Protective Styling

Like most naturals, I don't like doing my hair on a daily basis. I have to wear a protective style or I will get extremely lazy. Since November of last year I have been wearing various protective styles. I have done random length checks but protective styles have saved my hair. Between work, school, personal and family circumstances I have not have time to style my hair free.

Why protective styling? I have 5 good reasons for protective styling.

1. Low Maintenance
2. Retains Growth
3. Time Savers
4. Keeps Hair Soft
5. Versatile

The three styles that I have been going to are: high buns with Marley or Kanekalon braiding hair, Senegalese Twists, or sew ins. Ask of these styles allow my hair to grow naturally without all of the pulling, straining, bobby pins, headbands, or all of the other things is natural sistas like to use in a daily basis.

Not only do these styles save me time and save my hair, they're very easy to maintain. With the bun I take it down and wash my hair once a week or once every two weeks and put it back up. With the Senegalese twists I clean my scalp with with a water and tea tree oil mixture. Some people wash their but I personally don't like to because mine get really frizzy. With the sew ins I wash it every two weeks just like my own hair. With all of the styles I oil my scalp with my oil mixture.

Here are a few pictures of me wearing my protective styles!

Homemade Flaxseed Gel...I LOVE this stuff!

Organic Root Stimulator Lock and Twist Gel vs. All Natural Homemade Flax Seed Gel

Organic Root Stimulator Lock and Twist Gel

I have been using this product faithfully for a few months since I have embarked on this journey. Twist outs, wash and go's,  braid outs, bantu knots, roller sets, and EVERYTHING else. Needless to say, I love this stuff. I gives me a good hold but it never flakes and my hair never gets hard. And the best thing about it is that the first ingredient list is WATER! Great, huh? Now really, what could be better than that? Well firstly, let's check out the ingredients:

ORS Lock and Twist Gel Ingredients

Water, Coconut Milk, Soybean Oil, PVP, Polyquarternium 37, Propyl Paraben, Methyl Paraben, DMDM Hydantoin, Propylene Glycol, Fragrance, Sucrose

Now the first three ingredients are all things that I can pronounce and that I am familiar with. Let's dig deeper into the rest of them:

PVP: It is likely this will cause build when it is in your shampoos and conditioners; however, it is pretty safe in your gels.

Polyquaternium: This ingredient seems to have the same effect as the PVP

Propyl and Methyl Paraben: some studies on animals show that parabens can lead to breast cancer 

Propylene Glycol: It's a humectant. This is a clear, colorless, thick liquid. Can penetrate the skin better than glycerin, but is less expensive. Second in moisture-carrying abilities only to water. Can also be used to dissolve ingredients. Rumors have circulated that it's bad but no proof.

Sucrose:  This seems to be safe. Made from Coconut Acid and known for being a mild cleanser and foam builder, as well as for conditioning and keeping the product from separating into its oil and water components.

(for more info on what your products have in them, check out this great website:  http://tightlycurly.com/ingredients/)

So the ingredients in the ORS Lock and Twist Gel don't seem to bad at all. So I actually did a good job by picking this up that was suggested by a friend. BUT let's look at the flax seed gel...

All Natural Homemade Flaxseed Gel

I made my first batch of flaxseed gel two days ago and immediately I saw the difference between the ORS Gel and the flaxseed gel. Because the flaxseed gel is all-natural and is highly concentrated with fatty acids, my hair hair felt SO good. In addition to how it felt, the hold was beyond amazing. Normally when I use the ORS gel, I have to tie my hair down for 30 minutes for my edges to stay slicked down....I didn't have this problem with them flaxseed gel. Admittedly it is really gooey and the consistency is like egg whites BUT I can look past all that if it's going to the job. The downfall of this is that it will only keep for 1-2 weeks in the refrigerator. My ORS gel will last until I use it up. Before we completely rule out the ORS gel based on ingredients, let's see what's in the flaxseed gel:

 Flaxseed Gel Ingredients

Water: We all know what water does...!!!

Whole Flax Seeds: High in fatty acids, including Omega-3's. Flaxseeds are known to influence healthy hair growth and overall health in general

Tea Tree Essential Oil: This is a good essential oil. It is a natural antiseptic. Because of it's antibacterial properties, it is good in treating conditions of the scalp such as dandruff and itchiness

Rosemary Essential Oil: Good essential oil known for it's stimulation properties; promotes hair growth

Vitamin E Oil: Has preservative properties. Excellent moisturizing oil as well as an antioxidant. Has great benefits for skin and hair.

Jojoba Oil: Good oil for promoting hair growth with its antibacterial properties.

The Winner isss.....

Flaxseed Gel!!!

It's no question why! The flaxseed gel is all natural. Despite the fact that it doesn't last past 1-2 weeks, you just have to lessen your mix and you'll be fine. Oh, did I mention that it's a good buy? I was able to purchase a good size bag of whole flax seeds for less than $6. Here's the recipe below:

Ingredients:

2 cups water

1/4 to 3/8 cup of whole flax seeds

3-5 drops of tea tree oil (optional)

3-5 drops of rosemary oil (optional)

3-5 drops of vitamin e oil (optional)

Many people like to add aloe vera gel to their flaxseed gel mixtures but for now I will stick to the ingredients above.

Directions:

Boil water. Stir in flaxseeds. Allow the water-flaxseed mixture to congeal. You should have a thick and slimy consistency. If it is not the consistency that you want add in a few more flaxseeds. Keep stirring. Stirring will prevent the flaxseeds from sticking together and to the pan. Once it starts to thicken and foam, the gel is ready to be filtered. Strain the mixture to separate the gel from the seeds. Add your oils. Refridgerate.

*Make sure you store in an airtight container

*I use a pair of old stocking to strain the gel through

So simple and it works wonders...what's better than that?! If you have any questions let me know. Peace Chic Sistas XO

Water: The Ultimate Moisturizer

Time: seconds

Frequency: Everyday to every few hours

What is Spritzing?

Spritzing is the term that many naturals use when referring to refreshing or moisturizing their hair. It is a practice that should be added to your daily regimen. Notably, the best thing that can be in your spray bottle is good ol' water. It is the most accessible substance on the planet and it's no question why it's good for the natural sista! If I must break it down....planet Earth is made up of approximately 70% water and the human body is comprised of 55-78% water. Need I say more?! If I must...since the body is made up of nearly 55-78% water we MUST drink 1 to 7 liters of water per day to avoid becoming dehydrated. So if our bodies need H2O to stay hydrated, then our hair needs it as well.

Why is it Important to Spritz?

Spritzing your hair with water (or water mixtures) can be very beneficial to your hair. As I have learned on this natural hair journey, watering your hair (like a plant) is the only way your hair will get moisturized. It is the ONLY moisturizer...so natural sistas: IF IT DOES NOT HAVE WATER IN IT, IT IS NOT MOISTURIZING YOUR HAIR! The only other things that will penetrate your hair shaft (never aa good as agua) are the beloved olive oil and coconut oil. Spritzing or watering your hair helps to keep the hair moisturized, nourished and healthy. I use many variations of water spritzes while others just keep it simple with the water.

What's in My Spray Bottle?

Firstly, let me start by mentioning that the spray bottle will become your BFF! It's so easy to use and if you're mixing different things you can just give it a little shake and you have all the goods combined in one convenient place :)

Rosewater Spritz

This is a new spritz that I'm trying. Although it comes in its own spray bottle, I like to be complicated and create my own concoctions. I filled a small spray bottle approximately 1/3 full with rosewater, then I added a few drops of rosemary oil (like 10), a few drops of castor oil, and filled the bottle up with water. Initially what got me to buy the rosewater is how divine it smells and then I got home and did a little research. I found out that the pH of rosewater is close to the pH of hair in its optimal state, so it helps to repair the porosity. This in turn allows the hair to retain the proper amount of moisture and the cuticle will remain smooth.

Everyday Tea Tree Tingler

Just to wake my strands up and to stimulate my scalp, this is my go to spritzer! I absolutely LOVE Tea Tree Oil and I feel as though my life would be neglected without it...so I use it in everything! This mixture leaves my hair so moisturized and my scalp so stimulated!

 

1-Spray Bottle

7oz.-Water

1 tbsp-Castor Oil

1 tbsp-EVOO

1tsp-Jojoba

20-40 drops-Tea Tree Oil

 

Anything that I'm missing out on Chic Sistas? Please let me know what's in your spray bottle! XO