Health Product Review: Matcha Green Tea Powder

A friend recommended I try Matcha Green Tea Powder as a beauty and health regimen since she has used it for a few years now.  I tried it with hopes for better energy, potential weight loss, and overall health benefits. I bought a bag and tried it. Check out my video for my honest unbiased feedback.

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Health Product Review: Yogi Detox Tea & Berry Detox Tea

I've been using Yogi Detox Tea and Yogi Berry Detox tea for years.  The health benefits are magnificent. Check out my video to hear my honest unbiased feedback on why I love these two teas so much. One of these teas helped me remove food poisoning.

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Health Product Review: BioTrust BellyTrim XP

I recently received this product as a gift from my dad and for 2.5 months have tried to give BioTrust's BellyTrim XP a chance to see what results I could really get. Check out my video for my honest unbiased feedback.

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Household Product Review : Various Safe & Natural Household Products

The Autumn Bleu Review does an detailed overview of a few safer and more natural everyday household items that can help keep you and your family clean and safe from harsh chemicals.  Reviewed Products: Jason's Healthy Mouth gel toothpaste, Ecos Laundry Detergent, Purex Natural Elements Laundry Detergent, Purex Free & Clear Laundry Detergent, and Seventh Generation Lavendar & Floral Dish Washing Detergent.  Why I like the products and the ingredients.

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(( Health & Beauty Product Review: Carbon Coco Natural Teeth Whitening ))

Autumn Bleu Review Product Review for Carbon Coco from CarbonCoco.com .  I was offered an awesome opportunity to try Carbon Coco's Natural Teeth Whitening kit in exchange for an honest review.  The results are real and impressive. The kit includes Organic Coconut Oil Pulling Packets and Activated Charcoal Teeth Polishing Powder. 

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Weight Loss Journey: Thin Tea! 28 Day Detox & Fat Burn teas

(( Product Review: 7-16-2015 ))

A brief product review for Yes to Blueberries Shampoo and Conditioner, Yes to Coconuts Conditioner, from the Yes to Carrots beauty products company, Doo Grow Mega Thick Growth Oil, and Sofn'Free Renewed You Manoi Oil Drops.

Update for Hair Lightening Remedy #2 - The Long Term Effects (6 months post treatment)

This is an update video for the long term results of hair lightening remedy #2 that I done on my hair 6 months ago.  I was asked by a viewer to do an update on the long term effects of the treatment and other questions by other viewers.  

Warning: This treatment is safe for adults and parents supervising their children. Children alone should not do this treatment themselves or without supervision by an adult.  I am not responsible for any issues if this warning is ignored.

The Better Sex Guide: Durex Performax Intense Condoms

I've been wondering how long it would take for one of these intimate products companies to release a product that actually meets the interests and needs of consumers in their intimate lives. Durex Performax is exactly what the name describes. It's all about improving performance in the bed room! They're meant to make him to last longer, and for her to feel increased sensation quicker than usual (for those slow drag days). They're Durex's latest greatest invention if you ask me or any of my friends who have tried them for that matter. 

For all who have been searching for a remedy to his endurance issue and her lacking enthusiasm and stimulation in getting there (a climax) before he does or just in time...than your search is over. Tried and true, even though it's already been tested and proven before Durex placed these condoms on the market. Still a few friends and I decided to put them to the test to see if they're truly the real deal. As we all know there has been quite a few products out on the market that doesn't always match up to their advertised reputation. Well, ladies and gentlemen the findings are that they do indeed work! 

Now don't expect miracle work over night or at all if your issues are severe. However, do understand that you should see some substantial improvement to what you've already been experiencing. He should have a longer endurance time, even if it's only by an extra 5-10 minutes at first. Some may experience an extended endurance time of 15-20 minutes on average longer than what their usual performance is. Each man is different in how their body will respond to the condom. She should experience some form of increased sensation leading to a quicker and more intense response time than usual, even if minimally extra sensation. But it will be notable enough and worth the use. Some women, may experience more intense sensation at quicker time rates than others. Results may be varying for different people, as physiologically each person's body responds differently. However, the results should show improvement in these two distinctive areas. As this was the case for everyone I know that has tried them, including myself. 

The improvements are due to a special endurance cream that lubricates the inside of the Durex Pleasure Intense Condom for him to last longer, and the outer layer of the condom surface is covered in lubricant, tiny ribs and dotted surface to help stimulate her during intercourse. If you're either sensitive to medicated creams (guys) or easily irritated by such stimuli as ribbed and dotted surfaces (ladies), than this condom may not be for you. However, this is a rare issue for most, or uncommon with occasional or general regular use (so don't over do it or abuse it!), as there is a such thing as too much of a good thing. They're also a great price as well for such an effective product. 

You can find them in any local drug store and convenience store like CVS, Rite Aid, Walgreens, and major retailers such as Target and Walmart. The best price I've scouted was $5.24-6.24 at Walmart for a 12 pack of the Durex Performax Intense Condoms. For a 3 pack you an expect to pay somewhere between $3.50-4.50 at local retailers. Expect to pay at least a $1-2 higher in price for the condoms at a local drug and convenience store. I give the the Durex Performax Intense condoms high recommendation for doing their homework to create such a necessary product on the market so that we can all benefit from the common secret that adult film stars have used for years (use of performance endurance creams) to give the ultimate performance. - Autumn Bleu

How to Prevent & Treat Hair Damage: The Causes & Quick Tips

Hair Damage is a common issue. Here's a brief video I hosted about some of the causes, quick tips of advice on how to stop the styling habits that damages hair, some alternatives, and useful tips to protect and nurture your hair back to healthy.

Lighten Hair Naturally At Home: Remedy #2 (Works Great!)

This is home Remedy #2. It WORKS SO MUCH BETTER than REMEDY #1! I didn't have the same luck with the first remedy like some do (browse honey and cinnamon results for others on youtube). This home remedy and process works the same day in less than 1 hour. Lighten hair naturally at home using this highly effective home remedy with common ingredients that are found in your medicine cabinet:  Hydrogen Peroxide (which is naturally found in honey and cinnamon) and Aloe Vera Gel.  In your kitchen:  Baking Soda and Olive Oil.  Hosted by myself Farah Malika aka Autumn Bleu Follow on Twitter: @Farah_Malika E-mail questions to FarahMalika@gmail.com

REMEDY #2 (Part 1) "Ingredients"

REMEDY #2 (Part 2)  "Activate, Apply & See The Results"

Healthy Weight Loss Tips : 1 Green Tea & Vitamins

If you're looking for some safe natural ways to lose weight effectively, this video hosted by myself  Farah Malika aka Autumn Bleu blog gives a few quick tips on some things you can add to your daily diet and life style to help you see healthy safe and reliable results naturally. More videos like this one will continue to be produced to help spread helpful information about living healthy and well. 
 
Healthy Weight Loss Tips: 1 Green Tea & Vitamins

Naturally Lighten Your Hair At Home REMEDY # 1 (Honey, Cinnamon, Chammomile Tea)

If you want to avoid using harsh hair dye kits from the store and salon treatment, than you can always try using this natural remedy at home to lighten the color of your hair.  I will be posting different video blogs on different remedies and procedures that can be done at home to lighten the color of your hair naturally and even color your hair.

This video blog is Part 1 ( Make Sure To Watch Part 2 and 3 ).
How To Naturally Lighten Hair : The Ingredients


Part 2 How To Naturally Lighten Hair : The Mixture


Part 3 How To Naturally Lighten Hair: Apply & Activate

Host Farah Malika (aka Autumn Bleu) of  "The Autumn Bleu Review" blog presents an educational tutorial video on: "How To Lighten Your Hair Naturally" Using All Natural Ingredients that can simply be found in your home and kitchen.  This is a safe and natural way to lighten your hair color and hair tint without doing the kind of damage that harsh chemicals like bleach, ammonia, and full strength peroxide can do to hair during lightening and coloring processes.  Active Ingredients: Honey (has a safe & natural Peroxide element) , Cinnamon (Has a safe & natural Peroxide Element) , Lemon Juice    

Hair Product Review: Yes To Carrots! Shampoo & Conditioner & Lotion

Today I'm going to make this a quick Blog on another hair product I recently tried.  "Yes To Carrots" Nourishing Shampoo and Conditioner for Normal to Dry Hair are the two products I want to give a quick review on.  I have tried both the shampoo and conditioner together, and have even tried them separately with other products.  I figured that their hair care line had to be pretty good being that their Body Lotion is really good (and I mean good lol soft skin instantly that smells like fresh baby powder).  Well depending on your hair type, you may or may not like the Yes To Carrots Shampoo and Conditioner for Normal to Dry Hair.  I'm not sure if they will ever have a shampoo and conditioner for very dry hair, however I am definitely going to look into it, as I feel it may be a better choice for certain hair types like mine (curly/wavy/frizzy hair).  If you have straight or loose wavy/curly hair without any frizz, than Yes To Carrots normal to dry hair shampoo and conditioner would work well for you. 

For me it left my hair feeling a little stripped, as my hair requires a lot of moisture and deep conditioning. Most curly/kinky/frizzy hair requires a lot of moisturizing, whereas straight to light wavy/curly hair without frizziness does not require the same very deep moisturizing.  I will say though that the Yes To Carrots Nourishing Shampoo and the conditioner for normal to dry hair did help my scalp to be less dry and itchy ( a dry scalp tends to be itchy, and even though oiling the scalp can help, a good shampoo and conditioner can help soothe and moisturize a scalp as well), and I did notice a healthy difference in my hair though.  There are a lot of good ingredients in their shampoo and conditioner.  I had to add Kinky Curl's Knot Today Leave-In conditioner or Curls Leave In Conditioner to moisturize my hair so it won't be dry and super frizzy after using Yes To Carrots.  Yes To Carrots did enhance my curl and wave patterns in my hair a little more, it just left my hair feeling a little stripped.  I sometimes would use a different shampoo with the Yes To Carrots Conditioner, as the Yes To Carrots Shampoo is the main culprit in leaving my hair feeling stripped of it's natural moisture. 

So overall Yes To Carrots Shampoo and Conditioner for normal to dry hair is a pretty okay product line to use, just make sure to use a good leave in moisturizing conditioner afterward if you have curly/wavy/kinky/frizzy combination type of hair like I do.  Yes to Carrots does have a Leave-In Conditioner and Moisturizing Cream/Balm for hair which may give better moisturizing results if used after their shampoo and conditioner.  I haven't tried it.  So maybe that would've made the difference. 

Perhaps their hair care line produces it's best results when all products in their lines are used together completely.  However, beware that their entire hair care line is a little expensive.  Though there are a lot of good ingredients in their Yes To Carrots Hair and Skin care line: carrot juice, dead sea water, dead sea minerals, chamomile flower oil, sweet almond oil, pumpkin fruit extract, calendula see oil, melon fruit extract, honey extract, orange fruit extract, pomegranate extract, olive oil, sweet potato extract,  jojoba oil, wheat germ, and other ingredients.   So it seems to be worth the price. I paid $8-9 for the shampoo and conditioner each.  I of course bought their Yes To Carrots moisturizing body lotion as it instantly makes your skin feel so soft and smells great (it too was -$8-9) so that pushed my tab up to about $30.00 after tax for all 3 products.  The Yes To Carrots Leave In Conditioner and Hair Cream/Balm is also on average $8-9.  You can find Yes To Carrots Products at Target, Walmart, Krogers, and other retailers. They also have a Yes to Cucumbers line as well, that I have yet to try yet, but probably will in the future and will definitely let you all know. www.yestocarrots.com is the product web site.

Peace, Autumn Bleu

Beauty/Health: Brighten & Whiten Your Teeth at Home- Natural Remedies & Toothpastes

Everybody wants to have a beautiful smile.  For some this may take a little help from cosmetic dentistry, whereas for others this may simply be a case of just finding a remedy or product to use at home to simply brighten and whiten their teeth for a wonderful smile. 

I've got some pretty helpful tips to offer today for those or simply desire to brighten and whiten their teeth naturally at home. with the natural remedies, use caution and responsibility.  For the most part the natural remedies are generally safe to use, just don't over do it by thinking if you use these natural remedies to the extreme that you're going to get extra results and much sooner.  No, you will simply do harm to your health, as natural remedies are as safe to use as long as they are used in moderation and not over used and abused. 
 
** So be smart, and don't over do it.  Follow the directions and you should generally be safe.  Otherwise, I am not responsible if you incur any complications due to the tips and advice I write here on my blog.  As I do give warnings and my intentions are to give you healthy and safe advice, tips, and so forth.  I have tried all of these remedies and tips, and I am healthy and fine.  So don't be scared to try any of the tips and remedies mentioned, just be intelligent about it. lol  **

Natural Remedies to whiten and Brighten your Teeth:

Baking Soda may taste nasty (bitter), but it is an old fashioned remedy for keeping your teeth clean and bright/white.  Simply wet your tooth brush, and dip it in  baking soda real quick, and proceed to brush your teeth. Make sure not to swallow though, and rinse properly with water.  You can brush your teeth with baking soda safely once everyday, twice if you feel comfortable doing so. Stop using baking soda if you feel irritation in the mouth or sensitivity of the teeth (this may not happen, but can for some people that are sensitive to baking soda).  Also if the taste is simply too much for you to bare alone, you can try some popular less bitter tasting toothpastes that are on the market.   

Peroxide ( Hydrogen Peroxide ) can be used to help not only fight infections of the teeth and mouth, but also to help brighten/whiten your teeth.  However, make sure to not swallow peroxide, and limit your use of peroxide to only once or twice a week. Please make sure to not swallow the peroxide, and mix it with a little water to dilute it's acidity to make it less harmful to gargle.  However, unless you have an bacterial infection of the mouth or tooth, it would be better to simply use a toothpaste on the market that includes peroxide as one of it's active teeth brightening ingredients.  You can find baking soda at Walmart, Target, CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, Krogers, Publix, any grocery store or convenience store for $1.00-1.50

WARNING:  PLEASE DO NOT USE HYDROGEN PEROXIDE FULL STRENGTH UNLESS YOU HAVE A BACTERIAL INFECTION OF THE TOOTH OR MOUTH THAT YOU ARE TRYING TO DISINFECT.  IF YOU USE HYDROGEN PEROXIDE TO WHITEN/BRIGHTEN  YOUR TEETH, I RECOMMEND DILUTING IT WITH A LITTLE WATER AND GARGLING HOLDING YOUR FACE FORWARD TO HELP MAKE SURE TO NOT SWALLOW THE HYDROGEN PEROXIDE AND TO LIMIT THE USE OF HYDROGEN PEROXIDE TO ONCE OR TWICE A WEEK. HYDROGEN PEROXIDE IS VERY ACIDIC AND CAN CAUSE TISSUE DAMAGE WITH A LOT OF USE FULL STRENGTH. SO USE RESPONSIBLY.

An alternative to gargling hydrogen peroxide would be to try a whitening toothpaste that includes peroxide and baking soda or to gargle Listerine's Whitening Pre-Wash.  One of it's main active ingredients is of course Hydrogen Peroxide.  You can find either Hyrdrogen Peroxide or Listerines Teeth Whitening Pre-Wash at Walmart, Target, CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, Krogers, Publix, any grocery store or convenience store for $1.00-1.50 for the Hydrogen Peroxide and about $3.50-4.50 for Listerine's Whitening Pre-wash for teeth.

Calcium/Magnesium/vitamin D Tablets are nutritional supplements that can also help naturally brighten/whiten your teeth and strengthen your teeth and bones as well ( this is critical for women especially! ).  Rather than take each supplement separately, you can take all 3 vitamins combined in one tablet.  Take one tablet 3 times a day with each meal and a full glass of water. 

Most vitamin companies offer a combination tablet of Calcium, Magnesium, and Vitamin D together for healthy teeth and bones. Some popular brands are Nature's Bounty ( found in Krogers grocery stores ), Nature Made ( found at Walmart, Target, Krogers, CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, Publix, Health Food Stores, and other grocery, drug stores and convenience stores ), Sundown Naturals is another vitamin brand ( can be found in Krogers, CVS, Rite Aid, Kmart, Publix, Big lots, other grocery/drug/convenience stores ), Whole Foods Market has their own brand of vitamins and nutritional supplements brand called "365 Everyday Value".  There are other private label brands and store brands of vitamins/supplements that can be found at your local grocery store, drug store, and convenience store.  Krogers, Publix, Target, Walmart, Rite Aid, Walgreens, and CVS all have their own store brand of vitamins/supplements.

Taking the Calicum with Magnesium and Vitamin D tablet is essential to helping maintain healthy strong teeth and bones and can help brighten and whiten your teeth.  However, if you feel you can't bare with the other natural remedies for brightening your teeth ( the baking soda and peroxide), there are popular toothpaste brands on the market that you can try to help brighten and whiten those teeth.  Three of the brands actually include Baking Soda and Peroxide as their active ingredients.

WHITENING TOOTHPASTES THAT I RECOMMEND:

Arm & Hammer Complete Care Extra Whitening Toothpaste with Baking Soda and Peroxide - This brand I recommend most.  They are the same brand that offers it's most famous baking soda.  It has a minty taste, mixed with a litter bitter taste from the baking soda, but it's a much more preferable taste compared to using baking soda alone and it's worth it to use this toothpaste.  I have used this brand of toothpaste for at least 3 years and it works really well to brighten my shade of the teeth from it's usual shade, and keeps my teeth and gums very healthy.  For those with sensitive teeth, they also have this same formula for you as well, just look for the labeling to say "sensitive" in pink. Can be found at Walmart, Target, CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, Krogers, Publix, any grocery store or convenience store for $2.50-3.99 depending on where you buy it and the size of the tube. Of course expect to buy it for the best price at Walmart for around $2.50. 

Tom's of Main is a natural product brand that has a Natural Anti-cavity Baking Soda toothpaste that can be found at Walmart, Target, CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, Krogers, Publix, any grocery store or convenience store for average $3.50-4.50 depending on where you buy it and the size tube.  I haven't tried this brand yet. It's next on my list of products to test and try. 

Colgate Whitening Baking Soda and Peroxide Toothpaste - Works okay.  I wasn't as happy with this one as I am with Arm & Hammer's original brand of Whitening with Baking Soda and Peroxide toothpaste.  Arm & Hammer is the original of the Baking Soda and Peroxide mix of toothpaste.  Colgate decided a couple of years later to offer the same type of toothpaste to stay competitive, and it doesn't compare to the results of the Arm & Hammer brand.  It's okay. I probably won't buy it again.  But you can try it and see how you feel.  However, I recommend trying Arm & Hammer's baking soda and peroxide whitening toothpaste first so you can see what I'm talking about.  similar minty taste with a touch of bitterness.  You can find this toothpaste at Walmart, Target, CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, Krogers, Publix, any grocery store or convenience store for $2.30-3.00 depending on where you buy it and the size of the tube. 

Crest Pro Health Whitening - this one only works if your teeth are not bright due to stains you may have acquired through surface stains from drinking coffee a lot, smoking, or drinking/eating something on a regular basis that can stain your teeth. Otherwise, it won't brighten your teeth if you don't have surface stains to remove from your teeth.  You can find this toothpaste at Walmart, Target, CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, Krogers, Publix, any grocery store or convenience store for $2.60-4.30 depending on where you buy it. 

Hair Product Review: Lustrasilk's Olive Oil Leave-In Conditioner

 Today's topic is a hair care product review.  If you have hair that is either wavy, curly, or kinky-curly and you want to wear it natural and define your hair texture more while also conditioning your hair, then I recommend trying Lustrasilk's Olive Oil Cholesterol leave-in conditioner.  I also recommend this leave in conditioner even if you wear your hair blow dried or flat-ironed.  I tried and every time my hair felt soft regardless how I styled my hair ( blow dried straight or natural texture ). 

Before-Lustrasilk was applied to hair- fluffy, frizzy, dry

My favorite use for Lustrasilk's Olive Oil Leave-In Conditioner though is when I wear my hair natural, because it really seems to help define my hair texture more, softens the hair, conditions the hair as olive oil is always great for the hair, and it doesn't leave my hair feeling sticky or greasy feeling when my hair dries.  Be careful not to use too much though, or it will leave a slight visible residue from the creamy texture of the conditioner.  This conditioner works pretty decent as a detangler as well, however I recommend added a little olive oil to the conditioner to make it work better as a detangler and moisturizer if you feel it you need to seriously detangle your hair. 

If you wear your hair straight by flat iron or blow dry technique, just apply Lustrasilk to your hair after washing your hair, blow dry, and continue to style as usual with or without a flat iron.  If you have naturally straight hair or a relaxer in your hair, you can apply to your hair as a daily conditioner and continue to style your hair as usual.

Wet the hair 1st

If you're wearing your hair natural, the best way to use Lustrasilk's Olive Oil Cholesterol leave-in conditioner is to wet your hair very well (preferably soaking wet) and use an ample amount if your hair is thick or coarse and much less if your hair is fine textured and run it through your hair with your fingers and pull the strands gently while applying the conditioner.  Use a wide tooth comb if you wish, but not a fine tooth comb or brush as you will lose the texture definition of your hair and it can be damaging to your hair to use brushes (unless it is soft boar hair brush- you can find one at a beauty supply and Walmart).

Hair Results After applying Lustrasilk

Lustrasilk's Olive Oil Cholesterol leave-in conditioner can be found at most beauty supply stores.  You may also be able to find this conditioner in your local Krogers, Target, or Walmart in the beauty and hair section.  I've seen it in pretty much every local beauty supply that I have been in and even in my local Krogers in the hair and beauty section.  You can expect to pay about $2.99-3.50 for it.  Such a good price for a good leave-in conditioner.  As always feel free to comment if you have any questions about this conditioner, or have any feedback from your own use of this conditioner. 

Peace, Autumn Bleu  

Aveeno, St.Ives, and Equate Oatmeal Soothing & Moisturizing Body Wash/Body Lotions

You ever have an issue with dry, itchy, and irritated skin?  Well the old school remedy would be to rub oatmeal on your skin, or to soak in an oatmeal bath.  However, most people are not likely to try such an homeopathic remedy in this form.  So their next best option would be to pick up a convenient body lotion or body wash that is made with oatmeal properties.  Wondering which mainstream oatmeal skincare product you should use to help soothe your itchy, dry, and irritated skin?  Or which one is actually worth your money and which one isn't? Well let me save you the hassle of wasting your money and time. 

I've tried 3 different brands of oatmeal body lotion and shower gel.  Two of the brands I tried
are name brands, "St. Ives" and "Aveeno".  The third set of products I tried are from  Walmart's store brand "Equate".  I tend to have sensitive skin that is prone to irritation and itchiness from either an allergy or dry skin due to taking showers that are too hot (hot showers can dry your skin out for those who are not aware of this fact).  I take showers that are way too hot for most. lol  Also the cold winter can seriously dry out skin and cause not only dry ashy skin but also itchy skin from dryness.  There's nothing more annoying or irritating then skin that is either itchy either way it goes.  So I of course ran to the store to see what skin care products I could use to help soothe and relieve my skin from irritation and moisturize my skin as well.  

St.Ives Oatmeal Lotion

St.Ives Oatmeal Wash

I tried 3 different brands for about a week for each brand.  If the oatmeal product works than
it shouldn't take any longer than a week to show results at the longest, and just 2-3 days minimum at least to see a start of relief.  So here's the breakdown of each brand's results.

St.Ives Oatmeal & Shea Butter Body Wash: Blah! Didn't seem to work in terms of showing any signs of relief to my irritated skin. It was decent as a moisturizer, but for the most part felt like it was cheap in quality to me.  I felt like I was just washing up and not really feeling any sense of no relief from the body wash as a start. Not worth buying, even if their lotion is! Cost: $2.50 for 16-18 oz bottle Find it at: Walmart, Target, CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, and Local Grocery Store

 
St.Ives Oatmeal & Shea Butter Body Lotion: Awesome product.  This lotion has quality to it.  It moisturized my skin very well and was soothing to my skin. Worth Buying. Cost: $3.50 for 16-18 oz bottle Find it at: Walmart, Target, CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, and Local Grocery Store

Aveeno Moisturizing Body Wash for Itchy Dry Skin (with colloidal oatmeal): I like this one.  It moisturizes and does seem to soothe the skin. Good quality product. Worth Buying.  Cost: $6.99 for 16-18 oz bottle  ( I tried the sample bottle as seen in the photo) Find it at: Walmart, Target, CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, and Local Grocery Store

Aveeno Oatmeal lotion

Aveeno Oatmeal Wash- Sample

Aveeno Skin Relief Moisturizing Body Lotion for Itchy Dry Skin (with colloidal oatmeal):  This one was okay.  Nothing impressive to me for it to be Aveeno.  Aveeno is generally known to be the top brand for relief of itchy and irritated dry skin through oatmeal properties as it's key ingredient.  I actually expected it to be better, but it was "okay".  My mom actually only uses Aveeno when she has really bad allergy break outs on her skin.  But
she prefers an real oatmeal bath when it is convenient for her to take one.  I have to say that I like the St.Ives Oatmeal & Shea Butter Body Lotion so much better for skin moisturizing and relief from dry itchy skin.  This of course is my observation and experience.   Everyone's skin and reaction to a product may vary and be different or can be similar. It's an okay product.  So I feel neutral about this one.  You may find it okay to try, but I likely won't buy it again.  Cost: $6.99 for 16-18oz bottle (Mines came with a small sample bottle of the Aveeno Moisturizing Body Wash for Dry Itchy skin).  Find it at: Walmart, Target, CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, and Local Grocery Store in the beauty section.

Equate's Daily Moisturizing Body Lotion (with colloidal oatmeal):  This one was okay too. Nothing impressive.  But it may be worth to try.  Cost: cheaper than Aveeno! lol $4.99 for 16-18 oz bottle Find it at: Walmart only as this is their store brand (knock off from Aveeno lol).   * Equate doesn't currently have an equivalent moisturizing body wash that includes oatmeal properties for the purpose of relieving and soothing dry and itchy irritated skin.  But they do have other moisturizing body washes that are fairly decent.  Two of them can be compared to Dove brands.  One is Sensitive Skin Moisturizing body wash ( I like this one as it is good for a woman's sensitive areas just like Dove body wash which is typically recommended by most GYN's for women with sensitive systems) and the other is a Cucumber soothing relief moisturizing body wash which is fine as well.  Cost: $3.50 for 16-18 oz bottle. Find it of course only at Walmart.  

Equate Oatmeal Lotion

Equate Cool Moisture Wash

Equate Sensitive Skin Wash

It's up to you which product you're interested in trying.  Hopefully I will save some of you a hassle of wasting money and time on products that may work or not work.  Remember though that everyone's reaction to a particular product may be slightly different from someone else as we have different skin types and body chemistry.

Peace, Autumn Bleu

The Better Sex Guide: Durex Pleasuremax Condoms & KY Silk Personal Lubricant

If you're sexually active, and looking for reliable method of birth control and a way to protect yourself from STD's, than your best bet is to use a condom.  Preferably the male condom rather than the female condom, as female condoms are hard to find and a bit tricky to use.  There are various brands of condoms out there.  The most popular being Trojan, Lifestyles, Durex, and for the seriously well endowed ...Magnum.  lol  There are other not so well known brands of condoms on the market like Kimono (very premium brand), One, Crown, InSpiral (very unique shape designed for better friction and female pleasure), Maxpro (has one with unique shape as well for better friction and female pleasure), no name assortment condoms in various colors and flavors, and other brands that are not popular. 

Unless you're really into sex and experimenting with condoms for the pure joy of it, than like most you're more concerned with protecting yourself from making unwanted babies and catching a scary STD or any STD for the matter.  So chances are that you're probably gonna make a quick run to your local convenience store to pick up a pack of condoms.  I've tried all the most popular brands that you'll typically find in your local convenience store and I have to say that I hate Trojan latex condoms.  They seriously irritate me and cause me discomfort for days, and they wreak of a disgusting strong latex smell.  I seriously thought I had some sort of allergy to latex, until I tried another brand.  The best brand that I recommend so far is Durex.  More specifically, Durex's Pleasuremax condoms.  They're awesome.  ** Pleasuremax condoms not only have a low latex scent, but they also do not irritate (if you tend to have a sensitive system down there and tend to have to use Dove soap or soaps for sensitive skin than these condoms are perfect to use).  Those are the extra benefits of using Pleasuremax. 

The ultimate reason I recommend Pleasuremax condoms by Durex, is because they actually feel really good.  Pleasuremax condoms are both ribbed and studded, therefore increasing friction (increased friction equals increased sensitivity and heightened pleasure) for both the guy and gal.  Some condoms are designed with pleasure being targeted to just the female only, whereas Pleasuremax is designed to target increased pleasure for both the male and female.  If you are one of those guys that like to complain to your woman that you dislike using condoms because you so called "can't feeling nothing!" with condoms, than this condom may change your mind.  I knew someone who used to make these types of BS complaints until they tried Pleasuremax, and well now they really have nothing else to complain about after having tried them and liking the heightened experience.  lol  So fellas, no more excuses, try Pleasuremax. 

Ladies, I know you've heard the same excuse from a guy about not liking to wear condoms because they swear they can't feeling anything, and I recommend you have your guy try Pleasuremax and watch their complaints disappear out the window.  Don't settle for not making him wear a condom if that is his only excuse.  Durex just gave men who hate wearing condoms no excuse to not be okay with wearing them! :-)

Ladies if you dislike condoms for the same reason, or feel like you would like to feel more heightened sensitivity during sex while staying protected, than you'll definitely like Pleasuremax as well.  I absolutely love this brand.  They are already lubricated, have a low latex smell, won't irritate you, and actually increase friction for heightened sensitivity.  Are these the best condoms out there?  No there are even better condoms out there, but you'll have to search and shop for some of the other better brands of condoms online or in specialty stores.  But for a quick easy selection of a good brand to buy from your local convenience store like Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid, Walmart, Target, or grocery store...Durex Pleasuremax is the brand I recommend.  I just feel like you can't go wrong with this brand. 

If you find however, that this brand doesn't work for you than of course check for the return policy and consider returning them or contact Durex's customer satisfaction line.  You can find Pleasuremax condoms sold in most convenience stores like Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid and major merchants like Walmart and Target.  The retail price ranges from store to store starting at $12.99 to 15.99 for a 12 pack.  If you're not looking to buy a 12 pack and only want to try them in a smaller quantity, then you can also find them in Durex's Pleasure Variety Packs of 3 (only 1 of 3 condoms in this pack will be a Pleasuremax condom while the other two condoms will be one of their flavor brands and Sensitive brand) and Durex's Pleasure Variety Pack of 12 ( where 3 of 12 of the variety of durex condoms will be Pleasuremax while the remaining 9 condoms will be their other variety brand of condoms).   Trying the Durex Pleasure Variety pack is how I actually discovered their Pleasuremax condoms and out of all of their condoms Pleasuremax was the best one, with their Sensitivity condoms being the next best for their thinness. 

If you tend to use lubricants with condoms, you may not necessarily need to use them with Pleasuremax as they are already lubricated and should be enjoyable enough to use to where you shouldn't need any help in that area. lol  However, if you still find that you need to use a lubricant for any reason, I recommend "KY Silk" brand of lubricant.  KY has different brands of their lubricant, but Silk is one brand I recommend.  It's not thick and jell like in texture like their usual KY brand of lubricant.  It is slick, drippy, slippery, and doesn't dry up like their regular brand of lubricant.  It won't cause any discomfort or issues with a woman's Ph balance or systems either like some lubricants can (no irritation and bacterial/yeast infections).  You can find it at Walmart, Target, Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid, local grocery store, etc for about $2.50 to $7.00 depending on which store you buy it from and the size bottle you buy, it comes in a small 1.5 Fl oz bottle and larger size bottles as well.       

Hair Product Review: Kinky Curly Knot Today Leave-In Conditioner

If you have hair that is crinkly, curly, wavy, and possibly kinky or frizzy in texture (or a combination of all listed), than this hair product review may be of most interest to you, especially if you wear your natural hair texture.  I have hair that is a combo of crinkly, curly, wavy, and frizzy (especially depending on what products I choose to style my natural hair with).  Sometimes I wear my hair straight (through flat ironing), and sometimes I wear my hair's natural texture.  I look for products that I think will enhance my hair texture by defining it's crinkly, curly, and waviness more and decrease the frizzy feel and look of my hair.  I also look for products that will help to detangle my hair ( as it can sometimes become a little tangled from sleep...I sleep wild and no matter how well I try to cover or wrap up my hair, it always end up loose and all over the place while I sleep lol ).  I also like to seek products that will condition, moisturize, soften my hair and keep it that way.  Well I will have to admit that while I do NOT recommend some of Kinky Curly's products (their "custard" gel and "spiral spritz" will do a review on those later), I do like their "Knot Today" Leave-In Conditioner.  It does all of the above things that I mentioned. 

BEFORE KINKY CURLY

The Kinky Curly Knot Today Leave-In Conditioner not only conditions and softens your hair, but it is one of the best detanglers I've used so far (besides "Creme of Nature Moisturizing Shampoo") and it really does help to define my hair texture more with less frizz.  When you use it, make sure your hair is soaking wet and very damp, apply in ample amounts ( if your hair is like mine, less if your hair is more sleek and less frizzy but still curly/wavy) to sections of your hair, and use a wide tooth comb and your fingers to comb through your hair gently for detangling and for defining your hair texture.  This conditioner smells nice too, with a soft baby powder/marshmallow type of scent. 

The only thing that I can say that I actually don't like about Kinky Curly's Knot Today Leave-In Conditioner, is that it takes a long time ( hours ) for the hair to dry after it has been applied (even with sitting under a hair drier), and this conditioner does not mix well with other hair products like most hair gels ( ProAmpro's Dark Protein Gel seems to work "okay" with the conditioner though) and so forth (not even too well with their own custard gel in my opinion), and it can leave a white residue in your hair if too much is applied and it starts to dry before you're done styling your hair.  So beware of those inconveniences. 

AFTER KINKY CURLY 1

AFTER KINKY CURLY 2

Final Tip: Kinky Curly Knot today by the way can also be used as a regular rinse out conditioner as well.  So if you need a conditioner after shampooing your hair, you can apply kinky curly and leave on for a few minutes and then rinse your hair with water.  This is also recommended if you have straight but curly/wavy hair with no frizz.  If your hair is like mine, than you would likely apply it to sections of your hair in ample amount and comb the hair with a wide tooth comb, and then finger comb the hair to bring out your hair texture more.  You can see the photos of my hair before and after applying the Kinky Curly Leave-In Conditioner.  If you're interested in trying this product, you can find it at Whole Foods Market for $11.00 plus tax and at Target for $12.00 plus tax.  Kinky Curly Knot Today Leave-In Conditioner is an natural hair care product.  Some of the ingredients include:  Organic Mango Fruit Extract, Organic Slippery Elm, Organic Marshmallow Root, and Organic Lemongrass

While you're in the store searching for this conditioner, you may notice that there is an entire line of Kinky Curly hair care products that seem to go hand in hand.  You may even notice that on their web site "how to use kinky curly products" video that they recommend you use the entire line for the best results of enhancing your hair texture more.  I'm going to give it to you straight, unless you intend on becoming frustrated from experimenting with a new product line....just stick with their Knot Today leave-in conditioner and if you like a good clarifying shampoo for getting lots of product out of your hair, than I recommend their Clairfying shampoo (it has sea salt, lemon, and other good ingredients that really cleanses your hair well naturally without all the chemicals) and call it a day.  I have tried the entire product line (before I knew that Whole Foods Market had a great return policy on products you're unsatisfied with) and it cost me about $60 and I got unsatisfactory results from using the entire Kinky Curly hair product line together like they recommend in their "how to" video! 

AFTER KINKY CURLY- Back of hair. Didn't use much in back.

Later (since I believed at the time that I was STUCK with the product line lol ), I decided to give Kinky Curly one more try, except this time I decided to not use the Kinky Curly Custard Gel (as it leaves your hair hard and sticky and it takes forever for your hair to dry using it with the Knot Today leave-in conditioner!) and to definitely avoid the Kinky Curly Spiral Spritz that is recommended to use the next day to "refresh your curls" (whatever, it did nothing but make my hair feel worse, it did not refresh my curls at all, and I hate the way it smells! lol ).  Just stick with the Kinky Curly Clarifying Shampoo ( for getting hair gel, spritz, mouse, etc out of your hair really well), and the Knot Today Leave-In Conditioner, and avoid the rest.  If you feel tempted to try the entire product line anyway, or one extra product from their line (that I highly don't recommend lol) than know that Whole Foods Market does give 100% refunds if you are unsatisfied with a product.  I'm not 100% sure on Target's return policy in regards to beauty products.  http://www.Kinky-Curl.com is the Kinky Curly web site for more info about their product line.  Good luck and feel free to comment about Kinky Curly products if you have already tried them or have a question about their products. 

Peace

Autumn Bleu

Hair Product Review: Nature's Gate Henna Shine Enhancing Conditioner

I have a hair care product review for you all today!  I just tried a new conditioner this week called  "Henna Shine Enhancing Conditioner" by Nature's Gate.  I found this conditioner at Whole Foods market.  This product is considered to be natural.  It is primarily an herbal conditioner with an Ayurveda herbal extract and other herbal extracts.  I really like using natural products most on my hair (though I will try any product, artificial ingredients or not if I believe it will work lol).  I've used this conditioner twice this week.  I can do this because I have been wearing my hair in it's natural texture again.  Before I was wearing my hair flat ironed straight for almost 2 months. 

Before telling you about the product, I have to give a cautionary warning about this conditioner due to the fact that it has Henna in it (henna abstract to be exact).  A friend of a friend ( hair stylist ) told me that Henna and Relaxers are a potentially a bad combination.  So if you have a relaxer or any other chemical perms in your hair, you may want to strand test this conditioner first as a safety precaution before applying this conditioner to your entire head of hair.  If you're not familiar with the strand test, it is where you take a few strands of your hair to test a product on first to see what reaction your hair may have to the product.  If you get bad results, such as hair damage of any sort, than do not go forward with using the product on the rest of your hair.  However, if you get NO negative results from the strand test, than you may choose to continue with the use of the product and apply it to the rest of your hair.

I personally don't have a relaxer in my hair (to the left is the back of my hair after wetting it with water).  I am proudly 100% natural.  The year of 2006 was the last time I got an relaxer.  By 2007 I was making the transition from relaxed hair to natural hair.  By 2008, I was all natural.  Best decision I ever made for my hair.  My hair has been much healthier, and much longer since I went natural.  I still straightened my hair from time to time through the use of flat irons and pressing combs, but no longer through chemical relaxers.  I won't even try an "all natural" relaxer, as I have heard those darn things will literally take your hair out and cause a lot of damage!   So I am not 100% sure if the rumor is true or not about Henna's reaction to relaxed hair (and I will be doing research on this topic and posting about it later), but I like to always take caution , and therefore give those of you with chemical treatments in your hair a nice warning before recommending you use any product that may possible be rumored to be chemically incompatible.  Don't be scared yall, just giving a fair warning cause I am definitely fair about my product reviews. lol 

Moving forward, for those of you brave enough to do the strand test, and for those of you without a relaxer, I'd like to share my experience of using Nature's Gate Henna Shine Enhancing Conditioner.  Okay, so I've used this conditioner twice so far, once last week and once this week so far.  The first time I just wet my hair in the shower (as it was already clean) and I let it sit for 3-5 minutes before rinsing.  Today I washed my hair using "Sunsilk Lusciously Thick & Long" shampoo ( has keratin and wheat germ protein in it and not an all natural shampoo, but I like it because it works for growing my hair ) and I used the Nature's Gate Henna Shine Enhancing Conditioner again.

Each time that I have used this conditioner I liked it.  It does not dry my hair out like the Aubrey's moisturizing conditioner did last week.  My hair felt better.  I could tell it was well conditioned and moisturized.  It was easy to detangle my hair in the shower by running my fingers and a wide tooth comb through it with the conditioner on before rinsing.  Now I didn't observe that my hair was "shiny" or glossy looking.  My hair's shine factor remained the same.  But perhaps with time and continued use of this conditioner, the shine factor of my hair may show further enhancement in the future.  The main results that I am hoping for won't be visible until maybe a few weeks later when I can see how this conditioner affects my overall hair strength, health and hair growth.  My hair is in good condition, and so is the length.  However, I'm always seeking improvements with getting my hair to be stronger (for less potential breakage and split ends) and seeing how much length I can encourage my hair to grow if I use good products.  So those were my primary reasons for trying this conditioner.  The moisturizing factor was secondary.  The main ingredient that I'm focusing on for the hair strength, health and growth is the "Henna Leaf" extract.  

Henna is one of the more popular Ayurveda treatments that Indian women use (and now a starting trend among women in this country) to really condition (and to color) hair.  I don't think this conditioner will affect anyone's hair color if they use it though, as there are no warnings listed on the bottle and only the abstract is being used, not the powder.  Most who use Henna for the purpose to color their hair, actually use the powder form of the Ayurveda herb.  There are different Henna powder variations that can range from red tones to dark brown and black color tints.  There is also a type of Henna that can be used solely to condition the hair and has a neutral coloring affect with no tint at all.  I will be posting more about Henna in another post later on.  So if you do use Nature's Gate Henna Shine conditioner, don't worry your hair won't end up with a color tint of any kind.  It will only be conditioned and hopefully will give you the same good results I am experiencing now. 

Some of the other good ingredients in this conditioner that I really like include:  Horsetail extract (known to strengthen hair for better hair grow and less breakage), Nettle, wild cherry bark, hydrolyzed soy protein, rosemary, burdock root, B5 vitamin, safflower seed oil, matricaria, and hops.  A lot of good extracts for the hair. 

I'm not sure what other stores may possibly be selling Nature's Gate Henna Shine Conditioner, but you can find it and their shampoo at a Whole Foods market in your located in your area.  At whole foods it cost 6.99 plus tax.  Not a bad price for a good conditioner that is satisfactory so far, and has potential to so even better results with time.  If you're interested in trying this conditioner, and you don't have a Whole Foods market in your area, you can visit Nature's Gate web site at www.natures-gate.com . 

I like this conditioner and will be continuing to use it for the next few weeks, maybe longer.  If this conditioner doesn't show the results of strengthened, longer, healthier hair in a few weeks or more, than I will make sure to do another review to let you know.  In fact I will likely do another review anyway regardless, to keep you all posted of the both the good and bad.  Feel free to comment about the product if you've tried it, about the product review or if you have any questions about this conditioner. 

-Autumn Bleu