Changes to My Avocado Coconut Mix (deep conditioner)

Everything in life is experiments and lessons learned and that goes for [inspiring] mixtresses too! lol I have changed my recipe of my avocado coconut mix by adding more of the moisturizing agents. Avocado in itself is a great moisturizer due to it being a fatty fruit. However, it is good to give it a boost with more honey, coconut oil and coconut milk! Check out my original recipe here...

well, I noticed that I wasn't getting the moisture boost that I was looking for so I added more honey which also moisturizes the hair. This time I added 3 tbsp instead of 1. Next the coconut oil I added 4 tbsp instead of 2. The coconut milk stayed the same pretty much except I added a tad bit more. maybe 3/4 in stead of 1/2. My hair felt better moisturized afterward. Now, everyone has different needs for their hair so please experiment! If you need a protein boost, add mayo or just an egg. If this recipe does not provide the moisture you need then add more moisturizing factors like shea butter. Do what works for you! Until next time natural Barbz! Peace and Blessings

Food for the Hair: Bananas

Banana is not just for eating. It can be added with other ingredients to make a wonderful conditioner/deep conditioner. What are the benefits of banana exactly? Well, to start off, banana contains potassium which is great for softening the hair shaft. It contains natural oils and carbohydrates, and Vitamins A, B, and C. These are all good in keeping the hair's natural elasticity and preventing spit ends and breakage. Bananas can also create manageability and shine and prevents or controls dandruff. I have also read on some websites that it can also promote growth but I would not put a conformation on that yet. Now for my experience, i did an avocado and banana conditioner a while back when I was transitioning. I can say that my relaxed hair did not like it but my natural roots loved it. The thing I would recommend this time is using baby food bananas instead of whole bananas because the pulp will definitely get stuck in your hair. Now I looked at a couple of recipes and I re-worked it to fit the baby food jars which are about a half of a banana for the stage two jars.

2 stage 2 jars of banana (baby food)
1/4 cup of honey

stir the two together or use a blender/mixer (whatever is your preference). Leave it on for however long you'd like and rinse. Voila!

Now using Avocado:
half of a Haas avocado (this particular kind is small)
and 2 jars of banana baby food (stage 2)

mix together in a blender and apply to hair. I would suggest leaving this one on for a while since it can be used as a hair mask. Maybe 1 hour at the least.
Well, that's it for this post, natural hair Barbz! Love ya. (Peace and blessings).

Hand in Hair Syndrome: Ways To Fight It

Have you ever caught yourself playing in hair? Taking each coil and twirling and stretching it? What about if you have twists or braids? You tend to "search" your hair for any section that feels funny and untwist and twist again. At the end of the week you have a frizzy mess. Well, I am a victim of Hand in Hair Syndrome. No wonder by the end of the week my twists are a big fuzz ball! It's not just the problem of the upkeep of your hair but pulling on it too much can cause breakage. There are ways to fight this. I call them super protective styles because there is no way to damage your natural hair unless you are seriously yanking on them. Extensions. Yes, braids, genie locs, and kinky twists are a few. Even a sew in weave, but be careful not to get your hair braided too tight. My preferred method for a quick fix is wigs, preferably lace front or full lace wigs because they have a natural hair line. I do not suggest gluing or taping it down because of the damage it could do to your hair line if you have an extended hair line. There are many brands that do no require this so do some shopping around if you are interested. The above pics are of a couple of styles that I recently purchased and thoroughly enjoy. Thanks natural hair Barbies and Peace and Blessings...

Commenting Issues....

....They have been fixed! The problem was with my background that I got off of another site so be aware! Anyways, feel free to comment on my post now! Peace and blessings.

Join the Challenge My Natural Hair Barbies!!!

I am joining a youtuber's natural hair challenge. Her name is Naturalbells on YT and Bellebells on Twitter. I am extending this challenge for my followers of my blog and for my youtube viewers. Here is her video for the rules: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8OZ0yzRBqM

Now, in the video she says to stick to your routine!!! So, here is my routine that I will be sticking to...
First, every other week I will shampoo with black soap and deep condition with my avocado/coconut mix. The other weeks it will be a co-wash. After the wash that will happen every sunday I will spray on some of my coconut oil/veggie glycerin mix for moisture, let that semi-dry, and then twist my hair with my whipped shea butter creme mix. The rest of the week I will rock my twists making sure to moisturize them every day and oil my scalp with my Jamaican black castor oil/coconut oil every other day. When my hair starts to get unbearably frizzy (which usually happens after the 3rd or fourth day) I will wear one of my wigs so that i will suppress my urge to mess in my hair. I do not want to mess in my hair until that Sunday!!! Reason being is that I notice that when my hair gets frizzy those last few days, I'm always taking out the twists instead of waiting. So I basically never stick to my weekly protective style routine. I want to give my hair a chance to rest and grow, reducing the chance of breakage by combing too much or pulling on it too much.
She also mentioned not adding any heat. Well, I'm already reluctant to actually apply heat to my hair. I was talking to this other natural in my area and she had a section of hair that would not return to curly because she straightened it too much. Granted she did do it more than I actually would ( I believe she said every Sunday) but it still shocked me and gave me a new realization of the damages of heat. I did want to straighten my hair, possibly on Valentine's day so we will see...who knows maybe before then. Until next time Barbies! Peace and blessings....

Knowledgeable Natural Divas: Ms. Sade Edwards

I am going to start doing posts featuring other natural hair females that give great advice concerning hair care and styles for transitioning and natural hair. The first person is my dear friend Sade who has a youtube channel, a blog, and is on twitter answering any questions that you need answered. She transitioned for 10 mos. and has now been natural for 2 mos. She has tons of transitioning tips. She is a flat twisting, cornrowing diva and she comes up with some very cute designs. Maybe if she gets more Youtube viewers she'll start doing more tutorials! lol (hint hint!) She is also very knowledgeable on Locs so any questions ask Ms. Sade!

Click here for her blog
Click here for her Youtube Channel
Click here for her twitter page!

Two More Twists Styles

Hello! Thought I'd share these styles with my blog followers!!! To see more angles of these hair styles visit my fotki album by clicking here. They're on the second and third page. The first style showcased was done recently. I've had the idea in my head for a while now. I'll admit I kind of hesitated because it was different and I was not sure how people would perceive it but in the end it's MY hair. As long as I like it, that's all that matters. Contrary to my previous thoughts many responded positively. Click here for the video.

The second hair style was an idea spin off from a fellow youtuber named naturalbells. I loved this style. The twist out kinda reminds me of a side fro hawk after I pinned it up which you can see in the third pic from the top. You can check out the tutorial by clicking here.
Of course all these styles were twisted using my whipped shea butter creme mix. Peace and Blessings!

Do You Still Have Dry Hair?

A few naturals have come to me asking me what they can do to combat their dry hair. They have their staple products such as conditioners, deep conditioners, shampoos and moisturizers. They also have a simple hair care routine. There are a few things that some people do not look at to assess whether or not their products are the culprits. As I've stated in my last post some "cones" can actually be drying to the hair for some people. So if you notice that after using the products that contain them your hair gets dryer, even brittle, stop using it. Another thing to look for is protein. Yes Protein is good for your hair...in moderation! If all your products contain protein you may experience a protein overload which can cause the hair to get hard and brittle. Also if you are doing protein treatments make sure to moisturize your hair well to prevent the drying and breaking. There are some other simple things to do such as shampooing less. Some people can shampoo every day, others can't. It depends on what your hair likes. As you should know, shampooing strips your hair of build up...along with your natural oils. If you have a need to shampoo often, do a pre-poo with one of your favorite oils. It will help retain some moisture. I also learned from a youtuber by the name of blackonyx that to seal in moisture follow this order: Add your water based moisturizer, then cream based and last oil based. A simple way that I do this is to use my shea butter creme mix. It contains all of that ! (lol)
So in conclusion, make sure to check out the ingredient list of your products, pre-poo before shampooing and moisturize following the order of water, creme, and oil. Peace and Blessings!

WTF is a Cone?!

LOL! That was my first thought when I hear about it. Well, enjoy the following facts!

There are two types of cones: water soluble and non water soluble. Water soluble are more preferred of course because they are easy to wash out. Non-soluble are hard to get rid of and can cause build up. Some peoples' hair are okay with 'cones. Some aren't. A way to know if your hair is not okay with them is when you use the products, your hair gets very dry and brittle and starts to break. Some people can use cones, some can use them sparingly and others can not use them at all. There is no one hair type or texture that can or can not use them so you will have to experience it for yourself. I can tell you that my hair is in between. I can not use cones on a daily basis or as leave-ins but it doesn't make my hair feel extra dry, just not moisturized. The following are lists of soluble and non-soluble cones.

Non-soluble:
amodimethicone (not in water by itself)
cetearyl methicone
cetyl dimethicone
cyclomethicone
cyclopentasiloxane
dimethicone (except if it has PEG in the front of it)
stearyl dimethicone
trimethylsilyamodimethicone
Soluble:
dimethicone copolyol
lauryl methicone copolyol
hydrolyzed wheat protien hydropropyl polysiloxane
stearoxy dimethicone (sparingly)
behenoxy dimethicone (sparingly)

Info pulled from: http://beautyandnature.wordpress.com/2008/09/05/attack-of-the-cones/