DiscoveringNatural

Using a leave in conditioner is essential to your moisturizing hair regimen post wash. I usually use a creamy conditioner, but decided to use a liquid leave in conditioner on my last wash day. Click to watch my vlog about my wash day . Why do I use a creamy conditioner?  If your hair has a fine texture, then choose the liquid conditioner. For thick and coarser hair, a creamier leave-in will work better - Choosing the right conditioner I used the CURLS Cashmere Curls Leave In conditioner , which is a liquid leave in conditioner. My hair DID not like it. My hair did not feel moisturized, and it seem like the combination of this leave in with the Curls Cashmere Jelly, made my hair a greasy mess. When I use the Giovanni Leave In Conditioner  (a cream based product) with the Curls Cashmere Jelly, it works great.  So, my hair does prefer creamy leave in. ... LOOK WHAT I CAN DO NOW!! My first #naturalhair Ponytail Major milestone, BABY!! What type of Leave ...

Enjoy!

Still wet Mostly dry...and SHRINKAGE has kicked in! The last time I tried a Wash and Go was 2 days past my Big Chop, around 5 and a half months ago. I decided to attempt it again without leaving the conditioner in, but with Shea Moisture Curl and Style Milk and Eco Styler Gel. Here is my experience. How do you wash and go?

Source: http://www.thenaturalhavenbloom.com/2011/08/protein-treatments-coconut-oil-and.html Yesterday on DiscoveringNatural Facebook page, we discussed Protein and Natural Hair. The topics ranged from Protein Sensitivity to Protein Treatments to Protein Overload. I have done previous posts on the first two subjects, but wanted to discuss Protein Overload. What is Protein Overload In the past, people have thought of Protein Overload as a myth, however, time and time again it has been proven that this situation actually exists. If you have been using protein in your hair without giving yourself a break with a moisture enriched non-protein treatment, and your hair feels dry and brittle, you might be experiencing Protein Overload. Why we need protein in our hair Remember, your hair needs protein, therefore there are some types of protein that will attach to the hair and create problems for people that are protein sensitive. Protein helps strengthen the hair and repair...

If you have not liked the Facebook page, do so by clicking this link below: DiscoveringNatural's Facebook Page

  Which side did I do two weeks ago... and which side did I wash and redo today?   Can you guess? If you can't.. well, the two weeks ago style I on the left while the one I washed and redid is on the right. I think I have found my new way of washing and restyling Big Sis's hair. I posted earlier this week that I was going to try washing her hair while still cornrowed. I must say, I LOVED IT!!! She had no build up because all the products we use are natural and also do not cause build up. What did I do... Co-wash Process 1. First saturated her hair with warm water (to open her hair cuticles) and rinsed her hair multiple times 2. Apply a generous amount of co-washing conditioner, we used V05 Clarifying Conditioner 3. Massaged her scalp and then applied to the length of her hair. Rinse 4. Repeated steps 2 and 3. Deep Conditioning Process 1. Applied Giovanni Smooth as Silk Deeper Moisture Conditioner to her hair 2. Covered hair with plastic bag and thick cap ...

From December 2012 to February 2013, I studied the book, The Science of Black Hair . A well written book by Audrey Davis-Sivasothy. If you want to understand your hair and how to better take care of it, this is the one of the best books to use. I am very happy to say that Audrey has created a YouTube channel ( ScienceOfBlackHair ) that gives a visual representation of key information discussed in her book. Here are some of the videos where talks about Moisture Basics. Part 1: Moisture Basics: Moisturizing and Sealing Your Hair       Part 2: The Science of Black Hair: Hair and Hard Water Part 3: The Science of Black Hair on pH Problems & pH Balancing (Moisture Basics 3/4)      

Watch how I do my knotted scarf.   This is one of my favorite scarf styles

Today was Wash day .  I'm sure you know that already if you read my earlier post on the Benefits of Steam Treatment and my experience at my gym's steam room. I wanted to better document how my wash day went, for my personal record and also maybe someone can find something useful in what I about to share. I skipped last weeks wash day because I was experimenting washing every two weeks instead of every week. My hair DID NOT LIKE THAT. I started to experience a little flaking at day 10. Now I know that my hair prefers weekly wash. I started my wash day process the night before by not  undoing my medium size twists. I decided to give the washing in twists process another go. By the way, it worked out well this time. So the bigger the better! Pre-poo I misted my hair with warm water and applied a mixture of warmed Vatika Oil and Jamaican Black Castor Oil . Applied that to my hair, covered hair with plastic cap and thick knitted hat overnight. Steaming After my mor...

    I see this question being asked over and over again on forums, hair Facebook pages, YouTube and even at Natural Hair Meetups . Most people answer back with this product and that product. However, there are different factors unrelated to products that can be causing this problem, if really there is a growth problem. To address this question, one needs to get an idea of a baseline when it comes to figuring out if truly   the hair is not growing  . Keep note that hair grows at the rate of 0.5 inches / 1.25 centimeters a month . What is your baseline? Your baseline typically is what you would use to compare the rate at which your hair grows. First, start by doing a length check on your hair, taking sections from each part of your head and measure them. Then wait at least a couple of months before you do another measurement. At least 4 months to get a typical 2 inches of growth, if all factors are kept in check.   What is your hair rou...

Source: BlackHairInformation.com Watch my first experience using my gym's steam room to do steam treatment on my Natural Hair

Picture Source: HelloBeautiful.com   Today, I pose this question on my Facebook and Instagram page:   While a couple of people have not steamed their hair before, most of them stated that they steam their hair after they shampoo. Reasons why you should steam BEFORE you shampoo From CurlyNikki.com :  Always use the steamer before you shampoo, not after. The point of the steamer is to gently lift the cuticle and make it easier for strengthening ingredients to penetrate into the strand. Once you fully wet your hair in the shower, each strand gets flooded with water which causes the hair shaft to swell. You’ll condition your hair at that time too, but the real benefit of the steamer is to allow penetrating ingredients to squeeze under the cuticle layers before water hits your hair directly. Also, check out Black Girl Long Hair's article: Rethinking Old Hair Habits . Ways of steaming your hair Here are some ways to steam your hair: - Using a steamer...

Day 8: Tongue Twister Ingredients: 1 banana 1 green pear 1 pink grapefruit Kale Flaxseed My thought: Starts off bitter, then tangy, then ends sweet. Day 9: Berry Blast Ingredients: Strawberries, Raspberries, Blueberries, Banana, Kale, Flaxseed My Thoughts: Surprisingly, not too sweet. I was not a big fan of the raspberry seeds, thought. Couldn't taste the kale. Overall, it was ok. Day 10: Celmangery Ingredients: 1 Collard green leaf, 2 stalks of celery, 1 mango, 1 orange, 1 banana, 1 lemon, 2 tbsps flaxseed My Thoughts: I loved it. It started off with a celery taste and before you start thinking okay...another c elery smoothie, your tastebuds get a little happy dance with a mango taste, and when you are done, a little bit of celery aftertaste comes back to let you know... who owns this Cel -mang- ery" LOL! Day 11 : Spicy Pineapple Ingredients: 1 apple, I pear, pineapple, ginger, collard green, flaxseed. My Thoughts: I love it, you on...

Original Afro Puff   Last week, I wore my hair out in different puff styles. I enjoyed the freedom of not having to retwist at night. I did not have a lot of tangles as I thought I would. Yeah! So, I skipped my wash day for the week... That will be in another post.  The original puff ( shown above ) was from a mini braid out style that I did: The next day, I "woke up" my hair using the method below: I got a little bored with just puffing out my hair and decided to create a new style. Glad the week is over, time to wash this hair and protect her.

Watch as I take you through the entire process of a wash day. Part 1: Pre Wash Part 2: Shampooing Part 3: Deep Conditioning Part 4: Styling Thanks for watching.  If you have not yet subscribed to DiscoveringNatural on YouTube, please visit http://www.youtube.com/DiscoveringNatural

Day 1: Celerade Ingredients: 1 Apple, 1 lemon (3 tbsps. liquid), 2 celery stalks. My Thoughts: Surprisingly, it tastes more like lemon. I am not a huge fan of celery so it was nice that the lemon overpowered the taste Day 2-4: Sweet Kale Ingredients: Watch the video above My Thoughts: This is a sweet smoothie that is a hit with the entire family...and friends. Day 5: Tropical Green Ingredients:  Kale, banana, Orange, apple, mango, strawberry, blueberries, lemon, flaxseed My Thoughts: Smooth and Sweet but not overly sweet. Day 6: Apple Blossom     Ingredients: 3 leaves of collard greens, 1 Apple, 3 tbsps of lime juice, 1 tbsps of flaxseed,  water My Thoughts: Tart and Chewy. 30 mins after drinking this I had a huge burst of energy!! I felt as if I could run a marathon. . Day 7: Tangelo Love Ingredients: 1 leaf of fresh collard green 2 tangerines 1 red apple 1 lemon 1 banana Blueberries 1 tbsp of flaxseed My Thoughts :...

I am blessed to have neighbors that have "green thumbs".  LOL, not literally!   I got a huge bag of freshly cut collard greens last week and decided to show you how I preserve my greens. Big Sis and I started off by removing the stem off the greens and the middle stems. After doing this, thoroughly rinse the greens in cool water to remove any dirt. In a pot of boiling water, soak the greens for about 3 to 4 minutes. After this is done, drain the water off the greens.   Then quickly dip the greens in some ice cold water ( I had to add ice because my water was not quite cold enough)      Remove as much moisture as possible from the greens This is an optional step, but I love to chop my greens, Store the greens in labeled bags. Frozen greens can last for up to 10 months. I use my greens to make my Nigerian stew, efo , and  I also add it to my green smoothies. To see my Green Smoothie Recipes, visit my Instagra...

What events are you attending in your area?

Yesterday, I did my Mini Braid Out.  The outcome was not stellar at all!! I did a video but not sure if I will edit it.. Hmm... Anyways, at night, I decided to moisturize my hair and band it and see what type of results I get. Sectioning my hair into four, I misted with a little warm water, applied my oil mix and coconut oil, and then applied my leave in moisturizer, and sealed my ends with whipped shea butter. I then banded my hair using the method in the picture above. The next morning, after working out at the gym, I undid the bands, putting a little Argan oil at the ends of each band as I removed it. and fluffed my hair. I accessorized with a headband. Made some breakfast for "The Man" and I.... And went to work..... Hope you have a wonderful day!!! If you don't follow me on Instragram... you probably missed our family adventure yesterday,,, The Man finally shows his face... LOL!