My Favorite Oils

Let me start off by saying that my hair prefers light, quick absorbing oils...especially during the summer months. For the most part I only use heavy oils like Castor oil on my ends.

Oil #1...Jojoba Oil. Jojoba oil is great for your skin and hair. It is light weight and penetrates the hair shaft without weighing down your hair and leaving it feeling greasy.

Oil #2...Camellia Oil. Camellia oil is a carrier oil. It provided moisture and elasticity to soften the hair. Again Camellia oil is light and absorbs quickly.

Oil #3...Macadamia Oil. Macadamia oil reduces dryness. It is a natural moisturizer and emollient (emollients attract and trap moisture from the air). Macadamia oil is light and non-greasy so it is easily absorbed into the hair shaft.

I use the above oils by making my own little oil mixture consisting of 2 ounces of Jojoba oil, 1 ounce of Camilla oil, and 1 ounce of Macadamia oil. It's that simple. The 4 ounce brew last me nearly 6 months and provides my hair with much needed moisture without being greasy or weighting my hair down.

Cantu Shea Butter Leave In Conditioning Repair Cream

Here is another product I love...Cantu Shea Butter Leave In Conditioning Repair Cream. I should start by saying that I only use "leave in" conditioners as leave ins in my hair. I know some folks use "regular" conditioner as a leave in, but my hair does not respond well to "regular" conditioner being left in as a leave in. Anyway, back to my review. This stuff is creamy and thick but also light at the same time. It coats my hair well without weighing it down. Most importantly this product moisturizes my hair. I use this product 99% of the time as my leave in of choice and I always use a leave in in my hair. One of the main reason this is one of my go to products is because it mixes well with other products, which is not the case for some other leave ins I have used. I have never gotten little white balls or sticky/tacky hair when layering other products onto my Cantu. I've had my 16oz tub for almost a year and it only cost about $5 bucks.

Here is how the product is descibed on its website:
Cantu Shea Butter
Leave In Conditioning Repair Cream
Cantu shea butter Leave In Conditioning Repair Cream is made with real shea butter and essential oils to replace vital oil in your hair leaving it stronger and healthier with a natural shine.

Cantu shea butter leave in conditioning repair cream can be used on wet hair as an intensive moisturizing treatment or to tame frizz and fly-aways.

Cantu Shea Butter Leave In Conditioning Repair Cream helps…

moisturize dry brittle hair with deep penetrating oil and emollients
soften, detangle and add shine to hair
protect hair against heat and sun styling damage
provide extra protection from split ends and breakage
Directions for:

Daily Styling – Apply to towel dried hair. Work a generous amount of product into hair beginning at the roots to the tips. Comb through for even distribution. Do not rinse. Apply more to longer hair at the ends or problem areas.
Leave In Treatment – Apply as directed for “Daily Styling” just after shampooing. Re-apply and cover with a plastic cap overnight for maximum absorbtion and intensive conditioning.
Frizz Free Hair – Apply daily to split ends or damaged areas. Comb through and let dry naturally.

Karen's Body Beautiful Products

Since my 1 year nappy anniversary is just around the cornor, I've decide over thenext few weeks to share with everyone some of the products I LOVE. First up is Karen's Body Beautiful (KBB). I can not sing the praises of these products enough. If Miss Karen ever went out of business or god forbid changed her formula I would just die. KBB products are apart of my every day routine, just like brushing my teeth and washing my face, I reach for KBB products.
My first love is the Karen's Body Beautiful Hair Cream. My hair loves this stuff and drinks it up. Here is the product description: Enriched with ingredients that stimulate hair growth and strengthen your hair shaft, Karen’s Hair Cream, moisturizes and adds sheen to dull, dry hair. Excellent for natural, relaxed or pressed hair. Use twice a week on hair and scalp or more as needed. (Works best on dry hair.) A little goes a long way with this product. I tend to add a nickel size amount to my hair every other day. The ingredients are simple: Shea Butter, Rosehip Oil, Vegetable Glycerin, Essential and/or Fragrance Oils, Vitamin E & Carrot Seed Oil. The product comes in a 8 oz tub and because you use such a small amount it will last you a really long time which makes it well work the $16 price tag. As with all KBB's products you can choose from a variety of fragrances for your product.

For those of you who prefer hair butters, the Karen's Body Beautiful Hair Butter is second to none! The hair butter is a bit more heavy than the hair cream. Go lightly with this product, if you over do it,it will leave a greasy feeling on your tresses. That greasy feeling will absorb after a day or two, but i live to touch my hair and can't stand it when product residue is left on my hands. Here is the product description: Made only from rich, thick butters and luxurious oils, Karen's Hair Butter conditions, softens and adds sheen to fragile, stressed hair. Great for natural, relaxed or pressed hair. Use twice a week on hair and scalp or more as needed. I personally use this product when my hair is feeling extra parched...maybe once a week, and usually at night so my hair gets a chance to absorb the product. Again this hair butter is filled with good stuff: Shea Butter, Cocoa Butter, Mango Butter, Jojoba Butter, Aloe Butter, Essential and/or Fragrance Oils, Grapefruit Seed Oil & Vitamin E. Again, you will pay $16 for 8 ounces and can choose your own fragrance.

Last up is what Karen's Body Beautiful is widely know for, her Hair Milk. I will be honest, in general I'm not a big fan of hair milks, they just aren't heavy enough to moisturize my hair. What I can tell you is that this hair milk makes a wonderful leave in conditioner for my hair, I also use the hair milk to achieve a killer, well moisturized twist out...a dab on each section leaves hair soft and shiny. 8 ounces of this product will run you $16 and again you can choose your own fragrance and it's filled with great ingredients: Purified Water, Jojoba and Avocado Oils, Vegetable Wax, Vitamin E, Panthenol, Arnica and Calendula Flowers, Echinacea, Nettle and Horsetail Extracts, Vegetable Glycerin, Wheat Germ Oil, Fragrance Oil and Natural Enzymes. The product description is pretty open: You're only a few dabs away from lush radiant and soft hair. Karen's hair milk moisturizes the detangles, defrizzes and defines your curls. Apply a generous amount to hair when damp. Also can be used on dry hair to refresh and moisturize. Can be used several times a week or daily.

FYI...KBB sells atrial size hair sample pack of her products so you don't have to committ to a full size/full price item. I actually saved the trial size containers and fill them with KBB product when I on vacation. BTW, the trail size hair butter and hair cream will last you a long time since you onlyl need to use nickel or dime size amount of the product.

The Best Damn Detangling Conditioner EVER!!

I am coming up on my year nappy anniversary, and the one thing I have learned over the past year is what works for my hair. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Trader Joe's Nourish Spa Conditioner. It is thick, rich, hydrating and only 3 bucks!! This is my favorite conditioner to detangle with, it's so thick, rich and creamy...it just coats my hair which results in great slip.
I've used it a few times for co-washes and it works wonderfully. Slowly but surely my hair product shelf is becoming less cluttered as I hone in my on my staple products, and what a bonus when one of the products is $3 and I can pick it up locally as opposed to ordering it online and paying for shipping :(

Kink of the Day (KOTD)

A VERY shrunken twist out but it's still FLY!!! LMAO

QuellyRue Design...Lovely Hair Accessories!

Oh how I love pretty things, especially when they come in cute packages!!! I am always on the lookout for unique and different hair adornments to give my fro a little kick, and QuellyRue Designs have lovely handmade pretty things for your hair.
I bought this lovely crochet hat with a flower adornment. The flower is also removable...can we say versatility!!!! And I couldn't pass up one her her chic and funky headbands.
These are unique and will set any hairstyle off!! Feel free to bite my style and stop by the QuellyRue Esty site, she has everything from hats to headbands to scarves, brooches and MORE!!

Denman Brush...Friend or Foe??

The Denman Brush...naturals either love it or hate it. I have to admit the first time I used it I hated it. I felt like it was ripping my hair out and I'm sure it was. I don't think my hair was long enough the first time I used the Denman. In my opinion you need a certain amount of length to allow the brush to glide through and work its detangling magic.

I recently came across this video which shows you how to remove teeth from your Denman or Denman knock-off. Since I removed some of the teeth from my brush I LOVE IT!! If you aren't so sure about your Denman try using it with some of the teeth removed. I love it for detangling now. I should say that I actually only detangle with the Denman 1 or two times a month when i want to do a really thorough job and get all those little hair balls and shed hair out of my head.