Top 5 Hair Products of 2009:

1. Shapley’s MTG. (Accelerated Hair Growth)
2. MegaTek Pet Rebuilder. (Rinse Out Version)
3. MegaTek Hoof, Mane and Tail Rebuilder. (Leave In Version)
4. Infusium 23. (Anti Breakage)
5. Darcy’s Botanicals Peach Kernal Nectar Oil. (For Skin and Hair Nourishment)

Why? Well, Shapley’s wins for the simple fact that when consistently used, i can get at least 2 to 3 inches of hair growth within 3 months. yes, i will break out the picture to prove that shortly. its everything that Monistat wants to be, without the hair shedding when you stop using it.

I ranked MegaTek Pet rebuilder over the Mane and Tail just because of what the Pet Rebuilder did for me in terms of stopping breakage, which is my main problem. It singlehandedly solved the issue of breakage Monistat kinda triggered… and reversed any other breakage as result. i use it as the Shower Rinse Conditioner anytime I can. For people who wear their hair OUT tho… I would say the Mane and Tail Conditioner is best for you… it keeps your hair healthy and thick, without having to rinse it out within 30 minutes of putting it in. lol.

Infusium also wins for its anti breakage properties. I like to add this to a little bit of rosemary spray (ladies who follow know whats up) for added strengthening properties. especially love to use this out the shower right before blowdrying.

Finally, Im loving what Darcy’s Peach Oil is doing for both my hair AND skin. in a winter where for the first time… i had dry skin as a result of dry, cold weather (WEIRD)… this oil helped my hair AND my skin in a real way, while leaving me smelling like a fresh peach. :D

honorable mention to Palmers Organic Olive Oil Spray. that was #5.2. lol.
and ladies who have been following, dont think that this is a negative reflection on Ovation whatsoever.  i just havent had enough time with it as of yet. well see where that goes…. along with all the new products i hope to try out soon. Dr. Bonner’s hair line, Surge, and still.. Kinky/Curly.

getting back into the groove of things slowly. thought this might help you ladies with any questions you have or tips you need for new products, and what youre looking for. if you have any questions, feel free to shoot them at me.  ill be back soon to get into Monistat vs. Shapley’s, as planned.

thanks for reading.

Ingredient Listing for all the Ovation Products; Thoughts on Darcy’s Botanicals so far.

hey people. hope all is plentiful out there in hair land for you.

so im totally geeked. i got my Ovation Cell Therapy and Darcy’s Botanicals a few days ago. i love ordering stuff for my hair. lol. heard nothing but great things about Darcy’s so i was really eager to get my hands on this and get it into my hair.

ive also got alotta requests to list the ingredients on ovation cell therapy bottles since ive got them. im reminded that we need to be aware of what is in our hair products, especially if youre pregnant (hey raina!).  i should have thought about this when i had my megatek bottles, but of course, i JUST threw it away (dammit). but since megatek and ovation are the same company, i figure ill list what i have on here. if i get some more megatek, ill be sure to list those ingredients too.

the ovation special system (starter) kit.

alright. so here we go.

In Ovation Color Intesifying Shampoo:
*Deionized Water *Sodium Laureth Sulfate (derived from Castor Beans) *Cocamidopropyl Betaine *Glycol Distearate (From Palm Oil and) Steareth 4 *Palmitamidopropyitrimonium (OMG) Chloride (from palm oil) *Cocamide DEA (Castor Beans) *Lavender Extract *Saw Palmetto Extract *Glycosaminoglycans *Aloe Vera Barbadnsis *Clove Extract *Thyme Extract *Sodium PCA *Acetamide MEA *PEG-75 Lanolin *Allantoin *Polyquaterium 10 *Citric Acid *Metaylparaben *DMDM Hydantoin *Tetrasoium EDTA *Salt *D&C Blue#1 *Fragrance

In Ovation Cell Therapy Conditioner:
*Deionized Water *Stearalkonium Chloride *Glyceryl Stearate *Cetearyl Alcohol *PEG-40 Castor Oil Pantheol *Hydrolyzed Keratin Protein *Cetrimonium Chloride *Tocopheryl Acetate *DMDM Hydantoin *Methylparaben propylparaben *Tetrasodium EDTA *Fragrance.

In Ovation Creme Rinse Conditioner:
*Deionized Wther *Behentrimonium Methosulfate *Cetearyl Alcohol *Cetyl Alcohol *Cetrumonium Chloride *Aloe Vera Barbadensis *Sodium PCA *Hydroxyethylcellulose *C-13/C-14 Isoparaffin *Trideceth-3 *Trideceth-6 *Dimethicone *Propylparaben *DMDM Hydantoin *Fragrance

Now… on for Darcy’s Botanicals.

The Darcy Power Combo. Most of its for me.

i have to admit… i heard the best part of Darcy’s, along with the product quality and the fact that everything is all natural/vegan… is the scents that she infuses into her products. i was really eager to give it a smell. i bought the Peach Kernel Hair Milk and Peach Kernel Hair and body oil (right two bottles) for myself. and as promised… the smell is intoxicating. its almost like biting down into a peach… it smells so good. i ended up ordering the madagascar vanilla styling creme for my little sister whos staying with me… so she could stay out of my Peach Hair Milk and Oil. lol. and as a treat… she sent a extra 3 ounce tester of her coconut aloe moisture pudding! free stuff is always great. lol.

ive been thoroughly satisfied with the product as well. i started off with the Hair Milk first, as ive heard nothing but good things about their leave in conditioner products. the hair milk is rich in moisture and creamy without being overly-oily or greasy. it goes on light and absorbs quickly into my braids without a problem. plus, the peach smell is the only thing that seems to overpower the smell that Shapley’s MTG leaves in my hair… which i will forever be grateful for. lol. as for the body and hair oil… its really rich and smells twice as good as the hair milk. not only does my hair love it… my skin is in love too. leaves me moisturizer and lightly scented of peaches. i dont get ashy within 5 hours like i do with most oils, so that is always a plus. lol.

the vanilla styling creme is also a plus. starting off thick and rich, you can rub it with your palms, and it melts into a richly scented conditioner type oil. great for the lil one, who is natural haired, and hair is 4B/thicker/drier than anything you can think of. really good moisturizer for her hair, and shes using it every other day. i use it on my braids once in a while, just for the oils and the vanilla smell.

welp, thats the basic updates and info on darcy’s and ovation. sorry for the long delay. i actually started writing this blog in october and was overwhelmed. it wont happen again. ill be keeping you up to date more often, and more info. pics of progress coming up next! take care.

The New Power Combo: Ovation Cell Therapy and Darcy’s Botanicals.

hey people. hope all is good in hair land.

so after researching and digging deep for the new hair product combo for the next few months… i decided that i was gonna roll with the Ovation Therapy for washing and conditioning, and Darcy’s Botanicals for oils and hair cremes and whatnot. Darcy’s came with a strong recommendation from another hair blogging pro who knows her products. made from all natural, 100% vegan products, its great for naturally curly hair. plus, they have a hair and body oil scented with peach nectar… im intrigued to see what it feels and smells like.

as for ovation, im going with the product to see what the exact difference is between it and MegaTek… since they are from the same company. i had great results with the leave in and wash out MegaTek conditioners stopping breakage with my hair, so i want to give ovation a try and see if theres any real difference between the two. i ended up ordering the special system kit… 6 ounce bottles of the shampoo (which i never use up anyways), creme rinse and conditioner for about $55 dollars. its alot cheaper than ordering the 12 ounce bottle set, which would be $110 easily. ill keep you updated on progress with that as well.

a little later, ill get into the results from shapleys as well. its been REALLY good for me… so well start going through the pros and cons in a little bit.

thanks for dropping by,

-E

Heads up Ladies. MegaTek and Ovation Cell Therapy are the SAME COMPANY and PRODUCT.

hey. dropping in with the quick update that i thought you guys would reeeeally wanna know.
so last blog, i was talking about how im doing some research as to what hair products ill be using for my next cycle of hair braiding. while doing some research on ovation and MegaTek, i find out that they are the same company. it turns out that EQyss, the makers of MegaTek, are the parent company for Ovation Cell Therapy.

(Ovation Cell Therapy)
http://www.ovationhair.com/aboutovation.htm

(MegaTek’s Maker EQyss)
http://www.eqyss.com/about_us.asp

so yeah. very important info to know. also makes making a choice a lot easier, since they are the same thing. lol. ill probably give ovation cell therapy a go. just to see if theres any difference. looks like well also be bringing in something from darcys botanicals… but well see.

so yeah. heads up for you all.

-e

Yeah. I heart MegaTek: More Results.

hey people. hope everything is good out there in hair land.
i just wanted to give you the updates on the hair and product results ive been getting.
also, its time to choose new hair products. always a hard decision. but well get into it. first, lets talk about the MegaTek.

well, a few days ago, i took out the braids for rebraiding and washing. i was worried the whole time… concerned about shedding and breakage that was happening earlier this year (due to monistat usage on hair). i bought in MegaTek leave in conditioner (Mane, Hoof, and Tail for horses) which i had been using on a daily basis, along with their rinse out conditioner (coat and pad rebuilder for cats and dogs.) id use the leave in on a daily basis, and use the rinse out whenever it was time to wash out my braids or hair. now while i love what the megatek did for the over all thickness and health of my hair, i have to admit, i think it was the rinse out conditioner that did the most for me when it came to stopping the breakage. which it did wonderfully.

i have to tell you, when i took out the braids and thoroughly washed my hair and started to blowdry…. i saw a complete drop in the amount of hair that was breaking off. a LOT. REALLY happy about that. were back down to the  normal 100 to 150 strands. even when blow drying, i noticed that NO hair was breaking off during the process. its great. so im really happy with the results im getting from megatek. great growth and thickness from the leave in, and GREAT results with stopping breakage from the rinse out conditioner… which is what i wanted.
i officially suggest this for anyone trying to do ANYTHING regarding length with their hair. youll definitely get results.

now the hard thing is… making the decision as to what the next product is. ovation is obviously first in line, but darcy’s botanicals got a strong recommendation from a hair blogging pro. id like to keep megatek somewhere in the rotation, but again, there are options like devacurl and kinky curly out there. then you have to figure out what has sulfates in them… because its best if we avoid them, is the word.

i got a few days before i need to get on the interwebs and search out things for purchase, so ive got some time. but its so hard to pick one for sure. im usually stuck with it for another 3 to 4 months… unless it absolutely sucks. i guess im going to look out for the products with the sulfates and avoid those… and narrow it down from there.

if you have ANY suggestions… feel free to let me know. im up for anything.

thanks.

-E

Sorry for the delay…

last few days have been tough with the passing of my father in law.
havent felt like writing much. havent even been moisturizing the hair like i should. :(
ill be back soon… with some more info on bio oil and your face, along with MegaTek and your nails. a surprise win.
we can also get into the popular new hair growth technique of using Monistat on your Scalp.
yeah. THAT kinda monistat. lol.

thanks for your patience.

-E

What we all came for… The MegaTek results.

welp, here we are. about 5 weeks later, a fresh new set of braids in, and finally, a real ideal on how MegaTek is working.

The Megatek Combo.

so heres how it went.
after taking a few hours to take out the braids, i hopped in the shower and broke out the MicroTek shampoo… supposedly really good in conjuction with the  MegaTek Leave in  conditioner. I also used the MegaTek Coat Rebuilder (the small container on top of the other two bottles)… supposedly really good for hair strengthening. the only  catch is with the coat rebuilder is that they clearly tell you to rinse it out. not a problem for me.

so this is how i did it. i broke out the netrogena clarifying shampoo to rinse out all the old oils and junk out my hair (just ran out, might need to go get more). then i shampooed with the MircoTek. it didnt leave my hair feeling too dry or stripped of its natural oils, and  it lathered up well from the first shampoo (the neutrogena helps with that). from there, i rinsed well and took a scoop of the MegaTek coat rebuilder (the rinse out conditioner) , massaged it in, and let it sit for about 20 minutes. i have to admit, when i first applied it, it felt odd on my hair… kinda had it feeling rubbery. however… after about 5 minutes, my hair absorbed like a sponge and loved it. i rinsed the Coat Rebuilder out and applied the MegaTek Equine Conditioner (the leave in conditioner) and sprinkled a lil bit of Infusium on top. i let that sit for about 15 minutes while i got my bio oil on. once my hair was deep conditioned, i blew my hair dry in preparation for rebraiding.  now, while blow drying, i noticed some positive changes. first, megatek doesnt leave a residue in your hair that some leave in conditioners can do. also, the texture of my hair is feeling very healthy. the thickness of it is good, but to be honest, that might be because of the shapleys also. there wasnt too much of a significant reduction in overall shedding/breakage, but thats kind of hard to judge when your combing through your hair for the first time in 5 weeks. breakage and shedding is bound to happen. however, the thickness has improved, as well as the strength in individual hair strands. overall, im impressed. much better than some of the previous products ive used.

now if youre looking for noticibly fuller hair and a little help with hair strength, this is for you. ill keep using the product to see what the long term kicks are. but so far… im having good results with it. nothing mindblowing, but worth the time and money.

because free is my favorite word.

also, in an indirect win of the day, i scored some random, free shampoo and hair conditioner while at the supply store. its called “Maven.”
googled it, couldnt find much on it or about it. ill do more investigation in the morning, but for now, well put it aside. i am interested in what their conditioner is about. well see in the long run.

for now, there are things i have to deal with. like  feeling like my hair isnt growing anymore. and requests for shots of my hair (yeah kaki/stephanie, i know) when i hate taking photos of myself.  or whether i like this light brown color thats in my hair. or whether or not i wanna get my hair trimmed for a long time. LMAO. ill work it all out tho. just gotta have (more) patience.
gee. i wish i could be this focused when it comes to losing weight.

-E