Tag Archives: ayurvedic

Apr22

Hello! Awhile back I made a post announcing my unofficial campaign for hair growth (check out this post if you missed it) and I listed a few things I planned on trying out this year to see how much length I could gain. Although health should ALWAYS trump length goals, I feel that I am at the point where my hair is very healthy and I can focus on length. Length and health go hand in hand, if your hair and SCALP are healthy, your hair WILL grow!

So I wanted to use this post to introduce the next topical growth remedy as well as give an update to the last one. I started using Bee Mine’s Mango Sulfur Serum in the beginning of March and applied the serum to my scalp, focusing on my edges, about twice a week (any more frequent it would have been too oily for me). I can honestly say this stuff works! I didn’t do an extensive length check photo shoot like I did when I did my Viviscal update (end of February) too much work lol BUT I do have something I can show you hehe…ok don’t laugh…

I found this random grey hair in my edges lol that shows where the color from my last henna treatment ends lmao!! Hey whatever works! I have only done 2 henna treatments, I posted about my first one mid-february and I did the second treatment that following week which would make it around the last week of February. So the place where the henna color ends and the grey starts is the new growth from the end of February (which was around the start of me using the Mango serum…hopefully you followed all of that and I didn’t confuse you lol).

So I say all that to say, I gained about an INCH of growth in my edges since the end of February! I was actually extremely surprised because I wasn’t even sure if my edges would even continue to grow! I sort of wrote them off in the same category as the hair in my eyebrows—they just stop growing when they reach a certain length lol but I guess I was wrong! They grew! Are are still growing! Check out the EXTREME close-up shots of my grey hair! lmao! I think I am going to keep my grey hair so I can continue to see if my edges are still growing hehe

The Mango serum not only worked on my edges but it definitely worked on the rest of my scalp as well. I noticed I have a new layer of fine baby hairs all over my head, similar to the ones I posted about back in June 2012. That means, the serum stimulated the follicles where I may have had hair fallen out of or where “inactive” for lack of a better word. Either way, it’s doing something making something grow! I also noticed that my new growth is very soft and my curls seem a bit looser! I even noticed growth in my kitchen in the back i.e. the hairs at the nap of my neck lol THIS is amazing because now when I brush my hair up into a bun, I don’t have these random curls wanting to fall back down. They actually stay up and in place.

I will DEFINITELY keep this in my hair growth arsenal BUT I am going to put it down for a little while because…..I will be trying the non-oil version of Bee Mine’s growth serum! (yes, I know, the obsession with Bee Mine continues…)

It’s called the Bee Sensitive Oil Free Hair Serum which is basically and oil-free alternative to their original serum. I am extremely excited about this because it is difficult for me to use oils on my scalp during the warmer summer months because my scalp is naturally oily and I get a lot of build-up so this is PERFECT for me or anyone with similar issues. It was actually created for people with dermatitis, eczema and psoriasis It retails on Bee Mine’s site at $15 for 8 oz. and only comes in the mango scent (which is yummy and juicy smelling). The ingredients are amazing and are what’s most attractive to me but then again ALL Bee Mine’s ingredients are amazing, they are 99% All natural AND organic!! I also love that it is in a spray bottle which means easy application. Oh and read the reviews on the Bee Mine site, 5 star product, AGAIN!

Product Description
Bee-Sensitive ~ Oil Free serum comes to you by popular request for our family members with scalp conditions that prevents the use of oils. We’ve formulated this oil-free hair serum with love to help soothe the scalp and promote a healthy environment for optimal growth. The soothing and healing properties of organic aloe vera juice paired with select herbs can assist in alleviating the discomfort of many scalp conditions. Feel the calming and stimulating and effect of this oil-free serum and keep your hair looking beautiful and healthy. Specially created for those with dermatitis, psoriasis, eczema and other sensitive skin conditions. Also great for those wanting growth without the buildup of oil while in wigs, half wigs, braids, lace fronts, kinky twists, etc. Directions: Use daily or every other day for best results.

Ingredients
Organic Aloe Vera Juice, Herbal Infused Purified Water, Ayurvedic Herbs, Select Herbs, MSM, Fragrance, Paraben & Formaldehyde Free Preservative. 99% Natural & Organic

Like all the other hair growth remedies I have tried so far, I am going to try this for one month without using anything else on my scalp so I can see how well this product works on it’s own. The main ingredient in the oil-free serum is aloe vera juice which is known to promote hair growth as it is a natural astringent. This also means it is perfect for oily scalps. It also contains my beloved ayurvedic herbs, I don’t know exactly which ones but they are all amazing either way. And last, it contains MSM which natural sulfur, the same thing in the other Mango serum. Sooooo it’s basically a bomb combination of hair growth greatness lol

I plan on using this each time I twist my hair, probably 2-3x a week and I will check back in with you all on this in about a month!!

Mar1

Growth : : Bee Mine Mango Serum with Sulfur

Posted on March 1, 2013 by Lauren

Growth : : Bee Mine Mango Serum with Sulfur

I have been DYING to try this!! I got this about a month ago with my other Bee Mine goodies that were sent to me but I had been waiting to finish my Viviscal trial before I started using this. You know how hard it is to see this bottle every day and not use it!? Lol well the day has finally come :o)

It’s the Bee Mine Mango Serum with Sulfur. It’s a 100% natural and organic hair growth serum and retails on the Bee Mine website for $16 for an 8 oz bottle. It comes in Mango scent and also in the original Strawberry Kiwi Scent. You can also buy this from CurlMart but only in the Strawberry Kiwi scent. Bee Mine ALSO has this serum in a No Sulfur formula (for those with allergies to sulfur or with relaxers or other chemical services) as well as an Oil-Free spray formula which I think I will add to my “Hair Growth To Try” list. Bee Mine has a growth serum for everyone! Bee Mine even has all of their products in trial sizes! I love how Tracey, the owner, keeps the customer needs in mind. So you can buy the smaller size, see if you like it (which you most likely will), then buy the larger size! :o)

The serum is actually their signature product, the owner Tracey, began losing her hair awhile back due to health complications so she created her own remedy. She started off making it for family and friends which turned it into a business! I need to ***SIDEBAR again to rant about Tracey lol. I can’t say anything but amazing things about her because she is a BEAUTIFUL spirit, the light in her shines BRIGHT! She is SO helpful, SO kind, just an amazing being (I can only imagine what she’s’ like in person!). That alone makes me want to support her and her business, the fact that her products are AMAZING makes it that much better. She is a living testimony that when God has his hand on your efforts, you will succeed. Just check out the reviews on her site, she has so many and they are all 4 star or above (ALL the serums have 5 stars!). I am just in awe by her!! :o)

Product Description
This is one of the Original Serums if you are not allergic to sulfur or have any health problems this would be the one for you. How to use: Please perform a patch test prior to full use. Shake bottle prior to each time. Apply sparingly to scalp only a little goes a long way. Massage thoroughly throughout your scalp concentrating on the areas that need it the most. You will need to use a moisturizer on your hair after each use to make sure during the process any Serum didn’t get on your hair.

If you are doing any chemical service to your hair such as a perm, relaxer or dye job please stop using the Serum 7 days before the chemical service and shampoo prior to the service and wait 7 days after the service and shampoo before you start using the Serum again. Enjoy and use consistently for healthier stronger hair.

Ingredients
100% Organic Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Prunus amygdalus dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Vitis Vinifera (Grape Seed) Oil, Select Ayurvedic Herbs, Sulfur Powder, Essential Oils, Fragrance (Phthalates Free) & Vitamin E Tocopherol Oil.

The serum looks and feels like a regular oil (since it is oil based) and has a juicy mango fragrance added. I will admit that it does have a slight sulfur scent but you can’t smell it after you’ve had it in your hair for awhile. It is nothing intolerable or overbearing. It is meant to only be applied to the scalp and it’s also recommended that you moisturize the strands of your hair after because sulfur may be drying for some people but some even say the serum makes their new growth really soft and manageable! So i guess you will have to pay attention to how your hair responds best to it.

The bottle has a little flip nozzle at the top which makes it easy to apply somewhat, I still think I may pour it in a needle point applicator bottle to make it even easier and give me bit more precision. It is not a thick oil so a little goes A LONG way! I made a mistake my first use and went a bit over board and had an oily forehead, neck and ears lol!! definitely user error and I also forgot that your head warms up the oil which was why it traveled down from my scalp. I will now just use a few drops in each section lol Oh and I will be applying this 2-3 times a week—basically the same time I re-twist my hair up at night. You can use this daily but my scalp naturally gets oily and I have to wash my hair once a week.

I have never used a product with sulfur so I was really intrigued by it, especially since I have yet to see someone say it did not work for them (unless of course they were allergic to it which is why you should definitely do a patch test first!) and NO this is not the same sulfur in the Sulfur 8 hair grease from back in the day lol. The kind of sulfur in the Bee Mine Serum is great for hair growth because it enhances your natural growth when it is used in conjunction with a carrier oil, which in this case is the coconut oil, grapeseed and sweet almond oils. I believe this sulfur is methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) which is an organic sulfur that actually occurs naturally in the body! (who knew!) It helps grow bone, hair, nails, tissues with keratin base, so it makes sense that this would help grow hair!

I also REALLY love that this serum contains ayurvedic herbs and essential oils which have ALL helped contribute to hair growth for me already so I am hoping the sulfur gives my hair and even large boost!

So there you have it, my intro to the Bee Mine Hair Growth Serum! I will report back on my results in about a month and let you know how it works! In the mean time, go to Bee Mine’s online store and check out the reviews! If anyone wants to join in on this challenge me go for it and let me know! :o)

Feb27

Ayurveda : : Tulsi Powder

Posted on February 27, 2013 by Lauren

Ayurveda : : Tulsi Powder

Hey there!

Ok so I just want to apologize to all the English and grammar teachers out there lol I know some of my posts may be a little painful to read because there are sometimes typos and grammatical errors. I know I should proof read more but ~~ain’t nobody got time fa dat~~ I try to knock these posts out a quick as possible, plus I tend to type as if I am speaking sooooo….sorry!!! lol Can’t say they will get any better but just letting you know that a) yes, I am educated lol Howard University educated in fact, I know how to spell and all dat lol :o) and b) I am aware of my typos and try to go back and fix them when I can, if I ~~care~~ happen to re-read a post and come across them! What it really comes down to is, you know what I am trying to say either way!!!! :oP hehe

Had to get that off my chest lol moving along….

So I tried a new ayurvedic powder! This time it is the Holy Basil also known as Tulsi! I was at my local Indian market re-upping and came across this one and figured I would give it a go. I only got one box because I wasn’t sure how well I would like it. It was my usual Hesh brand and only $1.99 so what the heck. I have seen it sold on other ayurvedic powder retailers and I have found that tulsi is one of the more inexpensive powders, I guess it’s more common I suppose.

Tulsi is a type of basil plant (it’s not the same as sweet basil which is common in italian cuisine) and is part of the mint family. It has antiseptic and antibacterial properties and is considered an anti-pollutant. It helps alleviate skin and scalp issues like dandruff, itchy scalp, ringworm, scabies, eczema. It protects and moisturizes your scalpYou can also use it on your face to treat blemishes and acne. It acts as a deep cleanser, I have seen it listed in many ayurvedic facial soaps as well :o)

It appears as more of a green color in its powder form but when I mixed it with herbal teas, it turned into more of a brown. For this mix, I used an herbal tea mixture of nettle, burdock, lemongrass and catnip (<—thanks Aja!). Also, this is one of the BEST smelling ayurvedic pastes I have ever used! It is a sweet, minty kind of scent that was very pleasant I can’t say the same for other pastes lol so that made it much easier to tolerate :o)

I applied the paste on freshly washed, damp hair this time (I normally skip the wash part and let the pastes do the washing, I think may start washing first just because lol EXCEPT with shikakai….O_O ). I section my hair in half down the middle and then section each half into 3 smaller sections.

I found this this paste was a bit difficult to apply because it was a bit gritty and didn’t distribute well. It’s definitely a thicker paste. I had to keep adding more and more water and even a conditioner (used my Trader Joe’s Tea Tree Tingle) with a lot of slip to try to make the process go a bit smoother and it still didn’t make much of a difference. I also spritzed each section to dampen it even more as I went along. Luckily, Hesh gives you a good amount of powder in each box that I had enough to cover my whole head.

After I applied it, I pinned up each section and sat under a plastic cap for about 30 mins. I couldn’t let it sit much longer because it started to run down my face and neck. Had to keep a towel around my neck lol These pics look kinda nasty but whatever, ya’ll know you look the same when you do these treatments too lol

So, as much as I love ayurveda, I am not sure I will incorporate tulsi into my regular regimen (brahmi and amla are still my favs…henna is creeping up in there but i have a few other new ones I plan on trying and sharing with you VERY soon hehehehe). Applying the pastes are a feat in itself and dealing with the tulsi just made it even more difficult, perhaps it was the crop, the brand or other factors. I know Hesh is not THE best brand but I never have any problems with any of their other powders. Maybe I will try it again from a different brand and see if it’s easier to deal with. It also did not rinse out very well either. I had to shampoo again and “wash” with conditioner several times to really get it out. A good thing is It definitely got rid of a little itchiness I had going on and helped a LOT with hair fall. Hair fall is one of the main reasons I do these treatments so maybe that is enough to give tulsi a try again…but I’m in no hurry *sigh* oh well! At least it smelled really good and I had some benefits from the teas!

Has anyone tried tulsi paste?! It’s on my “To Try” tea list lol

Feb19

My First Henna : : Reshma Femme Henna Natural Highlights

Posted on February 19, 2013 by Lauren

My First Henna : : Reshma Femme Henna Natural Highlights

*sigh*

It’s been a long time coming. I knew I would eventually give in and FINALLY try HENNA!!! I don’t know why I hadn’t tried it yet. It seemed only natural for me to since I love ayurvedic treatments and this is like the prestige of them all lol. So, I decided to just get over my fear and DO it finally. I mean, I’ve heard about it and seen it EVERY where for years. The results I’ve seen on other people are usually amazing and no one really has anything bad to say about it (as far as the effectiveness it has for hair).

I was (am still a bit!) so intimidated by henna, I guess because it’s such a particular process, there’s so many kinds, brands, mixtures, steps, etc. etc. etc. I just got overwhelmed by it! It seemed like every person who does henna has their own process and recipe. When I get overwhelmed I just shut down and say forget it lol BUT to my luck, a PR firm sent me a package FULL of henna treatments by Reshma Femme!! I was like, this MUST be the sign to just go ahead and take that leap of faith lol It’s really silly that I am intimidated by this simple green powder lol So thanks to Reshma Femme, my fears have now been conquered! You can find this brand of henna in beauty supply stores and Sally stores nation wide which is super convenient! ***UPDATE — many people have told me that Reshma Femme Henna appeared in a recent CurlBox! If you have it, try it out!! :o)

The package from Reshma Femme had 4 varieties of their henna and 2 facial masks :o) I was so grateful! The 4 varieties are Toffee, Dark Chocolate, Playful Plum and Natural highlights. When I say varieties, I mean the henna is pre-mixed with other natural herbs like amla and indigo, to create the various colors. Lots of people mix their own herbs to create their own colors but Reshma Femme takes the guess work out and makes it easier to get a perfect proportions for color blends. Here’s the breakdown:

Natural highlights is just pure henna, strait up
Playful Plum is henna and Indigo for blackish, plum tones
Toffee is <—-oops I clearly forgot to finish this lol I will update today!! 2/19
Dark Chocolate <—- see above lol

All of the variations are 100% pure and natural and don’t contain any additive ingredients. Sadly, there are lots of henna brands out there that are not 100% natural and contain fillers but Reshma Femme is completely pure and natural so that made me feel good :o)

So what’s the hype about henna? Well, besides is being a natural way to color your hair (henna will NOT lighten your hair, only give you red highlights in its pure form and browns and blacks mixed with other herbs), it provides serious conditioning, makes your hair super shiny and thickens your strands thus making your hair stronger and healthier. It also helps cure head lice, dandruff and ring worm which is cool. Oh it also loosens your curl pattern. Some people either love or hate that part. I don’t mind it since I have SEVERE shrinkage (my hair is about 50-60% longer than it looks!) If you don’t want to loose the curl pattern, you can always reverse it by using amla which enhances curl pattern and tones down the red from the henna. The more you use henna, the deeper the color and the more the conditioning, it’s like wine, it gets better with age lol. Some people use it every week and some maybe once a month. Not sure how often I will use it though. I gotta see how I feel lol but I guess to really reap the benefits you have to use if consistently often.

OK so Moving along…I will kind of give you a play by play of my process using the pics below so you can see what everything looked like at each step :o) This is a ~~really long~~ kind of a long post so bear with me. Hopefully it’s informative though!

I decided to start with the plain henna, Natural Highlights HK 6A, to see how henna worked out in its purest form with no other ayurvedic herbs mixed in. I will probably try the browns next and then the plum since that will be the darkest.

Each Reshma Femme box of henna comes with a pair of gloves, a packet of oil and instructions (and of course the henna!). I wish the gloves were a bit stronger because mine definitely tore in the crevice of my fingers but luckily it was towards the end of my application so the henna wasn’t sitting on my skin long enough for it to stain them. Next time I’m going to get a hold of some latex gloves that are a bit more durable.

Here’s the henna powder. I learned that the finer it is sifted, usually means it’s of higher quality and and the most dye content. Henna used as body art is finely sifted so lots of brands that market their henna as “Body Art Quality” are typically better to use. Reshma Femme is of this quality :o)

There are a million things people use to mix their henna but I wanted to just start out simple and stick with plain ole water. I did add a few squirts of lemon juice because lemon juice helps the henna produce a better dye release if you are aiming to get more color. I also added a few drops of a mixture of essential oils just because. I read on Minimalist Beauty (who btw, has become one of my fav bloggers because she has AWESOME DIY recipes and is very thorough with her posts!) that she uses coconut milk as her base. I think I may try that next time:o) I have also seen others use tea so I may try that another time as well. Oh and I guess you’re supposed to use warm or hot water/tea and let it sit somewhere warm. I didn’t. oops…

So here’s what the henna looks like just mixed with water. It’s naturally a green color and was a bit slimy in consistency. It had a few chunks but I found that after it sat the moisture absorbed and the chunks went away. I would not recommend using a plastic container because the henna will stain it (if you care) since they are usually porous. I just used a ceramic bowl and covered it with saran wrap while it was sitting.

So I let the mixed henna sit overnight because I don’t mind the color that henna gives (the longer it sits, the more dye release). I figured hey, why not get the color while I’m at it. You don’t have to let it sit for that long (the package says for 1-3 hours). Either way, after you let it sit, you will see the red dye released as a liquidy red layer on top of the paste.***SIDEBAR– I am always AMAZED by God’s creation. How in the world did He think, “OK I’m going to make a plant that is all GREEN but when you dry it out and mill it into powder, add water to it, it will create a RED dye…oh and it conditions and colors hair!!!” How can anyone NOT be amazed by our creator and his genius ways….im just saying! :o)

Ok, so once I was ready to go, I prepped my bathroom….ok don’t laugh at me, I kinda OD’ed on the prep. I literally covered every part of my bathroom with paper i.e.the counter top, the walls, the floor, the toilet, lol I just know I am not the neatest when it comes to hair treatments so I prepared for a henna war lol And needless to say, I really only needed to cover the counter top! Go figure lol better safe than sorry cause henna stains! Oh, I was also paranoid that I would dye my forehead, ears and neck so I slapped on gobs of Vaseline as if I were about to get a relaxer lol yea, didn’t really need to do that either. And ANOTHER thing, I made sure I wore an old t-shirt so that I wouldn’t stain my shoulders…probably didn’t have to that either since the henna just wiped off easily without dying my skin lol I’m a beginner ok! :o) I was looking all kinds of crazy!! I just can’t thank my boyfriend enough for being so understanding and non-judgmental with my hair adventures lolOnce I was ready to start the application, I mixed the red dye back into the henna paste, added the EO’s and sectioned my hair into about 6 sections. Since I had no idea what I was doing, I applied the henna to dry, dirty hair. I think I was supposed to do it on clean, damp hair (the total opposite) next time lol…..see these are those particular things I was talking about with henna. I don’t know what’s right or wrong, better or worse lol I still got good results either way so maybe it’s just whatever works for you (as with all things!).

OK so I applied the paste to my hair, normally I would leave my hair in the sections but I left it out so I could take pics and show you guys. Take a looksie. It’s nice to see my hair with some length lol you can really see the layers I’m always complaining about:

peep the paper taped to my walls lol

I may need to cut the lower layers to be a bit more uniform with the bulk of my hair. It looks so sad just dangling like that lol but it’s so long, down to my bra strap…. :o(

So I sectioned my hair back up and pinned it on the crown of my head. Ok here’s where I OD’d again lol I put a plastic cap on and proceeded to wrap saran wrap around my head like 6 times lol I was paranoid the henna would drop or crumble out and get on stuff!! Needless to say, I wrapped my Christmas edition Saran wrap way too tight lol my head started to hurt a little lol I probably only needed to wrap it around once or twice but yea since I had the henna in all day (about 7 hours, the package said leave it for 1-3), I wanted to make sure I didn’t get it all over the place. Lots of people just sleep with it overnight. Given my track record, I am a wild sleeper so I am not sure how well that would work out for me lol Here’s me looking crazy in my plastic wrap turban lol The hair at my nape and my daggone sideburns are ALWAYS hard to cover with plastic caps/wraps and scarves, guess I’ll just let them be… *sigh*

When it was time to rinse, (ok don’t laugh at me again lol) I hopped in my bath tub on my hands and knees facing down and let the water from the faucet loosen up the henna and rinse most of it out. I did this because I didn’t want the water and henna splashing all over the shower and staining my shower curtain lol although this method isn’t the most comfortable, it worked! After the water was running somewhat clear, I turned the shower on and continued to rinse.

I then used a combo of my inexpensive conditioners (Trader Joe’s Tea Tree Tingle and Nature’s Gate) and sort of lathered any remaining bits of the henna out. I did this 2 times. After I rinsed the conditioner out, I followed up with Bee Mine Deep Conditioner to make sure I replenished the moisture back in my hair since henna can be drying. I let my hair dry and I noticed my scalp was kind of itchy so I jumped online and saw that Reshma Femme has a community board where people can comment and I saw that the itchiness was because I probably didn’t rinse the henna all from my scalp. Jumped BACK in the shower and washed with a shampoo bar (used my Bobeam Rhassoul Clay bar this time hehe). So I know from now on to shampoo in the rinsing out process.

Now since this is my first henna treatment, the color didn’t turn out very vibrant BUT I’ve read that it takes a few days for the color to oxidize and deepen which in fact it did.

Here’s my hair freshly rinsed. My hair was sooooooo shiny!! I didn’t notice much curl loosening but I guess that would happen over time, using henna often. I also noticed that frizziness was drastically decreased which made my twist-outs appear more defined. The henna REALLY smoothed my hair cuticle and made my hair feel thicker all after just one application. I know it’s really hard to visually see what I am talking about in the pics but I definitely could see and feel a difference. Hopefully over the course of the year as I continue to use henna (not sure how frequent) you will be able to see the color deepen in my pics.

Here’s a couple bonus pics of my hair a few days after the treatment. I could really start to see more of the red tones in certain lighting. The color reminds me of the auburn color I had about a year ago. Mostly on the tips of my hair since they are lighter. But check out the SHINE!!!! I am blown away by it! I used Oyin Handmade Whipped Pudding for the twist out below by the way….oh and if you click that link, you will see the auburn color I was referring to. I used a boxed permanent color to achieve that but it would be cool to get close to that again naturally using henna.

You can see hints of the red in the flick below :o)

I’ll keep you posted on my henna adventures! PLEASE give me your tips if you’re a henna head!

Jul15

Ayurvedic Treatment…..Neem!!

Posted on July 15, 2012 by Lauren

Ayurvedic Treatment…..Neem!!

*peeks head around corner*

Hi…um…anybody there??

I know I know, I haven’t been blogging. Life happens and we have to tend to our priorities. Hate me or love me, whatever will be, will be :o)

I’m going to just jump right in…

So you know I LOVE ayurveda, so I wanted to devote this post to neem powder! I used the Hesh brand powder that you can get from local Indian markets for about $3.

The main reasons this little gift from the earth are that It is anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, anti-oxident and anti-inflammatory so it is a great treatment for the scalp. This is the primary reason why I use it, my scalp. My scalp creates build-up quite rapidly so I really have to make sure I cleanse and clarify my scalp often (once a week usually does it). I have found that ayurveda powders have worked best for that. A clean, clear scalp will encourage healthy hair growth. Also, fungi and bacteria on the scalp can clog your roots and cause other issues which can ultimately lead to hair loss. Not fun. Neem also contains aminos (proteins) so it helps strengthen hair and is great for relieving itchy, dry scalp. It’s just an overall great treatment for your scalp, even if you don’t have any issues with it, it just encourages over all health.

This last time I used the powder, I made the paste by adding peppermint tea instead of plain water like I normally do. I went through an obsessive phase of drinking peppermint tea so I had a bunch of tea bags to spare lol besides the delectable scent of peppermint, it is great for adding shine, conditions hair and makes it more vibrant. I saved a little of the tea to do a rinse at the end!

The powder itself is green in color, being that the powder is made from the green leaves of a neem tree. I think adding the peppermint tea made it even greener. It is kind of nasty looking if you ask me lol. The smell isn’t too bad, very earthy/herbal/plant-like. The peppermint tea made it a bit more pleasant. Peep the spatula lol I was paranoid after learning about using metal with the bentonite clay lol.

As with all my messy treatments. I apply my hair in small sections to ensure full coverage and leave it on for about 30-45 mins. Check out the flicks.

Gotta love the application of hair treatments…..

So after I let the paste nourish my hair under a plastic cap, I rinse really, really well until the water runs clear and follow-up a conditioner and BAM, super soft, strong, non-shedding, healthy-scalp having head of hair! Doesn’t do much for de-frizzing or curl definition but hey, nothing is perfect lol

I’m way due for a trim btw…

— what are your fav ayurvedic powders?

Jun30

Wanna see my baby hairs?!

Posted on June 30, 2012 by Lauren

Wanna see my baby hairs?!

I know I keep talking about how I was losing hair, it was falling out, blah bla blah, and I’m sure you’re like uh I can’t tell, well I CAN!! dangit….

Anyway, here’s a picture of what the hairs look like growing in all over my head. The hair is about 2.5″ and really fine, like baby hairs lol I started my “re-growth mission” last November. Not the fastest growth rate but hey, it’s growing and healthy :o)

I was amazed at how much hair I actually did lose because these baby hairs are ALL over my head. I was like dang! So ladies, if you are noticing an excessive or increased amount of shed hair i.e. the hair in your brush/sink/shower, you may have some hair loss issues going on. It is actually very common in women too so don’t over look it. It took me a couple years to realize the increase because it was so gradual. Thanks to my Essential Oil concoction and Ayurvedic treatments, my hair is growing back :o)

NOTE: If you have sudden or severe hair loss GO TO YOUR DOCTOR! There may be some other underlying, auto-immune type issue going on in your bod. I don’t want anyone coming back mad at me lol do whatchu gotta do, k?

…patience = progress :o)

May19

Hesh Amla Powder Treatment

Posted on May 19, 2012 by Lauren

Hesh Amla Powder Treatment

I love Ayurveda :o)

The other week I did an alma paste treatment and used one box of Hesh brand Amla Powder. I got several boxes from my local Indian market for ~~$X.xx~~ (<—forgot to put the price in lol it was $3.99 I believe), which is a great price so I stocked up.

Now, I like to use amla oil on my scalp because of how well it strengthens my roots and softens my hair (I’m going to try a new brand that doesn’t contain mineral or canola oil next, I’ve been eying the one on Henna Sooq btw) so I figured pure amla would reap even better benefits.

I used the powder per the instructions on the box and mixed the powder with water to create a paste. it kinda looked like muddy chocolate pudding lol. I have seen other natural curlies mix other ayurvedic powders with amla, add oils to it or even add the powder to conditioners, etc. Oh and you can use herbal teas instead of water. Check out my girl Fleurzty’s blog again, she is the one who put me on to amla and is like a pro with this stuff!

The benefits of the powder are that it will strengthen your roots, define/tighten your curls, darken your hair and make your hair shiny. It definitely did all that! The most noticeable result was the curl definition and how it tightened my curls! I wore my hair in a twist-out after the treatment (of course lol) and my curls stayed defined for DAYS! They were clumped and super soft! If you check out my post on the Koils by Nature Moisturizing Shealoe Leave-in, you can see pics there.

The only thing I dislike about ayurvedic treatments are that they can definitely be on the messy side. I always have to put a towel on the floor and pretty much clear off my bathroom counter because there will be little drops of the paste everywhere lol. It doesn’t help that my nosey dog always wants to poke his head in and start trying to lick and sniff everything lol. Maybe a cleaner application process comes with experience but for now, I’m a mess lol. It is definitely worth it though:o)

I applied the paste in small sections to ensure even coverage and make sure I rubbed it into my scalp. The pics below show how the product looked when applied. I love doing this treatment, my hair stops shedding almost immediately. It makes my hair feel thicker and stronger, it’s kinda crazy how it does that. I could definitely feel more texture to my hair as well.