Temple of Beauty

Dry Hair Update: Oil Rinsing!

2012-01-22T12:56:00.000-08:00

Ok, so my hair has been super dry right? Yes, I know! And y'all know too, if you read my last post. When I started using the Elasta QP Olive and Mango Butter moisturizer that I showed in my last YouTube vid, my hair felt a lot better. But today was another turning point when it came to moisture on a wash day. In addition to the dryness I've been experiencing with my hair, I've also been having more shedding than usual. So I decided that I needed a protein treatment. Organic Root Stimulator hair mayo is what I chose for the job because I've had great results with it in the past. I applied it to dry hair and left it in overnight. This morning, after rinsing out the ORS hair mayo, I tried something I haven't done in a while. This is what made the total difference; I applied hemp seed oil all over my hair (and I used a lot). After the oil application, I applied Tresemme Naturals conditioner over the oil to cowash with. I massaged the oil and conditioner through, then rinsed my hair while massaging my scalp. Now, at first I didn't think that it had really helped because I didn't feel much slip at all. But once I got out of the shower, applied my leave ins, combed through and put my scarf on, I noticed that my hair was moisturized and soooo smooth! So I will continue to oil rinse and use the Elasta QP as my main moisturizer. That product, along with the oil rinsing method are the 2 things that are rehabbing my hair right now :-)

My Dry Hair!

2012-01-19T10:34:00.000-08:00

Hey :-)

If you have been watching my vids on YouTube, you know that my hair has been really dry lately. This problem has been going on for at least a month now. The ends of my hair take about ten minutes to air dry after I wash it! What has been keeping my hair moist is the whipped shea butter I recently made and protective styles. I've been bunning every single day for about 2 months now. To help with the dryness, I will be changing my regimen yet again. Currently, I am shampooing once a week and deep conditioning on those days, then cowashing once a week. But now, I'll be trying out cowashing 2X a week and I'll shampoo every 2 weeks. I will deep condition overnight once a week before a cowash. The rest of my regimen as far as moisturizing and sealing, then applying my whipped shea butter, then bunning will stay the same. I hope this works for me!

1st Use of my Homemade Herbal Tea Rinse

2012-01-08T14:31:00.001-08:00

Hey, so I used the herbal tea rinse I made with the ACV and I had a good first impression of it. First, I deep conditioned overnight and shampooed with an herbal shampoo bar. Then I distributed some Aussie Moist conditioner through my hair. After rinsing that out, I poured the tea rinse (which I diluted with water) onto my hair and massaged it into my scalp. After letting it sit for about 2 minutes, i rinsed that out and towel dried. Then I applied my leave in conditioner and oil mix, put my scarf on and let my hair air dry. The rinse didn't make my hair hard at all, like I thought it might. Once my hair dried, I noticed more shine than usual and my curls looked defined. I will be using this again!

Note: Lately, my ends have been more dry than usual, so that's a problem I'm working on by baggying once a week. I also have raw shea butter now so after I m&s, I'll be applying that to the tips of my hair to lock in even more moisture.

Homemade Herbal Tea Rinse

2012-01-05T18:39:00.000-08:00

Hey, so this is my first post of 2012! Happy New Year!!

I decided to do an Apple Cider Vinegar rinse next wash day and I wanted to watch some videos of the process before I did. So I was browsing the hair rinse videos on YouTube and came across a few herbal hair rinse tutorials. Some people were mixing herbal teas with ACV and I got the urge to try it myself. Thinking of what herbs I have in my kitchen that would be beneficial to my hair and scalp, I went and looked and came up with cloves and thyme. First, I poured about 3 cups of water in a pot and putting it on the stove to boil, I added a lot of thyme and some cloves to it. I didn't measure but I was very generous. After this boiled, I strained the tea into a pitcher and added about 20 drops of peppermint oil. Then in a measuring cup, I added a little more than a cup of ACV and stirred in 3 spoons of honey. I poured the ACV and honey mix into the tea and stirred, then covered the pitcher and put it in the refrigerator.

Let me tell you, this stuff has a very potent smell to it. First of all, the thyme is really strong by itself but then I added all of that peppermint oil and it's very overpowering. But I think this is going to be really good for my hair. I'm hoping my hair will like it.

I will come back after I use this rinse and post what my wash day was like.

Blended Beauty Giveaway Hosted by Precious Curls!

2011-12-14T03:47:00.000-08:00

Hey y'all! I wanted to share with you, the chance to win some great products by Blended Beauty. I, myself haven't tried anything from the line but I've heard nice things about it. The blog Precious Curls is giving away 3 full sized Blended beauty products. How Exciting! So go check out the giveaway here: http://www.precious-curls.com/2011/12/blended-beauty-giveaway.html

Good luck!

My Hair Regimen - Dec. 2011

2011-12-09T08:19:00.000-08:00

Hey!

My hair regimen has been switched around for a while 'cause I've been trying out new things but I've finally got a solid enough regimen to actually post and share with y'all. Here it is:

Sundays: Prepoo overnight with Castor oil

Shampoo in 2 sections

Apply deep conditioner and leave in 2 hours, rinse

Towel dry & apply leave in/oil

Air dry

Thursdays: Prepoo overnight with coconut oil

Cowash

Towel dry & apply leave in/oil

Air dry

Nightly: Moisturize and seal

Note: Specific products I use change from time to time because most of them aren't staples, this is why I'm not listing specific products, but for the castor oil and coconut oil.

Also, on most days I just get up, comb my hair and go after putting it up in a bun. At night, I use a silk/satin scarf.

A New Start In A Very Familiar Place

2011-10-10T14:50:00.000-07:00

Hey y'all!
So I'm going to get right to the point and tell you that I broke up with my boyfriend about a week ago :-( Yeah, I was the one who called it off but I'm still sad about it. I know that it will take a while for me to get over the situation. Though I am already feeling a bit better, thinking about him still makes me cry at times.
I had moved down to South Florida to be with him and spent four months before deciding that I was going to move back to upstate New York to stay with my family until I figure out where I want to be.
So I just got my learner's permit and am learning how to drive (yes, I am 26! years old and have never had a driver's license). Tomorrow, I will be out looking for a job. And soon, I will be checking out the local community college to sign up for classes. I just want to be independent and start to make myself happy before I expect a man to make me happy ya know?
So I'm single and alone BUT now I have all of my time to focus on what I need and what I want out of life for my SELF. Besides getting my life together and becoming more independent, I think my hair will do better too. I was taking care of my hair before, with just the basics, but now I will be doing the most. Some things I just didn't want to do to my hair when I was living with my now ex because I wanted my hair to be touchable.
For example, the Green House Effect method. I did not want to do that to my hair at all because I didn't want my hair to be greasy. Now, I'm doing it 2X a week, overnight. Also, protective styles. I didn't want to do them because I wanted my hair to look cute and flirty. I'm also going to buy a wig come November and keep my hair hidden a lot of the time.
Breakups suck!!! but at least I can say that I have learned something and grown from the relationship that I was in. I'm looking forward to a better future and I don't want to make the same mistakes again. <3

It's been a while, huh? Update!

2011-09-12T08:45:00.000-07:00

So it's been more than a month since I last posted here and my last post was when I tried dyeing my hair blonde. That didn't work out so well but now I have new pics! When I last dyed my hair, I didn't plan on leaving it that way, 'cause it was a total fail. So since then, I made plans and have dyed my hair again. It didn't come out exactly the way I wanted it to but I do like the results I did get. The thing I did wrong with the first dye job was not bleaching my hair first to get it as light as I wanted it to be. This time, I knew I was going to do it right. I had a plan to bleach my hair myself but I oh am I so glad I didn't! Instead, I asked my sister to do it and she was hesitant but she did agree. When she applied the bleach, it started lightening really quickly at the roots but the ends wouldn't process fast enough. By the time she got to the front of my head, there wasn't enough bleach left to finish my whole head! Sooo, we went ahead and neutralized my hair and applied the Aphogee 2 step protein treatment and thankfully, my hair did not fall out! That was the one thing I was most worried about lol. Then we waited another 3 days, I think it was, to do another bleaching. For those 3 days, I wore a wig so that no one could see that my hair was blonde, orange and red. For the second bleaching, I bought 2 kits instead of one (I used Manic Panic Flash Lightning bleach kit with 30 volume developer). After the second bleaching, my hair was a lot lighter all around and, though at the ends, it was still a little orange. I did another Aphogee 2 step treatment and waited for my hair to air dry. The next morning, I applied the color. I used Garnier Nutrisse Nourishing color creme in # 63, Brown Sugar. Well, here are the results!

I Dyed My Hair Again ( Pics)

2011-08-03T11:55:00.000-07:00

My Dog, Keeba

2011-07-20T18:11:00.000-07:00

Hello all! As some of you know, I recently moved from upstate New York to South Florida. Well, I left my dog, Keeba back up north with my family and I am really missing him! I plan on going back to move him to Florida with me but it probably won't be for another few months :-( Today, my brother emailed me a few pictures of Keeba and I was so excited to see him that I just had to share with you all. Here he is :-) His breed is Keeshond. In case you haven't heard of them, you should Google Keeshond and check these dogs out. They're really beautiful. Keeba was just groomed in these pics and doesn't have all of his fur left, so you may want to see just how much fur is on him when he hasn't had a hair cut. Also, my brother didn't send me any good pics of his face. So yeah, I hope you like the pics of my cutie!

Stylists Sneaking Relaxers into Conditioners?!!

2011-07-16T07:20:00.001-07:00

I recently came across a blog post by Strawberricurls that had me so shocked that I just had to let you all know. There have been several instances of stylists adding relaxers to deep conditioning treatments without the client knowing! I mean, this is so crazy. I am just shaking my head right now 'cause yeah, I've heard of jealous stylists who will cut off too much hair when all the client wanted was a trim... But I never imagined this! So please read this article, ladies, and share it with your friends. This is so evil to do to someone and I never thought a "professional" stylist would do something so crazy. Here is the article, quoted from Strawberricurls post:

I posted my previous blog post, Stylists are perming your hair, and you don’t even know it! , on my Facebook fan page for StrawberriCurls. One of my readers commented by saying the very thing that I was warning my readers about, had already happened to her and she agreed to share her story with us:
Late April of 2007 I was in IL house hunting. I was at this time
natural, as in I didn’t have a relaxer, but I was in no way as knowledgeable about my hair as I am now.I had an appointment at a local Egyptian salon that was before a meeting I had for my new job. They had told me that I would absolutely be able to be seen on time.. but after an hour of waiting, I had to leave or be late for my work appointment.
I still had some time and a friend I knew in the area recommended an AA salon nearby. The person assured me I could be seen right away and that my hair not being relaxed wouldn’t be a problem. My hair was straighter than my regular texture because I used to straighten my hair all the time and I had a week old blow dry/flat iron when I went into the salon. Once washed, the shampoo girl and my stylist for the day went away from me and started whispering.. I supposed I should’ve worried but I’m not the paranoid type. After the whisper session, the stylist came over and asked what I wanted done… just a wash and blow dry is what I told her. This should involve them washing my hair, conditioning it, blow drying it and then flat ironing it. I had it done hundred of times before without an issue. She said okay and offered to do a deep condition treatment for me as it would help protect my hair.. her words.
I agreed as long as it didn’t take too long and she promised it wouldn’t. To the back of the salon she goes to mix up a deep condition treatment.. I didn’t find this abnormal. I often mix things together to use as a DT myself. She started to apply to my hair and it smelled weird, I asked her about it and she said it’s one of the ingredients for Ph balance.
Ummm.. okay.
About ten minutes in it started to burn which I found weird but she assured me it was just “tingling” and it was good for my scalp… another 3 minutes and I told her to rinse me because I was having some sort of allergic reaction or something (I have pretty sensitive skin so this was possible). She rinsed me out and moved me to the chair. My hair was noticeably straighter as my hair wet without product is very curly and big and poofy, lol. This time my curls hang straight-ish which wasn’t normal. She assured me that it was temporary from the heavy conditioner..
“Okay…” I said
She did my hair as normal and 2 days
later the breakage started. Panicked, I went to wash my hair and again the curls just weren’t there… I had major heat damage. After several deep treatments, co-washes, etc.. my hair never returned to its normal state and continued to break off. I returned back to Michigan (where I was staying) and had my hair braided hoping that would help.
When I finally moved to Illinois (about 3 weeks later) I was ready to take my braids out, upon doing so my hair was just coming out in huge chunks even though I was being gentle. I went back to the salon and pitched a fit demanding to talk to someone in charge. (Yeah, it may seem a bit crazy for hair.. but we know how important hair is to us, right?) When I finally spoke to the manager, she also feigned ignorance. I threatened police action, threatened to sue and eventually someone gave up the information I needed.
She told me that with “nappy” hair, they sometimes add a
bit of relaxer to a deep conditioner and apply it. It’s the “kiddie perm” she tells me and most people don’t experience negative results. But it works well because people are happy that their hair is straighter so they continue to come back.
None of these people have healthy hair but that doesn’t matter to the stylists. They liked the ease of dealing with the straightened hair and the return client base who are excited about their “naturally straightened” hair. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much I could do.

Keratin Treatment

2011-07-09T22:52:00.001-07:00

So I got a keratin treatment for the 1st time last week and I wanted to share with you all. I already posted the vid, showing it off on YouTube but didn't post pics here yet. Here's the vid and the pics I took that day :-)

Rediscovery of Soft Hair w/ Zipporah Beauty

2011-07-03T16:22:00.000-07:00

So I just received some Zipporah Beauty products from the owner, Nakeisha. Love her! :-) Well, I had to write a blog because O-M-G I am loving my hair right now! Two of the products she sent me I had already used before and liked a lot but now I am in love... And after one use lol. When it comes to my hair, I'm an instant gratification person. Especially when it comes to moisturizers. The products in particular, that I'm raving about right now are the Vanilla Mint moisturizing hair serum and the Green Tea hair and body butter. Together, they are the moisture booster combo.

So today I was going about my business and I happened to reach up and touch my hair. Then I realized that it was just sooo dry and tangled. By the way, I've been getting single strand knots lately :-( Boo! After feeling my hair, I immediately went into my bathroom, straight to my Zipporah Beauty products. First, I grabbed the Vanilla Mint moisturizing hair serum and sectioned my hair into four parts. I added a little of the product to each part, and my hair was so soft and instantly detangled. Then I went for the Green Tea hair and body butter to seal in that moisture. My hair hasn't felt this SOFT in over a month.

The other product that Nakeisha sent me is the Moisturizing Hair treatment. I haven't used it yet but it looks and smells yummy just like everything she makes :-) I'll do a review on that product after I use it. Either here on my blog or on my YouTube channel ( http://www.youtube.com/user/redraf04?feature=mhee )

Here's the link to the Zipporah Beauty website: http://stores.zipporahbeauty.com/StoreFront.bok

Video: 1 Year Natural

2011-06-24T11:40:00.000-07:00

Yes! I made it to my one year anniversary of having natural hair :-) I've threatened to get a relaxer a few times but my natural hair is still here and growing!

Video: Updated Regimen & Products

2011-06-24T11:39:00.000-07:00

What's Current w/ Amy's HJ?

2011-06-14T17:41:00.000-07:00

Hey y'all! This post has the same title as my latest YT vid and it goes in tandem with it but may be in a little more depth.
So... I recently moved to South Florida (about 3 weeks ago). Since the move, I stopped doing the GHE method and haven't been moisturizing and sealing daily like I should be. So yeah, I've been slacking on my hair care a bit; Which is why my hair has been more dry than usual and I haven't been seeing progress like I'd like to. So I now have plans to step my hair care game up and here's what I have in mind: Number one, I'm going to start M&Sing every day. This is especially important for me right now, being in the middle of summer in such a hot and humid climate. I will also be taking a hair supplement that I ordered off of Amazon. It's called Maxi Hair and I've heard really good things about it. Another two items I ordered from Amazon are a bottle of Castor oil and a jar of Extra Virgin coconut oil. I really miss these two products! When I moved, I left them behind , so I've been without them for a while. The coconut oil, I'll be using for sealing in moisture and for shine. Another thing I'll be incorporating back into my regimen is the Green House Effect. This method, I didn't do for too long before but it gets rave reviews across the board from so many ladies AND it's very simple so I'm jumping right back on that wagon. For those of you who don't know, the GHE is when you apply a natural oil throughout your hair strands, cover your hair with a plastic cap and a scarf and leave it on for a few hours or overnight. This helps to keep your hair moisturized and encourages hair growth because of the "tropical" environment the baggy creates with the heat from your scalp. So it's really simple and I'm going to try to do this at least 3 times a week. I also want to start cowashing every other day. My hair needs to be detangled more often than it has been and I really only do that when my hair gets wet... I'm still deep conditioning at least once a week, sometimes two times and that 's working out well.

About the cut the hair cut that I got a couple weeks ago: It turned out OK and I'm glad I did it because I hadn't had so much as a trim since my BC, but I won't be letting scissors touch my head again for a while. I figure if I'm taking care of my hair properly and it isn't getting damaged, I won't really need to take any of the ends off. I didn't for almost a year and my hair is fine now!

So overall, my hair is doing OK but in my opinion, it could be doing a lot better I want ti to be thriving! I'm getting excited about my hair journey all over again :-)

Henna & Silken Child Giveaway!!

2011-05-17T13:31:00.000-07:00

10 Months Natural - A Rihanna Cut?

2011-04-25T08:41:00.000-07:00

Hello!

So it's been 10 months since I big chopped and my hair is doing OK... But I feel like it has hit a plateau in progress. It's just so boring to me right now! And has been for a while. I haven't trimmed it at all or even used heat on it this whole time. So maybe I'm just getting bored because I've been wearing it the same way for so long? Could be. But... A friend of mine suggested that I get a cut like Rihanna's hair was in her Love The Way You Lie video. Now a month ago I would never have considered this but I'm totally going for it! Rihanna's hair is red in this video but I'm going to keep mine the same color it is now, or maybe dye it black. Not sure yet what I'll do with the color, if anything. Those of you who have been following my hair journey for a while know that I want long hair. I've maintained that my goal is to have mid back length hair. Well, I'm making personal changes and I have big plans for the near future so when my friend suggested that I get a Rihanna cut, I thought this would be awesome. I'll be making changes all around! A new look for a new Amy!! The only thing I haven't figured out is what I'm going to do to style it once I get the cut. Am I going to heat style it all the time to keep it straight? OR... am I going to relax it? Shock! I know, I am starting to consider it and I never thought I would. But I could also heat train. I'ma have to do some research on that. I hope y'all leave some suggestions here for me! I've posted the Love The Way You Lie video here as well as a photo of Rihanna that I found and just think is so gorgeous. Let me know what you think!!

9 Months Natural :-)

2011-03-25T14:44:00.000-07:00

Hello! It's been 9 months since I big chopped :-) My hair has made progress and I love being natural but now I want more length. I think I'm at a point in my natural hair journey where my progress is at a stand still. It's grown and gotten thicker up to this point but now, It seems like it's just sitting there and could stay at this length forever. I know, realistically that it won't. My hair is growing and will get longer but it feels like it's just not right now. I'm also at a point where doing my hair is just not fun like it used to be. I take care of my hair and treat it right but right now, it's just a part of my routine and I don't get excited about it anymore. So this update isn't such an upbeat, cheery one but I just wanted y'all to know how my hair is doing and how I'm feeling about it right now. It's still healthy and it's not in a bad state but I just feel like it should be longer at 9 months post BC... And I would post a pic but it's then end of the week and it doesn't look so good right now lol. Tomorrow is my wash day and maybe after I deep condition, I will post pics :-)

Moisturizing & Sealing Combo

2011-03-13T15:42:00.000-07:00

So I've had a particular moisturizer sitting around for a while. One that I decided I didn't like after having used it a few times. Now, yesterday, I went to moisturize my hair and I didn't want to use my regular one. So I was looking at my products to see what I have and I saw Sof 'n Free Gro Healthy Milk Protein & Olive Oil Strengthening Creme... Whew! I know, long name! But what I didn't like about the product the first few times I used it was the fact that it left my hair feeling wet. This was why I had stopped using it before. For a while now, I've been spritzing my hair with water before I moisturize. I figured out that my hair feels better this way and it retains the moisture better... So being that my hair is already damp after spritzing, I don't have to worry about my hair feeling wet from this moisturizer... Immediately after moisturizing, I realized what product I was going to use as my sealant. I went for my Zipporah Beauty Shea Avocado Hair Pomade. I love the texture of this stuff! Both of these products smell great and left my hair so very soft. I actually may skip moisturizing tonight 'cause my hair is that soft and moisturized :-)

Quick Update

2011-02-23T13:58:00.000-08:00

Hello :-)

I hope all who read this are well! I'm doing fine, myself. A lot has changed in my life and in my heart since I last posted. I know I don't update here very often and it surprises me when I get a new reader. It sort of reminds me that I need to update! Thanks to all of you who are still keeping up with my Journey! Nothing much out of the normal has been going on with my hair but I'll catch you up on what has. I did do another bentonite clay treatment and I really like the way my hair felt afterwards. I think I remember now that I did say I'd record that for you all and post it on YouTube but I've been neglecting my channel too :-( I've really got to get back on the ball! I'll try to remember next time... Last weekend I did another henna treatment. I left it in for less time than I did before though. About 8 hours, compared to the 12 hours when I did my first henna treatment. It still came out nice though... As for using all natural products and nothing else, I have let go of that vow, if you will. I think there are just too many products out there on the market that my hair does like and they aren't natural. I don't want to swear off a product that my hair responds well to just because it's got a few "bad" ingredients... Well, my hair is growing nicely and in a couple of days (2/25/11) I will be 8 months natural! I've noticed a bit more shedding than before and I want to do something about it. I'm not sure what I will do but it could be 'cause I only really detangle once a week on wash days. I think I want to add another wash day mid week soon but I'll wait 'til the weather warms up. Spring is not too far away :-)

I'm feeling good!

2011-02-02T14:24:00.000-08:00

I wanted to share my new anthem with you all and how I came across it. Nina Simone: Feeling Good. I was talking to a friend about music and he said he would like to hear me sing something by Nina Simone. I told him that yes, I had heard of Nina Simone but had never heard her music. Well, it turns out, I have heard Nina Simone lol. In the new Weight Watchers commercial with Jennifer Hudson, she sings this song and I had no idea who the song was by! Lame, I know... Anyway, I looked up the song on YouTube and had to listen to it over and over. The second time I heard it, it started to settle into my spirit and I realized that hey! This is how I'm feeling! So I went to download this song and ended up downloading Nina Simone's whole discography. I'm at a big point of change in my life and in my heart, I have things that are changing and I feel free, like I have some of myself back that was just sitting there for so long. A lively, joyful part of me is coming back that was dormant. :-)

My Hair Type?

2011-01-25T16:35:00.000-08:00

I've always believed that my hair is a type 3b curl pattern. Now that I'm natural, my hair is growing out and I have more of it to deal with, I'm starting to think that I'm a type 3c. It seems to me that when I first big chopped, my hair had a looser curl pattern and more curl definition to it. Now, my hair feels a little bit more coarse. To be honest, I really never thought about my hair type very much until recently. There has been talk and debate among some naturals about who has "good hair" and who is really natural. Apparently, some naturals are saying things about mixed girls who are type 3 have it easier and aren't really natural. I don't really want to get into this here but Taren916 on YouTube made a video on this topic. What I'm trying to get at here is that after hearing about this going on in the natural hair community, I began to think about my own hair type more. My 2 sisters and I all have different hair types and our own different looks. My oldest sister has type 4 hair and my middle sister and I both have similar type 3 hair. I've called myself having type 3b and I've said that my middle sister has 3c hair. Now I'm beginning to think that I have type 3c hair too! Now I'm not all up in my sister's hair all the time like I am my own hair but this is just from me seeing her hair all the time... I think that hair type is important when you are looking for products. That's all. I don't want to be a part of a debate about whose hair is better. Ever. That's just useless to me. And me thinking that my hair type is 3c now, really doesn't change much. I just want to classify myself in the right category for the purpose of purchasing products. I know what products work well on my own hair but some companies do have recommendations based on hair type, so that's helpful. Here's a link to the Naturally Curly website hair typing section: http://www.naturallycurly.com/hair-types

7 Months Natural

2011-01-25T11:01:00.001-08:00

Today (1/252011) marks 7 months of my hair being natural!! My hair is doing very well. It's growing and thickening up very nicely and I'm not having any problems with it at all right now. I'm totally loving it :-) Within the past few days, I've noticed that it feels really thick. I suspect it must be from the henna. So I'm going to go ahead and order more henna so that I can do monthly treatments. Another thing that may be contributing to the thickness of my hair are the massages that I've been doing 3-4 times a week since the beginning of January. I apply castor oil mixed with peppermint oil to my scalp and massage it in for about ten minutes while I listen to my favorite music. When I started doing this, I thought it was going to be something I was going to have to force myself to do but It's actually sort of therapeutic and it make my scalp feel really good. As far as the rest of my regimen goes, I'm still washing and DCing once a week and that's working out well. Moisturizing and sealing every day is working well too. My hair goals for this year are to maintain the health of my hair and get to Shoulder length by my one year natural anniversary on June 25th. Then I want to get to arm pit length by my 18 month natural anniversary, which will be Christmas day. besides those main goals, I'll also be incorporating more Ayurvdeic powders and oils into my regimen. So stay tuned for updates as they come!

Homemade Shea Butter Cream

2011-01-24T11:34:00.000-08:00

I found this video that I liked and I want to share it with you all. It's a tutorial on how to make your own curl cream/whipped shea butter. I really want to try this!

Hair Wish List

2011-01-24T11:02:00.000-08:00

I have a lot of products on my wish list and some of them I will be buying soon. I'm not going to buy anymore shampoo though. I'm not really fond of most shampoos and I already have some that I need to use up. As far as conditioners go, there are a few I want to buy. I've run out of deep conditioner, so I need to stock up. I also want some rinse out conditioner. I have some VO5 left but since I'm going the natural route now, I want to find some good natural cowash conditioners that I'll love. OK, so moisturizers! I still haven't found a staple! I really like Zipporah Beauty Delight My Hair moisturizer but I don't consider it a staple. I'm beginning to think that I just like to have a variety of moisturizers and that's why I don't have a staple yet. That's how I am with conditioner. I just like to have two or three on hand. Now stylers... They really aren't a necessity for me and I don't typically use them. I may get one that doubles as a moisturizer but other than that, I won't buy them. I don't really style my hair, unless you consider a wash and go a style. Lastly, I'll talk about powders. On my wish list, you'll see a few because I want to get more into mixing and adding herbal powders to my conditioners and other treatments. So here's my list:

Conditioners -

Oyin Honey Hemp

Hairveda Moist condition 24/7

Jessicurl Weekly Deep treatment

Aubrey Organics White Camellia Smoothing conditioner

Moisturizers & Leave ins -

Donna Marie Super Buttercream

Donna Marie Cocoa Hemp Hair Milk

Curl Junkie Hibiscus and Banana Honey Butta

Stylers -

Curl Junkie Coffee Coco Curl cream

Donna Marie Dream Curling Creme

Powders -

marshmallow root powder

hibiscus powder

So that's my list! And it's not even everything LOL! I just wanted to give an idea of most of the things I want to get and what's at the top of my list.

Wash Day 1/22/11

2011-01-22T10:46:00.000-08:00

After last weekend's henna treatment, I had a little henna left over so I froze it. Today, I took it out of the freezer to thaw so I could do a henna gloss. But first... I prepooed with a product that is new to me. Hairveda Vatika Frosting. OH, it smells so good! It's herb infused coconut oil. Anyway, I applied it to my hair and scalp Friday night and gave myself a scalp massage for about ten minutes. Then I put a scarf and plastic cap over it and slept with it in. This morning I, cowashed with VO5 Kiwi and Lime clarifying conditioner (with added peppermint oil). Then I towel dried and went to mix up the henna gloss. To the henna, I added the last of a bottle of Nature's Gate conditioner and some EVOO. Mixed it up and applied the henna gloss to my hair! Then I went and did whatever I needed to do for 3 1/2 hours. After time was up, I rinsed out the henna gloss 'til the water ran clear and I'm done with that process. After towel drying, I added some Zipporah Beauty leave in to my hair and sealed with the Vatika frosting. Now I'm towel drying :-) Tonight, after my hair has dried and I'm just about ready to settle in for the night, I'll moisturize and seal. I'm not sure which moisturizer/oil combination I'll use... Either Zipporah Beauty Delight My Hair moisturizer or ORS Olive Oil creme. I need to use that ORS up so that I can move on tho other products. It's a pretty good moisturizer but I don't like the ingredients so I won't be repurchasing. Also... Next weekend, I'm going to try a new prepoo mix that I saw LolaKinkz use. Here's the video:

My Henna Results

2011-01-16T09:33:00.000-08:00

Hey!!

My hair is red y'all! I'm excited about the results of my first henna treatment. OK, let me tell you. In my last post, I already went over the steps of the treatment, so if you haven't already read it, go check it out :-) In that post, I said something about the process not being messy. Now the application wasn't messy for me because my hair is short and all I had to do was plop it on there. No sectioning or anything fancy. I even slept in it without any of the henna getting on my clothes or on the bed. But Saturday morning when I went to rinse it out, I filled up a bucket I have to dunk my head so I could loosen up most of the henna before I got in the shower. So here comes the messy part: After I was done loosening up the henna, the water in the bucket looked really muddy so I didn't wanna dump it in the tub. My idea was to dump the water in the toilet instead. When I went to dump the water, some of it got on the floor! I started to freak out, but I had to act fast 'cause there was a white rug on the floor. So I grabbed a towel and wiped up the dirty water before it could get too the white rug. So that was a mess and I had to end up cleaning the floor and everything but the results are so worth it!

After rinsing the henna out, I cowashed twice with VO5 Moisture Milks conditioner. Then I deep conditioned for 4 hours. The DC I used was Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose moisturizing conditioner mixed with honey and EVOO. I would've left it in longer than the 4 hours I did but I had to go somewhere. Once I rinsed it out, my hair was so very soft. My curls were poppin' too... After rinsing my DC and towel drying, I applied my KimmayTube leave in mix and some Zipporah Beauty Shea Avocado Hair Pomade. I air dried and just let my curls do what they do :-) So here are the results! Let me know what you think!

Henna Head!

2011-01-14T16:23:00.000-08:00

I applied my first henna treatment!

Details: I prepooed for several hours with EVOO, then I used a diluted shampoo mix to wash my hair. The mix consisted of Elasta QP Creme conditioning shampoo, water, EVOO and peppermint oil. I lathered twice because I had a lot of product build up. My henna mix: Jamila henna, green tea and honey.

Applying the henna wasn't very messy. I've heard a lot of ladies say that the henna application is pretty messy but I guess it wasn't for me because my hair is so short. I didn't even need to section it and putting it in my hair only took about 3 minutes.

The smell: the henna smells like spinach!

So how do I feel about henna so far? Of course, I can't say for sure until I see and feel the results after tomorrow's rinse and DC but I really like this stuff! It feels really good on my head and just having it there is a relaxing feeling. Not sure how to really explain that...

So I'm sleeping with this in my hair tonight and tomorrow, I will be back to tell you more about the experience and show off the results :-)

My First Bentonite Clay Experience

2011-01-08T08:22:00.000-08:00

I have seen a lot of YouTube videos about bentonite clay and most of the results I've seen have been good. So I got curious and decided to see what this clay would do for my hair. First, I did an overnight prepoo with coconut oil and ORS Replenishing Conditioner. When I got up in the morning, I rinsed out the prepoo and towel dried. After getting dressed, I mixed about four tablespoons of the clay with enough warm water to make a muddy paste. Then I just plopped the clay on my head, making sure to get it on my scalp and all throughout my hair. I didn't time myself but I left the clay in my hair for about a half hour. Before I rinsed it out, I noticed a nice cool feeling on my scalp. I let the clay dry about 50%. Rinsing it out was pretty easy and I just cowashed afterwards. OK, so I thought it was going to leave my hair super dry, right? Well, it wasn't dry at all! After I cowashed, I didn't deep condition because I wanted to feel the full effects of the treatment by itself. But I did apply the KmmayTube leave in... And my hair feels great! My curls are soft, defined and bouncy. Also, one problem I've been having after I wash my hair is majorly itchy scalp. After the bentonite treatment, I didn't have this problem at all. So I am going to incorporate this treatment into my regimen as a once a month clarifier. I really, really liked it!

Changes to Improve My Regimen

2011-01-04T17:17:00.000-08:00

For a while, my hair care situation had hit a plateau. I was bored with my hair and didn't know what to do with it. Well, lately I have been doing more research. Browsing different hair care blogs and watching new YouTube videos. I have been inspired! So I decided to make changes to my regimen that hopefully, will improve my hair's health and bring out its potential.

#1 Change: Diluting my shampoo - Traycee from KISS does this and I love her hair so I went on CurlyNikki to hear from some natural haired ladies, their thoughts on this method. Turns out, this method is one that Chicoro uses for her hair. Now I had heard of Chicoro but didn't know much about her, so I went and looked at her Fotki. She's a hair care legend and a big inspiration. I am now implementing this method into my regimen. I bought some Elasta QP Creme conditioning shampoo not too long ago so I'll use this as the base. Mixed with that, will be water and EVOO. I don't know just what measurements I'll use but Ill just eyeball it.

#2 Change: Oiling my scalp w/ massages - I really want to maximize my growth this year so I decided to try castor oil mixed with peppermint oil and I will be massaging this into my scalp every other day. Castor oil is great for promoting thickness and peppermint oil's tingling is supposed to promote scalp stimulation, along with the massages.

#3 Change: Peppermint oil in my Deep Conditioners - This is just another regular dose of peppermint oil when I DC every week to stimulate my hair's growth.

Other changes: I've already talked about the switch to natural products I'm making as well as trying henna. I've ordered the henna and if it gets here in time, I'll be doing the treatment this weekend. I have a good feeling about this, that I'll make it a regular part of my regimen. But I'll let you all know how that turns out!

If any of you have tried any of these changes I'm making to my regimen, do share! Also, share any other changes you've made that have had benefit to your hair.

New Products for a New Year

2010-12-31T22:30:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!!!

So it's a new year and I have a feeling of excitement for the future and what it will bring :-) Before the clock hit 12, I ordered a few different things from a couple of different online sites.First, I headed over to Butters N Bars and ordered something I've been meaning to try for months now. Some henna, baby! I ordered the Jamila Summer Crop 2010 BAQ, along with some Amla powder. I'm going to mix the two, along with other ingredients, so that my hair doesn't come out too red. I'll definitely do a video as well as a blog post here to let you all know how the process goes. I may even record some of the mixing/application. We'll see... After Butters N Bars, I headed over to Hairveda and ordered another product I've been wanting to try. The Vatika Frosting! In case you haven't heard of it, it's basically enhanced coconut oil. It has some good stuff in it and I've heard it smells heavenly. Also added to my cart at Hairveda's web site was the Acai Berry Phyto Restorative conditioner. It's very reasonably priced for a natural conditioner, plus it was on sale so I went for it :-) So I'm waiting for two packages and once they come, I will let you all know how the henna turns out and how great the Vatika Frosting is! (I just know I'll love it ;-) ... And OH! I almost forgot, but not quite: I recently ordered and received (very promptly) a few products from Zipporah Beauty. The Vanilla Mint Moisturizing Serum, The Delight My Hair Moisturizer, Delight My hair Butter, the new leave in conditioner and the Shea Avocado Pomade! Everything smells and looks awesome. I haven't used any of it yet, but my wash day is tomorrow (New Year's day) and I will be trying the new Zippporah Beauty items out :-) Stay tuned for reviews!!

6 Months post Big Chop

2010-12-25T14:45:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas everyone!! I hope everyone is having a good, fun time :-) I just wanted to stop and let you all know that today marks six months since I big chopped. My hair is doing well. Growing nicely :-) So what's going on with it? My hair has been more dry than usual and I have decided to change my regimen for the winter. I will now be shampooing every two weeks and on the weeks when I don't use shampoo, I'll cowash. So I'm only doing one wash day per week now and I'll be deep conditioning after each wash. In between washes I will be moisturizing and sealing daily... Now what plans and goals do I have for the upcoming year? Starting January first, I will begin a castor oil challenge, applying castor oil to my scalp and massaging it in two times a week. This will be a 4 month long challenge, ending May first. I want to see some major growth and thickness this year! I will also be wearing wigs for the rest of the winter to protect my hair from the dry air. Another thing I want to start doing to my hair is henna treatments. I've been putting off buying the henna for a long time, so I'm going to order it online come January. With all the pampering I have planned for my hair in 2011, I just might reach APL before 2012! This isn't a goal I have set in stone, it's just tentative. So of course, I will be updating as my hair goes through what it goes through... And here are some pics for you :-)

My 1st set of twists!

2010-12-18T13:30:00.001-08:00

I was really bored with my hair, so I decided to try some twists. I've been wanting to do them for a while and I'm close to 6 months post BC, so here they are! They came out really loose 'cause my hair is so loosely curled but I think they're cute! I used some Redken Grit Wax as well as some Smooth and Shine Curl Activator gel on each twist. It took me an hour to do them. So I'll be keeping them in for as long as they stay. For maintenance: At night, I'll just wear a bonnet and in the morning, I'll spray a moisturizing mixture on them. Y'all tell me what you think :-)

My new wig!

2010-12-14T09:38:00.000-08:00

I bought it! I went to the BSS and it took me about 5 minutes to pick out the wig I bought.

Style: Bali Girl

Color: TP4/27

I love it! Let me know what you think :-)

Considering a wig!

2010-12-12T07:34:00.000-08:00

So I've never worn a wig before and I actually used to think "Why??" when I saw other women wearing them. But now winter is here and I'm rocking a TWA, which means that I don't have many options for protective styling. I was at the new beauty supply store at the mall and they have a wall with various wigs on it. There was a woman trying on wigs and they had some very nice ones there. I was sort of embarassed to go over and look but now I sort of regret that I didn't! I've been thinking about it a lot since then and this week, I'm going to go back to the BSS to take a look. Now that I'm actually typing up this blog post, I'm getting really excited about it. I'm going to go and look at the types of wigs they have and where the prices are at, then decide. Most likely, I'll want to get a longer wig with a bit of curl to it, maybe with bangs... Hmm... I will come back with an update for you all to tell and maybe show, what I decided.

A Chocolate Hair Treatment

2010-11-06T09:50:00.000-07:00

OK, so I haven't shopped at Curl Mart yet and I don't know when I will. But I did get one product from Komaza Care. The Coconut Curl Hair Lotion. The product didn't work so well on my dry hair but it's pretty good on damp hair. I did a full review on my YouTube channel... Then today I did a new treatment that I never tried before. I found a blog on Hairlista with a couple of Chocolate hair treatment recipes and I just had to try one! I really wanted to order a chocolate deep conditioner from Anita Grant but her products are just so expensive. So the one recipe I tried contains: Organic dark chocolate, plain yogurt and honey. When I mixed it up, it was more runny than I thought it would be but when I applied it to me hair, it felt creamy going on. So I applied it and put a plastic cap on, then left the mix on for 30 minutes. I would have left it on for an hour but it started to run down my neck and face. When I did rinse it out, my hair felt like it needed more than rinsing so I cowashed it out with VO5 Moisture Milks conditioner and my hair came out so very soft! I love this treatment and I'm so glad I tried it :-)

Upcoming Purchases

2010-09-30T17:40:00.001-07:00

Hey!

Well, well, well... My hair product stash is actually running out. Since going natural, I have thrown away a few products. I also gave some away to my sister. Just products that don't really work on my natural hair. My curls don't like the Organic Root Stimulator products anymore, so I'm moving on from those... and various others. So I'm going to order some stuff from Curl Mart. I'm gonna get some Darcy's Botanicals there, some Oyin Handmade heree... and so on. I'll also be purchasing the Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose conditioner I've heard good things about from like, everyone. I'm also going to try out the Komaza Care line. I'm still going to stick with my Dr. Bronner's mixture for a shampoo, so I'm not going to get a new cleanser. I'll also still be using drug store cowash conditioners. But I might try Oyin Handmade's Honey Hemp conditioner. We'll see what's in my cart once I get to the online checkout. Hopefully I'll get everything I need (and want;-) without breaking the bank. I'll be back to show y'all what I got! :-)

Aloe Vera Juice & Extra Virgin Coconut Oil

2010-09-03T15:46:00.000-07:00

There are two products that I have incorporated into my regimen. Aloe Vera juice and Extra Virgin Coconut Oil. The AVJ, I have not used before and the EVCO, I have.

How I'll be using my AVJ: I will be using this product as a leave in after I wash my hair. I'm keeping it in a spray bottle and spritzing it in my hair before my leave in conditioner. Also, I will be mixing this with Dr. Bronner's Castile soap as a shampoo. I've only used the AVJ in my hair once so far as a leave in and it left my hair feeling very soft after I air dried.

How I'll be using my EVCO: Once a week, I will prepoo overnight with this, before I shampoo my hair on Saturdays. I'll also use this product as a sealing agent after I moisturize my hair. I'm keeping it in a color applicator bottle. The EVCO helps to strengthen the hair, preventing protein loss.

Hair Update - 2 Months post BC!

2010-08-23T19:28:00.000-07:00

So it's been a very long time since I've blogged and I sort of feel bad about it. But the truth is, it's a whole lot easier and quicker for me to just record and upload a YouTube video. I should be blogging more, but all I'll say is, I'll try...

OK, so Wednesday (8/25/2010) will be 2 whole months since I BCed! Time just flies, doesn't it? So far, things have been going well with my newly natural 'do and I'm figuring things out. When I first BCed, I was totally loving my hair and I still do love it but not because it's short, but just because it's all natural... And I don't have a set regimen set in stone but I have fallen into a routine: I cowash every day, shampoo once a week, DC 2X's a week and moisturize every night! Pretty darn simple huh?

I don't have much else to say about my regimen but I want to mention someone whose hair has really been inspiring me lately. She's a fellow Hairlista sister and fellow YouTuber: Nina Pruitt. She's been transitioning for a long time and her hair just continues to become more and more gorgeous each time she makes a new video!! At least, in my honest opinion. So I'm going to adopt some of her healthy hair practices and some products that she uses; such as Aloe Vera juice and Extra Virgin Coconut Oil! I love coconut oil, I just haven't used it in a while because I ran out and haven't gotten around to getting more... Yet.

So to sum up my first 2 months of being natural: It's been a learning experience... and I know, will continue to be! I'm so glad I did the BC and I love being natural :-)

Care of my TWA

2010-07-09T10:12:00.000-07:00

Since my Big Chop, my regimen has changed a bit, so this post will be about my updated regimen. Some things have essentially stayed the same but being that my hair is much, much shorter as well as being in it's natural state now ( unrelaxed, undyed ), some things have changed.
Cleansing: I've been cowashing every day. I love VO5 Moisture Milks conditioner but when I went to stock up on conditioners, I decided to try something new. Now I'm totally loving Suave Naturals Pomegranate splash condish. As far as shampoo goes, I made my own mix with Dr. Bronner's castile soap, olive oil and water. So I use this once a week. I've clarified only once since BCing and I used and old favorite of mine which will now be bounced off my list. Organic Root Stimulator Creamy Aloe Shampoo. When my hair was relaxed, I loved this shampoo. It never stripped my hair but now it just leaves it so dry. Since I'm trying to use mostly natural and organic products now, I won't be clarifying regularly anymore.
Deep conditioning/prepooing: I haven't set a regular DC regimen. I've just done it when the mood hits. In the past 2 weeks since I BCed, it's only been 2, 3 times max. So I really need to step up my DCing! For protein, I'ved used my ORS hair mayo 1X. I didn't really like it on my natural hair, so when I run out, I'll purchase another protein treatment. Now for moisture, I've been using Natures Gate Jojoba Revitalizing conditioner.
Moisturizing: Silken Child's moisturizer is still working pretty well on my hair, but I'm only going to continue to use this until the bottle is gone. I ordered Bee Mine's Luscious moisturizer and it's on its way in the mail. I so can't wait to try it. After i moisturize, I seal with coconut oil.
As you can see, I've been keeping it very simple. I don't brush or comb my hair at all 'cause it doesn't need it. I love having such short hair!

I BCed!!

2010-06-26T12:53:00.001-07:00

A little early I know, but i just couldn't wait any longer! Here's a pic:

Caring For My Braids so far

2010-06-22T11:22:00.000-07:00

When I first got my braids put in, the next day, they were itching like crazy! I mean, this insane itch! I wasn't sure why they were itching so badly, so I ended up just washing them about 5 days later. I was going t wait a week but the itch was unbearable. When I washed them, the itch was relieved until the next day when the itch came back full force. So I went on the hair care forums I frequent and found out the reason why I was having this problem. Before the hair used for the braids was added, it should've been rinsed with an ACV solution to rid it of the chemicals. This was not done... So I was very disappointed to find this out because I spent a lot of money to get my hair done and I didn't want to have to take my braids out. I was also getting red areas on my scalp. So what did I do to remedy the situation? I got in the shower and sprayed an ACV solution all over my hair and scalp, let it sit and rinsed. Then I did it again and agai, and again... about 5 or 6 times. Then I shampooed my scalp with a mix of Dr. Bronner's Castile soap, olive oil and water. I waited 'til the next day to determine if the ACV rinses helped and the itchies are gone! Well, not completely but I think the little itch I do have now is somewhat normal, being that my sclap is not used to so much tension from these braids... So the plan now is to wash with the Dr. Bronner's shampoo mix every other week and cowash with a mix of VO5 Moisture milks conditioner and olive oil on the weeks I don't shampoo. I've also been moisturizing my braids each night with Hawaiian Silky 14 in 1 OR Silken Child moisturizing creme, then sealing with coconut oil. I also oil my scalp with JBCO every other day. I'm still planning on keeping the braids in for 2 months and after I take them out, I'll have to start paying attention to my real hair and dealing with 2 textures as I transition :-)

My Decision to Transition

2010-06-17T18:59:00.000-07:00

So a lot of you who are on Hairlista and/or subscribe to me on YouTube already know this but... I am transitioning back to my natural hair texture now!! I currently have box braids in and when I was getting them in, the braider noticed some short pieces in the back of my head that i hadn't noticed myself. Immediately, I knew it was breakage from the relaxer chemicals. I had been thinking for a couple months prior to this, about going natural but not seriously and not really wanting to. But at the moment I realized that the health of my hair was being compromised from the use of the relaxer, I started to seriously contemplate going back to my roots. Just a few days later, I officially decided to transition and I am so excited and very content with my decision. This marks a new chapter in my Hair Journey. I have found so many fellow Hairlista and KISS sisters out there who are also in the throes of a transition and I'm so thankful that I have the support I need that I wouldn't have at all if I weren't a part of such great online 'hair communities'... I've also seen many, many women online who have done a BC (Big Chop) and most of them wear it very well. But as for myself, I will not be doing a BC at all. So I'll be a long term transitioner because I just don't want to give up my length. I look horrible with short hair!... So I'm looking forward to not only being natural, but to actually going through the journey of the transition :-)

My New Braids :-)

2010-06-11T10:33:00.000-07:00

So I had been wanting to make a change to my hair for a while and I finally figured out what I would do. I decided to get braids and here are the results:

Using up My Oils

2010-05-11T09:16:00.000-07:00

So I have decided to use all of the oils that I have now before buying more. I am in two different oil challenges, including a castor oil challenge and a coconut oil challenge. I have run out of my JBCO and my regular castor oil is almost gone. My coconut oil jar is empty. So really, I have dropped out of those challenges. I'll still do oil treatments but I'll just use the oils I have.
What I have left: Jojoba oil, grapeseed oil, castor oil, macadamia oil, avocado oil and Hot 6 Oil. When I use up all of these oils, I will probably only repurchase 3 or 4 of my faves. I'm not sure exactly which ones yet but we'll see.

Really Soft Hair!!

2010-04-22T21:13:00.000-07:00

OK, so from the title of this post, you know that I'm going to talking about soft hair, right? Well, it's mine!! Here is why my hair is soft right now:
Last night I decided to do a castor oil treatment. I mixed some regular castor oil with a bit of Macadamia nut oil and olive oil, then applied it to all of my hair. Then I put a plastic cap and scarf on and slept overnight with it. In the morning, I got in the shower and rinsed well, then used Hair One Jojoba formula to cleanse. At this point, my hair already had great slip, then I rinsed out the Hair One and applied Suave almond & shea butter conditioner to my hair and finished my shower, then rinsed most of that out. It didn't even feel like I really needed any leave ins! After t-shirt drying, I applied my Giovanni Direct leave in anyway, then my castor oil mix to seal that in. I combed it through and THE SLIP!! It was awesome :-) So I went ahead and put my hair in a loose bun to air dry, and when my hair was about half way dry I let it down to finish drying. A few hours later, my hair still wasn't fully dry, so I sprayed a bit of heat protectant in it and blow dried it the rest of the way. I only had to keep the heat on my hair for about 2 minutes, so It wasn't that much heat. When my hair was fully dry, I moisturized my hair in sections with my trusty HE LTR and sealed with EVCO... Then I finished by oiling my scalp with JBCO. Let me tell you that my hair must be the softest that it's ever been! I love how it feels and it's just great!
Now, I really believe that what helped the softening process the most was the very first step in the whole process: The overnight castor oil treatment. So I will be doing this once a week from now on.

Herbal Essences Long Term Relationship leave in VS Neutrogena Triple Moisture Silk Touch leave in

2010-04-12T06:39:00.000-07:00

I've been a fan of Herbal Essences Long Term Relationship leave in for a long while now and I think I'll always repurchase it. I totally love that stuff. About a week ago, I finally purchased another leave in that I've heard a lot about but hadn't purchased before 'cause I couldn't find it anywhere in town. I finally found it at a local grocery store and decided I had to try it because I've heard of so many ladies who swear by it. It's Neutrogena Triple Moisture Silk Touch leave in. These two leave ins are loved by many and I've seen a lot of discussions on the hair boards about which one is better. Now that I've tried the NTM leave in, I have to give my own opinion on the two. I'll be doing this review based on application to dry hair, not wet.
The HE LTR is more creamy than the NTM leave in and it leaves my hair silky and smooth. The NTM has a nice texture too but the consistency is lighter and it takes a little more to do the job of moisturizing the hair. After moisturizing my hair at night with the HE LTR, the next morning, my hair is very soft and feels smooth. It leaves the hair straighter than the NTM. With the NTM, my hair is a little bit frizzy the next morning. Now, I've used the HE LTR on flat ironed hair and it doesn't revert the texture at all. I haven't used NTM on flat ironed hair so I can't tell you whether it reverts the texture... But it doesn't leave the hair straighter than it was before, like the HE LTR does. Now, they both smell great and I don't think the smell of either of them is better than the other. If I had to choose between the two of these leave ins, I would repurchase the HE LTR over and over. But I think I love both of them and will repurchase both over and over :-) If you've tried both of these products, please let me know which one YOU like more.

Relaxer Day after 21 weeks!

2010-04-05T15:38:00.000-07:00

So... I stretched my relaxer for 21 weeks and today, I finally visited the salon and got my new growth taken care of. I'm so happy 'cause my hair looks so good! My stylist used an Affirm relaxer for color treated hair and this time, I had her leave my ends alone. No trim for me!... And I got bangs! I haven't had bangs since I was like 10 years old when I cut them myself... So I love the bangs and I love the results of the relaxer. I'm also APL now. What I need to work on now, is my ends. I don't have splits, but they're just so thin. I don't know why, but I've never had this problem before. But I''m going to work on thickening my hair up and getting to MBL by the end of December 2010!

Trading Hair Care for Skin Care

2010-03-27T14:41:00.000-07:00

So I was thinking today that as much time I take to care for my hair, my skin should get some action too. I know I don't take care of my skin as much as I do my hair and my skin isn't as healthy as it couls be. I was watching this girl on YouTube and I thought, whoa, she's gorgeous. I mean, I know I'm a beautiful girl. Why don't I look like that too? And I know I could, with the right amount of effort. If all I'm doing is caring for my hair, I'm not caring for and showing off the total package. The only problem: As much money as I spend on hair products, I don't have very much money left over for skin care, so I just use whatever. Poor skin! It's being neglected and now I feel bad about that. So what I'm going to work on doing is this: Spend a lot less money on hair care and use the money I save to purchase products I need for my skin. Now, I won't actually be neglecting my hair or even be using lesser quality products. There are definitely lower cost hair care products out there than I'm using that will maintain the health of my hair just as well. I thought I'd blog about this because I didn't want this thought to be fleeting and something I forget about. I'm vowing to take better care of my skin!

Current challenge & 2010 Hair Goals

2010-03-19T17:31:00.000-07:00

Let me start off by saying that I've always wanted long hair. I never really knew or really believed that I could actually obtain it until a few years ago when I found the hair forums that I now frequent. My hair has been a lot healthier since I learned how to care for it and it's longer than I remember it ever being. Now this year, my goal is to grow my hair to Mid Back Length. I believe I'll be able to make it by the end of December. And I'm not crossing my fingers or hoping for it to happen, I'm being proactive. Besides my regular hair routine, I'm going on a 6 month challenge that I started on 3/15/10. The challenge is simple enough. I'm going to be wearing buns each week Monday through Friday. On the weekends, I'll allow myself to wear my hair however I want. This challenge is one I joined on KISS, so I'll have a lot of support and encouragement when I need it. My ultimate hair goal is to reach Waist Length, so I'm ready to employ whatevr tactic and regimen I need to get there.

My Regimen

2010-03-19T17:16:00.000-07:00

So I was thinking... I know I don't blog that often and It's been a while since my last post. I wasn't sure what to blog about this time, but then I realized I've never even posted my full regimen! It's been changed up a lot in the past month or so but as of now, I have a regimen that works really well for me so here it is:

Shampoo once a week on Saturdays
Cowash once a week on wednesdays
Overnight prepoo with conditioner & oil mix before shampoos
Overnight coconut oil treatment before cowashes
Moisturize and seal every night
Buns Monday through Friday
Oil massage scalp every other night
Supplements: MSM, Biotin, Fish Oil

Pretty simple, huh? Works great for me! I'm not stating any specific products here because I rotate a lot and my staples arent really established, though there are a few products that I repurchase regularly.

JBCO Update

2010-03-09T14:12:00.000-08:00

So It's been a while since I posted my Jamaican Black Castor Oil review. A fellow blogger left a comment, asking me if I have a new verdict on the product ( Hey, Makeup Vixen ;-) ) Well, to let you all know, I haven't used the oil in a while. It's been at least a month since I applied it to my scalp. I really like it but I found that it was weighing my hair down... But I think I was using too much. I was using a dropper to apply it and I think that method wasn't the best. If I decide to start using it on my scalp again, I will use an applicator bottle with a pointed tip. As far as other uses of the oil, I have used it in my moisturizing DC's and I love it that way. Mixed with Silk Elements Mega Cholesterol, it's perfect. When I mixed the JBCO with my DC, I applied it to dry hair and left it in overnight. In the morning, I just rinsed it out, applied my leave ins, and styled. It made my hair very soft and smooth and I will continue to use it this way... JBCO is still a staple for me and I will be ordering another couple of bottles soon :-)

My Current Stretch

2010-02-27T13:41:00.000-08:00

Well, I haven't posted in a long while, so I'll give an update of how my hair is doing and what I've been doing with it... I'm 16 weeks post and totally loving this stretch! My new growth is really soft and tame. I know it's there but it almost doesn't feel like it. The worst part is the baby hairs around my edges. They've always been so annoying to me!
OK, so what I've been doing to make my new growth so soft: I have made a couple changes to my regimen but most of what I do hasn't changed. I'm only going to be using shampoo once a month to clarify and inbetween, I'm cleansing once a week with Hair One cleansing conditioner. This stuff is awesome! It makes my scalp tingle and leaves it feeling clean and refreshed... Now, mid-week I deep condition overnight with a moisturizing DC mixed with oils and rinse in the morning. I don't shampoo or cowash, I just rinse it out and apply me leave ins, then airdry. As far as moisturizing goes, I don't do it every day, just as often as I need to, which usually is 2-3 times a week. I've also been baggying my whole head 2 times a week and this has really kept my hair very soft and moisturized. Oh, and each week after I cleanse with the Hair One, I use ORS Hair Mayo, which is my favorite protein conditioner. This has really helped keep the shedding at a minimum... So I'm not sure how long this stretch will last but I'm predicting another month will go by before the relaxer touches this mane... I'll let you all know how it goes :-)

Results of purple hair dye

2010-02-02T11:19:00.000-08:00

I want purple hair!!

2010-01-31T13:39:00.000-08:00

I decided that I'm going to dye my hair again! My last color experience was about 2 months ago so I'd say I'm good to go :-) Last time, I dyed my hair from a box and it was supposed to come out bright burgundy. It didn't take like I wanted it to. It was a permanent color but this time I want to do semi or demi permanant... And the color I want is... Purple!! I want my hair color to be just like the shade on the model above, so I'm going to Sally's and looking there. Hope it turns out the way I want it to. I have faith, but I could also use a bit of luck! Wish me some ;-)

JBCO Review

2010-01-17T08:04:00.000-08:00

So I finally decided to order some Jamaican Black Castor Oil. Over the past 3 years I have been on my hair journey, I have heard so many good things about this product. I had never tried it before because I was using the regular cold pressed castor oil and I thought it was good enough. I didn't really believe that JBCO could really be too different. Mixing the regular castor oil in my DCs and prepoos left my hair so soft and strong. I even tried applying castor oil to my scalp a couple of times, but I found it to be too messy, so I stopped doing that.
Now what got me to order the JBCO? Well, I was on Hairlista one day a couple weeks ago and I saw a discussion about JBCO being "the truth". I looked at it and there was a before and after picture showing how this woman grew her edges back with it. The comparison pics were nothing short of amazing! In the before pic, her edges were almost all the way bald, back past her hair line about an inch. Now in the after pic, her hair was thick, fully grown back and looking very healthy. To tell you the truth, for a second, I almost didn't believe what I saw! I, myself don't have any problems with hair loss but I do want my hair to grow faster, especially because I want my hair to reach MBL ( Mid Back Length ) by the end of 2010.
When I got my JBCO in the mail, I was so excited to use it. After moisturizing and sealing on dry hair, I applied it to my scalp with a dropper (a lot easier this way) and massaged it in. Let me tell you, I instantly liked it, actually loved it! And this is a first. Going onto my scalp, it felt good: soothing. The texture of it is thick but smooth. A lot of people complain about the smell, but I instantly loved that about it too. It's sort of smoky, like charred wood but not too strong. The next day when I brushed my hair, the oil from my scalp was distributed through my hair too and it was so soft and smooth. This will be a keeper. Can we say staple?!
Though I love the JBCO, I still use the regular castor oil as well. I'll still be adding it to prepoos and DC's and mixing it with other oils for hot oil treatments. The JBCO is a lot more expensive than regular castor oil, so I'll mostly just be using it on my scalp 2X a week. I will try it in a DC at least once though.
As I see more results, I'll keep you all updated :-)

A great cowash and DC experience

2010-01-10T08:23:00.000-08:00

I want to share this cowash experience with y'all because it's the best I've had so far. And I've done a lot of cowashing!
First, I prepooed overnight with coconutoil alone. I just scooped it out of the jar and smoothed it onto my hair and scalp, massaging it in. I put a plastic cap and scarf over it and slept that way.
In the morning, I got in the shower and rinsed out as much of the coconut oil as would come out. My hair already felt silky soft and detangled!
Then I applied my VO5 Moisture Milks conditioner and massaged it through my hair and scalp. I put on a plastic cap until the end of my shower and rinsed.
After getting out of the shower, I towel dried my hair and applied a DC I had mixed up.
My DC contained: Hydrolage hydrating balm conditioner, Lekair Cholesterol Plus, macadamia nut oil, and vegetable glycerin.
The texture of this mix was very creamy. Going on my hair, it felt so smooth and I even detangled it a bit as I applied it. The slip was really great! I put a plastic cap and a towel on to trap in the heat and left it in my hair for at least 40 minutes. It may have even been an hour, I don't totally remember, but I got in the shower to rinse it out and OMG, not one tangle! My hair was so soft as I rinsed it out!
The next step I took was to do an ACV rinse: I poured over my hair, a mixture of 2 cups of water and a 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar and rinsed that out.
Finally, I used a t-shirt to dry my hair and applied my Herbal Essences Long Term Relationship leave in and sealed with avocado oil.
Now, usually after I apply my leave in and oil, I need to detangle with a comb, but this time there was no need for a comb at all!! Throughout this whole process, at no point did a comb touch my hair. All I needed to do was a little finger combing and my fingers just glided right through my hair.
I'm so loving my hair!

YouTube!

2009-12-18T11:20:00.000-08:00

I made my first YouTube video!

Argan Oil Review

2009-12-09T11:50:00.000-08:00

I've been hearing a lot of good things about Argan oil & have been wanting to try it for a while. So I finally went to Sally's and bought a bottle of the One 'n Only brand. It's derived from Moroccan Argan trees and claims to add instant shine & smoothness, provide frizz control and color protection. Let me tell you, this stuff is amazing! I'd say it's sort of like a mix between an oil and a serum. All you need to use is just a very small amount and it leaves the hair so soft and smooth. It's just great! So far, I've only used the Argan oil two different ways. I sealed with it after applying a leave-in conditioner on damp hair, and I've used it on dry hair at night to maintain flat ironed hair. My hair air dried a lot softer and my flat ironed hair kept that silky smooth feel for days... And as an added bonus, the smell is very pleasant. It didn't leave my hair greasy or oily one bit. I definitely recommend this product to anyone. It is now a staple of mine 'cause this stuff is the truth!

Salon experience leads me to learn even more about my hair & my decision to self trim!

2009-11-18T16:54:00.000-08:00

Recently I got my hair relaxed at the end of a 5 month stretch. I was going to wait until I was 6 months post relaxer but I just didn't wanna deal with my new growth anymore. It was getting really annoying! So my relaxer experience was actually one of my best ever. My stylist uses Affirm for color treated hair on me. There was no burning or tingling at all. YAY! And my hair came out super straight and perfectly processed... But here comes the trim! Oh Lord! ... OK, it wasn't That Bad, I'm just being a little dramatic ;-) But anyway, my hair grows in an uneven way and the sides are a lot longer than the middle. After the relaxer was over and she got it straight with the blow dryer, my hair was full APL and i was totally loving the length... but only for about 2 minutes :-( I wanted my hair to be even and I was contemplating letting her make it all one length. I told her this and she said one thing: "It will be healthy." So I let her cut it. So this did turn out to be a cut, not just a trim because she took off about an inch. Now I'm just disappointed, but it will grow back fast enough :-) So, On to what I've learned... One thing is to know exactly what I want when I go into the salon and not let the stylist sway my decision! Now, I also know that I'm going to just let the middle of my hair that grows slower, catch up with the sides. No more contemplation on that decision... And I'm going to trim my own hair from now on! I never thought I would do this because I was afraid that I would really jack it up but I've gotten advice about it and watched some videos on self-trimming, so I'm confident that I can do it. But I'm gonna wait about another 3 months to trim again... I also have learned more about caring for my ends. Dry, frizzy ends are repairable if they're not split and I wasn't so sure of that before because my ends seemed to always look a little crunchy. But I started moisturizing more often and using a heavier oil to seal with. I was just using olive oil to seal with before and it wasn't keeping my ends moisturized. So I mixed 2 parts castor oil with 1 part olive oil and it's the perfect sealant for me... Oh yeah, and about a day after I got my relaxer, my scalp started to get a really bad irritated itch and I had to do something about it because it was driving me crazy! So I started massaging coconut oil into my scalp. The itching went away and coconut oil, massaged into the scalp is also good for hair growth. So I'm on a roll here and I'm really loving my hair, y'all!
Stay tuned to hear more of my hair experiences. I know this can't be all there is to learn and I love to share hair knowledge! I'll keep you posted ;-)

Washing In the sink/tub = Serious TANGLES

2009-10-25T13:32:00.000-07:00

So my hair is getting longer and I'm almost @ APL. YAY! :-) I am so happy about this because it took so long to get to this point... For the longest, I've been washing my hair in the shower, getting out & getting dressed, then applying my DC and rinsing with my head flipped over in the tub. I was starting to notice a lot more tangles than I used to get and it would be harder to get them out, even after applying my leave-in conditioner. On my last wash day, I remembered having read something someone else had written about this same topic. It was either Traycee (from KISS) or Sunshyne (from Hairlista)... So after I got out of the shower, having shampooed my hair, I towel dried & applied my DC. I waited 30 minutes like I always do, but this time, I got back in the shower (upright, of course :-)) to rinse it out. My hair was so much smoother and had a lot less tangles. This is a small change in my regimen that I'm going to stick with because the results made a big difference :-)

My small hair epiphanies :-)

2009-09-21T16:29:00.000-07:00

OK, so I was on Hairlista for hours the other day and I was also watching a lot of YouTube hair vids. I think I was subconsiously determined to figure something out that I didn't already know. So I happened to be browsing Hairlista's video section and I came across Sunshyne's video about how she moisturizes and seals. A simple enough procedure, right? Well, turns out I still didn't have that one down after being on my hair journey for about 2 1/2 years. I had actually watched her moisturizing and sealing video a long time ago (and favorited it! go figure...) but I didn't take to practice how she does it. This time I realized, hey... I usually don't section my hair at all when i moisturize. I just glop the product on and seal with too much oil on top of that... Then my hair is always a little too oily and I'm wondering why! Turns out, I had just washed my hair that morning and it had just finished air drying. Time to mousturize! So I went to moisturize, right? But this time, I didn't wanna use either of my two favorite moisturizers ( you'll see which ones they are if you go read my previous blog on them ;-) ... So I decided that I wanted to give Silk Elements moisturizing leave in creme aone more chance. This one had been sitting around on my desk, unused for a while. Following Sunshyne's method, I parted my hair in sections and began to apply a very small amount of moisturizer to each section, starting at the ends and working my way up. After applying the moisturizer, I seal with just a little oil, not too much. This time I used Africa's Best Herbal oil. Another product I had set aside for a while. When I was done with those steps and my hair was all moisturized and sealed up nicely, I was feeling a lot better about my hair. It felt so soft and perfectly moisturized... Then I came across yet another video of Sunshyne's that I had previously watched and ignored: How she ties her hair up at night. Another thing that just sounds so simple, right? I had been putting my hair up every night for the longest in a tight bun with bobby pins (ouch!, I know...). I didn't want to do that anymore so I decided to try her method and tada! It worked so well. The next morning, I woke up with light, moisturized and virtually creaseless hair... Sooo, I really wanted to share this because I feel a lot better about moisturizing and sealing as well as the way my hair looks in the morning because I tried Sunshyne's way of tying it up at night. I've posted both videos below, if y'all need help in this too :-)

Find more videos like this on HAIRLISTA INC. Healthy Hair Network

Thoughts on my regimen & products

2009-09-18T11:12:00.000-07:00

These are my recent thoughts on my current products and regimen, as well as products I want to try:

Shampoos: Currently, I am using Healthy Sexy Hair chocolate soymilk shampoo once a week. I found it at TJ Maxx and bought it for 2 reasons: It smells amazing and it has no sulfates. I'm also using ORS creamy aloe shampoo once a month as a clarifier. I'm satisfies with both but once I run out of the Healthy Sexy Hair shampoo, I'm going to buy something different. I want to try Elasta QP creme conditioning shampoo.
Deep conditioners: I am running out of moisturizing DC's! The only one I have left is Elasta QP DPR-11. I don't like it alone so I mix it with olive oil and it's great. The ones I recently ran out of are Silicon Mix, Silk Elements Megasilk moisturizing treatment, GVP conditioning balm and... Hmm, can't think of what else I had but when I go out and buy more I'm going to try the Silk Elements mega cholesterol. A lot of ladies on Hairlista love it an I've never used it so I'ma try it. I love the SE megasilk so I'm gonna decide for myself which one is better.
Leave in conditioners: Herbal Essences Long-Term relationship leave in is really good. It smells great and does a good job of detangling and moisturizing after a wash. I also have Cantu shea butter leave in cnditioning repair cream. It's good but I probably won't buy it again because I had to order it off the net. I'll probably continue to use just the HE LTR. I've heard good things about other leave ins such as Neutrogena's Silk Touch but it's a bit too expensive. Not horribly, but I'll just stick with the LTR 'cause it's much cheaper and I have no complaints.
Oils: Coconut oil, olive oil, jojoba oil, grapeseed oil, castor oil and vitamin E oil are what I have right now. I need to re-up on all of these very soon. Except for the grapeseed oil. I have a good amount of that left. I hardly use it. The castor oil, I use in my prepoos and I love it. The others, I use to mix with certain conditioners or to seal with.
Moisturizers: I did another blog about my 2 favorite moisturizers: Elasta QP Mango butter and ORS olive oil hair lotion. I love both of these moisturizers but the mango butter is a protien moisturizer so I don't use it all of the time. It also comes in a very small jar so it goes fast. And I had to order it off the net so if I do purchase this again, it won't be soon... And as for the ORS olive oil lotion, I just realized that it has petroleum and mineral oil in it. I was on Hairlista and came across a discussion in which several ladies said they hate it. I know, to each her own but I want something that works for me but also has no taboo ingredients in it... I also have SE moisturizer and I haven't used that in a while so I'm going to give that another go to see how it works on my hair, dry.
My home made spritz: Aloe vera gel, glycerin and rose water is what I lightly spray my hair with before I apply my moisturizer on dry hair. I love it! I got the idea from Traycee on KISS. It's a keeper :-)
Oh yeah, can't forget these!: My protien deep conditioners! I use ORS hair mayo for protien about every 2-3 weeks. I like it a lot mixed with a bit of olive oil and vitamin E oil. But I like Lekair cholesterol plus a lot too. I've always used it to prepoo with, mixed with castor oil. Never have I used it to DC after a wash. I'll probably stop using the ORS hair mayo all together and just add a couple eggs and some oil to the Lekair for my protien DC's. Just because the ORS is $10 compared to the $2 I pay for the Lekair.
Other products: Hollywood Beauty castor oil, raw shea butter, and VO5 conditioner. The HBCO, i use to seal. It has a really nice smell and holds in moisture really well. As for the shea butter, I don't know if I'll continue to purchase it because it's a little expensive and I don't really use it much anymore. I was using it to moisturize for a while and was mixing it with certain oils and even Aloe vera gel. It;s just too thick and I don't feel any benefits for my hair that I can't get from other products... And the VO5! I love it :-) I use it both for cowashes and prepoos.

SO... this is my general regimen and list of products. As I've stated, certain things will be changed and new products will be added. If any of you have suggestions and/or questions, please don't hesitate to leave comments :-)

My favorite moisturizers :-)

2009-09-13T10:51:00.000-07:00

Elasta QP Mango butter is the bomb y'all! I've been using this for a while now and I loved it from the very first time I used it. It's water based and doesn't leave a greasy feel at all. It also has a lot of really good ingredients in it that I really love; Such as coconut oil, olive oil, mango butter & cocoa butter. The only thing I don't like about it is not a problem with the product itself. I couldn't find it anywhere in my area so I had to order it online. Beauty of New York is a great site and I ordered it from there (beautyofnewyork.com)... And the cost isn't the best but it's totally worth it for what you get. I'll say I paid about $5 for 4.6 ounces. I do wish they made bigger jars though because if this is the only moisturizer you use, it goes fast... OOOH! And how could I forget to say that it smells AMAZING! I adore good smells and this one is really nice but not too strong.

And my second favorite moisturizer is also really nice. I actually just happened to buy this because I was going out of town for a few weeks and didn't want to bring along the Mango Butter & use it all up when I was there. I had heard A LOT of good things about the Organic Root Stimulator line of products and have used and continue to stick with their Hair Mayo. So I went out and bought the Olive oil Incredibly Rich oil moisturizing hair lotion. When I bought it, I wasn't sure if it was going to be too heavy but it turns out to be a nice consistency that I love. It's not too greasy but a little goes a long way. This one smells nice too and has good ingredients that I like as well.

If I run out of the Elasta QP and am not able to get a new jar right away, I'll have my back up (got the ORS hair lotion right in town at Target) and that will leave me with a good moisturizer until I can get my hands back on my #1! I have it all figured out :-)

Now that I KNOW my hair, I LOVE my hair!

2009-09-11T14:39:00.001-07:00

Hey, it's know it's been soooo long since I've posted and I really did neglect my blog... But I really didn't want to abandon it forever so I decided now to post a new entry.
I have learned so much about hair care and maintenance since I stumbled upon a few different sites as well as some YouTube vids. The first site that I came across was K.I.S.S. I don't recall exactly when it was when I found it but it was eyeopening and the start of informed, healthy hair care for me.
I learned about what my hair needs, how to treat it, how to get it to the healthy state it's in now and a lot of different things I could do to keep it healthy. One thing I learned that I didn't believe was possible before: I CAN get it to the length I want it to be!
A little info about me when I was a kid: I HATED MY HAIR! You may think I'm being a bit dramatic with the use of caps on that statement but really, I'm being truthful... And HATE is not too strong a word, it's accurate. I remember begging my mom to allow me to get a relaxer & @ around 9 years old, she finally let me. How excited was I? Very! ... So I get the relaxer, right... And I loved the results. My hair was as straight as can be and actually silky for the first time. Probably the next day, I was over it and and back to wishing I had someone else's hair. My hair type is 3b and I really wanted "white girls' hair". No matter what anyone did to my hair, I still hated it.
So since coming across K.I.S.S and haircare videos on YouTube, and more recently, Hairlista, I have come to actually love my hair and that is a big relief, believe me. Prepoos, sulfate-free shampoos, moisturizing and sealing, frequent deep condition treatments, stretching between relaxers, being as gentle as possible with my hair and everything else I've learned has gotten me healthy hair and has helped me to accept my hair as a part of my Self and given me more self-esteem :-)

Just did the avocado treatment and...

2009-06-24T09:54:00.000-07:00

So I finally tried the avocado hair treatment today. I've been wanting to do it for a while now & I finally got the ingredients together. Here's what I used: One ripe avocado, some honey, olive oil and coconut milk. I didn't use any specific measurements, I just put as much of each ingredient as I thought should be in there. I blended it all together in the blender and the consistency was nice and creamy. Though if I do this treatment again I'll use more honey & maybe a little less coconut milk to make it thicker.
After cowashing with VO5, I applied the avocado mix to my towel dried hair as a DC with just my hands. I then covered my hair with a plastic cap and a towel, leaving it in for 30 minutes. When I went to rinse using cool water, my hair was tangled & not so soft. Maybe if I had combed the mixture through my hair after applying it would've been better but I didn't do that cuz I thought it would've been too messy.
Next, I towel dried and applied some Cantu Shea Butter leave in repair cream and it softened & detangled my hair right away. So I combed it through and put a little serum just on the ends, then put it in a low bun. That's all, very simple.
Overall, I think it was a good treatment that I will try again. Just next time, I plan to measure the ingredients differently next time. About the smell... At first I thought it was weird. Not really strong but a little unpleasant. After I rinsed it out and used the Cantu leave in cream, I really liked it. The two scents go well together.
This is also the first time I used the Cantu leave in cream & I'm really liking it right now but I'll wait 'til I've used it a few more times to do a review.

General hair update

2009-06-19T06:46:00.000-07:00

So I finally ordered some hair products that I've been lusting after for some time & I'm excited about their arrival. Can't wait 'til they get here!
Anyway, the products I ordered are Elasta QP DPR-11 deep penetrating remoisturizer, Elasta QP mango butter, Cantu shea butter leave in conditioning repair cream, Avanti silicon mix hair treatment & Lekair cholesterol plus hair strengthening conditioner.
I've wanted the mango butter for forever, ever since I first got on KISS & Traycee was raving about it. The DPR-11 is a conditioner that I've wanted for a while as well. Another product a lot of the KISS ladies like a lot. Lekair cholesterol is a product that I've used before, purchased from Wal Mart. Cantu shea butter leave in and Silicon mix are also products raved about on KISS and I've finally got around to ordering.
Another thing I want to mention is the hair color I wanted to get. I was going to have my hair dyed a really light brown, almost blond caramel color. I called a few salons in my area just to price how much it would be & every estimate was over $100 and I'm just not willing to pay that much. Though maybe it's a good thing because of course bleaching & coloring the hair is a very damaging thing to do. My hair is very healthy though.
I also wanted to let it be known that I have started applying castor oil to my scalp 2x a week to speed up my growth process. I just started doing this so I haven't seen any results yet but I have faith that it will work. What I do is I part my hair in sections and apply the castor oil to my scalp with an applicator bottle. Then I massage it into my scalp for atleast 5 minutes then put it up. That's all there is to it!
As my progress comes with the castor oil, I'll post more updates & when I start using the products I ordered I'll do some reviews. TTYL ;-)

Avocado hair mask

2009-06-10T14:14:00.000-07:00

Hey!
I was online this morning when I woke up and I wandered over to YouTube. I was watching some hair videos and I decided to search for an avocado hair treatment. I don't remember what I was thinking that lead to this search but I found a lot of Avocado deep conditioner and treatment videos. I'm definitely going to try one sometime soon! The ingredients are very moisturizing: One avocado, olive or jojoba oil, and water. That's all! But instead of water, I'm gonna use coconut milk. I've never used coconut milk before for anything but someone posted the suggestion under one of the vids and it sounded good to me so I'm running with it. Looks very moisturizing... Also, avocados do have protein in them so it's a strengthening treatment as well as moisturizing. I'm not sure when I'll do it but when I do, I'll let y'all know how it turned out :-)

Perm day :-)

2009-06-08T14:15:00.000-07:00

I got a relaxer retouch after a 4 month stretch and i feel so fresh! My stylist used an Affirm relaxer for color treated hair and it turned out very well. She rinsed it out just a little early because my scalp was getting really irritated but my hair turned out straight and it's not under processed so I'm happy with the results... And she used a product in my hair that I really like now. Carol's Daughter Healthy Hair Butter. I need to use a product on my hair more than just once or twice to decide if I wanna go out and buy it but at least my initial reaction to it was good.... So those are my thoughts on my retouch and here are a couple pics for you...

Time for a change of color

2009-06-06T13:05:00.000-07:00

Hey!
I've wanted to get my hair dyed a lighter color for a while now. At first I was thinking blond but I decided naaah, that won't work on me. Maybe it would look good but I really just don't wanna risk the damage... But I do want a color change and since summer is right around the corner, it's the perfect time to do it! This picture of Leona Lewis is just how I want my hair color to look. Celebrities drastically change their hair color all the time without problems so why not me, right? I do take very good care of my hair so it's very healthy so I don't think it will be a problem. Of course I am getting a relaxer touchup so I'll need to wait until two weeks after that to do it. I can't wait! I know I'm gonna love it. I just need to find someone who is experienced with hair color and really knows what they're doing. The stylist who's gonna do my touch up is really good but I don't know how she is with color... Actually, I went to her a few weeks back to tell her that I want it lightened and she advised me against it. She said, being that I have a relaxer and a previous color treatment (though it was months ago), I shouldn't get it done. At first I said I wasn't gonna do it but I've got my mind made up! I'm definitely not doing it myself. That would just be crazy... So I need to find somewhere to go. I'll be looking... I just hope I don't have to dish out too much money!

Relaxer Prep

2009-06-06T09:58:00.001-07:00

Hey!
So I have an appointment with my hairdresser on Monday to get a relaxer retouch & I am so excited! It's been a 4 month stretch so I can't wait to get this mess under control... I wanna see how long my hair is after the new growth is straightened out but I might get like an inch or two cut off to even out the length. Right now I'm almost APL (armpit length).
So today I just got my hair prepared for the relaxer. It would've been my regular shampoo day but I decided to just do a cowash since my perm is only 2 days away. First of all, I prepooed overnight with honey, jojoba oil, grapeseed oil, Lekair Cholesterol and a conditioner I just bought for the first time called Alba Mango Moisturizing conditioner. I put on a plastic cap and a bandana to cover it and slept on it. This morning in the shower I rinsed that out & applied Pantene Beautiful Lengths conditioner then massaged it thru. I put on a plastic cap and at the end of my shower, rinsed it all out. Then when I got out of the shower and towel dried my hair I did a DC with Organic Root stimulator hair Mayonnaise. I left it in for 30 minutes with a plastic cap and a towel to trap the heat so it would penetrate better. After I rinsed it out and towel dried I applied a leave-in conditioner (right now I'm using Herbal Essences Break's Over). Then I used Silk Elements Megasilk moisturizing cream. Lastly, I used this oil I just bought called Alba Kukui Nut Body oil. I just combed all that through and put my hair in a bun at the nape of my neck and now it's airdrying.
About the ORS hair mayo: When I first bought it, I really didn't like it because I felt like it didn't leave my hair feeling very soft. I'm glad I gave it another chance because after this use, my hair does feel stronger. I probably will buy it again.
So that's my relaxer prep routine and tomorrow and Monday before my perm appointment I'm going to manipulate my hair as little as possible to avoid irritation from the chemicals.

Intro to my Temple of Beauty

2009-06-05T13:42:00.000-07:00

Hello readers!
I have been a really big beauty enthusiast for a long time. Actually, for as long as I can remember! Though particularly when it comes to hair. When I was like, 10 years old I would get my allowance and buy my own shampoo and conditioner. On one particular occasion I bought some Herbal Essences that I had been lusting after... LOL.
The funny thing is that I never actually liked my own hair at all until very recently. I would always have someone else who would be my hair idol for a time. My childhood best friend had hair that flowed down past her booty and I don't think I ever got very far past shoulder length.
Very recently i started taking care of my hair & loving it for what it is and can be. I can now say that I actually LOVE my hair and I'm happy about that. I've learned a lot about hair since I discovered the internet hair care forums. And oh yeah, how could I forget my magazine obsession! LOL... I don't consider it an obsession anymore, it's more so just my main source of entertainment; I also have a lot of information stored away in my brain from reading magazines. It's like a huge unorganized library up in there! I'm sure that as I add to this blog, I'll gradually organize and add to my mental library. So look for a lot of new posts to be coming very soon! My hair and beauty thoughts as well as product reviews....Stay tuned :-)