Walgreens vs. Walmart

So, I went to Walgreens on Monday to get some Shea Moisture hair products again. I picked up three different things, went to the cashier. There was a young black guy who had been looking me up and down ever since I'd walked in. Guess it was because I had something kind of sexy on.
Anyway, I paid for the stuff and I noticed that the total was way lower than what I'd expected. I decided not to investigate until I was in the car, and lo and behold, the total was ten dollars off.
Either the fool wasn't paying attention or he'd done that on purpose, trying to flirt with me on the undertone. Heck, either way I got one of the $10 hair products for FREE! Haha! Sucker!

I think I see why that happened, anyway. One of the products was the Shea Moisture Curling Souffle'. I washed my hair yesterday and immediately sectioned my hair. Then I began applying the stuff.

It was the stickiest hair concoction I'd ever touched! I mean, seriously. It felt good, kind of like a gel, and it smelled awesome. But it was soooo sticky! I felt as if I'd lathered my curls in honey. Literally. So, in a way, the universe must have known that I wasn't going to fall in love with the product and decided not to have me even waste money on it, because frankly, I'm not sure if I'd ever buy it again. 

Hey, I just got lucky.

Wait... I don't even believe in luck. You guys know what I mean though, right? .__.

Anyway, today in Walmart, I went cruising down the hair aisle, which I hadn't done in months, due to them not carrying any all natural products yet. I just wanted to check and see what they had now. I got a surprise this time. They actually had a good selection of natural products now. I was like, wow! Walmart's finally coming up! 

But good old Wally World's prices on some of these products weren't so hot. For the Shea Moisture shampoo that's shown above, they wanted $11.99! That's two dollars more than Walgreen's $9.99. I said, hell to the no! It was also $11.99 for the curl enhancing smoothie stuff I usually get. I'm not paying an extra two bucks when I know I can go right across the street and go cheaper. What happened to Walmart being the cheapest of the cheap on everything? 

You'd think that a pharmacy would be more expensive, considering that people don't really go to pharmacies to solely purchase hair products. You'd think they'd want to take advantage of the people who are going in to pick up their prescriptions... to sucker them into picking up a pack of diapers or candy or pens just because it's there. Oh, since I'm in here, might as well get my hair cream!

Apparently, that's not the case here. Now I know that I won't be getting any Shea Moisture stuff from Walmart, and if I try another natural product, I'll price it elsewhere before settling for Walmart. I heard that CVS now sells Miss Jessie's products. Wow. Now that stuff costs an arm, a leg, and your head on a platter.

Thirty bucks for one container... a 12oz container, I believe. Some people say that it isn't worth the hype, but either way, that's way too freakin expensive for some darn curl cream.

I got that Cantu hair cream from Walgreens as well. I was shocked because I didn't know that Cantu was beginning to create natural products at all! I mean, there's a few questionable ingredients, stuff that I well, can't pronounce, but hey. It's just a few. Haven't tried it yet, but I will soon. 

Syriah's hair is straight at the moment. I straighten it usually every 6 months to trim and what not. I used EVOO as a heat protectant. Her hair is in GREAT health right now. I'm so proud of myself.

Well, that's all for now, folks! I don't exactly have a tip for today. My mind is somewhat in a trance due to excessive sleep deprivation. Symari's one month old today, and she wakes hubby and I up twice a night to eat. So, we get about 4 hours of sleep a night. We're lucky to get 5 most days. Oh, well. That's newborns for ya.

I'm out! Peace, curly mamas! 

~Epic Realist~

Happy Fourth of July!

Happy 4rth of July, everyone! I really wish I knew how to do one of those fancy hairstyles that I've seen other people do, you know, the ones where they put big corn-braided stars in their daughter's hair. It looks really difficult, and I haven't had much time to even try it. much less practice it. But they look awesome.
Doesn't matter, though. I'm not big on holidays anyway. LOL! It just would have been another new hairstyle to practice and perfect.
On another note, I have a picture to show of Syriah's puffball that she wore yesterday to a kid's play place called Kids Planet. It surprisingly still looked good after her playing around for four hours.

I used Eco Styler gel in her hair for the first time ever, along with some shea butter. Loved the results! I'm not looking forward to washing her hair again when I can, because the new shampoo that I've been trying isn't working all that well. It's a brand called Organix, and their coconut shampoo isn't as moisturizing as I would have liked. I only got it in the first place because last time I went to Walgreens to get my Shea Moisture shampoo, they were fresh out... of that and the other curling stuff they have. Both of them were gone, and when I asked an employee about it, they said that the truck hadn't come in yet with another stock.

Figures. This whole natural kick is going viral, and every natural product ever created is beginning to fly off the shelves lately. Walmart had better get with it! They're beginning to, though. I've heard that they now carry Taliah Waajid products now, even though I think that brand has way too many chemicals to be considered natural.

Well, I've got to roll now. It's dinner time. I cooked some good stuff... brown rice, sweet potatoes, and baked chicken! Haha!

Until next time, curly mamas!

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Avoiding/Removing Rubber Bands

Hey, peeps! I've been slowly getting back to 'hair life' after having another baby, so I created another random twist hairstyle on Syriah. Yes, I know rubber bands aren't the best things to use, but there is a 'right' way to use them.
Some people say it's best to soak them in olive oil before using them, so that they don't pull your daughter's hair out. They swear by it. I don't exactly do that, but my method also works. All I do is completely de-tangle and moisturize Sy's hair before even applying the rubber bands, usually using my shea butter mixture or a Shea Moisture cream. I don't leave the rubber bands in her hair for more than two days, unless they're on the ends of her hair to hold beads in place or something. Also, before I take them out, I put some kind of oil on her hair to loosen up the rubber bands, and then later on slip them off. It's easy and they don't get tangled in her hair at all. The rubber bands are so slippery, I can take them off the same exact way I put them in with no tangles or tears.

I don't even use rubber bands a lot anyway; I mostly use the Goody brand ponytail holders. Those don't even come close to getting stuck in hair. LOL!
I've seen women who swear that rubber bands make their girl's hair grow, and that couldn't be more far from the truth. No hair accessory 'makes' your hair grow. They can either stimulate your scalp in a good way or a bad way, and it's usually more bad than good. Having those tight little things on your scalp all the time isn't good for anyone. Your daughter will lose more hair than she will gain. The rubber slowly eats away at your hair cuticles and there will be a lot of breakage.
Tip of the Day: Whatever your method is as far as rubber bands, just be careful. Never yank or pull them out because they will cause breakage. You may not see it, but you will over time. I don't understand why some mothers continue to use rubber bands excessively... using them on dry hair... and then pulling them out only to apply more for the next week. Elastics tend to do the same thing, but they are a tad bit gentler. I don't use them because Sy's hair is way to silky to even hold those things. They come right out every time!
Oh, and don't buy hair ties with metal on them. Those can also get stuck in your hair and pull it out slowly. I don't buy anything with metal on it... haven't done so in years. When you know better, you should always do better. We're all obviously trying to achieve healthier hair, or you wouldn't be on this blog in the first place. So let's practice healthier hair management! =)

Until later, curly mamas! Hope everyone has a great day.
~Epic Realist~
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Baby is Finally Here!

Hooray! My daughter is finally here! Born at 40 weeks... a new record for me. Symari was 7lbs, 7oz, 20 inches long, my biggest and fattest baby of the three. Below are pics of my husband and I with sheer relief and happiness. LOL!

I'm so glad that I escaped the C-section. That eggplant parmesan recipe must have worked because I wasn't dilating at first, and then three days after continuously eating that stuff, I went to the hospital and was dilated at five centimeters. Baby was born about four hours later.
I was so in pain that I almost ended up with the epidural, even though I wanted another all natural birth like I'd had with my first daughter, but I asked for it too late, when she was about to come. So much more painful than the first time, probably because this baby was a whole two pounds heavier. I squeezed the hell out of my husband's hand! But she slipped out in three hard pushes and it was finally over. She's a cutie!
Syriah and Jam went googly eyed when we bought Symari home. They love their new sister... so far. Wonder when the jealousy will hit. For now though, I'm going to enjoy the view. Hehe.
Well, as you may have guessed, my hands are pretty full now, more than before. Hubby's still home, helping me recover. I'm glad that I can walk... slowly, but I'm moving. Body is still sore. The afterbirth pains of my uterus are horrible, and my breast milk just came in, so I still have pain from every angle. Bleh. Just have to wait all that out.
On a 'hair note', my new daughter's head is completely full of hair, which is no surprise because so were my other two. Her's is probably just a bit longer because she stayed inside the womb two weeks longer than they did. I love soft baby hair! I'm excited about having all natural products to use in her hair as she gets older, and I won't go through the damaged process that I went through with Syriah because I just know more about taking care of kid's hair. So I'm happy. =)
There's my huge update. Gotta go now... toddlers are down for nap and Symari is asleep. It's time for me to eat something and keep that up so I can breastfeed well. Peace out till later, curly mamas! <3

~Epic Realist~

Shea Butter and What Nots

New Facebook Timeline cover! https://www.facebook.com/pages/Curls-of-Innocence/256662627753918

Sigh... so my daughter has not made her grand entrance yet. I'm almost 40 weeks now for the first time ever. It's completely new to me because I've never gone past 38 weeks. It's been absolutely miserable because I want to have a VBAC and not another C-section, and I don't want to be artificially induced, either. Oh well. Just have to keep waiting. >_<
Anyway, I thought I might as well share a few hair things. The newest shea butter that I created about three weeks ago was a bigger success than the last ones I've whipped up, and I'm assuming that's because I used more oils. Also, this time, I used my hand to whip the stuff and didn't even bother with the blender, so I avoided another mess. It was much easier this time, because I was trying to figure out how to make the butter stay softer after it sits for a while. I mean, it's always going to harden up, but it always hardens to where it isn't easy to get out of the jar. This time, I think I actually figured out how to make it stay softer. =)

I loved the consistency of it after it was done. Super silky. As you can see in the pic above, I  added EVOO, grapeseed oil, jojoba oil, coconut oil (new ingredient), and my classic lavender oil for smell. Because I used coconut oil, the butter smells like both coconut and lavender, which is even more awesome. I was very proud of my mixture this time around.
We've been using it on our skin and hair and it's super awesome! Syriah's hair stays moisturized, not greasy, as long as I don't overload it.
Tip of the Day: Don't focus so much on curls! A lot of mothers are worried about finding their daughter's curl patterns and keeping it curly by all means necessary, even if it means sacrificing moisture. But moisture is the key to retaining length, that plus protective styling, little to no combing, all natural products, and covering the hair at night. Stop worrying so much about keeping your child's hair out and wild just to show off the curl pattern. What's best for a little girl is to keep her ends sealed with oil and protected so that the ends won't get shabby and broken. I had to learn that myself because last year, Syriah's hair health was horrible compared to now... massive split and broken ends, dry ends, dry scalp. Good thing she's not tenderheaded and never cries when I comb her hair, no matter how nappy it may have gotten. Once you find her curl pattern, study it and work with it, but it's not good to keep her hair out and free all the time just to show the curl pattern. You're only going to cause yourself more trouble in the long run. When it's time to de-tangle her hair, you'll have her running for the hills. LOL!
So, there's my little update. I'm just waiting for this baby to come so she can have the best all natural start as far as everything. She's going to be 'naturally spoiled'! We've got this stuff, natural shampoos, natural toothpastes, cloth diapers, cloth wipes, and also a wipes warmer that I've always wanted for my other two children. Hopefully she'll arrive before our anniversary in two days... or at least on it. Wouldn't that be a nice anniversary present? <3
Updates will come when I have something new to share. Stay motivated, curly mamas!