What I'm doing right, September

This is a little about my regimen.  Unfortunately, I haven't found the discipline to tell you precisely how often I use various products, but I've found a few items that are worth sharing:


RIGHT  Live Clean Shampoo.  I stumbled upon this Canadian beauty company on a visit to Walmart some time ago. I was looking for a sulfate free shampoo, and there it was.  Live Clean Exotic Nectars Argan Oil Shampoo.  I skipped over the conditioner, because only a handful of things work for me.  First off, I was impressed by the ingredient list.  I can pronounce everything.  It's full of natural oils and extracts from plants known to improve your hair's condition.  No harsh chemicals.  I gave it a try...and I like it.  I don't get that squeeky clean feeling, but I've learned that is a good thing.  It means my hair still has some of it's natural oils protecting it.

RIGHT Live Clean Argan Oil  - Everybody and their mama is a fan of Morrocan Oil these days.  I'm sure it does good things for many people, but upon reading their ingredient list, I found that it is heavy laden with synthetic silicones.  While silicones do coat your hair and give it a smoother feel, they can also lock out moisture since they to not wash out easily.  Because I have switched to mild shampoos, I'm of the opinion that silicone use should be limited where possible.  So I didn't want to get in the habit of coating it daily with the very same culprit.  ( i know it works wonders for a lot of people...but for now, I prefer natural products)  Anyway, all that is to say Live Clean has an Argan Oil product that is Silicone free.  It's a light oil, that I apply from roots to ends on wet hair, or simply to seal my ends after moisturizing before bed.  It's very smooth.  I've used it before heat styling and leaves me with soft bouncy results.  Not a scientist here, but I love it.

RIGHT Virgin Coconut Oil.  I have to thank the ladies on Long Hair Care Forum for this one.  I have never been a big fan of grease, but I recently learned of its virtues for protecting your hair ends against wear and tears.  I remember my mom putting grease on my hairs after styling before school.  I had thick beautiful hair as a child, and I don't doubt "sealing" my ends helped to achieve that.  So, I decided I need to start doing that again.  The problem is, most oil products I have tried weigh down my hair and need to be washed out in order for me to style my hair the way I desire it to look.  Then Virgin Coconut Oil came along.  It smells so delicious.  It's light and smooth, and you can use it all over your body.  This is what I'm using, and I believe it will continue to be a staple.



RIGHT  A couple months ago, I discovered that I may be using too much protein in my hair, so I felt the need to cut back.  I had an old bottle of Lustrasilk Shea Butter Cholesterol Plus.  To be honest, I like the feel of Le Kair Cholesterol Plus better, but this version is protein free (my old bottle) anyway.  I heard the new formula is different.  It seems to make my hair feel softer, which was a good thing in my case.  The over use of protein formulas left it brittle.














For now I would say these are my mainstays, I have done a few prewash treatments with oliveoil, conditioned with bananas, eggs, coconut milk to name a few.  I have the ApHogee 2 minute reconstructor, and Essential oils, I have hair and nail multivitamins.  I believe they're all beneficial to different stages of the journey, but are not being used consistently.  So, I'm not sure what I really think about all of those ideas.  When I figure it out, I will let you know!