Deep Conditioner WANTED!

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Do you find that your hair is dry, dull, brittle and breaking and nothing you do works, maybe you need to find a good deep conditioner. Now don't go thinking all deep conditioners were created equally. Some deep conditioners are for dry hair, while some are for thinning and lifeless hair.


If you have dry, dull, breaking hair, you need a moisture based deep conditioner. To get the most out of the deep conditioner use weekly under heat {could be under hot rag, or under hooded dry}.If your hair doesn't have a lot of breakage or dryness but may need a little boost in moisture, alternate between deep conditioning with a moisture based conditioner and light protein based conditioner each week.






Some examples of  these conditioners are:

Mizani Moisturefuse

• Keracare Humecto
• Kenra Moisturizing Conditioner
• Keracare Conditioner for Color-Treated Hair
• *Crème of Nature Nourishing Conditioner
• Aubrey Conditioners
• Elucence MB Conditioner
• Jane Carter Replenishing Conditioner
• *Neutrogena Triple Moisture Daily Deep Conditioner
• Pantene Relaxed and natural mask
• Nexxus Humectress
• *Giovanni Smooth as Silk Conditioner
• *Shea Moisture Deep Treatment Mask 
• 
  
• [* The ones that I have personal experience with and recommend the most]
• 
  

Now on the contrary if you have limp, lifeless, and thinning hair then you may need a protein based conditioner. For best results, use a light protein conditioner weekly until hair regains strength and body. 

[For hair that isn't experiencing significant thinning but needs a little extra strength, alternate between both conditioners.]

• Aphogee 2 minute Reconstructer
• *Neutrogena Triple Moisture Deep Recovery Mask
• Aveda Damage Remedy Conditioner
• *Mane and Tail Original Conditioner
• Ors Replenishing Pac
• Aubrey GPB
• Nexxus Keraphix
• Phytospecific Intense Nutrition
• Motions CPR (med)
• *ORS Hair Mayo (med)
• Vitale Pro Super Conditoner

Now if your hair is beyond damaged then you will need a strong protein treatment. For best results, use once every 4-6 weeks under heat. Must be followed up with a moisturizing conditioner! One thing to beware of is that if you don't wash your hair thoroughly you will experience more breakage.

• Nexxus Emergencee
• *Aphogee Treatment for Damaged Hair
• *Mizani Kerafuse

Thanksgiving Weekend

So this weekend I went home and had the best time with my family and friends. Like most people I was thinking about all the food I wanted to eat, but ironically I did the opposite. Once I did eat the THANKSGIVING meal I still had to go to other homes with [tons] of food and was kind of dreading it. I try not to eat to much so I don't gain weight so Thanksgiving turned into a bit of a nightmare. 

The best part about the day were the DESERTS. I have a forever sweet tooth, and could not resist trying Red Velvet Cakes, Pumpkin pies, or Sweet Potato pies! It was just my fantasy lol. But set aside from the food it was so nice to go home and see my family. While I wanted to see my family I had my own checklist of things to do. I wanted to go to the beach and enjoy the weather before it got cold [yea right. Cold in Florida?], go see For Colored Girls, and go to the park with my sisters. Unfortunately, I never did make it to the beach, but I did see For Colored Girls, and sadly it did not meet all my expectations. That doesn't mean it wasn't good still, it just didn't earn a ten in my book. Guess I just wasn't in the mood for movie time. And last but not least I made it to the park!

When I wasn't at the movies I spend a fun day at the park! It so much fun!

                              

                                   At Forever 21. She was in love with the shades. I was in love with the picture.

                                                                 

Another beautiful picture at the park. Love it.

I took this picture at the super market. Just so happened to find these eggs with the lightest one [the different one], and had to take a picture! Dare to be different when no one else is.

Natural Hair Care Regimen

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New to the world of natural things and you keep hearing about a natural hair care regimen?  Well going natural and getting the most growth isn't as simple as you think. For some, they can cut their hair tomorrow and have long hair next week, for the rest of us our hair grows at dirt slow pace. To make that pace snail speed we try and come up with a regimen which should help this process. No one can tell you what your regimen is but I can tell you what my own is and you can do your own little tweaks to it. You may choose to wash on Thursdays, I  been washing my hair on Fridays/Saturdays since high school. Try to keep the moisturizing a twice a day thing. By the end of the day our hair is dry and needs that life back.

Monday

• Moisturize hair <A.M. &P.M.> with either spray mixture or coconut oil. (take a dime size amount [little goes a long way] and evenly apply it through my hair.
• Protective style
• Seal the VERY ENDS with Castor oil. Don't forget I'm transitioning and still have some love for my relaxed ends. I like to keep my hair very light when I wear it flat ironed.

Tuesday

• Same

Wednesday

• Co-wash [only once in a while]

Thursday

• Same

Friday

• Wash Day
• Pre-poo with Alikay Naturals Essential Oil/ Olive Oil/ Castor Oil/ Any oil
• Wash with Moisturizing Shampoo and Condition 1 hour with mixed conditioners. Sometimes add heat
• Deep condition [once a month]. If you over condition your hair [is a such thing] it can make your hair limp.
• Seal with Coconut Oil
• Air Dry

Saturday

• Sometime Saturdays are my wash days. It depends.

Sunday

• Same

Natural Frustrations.

Going natural so far has been a pretty steady journey and has its up and downs. Some days I want to perm my hair, some days I want to BC it and others I rather just keep it as is. For the last couple days I've been getting a little down about this whole transition. The hardest part is when you see women such as Moptop Maven and Curly Nikki [moptopmaven.blogspot.com/ Curlynikki.com] who have this beautiful hair with beautiful length and remember that it takes years, not hours to achieve this. The hardest part about going natural is having the patience to wait for your hair to grown out its permed ends.Sometimes I just see myself with shoulder length natural hair, when my new growth is only two inches off my head [lol]. To combat this impatience us transitioners need to focus on getting our hair to the healthiest it can be, not the length. Stop focusing on the end result [well let it motivate you, not deter you] and live in the moment of now. Before you know it you'll have natural tresses all down your back. [Writing this made me feel better about this natural choice.] Some of us ladies decided to go natural because we were becoming aware of the harmful chemicals, other want to get back to their roots, and some just think it helps them stand apart. Remember these reasons when you begin your question your decision. Ladies try not to fall off and keep hope up. Hopefully in three or four years we will truly be where we want to be.

Stress Reliever

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Are you getting to the point where your just loathing everything? Maybe your stressed out? Here is just a couple of quick tips.

• Do something relaxing such as paint, to melt the stress away.
• Exercise. Something physical allows you to release all that built up energy.
• Take hot baths with soothing oils and candles. A serene setting may put you just where you need to be.
• Time to make a trip? Maybe you need to get away from everything.
• Think about the positive if your unable to do any of these.
• Take a couple deep breaths. WOOOSSSSAAAHHHHHH

Overwhelmed much?

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Do you find yourself always wishing there was more time in the day to get your errands/chores done? Feel like 24 hours is only three? Maybe your having bad time management. A lot of people know they have bad time management, but don't  have the first idea how to stop this bad habit. This post will provide tips on how to stop that &#*% dead in its tracks.

What you need to do is :

1. Get an agenda/calender/note pad. You just need something where you can write down your ideas.
2. Set goals. Either long term or short term. For example a long term goal would be taking a trip to California and short term would be getting your nails done by Friday. Having goals gives you a guideline as to the important things. Goals need to be the things that are important to your schedule or life.
3. Write things out. This places the errands or whatever in a place you will physically see them. Sometimes 'remembering' them is not enough and counting on your memory a hundred percent is not always reliable.
4. Get comfortable. Some people work best at 3 a.m. or right before they go to bed. Finding the right time for you to work is all about becoming the most efficient, because this is when you will get the most work done.
5. Keep interruptions at bay and place your self in the appropriate environment. This may be closing your door or going to the library to get away from your fun roommates. Turning your phone off or going to the library could also help keep the distractions to a minimum. This is a big part for most people. It's so easy to accidentally end up on Facebook or the phone for two hours. By this time you've put yourself out of that work mode and put yourself into the relaxed mood.
6. Manage stress. If your overwhelmed its much harder to get the work done and your automatically breaking yourself down. Take a deep breath and think about the tasks one at a time. If you automatically think "I have to write this paper, then do her hair, then do laundry, and start this project" your more likely to break down and stop the work before it starts. If you take the alternative view and look at each task one by one your more likely to feel relieved and can have a clear mind to do work.
7. Think positive. If you have a positive outlook on getting the work done then your more likely to get it done no fuss.

Here are some tips to help you once you start:

• If you don't complete something move it to the next day. Just because it wasn't finished Monday doesn't mean you can't finish it Friday.
• Set realistic goals. Don't have three 8 hour jobs, two kids, school work and expect to fit in clubbin' time.
• Leave enough time for things you must do.
• Do th quickest thing first. For example make calls before you'd make work schedules or do something time consuming.
• Be ready for the unexpected! Things happen and they sometimes mess up your schedule. Don't let that knock you down. Just make the appropriate adjustments and keep it moving.
• Don't over commit! Don't say you can volunteer for 20 hours when your working those three jobs
• Identify the time you want to spend on various goals. Make sure there is enough time for each.
• Schedule high priority goals. Just because you put a star next to it doesn't entirely mean its more important than tomorrows activities.
• Any room for fun? If not there should be. You might just become a robot and overload.

What if you start doing these things and you just don't know whats stopping you...or you do. You procrastinate.

Procrastination is caused when we don't want to do an unpleasant activity that we dread and put other activities ahead of them. Sometimes we are disorganized, overwhelmed or judge all tasks as equals.

To curb procrastination:

• give yourself rewards. For example don't eat until you finish your work.
• Have someone watch you [peer pressure works]
• Identify the unpleasant consequences. If you know you could fail the class if you don't do the essay you may be more likely to get a start on it.
• Do the unpleasant thing first.
• Set time boundaries for yourself. "I will have my hair done before Wednesday."
• Focus on one thing at a time. Don't overwhelm yourself.

Weaves? WHAT?!

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Everyone gets weaves. Right? Right. But do we use the same methods as our silky haired peers? Actually yes! Everything that Black woman do such as glue, and sew-ins White, Spanish, Asian, and Indian woman can also do. ( I wanted to provide a link of what I thought was a very good demonstration of the process for a sew-in, but was unable to embed it and must just provide you with the title.)[ Long Hair Track Extensions Applications Part 1,2 &3 on Youtube.com] In this post I will cover both applications of the weave [sew-in and glue], and discuss their aspects.

Sew-in
This is my FAVORITE type of application for these reasons:

1. It gives your hair a break and time to grow
2. It helps your hair maintain moisture if you still wash it
3. You get to flat-iron the heck out of hair that's NOT YOURS <so no damage>
4. You give yourself a new look and can continue to change it, if your creative and willing.
5. They can last up to anywhere from a month to three (with proper maintenance).

I am the most familiar with this method and when I choose to get my hair done I usually take this route, because I feel it's safer for my hair. Basically what happens in this process is your natural hair get braided to the scalp in tight [not too tight] braids, and then the hair is literally sewn onto the braids. 

• You can opt to get a full head sew in which means no hair is left out. Styles like Nicki Minaj's long hair and Chinese bang would be an example of this. 
• Then there the option to have the top of your hair left out and the rest braided up and blended with your natural hair.
• And finally you can have three or four tracks added in your hair for thickness or length.

Each of these techniques take time and I hundred percent recommend a professional or a seasoned hair do-er [??? don't ask] to do this for you.

The problem with sew-ins:

1. They can sometimes result in the loss of the hair around the edge of your hair or your edges. This can lead to thinning of the hair at the hairline, and make it difficult to style your hair, as it is in a very weak state.
2. It can be so tight that you can't think at night. The point of the style is to last, and sometimes that means braiding and sewing tight to ensure the thread and hair holds for a while.
3. Sometimes the thread, track or strands of your hair may come out and be a distraction, to you of course.[this is one of my personal problems]. If you don't know how to sew-in hair then you will have to wait till you can get to your stylist.

To sum Up:

Sew-ins are great if you can take the pain, or find someone to braid loser AND make the style last. It's a great way to rock a new look and let your hair chillax. 

Glue

This is my not so favorite method, but doesn't mean I'm not going to educate you about it. This method is when a bonding glue is applied DIRECTLY to the weft and applied DIRECTLY to your scalp, and is held until dry. Another method which includes gluing weave to the hair roots is Fusions which is when your hair and the weave are tightly braided and a bonding solution is applied and activated with heat. This heat then melts the solution and "attaches" it to your hair. These methods are obviously MUCH quicker than sew-ins but if not handled correctly may be detrimental to your hair.

Things I don't Like

1. The glue can be washed out with conditioner which means you may not be able to wash your hair much.
2. The weight of the glue on the root may thin your hair out.
3. The glue can literally rip hair out if you become impatient with the glue.

Things I like

1. If one track comes loose you can simply apply more adhesive and place the track back on.
2. It takes less time.
3. The tracks can be nearly undetectable [i have a funny story for this :>].
4. You can easily take it out with conditioner, or excessive oil. (Fusions require going to your stylist)

The same techniques for applying the sew-in are applicable to gluing in weave (partial, full head, filler).

If you have shorter hair and want the longer look you may be able to get the whole sew in, but if your hair is too short you can glue in the tracks at the bottom (may not be able to do pony tails) and have the longer hair braided down. You don't have to be tied to one method at a time. Many girls have a partial sew-in and glue in a bang to fill their bang in.

Have fun with it! Just do your research and find an educated stylist!

Pick me Up

I was feeling a little down today and my mother in-law sent me an e-mail, with this quote in it. It picked me up.

"Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly"

                                              -I don't know

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When you start to feel like things are going in the complete opposite direction and your sick to your stomach with worry just smile.It sounds hard, but it's easier than you know. Sometimes all you need to do is think of all that you do have accomplished and focus on that. Sometimes remembering all that you have done will pick you up. Go outside and enjoy the world in its beauty remember you can still enjoy it. The world is not over. [cliche much?] I am a worry wart and I worry naturally but when I did these things a weight was taken off me. I'm ending my day unusually happy. Why wouldn't you want an unusual happiness? Inhale. Exhale.Everything will be taken care of regardless if you know it or not. It is possible. Smile.

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Here is a nice poem:

The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears,

The figure she carries, or the way she combs her hair.

The beauty of a woman must be seen from her eyes,

Because that is the doorway to her heart,

The place where love resides.

The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole,

But true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul.

It is the caring that she lovingly gives,

The passion that she shows.

The beauty of a woman

With time, only grows..

                        -I don't know

Denise Review-Alikay Naturals

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To summarize my experience with her products, I will say that I was  not impressed. There was NO "Wow-Factor". It was simply this, that, and the other (which is a mystery, and I'll explain later) with an obnoxious fragrance. While there were ingredients that I was impressed with (ie. Shea butter, Aloe Juice, Silk Amino Protein). I am not comfortable with mystery ingredients. Once you know how ingredients work for you and your hair, you want to use products that have what you want in them, and don't have what you don't want.

I tried all products (with respect to the shampoo and Leave In) with clean, clarified hair, to determine its true effectiveness. 

Test out time period: 2-3 weeks.

Product Breakdown

1. Shea Yogurt Hair Moisturizer- This product had a nice feel between my fingers, and initially made my hair feel smooth and soft. However, this feeling was not long lasting, and quickly turned into build up and later made my hair feel "dirty"; This led me to believe that it was just sitting on my hair, as opposed to being absorbed. I couldn't determine the reason for this problem because the maker wants to keep her ingredients a secret, masking it with the term "Herbal and Botanical Blend", which I did not like or appreciate. While I enjoyed the fragrance, it was a bit over powering and I am not particularly fond of artificial fragrances.

 3 out of 5 stars

2. Moisture Rich Hair Parfait- This product did not live up to it's name. While it did feel good going into my hair, the true test of a moisturizer is when it dries. After my hair dried, it did not have the plump, moisturized feel that I get when using my usual faves. The next day, my hair had a sticky, almost gummy feel to it. I made sure not to use much product to avoid this, and because her products go a long way in terms of application. Despite my efforts, my hair had buildup my the second day. The fragrance is nice (smells like Jolly Ranchers to me), but again, it was artificial and overpowering. 

 2 out of 5 stars

3. Caribbean Coconut Shampoo- This product wasn't too bad. After rinsing, my hair felt relatively clean and I did not have that stripped feeling that I typically get with other shampoos. It is extremely watery, which made me doubt it's effectiveness (and economic value). To my surprise, it produced a good lather, which made me question it's claim of being "sulfate free" (again, the ingredient label is mostly a mystery, and she claimed the cleanser is derived from coconut oil, which sulfates CAN be derived from). The smell was decent. 

   4 out of 5 stars

4. Lemongrass Leave In Conditioner- This product is light, watery, and in a spray bottle. I prefer my leave in conditioners to be creamy, and I didn't imagine it being very effective, despite the few impressive ingredients (the ones we're allowed to see, anyway). After doing a little research, I learned this product has a pH of 8. Yikes! I did not try it due to the pH level, didn't want to take any chances. 

    0 out of 5 stars

5. Caribbean Coconut Conditioner- This product left a waxy feel on my hair when I rinsed it out. So not cool. It didn't pack the moisture punch that I was hoping it would. Smelled like artificial coconuts. Not much you can say about this product. 

   1 out of 5 stars

6. Essential 17 Hair Hair Growth Oil- This was a very light oil, that didn't leave a very lasting impression on my hair. Some of the ingredients caught my attention and interest, like the Emu oil and the Horsetail Powder, but i didn't feel like it was making much of a difference. I'll try this product again and for a longer time period to see if I see any changes, but until then it gets 

    3 out of 5 stars

Final Consensus- Would I repurchase? No.

Tell All

Source: www.thepeoplesvoice.org

Today is the tell all about Emu oil. So lets begin. Emu oil comes from the fat of he Emu, which is a native bird of Australia. Emu oil works great for skin, and hair. It can be used to soothe itches,bites and sunburn.Whats so great about Emu oil is it doesn't clog your pores and it's hypo-allergenic! So don't be scared to let it get on your face.

It can be used to treat dandruff, hair loss, acne, stretch marks, and razor burns/bumps. What a versatile product! It is a very moisturizing product [which is a plus for your hair] but it is also expensive [might be a minus for your pockets].

 I personally decided to investing in a 8 oz. bottle of Emu oil from Alikay Naturals, that contains other essential oils to test it out. If you feel that this hair care stuff is the real deal for you then go ahead and buy some!

If you know anything else about Emu oil feel free to add on to the knowledge.

My review of Alikay Naturals

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So I've been meaning to do a review on the Alikay Natural Essential 17 Hair Growth Oil since last week but the time just flies by and here I am, doing it now! I'm going to also include the reviews of some of my friends who tried the products along with me. This is just so you can get a general idea about how people feel about the product. I'm not saying these are the majority 'votes' but there are people who feel this way.


Lets begin
So I started using the Essential 17 Oils November 6, right after the hair convention. I stopped using it November 10. I must say I was very unsatisfied with the product as a whole.

• The things I didn't like:
• The ingredients are a list of the KEY ingredients, not all of the ingredients. Who knows what oils are really in there and how much there actually is of each. Usually the ingredients tell you if there is petroleum, or any other No No product  but hers does not. Not saying that I don't trust her, but we would like to know this. Stop tryna keep stuff a secret and tell us what's in it.

• There also are grammatical errors Rosemary Oil is repeated twice. [It's not a big thing, but when your trying to mass market your product, everything should be perfect]

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• The oil actually made my hair feel much dryer. I originally had this oil mixed with distilled water, glycerin and leave-in, and would spray my hair once in the morning and one before bed. When I would spray my hair and massage it in, I would never see any kind of oil residue. I'm not saying I was looking for oil dripping down my finger, but a little glisten would work for me. I thought maybe I didn't apply enough oil in my bottle so I would apply the oil directly to my dry spots AND STILL NO RELIEF. It felt like when I applied it just vanished. Also it left this nasty film on my hair.

• I have never experienced this with natural oils before. So I tried to give it a chance, but it just wasn't working for me, so now I use it for pre-pooing.

Scratch Scratch....Say What?!

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Now I've covered what to do if you have dry hair, but what do you do if you have dry hair AND a dry scalp?
This is a problem I'm steady facing. Sometimes you have to wash your hair more than once a week or apply more oil more often. Essential oils can help this problem out greatly.

Essential Oils For dry scalp

1. Lavender
2. Frankincense (whatever that is)
3. Rosemary Oil
4. Tea Tree Oil

Now if you scratch your scalp a lot due to its dryness and your scalp feels tender to the touch here are some things you can do to sooth your pain.

Get either lemon (Squeezed or bottled), or  Ylang Ylang, dilute them with water and pour over the effected areas. Lemon juice and Ylang-Ylang are both antiseptics which can be used to treat any cuts or scratch you may have because of the excessive scratching. Additionally they will help you to stop scratching the already sore spots on your hair. Not only do you get to treat your sore scalp but you also get a fresh smell to your hair.

Dry Hair...Don't Care?

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Look at what time it is. Thanksgiving is quickly approaching and Christmas isn't to far behind. Now I know for some of you this means Christmas shopping, and overtime work, but have you thought about the gift your going to give your hair this season? Didn't think your hair needed a gift this year? Well it DOES! Because of the cold weather your hair is going to need your help more than ever. I previously addressed ways to protect your hair from the winter weather in my post Brrr..It's Cold in here, but what if your not wearing protective styles? Well here's my tell all!

Tips

1. Use a nourishing moisturizer shampoo and an intensive conditioner.
2. Pre-poo (applying oil like olive oil to the scalp in excess) before your wash. 
3.  Air dry more often.
4. Avoid  heat appliances and perming or coloring.
5. Maybe increase the amount of times you wash your hair (could rotate co-washing and shampooing)
6. Apply oils such as coconut oil on the scalp lightly and massaging through hair to tips.
7. Spray hair with water and oil mixture.
8. Do steam treatments.
9. 'Baggy' your hair with deep moisturizer for 30+.

Here are some Essential oils you can use to help the dry hair problem

*Note: Essential oils should not be directly applied to hair. You must dilute them in water or in your concoctions.

1. Myrhh
2. Peppermint