What's smell got to do with it?

In honor of finding the WORST smelling product EVER I want to take a moment to chat about smell.

Yes I have seen the other side of smell--Aubrey Organics Sea Buckthorn Leave In and Curl Activator Spray -- the worst smelling product. In fact so bad I had to re-poo and condish and start over completely--TWICE! Aubrey has several products in the worst smelling category--I guess they think if it's natural no one is going to complain about the odor?

In hair care the importance of product smell (or odor in some cases!) cannot be understated. Regardless of how well a product works if you absolutely hate the smell you are probably not going to use it or at least not repurchase it.

I generally classify hair product smells into one or more of the following categories:

1.  Sweet (fruity or berry like or tropical)
2.  Food (smells like cake batter or ice cream or hard candy)
3.  Hippie Stink like patchouli or other earthy herbally scents (the type that would disguise other less legal scents..not that I would know or anything)
4.  Floral (no need to explain this one)
5.  Chemical or artificial smell (to me common with many store bought products under $5)
6.  Citrus scents (e.g. lemon, orange, etc)
7.  Sour scents including bitter type
8.  Natural of undetermined origin

Now my favorites are 1, 2, or 6 for the most part. I don't mind the patchouli herbally scent if it smells more sexy than stinky and the floral scents if they aren't for a flower I don't like the smell of. My sniffer is really sensitive to some perfumes so much so that if I get in an elevator or walk down a hall after someone who has laid on the perfume really heavy I will have a sneezing, watery eyes, allergy type attack.

Here are my favorite and my worst products based on scent

Top 12 favorite products due to scent (not in any particular order) -- note products from the same company that have the same scent are classified as one product total:

• Darcy's Botanicals Pumpkin Seed Conditioner (#2 and pumpkin/spice--YUMMY!)
• Spiral Solutions Deeply Decadent Treatment and Repairing Protein Treatment (#2 chocolate latte--OMG)
• Spiral Solutions Firm Hold Gel and Curl Enhancing Jelly (#1, 3, 6, and 8 notes)
• Curl Junkie Curl Rehab Smoothing Conditioner and Smoothing Gellie (#1-tropical fruit!)
• Sweet Nature by Eddie Dream Moisturizing Cream and Inspiration Shampoo and Growth Spray (#1  Berry like)
• Jessicurl products (any) in Island Fantasy scent (#1 but tropical)
• DevaCurl One C (#6 citrus but sweet as well)
• Darcy's Botanicals Natural Coils Curling Jelly (#6 citrus)
•  Afroveda Shea Amla Cream (#3 plus musky-sexy!)
•  Curl Junkie Hibiscus and Banana scent (#2 and 1--banana bubble gum)
•  Oyin Whipped Pudding or Sweet Nature by Eddie Wisdom Cream (chocolate--nearly identical smell #2)
•  Oyin Juices and Berries spray (#1)

So you can see from the list that I predominantly like #1, 2 and #6 as I mentioned)

So what made the list of my worst smelling products and am I still using them (I've marked NO or YES to whether I am still using them) ?

• Aubrey Organics Sea Buckthorn Leave In and Curl Activator Spray - #8 Simply horrific NO
• Aubrey Organics Island Naturals Conditioner and Shampoo - #8 NO
• No Frizz Styling Cream - #5 NO
• Simply Curly Conditioning/Styling Pudding (#6 and #8 -- smells rancid to me) NO
• CHS Tweek and Curl Keeper (#5 in a major way) YES to CK and NO to Tweek
•  Boots Curl Creme's (pink and white--very strong #5 and maybe #4 a little) YES
• Terax Crema and Life Drops (#5) YES
• Tresemme Silicone Free Conditioners (#5, #4) YES
• Curl Junkie Curl Rehab Gardenia scent (#4) YES
• Curls Ecstasy Asian Tea Conditioner (#8) YES

So you can see in many cases I will still use a product even if the scent turns me off. However the ones marked NO I would not use if they were my "Holy Grail" products--the smells to me are that bad.

So what do you think? What's the worst smelling product you use or don't use? Best smelling? I'm curious....

May I have a word?

RE: Hair companies and bases

So there has been quite the furor lately over on the nc.com hair boards regarding certain companies use of bases for their hair care line. Here is my take on it.

I got two leave in conditioner sprays from two different companies -- turned out they had the exact same ingredients. I was not happy -- in effect I bought the same leave in spray twice. I wanted to try 2 leave in's that were distinct -- not just differently scented. I'm out the money (product plus shipping) and that doesn't sit right with me. Especially when the companies advertise as if they are mixing stuff up in the kitchen and everything is an original product. Now can I prove they were the same? Well if it looks like a rose and smells like a rose -- and works the same way as the OTHER rose then I say: It's a rose. (Of course, not being a chemist nor pretending to be one, I can't say anything with 100% certainty and I certainly would never provide the company name -- I'm a curly girl not an idiot girl. No legal problems wanted here!)

So I learned a couple of things: One is that there are fabulous wholesale sites out there that can provide a great service for us curly girls and guys-- if you've a mind you can order items yourself or take part in the co-op that is being organized on the naturallycurly.com boards. It's your choice. The other is, unfortunately, that I will likely chose to give my business to well established companies who, by word of mouth, I know are authentic with their products. IMHO if you use a base then either SAY SO or don't put it out there that you are slaving away in some tiny kitchen somewhere when what you are really doing is not mixing but pouring (from one gallon bottles to 8 oz ones!).

I can't tell you how much this pains me. I am very committed to helping my fellow females have successful businesses. Capitalism is what drives this economy-- and that's how it works. However when capitalism or the pursuit of the almighty dollar leads someone to pretend to be something they are not I don't like it. That's a personal view point. YMMV.

Flatly I don't have the time, nor do I want to, go looking all over the internet and exhausting my google finger trying to find all the bases that companies use to make sure I didn't already buy the same product from someone else. Sorry. No.

From a business point of view I get it..I really do. It's a business and businesses exist to make money. You can certainly make some good money repackaging base products and adding just some scent or EO/FO. That's fine. So if you advertise or explain that you wanted to find natural products and good ingredients and then you offer some products that meet that up for sale..hey that's great. Please just do NOT take the detour that states you were mixing stuff up like Brunhilda in the stock pot on your tiny kitchen stove.

Karma's a bitch.

The importance of a patch test overnight!

Greetings fellow wavies and curlies!

There was a post recently on naturallycurly.com where a fellow board'er mentioned she had been having some burning and irritation on her scalp once she switched to a new product. Although the product was working it seemed as if she might have an allergy or sensitivity to something in the conditioner. Contact Dermatitis is common with cosmetic products including dyes, conditioners, shampoo's, etc.

It came to me then that I haven't seen much on the boards about doing a patch test when you get new product. This lets you know if your skin will be sensitive to it. It won't help if your hair just does not like an ingredient (that can be much harder to figure out but there are common culprits listed below).

The way I do it is I use about a pea to dime size of product and rub it into my inner arm. On the inside of my wrist, above my elbow, basically anywhere that my skin tends to be more sensitive anyway. If I'm worried I do it upper arm only--that way if there is a reaction I can cover it with long sleeves. I am on the PC all day at work so if a product caused a rash on my wrist I would be irritating it all day. Not good! You could also put it at the nape of your neck or behind your ear if you want to be closer to your scalp or even on a small area of scalp. The choice is yours.

I encourage you all to do this at night and then check in the morning. I know allergists sometimes recommend longer. Even though it might delay your instant gratification on the product its worth it in the end if your scalp is going to end up burning or itching or having sores.

Ingredients that may cause an allergic reaction such as contact dermatitis: Citrus (commonly essential oils of organge, lemongrass, etc), papaya (used as a nerve agent in medicines for its ability to encourage sensation in areas deadened), preservatives (too many to mention), cocamidopropyl betaine (shampoos).

Sometimes the patch doesn't show anything and it will still react on your hair but it is an easy way to at least get an idea. Remember that even something you've used before can turn into a sensitivity!

P.S. common ingredients that some peoples hair is sensitive too--can cause it to get hard, dry, limp, lifeless, greasy and more: mineral oil or other petro products, castor oil or other oils (olive, jojoba, etc), protein (hydrolized anything in a product), panthenol, BTMS.

How to classify your wavy hair

Here is some information that helps those who want to classify their hair according to hair curl type. Please note that I am more of a fan of classifying by hair properties (like texture, porosity, elasticity) but many internet places use one of the following systems:

NatuallyCurly.com hair type classification system:

If you look on this website it classifies wavy hair as ALL 2. The difference is in texture ONLY. So here is how it would go:

2A is wavy hair that is fine
2B is wavy hair that is medium
2C is wavy hair that is coarse

There is no progression of the "curls" in a wavy classification if you use the one on naturallycurly.com---so you would only be a 2C is your hair was wavy and coarse. Anyone with wavy/fine hair is automatically classed as a 2A (not a 2C). The amount and level of curls vary but until you hit the 3 category there is no system whereby looser/tighter/spirally matters in your curl pattern.

In contrast to this there is a FIA system as below:
Fia's Hairtyping System

FIRST CLASSIFIER:

The straight ones
1a - stick straight
1b - straight but with a slight body wave, just enough to add some volume, doesn't look wavy
1c - straight with body wave and one or two visible S-waves (e.g. nape of neck or temples)

The wavy ones
2a - loose, stretched out S-waves throughout the hair
2b - shorter, more distinct S-waves (similar to waves from braiding damp hair)
2c - distinct S-waves and the odd spiral curl forming here and there


The curly ones
3a - big, loose spiral curls
3b - bouncy ringlets
3c - tight corkscrews

The really curly ones
4a - tightly coiled S-curls
4b - tightly coiled hair bending in sharp angles (Z-pattern)

SECOND CLASSIFIER
What (most of) your individual strands look like

F - FineThin strands that sometimes are almost translucent when held up to the light. Shed strands can be hard to see even against a contrasting background. Similar to hair found on many people of Scandinavian descent.

You can also try rolling a strand between your thumb and index finger. Fine hair is difficult to feel or itfeels like an ultra-fine strand of silk

M - MediumStrands are neither fine nor coarse. Similar to hair found on many Caucasians.

You can also try rolling a strand between your thumb and index finger. Medium hair feels like a cotton thread. You can feel it, but it isn't stiff or rough. It is neither fine or coarse.

C - Coarse
Thick strands that where shed strands usually are easily identified against most backgrounds. Similar to hair found on many people of Asian or native American descent.

You can also try rolling a strand between your thumb and index finger. Coarse hair feels hard and wiry. As you roll it back and forth, you may actually hear it.

THIRD CLASSIFIER
Your overall volume of hair

Put your hair in a ponytail with as much hair as possible in it. Don't bother with the way it looks - the goal is to have most/all of your hair in there. If it means it sits smack dab on top of your head, put it there.

Measure the circumference of the ponytail. If you have bangs and/or you can't get all of your hair in there adjust according to how much of your hair you have measured.

To measure the circumference - take a piece of string, or a soft tape measure (the kind used by dressmakers). Wrap the string or tape measure around your ponytail - just below the elastic you have in to hold the ponytail together. Read the corresponding number from the tape measure, or hold the string at the length you've measured and use a ruler to determine how much it is. The number given is the circumference of your ponytail.

i - thin (less than 2 inches/5 centimeters)
ii - normal (between 2-4 inches or 5-10 centimeters)
iii - thick (more than 4 inches/10 centimeters)

(Taken from the following website --
http://homepage.mac.com/annsofie.henriksson/hairtyping/Personal27.html)

So if I use Naturallycurly.com classification I am a 2A/3A.

If I use FIA I am a 2c/3aFi

Hopefully this is helpful!