Ingredient Series: Coconut Oil

So, I was sitting around the other day thinking about the things I put in my hair and why.  What I realized is that I didn't really have a clear understanding of why I was using the products with the ingredients that I do expect that they were recommended by the YouTube gurus.   So I said "self, that's a stupid reason to be using these products".  This is the motivation for this series.  Monthly, I will target an ingredient that is hot in the natural hair community and do the research in order to fully understand the effects and purpose for use on my hair.  This month, I am picking what I think is the hottest product right now "Coconut Oil".

Bought at Sam's for about $15 80 fl oz

In the 1970s, there was a campaign against coconut oil in order to promote corn and soy oils.  Coconut oil was deemed harmful due to the high content of saturated facts (Health).  According to Kris Gunners, coconut oil is classified as a "super food" that contains fatty acids that promotes fat loss and better brain function.  It contains Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCTS); which is the fatty acid that goes straight to the liver in order to produce a quick energy source or ketone bodies.  It also contains lauric acid that kills pathogens (bacteria, viruses and fungi).  It can  suppress appetite and improve blood cholesterol.  Its antimicrobial properties improves digestion and aides in the absorption of nutrients.  For your skin, coconut oil improves moisture and lipid content.  It can also block 20% of ultraviolet rays (Gunners).

Coconut oil is considered a carrier oil.  This means that it can easily penetrate or absorb into the skin or hair shaft.  It also allows other essential oils to absorb when combined.  It acts as a preservative allowing other oils and herbal extract not to spoil (Health).  This makes it the perfect ingredient for hair product mixtures for you DIY mixtures at home in order to extend their shelf life.  For your hair, coconut oil aides in health hair growth, shine quality and reduces protein loss.  When used as a conditioner it promotes regrowth of damaged hair by providing proteins required to heal and nourish damage.  Regularly massaging the oil into the scalp can prevent dandruff and lice (Health).

According to Health.com, coconut oil can be use in a variety of ways.  It  can be used as a hair mask by applying it to strands and letting it sit for 5 minutes before rinsing.  This will bring back moisture and shine.  It can also be use to control frizz when added  from mid-shaft to the ends of the hair.  Other uses include body oil, make-up remover, cuticle oil, lip balm, eye cream, body scrub, shaving cream and the list goes on and on.

I hope that this was helpful to you and gave more insight into this super versatile product.  Get yourself a container and try it out on your hair.

Bibliography

Gunnars, Kris. "Selected Evidence-Based Health Benefits of Topically Applied Sunflower Oil." Applied Science Reports App. Sci. Report 10.1 (2015): n. pag. Authority Nutrition ~ An Evidence -Based Approach. Authority Nutrition, 8 July 2013. Web. 17 July 2015.

"Health Benefits of Coconut Oil | Organic Facts." Organic Facts. N.p., 12 June 2015. Web. 17 July 2015.

"10 Surprising Beauty Uses For Coconut Oil." Health.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 July 2015.

Zelman, Kathleen M., MPH, RD, LD. "Coconut Oil Uses & Your Health." WebMD. WebMD, 10 Mar. 2011. Web. 17 July 2015.

Lazy Natural: A week in the life of the conditioner and coconut oil only wash and go

Wash day hair

So it's wash day.  What to do with this matted mess of hair.  So for the last 8 months I have been doing the curly girl method.  So my curly girl guru +Tia is able to do a wash and go using only conditioner and coconut oil.  Let's give that a whirl!!!

First, I detangled using the breakdown method learned from +Jenell.  It was super easy.  I simply sectioned my hair into 4. Spraying each section with a mixture of conditioner and water, I first finger detangled and then with my wide tooth comb and Denman brush.  No special conditioner is needed for this.  I just used my trusty Suave Naturals.  Just use what ever you have on hand.  Once the conditioner mixture was applied, my hair was like butter.  The tangles slipped away with no problem.  It is important to note that I got my hair pretty saturated. Some people include oil with this, but I did not.  Do what works best for your hair.  Thanks to the curly girl method, I had very little shedding. 

This is a weeks worth of shedding which is drastically decreased since I have started this method.   As we all know less shedding means more retention.  I am on a hair growth journey.  I think I will start with bra strap length.  Next I washed and deep conditioned.  I did have a few strands during the washing process but not enough to note and collect.

After the wash with nothing on my hair the curls were poppin' I would say that I have a 4b texture so this is amazing with no products or manipulation.  I again sectioned my hair into 4 and began the wash and go.  I didn't use any particular method.  I just applied my trusty Cantu Shea Butter Leave-in and coconut oil that I got from Sam's.  The coconut oil is organic, but I didn't have any special reason for choosing it.  It was just

$15 for 60 fl oz

what they had.  I don't get bogged down with that kind of thing.  Scientifically, organic products are no different the those that are not organic.  They both provide the same nutritional value. Now, I understand the hazards of pesticides and things.  However, those things are still getting in your system because they are in the air.  I say that you do your best to eat right and live right and let God handle the rest. For the price this container was worth it.  Since I am also on a reduction of cost to be natural journey, this container should last me all year. Anyway, I just ran my fingers through my hair until the curls clumped.  Again, I don't do any particular method for this.  I am trying to use the "praying hands" method to apply my products (just wanted to see if it makes a difference) but there is no rhyme or reason to how I do my hair. I was really pleased with the results from this process.  My hair was not crunchy they way that it is with gel and pretty much lasted all week.  My crown is still a bit more frizzy that I would like, but with my renewed commitment to the curly girl method that will lessen.  Below you can see my hair as it progressed during the week.

1st morning (Monday) ~ Hair is still wet

1st day ~ after work; lots of shrinkage

Day 2 (Tuesday) ~ before fluffing

Day 3 (Wednesday)

Day 5 (Friday Morning) ~ Thursday was
rough.  I was really tired and fell asleep
early without protecting my hair and this is
 the result Friday morning. I had to fluff and
 put a band on my hair.  Lazy Natural
strikes again.

To Shea Moisture or Not to Shea Moisture: Product Review

Image taken from Google images

So a few months ago, Walgreen's had all Shea Moisture products on a BOGO sale.  I had tried Shea Moisture when I first became natural but I was also trying all kinds of things. Due to this,  I never really examined what it did to my hair.  As all new naturals do, I tried everything that the blogs and friends recommended.  A friend of mine highly recommended this line, so I bought a few things.  I used it with other things in the beginning of my journey but when what I bought ran out I never repurchased.  Not because, at the time, there was anything wrong with it.  I was just a product junkie.  I had way too many products and needed to start dwindling down the products that I had.  So, I just didn't repurchase but I kept it in the back of my mind because it was so highly recommended.  As a started to dwindle my products, I really learned about my hair and what impact the products were having on my hair.  (Side note:  New naturals, one of the best lesson I learned through my process is to test one product at a time until your really know what your hair needs.  Layering randomly will only lead to frustration in your journey driving you back to relax because you feel like your hair is in worst condition than when it was relaxed.)  Back to it...So anyway, as I said Walgreen's had a BOGO sale so I got some.  At the time, I had been doing the curly girl method with my hair.  Even though, I was getting good results with this method, as the weather got colder my hair just needed more.  Also, with cold winters is just less than smart to walk around with a wet head.  So, with the cold Missouri winter my hair was super dry.  To help remedy that I bought the Shea Moisture Coconut and Hibiscus line, right down to the body bar soap.  The products totally helped with the moisture issue.  However, I started noticing sores in my head.  This was not unusual because with relaxed hair I had sores as well as when I was natural for almost a year.  I just thought it was due to the scratching because I tend to have incredibly itchy scalp.  So I just thought I was causing the sores.  It was not until I had begun doing the curly girl method and the itching stopped did I notice the impact of the products I used.  Once the constant itching was gone, it was really noticeable when it came back along with the sores.  However, I still did not link it to the product.  I just thought it was the cold weather. I was not until the weather started to warm up in March or April and the effect of the product moved to my face.  I think the warmth caused the product to melt and run to places it had not been before and the itching in my scalp had become unbearable.  It was then that I reflected on the product, at the time it was the only one I had been using.  I would like to say that by this time I had stopped using the body soap because it was irritating my skin. As you can see, I was really broken out.  It took about a week for this to clear up.  I had to breakout a sulfate shampoo to cleanse my scalp of the product.

May 1, 2015

I want to say that, I in no way think that this product line from Shea moisture is bad or not worth trying.  Overall, it did what I wanted it to do.  I wanted something that was moisturizing for the winter months and it did that.  However, there is something in the formula that causes and allergic reaction in me.  I have not abandoned the product line.  I am still using the moisture retention shampoo (Side note: This was the first thing I bought.  The exact same bottle.  You can tell I don't shampoo much. It is almost 2 years old.) and I am currently trying the deep treatment masque (it was marked down so I'm giving it a try).  These are the ones with the gold label.  I am not using the conditioner that goes with the shampoo mostly because of cost.  I am on a journey to reduce the expense incurred through the journey.  I am currently using Suave Naturals as a rinse out in the shower.  Before I bought the masque I was using a mixture of Suave Naturals, coconut oil and honey as my deep conditioner.  I also went back to the Cantu products that had done well for a leave-in and moisture cream.  Along with Africa's Best Oil and coconut oil (which ever is the cheapest).

Image taken from Google images

Image taken from Google images

Image taken from Google images

 I do want to say that due to the summer warm up, I will most likely only be using the conditioner and the oil until it starts to get cold again.  I am renewing my curly girl method after having to use a sulfate shampoo.

I guess that I say all of this as a lesson to new natural that it is important to learn your hair needs and not to think that you are doing something wrong because +Jenell or +Tia  (my favorite gurus) got it to work for them.  If you check her out Jenell would tell you the same thing.  But you know I didn't listen because my hair looked really close to hers and the products should just react the same.  Yeah, NOT.  Just learn your hair and SIMPLY LOVE THE CURLS.

DISCLAIMER:  I am in not way and affiliate or paid spokesperson for any of the products that I have discussed in this blog.  I am not a trained hair stylist or beauty professional.  I am just sharing my journey in hopes to that I can be of assistance,

Lazy Natural

So, I am a year into my natural journey and here is what I have found. I AM TOO DAMN LAZY.  I am such a lazy natural.  I went into this journey thinking that I would have low maintenance, easy breezy hair.  Boy was I wrong.  I just could have never imagined that it would be so much work.  I spend more time taking care if this hair than I ever did with relaxed hair.  Some days I just want to throw in the towel and go get some "creamy crack" and lay that hair flat.
But no....I am hanging in there 2 years and counting. I can't believe that this was me.
I remember being in a panic after cutting my hair.  I was transitioning about year and one day I just let it go.  It wasn't even expected.  One day I was just looking at my hair and decided that it was just too ugly with the stringy straight ends and.........CHOP!!!!! Then it was gone.  My heart dropped.  Then began the journey of what to do next.  I became a super product junky.  I just went crazy trying to find anything that would work.  Then I found that I now spent more time on my hair as a natural than I ever did relaxed.  That fact alone almost made me give in and reach for the "creamy crack".  I was just so hard to get any kind of look and I just didn't know if I wanted to put in the effort.
Bouncy and wash and go with almost no products.  I am finally loving these curls.I grow more in love with them each day.