Here are the sneak peek lip swatches for the #Maybelline #Vivid lipsticks! This blog post will be up before the week is out! 💋 #swatches #beauty #lipstick #makeup #beautyblogger
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Here are my #NOTW. I used a filter this time around to try to get the colors a little more accurate. I don’t think it worked 😓. Anyway, on my nails I’m wearing #ChinaGlaze Dance Baby & White on White. On the pink polish, I’m also wearing #Essie Shine of The Times. I really love this #manicure. Very cute and girly for #spring. #nails #polish #cute #girly
Hey everyone! As the winter season is ending and spring is looming around the corner (matter of fact, it’s here!), the time comes for my hair care regimen/products to change. The spring/summertime is when I wear my hair out more, be it buns, braid outs, or Bantu knots. Curls become my favorite, fun-loving style, but the dreaded heat from the hair dryer doesn’t feel as good in the spring than it does in the winter. Humidity is all, “your hair is mine bish!”, but the moisture I get from it leaves my hair the victor of this unspoken fight. Okay, I’m done with dumb analogies now haha. Lets get right into the products! I like using a mixture of homemade and store bought products for my hair during the spring and summer. Anything that will keep my hair nice and moisturized, but still light feeling at the same time is everything to me. I have a list of things to talk about, so sit back, relax and enjoy!
Store Bought (Commercial) Products
- Cantu Shea Butter Leave-In Repair Cream: I’ve done a review on this product before on my blog, but I will tell you that I love this light-protein leave-in. I use it year round, but I really love it for the spring/summer. I love the smell of this leave-in and I enjoy the fact that I can use this every single night if I wanted to and it won’t make my hair feel heavy. It gives my braid-outs such a nice feeling; my hair is never hard with this in my hair.
- Aussie Split-End Protector: I’ve mentioned this product in one of my hair regimen posts, and it is still one of my favorite moisturizing leave-ins. After my beloved Herbal Essence Long Term Relationship leave-in stopped doing wonderful things for my hair, one of my favorite hair bloggers/vloggers did a video on the Aussie Split-End Protector. Because I am a product junkie, I went out and purchased this to test it out on my hair. I am in love with this stuff. Not only does it have a glorious smell, but it leaves my hair so soft in the humid summertime. I use this product for my braid outs and twist outs and my hair is nothing short of wonderful. It is very inexpensive and I always try to stock up on it when I’m in Target or Walmart. Also, because of it’s small size, it’s very easy to travel with if you’re going out of town, spending the night with a friend, etc.. I definitely can’t go a day of summer without this product.
- Suave Naturals Almond & Shea Butter Conditioner: I love this conditioner to co-wash with during the spring and summer. Because the heat from the sun can dry my hair out quite a lot, I up my co-washing to about twice a week, especially if I’m out and about in the sun all the time or swimming. Speaking of swimming, I love to use this conditioner on my hair before I get into the water. It’s a medium viscosity conditioner that keeps any chlorine from getting into my hair. I find that I like using this conditioner to co-wash with more in the spring/summer time than I do in the fall/winter time. I always try to balance this conditioner with a light protein (ApHogee 2-Min Reconstructor) to keep my hair from being OVERLY soft and it works out well for my hair.
- Elasta QP Feels Like Silk Leave-In H2 Leave-In Moisture Sealing Conditioner: Damn…that’s an unnecessarily long name. Anyway, I used this product at the beginning of my hair journey, but I abandoned it to try out other leave-ins. I’m back to it now and I remember why I liked it so much in the first place. The smell of this spray leave-in is wonderful and it leaves my hair feeling moisturized. I find that I can use this on my new growth without problem, but it does leave my wet, relaxed hair feeling weird. If I use it on my relaxed hair, my hair would have to be dry or made slightly damp by the product itself. This is good for when you want to spray your hair before leaving the house to make sure it is protected from the sun’s rays.
- Elasta QP Soy Oyl Shampoo & Conditioner: I don’t have these products on hand anymore and I’m waiting to buy them again (trying to use up other shampoos and conditioners first), but I do love this shampoo and conditioner. The shampoo feels like silk going into my hair and it helps me keep my hair soft in the shower before finger detangling. I love the way my hair feels after I shampoo it. My hair doesn’t feel stripped of moisture, though I know it is getting my hair clean. As for the conditioner, I like using this to co-wash with sometimes. It gives my hair a softer feel than the Suave Naturals conditioner, but because I cherish this conditioner so much more, I try to use it less often. I will use this conditioner as a simple rinse out conditioner, as a co-wash conditioner, and I will even add it to my moisturizing deep conditioners for that extra umph of softness. Definitely one of my favorite hair care products.
- ORS Replenishing Conditioner (pack and/or professional size ONLY): This has to be one of my favorite deep conditioners. Whenever my hair needs a nice balance of protein and moisture, I use this deep conditioner. It doesn’t make my hair feel hard and it has a great smell to it. The smell is very appropriate for the spring/summertime, but I love it year round.
Homemade Products:
- Homemade Detangler: I did not come up with this recipe by myself and I apologize for not remembering the blog I got it from. I will make sure to find the blogger’s post again and give you a link to it because all of the credit goes to her. To make my homemade detangler, I mixed marshmallow root, water and an oil of my choosing in a spray bottle, shook it up, and stuck it in the refrigerator. Marshmallow Root is known to soft the hair enough to help the comb glide through smoothly. You may have seen this listed as an ingredient in the Kinky Curly Knot Today leave-in. I loved this for detangling my hair during the winter time on my stubborn new growth (we’re talking 4 category hair type here). The comb glided through my hair wonderfully and I haven’t been able to part from it since.
- Peppermint Oil Mist: First off, let me say this: If you haven’t researched what peppermint oil can do for your hair, stop reading this, type “peppermint oil for hair” and be amazed. Then, join me in loving this oil. I love peppermint oil for my scalp! Not only does it give my scalp a refreshed, cooling sensation, the smell alone is very relaxing. To make my mist, I filled an 8 oz spray bottle (an old Elasta QP Leave-In H2 spray bottle) majority of the way with water, put in about a tablespoon or two of sweet almond oil, and about 10-15 drops of peppermint essential oil. I then shook it up really well and used it. Oh my gosh. Can we say wonderful? I use this on my scalp daily to ease the itch of my dry scalp (which peppermint oil can help balance), reduce the amount of dandruff and to stimulate my hair follicles. I haven’t had any adverse reactions to the peppermint oil (burning, excessive dryness, redness) and so far, it’s been working well for my hair. I know that this will be used quite often in the spring/summer as it has been during the winter season.
- Shea butter mix: If you follow me on Instagram or Twitter, you may have seen me raving about this on numerous occasions. This Shea butter mix is truly the best thing I’ve added to my hair care routine. Not only do I know that no chemicals are in it (because I made it myself), I get the satisfaction in knowing that I’ve made something that my hair loves. I use this mix to moisture my hair with, wet or dry, and to seal in heavier butters. Others who have used my mix have stated that it does not leave their hair or skin feeling oily and that it makes detangling their hair or children’s hair a breeze. This is definitely a staple for me.
- Water & Vegetable Glycerin Mix: Ahem, I LOVE THIS FOR SPRING/SUMMER! It gets pretty humid where I live and my hair could definitely need the added moisture. I find that when I use this a lot during the summertime, I can skip a co-wash or use this alone with coconut oil to keep my hair very soft and manageable. You do NOT need a lot of glycerin (maybe a tablespoon or two) for a large spray bottle full of water for it to work. I wouldn’t suggest using glycerin if you leave in an area of dryness during the winter or in the summertime. Though glycerin can make your hair feel soft, it can also dry out your hair. Glycerin is a humectant, meaning that it pulls moisture out of the air and into your hair. It’s pretty good if you suffer from dry hair. If you travel during the summer to an area of humidity, try it out once a week to see how your hair likes it. I would use this spray mix at least twice a week to keep my hair moisturized.
- Organic Oils: I use a range of oils in my hair, but my favorites to use during the spring/summer has to be coconut oil, sweet almond oil, and grapeseed oil. Coconut oil happens to be my favorite oil to use in my hair because not only does it penetrate the hair shaft better than most other oils, it gives my hair a wonderful shine. I use coconut oil to prepoo with, seal in moisture from water or water based products, and I also use it to moisturize my face after toning. Sweet Almond Oil can be used to soften the hair and skin and I read somewhere that it can help with dark circles. I love using this for my face when I use the Oil Cleansing Method because it does not clog my pores and is a great carrier oil for the castor oil used to clean my skin. I find grapeseed oil to be only sometimes used in my hair care routine and that needs to change. After some research, I have learned that grapeseed oil is filled with natural ceramides that aid in the strength of the hair and hold the hair follicles together. I want to get the darker green, virgin grapeseed oil and add it to my hair care routine. I know that I would use it for prepoo treatments and, as I do now, add it to my deep conditioners for that added nourishment to my strands. I use these oils, as well as others in oil mixes for my hair. My hair loves organic oils and has flourished with the use of these.
Note: I don’t use every single product in my hair every single day. My routine after either shampoo washing or co-washing my hair is always the same: I use a leave-in of choice (depending on if my hair needs more moisture or more protein) and seal with a light oil before detangling and styling my hair. In the summertime, I use my spray mixes to keep my hair hydrated while styling because my hair tends to dry very fast during the summer and that complicates the styling process.
If I think of anymore products that I use in my hair, I will edit this post and share it with you all. I will also make sure I find the direct link to the recipe I used to make my homemade detangler and post it here as well. I hope you all enjoyed this post and let me know what your favorite hair products are for the spring/summer time. I would love to read your experiences, if any, with any of the products listed above. Thank you all for reading and have a wonderful day!
Dear me,
First and foremost, happy birthday girl! You’ve finally reached the age of all ages: 21. This is the moment you’ve waited your teenage years for! The day where you’re officially out of that awkward, “yeah I still can’t drink at 20” stage. But please, don’t think that being 21 makes you look older. I guarantee when you go out, people are going to look at your ID like, “are you sure you’re not underage?” Haha. I know you’re feeling a little down right now, even on your special day, but don’t worry. You’re going to have a great time later on this weekend with friends and your love. Take this day to let that disappointment out and go through the night with a smile. Reflect on your life, dream of and work towards the future, finish watching this PlayStation 4 announcement video, listen to music, and most important: finish your blog posts! I know you can do something to heighten your mood to where it used to be before you were disappointed, even if you think there is nothing that can make you happy right now. You’re too pretty to cry right now. I know it’s your birthday, but don’t cry. “Don’t be upset.”
I just wanted to tell you that you are a great woman and that you can do anything you set your mind to. I know when you’re laying in bed at night, you start to doubt yourself. You start to tell yourself that you can’t do all the things that you want to do with your life and that you’re all alone. You’re not. You have those who support you, both in real life and Internet based, though they may not always tell you. You’re too creative to beat yourself up like this. You have so many ideas floating through that big head of yours and that’s great. Do them all when you can. But take it one day at a time. Realize that you’re awesome and the moment you can tell yourself that every single day, the happier you’ll feel. You need to live your life, regardless of what outsiders may say. You’re 21 years old! You better live your life for you and no one else right now. Smile love. Smile through the disappointment and the tears you have right now. Smile through the sadness. I know it will take a while for you to get over this, I know that you’ll feel better later on tonight.
I love you, me.
P.S. Btw, when you finally get around to purchasing your first drink with your friends, make sure you pick out something good. If not, you will regret it. Haha ♥
Not keeping this long…but in the meantime, ask me stuff. http://ask.fm/ShunaRae
