Tag Archives: natural hair

rice water

so what are the benefits of using rice water? you may have heard that rice water defines your curls. it does! so i’ve started to incorporate rice water into my weekly routine. below i’ll go into why and how i use it

WHY-

i started using rice water because i was reading about the benefits of protein treatments and how the proper moisture protein balance really is what will define your curls. so i wanted to incorporate more protein. rice water is a low grade protein treatment- it’s not heavy like the ones you can purchase. i like that because i don’t have to worry about it making my hair super hard. since using it, i’ve had less frizz and more definition.

HOW-

so normally the day before i want to do my hair i put a mix of rice and water into my mason jar. i leave it sitting out on the counter til i use it- i make sure it sits for at least eight hours. OR i’ll boil rice and add extra water and pour it into a cup. from either method, i pour the water into a cup, making sure that there is little to no rice in it. then once it’s cool (if it was boiled). i shampoo my hair. then i pour it into my hair (like a rinse) and then tie it up with a pony and put a shower cap on. i leave it in for 15 minutes, then i rinse it out. I will either then rinse it out with water or shampoo it out (it depends- if feels like a residue is left, just shampoo it) and then i DEEP CONDITION. this is essential!!! it keeps your hair from getting hard. remember the goal is the moisture protein BALANCE.

I then style as normal- i’ll make an update post on my hair care regimen- it’s changed so much.

straight hair care regime 

As promised, here is my hair care regime when my hair is straight!

  • how often I straighten my hair

I actually do not straighten my hair myself. My hairstylist, whom I got to when I go home and about once a month when I am home, straightens my hair. She’s been doing my hair for over two years now, and she’s been doing my mom’s hair for probably like 10 years. My hairstylist is the only person who straightens my hair.

  • why I straighten it

I think straight hair is cute. As my hair has gotten healthier, I love how it looks straight. I also love how easy it to take care of.

  • trims

I only get trims with straight hair because my hairstylist trims my hair. I love getting my hair trimmed straight because it makes it look really nice straight but when it’s curly it looks just as fabulous. My ends always look super clean, no matter if they’re curly or straight.

  • preservation of curls

To preserve my straight hair, I roll my hair. I started using flexi rods, which I really love. They last all day!!! Last time I got my hair straight, it ended up raining and the humidity made it a little curly. So what I do is use Camille Rose’s Curlaide (just a small bit, it doesn’t make my hair turn curly, but it does make my sisters turn curly so I’m not sure about that for everyone). I then wrap my hair, to make it stay straight. But without any rain incidents I just keep rolling it. And I wear a satin bonnet.

this was right after my hair appt. 
this was after rolling with flexi rods

  • products to use
  1. flexi rods- I use the smaller diameter red ones.
  2. Silk by design essentials- this is my go to product. Silk penetrates the hair shaft and doesn’t leave your hair too oily. I just use a little
  3. Curlaide by camille rose- like I said, if my hair happens to get a little curly, I use curlaide to make it straighter
  4. Satin bonnet- I love using my satin bonnet, scarves and wraps. It keeps my hair moisturized

I never put heat on my hair- I’m not a professional and I want to keep my hair healthy! My fabulous hairstylist is the one who does my hair! I think it’s great to have her do it- I’ve never suffered from heat damage or breakage that was her fault (the eczema I have was what caused all of my hair issues).

Let me know if you have any questions! I hope this helps!!

1 year down

My hair growth journey has been interesting. Unlike a lot of people, I don’t have a cool story about why I went natural. I went natural because I didn’t have an option. I was 15, my hair was falling out, I was constantly in and out of the dermatologist trying to help my ezcema. See as a baby I had cradle cap, which apparently comes back as hormonesnchange. I also had eczema in my scalp, which lead to extreme itchy, which is why my hair was falling out. I almost even had a bald spot from scratching my hair. My dermatologist told me I had to start washing my hair every week (at this point I was getting my hair done every two weeks), so that my hair would continue growing. I was on a peak of my journey, my hair was growing, but my scalp was still itchy. I was put on an antihistamine and given shots in my scalp. Eventually the itching stopped. But I still had to wash my hair every week so I continued being natural on my off weeks. I loved it. After a while I didn’t even want to get my hair done anymore. That eventually turned into my hair journey. I’ve technically been natural all my life (no perm, no heat damage, etc) but wearing my hair curly was different. I learned as much as I could on black hair, and applied it. Having this blog helped, it made me accountable- I wanted to help people so I stayed up to date on hair techniques. My hair has grown tremendously in a year. Here’s a picture of my hair May 13th, 2016.

(me and my best friend on her prom day)

then this was May 10th, 2017


It took a lot of work, time, money and efforts to get my hair to the state it’s at now. I hope this blog post lets you know that you can do it. No matter your hair type, financial situation, you can do this. good luck!

well here we go again

time after time it black women are excluded from important conversations. from white companies, this is something that as a black woman I’ve just come to understand as reality. black hair care products are limited; I’ve found about a solid four brands- Shea Moisture, Camille Rose, Cantu and As I Am. finding organic products for my hair (which is 3B/3C) is difficult- but my hair is not as coarse as many other black women. so finding good products that work for 4C (the curliest type, which does not hold moisture well and is often viewed as “ugly” (I don’t believe this to be true)). so when Shea Moisture unleashed an ad that talked about hair hate, I had high expectations. They failed me. The video included three women, two of which are white and one was black- with the perfect mixed girl curls that society loves. they didn’t represent black hair accurately- though majority of their consumers are black women. it’s a black brand, based off of hair recipes of an African woman named Sofi Tucker in Sierra Leone (see how many times I’ve read that bottle?! I didn’t even have to look at it!). I’ve been using Shea Moisture for years and it’s been a faithful product in my house hold. The products are pricey, normally about 13 dollars for just conditioner; my family has spent hundreds of dollars on their products. not to mention all the people I’ve recommended these products to (in real life and on my blog). they’ve issued an apology but honestly we all know it’s just to get good press. the damage is done. as of now i’m boycotting. don’t know how long it will last, but i am. they’ve gotta do better. black women have to be included in the picture because we matter.

Attached here is the video!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=5WWFxEnJovA

hair care regimen

Taking care of your hair is really important. It’s just like brushing your teeth, or washing your hands, it just takes a little longer but it’s still important. Today I wanted to talk about the importance of establishing a steady hair care regimen. Life gets busy. But having a schedule that you’re used to sticking with is what’s going to allow your hair to really flourish to its full potential. Below are some important things to consider while creating a regimen!

  • Washing

Clean hair is really important. How often you wash is also important. I typically co-wash my hair (with Shea Moisture’s Coconut and Hibiscus Co-Washing Cleanser) about once a week. It really all depends on how my hair is feeling. I use a balancing shampoo (like Shea Moisture’s Jamaican and Black Castor Oil Strengthen, Grow and Restore Shampoo). Since this shampoo is drying, I only use it about every ten days. I also have a rule of thumb- my hair should never itch. Mostly because if it starts itching I should just wash it. I also always try to oil my hair before washing. I will use olive oil or Jamaican Black Castor Oil, to pre-poo my hair. Before washing, it let my hair rinse under warm water which helps to remove the dirt. 

  • Conditioning 

Conditioning just makes your hair flourish. The weather just recently got drier, but conditioning helps. Also, if I happen to co-wash and not deep condition, I just warm up my conditioner. I typically add olive oil to my conditioner too. After I co-wash, I’ll add the conditioner, comb out my hair and leave a shower cap on while I finish showering. I’ve recently started conditioning my hair in sections. My hair has gotten really thick over the last couple months, making it harder to comb through. I find that the sections help me make sure everything is combed all the way through. I also rinse my conditioner out with cold water, because cold water helps seal in moisture. 

  • Deep Conditioning

This is a weekly must do for me. I normally sit under my drier for 15-25 minutes under a medium temp and maybe 5 minutes under cool. Deep conditioning honestly helps your hair grow so much. It gives it the added moisture that you need, especially in the winter when there’s not much moisture in the air. Deep conditioning adds shine, prevents damage, moisturizes and promotes elasticity (which helps with reducing breakage). 

  • Protective styling

Braids to me are a must. Even if it’s just four braids before I go to bed, I always go to bed with my hair braided. Braids retain moisture really well, with helps grow your hair out. Other great protective styles include twists (one of my friends twists her hair very often and it’s so cute on her). Also make sure you’re investing in a good satin bonnet and scarf. I use both every night to make sure that my hair retains its moisture.

  • Other important hair tips 

Water is your hair’s best friend. I spray my hair down with a mix of water, olive oil and a couple drops of peppermint oil. It’s been leaving my hair incredibly soft and smelling great (the peppermint). The water and oil combination is great. If my hair is braided, I oil my hair everyday and use Curlaide by Camille Rose (which is my favorite product ever- it works on straight or curly hair). I then tie my hair down and go to sleep. Some of my favorite oils include Extra Penetrating Argan Oil by OGX, Silk by Design Essentials, and Raw Organic Shea Butter. 

Creating a basic hair care regimen will simplify your life! Plus it will create the structure that so many people (including myself) need to make sure they’re really taking care of their hair well!