Hair Styling Techniques - No Heat

I tried the cocoon technique on my little one 

and let her sleep on the wet Cocoons 

and it turned out bouncy and beautiful! 

 Since it works, this will be a great school night styling idea!

I do plan to try doing this with a very very large crochet hook 

for speed and ease next time.

How to Cocoon Your Hair

Korean Waves

Headband Curls

No Heat Foil Curls

Corkscrew Curls

Getting close to my goal....

I can distinctly feel how far down my natural oils have travelled in my hair. The crown is the oiliest and luckily that's the area that the oils have travelled the most.

The quality of my hair feels distinctly different. It's heavier, yes, but in a good way. It's softer and silkier and shiny and looks beautiful! Plus the frizzy flyaway a are behaving :)

Here's exactly where the crown oils stop.

I'm adding CO to the ends and into that thick middle area as well. I brush with the BBB every night and have been wearing my hair in a braid. I'm working on letting my hair naturally do its thing, I haven't even tried the flax gel I made.

I'm considering getting a trim once i get a bit more length to take off a little more, and also to get rid of these brassy looking highlights by using henna. I'd stay away from the reds and stick to the medium to dark brown tone of course, but I'm still reading up on it before I make that commitment :)

No WO washes yet.
No itchy scalp.
No concerns.

As an aside. Perhaps because I started using SoapNuts, or perhaps it's the WO washes last week but I meant to mention that my bathtub is a greasy and challenging task to keep clean! I'm thinking some hot water and Dawn dish washing liquid may be in order! Jeez Louise!!

Hair update

I used the flax seed hair gel on my 5 year old after washing her hair last night. I did not hold up to sleeping... I'll try some more today and see how it holds up during dinner playing!! I also did a ACV rinse on the mid to end part of her hair after using regular poo and conditioner and it brushed out like a dream!!!

As for myself, I braided my hair for the day yesterday morning.... It's still wet!!! That gross... And I can smell the ACV slightly.

That means two things for me:
1. The 5 drops of like EO is a great way to mask the vinegar smell.
2. I really do have to let it dry all out before putting it into a ponytail or braid. This isn't a surprise, it was the same when I was pooing, the difference now is the smell, and perhaps bacteria come to think of it.

But!!! I'm onto something with SoapNuts wash, ACV rinse, BBB every night... I can feel where my natural oils stop, it's almost 4 finger widths from my scalp, and remember last week I said I needed flax gel for my hairline frizz... My hairline lays nicely now!!! I guess the gel won't need to be near my scalp which is grrrrreat!!! I'm still not ready to try the gel quite yet until I wash again with this combo :)

Flax Seed Hair Gel Discussion

Has a great discussion and a slightly different recipe for the Flax Seed Hair Gel.  Check it out!

Please leave your thoughts, ideas and comments below so we can have out own discussion going too...

OOPS! I washed it again!

So, I went into the shower to do a WO rinse and detangle. Then I just knew I had to rewash. I jumped out of the still running shower, went downstairs to the fridge and got out my SoapNuts juice. And... I rewashed my hair.

I filled my squeezie bottle with SoapNuts juice and because it was still fridge fresh and cold, I started at the crown right on my salp and saturated my dry hair and srubbed my scalp with both sets of fingers. then I moved all around my scalp and massaged like crazy. Then the middle bulk of my hair and scrubbed and rubbed and the ends, same thing. Then I rinsed and rubbed and massaged some more. I had some juice left (better than last time!) And I put it on that crown/ponytail spot and massaged some more and rinsed.


Now, this article mentioned all the benefits of ACV (apple cider vinegar) for us curlies, so I'm now going to use ACV instead of DWV.

"mentioned... baking soda and how it is alkaline, or a base. Apple cider vinegar on the other hand, is quite acidic. It has a pH of about 3. Wet hair has a pH of 4.5-5.5. If you add an acidic rinse like apple cider vinegar to the hair, it will further reduce the pH of your hair strands. Making your hair slightly more acidic will close the cuticles of the hair, making the layers lay down flat. A smooth, flat cuticle will do four things:

1. 
   Lock in protein and moisture. Flat cuticles will not let out moisture and protein through evaporation.


2. 
   Add shine to your hair. Light reflects off of smooth surfaces. While you may not have as much shine as a person with bone straight hair, shine is an indicator that your cuticles are smooth and closed.


3. 
   Flatten the hair for detangling. Raised cuticles give the hair that jagged, rough feeling we often talk about with shampoos that “strip.” These raised cuticles are more likely to grab and snag on each other.


4. 
   Add elasticity. Remember that low pH substances have more hydrogen ions (as opposed to hydroxide ions). The more hydrogen bonds, the more manageable and elastic your hair will be over time."

Quoted from Naturally Curly directly.

So Based on what she said, I did a 50%/50% ACV to water rinse. I diluted the DWV way more, but then again, the pH of ACV is closer to natural wet hair, so I'm hoping this is a good thing.

So in the shower... I could feel the oil from my over exuberant rinse last time. But my hair didn't feel tangly or waxy at all with the SoapNuts... I finger detangled it with some resistance but not much. That's HUGE!! That means my hair likes SoapNuts!!

Okay... Now the 50/50 ACV/water rinse was even more interesting!!! My crown that was just scrubbed felt a little sting when the rinse hit, didn't last long though, and I carefully saturated my scalp and hair. Then took the wide tooth comb for a detangle. It glided through! It was unreal! So what Naturally Curly said about ACV sounds like it could very well be true!!!

Then I braided in right in the shower and will continue BBBing starting tomorrow.

Note:
- Curlies can't BBB their hair. To spread the sebum by brushing, we need straight hair. I do this by letting it dry in a thick braid. I figure its better than an elastic making a ponytail.
- I did lose what I think is a little more hair than usual, especially considering that the detangle took such little effort. In the grand scheme, it was very little, I'm just paying more attention now ;)
- my hair heels great! My scalp isn't sure. I think I over CO last time, perhaps i have blocked pores because of it. Thus the re-wash today.
- I did not add CO after, not even to my ends, I want to see this recipe in all its true form. (I didn't even add EO to my rinse)

Soapnuts: My Hair Update

My hair looks great and feels even better!! It has volume, body and although there's a bit of frizz, there's no "product" in it to combat the frizz, so I'm very pleased.

Right at the crown of my hair, a little lower and back, right where my high ponytail sits, is the only place I have a concern. It's itchy occasionally, but likely because silly me added CO to my acid rinse when I washed it!! I'm tempted to wash again with soapnuts liquid (or juice rather) and add CO manually, then get the BBB in there to get my natural sebum to do its job and take care of that spot.

I did use my DIY flax gel to get the curlies to lie down around the hairline and it worked, but didn't last all day. I think it would be best used on wet hair... to help with curl definition and perhaps to help combat some frizz. If used in that ponytail, I think I would have had great hair today!!!

Note:

I have zero dry-straw-hair. I'm surprised!

My hair is super hydrated, so much that I didn't wear a hat in the sun because I thought I'd leave a greese mark!!

When I touch my hair though my hands do not feel greesy.

Interesting....

I think I love soapnuts juice!!!

Making SoapNut Hair Cleanser - Part 4

"Note: When making soapnuts liquid it is important to remember that, because soapnuts are actually a fruit and the liquid therefore a 'fruit juice', if left at room temperature for more than a few days, it will begin to mold. If stored in the refrigerator the liquid should last a couple of weeks. Another great idea is to pour the liquid into ice cube trays and freeze. Once frozen, store in the freezer in a well marked container! Each frozen cube will be approximately 2 tablespoons which is the amount recommended for a load of laundry!"

Quoted from here..

Washing with Soapnuts

So far...
July 7 - last shampoo wash
July 14 - first BSV (baking soda and vinegar) wash
... WO washes almost daily, dry hair and scalp.
July 21 - second BSV wash
July 23 - 50/50 vinegar water rinse - happy hair!
July 26 - egg rinse
July 28 - Water wash and 20% vinegar and 5 drops Lime EO rinse
Aug 3 - soapnuts wash, 50% ACV, half tbsp coconut oil, 5 drops lime EO with equal parts water for the rinse.

My hair feels fabulous!!!

Is it the SoapNuts?
Is it switching to ACV since its closer to my the natural pH of hair?
Is it the 50/50 ACV rinse?
Is it the coconut oil I added to the rinse?

I don't know but it was easy to detangle and feels soft, silky and lovely while wet!


The soapnuts liquid wasn't easy to use, and I used quite a bit. I left the shower to get more from the fridge and applied it with my squeeze bottle and because it was cold - it was easy to distribute! That was cool ;) ha ha!

The only thing I didn't think about was by adding the coconut oil into
the acid rinse, I may have affected the ACV from closing the cuticles, and... Got some on my scalp. I may have to reassess that, or use jojoba oil which is more like natural sebum instead.

Stay tuned for another update when its dry.

Like my phone case? Dollar store ;)

So my hair is pretty much dry, I think I'll skip adding coconut oil to my rinse. It's too much all at once. My hair is happy though.

Now we need to try the flax seed hair gel tomorrow and see how that goes for taming the frizz and styling.

Making SoapNut Hair Cleanser - Part 3

MilkySilky's instructions continue with:

POUR 1/3 CUP OF EXTRACT IN A PLASTIC BOTTLE.   SHAKE IT UP UNTIL IT REACHES A VERY THICK AND RICH LATHER THAT CAN STAY ON YOUR HANDS.   APPLY THE LATHER DIRECTLY  ON DRY HAIR AND MASSAGE YOUR HAIR AND SCALP.  WAIT FOR 5 MINUTES AND USE THE REST OF THE EXTRACT AS BODY WASH WHILE WAITING.  AFTER ALL. RINSE YOUR HAIR AND YOUR WHOLE BODY.

In the meantime, I cooked the same soapnuts a second time and got a boil over almost immediately.  I simmered for the same 20 minutes and got almost the same colour, it wasn't lighter or more diluted or anything!!  Heres batch 2 compared to batch 1.

And here's anout two finger widths deep of liquid with a quick shake... LATHERRRR!!!!
Smells nice too!

Oh yeah.... when am I going to try it in my hair?  Ummm.... I'm still good and my hair isn't greasy, I'm not even adding coconut oil on the ends anymore, and it's not smelly.... so I have to wait just a little bit longer... lol lol....

Homemade Hair Gel - Part 3

Update:  

The hair gel I put around my hairline last night kept my hair in a braid lying flat without the frizzy halo when I woke up this morning.  It doesn't feel sticky or anything.

The gel I put at the end of my ponytail that I formed into a curl kept through my sleep as well and is crispy, and shiny (I'd added coconut oil).  I'm happy knowing I can define my curls, and tame my frizzies, I  just have to figure out the best way to use it and style with it.

Success!

Making SoapNut Hair Cleanser - Part 2

Me: "Hey Hubby, check this out, nuts make soap! Isn't that exciting??!!"

Hubby: "I'm glad, you said it and not me, that's hilarious!!"

Me: "huh?"

Hubby "I see you made soap..."

Me: "Ya, no lye... And look, you can wash dishes, laundry, my hair... Try it to wash your hands and... Why are you laughing?"

Hubby: "You didn't get my joke! A NUT makes soap, no lie... Ha ha ha ha - you're the nut... no lie, I mean lye"

Me: "You're hilarious! Try it!"

SoapNuts

I woke up this morning to check out my cooled SoapNut liquid, used a funnel to get it into my reused clean plastic juice container and went to wash the pot. I turned on the tap and these lovely bubbles started foaming... I just took my sponge and washed the pot with the SoapNut liquid! Yay! Same with the funnel, a real easy clean! Then my hands.... Weeeee bubbles!!!!

I left the nuts in my metal sieve to dry out a bit. I plan to do another batch tonight and compare the colour (consentration), and how it feels and bubbles.

I measured that this bottle holds exactly 6 cups, I used that 6 cups in my boiling the extract/liquid - with 30 nuts!! I wanted to experiment using it different ways and planned to do a second boil to see how it goes.

I've poured out a little to wash my hair with, and a little more into ice cube trays because storing it in cubes in the freezer would be awesome!!

Stay tuned for the first SoapNut hair wash :)

Homemade Hair Gel - Part 2

This is a continuation of Homemade Hair Gel - Part 1

And find tips on part 3 - http://curlygirlgoesnopoo.blogspot.ca

So I've got a pot to cook it, a plastic spoon, a measuring cup (dry), my cheap flax seeds, a metal strainer, a bowl and an air tight container to keep it in afterwards. I'm going to add some coconut oil as well for some easy goodness so I have that and a tablespoon to measure it.

• First I measured the flax seeds, those little guys stick to everything! Then I measured the water.

1/2 cup flax seeds : 2 cups water

• Put them both in a saucepan on high and set your timer to 7:00

• Right as the timer for 7:00 went off - it bubbled like crazy and was finally thick enough to be considered egg white consistency!
• I added 1 tbsp coconut oil, and let it melt into the boiling water.

• Then through the metal sieve I poured the egg white texture mixture. Clumsy me tipped the sieve and got flax seeds into my new gel.
• Serves me right trying to use my camera phone while doing this!!

• Ahhh yuck! Don't do that! It thickens up real quick and won't go through the sieve a second time!!!

• Ack! I think I've lost this thirty cent batch. I'm washing tomorrow so I've put some of this gel along my hairline and at the end of my braid to have a comparison and to see how it holds.
• This was really easy. You do need to keep stirring it though. The flax seeds want to sink to the bottom and a few times I found myself un sticking them from my pot.
• After sieving the seeds, be careful, they are hot!! Let them cool. 
•  And wash that sieve ASAP! The gel gets goopier and goopier as it cools :)

Making SoapNut Hair Cleanser - Part 1

This recipe from MilkySilky was my base.

• I measured 6 cups of tap water, and 30 soap nuts.
• I used my kitchen shears to crack each nut.
• I rinsed out the air tight bottle I plan to use; it's an old juice container with the plastic label taken off.
• I put the water onto high for it to boil and added the cracked nuts.
• As soon as the water hit a bubbling boil, the soap nuts released bubbles.

• Very quickly they all started bubbling, releasing the good stuff.

• I covered the pot and turned it down to low. 
• I set the timer for 15 minutes.

• I took a peek and all the bubbles disappeared when I raised the pot lid. Only a few mins to go and it's not very dark :(
• I'm going to add 5 more mins.. Lets see...

• 2 mins into my extra time and I can smell it, I'll just take it off the heat now.
• Leaving it overnight to cool.
• Took a peek an hour later and it looks very strange.  I'll take a pic in the morning :)

And with all this liquid soap nut extract, I may as well try these recipes.

Soooaaap Nuuuuutttttzzzz!!!!

Tee hee... Lookie what arrived today :). I'll be cooking up some wash and some gel tonight, stay tuned!!