Monday, July 5, 2010

Natural Hair Goodies






What is it Vegetable Glycerin?

This is a versatile all natural product with an extended shelf life. It is a carbohydrate made from vegetable oil, often palm or coconut oil. It is water-soluble as well as hypoallergenic. Not only is it safe for use in cosmetics but ingestible as well.




Vegetable Glycerine is a clear, colorless, and odorless liquid with an incredibly sweet taste having the consistency of thick syrup. It is used as an agent in cosmetics, toothpaste, shampoos, soaps, herbal remedies, pharmaceuticals, and other household items. Because it is soluble in both, water and alcohol, its versatility is a major benefactor in its purported growth and popularity within the manufacturing sector. It is invaluable as a natural source ingredient with emollient like properties which can soften and soothe the skin and it assists the outer epidermis in retaining moisture. This helps to explain why it is one of the most popular cosmetic additives used today.






Glowing Skin Benefits






Vegetable Glycerin will help your skin by aiding with moisture retention that is so vital to skins health. We damage our skin with nature’s elements, make up, and water everyday. We use cleaners that contain drying agents and synthetics. We dry skin to the point of being visually flaking, peeling and look dull.




The anti-aging properties of vegetable glycerin helps keep that healthy additional moisture locked into the skin. The result is soft, smooth, silky skin that is radiant and younger looking.
Whether it is young, hormonal skin changes or mature skin the advantage of using this all-natural product will be obvious almost immediately.




Battling Acne






The skin being clean and properly moisturized prevents acne. There are commonly adverse effects such as redness or irritation with the common chemicals used in skin products. Vegetable glycerin is hypoallergenic and ideal for all skin types. There is a visible difference in skin when using these acne cleansers and moisturizers.




Preventing Acne






The antibacterial properties will keep pores clean from clogging debris that causes acne without the inflammation that can occur from using unnatural products.
Healing Acne:The same antibacterial properties in Vegetable glycerin will aid in the healing of acne after it has surfaced without undesirable or harmful effects.




There are very few products on the market today are not only as affordable but also as adaptable to your skin type as Vegetable glycerin. This acne and anti-aging solution is the answer to many dilemmas over what products are safe and effective for all skin types and ages.




Most glycerin recipes that I come across are




3 parts aloe vera gel
1 part vegetable glycerin




combine the two and mix well, use as a hair moisturizer. I have also used this as a facial moisturizer, it works you do need to refrigerate the concoction though ( its the aloe vera) there are also other variations such as a






natural hair spritzer




8 ounces distilled water



1 teaspoon aloe vera gel



1-2 drops of vegetable glycerine



1-2 drops essential oil



15 drops grapefruit seed extract




receipe taken from http://www.enviromom.com/2007/09/natural-hair-sp.html


Courtesy of Au Naturale by Miss Sixx


Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse

There are many around-the-house products that double up as hair care miracles. Apple cider vinegar makes the list with flying colors. It is by far one of the best clarifying rinses you make at home. Considering that commercial hair rinses and clarifying treatments cost 10 dollars on average, using a cheaper, equally effective and readily available product makes perfect sense. The ACV rinse clarifies the hair, eliminating any product build up you might have. In addition, it leaves the hair shiny and frizz-free, not to mention that my curls are always more uniform afterward. Why, you ask! Well, the main ingredient in ACV is acetic acid, which serves to remove build up and balance the pH level of the hair. I’ve used this rinse a lot in the past 3 years and can honestly say that it is an essential staple for those who use silicone-containing products, as they are more prone to product build-up.
How to Use
Mix 1/3 cup of ACV into a quart (1 liter) of water and pour the rinse slowly over hair after washing. Ideally, follow the rinse with a moisturizing conditioner. Not to worry, the strong smell eventually wears off.
Caution
Those who have color-treated hair should use this rinse sparingly to prevent stripping the color.


Courtesy of Texture Playground



Avocado For Hair Health

We all know how good avocado is for our bodies, and probably enjoy a fresh bowl of guacamole or a slice here and there as a snack. But let’s talk about the hair benefits of this delicious, fatty fruit.
Let’s start with the pulp—none of us are probably interested in peeling an avocado and using the pulp on our hair, but historically this part of the avocado has been used to promote hair growth. Did that catch your attention? Well, thankfully due to modern day technology, we don’t have to soak the pulp of the fruit anymore to rip the hair growth benefits; the oil derived from the pulp which is extracted cold-pressed is widely available as what we know as avocado oil.

Smashed avocados make wonderful hair masks that can help your hair regain its moisture, elasticity and shine; this fruit is rich in vitamins and proteins. If you are protein sensitive, you have the option to stay away from this fruit or rinse with a very moisturizing conditioner. Though I don’t consider myself protein sensitive, my hair usually feels harder after an avocado mask. I don’t mind it since I know the long term benefits and I can easily bring the softness back by using a conditioner afterward.

Here’s my at-home recipe for avocado masks
Mix 1 mashed avocado, ¼ cup of honey, 1-2 tablespoon of olive oil and a few drops of essential oil (optional) in a bowl. Make sure the ingredients are well mixed, or else you’ll end up with chunks or avocado in your hair. You can opt to use a hand-help mixer or a blender to smooth the texture.
Apply the mix to your hair in sections and be sure to cover your hair from root to ends. Once your hair is coated, place a plastic cap over it and allow it to sit for about 30-45 minutes with no heat. If you’re using heat, then I am guessing that 15-20 minutes should be long enough.
All that’s left to do is rinse your hair, follow with a conditioner and enjoy your soft, shiny, strengthened tresses.


Courtesy of Texture Playground


Olive Oil Wonders

The current pick for “Around the house wonders”, Olive oil is well deserving of the title. Olive oil is classified in six different groups: Extra virgin, Virgin, pure, Refined, Olive-pomace and Lampante. It is derived only from green olives. I mention the classification because it matters which Olive oil you buy for your alimentation and hair health. Thankfully, there are strict guidelines for labeling Olive oil and for my hair; I only use Extra virgin olive oil because with this label, the product cannot contain any refined oil. Extra virgin oil is cold pressed and has the highest quality and the lowest acidic content. In my experience, olive oil nourishes, strengthens and moisturizes the hair without weighing it down. It is a wonderful fix for dry hair and imparts great moisture when used in conditioning treatments or as a hot oil treatment. Olive oil is also a wonderful carrier oil and mixes well with essential oils.


Hot Oil Treatment

- Rinse your hair with warm water

- Place your olive oil (about ½ cup to 1cup depending on hair length) in a container of warm water so that it is slightly warm before applying

- Work the oil into your hair from the ends and work your way to your scalp and be sure to gently massage it into your scalp using your fingertips.

- Place a plastic cap or a piece of saran wrap over your hair and allow it to sit for 30 minutes.

- Rinse your hair and follow with your conditioner. It is safe to only use a conditioner afterward since this oil is not heavy.

Deep Treatment

- Mix Olive oil with honey and your favorite conditioner ( I usually use a cheapie for this, e.g. Suave Coconut milk or Humectant) since I already have the added benefits of the Olive oil and the honey

- Coat your wet hair with the mixture

- Cover your hair with a plastic cap or saran wrap and allow it to sit in your hair for 30 minutes

- Rinse to a fluffy, moisturized natural mane.

Caution: Do not rinse your hair in the shower because oil in the bath tub is very slippery and you don’t want gorgeous hair at the expense of a broken leg Safety first!



Courtesy of Texture Playground


Molasses will amaze you!

Molasses makes the list for Around-the-house items. Molasses, for those who are not familiar with it or its use, is derived from sugar cane or sugar beet. The word molasses is the translation for Greek word “meli”, which means honey. Here’s the connection to hair. I previously spoke of the benefits of honey for hair. Well, for the most part, molasses acts in the same fashion. Just like honey, molasses adds softness and shine to hair, defines curls and reduces frizzies and can be added to various treatments for an even richer use. However it differs from honey in the coloring department. Honey is known to lighten hair with continued use. Molasses on the other hand has a reputation for deepening dark colors and bringing out dark highlights and red hues in hair.

Molasses has also earned a good repitation for covering grays. Here’s the explanation for this last one: this is purely research by the way, not my personal experience. Black molasses which is extracted from sugar cane has a high level of calcium, magnesium, potassium and iron. A deficiency in these vitamins and minerals has been associated with premature graying . Taking molasses supplement brings back a balance of these nutrients and hence correct the problem. Again, this is not from personal experience.

If you decide to try adding molasses to your routine, make sure that it is sugar cane derived molasses, preferably blackstrap molasses since it is the kind with the most content of vitamins and minerals.

How to Use

- As a pre-poo treatment, it can be used alone on dry hair, heated in the microwave for 10-15 seconds.

- As a deep conditioner, add the molasses to your conditioner and mix it well together. Apply the mixture to your hair and allow to sit in your hair for 30 minutes or so. Rinse and follow with your regular routine.

- It can also be mixed with a carrier oil, such as olive, coconut or avocado oil. If your hair feels a little dry after this mix, follow with a conditioner and rinse.



Courtesy of Texture Playground



The Benefits of Castile Soap

Many naturals use conditioners in their weekly washes and leave shampoos for for clarifying and removing product build-up. However, there are some of us who do, and this information is particularly important to those. Castile soap is made exclusively of vegetable oil fats, more than likely olive oil. Some makers also use coconut, almond, hemp and jojoba oil in the making of this soap. It is an alternative to other commercial soaps made primarily of animal fats and/or synthetic processes. This item is a great pick for the environmentally friendly as well due to the faster biodegradability.

In my experience, castile soap is effective with cleansing the scalp and yet is gentle on the hair. I’ve used the liquid soaps made primarily of olive oil and those made of some of the other oils mentioned.
For clarifying
I really like the peppermint castile soap by Br. Bronner (with the blue label I believe) for clarifying. I can feel the tingly feeling from the peppermint soon after applying the product. My scalp usually feel refreshed afterward.
To retain moisture while washing
No one likes feeling their hair stripped after washing. I hope you haven’t thrown in the towel yet or thought that this was matter-of-fact kind of thing. It isn’t! There are two castile soaps that IMO do not rid the hair of its natural oils: Shadow Lake’s Pure Castile Soap and Dr. Bronner’s 18-in-1 Hemp Almond Pure Castile Soap.


Courtesy of Texture Playground


Jojoba Butter-Who knew?



I have been recently introduced to Jojoba Butter. I saw some at a health food store I visited earlier today. I've never heard of it before-It is 100% pure jojoba oil processed to be in a "butter" form. They had a sample jar and I tried a little bit of it.

It is very creamy and soft, much more so than cocoa butter. It felt like softened shea butter. It was white in color and didn't have much of a smell. It was very rich and a little bit went a long way.

With the cold weather fast approaching, I thought that it might be good for my skin.

After some research- here is what I found out....


Jojoba Butter

Jojoba Oil is the most similar to sebum, the protective secretion from the skin's sebaceous glands. Sebum lubricates and protects skin and hair. Jojoba provides similar benefits and is now available in butter form.

This natural butter is expeller-pressed from the fruit (nut) of the jojoba plant. This odorless butter makes it an ideal base for hair conditioners and suntan lotions.

Jojoba Butter contains protein, minerals, natural tocopherol, high content of eicosenoic acid, and long chain monounsaturated fatty acids, as well as a waxy substance similar to collagen. Hypo-allergenic and pure, Jojoba Butter is perfect for any skin type.

Common uses of Jojoba Butter

Creams
Lotions
Soaps
Pomades
After-Sun Creams and Lotions
Sun Protection Products
Hair Conditioners
Benefits of Jojoba Butter

Reduces wrinkles and stretch marks
Helps lighten and heal scars
Acts as a humectant by creating a protective film over skin and hair shaft that seals in moisture
Dissolves clogged pores and returns skin to natural pH balance
Penetrates pores and hair follicles rapidly to reduce water loss
Feels non-greasy
Aids spread ability and lubricity
Effective conditioner, moisturizer, and softener for skin and hair
Jojoba Butter

(Simmondsia Chinensis)

Jojoba Butter (Oil) comes from a shrub that grows well in the arid and semi-dry regions of southern California, Arizona, and northwest Mexico.


Courtesy of Au Naturale by Miss Sixx



Honey for Hair



Honey is a true beauty staple and its benefits are becoming more mainstream. The use of honey in beauty recipes dates back to Cleopatra and in recent days, it has been used in many facial, body and hair products. For our purposes, we will focus on the its hair benefits.

Honey is a humectant, which means it imparts moisture to the hair and helps it to stay hydrated. it can be used as a rinse, as part of a deep conditioner mix or in a henna treatment. Used as a rinse, honey adds unbelievable shine to the hair. You’ll need to mix 1 teaspoon of honey to a quart of water and pour the mixture over your hair after conditioning. Do not rinse. there are numerous conditioning treatments that use honey, the most used one is probably honey/olive oil treatment, where you combine 2 parts of honey to one part of olive oil. You can add essential oils to the mix at your discretion. You work the mix into the hair until it is fully coated. Cover with a plastic cap and allow the mix to stay in your hair for 30 minutes or longer, if necessary. When you’re ready to rinse, remove the shower cap and wash and condition your hair. In my henna treatment, I mix the honey and olive oil to the henna and apply it to my hair. After rinsing the henna, I condition and enjoy beautiful, bouncing tresses.


Courtesy of Texture Playground


About Shea Butter

I am sure you are no stranger to shea butter. Many products on the market use some variation of shea butter and chances are many things under your sink already contain it.

Here are the facts about shea butter:
Shea butter is both a moisturizer and an emollient. It is a fatty butter composed of five primary fatty acids: palmatic, stearic, oleic, linoleic, arachidic, whereas stearic and oleic acids form 85-90% of its composition. Due to its proximate chemical structure and milder scent, shea butter is sometimes used as a substitute for cocoa butter. It is effective at treating dry and damaged hair. Shea butter is an effective conditioner and moisturizer for individuals of African descent because of our naturally dry hair. The butter is very absorbent and penetrates our hair without leaving a greasy feeling. Additionally, shea butter provides minor protection against UV rays, an excellent benefit for our hair in the hotter months.

Types of Shea butter
All shea butter is not equal. While there are many suppliers that market their products as 100% shea butter, consumers have to be savvy when purchasing this butter. The vast demand for shea butter and its high recognition has pushed many vendors into offering it and since there aren’t strict restrictions on the term “natural”, a company can label their product as 100% natural shea butter and yet sell a product that has been modified or refined.
Premium, unrefined shea butter holds the best benefits. There are also easy characteristics of unrefined shea butter. First is the scent and color; unrefined shea butter has a nutty scent and is yellowish in color.

How to Use

Shea butter can be used independently or with a host of other butters and oils in hair balms, whipped butters, pomades, hair lotions, conditioners and a host of other products.


Courtesy of Texture Playground


Coffee Bean Butter

The first noteworthy thing about coffee bean butter is the scent. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee will stay with you all day. There is no escaping it. If coffee isn’t your thing (it isn’t mine), then this butter might be a little much to bear. The first time I tried it, I could smell the coffee all day and all night. It didn’t bother me though. It was uplifting, a little weird since I’m not a coffee drinker.

Now to the butter itself! Coffee bean butter is promoted for its high polyphenol content which gives it excellent absorption and great moisture retention. It also offers natural protection from UV rays, making it an excellent addition to your homemade butters during the summer months.


Courtesy of Texture Playground


Kokum Butter

Kokum butter is native to India and the fruit is a central part of Indian cuisine. Kokum butter does not get nearly as much publicity as cocoa butter, but the two are very similar and are often compared to each other. You will find that kokum butter is chosen as a substitute to cocoa butter in certain formulations because of its uniform triglyceride composition and the mild, nutty smell. Kokum butter offers a large and varied fatty acid blend, many of which are also contained in cocoa butter and shea butter. This product has a high antioxidant composition and contains many regenerative agents, making it a wonderful addition to your solutions. Kokum butter is very firm at room temperature but melts easily and absorbs into the skin very fast. It is best used in combination with other butters and oils.


Courtesy of Texture Playground


Mango Butter

… is becoming one of my favorite butters. It has a high content of stearic acid and is often compared to cocoa butter for its soothing, emolliency and protective nature. It can be used as-is and mixes well with other butters. This will be staple of mine in the spring and summer time because it provides protection against UV rays, so look at it as sunscreen for your hair.
Mango butter has a high melting point 101-102 degrees, so if you plan on using this fully melted in your products, start melting it individually because it requires more heat to melt than some other butters and coconut oil.


I knew my hair likes mango butter from using JC Nourish and Shine. It is one of the 4 butters used in this product and my responded so well to JC N&S that I naturally felt that this would be a good ingredient for me to order and play with. So far, I’ve used a few combinations. The mango whipped butter I reviewed in an earlier post is very moisturizing. I have been able to even apply it to my hair without a leave-in conditioner underneath. When this liquid is fully melted, it works well as a glaze to boost shine and promote moisture. I use the glaze on wet and dry hair with good results.

Other uses: Dermatologists recommend its use to decrease wrinkles and signs of aging. It works extremely well for the treatment of eczema and dermatitis and a host of other skin conditions.

Courtesy of Texture Playground



Whipped Butters: How to make them at home

Whipped butters are of a creamy consistency. Usually these products are pricier than buying the regular butter. Why you ask? They are more labor intensive, and at times other products have to be added to give the whipped consistency of the butter. Now that I am heavily involved in making my own products I understand why handmade products are so costly. The labor that goes into making one small batch is serious (rewarding though).

That said, you can create your own at home whipped butter by
- Mixing the butters of your choice with a small amount of warm water or aloe vera juice or a carrier oil of your choice (e.g. jojoba oil, olive oil, etc). Start with one or two butters that you know for certain that your hair enjoys. Measure your butters and use a small tea spoon or a small wax applicator to mix them. I use the applicators because they are one-time use items. They are also sturdy enough to mix the butters without breaking.
- Now just whip until you get the desired consistency. Add a little water or aloe vera juice as you go to help smooth the cream out.
- If you accidentally add too much liquid, simply add a little more butter. In the case, you used up your butter, just allow your mix to sit in the refrigerator until it is cool. It will thicken over time and you can at that point judge whether it is too soft. Remember, a liquid butter is a good oil
Caution: Whenever you use water or aloe vera juice to your products, it decreases the shelf life, so with that in mind, you can add essential oils to preserve. If you’re not sure, just err on the side of safety. Only a little bit is needed though. The essential oils also provide great fragrance for your products, so it is a win-win.

If the butters you’re using are too thick to mix without melting (e.g. kokum butter, illipe butter, cocoa butter), heat it up until it is half way melted. Remove it from the heat and mix it with the liquid of your choice. Follow the procedures listed above. At the end of this process, place your butter in the fridge until it is cool. Enjoy!


Courtesy of Texture Playground

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