I've had a couple of minor victories recently. One was achieving the best hair day I've had in a while. On second thought, that's a pretty big victory!
I had noticed that my hair was becoming less curly. For me, this is practically a crisis, since my goal is to get tighter curls, not looser ones. My usually 3a/3b hair was looking more 2c/3a. I couldn't figure out what was wrong, particularly since we've had incredibly high dew points. Humidity will generally give me more curl (and frizz), not less.
After reading some posts on NC.com, I started to wonder if maybe my hair was over conditioned and/or had product build up. Someone pointed out that my beloved Shea Moisture is loaded with - you guessed it - shea butter, which isn't the easiest thing to remove with just a gentle lo-poo. This had never occurred to me. I guess I'm a little dim.
So, fortified with this new bit of information, I did a baking soda cleanse in place of my lo-poo. I mixed 2 T of baking soda with 6 T of conditioner and worked it into my hair thoroughly. After rinsing with water, I applied a vinegar rinse of about 2 T of vinegar (apple cider or white are both fine) to 2 c of water. A baking soda cleanse must be followed with a vinegar rinse to close the cuticle. I poured the rinse over my head, squished it around a bit, then rinsed. My hair felt almost squeaky clean - not something I usually want, but in this case I was pleased! I followed up with a quick protein treatment, using Ion Effective Care Treatment.
The mini-review: I discovered the Ion treatment through Healthy Curls (one of my favorite blogs - she's almost got me convinced to go Paleo!). I generally mix up my own DTs and PTs, but she had me interested. Then synchronicity struck: I went to Sally's for some stuff and had to renew my Beauty Club card. Lo and behold, my renewal entitled me to a free Ion product! So of course I picked up the Effective Care Treatment, and I like it a lot.It's very thick and coats well, and I like that I can detangle with it, rather than having to use an extra conditioner. It works in 2 - 3 minutes, and I don't need a DT afterward - always a plus. I still make my own treatments when the mood strikes or I want to use something in particular, but the Ion treatment is convenient and effective. I will probably repurchase.
Back to my treatment. I put it in, used it to detangle, then left it on while I did the rest of my shower stuff. My hair felt conditioned after I rinsed it out, so I didn't bother to follow with a rinse-out.
I decided to go with the less-is-more approach and use as few products as possible, and nothing heavy. I put in a little Biotera LI, which is positively watery. Then I added Organic Root Stimulator Lock &Twist Gel (all on soaking we hair). The second ingredient in the L&T gel is coconut milk, so I figured it would give me enough moisture without overdoing it. I sectioned my hair into about six parts and applied it sparingly to each one. Then I scrunched in a little more all over before scrunching out the excess water with a flour sack. I diffused until my hair was about 85 - 90% dry, and I was really pleased with the results. My curls were tighter and bouncier, and I even had curls in the back (it's usually stubborn, and at times downright wavy. Bugs the crap out of me). In spite of the fact that I was outside a fair amount and the dews were in the high 60s, my hair held up well. A little frizzy, but I accept that as part of curly hair in high dew points.
I'll write a little review of ORS Lock & Twist Gel after I've used it a few more times. So far, though, it gets a reserved thumbs up. While I liked the initial results a lot, my second day hair left something to be desired....
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