Thinning edges? Give these a try

Many thanks to Nia Phoenix for helping me with my thinning edges.  Here are some recipes she shared with me which I now share with you:

Rosemary Oil

Rosemary herb in olive oil massaged into scalp. Use olive oil based on head size. Approx 2 tbsp and a piece of rosemary herb. Allow it to mix well before applying.

This is what I'm using at the moment.  I used rosemary essential oil since I already had some.

Bayberry Tea

Make a strong bayberry tea and rub it in well at night. Wash off in the morning thoroughly and apply again, possibly add a few drops of lavender oil.

I haven't been about to find this in stores and online it's about $15 so this recipe is on hold for now.

Pre-Wash

1 tbsp jojoba oil, 3 drops rosemary oil,3 drops lavender oil, 1 drop lemon balm and 1 drop atlas cedar wood oil. Mix with wooden or plastic utensil not aluminum. Massage mix into scalp, leave on for 30 minutes. Wash hair, adding 1 drop of rosemary oil to each shampoo application. As a final rinse, add 1 drop each of lavender oil and rosemary oil to a quart of cool water and pour over your head.

I don't have any lemon balm at the moment, but this will get a try eventually.  Hopefully.

If you try one, let me know how it worked for you.

2 Years Loc'd

My locs turned two in Mexico.  It was interesting.  Last year, I went and got it done.  This year what was the point?  I pretty much just did a regular styling:

2 years

As pleased as I was with the growth in length, I couldn't help notice...

...my "bald" patch isn't looking any better.  In the  Natural Hair Challenge 2014 newsletter for February, they talked about thinning hairlines.  One recommendation was "combine a few drops of either peppermint oil, tea tree oil, sage essential oil or pumpkin seed oil with a 2 tablespoons of  olive oil or whipped Shea butter and Vitamin E.  Use this on your hairline everyday for several months." Since I have some of these ingredients, I'm going to try this and hope it works out better than the Jamaican Black Castor Oil which caused build up on my scalp and made it gross.  

So when I first got my locs, they looked like this:

A year later:

Two years later:

I just need to be patient and eventually, my hair will cover my boobs.

My Henna Experiment

 I mixed together:
1 box of Jamila henna
1 13.5 oz can of coconut milk
a 20 second pour of olive oil (approximately 2 tbsp)
1 cap full of apple cider vinegar

I made way too much and ended throwing half of it out.

I put on gloves and applied the henna to each loc and then up on my shower cap.

Before application

After application

I ended up using two - I guess my hair is getting too big.  I let the henna sit on my hair for 1.75 hours while I watched Netflix.

I washed the henna out in the shower.

Look what it did to my nails. Guess I should have kept the gloves on.

I rinsed and rinsed, but my hair still stained my robe.  I'll be washing my hair again this week even though I styled it to make sure I get it all out.

I can't say that my hair was any dryer feeling than usual.  My husband liked the color my hair was with the henna on it, but we'll see if any color actually shows up when I'm in the sun.

Hair Lightening Fail?

As I already said, my hair doesn't usually take color well without first being lightened.  Sitting on the couch this evening, I started getting restless and decided to start on my 2012 goals.  I pulled out the ingredients for the hair lightening recipe I found on http://www.nappturality.com and got to work. 

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Raw uncooked honey
• 2 Cups Distilled water
• 1 Tablespoon Ground cinnamon
• 1 Tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
• some Plastic Wrap
• a Bathing Cap

Method:

• Mix all the ingredients in a cup at room temperature and let it sit for at least an hour. This allows the peroxide levels to be released and it becomes more effective.
• Use a long nose root applicator bottle, a spray bottle or a tint brush to apply it to the hair. 

Right here is where things start to go wrong.  I didn't have a big enough cup and made the mixture in a Cool Whip container.  The container is pretty flimsy and when I tried to bend it to pour the mixture into the spray bottle, it spilled out.

I had some more honey left over and started again.  This time, it I just put enough water to fill the 22 oz bottle the honey was in.  I figured I'd just add the rest of the water directly into the spray bottle.

• You can also try applying it only to those areas you want lightened, and wrap the other parts of your hair in plastic wrap to prevent seepage.

I tried spraying the mixture all over my hair, but the cinnamon and olive oil were sticking to the sides of the bottle and clogging the sprayer.  I eventually just poured in onto my head.

• Wrap your entire head up in plastic wrap and put on the bathing cap over the top. You may need to put a towel around your neck to catch any drips.

I'm not pleased.

• It can be left for as long as you want - from an hour to the entire night. 

As I type, I'm about 30 minutes into the process and ready to wash it out.  I'm getting a headache from the swim cap and think it's starting to burn.  It has the burn of relaxer.  That "hmm, can I really manage this?  I want to because it's going to be so worth it."  The thing is, I'm not sold that it will be worth it.

• To wash it out, rinse gently with warm, running water several times.  If you feel any grit, you haven't washed it out thoroughly. Follow up with your normal shampoo and wash and condition as usual.

Since, the site says, "If at any stage you experience itching or a rash or any reaction, discontinue using the treatment." I don't feel bad washing it out now.  I do feel bad for $16 on the honey.

Guess I'll see how badly this turned out tomorrow.  For now, I'm just rinsing it out.

Thanks to the hubby most of the cinnamon is out.

Daily Moisturizer

I originally selected this recipe because it is for hair growth. When I actually got around to making it though, I was interested in using it as a daily moisturizer so I didn't bother buying carrot or argan oil.

3/4 cup of coconut oil
2 tbsp jojoba oil
1/4 cup of olive oil

The original recipe called for 1 tablespoon of carrot or argan oil.

When the ingredients were combined, I had enough for three 2 ounce bottles.  The coconut oil causes the mixture to solidify, but if the room is warm or your rub it your hands first, it spreads easily.

As part of my test of how long I can go without washing my hair, I've been applying the oil at least once daily.  It's been 12 days since I washed it, but you couldn't tell by looking at my scalp. : )

Natural Shampoo Recipe I

When I first decide to loc I looked up how to wash my hair.  Dr. Bonner's Liquid Castille Soap came up quite a few times.  I knew I had to dilute it, but couldn't figure out the right measurement.  Every trial left my hair cloudy.  So, I just stuck to my Garnier Nutrisse and added tea tree oil to the bottle.  Then I came across a concentrate recipe:

1/4 cup water
1/4 cup liquid castille soap
1/2 tsp of olive oil

My hair reacts well to tea tree oil so I added it along with rosemary oil.

I put all the ingredients in a plastic bottle in a twist tip bottle.  All this was done last week.  This week, I applied the concentrate directly to my scalp and massaged it in.  I got a pretty good lather.  Lather, rinse, repeat, and I was done. Miracle of all miracles my hair looked black rather than the grey it looks when it's still dirty.

I'm so excited.  I have one more shampoo recipe to try, but for now I'm glad that I finally found one that works.

Shealoe Recipe

I found a recipe for shealoe (combination of shea butter and aloe vera gel) and decided to try it out.

 Ingredients

1/2 cup. Check out the Hair Affair link for shea butter descriptions.

2 tablespoons

1/4 cup

Plus some tea tree oil and peppermint oil

Directions
1. Microwave shea butter.  This wasn't in the original recipe, but since the butter is hard I seemed like the best way to get a nice consistency.  I made this twice.  The first time the butter was room temperature.  Mix with hand mixer until fluffy.
2. Mix in olive oil and aloe vera gel.
3. Mix in essential oils.

Final product using the warmed shea butter.

I stored it in an old hair grease container.

Once the mixture cools, it becomes firm again.  Rubbing it between my fingers before applying made it easy to use.  Also, when I went to use it the next week, I needed to add some olive oil to loosen it up.

Overall, shealoe was easy to make.  The only equipment I used was a bowl, hand mixer (with one blade), and tongue depressor (to mix by hand - I'm sure a spoon would have done the job too).  My hair was shiny, but almost greasy to the touch so I'm pretty sure I used to much.  I didn't need to use any spray or other moisturizer all week though.

Verdict: After 4 uses, I've decided that this isn't for me. I love all the ingredients, but the final firmness of the product is a turn off.  I'll keep searching for my perfect loc butter.

The Why

A Listing of Ingredients in the Recipes Provided and the Purpose They Serve:

*My scalp is extremely dry and I suffer from seborrheic dermatitis so most of my recipes are geared toward scalp relief.*

Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) - the benefits go on, but I'm concentrating on the aspects that matter to me.

• Balance pH of scalp
• Thicken hair
• Remove dead skin cells
• Aid with itchy scalp and dandruff
• Give hair body and luster
• Hair cleanse
• Remove buildup and residue
• Close cuticles

Shea Butter

• Moisturizes
• Adds luster to hair - Truth,  I made some shealoe to twist my hair, and there was a definite difference.
• Treats dry scalp - hmm, undecided

Aloe Vera Gel

• Contains enzymes which stimulate hair growth
• Reduces dandruff
• Can be used to tighten locs
• Drys out scalp (helping to give that dread look?) so be sure to mix with oil before applying to retain moisture

Olive Oil

• Moisturizes
• Improve strength and elasticity
• Natural conditioner - adds shine and makes hair soft
• Helps with split ends

Mango Butter

• Relieves itchy skin
• Moisturizes and smooth rough skin
• Treats eczema and dermatitis

Coconut Oil

• Conditions
• Helps regrow damaged hair
• Dandruff relief
• Helps retain moisture
• Contains fatty acids which are anti-dandruff agents

Liquid  Lanolin

• Moisturizes
• Helps heal chapped skin (winter is coming)

Sweet Almond Oil

• Protein source
• Contains Vitamin E
• Shiny hair
• Conditions
• Carrier oil

Jojoba Oil

• Relieve dryness
• Mend split ends
• Smooth frizziness
• Conditions
• Antibacterial
• Cleanse scalp
• Protect hair when swimming
• Prevent thinning hair
• Natural sheen

Avocado Oil

• Carrier oil
• Contains proteins, vitamins A, D, E and B6, magnesium, copper, iron, amino acids and folic acid
• Natural sunscreen

Ylang Ylang Oil

• Hair re-growth
• Conditions
• Anti-seborrhoeic
• Balances oily and dry skin

 Wheat Germ Oil

• Increases lost moisture to the hair while adding shine, strength, and softness.  
• Helps keep the hair cuticle closed and free of breakage.
• Tends to build up on scalp.  Hmm
• Of note: It has a "nutty" scent which I am not a fan of

Honey

• Moisturizer
• Low concentrations of hydrogen peroxide which had lightening properties

Glycerin

• Attracts moisture (from the air or you)

Jamaican Black Castor Oil (JBCO)

• Moisturize, thicken, strengthen and increase hair growth