Amodimethicone, Castor Oil for Sheen?

According to this study, amodimethicone and castor oil are among certain substances that "increase the luster of hair." Has this been true in your experience? Does castor oil give you sheen? What about amodimethicone-based products? Do other oils/substance give your hair more sheen or shine?


MORE READS:
AMODIMETHICONE + OTHER CONES
CLEANSING AGENTS FOR CONES

Healthy Hair Feature: Redecouverte

1) Are you natural, relaxed, texlaxed, or transitioning?
I've been natural since September 2006.

2) What mistakes have you made in your hair care journey?
I am not sure if it qualifies as a mistake but for the past two years I haven't made up my mind whether I wanted locs or just rock my loose hair. I love locs and think they're absolutely beautiful. I also love my loose hair, its thickness and versatility. So I've had a few past locking attempt that did not last more than 3 months. I end up missing my loose hair and take down the babies locs. My hair locks pretty fast and taking down my hair can be quite traumatic. In the long run, it affects my ends.

3) What is your current HEALTHY HAIR routine?
I don't really have a routine, I go with the flow. I usually wash my hair twice a week (Wednesdays and Sundays) and then do either a hot oil treatment or a deep conditioning. I use mostly natural products because they are more nourishing to my hair than commercial ones. Once in a while I'll do a rhassoul treatment.

Other than that, I don't really have a set routine.

4) Do you have a HEALTHY BODY routine? If so, what is it?
In regards to skincare, I use the oil cleansing method for my face. I exfoliate once or twice a week and do a facial mask as needed.
I mostly use shea butter for my body and I also love exfoliating once to twice a week.
In regards to diet, I still need to work on it. I have severe Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome and diabetes running in the family so last year I decided to change completely my diet and went vegan cold turkey. Eventually I decided to adopt a vegetarian diet with as little dairy products as I can (I still love lattes and ice cream) and include raw foods. My diet is still a work in progress and it has been hard to say goodbye to comfort meals such as chapatis, samosas, jollof rice etc..

5) Do you have any advice for those seeking healthy tresses?
Yes, first and foremost don't get caught up in hair typing. I grew up mainly in West Africa, mostly Ghana and Senegal and I've never heard about hair types until I came to the USA. I don't think it really matters whether you have 4 a, b, c, d because each head is unique. I still don't know what my hair type is and I am fine.

The second advice will be not to compare yourself to others and just be happy with your own progress. This is hard because we go to hair forums and stalk people's fotki to be inspired especially when we have little support outside of the online communities. But when I started finding myself resenting people who have big chopped and had more hair in 6 months than me in 4 years, I had to take a step back and remember that each person is different.

Last but not least, do what works for you and have fun. Sometimes we get caught up in hair challenges and we become stressed out if we don't see any progress.

Sugar, Acne, and Skin Care Recap!

Skin Care Tip of the Day: You are what you eat.  Sweets, which are proinflammatory, may contribute to acne [1] [2].  (In my personal experience, they definitely do.) For clearer skin, avoid chocolate, cookies, cake, sodas, fruit juices, and other proinflammatory foods. Consume anti-inflammatory foods like salmon, whole grain, and oranges. Also, drink plenty of water.

*************
In case you missed previous skin care topics on this blog, here is a recap:

1. Black Skin and Sunscreen
2. Hyperpigmentation in Black Skin
3. Building a Skin Care Regimen
4. Hey Med School ... Skin Care, Please?
5. Household Makeup Removers
6. Natural Skin Care ... On a Budget

and more!

Type 4 Series: Knots and Tangles

This is a series on how to style and manage type 4 hair healthily. It doesn't matter whether you are natural, transitioning, or stretching relaxers.

Today's topic: Combatting knots and tangles.

Here are previous posts addressing knots and tangles in natural hair of any type (2, 3, 4, etc.):
Knots ... Be Gone!
When You Get a Knot

I recommend reading them first.

*****************
Tight coils, little to no curl pattern, and major shrinkage make type 4 hair a conducive environment for knots and tangles. Imagine tossing several tightly coiled wires into a bag haphazardly.  Now imagine removing these wires one by one from the bag. Knots and tangles galore, right? A similar event can occur in type 4 natural hair that is left loose, wild, and shrunken.

The basics to minimizing knots & tangles
Protective style frequently. Detangle thoroughly and regularly. Keep the hair moisturized. (For more details on the basics, read the earlier mentioned posts.) Tips: Use a wide tooth comb first then follow up with a medium tooth comb or a gentle paddle brush. Refrain from wearing wash-n-gos after passing 6-8 inches in length.

Further prevention ... Wash in braids
Washing loose hair is discouraged. (Think back to the bag full of tightly coiled wires.)  Instead, wash your hair in braided sections to minimize tangling. About washing in twists: Twists, unless done small or medium, tend to unravel during a wash. Thus, braids may be a better option.

Continuing on ... Short-term stretched styles
If you want to wear your hair out, stretched styles (i.e., twist outs, braid outs) are by far the best method.  However, allowing such styles to age beyond their limit leaves room for shrinkage and tangling.  Keep the style wear to a minimum.  Note: The higher the humidity, the shorter the wear. The longer your hair, the shorter the wear.

Speaking of stretching ... Use a thick, heavy detangler
During your regular detangling sessions, use a cholesterol-based or other thick, heavy conditioner to ease the process.  The conditioner will add weight to the hair thus stretching the coils temporarily. Alternative: Some type 4's prefer detangling on dry, stretched, lubricated hair since wet strands equate to shrinkage.

Do not wet the knot
In the event that you do get a knot, the worst thing you can do is apply water. Why? Because it will shrink the hair and make the knot harder to unravel. Instead, apply an oil or butter and gradually pull out each strand from the knot one by one. Alternative: Some type 4's have success applying conditioner to a knot while others do not. Do what works for you.  Depending on how serious the knot is, a thin tool - such as the end of a rattail comb - may be used to undo the knot. Refrain from using sharp tools, like needles or safety pins, which may damage the cuticle.

"Soul" Food Mondays || Fear of Failure

"The greatest barrier to success is the fear of failure." - Eriksson

Fear of not reaching your goal. Fear of making a fool of yourself. Fear of your current relationship failing like the others did. Whatever the fear, realize that it is preventing you from succeeding. If you fail, so what. Dust yourself off and try again. No one said the journey would be easy and without bumps in the road. The worst thing you can do is to let fear of failure sabotage your path to success.

Henna on Nails: Henna "Nail Polish"

The use of henna on nails goes back centuries and spans across continents, including Africa, Asia, and Europe.  For a brief history on this use, read this henna-pledia.

Henna for lasting nail color
Henna color has a permanence that conventional nail polish lacks.  The color does not chip prematurely but lasts until the nail grows out fully. 

Henna for stronger nails
Henna binds to the keratin in nails thus strengthening the nails.

Henna coloring instructions
Read this recipe and instructions for painting one's nails with henna.  Various colors can be achieved, including red, burgundy, black, turmeric, and others depending on the henna mixture.

Playlist for June

Summer weather equals more frequent washes equals more frequent twist sets.  (Down from 3-4 weeks of wearing a set to 2 weeks.)  For summer hair care tips, click here.

On repeat: Small/medium twists pulled back

Sounds like: Lauryn Hill and her locs

Interlude: weekly washes & moisturizing, bi-weekly detangling & redo

Reader's Question: When Shea Butter Doesn't Work

Post inspired by a reader! Thank you for your question. 

For some people, shea butter is not an effective moisturizer (or sealant).  In order to enhance its moisturizing properties, oils (e.g., olive oil), aloe vera gel, or other substances are added and the final mixture is applied to damp (not dry) hair.   However, even this technique does not work for some.  So now what?

Add Honey

Honey is a natural humectant, or substance that aids in moisture retention. Adding 1-3 teaspoons of honey to a cup of shea butter may do the trick. However, if this option does not work, try ...

Alternative - Glycerin and Water

Vegetable glycerin, like honey, is a natural humectant. Mix a teaspoon of vegetable glycerin with a cup of water to start.  Spritz on damp or dry hair. Add more glycerin to your mixture if desired. 

Alternative - Products Containing Propylene Glycol

Propylene Glycol is yet another humectant.  If you are familiar with jerri curls and leisure curls, then you are aware of the wet drippy look of these styles.  Well, this "wet drippy" look is achieved by products called activators, which usually contain propylene glycol as well as water and glycerin.  Activators can be applied to all hairs, natural or relaxed, to aid with moisture retention.  (Propylene glycol in this form is safe.)


Alternative - Kokum Butter and Honey

Kokum butter is stocked with fatty acids (e.g., oleic acid, stearic acid, etc.).  It is used in certain natural hair care products to aid in moisturization.  It is also very firm.  Try mixing kokum with another butter, such as mango or avocado, to make it usable.  Add some honey to improve moisture retention.

Upcoming "Type 4 Series" Posts

Coming soon (readers' requests) ...

- Easy ways to combat tangles and knots

- More elegant, special-occasion styles

- Styling fine/thin hair

- Styling short, neck-length hair

Feel free to add more requests in the comments section.

Type 4 Series: Formal Style (Rollerset)

This is a series on how to style and manage type 4 hair healthily. It doesn't matter whether you are natural, transitioning, or stretching relaxers.

Today's topic: Roller set type 4 hair with no/low heat. Style into an elegant updo as pictured.

Difficulty level: Easy/Medium for experienced rollersetters or those with short hair, Hard for newbie rollersetters or those with long hair

Time: several hours

Tools: 

moisturizer (no humectants), 

gel (if you're natural; recommend Pantene, Eco Styler),
OR setting lotion (if you're relaxed, transitioning) 

anti-humidity serum (recommend Redken, CHI, Pantene), 

rattail comb, 

ouchless bands, 

snap-on magnetic rollers (size depends on length of hair; the smaller, the longer lasting the style)

OR flexi-rods (more difficult to use)

Instructions:

• Wash, deep condition, detangle as usual
• Apply moisturizer and braid into 6-10 sections with ouchless bands at the roots
• Allow hair to airdry to 70-80% (somewhere between damp + dry but closer to damp).  This step stretches the coils and minimizes the density of natural, shrunken hair.

• One by one, undo each braid, remove the ouchless band, and do the following:
• Part a 1 inch by 2 1/2 inch section of hair
• Apply a moderate amount of gel to the section
• Follow up with a moderate amount of anti-humidity serum 
• Comb with rattail comb and roll tautly with a snap-on magnetic roller
• Repeat until done and move onto the next braid
• After you've finished roller setting, let the hair airdry COMPLETELY. (Alternatively, you may sit under a hooded dryer until hair is dry.)
• Remove the rollers and style as desired.  

[Back in 2008 with flexi-rods]

NOTE:

*It's KEY to let the hair dry completely before removing the rollers.

*The smaller the parts, the tighter and smoother the curls. 

*The smaller the rollers, the tighter and smoother the curls.

*Gel works better on my hair than setting lotion.  Experiment with your hair to see what works for you.

*Reserve this style for dry (non-rainy, non-humid) weather.

Oils, Aloe Vera, and Whipped Hair Butter

It's that time of year again to mix another whipped hair butter!  (My batch ran out this weekend.)  

Ingredients (all are moisturizing):

� unrefined shea butter (softening)
� coconut oil (protection [1] [2])
� olive oil
� safflower OR grapeseed oil (high in fatty acids)
� aloe vera gel
� essential oil (for fragrance, optional)

Instructions:

Read my earlier post on the body butter mixture; the instructions are very similar.  For every cup of shea butter, use 1/4 a cup of olive oil, 1/8 a cup of coconut oil, 1/8 a cup of safflower/grapeseed oil, and a few tablespoons of aloe vera gel.  Of course you can tweak this mixture for a creamier or firmer consistency.  Feel free add drops of your favorite essential oil for fragrance!

FOR THE MIXOLOGISTS:

More whipped butter recipes can be found here.

Hiatus Update

Back from hiatus, but only posting weekly for now.  :)