Thursday, April 26, 2012

AfroVeda's Spinach Leaf Pre-Shampoo Treatment


I know this product was suppose to been reviewed many months ago but....I like to take my time with some products. On Afroveda's Facebook page around the Fall of last year, I entered a contest in which two others and myself won a nice size sample of their Spinach Leaf pre-shampoo treatment. At the time they did have the recipe posted to their wall if you wanted to try it out for yourself. Luckily, I didn't have to make it on my own! Lol. Well this treatment is not yet on their site for purchase, I guess they may have been waiting on the reviews (sorry it took so long!) Well anyways, in this review I will explain what exactly it is, how it works, and how it is to be used.
  • The information below comes directly from the product label. The rest of this review will include my own personal opinion about the treatment and how it works with my hair type.
Spinach Leaf  Herbal oil Pre-Shampoo Treatment

Spinach has many nutrients and vitamins. Vitamins that are vital to hair growth and found in abundance. The vitamins that are found includes: Vitamins A and C, which are essential for the body to produce sebum while, Vitamins E is used as an antioxidant that boosts scalp circulation. It also includes, Alpha omega-3 and Alpha omega-6 fatty acids,which is needed for healthy hair growth.If you are familiar with Afroveda's system on hair types, this treatment is considered as:



 TRIDOSHIC: For all hair types and textures.


Ingredients

Mustard Seed Oil,Organic Baby Spinach, Yerba Mate (Green Tea),
Organic Hibiscus Flower, Organic Triphala, Tumeric, Organic Kelp,
Organic Slippery Elm, Organic Horsetail, Moringa Leaf, Essential Oils
of Rosemary and Peppermint.

On the label it also tells you how to use it and other tips.

How to use

Massage oil onto your hair and scalp three or more times a week. Each time, leave the oil in your hair for at least three hours before rinsing it out with shampoo. You will have healthier, stronger. faster growing hair in just a few weeks.
  • Tips- To benefit from this oil, you have to keep using it.
*Claims product.


*You can see small oil deposits that are sitting on my hair....it really takes some time for it to penetrate the hair shaft and scalp. Excuse the roughness..pre-wash lol!!

My Thoughts

As soon as I received this product the smell of a peppermint patty hit my nose and I promise you my sinus cleared up!! LOL. I must admit that it took a while to understand that a little does go a long way when using it. It is a very heavy, thick oil that will take some time to absorb into your hair and scalp thus, goes back to the instructions on leaving it on your hair for at least three hours. I have never really been into pre-shampoo treatments before, so this is one of the first products that I have actually used for that. After some trial and error I realized that it does help with keeping my dry, thick. course, 4c hair from being stripped when washing or using shampoo. Now I have tried going against instructions by co-washing it out.......yep won't be doing that again. The reason, I still had a lot of oil on my hair and scalp after washing, detangling, and drying my hair. Epic FAIL!! I had to go back and wash it all over again. As far as the claims for growth and how often you should use it, well that is sort of another story. I do not wash my hair more often then once a week. So as far as using it more often will make my hair grow? Not sure about all that but, I do know that it has enabled me to detangle my dry hair before washing (especially after mini twist) a whole lot easier. Some oils are way to light for my hair, so it has lead to retaining most of that growth.
The final word, I think if they were to market this treatment, it has a lot of potential. The only thing I would do is to make it in a lighter scent. The peppermint is a little overbearing on the nostrils...... I really do feel that it would be a great treatment to buy if you did not want to make your own. The thick, heavy consistency is great for Type 4 hair!




*If you were one of the winners of this product, please let me know how it worked for you, or if you made your own, feel free to share your experience also!!!

** Special thanks to www.Afroveda.com for the chance to try out this pre-poo treatment. By the way I am in Love with you Carrot Seed Shampoo Bar!! Everyone should definitely check it out!

Friday, April 20, 2012

Letting It Flow!!!

Having  a lil springtime fun!!!



Post Henna Treatment...Blowout/twist out


Pre-Henna Treatment...mini twist out!!


Mini twist out using Shea Moisture's Curling Suffle'

Henna Experiences!!




So, I have been thinking for a while about experimenting with the plant Lawsonia Inermis or what many of us naturals know as Henna. Of course like many of you I went straight to YouTube to do a little research about this particular treatment, the pros and the cons. Now some of you may have been using henna for a number of years now, but for some who are newly natural or just discovering it like me, lol.

*In the Picture above shows the brand and henna "color" that I chose to use on my hair. I used  Persian Red  because it was the only color that had only henna in its ingredients. The other colors were a mixture of indigo and cassia. So be sure to check your labels for other ingredients that may be harmful to be sure that your henna is 100%. Rainbow henna.com
Benefits:
  • Smooths and seals hair cuticle
  • Conditioning
  • Thickening
  • Shine
    • It can also be used as a natural hair dye. Only if hair has been previously lightened. It will not change the color of your otherwise.
    • The effects are more noticeable after each treatment.
    • For some curl patterns, you may experience a loosening effect on your curls with extended use.
Accessories
  • Plastic or glass bowl
  • Plastic or wooden spoon
  • Vaseline(to protect edges)
  • Tint Brush (optional)
  • Plastic wrap or cap
  • Protective clothing and old towel
  • RUBBER GLOVES!!!!
    • yea I must say one of the most important because your nails and hands will be stained for a looong time!!!
Depending on where you purchase your Henna, will have an effect on how long you should let your henna sit after mixing for its dye to release. So make sure you check the directions from its manufacturer first.
Also, there are many things you can add to your henna mix; green tea, coffee, lemon juice, your favorite conditioner, or oils. Its all about Experimentation!! So, after my first henna treatment I didn't see much of a difference but I did notice that my hair did not shrink up as much as it normally would. It was a whole lot easier to detangle (if you have 4c hair you know what I mean!! lol.) I will be doing another treatment within the next two weeks so be on the look out for pics and an update!!

~If any of you have tried henna before please feel free to tell me about your experiences. I would love to hear them. Also, if you have any tips on "how to henna" leave me a comment or message!

For more information please check out my favorite blog: curlynikki.com