July Fry, Here In Texas!

I hope you all are enjoying your Summer festivities! I surely have. I can't believe I skipped a whole month in this mane adventure. What I can say is June, didn't miss much. The whole month of June was a steady process of ensuring my hair and scalp were properly oiled and succeeded with CO hair washes with maybe 2 actual poos for build up cleansing. My hair has been very curly and moisturized, especially with the practice of protective styling with different types of scarves. 

My favorite is my solid blue linen scarf (or imagine fabric like a cheese cloth). It is very long, I would say about 3-4 feet. It scrunches very easily and holds the scrunch, making it sometimes difficult to make even when I fold it in half longways. 

I have a purple printed silk scarf that I absolutely love putting on my head when my hair is wet and oiled.

I also have a brown satin and a black silk-like mesh scarves. The brown satin is kinda thick and tends to soak up a lot of water from my head. With this Texas summer heat, it works, leaving my head very cool and protected when I am outside. Both scarves I try to reserve for night sleeping because they stay on the best.

At the end of the day, my hair is matted down tight with curly waves, but I can pull a silky curly rooted strand from underneath and it just tickles me that I know my hair is loving the moisture!

Yesterday, I got a chance to condition my scalp with Coconut Oil, with the help of my mom :D I let it soak in and heat under a plastic cap while re-twisting some of her twists with Carols Daughter (CD) Loc Butter for 30 minutes. For my moms hair, it being very corse, the CD Loc Butter softens it like a baby and helps to get some of her unruly gray hairs and put them in check. 

The only drawback I didn't like about conditioning with the Coconut Oil is how, topically, it left my hair feeling a little dry before and after rinsing. My scalp and roots didn't feel dry, thank goodness, but I kinda wonder if the addition of a plastic cap may have emphasized where my hair was most damaged by lack of moisture on the extension of the hair? I will kinda play with when and where on my head I apply the Coconut Oil to see how it works best. So far, root and scalp are happy campers.

I just recently purchased CD's 3-piece Chocolat Starter kit. It comes with the Chocolat Shampoo, Conditioner, and Blow Dry Cream. The shampoo did enhance the dry feeling felt earlier with the Coconut Oil. Eerrh. The conditioner wasn't too bad. It helped resolve some of the dry feeling and after massaging in and combing through, it seemed like my hair kinda had a stretching moment. Kinda startled me, in a good way. I was pressed for time when I applied the blow dry cream and did not get a chance to actually use the blow dryer on my hair, but the result for the evening were very very tight kinky curls. I have to give the CD Chocolat regime another chance, done right, in order to give accurate results how it works for me. Maybe without the Coconut Oil conditioning, too.

What I have noticed up to this point, is the hair on the back of my head has grown beautifully! Ive got about a good two inches of growth. The way it feels, it is almost just enough to get started on twists for my hair. 

Why I don't do it now? My hair is still at uneven lengths: top long, sides reasonably long and back very short. I do not wish to embark on an uneven style that I do not feel comfortable sporting, knowing this little oddity is like someone disliking how their nose is shaped. Its an imperfection you can grow to love, manage or deal with. My case, i'm managing!

Thank you for viewing and Take Back Your Mane Control!

Shea Figures?

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