I just got an email about their Customer Appreciation Days. Click the banner for the GNC.com coupon – you’ll see the discount in your shopping cart. I know I saw some castile soap the last time I went to GNC so I just might stock up on some more of that. I’m going to check to see if iHerb.com is cheaper first, PJ’s on a budget have to comparison shop, lol. The $5 off coupon for iHerb is SAB871.
I know you’ve at least heard about sulfate-free shampoos by now. It has been all the rage since Loreal launched their sulfate-free line not too long ago. You may see several different types of sulfates in many of the shampoos, body washes, and even dish detergent you use regularly. The sulfates help the soap get foamy and gives that squeeky cleen feel. The problem is that all of that can be very drying to the hair and especially harsh to those with color-treated hair. Amonium laurel sulfate or sodium laurel sulfate are the ones to definately steer away from if you are prone to dry hair, myreth sulfate is not as harsh but is still pretty bad. Make sure to read all the ingredients, I just found out I got tricked because I bought a J/A/S/O/N shampoo that boasted no ALS or SLS, and I happily picked it right up. Getting to the nitty gritty in the ingredient listing, my friend myreth laurel sufate was saying hi to me in the middle of all those wonderful natural ingredients! Nowadays they do offer some pretty good sulfate-free shampoos but if you ever wondered about making your own shampoo its not that complicated at all.
There’s cleansing conditioners, you may have heard of Wen Cleansing Conditioners. They are pretty good from what I hear and Sally’s has their own version for a cheaper route. Either way the ingredients that make them able to cleanse are things like Behentrimonium Chloride and Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine which are gentler on your hair and these conditioners contain other good ingredients. Don’t have to do the name-brand thing, then the cheapies like Suave and Vo5 are great choices. These have long been peoples staples for co-washing, but I at least never realized they cleaned as well. They have Cetrimonium Chloride and Stearalkonium Chloride which are actually better, good and cheap, I love it!
Cleansing conditioners are good, but if you’ve got some product buildup or otherwise really dirty hair, then a good shampoo is in order. Natural cleansers like baking soda and Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) are always good options. Not only will ACV cleanse your hair, it will make it smoother and shinier so some people do a rinse of 2 tbsp per 16oz of water for that alone. Pump it up with some olive oil or even some essential oils and leave it in for a few minutes to get rid of itchy scalp. Get a bowl and add baking soda and a little water into a paste to get a serious scrub; you can add other goodies to this as well. Dr. Bronner’s Castile soap is another good option to make a shampoo with. You can add a small amount to your favorite conditioner to make it into a shampoo or you can dilute the castille soap with water and add some oils to your liking. Here’s a youtube video if you like visuals, remember this is good for all hair types not just those with natural hair. Hope this helps, comment and subscribe!
Since its Earth Day I suppose its only right for me to review a natural product. I’m relatively silly anyways, but tell me when you heard of Oyin Handmade’s Juices and Berries you didn’t think of Coming to America. I can’t wait for someone to ask “what you got in your hair” so I can say “oh just some juices and berries!”. Its a nourishing leave-in that is oil free. It comes in a spray bottle and smells like well… juices and berries, lol. Its the same formuala as the Greg Juice or the Frank Juice just has a different scent if you’re familiar with those. Its infused with herbs so its advertised to stimulate the scalp and encourage hair growth. I didnt even realize that part when I bought it, so I was kind of shocked when I felt a little tingle after spraying my twists the other day, I had to look at the description again! I got a little mini bottle for free to try and I really like it, so i’ll definately be purchasing this. I know it will be a staple for the summertime since its a great way to revive 2nd or third day hair. The leave-in spray comes in 8oz. and will set you back $11. The Greg Juice spray comes in the sample pack; not sure if you can get the Juices and Berries instead.
I told you the oyin handmade stuff smells good right, so I remember looking for reviews on youtube and I came across this, its too funny. This girl is supposed to be reviewing the sample pack but all she talks about is how good it smells.
So don’t you go and try to say I did’nt tell ya, its smells THAT good!
Hey guys, how are things with you? I’m basically coming down with a slight case of spring fever myself. The only thing is it keeps getting warm and i’ll get all excited, then its cold and rainy again. I get that its gonna rain some, it is spring afterall, but the cold?! Anywhoo, it’s a warm weekend again in the DC Metro area so i’ve been having fun with my hair. A couple of weeks ago I traveled to Baltimore and visited the Exittheapple store that recently opened by the people who make Oyin Handmade. Its a little cozy spot on 21st and Charles St. that’s only open on Saturdays. I had been hearing about some of their products for a long time, but after hearing about their long shipping times, I decided to check out the new brick and mortar store for a little instant gratification. They have generous sample sizes so I picked up quite a few things, and the Whipped Pudding was one of them. Its really nice and since the owners actually were in the store, they told me its great for hair and body. After having this stuff for a couple of weeks I have to agree. The Whipped Pudding is very thick and creamy and smells like some type of fudge or chocolate cake. Its like kryptonite for dry hair and contains shea butter, aloe vera gel, and cocoa butter to name a few. I’ve been recently trying out dry twists to try and fight the shrinkage and they came out soft and supple with this stuff. I didnt have those little dry ends that I sometimes get with dry twists. My hands were all soft as well so I put some on my feet and put socks on before going to bed. OMG, like a little spa treatment in a jar. I definately recommend you check it out, and the sample size is $6. Its supposed to be 2oz but it looks considerable bigger than my Miss Jessies 2oz samples. They even have a sample kit with their popular products; most people swear by Greg juice, but I like the smell of Juices and Berries better. Check them out at Oyinhandmade.com; they have podcasts that give discount codes for the online site at the end. You can’t use them in the Exittheapple store, but I guess you dont have to pay for shipping in that case so I guess I can live with that. If you like old 70’s flicks you’ll get a kick out of their comedy shorts on youtube, click here. Until later….
Just in case you didnt know the best rollers hands down for natural or highly textured hair is Curlformers. Now of course these work really great on naturally straight and relaxed heads as well, but you can probably get similiar results with other kinds of rollers on silky locs. Practice makes perfect on magnetic rollers, but even the style challenged can get a lovely rollerset with curlformers. They seem to only sell them at Sally Beauty Supply at least in USA and Canada. They come in narrow, wide, and extra wide widths and long and extra long lengths. I originally got a couple of packs of the narrow and long for a trial run, these things are kind of pricey, but I broke down and bought the kit when I came up on a coupon. I have a Sally’s card so that gave me an extra $5 off the kit. At the time it wasnt online yet so I had to stalk a few stores, but now it seems they’re stocked at most stores and are sold online. They smooth out my unruly naps and grip the roots so they actually dry straight, no flat iron needed! I like to use mine with heat (dryer) because otherwise it would take a looooong time to dry, but people who airdry have great results as well. I’ve never done a dry set but i’ve seen some on youtube. I washed, conditioned, and applied a leave-in. I use diluted Lottabody or some Jamaican Mango and Lime Locing gel ( all I had at the time bit it worked) to get it some hold and some Redken Heat Glide for heat protection and shine. For my favorite set of all time, I used a little Fantasia IC gel mixed with some melted Jamaican Mango and Lime creme wax. Don’t laugh, it had a soft hold and was shiny. The curls are like a flexi-rod set, so they’re the spiral type. They still dont last long as my rollersets did with a relaxer, but if I set it on a sunday I can go the whole week. I usually have to put a headband or something like that by Friday though. The first time I set my hair with these, it took like an hour, but now I take about 30 minutes. I would highly recommend looking at a youtube video to watch the technique. Its not complicated, but if you’ve never seen them curlformers are different than any other roller i’ve used. The hair actually goes on the inside of the roller so I guess thats why it works so well on nappy and straight hair. You have to purchase the tool to insert the hair, its $3 seperate or it comes with the kit. One pack of rollers varies from 10.99-12.99 with an extra dollar discount for card carriers. The kit is $59.99 or $56.99 with the card. I know , I know definately a budget breaker, but use the coupon and trust, you’ll make your money back with one definately two sets. I can’t find all my pics which kind of sucks, but I do have some on the Picture Album page, and some older pics when I first got them on my fotki – public.fotki.com/somethinnew checkout the Challenge updates folder, i’ve got pics of my natural hair, weave, and wig rollerset using curlformers. Comment and subscribe!
I woke up this morning to find an email from GNC for 20% off everthing.
I made a link with the code so you should be able to see the discount in your cart.
If for some odd reason that doesn’t work then type in HOP2ITE at checkout. Enjoy, sorry for the last minute notice, but GNC has been very last minute lately. Check the Deal Finder page for codes that last a little longer.
. They are pretty good from what I hear and Sally’s has their own version for a cheaper route. Either way the ingredients that make them able to cleanse are things like Behentrimonium Chloride and Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine which are gentler on your hair and these conditioners contain other good ingredients. Don’t have to do the name-brand thing, then the cheapies like Suave and Vo5 are great choices. These have long been peoples staples for co-washing, but I at least never realized they cleaned as well. They have Cetrimonium Chloride and Stearalkonium Chloride which are actually better, good and cheap, I love it! 
