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Vatika Enriched Coconut Hair OIl Review

Dabur Vatika Enriched Coconut Hair Oil 300mL $4.99
Ingredients: Each 100mL of oil is prepared from: Mehndi (henna), Amla, Harar, Bahera, Neem, Brahmi, Kapur Kachri, Dugdha, Lemon oil, Rosemary oil, Lecithin, Sugandhit Dravyas, Nariyal Tail
What is all that? They are all ayurvedic herbs that have a variety of benefits.
Mehndi - hair strengthener; dandruff reducer; hair colorantAmla - a conditioner; controls hair loss, stimulates growth, and controls premature grayingHarar - anti-inflammatory; analgesic; purifierBahera - hair rejuvenatorNeem - clears dandruff; natural antiseptic; natural oil balance for scalp Brahmi - cools the scalp; controls dandruff; makes hair long, dense, dark, and lustrous; strengthens hair rootsKapur Kachri - stimulates hair roots and growthDugdha - prevents grayingLemon oil - cleans scalp; natural antiseptic; natural oil balance for scalp; refreshens and rejuvenates the scalpRosemary oil - is good for treating hair fall or shedding and dandruff. It stimulates the hair bulbs to renew activity and prevent premature balding Lecithin - proteinSugandhit Dravyas - improves blood circulation to hair roots and follicles; eliminates dandruff; soothes flaky scalpNariyal Tail - coconut oil
Yeah that's a lot. But this stuff is amazing. I found this searching on Amazon for something to help my itchy scalp. Then after I found it there I saw it on every blog and forum for natural hair care. So apparently this stuff is popular and I was just out of the loop. Nothing new. And from what I have found there are two different formulations, but I use the one in the green bottle pictured above.
Typically I make my own hair products, but this has so much stuff in it and it works, so for me to try to make something similar on my own would cost a fortune. I use this on my scalp and to do my 2-strand twists. Others use it as an oil rinse or deep conditioner. There are just so many uses. Even the Hubs tried it and liked it. He has very coarse hair and the products he has used according to him are usually soaked up through the night. He used this one night and he said the next morning his hair actually felt soft. I have never seen his hair feel soft so that is saying something. ;)
I have been using this product for a little over 2 months and I love it.
Pros: No more itchy scalp and my hair is so soft. I can use this product for so many things. I can add it to my deep conditioner (or use it alone as a deep conditioner), as an oil rinse, and as a pre-poo before I shampoo and condition my hair. I know some people will use it on their body too. I'm not there yet. Another pro is that the Hubs loves this for his hair too, so its good for men and women.
Cons: The only negative I can say of it is that coconut oil is a solid at room temperature. So if it is in a cold climate it will become a solid. The bottle is not designed for a solid and it can be difficult to get the product out. Just run it under some hot water and it will liquify.

Kinky Curly Curling Custard

What is that you say? Yes, Kinky Curly Curling Custard, from here on KCCC, is the new product I am trying on my hair. This product combined with Kinky Curly Knot Today (KCKT) is supposed to give all curly hair types amazing, curly, bouncy hair. This can be used for ethnic and non-ethnic hair...all curlies. That is the claim. And the product also says that it is all natural and organic, if that is important to you. It is to me.

All Kinky Curly products contain NO: petroleum, mineral oil, silicone, alcohol, plastics, acrylics, parabens, carbomer, or wax. Yes, all of these ingredients can be found in conventional hair products and are not good for curly hair.
Ingredients:KCCC: botanical infusion of water, horsetail, chamomile, nettle and marshmallow, organic aloe vera juice, agave nectar extract, tocopheryl acetate (vitamin e), pectin, citric acid, potassium sorbate and natural fragrance
KCKT: organic mango fruit extract, organic slippery elm, organic marshmallow root, organic lemongrass, cetyl alcohol, behentrimonium methosulfate, citric acid, phenoxyethanol, and natural fragrance

So how do they work, you ask?

Well, depending on your curl pattern you can use one or both products to make amazing curls. Some people with looser curls can use KCKT or KCCC alone. Most ethnic curlies have to use the products together. That is what I did.

Trial 1 (which did not turn out the way I expected)
This was done on clean, sopping wet hair.

I did not use enough KCKT on my hair and once it dried you could definitely see that. Also, once completely dry my hair was crunchy, which from everything I read and all the videos I watched on YouTube is not supposed to happen.
Here are some pics.

Just done. Hair still dripping wet.

About an hour later.

Completely dry.
Can we say shrinkage? When my hair is wet, it usually touches my shoulders. This ended up being a big, curly fro. I liked it, but it was not what I was going for and I cannot wear my hair like that to work. That means that I would have to wet my hair and do it again to go to work. I don't think that is going to happen to often.
Trial 2
On clean (shampooed and conditioned) sopping wet hair add KCKT. You have to use a lot of this and I mean A LOT. I have done this process twice and the first time I did not use enough of the KCKT. For my hair length, texture, and thickness I had to use 1/2 of the 8oz. bottle. Yes, half. KCKT does now come in a 32oz. bottle, so if I really like the results I will get the bigger bottle.

After conditioning my hair in the shower, I divided my hair into 4 twisted sections and left it like this as I applied the KCKT. I completely saturated each section in the product. Then I divided that section into 3 sections and clipped the rest aside. I used my Denman brush and worked the KCKT through the section. I took a small amount of KCCC and put it on the root. Then I took a little more and spread it through the section. I again took my Denman brush and worked the product through the section. Then I twisted the completed section to keep it out of the way. I repeated this process with my entire head.
I can already see the difference by using more KCKT. The curls are more defined and have more hang time.

Immediately after. Hair still sopping wet.

About 1 hour later.

Completely dry.
Trial 1 v. Trial 2

Sopping wet.

Completely dry.
Ok. I think I figured it out. I will definitely be trying this one again. Seven years of being natural and I finally figured out the wash and go look. Not exactly wash and go, but it looks like it. And I wish I had video because it moves and bounces and is not stiff. The hardest part was letting my hair dry completely before I started messing with it. I have serious issues with hand in fro.

These products can be bought online and at Whole Foods and Target (yep, just recently).Also, check out all the videos on YouTube on the subject. This is the application video I used for Trial 2. From miss HeatherNicole. Definitely subscribe to her videos. She is great.
Check out Her YouTube video.

Vegas Baby!!

The Hubs and I and another couple went to Vegas for a week. (Who does that?!) Yes, a whole week. We stayed in a time share just off the strip. I had never been to Vegas before and the Hubs had only been once for a trade show, so really, this was our first experience.
Neither one of us a gamblers, so we did not really know what to expect.
So we left Friday the 9th for our trip. We do not fly that often, so I cannot say we usually fly XYZ company, but this time we flew with Delta and I must say, never again (well, unless the price is too good). We were supposed to leave BWI at 530pm EST and connect to our flight in Memphis and be in Vegas at 850pm PST. Well due to weather in Altanta we left over an hour late. So for that hour we were stuck on the plane. All they kept saying was they were rerouting. So there were like 11 different connecting flights in Memphis that were missed by various passenger. We were stuck in Memphis for the night. We got vouchers for new flights, hotel, and food. The flight and hotel I was cool about, but Delta gave us $6 each for 2 meals. What the hell were we supposed to eat for $6 each? So we stayed at the Radisson for the night and ate there for dinner and breakfast, which both sucked and was not covered by the $6. The room was fine and they had Sleep Number beds which were nice to try out.
The best part of the holdover was the next day when we got to fly first class from Memphis to Vegas. First Class baby, yeah. Having never flown first class before, let me just say this is the way to fly. To bad I can't afford it.
So finally Saturday morning we made it to Vegas. We did so much I cannot remember it all. We went to the pool, I got a tan, we went clubbing, gambling, to shows, to Nevada's only vineyard, had fabulous meals, and did A LOT of walking. I even had to go shopping and by some walkable shoes that were not tennis shoes. Oh yeah, I even went to the gym.
I was also able to check of some of the items on my 101 in 1001. 15. Go to Vegas18. Go to a Vineyard19. Actually take Pictures during my travels31. Eat at 10 new restaurants97. See Cirque du Soleil
Some photos:
Various Hotels

We went to Serendipity the Ice Cream Shoppe. I tried to go to the New York location when we were there, but it was an 1.5 hour wait and that was not worth it to me. They are famous for their Frozen Hot Chocolate and if you ever get a chance to try one I highly recommend it. I meant to take a pic of the one we got, but since I always forget to take pics...I forgot. We did get a shot of someone else's though.

We got to see the water show at the Bellagio.

We went to a Winery. Yes, Nevada, the middle of the desert, has one winery. It is about 1 hour north of Las Vegas. The proprietor is so friendly and funny and they do complimentary tastings. I have never been to one that did not cost some money. It is never a lot, but it has always cost something. Many of their wines are made from grapes for nearby states, because it is a desert. But they do have a small vineyard and they do make some wines there. I think this is the first year they have been able to harvest the grapes and make a sellable product. They also have a wonderful restaurant that has some of the best lobster bisque I have ever tasted. If you ever go to Vegas, take a couple of hours and drive to Pahrump Winery. It is worth the trip.

We also had an opportunity to see an NBA summer league game and it so happens that the Wizards were playing. We got to see the #1 draft pick John Wall in action. We also saw some of the other players walking through the hotels and playing in the casinos. I didn't know who they were, but the Hubs did.

We saw Cirque du Soleil, something I have been dying to do for years. You cannot take pics inside, but you have got to go. We saw KA at MGM Grand. Even the Hubs was in awe. The martial arts is amazing and it has a story line that can be followed. We only got to see one show on this trip, but it was so worth it. And our seats were fantastic.
We rode on the gondolas in the Venetian, but those pics sucked. We went to Studio54 in MGM Grand. And we ate at some amazing restaurants, but they deserve a post of their own. We ate at RM Seafood and StripSteak both in Mandalay Bay. Plus we had coupons that we got from restaurant.com.
I think we walked through every hotel/casino on the strip. My dogs were barking at the end of the day. I definitely needed the extra days off from work when we got back. But I definitely needed this vacation and I enjoyed it immensely.

take me to paris in your pontiac

Today I went to the beach for the second time this summer to try and even-out my sunburn/random white patches/fake tan. Luckily I remembered to put on SPF all over and didn't get burnt at all this time. Hoorah!

I also did some thrift shopping with my friend Shafina. She is going away to India for a year and I'm going to miss her! When we were parking her car we pulled up right behind a Pontiac PARISIENNE. I have never heard of this car before! But I am so obsessed with anything Paris-related, I wish it was mine! I had to settle for a picture in front of it, which made me happy :)

sweater/poncho - tierra del sol / white t - joe fresh / jean shorts - thrifted + diy

cutoff / sandals - joe fresh / leopard print bag - primark / sunglasses - aldo

people say she's crazy, she's got diamonds on the soles of her shoes

Today I went to the hospital with my mom to visit my Grandma (nothing serious, she's doing well and hopefully will be home soon) and went to Capilano Mall to grab some stuff from Wal-Mart. I bought a giant mens button-down shirt for $8, so I'm hoping to turn it into a asymmetrical shirt- let's see what happens...

I absolutely love the dress that I wore today! The cut is amazing and it totally shows off my waist (at least that's what my mother says). The print is really unusual too- its got pink and purple florals as well as CLOCKS. So weird!

dress: thrifted / sunglasses: aldo / pink watch: a gift / purse: max c / pink flats: joe fresh