Pooka Pure and Simple

I would like to highlight a wonderful bath and body line called Pooka.  The company was founded and created by Dawn Fitch. It is now run and operated by Dawn and 3 of her closest friends.  I was impress by the Pooka products, not only because of the great way the items where packed when I opened the box, but also because the of the great smells and textures.

Fresh Sugah Whipped Cream  - I tried the Fresh Sugah Whipped Cream, which is a body moisturizer.  I have very delicate skin and usually can not wear any products that have perfumes in them. But the whipped cream moisturizer smelled so good, felt good and my skin loved it. 




Shea Hair Cream
The other product that I tried was the Shea Hair Cream. Another great product. Works well with my scalp and loc's.  I used it after my last shampoo, and my scalp and roots look and feel great.

To learn more about the women that run Pooka, see their blog - The Pookalitas. And learn about their Products & Charity work: Pooka Pure and Simple.

Featured Reader - Christina!

From the Big Chop to natural thick healthy hair, Christina talks to us about her natural hair transition. 

Q: What kind of hair styles have you rocked, before embracing your natural hair?
A:  I was relaxed, and rocked braids during high school and first year of collage. My relax hair journey started pretty late, I must have been around 13 or 14. But I would go months in between a touch up. I wasn't a very girly girl. So for me, I learned about a lot of things later in life - hair, makeup (I am still learning that), dresses (I was / am a tomboy) and so on.

Q:  When and why did you decide to start wearing your hair naturally?
A:  I honestly stumbled onto a natural hair website one night in 2006/2007 and thought it would be a great idea- I did the big chopped three times before I finally decided in 2009, to just go natural. My last and final Big Chop was December 2009. It was more of a decision to see what and how far along my hair would go. I didn't transition at all. What I did (or my brother did) was to take clippers to my head and shave everything off. So I did this three times- I think, that first shower after the hair is gone is my real reason for doing it so many times!!!!!!!! Its a wonderful feeling of freedom.

Q:  Did you have any big fears about going back to your natural texture?
A:  Not really. My biggest concern was what was I going to do a big chop again (this was after the first 2 Big Chops). I just armed myself with information and decided to see where this journey would take me. But I will say this, after my first Big Chopped, I lived in Austria and my after last Big Chop I moved to Nigeria, now I am back in Europe (Scandinavia), it is hard because, I don't see many natural haired people. Maybe because its winter, hopefully during summer, I will see more sisters rocking natural. So I basically turn to the internet and other blogs to help me along. It's an ongoing process. I try and learn as much as I can. I recently learned to do my own braiding, which went very well. So now, I want to learn how to cornrow my own hair and do much more. I figure it's my own hair. Why not do the best I can for it?

Q:  What are three products you can't live without for nurturing/styling your hair?

A: Amla oil - I used to use this even when my hair was relaxed. So I basically know this product and I live by it. Shea Butter - I finally got my hands on some raw, unrefined, shea butter and boy do I love it. Not just for hair, but I use it all over my body. Conditioner - Honestly, Any!!!!!!!  If I read about a certain conditioner and I can actually find it, then I just go out and buy it. Thus far, I found Herbal Essence, which is my new favorite product, after Garnier Fructis.  

Q: What would you say to someone who's thinking about embracing their natural hair, but scared about being rejected in various parts of their lives?
A: I get scared too, even now, my hair is soooo thick, so long and I get scared since I don't have the 'full arsenal' of products that many naturals have tried. What gets me through it is that it's just hair. And its coming out of my scalp. Its all mine, and looks different from another person. Making me wholeheartedly unique. Also, I like to tie my hair with head wraps, hats, beanie and now since I have learned how to braid - I am always good to go! Find something that works for you, for those 'wanna give in days' and believe me, everyone has those days. Hang in there. Its truly worth it.

Q: How can we keep up with you and your journey i.e. blog, twitter,facebook, fotki, tumblr, personal or professional website?
A: http://afropeanqueen.blogspot.com/

PJ-ism, a growing epidemic?

Epidemic
1. (esp of a disease) attacking or affecting many persons simultaneously in a community or area
2. a widespread occurrence of a disease: an influenza epidemic
3. a rapid development, spread, or growth of something, espsomething unpleasant: an epidemic of strikes


Product bandwagons and growth aid fads are some aspects of the natural/healthy hair journey hair world that never sat right with me. This feeling primarily came from some bad experiences with some regimen fads and money wasted on products that did not yield desirable results. There is nothing worse in your hair care journey than the feeling of a major setback. I fell victim to a few fades and feared that all my time and effort toward healthy hair was ruined. Thankfully, none of the perceived damage was permanent.

Recently, I read a post on Natural Urbanista that perfectly put my feelings about these trends into words. In my opinion it's an interesting read, check it out here:
Are Bloggers and Hair Sites Contributing to Your Growing PJ-ism?

I do feel that in a way PJ-ism is an epidemic in the natural/healthy healthy hair journey world. Some days you can bounce from blog-to-blog and site-to-site and see the same products or tools raved about (or bashed). This has even rolled over onto YouTube and it is not outside of the norm to see vloggers reviewing and posting tutorials about the same products within a close time period.

Do you think blogs/vlogs/sites are contributing to PJ-ism? What are your thoughts on this?

Color Correction Tip from Nerissa

Model Nerissa Irving did a YouTube video talking about how she washes her hair. It is a two part video. I can't link the first video, because there is a shower scene... lol.  But above are a few screen shots of of the first and second video. Before Nerissa washes her hair, she does a color check/correction. She looks for any spots where there may be sun damage or embedded lint.  She then uses Bigen to color correct those spots.  I can link part two of the video where she shows how she moisturizes her hair and creates her big curls -

Thanks Nerissa!  I also did a blog a while back on an alternative color spot correction here.

Natural Beauty - Kwarana Adrea

This weeks Natural Beauty is model, Kwarana Adrea. A good friend of  Kwarana emailed me and recommend that I feature Kawarana. So I am very happy to introduce you to this lovely young lady, that has been natural all of her life.
What inspired your to have natural hair? Well growing up I've always notice family, friends, random people in the street - all following a trend of weaves,extensions... straighten hair, basically.  And I didn't want to be part of that group. Even still to this day, I'm the only person in my whole family who has locs. Never in my life, did I ever put chemicals in my hair. The quality and texture of my hair has never changed since day one. I remember being such an outcast in my school years, because all of little girls my age were already perming their hair.  It honestly never bothered me . My younger sister always begged my parents to have her hair permed, but I never did. As a child I grew up with every possible natural hair style you could imagine....I had the braids, corn rows, William sister beads, Afro puffs, mickey mouse puffs and Afros.  I carried those hairstyles up through elementary and middle school then eventually high school. Finally in my second year of high school, I started to grow loc's.When I first started the loc my hair, I got so much negative feedback from a lot of females, but that didn't stop me. And look at me now  ..... Its been six years now and I love my locs!!!!! I was meant to have natural hair all my life; and I wish alot of women could follow...  The same young ladies back in high school, who told me to not loc my hair, are in love with my hair  now and actually are on a path for having natural hair. So I'm very thrilled about that!!!

Maintenance Tips: I use two very good product line for my hair and I would recommend it for everyone....I use the "Loc  A Fella twist gel" & the " Jamaican Mango & Lime Island Oil".  These two products work well with my hair. I used the "Jamaican Mango Wax" for a couple of months at one point, but then I stopped because the wax created build up. So I wouldn't suggest using the wax. But a great alternative is honey. But I have always been curious to know if other people with loc's use wax and if it also created the same build up..."

- Kwarana Adrea,  facebook.com/KwaranaAdrea

Another option for unwanted products

 So, you have recycled and re-purposed as many hair care products as you can but yet you STILL find yourself stuck with a ton of items you don't want anymore. Now what?

Maybe you will find Lola's Green Hair helpful. This site is dedicated to helping you buy and sell those gently used hair care products.

Have you used this site? What are your thoughts?

Are you moisturizing when you condition?

How well do you really know the type of conditioner that you are using? Unfortunately, the FDA does not regulate the labeling of cosmetic products as strictly as food and medications and this allows companies to make almost any claim that they please.So are you really using a moisturizing conditioner or do you need to follow-up your condition with an actual moisturizer? This information may be helpful for someone out there battling the common problem of  that dry winter hair.

Check out this article posted by Jc of The Natural Haven: Difference Between a Moisturizer and a Conditioner

What conditioner and moisturizer combo are you using this winter?

I'm using Giovanni SAS conditioner and then moisturizing with a leave-in conditioner. Since having the yarn braids I have been relying on my hair steamer for moisture. According to the article my conditioner choices are good for moisturizing my hair.

Re-purposing those Products

[Source]

When I have products that I am using and not liking I don't just throw them away. Depending on how badly the product worked for me I may not be too comfortable giving it to someone else. If the product wasn't bad but just didn't yield the results I expected I will take it to a meet-up/product swap.

Shampoo
When I have a shampoo that I am not liking enough to finish off the bottle on my hair I find other things around the house that could use some "soap."
-Dog shampoo (Mane and Tail worked great on him)
-Hand soap (refill the dispensers)
-Hair Tool cleaner (combs, brushes, accessories...etc)

Conditioner
-Shaving (I haven't tried but I see this recommendation a lot)
-Dry hair detangling aid (use it for work - not conditioning)

Gel
-I have found anything - any suggestions?

Sprays/Spritz
- Reuse the bottle for your own mix

Zenzele - Product Review

I used a new hair care product this month, called Zenzele.  After washing my hair, I used the Leave-In Conditioner  and Sangria Hair Oil on my scalp and hair. It felt great and the smell is amazing. My mom, who was there while I was washing my hair, walked by and asked what was that amazing smell? It was the Zenzele conditioner and hair oil. I also shared the Zenzele souffle with a friend at a recent Natural Hair Event, and she said the souffle "smells like a vacation". I though that was pretty cool.

After I washed my hair, I wore my hair in a braided loc bun, shown here. I recently took my hair down, and my loc's looked great!!

To find out more information, check out their website -

ZENZELE
http://www.zenzele.us/

Giveaway!! ♥ Model in a Bottle♥

I love Model in Bottle!!

One of my biggest complaints about wearing make up is that it can be messy.  It gets on your clothes, it gets on other peoples clothes when you give them hugs. And forgot about going to the gym. But the time I am done working out, my makeup has melted, leaving me looking like a hot mess.

I recently tried Model in Bottle, and I love it!!! After you apply your make up, you spray it on your face (I always cover my eyes when applying) and it keeps your make up fresh all day.  To give it a test, I used this spray on a day when it was 80 degrees out side, which is hot for an active day. And then that night I went to the gym and worked out. When I work out, I sweat a lot!  I was amazed that after a long hot day and a hardcore work out, that my make up was still fresh.  

The product is from Misikko, and they have offered to host a giveaway on the Naturally Beautiful Hair Blog.  To win the prize of one Model in a Bottle, please answer the following questions:

1.  After visiting the Misikko site, what did you learn about Model in a Bottle that you found interesting?
2.  Model in a bottle keeps your make up fresh and helps to avoid messy make up disasters. Tell us about one of your make up disasters or nightmare from the past?

For me, my biggest pet peeve is when I give someone a hug and leave my makeup on their shoulder; and looking like a melted hot mess after work outs. 

The winner will be chosen by John, from Misikko, who will also ship the item to whom ever wins. The contest ends on September 30th. Good luck!

Fall/Winter 2010 Regimen (part 2)

Some of the products I want/plan to experiment/try again this season:

Shampoo:

Giovanni SAS - I have used this once and didn't like the feeling, however I was unable to prepoo before using because I was away from home

Dudu-Osum Liquid Black Soap - this is not an experiment, I am bring this back into my regimen because I have used it and my hair loves it.

Conditioner:

Suave Aloe Vera & Ginseng - Honestly I have used this and I loved it. However, I didn't purchase it again because I had other conditioners that I need to use up before buying more.

Aubrey Organic HoneySuckle Rose - I keep hearing so many good things about this and I am just curious

Deep Conditioner:

Still deliberating...

Stylers:

Koils by Nature Heavenly Delight - my hair simply melts with butters and I love the consistency of the Koils by Nature butters

Other:

Castor Oil

Jasmine Oil

Amla Oil

-I want to incorporate more oils into my overall product rotation and hair regimen so I will be attempting to some how include oil in at least 50% of my regimens from this point forward

The first day of Fall is September 23...I plan to start this reggie around that time.

I am open to any comments, opinions, and/or suggestions about the products list above.

Hair Diet Summary

Well June is over and I made it the entire month without silicones or sulfates. My hair feels fabulous!

During the month of June, I used:

Dudu-Osum Herbal Shampoo

Giovanni SAS, 50:50, and TTT

Kimmaytube Leave In Conditioner (with Giovanni Direct leave in)

Shea Moisture Shea Butter Leave in

I also did a henna treatment during the month of June.

The verdict:

The combinations of these products left my hair feeling soft and moisturized. I experienced less itching with my scalp and my shedding also decreased (strange??). My hair was also more manageable and easier to style. I am very satisfied and would recommend the use of natural/organic products to anyone.

I looked at my product stash last night and debated about repurchasing many of the items on the shelf. I am thinking that I would love to only use the products listed above or the ones that fall into the natural/organic category. This will require a complete re-haul of my stash. My non-natural/organic products far outweigh the amount of natural/organic products that I already own.

ugh....I need some coupons

Be a Money $aving Product Junkie

If you can't help but become a product junkie there are ways to go about it with a decreased feeling of guilt.

1. Don't jump on bandwagons! Seriously - a bandwagon almost ruined all my hard work. I have learned (the hard way) to let others experiment and then wait for the results.

2. Request samples. There are so many companies out there that will provide samples to potential customers that there is no need to go out and purchase full sized full priced products just to "try" them.

3. Shop the travel aisle. If a company does not provide samples try the travel aisle in your local retail/discount store. Those items are constantly changing so keep your eye on them to see if the product you are curious about makes the shelf.

4. Use coupons. The funniest thing to me is to be line behind a person that just paid full price for a product and then they hear my total being about 50% less...all because I used a coupon. Here is the trick: purchase the item only when on sale and use the coupon at the moment. Also, if the store has a VIP/MVP card, get one and use it.

5. Swap, Swap, Swap. When you RSVP "yes" to attend a meet-up, GO! (no one likes a slacker). Usually at meet ups there are product swaps and someone just might bring the product that you have been wanting.

My IC Styling Gel Review

After seeing Wahidah's video on how she maintains her hair, I decided to give one of the products she uses a try. I have always avoiding gel, because I knew that it has a history of building up, becoming a flacky mess and just drying out loc's. But I have always admire Wahidah's loc's, so I said.. ok, I will give it a try. And I love it!

I washed my hair, oiled my scalp with African Pride Oil, and then palm rolled each loc - using the IC Styling Gel at the base of each loc. As I palm rolled my loc's into sections, I braided loc's in groups of 6 loc's for each braid. Once all of my loc's where braided, I let them air dry. I left the braids / plaits in for 3 days.  With the IC Gel, the roots of my loc's stayed shiny and neat the whole 3 days (It always helps to wrap your hair with silk scarf at night, and wear a comfortable scarf around you hair line when working out to keep your loc's looking fresh).

When I took my braids / plaits down... I was so surprise. It looked salon fresh!  This is how my hair looked after I went to the salon two months ago. I was able to get the same look at home that I got at the salon for $60 bucks!  So I am so happy with the results. I am alreayd a fan of the IC leave in conditioner; but now I am also a fan of the IC Styling gel. Of course use the gel moderately. A little bit will go a long way.  Thank you for the recommendation Wahidah. Great info...

Inspirational Photo - Joy Franklin

Joy's hair is gorgeous. She has a beautiful texture as shown in these photos. She uses Bee Mine Hair Products.

Product Recommendations...

...are something that I shy away from. Why? Simply because I don't know anyone's hair well enough to tell them "This will work for you." or "This is what you should spend your hair earned money on."

I do get a lot of questions that revolve around "What products should I buy to XYZ?"

My answer: I don't know (seriously). What I can do is offer up a list of the products I use but the thing is, those products work for my hair. In order to determine what is best for your hair you need to assess your hair care needs. Basically, what issues are you looking to address?

Frizziness?

Dryness?

Split Ends?

Manageability?

Look for products that are designed to help with those issues.

It is going to take trial and error to discover the products that work for your hair so the one thing I can suggest is ways to save money while on the search. Some companies offer travel size products so instead of spending a lot on a full size item that you might not like, opt for the travel size version before investing. Visit the website of the product you are interested in and see if they provide free samples. If you don't see a link for free samples on their webpage - contact them, sometimes companies want consumers to do a little "work" for what things they desire. Plus this helps the company cut costs because so many people will not contact the company for samples and will just go buy the full size, full priced item.

You have not because you ask not.

Another option is to read product reviews. On a number of product websites there are links that customers use to provide feedback. Browse through a couple of sites and read some reviews. It just may help with your decision making.

Good luck on your product search!

I'm going on a diet!!

LOL, I know someone just said some explicit....but I am not going on a weight loss diet, I am going on a Hair Diet: No 'cones or sulfates.

While on my self imposed cornrow challenge I have decided to add another element. I am only going to use sulfate free and cone free products for the month long challenge. I've never noticed a differenc in my hair with product before but then again I did not use any of the sulfate free and cone free products consistently.

I choose my products after examining these lists:

http://www.longhaircommunity.com/archive/showthread.php?t=34009

http://sites.google.com/site/ladylonghair/'cone-freeconditioners

I will be using:

Dudu Osun Herbal Shampoo

Giovanni Tea Tree Triple Treat conditioner or Giovanni Smooth As Silk

Shea Moisture Shea Butter Leave in

List of Sulfate Free Shampoos

The Long Hair Community Sulfate-free shampoo list

Heat Protection

My plans for the end of the Castor Oil challenge originally included a roller-set so that I could get an idea of how much length I had retained by the end of winter. I decided to also flat-iron for a super straight look that is now rare for me.

Because I now care about what I do to my hair I want to take proper precautions so I started doing my research on heat protectants. I never used one before because I didn't know any better.

What I found was:

-heat protectants work by coating the hair and protecting it during heat styling

-most heat protectants contain dimethicones and other -cones to protect the hair

-a good heat protectant has a low thermal conductivity (it absorbs heat)

-they can serve as protection from UV rays (hmmm?)

-if your hair is wet, heat can cause the water in the hair shaft to boil/steam which can cause the hair shaft to burst

-thermal protectors coat the hair with polymers and provide topical protection

-no amount of product can fully protect your hair from heat

Here is the product that I am going to try:

WISH ME LUCK!!!!

All-Star Lineup

For the past few weeks I have been using the same combination of products and amazingly received the same results each time. I think I have found my all-star lineup!

Pre-poo: Dabur Jasmine Oil

Detangle: Suave Tropical Coconut Conditioner

Shampoo: Suave Humectant Shampoo

Conditioner: Herbal Essence Hello Hydration

Leave-in Conditioner: SheaMoisture Shea Butter Leave-in

Moisturizer: Care Free Curl Instant Moisturizer

Styler: Spring Shea Butter Mix

It is a great feeling to have an arsenal that you know works for you. The products listed leave my hair feeling moisturized, soft, easy to detangle, and extremely manageable.

It took some time and patience but I feel like I have truly learned my hair. Many of the products above are new to me and they were chosen by the way of me looking at the ingredients in each product. A while back, per a suggestion from CurlyNikki.com Curly Chemist Dajewel, I listed out the ingredients in products that I was currently using. From that I have been able to just read a product and predict how it would work on my hair. So far so good.

How I use the products:

I pre-poo for 1 hour, finger detangle under running water with the Suave tropical coconut. During this step I am separating my hair into two sections, one on each side. Then I shampoo each side gently massaging my scalp and bringing the soap down my length with slinging my hair all around (that equals tangles), I also use my shower comb at this step to detangle further. After both sides are shampooed and rinsed I apply HE HH to each section and use claw clips to pin them up. I leave the conditioner in while I got through my regular wash routine. The last thing I do before getting out of the shower is rinse the conditioner out with my modified Conair cushion base brush (by modified I mean that I removed every other row of bristles). Then I plait each side.

Once out of the shower I un-plait each side and apply my leave-in conditioner. If I am not going to style my hair immediately I plait it back up. If I am going to style I spray on my moisturizer and seal with the shea butter mix as I go.

This routine changes if I am bunning. Instead of plaiting I form my pony tail in the shower and I don't completely rinse out the HE HH conditioner. Then I apply my leave-in, moisturizer, and shea butter to the exposed ponytail hair.

With this routine I continue to stick to my rule of 3 with my finishing products. Only the (1) leave-in, (2) moisturizer, and (3) shea butter.