ORS is forcing me back to my product junkie ways

ORS and their new products. I love ORS but with all the new products out there it is really difficult to decide what to use and it is even more difficult to resist the temptation and buy their new products just to test them out.

I have already tried the ORS HAIRepair Nourishing Conditioner, and did a review of it and a comparison of it with the ORS Replenishing Pack, so I knew it to be a good line of products. So when I came across the cremes from the HAIRepair line I decided to try the Intense Moisturise Creme.

What I did not notice at the store was that the product has petrolatum which is an ingredient I have been trying to avoid since I began my hair journey. Now I know there is a debate about petrolatum and whether it harms or helps the hair. There has been many a lady on her hair journey who grew her hair out and retained her length while using petrolatum and found that this ingredient was not a hindrance to her hair goals. Then there are others who avoid it like the plague; me being one of them.

I also ended up getting another hugely popular ORS product which also contains petrolatum, the ORS Olive Oil Incredibly Rich Moisturising Lotion. I moisturised my hair with this product last night and I have to admit my hair feels pretty wonderful. I am not sure how it will feel after a week's use but we will see.

I would also like to purchase the HAIRepair Anti-Breakage Creme which I would probably use primarily on my ends.

I know that many persons insist we stay away from certain ingredients, but at the same time, a hair journey is a pretty personal one that is specific to your hair's needs. I know I have gone back to sulphate shampoos and haven't had any difficulty whereas in the past I was a hardcore sulphate-free user and ran into some problems because of it.

My goal is just to play it by ear and see how my hair feels. My hair usually tells me when it is happy or it is not happy.

Has anyone used any of these products? There seems to be very few reviews in the hair blogging community on these products.

I bought mesh rollers!

After seeing Ebony from Longing 4 Length and Jeni from Just Grow Already rave about their mesh rollers, I had them in the back of my mind and so when I happened to see them today, I just had to get them. I bought the Goody brand rollers. One pack has 20 rollers which includes 8 medium sized rollers and 12 small ones. I decided to get 2 packs. They were so inexpensive; I paid $9.95 per pack in my currency which comes out to just a little over US $1.50. I just could not pass up on it. I may even buy a third pack just in case I need a few more when roller setting my hair. My rollers are smaller than what the other ladies have been using, so I will end up with a tighter curl.

This is what they look like:

I promise to actually take photos of my results when using the rollers. I tend to really be bad with adding photos to my blog posts.

Comparison between ORS HAIRepair Nourishing Conditioner and ORS Replenishing Conditioner

I tried the ORS HAIRepair Nourishing Conditioner about two weeks ago and I loved it but I was not quite sure how it would fit into my hair regimen and whether it should replace my 1st love which is my Replenishing conditioner. My game plan was part my hair down the middle and apply each conditioner to one side and then do a comparison to figure out which one I prefer.

This time around I opted not to add any additional oils to the conditioner as is my usual practice and I applied to hair that was about 80 percent dry.

SCENT: I really have to say the banana scent is just a wee bit too strong for me. I really wish it were just a bit milder. On the other hand, I just love the citrus undertones of the Replenishing Conditioner.

SLIP: The HAIRepair was the definite winner when it came to slip. After applying the conditioner from root to tip, I ran my rake comb through my hair and it just glided through my hair. The Replenishing Conditioner also has slip but I would give it a 7 out of 10, whereas the HAIRepair gets a 10 out of 10.

ABSORPTION: I felt like the HAIRepair was more immediately absorbed into my hair whereas the Replenishing Conditioner sat on top of my hair. I am not sure if it is because the Replenishing Conditioner has a thicker, more waxy feeling to it as opposed to the more liquid, almost pudding-esque consistency of the HAIRepair. However, after deep conditioning with heat for 15 minutes and letting it remain for a hour after that, I really did feel like my hair had absorbed both of the conditioners.

EFFECTS ON MY NEW GROWTH: I am a stretcher and my stretches can last anywhere from 12 to 24 weeks, so it is absolutely essential that any conditioner I use my soften my new growth, moisturise it and help me to easily detangle it. Well, I have to say that both these products are amazing. They work on both my texlaxed ends and my new growth. I love their effect on my new growth. Detangling was a breeze and my new growth was left soft and fluffy.

After rinsing the conditioner out of my hair I roller set my hair and I had amazing results on either side. I found that the products were equally amazing. If there was a difference in how my hair felt, it was a very small difference.

So which one would I choose? I am really not sure. Both of the products worked really well on my hair and I feel like they could be used as perfect substitutes and give the same wonderful results. For now though, I think I will stick to the Replenishing Conditioner for the simple reason that I have two unused bottles in my stash. I will say though, if ORS were to bring out a bottle version of the HAIRepair, I'd buy it and alternate my usage of it.

I love ORS, now if only they could make a mineral oil free version of their Olive Oil lotion then I would be such a happy camper!

ORS Crazy

I am a recovering product junkie and to avoid a relapse I tend to go shopping for hair supplies with a list in hand to ensure that I leave with only what I need. Unfortunately, sometimes even with the best of intentions one can be tempted. Am tempted I was indeed today.

My plan was to purchase another ORS HAIRepair as I wanted to deep condition half my hair with the Replenishing Conditioner and half with the HAIRepair to see which one I liked best. I meant to only pick that up, but what should I spy on the shelf just below? The ORS Hair Masque which I have been dying to try.

Now it is not cheap for only 11oz of product. I paid $81.95 in my currency which is almost US$13. It is sold on amazon.com for US$10.

I tend to use the ORS Hair Mayonnaise as my medium protein treatment, once every 6 weeks and then the week prior to and after a relaxer. The Mayonnaise has hydrolyzed collagen as its protein and the Hair Masque has hydrolyzed keratin so I believe the Hair Masque is a stronger protein treatment. The label warns that the product is not for daily use.

I will be trying this out this weekend. I am going to chelate my hair with my ORS Aloe Shampoo and will follow up with the ORS Hair Masque. I also wanted to do a length check, so given that I will be doing a heavier protein treatment, I feel okay about flat ironing my hair.

I'm so excited

It is here! It is finally here! Today I went to replenish my stock of staple products and came across the pack version of the ORS HAIRepair Nourishing Conditioner. I was so excited it finally made it to Trinidad. I paid $13.95 in local currency (a little more than US$2) which I must admit is a bit on the pricey side for one use. That being said, I cannot wait until tomorrow to wash my hair to try it out--sounds a bit weird but oh well, hahaha. I'm due for a light protein on Saturday. I will swap out my regular ORS Replenishing Conditioner and see what I think.

I am thinking it might be a bit heavy on the protein side as it contains hydrolyzed collagen pretty high up in the ingredient listing. It also has dimethicone which scares me a bit due to my product build-up hair breakage experience throughout 2011 but at least it is in the middle of the ingredient listing and I use a sulphate shampoo now, so I should be fine in any case.

Can't wait to try the product. A review will be coming tomorrow or tonight, in case I succumb to the temptation and wash and deep condition my hair tonight. After all, the last time I washed it was on Tuesday and today is Friday. I think my hair could do with a wash *big grin*

Return of the product junkie

I am a recovering product junkie and things were going well until I entered a drugstore today. It was really hot in Port of Spain and I went just to get some water. Given this drugstore also has a pretty decent selection of products I decided just to take a look. I was excited when I discovered that they carried an Amla Oil brand which was mineral oil free. When I first started my hair journey I was big on alma oil until I discovered that most have mineral oil as its base. I was completely turned off alma because of that. This purchase can be justified as it was a mineral oil free amla! If I like it I will have to go get the 3 bottles they had remaining.
Now I had another weak moment in another store. I intended to replenish a conditioner that I ran out of. The intention was not to buy something new. Unfortunately I saw a conditioner that intrigued me and I had to get it. The conditioner was made by none other than Luster's and it was in the Pink Brand. Now everyone knows about Luster's and their infamous Pink Oil Moisturiser. Back in the day I would use this thing as a setting lotion and a moisturiser. I would use it to set my hair every night before bed.
Every since I began my hair journey, I have run away from mineral oil and petroleum so when I saw a conditioner from the Pink line my first opinion was "That has got to be full of mineral oil.' To my surprise it was not. In fact the ingredients did not look half bad and it was cone free. I have an interesting relationship with cones and until I figure out how to safely incorporate them into my regimen, I am taking a break from them. The conditioner seems pretty decent. The only negative is that it appears to be a bit thin. I don't need a thick conditioner like a masque, but I don't think it should be runny either which is what the Luster's is.
I will be trying both of these products today and I will give my opinion later.