UPDATE!!!!!

I have been so busy with school and work and sometimes just plain lazy that I've neglected to update my blog as well as my YouTube account. I have been fully natural for a little over a year now and still going strong. Since starting my natural hair journey, I have changed my regimen many times and gone through many staple products. I have become more conscious of what I put in my hair and how I handle it as well as how often I handle it. Most of the products I use now are either organic and homemade or tried and true products that I modify. I am still looking to perfect the combination of staple products I use, if one can ever really do that. I have yet to find a shampoo I like that doesn't feel as if it's stripping my hair, but Naptural85 from YouTube suggested an organic hair wash by Terressentials. I plan on trying it as soon as I have some extra cash. ^_^ Here are the products and regimen I use now, along with the recipe for both my DT and my leave-in:


What products am I using now?

Shampoo: Currently, I'm using Alba Botanica's Hawaiian Nourishing Mango shampoo, I believe it's called. I add extra aloe vera leaf juice to it for conditioning purposes. I don't really like it, but since I don't shampoo but maybe once or twice a month on average, I use it. As I said, I am going to try Terressentials organic hair wash since Nap so passionately recommended it!

Conditioner: Aussie Moist <3with a little extra aloe vera leaf juice added. I have recently found Kinky Curly Knot Today for pretty cheap at CurlMart.com. If it works out, I may substitute KCKT in my recipes. I'll try to keep you posted.

Deep Conditioner: I use a modified recipe for the avocado-mayonnaise DT. I'll include the recipe at the end of the post. I have heard great things about the caramel deep conditioning treatment and I will be trying that when I gather all the ingredients.

Moisturizer: I use a mix of shea butter and Shea Moisture Curl Smoothie with some oils of my choosing (I'm still experimenting with this so I won't include the recipe just yet). I also use a leave-in conditioner I've mixed myself that seems to work for me, though, I'm still tweaking it to see if I can improve it in any way. I'll include the recipe for that at the end of this post, as well.

Gel/Sealant: Beeswax. A friend of mine suggested ORS Edge Control, claiming it works better than beeswax. I'm eager to try it.


What's my regimen now?

I co-wash and deep condition once a week. I only shampoo when I feel my hair really needs it, if I missed a co-wash or there's product build up, for example. On average, I only shampoo once, MAYBE twice, a month. I moisturize with my leave-in conditioner mix twice a day (once in the morning and again before bed) if I have my hair in twists or braids, once a day (at night) if I have my hair out. I loosely re-twist/braid before bed to stretch a style and cover my hair with a silk bonnet or sleep on a satin pillow every night.


Avocado and Mayonnaise Deep Conditioner Treatment

Ingredients:

• 1 avocado
• 1/2 banana
• 1 cup real mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup organic aloe vera leaf juice
  
• 2 tbsp EVOO
• 2 tbsp pure grape seed oil (or jojoba oil)
  
• 2 tbsp organic hemp seed oil
• 1 tbsp vegetable glycerin
  
• 3 - 5 drops of real lemon juice
  

Directions:

• Puree all ingredients in a blender or food processor.
• Apply generously to clean, damp hair, cover with a shower cap and let sit for at least an hour. I recommend sitting under a hooded dryer, steamer, or wrapping your head in a towel soaked in hot water to allow for better penetration of the conditioner. I often take a nap or leave it in overnight, depending on how much time I have to spend on my hair.

Leave-in Conditioner Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp EVOO
• 2 tbsp grape seed oil (or jojoba oil)
  
• 2 tbsp hemp seed oil
  
• 1 tbsp vegetable glycerin
  
• 2 - 4 tbsp Aussie Moist (or conditioner of your choice)
  
• 5 drops of lemon juice
  
• organic aloe vera leaf juice

Directions:

• Add all ingredients to a spray bottle ( I use an old 8 oz body spray bottle) and shake well. The amount of aloe vera leaf juice depends on how much you plan on using. I only make enough to last a week since the ingredients are organic with the exception of the Aussie Moist. Feel free to tweak the portions of the ingredients to how much mix you would like to make.
  
• Spray generously to hair and seal with gel, beeswax, or other sealant of your choice.
  

I hope you all can use these recipes and achieve as great a result as I have: soft, manageable, protein-enriched, moisturized hair. Should I find a way to improve upon these recipes I will come back and edit. Let me know how it works for you!!