It's been a little while since I first shared my heartache after loosing my beloved Babyliss steam flat iron. As a person with an extensive flat iron collection, I thought they were all pretty much the same. But of all the options I've owned, the Babyliss stood out as exceptional. The steam function seemed to take my flat ironing process to a whole new level. So you can imagine my dismay when the iron no longer could produce it's amazing steam. I did what anyone else in my situation would do. I sought to replace my Babyliss as soon as I could. Since my exact iron was no longer in production, I tried my best to find a suitable alternative. Little did I know that I'd find an even better option. Redken jumped into the steam flat iron game and decided to go "all in" with a professional level product made for stylists. Luckily for us, this professional tool is available online.
I tried to hold out as long as I could but, honestly, I couldn't wait to get my hands on the Steam Infusion. So far, I've tried it twice. Since this tool requires a pretty decent investment, I'd like to share my honest opinion on what I love and what I don't like about the iron based on my first impressions.
First, impressions are that this iron is built like a professional level product. It's body is sleek and somewhat bulky at the same time. I think the best term to describe the Steam Infusion would be sturdy. Out of everything I love about this iron, thee one feature that makes it worth it's it weight in gold. Is the water holding tank. Unlike my Babyliss which had this tiny little reservoir that would require refilling every 15 minutes or so, this lovely iron has a standalone holding tank. It's smaller than my hand but big enough to hold quite a bit of water. And.....according to it's instructions, you don't have to use purified water. YOU CAN POUR TAP WATER INTO THE RESERVOIR. I have owned over 1dozen steaming tools in my lifetime. This is the very first one that didn't require me to use purified water. For that I am grateful! To be honest, I still used purified water out of pure habit
I also want to make a really big deal about what happened the last time I used it. Flat ironing my hair can take me a multitude of hours to complete. I'm parting my hair, detangling it, adding product, and so on. With my old iron, I would be rudely interrupted by a steam less iron that required constant refilling. This wonderful piece of machinery lasted several hours proving steam with each pass of the iron. I almost cried with happiness.
Not having to use purified water is a huge selling point. Not to mention how blown away I was to have the ability to iron my entire head with out running out of steam. Seems like this iron could do no wrong. Right? Well....there's one thing I wish was different. If you take a look at the pic below, you'll notice a row of small circles along the edge of the iron. This, I suspects is where the steam escapes. To me, it seems like the steam should come out closer to the plate. That would be my preference. But, in all honestly, this iron provides amazing results just the way it is.
The Redken Steam fusion straightened my hair easily with just one pass on lower heat settings. I noticed that my hair didn't feel distressed by the heat. Meaning it was soft and healthy looking when everything was all said and done. Overall, I'm extremely happy with my purchase. It's probably one of the best investments I've made in a while. Yes, I'm sad that I lost my Babyliss but, if I were to have a choice, I would prefer to have the Steam Fusion (over the Babyliss) on my healthy hair team.
One of my favorite purchases from past Currently Craving posts is the Babyliss Pro Steam Flat Iron. I had no choice but to pick it up on Amazon after reading all the wonderful reviews. Before finding the Babyliss, I was contemplating getting a Maxiglide Iron but was a little turned off by the iron's teeth. I've used the iron about 5 or 6 times and so far I'm pleased. Of the four flat irons I currently own, the Babyliss gets the most love.
The iron itself has a small reservoir (and a backup) that I fill with water. I've been using acid water (low pH) to help further seal the cuticle layer. The hole to the reservoir is kinda small so I found that it's easiest to fill using an applicator bottle.
Then there are the steam settings. No steam, low steam, or full steam. I bought the iron for one specific thing only, the steam, so rarely does that button move from the highest setting. I used the iron this weekend at nearly 3 months post. This time I chose to do an experiment to see if the steaming action of the iron was really making a difference. I straightened a couple of sections without steam to see the difference between the other sections with the steam. There were a couple of differences, first, the number of "passes" of the iron over that section reduced from 2X to 1X. Secondly, I didn't have to use a comb or brush (i.e. the chase method) for additional smoothing. Without the steam setting, I needed to apply additional tension to achieve straighter results.
Along with straighter hair, the steam also created softer hair. Each section I did using steam felt a bit more moisturized. The thing with flat irons is that they normally strip moisture from the hair. This iron is employing ionic steam to help loosen the texture, heat to open the cuticle, then pressure from the plates to smooth the follicle. Unlike my Caruso steamer, this iron doesn't saturate the hair with steam so there's no fear of my hair feeling wet or damp afterwards. Damp hair invites frizz. With this iron, there is no such thing.
I have absolutely, positively no regrets with this flat iron. The only "negative" is that there are no temperature settings. Instead, the settings are numbers ( I think 1-40). There may have been a manual that tells me what setting the numbers represent but I lost it so, for now, I just keep it at a lower number. Next time I flat iron, I'll test the iron first with a piece of paper. They say that hair and paper burns at the same temperature (451 degrees). This iron goes up to 465! So it's important to test before I use (especially if I place on a higher setting).
The temp setting thing is one drawback, the other is how soft and smooth your hair becomes after use. This has the potential to give us a false sense of security about the dangers of using heat because steam is involved. Truth is, I still limit the use of this iron even though it feels "healthier" on my hair than the others. Steam or no steam, at the end of the day, it's still a flat iron and I need to respect that. This iron is the second best hair related purchase I made in the last six months (Micromist is in first place). Even though I love this iron dearly, I've still got my eye on a quality infrared iron as a gift for my hair in the future.
(pic taken months ago after one of my first sessions with Babyliss Pro Steam Iron. *LOW HEAT*)
p.s. I just went back and reviewed the product video for my Babyliss Iron and learned that the iron does indeed have infrared technology! How awesome is that?! That must be why I like it so much.
I can't believe the day has finally arrived when I finally have my very own Micro Mist Steamer. Yes, you heard correctly, I finally got a Micro Mist! Those of you who are old-timers to this blog know that I have been coveting this extraordinary piece of genius for over a year now. My heart has longed for the day when this wonderful beast would be mine. The day has finally come.....
This will be an account of my initial thoughts on this wonderful machine. My Micro Mist shipped in a box so large that the UPS guy had to drag it across my lawn and physically place it in my home. I wrestled for 10 to 15 to open up the massive box which contained my beloved. Then I proceeded to do the work required to assemble this wonderful piece of machinery. Frustration quickly set over me when I realized how much work is involved with assembling one of these things.
I must have invested over a couple of hours to make sure my new baby was perfectly ready for use. Unfortunately, too much time had passed, forcing me to have to wait for the next day to actually take it for its first spin.
My first experience using it was (what I would describe as) a bit clumsy. Because of this, I wasn't able to take any decent pics of the two of us in action. I'm sure my subsequent experiences will far outmatch it's predecessor.
A full review will come in the future but, in the mean time, here are my initial thoughts in the form of PROS & CONS ------------------------------------- PRO: I can set the duration, mist level and temp based on my hair's needs. Yesterday, I was under the machine for a total of an hour. CON: The Micro Mist requires more care than my traditional steamer. After use I was required to wipe the inside of the machine clean. I also had to dump out water from a small drainage container locate that the front of the machine.
PRO: This thing holds a lot of water. Probably around a half gallon. With my previous steamer, I always ran out of water much sooner that I anticipated. CON: It's a much bigger machine in my home than it appeared in the salon. I gotta find a good place to store this thing.
PRO: It was whisper quite. When I'm sitting under my dryer, I often have a difficult time hearing my laptop. With my Micro Mist, I could work on my laptop comfortably while under the machine without having to raise the volume. CON: Expensive.
PRO: It comes with a nape guard which greatly enhances the comfort experience while steaming.
PRO: The Micro Mist provides a 3 minute cooling blast at the end of the session to seal in the cuticles. Traditional steamers don't come with that option.
PRO:Steams Mists hair evenly. Not one strand of hair was exposed which means every strand is getting their fill of steamy goodness.
PRO: Large Covered hood. The biggest qualm I have with traditional steamers is that my big head can't properly fit inside. That's why I made a makeshift version of a steamer using my hooded dryer. This large covered hood comes with an attachment that seals everything in and doesn't allow any of the steam to escape from the sides. PRO: The design of the hood actually allows me to wear my hair down while steaming. This, again, allows for a more even steaming/misting process. PRO: Micro Mist technology allows for a deeper conditioning and healthier hair. The technology helps protect the hair from possible damage related to the high heat of traditional steam.
That's pretty much how I feel about my Misting Machine. I hope to do more posts in the future and even a video demonstrating how I use it.
This is the second of many posts I'll write on what I'm currently craving. Looking back at the first craving post, I realized that I now have pretty much everything listed with the exception of my Micro-Mist Steamer which I would've won on Ebay yesterday if I wasn't outbid within the last few seconds of the auction. I tried to play it off as something that wasn't meant to be but, deep down inside, I'm heartbroken. So, I'm trying to take my mind off that horrible experience by focusing on some of my other wants.
Normally, I'm not too into fashionable items but, as of late, I've been experimenting here and there and I'm enjoying the experience. A little while ago I purchased some fitted black jeans after being inspired by this look. "In love" is how I can best describe the way I feel about the $20.00 jeans I purchased from Target. I love them so much that I'll be picking up a second pair. Now that I have my jeans, it's time to set my sights on something greater....a perfect pair of leather leggings/jeans.
I don't mean to jinx things, but I gotta feeling that once I actually try on a pair of these leather pants, I'll be sorely disappointed because I'll look nothing like the image below. Either way, I'm willing to participate in the experience of hunt. If anyone has any ideas of where I can find a perfect pair that can fit someone who's 5'1. Let me know.
A couple of months ago, I was this close to purchasing a Gucci Soho bag. Plans were already in the making to save for a 2013 purchase. Things quickly changed when this electric blue Chanel bag appeared on my Instagram timeline. Suddenly, my priorities shifted and this Chanel bag landed at the top of my list. Upon further research, I learned that this fabulous handbag is a couple of seasons old, so I won't be able to walk into a boutique and purchase it. So for now, I'll just put the "vibes" out there so I can attract my next bag. Oh, I should also mention that I received request to share my hand bag collection. Although I don't have much of a "collection," I would love to do a future post since I love watching other people's hand bag collection videos.
Since I didn't win my beloved Micro-Mist, I'll probably grab the next item on my craving list which is a nifty camera lens. After talking to a photographer friend of mine, I was given the recommendation of this Tamron 24-70 as an all around great all-purpose lens. I told him that I wanted a high quality, every day lens and he responded saying the Tamron was the lens for me. After reading to the reviews online, I made the intention to purchase one day soon. Thanks to that evil, overzealous, Ebay bidder, that day may come sooner than I first thought.
My current closet is best described as shameful. Everything is disorganized, the closet itself is dated and falling apart. The doors are actually falling off the hinges. I'm embarrassed just thinking about it. I would love to create an updated, organized closet that I can proudly display. One of my annual, end-of-the-year rituals involves ridding my home of excess clutter and reorganizing my environment. This year, I would absolutely love to re-do & organize my closets. Call me crazy, but I believe that if my closet was perfectly organized, the vibes I would get from standing in front of it every morning would set the tone for a magnificent day. We all know that enough magnificent days added together creates a magnificent life.
My last crave of the day is my ultimate obsession. For as long as I can remember, I've always wanted an Audi A6. I would happily give up everything else on this list for my Audi. There's just something about this vehicle that makes me a happy inside. One thing that stops me from getting this vehicle is the requirement of purchasing premium gas along with the high cost associated with routine repairs. That scares me a little but I've got to get over it if I really want the Audi. Sometimes we let fears stop us instead of facing the fears and deciding what we're gonna do about it. There are quite a few things I can do to mitigate the maintenance costs of the Audi but if I only focus on the cost, I become stagnant instead of moving towards my intention.
Technically, this is supposed to be a non-hair care edition but I just couldn't help myself. Over the past few weeks, Redken Extreme Strength Builder plus hair mask has been popping up on my radar. The reviews are positive and the price is right (at under $20). Of course the product has a place in my heart since it contains one of the premium healthy hair ingredients (MEA-18). I've decided to drown my Micro-Mist sorrows by purchasing a constellation prize. This Redken mask is just the thing. I'll be taking possession of this bad boy up this weekend and, when I'm sitting under the dryer. I'll pretend that I'm sitting under my future steamer (wipes eye).
If all of my wildest dreams were to come true, I would be rockin' the biggest, most awesomest, curly ponytail on a daily basis. Currently my ponytail is no where near its maximum potential but I still like to play around with curly styles from time to time in preparation for the day when the ponytail of my dreams becomes a reality.
Today, I'd like to share with you the wavy ponytail that I sport occasionally. I also seem to favor the curly ponytail because sometimes my boring bun just doesn't cut it.
Whenever I do any type of textured ponytail, from wavy, to curly, or even a braid out pony, I find that my best results come when I style the entire head of hair then sweep it all into a ponytail. This works to create a much more authentic looking style versus if I were to put my hair in a ponytail first then curl the loose hair.
So here I am using my Caruso steam curlers to create the wave pattern. Since the look I'm going for is wavy, I wrap the hair around the curler versus wrapping the curler around the hair using this method.
As I said before, I do the entire head so the end result can have more volume. The results just aren't the same if I try to take short cuts versus curling all of my hair
Finally, I remove the rollers after only a 15 minutes or so of dry time, I pull the hair back into a ponytail, and finger style for the end result. This look is super easy to pull off and takes almost no time at all. For tighter curls, I could have opted to leave the rollers in a bit longer and/or used smaller size rollers. Best of all, using the Caruso Steam curlers helps to elevate the moisture levels in my hair.
I just can not wait for the day when my ponytail doubles in size and length....
How acid water will make my hair and skin absolutely beautiful
A few posts ago, I hinted a little bit about my new-found gem. This new addition to my hair product arsenal is a really big deal. I am beyond excited! It all started with a recent visit to my local alkaline water supplier. For those of you who aren't familiar, alkaline water is said to be a healthier alternative to most of the water we drink which tends to land at a neutral pH level.
This matters because our bodies are said to be at a healthier state when it has a slightly alkaline pH. When our internal bodies are alkaline, the likelihood of ideal health is much more attainable. Unfortunately, the foods we commonly eat and the stressful environment we live in, promotes an acidic internal environment. For this reason, many have looked to alkaline water as a suitable aid to achieving a healthier ecosystem. I've been drinking alkaline water on and off for a while now but there was a time when I hardly drank it because my nearest supplier shut down early last year. Since then I've located another specialty water shop and now I'm back on track to bringing nourishing water into my life.
Alkaline water is great and all but what I'm really amped up about is alkaline's evil twin "acidic water."
O.k, I'm being a little dramatic when I say "evil twin" because acidic water isn't evil at all. As a matter of fact, acidic (or beauty) water can highly beneficial to us. As I stated before, our internal environment thrives at a slightly alkaline pH. Our external bodies do well when it's more acidic. This means our skin, eyes, and (yes) hair.
Some of you old timers to this blog may have remember this post on the proper pH balance for hair. In it I described how the cuticle layer of our hair responds directly to the pH of the environment. At an alkaline pH, (like when we touch up our hair) the cuticle layers open, creating a rough surface. When the environment is acidic, the cuticle layers will constrict which creates smoother, softer hair.
At a cost less than a gallon of milk, this acidic water is a steal when you think about the benefits I will receive overall. When I first brought my gallon home, I immediately began using the water to wash my face. As some of you many know, I'm on a skin care journey that will ultimately lead me to having glorious skin. Eliminating gluten and receiving a couple of professional facials have been a great help for my skin. Adding the acidic water is like the icing on the cake. In the pics below, I have on no makeup. In the past, I would rarely take bare faced pics without attempting to camouflage the dark spots and acne.
One big difference in my skin since using the acid water, is smoothness. My skin looked brighter and healthier after my just first experience. Of course my skin isn't perfect but I'm just estatic about that I'm seeing so far. For years I've been applying ACV on a cotton ball to help treat the dermatitis that was appearing on my skin. I know that this acid water will work perfectly with what I'm currently doing to compliment my skin and scalp care regimen.
I've had one experience using acidic water on wash day which was four days prior to these pics being taken. I did everything as I normally do except I conducted my final rinse using the acidic water. Instead of just pouring the water over my head and allowing it to flow down the drain, I added the water, in small amounts at a time, and massaged it into my strands as much as possible.
The biggest difference I noticed overall was softness and moisture. I wouldn't say that this water sealed my strands perfectly. That's probably because, according to the guy I brought it from, the pH level of this water is somewhere between 5.5 and 6.0. If I could have my way, I would have liked the water to be slightly more acidic. But hey, beggars can't be choosers in this hair game. I will say this, since using this water, my moisture levels have been off the chain! So much that I think I'll incorporate some protein next wash day to balance everything out. I'm approaching 4 months post and prior to the acidic water, I was contemplating touching up a little before I hit 5 months. Now I think the possibility of stretching to even six months could actually happen (fingers crossed).
There are a myriad of uses for this "beauty water." From now on, only acidic water goes into my steamer when I do facials, steam set my hair or when I'm steaming in my deep conditioner. The look you see in the pics is after I set my hair on steam rollers using the acidic beauty water. Normally, my hair would be set in a few short minutes. But because I was using a different type of water, the hair took longer to dry than normal. Overwhelmed with excitement about how it would turn out, I took the rollers out a bit early (hence the frizz you see in the pics). But oh well, I learned from the experience and when I do it again, I'll leave the rollers in a till my hair dries completely.
This acidic water excites me like none other because I believe it will be the foundation to many other wonderful things to come. Perhaps my hair products will work better now that my hair is closer to being pH balanced. I'm exploring the uses for this but I see much more possibilities such as a final rinse when I touch up. Or I may use this water when I dilute my leave-in conditioner.
Hair and beauty aside, this wonderful water can also be used to rinse my veggies prior to juicing. The water can also be used to sterilize surfaces after cleaning. The uses are endless. I'm so glad I stumbled upon such a great find!
