DIY Hair Care: Protein Treatment

Now, protein treatments are a must for all hair types, whether natural or straight, male or female... it must be done. Depending on your hair type there are heavy and light protein treatments.

For a light protein: i recommend: Organic Root Stimulator Replenishing Conditioner (light citrus scent, leaves hair manageable and soft, great slip, and an all time personal fave... costs about $6-8 for 12.25 oz or $12-14 for 33.8oz)

For a heavier protein: I usually make my own. . but so far (in terms of buying) I tried the

• Tropical Isle Black Castor Oil Protein Conditiner ( was not fond of the mustard smell and my hair was font of the product at all)
• Aubrey Organics GPB: Love. love love 
• HiProPac Protein Treatment: I really liked this one, my hair came out feeling awesome and i would highly recommend it to others
• Homemade:
• Chocolate Hair Mask: cocoa powder, egg, yogurt, oils, honey
• Mayo Mask: Egg, Mayo, Oils

Now with my mayo mask, i changed it up this weekend. Instead of just mayo, egg, and oils, i added some extraness (yea i made it up) I put in some ACV (restore's hairs pH balance and great scalp cleanser) and Aloe Vera Gel (good for dry scalp/dandruff). The main reason being that my hair has been breaking a lot lately (i havent been treating it very well) and it needed a good balancing cleanser as well since i was putting in a protective style for the next month.

The Recipe:

• 1/3-1/2 cup mayo (depends on how much hair you have)
• 1 whole egg
• 2 tbsp oils of choice (i recommend what ever oil mixture you use or a mix of evoo, rosemary, tea tree, peppermint
• 2 capfuls of Bragg's ACV or if store brand (already distilled) use 1 oz
• 1-2 oz of Aloe Vera Gel

This mix worked really great for my hair. I mixed it in my parkay mixing bowl (yea i reuse lol), had a semi thick consistency (need more mayo for thicker consist-), and used and applicator brush to apply to my hair. I recommend detanglign your hair beforehand. I did it with the mix and my head was so tender afterwards (like i said my hair was suffering from neglect i was all tangled up). 

My hair was so soft and manageable afterwards, had shine, my ends were loving it (jest needed a trim) and my scalp was clean. Everything a protein treatment needed. I followed with the Ori Essentials cleansing cowash and moisturizing conditioner (thumbs up)...LOC..style.

Chocolate Hair Mask (Protein Conditioner)

Hello to all you fabulous readers out there, though i don't know if anyone actually reads these things but I had another DIY Hair Care weekend and it involved my favorite thing of all time: CHOCOLATE!!!!!!!

love the smell, the taste, the creaminess... you know the all around yumminess!

Now what made me decide to use chocolate on my hair... well i had the Hershey's cocoa powder in my house and i wondered if i could use a hair mask out of it..

you know what came next right?... GOOGLE!

So here are the benefits:

"Chocolate is high in fat and has a bit of protein - a great combination for a conditioner worth trying.  (This sweet also has a small amount of caffeine, which studies have suggested may stimulate hair growth in those suffering from balding.[1])" via hair & health

"Yogurt (or yoghurt for our lovely ladies in the UK) is high in lactic acid, and has natural antifungal and antibacterial properties. The yogurt works to stimulate hair growth and fight dandruff by acting as a natural cleanser that tightens and clarifies the pores on your scalp. The protein properties help to strengthen and moisturize your hair and to tame persistent, pesky fly-aways by smoothing your strands. The creamy consistency and antibacterial ingredients help to soothe your scalp and reduce any itchiness." via Lipstick Masala

Honey: humectant

So here is where i found the Chocolate Hair Mask Recipe

And here is how i found the supplies: Cocoa powder (ill use melted dark chocolate next time) and honey: my cupboard, the Greek yogurt stole it from the office fridge (hey if no one was gonna eat it i might as well put it to good use!)

 

they said saran wrap (like i really have that in my house) i used a plastic bag as usual lol

Oh my yum! the smell of chocolate in the air! left this on covered for a good hour or so, and washed it out with warm water, followed by a blast of cold water. I didn't shampoo afterwards. just left some oil in overnight cause my ends felt crunchy and that was it. 

I  moisturized with shea moisture curl smoothie, and whipped shea butter on my ends for the day (it was laundry day!), followed by kinky curl curling custard when i styled it up in bantu knots for the night.

 

(im at work so dont mind the background!)

This is more of a summer time mask, yogurt cools body temp down and honey draws in moisture from the hair.. but its cold out here in nYC

All in all my hair loved the mask, but my ends weren't feeling it this time =/

Super Cleansing Shampoo

Black Soap is good for dry, itchy scalp as well as Aloe Vera Gel and Apple Cider Vinegar. This isn't my first time using this mixture, actually its my third. And my scalp really appreciates its after my 2- or 3-week twist sessions. 

In an applicator bottle, mix

• 1 ounce Aloe Vera Gel
• 1 ounce African Black Soap (I used Shea Moisture)
• 2 capfulls Apple Cider Vinegar
• You can add oils if you like, but i didn't this time cause of the hot oil treatment i did before shampooing.

while hair is in sections, wet hair first, then apply the mixture directly onto scalp. Rub it using your fingertips giving yourself a good head message! (pause), don't want to irritate your scalp too much with your nails. 

This mixture is enough to shampoo your hair twice. The first time around i just focused on getting my scalp clean, not paying to much to my edges. The second time around i paid more attention to the edges than anything else. 

Because of the dark color of the black soap you'll know once you've rinsed it all out. The water will stop being brown, lol.

Condition/Deep Condition afterwards then style as usual.

winter spritz

With the winter months,  the cold weather becomes taxing on the hair.  The hair is dry and makes the hair dry and brittle since there's no moisture in thehair. Its the time for protective styles,  the ends needs to be tucked away more now than ever.

Do protective styles really work.. in keeping moisture yes in growing , maybe . But keep in mind everyone's hair grows at different lengths.

Finding the right style is key also. They need to be low manipulative and loose enough to allow oils to run down the hair shaft. Twists are easier than braids to deal with in my opinion. But that's just me.

Spritz for day and night

• Evoo
• Grapeseed
• Jamaican black castor oil (jbco)
• Aloe oil or aloe Vera gel
• Distilled water

sweet relief spray

So I've used apple cider vinegar in the most for my no poo washes and dandruff washes. Now I'm using it as a dry shampoo inbetween washes when I wear my twists or want to wear them longer.

I just spray this on my scalp and run it in while I redo my twists.  I've read in some posts that with the dry shampoos you're supposed to run your scalp with a wet cloth afterwards but I don't with this spray.

• 1-2oz ACV 
• 1-2 tbsp peppermint oil 
• 1 capfull lemon juice
• 1-2 tbsp evoo 
• Fill with water

The amount you use all depends on the size of the bottle you have. Do it fully relieve the itch.. .no, but then again it just to stretch the style.