Happy Thanksgiving

May your holiday be blessed, happy, healthy and filled with lots of luv!

Africa's Best Ultimate Herbal OIl

I purchased this oil about 2 wks ago and automatically fell in love with the scent. I was out of grapeseed oil and had been eyeing it in Walmart and figured hey why not. I don't regret this purchase at all. How can you when it's about 3 bucks? Plus it smells sooo good, like baby oil. I've been using it to seal and will try it as a hot oil treatment soon. I love the natural ingredients so that's a plus, my only complaint is it doesn't penetrate as easily as I thought it would (prob b/c my hair isn't big on olive oil), so I have to be extra light when using it. Anyhow so far so good, it comes 2nd to my love of grapeseed oil. It's for use for bath, body, hair and scalp. If your looking for a cheap but quality fix I def recommend you try it out. Me likey!

Ingredients: Soy Bean Oil , Walnut Seed Oil , Kiwi Fruit Extract , Olive Fruit Oil , Castor Seed Oil , Sesame Seed Oil , Jojoba Seed Oil , Carrot Seed Oil , Sweet Almond Oil , Tocopheryl Acetate , Safflower Oil , Calendula Extract , Yarrow Extract , Cucumber Extract , Carrageenan Extract , Ginseng Extract , Sage Extract , Comfrey Extract , Aloe Extract , Fragrance

Almost Time

I am officially 9 weeks post and patiently (ok impatiently) waiting to relax my hair. Not sure if I'm gonna relax next weekend or the weekend after. The dilemma is my 10th anniversary is next saturday so I wanted a fresh one, but we don't have any big plans so I figured I can get the extra week of stretching in and relax b/4 thanksgiving. Not sure. It'll be bitter sweet however. I have mucho new growth (ng) but my alopecia patch is just not good. It's the biggest its ever been and I'm not happy about it!!! On the plus side it's growing back but it's way behind the length of my hair. It's the lenght of a twa and since my hair is on its way to APL (couple of months, hopefully), I think my only option is to add a track to it after this relaxer. I tried to swear off weaves but what's a girl 2 do. One track won't hurt, and it'll add the length to that spot for special occasions when I want to wear my hair out! I began miconazole nitrate in hopes of getting rapid growth, but I'll post on that later when I have a couple months of usage. I have a couple of products to review in the near future. I'll post more on them after the next relaxer. My hair is in a good state right now (sans alopecia) and I don't wanna throw off the balance b/4 the relaxer. So stay tuned more to come. Have a gr8 weekend!

Ciao

PR - DevaCare One Condition

Okay so I've been on the hunt for a moisturizer that I absolutely L.O.V.E. I have some that I really like, but none of them really rock my hair world. Well after the henna treatment w/no condish, I had to run out and find some good d.c's to really restore the moisture. I racked up my arsenal in order to avoid any breakage or protein overload and I decided to try this new one for me, DevaCare One Condition - No-fade ultra creamy conditioner. Now I tried this as a d.c. and thought it was o.k. When I rinsed out my hair I used it as a leave in and was somewhat impressed. The next time I did my hair w/one of my more "normal routine products", I noticed that my hair still seemed rather dry after it air dried. I was out of my NTM Silk Touch Leave In and opted to try the DevaCare OC since i felt it could use the extra conditioning in the moisturize and seal step. Well, shiver me timbers, my hair felt so soft, moisturized, manageable. I was one happy camper. I haven't even picked up my olive oil cream or repurchased the NTM, I've been using DevaCare since September and it's great. No build up, no greasiness, just good old moisture. Now it's been almost 2 months, as I like to see effects over time in order to give a proper review and ladies and gents I am still in L.O.V.E. This is a new staple that I plan on using for the long haul (for now..lol). Oh yeah and I did try it again as a d.c. and liked it better than the 1st attempt, so I will try again. Who know's maybe the 3rd times the charm and if so I'm def in for doubling my pleasure!!!

Product Desc: All you need is one: Love this super rich, ultra creamy conditioner for moisture deprived, colored and chemically processed hair. Enriched with orange-peel wax, Vitamin-C, olive oil and other essential botanicals, One Condition provides maximum hydration and color retention. Not tested on animals. Made in U.S.A.

Directions: Evenly distribute a palm-full of One Condition between both hands. Work through hair with fingers. Rinse. For an intensive conditioning treatment, leave in for 30 minutes under a shower cap. If hair is dehydrated, apply to ends before using No-Poo Shampoo or Low-Poo Shampoo.

Ingredients: Aqueous Extracts of: Achilea Millefolium, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria), Cymbopogon Schoenanthus, Humulus Lupulus (Hops), Melissa Offcinalis (Balm Mint), Rosmarinus Offcinalis (Rosemary), Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Peel; Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Behentrimonium Chloride, Amodimethicone, Cetrimonium Chloride, Cetyl Esters, Orange Peel Wax, Olive Oil, Ethylhexly Methoxycinnamate, Trideceth-12, Diazolidinyl Urea, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Ascorbic Acid, Fragrance, Red 40, Yellow 5.

Before & After -- Mom's Henna

So this Saturday I was able to convince my mom to let me do her very 1st Henna Gloss...Yay!!!! Mommy, who is 5 months post,again 1st

time ever (congrats),is stretching in order to achieve and

maintain thickness for her 4a fine hair. Now keep in mind,she was very very skeptical about me choosing not to relax her hair.She'd just taken her braids out and detangled and washed and called me

the night b4 she came over saying "change of plans I just cant do it

anymore" I asked her to trust me and she was leery but in the end she did just that and boy oh boy both her and I were glad she is a believer.

Check out the b4 and after photos and step by step guide below:

Here are the steps I took to achieve these results:

1. Baking soda rinse to rid goo

2. Applied henna gloss

3. Rinsed thoroughly

4. Co-washed w/Wen

5. dc'd for 30 mins under hair dryer

6. Roller set and dried

7. Flat ironed

Goodies Goodies....

They say diamonds are a girls best friend but I think in these economic times free stuff may have taken their place! Aveeno Nourish+ Hair Care Collection is offering free samples on their site. Just click on the link below, take a short survey and voila, you'll be on your way. This line is made with a wheat complex formula that's supposed to nourish damaged hair back in 3 washes. I've received my samples and will post at a later time so hurry and get yours 2day!

https://secure.startsampling.com/sm/100630/quickQuestion.iphtml?item=100630&source=TAF

Protective Styling 101 - Long Post for the Newbies!

I wanna talk about protective styling b/c I notice that many ladies are unfamiliar with the term. So, in short protective styling means to keep your hair protected from the elements, your clothing, heat styling and all other damaging agents that can dry your hair out and cause damage or breakage. Braids (extensions), buns, braid outs, weaves and wigs are all examples of protective styles. By keeps your hair from being exposed to the damaging agents and preventing the damage, you are able to retain length.

Ladies with hair shorter than collar bone or shoulder length are exempt to protective styling as far as CLOTHING goes. Of course, if you live in a climate with harsh winters and poor weather conditions you don't wanna expose your hair to this so you should still chose protective styling during these periods. Shoulder length ladies and beyond are the most vulnerable and should protect their hair as much as possible. Your strands are constantly rubbing against, the wool, cotton or other fabrics that your clothing is made of and in case you didn't know, many fabrics esp. wool and cotton are EXTREMELY drying. Be especially careful in those winter months when wearing wool scarves and hats. All of these fabrics can suck the moisture out out of our strands, which equals dryness, and once excessive or constant equals damage, which equals breakage, which equals cutting and that all equals not retaining your length. If you are constantly cutting your ends from breakage how do you expect to grow your hair longer (if that's your goal).

As mentioned above, the winter can be very harsh on our strands. The cold air can affect our hair as much as our skin making it dry and crackly which of course leads to breakage. You should def take the time to moisturize more often during these months and be sure not to go out with wet hair! It can freeze and snap off. However don't be mislead by the summer! Harsh UV rays can also have damaging effects on the hair just as on the skin. Imagine how your skin would burn and peel if all summer long you endured the scorching heat w/o any protectant on your body? Do you realize the sun hits your head 1st? Your hair is enduring more exposure than any other part of the body. The drying nature of the sun's rays mixed with the heat causing sweat on your scalp (salty toxins and we know how drying salt is for the hair and what drying causes right?!). Not a good combination. You can use natural oils like avocado to run through your hair b/4 stepping into the sun. Avocado oil is a natural sunscreen and will simultaneously nourish your tresses by providing moisture. You can also use cute silk or satin scarves to dress up your outfits while protecting your strands and summer hats are always fashionable to protect us from the sun. Be creative.

Now of course I don't have to get into how blow drying, curling irons and other heat tools are sooo not healthy for the hair. Like the sun, the heat from appliances sucks out the moisture, and can burn and dry out your hair. This is one of the best reasons for protective styling. Of course some of you just can't stay away so try to limit your usage to 1-2x per month and ALWAYS, use a heat protectant spray on your strands b/4 using your appliance. I'm currently using Silk Elements MegaSilk Heat Protector and the bottle lasts me forever since I rarely ever use heat.

Lastly combing and brushing are not good for the hair. Say what?! You heard me and I KNOW how you feel. I used to think these folks are sick in the head. I can NOT be unkept! Well I'm eating crow b/c I am officially one of them, I only comb on wash days under running water and guess what, I don't look like a hot mess. Now my protective styles of choice to help me keep it 2gether thru this are braid outs and bantu knot outs. They keep a "curly" look to the head and I pick the back up and make it look all cutesy. My hair isn't touching my shoulders, I don't need to comb b/c of the curls and waves and I still look groomed if you will. The friction of dry hair and a comb is just scaring me thinking about it. If this isn't your thing use your fingers to pull your hair into a pony and bun. The take a BOAR bristle/soft brush and GENTLY smooth down your edges ONLY, use your scarf to flatten while you get dressed and voila!, you look like 1 sleek and smooth mama! If you are going to comb, I wish you wouldn't but if you do, PLEASE DO SO ON MOISTURIZED HAIR WITH A WIDE TOOTH COMB, NO EXCEPTIONS!!!!.

Apply these principles and you are guaranteed to see healthier hair, retain more length and less breakage. Protective styling doesn't have to be boring, use your imagination, experiment with your looks and make it work for YOU!!! It may all be foreign at 1st but keep at it and it'll become 2nd nature to you like it did for me. Here's to healthy hair...... Happy Hair Growing (HHG!)