1-Month Castor Oil Check-In

Hey All!

Yesterday marked one month of the Hairlista Castor Oil Challenge Part 10.

Sunshyne posted a discussion for participants to upload their results for the first month so I am doing the same here on my blog :)

I missed out on one week of application so this is actually more of a 3 week update. Nonetheless I have received noticeable growth.

At the beginning of this challenge I had a major issue with itchiness on my scalp but from further applications the itchiness has subsided dramatically. I have incorporated more cowashes as needed to combat buildup and prevent irritation.
My hair of course is also softer and much more manageable. When I wash my hair I pre-poo with the castor oil mix and do a hot oil treatment.

For this upcoming month I am going to do the inversion method and Greenhouse Effect to help stimulate growth as well.

Curly Girl Method

I have unintentionally been following the Curly Girl Method to some degree.

This link will provide details about the method and the benefits for all of my fellow naturalistas. I do believe some of the method can be applied to relaxed and texlaxed listas as well.

Essentially the method is simply removing shampoo from your regimen and you only cleanse your hair with conditioner. The conditioner of course has to be sulfate free and silicone free. Products containing these ingredients typically only gives hair a fake sheen but the products aren't actually cleansing the hair or penetrating the hair shaft. This leads to buildup which can lead to breakage.

The only conditioner I have been using on my hair is the Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curl Conditioner. While the styling products from this line are a complete tragedy on my hair, this conditioner does the trick for cleansing and moisturizing my hair.
For my cheapie cowashing conditioner I use Tresseme Naturals Nourishing Moisture Conditioner Aloe Vera and Avocado. This is sulfate free and much cheaper than the Shea Moisture conditioner. It offers great slip on my hair and the price you pay for the size of the bottle is great as well.

The method also encourages everyone to follow the L-O-C method (Liquid, Oil, Cream). This is the general order of how to moisturize your hair in order to achieve long-lasting moisture on your hair. It doesn't have to be done in this order but it is ideal. I use the L-O-C method when I moisturize my hair and it is WONDERFUL! Typically when my hair is dripping wet out of the shower I apply my oil so I've already knocked out the L-O. Then I section and detangle my hair and apply my whipped shea butter mix as my C. Some people use a store product for their cream and that is fine as well.

Following the Curly Girl Method has helped me lock moisture in my hair for longer periods of time and I don't have to re-moisturize as frequently.

What's Next... 
I was approached by an It Works distributor about trying out their Hair, Skin, and Nail vitamins. I am always apprehensive about changing things in my regimen when my current vitamins and products are working. We talked back and forth for about a month and this gave me time to do my own research of the company and the product as well. I watched countless YouTube videos to see what others had to say about the vitamins and decided to take the plunge. 
DISCLOSURE: I AM PURCHASING THIS PRODUCT WITH MY OWN MONEY! 
I will be testing the product for 3 consecutive months because usually that's about the time it takes to see if a product in fact makes a difference on my hair, skin, and nails. Once I receive the vitamins I will be doing an initial review on my YouTube channel as well as write an blog post covering essential details. 


Thank you for reading and catch you guys next time!
AR 

5 Months Natural + Whipped Shea Butter + Castor Oil Challenge

Here we are!

I have been natural for 5 months now and this has been a great learning experience.

For starters my hair is definitely growing which is a plus because I know some people who went natural and their hair hit a wall so to speak.

I've learned that some products that my hair liked during my relaxed/transitioning days are no longer good on my hair. For example my hair used to love Elasta QP Olive Oil & Mango Butter, most Shea Moisture styling products, and the Olive Oil Gel.
The Elasta  QP product leaves my hair extremely dry after a day of use and gives my hair a dull look. Almost all of the Shea Moisture products now only coats my hair and leaves this filmy residue on the top of my hair. This left my hair hard and dry. The Olive Oil Gel flakes really bad so I only use it along my edges when I do my twist outs and puffs.

So what does my hair like? CONDITIONER! That's right. My hair flourishes when conditioner and water hit it. While I have not purchased any new conditioners the one's that I have used on a regular basis consist of Aussie Moist Conditioner, Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curl & Shine, and Giovanni Tea Tree Conditioner. I have also used the Organix Biotin & Collagen Conditioner sparingly as I do not want extremely thick hair right now.
The only moisturizer that is working for my hair right now is my whipped shea butter recipe. It consists of 16oz raw shea butter, 3 tablespoons of coconut oil, olive oil, grapeseed oil, and castor oil. Very simple to make and it will last me a long time. It made my braidout last longer and acted like a gel for twists. It provides a great amount of shine and my curls look more elongated. So I will not be purchasing any store brought moisturizers for a long time.

While I haven't purchased any new hair products as of yet I plan to try new ones out once all of my current hair products are used up. (My attempt to tame the product junkie inside lol)

I am now able to wear puffs and even pull off a bang look with ease now. While I love seeing my curls I do plan to start wearing a protective styles for the months of October through March due to weather changes. I am currently looking for a wig to wear and of course I will be wearing braids as a long term protective style.

Hairlista's Castor Challenge Part 10 has not been a consistent part of my regimen since I started because I've been traveling a lot but I have picked back up on it and will be following the routine the remainder of the challenge.

So cheers to 5-months! Excited for what the next few months have to hold.

2-Month Update & Length Check

Hello All!

Coming with another update.

I officially hit 2 months on July 3rd.

As many of you know I had my hair in kinky twists as a protective style. Originally I had planned to keep my hair braided until about August 3rd. Well coming back from vacation I was getting restless with the twists and were ready to take to them down....so I did!

I am so geeked! I have gained more length in the last 2 months and that is such a great feeling.

 Freshly washed hair; no products added

 Left Side 3"

 Front 3.25"

 Right Side 3.25"

 Nape 3.5"

Wash Day

I took my hair down late Monday night. Tuesday I used for a wash and deep conditioning day. I washed with Carol's Daughters Black Vanilla Sulfate-Free Shampoo and deep conditioned with ORS Replenishing Conditioner. I did a oil rinse using extra virgin olive oil. (LOVED THIS).

Once out of the shower I lightly oiled my hair with grapeseed oil because it isn't as heavy as the olive oil. For my twistout I used the Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie and Eco Styler Gel. I haven't seen the results yet but my twists are holding much better this time around.

What's next?? I am going to have my hair crochet braided as a protective style. I have seen so many people achieve this look and it looks really great. I want all of my hair braided and I want it just about APL in length. So my hair will be taking a breather until August 6th. This gives me plenty of time to prep my hair and play in my curls! :)

Stay tuned for more updates and thanks for reading!

ASR

Twist-Out Results

HOLA!

I have been anxious to do a twist-out on my hair and Sunday I think I had a fairly successful go at it!

I co-washed my hair on Tuesday and did some mini twist all over.

 I used Eco Styler Gel and Elasta QP Olive Oil and Mango Butter Curl Defining Pudding.

These two did great holding my twist in place but I'm sure when my products run out and I am ready to restock my cabinet I will try new things.

These were the results:

I can't complain for this being a first-timer lol.

Now time to protect my hair again...stay tuned.

AR

Dry Scalp...WHAT!?

Hey all,

Talk about issues! So for the first time in 20 years I am having a strange case of dry scalp. It is the weirdest thing because I have not had this issue since I last saw a dermatologist for it.

I removed some braids that were installed for approximately 2 weeks and did my normal routine (wash and deep condition)

What I noticed the day after my wash was crazy. FLAKES! I almost freaked out because I'm like no way. So I cowashed my hair and made sure to apply a light oil to my scalp to prevent any dryness. Epic fail.

Today when I was at work I looked at my hair and low and behold MORE flakes! It was as if I never washed or oiled my scalp. At this point I'm thinking back on changes in my regimen, diet, water intake, products, etc. I couldn't point anything out so I went online and did a mass search on dry scalp and dandruff. I found some things that could be applicable

• Changes in weather
• Severe dehydration
• Hard water
• Shampooing/Washing too frequently

The list could go on but I knew I needed to fix this sooner than later especially with my plans to big chop next month.

I remembered what my dermatologist recommended from when I was a child that worked for me. So I decided to pick up a bottle of Selsun Blue and Sulfur 8 from WalMart. Both products combat dandruff and dry scalp. As an added bonus sulfur has been used in growth aides so I may see some increased growth from applying the Sulfur 8 to my scalp. I only plan to apply it every other day.

Tonight's wash was simple and to the point. I washed with the Selsun Blue and applied the Sulfur 8 to my scalp. I applied raw shea butter to the length of my for moisture and put my hair in bantu knots to dry.

My new growth feels amazing! I enjoy seeing the little curls coming through.

Today started my week for the inversion method as well so I have to keep a good plan from week to week until this big chop so I can reap all of the benefits!

#60days #BigChop #Countdown 

Kimmaytube Leave-In Recipe

Hey Guys!

Today was my wash day after a week of the Inversion Method.

As I have always said doing the inversion method during the week makes my hair feel like it is being constantly conditioned and it makes my wash day marvelous!

I did a cowash because I didn't want my hair to lose all of the moisture that I gained over the course of this week. I used Carol's Daughters Black Vanilla Conditioner.

I rinsed my hair in 2 sections, T-shirt dried my hair for 15 minutes, and proceeded to apply the Kimmaytube Leave-In Conditioner Mix.

I put my hair in 4 granny plats to dry overnight.

I can say just from the initial application of this mix to my hair that it will be very moisturizing.

I still have not used a heat pass so my hair and scalp feel great.

Below is the recipe for the mix. After this batch is used up I will change up the ingredients to see if the exact mixture makes a difference in the feeling of my hair. I want to swap Aloe Vera Juice for Aloe Vera Gel and Jojoba Oil for Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Kimmaytube Leave-In Recipe

• 1oz Kinky Curly Knot Today Leave-In Detangler
• 2 Tablespoons Aloe Vera Juice
• 2 teaspoons Castor Oil
• 2 teaspoons Jojoba Oil

*This recipe yields 2oz of mix. It is advised that if you plan to make more to not exceed 3 times the original amount due to the shelf life of some of the ingredients.

My Hair Post-Braids

Hey All!
I finally took my box braids out after having them in for what felt like the longest 5 weeks ever!

I removed the braids and began to detangle my hair in 4 sections.

I was able to do this successfully with no problems because during the entire five weeks I made sure to keep my new growth and braids properly moisturized. This made my hair very soft and I had about 2-quarter sized amounts of shedding altogether.

I did a cleansing wash twice using the Shea Moisture Deep Cleansing African Black Soap. I had no tangling at all!

I followed with a moisturizing deep conditioner which was the Aussie Moist Conditioner mixed with the Shea Moisture Moisture Retention Conditioner.

I let it sit on my hair for 30 minutes and rinsed with cool water.

I air dried by hair for 30 minutes and then applied an EVOO mixture directly to my scalp. I then applied the Elasta QP Olive Oil & Mango Butter Moisturizer to the length of my hair and did a crown braid style.

It has been braided for going on 3 days so I will take it down and moisturize and seal my hair again tomorrow.

I am coming up on 19 weeks on Friday so I am doing ok.

I think I am going to do my Caramel Treatment this weekend as well to help with manageability.

Read my old posts for recipe and tutorial:

Caramel Treatment Recipe

Caramel Treatment Tutorial 

Thanks for reading!

Staple Products

After being on my hair journey for a little over a year, I've had the pleasure of trying out several products. With that I have also been able to weed out the products that didn't work and actually found my staple products. This list includes products and vitamins that will be around for quite some time!

Shampoos

• Organix Luxurious Moroccan Argan Creme Shampoo
• ORS Creamy Aloe Shampoo 
• Relaxer day ONLY

Conditioner

• Organix Luxurious Moroccan Argan Creme Conditioner
• Used in deep conditioning treatments
• Cowashes

Protein Treatments

• Caramel Treatment
• Every 4 weeks
• ORS Replenishing Conditioner
• light protein
• Vitale Olive Oil Hair Mayo
• heavy protein before relaxer

Moisturizers

• Elasta QP Olive Oil & Mango Butter Moisturizer
• Hawaiian Silky 14 in 1 Miracle Worker

Oils

• EVOO
• Grapeseed Oil
• Castor Oil
• Lavender & Eucalyptus Oil for EVOO mix

Miscellaneous

• Aloe Vera Gel

Vitamins

• 5000 mcg Biotin
• 1000 mg MSM
• Garlic Supplements
• Mineral Rich

*Not pictured Aloe Vera Gel & Mineral Rich

Elasta QP Olive Oil & Mango Butter Moisturizer: Review

I have been sleeping on this product!!!

By far the BEST moisturizer to hit my hair since I started my hair journey.

It makes my braidouts feel fluffy and soft and my new growth is beyond manageable using this.

I've used it every other day. It smells great. Feels great. And is now a staple moisturizer for me! I've already gotten rid of my other moisturizers because Elasta QP is in the building to stay :)

I paid $5.99 for a jar although I think they may be cheaper at other stores. 

Rating: 5+ stars

Uses: Daily moisturizer

Final thoughts: GO GET YOU A JAR!!!

Caramel Treatment: Tutorial

Click below for the video of how I mixed my caramel treatment.

I still had great results and will continue to incorporate this in my hair journey!

Hope you enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azCNhkuY7D4&feature=youtu.be

Subscribe!

Caramel Treatment Recipe and Review

As many of you know I have been having the time of my life dealing with my new growth.

Knots...tangles...dryness...the list could go on.

No matter how much I deep conditioned and moisturized and sealed my hair it didn't seem to help.

So I went online and researched different tips, recipes, or ideas to soften my hair.

I came across a recipe called the Caramel Treatment that helps to soften and stretch "kinky" hair. My assumption is that is a treatment that is famous amongst women with African American hair textures.

The ingredients are fairly inexpensive and was easy to prep.

The directions can be found at this link.

I followed the recipe and directions from start to finish.

I let it sit on my hair for  1 hour and 20 minutes exactly without added heat. The only thing I hated was the smell. It was not a pleasant smell but something that I could get over.

I washed my hair using the Organix Moroccan Argan Creme Shampoo and followed with their conditioner. I let that sit on my hair for 10 minutes and rinsed with cool water.

I applied my leave-in and grapeseed oil.

To my surprise I had great slip and my hair was actually manageable to the point that I could put it in a bun!!! I seriously have not been able to bun my hair since the beginning of my stretch because I hate fighting with my hair trying to fully detangle it. I found that though my hair is still very thick it is much softer and the curl pattern is slightly looser but the texture is very noticeable.

The website says that this treatment should only be done once a month and from these results it will be in my regimen for good!

If anyone has issues with the manageability of their hair or new growth this is definite must! You have nothing to lose and they don't call it a hair "journey" for no reason :)

Pro-150 Hair Steamer: Initial Review

HEY GUYS!!

I am SO very excited about my most recent purchase.

I ordered a hair steamer from eBay and am very pleased thus far with what I have received.

I ordered the steamer on March 31st and I received it April 5th. (Roughly a week to arrive to my location.)

I ordered from divinepro who is a seller with a 99.8% customer satisfaction review.

When I purchased the steamer it was $84.99 with free shipping. Now the price has increased to $94.99 with free shipping. I'm guessing that the popularity has caused a rise in the price. However, in my opinion the price is still good compared to other hair steamers.

The assembly was very easy. You will need a pliers but other that it is basic snap-snap assembly. It took about 5 minutes to warm up and start producing steam. Another plus is that I can use tap water so I don't have to find distilled water for it.

Overall I am very happy and will do a more detailed review once I actually use it.

The link is above if you want to check out the steamer and other products this seller sells.

I will also being doing a video for the steamer on my YouTube channel. If you haven't already taken a peak over there this is the link. SUBSCRIBE!!  My YouTube Channel

Product Haul and Reviews

I went on a product haul as a little treat for myself last week :) It didn't help that I had a 15% off coupon for Sally's which gets me every time.

Since I have fallen madly in love with Silk Elements Silken Child I went ahead and purchased their entire line. This included shampoo, conditioner, deep conditioner, leave-in conditioner, and moisturizer. So far I have used all of them and my hair loves it!

I also picked up a product that I had been eyeing for a very long time and have heard rave reviews about. The As I Am Coconut Cowash Cleansing Conditioner. It smells really good and the consistency is great. It was great when I used it and I will definitely repurchase in the future.

I also picked up a new detangling comb that I wanted to try out as well and hope it helps when I start to get a lot of new growth combing in.

Week 2 of 26 Week Stretch

Today was such a great wash day!

Detangled on damp hair using my spritz that I mixed up. 

Placed my hair in 4 sections for easier detangling later during the process.

Washed using my Roux Porosity Control Shampoo.

Deep conditioned with a plastic cap and sat under the dryer for 45 minutes
          --I don't know why I stopped deep conditioning with heat but my hair LOVES it!

Rinsed with cool/cold water (SO HARD TO DO IN THE SHOWER! FREEZING! lol)

Kept my hair in 4 sections and detangled again.

Applied my Beautiful Textures Tangle Taming Leave-In Conditioner and Coconut Oil.

Now my hair is braid in 10 plats to air dry and probably leave in for my protective style for the week (with a beanie)

My hair feels really good and my scalp feels clean.

2 weeks down...24 more to go!

Product Review: Silk Elements Silken Child Leave-in Detangling Conditioner

Rating: 5 Stars

Pros: Smells REALLY good, inexpensive

Cons: The bottle is difficult to spray.

Will I repurchase: Definitely! Love the way my hair feels after a day!

I cowashed this morning using the V05 Moisturizing Conditioner. Today for my leave in I spritzed my hair with the Silk Elements Silken Child Leave-In Detangling Conditioner. It does smell really good and provided great slip for my detangling process. I air dried and monitored my hair throughout the day to see if it got hard. IT IS STILL SOFT!! I didn't even have to apply an oil at that point and was still in awe at how great my hair feels.

I am happy to say that I have FINALLY found my water based leave-in conditioner that is moisturizing! I would definitely recommend this product to anyone.

I paid $3.79 for a bottle at Sally's Beauty Supply.

Mineral Rich Liquid Vitamin!

Hello All!!

I got my hands on a bottle of Mineral Rich with Aloe. It is a liquid vitamin that has women raving about the hair growth they gained from using it.

I picked it up from my local health food store for $33.18 but it can be purchased online for $21.99-$23.29 plus shipping and handling.

I started using it today since I went ahead and relaxed and I will talk about that later.

It doesn't taste terrible but it does take some getting used to. The 32oz bottle will last me about a month so in a month I will come back with an update.

After doing some research I did find that liquid vitamins are better absorbed into the blood stream and absorb faster than capsule/pill vitamins because they don't have to pass through the digestive tract. I don't know why I didn't think about that sooner.

So I am happy that I finished my last bottle of Country Life Maxi Grow because that was the multivitamin I was using.

As of now these are the current vitamins that I will be using:

2 tablespoons of Mineral Rich

1- 5000 mcg Biotin capsule

2- Garlic supplements

1- 500 mg Horsetail Vitamin

I will keep you all updated on my results from the Mineral Rich!



Here are the links for the Mineral Rich:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00068OTBW/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&smid=A3OLYSHHQKD02C

http://www.christianstuff.biz/mm5/merchant.mvc?

These are the YouTube links for a couple of ladies that I researched that use the product:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRKH_IrAED8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4Ql48rcY2g

PLEASE CHECK OUT MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL AND SUBSCRIBE!!

My YouTube Channel

Product Review:Creme of Nature Leave-In Conditioner

Rating: 3 Stars

Pros: Smells good, inexpensive

Cons: Left my hair hard, protein

Will I repurchase: Most likely if I need a protein based leave-in.

I cowashed my hair tonight. Usually I apply V05 conditioner and an oil as my leave-in but I think its a bit much for my hair and wanted something a little lighter. So I picked up a bottle of the Creme of Nature Leave-In Conditioner. I towel dried my hair and spritzed my hair with this product. It provided great slip and made my new growth really soft. I did not seal my hair with an oil just to see how my hair feels as it dries and it still soft and seems moisturized.

After my hair finally dried it felt crunchy (I'm guessing from the protein). I had to follow up with a good moisturize and seal session to combat the stiffness.

I purchased it from Walmart for $4.98.

Product Review: Lustrasilk Placenta & Jojoba OIl Cholesterol Cream

Rating: 5 Stars!

Pros: Great moisturizing deep conditioner

Cons: A little thin for my liking. I usually prefer my deep conditioners to be thicker.

Will I repurchase: DEFINITELY! :)

If you all read my previous post about my wash day issues I did mention that tonight I deep conditioned and this is the product I used. In order to give an accurate review I did not add any oils to the deep conditioner like I usually do. I wanted to see how the product worked by itself and to my surprise it was spectacular! I was able to completely detangle my hair in the shower and afterwards. My hair feels really soft and moisturized.

It is not expensive online ($2.99/jar) but I will see if my BSS sells it in stores so I can avoid the shipping and handling costs.

Overall this is a great product and I will buy it again for future use.

New Deep Conditioners

Hey hey hey!!

I recently stumbled upon what I consider to be the best hair site ever in terms of fairly cheap hair products.

beautyofnewyork.com

I recently ordered 3 deep conditioners. One of which is a staple for me and the other 2 I wanted to try out.

Queen Helene's Cholesterol Hair Conditioning Cream 5lb (80oz) -- $8.99
Hollywood Beauty Tea Tree Cholesterol with Shea Butter & Aloe 20oz -- $2.99
Lustrasilk Placenta & Jojoba Oil Cholesterol Cream 20oz -- $2.99

I have already used the Queen Helene's Deep Conditioner so I went ahead and ordered the 5lb jar which is a huge steal for me and the other two are moisturizing deep conditioners that I want to compare to the Queen Helene's. I have a staple protein treatment but my moisturizing deep conditioners seem to fluctuate so I'd like to find another staple outside of the Queen Helene's so I can alternate. I use some of the ingredients in my mixes (tea tree, shea butter, jojoba) so I think they will be great on my hair. I can't wait to receive them and do a review!

Co-Wash Day

I co-washed last night using the Tresemme Split Remedy and my Eden Body Works Peppermint  & Tea Tree Conditioner.

I air- dried with the Tresemme Split Remedy Leave-In Treatment and when my hair was 80-85% dry I applied coconut oil throughout my hair and  put it in a bun.

The Tresemme Split Remedy claims to reduce split ends up to 80% after 3 washes and since I do have split ends I want to do what I can to combat them and hopefully stop breakage. So I will be co-washing with this along with another conditioner of my choice once a week.