Out with the Denman in with the Boar

So I washed my hair as planned and of course the whole process took forever as usual. Nehoo, a nagging thought has been in the very back of my mind for a really long time, a suspicious feeling that the denman brush I have been using is doing more harm than good to my hair.

Especially the ends of my hair. I already said I'm not going to put scissors to my hair no matter how split the ends are but I got this sneaking feeling that I've been contributing to the split-ends unknowingly.

The irony of this is when I had relaxed hair, I didn't even dare use a plastic brush for my strands because I knew they caused major split-ends. I used mainly boar brushes and wide-tooth combs. That was all.

So why am I torturing my hair now that it's in its natural state? I realized this was foolish and took the Denman that I'd used for probably 2 years now, and put it in the trash. Scoured the cabinets that still held all the brushes and combs from my relaxer days and took the round boar brush to use for my hair.

Worked just fine. Brushed my coily strands smoothly and gently after my hair was dried. This is actually convenient because I don't rock wash and go's anymore so there's less of a worry about having to brush sopping wet hair.

I'm happy. I did 2 very good things for my strands today; a thorough washing and a gentle brushing.
Just a lil' love and tenderness is all that's necessary for these coily-coils!

Good Hair is Making Me Lazy

Good hair is making me lazy! I basically rock my hair for 3 straight weeks without washing it cuz it looks good and its so easy to style each night or every other night, wake up in the morning and go. And honestly the 'dirtier' it is, the better it looks.

So when it comes time to give the hair a good rinse out, laziness sets in because I know I have start the process all over again. But really the hardest part is the making time for deep conditioning. I like to go to sleep with the conditioner on my hair, to get more bang for my buck, I guess. Its hard because sometimes my schedule's too hectic.

The harder part is styling the hair after its been washed because I always have to do a style on the first day to stretch the hair. I don't bantu-knots after I've just washed my hair cuz I know it won't turn out the way I expect it to and I'd just be setting myself up for disappointment.

The laziness that comes from the first day of styling freshly-washed hair is mostly my perception because all I see is this uber shrunken head of hair that looks no longer than an inch. It never fails to amaze me, after I'm done styling my hair, how the tiny short coils turn into bouncy curls. Never fails.

Anyway, its been 3 weeks and the hair needs to be washed if not for the sake of my strands then for the sake of my scalp. Here we go again....

Hugo Everyday Naturals Mango & Pomegranate Conditioner: A Review

Mango & Pomegranate Conditioner....sounds fantabulous, doesn't it?! Well, its as thick and rich and moisture-laden like the name suggests. Found this little treasure while walking down the aisle of my local Kroger's -- the organic aisle. It was on sale for about $8.99. Not bad.

I wouldn't really call myself a PJ - product junkie -- more like a conditioner (and once upon a time, gel) junkie. Conditioners are pretty much all I purchase at the store to use on my hair these days. Everything else comes from my kitchen cupboard. So, when I see a conditioner that strikes my fancy, I buy it.

This Mango & Pomegranate conditioner is rich, and thick, and lovely. Leaves your hair feeling soft and nourished. So, it's especially good for naturals with thick coily hair like myself. Its also one of those conditioners that's not only great for a co-wash but for styling as well. Which is great because many naturals use conditioners to style their hair. I used it for my signature bantu knot-outs and it came out just fine.

Of course, what makes it even more excellent is that its all NATURAL. Get this -- the first ingredient is *Comfrey root extract* this is the first conditioner I've ever picked up whose first ingredient isn't water....comfrey root. Don't even know what the heck it is or what it does But....it just sounds like natural goodness!

The only questionable sounding ingredient is *Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride* Its number 7 on the ingredient list. Its saving grace is that its farther down on the list. But everything else is honest-to-goodness natural extracts of something-or-another. I don't feel like writing down all the ingredient list unless somebody requests that I do so.

Try it. You'll like it!

Just wana say...

I'm lovin my hair like its golden....but its not....so, I'll say, I'm lovin' my hair like true ebony...just the way it is, is just the way I like it!

Castor Oil: A Revelation

Why aint nobody tell me bout this before?!?!......Lol/J.K. I've actually known about Castor oil ever since I started transitioning into natural hair but I have never experienced it before. For whatever reason I just never paid it no mind. For the life of me I don't know why I wasn't interested.

I kept coming across it time after time where naturals would rave about it, that along with Shea butter seems to be the two biggies in coily hair world. I gave shea butter a try once upon a time but I wasn't impressed so I stopped. Now Shea Moisture - the brand- is something else altogether (once again they get a plug from me).

Anyway, a couple of weeks ago, I was just browsing online and came across several postings on castor oil. So, I decided, you know what, lemme go ahead and give this here castor oil a try. Boy, am I glad I Did! My hair absolutely took to it like glue on paper, white on rice, peanut butter on jelly, chocolate on...everything....cuz chocalate just plain tastes good on everything.

But I had no idea that it had such a thick consistency, which is a good thing. Its kinda weird because its thick but it doesn't weigh my hair down like a glob or something. Its an oil but it doesn't have that greasy-oily feel. It gives my hair sheen, gloss, and my coily-curls just pop like no-man's-business. Also, it looks like it enhances my hair color as well. My hair looks as raven-jet-black as it wana be....Fabulous!

And lets not even talk about what happened when I put it on my ever-constant-always-dry and ashen legs, especially in this winter time. It totally quenched my always-thirsty skin. When I say quenched, I mean, Quenched, Honey! Like, I slap it on my skin on Monday and don't have to re-apply until Friday, type of quench.

Have I found yet another staple in my arsenal, you ask, Thats a definite YES!

Intentions for Inventions

New Year brings hair sanity, I hope... I've pretty much got my formula down pat so I'm looking forward to a year filled with healthy luscious hair with no bad hair days...Lofty goal but I'm sure its possible.

I took me three solid years to figure out What my hair needed, When it needed it, and How it needed it...3 solid years--- that's 36 months, 156 weeks, 1,095 days and...I don't even wana calculate the rest.....most of that time was spent more in painful frustration than excited celebration!!!

So, I got to thinking, how about making all that time worth while for me and countless of other coily heads out there so they don't have to be as frustrated as I was. Let the product research begin - and in the process, I'm tipping my hat to any and all natural hair products that are currently on the market whether good or bad - the process to get your stuff on the shelves Aint No Joke!

But, let the fun begin - I love a good challenge!!!!