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

ITS A HENNA DAY

This morning, I prepared some henna. I used my modified henna recipe put the following (approximately)

1. Cinnamon (1 tbs)
2. Henna (5 tbs)
3. Lemon juice (2 tbs)
4. Amla oil (4 tbs)
5. water (2 tbs)
6. VO5 conditioner

I mixed everything until it had a smooth, creamy, relaxer-like texture and let it sit for 4 hours. Then I put some castor oil throughout my hair as a prepoo.

I applied it in sections to my hair and left it on for an hour, then rinsed out. I then washed my hair with TJCS to really get it out of my hair. Then I co-washed, leaving the VO5 on while I showered and rinsed. I then applied SMPCon (silicon mix perla) and left that on for about 20 minutes and rinsed.

My hair felt good. Very little breakage or shedding, as compared to last week. I let it airdry then sprayed my moisture mix. That dried and then I added KODL to my ends and then the length and finally tied my hair into bantu knots. My hair is shiny, soft yet strong. Loves it. Will try and do a henna treatment every 4 weeks if possible.

HAIR UPDATE

After the usual protein & moisture wash, my hair feels good. It looks like I am able to reproduce the results I like with my hair using the protein and then SECon methods.

However, unlike last wash, this time, I am beginning to notice breakage and some shedding. I think its because I have NG coming in already. Nonetheless, I will do a henna conditioner this weekend, just to increase the strength of my hair and follow up with my new conditioner the fancy Pearl extract Silicon mix. I hope it will prove a sufficient replacement for SECon and if not, I will head to the BSS to purchase SECon.

Hope it all works out.

AAAAAHHHHH

Today, I did an ayurvedic rinse. I followed it with a Dove Advanced Color Care Reviving Mask for Lightened or Highlighted Hair.

I have had it for a while and now, remember why I ever used it again. My hair felt funny afterwards. (I will never use this product again. It goes straight to the bin.) I followed it up with the Silk Elements conditioner and my hair felt much better. But when I combed my hair in the shower, I lost so much hair, it was nerve racking!

I used KODL, then Mango Butter, then Castor Oil pomade and vatika. I then did some bantu knots and when I checked much later, my locks felt incredible. however, my hair is still falling out, so I will be making a protein conditioner for my hair rtomorrow. It shall contain

1. Coconut oil
2. 2 eggs
3. Castor Oil
4. Coconut milk (maybe)

I hope that it helps to give my hair the strength it needs. I will follow up with TE's moisturizing shampoo and then use the Silk Elements again. Hope it works.

OOH! GREAT HAIR!

After three weeks of applying direct heat to my hair, it was time to get back to my air drying routine. And yesterday, I applied Mahabhingraj oil, Amla oil as an overnight prepoo.

So, today, I did a shikamlarithaneem rinse then cowashed with VO5. I applied some MT to my hair, left it in for a few minutes and washed it out. I conncluded by applying NTM Mask and leaving it in for about 5 minutes. The result, after n ACV rine, was clean, soft, yet strong hair. I combed in the shower and did not experience much shedding and no breakage.

Once out of the shower, I let my hair dryfor about 30 minutes and then sprayed my moisture mix. After about 15 minutes, I applied KODL and left that in for another 15 minutes. Then I applied some Mango Butter and ran around for about 10 minutes. I finished up with abour 3 quarter size amounts of my oil mix and ran it through as many sections of my hair as possible. About 30 minutes later, I threw in a little more Mango Butter, focusing on my roots and was good to go.

My hair dried while we were at the book reading and by the time I got home, my hair was super soft and not mushy. My roots were mostly detangled and the curl had loosened tremendously. I originally thought the loose curl was the result of heat but now I know it is because of the NTM Mask.

All this raises the question of how much longer I can continue to strerch. As of today, I have hit the 21 week mark and frankly, my hair is great. I could stick to NTM Mask, and use Silicon Mix/ TE's KO Protein Con for my protein once a week and just continue to watch my hair and baby my ends.

God give me strength!

MY HAIR IS DRY

I think the weather change is messing with my hair. It is very dry all of a sudden. In fact, after my ayurvedic rinses last week, my hair ended up very dry.

On Sunday, I did a henna treatment and left it in for approximately 3/4 hours, then I slept with my DPR-11. When i rinsed in the morning, my hair felt very mushy, so I used VO5 champagne kisses and then applied a little of TE's protein conditioner. My hair felt better but once it dried, it felt very hard and there was quite a bit of shedding.

So, last night, I prepood with coconut oil. Then, this morning I shampood with Suave Tropical conditioner, then used my VO5 conditioner. My hair felt better and once dried, I combed out my knots, applied my potions and then wrapped my hair. It definitely feels softer, but I am not back to the softness level I prefer.

I would like to get a relaxer but right now, money is tight. So, my goal is to continue to keep my hair and NG moisturized.

USING GARLIC TO STOP SHEDDING

I made a garlic prepoo with the following products,

1. 3 spoons Garlic/Ginger paste
2. Amla oil
3. Mahabhingraj oil

I applied it to my hair after letting it sit for some hours. I wore a shower cap cause the paste kept dripping. I then rinsed with my shikamlaritha mix. I cowashed with NTG con and then left spiked DPR-11 in my hair for 10 hours over night.

My spiked DPR-11 contained,

1. DPR-11
2. mahabhingraj
3. olive oil
   

This morning, I washed out the conditioner and my hair felt mushy. So, I applied some MT which solved the problem. I then applied some more nTM con, rinsed and then did an ACV rinse.
I allowed my hair to airdry for about 45 minutes then applied my usual cocktail of products,

1. My moisture mix
   
2. A nickel size worth of KODL
3. A nickel size worth of Mango Butter
4. 1/5 inch of Castor oil pomade
5. A quarter size of my oil mix
   

My hair came out soft and shiny as usual. Unfortunately, the ginger powder I added to my DPR-11 didn't fully wash out, so I have some hidden in my hair. But most of it is out. However, my scalp is itching, so I am going to wash my hair as soon as possible to clean my scalp.

Nevertheless, this routine seems to be the trick for my hair. I just want to see if my shedding will get better this week due to the garlic.

SOFT, LOVELY LOCKS @ 15 WKS POST!!!!

WOO HOO!!!!!

So, I just finished airdrying my hair and thank you Lord, God! My hair is lovely!!! My NG is soft!!! No split ends in sight And, my hair smells great!!!

I followed the normal routine - prepoo with Mahabhingraj, rinse with shikamlaritha, cowash with NTM, 2-5 minute DC with MT and overnight DC with DPR-11/mahabhingraj/coconut/castor/olive oils.

The next day, I rinsed and then clarified with ACV rinse. My hair felt soft, yet strong.

After washing, I experienced some shedding however. I think I have to start using my garlic powder and adding it to the DPR-11 mix to prevent shedding.

Anyway, my hair feels nice and that new oil mix leaves my hair silky straight, shiny but not greasy or weighed down, thankfully. I will add some lavender to it.

POST AYURVEDIC RINSE

since the wash on Wednesday/Thursday, my hair has been absolutely fab! It's soft and thick and practically APL!!!!! And, mind you, it is yet to be stretched!!! Also, there has been little to no shedding.

So, from now on, I will simply do my ayurvedic rinse followed by an MT deep con and a serious DPR-11 super dc overnight.

On Friday night, I applied MT to my scalp and will moisturize my hair in the morning. On Sunday, I will prepare another ayurvedic rinse and use it that day with a super dc overnight.

WHAT HAVE I LEARNED?
cowashing is not going to cut it on this journey with MT. My hair needs to be clarified, which is what I get from the ayurvedic rinse. That is why my hair feels so much better afterward. I haven't needed to moisturize in over 24hours and my hair just is moist and shiny and soft.

next time I wash, i will do an ACV rinse as well. I think i will only do those about once a week or when I need them.

ANOTHER AYURVEDIC RINSE & DC

lAST NIGHT, i DID A SHIKAMLARITHA RINSE, THEN Conditioned with NTM and then I put MT in my hair, a shower cap and shaved.

I rinsed and then mixed some DPR-11 with coconut and mahabhingraj oil and applied it to my roots with a relaxer comb. I then put it throughout my hair and put on a shower cap. I left it on overnight and rinsed this morning. My hair feels very soft and there's slip to it. Unfortunately, I notice for the second time that I have buildup on my scalp. I noticed that the last time I did this regimen.

I have sprayed some moisture mix and am letting my hair dry a little, then I will add KODL, Mango Butter and coconut oil.

MAJOR SHEDDING

I cowashed on Friday evening by washing with NTM Con, applying some MT and leaving in while I washed. I then added some DPR-11 and left that in for a little bit and rinsed.

Since Friday, my shedding has been crazy scary!!!! I had prepood with Mahabhingraj oil but that made little to no difference and it is mind boggling.

Anyway, I am continuing to meggasage and have prepped a new shikamlaritha mix that I will use tomorrow. I hope all will work out fine and that this will stem the shedding. One thing I notice is that when my hair was straightened, I experienced little to no shedding or breakage. Unfortunately, I have lots of broken hairs that happened while my stylist flat ironed my hair, so I am hesistant to go get any more heat.

I might add some heat myself in October.

MORE FABULOUS HAIR! AGAIN

On Sunday I did a shikamlaritha rinse. My recipe was

1. 3 spoons of amla powder
2. 1 spoon of shikakai powder
3. .5 spoon of aritha powder

I mixed the rinse on Saturday and left it overnight. I also put Mahabhingraj oil in my hair on Saturday night and reapplied on Sunday morning. Sunday evening (around 6pm), I applied the rinse, washed it out and then cowashed with NTM.

Once I rinsed out the con, my hair felt squeaky clean. I then applied MT and rubbed it in, also focusing on my ends. After rinsing that out, I applied DPR-11 by separating my hair into sections. I left that on for 3 hours and when I washed my hair later, it felt nice.

I applied a little KODL, some moisture mix and let it dry a little. Then i applied Mango Butter from root to tip and then ran some Castor oil pomade throughout my hair and sealed with a little bit of coconut oil.

The next morning, my hair was wickedly soft. And, I couldn't keep my hands out of it. My hair didn't get it's MT boost on Monday but it did on Tuesday. I think that this might be the approach I use twice a week for my hair. The ayurvedic rinse clearly clarified my hair and that's good to prevent buildup without stripping with shampoo.

Here are some progress pics taken on September 7th-

It looks i will hit APL once I grow an inch or two.

I HENNA'ED

I applied henna to my hair. It was the usual mix. Henna + 4 tbs of lemon juice + water. Then I added VO5 + cinnamon + Amla oil.

Anyway, I left the henna in for 2 hours, washed with Suave tropical Coconut shampoo, applied VO5 then ORS Con and left it in for an hour.

My hair felt just fine, but I still had a bit of breakage. Anyway, my hair looks like a nice shade of brown (not too much) and my NG is about a half inch all over my head.





I really like the shade of brownish red that deposited. Wish I had even better pics.

MY NEXT HENNA TREATMENT

I plan on doing a henna treatment on Sunday. I will do a garlic treatment for my scalp and then apply henna to my hair.

GARLIC TREATMENT - Take some garlic powder, mix 2 teaspoons with 1 teaspoon of ghee, mahabhingraj oil and coconut oil. Warm in the microwave for 30 seconds and apply to scalp. Leave it on for 30 minutes, and wash.

HENNA TREATMENT - Follow the same mix you have use din the past. Instead of putting coconut oil, use amla oil in it. The amla should help me get a brown color instead of red. Anyway, once the henna is applied over night and washed out, i will deep condition with ORS Con.

POST AYURVEDIC RINSE

I returned to using my shikamlaritha rinse. After leaving coconut and mahab in my hair I rinsed with the mix. I then, put my cinnamon/ORS Con mix in my hair and left it on for about an hour. After rinsing out, I applied VO5.

My hair felt good, much harder than before. I applied my rosewater/glycerin, KODL, Castor and Mahab oils. I then allowed it to airdry and once it was practically dry, I applied mango butter and coconut oil.

Today, I applied my BT, rosewater/glycerin mix, mango butter and coconut oil. My hair felt much better and had more slip to it. I think I will hold off till Thursday to add a bit more coconut oil which helps with slip. My hair looks full, and dark and healthy. However, my next wash will feature a shampoo (to cleanse my scalp), Stimulations (DE Con) and ORS Con which will sit for a few hours or even overnight. I think this will happen on Sunday.

AYURVEDIC PURCHASES

I just got home from 2Indian stores in Takoma Park. I got some overpriced Amla powder, some mahabhringraj oil and garlic powder.

I will mix my Amla, Shikakai and Aritha tonight and will baggy overnight with a mixture of garlic/mahabhringraj on my scalp and my hair spritz on my length. I think I will actually do this tomorrow.

The garlic/mahabhringraj is to help with the breakage. In fact, I will seal with mahab after my wash.

Hope it all works.

AYURVEDIC SKIN MIX

I made a mix some time ago for my face that seemed to work pretty well at clearing pimples and dark spots. For some reason, I cannot find the recipe but I think I can replicate.

So, today, I mixed some neem powder, some cinnamon powder, some rosewater glycerin (very little) some more glycerine, and a couple drops of honey.

I hope this works because I need to calm my skin down.

A WEEK & A HALF LATER

And my hair is fine. My scalp is beginning to itch a little but its fine. I am thinking that I will go until next weekend and go back to B Natural. I will have a wash and deep condition so that my hair can get some nourishment. I will use that for 2 weeks and then I will start my home treatments with a shikamlaritha rinse and a deep condition with ORS Mayo. I will follow that treatment up with a cowash and my ORS Con/Cinnamon conditioner and leave that on over night. I will wash it out and scrub my scalp. That will then be followed with another ayurvedic rinse.

I hope I can get my Amla, it is a necessary part of my hair routine and it is affecting my hair.

Next: I want to learn more about Elasta QP's DPR 11. I found it for cheap in Landover and am considering getting it. Off to do some research...

UPDATE: After a little research, it seems that DPR-11 is simply a "remoisturizer". It doesn't give much slip, so people add coconut oil to it for slippage. Well, I really like how the Stimulation conditioner from Design Essentials works but it is too expensive. Additionally, I already use ORS Con. So, the only way I would buy DPR-11 is if I run out of ORS Con which costs approximately $16-19 versus DPR-11 which costs approximately $6. I now need to find a more affordable replacement for ORS Mayo. That runs approximately $9-11.

2ND HENNA

I mixed up some henna and put it on my hair on Saturday morning. I mixed my henna with 3 tbs of lemon juice, some water and after it released over night I added VO5 conditioner, camelia oil, coconut oil and cinnamon.


After rinsing and using conditioner to clean my hair, i combed while in the showwer and noticed much less hair breakage than the last henna application. I then mixed some ORS Con with coconut oil, glycerin and applied to my hair. I then applied some cinnamon to certain parts of my hair in the hopes of creating streaks.

After washing it out, I applied KODL, SCurl, castor oil and coconut oi. I applied my wrapping/setting lotion and roller set my hair. Once dry, I applied mango butter and went out.

One important thing I noticed is that when I washed out my hair after henna, my roots were incredibly soft. I couldn't tell where my NG began or ended. For this reason, I was able to do alength check and I realized that my hair is approximately an inch from APL!!! I took a picture but my NG had started to curl by then...


Anyway, it was quite encouraging. I will continue to use BT and will hold off from a relaxer until July.

DEEP CONDITIONING SATURDAY!

It actually stared on Friday night. I did a shikamlaritha rinse and then deep conditioned with ORS Mayo/glycerin/camellia/coconut oil.

I rinsed it off on Saturday morning and then applied ORS Con/Coconut oil/Camelia/Glycerin and left it in my hair for approximately 3 hours. After washing, I pulled my hair back and clipped it, but put on a hat because I had to got to lunch with the fam. My hair dried at the restaurant and as we drove home I let the breeze dry it some more.

I had put KODL, SCurl and Coconut oil in my hair and when I got home, I added some Mango Butter. My hair felt good, but a little greasy, especially when I later added the BT to my scalp.

Nevertheless, by Sunday, my hair looked good, smelt good and was manageable. Except for my roots which look a hot mess. lol! But, it's nice to see my hair look relatively straight aven though I put no heat in it!