Co-Wash Plan

With all the healthy hair posts that I've done, I've come to a realization that it takes a lot more than a healthy hair routine for you to get sexy naturally healthy hair.

I've been a die hard blow dryer lately, and its made me realize the error of my ways.

Recently, I noticed how disgusting and unclean my hair looked, it was sticky and unmanageable, and although I did neglect my own advice and healthy hair routine and treatments, I think it's safe to say my diet and stress is playing a huge role in it as well. I've been wanting to Co-Wash for quite sometime, I always read about it and people boasted about their sexy silky strands, and even youtubers with gorgeous hair.

Till now I thought Co-Wash is for Black girls, that had kinky dry hair, but I was corrected.


After careful research and analyzing my own personal hair needs, I think I'm ready to began my hair journey.

Step 1:
No matter what you do, you're diet and lifestyle plays a huge role in what you look like, so skip the burgers and opt for a delicious healthy shawarma and plain water.Take your vitamins

Step 2:
Analyze your hair, if you're hair is normal, you might not need to go hard like us Dry-ladies. My hair is super dry, and I've been giving myself anxiety because I think I have bubble hair and I know i  have crinkle damage. With all those sexy curls I rocked all of 2012, it's safe to say I'm going to Hair Hell.

Step 3
This is the main step....The Plan..alter this according to your hair.

The Plan

Tips:
Avoid styling tools
Avoid Silicone
Sleep with a light braid
Use a hair dry turban
Don't tie your hair when wet
use a Wide Tooth comb
Keep a hair log, this will help you keep track of everything. You can always go back and alter the plan to see what works for you better and what didnt. 
Color treated girlies try a Protien filler with deep conditioner right after before you do any of these steps..give your hair about 2-3 weeks before starting this.

Day 1

1. Apply coconut oil mixed with Honey to your hair and leave it on for atleast 3 hours. This will soften the blow from the next step.
2. Use your favorite Clarifying Shampoo (Neutrogena makes a great one, but I'm currently using Garnier pure clean) * Rinse and Repeat*  - This will make your hair DRY as a fucking bone..Don't you worry though. 
3. Apply a thin layer of olive oil from root to tip..if your hair is really dry like mine, Put on a deep conditioner mixed with some of your favorite oil *Except coconut*, try to use one that does NOT contain any silicone. Leave it on for 30+ minutes with a shower cap over your head.
4. Put some almond oil or olive oil to your ends to protect them. 

Next wash (should be within 3-5 days)

1. No more Shampoo for you, so instead of rinsing your hair out with  shampoo, steep some green tea and let it cool. Rinse your hair out with green tea, letting it sit in your hair for 3-4 minutes. Massage your scalp gently to promote blood flow. Skip this step if you want to, but I think it maintains the cleanliness
2. Apply your conditioner and leave it on for 3-4 minutes and wash it off as you would. I wouldn't apply it to the roots, because it can cause buildup.. Opt for a silicone free one.
3. Apply oil to the ends to protect them

 Next wash (3-5 days)

1. Analyze your hair, is your hair really dry, or feels really unclean. 
2. Repeat previous step if you're hair is still feeling somewhat dry or really dry
3. Otherwise take about a spray bottle and mix 1 part Apple cider vinegar and 1.5 part water (preferably distilled) and spray your hair. leave it on your hair...Let it dry and condition as usual
4.  If you HAVE to and you're hair looks like KFC fried chicken , take a quarter size shampoo with no sulfate *Macadamia Oil has a great one* and wash ONLY your roots with it. let the product run through your hair. Skip the conditioner, opt for just oil around the ends..

Repeat till you hit the 2 week mark..
If your hair is doing well with this continue on..whenever you feel like its had too much build up and you just want a squeeky clean, restart from day 1.

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Pre-Poo (Dry, damaged, colored hair)

Hey guys,

I've been looking for a great way to restore tons of moisture back into my hair, as i recently dyed it from lighter brown to blue black. I could feel my hair drying up more and more thanks to the winter weather and my neglect of at home all natural hair treatments!

I decided to research a little and found that what I've been doing for years, is actually a great way to moisturize and prevent Damage. It's called Pre-Poo ! ! !

It's huge in the black people community, as their hair is very easily damaged and super dry. So the sistas did me a favor, I've already been using oils on my hair since I was a kid, and it has worked so well!


Let me share my tips and tricks on your best Pre-Poo yet.

What is Pre-Poo?
Pre-Poo is basically applying your favorite type of all natural oil ; coconut, olive, avocado, jojoba etc to your scalp and hair. You wait anywhere from 30-60 mins and then hop in the shower and go about your shampoo and conditioner routine.

Heat and Pre-Poo?
Many women use hair steamers or heat during their Pre-Poos, i personally just apply my oil and use a hair dryer periodically to let my hair really soak in the oil.

Conditioner?
You don't need to apply conditioners when you pre-Poo, but if you want the added satisfaction, go ahead and add some.

Mayo?
Go all natural and skip the conditioner..Opt for Mayo instead for a lustrous shine
 
Detangle?
use a wide tooth comb to detangle your hair




 Tips:

• Use a natural oil for better results
• skip the argaan oil bandwagon and opt for coconut oil or olive oil
• use blow dryer, because its much safer than a hair steamer and hat dryer
• Put on a plastic shower cap or bag after every blow dry
• only blow dry each section for about 3-4 seconds on high heat
• Apply conditioner after an hour of only oil
• Use a shampoo thats moisturizing as well
• Apply a few drops of olive oil after for optimal results
• Skip the blow dry and go for air dry or low heat setting...Checkout my Healthy Blow Dry Tips
• Do this Everytime you shower, and don't neglect your all natural deep conditioning hair mask
  
  CLICK FOR OIL MASK
  CLICK FOR EXTRA STRENGTH  - INCLUDES More Tips
  

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Truth about Moroccan Oil/Macadamia Oil *Must Read*

I've been on a fix my hair kick, with all the bleaching and dying I think it needs a whole new makeover. I have tons of split ends, and my hairs just super frizzy, and with all the raves and cheers these products get, I must say its something as women we lean towards.  *SKIP TO MOMENT OF TRUTH below for the TRUTH

"Expensive" and "Tiny Bottles" are two words came to mind when I saw these products at my local Trade Secrets store, I really wanted to buy the Oil, so I ended up buying the gift set by M academia Oil, which included a comb, sample of the macadamia deep repair mask, and full sized Shampoo and Healing Oil, this was all for about $40-50.  Great deal in my opinion when it comes to these brands.
 


I had picture day, so I hopped into the shower. I first removed all the previous gunk from my hair, with a watered down apple cider vinegar, then applied the shampoo, its actually not bad..but I wouldn't purchase it again. I get great results from Herbal Essences Yellow or Blue.
After Shampoo-ing my hair, I ripped open the Deep Repair Mask like a hungry piranha, and immediately noticed my hair felt a little dry after the shampoo. No problem, mask to the rescue!!!

I left the mask in my hair and got out of the shower, and periodically blow dried the mask for 30 minutes. I wanted to get the Salon results, so this is a great way to get it.

Results: My hair was downright AMAZING, smelled nice and was just so smooth and silky, I couldn't stop touching it.

The next day my hair was just as Stunning, As I styled my hair with a straightner, I could feel the extra silkiness come through, and it was glistening.

I raved about this product to my bestfriend for days, and on my mission to research more about the product, I found out some grimm detail. 


 I was initially so happy as my frizzy hair instantly transformed into the soft and shiny mane of my dreams. But I'm picky about what I put in my hair to keep it as healthy as possible, plus i hate relying on products to make my hair nice, I want to make it nice by giving it natural good food, not chemicals. I use products with chemicals as a treat, not an everyday thing.

Moment of Truth 

I looked up the Macadamia Oil and Moroccan oil ingredients to see how "healing" it really was,  And I was so disappointed when I discovered that the first three (!) ingredients in the list are all silicones! (Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone, Cyclomethicone) No wonder my hair is shiny - I've put almost pure silicone in it!
 
 Cyclopentasiloxane I learned is not bio degradable or water soluble so to get it out of your hair you need a strong tenside (soap) - that will also dry out your hair. I also found long term silicone use can lead to your hair becoming brittle and may lead to breakage. I remember my hair stylist saying that the hair stays shiny also after you've washed it, thus testamenting to it actually doing good for your hair.

So it's mainly because because I haven't gotten rid of all of the silicone in this 'treatment' after washing. According to styleicons.com.au major brands like Moroccanoil only have 1 - 2% argan oil in their products. The rest is mostly silicone (ca 75%), artificial color, fragrances and preservatives. Basically you will suffocate your hair to death..hence the breakage
 

There's NOTHING   Natural or healing about any of these products, and these are SALON products, hence should be used once in a blue moon on special occasion like Weddings or Birthdays. I know people that religiously have been using this product, and when I told them about what this really is, they have taken it upon themselves to do research  and have refrained from using it as much as I can.


Solution:

 Stop trying to find a Quick Fix, they only work temporarily.. Put more emphasis on diet, stress and exercise, then paying money to look great. You can only use so many chemicals to look good.

The only thing that worked for me is actually Regular old Olive/Coconut/Almond Oil, its cheaper and all natural, I use it ALL over my body and my hair, and its been getting better and growing longer. I apply oil to my hair with egg for a treatment, and oil as a leave in conditioner and styling product *not too much ofcourse*. ;)

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Healthier way to Blow Dry

A lot of women invest a lot of time, money and effort in getting the sexiest tresses, that look hot off the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. Styling hair takes a lot more than just heat tools, it requires a healthy diet, minimum use of chemicals and heat tools, and so much more.

Here are some ways you can Blow dry your wet hair, without damaging your hair.

1- Comb through hair before and after shower, to prevent extreme tangles
2- use a wide tooth comb on wet hair
3- Apply your favorite type of ALL natural oil on the ends (My pick: Almond ) you only need about a dime size.
*If you want to use Argaan Oil, I recommend the ALL natural kind, not Macademia or Moroccan Oil, because they are all pretty much silicone, with a bit of the oil. Silicone are not great for your hair.
4- Apply aloe gel on the roots and ends.
5- Wrap a towel in your hair
















6- When your hair is about 50-60% dry, section your hair into 4. *two at the top two on the bottom* and mist heat protector on each section before securing it.
7- Blow dry your roots on cool setting, switching between hot (only for 2-4 seconds)
8- Scratch your forehead with the nozzle (on cool setting)
9- After drying the roots, put the nozzle away from your hair, and blow dry on hot setting, switch between cold while running your fingers through your hair.
10- Repeat for the other 3 sections. 

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