Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Conditioning Hair is Important: My Hair Story + Tips to Shiny Hair


Let me brief you on this post. This will have 3 parts. The first part will be the story on how my hair lost its shine. The second part will be the importance of hair conditioner and will be followed by the remedies I did to regain my hair's shine.

WARNING: This post includes self praise. Forgive me for doing so. LOL

MY HAIR LOST ITS SHINE

When I was in high school I had long, straight, waist-length hair. It was cut in V-shape and only had few layers. My hair is one of my assets. I even got a recognition during my junior prom because of my hair. To cut it short, my hair was beautiful, long and shiny... up until my senior year.

During my senior year, I got more and more lazy with taking care of my hair. My parents used to buy me shampoo and conditioner whenever they go do the groceries. As I got lazy, I asked my parents to just buy me the shampoo with conditioner products in store. Yes, it was because I was lazy to condition my hair after shampoo-ing. They eventually got me Palmolive Naturals (Shampoo with Conditioner) Anti- Dandruff Therapy. The said product was actually good. It smells nice and got rid of my dandruff. Since it already had conditioner, my hair was actually kind of soft.

I have read somewhere that it's better if you don't shampoo your hair everyday. It's better if you just use conditioner (alone) from time to time. I'm not the expert in this area but I guess you can tell when to use your shampoo and when you can go alone with just conditioner. My hair strands are super fine and I can't go through the day without shampoo-ing my hair. It tends to get greasy in less than 24 hours. Thus, I shampoo my hair everyday and I use the product mentioned above for everyday use.

I didn't notice dramatic changes on my hair until my mother pointed out that my hair was loosing its shine. I was surprised and examined my hair closely (which I haven't done in a long time). It has indeed lost its shine! All because I was too lazy to condition my hair separately!

IMPORTANCE OF HAIR CONDITIONER (AND HOW IT WORKS)

One should use conditioner after shampoo-ing hair. Why? Let me tell you some nerd-ish facts about hair, shampoo and conditioner.

I want you to imagine one strand of hair as a straight line. Done? So let's discuss what happens to the hair when we shampoo it. Most shampoos are basic in nature meaning they have a high pH. This is because it has to rid the hair of dirt and oil build up. Now, when our hair meets shampoo, some parts of the hair tends to stick out. I can't find an exact illustration of how this would look like but supposing our hair is a straight line, just imagine that from side to side, there are flicks (fly away lines), much like roots branching out from one main line. Now when this happens, light that are directed on it cannot convey shine because there are little flicks that destroy the light concentration. This results to dull, non-shiny hair. Adding to this, imagine if you comb through hair that has flicks from side to side. It may damage it by enlarging the flicks that may cause split ends in the long run. Since we're not talking about split ends here, let me go back to our topic and discuss the conditioning parts. If you're concerned about split ends, just comment below and I might talk about split ends in the future. After all, I was also a victim of excessive split ends.

Anyway, back to what I was saying... Even if you run water on your hair after shampoo, the flicks would not go away. Now here's where conditioning of hair comes in. Most hair conditioners are, on the other hand, more acidic in nature. Meaning, it has a lower pH than shampoos. When base meets acid, it neutralizes. Right? The same thing happens when our shampoo-ed hair meets hair conditioner. It neutralizes the basic effects of shampoo and reverts our hair strands back to a straight line (no flicks) so that when light is directed upon it, light can be concentrated, resulting to shiny hair. Thus, conditioning after shampoo-ing is a MUST.

Now why did I get dull hair when in fact, I used shampoo with conditioner? Analyzing the facts I have stated above, shampoos with conditioner cannot bring about the same effect. True, these products may have lower pH than normal hair shampoos but since it's a combination of two products, it would most probably have both properties at the same time. I guess that's why my hair was still soft. And I also guess that's why it wasn't able to revert back my hair into a straight line (if you've read my nerd-ish fact above, I know you know what I meant). In conclusion, the product I have specified above did NOT cause me to have dull hair. It was my negligence. And yes, I learned the hard way. You still have to use conditioner after using products such as those.

GAINING BACK MY HAIR'S SHINE 

Given that my hair was already damaged, I could do nothing but change my habit and be a little more patient in separately using shampoo and conditioner. After all, it did not take me too long to do so.

To aid the process of giving my hair back its shine, I used this product called Citre Shine. It was, once again, suggested by my best friend and it did wonders for my damaged hair. Of course, I used both the shampoo AND conditioner. Citre Shine costs a little bit more than your usual advertised shampoos and conditioner. I bought it in Landmark Makati.






Now for those who are on a budget, if you have damaged your hair the same way that I did, I suggest that you use Johnson's Baby Shampoo (in yellow). Yes, no more tears! Haha! Baby shampoos apparently have lower pH than most shampoos. I don't know about other baby shampoos but I was able to use Johnson and Johnson partnered with Cream Silk conditioner and the results were great. I used it for a duration of 1-2 months right after Citre Shine corrected my problem.


Other people have mentioned that Shine Moist Henna Wax makes hair soft and shiny. Actually, I have a tub of it in Natural (meaning there's no color in it) and I used it a while ago but I don't exactly remember if it actually made my hair shiny. I do remember that my hair was remarkably soft. As for the shine, I would have to use it again and probably make a review on it in the future.

I hope this entry was helpful for you and I really hope you get the shiny hair that you've been yearning for.


(I bought this/these product/s with my own money and I am not getting paid for anything I say about it. Note that these are just my opinions and I do not guarantee that what I say would hold true in everyone's case.)

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Kojie-san Skin Lightening Soap: Review




I have never been the type of person who worries about skin color. Let's just say that I was born with a tan. I think in most (West) countries, tan is something that they actually want. But here in Asia (specifically: Philippines - where I'm staying), people long for white skin. Thus, a lot of skin whitening products are readily available all over the local market.


I have heard about Kojie-san in facebook because Alodia Gosiengfiao is the endorser of the product. But as I've mentioned above, I was never the type of person who worries about skin color so I didn't try it... until my best friend recommended the soap for me to use.

I immediately bought the soap to try. I have never been this satisfied with a soap in my life. Kojie-san is a skin lightening soap and it really does lighten skin! In just two weeks, my friends have been noticing a change in me although at that point in time they couldn't point it out. But after 1 month, they've noticed that my skin has lightened and that I looked "blooming".

The soap is orange in color and I love the "citrus-y" scent. I'm sorry I just don't know how to describe the scent. In Watsons, this soap usually comes in two's (although you can also buy it separately) for only PHP 50.00. The bigger soap also has a pack of two wherein you get 50% off on the second soap.

If I'm not mistaken, Kojie-san whitens through micropeeling. So you would be peeling but it would not be visible to the naked eye. BUT (according to other users) since you are peeling, you will notice that when you use the soap or when you apply toner/moisturizer on your face, there's this stinging sensation. I imagine it's the same feeling I get when I avail of chemical peeling with my dermatologist. Oh, and I'm just imagining it because in my case, I did NOT feel the stinging sensation.

When using this product, you should of course, scrub your skin (but not everyday because it would harm your skin) to aid removal of dead skin. I scrub myself every other day. You should also NOT forget to apply sunscreen and lotion. If you don't you will definitely be left with burns and your skin will get dry, get itchy and have patches/ flakes.

If you want lighter skin, I suggest you use this product. For starters, do not use it on your face. You could try using it on your foot at first and if there's no negative reaction, you may also use it on your face. 

I have been using the soap for 5 months now and not only did it lighten my skin, it has helped me look 'younger' (No, I am not old. I'm only 21.) in a sense that my skin looks glowing. It has also helped me with some of my pimple scars. Oh, and speaking of pimples, I had no major break outs while using this product. In fact, it has minimized the formation of pimples!

If only I knew I would be reviewing this product, I would have taken before and after pictures. Sadly, though, I didn't.

Over all, I would like to say that this product is actually WORTH IT.


Pros:
- cheap 
- nice smell 
- actually whitens/lightens skin tone in at least 2 weeks 
- helps diminish pimple scars 
- controls pimple formation (true to my case)
- available in most stores locally 


Cons:
- the soap easily runs out (melt). to minimize this, you can cut the soap in sections. it will last you a longer time before it completely runs out. (thanks to RealAsianBeauty for this tip!) 
- tends to dry out the skin if you're not using lotion 
- stinging sensation from micropeeling (for other users) 


April 5, 2014 UPDATE!!!


F.A.Q.s (Frequently Asked Questions):



1. How often should I scrub?
- I personally scrub myself every other day. I'm not sure if there's an exact number of times one should do it but I just don't do it everyday since it might be too harsh for my skin and damage it.

2. Ever since I started using this soap, my (insert body part here) turned red. What should I do?
- Your skin might be irritated. Try lessening the amount of usage. Try using the soap every other day only. If it still doesn't get better, you might be allergic to it or the formula may be too much for you so I suggest you stop it. Oh, and if you're not using sunscreen, that's probably the reason why your skin is so red.


3. Is this advisable for a/an (insert age here) year old boy/girl?
- I just want to clear that gender doesn't really matter but age might be a factor to consider. I'm not an expert. I always say ask a dermatologist/ doctor for this question. Why? Since this is a whitening product, there are chemicals that may not be suitable or not advisable for younger skin. But then again, there are people who have tried using this at an early age and didn't experience any adverse reaction. It all comes down to how sensitive your skin is.


4. Should I use lotion?
- Yes. Definitely. It helps in keeping your skin from being dry and flaky.


5. Where did you get this item?
- Watson's.


6. Does it really help with pimples and blemishes?
- It doesn't claim to do so but it helped me back when I was still using it.


7. Is this better than (insert another brand) whitening soap?
- So far, I haven't tried any brand that's better at whitening than Kojie-san but for future reference, you can type "lotsofgirlstuff (Insert Brand/ Item Here)" on google to check if I have a review on it.

8. I stopped using it and I got darker. Why?
- Probably because you stopped using whitening aids. Sorry, I don't think there's no other reason beside this.


9. What sunblock can you suggest?
- This is actually depending on what skin type you have. I personally use at least SPF 50 sunblock cream type on my face lately. But if you ask me, SPF 30 is my lower limit with no ceiling number.


10. What happens when you get chemical burn?
- Usually, you get red and your skin darkens or you form patches. Another reason why you should always use sunscreen and avoid direct sun exposure.

I am personally happy with the response to this blog post. It currently has around 95,000 views and over 200 comments. Thank you so much to everyone taking an interest in this product and this review. I'm glad that you trust me enough to ask me those questions. Also, thank you to everyone who shared their experiences in the comment section. You probably helped another person decided whether this product is for him/her or not.

Useful Links:

Kojie-san Web

(I bought this product with my own money and I am not getting paid for this review. Note that these are just my opinions and I do not guarantee that what I say would hold true in everyone's case.)

NOTE: As much as possible avoid direct exposure to sunlight and ALWAYS wear sunscreen when using whitening products!

Careline Oil Control Liquid Make-up: Review





I say:

Careline Oil Contril Liquid Make-up (mine's in Oriental) is perfect for everyday use. It has light coverage so if you're like me and you don't want to pack on so much makeup on your face for school/work or just when you're going out, then this is perfect for you. It has vitamin E, which is good for your skin so that's definitely a plus. It's easy to blend because of it's consistency. I won't say it's the best make-up base out there but it's good enough to minimize the number of times of reapplication you need to do for your blush/eyeshadow throughout the day. It can be easily be washed off with your favorite facial wash and I believe that's a good thing because after a long tiring day, I really don't want to put a lot of effort into washing the make-up off my face. To top things off, this product is very cheap. It certainly won't create a hole in your pockets so it's perfect for those beauties out there on a budget.
One of the things I don't like with this make-up is that even thought it claims to be an oil control liquid make-up and that you're supposed to be shine-free "all day", I notice that when I use it, after about 2-3 hours, oil builds up. I would have to reapply powder over it to minimize the shine. Also, although the packaging is compact (tube form) and is perfect for travelling, I have to be really careful when pressing onto the body because sometimes, it releases more make-up than what I intended to get. But I guess that's just my carelessness when I'm in a hurry.

Over all, I would like to say that this product is actually WORTH IT.

Pros:

  • cheap
  • easy to blend
  • has vitamin E which is good for skin
  • can easily be washed off with facial cleanser
  • available in a lot of stores (malls, watsons, etc.) nationwide
  • have to reapply powder over after a few hours as it tends to build up oil although it claims to be an "oil control liquid make-up"
  • not good for those who wants a lot of coverage

Cons:
Useful Links:

(I bought this product with my own money and I am not getting paid for this review. Note that these are just my opinions and I do not guarantee that what I say would hold true in everyone's case.)