Say hello to air drying!

I did a hot-oil treatment today and then I air-dried my hair! It felt good, no heat! I moisturised my hair, combed it back and let it air dry and after about 2 hours my hair was completely dry. I am definitely going to continue air drying my hair instead of blow drying it (unless I am in a hurry to go out). This strategy is often part of the regimens of the long-haired women's blog I follow. Minimum heat is key. I am going to buy a long silk scarf to cover my head and make the front smooth, although they pretty much are.

Watch the following video for a more in-depth explanation:

Bye bye blow-drying!

Making my own shea butter cream

 

I have realised how important it is to keep your hair moisturised. Before commencing this journey I did not like moisturising my hair because I was afraid it would get too 'dirty', not knowing the hair feeds on moisture. I am currently using Luster's Pink Oil as my daily moisturiser. I have had to ditch the Apple Hair Food and Indian Hemp cream because they contain Petroleum which isn't good for your hair. I want to add Shea Butter cream to my daily hair moisturiser/sealant, so I will have two products. I don't want to be using too many different moisturisers on my hair.

As I mentioned earlier, my mum returned from her holiday this morning and I broke the news to her. To my surprise she brought a can of solidified shea butter with her. This butter is good for the body and for the hair. If I wanted to explain the benefits of this cream, it would take all day. Winter is coming and I need a good protectant, so I will be going shopping with my mum to buy the extra ingredients to make this concoction. I have a spare plastic bottle ready to fill it up with. Instead of buying the Unrefined Shea Butter product from the shops (which I failed to find), I will just prepare my own daily moisturiser. I've got the solidified shea butter already.

What I will then do next:

Shea Butter Hair and Skin Homemade Recipe
- 1.5 cup of Shea Butter
- ½ Cup of coconut oil
- 1 tsp. Of Vitamin E Oil (preservative)
- ½ ounce of fragrance oil/lavender

Heat shea butter slowly in a medium sized saucepan until the butter is in liquid form. When it is liquid add in the coconut oil and mix/whip it around until both are incorporated and it becomes thicker. While it is still somewhat liquid, add the Vitamin E oil and the fragrance oil.

Whip the mixture again (for about 30 minutes). The consistency should resemble yogurt in smoothness. Add some fragrance oil. When you have reached the desired consistency you can spoon your finished product into a container. Use as often as needed as a daily skin and hair moisturizer. This is a very good replacement for commercial hair oils and skin lotions.

Shea butter has numerous benefits for hair and skin:

• Shea butter provides moisture to dry and damaged hair from the roots to the tips, leaving it healthy and shiny. Because it's rich in vitamins A and E, shea butter soothes dryness, repairs breakage, and mends split ends.
• Shea butter absorbs quickly and completely into the scalp without clogging pores, leaving a greasy residue, or causing a buildup of oil or dandruff.
• Shea butter protects hair from weather damage caused by wind, humidity, and extreme dryness, and repairs such damage.
• Because it's rich in moisture and can shield against harmful ultraviolet radiation, shea butter protects hair from sun damage.
• If your hair has endured chemical treatments, hot irons, and blow-dryers, shea butter can restore its moisture and vitality.

More information #1
More Information #2

So I told my mum...

My mum came back from her holiday in Nigeria today. I broke the news to her about me going natural. She was sooo happy about it! I didn't know she would be this pleased. She told me how she had been praying for me to come to the realisation. I liked it because if she had told insisted on me going natural I probably would've brushed it off, I came to my own realisation. She did always prefer me leaving my natural hair out.
So I explained my whole journey to her, showed her the products I bought and just everything. She was really happy. I'm happy too. I have completely stopped the whole sowing weave into my hair using needles and threads, natural all the way.

Yay! My mum supports me all the way. This will make everything much easier!

To buy: Jamaican Black Castor Oil

I can't say much because I'm speechless, having been astounded by the countless amazing youtube and article reviews of this product. It has done wonders. I am not going to buy it until I've finished my normal castor oil that I bought a couple of days ago. JBCO is around £15 but it is its money's worth. I saw it at the hair shop when I went shopping for my hair care products but and its price put me off. I stumbled upon it yesterday and read the reviews. I still don't know how many people do don't know about this oil. It is different to the regular castor oil because of its ash content due to the roasting of the beans, having been manufactured the oil fashioned way in Jamica. Therefore, the more ash content, the more effective the oil. This is not a myth, it is evidence based on scientific facts. It has helped to thicken and grow hair at a fast rate. I can't wait to get mine!

What's your goal?

What's your goal?

(click for a larger view)

I am currently touching the neck length.

My goal is between the armpit length and the bra-strap length. 

Curly Natural Hair Styles (blackhair101.com)

Braid Out

There are two types of braid outs, ordinary three section plaits and cornrow plates. They both look good when done properly and are a hard hairstyle to mess up.

STEP 1- Wash Hair with natural shampoo. You can use whatever shampoo you want to but the adage on this site is ‘the less chemicals in shampoo the better’. Wash hair only once, see how to shampoo hair for further details.

STEP 2- Condition Hair- Don’t just use an ordinary run of the mill conditioner, use a deep conditioner. I use a select few deep conditioners based on my hair needs at the time (protein or moisture).

STEP 3- Go under the overhead dryer for fifteen minutes to deep condition or put hair in a shower cap and then allow your body heat to penetrate for two to three hours. I usually do this.

STEP 4- Rinse out deep conditioner and air dry hair.

STEP 5- Your hair should be soft and well moisturized. When hair is partially dry it should still feel silky. Apply your favorite oil to seal in this lovely moisture. I use castor oil for sealing. I usually use coconut oil for my weekly hot oil treatments.

STEP 6- Part hair in small or large sections and then cornrow it. The bigger the parts the bigger the waves the smaller the parts, the tinier the waves. To achieve the style above I did my hair in 10 parts.

Setter Waves

STEP 1- Wash hair with natural shampoo.

STEP 2- Condition Hair- deep condition with a moisture rich deep conditioner. For this style I used Organic Root Stimulator Hair Mayonnaise Treatment or natural treatment.

STEP 3- Rinse out hair after you have either used the over head dryer for fifteen minutes or allowed your body heat to steam hair.

STEP 4- Set hair with medium sized rollers (not the jumbo ones or the tiny ones) and allow to air dry or go under the dryer for 30 minutes and then air dry.

Crunched Style

If you really want volume, you can try the crunched look. This requires minimum fuss for me in the week and is so easy to do. This style was created on a previously done curly style.

STEP 1- Spray hair with a combo of water and oil (I used coconut oil) until slightly damp.

STEP 2- Part hair in six sections.

STEP3- Plait hair and leave to air dry.

Courtesy

Soon to post and buy...

• Baggy treatment
• My Hair regime
• Tips page updated!

To buy:

• Large rollers
• Shea butter

Keep following!

Satin Hair Net and Peppermint Oil review

Hey guys, so during my bulk hair shopping activity I bought a satin hair net, called 'The String Triangle'. Satin materials are good for the hair as it reduces the possibility of breakage and locks in moisture. I have been using it for the past couple of days before I go into bed and use my laptop, not even sleep, thus my hair will be protected before I go into actual sleep. The effects on my hair have been very positive, when I wake up in the morning, I won't have messy sleep hair (like I would with my previous nets), but my hair would be so smooth. I usually tight tie my hair back in a protective style then tie on the material. My hair wakes up in place. Good stuff.

Peppermint Oil Review

Anything that tingles is good. That should be my motto. I use Clean and Clear daily washing facial cream when I shower and when I rub the cream onto my face, it gives me sort of pepperish, tingling sensation on my face. It doesn't hurt at all but I love the feeling. It leaves my face very smooth.  Peppermint oil contains numerous minerals and nutrients including magnesium, calcium, manganese, iron, folate, potassium, and copper. It also contains omega-3 fatty acids, Vitamin A and Vitamin C.

Peppermint oil has the same effect, but with hair what I find very vital is that it increases blood circulation on the scalp to help promote hair growth, especially for people suffering from hair loss. Some people don't grow much hair in some parts of their scalp. My hair grows slowly at the top corner of my scalp in front. Every night I would wrop one finger touch of oil onto the area and cover my hair with the satin. Well, today, being day #5 and I can say my hair growth is amazing. The hairs have just been sprouting out and I feel like with continuous use, within a month my hair growth at the front parts will be remarkable. I love peppermint oil. 

I want to try something as my dad grows peppermint leaves at the backyard. I could boil the leaves and use the water to rinse my hair the first time during the wash then just use normal water to wash it again. I will see how that goes. Natural all the way!!!

Decrease relaxer usage

Hey guys,
So you know how this journey is also about making mistakes and learning from it or just simply making changes to routines. Well indeed. I have come to some realisation about using relaxers. I am going to decrease the use of relaxers to just twice a year. I like how the relaxers straighten my hair but I want to decrease using it to see how the effects on my hair would be otherwise, regardless of it being no-lye or not harsh.

--------------------------------------
Change - 27/08/2012
Okay, guys I'm editting this post. I spoke to my good friend Chi (who aswell is going natural) and she adviced me to completely stop the use of relaxers. After talking to her I realised and I remembered my previous picture post displayed the hair of big haired women. After I took out my last weave my hair was very thick (and as you all know, thick hair CAN be hard to tame), I relaxed it and although I maintained some thickness and got my hair to be straight, I felt guilty. It sounds crazy right? I know, but I felt like the relaxer was too much of an unnatural hair care for my hair. Yes, thick hair can be difficult but there's nothing wrong about that. You can look for other ways to make your hair straight and manageable instead of taking the chemical route. Forget it, even if it says ''soft on hair'' or No-lye, yes they are good benefits, but no, it is still full of chemicals that are harsh. Natural as best as possible, is the way.
I did a mayo treatment on my hair a few days ago and I was very pleased with the result. So yeah, this means I'm coming off relaxers for now, I want that thick hair. I'm happy with where my hair journey is taking me and with the lessons I am learning. Thanks to my friends and personal experiences - the true eye openers.

Shopping for the journey!

(Click on the picture to enlarge it)

Okay, so today I did a huge hair shopping. See when you're busy doing weaves you don't really see the need to buy creams, oils and tools for your natural hair. But upon having started this journey, I realised there was the need to purchase hair care products, such need I have never experienced before. It felt weird. Yes, I had to adjust because my natural hair just achieved some level of importance in my life.

In the above picture, the oils and creams that I bought at my local hair shop are shown, the other stuff I bought will be explained too.

Stay On Satin Night Scarf - designed with a string that can be tied to lock in moister and prevent breakage at nighttime. Silk scarfs are the way forward.

Oils and creams:

• Luster's Pink Original - Vitamin E revives damaged hair, Vitamin B5 protects and conditions hair, heat protection. Many of my friends that often use natural hair make use of this cream and the effects are very obvious. It's an amazing, silky smooth cream.
• Indian Hemp (top) - I cannot stress how much this natural herbal cream blesses black hair. I have known its benefits as I also had a tiny container version. The ingredient label made me smile: coconut oil, sweet almond oil, rosemary oil, avocado oil, saflower oil, soy protein, Indian Hemp Herb etc. Packed up with so much goodness!
• 100% Coconut Oil
• 100% Jojoba Oil - this was expensive!!! I asked one of the shop assistants and he said the best ones are the most expensive ones. Fair enough.
• 100% Pure Peppermint Oil
• 100% West Indian Castor Oil

I decided these are the oils and creams that I will be making use of throughout my hair regime.

Sprays/Shampoo/Conditioner (not in the picture)

• Bristows Extra Firm Hold - for my curls!
• Elasta QP Hair Gel Organic Infusion + Olive Oil - for when I want to pack up my hair. Ingredients: water, coconut oil, olive oil, vitamin A, vitamin C, Avocado Oil (full of vitamins!)
• Schwarzkopf Hair Repair Liquid Silk Shampoo - Repair Innovation with liquid Keratin (affordable!)
• Herbal Essences Moisture Balancing Conditioner - Aloe Vera, Chamomile and Passion Flower

There were so many hair care products but I took my time to select the products that would do no harm to my hair and select out the good and natural ingredients. Some products had zero natural ingredients in them and all I kept reading was sulphate, petroleum this and that. There were many more good oils sold in the hair shops but I felt these ones were sufficient and had the best qualities. Although my bank account did not like this shopping, it will be a one off and I can keep consistency in my hair care. My hair must be happy right now.

Ps: I bought a spray bottle so I can mix in the oils and spray onto my hair sparingly when doing my treatments.

My current hair length

  

So these are pictures of my hair, after trimming (which I won't be doing for another 2 months as part of my regime), and as you can see, they are touching my shoulder lengths. 

Bye, Bye weave!

Okay so I just took out my last weave! No more weaves as from today. I wanted to get it out so quickly and to just feel the breeze flow through my hair. Its feels sooo good. I realised how horrible I've been treating my hair, sowing threads through it and just having to pick out the threads from my hair, which have inevitably caused breakage. 

Anyways, right now, I'm going to lightly comb my hair with a wide-toothed comb and relax it for 15 minutes maximum. After that I will airdry it at a low temperature, trim the ends, rub in some Indian Hemp cream and post up a picture of my current hair length. And so, my natural hair journey commences today. Wednesday, 22nd August 2012.

Video: 10 tips for growing strong healthy long hair

I really love her tips!

Tutorial Video: Relaxing Hair and Setting It

I watched this tutorial video and I love how she demonstrates the ease at which a girl can relax her hair and then style it after. I realised I needed to get me some big rollers as they give your hair more width. When her hair was dripped with water it looked very straight, but after the rollers, she managed to style her hair out very well. Shows how natural hair can be styled beautifully.  I noticed that she has my hair texture.

Relaxing my hair today...

 

This morning I woke up with this continuous itchy scalp under my weave. I was waiting till the end of the month to start my journey, so that it can grow under the tracks but it seems like I am just too excited to start and the weave is displeasing me. Today I will take off the weave and I will be relaxing the undergrowth of my hair. I haven't relaxed my hair in about 4/5 months and I plan to keep it that way, relaxing it just 3 times a year.

Again, I will stress the fact that there is nothing wrong about relaxers, as long as you ''look for the good ingredients'', know the texture of your hair and thereby know how to avoid the harsh/strong ones.

Now I stumbled upon these packets of Profective No-Lye relaxers today, my mum makes good choices. Until I made this decision to go natural, If I'm honest, I never really payed much attention to the labels, I was going to fix on a weave anyways. 

Benefits of Profective No-Lye Relaxer:

- Anti-damage and no-lye; lye relaxers come in around the 12-14 range, no-lye relaxers have a pH of 9-9.5. The lower PH makes it a milder type of chemical to expose a scalp to.

- Conditioning and moisturising

- Comes with BreakFree leave-in strengthening cream to stop chemical damage and breakage; this can be applied to hair before relaxing AND after relaxing to neutralise hair

- Anti-breakage Strenghtening Cream; daily after-care, prevents breakage, split-ends and dryness

More description:
Blend of natural oils, minerals and proteins that strengthen hair.

• Strength + growth - wheat, oat and soy proteins
• Restore + rebuild - wheat germ, olive, flax seed and jojoba oils
• Hi-shine + heat protection - silk amino acids, and avocado, coconut and grape seed oils

According to other reviews, it leaves hair shiny and healthy. I have used it before but I did not appreciate its benefits, I am soo happy to find this in my house. This is what Rochelle (Blackhairgrow.com) uses, having now achieved her 18' long hair.

My hair colour in light?

I was bored on this occasion so I decided to part my hair this way. A backview picture is coming soon so you can see the exact length.

My hairdoll braids..

I'm so happy I finally learned how to braid! Quickly too! Thank you doll! I have been experimenting with different styles.

Family notice

My mum is not aware about my decision to go natural. I'm sure she wouldn't mind. She didn't let me use weave until I was like 14 and I understood her plight. Apparently it makes a girl look older than she is and when a girl shows her natural hair it tends to make her look younger. My mum would probably like my decision, sometimes she wants me to leave my hair out instead of fixing weaves upon weaves. Don't worry, I'm progressing.

External Article: Henna Hair Dye

This is a very healthy way to get red and other reddish color variations, without the damaging effects of synthetic products, providing that you use body art quality  henna, your hair will love you for this because unlike its synthetic counterparts henna will keep your hair soft, shiny, easy to manage and give you gorgeous colors!

Ingredients:
1-cup henna (body art quality)
1-cup lemon/orange juice/grapefruit juice (chamomile tea is also an option)
1/2 cup to 1 cup filtered water (try to avoid chlorinated water)

Method:
In a mixing bowl that you can afford to be stained red, mix henna and lemon juice. Any of the acidic juices listed above can work just as well. Add 1/2-cup water pouring on the mixture until it has a yogurt like consistency. Cover bowl with a plastic wrap and leave for 12 hours.

After 12 hours at 24 C the henna is ready to be used. In preparation you need old towels or rags, protection for the floor around you and also plastic gloves to do the application. Use the same precautions as dying your hair; protect your neck and clothes as far as possible before you begin. Apply a light coat of Vaseline along the hairline and forehead to protect these areas from being stained.

Part your clean and dried hair in four parts. Put on your gloves, your hands will be stained if you do not do this. Apply the henna using your fingers beginning at the hair roots, working your way through the four sections till all the hair is covered. Work henna paste all the way to the ends of the hair for each section.

When all the hair is evenly covered, your hair should be generously coated with henna, pile the hair on top of your head–fasten it with a clip and put on a plastic cap–some persons use a saran wrap, a plastic cap is easier to maneuver if you are doing this alone. Over the plastic cap tie a towel or a bandana over the cap for added heat. This will prevent the henna from drying out too quickly and keep the heat trapped on your head.

For deeper, richer color stay under the plastic cap for a minimum of two hours. The longer the henna is in the hair the deeper and richer the color and the more it will stain your hair. Also, if you go under an overhead dryer for 30 minutes this will hasten the coloring process and does wonders for your final hair color.

Rinse out the henna paste from your hair with room temperature water and conditioner. Do not use shampoo at this stage.

The final, glorious color will be revealed the older the dye stays on your hair.

Please note: For longer hair 2 cups henna to 2 cups lemon/orange.

Courtesy: Black Hair 101

Hair Butters

Hair butters together with coconut oil can be used to make a hair gel. Instead of using the usual seethrough hair gels from the shops, you can make your own using a hair butter.

What are hair butters?
Hair butters are pressed from various nuts, fruits, and plants that have nutrients in them that are good for the hair and skin. Examples of some of these pressed trees and plants are: shea, mango, cocoa, avocado and hemp. For years various cultures in Africa have been using these butters for skin and hair with great results.

Nutrition Benefits
They are easy to absorb in the skin and hair and have the capability of renewing the skin by speeding up skin cell regeneration. They are rich in Vitamin E, the healing vitamin, and hair butters are known to assist in the softening of hair and assisting in hair growth. These natural butters are far better for your skin and hair than any commercially prepared concoction, they are easily absorbed by the body, allows moisture to flow back and forth. Your skin and hair stays clear and moisturized when you use these butters and the best thing about the butters is that they are all natural.

Types of Butters
There are several hair butters on the market that are very useful for black hair. These butters are a great alternative to several beauty and hair products on the market. Some of them are:

• Shea Butter
• Mango Butter
• Avocado Butter
• Cocoa Butter
• Hemp Butter

I personally would recommend Shea Butter. You can find these products at your local hair shop, just ask.

Hair Oils

There are so many good and natural oils that can be used to promote the growth and strength of your hair. You can by these essential oils in shops and add them to your hair creams, conditioners and shampoos if you will. Because our hair is tender, we need to put in more effort into caring for it naturally by avoiding the use of harsh chemicals.

• Olive Oil - Only olive oil that is labelled “extra virgin” guarantees that the oil has been cold pressed from freshly harvested olives and does not contain chemicals. For relaxed/permed hair ladies excessive chemical use can cause hair damage, olive oil contains antioxidants that promotes a healthy hair  and scalp. Olive oil strengthens and smooths hair cuticles.
• Coconut Oil - Coconut oil consists of more than ninety percent of saturated fats Vitamin-E and Vitamin K and minerals such as Iron. Coconut oil is considered one of the best natural nutrition for hair. t is an excellent conditioner and helps in the re-growth of damaged hair. It also provides the essential proteins required for nourishing damaged hair and it softens the hair and conditions the scalp.
• Jojoba Oil - Jojoba is a traditional treatment in many cultures for relieving skin problems and promoting hair growth. It is effective in reducing dandruff and for moisturizing very dry skin.
• Almond Oil - The nutrients in almond oil make it an ideal solution to many hair problems and to maintain healthy hair. The combination of fats and fatty acids in almond oil softens, strengthens and nourishes the hair. Almond oil has been recommended as a hair growth agent for centuries..With the benefits of Vitamin E and potassium, almond oil helps with hair fall out and breakage as a natural hair loss treatment. In the event of dry scalp, almond oil nourishes and moisturizes the scalp, and removes the flakiness.
• Avocado Oil - It is full of vitamins that your hair needs like vitamins A, E, D and potassium. If you want a super deep conditioner treatment without having to buy a commercial preparation, you can add avocado oil to the other carrier oils and you will definitely feel and see the difference.
• Peppermint Oil - helps to stimulate blood flow to the root of the hair. This is very important for hair as it helps the hair to receive proper nourishment. This in turn will lead to hair growth. That tingly feeling when peppermint oil is felt on the scalp is actually the stimulation of  blood flow to hair.
• Vitamin E Oil - Proper circulation leads to thriving hair follicles  which leads to hair growth. Vitamin E contains valuable antioxidants that help to keep the immune system up and improves circulation to all parts of the body, including the scalp. When added to homemade products, Vitamin E extends their shelf life. This oil  offers protection for the scalp and skin.
• Castor Oil - It nourishes hair and prevents the scalp from drying by retaining moisture. Castor oil added to hair care products helps to seal moisture, softens, and visibly thickens hair. Castor oil can also be used by itself on the hair to seal in moisture. It can be used to grow your eyebrow hair.

Go to your local hair or beauty store and ask for any of these oils. They work wonders!
More information

Hair treatments

Hair treatments will bless your natural hair with a load of protein, especially if you suffer from dry and breaking hair. Natural and homemade conditioner treatments are better than those from the shops. It is low-cost and quite literally, a miracle worker. These treatments require the use of a showercap to be able to trap heat and open up the hair and make it more porous, also referred to as ''the greenhouse effect''. These treatments can be done every 2 weeks.

Mayonnaise Treatment (Youtube tutorial)
Purchase some mayonnaise at your local grocery store. It doesn’t matter which brand you choose, just as long as it is regular mayonnaise.

1. Prep your hair using warm water to get it nice and damp, but not soaking wet.
2. Scoop some mayonnaise out of the jar and start rubbing it through your hair like you would a conditioner. The amount that you are going to use really depends on the length and thickness of your hair. Feel free to lather on the amount that you feel most comfortable with.
3. Wrap your head of hair with a plastic wrap, a plastic bag, or shower cap to trap the heat inside. Heat opens the pores and allows the treatment to penetrate strands further and thus work better.
4. Let the treatment sit on the hair for 1-2 hours.
5. Wash the mayonnaise out. This is most easily done in the shower using a diluted shampoo. You may need to shampoo a few times before you are able to get all of the mayonnaise out. Be sure to use the shampoo gently, not tangling the hair. Using a towel, rub gently to soak out the water.

Olive Oil Moisturising Treatment
Olive oil is one of the top oils that is known to penetrate the hair better than others. That doesn’t just mean that it nourishes and conditions. An olive oil treatment can improve the elasticity and strength of your hair far better than other essential oils. It contains anti-inflammatory properties that promote scalp health and prevent dandruff.

1. Take 1/4 cup olive oil and pop it in the microwave for 30 seconds.
2. Part your hair into four sections and apply the warm olive oil to your scalp, section by section. Make sure to work the olive oil from the scalp to the ends of your hair.
3. Put a plastic cap on your hair and let the olive oil work its magic for 30 minutes.
4. Remove the cap. Shampoo, condition, and style your hair as usual.

Coconut Milk Treatment

Coconut milk is rich in protein and fatty acids, which makes it great for conditioning, strengthening and minimizing hair breakage. It also protects you hair from the UV damage of constant sun exposure. 

1. You’ll need: 1 cup coconut milk, 1 peeled and mashed avocado, 1 tbsp of honey.
2. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. 
3. You can apply cool mixture directly to hair, or preheat mixture in microwave for 30-45 seconds. 
4. When applying, massage mixture into hair and scalp. 
5. Wrap hair in a hot towel or cover with shower cap for 15 min-60 min. 
6. Rinse out with shampoo/conditioner and style as usual.

Honey Treatment

Honey is a natural humectant, which means that it holds on to water molecules. This makes it a great moisturizer. Honey hair treatments are great for conditioning hair and adding sheen. Honey is also super rich in sulfur, iron, zinc and vitamins B1, B2, B3- all nutrients that aid in hair growth.

1. You’ll need: ½ cup honey, 2 tablespoon olive oil (Be sure to apply to freshly shampooed hair)
2. Mix honey with olive oil. 
3. Heat mixture in microwave for 30 seconds. 
4. Apply to hair, then cover head with shower cap for 15-30 minutes.
5. Rinse out with conditioner and style as usual.

Look for the good ingredients...

When buying any haircare product it is very important to look at the contents of it. This picture of my Oil Sheen Conditioning Spray shows the ingredients: jojoba & almond oil which is very good for growth. It is not a harsh conditioning spray and it includes natural oils, to provide shine. Care for your hair this way..

What isn't there to love about big hair?

Hair care has no price

I have been doing some browsing of good haircare products on the beauty store Superdrug's website.
Look what I stumbled upon. Click on the picture for a larger view.

It is full of quality and affordable, especially when on sales. A lot of hair care products work well on all hair types, regardless of race, since all tresses are made up of Keratine.

Beautiful natural hair

I love seeing it.

My GOAL

courtesy: http://www.blackhairgrow.com

Currently, my hair length is just below my shoulders and has not exceeded it in how many years. It has been frustrating and has therefore, fuelled my continuation to use weaves. However, ever since reading Rochelle's personal hair journey and how she had come so far within a couple of years, I had been inspired to start my own journey. It is not a myth that hair (regardless of race) grows at the same rate. But it seems like Black girls' hair is different. No it isn't. Our hair is just more tender. The hair above is my target and I have made a lot of plans to reach it. I want my hair to be something I can boast about and be proud of. I have seen a few black girls with natural hair of similar length and I get so jealous. I want it. I will get it.

This is her progress.

My goal..