Curly Girl Cheat-Sheet

This morning, while researching Curly Girl Method approved products, I decided to make life more simple for clueless curlies everywhere and created a cheat-sheet of product ingredients that need to be avoided. (I also uploaded a printable version here.) This information has been written and rewritten dozens of times by now, but I'm not about to remember any of it while it is in that format. So, I broke it down the way I would if I was studying or tutoring Human Anatomy. Graphic organizers are your friend. (And I am a huge nerd.)

Second Day Hair / Curl Keeper Review

Generally, I, as a curly girl, feel like I was screwed over in the hair care department. But, for as long as I've been battling my hair, there is one phenomenon I have always appreciated: second day hair. Maybe it doesn't happen the same for all of us, but for me, it is almost always the best hair day.

Bridesmaid - second day hair, March 2010. Photo by Erik Mysliwy.

That's 5-minute-good.

Yesterday's Hair Routine:
Estimated time - 25 minutes
(same routine as this day)

• SheaMoisture's Moisture Retention Shampoo
• SheaMoisture's Raw Shea Butter Restorative Conditioner
• Plopped with Turbie Twist
• Flax seed gel
• Diffused dry

Today's Second Day Hair Routine:
Estimated time - 5 minutes

• Used spray bottle to dampen hair with water
• Scrunched curls
• Applied Curl Keeper all over hair
• Scrunched curls
• Diffused dry

Back in March, when I purchased Curl Keeper, I bought a huge, 33.8oz bottle on Amazon because it was the best deal. I still have 3/4 of the bottle left. So, if you want to try this product - get the smaller bottle. There is no point in spending $40 if you are just going to try something, I was just being impulsive and ridiculous. To be completely honest, I don't know if I like this product enough to spend $40 on it again, or even $15 on the 8oz bottle. But, at this rate, it going to be a long time before I even have to think about it.

The product does not provide much hold when used on its own, but it does add definition to curls. So, if you have very curly hair - 3c/4a - you may love it. But, I have a 2c/3a curl pattern and very fine hair, which requires more hold. So the result, when used alone, looked great for a couple hours, then my curls started to fall flat. I do, however, I think it works really well with other products, especially for second day hair, which is what I tend to use it for.

When I tried Curl Keeper on its own, I was still using products that contained silicons and sulfates. I am hoping that by removing that crap from my hair routine, it will improve the overall health of my hair, which may alter the way it responds to this product. So, to be fair, I will try to revisit this review in a few months.

Side note: It has been pointed out that the ingredients in Curl Keeper are nearly identical to water-based personal lubricant. I have not tried this, but others have. Here's a review.

Fluff Update: Day Off

I have nothing interesting to talk about today, but it was a nice day off from work. So, here it is...

Dying brows burns your eyes.

At 5:30am I dropped by CVS and grabbed some dye for my hair, settling on "Very Rich Auburn." (I know - CVS? Box dye? - don't judge me.) For the first time in at least ten years, I dyed my hair by myself. As I was working the dye through my hair, for some reason, I decided to dye my eyebrows. So, I smudged what was left on my gloves carefully across my brows and hoped for the best. While my hair was cooking, I updated White Trash Wino with last night's tasting notes and washed a load of laundry. Not only did my hair turn out fine, my bathroom was not destroyed in the process, and my eyebrows do not look ridiculous. So it was a win-win-win situation. Note: The hair dye sat in my hair for 25 minutes. I was worried that my eyebrows would end up too dark, or too red - so they only sat for 15, which is actually 5 minutes longer than I had originally decided, but I lost track of time.

Turbie Twist = Worth it.

Still silicone & sulfate free.

Somehow, I managed wash my hair out and blow-dry it before hitting the gym with Crystal at 8:00am. Funny story: I got all the way to gym before I realized I was still wearing flip-flops. (This is what happens when I try to be too productive in the morning.) So, I grabbed Crystal and drove back to my house for some shoes, which cut our workout a bit shorter than we anticipated. But, hell, 40 minutes of strength training, after only exercising our livers for the last month or so, is still pretty damn good. As usual, Crystal picked the workout and kicked our asses. Supersets of everything. That woman is a masochist when she wants to be. Every part of my anatomy is going to hate me in the morning.

Damn, look at them brows.

When I got home from the total-body-punishment, I made more flax seed gel. Seriously, I love that shit. It is probably the best thing I have ever done to my hair. Although, SheaMoisture's products seem to be working out really well so far. Since my hair wasn't a shit-show any more, so I figured I could at least try to look nice and wore make-up for the first time in months. I should probably keep working on that...There are 12 year old girls out there that have more make-up skills than I do.

I swung by work to pick up my paycheck, then headed to the bank before meeting my cousin and her two kids at noon for lunch and a movie. The book was better. Yes, I read the books...all of them. Laugh if you want to, but that teen-fiction shit is entertaining.

As it turns out, going out for lunch is the equivalent of eating an entire day's worth of calories. I picked the wrong week to start tracking food again.

Throw-back: Photography 2011

I spent this morning digging through my external hard drive and decided to revisit some photography from 2011. I had only started messing around with photography in late 2010, so it was still very new to me at the time (and, for the most part, it still is).

 

 

 

Also, in my boredom last night and this morning, I made this:

© Paula Frenette 2013 All rights reserved. 

None of these images may be reproduced, 

distributed, or transmitted in any form 

or by any means without prior 

written permission  from 

the photographer/artist.

I've Got Issues: Girl-Hoarding

Most of my life, I've been one major psychological break down away from being a hoarder. I hate throwing things away because I'm always convinced that there is a significant use for whatever item is shoved in the back of a closet, even if I actually have no use for it. To make matters worse, somehow, I am always that person that gets useless shit pawned off on them. (Exhibit A: the Ab Circle that has been sitting on my deck for at least a year.)  Luckily, my best friend has the opposite problem and is always willing to dive into a pile of bullshit I've been stocking up on and help me drag it to the nearest dumpster or donation bin.

A few months ago, Crystal and my sister volunteered to help douche my walk-in closet. Not only could you no longer walk into my walk-in, I had packed so much crap into it, you could barely open the door. In the few hours it took to rid my life of 10 years worth of nonsense junk (some of which was still in boxes from when I moved 4 years earlier), we found a few gems, that at some point, I thought were worth to hold on to. On that list: 2 umbrella hats and an octopus vibrator still in its original packaging. Seriously? Who keeps this shit? Since then, I've put more effort into storing my useless shit where it belongs: the garbage. But there is still some things I can't let go of...

I've heard it referred to as "goo-hoarding," but for me, it goes beyond "goos." It's more like girl-hoarding. For someone who isn't considered girly by many, I've managed to acquire quite the collection of girly shit - hair products I didn't like, make-up I never wear, purses I don't use, hair accessories that end up stashed in every drawer, and at least a dozen pairs of shoes that are still brand-new because I wore them once or twice. (Now that I'm writing about this, I'm starting to get that nagging feeling of guilt that makes me want to purge my closets.) But, today's feature, fragrances: I counted 20, but that's not including a  hefty stash of perfume oil samples (it's probably be closer to 50). Honestly, there is no reason for me to keep buying perfumes and body sprays, but I do it anyway because they just smell so damn good.

Try them, or hey, take a few off my hands.

• Bath & Body Works
• Malibu Heat
• Paris Amour
• Sweet Peony Dream
• Rain Kissed Leaves

• Victoria's Secret
• PINK Warm & Cozy
• Vanilla Lace
• Endless Love
• Sweet Day Dream
• Amber Romance

• Aroma Sanctum
• Vanilla X
• Tart
• October Moon

• Ulta
• Sheer Apple Blossom

• Philosophy
• Unconditional Love

• Escada
• Taj Sunset

• Estee Lauder
• Beyond Paradise

• Athena's
• Pure Instinct

• Scentsy
• Solid Perfume - Quiver

• Enchanted Path
• Enchanted Coco-Mango Oil

Attempted Tasting Notes

The W&CN crew has attempted to take tasting notes. Since everyone is on board, this is going to become a regular part of Wednesday nights. Last night's wines were also added to the cheap wine list.

Check It Off The To-do List of Lists

I started a list of wines, that have been tasted and caused drunken awesomeness at Wine & Cigar Night, for less than $20 per bottle. I will spend as much time as I can updating it until it is complete list. Then from there, I will update each time a new wine is introduced. For now, White Trash Wino is just a short list, but eventually I'd like to include tasting notes and other bits of W&CN shenanigans. Edit: I turned it into its own blog.


Enjoy.

Queen of Wands / To-do Lists

© Paula Frenette 2013

Queen of Wands...
After some critiquing and editing, I am satisfied with the Queen of Wands. I think she turned out quite lovely. I'm hoping that I'll be able to work on this series more consistently in the near future. Although, the beauty of the project is that there are no dead-lines, which allows a lot more time for having fun with it. On another note, faking flames is a huge pain in the ass. 

To-do Lists...
I've decided to make a to-do list of lists for this blog. Firstly, an on-going list of sulfate-free and silicone-free hair products. I've found a few short lists of sulfate-free products, none of silicone-free products. I need a list because buying silicone-free hair products is a pain in my balls without one, and there must be another clueless curly-girl out there feeling the same way. So, I'm going to be awesome and share. Also, in celebration of Wednesdays (which, for those of you who don't know, is Wine & Cigar Night), a list of tasty wines for under $20. This Wednesday I am going to attempt to take tasting notes and actually start writing reviews. I tend to get pretty tipsy - ok, drunk - on Wednesdays, so, if your hopes are high, lower that shit.

Tarot Card Project

The Hermit
© Paula Frenette 2013

Queen of Wands
© Paula Frenette 2013

Temperance
© Paula Frenette 2013

The Empress
© Paula Frenette 2013

I was finally able to meet up with Christine and her husband, Matt, to discuss more photography ideas for our Tarot card project. A few months ago, I spat out that I wanted to do a photographic version of the Tarot deck and they were more than happy to help. So, far we've photographed 3 cards, but with a total of 78 in the deck, and our deciding to do more than one version of The Lovers, we have a ways to go before we complete the series. Last night, with the help of Christine's friend, Hilary, who volunteered to pose as the Queen of Wands, we were able to get a 4th card photographed. I also caught a peek of the nearly complete plague doctor mask that Matt has been working on for our version of The Devil. It already looks amazing, especially considering how inexpensive the materials were. When I tossed out the concept of a plague doctor Devil, Matt jumped on the opportunity to create the mask and he did a hell of a job. He even drew up a sketch of the card, which combined all three of our ideas. After seeing both the mask and the sketch, I'm really excited about the shoot. We just need to round up all the models and make it happen (which is often a much harder process than expected).

The Devil concept sketch

Plague doctor mask

All rights reserved. None of these images may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission from the photographer.

Hair Update / W&CN / Lately

Hair...
Since I went out and dropped $10 on shampoo the other day, I figured I'd keep using it. I am officially back on the 'poo.  But I have to say that I am impressed with SheaMoisture's Moisture Retention Shampoo. It cleans my hair and scalp without completely stripping it of all it's natural oils and - huge bonus - I am still flake-free.The smell it a bit "earthy," so if you're not into smelling like a hippy, it might not be for you. I don't really mind it, but I add a few drops of AromaSanctum's Vanilla X perfume oil to my flax seed gel, and the combination of smells is quite nice. On Tuesday, I had my sister fix the layers in the back of my head because my hair just did not want to curl, which is often a problem for me. Once my layers grow out in the back of my head, everything starts to fall flat and it looks like I've been sleeping on my curls. As always, she did a great job and my curls are starting to come back to life.

I am the WORST at taking "selfies"...partially because I have a bitchy resting face and an awkward smile.

Wine & Cigar Night...
Yesterday was Wednesday and that means Wine & Cigar Night. I had to work until 7pm, so I was later than usual. I only planned to stay for an hour or so, but as I've learned from past experiences, that never happens. Crystal and I didn't leave until somewhere near 10:30 and came back to my apartment and put a hurtin' on some SmartFood and potato chips while watching Shark Week and The Daily Show. Last night's wines included: Fleur de Lyeth and Dona Paula Cabernet Sauvignon, both of which are reoccurring favorites. 

Today...
I'm  a huge slacker when it comes to meal planning and grocery shopping. I'm that asshole who goes to the grocery store almost everyday and buys enough food for a day or a two. When I'm really lazy (which is often), I end up playing Iron Chef in my kitchen and the secret ingredient is never fancy or exotic. Inefficient, I know, but it is what it is. A couple days ago, Matt's mom had given us some vegetables from her garden (probably the best "secret ingredient" I've had to work with in some time). After taking a brief inventory in my kitchen, this is how breakfast turned out:

1 summer squash
3/4 of a zucchini (it was massive)
1/2  of a vidalia onion
2 cans of stewed tomatos
Chopped into pieces, tossed into a pan over high heat, brought to boil, reduced to simmer for 15 minutes. 
1/2 cup cooked white rice
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
 Topped with veggies

It's a good thing it turned out pretty tasty because I made enough for a couple days (providing Matt will actually eat it).


Tonight I'm working from 3:45-9:15pm, which is the weirdest shift I've ever been given. I'm not happy about working nights (Matt is even less happy about it), or even in the middle of the day (which happens a lot lately), but hopefully, I'll appreciate the hours once I'm back in school. Speaking of, it recently occurred to me that I miss being in school and that is, at least partially, the cause for my moodiness and depression lately. It keeps my mind busy and, most of the time, I actually enjoy it. I miss tutoring the Anatomy lab (and the extra paycheck). I miss doing homework, but in a few weeks I might regret saying that. My mind is a scary place when I don't have enough distractions.

That's right. I miss this too.

 

Deal Breaker / Curly Girl Problems

So, a long-ass time ago, when I just another pissed off kid going through puberty, I used to blog. I've talked about blogging on and off since then, but it has never made it too high onto my priority list. At least until today. The deal breaker? My hair. Of all the interesting things I could chose from to blog about, my fine, curly, damaged, color-treated, obnoxious hair won. Let's get something straight (no pun intended), I'm not a beauty guru, expert, or even well-practiced at hair care, skin care, or make-up application. I have, however, done some ridiculous shit to my curly hair to keep myself from shaving it all off.

I have watched countless youtube videos about curly hair routines and wasted hundreds of dollars on hair products. I've no-poo'd, co-washed, air-dried, heat-styled, and hair gelled my ass off. But I am STILL looking for a reliable routine that works for my thin, fine, 2C/3A curl pattern. I can't be the only one, right? So, here I am.

A little hair-history...
Eight to ten years ago, I decided to grow out my hair, which at this point in time, had spent years being bleached all to hell and cut incredibly short. I stopped bleaching and dying it all together. Once it had gained some length, I realized that my hair was much curlier than I remembered and I had NO idea what the hell to do about that. For a few years I managed to stick to the LITFA (Leave It The Fuck Alone) method, which was entirely due to my laziness and apathy. I used whatever shampoo and conditioner happened to be around and let it air dry and the results weren't too bad. 

2007. I was drunk. Don't judge me.

As my hair grew, it became more unruly and some one suggested going no-poo. So for just over a year, I used only baking soda and apple cider vinegar in my hair (which still hadn't been colored or highlighted). Knowing what I do now, I should have kept this up. But, I eventually wanted, even NEEDED, to change the color of my hair. So, like a total asshole, I went blond and bleached the shit out of it for two, or so, years. 

2008. Check out that frizzy halo.

Since then I have dyed my hair at least a dozen shades of brown or red. Let's be honest, ladies, the vast majority of us are guilty of the same curly hair crime. Even though my hair was much curlier, less frizzy, more manageable, and infinitely more forgiving before I started coloring it again, we all know I'm not going to quit hair dye any time soon.  So, here I am trying to figure out how to have my cake and eat it too.  

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

My hair as of lately...
Having learned a little more about sulfate and silicone, I decided to try (again) to quit shampoo and go silicone-free with all my hair products. Reading all the ingredients on every product I own was a kick in the balls, seeing as they ALL contained silicone in some way, shape, or form. (Evidently, this is why I failed miserably at my last few attempts to go sulfate-free.) 

Two weeks ago...
I started looking for silicone-free conditioners that at least sounded like a decent idea for my hair situation. I had heard a lot of good things about Shea Moisture's products, so I figured I'd give it a go and I stopped at CVS and grabbed their Restorative Conditioner. Since I was over-due to color my roots, I decided that after dying my hair, that would be the last time I used a sulfate-containing shampoo (at least until the next time I colored my hair). Up until today, I hadn't used shampoo at all. However, over the last week my scalp became increasingly flaky and itchy (which has been a reoccurring problem for a couple years now, with or without shampoo). I had to cave in, I had to buy shampoo. 

2 weeks ago. Selfie fail.

Today...
At 5am, I stopped at CVS again and grabbed Shea Moisture's Moisture Retention shampoo, drove home and hopped in the shower. It went something like this...
Shea Moisture's Moisture Retention Shampoo
-applied liberally, concentrating on scalp
-scrubbed/massaged scalp for 3-5 minutes
 Shea Moisture's Restorative Conditioner
-saturated hair root to tip
-let sit while finishing up my shower business (5-10 minutes)
Flax Seed Gel
-flipped head upside down and applied liberally by raking and scrunching
Plopping
-used a t-shirt
-let sit for 1 hour
Blow-dried
-Revlon Iconic/1875W with diffuser attachment
-medium heat, low air until 85% dry
Curly Hair Solutions' Curl Keeper
-applied quarter-sized amounts to problem areas until dampened
Blow-dried
-same blow-dryer, no heat, high air, until 95% dry
LITFA for at least another hour, or my curls turn to shit.

Not too shabby.