Homemade products/deep conditioner

Homemade deep conditioner! Works great every time. I only use this homemade concoction if I feel like my hair is feeling a little limp, and needs a boost of strength. 

This deep conditioner consists of :

1/2 cup EVOO (extra virgin olive oil )

2 tsbp of grapseed oil

1/2 cup mayonnaise 

1/4 cup of honey

1/2 of a banana 

It makes a creamy consistency, doesn't smell so hot, but works great nonetheless. Don't forget to use your heated bonnet to help get that conditioner working on those strands!

Ill be using this conditioner this coming weekend. Stay tuned!

Review: Shea Moisture African Black Soap bar

Let me start out by saying that I have extremely sensitive, dry, blotchy skin. I also have mild to moderate eczema. I have tried many and every type of bath wash, oatmeal scrub, sensitive skin wash and such to help with the itching and sensitivity in all weather conditions. I decided to try the Shea Moisture African Black Soap bar. I've seen it many times before in Walgreens, target and some Walmart's, but never thought to try it. I picked it up on a whim one day when I stopped in to get some other things. When I hopped in the shower, the first thing I noticed was the wonderful smell. It lathered very well, and it rinsed well also. 

The only thing I did NOT like was the black/dark residue that it left in my shower. (I guess that's fine since I have to clean the tub anyways). Once out of the shower my skin was not extremely dry,nor itchy. My skin smelled amazing and felt soft and smooth. I'd give this product a 4/5, only because its not perfect, but did a good job at soothing the dry spots and eczema on my skin. This can also be used for people who have acne prone skin, psoriasis or other skin conditions. Check it out guys and let me know what you think.

-Dani

Guest feature: Meet lovely natural Vecoya!

1. Please introduce yourself!

 

Hi I’m VeCoya. I’m from North Carolina and I have a full time job so I guess I’ve officially entered adulthoodYAY lol.

 

2. Why did you decide to go natural/ become chemical free?

 

I decided to explore my natural state of hair in 2009. I received my last relaxer in January 2009. Honestly because I noticed that my hair was consistently getting shorter over a two year span (from 2007-2009) at the time I didn't know why. But my hair breakage was due to me applying too much heat to my hair ....SERIOUSLY I was flat iron HAPPY!

 

Anywho through the transition process I became intrigued with my natural curls and I haven't looked back since!

 

3. How would you describe your natural hair texture?

 

My hair is complex, I have looser curls on the left side and the right side ALWAYS outgrows the left side despite me cutting it even! Its wavy in the front and curly in the back. It's soft, unruly at times, thick, beautiful but I embrace it all! Perfectly flawed, but I LOVE my hair for that. Afterall, what on God’s green earth is perfect? 

4. Describe your most recent style regimen within the last month.

 

Within the past month I’ve rocked my hair in various styles; flexi rods; straw sets; I braid it back into protective styles; and wear buns. I love variety!

 

5. What's your go to hairstyle(s):

 

If I had to choose a favorite style I think it would be the bun, its an easy go to protective style. Plus, my sister showed me this awesome technique to make your bun appear much fuller than it actually is lol.

 

6. Do you have a specific wash regimen?

 

I co wash at least once a week (every other day in the warmer months) and deep condition at least once a month.

 

 

7. What are some of your favorite hair products?

I'm a product junkie! It's so gotten bad that I don't allow myself to go to the beauty supply store anymorelol. But if I were on a deserted island and could only have two products I would choose coconut oil and Jane Carter Solution Leave In Revitalizing Conditioner. I use both daily and they are full or fortifying and natural ingredients.

 

8. So you have any natural hair goals?

 

My natural hair goals are to maintain healthy hair. I used to want to retain maximum length but I’ve come to realize that healthy hair triumphs length any day!

 

9. Do you have any advice for other new naturals or those aspiring to be natural?

 

My advice would be to develop patience because this journey is definitely a process.

 

Fall in love with your texture and your natural curls. Don't compare yourself to others because this is your journey. That applies to products as well, what works for me may not necessarily work for you and vice versus. Experiment and try new products and hairstyles to see what works for you.

 

If you are experimenting with a new hairstyle and it turns out disastrous, try again. The more you try, the more you will learn and the better you will get at it, just like anything else in life. 

Return of the mini twists!!!!

Hello!

So FINALLY the warm weather has hit Cleveland, Ohio. With that being said, I can't have my thick, full hair out when it's blazing hot outside. It's just to much lol. So I thought, what a better of a time than now, to bring back one of my favorite styles!!! Mini twists do take some time to do, but once they are in, they can last for up to 3-4 weeks or longer depending on up keep and maintenance. I twist my entire head last night and it took me about 4 hours from start to finish. (Washing, conditioning & styling)

Products used were:

 1. Keracare naturals leave in conditioner (fave!)

2. Carols daughter healthy hair butter

I bobby pin the twists every night or place them in a ponytail to keep them stretched. I prefer to do mini twists on freshly washed and conditioned hair. 

 I always make sure to twirl the ends of my hair when twisting to make sure then ends don't come unraveled. I spray my hair with water every other day to keep my hair moist. If need be, I will redo the mini twists around my edges as time goes on, depending on how long I want to keep the style going.

I will definitely be keeping this style for the weekend and part of next week. 

Do you guys wear mini twists? How long does it take you to complete them? What products do you use? Let me know if you all have questions! 

-Dani

Featured on TheGreenevadamecum

Hi all! 

Please check out my hair story on Thegreenevadamecum blog! The link is http://thegreenevadamecum.com. 

A friend of a friend named Vecoya and her sister share natural hair tips, reviews, tips about makeup, style and other fun things!  I'm so honored that they chose me to be featured on their site.

Also, check out my story on strawberricurls.com!!!!! 

Thanks for all your support! 

-Dani

Protective styling!!!!

Hey all! 

So, like I've stated in a previous post, I'm gonna start back with the protective styling. Today I wore a Upart wig with a closure, which was made for me by one of my high school friends. It's a great way to protect all of my hair, and change up my style a bit with straight hair! This is my first time wearing a u part wig, or any wig for that matter, so it's taking some getting used to. I had to make the part look a little more realistic by adding makeup to it, and also I'm not the best braider, so my braids are really fat underneath lol.  I plan on wearing this on my family trip to Atlanta for the 4th of July. So we will see how it holds up. This hair is 3 bundles of 14,16,18 inch hair with a 10 inch closure. My hair is braided in cornrows underneath. 

Guest feature: Meet lovely natural Romance!

1. Please introduce yourself!

Hello Curly Girls and Gents. My name is Romance and I've been natural for 1.5 years. So I still concern myself a "natural newbie". 

2. Why did you decide to go natural/ become chemical free?

I decide to to natural because I am a sucka for a fierce hair color... lol. I experienced extreme hair damage due to over processing with color and relaxer. I just wanted a new and healthy start, so why not do a "Big Chop" 

3. How would you describe your natural hair texture?

My hair texture is a mix. Its zig-zag to tightly coiled (Type 4B/4A). 

4. Describe your most recent style. 

My most recent style would be a flat two strand twist out. This style gives me volume with having to use a comb. I love this style and it last for at least a week. :) 

5. What's your go to hairstyle(s)

I love twist outs(winter months)  and box braids (summer due to the humidity) 

6. Do you have a specific wash regimen?

 I don't have a specific was regimen. I wash/condition every week  and deep condition every two weeks. Only reason I wash every week is to remove product build up.

7. What are some of your favorite hair products? 

I use Shea moisture shampoo and honeychile hair love products. Also to seal in the moisture I use coconut oil.  

8. Do you have any natural hair goals?

Yes, my hair goal is to have strong and heathy hair. Length wise, I would like to have bra strap length within 3 yrs. 

9. Do you have any advice for other new naturals or those aspiring to be natural? 

Only advice I have is to embrace your natural hair  "Cause if you can't love yourself how can you expect anybody else to love you" 

10. How can you be contacted?

Contact me on IG @oh_soromi or Email Vintageglamnerd@gmail. 

Thank you so much Romance!

Night time routine!

At night, I ALWAYS wrap my hair up in a satin bonnet or scarf. My hair is almost always in twists or plaits. I like to moisturize my hair at night, most definitely my ends, with water and some kind of product to seal in the moisture. Most nights I use Shea moistures transitioning milk from their  Shea butter line (gold labels) this is the only line from Shea moisture I can use. 

I make sure to spray my ends with water from a water bottle I use. Spraying my hair with water daily or every other day keeps my ends hydrated. Moisturized ends, help with length retention, and keep the ends from splitting and breaking. 

My hair is in plaits, because I've been wearing a braid out for the past couple of days. 

Sundays are usually my wash days, but I won't be washing until later on in the week this week, do to a protective style ill be applying to my hair very soon. 

Just wanted to come by and share my night time routine before bed. Let me know if you have questions or concerns!!!!

-Dani

Hair goals & hair challenges

Hi all-

I'm coming to you all to give some hair updates, and goals I'd like to obtain for the remainder of 2013 and going into to 2014. 

First things first. I won't be straightening my hair for the remainder of 2013. I straightened twice this year, lol which is way more than I usually do. I want to limit the amount of excessive heat used on my hair. Luckily, I have done a great job of keeping my hair protected while straight and haven't gotten any heat damage! 

2nd thing, I'm hoping by next may I can get my fro to reach collarbone length,un- straightened. 

Thirdly, maintaining HEALTHY hair. Keeping up with moisturizing, deep conditioning and trimmed ends will help me reach my hair goals.

What are some of your hair goals? Let me know! Comment and subscribe! Thanks you!

-Dani

Guest feature: meet newly natural Sherri!!

1. Please introduce yourself!

Hi I’m Sherri,  a 28 year old wife and mother of 5 kids. I also work full-time as a Nurse. I went natural back in April of 2012 but didn’t do the Big Chop until March of 2013. I cried when my hair dresser began to cut my hair for the big chop so she left me some hair in the front. I was devastated when I saw my hair on the floor of the salon but I still had some of my hair left in the front. Well a week later I felt comfortable enough to cut the remaining portion of my hair off that still had relaxer on the ends. I felt liberated!

2. Why did you decide to go natural/ become chemical free? 

I decided to go Natural because I felt that I was wasting money on relaxers. I would get relaxers every 6 weeks and my hair didn’t remain straight for very long. Once my hair came in contact with humidity or sweat then it would curl up. I also found it hard to maintain my relaxed hair. I don’t like to do my own hair so I found myself going to the salon more often and once I went home after about a week I would wash it and pull it into a ponytail until my next appointment. My hair became dry and started to break off because I was constantly pulling it back and not conditioning it appropriately .

3. How would you describe your natural hair texture? 

It is naturally curly

4. Describe your most recent style regimen within the last month. 

I just did the big chop back in March so I have been wearing it in a curly ‘fro.

5. What's your go to hairstyle(s)- 

My trusty wash and go Afro lol

6. Do you have a specific wash regimen? 

I co-wash after my work-outs with “Mixed Chicks” deep conditioner and I wash my hair once a week with Mane and Tail shampoo.

7. What are some of your favorite hair products? 

I LOVE Kinky-Curly Knot Today Conditioner, Kinky-Curly Curl Custard, and Mixed Chicks Deep Conditioner

8. Do you have any natural hair goals? 

My goal is to embrace my hair and its texture and to find products that will keep my natural hair healthy.

9. Do you have any advice for other new naturals or those aspiring to be natural? 

My advice would be to get to know the texture of your hair and figure out what products work best for your specific texture. There may be a couple of hit and misses with products but keep at it and eventually you will find what works best for your hair.

Aunt Jackie's final review.

Hi guys, 

I told you I'd come back to give my finally review of the miss Jessie's detangler and curl la la styler. All and all both products get 3/5. What I look for most in a leave in, detangler or styler is the moisture it gives. My hair wasn't dry; but it didn't feel as moisturized as it could have been. I left my hair in twists from last nights wash because its raining here in Cleveland.

I pinned these twists up this morning, put forgot to take a picture. I will probably unravel these sometime this weekend when it stops raining.

Let me know of you have any questions! Thanks guys! 

-Dani

Aunt Jackie's review continued...

After I washed, I decided to just continue the review of the aunt Jackie's products, and use the detangler and the styling product. 

The detangler has a sticky consistency, but a great smell. As far as the moisture it gives, that was ok. When I put it on my hair, it felt ok. I will judge in the morning when my hair is complete dry

Knot on my watch detangler is enriched with Shea butter and olive oil. I didn't actually detangle my hair with this product because I detangle when my hair is wet in the shower. I did run my fingers through my hair to work the product  through, and did so without any issues. This detangler over all gets a 3.5/5 for me. 

The curl lala styler was the same consistency. 

It was somewhat sticky, and had the same smell. It felt ok when I applied it on my hair, but nothing special. Again, I will judge the moisture factor of this product in the morning when my hair is completely dry. I give this product a 4/5 only because i think I will have a very defined twist out! I unraveled one of my twists to redo the twist and it was already very defined! I'm excited to see what it looks like in the AM. 

Both products have good ingredients, and come in large containers which are perks! 

More to come later, I will give my final review soon on these products...

Shampoo review, and my current obsession of deep conditioners!

Hi guys!

So. Remember about 3-4 months back when I told you I was going to review the Aunt Jackie's line?????? Well.... Lol I finally tried the shampoo, anddddd I love it! The aunt Jackie's line comes with 4 different products. 

1. Oh so clean shampoo

2. Knot on my watch detangler

3. In control Deep conditioner

4 curl la la defining curl custard

I bought 3 of the products in a package deal on amazon, one of which was the shampoo. It smells good (smells like candy), it's sudsy, it's moisturizing and it does NOT strip my hair! This shampoo is sulfate free and paraben free, no mineral oils or petroleums! So all in all the shampoo is fantastic. Gets 5/5 stars from me. Does the job, moisturizing and it's a 12 oz bottle, so I have a lot left.

As far as the name... Well uh, I'm not so sure about that lol. As we all know there is a brand out called "Miss Jessie's", so idon't  know if Aunt Jackie's  is somewhat of a knock off of the Miss Jessie's brand. I don't mind much, because Aunt Jackie's costs less, and has better ingredients.

Since I washed my hair tonight, I have to deep condition. I have found another deep conditioner that I am currently obsessed with. It's by "smooth and shine",Olive oil and tea tree oil deep recovery conditioner. I've been using this stuff for about a month now and let me tell you, it's better than Eden Bodyworks deep conditioner and any other deep conditioner I've tried before! I buy the $1.29 packs from Walmart or Sally's!  If only I could buy a bigger bottle of this stuff. Oh well, it's good enough to purchase over and over again! The ingredients are pretty good. No harsh chemicals, petroleums or parabens. 

I apply this to my hair, and then use my heated cap for about 30 minutes to allow the product to penetrate. I love my heated cap, deep conditioning just isn't the same without heat! At least, it isn't for my hair. If you have low porosity, dense thick hair, then you should be using a heated cap when deep conditioning also. The heat from the cap lifts the cuticle of the hair, allowing the product to fully penetrate the hair shaft, which allows the product to do its thing! I've found that deep conditioners works so much better on my hair when I apply heat, rather than just letting it sit. 

 

Tonight, I plan to just two strand twist my hair, and unravel in the morning or pin it up. Depends on how I feel. Let me know if you guys have any questions on products, where to purchase them or any other concerns! Thanks for tuning in!!!!

-Dani

My best friends wedding & roller set woes...

Hi all!

Yes, yes I know. I've been dropping the ball when it comes to my blog! My apologies!!!! Things have been so hectic lately! Work, school, participating in my BFF's wedding and other things. But I promise *scouts honor* to do better when it comes to posting. I will try to post at least once a week and keep you guys updated on my hair, products and anything that's changed.

So this past weekend I was In my best friend India's wedding. It was a wonderful wedding to say the least, and she made a beautiful bride! Now, as far as Janice (my fro) goes, I decided to wear a roller set for the wedding. I did this because: #1 I've never tried this style before, and #2 I needed a low maintenance style due to the weather we were expecting that weekend. (Rain, humidity, wetness. All bad for natural hair styles :-/ ). I went to a best cuts salon, in Cleveland. I went there because since I've been natural I don't have a beautician to see and I THOUGHT it would take a short period of time to get in and get out. Well I was WRONG. I waited 2 hours before I even sat in the chair and it took about 1 and 1/2 hrs to complete the set and get me under the dryer. * I reminded myself once again why I went natural, and why I hate salons* moving on...

The roller set came out ok. It wasn't what I expected, but then again, I'm not really sure what I expected.lol I have fluffy, coily, curly type 4 hair that's shrinks to the heavens when wet. So when the roller set was done I had MAJOR shrinkage. It held up pretty well that day and the next day, which was the actual day of the wedding. I did get a lot of compliments on it, which was surprising because after a while I felt like it was frizzy and limp. Next time I decide to do a roller set, (if and when I do), I will definitely be doing my own at home and not going to the salon EVER again! Not sure what products the beautician used. But I'll post some pics below!