Simple Tresses

Leobody has a blog!

2011-08-28T04:14:00.000-07:00

Leobody: I have a blog... really?

I have been a fan of Leobody's (hair, style, fashion-sense) for a long time and now she has a blog! Whoo Hoo! She is a beautiful woman, seemingly inside and out. I say "seemingly" because of course I don't know her personally but she comes across as being a very confident, beautiful, strong woman. She knows what she wants out of life and is not afraid to take the world head on. I love your blog Leobody!

Box Tops for Education + Ebay + Similac baby formula = More and more savings!

2010-12-14T08:43:00.000-08:00

For those that know me, I LOVE saving a buck. It's almost like I get a natural high from it, lol. If you are familiar with the Box Tops for Education program, this is the basis of it (from the website):

Box Tops for Education

"See the difference 1 can make

Together, clipping all those little Box Tops coupons, we’ve earned over $300 million for our kids’ schools. But now, we can do even more — and it’s easy. By joining Box Tops for Education, you can see your school’s earnings, receive member perks like bonus Box Tops and coupons, and be able to start earning cash for your school while you shop online."

Until now, I didn't have any children so these served me no purpose so I ignored them on my product labels. Now that I have a child, and even though I have volunteered and many school events, I have to start thinking more about supporting schools, volunteering, etc. These box tops are on Ziploc products, Pampers, Hamburger Helper, etc. I started clipping them about a year ago just to save and give away, eventually.

Well, as I was browsing through Ebay, I was amazed at how many folks SELL these and how much people buy them for. So I thoughy, "Hmmm, I don't have a school-age child yet, these expire in 2011-2013 so someone can benefit right?" The way I see it, it's a win-win situation!

I counted out my BTFEs and I had about 40 of them. I posted them on ebay (for free with the promotion they have right now) for 7 days. They ended up selling for $4.85! I was excited because from what I see in the ebay history, 50 box tops or less usually sell for around 2-3 dollars. I shipped them out to the seller after they paid me and the money went into my paypal account.

Well, for anyone who has babies, you already know...INFANT FORMULA IS EXPENSIVE! I have been fortunate enough to get the $5 coupons from Similac in the mail and Similac formula is super cheap these days because of their recent recall:

Similac Recall Info

From my understanding, the prices of Similac will go back to normal after the new year, so we need to stock up right? Well, back to good old Ebay! I recently won (10) Similac, $5 off coupons on ebay and you guessed it...I used my paypal money to pay for them! See? Win-Win!!!

Of course, as my child gets older, I will save my BTFEs for her school, if the program is still going. I just had to share this deal with you. For those that love to save money and who are always looking for good deals, remember, you never know what will sell on Ebay until you look! Peace!

A great deal on my favorite leave-in conditioner...Alba Botanica

2010-12-11T07:06:00.000-08:00

Hi all! I know it's been a minute but between giving birth and the holiday season, there is just NO TIME, lol! You all know I love my Alba Botanica leave-in because the price is good and the ingredients are fantastic (majority natural). As I was doing some online Christmas shopping, my Amazon cart had updated to let me know that the price of the 2 pack was on sale for $7.30! Oh yeah, I pounced on that! I recently bought a two pack from Amazon.com in October for around $17, which is the usual price that I pay. I am midway through the first tube so ordering again this soon was perfect timing.

I use this leave-in for airdried styles mainly. I seal it in with coconut oil. I think it's a great leave-in for the price and quality. The ingredients are as follows:

Ingredients: Purified Water, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Vegetable Glycerin, Ceteareth-5, Extracts of Camellia Sinensis(green Tea), Moringa Pterygosperma Seed, Agave Americana and Trigonella Foenum Graecum(fenugreek) Seed, Certified Organic Extracts of Althea Offinalis(marshmallow) Leaf/Root, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf, Lavandula Angustifolia(lavender), Rosa Canina Fruit, Melissa Offinalis, Calendula Offinalis, Chamomilla Recutita(matricaria), Panthenol, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Phenoxyethanol.

For those who use this conditioner, head on over to Amazon.com...this price is a steal!

http://www.amazon.com/Alba-Botanica-Leave-Conditioner-7-Ounce/dp/B001ET7BJ4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=hpc&qid=1292079944&sr=8-1

Yes, I am closing my youtube account

2010-10-18T07:55:00.000-07:00

I truly hate to do it, but honestly, I don't feel like my help is prompt enough nowadays. The reason I say this is because there are sooo many people that are so helpful on youtube on a more regular basis, me posting once every blue moon wasn't productive enough. Don't get me wrong, I know I have helped a lot of folks over the years (before Youtube even existed) with my fotki album, messageboard postings, etc. Nevertheless, my busy lifestyle can't keep up with the everchanging technologies like Twitter, Facebook, Video Blogging, etc. I was approaching 3000 subscribers as I made this decision. I hope too many of you are not disappointed, but I feel this is the best decision rather than many of you sitting around waiting for me to post another video.

Another reason I am closing it is because Youtube has truly been a pain in the you-know-what when it comes to blocking music, muting your words even if you just have the music playing in the background, etc. I am not interested in any of that revenue sharing stuff, I am tired of people asking me why I don't show my face, etc. My goal when I started my very first video on July 18, 2009, was to help those who were looking to learn about healthy haircare, whether relaxed or natural. Youtube has become a great advertising and marketing machine out here on the net, and I ain't mad at it, but I feel there are plenty of videos out there just like mine that many can benefit from.

As I type this, my youtube account says that I have approximately 2,977 subscribers. I would like to acknowledge every last one of you by saying, THANK YOU for your support, your prayers, your honesty and kind compliments on my videos. You guys are truly awesome and I hope you continue your haircare journeys to further strive toward your goals. There are some fantastic websites out here like K.I.S.S., Hairlista, Longhaircareforum and an abundance of others. There is no question that hasn't been answered so take advantage of Google and your search function.

I plan to keep blogging on this site so feel free to drop by. As I stated, it may not be as frequent as many would like, but it's just a way for me to continue my presence out here on the web. Be blessed and happy hair growing! :) :)

Latest Big Lots finds! (I will do my best to add pics when I get a new battery for camera)

2010-10-16T08:08:00.000-07:00

So for those of you who know me, I love Big Lots. Yes, I go to Big Lots AT LEAST once a week. I have 3-4 of them within 5-15 miles of my home and I hit up one on a weekly basis. Recently, they held their frequent Buzz Club member 20% off sale where you get 20% off your ENTIRE purchase on certain days. This includes everything from food to furniture. Over the years, Big Lots prices have increased, but honestly, what stores haven't? Nevertheless, there are still some great finds, especially on sale days.

As I was browsing the food aisles, I picked up my usual Extra Virgin Olive Oil (for the hair and cooking ;)). I also found some great hair accessories (found some of those Goody Ouchless Updo Barrettes).

I ended up paying the following for a few items:
1) Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Regular price $5.00 (for 33 oz)...after 20% discount...$4.00. Yes, real extra virgin olive oil where the ONLY ingredient on the label is "Extra Virgin Olive Oil". I looked up the brand online and a bottle this size runs about $9.

Pic courtesy of Google images

2) Goody Ouchless Updo Barrettes (Large with 4 ouchless ponytail holders as bonus) - $1.50...after 20% discount ...$1.20. These barrettes will run you $3.99 each in Walgreens/CVS/RiteAid. The pic below is of the small ones which my hair would laugh at unless I am using them on my ends only. The ones I found at Big Lots are the large ones.

Picture courtesy of Google images

3) I found a wide assortment of Dum Dum lollipops and Now and laters for Halloween. I also picked up some snacks like honey buns, honey roasted cashews and spices, all for an extra 20% off.

Hope you guys found some good deals!

Yet another disappointing ingredient list change...

2010-10-01T09:39:00.000-07:00

Okay ladies, I am a little late on this product and excuse me for my constant ranting, but this is getting REALLY irritating. I guess I should have researched more before driving to the beauty supply. The "ingredient list change product of the day without a hint of the change made evident on their website" is:

Taliah Waajid Protective mist bodifier

Now, I have been searching high and low for a new moisturizer with good ingredients. After net searches, word of mouth, etc., I finally decided on this product. I went into the local beauty supply some months ago and saw this product for around $6.99 with really great ingredients. I didn't buy it because I wanted to do more research. Needless to say, I walk in the same beauty supply today to see that the price is now $7.19 and the ingredients have changed. I was like, "Wow" and placed it right back on the shelf and left. I saw where an LHCF member already broke the news and posted the following:

The old ingredients are pure distilled water, wheat germ, indian hemp olive oil, balsam, aloe vera, bee pollen, silk protein, bay laurel, fruit bioflavonoids, ancient african herbal formula.

The new ingredients are: Water, propylene glycol, cetearth-20,cetrimonium bromide,wheat germ, indian hemp olive oil, balsam, aloe vera, bee pollen, silk amino acid, bay laurel, dmdm hydantion, fragrance

The new ingredient list is EXACTLY what I saw today. Propylene Glycol? R U serious? I can go to a drugstore and get a $1 product with that as the 2nd ingredient, not to mention all that "other" stuff that's been added. I guess the recession is hitting hard.

I guess I wouldn't be so perturbed if these companies would ANNOUNCE that they are now adding filler ingredients, removing good stuff, adding new stuff, etc, to their product line. This would be so much better than allowing the consumer to purchase the product, thinking it is the same...just for them to pay the money for it...use it a few times...and realize it doesn't work anymore. Then the consumer turns the bottle around and "EUREKA!!!" realize the ingredients have changed. Consumer will now be ticked off and will not purchase your product again, so how exactly does that keep your business going? Some speculate the stuff in bold in the ingredient list above has ALWAYS been in the product and that Ms. Waajid has to now disclose it because of her sales with CVS. This could be possible but I won't be purchasing either way.

In a perfect world, we would get a heads up, I guess. In the meantime, please be an EDUCATED CONSUMER, in everything from store purchases to hospital visits. End of rant.

The three "Ps" of haircare

2010-09-13T07:50:00.000-07:00

This Post was inspired by a lady (TheTruthIsHair, check her out!) on youtube who (to me) is just as Passionate about healthy hair care Practices as I am. I am also Paying homage to an old hair board member (circa 2000-2001) who has since disappeared from the online hair care world. If you are out there somewhere, DJ, holla! Every since I started taking good care of my hair years ago, I have noticed that more and more women are starting to do the same. That is fantastic to me, however, there are many women who are being led down some dangerous, expensive, and Potentially disappointing roads.

Yeah, for the most Part, we are grown women and we have our own minds to make our own decisions. Nevertheless, there are young girls that don't have the resources, money, etc to go out and buy the latest and the greatest. They want their hair to look nice, too, right? Nobody is telling us to buy Product after Product. Nobody is forcing us to buy the latest and greatest $300 hooded hair dryer or steam hair machine. Nobody is holding a gun to our heads and making us spend hard earned money on weekly salon visits. It seems like every time I turn on the television, there is a new Product that is being advertised to "Promote hair growth, stop hair breakage, grow hair longer and faster", etc, etc, etc. Yes, I have tried my share of Products and techniques, but I found that there is nothing like the 3 Ps of hair care that will give you desired results. This Product Pushing is just really getting old.

With all the above being said, I have learned throughout the years that there are 3 things that will get your hair looking and feeling like you want it to. These 3 things have nothing to do with a Particular Product. They also don't cost you a thing (Yes, there are certain Products I buy and use, but have been using Pretty much those same things for years unless they have been discontinued). In my experience, the 3 Ps of good haircare are:

PRESERVATION
PROTECTION
PATIENCE

What? That's all? Yes, that's all. Preservation is maintaining the hair that is already on your head. Your hair will never lengthen (I stress "lengthen" because there are too many out there that are stressing "growth". Hair is always growing, unless you have some sort of health condition.) When we are raking through our hair with small tooth combs, using chemicals every other week and not moisturizing the hair we have, expect for it to end up on the floor or in your sink. The ends, which make up our length, will continue to snap and break if they are constantly dry. My hair is now hip length (and I can't honestly believe it) and my ends are approximately 4 years old. Yes, they are drier and more brittle than the new growth, but guess what, I still have them.

Protection is guarding the hair we have. In the winter, we run out of the house with no hat on (how many of our Moms told us to Put a hat on to cover our ears? If not, we would end up with a cold, the flu or worse.) Nowadays, are we too cute for the hat? Are we scared that the hat will dry our hair out? (No, because most of the time, we know nothing about dryness and the damage it can cause. If we are knowledgeable of what the hat can do to damage hair, can we say, go buy some silk or satin material to line those suckers with?) In the summer, we go out into the chlorine filled Pool and don't put any kind of oil or conditioner on hair to block the chemical. We don't wear swim caps and we don't wash the chlorine out as soon as we get home. The list goes on and on. And we wonder why our hair is constantly dry and breaking.

Patience is just that, Patience. Staying calm and enduring in working toward the goal. Hair grows, on average, a half of an inch Per month, NOT overnight. If there were a Product or technique out there that worked to grow hair down the back overnight, the maker of that Product would be the #1 richest person IN THE WORLD. No, not every one wants long hair, but the market is HUGE in regard to it. Look at weaves, extensions, growth Promising hair Products, etc. and how big that industry is. There are women out there who will spend their last dime if it meant growing their hair longer and faster. Why the urgency? Aren't things worth having worth waiting for? Nah, not in this world. We want right here, right now. That's why gastric bypass surgery, the lap-band and weight loss Pills are all the rave (Disclaimer: not in every case, because some are medically necessary). But don't get me started.

I hope this Post sheds some light. Products are not the answer. They help, but only topically. There is no need to buy a $50, 4 oz jar of deep conditioner when extra virgin olive oil, honey, coconut oil and other things in your Pantry can do a good, if not better job as commercial Products. AND they have multiple uses. I cook with evoo and coconut oil and they are healthier alternatives than canola and vegetable oil. I eat avocados because of the great health they can bring AND they give a great conditioning treatment to my hair.

*****I Posted all the words that started with "P" in capital letters as a sort of subliminal message. When you think about the health of your hair and taking care of it, don't think Product all of the time, but rather the three Ps. Bye for now!****

Spin off of previous post: "Discontinued products..." (Please excuse typos or font weirdness, can't seem to get it right) :)

2010-09-03T07:36:00.000-07:00

So I am sure we have all had our share of beauty products that work for us, just to be disappointed because all of a sudden, the ingredients have changed. We don't immediately know the ingredients have changed because the companies don't seem to make it a priority to place emphasis on the change. We usually get advertisements like "New and improved!" or "Now, with "so and so complex" added!"

When we realize the product has changed, ingredient-wise, we usually don't notice until we have already purchased the new product and it no longer works the same. This sucks right? Well I grew tired of spending my hard-earned money on less quality product and started paying more attention to labels and product bottle differences. Yeah, products change the "look" of their products all the time, but how many times does the look accompany an ingredient change as well?

Just to give some examples of how I am not paranoid about this, I have experienced a few disappointing changes, firsthand:

One of my favorite cream moisturizers/leave ins back in the day was Bronner Brothers Castor Oil Lotion aka

B&B Oil Moisturizer with Castor Oil

When I started using it years ago, the ingredients were:

Ingredients: Water, Canola Oil, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Castor Oil, Polyquaternium 32, Polysorbate 80, Aloe Vera Gel, Dl Panthenol, Propylene Glycol, Diazolidinyl Urea, Idopropnyl Butylcarbamate, Fragrance and D&C Red #33

Ingredients from BB website (Shows parabens): Water , Canola Oil , Sorbitan Sesquioleate , Castor Oil , Polyquaternium 32 , Polysorbate 80 , Aloe Vera Gel , DL Panthenol , Diazolidinyl Urea , Methyl Paraben , Propyl Paraben , Fragrance , D&C Red No. 33

Other variations found on the net (No parabens but paraffinum liquidum (mineral oil) added):

Purifed Water, Canola Oil, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Castor Oil, Polyquaternium 32, Paraffinum Liquidum, Aloe Vera Gel, Panthenol, Coconut Oil, Polysorbate 80, Propylene Glycol, Diazolidinyl Urea, Idopropynyl Butylcarbamate, D&C Red #33 and Fragrance.

At first glance, I don't know what many of the above items are, but all I know is I don't see mineral oil or petrolatum in the first product. These ingredients could be hidden behind another name but who knows? Nevertheless, why all the changes? And why doesn't the consumer have the right to know or be given privy to information like, "mineral oil now added" or "parabens now added?"

It's very frustrating.

In conclusion, Bronner Brothers are not the only culprit. There is Dove, Organic Root Stimulator and a host of others I could name, and I will as soon as I have more time. Thanks for reading my rant! :)

Healthy hair tip: Satin pillowcases!

2010-08-22T16:10:00.000-07:00

Image courtesy of Sally Beauty

Yes, I love the satin pillowcase. I own about 5 or 6 of them. Satin pillowcases are a great way to keep the hair protected at night while sleeping. It keeps the hair from drying out and feels great on your face. Hubby always ends up with mine before morning, lol! If you are anything like me, you can't sleep with any kind of head scarf, rag, etc because they always end up on the floor in the morning. Since I was younger, they just WILL NOT stay on.

Over the years, I have searched for alternatives whenever one of my pillowcases gets old and worn out. I end up throwing that one away and I just pull another one out of my linen closet. My Mom found some at some yard sales and my Grandmother found me one at an estate sale...a vintage one made specifically for the hair.

I am perturbed at Wal-Mart for completely REMOVING almost all of their material and fabric departments out of their stores. Honestly, there are STILL people who make their own clothes, curtains, etc, Wal-Mart! I used to go there to find material to make scarves and other things, because it's cheaper to buy the material by the yard. Anywhoo, before they shut down all of the fabric departments in all of the Wal-Marts near me, I found some cheap bridal satin and had my grandmother make me some pillowcases.

For those of you out there that have not had much success finding cheap satin pillowcases, here are some places with great prices:

1. Check your local fabric store, thrift stores and yard sales, there is some good stuff out there. :)
2. K-Mart has some great ones, when you can find them. They are usually on the endcaps of the pillowcase and sheet aisles. They run about $4.
K-Mart satin pillowcases
3. Overstock.com has some great prices like these listed 4 in a pack for $15.99:
Overstock pillowcases

Common Products and best prices!

2010-08-21T07:36:00.000-07:00

Throughout the years, most of us have tried different products. I am no product junkie, by any means, but I love to try new things...as long as the price is right. I am constantly seeing the natural hair care product community under siege because of the prices of their products, not to mention shipping and handling. I won't comment on price vs. quality, however, I will tell you that there are way more inexpensive alternatives.

As many of you know, I am not longer au naturale, but my hair still loves the more natural product vs. the more common, store shelf item. I will share with you the products and places I have found over the years and consistently bought.

One of my favorite leave-ins:

Alba Botanica Leave-In Conditioner

Iherb.com - $5.24
Link here---> Iherb

Pros:
Cheap shipping and handling, depending on how much you order
Cheap product prices
Wide variety of products available, from hair and skin, to protein powders and supplements

Cons:
None that I can find so far

There is also a rewards program where (taken from iherb.com):

The customers you refer get $5 savings on the first order and are introduced to top brand name products, huge selection, expedited shipping and easy re-ordering—one of the best values in the marketplace!

The customers they refer enjoy the same kinds of benefits

I don't know my referral code but feel free to use this one I found on the net: IXI773
Update! I found my referral code so feel free to use it: DOB002

One of my favorite oils:
Jojoba oil - Have found a 4 oz bottle for as low as $5.88 on Amazon.com, and with free shipping and handling through the college student program, you can't beat that with a stick.

Trader Joe's - If you have one in your area, you can get it for $6.99

One of my favorite deep conditioners:

Aubrey Organics GPB - On Amazon.com, I have seen it as low as $10.99 for an 11 oz bottle, free shipping and handling (of course, lol). I have also seen 16 oz bottles for as low as $12.03.

If you have thick, waistlength hair like me, this is a great natural conditioner with a wonderful, semi-thick consistency. It spreads easily and penetrates each strand, without being thin and watery.

I Heart Amazon.com!

2010-07-20T16:47:00.000-07:00

For anyone that knows me IRL, they know I love Amazon.com. The site has everything, from food, to electronics, to media and what we all love, hair and beauty products! I recently checked my past orders on Amazon and found that I have been ordering from them since 1999! Yes, that was 11 years ago and not only is the site still going strong amidst the dotcom fails but they continue to offer great prices and products.

I order from them regularly, especially for my hair stuff. I buy coconut oil (by the way, they have a special going right now on Nutiva Coconut oil, check it out on the link below!), small electronic items, storage items, etc. Amazon is also affiliated with other companies like Swagbucks (I will be doing a blog on Swagbucks very soon!) and Chase (that is, if you have a credit card, I wish I didn't ugh). I love their prime shipping options (right now they have a college student special that I will do my best to blog about) where 2 day shipping is free on select items! They also have the super saver shipping where if your items qualify, you get free shipping on orders of $25! Yes, I heart Amazon and hopefully you will too! Check out the links below to learn more about Amazon prime (trials, college students, etc) and the coconut oil special!

HTML Amazon Prime Trial for College Students.

Nutiva Coconut Oil Special.

Hamburger Helper and Showyourhelpinghand.com

2010-07-20T16:23:00.000-07:00

I am all about saving a buck. I am also all about trying to help in any way I can, even it's a small gesture. I know during these hard times, many of us are looking for ways to save money. For all those broke college students out there (been there lol!) and families that throw together a quick meal every now and them, I KNOW we all know about Hamburger Helper. Well, I may be late, but I noticed while I was cooking some today, that on the inside of the box there is an advertisement for ShowYourHelpingHand.com.

For those unfamiliar (as I was) with this website, click on the link below for more information and help all that you can! Make sure to check the inside of your Hamburger Helper boxes for that code so that you can enter it in, it only takes a minute and doesn't cost anything except a couple minutes of your time! :) :)

Give a Little. Get a Little. Hamburger Helper is partnering with Feeding America™, the nation's leading hunger-relief charity, to deliver more than 3.5 million meals to local food banks.

Show Your Helping Hand.

God bless!

Discontinued products...conspiracy?

2010-03-03T03:59:00.000-08:00

LOL, I know, I know...people say I analyze things too much; however, it seems as though every time a product is being raved about or doing great things for someone's hair, skin, etc, it all of a sudden is discontinued. Naturally curly has a great article on it here:

http://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/curl-products/why-do-companies-discontinue-products

I ask if it is a conspiracy because one of the main reasons I have heard involve the product not selling. I don't know about you, but it seems as though when product gets rave reviews, people rush out to buy it, just to find that it's out of stock. This is a mystery to me. How is a product not selling if, when people are ready to purchase it, it's not in stores?

I have also noticed a few products (from experience) that have had their ingredients changed to less quality, but the package now touts "new and improved" with the same name. One product in this category was the Dove Sheer Moisture Leave In replenishing mist. The new bottle is a different color and has none of the good stuff left in it like silk amino acids. Walmart even has the nerve to have the old bottle and ingredients still listed on their website. I ordered, knowing better, and received the new "unimproved" bottle that does nothing for me. I will be taking it back asap to get a full refund, including s&h charges because of the false advertisement on walmart's site. I have read reports around the net that companies discontinue products for a variety of reasons. Some are the following:

1) The ingredients used to manufacture the product are no longer available.

2) The product is not selling as expected.

3) Companies have to stay in the trend of "what's in" in today's society in order to keep up. (Heard of Argan oil?)

The list can go on of the whys, hows, whats, whens and wheres but the question remains, is it a conspiracy?

Natural Haircare Companies

2010-02-17T12:06:00.000-08:00

Wow. It seems as if everyday I get online, there is a new haircare company that has started. I am actually excited about it because it shows how many entrepreneurs are out there. I am going to attempt to list those that I know about, have read about, those that are no longer in existence, or those just getting started. I know these products are not "all natural" but for the purpose of this blog entry, they are natural products available online that are not like commercial ones sold in stores. Some of these are sold in stores like Whole Foods. (I will update this blog post as time passes and I find more :))

Carol's Daughter
Afroveda
Hairobics
GrowAfroHairLong
Hairveda
Shescentit
Shimahair
Qhemet Biologics
Cathy Howse UBH products
The Original Fragrance Shop now known as Sister Roberta's Organic Hair Products
Boundless Tresses
Longlovelylocks
Identity hair and skin
Jasmine's Bath and Beauty
Oyin Handmade
My Honeychild
Shida Naturals
Asha's
Boundless Tresses
Kinky Curly
Blended Beauty
Mixed Chicks
Curls
Komaza Care
Karen's Body Beautiful
Eden Bodyworks
Miss Jessie's
My Asha's
The Jane Carter Solution
Darcys Botanicals
Christine Gant (on Etsy.com) aka Brown Butter Beauty
Uncle Funky's Daughter

and the list goes on. These are the only ones I can think of off the top of my head but there is more to come! :)

From LHCF:
Adiva
Afrikan Republic
Afroveda
Anita Grant
Asha's
Beauty4Ashes Beauty
Bee Mine
Black Earth
Blended Beauty
Carol's Daughter
Cornrows & Co
Created by Nature
Curl Junkie
Curls
Darcy's Botanicals
Hairveda HPO
Hydratherma Naturals
Indigofera
Inky Loves Nature
Kalawentz
Karen's Body Beautiful
Kinky Curly
Komaza Care
Kynk Naturals
La Boutique Organics
LaVida Given by Nature
Long Lovely Locks
Miss Jessies
Mixed Chicks
My Honey Child
Nubian Kinks
Ohm Body
Organikah
Oyin Handmade
Qhemet Biologics
The Hairoine
Treasured Locks
Uncle Funky's Daughter
Njoi Creations
Dudley's
Sweet nature by eddie
Christine Gant
Anita Grant
Frederick Benjamin.com
Design Essentials
Kizure
Luvnaturals
Curl by Sisters Smith
Sizta to Sizta

Cathy Howse
Wanakee
Taliah Waajid
Donna Marie
Chagrin Valley (shampoo bars and bath bars)
Curl Junkie
Koils by nature
Alikay naturals
Ori Organics
Nunu Love naturals on Etsy.com
Happy People Only
Sheago
Oshune
Akamuti
Satin Sakks

Everything below was copied from Happycurls.com, still working on links and source:

Inky www.inkylovesnature.com
Curl Junkie http://www.curljunkie.com/

Kimble Hair Care System -www.kimblehaircare.com
Stuz Organic Hair Solutions -http://www.stuzorganichairsolutions.com/Taria's Curls http://www.tariacurlz.com/
Kynk www.kynk.ca
Mia Simone http://www.miasb.com/
Treasured Locks http://www.treasuredlocks.com/haircarprod.html
Ebene http://www.ebenenaturals.com/
Ebene Kids http://www.ebenenaturals.com/ebenekids/aboutkids.html
Jamaican Mango & Lime Products http://www.rastagroup.com/html/jamaican_mango___lime_products.htm
Barry Fletcher - http://www.barryfletcherproducts.com/
Beauty Genesis -http://beauty-genesis.com/index.aspx
http://www.blackearthproducts.com/
E'tae - http://www.etaeproducts.com/
Leanna's -http://www.leannashair.com/
Bubble-Up -http://www.bubbleup.com/Home.html
Hairobics - http://www.hairobicsallnatural.com/index.html
Wanakee - http://www.hairoil.com/
Healthy Hair Plus http://www.healthyhairplus.com/
New Bein' http://www.newbein.com/
Sisterlocks http://sisterlocks.com/hairproducts.html
Nubian Heritage -http://www.nubianheritage.com/
LaVida - http://www.lavidagivenbynature.com/home.html
Price Treatments -http://www.pricetreatments.com/
Saniyyah… Naturally -http://www.saniyyahnaturally.com/index.html
Sunrise Products http://www.sunriseproductsonline.com/
Nubian Silk http://www.nubiansilk.com/
Bronner Bros. http://www.bronnerbros.com/Products/products.html
Vontè - http://www.vonteproducts.com/
Black Hair Growth -http://www.black-hair-growth.info/
Boundless Tresses - http://growthspecifics.com/
Long Lovely Locks - http://www.longlovelylocks.com/
Grow Afro Hair Long -http://www.growafrohairlong.com/afroreg.html
Sheabutter Cottage UK http://www.akuawood.co.uk/home.php
Lisa Akbari http://www.lisaakbari.com/content/index.html
Abantu http://abantu.com (Online Beauty Supply)
Annette Cosmetiqueshttp://www.annette2.com/
Eugenia http://www.eugeniacosmetics.net/index.php (French Vendor)
Njoi Creationshttp://njoicreations.ecrater.com/
http://www.sheago.com/home.html
Nattralhttp://nattral.com/index.php (knitware)
DeLousie's Naturalshttp://www.mydelouisenaturals.com/index.htm
Curl Harmony-http://www.curlharmony.co.uk/]http://www.curlharmony.co.uk/

Beauty Supply:
Sistas Placehttp://www.sistasplace.biz/
AfroKinkshttp://afrokinks.com/
HoneyFighttp://www.sistasplace.biz/
Aziza Beauty http://www.azizabeautysupply.com/
Curlicious

http://www.curlicious.com

Tresses 2Die4

http://www.tresses2die4.co.uk/Curl Harmony

Happy New Year!

2010-01-03T18:36:00.000-08:00

Well, it is a new year, a new day and a new dawn. I have been sitting here thinking about what I want to talk about on my blog and hair keeps coming into my mind. I also was thinking of how my hair seems to love natural products. Now, I know that "natural" can mean a lot of things these days but I have decided to focus on this blog entry being about natural hair product companies I have patronized throughout the years of my hair journey. There are a variety of reasons I tried them, and a variety of reasons why I stopped using them but this entry will focus on what companies and products I have tried. I don't have the energy to list what each did for my hair, that's a whole other post, lol! I don't plan to try every product on the market but I won't limit myself to not trying something every now and again.

Some of these products I received as samples, others I bought. For now, I will try to put my overall likes, dislikes and what I want to try in the future. :)

Have tried:

Carol's Daughter

Kemilabs

Qhemet Biologics

Blended Beauty

Shescentit

Hairveda

Jasmine's Bath and Beauty Products

Valerie's Uncommon Scents

Oyin Handmade

Apala Beauty

My Honeychild

Curious about but haven't yet tried:

Karen's Body Beautiful

The Jane Carter Solution

Afroveda

Identity Hair and Skin

Curls

Komaza Care
Kinky Curly

Miss Jessie's

Discontinued or products that I haven't been able to find:

Eden Bodyworks

My first blog entry

2009-12-15T10:02:00.000-08:00

Welcome everyone! This is my very first blog and my very first entry. I am excited to start this blog as I have been thinking about it for awhile but have either never had time, have found an excuse not to, etc. I hope to blog about more than what my blog title states, such as finances, life, family, God, etc., but the inspiration for my blog is just as it says...simple tresses. This blog will give you some insight on how I do my hair, simply. I hope to include how I wash, condition, style and comb my hair. My routine is extremely simple and low maintenance, hence my blog name.

I am an African-American woman with long, relaxed, waist length hair. I have been natural, relaxed, natural and now again relaxed throughout my 32 years of life. I have learned a plethora of information throughout the last decade of my life and I want to share. My aim is not to force the issue of long hair onto anyone, but to detail how healthy hair leads to long hair...if that is your goal. My goal is to help women out there understand that any length of hair can be beautiful, if your hair is healthy. I hope to keep this blog updated as much as possible so come along with me on the journey to ultimate, healthy, low maintenance, beautiful, and simple tresses.