Mascara -Maybelline - Full 'N Soft Mascara 
katherinep 11/23/2011 8:49:00 AM
All I know is that this stuff was basically dried out and crumbly the weeek after I bought it. I just don't have anything good to say about it at all other than the fact that it's dirt cheap, so I didn't feel too ripped off. My mom got one and hates it, too. It's so bizarre to me that everyone is giving it such rave reviews, because it was honestly just really kind of hard to apply and ended up clumpy, but to each their own. Maybe we got old ones?
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Shampoo -Shi Kai - Color Reflect Deep Shampoo
katherinep 9/8/2011 10:59:00 PM
I really like this product. It adds depth and shine to my hennaed hair without 'darkening' it. I find that the smell is pretty mild, and it doesn't bother my sensitive scalp. As far as what I don't like about it, sometimes this shampoo squirts out too fast and I end up with too much, although it's easy to avoid that simply by being a little more careful - but otherwise I like that it comes in a tube rather than a bottle. Also, I do have to clarify my hair after a week of using this, but in my experience, most colour depositing shampoos are about the same. All in all, It's something I'll keep in my arsenal for certain. It's one of my go-to products when my hair just doesn't feel right, and has yet to disappoint me.
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Treatments -Organix - Ever Straight Brazilian Keratin Therapy Organix 30 Day Smoothing Treatment
katherinep 9/8/2011 10:50:00 PM
There's a lot of reasons why brazillian keratin treatments aren't found in stores like you'd find colour or perm kits, and the formaldehyde contained in them is one of those reasons; which is how, I imagine, this product made it onto shelves in the first place. However, a lot of other factors play into the results you get with this, so bear with me as far as the grueling details. I'd just like to add that - yes, I am a stylist - but I'm also very aware of basic biochemistry, I'm a member of Naturallycurly and The Long Hair Community, and I have let myself lose money talking clients out of buying products that weren't ging to work for them. This is a review written entirely for your safety and the quality of your hair. Firstly, did you know that salt from water softeners, the ocean, and certain types of shampoos and conditioners (even gentle ones like, for example, all of the lines you can purchase at TJs) can ruin (or at the very least, tamper with the results of) this type of BKT? You probably didn't. That's why salons prefer that you return to the salon to wash theirs out, where they can control this much better. Or that the temperature of your flat iron during the process as well as how many times you pass it through the hair really is one of the MOST important parts? Your flat iron, depending on it's quality, probably isn't going to give results quite as accurate as most professional models. I've had a couple clients come in having issues with this product, and come to find out they were using an iron that was 5+ years old. How about this; OSHA allows FORMALDEHYDE to be labelled as ANY ONE OF THE FOLLOWING: methylene glycol, formalin, methylene oxide, paraform, formic aldehyde, methanal, oxomethane, oxymethylene, or CAS Number 50-00-0. Most of these products contain some sort of "aldehyde" like formaldehyde because of the similarities between the ways that keratin and formaldehyde bond. As far as their molecular geometry, "-aldehyde" bonds are slightly 'cleaner', thus stronger and shinier, than keratin bonds; that's exactly why they use it. "Formaldehyde preserves or fixes tissue or cells by reversibly cross-linking primary amino groups in proteins with other nearby nitrogen atoms in protein or DNA through a -CH2- linkage." Although I don't recommend these treatments in general, I will say that the professional haircare industry has come out with one or two genuinely formaldehyde-free BKT's within the past year, so do your research, find out what's safe, and that's the way it's done. ;)
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Conditioner -Modern Organic Products (MOP) - Leave-in conditioner
katherinep 8/26/2011 9:04:00 AM
I have very fine, curly, chin length choppy hair from a pixie I'm growing out. Usually this sits in my cabinet of professional/organic hair products but I like to use it here and there when I want a natural/polished look. It works well under a gel or an oil. I would use a moisturizer of some sort over it though because otherwise your ends might get crunchy. Over all I havent used it consistently enough to know if its THAT good, but its a nice styling aid for fine hair if you plan to air dry. I would purchase this again.
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