All About Monat - Products I Use & Love

Hey Ladies!
I'm back, I know I've been MIA forever, the truth is I got outta the never ending product hopping. I had certain products I liked, and enough of them to rotate them around and keep my hair looking decent. So there really wasn't much to share with everyone.

Well, that's all changed. I recently started using Monat products and holy crap my hair is awesome.
If you haven't heard of Monat, or maybe you have but aren't fully sure of what it is and what it isn't, well I'm gonna fill you in today.

Monat doesn't use:

• Phthalates
• PEG
• DEA/MEA
• Sulfates
• Parabens
• Harsh salt systems
• Harmful colors
• Harmful fragrances

All Monat products are naturally-based, vegan and cruelty free.

So what do I use? I use the Hydration System; Renew Shampoo, Replenish Mask, and Restore Leave-In Conditioner, I also use the Revitalize Conditioner, the Rejuveniqe Oil and Blow Out Cream. I have some of the Curl Cream on order as well.

I wash my hair every 2-3 days. With Monat products you sort of need to relearn how to wash your hair. The products are super concentrated so a tiny amount is all you need. I use maybe a nickel size amount of shampoo, wash my hair, let it sit for 2-3 minutes then rinse it out and repeat. I then condition my hair. After I've towel dried my hair, I apply a small amount of the Restore Leave-In and a pea sized amount of the Blow Out Cream. After I've dried my hair, I apply 1-3 drops of the Rejuveniqe Oil to my hair and voila, I've got smooth, shiny bouncy hair. It really is that simple.

I cannot say enough about the awesome other ladies who introduced me to Monat, and my own experience with both the company and the products.

So how do you buy Monat products? Well there are 3 different ways to purchase; Retail, VIP and Market Partner. Retail is fairly self explanatory, so I'll just explain the other two.

Monat VIP:

• 15% Discount off retail pricing
• One-time $19.99 Membership Fee
• Commitment to placing 3 qualifying Flexship Orders

Monat Market-Partner:

• 30% Discount off retail pricing
• Purchase either the Starter Kit ($99) or one of the Product Packs (starting at $299)
• No minimum orders
• No quota
• $19.99 Annual Membership Fee

  So if you're not interested in selling anything, you can become a Market Partner just for the discount if you want.

I personally started as a Retail customer, than upgraded to VIP and am now a Market Partner. It just made sense for me. I know I'm going to be buying these products, so I want the discount, and if anyone chooses to purchase Monat through me that's great, if not, that's fine too.

Well that's about all for now, I will have more posts later about Monat products and pictures of my hair, I promise.

If you have any questions about the products or company, feel free to shoot me an email:
sarawiththegoodhaiir@gmail.com

If you'd like to take a look at the products and company, or if you would like to purchase anything, my site is here: https://smbokc.mymonat.com/

Review: Simply Smooth Xtend Keratin Magic Potion

I’m always looking for products that multi-task, if I can save time and streamline my routine, I’m all for it. I use my rinse out conditioner as a leave-in, I use my rich rinse out conditioners as deep treatments, and root lifters as hair spray. I don’t see the point in buying/using different products for everything, when so many products can be used for more than one thing. So, when I was given to opportunity to check out Simply Smooth Xtend Keratin Magic Potion, I was happy to give it a go.  

That's it, I'm done.............

Hello gals, I'm back, and I've had a revelation. I have taken a vow, not to purchase anymore products for my hair, until all the products that I have now are used up! Since I started wearing my hair curly, I have been on an eternal product quest. It's never-ending, because even when I find a product that I adore, I'm still on the hunt for the BBD( Bigger, Better Deal), instead of just being satisfied with what I have. I cannot tell you how many products I have in both of the bathrooms in my house, and underneath almost every sink. They're everywhere, and it's gotten to a point of ridiculous, so it's time to simplify things a bit.

I have two products, that I am hopelessly in love with, and if I run out of those I will repurchase, everything else has to go. Products that I will allow myself to repurchase are; Kinky-Curly Curling Custard and Deva No-Poo.

I seriously have nine conditioners laying around, somewhere between four and six cowashing conditioners, two low-poo's, and so many styling products that I couldn't begin to guess a number for you. Most of the conditioners I actually use regularly, why I have so many I don't know. My family uses most of the cowash conditioners, and I use them to shave my legs. I low-poo once a week or so. I have two or three deep condtioners, that I also use weekly. I am turning into a crazy bag lady, except I'm collecting hair products.

The worst part of my collection is that I have seriously given away three boxes full of hair products to my Mom, and other curly family members.

Ladies, someone please tell me I'm not the only product hoarder around here? Even the stuff I don't use, I can't seem to throw away. SOS.........

Review: Mixed Chicks Leave-In Conditioner

Ladies, it's time again to talk about products for curly hair. As we all know, I'm on the hunt for super-awesome products. I don't need my products to come in fancy packaging, and I prefer they don't cost an arm and a leg. With the economy the way it is, who can afford ridiculously overpriced hair products? Not me. Hello, Mixed Chicks Leave-In Conditioner...

The lovely owners of Mixed Chicks, were kind enough to send me their products to test out and review for you ladies. Today we're going to focus our attention on the Leave-In Condition, which can be misleading. This is a leave-in and styling product in one, because aren't we all sick of layering product after product everytime we style our curls?

The Mixed Chicks Leave-In is a hybrid, and I certainly love multi-tasking products, as they save time and money. It's meant to be used as soon as your finished cleansing and conditioning your curls, in fact, the wetter your hair is the better. More water in your hair means the product gets distributed more evenly and more easily. This product has a nice amount of slip, and gives me really great clumps. I applied it to my soaking wet hair, raked through and then scrunched. Then I used my Curls Like Us Curl Cloth, to scrunch out excess water. Anytime I use the Mixed Chicks, I let my hair air dry, and it leaves me with shiny, bouncy wurls and curls. Once my hair is completely dry, I use Argan Oil to seal the ends of my hair, and I am left with an awesome hair day.

 I will note that the Mixed Chicks Leave-In, isn't CG, as it contains Amodimethicone, but I'm modified CG, so for me it works just fine. I tend to rotate products, partially because I have so many, and I just like variety. I get bored easily, what can I say. The only constant in my hair routine are No-Poo, One Condition, and Set it Free.

You can get more product info, read other reviews, and purchase Mixed Chicks here.

Have you tried the line? Did you like it?

Review: L.A. Looks Sport Hold Gel

What curly girl doesn't try almost anything they can get their hands on? I am constantly on the look out for new products, new techniques, and almost anything that may work for my curls. I've been reading all over the boards at Naturally Curly, about L.A. Looks Sport Hold Gel.

L.A. Looks Sport Hold Gel is readily available at almost any drugstore. It's also super cheap, I think I paid $2.50 for my bottle at Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market, and I got the really big bottle. It seems like everytime I go to Wal-Mart, I bring something beauty-related home.

So I have a few things that I require in a gel: hold, no flakes, pleasant smell, non-drying, no silicones, no alcohol, and no mineral oil. Since I no longer shampoo my hair, making sure that I'm not using silicones or anything that isn't water-soluble is very important. L.A. Looks Sport Hold Gel meets all my criteria, so let's get on with the review.

I went about my normal hair routine: cleanse with No-Poo, condition with One Condition and I use a small mixture of One Condition and B'Leave-In as my leave-in. I then scrunch out excess water using an old t-shirt or Curls Like Us Curl Cloth. Then instead of using ArcAngell, I scrunched in L.A. Looks Sport Hold Gel. I could tell immediately, by the way it felt going into my hair, that it was indeed a hard hold gel. They just feel different, they don't have the same slip as a regular or light hold gel. In my experience, most hard hold gels also seem to dry faster, alcohol or none. Maybe this is what allows them to really set the hairstyle?

So, after I'd scrunched to my hearts desire, and used the Curls Like Us Curl Cloth to help set my curls, I diffused. Using my diffuser is the ultimate test for any hair product that I use, if it won't hold my curls in place while I diffuse, it probably won't hold them in place for the rest of my day. After all, I have a 4 year old little boy who likes to wrestle, and play crazy. Guess what, L.A. Looks Sport Hold Gel passed. After diffusing my curls, they looked awesome, super hard, but awesome. So I used a little MirrorCurls to SOTC, and my hair looked great. It's shiny, bouncy, and I think it would stay in place if a tornado happens to tough down.

Have you used L.A. Looks Sport Hold Gel? Did you like it? Any other awesome gels you think I should try?

Curly Hair, Straight Hair, Wavy Hair, What's Your Hair?

Hello ladies! I'm still sick, but I'm back! So you all know by now, that I'm a naturally curly gal, and I prefer to use oils and products with oil in them to tame my curls. For me oils work with my hair, they leave it soft, shiny, and virtually frizz free.  But what about you dolls, what works for your hair, regardless of whether it's curly, straight, wavy, or anything else? What are some of your favorite hair products and hair brands? What products do you think stink?

Shortly, I'll be featuring some great reviews from some new brands, and I'm super excited to share them with you! I'm keeping my mouth closed, for now, but rest assured I've got some great stuff coming up soon!

So to leave you, here are my current fav's for my hair:

Frederic Fekkai Glossing Cream (This is a staple)
Argan Oil
L'Oreal Everpure Shampoo
Suave for Co-Washing (I'm in love with coconut and green apple this week)
Pantene Restoratives Time Renewal Conditioner

Lastest Product Obsessions

Hello gals!! So I thought I'd give a quick peek at what product's I'm obsessed with right now. I change product's frequently, and lose interest fast. I can't seem to make myself stick with something, there's always more to see. So here's my list,

• Agadir Argan Oil: I cannot say enough about this stuff, it is as close to perfection as any hair product that I have ever tried. I know a lot of women love Biosilk Silk Therapy, but once you try this stuff you'll never look back. Argan Oil leaves my hair shiny, like crazy shiny. Argan Oil smells delicious, if they made a perfume that smelled like this I'd rub it on my wrists daily. And my favorite thing, a tiny little bit goes a super long way. The only drawback to Argan Oil is the cost, this stuff is pricey, even too pricey for me. A beautiful friend of mine, you know who you are, gave me a bunch of sample packs, so I emptied them into a bottle. When I run out of my beloved Argan Oil, I think I may cry.
• Coastal Scents Silica Powder: This is the best finishing powder that I have ever had the pleasure of finishing off my makeup with. Silica powder is insane, it literally makes my skin look poreless. Coastal Scents Silica Powder is like $4 for a container that will last forever. I'm not knocking the MUFE powder, if you can afford $30 for finishing powder than that's awesome, but I can't and frankly, I'm not sure I'd fork over $30 for powder either way.
• Soap & Glory The Righteous Butter: This is my favorite body butter, and if you've tried this line you should know why. Soap & Glory products are salon quality at Target prices. The Righteous Butter smells heavenly, and is super creamy and rich. When I'm having a bad day, or I need that something extra I use The Righteous Butter instead of body lotion. It makes me feel like I'm pampering myself, and every woman needs to be pampered sometimes.
• Everyday Minerals Kaolin Powder: For me, this is the perfect finishing powder for underneath my eyes. It sets my concealer perfectly, and is light enough that it makes my eyes look awake. Kaolin powder is normally for oil obsorption, I know. I don't go with convention, I go with what works.

Okay, that's all for now. I'm sure I'll post more product's soon. I have so many it's hard to choose. What are some of your favorite product's right now?

Washing Your Hair With Conditioner.............What!?!?

Ladies! Awhile back I mentioned that you could use Suave conditioner in place of Wen Cleansing Conditioner to cleanse your hair. Well, I do still use my beloved Wen Cleansing Conditioner, however, with the economy the way it is, who can afford a $30 bottle of conditioner?

So I did some research and found an great article on The Beauty Brains website about other options, and they recommended using Suave or VO5, as they're both ridiculously cheaper and actually clean your hair better.

Curly ladies know, that silicones are the enemy, although I admit some of my hair products contain silicones. I also still shampoo, with Everpure, once a week or so to remove silicone build-up. Well, as it turns out Wen Cleansing Conditioner has silicone in it, which will build-up on your hair and eventually lead to frizz and weigh your hair down. Suave conditioner on the other hand has more ingredients in it that actually cleanse the hair, and no silicones that will cause build-up. So for like $2 a bottle you can get potentially better results.

Cleansing your hair with conditioner is really easy, and doesn't take any longer than traditional washing. Basically, rinse your hair really well when you first get in the shower. Then get an appropriate amount of conditioner for your hair length, this may take a few tries to figure out. It will take more conditioner than you would normally use, but not an ungodly amount, unless you have a lot of hair. Work the conditioner through your hair, and add a small amount of water to your hair. If you have the right amount of conditioner, it should start feeling sort of foamy, not a lather at all, just foamy or frothy. Now, scrub your head the same way you would with shampoo. What I like to do at this point is actually comb any tangles out of my hair. Once you've scrubbed to your heart's desire, either rinse and use your normal conditioner as usual, or leave the cleansing conditioner on for the remainder of the shower, and rinse. Done! See, that was easy!

One of the things that I love most about using Suave as a cleansing conditioner instead of Wen; all of the scent options. You can changes smells daily and still save money!

Hope this helped! Here's the link to The Beauty Brains article if you want more information. http://thebeautybrains.com/2008/12/15/is-wen-conditioner-a-wonder/

Review: Agadir Argan Oil Hair Treatment

Hey gals, a friend of mine recently gave me some samples of Agadir Argan Oil to try out, and Wow! Agadir Argan Oil is a cross between a styling product and a leave-in conditioner. Not only does Argan Oil leave my hair shiny and frizz-free, but it makes my hair soft and health-looking.

Argan Oil is naturally high in Vitamin E, Omega-9, Linoleic, Oleic and

essential fatty acids. Not only is this good for your hair, but it doesn't leave hair oily or greasy.

Agadir Argan Oil smells delicious, and though it may be somewhat expensive, you really only need a small amount to see results. What's the most amazing thing about this hair treatment? It cuts down drying time by 40-50%. That's crazy, an oil that will actually make your hair dry faster, and it's alcohol -free.

I wouldn't bother recommending something that I didn't really love, especially expensive stuff. With that being said Agadir Argan Oil is amazing. If you hair dry, brittle, over-processed hair, then Argan Oil is for you!

Curly Ladies!!!! Tips and Product Recommendations!

Hello ladies! As I'm sure you know by now, my hair is naturally curly, but I straighten it pretty often. Until recently, my hair hasn't been long enough to wear curly, or I would've had a white-girl afro. African-American ladies can pull off an afro, and look not only cute, but cultural, I've never seen a real white-girl afro look cute or cultural. So I thought I'd explain how I style my hair, when I wear it curly and what products I use and love.

Styling My Curly Hair

First, I'd like to take a moment to mention that I know all about the Curly Girl Method, and how's it's done. I don't really use it because it simply doesn't work for my needs or wants. I have sort of adapted my own Curly Girl Method.

Okay, to start off I don't ever wash my hair with shampoo when I'm going to wear it curly. I use a conditioner, usually Wen or Suave, to cleanse my hair. I do partially dry my hair with a normal towel when I get out of the shower.

Gasp, I even comb it with a wide-tooth comb. I should mention at this point if you look at the picture of me with curly hair, those aren't my natural curls, I create my curls, but I'll get to that in a sec.

I apply only three products to my hair while it's still wet; Frederic Fekkai's Glossing Cream, and Luscious Curls, and I've found an awesome new product called Argan Oil, formerly known as Moroccan Oil if I remember right.

I don't use a lot of product just a nickel-sized amount of each, and I apply them one at a time.

After I have made sure they're all distributed evenly through my hair, I get out my round brush. I use a small, maybe 1/2 inch round brush to twist chunks of my hair into dread-lock looking sections.

After all my hair is sectioned into dread-locks, sort of, I let it air dry part of the way. Usually at this point I'd do my makeup. Then when it's about half dry, I use my blow dryer, on a low setting to dry my hair the rest of the way. While I'm blow drying my hair, I use my round brush to keep twisting sections of hair, so that my curls will be uniform.

Once my hair is dry, I apply a few more products to make my curls more defined; first I apply Wen Texture Balm, but any pomade will do, then I use Generic Value Products Wax, and Biosilk just too make sure my hair stays moisturized.

After I've done all that I spray some Freeze It hairspray on to hold my curls in place.

This method will only work on naturally curly, permed, or naturally wavy hair, otherwise you're hair probably won't hold the style.

The reason I go through all this is; it really helps eliminate frizz, my hair is virtually frizz free when I style it this way, this creates uniform curls, which naturally curly hair is never uniform, and this allows me to decide what kid of curls I want, depending on how small of a dread-lock thingie I make.

This is my absolute favorite way to style my hair curly, and soon I'll post a slide show to show what I mean.

Thanks for reading ladies, I hope this helps!

All Day Strong, Praise for My Holy Grail Hair Spray

I cannot say enough about this amazing drug store find, this is the absolute best hairspray I have ever used. Freeze It Mega Freeze Hairspray really does freeze your 'do in place, tornado winds won't mess up your style. My hair is naturally curly, however I get bored easy, so I go straight, wavy, and curly on a regular basis. Not too long ago my hair was super short, with a messy-spiky back, and this hairspray worked wonders. Freeze It Mega Freeze Hairspray works on my hair regardless of how I want to style it. A few more huge bonuses with this product are that it makes your hair super shiny, it contains UV filters, and it's humidity resistant. Seriously, since I started using Freeze It Mega Freeze Hairspray I haven't even tried another brand, this product has left me so satisfied that I don't need to continue trying other hairsprays. I can't really say anything about the other products in the line, because I haven't tried them. Maybe I will in the near future. I've noticed that a lot of people seem to be having trouble finding Freeze It, I purchase it religiously at my local Wal-Mart for like $5 a can. I've also heard you can but it at Walgreens. Anyway, if you want to check out the company click here.

Review: Frederic Fekkai Luscious Curls Cream

Frederic Fekkai Luscious Curls Cream smells good, has a nice thick yet not goopy consistency, whether or not it's doing much for my curls I'm not sure. I initially bought Luscious Curls Cream to use in place of gel, but it didn't seem to give me the results I was looking for, my hair was kind of puffy, not the defined curls I'd like. I have however used it with gel and other products in more of a Curly Girl concoction, and it seemed to work just fine. Although, it could have been the gel doing the work, I'm not sure. Luscious Curls Cream definitely leaves my hair soft, not crunchy or sticky at all, yet as for frizz and hold, I'm still torn. This is nowhere near a holy grail product, I'm not even sure I'd repurchase. However, I'll continue to use the tube I bought until it runs out. If you want more information, you can find it here.

Review: Garnier Fructis Curl Sculpting Cream-Gel

Garnier Fructis Curl Sculpting Cream-Gel unfortunately didn't cut it. My hair is naturally curly, and frizzy, and this cream-gel just did nothing for hold, and frizz. The product has a very slimy consistency, more liquid than cream or gel. In my experience this sort of consistency in a curl product doesn't equal good results or hold. Generally, I don't like to write a product off after only using it once. So I tried Garnier Fructis Curl Sculpting Cream Gel on several occassions and what I was left with was a mass of frizzy, unruly curls. Granted, curly hair is hard to manage and style, but I've been doing it for years. This was no case of user error, this cream-gel just doesn't have what it takes. This product may work for someone with a perm, or wavy hair, but for us naturally curly gals, this is a no-go. So the search continues.......

It's in The Box: At-Home Hair Coloring Tips

So, I've been dying my hair for more than a decade, and I've only had it done at a salon once. I hate my natural dirty-blond hair, and I get bored easily with my hair color, so not only do I dye my hair a lot, but it also changes color frequently. My hair has been almost every color at least once; blond (my staple), brown, red, pink, black, purple. etc. In truth, my hair color changes more often then is good for it, on the upside though, I've learned some great tips along the way about changing your color, and keeping your hair looking good. So I thought I'd try and share some of this with you dolls, I hope it helps.

• Seriously, if your can control your urge to go from black to platinum blond, do so, it'll never turn out right. Try and keep your hair color choice within 2 to 3 shades of the color it is right now. Dramatic changes should be done in stages, or the color will turn out wrong. If you can't control yourself, then seek out a professional, you'll be happy you did.
• If your going blond, and your have brassy tones, then you need toner. Sally beauty is where I pick mine up, ask an associate for help. That's what they're there for.
• If your unsure whether you'll like a color or if it'll look right on you, then go semi-permanent, so if you don't like it it will eventually wash out, mostly.
• Do not EVER bleach hair that has already been bleached; your hair will literally break off. If your a bottle blond, and you need to bleach to maintain your color, then only bleach your roots. If you ignore every other tip, please, please listen to this one. I have had my hair break off, it is awful.
• If your dying your hair a darker color, then rub Vaseline around your hairline to prevent dying your skin, it takes days to wash the dye away.
• If your wanting highlights, then start with less than you think you want, you can always add more, but once they're there your stuck with them.
• Red hair is exceptionally hard to maintain, it fades, it washes out, etc. If you can only wash red hair every other day at most, this will prevent that dreaded fading.
• I can't say enough about dimension. Usually hair color from a box has none, which is what makes it so obvious that it's not natural. Adding highlights and lowlights to your hair color will make a world of difference. Buy a shade or two darker than your main color and a shade or two lighter, than use a highlighting cap to add highlights and lowlights. Remember though: less-is-more.
• I dye the underneath side of my hair darker and the top lighter, if you aren't comfortable doing this at the same time always do the darker first. Sometimes the darker color mixes with the lighter and you end up with something other than what you wanted. If you do the darker first, you can dye over some errors, with the lighter color.
• When all else fails, seek a professional. Seriously.

Review: Frederic Fekkai Glossing Cream

Ladies, Frederic Fekkai Glossing Cream is amazing. This is the best hair product I have ever used in my life. This glossing cream is my Holy Grail of hair products. This cream delivers on all its promises; my hair is shiny, soft, and super manageable. I am constantly on the search for hair products that will make my naturally curly, dry hair, shiny and frizz free. I straighten my hair, wear it curly, curl it with a curling iron, and everything else you can do to your hair, so unfortunately my hair takes a lot of damage. With Frederic Fekkai's Glossing Cream my hair not only looks healthy, but it feels healthy and soft. With a lot of glossing creams your hair is left looking greasy instead of shiny, with this cream greasy hair is a thing of the past. The best thing about this high-end hair product is that it's $27.50 for 7 oz. and if you follow directions you should only need a pea-sized amount, so a tube of Fekkai's Glossing Cream should last for months and months. When you look at the numbers that's cheaper than a lot of drug-store products. Frederic Fekkai Glossing Cream works wonders and smells good-to-boot. Pick some up for yourself at Fekkai or Sephora.

Review: Wen Hair Care by Chaz Dean

Okay, okay, I was sucked into the infomercial hype for Wen Hair Products by Chaz Dean. I have very dry, very curly hair that I color about once a week, as you can imagine this has led to some bad hair days. However, after watching the infomercial for Wen Hair Products I talked my husband into buying it for me, for my birthday last year. I waited patiently for a couple of weeks for the products to arrive and I immediately showered and used only the Wen system and WOW. My hair hasn't looked this good since..........ever.Not only does Wen by Chaz Dean make my hair soft, shiny, and manageable, but I don't need to use any of the products that I was using before. Granted this stuff ain't cheap $29.95 a month, but, for ladies with hair like mine, it's worth every penny. I will say that I don't follow the package directions because I would be out the cleansing conditioner within a week. I still shampoo my hair, with regular shampoo about once a week, and I use Wen as directed about once a week. The rest of the time I just use the Cleansing Conditioner as a leave-in. Even without using it like it says, my hair looks amazing, and I'm not exaggerating.

Although I do love the product, it is a bit pricey. I've done some Internet research on using conditioner to cleanse or "wash" you hair, and I found out that a bottle of good ol' Suave conditioner will work just as well, if not better than Wen at actually cleansing your hair without shampoo.

I know a lot of people are wondering what's in Wen, so here's the ingredient list in the Sweet Almond Mint cleansing conditioner:Water (Aqua), Glycerin, Cetyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Prunus Serotina (Wild Cherry) Bark Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Hydrolyzed Wheat, Protein, Panthenol, Butylene Glycol, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Polysorbate 60, PEG-60 Almond Glycerides, Amodimethicone, Citric Acid, Menthol, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Fragrance (Parfum, Limonene.

Wen by Chaz Dean