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Indian Herbs–Revisited

31 Oct

Today is Month 2 – Week 1 of my Autumn/Winter Regime, which called for an Indian or Ayurvedic herb treatment. It’s been a while since i’ve done this treatment and i was quite excited to do it. Indian herbs always make my hair feel great and i’m so pleased with myself that i gave it a go.

I followed the same proportions of ingredients and made it the usual way. Click HERE for my post on what i use and how i make it. Also check out my Tutorial for step by step pictures of how i make and apply it.

So i mixed my treatment and applied it to my hair which i had oiled from the night before using my Oil Mix (i just couldn’t be bothered to apply the Aloe Gel, i was so tired, lol). I left on the herbs for about 20 minutes and then, one section at a time, rinsed thoroughly until the water ran clear and co-washed with Herbal Essence Hello Hydration. I rinsed that out thoroughly and re-applied the conditioner to detangle with my wide tooth comb and Denman brush. I rinsed that out again just to make sure that i got all the grit out. I twisted the section, applying a dab more conditioner before moving to the next section.

Once i had finished washing my hair i towel dried and applied my usual DC of JASON’s 84% Aloe Conditioner, honey and olive oil and wrapped a plastic bag over my head and my headscarf over that.

Whilst i was applying my DC, i noticed that my hair felt really soft and fluffy. I love this treatment!

I finished my hair by rinsing off the DC and dried it using the Quick-Drying Method i spoke about in my previous post. Followed by twisting my hair for the week using my Leave-In Conditioner and my Shea Butter mix.

Indian Herbs, although rather messy, are well worth the effort in my opinion.

 

Take care!

 

 

 
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Posted by on October 31, 2010 in Alternative Cleansing, Ayurvedic Herbs, Hair Care

 

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Mid-Month Cleanse

19 Apr

Oh Indian herbs, how i have missed thee!

I was contemplating washing my hair with either a shampoo or the Indian herb mix. In the end i opted for the Indian herbs as last month i missed it out to try shampooing again as Kimmaytube suggested. I’ve already posted the results of that in an earlier post.

I must say that my hair LOVES the herbs. I made the paste a bit too thick though and it caused it dry a bit too much on my hair and become hard so it took a while to rinse out properly. But after i rinsed it out my hair was singing and dancing to me in joyful gratitude to it’s satisfaction of being nourished and cleansed. As i co-washed out the remaining grit my curls were bouncing up and down. Detangling was gorgeous with minimal shedding and my hair felt so alive. My hair definitely responds well to alternative cleansing. Bentonite clay makes my hair feel just as good.

But unfortunately my hair highs turned into major lows as i tried out a new conditioner for my DC (deep condition) treatment. I ran out of the JASON’s conditioner and as a result i decided to order and try something new. I’ve used Aubrey Organics before and i was less than moved by it. But i decided to try a different conditioner in the range called White Camellia ultra-smoothing conditioner for dry, course hair. I added some honey and some extra virgin olive oil into the conditioner and applied it to my hair (it felt very promising). I put on a plastic cap and wrapped a towel around my head. I left it on for about an hour (i think) and then washed it out. How disappointing.  My hair didn’t feel deeply conditioned at all. It wasn’t ultra soft like i expected. It was such a let down. I was having such a good hair moment. I might as well have just slapped it in and rinsed it out. That’s how it felt. I really want to love you Aubrey Organics but my hair just doesn’t. It’s a real shame because the ingredient list is so wonderful. So natural. So straight forward. Never mind. I think i’ll stick to JASON’s from now on. I’ve learned that my hair loves you and i will continue to use you.

I also tried out a different conditioner for the co-washing process today to compare it to the Herbal Essence conditioners i normally use. The conditioner was called Nature’s Gate Organics – Chamomile & Lemon Verbena Conditioner. I used it on one half of my head and used Herbal Essences Breakage Defender on the other. I’m sorry Natures Gate but Herbal Essences (H.E) is WAY better. My hair felt instantly softer and conditioned with H.E but Nature’s Gate just seemed not to penetrate the hair shaft as well. It’s a shame (again) . The ingredients are so good. Absolutely no nasties or strange words i can’t pronounce.

Maybe my hair can grow to love them over time. But for now Herbal Essences is my go-to co-washing conditioner and JASON’s my DC conditioner. My hair just loves them.

 
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Posted by on April 19, 2010 in Alternative Cleansing, Ayurvedic Herbs, Co-Wash, Deep Condition, Hair Care

 

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Mid-Month Cleanse – Tutorial

16 Dec

So…. I had a dream one night this week that my hair was long and cascading down my back. It was Bra Strap Length and was styled in what seemed to be a braid-out with sides pinned up and the back hanging down. Interesting. Is this dream a sign of what the future holds for my mane or is it that i’m dreaming about that which i desire? We’ll see.

Anyway, i wasn’t able to wash my hair on Sunday as planned because it was my nephews birthday and Monday was quite busy so yesterday i determined to make time.

PICT0475-2  Firstly, i did a pre-cleanse treatment of aloe vera gel and oil. I sectioned my hair into four and applied the gel liberally to my scalp and massaged it in and then rubbed a little into the ends. I then oiled my hair with my oil mix and and twisted the section. This was repeated for all the sections. I put on a plastic bag and left it on for an hour or so.

PICT0437I then went on to mix up my herbs. For a detailed breakdown of measurements and how to make it please see my earlier post on Ayurvedic Herbs.

PICT0463 Here is what it looks like once mixed. I let it stand for a while before i applied it.

 PICT0481 To apply the herb paste i took down one twist and applied a good amount of paste onto my hair and rubbed it into my scalp.

PICT0483 I then wrapped up the section into a knot and repeated the process for the rest of the sections.

PICT0485 Here’s what it looks like once i finished. I intended to leave it on for about 10-15 mins but in the end it was about 30 mins and it went a bit dry.

PICT0487 So with the herbs in my hair i went downstairs to mix up my deep conditioner. The conditioner i used was JASON’s Aloe Vera 84% Conditioner. I also used honey, olive oil, avocado oil and macadamia nut oil.

PICT0503 PICT0504 This is the first time i’m using this conditioner and i was quite shocked at how thick it was. So thick that i could just about get it out of the bottle.

Once i had my deep conditioner mixed i washed out the herb mix by taking down one knot and thoroughly rinsing. Feeling my strands as i rinsed out i noticed how ‘fat’ and strong they felt. I’m really glad i gave these herbs a go. They really seem to have a positive effect on my hair.

Once rinsed i added my co-washing conditioner to the section and rinsed out. Applied some more conditioner and then detangled, first by using a wide tooth comb followed by a Denman brush. I make sure i take my time with the brush as i don’t want to cause any damage. I start at the end and work my way up. If there’s a slight bit of resistance i take the brush out and then start at the ends again.

PICT0507 PICT0508 I must admit, when i looked at the amount of hair that came out once i detangled my whole head, i was surprised and elated. I have been getting a lot of shedding and that’s one of the reason’s why i decided to take my hair on a journey and see if, by paying it a little more attention, it could become healthier and stop the excessive shedding. Well i’m absolutely delighted. The amount of hair that i saw on the comb and brush was a very minimal amount which means that all my hard work is paying off.

I’m now seeing how essential brushing is in the detangling process. The comb gets rid of tangles, but the brush gets rid of the shed hair. Since i’ve added brushing to my detangling regime i’ve noticed a significant reduction in loose strands during the week. Much less shedding.

PICT0515 Once i detangled, rinsed and re-twisted all the sections, i  towel dried my hair and then, one section at a time took down the twist, applied the deep conditioner and retwisted. I put a plastic bag on my head and left it on for about 2 hours.

PICT0520  I then rinsed out the conditioner without taking the twists out and towel dried. I then added my leave-in conditioner, shea pomade and hair oil to my hair and oiled my scalp with the shea pomade also, one section at a time.

PICT0524 I then cornrowed each section and air-dried.

I have to admit, my hair is the softest it’s been. I keep touching my ends and chuckling to myself. Is it the new conditioner? Is it the herbs? or is it  the mix of oils i added to my Deep Conditioner? I think it’s all of the above.

My Post Cleanse Braid-out

SideView

BackView

 
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Posted by on December 16, 2009 in Alternative Cleansing, Ayurvedic Herbs, Deep Condition, Hair Care, Pictures Of My Hair, Pre-Poo

 

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My First Ayurvedic Hair Treatment

16 Nov

So… I’ve been kind of bantering back and forth as to whether I should use the ayurvedic powders on my hair. I’ve read good things and I’ve read not so good things about it. I have been watching countless videos on YouTube of naturals using these powders and their techniques and tips and all seem to have good results. So i decided to go ahead and try it out today, and here is what i did.

Firstly, I oiled my hair with my Hair Oil Mix last night and put on a plastic cap (that’s a plastic bag for me) and then put my head scarf on and went to bed.

This morning I mixed my powders together in the following quantities:

  • 6 tbsp Amla powder
  • 1 tbsp Brahmi powder
  • 1 tbsp Aritha Powder
  • 1/2 tbsp Neem powder
  • 1/2 tbsp Shikakai powder
  • 1/2 tbsp Rose powder
  • Hot water

Mix these powders together in a bowl and add enough hot water to mix into a semi runny paste (like yoghurt). Leave to cool. Once cool it will swell and become slightly thicker in consistency.

So… I applied it to my hair in sections, altogether i had four sections. After applying to each section i twisted it and then wrapped it into a bantu knot (or china bump, whatever you know it as). I left it on whilst i went downstairs to mix up my deep conditioner. After about 10 minutes i washed it out in the shower, a section at a time, really giving it a thorough rinse. I then co-washed the section twice, rinsed clean and twisted the section again. I repeated for the rest of the sections. Once completely clean i towel dried my hair and then applied my deep conditioner, still in sections, re-twisting each one. My deep conditioner was Aubrey Organics Desert Hair, honey and macadamia nut oil. When finished i put a plastic bag over my head and left it on for about an hour. rinsed it out and applied my spritz, Shea Pomade, Hair oil and then braided my hair into four cornrows to dry.

I was scared it would be a gruesome affair to be honest. All that grit in your hair you can’t get out! But it turned out to be not that bad. I think because my hair was well oiled the grit washed out well. As i applied the paste to my hair it felt quite drying and i thought ‘oh no’. But as i washed out all the grit it turned from hard and dry to soft and bouncy (lovely). I’m really quite impressed. Oh, and the smell? Not bad. It hardly smelt of anything to be honest, maybe slightly ‘herby’ with some rose.

I’ll definitely add this to my regime. It will take the place of one of my Shampooing sessions. I’ll do this once a month, in the middle of the month and shampoo once only at the beginning of the month. All other washes will be co-washes.

Overall I’m very pleased.

Next time I’ll take some pics and post them up.

I bought my herbs from Spices of India, the Hesh brand.

 
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Posted by on November 16, 2009 in Alternative Cleansing, Ayurvedic Herbs, Hair Care

 

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