Product Fail: Tresemme Reformulation #??

Once upon a time, before its (I think they're at two now?) formulations I loved Tresemme Naturals (nourishing moisture with aloe and avocado). It guaranteed perfect faux W&G's, smooth buns, ponytails and moisturized hair for days.

Today, I'm staring at an almost full reformulated bottle, that is on it's way into the trash. There have been countless blogs, threads, videos etc. about the topic so I have nothing to add that hasn't been said.

It miraculously tangled a previously detangled section and made my ends clump into a massive knot. I had to lean under the sink to re-wet the section and start over with TJ's Nourish Spa. 

Not sure who this is, but I feel the same
way she does about this trash.

On a side note, I'm noticing that my hair prefers natural products. When I use TJ's or KC my hair is soft, moisturized, clumps perfectly and is overall amazing. I might be onto something…

All items were purchased by me, unfortunately since this Tresemme product is garbage!

1. Holiday 2014 Prep: The Planning Stage

It's official, my family is heading to St. Kitts, Nevis, Anguilla, Tortolla and possibly St. Thomas in 2014! This is a homecoming and first international trip wrapped up in one for my mom and brother respectively.

St. Kitts

Frigate Bay, Nevis

Shoal Bay, Anguilla

Tortola

So being the obsessive planner I am, I've started prepping for our holiday. Starting early means that I can afford to wait for deals, search for coupons and be more selective. This post is going to have a lot of name dropping and price tags, even though it isn't sponsored. The only company I'm loyal to is the one with the best price!

My new camera is waiting under the tree for me, courtesy of Mom!

Canon SX510 Powershot

It's a Canon SX510 Powershot, 12.2 MP and 30x zoom (Price matching, a coupon + Target red card = $50+ cheaper). I'm in love and I haven't even taken a single picture with it yet.

I also got a 32GB memory card from Amazon for $22, much cheaper than Best Buy ($35) and BJ's ($28). I paid more for a class 10 since my camera can record videos up to 1080p. I plan to buy a few smaller cards for my trip (16 and maybe 2 8's). I also want an extra battery, so I'm price watching on Amazon.

Ona Bowery, $119. Scratches seem to be added to the
display bag,  because there are less scratches in personal reviews.

Earlier I was leaning towards this bag in leather but after a chat with Mom I'm getting the canvas. From my keyboard research stalking, it seems like the leather is very soft and scratches easily. Sounds like a nightmare for my OCD. Scratches ≠ character, at least to me. I just wish the strap was leather instead of seatbelt fabric.


 Bathing Suit I'm shvitzing over. And another one I'm interested in.

Santorini by La Blanca

Ibiza by La Blanca

I also need a new rain jacket, with a bigger hood because my current one can't handle my big
curly hair. It can't even handle a low bun without making me look like a dinosaur LOL. I'm partial
to Patagonia (college nostalgia) and North Face so here are a few options:

1. Patagonia Women's
 Torrentshell Jacket $129

2. Patagonia Women's
Storm Jacket $269

3. TNF Mesmeric $149
Cute shape!

4. TNF RDT Rain Jacket $149

My green patagonia has been fun, but I'm going for a less LOUD color this time around. I'll probably make a trip to REI (I'm a member) to check them out but I'm leaning towards the first and third. The second one seems like a fall, early winter jacket which I definitely don't need. The fourth is also a contender, the zipper placard is very shiny/distracting.

And this fun hat. Hopefully I won't put it down to check my phone and then leave it home like I did for my trip to PR. I didn't even realize I forgot it until I got to the beach later that day LOL.

Fortunately, I don't need much. I did a lot of shopping last summer, so I don't need any more shorts, skirts and tops.


All items were or will be purchased by myself. Or good ol' Mom LOL.

Quick Thought

I've been natural most of my life (only relaxed between 16-19) but I spent many of the years before my relaxer coveting relaxed hair. I loved everything about the mythical relaxed head of hair. No more frizzy halo of hair after gym class. No more long detangling sessions between my mom's legs cringing at every tangle.

I enjoyed my relaxed hair until it began to thin. Three years later I realized relaxed hair (for my head), wasn't all that I'd made it out to be. My hair was thin. I had three spots on my hairline that were thinning and I had to strategically style my hair. Hmm this part is too close my center thin spot, but it's also reall close to the thin spot on the right. 

Now almost 3.5 years post relaxer, I feel natural. At peace. Slicked down hair feels strange on me. I don't recognize myself with straight hair. It makes me feel weird, like a child looking at pictures of their mother before they were born.



*Sidenote: I'm not a fan of the natural nazi movement lol. I've seen many gorgeous relaxed heads on the forum, relaxed hair just isn't feasible for me. HHJ!

The Leave-in/Gel Olympics!

I am always on the hunt for a good leave-in. Always.

For the last few days I've picked up a few products that I've always wanted to try. So with the next two days off and a little extra $$, what better time to let the PJ have a little fun?

First up: Curls Hair Gel Curls Creme Brulée. I have to take the L on this one. In my excitement at this being on sale at Target (run don't walk, they have for for $6 and change if you like this line) + my redcard %5, I bought this without smelling it. A definite no for my sensitive nose and migraine prone self. This was disqualified.

Second: My current favorite combo of them all, Kinky Curly Knot Today and Kinky Curly Curling Custard. I applied the KCKT in sections, smoothed the KCCC on and the separated the clumps. Perfection. My hair was defined albeit a little dull (IMO, but my friend disagreed) due to my heavy-handedness. Everyone talks about the steep learning curve for KCKT and KCCC, but I don't see it. I got rid of the dullness by scrunching in a little Jojoba Oil. This gave me FIVE DAY hair, which is the longest I've ever gotten out of a style.

Third: Shea Moisture Curling Gel Soufflé. A swing and a miss. I've been looking at these products for ages, since they work well for Gabrielle, my goddaughter. The smell was overwhelming and smelled a little stale IMO. I still gave it a shot and it made my hair stringy with very little clumpage. Similar to how my hair looks with Olive Oil, a HAM.

Fourth: Eco Styler Argan Oil. Gives me similar results to KCCC. I am not saying that this is a dupe, but so far I'm liking the hold and clumpage that I've gotten from it. I also LOVE the price. At $5 for 32 oz this is the second cheapest item in my stash.

Fifth: Taliah Waajid The Great Detangler. This is marketed as a detangler and leave-in. My cousin Karen uses this to detangle her kids hair and it works well for them. For my purposes as a leave-in it was meh. The smell was nice but it's no KCKT or TJ's Nourish and Spa Conditioner.



All of these items were purchased by me. 

Quick Regimen Update

Right now my current reggie is modified to my work week. My washday is always Wednesday night right after work. The only shampoo I use is Trader Joes Nourish and Shine. I try to avoid harsh sulfates when I can. I also set my style for the week on Wednesday or sometimes Thursday, even Friday and allow it to air dry in 12 braids. For my leave-in I rotate between Tresemme Flawless Curls conditioner, Kinky Curly Knot Today (if I have somewhere important to go) and TJ's Nourish and Shine.

Air drying in 6 lazy braids LOL

Once my hair is dry I unbraid it and wear it down for Sat. and Sun. Then bun until Wed. I love buns and I don't like my ends rubbing up on my clothes especially in the winter.

Regular bun

I henna my hair every six-eight weeks. If it's a henna week I'll do it on Monday night and then DC until Tuesday morning. Then I'll wear my hair in a bun until washday.

Sneaking pics at work w/ my DC bun

All of these products were purchased by me :) and TJ's is only available in the store.