Jason Tea Tree Oil Shampoo

My scalp gets very dry and I suffer from what I like to call "massive flake attack" syndrome aka dandruff. Ive tried dozens of things to make it go away even completely giving up shampoos, but my scalp builds up dirt and oil bad so my hair has to be washed occasionally. Along with oiling my scalp Jamaican black castor oil this shampoo helps out so much. It is one of the first organic sulfate free shampoo's to be on the market and it works wonders. When I wash my hair with this I make sure that I only put on my scalp close to my roots and scrub 4 individual sections (there is no need to wash the whole strand of hair conditioner can do that well enough for you). It smells like a tea tree oil shampoo and that is pretty god since most heavy duty dandruff shampoos stink (Ive tried T Gel shampoo and it works but it smells like a straight up tire). It keeps my scalp pretty clear of dandruff and I use it at least once a month or every other week. I purchased this at food lion in the organic section and it is about $9. Ive had the bottle for months now and you don't have to use a whole lot so you really get your monies worth. It is the only shampoo I will use now unless I run out and someone give a different one for free lol.

DIY Deep Conditioner/Protien Treament

So to start this topic off I first have to tell you guys what hair is made of so you will know why I'm slapping all this food in my hair.
Shaft - The hair shaft is made up of dead, hard protein called keratin in three layers. (Heather Brannon, MD The Biology of Hair)

So if you have ever wondered why people are always taking about protein treatments its because hair is made up of proteins. 

Now there are actual protein treatments that you can buy at the beauty supply store but every review I have heard about those scare me. Girls always say they make your hair hard as a brick, you can't touch it when the product has hardened, and if you don't wash it all the way out your hair will fall out. Now the ladies who have the protein treatment game down pack really do have nice hair and great results but my anxiety just won't let me try it lol. So I turned to making my own with the one thing I really love in this world; food.  I use one whole avocado(the softer the better), one whole banana, a cup of PLAIN yogurt, and some olive oil. I don't put an egg in mine because you only can wash it out in cold/cool water or else the egg will start to cook and I don't have time for that lol.

Here is why I chose my ingredients:
Avocados provide all 18 essential amino acids necessary for the body to form a complete protein.(So its great for eating too) 
One medium sized banana has about 1 gram of protein.
The yogurt I use has 3 grams of protein in one cup and the yogurt is a great base for the mixture.
Olive oil is inexpensive, a great essential oil, and it gives the mixture great slip.

I blend all of these up in my blender until it is nice and smooth. If it doesn't seem smooth enough to you add more oil.

I then apply the mixture to my DRY hair, from root to tip, in sections combing it through (this is also detangling time. Once I'm done with the section I roll it up in a little ball and move on to the next one.Once I'm done with my whole head I put on a shower cap and I'm usually hungry after I finish and I go eat something lol. After I finish eating (about 15 or 20 minutes later) I rinse the product out. I take down the balled sections one by one and rinse it thoroughly with warm/hot water. After I rinse my hair I go back with conditioner making sure I try my best to not mess up my beautiful detangled curls because I'm definitely not going to detangle again.

The results are amazing and it makes my hair feel so great and refreshes my curls.

I don't do this on washed hair especially not shampooed because the food is more likely to get stuck in your hair. You can also strain the mixture but I'm always too lazy to do that lol.

EOS Shaving Cream

This is not a hair product clearly but one of my best friends put me on this so I had to share with you guys. As ladies with curly thick hair we are more prone to get razor bums and burns. There are ways to avoid this like getting waxed or not saving at all but lets face it, waxing hurts like hell and not everybody is for hairy areas.Well my roommate told me about this shaving regimen that she found online to help with fighting razor bumps. It includes shaving with EOS shaving cream then applying aloe vera gel to the shaved area after you get out the shower.

So here is my review on the shaving cream:
I purchased the pomegranate raspberry scented one, let me start of by saying it smells amazing! It is a thick cream vs a standard gel which is better for shaving if you suffer from razor bumps. EOS states that it will provide you with 24 hours of moisture and that you can shave either wet or dry and that "it’s enriched with skin protectants to help prevent nicks and razor bumps". One of its ingredients is shea butter and you guys know how much I love that stuff. The cream gives you a very good shave and leaves your skin super smooth. I bought it at Walgreen's for about $3.50 and I will probably never buy a different shaving cream again. Another plus is that it comes in a plastic container with a pump so it won't leave a rusty ring in the shower.

This product plus the aloe vera gel applied to the skin post shower is great on preventing razor bumps. I found my aloe vera gel in the sun screen section (I purchased the Walgreen's brand) and as you know or didn't know the aloe plant is great for soothing and treating burns.

I hope this helps you guys as much as it helped me!

Questions for me

With my growing blog I wanted to feature myself as a Happy Nappy because who wouldn't want to be featured on a blog write? But my boyfriend told me that I was being big headed and instead suggested that I have you guys ask me questions and I answer them, so here we are!

Question: How do you go about trimming split ends? If you have a salon in Gso, who do you trust?
Answer: Personally my hair grows faster when I keep it trimmed so I try to trim my ends every 2 to 3 months. Sometimes I trim my ends myself if I can't stand them and I do that my flat ironing my hair and as I flat iron each piece I trim about 1/2 an inch off. If I go to a salon I go to Leon's on Tate St. (Jordan cuts my hair) or the one in Friendly shopping center (Tiffany cuts my hair). The one on Tate was $20 last time I went and the one in Friendly was $30.

Question: What is your favorite style?
Answer: My favorite hairstyle is my big curly fro which I achieve with a messy braid out.

Question: Do you know of any foods/food items that promote healthy hair growth?
Answer: Over the summer I made smoothies every day and my hair and skin where the best they had ever been. In them I had; kale, spinach, broccoli, peaches, pineapple, yogurt, almond milk, and flax seeds. Anything with protein is also a plus because one of the components of hair is protein. I also went online and found some foods that are great for hair which are; salmon, walnuts, oysters, sweet potatoes, eggs, spinach, lentils, blueberries, and poultry.

Question: How do you handle bad hair days? 
Answer: I throw my hair up in I high puff. If my hair is looking really dry I run my hair under some water really quick and throw some conditioner in my hair before I put it up in a puff.

Question: What is your curl pattern/hair type?
Answer: My hair is a mixture of 3C and 4A with 3B in the very back. I hate to type or catergorize hair though because you can get lost in trying to figure out your curl pattern when you really just need to focus on finding out what works best with your hair.

Question: What's the best way to manage your curls and work out everyday?
Answer: When working out you need to keep your hair out of your face so it won't bother you or come in contact with sweat. I personally put my hair up in a loose puff. If your hair isn't long enough to do that you can do a protective style like french braids or two flat twists while you work out. After you work out take your hair down and let it dry. I personally couldn't keep a protective style in after working out because I sweat buckets. You can put a sweat band, head band, or silk scarf around your edges to keep you edges from puffing up if you want. I kept my normal wash routine of washing once a week unless my hair just felt really dirty then I would do a quick conditioner rinse and braid my hair up for the night so I could have my fullness again for the next day.

Question: How do you take care of your hair:
Answer: I wash my hair every week using shampoo every two weeks. I use Jason Tea Tree oil shampoo and Say yes to the carrot conditioner (both items are found in the natural ingredient section of hair care products, sometimes by the skin car not the African American natural section). I detangle in the shower as I apply conditioner with a wide tooth comb. After I wash I let my hair air dry for as long as I can then I apply moisturizer as I am putting my hair in braids (my hair holds moisture better if I apply it to dry/damp hair rather than wet hair). I put about 7 or 8 braids in my hair I DO NOT COMB MY HAIR WHEN I'M DOING THE BRAIDS it manipulates my curl pattern. I take the braids out in the morning and separate each strand so my hair gets bigger and doesn't look braided. I hate a defined look. I braid my hair up about every two nights and pineapple in between I might detangle once in between washes if my hair is looking a little cray cray. I also spritz m hair with my spray bottle mixture to add moisture and to make my hair bigger.