Aside from originating out of imperialistic attitudes around the world, the over-policing of black women's hair is also part of respectability politics which itself has been like a plague in our own communities. It dates back to when we were little girls just beginning to form opinions about who we are in relation to the rest of the world.
Wow. This is a tough question! Everybody feels like they know what real shea butter is and isn't. Other people say different parts of Africa have their own versions of shea butter. The general consensus seems to be that real shea butter is not hard or gritty, but rather soft and creamy.
In the United States, the American Shea Butter Institute has weighed in to give a guideline about what to look for when buying shea butter. And here's a hint: that yellow stuff in the Beauty Supply store may or may not be it.
Sometimes I get questions about the terminology I use to describe the process of what I'm doing while making DIY mixes. One such question involves the one-mason jar method and how do I use it.
LOL! It's not serious! It's quite simple, actually. The one-mason jar method is simply using one mason jar (or one glass bowl) to heat both the water phase and the oil phase together.
You just throw all of your Phase A and Phase B ingredients into one jar/bowl, and heat that one jar/bowl for a certain amount of time.
Recently, an email question came in asking about the creation of a diy mix similar to a popular product.
I learned a long time ago not to fool with trying to make a real dupe of a product already on the market. It can be a headache and a total waste of ingredients.
Walking down the road of trying to match what's already on the market may hinder creative skills. You may be able to create something which works even better for your own hair if you're not so focused on copying a product.
Over the course of my 13 year natural hair journey, I have chosen to stay away from certain products once I became wise to why they may not be good for the hair or body.
However, there comes a time when you start to question why you were running away from that thing -- whatever it is -- in the first place.
Uh, why-come this BTMS don't work no-mo?! LOL! What I really mean to say is that there's a definitely difference with the look and feel of two different batches of BTMS I purchased about a year apart from the same wholesaler.
As many of you know, I buy a number of my DIY ingredients from lotioncrafter.com. One of those ingredients is BTMS-25 (INCI: Behentrimonium Methosulfate (and) Cetearyl Alcohol).
Don't be intimidated by the high quality videos created by some Naturals today, and don't judge other Naturals too harshly for the quality of their Youtube videos, especially if they're just starting out.
I was recently asked for advice about creating youtube videos. I didn't have a whole lot of advice to give because I haven't done a whole lot of youtube videos. Although I've been watching youtube videos for years, I never felt a need to actually create any until recently.
The best advice I can give is to understand where you are in your creative journey and start with the first step without directly comparing yourself to people who have been making videos for years.
For an upcoming recipe, I decided to use a mix of Irish Moss, Foti Root and Burdock Root as the base for a conditioning mix. But I want to talk specifically about Irish Moss here.
Irish Moss is a seaweed from which the thickener "carrageenan" is derived. It's probably most known among Naturals as the thickener used in high quality Aloe Vera (and other things) to give it a more gel-like consistency.
(You will have to excuse my language in the following post)
I initially wanted to view the topic of Blue Ivy's hair as a light subject, worthy of only interesting internet memes. I really did. But the past few days, people on social media began acting like members of the Nappy Hair Squad, too busy over-policing a 2 year old child's hair and suggesting she looks as if nobody cares about her.
I usually save the type of specificity for direct communications with paying Subscription members. But people do need basic information on how to best determine the amounts of each ingredient they want to use in their DIY mixes.
I'll give you some basic information on how to determine the best way to figure out the percentages of ingredients to use.
First, though, I have to say this: ingredients like Citric Acid, Grapefruit Seed oil, Rosemary Essential oil, and Vitamin E ARE NOT preservatives!!!
If you're making something you DON'T plan to keep in the fridge, AND you want to be able to use it for weeks or a few months, you M.U.S.T. use a broad spectrum preservative.
Now that my rant is over, let's continue.
I am currently on a light (lite) conditioner kick at the moment. I know, I know!
For a while, my hair didn't really respond to lite DIY mixes and preferred heavier, thicker and more substantial DIY and store-bought leave-in conditioners.
DIY mixes with ingredients like shea butter, and with higher percentages of BTMS and cetyl alcohol, worked very well for me. These types of leave-ins can be classified as 'thick' conditioners depending on the percentages used.
Thick conditioners often work to add and/or seal in moisture. I used to think a conditioner HAD to be thick in order to moisturize my hair well. Well, that's turning out not to necessarily be the case.
Sheryl Underwood must think its 1913 and not 2013. She dun stepped in it with a lot of people, and not just natural hair chicks either.
Underwood (@sherylunderwood) had some... interesting... things to say about natural, nappy, afro-textured hair. And while she may try to play it off as just a joke, if you watch the video and the context (and look at the big a$$ weave she's sporting), you may not be laughing along with her.
If you have to use shampoo on your curls, the #1 rule is to dilute it.
People use store-bought shampoo straight out of the bottle for a number of reasons. And sometimes you just HAVE to get that product buildup off, especially if you test/review products.
I once heard a natural hair stylist say that she never uses full strength shampoo directly out of the bottle on naturally curly hair. She always dilutes shampoo with water. I'm not sure what the ratio is, but it makes senses.
I've been testing out the creation of a hair milk recipe. I know, I know! Hair milks seem to work best for people with a looser curl pattern. But that's not even my concern. My main concern was creating a good consistency for it.
Initially, I kept getting a medium cream -- not too thick but not as thin as I wanted it to be.
I wanted a true milky consistency. I wanted something loose enough to be put into a spray bottle, BUT which isn't as thin as water.
Okay, I need to know something. There appears to be two types of "Rhassoul" clay on the market.
One is a deep red/orange color called "Moroccan Red clay" popularized by the NOW brand.
Another one is more grayish in color with a slightly muted brown/pinkish hue which reportedly does not stain everything it comes into contact with.
Specifically when it comes to clay for a deep hair conditioner, which clay is the best clay? I'm looking for the best clay for HAIR; the one people brag about which helps to soften and condition the hair.
Maaaaan, how many 'oils for hair' lists have yall read on hair blogs already? I know, I know! But someone asked me which oils I preferred to use on my hair and in my DIY mixes and why. So I thought I'd compile a 'best of the best' carrier oil list.
All of these oils can be classified as emollients which help to improve the feel of hair and can help add sheen to the hair if used in certain amounts.
A few of these oils are on the list of "ceramide containing oils". Ceramides help protect the cuticle layer of the hair and helps to thwart moisture loss. They are also said to help stop protein loss, making it possible for you to need less protein treatments. Oils that are high in linoleic acid often contain ceramides.
If you don't see an oil listed here, that DOES NOT mean I don't like it. I just means I like these just a little bit more. Let's get into it!
At twitter, I clicked a link to a Bloomberg Businessweek article dealing with the exploding phenomenon of the natural hair movement created by people who are embracing and purchasing products designed by small business for natural hair.
No wait.... that's what I WISHED the article was about! What I read was a kinda shallow report about how Target managed to cash in on the natural hair phenomenon and how the company has helped smaller companies.
The article's bottom line is: "With the help of Target, a handful of small companies have created a fast-growing niche in the U.S. hair-care market." That's fine. But there's much more to the story than that.
I just ran up on one of the best youtube videos I've ever seen about the issue of natural hair and having REALISTIC expectations for your natural hair. lol! Honestly, this doesn't just apply to 4c hair. :P
Shoutout to Jouelzy @ youtube.
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