Trekking Light | A Guide To Traveling With 5 Products Or Less

SavingOurStrands Approved Travel Kit

This past few months, I've been on the go-go. Up and down the eastern seaboard, from New Jersey to Florida. I try to pack light yet still be thorough. Here's a list of the 5 go to products and tools plus how I keep it organized, while never sporting a boring bun.  

1. Deep conditioner: Halka Baba de Caracol
2. Leave in/Co-wash/Detangler: Jessicurl Too Shea! Extra Moisturizing Conditioner
3. Hair Butter: Koils By Nature Hair and Body Butter or my DIY Kitchenista Tangerine Vanilla Whipped Butter
4. Hair Pins: In a tidy portable tin like these from Sallys
5. Banana Clips: Scunci Banana Hair Clips

Banana Clip Side Tuck on Loose Bantu Curls

For overnight or weekend trips, I can get away with trekking 
with 1000mL or less containers. I picked up this plastic carrying case with 4 empty containers included for less than $2. I was pleasantly surprised that the rest of my mini arsenal fit perfectly. For more than 5 day aways---I pack full bottles. Bonus Tip: When I want to be fancy, I carry a mini container of Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie so that I can sport big (heat free) fluffy frizz-resistant bantu knot curls.

What hair products do you trek with?

Un mil besitos!
KLP

The Jessicurl Giveaway Winner!

Congrats to Miss Andrea of LengtheningLocks! I hope that you enjoy your new Jessicurl Confidence Collection! The set includes JC's Hair Cleansing Cream,  Too Shea! Extra Moisturizing Conditioner (winner of the Battle of the Leave-ins), Confident Coils Styling Solution, and Deep Conditioning Treatment. 

A HUGE hug to all of those who entered! We love you to pieces! If you missed this one, no te preocupes, we've got another giveaway scheduled to begin in a few weeks! Stay tuned for the details!

A special shout out to Jessicurl for working in conjunction with SOS_Hair to sponsor this awesome giveaway! Although this giveaway product was provided by Jessicurl, all tips, reviews, and information were discovered through our own experiences and research. It's important to us that our reviews reign real and honest. In fact, JC sponsored this giveaway after the SOS Leave in battle champion was crown. We ain't (yep---ain't) about that life! Thanks JC for being remarkably terrific and incredibly supportive! 
 
Un mil besitos!
KLP & Keyda


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How I Moisturize My Straightened Hair

Kitchenista Hair Butter & AVJ

After spending 2 hours to flat iron my hair---I want my hair to stay straight for as long as possible. I'm 11 weeks post with a little less than 2 inches of growth. I'm also training for a 5k by running 2-3 times a week, loving Spin twice a week, and I occasionally drop into a BodyCombat class. Pre-Bad Habit Detox, I probably would have skipped moisturizing to prevent reversion, used a silicone based product daily causing yucky buildup, and flat-ironed the life out of my poor ends. I'm trying not to be about that life anymore, so instead I pulled out some Aloe Vera Juice and my Kitchenista Hair Butter. The results---almost two weeks of smooth roots, moisturized tresses, and protected ends. I'm so in love.

Now, I know that you're probably wondering how in the world did this mix keep my hair smooth for almost two weeks? Here's the technique that I used nightly: 

1. Finger sectioned my hair into four quadrants. 
2. After finger detangling one section at a time, I lightly misted aloe vera juice mixed with a few drops of tangerine essential oil from root to tip. I was looking for a dewy feeling---not damp or wet. 
3. Next, I massage just a smidge of Kitchenista Hair Butter.
4. To smooth out my roots, I bantu knotted each section, covered with a hair scarf. In the morning, I unraveled my knots and styled.

Banana Clip Side French Roll

Why it worked for me:
Aloe vera juice is very subtle, absorbs easily, leaves no residue, almost odorless, naturally combats frizz, soothes the itches, all while moisturizing my hair with vital nutrients. My kitchenista hair butter is a diva too. It seals my ends, is ultra nourishing, when used with a light hand--is weightless, and adds a softness that can't be beat. Bantu Knots stretch out my roots without needing heat, prevented tangling of the two textures, and gave my hair insta-style.

What do you use to moisturize your hair when it straightened?

Un mil besitos!
KLP

The Jessicurl Giveaway ends tomorrow! You've gotta enter to win!


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Jessicurl Giveaway

Has anyone told you how wonderful you are today? Well, you are! You guys are wickedly awesome, ridiculously supportive, and absolutely fierce. As a thank you for letting us bother you with our hair obsessed babble every day, we'd like to give you a chance to try Jessicurl's Confidence Collection 8oz for free. The set includes JC's Hair Cleansing Cream, (winner of the Battle of the Leave-ins) Too Shea! Extra Moisturizing Conditioner, Confident Coils Styling Solution, and Deep Conditioning Treatment. This giveaway runs from September 9-Septmber 24, 2013 and the winner will be announced/contacted the next day! Follow the instructions below to enter to win!

Buena suerte y mil besitos!
KLP

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A special shout out to Jessicurl for working in conjunction with SOS_Hair to sponsor this awesome giveaway! Although this giveaway product was provided by Jessicurl, all tips, reviews, and information were discovered through our own experiences and research. It's important to us that our reviews reign real and honest. In fact, JC sponsored this giveaway after the battle champion was crown. We ain't (yep---ain't) about that life! Thanks JC for being remarkably terrific! 

Battle of the Leave-Ins

Battle of the Leave-Ins

A good leave-in can make or break your hair's shine, elasticity, and most importantly---your moisture swag.  My hair has been  dating a few leave-ins here and there, in search of it's ultimate soul mate. It's been a fun discovery process that I intend on sharing over a few posts. Before we get started, let me give you my perfect leave in run down:

What makes a moisturizer good...to me?

1. Hydration- My forever leave-in has to be the boost of moisture that wards of breakage in drought-like conditions and maintaining my post wash day moisture levels. I love my texlaxed hair because it's sassy, big, and very temperamental. The ideal leave in has to roll with the punches, warding off frizz and fuzz.
2. Nourishment- Read: ingredients that prevent the evaporation of said moisturizing product, preventing me from having to re-up daily. I need a margin of error for when I forget to moisturize at night and want to crash in bed---life is always trying its best to sabotage my hair.
3. Absorption- My strands have to want to soak up every bit of the moisturizer that I add. I'm not about that sticky-repelling-coated-icky feeling-hair-life. Yep. I just made that up. But y'all know what I mean. I'm all about smooth and soft strands. If it just sits on top of my hair and looks back at me stupid---it will be disqualified immediately! I'm looking for silkiness when spread plus a thick and creamy consistency. This leave in also has to play nice with whatever I choose to seal my hair with. Right now, I'm all about butters.

A little about my mane:

1. My strands are thick- Super thick. Many a bobby pin have been lost for days thick.
2. My strands are inconsistent- Thanks to my last relaxer, the back half of my hair looks like I'm transitioning. I have about an inch of super curly, 3-4 inches of not quite super curly, with the rest being wavy fluff. Not a bad thing. I actually kinda like it. But this leave in will have a few textures to keep muy contenta.
3. My strands are hydrophilic- Water loving. All day. Everyday. The first ingredient will have to be water.

If you are a regular SOS_Hair-ista, then you've seen these leave-ins here and there before. They were great contestants and I would have loved to keep them all, but there can only be one (for now...lol) winner!

Our first contestant: Jessicurl Too Shea! Extra Moisturizing Conditioner

Besitos!
KLP

SOS Kitchenista: Tangerine Vanilla Hair and Body Whipped Butter

Top: Ingredients | Left: Cocoa, Shea, and Mango Butter | Right: Mixing in Action

If you're an SOS regular, then you know that I've mentioned wanting to DIY some hair butter. A few weeks ago, I feel in love with Koils by Nature Nourishing Hair and Body Butter (Heavenly Delight). I ran out of my sample size; Because KBN is relocating, I couldn't repurchase more. And yes---this made me a very sad chica. Anywho, I loved this hair butter too much to wait any longer, so last Sunday, I pulled out my hand mixer and went to work! As soon as their website is back to business, I'll repurchase. In the meantime-- here's how I whipped up my own: 

Tangerine Vanilla Hair and Body Whipped Butter 

    Ingredients:
    1/2 cup Shea Butter
    1/2 cup Cocoa Butter
    1/2 cup Mango Butter
    2 tbsp Jamaican Black Castor Oil
    1/2 cup Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
    1/2 cup Sweet Almond Oil
    2 tbsp Vitamin E Oil
    1/2 cup Aloe Vera Gel
    Tangerine Essential Oil
    Vanilla Oil (I purchased from my local farmer's market)

    Directions:

1. Melt the solid butters together over a double boiler (pot of boiling water and a glass/metal bowl).
2. Remove from heat. 
3. Using a hand mixer add the remaining ingredients, except the tangerine oil. 
4. Mix until completely blended (no lumps, hard bits, and homogenous color) and add Tangerine oil. 
5. As the blend cools, keep mixing until light and fluffy. Simple enough right?

How does this kitchenista verison stack up to KBN's butter:

So um---The fragrance is fantastic! I told my bestie that after using, I smelt like a Florida Orange Grove. She replied " Your so weird." <shrugs> That was totally a compliment, she just doesn't know it yet. Ha-ha! I love light, sweet, and citrus-y scents. The downside (imo) is that the scent doesn't linger as long as my KBN butter. The consistency is as light and fluffy as the KBN butter, but I wasn't quite able to incorporate the mango butter as well as I would have liked. I've noticed a few lumps in the mix. Will it prevent me from using it? Nope---I just rub a little between my palms, wait for it to melt, then apply to my hair (or body). A little goes a long way and putting it in a tub makes access to the product super easy, just like the KBN butter. I used it last wash day to seal and then every other day since. No real complaints. I do notice much more shine with the KBN butter than with my knockoff, but I think this can be cured by adding more oils to the next batch. I think that I'll also add a little aloe vera into the next batch to lighten things up even more. I'm using this batch for my curls this weekend--fingers crossed for fabulousity!

My Verdict:  
I'll definitely make this again. It was fun experimenting and getting to put exactly what I want in a product. Of course, I'm probably still buying the BIG JAR of KBN butter once the site is back up for business! My wallet hopes that it will be on sale!

Have you ever tried a whipped hair butter?

Besitos!
KLP

[Review] Koils by Nature Nourishing Hair and Body Butter (Heavenly Delight)

Price: $5 for 2oz sample size

Purchased at: Koils by Nature website (I purchased from the BHK Expo)

Ingredients: Shea butter, coconut oil, kokum butter, mango butter, avocado butter, aloe butter, sweet almond oil, jojoba oil, grapeseed oil, *organic extra virgin olive oil, illipe butter, *Jamaican Black Castor Oil, Vitamin E, Pro-Vitamin (B5), *organic essential & fragrance oils.

Directions: Nourishing Hair & Body Butter is made from the best butters & oils nature provides, it will moisturize, revitalize, heal, and protect your hair and skin. The lightly scented heavenly butter will have you thinking of cookies, cakes and pies oh my! This butter smells delightful, please do not ingest, for external use only.
 

My Thoughts: I've tried a lot of products and techniques in my healthy hair journey, however this was the very first "hair butter" that's touched my strands. And I'm not sure if you noticed, but I LOVE IT. There is nothing about this product that my hair doesn't want. 

The scent is heavenly? Absolutely. It smells sweet, light, and slightly citrus-y; A lot like cake batter. The consistency is light and creamy. *shame face confession* I did think about tasting it.  It looks exactly like the whipped butter from my fave restaurant Mike's "American." Yum! *drools a little while deep in thought* Okay, okay. Back to the review... If you love the sealing properties of butters like shea and coconut but hate the heaviness, then this butter is a winner. Yes, it does sit a little on your hair, but within seconds, all of that buttery goodness absorbs into your strands sealing in moisture and locking out fuzzy frizz. It's super easy to apply---it melts with the warmth of your hands and you'll only want to use just a dab at a time because a little goes a long way. Here are a few ways I've used it: 

• Daily sealing after moisturizing my hair with a creamy leave-in. 
• As the "oil" or sealant in my bantu knot cocktail
• To moisturize my entire body. (Perfect for rough knees and elbows)

Did I mention that this stuff smells AH-mazing? *reads back* Yep--I did. Okay, but I just want to reiterate. It is the best smelling product in my hair stash. This butter delivers a low product build up with a high sealant ability. Being in a tub, allows easy access to every nook and cranny. The 2oz sample lasted me for a little over a month (even with use as a body butter on both myself and my kiddos). Would I buy again? Heck yeah! Why haven't I? Keep reading---

As I alluded to in my last wash day post, I made a kitchenista Tangerine Vanilla Whipped Butter mimicking the ingredients in this butter. I bet you are asking why in the world would I go through all the trouble to make it myself? Well---KBN is in the process of moving their headquarters from the DMV to Atlanta, GA (Congrats, Pamela!). But they have temporarily closed their website. *sad face* Long story short, I love this hair butter too much to wait any longer, so last Sunday, I pulled out my hand mixer and went to work! As soon as their website is back to business, I'll repurchase. The BIG JAR this time!

Have you ever used a hair butter or any products from KBN?

Besitos!
KLP

Mini Wash Day

*This mini wash occurred on Sunday 8/18.

My boring weekday hair- a variety of buns: low, high, and pulled to the side. My sexy weekend hair- big bouncy curls courtesy of bantu knots. I haven't really fussed with my hair during the week because my weekends have been super busy. Last weekend, my hubby and I traveled to Atlantic City for a little fun in the sun. I was worried that my hair would become a big old fuzz ball from the humidity and wind, luckily my knot cocktail of Jessicurl Too Shea! Extra Moisturizing Conditioner + Shea Butter + Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie kept my curls looking amazing. 

I considered using a little shampoo this week because I wasn't sure if I would be able to get a good deep condition because of product build up---then the thought of jumping in and out of the shower made me shudder. I'll definitely shampoo next week. Here's how my wash day went:

Wash Day Products

1. Detangled- using my Magic Star Jumbo Rake seamless comb.
2. Extreme Deep Condition- with JBCO and my essential oil blend on my scalp and Carol's Daughter Monoi Repairing Conditioner on the length of my hair. Then I massaged coconut oil into my strands, covered with a plastic cap and relaxed under my heat cap for about 2 hours.
3. Tea Rinse- I rinsed the conditioner then with 2 green tea bags steeped in 2 cups of water. I applied my tea rinse using a narrow tip applicator. I let it sit for a few minutes and rinsed. 
4. Smoothing Treatment- Next, I applied a large dollop of Nexxus Hydralight Weightless Moisture Conditioner, massaged it in from root to tip for a minute or two then rinsed in sections. I probably manipulated my hair a little too much while rinsing because I noticed more tangles than usual post wash--Note to self not to do that again.
5. Air Dried- 90% with silk scarf.
6. Leave-Ins-  Herbal Essences Touchably Smooth Split End Protector and my kitchenista Tangerine Vanilla Whipped Hair Butter.

Results: 
Say it ain't so; Have I really found a product by Carol's Daughter that I like? Meh---I won't say it just yet. Ha-ha. But I do adore the soft, fluffy, strong hair that I was left with. My scalp felt clean in spite of not using shampoo and my ends look decent. After detangling and applying my leave-ins, I pulled my hair back into a low bun to finish drying. This week will be full of buns and of course my big curly hair will make an appearance this weekend! We'll be celebrating our anniversary in the city so y'all know that I gotta look cute! Ha-ha!

How was your last wash day?

Besitos!
KLP

Mini Wash

I'm so happy to be back to mini washing. Jumping in and out of the shower several times in one day is pure torture. This week, I moisturized with my Kitchenista Loco Leave in of Herbal Essences Hello Hydration thinned out with Aloe Vera Juice. Meh---I'm not sure how I feel about it yet. But it wasn't a disaster. Ha-ha. I'm going to try a few more weeks and report back my results.

This week, I pretty much alternated low, high, and side buns. Saturday I attempted a bantu knot out. It was gorgeous while en route to visit my sister-in-law. Then, after about 3 hours, I looked in the mirror. BIG HAIR CENTRAL. I gave in and just pulled it all up into a high bun messy style. Heat and humidity- 1. KLP- 0. Gracias a Dios por buns. Later that day, I got stuck in the rain at a baseball game so I was glad that my hair was already up and tucked away. Rain- 1 KLP- 0. When I got home, I rinsed my hair and applied a little Matrix Biolage Hydratherapie Detangling Solution once my hair was about 90% dry. Omgosh, this stuff has the most amazing slip. Even though the directions said that it was a rinse out detangler. I thought that it would be great as a leave in. And I was right---until my hair was completely dry and completely moisture-less. So, I re-read the ingredients: BOOM Isopropyl alcohol. Wack drying ingredients- 1 KLP- 0 <hangs head>. I'm so not #winning right now. Ha-ha. Luckily, wash day was the next day. Here's how my wash day went:

Wash Day Products

1. Detangled- using my Magic Star Jumbo Rake seamless comb.
2. Extreme Deep Condition- with JBCO and my essential oil blend on my scalp and Halka Baba de Caracol on the length of my hair. Then I massaged coconut oil into my strands, covered with a plastic cap and relaxed under my heat cap for about 2 hours.
3. Tea Rinse- I rinsed the conditioner then with 2 green tea bags steeped in 2 cups of water. I applied my tea rinse using a narrow tip applicator. I let it sit for a few minutes and rinsed. 
4. Smoothing Treatment- Next, I applied a large dollop of Nexxus Hydralight Weightless Moisture Conditioner, massaged it in from root to tip for a minute or two then rinsed. I love Nexxus products and I was super anxious to try this one, but my hair just isn't feeling the love; I'm forcing myself to use it up so that I can make room in my stash.
5. Air Dried- 90% with silk scarf.
6. Leave-Ins- Bee Mine Bee Lovely Moisturizing Daily Conditioner to moisturize and Almond Oil to seal.

Naked 90% Air dried hair

Results:
#WINNING! My big fluffy soft moisturized hair is back! Baba de Caracol always does the trick y'all! I will never doubt this conditioner. And you can win it in our Dominican Giveaway. There's only one day left to enter!

How was your latest wash day?

Besitos!




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Kitchenista Hair Products That I'm Anxious To Try

Shocker alert: I love mixing my own hair cocktails and concoctions. I know---that's no surprise if you've been following SOS Hair for a little while. Ha-ha! My husband just shakes his head when he sees tea steeping or me mashing up an avocado hair smoothie. After being married for 5 years, he doesn't even bother asking. Any who, here are some recipes for a few kitchenista hair products that I'm anxious to try:

Loco Leave-In

Ingredients:
1 part of your favorite moisturizing co washing conditioner (Mine is Herbal Essence Hello Hydration Conditioner)
1 part Aloe Vera juice

Directions:
Mix the ingredients together well. Apply this leave-in daily when your hair needs a moisture lift then seal with an oil or butter. 

Whipped Butter

Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp coconut oil
¼ cup aloe vera gel
½ cup shea butter

Directions:
Mix the ingredients together using a hand mixer on low speed. Apply this whipped butter to freshly washed damp hair for locking in moisture or use it for twisting.

What are you favorite kitchenista cocktails?

Besitos!

KLP