Haircare: Brutal Cold + Dry Hair = A Steam Session

This winter has been brutal on everyone's hair. My hair has been been drying out in record time lately, so I think it is time to pull out the heavy arsenal and do some steam treatments. 
 A few years back, I invested in a good quality bonnet steamer. I used religiously once a week for several months, then stopped when summer rolled. After washing, I will mix up a nice, deep conditioning masque and sit under the steamer for 30-45 minutes. Hopefully this will stop my curls from screaming for moisture! LOL!
Image Courtesy Of BlackHairInformation.com

Health and Wellness: Dry Brushing The Body Skin

There are many benefits that this simple routine offers. It takes minutes a day.  Try doing daily, even twice a day if you can.  Not only does it buff away dead skin, but it's fantastic at boosting circulation and lymphatic drainage, and ridding the body of toxins. Your skins biggest organ, after all.

Dry skin brushing opens up the pores on the skin.  Your skin should be dry, so a good time is in the shower before you turn on the water. Don't get the brush wet.

A few of the benefits are it helps to exfoliate dry skin on areas like knees, elbows, ankles and tighten skin, improve circulation and increase blood flow. This also helps the lymphatic system release toxins and helps with digestion and kidney function. You'll also notice a glowy, smooth complexion. It's one of the easiest, cheapest and most effective things we can do for promoting healthy skin.

Hair Care: The Ultimate Guide to Humectants and Hair

NaturallyCurly

Product Reviews: L'oreal Advanced Haircare Total Repair 5 Damage Erasing Balm and Advanced Haircare Power Moisture Moisture Rush Mask

This June marked my 5 year anniversary of going natural. Even though I have learned much about my hair, I find that in a lot of ways, caring for natural hair is just as tedious as dealing with relaxed hair. Both have it's pros and cons. Although I will never go back to relaxed hair, I can say I have done some reading on keratin treatments and Japanese straightening options and decided the risks outweigh the benefits. At least for me. As a compromise, I will do an occasional roller set without the suck the life out of your hair blow dry and flat iron favored by the Dominican salons.

I've been really terrible with keeping up with damage control on my hair this year. A couple of trips to my local Dominican hair salon left me with straight silky hair for a few days, but 4-5 inches on the ends of my hair failed to revert back and are slightly wavy at best. I've decided to cut them off to shoulder length. 

Since early spring I've neglected to have a steady schedule when it comes to doing deep conditioning treatments. I've made a commitment to put a stop to this by adding these two quick deep conditioners to my 5-7 day wash routine. After I shampoo, de-tangle with a regular conditioner and rinse, I apply either one, plastic cap and complete my shower routine (5-10 mins.) 

I rinse out with cool water and add a small amount of my leave in of choice and replace the plastic cap until I am ready to blot dry, apply any other leave in and let air dry.

Conditioner number 1, Total Repair 5 Damage Erasing Balm is a rinse-out reconstructing balm that claims it repairs up to one year of damage in 1 use. Both powerful and luxurious, the balm instantly repairs the 5 signs of damage – split ends, weakness, roughness, dullness, and dehydration. I've used this one 4 times and it does appear to be improving the state of my hair.

Conditioner number 2, Power Moisture Rush Mask instantly infuses moisture into every strand. This mask, with its light and luxurious gel-like texture, transforms even dry, dehydrated hair into silky, soft and manageable strands. It is clinically tested to add 10 times more moisture to your hair. I do notice my hair seems to drink this up and I have to apply a bit more to both sides before plastic capping and that is a good thing. 

Of course I will also do my Nupur Henna/Neutrogena Conditioning/color regime every 4-5 weeks. That also helps with smoothing frizzies and making my hair look better. 

Ricky NYC's - No Frizz Wave Comb

Olive Oil Infused Comb Designed to Combat Frizz!

I ordered one of these today and am anxious to see if it does what it says.  
This "miracle comb" is said to use a special process of baking olive oil within the plastic as well as NANO. The outcome is a comb that allows for faster drying, and its micro-sized particles fill in the damaged hair to create a seamless surface inhibiting bacterial growth. It eliminates frizz, and is anti-static. It adds a natural soft shine without an oily feeling. This comb also recognizes where excess natural oil deposits are and redistributes them to a proper balance. it also works great for dry cuts by controlling fly away hair.


Available at Ricky's NYC.

Can't Take It No More!! Getting A Bonnet Dryer

I'm sitting here waiting for my wet hair to dry enough so I can venture outside with my fedora on to do some shopping and have Thai for dinner. As my hair is getting longer and fuller it takes longer and longer to dry. The winds are howling outside and what I should have done is bunned it and went on about my business.

So while I'm sitting here, I finally broke down and got myself a bonnet hair dryer. This one is a good price ($119.00) and it has an adjustable stand which means I don't have to try to find a tabletop that is the right height and drag a chair to it. I can move it where I please! I also got my hair steamer from the same company last year and was very happy with the delivery time, free shipping and quality of the steamer. I'm working on balancing my porisity levels, moisture and strengthing routines as I saw some breakage last year around this time for not paying attention to it.

I'm also adding Roux Porosity Control Conditioner into the mix as I hear this is great for keeping hair at the proper Ph level of around 4.5. to add strength.

Where U Been?!?~

Yeah..it's been a little bit since I posted...working on a machinima production (animated vignette) for the World Expo in Shanghai, China, so been a bit busy with filming that in Second Life.

 I've posted the trailer I made below for you all to check out. :-).  If anyone is interested in taking a look at Second Life - email me or leave a comment and I'll give you a tour. :-)  We are planning to have an event in-world and I would love to see all of you there to support!



Now...for the hairs...all I can say it THANK GOD IT"S SPRINGGGGG!  I can definitely tell a huge difference in my hair moisture in the past two weeks.  I was joking with my cousin Rob over at Luvbenet's Coily World that our hair moisture returning is going the be the way we mark the coming of Spring every year from now on!  LOL!  As far as a hair cut..I kept putting it off and putting it off until I finally just pulled it back in a pony tail in the shower with conditioner in it and cut off a half inch in the back.  It needed it..I also ended up trimming a bit off each curl on the sides to make sure I got some of the ends off on the sides. 

I've been washing and going every day this week except today.  I'm going to do a deep condish with a mixture of deep conditioners I have little bits left of and sleep in tonight.  It's suppose to be in the low 80s for the next couple of days and then get cooler again after that. 
Update hair photos! First one is before trim second one is after trim. I can't tell you how glad I am summer is here!

Product Review: Anita Grant's Chocolate Banana Rhassoul Deep Condish Spa Mud and MORE!!

I finally got around to using some of my Anita Grant product haul!  I mixed the spa mud with hot coconut milk-broke up the blocks and stirred until it was melted chocolate consistency.  Rhassoul Deep Condish Spa Mud contains Unrefined Black Cocoa Butter & natural Soya based Vitamin E (mixed tocopherols) which helps to guard scalp & hair from free radical damage. When hot liquid is added to our Rhassoul Deep Condishes, it swells & increases its surface area like a highly porous sponge. Attracting & trapping toxins into these open porous spaces so that when it comes time to rinse from your hair, the toxins are eliminated and you're left with detoxified fluffy soft tresses.

I washed my hair before hand with their Babassu Amla Shampoo Bar.  It lathers fantastically and rinses out clean.  I applied the mud to damp hair and plastic capped it for about 2 hours.

After I rinsed and detangled with

HE Hello Hydration, then put a little more back in for leave in.  I could definitely tell the difference in the shower even with the moisture, elasticity and smoothness after rinsing out.

I combed into two braids and twirled the ends around my finger and tied a silk scarf over it for sleeping.  The next day I undid the braids and hand-styled.  I must say I was very pleased with the results and my hair is FINALLY happy and moisture filled!...And it is still wonderfully soft and moisturized 12 hours later!

Tonight I added a little Natural Coconut Rosewood Dry Oil, combed through with my fingers and re-braided. 

I added moisture to my ends with JessieCurl Deep Conditioner (my hair hates as a deep condish, loves as a leave-in, go figure), twirled the ends and silk scarfed it.  I am going to see how long my hair will hold up with this nightly routine before I have to co-wash. 

I ordered the 3-30 gram cubes to try it out, but next time I will order several of the large 940 gram blocks to be sure I have on hand.  I'm thinking next time I henna I will do half infused tea and half coconut milk.  I'm sure the coconut milk had more than a little to do with my great results so I am anxious to try it again with other ingredients.

Will keep you posted!!  P.S.  After packing my hair with the spa mud, I also did a facial mask with the sample of  Organic Dark Chocolate & Banana Smoothie Face Mask (which came in a little baggie in powder form).  I added a little bit of the left over coconut milk to the bag and smooshed it till creamy and smoothed over a freshly washed face.  Ohhhh...the smell was heavenly and the softness after I rinsed it off..I couldn't stop touching my face! I have the rest in the fridge and hope to get 2 more facials out of sample.

Hot Mess Hair In The COLD!

Whewww!  My hair was gonna go on strike soon if I didn't give it some TLC immediately!  My scheduled Henna/Alma treatment didn't happen.  I was feeling crappy with a cold, not to mention the single digit temperatures and the howling winds outside the past few days (and into the week and coming weekend, I hear).  I have not co-washed and detangled since Christmas Eve and my hair has rewarded me by becoming a dry, matted, hot mess!  So today after a through wetting, I packed on the Herbal Essence - Hello Hydration conditioner and detangled.  Luck for me, my hair detangles pretty easily once wet and has condish on, so it took not time to comb through. 

 It is far too cold to expose my  wet tresses to this extreme cold air, and since I have to go out, I opted for a moisturising deep conditioner bake overnight and rinse in the morning.  I reached for the Aubrey's Rosa Mosqueta Conditioner.  Rosa mosqueta is rose hip by any other name. Whatever, you want to call it, the seeds are high in (fatty) linoleic and linolenic acids as well as Vitamin C, all of which are essential for the health of the hair and skin. Flavonoids, a ketonic compound (namely 3-pentenpropyl-kentoe) and trans-rhodanic acids have been detected. In fact, rosehip seeds are about 77% fatty acids.  This should put my stressed out tresses back to a normal state!

Ingredients:

Coconut Fatty Acid Cream Base, Coltsfoot Extract, Horsetail Extract, Organic Rosa Mosqueta® Rose Hip Seed Oil, St. John’s Wort Oil, Wheat Germ Oil, Organic Aloe Vera, Amino Acid Complex (Cysteine, Methionine), Organic Evening Primrose Oil, Balsam Oil; Extracts of Fennel, Hops, Balm Mint, Mistletoe, Camomile and Yarrow; Organic Rosemary Oil, Organic Sage Oil, Aminobenzoic Acid, Carrot Oil, Aubrey’s Preservative (Citrus Seed Extract, Vitamins A,C and E).

Time To Rotate Leave Ins....

I'm convinced my Tresemme Moisture Rich conditioner is not performing up to par any longer, so it's time to rotate it out for a bit. Today I used what was left in my bottle of Aubrey's Honeysuckle Rose Conditioner (about 1/4 full) and poured in some Evian water, shook and used it as my leave in today and I was quite pleased with the moisture retention and curl definition aftr it dried. I also bought a bottle of DevaChan One conditioner today to use as my leave in. I have used this in the past (beginning of the year) with good results, plus it smells fantastic!  So hopefully I will have good results again!  Planning a Henna glossing this weekend!

New Oil For Moi?! - Cranberry Oil

Cranberry seed oil is unique in the vegetable oil market since it contains a 1:1 ratio of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Essential fatty acids like omega-3 and omega-6 are critical to the body to help improve cardiovascular function, increase circulation and strengthen the immune system. It provides a nutrient-rich formula that contributes to a healthy and strong head of hair.  Essential fatty acids can not be synthesized by the body. Cranberry oil's naturally occurring tocopherols and highly unsaturated profile provide nourishment to the skin and superior moisturizing qualities. Cranberry oil is made by cold pressing the seeds of the cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon) and is extremely rich in tocotrienols and are used as a highly nourishing and moisturizing ingredient – yet is light and non greasy.The cranberry essential oil is also rich in Oleic acid, another indispensable element for the body. It is also very rich in Vitamin E and other elements that guard against injury to skin cells and trims down fatty substances in the body.  One good thing about the cranberry essential oil is that it is natural oil that needs no industrial or other form of handling. It can be preserved in its pure state for up to twenty four months. Cranberry oil also contains minerals that are beneficial to your hair such as calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, zinc, copper, manganese and selenium. I'm going to have to cut into my Camellia Oil time with this one as it sounds like a real find in the oil department. 

Today's Hair - 12.01.2009

I did a deep condish last night with Biolage by Matrix Ultra-Hydrating Conditioning Balm and I didn't like it as much as the Delicate Care Conditioner.  In fact, my hair is a little dry today..not sure if this is from the conditioner or if it's just time to rotate my leave it from Tresseme to something else for a bit.  Will have to play around with it.  I mixed in my Camellia oil, aloe gel and honey in a dish and squirted the entire tube of condish in and mixed it.  Steamed for 30 mins and capped, rinsed this morning.  It felt strong and smooth after rinsing, but when it air dried completely...a little dry....I think I should increase the humidifer in my bedroom.  LOL!

Hair is Dry, Dry, Dry Today!!

Dunno if it's the warming of the weather or because I've not slept under my humidifier in about 3 days, but I didn't co-wash today, just added a spritz of Jane Carter's moisturizing leave-in spray and a scrunch with my creamy Aloe butter.  At first it was okay for about 6/7 hours.  As the evening wore on, it started to feel drier and drier. :-(.  I decided to pull out the heavy duty deep condish for the remedy. I'm sure those who have Elasta's DPR-11 in their arsenal, know how hard it is to find #1 and #2 the formula has recently been changed to a more liquidy version which those who have tried it have said it is not as effective as the previous buttercreme frosting thickness.  I happen to find a supplier in TX who still has some of the old version, so I ordered 4 jars from.  In rotation, they should last me until next year.  I will sometimes mix my trusty camellia oil in with it, but today I just used straight from the jar, added a bit of warm water to lather a bit and slapped on my plastic cap.  Too hot in here for steam tonight, so I'm under my heat cap and then I will scarf it, sleep and rinse it out in the am.  I'm sure my tresses will be happy come morning!!

Winter Proofing My Hair, Skin, Sinuses and Eyes!

My apartment is hella hot and I have no control over my heat (it's free though..lol) so I usually will have windows open somewhere in here at any given time. I don't like heat when I'm trying to sleep, it's very disruptive. I've been using my warm mist cheapo Vicks humidifier on the table next to my bed, but it adds to the heat issue. I finally broke down and did a search on google to read reviews and find a large cool mist humidifier to quench my parched self.

I finally decided on Air-O-Swiss 7145 Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifiers- Deluxe Package. The deluxe package includes 2 silver ionic sticks and 3 demineralization cartridges. The keep to proper usage of these things is to keep them CLEAN and replace the necessary parts as needed. Base on the reviews, I hope to alleviate the desert dryness and add lots of great moisure back in the air.