A Magnitude of Moisture Masque

I recently did a henna treatment using defrosted Nupur for which I mixed the entire package and froze the rest, individually packaged in 3, for future uses. My hair felt so good afterward that I thought I could get away with a simple deep condition, without adding all of my other goodies.  Well this was not the case. I first wanted to try out a new DC and wanted to see how it held up after a henna treatment as my hair is always left moisture-thirsty. Trying it for the first time, I did not want to add anything to it. Ever since that day I did the henna Tx I've been striving to correct my moisture balance.

After the initial henna experience, I cowashed my hair with another condish I thought to be moisturizing  as they are without henna Tx's.  It didn't work. Then I tried cowashing the third day with another moisturizing condish and followed that with a scalp oil treatment and the most  moisturizing cream and oil I have to moisturize and seal with only to end with a dry scalp and dehydrated hair. 

I've learned a lot from this this experience, as I have learned before and should already know: go with what you know after any treatment that could offset the delicate balance of protein and moisture. It is far easier for me to correct a moisture overload than a protein overload, or overly porous or non porous hair. Not giving my hair the overdose of moisture that I understand it needs immediately after a henna could have caused me a lot  unnecessary manipulation and damage. No matter what I did to my hair afterwards  it just wasn't enough. I needed that deep conditioner with the added moisturizing ingredients to revitalize my thirsty hair, to penetrate the hair shaft making it strong and flexible. 

Are your tresses overly dry? Do you use moisturizing conditioners with no luck of making your hair soft? Have you skipped an important step in your regimen that has thrown off your moisture balance? Are you in need of the ultimate Magnitude of Moisture Hair Masque?  Below is a list of ingredients that pack that extra punch of moisture that your desert -dry tresses desperately deserve! 

Magnitude of Moisture Hair Masque

2t Coconut Oil

2t Honey

2t Olive oil

2t coconut milk or cream

2t Aloe Vera Juice/ Gel

1t vegetable glycerin

-Add a bit of your favorite deep conditioner until you get the desired consistency ( remember you don't want this too thick, but more on the runny creamy side).

-Add plastic cap and leave on for 15-20 minutes, can be left in longer for really dry damages hair

- Follow with an Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse

 -Rinse with cold water

* ingredients can be increased to table spoons to accommodate longer or thicker hair.

 This little concoction was sure to bring my hair back to life. If your hair become overly moisturized, you can also cowash with a light protein conditioner after you have rinsed out the hair mask.

 Hair needs moisture. That's the bottom line. Waiting to moisturize your hair, under or over moisturizing your hair, or trying new products that you are unfamiliar with, all lead to one thing- disaster= breakage!  No matter how strengthening a treatment is, skipping the moisture replenishing step make such a treatment ineffective and a waste of time.

•ღƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒღ• Henna Me Silk 11~4~2012 •ღƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒღ• and More on Dye Release w/ pics

Last week I pulled out my Nupur Henna powder from the freezer. I never intended on turning my back on Nupur, I just figured that I always wanted to do the most beneficial henna at any time, being that it is very time consuming. Those of you who follow me understand that I tucked away my Nupur Henna to gain more dye release from my Morroccan henna: Upon observation of my strands, I realized that after a year of Nupur my strands  had not become any thicker at the middle and closer to the base of my strands. This led me to believe that  while Nupur is great at conditioning my hair, this blend of other herbs ( and not purely henna) was why this henna was not building on my strands.  So I went back to what I knew best- My Jamila that definitely thickened by strands, and my Moroccan  that had all the elements of what great henna is supposed to be ( great color, fast dye release, not gritty, etc). 

Well, I'm getting low on my Moroccan henna stash and will not be ordering until the end of the month, black Friday. Also, I do have Nupur henna that needs to be used- henna does go bad where the dye release isn't that potent  and, remember, I want the most out of every henna experience.

So what did I do? Well since I've always trusted other's research on Nupur's Dye release, I figured I'd do some research of my own. The package's directions says to let it sit for 3-4 hours, but my henna sister said that she got great release when she let it sit out for 8 hours plus, like her Jamilia. ***Side note: If you don't have gray hairs yourself, it's best to ask  someone about their henna experience  who does, as gray hairs have lost their pigment and soak up the henna like non other, blond hair being the next best.***  I also understand that this year's Jamila dye release is very quick, so 8 hours may be too much to let it sit out. 

 Pictured below you will find my own  Nupur Henna Dye Release test done on my palm. The blob on the left ( your left as you look at the photo) is the stain it left on my hand after sitting for 4 hours and had been wiped off my hand after 2 mins and rinsed, not scrubbed . The blob on the right shows what the henna looks like after 8 hours, and the blog in the middle shows what the henna looks like after it sat for 8 more hours in the refrigerator ( both applied for 2 mins also and wiped off)... so this picture was taken only after the middle stain had been wiped off. This means that the middle stain is very close in color to the right stain, so if it had time to oxidize like the other two just imagine how much darker this stain would have been!?! I mean, those of you looking for a brown color and not a red- isn't this just beautiful? And if you add indigo to it, just imagine how much darker a chocolate brown you could achieve!?

 This is breaking news my henna friends! I have been using the Nupur incorrectly all this time ( well, incorrectly for what I've been trying to achieve !  When I mixed this batch which made three henna sessions ( really four but I did not split them evenly)  I was sure to freeze them after 8 hours. I plan on doing a henna stain test again  and letting it oxidize over night to see what color it yields.  But in the future, once this batch is done, I plan on doing more extensive henna dye release tests on this  Nupur Henna and on my Moroccan henna, just so I can understand the behavior on different types of henna for myself. 

So what does this mean  for my Moroccan henna? Nothing. Simply put, Moroccan henna can never be replaced :-) I just ♥ ❤ ❥ the warm and chocolate browns that Nupur Henna produces...