Make Your Carrier Oils For Your Hair Last Longer

How to make your Carrier oils last longer

Hey Curly's

I purchased some vegetable oils for my hair a while ago, and went to reach for one to make my hair oil and to my surprise it smelled funny. No that was a understatement it was down right funky. LOL! It was rancid or spoiled if you will, and i could have kicked myself because thinking back i remembered i didn't do much to try to extend the life of my precious oils. I mean I paid enough for them why not try to make them last? So i remembered what i learned when i would make my homemade soaps that there are steps you can take to preserve your oils a bit. So here's a little of what I know about it.


Carrier oils (soft oils) by nature are unsaturated fats which mean they go rancid after a period of time. Because they are more receptive to oxygen than saturated fats they oxidize and smell funny.

Because solid oils (hard oils) such as coconut oil, palm oil, or nut butters are saturated fats they do not need to be preserved making their shelf life extremely long.

So to extend the shelf life of your liquid oils, as well as extend the life of soap for all the natural soap makers. it is a good idea to add vitamin E oil to act as a preservative. It is best to use a antioxidant such as a mixed-tocopherol vitamin E for the best benefit.


Vitamin E is composed of many types of tocopherols, such as alpha, gamma, and omega,


Alpha are especially good effective for healing the skin, so as a mixed tocopherol vitamin E your getting the optimum preservative in vitamin E oil.



Rosemary extract is an excellent antioxidant



Grapefruit seed oil is not an antioxidant but it does have anti-fungal and antibacterial properties.

So you paid your money for those oils and some can be costly so extend the shelf life.

How To Detangle Your Curly Natural Hair.

Do you remember when you were younger, and you never wanted your hair combed, because it hurt so muchhhh? You cried, you sobbed possibly got hit with the comb because you just couldnt sit still. Well thank goodness those days are gone. If only mama knew what we know now.

Saying Goodye to Snap-Crackle & Pop
*One thing all natural curly's need to know is never, ever try to detangle or comb through natural hair while it's dry.
*Never, ever start combing the hair from the roots.

What you will need.
-Hair clips (depending on length of hair)
-Detangler of choice (i use a home made mixture)
-Wide tooth comb ( i use a large rake comb)
-Or detangling brush (A lot of curly use a denman brush there are others also).
-Also with longer hair in addition to brush or comb utilize your fingers.


When using a water & glycerin mixture, (also used as a moisturizer)
or a hair detangler.

Step 1 Spray on hair working throughout.
Step 2 Begin detangling at the ends first working up towards the scalp until hair is fully untangled.


When using a conditioner (used during co-wash or as a conditioner)
make sure hair is wet first

Step 1. Section hair and clip. (detangling 1 section at a time)
Step 2. Spray hair with water
Step 3. Spray on or apply the detangler of your choice
Step 4. massage in well
step 5. *start detangling at the ends first working up to the scalp
then place back in clips. clip back up

TIPS
While rinsing your hair, after detangling it, do not wash out all of the conditioner. Leave some of the conditioner in the hair, as it would protect your hair until the next wash.

Moisturizing Your Kinky,Curly,Coily Natural Hair

Do Oils & Butters = Moisturizing?


I remember as a child running to go get the comb, brush, and a jar of grease either Vaseline or Dax because it was time to get my hair done. And it seemed no matter how much was slathered on my hair the combing process was so excruciating, and I was told "your soooo tender headed"
Oh sure water was occasionally sprayed on the hair, and the grease helped some. Well my hair got done but there should have been a better way.

Why Mineral oil is not the best for your natural hair.
Yes Mama and big big Mama used it as well as many other folk, but mostly because it's cheap. If we could have afforded to buy nut oils and butters and if they were readily available I'm sure we would have. But we have always had to work with whatever we had. hence the use of Vaseline, mineral oil, and petrolatum for everything. But this should make you think twice.

Mineral oil is a derivative of crude oil (petroleum) that is used industrially as a cutting fluid and lubricating oil. This commonly used petroleum ingredient coats the skin and hair just like plastic wrap. The skin's natural barrier is disrupted as this plastic coating inhibits its ability to breathe and absorb moisture and nutrition. The skin's ability to release toxins and wastes is impossible through this "plastic wrap," which can promote acne and other disorders. It further hinders normal skin respiration/transpiration by keeping oxygen out. This process slows down skin function and normal cell development causing the skin to prematurely age. Petrolatum - A petroleum-based grease that is used industrially as a grease component. Petrolatum exhibits many of the same potentially harmful properties as mineral oil. Just know it cost more money to dispose of this oil then to sell cheaply to manufactures that use it in cheap bath and body products.

Moisturizing
The first step in moisturizing the hair is WATER. Water has to be present but, water evaporates too quickly so something more is needed.

This is where EMOLLIENTS come in which are oils & butters.
vegetable,(corn) ex
fruit(olive) ex
nut (sweet almond) ex
seed (sesame) ex
butters (cocoa,Shea) etc.
These emollients work with water to help seal in moisture.
Other natural emollients include jojoba oil (which is considered a wax more than a oil), rosehip seed oil, and avocado oil

Now we need a bridge between the water and the oil.

These are known as HUMECTANTS.
Humectants by definition are substances that are added or applied to another to help it to retain moisture such as glycerin.

Glycerin is a colorless orderless sweet syrupy liquid, and is a natural by-product of soap. It can come from vegetable fat or animal fat.(vegetable is best) Glycerin acts as a humectant, drawing moisture from the air , and holding it to the skin or hair. This makes it emollient and moisturizing. It is also a form of alcohol. A lot of naturals use the infamous glycerin and water mixture for detangling and as a moisturizer and it works wonders for them.


Other natural humectants are used in most hair care products include honey, Lecithin, Panethol (pro vitamin .B5), and vitamin E (mixed tocopherol)

When it comes to moisturizing your tresses these are three things that be included in your moisturizers. as well as any other plant extracts, essential oils etc

So whats in my water bottle you ask?
Spring water
honey
Vitamin E
EPO Evening primrose oil
jojoba
sweet almond
safflower
black Castor oil

Tools Every Natural Curl Should Not Be Without

These are a few of my favorite things.
When first starting out they make things a heck of alot easier.




Large tooth comb

Bobby pins

Hair clips

Spray bottle

Head bands

Ouchess bands

any cute barrettes

Silk or satin scarf/bonnet

My Hair Regimen

My hair regimen is pretty much basic to me, at least i don't think i do too much. :)

Ok here goes



Pre-Poo: .................... 1x week ....................Friday

Shampoo: .................. 1x week ....................Saturday

Deep-Condition: ....... 1x week ....................Saturday & after protien & clarify

Co-Wash: ................... 1x week ....................Wed

Protein Condish......... 2x Month ..................1st &t 3rd week

Clarify .........................2x Month .................. 1st & 3rd week



Moisturize & Seal 2xdaily



Trim every 8 weeks Lunarly



I dry my hair with a plain white t-shirt to avoid picking out fur balls left from towels. so i cut open a t shirt so it can be long and it works excellent.

Do we really need a leave-in conditioner?

So we co-wash with conditioner, we condition with conditioner, and we deep condition. So do we still need a leave in?

Well that depends on what your hair needs. As naturals the one thing our hair needs is the holy grail which is moisture. Leave in conditioners temporarily moisturizes in the same way moisturizers for the face or body do.

Leave-In's help to condition and moisturize, smooth, and protect the hair . Most leave in conditioners often use some form of silicon to coat the hair & make the cuticles lay flat so it appears to be healthy. The main problem with cones is that it doesn't wash off the hair easily leaving a nasty build up on the hair which means your hair cannot absorb moisture from conditioner. Some naturals just leave in their regular conditioner , some use the infamous glycerin and water mixture, and some buy a separate leave in conditioner. Everybody hair is different and we each know what our individual hair needs and what it doesn’t. What works for me may not work for you and vice versa.





I decided before I went out to buy a leave in conditioner or any other conditioner for that matter I would use all the conditioners I have hoarded underneath my bathroom sink. Either these conditioners were never used or were just left over, because before I knew better I always ran out of shampoo way before I did the conditioner. ( how many can relate to that one?) So I had a bottle of Nexxus Humectress and Nexxus Headress weightless leave in conditioner. I grabbed a spray bottle and added


1/4 cup Headress (moisture w/protein)
1/2 cup Humectress (moisturizing)
1/4 cup Water (enough to thin )
2tsp olive oil or coconut oil
1tbsp honey (humectant) or glycerin. Because my hair is sensitive to glycerin, I do not use it.
1tsp vitamin E oil
2 Evening Primrose Capsules (I also take them orally daily)
10 drops rosemary essential oil
5 drops sage essential oil
5 drops of Tea tree oil.

After Co-Washing or Shampooing I part my hair in sections and spray, and massage throughout my hair.

No-Poo, Low-Poo, Co-Poo, Shampoo...Which To Do?

O.k. I'm sure you heard the terms and may not know what they mean exactly. So here's a brief description on the topics.

No- Poo: No shampoo is used/ Low Poo: shampoo is limited to once a month
Usually for those who feel their scalp is very dry after using shampoos.


According to Lorraine Massey Who actually coined the phrase and who is the author of the book Curly Girl Suggest baking soda and water be used.
I tbsp of baking soda to 1 cup of water ( doubled or tripled according to hair length). Combine ingredients in cup or spray bottle and spray or pour on hair and scalp. Let sit for 1 minute and rinse out. Follow with a deep conditioning conditioner.

Co-wash - Conditioner is used instead of shampoo


Easy right? Well it basically it is. When I first big chopped I basically didn't use any shampoo. I washed using only conditioner (a very cheap one). I first used Vo5. Now I use Suave Naturals Tropical coconut. For my co-wash. I also used my Nexxus Humectress conditioners left over from when my hair was relaxed. Conditioners contain mild cleansers and are moisturizing so you get the best of both worlds. Co-washes can be done daily if your wearing wash and go hair style, or after a workout. In the summer I did it 2-3 times per week. And at the end of the week I used shampoo (Cream of Nature)

Saturate the hair with conditioner, massage in, rinse, apply leave in conditioner and style as usual.

Pre-Wash / Pre-Poo

Pre-wash or Pre-poo are often done as the name suggest before shampooing the hair. This is the best time to apply your hot oil treatments or sometimes I use conditioner. This treatment helps to infuse your tresses with moisture, and Organic Virgin or extra virgin coconut oil is excellent for this treatment. Coconut oil is one of the few oils that actually penetrate the hair shaft. While others simply coat it. Coconut can be drying for some so i find mixing it with sheabutter,cocobutter,jojoba oil works for me.

It should be applied to the hair then covered with a plastic cap. To make sure the plastic cap stays in place I often tie a band around the edges tying it in the back. Next I wear a bonnet on top of the that. I usually leave in overnight and wash out the following morning. This treatment is done only during my wash regimen

Cantu Shea Butter Review

Cantu Shea Butter

leave in conditioning repair cream

I was mainly excited about this product because it contained shea butter and was in a cream form, not to mention all the hair care forum's raved about it. For me this product didn't really do what i thought it would. When i look for a leave in conditioner I'm hoping it will leave my hair soft.

Cantu left my hair somewhat hard due to the fact it is a protein leave in conditioner containing hydrolyzed collagen and hydrolyzed soy protein. Now if my hair was colored, had heat damage or perhaps had some other chemical service done to it then my hair may have responded better to this cream.

Another thing I'm not too fond of is the fact it contains propylene glycol (4Th,6Th,15Th ingredient) I try to avoid this ingredient as much as I can.

which is a cosmetic form of mineral oil found in automatic brake and hydraulic fluid and industrial antifreeze. In the skin and hair, propylene glycol works as a humectant which causes retention of moisture content of skin or cosmetic products by preventing the escape of moisture or water. The Material Safety Data Sheet warns users to avoid skin contact with propylene glycol as this strong skin irritant can cause liver abnormalities and kidney damage.

cantu

http://www.natural-health-information-centre.com/propylene-glycol.html

The third thing that bothered me about this product is that i usually try to avoid any product that has warnings!, and this product contains 5 warnings.

*2 of the warnings are in place for individuals with chemically altered hair.

*1 warning is pretty universal stating not to apply conditioning or styling products directly to new growth( a good tip)

*Now the last 2 warnings are *Hair burns, keep away from open flames (odd for a hair product) and the other *Keep out of reach of children (hmmmmm)

So like i always say what works for me may not work for you. I do like to provide my experience about a product as best and as honest as i possibly can so you can make the decision yourself.

Products I Use

After 3 months transitioning, I did the big chop. I wasn’t going to do it so soon but after I removed my micro braids washed and conditioned I had such a tangled mess so I just did it. The micro braids left my edges very damaged (I should have known better). I always say I'm never going to do it again but then I wind up sitting there for hours getting my hair braided. Well after this time i mean it never, ever again!

CO/WASH : No shampoo just wash with cheap conditioner preferably without cones.
Vo5 or Suave Naturals tropical coconut w/vitamin E, or if i have nothing baking soda.

Pre-Poo: Treatment before washing hair for a couple of hours or over night wearing plastic cap.

Virgin or extra Virgin Coconut oil, i mix it with other oils because coconut oil can be drying over time.

SHAMPOO/WASH: One a week any moisturizing shampoo without sulfates
Cream Of Nature moisturizing Shampoo *Update Revlon felt the need to fix something that wasn't broke and i don't know if they will stop this particular line altogether but it's very hard to find right now.

CONDITIONER: After co/wash
TRESemme Vitamin Moisture Rich (for dry damaged hair)

LEAVE-IN/DETANGLER: To condition & detangle also spray on at night before bed.
In a spray bottle I add Nexxus Humectress, Headdress weightless leave-in conditioner add,olive oil, water, vitamin E, Evening primrose, honey

Moisturizer/Styling: Used for my twist out.
Mango Elasta QP Mango butter
Jamaican Mango & Lime Mango Shea Butter Lotion
Although this isn't for hair the ingredients were so good that I started using it. And I love it. My hair is so soft using the two together *Update I do not use this on my hair anymore because the ingredients have been changed.

Oils: seals in moisture.used after washing and nightly especially in parts on scalp
Mixture of jojoba oil, (pronounced ho-ho-ba) aloe,coconut,sweet almond, olive, peach kernal, carrot, evening primrose, vitamin e, I add essential oils.