Homemade Scalp Sanitizer

These are just a few ingredients that I researched online and decided to play with a while back to make my own homemade scalp oil. I've tweaked it here and there and found that this combo works very nicely for me and gives my scalp that cool refreshing feeling that I enjoy after I wash my hair. My suggestion is that if you do decide to try this, play with it a bit. Particularly, with the peppermint which can be irritating to some people. What my scalp can take and comfortably enjoy, your scalp may find far too intense or vice verse, so do some experimenting.

20 drops Peppermint EO

10 drops Rosemary EO

10 drops Lavender EO

2 Tablespoons Frac. Coconut oil

1 Tablespoon of Hemp Oil

1 Tablespoon of Castor oil

Apply to scalp after washing and conditioning and enjoy the cooling. If you tend to have an oilier scalp, apply just a few drops of this combination to the palm of your hand - take your finger tips and dab them in the oil, then massage well into scalp.

Because my scalp tends to be slightly drier, I apply this oil directly to my scalp via a dropper as I part each individual section. I also like to use this as a mid week refresher because sometimes I feel the urge to shampoo, but instead, I just apply some more of this oil. The cooling is not as intense on a dry scalp because the pores are closed, but it still feels quite nice and gives me a nice clean feeling.

You can also use it after a water rinse by simply:

1) Wetting you hair in the shower - do not use shampoo

2) Apply some of the oil combo to your scalp - massage

3) Apply your preferred conditioner - let it sit

4) Rinse and you're good to go.

A little info about the ingredients:

Peppermint EO - is very useful for hair care as it gives a cooling effect to the head, and removes dandruff. Additionally, peppermint may provide relief from stress, depression and mental exhaustion due to its refreshing nature.

Rosemary EO - Rosemary oil and rosemary teas are used extensively for hair care in shampoos and lotions. Regular use of rosemary oil helps in stimulating follicles, as a result of which, hair may grow longer and stronger. It is also believed that rosemary oil slows down premature hair loss and graying of hair. Rosemary essential oil is also beneficial for dry and flaky scalps. Regular massage of scalp with rosemary oil nourishes the scalp and removes dandruff.

Fractionated Coconut Oil -As the name goes, the Fractionated Coconut Oil is a fraction of the coconut oil from which almost all the long chain triglycerides are removed, thus leaving mainly the medium chain triglycerides and making it absolutely saturated oil. This saturation gives it a very-very long shelf life and stability. In addition, fractionating raises the comparative concentration of Capric acid and Caprylic acid, thus giving it a more anti oxidant and disinfecting edge. (www.organicfacts.net)

Organic Hemp Seed Oil - Hemp seed oil is an organic oil derived from the seed of the hemp plant. Hemp seed oil contains the unsaturated fatty acids Omega-3 and Omega-6. These essential fatty acids play an important role in growing stronger, less brittle hair.

Castor Oil - The anti-bacterial and anti-fungicidal properties of Ricinoleic Acid in castor oil protects the scalp and hair from infections which can cause hair loss. The Omega-9 fatty acids in castor oil also nourish the hair and prevent the scalp from drying.

Rubbing castor oil on your scalp and the roots of your hair should help to regenerate new hair growth within months.

I've been using this recipe for the past few months, and I like it - check out my progress. Now, I'm not saying that I'm 100% positive that this oil has been the primary reason for my hair growth - there are just too many factors at work when looking at hair growth on each individual person. What I do believe is that by applying this oil combination to my scalp, I am creating a clean and healthy environment on my scalp for healthy hair to grow. And by massaging my scalp, I'm bringing blood to the surface which increases circulation and in turn may help my hair to grow a bit faster and hopefully healthier. This, of course, is all speculation as I am certainly no scientist, but I like my progress, so in my mind I feel pretty confident that I gotta be doing something right:0).

Ciao!!!

P.S. What I used for Wash n' Go in video:

Alaffia Shea & Coconut Enriching Shampoo

Alaffia Virgin Coconut & Shea Enriching Hair Lotion (Rinse out)

Karen's Body Beautiful Super Silky in Luscious Pear (Leave-in)

Shae's Curly Pudding ( http://mixology101.ning.com/profiles/blogs/shaes-pudding-curly-pudding)

Ciao!!!Ciao!!!

And the Winner Is...

...PrettyHoneyBun's Way!!!

Yay, PrettyHoneyBun's Way!!! Please email me or send me a PM on NaturallyCurly with your contact information, and I'll put your brand new sample bottles of Alaffia in the mail, ASAP.

Please let us know how you like them!!!

Ciao!!

Time for Another Give Away!!!

My new found love (shampoo-wise) is Alaffia Shea Virgin Coconut Enriching Shampoo. I have never really owned a shampoo that I thoroughly enjoyed the way that I enjoy the Alaffia shampoo. I have been using it for a couple months now, and I can honestly say that is one of the best shampoos I have ever used. My hair feels very clean, but never over stripped. In my opinion, it's good stuff. That said, I'm very pleased to be able so offer a brand new sample sized 2 oz bottle of this shampoo to one lucky subscriber. And just to make is a bit more exciting, I'm also throwing in a brand new sample sized 2 oz bottle of the Alaffia Shea Virgin Coconut Enriching, which is an equally yummy product. Now, 2 oz may not seem like a lot, but for both products - a little definitely goes a long ways.

Here's a bit more information on the Alaffia products.

For those of you who are interested in winning, please leave me a note in the comments section expressing your interest. In order to win you must be officially subscribed to this blog so that when I look at the subscriber list posted on the right-hand side of this page - I can see your lovely name listed:0).

All those who have indicated an interest will be placed in a drawing, and on Wednesday, Feb.10th, I will announce the winner.

Good Luck!!

Ciao!!

Progress

I actually hadn't intended to keep such close watch on my hair growth, but I am glad that I did.

This footage was taken September 27,2009:

This footage was taken January 8, 2010:

These videos were taken about 3 months and 11 days apart. Not too shabby, huh?

Note the Frizz Factor: The bottom video is taken after co-washing hair, which left over Qhemet AOHC in it. It is obviously more frizzy in parts, but I'm ok with that because my hair is well conditioned. I point this out just to give you an example of what I have been talking about in previous posts as far as how my hair reacts to oils.

These bottom pictures were taken January 9, 2010 after the oil was shampooed out. There is obviously still a bit of frizz which is natural, but my hair looks visibly less frizzy without oils.

Routine: Washed with Alaffia Shampoo, conditioned with AO White Camellia, leave-in Alaffia Hair Lotion, Gel - Herbal Essence Set Me Up

Ciao!!!

New Routine and "Fairy Knots"

Well, being that it's winter and extremely cold around here, I had to make a complete and utter overhaul of my hair routine. My previous motto was "no to oils" but that soon became a faint chant when it started to get crazy cold out and also - and perhaps most importantly- when I started to see those notorious little freaky "fairy knots" at the ends of my hair.

When I first began to realize that my hair did not like oils it was this past summer. I was wearing wash and gos with a vengeance and lovin' every minute of it. What I noticed, however, was that if I did a wash and go, and I used a product with oil in it, I got this crazy looking frizz all over my head. Not the typical frizz that comes from tightly curly/kinky hair, but an odd looking frizz that almost made my hair look like it was damaged or like I stuck my finger in an electric socket, but was slowly recovering:0p.

Anyway, what I discovered after clarifying my hair multiple times was that my hair became much more defined as I took more and more oil off of my hair. Yeah - I know, go figure, right:0?

So, with little to no oil in my hair, I ended up needing a lot less product (i.e. gel) to define my curls, which I found to be an awesome revelation!

What was to come next, however, was somewhat shocking. You see, up until this point I had this nutty idea that as long as I was not applying heat, as long as I was using a quality conditioner, and as long as I had enough moisture in my routine(i.e. water) my hair would be absolutely fine. Unfortunately, I soon began to realize, that this was most certainly not the case - not at all.

My first clue was when, as a I said earlier, I started to see those pesky little knots. And it wasn't just one or two knots, but multiple fairy knots at the ends of my hair. I mean, to me this was absolutely crazy, I was doing everything I could - deep conditioning regularly, treating my hair like silk - everything I could think of to do - I was doing. I mean, what in the world is up with that??

Here's a picture of the filthy little vermin:

Knots and Splits for your viewing enjoyment:0)

By the way, look at how thick my strands are :0/. When I say I have coarse hair, I mean - I really have coarse hair, ha! It's like wire...Seriously.

Anyway, I really started to beat myself up about these little buggers and assumed that it had to be something I was doing wrong. What I found though, is that "fairy knots" are pretty common for curly hair, in fact, they can even be found on straight hair (according to those folks who have straight hair and say they have experienced them too). So, it wasn't necessarily something that I had done wrong to get them. "Cool!", I thought. But with that said, what was I going to do get rid of them and then keep them from coming back?

Ok, so my next mission was to find an answer to this question.

Well, with regards to getting rid of these things, there are some people who say that they have actually taken a needle and tried to remove the knots. It's apparently something that can be done... hmmm.... The "gurus" however, say that the problem with removing the knots with a needle or anything else you can get into that small hole, is that the area of the strand of hair on which the knot was positioned is now damaged. So even if you are able to remove the knot, you're still dealing with a weakened strand of hair. So, once again, it seems that scissors have to come to the rescue - find the knot and snip it. Anything else seems to put your hair are risk of additional splits and other damage. And as you may already know, splits and damage on one strand of hair can definitely mean more splits and damage to the other hairs in close proximity. Good grief, they're like a virus, for crying out loud!

Thankfully, I did not have tons of knots, I had enough of them to make me feel uncomfortable, but no more than could be handled. So I took my time, got out my hair cutting scissors, and got to work.

Ok, step one complete, now to step two.

Once the knots were removed, my next goal was to prevent them from coming back. So, what was I going to do? Well - this is where oil has magically found it's way back into my routine. The only thing I could think of that I had used previously that had given my hair that smooth and conditioned feeling was Qhemet Biologics Amla and Olive Heavy Cream. I thought to myself - if I apply the Qhemet to my damp hair - first off, it will seal in moisture. Secondly, it will reduce friction between my strands and between my comb/brush and my hair, which is what I believed caused the knots in the first place.

So yes, I am back to using oil in my routine. Yes, my hair does look "crazy" frizzy when I apply the oil to my hair, but I'm ok with that. Because I, at this point, desire healthy hair, knotty-free hair, and if it takes oils to do this, then so be it.

My very last step was to start protective styling it. Thankfully, my hair is long enough at this point to do this. Sooo, for the last couple months I have been religiously wearing twists in my hair. Nope, not twist outs, just twists. I wash my hair, apply my leave-in, and then my qhemets, twist. Leave the twists in for a week, take them down, wash my hair and then start all over again. Boring? Yes. Yes, it has been very boring, but if it helps me to avoid those knots, then I'm all for boredom factor right now. "Go boredom - rah, rah, rah!!!" * insert rolling of eyes here*.

Overall, the knots have become substantially less. *Sigh* I wish I could tell you that I had no more "fairy knots" at all, but that just wouldn't be truthful.

If you have suggestions on how to avoid "fairy knots", please share:0).

Ciao!!!

MIA

Introducing: Sunshower!!

I stumbled across Sunshower's fotki while on NC.com. I spotted her avatar right away, and just knew I had to see more pictures of that gorgeous head of hair. After strolling through her album, I decided to contact her directly and see if she would be willing to share her amazing hair journey with us. She has graciously agreed! Enjoy!!

1)When did you decide to go natural? If there is a story behind your decision, please share it.

I decided to go natural my freshman year in college. I’ve always had long hair. When I was little, my hair was always braided and down to my tailbone. At age 11, I got my first relaxer. Honestly, I didn’t even know what a relaxer was at the time. My mother said I had to get one because it was time for me to start doing my hair myself. I kept getting them because I didn’t think there was any alternative to having a relaxer. All the other black girls were relaxed, so I thought that was the way it was supposed to be. Gradually, my hair started breaking off, partly because of overprocessing and partly because I had no idea how to take care of it. By the time I graduated from high school 7 years later, my hair had broken off to about APL. When I got to college, I decided I didn’t want to spend any more money on relaxers. I was a broke college student, after all. So I just started growing it out. I actually chickened out at first. Two months after my decision, I got another touch-up, but immediately afterwards I felt horrible for caving in. I decided to try again, and told myself that if I could make it past the four-month mark without another touch-up, I was set. That was 10 years ago and I haven’t looked back since!


2) Talk to us about your hair routine. What products do you like for your hair and which products do you dislike?

Fortunately, I learned very early on that my hair LOVES natural ingredients (oils, butters, herbs, etc.). The first product line I used after I started transitioning was Aubrey Organics. The GPB conditioner is the one product that I have consistently used since my natural journey began. I currently use the Honeysuckle Rose and Swimmers conditioners as well. I also love, love, love Ayurvedic powders. My hair was an absolute dried-out, frizz-ball mess before I discovered Ayurveda. I use the powders in hot oil treatments, for washing my hair, and as a monthly hair mask. Since I started using them, my hair has gotten so much silkier and softer, the curl definition is much better, and it doesn’t get as dry as it used to.

Finding a good moisturizer has always been the most difficult thing for me. I really love KBB Hair Milk. It detangles and moisturizes well without having to use a ton of product. SheaMoisture Leave-in is also a good one, but it doesn’t work well on dry hair. KBB works on wet and dry hair for me.

I won’t use product if it doesn’t contain mostly natural ingredients. They almost always dry my hair out. Sulfate shampoos are a definite no-no. They dry my hair out so badly, no conditioner can counteract the dryness. I’ve also tried the popular cheap conditioners like Suave Tropical Coconut and Trader Joe’s Nourish Spa. I tried them for co-washing, as rinse-outs, and as leave-ins. The result? “Hated it!” ©Men on Film. They made my hair feel dry also, but I can use them as a hair mask mixed with oils, honey, and my Ayurvedic powders. But overall, natural products are the way to go for my hair.


3)How has being natural effected you and your thoughts about your hair?

Being natural has helped me to realize that our natural hair is beautiful, no matter the texture. When I was relaxed, I had that whole good hair/bad hair mindset. It was force-fed to me from a very young age, so I believed it. As I transitioned and saw other naturals emerging around me, I started to appreciate the varying textures of African-American hair. When I did my BC, I was so intrigued when I realized that I had different textures on my own head. Our hair is so beautiful and unique. No two heads of hair are exactly the same.


4) Have you always had support with regards to your hair? (Does your family like it).

My mother wasn’t too thrilled when I cut off my long hair in favor of a short afro. She wanted me to wait until my natural hair was longer before I cut it. I had transitioned for 13 months and that was quite enough. I remember after my BC, one of my aunts coming up to me, running her fingers through my hair and saying, “I don’t like THAT!” Like I had a dead ostrich on top of my head or something. It’s just hair, people. It’ll grow back.

Some people did think it was cute. But some people thought I was crazy, and some people took it upon themselves to remind me that “Black people’s hair doesn’t grow.” I think most people just couldn’t understand why I’d want to cut off all my hair. But those same people who tried to criticize me then are the same ones who love to compliment me now.


5) What would you consider to be your hair type and why?

I believe my hair type is mostly 3c with some 4a on the sides, and possibly 3b or a loose 3c at the nape. It was actually much easier to determine my hair type when it was shorter. As it’s gotten longer, it doesn’t shrink as much and the textures seem to be blending together more, if that makes any sense.


6)What do you think about the hair typing system - do you think it's beneficial to know?

No hair-typing system is going to be 100% accurate for everyone. I remember when the 3c category didn’t even exist. We naturals made it up ourselves. I do think it’s good to have these systems because they’re helpful when trying to find someone with a similar hair type who can offer advice on techniques or product choices.


7)Do ever go to professional stylists, and if so, how do you get them to do what you want without damaging you hair? If not, how do you manage your hair all on your own?

I haven’t been to a professional stylist since I had my last relaxer in 1999. Since then, the only other person who has ever styled my hair is my aunt who helped me twist my hair for a wedding. I really don’t trust anyone else to do my hair. I had too many bad experiences with stylists when I was relaxed. But I am considering having it cut by a stylist for my birthday next year. I’d like to get several inches cut off. If anyone has any recommendations, please share! :)

As far as styling, I usually wear my hair in two-strand twists. They ‘re quick, low-maintenance, and they last a whole week. All I have to do is moisturize them and seal my ends at night, and in the morning my hair is already done and ready to go. Sometimes I do braidouts when I don’t feel like twisting. I rarely wear wash-n-go’s. I straighten once a year, if I feel like it, and only when the weather is cold. I live in Georgia…I refuse to deal with straight hair and this ridiculous humidity. :)


8)What would you say to someone who has a relaxer and is thinking about going natural?

Remind yourself that it won’t necessarily be an easy road. Many of us haven’t seen our natural hair since we were young kids and therefore have no idea what to do with it. There will be a trial-and-error process as you learn what products and ingredients your hair likes. You’ll have to figure out how to style it as it grows longer. You may encounter negative feedback from some people. But if this is something you really want to do, you can get through it and you’ll have a gorgeous head full of curls and kinks to shake in everyone’s face. :) There is a ton of support, advice, and inspiration on the hair forums. We’ve been through it and we’re here to help! And don’t beat yourself up if you decide to go back to the relaxer. Being natural just isn’t for everyone. The most important thing is that you do what makes you feel comfortable and that you keep your hair healthy.


9) Who are some of your hair idols?

I don’t really have any specific hair idols. I do love looking at big, poofy hair. Huge 4a/4b afros, little kids with long, wild hair, etc. Big hair is awesome!! :)


10)Anything else you would like to add that you think would help others in their hair journey?

You ladies who are just starting out on this journey are actually pretty lucky. When I first started out, all of these hair product lines that cater to naturals didn’t exist. We had Carol’s Daughter, and that was about it. There weren’t as many naturals on hair forums either. But we’ve managed to build up a nice little online community full of beautiful women with beautiful hair. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, even in real life. I love it when naturals ask me for advice. I know how difficult it can be sometimes, so I love to help whenever I can. Besides, I could talk about my hair all day!

...............

If you're interested in seeing more of Sunshower's lovely hair pictures, you can visit her fotki at:

http://public.fotki.com/hokukoroku/

Thanks so much, Sunshower, for sharing your story!!

Ciao!!