Monday, July 26, 2010

Jamaican Black Castor Oil Vs Regular Castor Oil




I have using both Tropical Isle brand Jamaican Black Castor Oil, and Home Health Castor Oil, religiously. I'd have to say that both of them have contributed a lot to thickening my hair, as well as growth.

I started off using Home Health Brand Castor oil, but then became interested in using Jamaican Black Castor Oil, because of all the good results people ere having with it. 


The differences between the two are physical, again, they both help with thickening, and growth, however, it seems many, including myself have experienced a little more growth with Jamaican Black Castor Oil, but I would say it is due to regular Castor Oil having a thicker consistency. It's thicker consistency, means that it takes longer for it to absorb into the scalp. It is also easier to apply.



Another thing that makes them differ, is Jamaican Black Castor Oil is less processed, making it more 'pure', which means that it has more potency than regular Castor Oil.

It is pricier than regular Castor Oil, and from what I have seen, it is not sold in stores. You can find JBCO on Jamaican Black Castor Oil

A 4oz. of Jamaican Black Castor Oil can run you $5.29 USD, the 8oz can run you $9.99, not including shipping. They also have one that is scented with Lavender. I use this kind, it still has the smokey scent the original does,but you can also smell the lavender, I use this kind.

The Lavender is a bit pricier, the 4oz is $6.99 USD, and the 8oz is $11.99. I have yet to order from the Sams website myself, as I have used my BHP credits to purchase from the forum store! It is a great forum, there are raffles for holidays, and you can earn credits daily just by posting, and logging in daily.

Since JBCO is a bit pricey, I mix it with regular Castor Oil. They both work wonderfully! It also insures I do not use a whole bottle, that way it lasts me longer.

If you are on a tight budget, but still want to thicken your hair, I would suggest using regular Castor Oil. It's the economical choice, as it is sold in stores like GNC, and Vitamin Shoppe, you can even use the kind they sell in Wal Mart or drug stores. Whereas Jamaican Black Castor Oil can only be ordered online (as far as I know).

They both work, it is just a matter of preference.

Until Next Time, Naomi~

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Pixie/Box Braids on Natural Hair (No Extensions!)

For a while now, I have been wanting to do pixie/box braids using my own hair, and the inspiration came from watching vids on youtube, and this past Sunday, I got the courage to try doing them.

I went about my Sunday schedule as usual, I tried prepooing with Vegetable Shortening (Crisco), which turned out to be a total disaster! I could not get water hot enough and it solidified in my hair. I eventually got most of it out, I then did a cayenne treatment for three hours without heat, with a plastic cap. I clarified after with VO5 Herbal Escapes Clarifying Kiwi Lime, conditioned with VO5 Herbal Escapes Free Me Freesia.

(Comparing VO5 Free Me Freesia to Suave Naturals Tropical Coconut, out of the two, I think I liked the Suave better. They both did fairly well at detangling my hair with the help of my wide tooth comb, and came out soft after rinsing, but Suave gave my hair a little poof/body, where VO5 FMF left my hair flat, still both very good conditoners, and cheap, VO5 Shampoo's and Conditioners can range between .79- 1.49 USD depending where you purchase, I have not seen Suave that cheap, but it can range between 1.00 to 3.50 USD, depending on what 'flavor' you get) (There are different lines on the Suave Brand which is why prices vary)


I deep conditioned with Hollywood Beauty Olive Cholesterol for an hour, with a plastic cap, without heat. (My hair does not always come out soft after using this dc, so I'm not sure if I will repurchase, perhaps it could be better if I added oil to it, we'll see)


After dcing, I rinsed, and I oiled my scalp with a mixture (in an applicator bottle) of Africa's Best Ultimate Herbal Oil (ABUHO), and Lavender Jamaican Black Castor Oil (L)(JBCO).

 To make use of the Softee Mango Butter that has been collecting dust on my shelf (due to petroleum being it's first ingredient) On the directions, it states that it can also be used as a heat protectant, so that is exactly what I used it for. I blow dried my hair, and then got to braiding. While blow drying, I used a comb, and made sure that my ends were dried completely, and detangled, I was able to check this by seeing if I could comb through my hair without it snagging.

Since my scalp was already oiled up, and I had a VO5 HE FMF, and Softee Mango Butter on my hair (not on scalp), I did not need any added moisture.

All I used was a comb to part. I would say it took 7-8 hours over the course of two days, of course while doing other things here and there, I could never stand/sit still for that long. I started with the front, so that just in case I did not like how it turned out, I would not be forced into completing the style. I completed last night.

I put my pixie braids into six plaits, and put on a satin scarf and just undid the braids the following morning.

Here are the Results









 Until Next Time, Naomi ~

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Update: Suave Naturals Tropical Coconut

I like it! I cowashed with it yesterday and it left my hair soft, moisturized, and fluffy! I think it gives my hair a different kind of soft feel, than VO5 conditioners, I'm going to cowash with VO5 Herbal Escapes Free Me Freesia, on Sunday, and see how my hair feels afterwards, and will compare the two, and ultimately decide of the two, which I like better, which will be difficult because I love a lot of the VO5 conditioners, but we'll see, stay tuned!





Until Next Time, Naomi~

Monday, July 12, 2010

Suave Naturals Tropical Coconut Conditioner Review





Sometime last week I went to Walgreens on lunch break to get another bottle of VO5 Herbal Escapes Free Me Freesia, and the PJ (product junkie) got the best of me, I broke down and purchased Suave's Naturals Tropical Coconut Conditioner. Their 15 ounce was on sale for $1.00 USD, so I figured I was not loosing much if my hair did not like it, also I have been wanting to try this for myself since this conditioner is a staple for many natural and transitioning ladies.

I wore rod set curls all of last week, which has been the longest time I've ever kept a rod set. I believe I can contribute that to using  (Olive Oil Eco Styler) gel. I usually use Motions Foaming Wrap Lotion, which is great, and holds my curls well, does not leave my hair crunchy, but it does not give my hair sheen. The gel left a little crunch, but that could be because I did not use anything on top of the gel, but I like curls to be a little crunchy because I think the last longer that way, and my hair had nice sheen.

Anyway, back to the review. Since single strand knots usually decide to come along when I wet my hair and it has not been combed or moisturized in a few days, which was the case yesterday. So, I decided to use Suave Naturals Tropical Coconut Conditioner as a pre poo by saturating my hair in the conditioner, and wearing a shower cap, for a little over an hour. 


I would say it did a fairly well job at softening my hair, I also did not have to do much work in terms of detangling my hair, I think it would be better if you add an oil to it, for extra moisturizing properties!


I went about my regular wash day regimen...cayenne treatment, clarifying (1-2x a month). I conditioned with Suave again to see how it would  do after my hair had be clarified. Now it did not do so great hair, it was not horrible, but there was a few kinks I had to work out with my wide tooth comb. It could be how I washed my hair that affected how tangly it was, which I will have to try again to see if my theory is true.


So far I like the product, I think it will serve as a better prepoo, than a cowashing conditioner, but again, we'll see, it could be that I just have a bad shampooing method that causes tangles, I'll post again sometime soon to see if my experience differs next time.

Ingredients: Water , Cetyl Alcohol , Cetrimonium Chloride , Potassium Chloride , Fragrance , Distearyldimonium Chloride , Disodium EDTA , Glycerin , 2-Bromo-2-Nitropropane-1,3-Diol , Methylchloroisothiazolinone , Methylisothiazolinone , Propylene Glycol , Tocopheryl Acetate , Silk Amino Acids , Honey , Urtica Dioica Extract , Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract , Cocos Nucifera Extract


So far I'll rate this product: 3 maybe 3.5 out of 5


If you have any suggestions or recipes for or using this product, please share! I'd love to hear what you guys have to say.


Until Next Time, Naomi ~

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Cayenne Pepper Challenge Update

As you all know, I conducted the Cayenne Pepper Challenge (part 1 &2) on BHP which was held from the beginning of this year, until the 1st of this month.

The 1st of every month everyone were to post an update about their experiences using cayenne, and what have you,  of course I do as well. The challenge ended the 1st of this month, and again, everyone were to post about experiences, and post pics if possible, and thought it be a good idea to share my pics with you guys, so maybe you can get a sense of how cayenne pepper can be beneficial for hair growth! I think Castor oil has also been extremely helpful.


 I put cayenne pepper paste on both bald spots for a hour or more at a time with cap. Unfortunately I did not take pictures of my bald spots every month, so I only have comparisons from May 2010 to July 2010. You are more than welcome to post and let me know if you see any difference. (I started using Cayenne February of 2009, before then, those spots were completely bald)



First set (May 2010):The first is the left side, second is the right side.








Second Set (3rd & 4th pic)(July 2010)- Left side, then right.























HTH, Until Next Time! Naomi~

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