Category: aloe vera

aloe vera, au naturale, bananas, coconut milk, coconut oil, coconut water, curl defining, lupie chick, lupus, miss sixx, mist, natural hair, natural hair styles, potassium, Rihanna

Coconut Water ~ Health~ Skin~ Hair

The Lupie Chick

I have been struggling with maintaining proper potassium levels due to Lupus and some of my medications. The muscle spasms, drowsiness’s, and extreme thirst was too much to deal with and painful ( imagine the worse Charlie horse you’ve ever had then magnify that feeling by 10). I didn’t want to have to take another pill ( supplement) and I’m not a fan of bananas ( a great source of potassium), I sought the advice of my doctor as to what I could do naturally to bring my levels up.

He provided me with a list of good sources of potassium including fresh fruits, vegetables, shellfish, beans, wheat bran, salad, nuts, cereals, meat, and dairy foods. Then he told me about Coconut Water { insert O_o } is that like coconut oil?? Coconut milk?? I’d never heard of it. What is it??

Coconut Water a clear liquid extracted from green coconuts is low in fat and calories, has no cholesterol, and has a natural balance of sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium- making it a healthy electrolyte drink. Coconut water is rich in potassium: a typical serving offers 569 mg, which is almost twice the amount in a banana.

The amino acids, potassium, and magnesium that make these tonics such a stellar sip also do wonders for stressed-out skin. You can use coconut water as a facial “mask.” Just apply to your skin and let it rest for 5-15 minutes, then wash off. Otherwise you can use it daily to wash your skin. Coconut water not only cleanses, it also tones your skin. If your skin is oily, you can also add grapefruit or pineapple juice to the coconut water, for added benefits.



Coconut water comes in many varieties ( and price points) and is sold everywhere from grocery stores, specialty markets, to Sephora I had imagined that it would taste like one of those fancy drinks you see people drinking while vacationing in a tropical paradise like Hawaii, Mexico or the Caribbean. I saw many celebrities pictured drinking coconut water so I thought, yeah… this is going to be good.

Rihanna

I went to Sam’s Club and purchased a case for $15.99.
NOW BEFORE YOU ALL RUN TO SAM’S
STOP….WAIT…. PAUSE…
HAVE A SEAT AND FINISH READING THIS POST
I could NOT drink it- everything I read said it was a ” delicious, cool, and refreshing ” LIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That stuff hit the back of my throat and BABY… EEERRRYYYYTHING I had previous digested came up and out!!!!!!! It’s a taste I cant describe except (IMO) it tasted like a mix of high octane gasoline with a subtle note of coconut.  ( YUKE!!!!!) I have a case of this stuff- and I WASNT GOING TO LET IT GO TO WASTE- what’s a girl to do??

The mixologist in me created a (natural) Coconut Water Curl Refesher!!!!!!!!

Recipe: Coconut Curl Quench
1 (can/box) Coconut Water
1/2-1 can (Goya) Coconut Milk
2-3 table spoons of Coconut Oil
2-3 table spoons of Aloe Vera Juice/Jelly ( which ever you have on hand)
 (optional) couple of drops of Vitamin E

Pour  everything into a spray bottle, shake to mix all indgredients. You can use  this as a curl refesher or if you need to mist your hair before/during styling/twisting/braiding this is perfect!!!!!!

I will have to seek an alternative method for taking in more potassium. because I cant stomach the coconut water, but my hair LOVES IT!!!!. ** Guess I better start with banana smoothies**

3-C hair type, aloe vera, au naturale, Cantu Shea butter leave in conditioner, frizz control, miss naturale, miss sixx, orange marmalade hair butter, product review, sulfate free, twist outs

Product Review: Cantu Shea Butter Leave – In Conditioner

The Lupie Chick

Manufacturer: Cantu

Type: Leave-In Conditioner

Size: 16 fl.oz

Price: $4.99-$5.99

Attributes: moisture, shine, frizz control, sulfate-free

Ingredients: Water, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Glycine Soja Oil (Soybean), Propylene Glycol, Polyquaternium 37, Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, PPG 1 Trideceth 6, Cetyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Stearalkonium Chloride, Trimethylsilylamodimethicone, Panthenol, PPG 1-PPG-9 Lauryl Glycol Ether, Lanolin Oil, Cinnamidopropyl Trimonium Chloride, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Acrylamidopropyltrimonium Chloride/Acrylamide Copolymer, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Benzophenone 3, BHA, BHT, Zea Mays Oil (Corn), Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, DMDM Hydantoin, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance

The week prior to me taking down my locs I had been eyeing a few products that I may need to add to my line up to assit me with achieving frizz free, detangled, moisturized hair ( all in 1 product) Ok I was reaching- but you know what I mean ( lol..lol..). I’d been stalking a few forums/blogs and a common product that most raved about was the Cantu Shea butter Leave – In Conditioner. My hair type is 3-c and alot of 3-c’s raved about it- so I thought I would go for it… I used it this morning for the first time.. And…..

The Good: (1) Affordable- this product was easy on the pockets. I paid $4.99, but saw it at a few outlets for $5.99. (2) This product is readily available everywhere ( Beauty supply stores, CVS, Walgreen, Target, Walmart). (3) the smell was pleasant. (4) the texture was like marshmallow cream, it glided on easy and my hair felt moisturized while it was wet.

The Bad: It didn’t mix well with the Orange Marmalade Hair Butter and Aloe Vera Gel, I cant really describe it- but it wasn’t giving me what I needed. After applying CSB to the first 2 sections of my hair- I noticed a white residue in/on my hair.. tiny white clumps ( yikes).. As the hair dried the clumps seem to disappear- but I wasn’t happy seeing that clumps. I didn’t apply it to the back- I stopped after I noticed the clumps in the front.

The Ugly: When the sections dried.. CRUNCH..CRUNCH..CRUNCH.. it left my hair crunchy!!!!! NOT..NOT..NOT… happy!!!!! I became paranoid and feverishly tried to figure out what I did wrong. I re read the instructions and noticed the warning label. The warning label states ” Avoid applying any styling or conditioning product directly on new growth” WHAAAAT!!!! WHY IS THAT?? That has left me very concerned and apprehensive.

Overall: I wasn’t overjoyed. The clumps and the crunchies didn’t make me a happy camper this morning. I will try it once more when I do my next twist out ( I did a wet n’ go this morning). After that depending on the results I may be giving this product up at a swap and shop tweetup.

Whats your experience with CSB: Hit or Diss??
aloe vera, coconut milk, comb coils, cultivated locs, curly fro, kinks, loc removal, miss naturale, miss sixx, orange marmalade, twist outs

My Loc Take Down!!!!!

The Lupie Chick

I’ve been debating about taking down my loc’s and starting them over for sometime now. I’ve been asking others there thought about me taking down my loc’s and I receive mixed responses. My loc’s were started 2.5 years ago with comb coils. As my hair begin to loc, I realized they were too fat ) especially on the top and the middle of my head). I wanted skinner, more uniformed loc’s. I’ve received so many “opinions” about width, size, etc. Ultimately I decided I had to be the decision maker and I needed to do what would make me happy in the long run. With that being said- Let’s start operation loc take down.

Day 1- July 11

Washed locs, and heavily laid on Mane N’ Tail conditioner with a heat cap. I left the cap on 30 minutes before I started the take down. I pulled one loc out from under the cap, and begun to pick with a rat tail comb. it took 1 hour for me to take down 1 loc!!!!!! F-R-U-S-T-R-A-T-I-N-G!!!! I had a spray bottle with conditioner and water – I sprayed every second.. gosh … IT HURT. After 5 hours, I’d only taken down 12 locs!!!! at this rate I’ll be doing this 3 months *sigh*


Day 2-July 12th

All day at work, I was thinking ” how can I speed up the take down process?”. Detangler!!! Maybe detangler would help.. I went to lunch and purchased a large bottle of Mane and Til detangler. I came home, ate dinner and spritzed my loc’s heavily with the detangler and the conditioner/water mix. I began to pick away…. *le sigh* lets just say Day 2 I only removed 3 locs!!!! The process wasn’t any faster and i was only more annoyed. enough for today.. will resume business tomorrow :C

Day 3-July 13th

Ok, Day 3 is here. I would have thought that after 3 days I would see more progress- NOT! I emailed my friend Kellee, who had taken down her loc’s. I inquired about her technique, and products to use. She advised that I was doing it correctly- and that its a very long process. It took her about 8 days to remove her loc’s. So I found some shows to watch on TV, laid out all my tools and got to work.. wet loc’s with water.. spritz with detangler.. spritz with conditioner/water mix… massage everything in.. snip the ends off.. pick..pick..pick.. after 3 hours I’d taken down 5 loc’s. Ive now made 5 my goal for each evening. too many more after 5 makes me very frustrated and my head start to hurt ( I’m tender headed).

Day 4th-July 14th

I was a wet mess last night with the double spritzing.. so I decided to put the detangler in to the conditioner/water mix.. *shrug shoulder*, couldn’t hurt, and I’m trying to reduce time. Man, I started with the really fat loc’s.. JESUZ!!!!! they took an hour to work through. whew.. I almost stopped at 4, but then I felt bad that I didn’t meet my target, so I did one more and I completed 5 ( YEAH ME!!). I see right now.. the fat ones are going to be difficult ( and they are all in the middle of my head and on top of my head).

Day 5-July 15th

I visited my local grocery store during lunch and noticed that the VO5 conditioner was on sale for $1. I began to browse though the assorted varieties- and came upon ” Tea Therapy” The chamomile is suppose to have a calming effect. So I jumped on it ( I’d started having anxiety attacks over the process.. it was getting to me- in a bad way). After work, I went straight home, ate dinner, got relaxed, and went to work on the next set of loc’s. This time, I told myself I wouldn’t count ( although I did) and I would take my time. Well I wet the loc’s and sprayed them one at a time with the VO5 conditioner/water mix.. Baby.. I was working em out!!! I worked from 7p-11p and had taken out 9 loc’s. Almost all of the front were taken down. I love the VO5 conditioner. its a little thicker than the Mane and Tail, and for this process- I think I rather use the least expensive of the two. Not sure if the Chamomile in the conditioner did its job with the calming effects- but I was calm.. and I found my rhythm. **Doing the cabbage patch**

Day 6- July 18th

OK.. today wasn’t so great- its the day AFTER the wine fest and I was nursing a MAJOR hangover. *Note to self* taste the wine- don’t DRINK IT…I washed my entire head- It was hot, I was sweating and I had been spraying conditioner in it all week so I figured I would wash my hair, and do as many as I could with a hangover. I worked from 2p-8p and I completed 8- the entire front is loose!!!!! I did 2 big twist on the loose hair and sealed the ends with Crisco ( yes, the blue can- CRISCO). I looked like Shirley Temple with the ringlets hanging from my face. My daughter came in and said ” mommy.. your almost finished!!” All I have left is the back.. MAKING PROGRESS !!!!!!

Day 7- July 20th

I’ve missed two days and I feel like I need to get this OVER AND DONE WITH. I came straight home, ate a quick meal- and got to working. I worked for 5 hours and had removed 6 loc’s. The back is allot harder to take down- actually they are murderous. They are wound so tight and they are smaller. Aggggghhhh.. I’m never gonna be finished ( *insert sad face*)

Day 8-July 21st

I came to work feeling good and looking better. Until it was implied that my loc’s project a bad image. You can tell that my loc’s are gone in the front- I’ve been wearing my hair in a pony tail. One of my co workers noticed and lets just say- I found out what she really thought of me rockin loc’s ( click here to read what happen). I came home, hotter than Satan and immediately began to work on the remaining loc’s. I think I was so angry that I channeled that energy intro completing the take down. I didn’t track how many I took down, I just worked until I was tired and out of energy.


Day 9 – July 23rd

I have a few errands to run and I’m ready to get home and finish working on my hair. Its the start of the weekend and I’m determined- I WILL NOT GO TO WORK ON MONDAY WITH 2 HAIR STYLES ( locs in the back and a pony tail on the front- NOT GOING TO DO IT). I’m down to the final 15 loc’s. I worked until 2am Sat morning- ( I swear if I’d started with the back- I would have chopped them all off- there is NO way I could have done too many more of these skinner, tightly coiled loc’s)..

Day 10- July 24th

We spent most of the day at the water park to beat the 110 degree weather. While at the water park- I noticed every loc wearer- and there were plenty to look at. OMG– I cant wait to re loc. I’m starting to feel out of the circle-but its ok– I’m out BUT NOT FOR LONG. I washed my hair- and two strand twisted the “loose hair”, and sealed the ends with Crisco. I’m down to the final 9 loc’s ( yeah!!!!!). I can see the finish line..


Day 11- July 25th

I woke up with a mission.. Today is the day I will complete my loc take down. I cooked breakfast and dinner at the same time. Doubled up on ice cold drinks turned the TV to First 48 and began to work on the final 4. The final 4 were stubborn- OH BABY! they weren’t trying to go!!!! I realized after hours of tugging.. and picking that the last two rows in the back were the ones I latched- That’s why they are so friggin tight!!!! Anyhoo– It took me 6.5 hours to take down the final 4! Whew I got to the last one- I almost cried- I knew that once that last one was out- I would temporarily be out of the loc wearer circle ( sad face). I almost kept it, then I was going to cut the whole loc off as a memory- then I decided to just take it down. I called my daughter in the room and told her I was on my last loc. She asked, “now that you don’t have loc’s will you still make products?”- We’ll of course I will- she smiled, and clapped and I begun to pick..pick..pick..pick…. ( fast forward 52 minutes) and it gone.. I no longer rock loc’s– I marveled at my hair.. Now I’m here with this big head of hair and suddenly, I’m confused.. I’ve been natural off/on since 1995- but I always kept it short. I plaited my hair and trimmed the ends, took the plaits out- moisturized and two strand twisted all the hair. Now what?? My friend Kellee, and I exchanged 22 email over the last 11 days. She asked me ” what will you wear for your debut” * shrug shoulder* I don’t know- maybe a twist out- This day seemed so far away- but now its here- what am I going to do???

Debut New Hair Day!!!- July 26th

Its Monday- I whipped out my new dress to go with my new hair. I’m feeling something sexy and fancy. I un twisted the two strand twist I had did last night- and errrrr.. ME NO LIKEY.. I didn’t look like the girls on You tube.. I didn’t like it.. nope.. can rock like this.. So I took my water bottle filled with Coconut milk, water, and Aloe Juice and spritzed my hair.. Rubbed some Orange Marmalade Hair Butter on each section… a little Aloe Vera Gel… Shuck.. finger fluffed- D-O-N-E…. I got big hair ( which is what I wanted) * doing the cabbage patch* I LOVE IT!!!!! I put on my hoop earrings to complete my style and a sista is looking and feeling like a million bucks ( **singing Uh You fancy huh?**):!!!!!!!!

aloe vera, au naturale, bun, free style, loc maintenance, loc styles, miss sixx, pony tail, straight pins, up do

Another Free Style Loc Updo

The Lupie Chick

Things You’ll Need:
* Styling Gel ( I used Pure Aloe Vera)
* large rubber bands
* Large straight pins

Instructions:

1. Section hair into 3 sections (you should be able to make 3 pony tails (1) on the top of your head, (1) in the midle, and (1) in the back)

2. Gather the pony tail together- pulling all the locs straight down- take 1-2 locs and wrap them around the pony tail ( you are using the locs to make a pony tail holder) secure the ends with a small straight hair pin or tuck loose pieces into the pony tail. ** You can also use a rubber band or a pony tail holder to make a pony tail and wrap the locs around the rubber band to hide it-if desired**

3. After the pony tail is secured- take the ends (loose locs) and gather them together, put a rubber band around the end ( if some of the locs fall out of the pony tail – its OK-you can secure them later)

4. take the pony tail and roll it under- secure with a couple of hair pins ( I used (1) on each side and (1) in the middle) to create a “bun”

5. Continue Steps 2-4 on each pony tail

6. Apply a little Aloe Vera gel to your edges to control any fly-aways

7. Wrap hair at night with a satin scarf/bonnet, and oil scalp as needed

**Note**
This style took 15-20 minutes to complete.
aloe vera, au naturale, avocado oil, blacksoap, co-wash, cultivated locs, ecostyler, kellee Tolbert, mositure, natural, natural hair, natural hair styles, soybean oil, vegatable glycerin, vo5, water

Interview: Loc Take Down W/ Kellee Tolbert

The Lupie Chick



What’s your name and where are you from?
Kellee Tolbert, grew up in Glen Burnie, MD. But I live in Baltimore Now

How long were you loc’d before you decided to take them down?
3 years

Why did you choose to take your loc’s down?
I wanted a change. My locs were not healthy; I had little knowledge about how to care for them at the time. Also, I was not able to do my own hair and it was getting expensive going to the salon just to get a style

What method did you use to remove your locs? Products?
Just a rat-tooth comb, with the metal end and some VO5 conditioner

What has been the reaction of your family and friends since removing your loc’s?
My husband has been very supportive of my natural journey. My mother in the opposite and wishes that I would relax my hair. She was not in favor of the locs either.

What styles do you love to wear the most and why? How do you go about achieving this style?
I like when my hair looks wild and big. I achieve this by twist outs and braid outs

How do you detangle your hair?
I find that detangling before I wash works best for me. I just spray a glycerin/water mixture and take sections with a wide tooth comb and get to work

How do you maintain length? Moisture?
I don’t really worry about length, because there is a lot of shrinkage. Moisture was a big problem for me. I now have the correct mixture of shea butter that works for my hair. I also do a mayo/egg conditioner.. sometimes I add an avocado. It has been working very well for my hair.

How do you protect your curls at night?
If I have a twist out.. I re-twist with shea butter and put my satin cap on

Name a few challenges you are currently facing with your hair. Have you been doing anything different to overcome these challenges?
Right now I am trying to get my hair to grow in the places that were broken off from the locs. Just keeping moisture has been working.

List the products that you use and how you use them. What is your current hair regimen? share what works for you!
I make my own she butter hair cream recently added Soybean oil and Avocado Oil and I have noticed a significant difference in the moisture and shine. For quick styling in the morning I use coconut oil. To wash I use Blacksoap shampoo ( only when I have product in my hair ie. gel ( Ecostyler or aloe gel) Or I just use VO5 with oils added for co-washing. Glycerin/water mix to hydrate curls.

Do you have any advice for other naturals?
Being Natural has more to do with just hair. It is mental! You have to be extremely comfortable with yourself to live outside of society norms. It took me a while to understand this and it is not for everyone. Everyone has their own journey.

Where on the web can we find more about you and your styles?
No website. But maybe in the future I would like to do natural hair consulting; especially for children. Children of bi-racial and adoptive parents. There is a lot of knowledge that needs to be shared. Education is always the key.

african american, aloe vera, au naturale, bath, carols daughter, conditioner, disney, miss sixx, olive oil, shampoo, sunflower seed oil

Carols Daughter Launch The Princess and The Frog Bath Collection

The Lupie Chick


Carol’s Daughter is launching(in October) a new line of bath products inspired by the upcoming film The Princess and the Frog. The film features Princess Tiana, Disney’s first African-American princess, as the heroine.

What: The Princess and the Frog bath collection by Carol’s Daughter

Description: The Princess and the Frog bath collection by Carol’s Daughter is a limited limited-edition line of hair and bath & body products made with natural ingredients such as aloe leaf juice, cranberry extract, sunflower seed oil, olive oil etc. The collection includes a shampoo, conditioner, hair detangler and bubble bath packaged in packaging featuring scenes from the movie. The product line is geared for African-American hair but is suitable for all races.

Product Highlight(s): Affordable, AA owned

Price:$10.00

Where to Buy: Carolsdaughter.com

aloe vera, au naturale, coconut oil, essential oils, EVOO, jojoba oil, keepitsimplesista, miss sixx, mist, mixology 101, receipe, rosemary, vegatable glycerin, vitamin E

Receipe: Aloe Vera Moisturizer Mist

The Lupie Chick

Here is the receipe of my favorite moisturizer

Water
2 ounces Pure Aloe Vera Juice
2 ounces Coconut Oil or EVOO
1- Vitamin E capsule
1-2 tsp Glycerin or honey Quat
1-2 tsp jojoba Oil
2-3 drops of Rosemary EO ( or any EO of your choice) **optional**

Mix together in a spray bottle- Mist daily or as needed

** You can alter the amounts until you until you get the results you like***

almond oil, aloe vera, au naturale, coconut oil, hair receipes, jojoba oil, lavender, miss naturrale, miss sixx, peppermint, receipe, shealoe, tree tree oil, vegatable glycerin, vitamin E

Shealoe Hair Smoothie

The Lupie Chick

RECEIPE: Shealoe Hair Smoothie recipe for loc’s, fro, twist-out care and maintenance

Ingredients:

4 Tbsp shealoe butter
2 Tbsp tea tree oil
2 Tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp sweet almond oil
1 tsp jojoba
1 tsp vegatable glycerin
1 tsp 100% aloe vera gel
5 Vitamin E capsules
5 drops of peppermint Oil
10 drops of lavender Essential Oil (or oil of your choice)

aloe vera, carols daughter, hair treatment, loc butter, loc's, maintenance, miss naturrale, miss sixx, tea

What’s your loc maintenance rountine???

The Lupie Chick

What’s your loc maintenance guidline?? I’ll start, feel free to fill in the blanks or rewrite the questions and answer them as you see fit.
——————————————————————————
You need to wash you hair (8) eight days/weeks/months after you get your locs started.

You need to retwist every (2) Two days/weeks/months.

You need to retwist using Carols Daughter Loc Butter or my homemade loc butter .

I wash my locs with homemade peppermint herbal shampoo.

I began using conditioner 14 days/weeks/months after my first twist.

I use aloe vera or tea rinse conditioner

Whats your routine???

** guide borrowed from Nappturality **