March Newsletter
Candalada
CANDALADA’s Digital Hair Class
How to wash your hair at home and obtain salon clean results
When you go to the salon, your stylist uses several steps to get your hair clean and optimize final result, he or she will generally:
1) Shampoo (cleansing shampoo) || Hair feels hard and very clean
2) Shampoo again (moisturizing shampoo) || Hair feels somewhat regular and clean
3) Condition (instant conditioner) || Hair feels slightly softer than usual
4) Deep Condition (using deep conditioner) || Hair feels like silk sheets
5) Select and use styling products based on the desired final outcome, usually using a leave-in first
“Why don’t more people use a four step washing process at home? Do I really have to do all of this?”
The short answer; yes. Generally the average consumer purchases one shampoo and one conditioner. After surveying my clients, results showed my African American clients picked up moisturizing shampoo and moisturizing conditioner or deep conditioner. Zero percent of African American clients surveyed purchased a clarifying shampoo. This prompted me to create an article.
The Science Behind Hair Washing
The PH of hair changes as soon as it hits the water; shampooing and conditioning changes the PH levels also. Imagine yourself diving to the bottom of the ocean. With the appropriate gear you can make it back to surface unharmed. Without the right gear you may never come back. The goal is to get your hair to come back being cleaner and softer than when you started.
These PH charts can give you a visual summary of the PH Balance Scale and where each head of hair falls on the scale. As you can see water moves your hair up the scale and all the efforts you make during the washing process bring you back down.
Digressing for a moment, this chart focuses more on the affects of color and chemical services by presenting a diagram of the cuticle next to the chart. Hair appears frizzy and uncontrollable when the cuticle is not closed or is damaged and fried. Once it is truly damaged it cannot be saved and must be cut off.
Difference between clarifying shampoo and moisturizing shampoo
When choosing product it is important to READ the bottles because they mean what they say. The purpose of clarifying shampoo is to remove most of the old product, pollution and world elements in your hair. When you use heavy styling products like butter, starting with a cleansing shampoo is really a must. However, if you have been using products on the lighter side, you can skip the cleansing shampoo from time to time.
Moisturizing shampoo removes what is left behind and was not removed by clarifying shampoo. It contains less aggressive cleaning agents.
Difference between instant conditioning and deep conditioning
The difference between regular conditioner, aka instant conditioner, and deep conditioner is deep conditioner usually has ingredient lists containing more oils and premium ingredients. It is made to sit on the hair and be processed with heat and/or time. That is why it cost more.
If you do not have time to sit and use it properly do not put it on your hair. Rinsing deep conditioner right away is actually wasting your money, you will not get the best results. When you’re in a rush: moisture shampoo, instant condition and go to Step 2 and Step 3.
Instant conditioner gets your hair soft, but nothing compares to deep conditioner paired with heat and/or time. A deep conditioner in your hair with a plastic cap processed at room temperature for 45 mins, under the dryer for 20 mins or under the steamer or 20 mins will always feel softer and smoother than when you put your conditioner in and rinse it right out in a few minutes.
Reminder: When you use a cleansing shampoo, you have to do ALL of the steps of the wash process or your hair will just be a hard mess!
After you wash your hair, pick the leave- in of your choice do not use too much, then use whatever products you want to style your hair.
My go to styling routines after hair is washed, clean, and wet/damp
For twists/twist outs I use Carol’s Daughters Healthy Hair Butter only, no leave in, nothing because the butter is so heavy my hair does not need anything else. I like a tiny bit of the honey on the ends, but I only use it if I have it already. My hair will be fabulous with or without the honey.
For up-do’s I use a leave in and my favorite is Kinky Curly (just a drop). I brush it into a ponytail and the put gel on the outsides (Cream of Nature Gel with the red top) and tie it down (with a perfect head tie) . I style what is left into a bun to the best of my abilities or use fake hair for the bun.
For old hair that I do not have time to do over. I wet it. I try to wash it as much as possible using only water I do not add new product. I apply something to the edges, and do an up-do for the day just until I can get home to do it right. The purpose of wetting the hair is because when it is stiff and dry I can’t comb or brush it.
For Straightening
DO NOT DO THIS AT HOME...PLEASE. I have tried to explain the process but most people just turn the flat iron to the top temp, burn their hair, refuse to do the recommended small sections, and try to use cheaper products than suggested, so I give up on sharing the trade secret and science of it.
SPECIFIC PRODUCT RECOMMENDATIONS
1.Kinky Curly……the line that houses the best cleansing shampoo on the market, available in Target.
2. Deva Curl ...Below is my sister’s absolute favorite shampoo, conditioner and styling product. She uses One Decadence Shampoo, Conditioner and the coconut cream styler. Online it says these products are at Target and Walmart but I have NEVER seen it on the shelf. I suggest ordering it. Nikky is very linear. She does not use things from a bunch of different lines. After months of usage I have determined this line doesn’t moisturize enough for me. I find that it works best on Hispanic clients or clients with loose curls.
http://www.devacurl.com/products.html
2.Carol’s Daughter’s….My hair does not care about Carols Daughter or Shea Moisture shampoo or conditioner anymore. I have been using the products for 10 years and my hair is just plain tired of it. When I did use CD, I used the black vanilla shampoo/conditioner, available in Target.
The Butter is the BEST I have ever seen on the market! The honey is a replacement for traditional hair grease and adds shine. Honey is in Target but the butter can only be found online! It is a top seller and NOTHING is better for a twist out.
http://www.carolsdaughter.com/
3. Shea Moisture… When I used Shea Moisture I used these specifically. Available in Target. I literally do not use ANY of the styling products from Shea Moisture.
4. Mielle Organics They have recently released a shampoo and conditioner for the Honey & Pomegranate line. I was introduced to this line by discovering the leave in first. My overall review for Mielle Organics is below.
2016-2018 Best Deep Conditioners
TGIN, Shea Moisture strengthen, grow and restore leave -in.I use this as a deep conditioner, process with heat and rinse out. Revive and Repair is Nikky's fave. Manuka Honey Intensive Hydration Masque, I discovered this masque in 2018 long after using the others.
Leave-In's / Detangler
Unlike most people, I use leave in as a deep conditioner with heat, or leave it in for a few and rinse most of it out because they all make my hair flaky. I love the way some of them detangle.
Top Choice:
The word co -wash drives me crazy, I don’t know why, but this mixture is fire. Instructions say it is used as a cleaning conditioner. I just use it as a coditioner with my favorite shampoo. I’ve never been a fan of washing hair with only conditioner. My hair is instantly combable with this product, so it’s pretty amazing.
Other Styling Products
Karen Body Beautiful has an entire line of things. I did not have a chance to try them all, but I fell in love with this one product called hair blossom moisture mist. It is basically a water mist but it has stuff in it that makes the hair so silky soft and easy to comb.
Barry Fletcher Loc Set Serum the best loc serum in the world. Dries shiny and hold hair for weeks. For even better results use liquid moisture oil on the scalp.
To recap, my old favorite (Shampoo & Conditioner) no longer work for my hair, but may work for you
Always use a cleansing shampoo when hair is dirty
DO NOT waste expensive deep conditioner by rinsing it right out
Everything does not have to come from the same line. If it does great mainly because of the convenience of getting all your product in one place, but if it does not that is okay. What works is more important than what is convenient.
Just because a line has one fire product does not mean all their products will work for your hair
These are just recommendations; not the law. Now that you understand the process or science to it and now know a few of the best products out, you may develop your own really good hair system.
THE ULTIMATE PRODUCT REVIEW VIDEO RECAP
Deva Curl, Shea Moisture, Mielle Products, Kinky Curly
After the video I was able to try the Mielle line in its entirety. This was the result of Mielle shampoo, conditioner, leave-in, curl custard.
How I saved my feet using vinegar
Did you ever feel like you didn’t need the scraper when getting a pedicure until they started using it? Do your feet feel disturbingly dry? There is hope.
When I receive a pedicure a pomace stone scrub is standard. During the summer of 2018 they used the tool that resembled a grater on my foot for the first time. My foot was smooth for the first few days and then it started to feel like it was peeling and flaking. I tried scrubbing it at home and it seemed to grate my already damaged skin. To make matters worse I stepped on a piece of glass at home, so I had a dry foot, very rough heels and a cut!
I remember that my aunt said using vinegar on her feet has been the best at home treatment she ever tried. Desperate for relief I pulled out my favorite “Braggs Apple Cider” and poured it into a basin. Then I put a little room temperature water in the basin. Next, I boiled some water in a kettle and added the piping hot water to the basin.
I let my feet soak until the water became cold. With a regular pumice stone I rubbed away all the dead skin being careful not to be too rough. I dried my feet with a cloth, covered them in Vaseline and put my socks on.
I am too embarrassed to show what my foot looked like before the treatment, so this is my foot after the treatment. The cut on the bottom of my foot looks like it was never there. The redness and extra skin from stepping on the glass was gone. There was still a tiny bit of dryness but nothing compared to the overly dry, ripped, textured skin I had the hour prior.
I did this vinegar treatment in December, it is now March. My feet, the heels especially, still feel and look fine. I will never let them grate my feet again! Lesson learned.
Reduced redness, removed several layers of skin
Both bottoms look the same can’t tell which on was punctured
Textured grated ash is removed.
Moisturized on the coldest December evening
Erykah Badu Receives #THEPERFECTHEADTIE
PRETTY & PAINLESS
Before: No hair added After: Kinky hair added
Before : Previous Highlights
After : Deposited Red Violet
FOOD/SNACKS/MEALS
FOOD: Alert New Pop Up Carry-Out!
Do not miss out on this. Follow them on Instagram and look at my video review. March 17th, 2019 is the next one. Do not expect sexy, it is a carry out and the food is good.
Tikka: New Indian place in the mall
The food was good and they even have the correct oven to make the naan in. The naan is always made to order and will take at least 4 minutes to bake after ordered.
SNACKS
Trader Joe’s cereal
This cereal did not taste that good in the milk. It was tolerable as a dry snack.
This was good. It is really hard to mess up ginger ale.
This muffin tasted like cardboard. The chocolate was the only thing that could have made it somewhat enjoyable if it didn’t already taste like cardboard.
These made my stomach hurt. I won’t buy them again.
Meals
MOVIE & TV CORNER
NEW MOVIES
If you read last month’s newsletter then you know the drill. The ratings below reflect how good the movie is for the genre it’s in. I am using a scale of 1-5. Five (5) representing excellence, three (3) okay and one (1) trash. The category legend is as follows:
(S) Superhero
(L) Love or Comedy
(ST) Story/Biopic
(A) Action/Thriller or Mystery
Greta (A): Rating 3 - Umm can you say weird? If you are looking for a slight thriller this will do. If you want to be scared shitless this won’t do it. Greta is all the way crazy. None of the graphics are cheesy or problematic. It took creators too long to tell the story.
Cold Pursuit (A): Rating 4.3 - I know we are supposed to be boycotting all his movies. Its already yanked out of theaters perhaps because of the scandal, but not the quality of the movie. The story was serious, but there was some dry comedy in how the creators did the screen play. The most interesting characters to me were the Indians.
Isn’t It Romantic (L): Rating 4 - This movies is funny. The cheesy musical at the end is over the top. Feel free to leave the movie as soon as the movie is over. They mistook the movie for a prince song and did not want to end it.
Captain Marvel (S):Rating 4 -There are many things about this movie that is entertaining. The only thing that could make it better is if the leading character was a stronger actor. Physically if she had sexier legs like super woman and talent wise she used a lot of the same facial expressions. It was refreshing that there was no romance added to the story. She was not dependent or longing for any man. In my opinion, the underlying message was to free your mind.
Her supporting cast was good, you know Samuel Jackson’s humor never gets old. The character that stole my heart was her best friend’s daughter. The time period they chose to hold the movie in was a pleasant surprise.
A Madea Family Funeral (L): Rating 4 - The language in this was wild. Some of the scenes were too long, making it seem like a play as usual. The scandal within the movie was good. There were some very attractive new women on screen that I haven’t seen before. Unfortunately, there was a man snoring to the top of his lungs from beginning to end when I was watching this movie. I complained about it and received a free movie ticket as an apology!
NETFLIX AND CHILL?
The FRYE Festival scandal is something else. If you haven’t heard about it please watch FRYE Festival on Netflix. The biggest party to never happen. It. is. beyond entertaining and interesting. Hulu had their own documentary. I watched both, but if you only have time for one the Netflix version is the one.
Good Girls will have you cracking up. Regular moms that really get themselves tangled up in street life. It seems so real and relatable.
SERIES JUNKIE
Game of Thrones is coming back April 14th!!! Man get ready. I tried to watch the show years ago. Two episodes in I couldn’t take it seeing a brother and sister kissing. This year I decided to tough it out. I watched 7 seasons! I am so so ready for April 14th. The story line is twisted and intricate. The evil villians are truly evil, the do gooders are hopeless romantics and the conflicted ….well they are conflicted. There is someone for everyone to relate to.
SITCOM JUNKIE
Is a series an over commitment because the episodes are too long? Okay fine. These are some sitcom recommendations:
This Is Us- Tear jerking show about family issues, cancer, death, being over weight, adoption and raising kids.
-ABC Network
A Million Little Things - Tear jerker about infidelity, suicide, friendship, and cancer.
-ABC Network
Grownish- Takes place in a college setting. Leading actress is beyond beautiful. This show touches on every issue we ever had in college, from dating, classes, sex, studying and gender roles. It’s a spin off from Blackish, which I ironically have never watched.
-Hulu
HaiR THERAPY CLUB MEMBER SHARE:
The InCommunities team is excited to bring you a new opportunity to make a long lasting impact within your local community with the introduction of the IAD Homeless Elevation Program (IHELP)!
What is the IHELP Program?
The IHELP program is aimed at helping four local Washington, D.C. and Northern VA based homeless organizations with monthly food, clothing, and monetary donations. Each month, we will be collecting a specific donation item based on the needs of our beneficiary organizations.
When will this be taking place?
They will start collecting donations this Monday, March 4th.
How can I contribute?
Donations for March (3/4-4/1)
Food, Jelly, Pancake Mix
Clothing, Blankets, Coats (all sizes)
Which organizations are we benefitting?
DC Coalition for the Homeless, Washington, D.C. - Link
So Others Might Eat (SOME), Washington, D.C. - Link
McKenna Center, Washington, D.C. - Link
Cornerstones, Fairfax, VA - Link
MORE PRODUCT INFO
Product lines are expanding and here are some new items that I have spotted. I also noticed advertising show casing imperfections which I thought was cool. Check it out.
This models smile lines are visible and her skin looks real.
Notice her hair is perfect, but she has one small tooth.
Expansion
I have noticed an expansion of Camilla Rose. Kinky Curly has new products and Curls released a luxury line.
TGIN has bottles with white labels. Not sure if they are relabeling and discontinuing old products or if this a part of their expansion. Look at how similar this new white labels are to my old fav Honey Miracle Mask.
There is a price drop on Kinky Curly come clean shampoo. They have left the $11.99 price mark and have reduced their price down to $9.99. This is most likely to compete with Shea Moisture.
