Re: Alba Deodorant Sstick

An update - I noticed that after I sweat alot, my armpits get sticky. Also... wait till winter to try it.

Alba Unscented Deodorant Stick

So, while I've been MIA, I've taken some baby steps toward being an all-natural goddess. Hey, it's my blog, I gotta say that ;)

I ditched parabens and propylene gylcol altogether, and weaned myself off anti-antiperspirant. Let me explain...

A few months ago, I asked the wonderful staff at Rickys about all-natural deodorants. Apparently, no all-natural product can stop sweat. Aluminum-based products are what clings to your pores and stop most sweat before it starts.

"Wait till the winter to try it" the counter girl said.

Well, it's like 40 degrees so I decided to risk it.
I went to my absolutely fabulous 'hood market, Naural Fronteir Market, where I periodically harass the staff. He he. While this poor guy was trying to find me a headache remedy "That works!" I said, I got to browsing the personal care section. I picked up Avalon Organics' lavender moisturizer with SPF18, which might be a bit too moisturizing for now (more on that later) and a bunch of Nature's Gate bath products, which are super cheap, btw. More on that later. Fifty dollars or so later, I trotted to the register. Which is when I saw an extensive assortment of deodorants. Ooooo! ( I know you're thinking Ewwwww!).

I'm kinda skeptical about some of them. Like one that claims that you only have to use it once a week. Hmmm....
But, I've been using Alba forever, so I bought one of theirs.

Now, I insist on using unscented deodorant. I absolutely hate the smell of sweaty, stale deodorant, which always seems to get more potent as the day goes on. Now unscented, I can work with. I rub a little perfumed lotion on my pits then swipe on my stick. And I DO NOT stink like stale deodorant.

Anyway, I got the Aloe unscented stick, which looked like dried-up gelatin. It kinda felt like that, too. It feels a little different when you apply it. I had to touch my pits to make sure something was there. It's very light, and does not feel cakey or clammy at all. I like the feeling, actually. It does smell a little "herby", but it's very light, and only you can get get close enough to smell it (unless you've got a friend who likes to stick their nose in your armpit. Hopefully it's your dog.) I didn't see any residue on my top, but I was kinda twisted. Again, let me explain...

Being the adventurous sort of gal, I threw caution to the wind (literally) and wore it to a PARTY. Yes, a party. A party where I danced, ate too much baked ziti and pulled pork, drank a inordinate amount of vodka (ending my year-long sobriety) and made a run to the store in four-inch heels. Without a coat. I wanted to be cute.

Like I said to my friend - vodka is liquid heat and painkiller combined.

Anyway, I didn't stink (or at least no one inched away from me) - including my friend who had to get pretty close when I had a minor wardrobe malfunction.

I also didn't sweat like a pig. But, I don't sweat alot, anyway. If you're a sweater (not that kind) you might want to stick to your antiperspirant. And definitely wait till it's cold to try switching.

I'm giving this stick my stamp of approval. Especially since it does not fight with my perfume for olfactory dominance. And I really, REALLY hope that everyone deletes their pictures.

Please??

Progress note: Phytospecific Cap'Energy

I feel like calling this stuff Captain Energy.
It's not my imagination. I definitely have some serious baby hair popping up. My hair's going to be thicker, as well as longer.
It took two days of serious humidity to make it very clear to me and the good people of New York that I have thick fuzz around my hairline. I look like a muppet. Or some other fuzzy creature.
And, since I left hair gel in the mid 90's (where it belongs!) I just dabbed some wax and called it a bad hair week.

So, if you're thinking of trying Phytospecicifc Cap'Energy, be sure to invest in hairbands, fedoras and lots of water-based styling wax.

A Fair Trade

I mentioned that I bought Avalon Organics' Biotin B-Complex Thickening Conditioner a couple weeks ago. Well, I finally got to try it. I like it. Except for the smell....

Let me explain. I am OBSESSED with lemons. Lemons are positively my favorite citrus. I ADORE lemon-flavored anything, lemon-scented everything, even lemon colored stuff. I use lemons in almost everything I cook. I even buy lemons with no particular purpose in mind. Like last week. I went to the supermarket and there were these absolutely gorgeous, big, juicy-looking lemons. Now if you shop organic, you know large fruit is kinda rare. And these lemons were pristine. No blemishes. I just walked over and bought a bag. I took them home. I put them on the counter. I am yet to use a lemon (I haven't cooked anything but oatmeal and eggs in months).

So, I was happy to see that this conditioner was lemon-colored and had a hint of lemon fragrance. It was delicious. Yummy like lemon cupcakes at Sugar Sweet Sunshine delicious. You know what I'm talking about.

Except it just didn't go with my tea tree shampoo. Just imagine the smell. Thank goodness my leave-in has a pretty strong fragrance.

But I like the conditioner. I'm keeping it.

If you buy it, get the matching shampoo or something that smells lemony. And enjoy the "organic" goodness.

So besides the fragrance, I like that this conditioner is seriously detangling. Anybody who has ever used tea tree shampoo ( or any kind of scalp treatment shampoo) knows that you need a serious conditioner.

So I put it in and about five minutes later, I ran my wide-toothed comb through it.... and .... amazing. This detangles like a dream.

Also, it moisturized my hair so that it felt soft, but it rinsed out pretty clean. Squeaky clean. So clean my hairdresser (who shampoos at least 4 times and leaves in conditioner no more than 1 minute) might actually like it.

I was really surprised. I'm used to conditioners that I can still feel in my hair after I wash it out. The ones that leave hair slippery, or oily - but do great things for frizz, so you compromise.

Well, this one is pretty good. But it does not fight frizz all that great, so I needed a finishing cream. But, I'll keep it.

It's kinda like that guy who snores like a jet plane but you keep him because he washes the dishes and puts the seat down. And washes his hands before AND after. (So rare) Besides, there's always earplugs ... or finishing cream ;)

p.s.
You know I had to link those cupcakes, right? Enjoy!

A Blistering Review

I am positively allergic to parabens.

If you're Trinidadian, you know what it means to be "harden". Well, I'm harden for sure. I knooooow that I am kinda allergic. But, I wanted to make sure. And, I had already spent $17 on four ounces of this "amazing shine conditioner" that hair guru suggested. Well, I've got a thing or two to tell him.

The thing has like FOUR parabens. But yup, harden me, I used it. And I went to bed. The next morning (well, afternoon, to be honest) when I woke up, I literally had BLISTERS. Youch!

So, If you think, you're even a mildly allergic, stay away from it. Don't even touch the stuff to read the label.

What was I thinking - using something that contains ingredients that, when used in higher concentrations, makes great floor polish?!
Hmmmm....

Hiar and nails growth update.

I'm one of those people with weak, brittle nails. So I'm really excited to report that they're growing pretty fast. I hope they're going to be stronger, but I have to wait for my old nails to grow out first to be sure.

I'm seeing alot of little fuzzies on my head, too. not just my hair growing out. I think (hopefully this isn't wishful thinking) that I have more fuzzies than before. This is my goal. My hair's thinner and finer in front than in the back, which is probably the reason I got that botched relaxer in the first place. So it looks like my hairline's moving forward - those little baby hairs are multiplying. Maybe instead of baby fuzz i'll have thicker hair. And I could go back to my cheap hair salon in Brooklyn without worrying about breakage so much. So it looks like the Cap'Energy and Biotin are working.

Not that I dodn't enjoy saying
"Oh, I do my hair myself!"
;)

p.s. I'm trying out one of those night time eyebrow growth treatments, too. I hope I don't turn into one of those TV commercial cavemen. Stay tuned.

I <3 Ojon

Update:

My hair is definitely better. It's shiny (I'm not even going to say shinier because, let's face it - it wasn't shiny to begin with) and stays soft straight down to the tips. And I'm not the only one who noticed - so I'm not fooling myself.

It can't be the vitamins, because that's for new hair growth. Vitamins won't help old hair, because hair is dead. I think it's the new products. And I really think the Ojon Restorative treatment plays the biggest part. I've been using it for two full months. I noticed a difference right away, but it took a while till I noticed people staring at my head. So instead of

"What are you using in your hair? Maybe try a different treatment. It's a bit dry."
and
"Wow, you hair looks dry."
and my favorite:
"Did you lighten your hair?"
- "No, it's just parched and crispy. And no, it didn't fry it with a flat iron," I thought.

Now, I'm hearing
"Your hair looks really healthy!"
"What did you do?"

Yay!

Not that I don't wash my hair....

I have weird hair. Sometimes I think that it looks dry at the ends and in desperate need of sheen spray. The hair advice gurus say that if your hair is dry, you should wash little and rarely. (I even read on one famous curly hair stylist's website that curly dry hair shouldn't be washed at all, just the roots, but not often!)

But, my hair gets seriously oily at the roots in a couple of days, and my hair is actually fine (I just have alot of fine hairs). So hair moisturizer is my enemy. I use it only at the ends, and only when absolutely necessary. (This is why I'm taking those vitamins - I'm convinced that my diet makes my hair dull).

But, I do get dry right around my hairline. I dunno why, but I find myself smearing hair oil on my hairline and mopping it up everywhere else. Maybe it's my facewash.

Now scalp condition and hair type are two different things. You want a combination product that helps both. But products are made for either scalp or hair (they are soooo lying if they say it's for both). What really gets me is that the products that are good for my scalp are bad for my hair. And vice versa. Especially since I have "Combination Hair". lol.

People look at me in horror when I tell them how often I wash my hair (shampoo every other day in the summer, condition every day).

"Your hair is going to drop!"

"That will dry out your hair and make it brittle!"

"You're not supposed to do that!"

There must be some ancient law that relaxed hair can't be washed more than once a week. And that's what the hair gurus tell you. I even read in a magazine that you shouldn't wash your hair for 2 WEEKS before and 2 WEEKS after a relaxer!!!!! (So thaaaats why so many people smell funny!) I think that was a joke, not advice.

Like Friday. After doing my 30-second hair job (part, brush left, right, back - done) I looked in the mirror and saw that the crown of my head was a big oily mess plastered to my head. Sigh.

During the week I don't have the time or patience to wash, dry and flat-iron my hair. Especially since I prefer to air dry. I don't even own a blowdryer. I'm so bad at blowing out my own hair. My hands get tired. But, after a few days, my hair is Greasy at the roots. What's a girl to do?

Enter dry shampoo.

I've used earlier versions... like that white stuff in a can that was supposedly sea algae that I could never get off my hair. Brush all you want. Either go with white patches in your hair or wash it and call in late to work.

And the overpriced hair (baby)powder. It came in black, brown, white. It sopped up the oil, alright. And any residue was the same color as my hair. But it left my hair so dull I wanted to spray some of that nasty olive oil sheen on it.... which so defies the point of all that effort.

And these things had the nerve to be expensive!

But, like a true beauty addict, ever-optimistic that this product will work, even if the last ten didn't, I got the Oscar Blandi Pronto! dry shampoo spray. It sat on my dresser all summer long till I finally needed it.

And thank goodness it worked. Not only did it work - it worked just enough - leaving enough of my natural hair oils to keep it soft. Seriously. My hair wasn't gunky with product or sticky, and was NOT dry. But I brushed anyway to be sure. I worked in sections, lifting a piece and sprayin lightly at the roots. Then flipped my down and rustled my hair at the roots, finishing with a good brushing (upside down still).

And here's the best part ----- no odor. No powdery cover-up perfume that just makes you smell funky. I know they call it "fragrance" but I call it "odor" when it stinks. And I don't.

Or, someone really needs to tell me....

Is it working?

Hmmmm.... I dunno. Let me break it down.

The Biotin is making me wake up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed at 3:00 am, cooking up breakfast and lunch. I think I'd rather be asleep. Apparently, it "increases metabolism of carbs and sugars". I don't need a faster metabolism. The extra energy's cool, though.

I dunno if the Cap'Energy's working yet. Stay tuned.

The shampoo is doing something. My scalp's definitely different. It doesn't look dry (or at least it didn't until I messed with it). But I think it's making me shed (skin, that is). I'm alot less itchy and flaky (umm... not like it was a big issue. hehe) but get this - just rubbing my skin at the hairline makes me peel. A little, but it's noticeable. My trusty Carol's Daughter Khoret Amen hair oil took care of it, though.

I'm wondering if I'm peeling because I used this paraben-laden conditioner (shhhh) and not because the shampoo's working.

Damn.

Look, I never said this was a scientific process, ok? LOL
I can't help but try everything at once!