Updated Wash Regimen & Staple Products

A few things have changed in my wash regimen, to save me some time & GRIEF :) its not much, but every little bit matters.

Staple Products
-Shea butter
-Crisco
-Safflower,castor & coconut oil
-Black soap
-Aloe vera juice
-Yes to cucumber/carrots body butter
-Silkience conditioner
-Garnier fructis come clean conditioner

(1)Wash day(soap)
(A)Wash day(water rinsing)

1/A-Dampen hair with my conditioner/water/ oil mix,finger detangle with a nickel sized amount of oil

2/B-Loosely braid hair in using 6 braids, band the ends to prevent unraveling

3-Apply soap mixture to scalp using applicator bottle, distribute a small amount of oil on the crown on top of the lather

C-Rinse hair & massage scalp w/ warm water for 5 or more minutes

4/D-Squeeze out excess water

5/E-Saturate hair with conditioner,and deep condition with cap 30 mins or a previously heated conditioner for 15 mins

6/F-Completly rinse out hair with cold water

7/G-Squeeze out excess water

8/H-Let hair dry under a tshirt or a microfiber turby for 15 mins

9/I-Moisturize with Yes To Carrots body butter, & seal w/ my crisco & coconut oil cream. Spritzing as needed if hair begins to dry,with aloe vera juice/water.

10/J-Put hair in about 20 braids for stretching

11/K-NEXT DAY-When braids are dry,take down each one & leave as is for a braid out,bun it, or do someother style

12/L-THAT NIGHT-Put hair in two ponytails using satin scrunchies. Moisturize w/ aloe vera spritz, & seal w/ crisco & coconut oil cream. Braid each ponytail, banding along the braid if needed & tucking away the ends. Mist a satin scarf w/ water, and tie it around my edges.

Length of Time:
•1hr 20mins-Prepoo,finger detangle & braid
•20 mins- Let pre poo sit
•15 mins-Water rinse or Shampoo
•20 mins-Apply conditioner for deep conditioning
•30 mins-Deep condition
•10 mins-Rinse out deep conditioner
•15 mins-Dry hair w/ turby twisty
•1 hr 40 mins-Moisturize,seal,braid for stretching

Total time-
4hrs 50mins
Roughly-5hrs

Till next time!!
Nessa*

FAQs-Part 1

Just a few FAQs for your consumption :) more will come!

How long have you been natural?
-This Febuary (12th I think) will make 3 years...BUT I have been growing my hair out for about 4. Its important to ask how long have you been growing out your hair instead of asking how long they have been natural. Some transitioned for 2 years & then "BC", they may have only been natural for a few months when you see them.

Do you use any growth aides? (Vitamins/growth oils/etc)
-I take a multi vitamin from GNC, its not a "hair growth vitamin" either. Lol its for vegitarians. And I'm not even consistant with them. Bad Nessa, I know.

What do you use on your hair?
-I use many things. They are usually the repeat of the same products. See my staples in this post. When people ask this question, I can't help but think they think that whatever I'm using on my hair is what got it to "grow" the way it does. O_o No, our hair is always growing, its what you do to it that determines how much you retain aka how much hair you keep on your head. Funny story, I was in a grocery store one evening & these two older ladies approached me. One asked if my hair was mine,(it looked like this) then upon answering yes she asked what I use on it. I will almost always give people the exact answer they asked for. I won't go into a decription of my wash days, my regimen, finger detangling,protective styling, yada yada yada. I feel that not everyone really cares about all that lol & even if you were to tell them, they may not even take that advice because they feel its just to much work for some hair. Magic pill anyone? But anyway, I told her "crisco", because that's what I use the majority of the time. Especially on my ends if my hair is out. Gah, were they shocked!! Lol I had to throw in there that I mix it with other oils before I apply it to my hair. Boy they took that & ran w/ it! I could only imagine that they probably left the store w/ a small container of crisco & a bottle of olive oil. :-p

Do you grease your scalp?
-No,I do not. I can't remember the last time I even used grease on my hair. I really don't see the need of ME putting any kind of oil or grease on my scalp to be honest. I realize that its just something we've always done in the black community, & some people figure why should they stop. They shouldn't if its working for them. Many longer haired naturals do this with no problems. I just don't :)

How tall are you?
-Okay, this may not be a FAQ BUT its kinda an important question. I am about 5'1 or 5'2 with about 18 or 19" of hair. This puts it at the lower end of my back, I need about 20" or 21" to make waist length. For some naturals who may be a tad bit taller than me, 20" for them might put them at BSL (or bra strap length). Their torso is longer than mine, so they would probably need about 24" to make waist. Now on a child, 20" of hair just might be at their tailbone or longer depending on the height of the child. Remember this when you see somebody shorter than you, with the same amount of inches but it might be to their waist but yours is only to your bra food for thought.:)

Okay, we'll I'm going to call it quits for right now BUT I SHALL RETURN!!! Sorry its been so long since you guys have heard from me. I don't want to long of a post ;) can't have you noddin off over there.

Till next time!!
Nessa*

Regimen Basics: Yet another wash day

  Wash day was a success :) wasn't as tiring as it usually is. In all it took about 4 hours,here's a rundown of what went down from start to finish:

#1-Finger detangled on moist hair w/ oils (castor/safflower mixed)

#2-Put hair in 6 braids,leaving space at the root

#3-Let sit for maybe 30mins under conditioning cap

#4-Washed scalp & braids w/ my homemade black soap shampoo,rinsed out w/ warm water

#5-Applied diluted conditioner to braids & roots (diluted w/ half really warm water & half conditioner) let sit under cap for about 20mins

#6-Rinsed out with COLD water

#7-Dried hair w/ a "turby twist" (microfiber towel or a tshirt works well too)

#8-Applying a leave in on damp hair (Yes to Cucumbers mixed w/ aloe vera juice,& my oil mix) then sealing my ends with my crisco mix & rebraiding. I ended up with 13 braids for stretching

#9-One last mist of aloe vera juice before putting on a scarf for bed. Aloe vera juice leans more on the acidic side,closing your cuticles & preventing frizz or "fuzzies".

 

  After these braids are removed, I most likely will bun it or something. I might also retire my small twists for a second untill I'm ready to commit to 4 weeks :-p
  This sounds like a ton of stuff right? Nah,it goes by fast since I've been doing this for so long. And there's a reason for every thing done.

Wanna see the basics of my wash day regimen? Check out this blog post here.

Till next time!!
Nessa*

Putting a 'twist' On An All Time Favorite:Rope Twisting

   Yesterday I installed yet another set of twists,but see this time I twisted w/ the technique many use for seneglese twists. What is that you ask? We'll I call it "rope twisting". Say you are twisting to the left, while you are doing that you roll each of the two strands between your thumb & pointer finger to the right, before you cross that strand over the other one.
   I hope I didn't lose you with that explanation :) but its a simple technique that gives your twists a "rope" look instead of the normal twists where you just continually cross two strands of hair over each other untill you reach the end.
  I believe that these will last a little longer for using that technique actually tightens the twist as you go down. But I won't put a specific time on it. They aren't as fluffy as my usual ones :( but that might play in my favor.
  I twisted on a stretched old braidout,using a quick mix I made with; shea,crisco,honey, & Yes to Carrots body butter. I finished just 20 minutes shy of 6 hours. Not to shabby if I say so myself, my twisting time is anywhere between 4-8 hours.

  Some of the pros using this technique are:
•Firm, sleeker looking twists
•More of my length is revealed
•Feels as though these twists are heavier,a bit more 'weighted'.

Cons:
•Not as fluffy since they are tighter,giving the illusion of hair that is less dense
 
  Yep...thats it :) I guess time will tell if I continue to use this way of twisting. As its obvious the pros out weigh the cons, for my hair anyways ;) I'm including pictures of previous twists,so that you will be able to see the difference. Enjoy!!!

Till next time!!
Nessa*

Product Review:Yes to Cucumbers Cooling Body Butter

You probably won't see too many product reviews here at Nappturally Nessa,because I have my staples & I'm pretty stubborn in moving outside my comfort area aka my "staple products". But,I was getting really tired in trying to make my own leave in cream.
This was on clearance at Target ($3.00 instead of $13.00,yea...you'd buy it too lol) so I figured why not. Come to find out... I LOOOVVVEEED it :) and it must be pretty good for it to now be a part of my staple products.
Here are the details:

Company-"Yes to.."

Product Ingriedients- Water (Aqua) , Dead Sea Water (Maris Aqua) , Capric/Caprylic Triglyceride , Algae (Seaweed) ExtractRhodella, Dunaliella, Spirulina , Cucumis Sativum Fruit Extract , Brassica Oleifera ExtractBroccoli , Silt (Dead Sea Mud) , Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Butter , Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter) , Cucumis Melo JuiceMelon , Ipomoea Batatas ExtractSweet Potato , Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Juice , Fragrance (Parfum) , Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil (Sweet Almond) , Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil , Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil , Persea Gratissima OilAvacado , Niacin , Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract , Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract , Punica Granatum Peel Extract (Pomegranate) , Imidazolidinyl Urea
*side note- There is a similar product "Yes To Carrots Body Butter",the only difference is carrot ingriedients replaces the cucumber in the list.*

Discription- Yes to cucumber and green tea for the soothing fantastic-ness. Yes to sweet almond oil for softening every inch of your body.  Gently apply to clean, dry skin. Make sure to cover from head to toe...you don't want to miss out on this softness.

Price-$13.00 US

Size-8.45oz

Consistency/Texture- Creamy,Light,Smooth,Thick but kind of "airy/whipped"

Scent-Light,Fresh & Clean,very similar to their conditioner if you've ever tried them,floral

Sold at- Walmart,Target,Rite Aide,Walgreen's, Amazon.com, Yes To website,GNC.com,vitacost

Coupons/Savings- I'm not sure about any others,but at my Target there is a travel size section in one of the aisles. That is where they have a small "Yes To Carrots" version of this product,you can try that for 2 bucks to see how you like it first before taking the plunge & purchasing $13 worth of product (although a little goes a long way with this). Also,on that lid is a coupon for 1 dollar off any "Yes to" product over 6 bucks. And since gnc sells this online, you might be able to use your gold card to get a discount.

My experience- Although marketed as a 'body butter', I do use it as a hair product. It glides on smooth,absorbs easily,leave hair feeling soft but not coated. Sometimes I use it solo,other times I seal it in using a crisco mix or my oil mix (castor/safflower). Works well on damp or dry hair.
Would I buy this again- uh duh!! Lol ofcourse! This butter is the buisness!!

Till next time!!
Nessa*

My Favorite Homemade Recipes!

Hair lotion
62g crisco
46g condtioner
1tbsp glycerin
1tbsp oil
*I find that I use this recipe more so in the warmer months as a sealant.

Black soap shampoo
16oz water
5oz black soap
2oz honey or glycerin
5oz oil
*I love this!!! :) it did take me awhile to finally get the ratios right. I have the How to guide on making this in this post here. I use this in an applicator bottle,4oz shampoo mix to 4oz water & it still lathers like crazy! Glycerin is an option,but I usually use honey instead :-p no,it doesn't leave my hair sticky. As in most natural products,there will be some separation so you need to lightly shake it before use.

Twisting butter
17g conditioner
34g crisco
1 tbsp honey
10g shea 
*This one also took awhile to get the ratios right,but this is what I usually do my smaller twists with & not so much with other styles. Not even medium twists.

Note: The conditioner I usually use for my recipes are the Garnier Fructis 'pure clean'(if I want a thicker consitency) or the Silkience Spa Haus line found at the dollar tree. Both are silicone free.

*Nessa

Cooking with Crisco...but not really :)

Ok,in a previous post about my regimen,I mentioned my staple products one of them being my beloved...Crisco.
Yes,Crisco & I go way back...we'll to 2010.I first heard about crisco on the blog "nappy me".The author was mentioning some of the products she had used in the past,& crisco was one of them. I was like "huh?",but silly me being the product junkie & newbie I was went out & bought the smallest can I could.I read the ingriedients (mainly palm/soybean oil) and the rest was history!! There was a point where I almost gave up on it.I was putting to much on and I probably could've greased many cake pans with my scalp. :) But I kept on trucking! I started mixing it with shea butter,conditioner,various oils just trying to see what would work best for me & my kinks. Mind you,I never used this as a moisturizer. Crisco is not water based, 'tis oil based. But this is what I have learned; 1)crisco works as an AWESOME sealant! I remember when I tried to hop on the 'wet bun' wagon, pft! Yea ok,& tried sealing w/ crisco on WET hair!!! I tell ya,crisco sealed a little too well.I experienced the most horrible breakage due to my hair not being able to fully dry. 2)crisco is lighter than shea butter,but should be used in moderation.A little goes a long way! 3)crisco works best for me when mixed with other things.Depending on what I'm doing with my hair determines what I will be mixing with crisco.Shea butter,castor oil (various oils actually),conditioner,aloe vera juice,aloe vera gel,& water are some of the most popular things I have mixed with it. 4)crisco goes hand in hand with finger detangling.Since I've started finger detangling in early 2011,I've been using a crisco mix on misted or dry hair to help me get thru the tangles/knots prior to washing. 5)I have never flatironed or pressed my hair while being natural,so I can't say that it works or that you should try it for that.I've heard many who have done so with good results & if the spirit moves you to do it as well.Do so at your own risk. 6)I've heard many who use this on their face (o_O) do I? Uhm...no.Should they? we'll its their skin,& if its working for them then I say keep on keepin on ;-) 
But anywho,those are the top things I can think of right now about my buddy Crisco. :) I declaire! I should be their spokesperson or something...no? Yea your probably right. Will I continue to use crisco? As long as there is air in this body...yes.

Toodles!!!!
Nessa*

My Regimen (rough estimate) & staple products

(1)Wash day(soap)
(A)Wash day(water rinsing)

1/A-finger detangle with oil
2/B-twist hair (16-20)
3/C-band twists in 4 sections

4-wash scalp and hair w/ soap mixture,rinse out with warm water
D-rinse hair & scrub scalp w/ hot yet comfortable water for 5 or more minutes

5/E-squeeze out excess water

6/F-saturate hair with conditioner,and deep condition with cap 1hr

7/G-completly rinse out hair with cold water

8/H-squeeze out excess water

9/I-spray on leave in(20 pumps conditioner/aloe vera juice in spray bottle)and squish thru hair

10/J-let hair drip dry damp for 1-2hrs

11/K-retwist each twist while sealing with a light butter

Moisturizing & sealing
(Done as needed)

1.Spray hair with water untill damp
2.put on plastic cap untill steamy (30min-1hr)
3.rinse hair with cold water (3-5mins)
4.squeeze excess out,& use twisty turby for the rest
5.saturate hair with spray leave in
6.use t shirt or microfiber towel/turby to get out the excess
7.seal ends with crisco cream

My products

Shea butter
Crisco
Safflower oil
Castor oil
PAM evoo spray
Any silicone free conditioner
Garnier fructis conditioner
Sallys cure care conditioner
Black soap
Bee & flower soap
Aloe vera juice

Explaination;when I made this regimen (well put it in writing)it was for hair that's in maybe 20-30 twists and not the many 87 loosely installed twists I have in now.But I still can use this as a guideline,so therefore tweak as needed to fit my current style.I write down a lot of things not just hair related,because I have a habit of forgetting what worked.I hate that! Lol because then I have to try to remember starting the whole process again.As for my products,I have a huge jug used from a previous conditioner that I pour all my conditioners into.Weird right? :) I mainly do this because I don't like tons of bottles hanging around the bathroom.The same goes for my oils,the are mixed together in one container.And I'm pretty sure you noticed crisco huh? Yes *sigh* crisco has been my partner for pretty much my whole hair journey.There's a lot I have to say about that so,I'll probably do a separate post.My black soap and bee & flower soap are made into my own shampoo,I'll try to remember to post my recipe for that as well in another post.

We'll that's all for now!!
Toodles!
Nessa*