As I mentioned in my 2021 skincare favorite things post, I had a good skin year so I didn’t wear makeup as often as I typically do. So I had to think long and hard about what new products I used and really liked this year.
Then I realized that I put more of an emphasis on my eye makeup this year. I discovered brow gel and pencils, these were things that I pretty much completely ignored. I also tried out a few new eyeshadow palettes.
If you happen to be one of the lucky ones to get a decent-sized Christmas bonus this year congratulations! I’ve gotten them a few times over my career and I remember there being a lot of initial excitement. After the excitement has worn off my mind skipped to all of the wonderful, extravagant ways I could spend the bonus.
While that is all great and good, unless you are in a great financial state where this money is extra gravy, this could be a way to improve your financial situation and set you up for the future.
2021 was a great year for my skin. I think this year is the best my skin has ever looked. I can attribute a lot of that to figuring out not only what my skin likes but more importantly what it needs.
I have oily skin but realized that my skin was dehydrated for a long time I thought the way to deal with oily skin was to dry it out. Doing that was making my oily skin worse. Once I started incorporating more hydrating and moisturizing products into my skincare regimen I started to notice not only a decrease in the oiliness but also a positive change in the texture of my skin. This has made me more confident in going out with no makeup on.
Black Friday 2021 has come and gone. I decided to take advantage of some of the sales to get a few products for my relaxed hair and a couple of beauty products I’ve had my eye on for a while. I was very strategic with my shopping and didn't buy things from a lot of places. In fact, I only shopped at two places - Mielle and Ulta.
It’s hard to believe that 2021 is coming to a close. It started off a little slow and then really picked up speed.
In addition to some big life changes, 2021 brought drastic, but positive, improvements to my hair. When 2021 started I had seen some progress in my hair’s journey of recovery from protein overload. It wasn’t as much as I would have liked but I was feeling better about my hair and no longer feeling like I would have to cut it all off and start over. It wasn’t until late summer/early fall though that my hair really turned a corner and I really felt better about it.
I can’t really pin down what it was that really helped my hair this year. It seems like it was a combination of things.
Having oily skin I had come to reason that I would always have oily skin and there was nothing I could do about it. I would just have to live with it and adapt to it.
In addition to having oily skin, I have enlarged pores that are hard to hide. These two things were messing up my makeup looks. My skin and makeup would look good for a couple of hours after application and then by lunchtime it was time for blotting and touch-ups.
I’d tried so many different techniques, store-bought products, and home remedies to try and correct my oily and then tried to work around it. Nothing really worked for any length of time. I eventually gave up and realized I would just have to live with it which was very disappointing and discouraging.
Then one day I came across a blog review of a serum.
Before you know it, Thanksgiving will be here, and then Christmas. While many people have several days off during that of year, it’s probably the time of year everyone is the busiest.
I know it is for me. What with all of the holiday gatherings, charity events, and travel I can find myself going for days at a time.
If you’re a blogger the holiday season can feel even busier. So busy that you end up spending less time blogging. That’s not a bad thing. Even bloggers need some time off.
If you asked someone in the relaxed hair community what moisturizing shampoo they recommended probably the majority of the time they would say the Keracare Hydrating Detangling Shampoo.
Some of the big relaxed hair influencers like Hairlicious and Healthy Hair Junkie use the Keracare shampoo pretty consistently. And it’s always a recommended shampoo when people ask for recommendations or ask what shampoo have you been using.
Keracare describes the shampoo as “a beauty bath for hair that produces a rich lather as it lightly conditions and cleanses hair.” Reading this the shampoo sounds wonderful! No wonder so many have tried out this shampoo but does it live up to the claims and hype?
What comes to mind when you think of apple cider vinegar?
For me, it was a strong odor with a tart and a strong taste to match. That is until I started my healthy relaxed hair journey. I only thought about using apple cider vinegar for cooking but after reading several blogs and articles on healthy hair care I found out I could also use it on my hair as a hair rinse.
As I dug more into this I did become a bit skeptical. Apple cider vinegar is made from the fermentation of apple cider. That doesn’t sound appealing. What is appealing are the benefits.
With the holiday season just around the corner, I tend to do an inventory of the clothes, jewelry, and hair accessories I have so I know what I may need, or want, to buy for the holiday gatherings on my calendar.
What I’ve found is it can be hard to find good hair accessories that fit my style, won’t damage my relaxed hair, and also are appropriately festive. This year, I searched Amazon and found some great options that I just had to share with you.
The hair accessories I found can be used with different types of hairstyles which is great for relaxed hair because you can style it in several different ways such as a classy updo, a messy bun, curls, a braid out, or just wear it down in a sleek style.
While I’m purposeful in switching out my Summer hair products for ones that are better suited for Fall, I’m not quite that way when it comes to my makeup.
Unlike hair products though, there doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of difference between Summer and Fall makeup outside of the shades and in some instances using makeup that is a little heavier.
I tend to use the same makeup products all year round and may only switch things up when I need to replace something that was used up. So if you looked in my makeup bag you would find very few products that probably fit neatly in the buckets of Summer or Fall makeup.
That being said, I did decide to do some window shopping (can you call it that when it’s online?) to see what makeup products I would buy for Fall if I was in the market for some.
From an early age, I had a budget. That is thanks to my parents. They taught me and my siblings that the best way to manage your money and help it grow is to not only know where you are spending your money but plan how you will be spending your money.
When we started getting an allowance our mom drew up a budget for us with a certain amount going towards our tithe, some to savings, and the rest was spending money. As I got older and started working I also created a budget that helped me reach some of my early savings goals.
When I first started budgeting as an adult I just used a spreadsheet and mapped out what I thought I should be spending each month. Because I was newly living on my own I didn’t have a good idea yet of what things like groceries and utilities would cost. So my first few budgets were fails which I found to be typical when you first start budgeting.
Soon I switched over to using a website/app to create and manage my budget. I liked using the site/app because it allowed me to easily see what I was spending each month and adjust my budget categories accordingly.
When I moved back to North Carolina one of the things I knew I wouldn’t have to worry about was finding a hairstylist because I was going to use one of the stylists I had used when I previously lived in North Carolina.
If you have any hair on your head you’re going to have a split end or two in your lifetime. And that’s ok as it’s bound to happen because split ends are a common occurrence, especially with relaxed hair. What isn’t common is having split ends all of the time because they can cause some irreparable damage to your hair strands.
If you think your relaxed hair has split ends or you experience them often, keep reading to see what you can do to fix split ends and avoid them.
Since I was a teenager and started paying attention to the way my skin looked I’ve been dealing with oily skin. It’s both a curse and a blessing. It’s a curse because I start to glow a few hours into the day and it’s hard to keep makeup looking good on my face. But it’s a blessing because it’s what’s keeping my skin from wrinkling and looking young.
Due to my oily skin, I would stay away from skincare products especially face moisturizers that talked about replenishing moisture or adding hydration because I thought that would make my oily skin worse. In fact, I even went through a period of time when I didn’t wear moisturizer every day.
What I found is that avoiding moisturizing my face had the opposite effect. It dehydrated my skin to the point that my skin was producing even more oil to compensate. This meant I would look oily earlier in the day and would have to blot multiple times throughout the day to keep my makeup looking halfway decent. I needed to change my approach.
When it comes to my relaxed hair I go through phases. Sometimes I want and need to use heavier creams on my hair because my hair feels really dry. Other times I want and need to use something lighter because my hair isn’t that dry and I don’t want to weigh my hair down.
I’ve found that finding a heavier leave-in conditioner for my hair is pretty easy as it seems there are so many heavy ones out there. On the other hand, finding a leave-in conditioner that is on the lighter side but still moisturizes hair was a taller order. I tried several with no success until I decided to try a leave-in conditioner from TGIN.
When it comes to buying hair products for my relaxed hair, Sally Beauty is one of my favorite places to shop because it’s almost like a one-stop-shop for all things hair care. Sally Beauty carries many different haircare brands, I can also find hair tools like hairdryers and hair shears.
Additionally, Sally Beauty has different sales throughout the year saving me money on hair products I use regularly and love or hair products I want to try for the first time. Sometimes the sales are for hair tools, specific brands, or product groupings.
As of the writing of this blog post, I am a few months removed from the experience of selling my home. The house I sold was the first one I ever bought or owned. It was a new build house so everything in it I picked out myself. The reason I sold it was I got a new job in another state and there was no reason for me to hold onto the house. Plus, it was a seller's market and I didn’t want to miss out on that.
Just like buying my house, selling my house was a bit of an experience. There are a few things I learned from the process that I’ll remember should I ever sell another house but that I also wanted to share with you should you ever find yourself selling your home.
When it comes to my skincare I can be pretty picky. I kinda have to be because I have slightly sensitive skin and am prone to getting breakouts. As icing on the cake, I also have oily skin. Due to all of those things, I am careful about what I put on my face. So once I find some skincare products that work for me I stick with them until they are discontinued or I happen to stumble across something better.
Here are the skincare products that I’ve been repurchasing over the last year and plan to keep repurchasing
Neutrogena Hydroboost City Shield Hydrating Water Gel - SPF 25
What the product claims
“Help protect skin from sun damage and fight pollution and dryness with Neutrogena Hydroboost City Shield Hydrating Water Gel. It contains broad spectrum SPF 25 UVA/UVB sunscreen boosted with a complex of purified hyaluronic acid.”
What I like about it
It’s so hard to find a good face moisturizer with SPF. Ones I’ve tried from other brands leave my skin feeling either greasy, irritated, or dry. The Neutrogena Hydroboost City Shield Water Gel has just enough moisture that my skin doesn’t feel or look like an oil slick and doesn’t feel dried out in the winter.
“This water-based serum is great for those looking for solutions for visible shine / enlarged pores / textural irregularities. Helps to reduce the signs of congestion and visible sebum activity.”
What I like about it
Soon after using this serum from The Ordinary, I noticed my skin’s oil production lessened to where I wasn’t looking like an oil slick a couple of hours after leaving the house and I don’t have to dab my t-zone throughout the day.
Also, when I have a small breakout or pimple start to emerge I can dab some of The Ordinary Niaminicide 10% + Zinc 1% serum on it and it stops growing and shrinks a lot quicker than when I don’t use the serum.
“A lightweight water-based serum formulated with a combination of low, medium, and high molecular-weight hyaluronic acid, and a hyaluronic acid crosspolymer for multi-depth hydration. Replenishes lost moisture, maintains healthy-looking skin, and provides enhanced barrier support.”
What I like about it
I never was one for face serums but after trying out The Ordinary Niaminicide 10% + Zinc 1% serum I started to see that they enhanced a skincare regimen. I can’t quite recall why I decided to give the Hyaluronic Acid serum a try but I’m glad I did because it’s really helped with the moisture balance in my skin which I think in turn has helped with lessening my skin’s oil production even more than the Niaminicide did.
Noxzema Classic Clean Original Deep Cleansing Cream
What the product claims
“Noxzema Original Deep Cleansing Cream gives you clean, refreshing, soft and smooth skin with the classic Noxzema refreshing tingle. The original deep cleansing cream reaches into pores to remove dirt, oil, and makeup without over drying and leaving your skin soft and smooth. Noxzema Deep Cleansing Cream is also dermatologist tested and completely safe for your face.”
What I like about it
I’ve tried a few of the different iterations of this face cleanser including the store brand version and I keep coming back to the original Noxzema. I just like the feel of it, the texture, how well it cleans all of the dirt and makeup from my skin without any irritation whatsoever.
After using it my skin feels clean and refreshed, but not dried out. Plus, the Noxzema Classic Clean Original Deep Cleansing Cream is not that expensive. It’s a very budget-friendly facial cleanser.
Formula 10.0.6 It’s The Buzz Skin Smoothing Facial Polish with Green Coffee + Hemp
What it claims
“This energizing face polish, loaded with natural exfoliants, will kick-start your day! Antioxidant-rich coffee oil helps to smooth and soothe, while hemp seed oil moisturizes and balances.”
Why I like it
I used to use harsh exfoliators on my face (cue St. Ives) but wanted to switch to an exfoliator that was smoother and gentler on my skin. After doing some research I decided to give this one a try. I use it probably about once a week and can tell that it’s made my skin feel smoother but with no negative effects.
“This energizing face polish, loaded with natural exfoliants, will kick-start your day! Antioxidant-rich coffee oil helps to smooth and soothe, while hemp seed oil moisturizes and balances.”
Formula 10.0.6 Deep Down Detox Ultra Cleansing Mud Mask
What the product claims
“This super-cleansing detox mask cleanses impurities for a clearer, brighter complexion. The energy of orange recharges, while sea salt cleanses and bergamot balances. Your face will notice the difference.”
Why I like it
This is a cheap but good mask. A little bit goes a long way and my skin feels great after using it. I’ve found it’s helpful with shrinking breakouts and pimples.
It's been several weeks since I uploaded a new video to YouTube. A lot has happened since my last upload so I decided it was time for me to share an update with you.
Want to know why I've been gone from YouTube so long? Or how my relaxed hair has been doing? Then you'll want to watch this video.
This post was sponsored by LuveMe Hair. All opinions expressed are my own.
Do you ever have days when you have to go out but don’t want to mess with your hair? Like when you need to quickly run to the store to pick up a couple of things and the amount of time you’d spend on your hair to get it looking decent for the outside world doesn’t seem in proportion to how much time you’ll be spending out?
I have those days quite a bit. Especially on the weekend and days when I’m not working. Well, I’ve found a quick and easy solution and no it’s not shaving your hair off. It’s a headband wig.
It’s been a while since I’ve done a wash day post! Since it’s been a while, I decided it was time to share my routine and products for my post relaxer touch-up wash.
I have a hair regimen that I use for my relaxed hair but it’s not one that is set in stone. Over the years I’ve learned that it’s best to have a hair regimen framework and adapt it based on my hair needs, current environment, or even how much time I have to spend on my hair. You can see my relaxed hair regimen framework here.
This wash is a week after my touch-up. I didn’t feel like my hair needed anything specific per se but I wanted to achieve a few things to help keep my hair on the right track
Really hydrate and moisturize my hair
Repair the broken disulfide bonds from the relaxer
I know it’s not obvious but I like playing with makeup. Especially eyeshadow. A new eyeshadow palette is my favorite type of makeup to play with. I like creating neutral and natural eyeshadow looks for work and then doing bolder looks for the weekend, going out, and church.
So when I found out that I was getting the Laura Mercier RoseGlow Caviar Stick Eye Color VoxBox from Influenster that had two free RoseGlow Caviar sticks for me to test out and share my thoughts on I was really excited. New eyeshadows!
During the summer we tend to spend a lot of time outside. Time in the sun, sand, and sea. This exposes your hair to heat, wind, salt, and chlorine. All of which can do a number on hair, drying it out and causing breakage and split ends. This makes keeping our relaxed hair protected and moisturized even more important.
If you're going to be spending a lot of time out in the sun and heat this summer keep reading to see what you can do to help your relaxed hair not dry out.
For a while now, I've been a subscriber to the social community Influenster. I honestly can't remember how I found out about Influenster. it may have been through another blogger. It piqued my interest because it's a way to get free products that I use to help create some of my blog and social content. And who doesn't want free stuff?
Keep reading to find out more and see how you can join Influenster.
My relaxed hair tends to be on the dry side so I’m always interested in ways that I can give it moisture and help with moisture retention. I’ve found that bagging, moisturizing and sealing, and deep conditioning all help.
Well, I’ve found and started doing something else when I wash my hair that has increased the moisture levels in my relaxed hair and helped it retain moisture.
When summer is here and you live in the south or a tropical climate you will be experiencing humidity.
Humidity is water vapor in the air. Hair tends to absorb water from the air. So when it’s humid this is why you see your hair swell up and sometimes frizz up. While this can’t be avoided altogether, unless you move somewhere with a drier climate, there are some hair products you can use to lessen the impact humidity has on your relaxed hair.
When you have a brown or darker skin tone, it can be hard to find eyeshadows that look good and show up without looking faded or ashy.
For years I struggled with finding the right eyeshadows to wear. Part of it was just ignorance of what I should be looking for, but a good part of it was there weren’t many options available formulated for darker skin tones especially within my budget.
Summer is a great time to wear protective styles. During the summer, we tend to spend a lot of time outside and tend to get a little lazy with our hair (confession time!).
Wearing a protective style allows you to keep your hair, especially your ends from damage that can come from styling manipulation, and friction from brushing against your clothes or jewelry. The result of a good protective style is that your hair retains length and moisture coming out even healthier.
Clarifying is an important step for having healthy relaxed hair and should be included in every relaxed hair regimen. To clarify your hair you need to make sure you’re using the right type of cleanser. That cleanser is a clarifying shampoo. It's sometimes called a deep cleaning shampoo.
There are many clarifying shampoos out there but not all of them are good ones to use on relaxed hair.
Keep reading to learn more about what a clarifying shampoo is, why you should use one, and find out my top 7 clarifying shampoos to use on relaxed hair.
Ah, Summer. Gotta love the warm weather and sun which just invite you to spend more time outdoors. The downside is that it’s the hottest time of the year so spending extended time outside can be uncomfortable, especially if you aren’t prepared.
Whether spending multiple days at Disney or the zoo, a day at the beach or doing a walking tour you’ll want to make sure you’re prepared and are as comfortable as possible during the hot summer day.
There are a select few products that I’ve used on my relaxed hair over the years that I can say I really like and have used consistently for a long time. The TGIN Moisture Rich Sulfate Free Shampoo is part of that select group. So it’s surprising that it’s taken me this long to write a full review of the shampoo.
I’ve shared why I like this shampoo in round-up videos, round-up blog posts, and even in my Instagram feed but I’ve never gotten really detailed in why I like this shampoo, use it on my hair, and recommend it.
During my healthy relaxed hair journey, I’ve discovered that one of the best ways to have healthy-looking, healthy feeling, gorgeous hair is to maintain a moisture and protein balance. It sounds easy but hair brands have actually made it really hard.
If you look at the ingredient list for most hair products they have protein ingredients. That includes conditioners, moisturizers, and even shampoos. This was something I learned the hard way when I found out I had protein overload. The reason for my protein overload was due to just about every single product I was using on my hair weekly and daily had protein in it.
When it comes to having healthy hair we tend to focus mainly on the external - shampoos, conditioners, treatments, and techniques. Paying attention to those things is good as they help make our hair healthy but we need to remember that the products we put on our hair can only do so much.
Textured hair, including relaxed hair, is delicate and can be prone to breakage. And without the proper care, it can become brittle and even drier. So it’s important to make sure that in addition to the products we use, we’re getting the right nutrition and vitamins internally so that our hair grows healthy.
If you’ve spent some time in online communities in the textured hair world you have probably heard or read several terms or phrases and have wondered what do they mean when they say that? What does that have to do with my hair? How can that help my hair?
I’ve been there and I still have those moments even though I’ve been involved in the textured hair world for a few years now. Back when I first started my healthy relaxed hair journey, I saw someone mention that they moisturized and sealed their relaxed hair. I was like, what is that?
Over the years I’ve used many different makeup and skincare products. Not so I could blog about them but because I was trying to find products that would work for my skin type and skin tone.
I didn’t grow up with a lot of direction or information on how to find a foundation that worked with my skin tone, how to control my facial oil, or test out products to see if they would break me out or not. It wasn’t until my mid to late 20s that I started to figure those types of things out.
Over the last year, I decided to make more of an effort when it came to my skincare. I had noticed some changes to my skin where it was breaking out more, I had several dark spots, it was kinda dull-looking, and had an uneven tone. So when we started wearing masks and I started wearing less foundation I realized that it was time to take some action.
I did a little research to see what my skincare issues could be and it all came down to one thing - hydration. Or the lack of it. I realized that the products and techniques I was using weren’t adding enough hydration to my skin so it was dehydrated.
The more and more I stretch my relaxers, the more and more I learn about how to do it with little to no damage. Deep conditioning is important, keeping the hair moisturized is important, gentleness is probably even more important.
One thing that is also just as important as the rest but doesn’t get talked about as much, at least in my opinion, is shampooing.
How I shampoo my hair a couple of weeks after a relaxer touch-up is a bit different than how I shampoo when I’m 10 plus weeks into my stretch and have a good amount of new growth.
The reason is the new growth adds a little bit of complexity as it makes my hair more susceptible to tangling and breakage. The good news is I’ve figured out how to get work around all of that when I wash my hair and I’m sharing my four tips in this post.
When the seasons change I tend to get inspired and want other things in my life to change as well. I may cut my hair, buy a few new clothing items, or get a new purse. I’ll also change up some of the decor in my house to make it feel more Spring-like and brighten things up. When I do this, I do simple things as I’m not looking to make big changes. I just reflect on the seasonal change and give my house a slightly different look.
I’ve used many different shampoos from several different brands since I started my healthy relaxed hair journey in 2014. Most of them were drugstore-type brands that you can find at big box stores and Ulta. I rarely used a salon hair brand unless I received it for free, or went to the hair salon. Mostly because of the cost and because I didn’t think salon products would make any big difference to my hair if I used them at home.
Early in my hair journey, I learned that my relaxed hair needs a balance of moisture and strength. I would help strengthen my hair by giving it protein treatments. When I maintained that moisture and strength balance my hair thrived.
A few years ago I found out what happens to my hair when that balance gets out of whack when I gave my hair too much protein. To compensate, I eliminated protein and focused on moisture. Now that my hair is in a better place, I’ve been working to find that new balance of moisture and strength for my hair.
This time instead of using protein treatments I’ve been trying bond mender treatments. I’ve decided to try bond menders to add strength to my relaxed hair because
I had a bad experience with protein and am wary of doing hard protein treatments on my hair
Protein treatments are a temporary fix as they fill in cracks in the cuticle while bond treatments are formulated to work from the inside out.
I don’t know about you but I have always loved a good roller set. I loved how depending on the roller size I could get a curly look or a smoother look with a bump on the ends.
What I didn’t love about roller sets is how long it would take my hair to dry. Back in high school and college, I opted several times for a roller set during my salon visit. After the first time doing a roller set on my hair, the stylist would try to persuade me the next time to opt for curls with a flat iron. The reason was even after two hours under the dryer some of my hair would still be damp messing up the overall look.
When I tried a roller set at home it was even more disastrous. I would have to wear the plastic snap-on rollers overnight which was very, very uncomfortable so I wouldn’t sleep well and be tired in the morning. To make matters worse my hair wouldn’t be fully dry or my curls would end up frizzy. So it would end up all being for nothing.
Oh, 2020. The year that started with great anticipation and within a couple of months became the year everyone wished never happened. For me, 2020 started with my hair being about 9 months removed from discovering that I had protein overload which caused a lot of damage to my hair.
Hi I'm Leah, the creator of A Relaxed Gal blog providing hair, beauty, and lifestyle inspiration and tips for women who want a simple way to look great, feel great, and live great.