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Thursday, June 30, 2011

How to Do Mini-Twists on Natural Hair (Without Driving Yourself Crazy!)




I might have to try this. She makes it look simple. I love the look of mini twist.

Hair reciepe's



Spritz Recipes

Moisturizing

1 tbs. oil (olive, avocado, grapeseed, sweet almond)

2 tbs. light conditioner

½ cup water

Mix ingredients in a spray bottle and shake well. Spray onto twists and braids for softness and sheen.

LEAVE- IN CONDITIONER

Kimmaytube’s Leave-in Conditioner

1 oz Knot Today Leave-In (or 2 tablespoons of YOUR preferred leave-in)
2 tablespoons of (Whole leaf version) Aloe Vera Juice with a pH 4.0 or 4.5
2 teaspoons of Castor Oil (optional. I sometimes do without it)
2 teaspoons of Jojoba Oil
Mix well.

Conditioning Recipes

Honey

3 tbs. honey

¼ cup olive oil

Warm the honey in your microwave for about 20 to 30 seconds. Mix in the oil. Work a small amount at a time through your hair until it is coated. Leave on 30 minutes. Shampoo and rinse well.

Cucumber

2 tbs. olive oil

1 egg

¼ cucumber, peeled and pureed

Herbal

1 tsp. honey

1 egg

3 drops rosemary oil

¼ cup almond or coconut oil

Put the egg in a bowl and beat in honey. Pour this mixture into the top of a double boiler. Stir the mixture until it is warm and creamy. Remove from the stove. Once the mixture is cool, slowly add the oil and stir until completely blended. Work the mixture through your hair and leave on for a minimum of 15 to 30 minutes. Shampoo and rinse well.

Egg

1 tbs. honey

1 egg yolk

½ tsp. almond oil

1 tbs. yogurt

Mix all ingredients together until well blended. Apply to your hair and leave on for at least 30 minutes. Shampoo and rinse well.

Treatments

Strengthening

1 egg white

5 tbs. plain unflavored yogurt

Beat the egg white until it is foamy. Fold in the yogurt. Apply the mixture to your hair in small sections at a time. Leave on for 15 minutes. Rinse well and follow with a leave in conditioner.

Growth

¼ cup vitamin E oil

¼ cup castor or jojoba oil

A few drops rosemary oil

A few drops peppermint oil

This treatment includes ingredients that help promote hair growth. You can use a little bit each night if you shampoo or use a clarifying mixture at least a few times a week to avoid clogged hair follicles. Mix the ingredients in a small container and gently massage a small amount onto the desired areas.

Hot Oil

¼ cup olive or oil

1 tbs. regular conditioner

This simple hot oil treatment can be used weekly or monthly. If your hair is over-processed or extremely damaged, start by using it twice a week. Combine the ingredients in a saucepan and warm over medium heat until the mixture is fully combined and warm, about 5 minutes. Once the oil is cool enough to touch, work it

Scalp Scrub

1 tbs. brown sugar

3 tbs. regular conditioner

Massaging your scalp on a regular basis stimulates oil production and can help reduce the dryness of your hair. Stir the sugar into the conditioner and apply the mixture to a damp scalp. Massage into your scalp using small circular motions to gently exfoliate. Shampoo and rinse well.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Economy of Style: Hair Story Part IV

I've been seeing this alot lately it seems. I have felt with my few extra inches...whew this is alot of work. Not to mention Im not sure how much sense it makes to have long hair but have to keep it locked away 95% of the time in order to keep it healthy.
I DO miss wash n go in 10 mins. simple style options and hair staying wherever you put it.

As bad as I want to loc its nice to see you can undo them without going bald.

Economy of Style: Hair Story Part IV: "In the last few years, I have made some major and sometimes spontaneous changes to my hair.  Many of you have noticed and I have received a ..."

Love Potion #9: The Recipe of Oils I Use to Moisturize my Hair

Love Potion #9: The Recipe of Oils I Use to Moisturize my Hair

I just found this blog...yet something else I want to make. I really need to stop.


"I have found my dream concoction that works in moisturizing my strands and I am holding on steadfast. You may have found a mix that works well for you but if you haven’t or maybe you are just up to trying something new, here is the recipe for my Love Potion #9.

½ cup of Extra Virgin Coconut Oil

1/4th cup of Jojoba Oil

3 tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 tsp of Castor Oil

3 drops of Rosemary Oil

Tip: To mix the oils with ease since coconut oil is of a hard consistency if not warmed. Boil about 2 cups of water in a small pot. Once water has boiled wait 2 minutes to cool for a bit and place your sturdy plastic container in the pot till the oils liquify and then freeze till oils are of hard or desired consistency :)

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Coily Cafe: What's in Your Kitchen?: Lemons

Coily Cafe: What's in Your Kitchen?: Lemons: "When life gives you lemons make lemonade...for your hair! We know that hint of lemon in our hair or on our skin makes you feel fresh, zesty,..."
Oily hair? Most of us don't have this problem but if you do, you can create a shampoo of sorts to rid of this problem. Add the juice of two lemons to a quart of water. Stir the mixture. The lemon hair rinse will help to reduce the excess oil in the hair. Lemon juice will also improve hair growth and reduce dandruff.

How-To: Oil Rinse and Why You Should « Clutch Magazine

How-To: Oil Rinse and Why You Should « Clutch Magazine

Try an oil rinse to lock in your hair’s moisture, increase shine, soften hair follicles, promote growth and ease the detangling process.

Follow these steps to oil rinse and you’ll be on your way to stronger, longer hair.

1-Wash your hair with shampoo. If you are only co-washing, rinse your hair ensuring it’s completely wet.

2- Part hair into four sections (or more depending on hair’s thickness and length).

3- Saturate hair and scalp with the oil of your choice. Don’t be fooled by fancy products and packaging, take it back to basics with natural products from the pantry like jojoba oil, meadow foam seed oil, avocado oil, amla oil, argan oil, and coconut oil, which are all great mixed together or used singularly. (You can use an application bottle if you mix multiple oils together.)

4- Using the tips of your fingers gently massage the oil from root-to-tip stroking in a downward motion.

5-Cover hair with a plastic cap and leave the oil on hair for a minimum of 45 minutes to an hour (You can decide on a longer length of time at your own discretion.)

6- Detangle hair using a wide-tooth comb or a Denman brush and rinse the oil in hot water.

7- Follow-up with your regular conditioner. Rinse out with cool water to remove oil residue.

This sounds like a good idea. Ill have to try it.

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Lemongrass Cleanser

Lemongrass Cleanser

i want to try this
Lemongrass is an herb used in Thai and Vietnamese cooking. Make a hair rinse using 2-3 teaspoons dried herbs (or 3 times as much fresh herbs) with 1 cup of boiling water. Let it steep for 15 minutes, strain out the herbs and use it as a hair wash or rinse (before conditioning unless you have oily hair) when it has cooled. Add a teaspoon of vegetable glycerin as a humectant, if you like.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

year 2-3

DAY 1 (AM): ShidaNatural's 7-day "CG" Program (for summer)... Define Cur...



ShidaNatural* Natural Hair Care & Styling on you tube.
Subscribe to this woman. Her knowledge and detailed videos are amazing!!

Curly Nikki | Natural Hair Styles and Curly Hair Care: The Art of Sealing- Natural Hair

Curly Nikki | Natural Hair Styles and Curly Hair Care: The Art of Sealing- Natural Hair: "by Reignelle of Reignelle.com You will be applying these in layers to the length of your hair. Its optimal to seal on your wash days, whe..."

1. Start with wet hair.
Water is the only true form of moisture, if water is not present, neither is moisture.

2. Apply a leave-in, moisturizer or creme.
Try Direct Leave-In or your favorite water based leave-in. Avoid products that claim to moisturize, but have petroleum or mineral oil in the first five ingredients.

3. Apply a top coat of an oil or butter.
Olive Oil, Grapeseed Oil, and Coconut Oil, and Raw Shea or Mango butter are all great choices and can be found in most health food stores such as Whole Foods or Trader Joes.
Found in most Beauty Supply Stores, Elasta QP Mango Butter is also a great choice!

I prefer a light oil like grapeseed. It doesn't weigh my hair down, break out my skin, or leave me feeling "oily".

Applying oil or a thick hair butter, keeps the moisturizing products within the hair strand. This is the most important step.

4. Style as Normal.
Maybe try a protective style if you are looking to grow out your hair.

This has also made the world of difference for me in the past few months. It seems so simple...basic knowledge but ummm..I had no clue!

Quick but simple style tutorial


style to try

homemade flaxseed gel



This stuff is the bizness for me!!! It lays my beast down like butta!!! and its natural!!

My favorite summer spritz!

My favorite thing: The rosewater spritz. OMG!! Amazing. I cant stop touching my hair. its so solft and fluffy...not "greasy".

The basic ingredients are: 4-8 oz of rose water, 1/3 cup aloe vera gel, 1/3 cup vegetable glycerin (adjust aloe and glycerin as needed) and a few drops of rosemary essential oil. (I used tree tea oil instead of rosmary)

you can also change out the essential oil or add additional oils to suit your tastes. for example you could also add olive oil, peppermint oil, and tea tree oil (tea tree is good for those battling dandruff).

this hair spritz is sure to please – especially type 4s with very coarse hair. with consistent use, it makes your hair very, very soft. just add all of the ingredients to a bottle and shake well. that’s it. no blending or anything else needed!

Shealoe Mousse

I made this a few weeks ago and my hair and body are loving this recipe!

SOURCE

Shealoe Butter Mousse Recipe

I told y’all I was going to try this in my last post and I wasn’t kidding. Last night I went into the kitchen armed with my hand mixer and collection of oils and I added a little of this and a little of that and voilá I had my concoction of what I’m calling Shealoe Butter Mousse.

What I was going for was a light butter that I could use both on my skin and hair. For this reason I didn’t add more shea butter but if you want a thicker butter you can go ahead and add more shea. This recipe yields a light fluffy whipping-cream-textured “butter”. The key to this recipe is not to get any water in the mix. If water gets in you’re likely to experience fungus growing on your masterpiece…unless of course you use some type of preservative.

So here’s the recipe:

Ingredients
¼ cup coconut oil
2 heaping tbsp shea butter
2 tbsp aloe vera gel
1 tsp jojoba
1 tsp vegetable glycerin
¼ tsp vitamin E
¼ tsp fragrance oil of your choice

Directions

1. In a small bowl melt together the coconut oil and shea butter in the microwave until it is just melted. Do not boil it. I nuke mine in 30 second increments until the shea butter is almost completely melted.
2. In a measuring cup, measure out the aloe vera gel.
3. On medium speed with a hand mixer, start beating the melted shea and coconut oil. While beating, slowly add the aloe vera gel. The mixture will start turning white. Beat for about 3 mins.
4. Leave the mixture to cool for about 30 mins. As it cools it will thicken.
5. After the 30 minute period beat the mixture for 5 -10 mins to incorporate more air and make it lighter.
6. Add the vegetable glycerin, jojoba oil and vitamin E. Whip until completely incorporated.
7. Add your choice of fragrance oil (I chose oatmeal milk and honey fragrance oil) and whip again until completely incorporated.
8. Spoon into a container and store in a cool dry place.

♡♡♡LUVNaturals #26 Protective Style - 1940's inspired look

♡♡♡LUVNaturals #1 "Wash, Tuck and Go" hairstyle :-)



Another protective style I want to try.

How to Make Homemade Flaxseed Hair Gel | eHow.com

How to Make Homemade Flaxseed Hair Gel | eHow.com

Easy Natural Hair Tutorial: Side Puff and Front Flat Twist




I really dig this chick!! Her hair is alot thicker than mine but I love this look. Ive tried it once...didnt quite make it but I wore it anyways. I dont think my beast will do the side puff and I cant flat twist and ended up just kinda rolling it...but I think Im getting close.

All Things O'Natural: Let's Talk Skin: TONE UP WITH A NATURAL TONER

All Things O'Natural: Let's Talk Skin: TONE UP WITH A NATURAL TONER: "Greetings, beautiful naturals...I can't express how important it is to incorporate a toner into your facial cleansing regimen. Let's face ..."

Im making and using the witch hazel/tea tree combo. LOVE IT
now this is the mixture that I use and I can't rave enough about it.

* 2oz Apple Cider Vinegar
* 2 oz distilled water (this you will boil and add 3 green tea bags to and steep for 20 minutes, then let cool.)
* 10 drops of Jojoba Oil
* 5 drops of Tea Tree Oil
* 5 drops of Lemon Grass Oil (this is optional. I add it to dilute the smell of the vinegar and it has wonderful antibacterial properties)
* Mix the ingredients in a spray bottle. Be sure to shake well before each use, as natural elements tend to seperate.

Tea Tree Toner:

* 2oz of Witch Hazel
* 5 drops of Tea Tree Oil
* 10 drops of Jojoba Oil

All Things O'Natural: Let's Talk Skin: The Oil Cleansing Method

Ive been doing this for about a week and I must say I realllllly like it. It makes my skin feel so good. I struggle with the headgame of cleansing with oil. I feel like I should have soap but I love it. My skin still seems to be abit oily so I think Im going to add alittle more jojoba oil.

All Things O'Natural: Let's Talk Skin: The Oil Cleansing Method: "Ok, I know you may be wondering, why on earth would I recommend using oil on the skin? Simply put, cleansing with oil is a gentle way to..."

Now, most oil cleansers combine 50% Castor Oil to 50% Extra Virgin Olive Oil, but you can pick the best mixture for you. Castor Oil is used as the base in the oil cleansing method because it helps to draw out toxins, slough dead skin cells, excess oil and dirt from your pores. The secondary oil acts more like a moisturizer and carrier oil to deliver theraputic properties deep into the skin. I have combo/acne prone skin, so I use 60% Castor Oil, 20% Sweet Almond Oil and 20% Grapeseed Oil. I also add a few drops of tea tree and peppermint oil to my mixture.

Here are wonderful oils for certain skin types:

*
Oily Acne Prone Skin: Grapeseed Oil, Hazelnut Oil, Jojoba Oil, Flax seed, Neem Oil, Almond Oil
*
Dry Mature Skin: Evening Primrose Oil, Olive Oil, Avacado Oil, Apricot Kernel Oil
*
Sensitive Skin: Meadowfoam Oil, Apricot Kernel Oil, Rosehip Oil

Here are some wonderful essential oils for certain skin types:

*
Oily Skin: Tea Tree Oil, Peppermint Oil, Lavender Oil, Rosewood Oil, Bergamont Oil
*
Dry Skin: Cedarwood Oil, Rose, Myrrh, Chamomile, Pachouli
*
Acne Prone: Frankincense, Lemon Grass, Clary Sage, Tea Tree, Peppermint



The Oil Cleansing Method Directions:

* You'll need a soft washcloth, your oil blend, and hot, running water.


* Pour a generous puddle of oil into the palm of your hand. Roughly, the size of a quarter, but more is acceptable. Rub your hands together to warm the oil and smooth over your face.


* Begin massaging the oil into your face. This will remove makeup, dirt, and other impurities, so there is no need to use a makeup remover or wash your face prior to the massage. I've found that this removes even my stubborn waterproof mascara and concealor.


* Using slow, firm motions across the skin, massage the oil deeply into your pores. Take your time and focus on your problem areas. You want the oil to work into your pores so that blackheads and the like can be dissolved and steamed away.


* As you're massaging, let your mind drift off to something calming and breathe deeply. Take this time to relax and release some of the stress that your body is harboring. Sit down, breathe deeply, and take your time. Give the oil enough time to work on dissolving the impurities in your pores and give yourself enough time to unwind. Picture what your face would look like if it were completely clear and free from blemishes. Focus on that image and know that it is attainable. Trust that it is attainable. Accept that it is attainable. You can have clear skin, free of blemishes and you will have clear skin, free of blemishes. Focus on perfect skin and breathe deeply.


* Once you're satisfied that your pores are saturated and you're feeling calm, pick up your washcloth and soak it in clean, steamy water. We want the water to be warm enough to open your pores and remove the oil. Cool water will not open your pores, nor will it remove the oil efficiently. We're not scalding our skin, we're steaming to coax our pores to release the oil carrying the impurities. We're essentially steaming our skin as an esthetician would, but without the luxury of a steam machine.


* Hold the washcloth to cover your face. Allow it to stay until it cools. You will feel your pores releasing the impurities. Wipe the oil gently away and rinse the washcloth well in hot, running water. Hold the washcloth to your face again, allowing it to cool. Wipe gently, rinse well, and repeat two or three more times. Avoid any temptation to scrub, as you'll find it's completely unnecessary and your skin will be soft, smooth, and free of flakes without the additional manual exfoliation and irritation that will result. Impurities, dead skin cells, and bacteria will be gently swept away.


* Have no fear of the oil, as the steamy washcloth will remove it. The Castor Oil, though it is an oil, will help with the removal of the other oils, as well. It is our main cleansing oil and is easily removed with warm water.
* If your skin feels tight, take a tiny drop of your oil blend. I use Grapeseed oil as my moisturizer, because it is a natural astringent and is the lightest of all the oils. Trust me, it does not make your skin feel oily. Rub it between your clean, damp palms and pat it onto your damp skin. Gently massage any oil residue into your skin so there is no film of oil left sitting on the surface. Your skin should now glow!


* Word of the wise..do not reuse the same wash cloth if you have not washed it. Wash cloths harbor bacteria which is a major culprit of the little nasty critters we hate..yikes!

Remember, choose the oil blend that works for you...

All Things O'Natural: Let's Talk Hair: Repairing Thinning Edges

All Things O'Natural: Let's Talk Hair: Repairing Thinning Edges: "When it comes to being natural, there are a few concerns most of us share. We need tips for detangling, moisturizing, and styling our hair...."

From now on

Im gonna use this blog to help me keep track of the various post and info Im learning on youtube and other bloggers. Im doing alot of mixing and using alot of essential and carrier oils.

Natural Progression





Almost 3 years in!!!