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Okra and crisco?

Posted by: blackform on: September 29, 2009

In: black hair | hair facts | hair info | Ingredients 101 | natural hair recipes
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Okay so I’ve been doing some researching and seeing what i can add to my hair regimen, first strenghten my hair and second to maintain moisture. In a previous post I had lamented how dry both my hair and my scalp felt.

So I have changed a few things in my regimen:

I no longer deep condition over night, it was causing build-up on scalp which then led to my scalp being itchy and dry.
I use okra has a deep conditioner, which i then follow up with a moisture rich deep conditioner.
Im trying to minimize how much i manipulate my hair so for the last week and some, i’ve worn buns and puffs and just today a french braid type hair style.
Im moisturing about every other night.

Umm thats it so far.

So I bet your wandering okra, why? It is apparantly a good protein treatment and can help strenghten and grow your hair. regal bal did a post on her blog that you can check out to see the process. So far its okay. The first time i did it, i left the okra in , not a good idea I ended up with dry flakes in some parts of my hair. Today is the second time ive tried it. My hair after washing, treating and deep conditioning felt really soft. So for now the okra is sticking around.

Second the crisco, this one is just an experiment, I had first heard about using this as a moisturizer on urbancurlz blog, its something that she does and loves. So I decided to try it today, I added my moisturizers and then sealed it with the crisco, after which i put my hair into like 18 bantu knots. I hope my hair is left soft and not greasy. Keeping my fingers crossed on this one. 🙂 I’ll let you guys know how it turns out.

Tags: crisco, natural hair, okra, regal bal, urban curlz

Hair cream recipe

Posted by: blackform on: May 8, 2009

In: black hair | hair info | natural hair recipes
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I came across this recipe while surfing the net (of course, i was looking for hair cream recipes, so it wasnt just random. The recipe is from sweet sassafras.org)

Rosemary hair cream

4 oz shea butter
1 tablespoon amla oil
2 tablespoons coconut oil
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon castor oil
1 tablespoon almond oil
10 drops of rosemary oil
2 tablespoons of aloe vera oil
Melt the shea butter in the microwave. Add in all of the other ingredients and mix. Put it in the fridge overnight to firm up. Take it out and allow it to come back to room temperature.

It is very creamy and thick, so you want to use it very very sparingly. I rub a tiny bit in my palms and apply it to my hair when it’s damp, or put a little on just the ends when it’s dry. It can help smooth ends for pincurls too. Just don’t use too much.

This recipe makes a lot, so you may want to cut it in half. You can also add other essential oils in there if there are particular scents you like

Tags: hair cream recipe

Growth oil update

Posted by: blackform on: April 28, 2009

In: black hair | hair recipes | natural hair recipes
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So i made my oil today i used avoado, sunflower, grapeseed and olive oil.
I put in dehyrdated onions, 2 cloves of garlic, cloves, cinnamon, fennel, ginger, sage, rosemary, marjoram and oregano.

Yes i raided the spice cabinet.

*Edit* Okay so that was last monday, my “growth” oil is officially finished. The one complaint that i have, yes i have a complaint already, is that it is smells like jerk seasoning. For those of you who have carribean background, you’ll understand what im saying. It’s not just me, my sister thinks the same thing.

I took pictures of the finished product, i totally forgot to take some before pics, while all the herbs and stuff was in it, oh wells maybe next time.

I put some in my hair already, it feels soft, not oily but soft, hopefully my hair will stay that way.

Growth oil?

Posted by: blackform on: April 19, 2009

In: black hair | hair info | natural hair recipes
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So i came across this growth oil recipe, it originated from somebody named mo, if you google mo’s growth oil you’ll get a ton of hits for it. The original recipe is pretty basic, 6oz of oil 2oz of aloe vera gel and some herbs, the ones that she used were horsetail and burdock root i think, but since then many variations have been made.

The other day i went and bought some herbs unfortunately there was no horsetail, burdock root or nettle available so i just picked up sage, rosemary, marjoram and some dehydrated onions, simple i know. I also bought some oilve oil, avocado oil, sunflower and grapeseed oil, and some aloe vera gel. i think thatI will do about an ounce of each oil.

It is suggested that if you use an oil that is thicker you apply the recipe once a week and if you use one that is not as thick you can use it a few times a week. It all depends on your personal preference.

So you take the herbs and the oil, boil them in a glass jar let it cool, store it for three days after which you add the aloe vera gel and start using, simple no?

So this week that is what im going to try, whether it grows my hair we’ll see, i do hope its moisturizing though, I also want to add some coconut oil, I know it may be too much 🙂

Tags: growth oil, natural hair recipes

Body butters andhair?

Posted by: blackform on: April 15, 2009

In: hair info | hair recipes | natural hair recipes
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So I was thinking if body butters are good for ones body, wouldnt they be good for ones hair. Here is a selection of some body butter recipes that I found, that I think would be great dual purpose butters. Please note, has depending on your hair you may find that these are too heavy for your hair and weigh it down. The recipes were found using google search for body butter recipes.

Shea & Mango Body Butter
(Makes about 10 oz.)

6 oz. Refined/Unrefined Shea Butter or Mango Butter
1 ½ oz. Olive Oil
1 ½ oz. Jojoba Oil
1 oz. Babassu Oil
1 tsp. Vitamin E Oil
1-2 tsp. Coconut Fragrance oil (to your liking)

Place Shea Butter in a microwave-safe bowl and heat just until melted. Add Olive Oil, Jojoba Oil, and Emu and heat just until mixed and translucent. Add Vitamin E Oil and blend with stick blender. Let cool for about 10 minutes, and then place in freezer for approximately 5-10 minutes. Blend again for a few minutes and place again in freezer for another 5-10 minutes. When mixture begins to thicken, blend your Fragrance Oil in and pour into clean sterilized containers.

*This recipe does NOT require preservative. This recipe will make a body butter with the consistency of tub margarine. Olive oil is used because of its ability to reduce the effects of sunburn.

Luxerious body butter

Ingredients
1/4 cup cocoa butter
1/4 cup shea butter
1/4 cup mango butter
2 tablespoons evening primrose oil
1 tablespoon wheat germ oil
1 tablespoon rosehip oil

Directions
1 Melt all the butters over a double boiler until just melted.
2 Take off the heat and stir in all of the oils.
3 Let the mixture stand for a few minutes and then use an electic mixer and whip the mixture until fluffy and cool.
4 You could also put all the ingredients in a jar and let it sit in the sun until melted.
5 Put in pretty jars and use up with in about 6 months.

Moisturizing Body Butter

Ingredients:

2 lbs. cocoa butter
1 lb. beeswax
1 lb. mango butter
16 oz. sweet almond oil
0.8 oz. silk amino acids
0.8 oz. Dry Flo
3.2 oz. fragrance oil
0.4 oz Vitamin E T-50
Instructions:

Melt cocoa butter and mango butter together in a double boiler. Melt in beeswax. Mix in fragrance oil and sweet almond oil, add to butters. Mix in liquid silk and and Vitamin E oil. Finally, sprinkle in cornstarch, mix thoroughly. Makes 20 4 oz. jars. (For a softer butter, you can use less beeswax, or add more sweet almond oil.)

Tags: body butter recipes, natural hair recipes

Hair Pomade

Posted by: blackform on: April 5, 2009

In: hair recipes | natural hair recipes
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A recipe that i found on make your own cosmectics.com

Hempy Chick Pomade

Ingredients:
6 ounces organic hemp seed oil
2 ounces babassu oil
1 ounce beeswax
1 ounce shea butter (unrefined, Ghana)
1/8 ounce ylang ylang essential oil
3 drops clove essential oil
1 drop geranium essential oil
1 drop sandalwood essential oil
1 drop neroli essential oil
Blending Procedure:
Combine hemp seed oil, babassu oil, beeswax and shea butter in a heat proof measuring cup (Pyrex is nice to use). Place the cup containing the oils and butter into a pan of boiling water and heat until wax is nearly melted, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat once the wax is nearly melted.

Stir the mixture to make sure all wax has melted into the liquefied oils. Add the essentail oils and stir again to ensure the mix.

Pour Hempy Chick Hair Pomade into clean jars and allow to cool before capping. You can store this for up to about 3 months. As always, be sure to use clean fingers to dispense the product to minimize contamination.

To use Hempy Chick Hair Pomade, massage it into the scalp and hair ends while your hair is still wet from shampooing. Comb through and enjoy the curls, volume and radiance!!

Tags: hair pomade, hair recipe, natural hair recipes

Fantasy recipe

Posted by: blackform on: March 31, 2009

In: black hair | hair info | hair recipes | natural hair recipes
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I was thinking that it would be fun to create my own fantasy recipe with all the ingredients that I would love. Have you ever heard of some ingredients, wanted to use them but a, you couldnt find it or b, it was way too expensive.

Well with this fantasy exercise you can make it, and not worry about the cost or location problem. For my hair cream, I prefer the consistency as oppose to the butter, I want a cream that is moisturizing, conditioning, provides sheen and softness and isnt greasy. I hate when I use a product and end up with greasy hair that is dry and crusty. I dont mind my curls hanging so it can be a little weighty but not too much. Its going to be a long list, with the amount that this would make I would definately have to share with family and friends, not that I think they would mind 🙂

Lets begin.

Emu oil of course
Shea butter
Mango butter
Cocoa butter
Coconut oil- love this stuff, it makes my hair soft, and im using a watered down mixed version to boot.
olive oil
honeyquat-
Myrrh oil- umm yeah!
Aloe vera gel and lots of it
dl panthenol
vitamin E
corn starch- to help keep the greasiness down
pumpkin seed butter- has rejunventating ablities
grapefruit extract
tea tree oil
babassu oil- moisturizing but without the oily feel
argan oil
hazelnut oil
vegetable glycerin
pomegrante oil
for scent Id like maybe vanilla and lemongrass

Umm, i think this it, my one of a kind, personaliziedwhipped hair cream, yes it must be whipped so that its fluffy and nice, even if its just for a short time. Im not sureof the exact amounts, with the amount of oils on the list I think butters would have to be substancial, the cornstarch and aloe vera gel would help give it a smoother texture I think. Maybe I’d even put some flaxseed gel in there too.

Tags: fantasy recipe, natural hair recipes

Hair Serum

Posted by: blackform on: March 25, 2009

In: black hair | hair facts | hair info | natural hair recipes
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What is a hair serum? What is it used for? And most importantly can you make it yourself?

What Is A Hair Serum?
Hair serum makes the hair shiner and does not allow them to entangle. It protects the hair from the damages done by over exposure to sun and hair styling products. The effect of the serum application remains till the next wash. It should be applied after a hair wash.

How does a hair serum work?
The hair serum forms a thin protective layer on the hair strands. It returns the moisture lost due to exposure to sun, heat generated from the hair styling gadgets. It is used to set broken and frizzy hair.

It is available in the form of sprays in the market. It is primarily used for dry and frizzy hair, which breaks easily, or hairs that have under gone excessive chemical treatments like perming, coloring.

The hair serum provides nourishment to the hair, which makes them strong, and they don ‘t break away easily. It also conditions the hair, which makes them healthy, silky and shiny.

Hair Serum recipes

Ladies Blend Nutritive Hair Serum

Ingredients:

3 ounces Cold Expeller Pressed Camellia Seed Oil
1 ounce Cold Pressed Virgin Broccoli Seed Oil
1/2 tsp Vitamin E Oil
48 drops Lavender Essential Oil
24 drops Juniper Essential Oil
24 drops Frankincense Essential Oil
18 drops Cedarwood Essential Oil

Directions:

Combine and stir ingredients together.
Pour into a clean and very dry four ounce bottle.
Cap and label.

To Use:

Apply to freshly washed damp hair from root to end.
Gently massage into scalp, leave on for several minutes and wash out with a mild shampoo.
Applying a hot towel and/or plastic shower cap after the oil is applied will enhance the treatment.
Store bottled oil in a cool dark area outside of the bathroom.
Use within six months.

Homemade Citrus Shine

1.5 oz liquid shea butter
1 oz avocado oil
1 oz hazelnut oil
0.5 oz coconut oil
10 drops red grapefruit seed essential oil
10 drops blood orange essential oil
5 drops lime essential oil
2 drops bergamot essential oil
2 drops lemon essential oil
1 drop ylang ylang essential oil
Pour the oils and essential oils into container. Let stand for 1 week, shaking daily. Keep in a cool, dark place. Apply a small amount of citrus shine to palm of hands and work through hair. To tame split ends, to fingertips and work through hair, concentrating in the ends.

Hair Tamer Serum

Ingredients:
2 ounces liquid shea butter
1/2 ounce linseed oil
1/2 ounce jojoba oil
1/2 ounce castor oil
1/4 ounce vitamin E
1/4 ounce hemp seed oil
15 drops sweet orange essential oil
10 drops lavender essential oil
5 drops rosemary essential oil
2 drops tea tree essential oil

Blending Procedure:

Combine the essential oils in a small glass container and shake gently to mix. Store in a dark place for about 1 week.
Combine first 7 ingredients (all unscented oils) together in a plastic flip top bottle and shake gently to combine.
Add the essential oil blend to the unscented oils and shake well. To use, apply to hair that has been towel dried and work through with fingertips. Use more for long and especially dry hair to enhance styling capabilities and shine.
Hair Tamer Serum works best for thick, natural, textured dry, frizzy and/or curly locks! (If you do not like the feel of oil on your hair, this is not the product for you.)

these recipes are courtesy of a google search for “hair serum recipes”

Tags: hair serum, natural hair recipes

Soapnut (or ritha nut)Shampoo

Posted by: blackform on: March 20, 2009

In: hair facts | hair info | hair recipes | Ingredients 101 | natural hair recipes
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I came across ritha nuts in an indian beauty secrets book that Im reading. It had a recipe for ritha nut shampoo; 1 cup of ritha nuts and 1 tbsp of lemon juice. This recipe only makes a small amount you can, if you desire make a larger batch of the ritha nuts and store it in a container until you are ready to use. But I would suggest that you make enough for only a few uses, as not to waste the product as the liquid may go bad.

When you get the nuts you can soak them in water overnight, then you strain the liquid, add your lemon juice and voila, a simple ,naturaland healthly shampoo. You can add other herbs and oils to the mixture to give it added benefits

Indian goose berry (amla) 50gms
i.e about one hand full Soapnuts (reetha) 50 gms (after seeds are removed)
Sikakai* 50gms

Take about one liter of water and simmer these herbs in it till just one cup is left, cool it and use it as a shampoo. This is a multipurpose remedy commonly used by Indians for centuries. Prolonged use promotes hair growth, give them shine & volume

*EDIT* Coincidently, the book is called “Indian Beauty Secrets” by Monisha Bharadwji. 🙂

Some links for more information:

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=95

http://corporate.greenandnutty.com.au/?q=node/65

Soap nuts are a popular natural laundry detergent in many parts of the world today. Numerous households have bags of soap nuts handy for washing clothes, or windows, or as a remedy for treating common skin problems without any side effects. Soap nuts are not nuts; rather they are the fruit of the Sapindus mukorossi tree. Soap nut trees are mainly found in India, Nepal & China. The fruits of the soap nut trees are used for various purposes. While the seeds of the soap nut fruit are used as detergents to replace artificial washing powder, the outer shell of the soap nut contains saponins which are good for treating skin problems.
People in India practice an alternative form of medicine called Ayurveda, which strongly recommends the use of soap nut powder for maintaining your crowning glory. Soap nuts have been used in this region for centuries not just to repair damaged skin and hair but also to prevent such conditions from occurring again. Soap nut powder is used to wash the hair while bathing. Regular use of soap nut powder ensures the reduction of hair fall to a great extent. Many people who were on the verge of going bald have seen good hair days because of soap nut.
Soap nuts are used in combination with many natural ingredients to counter hair loss. Soap nut powder & liquid cleanse the hair and keeps it shiny and soft. Its gentle action rejuvenates the scalp cells and prevents hair loss to a great extent. Dandruff often speeds up hair loss, but soap nuts fight away dandruff as well. When the problem of dandruff is solved, the side effect of hair loss can quite often also be eliminated. There are many companies that sell good quality soap nut shampoo with high concentration of soap nut extract. But you could also use soap nut powder or liquid directly on your hair. Gently work up lather while massaging your scalp. Allow the soap nut powder to work on your scalp for a few minutes and then wash thoroughly.
Another fact is that using soap nuts eliminates the exposure of the scalp to harmful chemicals. If you were using a commercially manufactured shampoo, your so-called remedy would itself contain chemicals that could slow down the process of healing and recovery. Hair washed regularly with soap nut gets thicker and glossier with each use. Prevent dandruff and steer clear of future hair loss. Stick with soap nuts shampoo and you could have a head of hair to be proud of. But note that while soap nuts act as a supplement to help you against hair loss, a balanced diet will go a long way in preventing the condition from recurring.

Tags: herbal shampoo, ritha nut shampoo

Herbal Shampoo recipes

Posted by: blackform on: March 4, 2009

In: black hair | natural hair recipes
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Some of the recipes that I have found on the internet, there are plenty of them and they have various ingredients and suggestions for creating them.

To make your own olive oil and aloe shampoo, get together the following ingredients: ½ cup natural liquid castile soap, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and 2 tablespoons of aloe vera juice. In order to make this recipe work, you’ll also need to create what is known as an herbal infusion. This can be done by taking ½ ounce of dried flowers of your choice and pouring one cup of boiling water over them.

These next ones are taken from a forum website.

1/2 cup natural shampoo base
1/2 cup aloe vera gel
3/4 tsp. avocado oil
3/4 tsp. jasmine essential oil
To Make This Organic Shampoo: Mix together all ingredients. Place into a clean container preferably with a screw on lid. Let mixture set for a few hours to allow to thicken and the scents to take hold. Work into hair as usual and allow to sit for several minutes. Rinse as usual and style.
Made into an organic shampoo, it not only holds the aphrodesiac qualities of the original mixture, but it makes hair sensually soft and luxurious. It moisturizes and smells incredible.
________________________________________________
4 oz of castile soap with any scent is that available – plain, peppermint, eucalyptus.
½ oz of rosemary – stimulates the hair follicles and helps to prevent premature baldness
½ oz of sage – has antioxidants and keeps things from spoiling and is antibacterial
½ oz of nettles – acts as a blood purifier, blood stimulator, contains a large source of nutrients for hair growth
½ of lavender – controls the production of sebaceous gland oil and reduces itchy and flaky scalp conditions
2000 mg of MSM (Organic Sulpher) – provides organic sulfur to your scalp, which improves the health and strength of your hair. It also helps to drive herbal nutrient into the skin and follicles where they can do the most good.
One empty 8 oz plastic bottle, or any other empty shampoo or soap bottle.
Mix the herbs in a mason jar, which has a lid. Boil 2 cups of distilled water. Add 3 heaping tablespoons of the mixed herbs into the boiling water. Pull the boiling water and herbs off the stove. Let the herb mixture sit for 30 – 40 minutes. Put the 2000mg of MSM into the herb mixture after 30 minutes of cooling. After 40 minutes and the MSM is melted, strain the herbal mixture into a bowl.
Pour 2 to 2 1/2 oz of strained herbal tea into the 8 oz plastic bottle. Now, pour the 4 oz of castile soap into the 8 oz plastic bottle. Cap the bottle and shake to mix the ingredients.
The shampoo is now finished and ready for use. Use this as a base for all of the shampoos you make. You can add different herbs as you learn what these herbs do and how they help your hair. You can vary the ingredients according to your taste.
_________________________________________________
2 tablespoons fresh parsley
2 tablespoons rosemary leaves
2 tablespoons sage leaves
2 tablespoons thyme leaves
1 cup boiling water
1 cup castile soap
Directions:
This shampoo is appropriate for all hair types.
Add herbs to boiling water. Remove from heat. Cover. Let steep 20 minutes.
Add soap. Strain into a container.
Let stand overnight before using.

* Disclamer* Please take care when using any of the recipes found here as they may cause a reaction. Again please use caution.
thank you

Tags: aloe vera, herbal shampoo, natural hair recipes

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