2018 Curlyproverbz-inspired Regimen Challenge

So I have been having THE hardest time taking length check pics. My phone’s camera has Parkinson’s :happydance: so clear pictures to track my growth are out for now. I’ll be back later with some measurements.
Wednesday, I applied a Ayurvedic masque to my scalp and ended up leaving overnight: Brahmi, rose petal, lemon peel, hibiscus, shikakai, neem, maharabrinaj, rosemary, DEA, ginger, fenugreek and amla powders mixed in equal parts aloe vera juice, rose water, and nettle tea.
This was a fantastic recipe. My hair roots felt so strong and moisturized.
I’ve discovered that no mix of any herbs is too frustrating/inconvenient if I use my tangle busting clay wash directly after. Or a henna mix because henna busts my tangles too.
My clay wash was 2 tbsp Australian pink clay, 4 tbsp Bentonite clay, 1 tbsp DEA, and equal parts nettle tea, rose water, and aloe vera juice. I added about 1/2 tbsp of mustard, maharabrinaj, avocado, & vatika oil and 1 tbsp of CP oil. Left that in about 4 hours and had such a fantastic rinse out I was tempted to do a WnG.
My new favorite conditioner after clay is Essations 7-in-1 Positively Charged conditioner. Absolutely wonderful after clay. Idk what reaction is occurring but my hair only feels like this with this conditioner after clays.
Styled my hair in 16 super juicy twists with a CP hair tea (hibiscus, green tea, fenugreek, CP oil), avocado butter, Miss Jessie’s Leave-In and Ecostyler JBCO. Omg a fantastic product combo. Posting to revisit it often.
*takes notes*
 
:lachen:@tapioca_pudding This cracked me up Sis!!! Thank you! :2inlove:


My glosses included either one or a few of these powders:
Henna, Brahmi, Amla & Bhringraj

And always included:
honey, butters and the Ayurvedic oil from the first thread we joined together. The conditioner didn't matter...it was either Trader Joes TTT, Live Clean or whatever else I was trying to use up.

For coloring with henna/indigo, I always did those as full pastes...mixed with warm water.
can you explain what makes a gloss a gloss? i'm trying to figure out the difference between a gloss, a deep conditioner, and a clay mask.

finally can you link to the ayurvedic oil you use?
 
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can you explain what makes a gloss a gloss? i'm trying to figure out the difference between a gloss, a deep conditioner, and a clay mask.

With the gloss you are user a smaller amount of herbs so say 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon of amla or whatever other herb. You mix this with a conditioner of your choice. I have done a gloss by mixing herbs into my deep conditioner and mixing herbs into a cheap rinse out conditioner and follow up with my normal dc. Not sure yet which one works best for me yet

For the mask it’s a lot more henna. Maybe the full box?? Not sure of the exact measurements as I have never done a full mask. You mix this with just water.

I think that’s the difference.
 
With the gloss you are user a smaller amount of herbs so say 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon of amla or whatever other herb. You mix this with a conditioner of your choice. I have done a gloss by mixing herbs into my deep conditioner and mixing herbs into a cheap rinse out conditioner and follow up with my normal dc. Not sure yet which one works best for me yet

For the mask it’s a lot more henna. Maybe the full box?? Not sure of the exact measurements as I have never done a full mask. You mix this with just water.

I think that’s the difference.

Yes to this @Taleah2009 but a gloss requires henna. With the deep Conditioner, you won’t use henna. And a clay mask involves clay as a base, mixed with herbs and then water.
 
With the gloss you are user a smaller amount of herbs so say 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon of amla or whatever other herb. You mix this with a conditioner of your choice. I have done a gloss by mixing herbs into my deep conditioner and mixing herbs into a cheap rinse out conditioner and follow up with my normal dc. Not sure yet which one works best for me yet

For the mask it’s a lot more henna. Maybe the full box?? Not sure of the exact measurements as I have never done a full mask. You mix this with just water.

I think that’s the difference.
thanks! so if i took a tablespoon of ayurvedic powder and added it to my deep conditioner, you mean voila, i now have a gloss? alrighty then, i thought it was more complex than that, lol.
 
Yes to this @Taleah2009 but a gloss requires henna. With the deep Conditioner, you won’t use henna. And a clay mask involves clay as a base, mixed with herbs and then water.
oh i didn't see your response before i posted. thanks for clarifying. so does the gloss include deep conditioner AND henna or no deep conditioner at all? and do you know if the gloss changes your hair color as well?
 
View attachment 416633 View attachment 416635 Longest sections are 22” & I’m currently at MBL (again! :blush:) I’m hoping to be back at WL in January or February. I suppose we'll see!
Did a henna treatment today and it was so easy, so smooth and clean and drama free, I couldn’t remember why I haven’t done one in a while. It was an old mix. Pretty basic looking. I think it was Gazab brand (me likey) with a lil bit of olive oil, hibiscus powder, and green tea.
Made a new mix for next time or the time after: Red Raj from Henna Sooq, matcha powder, rose powder, lemon powder, moringa powder, and hibiscus powder. No oils or anything else. Looked yummy!
your hair looks good af!!!!
 
hey yall, ayurveda newbie here. i have some questions:

1. what is a quality but cheap site to order ayurveda products from? i went to three indian stores yesterday and none carried the powders.

2. do we prepoo with the ayurveda oil on dry or wet hair?

3. when doing the tea rinses, should we be shampooing before?

4. does using cassia give the same results as henna? i’m trying to avoid getting red/orange hair. also, when you all add henna power to your oil mixes, does that leave a tint on your hair?

5. i see so much about henna gloss. what’s the difference between the gloss and hennaing? also does the gloss give the hair a reddish tint?

Hi, lady!

I think you would love this free guide about henna from Henna Sooq. It has recipes for henna masks and glosses, and it helps you clearly see the difference between the two. It also has a section addressing frequently asked questions. Here is the link: http://www.hennasooq.com/henna-and-your-hair/. It's free.

Also, check out the DIRECTIONS PAGE at the site where CurlyProverbz (Farida) sells her products: https://bellebarorganic.com/pages/directions

It's a very clarifying page on HOW to mix and use her commercial products, which provides clues on how to use your DIY products. Here's an excerpt, for example:

Tea Rinses
To make the Tea water

Method #1 – Pour some boiling water over two cups of fresh herbs or 2-4 tea bags and let it steep overnight or for a few hours. Strain the liquid into a bowl or container and apply it on your hair.

Method #2 – Place the herbs or tea bags in a pot with water, bring to a boil for 2 – 5 minutes or until the desired color has been reached. Once this has happened, let the liquid cool down, strain it, place it in a container and apply on your hair.

To use the tea water

  • After shampooing, slowly rinse your hair with the tea (you can even use a spray bottle if you prefer). Follow with a deep conditioner as tea can often have drying properties.
  • Pour tea water into a spray bottle and spray daily on the scalp. Keep the spray bottle in the refrigerator. Brew a new batch of tea water every week.
  • Can also be used to mist hair to set braids or twists
  • Can also be used to add to a deep condition hair mask to add extra strength
Regarding your questions :smile: :

1. You can try purchasing from Amazon or Ebay if cheapness of price is your number one priority and there is no IndoPak or Indian (grocery) store near you. You never know the quality of the herbs you get from Amazon or Ebay. Before purchasing, you can try asking the LHCF board members if anyone knows whether so-and-so vendor (the one you are considering using) is a good one or not.

2. Either way, depending on what your hair likes/needs. I prepoo on dry hair, because part of the POINT of prepooing -- for me -- is to protect my very fine strands against hygral fatigue (the negative effect of water entering the hair's strands too often, thereby damaging the strands' cuticles). If prepoo hits the strands first, then once water is later applied, hygral fatigue is mitigated. I use a prepoo whose ingredients do not cause hygral fatigue (i.e., coconut oil). Adding water BEFORE prepoo would defeat that whole purpose. NOW, if you are prepooing for other reasons alone -- say, to detangle or soften the hair -- then adding water BEFOREHAND won't be a strategic issue.

3. The term "rinse" in "tea rinse" is somewhat misleading: A tea "rinse" can be used as a liquid leave-in, as something to apply before applying a DC, or as a rinse. If you are using it in the middle of the week to rehydrate you hair as a sort of refresher spray, no need to shampoo first. If you would like to apply it on wash day, applying it at some point AFTER shampooing would increase it's effects because old product has been removed so that it does not BLOCK the ingredients of the hair tea.

4. I have never used cassia. I can't say.

5. A mask has a much higher concentration of henna than does a gloss. A gloss is simply conditioner (either deep or rinse out) with a little henna in it. A mask is a paste made mainly of henna, with some liquid such as water or aloe Vera juice or with coconut cream or the like.
 
Mini Challenge #1:
Take Starting January 1, 2018 Photos to Compare with Pending March 31, 2018 Photos

Greetings! :wavey:

In line with the principles of ayurveda, Mini Challenge #1 is simple!: Around January 1, 2018, please take a few photos of your hair:
  1. A length check photo
  2. A texture shot
  3. Any other other photos you'd like to take, such as a close-up of the ends of a section of your hair
Notes:
  1. January 1 would be great, but of course, it's okay if the photos are taken a few days before or after. :smile:
  2. For the length check photo, no need to straighten your hair if t's natural and you don't want to. Feel free to simply gently PULL YOUR HAIR when it is wet. Some people only photograph the back, while others prefer to also photograph the left, right, and/or front sides. You choose! :smile:
  3. For the texture shot, feel free to capture a photo of your hair PRODUCT FREE when either wet or dry or both. Indicate whether it's wet or dry. It is not good for me to let my hair dry without product, so I'll only be allowing a tiny section of my hair to dry product free, and I'll snap just that section. If you are in a protective style, no need to take down your style: Feel free to skip this. :smile:
We'd LOVE to see these photos, but I realize not everyone wants to put their hair online. The primary reason to take your January 1, 2018 photo is for your own records so that when you take your March 31, 2018 photos you can really see what your hair care practices are doing for your hair!

Happy hair journeying!
reposting to remind myself
 
MY JANUARY 1, 2018 BEFORE PHOTOS
ACTUAL DATE OF PHOTOS: December 21, 2017

NOTE: I will try to remember to add a texture shot (a photo of my hair curly) after I'm finished wearing this flat ironed style.

Before trim:

WP_20171221_037.jpg

After trim:

WP_20171221_046.jpg

WP_20171221_101.jpg

WP_20171221_080.jpg
 

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Hi, lady!

I think you would love this free guide about henna from Henna Sooq. It has recipes for henna masks and glosses, and it helps you clearly see the difference between the two. It also has a section addressing frequently asked questions. Here is the link: http://www.hennasooq.com/henna-and-your-hair/. It's free.

Also, check out the DIRECTIONS PAGE at the site where CurlyProverbz (Farida) sells her products: https://bellebarorganic.com/pages/directions

It's a very clarifying page on HOW to mix and use her commercial products, which provides clues on how to use your DIY products. Here's an excerpt, for example:

Tea Rinses
To make the Tea water

Method #1 – Pour some boiling water over two cups of fresh herbs or 2-4 tea bags and let it steep overnight or for a few hours. Strain the liquid into a bowl or container and apply it on your hair.

Method #2 – Place the herbs or tea bags in a pot with water, bring to a boil for 2 – 5 minutes or until the desired color has been reached. Once this has happened, let the liquid cool down, strain it, place it in a container and apply on your hair.

To use the tea water

  • After shampooing, slowly rinse your hair with the tea (you can even use a spray bottle if you prefer). Follow with a deep conditioner as tea can often have drying properties.
  • Pour tea water into a spray bottle and spray daily on the scalp. Keep the spray bottle in the refrigerator. Brew a new batch of tea water every week.
  • Can also be used to mist hair to set braids or twists
  • Can also be used to add to a deep condition hair mask to add extra strength
Regarding your questions :smile: :

1. You can try purchasing from Amazon or Ebay if cheapness of price is your number one priority and there is no IndoPak or Indian (grocery) store near you. You never know the quality of the herbs you get from Amazon or Ebay. Before purchasing, you can try asking the LHCF board members if anyone knows whether so-and-so vendor (the one you are considering using) is a good one or not.

2. Either way, depending on what your hair likes/needs. I prepoo on dry hair, because part of the POINT of prepooing -- for me -- is to protect my very fine strands against hygral fatigue (the negative effect of water entering the hair's strands too often, thereby damaging the strands' cuticles). If prepoo hits the strands first, then once water is later applied, hygral fatigue is mitigated. I use a prepoo whose ingredients do not cause hygral fatigue (i.e., coconut oil). Adding water BEFORE prepoo would defeat that whole purpose. NOW, if you are prepooing for other reasons alone -- say, to detangle or soften the hair -- then adding water BEFOREHAND won't be a strategic issue.

3. The term "rinse" in "tea rinse" is somewhat misleading: A tea "rinse" can be used as a liquid leave-in, as something to apply before applying a DC, or as a rinse. If you are using it in the middle of the week to rehydrate you hair as a sort of refresher spray, no need to shampoo first. If you would like to apply it on wash day, applying it at some point AFTER shampooing would increase it's effects because old product has been removed so that it does not BLOCK the ingredients of the hair tea.

4. I have never used cassia. I can't say.

5. A mask has a much higher concentration of henna than does a gloss. A gloss is simply conditioner (either deep or rinse out) with a little henna in it. A mask is a paste made mainly of henna, with some liquid such as water or aloe Vera juice or with coconut cream or the like.
:bighug:thanks ma'am! all of this info was helpful! and thanks so much for the pdfs! i am making my way through this thread (still have the last 10 pages to go) and a few hours ago ran across one of your posts where you mentioned you had downloaded them so I searched for them until i found them. i just read through all 3 of the pdfs and they were so insightful.

and ma'am, i just saw your starting pics for 2018. again, you and your hair are gorgeous! i hope your DH knows hes a lucky man, lol!
 
:bighug:thanks ma'am! all of this info was helpful! and thanks so much for the pdfs! i am making my way through this thread (still have the last 10 pages to go) and a few hours ago ran across one of your posts where you mentioned you had downloaded them so I searched for them until i found them. i just read through all 3 of the pdfs and they were so insightful.

and ma'am, i just saw your starting pics for 2018. again, you and your hair are gorgeous! i hope your DH knows hes a lucky man, lol!

Yay! So glad it was helpful.

Lol! How kind! Aw, thanks!
 
You’ve already got some helpful replies, but sharing is caring.:2inlove:
1.) I honestly feel the websites have the biggest markups. They’re a last resort for Ayurveda or for boutique, specialty, “fancy” premade mixtures. I’d say cross compare. There are a number of brands that have Ayurvedic qualities particularly handmade ones on Etsy, like Hairveda, Jakeala, Keravada, etc. There’s loads of them. But online and premade are definitely the more expensive routes. A box of rose powder will set you back $1.50 in the local Indian shop but $6 on Amazon.
What area are you in? City or State?
I’d recommend calling stores ahead too if it’s a trek to get to.
A lot of Ayurveda is edible so maybe you wouldn’t see fenugreek seeds, instead methi powder but it’s the same stuff. Or you’ll see it mixed in with the rice and beans instead of by the hair stuff.

2.both of either, experiment and see what your hairbrush likes best.

3.you can shampoo before a tea rinse, leave it in or rinse it out. You customize your regimen to what works best for you. Not too many hard rules in Ayurveda.

4. I think the results of cassia are similar or comparable to henna but not the same. Henna is definitely a more durable/semi-permanent treatment for me. There’s ways to avoid or minimize the color effects of henna. The main thing is “dye release.” And idk anyone whose hair really turned orange. it’s really more like going on black construction paper with a reddish crayon for most.

5. gloss has conditioner (or sometimes oil) added to henna as the majority ingredient. It reduces the potency of the henna (less henna to bond you your hair and a barrier to that bonding). Dye release depends on the age and crop of henna. Or brand if you’re loyal/consistent. It also depends on how long you steep your henna and with what (water, tea, conditioner, oil). Hot water gives the best dye release. Just sprinkling a cheap henna in conditioner probably wouldn’t have any color effects, but a high quality one at greater volumes and temperature probably would have a subtle highlight. That would probably fade/wear off. You see the most dramatic color changes on gray or light hair or people like me who have several dozen coatings of henna on their hair.
Mehandi.com has some nice examples of color change on White ladies with light hair and that can give you an idea of how light your hair would have to be for dramatic color changes.
Or like one of he lovely posters here, do a 2 step with indigo and have some blackity black hair ignite that’s your preference.
HTH!! :)
hey yall, ayurveda newbie here. i have some questions:

1. what is a quality but cheap site to order ayurveda products from? i went to three indian stores yesterday and none carried the powders.

2. do we prepoo with the ayurveda oil on dry or wet hair?

3. when doing the tea rinses, should we be shampooing before?

4. does using cassia give the same results as henna? i’m trying to avoid getting red/orange hair. also, when you all add henna power to your oil mixes, does that leave a tint on your hair?

5. i see so much about henna gloss. what’s the difference between the gloss and hennaing? also does the gloss give the hair a reddish tint?
P
 
Deep conditioner is just a potent conditioner. So actually, your deep conditioner could already be Ayurvedic or have henna in it. The quantity of henna and its state when added to a DC (or mixture) changes its effects. There are Dabur brand DCs that already have henna in them for example, but they’re small quantities of henna and full of mineral oil (which may be fine for some people).
I used to be very firm on using only cheapie conditioners with henna for glosses but I have recently had some incredible results mixing henna into my DCs, so I say this is a matter of preference.
Clay masks can be many things depending on the ingredients. Shea Moisture’s Original Purification Mask is an excellent example of this. It had salycylic acid, Shea butter, kaolin clay, and coconut oil among its top ingredients. But you could use this as a moisturizing DC, or a cleansing mask, or a cowash. It was fantastic.
Clay’s main claim to fame are its detoxification and cleansing properties. BUT in really getting all the gunk out of your hair, you may find your hair reset from product buildup and therefore more capable of receiving moisture from your other products or the moisturizing ingredients in your clay mix. It’s why many report their hair feels very light and clean or voluminous and fluffy. It all depends on the ingredients. Straight clay and water is going to be a lot more clarifying than a mix of aloe vera, oil, conditioner etc.
The properties of the herbs/oils you mix into whatever recipes are also going to have an impact on your final results. (Why some realize MSM give them the growth crawlies or any kind of powder leaves their scalp itchy or rosemary works better than lavender for dandruff etc). Some things will always work better for some than others but that’s what’s makes customization/experimentation so fun and effective.

Yes to this @Taleah2009 but a gloss requires henna. With the deep Conditioner, you won’t use henna. And a clay mask involves clay as a base, mixed with herbs and then water.
@Sally.
 
4. I think the results of cassia are similar or comparable to henna but not the same. Henna is definitely a more durable/semi-permanent treatment for me. There’s ways to avoid or minimize the color effects of henna. The main thing is “dye release.” And idk anyone whose hair really turned orange. it’s really more like going on black construction paper with a reddish crayon for most.

A person with more gray hair MAY have their hair turn orange instead of red highlights with henna depending on the brand of henna, age of the henna, amount added, etc. I can definitely attest to having my hair turn orange-y when I added more henna in my mix than normal even when I don't let the mix sit for dye release.
 
Deep conditioner is just a potent conditioner. So actually, your deep conditioner could already be Ayurvedic or have henna in it. The quantity of henna and its state when added to a DC (or mixture) changes its effects. There are Dabur brand DCs that already have henna in them for example, but they’re small quantities of henna and full of mineral oil (which may be fine for some people).
I used to be very firm on using only cheapie conditioners with henna for glosses but I have recently had some incredible results mixing henna into my DCs, so I say this is a matter of preference.
Clay masks can be many things depending on the ingredients. Shea Moisture’s Original Purification Mask is an excellent example of this. It had salycylic acid, Shea butter, kaolin clay, and coconut oil among its top ingredients. But you could use this as a moisturizing DC, or a cleansing mask, or a cowash. It was fantastic.
Clay’s main claim to fame are its detoxification and cleansing properties. BUT in really getting all the gunk out of your hair, you may find your hair reset from product buildup and therefore more capable of receiving moisture from your other products or the moisturizing ingredients in your clay mix. It’s why many report their hair feels very light and clean or voluminous and fluffy. It all depends on the ingredients. Straight clay and water is going to be a lot more clarifying than a mix of aloe vera, oil, conditioner etc.
The properties of the herbs/oils you mix into whatever recipes are also going to have an impact on your final results. (Why some realize MSM give them the growth crawlies or any kind of powder leaves their scalp itchy or rosemary works better than lavender for dandruff etc). Some things will always work better for some than others but that’s what’s makes customization/experimentation so fun and effective.


@Sally.

Big, humongous hug, @kxlot79!!!
Coming all through with that super supportive, detailed info we need!

Thank you!!!
 
Yep! You’re absolutely right. I’ve only seen pictures of this though, as I don’t know anyone with gray hair that also uses henna.:)
You see the most dramatic color changes on gray or light hair
A person with more gray hair MAY have their hair turn orange instead of red highlights with henna depending on the brand of henna, age of the henna, amount added, etc. I can definitely attest to having my hair turn orange-y when I added more henna in my mix than normal even when I don't let the mix sit for dye release.
 
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