Category: baking soda

acv rinse, au naturale, baking soda, co-wash, coconut milk, conditioner, miss sixx, t-shirt dry

My Method of Co- Washing My Hair

The Lupie Chick

I’m often been asked how do I “wash”my hair? When I tell people I wash my hair with conditioner I oftentimes get a “confused” look. So below I’ve outlined my routine. There is no WRONG or RIGHT way to this method.


First, find a conditioner that works for your hair type. I’m a 3B/3C. My co-wash mix consist of Hello Hydration conditioner, mixed with VO5 Moisture Milk ( Strawberries and Creme), with Alma oil, Grapeseed oil, or Evoo Oil added. You can use conditioner right out the bottle- I’m a mixologist- so I mix EVERYTHING!

Get to know your ingredients. The long, hard-to-pronounce ingredients on the label can be overwhelming. But with familiarity, you can learn to spot which ingredients you want to keep and which you want to avoid. Ingredients like propylene glycol, cetyl alcohol and panthenol are common. Search online for ingredients lists. One such list can be found at http://sci-toys.com/ingredients/ingredients.html.

Recommended: Alot of naturals co-wash in the shower- I do not. If you choose to co-wash in the shower, purchase an extended shower head/hose. I co-wash my hair in the sink- I don’t like the feel of wet hair on my shoulders or back-again this is preference

Rinse the hair with warm water. Avoid water that is too hot (if it initially stings your back, it’s too hot). Cleansing results from the action of water plus cleanser (shampoo and/or conditioner) and agitation (hand movements through the hair). Warm water will clean hair well while hot water can be damaging. While rinsing with water, gently comb your hair with your fingers.

Apply your conditioner. This can be done in several ways.

(1) I pour my conditioner mix into a bottle with an applicator tip ( similar to the type of bottle hair dye comes in), I finger part my hair and apply the conditioner ( because of the applicator tip- it come out in a “line” formation”. Work the condition from root to the tips, continue until all the hair is covered.

(2) Pour conditioner mix into a large clean spray bottle and mix with water (optional: add a little coconut milk). Shake well and spray liberally onto the hair. This mixture will be more dilute than a direct application. I use this method when I need to mist my hair or to re freshen twist outs/braids outs.

Rinse your hair well, with warm water. Ease your fingers through each section while the water flows through to remove any remaining conditioner. I do not rinse all the conditioner out- this step is optional

Optional: Apply product and comb your hair with a wide-tooth comb with rounded-edge teeth (detangling comb). This step is optional, I only comb my hair once a week during my weekly detangling session. Comb from the TIPS first, ensuring there are no snags then work your way to the roots. I don’t always add product- depending on how much conditioner is left on my hair- this step varies for me.

It’s time to dry. Just as with the application, there are several ways to dry your hair.

(1) Dry with a t-shirt, simply dab and pat your hair dry, or grab sections and squeeze excess water into the t-shirt. I t-shirt dry in the colder months

(2) Shake and go. Lay your t-shirt across the back of your shoulders (lengthwise shoulder to shoulder). Grab the bottom corners of the t-shirt and raise it up to your head, almost over your head. Think of Batman’s cape raised up as he jumps off a tall building! With the shirt raised, shake your head from side to side (ear to shoulder) and left to right (like saying no), shaking excess water into the towel. This is called the “no touch” method. For me- the less I manipulate my hair- the more my curls pop. You also want to avoid the frizzes. I shake and go in the warmer months

For me, co washing my hair is the way to go! I rarely apply commercial shampoo to my hair. Shampooing is too harsh and it strips my hair of much needed oils and moisture. In place of shampooing I do the ACV rinse ( click here for recipe) & Baking Soda Rinse. If you co- wash- share your method? What conditioners do you use?

au naturale, baking soda, bantu knot, bobby pins, breast cancer awareness, clarifier, coconut milk, coconut oil, ecostyler, fro hawk, miss sixx, pre-poo, protective style, styling products

Whipping My Hair Back N’ Forth- A’Yianah’s Way

The Lupie Chick

Style: Fro-Hawk

Complete: ( 2 days set/drying time- we do not use heat on our hair- therefore her hair air dried over the course of 2 days) 20 mins-styling

Products Used: Pre Poo Treatment ( Olive Oil/Raw Honey), Baking Soda Clarifying Mix, Yes to carrots shampoo, homemade hair spritz ( Coconut Milk, Coconut Oil, Curl Activator, Distilled Water), and Eco Styler Gel

Tools Used: my fingers, bobby pins

Reason for style: Protective style for the week

Note: A’Yianah is 8 months into her transition. During most of her transition time, she has worn her hair braided, corn rolled, and two strand twisted. We decided to give her hair a “break” and rock an alternate style for a few weeks. Her hair has already begun to thicken up and her edges are growing back beautifully ( thanks to my own concoction).

It was a wonderful sight as a mom to see my daughter rocking her natural so proudly. She was smiling from ear to ear and couldn’t wait to get to school to show her version of a fro-hawk. If any of you follow her on Face Book then you saw the pic’s that she uploaded this morning. Her out fit today- a black and red punk rocker t-shirt, black skinny jeans, and high top Pastry sneaks.. She was channeling her inner Willow Smith/ Rhianna. Stay tuned for further updates on her transitioning journey.

apple cider vinegar, aspirin, au naturale, baking soda, beer, black tea, castor oil, distilled water, Diva Shoe Lounge, egg whites, eggs, lemon juice, mayonnaise, miss sixx, olive oil, shampoo

Natural Ways to have Great Hair For Less

The Lupie Chick

Baking Soda
When it comes to personal grooming, too much of a good thing can spell bad news for your hair. But a thorough cleansing with baking soda at least once a month will wash all of the gunk out of your hair. Simply add 1/2 cup of baking soda to 3 cups of warm water. Mix, Pour, then shampoo as usual.

Freshen up your combs and hairbrushes by soaking them in a solution of 3 cups warm water and 2 teaspoons baking soda. Swirl them around in the water to loosen up all the debris caught between the teeth, then let them soak for about half an hour. Rinse well and dry before using.

Beer
Put some life back into flat hair with some flat beer. Before you get into the shower, mix 3 tablespoons beer in 1/2 cup warm water. After you shampoo your hair, rub in the solution, let it set for a couple of minutes, then rinse it off.

Castor Oil
For healthy, shiny hair, mix 2 teaspoons castor oil with 1 teaspoon glycerin and one egg white. Massage it into your wet hair, wait several minutes, and wash out.

You can also experiment with castor oil for hair on your ends. This rich, thick oil will help your ends becomes shiny and hide the appearance of frizzy, damaged, and split ends. Over time, as you trim damage away, you’ll notice your hair won’t develop split ends as easily. Since it is so thick, try mixing it with Sweet Almond Oil to make it a lighter oil that is much easier to spread and gives it a nice scent.

Mayonnaise
Hold the mayo … and massage it into your hair and scalp just as you would any fine conditioner! Cover your head with a shower cap, wait several minutes, and shampoo. The mayonnaise will moisturize your hair and give it a lustrous sheen.

Olive Oil
Is your hair as dry and brittle as sagebrush in the desert? Put the moisture back into it by heating 1/2 cup olive oil (don’t boil it), and then liberally applying it to your hair. Cover your hair with a plastic grocery bag, then wrap it in a towel. Let it set for 45 minutes, then shampoo and thoroughly rinse.

Did you get almost as much paint in your hair as you did on the walls in your last paint job? You can easily remove that undesirable tint by moistening a cotton ball with some olive oil and gently rubbing it into your hair. The same approach is also effective for removing mascara — just be sure to wipe your eyes with a tissue when done.

Vinegar
Want to put the life back into your damaged hair? You can whip up a terrific hair conditioner by combining 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar with 2 tablespoons olive oil and 3 egg whites. Rub the mixture into your hair, then keep it covered for 30 minutes using plastic wrap or a shower cap. When time’s up, shampoo and rinse as usual.

** Recipe**ACV Rinse to remove product Build up-
Make the rinse by mixing 1/3 cup of apple cider vinegar with 1 qt. of distilled water. Put the mixture in a plastic bottle.

Shampoo hair and rinse well. Apply the apple cider vinegar rinse to your hair. Leave it in for a few seconds. Rinse your hair using cold water to seal the hair shaft and create more shine. Because vinegar is acidic, using the rinse daily is not advised. .

Dry your hair with a t-shirt. If you notice a vinegar scent after you’re done rinsing, don’t fret. The smell will disappear after your hair dries.

Lemons
For blond highlights, add 1/4 cup lemon juice to 3/4 cup water and rinse your hair with the mixture. Then sit in the sun until your hair dries. Lemon juice is a natural bleach. Don’t forget to put on plenty of sunscreen before you sit out in the sun. To maximize the effect, repeat once daily for up to a week.

Aspirin
Swimming in a chlorinated pool can have a noticeable, and often unpleasing, effect on your hair coloring if you have light-colored hair. But you can usually return your hair to its former shade by dissolving six to eight aspirins in a glass of warm water. Rub the solution thoroughly into your hair, and let it set for 10-15 minutes.

Tea
Turn gray hair dark again without an expensive trip to the salon or the use of chemical hair dyes. Make your own natural dye using brewed tea and herbs: Steep 3 tea bags in 1 cup boiling water. Add 1 tablespoon each of rosemary and sage (either fresh or dried) and let it stand overnight before straining. To use, shampoo as usual, and then pour or spray the mixture on your hair, making sure to saturate it thoroughly. Take care not to stain clothes. Blot with a towel and do not rinse. It may take several treatments to achieve desired results.

**Recipe** use after taking out a sew-in weave or braids to decrease shedding:

4 cups of hot water, swish the tea bag around until the water turns color, let it sit and cool. Put on hair and let it sit for a few minutes and comb through hair. Results – easy detangling, less breakage, and less shedding.

amino acids, aphogee protein treatment, au naturale, baking soda, cherry lola, concoction, conditioner, frizzies, miss sixx, natural, yogurt, youtube

Cherry Lola Treatment – Frizz Reducer Fluke Concoction

The Lupie Chick



For my 3A/4B hair types, I know that frizz and tangling is usually an issue. While surfing the internet for interesting home made concoctions, I ran across Cherry Lola. She has concocted this frizz reducer recipe. From the comments on her site, others have tried it ( tweaked it, replacing yogurt with conditioner) and received amazing results. You be the judge!!!!!

Recipe

Yogurt – 2 parts
For the protein and the conditioning properties.

Baking Soda 1/2 part
To make my hair more porous.

Amino Acids 1/2 part ( can be purchased from whole Foods & Vitamin Shoppe)
To see what they did.

I sectioned my hair into eight parts and applied the concoction with my fingers, making sure to coat from root to tip. As soon as I put the treatment on I could tell something was different. My roots! My roots started to clump together.

This has been my big “issue”; frizz – mostly at the roots. This treatment totally calmed the frizz down and made the roots behave the way the rest of my hair does. It has become curly from root to tip. I was floored by the results. I still am. I’ve done the treatment three times now over the course of a week and the results seem to just get better. I haven’t changed anything else in my regime and have been using Lustra Silk and my own handmade conditioner, or the Henna Wax Treatment, and co-washing every other day with Boots

For more information on the Cherry Lola Treatment, please visit her Meet Up at http://www.cherrylola.com

For more information on her treatment- click the link below
http://www.cherrylola.com/2009/03/magic-frizz-reducer-a-fluke-concoction-called-the-cherry-lola-treatment/

She is also on You Tube…

Article Courtesy of Cherry Lola (www.cherrylola.com)

au naturale, baking soda, lavender, miss sixx, no poo, rosemary, shampoo, tea tree oil

The No Shampoo Alternative: NO POO

The Lupie Chick


The main reason to go no ‘poo is your health. The number of chemicals in shampoo and other bath and body products is frightening. Your skin is the largest organ on your body. Whatever gets put on your skin gets absorbed into your body, into your bloodstream and into your organs, as has been proven by many studies. Essentially, whatever is toxic to put in your mouth is toxic on your skin as well.

Chemical Content of Shampoo

Following are just a small sample of the toxins found in most shampoos and their detrimental side effects.

Alcohol, isopropyl (SD-40) is a very drying and irritating solvent and dehydrator that strips your skin’s moisture and natural immune barrier, making you more vulnerable to bacteria, molds and viruses. It is made from propylene, a petroleum derivative, and is found in many skin and hair products, fragrances, antibacterial hand washes as well as shellac and antifreeze. It can act as a “carrier,” accelerating the penetration of other harmful chemicals into your skin.

It may promote brown spots and premature aging of skin. A Consumer’s Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients says isopropyl alcohol may cause headaches, flushing, dizziness, mental depression, nausea, vomiting, narcosis, anesthesia and coma. A fatal ingested dose is one ounce or less.

FD&C color pigments are synthetic colors made from coal tar, containing heavy metal salts that deposit toxins onto the skin, causing skin sensitivity and irritation. Absorption of certain colors can cause depletion of oxygen in the body and death. Animal studies have shown almost all of them to be carcinogenic.

Mineral oil is a petroleum by-product that coats the skin like plastic, clogging the pores. It interferes with skin’s ability to eliminate toxins, promoting acne and other disorders.

Propylene glycol (PG) and butylene glycol are petroleum plastics which act as surfactants (wetting agents and solvents). They easily penetrate the skin and can weaken protein and cellular structure. Commonly used to make extracts from herbs, PG is strong enough to remove barnacles from boats!

Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and sodium laureth sulfate (SLES) are detergents and surfactants that may pose serious health threats. They are used in car washes, garage floor cleaners and engine degreasers — and in 90 percent of personal care products that foam. Animals exposed to SLS experienced eye damage, depression, labored breathing, diarrhea, severe skin irritation and even death.

How to No ‘Poo

Dissolve about 1 tablespoon of baking soda in just enough water to make a paste. Apply this to your roots only; work it in and let it sit for a minute.

In order to stimulate blood flow, clean your pores and get off built up grime, use your finger tips to massage your scalp. Start by making a circle on the top of your head in the area you’d wear a crown. Focus on the back of this circle to begin with. Next, fill in the circle. This is where your part will be; grease here affects the way your hair looks. Trace while still scrubbing with your fingertips around the bottom edge of the circle. Keep making massaging circles underneath each one, drawing lines in circles around your head.

Lastly, massage the back of your skull and your temples/sideburns. This will result in less grease and more growth. After doing this, your scalp will feel alive. Many women swear their hair grows faster after a visit to the salon — it does, and this massage method is why.

When scrubbing, you’re actually rubbing your fingers back and forth in short movements. Be gentle; you don’t want to break your hair. Next, pour about 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar into a cup and add water. (I keep two plastic 12-ounce cups in my shower and just mix when I get in.) After you rinse the baking soda out, pour the apple cider vinegar over the ends of your hair, let it sit for a minute and then rinse it out. That’s all there is to it!

No ‘Poo Troubleshooting

Remember, there is a transition period from two weeks to two months depending on the person. Here are a few tips:

• If your hair becomes frizzy, try using less baking soda or leaving it on for a shorter period of time. Adding honey may also help.

• If your hair becomes greasy, try using less apple cider vinegar, switching to lemon or lime juice, leaving out the honey, and/or using a comb instead of a brush. Also, make sure you’re applying the apple cider vinegar just to the ends of your hair.

• If your scalp itches, try the following essential oils; tea tree, lavender, rosemary. If your hair becomes dry, try a tiny bit of oil (any oil, I use olive) smoothed on bottom of hair.

Ready to make the change? Sure! Don’t be afraid to go no ‘poo. You know how to do it! Enjoy the journey – you’re on your way to a healthier you!