I Made Deodorant

Yes, I finally made deodorant for my daughter.

She has been using the Tom's brand lavender deodorant but it was making her itch. I had no idea how bad it was until I used a "natural" deodorant from Arm & Hammer once and have itched ever since!

I figured there was noway I could let her continue to be uncomfortable, the poor thing. As such I mixed up the following ingredients -

1. 3 tablespoons coconut oil
2. 2 tablespoons beeswax beads
3. 10 drops of tea tree oil
4. 1/4 cup of baking soda
5. 1/4 cup of corn starch

After mixing everything, I then zapped the concoction in the microwave for approximately 2 minutes at 30 second intervals. Once all the beeswax beads had fully melted, I poured most of the mix into an emptied and washed roll-on bottle. The rest was poured into a small plastic container and stored in the freezer.

My daughter has used it and has not complained of any itching, thankfully. I will use it as well with the hopes of replacing the Arm & Hammer deodorant that I currently use. The next mixture will be cocoa butter-based given that cocoa butter melts at approximately 95 degrees, versus coconut oil which melts at around 75 degrees. The beeswax is an important component because it does not melt until approximately 120 degrees, so that means it will allow the deodorant to remain solid during the summer. And in Dominica, our deodorant will simply need to stay in a dark cabinet and not anywhere near direct heat such as a window.

Home Made Deodorant

A link to another recipe - http://www.overatjulies.com/2012/08/diy-homemade-deodorantantiperspirant.html

There is an even better video on Youtube -

DIY: How To Make Homemade Deodorant 

1 ounce of pure cocoa butter (I got from CVS for $1)
1/4 cup of cornstarch
2 tablespoons of baking soda
5 drops of tea tree oil
5 drops of lavender essential oil
1 drop of pure vitamin E oil
3/4 teaspoon of sea fresh fragrance oil- purchased from camdengrey(dot)com

The average cost of making my own deodorant, which is FREE of harsh chemicals is around $1.50, NOT BAD!

Here is a link to Sparkwisdom for another homemade tutorial.

http://youtu.be/wGl5zfpE0SQ

Here is a video of a recipe that includes beeswax - should keep it from melting during the summer. 

 

Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay

I purchased Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay approximately 3 weeks ago. Oddly enough, I spotted it at the MOMs store and wondered what it was. I read the back of the container and made a mental note to do some research when I got home.



A peek on Amazon.com showed over 400 customer reviews with 4.5 out of 5 stars for a grade. I figured that I might as well spend $7.99 (pre-tax) and so the next day, I swung into the store and purchased it.

The first time I used it, I layered far too much of it on. It was super hard to remove and took far too long to dry in my humble opinion. Nevertheless, my skin felt nice and for the two weeks afterward, I had no pimples and my pores looked smaller.

I am using it again tonight and this time, I tried to make less of the concoction. I also put less on than the last time. I am hoping that this mask as well as the salt scrub will help to improve my skin and prevent acne.

I think I will use it approximately twice a month, while using my salt scrub once a week.

SELF RELAXER REVIEW 2

Well, I self-relaxed again at 13 weeks post relaxer.

This time, I took my time and relaxed my entire head in one sitting. Much better approach than the last time.  Unfortunately, I still missed a spot, and a few spots that didn't relax the last time did not relax again.

That is rather frustrating. But, I hope that the next time I relax, I can tackle my trouble spots adequately.

To prep, I applied CO pomade tp the perimeter of my head and the tips of my ears. I then split my hair into 8 sections and began to apply the relaxer product. BTW, I used Vitale Olive Oil Super. I worked the product through my hair while wearing a pair of sturdy yellow house cleaning gloves. (Much better than the cheap ones that come in the relaxer box.)

After applying to my head (that took about 30 minutes), I stood in front of the mirror and worked the relaxer in as best as I could. Then I stood in the shower and rinsed - sadly a lot of the relaxer got on my face and I used my Neutrogena cleanser to wash it off immediately and repeatedly.

After rinsing, I shampooed 3 times and then used the mayonnaise conditioner that came in the box. I left that on while I washed my faced and did a quick rinse of my entire body and then washed it out. Then, I shampooed again. I followed that with mayonaise con as a DC for 15 minutes and rinsed. Then I put SE Con in my hair for less than 5 minutes, washed my body and rinsed it out.

My hair felt great - except for a few spots that felt rough and so I conditioned them again.

After washing, I applied the leave-in-conditioner and silk serum. I blowdried and then applied my moisture mix. I then took my flat iron and ran it through my hair - particularly the tex-laxed spots. Once done, I took my shears and took off approximately 1-2 inches of hair.

My hair looks and feels fine. I am hoping to relax on either the last Friday in December or the first Friday in January. I hope to tackle my tex-laxed spots first and then work on the rest of my hair.

I will apply my growth aid on Sunday and Wednesday with wash day to be Friday. Hoping to simply maintain the little length I do have. My hair looks crappy though. It lacks thickness and length. Quite sad.

Making my own cream

I plan on making my own cream/lotion. It is now winter and I need to seriously get with the program.

I have purchased beeswax beads and will use it to make my cream.

There are videos in a post below to help guide me, but I also need to learn how to make a 'decoction' that I will use in my cream. Right now, I am thinking of using rose petals to make my decoction.

I will place about 10-15 petals in boiled water and allow it to steep for 15 minutes, while collecting the steam within the pot. I will also use some mint and lime skins as well as well. The liquid will be used to make the cream.

The oil will be a mixture of grapeseed, jojoba, castor and olive oils.

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup of oil
2. 1 ounce of beeswax beeds
3. tincture/decoction - 1 ounce + 1 cup of water
4. hand mixer
5. big bowl

How to make a herbal decoction:

How to make a tincture/infusion:

HAIR REPORT

For the last 3-4 weeks, my hair has been a tangled, knotted mess.

On Tuesday, however, I decided to take matters into my own hands and wash it. I shampood and then conditioned with se evoo con in a bottle and the dc'd with se con in tub. I left that on for approximately 15 minutes after applying it in sections and massaging it onto my strands. While in the shower, I used a small tooth comb to get out the tangles. This, as can be expected, resulted in a lot of hair loss. However, once done, I had no tangles.

I applied my silk serum, blow dried and then applied my moisture mix and sealed. I blowdried once more and had light, soft hair. Sadly, it was thin!

My hair has been thinning and rank with split ends. So much so that i have been overly tempted to do a big chop. I have decided, upon this last operation, to wait until tomorrow or Friday to attempt a relaxer. Once completed, I will straighten my hair and then take off at least an inch from the back and then dust everywhere else. If I can have collar bone length hair that is healthy, that will be just fine at this point.

It is super annoying to have yet another hair setback. This only confirms to me that I clearly cannot achieve longer healthier hair on my own, because no matter what I do, once I am about an inch or two from APL, I suffer a significant setback and have to lose hair.

When my hair is relaxed, I think I will go for 8-9 week stretches. This stretch has been very tough. I also will make sure I use my growth aid 1-2 times a week. I will ask Arlo to bring me some black castor oil when she comes in january and rely on that to help thicken my hair.

*sigh*

Making my own bath salts

I've been reading the Parsimonius Princess blog and loving all the frugal tips in it.

One recipe she provided is for bath salts.

Here are the ingredients:

1. 1 part baking soda
2. 3 parts Epsom salt
3. 6 parts sea salt or kosher salt
4. 10 drops of essential oil
5. a few drops of food coloring

I can't wait to make this. She recommends making it into gifts, which I agree with. However, this becomes one more product for Nature Isle Farm!!! yipee!

Nice Skin product recipe

I honestly think that this recipe and the resulting product make sense for the face.

MAKING MORE ESSENTIALS...

Today, I was able to make a new bottle of body/hair oil, moisture mix for hair, and three containers of body balm.

The body balm consisted of

1. 1/3 coconut oil
2. 1/3 olive oil
3. grapeseed oil
4. castor oil
5. black castor oil
6. 6 drops clove bud oil
7. 6 drops lavender oil
8. jojoba oil

They are currently in the pantry where I hope they will solidify. If they don't...well, I'll be able to use them as body/hair oil. They are in old Jason body cream containers.

A SOAP RECIPE

Watch this castille/olive oil soap tutorial. I think I'd like to make something like this. Will tweek it obviously...

Hairbrew recipes and Nature isle farm thoughts

The last time I used a hairbrew was approximately 7 weeks ago and I discussed it in my Self-Relaxer Review.

Today, I am preparing to make another hairbrew and I am taking it up a notch.

Last time, it included the following:

1. Oregano
2. Mint
3. Lavender
4. Thyme
5. Basil
6. Rosemary
7. Sorrel

This time, I plan to include the following:

1. Oregano
2. Mint
3. Lavender
4. Thyme
5. Basil
6. Rosemary
7. Sorrel
8. Rose Leaves and Petals
9. Pepper leaves (approximately 5 or 6)
10. Carrot leaves (from 3 carrots)
11. Strawberry leaves (approximately 4 or 5)
12. Citrus peel

That is bound to be a serious concoction but I figured that I have loads of plants that are underutilized and it is time to remedy that. I pray that these little experiments of mine prove fruitful in the short term - great hair for Funmi and I. I also plan to drink this tea - that should be interesting.

In the long term, I see such concoctions becoming a key part of Nature Isle Farms, God willing. Hairbrews that you can drink, rinse your hair with, pour into your bathwater etc. They are healthy and natural. Good enough to use on kids too.

As of now, Nature Isle Farms has the following potential products in the lineup:

1. Hair/Body oil (also can be used in bathwater)
2. Moisturizing Face Toner (great for acne prone skin)
3. Hair-removing Wax (all natural and less painful)
4. Hair moisturizing potion (my moisture mix)
5. Face and body scrub (sea salt mixed with toner)
6. Hair growth serum 
7. Body butters (coconut and shea butter based)

And soon, I will make soaps, body lotions, body and lip balms. I also want to make my own alcoholic drink from rum, that has a little sparkling and sweetness to it. Sounds like it could be great. A pomegranate, lime and rum fizzy drink, for instance. The lime juice DH makes can be turned into gourmet drinks with lavender, pomegranate, strawberries, raspberries, karambula and other fruits and possibly sold back to Whole Foods, Trader Joes, Wegmans and other supermarket chains. I'd try to get them into Walmart and Target as well.

The sky is the limit.

I'LL BE MAKING MY OWN LOTION/CREAM

I decided a long time ago that it was time to start making my own body cream for the family.

My reasoning is that this knowledge can save us money, create a natural product that is healing to the skin of everyone in the family, and potentially become a lucrative business for hubby and I.

As a result, I started doing my research and currently, the only thing I need is beeswax.

Here are a few of the videos I have been watching to gain some knowledge as well.


How to make an infused oil:



How to make a basic cream:


How to make an ointment:

I MADE MY OWN WAX!

But not without a mishap, however.

My first attempt at making wax resulted in candy brittle and a burnt finger tip. Oh, and a small burn on my lip when I tried to suck on my burning finger and managed to get smoldering sugar wax on my face =(

Anyway, after hubby worked very hard to get rid of all the sticky sugar in the pot, I tried again. This time, I used the same measurements of ingredients (as noted here) but changed how long I cooked it for. I put it at a high heat for about 2 minutes and when it started to boil, I turned the heat down a bit for another minute. Then I left it on an even lower heat for 30 seconds and took it off the fire. It probably sat in the pot for approximately 5 minutes before I poured it into my Mason jar.

I then applied thin layers of wax to my lower legs with the end of a plastic fork. The wax was removed with strips of cloth from an old pair of Calvin Klein Performance work out pants that were on their way to the trash. I removed quite a bit of hair and it was all very exciting, honestly. Can't believe I made my own wax for free.

One thing I noticed was that the hotter the wax, the more efficiently it worked. That means, it took off more hair and left behind less residue on my skin. The next time I wax, I will use strips from a cotton t-shirt. I hope it will lead to more effective hair removal. The workout pants I used had a small amount of spandex in them and I am not sure if that acted as an impediment, but I'll see if there's a difference in the cloth strips used.

I plan on waxing my face and underarms tomorrow. Hope it will go as magically, but a tad faster than today's over 2 hours.

MY SEA SALT SCRUB

The last few days have been bad for my skin. Not because I am breaking out but because I am bound to break out.

For some odd reason, I did not wash my face for a few days. I knew I had trouble coming even though my skin was the best I'd ever seen it in a while.

So, to prep my skin for the upcoming battle, and over-compensate for failing to keep it clean and moisturized, I did the following: I took sea salt and added a dash of my toner oil to it.

This was the second time using the sea salt scrub method. The results after the first time were very good, but I wanted to turn the concoction up a notch.

The result was, once again, heavenly!!! Once I washed off the sea salt-oil mixture, my skin felt super moisturized. I did not wipe off the water from my face but let it air dry. The result was soft, not oily, skin.

Sadly, I soon developed acne! I'm not sure if its is due to the new scrub or the fact that I didn't take care of my skin. I believe it is due to the latter. I will use the scrub again on Tuesday or Wednesday and hope for the best.

SELF-RELAXER REVIEW

So, I finally relaxed my hair myself after years and I am semi-pleased with the results.

The Good:
Cheap - $7.50 for relaxer (Vitale Super strength)
Most of my hair is bone straight and feels great because the relaxer came with a chelating shampoo that truly clarified and removed relaxer from my hair. The parts that relaxed are healthy.

The Bad:
I used the shower cap method and thus didn't adequately relax certain parts of my hair that were obstructed by the shower cap. And I missed a couple other places which only texlaxed. Also, it too 5 hours to comb through my new growth!!!! (Of course, I was doing other things at the same time like watching movies, lol!).

Nevertheless, I have concluded that I will self-relax again, but not when I am more than 10 weeks post. Being only 10 weeks post will allow me to get through the hair quicker and easier.

After rinsing out, I used the neutralizing shampoo, then Silk elements con in the bottle. I then used the hairbrew I created with oregano, rosemary, thyme, mint, lavender, basil, sorrel. It immediately made my hair strong - clearly a protein brew. I then followed with 35 minutes of SE olive oil con and then rinsed. My hair felt alright but I applied Aphogee 2 min keratin con for less than 2 minutes and rinsed.

My hair felt perfect.

I felt like crying for all the breakage in the back that I have because my longest bits are APL!!! Anyway, I applied silk serum, moisture mix, pulled my hair into a small bun and passed out.

In the morning I let it out to lovely curls! I applied my oil mix to seal and then bunned again.

I'm going to apply my sulphur mix and pay speciall attention to the parts of my hair that texlaxed. Especially the right lower quadrant where I added more relaxer while damp (I know, I know) in an effort to straighten it out.

My next relaxer will be on or around my bday - 10 weeks!

SELF-RELAXER STRATEGY

I am trying to come up with a self-relaxer strategy that will make sense for me and my hair.
Here it is (I think)

1. Hair prep: put oil on my strands, avoiding the new growth and then apply conditioner as well.
2. Scalp prep: apply oil to my scalp and around the perimeter.
3. Relaxer prep: mix it up!
4. Shield: Pin a shower cap over whatever half I am not relaxing so that I can take my time and deal with one half section at a time. Will take longer but I believe the end result will be better.
5. Rinse: Rinse with water, neutralizing shampoo, add conditioner, neutralize again.
6. Wash: Use aloe vera shampoo once all the relaxer is out.
7. Tea Rinse: Make a tea from rosemary, thyme, oregano, mint, lavender, basil and sorrel. Use it to rinse. Drink whatever's left (add aloe vera to it) hehe
8. Protein conditioner: Apply Aphogee 2-minute keratin conditioner for about 3 minutes and rinse.
9. Moisturizing conditioner: leave in for 15-20 minutes.
10. ACV rinse: 'nuff said.
11. Air dry.
12. Silk Serum.
13. Air dry.
14. Moisture mix.
15. Seal.
16. Wrap.
17. DONE.

This is clearly going to take FOREVER. I think I'll do this on Monday and just rock a wig till then. Will actually wash my hair today...um, nope. Just gotta wait it out, I guess.

MAKE YOUR OWN WAX

I want to start waxing my damn self!!!! hehehehe Here's info from the Andrea's Choice Youtube chanel: Sugaring wax recipe: 2 cups sugar 1/4 cup water 1/4 cup lemon juice (FROM REAL LEMONS preferably)

Here's a great video:



Easy peasy!

Buy a mason jar from the Dollar store to store the wax.

Heat on a medium heat and once it boils, lower the heat to extremely low and let it simmer.

UM, SALT IS GOOD FOR MY SKIN?????

A video I found at Nadege's Relaxed Healthy Hair blog -





Excellent! Will try it this weekend! Hmm, how can I incorporate this with my current toner? It contains tea tree oil, jojoba oil, clove bud oil and lavender oil.

HERBAL TEA RINSES

So, I was at Nadege's site and saw a post about tea rinses for the hair and realized that given the abundance of herbs I have in my back yard (Thank you God!) I should take advantage of them.

As such, with my relaxer I will boil a pot of rosemary, basil, thyme, oregano, lavender and mint. Once i have rinsed out the relaxer and such, I will follow up with a tea rinse and then with an ACV rinse.

The post even mentioned - MORINGA!!! I called Minia immediately and again made my request for the stuff!

I can't wait to self relax!!!!

Yay!

Another post I read - http://www.organicitsworthit.org/make/herbal-hair-rinses

MORE SELF-RELAXER VIDEOS

Here's a video I am watching to research how I'm going to relax my hair =)

http://youtu.be/rTiTPNEsTQs

Cowash and ACV rinse

So, I washed my hair with conditioner yesterday, about 4 times. Then I did at least 4 full ACV rinses and stayed in the shower to rinse EVERYTHING out of my sad hair.

I let it air dry while watching Olympics and combed though with fingers first and then with my shower comb. I applied moisture mix and Rusk serum. I wrapped it up and went to bed.

Today, I am afraid to look under my scarf. No, I am terrified to see what is going on.

If I am still experiencing shedding, that will be a serious problem.

I pray I am not.

I'm going to go clean bathrooms for now. After that, I will try vacuuming the first floor. I need to go to Target and get a large plastic tote container to store blankets. We have a lot of them and proper storage of them and certain other beddings will make my life easier.

STILL SAD!

My thinning hair continues to shed and break and despite working through the tangles, letting it airdry and then blowdrying (on low) and flat ironing (to make my hair presentable, it looks like a mess!!!!!!

I will therefore do a co-wash in a few days and an apple-vinegar rinse, with hope that my hair will respond positively.

I have begun searching for Vitale relaxer, which was used on my head in DA in January. I can get it from Sally's and will go there soon. I plan to relax the weekend of the 18th, hopefully.

*sigh*

DISASTER!!!

Yes, the title says it all. I had a major setback today.

After almost 3 weeks of great hair, my last wash ended in tears.

As usual, I used my tea tree oil shampoo from nature's Gate and followed up with my Aphogee protein conditioner for about 5 minutes. I then put Silk Element olive oil con in my hair for about 10 minutes and rinsed.

The result was a TANGLED MESS!!!!

I have no idea why, and every attempt to untangle left me with so much hair lost. I had a humongous ball of broken and shed hair, in addition to what I must have lost in the shower.

I am not sure what went wrong but I am left with brittle, thin, lifeless hair and it ain't pretty.

The only possible explanation is that my hair needed another Apple vinegar rinse as was the case after my last wash, which left my hair feeling and looking GLORIOUS!

This is my second set back this year - I already lost so much hair in the back and left qquadrant of my hair. I think that was due to a combination of 2 factors. 1) running without washing my hair more than once a week left hair brittle and crunchy - thus, prone to breakage. 2) wearing my hair down while driving allowed hair to get caught and broken by the seat belt IMO.

Anyway, off to dust off my wig. I will clearly need it!

Oh, and I cannot get a relaxer next week, not with this set back. I must get my hair healthy before I apply any chemicals in it.

*sigh*

SERIOUS DUSTING TODAY

I did some major dusting today and I was amazed at how bad my hair had gotten. I have been dusting approximately 2-4 times a month but have not done much dusting over the last 2 or 3 weeks. I discovered some very bad splits. SOme were long, others began in the middle of the strand. It seemed the left front quadrant of my head had it the worst. I am unable to properly dust the back because I just can't get to it adequately and I worry that some of the damage I have in the front is lurking back there.

I am going to continue to dust more regularly so I can catch as many offenders. Looking at how much I hacked off today makes me realize that I must step up my dusting and continue to keep my heat to a minimum. I have applied heat once since my relaxer 6 weeks ago and it was from a blowdryer. The last two times I washed, there was no blow dryer or flat iron involved and I like it like that. Some of those split ends in the middle of the strand were clearly as a result of direct flat iron heat.

Well, I hope for the best! I should be washing my hair on Wednesday or Thursday. Hope my no-heat method will continue to work for me. I may have to go out on Friday night and if that is the case, I may need to work hard to get my hair presentable as I already have almost a quarter inch of new growth or more in certain places.

According to Nadege at Relaxed Healthy Hair:

the following dates make them the best for a haircut based on moon phasing approach -

Best Days for Beneficial Haircutting in 2012:

March 20-21 - Spring Equinox — are the best dates to cut for spring and the ultimate dates for shaving one's head.
June 20-21 — Summer Solstice — are the best dates to cut for summer.
September 23-24 — Fall Equinox — are the best dates to cut for fall.
December 19-20-21-22 — Winter Solstice — are the best dates to cut for winter.

HAIR & PRODUCT REVIEW

I washed my hair for the first time since my touch up on Tuesday afternoon. The process was very typical, except for the fact that I used my Aloe Vera shampoo and then followed up with my new Tea Tree Shampoo from Nature's Gate. I am in LOVE!!! It had bubbles like normal shampoo, but without the phthalate of course! And, once rinsed, my hair had NO TANGLES!!!! I just couldn't believe it. This, despite the serious scritching I did due to having sulfur mix on my scalp.

I followed up with Aphogee Keratin con for about 5 minutes and rinsed. Then I applied the SEO Con (not the DC). The first application was in for approximately 5 minutes but was not enough as my hair didn't feel as moisturized as I like, so, while in the shower, I applied it one last time and my hair felt perfect. After rinsing, I left my hair to airdry 98% of the way with a drive to pick up the kids (windows down).

I later blowdried on low-cool and then applied Rusk thermal serum, then bowdried on low-medium while combing with my shower comb. Then I sprayed my hair with moisture mix and blowdried on low-high, using my paddle brush. I applied a little CO pomade.

My hair felt strong, yet soft and I wrapped it up for the entire rest of the day. On Wednesday, it felt soft and after my work out, i applied some oil to my tips and then to the rest of my hair. It has been wrapped all day today, but I just let it down and it feels great! I did a seek and destroy on Tuesday and plan to do another one soon as I found 2 split ends that have to go. I'm sure there are many more hiding in there.

Alas, I am happy with my hair and will apply my sulfur mix tonight and seal. I like having my hair thicker as is the case when I avoid the direct heat. I believe it is better for my hair overall, to only apply heat when necessary. And with that, I continue my quest for BSL. I hope I get to APL by December, and BSL by June 2013, God willing. *sigh*

WHAT I"M WATCHING ON YOUTUBE...

Ulovemegz channel....

I love her teeny, tiny voice. It is so cute! I also am impressed by her progress. It does however, make me feel sad to see soooo many people who started their hair journeys after me have such long beautiful hair!

Anyway, here is her tutorial for the self-relaxing. I am considering doing this as I do not really see the need to pay these stylists for anything especially when I come home upset about my hair. If I touch up myself, I also save $$$$! Hmm... Part 1 Part 2

Touch Up Review

So another touch up at Reflexion II but this time, Gloria did not do my hair *sob*

Instead, I had Antonia, who sighed and made what I assume to be a few comments in Spanish about the state of my 16-weeks post-relaxer hair. I must have worn her down with politeness and kindness, however, because by the time she was almost done, she was, well, on the verge of chummy. (Its amazing what being a black woman that does not present an attitude can do for you, especially when you see another black woman blow up at the salon, hehehe).

My hair did not relax as well as it does when Gloria does her thing, unfortunately. I was rather pissed that she didn't understand when I was instructing her to put protein conditioner in my hair. She simply asked me to hold on to my products because the deep conditioning they would give me "is free". I didn't feel the need to argue, especially as my youngest was there, comfortably watching cartoons and running around the salon.

Anyway, I will confirm whether Gloria has left the establishment and in the meantime, I will try a different salon. That sucks because Reflexion II has been my main place for over 2 years now and I do love me $15 off Tuesdays. But, I need a stylist/salon that will allow me to use my products. I don't care if their stuff is free. Blah!

My hair, as can be expected, looked like crap. It dried in approximately 25 minutes! Unbelievable! They got me in and out in just under 2 hours and I paid $50 for a touch up *yipee* Although they tried to screw me over, thinking they could charge me $20 for "estyling", when all the chick did was wrap that shit! The total was to be $60. I calmly asked for an explanation of my bill and in no time, it became $50. All sorts of shadiness.

Once I got home, I sprayed a little moisture mix, keratin spray and then sealed with oil. I also applied my sulfur mix to my scalp. My hair IMMEDIATELY looked and felt better, acquiring some weight, density and texture! I know people like their hair thin and lifeless, but I do not. And, I do not mind my kink, as long as I can comb through it, so that bone straight hair thing is not for me! I have continued to moisturize with a little oil because on Wednesday, I went for a 6 mile run and also walked 1.32 miles. It was a good work out, but I sweated out my hair. Thank God, I am not into bone straight hair, or that would be torture. I simply applied moisture mix to the wet parts ran my fingers through my hair. Let it airdry and then applied silk serum and brushed. A little hair oil, and it was just fine.

I just put a little keratin and oil on the hair at the back as it is a little dry. I will apply moisture mix and seal with castor oil pomade tomorrow, to ensure that breakage does not occur. I spent 40 minutes dusting my ends today and will repeat after I wash my hair next week. My next trip to the hair salon should be in about 3-4 weeks, so I get a DC. They must apply keratin CON and SEO CON or else, I won't be having it! And there will be problems!

My new relaxer schedule is as follows:
August 21
December 4

Picture of (non) progress to follow soon. *sigh*

NEW GOODIES: Silk Elements Olive Oil Conditioner & Deep Conditioner

So, I had to get me some more of this good stuff!!!

Silk Elements Megasilk Olive Moisturizing Treatment is crack for my hair and I love it! "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" is the common saying and I am living by it via this product. I realized while doing my daughter's hair, that it would be good to purchase a normal conditioner as an alternative to the conditioning treatment we currently use.

So, while at Sally's I decided to take advantage of their 2 for $12 sale and purchased the Silk Elements Megasilk Olive Conditioner.

I can't wait to use it. This will help my moisturizing treatment last a little longer. I hope. My daughter and I run through conditioner! We can't help it as our hair soaks that stuff up!

Another product on my hair lust list is the Nature's Gate Tea Tree Oil Shampoo. Hopefully, I'll get it soon! I also think I would like to do a shikakai conditioner soon. hmmm....

NEW PRODUCT REVIEW: RUSK thermal serum

I purchased the Rusk thermal serum today as an alternative to my CHI silk infusion, which I have had for, gosh, almost 2 years, probably.

The smell is a little different, but it seems to do the job. I will say, however, that it does not seem to moisturize my hair the way the CHI product appears to. Nevertheless, considering that I was (and remain) unwilling to spend approximately $24 for CHI silk infusion (at Target), I was beyond thrilled to pay $9 for a 4.2oz container of RUSK thermal serum at TJ Maxx. At Marshalls, I happened upon a lot of RUSK products and now I am beginning to think I should learn about the line. Me thinks I will!

New post about my other hair goodies of the day to follow!

SECOND REVIEW ON NATURE'S GATE SHAMPOO

IT WORKS BRILLIANTLY!!!!

I am beyond pleased with the results I have been getting from using this product. I washed my hair on Thursday afternoon and my hair was great. No tangles. The only problem is that I neglected to get all the 'gunk' off my scalp. But another wash in a few days will do the trick, I believe.

All follow-up conditioners went on great. My only issue that I must pay attention to is the fac that the shampoo REALLY moisturizes my hair and may make it seem not strong enough even after applying reconstructor. As such, I added reconstructor again and ran it through my strands, concentrating on the ends and rinsed immediately. My hair was perfect after that. I then applied SEO Con, massaging it across my head and strands, and rinsed immediately as well.

It has been 2 days since wash day and my hair feels great! After washing, I let it airdry for just over an hour then applied Chi Silk Infusion. I then blow dried for on medium for a bit and added more silk infusion. As I flat ironed, I dusted most of my hair and only passed the flat iron once. Once complete, I did a quick pass over with the flat iron again, sprayed moisture mix and sealed with CO Pomade. I wrapped my hair up for the rest of the day and it was glorious the next day!

Today, I applied moisture mix, then my sulfur mix to my scalp, sealed with CO Pomade and wrapped it up.

I might go window shopping today in Greenbelt and if I do, will let my hair down.

Yes, I'm definitely buying 2 more bottles of this shampoo!

Natures gate moisturizing aloe shampoo review

I have been considering switching to sulfate free shampoo for a  few months now and finally did it with great results.

I purchased the natures gate moisturizing aloe conditioner and it proved to be a great addition to my hair care regimen.

 

The Good: it left my hair soft and clean, with absolutely no tangles. I was worried, however, after the first wash because my hair felt like it was conditioned and not shampooed. A second wash verified that the product is very different from traditional shampoos which strip hair of all oils and moisture. There was little to no build up on my strands or scalp and subsequent conditioners (Aphogee 2-min reconstructor) and Silk Elements Olive Oil Con went on smoothly leaving me with great feeling hair. (I left my hair to dry for a long time before blow-drying and flat-ironing. My hair was bouncy and thick!)

The Bad: It's not that bad really save for the fact that because I am not used to shampoos that do not lather up excessively, I believe that I may use far more shampoo than is necessary. So, I will have to be cautious of that when using this product.

That being said, I am going to use the shampoo again and if it works again, I plan to buy 1-2 more bottles as they are currently on sale at Safeway for $6.49 until sometime in July. As long as they do not expire in the next 12 months, I might even buy 3 bottles, heck!

MY HAIR PICS

There is nothing like looking at hair length pics to see how much progress YOU HAVEN'T HAD =(

It appears I have been stuck at the same approximate length for 3 years! It is quite disappointing.

Despite how upset I am about my obvious ability to achieve and maintain length, I at least am happy that I did  not allow ANYONE TO CUT/TRIM MY HAIR SINCE MY LAST PLEDGE. And so things will remain. I am also very happy that I now have staple products I use to keep my hair healthy. It took a while, but I also realized that my set backs were typically caused by dry hair and using my CHI curling iron! Anyway, I still want to get to BSL. But now that I am looking at my hair, I wonder if it is indeed possible. Where does all the NG I get go to? How am I unable to maintain length? I trim/dust a few times a year, but that doe snot account for the loss of length. I always have between an inch and an inch and a half during stretches, so what is going on? I'm going to have to think about this....


Here are the pics in question and their dates are as follows:

1. January 2009
2. January 2010
3. April 2010
4. June 2010
5. September 2010
6. February 2011
7. February 2012

RELAXER REVIEW - DOMINICA

Another trip to DA and of course, it is time to review my recent trips to Caprice's hair salon.

After arriving on the 5th, I went to caprice;s on the 9th. My hair was done by caprice and that is teh last time I will let that happen! He washed my hair and correctly recommended a protein conditioner which I refused. However, my hair looked a mess. And because he is UBER HEAVY HANDED, I walked out of the shop witha  headache and shitty looking hair.

I returned on the 17th and fortunately had Inez do my hair. Wonderful! Even though I had scratched my scalp repeatedly, I didn't burn as much as expected. She used some Vitale hair relaxer and it straightened the heck out of my hair!

She left it on for a tad too long for my liking however. Nevertheless, we used aphogee and then followed up with silk elements con. I sat under the dryer for about 20 minutes and waited another 5-10 minutes to be washed. Unfortunately, my hair felt mushy. So I had her apply aphogee again and my hair felt great.

We applied Chi silk infusion and blow dried. Then we applied some more chi and flat ironed because I was in a rush to get back to Jimmit. Before flying out the next day, I applied olive oil to my scalp and strands to counter the dryness of the planes and winter weather.

It has been over a week since my touch up and my hair still feels great! I apply moisture mix (very small amount) every day, and seal every two days. Only problem now is that my scalp is beginning to itch and I am beginning to shed. I guess this is typical a full week after a relaxer, especially given the cold, dry weather stateside. I have applied my sulfur mix once and plan to apply it again tonight. I dusted last week and also did a seek and destroy.

My hair looks good, the length is okay. I think I will apply a rinse when next I get a relaxer. I continue to aim for BSL and may get to APL (full) by end of June.

My approximate relaxer schedule for 2012 is as follows:

1. April 3rd (11 weeks post)
2. June 26th (12 weeks post)
3. September 11th (12 weeks post)
4. December 4th (12 weeks post)

I don't think I took any hair pics in 2011 but will take some this year.

PREP FOR DOMINICA

It's time to go to DA!!!!

I am excited, of course, but traveling to DA always requires plenty of preparation in advance. I am 24 hours away from landing in a warm climate and today, I washed my hair. I blow dried and it is thick!!!! I am too happy to have thick hair again. I did a very brief seek and destroy and will flat iron tomorrow. I plan to visit the hair salon next week and then get a relaxer the day before I leave on the 17th.

Accompanying me will be my aphogee reconstructor, CHI silk infusion, some moisture mix, and silk elements con. I am taking full size bottles because both my mother and I will be doing our hair over there.

I must remember my hair mantras, which have gotten me through this hair period and frankly, through the year to the relative progress I now have.

1. don't let anyone cut your hair
2. use your own products
3. you know best
4. keep their products to a minimum!

So, my first trip to the salon will be for my pre-relaxer procedure: moisture con for 20 minutes, sit under the dryer, apply silk infusion and then later apply moisture mix and olive oil.

Pre-relaxer preparation will require combing my hair from root to tip to get rid of tangles, oil on my relaxed hair, a relaxer, aphogee, silk elements con, silk infusion, moisture mix and olive oil.

Cool beans!