Style Trial: Mini Twists

A few weeks back I felt inspired to twist my hair. But I wanted it to look and hang differently than when I do my twists on wet or dry un-stretched hair. So, I decided to blow dry my hair and do mini twists.

I washed and conditioned my hair, sectioned in about 8 sections, applied a leave in and some CocoShea mix, then blew it out all over until it was pretty strait (yet fluffy). Once it was dry, I began to twist very small sections. And I twisted and twisted and twisted. Until 3 hours later I had this:

I loved these twists and my fiance (tee hee that is fun to say!) adored it. He said it was one of his favorite ways I wear my hair. These twists lasted all week and were fun to wear up, down, pulled to the side and pinned up. Here, I braided he front down the side and wore the back in a low ponytail.

The only drawback for me is that I like to wash my hair once a week at least and the time and effort put into these did not seem worth the short shelf-life. So, if I do these again it will be for something special or because I really just want to wear them that way, but not a frequently recurring look. To maintain them, I just wore a satin bonnet at night. I did not add any other product to them before I washed my hair again.

Naturally Leslie is...

UPDATE: Thank you to all my readers! I am so excited to be marrying this man and I am so grateful for all the well wishes. Now...so much to plan! We don't have a date yet but my mind is already spinning with the details of dress, hair, cake, hair, cake, hair, cake. Ok, so the hair and cake are two really important parts to me! We plan on a very small event which makes me very very happy. I will share more as the weeks pass. Thanks again for all the love and support!!!!

Getting Married!!!!!

...details to follow!

Leela Lookin Lovely!

I just caught a glimpse of Leela James at the Just Wright movie premiere in New York and was blown away by the gorgeous mane! I LOVE it! I like the shoes too, btw!

Photo from Essence.com

My Top 5 Faves for Natural Hair

The other day a good friend of my mom called to ask me some questions about products. Her daughter is going natural and wanted some tips on creating a regimen. I told her that it is trial and error, you really have to get to know your hair and what you want it to do. Ultimately, no two heads are exactly alike. But, have been products that are tried and true for me. She asked for my top 5 must-haves and this is what I came up with:

~1. Sulfate Free Cleanser- Dr. Bronner's Castille Soap (diluted)

~2. Herbal Essences Hello Hydration conditioner

~3. Unprocessed Coconut Oil

~4. Shea Butter

~5. Fantasia IC Polisher Aloe Gel

So there you have it. When it's all said and done, those are the top 5 products I come back to again and again. I LOVE trying new things and experimenting with different treatments. But at the end of the day, those 5 cover all of my cleansing, conditioning, moisturizing and styling needs. What products round out YOUR Top 5 Faves List?

RIP Lena Horne

Image from Essence.com

Henna-Take Two

This weekend I decided to skip the Amla and dive right into my henna treatment. I mentioned last week that I went to a local Indian grocer and found some Dulhan henna. I bought 200 grams and on Friday night made a mix to use on Saturday.

The last time I did henna was months and months ago. Part of the reason that I have not done it again is because I ordered the henna from the internet. I HATE ordering things from the internet because I am impatient and like the instant gratification of picking up something from the store. So, I was glad to find some henna so close by and I think I will be doing treatments more often as a result.

To prep my henna mix, I followed this video by the lovely Mop Top Maven.

I used the following:

~ 1/2c Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Conditioner

~1c Lustrasilk Organic Cholesterol

~2c hot water

~A few squirts of Vatika Coconut Oil before applying

After mixing all my ingredients I covered the henna with plastic wrap and left in the fridge overnight so the dye would release. It was a green sludge when I put it in and a brown sludge with orange-ish droplets on the surface when I pulled it out the next day. I mixed in the Vatika oil right before I applied the henna to my hair.

After mixing in the Vatika, I proceeded to the bathroom where I covered the floor and counter with a dark towel (this stuff gets everywhere so please cover any surface that you don't want ruined!). I parted my hair in 4 sections and started applying it with my gloved hands to the back right section. My hair was dry and had not been washed for a few days. I did no prep to it whatsoever.

Here you can see where I rolled the right side into a bun and am working on the left back portion.

After the henna was totally covering all sections, I smoothed it all together and piled it on top of my head, covering with a few shower caps and then one of the towels. I left the henna on for about 3 hours total. The application process was much easier than the first time I henna'ed because of the conditioners I added.

I made sure to clean off all of the skin around my face and my ears so they would not be stained orange! Clean-up was tricky because henna manages to end up in places you would not even imagine. If it is your first time, you may want to put down extra towels or newspaper. Gloves are NOT an option!

After a few hours passed, I rinsed my head in the tub, using the pressure of the water to loosen the paste from my strands. I gently finger-combed and separated my hair to rinse all the henna out. It took about 10 minutes to rinse clean. Then I followed up with Aussie 3 Minute Miracle DEEEEP conditioner, covering it with a plastic cap. I would have deep treated with heat but my table-top dryer broke the day before... :-(

My hair after rinsing out the henna..curls were definitely defined!

A few strands near the front...

After rinsing the conditioner out, I braided my hair in sections using my CocoShea mix (half shea, half coconut oil) and IC Fantasia gel. You can see where I had a grey hair and it turned orange-ish copper from the henna.

I let them dry overnight then took them down this morning and separated with my fingers. They were not completely dry so I lost some definition but that is ok. I re-twisted tonight with some shealoe mix and hopefully I will have a nice twist-out in the morning.

So there you have it! I plan to henna more now that I know where to get it locally. I am hoping to have stronger hair as a result. What have your henna experiences been like?

Happy Mother's Day!

Mothers are the reason why we're here...and we're so glad to have this day to celebrate them all. So make sure you take the time to give thanks for all the wonderful women in your life who mothered you.

Mom and Me

Grandma and Me

My Godmother Aunt Betty

From my heart to all the mother's out there~~~HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!!!

Coming Soon...Amla Treatment

I was inspired this past weekend to revisit henna. I have only used it once and I did not really post anything about it. I bought it from a company online for about $7.99 per 100 grams, 200g total. I mixed with some tea and other things, applied it and left it on overnight, then washed the next day. I can't honestly say I noticed a huge difference but I only did it once. So....this weekend I took a stroll into a local Indian grocer to see what they had. I found many different interesting things including some Dulhan henna which I will be trying. It was much cheaper and I've read good things about it so I figure it will at least be worth a go.

While I was there, though, I also scored one box of Amla powder and some Vatika oil. I have heard both of these items mentioned on different natural hair boards and blogs but I never considered purchasing them. It just seemed like one more thing to get my inner pj going. But after reading the description on the back of the box, I was intrigued and figured it was worth a test run.

Here is some info about Amla:

Amla powder is made from the powdered dried fruit of the Indian Gooseberry tree. It is often used in tanning and dying wool and silk and in Indian medicine. Amla can be used on your hair to slow hair loss, increase thickness and slow graying. It also leaves hair soft, silky and shiny. As a facial, it can tighten and tone the skin and balance redness. Amla is a wonderful exfoliant as it has natural astringent properties which help to remove dead skin cells without the chemicals of commercial products.

In addition the box I bough boasts this:

• romotes hair growth
• Controls hair fall
• Cures scalp infection
• Controls premature graying of hair

So this is good for skin and hair. I plan to make a mix of this stuff sometime in the next week and try it for both. I will probably mix with some of the Vatika oil for moisture/shine (in the hair mix only) and see what happens.

So, once I complete my trial I will post pics and the results.

Have any of you guys or gals experimented with Indian powders? If so, what did you think?

Beauty

Sometimes we get so wrapped up in this thing called BEAUTY. We want to have her, to look like her, to be conjured up as the image of her when other's speak her name. We pontificate about her and analyze her and even try to re-define her in society. We worry about what men think, what women think, what our spouses and partners think, what bosses think, so on and so on. At the end of the day we should focus inward and find whatever beauty exists there. Easier said than done but really so many people will have their opinions that it is exhausting to try to please them all.

I ran across this lovely poem by Lewis Latimer written about his wife. If she had been different, like the fair maidens he speaks of, he might not have been so drawn to her. Sometimes we idolize the cultural ideal that we can't see the immense beauty we posses. Everybody appreciates beauty in a different way and you never know who is appreciating yours. There really is no point drooling and daydreaming about being anything else than you already are.

Let others boast of maidens fair,

Of eyes of blue and golden hair;

My heart like needles ever true

Turns to the maid of ebon hue.

I love her form of matchless grace,

The dark brown beauty of her face,

Her lips that speak of love's delight,

Her eyes that gleam as stars at night.

O'er marble Venus let them rage,

Who sets the fashion of the age;

Each to his taste, but as for me,

My Venus shall be ebony.

So what are you doing to appreciate your own beauty?