**REVIEW** Miss Jessie's Leave-In Condish

Yes, I know. I have had very poor results with a couple of Miss Jessie's products. Very poor. In fact, the only reason I decided to give yet another Miss Jessie's items a try at all was because I cannot believe such a successful brand is all bad.

Let's recap the instances I've had my feelings hurt, hopes crushed, and hair (and wallet) left in need:

• There was the time I tried "Pillow Soft Curls" only to discover that the 'pillow' referenced had to be a stone one from Wilma Flintstone's bed... (although, as a conditioning treatment, P.S.C. worked better.)
• Then I mentioned (or ranted) about the high cost of such products.
• Latest was when I obviously wanted to believe in Miss Jessie's the way I once believed in a bad relationship... Yeah. Pillow Soft Curls didn't teach me nothing; I just had to try the "Jelly Soft Curls" because, you know, "Baby, I swear I won't_____ anymore." (And you can fill in that blank with whatever the last lie is that you were told...

And, by the way, falling for the lies of that dang Miss Jessie didn't teach me quite enough. I rebounded by running into the arms of Miss Jessie's less well known cousin, "Aunt Jackie". sigh.

If this were a history of my past romantic entanglements, I'd be swearing off men and entering a convent. Really. Seriously. HOWEVER... I might have a cold heart when it comes to certain men, but I'm warmer blooded when it comes to my hair. Which is why I did pick up the "Leave-In Condish".

 Also, the 8-ounce bottle was cheap. And I'm on write-cation. And I can spend $10 on a hair product when I am on write-cation and not really writing as much or as well as I thought I would be. So there.


I picked this up for about $10.00 at a Target here in Texas. I've never seen this item in Anchorage stores but, no doubt, the price would go up by two or three bucks on those shelves.

As usual, the first thing I did when I got the product was to smell it. It smells like that plain old bath bar soap that you get when you stay in cheap motels. Just so plain and funky that you automatically think that it's either really cheap stuff or that it will strip all the sebum right out of your skin and hair.

Maybe the mix of ingredients???


Of course, the smell had me thinking that I was about to be disappointed once again... But, nope. Once I got past the smell to give the product a try, it wasn't half bad.

I think I already mentioned that the air here is extremely humid. I have been calling it "no-lotion" weather. The thing is, it's great for my hair and skin but it also makes my hair resistant to styling. The only way I can get my hair to hold a nice twist-coil wave is to wash it. That's because my hair tends to dry out when I wash it (which is why I am careful about using the right shampoo).

Since the Leave-In Condish is to be used on damp (not wet) hair, I did a co-wash with the cleansing conditioner I told you about yesterday, then I let it go from wet to damp. I applied the Leave-In and waited for that to dry.

Result: quite stiff.

I then used a spray bottle to fine-mist on some water that I massaged into my hair.

Result: much better. Actually, my hair felt quite soft and moisturized.

Next, I did my twist-coils and let them dry.

The final result was not bad at all. My hair was not stiff or sticky at all, though it was a little bit over-dry. Since it is so humid here, I expected better. However, I do have very dry hair after washing.

Overall, I have to give this Miss Jessie's product a 9 out of 10. I'd even give it a 10 if not for that icky, soapy odor. (I will resolve that by adding to my water mister a touch of the yummy-smelling Pomegranate Cleansing Conditioner, or some of my Vanilla Grapefruit Fragrance.)

Also, please notice what is not in this particular product: sulfates and other no-no's for (especially) natural hair.

So, yay to Miss Jessie's for finally having a product that lives up to the labeling & goes easy on the average wallet.

At some point, I will compare the results I'm getting with products here to the ones I get in Alaska's drier climate.

Peace
--Free

**REVIEW** Sweet Pomegranate Cleansing Conditioner (by Renpure Solutions)

Just because I am on a little "write-cation", it doesn't mean that I'm not going to keep up on the reviews.

I actually picked up this product in a Target here in Carrolton, Texas. I sure do hope that I can get the Anchorage Target to order some for the future.

Renpure site also has different fragrances

The main reason I decided to purchase this (even though I had never even heard of the brand before now) is because of the delicious smell. Oh, my GOODNESS!!! This is the nicest scent I think that I have ever smelled in a hair product! When I was trying to think of how to describe the scent, I asked my niece to help. We both decided that it's like a very sweet and juicy pomegranate. Or, as my niece said, "I'd drink it." Oh-kay!

There are a lot of ingredients (not all as healthy-sounding as I prefer), but notice the things that are not included. (Sorry for the crappy photo. I'm having camera issues.)

As far as how well it works, I give it an 8 out of 10. For one thing, it does a great job of cleaning  the hair, but the moisturizing could be a smidge better. Here in this part of Texas, my hair and skin are already super spoiled by the humidity. I haven't had to use nearly as many oils for moisturizing as I do back in Anchorage. I have a feeling that this conditioner is going to need a boost from some of my other products when I use it in that drier climate. In this moist climate, it does alright, but I did have to use some moisturizing curling gel after my hair dried.

The smell alone makes this worth using (even if I have to add another conditioner) and I only used the size of three quarters to do my hair in the shower. And the entire bathroom smelled amazing afterward.

No kidding, I actually wish I could find this same exact scent in perfume or lotion.

The price was nice on this (at least at the Target down here...). I paid $6.99 (plus tax) for the 16-ounce bottle. I checked Amazon and found it as a Prime "Add-on" item for the same price. The Renpure site just sends you to other retail sites for the products.

I did have a moment of surprise when I noticed the back of the product:

Co-washing started, I thought, as a thing that black women did to protect their natural hair growth. Whatever.

I'd love to hear what women with different hair textures have to say about the product. Maybe the reason it isn't as moisturizing for my kinky/curly hair is that it wasn't formulated for this texture??? So, if someone with a different hair texture has tried this, please let me know what your results were. I bet we can all agree about the yummy fragrance.

This is a good price for decent results on my normally very dry hair. I imagine it will work much better for hair is that is less problematic.

Peace

--Free

**REVIEW** Neem Oil by Oleavine

This is Oleavine's Organic Neem Oil...

This oil is pure and organic and not extracted with chemicals, which is really important to a lot of folks. I've used products from Oleavine before and I've never had problems with quality or service. (By the way, you can sign up for discounts, samples, and more at their site.)

As someone who loves using oils (you guys all know this by now), I had heard lots about the benefits of Neem oil for natural hair care - and other uses...

• 14 different daily uses here
• For hair loss
• For scalp psoriasis (video)
• To help your pets skin/hair issues, or their
• Flea and tick problems (who knew?)

What I did not know for myself was:

1. It is great for hair and skin, and
2. That it has a distinct smell all its own

I'm probably being a bit dramatic, but the smell is something I had to get used to. I can't even really think how to describe the smell. Close your eyes and imagine the scent of really fresh dirt mixed with old, wet, wood mixed with ground seed nuts of some kind. Or used cooking oil, like old fried-meat grease... I dunno.

The thing is, while the smell is not nicely fragrant, it's not particularly "stinky" in the way we think of stink. It's just an unusual odor. And it's strong.

After I smelled it for the first time (and by "smell" I mean opened the bottle top and was hit by a waft of "whew boy!"), I was hesitant to even use it. But to not use it at least once would be unfair to the business who sent out the product for review. I figured the least I could do was try the oil in private so that I could give some feedback.

So.

Around bedtime, I ran a bath with some lavender oil so that I could dive in and wash away the Neem oil smell after experimenting with it. Then I applied some of the oil directly and undiluted to my hands up to my wrists. 

Wow!

The feel of this oil was so nice that I started massaging in more on my arms. As much as I disliked the smell, I was fascinated with the feel of the oil on my skin. It feels very lotion-ey and is highly absorbent. Once it is massaged in, my skin is soft and feels like I have applied a really good lotion. 

My skin felt so amazing that I had to grab the bottle and do a double take. I wanted to make sure that I was using an actual oil, and I wanted to read the product info from Amazon again. There are the indications of being beneficial for skin, hair and scalp, and - when I reached the last sentence, I almost broke a rib laughing:

KEEP BUGS AWAY - Commonly Used as a Natural Bug and Mosquito Repellent or to add to Pet Care Shampoo...

I checked the bottle label and, yep, I was warned:

click & enlarge to read

The smell might not be what provides pest relief, but I'm thinking that it's key!

All kidding aside, though, I will put up with the smell for the wonderful benefits. That might tell you just how good this oil is.

So far, I have been using the Neem oil every day (or, rather, every night). The smell dies down after a few hours. As long as you don't get it on your clothing, you can mask the scent with perfume or scented water. Someone suggests using Tea Tree Oil to mask it. I've been rubbing in some vanilla-grapefruit oil or spritzing on some rosewater (which I will be reviewing here on the blog at a later date) and it works nicely. Ways that I have used this and the results I've gotten -

• On my hair and scalp - I love it on my scalp because it penetrates and soothes after I've washed my hair. On my dry hair, it was highly absorbing and felt good, but I haven't used it long enough to notice a lof of benefits. However...
• As an additive to my conditioner - this is amazing! I washed my hair with a moisturizing shampoo bar, then conditioned with about 1/2 Tbls of Neem oil mixed into about 3 Tbls Aussie Moist 7-in-1 Conditioner. I rinsed with cool to lukewarm water. I cannot tell you how soft and de-tangled my hair was afterwards. It was pretty awesome.
• Added to other oils for overnight skin conditioning - after long baths, I like to soak my skin with oils (added to an inexpensive lotion) to keep it from dying out. I tested the Neem oil by adding it to some regular no-name brand lotion with a little bit of Camelina oil and Avocado butter. (NOTE: You will want to protect your sheets and pillow cases from the Neem oil with towels.) The Neem oil  is just really good on the skin. Really good.
• As a lip moisturizer - it worked great when I had chapped lips after a little bit of fever the other day but, again, the smell might not be something you want helping to repel any kisses. Also, the taste is extremely bitter and icky. I probably won't use it on my lips again except in the worst kind of emergency.

So, what I can tell you is that Neem oil is unique from a lot of other oils I've tried. I especially love that the skin softening effects lasts so long. The oil itself appears to have a grainy texture, but those "grains" melt on skin contact. Maybe I get that granular looking result because I keep the oil in the fridge (?). 

By the way, while I've noticed that a lot of other reviewers hate the smell, I have one friend who said that she sort of like it after it faded somewhat. Maybe you will be okay with the smell (like my friend), or hate it (like me). Either way, I will continue to use it. It works too good not to.

Before I forget, as far as how much use I will get from the 12-ounce bottle, I'm thinking it will last me 2 or 3 months. For one thing, I will definitely be mixing it with other products (lotions, oils, shampoo and conditioner) and, also, it's one of those a-little-goes-a-long-way kind of products. And not just because of the smell. Next time that I add it to my hair conditioner, I will probably use a half the amount to condition and just a few drops as a leave-in oil.

dry hand

By the way, to give you an idea of the way the oil absorbs, I took a photo of my "dry" hand and my other hand right after applying the oil:

 You can see that the oil is not slick/greasy-looking. The skin feels very supple and moisturized though.

with Neem Oil

Finally, I want to say that I found some warnings for using Neem oil excessively. Here is info I found via WebMD. You must always be responsible for yourself and do your research before using any kind of product. If any of you have used Neem oil, please let me know here or on Plus what your results have been.

Peace

--Free

DISCLOSURE: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

**REVIEW** Red Raspberry Seed Oil

You all know that oils are kind of my passion, right? Well, just when I think I have tried almost every oil there is, I find out about one I've never heard of. This is a new try out for me:

Euro dropper

That is Puressant's 100% Pure and Organic Red Raspberry Seed Oil. It's cold pressed and comes with a 'euro dropper'.

This oil reminds me of rosehip seed oil. Except it smells better.

When I tested this on the back of my hand, I was expecting an oily texture. It does go on the skin like other oils, but it absorbs with just the slightest massaging and then it's invisible to the eye. If I didn't feel the difference in my skin, I would have doubted that I had even applied the product.

Here is where that absorbency comes into play for me: this is an oil that I can actually apply to my face without the shine or slickness. This is a great oil for adding to other moisturizers and, in fact, the back label indicates adding this to your existing hair and skin products.

Since I hadn't heard about Raspberry Seed Oil, I wanted to check out what's being said about it:

• It's possibly effective as a sunscreen
• High in lots of properties beneficial to the skin
• And that dang sunscreen issue keeps popping up!

Of course, I also did a test of applying this to my face. One interesting thing that I noticed is that, using this alone, the product has a toning effect on the skin. That's was a nice surprise because I will be able to use this as a toner in certain spots (such as on my neck and under my jawline), but still add to my moisturizing products for use elsewhere. 

On my makeup-wearing days when I am in a hurry and can't deal with blotting my other oils, I will be able to use this. Right now, I am experimenting with using this on my throat at night (mixed with another oil) and, next time I wash and treat my hair, I am going to apply some of this to my scalp and the ends of my hair. I see here that there are possible benefits to both hair and skin. 

The Amazon Prime price (about $13 when I ordered) on this was great, though I will say that this is one oil I would pay perhaps another $5 or $10 for. That's mostly because, since I will be mixing this with other oils and products, I will be able to get a lot of use from the 1-oz bottle. Also, I really do like the non-oily moisturizing effect. Nice plus: there is a 100% money-back guarantee offered.

I have to tell you, I'm pretty impressed with Red Raspberry Seed Oil. I'm going to be looking into more uses for this overall. Will keep you posted.

Peace

--Free

DISCLOSURE: I received this product in exchange for providing a fair and honest review. 

**Pre-REVIEW Post** Shampoo Bars

Since I have had mixed results with the last few purchases I've reviewed, I thought I would try something different. Instead of just reviewing my next beauty product, I decided to give a little preliminary information.

I am going to be reviewing a shampoo bar soon. Maybe I'm just late to the party, but I had never heard of shampoo bars before. Unless you count the times that I had to use an actual bar of bath soap in place of shampoo. (Long story. Traveling, Bad motel. No shampoo... Yeah.) Anyway.

The other day when I was shopping on Amazon with the very last bit of my birthday money, I ran across this:

Sulfate- and detergent-free

(Interesting read: 5 Benefits of Sulfate Free Shampoo)

                                                                                
Huh. Interesting, right? I mean, have you ever heard of this brand - or any other brand - of a shampoo bar? Me either.

For the last hair product I tried, I ended up feeling duped by the reviews I read prior to making the purchase. Too many glowing reviews for such a ho-hum product. This time, I read the reviews and still can't decide if I can hope for good, bad or just plain ugly results.

Some of the reviews (on Amazon as well as on other sites) are plain rude. There are people saying that the product made  their hair feel, look and smell horrible. Most of the rest of the reviews aren't bad. I keep gravitating toward the ones that claim the product will soften the hair and eliminate the need for using a conditioner. So... sign me up!

The most candid review I read was one that advised using the product for a while. The reviewer stated that it took her hair time to "get used to" the shampoo bar. A similar reviewer said that they hated the way their hair felt while wet (after using the bar) but that, once dried, their hair felt pretty amazing.

I'm kind of excited to try the product (or, rather, both formulas of it) because I do need a change in shampoos. Because, like a lot of women with my type of hair (4B/4C - or nappy/kinky/dry) I try not to strip the natural oils from it. It's for this reason that I don't wash my hair as much as I rinse or "co-wash" it.

The shampoo bars come in different formulations. I can't, of course, try all of them for now, so I have just ordered 2 of them.

This is the description for the Original Formula:

Refresh your shower and shave routine with this amazing bar shampoo original formula from J.R. Liggett. This old-fashioned formula was discovered in an old New England cookbook by the Liggett family who has since been creating these all-natural, safe-to-use bath products. Its unique formulation lathers and quickly cleans, leaving you with healthy, beautiful results. This sulfate-free product is safe to use on all hair and skin types with no risk of irritation. Enjoy this old-fashioned recipe with your family.

And this is for the Damaged Hair Formula:

Refresh your shower and shave routine with this amazing bar shampoo damaged hair formula from J.R. Liggett. This old-fashioned formula was discovered in an old New England cookbook by the Liggett family who has since been creating these all-natural, safe-to-use bath products. Its unique formulation lathers and quickly cleans, leaving you with healthy, beautiful results. This sulfate-free product is safe to use on all hair and skin types with no risk of irritation. Enjoy this old-fashioned recipe with your family.

The Damaged Hair Formula is also labeled on Amazon as a "Moisturizing Hair Formula". That's the main reason I wanted to try that one. Just in case the original one is not enough for this dry nappy mess of hair that I have. Also, I was thinking of the product reviews. I wanted to review at least 2 of the formulas until I can do more.

Yeah, so I'm pretty excited to see how these are going to work out and let the blog readers know about them. In the meantime, if you are interested in making your own shampoo bars, here are a few links I ran across:

• From Candle & Soap
• Some FAQ's (from a soap site)
• 7 Recipes from Simple Life Mom
• Some info & recipes from Wellness Mama

Peace
--Free

**REVIEW** MILLIARD 100% Pure and Natural Avocado Butter

This....


.... is one of my new favorite products because, unlike a lot of multi-use skin and hair care products, this can be used by a variety of people.

It's 100% Pure and Natural Avocado Butter from Milliard.

Since this is the first avocado butter I've used, I wasn't sure what to expect. I thought it would be a lot like Shea butter, but I was hoping for something better. I was right on both counts. It is similar to Shea but it's a lot better IMO.

semi-hard butter 
that melts at touch

 Previously, I was okay with using Shea on my skin - or rather, parts of my skin, like my feet and elbows. Shea is just a bit too heavy and coating for me. No way did I like using it on my hair - not even on my scalp.

Avocado butter (or at least this brand) is everything I had hoped for in a thicker moisturizer. I love coconut oil (cooking, organic and fractionated), but it's almost too light for some uses. The avocado butter is a perfect match of thickness and absorbency that I am falling in love with for a multi-use product.

Let me just run down my experience with it in the different ways:

• On my dry hair, it's a bit too heavy, but it's wonderful when applied sparingly to fresh-washed/conditioned/treated damp hair. 
• On my scalp, it is amazing. It takes very little & I was able to part my hair in quarters, apply the butter, then just massage to spread around the moisture. (It's even better if you wrap your head in a plastic bag then apply a little heat with a warm wet towel or dryer.)
• On my face as a cleanser, it worked nicely. I like that it's a little thicker than the other oils I apply and wipe away with a baby wipe because some of the moisture remains.
• As a facial moisturizer, this works for me if I go light with it and use a little bit of warm water to massage it in. Otherwise, it's just much better used as a night treatment. I think it could be used for day if I were not going to be applying a foundation also. I understand that avocado is a great sunscreen. (Part of the product info online states: "Applying the smooth avocado butter as a natural sunscreen moisturizes and nourishes your skin while providing complete protection.")
• As a cuticle cream this is SO good. 
• For all over body moisturizing, I used this 2 ways. First, as a regular "lotion" type application (though it takes very little), this worked better than coconut oil because of the thickness combined with the absorbency. As a "deep conditioning" skin treatment, I applied some after a warm shower, then stood in under the heat in the bathroom for about 10 minutes. That was really moisturizing and is going to work well for days when I've let my skin get dehydrated.
• Added to shampoo: this was tricky because I didn't know whether to add it to the bottle or just add it to my hair while shampooing. I opted for the latter. Results: wonderful. Did not leave my hair greasy or weighed down so I went ahead and did the conditioning treatment.
• For hair conditioning: added a bit of the butter to my hair after I had applied my regular conditioner, then let it sit while I finished showering. Results: my hair was so "crispy" once it dried and before applying moisturizing product.
• Added to my moisturizing product: I put a little in my palm to melt, then added my usual curly moisturizer. Results: either because of the shampoo/conditioning with the butter, my hair was really super soft. When it completely soaked in, I had a little more sheen to my hair. I still used my homemade leave-in spray. I liked the results, but this is where I learned that a little bit goes a long way. I had forgotten that I had added some of the butter (and some argan oil) to my homemade spray... In a couple of days, some of the oil should wear in! LOL

So there you have it. A wonderful multi-use product for all skin types (and possibly all hair types - hope someone out there will let me know!). 

Trust me when I saw that a little of this goes a long way. As a matter of fact, I highly suggest using the smallest amount first then working up if you think you need more. It would be easy to overdo it. The price is well worth it because even with using this for more than just my hair, I can get a lot of use from the 16-oz jar for $12.00. 

I got this for the Prime price and think that I will just do the "Subscribe and Save" deal for re-orders as soon as I figure out how often I'll need to restock.

By the way, when I checked out Milliard's Amazon page, I noticed quite a few "professional" use products for hair care. Worth checking out that Seller's page.

Peace

--Free

P.S.: I really have to thank my niece and nephew (J.P. and +Gabrielle B again for the gift certs. Best gift ever for someone like me!)

**REVIEW** Cyclo-Dimethicone

Yes, I know. I didn't know what this was either. I still don't really know what it is, but I can tell you what it does for my hair.

This is what the product looks like:

This is This is Cyclo-Dimethicone - another one of the products I got with my birthday gift certificates, and part of my exploration into becoming a cosmetics kitchenista...

I got it because I was looking for something cheaper than the name brands items (such as those with the word "silk" on the label). My niece, whose hair runs more to a Caucasian straight texture, wanted something to condition and add shine and smoothness. For me, with my nappy locks, I was looking for something to add softness and a nice sheen. We both got what we want - though my niece has to dilute the product to keep it from being too heavy as a leave-in.

This is not a big bottle but, like I said, people with straighter/finer hair like my niece will need to dilute this with a little water before applying. I didn't dilute, but I found it worked much better when applied to wet hair.

I don't know enough about the product to know why or how it works, but I do know that it does smooth down my hair and locked in some of the moisture left from my water rinse. It also felt wonderful.

When my hair dried, adding more of the product didn't really help with anything but adding a bit of a sheen. For finer hair, the product works as well or better than the name-brand "silk" type products.

Where things got interesting was when I used this on my skin. I applied a teensy tiny bit to my hands just to see what the effects would be. The product felt amazing, but I didn't think that it did much moisturizing by itself. When I added about 3 drops to a 0.5 ounce tube of hand lotion, I loved the effects. The lotion is a good, plain, well-known brand and very affordable. Adding this product to the lotion gave my simple hand cream a little bit of oomph. The lotion became silkier and a smaller amount seemed to spread better than before. Very nice.

Though I intended to use this primarily for my hair, I think that I like it better for use on my skin. Like I mentioned, a little bit boosted my hand lotion, but I was in love with its effects body wide. After a shower, I used some regular moisturizer, then I palmed about 3 drops of the cyclo-dimethicone, rubbed it in my hands to warm it and spread it over my legs and arms. I went back and read the product description and, wow, I totally agree with the parts I boldfaced below:

Description: 100% mixture of 2 silicones dimethicone and cyclomethicone (octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane); silicones are polymers made up of oxgyen and silicon. Clear, viscous liquid, odorless. Insoluble in water, soluble in alcohol, dispersible in oils and fats. CAS# 9006-65-9, 541-02-6 and 69430-24-6. INCI Name: Cyclomethicone, dimethicone. Properties: Non-greasy conditioner for skin and hair. On hair: detangles and conditions hair, improves wet and dry combing, gives softness and silky gloss. On skin: gives softness, velvety feel and lubricity, better spreadability of emulsions, makes colors better dispersible (solvent). Use: Typical use level 1 - 10% (up to 50% possible), add to oil phase of formulas but do not heated over 50C/125F. Can also be mixed into emulsions after the temperature dropped to 50C/125F. Applications: Hair and skin conditioning products as shampoos, conditioners, creams, lotions, but also color cosmetics (e. g. lipsticks, lip balms, makeup).

What I haven't yet done, but can't wait to try, is to add it to hair conditioner. I might have to add some to the leave-in spray I threw together.

As far as how long this will last, I can't say. I think it will depend on what it's used for. If I were only using this for my hair, it would last a while. I tend to moisturize my skin more than I wash my hair, so... ~shrug~ I'll have to try to remember to let you know.

The only downside to buying these Making Cosmetic products is that they are not Prime eligible, and they cannot be returned. So far, I haven't wanted to return anything I've gotten from this seller.

Peace
--Free

Is DIY Beauty Going to Trend?

Um... my shade's not here

Have you ever thought about what all you're paying for when you buy beauty products?

When I do product reviews, I like to list ingredients. For myself, I tend to look at what's contained in anything that I am going to put on my skin or hair, but I haven't always paid as much attention to the proportion of ingredients.
I always have known that the reason some products are so expensive is that I'm paying more for packaging, advertising, and marketing than I am for the highlighted ingredient. For instance, when I purchase a moisturizing product for my hair, I'm getting a lot of water and other fillers along with a bit of whatever ingredient was listed in bold letters on the front of the jar.

The same thing applies to makeup and other beauty items. After all, the industry is about making a profit. Making a profit is one thing, greed is another. And, if greed is not a factor, then some brands need to look at cutting down on expenses so they can offer more reasonable prices. In the meantime, people will find ways around those prices...

Some time back, I quit buying the expensive "blur" cosmetics that were getting so popular. I tried a couple of the over-the-counter ones and loved everything about them. Except for the price.

Closer, closer, but... nope

What's nice about these blurring products is that they can be used with or without foundation makeup (unless you are dark like I am, then you have to tint it). I liked the way they just kind of evened out the look of my skin, took away the shine, and provided a sort of lightly Photo-shopped look to my face. All without having to coat my face with a ton of other products. If my favorite one of these products came in shades, I would love it even more. Except for the price...

Like I said, though, the price is ridiculous. I got my favorite OTC blur product free - courtesy of a L'Oreal gift box. Because I liked it so much, I bought some for my sister and myself. It's probably not a biggie for most people, but each 1-oz tube  ran close to $18. So...

What do you do when you like something that's too pricey? You try to find it at a more affordable price - or learn to live without it just like you lived before you ever heard of it!

I lucked out and found an alternative. This:

That's Wrinkle Blur. LOL Even the name is straight and to the point. The actual name/description is more involved: Dimethicone/vinyl dimethicone crosspolymer (and) silica. But I paid under $11 for something that is going to last for months and months and months.

It works as well as the ITC products, but by a different process. Because it's a powder, I had to learn to apply it with a sponge. Best thing: I've already had this first one for 3 months and it looks as if I never used it.

The Wrinkle Blur product is one I found being sold by Making Cosmetics on Amazon. They also have their full site here with a bunch of products, information and formulation recipes.

When my niece and nephew gifted me with some Amazon gift cards, I wanted to check out some more "base" ingredients for hair and skin care. So far, I have ordered a couple of things that I will have to review once I try them out.

Not one of these match my complexion...

Of course, DIY beauty products take some time and effort. I think that it's worth it because it gives the consumer more control over ingredients and packaging. My specific DIY cosmetic goals:

• Creating things that compliment my skin tone (since I can't find them OTC), such as...
• lipsticks and glosses and
• BB and CC creams.
• Coming up with leave-in and rinse-out conditioners for my hair, and
• Creating a moisturizer for my hair

I'm tired of spending money on foundations and lipsticks that I have to "tweak" before they compliment my skin tone. If the store brands can't help me, well I plan to help myself.

If anyone out there is already into making their own beauty products, I'd love to hear about your "recipes" and processes.

Peace
--Free

**REVIEW** Organic Rosehip Seed Oil by Aveya Beauty

I just reviewed another oil by Aveya Beauty that I was pretty happy with, so I was anxious to try their Rosehip Seed Oil. It's certified 100%  organic and there's a 30-day, no-risk guarantee attached.



 The Prime price for the 2-oz bottle (which is plenty) is excellent considering the quality and the no-risk guarantee.








This rosehip seed oil is labelled for multiple benefits (as are most good rosehip seed oils), such as for helping with:

• Anti-aging (I'd think "pro-active" care)
• Wrinkles and fine lines (maybe if you were not pro-active)
• Healing acne scars and burns
• Age spots
• Brittle hair

I do like to be pro-active when it comes to taking care of my skin because (though I hate to say it), I'm a bit vain, and because I don't want to get damage that could cause serious problems. This oil fights a lot of skin and hair issues because of the fact that it replenishes moisture and prevents skin dehydration. That's the basic key to preventing (or alleviating) common skin problems.

By the way, here is some good info on rosehip seed oil, and more usage info here.

This oil is absorbent, and that's important since any oil that just sits atop the skin or hair does no good. I tested this one by washing my hands and letting them dry completely. I then applied some of the rosehip seed oil to a spot on the back of one hand and used a bit of petroleum jelly (PJ) on the back of the other hand. I waited a few minutes to see which product seemed to do best at moisturizing my skin. Here is what the results looked like at each step:

This is my dry hand

This is with the Rosehip and the petroleum jelly just after applying

Rosehip near my knuckles, PJ near my wrist

This is after about a minute and a half

The rosehip was absorbing with no blotting
The PJ is still as heavy as when applied (no blotting)

 And this after about 10 minutes

The rosehip has pretty much soaked in (still no blotting)
The PJ is still as heavy as when applied (no blotting)

I tried to keep my hand in the same position for each photo so that you could get the best idea of how the different oils worked. Of course, I would rather not use PJ on my face but, even on the body, I don't want something that won't absorb. (By the way, for this post, I used a common brand of store-bought petroleum jelly.)

Petroleum jelly (PJ) will obliterate skin "ash", but the problem I have with it is that I can't use it on my hair and I don't really like using it on other parts of my body if I have a more natural alternative. PJ basically only seals the moisture already present in your skin, but it doesn't actually moisturize it. Also, PJ is made up of something called "hydrocarbons" (thank goodness for Wikipedia!) and I don't even know what that really is.

Once again, quality and price are the main considerations when it comes to choosing good products. This one scores on both counts. I also like that I can stand the smell of this one. Ah! Happy days! Rosehip seed oil has its own very special, um, scent. Some people like the stronger scented ones, but I just don't like the particular odor rosehip seed oil has. I was so glad that this one was scented so mildly that I could stand to use it on my face without holding my breath. By the way, the milder scent doesn't seem to indicate a lesser quality.

So, yeah, this one gets a five-out-of-five star rating in my book. This is one of two Aveya products I've used and I've been happy with both.

Since I've heard that rosehip seed oil is so beneficial to acne scars and burns, I dug around a little to see why that would be. Apparently, the fact that it's high in certain fatty acids plays a key role. I don't claim to understand the science behind it all, but I can tell you that it does wonders for my skin. I don't think that enough people use it on their lips or on their hair. Actually, I don't use it on my hair as much as I do on my scalp when it gets dried out after from washing or product buildup. I do think it would make a moisture sealer for the ends and edges for natural hair wearers. I do know that it's nice good for adding underneath your lipstick to stop the chapping caused by some of the "long-wear" lip colors.

This is another of those oils that makes for a wonderful cuticle treatment. It goes a lot farther than some of the store-bought cuticle oils that are only for use on the nails and cuticles (and is a lot more cost-effective). Also, it lasts longer than those types of products.

Lots of ways to use this one bottle of oil, so that's just the final Plus.

As with the other Aveya product I use, the one gripe I have is about the tiny printing on the label. Other than that, this is another winner from the brand.

If anyone else has found other ways to use rosehip seed oil, do share with me.

Peace

--Free

DISCLOSURE: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

**REVIEW** Caribbean Roots Black Castor Oil by Aveya Beauty

Remember back when your mom or grandma made you take a spoonful of castor oil every so often? No? Okay, maybe that's just me. And I will never forget how I hated seeing that spoon coming at me!

If you are too young to remember stuff like that, then I have to tell you something: no matter how I hated it, I have learned that Mom and Grandma knew what they were doing. Castor oil is one of those things that is good for you, inside and out. My elders used it as a moisturizer, a "hairdress" (treatment), a lip balm, and a remedy for constipation. Being young back then, I wanted nothing to do with it. It tasted horrible and, besides, I preferred the cute little tubes for my lip balm.

Flash forward all these years and I'm back on the castor oil. I still haven't gotten a taste for ingesting it, but I have discovered the benefits of using it externally. I'll get to that in a minute. For now, let's talk about this:

Aveya Beauty produces this Black Castor Oil that smells better than what I remember from my childhood. Actually, I have tried a couple other brands of black castor oil since those days so I can compare this one to what I have used before. Looks like Aveya has some other quality products I'd like to try (I'm already trying another product of theirs).

I'll cover some more castor oil info in a moment, but about this one:

• There is the faintest of scents to it (you'll see why this matters to some folks in a moment)
• It's one of the first "heavier" oils that I've been able to use right out of the bottle without having it just sit on top of my skin. It soaks in so quickly that I carry it in my purse use it during the day. If I wait just a few moments, it has absorbed enough that it doesn't smudge papers or clothing.
• I love what it does for my hair. Applied to damp hair, it seals the ends so that I don't get so much frizz once the hair is dried.
• Because of the nice absorbency, I can use this on my face without getting a lot of buildup. Best thing is, it makes a really nice oil cleanser if I mix in a little bit of fractionated coconut oil and use wipe with a baby wipe.
• After I had been using it as a hand moisturizer, I noticed that my nails and cuticles were getting a lot of the benefits. At their driest, the sides of my nails get that ashy white look from the dead and damaged skin because I wash my hands a lot. I'm planning to do a cuticle scrub with this oil, using it and a little bit of baking soda and an old toothbrush. Then, I will re-moisturize with the oil. Can't wait.
• Speaking of scrubs, I have been using sugar and another oil to exfoliate my lips. After the next lip treatment, I'm going to balm up with this castor oil. I plan to do a heavy coating of the oil and let it rest a while before I smooth it into my lips.
• Because I am noticing that it doesn't take a lot of this oil for regular uses (even the above lip treatment shouldn't take much), I'm happy with the size of the bottle. At first, I was wishing it had come in a little bit bigger size for the price, but it's working out to be a good value after all. (By the way, the label even instructs users not to use more than needed. That's a nice change from the old "wash-rinse-repeat world" method used to keep consumers coming back for more.

There is one gripe I have, but it has nothing to do with the quality of the product. It's the printing on the label. Other than the front, all the other print is so small that I actually had to use a magnifier app to read it... Seriously. And the label includes some good info - such as suggestions for how to use the oil and/or mix it with other products. 

To save you some squinting, here are the benefits listed on the label:

• Increase hair growth
• Thicken hair that's starting to thin
• Reduce and prevent hair breakage
• Eliminate dry hair
• Make hair fuller and shinier
• Deeply condition and moisturize hair and scalp
• Prevent dry scalp
• Boost your hair's overall growth.

Some of that is a bit repetitive, but it matches what I have been reading about the benefits of castor oil. One other thing I'd like to point out is that I don't personally find there is much difference in benefits between a good "regular" castor oil and a good JBCO. That's just my opinion though and other people might have a different take.

If you are buying via Amazon, Aveya discounts a limited amount of this product on a monthly basis, so there's your chance to give it a try. (The Aveya site offers what they call an "iron clad, bullet-proof guarantee".)

Now here goes some more general information about castor oils:

If you have checked out castor oil recently, you might notice that there are a few popular types out there:

• Castor oil - has a yellow-ish coloring unless it's filtered to a clearer shade.
• Black castor oil - gets its dark color from the ash of roasted beans
• Jamaican black castor oil - I don't know for a fact but, since not all JBCOs come from Jamaica, the name comes from the process, which is, I am guessing, a Jamaican invention. (This Aveya black castor oil, for instance, is a product of Haiti.)

 By the way, Black Hair Information offers up a wonderful history and some info on castor oil & JBCO. Glad I found BHI, which is now bookmarked.

The big difference in castor oils, other than the color, is the smell. The JBCO has a odor that a lot of people don't like (I do). BHI describes it perfectly as having the scent of burnt seeds.  "Regular" castor oil has a faint, well, oily scent, in my opinion, but lots of people claim it's odorless. Even though the JBCO does have a smell you might find unpleasant, I found that the odor dissipates very quickly. As for ingesting castor oil, it's not my favorite thing to do but, like I mentioned at the start, my elders were big on getting a little bit of it into the body for, um, cleaning things out... LOL

Here are some links to more info:

• Covers most of the benefits as listed on the label
• Interesting to see what the Times of India site says
• Some not-so-common uses
• Home Remedies lists some uses and warnings
• Black Naps (love that name!) has some great info about using castor oil on natural hair

Sure hope I gave you some good info - or lead you to it - if you have been thinking about using a castor oil in your beauty routine.

Peace

--Free

DISCLOSURE: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

*REVIEW** Skinology Argan Oil for Hair, Face, Skin & Nails

There are lots of argan oils out there (and I've tried a bunch of them), but this was the first one labelled for such specific use:

 This is Skinology's "Pure & Natural Certified Organic" Argan Oil for hair, face, skin and nails.

Now, to be honest, I believe that any argan oil can be used for the hair, the face, the skin, and for the nails. That's what most beauty consumers do use the oil for in the first place. Though I'm sure there are other uses I don't know about, so far, those are the only uses that I do know about.  (I have heard of people taking the oil internally, but I won't be trying that for myself.) I think the main thing that separates one argan oil from another are the same things that separate any type of products: quality and purity. At the end of this post, I will look at some of the terms used on the label but, for now, let's just talk about how this oil worked for me. (And, by the way, heed the product warning of not using if you are allergic to nuts! Not a ha-ha, but seriously...)

I really liked that this oil absorbed so well - not just coating my skin with an oily residue. A bigger test of how well it absorbs was that I was able to use it on my (kinky/curly) hair and it didn't weigh it down. (I applied it lightly to my damp hair, especially the ends. I'm going to keep using it this way once I trim my ends to see if it helps the condition of my hair.)

Like I said before, all of the argan oils I've used have been for the same purposes, but I can tell that this one does work better than some others.When I replaced my Solar Oil by using the Skinology on my nails and cuticles, I was able to get a lot of moisture out of the tiniest dab of the argan oil.

The other ways I tried this out was to moisturize the edge of my hairline. I tend to get a lot of dryness there since it's a spot I don't concentrate on when I use face creams in general. That gave me the idea of using the argan oil on my face after doing a mask treatment. I just applied small dabs of the oil (especially around my eyes, on the chin and on the forehead), patted it on and let it rest before I rubbed in my regular moisturizer. You know how dry your face can get after doing an exfoliation or mask, right? This method of moisturizing worked so well, I'm going to make it part of my routine.

So, while I'm generally skeptical of elaborate claims on product labels, I have to admit that the Skinology lived up to my highest expectations for an argan oil. Not only does it work really well, but the Prime pricing is great. On top of that, there is a full, no-questions asked, keep-the-bottle, money-back guarantee. By the way, I have used other Skinology products and they have all been of the same good quality.

Now, here is that other info I promised. Try not to nod off while reading it. If you use oils in your beauty routine, this is good stuff to learn about.

The part of the product description for this oil that interested me the most was the "Triple Extra Virgin Cold Pressed" statement. Let's break that down a bit. I couldn't quickly locate information specific to argan oil, but I'm looking at how the USDA (pdf file link) defines terms for olive oils.

• Virgin olive oils are the oils obtained from the fruit of the olive tree solely by mechanical or other physical means under conditions, including thermal conditions, that do not lead to alterations in the oil, and which have not undergone any treatment other than washing, decantation, centrifugation, and filtration...

I didn't find any mention of "triple extra virgin" at that source. When I looked for definition of "cold pressed", I checked out the Wikipedia article on olive oil for an idea of what it means for that oil to be cold pressed:

• Cold pressed or Cold extraction means "that the oil was not heated over a certain temperature (usually 27 °C (80 °F)) during processing, thus retaining more nutrients and undergoing less degradation".[43] The difference between Cold Extraction and Cold Pressed is regulated in Europe, where the use of a centrifuge, the modern method of extraction for large quantities, must be labelled as Cold Extracted, while only a physically pressed olive oil may be labelled as Cold Pressed. In many parts of the world, such as Australia, producers using centrifugal extraction still label their products as Cold Pressed.

Okay. So there you go. If any of you know anything about oils (especially that whole "triple virgin" thing) please share!

Peace
--Free

DISCLOSURE: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

**REVIEW** Invivo Fractionated Coconut Oil

This is another fractionated coconut oil (FCO) that I got to try out. I love trying various brands of the same kind of product, just so I can compare them. I've lost count, but I think this is the fourth FCO I've used.

pretty plastic bottle

By now, you all know what I like about FCOs: that there's no fragrance, don't have to worry about staining clothing, and that it makes a great carrier for other essential oils. FCOs are so multi-use in skincare and beauty routines - not to mention that some people love what it does for their hair.

mfg/shelf dates

Basically, when picking an FCO, the only thing to worry about is quality and price. Of course, like with anything, you can expect to "get what you pay for", and there have been some poor quality oils out there. However, FCOs are not generally expensive anyway. This particular brand does have the qualities of a good oil: it's clear and pure of additives. By the way, InvivoEssential website offers a 100% money-back guarantee. (And, of course, via Amazon, customers get a standard warranty with anything unless otherwise noted.)

So then, the last thing I came down to with this one is the price. With my Amazon Prime membership, I would still be paying almost 3 times the price of a comparable oil (also with the Prime price).

Bottom line, this is a good quality oil, but there are other FCOs out there more in my personal price range.

Peace
--Free

DISCLOSURE: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.