The Homemade Deep Treatment: Tools & Ingredient Properties

Hello lovely blog readers! Today I thought I would cover a blog topic I have talked about on my YouTube channel but have never devoted a blog post to. And that is DIY homemade treatments; in this blog I'll talk about the more common ingredients and what benefits they give the hair, as well as my favorite tools for doing the deed. While it's lovely for me to break open a tub of Curl Junkie Curl Rehab and go to town, it's rather expensive to ship to Dubai, and it's $20 a tub to start with. While homeade treatments aren't really going to measure up to professionally formulated ones, they can achieve some beautiful results and some people swear by them.

Image from http://shatterproofglassdolls.com/

A little bit of background first. Most of the time if you're doing a deep treatment you want to consider if your hair needs moisture or protein. Balancing out your hair's moisture and protein needs is key to keeping it healthy.


Hair that needs moisture is

• dry, frizzy, rough, tangly

Hair that needs protein is

• weak, quick to break or snap off, chemically processed hair, heat damaged hair, sun damaged hair, etc.

But don't forget that your hair can also get too much of either of these key nutrients!

Hair is is over-conditioned (too much moisture) is:

• soft, mushy, stretchy, frizzy

Hair that has too much protein is:

• straw-like, frizzy, stiff, dry feeling

If you find you have too much of one thing, either protein or moisture, the best thing to do is clarify with either sulfate free shampoo or a mix of lemon juice and water; apple cider vinegar also works. This gives you a clean slate to then impart what your hair needs. Generally over-proteined hair needs moisture, while over-conditioned hair appreciates some protein.

If you have healthy hair be careful with administering protein treatments, as they can leave your hair stiff and hard to manage as described above. Try combining moisturizing and protein ingredients to avoid adding too much protein to your hair, or do protein first, and then moisturizing the same day. If you have fine hair that doesn't need much moisture, be careful of over-conditoning your hair. I probably deep condition my hair once a month, but it's very healthy. Damaged or dry hair can require treatments as often as once per week.

From loveyourcurls.com.au

So with that out of the way, let's talk porosity for just a smidge before we get to the recipes. I have low porosity hair, which means that the scales on my hair strand lie very flat, and it's hard for moisture to get in. So I need to use heat or steam most times to truly deep condition my hair. BUT this is also helpful for those with normal and high porosity hair. I use a Heat Therapy hair wrap I got from curlmart.com, which is super convenient because you can warm it up in the microwave, but you can also just use a warm towel fresh from the dryer or try to use your blowdryer. Also, if you know you have high porosity hair, your hair should love protein by the way. To learn more about porosity, visit my blog post on the subject.

The microwavable Hair Therapy Wrap

Ok, onto the recipes! Now that you are armed with knowledge of ingredients and porosity it should be easier to pick which ingredients you want to use. As someone who always goes for moisture in her treatments, I am a huge fan of mayonaisse (smell gross but works), honey, agave nectar, jojoba oil, and olive oil. You really just have to do a bit of trial and error at first to see what your hair loves; but thankfully you can just eat the rest if your hair doesn't like it! I also like to add a conditioner to the base of any treatment so that it will be a nice consistency.

Popular ingredients for adding protein to the hair include egg (DO NOT heat unless you want scrambled egg hair), greek yogurt or regular yogurt, and gelatin. Some moisturizing ingredients I missed before include aloe vera gel, other oils like coconut and others, coconut milk, and banana (or baby banana food if you prefer not to blend). You can also use natural powders like henna (READ: dyes your hair red unless you do a gloss or have dark hair), cassia (strenghthening and glossing), or bentonite clay (clarifying masque). Really the sky's the limit! 

Below are some recipes I have compiled from my time perusing the hair boards. Blend it in the blender extremely well, makes plenty, you can freeze what you don't use for a few weeks or refrigerate for one week. Enjoy! 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spdup2Txy_s

Sarah's moisturizing DT.  [watch video]

1/4 cup GVP conditioning balm or other conditioner

1 tbsp mayonaise 

1 tbsp honey (or just 2 tbsp honey without agave)

1 tbsp agave nectar

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp jojoba oil

Moisturizing/protein:

1 can of coconut milk,

1 banana or container of banana baby food

1 avocado

2 tbsp of honey

1 tbsp olive oil

Moisturizing:

1 banana or container banana baby food

2 TBSPs Honey

1 1/2 TBSPs Olive Oil

1 TBSPs Mayo

1/4 cup coffee

Conditioner

Mostly protein: 

1.5 cups plain natural yogurt

1 egg

half a banana or container of banana baby food

1/4 cup AVG

1 T olive oil

1 T honey

Sciency Hair Blog's Gelatin Treatment - you really need the directions for this one!

1/4 to 1/2 cup water (60-120 ml)

-1 packet Knox unflavored gelatin powder (0.25 oz, 7.2 grams, 2 1/2 teaspoons) or crumbled gelatine flakes or sheets 

-1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum (1/4 tsp with 1/4 cup water, 1/2 tsp. with 1/2 cup water)

-5 drops vinegar (1/16th teaspoon) or a tiny pinch of citric acid or ascorbic acid (enough to fill this typed letter "O").

Bentonite Clay Treatment (for clarifying) on CurlyNikki

Bentonite Clay (found in vitamin stores or Amazon)

Apple Cider Vinegar

Aloe Vera Juice (optional)

Cassia Treatment (strenghthening and glossing) - on CurlyNikki

WARNINGS: Make sure to blend any fruit very well. You don't want to get banana bits or anything else stuck in your hair. (This is why banana baby food is a time saving, easier ingredient.) Eggs and greek or natural yogurt are good sources of protein for the hair. If you use an egg, don't put hot water on your hair or you will end up with scrambled egg hair.

I hope you guys enjoyed this post! It one of those nice hair posts that anyone can benefit from reading. Let me know what you favorite DIY ingredients are down below in the comments and what your results are. Please feel free to leave any questions as well. You're now well on your way to becoming a mixtress in the kitchen!

Wishing you a great hair day, @:-)

Review: Jessicurl Products for Curly Hair + Sale Info

Hello blossoms! This weekend I have a review for you guys. I really ought to have reviewed these  products before as I have tried them out ages ago, so it was the perfect opportunity to review them when Jessicurl offered to send me the products. (As I didn't have the full line in my possession.)

As well Jessicurl is currently having a sale on their website until June 15th, 2015. From their email newsletter:

"Use code SUMMER15 at checkout and save 30% on any 8 ounce item at www.jessicurl.com from now until June 24. No limits on quantity so stock up. The sale is good no matter where you live in the world so even if winter is just beginning in your neck of the woods, you can still celebrate!"

Video Review:

http://youtu.be/UqNwMZXb3rQ

Products mentioned:

Jessicurl Gentle Lather Shampoo

Ingredients:

Island Fantasy: Aqua (Water), Decyl Polyglucose, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Parfum (Fragrance), C 12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, PEG 150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate, Panthenol, Diazolidinyl Urea, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, *Coumarin, *Limonene

Jessicurl Aloeba Daily Conditioner

Ingredients:

Island Fantasy: Aqua (Water), Cetearyl Alcohol, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Equisetum Arvense (Horsetail) Extract, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Leaf Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Laurus Nobilis (Bay Laurel) Leaf Extract, Ocimum Basilicum (Basil) Leaf Extract, Urtica Dioica (Nettle) Leaf Extract, Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Juice Powder, Althea Officinalis (Marshmallow) Root Extract, Arctium Lappa (Burdock) Root Extract, Origanum Vulgare (Oregano) Leaf Extract, Cymbopogon Flexuosus (Lemongrass) Extract, Thymus Vulgaris (Thyme) Leaf Extract, Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Leaf Extract, Hydrolyzed Oat Flour, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Parfum (Fragrance), Diazolidinyl Urea, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, *Cinnamal, *Citral, *Coumarin, *Eugenol, *Geraniol, *Citronellol, *Limonene, *Linalool

Jessicurl Confident Coils (Curl Enhancer)

Ingredients:

Island Fantasy: Aqua (Water), PVP/VA Copolymer, Polyimide-1, C 12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Juice Powder, Magnesium Sulfate, Parfum (Fragrance), Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Dehydroxanthan Gum, Diazolidinyl Urea, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, *Coumarin, *Limonene

Jessicurl Spiralicious Gel

Ingredients:

Island Fantasy: Aqua (Water), Polyquaternium-69, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Parfum (Fragrance), C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Panthenol, Polyquaternium-11, Diazolidinyl Urea, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, Alcohol, *Coumarin, *Limonene

Don't worry about the alcohol in this list. On the Jessicurl website they explain it's necessary for the formulation and is a tiny amount. 

What about you? Have you ever tried the Jessicurl products? Let me know in the comments below or on YouTube. Just remember... You have the right to remain curly!! ;)

                                                                        Wishing you a good hair day,

My Top 5 Extra Curly Hair Stylers

Hello curlies! I hope you're having a great week. You have may have noticed a change in my blog. New layout! ^_^ Let me know what you think about it in the comments.

Anyways I wanted to do a post on my top 5 unique or extra curly hair stylers. As a bit of a product junkie I tend to try lots of different types of products. In doing so I come across some unique products that do something no other product in my collection can do. These are products outside of your basic shampoo, conditioner, gel, serum, mousse etc.  There are also products that are not particularly unique on the market but are "extra" products I like to have around to style my hair in a variety of ways.

All of these products are free of heavy silicones, waxes, or mineral oil.

1. Design Essentials Natural Edge Tamer 

This is one of my favorite products for smoothing down my edges aka baby hairs. I use this almost everytime I put my hair up in a bun, ponytail, or half up. I dampen my hair, moisturize with conditioner, and smooth on the Design Essentials product. It works like a dream to get pesky hairs to stay put, especially when combined with a tooth brush or boar bristle brush. This product has a non-descript, pleasant scent.

2. Shida Naturals Gel Cream

This is my favorite second day hair product, and it has a very unique texture compared to other stylers I've tried. It has a thick texture that changes to a slightly tacky, oily texture when emulsified in hands. I apply this over water and conditioner on the second day. The light hold and tackiness gives me enough control to reshape my hair and it dries shiny and non-sticky. It also has a pleasant citrus scent.

3. OGX Moroccan Sea Salt Spray

Sometimes our curls get a little droopy, or we just want a boost. This salt spray mist is perfect for that. I spray it on underneath my gel and then diffuse for best results. Hello curls! Just be sure not to use this too often, as the sea salt can dry out hair. This is one of the only curl enhancing sprays I've seen at the drugstores, and it smells divine. Pictured above is my DIY sea salt spray which I have with me at the moment. The OGX product is nice to have though, since it's a store-bought product that wont expire and smells great.

4. Kenra Platinum Blow Dry Mist

This is a new product I've tried recently that does a great job at heat protection. It has a perfumey scent and also adds shine to the hair from the natural oils in the formula. It's secret weapon is that it shortens blow drying time, which I have never seen in another product. I spritz this on before my gel (or after if I forget) and then diffuse my hair. This is great for those of us with low porosity hair that takes forever to dry!

5. Batiste Dry Shampoo (in Oriental Scent)

Lately I have been using this product after I work out to help dry my scalp which gets a little sweaty. That way I can wear my hair in a bun the next day, or work out at night but wash my hair in the morning. This product contains drying alcohols which can dry out the hair, but works to help zap away moisture. (I wouldn't recommend using this daily, especially without re-moisturizing your hair.) The scent is light and perfumey.

For my light brown hair, it's very hard to detect, but when used on my husband's dark brown hair to reduce oil, it shows up after spraying. I work it through his hair with my hands and a brush, and the white caste disappears. (You should also spray at least 30 cm from the scalp.) This would also be a great product to use if you were transitioning to the Curly Girl method or to using sulfate free shampoos.

So those are some of my favorite "extra" products I incorporate into my routine from now and then. I wouldn't bring many on a trip, but I wouldn't want to be without them at home.

What are your favorite "extra" or super unique products? Let me know down below in the comments.

Wishing you a good hair day,

Giveaway: My Favorite Curly Stylers!

Hi guys! Thank you for all your support. Below is the rafflecopter widget where you can enter the giveaway! This is open in the US only. My apologies to my followers that live outside of the US.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you for entering! Good luck! May the raffles be ever in your favor.

Wishing you all a good hair day,

Sarah @:-) 

My Week in Photos 2.15.13 - 2.23.13

Hey lovelies! Here's another week of photos for Februrary 15th-23rd!

I had a lot of fun making a "hair science" video on hair porosity last weekend.

My girlfriends and I went into the city for a girls night last weekend.

On Wednesday I had a job interview, and asked you guys what I should wear. (I went with the leftmost outfit.) And I got the job! I'm not quite ready to announce what I'll be doing next year, but stay tuned...

A really yummy orange, raspberry, strawberry smoothie. Smoothies make me feel so healthy and energized!

Since my boyfriend was out of town, Jessie and I had a blast together at a college semi formal. We took a lot of selfies... 

Doing what I love <3 filming!

The finished flexirod tutorial results!

Another selfie! 

All in all this was a bit of a crazy week with lots of partying, job interviews, and homework on top of it all! I'm trying to make the most of my last semester of college, and I think I'm accomplishing that. Thanks for reading blog curlies! 

Wishing you a good hair day,

Sarah @:-)

Hair Porosity 101: Typing Your Hair & Tips for Low and High Porosity Hair

Hello curlies! Today I wanted to write a post about hair porosity; porosity is something that is a little more complicated than curl pattern but very helpful for understanding how to care for your hair. Porosity has to do with how the cuticle of the hair lies and how this affects moisture and nutrients entering the hair strand. Hair can be anywhere on a spectrum from low, medium, to high porosity.

Here are three ways to test your hair's porosity, and some tendencies of low and high porosity hair. Remember that your hair doesn't need to neatly fall into one category, and different parts of your hair may have different porosities. This isn't an exact science unless you send your hair off the be analyzed (which you can do at Live Curly, Live Free) but it's usually pretty accurate.

• Water test: Take a piece of your hair and place it into a glass of water. If the hair sinks before one minute, this indicates high porosity hair. If the hair floats for a minute or longer, this indicates low porosity normally. Try testing the ends of your hair separately from the newer lengths of your hair. You may find like me that the ends are more porous and damaged, so they sink. 
  
• Strand test: Run your fingers down the hair from the root to the end of a single piece of hair. (Tip: The root of the hair has a small bulb, aka the follicle where the hair grows out of the scalp.) Low porosity or normal porosity hair feels smooth to the touch. If you feel bumpiness this is a sign of high porosity.
• Squeak test: This test is from the forums on CurlTalk. Run your fingers up the hair from the end to the root. If you hear squeaking this is and indicator of low porosity. Normal or high porosity hair should not squeak.
• Properties of low, medium, and high porosity hair:
• Low: dries slowly (4-6 hours), resistant to heat, resistant to chemicals & dyes, products sit on top of hair instead of absorbing
• Medium: dries in an average amount of time (2-3 hours), healthy, absorbs and retains moisture well
• High: dries very fast (1-2 hours), can be caused by heat or chemical damage, absorbs moisture well but loses it immediately when rinsed, easily heat styled, easily over processed, loves protein and protein treatments

For low porosity hair the cuticle lies flat and products and water have a hard time entering the hair. For normal porosity hair the cuticle lies slightly open, allowing the hair to retain and absorb moisture. For high porosity hair, the cuticle shingles lie very open so that moisture enters and leaves very easily; the hair does not retain moisture well. 

So now that you know how porous your hair is, here are some curly hair care tips.  For low porosity hair, try using a blowdryer and diffuser or plopping to speed up the drying process. You can also use a cotton or microfiber cloth to scrunch out some water before or after applying your styling products. Try using steam (i.e. Huetiful hair steamer) or heat (i.e. Hair therapy heat wrap) when deep conditioning your hair so the moisture can penetrate. Use warm to hot water in the shower before you apply conditioner so the conditioner can sink in. Heat and steam help open the hair cuticle so moisture can enter low porosity hair. My hair is low porosity and I love: As I Am Naturally leave in, Kinky curly leave in, Sally's Beauty Generic Matrix Biolage Conditioning Balm, and Curl Junkie Curl Rehab Deep Treatment.

For medium or normal porosity hair, you need only to maintain the health of your hair and prevent it from becoming damaged. This hair is easy to care for and absorbs moisture readily. 

For high porosity hair, protein treatments are essential. These help fill in the holes of the cuticle so the hair lies more flat. High porosity hair can occur naturally, but it can also occur after damage, so protein is essential as well for rebuilding damaged hair. The Liquid-Oil-Cream (LOC) method for sealing in moisture can help prevent moisturizing goodness from evaporating from the hair. For my looser texture I only like this for braid outs and roller sets, but I do apply a water based leave in, jojoba oil, and then Karens Body Beautiful Super Duper Cream. You can also try a L-O-G (G: gel) method for wash and go days. Another thing you can do are acidic rinses to help seal the cuticle with apple cider vinegar or citrus juices which also add shine to the hair. (Or you can just run cold water over your hair.)

I hope you found this helpful! Comment below whether your hair is low, normal, or high porosity!

For perhaps a better explanation, watch the video about this.

More about hair porosity:

http://www.curlynikki.com/2013/12/hair-porosity-and-your-natural-hair.html

http://www.curlynikki.com/2012/09/how-to-dry-low-and-high-porosity.html

http://www.naturallycurly.com/curltalk/low-porosity/128169-does-low-porosity-hair-sqeak-during-strand-test.html

http://livecurlylivefree.blogspot.com/2009/01/hair-porosity.html

http://www.naturallycurly.com/texture-typing/hair-porosity

My Natural Star Expo Experience [Charlotte, NC]

Hey curlies! So I am soon going to post a vlog and haul from the Natural Star Expo that I attended in Charlotte, but I also wanted to type out some of my thoughts on the event here. I didn't want to add all this to the vlog because 1) I lost the cord to my mike for voice overs and 2) the vlog was already long anyways! :)

lil ol me

So this was the first year that this event occurred. I was fortunate enough to meet the founder of the event when my friend and myself were just walking around, and she was super nice! Overall I had fun networking- I met lots of people at the event and I need to bring business cards if I go to another one of these.

my friend Tyler

The event ran from the morning into the afternoon, but my friend and I arrived about noon. The event was very organized; we were handed a schedule when we arrived. The venue was gorgeous and so was the set up for the event, which you can see more of in the vlog. There were lots of stands from what seemed like local vendors and small businesses with a handful "bigger names" mixed in. For that reason I didn't go crazy and buy a bunch of products, since I hadn't heard of any before.

During the event there was always a supplementary activity going on besides the general shopping. While I was there there was a singer, keynote speaker, a makeup demo, and a natural hair lesson. I went to "Natural Hair 101." I wont say much, but let's just say the stylist arrived kind of late. She had some good stuff to say, but I wish she had focused less on heat styles and "taming natural hair" as she put it. She did show some interesting styles for type 4 hair with pipe cleaners and popsicle sticks. Also I was probably just bored because it was "Natural Hair 101"; I'd love to see a hairstylist do a lesson on a more advanced topic.

As a side note, I found myself to be one of a handful of other Caucasian women at the expo. Now this doesn't bother me, but it makes me think about what the phrase "natural hair" means. Because for me personally, I think that includes all women that wear their hair without using heat or chemicals to change the hair texture.

So should companies in the natural hair market try to appeal to a broader spectrum of not just type 4 girls (kinky coily), but also type 3 and 2 (curly and wavy)? Are they losing business or should they stay in more of a niche market? I started this debate with a few online friends of mine, and we came to the conclusion that companies should be more inclusive in advertising to other races and hair textures. But also the consumers would have to make this change too, by creating their own meetups appealing to a wider range of women, contacting the companies, etc. What do you think? Let me know down below in the comments.

Overall this was a really fun event and if I'm in the Charlotte area and this happens again I will definitely go back. I feel like Charlotte deserves an expo or a convention with more "big" name vendors though, since it definitely has the population for that event to be successful. And I would love to see a hairstylist like April Couse Walker or Joy from JoyfullyCurly.com, who have a different approach to natural hair, at the expo.

Sarah @:-)


*Photos in this post were taken by my friend Tyler (@color_character on instagram).

Videos:

My Winter Curly Hair Routine and Products

Hello twirlies! Awhile ago on here I posted an explanation of dew points. However, I don't actually follow the standard guidelines that I summarized in that post; I more so made the video because someone requested it. So today I will share with you what I do with my curly hair when the colder weather comes. I live in North Carolina which does get slightly less humid in the colder months, but not terribly so so keep that in mind.

My winter curly hair routine includes:

• Moisturizing my hair more! I find that my hair gets dryer in these months, whether it's from the low temperatures, in door heating, or dryer air. One way I like to combat this is by doing deep treatments. I like Curl Junkie Curl Rehab or As I Am Elation Hydration Conditioner. I like to always deep condition with heat, so I use my Hair Therapy Heat Cap.
• In the shower I need a super mositurizing day to day conditioner to keep my hair strong and moisturized. For me that's Sally's Beauty Supply Generic Matrix Bioalge Conditioning Balm.
• I use more moisture when styling my hair. I generally use way more leave in conditioner. My favorites include Kinky Curly Knot Today and As I Am Leave in.
• I worry about frizz less! Because there is less humidity in the air my hair tends to frizz less; the frizzies are not being pulled outwards looking for moisture, because there is not usually much to look for. So I apply less (maybe a dime sized amount to each side of my hair) or Curly Hair Solutions Curl Keeper.
• Going along with the last bullet, I use gels with less hold. Because it's less humid out, my hair needs less control. Some of the gels I like to use in the colder months include Curl Junkie Pattern Pusha, Aussie Instant Freeze Gel, Pantene Curly Hair Curl Shaping Gel, and Garnier Fructis Pure Clean Gel.
• A downside of the decreased humidity is that I often get much looser curls. In order to amp up my curls when I need them looking extra good I will use a curl activator like AG Curl Re:coil and my blowdryer and diffuser (Revlon 1875W). 
• I love wearing my hair up in slouchy hats in the winter because it's such a great fix for a bad hair day. 

• I also really enjoy braidouts because 1) it means I don't have to shower on cold mornings and 2) it's a style I can tuck into my hats until it's ready.

A braidout with Karen's Body Beautiful Creme

A braid out with Mahogany Naturals Leave in & Butter

That's all I have to say about my winter hair routine! Please leave your winter tips and products below in the comments. 

- Sarah @:-)

The Boyfriend Tag with Michael!

Hello curlies! So I know a lot of gurus on YouTube have been doing the boyfriend tag for quite awhile, so I finally got around to doing mine. And let's just say that I didn't want to do one of these until I was sure I wouldn't have to take it down later. ;)

I tag anyone else to do this with your significant other. Also check out my vlog channel videos with Mike on my second channel!

Questions:
How did we meet?
How long have we been dating?
How/when did we meet the families?
She sits down to order a drink at a restaurant; what does she get?
What's her favorite cereal?
What was your first impression of her?
What is one special talent she has?
If she is eating a sandwhich was is it?
What type of dressing does she get on her salad?
She's watching TV; what show is on?

Thanks so much for watching girls! Feel free to leave any comments down below. If you would like to see Michael in any other videos let me know. :)

<3 Sarah @:-)boyfriend,

Natural Hair #NaturalStarExpo Experience

Hey guys! I'm going to try once again to get back into blogging.

This past weekend I attended the Natural Star Expo in Charlotte, NC. It was the debut of this new event and in light of that, I was impressed with the level of organization. They featured about 20 vendors that were mostly smaller, local companies of hair care products, jewelry, makeup, and clothing. In addtion they had speakers going on throughout the event and a couple demos.

I chose to attend the Natural Hair 101 event, which was alright to say the least. The hairstylist was intent on taming natural hair and showing us heat hair styles, but I'll leave it at that. I really enjoyed meeting the owner of KurleeBelle products as well as the founder of the event and getting to network a little bit. Next time I go to one of these I am making business cards for sure!

My friend Tyler and I did a lot of shopping, and in general it was nice to go into Charlotte for the day since we live in a sleepy college town. I was not attracted to too many of the stands, given I didn't research many of the brands beforehand. However I did purchase KurleeBelle deep treatment and a t-shirt, since they are on curlmart and somewhat well known. I also got some scarves to wear around my neck and hair. I specifically want to try laying my edges with the beige skinny one. :)

I am currently in the process of editing a vlog and haul video about this event, and will post those when they are uploaded to YouTube. Have a fabulous hair day, curlies!

<3 Sarah @:-)

First Time Stretching the Wash n Go for a WEEK!

Hola curlies! @:-) I am currently studying abroad in Sevilla, Spain right now and I travel a lot on the weekends. During these trips we tend to stay in hostels with communal bathrooms, and stay busy exploring whichever city. As well I have a very busy schedule for classes and extracuriculars here during the week. I've always been busy back home at school in the US too. Washing and styling my hair is always an hour long process, and the drying process around 4 hours since I didn't bring my diffuser... For this reason I decided to see if I could go a whole week without washing my hair. I have mastered 2nd day hair, but don't usually go past that, so I decided to give it a go. 

Day 1 - hair after a self trim. Good hair day. Styled with kinky curly knot today leave in, CVS personal lubricant, and LA looks sport gel.

Day 2 - still looking shiny and fairly frizz free, but a few curls are starting to go straight. Refreshed with water, kinky curly knot today and some devacurl set it free.

Day 3 - curls are starting to lose their form. For a quick styling fix I threw it up in a side pony tail and bobby pinned by bang pieces. I think I added more devacurl set it free.

Day 4 - Slept with my hair in french braid pigtails to readd some curls. Looking much better than I thought it would, but the frizz definitely comes out. Added some water, kinky curly knot today, and LA looks nutra curl gel to the hair.

Days 5 - Flew to Valencia, Spain this day. My hair ended up in a ponytail because it was raining cats and dogs there. I forgot to take "hair" pics, but here is me with a huge ChupaChup (brand of lollipops). My hair ended up frizzy that day from the rain; my umbrella actually broke in the middle of the stick from the wind!

Day 6 - Second day in Valencia, I styled my hair with water, curl junkie leave in, and LA looks sport gel (a dime sized amount). My hair started out fairly nice, but the continuos misty rain, and moving my hair in and out of a poncho, left my hair frizzy and dry looking by the end of the day. This picture is of me at the Ciudad de las artes y ciencias gift shop, a huge modern museum in Valencia. I'm posing with a Tri-cera-tops because my name is Sarah... get it? ;)

Day 7 - Hair in a bun to fly back to Sevilla. Not worth photographing. :) Washed my hair this day.

So after going a full week, I've established that my hair can survive. It was really nice being able to wear my hair down without too much effort. (Usually a mid week wash, means my hair is going up in a bun or pony for me.) 

However, this routine is really not perfect and my first experiment. (That's why I'm blogging instead of vlogging lol.) The kinky curly worked wonderfully as a moisturizer. I think I probably should use something besides devacurl set it free; although it leaves my hair shiny and smooth, it has beeswax, which may have sealed OUT moisture later in the week. Gel was better- the LA looks nutra curl works well, but I think a dab of stronger gel will give me more hold. I've found that I get better hair if I rewet and add gel each day. However my hair did start to feel producty on days 5 & 6. My sleep cap from SilkyCocoon on esty was great- it lets the length of my hair lay pretty much undisturbed while I sleep, or I can do braids.

Overall I am going to seek out some better 2nd day hair products--I wish I had a butter made of oils here as that's great for braid outs. I also need a moisturizing product for my scalp if I am going to go this long. I have a very dry scalp, and this week of not cowashing, left it extremely dry and flaky. :( I have my eyes on a product made by Moxie Original, because applying oil to my scalp just makes my hair look oily of course. I am also going to attempt the LOC method (liquid-oil-cream) to keep the hair more moisturized. Next time I am going to try water, then kinky curly, then jojoba oil or coconut under, and then LA looks sport because I don't have a cream. I am limited in experimenting until I get back to the states unfortunately!

I think I may need to make some changes to my hair washing routine, after going a full week. After a whole week without fully being wet, my hair felt dry even after washing out the conditioner. So I think a deep conditioner may be in order every time I attempt the week long wash and go. Also the tangles were rather bad, although I attempted to detangle with water and fingers every day. I also think I developed a few more single strand knots (SSKs) aka fairy knots (a single knot on a single strand of hair). I need to be more diligent about braiding my hair every night to help prevent this, instead of sleeping with it loose inside the cap. My hair was not overly frizzy after styling after this wash though, so I consider it a success. :)

In conclusion, the pro's for me included: 

• wearing my hair down for 6 days straight
• good hair days, days 1-4
• decreased time spent on my hair was awesome

The cons for me, or rather my hair:

• more tangles and SSks
• dry hair after washing
• touchiness of day 5/6 hair with humidity and rain
• scalp drying out

I think with product experimentation and braiding more often at night, I can diminish the cons. But for now I am just going to extend my hair to 3rd or 4th day--especially because of my dry scalp and SSKs. I was surprised by how long my hair could go though, and I definitely recommend some of you curlies see how long you can stretttttch your curls as well. Saves you some sleep and time, so you can spend less time thinking about your hair, and more about life!

Wishing everyone a good hair day @:-)

Sarah

Dying My Hair with Henna!

Hello curlies! It's that time again where I have a lot of information to share a long with a video. I am going to try to blog more often because 1) this blog doesn't have very many posts 2) I like writing and 3) it's a nice medium and reference for you guys when you want to read instead of watching a video. Anywhoodles, this post will concern my experience with henna.

My First Henna Experience - Dying my Whole Head of Hair

In the beginning/middle of November I used henna to dye my medium brown hair to a reddish brown (aka auburn) color. It's orange-ier in insight lighting, and the beautiful auburn shade I love in the sunlight. I am so happy with the results of the henna, and I'm going to keep my hair this way for awhile. It leaves my hair feeling very strong and most importantly a vibrant red shade. I <3 being a henna-head.

This video explains the entire henna process IN DETAIL. From strand tests all the way to washing out the henna.

I bought my henna and amla from mehandi.com:

Recipe I used:
300g henna
100g amla
~4-5 cups of very diluted lemon juice

I added amla because I wanted a very auburn color, and it's supposed to enchance curls, while henna makes them wavy. The lemon juice is acidic and is necessary so the mixture oxidizes. I mixed this up, let it sit overnight, added more water the next day, and then applied the henna to my hair. I left it in for about 3 1/2 hours, before rinsing it out.

All the estimates online told me to mix 500g; I went down to 400g which was still too much. I probably could have mixed up half or less of the amount of dye powder I bought. It was way too much henna for my hair which is thick, but layered and has the longest pieces at my waist. The good thing is that you can freeze the henna mixture and use it for up to 6 months.  I guestimate that I could have mixed 150g of henna and 50g of amla.

Rinsing out the henna is a messy, long process. I used these products:
Suave naturals coconut conditioner (to scrub the scalp)
Shea Moisture Thickening Shampoo (for adding cleansing)
GVP Matrix Biolage conditioning balm - I should have skipped this and gone straight to a deep treatment
Curl Junkie Banana  Hibiscus Deep Treatment - this took away the dry, tangled feel of my hair (henna acts like a protein treatment)
Tangle Teezer Brush

Styled my hair with these afterwards :)
Kinky curly knot today leave in
Curly hair solutions curl keeper
Aussie instant freeze gel

For more info on henna check out:
http://hennaforhair.com/

I learned a few things from my first henna experience:
*add spices or essential oils next time to cover the henna smell (grassy, fishfoody, herbal, yuck)
*add conditioner to mixture to help avoid dry hair
*deep condition immediately after rinsing out henna
*mix 150g probably for my hair length
*nix the amla next time. It left my hair very curly, but I want a redder auburn.

Overall I really love henna and think it is a great natural alternative to chemical dyes. Here's a list of its pros and cons:

Pros	Cons
*Natural look *Vibrant color that does not fade *Can be mixed with cassia or indigo for brown or black colors *Healthy for the hair (like a protein treatment) *Permanent	*Smelly *Messy *Long process (henna has to oxidize night before dying) *Usually must order BAQ henna online *Hard to remove color from hair

After about two months my roots had grow out noticeably, but it still was not bad with my hair down. People I have known for ages continued to assume that my hair had just gotten darker (lol) and people I met for the first time told me my hair color didn't look dyed. So, henna is a very natural change. :) The video below contains more information about henna as well as an update on how I am feeling about the color--still awesome! @:-)

Keeping it Up - Henna Root Touch Ups

After the video above I henna'd my whole head again. Then after being abroad in Spain and not hennaing my hair for 5 months, I finally got around to doing it. Since I was just doing my roots, which involves a different technique, I recorded the process and my reaction:

It was a lot less messier to just do my roots than my whole head, and I really enjoyed using the "icing" method (a ziploc bag full of henna with a corner snipped) for the front of my head, but I just resorted to smoothing it on in the back because I couldn't see properly to do that. The color seemed to come out really even, which was great! And I mixed up the perfect amount of henna. You could say I'm a bit of a henn expert now. :)

Henna mixture (root touch up):
50 grams or 1/2 cup body art quality henna powder (Body Art Quality Ancient Sunrise® Henna for Hair Kit: Red)
Water
Lime juice (any other pure citrus juice may be used such as lemon, grapefruit, etc. or other acidic liquids)

Other supplies:
Bowl (plastic, ceramic, or glass is best - no wood)
Mixing utensil (this touches the henna for so little time it doesn't matter)
Plastic wrap
Scissors
Ziploc bag
Old towel
Old clothing
Newspaper for floor
Parting comb (mine is from Sally's Beauty Supply)
Hair tie
Gloves
Vaseline


Update 7.8.15 - No More Henna

Hello everyone! At this point I have completely grown out all of the henna from my hair. I just did this naturally quite awhile ago, and opted for a short style eventually. I didn't mind the red in my ends though, as it was like a subtle ombre. Honestly the color difference is not huge between my natural hair and henna unless I was in bright sunlight, so it was fine to grow out. Obviously if you have lighter hair it may make a bigger difference!

Overall I really loved the color henna gave my hair, and how strong and healthy it felt, but I just wasn't up to the maintenance. If I could go to a salon and get my hair hennaed regularly I would keep it up! Also over time I started to worry that the henna had loosened my curls a little bit. I wanted to get them back to being as stringy as possible.

Some day when my hair starts to grey I think I'll go back to henna, or try henna and indigo for chocolatey brown hair. But for now I am done with henna, and might strart experimenting with commercial dyes.

I hope you have found this blog post helpful. I know 2,000 people have read it- WOW! Please feel free to leave any questions in the comments as always.

Wishing you a good hair day @:-)

Sarah/waterlily716

Curly Hairstyle: Retro Rolled Updo

So the other weekend I went to a decades themed party. I had a lot of fun getting dressed up and doing my makeup, but my favorite thing was probably my hair style!

 

I cam up with a 40s/50s inspired updo with some pinned up curls and rolled sides into a bun. So I decided to record a tutorial for y'all in case you want to recreate the style.

This time around I had more neutral makeup and I added a gorgeous rose flower clip accessory from FlowersFromFatima.com, an etsy boutique that sells handmade hair accessories.

So I think this style turned out super cute! Let me know what you think down below in the comments. I may do more retro inspired hair tutorials in the future.

- Sarah @:-)