More BRHG Experiments

So Thursday night's experiment went really well!!

Here's what I used:

• V05 Champagne Kiss conditioner (co-wash and rinse-out)
• Pink Boots Curl Creme (the tiniest amount - less than a pea-size)
• CJ Aloe Fix Lite (scrunched in after pink boots and then to blotted hair)
• BRHG (smaller amounts than my first try)
  
  

In the morning, I spritzed and added a little AFL. I figured I didn't need the extra hold. This picture was taken at the end of the end of the day on Friday, a full 24 hours later. Awesome, right?!

I really missed using pink boots! It always gives me the best clumps - every time I use it, no exception. I've stayed away from it because it's too heavy moisture-wise for regular use now. But I highly recommend!

I washed again yesterday afternoon, which is unusual for me since I usually wash at night. So even though it turned out well and held up ok today, I'm not sure how it's going to go tomorrow since it will essentially be third hair again. No picture, but I did the same as Thursday night without the pink boots. I didn't want to overdo the moisture. I'll try again tomorrow night. But I'm definitely understanding what I have been missing! If you can't decide whether to try it, take the plunge! It's on the expensive side, but you use so little that it will last a while.

On another note, my blog is under construction. I'm over the polka dots. I can't really decide on a look, so it will stay like this for a while.

BRHG: Day Three

First - I took another pic yesterday and didn't get a chance to put it up. I'll update that post with a clearer picture.

Here's day three:

Yuck. This is what happens when your hair is already crunchy, but you decide to use CIAB anyway. Clumps disappear and your hair feels like plastic.

Off to wash and try again. This time I'm going to use a little less and try layering with a curl creme (probably pink boots, which I have missed!). Mixing will be the next step after this.

BRHG = Second Day Hair!

Second day hair is nothing new to me. Thanks to my pineapple method, it's a regular occurrence. In fact, I can't remember the last time I didn't have second day hair. However, my second day hair starts out awesome in the morning and clocks out during mid-afternoon. It droops and the frizz comes out to play.

So when I took my pineapple down this morning, I wasn't surprised that my hair looked decent. I added some water, CJ AFL, and CJCIAB like usual and went on my way.

What did surprise me was the level of hold I still have, the lack of frizz, and the curl definition my hair still has a full 48 hours after using this gel.

I was even told my hair was "amazing" by a closet curly who straightens. If that's not an endorsement for this gel, I don't know what is.

Yes, it's still flat on the sides and not as voluminous in the back, but the important thing to take away from this is that it hasn't really changed since yesterday. And there's no frizz, despite what the bottom of the back looks like in this horrible cellphone/mirror picture.

I really feel that this has great potential. I didn't start out with the best curls, what with the random clumps and lots of wonky pieces, so I'm excited to see what happens when I do.

Usually I wash again at the end of Day Two. Skipping that tonight. I want to see how it looks tomorrow. If it turns out horrible, I can always try a new updo. Stay tuned!

Update -

A little clearer.

BRHG: First Thoughts

For my first experiment with BRHG, I applied the gel pretty much just like I would with Aussie Instant Freeze. That is to say, I used a LOT.

So when I couldn't really SOTC this morning, a full 12 hours after application, I knew the rumors were true: this has serious hold. I had to use CJCCCC lite and some CJ Aloe Fix lite to get some of the crunch out. Of course, this led to deflated hair by the day's end (though I'm sure the clumps - they're back! - had something to do with this).

The good news is that working with a too-hard hold gel will be easier than working with a not-hard-enough hold gel, because I can control how hard it is with the amount I use and what I use it with. I think this will be fun to experiment with!

I didn't get a chance to take before pictures, but here are the pictures from tonight:

You can see how flat it is. But I think the second picture is somewhere between the before and after pictures from my "Melting" post - which is good!

Off topic - I'm hoping the cooler weather as we head into fall and winter mean that my hair can take more moisture. That's something I definitely miss about having really porous and coarse hair - I have to be really careful about how much moisture I use in my products. I found the perfect balance a few months ago right before we left for the East coast and I haven't found it since! It shouldn't be this hard!

Finally

Happy Labor Day! I hope everyone is having a great holiday! I got to sleep in and today is the first day in what seems like forever that it hasn't been at least 100 degrees! It really feels like fall is around the corner. This, of course, has me thinking of new product combinations to try as the dew drops. I'm excited!

An actual (!) final cold water rinse isn't the only thing I'm looking forward to when I wash my hair tonight - I finally picked up the supposed HG of all gels:

I'm so excited to try it! Any suggestions? I'll try to post my results and initial thoughts tomorrow!

I'm Melting!

Hi everyone! I know I haven't been posting very often. I've been product testing but I feel like I can't report any of the results because they would be inaccurate due to the conditions these past few months. It has been over 100 degrees every day for 59 of the past 60 days. The dews have been all over the place. Most importantly, I haven't been able to do the cold water rinses at the end of my showers that promote clumps and eliminate frizz.

Oh, and my gel has NOT been holding up. And when I say gel, I mean gels. Because I've been testing some new ones. Hey, that's a great post idea. Testing gels inextreme heat. Ok, it's on my to-do list.

Anyway, consider this post a continuation of the previous one, but with pictures. I received some very nice compliments and while I appreciate that my hair is probably the in the best condition it's been in the past year (since changing hair properties and all that), it's definitely got a problem with "melting" during the day.

Case in point:

7 am

7 pm

7 am

7 pm

What you can't tell in the 7 pm pictures is how frizzy and soft my hair was (or maybe you can). I have it up in a modified pineapple now, but I'm not sure that I will be able to save it tomorrow. Which is really sad because I LOVE how my hair looked this morning. It's what I've always wanted my hair to look like, especially in the back. (I started trimming my ends - first time I've ever done this - and the top layer in the back was the first place I cut!)

For the record, here is what I used:

(last night)

• V05 Champagne Kiss conditioner (co-wash and rinse-out)
• Curl Junkie Aloe Fix Lite (scrunched into wet hair and then blotted hair)
• Aussie Instant Freeze
• a little Garnier Fructis Spray Gel (after clipping)

(this morning)

• spritzed hair with a little water and let sit for five minutes
• Curl Junkie Aloe Fix Lite (scrunched into sides and back)
• Curl Junkie Curls in a Bottle! (mixed with water and smoothed over curls)

111 degrees

I don't know what it's like where you are, but it is hot here! It has been over 100 degrees every day for over a month. There's no end in sight.

I took this picture last night after being out in the 111 degree heat (a new record high, woohoo). My hair hasn't been holding up (as you can see), which makes product testing very difficult. This picture was my first time using CJ CCCC Lite. I showered the night before and when I woke up, my hair was great! Bouncy and curly everywhere. Then this. Bleh.

The worst part is that I can't get my hair to clump like normal because I can't do a cold rinse at the end of my showers. I usually scrunch my rinse-out upside-down under cold water to promote clumps and get rid of frizz. It's been luke-warm for the past month, which is definitely not the same as cold. I never thought I'd miss a cold shower!