Homemade Shampoo Recipes

Recipes that are less stripping than your average shampoo, yet cleansing.  Many of the ingredients below can be found in health food stores.


CHAMOMILE TEA
chamomile tea (or fresh chamomile flowers)
pure soap flakes
glycerin
Recipe & Instructions

SOAPWART SHAMPOO
distilled water
soapwart root
lemon verbena or catnip
Recipe & Instructions

Short Twist/Braid Styles: Part II

Cute, professional twist and braid styles for shorter hair.  The 2nd in a three-part series.

The style: Mini/medium box braids (pinned to the side)

Duration of wear: 3-4 weeks (recommended)

Great for: 

+minimizing shrinkage; 
+minimizing knots; 
+strands that unravel too easily in twists 

How to (recommended): Do on dry, stretched hair to show more of your length.  (The hair does not need to be blow dried or flat ironed.  Airdrying in plaits or twists is sufficient.)  Apply a butter and/or gel on the ends for a natural curl or coil.  The other option is to perm rod the ends.  NOTE: The box braids do not have to be mini; you can make them a little bigger to save time.

Amp it up a notch:  Once your box braids are complete, flat twist a few of them on the sides to create a beautiful updo (see this video). Another option is to use bobby pins instead.

Mini box braid styles:

Mini box braid tutorial (4a/4b):

Mini box braid tutorial (3c/4a):

Healthy Hair Feature: Janet

1) Are you natural, relaxed, texlaxed, or transitioning?
I am natural. I was a long-term transitioner from 2004 to early 2006 and have been fully natural since early 2006.

About Janet's color ...
I have all-over color…triple processed. I maintain my hair through hard protein treatments (such as Aphogee 2-step), deep conditioners, and steam treatments.

2) What mistakes have you made in your hair care journey?
I have only truly been on my healthy hair journey for coming up on a year and thus far, I cannot say that I have made too many mistakes. Thankfully, being a part of hair forums has helped me to avert major crises, but I will say that one should think carefully about coloring hair because you must be ready to baby it for the next year.

3) What is your current HEALTHY HAIR routine?
I try to wash my hair every 7-10 days. I either deep condition or moisturize pre-poo every other wash. I do a hard protein treatment every 6 to 8 weeks (as needed). I use Hot Six Oils (love the ceramides in it) as a moisturizer. I love coconut oil and will be incorporating it more during these Winter months. I also utilize low manipulation styles (such as wash and go ponys, twist-outs, rollersets, etc) as a way of protecting my hair.

4) Do you have a HEALTHY BODY routine? If so, what is it?
I wash my face every morning with Yes to Cucumbers Calming Gel. I get a massage at least once a month because I feel that beauty definitely starts from within and massages help relieve stress and tension built up. I am not quite a vegetarian, but I do not eat beef or pork (and haven’t for several years). I wish that I could say that I exercise on a regular basis- that is one thing that I would like to increase for 2011. During the Spring/Summer months, I like to walk outside…but during the Winter months, I am more dormant.


5) Do you have any advice for those seeking healthy tresses?
Seek out hair forums…There is so much information out there, I found that hair forums have everything you could ever want to know in a centralized location. Also, the ladies on the forum are so knowledgeable and sweet.

Start small…Rome wasn’t built in a day, as they say…One cannot go from neck length to waist length overnight; take your time and enjoy the journey.

You can find Janet on:
Fotki: www.fotki.com/ATLPeach
Long Hair Care Forum - Janet’
Twitter: baby2steps
Tumblr: stephjanet.tumblr.com

Short Twist/Braid Styles: Part I

Cute, professional twist and braid styles for shorter hair.  The first in a three-part series.

During my 2nd year natural: Co-washed micro twists after airdrying (left) and micro twists pinned into a style (right).

The style: Micro/mini twists; "wet-n-go" micro/mini twists
Duration of wear: 2 weeks max if your hair locs easily
Hair type: ideal for the tightly curled to the kinky (like me)

How to (recommended): Do on damp hair to achieve volume.  Do on mostly dry, stretched hair for length.  Apply a butter and/or gel on the ends for a natural curl or coil.  "Grab and go" as you twist.  There is no need to make neat parts for this particular style.

Amp it up a notch:  I call this the "wet-n-go" twist set.  Wet your twists every 2-3 days. Apply a light conditioner first, then let the water run through the strands without manipulating the hair. Afterwards, spritz with a water-oil based moisturizer or a leave-in conditioner. Your natural coils or curls will come to life and your hair will be more voluminous. (The micro twists help kinkier strands to "clump" together and form coils on the ends.) That's it! Add a headband, pin to one side, or put on cute earrings to accessorize.

If you're prone to single-strand knots: After wetting, apply perm rods, band, or cornrow the twists until dry. Unravel for a stretched but curly look.

Mini Twists:


More Mini Twists:

Coming Soon ... Short Twist/Braid Styles

Hi ladies,

I've been receiving a couple of comments about twist/braid styles on shorter hair that are actually cute and/or professional.  Starting Friday, I'll do a three-part series on the topic.  In the meantime, here are some tips:

-rock your twists/braids under a wig
-accessorize with beautiful earrings and makeup
-rock your twists/braids under a cute beanie or hat
-slip on a cute headband or scarf
-rod your twists/braids for a voluminous, curly look
-flat twist or cornrow into twists/braids updo

Healthy Ice Cream Alternative

A tasty, healthy alternative to ice cream.  More protein.  Lots of fruits.  No growth hormones.  Watch the video for the recipe:

3in6: Day One

See "3in6 Challenge" details here.

Alright, ladies.  The challenge has begun!  I'll check in with you every 2 weeks.  Now for Day One:

I actually did my length check last week, and I am about 3.5 inches from layered waistlength.  Should this challenge go well, I'll be 2.5 inches closer to my goal come August 1.

This past weekend, I put my hair in small twists after a wash and detangling session.  My goal is to wear them for 4-6 weeks, with bi-weekly to weekly washes.  (For my twist Q&As, check the Twist Series.)

In terms of fruits and vegetables, I stocked up on carrots, spinach, red lettuce, tomatoes, and bananas for now.  (Read more about carrots here and green vegetables here.)

{Small twists (done with real hair)}

So ladies, what is your goal for the challenge?  What long-term protective styles are you rocking?