Hair Care 101; Hair Products

Here is the list of products I use or have used and that I recommend! I will also be doing a post on Hair Tools, which will show the combs, hair dryers, irons, etc.


Shampoo:




  • Finesse Volumizing Shampoo - I love this stuff!
  • Suave Daily Clarifying Shampoo - I use this only to remove buildup once every 2 weeks (twice a month usually)

Conditioner:



  • Finesse Moisturizing Conditioner


Leave-in Conditoners:



  • Garnier Fructis Sleek n' Shine leave in conditioner - this is my miracle product! I've used it for about 2 years now and love it. For the first few months after my perm in 07, this is all I used on my hair! I would wash my hair and then put in the leave-in and let it air dry.

    Gels:



    • Suave Sculpting Gel - I use level 10, but have tried 8 and 9 in the past. It is alcohol free and inexpensive and works great! It doesn't flake either.

    Hairsprays:


    • John Freida FrizzEase Moisture Barrier Hairspray - don't use too much, it holds very well but if you use too much there is no going back unless you wash it out lol
    • Suave Max hold #8 Hairspray - Light and you don't have to worry about using too much; it works good on taming flyaways

    Oil:

    I started out using the coconut oil in the ethnic hair care section, called Blue magic. I used this for years and it worked well. I then saw it was not plain coconut oil but also had petrolatum in it, so I stopped using it and started using Louana 100% coconut oil from Wal-mart and it works great and its cheap too!






    • Louana Coconut Oil - the kind you buy in the grocery aisle! Take some in your hands and rub together until it emulsifies and turns from a solid to a liquid oil, then apply to hair. I coat my hair once a month and put it in a bun and then wash it out the next day or a few hours later. You can also put it on just the ends lightly before curling your hair.
    • Blue Magic Hair Conditioner - works better for ethnic/women of color because it has petrolatum in it along with the coconut oil.

    Heat Protectant:




    • got2b crazy sleek, hot smooth, flat iron and blow dry lotion - you use this after you towel dry your hair if you plan on using heat on your hair. I've only used it a few times and noticed it actually helps hold curl too!
    • Tresemme Heat Tamer Spray - I absolutely love this stuff! Not only does it smell so good, it makes my hair softer and protects against heat damage from my flat iron. When I curl my hair with my flat iron, this causes it to hold the curl more then without. I highly recommend it.

    Hair Serum/Shine Products:



    • Citre Shine Colour Prism Glossing Gelle - My Favorite! I love this stuff! It smells like citrus and then gives you a wonderful shine. I mostly use it when I wear my hair curly (what's left of my curly perm). I mix it in the palm of my hand with my Garnier leave-in cream and then apply to my hair from the shoulders down to the ends.
    • got2b Dazzling Shine Spray - It's light because its a spray, so you can slowly add it on where needed. I like that it gives a more even coverage then if you put shine serum on your hand. I use this when I straighten my hair (sometimes, depending on how dry it looks) and also when I hot roll my hair or use a curling iron to create curls. Get ready for silky hair! ; )

    Our Personal Convictions; Part 1



    I'm supplying this information to back up with evidence what we believe about the issue. The intent is meant to show the "why" we believe what we do. We hold life sacred, in case you haven't noticed, this is a Christian website!

    My husband and I have certain personal convictions that we don't force on anyone else but are things we got from the Holy Spirit leading and guiding us over the years. I'm not entirely sure where my church stands on these issues as I have never heard them addressed in a service but maybe they have been, I don't know? Either way, we practice these things and hold them to be true. With that said......I hope to make this as plain as possible so we don't have to go over this every time I mention these things on this blog and have people jump to conclusions and categorize us into their little box lol.

    Issue #1 Birth Control

    We are against Birth Control pills. I think they are a device of abortion. Medical Science has shown that they probably do not prevent a pregnancy but rather STOP one from continuing on by not allowing the already conceived embryo to implant on the uterine wall. (60% of women have silent abortions with the pill in a given month! - how many babies do you think you have killed? Will you find out when you stand before God and tell him you didn't know those pills killed those children!?) I've done my research and even without the research......I have no doubts that God guided us against these. This also includes other forms such as IUD's, etc. DO YOUR RESEARCH PEOPLE! It's lack of knowledge that is the enemy here.

    The American Society of Reproductive Medicine confirms that the pill causes abortions:
    http://www.epm.org/artman2/publish/prolife_birth_control_pill/ASRM_Confirms_Pill_Causes_Abortion.shtml

    Here is a free pdf of the book "Does the Birth Control Pill Cause Abortion" and shows the medical science:
    http://www.epm.org/media-files/pdf/bcpill.pdf

    I highly recommend this one:
    http://www.wayoflife.org/otimothy/tl110003.htm

    Another great one that lists several other sources at the end:
    http://www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/edn-bcpill.html

    Don't believe me, listen to the doctors:
    http://www.epm.org/artman2/publish/prolife_birth_control_pill/The_Growing_Debate_About_the_Abortifacient_Effect_of_the_Birth_Control_Pill_and_the_Principle_of_the_Double_Effect.shtml

    Not a big enough doctor for you? How about the Clinical Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at George Washington University Medical Center?
    http://www.epm.org/artman2/publish/prolife_birth_control_pill/Birth_Control_Pill_Abortifacient_and_Contraceptive.shtml

    I don't want to take the chance that I murdered an already conceived embryo. That is not an area I want to be near, rather I would be far away from it. Can you imagine standing before God seeing all your children that you killed? I can't bear the thought that I had the control over the situation and actually took the pill that killed them.

    What about other types of birth control? Yes, we believe you should not have children if it isn't in God's timing. I believe you should seek God's direction for your life. If you are just having babies without using the wisdom of God and then making other people pay for it (welfare) then how can you say you are right before God? Why would God approve of you living off the government, i.e. other people's money? If it is OF GOD, then he will supply ALL your needs.

    So what type of birth control do we believe in. You can find them listed here, scroll to the bottom for those. You may say, well I can't get pregnant because of this and this. For starters, we have been married for almost 9 years and have 1 child. HELLO! The other safe methods do work folks lol. ; ) If you have something wrong in your body and medically you shouldn't get pregnant, first off pray......God will guide his children. Then you might have to get sterilized(depending on the severity of the situation) or stop having intercourse for a time (only when both parties are in agreement according to the Bible). But you can't say birth control pills would prevent your pregnancy and it isn't a valid argument to use them.

    What about a woman who is on a medication and can not get pregnant during that time? Well, do you know how many babies are born even while a woman is taking birth control? Some babies make it through the pills, so you still have a chance on the pill. The approved methods that I linked to above, if you combine several of those at once, you have a better chance of not conceiving and staying safe, then with the pill! I for a time was on medication and I was advised to not get pregnant and be on birth control. However, I did not go on birth control, I prayed and believed God and kept doing what we have been doing and all was ok!

    WHEW! That's a lot to swallow huh? It's a lot for me to write it but I figured its no big secret and you may have personal convictions that me and my husband don't share but I still love you, so hope you return the favor!

    BOTTOM LINE: Ask yourself this question and really think about it:

    Would God approve of a pill that has a significant chance of killing an already conceived embryo/fetus?

    Related Posts:
    Inventor of Birth Control Pills Now Calls it a Catastrophe
    A Woman's Role

    Hair Care 101; My Hair Story Part 9

    In Part 8, we left off at March 2008 (1 year after the perm) with my hair at 30 inches and 4 inches of new growth that year. From March up until August, I had to work with my hair to try and disguise the fact that part was straight and the other part permed. I continued to have to use gel and a blow dryer to get it to look right, it was still very dry, and I would also straighten it sometimes and then curl it with a curling iron or hot rollers as shown in the photos below:





    I did the above for months, until it dawned on me that I could just straighten and/or curl JUST the permed part and leave my new growth untouched! So I started to do that, leaving my new growth and scalp alone and my hair grew rapidly and the condition of my new growth is black, shiny and silky. Also, I started using the leave-in conditioner again and letting my hair air dry more often, even though my curls from the perm aren't as tight, its much easier on my hair that way. If I want all my hair straight, I just straighten the permed part. If I want to curl my hair, I just curl the permed part now.

    Next, I discovered the reason that my hair seemed to have stopped fixing and looking like it used to: Garnier Fructis changed their ingredients in their Shampoo that I had used for over a year. The shampoo now has SLS in it. I've read that SLS is drying on the hair, and so I have since gone back to Finesse Bodifying Shampoo and Moisturizing Conditioner and have already in just a short time, noticed a difference. I still use the Garnier Fructic leave-in condtioner though.

    Here is my hair a few days ago after curling just the permed part:



    You can see how much lighter my permed hair is from my new growth (which is black, some dark brown). My new growth is now at 12 inches of new hair since my perm!! Total length right now is 38 inches. In just 9 months, my hair grew 8 inches! I credit it to my supplements, diet, taking better care of my hair, not perming it again and most importantly prayer! I hope to get my "old" hair back that I used to have in 2005 before my 2 perms by taking care of it like I used to from now on.

    Hair Care 101; My Hair Story Part 8

    We left off in Part 7 talking about the perm I had gotten in March 2007 (probably my last perm). My hair was ok for a year or so after the perm. I had used Garnier Fructis Color Treated (color treated shampoo/conditioner's work for permed also) Shampoo and Conditioner and then the leave-in and that was it! No gels, no blow-drying, etc.

    Then, my hair started to get drier and break off more. I had no idea why it started to do that as I was doing what I had always done. (I will tell you what caused this in future posts as I found out) My curls were not as curly anymore either because once curls are dry, they usually have a hard time holding the curl. Curls that are moisturized show the best curl, just ask someone with curly hair! I had no clue what was causing this, and I had to start using gel in my hair (alcohol free) and then blow-dry my hair holding the hair scrunched as I dried it to get my hair to look right. So I did this for months and lost inches, but luckily my hair was growing at a good rate on top or I would have had even shorter hair than I did in this photo:


    This photo was taken one year after my perm. You can see in the photo, how much length I had lost! My hair above was approximately 30 inches long (remember it was at its longest 50 inches before the 2 perms in 2005 and then 2007). In the one year since getting a perm, my hair had grown with new growth but only 4 inches. Remember how long my hair was when I first got the perm? Then look at it above, a year after, even with new growth it is so much shorter.

    I also started straightening my hair (to match my new growth) and was frustrated that my hair was so dry and frizzy and no longer had that nice look with my curls when left air-dried. So I contemplated getting another perm and even set it up to do so, but my husband mentioned that my hair would just keep getting shorter and shorter and more damaged. Did I want long hair or did I want to keep making it shorter for vanity was the question that rang through my mind. I made the choice to NOT get another perm.

    So this part ends at a year after I got my perm, March 2008. The next few posts will continue on from this point up until today. I also have a slideshow compilation of all the photos with captions and then we will start the "Hair Products" posts showing what I have used in the past, what I still use and what works, etc.

    Proverbs 31 Woman or Proverbs 32 Woman?

    Proverbs 32

    1 An excellent wife, who can find? For her worth is far above jewels. And she will remind you of that worth every day until death do you part.

    2 The heart of her husband trusts in her, And he will have no lack of gain. If he does she will remind him of how worthless he is or has become.

    3 She does him good and not evil All the days of her life. That is unless she is scorned and then all bets are off.

    4 She looks for wool and flax, And works with her hands in delight. But you must tell her how much she is appreciated and daily is recommended. Otherwise delight turns into bitterness.

    5 She is like merchant ships; She brings her food from afar as long as it isn't too far and takes too much of the day.

    6 She rises also while it is still night, And gives food to her household, And portions to her maidens. So when she is cranky by the time you get home... you need to understand.

    7 She considers a field and buys it; From her earnings she plants a vineyard. Then she will make sure others know that it is her labor and has nothing to do with you.

    8 She girds herself with strength, And makes her arms strong as long as she doesn't have anything physically wrong with her. Then this isn't applicable.

    9 She senses that her gain is good; Her lamp does not go out at night. Not until she is good and ready to turn it off.

    10 She stretches out her hands to the distaff, And her hands grasp the spindle. She then realizes that she's forgotten how to sew and gets upset because she hasn't the extra money to buy that outfit she saw in the store the other day.

    11 She extends her hand to the poor; And she stretches out her hands to the needy. As long as they aren't too poor and needy. That would require adding another entree and one might have to wait a whole 20 minutes for something to thaw in the microwave.

    12 She is not afraid of the snow for her household, For all her household are clothed with scarlet. But if it rains and they don't wipe off their shoes and track mud in the house... they just don't care.

    13 She makes coverings for herself; Her clothing is fine linen and purple. She just needs a lot of linen and looks like Barney because she has just let herself go over the years and now she can't get rid of the weight at all.

    14 Her husband is known in the gates, When he sits among the elders of the land. They will never forget the "ON STRIKE" sign that was in the front lawn.

    15 She makes linen garments and sells them, And supplies belts to the tradesmen. Then gets with the women and complains about how she has to do all of this because the dear husband isn't cutting the mustard.

    16 Strength and dignity she does not know, And she cries loudly at the future.

    17 She opens her mouth in folly, And the teaching of bitterness is on her tongue.

    18 She looks to the ways of her household, shakes her head and then lies down..

    19 Her children rise up and can't wait to find the door; Her husband only likes the door from the inside and trembles when he sees it from the outside, and he avoids her, saying:

    20 "Many daughters have done nobly, But you... what can I do to please you."

    21 And beware of the hissy fit. No man likes it when that happens.

    Author Unknown