Daily Archives: July 12, 2011

Jul12

Qhemet Biologics Cocoa Tree Detangling Ghee

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Okay, so my PJ ways got the better of me!! But seriously, would I really be a good blogger if I wasn’t?!?! I mean, I think I have a duty to you to try all these things and provide reviews to help you!!!  Yeah … that’s it.  *lol*

I got my friend to pick of the Qhemet Biologics Cocoa Tree Detangling Ghee ($14 online/$14.99 at BSS). As you may or may not know, I’ve been fiending for it for a few weeks as CurlyNikki has been raving about it for months in post after post. WestNDNBeauties review was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Product description:

  • Restores manageability, softness and elasticity to normal to very dry hair. Smooths cuticles, improves combing ability and reduces breakage.
  • Key Ingredients: Contains pure, prime pressed Cocoa Butter to smooth, soften and seal in moisture, Horsetail, Nettle and Barley to strengthen and condition and sulfur rich MSM to nourish follicles and support growth. Enhanced with carefully selected mild and eco-friendly detangling actives, it instantly restores manageability, pliability and elasticity to matted and tangled hair.
  • Does not contain mineral oil, lanolin, silicones, parabens or artificial fragrances.
After the Rugged Maniac on Saturday, my hair was in some kind of state!!! If you didn’t see the pictures:

This is no henna treatment.

Get the picture?!?! LOL!! OMGosh, it was sooo bad!! I co-washed with some Aussie Moist that was in my natural sister’s shower. Then, I co-washed again … and again … and again. Since I hennaed the prior Monday, I couldn’t tell where the mud/dirt ended and the henna began!!! Some words of advice, if you ever do a Tough Mudder or Rugged Maniac, go with french braids/cornrows. I started the day with a high banana clip bun. As you can see, I didn’t end it that way!
Anywho, after co-washing and finger detangling until I was running out of hot water, I left a ton of Aussie Moist in my hair and put in two ponytail twists for the day. The following Sunday, I hit the shower for the real wash (my hair was still pretty dusty looking … Aussie Moist didn’t provide any shine). I pre-pooed with Dabur Vatika Hair Fall Control Cream and Vatika Oil. I left that in for a couple of hours under a plastic cap. Then, I shampooed my scalp with a little SM Raw Shea Moisture Retention Shampoo diluted in a lot of filtered water. That went better than my first time around with the shampoo. I then applied HE HH to the length and detangled. What I noticed is what felt like quite a few single strand knots (SSKs) towards my ends. I didn’t feel those before and think that the “mud bath” caused them, hence my styling recommendation (I’ll be taking my own advice next year). I DC’d for a couple of hours with SM Raw Shea Deep Treatment Masque and then applied diluted Aussie Moist prior to rinsing. I allowed my hair to dry about 80% (which it does very quickly without product!). Finally, I styled a 5 twist TnC using DevaCare One conditioner as my leave-in and a little Qhemet Biologics Cocoa Detangling Ghee. I thought the QB would be more “ghee” like, but it was a smooth cream with a heavy cocoa smell, about which I’m not too particular. I sealed my ends my JBCO and then spritzed a little DevaCare Set It Free on the ends to help set the hair as it dried a bit as I installed the twists. These are the results:

My back twists didn’t dry completely overnight because they were so thick and I suspected that would happen. So, the side that tends to be straighter hung a little longer then the rest. I just finger-curled the end and bobby pinned it for the day. However, it is always best to let your hair dry entirely before releasing your twists to reduce frizziness and ensure your hair is defined with hold.

I didn’t really notice much of a difference between this TnC and the TnC where I only used DevaCare One conditioner (no styler). However, it’s still too early for me to give a full review. For now, I re-twisted and rolled my hair last night (with 6 twists this time) applying more Cocoa Detangling Ghee. I also took care of some SSK. I’ll take more pics and will be back with an interim review at the end of the week.
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Jul12

Newly Natural: Adrienne’s HairStory

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Describe yourself in 20 words or less.
My name is Adrienne. I’m 25 and still fairly new to the whole natural thing.

How long have you been natural and why did you chose to go natural?
This is actually my second go around being natural. Four years ago I did it and everything was great…until I relaxed again. This time I’ve been natural for a little over a year. I was experiencing a lot of breakage in the crown of my hair and also in the back. A lot of the hair loss was health related so when I started on my meds, I decided it was probably time to go natural too. I know that getting a relaxer every six weeks was probably making things worse.

Did you transition or big chop?
A little bit of both actually. I did a half chop in August, where basically my hairdresser shaved the back of my head and then trimmed the rest of my hair so it was in a pretty sharp and interesting bob. Man, when I first heard those clippers…I was shocked, but quickly got over it. After that just I kept getting trimmed. I think I still have some straight pieces to cut off in the front.

What is/was your biggest hair challenge/obstacle?  How did you overcome it or what are you doing now to try to address the problem?
My biggest challenge right now is that I think my hair is at an awkward length. It’s not a TWA where the maintenance is really low, but it’s not long enough for much else. I’ve been experimenting a lot with flat twists lately, because I like the stretch it gives to my hair. I’m still trimming a lot of my hair so it’ll be short for a while, but I’m not touching the bangs because I want them even with the rest of my hair.

What do you love most about your natural hair and/or about being natural?
The big hair! I love the big, curly look. It gets extra big because of the Maryland humidity, but I like it. And curly hair seems so much more interesting and edgy. I feel like it really compliments my personality.

What is your current regimen?  Has it changed in any major way since you first went natural?
I try to wash my hair with a sulfate free shampoo once a week and deep condition. Sometimes mid week, I’ll co-wash and every night I moisturize and seal. Usually, I’ll flat twist each night for a more defined twist out. If I don’t flat twist, then I sleep in a plastic cap and just pull it up into a bun for the next day.  My regimen changes often, but mostly I try to keep it moisturized and tangle free.

What are your Holy Grail and staple products?
I really love this aloe-vera spritz that I got from Butters-N-Bars, along with their Grow Butter. For deep conditioners, I really like the Spiral Solutions Deeply Decadent Conditioner. Still trying to find other staples though.

What is your “go to” style (share a picture of it, if you have one!)? Do you wear protective and/or low manipulation styles? If so, how often and why?
My “go to” style is a twist out. This style is easiest for me to achieve and it’s great for blending in the lingering straight strands of hair that I have. I also like taking a twist out and pulling it up into a sort of puff. If I’m not in a twist out, than my next favorite style would be twists. They’re easy and I don’t have to do much in the morning. Just pin them up and go. It’s probably the only protective style that I do. I don’t wear buns too often, probably because I put them in too tightly.

How often do you cut/trim your hair? How do you cut it (salon, DIY, straight, curly, in twists)? If you go to a salon, would you recommend it?
I went to a SuperCuts for a trim in early May and it was awful (not the cut but the way they handled my hair). I won’t cut again for a while. Occasionally when I wear twists I’ll snip off any raggedy ends, but mostly the scissors stay away!

Has going natural impacted other areas of your life (i.e. health & fitness, style, environmental consciousness, etc.?) If so, how and in what ways has it affected your lifestyle?
Not really. I feel like I think about my hair (and natural hair in general) a lot and spend a lot more time on it. But, because it’s still a learning process right now, I’m okay with it. I am surprised at how many people love natural hair. I feel like I get a lot more compliments on my hair now, which I wasn’t expecting.

Do you have a “hair crush?” If so, who?
I love Yaya DaCosta’s hair! My plan is to get my hair to look like hers eventually, maybe not exactly but hopefully volume and length wise.

Who do you follow online (i.e. blog/website, Youtube, Fotki, etc.)?
On YouTube I follow Naptural85. I simply love her hair! I’m setting her up as my twist out idol. I look at all the usual curly sites (naturallycurl.com, curlynikki, longhaircareforum, etc).

Where can we find you online?
I have a blog and I’m trying to figure out how to jazz it up and think you’re a great inspiration for something like that (my blog seems so boring compared to yours lol). http://naturalembrace.blogspot.com/

What advice would you give someone who is contemplating going natural and/or becoming discouraged with their natural journey?
Don’t get discouraged. Sometime it’ll seem like your hair isn’t growing or cooperating in the way that you would like. But, if you keep taking care of it, you’ll see results (even if they are slow ones). Also get a support group. It feels great when you know you’re not alone and other people are possibly going through similar hair struggles.