First of all let me apologize for the hiatus. My husband and
I have been crazy busy selling our house and buying a new one, not to mention
upgrading furniture and trying to get rid of the gently used stuff. So as you
can imagine, my life turned into a small zoo. I’m still in the mist of
everything, but I had to give some props to me old stand-by RAW SHEA BUTTER!
One of my favourite brands of shea butter, found in most Black Beauty Supply stores.
As of late, I have been dealing with a flare up of
dermatitis, which has not been fun, but I won’t get into that right now.
Needless to say, I’ve taken a minimalist approach for three reasons:
-My hair needs some extra love;
-Lack of time;
-When dermatitis is lurking, my scalp/hair does not
like new unknown products.
So I have been shampooing regularly, adding my leave-in and
styling with raw shea butter only! I find people either love or hate shea
butter. Well, I’m a LOVER. It seals in moisture like nobody’s business, in my opinion. Yes,
there are other oils and butters that can do the trick, but for me shea butter
works best. So I do not think it will ever be out of my regular rotation of
products.
In
the 19th century a law was passed to allow slaves to attend church
and socialize with each other. It also became the day women used to take care
of their tress. As mentioned in the previous entry The arrival of doom slave were starting to use axle grease
and hot butter knives to straighten their hair. They began to envy the straight
hair that their slave master’s wives had and although it was a form of
self-hate, it also show how slave were ingenious and very creative.
The chemical lye, that was and still is in some cases used in hair relaxers.
The
natural afro texture of their hair was being frowned upon and the slaves soon
started mixing a concoction of lye (a toxin also known as sodium hydroxide) and
potato. This
was put directly on the scalp to straighten the hair shaft and then rinse with
water and a neutralizing agent. Although
the process gave the slaves the desired straight hair, it did not come without
a price. The caustic solution burned the skin instantly and usually left the
person with severe scabs and abrasions on their scalp.
Over
the years, the market grew for those of African descent to straighten their
hair, even though the process was extremely dangerous and sometimes painful. In
fact, in the mid-19th century it was against the law in New Orleans
to be seen wearing their natural hair. It had to be hidden with a wig or
wrapped in a scarf.
Madam C.J. Walker before and after using her product. I liked her puffy bangs. :-)
This
new business was booming and in the beginning was dominated by whites, soon
African Americans: Madam C.J. Walker, Garrett Augustus Morgan, Sara Spencer and
others invented applications to remove or change the curl pattern of
afro-textured hair.Although, I
personally do not think the invention of hair relaxers was a positive one, I
cannot ignore the great entrepreneurism that occurred. The determination is
something we all should be proud of.
Your
hairstyle also fit you into a social class that had developed in the 1800s and
early 1900s. If you had straight hair you were considered to be classy and affluent
and those who wore traditional African styles such as braids or cornrows were
considered to be poor and low-class. It’s
interesting to note that although the first relaxers in the 19th Century
were much cruder than the ones now used in present day some of the side-effects
still remain, scalp burns, scabs and in severe cases relaxers can cause
dermatitis and alopecia. If
you could go back to the 1800s, do you think you would you straighten your hair
to fit in?
About a month ago, my husband and I started a major clean and
decluttering as we prepared to stage our house for selling. In the process, my
beloved electric mixer landed in storage. I was devastated and to be honest, I
still am a little bit.
The main reason for my devastation was the fact that I was due to
make my whipped shea butter, but it’s impossible to get the right consistency
without a mixer…at least for me anyway.
I ended up at my neighbourhood Black Beauty Supply store (BBS), searching for a something to
set and twist my hair with, since I had also ran out of my supply of Hair Love
(need to re-order). I also thought of my readers, It’s was time for another
product review.
I found Roots of Nature Remedies® for Natural Hair Butter Whip Coil Cream™. It was only $7.99 for a 6.1 oz jar. I figured it was pretty cheap
not to contain drying alcohol, mineral oil, petrolatum or parabens. So I picked it up.
Not to mention it also contains mango oil and cupuacu butter. I love everything
mango, but the cupuacu was new to me.
Product
description: With
Mango Oil and Brazilian Cupuacu Butter (6.1 oz.)Found in the heart of the Amazon Rain Forest ,
moisturizing Cupuacu (coo-poo-wah-soo) Butter has for generations been the
secret of Brazilians for beautiful hair. Combined with softening Mango Oil, our
Butter Whip Coil Cream deeply nourishes and conditions to stretch and define
each coil with just the right amount of hold for twists, braid-outs, and TWA’s
(teeny weeny afros). Dull, shrunken coils are transformed into lasting, soft,
elongated, shiny coils.Hair Types:
Relaxed, Natural, Color Treated, and Over-Processed Hair
Here is the bottom line, it works pretty good on my 4A - 4B tress. I love the
smell and the consistency is creamy. I used it on wet and dry twist outs and I
liked the results on both styles. The twists were defined and my hair felt soft and
moisturized. I will definitely continue to use this product and keep it as a
go-to styler. It does not top my whipped shea butter or Hair Love, but when I
want something that has a light texture and is inexpensive I will think of the Whip Coil Cream.
Have you tried this product? What are your thoughts or does something
else work for you?
Why I went curlie: Well to be honest
I didn’t plan on going back to my natural state. About a year prior to
embracing my natural hair, my permed hair was acting up. I was losing hair at a
rate that was not normal, so I went under braids. After three months I took the
braids out permed my hair again only to have the same issues happen...and this
time worse! At that point I went back under the braids this time for a longer
period. One August day I was looking at my braids and knew it was time for a
redo ... but I was SICK of the braids...did I say SICK? MADD! Something lead me
to call my sister girl who is natural and asked her who does her hair etc. She
gave me her stylist contact information and I made the call. I was nervous
about this new look that I haven't seen since I was 12 years old. I thought alot
about what people would say how my workplace would react, but when I BC'd August 13th, 2011, I fell in love with myself I believe for
the first time ever - I couldn't believe how good I looked! I didn't care who
didn't like it, but funny enough I was embraced by all. Even my Dad was all for
me going natural. I can honestly say that I was unaware of how MANY naturals
out there until after I chopped. I feel as though my going back to natural was
a spiritual awakening for me!
Shereen rocking her braids
Regime and products: My hair regime
and the products I use are simple. I learned very quickly that oils are one of
the key products for healthy hair. Castor oil is an oil that I use in all that
I do. I use it in my hot oil treatment which I mix with EVOO and Vatika coconut
oil. I also use castor oil when I am sealing my hair. I wash my hair weekly and
cowash once or twice a week. I use Kinky Curly Shampoo and Kinky Curly Not
Today Leave-in Conditioner for my weekly washes. I use Hello Hydration
from Herbal Essence to co-wash, I also use Giovanni Leave-in after I co-wash. I
alternate weeks of either deep conditioning (a homemade mix of mayo egg and
honey) or I will do a hot oil treatment. I always apply the LOC method after washing
or co-washing, this method aids in retaining the moisture in my hair, as my
hair is all type 4’s. I NEED as much moisture as I can get. I also use Henna
once or twice a month for strengthening and conditioning and not to mention to
cover up my greys. Every night I spritz my hair lightly with Rosewater &
Glycerin and re-twist. At the end of the day I believe and follow the rule of
do what works for your hair and LISTEN to your hair!
Shereen posing at the iHEARTmyHAIR photo shoot
The best part of being curlie for me
is: Knowing that I am truly loving all that God gave me … NO LYE! One small
change can impact your life going natural has also caused me to become more
aware of what I am putting in my body. Natural hair truly ROCKS!
I took part in a natural hair photo shoot last weekend with
Añya
Grant and a few more gorgeous ladies from the iHEARTmyHAIR crew.
I was honoured to be a part of the shoot and I had a lot of
fun. Not only did I get a fun makeover, but I also had an opportunity to
re-connect and also meet more Curlies and Naturals - which is always fun.
Me and Añya after the shoot. Photo: iHEARTmyHAIR
Añya, did my hair, Rita of Salon Beauty Mark did my makeup
and Sean of Sean Anthony Photography took the photos. I have to say thanks to all of them for putting
their time and energy into making everyone look beautiful.
Althea Joseph from Curly Canadians™ contacted me recently and
asked me to do a review on their new product Hair Love. I was ecstatic, since I
knew my hair agrees with ingredients in the product.
Hair Love has the consistency of a firm to creamy shea
butter and has a mild sweet citrus scent. I’m a huge fan of shea butter and I’ve
come to the conclusion that it absolutely has to be a part of my natural hair’s
existence, so it will not surprise most of you that I love this product. Not to
mention it also contains my hair’s other best friend coconut oil. Matches made
in heaven – plain and simple!
I used Hair Love as a sealer and styler, so much so that I’m
almost out of my supply. It was the main styler for my Curlformers set that I
did a few weeks ago and for my twists and twist-outs over the last couple
weeks. It easily became my go to product to seal and freshen up my hair in the
mornings after spritzing it with water. I
found that it helped my hair retain moisture when used as a sealer and styler
and imparted lots of shine to my 4A/B combination hair.
I would definitely recommend this product for those who are
interested in an all-in-one product that can be counted on.
If you like your own jar of Hair Love and a few
other goodies from Curly Canadians™ you can enter my FIRST GIVEAWAY, sponsored
by Curly Canadians™. THE GIVEAWAY ENDS MAY 26TH!
I’ve received a few requests from readers asking where to
buy natural hair products in Canada, not only Toronto.
I want to create a list of where Curlies and Naturals are
purchasing their products across the country and abroad. For some having access
to products, know-how and perhaps stylists, may be the reason they may or may not go natural. Well, I
think as a community we should help each other and share ideas and hot spots
for product junkies and for those who want to be pampered in a salon…LOL
My plan is to create a page that provides the following: business
names, their website, their email address, their phone number and location. So
please submit your favourites in the comment box below and I’ll take it from
there.
Thanks for your help … I can’t wait to add your resources.
