MOP Glisten Drops

About two months ago, I talked about my raves for MOP Glisten Shampoo and my thoughts on the matching conditioner from the line. In the meantime, I have been using a styling product from this line, the Glisten Drops. Currently, MOP has five styling products available in the Glisten line. The Glisten Drops are what we will discuss today, however the other four products are Volumizing Spray, High Shine Pomade, Finish Spray, and Spray Gloss.

The MOP website describes this product as follows, "Smoothes the hair for beautiful light reflection to create modern, healthy looking hair. May be used to reduce tack, improve dispersability, and add shine to any other styling aid. This is truly the ultimate cocktailing product!" This product contains organic oatstraw, horsetail, and aloe to add shine and reflection to the finished hair style. It also contains Vitamin E and UV protectors to help protect and strengthen hair.

Based on the instructions from MOP, this product should be used on dry, styled hair as a last step in the morning regime. The majority of my usage is done in this way. I tried it as a smoothing product on wet hair before styling instead of my normal Jonathan Silky Dirt. I prefer it used on dry hair, it didn't feel that it smoothed my hair as well as Silky Dirt. I also have not tried to cocktail this product, most of my products are for hydrating and smoothing but I feel that cocktailing would make them too heavy and really weigh my hair down. This might work if your haircare products are lighter weight than mine are but I will need different products to test this theory out.

Used on dry hair, I get a great shine without my hair feeling weighed down. This product didn't build up over time or leave my hair feeling sticky. I have gotten great results from this little gem of a serum.

I was given this product from the vendor at Bath and Body Works before they stopped carrying it. I have been using this product for over a year and I am only halfway through the bottle, I only need 2 to 3 drops to do my whole head. I put the drops in my hand, rubs my hands together, and run them over my the top of my hair. This product is also unisex, I knew a guy that used it on dry hair to style. He rubbed a drop between his hands and then ran them for his hair for a quick mussed up style. I love that MOP products can be used multiple ways by many different people and still deliver high quality results.

photo courtesy of Modern Organic Products

MOP Glisten Shampoo and Conditioner

I feel like haven't used MOP hair products in ages. I have been running through my stash of them quite quickly and haven't been able to replace my used up items since Bath and Body Works is no longer carrying this brand. Today we are going to look at the shampoo and conditioner that are offered in the Glisten line. The shampoo is my favorite from this MOP, the conditioner not so much. I initally received the shampoo from the MOP vendor at Bath and Body Works and liked it so much that soon after I bought myself the conditioner to match hoping that it would boost the effect of the shampoo.

MOP recommends the products for fine hair that needs volume. However, I do not agreed with that recommendation since the products worked very well on my thick, dry hair. "Glisten Shampoo gently cleanses while bathing hair in the freshness of Vitamin C infused orange extract. Stressed out strands need extra help without the heft. Pure maple syrup and honey boost hair's body and shine while helping to repair damage. Certified organic linseed oil and whole wheat protein restore and protect while you bathe your hair in the freshness of Vitamin C infused orange extract." Three major active ingredients that are listed are maple syrup, honey, and avocado. The inclusion of maple syrup and honey in this product are why I can't fathom how well it would work for fine hair, these are very hydrating ingredients are great for hydrating and producing shine but will weigh finer hair down.

The conditioner is also recommended for fine hair that needs volume. "Glisten Conditioner enhances hair's body and shine with natural humectants like maple syrup and honey. Need a quick remedy for the stress of getting gorgeous? Help strengthen, restore, and protect hair with avocado and linseed oils. Honey serves as one of nature's most powerful humectants and works with jojoba oil to maximize moisture and fullness. Wheat protein helps repair chemical and environmental damage while pure maple syrup infuses hair with body and shine." My same thoughts on the active ingredients hold for the conditioner also.

Of the two products, the shampoo is by far my favorite. I get a rich creamy lather with it, it helps to hydrate my hair, and I can see the difference in how shiny the finished product is. Now the conditioner was a let down, I was expecting a product that would be even more hydrating than the shampoo. This conditioner's texture was too thin for my liking and didn't really do much to hydrate my hair or to add shine to it. Which is rather odd since normally a conditioner does this better than the matching shampoo.

Shampoo is great, it is highly recommended for purchase. The conditioner would be better to skip but the shampoo is great when paired with Phyto's PhytoSesame. They are an ideal combination for my hair.

photo courtesy of Modern Organic Products

Modern Organic Products Lemongrass Lift

One staple of my morning hair routine is using Modern Organic Product's Lemongrass Lift. Now I can just see the confused looking forming on peoples' face. Aren't I the person who is always straightening and smoothing her curly hair to be poker straight. Well yes...that is true. But think of it like this, all the products that I use are extremely hydrating and can begin to weigh my hair down very easily. And after I use the iron, my hair can get even flatter if I don't do something about it. So my solution is to use a volumizer to begin my hair routine and just add an extra step in the morning.

The volumizer that I am currently use if from Modern Organic Products (or MOP for short) and is called Lemongrass Lift. This line prides itself on using natural and certified organic ingredients in every single one of its product formulations. Here is the product description, "Dispenses in a weightless mist to bodify from roots to ends, helping to achieve voluptuous and radiant hair. Provides thermal protection for heat styling without the consequences. Focus light misting action at root or apply throughout hair and blow dry". This product contains cider vinegar and wheat proteins to provide thermal protection and styling support. This product has a bit of citrus and vinegar scent to it which is intially a drawback but the scent goes away very quickly after styling.

I just give my hair two sprays on each side of my head, right at the roots. I use it when my hair is still wet and it is the first product of my styling routine. It has really helped with combating some of the flatness associated with deeply hydrating products while not drying out my hair anymore than it already is. I bought this product at least a year ago when the line was still carried at Bath and Body Works. the same bottle has lasted me for well over a year so I am very happy with it in that regard. I will have some problems finding it now since Bath and Body stopped carrying this line but at least I can order it from the website.

I am proof that sometimes a product that isn't recommended for your hair type sometime gives you great results.

photo courtesy of Modern Organic Products

MOP C-Straight

Ever since I was in high school, I have been straightening my curly hair. I don’t care what anyone tries to tell me, I will not wear it curly and I don’t care what they think that it would look like. I have gone back and forth between using shampoo and conditioner that begin the process in the shower and more natural products that hydrate and nourish. With my discovery of Phyto, I used chemical based products with straightening ingredients less and less. I have found that the products by Matrix are really great in starting the process but don’t hydrate well enough for me and usually leave some kind of build-up on my hair. I guess I will never be satisfied…why can’t I just have it all?!

The line Modern Organic Products (MOP) brings me the closest that I have gotten to bridging the gap between these two ideas. MOP is a hair care line that uses food to provide nourishment to the hair to bring it back to a natural state of health. The MOP line is simple and easy to follow since every line is color coded and anyone can find the products that they need for their hair.

The line that I have been trying is called C-Straight. This line includes a shampoo and conditioner, a styling cream, and a finishing cream. So far, I have bought all of the products but have only gotten to try the shampoo and the conditioner. The shampoo contains apple-derived amino acids to provide gentle cleansing and anti-oxidants to promote healthy looking hair. The conditioner contains plant-derived conditioning agents to counteract static. Silicones provides smoothness and gloss. Golden Barley proteins protect hair from environmental damage. Anti-oxidant rich formula incorporates citrus extracts to help hair look healthy. This is the half of the collection that I have tried.

One of the products that I haven’t tried is the straightening cream. This cream hydrates and contains silicone to help straighten hair. It also has anti-oxidant support and UV filters to protect hair from the environment. The shine lotion is the last step of the collection and its main feature is to enhance already straight hair. It contains humectants to block out frizz and contains the UV filters to protect from environmental damage. It also contains silicones to promote a healthy shine.

I can only comment on the shampoo and conditioner so far. Overall, this line is not the products that bridge a gap between natural products and straightening products. This shampoo and conditioner are more on the natural and hydrating side and have improved my hair and made it shiny. However, they pale in comparison to the Matrix products and don’t help with straightening in the least. I am beginning to think that this gap will never be bridged…

photo courtesy of Ulta