Rosemary Hair Tonic

I made a bottle of a rosemary hair tonic on Sunday and I must say, it's great! I used it after I washed out my DC. I had made a herbal cleanser/tonic some time ago, it was also great, but I think I prefer this one.


Now, we all know that rosemary is great when it comes to preventing, or curing dandruff, an itchy scalp, dry scalp, other scalp issues, thinning hair/hair loss and rosemary also is used to stimulate hair growth naturally.


So, here's my rosemary hair tonic recipe!




Rosemary Hair Tonic


Ingredients

• bottled or distilled water water
• dried rosemary leaves

Directions

• Pour some of the rosemary leaves into a pot/pan
• Pour some water into that same pot/pan. Note that the amount of water you pour in depends on the strength you want the tonic. I just add a little above the surface of the leaves in the pt/pan.
• Heat up the water and once it starts boiling, reduce the heat and let it simmer for a few minutes (not long, though, you really don't need to let it simmer for up to 10 minutes)
• Turn off the heat and leave it to cool off with the lid on.
• Choose to either sieve it or leave the rosemary leaves in it. I left mine in.
• After washing, co-washing, cleansing, moisturising your hair... spill it slowly on your head, being careful so it reaches all points of scalp.
• Don't rinse off. 

Rosemary Hair Tonic (old recipe)

Ingredients

• bottled or distilled water water
• dried rosemary leaves
• dried basil/thyme leaves
• dried sage leaves
• Water (distilled or bottled)
• An oil (Canola oil, Rapeseed oil, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Coconut oil, or Jojoba Oil)
• Lemon Juice (optional)
• Aloe vera gel
• Vitamin E oil (optional) (preservative)

Directions

• Boil some distilled or bottled water.
• Eyeball the herbs (the main herb/the herb with the greatest quantity should be the rosemary) and pour them into the boiling water.
• Pull the boiling water and herbs off the stove.
• Let the herb mixture sit for 30-40 minutes.
• Add the oil (I used the EVOO and canola in really small quantities) after the mix has been sitting for 30 minutes.
• After 40 minutes (10 minutes after the last step), add some lemon juice.
• Strain the herbal mixture into a bowl.
• Mix in some aloe vera gel and vitamin E oil then transfer the mix into a bottle and store in a cool, dry place.
• Choose to either sieve it or leave the leaves in it. I left mine in.
• After washing, co-washing, cleansing, moisturising your hair... spill it slowly on your head, being careful so it reaches all points of scalp.
• Don't rinse off. 

Both tonics have quite a long shelf life. I've had the one with the old recipe for over 2 months and it's still good. Also, it doesn't really require refrigeration, but if you want to keep your in the fridge, that's fine.

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So! I hope you enjoyed reading this and if you ever try out these tonics, please send me a review :)

~Sam

ACV vs BS (ProductsWAR Ep1)

Hey everyone!

So, what is this blog about? Incase you haven't already figured it out, it's about Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) and Brown Sugar (BS(S)). The pros and cons, which is better, you know....

Please note that I'm going to be blogging from my experience during the post and please remember, what works for one person doesn't always work for another.

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According to Wikipedia and Livestrong, "apple cider vinegar, otherwise known as cider vinegar or ACV, is a type of vinegar made from cider or apple must and has a pale to medium amber color." "This substance is rich in vitamin and mineral content, as well as enzymes and amino acids. It is no surprise that apple-cider vinegar can naturally protect your hair from hair loss."






Apple Cider Vinegar:

• Helps remove buildup,
• Improves scalp health (and gets rid of bacteria that causes hair loss)
• Stimulates hair follicle growth

The acidity of apple cider vinegar helps to balance the pH level of your hair and remove buildup, destroy bacteria that cause scalp conditions like dandruff or severe itchiness, and it makes it a natural cleansing agent.

Unfortunately, apple cider vinegar:

• Has such a nasty smell (which lasts for quite a long time, BUT usually wears off about a half-hour after you hair's fully dry)
• Can make you hair hard (if not diluted properly)
• Can cause scalp irritations (also if not diluted properly)

How to make your own Apple Cider Vinegar (from scratch) 

Here's my recipe for an apple cider vinegar rinse (can be used as an after shampoo/conditioner rinse or as an alternative to shampoo). This works for me, but please remember, it just might or might not work for you, but if you want to try it, feel free to, you'll never know if it works for you if you don't try it. Please, use at your own risk.

Ingredients:

• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Bottled/Filtered Water
• Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice (from a medium sized lemon)

Directions:

• Pour 1 part apple cider vinegar to 3 parts water (the first part of water you add should be hot or near-hot). I used a calibrated cup for this.
• Mix the ACV and water together thoroughly (please excuse the smell of the mixture).
• Next, squeeze out the juice of a lemon into a cup or the bowl the ACV and water mix is in and if you get any seeds, take them out with a fork.
• Mix these together thoroughly.
• Either leave it for a few minutes before using or you could use it immediately.

How I used this:

I sectioned my hair in fours and held each section with a metal-free ponytail holder. I took down one section and then sectioned that section irregularly. I then worked the ACV mix into each smaller section focusing on my scalp and working on it like I would with shampoo. When I was done with all the smaller sections in that section, I held that section back together with a ponytail holder. When I was done with all sections, I let the mix sit for a few minutes then I rinsed it out thoroughly.

What I got from this:

Soft, manageable, tangle-free hair that looked SO GOOD...... but smelt SO BAD.
*By the way, I might add a little more vinegar next time.

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According to Wikipedia, "Brown sugar is a sucrose sugar product with a distinctive brown colour due to the presence of molasses. It is either an unrefined or partially refined soft sugar consisting of sugar crystals with some residual molasses content, or it is produced by the addition of molasses to refined white sugar (so-called Molasses Sugar).

Brown sugar contains from 3.5% molasses (light brown sugar) to 6.5% molasses (dark brown sugar) based on total volume. Based on total weight, regular brown sugar contains up to 10% molasses."

Brown sugar:

• Helps remove buildup and hard/dead skin cells
• Exfoliate the scalp
• Improves blood circulation in the scalp (due to the "hands-on" method)

Apart from making you hair sticky (if not rinsed out properly), I haven't heard of any disadvantages of brown sugar to the scalp/hair.

How to make your own brown sugar


Here's my recipe for a brown sugar scrub. I use this as an alternative to shampoo. Please remember, this may or may not work for everyone.

Ingredients

• Brown Sugar
• Freshly squeezed lemon juice <- from half a medium sized lemon (optional)

*I don't always add the lemon juice to my scrub.

*Some people add olive/coconut oil to their scrub, but I prefer not to because I don't want to have an oily scalp or have to struggle with washing out the oil esp. because I'm CG. If you feel like adding some oil to your scrub, feel free to.

Directions

• Pour some brown sugar into a bowl or cup
• If you want to add the lemon juice (for it's fragrance or for extra cleansing), squeeze out the juice of half of a medium sized lemon, take out the seeds with a fork then pour the juice into the cup/bowl of brown sugar.
• Mix the brown sugar and lemon juice together thoroughly.

How I used this:

I sectioned my hair in 2 (sometimes, I section in 4) then I took down one section and divided it into smaller sections. I got the scrub onto my scalp and moved the pads of my fingers on my scalp, working in the scrub till I was done with every section then I got the remaining scrub (wasn't a lot left) onto my hand, took down both sections at the same time and did a final thorough scrub before I rinsed out the brown sugar scrub thoroughly.

What I got from this:

Soft, manageable, shiny, hair that looked AND SMELT good.

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1. Cleanliness: The brown sugar left my hair way more clean and with way less buildup when I was done. I am thinking this had to do with the concentration of the ACV in my ACV rinse because it did get rid of most of the buildup.

BS 1  :   0 ACV

2. Softness of hair: The ACV left my hair way softer than the brown sugar did. WAY softer.

BS 1  :   1 ACV

3. Manageability of hair: The ACV made my hair more manageable as it helped to get and keep my hair tangle-free. I'm not saying the brown sugar didn't make my hair quite manageable too, I'm just saying that the ACV made my hair more manageable than the brown sugar.

BS 1  :   2 ACV

4. Shine: I believe we've got a tie here

BS 2  :   3 ACV

5. Frizz: My hair looked equally or near-equally frizz free when I was done (did them exactly a week apart)

BS 3  :   4 ACV

6. Smell: The brown sugar wins hands down! The smell of the ACV was so HORRID!

BS 4  :   4 ACV

7. Itchy scalp: Both stopped that

BS 5  :   5 ACV

8. Dandruff: Both cured that.

BS 6  :   6 ACV

AND IT'S A TIE!!!!

Okay! yeah, it is a tie, but here are some things:

1. If I'm looking mainly for cleanliness (like if I have a lot of buildup or I'm going to be braiding with extentions), I'll go for the brown sugar scrub.

2. If I can push away the smell, my dad's at work and I'm sure I'm not going to have to leave my house for any reason, I'll go with the apple cider vinegar.

3. However, I most likely would use the brown sugar scrub more often as I'm scared of using something acidic on my hair often (even though I get great result with it). PLUS, the Curl Whisperer said, "you need to bear in mind that ACV is an acid--over 100 times more acidic than your hair--and it needs to be respected as such. Acids can and will start to degrade your hair shaft with overuse, so you must be cautious and pay strict attention to your hair's reaction to frequent ACV rinse use. I personally believe a monthly to bi-monthly ACV rinse provides more than sufficient benefit for almost everyone." I'm most likely going to use the ACV rinse once a month or once every month and a half (well, as needed, but never more than once a month)

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Hope you learned a lot and enjoyed reading this SUPER LONG post :)

Love you all!

~Sam

Itching During Transition (this is normal, but here's a way to like stop the itching and let the hair still do what it has to do)

Hello everybody!

It's 3:33 AM and I'm like wondering what I'm still doing up lol 


Anyways, itching during transition. Many people have complained about that. I thought it was abnormal when I had to deal with that initially, but from watching my brother closely (lol) I believe that it's normal. Okay! how on earth is itching normal? Has Sammy finally cracked? lol :


Let's say you had a relaxer, your hair's like super straight after the relaxer, so, your scalp's used to that. Usually, after like 6 weeks, you retouch/re-relax your hair so, your head and scalp are still fully accustomed to straight hair. Also, the pores (should I call them that) on your scalp are like tiny dot like things and like curls try to push out of them. This causes like really tiny bumps (like micro-bumps) on your scalp, you may or may not have noticed this. So, your hair starts to itch as the curl tries coming out. If you have dry hair or for some reason, your hair is dry (maybe due to the elements (weather) or something), this'll add to it. But, do not be afraid, I have a couple of things to say about this and how you can stop/minimise the itching:


Someone, who I'd call BDR, instead of her real name said:

"I'm about 5 months in and my scalp itches so badly. I do my own weaves about once a week because I cannot stand the site of the two textures of my hair. Flat irons don't look good because my hair is so dry and everything else just looks BAD! so I'm keeping weave until I get further along in the process. Question: are there any products that I can use once a week on my scalp and hair that will eliminate the dry scalp AND dry hair, that aren't costly, while I'm wearing weave and transitioning? Because I'm really about to give up"

Here are what some people said to her in an attempt to help:

"Maybe you're putting the weave in too tight? I don't know much when it comes to weaves, but I know that is the case when my braids are too tight. If I were you, I would add moisture in every step of my hair care routine(shampooing, conditioning, detangling, and leave-in)...like oils (jojoba, grapeseed, coconut oil, avocado oil, castor oil, and all that good stuff). These oils are not expensive(If I can afford them, anyone can..lol.) And, a little goes a long way with these oils, so they can last you a while. 
I'm in no way telling you to go out and purchase all of the oils I mentioned. Do a little research on them, and see which oils will benefit your hair. You may also want to look into a good creamy and moisturizing leave in(giovanni direct leave-in, shea moisture, etc). These are just my suggestions to you." 

 "I don't have a weave, and I itch uncontrollably too. Dandruff shampoo helps some, but not for long. :/. Very annoying."

(So, don't go wasting your money stocking up on dandruff shampoos!)

"At the beginning of my transition I use to get really bad itching in my scalp. I started doing weekly hot oil treatments with either jojoba oil or coconut oil. So far my dry/itchy scalp issues have been reduced. Using a mild shampoo or shampoo bar also helps keep your scalp/hair retain moisture and remain clean."

(Just so you know, I do not advice people to use shampoo bars. Shampoos, maybe, but a shampoo bar, no. I believe it dries out the hair more than you'll actually notice, it strips of all essential oils, clogs the pores...)

"For the itchy scalp olive oil works nicely and for the dry hair deep conditioning is very important. I personally deep condition once a week and if my hair gets dry throughout the week I will co-wash."

"I agree with those that said oil. My scalp itched so bad at one point and I found that using oil worked. What I do is right after I wash I take a combo of oils (olive, jojoba, coconut, castor) in a color applicator bottle (Sally's) and apply it to my scalp." 

"Depending on how light the oil is I would deem it okay to use after you wash your hair. With heavy oils I usually apply oil to my scalp and hair massage it in then. Leave on for an hour or two. Then like always I wash with a sulfate free shampoo twice to wash excess oil out." 

*Yeah, they have given advice that I'll say are okay and can help minimising (please take note of my...err....notes in bold brackets). So...I've told you what people were saying, but, what was I saying? Here it is (said on two different days):

"I'm transitioning too, I'm about 8 months in and my hair started itching this week and I honestly detest it. I researched on natural things I can use to stop the itching and one that worked for me for two days was lemon juice and olive oil. So, all I did was squeeze out the juice of half a lemon, add some olive oil to it and a few drops of water (for extra moisture), then I got it into parts of my hair, my hair stopped itching a few minutes after. I applied it mainly to the part of my hair that itched the most and that part hasn't itched since then. Another thing I did was to apply quite a bit of DAX Tea Tree Butter too. These helped a lot. I didn't really need to buy anything 'cause these were already in the house, but I believe none of the items I listed above should cost a lot of money."

(I said this a long time ago. I am like way past 8 months of transition. Also, I cancelled out the stuff about DAX Tea Trea Butter because it contains some ingredients now that I do not advice people to use on their hair. Also, it gives just short term results)

"Gaaah! Why didn't I share this earlier!I hope this works for you just how it did for me!

ROSEMARY OIL! Your hair is itchy, you get some rosemary oil onto those itchy bits and by the next day, voila! itching stops! It also stops dandruff that quick too. Isn't that great? I really like it now, but I don't use it as often as I use olive oil.Anyways, I make my own rosemary oil so I'm sure it's 100% natural (I like using 100% natural things...healthy). The first time I made rosemary oil, I put some dried rosemary into a clear bowl, I then added a bit of water to it and a drop of olive oil (covered the bowl) then I kept it by a window to get at least 2 days of sunshine then voila! I had oil in the bowl and it didn't look like the water, rosemary thingy it did the day I made it. Nowadays, I don't bother adding drops of olive oil to it. I just get the rosemary and water, leave it by a window for at least 2 days of sunlight and voila! My mum has asked me to make some rosemary oil for her because it works wonders with itchy scalp and it prevents dandruff.Also, a good way you can use rosemary oil is by getting it into your hair (don't bother if the leaves get in too, they'll fall come out later) and then getting some 100% natural shea butter into your hair too. You can mix them together and get it in all at once, but when I use SB too, I get the RO in first then the SB.
Hope this works for you too! "

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Rosemary oil is still at the top of my list for the best thing to stop this itchy scalp issue. My mum likes me making some rosemary oil for her because when she has itchy scalp, it stops it within minutes and her scalp doesn't itch again for a really long time (I'm not talking about minutes, hours, or days, I'm talking about longer than that). My hair loves rosemary oil, I might add.
Okay! so, something else about rosemary oil: it is an essential oil, it prevents and stops dandruff and it also stimulates/promotes natural hair growth. Seriously, that is like totally true. I can make a lengthy review of rosemary oil if you want me to (and you know, I can type some pretty lengthy things).


Hope this helps you!
God bless,
~Sam


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