Hair Emergency

I recently had to fly out of town to deal with a family emergency and I had less than 24 hours to get out of dodge.  Well I was in the middle of a henna treatment when I had to make plans to leave town.  I also sterilized all my hair tools in preparation to make my own hair care products.  (I planned to make samples for family members and friends to get their input on my products.  More on that later.) Needless to say all my staples were being cleaned and dried and just not ready for use.  I also did not have any of my "hair crack" ready for use let alone travel and had to make some hard decisions.  What would I take with me to do my hair? I had to rely on products that could do multiple tasks, not spill in my bag and make it through security in case I only took a carry on.  Needless to say I had nothing prepared.  Oh did I mention my hair was in turmoil? Those of you who have tried henna treatments know they are a pain to rinse out and you need plenty of time to do so and I had to improvise.  I decided to focus on getting all the henna out because if it is not rinsed out properly it will dry out your hair and you will continue to see residue days later till your next wash or co-wash.  I figured I could do my hair on the plane and hoped for the best.  Since it is winter time I wanted to try a protective style which worked for my crisis because then I wouldn't have to worry about doing it while away.  I went with a two strand twist and this product:

I used this product in the beginning of my natural hair journey.  I did not have much success with this product despite the high reviews given by other curly haired mavens.  See my review.  But in my desperation and the fact that I was not going to wear my hair out I threw it in my carry on and ran out the door.  It was the ONLY PRODUCT I BROUGHT WITH ME! Talk about freaking out, I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best.  My usual regimen is to spray my hair with water and a mixture of oils daily and gel if needed.  I could not perform any of my nomal routines and was surprised at how this product worked on my hair.  This product provided me with great slip and I noticed it defined my curls beautifully as I finger detangled and twisted my hair.  It also moisturized it leaving it nice a soft.  Nothing worse than dry, crunchy hair!

Now I am not sure what made this product work better for me but I cannot wait to see what it looks like in a twist out.  Most of my twist outs look like waves and not the nice coils I see on other naturalistas.  I believe this product might do the trick.

One thing I did differently this time was:
1. Henna treatment
2. Conditioner (to rinse out henna)
3. No oils
4. No gels
5. No leave in conditioner
I believe that all the various products playing on my hair did not mesh well with the Shea Moisture Curly Enhancing Smoothie.  I also let my mother use it on her braid outs and her hair was instantly moisturized.  She also used it on her hair before bedtime and the next day her hair was more controlled and defined.  I      should have taken a picture but take my word for it, she looked great.

Second Chances,
CurlyBeautyBoss





What are your Shea Moisture success or distress stories? Have you given products a second chance and found they worked better for your hair?

Coconut Oil Uses

Let me start by saying I am a coconut oilaholic.  I use it on everything.  However, some forums boost 101 uses, 160 uses 333 uses of coconut oil and the list just goes on and on.  This blog is dedicated to the simple ways I use coconut oil that has worked for me.

This is the brand I am currently using.

I first started using coconut oil as part of my weight-loss regimen 2 years ago.  I went into the vitamin shop and asked about coconut oil and the girl there told me she uses it on her skin and hair.  My first thought was why would you want to put oil on your hair and skin it will make it, oily.  Especially since she had straight, fine, blond hair but her hair did not look greasy and heavy.  Instead it looked shiny, smooth and healthy and her skin was flawless.  But, I still was not convinced.  I was there to buy coconut oil to use in my cooking to help increase my metabolism and energy to lose weight.
            -use instead of butter on toast
            -cooking oil (it burns quickly)
            -baking

Eventuality, I did start to experiment with it on my skin.  It worked great! I would put it all over my body at night and my skin would be soooo soft and moisturized.  It did not clog my pores and make my skin greasy. I have an oily T-zone and am sensitive to new products as it will make my skin break out.  I had no issues with using coconut oil on my face.  As an added benefit it also has anti-aging and anti-wrinkle properties.
               -Eye cream
               -Pre-shave & After-shave
               -Moisturizer
               -Massage oil

I recently started using it as a makeup remover and it works great (see Eye Makeup).

Once I decided to go natural I started researching transitioning, big chop, hair regimens, etc.  What I found that was a staple in most naturalista's hair care was coconut oil! Well I already had coconut oil in my pantry so it was easy to start using it on my hair.  An issue for me was dry, brittle hair and when I started adding coconut oil it helped my hair become soft, moisturized and manageable.  What worked best for me:
           -Pre-poo conditioner
           -Moister sealer
           -Daily spritzer
           -Homemade hair products

Table Spoon of Coconut

Cocoholic,
CurlyBeautyBoss


What are your uses for coconut oil? Do you love it or hate it?