My Hair Regimen

In case you didn't know, my hair is not like everyone else's, so it requires a different routine Shocker right?  Many folks going natural jump into it not knowing everything about taking care of it, but that's OK! I'm going to break down what I do when it comes to basic hair care. This may not work for everyone, but who knows? maybe this info will be helpful to some! I know I get lots of questions from people of all hair types, so this post will be good for that too.

My hair is super thick, lots of shrinkage (I don't like that word because it sounds so negative; can we say extra coily or something? I'll work on that), and on the coarser side if I don't moisturize it. My hair is actually past my shoulders if I were to straighten it! This is just to give you an idea of how much hair I'm dealing with.

EVERY DAY

• When I wake up, I spray my hair with water and/or Jane Carter Solution Revitalizing Leave-in Conditioner. Then I rub some of my Mango Shea butter mix through my hair and fluff out my fro. Time: 5 - 10 minutes.
• Every night I spray it with just water fairly lightly and wear my satin cap (when I remember) Time: less than a minute

EVERY 3 to 5 DAYS

• I try to make sure I rotate hair styles about this often. By style I mean hair clip, pulled back, pinned, etc...Time: style depending, but these styles usually take no more than 10 minutes
• I co-wash about this often. Depends on if I sweat or product build up; basically if I have to wash anything out between washes. Time: 20 minutes in the shower

EVERY 10 to 14 DAYS

• I Shampoo, condition, and detangle. If I shampoo any more often than that, my hair will seriously feel stripped of moisture and bounce. Since my type of hair is dry and it will never get oily on it's own, I really don't need to shampoo any more than that! Time: 1 to 2 hours

EVERY MONTH

• I try to twist my hair once a month (always after shampoo and conditioning). It's the best way to really get the butter through my hair so it's nice and moisturized. also the best way to detangle since I'm working with smaller sections. Time: 3 hours

EVERY 4 TO 6 MONTHS

• Trim! I know it's time to trim when I get a lot of single strand knots at the ends of my hair. I do this as I do my twists. Time: 4 hours (including twisting)

Thats about it! I hope this was helpful. If you have natural hair, what do you do differently? Feel free to ask questions :3 Of course, life gets hectic and I don't always follow this to the T; but for the most part it's pretty manageable!

TTFN!<3

- Avé

DIY Beauty: Greek Yogurt Hair Mask

When my fro is looking tired, dry, and down right deprived, that's when I know it's time for a mask. I've tried one with a mayo base, but it was too drippy and it smelled (although the benefits were almost worth it). I did some searching and I know yogurt is another popular base, but I couldn't find much on Greek yogurt. Since that's all I have, I decided to give it a shot.

For this mask, I used:

• 1 cup of yogurt. I found that the the Greek yogurt's superior thickness worked great my thick curls. However, Greek is not mandatory. Yogurt in general has lots of anti-fungal bacterial that will naturally cleanse your tresses. Also, the protein in yogurt strengthens your hair, which helps your curls stay curly and controls fly-away frizzies. This is a great mask for the summer because it's cool and soothing; also great for soothing an itchy scalp.
• 2 - 3 tablespoons of olive oil for shine and moisture. If you're not going with the egg, I'd go with 4 - 6 tablespoons.
• 1 egg for shine and moisture. This is optional. I found with this mask shine is not the main goal, like the mayo mask. I get weary when I use an egg because I freak out at the thought of scrambled eggs in my hair if the water's too hot when I rinse it out.
• 5 drops of vitamin E to help heal damaged hair and promote hair growth. How you may ask? In short, vitamin E is important to the cell membranes in your hair follicles in order for hairs to grow properly. Yay science!
• 3 drops of rosemary essential oil, which also promotes hair growth and just smells great! 

*I have extremely thick hair that's about medium length, and this was barely enough; so adjust the amounts to suit your hair :) *

Wear the mask on your hair in a plastic cap for thirty minutes to an hour (no more than two hours, though!) and rinse in the shower under cool water. Then follow up with a mild shampoo and conditioner and continue like you normally would for your routine. If you don't have a plastic cap, you can use a regular shopping bag and use the handles to tie it snuggly around your head. I used my Jane Carter Solution shampoo and conditioner and then my shea butter mix I made myself. 

The results from this mask are still in effect several days later! It made detangling my hair a breeze, helped define my curls, and has kept my hair soft days later without having to apply anything else (I usually find my hair craves the shea butter mix almost every day; it's been five days :O). My hair felt extremely clean and fresh; more so than with just shampooing. Any natural products I make contain vitamin E and rosemary and I can honestly say I think they're helping with the hair growth (I'll talk about this more when I tell you lovelies about my shea butter mix). After this mask my fro was so huge it was too intimidating for work; I pulled it back :P

I will definitely be doing this mask again; I'm glad it worked out for me! Let me know if you try it too!

TTFN <3

Review: Smashbox Reflection - High Shine Lip Gloss

Smashbox Reflection retails for about $18 which is kinda pricy for me. However, I’ve had the same tube for about six months already and apply it at least twice a day (as long as it’s not lost in the bottom of my bag :S) and there’s still plenty of product left.

It leaves the lips with just the right amount of gloss so you don’t look like you just downed a box of KFC. It’s not super sticky and works great over a lip stain. I will be sure to purchase this gloss again! 

TTFN! <3

Review: Boiing Concealer by Benefit

Can you tell which half of my face has the concealer?

This is by far my most favorite concealer I’ve ever used. It was recommended to me by a gentleman who works at Ulta; he swears by it. This concealer is the first one that I’ve owned that you can use all by itself (as I did in the photos) so it’s great for those days when all you want to do is cover a zit or under the eyes. 

I’m using number 02, about four times a week mainly for the bags on my eyes and the occasional zit. Boiing usually retails for about $20 - $25. However, it has lasted me four months so far and I’m about half way through with it. My sister uses it every day, and hers lasted about three months. Worth every penny! The Boiing concealer is creamy, smooth, and leaves skin feeling just the same. I usually only use my finger to apply it, making it perfect for beginners or people who don’t put on alot of makeup (ie. dudes).

Benefit’s packaging is cute and simple, if you’re picky about those things. I haven’t had any issues with the cap or anything. I only have to apply it once at the beginning of the day, no worries about it rubbing off.

Every time I wear this concealer in conjunction with my foundation, I get compliments on my beautiful skin. It’s sheer enough to let your natural tones (like my rosy cheeks) show without overdoing it. It IS possible to cake it on, but it’s still not so bad….you’ll just end up looking like a porcelain doll.

All in all, a great product! TTFN!<3