UPDATE: NEW SIMPLE HAIR REGIMEN AUGUST 2013 ...INTRODUCING MY NEW LOVE FENUGREEK!

Over the years I have been constantly simplifying my natural hair regimen. I also have completely gotten my PJism under control by using mostly natural ingredients.

Weekly, I take about 2-3 tablespoons of Fenugreek and mixed it with 3-5 cups of boiling water. I make a paste that's similiar to mash potatoes. Just apply the water a little at a time until you get the desired consistency. Then allow the mixture to sit over night until a mucilage forms in the paste. This mucilage makes the hair have super slip. I add a tablespoon of cold pressed coconut oil to the mixture after the mucilage had formed. 

Coconut oil is one of the few oils that has been proven to penetrate the hair shaft.  

As stated in a previous post, the study stated that it was best to apply coconut oil on dry hair before you shampoo for an extended period of time to get full shaft penetration. Coconut oil is a natural conditioner for the hair so it can be used as a post wash treatment as well.

 Next, I apply a generous amount of coconut oil to my hair shaft then apply the Fenugreek paste to dry unwashed or washed hair ...then cover my hair with a plastic bag and leave this paste on my hair  for approximately 1-2 hours. You don't need more than that because you don't want this mixture to dry in your hair. The plastic bag helps with keeping your moisture levels up while deepprepooing.

SIDENOTE: My BFF discovered that if you mixed the Fenugreek paste with a conditioner of your choice it will rinse out much easier. I also think that by applying coconut oil on the hair shaft first helps the fenugreek rinse out easier as well.  I still applied a conditioner of choice afterwards like normal. The conditioner helps in filtering out the "curry" smell of fenugreek as well.

Next, I apply my apple cider vinegar mixture to my scalp and massage with my finger tips. Then rinse the apple cider vinegar and Fenugreek out of my hair. It took several rinses before I got all of the Fenugreek out. Apply a cheapie or home made conditioner for 10 minutes just to help cover the spicy smell of Fenugreek LOL! 

Finally, seal the hair with Grapeseed oil which is a great conditioner and/or Sweet Almond Oil. Sweet Almond oil is a good exfoliator for the scalp which ensures healthy hair growth. I add a few drops of Ylang Ylang  oil to either essential oil because it helps to treat split ends. I rub about 5 drops of 

Carrot seed oil mix with Grapeseed oil to the tips of my comb before I use it to stimulates hair follicles. 

Then stretch my hair with bantu knots or braid/twist plaits. Finally, I put my hair in a protective style for the rest of the week. 

SIDENOTE: A good alternative for hair serum is rice bran oil. This oil is high in ceremides aka "hair cement".  I use it as a sealant, prepoo or after I air dry my hair for extra shine. Rice bran oil contains oryzanzol which blocks harmful ultraviolet rays from damaging our hair. I live in a extremely hot and humid environment, and since I'm always outside this has helped me preserve my hair. It is also used as a heat protectant in some haircare products.

Since I have been working out hard this summer, I put a diluted apple cider vinegar wash on my scalp every 3 days. Then let it air dry in a protective style. This helps my scalp stay relatively clean until wash day a few days later. Our scalp must breathe to function at optimal levels...so it's important to regularly cleanse the scalp from excessive sebum, debris, and product build up. Even though the outermost visible layer of our skin is "dead" it is still permeable to some extent. 

When our scalp isn't routinely cleansed, a build up of dead cells ( cellular tissue+dried sweat ) will choke off the hair follicle as well as create a massive amount of flaking.

SIDENOTE: I still lightly mist with rosewater/aloe vera a couple times a day. Then seal with Grape seed oil or sweet Almond oil. I also still lightly finger detangling my hair while dry before I wash/condition it.

I clarify my hair once a month with bentonite/rhassoul clay mixture and a diluted version of apple cider vinegar (15 percent  acv mixed with 85 percent water). I usually apply the diluted apple cider vinegar to my scalp then massage to remove residue from my scalp. Next, apply bentonite/rhassoul clay mixture to my hair/scalp and let it sit for about 20 minutes then rinse. Then apply my fenugreek conditioner as normal.

COST ANALYSIS:

                           Fenugreek ~ $2.49 ( last 2-3 month)

            Apple Cider Vinegar ~ $4.99 ( last 3-4 months)

                         Coconut Oil ~$8.99 (last 4-5 months)

                      Grape seed Oil~$5.99(last 1-2 months)

          Sweet Almond Oil~ $9.99 (4-5 months)

                      Ylang Ylang~$10.99 (3-4 months)

Bentonite/Rhassoul Clay~ $9.99 (6-7 months)

                       Carrot Seed Oil~ $16.00 (10 - 12 months)

                  Rice Bran Oil~$5.50 (12 months)

                      Babassu Oil ~ $10.00 (4-5 months)

*******So I'm averaging a little over $20 a month, which is a great improvement for me.*******

When I was relaxed I spent well over $200 every two months on stylist/products. 

BOTTOM LINE: 

Fenugreek is the business! Fenugreek promotes growth, eliminates dandruff, treats baldness and moisturizes the hair shaft. To me this mixture is better than tea rinses to completely stop hair fall. I'm also not comfortable with putting caffeine on my scalp since anything we put on our scalp is absorbed into our skin. Plus Fenugreek gives hair great slip to enable detangling with complete ease. The combination of coconut oil and fenugreek made my hair shiny and silky. Fenugreek has approximately 3 grams of protein per 1 tablespoon so this mixture will help give your hair a protein punch as well. Do yourself a favor...get your $2.49 together and walk no run to your nearest International store!

UPDATE: Make sure you apply a generous amount of coconut oil or any oil of your choice on the hair shaft before you apply fenugreek. This makes the fenugreek paste rinse out easier!

FENUGREEK PASTE

FENUGREEK PASTE AFTER 24 HOURS WITH COCONUT OIL

This is how Fenugreek looks in my hair.

Last but not least, I detangled with the Hercules Magic Star Jumbo comb. I started with my ends then work my way up the shaft until my hair was completely detangled. Using this comb with the Fenugreek conditioner makes detangling my thick/long natural hair a breeze with very little hair shedding. The below picture does not do it justice...I repeat my hair shedding was minuet compared to a normal comb out or finger comb session.

                                                                                    SOURCE


                                                                    COST ANALYSIS
                                           
                                                                  Magic Combs  ~ $17.50   


                                                                      BOTTOM LINE: 

This comb has become a staple in my natural hair care regimen. You will see little to no hair breakage but only shedded hair in the comb after you detangled. No more abnormal hair breakage from combing your hair while wet or dry. I was trying to use my hands to detangle my hair for the last couple of months, but I don't think the technique was properly detangling my hair. Plus it took forever where as this comb detangles fast and efficient. I love the fact that the teeth on this comb are so long... this makes it possible to detangle large and wide sections of hair with ease. I rarely promote or use commercial hair products but I couldn't help recommend this comb to my natural or curly hair readers. This comb was worth every penny...

Shedded hair after using Fenugreek/Magic Star Jumbo Comb...Which is about a 80 percent decrease in hair fall!





SO HOW HAVE YOU SIMPLIFIED YOUR HAIRCARE REGIMEN?