Beauty...Natural Hair...Vibes
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So I had unraveled my two-strand twists and had my hair up in a high bun. But it was a lazy Sunday and I really did not feel like playing or neating my hair so I did this little style with a scarf:
Scarf from J. Crew
Side view
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Every couple of months, I like to give myself a protein treatment, to help re-strengthen my hair. Constant manipulation will eventually weaken the hair shaft and adding a treatment will fill in the weak spots.
The lovely people at SheaMoisture sent me a couple of products from one of their newest product lines, the Tahitian Noni & Monoi Collection. This is touted as their “hair smoothing system” allowing users to go from curly to straight without permanently altering the hair. According to SheaMoisture, “The protein-based treatment products smooth, soften and control frizz, leaving textured hair more manageable for up to four weeks”.
All the products contain certified organic Shea Butter, Tahitian Noni, which is an antioxidant enriched with Vitamin C to help maintain hair health, Monoi Oil, which revives damaged hair, and Keratin, Peptides and Botanical Extracts, to nourish, repair and protect distressed hair fibres. Of course this all-natural line does not contain sulphates, parabens, mineral oil and other stuff.
This line contains a number of products including the Smooth & Repair Straightening System. I got the Nourishing Hair Masque and the Hair Scalp Weekly Treatment.
I must admit that I was rather skeptical to try these products. Since the day that I decided stop relaxing, I have had zero desire to straighten my hair. So I did not want to apply anything to my hair that would alter its texture. I scrutinized the ingredients and the masque actually does not contain keratin (which is a naturally occurring protein and is the main component of hair and nails) or any ingredients that may straighten the hair. It contains mostly moisturisers and hydrolyzed vegetable protein. This masque is supposed to deeply condition the hair, impart intense moisture and strengthen and smoothen the strands.
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Years ago, when I first decided to stop relaxing, one of the names being kicked around the natural hair forum boards was Anita Grant. Based in London, UK, mixologist Anita Grant has been making all natural hair products for a while. So I decided to order a few items and my order included her famous Rhassoul Condish blocks. I think it took about 2-3 weeks to get my package as it was coming across the Atlantic, but I am not sure what the shipping times are like now.
Anita Grant Original Rhassoul Condish
Fast forward some years later and I realized that I still had 3 blocks in my refrigerator!! So one evening, I gave my hair a little extra TLC. The condish block is made primarily of organic Rhassoul Clay (Moroccan) but also contains some very moisturizing ingredients like cocoa butter and honey. The clay is supposed to fortify hair, protect it from free radicals, detoxify the scalp and improve manageability.
So I followed the instructions on the website, and used a glass bowl and plastic fork to prepare the mixture. Due to the high mineral content of the clay, they may interact with metal. I used one cube of Rhassoul Clay and added enough hot water to create a loose paste. It took about 10 to 15 minutes to break up the cube with the fork. It looked like Milo or chocolate milk. I have used coconut milk instead of water, but surprisingly this Caribbean woman had none in her apartment! :-/
The Condish! 1 cube
Mixing the condish with hot water
So I cleansed my hair in the shower and squeezed out the excess water. I divided my hair into quarters and applied the Rhassoul mixture. I made sure that I got it on my scalp and throughout my strands. It did not drip and it dried quickly on my hair, but I wrapped it in some plastic wrap and left it on for 30 minutes.
My hair before the treatment. An old twistout.
The clay in my hair, after 30 mins
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Ever since I decided to go back to natural years ago, I had a long list of brands and products that I heard about or read about that I wanted to try. There weren’t a lot of hair accessories or hair jewellry on my list, but Ododo Originals was on there. Lesley, the founder and owner, makes handmade hair floral accessories in a myriad of colours and designs. Ododo means ‘flower’ in her mother tongue. I was immediately intrigued when I visited the website!! Oh the colour!
Fast forward to last Black Friday, I finally ordered my first flower. I chose to get a neutral colour that I would wear with any outfit and I had a particular liking to the Art Deco section, which has a particular pattern, and often featured 2 different colour beads. All of Ododo’s flowers are made of beads of different sizes and finishes and fine wire and come in a couple of different sizes. You can get the flower with an alligator clip, a pin to use as a brooch or as a headband. I picked up the Art Deco style in antiqued silver and bronze and that cost USD$45 less 20% (Black Friday deal). I literally spent all weekend trying to decide which one I was going to start with!
My package came after about 2 weeks, wrapped like this…..
The packaging….
Nice, eh?
In the middle of the de people post office, I opened my package….and was blown away!! I actually let out an audible gasp! I was highly impressed at how delicate, and beautiful and well made it was!
Delicate as in refined, not fragile. On the website, the pieces are enlarged, to show detail, but in person it looked professionally made. The beads are round and smooth with an iridescent/duochrome glaze, so it has a subtle shine. The petals come to a point and the flower has some flexibility as it is made with bronze coloured wire. The centre is bronze as well as the edges. The rest of the petal is this burnished silver. The flower is about 2.5 inches across with an alligator clip that just slides into the hair.
Used on twist-out high bun
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I have sung the praises about products from Oyin Handmade. They have a fantastic collection for women how have naturally kinky/curly/coily hair. But there is one that truly has my heart and I will buy for the rest of time! Oyin Burnt Sugar Pomade.
Oyin Burnt Sugar Pomade
First of all, this smells every bit as good as it looks! Amazing!! I have been so tempted to eat this thing! I actually think that it has quite a pronounced scent although it has been described as subtle.
Anyway, this is an all-natural, vegetable-based hair pomade, that has a very thick, almost grease-like consistency. Like old-school, back in the day hair grease. And to the touch, it is grainy, as if there is actual brown sugar mixed in it. But that quickly melts away once you warm it up in your palms.
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