Garnier Fructis Curl Nourish Shampoo and Conditioner

Garnier Fructis Curl Nourish

So I got the shampoo, conditioner and curl stretch loosening pudding.

All of these are sulphate free.

My hair is course, wavy, and currently purple!

So I recieved the sample from samplesource.com

I began by washing the legnth of my hair.  I have a deathhawk and so the sides and back are shaved and not colored. 

The shampoo was thick, only foamed slightly and had a faint unremarkable scent.

I liked how it cleaned my hair but didnt strip the color and left my hair feeling clean but not stripped.

Then I used the Curl Nourish conditioner.  It was thick, creamy and absorbed into my hair quickly.  It was easy to rinse out and left my hair feeling soft.

I didnt get a chance to try the Curl Stretch Loosening Pudding.  I like to shower at night and let it dry slowly.

Overall I give the Shampoo 4 out of 5 stars.  It was good for the money but not extraordinary.

The Conditioner also 5 out 5 it was pretty great and for the money I may actually buy it when I am out of conditioner. 

I will update on how the Curl Stretch Loosening Pudding.

You can read about the products here!

Avalon Organics Skin Defense Facial Care

So recently I got a three part of the Avalon organics Vitamin C Intense Defense line.  I got the cleansing milk, hydrating oil, and spf 10.

First the Vitamin C Instense Defense Cleansing Milk:
Good texture, nice smell, did NOT do a good job taking off my makeup.  I used this with a warm washcloth and still needed to use micellar water to get my skin completely clean.  Also if you have sensitive skin be careful. I got in my eye and it burned! 

Second Vitamin C Intense Defense Hydrating Oil:
I was hesitant to use this.  I usually only use camelia oil mixed with sugar.  This oil took a long time to absorb...I ended up leaving it on while I took a shower.  After the shower the oil was absorbed and I went to sleep.  Woke up with no oil residue on my face and face was hydrated and soft.

Then I used the last step.  Avalon Organics Vitamin C Intense Defense Hydrating spf 10...
It smelled loke the cleansing milk...maybe a little over moisurizing.  The fact that it was spf 10 made me hesitant to use because I have always heard spf 15 was the minimum needed to protect the skin.  After a full day my skin feels soft but it was rainy and overcast so I dont know how much protection it was.

These products are available on amazon prices ranging $7.49 for the Intense Defence Cleansing Milk, $18.23 for Intense Defense Antioxidant oil, and !15.53 for Intense Defense Spf 10 (whaaat?!)

None of these products are extraordinary.  I would rate them 5 out of 10 only be ause they are Vegan, have no sulfates, parabens or pthalates, and are not tested on animals. 

I may end up trying the Avalon Intense Defense Vitamin C cleansing gel..but with this price range it would have to have rave reviews. Instead I am sticking with my trusty neutrogena and cerave.

Garnier Fructis Long and Strong

So today is hair wash day. So I decided to use a sample from my smart source package. It was a blue packet of Long and Strong Shampoo and Conditioner.

So I opened the packet which was sealed like the gates of hell. Finally opened the packet and squirted some shampoo into my hand. I enjoyed the smell and viscosity and it lathered really well in my undercut. I was rinsing it out when a tony bit got into my eye...HOLY...CRAP... This was the worst stinging pain ever! I immediately washed out my eye with water for a good 3 minutes. I was tempted to leave the shower and go get some saline to try to make the burning stop. BUT I really needed to shave. So I rinsed and applied the very thick conditioner. My hair seemed to soak it up and I decided to leave it in while I completed my ablutions. I recall thinking that when I was rinsing out the conditioner that my hair was really soft... I enjoyed the conditioner and hoped that it would make my hair feel a little smoother. It did...but I still had to apply my leave in conditioner as my hair is really fried. All in all I enjoyed the shampoo before it burned my eyeball:

So I won't be purchasing that. But the conditioner was thick and my hair seemed to suck it up and feel softer after using. I would buy it if I had a coupon and it was on sale. It was nothing spectacular, but it was thick and absorbed and that was nice. All i all shampoo 3 out of 5 Conditioner 5 out of 5 (because I think on normal hair it would have been lovely) So Garnier whatever you use in the shampoo i as your test rabbit say "It burns my eyes!"

Idiot in the AM

So after getting up early, wading thru insurance, disability, doctors, and bills I managed to clean two giant drawers, purge expired meds, food, and makeup and get a load of laundry done.  So no surprise it's 2 am and my back and legs are a cramping aching ball of misery.

Cue a hot shower and me giving my hair the middle finger, I swear I a going to shave my head.  I go to take a drink with my handful of ibuprophen and seltzer EXPLODES in the bathroom. I am soaked, floor is soaked. 

My cramping, thirsty over tired ass is ready to punch a wall.

There is a lesson kids, even adults need supervision.

Thoughts at night

Only at 1:30 am does my brain get flooded with thoughts.

My doc note expires in a few days.

I can't go back to work until I can handle 25 to 30 hours a week.  But normally it will be more.  I know I can't do that yet. My job is not sitting. It's working out with adults, taking them to jobs sites and helping them do their jobs.

I barely manage to do needed daily stuff here, get the mail and shower.

I think I am going to have to take until next month to get my back fully healed. I can't reinjure on the job and I can't afford to loose my benefits...so close to work insurance...so...close...

All this has me anxious and scared.  Not wanting to baby this but also not wanting to push and mess myself up worse.

I'll call doctors tomorrow and get new appointments after I argue with insurance because they don't want to pay for specialists.

Insurance is for the rich

I just got another bill.  So my mandatory insurance took my entire tax return even though they forgot to give me a tax premium...somehow nys changed the rules and they charged me 700 dollars on top of the 300 a month for insurance that was accepted no where, and who covered nothing.

Then I got MVP and paid 500 a month.  For this I didn't receive a insurance card for 3 months. Had an emergency ER visit, a epidural inw hoection both denied because they were not "emergent"

So I can't walk, am desperate to get back to work, and have gone to the ER twice for pain that had my heart hammering like a marathon runner.

This insurance in America is set to kill off or keep disabled people in pain, create addicts that kill themselves trying to ease their pain.

insurance makes out like bandits, doctors make out like bandits and the disabled person wants towork, wants to pay their way, wants a nor all life is treated like a sponge to be milked until they give up.

This is why I am voting for a old white dude.  We need to treat each other as equals. We need to care for each other. We need to all feel like we are worthy productive members of society not pawns to move around just to make a buck.

High chronic

I'm awake at 4 am after being unable to sleep because my body was being a dick.  So I got up and decided a hot bath, good book and classical music would help.

I lay there with the scent of sea salt, pine and sage feeling the calendula oil softening my skin.  I was reading about tiny houses and a lady with congestive heart failure.  And I stared at my own hello kitty wrapped heart monitor that was buzzing endlessly alerting me that my heart was beating too fast for my body not to be moving.

I  ignored it because it along with every nurse that takes my vitals has alerted me my resting pulse is too high.  Then fell asleep.

I woke up to Beetovens 5th and a buzzy  on it or which I angrily chucked into a corner.

I drained the tub as the last of music faded and stood up.

Suddenly I was really hot and a mariachi band had taken residence in my chest and the guys were lit.

I slowly sank to the edge of the tub leaning my forehead against the cool ceramic.

"This isnt good for the engine! Its so hot you need to slow down" I reasoned with my heart.

I tried to stand and it promptly gave me the finger and I sank bare assed asked back to the edge of the tub.

I sat there, sucking air, fanning my face. wondering why we didn't have a fan...it's so hot...there should be fans in the bathroom.  I tried to fan myself again but more moving was not helping.

Not knowing get what else to do I said to  my geriatric who was watching impassive to my plight "Get help...we need an adult"

She stared dumbly and I tried to regroup.  I saw my heart rate monitor...mocking me...answer remember thinking "I promise I will keep you on if you don't let me die naked in my bathroom eaten by an old cat" 

Strapped on my monitor, no change.  But then suddenly I thought  "I have to put on clothes if I am going to die on the toilet" then slapped my ha do against the wall.

And then I slapped on the fan.  As the air cooled the sweat beaded on my back is could finally breathe. 

Slowly taking even breathes I put on my shirt, panted and fanned myself.  Then pants.   I must have sat in the bathroom for another 15 minutes, my heart monitor refused to stop buzzing but I stopped sweating.

Then stumbled to the fridge and CHUGGED a cold bottle of seltzer all the time internally chanting "Your heart has to slow down" as my monitor buzzed merrily on my wrist.

I was able to get to my bed and lie next to my cool mist humidifier  and finally felt my heart slow down ( postural tachycardia thy ass is grass!)

Safety lying in bed, monitor silent, wasps only a mild stinging down my back and legs. My bulldogs paws wrapped around me while he snored into my ear just like his dad making me laugh.

I'm documenting the fact that I found humor in what is a mild but daily issues of being chronically ill.  And I hope you can laugh too.  As I sit here listening to two male mammals making snores like cartoon characters, I think if I string enough stuff like this out I will be OK.

Today made of meh

Today was tough. Had a tough client, a surprise parent, and only got 5 hours of sleep.

Workout today felt like crap and I wanted moes queso and chips like a fat me wants nutty bars.

Instead got a tofu taco and did some laps in the restaurant. I don't know why today was so tough but it was and I want bed.

Another youtube thing

https://youtu.be/gjLR-tSgeZQ

I does a Youtube