Quidad Curl Recovery Melt Down Extreme Repair Mask Review

After doing some damage to my hair by over dying it and not using products for color treated hair, my hair suffered big time! I wanted to try this products after see MoKnowsHair use it for over processed hair and decided to give it a try.

https://www.ouidad.com/curl-recovery-mask.html#sthash.I9zfrtCu.dpuf

Key Product Benefits

• Fatty acids rebuild, nourish and protect
• Active ingredients restore hair’s protective lipid barrier to prevent future damage
• Melt-down technology provides luxurious, moisturizing warming sensation

Melt-down Extreme Repair Mask is a luxurious treatment formulated with our proprietary CR-4 Repair Complex including nutrient-rich Mafura Butter and Kalahari Melon Seed Oil – that envelops the hair shaft with a cushion-like coating of concentrated fatty acids vital to rebuilding, nourishing and protecting hair. A blend of three clinically-proven actives instantly recreates hair’s depleted lipid barrier, restoring the protective layer to promote health and prevent future damage. Unique melt-down technology pampers hair with a subtle warming sensation as it replenishes moisture.

Pros:

• It repairs curls
• Nice smell
• A little goes a long way
• Instant results

Cons:

• EXPENSIVE!!!!
• Such little product for the price
• Does not make my hair soft
• Works best on soaking wet hair

Final Verdict:

I would buy this product again, but only use it every 2 weeks, because it is an intense elasticity treatment. Also, the price makes it out of my budget to buy once a month.

Things I Don’t Do As A Girl with Natural Hair

Hello Berries!

We all know there are some dos and don’ts for natural hair and I break A LOT of these rules! I am human and I like to do certain things to my hair that some natural hair Nazis would not agree with, but it is my hair and I can do whatever I want to my hair and no one can stop me!

1.) I do not co-wash. I hate co-washing. I hate when people tell me I should co-wash. I hate when people co-wash their hair. I think you should shampoo your hair to get it clean and I do not believe co-washing actually cleanses the hair. Plus most people do not even use cleansing conditioners to co-wash their hair.

2.) I like heat. I do not use heat a lot, but I do like to use it. Honestly, if I were more patient with my hair, I would be a straight haired natural. I like straight styles and love how my hair looks when it is straightened. I just hate the process of getting my hair straight and I do not have that much time and energy to devote to making it straight.

3.) I do not use the LOC/LCO method. My hair likes simplicity. I cannot stack product on product on product on my hair. My hair would hate it! I keep it simple and just use a leave-in conditioner to moisturize and shea butter to seal. My hair loves this process and is really thriving this way.

4.) I do not moisturize and seal on a regular basis. I only moisturize my hair on wash days and when I restyle my hair, other than that, I do not bother my hair. I think it defeats the purpose for me to take my hair out of its protective style, just to wet and restyle it. I keep my hair in braids, under a beanie most of the time and wash it twice a week, so I do not think I am doing any damage to it.

5.) I like sulfates. My hair is fine with sulfate shampoos and I like to keep my hair happy. Like I said I keep it simple and if a product works for my hair, then I am not about to change it, because the internet says I should.

6.) I like rubber bands. I use rubber bands when I braid my hair up to keep it from unraveling. They do not break my hair off or cause damage. I fine with rubber bands. However, I have been using them less, nut only because I am too cheap to buy more of them.

7.) I do not pre-poo. I try to keep my hair day routine to a minimum and pre-pooing is not part of routine. Plus my hair feels dirty when I pre-poo, especially with an oil.

8.) I do not use oil on my hair. Well, it is very rare that I use an oil. My hair is thick and likes creams more than oils. This is why I prefer to use she butter more than oil. And I am the rare exception of naturalistas that do not like coconut oil.

These are the things that I do and do not do to my hair. I love my natural hair and I want to take better care of my hair, but sometimes I break the rules.

Question: What natural hair rules do you break?

Thanks for being beautiful

XOXO

Welcome Back!

Hello Berries!

I am so sorry for being gone so long! I have been so busy with school. I am back and will be posting about once or twice of month. I cannot promise to go back to posting once a week, because my schedule is way too busy for that. Plus I am trying to start a beauty business!

You guys know how much I love natural hair, skin products, and nails, so I will be posting more about these things. I am also starting a no heat/no meat challenge starting soon; I will have more details about this coming in a later blog. I will also be posting about a few new products I have tried, my healthy hair journey, and some other stuff I have been thinking about. I do want to share the gels nails that I am currently trying to master. Please just bear with me while I try to get all my thoughts and ideas together. Since I’ve been gone, I have come up with some great things to talk about and  cannot wait to get them out there to you.

Question: What would you like to see me blog about?

Thanks for Staying Beautiful

XOXO

Natural Hair Journey

Hello Berries!

So I promised you guys that I would post about my hair journey so far. My hair has come so far and still has much more to go. I am currently “transitioning” again. By transitioning, I mean I am growing out my colored hair and may or may big chop. If I can get my colored hair back healthy, I will not big chop and just let the colored hair grow out over time.

**** This is my hair journey and I love my hair through all its up and down. This is going to be long, because this is my hair journey over the past 4 years.

I got my first relaxer when I was 3 years old and kept getting them until I was 19 years old. When I was 19, I was able to make the decision to transition and go natural. I was one of the first people I knew that went natural and did not have too many other naturals to bounce ideas off of about my natural hair. One of my good friends, Celina, was transitioning with me and big chopped her hair two months before me and that inspired me to big chop my hair in May of 2012.

  

In June 2011, I decided to transition and go natural. When I transitioned there was some information about going natural and being natural, but not much, so I transitioned by straightening my hair. Yes, I straightened my hair every week and did not suffer heat damage. I know my hair very well and I know what it can endure. My hair is fine with heat and I like straightening my hair. The only reason I do not straighten my hair now is because of how long it takes and I prefer my curly hair.

  

I big chopped in May of 2012 and I loved it! I was so happy to finally be completely natural. My hair was so thick and I had curls! I did not know exactly what to do with it and I could not braid it. Because of the fact that I transitioned for so long, I was already in that awkward stage with my hair. I kept my hair in wash ‘n gos and puffs. I was eventually able to braid my hair, and started doing twist-outs and braid-outs, even though they were extra frizzy. Also, I had started dying my hair and I got addicted to it.

  

I decided to start protective styling my hair, because my hair was not growing fast enough for me. So around November 2012, I started wearing beanies and kept my hair in twists/braids underneath. This grew my hair like crazy, and I was so happy to start seeing the length. I was seeing the length and I loved the color and my hair seemed to thrive. I was a redhead, blonde, chestnut brown, bronze, dark brown and everything in between. But with the final dye job, my hair ended up unhappy.

  

I dyed my hair for the last time in September of 2014 and I loved the color. My hair was dyed numerous times and even dyed dark brown. Because I dyed it dark brown, the color didn’t process evenly and my roots where bronze and my previously colored hair was an ashy brown. I started seeing my hair damage around my birthday when I did a wash ‘n go and my hair were not the same. After this I decided to not color my hair anymore and only straighten it twice a year to trim my ends.

  

I am currently on my healthy hair journey and deciding to grow out my colored ends. I have learned my hair does not grow very fast, because I can quickly see changes. I have also learned that my hair loves shea butter and a simple regimen. I shampoo, condition, moisturize, seal, and braid it up. My hair has been thriving off of this regimen and I love it!

  

Question: What was your hair journey like so far?

Thanks for staying beautiful

XOXO

Gel Nails Wish List

Hello Berries!

I love polishes and nail care and watching nail art videos on YouTube. I have fairly strong nails, but they do bend easily when wet and tend to break when they get to certain length. I have been getting acrylic nails on and off since I was about 11, with my last full set being almost 2 years ago. So I have thought about learning to do gel manicures and eventually acrylic nails. I have been looking into buying the Harmony Fantastic Four Gelish Set and Sensationail LED Lamp, along with some other gel nail supplies. Now, because I am the Research Queen, I have to keep looking to see if there is anything better and what professional nail techs would recommend.

**** This is a list of the things that I want to buy and eventually do a review/tutorial about. These are the things in my price range and I have heard are professional grade quality. These are just the essentials that I want. I will not be listing any color polishes, because I will have another blog post about those.

Hand & Nail Harmony Gelish Gel Polish Fantastic Four

Hand & Nail Harmony Gelish Vitagel Recovery

Hand & Harmony Gelish Structure Gel

Sensationail LED Lamp

Question: Have you ever used gel nails?

Thanks for staying beautiful

XOXO

Hair Goals

Hello Berries!

I am excited about starting this healthy hair journey and getting my hair healthy, strong, and long! I have done the natural hair journey, but because I was doing my own hair, I did a lot of damage. I am just trying to repair my color damaged hair. I have already posted my hair regimen and kept it very simple. Here’s the link to that post: https://shuberryharan.wordpress.com/2015/07/29/healthy-hair-journey/

 So with all that being said, I have decided to list my hair goals, because this is the best way to stay on track.

**** These are MY goals! Everyone has different goals that they want to achieve. I am not putting a time period on my goals, because my hair will not go for that. These goals are not in any particular order, I am going to follow my regimen and pay attention to my hair’s needs. I will be making a post about where I am starting at and I will be doing updates every three months or so.

Reach shoulder length in shrunken stage

Reach mid-back length

Clear my seborrheic dermatitis

Repair my curl pattern

Grow out my dyed hair

Use more all natural products

Question: What are your hair goals?

Thanks for staying beautiful

XOXO

Healthy Hair Journey

Hello Berries!

I am going to be honest, my hair is damaged! I don’t have heat damage, but I do have color damage and it is sad. The front of my hair has no curl pattern; it is just a limp wave type pattern. I have decided to start a healthy hair journey to repair my hair and grow it healthy and longer. I also want to clear my scalp issues and calm my seborrheic dermatitis. So on August 1 I will be starting my healthy hair journey!

**** This is what I am doing for my healthy hair journey. You are welcome to participate on the journey with me and make your own adjustments to fit your hair needs.

Basics

Shampoo

2x Week with a dandruff shampoo & moisturizing shampoo

Condition

2x Week after shampoo

Moisturize & Seal

Every 2 Days

Style

Low Maintenance (Braid Outs/Twist Outs)

Protective Styles (Buns/Braids/Twists/Beanies)

Extras

Treatments

Deep Condition (1x Week)

Trims

Whenever Needed

Question: What do you do to keep your hair healthy?

Thanks for staying beautiful

XOXO

Bentonite Clay and Apricot Scrub for Dry Skin

Hello Berries!

Well, as life would have it, my skin went crazy as soon as I posted my skin care post. So I am currently in search of some new products. To combat most of this, I did do a clay mask and facial scrub, which helped a lot. I do need to find new products to get my skin under control, so if you have any recommendations, please leave them below.

**** This is what I do for my skin and even though my seborrheic dermatitis has relapsed, this has really worked for me. I do not have any exact measurements, because I mix until I am happy with my product. This time I made too much, so I have the leftovers in the fridge until next week.

Bentonite Clay Mix

I mix Bentonite clay with a mixture of half apple cider vinegar, half aloe vera juice. I try to move most of the lumps out by mixing with my finger, because it is easier for me.

I apply it to my face and neck, allowing it to dry for about 15-20 minute.

After drying, I rinse my face with warm water and blot dry with a clean towel.

Apricot Face Scrub

After drying my face, I dampen it again and apply my St. Ives Apricot scrub.

I focus mainly on my t-zone where my skin is the most affected.

I rinse my face once again and apply Proactiv Green Tea Moisturizer.

Question: Do you ever use facial mask? What kind?

Thanks for staying beautiful

XOXO

Skincare Routine

Hello Berries!

I have the most confusing skin ever. It’s sensitive, dry, and oily, but not combination type skin. I have seborrheic dermatitis and my skin gets red, inflamed, and flaky. I am constantly dealing with flare ups and an uneven skin tone in my t-zone and hairline. I have learned how to combat this for the most part and here are some things that I do to my skin, to keep it fairly healthy.

**** This is what I do to MY skin and it works for me. I may break some skincare rules, but I am okay with that.

I wash my face daily with Shea Moisture Black Soap. I follow up with coconut oil or homemade shea butter mix.

 Once a week I use St. Ives Apricot Scrub. I cannot use it more often, because it irritates my skin very badly, but I really like it to remove the flaky skin I get from seborrheic dermatitis. I then follow up with my daily face washing routine.

Once a month I use Bentonite Clay mixed with apple cider vinegar and aloe vera juice. I use this to pull all of the impurities out of my skin and close my pores.

I sometimes use Proactiv Green Tea Moisturizer, but I do not really care for it.

I am looking for a good moisturizer, but my shea butter has been working fairly well for now. It does not leave my skin over greasy or dry.

If I am having acne problems, I use Paula’s Choice Clear Acne Kit. It comes with Clear Pore Normalizing Cleanser, Clear Anti-Redness Exfoliating Solution, and Clear Daily Skin Clearing Treatment.

Question: What do you use on your skin?

Thanks for staying beautiful

XOXO

Hair Tag: Part Two

Why did you start your hair journey?
I always wanted to go natural, but never really had the courage to go it. So then when I went away to college, I decided I wanted to finally go natural.

How long have you been on your hair journey?
I got my last relaxer June 2011. I big chopped my hair May 2012. I am currently transitioning the color out of my hair currently, so we’ll see how this transition goes.

Are you natural, relaxed or transitioning?
I am natural and currently “transitioning” the color out of my hair.

What is your hair length now?

I am BSL or at least grazing BSL. I trimmed about a month ago, so I am a little shorter than BSL.

What is your goal length?

My goal length is MBL or shoulder length when shrunken.

What is your hair texture?

Confused lol. It is mostly 3c/4a with 4b at my temples. My hair is in between textures. It is kinky-curly, thick, and course.

Health or Length?

Health always! Length will come.

If you could only live with one hair product what would it be?

I would say Tresemme Flawless Curls Conditioner.

What’s the worse product you’ve ever used?

Crème of Nature Argan Oil Conditioner! It was BAD! BAD! BAD!

What is your go to hair style?
Wash & Go, low ponytail, or braid-out. It depends on where I’m going and how much time I have.

Are you a product junkie?
Not anymore.

How often do you trim your ends?
About twice a year.
How often do you use heat?
I diffuse when I wear my hair in a wash & go. I flat iron twice a year.

Do you take supplements?
Nope. I take a multivitamin every night.

Favorite Oil?
Coconut & Tea Tree.

Who is your hair crush?
Moknowshair and Naptural85

How long does it take you on wash day?
About an hour and a half. I let the condition sit until I get tired of the smell.

Worse thing that ever happened to your hair?
Coloring too often

Do you dye your hair if so what color ?
it is currently bronze, dark brown, and brown. I want to dye it red again, but I also want to grow the color out.

Who do you tag ?
I tag everyone reading this. Love you Berries

Thanks for being beautiful!

XOXO