Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from 2011

Kera Minerals Review

Are you looking for a natural relaxer? Well, this may or may not be the product for you. First off, it is not all natural. Secondly, it does contain chemicals. Third point, which is the bonus(I think), it does not relax you hair. The Pros You can apply to the entire hair shaft every 6-8 weeks, not just new growth You don't need gloves It won't burn your scalp Use on natural or processed hair Can wear hair "curly or straight" The Cons Contains sodium sulphite (can cause dermatologic reactions) Stinks (my kitchen smelled like a salon) Costs about $30 (bought mine on sale $25) Leaves a filmy feeling on hands (temporary) Needs high heat to straighten nicely I bought Kera Minerals by Silk Elements at Sally's Beauty Supply after hearing rave reviews from a co-worker. I used it on my daughter, unfortunately I heard about it a month after I tex-laxed my daughters all natural tresses. You will need to purchase the shampoo, deep conditioner and leave

Herbal Tame-3rd Times a Charm

photo courtesy of GoldMedalHair.com I decided to use my last packet of Power Gro Herbal Tame over the weekend. This time, I did not have the conditioner they suggest you use because I used it during my second attempt , so I just added warm water and Africa's Best Ultimate Herbal Oil. Maybe I should have used apple cider vinegar (ACV) instead? Adding ACV to henna is supposed to help with clarifying and acidity, so that the product takes better to the hair shaft. Maybe next time!! I applied little scoops of the mixture to my 2 week old, freshly washed twists, this used less than 1/4 of the mix. Since I had so much left over, I have decided to do it weekly to see if my hair becomes more manageable when it's "out". I then washed out the mix, conditioned, applied Neutrogena Triple Moisture Silk leave-in, sealed with my shea butter and followed with ECO Styler clear gel. The shrinkage was ridiculous the next day, but what can you do? Freshly washed, lo

I Tried It--Oil Cleansing Method

Image via Wikipedia I am an adult. I am an adult with ACNE. I need to join support group for adults with acne. I have oily skin , and since becoming a natural, I feel I am having more breakouts than ever, well since puberty anyway. I have tried ProActiv , OTC cleansers, AVON, Mary Kay and now I'm trying the "oil cleansing method". The Oil Cleansing Method (OCM), involves using oils and steam to cleanse your face, Castor Oil , being the most important ingredient. My current recipe consists of 30% castor oil, 50% olive oil , and 20% hazelnut oil . My next batch will have more hazelnut oil due to its astringent and toning properties. You can choose any natural cold pressed oil to mix with the castor oil. OCM can be used for all skin types, but you have to adjust the amount of castor oil because it can be drying. So for normal skin use 20% castor oil, for dry skin 10% will do just fine. When making my concoction I use a sterile 10ml syringe, so I am only making 10ml

Curly Like Me for 4C

I am trying a new method for curly hair y'all. I don't know how I will like it because so far, it is not so good!! I checked out this book called "Curly Like Me" by Teri LaFlesh. She shares her life/hair story in the book, throws in some pics, and lastly, gives instruction for shampooing, conditioning, and styling curly hair. Pros Easy to read Instructional pictures Ingredient breakdowns List cheap products Tool list Simple approach Cons Repetitive Not for kinky hair Styles for long hair Week 1 Used TresEmme Moisture Rich condtioner as my leave-in/styler. Did not like the white residue after hair dried, however, I did like the way my hair felt and looked during the drying process. Not really patient enough to "doodle" my hair and I could use less conditioner next time. I don't feel this method is for me. It required a lot of product, a lot of time in the shower and a

Second Naptural Anniversary

On Oct. 2, 2011, my 2 year anniversary came and went. I didn't take pictures or measure length because my hair was in mini-twists. About a week and half later I removed them and did a deep conditioning using Naptural85's Greek yogurt deep conditioner recipe. I liked it alot. It made my hair feel smooth and frizz free, but I did it on dirty hair. Since I had to do major detangling I thought I would trim my ends, which they desperately needed. Too many fairy knots and splits to be considered as retained length, so I said "BYE BYE BYE"!! After removing the wrecked ends, my strands measured 8.5 inches give or take 1/8 inch. That really depressed me, well not so much, but I did lose half an inch since June. It made realize that I really needed to take care of my ends better, so my new mission is "Hide my Ends till Feb". I have no clue how I will achieve this. For the style below, I shampooed with NTM, then used Naptural's conditioner, then moisture/sealed wit

Labor Day Weekend

Labor Day weekend!! Woohooo! What more can you ask for at the end of summer?! Cook-outs, parades, county fairs, and in my city, Taste of Madison!! Can't wait! After having the trees braids in for six long weeks, I had to take them out. Even though I loved having them, I could not shampoo thoroughly. I could have had them for two more weeks, but I couldn't stand it, and I missed my fro'. Funny isn't it? I'll give them another try in about a month or so. Well, after removing the hair and braids, I used HairOne cleanser (WEN knockoff), then twisted it up for a twist out using Naptural85's method. I just really admire her. I also used the cleanser as a leave-in, sealed with my homemade shea, then set with ECO styler gel.

Summer Tree Braids

I have been getting my hair braided for years. Box braids, micros, kinky twists, weaves, cornrows. Last year I stumbled upon "tree braids" while online, and fell in love with them. They look like free flowing hair, almost like a weave, but without the sewing or the dreadful glueing. You can choose any type hair, and do many styles. Checking out the style on my way home I live in Madison, WI, and there are a handful of African braiding shops. They are always booked, and they are always small, and as always, PRICEY!!. I have never been afraid to spend some dough and spend some time on getting my hair braided up, but I have developed a small problem. Socializing, that alone, made me keep my distance, thus not being able to get my beloved tree braids!! That and the fact that I couldn't find any info on tree braiders for my area. I finally stumbled across someone who can do it, from their home!! Yay!! Let me tell you, it took me a good week to call her and make my a

Hot Holiday Hair

Well, I finally tried to straighten my hair. I decided I needed something new and fresh for the holiday. I shampooed, deep conditioned, blow-dried and flat-ironed my beautiful tresses. It was a chore, let me tell you!! This was a while ago, so let me see if I remember correctly. I pre-treated the night before using the remainder of my Herbal Tame, shampooed the next morning using Gold Medal's Headstrong Ultra Care shampoo . I followed that up with a deep conditioning using my Gold n Hot Bonnet dryer and Queen Helene's Cholesterol plus my own add-ins. After rinsing that out completely I did a moisturizing treatment using Neutrogena's Triple Moisture Daily conditioner. I sectioned the hair and let it dry in about six large twists, which took all day, so I called it a night. The next morning, which was the 4th, I woke up at 6am and started the blow dry/flat-ironing process. For blow drying, I started with the back sections first. I took down the twist, then sectioned and deta