Treatments -Ojon - Restorative Hair Treatment 
junkieheaven 4/29/2012 3:02:00 PM
*** Updated review *** Last fall, I wrote a review lambasting this product. I have since then learned 2 things: 1) The formula has changed. The ingredients used to be Elaeis Oleifera (Palm) oil, Pygeum Bark extract, Saw Pawmetto extract, lecithin, and a few others. The new ingedients include a different type of palm oil in conjunction with the Elaeis Oleifera, and the removal of Pygeum Bark extract. Did they do this to make it cheaper? Partly. Pygeum Bark is overharvested, so I commend Ojon for removing it from their formula (or maybe they were forced to, who knows). Most likely the addition of Elaeis Guineensis was a cost cutting measure (did we see that reflected in the price?? NO!). The original used to be 5.1 oz, selling for ~$55, the newer versions are 3.1 oz, selling for ~$33, and smaller version for less. Has the new version reduced effectiveness? I really can't say because of revelation #2... 2) Every damaged mane of hair is different. So what might be my Holy Grail, might not be yours. That's why samples are so crucial and we should all be pressuring companies for them. My friend's hair is damaged due to color + bleach and she swears by protein treatments. But when I tried protein treatments, they did absolutely nothing. I have also tried hot Shea Butter treatments - where once they worked, they were doing nothing for my bleached hair presently. Then I also have 2 VERY expensive deep conditioner formulas that have fine ingredients in them (ceramides, oils, etc.) Did they help? Meh. And then, after months of suffering, I pulled out the old container of Ojon that I have had stashed away for years. Left it in for HOURS with a plastic cap + wool hat on my head, and what do you know? Instant relief. Go figure. My hair needed a certain type of oil - not unsaturated oil, like many hair oils I had been using, but saturated oil, a la Ojon. The aha moment came! It's important to know which type of element your hair is lacking and supply it with THAT. Will I buy the new formulation once I have used up my container? Probably not before I try palm oil on my own and/or coconut oil. However, shea butter is also a saturated oil and didn't work, so clearly there is a difference in composition moving from oil to oil. So if those 2 don't work, then I will go ahead and buy the Ojon again. After I try a sample, of course ;)
8 out of 8 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Styling Products -Kiehls - Creme with Silk Groom
junkieheaven 10/29/2011 7:00:00 PM
For me, this product has a very specific use - it's great for anti-frizz on a humid day when you have curly wild hair. And a little really does go a long way. You have to be really careful with it, otherwise it will go way greasy way fast. Having said that, the bottle lasts forever. I've had mine for, I don't know, 7 years? Because I only need it on hot humid days. Good for what it does. I give it a 3 because its use is very narrow, but if I ever finish the bottle, I would have no problem buying it again because it does its job well.. Oh yeah, and it's great on dry hair - the best, in fact
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Shampoo -Unlisted Brand - Malibu 2000 Well Water Action Shampoo
junkieheaven 10/29/2011 6:33:00 PM
Malibu 2000 is one of my favorite lines of shampoos. Love the smell, the consistency is perfect - it suds and cleanses but does NOT dry your hair out like other sulfate-free shampoos can. It's what's in my shower.. Highly recommend!
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Phyto - Phyto 7
junkieheaven 10/29/2011 5:44:00 PM
It really fills a niche. It softens your hair, does not weigh it down, has no silicones, and has nothing but healthy ingredients. AND it works (granted you use enough). I know there are a lot of "natural" products that really don't do anything. I wish we had an american company like this - that stuck to plant-based ingredients such as phyto 7 & 9, but made things that actually worked... One can dream... Again, as stated in my review for phyto 9, it is not designed to be a big frizz fighter. Curlies, if you are looking for a frizz fighter, you have to combine it with a gel or shaping lotion, or something with more binders. This softens your hair - there is a difference. Having said all this, I have caucasian fine curly hair, but a lot of it. So my experience may be very different than someone with coarser hair. I have no idea if this would work well on coarser hair or African, Asian, etc. hair types. I need something that won't weigh my curls down but that still will soften my hair and moisturize - this is one of the few leave-ins I will give a 5 lippie to for these purposes...
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Phyto - Phyto 9
junkieheaven 10/29/2011 5:33:00 PM
It makes your hair soft. It's best combined with a gel or some type of shaping lotion for style and anti-frizz factor. It's not going to keep your hair from being frizzy, but it is going to help the condition of your hair. If you look for it to do something other than what it's designed for, it is going to disappoint you. It says "nourishing" on the bottle, not frizz-tamer, heavy conditioner, etc. It's expensive because it's imported. In France, this stuff is found in every pharmacy and is not particularly pricey or exclusive. The euro is higher than the dollar currently, but don't go blaming Phyto for that.. I think the people who don't like this product are looking for it to be heavier than it is. But that's what is so great about it - that it isn't heavy and it makes your hair feel softer. I used to use this with phytodefrisant to calm down my curls naturally for a wavier style - with no heat products. This is a special product because it's healthy for your hair with NO silicones. I like both the phyto 9 & 7. I don't find the 9 that much more conditioning than the 7. Often I would alternate.. I do miss my most favorite Phyto product that got reformulated ~5 years ago - phytoplage moisturizing after-sun creme. Omg, it was to die for...
8 out of 8 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Hair -Komenuka Bijin - Conditioning Treatment
junkieheaven 10/29/2011 4:54:00 PM
Can't go wrong with this conditioner. I never tried the shampoo. As long as your shampoo is sulfate free, you don't need to pay a super amount of money for shampoo. I think you can even wash your hair with Dr. Bronners? Never tried, but I've heard you can.. Anyways, the conditioner is heavenly. One of two conditioners I would recommend hands down for dry, chemically damaged hair.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Unlisted Brand - Milbon - Crede ER Hair Treatment
junkieheaven 10/29/2011 4:45:00 PM
When my hair was dyed, then stripped, then bleached, and the ends were utter straw, this was the heaviest, most moisturizing conditioner I could find. I found this after I used Komenuka Bijin (also a great conditioner in its own right). I alternated Sebastian Potion 7 & Lazartigue pre-shampoo treatment (BOTH discontinued I believe) as overnight treatments weekly. It took 6 months, but after that timeframe my hair was manageable. You can use Crede as an overnight treatment and wash it out in the morning. I would do that sometimes as well. No, it's not as natural as we would all like, but when your hair is straw, the jane carter solution and/or Aesop is NOT going to cut it.. Also, I don't know what the differences are in the different formulations. I think this is the one I used - the ER. If this is the standard, most popular conditioner, then ER is what I used.. I did discover that men like the scent. It's not my favorite, but I had a male roommate who would steal it because he liked the way it smelled. lol
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Unlisted Brand - KillerStrands - Thriven
junkieheaven 10/29/2011 4:18:00 PM
I think this product wears off after the first few uses. The best results I ever got from this product were the first 3-4 times I used it. Afterwards, it loses its effectiveness, or it has done its job and my hair no longer needs the conditioning elements it has. So I give Thriven a 5 for initial use, but now I give it a 3. Mind you, I have moderate damage to my hair right now from too much flat iron and color - my strands are shy of straw-like, but still pretty bad. If your hair is in better shape, it may in fact work better for you, I really can't say.. I can think of only 3 products off the top of my head that I can say confidently are "better" than Thriven FOR MY HAIR (your hair may be different). And 1 is more expensive than Thriven, the other is an additional product I have reviewed on MUA, and the other you have to buy off ebay because it's not for public sale in the salons.. I guess look at my other reviews for additional recommendations? I don't know if I'm allowed to promote other products in a review.. I'm new to the site, please excuse.. Having said that, I won't be purchasing this product again. Not due to the price, but simply because it doesn't work as well as it did anymore. I would not encourage anyone to buy the 8oz tub for fear of having the same problem. But if you can get a 2oz or 4oz tub, I say try it - you'll probably see a difference. I actually kind of like the smell of Thriven - it has kind of a fresh tone to it that I like. Gleam is another story - I absolutely loathe the smell of Gleam.. And I agree with another poster about the "Secret Supplement" - I would NOT recommend taking that. As for the owner herself, I spoke about this more in my other review, but I do have to agree with many of the sentiments expressed here. I'm torn - she really knows her stuff, and some of her recommendations are just brilliant, you're not going to find the information she presents anywhere else, and she's patient with people who have clearly not done their homework and go nuts with the color/bleach.. but her energy is also crazy, quite manipulative at times, untruthful at others, and overall she misleads people through her marketing (and no, I've not had any issue with refunds etc., I've just sat back and witnessed a lot in her blog/group/store). It's sad, I've learned a lot from her blog and do appreciate it, but still, teaching people doesn't give you the right to be disingenuous or manipulative, sick or no.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Unlisted Brand - KillerStrands - Gleam
junkieheaven 10/29/2011 3:47:00 PM
I wanted to like this product because it's all natural and I appreciate that, but the smell is horrendous!! If you like any scents that are fresh, fruity, citrus-y, flowery, this is NOT for you. I can't describe it. I think it has some musky amber tone in it? Ugh. I can't wear it during the day. I'm using it up by mixing it in with the deep conditioner (which is better. Not HG status, but way better than this oil). The oils are also too heavy for me. They go straight to my scalp and sit, making me have to wash my hair more frequently - and I have a huge amount of curly hair, so that should tell you something. Even less than a half a squirt will cause an oil slick in my scalp. And yes, I do apply to my ends only, I completely read the instructions before applying. Truly, I haven't noticed any benefit from using the oil mid-shaft or on my ends. I think when using oils like this, they have to be used as an overnight conditioner (then washed out in the morning), or they need to be bound to other non-oils (a la Alterna's bamboo oil, which I haven't used yet, but will try once I finish off this bottle). I can't imagine any guy liking the smell of this in a girl's hair - I certainly haven't tried to get one to tell me what he thinks! One bottle will last you a long time - about the only positive about the product. I do also sympathize with others who lament about the owner. Kudos to MUA for offering us a forum to express all experiences freely, not just the good ones. While I've learned a lot from her and am much appreciative of her work, I do not think her excuse of being ill excuses some of her behavior. I too have seen examples of her getting quite ugly - it's just never been directed at me. But I do suspect she has alienated a lot of persons.. Which I think is the reason she needs to constantly expand her customer base. And I think she's well aware of it - she just chooses instead to say things like, "how can you be so heartless to a dying woman?" rather than assess her own behavior. Having said that: she is clearly a wonderful resource and we are all the better for her tutelage. I just wish she was a little more generous to her overseas viewers for one - who can blame them for not being able to afford the shipping charges? I agree with the pics on the group with girls thinking their hair turns out great. So many of them have their hair far too bleached out! I have not had any problems with refunds, and have been given them without too much of a wait (due to errors on THEIR end, not mine). I absolutely believe there is a whole lot of hype on her website along with the useful information. I know I'm not the only one who sees it either, as I have read posts where girls are confused over issues and say things such as, "the blog said this, and now I can't find it, but I know what I read." Why delete things from your blog if they're supposed to be instructive? I find it unsettling.. For instance: for a certain period of time, her blog and store indicated that her product, "Intensive" was a replacement to Wella's "In-Depth," claiming that In-Depth had been discontinued (later on In-Depth was discontinued, but not at the time to which I am referring). This was simply not true, as all Intensive ever was was her repackaging Wella's In-Depth into her own container, and then selling it at a higher price. She later amended the description to tell the truth about where Intensive came from, but not before some of us made the connection.. That's not a good way to keep customers, and you can't blame that on someone being ill.. I do still purchase from her, but not as much as I could - because while she has been informative and I am grateful for it, she's not completely open and honest like a good merchant should be. Also, beware of her staff masquerading on forums about her products - I've seen that too..
8 out of 8 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No