Back in Acition: Full swing

WOW!!! I seriously can't believe its been this long since my last post! Im sure some are wondering what happened to Naturalluv! Well folks its a long story which is why I am taking this time out to say hello and let you know I will be back!

After I made my last post a lot has happened with my life. I moved twice and received several promotions. After I obtained my 4th promotion at my company my time was limited. I was up at 4:30 in the morning and home by 3-5pm each night, sometime later. On my days off I would sleep and sleep! I was too drained to do anything. This was becoming a problem for me. I thought chasing hours and working my butt off would make me happier, financially, but it didn't. So lately I have pulled back and since then I have been able to do more. You will see more post from not only my blog but on my youtube channel as well. I have so much in stored and now with all this extra time I can do what I love doing, sharing information with all of you!. Stay tuned for my first vid in over a year on Monday on my flat twist bantu knot, twist out!

Well it's time for me to go. See everyone around folks!!! =)

xoxo
Naturalluv
A.K.A Natty Luv

Black Silk Products Review

Black Silk Products was created by Desreta Jackson. Many people will best know her as Young Celie Harris from the Oscar Nominated Film "The Color Purple" Desreta has spent over 12 years of research to finally perfecting what she calls a “Mahoginized Technique” and a product that does what it says it will do. I was able to speak with the creator herself to get an insight on Black Silk. In our conversation she explained to me how the product came about. Her daughter was having issues with her skin. She went to numerous Doctors and nothing they gave her worked. She began to think about how West Indians used natural items for remedies. Desreta herself a native of Tortolla knew what she had to do. She began to mix, add and take away natural ingredients to make a product that would eventually turn into what it is known as Black Silk Products. What started out as a remedy for her daughter's dry skin became a hair product made by blacks, for black. It is the FUBU of the hair industries. She started to test the products on her daughter and herself. As they continued to use the products she notice who their hair began to grow longer and silkier. She moved from using the products to herself and daughter to friends, family and clients. It became an overnight success that she was able to run a successful home-base braider. The demand became so overwhelming she couldn’t meet the demand.

Interestingly enough, Desreta also owns her manufacturing plant. She has all the power on who and where she distributes her products, which is rare when it comes to African Americans and the hair industry. She stated that when she started to go into the manufacturing phase many have told her that her ingredients were on the high end. Their fear was that African Americans would not spend money on such a product. She stood her ground despite what the manufactures said because she knew the beneficial factor of each ingredient that made Black Silk Products so great.

As we got deeper into our conversation she began to explain to me how she got the data she needed to make changes to the product. Desreta did hair on the side to help put herself through film school. Each time her clients came back she would have them write down what they noticed about their hair getting real time response to what the product was doing. While attending film school she took up extra course in Chemistry. She stated to me "A lot of the time we use products knowing that its working or not working, but don't know why, I wanted to know those reason" Which is why chemistry was so important in her research.

I was able to get my hands on this products and tried it for myself. Of course I was skeptical as most will be when they hear about a new hair product that is promising wonders. First thing I remember that Desreta did we we first started to talk about Black Silk was put a sample of the product on the back of my hand. What happened next was mind blowing. The shampoo and conditioner literally absorbed in my skin. What shampoo do you know your skin will soak up? She told a funny story about her husband actually taking the shampoo one day and used is as a lotion because he was too lazy to get actual lotion. She later went into detail and told the main function of the product was made to re-balance the Ph level in your hair. So no matter what state your hair is in Black Silk WILL re-balance your ph level. Remember that your hair is basically made up of protein.

Facts About Ph Level:

Ph Scale base 0-14
Ph of 0 is considered Acidic
Ph of 14 is considered Alkaline
Pure water ph is 7
Hair and Skin ph can range from 4.5-5.5
Your hair is always adjusting depending on the weather. Your hair will take some time to adjust to the new conditions. When we use products especially new product your hair will take time for your hair to adjust to the changes. The natural oil that is produced in your hair that maintains moisture and balance is Sebum. Sebum is a natural protectant not only on your scalp but on your skin as you secret sweat. Think of your hair follicles as fish scales. As you use products the "scales" open and close. Products with low ph level (high acidity) will cause the hair follicles to lay flat and smooth trapping the moisture your hair needs. Products with high ph will cause the follicles to open like a pine cone causing the moisture that you need to escape which ultimately will dry your hair out. You can also test the products you are using with litmus paper to determine the ph level. It is important yet difficult to find balance with your hair. This is what Black Silk products are made to do just that. So you can stop the guessing game. Remember to keep away from products with a high Ph level. This can cause damaging to your hair.

My Experience with Black Silk

About a week after I received my Black Silk System I finally used the products. ( Took me while to use the system because my hair was already washed and done a day prior to receiving the products and it was styled)
First thing I noticed was the smell. It was rich of coconuts fragrance. I started with the shampoo which took only about two half pump for me. Of course I wasn’t expecting it lather because it was designed to cleanse with out stripping the moisture from your hair. After I was finished the the shampoo I felt how clean my hair was but also still soft and not dried out. This was a good sign. After my cleanse I proceeded to use the Silk Restoring Conditioner, which can also be used a a curl definer. It really didn’t take that much to get complete coverage. I did what I normally do, Put my conditioner in, detangled and sectioned off my hair where I placed medium size twist in it, place it under a conditioning cap and let sit for however long I keep it on my head. This does depend on what is going on so I can have conditioner in my hair from 1-8 hours

8 Hours later, hey don’t’ judge me lol I got real busy =)

I finally washed out the conditioner. My hair felt so soft!!! Ladies with 4c hair you know how hard our hair can feel (Brillo pad) I couldn’t stop running my hand through my hair. It was just that soft. Hmmmm I could get use to this!! Next I applied the clear protector. Now because I was so eager to use the products I didn’t read. The clear protector is suppose to be the first step I did. Black Silk Products is a system so when we hear system that means there is an order to how and when you use each product. Once you use the clear protector once (first time) you don't have to use it again for another 4-6 months and when there is new growth. So the Shampoo and Conditioner will be the only main things you would use during your regular wash.

The real test for me came in when I detangling my hair. I was amazed on how easy my hair slid through the comb with ease. I even walked on the wild side and used a fine tooth comb as I started to do my two strand twists. *GASP* GUH SEY WHET!!!???! Yes it was the only way to truly test this products capabilities. When I Say that comb went from root to tip without a snag I was a believer!!!! *Queue Shrek music* I have used Black Silk twice and I can say I love the way my hair feels with each use.

Picture of Black Silk Model

Be sure to check out www.BlackSilkProducts.com buy now and save today!!!!!

Overall I can say Black Silk Products is a must have product that you should have in your cabinet. Hope you enjoyed reading my review on Black Silk. Be sure to get your hands on this wonderful product you have nothing to loose, you try everything else so why not? Trust me, it will be worth the money!

Til next time,

Natural Luv

Sushi In My Hair/Castor Oil Challenge Update

It has now officially been 3 weeks since I started Hairlista’s Caster Oil Challenge Part 6. One September 1st I started the challenge and upon opening the Caster Oil I pours that transparent oil into a bottle and then into my DC mixture. So I went through my routine on my wash days. Pre-poo, poo, condition, avc rinse, then DC. Great!!!! I was glad to have started a great challenge and looking forward to seeing what results I will achieve on this 3 month journey. Boy oh Boy did I have a nice surprise once I began to add the oil to my scalp. I finally got a whiff of it. It threw me off because it smelled like something I smelled before. It was a distinctive smell to me. I continued to apply the oil in my scalp them massaging it in. Still I’m trying to figure out what the smell reminded me off. As I began to finish style my hair it hit me SUSHI!!!!!!! Yes Sushi out of all things Caster Oil smelled like sushi to me.  I love Sushi but ugh this was not what I had in mind.

They say that Castor Oil has an earthy smell well the oil I have has a fishy smell. I Don’t know maybe each brand of Castor Oil has its own smell, but im still trying to find the earthy part. Maybe I need to get the Jamaican Black Castor Oil to smell the earthy part lol

You may want to know how my hair been since I started the challenge, Well I have noticed a few things.

1. My edges are starting to fill in

2. My edges are starting to catch up with my hair, length wise

I was playing in my hair the other day and I began to pull and saw I was still pulling hair. I was surprised!! I got up and went straight to the bathroom mirror because I thought i  was losing it. To my surprise my hair was indeed long. WOW In all my life since relaxing my hair my edges were ALWAYS my trouble spots. It might not be much growth BUT its growth none the less. If this much growth can come rounding out month 1 I can’t wait to see what month 2 will bring.

I hope that each person taking the challenge has seen results so far because I am sure happy I am =)

Be on the look out for my review on Black Silk Products. Black Own, Black Made. First  African American Luxury Hair line. For information about this product  Please visit www.blacksilkproducts.com

Having some fun with eye shadow colors

Love Always,

Natural Luv

Protective Style: What DOO you DO?

Protective Style: What Doo you Do?
Having a protective style is a must. As my hair began to get longer I realized that I can't always do twist out and putting my hair in a head band. My

twist outs would only last about 2 days (Yea I know which is a bummer) so I began to look into what protective styles I can do without having to put a w

eave or braids in my hair. After much searching I found that putting my hair in two French twist worked for me. It was easy for me to get up in the morning and do (If needed) and also cute. There are many kinds of protective styles. Today we will

 

go in depth about why protective styles are need and the most common protective styles. We all know the Pros of protective styles so we will also review the Cons (If any)

Purpose of Protective styles:
The reason a protective style is needed is to keep your ends from sight and help retain your lengthy lock.........That is IT!! Nothing more, nothing less. Protective styles won't make your hair grow BUT it helps to minimizes breakage especially if your hair is breaking off at the same pace it is growing.
I found this to be true. I noticed more breakage when I was combing my hair each day pulling it up in an Afro puff. My ends were always exposed. Although my hair grew I still was experiencing breakage at the same rate that my hair was growing.

Once I found a protect style that I can do easily I noticed that my hair wasn't breaking as much AND I was able to retain more of my length.

Most Common Protective Styles:
Two Strand twist (more so for natural hair than relaxed)
Bun or Chigon
Braids
Weave
Flat Twist

Two Strand Twist
This style is most effective on natural hair. Relaxed hair is too straight to the hold the twist at the ends. Natural hair is kinky enough to hold the twist in place at the ends. You can wear a TST for a few days until it gets old and then do a twist out. This style is called a Two Strand Twist, Twist Out.

Pros:

Easy and versatile

Cons:

not time efficient depending on the size and length of hair.

Picture: Two Strand Twist, Twist out style

Buns or Chigon
Buns are an ideal protective style if your hair is long enough to be wrapped around the shaft of the pony tail. Buns can be worn in different ways, on the crown, to the back, on the side and more than one bun at a time. You can wrap your hair around the shaft of the ponytail. You can also do a damp bun which helps help your strands and ends hydrated/moisturized at all times.

Pros:

Easy, Fast and Versatile

Cons:

Breakage can occur if the bun is pulled too tight

So if you are going to do this style remember TIGHT is not always RIGHT! Loosen that ponytail up guh!!!!

Braids
We ALL have had these......well majority of black women has had braids in one point or another. Braids are a great protective style to have. It is easy (once you have spent nearly countless hours getting them in) and you can style your braids any kind of way. Braids are a great alternative for those who can’t put up with the everyday hum drum of maintaining their hair.

I have always had weak edges. I love getting my hair braided because it eliminated the time I had to spend doing my hair BUT after I took them out……….can you say I looked like I had a receding hair line. I never knew why it was happening. I took care of my braids or so I thought, made sure my scalp was moisturized and I made sure I put it in a bonnet at night, SO WHATS THE PROBLEM!!!!!

Reminders:

Tie your edges down to help minimize movement at night so that there is not added stress on your edges.

Don’t put have a tight pony tail. Again I say TIGHT aint always RIGHT

Pros:

Versatile, easy and fast

Cons:

Damaged edges if not taken care of properly

Remember: Not because you have braids mean that you don’t have to take care of them.

Weaves

As we moved into the 2000’s you noticed a new hair trend had hit the market. WEAVE!!!!! (well it was new to me) This hair product was a God send to most African American women if not all. You can get short, long, black, pink, and blonde without having to cut our hair or put harsh chemicals to get it the color we wanted it to be. I am victim of the weave-a-palosa!!! I had a weave ponytail ALL the time. Once I was old enough my mom allowed me to get glue ins and sew ins. If you watched the Good Hair movie you know how much a woman take pride in her weave. A woman will get her hair weaved before paying her bills ( now that’s just crazy) Weave is the Holy Grail of all Grails for the average or not so average African American woman.

Although weaves are a great protective style you still have to be careful in maintaining it just as if it was your own. Hell you paid money for it so you better take care of it!!!!! With glue ins the weave is incorporated with your hair giving a more natural look. With sew ins you can get a full (all of your hair is braided) or a partial weave (some of your hair is left out to blend with the weave)

Glue ins or “quick weave”

Pros:

Inexpensive, Easy to do (like anyone) and you can get a good glue-in style done in less than an hour (not including styling)

Con:

Can cause broken roots, stressed scalp, and loss of hair if not taken out properly Picture: Quick Weave style

Sew ins

Pros:

Last longer than glue ins

Your hair can rest from heat and chemicals

Retain length easier because ALL of your hair is braided.

Cons:

Hair damage can occur If you hair is braided too tight, Damage can occur if hair is left out around the perimeter of head and the crown

Picture: Sew-in style

Flat Twist

Flat twist are like two strand twist but they twist are twisted to the scalp like corn rows. This is an easy style to do and once the twist gets old you can twist them out and do a cute style.

Pro:

Easy, Fast, works well with both natural and relaxed hair

Cons:

None that I can think of, can you lol

 

So as you can see there are many styles that you can do the help protect your hair. The styles that were spoken about are what I saw as the most common protective style. Of course you can always refer to Youtube, Hairlista and many other hair care forum to find other ways to protect your hair and look good doing it. 

I hope this post helped you gain some insight on these protective styles. Till Next time

Natural Luv

Regiments: Getting down to the Nitty Gritty

We ALL have heard about regiments and that you should have a regiment. This is one thing that is drilled to every person heads, it is the first thing that new followers of the healthy hair movement is asked. A conversation from a newbie would would proably go like this:

Hi, my name is Jane, my hair is dry and cant keep a style, it breaks a lot and never seems to want to do what I need it to do. Can someone help me?

Hi Jane welcome, what is your regiment? Of course Jane is not sure what anyone is speaking of!

Jane; Regiment?

Lista: How often you wash, co-wash, dc ect.....what products are you using?

and this is were Jane is blown away from all the information that everyone is telling her just like each one of us who has graced the Hairlista website and joined in on the chat.

Since going natural I think I have gone through countless regiments. If you did the big chop your regiments was strictly wash and goes. Get up wash your hair slap some curly kinda pudding on it and your done.
As your hair became a Tinni Winni Afro (TWA) for some it was still get up slap some curly pudding on it and go. For others it was every few days you would do a wash. For me it was every three days I would wash my hair, put a leave-in and out the door.
As you hit that middle phase,,,,,ahhhh yea thats when its not short and not long you probably will find it a little hard. I know I did!! Heck I thought I was doing something with the little I was doing. You might ask what regiment I was on in the "Middle Phase" Well my dear friends I was on the same regiment I had when I had a TWA . PAUSE!!!!!!!!

Here's the scoop:

See I thought I could keep doing the same thing I was doing when I first started which prove to me as utter FAILURE!!!! You can't keep doing the same thing and expect different results. We have all heard it before! Same rule applies. Why am I doing the same thing I was doing in the beginning of my natural hair Journey now that I am nearly 2 years post BC (Big Chop) Oh no that's not going to work.

So once this light bulb went off I began to try different things.

I would DC twice a month, poo once a month, moisturize every other day.......NOPE didn't work. On to the next!

DC once a week, poo once a month, moisturize daily.....Ok we are onto to something here but still something was missing. On to the next......keep in mind I try theses regiments each month to see if I had any results.

ok they say third time’s the charm......let see if it would be for me.

DC once a week, poo once a month, black tea rinse after DC, moisturize daily (using L.O.C. method)......It keeps getting better but not a winner!

Alright so third time was not the charm for me. So back to the drawing board

Pre poo and Poo (as needed)

Condition

ACV Rinse

THEN

DC (Weekly- 4-5hrs under conditioning cap),

Protein treatment (Once a month)

Black Tea rinse (twice a month)

Moisturize (L.O.C.) daily

Style as normal OH I can’t forget to oil and massage scalp (3 times a week)

DING DING DING DING WINNE WINNER CHICKEN DINNER!!!!

I think I have found a regiment that works for me *Heavens rejoice* I came to this final regiment after one day being at home bored while doing my weekly treatments. I said to myself.......SELF what will happen if you did an ACV rinse BEFORE your DC? So I tried it and my hair was SO soft and combable!!!!! I went to my friend’s house that was going to straighten my hair and she too noticed how soft my hair was. It really felt like what everyone would think a cloud would feel like S.O.F.T. SOFT!!! She asked me what I did and I began to enlighten her on this new found information. Side Note: She also stated that she wishes she would have met me before she decided to lock her hair up.
I was happy with the results I saw after trying my new regiment.

Ok so now I have set regiments I can get Operation Grow Healthy Long Hair back on track. After countless trail and errors and much gained knowledge I know now that Year 2 would be AWESOME year!!

Things to remember:

1. Everyone hair type is different

2. What works for me MAY not work for you

3. Always try to find what works for you

4. Get with other people with the same hair type

MOST IMPORTANT ON OF ALL

5. Don’t get discourage when things don’t work out!! That’s the beauty of each individuals hair journey……finding out things about your hair you never knew!

Thanks again for stopping by and reading about my Adventures in Natural Hair Land!!

Till we meet again,

Natural Luv

Hairlista Castor Oil Challenge part 6

If you are a Hairlista you know what I’m speaking of. The Castor Oil Challenge begins tomorrow. I have decided to jump on board with the rest of the Listas and do this challenge. Last year I tried to do the Ultimate Growth Challenge and that posed a challenge for me. I became "Lazy" and didn't make it two weeks. Yea that's bad isn't it lol Now that I am on my new revelation and I have jumped back on the natural hair horse I decided to try my fate at this one.

On Wednesday I went to Whole Foods to pick up my bottle of Castor Oil. You might want to know a little bit more on what this challenge is Well, Here's the scoop

The Castor Oil Challenge

Start Date: September 2nd, 2011

End Date: December 2nd, 2011

(total of 3 months!)

There are different levels that you can choose from

Basic: Apply Castor oil to scalp twice a week.

Intermediate: Apply Castor oil to scalp twice a week followed by a scalp massage (2-5mins focusing on damaged areas). Add 1 tsp to your weekly deep conditioner.

Advance: Apply Castor oil to scalp three times a week followed by scalp massage (2-5mins focusing on damaged areas). Add 1-2 tsps to weekly deep conditioner.

I have decided to try the Intermediate level of this challenge. Of course you can do which one you feel most comfortable doing. This is an inexpensive challenge to do. A bottle of Castor Oil is about $10 for the 16fl. oz. Remember this is a 3 month challenge so getting a good size would be most cost efficient.

What I have done was getting a small bottle with a tip (.99-$1.59) and added some of the Castor Oil in it so that it can be easier to apply to my scalp. It’s less messy that way.

Challenge Goal

So far I am at EL (Ear length) I plan on achieving NL (Neck Length) by the end of this challenge!!! My hair is not damaged but I will focus most of my massaging on my temples and the nape of my neck since that's where my hair seems to not grow as fast as the rest of my hair.

Benefits of Castor Oil in Hair

Increase hair growth

Thicken hair that is starting to thin out

Reduce and prevent hair damage

Eliminate dry hair

Make the hair fuller and shinier

Deeply condition and moisturize hair and scalp

Prevents dry scalp

Boost your hair’s overall health

Other Benefits of Castor Oil
Softens thick calluses and removes corns

Cures skin infections like athlete’s foot and ringworm

Prevents stretch marks

Removes moles and warts

Removes age spots (liver spots)

Cures acne

Keeps the skin looking smooth, youthful and unlined

Breaks up external and internal scar tissue, and prevents new scars from forming

Soothes shingles

Jamaican Black Castor Oil

There is also another more famous Castor Oil made famous by Tropic Isle Living Jamaican Black Castor Oil. It is said that Black Castor Oil is more potent than the regular Castor Oil and that you see more results when used. The difference in the two is that Jamaican Black castor Oil seeds are roasted then boils to remove100% of the oil. The longer the seed is roasted the more ash is produced which ultimately make the Castor Oil more potent. High ash content = high potency of the Castor Oil. Jamaican Black Castor Oil distinguished by the earthy smell it gives off. That is a distinctive feature to know that you have the real deal.

I am excited to stat this challenge. I have decided to start this challenge today since it was my day off and I wouldn’t have another one for another week and I want to get this thing moving. One day will not hurt and I don’t see it as cheating lol

Follow along as I update you on this 3 Month Journey.

Till we meet again,

Natural Luv

4C Natural hair straightened

Below: Castor Oil from Whole Foods, tipped bottle for application and DC mixture that I made