Whipped Shea Butter

So after ordering Whipped Shea Butter from Oyin Handmade that only lasts me about 2 weeks tops with everyday use, I decided to try my hand at making my own as a cheaper alternative. I watched a few videos on Youtube.com about the process and then I went out and bought:
- large container of 100% pure Unrefined Shea Butter
- small jar 100% pure Virgin Coconut Oil
- small bottle of 100% pure Jojoba Oil
- small bottle of 100% pure Argan Oil (I already had this on hand at home; *I used this in place of Vitamin E oil which is recommended)

I melted the Shea Butter by placing the jar in hot water until it softened (not melted), I then placed the Shea Butter in a blender and blended until it was smooth like cake batter. I then added 1 tablespoon of the Coconut Oil, 1 tablespoon of Jojoba Oil and 1 tablespoon of the Argan Oil and blended a little longer. After about 3 minutes, I placed the top part of the blender with the contents into the fridge for about a half hour. I then removed from the fridge, blended for another 2 minutes and then placed the whipped contents into a small container. The end result was a smooth cream.

This concoction can be used as a body cream or hair pomade, etc. Next time, I am going to add some essential oils for fragrance.

PUTTING HAIRFINITY TO THE TEST

Hello Girls (and guys),
 Hope all is well and everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving.
Just want to write a quick post about what 3 of the girls and I are about to do. For the month of December, we are going to take a 30 day supply of the Hairfinity pills. These pills are 'guaranteed' to grow your hair faster by up to 200%...so that's equivalent to 1 inch a month as oppose to .5 inch a month. The ingredients are:

 

Now I know that some of you may be against taking supplements when it comes to your hair/health, but I've done some research and also read lots of reviews on this particular brand; I've even tried them once already and did not experience any side effects. I had a growth spert right after I finished the bottle sooo I  think I wanna blame the growth of my hair on the pills. I will recommend that you guys do your own research if you think about trying the pills. We will take before and after pictures and post. Stay tuned.

Lata, Chan- PJ1

My First Attempt at a Henna Gloss

I've been reading up on the benefits of henna for hair. Outside of natural reddish brown color deposit, it works as a protein to strength hair and also as a great deep conditioner providing great softness, reduces frizzing and provides wonderful natural shine.

I went to curlynikki.com and printed out a copy of her henna gloss recipe, ordered a kit "Henna for African Hair" from mehandi.com and put aside time on saturday for this long process.

I read up on how it is extremely important to get good quality, fresh henna that is Body Quality and 100% pure otherwise it would be useless. The kit I ordered included, 100g of pure Body Quality Henna, 100g of of pure Indigo, 2 rubber gloves and a plastic cone "thingy" designed to help you to be able to better distribute the henna in your hair.  I got the kit with the indigo because I am a long time lover of jet black hair and I have a lot of grays that I need to be covered on a regular basis. The indigo is the second step to the henna process that will help me to achieve the jet black color naturally without the use of conventional chemical dyes.

I got my package in the mail early saturday afternoon around 12 o'clock.

I followed the recipe found on curly nikki's website and I mixed the henna as follows:
- 1.5 cups of warm green tea
- 100g of Jamila henna
- mixed until the henna was as thick as mashed potatoes and then covered with saran wrap and let sit for 4 hours; most people tend to let the mix sit overnight but I didn't have that kind of time
- after 4 hours I then added more green tea to make the mixture a little thinner like yogurt and then I proceeded to add 1 cup of a silicone free conditioner; I used Trader Joe's Nourish Spa conditioner. I then added 2 capfuls of Olive Oil and mixed until the consistency was smooth.
- I then put the mix into may hair making sure every strand was covered from root to tip
- I wrapped my hair with saran wrap completely and put a hat on and proceeded with my day.

After about 6 hours of letting the henna sit in my hair, I prepared the indigo powder with warm water, 1 teaspoon of salt since my grays are a bit dye resistant and mixed to the consistency of yogurt and set aside. I then I rinsed the henna thoroughly from my hair with as little manipulation as possible and then immediately applied the indigo mix, and wrapped again with saran wrap. I let this sit in my hair for another 2 hours. After this I rinsed the indigo from my hair and applied A LOT of the Trader Joe's Nourish Spa conditioner and went to sleep with the conditioner in my hair. Had it been earlier I would have sat under a hot hooded dryer but I was just too tired.

In the morning, I rinsed out the conditioner from the night before I washed once with a sulfate free shampoo and conditioned and dryed my hair.

I have to say, the results weren't earth shattering HOWEVER I did notice my hair was extremeley soft and VERY shiny without the use of any product (oil, sheen, cream) to make it this way.

All in all, I will incorporate this into my regimen as a way to strengthen my hair and I will continue to cover my gray this way from now on instead of using conventional commerical hair dyes.

TTYL, Asha!!

KIDS ROCK TOO!

  Hey bloggers,

   I think it is so cool when kids have their own identity. To recognize this at such a young age is very unique. Most of the time kids rely on their parents to dress them /pick things out for them. Kids also fall into the loop of being like other kids and looking like other kids. They are taught that this is how it's suppose to be.
     Using young Willow Smith for example, this 10 year old child has already created a style of her own. She KNOWS what she likes and she is able to express herself through her hair, fashion and music. The average parent or adult may look at her and criticize how her parents are raising her I personally don't see anything wrong with it (one reason may be because of the industry she's in). Her attitude is so carefree. I also think know she has opened the door for a lot of young girls to remain natural or transition back and feel good about it. It seems like going natural is becoming an epidemic; and one that I am not mad at. It's healthier for your hair, it's what God gave us, and you have unlimited options.
 Send pics of your kids or a child you know so we can give them some recognition.

PJ1- 3 THINGS

Hey there girls (and guys),

I just wanted to share some personal information with you by telling you my likes and dislikes about my hair. Before I post that, I just want to say that my braid out lasted 5 days..(woowhooo). That's big for me because I am always playing in my hair...

3 THINGS I LOVE ABOUT MY HAIR:
1-It's Healthy
2- It's fuller
3-It's finally growing back

3 THINGS I DON'T LIKE ABOUT MY HAIR;
1-It's dryer than when it was permed
2-Summer time and straight hair doesn't mix :-(
3-How short it looks when its in it's natural state

3 THINGS I LIKE ABOUT NATURAL HAIR VS PERMED HAIR:
1- I have more options
2-I can color my hair more often
3-IT'S NATURAL!!!

3 THINGS I'VE NOTICED SINCE I'VE BEEN NATURAL
1- (I'm 90% sure about this) It grows faster
2-People are very vocal about giving me their opinion about my hair (both positive and negative comments)
3-I HAVE to have a plan for my  hair