Chronicles of a Natural Apostolic: My favorite products

What products do I use?

In this post I will explain all of the products that I use and when I use them. There are some products that I only use once a month, once every 2 weeks, once a week or daily. I base the product on the state of my hair.

When I decide whether a product works for me, there are many things I consider. They must be able to:

• Combat a dry and itchy scalp
• Keep my ends moist when they get too dry
• Maintain a good pH balance in my hair
• Detangle my hair with ease
• Contain ingredients that are not damaging to my hair
• Define my curl pattern

In addition, I have learned, and constantly tell others, what works for me may not work for you! You have to find what works for your hair! This is the MOST important thing to keep in mind!!

With that said, I will list my favorite products categorically.

Shampoo, Conditioner and Clarifier

I have two types of shampoo and conditioner that I alternate with. Nourish Spa by Trader Joes and Tea Tree Tingle also by Trader Joes. Nourish Spa is made with organic ingredients and it does contain parabens. (I do not find these to be bad, despite must controversy and debate). Tea Tree Tingle is a certified organic shampoo and conditioner. They are very inexpensive, ranging no more than $5 per bottle. They last me about 3 months! Sometimes more!

To clarify my hair I used apple cider vinegar or white vinegar diluted with water. I generally use 6 parts vinegar to 4 parts water. I like a strong rinse! I use this to help remove product build up and to restore the proper pH balance to my hair.



Nourish Spa found at Trader Joes.



 

Tea Tree Tingle found at Trader Joes



Detangling Mixtures

I have two methods of detangling:

The first method is simple. I do this method right after I wash my hair. So I only do this once a week!

• Garnier Fructis Sleek and Shine Leave in Conditioner OR Herbal Essence None of Your Frizziness Leave in Conditioner to detangle. I smooth a large amount over a section and comb/brush it out with my tangle teezer.

• Once I have detangled, I apply oil to the section to seal in the moisture using Hollywood's Beauty Tea Tree Oil OR Africa's Best Ultimate Herbal Oil

My second method is to maintaining moisture throughout the week. I made a mixture containing:

• Bottled water
• UNCUT hair oil by Christine Carney
• Aloe vera juice
• Leave in conditioner

I put all of this in an empty leave in conditioner bottle. I use this to maintain moisture in my hair throughout the week.

Detangling and Styling Tools

I recently purchased the Tangle Teezer for $10.86 at Sallys. I wanted to know if it was worth the hype or not! And IT IS! This is my new most favorite detangling tool ever. No more combs or brushes needed! It sliced my detangling time down from 45 minutes to 10 minutes. It pulls out less hair and it removes shedded hair with ease. I will be posting a review about this very soon :)

My other styling tools consist of:

• Bobby pins
• Elastic hair ties (with no metal)
• Hair clamps
• Headbands, bows, scarves and clips

Styling Products

I use Eco Styler Gel with olive oil to:

• define my curls
• slick back my hair
• to make my little "jew curls" on my temples
• to make coils

I use Glycerin with water in a spray bottle for twist outs, twists, braids, ANYTHING! It gives me tons of sheen, body and volume. I can't find a picture to show you but you can find it at your local beauty supply!



ANY MORE QUESTIONS?? Feel free to leave comments or send me emails!

Celebrating hair, hair & hair <3

Whole Foods - Ahhh!

Okay, me and my loving boyfriend (who endures my hair addictions, natural and lacefront) went to Hooter's (I was craving hot wings) and then I asked him to take me to Whole Foods, just to see if they had Kinky Curly Custard and other stuff that I saw on vitacost.com: glycerin, grapeseed oil, jojoba oil, rosewater, etc. Well, lo and behold! They had EVERYTHING! No need to order online! They had every kind of oil you can imagine, except for the Kinky Curly Custard. That's okay. I think I'm going to stick to the stuff that I can readily get. So we ended up getting the glycerin, grapeseed oil, jojoba oil, and rosewater. I also got a mesh tea ball and some loose green tea (rishi tea Organic Jasmine Green Tea). I think I'm going to turn into one of those "natural hair, hemp sandal wearing, patchouli smelling " bohos... I can feel it coming... not that anything is wrong with them... I just feel myself turning into one of them. I can't wait to start making my own hair moisturizers. It's exciting to personalize them with my favorite scents. I love patchouli... my boyfriend doesn't.

I'm putting on the Mongolian tomorrow. I'm also on day 2 of my "walk the weight off" challenge that I proposed onto myself. Since I still can't find a job, I'm going to "work" to get this weight off me. Today, I walked 3.8 miles in an hour, and I'm sore as heck. I've got a hot bath full of epsom salts waiting on me (damn, I'm old). I have to walk tomorrow to walk off the wings and the lovely Tom Collins that my baby made for me. I have to wear some kind of tie down scarf under my baseball hat when I walk tomorrow. I digress... I have some old fashioned brown gel to slick my hair down for under the unit. I really want to wear a wigcap, I just don't know how to stick them on with the adhesive. I'm going to try tomorrow. I've also decided to put my unit on after I walk.

Product Alert: Nexxus Humectress Ultimate Moisturizing Conditioner

Okay, Shamboosie recommends Humectress Ultimate Moisturizing Conditioner. I'm going to add Therappe Luxurious Hydrating Shampoo to the line up also. I used to use Nexxus products a long time ago, because my brother loved them. I think I'm addicted to conditioners now, so I'll need a big ass bottle. I'm not going to get into all that "anti-cones" stuff. My hair just likes water and conditioners, and now, extra virgin olive oil. I can't wait to get some glycerin, rosewater, and jojoba oil to make my own moisturizer. This is so exciting! I've got to get a Product Wish List started.

Okay... back... wish list is done. I also just remembered that I didn't like the way Humectress smelled. Maybe I can add an essential oil to it. I'm not going to go all out on the Miss Jessie's and Kinky Curly products until my hair is at least ear/bob length. I'll stick with the stuff I can get at Walgreens, Wal-Mart, CVS, and other locales.

I added new month pictures to the hair growth album. I'm so encouraged, but the hair crack is calling me... I'd better hurry up and put that mongolian on!