Stylin': mini twists (update/maintenance)

It's been two weeks and my cute little mini twists are still giving me the business in the best way possible. This has been a very suitable substitution to the braided/twisted extensions that I've been longing for. I've received so many lovely compliments and exclamations from fellow naturals for me to get my hands in their hair lol! Before I big chopped I always wore my hair in a similar cut to where these twists fall. My relaxed hair never really grew past the base of my neck for years. So now that my un-stretched twists have made it to the length I was before the BC, I'm hype!

My night time routine/maintenance is very simple, which I need and appreciate. I lightly spritz the twist with water and then rub either coconut oil or my Shea Butter mix on the twist, focusing on the ends. I throw on a satin bonnet and then it's "Goodnight!" In the mornings I shake my hair a bit and then either pin the front out of my face or just let them "do what they do." And it's as simple as that.

The funny thing about these twists is it makes me long for locs...immediately! I'm just imagining short locs I can play in. Who knows...maybe it will come to be in the future. until then, i'll stick to the mini twists and genie locs.

Shay Buttah's Shea Butter

Source

For this healthy (ayurvedic/natural) hair challenge I've had to rely heavily on my shea butter mix as a moisture aid and a styler. Almost 2 years ago I started experimenting with different recipes to make the most beneficial mix. Know what I found out? You can basically use whatever you like! And that's why I love shea butter mixes. They can be so versatile and can be mixed to fit your direct hair needs. Below is the recipe I've been using to make mine. There are no exact measurements at all. I just add and mix until it...well...feels right in my soul! But you can add and omit anything you want. Experiment with different carrier oils, plant gels, pure plant oils (essential oils) and even scents until you find what works best for you!

Butter:

100% Organic Unrefined Shea Butter | Sealant for moisture, 

soothes irritated scalp, protects hair form weather damage (heat/UVs)

Carrier Oils:

Coconut oil | Great conditioner, light protein used to nourish damaged hair

Castor oil | Stimulates growth, prevents thinning, increase strength of strands

Extra Virgin Olive Oil  | Prevents dryness, conditions, improves strength and elasticity

Amla Oil   |  Conditions hair, strengthens strands, Promotes shine

Pure Plant (Essential Oils):

Vitamin E oil   |  Stimulates growth

Tea Tree Oil   |  Anti-bacterial properties, combats build-up, decreases dandruff

Grapefruit Oil   |  Stimulates hair follicles, fragrance

Tangerine Oil   |  Battles shedding, fragrance

Lemon Oil   |  Repairs hair sebum, adds luster, fragrance

Review: Vatika Hair Oil

I've been really trying to stick to the ayurvedic/natural aspect of my 6 month healthy hair challenge. It's actually been a lot easier than I thought because the products that I have been using are so accessible and CHEAP! One of the products that has actually been a major part of my hair regimen for over a year now is  Dabur's Vatika Oil. I've spoken about it a few times on the blog already. I thought it was about time for me to give you an in depth review.


Vatika (Enriched Coconut Hair Oil)- $3.99 (10.14 oz) : Vatika is a Premium Coconut Hair Oil enriched with Henna, Amla, Lemon and six other trusted herbs. Vatika's unique natural formulation ensures deeper oil penetration to give your hair and scalp complete nourishment for problem free, healthy hair.


Ingredients: Coconut oil, Neem, Brahmi, Fruit extracts of Amla, Bahera and Harar, Terminalia belirica, Kapur kachri, Henna, Rosemary oil, Lemon oil, TBHQ, Fragrance.

[You can go HERE to see the properties of some of these ingredients]

Honestly if I were stranded on an island for the rest of my life and I could only have one oil with me...I would probably choose this one. I LOVE it! It makes my hair feel amazing every time I use it. I tend to use it various ways mostly as a hot oil treatment and a sealant for my ends.

After I shampoo my hair I use it as a hot oil treatment instead of deep conditioning with a conditioner. I place the whole bottle of the oil in a bowl of very hot (yet not boiling) water for a few minutes,  pour the oil on my hair, place a plastic cap over my hair and let it sit for at least an hour (Most times, with my laziness, it's over night) I then rinse it out and style as usual. And when I braid or twist my hair I always seal my ends with this oil. When I take my braids/twists down my hair always feels super soft and looks very shiny .

Coconut oil in general has always been a hair saving ingredient for me but I love that the added ingredients in this oil help promote strong healthy hair which is what i'm always looking for.

The only cons I have are the smell and consistency The smell is definitely something to get use to. I wouldn't say that it smells bad but I wouldn't necessarily want to wear the perfume equivalent  of it either. If you want all of your products to smell like fruits and berries this probably isn't the one for you. Also because the product base is coconut oil it is usually in a solid state, which isn't a problem unless you're trying to squeeze it through the super tiny hole you have to puncture in the protective top. It can be annoying to have to slightly heat up the oil every time you want to use it. I usually just take the whole protective top off of it and let the slighly solidified product run out the larger opening.

Over-all this product is a God-send for my hair. Although I love my Extra Virgin Coconut oil, it's nice to know that I have a product that is considerably cheaper, and has a great amount of ayurvedic properties that  are so beneficial to the hair. You can find it at your local Indian grocer/store or if there isn't one near you check out this link to order it online.

Stylin': V-Day edition

I hope you guys had a love-filled Valentine's Day! I unfortunately had to work the majority of the day but I had a great day none the less! I just wanted to stop by and show you how I wore my hair. I used the tutorial from the last post to pull off this Valentine head wrap. 

 The hair under the wrap are in twist and the hair on top is a twist out that I pinned down because it was way to long and defined for the look. The hair was looking a little Side-Show Bob-ish before I pinned them down. But all my ends are nice and hidden making this a really great protective style!

I used a bright red solid red colored bandanna. In the future I'll have to find some larger scarves because I have a very big head so I was fighting to make it tie in the front. (check out thrift stoes/department stores/ beauty supply stores/ boutiques for some stylish and cheap ones!) 

 

But overall I REALLY like this style. You can safely assume that this style is now a staple. Let me know how you like it!

*Happy Hair Days*

Stylin': Twist on an Up-do

Long story short; I’m really trying not to put some weave in my hair…I’m just SO BORED with wearing twists. It’s been about 31 days of them and I’m ready to retire them already. If it wasn’t a blatant opposing force to my hair challenge I would have BEEN had braided extensions. But since that can’t be an answer  I have to go to my handy-dandy, trusty-rusty, YouTube subscriptions to find some new protective style ideas. Actually I have ALL of the ideas in the world but it’s all about actual execution and  lack of laziness, so I can actually do them. So now that it’s February, I’m determined to find something outside of a head full of hanging two strand twists. I did find this super cute style to do on my twists. Who knew pinning the twist up would give me so much life?!

Check out iknowlee's Tutorial on how she pins up and styles her twists. The two styles are very classy and sophiscated, and I love it! 

The Ayurvedic Way: Nupur Mehendi

One of the first ayurvedic treatments I decided to use for my 2012 Healthy Hair Challenge , was this one called Nupur that I found at my local Indian supermarket. This conditioning treatment is  a mixture of Brahmi, Shikakai, Aloe Vera, Methi, Bhringraj, Amla, Neem, Hibiscus, and Jatamansi. Each ingredient helps in the overall strength, condition, nourishment and shine of your hair.

This particular treatment is basically an enriched henna (Mehendi). So the actual processing application and time is just as long as if you were to do an actual henna treatment. I added enough water (no real measurement) to the Nupur powder to make a thick paste. I then added Amla and Vatika oil (which I also found at the Indian Supermarket) for extra softness and conditioning. I allowed the mixture to sit over night so that the properties of the ingredients could release.

 

The next morning. I washed my hair with a castile soap, then applied the treatment evenly from root to tip of my hair. I then twisted my hair in chunky two strand twists and let it sit in my hair for 3 hours. 

I made sure to rinse the product out VERY well. When the product was all removed I could instantly feel a difference in my hair. It was super soft and my twist actually looked...better. For experimentation sake, all I added was a bit more of the Vatika oil to my ends and I let the twists air dry that entire day.

That night I went to a party so I did a half pinned up twist out. Let me tell you! When your hair feels great it will look great too. I was really pleased with the results of the Nupur treatment and will definitely be using it regularly within this 6 month challenge. It was only $2 and definitely worth every penny.

2012 Healthy Hair Challenge

(Isn't she a CUTIE! Source: Tumblr)

Hola Everyone! I hope you all have had a wonderful start to the New Year. Around this time everyone is focused on beginning the year on the right foot. Making sure that we take care of ourselves inside and out. The start of the year is a great calendar marker to

For 2012 i'm focusing on me. Making sure that I take extra care of my body inside and out. And with that, that means extra care of my hair. On the 9th I'll be 1 year and 6 months completely natural. I've loved EVERY moment of this journey and I'm anxious to see how far I can take this. In one of the last post I talked about the healthy hair challenge I will be embarking on from now until my 2 year nappiversary.


2012 Healthy Hair Challenge:

*Develop and mantain a regimen: I plan on incorporating all natural and Ayurvedic ingredients and products in my weekly regimen for the first 6 months of 2012. No sulfates, mineral oil, petroleum, parabens, synthetic ingredients or other chemicals.

• Pre-Poo/Detangle (All natural Conditioners, Coconut milk, Coconut or Olive oil, Amla Oil )

• Cleansing ( Shikaki, castile soap, apple cidar vinegar rinses)

• Conditioning/ Deep Conditioning (Hibiscus petal powder, Mehndi powder, Brahmi Powder, Aloe Vera Juice, Neem, Marshmallow Root Powder)

• Moisturizer/Styler (Shea Butter, Flax seed gel, water, aloe vera gel)

• Sealing Moisture (Vatika oil, Coconut oil, Olive Oil)

*Protect ends:  Protective styles will definitely be a focus of this challenge I'm allowing a total of 2 weeks out of the 6 months for myself to be able to wear my hair "out" (probably a twist or braid out). One of my favorite styles that seems to be doing more damage to my edges than good is the classic "Puff". I won't be wearing one throughout the entire challenge. Also sleeping on a satin pillow/ with a satin scarf to prevent snagging the ends of the hair as well as retaining moisture in the hair.

*Working inside-out: Our moisture balance in our hair comes from how we hydrate our bodies on the inside. Drinking plenty of water we insure that the hair is moisturized well. Vitamins also gives you a great dosage of the nutrients you need to keep not only your hair healthy but your entire body as well.

*Make (realistic) goals: My overall goal is healthy hair. But along with that I'm aiming for length retention. Knowing that hair grows approx. 1/2 an inch every month I'm aiming for Arm pit length  (while stretching) by the end of this challenge.

*Happy Hair Days*