Daily Archives: June 22, 2011

Jun22

Essential Oil Mix for Hair Growth?

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If you read my post on Excessive Shedding yesterday, you know that I’ve been on a quest to get my shedding under control for a while now. Last year, in a search for solutions, I came across this great post on MopTopMaven’s website that provided an essential oil (EO) blend to address shedding and stimulate growth. I’d been applying a modified version to my scalp a couple days a week as I didn’t have thyme oil and didn’t feel like buying it online.

However, a couple of months ago, I finally tracked down thyme EO at a local health food store in a neighboring town. So, I did some additional internet research to locate the recipe again. I came across this article from Men’s Health Magazine that  indicated that there was a limited study (84 participants) that showed 44% of the participants in the treatment group had new hair growth versus only 15% in the control group after 7 months of continuous use of the EO blend. On a daily basis, each participant in the treatment group massaged the EO mix into their scalp for 2 minutes, then wrapped their  head in a warm towel to allow the oil to penetrate more fully into the scalp.

The recipe from the later post is below and was slightly different from the version on MopTopMaven’s site. If you google the mix, you’ll find lots of links on it.  A couple of months ago, I made the Men’s Health version below and began using it 2-3 days a week:

Hair Oil Recipe

3 drops of essential oil of thyme
3 drops of essential oil of lavender
3 drops of essential oil of rosemary
3 drops of essential oil of cedarwood
1/8 cup of grapeseed oil
1/8 cup of jojoba oil

The first picture below is of my nape area in July 2010 and the second is the same area in May 2011. I think that there is some improvement, though my hair is still a lot finer and less dense in this area. However, the thinness doesn’t look as if it goes as far up my head as it did last year.

(Yes, I just applied the EO mix, so my nape is a bit oily. *lol*)

What do you think? I’ve never been a big scalp “greaser/oiler,” but I like massaging this oil blend into my scalp a few times a week and believe that, even if it’s not promoting new growth, it’s not causing any harm.

Have any of you used this Essential Oil Mix?  If so, how often and what was your experience with it?

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Jun22

Washing in Twists – Not Just for the Tightly Curly

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I’ve never had a problem with my hair re-tangling after  a detangling session. So, when I initially read about the technique of twisting for washing, conditioning and deep conditioning, I didn’t think it was necessary or relevant for my curl pattern/texture. However, several months ago, I started to twist my hair into four sections after applying a DC. Then, when I started pre-pooing and dry finger detangling, I started to twist my hair as I applied my pre-poo of choice (coconut or Vatika oil at the time). Next, I started to twist my hair after I co-washed and detangled each section. Now, I use twists throughout my wash day routines. The reason I’ve done so is because I’ve found that the twists seem to prep my hair to retain TnC and twist out sets. I have about 4 different textures on my head (who doesn’t, right?) and this process of setting the twists seems to create a “memory” for my hair to follow that wave pattern. However, I believe my TnC and twist-out sets have greatly improved in consistency of pattern, definition and hold from using twists throughout my wash session.

Pic 1:  Wash day (hair was in a bun at the end of the week – it doesn’t look too bad!)

Pic 2:  Pre-pood with Dabur Vatika Hair Fall Control Styling Cream, lightly finger detangled and twisted.

Pic 3: Released twists after rinsing DC (I leave hair in twists during the cold water rinse, which further helps set the twist pattern).

Pic 4-6: TnC with Kimmaytube leave-in only (only 1 tsp of each oil instead of 2).

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Jun22

DIY Flower – 6 Ways to Wear It!

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Last week, I posted a DIY Tutorial for making your own flower hair clips. Yesterday, I wore a yellow flower clip that I made a while back. I started the morning with it attached to a headband worn around my loose TnC. But, when I got to work, I wasn’t feeling like having my hair down (I’m so addicted to updos and protective styles now! I only like my hair down, like, one day a week and usually on the weekend!). So, I put my hair up into a bun, took the flower off of the headband and clipped it near the bun. I’m all about multi-purposing and re-purposing. So, I immediately thought, “I need to do a post on Hairscapades with styling options for the DIY flower hair clip!”  Seriously, the only limit is your imagination.

I made the flower clip pictured above with a hair clip and pin attachments. You could also attach a hair band like the Goody Ouchless/No Metal elastics (in the color of your choice) under the felt to make this into a tri-purpose flower (pin, clip, ponytail holder)!

STYLING OPTIONS:

Wear it clipped next to your bun
Wear it pinned to a headband (thin, thick, one or two)
Wear it on your belt
Wear it on your lapel
Wear it on your wrist
Wear it as a ponytail holder

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(Sadly, this braided white belt bit the dust yesterday=(. All of the leather ripped at the point where I would belt it. I have to find a replacement.)

How many ways can/do you wear your flowers?