Mixology || Cocoa Butter Deep Conditioner

Ingredients:
1/4 cup pure cocoa butter (melted)
1 tbs safflower oil
1 tbs sweet almond oil
1/4 cup conditioner of your choice

Instructions:
Melt the cocoa butter on the stove at low heat. In a bowl or cup, stir the melted cocoa butter, conditioner, and oils together. Apply to hair and allow to set for 20-30 minutes. Rinse and style as usual.

Mixology || Coconut Banana Deep Conditioner

Here is a yummy recipe (from The BraunSugar Blog) for conditioning your tresses!

Ingredients:
1/4 cup coconut milk
2 bananas
2 tbsps coconut oil
1 tsp honey

Directions:
Combine all ingredients together in a food processor or blender.
Blend until extra smooth.  Make sure that there are no banana lumps.  (They are hard to remove later.)

RECIPE CARD:

Check out The BraunSugar's post for more details.

Hair Diary || Incorporating a Protein Conditioner Into My Regimen

Time for a wash!

So a few "Hair Diary" entries ago, I talked about adjusting my regimen so that I can reach hip-length by late 2014.  In this same entry, I also discussed an experiment with a new detangling method.  (Here is that entry for those who missed it.)  So what is the update on that?  So far, so good.

Other than tweaking my detangling method, I also need to incorporate protein deep conditioning to help with length retention.  Why?  The ends of my hair are the oldest and thus most worn and susceptible to breakage.  During my first five years as a natural, I rarely (probably less than a handful of times) used protein conditioners, but that might have to change if I want to reach hip-length.  So that being said, I have been using ORS Replenishing Conditioner after the past few washes.  (This is separate from my detangling conditioner - Suave/Tresemme.)  I will report back with an update on that in the near future.

And now for some more hair pics:

Pre-shampoo treatment on the go.  Coconut-oil drenched hair in jumbo flat twists.

Mandatory shrinkage comparison.  (LEFT) Mostly shrunken wet hair.  My hair shrinks more than this once dry. (RIGHT) Stretching that same section of hair.

All done twisting.  I do not usually twist on wet hair, but I was on the go.
Planning to keep this in for 3-4 weeks.

Attempted back shot of the twist bun.

A new staple in my regimen.

Mixology || Protein Pre-Treatment by Chicoro

Ingredients
1/3 teaspoon each (cysteine, cystine, methionine)
300 grams or 1 block of soft tofu
1/4 cup of aloe vera gel (water based/moisture)
1/4 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon to 1/4 cup of oil (for lubrication)
melted coconut oil

For details, watch the below video:

Mixology || Shea Butter Conditioner from Scratch

You do not need a lot of ingredients for this mixture nor do you need any hard-to-find ones.  All you need are an inexpensive conditioner, shea butter, and olive oil.

Ingredients:
4 parts cheap conditioner (e.g., VO5, Suave, etc.)
2 parts shea butter
1 part extra virgin olive oil
*Optional: feel free to use another oil instead (e.g., safflower)

Instructions:
1. Melt the shea butter until soft but not until a liquid.
2. Whip the shea butter the safflower oil and conditioner.
3. Apply the concoction to freshly washed hair.  Let sit for 30 minutes, then rinse and style as usual.

Mixology || Easy Non-Drying Henna Recipe for Conditioning

Do you want to try henna for hair conditioning but you do not know where to begin? Or maybe you are afraid of the dryness sometimes associated with henna?  Well here is a recipe worth trying:

Ingredients:

100g+ neutral henna (amount depends on length thickness of your hair)
1/2 an avocado
1 tsp oil of your choice (olive, grapeseed, castor, etc.)
1 tsp honey

Instructions: 
1. Mix all the above ingredients together in a stainless steel bowl.  (Assuming you are using pure henna, a stainless steel bowl should be fine.)
2. Section damp or dry hair.  Apply using plastic gloves or an applicator brush, section by section.
3. Cover hair with a secure plastic cap.
4. Allow to set for a minimum of 4 hours.  (Some ladies, henna overnight.)
5. Rinse hair thoroughly with warm water to remove henna.
6. Follow up with a conditioner wash.
7. Deep condition with a moisturizing conditioner for 20-30 minutes.
8. Rinse, moisturize, seal, and style as usual.

Source: Original recipe on LongHairCareForum

Mixology || Shea Butter and Hibiscus Deep Treatment

Recipe originator: Laila (FusionofCultures on Youtube).

Ingredients (rough estimates):
2 scoops conditioner (from your stash)
2 scoops shea butter
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp peppermint oil
1 tbsp castor oil
1 tbsp of amla
1 tbsp of hibiscus powder

Instructions: See video below ...

 

Mixology || Homemade Banana Conditioner (by Loo)

Another natural deep conditioner.  This one softens and infuses the hair with moisture for detangling.

Homemade Banana Conditioner -

Ingredients:
1 medium/large overripe banana (sliced)
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (for lubrication, moisture while detangling)
2 tbsp glycerin (humectant, moisture)
2 tbsp honey (humectant, moisture)

Instructions:
Place sliced bananas, extra virgin olive oil, glycerin, and honey all in a blender. Blend the ingredients thoroughly making sure no lumps or banana bits remain. (Depending on your blender quality, you may or may not have to then sieve the mixture with a fine sieve.  Another option is to use banana baby food.) Apply to hair and let sit for 30-45 minutes under a shower cap. Detangle, rinse thoroughly, and style as usual.  (If not rinsed out thoroughly, your hair may be left hard and with mixture remnants once dry.)

Hair after detangling. If you've been following me for some time, you will be wondering how these "curls" appeared considering that I have no natural curl pattern whatsoever.  Well, it looks to be the conditioner.  The last time I used a similar concoction (transitioning days), my hair did the same thing. 

You can now find HHB on Facebook. Share with your friends:

http://www.facebook.com/healthyhairandbody.

Yummy Yogurt Conditioners

Yogurt-based conditioners can make for a light to deep protein treatment.  Experiment with the recipes below (and be sure to blend thoroughly for those containing a banana as well).  Enjoy!

RICH YOGURT CONDITIONER
plain whole yogurt
egg
banana
lemon juice
vitamin E oil (optional)
tea tree oil (optional)
Recipe and Instructions

PROTEIN-PACKED CONDITIONER
egg
yogurt
Recipe and Instructions

FRUIT SMOOTHIE HAIR MASK
banana
avocado
cantaloupe
wheat germ oil
yogurt
Recipe and Instructions

SIMPLE SMOOTHIE CONDITIONER
yogurt
banana
Recipe and Instructions

Feel free to share any of your yogurt recipes below!