First thoughts on Curl Junkie Curl Rehab!

So my first thoughts are....I LOVE this stuff! I got my order today from aveyou.com I got the strawberry ice cream scent, and it reminds me of OHM sweet hair pudding from a long time ago, I havent bought that product in years so if they changed the scent sorry. I shampoo'd my hair with Giovanni Tea Tree, conditioned with Tressame Naturals only this time I rinsed it out. I normally leave in it. Once I got out I sectioned my hair into 8 sections but I ended up sectioned a couple more once I started putting in the product cause it was still too thick..
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DIY Pumpkin Mask!

I found this mask on another blog and thought Id share it! Since pumpkins are out in abundance right now its right up our seasons alley!
Pumpkins are high in vitamins A and C and zinc, this gourd-like squash helps heal and protect the skin from free radicals, all while gently dissolving dead skin cells. The addition of egg helps bind the mask together, nourishing and lifting the skin. To get the recipe for this homemade pumpkin face mask, read more.

• Make your base: Whisk together about 1/4 cup of pumpkin (canned is ok to use) and one egg.
• Customize: If desired, add a splash of milk, which does a beauty good, after all.
• For dry skin: Add a bit of honey, which not only acts as a humectant, but the natural sweetener provides antiseptic properties, too.
• For oily skin: For an astringent effect, mix in a splash of apple cider or cranberry juice.
• Apply: Slather the mixture on your face. Relax, read, do chores, or whatever you'd like for the next 15 to 20 minutes and rinse off.

The verdict on baby oil...

So basically what I thought originally was right. Baby oil is a no go. I googled a few things and some people said it was good others said not so much but for the same reason I originally thought. It blocks your pores etc. Sooo thats prob why it makes me sweat so bad!

So some oils to try instead would be:
Coconut Oil
Argan Oil
Olive Oil
Emu Oil
Vit e

Butters:
Unrefined Shea Butter
Cocoa Butter
Mango Butter

Now im not tryin to fake the funk but I've only tried shea out of the butters. So I cant say what would be best. Im on a mission to have better looking moisturized skin. So I'm gonna be trying all of these out. I want my skin to be moist and looking younger! Yes I'm only 26 but I can already see time taking its toll on my body. I will def report back with my moisture findings :)

Natural oils and butters VS Mineral oils...(body edition)

Soooo If you know me well you know I love all things natural for hair and body. When I was a teenager I was using baby oil every day on my body, and my skin always was soft and pretty (and sweaty lol that stuff seriously makes you sweat!) Once I got a little older and started learning about not using mineral oils in your hair products I also stopped using them in my body products. I figured the reason the I was sweating so bad was because the mineral oils were blocking my pores. (my reasoning not saying its a legit claim just my thoughts on the matter and I haven't read up on it..just sayin) So I've been using shea butter, coconut oil, and any other blends I can find online for my body products. Lately I revisited baby oil, not because of the recent "hair grease" trend in the natural world but because it was right in front of me when I got out of the shower ( I use it to remove eye makeup) and my shea butter wasn't. So that day my skin was so soft! It stayed soft the whole day! I have been using natural products for years now and I haven't had skin that still looked and felt moisturized all day long yet! The baby oil did that...so I'm wondering what the deal is with this.
This is def just for body though...the only way mineral oils will touch my hair again is if they start making diamonds sprout from my scalp! I have been there done that and my hair broke off constantly. Only since I went to natural products for my hair has it thrived. On my body though its another story...I'm def gonna be looking into why the natural products aren't keeping my skin as soft as the mineral oil products...

Cassia and AMLA powders! Goin ayurvedic! (sort of)

So Im doing a hair treatment tonight. We'll see how it goes. I ordered some herbs from butters n bars website. I got 100 grams of Cassia, 200 grams of AMLA, and 100 grams of Brahmi powders. For this batch all I did was mix the Cassia and one box (100 grams) of AMLA. Mixed it with warm water, some evoo and castor oil. Let it sit for an hour while I washed my hair. Its all air dried now and theres no products it in, I'm gonna go ahead and start with the process of application! I'll report back. I need to get with the program and start taking some pics! :)
Later gators.

ps. I've tried henna in the past when my hair was natural before. HATED it. yes it was baq. yes it did everything its done for everyone elses hair who loved it. It loosened my curl pattern too much and I like to be able to put highlights in when I want and I couldnt because they came out red! Bleach on bleach on bleach and it was red red red. No blonde like I wanted. So im not going to do the henna now that its all cut out but I tried cassia before pre henna and it was good :) so now im gonna try out these other herbs as well

Aubrey Organics = LOVE!

So I purchased Aubrey Organics White Camellia Conditioner from curlmart.com....Its been sitting in my bathroom for a couple of weeks till today when I finally used it! Lets just say....AMAZING!
I knew as soon as it hit my hair it was good, my hair felt so good. It has made my hair feel amazing! The plus to this stuff is its all natural! I try to use mainly all natural products in my hair so this is right up my alley! It can be used as a regular rinse out condish or a deep condish. I used it today as a deep conditioner, didnt sit under the dryer just used my own body heat did some laundry cooked dinner etc. It did the job just fine! This stuff is for dry and or damaged hair! You can purchase it at whole foods or any other health food store. Or at curlmart.com :) google coupon codes!

My All Time Favorite Products For Natural Hair!

Regardless of how many products and lines I try I always tend to come back to these products. They are definitely my holy grail. Sometimes I think why the heck do I buy so many hair products when these are so amazing already?! Each time I come back to them I think why did I ever stop using this and fall in love all over again. Best of all, majority of them are all natural :) I try to use mainly natural products in my hair (minus the color yea yea) So lets get started!

1. Unrefined shea butter! This stuff is amazing for your hair and skin. Sometimes I'll whip mine up and add an oil, usually I just leave it alone. I usually buy mine from http://www.afrikanrepublic.com/ theres plenty of other sites that sell it though. Just make sure its unrefined! It has a strong nutty scent to it which to me is soooo stinky! You get used to it though. If you really really dont like it, I've found  mixing it with www.hairveda.com 's vatika frosting it makes the shea smell soooo much better! Speaking of vatika frosting that brings me to number 2...

2. Coconut oil! I use spectrum which you can get at whole foods. I usually get the one that is over by the cooking oils. Not the one that is near the essential oils. Make sure your coconut oil is unrefined as well. Another suped up coconut oil I LOVE is hairveda's vatika frosting. It smells sooo good. I love putting coconut oil in my hair after I've put in my leave in conditioner.  Sometimes like I said for number 1 Ill mix this up with my shea butter and it makes an awesome mix. You can use coconut oil on your body as well but for some reason it doesnt work to well on my skin. whole foods and the vatika frosting is from http://www.hairveda.com/

3. Castor oil! Another sealant but castor oil is soooo amazing! I use this in my hair daily over my leave ins for my sealant. Even if I use one of the above items ill still add a little castor oil. Castor oil promotes hair growth. I use it on my eyebrows to make them thicker. If I over pluck or tweeze I start adding castor oil at night and my brows fill right back in. Sometimes I put some on a clean mascara wand and put it on my lashes also. I like to add a mix of castor oil and jojoba oil and put those two in a hair color applicator bottle and then do scalp rubs with the mix. Castor oil is sooo amazing!  (however if you drink it you'll be sooo sorry...) you can get this at whole foods or health food stores.

4. Tressame naturals conditioners! I used to use herbal essence for my cowashes but for the past couple years I've been a die hard fan of this one. Its always a go to for me. Im constantly stocked up, I usually leave it in my hair and not rinse it out. If I think I put tooo much in while in the shower then I may run my head under the water for a second or two but this one is fine for me to leave in. I have for a long long time now with no adverse affects. I also like using this when I do roller sets or braid outs or twist. This is at any drugstore or walmart etc.

5. Jessicurl weekly deep treatment! This stuff has never failed me. When I need a good deep conditioner this lovely products always treats my hair right! I would advise to get the unscented version though. Ive purchased both of the scents offered and HATED them. Idk what it is with them but I dont like the scents. I've even used this stuff as a leave in and my hair was soooo moisturized and fly! Its just too small of a container and I have too thick of hair to be doing that regularly lol. I usually get mine from curlmart.com use code nikki15 for 15 percent off :) They usually always have a coupon code for at least 15 percent and the shipping is fast.

6. Hairveda whipped clouds! I loooove loooove loooove this stuff for braid outs and twist outs. Its used best on dry hair. If you go to hairvedas site you wont see it, but those lovely ladies will prob still send it out to you like they did me :) All you have to do is email and ask. Id probably order more than one jar though since its not a product on the site anymore. This stuff smells soooo amazing. Actually theres not one product of hers that doesnt smell amazing. Its probably the only natural line that I love the scent of every single thing! This stuff is shealoe. Which is shea butter and aloe. Which is AMAZING! lol I didnt even realize how much I loved this stuff till it was too late I had already chopped off all my hair booo. Good thing I have 3 jars coming soon! http://www.hairveda.com/

7. Giovanni Direct Leave in! This stuff has always been a favorite of mine, when all else fails, I pull this out. I put it in my hair daily and my hair thanks me for it. It works amazing for me. I love that I can get it on the ground and dont have to pay shipping. I just wish it came in a bigger size because I fly through the bottles of this. You can get this at target

8. Giovanni Tea Tree shampoo! Now every hair stylist I know has told me not to use this shampoo but I love it. My hair loves it. I've used it for years and never once had an issue. My only issue came when I started using other stuff! lol Came back to this and my hair thanked me. I love love love this shampoo! Its sulfate free, and the tingle that it gives your scalp is amazing. I always come back to this one. You can get this at Target.


So there ya go! My all time FAVE FAVE FAAAVE products :) There are other things that I use, and some I may use regularly but these are the ones that I call my favorites. These are the ones that I use all year long and they work regardless of season. These are the ones that no matter how dry or rough my hair may be feeling once I use them my hair returns to its fly self.