Category Archives: Products

Three Years and No Regrets

http://www.ynobeshop.com

Amla & Nettle Moisturizing Deep Conditioner $12.75 for 8 ounces

http://www.ynobeshop.com/shop#!/~/product/category=4784725&id=20557931

Ynobe Silky Shea Cream $5.95 for 4 ounces

http://www.ynobeshop.com/shop#!/~/product/category=4784725&id=20557908

International National Hair Meet-Up Day : Tempe, AZ

Yesterday was International National Hair Meet-up Day around the country and a couple of other countries.  The purpose of this event is for naturals to come together in their communities to share and network with one another.  I attended the first meet-up last year.  The venue was rather small, but I think that the organizers miscalculated the number of attendees.  They learned a lesson from last year’s event, and made up for it this year.  The venue was nice and centrally located.  However, again, there was a miscalculation on the number of attendees.  I do have to say that is the ONLY con that I can say about the meet-up.  The afternoon was filled with information, networking, and two hair fashion shows.  I was able to meet some naturals that I’ve interacted with on Facebook only, and I had a chance to see some acquaintances that I hadn’t seen in some time.  If you purchased your admission ticket ahead of time, you received a great swag bag.

Here are some of the images from the event.

 

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May Curlkit, Hair Update, and New Products

http://www.oyinhandmade.com

http://www.ynobeshop.com

Products
Ynobe Amla & Nettle Moisturizing Deep Conditioner $12.75 for 8 ounces
Ynobe Silky Shea Cream $5.95 for 4 ounces

Oyin Handmade Hair Dew $13.99 8.4 ounces

Code Yellow – Hair Rescue

photo-1I’ve nursed my hair for the past few weeks because of the permanent hair color I used a couple of months ago.  The filtered shower head has made a tremendous difference in my hair.  My twist-outs aren’t frizzy, and my hair is soft.  Since I no longer use Kinky Curly Knot Today as my leave-in, I decided to try using the Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose as my leave-in.  Well, I didn’t realize that there was glycerin in it, and it’s drying out my hair.  Geesh!

So today, I went on the hunt for a leave-in conditioner without glycerin and aloe vera.  I found one, and it was AG Hair Cosmetics Fast Food Leave-in Conditioner.  I went to Beauty Brands to buy a bottle.  When I arrived, one of the Sales Girls asked if I needed help.  I told her what product I was looking for, and she led me to the product.  She said that AG Hair conditioners were heavy and very oily.  Well, my hair cannot take a lot of oil.  She then lead me to another product line, Amika.  Now, I seen this line in passing, but never looked into it.    The very first ingredient is water which is a plus, but the third ingredient is a cone.  No bueno.  I’ve made a concerted effort not to use any cones in my hair for quite some time.  It also has Obliphica (aka as Sea Buckthorn).  Obliphica has natural Vitamin C and moisturizing oils that are reported to delay the process of aging.  It’s supposed to protect hair from the exposure to sunlight and air pollution.  Obliphica is reported to be the most effective in immediately restoring damaged hair. (Side eye)

So, tomorrow will be spa day for my hair for a couple of reasons. The first is that I need to cover my melanin challenged strands.  The second, is that my hair is so dry.  Tomorrow’s activities will start with a pre-poo using Yes to Carrots Conditioner and a hot oil treatment.  I’ll rinse that out, and apply a bentonite clay mask for about an hour.  I’ll rinse this out, and apply color to my hair.  I’ll shampoo that out, and deep-condition with the Aubrey Organics.  My leave-in will be the Amika Leave-in Cream.

I have two cons already.  The first is the scent.  It is strong.  It isn’t unpleasant, but it is very strong.  I’m hoping that it wears off after a while.  The second is the cost.  It’s $23.98 for 8.45 ounces.  Ouch!  The one upside is that I can return it to Beauty Brands if I don’t like it.

Hey Culligan Man!

My quest for a filtered shower head ended in disappointment when I tried to buy a unit from both Lowe’s and Home Depot.  Neither company had the brand, Sprite,  was recommended to me.  When I went to Lowe’s, their inventory show no units in the state of Arizona!  So what was a girl to do?  I went to Amazon, and ordered one.  The unit arrived on Friday, but it didn’t fit my shower!  Argh!

My husband and I were out on Saturday, and  decided to stop by a local Ace Hardware to see if they had a filtered shower head.   We found one there, and it was by Culligan.  I installed it on Sunday, and washed my hair.  OH MY GOODNESS!  I saw an immediate improvement in my hair.  It was so incredibly soft and no frizz!  I pre-poo’d with a hot oil treatment under my steamer, and washed my hair with diluted Terressentials Organic Hair Wash.  I combined my deep-conditioning step with my leave-in conditioner by using my steamer to apply the conditioner.  This eliminates an extra step.   My leave-in conditioner was Aubrey Organics’ Honeysuckle Moisturizing Conditioner.  I sealed with grape seed oil, and twisted my hair with mango butter.

When I untwisted my hair, I couldn’t keep my fingers out of my tresses.  My hair hasn’t been this soft and moisturized since going natural.  I could kick myself for doing this when a friend told me about the filtered shower heads!

I’ve also decided to return to washing (co-washing) my hair twice a week.  I want to make sure that I’m taking extra special care of my hair since it has permanent color.

Doing Right by Sensitive Edges

Today was spa day for my hair. Pre-poo, bentonite clay mask, deep-conditioning with my steamer, and leave-in conditioner are all part of my routine. I decided to put twists in my hair so that I can wear them all week. This isn’t typical for me as I like to wear my hair out. As I was twisting my hair, I noticed that my edges on both temples were sparse. I’ve used castor oil on my edges for the past three months, and I thought that they were growing in. However, today made me question the growth – especially after looking at a picture from January. When I took a self-portrait yesterday, my edges looked okay. When I thought about what changed, I thought of the Shea Moisture Hair Coloring system. This is permanent hair color. When using permanent color, you must make sure that hair is moisturized. I thought that I was doing a pretty good job. Stress can also affect the hair. There have been some things that I’ve stressed over, and I know that I need to stop.

So what’s my game plan? First, I’m going to return to my henna. It’s worked in the past for me, and it’s healthy for my hair. Second, I’ll try wearing my hair in twists more often. Third, I’ll pre-poo with Aubrey Organics GBP Conditioner and my 6 oil blend, and use my steamer. Fourth, I’ll deep-condition with Shea Moisture Organic Anti-Breakage Hair Masque with my steamer. I’ve used this conditioner twice, and my hair has responded positively each time. A review will come at a later date. The last step will be to massage my edges at least every other day. I’ll either use my Jamaican Black Castor Oil or a new product that I recently purchased – Liquid Gold Hair Growth Oil. It states that results are seen in 4 – 6 weeks. One of the biggest things that I need to do is stop stressing. For this, I will need to seek God’s face.

Self-portrait