What's the deal with protein?

If you're thinking about switching to a CO-wash regimen, or are currently CO-washing and trying to find the best conditioner for your hair, you'll want to figure out if your hair likes or dislikes protein. Some conditioners contain proteins, sometimes under names like biotin, or other times under more direct names like soy protein. Some conditioners don't contain proteins at all. Figuring this out is necessary for you to get the most benefits from CO-washing.

There are a couple of things you can look for as symptoms of protein-sensitive hair. If, when using a conditioner that contains protein, your hair becomes drier, tangles easier, becomes more straw or hay-like, these are the first signs that your hair dislikes protein. These are not typically resolved by adding more moisturizing products to your hair. Increasing the frequency of conditioning with the protein conditioner, or continuing it over a long period of time will increase these negative effects on the hair. These effects can only be combated by ceasing to use the protein conditioner altogether and switching to a non-protein conditioner.

On the other hand, some hair absolutely loves protein, and a protein containing conditioner will leave the hair silky smooth and beautiful. The only way to figure out what your hair likes is to experiment with different conditioners. In my personal experience, my hair is not a fan of protein, and I experience drier hair and a gross buildup-y type of feeling. I don't experience any of these problems with non-protein conditioners.

Review: Tresemme Naturals conditioner

Tresemme keeps coming out with new variations of their Naturals line of silicone-free conditioners, so every time I see a new one, I have to try it. The newest one I found is called 'Vibrantly Smooth' and contains coconut and jojoba oils. The two previous variations I've tried, sweet orange and avocado/aloe, have worked equally well for CO-washing, and I can't speak more highly of them. All of the conditioners have very similar smells, and it's difficult to tell them apart, unless you sniff them one right after the other.

I figured it's probably about time to write a formal review on these conditioners, now that I've been using them for months. I think I grabbed my first bottle of Tresemme Naturals in about February. I was combing through the local drugstore for a different conditioner that was perhaps cheaper than what I was using at the time (Desert Essence Organics). I didn't want to use Suave, despite being a very popular conditioner for CO-washing, because it contains methylisothiazolinone.

Starting with the ingredient list, it is not perfectly clean, but it is much less offensive than the majority of other conditioners I've seen. The conditioners, as they advertise, are free of silicones, which is excellent for those on a no poo regimen. Instead of the silicones, they contain stearamidopropyl dimethylamine, which is a lipid-based emulsifier, and also a cationic surfactant. It serves as a conditioning agent, but it is obviously more lightweight than silicones, which prevents buildup that can sabotage your no poo hair. There is some alcohol, although I have not found the alcohol to be at all drying. It also contains lauroyl lysine, which is an amino acid, the building blocks of protein. Although you might suspect this would be bad news for hair that tends to hate protein, I have protein-hating hair and have had no problems with this conditioner. None of these ingredients have any known toxicity or danger of bioaccumulation (unlike methylisothiazolinone).

Using the conditioners, they all seem very similar, with the more moisturizing versions (aloe/avocado and coconut/jojoba) being only slightly heavier than the volumizing sweet orange version. You might want to consider this if you have issues with your hair being weighed down, but if that's not a problem for you, then there is very little difference between the three versions I've tried. These conditioners have good slip and coat the hair very well. They also rinse out quite easily compared to other conditioners I've tried. The fragrance is strong, but not overly sweet. I personally think these conditioners smell amazing, although if you are sensitive to strong smells, I think you'll want to give it a sniff before picking it up.

These conditioners do a bang up job of detangling my hair, and leave it soft and smooth with minimal flyaways. In short, these are the best conditioners I've used for CO-washing and I have no intention of switching any time soon.

*photos are promo pictures from the Tresemme website

Review: Freya Arabella and Monet, plus the Nordstrom Rack is amazing

I am convinced that the Nordstrom Rack is actually located in an alternate universe where awesome undies are hella cheap. Within the last few days I have scored two Freya sets for around about $25 USD (£15) each. The Rack has a full range of sizes, but when you get into larger cup sizes, the selection is a little hit-or-miss. But I got lucky; when I saw the $20 price tag on the Arabella, I swooped it away to the dressing room, where I was thrilled to find it fit perfectly. I also found the Freya Monet for another $20. The matching panties for both of these were around $5 each. That is quite a bit cheaper than anything I've seen on British eBay. From now on, I think the Rack will for sure be my first stop when buying bras and underwear.

Now I've never met a Freya bra I didn't like, and these two are no exception. The Arabella gives a beautiful round silhouette, while the Monet is perkier and slightly pointier, but still very nice. Both are comfortable, but the Arabella has a slightly stretchier band than the Monet. They are made of high quality materials that do not itch or chafe.

In terms of aesthetics, these bras are so beautiful. The bold color of the Arabella is sure to make a statement, while I love the soft watercolor print on the Monet, with it's pink ruffles at the bottom. Both are great for everyday wear and at $25 for the set, you can hardly go wrong.

Review: Curvy Kate Thrill Me Bra

I just received my Curvy Kate Thrill Me in the mail, so time to review it. Based on my limited experience with the brand, it seems that sizing runs fairly consistent through the CK line, although there are some very minor differences in the fit between the Thrill Me and the Tease Me.

Appearance (5/5)
The color on this bra is a vibrant blue, with dramatic pink detail. The two colors really go very well together. The cups are made of a smooth, shiny satiny material on the outside and a comfy tee-like material on the inside. The overall appearance of the set is beautiful. This was definitely made to be seen. The bold color does make it visible under lighter colored tees, and the ruffles are definitely visible under thin shirts, but even just a medium weight tee hides this.

Comfort (5/5)
Surprisingly very comfortable. The material is soft, not itchy and there is no poking or jabbing anywhere. The straps are not too wide set, making them comfortable and avoiding them digging in when reaching forward.

Fit (4.5/5)
The band is noticeably stretchier than the Tease Me, however, I hope this won't be a problem. It also seems that the cups may be just ever so slightly smaller than the Tease Me. I (surprisingly) may have been able to get away with a G cup, as it is a bit tight on my larger breast, but I think the ruffles do a good job of masking any effects from that, so I will stick with the FF. It fits my smaller breast perfectly.

Overall (4.8/5)
Probably my favorite Curvy Kate bra so far. It is lovely, the colors are great and the comfort is amazing. It's a bra that looks suitable for special occasions, but is comfortable enough for everyday wear - which is precisely what I'm looking for.

Review: Wonderbra Ultimate Strapless

After the better part of a month (!) my Wonderbra Ultimate Strapless finally arrived in the mail. I ordered it in two sizes from Figleaves - 32E and 32F - because I'd read from other reviews that the cup size might come up a little on the small side. Let me tell you, this bra is nothing short of a feat of engineering. There are no underwires, but rather a piece of plastic that provides the support. The band is quite tight, so I'm glad I opted for the 32, as the 30 would have been much too tight.

Appearance (5/5)
This bra is beautiful. The lace overlay is very feminine and the overall look and construction of the bra is very aesthetically pleasing. This bra definitely wins on looks. I contemplated buying the plain nude color instead, but in the end, this one was just too pretty - I had to get it, despite the fact that I can't wear it under lighter tops.

Comfort (3/5)
While this is far from the most comfortable bra I've ever had, I've come to expect this from a strapless. The primary issue with comfort is that this bra is a piece of armor. Trust me, you'll never forget that you have it on. It feels like a breast plate. Definitely not soft and pliable, but again, this is what I expected.

Fit (4/5)
My only real complaint about the fit of this bra is that the cups come up pretty high on the sides on me. The problem with this is that I have some minor armpit rolls that I'm dealing with, and when I first put the bra on, the rolls are in the cups and not creating anything unsightly. However, as soon as I lift my arms, they pop out, and unless I manually place them back in the cups, they just flop over the edge, essentially accentuating them. Not good. The only solution I could see for this is a lower cut cup on the sides - low enough that the rolls and the cup never meet, so the rolls can't fold over the cup. Anyway, I know this is bad for tissue migration, but since this will only be an occasional bra, I will let it slide. It passed the 'jump test' which is more than I can say for any other strapless I've ever tried. I jumped up and down for about a minute and this thing didn't budge. The cups did seem to come up quite small - I was busting out of the 32E and can just barely get everything in the 32F. I might have even done better in a 32FF, but sadly Wonderbra does not make this bra past an F cup.

Overall (3.7/5)
In general, this is a pretty good strapless. It gives a decent shape under clothes and it certainly does what a strapless bra should - it doesn't move. I'll keep it because it's the best thing I've found to date, and my only real complaint with it is the accentuation of the armpit rolls.

Do you have a strapless you absolutely love? If so, let me know so I can give it a try!

Updated Review: Curvy Kate Tease Me Bra

I am really happy to write this update. I washed the bra and wore it for two days, and I am thrilled to report that the strange boxy shape on the right breast has become beautifully rounded, just like the left breast. The wash seems to have softened the cups up a bit, making them more pliable, so that they hug my shape better. So, here is my updated review:

Appearance (4.9/5)
This is exactly the same as before.

Comfort (4/5)
Again, still the same as before, although, I feel I should qualify why I docked one point off - the shoulder straps are very wide. They dig in slightly when I reach for something, but it's not a huge deal and certainly won't stop me from wearing this beautiful bra. But it is something to think about if you are really bothered by wide straps.

Fit (4.5/5)
Fits very well, give a lovely, rounded silhouette. I'm really, really glad the squarish shape is gone from the right breast, because I think this bra is so pretty and I wanted it to work out for me so badly. Fortunately, it did!

Overall (4.3/5)
In general, this is a wonderful bra, and I will absolutely be buying more from Curvy Kate. The beauty, style and comfort cannot be beat at this price. I only hope they break into the US market sooner than later; we really need beautiful bras that cater to larger cups and smaller backs here.

I also wish I could find the ivory/coral Ella bra in a 30FF, now that I know my CK size, but I think it might be too late, as it seems to be sold out pretty much everywhere.

*Note: My methodology for coming up with the 'overall' rating was by taking the weighted average of the three previous categories in order of their importance to me, with comfort being the highest priority, fit coming second and appearance coming third.

Review: Curvy Kate Tease Me Bra

After many months of eying it, I finally broke down and ordered the Tease Me bra from Curvy Kate. It is one of their most popular bras, and I ordered it in a beautiful green color, which was on sale for about £19 ($37 after shipping) at lovebras. At first I was a little hesitant about what size to order - I mean, I know lovebras does returns, but seriously, why would I want to blow money on return shipping? I bought another Curvy Kate bra about a month ago on eBay; it was the Ella bra, and I ordered it in a 32E, because I'd heard that CK runs a little small in the band. Definitely not true for the Ella; the band is super stretchy. I also found the cup fit to be too small. Given this, I decided to order the Tease Me in a 30FF.

It finally came in the mail today. As an aside, the ordering process through lovebras was very easy (this was my first purchase from them), but if you live in the US, be forewarned that shipping is relatively slow. It took close to two weeks for the bra to arrive, although I'm not sure how much of that time was spent in customs.

So, I'm going to go about this review somewhat systematically:

Appearance (4.9/5)
My first impression upon pulling the bra out of its packaging was that it's actually more beautiful than I had expected. The green is very vibrant and is set off nicely by the black mesh. Very stylish, and great attention to detail. I docked off 0.1 points because I think it would be more elegant if the bows were a bit thinner/smaller. That's a minor nitpicky thing though. On the whole, it's probably the most beautiful bra I own.

Comfort (4/5)
The bra generally feels quite comfortable, and is comparable to any of my Freya bras in terms of comfort. There may be some very slight itchiness in the cups, but I find this with most bras, and it generally becomes less of an issue after one or two washes. The band is relatively stretchy, but in general, I feel that the 30 band was a good choice for me.

Fit (???/5)
So here is where I'm still the foggiest. Ordering one size up in the cup was definitely an excellent choice. If I had ordered my regular 30F size, I'd be busting out of these cups, just like I do in the Ella. I like the way it fits my smaller breast, but there are some fit issues on my larger breast. The top edges of the cups are somewhat rigid, and stand out against the larger one, while the smaller one is just small enough that it lies at the correct angle and doesn't stick out. I read on Balkonetka that there are some girls who've had similar fit problems with the Tease Me, where the rigid cup edge stands out against them, creating sort of a boxy profile, but they seem to say that after some wash and wear that the edge begins to lay flat and it's not so much a problem anymore. So, I'm going to give it a chance, wear it a bit (boxy larger breast be darned), and see if it changes at all. The silhouette created on my smaller breast is very rounded and essentially perfect.

Updates will definitely follow! If this bra ends up working out well, I've next got my eye on the Thrill Me, possibly in cobalt/fuchsia - what a beautiful color combo!