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Interview: Loc Take Down W/ Kellee Tolbert



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.

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Nappy Hair Cleansers

Nappy Hair Cleansers

Most of the ingredients in these recipes can be found in your refrigerator. Recipes with perishable ingredients may require refrigeration since they do not contain preservatives. These recipes are quick to make and will save you time and money. As with ANY recipe, you may have to play with the ingredients a little bit to suit you. These are hair cleansing recipes that are simple, natural, and beneficial for ALL hair.

Castile Moisturizing Shampoo

1/4 Cup Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap
1/8 Cup Vegetable Glycerin
1/8 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Cup Water

Mix ingredients. Shampoo as usual. Note: I must say this is my favorite recipe. It cleans my hair without stripping it, leaving it moist with a lot of sheen. This is NOT a thick mixture. However, a little goes a LONG way.

Hair Clarifier Recipe

2 Tablespoon Shampoo
1 Tablespoon Baking soda
1/4 Cup Water
1 Small bowl
1 Spoon or stirrer

Mix water and baking soda together until there is no ‘grit’. Add shampoo and stir to even consistency. Wash hair as normal. Use fingertips (not nails) to massage scalp area. Rinse well with warm water. Use cool water on the last rinse, for shine.Condition and style as usual.

Hair Clarifier Recipe

1 Tablespoon Baking soda
1 Cup Water
1 Small bowl
1 Spoon or stirrer

Mix water and baking soda together until there is no ‘grit’. Use fingertips (not nails) to massage scalp area. Rinse well with warm water. Use cool water on the last rinse, for shine. Condition and style as usual.

Apple Cider Vinegar Clarifier

2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
2 Cups distilled water
2 Drops Sage Oil (this is optional)
1 Small bowl
1 Spoon or stirrer

Mix ingredients together. Shampoo wash or conditoner wash as usual. Rinse conditioner. Use fingertips (not nails) to massage mixture thoroughly into scalp area. Use cool water on the last rinse, for shine.

Brown Sugar Hair and Scalp Cleaner

1 Tablespoon Brown sugar
3 Tablespoon Conditioner

Mix ingredients together. Wet your hair and scalp. Use your fingertips (not nails) to massage scalp in small circles. Rinse well. Use cool water on the last rinse, for shine.

Lemon Scalp Cleaner

2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
5 Tablespoons Conditioner

Mix ingredients. Massage into hair and scalp. Rinse well. Use cool water on the last rinse, for shine.

Lemon Clarifier

2 Cups Warm water
1/2 Cup Lemon

Mix ingredients together. Wet hair thoroughly. Massage into hair using fingertips (not nails). Let sit for 8-10 minutes. Rinse well. Apply your normal conditioner, for shine.

oz = ounce
tsp = teaspoon
tbs = tablespoon
c = cup

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Receipe: Aloe Vera Moisturizer Mist

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***

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How to Moisturize Natural Hair


Moisture is one of the main components to achieving healthy natural hair. Using quality ingredients is also necessary for proper hair growth.

Because African American hair in its natural state can become dry, brittle, and prone to severe breakage it is a must to moisturize the hair each day for optimum results.

Many people are turned off by their natural hair texture due to lack of knowledge and not understanding how to properly care for their hair in its original natural state; so many women revert back to harmful chemicals with the assumption that their hair will become “more manageable” which is untrue. Natural hair is versatile and manageable with the proper knowledge.

Did you know that water based products aid in moisture retention and pentrates the hair shaft?
Using hair grease does the opposite; it draws moisture away from the hair and accumulates dirt and pollutants onto the hair shaft, thereby, hindering hair growth and causing dryness.

Water based products are essential for imparting the proper levels of moisture to properly moisturize natural hair; look for products that are all natural and organic when possible.

In the event you can’t find all natural or organic products choose products that have water (aqua), or aloe vera as the first ingredient.
Natural hair is so beautiful, unique, and bold. The versatility natural hair offers is amazing, and more importantly there are no dangerous chemicals coming in contact with the scalp, nor are there any concerns about over-processing the hair.

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Things You’ll Need:

Moisturizing Shampoo
Deep Conditioner
Leave in Moisturizing Conditioner
Hair Accessories

INSTRUCTIONS
Step 1
Shampoo your scalp with an invigorating all natural or organic moisturizing shampoo; you can also add coconut oil, jojoba oil, or any other oil to ensure it does not dry out your natural strands. This really works wonders and it helps to combat unnecessary dryness. Concentrate on cleansing the scalp—this stimulates hair growth and keeps the scalp free of dandruff.

Step 2
Apply a quality deep conditioner to your hair, and use a stream room– if you have one, while the conditioner is in your hair– this is amazing for maximum penetration. No steam room, no worries, use a steaming towel– place a wet (no saturated) towel into the microwave for a few seconds and place the towel on your head for several minutes. You could also use a plastic cap and sit under a hooded dryer for 30-45 minutes, this is also effective. Detangle your strands while they are saturated with conditioner under running water. After rinsing out the conditioner gently squeeze the excess water from your hair instead of roughly pulling your hair with a cotton towel which causes friction that leads to broken strands and dryness.

Step 3
Apply a generous amount of a all natural water based leave in moisturizing conditioner or add aloe vera to your favorite leave in conditioner from the ends of your hair working your way up, paying close attention to the ends of your hair, which is more prone to breakage and dryness.

Step 4
Apply a natural carrier or essential oil to your hair, try coconut oil, peanut oil is great, castor oil, glycerin, or olive oil to seal in the moisture, this helps to keep the hair shaft moist for a longer time frame and reduces breakage and combats that awful dryness and tangles natural hair tends to get from time to time.

Step 5
Gently gather your hair into a bun if it is long enough, always lubricate the hair band before placing it around your hair, this reduces friction that cause breakage and dryness. If your hair is too short for a bun consider pulling your hair back using a silk or satin head scarf to protect gorgeous mane.

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Shealoe Hair Smoothie

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)

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Vegatable Glycerin

What is it Vegetable Glycerin?

This is a versatile all natural product with an extended shelf life. It is a carbohydrate made from vegetable oil, often palm or coconut oil. It is water-soluble as well as hypoallergenic. Not only is it safe for use in cosmetics but ingestible as well.

Vegetable Glycerine is a clear, colorless, and odorless liquid with an incredibly sweet taste having the consistency of thick syrup. It is used as an agent in cosmetics, toothpaste, shampoos, soaps, herbal remedies, pharmaceuticals, and other household items. Because it is soluble in both, water and alcohol, its versatility is a major benefactor in its purported growth and popularity within the manufacturing sector. It is invaluable as a natural source ingredient with emollient like properties which can soften and soothe the skin and it assists the outer epidermis in retaining moisture. This helps to explain why it is one of the most popular cosmetic additives used today.

Glowing Skin Benefits

Vegetable Glycerin will help your skin by aiding with moisture retention that is so vital to skins health. We damage our skin with nature’s elements, make up, and water everyday. We use cleaners that contain drying agents and synthetics. We dry skin to the point of being visually flaking, peeling and look dull.

The anti-aging properties of vegetable glycerin helps keep that healthy additional moisture locked into the skin. The result is soft, smooth, silky skin that is radiant and younger looking.
Whether it is young, hormonal skin changes or mature skin the advantage of using this all-natural product will be obvious almost immediately.

Battling Acne

The skin being clean and properly moisturized prevents acne. There are commonly adverse effects such as redness or irritation with the common chemicals used in skin products. Vegetable glycerin is hypoallergenic and ideal for all skin types. There is a visible difference in skin when using these acne cleansers and moisturizers.

Preventing Acne

The antibacterial properties will keep pores clean from clogging debris that causes acne without the inflammation that can occur from using unnatural products.
Healing Acne:The same antibacterial properties in Vegetable glycerin will aid in the healing of acne after it has surfaced without undesirable or harmful effects.

There are very few products on the market today are not only as affordable but also as adaptable to your skin type as Vegetable glycerin. This acne and anti-aging solution is the answer to many dilemmas over what products are safe and effective for all skin types and ages.


Most glycerin recipes that I come across are

3 parts aloe vera gel
1 part vegetable glycerin

combine the two and mix well, use as a hair moisturizer. I have also used this as a facial moisturizer, it works you do need to refrigerate the concoction though ( its the aloe vera) there are also other variations such as a

natural hair spritzer

8 ounces distilled water

1 teaspoon aloe vera gel

1-2 drops of vegetable glycerine

1-2 drops essential oil

15 drops grapefruit seed extract