A List of my Favorite Products 2021

 NOTE: You might want to skip to the bottom

and just check out the photos. This 

post is kinda... long!

I don't think I have done this for a while. The lists I share on Amazon are not something the get a lot of views. I forget they are even there sometimes. But I wanted to think about some of the many products I blog about and pick some stand-out favorites. Here goes. (By the way, photos are just randomly placed throughout.)

Hair & Beauty

• Honey Hydrate. I trashed it in a review, then fell in love with it. It's not cheap but it's worth every penny.
• Taliah Waajid's Intense Moisture & Coconut Milk Leave-In Conditioner. Like the Honey Hydrate, it has the power to soften the crunchiest hair. I like to use it as a twisting cream after a fresh wash.
• Joah Beauty makeup brushes. I might actually use brushes over silicone blenders after using these angel-kiss tools. I got to sample the large brush and the blender brush and, yeah.
• Blistex Conditioning Lip Serum. This is the best lip product I have that's also very affordable.
• Neutrogena Hydra Boost Lip Treatment. It's one of those really effective products that you only have to use every now and then, so that makes it affordable. I think it's the hyaluronic acid that smoothed my old-age lips!
• Dermalogica Melting Moisture Mask is a product I got to sample & would probably have to skip a few meals to afford. HOWEVER... this stuff is amazing. Like some of the other products on this list, I have to use this sparingly because it works that well.
• Dashing Diva Gloss Ultra Shine Gel Manicure. I don't like going to salon manicures - they are too expensive for a regular treat - but I love pretty nails. I wore the nail wraps from this inexpensive kit for probably 15 days.I could have gone for longer but the edges on a couple were lifting and snagging my hair when I was styling it. I'm getting more sets and plan to have cute nails more often!
• I'm going to include a couple of fragrances here: Angel Nova by Mugler is just... divine. Eros by Versace made me want to be in love. Then there is Gorgeous! by Michael Kors which is more playfully sexy. They are from the samples I get in the mail from Macy's on a regular basis. 
• The Tangle Teezer. Oh. My. Goodness. My nappy hair loves this brush/detangler. Best thing that's happened to my hair in a while.
• Making Cosmetics makes a few things I heart. Their Almond, Apricot and Nourishing Oil are must-have-arounds. 

Home - Kitchen - Pantry - Office

• The Lemon Poundcake scented oil from Candle Science will probably forever be a favorite. I had to give up the Iced Lemon Sugar Cookies wax melts because the price got stupid. When I found the Lemon Poundcake, I stopped missing the ILSC melts. 
• I love, love, LOVE my Bissell Bagless. It's almost 3 years old and still a workhorse.
• My Electric Kettle is life. I got the cute gooseneck one & I use that thing at least 3 times a day - more now that I am drinking instant coffee.
• The Brother HL-2300D that I have had since 2016 and dragged from Alaska to Iowa to Alaska and back here to Iowa. That thing uses cheap toner and cheap paper and just never stops.
• My Echo Smart Pen that I still use and love, love, love. For someone with my memory issues, it's sometimes a real lifesaver.
• The Instant Pot. You know what it is.
• Cascara Tea. I need to drink it more often but it makes me feel great. It's full of antioxidants.
• My first food sealer just keeps going and going. I hate the 2nd and more fancy one I got.
• The set of cast iron I never want to be without. I am still thrilled with the Dutch Oven/Skillet combo.
• Cavender's All-Purpose Greek Seasoning is right up there with my Lawry's Seasoned Salt. The Cavender's is actually better because their low-sodium version tastes better than low-sodium Lawry's.
• Of course, I am going to add the Beaumont and Nescafe instant coffees.
• Banquet Fried Chicken. If you don't want to fry chicken but you want it crispy & seasoned, this is it. Plus, you can fix one piece at a time.

Vape Products

• Since my Smok Veneno gave up the game a while back (poor thing just gave out one day!), I rely on my Sigelei Shikra. It didn't start as a fave but the tank is the main thing in a vape and this one uses my Voopoo UForce tank.
• I just discovered the best Juul-like disposable ever: Simple Sticks. I only tried Peach and Mango Freeze. They can keep the Mango but that Peach is a juicy gem.

So, in your face, Oprah. You don't have to be rich and have rich tastes to have a nice list of favorites.

I'm sure I could add a few more things but I wanted to stick with the real highlights. If I wanted to be silly, I would add the Banquet Chicken I've been craving lately. KFC lost me when they wanted about 20 bucks for an 8-piece bucket. Banquet not only is more affordable, it tastes better and I can cook one piece at a time. Girl, bye.

Some of the things on these lists were given to me as samples to try. You all really need to hop on the samples wagon. Use an email address separate from your main one and sign up. My free Macy's sample fragrances are such a mood-lifter. Also, some places online let you get to try luxury-priced items that you might otherwise skip. The Dermalogica is something I probably would never have looked twice at. Now it's going on my Birthday & Christmas Beg lists for my family! The Diva nail wraps were in my cheapo Walmart Beauty Box. Do you know how excited I am that I can spend less than 10 bucks and 10 minutes to end up with a really pretty manicure? And no messy brushes involved? I'm on that.

Photos of all the ones I might 

or might not

have been too lazy

to categorize!

Better than ~gasp~ Aussie Moist

The most awesome primer

                                                                        

                                                                                                                 

Fresca - the non-diet-tasting
diet soda

Best nappy hairbrush

                                                                                                  

The dream bread
machine

Must-have cast iron
Dutch oven/skillet combo

Milk for single people

Best honey EVER

If you are gonna drink
it black, this is the one

too pricey but so 
worth it

 

Smells like You

Yes, chile, yes

My shade match

Never clean up 
a pot's boil-over again

Cascara Coffee

 

I will never pay for a salon manicure again

Last but never least is my sugar bear. I can never do a "favorites" list without the most important, all-time, numba one:

This is all of my heart!

Next, I will do a list of my favorite online shops (and tell you why they made the list).

Peace

--Free

**UPDATE** Quick Note About Camille Rose Naturals Honey Hydrate

 About 7 months or so ago, I kind of bashed on Camille Rose Naturals Honey Hydrate and had to backtrack. I mean, I was kind of brutal when I wrote reviews on sites like Amazon, Walmart, and Target. And here on the blog, I was mean, mean, mean.

Then...

I fell in love with the stuff. I had to do an update on the blog and all those reviews I posted. Honey Hydrate saved my hair from some serious self-inflicted damage. Not that my hair damaged itself but... well, you should know what I mean.

Anyway.

I wanted to do an update to share another wonderful way to use the product. I don't know why I thought of it, but I have been hydrating just my scalp and roots with Hydrate. Amazing.

I was trying to love my grays but...
time to cover those bad boys

Don't know why my ends
need trimming again

One thing I have found is that, even when my hair is not dried out, my scalp tends to be. Always. I use oils and other products but I think I have been one-siding the care of my hair. I have tended to worry about the ends more. I trim and moisturize and baby them. Meanwhile, my scalp has not been holding a lot of moisture. That gets worse as I get older.

What I have started doing is using some biotin oil on my scalp and using some Honey Hydrate as well.

I don't know yet how the biotin is working for health and growth so I'll have to come back to that. What I can tell already is that the Honey Hydrate is doing a great job of keeping my scalp super, well, hydrated. The roots of my hair are soft and I'm not seeing breakage there. 

I can't wait to keep up this routine for another month or two so I can see if it's helping as much as I think. When I did my twists the other night, my hair was easier to separate at the root. It was less tangled and fragile-feeling. After having the twists in for 3 days, they are not dried out at the tops and I love that they aren't staying bunched up at the root when I remove my sleep bonnet.

Been rocking these for 
a minute now!

So, yeah. As I have said in the past, Honey Hydrate can be a bit much for all-over use unless you are trying to heal some serious damage. It provides so much moisture that it discourages curl hold and definition. However, that deep moisture is just what my scalp and roots have been needing. Apparently.

I will, of course, be doing a follow-up post with some After photos that might show length retention.

Peace 

--Free

**REVIEW** Dashing Diva Nail Strips

 Do you ever look at other people's pretty manicures and wish your nails could be that cute? Do you also hate the idea of sitting for a manicure? Or paying so much for one? That's a ✓ ✓ and ✓ for me.

Currently, I can't afford to spend money on things like mani-pedis. And I never have liked the process of going to a salon, sitting and waiting, and - even when I could afford it - paying for someone to paint my nails.

I like having the part done where my nails get cleaned, clipped, and pampered. I just was never that thrilled with the paint job. One of my nieces has some kind of acrylic or something painted over her natural nail. She gets a regular paint job and her hands always look nice. The thing is, I'm not sure she can stop having them done regularly. I don't even know what her natural nails look like.

Whatever.

What I do like is having cute nails. I like having a nice look to the polish or even a little low-key flair to them. And now I have found a way to have all that without busting my tiny budget. Look how cute my nails are looking:

I messed up the thumb!

This was my fave & 1st set

Granted, they could be a little neater but that's on me. I did this myself in about 10 minutes. I bet if I took another 5 minutes, they would be neater, right? I'm getting better though.

This is 1 that I added to when they 
started to wear on the tips

At any rate, I love, love, ❤ these Dashing Diva nail strips.

Caught a sale of 6 & 7 bucks so...

I got the first set in my Walmart Beauty Box. They were the last thing I tried because I thought at first that they were press-on nails. I am not a fan of anything hard and press-on for nails. I haven't done fake nails since I was in my teens or early 20's and one popped off at an inappropriate time. (Is there an appropriate time for a nail to go flying across a cafe?)

After I tried everything else in the beauty box, I finally glanced at the Dashing Diva kit. I wanted to see if it was something I could pass along to someone else. That's when I noticed that they weren't fake nails but a "gel manicure".

Hmmm...

When I opened them up and realized that they are, basically, strips of polish that you shape to your own nails, well... What???

The strips are very thin, as you can see from this one that I removed after about 12 days. And, they would have lasted longer but I wanted to try another set!

Once I tried the first set of Dashing Diva, I went over to price them on Amazon. Ridiculous. They are cheaper and the variety is better on the Dashing Diva site. The site also has a Diva Squad and if you sign up, you get discounts.

By the way, when I was on Amazon, I thought I would look for a different brand. I saw these Salon Effects from Sally Hansen...

More pricey & not near as cute

... and, since I usually like all things Sally Hansen, I gave them a try. Big mistake. I liked nothing about them. The design is cute on the product page but the actual color of them is so white that it was as if I was wearing White Out on my nails. The design would have been great on a toned-down background.

Just a bad product design
& hard to use

Also, they are harder to apply to and remove from the nail. They are so thin that a couple of them tore while I was removing them from the backing, then when I tried removing them from my nails, it was like removing sticky paint. I ended up having to use polish remover. Such a mess. Never again, Sally Hansen, never again. I will stick with Dashing Diva.

If you go to the Dashing Diva site, keep in mind that there are categories. I have only ever tried the manicures and in the "gloss". There are categories for press-on nails, nail art, a kids' section, etc. Also, you might want to do combos. Just watch the menu. A cool thing is that shipping is free with orders over 15 bucks. Not bad.

NOTE: Although this is not a sponsored post, if you do go over to the site, you can share the credit by using my referral code Just saying. And then you can get a referral code to share with your friends.

The nail strips have been lasting about 12 17 days for me. They would last longer if I wore gloves when I washed dishes. To be honest, even the ones I have removed were only showing wear at the tips and were still pretty cute. At first, I was being pretty low-key with them but I want to get more adventurous. The next set I'm wearing is going to be the Rose Sparkle design:

So, yeah. If you like the idea of having a cute manicure without going broke (or going out), this might be an option. Another nice thing about it is that it's a prompt to take care of your nails. Every time I use a set, I take the time to show a little TLC to my cuticles and give my nails a quick grooming. 

Now I have to go over to the Dashing Diva site look at some of the nail art!

Peace

--Free

P.S.: Forgot to add photos of the sticker art that came

I like 2 design packs
so I got 2 each

Every sticker is tiny & separate.
The 2 small heart on the ends are my favorite 

Fear & Fragility in the Age of COVID

 This has been a heck of a week. I go out to dinner - me, the hermit queen. I go out ONE TIME... 

So I went out with my family for a bit of dinner last Friday and it was nice. The place we went to was taking all the safety measures - lots of distance between tables, staff wearing masks, the whole bit. Plus, there were only 2 parties in the entire place. My family of 3 was at a table on one side of the large dining room and another, larger party was on the other. In between serving us, we never saw the staff.

We had a decent lunch and it was fun to be chatting and hanging out where we didn't have to clear away or wash dishes. Afterward, we went for a little drive around the lake. Then I went home. I was out of my apartment for less than 2 hours. Maybe an hour and 40 minutes. It was just enough time to enjoy my family and not too much for my anxiety to kick in.

That was Friday afternoon. By Saturday evening, I wasn't feeling great. I felt hot and dried out, then cold and clammy. The skin on my belly felt so hot at one point, it scared me. I never get fevers. I think I had one once when I was in the hospital with sarcoidosis.  

I had been feeling so icky that I had put my computer on the bed so I could do my Bible reading without getting up. I stopped everything and ordered a thermometer online.

And then I slept. I think I must have slept from that Saturday off and on until my family called to see if I was coming to dinner at their house. They hadn't gotten my message about not feeling well. And that is scary. Scary to think that my messages were getting missed. Great. So no Easter dinner with the family for me.  I had cold medicine in an emergency kit so I took some and carried bottled water, a roll of tissue and some baby wipes back to bed with me.

I slept through the usual family text messages we send for holidays. When I missed one from Arizona, one of my brothers there called to check on me. I was feeling better. Must have been all the sleep. 

After lectures about COVID and vaccines from my worried brother, I went back to sleep. And I slept clean through until Monday around 10 when the mailman knocked. My thermometer was here. And I wasn't feeling so great. 

Other than my sarcoid and the meds I take for it, I don't get super sick. I get every cold that comes within a hundred yards of our town but I don't get sick the way I felt sick this time. The hot-dry-cold-clammy-chilled-burning up.... That worried me but I knew I hadn't lost my sense of taste because I was sure tasting the cough drops I had.  I was too wiped out to Google for COVID symptoms. 

I waited for the thermometer to arrive and when it did, I was grateful it was easy to figure out. It's simple and easy to read. I was in no mood for figuring things out.

From the memory function, I know that my temp ran from 98.1 to 99.6 to an even 100. And, as I said, I don't get fevers. I don't think I've ever gotten past 98.5.

At the time, I didn't appreciate the helpful frowny-face that the thermometer displays for high temps. It was still smiling at above 98 but started scowling for 100 degrees.

This is the thing about living alone. You get used to dealing with your anxiety and nerves on your own on a daily basis. I have felt unwell and not worried before because I knew what was wrong and I knew it would pass. I get slightly ill once a week from meds. I sometimes have problems with my balance. I know what to do in those cases. Drink plenty of fluids for the weekly sickness and when I get unsteady on my feet, I sit or lay down for long periods. No big. But this... This was like a regular old nasty flu bug.

Me: no unusual shortness of breath & no coughing

I didn't want to worry my family so I just kept telling them that I had a bad cold and was resting up. But at one point, I scared myself when I couldn't come out of the chills. I texted my SIL that I would go to the clinic if I didn't feel better soon.

Spoiler: I survived. I started feeling better this morning. I was able to get up and make toast and tea. I still don't have the energy to trust standing in the shower (as badly as I need one!) but I have been up and on my feet. I took out my trash. I just ordered some things from the store - soup, bread, peanut butter, more cold meds, and some coconut water to help re-hydrate. I'm still staying extra-isolated. I don't want to come in contact with anyone for at least another couple of weeks. Just in case. I'm not seeing my family and when I get groceries, I have the delivery left outside my door. Just. In. Case. From what I understand, 20 days is a safe period of isolation. No problem here.

I'm just ranting a little here. I guess I want to commiserate with all my other Living Single singles. Now that we are living in the age of this superbug virus, life feels a little more fragile. Or at least it does for me.

Just so you all know, I am not afraid of dying. I think I've said that here before. Being dead doesn't bother me because I won't stay dead. It's the whole "getting dead" part that doesn't sound fun.

Anyway.

I am back. I think. While I am isolating, I have plenty of backed-up reviews to do. I have been saving things up for a couple of months so... 

For now, I am happy to be able to sit up and focus on something other than feeling icky.

Peace

--Free

P.S.: I am publishing this post a few days after writing it. I had one day when the fatigue came back for a brief visit. Now I am back to my usual run-of-the-mill fatigue and, boy, I won't complain about it so much anymore!

Favorite Things (on the sidebar there)

 I'm adding some things to the sidebar. I wanted to showcase photos of whatever current favorite things I/m enjoying. Sometimes, I start writing a review or post about a product and it sits in the Draft folder while I deal with life. It's easier to add these photos to keep up until I get around to doing the postings. Just like for today, I have several Draft posts that I just haven't had the energy to deal with.

My hands look my age but those nails
are fabulous!

That's my first set. The Diva Nails are my new obsession. The other things are just as wonderful in their own way. I will get around to finishing the posts about them. Someday. Until then, the pics will be hanging out there for your viewing pleasure...

Peace

--Free

**QUICKIE** Glycerin

Glycerin is fairly cheap. I get the 16oz bottles. This is how I use mine:

• Add some to bad or semi-decent hair moisturizing creams. I add and shake well or turn upside down for a few days. In most cases, adding the glycerin keeps me from tossing a product that didn't originally work well for me.
• Add some to lotions and body creams. Same as above. Glycerin boosts the moisturizing properties. However, I do not use glycerin on my face because it seems to clog my pores or just sit too heavy.
• Add to essential oils that I wear as personal fragrances. I basically use the glycerin as protection from the oil.
• As a hair and skin treatment. I mix the glycerin into some hair conditioner, apply to my hair and sit under a dryer or with a plastic cap for 10 or 15 minutes before rinsing, drying, and styling. For my feet, I apply the glycerin heavily, wrap my feet in extremely warm, wet towels and cover those with plastic shopping bags. To prolong the warmth, I will rest my feet on a heating pad. After 15-30 minutes, rinse and apply lotion.
• Glycerin is also good for removing stickers from glass and other non-porous items. To clean the glycerin residue, wipe with alcohol or vinegar. 

I was going to add how to make soap with glycerin (because I used to know this). I am too tired tonight to look up the recipe for you, but I did run across this page. It had some interesting tips. I did not know about making a cleaning paste with glycerin.

Peace

--Free

Not My Mama's Instant Coffee

I'm so glad that God made the coffee bean and that someone first figured out how to brew it up. Because mornings are just morning until...

 

What coffee do you drink, if any? Are you picky about your coffee? How picky are you? Would you, could you, give up your current brand or roast, or type of coffee. Or would you go to decaf or instant?

 

My mother drank Folger's coffee. And she drank a lot of coffee. She was so brand-loyal that she could not be fooled. My sister and I once filled her Folger's can with another brand. We had bet someone that she was just stubborn but wouldn't actually be able to tell the difference. We were wrong. We made a pot of coffee for her and with one sip, she knew.

I guess I take after my mother. I have cheaped out on a lot of grocery items but can be pretty brand loyal when it comes to my coffee. Once upon a time, I only drank Yuban or Gevalia (back when Gevalia had a subscription box and I could afford it). As I got older, I wasn't extremely picky about the brand as much as I was about the strength. I have never liked those weaker or less "bold" morning blends. I like my java full force.

For the past few years, I have loved the Dark Magic blend from Green Mountain Roasters. They make a decently-priced bag of ground and a higher-cost K-cup. I preferred the K-cup but often went cheaper by putting the ground coffee in a universal K-cup reusable filter. 

Here's the thing. Lately, I have been cutting way, way back on things. I am having to eat healthier - even more so than before and I have yet to find a Dollar Menu that my doctors will applaud. Basically, I have to cut back on the Wants and Wishes (certain coffees, specific hair products, etc.) and stay focused on the Needs and Musts.

I've done well in most areas by making my own hair care concoctions and just plain giving up some vanity-oriented things. However...

Coffee is my biggest indulgence. It's one of the few obsessions I have that has some health benefits. And it's something that I don't really over-indulge in. I just need my morning cup and maybe - just maybe - a second cup a little later in the day. After that, I am good until the evening when I have a nice cup of tea before bed. Yes, I am a woman of habits.

Knowing all this, a lot of my friends would be surprised to know that I have now switched to drinking mostly instant coffee. 

The idea of switching to instant didn't occur to me in the least until... 

I had some instant coffee around that I used only to make the delicious Dalgona coffee.

Other than that, I never touched my jar of instant. Until one day when my Amazon subscription was late. Actually, I had shared my coffee with a neighbor so I ran out a few days earlier than usual. Anyway, I wasn't up to walking to the store or making a larger enough order for delivery. I decided to have a Dalgona but then didn't want to deal with the hassle. So I just made a plain instant coffee. I had the Beaumont Instant from Aldi's so...

Wow. This stuff is good. It's got a deep, rich, kind of chocolate undertone to it. I had not enjoyed a cup of coffee so much in a long time. I made a second cup. Usually, I have a 12-ounce "mug" (that I often never even finish) but I was making 8-ounce cups of the instant.

Listen. I went online that very day and canceled my Subscribe and Save order for coffee. When the last box arrived a few days later, I didn't even open it. I didn't miss Dark Magic. And I wasn't wasting any of the instant that way I did the Dark Magic. 

I'm saving money for sure. Here's a breakdown:

• Green Mountain K-cups $15.80 (32 pods) = about $0.50 per pod
• Green Mountain ground  $10.49 (18-oz bag) = $0.58 per ounce
• Aldi's Beaumont instant  $3.09 (8-oz) = $0.38 per ounce
• Nescafe instant $5.45 (7-oz) = $0.78 per ounce

Yeah. I'm now a Beaumont gal. (By the way, I did try Nescafe and it's not much better than Beaumont, in my opinion.)

As tight as I keep my budget, I didn't truly fathom how much I was spending on coffee. And, as I said, I was sometimes just plain wasting coffee. The smallest amount my machine makes is about 12 ounces per pod. If I try making less than that with the universal filter, the taste is off - too strong or too weak. And I don't always finish 12 ounces before it starts to cool - even with my thermal mug. With instant coffee, I can get a good cup with just over a half-tablespoon of powder. And I can get 5 jars of Beaumont with what I was paying for 1 box of Green Mountain pods. 

As for my beloved Keurig, I plan to keep using it for making my green teas and hot chocolates - of which I have found store brands that are both cheap and tasty.  Also, whenever I'm going to go out for a bit, I will make a 12-ounce mug of Beaumont. 

Oh! And I almost forgot to mention THE most important part of this: I can actually drink this coffee black. It's not as good as 1) Luzinanne Dark Roast or 2) either French Market or the delicious Cafe Du Monde chicory coffees straight black, but... It's too hard to find those brands or find them at a decent price.

Now, I don't drink Beaumont Instant black as often as I did the others, but I have been trying to balance it out during the day. If I drink a cup with creamer/sweetener, I drink the next cup without. I discovered that black coffee works much better as an appetite suppressant than does coffee with cream and/or sugar.

Anyway. 

So, yeah. If you had asked me 6 months ago whether or not I would switch to instant, I would have noped hard. Now, I am happy with instant coffee. With the money I have been saving, I might get a chance to try some other brands of instants. Who knows?

I have read some things comparing instant to ground coffee. Apparently, in most opinions, ground tastes better and seems to have more health benefits. I think taste depends on the brand and personal preferences. As far as the health benefits, I'll have to look more into that. I am still not sure about ground coffee having more caffeine. Again, I think it depends on the brand.  I haven't noticed a difference yet.

Peace

--Free

P.S.: I started writing this post about 2 weeks ago and forgot to publish it! I would like to make an update to note that I am still drinking only instant coffee. I am saving the last of the Green Mountain for company or when I am waiting to order more of the instant. I have grown to like the Nescafe enough that I want to try a couple other brands just to see what's out there. I also got to try Community Instant Coffee and Chicory and... yuck! That was the weakest, blandest coffee ever. It was like drinking from sawdust shavings! But, yeah, I am not likely to go back to ground coffees unless I find something as cheap and tasty as the instant I have.

Amazon's Shabby Monitoring of Sellers

 Amazon will sometimes reject my product reviews. It doesn't happen often but it happens. Most recently it happened when I noted that a product had different ingredients listed on the product page than what was on the label of the product I received. I wish they were as diligent about checking the product page information as they are about gatekeeping on customer reviews.

I got a fast refund for the product I just mentioned. Just yesterday I got another product that had different ingredients shown on the label than what the product page showed.

In this most recent instance, the difference was irritating but not harmful. 

I bought this balm because of the ingredients shown on Amazon. You know how I have gotten about checking the 1st 5 ingredients. Well, this was kind of bait and switch, don't you think?

what I ordered

what I got

Totally different arrangement of the ingredients, yes?

I was irritated but not too concerned.

However.

In the other instance... I refuse to use the product because one of the ingredients is a little sketchy.

what I ordered
(magnified for you)

what I got

What is that on the next to the last line on the ingredients? Urea? Urea is something I've had used during pedicures to remove dead skin. Just sloughed it right off after a few minutes of massage. I'm not sure it's something I want near my hair.

You all know that I rely heavily on Amazon - and Walmart, Target, and whoever else delivers - since I no longer drive. I don't think it's a pesky thing to ask that they try being more accurate.

Anyway, once again, I will be contacting Amazon and the seller to let them know about this. At least I usually hear back from Amazon or the sellers there. Walmart is still new to problem-solving. That's one of the reasons I have not switched from Prime to Walmart+. Same price but totally different services.

Jeff Bezos is no longer hungry so he no longer cares.

Peace

--Free

COVID, Science, Peace & Faith

I am having a night of insomnia. At least it's not wasted. While sitting up, I found something that I wanted to share from YouTube. 

This video is a reminder to me that 1) God is in charge, 2) Anything can create panic if we allow it, 3) COVID is not the only health issue to exist.

Like many Christians, I have struggled not to give in to fear and panic during this whole COVID situation. Because I have a fairly serious existing health condition, I sometimes let myself get caught up in the panic and madness that is 2020-2021. Listening to someone I respect as a fellow Christian speak on this subject has been helpful. And I am reminded that prayer is my best defense in anything.

For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. (2 Corinthians 5:1 KJV)

So, just to reiterate...

By the way, Dr. Lisle is featured in several YouTube videos discussing God and science. He and the late Chuck Missler are favorite speakers of mine and I am glad for the videos preserving their talks.

Peace

--Free

A Homemade Hydration Wash-and-Go Juice

 Winter has been rough on my hair. It's getting better as the weather warms up and the moisture is creeping in. However, I did come up with a simple blend of products for when

1. my curls are just naturally dry, or 
2. I use my favorite curling product (that leaves my hair crunchy), or
3. when I need to do a wash-and-go and the "go" part does not mean having to go fool with my hair before it's ready for the world.

So, here's the thing: I love Long Aid activator gel because it brings out all the pop-pop-pop in my curl pattern. I always get huge jars because they last forever, then put some in smaller jars. (I see that I bought my last big jar in 2019 because it doesn't take much to produce a curl pattern.)

However...

The gel leaves my hair with more crunch than fresh Fritos. So my "Homemade Hydration Juice" is my personal game-changer. (I'm working on the name!)

This is what my wash-and-go looks like when I've used the homemade juice I am going to tell you about. You know, because I am not stingy or begrudging like some folks...

And that is just slightly damp

Like I've said, my hair looks like that with just a little bit of Long Aid by itself but... it's crunchingly untouchable. What you can't tell from a photo is how SOFT and un-greasy my curls are with the "special sauce" I concocted. Also, I get more elongation that I normally do with freshly-washed hair.

Okay, I'm going to stop acting like those food sites that never get to the dang recipe so, without any further fooling around, here is what I blended up. (Disclaimer: you can do your own thing because I am not a professional):

• A bottle with a good spray nozzle. This is important. I got my glass ones here. (And, no I am not paid for the link!)
• Long Aid (or probably any other activator gel). (Not paid for this either.)
• Camille Rose Honey Hydrate  that you need to shop the best price for (And, no, still not getting paid.)
• ** Almond oil (but can use any good, thin, light-weight, and not-too-greasy oil.)
• Some good water. I use spring water because I think it's "softer" than purified.
• optional: I might start adding some Rosemary essence but I have not yet. 
• additional: I do add another water-like ingredient that doesn't affect this end result.

I'm not nitpicky with the measurements but for about 10-12 ounces of water, I try to do about 3 to 5 tablespoons of the Long Aid (depends on how much curl definition I want) and not quite a half tablespoon of the Honey Hyrdate (HH is pricey but it does not take much).  By the way, I add only about half a teaspoon of my secret ingredient.

Give that a good shake every single time you use it.

I don't make a lot at one time because I don't know how well all the ingredients will "set" together for more than a couple of weeks.

I wish I had come up with the juice sooner. I was motivated by my recent resolution to cut way back on buying hair products. 

Right now, I have a shelf full that I plan to find innovative ways to tweak until I have used them up. I've been playing with different combos. For instance, if a product is too thick, I add something thin - water, oil, floral essence. Because I have dry hair, most products are not moisturizing enough. That's where either the Honey Hydrate (which, out of the bottle, is too moisturizing for any curl definition) or a light oil comes into the mix. 

I have one product that left my hair feeling a little "gluey" so I will start using it on my edges for when I pull my hair back.

You must know how desperate I am to 1) save money, and 2) use some of these products I've been hoarding. 

Since I don't plan on buying anything (except to replenish the Honey Hydrate and Long Aid), I am experimenting on myself. I have some ideas for using tea and coffee sprays. Also, I had a huge box of green tea that was off-brand and kind of week. I am using that to steep with some grapeseed and olive oil.

By the way, when I started this use-and-reduce thing with products, I ran across a new YouTube channel. It's called Curly Chemistry (but I keep wanting to call the very personable young lady the Curly Chemist!). I love her style of explaining things. Plus, I think it is high time to have someone with her knowledge talking about the subject of hair and products. 

In one video, the Curly Chemist (I'm going to keep calling her that) dropped some knowledge that I have been using since I heard it. I now always focus more on the first 5 ingredients of products for my hair (and skin). In addition, I went through my product junkie arsenal and checked the First Five of all the products that I love for some reason or the other. That was an interesting exercise, let me tell you.

In addition to the Honey Hydrate (and the Long Aid), one product I plan to occasionally replenish is Taliah Waajid's  Bamboo and Coconut Milk Leave-in Conditioner Intense Moisture. Like they HH, by itself, it's almost too moisture-intense (if I want lasting curl definition) but it's perfect for when I need an extra softness boost.

So there you have it. I'm not advising you to use this recipe, I'm just telling you about it. Just keep in mind that I'm no professional on anything-to-do-with-hair. Just know that. However, if I were going to market this, I'd call it Homegirl's Hydration Juice. ROFL.

Maybe soon, I will be able to let you know how the coffee and tea items worked out.

Peace

--Free

** The almond oil I use is the only one I really like. I have used others that are too greasy-feeling. Maybe it's the type but this is the one I get from Making Cosmetics (still not paid!)

 

I had to reset my password so I can't get into my account to link straight to it but you can find it from the info up there.

(UPDATE) The Vape Ban is About Power - Not Health

UPDATE - the mail ban has been postponed. I am hearing that it's on hold until September or October but... So far, 2 of my 3 favorite online shops have worked out alternate shipping arrangements. I'm pretty sure that many other shops will be able to come up with alternatives by the time the ban actually goes into effect.

 I won't rant for too long but...

This vape mail ban is ridiculous. Doctors will still be prescribing nicotine gum and patches because, well, money. People will still be able to buy alcohol because, well, money. No one is going to be banning or slowing up the sale of fast food burgers, tacos, or pizzas because, well, money. They are even making marijuana and heroin more accessible and acceptable. But for all the people who have and are using vaping to quit tobacco - well, too bad. 

Cannabis at Work: 

How Employers Are Reacting to the Legalization of Marijuana

If I ever questioned whether or not vaping was as bad as smoking tobacco, I feel I have gotten an answer. As many comedians like to point out, the money is not in the cure, it's in the disease. Tobacco smoking creates patients. Vaping creates freedom from tobacco.

I'm pissed. I quit a lifelong tobacco addiction via vaping. Even when I crave a cigarette now, I have - or had - the choice to just hit some nic-free vape and move on with life. I vow not to return to tobacco only because I want to defeat the purpose of the assault on vaping. If I go back to tobacco, They win.

(By the way, notice how differently vaping is treated in places with a less profitable system of healthcare.) But now that the WHO is getting involved, even those places are looking over their shoulders...

I just hope that the vape industry can get lobbyists and supporters as powerful as those of the tobacco industry. And vape enthusiasts are trying to fight back, trust me. (If you want to get involved, just check that link.)

For now, every vaping adult I know is stocking up big-time so that They can create their own juices. A lot of people are making sure to have the materials to build coils for a long time. And lots more people will never leave tobacco addiction as easily as vape enthusiasts were able to.

So this is not about the health of people. This is about power and money. The money really is in the disease and not the cure.

If vape enthusiasts were as dangerous to society as drug addicts, I bet They'd be more willing to make allowances.

Oregon 1st state to decriminalize possession of drugs

When I am watching people struggle with tobacco addiction, I'm going to hope They make it without resorting to marijuana or heroin - you know the more acceptable habits.

Apparently, some people do still recognize that there are many things to worry about other than vaping.

The New Street Drugs You Need to Know in 2021

And if you wonder who "They" are, just look at whoever profits most from the diseases caused by smoking and formerly illegal drug usage.

If you want to get a true gauge of how much safer/better vaping is than tobacco use, poll those who have both smoked and used vapes. Do they feel better or worse? Do they cough more or less? Do they breathe better or not? Oh, and did they quit and stay quit longer after using e-cigs than with the gum and patch?

While polling, ask some kids what they have a harder time getting hold of - cigarettes or vape? I bet most kids who smoke started from parental example. Unless their parents now vape, guess where the kid will still be able to get hold of smokes? 

I can just see the future of vaping. There will be people sneaking around dark alleys trying to score some bootlegged, unregulated e-juice and hot vape devices - so that they can quit cigarettes... It would be kind of funny if it wasn't so unfunny.

As the kids used to say, don't get it twisted. This is all about money and control, not improving anyone's health.

Peace

--Free

**REVIEW** Suave Curl Defining Cream (with shea and coconut oil)

 Money talks and now that so many people are going natural and showing off the beauty of their curls - kinky curls, coily curls, tight curls, loose curls - brands are trying to get in the game.

A long while back, Pantene surprised me with how good their Gold Series products are. At least 2 of the 3 that I tried, I liked. I wasn't crazy about the Detangling Milk but I loved the Hydrating Butter Creme and the small sample of shampoo that I tried was nice. I would love to try the oil treatment but I need to use up products I already have...

Now here comes Suave making nice moves. 

I scored a dual sample of the Curl Defining Cream from the Suave line for "naturally curly and coil hair" in one of my beauty boxes from Target or Walmart. I've been getting quite a few products geared to natural hair in these boxes. Look, these folks know what's up. Natural hair chicks tend to be product junkies. We are always looking to find the best creams, butters, milks, gels, and oils to nurture our finicky tresses. 

When I first got the samples, I didn't even try them. I was so busy rotating the various hair products I already have. Plus, I was thinking, "It's Suave". That's judgemental I know but it's the first thing I thought. It's hard enough to find good products from lines that originally catered to textured hair types.

The other day, I was looking for something to use after taking down my African threading. My hair wasn't super-dry but it was late and I didn't want to use any of my "good" products until I had time to do a twist-up or something. The Suave packets were tucked in the middle of my full-sized items so I grabbed them.

1 sample fits my palm

I wasn't expecting much. As long as the cream wasn't stinky, sticky, or ended up crunchy, I was going to be fine.

Well.

I must go ahead and give Suave credit for coming up with a nice product.

The cream is the consistency of hair milk - definitely not thick enough to be a pudding and just barely dense enough to be called cream. 

What I liked most was the this gave my normally dull hair a bit of shine. Usually, the only way I get shine is by using oil, and that never lasts.

See the SHINE????

This cream has enough slip that I will be able to "rake" in some curls. It's not greasy but it's not crunchy, and it softened my hair.

This next part is a straight-up screen freeze from the Walmart site where the price runs (at this time) $4.98 for a 12-ounce bottle.

Click to enlarge or use
CTRL-+

So, yeah. I'm not mad. Keep in mind that I am not one of those folks who gets too deep into reading the labels for my hair products. I don't want anything obviously damaging but I don't dissect the ingredients. 

The price is what gets me the most. I have spent double the amount on creams that didn't do half what this one does. If the full-sized product turns out to be as good as the sample, I'm going to be really happy.

If you go looking for this, make sure to look for it as shown in the bottle in the photo. If you search their  "curl defining cream", I don't know what you turn up.

Peace

--Free

Where Did All the G+ People Go?

 This is a callout to all the wonderful people who used to populate the Google Plus world.

I was looking for some of the blogs and people I use to follow on an almost daily basis and, sadly, many are lost. At least, I cannot find some of them.

Where are you?

If you were on Google Plus and have any skills, can you please, please, please, set up something similar? I am sure I am not the only person who misses that huge circle of people and interests.