DiscoveringNatural

Happy New Year!! Time for New Year resolutions. Is exercising one of your resolutions?  Don't worry, you don't have to sacrifice your workout for your natural hair. You can still have great hairstyles even at the gym. I am collaborating with Denise of DeniseZakiya.com to help you start off the year on a healthy note. We will be sharing some workout tips and some simple hairstyles to help get you staying fit and looking your best at the same time. Watch my video below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeQjCZ6F3-c Click here to watch Denise's video. Looking for quick easy workout, check out this blog post . Have a Happy Healthy New Year!

Coutersy of AkushikaGoneNatural When I opened my Instagram app today, I noticed that my lovely curlfriend, AkushikaGoneNatural had tagged me on a picture.  She is an avid lover of Shea Moisture products. She found this new line in her local Target.  Here is her post comment: #NEWPRODUCTALERT #Repost #Sheamoisture has launched their product line, the #Tahitiannonimonoicollection in select #Targets starting this week...this is to help control frizz, aids in achieving straight hair temporarily...Can we say an AMEN to amazing styling options for our #naturalhaircommunity thx    From SheaMoisture Facebook page: NEW PRODUCT LINE - TAHITIAN NONI & MONOI SheaMoisture is happy to announce the Tahitian Noni & Monoi Smooth & Repair line. This new line is great for all women who prefer natural products and who enjoy versatility in their style, from curl ... y to straight, without permanently changing their hair texture. Each day this week we ...

What products made the cut for My 2013 Favorites? What are your favorite products for this year? Watch the video :

No Poo??? What is "No Poo"? Okay, it has nothing to do with your bowels? No Poo means no shampoo. Not using shampoo to cleans your natural hair. For the past 3 months, I have not used shampoo to cleanse my hair. This is what happened... As the weather got cooler, I found that whenever I use shampoo, even sulfate-free shampoo, to cleanse my hair, my hair still feels so stripped. I was not sure what was going on. I had always incorporated co-washing (washing with cleansing conditioners) into my regimen, so it was easy for me to be a "No Poo" kind of gal. I first start off by only co-washing my hair once a week. My hair did okay, but I felt as if everything was not getting cleansed off at the end of  the month. I needed something extra. So, I started incorporating Bentonite Clay Hair Treatment. I loved it!! This treatment cleanses not only my scalp, but also my hair. The way I know that my hair is completely clean is that my coils are rejuvenated ...

Today's DIY Homemade treatment is the " Goat Milk Conditioner ". I learnt about this treatment from Shelli of   Hairscapades blog. Goat Milk has a lot of benefit to hair. Here are some that Hairscapades shared on her blog post: via Black Hair 101 Goat Milk Hair Benefits: Make hair soft and manageable. Good for dry scalp and especially for dandruff conditions. Softens hair and smoothes out nicks or scratches across the hair strand. Makes scalp healthier and less prone to dryness. When added to other moisture rich ingredients can make hair moisturized and pliable and extremely healthy. Goat milk can be added to shampoos, conditioners or used with other nutritious ingredients as a deep conditioner or with tea as a rinse or added to your shea, mango or cocoa butter preparations for hair and skin. Watch how to prepare and use Goat Milk Conditioner.

After trying to upload this video for the past 2 days and experiencing multiple internet and cell phone connectivity issues, I am so glad to be able to share this little piece of our family Christmas vacation with you all. I almost gave up after my first upload try when I saw over 350 minutes left to upload. GO-LLY!!! Yeah! That's Naptural85.. LOL!     The road trip took 2 days with a short stay at Baton Rouge, or as Big Sis calls it " Batting Rauge"    Click here to watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8A_dDJRFEk   Hope you are having a wonderful Christmas vacation. 

I use this homemade DIY hair cleanser mixture to relieve my itchy scalp and also remove product build up.      

As Christmas morning draws closer, I would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas.  If you are looking for a last minute stocking stuffer idea, try this very easy no sew bow making tutorial. The girls found these HUGE bows at one of the surf stores on the boardwalk during our vacation to Pensacola Beach, Florida.   My Christmas Hair using Obia Natural Curl Enhancing Custard and my Shea Aloe Butter    

Ahhh.. Hot Oil Treatment. I love this treatment because not only does it create a barrier for my hair if I decide to use a sulfate shampoo, it also leaves my hair feeling soft.  This is the simplest DIY you will ever do. It is also one DIY that you could use variety of oils and still get favorable results. The important thing is make sure you use oils that will penetrate your hair shaft. Oils such as Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, Avocado Oil. If you choose to mix other oils in your hot oil treatment, make sure that you at least add one of these oils. Now, unto the DIY!

Click to see where I got my curlformers Today was Wash Day for the girls, and I did not have time to wait overnight for Big Sis to stretch using the banding method of stretching . Wash Process Shampooed her hair using Elasta QP Crème Conditioning Shampoo ( sulfate free ) Used Trader Joe's Tea Tree Tingle as rinse out conditioner Deep Conditioned with Eden Bodyworks Deep Conditioner under a hooded dryer for 30 mins ( hair was covered with a plastic cap) Did a cool and seal with Trader Joe's Nourish Spa Conditioner Post Wash Sectioned hair into 4 quadrants Apply some Curls Blissful Lengths Kukui Nut Elixir on her scalp and Giovanni Direct Leave In Conditioner on the hair. Used orange curlformers on the lower quadrants Created a ponytail on each of the front quadrants and use the pink curlformers on the ends of the ponytails The whole process took about 30 mins. After about 2 hours ( during this time, I was doing Lil Sis' hair... yeah! for...

A lot of naturals do not have access to some commercial products that you see posted on the Natural Hair blogs, channels, and forums.  I just started a new series on my YouTube channel showing you how to use different natural products that you can buy anywhere to help care for your hair.  Subscribe to DiscoveringNatural to view the videos: http://youtube.com/DiscoveringNatural The complete DIY playlist can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1m9C8nV1ud4&list=PLCT7rEmj0XkyQK1jeKWOyfGOTi_Ifu6Gj

A lot of naturals do not have access to some commercial products that you see posted on the #naturalhair blogs, channels, and forums. I have started a new series on my YouTube channel showing you how to use different natural products that you can buy anywhere to help care for your hair. Make sure you subscribe to DiscoveringNatural so that you can view these videos. Channel: http://youtube.com/DiscoveringNatural The playlist is called DIY Natural Products

  In this video, I show you how to make your black soap shower gel. Most Black Soap Body Wash have a liquid consistency, however, that does not work well for people that are more familiar with gel consistency. How to make black soap more slimy is a problem I have struggled with since I started making my own body wash. This DIY Black Soap Body Wash does the trick  

I got inspired by Chescalocs (Chescaleigh) to create this style for my Holiday party. Hope you like it. Tag me if you recreate it.

I have been researching more natural protein treatments and other hair treatments lately. On my Facebook page and YouTube channel , I always get questions about how to substitute commercial products with products that are readily available. Many of my followers are from places where they cannot buy the well known products like, SheaMoisture , As I Am , Aubrey Organics , and so on. This is why I am very excited about this new series of DIY hair products. Let's start off the series with a Protein Treatment that can be used on adults and children's hair. I tried it on Lil Sis' hair, AKA Diva Hair , and it liked it! Yeah! The Recipe: 1 very ripe banana 1 very ripe  avocado 2/3 cup of Greek Yogurt 2 tablespoon of  Extra virgin Olive Oil 2 tablespoon raw Honey Application: Apply to dry hair, cover hair with plastic cap for 30 mins. Rinse treatment off with lukewarm water Co-wash with As I Am Coconut Cleansing Conditioner Rinse off, and spritz hair with Aloe V...

    What do I think about the "Vakind Hair Curlers" AKA Curlformers knockoff?   Watch the video below:  

      I took the plunge! and decided to try CurlFormers on my natural hair. I did not use the original $70 curlformers, but tried a knockoff version called Vakind Hair Curler . These were only $16 and I was sold on the price and on Naptural85 review. Click here to buy them if you want to try.   For a first time user, I enjoyed my experience. Took me about 1 and a half hours to install. I had to be really careful not to rip my hair in the hooks. After I got a hang of it, I was able to do it with ease.   After installing all these 40 "curlformers", it was time to sleep.. or try to sleep. It was one of the most uncomfortable sleep ever. Not going to do that again. The results was okay.. but Practice makes Perfect.   Watch the video below for my full experience   Since I filmed this video, I have tried it with heat and the results was even much better. I used the same product as I did when I tried without h...

    I had fun at the Nzuri Hair and Beauty Show in Houston, Texas. Met a lot of subbies and friends!     Grab a snack and share the experience! 

  If you've ever been to a Natural Hair show, you know that your hair has to be on spot ! That was my goal when I thought of what my style will be for the event. I wanted a style that would last the entire weekend, with little manipulation and superb shine and luster!. On to the details... Wash Routine Cowashed in sections using Trader Joe's Tea Tree Tingle Conditioner . Click here for my first impression on the product. Deep condition with Eden Bodyworks All Natural Deep Conditioner overnight Next day, do cool and seal   with Trader Joe's Nourish and Spa Conditioner. Rinse and do final seal to close cuticle with cold Aloe Vera Juice . Post Wash Apply Giovanni Direct Leave In , oil mix, sealed with my Shea Aloe Butter only at the ends. Styling I cornrowed the side and twisted the rest using Goin' Natural Rare Moisture Butter and Eco Styler Gel (Argan) in that order  I love the shine I get from this combo and the style all day. End of Da...

There are so many ways to cleanse Natural Hair without the stripping effect of sulfate shampoos. Our first choice is using Bentonite Clay . Not only does this clay remove all build up, it also conditions our hair. To learn more about how we use this clay, watch the video below: Have you used Bentonite Clay? What other alternatives to shampoo do you use?

With changes in weather, we might find that products we were using in the summer no longer works well. Time to Change things up!! For us, in the summer, SheaMoisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie works well. However, in the winter, we use Goin Natural Morargan Gold Rare Moisture Butter . This products works well for us in the summer AND in the winter. Have you experienced this? What products are you switching up? #naturalhair #teamnatural #naturalhaircare #SheaMoisture #GoinNatural

What is your night time routine for #twistout ?    Here is one routine that gives me great results the next morning #naturalhair