Review: ORS SheaLicious Hair Conditioning Cocktail

 I received a sample of the ORS Shealicious Hair Conditioning Cocktail at the Taliah Waajid World Natural Hair  Show in Atlanta in April 2015.  Usually, I do not condition my hair because I do not want it too soft when I am trying to hold curls.

Well, it was time to try this cocktail out because one of my clients was "eyeing" it as soon as I got back from Atlanta last month.  Nope, I was not giving my Shealicious hair cocktail away.

The oil scent is "tamanu & black currant oils."

The cocktail seemed to stimulate my scalp.  It absorbed nicely into my locs without applying any heat.  I rinsed thoroughly, but I did feel like some of the cocktail may have lingered because as I was drying for my final styling I would occassional get runoff water/oil down my forehead in the front.  The Shealicious definitely made my hair/locs feel softer.

 So the instructions require you to pour, mix, and apply.  I mixed the cocktail in the container prior to my shampoo service.

I believe Sally's Beauty Supply is supposed to carry it before the end of this year 2015. Shealicious is a fun concept that looks like a yogurt, but it is a hair conditioner!  I can see kids and adults wanting to try it.  I assume that different oils may be packaged based on the scent.  I would definitely try it again!

Saltwater: Hair Dehydration and Breakage!

Salts are used to cure or "dehydrate" meats as well as to de-ice in the winter.

So as you are enjoying scuba diving, snorkeling, and other water sports at the ocean, please pre-treat your hair!  Those with permanent hair coloring definitely should be on extra alert!

Try to pre-condition the hair with coconut oil before going into the ocean.  Swim caps may also be an option for those with relaxers and permanent haircolor.  A spray leave-in conditioner like the Hawaiian Silky 14 in 1 Miracle worker can also be beneficial to spray throughout the day.

Last year, I definitely saw some breakage from those clients returning from saltwater activities while on vacation.  I just made the connection this year after reviewing one of my clients' profile to trace back where we saw a drastic change in her hair.   Then in my notes, I realized that we relaxed her hair right after her return from a vacation full of water sports.  I only wrote down the "vacation" trip, but I asked her recently if she remembered much saltwater getting into her hair.  The more she pondered, the more she realized that the areas of her hair that we saw the most drastic change was where the hair probably absorbed the most saltwater.

Swim caps may not protect the hair line from the saltwater, but I really encourage extra care with your hair if you are enjoying the ocean.

Have a Great Summer!!!!

Mental Health and Hair: The Waist Length Identity

No, it's not a hairpiece!  It's a big knot that I had to cut out.

Many people identify with waist length hair.  They may have Latina, European, Indian, etc. descent.  Extra long wavy hair is what their whole family usually identifies with.  So what happens when the hair goes from waist length to barely shoulder length?

This is where I keep a tissue box handy!!!!

Case#1:  When the one goose egg of a knot continues to grow larger and larger without fully detangling in time.  So yes, we had to cut a mound of waist length hair off because we could not  even untangle it with apple cider vinegar.

This hair got so matted and tangled that even the hair clipper would not cut through it.

Case #2:  Medication, relaxer, and sew-in weaves damages and breaks the hair over the years.  Going from waist length to shoulder length hair causes a mental/emotional breakdown requiring the client to consider braids and/or wigs which still may cause additional challenges to growing the hair back to waist-length.

I had both of this cases come to me within a two week period.  I never realized how attached to hair that women of all races and ages can be.  Literally, mental health and hair are definitely connected.  This should be a specialized field that should be taught in cultural diversity classes.  Some Black women should get an extra stipend to keep their hair "European-ized."

The demands of hair can be absolutely minimal when people learn how to work with what God gave them, but it takes patience.

Marriage, Mates, and Natural Hair 2015

(Very happily divorced mainly because I entered into marriage for all the wrong reasons.)

Situation #1
I have had many MARRIED women approach me in public about going natural or Loc'ing their hair, but they can not because their husbands do NOT like "the natural look."  Some ladies say their husbands prefer for them to wear a weave or a wig versus their natural hair.  In addition, some wives have been told that if their natural hair was a little looser then their husbands would be more okay with their wife going natural.  These wives admit that they want to keep their husband happy so they comply.

Questions:
1) Have relaxers created a fraudulent perception of Black hair?
2) Is it healthy for women to feel trapped between keeping their husbands happy and learning to embrace their God given hair texture?
3) If wigs and weaves are more acceptable than kinky hair, then would shaving women's heads and just maintaining hair replacement/cranial prosthesis make more sense?

Situation #2
Sleeping with a hair bonnet, rollers, or a head scarf is not acceptable by some husbands in the initial years of marriage.  After about ten years of marriage, many of these husbands relax the rules, and the wives are more flexible with doing what is necessary at night to make styling their hair easier the next morning.  We all know that women born with wavy and straight hair naturally gain length quicker and without breakage.  Lower maintenance natural loose hair is always going to be more manageable.  This type of hair does not make the women any smarter, brighter, or more educated.  It just means less to no "bad hair days."

Many Black women turn to loc'ing their hair to achieve the low maintenance lifestyle, but many men still do not like the texture of the hair in locs.  Of course, many men do, but women have to be aware that the lightness or darkness of their skin plays a part in how some men choose a mate.  Hair texture is no exception either.

Questions:
1) Have successful  Black men become so accustomed to the European standards of a polished image that this mindset plays into how they choose who to marry?  (i.e. Many Black male celebrities choose to marry outside of the Black race.)

2) Do many Black women choose to be single over having to conform to the image that some Black men prefer?

3) Does a man's self esteem really reflect in the way the woman looks that he carries on his arm?

ANSWERS:  I hoping to get some men to weigh in on these situations and mindsets.  Any takers???

On a Separate note: I used ombre lip coloring with a center transition color in my picture above. I needed to remind myself so that I will not look back two years from now and ask about my lip color.

My 34 months Loc Versary

I went to see the movie Tomorrowland on my 34 month loc-versary.  I love my Tomorrowland pin from Regal Cinemas.  It reminds me that I am a visionary.

Also, on this loc-versary, I had another one of my clients to ask if my locs were all mine - I told her- "yep, nothing has been added."

So when I was sporting my yarn unit a few years ago, I was identified with yarn for hair.

When I had "starter Sisterlocks," I  was identified with "those little things in my hair."

Now, I am identified as having "frizz-free" Sisterlocks.  Even one of the vendors at the Taliah Waajid World Natural Hair Show complimented me for not having frizzy Sisterlocks.  She was actually puzzled as to why she did not see frizz.  All I can say is . . .

It is my hair naturally . . . naturally a phenomenal woman.