Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Conditioner

  Awhile ago, I tried Hello Hydration's shampoo and conditioner 2 in 1. I wasn't expecting it to actually condition my hair, but I expected some softness post wash. Long story short, it was as awful as any sulfate, stripping, TANGLING shampoo. Turns out 2 in 1 was just shampoo. PERIOD. 

So I held off buying the conditioner. For years I kept hearing about how wonderful the conditioner was. Naturals raving about the stuff. But, with all the silicones and all I still chose to pass. 

I've been using Aussie Moist which also has cones in it, but it had a history of working for my hair, so I went back to it. I was on the "no cones" kick before that. Honestly cones do act weird in my hair, just like petroleum does. So, it wasn't without reason that I stay away from both. 

So why on earth would I end up with this giant bottle of cone ladened blueness? Necessity. 

I was out of Aussie and at Sam's Club who oddly enough doesn't sell Aussie. And the Hello Hydration was there, all blue and huge for the same price I pay for LESS Aussie. I said "Why not? Worst case scenario, I hate it." 

So here we are. As far as I know I've never tried the HEHH alone. I mixed a corner of it with another mix and was not impressed at ALL. So, I figured I may as well get a review out of it too. :)

Ok, my hair "type" is around a 4a for anyone keeping track. I may have a little 3c here and there. My hair is coarse and low porosity. It's about 1 1/2 - 2" from arm pit length stretched. My hair is not fine or silky. Without product there are few curls, but my hair curls very easily with a nice heavy gel with no shingling at all. BUT the curls are not super defined no matter what. They are frizzy curls. 

Enough description. You get the idea. :)

The first thing I noticed about the product was it smells great. It's like a laboratory floral coconut scent. Definitely mass produced, but it smells nice. This scent does linger, so if you're not a scent person, you may not like it as much. I love for my hair to smell nice, so. Right up my alley. 

Next thing, it's this pale pretty blue colour. Now I have dark brown hair (except for a few greys here and there) so coloured conditioners are no issue for me. If you're blond it may do "something" by way of colour, but I imagine not. And grey/silver hair LOVES blue tones, so.. I guess that's a plus. But I honestly doubt this will "blue" your hair. :)

Next thing, it's pretty thick. Very creamy. It's not greasy at all or unpleasantly heavy. It's nice. It applied nicely as well. I don't have a mirror in my shower, but from what I could see, it wasn't just sitting on my hair like some products do. It felt like it was soaking in to my hair. 

Then came the real test- SLIP. All curly girls know that if a conditioner ain't got slip, it ain't worth 2 cents!! And this conditioner PASSED. With flying colours!! I was able to work my wide tooth comb through my hair quite easily. I was actually able to detangle SO well, that I was able to comb all the way to the scalp! I don't remember the last time a comb grazed my scalp! LoL! So the crucial test was passed. 

Rinsing was great. My hair was soft and FLAT!! I was able to make a neat ponytail behind my head- normally it's poofy and doesn't feel this great! I guess silicones are to thank for that. :)

And now. My hair is soft and MOISTURIZED! Finally after so much time of hard crispy hair! My hair feels GOOD!! I was beginning to think my hair was just "like this now". But my hair was just DRY. Never been so happy to just have dry hair! LoL! It's so soft now, I can't stop touching it! 

So all in, this conditioner is a YES! Granted this is after one use (as the bottle promised.) but, at this point I would buy this in bulk. Aussie, dear, you have been replaced. :)

*so sad* 

~J

Review Coming Soon!!!

My biggest BzzKit ever!!

Sensa Sprinkles

  So I tried Sensa a few months ago and honestly. My review is mixed. 

 The method of use is simple. In the box, you get a 6 month supply. Six little boxes that last approximately a month each. One side is for salty foods the other for sweet. 

There is a DVD, but honestly they tell you all you need to know on the package and the video at www.sensa.com. Just sprinkle the powder across the top of everything you eat right before you eat it. You get access to their support website and you can download their little app that reminds you to sprinkle and you  can track your meals and just general stuff to do with the Sensa "diet". 

The appeal is that you don't have to change your diet. Just make sure you sprinkle the Sensa over a your food. EVEN SNACKS!! Chips and all get Sensa. Just don't put it in soup. Not for hot liquids. I guess because it won't hit your tongue correctly to curb the appetite. 

   I used Sensa for about 2 months and honestly I didn't see a difference. I purchased the little Vitamin packets and I honestly loved those. They really boosted my energy and mood. Others noticed my better mood and increased energy. I noticed an increase in stamina as well. So the vitamins were great and at $30 a box they BETTER be!! The same vitamins are available at GNC. Anyway, in the 2 months I was using it, honestly it made me WANT to eat!!! It seemed to make the food taste great! So it didn't work for me too well. 

BUT on the flip side DH tried the Sensa for Men and he said it worked great for him. 

He took the men's supplement and used the Men's Sensa and I did notice he ate less. So it works for some people. 

All in all, Sensa gets 3 1/2 stars from me because though it didn't work for ME, it does work for some. It's at least worth the $30 starter kit to try. After that I think it's like $89 every 4-6 months or something like that. I accidentally ordered 2 trials so I got 8 months worth- so it's a 4 mo supply per unit. So, if you don't want to be charged $89 be sure to cancel on time. 

Tips for use: *use enough of the product. Make sure you coat the too of your food completely. 

* BELIEVE it will work!! You can help the drug along with positive thinking!! It really helps. :)

Thanks for reading!

~J

Aussie Instant Freeze Gel and Haul

Aunt Jackie's Product Review

South of France French Milled Soap

Everyday Products Review

L'Oreal EverSleek

Aunt Jackie's Hair Care

http://youtu.be/leqWXJwbedM

South of France French Milled Soap

http://youtu.be/CTEuoldFtkA

L'Oreal EverSleek Review

http://youtu.be/B6fwVtARSz8

Africa's Best Ultimate Herbal Oil

Ingredients:   Glycine Soja Oil (Soybean) , Fragrance , Ricinus Communis Seed Oil (Castor) , t-Butyl Hydroquinone , Olea Europaea Fruit Oil (Olive) , Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil (Sweet Almond) , Tocopherol , Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil (Jojoba) , Juglans Regia Seed Oil (Walnut) , Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil (Sesame) , Daucus Carota Sativa Seed Oil (Carrot) , Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil (Safflower) , Actinidia Chinensis Fruit Extract (Kiwi) , Symphytum Officinale Leaf Extract , Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract , Thymus Vulgaris Extract (Thyme) , Panax Ginseng Root Extract , Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract (Cucumber) , Chamomilla Recutita Extract (Matricaria) , Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract , Achillea Millefolium Extract , Sativa Officinalis Leaf Extract (Sage) , Chondrus Crispus Extract (Carrageenan)

Price: $2.50 where I got it, probably around $2.00 at Walmart.

Well, I used it for a week. A WHOLE WEEK OF ITCHY HANDS AND SCALP!! LoL! So, no I can't use this product at all now. It just irritates my eczema entirely too much,  paired with the baby oil fragrance.. It was just too much and though this product is a great product for someone with normal skin and love the smell of baby oil, this is just not for me.

The product performed well, it made my hair soft and shiny, my curls were in such good shape, I ALMOST told my skin it would just have to deal with it. But in the end... I just couldn't do it. So a great product, if you don't have a sensitive scalp or eczema.

so to make this very brief, it's a great product, but I won't buy it again for myself. Maybe for DH's hair.

~J

Suave Almond & Shea Butter Conditioner

Ingredients: Water (Aqua) , Cetearyl Alcohol , Dimethicone , Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine , Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil (Sweet Almond) , Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter) , Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice (Aloe Vera) , Cymbopogon Schoenanthus Oil (Lemongrass) , Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil (Rosemary) , Chamomilla Recutita Flower , Leaf Extract , Lavandula Angustifolia Flower Extract (Lavender) , Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil (Jojoba) , Behentrimonium Chloride , Fragrance , Dipropylene Glycol , Lactic Acid , Potassium Chloride , Amodimethicone , Disodium EDTA , DMDM Hydantoin , PEG-150 Distearate , PEG-7 Propylheptyl Ether , Cetrimonium Chloride , Methylchloroisothiazolinone , Methylisothiazolinone

Price: I paid $2.50, but it's probably $1.50-$2.00 at Walmart.

  OK. I do like this product. It smells pretty nice, and after a night of soaking in, it left my hair so.. SOOOOO... Soft!!!! It has very good slip and the moisture level was high the whole week. So in general I love this product....

  What I didn't like was the excess shedding I had after I uncovered my hair the next day. It wasn't like fists full of hair, but it was still pretty bad. I can't say the conditioner caused it, but I can't say it didn't. As you all know, my hair is pretty thin up top and I don't need to lose MORE hair. Also, it took a LOT of product for my hair. I mean, it took like 1/3 of the bottle and I still didn't feel like it was exactly enough. I am heavy with product, but I know when I'm using a lot. And that was a damn LOT.. LoL!! It may be the fact I'm use to Aussie, as that's all I've used since becoming a loose natural. Maybe I'm just only use to that one product. (Love it!!) So every other product has to stand up to it. Then again, I am suspecting my two Holy Grail products are causing excess shedding also, which is why I'm looking for new products to replace them. So I have to put Aussie on the shelf and give new stuff a chance. :p

ANYWAY, will I buy this product again? Well, maybe. I like most of the ingredients and it has loads of oils which most naturals like to add to products like this anyway. The smell is nice, it's moisturizing, makes my hair soft and is cheap. Honestly except for the shedding and the need to use so MUCH, it's a great product. I'd say this is a definite maybe. A solid maybe even. LoL! 

But first... More product testing.. :)

~J

White Rain Shampoo in Apple Blossom

Price: I bought a Case 4 years ago for $12, so that's around $2 a bottle, but I'm sure it can be found for under a buck. ($1)

This product is not new, but I couldn't remember if I ever reviewed it or not, so I'm gonna do it now. LoL! I actually bought this product for DH.. A LOT of this product.. A small case of 6 bottles. Now DH washes his hair whenever and doesn't have much of it, so this would last him a LIFETIME! I bought it for him because he said when he use to use it, it seemed to be slowing his hair loss and he likes the smell of it. So I hunted and shopped around until I found him a case of it for about $12. This was about 4 years ago, and we still have it. I've used it a few times on my hair, but was still listening to the hype that I need a "better" shampoo, so I used it, liked it, but decided to move on..

Until now. I'm back on it and I am happy with it. First thing, the smell is divine! It smells like crisp green apples and has a vibrant green colour to boot. Being in a clear bottle, I must say it all looks rather clean and  well... NATURAL. The bottles are 18 oz bottles and you get so much lather from like a tablespoon of the stuff that it will last the thickest head a year per bottle! It's not a sulfate free shampoo, but I'm not following curly girl anymore, so that's fine for now. It doesn't really have any cones, but does have "nones" at the very end of the ingredient list. It actually contains fruit extracts and (for some reason.) sugarcane extract. I just love when products use actual foods and they are not at the bottom of the list. Now this product was from years ago, so the formula may have changed since I bought it, and probably since DH was buying it. (He was getting that little white bottle it use to come in. I use to love it  in peaches n cream. Smelled YUMMY!) But it works really well. My hair didn't feel stripped or overly dry, it was soft and fluffy.Which I like in a shampoo.PLUS, no excess shedding after I lathered up.. My hair with the new stuff isn't really shedding much- Well, THIS week it didn't, but I'll post that in another post. :)

This review isn't gonna be lone, because what to say? It's a sulfate shampoo that smells like apple scented heaven that DH feels stops hair loss. Simple stuff. :p Will I repurchase this? YES I plan to buy another case if I can find it and maybe I'll look for the peach as well. Which I will review.. LoL!!

What can I say.. The stuff is effective, non drying, and smells wonderful. :) A keeper..

11:11

 

Jen :D

I'm Back.

Yep I'm back on Blogger and I must say, it's nice to be back. Hopefully the issues that made me want to leave in the first place have been resolved. :)

Anyway, as you know this is a product review blog. I test different products and services and let you know how I feel it stood up to my... Testing. LoL! I also do YouTube videos, so hopefully I'll be able to post those here as well. :)

I guess all that is left to say is enjoy. :)

~J