Healthy Hair: Hairspiration, Njena Redd Fox's Locs

Ok, so I am not going to go into my "I want locs" rant because y'all already know that to be true. Plus, I think I've said it enough for everyone to get the picture, so with that being said I won't bore you today...LOL

(Photo via Tumblr)

Let's jump right into it, I came across a beautiful photo of Njena Redd Fox on Tumblr and fell in love with her loc'd up-do. I've been wearing a bun for a couple of weeks and decided it was time to put my Marley twists back in while I wait for my next HeatFree Hair install (I am trying their new "For Coils" line this time *excited face*). For the twists, I used a brand of hair by Bonne Collection called "dread bulk". The extension hair is really soft but the ends are kinda ratty so I'm not sure if I will be using it again. Either way, the twists turned out beautifully and I love how my up-do looked after I installed them.

I like to name things so let's call this style "Crown Me." Below you will find my Marley twist video that you can refer to if you're thinking about installing your own. In addition, I will try my best to "type you through" what I did style wise. If any of you want a visual, let me know and I will make a YT tutorial.  

Captured Curls: Crissle

Everyone meet the beautiful, spicy and HILARIOUS Crissle! She is this weeks Captured Curls and I must say, I'm very happy to have her featured. I came across Crissle after listening to her and Kid Fury's "The Read" podcast. I did some research on her writings and such and discovered that she was natural, which only made my love for her double so of course I had to reach out and have her on the blog. 

Enjoy Ms. Crissle's curly curly story below!

xoxo,

Alex

Please introduce yourself?

I’m Crissle, I’m 30, and I’m a writer from Oklahoma. I moved to Manhattan about ten months ago to find out what life is like not surrounded by white people.

What is your current hair regimen?

I don’t do much with my hair at all. I’m a really low-fuss person and I don’t have the patience for an extended hair regimen. I sleep in a satin bonnet and use water to fluff my hair out in the morning.

When you travel how do you care for your hair?

I make sure to pack my bonnet, travel bottle of coconut oil, bobby pins, and a wide-tooth comb. I can make anything happen with those four tools.

How would you describe your hair type?

It’s 3B/3C on the hair chart. My hair is neither thick nor thin and of normal porosity. It doesn’t give me a lot of trouble until it gets long, which is why I’m always cutting it off.

Healthy Hair: Experimenting with eggs

(photo credit)

*clears throat and sings* Eggs, oh how I love thee, on my hair and to eat, you are such a special treat...

Was that too much?!

If you couldn't tell by my little song, eggs are one of my favorite foods, not just to eat either but to slather my hair in as well.  Just in case you were unaware, eggs are a great way to give your  strands a boost of protein. You can make quite a few awesome deep conditioner recipes with whole eggs and/or just the yolks.  

Fun fact: Raw eggs contain a significant concentration of essential proteins and nutrients. Because of the high protein content, eggs can be used to strengthen hair follicles. Likewise, the nutrients work much like conditioners to add volume, shine and texture. (source)

My Egg Deep Conditioner:

2 eggs 

1 tbsp Honey

1tbsp Olive Oil

1 cup of coconut milk

1/2 tpspn coconut oil 

2 drops of peppermint essential oil

2 drops of rosemary essential oil

2 cap fulls of castor oil

2 caps of jojoba oil

This mix should be added to wet hair in sections. 

Be sure to use a towel, it's messy.

Cover with a plastic cap for an hour.

Wash, condition and style as normal.

How do you use eggs on your hair?

Share below.

xoxo,

Alex

Healthy Hair: Can't Live Without Conditioners

A lot of ladies ask me what are my "can't live without" conditioners, below you can find my favorites that I will always use and stock up on. 

Shea Radiance's Maximum Moisture Conditioner

Curl Junkie's Smoothing Lotion

Hair Rules Nourishment Leave in Conditioner.

(I also love their Quench Ultra Rich Conditioner)

Not Hair: Stationary

I have a weird obsession with stationary...

journals, paper, pocket calendars, pens, cute cards--if it's cute and has to do with writing, I probably love it. 

I am starting a new section on the blog that's called  "Not Hair" just because I have other interests besides hair and to give you guys a bit of change as well. 

Don't worry, this won't be often...

I think it'll be s fun twist though!

Side note:Also, I am having the blog redesigned! I am beyond excited about it. L of PartyOverHair.com is going to work her magic and make the good hair blog even better!

The site is set to launch two days before my Big Hair and Brunch event so on 4/12 the blog will have a new look. 

Any who, below you can find some really chic paper prints by an Etsy shop called "Charm & Grumption." Their stuff is uber cute and I love the messages, I kinda want to get these for my room... we shall see.

In the meantime check out the prints and laugh at my added commentary...

....and wear a bush.

...with natural hair.

...and go natural.

...your journey and don't look back. #naturalhair

LOL, cute right?

xoxo,

Alex

In Review: Ouidad's Ultra-Nourishing Cleansing Oil

8.5 oz for $25

You can buy here.

Let me catch my breath because I am not only in shock about Ouidad's new product but I am also in love! In the past this line of products has not worked for my coily mane so when I was contacted to review the new cleanser there was slight hesitation. I've been wanting to like Ouidad for quite sometime and I finally have a winner. This is exciting news!

The Ouidad's Ultra-Nourishing Cleansing Oil is said to be a water-activated cleanser with an advanced oil base that gently removes dirt and build-up while restoring essential moisture. To start, my hair loves oils, my coils and curls need oils so that played a huge part in me wanting to test this product out. I removed my install about 2 weeks ago and went back to my Marley Twists for a week, I forgot that I had the cleanser laying around so on my next wash day (last Sunday) I decided to finally give the oil cleanser a go. My hair has flourished since I've been wearing PS's non-stop so I had to go back to sectioning my hair before washing. With my hair detangled and in 4 parts I applied a quarter size amount of the product into my palm. Let me just say that the slip this cleanser has is beyond great! I was so surprised at how it slide through my hair and made the washing process EASIER *gasp*!

Ouidad's cleanser feels like oil, comparable to castor oil in my opinion. When water hits it the foam starts bubbling on the strands which is actually pretty cool. The upside to this product is that it's sulfate/paraben free (for those of you who care about that stuff) and my hair did not feel stripped at all after the cleanser was rinsed out (huge plus!). Many of you know that I am the co-wash queen, shampoo and cleansers aren't really my thing but I must say, this product is getting added to the staple list. I don't think I have ever use a product that left my hair so soft after washing.

If you are a type 4 curly, I'd say to try this out. Ouidad has a line now that is geared toward kinky hair, which to me, is very comforting to know. There aren't many products on the market that can really get the job done for my hair type, from my personal experience. So, when I find something that works I plan to stick with it!

After I rinsed, I conditioned with a Hair Rules conditioner, which is amazing and I will be reviewing it very soon. My hair felt like butter and my coils were popping  I washed pretty late so I didn't feel like snapping pics or doing a length check but those are coming soon. However, the next day I bunned my stretched hair (stretched with cool air and twisted over night with my peppermint hair pudding), and I loved the result. I added a little bit of havana hair to the bun for fullness but other than the style was easy to achieve and very low maintenance.  

Headband is from American Apparel. 

Have you tried Ouidad's Ultra-Nourishing Cleansing Oil?

If so, share below how your hair did or didn't like it.

xoxo,

Alex

Healthy Body: Broccoli and Spinach

Yummmmm, veggies! Many of you know that what you feed your body can make a huge difference in the many ways. You hair, skin and nails will either flourish or breakdown depending on the foods you eat--spinach and broccoli are two mean green power foods that will aid in your hair's health. I was sent a pretty cool fun fact today and wanted to share it with you all. Some of you may not be veggie lovers but there are plenty of ways to add green goodness to your diets without it feeling like a chore, for example, smoothies... you can't even taste the spinach when it's blended with delicious fruits. 

Fun Fact: Vegetables like spinach and broccoli help to produce sebum, an oily substance secreted by glands attached to the hair follicle. Sebum conditions and moisturizes hair, helping to prevent it from drying out. Hair follicles are connected to sebaceous glands that produce sebum, or oil, to keep hair and skin healthy and lubricated. (source)

Broccoli

Like beans, broccoli derives much of its caloric content from protein, which is essential for hair health and growth. According to Leonard Bjeldanes, professor of nutritional science at UC Berkeley, and Gary Firestone, professor of molecular biology at UC Berkeley, broccoli is high in an enzyme called indole, or I3C, which is converted to diindolylmethane during digestion. Diindolylmethane has been shown to inhibit the actions of DHT, a well-known metabolite in testosterone that has been linked to male pattern baldness.

Spinach

Spinach is an important vegetable for hair growth because it is high in protein and vitamin A and vitamin C, which the body uses to produce oils in the scalp, which can help increase hair growth. Vitamin A and vitamin C deficiencies can increase hair loss or lead to brittle, thin hair that does not grow as quickly. 

(source)

*Images courtesy of Flickr. I do not own the rights to the photos above. No copyright infringement intended.*

Healthy Hair: Peppermint Hair & Body Pudding

I have been in mixtress mode lately, can you tell? Yesterday, I decided to whip up some hair and body butter for me and CharBaby. Lately, peppermint has been my favorite essential oil to use in my spray bottles, butters and even by itself on the inside of my wrists as a "perfume," It smells so yummy to me! 

In this pudding I used:
5 big chunks of Shea Butter
1 ounce Cocoa Butter
1 teaspoon Manuka Honey
2 teaspoons of coconut oil (optional, you can replace this with something else.)
8 drops of vegetable glycerin  
3 drops of jojoba oil
Essential peppermint oil (add to your liking or replace with a different EO.)

Fun fact about peppermint oil: This oil is antiseptic in nature. When massaged on the scalp it helps to remove dandruff and lice in addition to its usual cooling effect. When applied on the skin, peppermint oil keeps pimples at bay and keeps the skin healthy and blemish-free.(source)

What I did:

1. Melt cocoa butter and Manuka honey together in a glass bowl over boiling hot water. Melting this way takes a bit longer but it helps save the benefits of the honey and butter from being scorched away in a hot pan or microwave. 

Fun Fact about Manuka Honey: The benefits of Manuka honey come from it’s increased antibacterial potency. Since honey is has a low pH of around 4.5 it is said to be pH balanced and helps to maintain the optimum pH of the skin. (source)

2. When the two ingredients are melted down (stir to encourage melting) add the shea butter and jojoba oil. Stir until melted, turn the fire off and let cool for 10 minutes.

3. Remove bowl from the hot water and place into the freezer until you notice the oil is solidifying (this may take 30 minutes to an hour). Don't let the oil freeze all the way just allow the shell to harden, the middle should be soft and even a bit "liqudy." Remove from the freezer, scrap the sides of the bowl with a baking scraper and then use your hand mixer to whip up the butter. You will have to stop and scrap in between mixing, it helps with the process.

4. Once you start to see the texture change, add your peppermint EO, vegetable glycerin and coconut oil. Continue mixing until smooth and fluffy! Once you are done use a jar to store your pudding and enjoy when ready.

xoxo,

Alex

JessiCurl Goodies

Gahhhh! New goodies came in the mail for me to review and I am stoked! I've heard such good things about JessiCurl so I am ready to try these products. Stay tuned for a YouTube video with my thoughts. In the meantime, have any of you tried her products? If so, what are your thoughts? Which are your favorites?

-Alex

Big Hair and Brunch!

I am so excited to announce my first big event, hosted alongside Carlyn of Black List Affiliates! Carlyn and I teamed to create Naturally Social DC: Big Hair and Brunch! You can see the details below on the flier. There a few early bird tickets left for $35. You will get a 3 course brunch and 2 free mimosas! I hope you all come out with your sundresses and big hair to eat, drink and chat! I have a feeling this is going to be FUN! We are also going to have cool giveaways and goodie bags. The goal of this event is to bring curly girls together in the DMV area to network, mingle and fellowship. Come on out and bring a friend! I would love to meet y'all!

You can buy your tickets here---> Naturally Social's EventBrite

DIY: The Perefect Hair Cream

8 oz of raw natural Shea butter
4 oz of raw coconut oil
1/2 cup of Aloe Vera gel
1 tbsp of jojoba oil
1 tbsp of Jamaican Black Castor Oil

This mix is one of my favorites to use on my hair  for sealing in moisture, it also yields amazing twist outs. What's in your favorite DIY hair cream mix?