New do!

I think Bantu Knot twistout is my favorite hair style right now. My hair looks great!
Nappiness Leads to Happiness!

Rhassoul Clay Profile

So I ordered some Rhassoul Clay today:

Here is a little background:

Origin- Morocco
Extraction- 100% naturally occurring and naturally quarry mined
Shelf life- Indefinite (4-5 years recommended)

Other Common Names- Red Clay, Red Moroccan Clay, Ghassoul Clay, Oxide Clay.
Notes- The line of Rhassoul clay offered by Mountain Rose Herbs is quarry mined and sun dried from naturally occurring lake-side deposits and is untreated.

Specifications
Color- Light Gray with a hue of oxidized pink
Odor- Flat
Mesh Size- US #70-80 Mesh
Mineral Content
Silica- 58%
Aluminum- 2.47%
Iron- 0.64%
Sodium- 2.3%
Magnesium- 25.2%
Calcium- 2.34%
Moisture- <8%

What is Rhassoul and where does it come from?
From Morocco, comes this remarkable natural source, reddish brown cosmetic clay known as Rhassoul.

It has been used for over 1400 years as a soap, shampoo, and skin conditioner, and the finest spas across the globe currently utilize it for therapeutic benefits.
Mined deep beneath the Atlas Mountains in Eastern Morocco it must be extracted under extremely special conditions.

Through meticulous selection, and extensive contact with the raw material we are proud to offer this rich Rhassoul that is truly unique in quality and purity.
When first mined, Rhassoul clay appears as a polished brown, soap-like clay, which is chunky in appearance and resembling rocks. After further refinement and micronization, the end product is a smooth almost silken earth.

How does it work?

Because Rhassoul can be used for a variety of professional applications, it is an invaluable enhancement for spa treatments and for personal use. Its extraordinary power of absorption makes it more effective than other clays for cleansing, de-toxification, and general skin treatment.

It can be used as soap, skin conditioner, shampoo, and facial and body mask.
As Rhassoul contains higher percentages of silica and magnesium along with potassium and calcium, than other clays, Rhassoul appears to be far more effective. In addition to this, due to its greater smectic qualities, (i.e. its ability to swell with the addition of water) Rhassoul achieves better results in skin treatment.

The mineral properties of Rhassoul Clay were studied extensively and presented at the 12th meeting of the National Institute of Phytotherapy in Paris in 1985. Rhassoul Clay contains a high percentage of silica, magnesium, potassium, and calcium.

Rhassoul clay's most impressive properties in skin improvement are its capacity of absorption and adsorption due to its high level of ion exchange. Clinical studies have been conducted by two different research laboratories in the United States to evaluate Rhassoul use for skin conditions. The results of this single use Rhassoul study produced these findings….

Reduces dryness (79%)
Reduces flakiness (41%)
Improves skin clarity (68%)
Improves skin elasticity / firmness (24%)
Improves skin texture (106%)
Removes surface oil and oil from inside and around comedons
Removes dead skin layers, resulting in a general smoothing of the surface skin
In addition to the oil removal characteristics

All in all, I can't wait to use this!

I plan on using it for my hair and face, will post results when I receive it in the mail.

Nappiness Leads to Happiness!

Solved the itchies problem....

So I noticed that adding shampoo back to my hair "diet", lol, my scalp no longer itches like before. I also think that another factor was the cinammon I used in my Henna mix as well.

Oh I'm thinking about taking my hair care up a notch by adding Rasshoul clay to my arsenal, so I will have my final decision on whether to purchase the clay.

I will have the benefits of using Rasshoul clay posted tomorrow.

Later!
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Dirty redhead!

Wohooo my hair is black cherry! Yeah baby! Wohoo!

But dammit I can't get the color to show up in the pictures, however, when I look at my hair in the sunlight you can see the color clearly!

Totally red hot!

Can't wait to wear my puff!
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More henna and more henna!

Sunday night I did my second henna treatment and left it on overnight and well into Monday afternoon, and boy did my hair come out red! Well, not really red, but more black cherry, which I like!

But that wasn't enough for me, so right now I am sitting with a third henna treatment in my hair. Now before you start calling me a henna addict, this will be my last henna treatment until the end of March. As much as I love henna'ing my hair, I don't want my hair to be completely red so I am going to dial back on the henna.

On another note, do you believe that it hasn't even been a month yet since I've let my fro go free? It feels like time is slowly slipping by. Weirdness.

However, I can't WAIT to see how my how hair looks for the summer, its going to be fabulous!

Gives it a kick!

I added this into my conditioner last night and HOLY batman it gave me great slip!

No tangles, no knots at the end, my hair LOVES IT!

Oh and I finally shampooed my hair last night and so far my scalp appreciates it.

Nappiness Leads to Happiness!

Pictures Time!!!!!!!!!

Here is my journey into henna world!














Nappiness Leads to Happiness!

Holy softness!

Last night I did bantu knots on my hair using Lustrasilk Shea butter and mango conditioner and holy grail my hair was sooooo soft! I am going to use this the next time I do bantu knots on my hair!

I don't care for it as a deep condtioner but for my twists out? I will definitely be using this amazing product!

Here are pictures of my bantu knot out:





Now here are the results!






My hair looks soooo pretty! This is my favorite way to get my chunky fro!

Hola!

So this morning I decided to pick up some more conditioner since I'm on the look out for a new conditioner. So I decided to switch things up and purchase Suave Naturals Fresh Mountain Strawberry and Juicy Green Apple conditioner. Hopefully my hair will appreciate them, lol
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Ha!

Just checked with my mom and she said that me henna'ing my little sister hair was a one time thing. Yay more henna for me!!!!!!!!!!

So since I have 300g and I plan on henna'ing my hair at least every other week, I'm trying to figure out how much henna to buy since I don't want to keep buying henna every damn week! But if I do order henna should it be Yemen or Jamila? Because I have no clue!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Nappiness Leads to Happiness!

Well hello there!

I love henna, I love henna on my hair, and dammmit I plan on doing another henna treatment tomorrow night when I get home. I also plan on buying more henna as I need a personal stash.

The only downside is that my mother is talking about henna'ing my little sister hair AGAIN, but check this, my kid sister needs 200g of Jamila henna for her hair which is two boxes compare to the ONE, 100g box that I use(she has WAY more hair than me), so um mom dukes you got to pay up because she's dipping into my damn stash, no joke here.

So I think if I order the Yemen Henna + Jamila henna, I should have it by Tuesday, Wednesday the latest and I can probably squeeze in a henna treatment before Friday. It's my cousin 18th birthday and my fro will be making an appearance, since I can't stand that damn wig, lol.

So I'm pushing for two henna treatments this week! Wish me luck lol.

Hmm, maybe I can do two consecative henna treatments in a row, no harm to my hair, so why not?

Nappiness Leads to Happiness!

Henna, henna and more henna!

So it's been a henna frenzy in my house! I henna my baby sister hair and it looks fab! Her hair is more dark black/brown and it came out nicely. As I type this, I am thinking about ordering Yemen henna since it has a higher dye count. So I'm thinking of ordering 500g of Yemen henna and storing it in my freezer? Yes? Then its a plan!
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Soo...

My hair is red!!!!!!!!!

I LOVE IT!

but I have another issue that I mentioned before.

My itchy, non flaky scalp.

I think I am going to have to stop using the oils until I figure out what's wrong with my scalp.

Which I don't mind, because not for nothing, as long as I take care of my body, drink water, and moisturize my scalp my hair will grow.

I will however switch to Moe growth potion to help with my itchies because that ingredient calls for jojoba oil which help with scalp itches.

We will see what happens...

ETA:So I did a search on nappturality.com and someone said that Suave Coconut conditioner makes her hair itch, hmmm, I use Suave Coconut conditioner....maybe I need to cut back on the co-washes(make it once a week) and start shampooing my hair more often(maybe once a week as well).

So I think I am going to cut down on the co washing, use Giovanni conditioner and start applying Jojoba oil to my scalp and see what happens.
Nappiness Leads to Happiness!

So....

I couldn't wait...I am sitting right now with henna in my hair! Can't wait to see how my hair comes out!

Will post pics soon!

PS- My scalp is clean, but parts of my scalp is itchy...its annoying.


Nappiness Leads to Happiness!

No henna today...

My family is going through an emergency so we are babysitting my cute cousins. So I have NO time to do my henna.

Nappiness Leads to Happiness!

Soooo.....

I am mixing my henna mix as we speak!

So I boiled 4 tea bags, added some clove, acv and cinnamon
Now I am ready to mix!


Nappiness Leads to Happiness!

My HENNA arrived!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!


Now I'm waiting for my second batch of Henna and dried lemons!

Nappiness Leads to Happiness!

Likes and Dislikes....

My hair likes:

Suave Natuarls Coconut Conditioner
Coconut Oil
Olive Oil
Water
Qhemet Biologics Burdock Root Cream + Olive and Honey Hydrating Balm
Wide tooth comb
Herbal Rinses


My hair hates:

Shea butter
Most essential oils












Nappiness Leads to Happiness!

Omg my hair is growing!

I did my first comb out fro and goodness its big!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so happy! My mom looked at my hair and she couldn't believe how much my hair grew!

My only issue is detangling my hair after the twist out so I won't lose so much hair.
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Henna for Beginners....

So I made the plunge and purchased Henna today from Mehandi.com
Now Henna has great conditioning qualities and it makes your hair stronger with continuous use and you can safely use it to dye your hair.

I mean I can make my hair stronger AND color my hair?

Fucking great!

Curly Nikki Henna mix plus some other stuff I read:

100g of Jamila Henna
Brew mixture of 4 tea bags, 3 tbs of clove, and 1 dried lemon
2 tablespoons of Honey before applying to hair

Steps
Pour Henna into bowl
Mix cool brew in slowly until the henna is mash potato like in mixture
add acv


Cover with shower cap and let sit overnight

Once the top of the henna is brown its ready!

Add honey to stretch

Next day

Wash hair and let dry

Then apply to my hair from neck up and mash through my scalp!
Cover with saran wrap and 3 scarves


Morningtime

Rinse Henna with cool water from my hair throuoghly.
Deep Condition for at least 2 hours
Rinse
Style as normal

Here is a pictorial from CurlyNikki:

http://www.curlynikki.com/2008/12/henna-pictorial.html


Nappiness Leads to Happiness!

Herbal Rinse time...

My hair LOVES it!
It really rinses my scalp clean and it nourishes my hair.
I love to do a herbal rinse after my co-wash, it really makes my hair feel clean

I infuse Nettle, Sage, Coltsfoot, Burdock, and Horsetail and then wash my scalp with it.

I can't wait to have healthy hair!

Nappiness Leads to Happiness!

Pictures Time!!!!!!!!!!

Here is my hair twisted with Shea butter:


Now here is my hair twisted with Qhemet Biologics:



Now here is my side view with Shea butter:


Now here is my hair with Qhemet Biologics BRBC:


Notice the difference hair textures?

Here are more photos:

Top view with Shea butter twist:


Top view with BRBC:


Here are more twist photos:


More twist:






My hair really likes this cream and my hair feels amazingly soft, so like I stated before, I am going to give this products three weeks and then we shall see.

But so far, so good.



Nappiness Leads to Happiness!

Maybe its just me?

It seems to me that my hair is not a big fan of shea butter. When I first started using shea butter to moisturize my hair, it was fine, but as time went on, my hair would feel hardish, especially my ends, and when I undo the twist my hair wasn't soft and it was very tangled.

So with sad regret, I am going to have to stop using shea butter for my hair, BUT I WILL continue to use the shea butter for my face! My skin LOVES it and it should help get rid of the dark marks.

So all is not lost.

Now since I no longer use shea butter to moisturize my hair, I am once again on the hunt to find a good moisturizer for my hair.

Which once again led me to my favortie natural hair website, nappturality.com

So I skimmed the boards looking for a good moisturizer for my very fine, very dry, type 4ab hair.

Well everyone was raving about Qhemet Biologics products. So OF Course I read every thread about their products and and visited the company's web site.

And lo and behold a lot of their ingredients are included in my herbal rinses so that is one major plus.

So after much deliberation, I decided to purchase their Burdock Root buttercream......

And so far I really like it, the jury will be out on it after a month of useage, but so far my hair likes it.

Time will tell...
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One step at a time...

I have to be patient, I have to be patient, PATIENCE!!!!!



I can't expect to grow my hair overnight, I can't expect to wake up tomorrow with a head full of hair, I have to keep my hands out of my hair and just let it do its thing. I have to stop looking at other people photos and compare lengths, it's not going to do me any good and its only going to leave me discourage.

I am happy to be finally taking care of my hair, so I need to keep my mind, hands, and thoughts off my hair.

As long as I take care of my body, drink lots of water, and take my vitamins, the hair will grow.



Nappiness Leads to Happiness!

Picture Post

I've decided to take a picture of my hair every month, but I won't measure it until July 23(that would be six months).

So here are some pictures that I took yesterday:






So nothing really new with my hair, I "feel" like its growing but I can't be too sure, but whatever, I just want healthy hair right now.

I did my herbal rinse and my hair felt GREAT, I love how my scalp feels afterwards, it stinks like hell but its no biggie.

I hope it works!

Nappiness Leads to Happiness!

So my hair today

So I added another "step" to my weekly routine.

Herbal Rinses.

So here is one of the benefits of a herbal rinse:

The reason why I use a final rinse after shampooing is due to the fact that the hair's cuticles and the scalp's pores remain open (depending on the texture of your hair). Thereby allowing the herbal infusion of plant proteins & nutrients to enter into the cuticle and eventually down into the papilla (the root that receives the nutrients from the follicle).

When my hair dries and the cuticles start to close the nourishment of the herbal rinse stays locked in.

My hair is clean and full of nourishment ready for styling, plaiting, twisting, cornrow etc..

It's always a good idea to select the right herbs that will provide your hair with nourishment and softness.

So guess who went out and purchased some herbs???

me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The herbs I am going to use are horsetail, nettle, sage, and burdock. I will use them as a final rinse.

Here are some photos

Herbs that I use:


and the oils I use for my spritzes and my scalp:



Nappiness Leads to Happiness!

So far...

I am pretty happy with my hair at the moment.
It is extremely soft and manageable, no more breakage, and did I memtioned that its extremely soft?

I LOVE IT!

So far my hair likes my routine and has not reacted negatively to the oils, which is a very good thing. I am going to try a henna treatment next week, so that should be fun. I will definitely post pictures.

Pictures coming up next!