I'm Back...My Current Products

I do not own this picture! o_O

Wassup,

It has been a while that I haven't posted anything. Well what can I say... life aka school happened lol. But I should be posting more regularly from now on...well that's the plan! Haha

So, as promised, I am back with the list of products that I am currently using. I still haven't found all my staple/holy grail products, but I will indicate those that are with an asterix (*). So here we go.

Shampoos: I like to have a clarifying shampoo as well as a moisturizing one
-Herbal Essences Drama Clean Shampoo* or Suave Daily Clarifying Shampoo* (I buy one or the other)
-Renpure Organics Moisturizing Shampoo*
Note: I really like the Renpure shampoo. However, I can't seem to find it anymore! Don't you hate it when you start loving something but the next time around that you're trying to get it you can't find it!!! Ugh! Moving on lol.

Conditioners:
-Tresemmé Naturals Nourishing Moisture*
-North American Hemp Co. Soak it up
-Aubrey Organics GPB*
-Aphogee 2-Step Protein Treatment
-Aphogee Balancing Moisturizer
Note: I really like the Aphogee products. However, I feel that my hair can do without them. So, when they are done I will only use GPB for protein.

Leave-ins/Moisturizers/Stylers:
-Tree Naturals Rice-Flower and Shea Leave-In
-Cantu Shea Butter Leave In Conditioning Repair Cream*
-Magic Beef Marrow Pomade*
-Tresemmé Heat Tamer Spray
-Garnier Fructis Anti-Frizz Serum
Note: The Tree Naturals Leave-in is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G on my hair. However, when the two bottles that I have are done, I will have to do without it because the prices have gone up, and what is killing me more is the shipping that I have to pay for it. Snif...it is sad that I have to part from this great product but, I refuse to spend too much money on hair products; at the end of the day, I have to remind myself that it's just hair.

Oils: I use oils for pre-poo/hot-oil treatments
-Coconut oil*
-Extra Virgin Olive oil
Note: I prefer coconut oil. I use olive oil when I run out of coconut oil or when I don't feel like waiting on the coconut oil to melt hihi.


Here are other products that I have in my stash that I am trying to use up:
-Giovanni Smoot As Silk Conditioner
-Aussi Moist Conditioner*
-Nature's Gate Jojoba Conditioner
-Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose Conditioner
-Cream of Nature Perfect Edges
Note: Even though I am using up the rest of my Aussi Moist conditioner, I really like it and I consider it a good alternative to the Tresemmé Naturals conditioner if ever I can't find it in the store.

Here are products that I am or will be trying that are in my stash:
-Shea Moisture Raw Shea Butter Moisture Retention Shampoo
-Shea Moisture Raw Shea Butter Restorative Conditioner
-Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie
-Aubrey Organics Island Naturals Revitalizing Conditioner
-Tree Naturals Green Tea & Coconut Conditioner Bar
-Eco Styler Olive Oil Gel

That's pretty much it guys. Next, I will post my regimen. If you have any questions/comments let me know in the comment section.

Deuces!
V! :-)

My Natural Hair Journey

Hi readers,

As I have mentioned in my introductory post, the first reason I wanted to create a blog was to document my natural hair journey. Therefore, I think it is fitting that my first actual post is about my hair journey.

I have been natural all my life. Therefore, I never had a relaxer/texturizer. However, I pretty much went through the same phases that many relaxed ladies have went through, which include breakage, thinning of the ends, split ends, and the fact that my hair never seemed to grow past a certain length... my shoulders. Needless to say, it was very frustrating, and at some point I adopted the idea that my hair just didn't grow.

Therefore, I decided to wear extensions because a lot of people claimed that it helped with hair growth and I figured that I had nothing to lose. So, I did some box braids with kanekalon braiding hair extensions. However, at some point I wanted a new look, I wanted kinky twists, but I didn't know how to do them so I decided to look on the Internet and that is the time that I discovered YouTube.

At some point I came across one vlogger by the name of DPrincess28 and her video 10 Tips for Healthy Hair. To make a long story short, she gave me a new perspective on natural hair and she (as well as other vloggers) inspired me to start a healthy hair journey, which I started during the summer of 2009.

Here is a picture of my starting point (August 2009) compared to my hair recently (July 2012):


August 2009 vs. July 2012

Here is a picture showing the length of my hair in the back (July 2012):

About 1 inch past BSL (bra strap length)...
but I recently cut off an inch, so I'm back to BSL.

As you can see, there has been some progress, but I have had some setbacks over the last three years which have caused me to trim my hair on numerous occasions along the way. I think that in total, I have cut about 6-8 inches of hair over the last three years, which is a combination of dusting and trimming my ends. In addition, during the first year and a half, I hadn't solve my issue with breakage which, as a result, caused me not to retain a lot of length during that period. Therefore, considering my setbacks, I am very happy with my progress.

I still have a long way to go to get healthy hair, but because I had no elasticity/shrinkage in my hair, and that I am actually experiencing some now; I think that my hair is a little healthier. In addition, I made some progress in terms of my mindset because I know now that my hair can grow! =)

Well I don't won't to bore you with too much, so that would be it for now, and I will definitely keep you guys posted on my journey. My next post(s) will probably be about my hair regimen and the products that I am currently using.

Take care,
V! <3

Welcome to Simplement V!

Hi everyone (or anyone who comes across this blog =D),

You are probably wondering what will this blog be all about. How about we start with the meaning behind its title. Well V, that's me, and "simplement" is French for "simply". At first, I wanted to name the blog "Simply V!", but since I am French Canadian, I thought that it would be more original to name it "Simplement V!"

Now, onto why I decided to start a blog. Well, I was debating between starting a YouTube channel or starting a blog with the idea of documenting my natural hair journey. However, I opted for a blog because I prefer to write things down and quite frankly,  I am not too thrilled about the idea of editing tons of video footage, but it is still an option that I am considering.

With that being said (or shall I say written), you can expect that on this blog, I will obviously discuss on natural hair, but I will also discuss about things that I like or that I am passionate about, or even things that I am not too fond of, whether it be about music, spirituality, food, sports, and everything in between.

When I think about it, it seems that I am going to use this blog as a way to vent whatever that is on my mind...kind of like a therapy (I swear that I am not crazy... no seriously I am not... well maybe a little, but who isn't!!!). Oh well... I hope that you will enjoy the ride on everything and anything that are "Simplement V!".

Take care,
V! <3

P.S.: I hope that I didn't bore you too much... if I did, I'll try do better next time! =)