John Masters Organics Evening Primrose Shampoo Review

I have a confession: I’m venturing out of the world of shampoo bars. I will definitely keep some on hand for travelling, but it’s extremely basic composition, it was stripping the fun pink, purple, and teal colours out of my hair. Not ideal. My local natural beauty store carries John Masters Organics, and since I am such a big fan of so many of their products, it was only natural that I’d reach for one of their shampoos. I was not disappointed!

November 2014 Favourites

This month has been a battle with my dry skin, and I’m still not quite winning, but I think I’m getting closer.  I have a few products under the body care category this month just to help show the extremes that my skin is requiring of me right now.

Body: I shower in cold water to help preserve my skin’s moisture barrier and then exfoliate every three days or so with 100% Pure’s sugar scrub (review) in the marvelous scent of White Peach.  The oils in this product are helping with my skin too.  Then, after patting my skin with a towel, I apply a thin layer of a body oil.  I’ve been alternating between Chagrin Valley’s body oil in the scent Tranquil Spirit – which I adore!- (review) and Weleda’s body oils (review) in an array of scents (I got the sample pack a while ago, so I’m working through those and using up my full-sized bottle of the rose scent).  I’ll immediately follow that with some shea butter from the African Fair Trade Society and let that all sink in before getting dressed.  It makes me a big greasy mess, but it will hold off the itching and dry skin for at least 10 hours.  Then my skin needs more help again, but what can ya do?  On the especially dry spots I also layer on SBT Seabuckthorn’s Eczema and Dermatitis Salve.  Repurchase? I haven’t found a body oil that has reached HG status, or even come close, so I’ll keep looking on that front.  As for the shea butter and the scrub ? Yes, I already am on my second/third tub of each.

Skin Care: The skin on my face is also feeling the drier weather, so using just my regular moisturizer isn’t enough.  Juice Beauty’s CC Cream (review) not only offers me SPF but gives tons of moisture that lasts all day long.  Now if something could just be done about that smell… Repurchase? Absolutely.  The strange scent isn’t enough of a deterrent for such a high performing product.

Makeup: 100% Pure’s Super Fruits Healthy Skin Foundation (review) pairs perfectly with Juice Beauty’s CC cream because this foundation is a bit on the dry side, and really offsets the moisture of the CC cream.  Both stay put all day long when applied one after the other, and keep my skin balanced and gives me adequate coverage. Repurchase? Probably.  I might try a few other liquid foundations first, just in case I can find something better before I settle.

Hair Care: In an effort to keep the fashion colours of pink, purple, and teal in my hair for as long as possible between hair appointments I am getting used to the idea of only washing my hair every five days or so.  Don’t worry, this diva doesn’t like the idea of greasy hair either, so I’ve been working with dry shampoo recipes.  I can now wear my hair down for three full days before wanting to pull it into a braid or up in a pony tail.  I could probably even push it for 6 days at this point.  Anyway, another part of this journey is to find products with a low pH to help keep the dye on my hair.  John Masters Organics Honey and Hibiscus Hair Reconstructor (review) not only has a low pH (2.5) but gives my hair a rich drink of moisture that lasts for several days.  Exactly what my high maintenance hair is craving right now! Repurchase? I have repurchased this product as a hair mask so many times I’ve lost count.

Do any of those products strike your fancy?  Do you have any body oils to recommend to me?

 

Pure Tashodi Argan Hair Oil Review

I only have to wash my hair every three to four days, and although the majority of my hair stays happy, the ends get very dry by day 2 and need a little extra love.  Plus, the colder weather means more fly-aways so I usually carry something with me to help manage them.

I have tried a few other leave in conditioner sprays and I’m feeling a little bit like Goldilocks – this one’s too much, that one’s not enough, but where is the product that’s ‘just right’?

DIY Dry Shampoo & Why Yours Shouldn’t Contain Baking Soda

When I decided to put some fashion colours in my hair and have some pretty pink, purple, and teal ombre highlights I learned a lot more about hair products and hair pH than I ever could have bargained for.  I’ll write-up a more detailed post soon about the importance of pH balanced hair care, but the main summary point is that highly alkaline shampoo products (I’m looking at you, baking soda) can really strip your hair of hair colour and can even break down the protein in the hair itself!  So, if you have colour in your hair, especially fashion colours that are more prone to washing out to being with, if you stay away from products containing baking soda your colour will last much longer!  Not only will it allow you to go for longer between washes, you won’t have to worry about losing some of the colour because of your dry shampoo washing down the length of your hair.

So many of the dry shampoos available on both the green beauty and traditional beauty markets contain baking soda to help soak up excess oil.  So, naturally, I resigned myself to making my own.

October 2014 Favourites

There’s just something about the autumn colours that stands out for me, and makes me want to be outside.  Plus, autumn is a great time for scarves!  Here’s what I’ve been liking a lot this month:

Makeup – My Strawberry Lips Red Apple Lipstick arrived just in time for fall.  It is a beautiful burnt ombre and berry shade that works so well with the season.  Plus, it is ultra hydrating which works well with the cooler temperature and drier air.  Repurchase? Probably, yes, when this tube eventually runs out!

Skin Care – Exfoliation is the name of the game as my skin adjusts to the drier air, so I have been reaching for Andalou Naturals Lemon Sugar Exfoliating Scrub (review) every three or four days or so.  You really can’t get much better in the ingredients department, and for the price this product really can’t be beat! <b>Repurchase?</b> Absolutely, I already have.

Hair Care – I have been learning a lot about hair care this month and last month as I am strugging to keep a new kind of hair dye in my hair.  A product that is supposed to last 6 – 8 weeks before it starts to fade has been rinsing out completely after three washes.  I have been mean to my hair, attempting a few times to get this dye to stick and by changing things up in my hair care routine – ah the vanity of having fashion colours in my hair!  Since I have been so mean to my hair lately, hair masks are a must!  I have been doing oil treatments of olive oil and or coconut oil as well as apple cider vinegar rinses in an attempt to rebalance the pH levels in my hair.  Hopefully after all these new steps the dye will finally take.  Fingers crossed, everyone!

<b>Body</b> – Nothing is saving my skin right now from drying out like Chagrin Valley’s Body and Massage candles (review).  They have a rich blend of butters and oils which seem to help maintain a decent balance of moisture in my skin which lasts almost the whole day. The only downside is that they have to be warmed before use, but I just plop the little tin on my candle warmer before jumping in the shower and it’s ready to go when I’m done.  Repurchase? I already have.

Yarok Feed Your Hold Hairspray Review

Although I do like Intelligent Nutrient’s Hairspray for when I need ultra-mega hold for something like an up-do, it is really to crispy for when my hair is down.  Plus, I have a cow-lick on one side of my bangs so I use product there to help keep things going the right direction and the Intelligent Nutrient’s Hairspray was just too much.  I haven’t tried too many of Yarok’s hair products, but I like their leave-in spray so it made sense for me to try their Feed Your Hold Hairspray.

Live Clean Age Resist Miracle Nutrition Oil Review

I am always looking for ways to protect my hair as I want to grow it out to be nice and long.  This oil by Live Clean Professional is a pre-shower treatment which you leave on your hair for about five minutes prior to showering.  Think of it as a quick deep conditioning treatment that you can do anytime you wash your hair.  

September 2014 Favourites

I cannot believe that it is the end of September already!  Fall is finally in full swing where I live – the pre-autumn snow has melted, and now we’re back into some warmer weather with beautiful red, yellow and purple fall leaves.  It is truly a beautiful season – too bad the colours don’t last very long.

Here’s what I have been using a lot of this September:

Curlformers – The best way to air dry your hair!

I don’t know about any of you guys, but foam/velcro/hot rollers just don’t work for me.  Either my hair doesn’t curl well and whatever curls doesn’t last long – I’m looking at you hot rollers – or it never, ever dries on the inside.

I had resigned myself to the fact that if I wanted to achieve gorgeous curls with my hair it would take lots of time, heat, and patience to curl my hair with an iron.  But then one day I was browsing on the most deadliest of all sites, pinterest, and found something called curlformers.  They are amazing!   Who doesn’t want to have perfect curls without damaging their hair in the slightest?

How to Use Shampoo Bars

Over the past several months I have noticed how my Shampoo Bar Epiphany post is one of my most consistently read posts.  But I’ve been feeling a little guilty lately because it isn’t the most up-to-date with my current shampoo bar routine nor does it really discuss all of the trials, tribulations, epic fails and light-bulb-coming-on-ah-ha-moments of “genius”.  If you’re thinking about giving shampoo bars a try, but don’t know what to expect or where to start, this post is for you.  If you’ve been at war with your shampoo bars, are at your wits end, and are just about ready to throw in the towel, this post is for you.  If you’ve been using shampoo bars but your hair is, well… just meh, this post is for you.  Everything i could possibly think about to help make shampoo bars a success with just about any kind of hair is in this post.  Without any further adieu!