Catch Up - Wash Day - Protective Style Prep.

Oh my goodness!! I was looking forward to this wash day in a way!

I missed not washing it while it was hidden away. I decided to give my hair an intensive wash day including a protein treatment as I was planning to plait my hair up for the next PS stint.

Washday; Overnight Pre-Poo

I removed the extensions, undid the cornrow/canerow/cameroes, put my hair in 4 sections and finger detangled.
I sprayed Shea Moisture C&H H&S MM onto my hair and oiled my scalp with my Hairlicious. Next I finally got to use the Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Moist I couldn't wait to try it as I have been hearing so much about it. I found it in my local Hair Shop in it's "import" section. I have been using the 3 minute aussies that are available here but haven't been able to get the ones available elsewhere till now. Firstly I love the scent, the ones here have a 'balm mint' fragrance and although it's ok, I love the purple one so much better.The formula feels more creamy and was lovely on my hair. I smoothed it through my hair using a generous amount and seled with lots of Virgin Coconut Oil. I put rhe 4 sections up into bantu knots, covered with a scarf and left overnight.

Washday; Teas and Conditioners

When it came to washing time I decided to change the order of my protein treatment. Instead of putting it on my hair before shampooing, I washed my hair with ORS Creamy Aloe Shampoo to clarify my hair and then applied the Hask Keratin Protein Smoothing Deep Conditioner. I left it on for around 20 mins and rinsed with water and followed with a Sage, Peppermint, Rooibus, (unpictured) Rosehip and Hibiscus Tea Rinse.


I deep conditioned with a moisturising mix of Kanechom Karite Butter Hair Moisturising Cream, Avanti Silicon Mix Bambú Nutritive Hair Treatment and Organix Hydrating Macadamia Oil Intensive Mask.
I left on my hair for the rest of the day then rinsed with lukewarm water and followed with an ACV rinse.

Washday; Leave Ins.

I smoothed some Virgin Coconut Oil through my hair and airdried for a while then stretched my roots with my hairdryer using cold air as I didn't have much time and wanted to canerow my hair.

I oiled my scalp with Hairlicious and M&S'd with Shea Moisture Coconut and Hibiscus Hold & Shine moisture mist, Shea Moisture Coconut and Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie and Organix Smoothing Liquid Glass Serum. I sectioned off the perimeter of my hair ready for the plaits and camerowed the rest ready for the crochet installation the next day.

Natural Monday - Spiced Banana Hair Conditioning Treatment

Today's Natural item is a mixture I used to give my hair a deep conditioning treatment.

I have been protective styling and really wanted to give my hair a nourishing treat. I normally do a natural pre shampoo(prepoo) treatment on my wash days but this time round I wanted to keep it on longer and after my wash.

There's kerzillions of natural treatments out there but I tend to go with items I have grown to love and each for their own special benefits so thought I'd share this one.
I hope you give it a try and can substitute items for ones you prefer, I will add recommended substitutions too.
My hair is shoulder length at is longest parts but is quite thick so I made the following amount, you can change quantities to suit your hair length and texture.

Ingredients
Juice of 1 Lime - Adds shine, stimulates hair growth, conditioning, softening, strengthening.

1 Banana mashed/pureed and strained - Moisturising, repairing, protecting, strengthening, softening.
1-2 tablespoons Greek Yoghurt (sub; a thick natural yoghurt) - Adds Shine, smooths, conditions.
***I used a Jar of Baby banana and yoghurt food this time round as I don't like the stringy bits and   
      lumps that I get when mashing bananas***
2 teaspoons Cinnamon Powder (use less or omit if you have very sensitive skin as it can be quite
    strong) - hair growth stimulant, aids hair loss
1 Tablespoon of Grapeseed Oil (subs; Rapeseed, Avocado or Olive oil) -absorbant, moisturising,  
    light in odour and texture, nourishing, strengthening, aids hair growth.
   
*** This time round I used my hibiscus infused Rapeseed oil***  (hibiscus is cooling, soothing, aids hair growth, aids hair loss, softens, smooths, shines, thickens)
1 Tablespoon Raw Agave Nectar (substitute with Honey) - Humectant and conditioning.

1 heaped table spoon Coconut Milk Powder (you can use coconut milk but the mixture will be thinner) - nourishing, smoothing, strengthening, prevents hair loss, stimulated hair growth, conditioning.

Put the ingredients into a bowl, stir well and gently heat in microwave or over a low heat on the hob.

Spiced Banana Hair Conditioning Treatment

This mixture is great as is or you can add approx 1 Tablespoon of your fave deep conditioner/masque to it.

Section your hair into 4 and smooth the mixture onto each section from root to tips, you may want to put an old t shirt on as the mixture is quite thin and drippy lol, the banana and agave can also be sticky. I just hopped back in the shower when I had covered my head.

Place a conditioning cap, plastic shower cap, plastic bag, scarf or towel over your hair - I used a conditioning cap and a head scarf.

Leave mixture on hair for at least an hour, I left it on for the whole day and rinsed out at night. If you are short of time you can sit under a dryer for 20 mins or so. Even if you don't want to sit under heat you can use treatment for shorter than an hour but the longer left on the better :)

Rinse treatment out of your hair,
Use a rinse out conditioner to remove any of the yoghurt and the sticky feeling that may be left behind.

As I mentioned before, this is a great pre-poo treatment so feel free to try it out that way too.


So there you have it, it smelt sooooooo nice and even after rinsing I could smell it. My hair was very soft.

Natural Monday - Whipped Butters

whooaahh!! Where did January go? I know it's been a couple of weeks since I last blogged, it has been a hectic, busy and lurgie filled couple of weeks I can tell you.

I am trying to find the elusive spare moment to fit in a blog post along with other stuff but it's not happened yet.

Well anyway, Onto today's Natural Monday post and one of my fave items to make, Whipped Butters. The very popular all rounder.

I can't make enough of the stuff here as the family use it all the time and Hubby and eldest request another batch as soon as they see the bottom of the jar coming into sight.
Hubs in particular loves the way the butters sink into his skin and having quite dry skin, he is happy to have found a moisturiser that lasts.

I whipped up a jar on Saturday and that nudged my memory of a couple of requests during blogmas so thought it would be a great item for today's NM

I love the versatility of the butters, they can be used all over the body including the face and also in the hair.

There are thousands of recipes out there and different ways to make them so I will list some tips that I find make the process and the results go smoothly (no pun intended :p )


*Get your jars/ containers ready before you start.
*Have a spray bottle of alcohol handy.
*Sterilise all containers, utensils and surfaces.
*Use a bigger bowl than you think necessary - its aamazing how the ingredients fly lol
*Use organic ingredients where possible.
*Try to use cold pressed, raw and virgin oils.
*Go for ingredients that work for your(or recipient) skin/hair type.
*Cut down on the oil content if you want a firmer butter.
*If using wax, melt first (sounds obvious but hey ho)
*Melt the harder ingredients before adding the softer ones, the heat from them will melt the others   without needing to heat them also, more heat means more chance of loosing benefits.
*Place Butter in the freezer to cook in between whipping.
*You don't have to whip if you don't wish to, just let the ingredients harden in the fridge.
*Add a few drops of Vitamin E oil to help preserve and utilise it's many benefits.
*Add your fave essential oil(s) to boost the butter but be safe and consult doctor if pregnant or have    any medical conditions. Put them into the butter during you last whip.

*If you live in a particularly hot environment, you may want to keep your butter in a fridge. Even if you live in a cooler climate and the butter melts just pop in the fridge to solidify, you can whip again if you like but the solidified butter is still very nice.
*Keep the jar/container away from sunlight.
*It may sound odd but wash up mixing bowls and utensils straight away - hardened butter ingrdients   is a nightmare.


I use many different ingredients in my butters and tend to adjust them for the recipient, time of year and just because lol. Here are some of my fave ingredients to use and why I love them:
* Butters ;
   Shea (Karite) - moisturising, soothing, excellent for number of skin conditions, protects, vitamin A
       source, healing,
                   
   Cocoa - rich, smoothing, scar reducing, moisturising, penetrating, great for many skin conditions,
         softening.
   Mango - healing, soothing, moisturising, softening, vitamin A,C and E source.

* Oils;
   Raw/Virgin Coconut - my all time fave oil. Moisturising, nourishing, brightening, softening, 
        protecting, penetrating, repairing, brightens.
   Avocado - hydrating, nourishing, absorbent, stimulates hair growth, source of vitamin E and B
        healing, soothing, light in smell.
  Grapeseed - light in texture and smell, source of ceramides, absorbent, cleansng, gentle, source of
        beta carotine, vitamin D, C and E, scar reducing, nourishing, stimulates hair growth.
   Jamaican or Haitian Black Castor Oil - love this oil! moisturisng, nourishing, mega hair growth
         stimulant, circulation stimulant, softening, smoothing, soothing, healing,
* Essential Oils - I use soooo many different ones and for different reasons but my top 3 are;
    Lavender - soothing, gentle, bacteria inhibiting, increases hair growth, improves blood circulation,
          healing, 
    Rose - lovely smell, uplifting, bacteria inhibiting, healing,
    rosemary - cleansing, stimulates hair growth(see a pattern here? lol) antiviral, toning, 
           strengthening,

*Misc Ingredients - I love adding different "bitses and pieces" to my butters, you can add your fave stuff but I highly recommend  a little beeswax, honey or glycerine.

I hope this post was helpful and you got some tips and are rearing to make a moisturising Hair and Body Butter, I didn;t want to bore you by "reinventing the wheel" as it were but thought this way, I could share what works for me. Please do let me know if you need any more info and if you make some.


nb, I'll add photos of my jar from Saturday in tomorrow when it's light.

Natural Monday

Brown Sugar Scrub

For the past year or so, I have been loving using, making and browsing natural products and items made from them.

 I thought it may be nice to share my enthusiasm as a weekly blog post and since Mondays can be draggy I may as well try and lively up myself.

At the weekend I was asked about some natural remedies and recommended a mask and scrub which prompted me to give myself an all over exfoliating treatment I enjoyed it soooo much and my skin felt soft and was bright, so today I will talk about sugar scrubs.


Sugar Scrubs are great for Exfoliating, Brightening, Softening and Smoothing the skin. You can make them gentle enough to be used on the face and lips.

You can use different types of sugar but I recommend Brown Sugar if you have sensitive skin as the grains are softer.

If you want to lighten dark spots, lips, areas etc or if you have acne or scarring or a breakout, a great scrub can be made with Brown Sugar, Lemon Juice and Honey.

If you have dry skin and/or patches, want to have a brightening boost and extra smoothness, mix up a batch of Brown Sugar, Oil of your choice - I recommend Almond, Coconut or Grapeseed - and Honey.

You can add Essential Oils if you desire but if you are Pregnant, Breastfeeding, have very sensitive skin or any underlying conditions I would not recommend them or do thorough research into safe oils and definitely consult your doctor.

If using the Lemon Juice, I would suggest that you only mix enough for one batch as the lemon can cause the scrub to go rancid after a while. The Scrub with oils lasts for a very long time - up to a year, just make sure you put it into a clean airtight container and use a clean spoon to remove the scrub and not your fingers. Add vitamin e oil to further preserve and utilise it's fantastic benefits too.

Brown Sugar Scrub

Apply the scrub to your skin and gently rub in a circular motion, this will remove dead skin, exfoliate, stimulate circulation and smooth the skin. Rinse the scrub of the skin or jump in the shower if on your body, or relax in the bath for a lovely spa like feeling.

Gently dry your skin by patting, not rubbing. You will notice a difference to your skin straight away and may need to stop yourself from stroking it :) Your face will have a nice glow and your skin will look brighter.
Moisturise your skin with a natural oil, I used Virgin Coconut oil which is a fantastic multipurpose oil with great moisturising properties.


After my all over Scrub, my legs felt smooth and my face was nice and soft. I took a picture for the blog and it was so clear it surprised me. My face felt clean and fresh and I didn't want to put any makeup on to lose the fresh feeling so left it bare. I smoothed some handmade lip gloss on my lips and walked around feeling lovely. I received such a nice compliment later in the day that made me feel 10 feet tall.

Straight after applying Virgin Coconut Oil

Handmade Lip Gloss

Have a try at making and using a Sugar Scrub, your skin will thank you lol, let me know if you give it a go.

Catch Up - Playing with Layers.

Last week, I knew that I would be taking my hair out and washing it before starting out with my second stint of my Protective Styling Challenge so I decided to have a play with layering my extensions.
I put my hair in sections and started with the top two on either side of my face, I started cutting lower than I wanted the layers to be just in case - you can cut more if needs be but you can't add the hair once it's cut lol- I checked the length every time I cut until it was were I wanted it.
I moved to the bottom layers and split them into two more sections, the first sections I lared with the top ones and the second sections I just trimmed down so the length wouldn't be too long and look odd with the layers. I tried to feather the ends rather than bluntly cut.

I was happy with the results, not 100% perfect but nice enough to walk around with lol I tried to find some pictures of the hair before I cut it but I could only find some blurry ones:

Before - Hair in it's "natural" state

Before - Hair Straightenend/ flat ironed

Here's the hair after layering, I loved the way it framed my face and will deffo layer again when I do another protective style.

After - hair layered

I did enjoy wearing the Janet Collection hair, the tangling was a lot but I was really happy with the look of the hair once I detangled it. Setting the hair on flexi-rods was great and when I didn't use them I made sure I plaited/braided the hair up at night and it was good in the morning.

Small January Sales Haul.

Hubby and I went on a Date a couple of weeks ago and went to one of the malls we love. I had some Christmas money saved for the January Sales so took advantage of the generous offers lol.

Yayy!! I finally found pre-twisted hair!!!

Whoooohoooooo!!! I am soooooo happy that I found pre-twisted hair. I have been searching high and low for either pre-twisted or pre-plaited/braided hair for my crochet braids. I wanted to plait my hair up again but sheeesh!! It took aaaaages before and I wasn't looking forward to it at all. The only place I could find them was online from America and the shipping was not worth it at all..... I thought I may as well get my act together and twist or plait some hair in advance but where would I find a spare moment lolol...... I thought I found some plaited hair but it was so fine, I'd need trillions of packs and I wasn't sure how it would fall on the cornrows/camerows/canerows.

Then Sunday gone, I had a kind of feeling to go to a certain shop to see if they had any {{nice price}} hair for the next stint in my Protective Styling Challenge. I saw some good packs but decided to have a look at the plaiting hair... I don't even know why as I was planning on making a sew in unit ...... I came across the packs of dreaded/loced hair and was huomming because every shop gave me false hope with dreaded hair but everytine I asked, they didn't have plaited hair - or even know what I was on about lol - then my eye caught one pack of twisted hair.... but it wasn't roght and I tried to find someone to ask if they had any others..... no one was about... then I turned my head and aaawwwwwwwwww *harps playing* I saw a whole drop filled with packs of TWISTED HAIR!! Whoooooppppp they even had a reddish colour. I hadn't budgeted much for the shop so could only pick up 4 packs (2 each of brown and burgundy) and a pack of plaiting hair to twist my perimeter. I'm thinking I can always go back this week if I need more and use this weeks budget.

I can't wait to try them out and am airdrying my hair as I type(wash day post to come)