He Say She Say They Say I Heard...

I could write a post telling you what to do, what to buy, how to do it, how often etc... 

You can come on here and rant and rave about how frustrated you are because you tried a method someone else told you worked for them, and you expected the same results. I guess this post is for the newbies because I see a lot of frustration on here because some of you had high expectations for your hair, and a couple months later, you're frustrated because your hair isn't growing as fast as you want it to, and it's curls aren't as defined as you were hoping they would be. Some have become complete product junkies and just layer products over each other to get a slick bun, or a shiny twist out. Well I need to tell you something...

Stop.

Your hair isn't the issue. Or a burden. Your hair is doing what it's supposed to. The sooner you realize that shrinkage happens to everyone and that it's not a bad thing, that nobody's curl pattern is the same, and 100 products won't make life easier, the more enjoyable this journey will be for you. Give your hair a chance. Just love it, and take care of it, and you'll be rewarded. Trust me. 

Never take assume all advice or information will apply to your hair. Just because something works for some people and/or the informant has done their research, doesn't mean it will always work for you. If you just want to experiment and see if it works, that's fine. But don't expect everything to work; and don't get upset if it doesn't. Just move on to the next thing. Most, if not all, natural vets have gone through trial and error. We didn't just know what to do, and what to use. You don't get to dodge the mistakes either!

Patience really, really is the key to success with your hair. Be adventurous, be curious, and don't be hard on yourself or your hair when it doesn't turn out how you want. Have fun. Ask questions. Learn about other's experiences, and share your own. You'll be surprised what you learn -- even from yourself!

- Lauren

Natural Conditioner Experiment

okay so i needed a deep conditioning treatment and i wanted to try to make one so i head to my kitchen and i pull out:

• hemp powder
• honey
• coconut oil
• olive oil
• vinegar
• turmeric

.......... that's it i think.

okay before you gimme that face, understand that these items are pretty normal to use in hair. as conditioners. yea even the vinegar. I did make two mistakes though:

first, i used hemp powder instead of oil. while it didnt do anything bad to my hair, putting it in was kind of messy because it as like putting mud in that quickly turned chalky. then, i used honey even though i know honey does is a baaad idea in my hair. so many ladies tell me they use honey in their hair and i just cant comprehend. it just strips my hair like nobodies business.
but it wasn't too bad though. if i switched the hemp to hemp oil, and ommited the honey, i think i would have something really good.

lemme tell you what does what though:

hemp oil: helps hair hold moisture longer, softens hair, improves elasticity, helps with detangling, and increased natural sheen

turmeric: if you have dandruff, eczema, dermatitis, or some skin issue or condition, this can help (not completely cure) you out a lot. it helps bring circulation and nutrition to scalpy too (heeeyy hair growth)

coconut oil: it brings your hair moisture, helps with split ends, and is a sealant. i would tell you more, but you gotta visit my site :p

olive oil: it's like the natural chick's staple. it's a good deep conditioner, moisturizes and strengthens.

vinegar: i've mainly seen that it helps keep your scalp clean and flaky free. ACV (apple cider vinegar) with the "mother" (that cloudy stuff that lets you know "i'm organic") is better than the distilled though

honey: grrr. i want to like it so bad. but for your sake i'll tell you what i've found about honey, and i'll put this on my website too, so maybe you'll try it and it'll work for you (let me know how it goes and what you did): first off, it's a humectant, which means it draws moisture into your hair. so you got dry hair? it got you. it helps give you hair shine, restores health, helps with hair loss and/or thinning edges (equal parts cinnamon, olive oil, and honey applied to thinning areas 2-3 times a week should help) aaaaaaaaaannd lastly it can be used in a protein treatment (1tbs honey, 2tbs evoo (extra virgin olive oil), and 1 tbs plain greek yogurt. apply to damp hair, put a plastic cap on and sit for 20-30 min or longer if you need it. rinse.)

so at the end, it wasn't too bad. next time, i'll just forget the honey, and maybe add a conditioner base to the powder wont make everything so wet chalky.

if you want to know my exact measurements of my conditioner so you can try it, let me know. but yea, that's my adventure for the day lol.

- LAUREN