Take your peeled banana & place in a blender with 2 cups of water. When it is finished mixing, strain the smoothie through a mesh strainer to catch all the banana pulp-the mixture will be pretty thin. Pour the smoothie back in the blender, add both oils & the xanathan gum. Blend until smooth, strain again. Part hair in sections & apply to hair, cover with a plastic cap for 1/2 hour. Rinse hair in sections & pat or air dry. Once your hair is dry ,style or seal ends with your favorite method. My hair was moisturized but I still had some fairy knots so if I use this again, I'd probably add a some hair butter to help with detangling.
The first time I tried bananas as a hair conditioner, I ended up with a huge banana mess of matted hair & swore to never use it again. After seeing a Naptural 85 YouTube video tutorial on deep conditioners, (she also adds coconut milk which I did not have at the time)--I decided to give it another try. My concoction is 1 large ripe banana, 2 cups of water,1 tbsp Rosehip Seed Oil, 1 tbsp Babassu Oil & 1 tsp xanathan gum. You can purchase Xananthan gum in your local health food store.
Take your peeled banana & place in a blender with 2 cups of water. When it is finished mixing, strain the smoothie through a mesh strainer to catch all the banana pulp-the mixture will be pretty thin. Pour the smoothie back in the blender, add both oils & the xanathan gum. Blend until smooth, strain again. Part hair in sections & apply to hair, cover with a plastic cap for 1/2 hour. Rinse hair in sections & pat or air dry. Once your hair is dry ,style or seal ends with your favorite method. My hair was moisturized but I still had some fairy knots so if I use this again, I'd probably add a some hair butter to help with detangling.
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Why the LOC Method may not work for you! (Try a Hair Milk or a Water Based Hair Cream Instead) The LOC Method for natural hair = using Liquid (Water, Aloe Vera Gel, etc, Oil (sweet almond oil, coconut oil etc.) & Cream or hair butters (shea butter, mango butter etc.) to seal in moisture, hydrate & protect strands. However I found that this method actually made my hair break more because I have low porosity hair. When I think about it now it makes perfect sense. When my hair is wet it is already in a weakened state--add low porosity to that & the amount of breakage is increased. "Low porosity hair requires moisturizers rich in emollients . It also benefits from humectant products, which attract and hold moisture to your hair. Choose lighter, liquid-based products such as hair milks that won't sit on your hair and leave it oily or greasy." My solution is to skip the water & use a water based hair cream or use my DIY leave in & follow with my favorite natural hair butter. Thus resulting in much less shedding, hair loss & fairy knots. You can also try using a Hair Milk made by many natural hair care companies such as Carol's Daughter or SheaMoisture. I've been doing this for a few weeks with my own DIY leave in/butters & I am loving the results! "Rosehip seed oil is considered a “dry” oil, meaning that it soaks into the skin & hair easily, and does not leave a greasy residue. It is a wonderful hydrator, and penetrates dry or damaged skin & hair immediately. This oil may be used straight from the bottle as a moisturizer, or can be incorporated into a cream, hair conditioner, lotion, facial oil, or massage oil. Because it is so gentle, Rosehip seed oil may be used undiluted on the skin/hair, even on sensitive skin. Rosehip seed oil is a safe, inexpensive, effective, and non-invasive product for preventing and healing damaged skin", according to Mountain Rose Herbs. Rosehip seed oil is not recommended for use on acne, or on very oily skin. Flaxseed Water Hair Recipe---don't forget to store this in the frig or add a preservative to keep it fresh. *You can purchase preservatives at From Nature With Love----http://www.fromnaturewithlove.com/soap/Preservatives.asp & you can buy Flaxseeds from http://www.bobsredmill.com/brown-flaxseeds.html at Whole Foods or your local natural food store. Ever since I started menopause, my hair, skin & body & hormones have been outta whack-lol. My hair gets so dry,frizzy & tangled- so I decided to whip up a nourishing leave in/sealant to soothe my strands. Flaxseeds "can promote hair growth, give curls shine and definition, provide nourishing Omega 3, as well as being extremely cost effective." I love Flaxseed water because you can spray it on & also incorporate other naturals ingredients such as honey, or nourishing oils in your mix & the recipe is so easy. Flaxseed water for hair: 3tbsp Flaxseeds 2-2 1/4 cups water Put seeds in a small pot, cover with water to simmer. After mixture thickens slightly, turn off heat. I pour the mixture into a mesh strainer, & place the water in a spray bottle. Store in the refrigerator or you will need a preservative to keep it fresh. This facial scrub will leave your skin soft & smooth and will gently exfoliate your skin. Its also a great way to use up those tiny bits of Black Soap that you have left over. Oatmeal can be used on all skin types. The oatmeal in this recipe is gentle, it soothes, removes dry, flaky skin and keeps skin nourished and supple. Oatmeal can also balance sensitive or oily skin types as well. Honey helps to cleanse skin, is a great moisturizer, helps to minimize pores, contains anti-oxidants to reduce wrinkles & smells yummy. Black Soap helps to get rid of pimples and promotes clear skin. It is a natural cleanser that does not contain harsh chemical ingredients. It can be a little drying but you can easily mix it with honey and/or oils to combat this. Black soap has a crumbly texture and a little goes a long way. Make sure you purchase pure black soap,check the ingredients listed on the label to be sure its not mixed with other inferior ingredients. This recipe is so easy & your skin will be flawless & radiant! Flawless Face Scrub Recipe 2tbsp Oatmeal-you can grind it up if you want more of paste. 1tbsp Raw Honey 1-2tsp crumbled Black Soap Combine with enough spring or distilled water to make a paste. Apply 1x or 2X to your face in circular motion, rinse & pat dry. Your skin be will be soft & smooth-Beauty doesn't have to cost a fortune & you can store leftovers in frig. Enjoy! Did you know there are more than 100 recipes for Authentic Black Soap? "Traditional African black soap is brownish-black in color but is never fully black. It has an organic soft shape with an earthy fragrance. My soap actually looks like a fudgey brownie cake without the sweetness! Traditional Black Soap can be used from head-to-toe as a shampoo, body wash or facial soap. I only buy organic fair trade soap from the Togo region. This soap is completely pure and chemical-free-made with natural plant extracts, oils and or butters. This includes Shea butter, palm oil, palm kernel oil, coconut oil, cocoa butter. Check the label on your Black Soap, it should not contain cheap oils, fats or fillers-some soaps that are labeled African Black soap in the U.S., Europe & Asia are not pure authentic black soap-they may contain chemical ingredients to obtain a black color. Black soap is also created with only organic materials such as plantain skin, palm oil, palm kernel oil, coconut oil, cocoa pod, natural sodium, tree leaves and barks. Plantain skin is the main ingredient in this soap which contains a natural source of vitamin A, vitamin E, and iron," according to Black Hair Media. Traditionally Black Soap is not black, it is a brown semi-soft soap with a earthy scent. It is also very crumbly when cut. It is completely natural and free of chemicals. You can easily make a liquid soap with black soap. Start with equal parts or small pieces of black soap, grated or sliced and cover with an equal parts of water, stir & let sit overnight to melt. The next day you add a small amount of oils or butters to make the soap more moisturizing if necessary. For my black liquid soap recipe, I used 1/4 cup soap, 1/4 cup water--I added added another 1/4 cup water the next day after the soap melted, 1 tsp of red palm oil, 1 tbsp of palm oil and 1 tsp of almond butter. Start with a small amount and adjust the proportions until you get the recipe you want. I was fortunate enough to receive 2 generous samples of Karen's Body Beautiful Sweet Ambrosia Leave in Conditioner and my hair really likes it. I used it on wet hair. It gently detangles hair & leaves it soft & manageable. According to her site, her products do no contain any sulfates or parabens-just all au naturalle goodness which gently gets rid of fairy knots/ tangles, softens & moisturizes hair.
An 8oz bottle is $16, however she will be offering the leave-in a smaller 4oz size. A little product goes a long way-so it should last a while. The conditioner contains, Purified Water, Jojoba, Avocado and Coconut Oils, Vegetable Wax, Panthenol, Arnica, Calendula, Echinacea, Nettle & Horsetail Extracts, Vegetable Glycerin, Wheat Germ Oil, Essential and/or Fragrance Oil, Ascorbic Acid & Vitamin E. My hair has been feeling very dry lately. A combination of cold weather, blow drying and ever changing hormones, had left my hair dry, dull & brittle. I decided to make a deep conditioning treatment that would alleviate this but I didn't want anything heavy or that would way my hair down. I also wanted something inexpensive but effective. I searched around my cabinets and decided to give Sweet Almond Oil & Sweet Basil Essential Oil a try. I have to say that my hair loved this combination of oils in a hot oil treatment. After using the hot oil treatment, my hair was moisturized, soft, silky and I also had less breakage. I will include directions on how to make your own DIY Hot Oil Treatment below. First of all, if you're going to do a hot oil treatment, I suggest using a light, non greasy oil that can easily penetrate the hair shaft, such as Sweet Almond Oil, Apricot Kernel Oil or Jojoba Oil. Sweet Almond Oil nourishes the hair, smooths hair follicles and prevents dry itchy scalp. It also makes hair long, strong & thick. In addition to reducing hair breakage, adding sheen to hair and reducing fairy knots. Sweet Basil Essential Oil is fragrant & stimulates the scalp. "Basil is reputed to stimulate hair growth and increase vitality and blood circulation to the hair. Massaged into the scalp, this wonderful essential oil tingles the scalp and cleanses clogged, tired hair follicles so that strong thick hair can escape." There are different types of Basil oil, so make sure you purchase Sweet Basil, however you should not use Basil oil if you are pregnant. You can purchase Sweet Basil Essential oil & Sweet Almond Oil at health food stores, Whole Foods or at http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/ or https://www.auracacia.com/. Sweet Almond & Basil Hot Oil Treatment -- I used this on dry hair 1/4-1/2 cup Sweet Almond Oil depending on hair length--this makes a lot-so you'll have some leftover oil. 5-6 drops Sweet Basil Oil Measure out the Sweet Almond Oil & pour in measuring cup. In separate large bowl, add warm water. Place the measuring cup in the larger bowl to warm the oil. When the almond oil is warm, add the Sweet Basil Oil & blend. Part hair in 4 sections. Start by pouring the warm oil in a plastic bottle, so you can apply it easily. Pour the oil on your scalp in between each of the 4 sections. Next apply oil to the scalp, hair & ends on each section. Massage thoroughly. Apply more oil if necessary, especially on ends. Cover with a plastic cap. Sit under a warm dryer for 30 minutes. Leave oil on the hair for 1 hour, before rinsing. After 1 hour, I rinsed my hair with warm water and co-washed with Natures Gate Herbal Conditioner. So I've heard great things about Reshma Femme 100% Natural Henna, & I was on a mission to find it. I checked the local beauty supplies and website, with no luck. I finally figured that I'd have better luck in Little India, so I headed over to Queens and happily found exactly what I wanted! I bought Plum for my daughter and Toffee for me. The box cost about $7.00. It comes with henna, a small pack of henna oil (olive oil) and gloves. On the website it says to mix the henna with cool water, 1/2 fresh lemon juice, the henna oil, in addition to coffee for brown tones or brewed tea for red tones. Also buy your own gloves. I mixed the henna and let it sit for 3 hrs. After that I applied to my hair, and let it sit for another 3 hrs. I loved the results, the directions said to rinse the henna out first with plain water, and follow with shampoo and conditioner. My grey strands had beautiful brown highlights, my hair felt stronger and thicker and wasn't dried out. I will definitely repurchase and do another treatment in a few weeks. I had some Hibiscus petals and some Brahmi leaves leftover from my to trip the Indian market. So I decided to create a hair mask. Hibiscus petals are used moisturize & condition hair in Ayurveda. Brahmi leaves or Gotu Kola are used to strengthen hair and reduce breakage. Why not mix the two together. I used about 1/2 8oz bag of each and threw it in the blender to grind, then mixed it with some Sweet Almond Oil. I didn't want to use an oil or butter that was too heavy. I wanted something that could rinse out easily. I liked the result of this treatment, my hair felt moisturized with less breakage although using herbs is a bit messy. Also I co-washed 3X to rinse all the herbs and oils out of my hair. Prior to putting the herbs on my hair-I made sure my hair was slightly damp so the mask would be easier to apply. I also noticed that is mask was less drying than the Amla powder I used to use. Why not give it a try?? |
Raw Beauty-Just being me,
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