My Hair Today- Bantu Knot Out

I co-washed my hair after the gym last night and to airdry, I did some Bantu Knots.
When my hair was about 90% dry, I sprayed the length of my hair with Aloe Vera Juice/Rosewater/Water, added a little moisturizer and sealed with Sheabutter mixed with Coconut Oil.
I did 2 Bantu Knots on each side of my head and took them out this morning.
This is my hair at the end of a work day

We were asked to wear orange and/or black today, which explains my shirt. haha
As you can see by my face/eyes, it was a loooong day. :-)

Rihanna Pt 2

I remember when Rihanna had her hair like this, many people said she looked like the Wendy's girl. LOL.

But she switched up her look a little. The red is not as bright and she's back to her short cut. I think Short hair fits her soo well and I also like this color on her too

Bangs

I'm thinking about switching up my style a bit by getting bangs.
I used to have bangs a looong time ago and I liked the look, but once they grew out, I never went back.
The great thing about bangs is that once they grow out a little, you have a whole new hairstyle without even trying.
If anyone else is thinking about getting bangs, here are a few styles to choose from.

Ditching the Blonde

Looks like Cassie and Mya, who previously went blonde, decided to go back to their roots(or as close as possible). I personally like the dark hair better them, but either way they still look beautiful.

Them as Blondes:

Monica- Essence Hot Hair

Monica covers Essence magazine’s 1st Hot Hair issue which explores the “unique relationship between African-American women and their hair”.

In the issue, the Atlanta singer interviews with Karen R. Good about her career, motherhood, and hair. Here is an excerpt from the article:

“Since Then, Monica -who once aspire to be a hairstylist and worked on friends and acquaintances in her mom’s home-has worn her hair long, curly, asymmetric, blond, black, a bright pre-Rhianna red and everything “in between.” “If you’ve seen the movie ATL [where she played a waitress at the Waffle House],” she reminds us, “I’ve even done blond on the top and completely red on the bottom.” Monica favors a sleek look and makes weekly visits to salons such as Atlanta’s 360 Degree for washes and wraps with foam while she sits under the dryer. “I’m big on hair heath, ” she says. At night, Monica wraps her hair with a silk scarf or sleeps on a satin pillowcase.”


I love Monica!

Eucalyptus Oil to the Rescue

So I'm back and ready to blog!
My trip was fun/good...unfortunately, I got really sick the first 2 days. I had a really bad cold, migraines, stomach pains and a light fever! Not Fun. I felt like death. After the first day, my migraine and stomach pains went away. And after the 2nd day, my cold was almost completely gone. Talk about fast!
I don't take medicine, I don't believe in it, I only take medicine if I absolutely need to. And being in another country, on a vacation, I felt like I absolutely needed to get over being sick. I took one spoonful of cough medicine, I forget the name. But I don't think that did much for me at all!

What I do think that helped, was the Eucalyptus Oil.
Go figure!

So here's the deal.
I use Eucalyptus Oil in 2 things.
My Toner
My Aloe Vera Juice Mix

My Toner Mix is:
Witch Hazel
Rose Water (read up on this, its great for the skin)
a few Drops of Eucalyptus Oil (helps with acne)

My Aloe Vera Juice Mix is:
Rose Water 9very moisturizing for hair)
Aloe Vera Juice
Coconut Oil
Castor Oil
Eucalyptus Oil (this is my preservative to not have me refrigerate, it also stimulates hair growth and helps with dandruff)

I use both my toner and Aloe Vera Juice Mix twice a day.

One of the main reasons why I use  Eucalyptus Oil  in my toner is because I heard its good for pimples/acne/breakouts.Because it's an essential oil and can't be used alone, I was like heey why not use this in my toner. So, I did and it has been working wonderfully.
My face, mostly my jawline..broke out like crazy and I needed to fix it fast. I think the cause of the break-out was the growth aid I was using, so I stopped using it.

Anyways,  right after I used the toner, I felt like I could breath so much better and shortly after my cold was almost gone! My headache also went away really fast!
Read up on Eucalyptus Oil and figured using it on my face may be the reason why I got better so quick.


Benefits of Eucalyptus Oil

Respiratory Problems: Eucalyptus essential oil is effective for treating a number of respiratory problems including cold, cough, running nose, sore throat, asthma, nasal congestion, bronchitis and sinusitis. Eucalyptus oil is antibacterial, antifungal, antimicrobial, antiviral, anti inflammatory and decongestant in nature which makes it a good ingredient for many medicines for treating respiratory problems. A study published in Laryngoscope in 2004 shows its usefulness in treating non-bacterial sinusitis. Patients suffering from non-bacterial sinusitis showed faster improvement when given medicines containing eucalyptus oil. Gargles of eucalyptus oil mixed with warm water are effective on treating sore throat.


Wounds: Eucalyptus essential oil is a good antiseptic owing to its germicidal properties. On its exposure to air, ozone is formed which is a well-known antiseptic. Hence eucalyptus oil is used for healing wounds, ulcers, burns, cuts, abrasions and sores. It is also effective on insect bites and stings.

Melanie Fiona gives "HAIR CARE ADVICE &TIPS"

So, that is her hair! I'm never sure with celebrities, but her hair is gorgeous! So basically, like we know..deep conditioning and moisture is key to healthy hair!

Back to Black- Amla Powder

If you recall, in an attempt to thicken my hair, I was doing Henna Glosses. I did see my hair get a little thicker, but it also gave my hair a reddish/auburn tint. It was actually very noticable to me and others began to compliment on it as well. But....I became sick of the color and wanted my black hair back...so I did some research on products that can naturally turn hair darker and help with growth and came across Amla Powder. Lucklily I live near an Indian Grocery store and found Amla Powder for about $2.50, so I decided to give it a try last night.
As it gets colder, I become soooo lazy with my hair, so I wanted to deep condition and do the Alma Treatment at the Same time without having to go into the shower more than once.

Here was my mix:

3 Table Spoons of Lustrasilk Cholestorol
a little less then half the box Amla Powder
1 Table Spoon of Coconut Oil
Enough hot water to make a creamy mixture

Mixed it up then applied to dry hair in sections
Kept on for about an hour
Washed out with diluted shampoo
then did a couple of Conditioner washes
Applied Leave-ins and did a braid out once my hair was about 80% dry....

So here's my hair with the reddish tint

And here's my hair after using Amla Powder

See below for Benefits of Amla Powder.

On the Search for the Perfect Flat Iron

I don't flat iron my hair much, but I decided that I will do so in December for my final length check. I haven't used any direct heat on my hair since April and since then I have only had one roller set.
I'm hoping I can get away from relaxing by using a flat iron that is good enough to straighten my new-growth without causing any heat damage.
I may chicken out though and do a roller-set and saran wrap, but for now I want a flat iron.

So...how do I determine what is the best flat iron?
Easy: Reviews..Reviews..Reviews
I do a search on google typing in "Best Flat Iron longhaircareforum" and I come up with various reviews from the Long Hair Care Forum and Black Hair Media..then I narrow down my search.

The Top 4 Are:

FHI (prices for ranging from $69- $100)

Farouk CHI (Prices ranging from $89- $120)

SEDU (Prices Ranging from $95.99- $139.00)

Solia (Prices ranging from $84.99- $89.99)

Now that I have narrowed down my search..and as you can see these aren't cheap..... I will search various reviews on each, remembering the Pro's and Con's then I will narrow my search even further. If anyone has tried any of these flat irons or have any other recommendations let me know!

Solange Knowles

I love this look! The scarf/turban looks soo nice and she looks beautiful!

Pic from: my fav celeb blog NecoleBitchie