Argan Oil - Reflections

I bought the sulphate free Oil of Morocco Argan oil shampoo and conditioner as my super luxurious hair treatment before I started no poo.  I'm still using it on my daughter for that very reason.  It just struck me that it contains argan oil ... and grapeseed oil (among another unpronouncables).  So about my argan oil castille soap wash...

After realizing this "argan oil" content and how great it makes our hair feel and look, I set out to do my day two oil application  of jojoba oil and was paying particular attention to how my hair feels after washing with the argan oil castille soap bar.

It feels light, and looks shiny.  It feels clean but not so light that it is frizzy or fly away.  My ends, the layers and split ends are glaringly obvious after the wash.  So I separated my hair eventually into twelve sections and put a teensy bit of my chosen oil - jojoba oil - and BBB brushed it through until evenly and lightly coated.  My hair feels soft, looks shiny and lovely.  The ends are trashy but slighly more settled.

Here's what I think.  I think I got a good cleanse with the argan oil castille soap.  I think I spent more time at the scalp and less on the ends and perhaps since it is an argan oil soap, I need to get a very very rich lather at the ends MORE than at the scalp, so it can truly coat my ends as nicely as my hair near my scalp looks and feels.  Because I use handmade soaps, and no linger need a skin moisturizer, I know that the soap IS depositing the oils into my hair so I need to give it a chance to penetrate.

I believe that the last time I reported, the sebum had travelled to the ponytail holder area of my hair from my BBB at nights.  I believe it has travelled two more inches so it is my ponytail and almost a fist of length.  It's not anywhere near those trashy layered ends yet, and maybe in all fairness, that's why I am seeing them more.

I have a lot of hair, fine hair that is curly so appears voluminous once the curls are dry.  Today, my fine hair is shiny, and laying flat on my head.  It's certainly different, and definitely feels healthy.  I'm going to wear my hair in a bun for a few days (and not out like I do after a wash) and just keep BBB every night to see how it does, how these oils travel and help my sebum move.  I'll hold off on the WO wash just to see what happens and how it feels, then I can report on how the WO wash helps the oils move as well!

I did notice that it took longer for the jojoba oil to penetrate into the hair, likely because my curly porous hair is saturated with argan oil, so it's oil on oil trying to settle in and nourish.  Once applied and BBB for quite some time, it looks like even the jojoba is absorbing nicely.  I'll sleep on it and wear my hair in a bun tomorrow and let you know how this new adventure goes.

Note: I am using the aloe butter (aloe & coconut oil) as a hairline pomade to get my smooth ponytail, and love it!  Here's another link.

How to: Perfect Low Bun

Argan Oil Soap - dried hair

So I'm impressed that My hair doesn't feel dry or brittle. I'm impressed that I could put my hair in a ponytail and into a bun and it looks shiny, healthy and pretty ... But my ends, with the layers look horrific! It's like my split ends doubled and went witchy frizzy on me.... Yuck!

Is washing with argan oil a step back in my no poo journey? ...no! Is it a step in the right direction... Not necessarily. I think I'll save this bar for getting out henna, chlorine, for anytime I want to make sure I'm doing a good scrub, but certainly not for every wash!

I'm back to adding jojoba oil today, paying extra attention to my ends as i have been on my day two. I'll be back to my SoapNuts next wash. I wonder what a jojoba oil bar would do for me.... Ah hah! Something to think about.

Ill watch and see how my progress goes this week and report back next wash.

In the meantime, I brush with a Boar Bristle Brush every night and do a Water Only scalp massage whenever I want to change my hairstyle. I'm not really wearing my hair curly since brushing it takes out the curls. I'm wearing buns and braids and ponytails most days.

Have fun!

Update: my hair is still frizzy but very soft and shiny. I'm going to skip adding jojoba oil until later tonight when I'm using the BBB. Sorry the selfie is sideways lol

Argan Oil Soap - the wash

Soap-nuts is going well, it's become wonderfully predictable, which I love.  My hair feels clean and I get to control the moisturizing once the ACV has done it's job.  Jojoba is my oil of choice.  It feels great and lasts, and absorbs; I don't have to reapply daily like I did with coconut oil.  My bathtub also looks cleaner overall, and is easily cleaned with Dawn & vinegar and warm water!  (YES! No elbow grease on the grease!)  I'm applying jojoba oil infused with Lime EO on day 2 and day 5 from the ponytail area to the ends and what little sheen is left on my hands I rub into my scalp in areas and then on my hair top and hairline.  I feel that the jojoba nourishes the end parts of my hair where the sebum hasn't reached, which is now 2 inches below my ponytail holder on my bra length long hair.  Then I add jojoba on the ends whenever I do a WO wash to restyle my hair.

My hair has always looked better the dirtier it gets, that's a true curlygirl statement ;)  The same holds true as a no poo curly girl.  I have great light and voluminous curls on day 1 after plopping, and if I do a WO and add jojoba on day two I can repeat the all out curly girl style, then I move on to curly ponytail for a day or two, then another WO and jojoba application #2 on day 5 and onto french braids, ponytails, and buns, first messy then sleek for up to 12 days!!  I think 9 days is my ideal length of time between washes though, even from before no poo.

So I found what works... almost.  I started adding aloe butter as a pomade to get my hairline frizzes to lie down when in a ponytail and my hair looked lovely and healthy.  I loved it!  I've started using it on my lips and on my daughter's hairline frizzies as a pomade as well.

So today is day 11, time for a wash.  I went to visit my dear fiend the SoapBoss who makes handmade soaps at The Canadian Soap Company.  She has lovely soaps that have cured my eczema on my hands completely, I no longer use a moisturizer on my body, now that I'm washing exclusively with her soaps and only got two pedicures for this entire calendar year when I used to get pedicures monthly!  (One on my birthday, a treat not a necessity!) My skin looks great!  I'm also using her all natural goats milk soap as a facial bar right now, with little need for a moisturizer and no breakouts on my combination skin!!

I digress... I also came across an argan oil castille soap in her shop today, and my brain got thinking... I read a lot about argan oil in my search for the coconut oil replacement (that ended up for me being jojoba oil) and remembered it resonated with me because those great store bought moroccan oil products all have argan oil!!  It leaves hair soft and shiny.  As a curly girl, I need oil!  I also need soft and shiny soo.... I bought a bar!

I did an argan oil castille soap wash with 50% ACV to water with 7 drops of Lime EO rinse.

The argan oil soap bar wash was awkward.  How much do I use.  Do I lather on my hands and work it into my scalp area?  When things are dirty you don't get a lather with soap, but using soap nuts and prior to that the BS, I wasn't really thinking about the lather... until it started in one spot and not the others.  So flashes of regression and going back to stage one of this no poo journey flashed through my mind as I continued rubbing and scrubbing the actual argan oil BAR at this point in my hair and scalp getting an even lather.  I rinsed.  You know that squeaky clean feeling that makes me think "DRY" and cringe?  I got that feeling and felt the tears prick my eyelids - what have I done??????   So I continued so i was at least evenly washed on the whole length of my hair and scalp.  Feeling squeaky/waxy and not impressed!!  Then onto my 50% ACV with EO rinse and my hair just went smooth and silky like it melted into my hands!  It was begging for the ACV.... the detangle that followed was relatively easy and ended with a finger detangle while I continued rinsing.  I must say, those itchy spots were a burnin hot hot hot with the ACV!  But soothed once I rinsed with water.

What I learned.... 50% ACV is actually what detangles my hair!!

Then I did a quick BBB and french braided my hair for sleep.  I'll update you on the dried hair & no poo status in the morning, stay tuned.

Hair Update

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 (shiny, smooth, happy hair)
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. CO added liberally.
Aug 4 - SoapNuts wash, 50%ACV, 50% water rinse. CO mid and ends.
Aug 8 - 1 part ACV, 5drops lime EO with 9 parts water rinse only. (CO added to ends only once since last wash. None added today.)
Aug 13 - Egg wash. 3 eggs to equal parts water with a lukewarm shower and a good long rinse. I also did a coconut milk rinse and an ACV rinse with 10 drops tangerine EO. Felt oily and heavy and yuck!
Aug 16 I did a SoapNuts wash with 20% ACV to water with 7 drops of tangerine EO rinse. I rinsed a very very long time. It was easy to detangle, but ever so slightly waxy/squeeky while wet, but I let it dry all out, no braids or elastics. It looked great and felt light and soft. It dried quicker than I'm used to with "product" in it though. 

Aug 28 - SoapNuts wash with 50% ACV to water with 7 drops of Lime EO rinse.  Added Jojoba on day 2 and then day 5, on the ends after WO washes as well.
Sept 7 - Washed with an Argan oil castille soap wash with 50% ACV to water with 7 drops of Lime EO rinse.

Messy Bun Tutorials

How pretty!! I'm going to try this one :)

Click here for the source.

And... I'm not sure I like this messy bun personally, but I thought I'd throw it in :)

Click here for the source.

Here's another cute one.

Click here for the source.

And this cute double braided ponytail ...

Click here for the source.



A little bow...

Click here for the source.



Ohh, this is lovely!

Click here for the source.

This one is a classic too!

Click here for the source.

Leave in Conditioner, gasp!!!

I'm so excited, I can't wary to try this one part glycerine, 4 parts water leave in conditioner!!!

It's working!!!

I'd say I'm onto something!!!

8/28: Washed with SoapNuts straight from the fridge (previously frozen) and rinsed with 1/3 my container of ACV + 7 drops lime EO + half teaspoon jojoba oil in very warm tap water - mixed well and shaken well before each squirt.

Then, I wide tooth combed my hair upside down and added very little jojoba on the trouble spots and then plopped my hair overnight in the T-shirt which has the best stretch-ability and tying-ability (I finally found the right T-shirt!)

At the very least, I prefer jojoba to coconut oil as my moisturizer. I like the healthy sheen and the way it instantly absorbs. I also like that when I do WO washes its still in the hair and the warm water helps the jojoba and my sebum to move down the length of the hair without ending up in the bottom of my tub!!

Ta Daa!!!

Volume! Natural curls!

Too bad it's going into a ponytail ;)

Coconut Oil Uses

Little did you know that your coconut oil can be used for a good old healthy snack!! Click here

How to Do Abhyanga, a Self Massage with Warm Oil

"The Sanskrit word sneha means both “oil” and “love,” and the effects of abhyanga are similar to being saturated with love. Both experiences can give a deep feeling of stability, warmth and comfort. Sneha – oil and love – is sukshma, or “subtle.” This allows it to pass through minute channels in the body and penetrate deep layers of tissue."

And the HAIR benefits are...

"Benefits of applying oil to the scalp (murdha taila):

• Makes hair grow luxurious, thick, soft and glossy
• Soothes and invigorates the sense organs
• Helps reduce facial wrinkles"

Go directly to the banyanbotanicals.com link for the full write up!

Happy hair :)

I got my jojoba oil and aloe butter and am excited!

I used the jojoba oil on my dry areas on my face. We'll see how that feels in the morning, and I also added jojoba oil from the middle to the ends of my hair.

My understanding is that although it's expensive, jojoba is closest to the skin's natural sebum. I can feel the new texture of my hair, I've been able to move my natural sebum just about mid way down the length of my hair, just past my ponytail, so I'm hoping this jojoba infusion will help my hair to feel completely renewed. Once it does, I'll get it trimmed :)

I'm hoping this will work!!

I put a little oil on my face to see how it absorbs and feels.

In the morning....

My face felt like it desperately needed washing, but it looked healthy :). I have a pimple forming near my hairline - figures!!!

My hair feels good. The ends have absorbed all of the jojoba. I'm on a mission though, me and my braid will keep on going!!! My scalp is slightly itchy in the center, so a wash is close, perhaps a WO tonight and see how it goes.

The WO went well, a great full curly ponytail, easy detangling, and no frizzies along the hairline, but despite my scalp feeling ok, I can smell ever so slightly that I need a wash.

Ok on 8/16 I did a SoapNuts wash with 20% ACV to water with 7 drops of tangerine EO. I rinsed a very very long time. It was easy to detangle, but ever so slightly waxy while wet, but I let it dry all out, no braids or elastics. It looked great and felt light and soft. It dried quicker than I'm used to with "product" in it though.

My mom in law says my hair doesn't smell like vinegar, but doesn't smell bad, but doesn't smell good either - lol.

I haven't added any oils yet, I'll start adding oil tomorrow. My hair is light, slightly frizzy, not dry per se, but the frizzy hairline is out - of - control!!!!

See....

Now for the oil experiment ;)

I've been adding a teensy bit if jojoba from my ends to the crnter of my hair. It maintains moisture way better/longer than coconut oil, almost as if my ends feel so nourished they want to curl right away. I didn't get that with coconut oil.

On the flip side, there's no scent and my tangerine EO just doesn't seem to last in the jojoba oil. I may switch back to lime EO to see if it makes a difference.

I also BBB before a WO wash, and only sometimes before bed. I've noticed my hair looks better, but I smell that "oily needs washing" smell. Kind of like "head", when warm from heat... Ya, jojoba behaves much like natural sebum, good for my intentions but I need an EO!!

On 8/25 I did an Egg wash. 3 eggs to equal parts water with a lukewarm shower and a good long rinse. I also did a coconut milk rinse and an ACV rinse with 10 drops tangerine EO. I didn't find I got that beautiful shiny soft feel I got last time though.

I did a WO wash again since my scalp isn't itchy but feels like I want to scratch it anyway. Thinking I need to do a SoapNuts wash really sooner than I'd anticipated :(.

I may try warming the jojoba and using less than a teeny bit on my scalp... I'm thinking I may chicken out on that lol!!

I'm still not pleased with the hairline frizzies. I have been wearing my hair out and in loose braids. I may start wearing it in a bun again and trying the flax seed DIY gel on the hairline because as it grows out (just had a baby a year ago, lots of hair breakage at 4-5 mos) its getting longer without any product it's hard to keep it down.

Here's me every day :)

Don't mind the eyebrows lol

It was rainy today, so it's more frizzy than normal!!

Hair update

The calendar says its the weekend, but my scalp feels great. I do not feel the need to wash at all... It smells fine, feels a little dry mid to ends of the hair but I'm doing something right if I don't need to wash... crazy!  I tried using grapeseed oil today, just on the mid to ends of the hair and I didn't find it absorbed into the ends very well.  We'll see how it does over the ext two days.

Talking about crazy... I'm going away for a week, and I'm only bringing 1/2 cup ACV and my squirty bottle. I'm picking up some jojoba oil & aloe butter along the way, and will have my BBB. That's hard core!! Am I crazy or what?

My plan is to do an egg wash when and if I need to, otherwise it'll be WO washing because I won't have a choice!!!  I'll have my oils to add, but nothing to cleanse with... except the egg wash.

Yes... That's four bottles of product less than what I used to travel with ;)

Hahaha!!  He needs some oil!!

Hair pH - a Great Explanation

TheNaturalHavenBloom.com has one of the best discussions about how the hair cuticle works.  Even the comments below her post are VERY informative.  Check it out here.

Hair update...

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 (shiny, smooth, happy hair)
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. CO added liberally.
Aug 4 - SoapNuts wash, 50%ACV, 50% water rinse. CO mid and ends.
Aug 8 - 1 part ACV, 5drops lime EO with 9 parts water rinse only. (CO added to ends only once since last wash. None added today.)