Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Want Permanent Pin Straight Hair For Up To 6 Months? You Can Do A Japanese Straightening At Home! Find Out How Here!!!

I have super long, super thick, and super unmanageable hair. I have referred to my hair as a Tranny, as it never knows what it wants to be. Straight on some strands, wavy on others, and a frizzy mess near the neck.

In order to tame this mess, I would seriously have to dedicate 2 hours of my time, after showering, to blow-dry and then flat iron the hair to a sleek straight look. Otherwise it would just air-dry to a disgusting puffed out Afro.

I began looking into the process of getting a Brazilian Blow out, but kept finding that the results would not be that pin straight sleek look I oh-so badly wanted.

I then discovered Japanese Thermals, which I learned could cost me nearly my entire months wages. Screw that.

I decided then to start looking into this process on my own, to find the serums I would need to do this exact over the top expensive treatment at home.

This was how I discovered  LISCIO Crystal Cream Straighteners & Neutralizer. It comes in different forms, for different hair types. You have mild for hair that is damaged, normal for normal hair, and strong for hair that would be more resilient to the treatment. 


I did not want to damage my hair in this process, so I opted for normal- even though my hair is far from normal. 


The cream came in 2 separate pouches. One pouch is your straightening cream, and the other is your neutralizer. 


You could simply go about the process using just these 2 products, but if you are worried about damages that your hair might suffer, you can also pick up a container of Milbon Straight Liscio Protection Hair Treatment. 


-What this cream does is protect the hair during the process of straightening it. 

Now before plopping all of this stuff into your locks, you will need to follow these steps in order to achieve the perfect pin straight hair you have always dreamed of. 


Things you will need:

You will need  LISCIO Crystal Cream Straighteners & Neutralizer 





Next, to protect the hair you will need Milbon Straight Liscio Protection Hair Treatment





The next thing you will want is a dye brush. Using these allows you to more easily apply the serum to each section of hair. 




Next you need a Sulfate free and Sodium Chloride free shampoo. I used Organix, as all of their shampoos are sulfate free, however you can use any brand you want. 


You will also need 2 standard bowls to hold both the straight serum, and the neutralizer.
You will will need a Flat Iron, Blow-dryer, a comb and a brush

- A friend to help apply the serum to your hair. You will have a very difficult time doing this alone. You will need someone you trust to help you apply the serums. I had done the straightening process on my mother, and it worked beautifully. I now needed her to help me apply mine. 



 Now What?!!?!?!?!?!?!

Step1

Your very first step is to set up your work station. I chose my kitchen table, next to an open window to keep my area well ventilated from the scent of the serums. I set up my 2 bowls, and poured in some straight cream into one bowl, and the neutralizer into the other bowl. 

I left the neutralizer away from my work area to ensure I used the right serum on my hair first. 

Step 2 

Before doing anything with my straight cream/neutralizer. I had to take a shower using only shampoo. I used Organix Shampoo. 

After rinsing my hair, I towel dried it to a damp finish. 
Step 3

Next I began the process of brushing my hair, and separating sections in order to make application easier. You will do your hair bit by bit in small sections ensuring that each strand is covered in the straightening serum. 

The serum smells really bad, so make sure your window is open. 

Step 4

Once the serum is in your hair, let it process from 5-15 minutes. Make sure to keep combing the hair straight while it processes.

Step 5

Once you have allowed the serum to process, you can then rinse it out. 

Do not use any shampoo or conditioner. You must rinse this serum out for a full 15 minutes, you want to make sure it is all out for the best results. 

Step 6
Once the serum has been rinsed you can now blow-dry your hair. Your hair will not be pin straight yet. 

Step 7

After blow-drying your hair dry, you will now use your flat iron to completely straighten it. 

Step 8

After your hair is completely straightened, you will now apply the neutralizer in the same exact manner you applied the serum. Use a clean dye brush to apply the neutralizer serum. 

Step 9

Wait for 5 minutes after you have applied the neutralizer, and then rinse it out. 

Do not use any shampoo or conditioner. 

Step 10

To see the results of your straightening treatment you can blow-dry your hair. The results should be pin straight perfection in each strand. 

Tips

-To ensure the health of your hair after the treatment you can apply some more of your Protection Hair Treatment. 

For the next 3 days do not shower. Try not to wear hair in a ponytail or tuck behind ears as it could lead to a permanent kink. If you see any kinking run a flat iron through it till it is straight again.

When you shower, use your sulfate free shampoo, and sulfate free conditioner to prolong the life of your straight hair. 


*Actual Time on Long Frizzy Hair

Process time total was about 3 hours from start to finish.

 

Friday, December 9, 2011

Review of Ever Straight Brazilian Keratin Therapy, 14 Day Smoothing Treatment

I liked Organix 30 day Brazilian straightening system a lot. Although it did not leave my hair pin straight as it did for others ( I have thick, unruly, curly and wavy hair), I still like the fact that my hair was left feeling smoother, and that it dried a lot faster, and cut styling time literally right in half.

When I came across a small spray bottle in the same family of products called, Organix Ever Straight Brazilian Keratin Therapy, 14 Day Smoothing Treatment, I went ahead and coughed up the $8.00 and hoped that it would work.

I had tried a straightening spray by Nexxus, and I liked the results, but they were not long lived. As soon as I showered and let my hair dry it would be back to the same kink, and the promise that it would straighten the hair more and more with each use was not entirely my result.

When it came to Organix Ever Straight Brazilian Keratin Therapy, 14 Day Smoothing Treatment, the promise was that it would cut blow drying time by 75%, and eliminate up to 95% of frizz. I knew keratin products already, so I knew that the dry time would be cut by the 75% promise. The one thing I was curious about was the elimination of frizz. 95% is pretty high in promises, so I was skeptical.

My Use:

I followed the directions as stated, and allowed my hair to dry up to 80%. Next you are to apply the spray in sections, which I did as best I could.

After brushing the formula though my hair, the immediate result was knot free and smooth feeling hair, which was definitely a plus.

I then allowed the formula to sit for a half hour before bringing the straight iron to it.

The scent of the spray is pretty harsh and chemical, but thankfully after ironing my hair the scent was gone.

Results:

Flat ironing time was cut in half. Normally what would take me an hour now only took 20 minutes. This is a major plus for me, as I have very long thick hair, and being free of such a hair regime is really nice.

Besides that though, I noticed my hair felt tons smoother, silkier, and it looked shinier. I had used the 30 day treatment before and I actually liked the results of the spray treatment way more than the serum lotion.

Results After 1st Shower:

Now the results the first time were great, but what I was curious about was how the hair would hold up after the next shower.

My hair still produced frizz, but not as much as usual when air drying. My hair also dried a heck of a lot faster when blow drying. However the frizz and puff was still present, but cut in half by at least 50% less puffiness, which in turn made ironing the hair straight take up even less time.

Will Organix Ever Straight Brazilian Keratin Therapy, 14 Day Smoothing Treatment, leave your hair pin straight after using it? No, but if you want to cut your style time by a landslide, then definitely go for this one. The benefits are not just smoother hair, you get shinier hair, hair that is easier to style, and hair that looks and feels healthier.

For me, I won't ever be without this one.

Review of Clean & Clear Makeup Dissolving Facial Cleansing Wipes

When it comes to makeup facial cleansing wipes, I have always leaned more towards picking up my usual, which is age defying formulas by Olay. However, with Christmas right around the corner, I had to cut some of my excessive spending out, and focus on others instead of myself. At least for now anyway.

I came across Clean & Clear Makeup Dissolving Facial Cleansing Wipes for around $5.00 for a pack of 25. Although they did not include the same age defying promises that my normal brand did, it seemed better than spending an extra $3.00 for wipes.

The Package:

Like most facial/makeup wipes, Clean & Clear Makeup Dissolving Facial Cleansing Wipes, comes in the same annoying package that any other brand would. It's a cheap plastic bag, with a sticky seal on the top, that will seal back up if you just press it back down. The problem with this though, is that eventually the seal looses the stickiness, in turn drying out the rest of the wipes. Thankfully not to the point of non-use though.

Besides that issue though, these particular wipes are sold in a very generic white package, with a white and purple logo on the seal. I, like most women shop according to appearance, and I have to say, these are about as generic looking as Walmart's Equate brand.

How Do They Work? Do They Work Well?

I am heavy on the makeup. I use a ton of eye liner, and a bunch of eyeshadow foundation and long lasting lipstick.

When it came to Clean & Clear Makeup Dissolving Facial Cleansing Wipes, I was happy with the size of the wipe, which is just enough to remove everything with barely any effort. A few swipes to my eyes and the eyeliner and eyes shadow are gone, the rest of the wipe I used to clear my skin of foundation and powder.

After fully cleaning my face of all makeup residue, I was happy with the results. My skin felt clean, fresh, and lightly scented with a nice fresh clean tone. There was no residue left behind, nor did anything feel oily on my skin.

Overall:

They work, and they work well. 1 wipe is all you need to clean your entire face of makeup, and that is coming from someone who wears a lot of it. No residue, a pleasing and non-irritating scent, and no breakout to report of.

I really like them; now if they could just match Olay, and add in something beneficial to keeping skin wrinkle free, then they would have been perfect.



Lisa Wins Over Allison in America's Next Top Model All Stars!?


Right now I logged onto my PC at 1am to pretty much rant about the season finale, and not to mention very last America's Next Top Model Cycle I will ever be watching.

I do not know what Tyra Banks was thinking when she crowned Lisa the winner over Allison. Perhaps she forgot that this was America's Next Top Model, and she confused her show for a cast member search for Jersey Shore. Whatever the case, I was pretty appalled at the final decision.

What's worse than that though was the fact that a rumor began circulating online that Angelea was disqualified because she leaked information about the shows finale on Facebook before it aired, thus voiding her contract. The gross factor in that though, was not the fact that she voided her contract, but the fact that allegedly she would have been crowned the winner.

Had Angelea won, I would have began a petition against the show. The girl should not have even been in the final 3. Granted I love her personality, she in no way, shape or form was top model material.

Then we have Allison who seemed to take home the top photo for quite a few consecutive weeks, followed by random top photos throughout the competition. How Lisa managed to go-go dance her way into the final win, is still mind numbing to me, and upsetting.

At any rate, Lisa wins, love it or hate it, I just cannot see how the judges thought she deserved it.

Where to Buy Clothes like Victoria & Jade on Victorious

I cannot even lie, the teen show on Nickelodeon, Victorious, is not one of my newer favorite shows. I have always had a warm spot in my heart for teen/high-school TV shows like this. I guess it was due to my love for shows like Saved By The Bell, and 90210, back in the 90's.

However I even knew back in the 90's that the clothing my favorite characters wore were hideous. When it comes to the clothing styles I see on Victorious though, I find myself pondering where the main characters get some of these outfits! Victoria in particular may have very well started the open shoulder tee-shirt/layering trend, and I have to say I love it! It is flattering on just about every body type, and makes larger hips look thinner. Go figure!

Then you pop Jade into the mix, with her ripped up, chain/zipper emo look; which although may a be a bit much for me, I still like it, and have found myself wondering where I could get clothes that matched some of Jade and Victoria's style.

Finding clothes to match Victoria and Jade though was not easy. I figured it would be though, and boy was I wrong. Figuring out what to call their style was difficult for me, as I am not up to teen lingo. However I knew I wanted shoulder tee's, which seem to be what Victorious characters wear in every episode.

My first search took me to Ebay, and I seriously suggest anyone who is looking for longer shirts to layer to check out some styles available on there.

Search terms you will want to look up on Ebay:

-Punk Tee
-Punk shirt
-Rock Tee
-Rock Shirt
-Long sweater
-Bat Wing Shirt
-Bat wing sweater
-Over shoulder tee or shirt
-Shoulder tee or shirt
-Hole shirt
-Star shirt
-Over-sized Tee or Shirt
-Chain shirt
-Zipper shirt
-Patch shirt
-Leggings
-Zombie leggings
-Mummy leggings
-Star leggings
-Double shirt or tee
-Layer shirt

Basically you need to search things in a broad way, as you cannot just stick to searching for clothes like Victorious. You will end up with shirts with her face on it instead.

Other really neat websites besides just Ebay include TooFastOnline, or Hot Topic, which sell an array of very neat over the shoulder tee's like Victoria wears, only with a more monster-ish vibe, like Jade would wear. It's like a mix of both girls, and the clothes are adorable.

Anyhow, with an idea of what to search for, you can spend hours figuring out what you want. The next thing, after buying your shirts and pants is deciding how to go about layering your shirts.

I like using a black plain undershirt, and wearing a semi- but not too baggy tee-shirt over it. This gives me the look I want, a layered look.

Bat wing tee-shirts and sweaters can be layers underneath as well, with any color you see fitting.

Layering long sleeved shirts with short sleeves is all the rage right now, as well as simple over the shoulder tee's with fun graphics, or zippers and patches to really dress up the look. Many shirts will come with them sewn in. If you find them to be too pricey, you could easily add your own to basic women's shirts. Get creative, it's fun, and easy, and even if you mess up, it's still stylish.

When it comes to pants, leggings are very in this season, as well as tight jeans with a small flare. Victorious is legendary for the slim jean, and black leggings.

Black leggings will match anything, but for those more daring they have an array of cool leggings with designs from skulls to hearts. The choice is yours. A pair of leggings, paired up with layered tee's is really all you need to get Victoria's look on Victorious. Long necklaces and larger rings to dress up the look, and you are done.