Mommy Look At Me!!!

I know I am posting this a day after Valentine's Day so...

Happy Sidechick Appreciation Day!!! 

(if he wasn't with you yesterday... i'm just saying...)

Blazer- Torrid Around $40

Shirt- Old Navy $10

Pants- Torrid Around $55

I always love how my mom dresses so this is a blog shout out to her!!

I love you Mommy!!!

www.knownasmonique.com

Kimmaytube Leave In

Since I have been doing my "frequently washing" regimen, I changed some of the products I use to leave in moisture in my hair. One of my now staple products is the Kimmaytube (easy do it yourself) Leave In Conditioner. It has a ph of 4 and will cause the cuticles on your hair strands to close. You put this on wet hair and it will lock in that moisture. I have noticed when "smoothing" (rubbing it in from root to tip in a downward direction so your cuticles won't be lifted) this in my hair, my hair has felt very smooth. I then seal that in my with my shea butter and oil. My hair is moisturized for a long time after. I still moisturize daily! Give this a try!!! 


2 tbs Aloe Vera Leaf Juice
2 tbs Kinky Curly Curling Custard
2tsp Jojoba Oil (Or oil of your choice. I like to add this and a small amount of emu oil and 5 drops of rosemaryto mines) 

Nature's Gate Organics Shampoo: Chamomile and Lemon

Cost: On Sale $3.95
Smell: Good
Texture: Smooth, Not Very Thick
Rating: 6/10


This shampoo was a lot different than I expected, lets start with that. It was so light that I was wondering if it cleaned anything. And speaking of cleaning your hair, this shampoo was so gentle I felt that it did not clean my hair. Perhaps this means I should look at the shampoos mission. The shampoo is for dry, damaged hair. I believe the reason it did not feel like it cleaned my hair is because this shampoo is formulated for dry hair, meaning it is not made to strip your hair. Shampoos for oily hair will strip your hairs of moisture. Shampoos for dry hair will not. In conclusion if you want a gentle "non-stripping" shampoo then this is a good one to use over the more expensive Kinky Curly Come Clean Shampoo or Curls Creamy Curl Cleanser. 

Shea Moisture: Moisture Retention Shampoo

Cost: $10
Smell: Good
Texture: Creamy, Thick for a Shampoo
Rating: 8.5/10


    If you want a shampoo that is moisturizing then there is no other organic shampoo than this one. This shampoo is very thick and creamy and very shiny. When this shampoo hits your hair you can instantly feel the moisture that it brings. It lathers up very nicely for a shampoo that leaves behind so much moisture. Speaking of leaving behind moisture, that is why I did not give this shampoo a 10/10. Shampoos are supposed to lift and clean residue out. Shampoos with high moisturizing agents leave residue behind. Your hair is not getting as clean as other shampoos can make it. HOWEVER this shampoo is great for washing hair before a protein treatment, after a dye job, or if your hair is really dry. I would not use this shampoo over the long term due to the build up it may cause. You can use this shampoo everyday or on your wash days if every 1-2 months you will use a clarifying shampoo. This shampoo is a treat for my hair. I highly recommended this shampoo for the dry haired like me, but only in moderation, YOU WILL GET ADDICTED.  

Demi-Permanent Hair Dye

So as a treat for being one year natural, I dyed my hair black. I used demi- permanent hair dye by Wella. This dye is great! It is not permanent but it lasts a little longer than semi-permanent dye as well. 

• This dye is two parts. You have to mix 1 part dye and one part activator. You have to mix this dye very well! The more you mix it the darker it gets. 
• I shampooed my hair with the Nature's organics shampoo then I put the dye in.
• I sat under the dryer for 20 minutes.
• I then used the Shea Moisture: Moisture Retention Shampoo.
• I then Deep Conditioned my hair.

And Viloa! 

 

<<< I am so excited!




Under the dryer I used it all and you an see how dark it got once I kept mixing it. >>>

       Here you can see the difference. These are pictures of my hair freshly washed. 

                                   

Shed Hair vs Breakage

    I am so glad that I finally have reached the point where breakage is minimal and the hair that I am losing is just shed hair. The picture below is a shed hair. It is very long and if you look closely in the bottom left corner you can see the white bulb that is attached. Breakage is usually short and lacks a bulb. This picture also shows you how strong and shiny my hair strand is as well as how curly  my strands really are. My hairs are finally getting healthy. 

This is a single strand from my head. 

     This picture is all the shed hairs I lose in one wash/condition/de-tangle session. This is great considering we lose 50-100 hairs a day. 

This is a hair ball with conditioner in it. 

One Year Natural

A Year in Pictures (not in order) VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Naturals Do it Better

Christina, Me, and Angeline. 

4a, 4b, transitioning

Chocolate Drops for Life!!! 

A Look Closer at my Regimen

This is the very beginning of my hair process. What you see here is dirty plaits all over my head. Before I take a shower I massage oils into my head. Scalp massages are great because they get the blood flowing in the scalp. They all massage oil into your scalp especially oil that is very penetrating. Plus I do not want the shampoo to take all of the moisture out of my hair.This week I decided to not SHAMPOO my hair in the plaits. I took my hair out so I could really get the fuzzes and dirt out of my hair. 

 









This is my hair fresh out of the shower. My hair really curls up and reverts! it is crazy. I washed my hair outside of the braids just to really get it clean and so the braids will not get in the way of a good scalp massage. 















This is my hair braided and detangled with conditioner. I put a good amount of conditioner in my hair. I do not saturate my hair but I put enough in to coat my hair strands and to provide slip. This time I washed mt hair in a fro to really clean it and to get bigger dirt out of it (fuzzes from kufis) because of me washing my hair out (in a fro) and not in plaits, I had to use Giovanni's Deep Moisture conditioner because it has more slip than the Shea Moisture Deep Treatment Masque. It is waxy and really allow my comb to slide right through my hair. Washing my hair in the fro caused a vast amount of tangles and my hair was very hard to get through. I will not be doing that too much in the future. I want to retain my length.  

Bantu Knots

        This is a bantu knot out on what would be called transitioning hair. She pulled her hair back into a fro hawk. Her hair was put in about 20 bantu knots to achieve this look. I first put oil and shea butter in her hair then I finished it off with mousse. It was lightweight olive oil mousse. I use it very sparingly. This is the style she came out with. 

. 

 

My Hair Washing Regimen

These plaits are the same ones I wash, condition,
and protect in. The ones in  front are smaller
because I wear them out with my kufis. 

Since I have read a few books on black hair or afro textured hair, and since I have hit the natural hair cross road, I have modified my hair regimen. Now I love Cathy Howse and Chicoro and what they had to say about black hair. I took what they say and my own experiences and came up with my own hair washing regimen.

• Wash- I use Kinky Curly come clean shampoo. I am going to start alternating shampoo because using one shampoo will leave behind build up. I wash my hair while it is in 20 plaits. 
• Deep Condition- I use Shea Moisture Deep Treatment Masque. Sometimes I mix Palmer's Protein packs, jojoba oil, emu oil, or some other thing to enhance my deep condition. No, I no longer use instant conditioners. I smooth the conditioner on my hair in a downward direction and I braid the plaits back. I either put on a shower cap or I sit under my hair steamer. I alternate.
• Moisturize- I use Kimmaytube's Leave-In on my wet hair. I put my whipped shea butter over top of that. While doing this I smooth my hair in a downward direction to lay down my cuticles and I plait the plaits back. For moisture during the week I randomly hair steam.
• Protect- Since I plait my hair back it is already protected. When ever I wear hats of Kufis I wear a satian bonnet or scarf under it. 

My hair washing regimen. 

 My Regimen Scheduled

This calender is my hair washing regimen. I wash and dc my hair every 3 days. Yes that is about 121 times a year. I know that is a lot but I have the time and I want to try something different. The pink squares is when wash and dc. The pink and orange is where I add protein to my dc. I am trying to get my hair to the protein moisture balance that is critical for hair retention. I am always on the hunt for new shampoos and dc's to try. If you have any suggestions let me know. 

Wash Day Styles

These are two different hair styles. The first one is a hump with a puff in the back. The second style is a fro hawk made with a head band. As you can see by the pictures my hair is really growing. I have been so surprised with it's progress!!!

                    

Enhancing Deep Conditioner

So you are bored with your conditioner. it works well but you want to do something special with it. You want it to tingle. You want it to have more moisture. You wish it had some protein properties. You know what you can do? Just Mix It! Now you all know I have been ranting about Shea Moisture Deep Treatment masque forever. Shea Moisture is a great base product to mix other products in with it. it is very neutral. For a protein treatment I added some of a Palmer's protein pack to it. If I wanted it more moisturizing I mixes Jojoba Oil in it.  If I want more scalp stimulation I add peppermint and tea tree oil in it. You can use some of your deep conditioners and do the same thing! 

Grow It by Chicoro Book Review

      This book is a great book to read. it is even better to read if you are a new natural or if you are not ready for the no nonsense words of Cathy Howse. Grow It by Chicoro is a book that is one of a kind with great insight on hair upkeep in a unique way. She opens the book discussing why and how she came up with her "Grow It" method. This was great because she gave her experiences and it connected with me in several ways. After this she talks about her famous "grow it" method. She basically breaks it down into 6 steps.
1. Dry Detangle
2. Shampoo
3. Condition
4. Moisturize 
5. Protect Your Hair
6. Grow Your Outlooks and Hair
   Because she also supports washing afro textured hair frequently she uses products with mineral oil and petroleum in them. One of her favorite styling aids IS petroleum! When you open your mind and read and hear other naturals you learn alot of things. it is always best to read a lot and get lots of research, then being narrow minded and listening to one person or a small group of people. 
   Of Course I cannot go into great detail due to copyright, but I sincerely want you to read her book. I think it was another eye opener like Ultra Black Hair Growth II. I think this book is an excellent read because knowledge is power and if you want to grow your hair, this is great!

Twists to This

In a previous post I twisted her hair with Shea Moisture Curl Enhanching Smoothie. She was the young lady on the right. It really defined her curls and did a great twist out!

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