Product Review: As I Am Curling Jelly

Hey Everyone!

I have been using the As I Am Curling Jelly for quite some time now, and have DEFINITELY gone through some up and downs with this product!

Ingredients:

Aqueous (Water, Aqua Purificada, Purified) Extracts: Aloe Barbadensis Leaf¹ and Beta Vulgaris (Beet) Root¹, Glycerin¹, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Xanthan Gum¹, Pectin¹, Citric Acid², Tocopheryl Acetate, Potassium Sorbate, Diazolidinyl Urea (and) Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, Fragrance/Parfum, Limonene. Source: 1-Natural; 2-Citrus Fruit

Also claims:	Paraben Free Protein Free Silicone Free Sulfate Free

My Thoughts:

Initially, I liked that the second ingredient was aloe vera. My hair loves anything aloe vera and I took this as a good sign. I also liked the fact that there weren't a million different ingredients in this product, even though I didn't know what a lot of the names were!

When I first used it, I was using the Shea Moisture Curl Milk as my leave in. This was a BAD idea. It started flaking all over the place! I tried getting rid of it by spraying my hair in the different areas where the flaking was very noticeable. This didn't really help. I ended up having to put my hair up and then washing all of the product out. I then tried it just as a gel for my buns. This was ALSO a bad idea. It just kept flaking. So  then I thought, maybe i am just using too much OR maybe I need to use light, water based products in order to make this stuff work for me. So I then tried about a quarter size of the product on each side of my hair with my Tressume Naturals and I got decent results, nothing amazing though.

I wish I had photos for you all, but I hated this product for so long, I never thought to take one! LOL But I never wanted to throw it out, so it took me awhile to really figure out what to do with it. I'll be happy to finish it off and finally toss it. Would I purchase again? Heck no.

Rating: 2 out of 5.

XO, Jade

Review: Mixed Chicks Leave In Conditioner 

Criticism is....GOOD!

I am sitting in class, and just got the notion to write something.

So, my professor is one of those who is QUICK to check you...test you on what you know. I am pretty confident, and this professor and I are pretty cool too. She is a Delta as well, and I really enjoy her class...MOST of the time.

Today...she got on my ass though. In front of everyone. Now, i'm not one to crumble or shy away from criticism, but damn, that was a lil rough. She basically was saying what I was saying was irrelevant to what she asked. The whole class was confused about what she was asking for, including myself.

Now, my first reaction is to be mad. Like ugh! your embarrassing me!!

But, I remember something that I have been working on in myself for awhile now. When you are criticized, just EAT IT. Do not try to get all worked up and upset about it. Everyone has their right to an opinion of you, and it's up to you to agree or disagree with it. EVERYONE judges EVERYONE. This is human nature. But what you do is, try starting to develop a self coping system for it. It is challenging, and not fun to go through. But, the more times you go through "being in the hot seat" the more opportunity to learn how to DEAL with it better.

If this was a year ago, I would've been upset and beating myself up about it. But now, I know how to deal with it.  I take it in, I think about it, and i take from it what I want.

This makes life a lot easier because you will be criticized till the day you die.

'Tis reality folks.

Until next time,

XO, Jade

My Social Networking Sites!

SO if ya don't know, now ya know.....


http://www.youtube.com/user/xlovedivine

http://xlovedivine.tumblr.com/

I have an instagram, but only for my personal use. I can post pics from there on here if y'all wanna see pics.

I HAD a twitter...

But I have a history of people stealing my identity....Crazy, right? But I guess y'all should know about it if ya don't...

just google my name or something...if you care that much. I personally don't, but something I have to live with and explain on a daily basis...which get's pretty annoying but whatever. *shrugs*

I have a video I did about a year or two ago about the whole thing on my youtube channel if your really curious!

But uhhhh, yea. Check me out! :D

XO, Jade

The Curly Girl Method

So, recently I have been on a search for the perfect regimen for my hair.

I have tried MANY different techniques, products, and home made concoctions.

Recently, I was being cheap and decided to just do some Tresseme Naturals Conditioner and a little bit of Eco Styler Gel and LOW and behold... I got the most compliments on my hair that I ever had before! My curls were poppin' hunty! So, I've been doing the Curly Girl Method for the past 2 weeks and I can definitely say I give it a thumbs up!

If you aren't quite sure of what the Curly Girl Method is....below is a pretty good explanation of what it is. Yes, I plagiarize. This ain't for school, so APA can suck it and kudos to whoever wrote this excerpt originally!

The Curly Girl Method: The Basics

The Curly Girl Method was developed by Lorraine Massey. She shared it with the world in her book, Curly Girl: The Handbook. She acknowledges our problems, and provides a lot of helpful advice about how to care for our hair. 

The basic idea(s):

1. Curly hair, because of its construction, is drier and more prone to breakage/frizz than any other hair type.

2. SULFATES: Typical shampoo contains harsh chemicals, sulfates, which strip hair of its natural oils and moisture. (Yes, even popular brands like Pantene and Herbal Essences contain them!)

3. These sulfates aren’t really good for ANY hair type, but they’re especially bad for curly hair, due to its delicate nature.

4. SILICONES: As most shampoos contain sulfates, most conditioners, and various other styling products (ex. serums, gels), contain various silicones. They are used to make your hair shiny-looking. The only way to remove (most) silicones is with sulfates. Since, with the method, you won’t use any sulfates, it is important to avoid heavy silicones. If you continue to use silicones, they will build up on your hair (ew). 

How am I supposed to wash my hair, then?

5. CO-WASHING/NO-POO: Although you can buy sulfate-free shampoos, they still tend to be too harsh to use on your curls every day. So, you can wash your hair with conditioner. 

What? No shampoo? Gross!

6. It really isn’t gross when you think about it. Ensure that you massage your scalp with the conditioner, to loosen all of the dirt, and you’ll be okay. You know what’s gross, though? Having all of those harmful sulfates in your hair. :(

Okay, anything else?

7. Yes! When purchasing styling products, you may notice that nearly all of them contain silicones. But, not to worry. There are certain types of silicones that won’t build up on your hair and make it gross. I’ll link you to a list. :)

I’ve been doing the Curly Girl Method for a few weeks, and nothing’s happening. What’s the problem?

8. The first thing that you should do is check all of the products that you’re using to ensure that they do not contain sulfates and silicones. If they do, that’s the problem. If they don’t, just wait it out for a few more weeks. You’ve probably been using harmful products on your hair for all of your life, and it needs some time to adjust. Some people even say that their hair looks worse at first.

I need more information; can you give me more detail?

I shall provide you with some helpful links.

How to follow/which silicones and sulfates to avoid:

http://www.wikihow.com/Follow-the-Curly-Girl-Method-for-Curly-Hair

Other people’s results with the CG method:

http://www.naturallycurly.com/curltalk/general-discussion-about-curly-hair/47609-post-your-before-after-cg-pics.html

A generally helpful website:

http://www.naturallycurly.com/

XO, Jade 

Post Numero Uno

So, this is it. Post Numero Uno. I guess I could start out by telling you a little bit about myself and where I want to go in life...

Well, the names Jade. I'm a 21 year old college student...trying to be somebody of significance in her own way. I'm basically super cool...I like to watch the history channel occasionally, read books. Hang out with friends/family...Enjoy good food and music. I grew up in a pretty good family, we had our ups and downs. But all glory is to be given to God, because at the end of the day, I am one blessed lil' lady.

My passion in life is helping people grow through experiences that are self-motivated, meaning I want to help people get excited and driven about achieving their own goals and dreams. It is very gratifying to me when I know my efforts have helped someone become a better version of "themselves".

I also have a passion for helping anyone and everyone, see the beauty in themselves. Can you imagine, with all the people on this planet...no one is the exact same? Like, I'm an identical twin. Even though my sister and I were brought up the same way....and have the same DNA...we still are very unique individuals. Everyone has awesome things about them, and I think that's pretty cool. Especially when I get to help someone see that uniqueness in themselves.

But don't get me wrong, I am human, therefore imperfect. So do I go around telling people they're awesome every day and saying "Everyone is unique and beautiful in their own way!" Nope. I'm actually very selective in whom I give compliments...I judge too. Too quickly, and sometimes too harshly. But me and God are workin' on that so yeah....give ya girl some slack.

Any who....this blog will be a mixture of my life...my obsession with my hair...and other beauty topics of sorts. Been wanting to start a blog for awhile...and given that I am about to graduate college and REALLY put my big girl pants on...I thought it was a good time to start my internet diary.

But uhhhh...chyea, check me out real quick, spend a lil time on here, my tumblr, and/or my youtube channel if you bout that life...

XO, Jade.