Natural Hair Notes: Blackstrap Molasses Hair Treatment



Dec 2010 before trim



 

I finally got my hair trimmed this past Feb after about a year and 2 months since my last trim. I don’t know what took me so long but I finally got it over with. I did not have a lot of bad ends but enough to have made a difference in my hair. Since trimming I find that my hair is much bouncier and thicker, so I will make sure to trim at least once every 6 months or so.

I’ve been a bad girl as far as the salon visits and all the heat I have been exposing my hair to. I have gotten a little too flat iron happy lately so I have been deep conditioning and protective styling for the most part of February.

I decided to do another Black Strap Molasses treatment since I was due for a protein/strengthening treatment last weekend. I tend to use eggs and mayo but decided to try molasses again since it did such a nice job the first time around. I decided to use it as a pre-shampoo treatment like I did the first time. I did not mix it with anything. I used the molasses alone with a little bit of water since molasses can be super sticky and difficult to distribute throughout the hair if not diluted with water.

Molasses used as a hair treatment, helps soften and strengthen the hair especially if you notice a bit of shedding all the while providing shine to the hair.

I simply parted my hair in four sections and made sure I coated every strand.

This is what it looked liked with blackstrap. It made it look like I had a hair dye in my hair. I left it in my hair for about an hour rinsed and followed with an avocado hair treatment.

Please make sure you wear clothing you don’t need since it can get a little messy.

I followed up The Black Strap Molasses treatment with an avocado Deep Conditioner I made. I simply added honey and castor oil and left it in for 2 hours.

These were the reults soft, shiny and strong curly hair.

I used my rosewater and Aloe Juice mist as a leave in and once my hair dried, I used Bee Mine’s Balancing Cream, Sealed with castor oil (switced to castor from grapeseed) did a long braid in my hair and that was it.

 

 

I have been basically keeping my regimen simple. I try to do a homemade treatment every week or so. I’m also loving how soft my hair is when I use aloe and rosewater as a leave in. I will use Blackstrap in my other hair treatments since it helps keep my hair strong, shiny and soft.

Read Full Post »

Natural Hair Notes: Cone Free Conditioners

One of the first products I got my hands on while building my cone free regimen was a reliable moisturizing cone free conditioner. Keeping a conditioner handy can be useful for many things such as co washing, adding it to homemade deep conditioners and of course to keep the hair moisturized and balanced (protein/moisture). There are many things to consider when shopping for a cone free conditioner or any cone free product for that matter. Here are a few things I keep in mind.

Reading the labels:

It’s obviously the only way you will know whether or not your product is loaded with cones. Although most ingredient lists can be extensive and the ingredients hard to pronounce, you don’t necessarily have to memorize each cone, the idea is to familiarize yourself with them often enough for you to tell without hesitation. When in doubt it’s best to double check. So when I’m not too sure I go to my two trusty cone reference lists.

Here’s my go to links when in doubt.

List of cone free conditioners– not the most extensive list but pretty much the same one I see all around, again check your labels.

All About Cones (BHM types of cones)– This is my go to for easy reference.

Water Soluble VS. Non Water Soluble:

Another thing that took me some time to consider but was rather easy to understand were Water soluble VS. Non water soluble cones. Basically there are two types of cones. Those that are easily rinsed with water (water soluble) vs those that require a detergent based cleanser (SLS based shampoo) to get rid of the cone (Non water Soluble).

By far the only two water soluble cones I look out for are Dimethicone Copolyols or PEG-modified dimethicones. Those with PEG affixed to the front of the cone are basically light enough to rinse with water.

For more detailed info check out Curly Nikky on her to cone or not to cone post.

More info on Water Soluble and Non Soluble Cones:

BHM All about cones

Naturally Curly: Scoop on Cones

Naturally Curly Water Solube and Non WSC’S list

There are many cone free conditioners out there and while going through the cone free conditioner list a few caught my eye. I was surprised to see VO5 strawberries and cream on the list since it’s so cheap and cone free. It was in my old hair stash and I kept it since it made the cone free cut. Another conditioner I had was mane N tail from what I have researched it does not contain cones but does have parabens. Despite them not being natural I use them every now and then as my protein conditioners. Once I run out of these two I will replace them with a natural protein based cone free conditioner.

Starting off with a cone free conditioner can be a great way to start familiarizing yourself with the different types of cones in hair products as well as tell which one works best for your hair type.

Here’s a few I have in mind for when the product junkie in me kicks in:

-Giovanni 50/50 Balanced Hair Remoisturizer conditioner

-Nature’s Gate Lavender & Aloe Conditioner

-Suave Naturals Juicy Green Apple Conditioner

Read Full Post »

Natural Hair Notes: Baby Banana Food Deep Conditioner

Before anything I would like to remind everyone that my New Year Giveaway ends today! So make sure you enter if you have not had the chance to. I will announce the winner this week!

Now off to the hair stuff…..

My first Homemade Deep Conditioner of the month, since going cone free, was truly fabulous and left me with soft, shiny and tangle free hair. Bananas always leaves my hair with lovely results. Banana chunks in the hair, well no too lovely and can get annoying at times. And besides I always end up eating my banana stash  by the time wash day comes around. So for a while I have been meaning to try banana baby food as a substitute. I hear so much about it on the hair boards so I figured I finally get around to it. So while at the supermarket I picked up 2 baby banana food jars, 50 cents each.

This can be a great Deep Conditioner for all types of hair, especially dry damaged, curly types like me.

———- What I Used———-

Chiquita Baby Banana food- Moisturizers, Strengthens and Softens hair 

Honey- Natural Humectant, Moisturizes, Provides Shine

Ylang Ylang Essential Oil- Conditions hair, Provides shine, prevents hair loss and smells wonderful

In a bowl simply pour your baby banana food. (It was actually really nice being in the baby section….. So many cute stuff!)

Back to the subject… Pour your honey, I used about a tablespoon…..

I typically use regular bananas but sometimes I don’t want to use and clean up my hand mixer. Eventhough I don’t mind it terribly, banana chunks in the hair can be a problem…… this turned out much easier.

I then added 5 drops of Ylang Ylang essential oil. I have used Ylang Ylang many times in pre-shampoo oil treatments, in my not so good Deep conditioners, and find that it always leaves my hair ultra soft and silky.

And these were the results… A very creamy Deep Conditioner. I was very pleased to see how creamy this was and the scent was amazing too.

———-The Results———-

For some reason I decided to just apply the deep conditioner on dry hair. I typically do my deep conditioners on wet hair but this time I detangled first. It wasn’t a really good I idea to detangle on dry hair but I slowly and very carefully did…..with minimal damage I hope.

This is what I had left.. It really wasn’t that much. Considering I had my hair in curls and a brush or detangling comb never touched my hair it for that whole week. This was about a week’s worth of my hair shedding so it really was not that bad compared to other times.

So after all that, I finally applied my concoction and was very pleased with how soft my hair felt with this Baby Banana food Deep Conditioner. I left it in for about 2 hours with a plastic cap while I cleaned and blogged around the house.

After rinsing the deep conditioner out, I followed up with Aubrey Organics Honey Suckle Rose Conditioner. I then spritz my hair with my beloved Aloe Vera / Rose Water MIX as a leave in and air dried.

I did not dry my hair completely, instead I decided to use my Bee Mine Balancing Cream, sealing the moisture with Grapeseed oil and braided my hair into a ponytail while slightly damp.

These were the results the next  morning. I again spritz my hair with my Aloe/Rosewater mist and styled it to the side and off I went for the day.

This is how it behaved most of the day. A lot of shine and softness and not to mention the scent.

My hair stayed moisturized for most of the day. Toward the evening my beat up ends were frizzing up a bit but overall it was a good curly hair day.

 Baby Banana food truly came through and I definitely will stock up on a few more of these, switching my ingredients up as I go along. The great thing about it that it’s a very versatile ingredient in which you can mix and match to suit your hair’s needs.

Read Full Post »

Natural Hair Notes: Getting Started+ Regimen Building



It’s official! Since Jan 2. 2011 I have gone cone free. After deciding this past fall to treat my hair with more natural ingredients free of silicones, mineral oil just to name a few, I have been pretty much on my grind in search of the best natural homemade deep conditioner recipes, leave ins, and cone free conditioners. From learning how to read ingredients, differentiate them and getting all the essentials in line, it has truly been a slow but progressing process. 

Going cone free was pretty simple. I used this link to guide me along the basics. I don’t want to say I’m following the curly girl method whole hearted but pretty much picking up on tips along the way. It was getting all of my essential products in line before getting started more of a hassle. On Sunday Jan 2, I did one last wash with a sulfate shampoo (tresemme), added a bit of baking soda and that was it.

Right before shampooing I did a pre shampoo treatment with a mix of oils I have, that way my hair would not dry out too bad. This last shampoo wash thoroughly cleansed and clarified my hair of any silicones, residue etc accumulated on my hair, helping me start fresh on this new natural regimen. It has been about 3 weeks since I have not used any silicone based products and I kid you not by week 1 I noticed a huge difference as far as my curls were concerned.





 I have to say I’m very excited to have finally kick start this hair thing. My goal is pretty much healthy natural hair focusing on thickness. Not just healthy straight heat processed hair but healthy curls and all. I want to embrace my curls, embrace my hair in it’s true natural state this time around.

This past holiday a lot of family members were surprised to see how long and healthy my hair has gotten.



My hair Dec 2010



My camera was acting up in this photo but pretty much this is the current length, I’m loving the length (which is waist length I believe) and progress I have made with my hair since may 2009, especially with straight styles. Since about thanksgiving up until new years eve week, I hit up the salon non stop. I wanted to trim my ends but the stylist who I trust was not around so I decided to hold off.

I found that my hair actually loves silicones and mineral oil but that is just the case when treating the hair with heat, whether it be mild indirect heat with roller setting, or direct heat at the salon. This time I want to get the most from my hair and be able to use natural products for both heat treated and curly hair.

New Year’s eve. I’m in need of a trim, my ends are beat.

Building this hair regimen or any for that matter requires a bit of research especially concerning the products you may want to use.

As I edit this Moptop Maven has an amazing series on how to build not just any regimen but several regimens to suit your needs. Also check this link out as well. It’s very simple once you get an idea as to what you are going to need. Remember that every hair type is different. But for the most part, the following is what I have always used to guide me and can pretty much apply to any hair type.

                             — The Basics—                           

1 Clarifying Shampoo

I’ll be sticking with baking soda adding it to my shampoo mixes. Since I won’t be using too many products, I find that I won’t need to clarify as much. Also Apple Cider Vinegar Rinses will be in the mix.

1 Moisturizing/Sulfate free Shampoo

I’ll be co washing a bit more this time around but when in need of a shampoo I will be using dr bronner’s, diluted with water and oils. I also have been looking into Aubrey Organics Sulfate free shampoo for those on the go days.

1 Moisturizing Conditioner

Aubrey Organics Honey Suckle Rose has been in heavy use. Right now not interested in trying anything else. It’s cone free and all natural and very moisturizing, so definitely a keeper in my regimen.

1 Protein Conditioner

 There are many cone free conditioner out there ranging in all prices. Right now I have vo5 strawberries and cream as my protein conditioner. I actually found this in my stash while cleaning out last fall. It’ cone free, cheap and smells lovely.

1 Moisturizing Deep Conditioner

This is where I tend to have the most fun. It’s kind of hard trying to stick to just one deep conditioner especially when mixing up your own recipes. Recently I did a banana and honey DC with a few drops of Ylang Ylang essential oil. I also tried Shea moisture hair masque in which I have mixed feelings about… will share that review soon.

1 Protein Deep Conditioner

I’ll be sticking with Eggs and Mayo. It’s the best strengthening hair treatment ever. Keeps my hair strong and healthy for weeks. I’ll be doing this once a month or when I notice more hair shedding than usual.

A Leave-in Conditioner

Rose Water and Aloe Juice! I love this leave-in hair mist. It smells divine and leaves my hair ultra soft. My curls have been loving this hair mist and I truly can’t believe how amazing my hair feels after using this. I also have been eyeing giovanni direct leave in, so once I get a chance I may purchase it.

1 Moisturizer

Hands down the best product I have right now!! It does not need a review for me to tell you how much I love this moisturizer. One of my biggest challenge I thought would be finding the ideal daily moisturizer. Not only for the straight styles but for the kinky curls as well. This helped keep my hair ultra moisturized during my weekly beauty salon sessions. And as of late, my curly fro has been loving this. I’ll have a review soon on how I use it and how much I love it.

 Natural Oils

For a while now I have been using Grape seed oil to seal and love it. It’s very light and provides me with a lot of shine without weighing my hair down. I also will be using essential oils like ylang ylang for it’s amazing moisturizing qualities in my Deep Conditioners. Argan Oil which I reviewed recently has truly been a god send, it’s very moisturizing and provides my hair with amazing shine. Amal Oils organic argan oil is what I used during the Holiday to keep my straight hair, silky and frizz free. Coconut oil has also been my favorite and it complements many of my deep conditioners as well.

 So that’sbasically what I have been up to these past several weeks in terms of hair and the endless products I come across. In the meantime this has been my hair these past couple of weeks since going cone free.

This was right before washing. This is how my hair was after a full week of protective styles in a bun.

My curls 3 days in……

 Now that I have gone cone free my curls have come back to life in the middle of winter!

I pretty much spritz with aloe vera juice and rosewater when my curly fro is out, moisturize with bee Mine’s balancing cream seal with grape seed oil and off I go. Last summer I attempted to rock the curly fro but I did not have much luck in terms of my curls cooperating. I dealt with a lot of matting, and always ended up with a tangled dry mess. Which is why I opted for a more natural method this time around.

But recently my curls have been poppin! No tangles or matting.

I’ve never seen my pony tail so thick before. This is what I have been noticing since going cone free I have yet to rollerst which I may get to do this weekend depending on how I may feel. So I think I made a good choice switching my regimen up. I have to say I no longer deal with matting or limp lifeless hair when leaving my curls out. Right now I’m still tweaking my regimen (looking for a new hair gel) but for the most part it has been very simple and notice a difference in terms of my air dired hair retaining moisture.

Soon I’ll have my regimen narrowed down as well as share some Deep Conditiong recipes I have been playing around with……..

Read Full Post »