Ready-made VS. Home-made

So, today I was at Target shopping for a familiar hair care product that I'm low on. A woman that seemed to know a thing or two about natural hair struck a conversation with me, discouraging me from a jar I had in my hand.

"I've tried that before... it's not very good."

I was surprised, because I saw short, black, processed, straight, hair... the more we spoke, she later revealed it was a wig, and that she was doing a deep-treatment conditioner wrapped up beneath the hair - the length of which, she displayed with one finger beneath her right shoulder-blade, went down to the middle of her back.

I was looking for something to help control frizz and define my curls better. Her remedy?

1 part glycerin, 1 part water, 1 part conditioner, mix in a spray bottle, and GO. Really??

"Oh... and add some honey to soften the curls."

We were getting so intimate with our personal hair care regiment, that I finally had to officially introduce myself (we were so busy jack-jawing about hair that we didn't exchange our names at that point). Her name was Takema, but I could call her Kema.

Glycerin is a "humectant", meaning it attracts moisture, and would be good for use in the summer, she said, since it would attract the humidity in the air and lock the water in my hair.

My main issue: I'm laaazy. Why go mixing things I have to go out and buy or find at home when I can just purchase something that's already made??

Well, here's a few reasons I thought of after I found myself in the local beauty supply store later this afternoon, with a bottle of "Africare" 100% vegetarian/kosher Glycerine in one hand and "Shea Moisture" Curl Enhancing Smoothie (with glycerine!) in the other:

• Cheaper to make at home, I guess
• Home-made products would be easier to customize the ingredient ratio based on its response to my hair
• Food-safe glycerin would have less "stuff" in it (like preservatives or other chemicals) - if it's safe to eat, it's safe to put in your hair! <----- P.S. - I met ANOTHER natural hair aficionado at the beauty supply store, that quote was hers. Her name was Renee, she had long natural hair as well.
• Self-fulfilling - knowing that I made something from basic ingredients in my own kitchen. I can't cook, but I can do hair!

In the end, I bought both - the glycerine and hair product are in direct view right now on my dresser. I will experiment with the two and see how my coils react.

One thing I read from an article on the Natural Hair Community newsletter:

"You don't tell your hair what to do - your hair tells YOU what to do."

The right combination of product, maintenance, restoration, and good ol' TLC will make for beautiful, strong, happy hair.


What do you think about ready-made vs. home-made?
Do you have any hybrid home-made recipes that you use in your own hair???

I to I - "I am Philip Gibson"

I am Tamara Monique. 

I work in an office with incoming and outgoing 'people traffic' going by my desk on the regular. Full-time, part-time, day shift, and night. One day, recently, I saw Phil with a uniquely designed graphic tee and a colorful Haiwaiian button-up shirt over it, worn undone. I was drawn to it, and his style in general. He's a quiet and friendly guy, and his arrangements were quirky and cool, both bold and subtle with color essences found within the flavor of his shirt and in the tone of his shoes. I would turn with anticipation every morning as he passed by to grab a glance of what he would show up in that day – and OUTWARDLY, I would express my enthusiasm, until one day I decided:

I need to take his picture.

By this point, we already established some things during a semi in-depth conversation, so I knew what the deal was with his shirts, including – he prints his OWN designs! Phil is a silkscreen artist, and printmaking is actually his focus in College.. as well as being a drummer in a band (or 2?), and a part-time art instructor at a university pretty much teaching young kids how to be creative outlets of their own. For someone so young, just shy of 20 years-old, it's truly refreshing to be a witness to this sort of interest, talent, and passion in the Arts, and forging ahead to make their mark on the industry in their own unique way.

"I need to take his picture" – and so I did. This is Phil, featured in his own design work:

Featured design "Til Death" currently ON SALE! http://lockstitchdesigns.bigcartel.com/

I am Philip Gibson.

Lockstitch Designs is a company based on out-of-the-box forward thinking. It is a company built on pooling together a community of entrepreneurial artists and musicians, & it is a brand that aims to be more of a "creative initiative" than a clothing company. As a designer and artist, I enjoy working as a printmaker and the medium of t-shirts in an effort to influence people to think twice about consumerism while still creating a product that looks and feels good.

My newest release is a 3/4 sleeve blk/wht baseball tee titled "No Education." Each shirt is uniquely tie dyed 1 of 8 colors and printed myself. No two pieces are identical!

I am also on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/LockstitchDesigns?ref=hl

Instagram @LockstitchDesigns

Twitter @LockstitchDsgns

I support the Local Artist. I am inspired by the go-getters, DIY enforcers, and unique-thinking forces behind crafts and designs that make you go "aaah".

"I to I" is a segment featuring people that I meet in depth or just pass in the street, that are incredible in their own way, and were introduced to me - so I introduce them to you.

Best of Luck, Phil*

Black Girl Hair Stuff: - Deep Conditioning / feat.Shea Moisture

Water - an essential ingredient to what keeps our bodies in "fluid motion": hydrated, nourished, functioning smoothly.

Blood flows through your winding veins, muscles embrace the bones and tendons that hold you together, your skin and your stomach are flushed of impurities with each glass you consume.. all moisturized and invigorated by water.


Hair with curves - kinky hair, coily hair, spiraling curly hair - lust for moisture how our thirst craves for water.. I had a mop for an extended amount of time that resembled the appearance of a dried old plant left in the window, forgotten about in the basement with little to no sunlight... you know the one? Now, why did that happen? Well - I simply did not realize how much of an importance daily moisturizing was, every-single-day. Like that plant I just mentioned, actually.

See the photo below - see the dry, tangled, wispy strands.. and the coarse, dense, matted base underneath? This was my hair for years - on top of spontaneous blow-drying and straightening.



Heat + no moisturizer = Hot Mess Desert. No bueno!

Why did it get this bad and go so far? Well - I didn't know how to take good care of my Natural hair. Curl strands are delicate.. they can be broken, stressed, torn out, and knotted with little effort and even by accident.

Thanks to the various resources available on the internet about natural hair care, and a trip to a not-so-inexpensive high end hair salon, I learned about - CONDITIONING!! Condition, Condition, Condition your hair GIRLS AND BOYS!!

Not talking about hair grease, or oils, or sprays - these products tend to stay on the surface and "sit", most times causing build-up on the scalp, weighing hair down, and causing funky smells.. eck. I did a little bit of research and came across this great line of Curly Hair care products that is inexpensive, animal friendly, and full of delicious natural ingredients for your thirsty hair - Shea Moisture.
 
 

• Rooted in the homemade hair and skin products by the founder's grandmother, a widowed mother of four in Sierra Leone selling shea butter and black soap around 1912. Her name was Sofi Tucker. "Shea Moisture is her legacy". 

• Certified organic ingredients

• (Reading from the side of the jar) NO: Parabens, Phthalates, Paraffin, Gluten, Propylene Glycol, Mineral Oil, Synthetic Fragrance, Animal Testing, PABA, Synthetic Color, DEA, Animal Ingredients, or Sulfates

• Ethically traded ingredients sustainably produced 

• An inexpensive buy - ranging from $10-15

• Available in many accessible areas besides your local beauty supple store, like TARGET!

(Left Hand/Yellow Jar)
Called: "Raw Shea Butter Deep Treatment Masque w/ Sea Kelp, Argan Oil and Shea Butter"
For: Dry, Damaged Hair
Target: Heal, Grow, and Strengthen

(Right Hand/Brown Jar)
Called: "Organic African Black Soap Purification Masque w/ Plaintain Enzyme, Tea Tree, and Willow Bark extract"
For: Dry, Itchy Scalp
Target: Dandruff, Eczeme, and Psoriasis

HOW TO GET YOUR DEEP CONDITION ON!

Step 1 - Let's wet your hair. Find a comfortable temperature, not too hot and not too cold. Hot water can actually strip the hair of it's naturally produced oil, aiding in breakage because the hair's too dry. Lukewarm, more on the warm side.*

Step 2 - Pick up some goo! I use four fingers-full to dig two hearty scoops of the Purification Masque. Careful, it's creamy so you don't need TOO much.

Note: This product "removes product buildup" and "preserves hair by sealing in natural moisture". I use this FIRST because it sort of works as a cleansing palette... well not sort of, it DOES. Recommended for use before or after shampooing. *

Step 3 - Massage the masque deep throughout, interlocking fingers, rubbing at the base of the strands up through the tips....

Step 3 cont. - Pull sections apart, push hair forward and gently pulling back.. go crazy, making sure you saturate every single inch of your head!

Let sit for 10-15 minutes
(The jar advertises 5-30 minutes)










See those curls getting plump and sucking up all that goodness?

SLLLURP*

Then - let's rinse out!

 Step 4 - Deep Treatment Masque. Repeat instruction from Step 2. This product is a little bit more like 'paste' than the first masque. Use at your discretion. My hair is short, but I like to slather this baby on.

Let sit for 10-15 minutes.
(The jar advertises 5-30 minutes)

 

Step 5 (Not for ALL hair types) - Gently use your fingers to guide a wide-tooth comb detangling session. Depending on the coarse coil/kinkiness of your locks, DO NOT force the comb through your hair if it hurts. If you are able to catch a small section at a time and work the comb through without ripping your hair out, go for it. If the comb is proving too painful, try finger coming. Why this step? It helps the product work through your strands from base to tip, also removing any dead hair/loose kinks from your crown,

A close-up of the comb I use! Wide teeth are less likely to pull healthy hair out, also, is much better suited for curls by allowing them to uncoil and recoil freely when doing strokes. Find one that's best and most comfortable for you!

Step 6 - Towel dry. Gently pat and squeeze the water from your hair. Try to refrain from "spiral spinning" the towel (making circles) to prevent unintentional locking at the roots and harvesting lint in your hair from the fabric's fibers.

For Locs, Twist, or Hair Types with a tendency to frizz - Try drying with a cotton T-shirt (take a pair of scissors and cut it open so it's flat like a towel). It absorbs the water without rapidly stripping your hair of water or fraying the edges. Also - towel fuzzy free!

And VOILA! Clean, crisp, light-weight hair that feels like it can breathe.

The follow-up here, and the product that I use everyday after rinsing out with plain water in the shower is Raw Shea Butter Restorative Conditioner. It comes in a pump-bottle and with it's light-weight nature, I use this as a leave-in and I have no need for anything else.

I use 4-5 pumps for full coverage with my length hair, so start with 2 or 3 squirts and see how much more coverage your hair length and type requires to be happy.*












Natural Hair Girls and Boys: What hair products do you use and love? 

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