» Lemongrass . : La Coco Bella : .

Hello!!

Coming to you with a new little gem I’ve discovered :o) I was sent some goodies by the owner of this up and coming brand, The Natural Root, LLC and I wanted to share with you! I LOVE supporting small businesses in the Natural Hair world because they are 99% of time created by fellow curly girls and typically stemmed from a need they saw in their own personal lives. I am especially touched by The Natural Root because of the owners went natural when she lost all of her hair due to chemotherapy for breast cancer, a true testimony on how the Lord can create a blessing out of ANY situation no matter how grim it may look. The other owner of TNR even wrote a book about natural hair after she first decided to go natural due to the condition of her relaxed hair. I love hearing everyone’s unique stories of how they “came to Natural”, so inspiring and uplifting! :o)

So the first product from TNR I want to share is the Gourmet Shea Butter in Lemongrass, Rosemary & Sage. I received the 2.5 oz size which retails for $3.00 on their site. They also sell it in an 8 oz size for $10 as well as other variations which include Tea Tree/Peppermint/Cinnamon (I would LOVE to try this one eventually!), Black Butter Cookie and Plain.

Product Description
Our creamy Shea butter can be used on Hair and Skin. The all natural ingredients penetrate the skin to create the optima benefits. This awesome formula will aid in the treatment of various skin problems including psoriasis, dermatitis and eczema. Hand whipped raw Shea Butter. Creamy and easy to apply.

(LSR) LEMONGRASS/ROSMARY/SAGE Promotes blood circulation which will aid in the growth or your hair. Rosemary oil slows down premature hair loss and graying of hair. Hence it is an excellent tonic for balding. Rosemary essential oil is also beneficial for dry and flaky scalps. Sage oil assists in improving acne, athlete’s foot and chapped skin, and relieving symptoms of eczema and psoriasis, it’s a natural gray reducer also. Also Available in: Tea Tree/Peppermint/Cinnamon, Black Butter and Plain

Ingredients
Raw Shea butter, Coconut Oil, Mango butter, Vitamin E, Jojoba Oil, Castor Oil

This butter is a so yummy! One of my newest fav thing is anything lemongrass (of course along with all things coconut and peppermint!), I also recently became obsessed with lemongrass tea too lol. THIS butter has the delicious aroma of lemongrass, it smells sooo good! It’s so unique because I seldom come across products with a high content, let alone the scent, of lemongrass! So definite points for the yummy scent :o) It also contains my beloved coconut oil so it helps strengthen my hair and penetrate the shaft. It also contains castor oil so this is great for your scalp as it also contains essential oils which help with growth stimulation (NOTE: the EO’s are not listed in the ingredients but it contains lemongrass, rosemary and sage EO’s)

The butter has a creamy, smooth whipped texture and is on the thicker side which I like. Looking at the butter literally makes me want to eat it lol I know that sounds weird but it just looks so daggone good lol almost like cookie dough (?? bad example maybe lol but I can only IMAGINE what their Black Butter kind smells like if it smells like cookies…..) What makes this butter even better, is that I am able to use it to seal my ends! I really love when I can use a product and not have to use another product to seal my ends, almost like it’s double duty :o) Don’t have keep reaching for different jars and getting oil/butter all over the containers lol (ya’ll know what I am talking about lol).

Of course I used this for my twist-out and loved the results! It gave me more of a fluffier twist out as it didn’t provide a tremendous amount of hold which is fine, I just re-twist my hair more often the week that I use it and make the twists tighter and smaller. It most definitely seals in moisture and makes my hair super soft, not to mention the yummy lemongrass scent lingers all week (nothing overbearing though!). Although its a thick butter, it does not weigh my hair hair and it not greasy at all! It truly does make me feel like I am applying something gourmet on my hair!

Check out the results below!

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!