Sorry it’s been so long since I posted. The last two weeks of school were nuts. Lots of events going on, then it was SO nice to relax for the first week of summer vacation. We got the garden established and even had a chance to put some seeds in the ground, hopefully they sprout soon and we can nourish and love some carrot, turnip and potato plants in addition to our cucumbers, sugarsnap peas, marigolds, tomatoes, chives, bail, garlic and snap dragons planted three weeks ago. with the garden started I have been spending more time outside. My hair has lightened and gotten fizzy. Like a mop.
At one point in my adult life I took VERY good care of my hair. Every day. I used Garnier Fructis anti-frizz serum for years. I blow dried, straightened and curled my hair. There was a lot of cutting and dying too. After I got married I didn’t dye my hair. I have only cut it once since I got married in 2012. Basically I have put it in lose bun on my head and ignored it. It’s dry at the ends, always frizzy and really only looks good bundled up in twin braids. The state of my hair got me looking into leaven-in conditioner and hair balm. Well, looking into making my own.
My mom had a leave-in conditioner spray when I was a teenager that worked like magic. I was always in wonder when I put it in my, even dry, hair. So hard to believe that my hair could be that soft and shiny. To this day I have NEVER found anything that works as well, and the stuff my mom used has since not been manufactured. I started looking for it when I was in my early 20s with no luck. Aside from going to beauty supply stores that sell $20 bottles of shampoo I couldn’t even find leave-in conditioner at all. Target, Wal-Mart, Wallgreens, CVS and Rite-Aid didn’t carry the leave-in conditioner in a spray bottle. I doubt that I could replicate the same product I loved when I was 16, but I have read a lot about making some different hair care products. Hopefully my research will help anyone else willing to put the effort into making a natural hair care solution.
This lady, Marie, who writes the Humble Bee & Me blog, is amazing. Natural beauty product tutorials like crazy. Really great tutorials and recipes for a whole universe’s worth of effective beauty products. I can spend hours, or even days, going through all her posts. Beautiful bright photos, very detailed directions and usually she mentions alternatives if you can’t easily find what she uses. I highly recommend this blog for a variety of beauty d.i.y.
I haven’t tried this one yet, but I really want to try making it. It looks like a great replacement for my Garnier Fructis anti-frizz serum.
http://www.humblebeeandme.com/ultimate-homemade-hair-serum/#more-1887
A list of REALLY simple leave-in conditioner recipes. A lot of them are made with items you will find in most kitchens.
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Leave-in-Hair-Conditioner
I believe this site’s target demographic isn’t married white women, but it still seems like the do it yourself leave-in conditioner would be really effective for anyone and everyone. I can’t say I like the adds all over the side of the page, but the directions are easy to read.
http://blackgirllonghair.com/2014/04/4-simple-recipes-for-homemade-leave-in-conditioners/
This one is complex with a long list of ingredients. Hyperlinks are helpful to identify and possibly purchase ingredients. I recommend this to the adventurous DIYer with a few extra dollar to spend. Some day I would love to try this one, but not in the next few months.
http://www.naturalbeautyworkshop.com/my_weblog/2013/09/hibiscus-silk-leave-in-conditioner.html
Hair balm is a very new concept to me. Lotion bars are something I discovered about 8 months ago. The idea that something I use to soothe dry cracked lips might actually help my hair is very new. Hair balm is not the same as lip balm. Hair balm doesn’t need a sweetener, but it needs a stabilizer, like wax, and oil. I find that straight coconut oil and beeswax stays a lot softer and might be better suited to something like hair balm than lip balm. I usually add coconut oil to my lip balm, but I add it with olive oil so the balm is more solid and stays in the tube a little better.
Again, The Humble Bee & Me is my go-to and a great place to start my search for hair balm recipes:
http://www.humblebeeandme.com/make-your-own-super-nourishing-hair-balm/#more-125
If you want a great starting point with hair balm, though it’s not called hair balm but instead pomade, this is great. Very clear and many alternatives listed.
http://www.thehippyhomemaker.com/diy-all-natural-hair-styling-pomade-that-rocks/
Over the last few days I have read a lot about how great rosemary oil is for hair, but I don’t like the way rosemary smells. This is an amazing way to deal with the rosemary oil AND add a floral feminine touch to the hair balm.
http://www.freshpickedbeauty.com/2012/09/jasmine-sandalwood-hair-balm.html
I love how simple and straight forward this post is written. It’s not that different than the last few, but I wanted to include it because it looks so nice.
http://www.chicandgreendaily.com/2009/06/diy-thursday-natural-hair-pomade.html
This is a video, and I don’t normally like videos about beauty products because the ladies who they find to stand in front of the camera usually have such shrill annoying voices. I don’t know if it’s just me or if more people feel that way. This particular video isn’t that bad. It’s short and very well done.
http://www.bellasugar.com/DIY-Hair-Skin-Moisturizer-Recipe-31023726
Don’t by shy, do a google search, or just explore a few blogs here on WordPress. Read as much as you can about what hair care products you want to try and make. There exists more information than one person can absorb in one lifetime on the internet. Find out what hair type you have and go from there. I have thick curly hair prone to frizz and grease buildup. My scalp gets sunburnt sometimes then I have itchy dryness for a few days. That is a great starting point for me to research how these home made hair care products might effect my hair. If you have straight hair maybe you want to look up heat-less curls? The possibilities are endless, and I hope I gave a great starting point for anyone to jump from. Now it’s time for me to find an empty spray bottle and get to work.
Happy DIYing crafters.
-Bobby
Star's Reach 