Saturday, June 30, 2012

Herbal Hair Pack- Herbally Divine! Hair Pack

I went to a local Indian grocery store a few months back, before purchasing all the organic herbs I have now from hennasooq ( I was so anxious to have them, what can I say?). I wanted to use some of these herbs up and decided to create my own herbal hair pack.

I once read that when you begin dabbling in ayurvedic herbs, you tend to want to try everything and this is unnecessary, especially since there are so many! I bought a few herbs based on their strengthening and cleansing properties. I oiled my hair and scalp with coconut oil then proceeded to mix the following powders:

7 T Brahmi
5 T Amla
2 T Tulsi 
2 T Marshmallow Root
1 Shikaki
1Aritha
1 Cup Aloe Juice
_______________ after this sat for 15 minutes I added the following ingredients warmed:
1T Cocoveda Oil
1 T Honey 
~2/3 c Aloe Juice


All of the powders were hesh brand, except from the organic amla from hennasooq and the organic marshmallow powder from hennasooq. The mix was very creamy, not gritting at all and was just enough for my entire head ..wheew! I let it sit in my hair for a few hours.The mixture was very easy to wash out. I cowash after rinsing thoroughly, and then applied a moisturizing dc- My hair was not hard, but I'm sure I could have used some moisture. After letting that sit for an hour I rinsed it out, co washed, ACVR ( apple cider vinegar rinse) and put in the leave-ins.

I cannot say that I loved this treatment but I surely did not hate it. I cannot tell what  it did for me? I will try it again, but if my hair does not respond then I will mix the herbs in other concoctions that serve more of a purpose. I'm grateful not to be at a loss, but at worse all it did was maintain the state my hair is currently in and I can live with that!  The left back area where my son pulled my hair out was a bit dry.. I do feel it's more moisturized, but that could have been from the dc.?. I will wait until my hair is fully dried and styled to see if there is an overall difference.

Have you ever tried a product /treatment that was so neutral you just couldn't make up your mind to keep it or chuck it?

June Fabs & Must-Haves!

Hello my Radiant Readers!

I have been out of town most of the week and haven't been at a computer to blog..sorry! But, I am back for now with some Fabs a Must Haves that I have discovered in this month of June!

Okay, so I have been using the Soft & Silky Vanilla Silk Conditioner from the Organix line. I also wanted to try the shampoo, but those of you who regularly follow me already know that I am so over shampoo and I am just not willing to dabble in such an expense at the moment. My goal for now is to find hair products that are as natural, pure ( single ingredient), and organic as possible without having to buy on line. I am also trying to go mostly Ayurveda.  I do however, revert to some not so natural products that I can't live without ( until I find something better!).

So back to this conditioner- I really like it but sometimes it just doesn't pack as much moisture as my hair needs when cowashing. So instead of completely turning my back on the line I decided to try the Macadamia Oil Hydrating Conditioner- Now this was the moisture I needed. I love the Tresemme Naturals Nourishing Moisture but sometimes I just need a change. While nothing store bought has compared to it exactly ( except for the awesome but fake BLUE Hello Hydration by Herbal Essence), this Macadamia conditioner does come close. I have been using it for 5 weeks now and love the moisture it gives me. It is definitely a Fab but there will be more research done on other conditioners before it becomes a must have.

Next up is Renpure Organics Amazing Miracle Deep Penetrating Reconstructor. Now, there is nothing Amazing about this, nor it is a must have, but it is a fabulous protein deep conditioner. Now I must emphasize the Reconstructor portion. A hair reconstructor is a specialized hair conditioner designed specifically to help severely damaged hair. What separates a hair reconstructor from a regular conditioner is its focus beyond simply moisturizing. Hair reconstructors fix breaks, cracks and weakened areas of the hair shaft with a combination of micro-proteins, macro-proteins and polymers. Hair reconstructors are designed to help damaged hair. Hair becomes damaged when its structure has been affected by harsh chemical or physical processes that hinder it from naturally restoring itself back to its original state.  (info from ehow)

WITH THAT BEING SAID, this product gets numerous poor reviews about how after daily use for a week, or continuous use, it makes the hair hard! If your hair is NOT damaged   there is no need to use this. If you do not need protein at the moment, then do not use this product. what self incriminates this product is that it is marketed for daily use...really? a PROTEIN, daily use?  When does it tell you to discontinue use? After you get desirable results? Nope, nothing! So, it's apparently very important to educate yourself on what these products  do, what you are looking for, and how your hair will respond.

How do I use this? I squirt about 2-3 ounces out into a glass bowl and add some honey, castor oil, grapeseed or olive oil, and vegetable glycerin. Warm it up for a few secs in the microwave, put it in the hair for a half hour covered with plastic  and cowash it out with a moisturizing cowash- do not need to follow up with a moisturizing deep condish. My hair is left strong, nourished, silky, and well, AMAZING.  Sadly, sometimes following directions don't help. I would not leave it in for just 3-5 minutes, nor would I not add anything to it. I have 3c 4a protein-sensitive fine hair and although  I do not consider it damaged, I do need some protein now and then.

These last two that are absolutely MUST HAVES are Organic Camellia Oil and Organic Amla Oil from hennasooq.com. The camellia oil I have been using on my face for at least two months. This oil is so superior to any other oil or moisturizer I have ever used. I was a bit leery at first, being that ever since I became a mother having oil of any kind on my face breaks me out. Not this. I have almost stopped using a facial cleanser all together. I usually clean with warm water and end the cleanse with cold water, adding three drip drops of camellia oil to my face, under my eyes, and down ( in an upward motion) to my décolletage. My recent under eye darkness has almost vanished, my face is more youthful and it is smooth as ever. Most noitceable are my EYELASHES  that have grown unbelievable long! Yeah, forget about Latisse, lol.  I will eventually blog about my facial regimen in more detail. 

The amla oil is also from hennasooq and is equally as moisturizing  on the face and much thicker, like avocado oil. I  put this on my face at night at times when I cannot find my camellia oil. I did not buy this oil for my face though, but for my hair...it has been a godsend in supplying moisture to my thirsty strands. There is just  no oil like it. I mean, my hair's cuticles just TRANSFORM  and close flat after applying this. Just when I think my hair is where it needs to be, I add this oil to get the ultimate real deal. And this is why I usually add it at the end, whether I'm styling or moisturizing and sealing.

Thanks for stopping by,

Healthy Hair Blessings

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Sukesh as a Moisturizing DC??

This past 2 week my hair has been acting contradictory to the smoothness it displayed in the weeks prior. I thought I mastered what it took to get my Ideal hair, achieving each time the perfection I thought I had the last. This week my hair and scalp endured too many changes in one shot and it was hard to pinpoint what was causing such issues.

So instead of doing a henna  treatment this week, I decided to give it a rest for the next few weeks, or at least until I get my hair back to its normalcy. I have been on a quest to find the perfect Ayurvedic dc, where I wont even need to use a liquid dc. Is this possible you ask? I have no idea! But I am in LOVE with ayurveda and decided I was going to give it a try.

My hair was feeling a bit weird and I didn't know what to give it, so  I started out with a moisturizing chocolate treatment.  It had cocoa powder, marshmallow root, honey, coconut oil  in it. Forgive me for not writing down the ingredients; I did this treatment about a week ago and really thought it was going to be nice- well I dont know or remember what went wrong! I mean, at the time I did, but this is what happens when you get super busy, don't write blog posts in real time, and don't write anything down!

Needless to say I needed some moisture and did a sukesh the next day. this turned out really nice and replenished the moisture I truly needed. I was so happy with it that I wondered if the sukesh could really take the place of my usual moisturizing dc!? It's worth experimenting and I plan to do one, say, right after a Rhassoul treatment. If it properly restores the moisture I need this could possible be a keeper (in place of a moisturizing dc). Let's see!

Friday, June 15, 2012

•ღƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒღ• Henna Me Silk 6~10~2012 •ღƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒღ•

I did a henna Sunday and it went as expected. It was very late so I did not get to dc. I ended up dcing the next day, but for some reason I needed more moisture this week...a sukesh perhaps? I used the Jamila, same as last time. I mixed up so much that I saved some in the refrigerator for this up coming treatment this week. The picture  below shows what I stored it in.
 


 If you have been following my blog you already  know that Nupur used to be my choice of henna brand, but it refused to 'build' on my strands. I Love Moroccan henna, but  my supplier says it's been tied up in customs and I haven't been able to purchase any. So, I have been using Jamila... You can't go wrong with Jamila, except that it drastically darkens my hair and gives it a purplish/ auburn highlight in the sun. This is OK, but NOT favorable. I have been adding amla which has toned it down and converted it to a warmer brown.

Then entire week my hair has been thirsty thirsty thirsty, and I have yet to give it what it needs. So tonight (Friday), I mixed up some sukesh and I am sitting with it in now. I have been so busy this week and my hair has suffered because of it. I can't once remember taking the time to really moisturize and seal properly; Instead, I spritzed it and ran some leave-in through it and tied it up. This is not too bad,  but because my hair was dry, being this careless could cause a major setback. Fortunately, this time around I have escaped such a fate.I have been so good lately with keeping up with treatments and moisture. I could not say that  this week and I am extremely sad about that- it's just too easy to neglect the hair and I fell for it :-(

 I have been looking at another herbal conditioning hair powder  that a friend has recommended, as well as some  more natural deep conditioners. I will blog about it once I get a chance to use it  for a while, if I decide to go with it.

Other than that I haven't been myself lately. No wonder my hair has suffered! I did purchase some body products that should lift me up. I had a really bad headache today and interestingly enough it is gone, after doing this sukesh treatment. Some ayurvedic herbs are said to contain migraine-relieving properties and this hold true for the sukesh! Don know how long I will keep it in, my it's been at least 40 minutes. I don't know how long it took for the headache to dissipate, but it's gone and I'm just thankful for that! 

Healthy Henna Blessings!

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

 


There is no other dessert more sensual to me than chocolate and strawberries....but it's also fun! I has some strawberries and symphony chocolate laying around and thought about pairing the two....what a marriage made in heaven..or at least I was after bitting into this fruity chocolate duo! It was such a hot with my two sons and I's sure it's  now a favorite...

...Unfortunately the picture above is not my own, but from a site called the instructables. What a cute little DOY gift idea!  Mine didn't come out as colorful, but they were still very cute and attractive and made me feel special ( and a bit calorie guilty!) that my boys loved them so much. If you love chocolate and even  only like strawberries ( I'm not a huge fan of actual strawberries, although I do like the strawberry flavor), then this little quick and easy  treat is sure to be a delectably smashing hit! 



This is my knock-off version that was so quick and easy! 



If you don't like strawberries then you can use other fruits like apples!


From noble pig winery blog


And if you  don't like chocolate, well...YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS! 


Smiley