Henna Gloss treatment

source: fuckyeahcurlscurls tumblr

I mentioned a few posts ago how much i want to do a Henna treatment. I'm officially counting down! 2 more weeks and i'll be taking out my weave install and treating my hair to some henna gloss.


I'm steering away from a straight Henna treatment because many people critique Henna alone as being too drying. It acts as a strong protein treatment, so to avoid excess use of protein i will apply conditioner to the mix... a.k.a the gloss!


I've ordered my Henna from Akua @ Sheabuttercottage as well as some Shea butter and Neem powder. Here is the mix I will be using:

Ingredients:

100g BAQ Henna powder

1 cup of Giovanni smooth as silk conditioner (review to come)

1 cup Queen Helene cholesterol Deep Conditioner

20g Neem powder

2 tbsps Shea butter

1/2 cup Extra Virgin Coconut oil

Ingredient properties:

Henna- strengthens, conditions, darkens, can loosen curls, thickens hair cuticle.

Conditioner- Moisture enhancer, provides smooth slip, combats Henna drying effects.

Neem Powder- Anti-bacterial, scalp stimulating properties

Shea butter- softening, conditioning, moisturising, healing

Coconut oil- strengthens hair, penetrates hair cuticle

You can also purchase some of these products from the following stores:
Pak Cosmetics
Skinnutrition

I'll be doing a more in depth post, including my method, once i've actually done the treatment!


x fi

Series: Shampoo Then what?

BLOW-DRYING

This has been long coming i know! Finally the second part of the shampoo then what series! I've already covered air drying...so here we go with 10 tips for successful blow drying...

1. Always remember to use a heat protectant before applying any heat to your hair. People often ask for proof of the effects of heat protectants... quite frankly prevention is better than cure! Heat protectants add a protective barrier to your hair, so basically lessen the damage caused by heat.


Here are some great heat protectants ...

1. Aveda Brilliant damage control
2. Fantasia ic heat protection serum
3. Elasta QP Design Silk
4. Aussi heat protection
5. TRESemme thermal heat protective spray
6. Chi silk infusion

2. Face the blow dryer downwards when blow drying. This seals your hair cuticles as this is the direction in which your cuticles lay.


3. Use a low heat setting instead of the highest setting! Yes the higher may seem to give
 sleeker results, however patience with a lower heat setting and you can achieve the same result!


4. Keep the blow dryer away from your hair. 6-7 inches is reasonable. You can cause problems with over drying your scalp if the blow dryer is too close to your hair. You are also more likely to cause damage o your hair if the blow dryer is not kept at a reasonable distance from your hair.


5. Blow dry in sections from back to front. The back of our head contains hair which is more likely to tangle. Drying our hair in sections reduces breakage and gives better blow out results such as reduced frizz.


6. Avoid blow drying one section of hair for too long as this can burn your hair. Keep the blow dryer moving.


7. Do not blow dry dirty hair. When hair is full of products these products will burn more readily because in most cases they contain ingredients that can burn if overheated. Blow drying clean hair also produces a more lustrous and free flowing blow out result.


8. Make sure hair is properly dried before blow drying. Hair should not be excessively wet. A good t-shirt dry should do the trick. Partially air drying is also a great idea.


9. Make sure you have detangled your hair in the shower prior to drying your hair. This promotes smooth and tangle free blow drying.


10. If using a brush and blow dry technique, invest in a good brush. Personally the denman brush works great for me. 


x edF

            

New Series: Vintage Revamped!!!

source

So Sunday and Monday (bank holiday in Munich) were the most frustrating days I've had in a while... 


I manage/edit the blog using google chrome and safari... so about to post a blog I'd prepared, I decided to do a quick blog preview only to find that all of the pictures in my side bar had somehow been replaced with question marks... I'm thinking huh... Major joke...blogger must be down because there really is no other excuse for this nonsense!

So I switch from google chrome to safari thinking it'll all be fine but no! Same thing!

I make a call to a computer whizz kid friend who logs-in as me and tries to figure it out because everyone else's blog seems to be just fine. He says my photo configurations were messed with and I'm going to have to republish all 501 photos one by one.

The most painful part is I couldn't dodge it... There was no shortcut or here's something I prepared earlier. I spent 7 hours photo re-posting!!!

I can't lie I wanted to cry but every cloud has.... U know the rest... and funnily enough I had a reunion with my old posts. Oh goodness, why didn't you guys tell me how corny and mediocre they were! I had many cringe moments... The text font, the weird pictures... I wonder what made you still choose to read!

It wasn't all bad though because it's what has brought about a new series...

'Vintage revamped'

So many of my old young fiona posts are so relevant but lacking juicy and indepth information so I'll be re-posting them and making them up to date. They'll have the same titles but begin with Vintage revamped so u know they're the updated version!

x fi


Have a fab internet friendly day!

Saturday's shoes

fun with niks!

I love these badboys... courtesy of motherdearest

fabric...fabric... perhaps i can make my wedding dress....

x my Munich sweethearts x

Most valuable lesson learned in Munich
'Only those who look left and right, can think ahead'

Not much of a hair post as you've guessed, but no joke this protective style challenge is proving quite boring! I feel like i'm in hair product rehab.... there's no fun in not being able to buy products and test them... in fact the thought of waiting a whole month (weave take-out) before my henna gloss treatment gives me eye spasms... grrr... so this is what you'll have to put up with guys... posts about me... my life... perhaps other products...hmm makeup might work well...clothes... etc etc.


If i can't buy products i sure will find another way to bother you guys muhahaha


x Fi


p.s there are some missing blog photos... i'm till in the process of re- uploading them. My Picasa album crashed!

Hairdrenaline Potion

3 inches in 7 weeks!!!

So those familiar with hairlista and who are youtube hair video fanatics like myself, will know that word on the street is that there is a hair potion that can get you 3 inches of  hair growth in 7 weeks! Also known as...

'The Hairdrenaline hair potion'

A hair concoction containing biotin, tea, castor oil, cayenne pepper, onion oil and garlic oil.

Ohvaleriemoncherie's potion has received a lot of criticism over the past few months, however on the other hand women are going crazy for this stuff and have embarked on their very own potion hair challenges.

I think the ingredients are in no way suspicious so the question is what do you think? Worth a try?

BEFORE

AFTER

x edF

Henna for better hair

During the first year of my hair journey I was a regular henna user. That is, I bought a tub of henna conditioner and used it everynow and again. Little did I know henna wasn't the main ingredient in the conditioner! So a year later I've decided to do some real research on henna and get back on the bandwagon and incorporate henna into my hair regime, even whilst doing the protective style hair challenge.

After taking a look at Curly Nikki's results there's no doubt I need some henna in my life. I plan on doing a henna gloss treatment in between installs when my hair is resting before the next weave install.

picture source: www.curlynikki.com

So...

What is henna?
Henna, lawsonia inermis, is a plant. It is a large bush, or small tree, that grows in hot, dry climates. There is evidence from Egypt that henna was regularly used to dye hair five thousand years ago, and may have been used in Jericho as early as eight thousand years ago. Henna was used to keep hair healthy and to color gray hair.

What does Henna do?

Pro's

- Strength: The henna dye molecule binds with the keratin bonds in our hair thus making our hair stronger and more resistant to breakage. It smoothens the hair cuticle by filling out rough spots on the frayed cuticle, which also results in softer hair.

- Colour: Henna helps to darken hair and give it a richer, shinier look. Henna adds a red tint to hair which can be seen in bright light but in normal light makes hair look darker and more lustrous. It is a non chemical dye and therefore safe for our hair.

Con's

- Application: As Henna is a dye it is known for being messy and should not be applied without gloves! It needs to be left on for a long period of time (4-10 hours). Each application is different so you need patience in order to get it right. Results vary according to how you mix your treatment, so practice makes perfect!

- Texture:  Henna can be drying and you should always co wash after rinsing it out. It is similar to a hard core protein treatment, hence why a henna gloss treatment is more recommendable as compared to a pure henna treatment.

-Smell: Henna has a strong smell which some people hate. It tends to linger for a few days but eventually fades. This smell is masked more easily with a henna gloss treatment.

Other:

- Your hair will get darker/richer in colour with each additional application of henna. Henna does not lighten hair, it adds tints but does not lighten.

- Be cautious of buying fake henna from hair shops. In most cases it is coloured henna and referred to as black or red henna. Coloured henna is not pure henna and therefore is chemically based. Source BAQ (Body art quality) henna from reputable sources such as Mehandi.com (US and Canada) or Sheabutter Cottage (UK and Europe)

Reasons to use Henna:

To revitalise dull looking hair

For stronger hair

As a protein treatment

In my case I love hair that is rich in colour. My hair is a mixture of shades due to relaxer effects so the henna treatment should work great in achieving a uniform colour, richness and hair strength.

main information source:

www.curlynikki.com

'fantastic blog for naturals'

x edF

I am... Naturally Relaxed

'Beauty on two fronts'

7 months Post

So it's finally here... month 7 of my post relaxer stretch. I never thought I could do it and blog happily about it, but somehow its all worked out well! I must say the protective style challenge came just in time, as i'm not sure i'd be this happy if i had my hair left out.

Transitioning has been on my mind ever since the end of my 6 month stretch in 2010 and the beginning of this 12 month stretch. I never planned on stretching this long initially. In fact i planned on relaxing in January and it just never happened!

Anyway as you know from my braid pattern pictures of my weave, I have some left out hair which allows me to wear a ponytail without seeing any cornrows. I gave my hair a wash (well everything except the absolute front section) and it was a total shock to see how my hair has transformed! It's practically natural! Now I understand why shrinkage can be so frustrating!

Excuse the pic quality. Had to use my phone because the nikon was charging!

back section of hair

stretched back section of hair

So the question still remains... to transition or not to transition???

x edF