This blog is a exploration of growing long, healthy hair; void of relaxers, flat irons and pressing combs. Following "Promise" wherever she wants to lead me and enjoying the colorful, uncut and raw journey that she is about to take me on.
I am still trying to figure out what my hair really likes and dislikes. I know that she hates a lot of protein or products with protein in it. So I had to revisit what products that I can use. it has need very difficult. I have found conditioners that are void of protein. I did but SheaMoisture Leave-in conditioner but it has Aloe Vera in it, which has protein in it, but I will see if my hair likes it anyway. I will be using Jamaican Black Castor Oil and Sweet Almond Oil for my scalp. The Castor Oil has really got rid of my dandruff. I just need to find a good daily moisturizer. I will probably have to create my own with a glycerin concoction with Sweet Almond oil and Castor Oil. I am ordering avocado butter for protect my hair strands for the winter. My hair is getting somewhat long enough for two strand twists. But I will probably pin them up with bobby pins and wear but head bands and flowers as a cute protective style for the winter time. So my hair care regimen for the winter months of 2009 is:
1. Use conditioners, leave in conditioners and styling products void of proteins 2. Henna twice a month until starting October 2009 - December 2009 to see if my hair health will improve 3. Oil scalp using Jamaican Black Castor Oil at least 4 times a week. Sitting under my heat cap for at least 15 minutes 4. Lubricate strands with Avocado butter and olive oil 4. Wear two strand twist protective style for the winter months
So I am revisiting Henna because my first attempt at Henna from Lush was horrible. I am also found out that I have been overloading on protein and my hair is a rough, mess. In doing research I have found that good quality Henna is like a deep protein conditioner, but without the protein in it. Plus I want to color my hair without chemicals. lastly, after about 3 to 4 applications I should see major improvements in my hair. So I decided to buy better quality Henna from Mehandi.com . I bought 100g of Henna from Yemen for 7.50. The sift was very fine without the bits and twigs, much better than Lush.
1. I poured the mixture in a plastic bowl 2. Poured in liquid lemon juice. I did not measure I just poured stirred, poured and stirred until I got a yogurt consistency. I did want it to be too stiff like the last time. 3. Covered the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit until the next morning. 4. I poured about 2tbl olive oil to give my hair condition and to rinse out the mixture more easily 5. Wrapped hair in plastic cling 6. Sitting under my dryer throughout the day in 30 minute increments 7. Wash out hair in shower
Can I just say the application was easier than last time. It reminded me of when I used to relax my hair (Trembling).
So I have been irritated and overwhelmed with the dryness and, roughness and non-touchableness (is that a word? lol) of my hair. It seemed as though nothing I used, whether leave in cream conditioner, moisturizer etc., will keep my hair touchable soft like I so crave. Then I realized after looking at blogs and other sites that my strands may have protein overload and the products that I have been using (conditioners, styling products) all had some sort of protein in them. So I decided to examine all of my hair products and use only those that was void of any type of protein. All the products that I had had some sort of protein in it.
I am a little bit upset because I just ordered a plethora of products.
My whole Giovanni line because they all had some type of protein in them
But I did buy some conditioners without any protein
1. Suave ColorCare Conditioner - Good price 2. Herbal Essences Totally Twisted - Curlynikki.com loves it 3. Herbal Essences Hello Hydration - I likie 4 Herbal Essences Hydralicious - Moisturizes very well 5. Suave Naturals Fresh Mountain Berry - Best bang for the buck 22.5 oz for under 2$. I will use this to wash out my henna.
Some common protein names found in many haircare products:
Some common proteins found in hair care products Protein Major Amino Acids (generally many more amino acids are present)
Collagen- Glycine, proline
Keratin Proline, lysine, cysteine (a sulfur-containing amino acid)
Silk- Glycine and alanine
Soy- Glutamic acid, aspartic acid
Rice- Glutamic acid, aspartic acid, arginine
Milk- Glutamic acid, proline (contains all eight of the “essential” amino acids)
Although I am natural and do not have relaxers in my hair or straighten my hair with heat I did color my hair twice and I am paying the price for it. I was deep conditioning adding oils and moisture but my hair strands (The colored strands) are so frizzy unless I have a gel that clumps them together. I know I have a porosity issue because when my hair is wet with conditioner my strands still look frizzy. After stumbling across an amazing article on porosity and how to treat it I am determined to improve my strands with the help of the below articles tips as well as my henna and cassia treatments.
Okay I am a bonafied PJ. Well maybe that is a little too harsh. I think that because I am newly natural I am still on a quest to find products that do not make my hair crunchy. I like products that leave my hair soft after it dries. Products that maintain the softness once it dries and products that cultivate and fertilize my scalp helping it to grow healthy. I have tried many products since my last post and most of them were garbage. But, from many naturally curly reviews and my own research I bought a plethora of products.
1. Castor Oil (Walmart) - Promotes healthy hair growth. I am doing the Castor Oil Hair Challenge on Hairlista. If my hair takes to the castor oil I will definitely buy the Jamaican Black Castor Oil.
I love this product my dandruff has subsided. I have had bad scaly dandruff for as long as I can remember. I will never not use castor oil ever again.
2. Long Aid Activator Gel (Walmart). I really like it I smooth out my hair when I first wash it. It really defines my curls.
Pros: Defines my curls Cons: Makes it a little crunchy, stiff with barely any moisture. 3. IC Fantasia Hair polisher styling gel Color treated Hair (Ordered Online. I hear it does not make hair crunchy, but leaves it moisturized. Hopefully it can replace the Long Aid activator gel. Review to come.
4. Bio.Star Lacio Lacio High Shine Leave In Hair Conditioner. I hear nothing but good things about this conditioner.
Since I have been overloading on protein I do not know how my strands will react to it. We shall see.
5. Shea Moisture Shea Butter Leave-In Conditioner. I hear nothing but good things about this conditioner from curlynikki.com.
Since I have been overloading on protein I do not know how my strands will react to it. We shall see.
What can I say it sucked. Left my hair dry and did not make it soft. Probably good for straight hairstyles.
7. Fantasia Leave in Moisturizer Hair & Scalp Treatment. Hopefully I can use this as a daily mist, especially for the winter season coming up.Trying 10/1/09
It did not leave my hair soft or moisturized. And it had glycerin in it which should have made it soft.
8. Giavanni Leave in Conditioner (Walmart/Target). I really like this product. Pros: Natural, smells good, leave in ceme conditioner Cons: Hair does not dry soft with moisture because I am sensitive to protein
Sorry I have not posted anything in a while. I was frustrated with the appearance that my hair was not growing. But I just needed to be patient. Here is my updated hair growth as of September 2009.
Hello hairgraffitians I know have not updated on any new products lately, but I was In various establishments this holiday weekend and I picked up a few:
1. Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula "Restoring Conditioner" - (Walmart) have not used yet, but it smells really good just like the their cocoa butter in the skin.
It had protein so it left my hair hard.
2. Smooth'n Shine Polishing "Silk'n Sleek - (Walmart) The product felt good in the store, not too thick, felt light and silky on my hand so I bought it.
It had protein so my hair hated it
3. BB Growth Serum - (Walmart)The ingredients look amazing, all natural, only con is that the bottle is extremely small 2 oz for about 5 bucks, but the plan is to use the product for a whole month until August 09.
My hair did not like it
4. Dove Advanced Color Care "Leave-in Luminizing Mist - (My local Psuedo Dollar Store) Hopefully will leave my hair soft without putting my favorite gel Elsta Care in it.
Did not moisturize my hair
I will periodically update through the month on all products
The Urban Lifestyle scrapblogshows a month of hair growth that I took these the weekend of June 6th, 2009. You can not tell because of shrinkage but I had a lot of new growth about 1 inch. I can tell because when I twist my hair I do not have to grip so hard to twist the curls. Next update is July 4th.....see you then hairgraffitians.
I oil my hair everyday and sit under my dryer 15 minutes every day. Here is my homemade concoction.
1. Emu Oil (of course) - A carrier oil that penetrates through the hair strands 2. Coconut Oil - 3. Sulfur 8 (Clean and Fresh Fragrance). It is in the blue and gold jar, which has 2% sulfur that grows the hair.
I mix 1 Tbls of each, heat it in the microwave for 30min and pour it into my applicator bottle.
I am still searching to find products that will leave my curls soft and touchable after It's dry after many buys and returns I stumbled upon something so magical....it is like liquid gold in a bottle. It is called Elasta Care "Fells Like Silk" Styling Control Gel. Can I just say this is my new boo....sigh my hair is sot and oh so touchable. The gel does not leave my hair hard or a residue. And the best part for a 16 fl oz it only cost my about 7$ bucks. But the product feels like it would cost 20$ bucks. This will be in my hair arsenal for years to come. I use this product when I wash my hair weekly, as well as daily to un-frizz some of the curls when I go to work. I can not say enough positive things about this product. Love it!!! Love it!!! Love it!!!!
Okay everyone, I am still trying to find the best all natural oil for my hair and through my research I have found Emu Oil. I actually read about email oil while I was researching natural products to put into my hair. I knew about Emu Oil, but did not know where to get it locally. Well, it just so happened that I was in the Whole Wheatery (A store that has a plethora of all natural products, food, supplements etc.) out in Lancaster, CA. And while I was in the supplement isle I just so happened to see a bottle of pure Emu Oil. At around 13.95 for 1fl oz, i just had to have it. Trust me I plan to use it wisely. Here is a little information:
Emu oil is almost 100% triglyceride in nature which makes it an almost completely neutral lipid. Researchers feel that the reason that it penetrates human skin so readily is that it has a total lack of phospholipids. Human skin is phospholipid deficient which means that there is no phosphorus in human skin. Anything put on human skin and scalp that has phosphorus in it will not penetrate because skin is programmed to keep such penetration from happening. Conversely, anything such as emu oil that is phospholipid deficient, i.e. has no phosphorus, will penetrate right in and take with it any medicinal materials added to it. Even on its own without added materials emu oil has amazing hair growth properties.
Properties of Emu Oil
The most important property of emu oil has already been mentioned. It is highly penetrating. This ability to penetrate the stratum corneum barrier of the skin, brought about by the high levels of oleic acid mentioned earlier, has in it the basis for many new uses in the future. Emu oil could be combined with various medicinals or cosmetic materials to take them beneath this barrier and could do it relatively more cheaply and as effectively as the costly liposomes and iontophorisis now available. At the present time, physicians in Australia specializing in hair growth are using emu oil for this penetrating ability because it gets into the scalp and enhances the potency of topical medications, in addition to making them last lasts longer.
I have decided to make up my own concoction of Emu oil mixed with Biotin, MSM and Saw Palmetto. Let's see how this added remedy will work.
In an attempt to try and discover the most natural hair products for "Promise" to keep her healthy and happy I came across, through much research, two amazing products:
1. Cantu Shea Butter Leave in Conditioning Repair Cream (Walmart) - I chose Cantu because I read that is was a very good moisturizer. Void of glycerin, parabens and cones I really wanted a product that would not make my hair crispy after I applied it to "Promise" when she was soaking wet. This product really did the job, it left my tiny finger coils moisturized, but not oily at all, and toned down the frizz tremendously. My hair was really soft to the to the touch once it dried. Cantu is my new best friend.
2. All natural Coconut Oil (Walmart in the vitamin isle) - I wanted to find a natural oil that would not coat my hair and scalp, but penetrate the strands. And coconut was the winner, my research has showed that the covalent bonds of coconut oil are small enough to pass through the hair strands, allowing the hair to soak up the oil. And from putting about two quarters size drops of it in my palm and patting it on my coils and rubbing it through my scalp it seems to be true. This morning I put coconut oil on my hair and throughout the day I would pat my hair to see if it was greasy, nope, there was very little oil that I could see on my hands, but when I looked in the bathroom mirror under the light I could see my hair had a nice sheen to it. Let me sum up my findings:
1. The best all natural oils that "Promise" loves 2. A little goes a long way 3. Will not make hair greasy if used moderately 4. The hair soaks up the oil throughout the day 5. Findings show that oiling the scalp with coconut oil, wrapping head and sitting under a dryer for about 15 minutes three times a week will grow hair " I plan on testing that theory". 6. Keep the oil in a refrigerator, it melts really easily, theenvironment does not have to be hot. If it does melt just put it in the freezer for about 20-30 minutes. "I learned from experience"
I finally found two good products that my hair likes Cantu and Coconut Oil. Although, Cantu is not all natural it is the best moisturizer that I could find for my hair at a reasonable price. But, I am still researching for other products that my hair will love as well.
My New Hair Regimen:
1. Co-Wash 2. Sit under the dryer and condition with 1 avocado and 2 tblsmayonnaise for about 15 minutes 3. Rinse out mixture with cool water 4. Twist hair with Cantu Leave in Conditioning repair Cream 5. Then oil scalp with Coconut oil, and sit under dryer with plastic cap for 30 minutes for a deep conditioning 6 Then twice more during the week lightly oil scalp and coils and sit under dryer with a plastic cap for 15 minutes. 7. Twice a month do a Caca Rouge henna treatment 8 Once a week do a Bentonite hair treatment 9 Take my vitamin concoction ( That I think is really working because I just shaved the very back of my hair towards the nap of my neck and the fuzz is growing like crazy in just 3 days, so hopefully this will continue through my whole head) 10 Be patient
Well....I'm not going to say that the henna didn't work, I think that it is going to take a couple of applications to see results...just like any all natural product. I do see some reddish undertones in the sun. And as for softness, that is still up in the air. I did not even bother taking pictures, did not want to waste any film. But next time around I definitely will.
I went to Lush on my lunch today to buy the Caca Rouge Henna. First let me just say that the smell in Lush is amazing, it's like smelling heaven and most of their stuff is all natural. The store has a very positive vibe, with smells that stimulate the senses I actually bought a couple of more items that I had planned to.
Anyway, I bought the henna, 325g for about 22$. It seems like a lot, but my hair is so short because I did the BIG-C last night that it was more than enough for my hair+ some left over. My hair color is about a chocolate brown to start with, so hopefully this will give me some deep reddish undertones. The instructions say: Crumble into a bowl, pour hot water over the henna and mix to a cake batter consistency. I eye-balled the pouring and I hit it on the mark, I also added about a quarter of a cup of paprika. My research showed me that paprika gives extra hints of red. It was not messy like people proclaim it to be.
I think that if you mix the henna to be a little thick instead of thin, the product won't go flying every-which-a-way. I had to clean up like 3 little spots and I was good. After I applied the product I took some cling wrap and wrapped it around me edges. Next I took a plastic shower cap and placed it over the cling wrap. Finally, I took a cotton scarf and tied it over my whole head. I plan on sleeping with the product in my hair overnight and wash it out in the morning. I read that the longer henna stays in the better the color. Unfortunately, I did not take a before picture, because I was rushing to get home to get started. But, I will definitely take an after picture on Saturday....they say the color deepens over about three days, plus I have a wedding to go to.
I also bought a couple of products to do my finger twists in the morning before I go to work...I know, I know....but I plan on waking up early. It's funny that I don't mind waking up 4:30 in the morning to do my hair now that it's natural, when before I dreaded waking up at 6:00 A.M. to slop my hair into a ponytail to be to work for 7:30..go figure. Since I cut my hair off the finger twists look frizzy....so I decided to do my regimen a Little different tomorrow, It'sgoing to take me a little while to find that products that my hair likes, but in the end I know that it will be worth it.
The new products that I bought are:
1. GarnierFructis Style Surf Hair (Walmart) - Hopefully the product will smooth and define my curls better, it's thick, waxy and fells like smooth putty. And it smells really good (I took it back, it did nothing for my hair)
2. Nourishing Coconut Milk Split Ends Mender (Walmart) - My wish is that my hair will not be so frizzy, although it does have glycerin in it....sorry, It has the look of clear mascara, and it too smells really good. (I took it back it did not moisturize or define my curls)
The old products I will use
1. Biotin B-Complex Thickening Conditionerby Avalon Organics (Walmart) - Co-shampoo, all natural(I really like it, use it as my co-wash) 2. Hair One for Dry Hair (Sally's beauty Supply) - All natural(It is pretty good, I use it as my clarifying shampoo)
I will update you on by Monday 11, 2009 with pics and how my experience was.
Here is a list of vitamins that I have been using for the reconciliation with "Promise". You have to nourish from the inside out. My research has showed that Saw Palmetto, Pygeum and Beta Siosterol are synergistic. My mission is to combine effective supplements, all natural hair products and no chemical coloring, (Only authentic henna from Lush.com), to boost my hair health, because "Promise" has been sick for a long time.
The pic is me at a wedding with my hair, it looked pretty cute. It's not very clear one, but you can see my hair is short. This pic was taken a week after my Big-C. ____________________________________________________________________
Monday May 4,2009 I finally I chopped off the straight- damaged hair. Deciding to let go of the old dysfunctional relationship that I had with her, "I named her Promise", and start fresh. It's about 2-2 1/2 inches of soft, coily glorious curls. I asked myself, as I ran my hair through my liberated mane, "Why did you take so long to let go of the old, and embrace the new?". I guess it's like any dysfunctional relationship, you know you need to let it go, but you have come so accustomed to it, you just are too afraid to cut your losses and move on. I guess it's fear, fear of the unknown. But "Promise" has assured me that everything will be okay and I believe her because she has never lied to me before.
