Sunday, July 7, 2013

Nessa's Herbal Creations-Prices,Hair Counseling & More!!

Hey! I bet a few of you thought I dropped off the face of the earth. I've been M.I.A. for quite awhile, but not to worry, I'm back. ;-)
Anywho, for awhile now I've been making & selling hair products. I know, I know, "Vannesa, who isn't nowadays?" & believe me I said the same thing, for everybody & their great aunt has some type of shea butter concoction. But hey,if you can't beat 'em...join 'em!
I've always had a mental note of my prices, but that doesn't help others right? Its about time I publically posted the prices for all to see. My followers/friends on facebook have already gotten the memo, so the next stop would be my blog. Sooo,here ya go!

Prices for Nessa's Herbal Creations

Hair & Body Butter
3$ for 2oz
5$ for 4oz
7$ for 8oz
13$ for 16oz

Moisturizing spritz
4$ for 3oz

Curl Popping Hair Gelly
4$ for 3oz

Non-Stripping Black Soap Shampoo 4$ for 3oz
9$ for 12oz

*What's the story behind Nappturally Nessa's products?*

I originally made them for yours truly, & had no intention what so ever to sell them. My shampoo recipe is something I've been using for years!! I honestly want to help my afro textured ladies grow their hair to longer lengths, whether or not my products work for them because no two heads are alike. Even if you have similar curl patterns, something still may not work for you. It takes time, but you have to learn what works & what doesn't. And that's also where I step in ;-).
I give what I call "hair counseling" to those who want it. In a nut shell, I hold your hand while we walk through the process & things are explained to you on how to take care of YOUR hair, then when you get the hang of it,off I go! Ofcourse I will check in on you to see how things are going, which is another thing I LOVE because I get to fellowship & form friendship with some pretty amazing people.
I believe things would've went a lot smoother if I had someone to personally explain things to me about this whole 'natural thang', probably would've saved me a ton of time (blood,sweat & tears included). People are just soooo busy nowadays! Read this, buy this,watch this video, but even after that many are still left puzzled.  Also you can have the best products on the market BUT if you have no clue what to do, or how to do it, how exactly does that help you? Teach a man to fish, right? We'll in this case, you are given a few fish along with being TAUGHT HOW to fish.

This service is provided by a few ways:
Email-nessadodd@yahoo.com
Phone-will be provided in an email
A face to face visit-depending on where you are located, & I do charge for mileage. I like this option because its on your territory, it keeps you in a state of comfort in familier surroundings.

Any questions? Want to learn more? Feel free to reach me at the email address above!

Till Next Time!!
Nessa*


Monday, April 29, 2013

FAQ:Nessa, how long does it take to do your hair?

One of the main reasons many say they can not go natural,is because they think there is to much work involved. Truth be told, it really isnt. A good wash day for me (meaning my hair stays stretched throughout the week) lasts me about 4 hours. That includes detangling, washing, deep conditioning & styling. I know what you're saying, "Nessa thats still to long". We'll not really, I CHOOSE to wash every Sunday, but I COULD make it stretch for 2 weeks instead of one. So, that would mean 4 hours every 2 weeks, which isn't bad at all. Some naturals even go 4 weeks between washing sessions!!! Another thing, most naturals are extremely gentle with their hair. We take our time & don't rush through tangles. We treat our hair like silk, because the majority of afro textured hair is fine in diameter & will break easily if handled to rough. If we do the opposite, sure we'll get done faster but we'll lose some strands along the way. Multiply that by a few times a month, & we will have not retained much IF ANY length. I post a TON of pictures of my hair on FB, yes I know this. So it may seem to some that I'm always doing my hair. Nope. :) sometimes I just remove a bun, snap some photos & bun it back up. And we all know, that the less you do to afro textured hair, the more it will flourish. Also, if I'm not feeling the best on wash day, I may continue it the next day. I'm not about to be in the mirror 24/7, ESPECIALLY if I'm not feeling my best. Natural hair is what you make it. Everyone has different regimens/routines because we all live very different lives. The trick is to tailor your regimen, to fit your schedule & ofcourse TO FIND WHAT WORKS FOR YOU. 

Till Next Time!!
Nessa*



Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Nappturally Nessa at Waistlength!!

Yes! I finally made it! As of 4/8/2013 I Vannesa Marie, has finally reached my hair goal of obtaining/retaining WL (waistlength) natural hair
Whew! So what to do now?

My Plans:
-I plan on continuing to grow out my hair as far as it will go
-Trim off maybe 1/4 to 1/2 inch sometime in the fall (Lord willing)
-Retaining my length by protective/low manipulation styles, but having fun & ENJOYING my length at the same time.

Some Facts:
-Natural for 3 years (2/12/13)
-Transitioned for 8 months prior to that, trimmed off little by little every month. Wore wigs for the majority of the time.
-Check out my regimen here
-Check out my staple products here

What are some of your hair goals?

Till Next Time!!
Nessa*






Sunday, April 7, 2013

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Quick Tip:Being High Maintenance w/ a Low Budget

Don't buy into the hype, you do not need to use expensive name brand products to maintain natural hair OR, *gasp* products that come from the "ethnic aisle".

The trick is to find what works for YOUR hair. Cheap doesn't always mean low quality. Suave, White Rain, Tresseme, & my favorite for a few years now, Silkience, are all brands many naturals w/ kinky curly hair love & use. Those products are about 6 bucks or less. Now I understand, some will remain faithful to a particular brand, & if that's what you're hair has been thriving on then great! Roll with that!
But why break the bank, when you don't have too? :)

Till Next Time!!
Nessa*



Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Braiding the Roots for Control & to Decrease Tangles

A technique I've been doing on & off for a few years now is, braiding the roots of my hair.
I do this mainly to decrease the amount of tangles I get, & to have some sort of control over my hair.
I currently have 48 braided roots on my head as I speak. The more sections I have, comes more versatility with styles & the easier the process of finger detangling is. I usually will do anywhere between 30-60 sections. Below I have listed the pros & cons, so as to explain a little better.

Pros:
Keeps hair sectioned
As a natural, we tend to keep our hair in sections during many things. Washing, moisturizing & sealing, detangling,etc. Doing that just makes our lives easier, it keeps groups of hair separate & dare I say it...more manageable. With this method, my hair stays sectioned. Styles become easier to do, since its pretty much already parted. I can even wet my entire head when wash day comes around, with out having the fear of it becoming a matted & tangled mess,because I didn't loosely braid it beforehand.

My styles look neater at the roots If you've ever had box braids, you may have seen that even after a week or two, they still look decent. You may have a little fuzz goin on, but not much as opposed to twists which fluff up,frizz & loosen a lot faster. All it takes is a bit of gel or some other product, & a scarf left on over night for your braids to look good as new. The same principle applies to my braided roots. I can also just re do the braids in the front to refresh the style.

Makes finger detangling easier
I simply take down each section one by one, finger detangle & rebraid. That's it!

Shed hairs stay put
The problem with shed hairs, especially on afro textured hair is when they fall, they do not completely FALL. Meaning, they cling onto the healthy, unshed hair causing tangles & sometimes even knots . I still have some "sheddies" that gather at bottom of my hair, but its not a problem like it once was. The majority of them are caught in the braided root.

Style versatility as if it were loose hair
I am able to do some styles, that otherwise would be a headache to do on loose hair. I just love french braids! :) but because of the length, curls, density of my hair, & probably laziness, I am not able to. You know how easy it is to braid hair that has already been braided, or even twisted? Same thing here. ;)

Cons:
Spacey & visible parts
Because I finger part, my parts are less visible. And after a few days, I don't have that "spacey" look going on. If you're someone who loves to use a comb to part or who has less than medium density hair, know that your parts will be alot more visible.

The roots coming unraveled
If you have a really loose curl pattern or don't braid down at least 1/4 to 1/2" it may unravel. Also, if you are relaxed or transitioning, you will need at least 1/2" of new growth to try this method & no less than medium density hair. Keep in mind that the more you wet, & condition your hair w/ the roots braided, over time they will loosen. Some may even come completly unraveled because of this, all you can do it just re braid.

Your true length is hidden
Shrinkage is something we as naturals are extremely familier with. Depending on the tightness of our curls, it may shrink up to as much as 75% of its actual length. My hair is waistlength, but it can shrink up to my ears if I let it. When I braid or twist my hair, it automatically takes off 1"-2" of my length (I measured lol),so braiding my roots isn't any different.

This method may benefit you IF:
-Your hair is past SL (shoulder length) stretched
-The majority of your curls are tighter aka kinkier
-You have medium to high density hair, that's difficult to part with a comb.
-You have major issues with tangling/matting because your curls weigh more on the "kinkier" side

I hope that this post was helpful to somebody! let me know if you have tried this method, & how it worked out.

Till next time!!
Nessa*





Saturday, March 2, 2013

YouVersion Plan- You Are Never Alone by Joyce Meyer

Grief and loneliness are major problems facing people today. The two often go together because many Christians and unbelievers grieve over being lonely. In my ministry, an increasing number of people request prayer for loneliness.

God's Word tells us plainly that we are not alone. He wants to deliver, comfort and heal us. But when you encounter painful losses in your life, you can lose sight of this simple truth.

Satan wants you to believe you are alone. He wants you to believe that no one understands how you feel, but his claims are false. In addition to God being with you, many believers understand what you are experiencing mentally and emotionally.

You are not alone now nor will you ever be, no matter what confronts you.

You may not understand much when you are hurting and the pain of loss is ripping through your soul, but know and hold on to this one truth: God loves you, and He has a future for you. Hope in Him and trust Him to turn your mourning into joy (see Isaiah 61:1-3).

Prayer Starter: God, I can't always see through my grief and loneliness, but I know that You never leave me. Help me to remember that You are near, and guide me to other believers who I can join with to fight off the enemy's attacks.


My Thoughts:
For the longest time, I kept myself away from others. Being around people made me feel uneasy, so I felt it was best that I be alone. The problem with that, is that I was alone with my thoughts & my mind was a constant battlefield. I allowed depression & suicidal thoughts to take hold of my spirit & soaked in self pity. I prayed for strength, guidance & the confidence to be around others. It was around this time, that this scripture was revealed to me:

2 Timothy 1:7 GWT

God didn’t give us a cowardly spirit but a spirit of power, love, and good judgment.

It took baby steps, but with His help I finally pulled myself out of that hole. I became more involved with my church family, & He still continues to bless me by surrounding me with encouraging people. Its great to have those around you,who have the same goal in mind, which is to know more about God & live a life that is pleasing to Him. Getting & keeping you alone,is just one of the many tricks the enemy has. Back then, I wasn't as strong in Christ as I am now. It was easy for him to get into my head & manipulate my thoughts, then kick me when I was down. But praise be to God, I have never been back to that place again. :)


Till next time!!
Nessa*