Cradle Cap

Hello Everyone,
Yes, I am back!! My little booger bear, Jonathan, has been keeping me very busy. I am finally getting back in to the swing of things. Back to work, gym, volunteering, social outings, and last but not least, my blog.  

3 months

I learn something new everyday when taking care of Jonathan and I wanted to share with any new moms out there what I learned. With a bit of trial and error I have cured Jonathan's cradle cap! For those of you that don't know, cradle cap is very common in infants and it is an inflammatory skin condition that causes flaky, white to yellowish scales to form on oily areas such as the scalf or inside the ear. I first noticed he had cradle cap when I saw him constantly scratching his head sometimes to the point of it bleeding and then you would just see a bunch of white flakes in his hair. He would get really irritated and fussy so I had to find something to get rid of this quick.

First, I started giving him a bath and washing his hair more frequently. I used Johnson's Baby Head to Toe Wash and then I would rub some olive oil in his head. The flakes would lift out of his head and I would comb them out but hours later he was scratching again. Next, I tried washing his hair with the same wash but instead of using olive oil I put my shea butter-olive oil mix in his hair. This cut down on the scratching but the flakes got bigger and brown looking and his hair just seemed really dirty. Then, I went back to just olive oil after washing his hair but instead of just putting it in there I would massage his head for about 10 minutes to really work the oil into his scalp. That didn't work either, the flakes returned! Then, the other day I had an epiphany...why not wash his hair with natural products like I do for myself.  So, I got a 3 oz bottle and mixed apple cider vinegar and water.

 

Vinegar

Added water

I washed his hair with that and he was screaming!!! I guess it hurt a little because he had cuts in his head from all his scratching. I dealt with his screaming because I saw all the gunk and flakes just lifting out of his head. After I got his hair completely clean, I massaged olive oil in his head for 10 minutes. With this method, he has been scratching a little still BUT there are no more flakes. When I see him scratching during the day, I wet his hair and apply a little vaseline and he is good to go. By the way, he doesn't cry anymore when I wash his hair because all his open wounds from scratching have healed.

HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY!

Please share any home remedies you have used on your baby for anything (eczema, dry skin, cradle cap, colic, constipation, colds, teething, etc).

Protective Style #6

Hello Everyone!!!
I just wanted to stop by and share a protective style I just came up with after washing my hair the other night. I think this style will work well for naturals and  those in transition. 

After washing my hair, I put 10 two strand flat twists in my hair. To stretch them, I bantu knotted them then went to bed. 

Two strand flat twists w/bantu knots

The next morning, I unraveled the knots and just pinned all the twists up and it gave me this nice protective style. 

Back

Front

Enjoy!

Brittany's New Hairdo

Hello All,
My friend Brittany went to the salon to get more color in her hair!!! I'm still afraid to color my hair, but it definitely looks good on her. First, she went in to get highlights and a braid out. Here are the results:

Then she went back and got her roots colored only on the front half of her hair. She did not get the back colored because her beautician said it could start breaking off becaue she pulls her hair up so much. Here are the results:

You may be wondering.....


What is her hair type?
3c/4a


What product did they use?
Boing Curling Creme

How does her hair feel after using that product and having the color put in?
Soft


How long did the braid out style last?
Two days.

How long did the twist out style last?
She got it done on Sunday (it is Thursday) and it is still holding up nicely. She was worried the curls would be flat in the mornings, so she re-twists her hair before bed.  

Thanks for sharing Brittany!!!!!

Protective Style #5

Hello Readers,
Here is another protective style that I like to do on stretched hair. This style was inspired by a faux hawk I saw Alicia Keys wear to a red carpet event. Check out the video!





You can reverse the way you two strand twist the middle to achieve an everyday look. See reverse method results below.

Retro Look

I attempted to do one of Curly Chronicles' deep waves retro looks. Here are the results. 

If any of you have tried any retro looks with your natural hair, please share!

Curlformers

Ladies, ladies, ladies...


I finally tried CURLFORMERS!!! I purchased the 40 Extra Long & Wide Curlformers set. 

The day before I put the Curlformers in, I washed my hair with Teressentials Cool Mint Earth Hair Wash using the same method in my Wash Day video. Let me just say, Teressentials smells great, defines my curls, and made my hair feel really soft and moisturized. Below is a picture of my washed hair without anything in it. 

The next day, I sectioned my hair into 8 sections. I allocated 5 Curlformers to each section. Before I put each Curlformer in, I applied Africa's Best Organics Olive Oil Foam Wrap Lotion and Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum on each strand and brushed it smooth. Here is a Curlformer tutorial to show you how easy they are to put in. 

Curlformers in!

Results:

This style did hold up all day and I hope it lasts a few more days. O yea, Curlformers are NOT comfortable to sleep in. I do however like the fact that I can achieve this look without sitting under the dryer. What has been your experience with Curlformers?

I Love My Buns Hun!

Hello Ladies!!! I have been asked several times how I do my buns and my friend Brittany asked me again last week. I promised her I would do a tutorial on buns. So, for all you ladies out there that want that perfect bun check out my video tutorial below. Enjoy!

Protective Style #3 and 4

Protective Style #3


Twist hair all over and pin up with bobby pins.

Protective Style #4

Part hair into three sections (two on the sides and one in the back). Pull back section into a slick ponytail, twist the end, wrap it around itself and pin. Flat twist the other two front sections of your hair. As you get to the end two strand twist. Wrap and pin both side twists around the back bun. Done!

Product Review

My coworker has a short haircut and her curls are really defined. Her hair texture is a 4b. I finally asked her the other day what she was using to define her curls. She said Hair One for Curly Hair. So, the following is a review of Hair One Cleanser and Conditioner with Argan for Curly Hair. FYI - There are other types of Hair One Cleanser and Conditioner that cater to dry hair, dry scalp, and normal hair. I purchased Hair One from Sally's Beauty Supply for $10. 

Hair One claims to cleanse, condition, and improve the overall health of your hair. It is sulfate free and the ingredients are:


Water (Aqua), Cetyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Amodimethicone, CID 157846, PEG-60 Almond Glycerides, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Argania Spinosa Kernal Oil, Coffea Arabica (Coffee) Seed Extract, Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit Extract, Rosa Roxburghii Fruit Extract, Panthenol, Butylene Glycol, Propylene Glycol, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Menthol, Polysorbate 60, Citric Acid, BHT, Disodium EDTA, Potassium Sorbate, 1, 2-Hexanediol, Hexylene Glycol, Caprylyl Glycol, Sorbic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance (Parfum).


Note the cones and alcohol!!! After looking at the ingredients, I was skeptical because I've been told that cones and alcohol are not good for your hair. STRIKE ONE! Nonetheless, I was more concerned about getting that curl definition my coworker was able to achieve with this product. I felt the alcohol in this product might dry the hair out so when testing this product on my husband and sister I applied my homemade curl loosener then the Hair One.


Test #1


My husband's hair before this process:

After Curl Loosener Application:

After Hair One Application:

Interview --

What do you think about the curl loosener?

It really makes me want some banana bread for one thing. It smells really good! But seriously, my hair feels very moisturized. 

What do you think about Hair One?

It tingles!! It made my hair look 10 times better and it feels like it has been moisturized. My hair is really soft too. 

Would you use Hair One again?

Absolutely. I'm taking your bottle.

Test #2


My sister's hair before this process:

After Curl Loosener Application:

After Hair One Application:

Interview --

What do you think about the curl loosener?

It smells good and it made my hair soft. 

What do you think about Hair One?

It tingles!! I can actually run my fingers through my hair now. 

Would you use Hair One again?

Sure.

Now, onto me! I tried Hair One on my hair. I'm not even going to post pictures of myself because the before and after pictures look the exact same. My hair did feel good and I could run my fingers through it, BUT it did not give me any curl definition. I like the results on short hair but not long hair. 

Updo for Short Natural Hair

I put my sister's hair into a semi mohawk yesterday. Here are the results!

Front View

Side View

Side View

Back View