Sunday 26 May 2013

Recycling Products



I'm sure we all have purchased products that we didn't like... didn't quite finish... and hopefully didn't throw away. I'm very much reluctant to throw products away and today I'm glad I didn't. I have been meaning to add a clarifying shampoo to my regimen for a little while now. At the moment my hair just feels like it needs to be clarified, shamefully I haven't washed it in a little over 3 weeks... with two exams this week, I may reach reach the 4 week mark. *disclaimer* Now I'm no chemist but from research I've learnt that there are water soluble silicones and non water soluble silicones. Simply put, some silicones need more than water to remove them from your strands. The few products of mine that contain a silicone are non water soluble. I no longer own sulphate shampoos but I do own 3 sulphate free shampoos... 1 that I like and 2 that I find far too drying. I searched the internet and discovered that the ingredient 'Cocamidopropyl Betaine' can remove Dimethicone, Dimethiconol, Phenyl Trimethicone, Amodimethicone, Cyclomethicone, PEG-modified dimethicone and Dimethicone copolyol. And guess what? My Hollywood Beauty Argan Shampoo contains that ingredient. It now makes sense why this left my hair so severely stripped when I used it. Moral of the story you never know when an old product may come in handy.

Friday 24 May 2013

Comparison Picture


Hey Guys, I hope you're all having a great week. I was looking through pictures that I've kept of my transition and I decided to create a comparison picture. The first picture was taken on the 30th November 2012 and the second today, 24th May 2013. I hope you can see the difference too... I'm not seeing things am I? My natural hair is slowly but surely growing through. I love the fact that it's so much fuller than my relaxed hair. I can't wait to twist my hair when I'm 100% natural. Do you wear two strand twists?

ps. I have two exams next week eeek, wish me luck

Monday 20 May 2013

Meet my Curlfriend: Ellice


Hey Guys. I'd like you to meet my best Curlfriend, Ellice.

So Ellice, Share with us your hair history:

I have been natural all my life. In the past I have straightened by hair frequently and used gel, which caused me a lot of breakage. I no longer use gel and have kept straightening down to the minimal. I have recently become conscious of the health of my hair and want to actively start caring for it



Do you have a hair regimen?

When my hair is out I wash it every 2 weeks with any of the Nexxus shampoos. If I am short of time I cowash with Motions CPR triple action leave in conditioner. I use Motions CPR conditioner repair and rebuild conditioning treatment every 6-8 weeks. I half towel dry and half blow dry, I think I will start to use the tension method to cut down on the heat. I dust my ends every 4 weeks or so.


What are your favourite products?

I love jojoba oil, that's it so far.


What is your go-to style?

My go-to style is mostly weaves with as little of my hair out as possible, usually with a middle part. I occassionally wear braids but I haven't worn them for a while

What are your hair goals?
I want to achieve all round healthy hair. My goal is also for the front to be the length of the back. I am currently experiencing some breakage in the crown which I aim to resolve.







Saturday 18 May 2013

Natural Hair Thoughts

I am a deep thinker and for a while now a few things have been on my mind in relation to natural hair. Before I started my journey, I was totally oblivious to the stigma surrounding natural hair. Since I've decided to transition, my eyes have opened to a lot of things. Bear in mind I'm 21 now and spent 13/14 years natural, 6/7 years relaxed, and 13months transitioning. Back in my primary school days we used terms such as 'Picky Head', which proves that comments regarding hair is nothing new. This term was normally aimed at boys/girls with messy hair more than being texture related. Where there was a sense of innocence in the name calling from my preteen days, this 'excuse' cannot be used for the derogative comments I hear/read aimed at people with natural hair, by adults! This negativity is not so much aimed at me personally but I still feel somewhat saddened when I hear about it. This is not a relaxer vs natural debate or even a debate at all, just me sharing my thoughts. One of the remarks that I often hear is the ever popular; "natural hair won't suit me" line. This makes no sense to me whatsoever, we are not talking about an item of clothing or even a bold haircut! I fail to understand how hair that naturally grows out your scalp cannot not suit your face. For me, it's more of "natural hair  will not suit how you want to look" and that's something completely different. If you feel that natural hair does not suit your lifestyle, no problem, just like no one has the right to tell you what shoes to wear, no one has the right to tell you how to wear your hair. The biggest shocker for me though is not so much what people had to say about their own hair, but the the hate geared from other individuals towards them. I've heard/read comments such as 'carpet head' , references to the colour purple, comments suggesting to 'slap a perm on'.... and so on. I was always told 'if you have nothing good to say, say nothing at all'. As people we should build each other up, not push each other down. All hair is beautiful, whether it be  straight, wavy, curly or kinky. I'm tired of hearing about how natural hair looks 'unkept'. Who decided that straight hair looked 'kept' in the first place? If you've been on the end of negativity, don't take it too personal, tranform it into motivation for reaching your goals. I always try to remember  "If you live off man’s compliments you’ll die from his criticism." Cornelius Lindsey. To end I just want to tell you that you're beautiful!

Tuesday 14 May 2013

Review: Bee Mine Botanical Moisturizing Shampoo

PromiseBee Mine Botanical Moisturizing Shampoo is loaded with botanical extracts to gently cleanse hair, remove residue and moisturize while enhancing natural shine.  Leaves hair touchably soft & smooth.  This formulation will nourish the scalp and strengthen the hair without stripping or weighing it down.  Cleanse, hydrate and quench your thirsty dry hair with our botanical moisturizing shampoo

Directions: Apply a small amount to wet hair gently massage to create a lather.  Rinse thoroughly repeat if needed.  Follow up with conditioner.  For best results, use with Bee Mine Bee Lovely Daily Conditioner or any of our wonderful conditioners from our line.

Ingredients Distilled water, Decyl glucoside and Sodioum Lauroyl Lactylate (natural surfactant blend), Calendula Extract, Lemon Grass Extract, Rosemary Extract, Lavender Extract, Rose Extract, Nettle Extract and Chammomile Extract, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride (naturally derived from guar gum), dl Panthenol (Pro-Vitamin B5), Fragrance (Phthalate Free), Preservative (Paraben & Formaldehyde Free).

Verdict: This shampoo was just okay. I bought the sample size for £3.50 last December. From the reviews that I've read, everyone loves this shampoo... I had to check my bottle to make sure we were using the same thing. Let me start with the what I liked about this product. The shampoo is sulphate free, a little goes a long way, and it has great ingredients. It was set up to be a real winner, however it stripped my hair badly. I tried just putting it on my scalp, but I had the same outcome. My hair was far from moisturised and definitely was not 'touchably soft'. I used the 
Bee Mine Botanical Moisturizing Shampoo for 5 months, during which I thought my texture had changed, only to find out my hair was just DRY, and this being a major contributor. I followed up with the Bee Mine BEE-U-Ti-FUL Deep Conditioner like instructed. Out of the four Bee Mine products that I have tried, I have only liked the Bee Mine Hair Growth Serum... review coming soon.  I refuse to make a personal dig at the brand and will simply conclude that it their products do not meet my hairs needs. Needless to say, I won't be buying this again. I award this a generous 2.5/5.  

Monday 13 May 2013

Journey Update: Styling


If you've been following my journey from the beginning, you would have probably noticed that I always talk about the difficulties I have with styling. To a certain extent, I'm still in the same boat. My textures don't blend, therefore attempting to do a twist out on my 13 months post hair is a big No No. I've spent the majority of my transition bunning... putting a flat twist at the front is as creative as it gets... oh, you fancy, huh? Sadly for me this means daily styling *yawns*. I can definitely see why a lot of people spend their transition to natural in protective styles such as weaves, wigs and extensions. Personally, I'm not a fan of adding extra additions to my hair... so I've decided to opt for the next best thing.... plaiting my own hair. The pictures on the left are of my current style, what do you guys think?

                                                                                                                                 

Saturday 11 May 2013

My Battle with Dry Hair

My biggest struggle since the start of my hair journey has been maintaining moisturised hair. I automatically wanted to blame my moisturiser, Wave Nouveau. I required far too much product to keep my hair soft, which would eventually make my hair limp, after days of reapplication. Of course, I tried a few alternatives, Kera Care conditioning creme, Bee Mine Balanced Moisturiser and so on... none of them solved the problem. I was doing everything by the book, deep conditioning, moisturising & sealing, sleeping with a satin scarf... you name it!!! For those that have experienced dry hair know that it does not behave! It's hard to style, looks dull and is very fragile. I refused to accept defeat, and continued to look for a solution. Through research I have learnt that dry hair can be a result of several factors. Here's a short list of things that have helped me overcome the obstacle.

*Spritz hair with water before applying your moisturiser- Water is the best moisturiser and much to my surprise my hair loves water.
*Drink water- Our bodies need water to operate efficiently
*Check for protein in your products- You may be protein sensitive, or even be suffering from protein overload. Anything with protein in it makes my hair ultra dry.
*Use heat when deep conditioning- If you don't own a hairdryer, no problem... create heat by putting foil on top of you cling film/shower cap or even heat up your conditioner a little bit in the microwave
*Don't use too much product- Too much product leads to buildup which eventually blocks the hair from absorbing moisture.
*Try the baggy method- This helps lock in moisture temporarily.
*Assess whether your shampoo is too harsh- Shampoos strip hair, even ones which are sulphate free. This has been a major culprit for my moisture loss. I just started using CON moisture and shine shampoo and have noticed an amazing difference.
*When washing your hair, do the final rinse with cold water-  As uncomfortable as this may be, it has been an absolute lifesaver.
*Check if you live in a hard water area- You may need to install a shower filter or you may need to purchase a chelating shampoo
* Assess your leave-in conditioner- I recently switched to Hairveda Whipped Creme Ends and my hair has been thanking me since

Tuesday 7 May 2013

Review: Hairveda Whipped Creme Ends Hydration

Promise: Whipped Cream 3 in1 Ends Hydration, Leave In & Moisturizer. Not too heavy, not too light! Whipped Cream has just the right amount of moisture and oils to give you moisturized ends. It softens your new growth, adds unbelievable shine and gives new life to your hair. Your ends will love Hairveda's Signature Whipped Cream

Directions: Just a dime size amount will do!

Ingredients: Water, Glycerin, Ricinus Communis  (Castor Oil), Sweet Almond Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter),Ceteryl Alcohol, Steryl Alcohol, Sunflower Oil, Allantoin, Isopropryl Palmitate, Emulsifying wax, Germall Plus, Light Fragrance.

Verdict: I love this product!!! I purchased the sample for £1.75 last December but have only just started using it. I use it as a leave In conditioner and, I have to say it's the best Leave In conditioner I have ever used. It does exactly what it promises, arguably you will need more than a dime size amount. Not only did it leave my hair soft but it smells divine, reminds me of a vanilla frappuccino from Starbucks. The ingredients are good  and the price is affordable with the 9oz costing £6.95. Will I be purchasing again? Definitely, this is now a staple. I guess it comes as no surprise to you that I'm awarding the Hairveda Whipped Creme a whooping 5 stars. 

Monday 6 May 2013

Healthier you= Healthier Hair Part 2

In my last post, I discussed how my hair journey encouraged me to improve my overall health, through diet. Allow me to introduce you to Exercise, Healthy Diet's best friend. Like most best friends, they compliment each other. The benefits of exercise are great. Exercise improves your physical and mental health. You will burn fat and reduce the chance of you becoming chronically ill. A healthier you will also reflect in your hair. Cardio will increase blood flow to the scalp promoting growth and reducing hair loss. Are you looking for your trainers yet? You can do anything from getting off the bus/train a stop early, to getting a personal trainer. Personally, I prefer to jog in the park because it's free. With summer approaching, there's no time like the present to start working out. My pursuit for Kelly Rowland's abs was part of my motivation... excuse the pun *chuckles*. Exercise is also a good way to relieve stress, I feel great after a morning jog!! I mainly do interval training, where I switch between jogging, running and sprinting, but you can do what works best for you. You can push yourself by competing with yourself! Aim to go that little bit further than last time, even if you don't beat your personal best on that occasion, you'll always be the winner.

Saturday 4 May 2013

Healthier you= Healthier Hair


Healthier You = Healthier Hair. I know it sounds so cliche but it is really that simple. My hair journey has really made me assess my lifestyle. At the beginning my focus was on foods that promote the growth of my hair, I'm sure I'm not the only one who went through that phase, am I? I later took a step back and thought instead of eating healthily with the aim of growing healthy hair..... I should be eating healthily with the aim of being healthier and as a result my hair will benefit. For me an easy way to improve my diet was to substitute my staples for a healthier option. I have switched to wholemeal pasta, switched to brown rice, switched juice for water, and try and eat porridge as an alternative to crisps when I get peckish. I still have my occasional treat, I confess I ate three slices of cake today *embarrassed face*, but I'm trying. Along with the substitutes already listed you could substitute your favourite yoghurt for the lower fat greek yoghurt, potatoes for sweet potatoes or even a bag of skittles for a bag of Walnuts oozing with Omega-3. The picture above was yesterdays dinner... Chicken fried rice with mushroom, shrimp, onions and yellow pepper... using brown rice of course. Eating healthier doesn't necessarily mean you have to eat the same as your neighbours pet rabbit, be creative!

Healthier you= Healthier Hair Part 2 will be coming soon, where I will focus on exercise.


Friday 3 May 2013

May Blogging Challenge



I saw this challenge posted by Yulli Blue over at Caught Between a Cream and a Curl and decided to join. I'm required to post 3x a week throughout the month of May so stay tuned :). The challenge is open to all bloggers so feel free to join also.  

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