Let's talk about stretch, baby

 Living Proof has come out with a new curl line. It contains a low lather shampoo, a conditioner with an ingredient list pretty similar to that of the reformulated restore mask (and frizz mask and whatever 3rd mask they came up with to charge people more money for less product; since the curl conditioner is much larger than the masks, it's a pretty good deal), three different curl defining products (waves/curls/coils), an all purpose gel, and an oil (just stop it with the oils already, Living Proof, you suck at them).

Any products which promise to elongate curls have been tried and tested by me. The old standby is KCCC. I have used DevaCurl Super Stretch with mild enthusiasm to displeasure. I tried the really bad smelling one from Shea Moisture. It was better than nothing, but it didn't compare to DevaCurl or KCCC, and it smelled, um, not pleasant.

I recently found out about Melanin Twist Elongating Style Cream. To my knowledge, it is only available at Ulta, where it had been out of stock since I discovered it. I tried, to no avail, to purchase it in stores where it was "in stock." It was not in stock. DC, Maryland, Virginia, Chicago, Skokie, Niles, Northbrook. Nothing. Lo and behold, Wheeling had one in stock. I had never been to Wheeling. I know absolutely nothing about it. I was quarantining, and that was where my hotel was located. 

I found another pretty awesome thing there - the Matrix knock-off of Olaplex 2 on clearance. It's way better than Olaplex 2 (or 3).

Anyway.

The Melanin product (one of only three in the entire line, the other two consisting of a shampoo and conditioner) blew me away. It's great. I felt wasteful purchasing it - not because it was a bad deal - it's $16 for just over 16oz, but because, given the ingredient list, I know that there is no way I can use up this whole tub before it expires/goes bad. I mean, I don't feel that bad...

The only drawback to the Melanin product is that it does build up. If you reapply it after using it the previous day, your hair will not do the gorgeous stuff it does after washing and using the product. It will get gunky, sticky, you know the drill; however, if you wake up with crazy curls going everywhere messy tangle madness, just rinse. The product doesn't seem to rinse out easily; it needs at least something low-lathering in order to remove it.

Your milage may vary, but I'm impressed.

Oh, wait! This was about Living Proof's new curl line, and more specifically, the curl elongator (I can't speak to the other styling products). Check out my photo. Notice anything similar?

Wow. They're the same color. Wait! There's more. The ingredient lists are surprisingly similar, not only in that they contain nearly identical ingredients, but in that they contain nearly identical ingredients in nearly identical orders. Living Proof uses fragrances and a few more preservatives, neither of which I take issue with. Truth be told, the Living Proof elongator smells nice-ish. The Melanin product smells, well, like what it is - a bunch of ingredients that don't necessarily smell bad combined. It doesn't have a lasting fragrance, but strangely, it's easy to detect? Who nose (puns!). I am overly sensitive to fragrance; most people wouldn't notice any fragrance at all in the Melanin product.

I digress. To recap - packaging, color, ingredients, and wait! There's more! Both are out of Boston. Is something afoot? I may have been watching a few too many mysteries during quarantine. Or have I? You tell me. I'll post pictures with each product later this week. Spoiler alert: I think Melanin kinda wins apart from the whole fragrance thing. I'm going to test out the Living Proof product a few more times before making a final judgement.

Full disclosure, I have never been given a product to test. Sometimes, I don't even get products when I pay for them. Shocking as it may be, I'm pretty sure no one has ever seen this blog.

Love,

Henna Much

Henna & Gray Hair & Semi-Permanent Dyes

I'm back! We'll see. With my gray hairs becoming much more abundant (probably genes + my history of chemically straightening my hair), I have to henna much more often. I only henna my roots, but my henna-ed orange highlights are much more visible.

So, I've taken to using semi-permanent dye over my henna as opposed to indigo. Semi-permanent dye does not (in theory) damage hair; it coats hair strands i.e. wraps around the henna. While henna has an affinity for keratin and permanently remains on the hair, semi-permanent hair color eventually washes out (in theory). I embarked on this test blindly; I could not find any instances of anyone else trying this. For that reason alone, I share this with you :)

Here are my reasons for using semi-permanent dye as opposed to indigo:

- Indigo smells bad
- I hate inhaling the powder
- It is a bitch to rinse out
- It has no benefit to hair
- It costs just as much as most of the semi-permanent dyes I have tried
- There is no interaction with BAQ henna

This is an introduction to a series of posts on semi-permanent dyes I have used over henna. I will be grading based on:

- Final color
- Conditioning/damage
- Cost
- Ease of use
- Staining everything else
- Scent
- How long the effect lasts

Here is a list of products (including color boosting conditioners) that I have tried:

- Lime Crime Unicorn Hair (shades: Sea Witch, Gargoyle, Blue Smoke)
- Punky Colour (Black)
- Clairol Colorista (Midnight Blue)
- Sephora (Tenacious Teal)
- Christophe Robin Temporary Color Gel (Dark Chestnut)
- DPHue Gloss+ Deep Conditioner (shades: Black, Dark Brown)
- Cristophe Robin Shade Variation Mask (shades: Ash Brown, Baby Blonde)

I have also used a handful of anti-brass conditioners, but those aren't very useful, so I won't be reviewing them. I also won't be reviewing the last two products listed, as they are masks and not intended to do too much for color. The rest of the products listed are described as providing medium to full coverage color for a certain amount of time.

You may ask why I chose the colors I chose (other than black). Most temporary black dyes have blue undertones. We all know that red + blue = purple. If you look at the color wheel, you will find that green is directly across from red:



Likewise, you will find orange directly across from aqua. So rather than adding blue to the orange/red henna, I like to add a very dark teal. My hair is naturally a very dark ash brown (my eyebrows are black - so dark black that I can't use most eyebrow products, as they all show up warm and brown on me). My goal is getting my hair closest to its natural color. Adding bright teal may mute the reddish orange henna, but it doesn't darken it much.

Okay, so without further ado, on to the reviews!

Back from the dead + olaplex

I've been MIA for years. Honestly, since Living Proof discontinued their original 'straight making frizz' and then 'straight,' I've been totally bored with new haircare offerings. Living Proof's new volume blast smells nice. That's the most I can say about it. But then...Olaplex

Olaplex is great. I don't use it in the intended way. I use Olaplex 1 before I blow dry. I do Olaplex 2 treatments before I shower. I don't bother with Olaplex 3. Why Olaplex 1 before bow dry? I mean, if it helps prevent bleach damage during the dyeing process, which is much more damaging to hair than blow drying, why not try it that way? I suspect that there are two possible answers to this question: 1. I don't know as much about cosmetic chemistry as I think you do - or - 2. if people could do this at home, they could completely eliminate what seems to be a profitable enterprise. I do not anticipate an answer at any point in the near future.


I also have a handy scalp massager now.

As promised, photos of my henna + indigo + BKT'ed hair

As promised, although the lighting is not the best in my kitchen, after a final exam, at midnight. I just BKT'ed, so my hair is straight (ish). The photos make my hair appear redder than it is. I swear, it's a mahogany brown!

MANY more after the cut!

Hair security alert, level orange! Trader Joe's Nourish Spa Conditoner now contains dimethicone.

It's a sad, sad day in the neighborhood. Trader Joe's Nourish Spa Balance Moisturizing Conditioner has gotten a makeover. Apart from its snazzy new design, it has swapped its parabens for silicones, but TJ's is banking on its consumer base preferring one unnatural substance over another. It's all greek yogurt to me, but here's TJ's informal response to the outrage, via NaturallyCurly.com:

(photo from Lacocobella.com)

Boing! Deva Curl B'Leave In review

Here it is! My long awaited B'Leave In review. Am I a B'Leave - er? Will you have to suffer through a million puns? Read on to find out.

About DevaCurl B'Leave-In:

What it is:
Deva Curl (via Sephora) says B'Leave In is "a leave in curl booster."

Yeah, I guess so. I mean, you don't rinse it out. But this is not a leave in conditioner, and I certainly don't saturate my hair with it. So, minus one point, Deva Chan, for your strange and misleading product naming.

What it does:
Deva Curl (via Sephora) says "This botanically enriched curl volumizer enhances fullness and strength and is ideal for fine delicate curls."

Yeah, I guess so. At least they give some hint as to what the product is, but they're still being vague.

Read on for my review!