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Maya Angelou & Natural Hair - What A Phenomenal Woman!

31/5/2014

Having left us this week I thought I would look up what Maya Angelou had to say about hair and I discovered she took part in Good Hair by Chris Rock - here's what she had to say:

Chris Rock: How old were you when you first got your relaxer?
Maya Angelou: Oh god. I was about seventy.
Chris Rock: Seventy? You went your whole life...
Maya Angelou: Not my whole life, I'm still alive!

And as a tribute, I wanted to share one of my favourite poems by Maya Angelou

Phenomenal Woman by Maya Angelou

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I’m telling lies.
I say,
It’s in the reach of my arms,
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It’s the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can’t touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them,
They say they still can’t see.
I say,
It’s in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.

Now you understand
Just why my head’s not bowed.
I don’t shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing,
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It’s in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need for my care.
’Cause I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.

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Neno Natural's Free Moisturizer Recipes

"Tame Me" DIY "Moisturizer" For Frizzy Hair ~ The Recipe

29/5/2014

This recipe is for a daily use moisturizer a.k.a. leave-in conditioner. It will not only help to moisturize and nourish dry hair, it also helps to tame frizzy hair with the addition of argan oil and the use of higher weight proteins that strengthen hair from the outside.

Click for Queen Bk's hair styles, journey & regimen

Heated oil phase (7%)

2g BTMS-50 (2%)
1g Incroquat CR (1%)
4g argan oil (4%)

Heated water phase (84%)

62g water (62%)
10g aloe vera (10%)
2g hydrolyzed oat protein (2%)
10g rose hydrosol (10%)

Cool-down phase (8%)

2g cyclomethicone (2%)
2g dimethicone (2%)
2g panthenol (2%)
1g optiphen preservative (1%)
1g essential oil blend (1%)

- 0.5g ylang ylang (11 drops) (0.5%)
- 0.3g rosemary or sandalwood (7 drops) (0.3%)
- 0.2g lavender or rose (4 drops) (0.2%)

Method

You will need two pyrex bowls because you will be creating two bain maries (a.k.a. double boilers)

Weigh out the heated oil phase ingredients into a pyrex dish.
Weigh out the heated water phase ingredients into another pyrex dish.
Create a bain marie for each and heat to 70°C or at least until the water in the pot starts to boil then reduce the heat.

Leave the oil phase heating at 70°C for 20 minutes.
Put the water phase on 8 minutes later and leave it for 12 minutes.
You can have the heated water phase on for the full 20 minutes but for a 100g batch I find that you get a lot of lost product due to evaporation so I prefer to put it on a little later.

Remove both from the heat and pour the heated water phase into the heated oil phase immediately. Stir simultaneously.
Continue to stir gently until the mixture has cooled down and thickened.
Allow to cool to just more than hand hot (45°C if you want to be specific) then add the cool-down phase ingredients. To be honest 45°C is a bit more than hand but I am so scared of inactivating the cool-down phase ingredients that I would rather not risk it.
Allow the formulation to cool completely then bottle it up.

Application

You can moisturize hair that has just been washed and conditioned or hair that has notjust been washed.
If your hair is very dry, a spritz with water before applying the moisturizer will help with product take-up.
To make you your own shampoo see nenonatural.com/DIYshampoos, to make your own conditioner see nenonatural.com/DIYconditioners.

Storage: The shelf life is 9 months. Store in a cool, dry place.

Get your FREE ebook on How To Grow Long, Healthy Natural Kinky or Curly Hair.

You might also like:

Neno Natural's Free Moisturizer Recipes

"Adore Me" DIY "Moisturizer" For Thin Hair ~ The Recipe

27/5/2014

Click for Queen Dee's hair styles, journey & regimen

This recipe is for a daily use moisturizer a.k.a. leave-in conditioner. It will not only help to moisturize and nourish dry hair, it also helps to prevent hair loss and thinning with the addition of seaweed hydrosol.

Seaweed hydrosol soothes the scalp and conditions hair. In addition it is reputed to help with hair growth and the prevention of hair thinning.

Heated oil phase (8%)

1g BTMS-50 (1%)
1g Cetrimonium chloride (1%)
2g Incroquat CR (2%)
4g coconut oil (4%)

Heated water phase (84%)

52g water (52%)
20g seaweed infusion (20%)
10g aloe vera (10%)
2g hydrolyzed silk protein (2%)

Cool-down phase (8%)

2g honeyquat (2%)
1g cyclomethicone (1%)
1g dimethicone (1%)
2g panthenol (2%)
1g optiphen preservative (1%)

Method

You will need two pyrex bowls because you will be creating two bain maries (a.k.a. double boilers)

Weigh out the heated oil phase ingredients into a pyrex dish.
Weigh out the heated water phase ingredients into another pyrex dish.
Create a bain marie for each and heat to 70°C or at least until the water in the pot starts to boil then reduce the heat.

Leave the oil phase heating at 70°C for 20 minutes.
Put the water phase on 8 minutes later and leave it for 12 minutes.
You can have the heated water phase on for the full 20 minutes but for a 100g batch I find that you get a lot of lost product due to evaporation so I prefer to put it on a little later.

Remove both from the heat and pour the heated water phase into the heated oil phase immediately. Stir simultaneously.
Continue to stir gently until the mixture has cooled down and thickened.
Allow to cool to just more than hand hot (45°C if you want to be specific) then add the cool-down phase ingredients. To be honest 45°C is a bit more than hand but I am so scared of inactivating the cool-down phase ingredients that I would rather not risk it.
Allow the formulation to cool completely then bottle it up.

Application

You can moisturize hair that has just been washed and conditioned or hair that has notjust been washed.
If your hair is very dry, a spritz with water before applying the moisturizer will help with product take-up.
To make you your own shampoo see nenonatural.com/DIYshampoos, to make your own conditioner see nenonatural.com/DIYconditioners.

Storage: The shelf life is 9 months. Store in a cool, dry place.

Get your FREE ebook on How To Grow Long, Healthy Natural Kinky or Curly Hair.

You might also like:

Neno Natural's Free Moisturizer Recipes

Soothe Me DIY "Moisturizer" For Dry Hair & Itchy Scalps ~ The Recipe

22/5/2014

This recipe is for a daily use moisturizer a.k.a. leave-in conditioner. It will not only help to moisturize and nourish dry hair, it also contains peppermint essential oil, an ingredient that will soothe an itchy scalp.

Click for Queen Jackie's hair styles, journey & regimen

Heated oil phase (8%)

2g BTMS (2%)
1g Incroquat CR (1%)
1g cetyl alcohol (1%)
4g baobab oil (4%)

Heated water phase (82%)

60g water (60%)
10g chamomile hydrosol (10%)
10g aloe vera (10%)
2g hydrolyzed silk protein (2%)

Cool-down phase (10%)

2g honeyquat (2%)
4g sucragel (4%)
2g panthenol (2%)
1g optiphen preservative (1%
1g peppermint essential oil (1%)

Method

You will need two pyrex bowls because you will be creating two bain maries (a.k.a. double boilers)

Weigh out the heated oil phase ingredients into a pyrex dish.
Weigh out the heated water phase ingredients into another pyrex dish.
Create a bain marie for each and heat to 70°C or at least until the water in the pot starts to boil then reduce the heat.

Leave the oil phase heating at 70°C for 20 minutes.
Put the water phase on 8 minutes later and leave it for 12 minutes.
You can have the heated water phase on for the full 20 minutes but for a 100g batch I find that you get a lot of lost product due to evaporation so I prefer to put it on a little later.

Remove both from the heat and pour the heated water phase into the heated oil phase immediately. Stir simultaneously.
Continue to stir gently until the mixture has cooled down and thickened.
Allow to cool to just more than hand hot (45°C if you want to be specific) then add the cool-down phase ingredients. To be honest 45°C is a bit more than hand but I am so scared of inactivating the cool-down phase ingredients that I would rather not risk it.
Allow the formulation to cool completely then bottle it up.

Application

You can moisturize hair that has just been washed and conditioned or hair that has notjust been washed.
If your hair is very dry, a spritz with water before applying the moisturizer will help with product take-up.
To make you your own shampoo see nenonatural.com/DIYshampoos, to make your own conditioner see nenonatural.com/DIYconditioners.

Storage: The shelf life is 9 months. Store in a cool, dry place.

Get your FREE ebook on How To Grow Long, Healthy Natural Kinky or Curly Hair.

You might also like:

Neno Natural's Free Moisturizer Recipes

How To Make A Leave-In Conditioner / Moisturizer Thicker

21/5/2014

Click for Queen Shawnte's styles, journey & regimen

If you find that a moisturizer you've made yourself is too thin, next time you formulate you can:

Add more BTMS
Add more oil or butter
Remove cetrimonium chloride from the recipe

If you don't have cetearyl alcohol in your moisturizer add it at 50% of the cationic compound (BTMS, cetrimonium bromide or cetrimonium chloride) and reduce the water content by the same amount.

Example

If you have 3% BTMS, add 1.5% cetearyl alcohol and remove 1.5% water - simple!

You can also use cetyl alcohol but I personally find that cetearyl alcohol works a lot better.

It stands to reason that if you want to make a moisturizer thinner because it is too thick then, you do the opposite:

Reduce the amount of BTMS
Use less vegetable oils and butters
Add cetrimonium chloride

Remember to keep to the usage rates for a leave-on product as advised by the manufacturer. Usage rates for rinse-off products like conditioners are usually higher than usage rates for products that will be applied and left on your hair.

If you are mixing several cationic compounds look at the total amount of all of them not just at each individual one.

Get your FREE ebook on How To Grow Long, Healthy Natural Hair.

You might also like:

Neno Natural's Free Moisturizer Recipes

Feed Me DIY "Moisturizer" For Dry Hair ~ The Recipe

20/5/2014

This recipe is for a daily use moisturizer a.k.a. leave-in conditioner. Use it to help moisturize and nourish dry hair.

Click for Queen Nia B's styles, journey & regimen

Heated oil phase (17%)

1g BTMS-50 (1%)
1g Cetrimonium bromide (1%)
1g cetearyl alcohol (1%)
4g shea butter (4%)
10g marshmallow infusion (10%)

Heated water phase (73%)

47g water (47%)
20g aloe vera (20%)
4g glycerin (4%)
2g hydrolyzed silk protein (2%)

Cool-down phase (10%)

2g cetrimonium chloride (2%)
2g cyclomethicone (2%)
2g dimethicone (2%)
2g panthenol (2%)
1g optiphen preservative (1%)
1g essential oil blend (1%)

o 0.7g chamomile (16 drops) (0.7%)
o 0.3g cedarwood (6 drops) (0.3%)

Method

You will need two pyrex bowls because you will be creating two bain maries (a.k.a. double boilers)

Weigh out the heated oil phase ingredients into a pyrex dish.
Weigh out the heated water phase ingredients into another pyrex dish.
Create a bain marie for each and heat to 70°C or at least until the water in the pot starts to boil then reduce the heat.

Leave the oil phase heating at 70°C for 20 minutes.
Put the water phase on 8 minutes later and leave it for 12 minutes.
You can have the heated water phase on for the full 20 minutes but for a 100g batch I find that you get a lot of lost product due to evaporation so I prefer to put it on a little later.

Remove both from the heat and pour the heated water phase into the heated oil phase immediately. Stir simultaneously.
Continue to stir gently until the mixture has cooled down and thickened.
Allow to cool to just more than hand hot (45°C if you want to be specific) then add the cool-down phase ingredients. To be honest 45°C is a bit more than hand but I am so scared of inactivating the cool-down phase ingredients that I would rather not risk it.
Allow the formulation to cool completely then bottle it up.

Application

You can moisturize hair that has just been washed and conditioned or hair that has notjust been washed.
If your hair is very dry, a spritz with water before applying the moisturizer will help with product take-up.
To make you your own shampoo see nenonatural.com/DIYshampoos, to make your own conditioner see nenonatural.com/DIYconditioners.

Storage: The shelf life is 9 months. Store in a cool, dry place.

Get your FREE ebook on How To Grow Long, Healthy Natural Kinky or Curly Hair.

You might also like:

Neno Natural's Free Moisturizer Recipes

How Is A Moisturizer Different To Conditioner?

19/5/2014

Click for Queen Nia B's styles, journey & regimen

The procedure for making moisturizers is exactly identical to the process for making conditioners.

The key difference between a conditioner and a moisturizer is in the concentration of ingredients used.
The usage rate for most ingredients that go into hair products dictates that you use less in products that you leave on compared to products that you rinse off.

A moisturizer is essentially a leave-on conditioner and as such is less concentrated that rinse-off conditioners.

I have had people email me with hair issues because they applied rinse-off conditioners and let them sit in their hair for hours on end.

The worst offenders go to bed with the conditioner on their head and wake up with a bald patch the next morning – this is because conditioners are not meant to be left on for more than 30 minutes. Any extra time does absolutely nothing to improve the condition of your hair.

In summary, conditioners are concentrated products designed to be applied to hair then washed off, moisturizers are less concentrated leave-on products.

Ultimately, both conditioners and moisturizers (a.k.a. leave-in conditioners) are designed to improve and maintain the condition of your hair. They soften, boost shine and aid detangling to varying degrees depending on the brand.

Get your FREE ebook on How To Grow Long, Healthy Natural Kinky or Curly Hair.

You might also like:

Neno Natural's Free Moisturizer Recipes

"Love Me" DIY Moisturizer For Weak & Brittle Hair ~ The Recipe

16/5/2014

This recipe is for a daily use moisturizer (aka leave-in conditioner). It will not only help to moisturize and nourish dry hair, it also contains essential oils, hydrosols and other ingredients that help to strengthen hair.

Click for Queen Monique's Regimen & Styles

Heated oil phase (8%)

1g BTMS-50 (1%)
1g Incroquat CR (1%)
1g cetrimonium bromide (1%)
1g cetearyl alcohol (1%)
4g avocado oil (4%)

Heated water phase (84%)

58g water (58%)
10g hibiscus infusion (10%)
10g aloe vera (10%)
2g hydrolyzed silk protein (2%)
4g glycerin (4%)

Cool-down phase (8%)

2g cyclomethicone (2%)
2g dimethicone (2%)
2g panthenol (2%)
1g optiphen preservative (1%)
1g essential oil blend (1%)

- 0.6g geranium (14 drops) (0.6%)
- 0.2g bergamot (4 drops) (0.2%)
- 0.2g cedarwood (4 drops) (0.2%)

Method

You will need two pyrex bowls because you will be creating two bain maries (a.k.a. double boilers)

Weigh out the heated oil phase ingredients into a pyrex dish.
Weigh out the heated water phase ingredients into another pyrex dish.
Create a bain marie for each and heat to 70°C or at least until the water in the pot starts to boil then reduce the heat.

Leave the oil phase heating at 70°C for 20 minutes.
Put the water phase on 8 minutes later and leave it for 12 minutes.
You can have the heated water phase on for the full 20 minutes but for a 100g batch I find that you get a lot of lost product due to evaporation so I prefer to put it on a little later.

Remove both from the heat and pour the heated water phase into the heated oil phase immediately. Stir simultaneously.
Continue to stir gently until the mixture has cooled down and thickened.
Allow to cool to just more than hand hot (45°C if you want to be specific) then add the cool-down phase ingredients. To be honest 45°C is a bit more than hand but I am so scared of inactivating the cool-down phase ingredients that I would rather not risk it.
Allow the formulation to cool completely then bottle it up.

Application

You can moisturize hair that has just been washed and conditioned or hair that has notjust been washed.
If your hair is very dry, a spritz with water before applying the moisturizer will help with product take-up.
To make you your own shampoo see nenonatural.com/DIYshampoos, to make your own conditioner see nenonatural.com/DIYconditioners.

Storage: The shelf life is 9 months. Store in a cool, dry place.

Get your FREE ebook on How To Grow Long, Healthy Natural Kinky or Curly Hair.

You might also like:

Neno Natural's Free Moisturizer Recipes

What Ingredients Go Into Making A Good Moisturizer?

14/5/2014

Click for Queen Markeeta's Regimen

This blog is more for mixtresses and those that are very interested in the structure of their leave-in conditioners.

Technically, a product has to contain cationic ingredients to be called a moisturizer (leave-in conditioner).

Exactly the same ingredients go into a moisturizer as into a rinse-off conditioner. However, a lower concentration is used.

When you are formulating a moisturizer the first thing you need to decide is which cationic quaternary compound you will use or whether you will combine them.

The common options are:

BTMS (go for BTMS-50 because it contains double the amount of active ingredients as BTMS-25 and it also contains a humectant which is awesome especially for dry-haired girls like moi)
Cetrimonium bromide
Cetrimonium chloride
Incroquat CR

When you are making your own moisturizer these are all the yummy ingredients you will want to include. You can use some or all of them depending on what you are trying to achieve:

Cationic quaternary compounds (and polymers), these are positively charged ingredients that stick to hair to moisturise, condition it and make it easier to comb. e.g. BTMS, fatty alcohols like acetyl alcohol
Emollients - lubricate hair and make combing and detangling easier
Extracts / Infusions / Hydrosols - add extra active ingredients from herbs/plants
Film Formers - coat hair and make it feel smoother
Humectants - attract moisture into hair from the environment
Oils and butters - seal hair, boost shine
Panthenol - nourishes hair
Preservatives - help a product have a shelf-life longer than
Proteins - the main component in hair, support hair's infrastructure
Silicones - boost shine, aid detangling

Get your FREE ebook on How To Grow Long, Healthy Natural Kinky or Curly Hair.

You might also like:

Grow Me DIY "Moisturizer" For Hair Retention ~ The Recipe

12/5/2014

This recipe is for a daily use moisturizer a.k.a. leave-in conditioner . It will not only help to moisturize and nourish dry hair, it also contains essential oils that have been empirically shown by scientists to improve hair growth.

Click for Queen Lashunda's Hair Regimen

Heated oil phase (8%)

2g BTMS-50 (2%)
2g Incroquat CR (2%)
2g jojoba (2%)
2g avocado oil (2%)

Heated water phase (82%)

56g water (56%)
10g aloe vera (10%)
1g hydrolyzed oat protein (1%)
1g hydrolyzed silk protein (1%)
4g glycerin (4%)
10g patchouli hydrosol (10%)

Cool-down phase (10%)

2g polyquat (2%)
4g squalane (4%)
2g panthenol (2%)
1g optiphen preservative (1%)
1g essential oil blend (1%)

- 0.3g Rosemary (7 drops) (0.3%)
- 0.3g Lavender (7 drops) (0.3%)
- 0.2g Thyme (4 drops) (0.2%)
- 0.2g Cedarwood (4 drops) (0.2%)

Method

You will need two pyrex bowls because you will be creating two bain maries (a.k.a. double boilers)

Weigh out the heated oil phase ingredients into a pyrex dish.
Weigh out the heated water phase ingredients into another pyrex dish.
Create a bain marie for each and heat to 70°C or at least until the water in the pot starts to boil then reduce the heat.

Leave the oil phase heating at 70°C for 20 minutes.
Put the water phase on 8 minutes later and leave it for 12 minutes.
You can have the heated water phase on for the full 20 minutes but for a 100g batch I find that you get a lot of lost product due to evaporation so I prefer to put it on a little later.

Remove both from the heat and pour the heated water phase into the heated oil phase immediately. Stir simultaneously.
Continue to stir gently until the mixture has cooled down and thickened.
Allow to cool to just more than hand hot (45°C if you want to be specific) then add the cool-down phase ingredients. To be honest 45°C is a bit more than hand but I am so scared of inactivating the cool-down phase ingredients that I would rather not risk it.
Allow the formulation to cool completely then bottle it up.

Application

You can moisturize hair that has just been washed and conditioned or hair that has not just been washed.
If your hair is very dry, a spritz with water before applying the moisturizer will help with product take-up.
To make you your own shampoo see nenonatural.com/DIYshampoos, to make your own conditioner see nenonatural.com/DIYconditioners.

Storage: The shelf life is 9 months. Store in a cool, dry place.