Generic Value Products conditioning balm from Sally's

Yay yay yay it's time for my fave :) This is the Sally's brand knock off of Matrix Biolage conditioning balm. It runs about $6.00 and I am in love with it. I couldn't get a decent picture of it...sorry.

Kathymack is first up today:
"Sally's GVP. I haven't used the Sally's version, but I think I've used the Walgreen's version. It was adequate. I didn't find it moisturizing enough, so gave it away."


DEL2C said:
"GVP is amazing stuff! So balmy and slippery really great conditioner. I can't use it all the time or I get over-conditioned but it makes a great DT or rinse out when you need some extra moisture."

Curlyjenn10 is next:
" I haven't tried the original, so I can't compare between the two. I am currently on my second bottle of this conditioner. I picked it up a few months ago when my hair needed some moisture. I use it as a rinse-out and part of a DT. It's pretty thick and sometimes I have a hard time getting it out of the bottle. The smell is ok too.

In the beginning, back when it was much colder outside, it had a good amount of slip and my hair looked great. Recently our temperatures have been in the 70s and 80s with dew points anywhere from the 40s to the 60s. I'm finding that I don't get the slip I used to until I start to rinse it out. I let it sit in a clip for a few minutes during my shower, then take it down and barely run my head under the water. For some reason that works and it feels good and is easy to de-tangle. This is probably all just me though - my hair is weird! I'm not sure how long I'll keep this in my routine as I did much better with lighter conditioners last summer. Plus our weather is crazy (it's back down to the 50s today!)."

Now I get to rant a little:
This conditioner saved my hair this winter. After the protein fiasco I was trying to find a good conditioner that would de-tangle my hair as at the time tangles were my biggest problem. The GVP was my HG. It brought my curls back to life and gave me the moisture I was so desperately lacking. My hair became shiny and I was getting compliments on it all the time (still do on GVP days). I did become over conditioned but I was a dummy and used it every day. An ACV rinse and I was back to normal. I still use this conditioner two or three times a week and there is nothing like it. More slip than any other conditioner I've used by far. It de-tangles like a dream. I agree with curlyjenn10 that sometimes it's hard to get out of the bottle so I leave my bottle upside-down in my shower caddy. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this stuff!

Loreal Vive Pro Nutri Gloss for medium to long hair that's curly/wavy

The title is so long because that is the only pink bottle Loreal conditioner that is CG. If you are purchasing it make sure it is for medium to long hair that's curly/wavy. With that being said this had to be on my list of reviews. It is one of the most popular conditioners on CurlTalk and one of the first I tried after giving up my Deva. Because it is generally easy to find, and pretty cheap as far as products go, it is a good conditioner for a newbie CGer to use.


First up to bat is DEL2C:
"This one NEVER fails me but it works better when I alternate it. Probably because of the little bit of protein in it. The results aren't BAD if I don't rotate it but I don't get the same effect and clumping when I over use it. LOVE it for nice slip, moisture and smells nice."

Laura Lee of The College Curly said:
"Because of it's thickness, a lot of curlies cannot use this regularly. I limit it to once a week, some can do two or three but I don't think I've heard of anyone using it every wash. If you can, man oh man is your hair dry! But most of us will need another conditioner or two to rotate with this one. So if you're looking to simplify and only have 1 HG conditioner, this isn't the one.

That being said though, it is very moisturizing. It really gives a good shot of moisture to counteract whatever dryness you may be experiencing from climate or stylers or diffusing or what have you. I recommend it for a couple times a week moisture intensive conditioner.

The best thing about LVPNG is the richness. It's super rich, especially for a $3 drugstore conditioner. If you're in doubt about the power of this conditioner, just check out the rave reviews on BotticelliBabe's thread that has like 20 pages to it.

The richness lends to amazing slip. If you're looking for slip, this is it. It doesn't get much slippier than this as far as I know.

It's a faint pink color. It smells a little chemically; definitely not what I would call natural. BUT it's not strong or lingering.

Another thing to either love (or be very wary of) is that there's some protein in this one. I love protein; can't get enough! So to me, protein in a condtioner I can use every day is fantastic. Of course, if you're sensitive, this would be something to be wary of.

It can be hard to find, depending on where you live. My suggestion is that if you find it, buy one bottle, rush home and use it, and if you like it, go back to the store as soon as your hair dries and stock up. I have 7 bottles stockpiled right now.

Curlyjenn10:
"I'm conflicted on this one. I first used it in December for a week or two. It smelled good, had great slip, was moisturizing, and was awesome at de-tangling. There is protein towards the end of the list and I am sensitive. It started to get to me at the end of the second week, so I stopped using it. The amount of protein is so small and I thought it would be perfect for a rinse-out every few months, since we all need protein at one point or another.

This past weekend, I decided it was time to try it again. I'm not entirely sure what went wrong, but my hair became seriously dry and tangled - it was a rat's nest! There are a few things that could have contributed to it, so I can't say for sure that it was LVPNG. I won't be finding out any time soon though - it's going back to the product graveyard."

Me, Me, Me:
I love and hate this conditioner. I bought it when I gave up OneC and didn't realize that I had a protein sensitivity. Well thank you LVPNG for making my hair a total disaster. Ugghh, recovering from that was a nightmare. That's when I really started reading though and learning about my hair and what it wanted and needed so again thank you LVPNG. Here's the good news. I love this condish in my rotation. I can use it once or twice a week (I'm an every day 'washer") with no problems. The slip and detangling properties are AMAZING. It smells good but doesn't linger and my hair feels so soft after I use it. It's definitely not an every time use condish but it is a great, cheap conditioner to have in your arsenal in my opinion.

Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose conditioner

I LOVE conditioner. I have six different kinds in my shower and three more in my cabinet. I'm crazy, I know. I picked this conditioner because it is the newest in my rotation of conditioners and I wanted to know why it was so talked about and what my trusted other PJs had to say. They, as always, gave me some great info.

mrl234 replied first:
"I've used AOHR. First of all, the smell is incredibly sweet, strong, and floral, and it DOES linger, so beware of that if you don't like strong scents. Secondly, while it is moisturizing if your hair likes a lot of different oils at once, my got kind of crunchy after I used it a few times. I don't think it has the best slip either, and if I used a leave-in at all I got over conditioned (though without one, my hair won't behave right). Overall, this one wasn't a favorite of mine, but I think for coarser hair types it might work better."

DEL2C was next and she kept it short and simple:
"AOHR- HORRIBLE HORRIBLE for my hair too many oils left me feeling very coated and I got build up right away. It's SO THICK ICK! NEVER again!"

Laura Lee:
"I picked this up as a heavy conditioner to use as a deep treatment originally. Then, when all that talk about dew points hit CurlTalk, I decided maybe I should work it in as a glycerin-free winter conditioner.

I only used it as a deep treatment once. I didn't find it particularly beneficial. Honestly it was worth the smell.

The smell is very strong to my nose, and I'm not scent-sensitive (try saying that 5 times fast!). It smells much more like the honeysuckle than the rose. I'd classify it as a very heavy, earthy scent. At first, I thought it smelled awful. I will admit, as I've used it, I've become used to it and it doesn't smell so revolting to me now.

It's thick. Very thick. Thick enough to the point where it's tricky to get it out of the bottle sometimes, especially when you're getting toward the end of the bottle. You could put some in your palm, turn your hand so the conditioner is facing the floor, and it wouldn't fall off. It's very thick. Did I mention it's thick?

The slip it ok. It's nothing compared to LVPNG.

Kathymack:
" I used it, it was good--there were others whose smell I prefer. At this point, I have Island Naturals and GBP (not sure of the order) in my shower. I find either as good as AOHR."

Curlyjenn10 was excited because she could finally review!:
"AOHR: This is a great conditioner if you need moisture. This is probably the number one product that helped me get over my protein issues. I used it as both a DT and rinse-out with great success. It's pretty thick and I don't remember it having a lot of slip (that could just be me though!). The smell isn't great, but it's not bad either. I didn't repurchase it after using it in September because I didn't think it was close enough to a HG product for me to stop experimenting (that and I'm a total PJ!). I would definitely recommend this to anyone who needs some moisture in their routine."

Amy51373:
"This is my all time favorite conditioner for anything. I've used it as a DT, regular condish, mini DT in the shower. It always works great no matter what. I don't use it daily because I get over conditioned easily but I do sometimes mix it with a lighter condish. It's my favorite for de-tangling after I cassia and most times will eliminate any protein overload that I can get. Seriously I know if I use the AOHR it's going to fix whatever dryness I have. I also love the smell, unlike some who think it's a bit too strong etc. But then again I love honeysuckle and I love rose smell so I'm probably in the minority there. Overall it's my favorite to use in a whole lot of different ways."

My turn:
I picked this conditioner to review first because I was still on the fence about it. It is VERY thick and I have to use a ton of it to coat my long hair. The smell is really strong but I don't mind it at all. I love scents though. It gave me no slip and I love slip. It does still de-tangle well though which is the first thing I look for in a conditioner. Also the protein didn't bother me at all and I'm a little protein sensitive. Overall it was fine, I'll finish the bottle, but I don't think I'll buy it again. Maybe I'll try some other Aubrey Organics condish...still searching for a more natural one that I like and wont break the bank.

Kinky Curly Curling Custard

As I sit here writing this let me tell you that I am impatiently waiting for UPS to deliver my KCCC. This seems to be the product that works for almost every curly and some swear by it as their HG (holy grail) of hair products. And it won my curl cream poll. When I asked for reviews of KCCC I got immediate responses from almost all my fellow curly reviewers and I wanted to include them all so if this post is a little long please forgive me.

I asked Laura Lee of The College Curly first and when she replied she told me she could go on forever about KCCC. I told her to have at it and I'm glad I did:

"I don't remember who told me about KCCC or how I decided to order it. On CurlTalk, it's a hugely popular product, and it was one of the first things I purchased after going CG. I balked a little at the price (around $36 for a 16 oz tub), but that was in mid-November 2008, and here we are in mid-March 2009 and I'm about half way through the tub, and I use it regularly (at least 2-3 times a week). So all in all, even for the price, I've found it to be a well worth it investment.I think KCCC is a fantastic "starter" product once a newbie to CG has gotten through his/her adjustment period. I personally think my adjustment period was made extremely easy by simply using a cowash and a clear gel until I was sure I was ready to go and explore the wide world of products. KCCC is a good starter investment product because it works well for a huge variety of hair types and porosities. Everyone from a 2 to a 4c has used this product with success. I also think it's a good choice for a newbie because it's such a popular product. Even if you try it and you just absolutely hate it, KCCC sells on the CurlTalk swap board in about 5 minutes after it goes up on the swap board, because people are always looking for it. You can invest in the big tub, try it and experiment with it, and very very easily get rid of it if you don't like it (you can always send it to me!). Another reason it's a good product investment is that it's a fantastic product to work on perfecting your technique. How you put stuff in your hair is just as important as what you put in your hair. One curly perfected a method for applying KCCC and has became famous for it: mysteryflavored. Her video on applying KCCC is the model for how I apply all of my products, but it's especially useful for KCCC.

KCCC has the consistency of snot. To me, it smells like snicker doodles. It's very butter creamy to me. It's strong, but it doesn't linger. Because of it's very odd consistency, it's earned a reputation of being difficult to distribute. Using the mysteryflavored scrunching technqiue solves this problem of distribution for me. I would not recommend trying to rake in KCCC. Maybe it works for some, but it's utter disaster for me. I'm just not that good at distributing. If you can rake it, more power to you. But especially if it's your first go with the product, I recommend scrunching ala the mysteryflavored video.

Another reason to love KCCC is that is doesn't have any of those ingredients that people are so often afraid to try because they don't know what their hair likes/dislikes. When you get to nc.com, it's really overwhelming to hear "my hair loves protein!", "my hair hates magnesium sulfate!", and "my hair loves glycerin!" when you didn't even know that shampoo was causing you issues. KCCC doesn't have protein, mag sulfate, or any of the other ingredients that some people find that they have problems with. That's another reason I think it's a great starter product: you can use it before you know what specific ingredients disagree with your hair. It's protein free, silicone free, paraben free, animal cruelty free, it's organic, and it's glycerin free. So I feel it's a great product to try even if you don't know what you hair specifically loves and hates, because it's free of those things that can be offensive to some curls.

When I apply it, I use about a two dimes worth on each side (so four dimes worth total) and then another two dimes worth upside down. A lot of people say there is a learning curve with this product, and maybe I just got lucky, but I had great results the first time I used it. I know that it will weigh you down and make you stringy if you over do it, so err on the side of too little rather than too much.

KCCC works great with a variety of other products. It's extremely versatile. I can use it in a product combo containing anywhere from two to four products. I always use a leave in with this product. That's just the nature of my hair. I've heard from some curlies that if they don't use a leave in, it can get ugly because their hair soaks up the KCCC in more spots than others. I personally recommend a leave in. On that note, Kinky Curly Knot Today, the leave in by the same company, plays incredibly well with this product.Sometimes, between the leave in and the KCCC, I'll use an additional curl creme, such as Boots or re:coil. This serves to enhance and tighten my curls. On certain humid days, I'll scrunch in a tiny bit of gel on top of KCCC. I've used both Herbal Essences Totally Twisted and LA Looks Sport Gel (the blue version) on top with great success.

I get a little annoyed when I hear that some people have been discouraged from using this product because of the crunch. The crunch is the hallmark of the product. I love the crunch, not because I love the wet look (I actually hate that look), but because it's super easy to scrunch out, and it's really fun to watch the hair transform from encased in a hard gel shell to soft, frizz free coils. Honestly, scrunching out that KCCC is one of the most fun parts of my hair routine! I really encourage people to not shy away from this product because it's got crunch factor. The crunch is easily scrunched out with your hands, and there won't be any left.

For me, KCCC is a fantastic first-time big product investment. It's good for newbies because it's good for working on product technique, it works for a variety of curls types and textures, it works well in a variety of climates since it is glycerin free, it's free of most of the ingredients that experienced curlies have all that info on like protein and mag sulfate, there is a huge amount of information on it on curltalk, including mysteryflavored's influential video on applying it, it plays well with a variety of products, it smells good, it lasts forever, and it's really easy to get rid of on the swap board on the off chance you don't like it. I know what you're thinking, and no, Kinky Curly did not pay me to write this review, but if they did, I would want my payment in KCCC!"

amy51373 of Curl Stuff and More replied next and I laughed when she did because she said the same thing as Laura Lee:

"KCCC is definitely one of those products I could go on and on about. It is amazing. Yes, there is quite a learning curve with it...I'll be honest there. Once I figured it out though it has been my go to product for great hair days. I don't use the typical KCKT with it, although I have. It works great for me with any leave in I've tried, with any gel I've tried with it. I use it as a curl enhancer and not a gel as some do but I also like a lot of hold. I can pair it with a light gel in the winter and about a pea size of BRHG in the summer and it always gives me good results. The smell is to DIE for. It smells like vanilla and marshmallows to me. It does have an odd consistency...sort of like snot but it's still one of the best products out there."

kathymack gave a review too and was much happier to write this review than the last:

"This one is a pleasure to write. I still remember my "first time" with KCCC, like it was yesterday! It was Thursday, April 24, 2008. For some reason, I took a chance on this new product. I was leaving the house and would be out in public all morning. It was THE most incredible hair day I had had in my four months of using styling products. I couldn't stop looking at and touching my hair. There was a big grin on my face. Driving home, all I did was look in the rear view mirror. And just a few days before, I was lauding the virtues of another product! I felt like such a product wh*re! It's all I could think about that whole morning. KCCC is a very unique, special product.

For some reason, people talk about a learning curve with KCCC. For me, it was "first time fabulous." I don't know if I'll ever recreate that day. My hair has looked better as I've gotten better with my product and technique--but that day will always be special."

When I asked DEL2C I wasn't sure what response I was going to get. I knew she had been struggling with it lately but had had success in the past:

"I'm not going to use KCCC again until Spring, I've had very mixed results with it over the Winter. I've come to the conclusion that I need some humidity for it to work and a good dose of glycerin. One of my favorite ways to use KCCC was with I with Re:coil on top for extra hold. Another combo was with CK underneath and BRHG on top. "

Oooh me..pick me...

I first got KCCC as a sample from kathymack and had mixed results. I could see it wanted to make my hair curl more but I definitely couldn't use it alone. I wasn't getting good clumps and something was just off. I kept wondering why curlies loved it soooo much. I decided to get another sample when I placed an order from km for soaps but put it on the back of the shelf waiting for warmer weather. The only reason I was posting a review was it was curl creme week here so I figured why not. When I received Laura Lee's review last week it really made me want to try it again. I watched mysteryflavored's video again and gave it another shot. The first day I used some Giovanni DLI then scrunched out some water with a curl towel as heard this could help with the drying time (KCCC is notorious for long drying times). I dipped two fingers in the KCCC, emulsified it, and started scrunching. At first it was the same but as I really scrunched it in I could see the most amazing clumpy ringlets in my normally wavy hair. I started to get really excited. I kept dipping two fingers and then really scrunching each section of my hair. I topped it with BRHG making sure to really scrunch that in too, then diffused. The shrinkage I was getting was incredible. I couldn't believe all the curls I was seeing. I diffused til about 80% then air dried the rest. I had such hard helmet head and was really worried but as I started to SOTC it was great. Tons of huge ringlets that were soft and shiny. I will never forget being amazed that my hair could even do that. But the best part came the next day when I had 2nd day hair. I NEVER get 2nd day hair. I thought maybe it was a fluke but nope. The next time I washed I did the same routine and again got 2nd day hair. I can't wait to try KCCC with everything in my PJ cupboard!

Mop C curl defining cream

I chose Mop C next in my curl cream theme and I'm glad I did as the reviews I got were really mixed. I think it's important that curlies realize that not every product will work for them. A lot is about your hair type and what you are looking for in a product.

First up is DEL2C who recommended Mop C to me in the first place:

It's very versatile and you can mix any LI with it or another moisturizing curl cream like Curls Whipped cream or Komaza and still get great results. For my hair I like layering on top of the other for better product distribution. I'm very coarse so my hair requires a lot of product to keep it hydrated and to give it hold. I like to use BRHG on top for added hold, I get 2-3 days using Mop so I really love it this Winter! I've also used MOP-C with my Deva Routine and it works great too with ArcAngel.

Next is kathymack and she thought I wouldn't want to include her review but quite the contrary:

MOP C Curl Defining Creme. When I used it, the product was just being reissued from it's prior life as MOP C Curl Enhancing Creme--either way, I found the name to be an oxymoron. They reissued the product with a new name in a new container--but my understanding was that it was the same product??? About this time last year, MOP C was the "it" product. When Jess asked about writing the review, she questioned whether I got 2nd, 3rd or even 4th day hair?? I don't even remember getting first day hair with this product. I auditioned it a few times--and to tell you the truth, it wasn't memorable. All I remember is being disappointed. Everyone loved it. And I couldn't get a curl! The only product I still use from last Spring is KCCC. I started using it in April and it still has a place on the shelf. There were lots of other products I used, for a while they had a place on the shelf--MOP C was not one of them.

amy51373 also agreed to a little review:

I'm not sure I'll be much help since I quit using it quite a while ago and it was at the beginning of my NC days so I was still really trying to figure stuff out. What I do remember was that it was really thick and creamy but I think it also weighed me down a bit. I also used it in the summer so it may have been too rich for use then. I would however use it again in the winter months to see how it works again. The smell was kind of an orange smell and didn't linger.

And last but not least my humble opinion:

I really like Mop C on days that I am feeling lazy. I generally don't get 2nd day hair anyway so I can use the Mop C alone over my leave-in and have great hair all day. For me adding BRHG or even AnGell over it makes my hair feel too stiff, even after I scrunch out the crunch, but I like a lot less hold than most. It gives me great clumps and curls though. Immediately when I start scrunching it in my hair starts to curl up in big ringlet clumps. It is very thick and creamy and a little hard to distribute evenly but I don't care, the hair it gives me is so worth it. And it doesn't take a million years to dry like KCCC. It is definitely staying in my rotation.

Komaza Coconut Hair Pudding

It took me a some time to decide what to "joint review" first since I have so many that I like (and some that I don't) but I finally settled on the Komaza Coconut Hair Pudding as I have been having great success with it. I asked some curlies from CurlTalk to review it for me and kathymack and DEL2C both agreed. They even got their reviews in quicker than I asked. I was originally going to write this on Thursday but they were so speedy I couldn't wait.

Here's what kathymack had to say:

I first learned about the Komaza Coconut Pudding when a nice curly sent me some as an extra little something in a swap. It taught me to "look gift horses in the mouth." My hair is infamous for it's issues with castor oil and this reinforced that. It ruined my hair for about ten days--I had such difficulty removing it. That being said, I was delighted when DEL2C announced that it was being reformulated without the castor oil. I emailed the Komaza site to make sure that I would get a new one without the castor oil. They were out of the old formula and the new formula was delayed a few days, so I got a personal phone call from Renee, I think, who is the owner. She's so sweet and soft spoken, I didn't catch the name--but I know it had to be her. We actually talked about hair and hair products for about 20 minutes! She wanted to know how I knew so much about the products, so I told her about nc.com. Unfortunately, she's so busy with her products, she hadn't been on the site and didn't know her coconut pudding was a "rage product." Her products are developed for "coils," so she was also surprised that so many of the looser curled ladies were having success with them.

On to the purpose of this article. I am remiss in the fact that I've only used the Coconut Curl Pudding a few times because I got my sample pack of the Califa line at the same time. With any of the Komaza products, we fine haired, looser curled ladies have to be careful. They are rich and it's easy to over use. (Less so with the Coconut Pudding) I always use a less rich leave in when I use the CCP, a few pea sized amounts of the pudding and in the low dewpoint weather a bit of gel. This morning, I used the Califa Conditioner as my rinse out, ABBA Pure Gentle Conditioner as my leave in and one of my favorite combos--a small amount of CJ Aloe Fix Gel with AOMM. My hair technique is consistent everyday--the "mysteryflavored" (of nc.com fame) KCCC styling video technique with product raking in addition to the scrunching. I am anxiously awaiting a haircut tomorrow (two weeks overdue.) Today my hair is in tight, soft, bouncy, frizz free ringlets--as we speak. It's about 95% dry and needs to be scrunched. But I can tell--it's going to be a great curl day!I love the smell and feel of this product. When I open the jar, the bathroom smells like a Mounds bar! As I emulsify it in my hands, it's smooth and rich. When I use these richer products this winter, I've noticed that I have the softest palms ever! I think this is a product that anyone who's had success with richer products might want to try. It's a quality line.

Next up is DEL2C who is as much of a PJ as I am:

Well, I haven't used komaza puddin' in a while cuz I was on a mission for 2nd day hair and couldnt get it using it. My little girls hair looks amazing with it and it's all I use for her this winter!! I found the best way to apply it was using the Curlisto method by sectioning off the hair and using dabs at a time rather than scrunching it all in. I probably only used about a 1/2 dollar size total by the time it was done. After applying by section I would top it with a pea size of BRHG and that was when I got the best results. I love the smell of and the texture is creamy but not heavy almost like a heavy gel?? Great stuff. I will revisit it again with my R2D2 dryer and report back on results and 2nd day hair.

And now for my review:

Let me start by saying I absolutely LOVE this stuff. It smells amazing like kathymack said. In fact I was told today that my hair smelled great, like coconuts. It feels like a creamy gel, like someone mixed KCCC and CJ coffee coco curl creme together, and is a little heavy but doesn't weigh your hair down at all. In fact it is the opposite for me. I am getting well defined, clumpy waves with some big ringlets at the bottom. There are pics in my fotki but they don't even do it justice. I have been using Suave Naturals Coconut condish with a dab of agave nectar (I live in CA and have generally higher dewpoints so I can take a little humectant) as my leave-in and then I scrunch in the Komaza pudding. I do it in four sections with my head upside down, using about a nickle per section, emulsifying it in my hands before scrunching it in. I top it off with BRHG, clip, diffuse, and get great results every time. It also seems like the BRHG is not as crunchy with the Komaza pudding as it is with every other curl cream I've tried. Today I didn't have time to diffuse at all so I knew I wasn't going to get as much curl pattern as diffusing really helps me but I still have great definition and I'm practically frizz-free. The only thing I could say that's bad about the pudding, and it's not really that bad, is that my hair isn't as shiny as it is when I use KCCC or my homemade FSG. So to repeat myself, I LOVE this stuff and I'm excited to try some more Komaza products.

Mebco Shower Detangler Comb

My vision for this blog is to have my review on a product as well as others that have agreed to help me, that way you, the reader, have a good amount of info to use while deciding to try the product or not. Every one's hair is a little different and it's helpful to have multiple opinions. Thank you to everyone at CurlTalk for being supportive, whether that be by adding me to your blog list or agreeing to review or just encouraging me.

This first review is going to be just mine as it is a specific comb that I found in my local beauty supply and I have never seen this particular kind talked about on the boards. I stopped combing or brushing at all in Nov. '08. I thought it was going to be a disaster but it wasn't. Just finger combing in the shower was working great, although it took forever with my BSL wavy hair and, since I rarely get 2nd day hair, it was being done every day. BUT it was worth it. I was losing less hair and learning more about it, where it curled, trouble tangle spots. And then a few weeks ago it all changed. I was getting so many little tangles that were really hard to get out and when I would mess with them my clumps would go away. I suspected that's what was causing so much of my surface frizz so I posted the thread "To comb or not to comb" on CurlTalk to see what others did. A bunch of curlies comb so I decided to go buy a new one, as I had thrown all my old ones away, and went to my local beauty supply. The Mebco Shower Detangler immediately caught my eye and the reason it did was I use a smaller version on my daughter's straight hair and have ever since she was a toddler. It's amazing at getting out tangles. You might not be able to tell but the fingers on the comb aren't straight. They actually go out a little on each side alternating and are able to get at tangles with minimal pain which as you know is essential for anyone with a little girl with a sensitive head like my daughter. Why did I never think of using it on my hair? I used it the next day in the shower with lots of conditioner and lost tons of hair which made me pretty disappointed but I thought "Maybe that was all the tangled mess my fingers weren't getting?" That day my frizz was so much better so I figured I'd stick with it for a couple of days. The next day I lost a lot less hair than I had been losing while finger combing and it has stayed that way ever since. It takes less than half the time of finger combing and my frizz is more under control. I absolutely love this comb and highly recommend it, especially to wavies who tend to have more tangle problems.

My wavy/curly story

My name is Jess, better known as Jess the Mess on CurlTalk. I have debated for weeks about starting a curly blog. There are so many good ones already by women that know soooo much more about hair than I do and I wanted mine to be a little different. I finally decided to start mine and make it all about the tons of products out there for us CGers and anyone else who is interested. I want to do my own reviews as well as others from naturallycurly.com. I am a huge PJ (product junkie) and also love to make my own concoctions at home. I will try ANYTHING in the search for perfect hair.

But before all that I want to tell my wavy story. It's a little long as I love to write and I tend to ramble. I promise not all my posts will be novels. I was born with STRAIGHT hair. I didn't get wavy hair until after I had my first baby. At the time I was letting a perm grow out and had moved from CA to the humidity that is VA so I thought my waves and frizz were just from the weather. I finally cut my hair short and could just use a round brush and blow dryer like I always had. Two years later I moved back to CA and had my second baby and that's when it all changed. My hair was a big, wavy poof ball. It took 40 min to blow dry smooth and by the end of the day it was frizzy. So I started to straighten. It also took a ton of time and made my hair brittle and dry (yes a $200 straightener will still do that). I hated my hair.

After a 3 year battle I finally figured out that with some Aussie Sprunch Spray I could get some waves and ditch the straightener but it was hit or miss. Sometimes it would look great and sometimes it would look horrible. I remember one time my best friend Lauren saying to me "You're going out like that?" But the straightener was killing my hair and I knew I needed to stop so I dealt with it. I started using tons of expensive products to repair my hair and while they did I still didn't know what to do with my waves. I still hated my hair.

A year and a half later I had a "fate" moment in a T-Mobile store. The girl behind the counter and another woman with tons of gorgeous 3c hair were talking about good straighteners and as the nosey, outgoing person I am, I chimed in about my favorite one as I was still occasionally straightening. We got to talking about curly hair and the 3a woman gave me the number of her stylist, a curly hair specialist. I was so excited. And then I lost the number. I was devastated as she gave me the stylist personal number and not the name of the salon. All hope was lost, or so I thought. 5 months later I found the number tucked under the seat of my car and I immediately made an appointment so excited. I called my mom to tell her and she said "You don't have curly hair." Little did she know.

So I went for my appt. and was introduced to Deva products and the Curly Girl book. The book, by the way, is where the term CG comes from. I think I read the whole book while I was there. Jessica taught me how to put in my product and how important moisture was and that terrycloth was no longer my friend and what a co-wash was. She took the time to explain how curly hair works and what it needs. I walked out of there with the most amazing waves and I was in love. Then came the hard part.
I had no idea that I wouldn't be able to duplicate my salon hair. The Deva products stopped working well after a month and clipping totally eluded me. My hair did look tons better but I knew there was more out there than Deva and I started searching. I found naturallycurly.com and it has been amazing. So many waves and curls with advice and support. I learned about plopping and the pixiecurl method and WOW. I have to say I was overwhelmed at first but I just kept reading and lurking and finally started asking questions. I realized that others were disappointed with Deva and were using other products getting better results. Just a side note...I'm not knocking Deva and I still keep their products in my rotation.

In Dec I decided to go full CG and start trying other products and my PJism was born. Here is proof. These all stay in my shower or my cabinet all the time and I rotate pretty much allof them. I want to try everything. I dream about hair products (only sometimes). I will re-do my hair if something new comes in the mail. I go to the beauty supply store for fun. I can't go to Target or Wal-Mart without looking in the shampoo isle. I have so many products I stare at my cabinet for at least 5 minutes trying to decide what will combo of products will work the best. Bottom line...I love being a PJ and wouldn't have it any other way. Thank you for reading my hair novel and so the blog begins...