Yesterday I attempted to do an Avocado Hair Mask and failed big time. I failed to make sure the avocado was ripe before I tried to use it. It was rock hard, ripe avocados will peel easily and are soft, yet still firm. With the avocado hair mask, the softer the better. I will be trying this recipe again in the near future, this time with a ripe avocado.

Product Purpose:

Get a spray that will condition, energize and give your hair the life and look it deserves.

Ingredients:

Mineral Oil, Isobutane, Isopropyl Myristate, Olive Oil, Lanolin, Tocopherol Acetate (Vitamin E), Aloe Vera Extract (Aloe Barbadensis), Chamomile Extract (Anthemis Nobilis), Peg/PPG-18/18 Dimethicone Fragrance.

Product Review:

This is the best oil sheen spray I’ve ever used. It doesn’t have that aerosol smell like other sprays I’ve used. It’s lightweight, non-greasy, and has a great smell. I used it on my yarn twist and it kept them moisturized so the yarn didn’t dry out my hair. I absolutely love this product and recommend it to everyone.

I was at Walmart recently when I came across a great set of combs.  Priced at around $4, I quickly grabbed a set.  The set includes 10 combs that can be used for all sorts of purposes.  I’ labeled my two favorite combs below. I now own two sets of these combs; one for me and one for my daughter. These combs have a smooth finish and they don’t snag the hair.  I highly recommend this set.

Product Purpose:

Shampoo - Hydrates & Strengthens

Conditioner – Moisturizes & Restores

Ingredients:

Shampoo - Aqua (water), sodium myristoyl sarcosinate, cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine, disodium cocoamphodipropionate, sodium cocoamphoacetate, sodium chloride, glucono- lactone, sodium benzoate, phenethyl alcohol, glyceryl caprylate, citric acid, stearyldimoniumhydroxypropyl lauryglucosides chloride, arctium lappa (burdock root extract), hydrolyzed soy protein, panthenol,, thymus  polysorbate 20, rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary oil),  mentha arvensis (cornmint oil), cinnamomum camphora (camphor oil), lavandula angustifolia (lavender oil), citrus ausantium (orange oil).

Conditioner - Aqua (water), behentrimonium chloride, glyceryl stearate, gluconolactone, sodium benzoate, phenethyl alcohol, glyceryl caprylate, polysorbate 60, cetearyl alcohol, glycerin, sodium citrate, stearyldimoniumhydroxypropyl laurylglucosides chloride, aloe barbadensis, panthenol, tocopherol (vitamin e), matricaria recutita (chamomile flower extract), polysorbate 20, lavandula angustifolia (lavender oil), rosmarinus officialis (rosemary oil), mentha arvensis (cornmint oil), cinnamomum camphora (camphor oil), citrus aurantium (orange oil).

Product Review:

Quality products without a bunch of harsh ingredients do not have to cost an arm and a leg.  I found this out on a recent visit to my local Whole Foods Market. I went to Whole foods specifically to try and find products that did not contain a long list of “bad for you” ingredients.  I did not have much money to spend so I was pleased and surprised to find the 365 product line.  I was able to buy the shampoo (16 oz bottle) for $2.99.  The conditioner was only $4.99 for a 32 oz bottle. This is more than comparable to department store brands of shampoo and conditioner (i.e. Suave, TREsemme, etc.) The first thing that caught my eye was the fact that neither the shampoo or conditioner contains any parabens, sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate, artificial fragrance and no animal ingredient s (says so right on the label).  On top of that, these products were made with no animal testing.

While not the absolute best shampoo & conditioner that I have bought, I am getting pretty good results from these products.  The shampoo cleans my hair well without stripping it.  The conditioner leave my hair nice and soft.  Both have a very pleasant scent without being too over-whelming.  Overall, for the price, you just can’t beat these products.  I would definitely buy this shampoo & conditioner again!

This post marks the end of me moving all of my old archived web material over to this new format (except the Val & Nadine comic strips).  Wow, that was hard work.  It’s amazing how much info you compile when documenting a process.  In my case, the process is learning to care for natural hair.  These are the old (and not-so-old) tools & accessories that I have used (in some cases – still use) in the day to day care of my hair.  I will be posting an updated version of my tools and accessories in the weeks or months to come, although I still use a lot of the items below.

Hair Care Tools

Archived Notes: My tools have changed slightly since my hair has grown.  Pictured back row, left to right: I currently use my ordinary boar bristled brush to brush back puffs. I use my wide tooth comb and Denman (D3 – see bottom picture) brush to detangle my hair after every wash and I still use the last comb to detangle my hair in the shower.  Pictured front row, left to right: I no longer use the round brush (my hair is too long), I only pick my hair when I want to sport an afro.  I can only pick my hair when it is wet.  (If I don’t, I find little naps all over my sink).

Updated Notes: I still have the Denman, but I use it for my daughter’s hair.  I haven’t used it on my hair in a long time.  I still use a boar bristled brush, but I found one with harder bristles. I just purchased a new set of combs, so the combs pictured above will be faded out of my hair care routine.  I’ll post about my new combs soon.

Hair Care Accessories

Archived Notes: Here are a few of my favorite scarves.  I use all different lengths of scarves.  I use the small square ones as a basic headband on my puffs and to tie back twists ($1 at the beauty supply).  I use longer ones to wrap around my head.

Updated Notes: I still use all of these scarves, although not as often.  I think it may be time to purchase new scarves.

Archived Notes: Here is my favorite butterfly comb and some basic snap clips.  The clips can probably be found at any beauty supply or department type store (such as Walmart, Target)

Updated Notes: Since my 2nd BC, I haven’t used my butterfly comb or clips.  They may find their way back into use as my hair continues to grow.  Note on the clips, you have to careful when using them because they can pull your hair out.  I may have to find an alternative.

Archived Notes: These are Goody Brand ouchless headbands that I found at Walmart (I’ve seen these in lots of different stores).  I found that they were not tight enough, so I cut them and tie them on as tight as I need to.  (4 1/2 cm or approx. 1 3/4 in. wide)

Updated Notes: I do not use these very often, because of the length of them.  They are almost too short to tie, so I have to tie them fairly tight, which gives me a headache. I am always in search of an alternative.

Archived Notes: These are smaller Goody Brand ouchless headbands that I found at Walmart (I’ve also seen these in lots of different stores).  I double these up (like a rubber band) before using them on my hair (it’s a little hard to put on this way). (1 cm or approx. 5/16 in. wide)

Updated Notes: I don’t use these anymore because of the headache factor.

Archived notes: These are also ouchless headbands made by Goody.  I use these in the same manner as the thicker ones above.  (1/2 cm or approx. 1/4 in. wide)

Updated Notes: I don’t use these anymore either.

Archived Notes: Here is a selection of broaches and clip-on earrings from my mother-in-law’s collection.  These make great accessories when pinned or clipped to the elastic that holds back puffs!

Updated Notes: I still use these from time to time, although not nearly as often.  It may be time to shop for new accessories.

The longer my hair gets, the tougher the detangling process. I’ve finally found a detangling process that works better for me. As your hair gets longer, you may be having the same problems. I created this series of clips to show you my detangling process. My hope is that you will find something helpful out of it.

Please keep in mind that I am no hair care expert. All videos and instruction on this website are the results of trial & error.

This video is best viewed in Internet Explorer & may not show up correctly in Firefox.

You are watching: Hair Detangling (Length: 2:40)

Stills By: Diego 2 Memphis (LV Burns)

Music By: Ben Harper/ Maya Angelou from his Welcome to the Cruel World
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The puff – one of the easiest styles to create with natural hair, but how do you create one without causing too much damage to your hair line? This series of stills demonstrates one way of protecting your hair line, while creating a puff. Included are ways to dress up that puff using old jewelry as accessories.

Please keep in mind that I am no hair care expert. All videos and instruction on this website are the results of trial & error.

This video is best viewed in Internet Explorer & may not show up correctly in Firefox.

You are watching: Making A Puff (Length: 3:36)

Stills By: Diego 2 Memphis (LV Burns)

Music By: Erykah Badu from her Worldwide Underground

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You’ve worked hard to take care of your natural hair and it’s growing like a weed, but shrinkage is making it look as if your hair is not growing at all. Show off that length by minimizing shrinkage using the stretched afro technique. This technique involves two-strand twisting large sections of moist hair, allowing it to dry and picking it out. The result is a large fluffy afro (if your hair is over 5 inches long).

Please keep in mind that I am no hair care expert. All videos and instruction on this website are the results of trial & error.

This video is best viewed in Internet Explorer & may not show up correctly in Firefox.

You are watching: Stretched Afro hair technique (Length: 1:45)

Filmed By: Diego 2 Memphis (LV Burns)

Music By: Corinne Bailey Rae
from her self titled album

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Eventually, you will have to trim your hair. Many with natural hair feel the need to blow dry or straighten their hair in order to trim it. By visiting the forum on nappturality.com, I read up on an alternative hair trimming technique. This video demonstrates the Twist N Clip hair trimming technique. It is very easy and best of all requires no harmful straightening! Please see updated version of video here: Twist & Clip

Please keep in mind that I am no hair care expert. All videos and instruction on this website are the results of trial & error.

This video is best viewed in Internet Explorer & may not show up correctly in Firefox.

You are watching: Twist N  Clip hair trimming technique (Length: 1:48)

Filmed By: Diego 2 Memphis (LV Burns)

Music By: Jaguar Wright from her Denials Delusions & Decisions
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I heard about the pre-poo treatment for the first time from @theLOVELYbelle on twitter so I decided to give it a try a few weeks ago. It actually made my hair drier than usual so I’ll probably won’t do it again. If I do decide to try again I’ll play around with the ingredients until I get more favorable results. My hair is naturally really soft after washing alone so the pre-poo treatment provided no added benefit to me that I could see. However, many people swear by so I encourage others to try for themselves. Just because it didn’t work for me doesn’t mean it won’t work for you. The dryness problem was easily solved with some Cantu Shea Butter.

Ingredients:

3 tbsps Conditioner

4 tbsps Honey

4 tbsps Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Check this demonstration video out — Pre Poo Demonstration http://t.co/TK31tIK via YouTube