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