JBCO Challenge Day 40

Happy New Years! Welcome to 2013! Can you believe it?! We survived the Mayan Apocalypse and the End of the World! *lol* Only God is ever knowing of or pending existence. Oh! And I haven't made any real New Years resolutions, either.

Update on JBCO Challenge!

Christmas almost snuck up on me HARD! But, I kept pretty straight with regimen. New Years created a greater muck,on the other hand, took a beastly wipe out of me. The last application of JBCO I applied to my scalp was, sadly, December 31. Since then, I have not applied JBCO, cowashed or protected my hair very well to not at all. :-( I was FLAT on maintenance. The weird side effect, besides hair dry and matted, my scalp is VERY dry, flaky, and ITCHY ITCHY ITCHY!!! Much of it I attribute to not a very healthy diet or intake of water. That's a whole other story, but water intake I can definitely correct. Today I have planned a deep hot oil treatment with JBCO followed by poo/cowash, a protein DC, and ACV rinse. Its gonna be the Works! Not quite sure it will be in that order, but want to make sure i'm not left with egg in my hair.

Ive checked int to all JBCO Check Ins except Week 6 :-) I could probly still do it now, but battling with "whats the point?" nagging at me. I think I have decided that "Ol' Hag" has GOT to GO! Yeah, i'm gonna go ahead and check in for Week 6. Better late than never and can try to stay on the wagon the best I can. I have general copies of my Check In posts and am sharing them with you today, with some progress pics, first. Let me know what you think :-D

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You all remember where I started? Here is a collage of KCCM's JBCO Challenge Week 1 Pics. *ugh, scary, yet so brave* 

With my head, you'd see why I so very camera shy. I mean, I am not my hair. Remember these pics! They are base for Week 5 Length Check pics just below.

Now the back of my head, I was concerned about middle more than nape. Week 5 pics are of both compared to Week 1 middle.

Look at that side stretch! Clean!

My front has got a little cleaner length, but look at my brows > I have brows!

And the big reveal.............

Compared to before pic, I couldn't get pig tails back here!

Everything is pulled up!

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Weekly CheckIns Q&A's

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Week 2

1. Where do you live?

Manor, TEXAS!

2. Are other members of your family naturals too? Who? Were they natural before you or vice versa? Do you all support each other?

Yes, my mother. She went natural after I did only because I had gone from relaxing to hotcombing my hair and she had like the results of my hair. I dont know about supporting each other, but do know that we just do what we can for the times.

3. How did you use Castor Oil in your hair last week (week 1)

day 1~ I applied straight to my scalp and twisted hair. 

day2~ I applied to sectioned parts (scalp), edges and eyebrows

day3~ no castor oil application, massaged itchy spots *wish i got warning about cleansing 1st*

day4~ pre-poo w/ my oil mix (itch relief!), ACV rinse & DC/Protein treatment; LOC method with castor oil for my oil

day 5~ no application, but surprised of hair moisture

day 6/7~ repeat of LOC method

4. (optional) Share a pic of the bottle of castor oil you are using. *I did supply my pic*

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Week 3

1. Since going natural have you ever felt really overwhelmed? If so, Why? If not, What have you done to make this journey run smoothly?

Ive been natural for almost 2 decades. I didnt take hair care seriously before going natural, and was somewhat interested after going natural. Overwhelmed was not on the list.

2. Do you see any change in your hair since using the castor oil?

yes, my hair stays moisturized longer and keeps a shine, too. ive also noticed in my twists, the hold for pattern is tighter.

3. How did you use Castor Oil in your hair last week (week 2). Did you use it any different than week 1? 

after i twisted my hair, dry with JBCO, the application stopped their. I massaged my scalp most the week and only applied JBCO once to edges and eybrows.

4. (optional) Share a pic of your hair before you went naturalDo you Tweet? Do you Instagram? If so use hashtag #KCCMcastoroil so we all can follow the condo and check out your pics. Feel free to include me in the convo @BlakIzBeautyful (this is my name on IG too!)

ill be surprised if i find an existing pic of me before i went natural!

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Week 4

1. There are so many products on the market, what are your favorites for washing? 

~ Carol's Daughter Tui Herbal Shampoo, Shea Moisture Raw Shea Butter Restorative Conditioner, Dove Intense Moisture Shampoo & Conditioner

What are your favorites for moisturizing/styling?

~ Cantu Shea Leave-in Conditioner, pretty much it for product buys; otherwise its AVJ/H2O spritz, H2O spritz, JBCO *really liking how my hair stays moisturized longer with it*

What qualities does a product have to have in order to become one of your favorites?

~Almost all ingredients have to be naturally derived or provide great slip and moisture to my hair during and after shampoo, reduced or no alcohol content, and cannot leave my hair feeling dry and/or stripped.

2. Since using the castor oil, has your hair seen any of the benefits listed in the list above? 

~ OMGosh, YES!!

Which ones?

~ i have noticed increased darkening of my edges cuz my widows peak is growing back very visibily! my hair seems to have an even thickness all around, one side no longer feels thinner than the other when i grab a handful or put in pigtails

3. How did you use Castor Oil in your hair last week (week 3). Did you find yourself losing momentum or are you still going hard?

~ last week i used my JBCO to do small twists on my head, took hrs! I kept the twists up all week,i couldnt figure how i wanted to apply more JBCO to parted sections but managed 1x, otherwise just applied to edges, eyebrows, & lashes. seems like each time i apply to brows and lashes, old hairs wanna fall out/shed.

4. (optional) Share a pic of your natural hair in one of your favorite styles!

~ sorry, I dont have pic of small twists :(

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Week 5

Length Check-In!

Wanna put your pics together in a collage? Go to fotoflexer.com or picmonkey.com (I chose fotoflexer.com)

Check In Questions:

1. What are your favorite natural hair styles? How long does it take you to style your hair this way? Which products do you use to get the best results of this style?y

~ My favorite hairstyle is "let it be". I either like to wear my hair in its natural fro with an elastic headband/bandana or pull it back into a cute flat roll front or ponytails just to feel i can do something with it. Any less than 5 min to do. Once in a while i will try twists but hate that i feel i cant get a handle on my hair. Forget braids of any sort!

~ Products I keep minimal. I have a lot of products but have only been using JBCO, Cantu Shea Leave-in, and CD Mimosa Hair Honey or Loc Butter for twists.

2. How did you do last week (week 4)? Did you follow through with your goals? Any challenges thus far?

~ Last week wasnt that bad! Following another participant, I changed up my application by putting my oil in an applicator bottle. I added Jojoba and Apricot oils and CD Hair Elixir (just to use up whats left) to make consistency a little bit thinner and fluid. During the week, i applied to sectioned hair or random spots. Also applied directly to edges and brows. Made challenge much more manageable.

3. Based on your length check pics, can you see a difference in thickness or length yet? For those of you focusing on  your edges, are they growing in?

~Oh My Yes! Last week, the thickness became very prominent, i thought i was losing my mind! It felt so sudden! Plus, my problem spot for the back of my head was a real shocker! It has grown out more than I expected! I found this out when i parted my hair into four sections and was able to get 4 full, puffy pig tails! Normally i can only get 2 on top of my head, but 2 full ones for the back of my head?! No fuzzy loose uneven edges?! Knock Me OVER!! And my edges? My widows peak is coming back!!

4. Post your length check pics!

5. (Optional) How was your Christmas? What did you get?

My Christmas was great! For the last 10 yrs ive been cooking, this is the first that I prepared ahead, got plenty of sleep, and was not riddled with pain from standing all day. Granted, the sacrifice was minimal food to display, but it was worth it to enjoy family and great conversation. Christmas was for the kids because noone has had much money, but my parents, uncle, brother and his wife, and neighbor(!) still bestowed to me some cute jammies, gloves &hat, designer roller parfumes (allergic reaction to spray parfumes), exercise ball, gift cards and lotto scratch offs :) Definately Fun!!

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Week 6

1. What goals do you have for your hair this new year? What goals do you have for your life this year?

~ My goals for my hair and life in 2013 are better than past years. My goals are intended! I intend for my hair goal to reach my shoulders or longer. I will be grateful if achieved by Summer. My life goals I intend to be much healthier. Healthier in the Lord, in my family, in what we eat. Another goal is that I will be able to find work that I have a willing conviction for!

2. Do you prefer “all natural”/”organic” products or are you open to using anything? Why? 

~ I wish I can say one or the other, but I find that I lean more toward natural. Since paying attention to product labels for my body, I try to stay away from products that have or have too much alcohol or cones in them. My skin gets very dry and I have found that my hair responds better to my direction since cutting those out. I know I cant get away from all of the bad stuff, so for now, got a good thing going

3. How did you do last week (week 5)? Did you follow through with your goals? Any challenges thus far?

~ Week 5 was so rewarding! The length check was awesome to do because I was able to see the changes in my hair! The side effect, after Christmas celebrations, all the excitement left me at the same time. It was a downhill slope. I did nothing to my hair in week 6. Nothing. You name it. Nothing!

4. (optional) Share a picture of your favorite hair moisturizer.

~ I cant say I have a favorite. I just use what is on hand the best I can. No pics.

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These little thoughts of mine help to understand why I have to do things the way I do them. It may be a bit OCD, but educating, teaching, and learning the how to the why of it makes easier to implement.. Since we gals like to 'share', I like to know what i'm talking about and not steer wrong. ;-p

Thank you for viewing and Take Back Your Mane Control! ~ 

Miss EM

JBCO Challenge Day 3 & Day 4

Day 3~ No additional application today. Scalp had been itchy, different spots, all day. I tried carefully to be delicate in scratching, then remembered scratching can leave scars on the scalp for germs so resorted to massaging the areas. I can still feel the slickness of the castor oil in my hair, probably on the shafts themselves. I think massaging helps to redistribute the oil to my scalp. Still, I've chosen not to do anything to my head. Twists are holding their own, but feel a bit looser. Roots are showing some definite curl definition. Is my hair growing already?

Day 4~ Woke up to an itchy head! Massaging grants me the most relief. While the house is empty, something has to be done today.

I have some left over oil mix that i will use as a pre-poo. I have CD's Tui Herbal Shampoo, which I find (any shampoo, really) to be a great clarifier to remove any build up gently.

I have my shower spray bottle filled with ACV rinse. I haven't used the ACV rinse for a long while and think i'm quite overdue. My mix is heavily concentrated with ACV, like half H2O and half ACV. Rule of thumb, 2/3 H2O, 1/3 ACV. 

I have a DC/Protein recipe from YouTube Channel Naptural85. It consists of:

2 eggs

6 scoops of mayo

2 T honey

It's pretty basic and I will apply after my ACV rinse. After that, a simple LOC method where my oil will be my castor oil. So, i'm ready to get started!

Results (as I go):

1. Applied my oil mix and instant cool relief of the itching! My applicator bottle with nozzle tip helped to get right under my twists, just massaged the oil in, put on a plastic and foil caps and let sit for 15-20 minutes while making my DC mix. Excellent.

2. ACV rinse was deeply gratifying for my itchy spots. My scalp feels fully clean and I LOVE the fact that the rinse seems to always perk up the coils at my roots :-D

3. This is my first time doing a DC recipe and may have to adjust the recipe for my short hair. Mixing it up was no problem. The problem, I get easily distracted and let it sit too long. Went from a nice thick consistency to very very runny. And, I let my hair air dry too long after towel blotting. So as I was applying the mixture to my hair, it already felt dry and brittle. I kept applying the mixture til I could feel the slip in my hair, then added my caps back. Application may have been too much, very drippy and have a LOT left over.

4. L: fresh rinsed wet hair, pick out some egg

    O: Sunny Isle JBCO, topical applied

    C: Cantu Shea Butter Leave In Conditioner

My hair doesn't feel dry or brittle, but it does feel as if it is taking to the added moisture. Sometime I will get the ends trimmed to remove some of the fuzz and see the difference in the new maintenance plan.

Thank you for viewing and Take Back Your Mane Control! ~ Miss EM

JBCO Challenge Day 1 & Day 2

last nights twist up

JBCO

Day 1~ Began my challenge last night. Yay! Im using Sunny Isle Jamaican Black Castor Oil (JBCO). I poured about and ounce into a container. Its got a pretty rich caramel color. Smell is a nice sweet fruity nut smell. It actually kinda wakens the senses :-) Making me hungry, too, lol!

I parted, combed, and detangled my hair into five sections, misting each section before applying the JBCO. A little goes a LONG way! Now because my hair is uneven and still quite short in the back and sides, I finished off with some semi-thick small twists and covered with a satin bonnet. It feels so weird having somewhat large gaps between twists. And the satin bonnet has been the only wrap/protective style that stays while I sleep! Hurray!

I didn't take my twists down, left them as is and just covered with a knit cap as style for church. Even I have to say I was very pleased with the very clean, toned down, Bohemian look.

twists & scalp still moisturized

Day 2~ Since it is Sunday, I've chosen not to do too much with my hair tonight. My hair is still twisted up. I have chosen to only use the JBCO on the parts of my twisted sections, front, side, and back edges, remembering to massage my scalp as I applied. It kinda feels like it helps to exfoliate as well as encourage blood circulation. I even applied some to my eyebrows  to also gauge the promotion of growth and actually 'have' some eyebrows, lol!

I must admit, I hadn't co-washed or pre-poo'd for a couple of days, and after last nights prep, my twists and hair are holding up and very moisturized. I'm quite curious how long the moisture retains itself? 

Im not gonna push it. For my regimen, I will do a basic ACV rinse & cowash (CW) just to prevent any potential build up, followed by a DC and hot oil treatment (HOT), all this week.

Thank you for viewing and Take Back Your Mane Control! ~ Miss EM

Its Been A LONG TIME!

Its been quite a while since my last entry. I don't know if apologies are in order, but I am sorry. I could go on and on about whats been going on, giving excuses as to why I haven't posted, but truth is,, I am Human *and a Gemini :P *! 
Yep. Life interferes with plans and goals. I myself get caught up in it until knocked down. The hard part is figuring out what to do in the highs and lows and maintain inertia.
I can tell you that I have not done any further research for new ways to get my Mane on. Been sticking to my Shea mix as a topical application for my hair. The ACV rinse I have used twice and each time, my hair recoils into thick little curls, especially on the back of my head where the hair is really short. Running my fingers through them tight little curls feels soo awesome! The oil spray I made didn't really work for me so poured the remainder into a spare bottle and place an applicator tip to it. Works much better. 
The really new thing i can report is that I used my Shea mix for flat ironing my hair and it turned out pretty good! My hair, was a little frowie, but didn't sweat back after 5-10 minutes. It actually lasted a good two days! My hair has grown, some. I think because of hiatus in commitment on a daily basis contributed to the some stunt of growth.
Summertime is coming. There isn't a better time than now to practice protective style wrapping. I'm gonna hop in the shower, wash, ACV, condition, massage and wrap my head and head on out to the book store and find me something good.

Be Good To Your Mane,
Miss EM

Thank you for viewing and Take Back Your Mane Control!

In the Beginning....

  
  Here is a little history on my mane adventure.  Now, I contribute many things of my body to stress and my head is no exception. I've had (enough of) my fair share of odd growth and breakage. My hair has ALWAYS grown fast and long from my crown up and below to nape. I have noticed the bulk-age of my stress breakage has always been a thin middle, from temple to temple, like a bad mullet, fro. The occasional scratch with a finger always makes me feel great when strands of hair are tangled on my finger. Blaming stress, never found it severe enough to see a doctor. Still don't, but not quite there to rule it out.

Happy "Leap" Day!

I started this blog with the intention, I would begin regular hair experiences, weekly. But as I mentioned before, i'm not very high maintenance and am quickly discovering that my hair is. So after some research and distracting activities I realize that "we" have to come to a mutual agreement on necessity, needs, and requirements.

Since my last post, I have been playing with Shea butter. I remembered I had bought some at a past arts and crafts festival, but never had time to just focus on how to use it. I remember being curious and understanding it had useful healing properties for my then "REALLY" dry skin. Of course, I put it away and essentially forgot about it. Since I have been doing more and more research on natural tresses, hair care and products, I've begun a new found love for my little stash and adventure  into other essential oils. 

Ultimately, with all my Shea research, I was led to create my own personal Shea butter creme mix. Using it by itself, just didn't feel right to me, at first. There are many wonderful websites and YouTube videos on just the "perfect" concoction. And all pretty much suggested to use ingredients to you your own liking. So, I did. Here are the ingredients for my Shea butter creme:

• 1 C  Shea butter (unrefined; double boiler melt)
• 1 T  Coconut Oil (virgin)
• 1 T  Olive Oil
• 1 T  Castor Oil
• 1 T  Jojoba Oil

As any good cook I stopped myself at 5 ingredients, because being my first mix, I wasn't sure exactly how much it all made. It was a LOT (fills a 9oz container). I have enough to last me a lifetime and still have plenty extra unrefined Shea butter.

I love how it makes my hair feel so soft! I've applied it to my hair different ways, trying to find my groove and mane agreement. I've applied it as a topical after a shower, sectioned and applied to my scalp wet, damp, and dry like I used to oil my hair. I've even spritzed my hair with a little water and oil mixture and applied the Shea then wrapped my hair with a scarf. I do feel my hair taking to the extra moisture. Also, my curly roots are becoming very bold and can feel the coils extending down the shaft to the damaged dry hair. So something is working.

Of course, me and my habit, I only use the Shea creme about twice a week. And the euphoria of excitement I get goes too and the little word "maintenance" begins its little argument with me. It is such a motivator. So far, I like what I have discovered and will keep as tools of my regimen. Back to researching I will go until that happy median is found for me and my mane.

As promised, I took a pic of where my hair is currently at. My hair has been short most all my life, natural kink for many years, a brief stint of growth when pregnant with baby, then reverted back. Here I am today. My beginning point.

If you have any suggestions or ideas, even how to make this a more positive experience, please comment below. I'm welcoming all recommendations a sporting try.

Thank you for viewing and Take Back Your Mane Control! ~ Miss EM

  My daughter, Alexis, has been blessed with a head FULL of HAIR! Beautiful. And I wanna raise and teach her how to care for here hair and body minus the torment and, eh, torture I grew up with. *Love you mom :)* And so far, its been a pretty good job in combing. What always gets me is the products to keep our hair type moderately healthy looking and feeling. Without a lot of unnecessary chemicals and additives and pretty much nonsense. Someday I hope to get together a list of the products I have tried in the years before and after she was born and give my review of how I liked them.

  But for now, lets begin with, no better place than why I chose to start this blog, my first experience with a scalp scrub. I only made a small amount cause 1. my hair is short and 2. I wasn't sure how I would like it. The result-> a Marvelous easy concoction:

• 1 Tbs  brown sugar
• 1 Tbs  olive oil
•  tea tree oil (3 drops, optional)

  Generally, you would make sure your head is soaking wet to part and apply mixture to scalp. I began this just before getting into shower and used a spray bottle straight at my roots. It helped some. I think it would have been better if my hair was thoroughly wet to ends. This got a bit out of my comfort zone of simple maintenance but once I got started I had no choice but to follow through.  You want to apply scrub to part and begin a brief gentle circular massage into hair. I didn't do that. I parted, applied as if oiling my hair and massaged entire head with finger tips. The brown sugar provides a wonderful abrasive friction. I then did a hot water rinse in shower, shampoo, conditioned, then followed with an Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) rinse (1/3 ACV and 2/3 water) in a squeeze/spray bottle, quick massage, and rinsed again. I think my portions for the ACV rinse are incorrect, but because of the acidity, I stayed away from liberal application and used sparingly.

  The result. I have small tight waves of curly hair at my roots spiraling midway on portions of my long hair and to the very ends of my short length hair! And shiny! I hadn't seen this much action on my head since my big chop of over 10 years! Of my long length of hair where I can see the curls stop, I can recognize where the damage begins. I find this disturbing yet positive and motivational. Plus, my scalp was not itchy!

    What I have learned from this experience is that you cannot take for granted your 'normal' routine for hair maintenance. For proof positive, evaluate yourself. With the scalp scrub I found recommendations for follow up of once or twice a month or, depending on best judgement, about once a week. The same with the ACV, using best judgement. I Googled many sites and YouTube's and found this link to be a fantastic basic recipe jump off:  http://collegecurlies.blogspot.com/2011/09/brown-sugar-scalp-scrub.html 

and got even more recipe ideas from this forum:  http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=40489 .

  Future blogs I hope to have progressive pictures of my Mane Control and perhaps some videos to show and discuss. Your input is greatly appreciated, as well as any tips tricks or recipes you recommend I try.

     Thank you for viewing and Take Back Your Mane Control!