Nexxus Giveaway Winner!

Hey all!

I would like to announce the winner of the Nexxus Signature Line giveaway. The winner is:

Ashley Monique @ Ashley the Fashion Guru!

Congratulations hun! Please visit her blog she has some awesome style and make-up information!

*The winner was chosen by numbering the comments that were entered (excluding my comment, there were 7 that entered) under the blog entry for the giveaway. The winner was chosen using random.org earlier today.

Thank you to all of the lovely ladies who entered and a special thanks to my new subscribers ♥! You guys are all amazing :). I will be having another giveaway and lots more hair fun coming up soon!

Thanks for reading :),

The Favorite Series: Leave-in Conditioner

Happy Labor Day!
Prior to my hair journey, my hair routine was wash, condition and blow dry two times per week. Clearly that wasn't working for my length retention, so the first thing that I changed when I began to take better care of my hair was to cut out heat styling. Although, I must admit it was a hard habit to kick; as of today I have not heat styled my hair in 14 months and I don't see myself heat styling anytime in the near future. I am 100% addicted to air-drying. When I think about how my hair used to look, it occurred to me that I get smoother results from air-drying than I ever did with my blow dryer so I'm gonna stick with it lol. Air-drying didn't always work out for me in the beginning though, but I can honestly say that one day it all turned around.

Rusk Smoother Passionflower and Aloe Smoothing Leave-in Conditioner

This leave-in conditioner is probably one of the most important parts of my hair care routine. It instantly smooths, detangles and strengthens my hair to ensure optimal moisture retention. The first time I started using it was during the winter when I was having a hard time retaining moisture in cold, dry conditions. After a good moisturizing deep conditioning, this keeps my hair balanced with a shot of protein to improve manageability and keep my hair strong while manipulating during damp styling, detangling and air-drying. On t-shirt dried hair, I use this on the length in conjunction with pure argan oil on my ends to get smoother results from air-drying than I have with any other leave-in I've ever tried (and since I'm quite the product junkie I've tried a few ;). Recently I have been working on my rollersetting skills, and I came to find that this works better than any of the serums I have ever tried. It keeps my hair smooth, and makes detangling easier to create smooth, soft, strong sets that last for days without the aid of a setting lotion or other styling product. All in all, this product is just amazing. It has a smooth lotion-like consistency and an awesome light fresh smell. If they were to change the formula of this product I don't know what will become of my air-drying routine lol. I would absolutely recommend this to anyone who has trouble with post-wash detangling, moisture retention or attaining smooth hair from air-drying.


Rating: 5/5--Staple!

Claim: Rusk Sensories Smoother Passionflower and Aloe Smoothing Leave-in Conditioner awakens the sense, while smoothing and texturizing the hair. Smoother Leave-in Conditioner contains protective sunscreen, and eliminates static, while providing body and a healthy natural shine. All Sensories products feature Compress Formula Technology. CFT enhances and expands the user's sensory experience. Use 30-50% less product and achieve twice the performance.


Ingredients: Water, cyclopentasiloxane, cetearyl alcohol, dimethicone, propylene glycol, polyquaternium-37, stearyl alcohol, panthenol, behentrimonium methosulfate, hydrolyzed wheat protein, aloe leaf extract, passion flower extract, centrimonium bromide, dimethicone PEG-8 meadowfoamate, PPG-20 methyl glucose ether, cinnamidpropyltrimonium chloride, propylene glycol dicaprylate/dicaprate, hydrolyzed wheat starch, fragrance, PPG-1 trideceth-6, DMDM hydantoin, iodopropynyl butylcarbamate, orange 4, yellow 6, hexyl cinnamal, linalool, benzyl benzoate, limonene, butylphenyl methylpropional, hydroxyisohexyl 3 -cyclohexene carboxyaldehyde, citronellol, geraniol, hydroxycitronellal
pH: 7
Type: Protein Containing Leave-in Conditioner

Thanks for reading :),

Wash Day - Back to Rollersetting :)

Happy Saturday!
I must confess, I was sad when I had to stop rollersetting after 6 weeks post. I find that it's just too much manipulation and I lack the skills to safely rollerset after 6 weeks lol. Well, now that I'm freshly relaxed and trimmed I figured it was time to get back to what my ends really love :). Now onto the wash day details and pics:

1. Pre-poo with coconut and olive oil for 30 mins with heat and an additional 2 hours due to more laziness lol.
2. Shampooed once with Cream of Nature Neutralizing and Conditioning Shampoo to make sure all of the relaxer residue has been thoroughly removed.
3. Shampoo once with Shea Moisture Moisture Retention Shampoo.
4. Deep condition with Nexxus Humectress for 30 minutes with heat.
5. Rinse, t-shirt dry for 5-7 minutes.
6. Apply Rusk Smoother Leave-in and begin rollersetting.

This set took me roughly 45-50 minutes to complete because for once I rolled my entire head lol. I used small .75''-1'' rollers all around.

 

I let them air-dry completely overnight and took them out earlier today.

 

The results :)... I think I may be finally getting the hang of this!

 

Here's how they looked after I returned home and the wind got to them lol.

Humectress always makes for a really predictable wash day. My hair is currently outrageously soft, smooth and its flowing really well. Seems a good trim, deep condition and rollerset can't be beat.

Thanks for reading :),

Relaxer Update #3

Good afternoon!
Yesterday I relaxed my hair after 9 weeks, since I've been back at the gym my new growth has been poppin, so I figured I would relax before it got to hectic lol. Here are the steps:

Relaxer Prep:

1. On Thursday:  I used my 6+ week detangling method using coconut oil and Carol's Daughter Tui Hair Moisturizing Smoothie.
1. I left that in for about 30 mins with heat and 2 additional hours because I was busy :o).
2. After rinsing, I shampooed in 4 sections using the Dove Intense Repair (sulfate) shampoo to gently remove any build-up prior to relaxing. I then shampooed a second time Shea Moisture Retention Shampoo.
3. I then conditioned briefly without heat with Aussie Moist and proceeded to finger detangle.
4. After rinsing, I t-shirt dried for about 5 minutes, applied Rusk Smoother Leave-in Conditioner and argan oil and proceeded to finish detangling with my fingers.
5. After my hair was about 90% dry, I applied Giovanni Direct Leave-in, aloe vera juice/water mix and some more argan oil to seal my ends.
2. The day before I relaxed (Saturday): I coated the previously relaxed ends and length with coconut oil and fully detangle all sections.
3. Relaxer day: I applied vaseline to scalp and completely around hairline.

Relaxer Day:

1. My hair was parted into 4 sections and then relaxed using the half and half method (click here to see explanation of this method) with the Gentle Treatment No-Lye relaxer in regular strength.
1. The back two halves were relaxed first, then the front.
2. The total relaxer time for each half was 18 minutes.
3. The hair was then rinsed and neutralized.
4. I then deep conditioned with Nexxus Humectress for 30 minutes under my heat cap.
5. I rinsed, then t-shirt dried for about 10 minutes.
6. I applied my leave-ins: Rusk Smoother and argan oil, then detangled and allowed my hair to air-dry hanging loose.

 

My hair at 70% dry, prior to trim. I wore my hair out for the last few months to give my scalp a break, 
my ends took more a beating than usual, so a trim is definitely in order, most likely later this week.

I randomly decided to try to flat twist my hair, and it actually didn't come out too badly. The twists were done of dry hair, with no products used. This was more of an experiment, but now that I know that I can flat twist I will be sure to try this method again!

 

...and yes those are absolutely barrettes lmao, I was too lazy to go get rollers #laziness!

Final results, best pic I could get since I was running late for work. 

The waves were fairly uniform :).

I plan to try this style again in the future, so I will def do a post on it. I will be updating later this week with a length check after I trim!

Thanks for reading :),

Nexxus Giveaway [CLOSED]

Happy Hump Day!

It has been 4 months since I published my first post on the blog. I had few expectations; all I knew was that I wanted to document my hair journey and to share my trials and tribulations with others. I am truly honored that you guys have come on this journey with me and I really do appreciate it.

I figured it was time to show how much I appreciate my regular readers, visitors and subscribers with my first giveaway!

Nexxus is my favorite hair product line and I wanted to share it with you guys!
One winner will receive a full size (13.5oz) bottle of Nexxus Therappe, Humectress and Keraphix along with a Nexxus Style Effexx black paddle brush. This giveaway is open internationally!

To enter simple do the following:

1. Subscribe to me on Google Friend Connect (the buddy list on the right side of the page).
2. Follow me on either Twitter(@jen_chronicles) or Instagram(jenchronicles) (optional-whichever you have is fine with me :)
3. Under this post leave a comment saying Enter Me, also be sure to include your email address
1. optional - along with this comment, you can also tell me what your favorite hair product is

That's it! I like my giveaways simple lol. This giveaway is open until September 5th at midnight ET. The winner will be chosen randomly and will be posted on September 6th.

This is my way of saying thank you for reading! Each and every comment brings a smile to my face.

Thanks for reading :),

Tech Talk: Protective Styling

Hey there :),

A topic that frequently comes up in healthy hair care is protective styling. A protective style is defined as a style that protects your ends from the environment and excess friction by keeping them off your clothing, shoulders and away from the air and other environmental stresses that can potentially cause breakage. There are two types of protective styling: complete and low-manipulation.

Complete protective styling involves the hair being up off of the shoulders as well as the ends being tucked in away from the elements. A few examples of complete protective styles are buns and tucked-in french braids.

Low manipulation protective styling, however, just requires that the hair is either kept off the shoulders, for example: braid-outs/twist-outs that are above the shoulders or pinning up the hair (without the ends being tucked in). This type of protective styling, however, can leave the very ends of the hair vulnerable to more weathering and environmental stress than complete protective styles.

Protective styling is a great weapon in the fight against breakage; since these styles require less heat and keep the hair moisturized for longer periods of time than styles where the hair is left free, there is less opportunity for breakage to occur which leads to the hair retaining more length and keeping ends that are in good condition for longer periods of time. Protective styling has definitely aided my length retention over the last year or so. It certainly helps keep the hair safe, especially in conditions where the hair cannot be treated appropriately or you lack the time to deep condition, moisturize and seal, etc.
Although protective styling is often touted as one of the most important hair techniques, it is definitely possible to attain your desired length and hair health without protective styling--it may just be a more difficult and lengthier journey without protective styling. In a regimen in which this is absent, there are fewer areas in which you can slack off. That certainly means that you have be sure that your regimen is protective in other ways; whether that is by deep conditioning, moisturizing and sealing or avoiding direct heat.

There is also certainly a dark side to protective styling; from personal experience some of my worst breakage incidents came from not being sure to switch up my protective styles and not making sure that my hair was adequately balanced before putting it into a long term protective style. Just be sure to vary your protective styles and to be sure to assess the moisture/protein balance of your hair frequently to make sure that your hair is being properly cared for. If incorporated correctly, a combination of treating the hair and protective styling can yield amazing results! For a great example of the power of protective styling click here to view an article by Nadege of Relaxed Hair Health.

What's your favorite protective style and how has it helped 

improve the condition of your hair?

Thanks for reading :),

Product Review: Carol's Daughter Tui Moisturizing Hair Smoothie

Good evening gorgeous!

One of the major issues that I've had since the start of my hair journey has been tangling. My hair tangles all the time, wet or dry and sometimes it's just one giant mess :p. In fact, relaxer stretching has always been a bit treacherous for me because of my issues with detangling. It was only during my last stretch that I finally figured out a technique that melted my tangles and helped my hair retain the moisture that it desperately needs during a relaxer stretch. After about 6 weeks post relaxer, I begin to use my detangling method to help me manage my new growth as well as my relaxed ends. My favorite conditioner to use for detangling is the Tui Moisturizing Hair Smoothie; this conditioner contains a ton of moisturizing and smoothing elements to ease detangling and soften the hair. Since I leave this conditioner in and apply heat (for 30 minutes or more) after detangling, I found it important to make that while this is a moisturizing conditioner, that it has some protein/strengthening aspects to ensure that my hair doesn't become over-moisturized and weak. The Tui Moisturizing Hair Smoothie completely fits the bill; it detangles, smooths and still leaves the hair feeling somewhat strong. It has a fresh smell, a lotion-like consistency and it spreads really well through the hair. I must confess, I have never used this conditioner the way its directions state lol. I typically use it during a stretch, on dry/moistened hair rather than on freshly shampooed hair. I will try it on wet freshly shampooed hair after I relax in a few weeks.
I truly do enjoy using this conditioner, it certainly makes stretching easier and it also smells amazing. As with all Carol's Daughter products, this also lacks mineral oil, petroleum, artificial fragrance and a number of other irritants. This conditioner isn't a staple just yet (have to try it on wet hair before I can give it that honor lol), but so far I've been very pleased with its performance :o).

Rating: 4/5
Claim: Deeply moisturizes to rescue extra dry and dull hair. The rich blend of Shea Butter and Pro-vitamin B5 intensely conditions your hair so it has a healthy texture and natural shine. Quickly absorbs into your hair so you’ll notice an immediate difference and hair will not get weighed-down.
PLUS, No Parabens, No Petroleum, No Mineral Oil, No Artificial Colors

Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Brassicamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Helianthus Annuus ( Sunflower) Seed Oil, Amodimethicone, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, Mauritia Flexuosa (Buriti) Fruit Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Panthenol ( Pro-vitamin B5), Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E Acetate), Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Caprylyl Glycol, Hexylene Glycol, Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Cyclopentasiloxane, Tetrasodium EDTA, Aspartic Acid, Polysorbate 20, Polyquaternium-37, PEG-40 Castor Oil, PPG-1 Trideceth-6, Potassium Sorbate, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance (Parfum)
pH: 7
Type: Moisturizing Deep Conditioner (protein containing)

Thanks for reading :),