The skeptic's Blog....

That's probably what I shoulda called this blog...

What up y'all...Sorry I've been MIA...TressDressed has been keeping me VERY busy...

Anyway...I tried a hair mask that I've been hearing about all over the internet...I've seen video tutorials on YouTube and everything...

The Rhassoul Clay Hair Mask...

I make soap, so I have different clays here, and Rhassoul is one of them, so I decided to give it a try...

For me...eh...whatevs...

Sometimes, it seems like a lot of us in the "natural" world will jump off the deep end spending major loot trying all of these concoctions and remedies....Sometimes, I also think we overstate some of the results we get because everybody else is "oohing and ahhing" over it...But....that's just me...That's what I think...

Well considering this economic down turn of MY wallet, I have to keep it completely real for me...

I tried the mask and it didn't do anything anymore than anything else out there...It's no miracle product (not saying anybody has claimed such), but if you like natural products, this is just another one to add to all the others...

Here's a recipe:

4tbs Rhassoul Clay
2tbs Olive Oil
2 drops of Thyme Essential Oil.

I'd like to hear if anybody else tried and liked....

I'm soooo fly...

I know this blog is suppose to be about natural haircare, but I can't help pubbing myself. I made these cute little clips for a gorgeous bride-to-be named Monique...She's having a destination wedding and wanted these orchid clips to add to her flyness...er...birdcage veil...LOL...

Pics of my mother-in-law!!!

So my gorgeous mother-in-law got married last month. I made a fascinator for her hair, and it was PERFECTION!!! It matched her dress perfectly...I was really happy, and so was she!!

Mother-in-law is natural, and dyes her hair a gorgeous blond color...She's got the thickest hair I've ever seen in my life too...She wore her hair in a twistout and I arranged the fascinator on her hair. I "swooped" everything to one side so she'd look "diva-ish"...Here are some non-pro pictures of her in her flyness...

Don't stop, get it, get it!!!!!

SOMEBODY told me the Holidays were over and I was overdue for a posting...(humph!)...! HATERS!!! That's all I'm saying...HATE-UHS!!!

So...Happy New Year!

This year is bound to be very fabulous for me...I believe it...I've got so much stuff planned for my hurr...

I've been thinking about something lately, and I think I'll blog about it right now...So my husband and I were in an Indian grocery store recently, and I started browsing their haircare offerings...There were various bottles with gorgeous Indian women with the THICK, lush, long hair...They had shampoos, conditioners, dyes, and hair oil.

I was very interested in the hair oils because a few of them had pictures of women with unbelieveably thick and long hair...One had a lady with floor length hair on it...It was insane...So of course I immediately flipped the bottle over to see the ingredients...I PROMISE YOU that every single bottle of hair oil on the shelf had the CHIEF ingredient as MINERAL OIL...So it started me to thinking...How much are products actually helping, and how much is this journey actually CARE and GENETICS?????

Sometimes we spend so much time trying to find the perfect set of products that we don't pay attention to the fact that products may only play a small part in the overall "fierceness" of our situation...I know I'm VERY guilty of this...

I often get emails asking how I deal with split ends, and what products do I use...I honestly, honestly, honestly think there are so many things that cause split ends and products are only a small part of addressing the issue...I think weak and splitting ends can be attributed mostly to environment (the weather), styling habits (combing, brushing, heat styling), and maybe genetics...

When I was in Florida over the holiday, the weather down there soooo agreed with my hair...I washed it once, and applied my "concoction" every other day...It was insane how the weather held my moisture in...Here in Tennessee, no can do, man...I best to moisturize EVERYDAY, or there are going to be serious problems...

And that brings me to genetics...I drool over folks with thick hair...I envy women who can seemingly abuse their hair with heat, crappy products and styling methods, and their hair doesn't flinch...I've come to learn that there are certain things that I JUST can't do and expect to have healthy hair...It's not in my genes...I spent some time with my mom this holiday down in Florida, and I started studying her hair. She's natural and has some amazingly gorgeous hair that she keeps in a braided bun most of the time. I studied the texture and density...I was all up in her situation...I've never looked at it like I did at that time...It's sooooo similar to mine. Fine strands that curl, wave, and frizz...She's my hair twin...She's my mom...We talked about what we do, and we pretty much have the same issues. We just address them differently.

So I said all that to say that this year, I'm going to start paying more attention to everthing else...Sure products and styles are fun, but I believe that they don't play the major role in the health of my hair.

You go first...

I just got off of Amazon.com trying to spend some money...

I'm buying my husband some Christmas gifts...Searching around and hit the Beauty section...I was there for waaay too long...I decided that I'd pick one product to try...I'm such a weirdo with products...I'd click on one, put it in the shopping basket...then look up the ingredients or the marketing....then take it out of the shopping basket...I must have done this with 10 products or more...I was trying y'all...Then I came across this stuff...

Ojon® Restorative Hair Treatment

HEY!!!!

Focus...stop looking at that little hand claw thing...I need you here >...<

So, this 5 oz jar costs $55.00. Whhhhaaaaatttt??? I clicked on that just to see what "hunka, hunka" something would be applying this stuff to my situation everytime I used it...SURELY somebody comes with the stuff??

Seriously...What's the deal? Do you know how much 5 oz is??? Take a kleenex...Blow your nose...THAT'S 5 oz., dude...Okay...I kid, but you see where I'm going...

I looked at the ingredients...Looked at the marketing and the claims and I'm a little annoyed to say the least...The marketing is wacked out...IMO... (http://www.ojon.com/)

Tawira, "the people of beautiful hair" (a phrase that they've trademarked...) are of the Miskito people...Miskito are a Native American tribe of people whose territory spans from Cape Camarón, Honduras, to Rio Grande, Nicaragua...There are sites and publications that state that the Miskito people are the result of runaway African slaves intermixing with the Native American people...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miskito
http://sidewalkmystic.com/Miskitos.htm

So they have this Ojon (also a trademarked name for the palm tree grown there) tree that they produce this fantastic oil from its nuts...Okay....oil...lubricates...aids in moisturizing...sure...got it...

BUT I'm not buying that it's this stuff that causes the magical beauty that you see...I think it's genetics...I'm such a skeptic...ESPECIALLY when it comes to hair/beauty products...If it's such a "beautifier" I'mma need them folks to use it on their skin too cuz some of the pictures I've seen, the people are pretty leathery...NO offense...It's just an observation...And considering hair and skin are made up of some of the same stuff and have some of the same needs...I'm just saying...

I do believe that the harvesting of the product might be a bit more expensive than the ingredients that the mofos who make Dax hair grease or Soul Aid or whatever use but...still $55.00?

I applaud the company using the indigenous people and helping them sustain their environment (if if fact they truly are), but I know you can get less "sexy" (sexy meaning less marketing) at places like http://www.agbangakarite.com/. (Their black soap, shea butter, and red palm oil is the business in a bag...for serious)

Anyway, back on task...Amazon has the ingredients for the Ojon® Restorative Hair Treatment as:

Elaeis Oleifera, Fragrance, Lecithin, Tocopherol, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Citric Acid, Serenoa Serrulata, Prunus Africana.

I started researching the ingredients, and lo and behold...all I had to do what scroll down on into thr review section...Somebody broke it down to the brokest...(Whew...now I wont need to spend the day googling...)

It's titled: If people would just read the label............., (I fluffy, puffy, jello heart this person...)

First, let me list both the pros and the cons of using this hair product.

PROS: 1) The product consists of 95% of all natural ingredients that will benefit your hair much better than those alternative synthetic conditioners found on the cosmetic shelves. 2) It can definitely work on all types of hair - especailly ethnic hair which tends to be on the dry side & therefore would need more emollients.

CONS: 1) Most of the ingredients (see below) that this product is made of can be found at your local health food store or ordered on-line from a herbal supply company at a fraction of the cost that Ojon is requesting.

2) The main ingredient in this product is simply oil. It's the same concept of the "hot oil treatment" but marketed in a different way in order to make Ojon seem more exotic. The fact is that using any oil - e.g. olive oil, coconut oil - will give you the same results. Now, I am going to break down the ingredients label so that you can see what you are paying for.

Ingredient #1: Elaeis Oleifera is American Palm Oil. It is native to the tropical Central & South Americas and is a very low cost oil (10 cents per oz) so therefore it is widely used in many industries such as food, candles, & cosmetics. It is very emollient & leaves a non-greasy shine to the hair & skin. The entire base of this 5-oz jar is made up of this palm oil, so the cost is estimated to be no more than a total of 50 cents. Ingredient

I have to interject here...I might add that Abinga Kirite has a great Red Palm Oil...Get that for a FRACTION OF A FRACTION of what 'ol dude is charging... (carry on...)

#2: Lecithin is a natural emollient that is heavily found in egg yolks. It has great conditioning properties & feeds the skin & hair natural carbohydrates. Many local health food stores sell it for about $2 for a 16 oz bottle. A little goes a long way, so for or a 5 oz jar of oil, only 1/4 teaspoon of lecithin is required. Ingredient

#3: Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Ascorbyl Palmitate, & Citric Acid are types of preservatives that many cosmetic industries are required to use to make sure that the oils do not go rancid. They do not contribute any benefits to the hair - they are only additives to ensure the product stays fresh longer. Ingredient

#4: Serenoa Serrulata (Saw Palmetto Extract), Citronellol (roselike odor derived from citronella oil), Linalool (liquid distilled from certain essential oils) & Parfum (a man-made fragrance) are all used to give this product it's unique "smokey" scent. Since most of this fragrance base is synthetic (& cheap), these ingredients do not contribute that much benefit Ingredient

#5: Prunus Africana. This may be the only ingredient worth paying attention to. It is an herbal extract derived from the bark of an African plant that many men have used to treat prostate illnesses. It has anti-swelling & healing properites. I would predict that this ingredient is added to promote balancing to the scalp, or to add a natural coloring to the oil (as most herbal extracts will do). But, since there is only a miniature amount used in this product, it is highly unlikely that there is enough to add any benefit whatsoever. Now that I have listed a breakdown of what you are paying $55 for, it is up to you whether you want to try this product or not. It's not a bad product, but it's definitely not the greatest or most original product either to justify paying that much money. My suggestion to you is to go to the local health food store, buy some natural oils & herbs for about $7, and create your own conditioning hair oil. Apply it to your hair the same way that you would apply this Ojon (as a pre-shampoo treatment) and not only will you get the same if not better results, but you will have enough money left over to go towards something more practical.
Things that make you go hmmmmmm.....

I've got a gallon of palm oil on my baker's rack that I use for soap making...Wouldn't need the preservatives as I'll make small batches...I have my own essential oils, and the Prunus Africana (wild cherry extract)...I can do without...it's the LAST ingredient on the list...If you got the loot to spend, and/or don't like to mix it up...try it...i guess...

Maybe it's that frightful little petrified hand/hook thing that makes it cost so much...

MMMMM....TAYter Tots...

Okay...That was tre corney...

I usually do my showcases on diva's who are natural or going natural, but I decided to take a break from the norm...

As we struggle through our journey of not only better hair care, but with working with the mindset of accepting our NATURAL selves, one has to look back to how that "mind" was developed...So many times I hear people say that "natural" hair isn't for them or they look stupid with natural hair, but it makes me say...Ummkay...The stuff that's growing OUT of your head? The stuff that GOD created??? For serious??? Okay...

I have a girl friend with the cutest little diva. Her name is Taylen, but we affectionately call her TATERS!!! Tay had a challenge getting here, and she fought so that she could bless us with her presence. Her mommy the lovely and loving elementary school teacher, Trice is allowing me to showcase her precious girl...

Trice is committed to making sure Tay learns to love herself from the beginning. I'm very curious to watch this from the cradle...

Anyway...Heeeeerrrrreeee's TATERS!!!

Y'all, Tay is rocking a twist out...Are you ready for that?? Too much...

Trice is narrating this story, so take it away mama...
Taylen came into the world with her head covered with hair. Not a head full of hair. It was straight and it covered her head.

Then the top started growing and the sides sat still. Then it started looking like the sides were thinning out. Her head was just getting bigger. But anyway people starting asking us if we styled her hair in a fro (yes those colored people). So eventually by the time she was 5 months she had a full out frohawk. She would rarely even wear a headband with it because ever since she was in the NICU she had things stuck to her head and she would panic when we put stuff around her head. Twice she allowed me to put a velcro barette in her head. I can remember clearly. I took pictures those days.

I didn't know what to do with her hair so I would put baby lotion or baby oil in her hair after a bath or before we left and let it run free.

(CUUUUTTTTT!!!!!!! Umm...Trice...spank yourself, please...) Okay...continue on...

Then the hair on the top of her head kept growing and the sides started to grow again! She could have ponytails but they looked so weird. I did them anyway. She had three! My mom came to visit and stopped me from using baby oil in my baby's hair. She started using LIV conditioner instead.

(ummm...do yall know they're about the same thing...as far as ingredients go??? I'mma beat on y'all...but carry on...)

I wet her hair and rubbed it in. She moved all the way up to a maximum of 6 ponytails before we started getting places and half of her hair was now out.

The child started taking her ponytails out on our way to places. I'd get to church and her right side would be neat and pretty and the left side would be all over the place. She was eating the ponytail holders. So then...I agreed with her that ponytails were for babies and she was a big girl. She allowed me to twist her hair after a shower and a few days later she had them all out! She wore her afro for 2 weeks. Some nights I would retwist it and let her take it out.

Look at Tayters stylin' in the Tutu I made her!!! Loving the stylish drool under her chin...Work it girl!

She has worn it in french braids/corn rows once but she took them out before I could even put batteries in the camera to take a picture.

I loves me some Tayters!!!! Butterum...Trice...we gone fight like rolling on the lawn if you don't stop using that greasy mess in my baby's hurr...

So...

I just came out of a very stressed 12 hours...

My mother-in-law is getting married next weekend, and she asked me to make her a fascinator 2 months ago...

I just finished it...today...

No...I wasn't slacking...

I was stressing...

She's getting married in the most non-traditional dress EVA...It's a pewter-ish color. She wanted feathers and browns and metalics and such...I tried a few different designs, and I swear the end results looked like something that needed to be in Beyonce's Upgrade U video...I wasn't having that...

I love my mother-in-law, so I want her to be happy, I also don't want my husband looking back years from now talking about how I had his moms looking a Hot Mess...

She said she didn't want to wear a veil, but guess what...She bout to wear one...Well some...I must be crazy adding that to my stress, right? I'm a fool, but last night I saw the fascinator I needed to make...in my dream...I always have dreams about pieces I create without design inspiration...

So here's what she's going to be wearing...

I think it came out beautifully...Okay...I'm going to bed now...I'm BEAT!!!