Product Review: Aussie Moist Conditioner

Product: Aussie Moist Conditioner

Price: $5.00 for a 1 liter bottle/w pump

Ingredients: water, stearyl alcohol, cetyl alcohol, stearamidopropyl dimethylamine, glutamic acid, fragrance, bis-aminopropyl dimethicone, benzyl alcohol, edta, methylchloroisothiazolinone, methylisothiazolinone, ecklonia radiata (australian sea kelp) extract, simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) seed oil, aloe barbadensis leaf juice extract.

Review: I went to Target on a mission to find snacks to sneak into the movies :) and saw a girl with two HUGE bottles of Aussie products so I had to go see what they were all about. I am so glad I did because they had 1 liter bottles on sale for only $5. This conditioner is one of the best I have tried so far, but it still doesn't out do my beloved Nourish Spa. It smells like a coconut dream and it's really thick, so you can gob it on without it falling everywhere. My favorite thing about Aussie Moist is how easy it is to detangle with. My hair coils in the tiniest spirals and the comb slide right on through!! As a leave in, it works "ok"...nothing to write home about... it doesn't leave me with quite enough moisture for my 4a/b hair.

I am definitely going to purchase this again. I like to mix up conditioners, so having this one in my arsenal will make my wash/detangle days much easier; especially as my hair grows longer.

Product Review: Trader Joe's Tea Tree Tingle Conditioner

Product: Trader Joe's Tea Tree Tingle Conditioner

Price: $4.99

Scent: Tee Tree Oil

Ingredients: Purified Water, Tea Tree Oil, Peppermint Oil, Eucalyptus Oil, Rosemary Oil, Nettle Oil, Thyme Oil, Birch Leaf Oil, Chamomile, Clary, Lavender, Coltsfoot Leaf, Yarrow Oil, Mallow,Horsetail Oil, Soybean Oil, Cetyl Alchohol, Vitamin E, Trace Minerals, Citric Acid, Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate, Grapefruit Seed

The Claim: Invigorate with peppermint, tea tree, and eucalyptus botanicals. We've worked with and upscale boutique to bring you this salon quality shampoo and conditioner that will rejuvenate your hair with it's refreshing tingle. A blend of certified organic botanicals including peppermint and tea tree that work together to moisturize and clarify while alleviating dry scalp. Contains no sulfates and is suitable for all hair types.

My Results: I will stop short of saying that I don't like this conditioner, but it really is *next to last* on my list (Garnier Sleek and Shine is dead last). The conditioner is very thick and extremely difficult to get out of the bottle; the bottle itself is narrower towards the top, which is annoying. It doesn't have as much slip as the Trader Joe's Nourish Spa, and is somewhat difficult to detangle with. After trying to use it as a leave in, I decided at the last minute to scratch that idea and added a handful of Creme of Nature Shampoo to wash it out. It was then (and only then) that I felt the tingle of the tea tree oil.

In all, I think this is a great conditioner for a pre-poo or baggy-ing before a co-wash, but I am a little disappointed in its performance. I probably won't be purchasing this item again :(

Product Review: HPO Happy Scalp

Product: HPO Happy Scalp

Price: $11.00 for a 2oz bottle with dropper top

Claim: Layers of product and chemical treatment can take their toll on hair as well as scalp. Be sure to soothe at the root with Happy Scalp. Massage a few drops of this essential oil blend onto your scalp to stimulate and awaken.Great aromatherapy and massage therapy to help you relax.Keeps scalp health and clear of buildup

Usage Tips: Happy Scalp is best when used before shampooing hair. Use the dropper to apply a few drops of Happy Scalp in strategic spots on your scalp and gently massage. Then, wash hair with HPO Hair & Body Wash

Ingredients: :Olive oil, extracts of spearmint, and HPO essential oil blend.

Scent: Spearmint

REVIEW: I must say that I actually like this oil blend even though I only used it as directed one time. For those of you who love the smell of all things mint (like I do) the smell is awesome and doesn't linger, so it's great for a little "pick me up" at the end of the day. As soon as you apply it, you can see that it absorbs quickly and doesn't feel half as greasy as I thought it would. You are supposed to use it as a scalp massage oil, but I seldmomly follow the rules of hair products, and used it as a sealant for my twist-outs. It helped my hair to past the moisture test on 3 and 4 day hair (hair that still has moisture/oil when pinched between the fingers) and made detangling sessions go a bit more smoothly.

At $11 for 2oz it seems a bit pricey but a little does go a long way with this oil. I used it consistently for almost two weeks, and I still have half of the bottle. I can't say that I am going to buy more once it runs out, but only because I feel like I can experiment with essential and carrier oils to get the same results. I am loving the dropper in the bottle and plan to recycle this container for my own oils :)

Product Review Week

I am just noticing that I have used quite a few new products that I need to update you ladies on, so next week will be Product Review Week. Stay tuned for reviews on

HPO Happy Scalp Treatment

Trader Joe's Tea Tree Treat Conditioner

Aussie Moist Conditioner

Olive Oil

5 Day Twist Out

So after 4 days of rocking the twists, I took them out on day 5 and wore a twist out. Since I didn't wake up early enough to spend time fluffing it out it still looked kinda like I had the twist in. My hair really takes the shape of whatever I do to it and I think that fluffing would have left me with a big frizz ball.

After taking them down I sprayed all over with the Dr. Miracles Braid Relief Spray, and here are my results. What do you think??

Forget 2 Day Hair...Let's Try 4 Day Hair!!

So I haven't really done anything to my hair since putting in these twist on Sunday night and I must say that it is really holding up well. I'd planned on taking them down by now and wearing a twist out, but a series of unfortunate events has not allowed for that to happen. Even still, I have been making the most of it and I am quite pleased with the results. My hair can rest and not fall victim to over manipulation which would ultimately lead to some major breakage and split ends. Since I am trying to retain length by not trimming, protective styles like this one should help in that journey.


Daily maintenance consists of a few quick sprays of my Dr. Miracle's Braid Relief Spray and my satin bonnet and mesh hair wrap at night. In the morning I simply remove the wrap and allow them to "fluff up" on their own. The wrap flattens it out a bit, but I like the way it keeps the frizzies at bay (at the roots).


Fingers crossed, I am going to try to get up early tomorrow and take it down...casual Friday at the office... might as well get a little snazzy with it...

I Love Change...

So just when I feel as if I have (nearly) perfected my version of the flat twist out, I have to go and try something new. So today I am rocking some individual two-strand twists...and I must say they are cute!! I could get used to this !! I plan to rock the twists until Wednesday, and then take them down and sport a twist out for a while.


I honestly thought that regular twist were not going to be me because they look kind of boyish, but once I paired the style with a little makeup and some cute accessories, you couldn't tell me NOTHIN-(in the words of Kanye). Also, my co-workers seem to like it, and no one has really looked at me crazy all day...LOL

To achieve the look, I simply cowashed with Herbal Essences Hello Hydration, sectioned in 10, and then went back through each section twisting with a mix of the Jessicurl Weekly Deep Treatment and olive oil. I twirled the end of each twist with my finger to secure and make a cute little curled end. ***For those of you who remember, I HATED the Jessicurl as a deep treat, but it works wonders as a styling aid. No product is going waste over here...we are in a recession!!***

I have taken pics on my camera phone and sent them to my roomie, so I should have those up tomorrow. Might as well suck it up and buy another camera sooner than planned.... I want to wait until Black Friday, which is the day after Thanksgiving. Last year, I got a $150 camera for $90...can't beat that!!

***UPDATE: Picture added on 09/15/09 ***