DIY - Whipped Shea Butter

Fall is here! Time to change our attire and how we take care of our hair and skin. With that being said, there is a Shea butter mix that I've been whipping up since last fall. I've done a lot of different methods and this by far is the best for me. Its a light whipped product that isn't as greasy or thick as others I've attempted. 

What you'll need: 

• Shea Butter 
• Coconut Oil
• Oils (of your choice)
• Vegetable Glycerin
• Aloe Vera Gel. 
• Electric Mixer
• Measuring cups
• Spatula
• Container (for storage)

*These products are found at your local market, beauty supply and retail stores*

Lets begin! Take 1/2 cup of Shea butter and partially melt for easier manipulation. Combine your coconut and other oils together and add 1/3 cup of this mix to your Shea Butter. The oils that I use are olive, argan, grape seed, jojoba, and castor oil (cold pressed, cold processed).

Once these are combined, start mixing. I go ahead and mix mine in the container that I'm storing the product in to cut back on clean up. My container is small so I only use one of the beaters. Mix the Shea and oils together for roughly 10 mins (you'll notice that your mix will begin to fluff). 

After mixing products for 10 mins or so add a few tablespoons of Aloe Vera gel and 1 tbsp of glycerin and start mixing again for roughly 5 mins (at this point you can choose to add essential oils for fragrance).

There you have it! It is a bit tedious with all the mixing but trust me...It is well worth it. It makes a nice amount of product and can be used for hair and skin. This mix comes in handy in warm and cold temperatures. I prefer not to use the this product on my hair in the Summer because it is still a bit too heavy for my liking however; I use it on my legs for that extra bit of shine. I certainly use this on my hair and skin in the colder months stay moisturized. 

Happy mixing!

Review

This Summer I was gifted some hair products by one of my co-workers. I've honestly never heard of this company before but I'm down for trying products once (especially gifted products *smiles*).

Hydratherma Naturals is a paraben, mineral, and petrolatum free line that focuses on healthy hair growth. They stress that the key to healthy hair is finding the balance between moisture and protein.

The products I used this summer were their Moisture Boosting shampoo and deep conditioner treatment. These two products focus on replenishing and repairing your hair. 

Shampoo: The first thing that caught my attention was the scent. It smells AMAZING! Like someone just took orange slices and put them in a bottle. The consistency is a bit thick (which i love) and it lathers quickly so definitely thumbs up on that. When I rinsed my hair however; it had that "squeaky" clean feeling. It felt as if the shampoo stripped my hair of all oil and I prefer a shampoo that cleanses but doesn't leave my hair feeling like straw. 

Conditioner: Again the fragrance was wonderful. The conditioner was thick with a great slip (which helped with the detangle process). When I added the conditioner to my hair it was immediately easier to comb through which was a relief  since the shampoo left my hair feeling like straw.

Overall Review: The products were OK. I loved the smell and the ingredients that are used but didn't enjoy the how the shampoo alone left my hair. I did like  how the conditioner took to my hair and how easy it made the detangle process. I will say that they should consider different packaging as the  hard plastic bottles used now make it very difficult to squeeze, and with the thickness of the product I struggled a lot to get it out (word to the wise: turn the bottle upside down for easier use). The price...I'll say is much too steep for me because I'm good with using just sulfate free shampoos that can be purchased from your local beauty supply store.  Would I use this product again? I would use the conditioner because its was great. the shampoo... not so much.

You can check these products out at: http://www.healthyhairjourney.com

Anniversary

July 2nd marked my 2yr "Nappyversary". I transitioned for 1 year and have been fully natural (chopping off the relaxed hair FINALLY) for 1 year. Through this journey I've learned so much about my hair considering I've had my hair relaxed since the age of 6, I honestly had no idea of how my hair felt or looked (aside from childhood photos). I have attempted to go natural many times before but never lasted more than 3 or 4 months. this is a big deal to me...The last straw for me you ask? Another relaxer gone wrong. The question I asked was "Why do I keep putting myself through this crap?!"

I

...So I clipped all the damaged hair off and slowly started my journey to see what I'd end up with (in hopes of not turning back again).
I've learned what products work for me and I have perfected my braiding, twist, and flat twist technique (thanks to practice and a lot of Youtube videos).


Yay me!!!

My Finds

I purchased some fake gauged earrings from the NC Natural Hair Expo. I'm so in love with these earrings. I've had a thing for gauged earrings and plugs but never had the nerve to go for it.
Price: $12.00
(Unfortunately I do not have a business card from the merchant but these earrings can be found on www.etsy.com).

Natural Hair Expo OOTD

I thought I was pretty fly last Saturday *pops collar* lol!

Top: Forever 21

Yellow Tank: Target

Earrings: Handmade

Flip Flops: Old Navy

Hair Of The Day: Fishbone flat twist (twisted upward) with a Twistout on top (I'll try to put better pics up).

Natural Hair Expo 2012

Last Saturday some of my friends and I went to the NC Natural Hair Expo here in Raleigh, NC. I was super excited with this being my first time attending the event. There were lots of vendors for jewelry, art, fashion, hair products, and hair accessories. Some of the the local salons that specialize in natural hair did demos and gave free hair and scalp analysis.

Local salons also took part in a mini hair show to showcase their talent and there was a fashion show segment. Throughout the day there were class sessions that discussed hair maintenance and up keep. I had a awesome time and got a few styling ideas that I plan to try. unfortunately we only went for the first day :( but I do plan to attend this event again next year.

Protective styling May '12

Unfortunately I don't have full [360] views of this style but again it's one of the up-dos that I rocked last month:

Two strand twist that wrapped around my head from left to right and on the top was just Marley hair.

There was no technique to how I pinned the hair up top, I just kept wrapping and pinning until I liked it

Review

I was introduced to this product about 3 months ago by a soror and immediately was intrigued enough to purchase it myself. 

Pooka Pure and Simple is a NJ based company that specializes in natural products for your body and hair.

The product I tried was their Whipped Cream in fresh sugah' fragrance. I've been using this for about 2 months and let me just say, I'm in love*. 

Its a light whipped Shea butter that is loaded with fragrance and moisturizes great. I have dry skin and I often use oils to moisturize because...That seems to be the only thing that would last. But with this product, I can put it on after getting out of the shower and I'm good to go for hours.

The fragrance is awesome! I put this on and leave it at that (no perfumes, or body sprays needed).

Now,I will say [for me] $14.00 is a bit pricey for 2.5 oz BUT with this product a little goes a long way so I'm certainly getting my moneys worth. I have a little travel container that I've put some in to keep in my purse.

*I'll definitely be buying more*

http://www.pookapureandsimple.com/homepage.asp

Crochet

Another pair of earrings I've made:

Size: roughly 1 1/2" (length and width)
Color: Red Heart's Shocking Pink (I believe...I can't remember the color name sorry)

I think these 5 petal flower earring are just too cute.  I find myself wearing these with just a white cap sleeved shirt and dark denim jeans to really make them a conversation piece.

Crochet Earrings

Last week I hit the town with some friends and decided to sport a pair of earrings I made. They're simple but I love them! I feel like they accented my outfit nicely (outfit pic to come).

Color: Black

Yarn: Red Heart Super Saver

Hair Feb '12

My Objective is to wear protective styles until April '12 (beginning December '11). So for the month of February I decided to flat twist my hair on both sides so it would meet in the back. I then twisted the twist together up the back of my head (to protect my ends). The crown of my head is done in kinky twist then I just gathered and pinned them.

Earrings

A new love and stress reliever for me is crocheting. I'll admit that I haven't mastered the craft but I enjoy doing small projects and I've recently began making earrings (because I'm too impatient to work on making afghans...lol).
Yarn: Red Heart Super Saver
Color: "Cola Cherry"

Hello There!

...And welcome. My World...My Works is a blog here to share all things creative: hair, jewelry, art , and life. I dabble in painting, graphic design, crochet, and hair. Being a natural I'm always looking for hairstyles to try and I want to start sharing some of my styles with you.