**My Natural Hair is Beautiful**

Let me first start by saying HAPPY HOLIDAYS and follow with an apology for not being as frequent with my posts (life happens ya know)...but posts are on the way! ^_^

We all know this hair thing is truly a JOURNEY!  I have gone through ups and downs with BG "S" hair but we're still pressing forward because after all I LOVE my kids' hair and I want them to do the same! So I wanted to take this opportunity to share this adorable PSA...enjoy!

My Natural Hair is Beautiful

Kids N Curls Event in Maryland

Just sharing:

For additional info, click HERE

The Struggle: Hair Products

The past couple of months have been a struggle to find the "perfect" product combo or products at all for that matter.  My youngest daughter is only three and I have been thru a ton of products.  Throughout this process I have learned what her hair likes and dislikes!!! #atruejourney

A little background:  BG "M" hair can use most if not all and any products.  BG "S" hair on the other hand is protein and panthenol sensitive and acts funny with glycerine and MOST products have these ingredients.

To get an idea, here is a list of the brands I have purchased with my own money and tried.  The number beside the product line indicates how many products I have tried from that line.

Terressentials (1), JessiCurl (1), As I Am (2), Blended Beauty (5), Shea Moisture (14), Original Moxie (2), Alikay Naturals (3), Eden BodyWorks (4), HoneyChile Hair Love (2), Qhemet Biologics (7), B.A.S.K (2), Ynobe (5), Carol's Daughter (7), Darcy's Botanicals (6), Curls (3), Oyin (4), 4Naturals (1), Luv Naturals (3), Entwine Couture (3), Obia (4), Camille Naturals (2), Noire Naturals (3), Curly Q (3), Kinky Curly (3), Trader Joes (2), All Things Natural (3), KeraCare (2), Beautiful Textures (2), Taliah Waajid (2), Karen Body Beautiful (3), Herbal Essence (2), Uncle Funky's (1), Jane Carter (3), Koils by Nature (1), Reve Essentials (1), Giovanni (3), TresSemme (1), Bee Mine (1), Aubrey Organics (2), Eco Styler (2), Cara B (3), Dr. Miracles (1), Nothing But (1), Curl Junkie (3), MyHoney Child (1), JessiCurl (1) and more...

Here are a few pictures of just some of the products I have purchased...

So as you can see, I have a lot of product reviews to do, lol. I won't be doing reviews on some products because some products just didn't work, not any fault of the product but because they contained ingredients that her hair just didn't agree with, so in all fairness I won't post on them.  However, if you have a question about a product feel free to ask ;)

And just in case you're wondering, any products we disliked or couldn't find a permanent place for in our regimen we sold!!!

Stay Tuned...Product Reviews on the way and our newest staple products!

Product Review: OBIA Natural

OBIA Natural

**I tried these products with the Trail Pack which only cost $10.00...great deal!!!  At the time they had a special which included the shampoo bar** 

This is SUPER late so, let's jump into the review...


Obia Coconut & Shea Shampoo Bar

Cost: $10.00 (www.obianaturalhair.com) 

Size: N/A

Scent: Very light coconut scent
Consistency: N/A

What They Say:
This rich moisturizing shampoo will leave your hair soft, conditioned, and hydrated.  Shea butter deeply moisturizes and repairs damage to hair and scalp, while coconut oil protects hair from heat and chemical damage.

What I Say:
This is my favorite item from the line!  This was my very first time using a shampoo bar and I must say, I was very impressed.  This shampoo does a very good job at cleansing the hair and leaves the hair very moisturized.  It lathers very well and it also washes away very easily.  After washing BG "S" hair with this shampoo bar, her hair was left soft and clean...oh it smells so good!

Ingredients:
Saponified Oils of Coconut, Palm, Castor bean, Safflower; Shea Butter, Vegetable Glycerin, Purified Water, Rosemary Essential Oil, Sorbitol, Soybean protein, Sorbitan Oleate, Fragrance.

**** I give this product a 5 out of 5 Baby Curls****

Obia Curl Moisture Cream

Cost: $10.00 (www.obianaturalhair.com) 

Size: 4 oz.

Scent: Light Floral
Consistency: Creamy

What They Say:
Use to add moisture and hydration to your hair.  Infused with argan oil, lavender oil, grape seed oil, vitamin E, and burdock root. Promotes hair growth without leaving your hair weighed down.

H balanced Curl Moisture Cream seals in moisture and minimizes frizz by smoothing and closing the cuticle.

What I Say:
I used this product as a leave-in/moisturizer and it did a good job at moisturizing.  It left BG "S" hair soft and fluffy.  It also gave her hair a nice sheen and it smells great.  Overall, I liked the product because it is very light but moisturizing plus it doubles as a moisturizer and twisting cream if you don't require much hold and the ingredients are nice!

Ingredients:
Purified Water (Aqua), Behentrimonium Methosulfate and Cetearyl Alcohol, Vitis vinfera (Grape seed) Oil, Vegetable Glycerin, Olea Europaea (Olive) Oil, Argania spinosa (Argan) oil, Gluconolactone and Sodium Benzoate, Arctium lappa (Burdock Root), Lavandula officinalis (Lavender) Oil, Cocos nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Glycine soya (Soybean) Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Oil, Triethanolamine, Fragrance (Parfum).

**** I give this product a 4.5 out of 5 Baby Curls****

Obia Curl Hydration Spray

Cost: $10.00 (www.obianaturalhair.com) 

Size: 8 oz.

Scent: Light Floral
Consistency: Liquid

What They Say:
Use daily to moisturize your hair and scalp, or to refresh your style. Infused with argan oil, rose oil, and vitamin E.  Hydrates curls, adds shine, detangles, and conditions hair.

What I Say:
This product smells great and is an excellent daily moisturizer, it brings back life to the hair.  It sprays nicely and leaves the hair soft and moisturized.

Ingredients: 
Purified Water (Aqua), Vegetable Glycerin, Argania Spinosa (Argan) Oil, Rose Oil, Cocos nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Soybean Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Gluconolactone and Sodium Benzoate, Triethanolamine, Fragrance (Parfum).

**** I give this product a 5 out of 5 Baby Curls****

Obia Curl Enhancing Custard

Cost: $15.00 (www.obianaturalhair.com) 

Size: 12 oz.

Scent: Light Floral

Consistency: Thick custard

What They Say:

This alcohol-free formula hydrates, elongates, and provides super shine to all types of hair.  Does not leave a waxy residue or buildup. Infused with argan oil, grape seed oil, and olive.

Use to define curls, to smooth edges, or to aid in up-do styles.  Curl Enhancing Custard defines and conditions hair leaving it soft, shiny, and deeply moisturized. 

What I Say:
This is a great styling product, it is moisturizing and provides great hold.  It also does a wonderful job at defining your curls. I tried this product on both dry and damp hair and it works best on damp/wet hair. The only problem I have with this products is that it makes the hair a little crunchy but still a great product overall.

Ingredients: 

Purified water (Aqua), Olea Europaea (Olive) Oil, Vitis vinfera (Grape seed) Oil, Argania spinosa (Argan) Oil, Carbomer, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Vegetable Glycerin, Gluconolactone and Sodium Benzoate, Triethanolamine, Xantham Gum, Fragrance.

**** I give this product a 4 out of 5 Baby Curls****

Deep Conditioning Treatment

Since I'm working on incorporating a new regimen for BG "S" with the Terressentials Mud Wash, I decided to deep condition this week.  This is our first deep condition since using Terressentials.  I think I may deep condition and cleanse the hair twice a month alternating the weeks.
Example:
Week 1 - Cleanse
Week 2 - Deep Condition
Week 3 - Cleanse
Week 4 - Deep Condition
This week, I decided to go with the Greek Yogurt and Shea Butter Deep Conditioning Treatment which I first used HERE.  It's a great protein/moisturizing deep conditioner.  My only complaint is that is can be very messy and smelly.  You can find how I deep condition HERE.

I used the same ingredients with the exception of the shea butter.  This time I used 100% unrefined USDA Organic Shea Butter which I ordered online (I've heard that shea butter was sticky/waxy like but this was my first time actually encountering that).  I always tried to aim for the unrefined shea butter but sometimes its not marked as refined or unrefined on the containers in the beauty supply store so I guess you don't really know what you're getting at times.  Anywho, this mix was thicker and took a little longer to rinse but I must say her hair was super moisturized, I was in awe!!  For my next deep treatment, I think I will try a recipe with shea butter as the main ingredient.  Here are a few pics...

Greek Yogurt and Shea Butter Deep Treatment
Can you see how moisturized her hair is, I wish you could feel the softness...

After rinsing, I simply sealed and threaded for drying.
 Look at that shrinkage!!!

What homemade deep treatments do you use?

Detoxing w/ Terressentials Organic Hair Wash

I have been struggling to find a really good leave-in and styler for BG "S" type 4 hair.  Nothing seemed to work, so out of frustration, I decided to revisit my whipped shea butter mix and flaxseed gel. However, on my continued quest the Terressentials Organic Hair Wash caught my attention.  So I began watching some YouTube videos, starting with Naptural85 who pretty much brought this product to the attention of many naturals. I decided on which wash (there are 5) based on this video and this one by YT'er Dawnyele (R.I.P) whose hair type was closest to daughters'.

Lucky for me they are based in MD but instead of taking the drive I decided to order online which I knew would be quick. I ended up ordering the 16 oz. in the Left Coast Lemon which seemed like a better deal since shipping was just about $9.  I ordered on late Tuesday night and go it on Thursday. This product detoxes by ridding your hair of impurities and synthetic ingredients which just coat the hair to give damaged hair the look and feel of being undamaged. The catch is that you can't use other products such as shampoos, conditioners or stylers as they may be loaded with synthetic ingredients that the wash removes and it becomes counterproductive.  But you can always do as you please...

I am going to start this new washing regimen with simply the mud wash and my whipped shea mix and/or oils and see how BG "S" hair responds!

I decided to detox for 3 days leaving the mud wash in for a longer period of time.  I only used the mudwash and my whipped shea mix to seal, no additional products.  It works like a 3 in 1, it cleanses, condition and detangles!  I must say I am really impressed by this product.

Full Product Review coming soon...

Day 1 Detox
The hair felt a little funny during the first wash but got better with the next two.  The last wash, I let it sit in her hair for an hour to speed the detox process.   I was actually able to finger detangle with this product

Day 2 Detox

Day 3 Detox
Her twist-out was so light and fluffy.

Here is some additional info on the mudwash and detoxing: http://www.terressentials.com/hairhelp.html

Check out this list, its crazy...very interesting: http://www.terressentials.com/ingredientguide.html

What do you think and have any of you tried Terressentials Products?

DIY: Flaxseed Gel

On the hunt to find the "perfect" styler, I decided to try flax seeds to make a hair gel...

Last month I started making homemade Flaxseed Gel to use as a styler.  It took me three attempts to get it to the consistency I wanted.  I watched a few YouTube videos and did some additional research before putting together a recipe I liked.  I had great results with the gel and found it to be extremely moisturizing.  The only thing I didn't like was the roasted smell which doesn't seem to go away no matter how much essential oil I use o_O but that smell doesn't linger in the hair.  Oh, I also store any remaining gel in the fridge. 

Overall, I love flaxseed gel!  Its inexpensive and have great benefits for the hair.  I got my bag of Flax Seeds from Trader's Joe for about $3.  I tried making a custard like styler by adding some of my shea butter mix but it didn't blend too well...maybe I'll revisit that another time :)  Urban Bush Babes pretty much sums it up below and I have to agree with everything stated.

-From Urban Bush Babes

{There are 2 types of Flax seed (linseed), a light golden yellow and brown. The brown Flax seeds are slightly higher in omega 3 fatty acids.

Benefits:

-Leaves hair soft, shiny, and moisturized

-Promotes hair growth

-You can reuse the flax seeds

-Cost effective (more for your money)

-Nourishing for the hair rich in omega 3

-Gives great curl definition

-Gives hold with no crunch/non flaking/not drying to the hair/doesn’t cause breakage/or shedding

-Fast drying

-Great for wng's /sleek styles/twists and twist outs and sets the twists once dry for a lovely twist out

-Mixes well with oils/conditioners/ many products

-All natural..organic.

-A lot of reviews compare it to Kinky Curly’s Knot Today, but say Flax seed Gel  is actually better (maybe they meant KCCC ?)

-Great for all hair types}

**Update- I didn't put the steps on how to make the gel (silly me).  It is very easy to make, you can watch Naptural85 video HERE.**

Here are some pics of my flaxseed gel and my daughter's hair after using it to style her twists...

Before adding additional ingredients

Two Strand Twists Using Flaxseed Gel

Have you tried Flaxseed Gel?  If so, how do you like it and if not, would you try it?