Although the name clearly states the word “oil”, jojoba oil is not actually a form of oil. It is a form of liquid wax extracted from a plant named Jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis) or simply, Jojoba plant. It is a shrub that originally grows in the desert areas of Arizona, Mexico, and California. The oil makes up approximately 50% of the jojoba seed by weight
Honey as you may know, is a sweet food substance which is loaded with minerals and vitamins and as much as it is sweet to the taste, good for our bodies, it is also very good for our skin, scalp and hair when applied topically. When I did a “yoghurt and honey conditioner” for my hair and later posted on the benefits of yoghurt for our hair, I said I would also write on the benefits of honey so here goes.
Laden with minerals such as copper, iron, manganese, calcium, sodium, potassium and phosphorous also vitamin B and C, honey is very potent in reducing dandruff, stimulating the hair follicles to remedy baldness or excessive hair loss and moisturizing the scalp and hair to prevent breakage. This is so because these minerals and vitamins, although in small quantities, combined make honey a strong antioxidant, germicidal and fungicidal.
Last week I learnt a lesson and that is, ‘Not all hair pins are equal’. Let me admit, when shopping for hair pins, I used to just go for the cheapest and the color that I need. This would cost me about R8 for a 30’s box of bobby pins. I use pins a lot in styling my hair so I am always looking for pins and one day whilst doing my ‘rounds’ for pins in Dischem, I came across a 48pk no slip bobby pins from Denman which was selling for R39.99. Now for me, the price means a lot on whether I will buy or leave something. I normally also consider value for money but much on the price. So the first time I saw these pins I was like, “what’s the big deal? Do I really have to pay that much for a bunch of bobby pins?”
Double cream Greek Yoghurt
Not only is yoghurt very good for our bodies when eaten or ingested but it is apparently very good for our skin and hair as well. I did a ‘yoghurt and honey’ deep conditioning treatment recently and posted pictures as well on how my hair responded to it and thought I should let you in on the benefits of yoghurt for our hair and scalp.
On Saturday, 16th of March, I did a yoghurt and honey deep condition to my hair. Why I did it? Well, I saw it, though not for the first time, recently on one of the blogs I am subscribed to and thought to give it a try. Knowing the benefits of yoghurt and honey, I thought, chances of the mixture causing drastic damage to my scalp or hair were small, and that’s why I love natural products. Most of them do not have adverse side effects and my rule of thumb is, if I can eat it, I can apply it on my body or hair. Considering I can eat yoghurt and honey, separately though, and the multitudes of benefits yoghurt and honey have on hair as individuals made me even more eager to try this natural conditioner. Actually, after mixing the yoghurt and honey for my hair, I asked my two sons to taste, which they hesitated at first especially the older one but once they put it on their tongue, they kept coming back for more and I had to evacuate my mixture to the bathroom from the danger of ultimate consumption and I would not have any for my hair.
Ghanaian women pound shea nuts to make shea butter for soap
Photo: Charles Acheampong
In West, Central and also East Africa, Shea nuts are harvested by mainly women; from the Shea tree which is also known as the Karite (life) tree and they are crushed and ground to produce the raw Shea butter that is so loved by many for food, making soap, candles, ointments and also as a moisturizer for skin and hair. Although I heard about Shea butter some two years ago, it’s only recently that I managed to land my hands on a jar of raw Shea Butter from Kenya. Today I want to share with you what I experienced and also researched on the benefits of Shea Butter.
In the early days of my hair journey when I was researching on how to retain length and manage my kinks, I came across Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) as one of the ways to achieve my goal so often that I ended up trying it and I have not looked back ever since because my hair fell in love with it. I have used it in my daily spritz, pre-poo hot oil treatment, as a moisture sealant for my ends, deep conditioning and as you may know, it is part of my protein treatment every month. It has, unfortunately not been all rosy using EVOO and I have learnt how to use it so that we do not part ways completely but maintain a good relationship. So far so good. Today I want to share this experience and the lessons I learnt from my mistakes with you.
Products and tools
I call it a journey because it is a real journey with its twists and turns, mountains and valleys, deeps and highs, straights and bends, most of the times I have no idea what awaits my hair the next day or week. 2012 has been awesome as far as my hair is concerned and I will be two years post relaxer come the 8th of January 2013.
Baby oil
I promised to give you feedback or rather an update on how my hair will respond to baby oil. A couple of weeks ago, I had a dandruff attack. Yes that is what it felt like. Nothing I did to get rid of the dandruff on my scalp helped. A fellow sister and friend then told me about applying baby oil directly to the scalp. I tried it and posted my experience here and said I would post a follow up review on the product. My first impressions on baby oil were good and in fact I still think it’s a good product to use on the scalp especially if struggling with dandruff.
I have been fighting fierce battles with dandruff lately, let’s say from about the first week of November thereabout until the third week of November. I tried all the remedies that used to work in the past but to no avail. I did the ACV rinse as usual but the situation seemed to be getting worse rinse after rinse. I then decided to do the lemon juice remedy and my scalp stung as if I had sores on it. (Maybe I did have sores from all the scratching.) I used the lemon remedy twice, and later decided to apply olive oil mixed with castor oil. There was relief only for a day and the next day, the itchy scalp was back again this time without the unsightly dandruff because my scalp was quite moist so the dandruff was not visible. I then happened to visit a friend this last Friday, 23rd of November and related my ordeal to her. She recommended using baby oil on the scalp saying she had the same problem and baby oil worked for her to rid the scalp of dandruff. I was quite taken back but since I already have baby oil in the house I decided to give it a try.