*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

Best of 2009!

Happy New Year, Curlies! Better late, than never, right?

I still love you, I just want to make sure I'm giving you the best information I can, so I write when there's something exciting to write about. 2010 will be full of new product reviews, updates, beauty, skincare, videos and more! Before we jump into the new, let's recap some of the best products of 2009. Here we go......

Overall Hair Care: Curly Girl Method, "Baggy", and Sealing

Eliminating sulfates and -cones in my hair products has been the single best thing I've done for my hair in 2009. It retains moisture better, it's softer, shinier, and it simply looks healthy. For more info, check the tags in the side bar.

Shampoo: Aubrey Organics White Camelia

This cleanser is sulfate-free, but still does a great job cleaning my hair and scalp. I only use this product once every 2 weeks, focusing mainly on my scalp.

Co-Wash Conditioner: Trader Joe's Nourish Spa

Deep Conditioner: Aubrey Organics Honey Suckle Rose

I get much better results with a damp washcloth over my hair, plastic cap, and a hooded dryer for 30-45 minutes. Makes detangling a breeze!

Leave-In Conditioner: Desert Essence Jojoba Conditioner and Taliah Waajid Protective Mist Bodifier

Moisturizer: Shea-Aloe (with a KinkyCurly Twist)

Follow the recipe for basic Shea-Aloe. Once the oils have cooled, add 1/4 C of conditioner (must be silicone and protein free) and 1/4 C Taliah Waajid Bodifier. Mix until creamy

Oil(s): Auromere Pre-Shampoo Conditioner

This Ayurvedic oil is a blend of Indian herbs, coconut, and wheat germ oils. It gives my hair nourishment and amazing shine. For an amazing hot oil treatment- saturate hair with oil, pop on a plastic cap, and sit under a hooded dryer for 20 minutes. Wash and style as usual.

Styling Product: Taliah Waajid  Lock It Up "gel"

This product defines curls like a traditional gel, without the drying alcohol. It's also made with nettle, hemp, and Taliah's Black Earth formula.

Routine: Check these    posts

Skin Care (For my dry skin)

Cleanser: Oil Cleansing Method (All skin types)

100% African Black Soap

Moisturizer: I love experimenting with the ingredients that I have on hand. This winter, my skin has been loving shea butter, jojoba oil, and aloe vera gel mixed in the palm of my hand.

Exfoliator: Philosophy The Microdelivery Peel

Worth every penny! Vitamin C crystals and lactic/salicylic acid gel combine to exfoliate and resurface skin revealing glowing, just-had-a-facial skin. This will last months-a little goes a long way.

Must See T.V

Also check out kimmaytube's channel. She has a great washing and detangling video. It never occurred to me to twist my hair in the shower, to keep detangled hair from tangling again after it's been combed. Great idea.

Do you have a special method or technique for dealing with your hair? Please share it with is in a comment. Until next time....

A quick hair update......

You all know my current cold-weather hair routine is 1 week of wearing twists, 1 week of a twist-out or puff, wash day every 2 weeks. That's the big picture. Let me hit you with the details:

• Scalp massage on wash day using avocado oil, rosemary e.o blend
• Nature's Blessing hair dressing on scalp while twisting
• Refresh twists daily with leave-in and seal with oil
• Set twists on rollers (sponge removed) on Saturday night for church
• Twist- out Sunday, detangle 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

This has helped my hair stay knot-free, and combing on wash day is much easier. I can't stress enough the importance of a GREAT arsenal of conditioners to moisturize and manage  our hair. *NOTE: conditioners that contain -cones provide excellent slip and aid in detangling, but beware. They build up on hair over time, even when you rinse thoroughly, and leave hair dried out and hard to manage. Try rotating your conditioners once a month, and shampoo or clarify your hair once a month to remove -cones.

What are some of your fave conditioners? Let us know!

Until next time....

I Like My Men and My Soap- BLACK

 African Black Soap, 100% natural


Actually, I'd be an equal-opportunity dater (if I weren't already married to a delicious Black Man), but it made a great headline.


I've been using this for a year to cleanse my face. I bought it from a woman named Zee at Discover Mills, in Georgia. She now has her own store, Zee Craft, where she sells the best Shea Butter as well. She told me Black Soap would clear up my skin, and it did. Wanna know what else? It is a GREAT shampoo! I just pinched of a small piece and lathered it over my hair in the shower. Once my hair got really wet,  I rubbed the soap directly onto my hair, and worked it in.


Product reads:
African Black Soap is made in West Africa from palm oil, palm kernel oil, and water. The aroma and deep rich color result from the centuries old extraction process that blends the two ingredients together, resulting in the finest skin cleanser available.

Usage:
Relieves acne and removes blemishes, prevents rashes, itching, dry, and scaly skin from developing
Cleans pores and rejuvenates the skin
Clears up eczema
Body cleanser

This soap is dark brown in color, like the photo above. IT IS NOT BLACK! If you are using a black (dyed) bar of soap, THROW IT AWAY! This soap is soft and maliable, like Play-Doh. You can pinch of a small piece to use. One tub will last forever.

Diary of a Kinky Curly Woman

From my friend at naturallycurly.com, to you. Thank you, S.L. :)



These are just notes I've kept for myself over the years.....maybe something will help you.

Hair Care Products
(for natural hair)
- avoid silicones which can leave the hair dry: -sane, -xane, -cone, including cyclopentasiloxane
- amodimethicone is a cone that is water soluble with trideceth-12
- look for cetrimonium chloride for detangling
- fatty alcohols (i.e. cetyl, cetearyl, stearyl, etc.) combined with hard water leave the hair feeling waxy
- avoid stearalkonium chloride (cheap softner that is toxic and an irritant)
- dannon full fat yogurt to loosen curl pattern (leave on for over an hour, lactic acid helps to loosen curls)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CLEANSING / LIGHT CONDITIONERS (for no poo method, look for ones without protein and stearalkonium chloride)
- Suave (Citrus Smoothie, Mango & Peach) => not as good as VO5
- VO5 (Vita Burst, Tea Therapy, Strawberries & Cream, Sun Kissed Raspberry - Vanilla Mint or Kiwi & Lime for clarifying) => contains stearalkonium chloride 
- Curlicious Curls Cleansing Cream => great cleansing, a little thick coming out of the bottle
- Karen's Body Beautiful Hair Shampoo => leaves a coating on hair, do not repurchase
- MyHoneyChild Olive You Scalp Cleanser
- MyHoneyChild Jamaica Island Scalp Cleanser => works well but used a whole bottle in one washing, try again
- MyHoneyChild Banana Creme Scalp Cleanser
- MyHoneyChild Jamaica Island Conditioner => good moisturizer
- MyHoneyChild HoneyNutt Conditioner
- Jessicurl Hair Cleansing Cream
- Naani's Naturals Fallen Moisturizing No Sulfates Shampoo
- Nature’s Gate Asian Pea & Red Tea Rejuvenating Conditioner  => good
- Nature's Gate Jojoba or Aloe Conditioners => do not like Herbal because of smell
- Whole Foods 365 Citrus Grapefruit Conditioner => good for cowashing
- Shikai Daily Moisture Conditioner
- DevaCare No-Poo => don't like consistency
- DevaBrown Chocolate Lust
- TIGI Bed Head Moisture Maniac Conditioner => really like, moist hair
- TIGI Catwalk Oatmeal & Honey Treatment Conditioner
- TIGI Bed Head Superstar Sulfate-Free Shampoo
- Mop Top Gentle Clarifiying Shampoo
- Mop Top Daily Conditioner
- Oyin Handmade Honey-Hemp Conditioner => absorbs well, good leave in
- Elucence Moisture Balancing Conditioner => good conditioner
- John Masters Organics Citrus & Neroli Detangler => good conditioner
- Modern Organic Products Mixed Greens Conditioner for Normal to Dry Hair
- Wen Fig Cleansing Conditioner
- Hair Rules Daily Cleansing Cream => don't repurchase

DEEP CONDITIONING
take regular conditioner and add olive oil, avocado oil, coconut milk, shea butter, avocado butter, castor oil, liquid lecithin and/or honey for extra conditioning and softening
- coconut milk => moisturizes, softens, smooths, and detangles
- Hair Rules Quench Deep Conditioner => don't repurchase
- Ojon Restorative Hair Treatment => overnight treatment, smells bad, don't repurchase
- Back 2 Basics Pomegranate Moisture Conditioner
- Karen's Body Beautiful Luscious Locks Moisturizing Hair Mask => nice conditioner, use the whole jar at one time
- Curl Junkie Hibiscus & Banana Deep Fix Moisturizing Conditioner => nice moisturizing conditioner
- Black Earth Herbal Conditioner
- Blended Beauty Herbal Reconditioner => really like but one jar equals one treatment
- Blended Beauty's Volcanic Mask => a clay mask for the hair
- DevaCare One Condition => don't like the smell but works pretty good
- DevaBrown Chocolate One Condition
- Jessicurl Too Shea Extra Moisturizing Conditioner => light conditioner
- Jessicurl Weekly Deep Conditioning Treatment => good deep conditioner
- MyHoneyChild Honey Hair Mask => good conditioner
- MyHoneyChild Olive You Deep Conditioner => good conditioner
- MyHoneyChild Banana Creme Conditioner
- MYHoneyChild Coconut Papaya Hair Paste => left white pieces in my hair, must use heat, good conditioner, used the whole jar for one treatment
- Jane Carter Solution Nutrient Replenshing Conditioner => ok
- Jane Carter Solution Scalp Renew => good deep treatment oil
- Giovanni 50:50 Balanced Hair Moisturizer => hard to get out of bottle
- Shikai Intensive Repair Conditioner
- Aubrey Organics Island Naturals Conditioner => very thick, didn't really like, don't repurchase
- Mop Top Deep Conditioner => ok, don't repurchase
- Generic Matrix Biolage Conditioning Balm => moisturizing
- John Masters Organics Lavender & Avocado Intensive Conditioner
- Ion Color Solutions Color Defense Intense Moisture => use after Aphogee
- Joico K-Pak (protein)
- ApHogee Treatment (protein)

LEAVE-IN CONDITIONERS
coconut oil is very drying to the hair
- Hair Rules Nourishment Leave In Conditioner => don't repurchase, has silicones
- Giovanni Direct Leave In => one of the best leave in conditioners!!
- Black Earth Protective Mist Bodifier => absorbs well in my hair
- Oyin Handmade Greg Juice => absorbs well, smells funny, don't repurchase
- Oyin Handmade Juices & Berries => absorbs well, smells funny, don't repurchase
- Oyin Handmade Whipped Pudding => contains beeswax, smells good, a little thick
- Wild Growth Hair Oil
- Jessicurl Stimulating Scalp Massage Oil
- Jessicurl Aloeba Daily Conditioner => ok daily conditioner, doesn't absorb as well as other products, don't repurchase
- MyHoneyChild Type 4 Hair Creme => don't like the feel in my hair, don't repurchase
- MyHoneyChild Curl Activator
- Qhemet Biologics Castor & Moringa - Softening Serum
- Blended Beauty Happy Nappy Styles
- Organikah Whipped Hair Butter
- Carols Daughter Hair Milk => doesn't absorb well in my hair
- Curl Junkie Curly Boost Curl Enhancing Spray
- Curl Junkie Hibiscus & Banana Honey Butta Leave In Conditioner => very thick, doesn't absorb well, do not repurchase
- Curl Junkie Coco-Milk Conditioner
- Knot Today => okay but don't repurchase
- Curls Milkshake => okay but some cones in new formula, don't repurchase
- Jane Carter Solution Scalp Nourishing Serum
- Modern Organic Products Leave-In Conditioner
- Karen's Body Beautiful Hair Milk => contains a wax
- Karen's Body Beautiful Hair Cream => nice hair cream, lots of good scents
- Karen's Body Beautiful Hair Butter => like a pomade
- ABBA Nourishing Conditioner => not as good as KBB hair milk
- Afro Detangler => good texture, really like, great for twists
- Long Lovely Locks Curly Custard => lots of butters


STYLING PRODUCTS
- Hair Rules Kinky Curling Cream => contains mineral oil
- Hair Rules Hydrating Finishing Cream
- Curls by Sister Smith Wet Set Hair Pudding => good for twists
- Fantasia IC w/ Sparkle Lites or Color Treated (blue) => gummy, doesn't work well in my hair
- Kinky-Curly Curling Custard => too crunchy and drying on my hair
- Aubrey Organics B5 Design Gel => gummy, doesn't work well in my hair
- Crinkles & Curls by Black Earth Products
- Jane Carter Solutions Wrap & Roll => doesn't work well in my hair
- Jane Carter Solutions Nourish & Shine => good pomade
- Curls by Sister Smith Wet Set Hair Pudding
- Oyin Handmade Burnt Sugar Hair Pomade => nice pomade, good shine, like the smell
- Oyin Handmade Shine and Define Styling Serum => good for twists
- Carols Daughter Mimosa Hair Honey => greasy feeling but works well on skin
- Curly Custard Maximum Definition Hairdress (naanishoppe.com)
- Miss Jessie's Curly Products => not recommended because of ingredients
- Aveda Be Curly Curl Enhancing Lotion => too drying
- Clinique Defined Curls Curl Enhancer
- KMS Flat Out Relaxing Balm
HAIR OILS
- Castor oil, for growth - stable (no exp), cold pressed is best
- Jojoba oil - stable (no exp)
- Grapeseed oil - 1 yr exp
- Almond, Sweet oil - 1 yr exp
- Apricot oil - 1 yr exp
- Dabur Vatika Hair Oil, for growth
- Neem oil, for shedding
- Amla oil, for growth
- Tamanu oil, for inflamation - 6 mon - 1 yr exp
HAIR COLOR
- Bigen (47) => too harsh, don't repurchase
- Clairol Professional Beautiful Collection (B18D Darkest Brown)
- Robert Craig
- NaturColor (naturcolor.com)
- ColorFix (you can do a partial color correction with by mixing the solutions with shampoo. It only lightens the color & you will not have to re-color)
Curl-ease Towel (for curly hair) => great towel

More Pics!

The Perfect Puff: Nexxus Leave-In, and Curl Activator Gel



Get some Lil' Better Butter and a cute tee at www.knapsgirl.com



Me and Yanicka: She uses Aussie Moist conditioner and Coconut Oil for sleek, smooth, shiny curls


Please be inspired by these beautiful women. And ladies, keep doing what you're doing! Until next time.........

Atlanta Natural Hair Meet Up

Making New Friends: Lexi, Farrah, Me, Kiki, Stefanie



Kinky/Curly Cuties from all over the Atlanta area gathered at The Blackwood Pizza Bar to talk hair, products, and just have a ball. The event was organized by Lexiwiththecurls on Youtube. She is such a sweetheart and I'm glad to have met her. I also chatted with "friend in my head" brwnbarbie24 on Youtube. She's so funny and down to earth. You should definitely check these ladies' videos out. When I tell you there is nothing like sistah' hood, thesistahchick on Youtube had to give me a lift home because my car broke down :( I definitely enjoyed the fellowship of the evening! Here are some pics from the event. Enjoy!










Farrah's Fierce 'Fro using Darcy's Botanicals and KCKT










HOTD: A quick shingle using Miss Jessie's Curly Pudding. It was raining cats and dogs, so my 'fro shrunk big time and I lost a lot of curl def. I still think it looks cute!













Me and Lexi! She's my hair idol. She used Pantene Curls Gel and Herbal Essences Hydralicious conditoner to get these rockin' ringlets!


Miss Jessie's Girls: (top) Curly Meringue




(left) Her curls and coils were Awesome in person! She used Curly Pudding and Curly Buttercreme.

Updates :)

I've done a lot of make up posts these past couple of months, right? Can't a girl love hair AND make up?

No worries, I'm back with a hair update, pics, and recipes just for you!

New Hair Routine: Part 1

Fall is here, winter is just around the corner, and cold air is waiting to suck the moisture from our hair and skin. My first line of defense against dry locks this season will be protective styling. 2x twists on wash day, worn for 1 week. Twist-out the next week, pulled back in a puff, until next wash day.

Wash Day: Part 2

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

When I'm ready to wash, I detangle with my fingers as much as I can, then I finish in the shower. I shampoo with Aubrey Organics White Camelia (SLS-free), co-wash with Herbal Essence Hello Hydration or Hydralicious, detangle some more with a shower comb AND a paddle brush, then rinse with cold water. I use a little more of the Desert Essence (quarter size amount) over my entire head as a leave-in. I follow that with a scalp massage using any carrier oil I have on hand (avocado, olive, almond) mixed with a few drops of peppermint and lavender e.o.

New! Hair Mask/Smoothie Recipe: Part 3

I have tried Carol's Daughter Tui Hair Smoothie ($19, 8 oz.) and I don't like the wax that's in it, Jessicurl Weekly Deep Conditioning Treatment ($12.75 + shipping, 8 oz.) and I hate to pay for shipping, and I've been eyeing Karen's Body Beautiful Luscious Locks Moisturizing Hair mask ($25 + shipping, 8 oz.). I simply refuse to pay that much money for product that will be rinsed out, and will only last 2-3 uses. So, a sistah got creative. I took the best ingredients from each of them and whipped up my own luscious creation. Here's what's in it:

shea butter
cocoa butter
coconut oil
castor oil
glycerin
*conditioner (cannot have silicones or protein. I use my Aubrey and Desert Essence)
almond oil
olive oil
rosemary e.o.
Taliah Waajid Protective Mist Bodifier (will post ingredients)

These are products that I use daily. I simply combined them in one product and it is the most moisturizing treat for my hair. I use it as a DT, I twist with it, I mix it in my palm with a few extra drops of oil and use it as a daily moisturizer. It is the business!

Styling: Part 4

Once my twists are done, I like to pin them up for a sophisticated look. My hair usually stays moisturized for 2-3 days using the smoothie. If it looks lackluster, I remove the pins, use the smoothie (with oil) as a daily moisturizer, seal with oil, and pin it up again. That's it!













My puff: Part 5

Hair of the Day-HOTD

My Curly 'Fro:

12 2x twists all over

Applied whipped shea butter, Karen's Body Beautiful Hair Cream, and Carol's Daughter Healthy Hair Butter before twisting

Sealed each twist with Avocado Oil

Covered at night

Untwist in the a.m with Carol's Daughter Lisa's Elixir on hands (to prevent frizz)

Fluff into place with fingers, and G-O!

Cleaning Your Brushes- Part 2

The hair grooming variety. A few tips:

1. Before you shampoo your hair, gather two hair brushes or one hair brush and one comb.
2. Wet the brushes/brush and comb under warm running water.
3. Apply a small amount of shampoo to the bristles of one of the brushes.
4. Pick all the hair out of the brush.
5. Gently scrub the two brushes’ bristles together. If you are cleaning a comb, gently scrub the brush’s bristles with the comb. For best results, scrub in one direction only.
6. Continue gently scrubbing as you hold the items under the warm running water until all the suds are gone.
7. Dry the brush(es) or comb on a towel. Don’t be rough with the brush’s bristles or they might fall out.
8. Try an alternative way. You can also clean a comb by soaking it in a mug full of warm water and a bit of shampoo. Or, you can try a mug full of white vinegar, which will remove oily deposits left by your hair. Rinse and dry.

Tip: If cleaning your styling tools with vinegar, be sure to add a drop or two of your favorite essential oil to reduce the acidic smell of the vinegar.

Tresses a la Teri

Everybody's doing it.

It's all over YouTube.

You don't know? Haven't you heard?

It's the Conditioner Only method, and after much skepticism, and extensive research ( read YouTube watching), I'm deciding to give it a try.






This hair craze was started by Teri over at tightlycurly.com. Check out the site for all the details.

Why the skepticism, you ask? Because all the recommended conditioners contained silicones. Tressemme, Aussie and Herbal Essences were the most popular products. I thought that was a Curly Girl no-no. Then I thought about it. You're co-washing your hair daily, rinsing away the conditioner and eliminating any chance of -cone build-up.

I have to say I'm jealous of the results that YouTube Curlies are getting with this method, search "conditioner only method". I'm using NaturallyNike's technique.

I'm doing a 3-day challenge to see which conditioner gives the best results- curl definition, minimal shrinkage, 2nd day hair, crunch-free lol! I will post pics. Yeah! I'll be using

Naked Naturals Shea Butter & Avocado, $7, CVS
Yes To Carrots Pampering Hair Mud, $8, Rite Aid, Walgreens
Garnier Fructis Moisture Works, $4, Walmart, Target

One More Again

When I was rocking my TWA, I was able to throw any 'ole condish in my hair. Now that my hair is 6 to 7 inches all around, not so much. But every Curly Girl at naturallycurly.com raves about cheapie conditioners! Suave, V-05, White Rain constantly come up on the boards as co-wash faves. Now that summer's here and I've increased my co-washes to 2x/week, I'm gonna give the $1 conditioner another shot. I just picked up Suave Naturals Tropical Coconut conditioner. I'll let you know if it rings my bell, or ends up in the product graveyard. Until next time......

Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose Moisturizing Conditioner

Please believe me when I tell you that this 11 oz bottle of conditioner is the most a-mah-zing product I have EVER used on my hair! I will never be without it. I buy 2 or 3 bottles at a time. It's that awesome. I know I've mentioned it here before, but let me break it down, so it can forever and consistently be broken.

The Claim:

100% natural since 1967
Detangles & smooths for ultra-soft, shiny, touchable hair
For Dry, Brittle hair

The Ingredients:

Coconut Fatty Acid Cream Base, Organic Aloe Vera, Organic Shea Butter, Wheat Germ Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Organic Rosa Mosqueta® Rose Hip Seed Oil; Extracts of Fennel, Hops, Balm Mint, Mistletoe, Camomile, Yarrow, Chrysanthemum, Angelica, Forsythia and Magnolia; Honeysuckle Oil, Carrot Oil, Aubrey’s Preservative (Citrus Seed Extract, Vitamins A, C and E).

Organic shea butter and rosa mosqueta oil deep condition, protect and soften hair texture, organic aloe replenishes moisture and honeysuckle oil adds a soft, floral scent.

The Price:
11 oz/$10.39 at aubrey-organics.com
$7.69 at vitacost.com
$9.99 at drugstore.com
$10+ at whole foods market

I use this weekly as a deep treatment. I add other ingredients and a thinner conditioner to stretch my mixture. When my bottle is empty, I add distilled water, avocado oil, and vegetable glycerin to make my own hair milk. I'll also add a squirt to a water bottle when making my daily spritz.

I am not the only Kinky/Curly Cutie singing Aubrey's praises. If you are a newbie to natural hair I insist that this be your next hair purchase. You can thank me later :)

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

Summer-ize Your 'Fro

Sunday was wash day for me, and after a much needed DT, I had the softest, shiniest 'fro on the block. By mid-week, my hair was feeling a little fried. The sun can do damage to our hair as well as our skin. Some tips to summer-ize your 'fro:

Weekly deep conditioning treatments

Daily moisturizing with water spritz and/or water based product

Add a night time moisture treatment. Try shea butter applied to hair in sections. Braid, twist or pony (depending on hair length), baggy and sleep with a satin bonnet

Add a mid-week co-wash to your summer hair routine

Try wearing protective styles and keep twist-outs to a minimum

Cover up your locks with a silk scarf when out in the sun

Hope this helps! Until next time......