Mayo hair masque

 Woot!! I'm back! Well, my computer isn't back yet, but I'm using another one and I'm picking up the software today so I'll be able to post more awesome and I do have some fun experiment stuff that I've been working on that I'm excited to share with everyone.  So, for now though, we're going to show you one of my favorite masques; honey, oil and mayo.  I know that some people argue that mayo is weird to put in your hair, but I like it because of the moisture it gives and the protein, but just like any protein treatment, keep a close eye on your hair because too much protein can make your hair feel brittle and rough.

For this treatment you'll need:

Mayo - I like using the mayo made with olive oil

Olive oil - or coconut oil if you prefer

Honey - whatever kind you like best

Instructions:

Add the mayo and oil together - I use about 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup of mayo and about 1/4 cup of oil.  You're going to want enough to coat your whole head so plan accordingly.

Add the honey

Mix it all together until it looks like goo

Ewww slimy....

After that, you're going to want to put a trash bag over your head and make little arm holes.  I find this to be the best way to keep your bathroom and your clothing from looking like a giant sneezed all over you

Brush your hair and start coating your hair with the mixture.  I prefer to start with the length and use the leftover for the scalp; the purpose of this treatment is to help add moisture and strength back into the length of the hair because it is older and more fragile.  You can also section out your hair if you have super thick hair like mine.

Once you have coated your length, add the remaining mixture to your scalp and gently massage it in because it feels sooooooooo good.  After that, gently gather your hair up into a top knot - loosely twisted; this stuff will harden and will be harder to get out if you've tangled your hair up and pin it down.

I like to put a plastic bag over my head to keep the mixture from dripped off my head, but usually you won't have too much of a problem because it's a pretty hardy and sticky mixture.

Don't I look fabulous?

After that, CLEAN UP YOUR MESS!! You do not want to leave this stuff sitting around it will start to smell and be super icky to get off the counter tops.  Mayo = good for hair, bad for counter tops

Now you have to find something to do until about an hour is up.

I made cupcakes!!

I call them unicorn barf cupcakes.

After that, hit the shower and gently massage your hair under the water until it comes loose for the top knot.  Then you can shampoo and condition per normal!

This is a recipe that is something you'll want to edit based off of your hair's needs.  Sometimes you won't need as much honey or as much oil.  You can also substitute the mayo with plain Greek yogurt.

Enjoy!

Homemade hair masque: Avocado banana

Hello all,

Well I have been dealing with a huge amount of static lately and I know some of it was due to the fact that I broke down and used a box dye and another part was that the WEN that I was using just isn't a good regular use product for me, but I wasn't able to get rid of it entirely.  I decided to try a hair masque that I made me for mom last week to see if it would help.                                                            


Avocado Banana Hair Masque
Ingredients:
1 Avocado
1 Banana
2 Big spoonfuls of honey
1 Spoonful of mayo or plain yogurt
Drizzle of olive oil

I put all of these ingredients in a food processor and blended it until it was yogurt consistency.  Then, I applied it to my hair which I had oiled earlier in the day.  It actually felt really really good going on!  Once I got it all mushed up on my head as best as I could get it and pushed it in my hair, I wrapped it up in a plastic bag and put a towel over that and let it sit for almost an hour.

Washing it out was a bit tricky; there were small bits of either avocado or banana that didn't get blended (they were dandruff size) and those wouldn't rinse out very well, but I did the best I could and shampooed and conditioned as normal.   I towel dried it, combed, applied my anti frizz and then flung over my pillow and went to bed.



I really, really like how my hair feels today; it's really soft and has body and is very shiny, but like everything out there there were a few cons: I couldn't get those itty bitty pieces out of my hair so I had to wait until it was dry and shake them loose; otherwise it would have looked like I had dandruff.  Next time, I will dunk my entire head in a bin full of water before I start my normal rinsing/washing process.  The only other con I found was that after a while you got the old banana smell while it was on your head, but when I rinsed it off it was fine.

Also be aware that if you do this treatment you are getting protein from almost everything in the masque so your hair will feel not as malleable.  This will go away once it's dry, just use caution while you're combing your hair out, and rinse rinse rinse otherwise you'll have avocado bits in your hair.

There you have it!  I will keep you updated as to whether this got rid of the static.

                                   

The pH of hair

Hello all, 


I know it's been a while since I've written so I decided I would get to actually writing something worth reading. Something that I think is important to understand when dealing with the hair is the actual science behind it, it's composition and what you're putting on your hair.  To start off, we'll begin with a brief explanation of hair structure: 


Hair is composed mainly of keratin, the same stuff you're nails are made out of, and has three basic parts: the medulla, the cortex and the cuticle. Your hair has a shaft, which is the part that projects out of the scalp or body, and the root is the part of the hair that is embedded within your skin.  When your hair is visible, it is already dead, you do not have "live" hair if you will, sticking out of your legs and head and face.  The cuticle is the shiny outside part that everyone sees and says "Oooo shiny hair!" or "yikes you need a haircut"  the cuticle is the main part of the hair that you can affect directly and immediately.  By that I mean, the cuticle is what is first altered by bleaches, or hair masques, or shampoo, etc. etc.  If you want to affect your hair's healthy from the inside out, that's when vitamins and water and healthy eating habits are useful.  They do affect the cuticle as well, but not on the immediate basis that other products affect. I'm not going to go into the medulla and the cortex because the cuticle is what I focus on mainly anyway. 

Hair needs to be pH balanced; it's neutral, meaning it has the same amount of acids and alkalis, which balance each other out.  I know it sounds weird to say that your hair needs to have acid, but interestingly enough, it's the acid in apple cider vinegar and lemon juice that makes your hair so healthy.  We'll get into that in a moment. 

Have you ever looked at the ingredients in your shampoo or conditioner?  You'll notice that Ceytl alcohol is often an ingredient, which is an vegetable (can be) derived acid that is meant to help keep you hair balanced.  You'll also notice, if you're familiar with the pH balances of other items a lot of alkaline materials in your shampoo, such as SLS.

So what happened when you expose your hair to alkaline or acidic products?  Well, when you wash your hair with shampoo, usually it feels a bit dry and rough, yes?  That's because the SLS or whatever alkaline based shampoo product you use actually opens the hair cuticle.  Now with soap based products, such as shampoo bars or SLS free shampoo, this helps your hair release the dirt buildup and rinse away with the soap product.  With SLS, because it is a detergent it will still open your hair cuticle due to its alkalinity, but it will actually rid your hair of the dirt instead of just releasing it.  Most shampoos that are SLS free will have more cleansing ingredients.  SLS doesn't need that because of its detergent properties.  

So now that you have put an alkaline product on your head and you have open hair cuticle, what next?  That's where the acid comes in.  When you apply a commercial conditioner, more often than not they use the cetyl alcohol as an acid base and when your hair is exposed to that acid, it closes up and creates that smooth and shiny surface. The first image shown is hair with closed cuticles, the second image is hair with open cuticles. 

 

So now that we have a very, very, very basic idea of why hair needs both alkaline and acidic products, this helps me to understand just exactly what my hair is missing and what it needs.  If I notice my hair is tangling a lot and looks dull, chances are rinsing a little bit of diluted acid based something or other through my hair will help it.  If my hair isn't getting clean or I'm finding a lot of buildup, I can probably use baking soda - an alkaline - to open up my hair cuticle and help release that buildup of product. 

If you want to know more about commonly used "hair" items and their pH balance please refer to this site.  Ida has compiled excellent information on pH balance.


Now that we know a little bit about pH and how it affects our hair, what about other issues we see like breakage, or hair loss?  You can administer several tests to help you understand your hair and it's needs a little better. 

1. take a strand of hair from your head and place it in a bowl of water.  If it sinks that means that there are "holes" or damaged ends in your hair and it's taking on water.  If it floats it means that your hair cuticle is intact.  

2. Gently pull on a single strand of your hair.  If it breaks immediately then you are in need of moisture.  Start running coconut oil through your hair the night before your wash it.  Adjust the amount of oil needed depending on the length on your hair.  If your hair strand stretches a lot and then when it breaks it curls up on itself that means your hair is lacking protein and is weaker than most.  An easy fix for this is to take a raw egg, mix it up with some honey and rub that through your hair and leave on for two hours.  Wash out like normal.  The protein in the honey and egg will help fortify your hair in it's weak condition, but the honey will also balance out the protein of the egg and leave your hair soft.  Do not apply egg to your hair too often as the protein if over applied can leave your hair feeling brittle.  

3. If you wash your hair and your ends dry within an hour then chances are they are thirsty and you should apply oil or mayo to them before you wash.  

4. Are your nails brittle and cracking and your skin dry?  Chances are you have a deficiency in some way and need to start eating differently or drinking more water.  The first signs of unhealth comes from your hair, skin and nails.

Please keep in the mind, the above tests are simple ways to evaluate your and each person's head of hair is different.  If a person has really fine hair then their hair will dry faster than someone who had a lion somewhere in their ancient heritage.  

When making hair masques to aid your hair's health it is also good to keep in mind what makes a great masques.  Typically when I make mine, I have a 75/20/5 balance.  75% moisture 20%protein 5%acid.  This is a great generic formula, but always feel free to change it up depending on what you feel your hair needs. If it needs a ton of moisture, than skip the protein and add more oil, that type of thing.  

Here is a list of ingredients to help you start working towards making your own hair masque recipes: 

Moisture
Oil - coconut, vegetable, olive, argon 

Mayo - I only use the kind that's made with olive oil, but you can use the generic as well.  DON'T USE MIRACLE WHIP!! As yummy as it is on your sandwiches, the extra sugar isn't good for the locks. 

Honey - Honey is a humectant and will attract moisture, but please keep in mind that you need to rinse it all out because your hair will be sticky if you don't and it is also a natural peroxide, so over time and extended use it will lighten your hair 

Avocado

Protein

Eggs 

Mayo - I put mayo in here too because it technically has the protein in it, but I still prefer to keep it in the moisture group 

Avocado - same story with the avocado 

Acids, from least to most acidic

Coffee

Wine

Vinegar 

Lemon Juice 

Please keep in mind that this is a very basic list, but an excellent way to get started.  If you have darker hair and want to keep your hair darker, I would recommend using the coffee.  You can also use green tea, but I haven't tried this method.  

I know that sometimes our bodies just don't do what we want, regardless of whether or not we're putting the right stuff in them.  Things happen; sickness, stress, pregnancy, it can all affect you regardless of how well you're taking care of yourself.  Making yourself a homemade hair masque can not only be good for your physically, but sitting back for a while and just giving yourself a coconut oil head massage or sitting down and watching a chick flick while letting egg protein soak into your hair can be a great health benefit for you emotionally and mentally which will in turn help your hair to be at its best. 

I hope this was useful and not all just redundant information, and if you have questions feel free to ask!   




*I also want to take this moment to share two blogs with you.  The first is by a woman who has been struggling with health problems that have been affecting her hair's for a long time.  She has pushed through it with tons of grace and happy attitude and I love reading about her life and how now she is finally able to work on getting her body as healthy as possible:  Long Haired at Heart


The second blog is one that I found a few months ago and aside from the amazing hairstyles, this gal has experimented a lot with different hair treatments and masques. It's so awesome to see someone with beautiful healthy curly hair that is taking care of it all the way down.  Definitely check her out: Sarah's Place for Long Hair

My favorite hair resources!

My Favorite Hair Resources

Homemade hair masques:

1.      The Super Shiny and Happy Hair Recipe

o   Ingredients:

§  1/8 cup coconut or olive oil

§  A brush

§  Hair tie

o   Instructions

§  Brush out the tangles in your hair and take a handful of the oil, don’t worry, if you chose coconut oil, hold it in your palm until it softens.

§  Run the oil all over your hair, even your scalp

§  Massage the oil into your scalp; this will promote circulation and it feels really good too!

§  Tie your hair up so it’s out of your face; remember to not tie it too tightly!

§  Leave the oil on for as long as you can stand it, I like to leave it on all night!

§  Wash and condition the oil out.  Do this once a week and notice a big difference in your hair!

o   HINTS

§  You can do this with mayo too, but you will need to cover your head with a hair cap if you want to sleep with it on

§  Be patient, there is no such thing as an overnight cure for damaged hair; use this for at least a month once a week.

2.      Protein Boost Hair Recipe

o   Ingredients:

§  1 egg, beaten

§  Large spoonful of Honey

§  A small dash of olive oil or any oil that is liquid at room temperature

§  Brush

§  Towel

o   Instructions

§  In a bowl, mix the egg honey and oil together until it is nice and combined

§  Brush out the tangles in your hair and drape the towel over  your shoulders and let your hair hang over the towel

§  This part is messy, so be sure to do it over a sink or with a friends help. Start gently rubbing the egg and oil into all of your hair, including the scalp.  Try not to think of it as raw egg in your hair, instead think of it as a yummy golden, raw, goopy, snotty thing….Okay never mind…trust me it will be worth it!

§  When the egg mixture is completely mixed into your hair you can pull it up into a hair cap or let your hair rest on the towel, be aware that there might be a little bit of spillage, so don’t stand on the nice rug.

§  Watch a girlie movie – or read a book for a couple of hours

§  Watch and Condition the egg out and feel the effects of the protein working to strengthen your individual hairs!

o   HINTS

§  Do not rinse out the egg in hot water at first; this will…well…cook the egg basically, and we all know how we hate hair in our food.  Rinse with lukewarm water first, then when you know you have all the egg out you can heat up the water.

§  Do not use this recipe more than once a month, protein is good for your hair, but too much of a good thing can always turn sour, just think of that entire bag of potato chips you ate last week, yikes.  I would recommend this about once a month.

§  Don’t worry about the honey, as long as you rinse it out, it won’t be sticky.  Honey is a natural humectant, which means it attracts moisture so it will help retain softness while the egg helps maintain hair strength.  Be warned though, Honey is also a natural peroxide and while it won’t damage your hair, you might notice natural highlights beginning to form.  If you don’t want that you can up the oil in this ingredient and cut out the honey.

3.      Avocados on My Head, Avocados on My Head Recipe

o   Ingredients

§  One ripe avocado (the avocado must be mushy enough to mix into a paste

§  2 tablespoons mayo

§  Dash of olive oil

§  Brush

§  Towel

§  Hair cap

o   Instructions

§  Mash the avocado, mayo and olive oil all together in a bowl until it looks like something you would try to feed a baby….but don’t really try to feed a baby, maybe your little brother if he’s acting up, but seriously…this is hair food.

§  Brush out the tangles in your hair and apply towel if needed

§  Again, either over a sink and/or with a friend’s help mush the green goo of awesome in your head until it looks like that munchkin with the green hair in Wizard of Oz. 

§  Tie your hair up and let it sit for at least two hours.  Definitely sounds like a movie opportunity again.

§  Wash and Condition out, and you’ll feel the benefits of both the moisture from the avocado as well as the fats and proteins it provides, along with the moisturizing benefits of the oil.

4.      Super Clarifying Baking Soda Recipe

o   Ingredients

§  ½ cup of baking soda – DO NOT USE BAKING POWDER!!

§  ¼ cup of lemon juice mixed with honey

o   Instructions

§  Okay, we’ve all been there, where we have buildup from product in our hair, but we’re just not willing to put the bad ingredients from the clarifying shampoos – like charcoal – in our hair.  This is a great, natural and easy-to-make recipe that will help get rid of those nasty buildups without sacrificing our hair’s health.

§  First, you’re going to take your cup of baking soda and separate cup of lemon juice into the shower with you – don’t mix them together; you don’t want a 2^nd grade volcano project manifesting itself in your tub

§  Wet down your hair and then add just enough water to your baking soda to make it look like a thick paste

§  Add this paste to your scalp and start massaging it in.  It’s okay for it to feel grainy, just massage and then gently squeeze the rest into your length.  Massage for at least five minutes

§  Let the baking soda sit in your hair while your washing the rest of your body or for at least another five minutes and then rinse thoroughly

§  Wash and Condition your hair normally

§  Then, at the very end of your shower, mix the lemon juice and honey with some warm water from your shower head and mix together until it’s combined.  Pour this mixture over your head and let sit for a few minutes or until it’s completely saturated your hair.  Rinse as normal

There is actually a bit of science to this clarifying recipe.  Our hair is happiest when its pH is balanced. The baking soda is alkaline, which forces our hair follicles to open a release all the gunk that has been holding on to it.  It’s a great way to cleanse your hair from months of buildup.  The acid in the lemon juice is what close those follicles after you’ve finished cleaning it and because your follicles are all closed up it makes your hair look really shiny.  The honey will help add moisture to your hair keeping it nice and soft. Tada! Clean, happy and pH balanced hair.

Hair Gurus to check out YouTube:

·         4ypn0tica – excellent hair tutorials for updos, from the simple to the elaborate

·         ArrowOdenn– a very nice girl who posts unique hair styles on a regular basis

·         CinthiaTruong– Easy, elegant updos for the various awesome times in your life

·         FieryPha– Pha is a hair buff with lots of knowledge and experience with long hair

·         Habioku– I love these hairstyles, they are so easy, also, check out her self-trimming video!

·         JLovesMac1– Apart from being silly and hilarious and a general beauty guru, this YouTuber is awesome because she is honest about her hair experiences, including the bad.  If you want information on extensions and the pros and cons of them this is the place to visit

·         Loepsie– one of my absolute favorite people to watch, Loepsie is so sweet and very honest about her journey, including recent hair loss caused by natural soap bars.  She gives you in the insider on whether or not natural is the way to go for your body

·         Luvableviet– This girl generally does it all, including cutting her hair and showing you exactly how

·         Torrinpaige – Another favorite, she has knee length long, THICK hair and TONS of awesome hairstyles

·         Wendyslookbook– easy and very pretty hairstyles

·         YayaLifestyle – Yaya is one of favorites because she documented her journey of growing long hair and then cut it for donation

·        PhylsGyrl – ME! Okay, well I don’t consider myself a beauty guru, but I am a hair buff and would love recommendations for what to post of my YouTube.  Also check out my blog at www.thecontagiousintrovert.blogspot.com

Favorite places to buy hair accessories:

·         www.crystalmood.com – This place has so many awesome things!! ‘Nuff said

·         http://www.giovannicosmetics.com/ - My personal favorite hair and shampoo ever.

·         http://www.wenhaircare.com/ - My mom’s personal favorite!

·         http://www.aubrey-organics.com/ - If you’re looking for some natural alternatives, this is a great place to go

·         http://www.60thstreet.net/ - This company hand carves hair combs, it’s well worth the investment

·         http://www.floandpercy.com/collections.html - Okay, these are wedding, prom, quinceanera, etc. etc. level hair accessories, but I can’t get over how pretty they are

·         http://www.etsy.com/ - I’m sure every single one of you are familiar with Etsy, but there is so much here that is so awesome!

A word on hair:

Okay, I know I’ve talked your ear off already, but I just want to share my thoughts and opinions on this subject.  I am a total hair buff.  I love hair, be it short, long, blue, orange, brown, neon green, layered, not layered, whatever.  I love it.  I think that hair is so awesome how it works scientifically and how people have used it to express themselves and to show who they are.  I’ve had super short hair and super long hair and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it because it helped show people who I am, and I encourage you to do the same.  It doesn’t matter if people think that your hair looks silly, or old fashioned or too short, too long, if you like it, if it makes you feel beautiful and confident then you are on the right track.  If you have damaged hair or you don’t like it, just be patient and take it one day at a time.  Treat your hair like old lace, delicately, and it will reward you by being healthy.  Listen to your hair too.  If your hair is unhappy, chances are it’s trying to tell you something, sometimes it means that there is an imbalance in your body or that you’re not feeding yourself right.  Your hair is a great way to tell if you are healthy on the inside both emotionally and physically.  Hair falls out when we’re stressed, when we’re not eating right or missing something nutritionally.  If you notice your hair changing, take a moment to think about what’s changed in your life.  And remember that everyone’s hair is differently, and that’s great! Experiment, and have fun!  

Home made hair masque

I thought I would share a hair masque recipe with you guys today.

First off, you'll need: 

Olive oil, an egg and a RIPE avocado.  In this particular tutorial, I did not have a very ripe avocado, and you'll see why you need a ripe avocado.  By the way, did you know that if you say avocado enough times it starts sounding like a made up jarble word? Avocado avocado avocado...seriously.  Try it.

At any rate, take one egg, one avocado and enough olive oil to make everything jive together smoothly and put it in a blender or food processor.  I chose the latter. A mini food processor to be precise. Chop or Grind:

Until it looks like this:

And place in a bowl with a spoon (spoon is optional actually, but the bowl isn't.  No putting your fingers in a blade infested food processor container):

Although it looks like the avocado is mixed up throughouly, my avocado is not ripe enough to actually mix into the mixture.  You want to mix it to the point that it looks like green mud...or horse pucky...or something that you would try to feed a baby.

Go to the bathroom and either lay down a plastic something on the floor so you don't green mush all over the floor or be super careful when applying to your hair.
To prep your head you need to put a towel that you don't mind getting icky around your shoulders:

Also, brush your hair; it will make application a lot easier:

Start applying your baby food mush stuff to your hair, trying to apply as evenly as possible.  Unfortunately, again because my avocado wasn't ripe enough, it applied in little chunks, but I still got all of the egg and oil in my hair too:

It looks like I have green dandruff. Groovy.

Okay!  Let that sit in your hair for at least twenty minutes to two hours. Then go the shower and rinse that nasty green goop out of your hair.  Shampoo and condition as normal, but seriously, make sure you get that stuff out otherwise it's not good.

You are left with nice shiny and healthy hair!
Remember, that hair is dead.  You cannot reverse damage or split ends, HOWEVER, you can help prevent them by giving your hair treatments and treating it well.  I like to make the analogy that our hair is like old lace; it is beautiful and delicate and lovely, but if you just throw it around and treat it like sandpaper it will start to look like sandpaper.  Treat it well!
Healthy hair starts from the inside too; drink lots of water, at least half your weight in ounces, and eat good foods.  The healthier you are, the healthier your hair, skin, nails will be.  They need nutrition too, just like everything else in your body.
Use good products on your hair, be it SLS free shampoos, shampoo bars or no shampoo at all, find a routine that works for you and your hair type! Something that works for me will not necessarily work for you.
Be patient.
Love yourself <3
:)