Don’t let your eyes fool you. Many have misconstrued the photo below for a blondie and, although this soap only contains the “yummiest” ingredients (i.e. shea butter, palm kernel oil, cocoa pod ash and coconut oil), I wouldn’t eat it …. lol.
There are many variations of true African Black Soap (ABS). But for the purposes of this entry, I will focus on the kind that I use, which is handmade in the West African country of Ghana and typically looks like this:
NOTE: The soap’s color isn’t black.
So why do I love it??
There are so many things to love about African Black Soap; in fact, it changed my life. Ok, I’m being a bit dramatic, but I do use it to wash my face, body and my hair with beautiful life changing results! Yep, ABS is THAT versatile and THAT good.
It is THE only soap that has worked to completely clear, moisturize, tone and brighten my sensitive skin; and trust me, I definitely have sensitive, problematic skin. ABS has also done an exceptional job at cleansing, moisturizing and detangling my THICK, kinky curly hair and at keeping what I use to consider a dry, itchy scalp at bay.
So how do I use it on my skin?
I either lather some soap in my hands or a washcloth, rub on my face and body and rinse … nothing major. Since the soap is organic, I would be careful about rubbing the soap on my skin as it may have bits of harden cocoa pod ash and other matter that may scratch a little.
And how do I use it on my hair?
I create a shampoo by boiling water, grating the appropriate amount of soap over the water and letting it thicken overnight. I store it in an empty Kinky Curly Knot Today bottle and use it as a regular shampoo. The initial ratio of soap to water I decide to use and whether I decide to add oils or other ingredients will determine how thick it gets — it is a personal preference. The shampoo can also double as a body wash and should be stored in a refrigerator in between uses.
You may be wondering how a soap does all that in one? I am no chemist but my guess is that it is all in the ingredients- there are no harsh skin/hair irritants in this soap..at..all. In fact, this is probably one of THE purest skin and hair products you can ever purchase. Either that or maybe God blesses each and every one of them before they are shipped out…lol.
And how much does it cost?
Being the frugal chick that I am, I have never paid more than $2.75 for a bar of African Black Soap since I try to catch it on sale and buy it in bulk.
So there you have it. This is my beauty secret for the day.
This past Saturday I finally made time for a long overdue henna day.
Pre-Shampoo Deep Conditioning On Friday night, I decided to take a leap of faith and do a pre-shampoo deep conditioner treatment with the Aubrey Organics GPB (Glycogen Protein Balancing) Conditioner mixed with Vatika Oil. Though it’s a protein conditioner and I was doing a henna treatment, I suspected that I could violate the cardinal rule to not use protein and henna at the same time for two reasons.
I only henna my roots, so I could concentrate the protein conditioner on my length and go lighter on the roots that would get henna.
I was doing the protein treatment prior to shampooing, so I would still be following the henna treatment and protein with a moisturizing deep conditioner.
I slept in the treatment overnight and, on Saturday at around 1 pm, I set out all of my henna and indigo supplies and hopped in the shower. I rinsed the AO GPB/Vatika Oil combo and my hair felt strong, sleek and smooth! SCORE!! It wasn’t hard or brittle at all, it just felt good! After rinsing the deep treatment, I placed my hair into 6 loose twists and shampooed with diluted DevaCare No Poo (again, diluting the shampoo with water makes it go on so much easier, more thoroughly and aids in detangling). I rinsed that and then applied Herbal Essence Hello Hydration to thoroughly finger detangle before rinsing and hopping out of the shower. Again, detangling was a total breeze. I can’t tell you how awesome that feels as my hair had started to become a struggle to detangle and I thought that it was due to the added length and wear and tear. What a difference Aubrey Organics makes!!! I am in love (I even begged Wei to let me put it in his hair on Sunday for a pre-poo DC before he hit the shower so that he could see what I was talking about!!! I was just so excited about it. I don’t think he was too impressed though . Of course, he didn’t condition after he shampooed either. Men. *lol*).
Henna/Hendigo Now on to the henna/hendigo treatment. I reeeeeeeaaally didn’t feel like adoing a two step treatment,which at the minimum adds another 1 1/2 hours to the process, so I decided to give hendigo another whirl. I applied straight henna (mixed with honey and Sally’s GVP Matrix Biolage Conditioning Balm) to the center top roots of my hair. Then I applied what I think was about 2/3 indigo mixed with 1/3 henna to do the sides and back of my hair (again, roots only) in hopes that it would make them a dark brown. Finally, I applied Sally’s GVP MBCB to the untreated length of my hair and sat under my heat cap for a full 4 hours. #FAIL … AGAIN.
Ugh. So, it looks like I have no option if I want dark brown/black hair in some areas. I can’t take the shortcut. I have to do the two-step henna/indigo process *sigh*.
Anywho, though the hendigo was a bust, the length of my hair that had conditioner on it was so smooth and sleek!! The parts with henna had the typical, post henna, dry, hay-like feel. As it seemed the Sally’s GVP MBCB worked wonders on my length, I decided to pull out the jar of the real deal that I picked up many months ago on sale at Ulta!! Although it isn’t formulated as a deep conditioner, it seemed to work great! So, I applied it heavily to my henna treated hair and very lightly to the length. Then, I sat under the heat cap again.
After an hour, I removed the heat cap and allowed my hair to cool for about 10 minutes. Then, I pulled out my other new Aubrey’s acquisition, the Green Tea Cream Rinse. This is a different looking conditioning product. It has a light, minty green color and smells like mint green tea. The consistency is like Pepto Bismol, which was a surprise. I guess it is because the first ingredient is “coconut fatty acid cream base?”
What they say:
Want shiny, healthy-looking hair in a hurry? Fast-acting cream rinse infuses vital nutrients and rinses clean to help hair dry quickly for easy styling. Detangles on contact and controls flyaways to leave lengths silky and full and curls softly defined.
I diluted it with filtered water in a dye applicator bottle and applied it directly over the DC, then rinsed with cold water. Again, smooth, sleek, silky hair!!
Styling Finally, I hopped out of the shower one last time and proceeded to gently and easily finger detangle and set my hair in 13 plump twists … yes, you read that right. THIRTEEN PLUMP twists! When does that happen on my fine hair?? I used AO Honeysuckle Rose Conditioner as my leave-in and sealed the ends with a JBCO/EVOO mix.
Wei and I then went out to dinner and those jokers had the nerve to be dry by the time we got home a couple of hours later. AGAIN, another “never” event for my hair!! The hits just kept coming!!
Since my twists were dry, I decided to release them and found a very defined, but soft and silky twist-out!
Could have used some more fluffing, but it worked. I can’t wait until I fully transition out my thinner ends!
And that’s it!! Aubrey Organics is a KEEPER!! My PJ ways may be over y’all! I’ll probably still try other things to give reviews, but I really think that the products in this line are going to be my staples/holy grails!! I mean, have you seen Jasmine and Zhara’s hair?!?! The proof is in the pudding!! I ordered one other product that I’ve yet to try, the Green Tea Clarifying Shampoo. I didn’t want to strip my hair too much as I was doing a henna treatment. So, I didn’t use it this wash day. But, I want to try it this upcoming Friday in order to get nicely clean hair for my first Curlformers attempt!! We’ll see!! I don’t know if I should be experimenting with a Meet-Up on the line! LOL!!
Oh, and lastly, I put my dryer together on Sunday! It was very easy to assemble. Test drive pending.
Don’t get it twisted. I assembled it! He’s just Vanna White;).
GOOD MORNING SUNSHINES!! WISHING YOU ALL A WONDERFUL MONDAY!
Okay, I am officially an Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose (AOHSR) Conditioner convert!! OH EM GEE!! On Saturday morning, I melted some Vatika oil and mixed it with AOHSR. I globbed the mix on my dry, stretched hair and smooshed it down the length, but didn’t detangle. Once I worked the conditioner through and ensured that my hair was thoroughly coated, I bunned and donned a baggie while I hopped in the shower. Then, I got dressed, removed the baggie and went about my day. That evening, I placed my hair into 6 twists and hopped in the shower to shampoo with DevaCare No Poo diluted with water (thanks to Bdanni of mightyfinenatural for this tip! It makes my DevaCare even more awesomer!!).
My hair was sooo smooth and soft and felt virtually tangle free through the length. But, after rinsing the Deva Care No Poo, I still applied HE HH to each twist, one by one. Then, I started with the first twist and thoroughly finger detangled. Given that I hadn’t detangled at any stage prior to this, you’d think that this would have been a little tough. Not at all!! My roots were the most tangled, but I was able to get through them very easily.
Once I finished detangling and re-twisting each section, I rinsed with cold water. I exited the shower, blotted with a Curl Cloth and then applied my modified kimmaytube leave-in (1 tsp jojoba oil only) to each section and decided to braid my hair for a braid-out! I don’t think I’ve done a wet braid out since I’ve been natural, to tell you the truth! LOL! Oh, and as an afterthought, I applied Wonder Curl Butter than Love (BTL) Pudding down the length of each braid. You see, it hit me, I’d been somewhat doing the L.O.C. Methodon my TnCs when I used the kimmaytube leave-in (the “L” and the “O”) and then BTL (the “C”). So I thought, what the heck? Next time, I’ll apply BTL before braiding.
Once I finished braiding, I set the ends of each braid on big doobie pins to seal and curl. Then, I tied a satin scarf around my edges and hit the sack. I didn’t release my hair until around 2 p.m. on Sunday. As usual, my hair was still slightly damp, but actually wasn’t as wet as usual as I didn’t apply as much leave-in as I usually do. In fact, I was surprised how close to dry it was as my hair was very wet when I applied the leave-in and braided it. Anywho, when I released the braids, my hair was very defined and oh so soft. It lost some of the definition once I fluffed since it wasn’t fully dry. But, as you know though, I don’t mind sacrificing definition for big hair .
I re-braided Sunday night with a new acquisition and sealed with JBCO. I’ll reveal the new product with a results posts tomorrow . (On another note, I need to henna in the worst kind of way! I really planned to do it this weekend, but it was sooo nice out after 2 weeks of overcast skies! I just couldn’t bear to stay in to henna. But, I know what I’ll be doing this upcoming weekend!!)
Okay, now back to Aubrey Organics. Ladies, I am so sprung on this conditioner!! Mixing it with Vatika Oil and washing with diluted DevaCare No Poo seems to be a match made in heaven!! And, as I previously indicated, I love pre-pooing and deep conditioning in one fell swoop, with the bonus of being done with one round in the shower!! No going back in or having to use the kitchen sink to rinse!! In fact, I’m so sprung, that I went back to Jasmine’s November GOC update to figure out what shampoo she uses and ordered the Green Tea Clarifying Shampoo, the GPB Conditioner, the Green Tea Finishing Cream Rinse and another bottle of Honeysuckle Rose from the Aubrey website (I should have researched a little better first though, each product is about $2 cheaper on Vitamin Shoppe’s site)!! Anywho, I really want to see how the products from this line work together!! If they are anything like AO HSR, I may really give up my PJ ways y’all and retire a lot of stuff!!
Okay, let me not get ahead of myself. But, it’s been a long time since I’ve been this excited about a product!! Keeping my fingers crossed that I’ll be as blown away by the other offerings in the line!!
Last month, Anne won the Botticelli Botanicals Giveaway, which included bottles of the Foolproof Formula Flax Gelee and Styling Mudd. Now she’s back to share her results with the Gelee!! Thanks Anne!!
Hi! I wanna show you my hair. I love this Foolproof Formula Flax Gelee from Botticelli Botanicals. This really defines my hair and make the scalp feel great. I just joined the Curly Girl Challenge using conditioner and gel and this is amazing. I used a little Tresemmé Naturals. I don’t leave a lot in like most do, it was barely a quarter amount. I just deep conditioned with it and a little olive oil overnight, then rinsed this morning leaving the quarter amount. I sectioned with four clips and did as the Gelee directions say and raked it through small sections. I placed the magnetic clips in the front until it dried just to hold it in place.
Wet
Dry
I’ve been natural for 10 months and, honestly, this is the first time I have worn my hair all down. It’s usually in a ponytail, twists, braids or a protective sew-in. Thank you so much for allowing me to win this product.
If you remember, as part of my GOC regimen, I indicated that I would start oiling my scalp with sunflower oil. This was because I went to a salon where the stylist recommended sunflower oil to reduce shedding. After some research, I found information that indicated that sunflower oil is a nice light oil for those with oily hair or fine hair that is easily weighed down (see articles here and here). However, I didn’t find anything to support that the topical application of this oil to the scalp reduces shedding or thickens hair. I did find that taking a teaspoon a day orally might provide these benefits though.
Sunflower oil contains gamma linolenic acid, which is an omega-6 fatty acid. Such fatty acids are essential to hair health, says Spencer David Kobren in his book, “The Truth About Women’s Hair Loss: What Really Works for Treating and Preventing Thinning Hair.” GLA also is effective in preventing hair loss from male and female pattern baldness as well as alopecia areata, which causes round patches of lost hair. Just 1 tsp. a day is all that’s needed, Kobren says.
In regard to topical hair application, I located a study that compared the protein retaining and hair strengthening properties of coconut oil to sunflower and mineral oils.
The findings clearly indicate the strong impact that coconut oil application has to hair as compared to application of both sunflower and mineral oils. Among three oils, coconut oil was the only oil found to reduce the protein loss remarkably for both undamaged and damaged hair when used as a pre-wash and post-wash grooming product. Both sunflower and mineral oils do not help at all in reducing the protein loss from hair. This difference in results could arise from the composition of each of these oils. Coconut oil, being a triglyceride of lauric acid (principal fatty acid), has a high affinity for hair proteins and, because of its low molecular weight and straight linear chain, is able to penetrate inside the hair shaft. Mineral oil, being a hydrocarbon, has no affinity for proteins and therefore is not able to penetrate and yield better results. In the case of sunflower oil, although it is a triglyceride of linoleic acid, because of its bulky structure due to the presence of double bonds, it does not penetrate the fiber, consequently resulting in no favorable impact on protein loss.
After reading this information, I have decided that:
I will not use sunflower oil on my scalp.
May occasionally use it on my hair post-wash.
I will continue to use Vatika oil, which is primarily coconut oil, for pre-pooing.
I may start incorporating a teaspoon of sunflower oil a day into my diet (i.e. on salad).
So, what will I use on my scalp? I have decided to use Wild Growth Hair Oil (WHGO). Stay tuned for more on my research on that )!!
As I indicated the other day in this post, my plopping experiment didn’t go too well. After bunning to save the day, my hair was looking quite the mess when I took it down that evening.
So, I figured a dry twist and curl was in order and opted to try a couple more items from the Sofn’Free Nothing But line. I decided that I would try the Curly Wake Up Spray and Curly Pudding combo. If you remember from my review of the Mold & Hold Wax, this line is free of petrolatum, mineral oil, sulfates, parabens, colorants*.
Curly Pudding ($7.99) *Click the hyperlinked product names to check out some great info about the ingredients on the Nothing But Hair Care site.
So, I placed my hair into 8 twists after spritzing lightly with the Curl Wake Up Spray and moisturizing each section with about a finger full of the Curly Pudding. The Curl Wake Up spray had a light, citrusy smell that I really liked. The Curly Pudding didn’t have too much of a scent at all. It was white and had a lightly whipped consistency that was neither runny nor too heavy. After twisting all of the sections, I set the last couple of inches of each twist onto small red flexirods. The next morning I released to a softly defined TnC. This was my hair at the end of the day.
Pretty good, right? If you remember, the only things I used on my hair on wash day were KCKT leave-in and AVJ to seal. So, I didn’t have much product on it before using the spray and pudding and the added moisture was good.
However, that moisture is partly attributable to the glycerin that is high on the ingredients lists. And, unfortunately, my fine, medium to high porosity hair is not a fan. Glycerin tends to make my hair tacky (though, surprisingly, it was not overly so) and leads to frizz (i.e. lack/loss of definition). If you’ve spent any time in NJ during the summer, you know the humidity is a BEAST. So, with that season fast approaching, using anything with water attracting glycerin is a recipe for disaster for those of us with high porosity hair.
The other ingredients about which I’m not too enthused are the dimethicone and dimethiconol. I generally try to avoid non-water soluble cones, with the exception of amodimethicone and bis-aminopropyl dimethicone, which repel build-up. So, although I don’t practice the Curly Girl Method, I do tend to avoid too many build-up prone, water blocking cones (see this Curly Hair Product Ingredient Guide for more info on cones and other common ingredients).
Final Thoughts: With all the above being said, although I got a decent set, these two products in the Nothing But line will not become staples for me. But for those who don’t mind a cone or two and have hair that loves glycerin, these just may be the ticket (especially with the reasonable price tag)!!
Have you tried the Sofn’Free Nothing But Curl Wake Up Spray and Curly Pudding? If you have, how did they work out for you? If not, what products do you use for dry sets?
so i just wanted to share with you all my experience with using coconut vinegar rinses and the benefits that it gives my hair as a final rinse.
so first thing is first, I’m pretty sure at this point you guys probably have a look of confusion on your face and the first question that probably has come up in your mind is “coconuts can make vinegar?”..
Now THIS is interesting ... coconut oil and coconut milk are good for hair ... vinegar rinses can be good for hair if used properly. And now, coconut vinegar?!?!? My Spidey senses are TINGLING y'all!!
“Today on Wash Day Shenanigans: Shelli decides to try a three new things! Want to learn how it will all end?!?! Then, don’t change that channel!!” *teehee*
Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose Moisturizing Conditioner After less than stellar results using Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose (AO HSR) Moisturizing Conditioner as a post shampoo “quick” conditioner, I decided to follow the directions on the bottle for using it as a deep conditioner. I deep conditioned BEFORE shampooing. Yup, you read that right. I’ve heard of this before and knew that others had success using this technique, but I’d never tried it.
Directions Shake well before using. After shampooing, apply to damp hair and work through, concentrating on the ends. Leave on for 1 to 2 minutes, then rinse. For deep conditioning: Apply to dry hair and distribute from scalp to ends. Leave on for 15 minutes, then shampoo and condition hair as usual. (emphasis added)
On Friday night, I put my stretched hair into 2 braids after oiling my scalp with sunflower oil mixed with the remnants of my EO mix. I applied a little oil to the length of my hair too. Then, on Saturday night, I divided my hair into 4 sections and applied about a tablespoon AO HSR to each area before twisting. I really didn’t detangle much at all. Once done, I donned a plastic cap and winter hat. Then, I did 10 minutes of Abs of Steel and 30 minutes of The Biggest Loser Cardio Max. After that, I chilled for about an hour, playing on the computer, eating dinner and watching and episode of The Big Bang Theory that I had somehow managed to never see!! Finally, I hopped into the shower, shampooed with diluted DevaCare One No Poo and rinsed. My hair felt GREAT!!! It felt strong, moisturized and smooth. And, I’m telling you, it was the easiest detangling session that I’ve had in MONTHS!! I don’t know if it was the AO HSR as a pre-poo DC or if my hair was just that stretched!! But, I can’t wait to try this again next week to see if I get the same results (I may do a Vatika oil pre-poo under the AO first or mix a little oil with the conditioner just to get the protein retention benefits of coconut oil). Anywho, then, for good measure, I applied HE HH to do a final finger detangle. However, I really think that it might not have been necessary!
Preliminary Review of AO HSR: Thumbs up and 5 stars as a pre-poo DC on dry hair!!
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Aloe Vera Juice (AVJ) to Seal Next, I decided to use two products that have been part of my natural hair arsenal for almost two years in a different way. What prompted this deviation? This post and video on blackgirllonghair.com by HeyFranHey: Moisturizing & Sealing 3B/3C Hair. In it, Fran explains how using oils to seal left her hair flat and lifeless, because they were too heavy. But, AVJ was the perfect lightweight sealant! She also shared this YouTube video tutorial demonstrating her technique!
Now, as many of you know, I use a modified Kimmaytube leave-in, which contains 2 tablespoons each of Kinky Curly Knot Today and AVJ (whole leaf) and 1-2 teaspoons of oil. I’ve thought about leaving out the oil altogether, because I remember reading that someone else did that because the oil was too heavy. However, I never got around to trying it … I think partly because I felt like I needed an oil to seal in the moisture. But, after reading and watching Fran’s post and video and thinking about how the pH of AVJ seals the hair cuticle, it made so much sense to give this a try! I wanted huge, curly and fluffy hair too;)!
I proceeded to pull out my KCKT and AVJ and followed Fran’s steps for applying the leave-in and sealant. I had allowed my hair to dry to damp, so I did have to rewet with filtered water from a spritz bottle. Therefore, my hair wasn’t as soaking wet as hers. But, it still seemed to respond very well! This seemed so much easier than mixing and applying the Kimmaytube leave-in! Again, my hair was very detangled, so applying the products was almost a breeze and my hair already had volume and curl after finishing the application.
Preliminary Review of KCKT leave-in with AVJ to Seal: Thumbs up wet. Dry? The verdict is still out, because …
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Plopping Given that it was the evening, I would normally do some type of TnC or twist set. Though wet hair in the morning is inevitable, my hair is controlled so that I don’t wake up with a tangled, matted rat’s nest. However, Saturday night, I decided to experiment with an overnight Wash and Go “drying” technique touted to enhance curl formation, definition and volume: Plopping. I think I tried it once before, but don’t remember the results. So, they probably weren’t that spectacular. Regardless, I decided to try it again. However, I needed to research how to do it as it had been so long. I came across this video using a long-sleeve t-shirt rather than the short sleeve one that I’d typically seen.
I grabbed a long-sleeve tee and followed the directions (using my bed as the flat surface, rather than a chair). A couple hours later, I hit the sack. I woke up Sunday morning and decided to do the reveal prior to working out. Figured that I could pineapple my hair if it came out all big and lovely like I desired.
It came out big all right … lovely? Not so much. *sigh* My hair was still slightly damp, very soft, big, but with next to no curl definition. I watched another video that indicated that a styler should be applied and left to air dry for an hour prior to plopping. I’m wondering if I had applied something like a curl gel over the AVJ and then waited for an hour prior to plopping, maybe this would have worked out better. But, as it was … I bunned it up for a fundraising Mother/Daughter’s Fashion Show that I attended for my niece’s school. My niece wasn’t in it, but my sister co-chaired and Sofistafunk loaned a slew of wonderful skirts for the event!! I’ll try to share some pics later, but mine weren’t that great as the girls were moving too fast for me to catch good ones!!
First Time Plopping Experience: #Fail
So, last night, I used a couple new products for the first time and placed my hair into 8 twists, setting the ends on flexirods. I’ll let you know how that turned out tomorrow!
GOC Health & Fitness Goal Update (BONUS ) I stuck with the plan in regard to exercise and did The Biggest Loser Cardio Max Week 1 (30 min) 4 days, Lauren Brooks Kettlebell 2 days (40 min. Wed.; 12 min Sun.) and Abs of Steel (10 min) 6 days. I took my supplements every day and ate pretty well most of the week. I was down from 136.5 last Monday (bloated from pancakes on Sunday) to 132 yesterday. Yea!! Why did I get on the scale this morning and it was back up to 135?!?! Boo!!! Dang water weight loss and gain!! Had creme brulee at the fashion show and some shrimp fried rice (after eating some healthy steamed shrimp and broccoli with brown rice; no sauce) last night with friends. *sigh* I know that 135 really isn’t right and it’ll go back down today when I eat well and exercise … but DANG!!
What did you do with your hair this weekend? Try anything new? Anyone else try AO HSR, AVJ for sealing and/or “plopping?” If so, how did it/they work out for you? Any tips or tricks?
To my GOC ladies, it’s the end of the month! So, start getting those April Updates together and sending them in to hairscapades@gmail.com!
Remember to let us know the following:
How you did in regard to following your planned regimen (hair and health & fitness)?
What tweaks have you made (did you try something new? Add something? Remove something, etc.)?
Have you had any challenges? Setbacks? Accomplishments?
And don’t forget the pics!! We love to see your beautiful hair and lovely styles:)!
Yup. I finally took the Terressentials Mud Wash (TMW) plunge! Since November, my feelings have been bouncing between an intense desire to try it and a fear of the results. My intense desire was due to reading the claims of amazing post-mud wash hair: fullness, shine, body, easy peasy detangling, no need for conditioner, all natural. My fear was related to reading other reviews that indicated hair was tacky, coated and difficult to detangle after the wash. After having my desire to try it reignited and placing the order in mid-March (see here for what prompted the plunge), I became hesitant again once it arrived. I wondered if the Terressentials would remove the protein treatments I’ve come to view as essential components of my regimen. My concern arose due to these statements on Terressentials FAQs page:
Chemical hair treatments permanently alter the outer layer of the hair shaft creating a porous cuticle – under a microscope chemically treated hair looks like Swiss cheese. Once hair is damaged by chemical colorings, perms or straightening chemicals, people are sold a myriad of synthetic products that artificially coat the hair with plastic or protein polymers to make it look and feel undamaged. The more damaged the hair, the more porous it becomes; the more porous the hair, the more it absorbs these synthetic “protein” polymers (e.g. soy, wheat or oat proteins- that are NOT edible foods), plastic polymers such as PVP (petrochemical polyvinyl pyrrolidone) and gum coating agents. These are the substances the “mud” removes in the detox protocol, but the detox process takes time.
Sometimes when people begin using the Hair Wash, their hair may feel stiff, sticky, oily, heavy or dry. This feeling may persist until the residues of protein and plastic polymers have been completely removed …
It is highly likely that your current shampoo, conditioner, hairspray or other styling product contains some type of petrochemical polymer – a PVP vinyl, acrylate, silicone, carbomer, or hydrolyzed synthetic protein (soy, wheat, oat) polymer – all of which add a coating to the hair to make damaged hair appear undamaged. These plastic polymers also glue broken hairs together. Since polymers are difficult to remove with a gentle clay cleanser, it usually takes several washings to completely remove these gummy, oily residues from the hair. As these materials are being removed from the hair, hair may feel stiff, sticky or dry. It may even be a bit more difficult to comb out, especially if it’s long. (emphasis added)
Maybe you understand my hesitation now? I mean, I care about the ingredients in my products, but am no where near using all-natural/organic products. But, after reading the Terresentials FAQS for, like, the 100th time, I realized hydrolized animal protein (as contained in ApHogee) wasn’t listed. In addition, several ladies told me that they continued to use TMW with their normal, non-natural products with no problem. Then, fellow blogger EmilyCottonTop eased my mind further with her posts about loving Terressentials AND ApHogee. Finally, I came across this interesting thread in the NaturallyCurly.com forums, where someone shared the link to this thought-provoking video:
So, finally, after all of that, I suspected that my hair would survive the introduction of TMW into my normal, cone, animal protein and polyquat laden regimen;). And here is how it went!
The Process As most of you know, I’ve been researching this one for a while and have shared several posts on the Terressentials Mud Wash, including one with a link to Naptural85′s video tutorial. I’m not going to re-hash any of that here. However, if you are interested in checking those out, just use the “Search” box and type in “Terressentials” to find all of the posts on this topic:)!
Ultimately, I decided that I was not going to follow the 7 day detox protocol as the folks over at Terressentials indicated that this was for those who wash daily. Therefore, I plan to shampoo with the TMW once a week based upon my normal wash schedule.
So, this is what I did:
I purchased two “flavors”: Lavender Gardens and Left Coast Lemon. I decided to go with the Left Coast Lemon first as I prefer the light, citrusy smell over the stronger floral scent of the Lavender Gardens.
Divided hair into 8 sections and twisted each one (I did not pre-poo or detangle).
Thoroughly wet my hair in the kitchen sink.
Diluted about 3-4 tablespoons of TMW with filtered water in a small plastic bowl and mixed using my fingers (I used too much water, resulting in a runny mix). NOTE:I had to mix more wash as I ran out after finishing half of my hair.
Poured diluted TMW into a dye applicator bottle for ease of application (since it was so watery!).
Removed first twist and applied TMW to the roots, massaging it into scalp. Then applied more wash down length of hair, working it in and finger detangling the section before re-twisting.
Repeated until all sections were treated (this probably took about 45 minutes; I was trying to be very thorough as I wasn’t following the 3 wash or 7 day detox protocol).
“Baked” hair for about 10-15 minutes with blow dryer. I did this as the Terressentials FAQs page indicated that the detox process can be sped up and absorption ehnaced by “baking” the mud under the sun for 15-20. There was absolutely no sun in sight on Saturday, so I figured the dryer would do!
Allowed mud wash to sit on head, uncovered, for an hour or so. This was another tip from the site to speed up the detox process.
Hopped in the shower and rinsed mud. Released each twist to rinse and finger detangle under the shower stream.
Applied about another tablespoon or so of TMW for a second and final wash and rinsed.
After this process, I didn’t condition at all … no regular conditioner, no deep conditioner, no leave-in conditioner. I wanted to be able to evaluate the unadulterated results from the TMW as so many indicate that no conditioner is necessary after using it.
So, I blotted with a hair cloth and then allowed my hair to air dry (which it did pretty quickly without any product). When my hair was mostly dry, but not quite, I placed about a dime-size amount of JBCO/EVOO mix in my palm, smoothed it and applied to my hair, focusing on the ends. Then, I proceeded to do two strand twists using some Sofn’Free Mold & Hold Wax on the roots of a few of the twists for control and hold.
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My Thoughts So, what do I think of the Terressentials Mud Wash? I think it … or some variation of it … is a keeper. After the rinsing (which was very easy), my hair felt heavy like it does after a henna treatment, but with less mess and time involved. My hair also looked like a sheet of waves and looked very defined and shiny. I will say that it did have a very slightly coated feeling, but that totally dissipated and was replaced by softness as my hair dried.
In addition to being soft, ,my hair was fluffy and full. I took the opportunity to finally do some two-strand twists, because I suspected that I might be able to achieve a decent, non-anorexic looking, set. I usually twist on dry hair to get the plumpest set possible. I further stacked the deck by trying a technique Chy’sCurlz suggested for fine-strand naturals here. She recommends twisting in the opposite direction of what feels natural in order to form a plumper twist and I agree that it works!
Back to the wash, overall, I really liked it!! The only cons I experienced thus far are the cost due to shipping and, directly related to that, how much I had to use to wash my whole head!! I’m pretty sure I used half of the 8 ounce bottle!! If the bottle lasted for a year, no biggie. If I only got 4 applications out of it but it cost $4-$5 and could be found on the ground, fine. But, at $10.75 a pop, plus approx. $9 for shipping, this stuff needs to go a lot farther or cost a lot less!!
With that being said, I was trying to do a very thorough “detox,” since I had no plans to wash three times or every day for 7 days. Therefore, I don’t think I will need as much wash going forward. Also, maybe half of it won’t end up on the sink next time .
“Final” Verdict So, I know what you’re thinking. Will I buy it again? Is it worth the cost? Hmmmmm … well, I have a bottle and a half to go and I’m going to continue to use it weekly until it’s gone. I did really like the results and the ease of detangling without the need for a pre-poo or any conditioner. However, I’m already on the hunt for a DIY recipe, because I don’t see myself spending that much for something that I may be able to easily and cheaply make at home. I already have the ingredients that I need to make a “mud wash” (aloe vera juice, bentonite clay, carrier oils and essential oils). It won’t be the exact recipe of course, but I think I’ll be putting on my mixtress cap to see if I can come up with something that closely mimics the results at a fraction of the cost. So, stay tuned for more on that front!
In the interim, if I happen to be in Middletown or Frederick, MD, I’ll probably be making a pitstop at a Terressentials store to stock-up, sans the shipping costs!!
After using the TMW for three days in a row, I can now give my honest and final review.
So before I started to use the product, I decided not to do the total seven days detox session. I actually did two days and thought that was it, however, I decided on day three and final day to complete detoxing. I wanted to straighten my hair and do a proper trim prior to starting the second round of the Grow out Challenge with Hairscapades.
And here is Marsha's Final post on her experience with Terressentials Mud Wash. Check out her site to see her other posts about Terressentials and how she decided to use it!
. Of course, he didn’t condition after he shampooed either. Men. *lol*).
