tried using a blowdryer on the roots. I got the idea from the miss jessies website, and it worked well actually. I had the illusion of hair that doesnt shrink as much since it was all curly for the majority of the strand, and it did hang a little longer. My mom even gave me compliments on my hair, and she is kind of hard to please with the natural styles sometimes. I was even inspired to put make-up on, I finally broke down and bought the Urban Decay Primer Potion with my Ulta coupon for the week, for all my PJs on makeup stuff it really does a great job. The pleasant surprise was the fact that my hair was soft once it finally dried. I have read reviews of this product where there were complaints of hard crunchy hair. I didnt really get that, I had a few curls that were a little harder, but I could still pull it and watch the boing. I think having a good creamy leave-in is key. I like that I can get the effect of a couple of products out of just this one, but you know me and price. I’m a PJ on a budget for goshsakes! Not really budget friendly so I would definately hold out for the BOGO sale if the budget was kind of tight, otherwise its a pretty good product. If you are unsure, go with the 2oz size, its definately enough for a good review period with only $7 down the drain if its a no go. Its not going to give you something you dont have, the front of my hair has more of a wave/curl thing going on so I just gave up and put that in a little hump. You’re supposed to use the Buttercremes as a moisturizer to keep it soft afterwards so I bet you can guess what review is coming next! Comment or subscribe to enter the contest to win a free jar.
March 15th, 2009 by Apjonabudget
From Missjessies.com
Next up to bat from the Miss Jessie’s Value pack is the Curly Meringue. First let me say I love the smell! Most Miss Jessie’s scents are nothing to write home about, but this one is fantastic, think sweet Pina Colada. Its a medium hold style cream that seems to do a good job at keeping the moisture levels up. I’ve used this two times now and really havent been dissappointed. I wasnt really sure at first what I was going to actually use this product for. I put it on for a wash-n-go and the curls were defined and not stuck in one place. Now I didnt get any help to combat shrinkage, but my curls clumped together nicely and it really kept the frizz at bay. I didnt wear it like that too long so I cant comment on how it looked several days after that. I should mention this does have Paraffinum Liquidum pretty high on the list, mineral oil by any other name is still mineral oil, but I still like it. It also has sweet almond, coconut, avacado, and jojabo oil so it has some of the good stuff too. Although I do try to avoid products with mineral oil, I make rare exceptions and make sure that my hair is moisturized to start so I wont have to worry about not being able to get enough in. But enough about that, where this product makes it claim to fame for me is with my twists and the resulting twist-out. I loved how my twists looked plump and how my ends looked moisturized. Fast forward to the twistout and let me tell you it was my best yet! It was defined, shiny, and frizz free. Everybody was complimenting me, even my natural hair haters. I cant lie, I had that i’m fly and you know it walk going on, lol. Of course I have to bring you back down to reality and tell about the price, yep another budget buster but its way more doable for the average person than the Rapid Recovery. You can get the 2oz sample like the one I have for $7, the 8oz. for $22 and the 16oz. for $38 plus shipping unless you have a retail location in your area. Check the missjessies.com website for locations to buy in a brick and mortar store.
March 11th, 2009 by Apjonabudget
Did you know one of the best things that aids in hair growth is actually free. That word is music to the ears of any PJ on a budget. Yep, just in case you’re wondering, that’s my favorite price so I try to get my fair share. I fall off sometimes just like anyone else, but since water is good for my overall health and it has the added bonus of being good for my hair its a staple in my regimen. Of course you know by now the human body is made up of mostly water , and it pretty much needs it to do everything. Simply put, if you’re oiling your scalp everyday, being consistent with a million vitamins, and getting all the protein shakes in the world down, but you’re not getting enough water; you’re basically wasting your time. Make your hair be all it can be with a little H20. Water gives the hair more shine, and helps you grow your hair at your personal maximum rate. By the time you actually get thirsty, you’re already a little dehydrated. Got dry mouth or really dark urine, yep “smell that, that’s you”, lol. If you are dehydrated, you will be able to tell with your hair as well. Although hair is basically dead once it leaves your scalp, the roots are deep inside and can dry up and fall out prematurely if it gets too dry. People say it all the time, but you really should get at least your 8 glasses (8oz) a day or more. If you’re bad, go for that half your body weight amount in ounces. Your hair, and the rest of your body will thank you!
March 7th, 2009 by Apjonabudget
From missjessies.com
As promised I will be doing a series of product reviews on all the Miss Jessies products contained in the Value Pack that is being given out for the March Madness Giveaway. Well since i’ve been doing all the liquid keratin stuff, i’ve pretty much got my protein in, but now is time for a little deep conditioning. Thats where Miss Jessies Rapid Recovery comes in; its advertised as the best darn deep treatment period. I’m not sure about all that, but I do like it. It has a creamy look that reminds me of real mayo, but with a more yellow color. Its scented, but not in a candy kind of way like some of the other products, its there but I didnt find it too overpowering. I put a generous amount in, put on a plastic cap, and sat under the dryer for 30 minutes. This is generally how I deep condition, but the jar says to use a tablespoon or more on wet hair and leave in for 10 minutes. I must admit my hair felt really moisturized after turning of the dryer. This is definately a good deep conditioner, and I know it had to work overtime because of the extra protein in my hair. My hair still felt conditioned after I washed it out as well, some products fool you while its still in and then nada, but i’m happy to say this was not the case. I smoothed my hair into a low ponytail with some Curly Buttercreme and airdryed under a scarf overnight. My hair was uber soft in the morning, the airdry test always seperates the men from the boys! The only drawback is not with the performance, its the price for a full size tub, this stuff is $48 for a 12oz tub; yikes! Its definately not budget friendly. Clearly I’ve grown to have expensive tastes, but i’ve found other winners for less money. I’ve been going to the salon less and less since i’ve started taking control of the health of my hair, but if you go and get $10-$15 deep treatments every couple of weeks, I suppose this would be a cost effective solution. Otherwise maybe purchase on the Buy One Get One Free Sale or get the 2oz sample when you know a few deep treatments will get you past a brittle stage. Leave a comment or email me at contactus@apjonabudget.com if you have questions. Comments to this post also counts as an entry in the FREE Value Pack Giveaway for March 2009.
