Tag Archives: Clarify

Detox with Bentonite Clay

Detox with Bentonite Clay

I have a confession…

I have kept a secret from you all and decided to come clean….I have been using bentonite clay for 4 years and it’s been giving me BANGIN hair ever since… I know I know, should have been up front with you sooner… please still like me :o((

lol just playin, well not really, I have been using this AMAZING clay. The results of treatments are phenomenal. I was first introduced to this clay back when I was stalking Fotki hair photo albums (do people still use those??). I can’t remember who, but I saw a girl use it as a hair mask and she was ranting about how it made her hair so clean, soft and defined. I used this treatment about 3 times a month for about a year and my hair was probably the healthiest it had ever been...oh how I miss those days lol I’ll get there again ;o)

I discovered that this clay was sold at Whole Foods for less than $10 for an entire pound (It’s usually sold in the facial care section). The brand I use is Aztec Secret Indian Healing clay which is actually intended to be used as a facial mask (which is EXCELLENT for oily skin btw) In a nut shell, bentonite is a natural occurring green clay derived from volcanic ash and its super magical powers come from trace minerals like aluminum, iron, sodium, calcium, titanium but the main ones are:

  • Magnesium –It is a very necessary mineral in the body so cells in the body can survive. It is an anti-aging mineral used by the cells to function and produce energy. It rejuvenates and detoxifies the cells. Thus, without these minerals, the hair is not capable of growing and it becomes dull.
  • Potassium –This is the mineral that transport cellular wastes into the external surface so it will be washed away. Without this, the wastes build up, causing the cells to malfunction and will not be able to produce more cells. With potassium, the hair becomes healthy and supple making it resistant to breakage and split ends.
  • Silica- If silica is deficient, the hair becomes lifeless and dull, prone to split ends and the scalp turns dry for it aids in moisture retention. When the natural moisture is retained in the body, the connective tissues become resilient so, pre-mature aging possibility is hindered. Thus, silica can provide strength to the hair, stops hair fall and hair breakage.

Source http://www.vissastudios.com/bentonite-clay-hair

So I’m sure by now you’re like, what is so special about this daggone clay, well it cleanses, conditions and clarifies your scalp like no other. It literally sucks out all impurities, toxins, dirt, excess oil and restores your scalp back to “normal”. It’s anti-fungal and relieves itchy scalps. It’s like a magnet, it just attracts everything “bad” going on in your hair lol (this is why it is so good for your face) The best part is it is not drying and actually conditions your hair making it more manageable, soft and light. I’ve noticed my curls stay defined longer and even a little more elongated.

NOTE: Yes I have tried the Terresentials mud wash (it’s still sitting in my shower) that Naptural85 made famous. Although the mud wash smells great and works well, the main ingredients are simply aloe vera juice, bentonite clay and essentials oils….all of which I have. So I will use up the wash that I have and just continue make my own “mud wash”. It is WAY cheaper too…

So I mix my powder with apple cider vinegar (ACV) and water. It fizzles like soda when you mix it hehe fun stuff. I recently tried Aloe vera juice with a few drops of essential oils after one of my twitter curlfriends suggested it. The great thing about this clay is you can mix it with a bunch of things i.e. coconut milk, marshmallow root, conditioner, yogurt, tea, etc. I have yet to try any of these but I certainly plan to.

Oh and I read somewhere that you should NOT use a metal spoon or bowl to mix. I guess the properties of the metal interact with the clay minerals and decrease the potency. Clearly I used a metal spoon…oops…

You can apply the paste on dry or wet hair but I prefer wet because the water helps distribute the paste better. I keep my spritzer bottle at hand and spray each section as I go. I tend to go a little heavy with the application and make sure I really cover my scalp and message it in. I am sure my excessiveness is just wasteful but I’ve always done it this way lol Oh and thank goodness I have an understanding/non-judgemental boyfriend because I know I look craaaaazay.

See exhibit A….

Such a mess, I’m a big azz kid, I like to play with mud haha I’m sure you can do a better job at keeping it on just your hair and not all over the place like me :o)

Told you I’m a little heavy handed lol ever seen Link in that movie Encino Man….? lol

I leave the clay in for up to 60 mins but you can leave it in for as little as 15-20. Rinsing out the clay is surprisingly a breeze, even after the clay starts to dry. It softens up almost on contact with water. But be sure you rinse really well because I’ve missed a couple spots and had little dried up patches of clay on my scalp lol cuuuute

Once you rinse, rinse, rinse, you’ll notice how incredibly soft your hair is. Some curlies even skip the conditioner BUT if you’re a product junkie like me, you don’t miss out on any opportunity to use your fav conditioner lol

If you are skeptical about this treatment, TRY IT. Your hair will LOVE it :o) Thank me later..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

lol

Hair Steam Treatment

Hair Steam Treatment

A couple of weekends ago I borrowed my friend/neighbor Fleurzty’s hair steamer and I loved the results!! This was my second ever steam treatment of life! I am not doing a review on the actual steamer since it was not mine, but I will discuss the benefits of steam treatments in general and how I liked the experience.

As I always mention, I have low porosity hair so steam treatments work wonders! It opens up your hair cuticle so that your hair can absorb moisture and makes your conditioner more effective. When I did the treatment, I added some rosemary, lavender and tea tree oil to the water for an even BETTER steam experience. It smelt soooo wonderful. It was like an aroma therapy hair moisturizing deep conditioning treatment in one lol

I washed my hair and then applied Oyin Handmade’s Honey Hemp Conditioner (review on this BOMB conditioner soon!) and sat under the steamer for about 30 mins. My hair absorbed that conditioner right up! That stuff went in like a vacuum haha It felt so soft, shiny and stronger due to the improvement of my hair’s elasticity. Some folks like to also apply an oil to their hair prior to steaming to really lock in the moisture. I will try that next time I can get my hands on a steamer hehe…

I also really loved the treatment because it also increases the blood flow to your scalp and I also learned that steaming can help you detoxify and clarify your scalp. The pores on your scalp will be open, so any excess dirt/oil will be released. Unclogged pores on your scalp means healthier environment for hair to groooow!

ManI really wish I owned a steamer that I could use every week lol hopefully Flo won’t get mad at me when I knock on her door to borrow it again hehe :o)) Randomly….this made me miss when I did Bikram Yoga….that hot, steamy, sweaty room does wonders for dry hair lol guess I need to just invest in one… *sigh*

I don’t have any pics of how my hair looked wet immediately after the treatment but here’s some the next couple of days after I styled it, etc. My curls were bouncy and soft for quite a few days after the treatment!

— Do you own a steamer? Do you have any other methods of “steaming” your hair?!

Product :: Shea Moisture Organic African Black Soap Purification Hair Masque

Product :: Shea Moisture Organic African Black Soap Purification Hair Masque

The past few weeks I’ve been deep conditioning with the Shea Moisture Organic African Black Soap Purification Hair Masque. I bought this because a) I love Shea Moisture products and b) it’s for dry, itchy scalps. I had already been using the Black Soap shampoo and conditioner by SM since this winter had been SOOOO dry. I have no idea what the heck was going on my scalp had never been that itchy in my entire life. Ugh, I just hope it is over now…

So naturally I tried the Purification Masque in the SM Dry, Itchy scalp line. I had heard pretty good things about it around the web so I wanted to see if it lived up to the hype. I do really like it but it wasn’t like amazing.

It has a ton of slip, it smells good (to me at least), it applies easily and spreads through my hair well so I don’t have to use too too much at one time. My jar is about a third of the way gone and I’ve used it about 3 times (the tub has 12 oz. of product). The consistency reminds me a bit like the SM Coconut Curl Smoothie, maybe a little more liquidy.

It says it’s supposed to detoxify, condition and soothe the scalp and hair since it has Kaolin clay and salicylic acid. I guess you could say it does that but I can’t really say I can tell. I mean my hair definitely feels clean, soft and moisturized after each use but I wouldn’t say I use it for that particular reason, I just get good results from whatever the heck it is doin’ to my hair lol. I’ll admit that I hadn’t been applying this directly to my scalp (like it says your supposed to, go figure) but I did do it the last time it used it and it did a pretty good job at cleansing! I may start co-washing with this more. I have been using actual shampoo but I may go back to co-washing more to help retain moisture.

Definitely keeping this “in stock”, again, it’s cheap and easy to find around town. This will be a good “lazy day” deep conditioning treatment (when I don’t feel like whipping something up from the kitchen!). When I use this as a DC, I leave it on for at least 30 mins under a shower cap.

Oh, one thing, I have tried the other Shea Moisture deep conditioner (the Organic Raw Shea Butter Deep Treatment Hair Masque, the one with the yellow label) but I like the Purification Masque much better for the purpose of deep conditioning. I ended up using the Shea butter Deep Treatment Masque as a moisturizer for twists. That worked out pretty well.

Ingredients

Deionized Water , Cocos Nucifera Oil (Coconut) , Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter) , Mangfera Indica Seed Butter (Mango) , Persea Gratissima Oil (Avocado) , African Black Soap Extract , Sea Salt , Cetyl Esters , Kaolin Clay , Grapeseed Oil , Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil (Jojoba) , Behentrimonium Chloride (Conditioner) , Salicylic Acid , Salix Alba Bark Extract (Willow) , Melia Azadirachta Seed Oil (Neem) , Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil (Tea Tree) , Sorbitol Esters , Aloe Vera Leaf Juice , Tocopherol (Vitamin E) , Rosemary Extract , Salvia Officinalis Extract (Sage) , Plantain Extract , Lonicera Caprifolium Flower and Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract (Honeysuckle and Japanese Honeysuckle)

Here’s what the product looks like applied to my hair!

Them edges lol

— Have you tried this? What do you like to use for DC’s?