Throwback to Mamma's Hair Grease: Yay or Nay?

Hey Lovelies!

As you might be able to tell, I am in constant experimentation mode with my hair products/regimen. I've been back to my natural hair texture since December 2010. From that time, I'm pretty sure I've watched hundreds of YouTube hair care videos and read hundreds of natural hair and black hair blogs.

I've faithfully adhered to many of the hair no-no's

1. No Sulfates
2. No Mineral Oil 
3. No Heat

etc, etc.

I've been careful to read the ingredients label on all my hair products, oftentimes buying more costly items because they are more "natural." I even considered investing in the Miss Jessie's line of products, which runs between about $20-70 per product. 

The thing is, I am a twenty-something with rent to pay, loans to pay off, and money to save. With all the delicious smelling, new, "all-natural" hair products available online and in stores, it is quite easy to be tempted into becoming a product junkie. 

With all of my obsession over products and hair length, I've slowly become frustrated and tired. It's not as though my hair went through a drastic growth phase to the length of many of the hair-fashionistas I admire.

Before the transition period and the big chop, even before the hair-dressers and the creamy crack, my hair was in my mother's hands. She did not have a ton of hair products. These are the products I have the most distinct memory of:

Anyone remember this? I just called it "Pink Oil"

Every morning before school I would use some "pink oil" to slick down the edges of my go-to high bun style. One of the old school brushes to hide frizzes or "ballies" and I was set.

My mom and I experimented with shampoo brands, but I remember this one in particular

When I was little I think my mom washed my hair every other week, then when I got older once a week.

This stuff smelled so good to me lol

My mom loves this pre-shampoo treatment for moisturizing my hair, especially in the winter.

This stuff was amazing!

Every Saturday night my mom would smooth globs of this through my shampooed hair with some olive oil and sit me under the drier for a half hour.

Best Leave-In Ever!

This is how the Infusium 23 bottle used to look when I was little. This stuff made de-tangling my hair soo easy!

Definitely was a staple product in our home

This was the standard grease product at my house.... I used to just sit around and smell it... LOL

                                          

My mom brought in these special forces if my hair was too dry or too itchy. They smelled gross to me, especially the Sulfur 8... but they worked!


I took a moment to recollect the products my mom used in my hair because, prior to going to the hairdresser, my hair was a little past collarbone length. Granted, my hair was relaxed, but considering the number of over-processed heads of hair I've seen... I thought my mom did a great job. For the 2-3 years I went to hair-dressers, my hair shrank to chin-length. I realized that my mom put a lot of tender loving care into my hair that neither hairdressers I barely knew nor I was able to give it.

I've decided to give a yay to Mamma's hair grease. With all the talk of which products we should use or not use, I'm deciding to go with what has been working to keep my hair moisturized and and growing. I'm not saying that I'm going to use all the products listed above, but I think I will take the time to be more open to what has been tried and true to my hair.

Right now, I'm re-trying Dr. Miracle's "Feel It" Formula to "grease" my scalp.

Photo Credit

I like to dampen my hair, at least with some oil moisturizer, before using this. I love the tingling feeling, and so far, I enjoy how it makes my hair feel. My mom used to use this on my hair's scalp too. I know this has mineral oil in it... but it has a lot of other great stuff too. I mention mineral oil because I've read and heard that with repeated application in between hair washes, mineral oil essentially blocks moister from entering the hair shaft.

I don't have this problem because I wash my hair weekly and dampen my hair regularly. Also, I now cleanse, message and grease my scalp just like my mom did. I also add a couple drops of castor oil and mix it into with my finger as I add this product to my scalp.

I don't think it's supposed to be extremely costly and hassling to do black hair. Neither do I think that we have to prescribe to a particular set of products. I think what is most important is that we are doing what we think will give us and our hair nourishment and moisture.

I may change my mind again.... who knows, learning about self-care means to you and how to do it changes. I guess I would call this the nostalgic part of my hair care journey. What hair products do you remember from childhood?

xoxo

P.S. I may go back to red hair y'all!!!

The Harvest Hair Regimen 2014: The Hair Growth Challenge

Hello Lovelies!

So, as a mentioned in my previous post, I've had some hair regimen hiccups that have caused me to change my hair care approach.

I call my new regimen the Harvest Hair Regimen not only because it will take me into the beginning of fall, but because I expect a "harvest" of new growth by the time I complete this challenge.

Basically, my plan is to keep my hair in cornrows throughout the month of August and September. During this time I will be keeping my hair very moist. Basically, my hair growth challenge was inspired by this YouTube Vlogger 7Princess7Noire7's  vid:

I won't be doing wigs, I'll be doing crochet braids, just personal preference. In my recent article I posted a link to a crochet braiding video if you're curious.

I've read two points of advice so many times 1) that protective styling is very important and 2) putting a lot of tension on strands inhibits length retention, but in my case, experience has been the best teacher. I'm being very cautious about my hair during this Harvest Hair Regimen; I'll only have it "out" on special occasions.

So... for the actual regimen:

1. Grease my scalp almost every night with a organic coconut oil, castor oil, blend. 
2. Some nights mix in a little tea-tree oil to my nightly/every other night scalp greasing
3. Keep hair covered at all times: scarves, silk bonnets or shower caps**
4. Wash hair every 2-4 weeks. I know this may be a point of contention for people who stick to washing once a week, however, I would prefer to keep my hair braided up for a long period. 
5. Cornrow wash and conditioned hair to secure moisture. I've found that when I moisturize my hair really well, then put in cornrows, my hair strand stay soft from root to tip. 

** Note: shower caps seal in H2O vapors--it works as a natural steam. 

Yeah, that's really about it. 

Wait! One more thing! This would be an excellent transition style! Why, you ask? Well:

1. It protects that fragile divide between the old, relaxed hair and the growing natural hair.
2. It seals in moisture. 
3. It gives you more growth time before cutting the relaxed ends. 

I will definitely updating you on how this works out!

Don't you love Harvest Season?! (Photo Credit)

2013 Regimen!

Hey lovelies.

I haven't been around in SO LONG. Sorry about that. I just wanted to post my new regimen and a couple little hair discoveries.

First discovery:

My hair does NOT like the curly girl method. Basically, the curly girl method is based on co-washing and finger detangling. No tools, no shampoo. See the video below for a better description:

Her hair is most def that 3/4A while mine is 4 to the max.

Second discovery:

That my hair is 4a/b/c. That means it spirals, but is very fine, wiry, and can get matted and tangled easily. it def matted up when I tried the curly girl method.

Third Discovery:

My hair is low porosity. That means I have to apply product when my hair is damp -- no wetter. That also means that I shouldn't apply a lot of product because it will not absorb. To learn about testing hair porosity see here:

Fourth discovery:

My hair loves twists. It stays moist and detangled this way. Everything I do with my hair involves twists, especially washing. I separated my hair into twisted sections when washing, but now I have refined my washing. I do The Breakdown. Watch this video for the breakdown method:

K, so here's my regimen.

Bi-weekly

• shampoo and deep condition
• detangle and stretch

Weekly

• deep condition
• detangle
• protective style

Every other day

• oil scalp with a coconut oil/castor oil mix

My detangling process

1. finger detangle with conditioner
2. comb out with a wide tooth comb
3. Finish out with the Denman brush

I have to have to HAVE to detangle thoroughly. Tangling/ hair that is not thoroughly combed means snapping and snapping means lost ends. NO NO!

My 2013 goal - 5 inches of growth. let's hope!!

Hairspiration!!!

XOXO

Henna Experimentation Part 2

Hey Lovelies!

So, above is my part two vid. It's already been a month since I dyed my hair using Henna! In all honestly, I don't think it was worth all the hype. The color change was barely noticeable and while I was scared to dye my hair, I did intend for the change to be noticeable. The redness is pretty in the sunlight and all, but that's about as much as it does in terms of color difference. I plan to dye my hair a fun color for the spring, hopefully in March, using an actual boxed dye. (I'll definitely let you know how that goes lol.)

As for the conditioning....

Its nothing to go crazy about. There was a lot of residue which was very annoying. I don't know if that's because the brand of Henna I used was not powdered out well, or if it was because I'm bad at rinsing out my hair, but either way, there was too much residue for my liking. The MOST annoying part has been the SMELL. Days after, whether I was co-washing, shampooing, or styling, I could still smell it.... Finally, my hair was no softer than it would be if I had just used a regular conditioner. All in all, Henna doesn't seem to be a big deal. Experimenting was fun though.

Would I suggest Henna?

Yes, if you want a slight change in color you should try it. Henna has a different impact on everyone's hair, it mostly depends on the porosity of your hair follicle. However, if you just want to condition, I would say to go with your routine deep conditioner or just shea butter & olive oil.

And that's that!

I hope this gave you a little insight on my Henna experience :)

BEFORE HENNA-ing:

AFTER HENNA-ing:

Much love to you!!!!

Marsha Ambrosius!

Dealing with Hair Drama

Hey Everyone!

So today I just wanted to talk about the hair drama I've been having. I went natural in December 2010, and I haven't had dandruff since.... and now its back. Its crazy. I don't know what started it really. I experimented with hair weaving last month. I had kinky twists in for about a week, and thats when I notices the dandruff. So I guess I'd say thats what it was. I'm trying to find a solution, and for now I'm going to try improving my moisturizing regimen. I wash my hair (at night)

Then...

1. I put 2 pumps of "Mixed Silk Leave-In Conditioning Creme" from roots to ends

2. I put 2 pumps of "Herbal Essences Leave-In Protector" (for split ends)

3. I did two-strand twists using "Shea Moisture Curling Souffle"

In the morning
4. I conditioned my scalp with Olive Oil and Castor Oil

I'm hoping this method works. If my dandruff decides not to leave I'm going to buy tea-tree oil (suggested for dandruff) to see how that works.

The other issue I'm having is with knots. KNOTS KNOTS KNOTS!!! I hate it. Everyday. All the time. The worst is when I've just detangled my wet hair, then it starts to shrink on itself and knot up.

My solution to this one is going to be protective styling. My go-to style is two-strand twists. With this style, my hair is entirely combed out, and plaited in some way. I find that I play with my hair less when its twisted, so this helps too.

Third and last problem. Uneven growth. the front center portion of my hair grows sooo much faster than the rest. It makes my afro look awkward. My solution to this is basically the same - more olive oils and more protective styling. I'm also trying to drink more water.

If you're having the same problems, comment with any solutions you have, or tell me if my regimen works for you!

Hope this helps :)

Be big and beautiful!
xoxo

Bob Marley's hair is classic!

One Year (and some) of Happy Nappiness!

Hey Lovelies!

I've been trying to do a better job of document my hair growth and styles, and I just wanted to share some pictures from late 2011 with you.... By the way Happy New Year!!! My goal for this year is to really get some good blogs done (in a timely manner). I'm really hoping to have a HUGE Afro by December 10 2012 (My Natural Anniversary) so part of my good hair care regimen will be documenting what I'm doing. Ok so here are my pics!

So at the moment I consider myself to be a 4A- after washing and conditioning, my curls are very spirally, and are a little smaller than the width of a pencil

OCTOBER

Don't mind the ridic face I was making.. I was being a fool lol... no particular style here 

I loooved how these curls came out so I had to take a pic. This was a Wash-and-Go

NOVEMBER

Big Twist - Twist Out (I'll explain at some point)

Twist-out part 2

My Twisties! I kept these in for like a week and a half.

I tried kinky twists for about 2 weeks. They came out nicely!

After I took out my kinky twists I had a pretty decent  fro.
I'm lookin kinda rough tho... I think I was tired

JANUARY

I did some more twists for the beginning of the year.
They came out pretty wild but I don't really care lol.

Yep! So thats about how my hair has been lookin' for the past couple months. I've been having some protective styling issues, and I'll share them in another post.

TTYL!

Be Big & Beautiful :)

Relaxed or Natural?

Hello Lovelies!

I know its been a while, but I had to settle into the swing of things, starting off a new semester, etc. Now I'm back, and hopefully I'll be able to post somewhat regularly. Today I wanted to add my 2 cents to the debate that has been going on for a while now - Relaxed or Natural? Which is better?

I wanted to start out by saying that my blog is mainly to provide haircare tips. Hopefully when you all, my readers, take good care of your mind, body and soul, you will feel and look beautiful. With that being said, I think the most important thing is that you all feel that you are attractive and special. Think about this, if relaxers were no longer available, how much of a crisis would that be for you? Would you no longer think you are attractive, would it be the end of the world? If the answer is yes, then there are a couple more things to think about. Why would it be such a trauma if there were no more relaxers? What is so wrong with the way that you were naturally made?  I'm not at all saying everyone should go natural, but what I am saying is that you should be appreciative of your beauty, with or without relaxers. The same applies to those of you who wear make up, those of you who would like to get an enhancement surgery or sort of beauty enhancement. Can you survive without it?

Most of the hang-ups people have about natural hair or anything else that has to do with a beauty routine comes from society. A lot of you have probably heard these:

• Guys like girls with long hair; they don't go for girls with shorter hair
• Natural hair looks nappy, unkept or unprofessional 
• You'll look like a slave with hair like that (yes people say this)
• Natural hair is for those radical girls
• No famous people rock natural hair, so why should I?

Don't let these statements, or anything else that people say about natural or relaxed hair stop you from doing what you want to do with your hair. Some people simply like relaxing their hair, and some like it better natural. That's cool, as long as you're being persuaded by your own beliefs and desires. I've been saying it and I'll say it again - whatever you choose to do is great as long as you love yourself with or without the enhancements. 

I'm going to do a list of pros for natural hair, then a list of pros for relaxed hair, so that you can decide what you'd like to do with your hair.

Natural Hair Pros:

1. It is not effected by the strong chemicals in relaxer, so it tends to break less easily
2. You don't have to worry about water, whether from rain or swimming (although you MUST condition your hair after swimming!)
3. Less heat damage, no flat-ironing or blow drying necessary
4. There are tons of cute styles, from the twist out to the afro-puff
5. Hair grows faster because it breaks less
6. Natural hair products (in my opinion) smell better and tend to have more natural, and healthy products
7. No more paying for the hair dresser!

Relaxed Hair Pros

1. Growth is more noticeable, because relaxer stretches natural curls
2. Tends to be easier to comb than natural hair if the correct products are used
3. There are many possible hair styles
4. There are more hair dressers who know how to work with relaxed hair
5. When managed well, hair can be very long and flowing 
6. Other than the long days at the hair dresser, relaxed hair can be a little less time consuming than natural hair (depending on your regimen)

If you read My Natural Hair/Transition Story, you will get to understand why I switched from natural to relaxed hair.

I hope this helps!

Be Big and beautiful!

xoxo

Angela Bassett! So beautiful, and a great actress

Defining Your Natural Curls

hello lovelies!

Up until very recently, I was frustrated, because although my hair is naturally curly, oftentimes my curls are disguised by all my frizz. I watched Nikkimae2003's youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/Nikkimae2003 and discovered that cold water really helps to define curls! Here's how it works:

If you're doing a co-wash (thats cleansing/conditioning hair without shampoo)

1. Wet/rinse the hair with warm to very warm water. This helps to open the pores in your scalp. Some of you may have heard that using steam (which comes from warm water) is very good for cleansing the pores in your face, well, your scalp works the same way. Open pores are ready to absorb the conditioner that you'll be putting into your hair.
2. Apply some conditioner and let it soak in for as long as you want. I usually let the conditioner sit for about 5-10 minutes. You can also detangle during this time. I personally detangle after I condition, that way I'll have enough time to detangle my hair section by section.
3. Rinse out your conditioner with cold water. Cold water seals in the moisture provided by the conditioner, which really helps to define curls. I just started cold water rinses and I love the effect on my hair. Each curl is springy and shiny, and the frizz is basically gone!

If you're shampooing your hair

• Still use warm water, because the shampoo will be able to do its job even better when your pores are open. Warm water, especially in combination with shampoo, is excellent at removing grease and other residue. After shampooing, follow the steps outlined above.

My hair after a cold water rinse!

I just wanted to add that Nikkimae2003's youtube channel is great. She's pleasant, encouraging, and her tutorials are super helpful.

Be Big & Beautiful!

xoxo

Tia & Tamera Mowry! They've been my role models since childhood :)

Hair Vitamins and Balanced Diet

hello lovelies!

I know a lot of us get impatient with our hair's growth, and just want a quick fix. After my big chop I really wanted my hair to just hurry up and grow, I started to research on hair growth supplements. The most prominent one that I found was Biotin. Biotin is in the B-vitamin family; it is also called B7. Biotin helps in the production and metabolism of fats and amino acids (protein!). So, as you can see, fats and protein have been a recurring theme when it comes to hair health.  The body also needs Biotin for the growth of healthy skin and nails. It is generally advised that people suffering from hair loss take Biotin to replenish their hair growth. WebMD provides more information on the effects of Biotin on the body (WebMD: Biotin)

I when found out that Biotin does so much good for hair growth, I decided to start taking it to see  how it would effect my hair growth over a month. I got a bottle of Biotin pills from the Vitamin store, and I was so excited to try it out. I took one pill a day for about two weeks. I wanted to continue taking it once a day for at least a month, but I had to stop, because I had started to break out. I usually get a few pimples every so often, but with Biotin I got full on ACNE. One of the interesting things about Biotin - or Vitamin B7, is that is helps to maintain and/or increase hormone levels. I guess for me, breaking out is one of the things that come with increased hormone levels. I'm definitely not saying anyone who takes Biotin will have a case of acne, but what I am saying is to try it and see how it effects your body. Biotin is water soluble, which means if your body has too much Biotin and doesn't need anymore, the extra will come out in your pee, so don't worry.

Now, I limit my intake of Biotin to twice a week. Drinking water also helps to counteract the acne. I also rely on other vitamins that are important to hair growth, including: vitamins A,C, and D, most B vitamins, calcium, gelatin, MSM and silica. Multi-vitamins usually have all of the vitamins I just listed. So, take your vitamins, eat healthy and exercise and you'll be on your way to healthy hair, and good health over all.

I also wanted to emphasize the importance of DRINKING WATER. It truly does help. A lot of us have heard that the body is 70% water. Well, that's a very important fact, because our body uses water for most processes, including hair growth. Water is hair''s main source of moisture. This means that the body will always need to be replenished with water. 8 glassed of water a day and you'll be straight.

I definitely say to try Biotin and see how it works for you. Even if you don't, still try to remember to take your multivitamins!!!

Be Big & Beautiful!

xoxo

TLC. They're so awesome. Fly ladies lol

Hair Growth Plan for Fall 2011

hello lovelies!

One of the interesting things that I have discovered about having natural hair is that uneven growth becomes much more noticeable. The hair on the top of my head has always grown faster than the sides and back, but when I was relaxed it was easy to disguise because I would just have my hairdresser cut my hair in layers. Now its different - I don't have that perfectly rounded afro that many people rocked in the '70s. As a matter of fact, when washed and combed out, my hair takes a fro-hawk shape. Well - its not THAT extreme haha, but the top is a little more than 5 inches while the some parts of the sides are between 3 and 4 inches. I know my hair will always grow that way, so my focus is on retaining the growth that does occur and making my hair grow thicker and stronger. 

For this fall, I have decided to add some products to my regimen that I have researched and watched many youtube videos on. To track my progress, I plan on doing a growth check every month. Hair grows about a 1/2 inch each month, so if my hair growth plan works, I should have another 1.5-2 inches of growth my the end of December.

The first addition to my regimen is an Castor & Olive Oil mix. I mentioned this oil mix in my hair regimen blog post, but I wanted to talk about it in a bit more detail. I am using a proportion of 1/4 Castor Oil for every 3/4 Olive Oil. I use Tropic Isle Living Jamaican Black Castor Oil and Wal-Mart brand Extra Virgin Olive Oil. I bought a color applicator bottle to apply my oil with because it has a tiny nozzle. I really don't want to use a lot of oil at a time because it'll drip and just make my hair greasy and heavy and a tiny nozzle will ensure that not too much oil comes out at a time.

My Hair Growth Ingredients!

Why Castor Oil?

Well, growing up in a Jamaican household, Jamaican Black Castor Oil (I'll be calling it JBCO from now on) is usually in the house. My mother used to moisturize my hair with it when I was younger. When I started taking care of my hair myself, I didn't use it as much, but now that I've done my research on good hair growth products, I've realized why castor oil is a staple in so many Jamaican households. I am biased towards JBCO as opposed to other castor oils because its darker and thicker, and has a stronger scent - for me, that means that it is more natural and has gone through less processing.

Background, Benefits, and Uses of Castor Oil:

Castor Oil is a type of Vegetable Oil derived from Castor Beans. Castor Oil is mostly composed of fatty acids (in my cholesterol blog I said that fats are very good for the hair cuticle).

Benefits:

• It can penetrate deep into the skin and can be used to to treat many skin conditions - and your scalp is skin too!
• Because it penetrates the skin, it can reach the hair's follicle (your roots!) and nourish it. This leads to stronger hair that is more resistant to breakage.
• Helps to prevent hair loss, treats thinning hair and dry scalp
• It also helps to keep the scalp cleansed and healthy
• It is a humectant, which means that it can absorb water from the air - more MOISTURE!
• Castor oil is good for other conditions and ailments. Its other uses can be found here.

Background, Benefits, and Uses of Olive Oil:

People have been enjoying the benefits of Olive Oil since the rise of Ancient Greece. There is even a Greek goddess for Olives & Olive Oil named Athena. Homer called it "liquid gold." Many of you probably use it as cooking oil & eat it in salad dressing, but its great for you internally AND externally. 

Benefits

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil is an excellent skin moisturizer. It easily penetrates the skin, softening tissue and rejuvenating the cells
• It prevents dandruff
• It can be used daily, as a hot oil treatment and as a deep conditioner. More info on olive oil can be found here.

So yeah! Thats the lowdown on Castor Oil & Olive Oil! I'll be massaging a little bit into my scalp most nights before bed, then covering my hair with a satin bonnet to lock in the moisture.

In addition to applying oil to my scalp, I will be adding water & vitamins to my hair on a regular basis. Infusium 23 Pro-Vitamin Leave-In Hair Treatment mixed with water is my choice for hair vitamins. What I usually do its add 1/4 Infusium 23 for every 3/4 of water. I put this mixture in a spray bottle, and use it to dampen my hair before I twist it or do any other sort of style to it. Then, I detangle with a wide tooth shower comb. I like this treatment because it makes me feel confident that my hair is getting the vitamins it needs, especially if I hadn't been eating healthy and/or forgot to take my vitamins. 

I'll continue my oil & water treatments through the fall and let you know if they affected the overall health when I do my winter hair regimen plan.

I also wanted to add that it's important to remember that what you put IN your body is almost more than what you put ON your body. Look at it this way,

For example, instead of applying more make up when you get a pimple or two, ask yourself:

 - Am I drinking enough water?

 - Am I eating too many fatty foods?

The same applies to your hair, if its breaking too much, or is way too dry ask yourself:

 - Am I eating healthy foods?

 - Am I stressed?

 - Am I sleeping enough at night?

 - Am I taking my vitamins?

 - Do I exercise?

I ask myself these questions, and sometimes the answer is no. And the thing is, all of these things lead to healthy hair. Sometimes we forget the things we apply externally aren't enough, and thats okay, as long as we try to make a change and take care of our insides too.  Love yourself and take care of your body - you'll be surprised at how phenomenal your results will be! Taking care of yourself will put you in a better position to take care of others. Being able to be there for the ones we care about, to support and encourage them is an awesome capability! Love yourself so you can love others,

Be Big & Beautiful

xoxo

MARSHA!!! Love her both solo and as a member of Floetry

High Cholesterol: Key to A Healthy Hair Diagnosis

hello lovelies!

In an earlier post I mentioned that I really love the effect of cholesterol treatments on my hair. Its my favorite way to condition my hair. Every so often I experiment with homemade conditioners - mostly mayonnaise mixed with olive oil - but I like to buy my cholesterol because it doesn't need to be refrigerated. One of the best things about cholesterol, other than its conditioning and moisturizing effect is the fact that its very affordable and long lasting. The average jar of cholesterol that I buy is about $2.99 and last me for at least 2 months. Great value!

So, what is cholesterol anyway?
Well, it is a soft and waxy substance found in the lipids (fats) in the bloodstream and the body's cells. (source) Cholesterol is important to cell membrane creation and maintenance, among its other functions. Most of the time we hear about the dangers of high cholesterol, but a healthy level of cholesterol is necessary for many of the body's functions (see here for more info on cholesterol in the body).

Why is it that hair responds so well to cholesterol? 
Let's break it down. Time for a mini biology lesson!

A hair is composed of: 80% protein, 10-15% water, and 5-10% pigments, lipids (also called fats), and minerals. (source) The cells on the hair follicle are surrounded by a lipid layer and this lipid layer is bonded to the proteins that hair is mostly made of. Basically, there are many fatty acids in the cuticle of the hair (the cuticle is the outmost layer of each hair strand). The fats in hair are responsible for how well the hair locks in moisture and the overall stiffness of the hair. So, if fats are a part of the structure of the hair, and the cholesterol contained in fats is responsible for maintaining the cell membrane, then applying cholesterol to hair is good for the fats that make up the hair cuticle (source). When cholesterol is added, hair gets hydrated and becomes much more supple, or flexible.

****Most important thing to remember: Hair + Cholesterol = Soft & Supple Locks****

Also, cholesterol taken internally won't help hair health. We all should be having low cholesterol diets to limit the risk of coronary diseases. In other words, eat your cheerios!!!

Reduces cholesterol, so eat up!

Ok, enough science talk. I wanted to introduce you to some of the cholesterol treatments I have tried over the years. I will be ranking my top 4 treatments from favorite to most favorite:

4. Hollywood Beauty Tea Tree Cholesterol with Shea Butter & Aloe. This stuff is great! The title was enough to convince me to try this product. Tea Tree Oil is ideal for anyone with scalp issues, especially dandruff, and its a natural scalp cleanser. I have a healthy scalp, so I find tea tree oil to be a bit drying, which is why I didn't rank this product higher. The Shea butter is moisturizing and the Aloe is soothing. The one thing I don't like about this cholesterol is it's strong medicinal scent. Grade: B

3. Le Kair Professional Strength Cholesterol This is a nice standard cholesterol. It smells nice and it nice to deep condition with. After shampooing, saturate your hair with this, cover your hair with a plastic cap, heating cap, or hot towel, and/or sit underneath an overhead dryer for about 15 minutes and your hair will love you for it! Grade: B+

2. Queen Helene Cholesterol Hair Conditioning Cream I LOVE this cholesterol. its cheap, moisturizing, and is just great over all. As a matter of fact, I like the Queen Helene product line in general I like their cocoa butter too! You can do the same things with Queen Helene's as you can with Le Kair. I almost always have a jar of Queen Helene's in the bathroom. Grade: A

1. Silk Elements Mega Cholesterol Conditioning Treatment. YES, yes and yes. This is my favorite cholesterol to date. It smells awesome, and its soooo smooth and soft on to the touch. You can feel the difference right away! It's usually a dollar or ten this is your fix. Also, this conditioner is GREAT for detangling in the shower. Grade A+ 

If you don't know, now you know - the value of cholesterol. It's my hair crack lol! And I already mentioned that I'm a product junkie so you can imagine how much I use haha

I hope you found this to be helpful!

Be Big & Beautiful

xoxo

Lauryn Hill - She is the TRUTH.

Product Review: Silk Elements Mixed Silk Leave-In Conditioner

hello lovelies!

I thought it would be nice to do product reviews every now and then. There is always some new product out there professing to make our hair long and luxurious, and as a person many would call a "product junkie" I often give in to their claims about how awesome their product it. But, before I hit up the beauty store I want to know how a product will respond to my hair, so I usually do my research before investing in a new hair product. I say "usually" because I spontaneously bought the particular product I'm about to review. I guess bought it without thinking because I trust the product line its from. A piece of advice for you - research the ingredients and reviews on a product before you buy a product!!!

I say this because I didn't love the product I'm reviewing today: "Silk Elements Mixed Silk Leave-In Conditioner"

17.25oz conditioner, about  8 inches tall

When I used relaxer, the Silk Elements product line was my staple. The relaxer itself treated my hair well, the shampoo didn't damage my hair cuticle and the cholesterol treatment was (and still is) fantastic. So, when I went to Sally's Hair & Beauty Supply (http://www.sallybeauty.com/) about a week ago and saw that they opened a line of products for people with natural curls I got super excited. They were on sale so I picked up 2 bottles and the accompanying deep conditioner. I thought it was going to be wonderful. A couple days later, when it was time to do my shampoo and deep condition, I added this leave-in conditioning creme to my routine. It's creamy, but a but slick to the touch, and smells kind of like dish soap. It was different than other products I use that are more thick and heavy. I used about 3 pumps and ran it through my hair with my fingers, combed, and did a two-strand twist set. The next day when I untwisted my hair, I wasn't completely pleased with my results. My curls held up ok, but the hair itself was not completely moisturized.  The directions say, "Apply to clean wet hair from roots to ends for an even application. Do not rinse out. Hair can be air dry or use a blow dryer with diffuser." To me, it seemed as if it this conditioning creme could be a stand alone product, but that wasn't the case. The fact that I needed to add oil moisturizer to my hair after I untwisted indicated to me that I shouldn't have used this product on its own. All in all, I will give "Silk Elements Mixed Silk Leave-In Conditioner" a 8 out of 10.

Pros about the Conditioning Creme:

• It has a pleasant scent
• It is not greasy 
• It has natural oils including Jojoba seed oil, Safflower seed oil and Evening Primrose Oil
• It contains amino acids including wheat amino acids and silk amino acids (amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, and proteins are very good for strengthening hair
• It is a very good detangling product

Cons:

• It is almost too light. I like products that seal the hair cuticle well and I'm not sure that this does. More "liquidy" products like this one are absorbed by the hairs, but don't seal out dryness
• It detangled my hair, but didn't provide long term moisture, which is very important to me. 

Although I have listed more pros than cons, I still believe this product is a 8/10 because it isn't good at retaining the hair's moisture. I will say that it is a very good base product, and what I mean by that is that its a good thing to apply as a detangler while your hair is still wet and it doesn't clash with the styling cremes I use. Overall,  I would suggest trying it because it's always good to have a leave-in conditioner, especially if you can't deep condition your hair as often as you'd like to. I'll definitely use mine as a detangler (after all, I have two bottle get through lol)

I hope this helps!

Be Big & Beautiful

xoxo

Beyonce: radiant and stunning! (and pregnant - yay!)