Yes to Carrots

So I made a big, big, HUGE mistake about 2wks ago when I did my Henna treatment. I RAN OUT OF MOISTURIZING DEEP CONDISH AND DIDNT KNOW IT!!! Uggghhh...I was not a happy camper esp. since I didn't know it until after I rinsed out the Henna. I whipped up some naturally moisturizing oils and ingredients from the kitchen but my hair was still feeling way to dry. I ended up purchasing C is for Hair Care - Yes to Carrots Hair and Scalp Moisturizing Mud Mask (What a freakin long name!). With its great list of natural ingredients I thought it was right up my alley. My 1st use, I applied w/heat after a cowash and it felt great going on my tresses. It had great slip and I thought "This just might be my new thang". NOPE! My 2nd use I shampoo'd and then applied w/heat again, same results, great slip but no moisture. My hair was still dry and crackly. I really wanted this stuff to work, like I said it had a great ingredient list but I just can't force it. Plus it's pricey and has the nerve to not work. Big NO! From now on I will use it as a prepoo until it's used up but will not repurchase. Bottom Line for me - No to Carrots!

Product Description: Experience gorgeous hair like never before with C is for Hair Care. Moisturizing, softening, detangling, shining, volumizing… need we go on??

C is for Hair Care contains extracts of organic carrot, organic pumpkin & organic orange, rich with Beta-Carotene, Alpha-Carotene, Vitamin E and other enzymes that keep your locks in tip-top condition.

Ingredients List: Water (Aqua), Silt (Maris Limus), Dead Sea Water (Maris Aqua), Olea Europaea (Olive) Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Oil, Macadamia Ternifolia Oil, Glycerin, Lactic Acid, Cetearyl Alcohol, Niacin, Dimethicone, Algae Extracts (Rhodella, Dunaliella, Spirulina), Ipomoera Batatas (Sweet Potato) Extract, Cucurbita Pepo (Pumpkin) Juice, Daucus Carota (Carrot) Organic Extracts, Daucus Carota (Carrot) Juice, Panthenol, Chamomila Recutita (Chamomile) Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Juice, Imidazolidinyl Urea, Fragrance (Parfum), Cinnamomum Zeylanicum Oil, Apple Vinegar (Acetum), Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Extract, Daucus Carota (Carrot) Seed Oil, Cetrimonium Chloride, Punica Granatum (Pomegranate) Peel Extract.

Jumping on the Bandwagon

So back in July, I went and picked up Burt Bee's Avocado Butter Pre-Shampoo treatment. It was getting rave reviews from a couple of my favorite ladies so I figured hey why not. The 1st time I used it I wasn't impressed, the gooey viscosity mixed with my dry hands and hair just felt like a sticky mess. Of course, my slowness didnt make me think to add water! I sat with it for a while, kept feeling my hair of course and thought it was just okay, didn't see the big deal. When it was time for me to wash my hair I began to see the excitement over this. As I was rinsing my hair under the water it felt soft and silky, really nice. I decided that I would use up the bottle but I wasn't sure if I would repurchase as the application process was, well, annoying. My next use the same, application...not good but the rinse was great. Here's where things changed. I felt compelled to take it on vacay out of convenience, no mixing of oils, EO's, etc. My common sense kicked in when I applied it on wet hair. Oh okay, I'm really feeling this now. Totally different feel, just glided right on, duh why didn't I think of this before. I then turned the tube around and read the instructions and whaddya kno! Your SUPPOSED to apply it to wet hair. Double duh. I guess this is why instructions were created. Needless to say I HAVE repurchased, I like it alot, although something still stops me from loving it even though I continue to buy it ((on my 3rd tube)). However it's convenient, effective and 99.33% natural and I will say this, I gain more respect for it with each use.

Product Description

Pre-treat before for a high gloss after. Perming, coloring and styling can leave your hair looking dry and damaged. This luscious formula combines Avocado and Olive oils to penetrate and replenish natural moisture to your hair and scalp. Rosemary, almond oil and nettle extract condition your hair leaving it soft, with a glossy shine.

Ingredients: Vegetable glycerin, olive oil, avocado oil, sweet almond oil, oat flour, citrus rind oil (cleanser), lanolin, nettle leaf powder, quillaja extract, oat oil, chlorophyll & vegetable oil, rosemary leaf oil, tocopherol (vitamin E), fragrance

Not Feeling My Hair

I tried the oil and condish in my last relaxer and it worked wonders on my previously relaxed tresses. I mean really just amazingly soft and moisturized but the previously relaxed tresses aren't the problem. My hair is not straight, it's manageable but not straight. Now Hair's tha thing...I've been noticing this problem over the last couple of touch ups and I've concluded it's the relaxer. Affirm Fiberguard is just not doing the job for me! At 1st I thought maybe I was underprocessing, but I've been self-relaxing since my late teen years and NEVER damaged my tresses or ever underprocessed so that's not it. Plus my hair got like this when I was using the ORS olive oil relaxer which is why I don't use it anymore. Also years ago my old stylist used Affirm Fiberguard on my hair and after the 2nd time told me she didn't like it, we switched but she never mentioned why. I wonder if this is what happened? In all fairness the stylist before her used Affirm Lye and that's the silkiest my hair has ever been! However I don't mess around with lye when self relaxing, my hair can hit or miss with it so no way not now, can't afford any damage.

Oh well, you live you learn, but it's official...bye bye Affirm Fiberguard...I'm thinking of going back to Fabulaxer, used to love it. Anyone have any suggestions!

Being “Squeaky Clean” The Truth About Shampoo.....

So in the past week I’ve had 2 convo’s in which I’ve explained to folks some of the issues with using shampoo.

Many traditional shampoos contain Sodium Laurel Sulfate (SLS) and/or Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate (ALS) which are cleansing agents a.k.a surfactants, found not only in shampoo but in detergent, household cleaners, body wash, you get the idea. The purpose of surfactants is remove dirt and oil build up. Some are mild and some are harsh. The problem with SLS & ALS as surfactants is that they end up stripping your hair of your natural oils and can leave your hair a dry and parched mess.

I remember being a teen and my mom telling me to wash my hair until it was “squeaky clean”. I would lather sometimes 2 and 3 x’s searching for that “squeak”, shoot sometimes I would hear the “squeak” only in certain parts and do it again until the whole head was “squeaking”. Needless to say I also remembered how tangled my hair would be afterwards. Of course I didn’t know anything about SLS or ALS back then and the effects also of over-shampooing your hair, but now that I do allow me to share some alternatives with you!

1st – Pre-Shampoo Treatment b.k.a Prepoo. This is where you apply conditioner and/or oil(s) to your hair prior to shampooing. This helps to saturate the hair shaft and protect it from harsh cleansers and stripping during the washing process. Prepooing also helps add moisture and can be done as little as 30 mins or done overnight, again prior to washing.

2nd - Consider using a sulfate free shampoo to wash your tresses. Sulfate free poos are way more readily available today than years ago. You should be able to find them at most beauty supply retailers. There are countless brands out there but here are a few:

Abba Pure Moisture/Pure Color Protect/True Shine, Brocato, Deva Curl No-Poo, Giovanni Direct, Kenra Platinum Color Care, Pureology, Treasured Locks HumiNature/Nothing but Nature

3rd – Only wash your hair 1x, that’s right I said 1x. A healthy head of hair begins with a healthy scalp. You are just trying to keep your scalp clean and your pores unclogged, there's no need to overdo it! Rinse your hair for a minute or 2 to help rid some of the oil or buildup off of the surface. Apply your SLS/ALS free poo to your scalp and begin scrubbing (do not use your fingernails please!! think of it as more of a massaging action, use your fingertips). You will notice the poo will trinkle down the strands on its own therefore you don’t need to manipulate the hair shaft itself with vigorous rubbing as this is also damaging. As you rinse, the poo will rinse away remaining dirt, oil etc from the hair as it glides down.

4th – Try Conditioner Washing b.k.a. co-washing. Co-washing is where you wash the hair with conditioner, usually a cheapie condish, and you get the benefit of cleaning your scalp while adding moisture. Conditioners typically have many of the same ingredients of shampoos minus the sulfates. Think of it as a moisturizing shampoo free of harsh detergents. There are cleansing conditioners also sold on the market for this purpose. Here are a few:

Wen Cleansing Conditioner, Hair One Cleansing Conditioner. Cheapies such as Suave Naturals Vo5 Moisture Milks and Herbal Essence are very popular for cowashing as well, of course you can use the condish of your liking!

Remember the lathering action or “bubbles” are all in the sulfates so don’t judge the effectiveness of the product based on the lack of that action. You won’t get it! You’ll get a mild sudsing at best, very mild. Don’t be alarmed, your hair is getting clean. Again you only need 1 wash to get your hair clean.

Oil In Your Relaxer

So I relaxed this past weekend...Okay, I know what I talked about stretching to 16 wks and blah blah blah but I didn't so hey, don't shoot me! Yes I relaxed 1 wk earlier than I normally do at 8 wks instead of 9, but I had a couple of things going on and I took the plunge. Glad I did. I am happy with my results and my growth I will maintain my current regimen since it seems to be working great.

More importantly I wanted to talk to you all about adding oil and conditioners to your relaxer. As a "self-relaxer" I feel like time is always against me...I am always trying to move at top speed in order to avoid over-processing. I've been self-relaxing for years and I feel like each time I get amped up and nervous about moving faster enough to get the job done safely AND get my hair str8. Sometime last year I'd began reading about ladies adding oil and/or condish to their relaxer to slow down the processing of the relaxer. For some it is to intentionally underprocess what they refer to as "texlax" and for others to add a little extra application time w/o risking any damage. I was interested in the latter but very hesitant to try for fear of underprocessing. I'm not sure y this time around I finally decided to give it a try but boy oh boy am I glad I did. I can actually kick myself for not trying it sooner!!! This method is just what I needed and what was so great about it is how extremely moisturized my hair was after the process and my rollerset. I mean I couldn't believe it. I was able to really smooth my newgrowth to my liking and I just have to say again, my hair has NEVER been this moisturized after a relaxer....just so soft....wow. This is now a staple in my relaxer process and to think I was starting to consider going to the salon again for my touch ups b/c my newgrowth was becoming overwhelming during relaxing now that I'm a stretcher. AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN!!! If you haven't tried it or have been fearful, do not delay...rest assured oil and condish in your relaxer is your FRIEND!

Here's what I did: 1 tablespoon of Moisture Maniac Condish and 1 teaspoon of Grapeseed oil to my Affirm Fiberguard Relaxer. Da Bizzomb.....lmbo!