Softee Mango Butter Hair Dress.

  So I decided to try some, for lack of a better word, grease on my hair. I had been thinking about trying it out for awhile, and this one looked promising. 

The ingredients were not too bad, except the petrolatum. (It is hair grease, after all.) With that in mind I gave it the old college try. And the price was around $1.50 or less at Walmart, so.. 

I set my hair in twists. During the cooler months, I like to do this. My hair doesn't give a good defined result I've found, but it gets a slight wave and a pretty good stretch. So this would be my sealant. 

One such twist. Notice the little sheen to it. And it was very soft. 

The end result was pretty nice. As you can see from the smile, I liked it. 

This is one of those products that I may revisit. It didn't leave my hair SUPER oily, but it is grease so there will be oil. My hair liked it well enough, no weird petroleum reaction like I have with straight Vaseline. (Hard, dry, yet some how greasy hair. And it took MULTIPLE washings to remove it all! Straight petroleum is a no go for me.) It was just a little oily. Like gel is a little sticky or crunchy. Annoying, but not enough to make you leave it forever if your hair likes it. I will note that over time, my hair started to feel a little dry. Remember petrolatum is a very powerful sealant. It deals in moisture, but can also seal it out- which is why it's great for flat ironing. This dryness happened after maybe the 3rd week of using it. But as I recall (I used this last fall... Yeah, I'm a little behind with reviews. LoL!) it wasn't a big deal. A good scrubbing with my sulfate free shampoo and deep conditioning and I was back in business. No biggie. :)

Well, that's my review of Softee. I purchased this with my own money and even if I hadn't, my opinions are honestly my own. 

Eucerin In Shower Moisturizer

*I got this product free for review, but my views are honest and unbiased. No one tells me what to think. :p *

Today's review is on the Eucerin In Shower Moisturizer

It is supposed to be for dry skin, and is said to have no greasy feel. 

The ingredients:

Instructions:

I have been using this for a few weeks now, and it's not bad. Not really. It pretty much does what it says. It's lotion.. You use in the shower... Basically you shower as you normally would then rub this all over, avoiding the bottoms of your feet, then lightly rinse it off and dry off as usual. Not too difficult. Your skin is left pretty moisturized and not TERRIBLY greasy... But I felt sticky. I mean, you did just slather this petroleum based product all over your clean body. LoL! It takes a little getting use to. The stickiness fades pretty quickly though, so it's not enough to make you not want to use the product. But I can see it could be off putting to some. 

My skin felt ok after drying off. It wasn't dry, but there wasn't that "shine" that we tend to like after lotioning up. And some of my drier spots felt like they needed a little more moisture. Also this is an extra step when I'm usually already running late. With post shower lotion/oils you just slather it on and go. This one you have to apply THEN re-rinse. I think it is just easier to put on lotion. 

I don't think I would purchase this product because honestly I'd rather just use lotion or my coconut oil after my shower, but I'd say it is worth trying. I'm glad I had the opportunity to test this product. It doesn't irritate my eczema which is a big plus. It's fragrance free which is a plus for those who can't stand strong smells or have allergies. I do love Eucerin as a brand and their cream is a favorite of mine. But this, for me is just not worth the extra time. 

I'd rate the product at about 3 stars. My skin is a little drier than most I'd say, so for a person with "normal" skin it may rate higher. 

That's all I got. Thanks for reading! 

~J

Neutrogena Cleansing Wipes

*I received this product free for review from Influenster. I was not paid for my review and even if I was, my opinions would STILL be absolutely my own. 

So, I received this voxbox from Influenster about a week ago. 

 Inside was the Neutrogena Naturals Purifying Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes. They are basically wipes with cleanser already added. The claim is they are 97% natural, and strong enough to remove makeup- even waterproof mascara. Which is tough to remove. 

  I haven't had a reason to put on a face of makeup during my testing, but I have been using them as regular facial wipes at the end of the day, and I must say I like them. They have a kind of "peachy" scent to them that lingers for a bit on your skin, but I like it, so it doesn't bother me. They do clean off all the oil and dirt of 12 hours of hard work, but leave my skin soft and not stripped. I've also noticed my skin looks clearer since I started using them. Which is always a plus. 

  Will they remove waterproof makeup? 

I'm not sure. I've read reviews that say they absolutely do! But they don't say how many wipes it takes to do so. By the look and feel of them, I'd say more than one. They aren't cheap or flimsy but with the amount of moisture, I don't see one wipe taking off all your makeup. But, maybe it can. 

  I'd say they should reliable these as just facial cleansing wipes and use the makeup removal as an added benefit. That way, more people will buy it and it will help their water conservation efforts- another benefit of using the wipes in place of water and soap. 

  All in all these are great wipes and I would consider purchasing them. I haven't  priced them, as I received them free to review from Influenster, but I'd imagine they are around $3.00 a pack for about 30 wipes. I could be low balling that price. LoL! As you know, I am thrifty. :)

Thanks for reading!! :)

~ Jen

Pantene Truly Natural Deep Conditioner

  First off, I will say Pantene makes me feel some kinda way the way they advertise. I had vowed not to buy their products, but this was pretty cheap and I never had an issue with Relaxed and Natural as far as performance. So I figured, what the heck?

Water, Stearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Cetyl Alcohol, Bis Aminopropyl Dimethicone, Fragrance, Benzyl Alcohol, Disodium EDTA, Panthenol, Panthenyl Ethyl Ether, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone

As you can see, it looks just like the R&N but to me, it doesn't perform the same. I mean, it did ok. I can't say it's "horrible" but I have used better. 

The consistency is pretty thick, but honestly it's no thicker than any regular conditioner. I'm not sure why they call it a "deep" conditioner. 

First thing I noticed was my hair detangled quite easily. It wasn't super stretchy like it tends to get with Aussie and that's good because it wasn't snapping all over the place. I also noticed less shedding, breakage, and my hair wasn't rough on the bottom half. Which is a major plus! I was ready to call this a nice cheapie staple. 

BUT, after a couple of uses, my hair got harder and harder. It felt "strong", but very stiff and hard. I think it's the protein in it. And my course, low porosity hair does not accept protein in large amounts graciously. So what I've decided is to find a new regular conditioner (And I've hit the curly jackpot!!! ) and use this maybe every few months as a protein treatment. I think it will work better in that context. 

Next issue... This stuff just stinks to me. It smells like cheap, "black" hair care product and just smells bad in my hair. I'm not sure what big business thinks we enjoy smelling like, but they are missing the mark. For some reason they aren't seeing that we are just like other women. The differences are just superficial and we wanna smell like flowers and candy and junk too! LoL! But that's side stuff. 

All in all, it's not bad. I think it would be a moisture bomb and strengthener for finer haired curlies, but for me, that protein just killed it for me. I'd give this 3 stars out of 5, but hey it may be a 5 for someone out there. 

**I got mine at www.amazon.com it ran me around $3.50 with free shipping as an add on item. As with most of the items I review, I bought it with my own money- and if I DIDN'T my opinion would still be honest and all my own. :-)

~Jen

Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Cleanser

Ingredients:

Water , Glycerin , Cocamidopropyl Betaine , Lauryl Glucoside , Potassium Accylates Copolymer , PEG 120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate , Disodium Lauroamphodiacetate , Sodium Cocoyl Sarcosinate , Ethylhexylglycerin , Caprylyl Glycol , Potassium Sorbate , Fragrance

  Today the review is of Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Daily Cleanser. 

  This product claims to be clearing yet gentle and non stripping. I will say I agree with that. :) 

  But let's go over all the finer details. 

  The texture is kinda runny and it is a pale yellow in colour. It does lather well, but not as well on a wash cloth as it does just in your hand. It should work well on a facial brush or a facial buff pad. But if you just use your hands, it works best I'd say. 

  The fragrance. It smells oddly enough like a lemony cologne if you could imagine. After smelling it a second time it smells like Love's Baby Soft Lemon. Not sure if you all remember that line of perfume or not, but that's what it smells like to me. It's not over powering and of course it doesn't linger. 

  The results? I like it! I'd definitely purchase it again, in fact I PLAN to buy it again. I like the Purpose cleanser, but this cleanses better without stripping your skin. Plus at the end of the day my skin isn't so greasy. I feel it delivers on that note of cleansing, but not stripping. Now, if you have drier skin the Purpose may be a better choice because it leaves even more natural oils on your skin. But if you're in the middle like me, this is maybe a better choice. 

I purchased this at Walmart for like almost $9. To me that was a bit expensive, but I know that is the price of things now days. You may be able to find it cheaper somewhere else. Walmart is not always the cheapest place, and honestly not my favorite place to shop. Shop around for sales. :)

Thank you for reading. :)

~J

 

Purpose Facial Cleanser Review

Ingredients: Water, PEG-80 Sorbitan Laurate, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, PEG-150 Distearate, Sodium Lauroampho PG-Acetate Phosphate, Fragrance, Quarternium-15, Tetrasodium EDTA.

  I'm reviewing the Johnson & Johnson Purpose Gentle Cleansing Wash. It's fairly inexpensive. I think I spent around $5 for it at Walmart. 

  As you can see it is fairly clear with a slight yellow tint to it. It's fairly thin as opposed to creamy, it looks a lot like hand soap. The fragrance is what I'd call a fresh but chemically smell. It doesn't smell bad, but I know nothing in nature that smells like it. (I'm just sayin.) 

  Now, right off the bat this company has violated in my book. Why? They market this as a soap free cleanser. I'm not sure what they are calling soap, but right off the bat in the ingredients list, you'll see there is both Sodium Laureth Sulfate AND coco betaine I'm like, really J&J? The last lie I saw like this was on Cantu, but that's another review all together. 

Seriously though.. You got TWO "soaps" back to back. I guess they mean lye soap? Soap opera? Soap the TV show? I don't know. 

  Now having ranted on that, the actual product is not bad. I was using the Clean and Clear cleanser and it was a little drying. I would say it was more for oily "teen" skin. After this I was looking for something that lathers and cleans some of the oil from my skin, but didn't make it feel like dry leather. The Purpose doesn't dry my skin out too much. It's really gentle. The hype is that it is as gentle as plain water. Now I'm not about to go slathering this stuff in my eyes to prove it, but my skin does feel similar to the way it would if I just rinsed it with warm water. And that is the semi issue. I notice my skin is kinda greasy by the end of the day. I can't say that's bad or good. I seal my skin with coconut oil after washing, but I have been doing this for years, so it's not that. The cleanser is just super GENTLE. It does not dry your skin- period. You just get a very gentle clean. If your skin is oily, I'd go with something a LITTLE stronger. Either that or follow up with an astringent. It's not a bad product, just very gentle.  I have pretty aggressive eczema on my hands and this doesn't break me out, so that's great. Did I mention it's gentle? :)

One thing I noticed, if you use a wash cloth you won't get a good lather. I usually rub my skin with my very damp cloth, then lather this in my hands. I would imagine if you use a scrub pad or facial brush it would lather very well. 

  

  All in all, I actually would buy this again and I would recommend it to my 30 and up friends. Or anyone with dry skin or sensitive skin. I'd give this product 4 out of 5 stars. :)

Thanks for reading. :)

~J

New Products!!!

Reviews coming Soon!!!

Schick Hydro Silk Razor Review

So this came in my BzzKit from BzzAgent.com. I had tried this before, but I'm not sure it was in sensitive or not and honestly I was not that impressed, but this one was different. It actually worked better. 

There's not a whole lot to say. It's a razor. It gives a pretty close shave, and doesn't irritate your skin too much. It's great for underarms and legs, but for "tight" areas it's a bit large, but they all are. Now days a razor has 100 blades, so it can't be exactly compact. 

Now compared to the competition, which is Venus by Gillette, honestly Venus wins, BUT only by a small margin. Venus cuts closer IMO. I didn't get a whole lot of irritation from the Venus either, but maybe the Schick is not cutting as close because it's for sensitive skin. I don't know. 

Given the choice, I'd probably buy Venus over Schick. But they are both pretty good choices. 

I'd give it 3 1/2 out of 5 stars. 

* I received these products and coupons from BzzAgent. I wasn't paid, but even if I WAS my opinion will always be MINE, not a promo. *

~Jen

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