*UPDATE* NEW! Shea-loe recipe

I was so bummed when the last batch of shea-loe I made molded (ewww!), and the aloe vera separated from the shea butter. What a mess! I've since learned a few new things about mixing up this wonder-butter that heals my babies' eczema and softens my dry, winter skin and hair. Read on to learn more.

Recipe
1 C shea butter
1 Tb coconut oil
1/3 C combined oils- I like to mix vitamin E, a natural preservative (5,000 I.U), avocado, olive, almond and castor
1 Tsp honey, preservative
1/4 C aloe vera gel
10 drops tea tree e.o (preservative. no mold!)
10 drops rosemary e.o (preservative)
8 drops grapefruit and lavender e.o (fragrance. helps to balance the smell of tea tree and rosemary)

Create a double boiler by placing a glass bowl over a small pot of boiling water. Be careful not to let the bowl tip into the water. This will ruin your batch.

Add shea butter, coconut oil, 1/3 c oils to glass bowl, and allow to melt. Add honey while oils are hot. Stir gently. Remove glass bowl from heat and place on a surface for mixing. Add aloe vera gel to warm oil and mix using a hand mixer (often used for mixing cake batter).

The key to blending the aloe with the shea is mixing! Blend on low, then high, making sure to get air into the mix. This creates a fluffy, finished butter. Blend for about 15 minutes, then place glass bowl in the freezer for 10-15 minutes. Remove from freezer and blend again with mixer for about 2-5 minutes, or until the desired consistency. Add e.o and stir them in by hand. Transfer mixture to a clean, air-tight container with a lid. Place in refrigerator to set-up for a few hours.

I also like to label my batch with the date, so if it starts to look or smell funny, I know when to toss it. My last batch was January 12, so ar so good! Good thing everyone in my house uses it- it's almost gone!

What's in your spray bottle?

If you're leaving twists in your hair for days, or weeks, at a time, it's important to add moisture daily. Lots of Curlies mist their hair with a DIY leave-in conditioner. Recipes vary, I change mine depending on what I have on hand. This is my current mix:

6 oz. spray bottle
squirt of fave conditioner
squirt of Taliah Waajid Protective Mist Bodifier
squirt of aloe vera gel
a few drops of rich oil (avocado, olive, castor)
a few drops of fave e.o (tea tree, lavender, rosemary)
water

The ratio is roughly 70/30, with the majority being water. I spray my hair with this 2x/day, and seal with an oil at night. Let's water our garden, ladies! Until next time....

Update: Hair Routine

Check the "routine" tag in the sidebar. I've just been playing around with a few ingredients and made a few tweaks. 

twist-out

wearing 2x twists

• Scalp massage on wash day using avocado oil, Auromere oil and blend of  rosemary, tea tree, peppermint e.o
• Pre-poo with hair in 2x twists with Auromere oil, or conditioner under hooded dryer for 20 min. This helps with detangling since hair has been in twists 7-14 days.
• I pre-poo on DRY hair with a combo of 3-5 of my fave conditioners and seal with oil. Pop on a plastic cap, wrap a towel or scarf around that, and wear as long as I can stand it, sometimes overnight. My current pre-poo conditioners:
• Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose
• Burt's Bees Shea & Grapefruit Deep Conditoner
• Desert Essence Jojoba Conditioner (vitacost.com)
• Inecto Pure Coconut Oil Conditioner (Ulta)
• Coconut Oil to seal
• Finger detangle twists after pre-poo, then wash.
• This is key: Deep condition under hooded dryer for 30-45 minutes, then detangle with shower comb and paddle brush. No more detangling in the shower for me. Rinse and apply leave-in.
  
• Nature's Blessing hair dressing on scalp while twisting with Shea-Aloe. Seal with coconut oil, aloe vera gel mixed in palm of hands.
  
• Refresh twists daily with leave-in spray and seal with oil
• Set twists on rollers (sponge removed) on Saturday night for church
• Twist- out Sunday, detangle with fingers and paddle brush, moisturize  and re-twist Sunday night. This is the key to fewer tangles on the next wash day.
  
• Day before washing, saturate dry hair with fave conditioner and finger detangle
• Wash day and repeat

Gimme the Luscious

Consistent deep conditioning is the only way I can keep my 'fro juicy. Shiny. Thick. Soft. Luscious.
Here are a few ingredients that you can add to any commercial conditioner to kick it up a notch, taking it from average to A-mah-zing! And your hair will be oh-so-healthy, not 0h-so-krispy.

coconut milk
molasses
honey
oils- coconut, olive, jojoba, avocado
butters- shea, 100% cocoa (melted)
ayurvedic powders- 1 tb each amla, shikaka or brami
baby food banana
whole fat, plain yougurt
aloe vera gel
essential oil- 3-5 drops each rosemary, lavender, peppermint vegetable glycerin

Killah' Combos

I was catching up with old chums on Facebook (Go Eagles!), and I saw a pic of my college homie sportin' some bangin' curls. If I had to guess, I would say her hair type is 3a/b/c. Here's her killah' combo:

Mixed Chics Leave In Conditioner and Kerastase Oleo Curl. Nice! Haven't tried these products myself because I'm 4a. Just sayin'.

I do, however, have several makeup/skincare killah' combos. Like to hear 'em, hear they go:



Everyone in my family has loooong lashes. Even the baby boys. My killah' combo of Cover Girl Lash Blast and Maybelline Great Lash mascaras (both in Blackest Black-this name just made me think of CB4. You know you saw it, too. LMAO. Chris sure has come a loooong way) make them look fake! Like lash extensions. I'm not kidding. It's sick. Try it.

Equal parts Apple Cider Vinegar (a weak acid) and Water to help with acne. I mix 1 capful of each, moisten a cotton round, apply all over face, leave on 5-10 min, then rinse thoroughly with cool water. This step is done after cleansing and before moisturing.

Aloe Vera Gel/Glycerin/EVOO as a serum or face mask. I have dry skin. Really dry. Like, I apply 3 layers of face cream in the winter dry. I use this mix of 1 tb AVG, 1/2 tb EVOO, and 1/4 tb Vegetable Glycerin (mixed and stored in a travel-sized container) as a serum applied lightly over my face cream (currently using Jason Vitamin E Creme. LOVE!). When I have more time, I slather on a generous amount as a face mask. Let sit 10-15 min, then remove with a warm wash cloth. This makes my skin so soft and radiant. And if you ever saw it, you would even say it glows. LMAO.

I'll leave you with one more juicy beauty tidbit. The best killah' combo, EVER!- mixing fragrances. Now, I'm not new to this, I'm true to this. There are rules and regulations to this beauty science. Please continue reading before you go and mix Angel with Romance.






Research fragrance families

Discover your fragrance personality

Layer lotions, shower gels and body splashes in exact (or complimentary) families as your fragrance to intensify your scent and make it last all day and night.

Off to enjoy the sunny weather! Until next time...