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. 

Day 1 of Insanity Workout

Today was my first day of Insanity and whew, it was NOT easy.

My measurements: I have always been skinny with a little belly, but under 120 pounds which works well for my 5'4" frame. I have really long legs and almost no torso, so any extra weight there can look really sloppy.

Some background on my athletic life:  Before high school, I never played any sports except a random year where I did ballet. Then in high school I picked up tennis, winter track and spring track for a few years. Once I got to college I  didn't start working out until I got a little freshman soda gut. My Mom never bought soda for the house, so I went overboard and started drinking sprite and root beer every day. Anyway, I kicked the soda habit and for the next four years of college I did yoga 2-3 times a week with 1-2 days of Pilates or Kickboxing thrown in. 

When I was working out regularly, my stomach stayed flat for the entire day. Now, my stomach is only flat when I wake up in my morning, which is nothing fantastic.

The real breakthrough that made me decide to start working out were some pictures of myself from July 4th. My stomach looked horrible in the pictures and I was sucking it in with all my might hahaha. Granted I had just left a barbecue, but I hadn't eaten anything outrageous (some berry salad, pasta salad, a corn, and a chicken leg). That night, I channel flipped until I found an Insanity infomercial and watched the entire thing. I bought the DVD's that same week after reading a few blogs to make sure it wasn't a scam. 

Anyway, back to today. The fit test was HARD. I was drenched in sweat even though I had a fan directly pointing on me and ice cold water (I sweat even more than I used to sweat during kickboxing class in the plex/gym at my university that had no AC despite it's sweltering temperatures). 

Here are my fit test results:

Switch kicks, 62
Power jacks, 46
Power knees, 79
Power jumps, 30
Globe jumps, 7
Suicide jumps, 15
Push up jacks, 25
Low plank obliques, 28

A tiny-teeny part of me is dreading tomorrow since I know it'll only get harder, but I'm trying to block out the negative thoughts and think forward to 60 days from now when I'll be so happy that I became an Insaniac. 

Initial Thoughts: TIGI Foxy Curls

On a whim I decided to pick this up tonight at Target. I paid a little under 18 USD for it. No comment on whether or not I was influenced by the cute bottle *guilty look*. I flat ironed my hair on Friday but because of the humidity in Boston it's half straight, half kinky. Ohh well. When I went to apply the cream to my bang I got scared for a minute because my hair didn't curl back up immediately, but fortunately it just needed a minute to catch itself *breathes sigh of relief*

Anyway, here are my initial thoughts. The smell is EXTREMELY sweet, almost like liquid candy. Straight out of the bottle the smell makes me feel slightly nauseas but now that it's on my hair I can't smell it as strongly. I used a pea sized amount on my wet bang (I'll post pictures in a few minutes). In terms of performance, my curls are perfectly defined and have dried with minimal shrinkage. It has even managed to tame the unruly/dry 4b halo that I have going on. Sometimes this section is painfully dry, coarse and undefined. Other times, like now, it blends in perfectly with the rest of my 4a/3c hair.

Overall I am very pleased with this product but it is too early to say whether not I'd repurchase it. I'll be back with an update later.