But now I'm back up and running and I'm very glad! It's difficult to read Curltalk on a regular basis using an ipod touch! While I was gone, I've been having some fun with 2 new products from SpiralSolutions, the product line made by one of Curltalk's own, as I detailed in my previous post. This line has all but clinched the title of my favorite curl product line ever. I say all but clinched because I still need a gel. And my Firm Hold Gel, the missing product, should be here tomorrow according to USPS tracking. But the Curl Enhancing Jelly (now offered in a 12 oz size!!!), the Deeply Decadent Moisture Treatment, and the Repairing Protein Treatment are all in my product stash for good.I actually had some problems when I first tried the protein treatment. Here are the ingredients:
Water, hydrolyzed keratin protein, collagen amino acids, ricebran oil, hydrolyzed wheat protein, stearyl alcohol, behentrimonium methosulfate, cetyl alcohol, behenyl alcohol, glycerin, mentha piperita (peppermint) leaf extract (and) yucca leaf extract (and) equisetum arvense (horsetail) leaf extract (and) urtica dioica (nettle) leaf extract (and) melissa officinalis (melissa leaf extract), sodium pca, panthenol, aloe vera powder, guar, hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride, benzylalcohol-d
ha, fragranceIt's pretty packed with protein. It comes in a cute little 4 oz bottle with an applicator tip. Unlike the vast majority of protein treatments, it doesn't smell disgusting. It's actually quite pleasant smelling. Smells just like the other products. A perfect complement to them. I love how the whole line has the same fragrance notes. This lends itself to layering so easily!
The directions say that you can use it once or twice a month, or more frequently if you have damaged/protein thirsty hair. I know that the creator of the line uses it once a week. She recommends following it up with a moisture treatment (such as the Deeply Decadent Moisture Treatment!). The bottle says to apply to clean, damp hair and leave in for 5-10 minutes, then rinse it all out. Follow it up with a really rich conditioner to restore the softness.
When I first used it, I left it on for longer than described (more like 15-20 minutes). Shame on me. My hair did become very hard (as I expected from a powerful protein treatment). I rinsed it out, and followed it with the Deeply Decadent as a rinse out and left some in afterward. The softness never really came back. This led me to think that maybe it was the Deeply Decadent that had made my hair dry stiff as if there was gel. After some thinking, I realized that I've been giving myself regular doses of protein. I was putting coconut oil (has protein in it) 2-3 times a week as part of my homemade DT regimen. I think my hair really just didn't need as much protein as this treatment offers. Leaving it on too long probably didn't help. So I think I may have had my first protein overdose reaction. My hair recovered quickly. The next day, things were back to normal, and my hair looked great. I then decided that it must not have been the Deeply Decadent that made me feel so stiff after the protein treatment, but the protein treatment itself, giving me more protein than what I actually needed when I used it. I will keep my protein treatment and use it again in maybe another couple weeks.
On to the Deeply Decadent Moisture Treatment!
Ingredients:
Aloe vera juice, behentrimonium methosulfate (and) cetearyl alcohol, shea butter, jojoba oil infused with amla, shikakai, brahmi, maka, comfrey root, nettle, thyme and rosemary, olive oil, agave nectar, meadowfoam seed oil, stearyl alcohol, argan oil, cupuacu butter, glyceryl stearate, cetearyl alcohol, carrot seed oil, caprylic/capric triglyceride, achillea millefolium (yarrow) leaf extract, salvia officinalis (sage) leaf extract, equitsetum arvense (horsetail) leaf extract, utica dioca (nettle) leaf extract, lavandula angustifolia (lavender) flower extract, benzylalcohol-DHA, fragrance, citric acid
I am no longer doing my homemade DT 2-3 times per week as I was. Deeply Decadent has officially replaced that. There are several reasons for this.
1) It's just as, if not more, effective to use the Deeply Decadent overnight in terms of how moisturized my hair is for the next several days. This (without the protein treatment beforehand!) leaves my hair really soft and shiny
2) It's a lot less messy. I just get my hair wet in the sink, work this through until my hair feels saturated with it, and go about the rest of my night. My hair spirals up while drying! It's really incredible. I should've taken a picture at some point of it. It dries stiff. But I sleep on it, and shower in the morning, so this is not a problem for me. The directions say to rinse it out anyway, so the stiffness is not surprising/cause for concern
3) It smells way better than a mesh of my other conditioners with oils! Smells just like every other product I have. Really unique scent. Light and not overpowering but present.
This product is very thick. It makes Aubrey Organic's Honeysuckly Rose look like water. It'd be literally impossible to get out of a bottle, so it's a good thing it comes in an 8oz tub. It's very rich, creamy, and thick, but somehow, it distributes so easily. I just get my hair wet, and rake it right through. No yanking or combing needed. It's got fantastic slip. Many like this as a rinse out. I personally prefer my Darcy's Pumpkin Seed Conditioner for this, so I have been using the Deeply Decadent not only as an overnight DT, but also as a leave in before the Curl Enhancing Jelly. Really works fabulously as a leave in because it's got great slip, it makes my hair spiral, and you only need a little bit for it to be effective. It leaves my hair light and bouncy and shiny and well moisturized. At as DT, I probably use around 2 quarters worth. Not much at all. As a leave in, 2 dimes.
Here is the hair I'm used to getting now. Here's my routine:
1) Overnight DT with Deeply Decadent
2) Wash with Deva No Poo (still my one and only cleanser)3) Condition with Darcy's Botanicals Pumpkin Seed Conditioner
4) Rake in Deeply Decadent right side up (one dime), then upside down (another dime)
5) Part the hair6) Super soak
7) Apply lots of Curl Enhancing Jelly. At least 2 pumps on each side and another 2 upside down
8) Scrunch out extra water with Curls Like Us cloth
9) Apply a nickle sized blob of Curl Enhancing Jelly and a pea size blob of Herbal Essence's Set Me Up to towel-scrunched hair (to replace product that was taken away by the towel and to ensure good hold for diffusing)
10) Diffuse
11) Have fabulous hair day
From earlier this week (that snowflake is drawn on our communal bathroom mirror with dry erase board pen!):
Now, the reason I posted the above pic from Monday is so that you can see in just one week how much doing the Deeply Decadent treatments every night has been really helping with shine, definition, and frizz reduction. Even though I like my hair in the above pic, I like it better in these from yesterday:This first one is right after diffusion and scrunching out the gel crunch:
And below is a picture from that evening (after being out and about all day) so you can see how well it holds up. Lost some volume, sure, but the definition and shine is still going strong
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