New Year. Healthier Natural Hair. Healthier Lifestyle.

"Il n'est jamais trop tard pour bien faire" is french for It's never too late to do a good deed and for that fellow bloggers I want to take this time and wish you a Happy and Healthy New Year 2012!!! According to the movie 2012 this is our last year on earth soooo LIVE IT UP.  If we must go out on 12.21.12 with a bang then let's make it a healthy bang...preparation is now.  :P With all jokes aside, I wish you all a successful new year.  May the Good Lord showers each and everyone of us with unlimited blessings.  For those with natural hair, May God grant us patience to learn and embrace our unique beauty so we don't revert to the creamy crack.  If you're in search of a new job this year, have goals you want to attain, ambitions you'd like to fulfill, dreams you'd like to achieve..well this is your year.  I believe you can achieve anything you set your mind into.  It's easier said than done wellllll practice is key and the time is now.  No one knows your needs better than yourself, so let's work towards a successful, happy and healthy new year one step at a time. xx Nappy by Nature

  **The weather has been extremely frigid this past week with temperatures in the teens and gusty winds with cold rain.  Amidst it all, I glanced outside for a few as I watched the clouds moving rapidly I noticed several beautiful colours in the sky - yupp a beautiful rainbow - I smiled and I smiled throughout the remaining of the day.  I forgot how terribly cold it was outside, I simply remembered how excited I got to see the rainbow.  There is always a light at the end of every tunnel.  It's day 15 of the new year and I can honestly say It's been going well and it will continue to go so well.  May it be well on your end bloggers.

Deep Conditioner for Healthy Hair

In Review: Anita Grant's Rhassoul Clay Deep Conditioner

"DO NOT EAT OUR CONDISH!!!!" is what Anita Grant advocates on her website about her handmade Rhassoul Clay Deep Conditioner. When I first read about her product I was laughing and thinking this is silly why would anyone want to eat clay? I quickly understood why when I received the product in the mail.  The chocolate smell overflowed the office.  My boss even walked to my desk to ask if I bought chocolate for everyone lol.

I was very excited to have received this product right before my 'wash day'.  I won Anita Grant's Rhassoul Clay Deep Condish from an online contest on her facebook fan page.  I have always heard about Anita Grant, this Natural Hair Guru from the UK on various natural haircare forums.  I've read about her comments and advices on naturallycurly.com page and just as I am a fan of several informative natural hair page on facebook, I was very happy to find out she herself had a fan page.  On a random sunday morning, very early in the morning for me  (I'm in the states), Anita held a contest for all her beautiful fans and I was lucky to win this wonderful product.

Product Description: Our Rhassoul Deep Condishes contains Unrefined Black Cocoa Butter & natural Soya based Vitamin E (mixed tocopherols) which helps to guard scalp & hair from free radical damage. When hot liquid is added to our Rhassoul Deep Condishes, it swells & increases its surface area like a highly porous sponge. Attracting & trapping toxins into these open porous spaces so that when it comes time to rinse the Rhassoul Deep Condish from your hair the toxins are eliminated and you're left with detoxified fluffy soft tresses.

Ingredients: Rhassoul Clay powder (Hectorite/Moroccan Lava Clay), Organic Unrefined Cocoa Butter (Theobroma Cacao), Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Olea Europea), 100% Organic Green & Blacks Pure Cocoa Powder (Theobroma Cacao), Organic Unrefined Murumuru Butter (Astrocaryum Murumuru), MSM (Methyl sulfonyl methane), Organic Chilean Honey (Miel), 1000iu of Natural Soya Derived Vitamin E and LOVE!

My thoughts: ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT. THIS PRODUCT IS INCREDIBLE.  I was a little disappointed after winning the contest because Hurricane Irene cause my shipment to be delivered at a much later than previously planned. But all is well, i honestly wanted to just take a bit of the 'chocolate bar' looking conditioner. I loooooove the smell.

I began by placing about 3/4 of a (small) square in a heat resistant bowl.  As for a hot liquid to add to it for melting, I boiled a jar of Goya's Coconut Milk.  You can also use boiling water or flaxseed liquid as well.  I poured the hot coconut milk into the Rhassoul Clay and began using a fork to help it melt completely.  I then stirred it until the mixture had a yogurt consistency.

Prior to applying the Rhassoul Clay Deep Condish to my hair.  I had already clarified it with Bentonite Clay followed by a Henna Gloss.  I was in a 'pamper-my-hair' mood that day :).  If you visit www.AnitaGrant.com you will see she recommentss 45 min maximum for extra conditionining.  Well I fell asleep and the product remained in my hair for 6 hours.  No biggie!!! Extra conditioning can do no harm (i hope).  Back in the shower I was, I put my hair in sections and just rinsed the Rhassoul Clay out completely. Rinse! Rinse! Rinse with warm water until the water was clear.  I peeped in the mirror a bit and i saw GREAT DEFINITION. My hair was soft, springy, my kinks were very manageable, tangle free, my scalp felt clean and to top it all my hair felt strong and moisturized.  I will be doing this 1x a month until I run out.  Before that time comes I will visit www.hairrogant.com to purchase it locally. 



1st day hair - twist out



2nd day hair - Updo



SOFT 2nd day Hair

Current thoughts: Can it be next month already so I can do this again? I absolutely loved it!!!



Disclaimer: This product was sent to me courtesy of Anita Grant.  I was not paid to do this review.  These few lines were written by me based on my honest experience with the Rhassoul Clay Deep Conditioner.  Thanks!!!

Natural Hair Regimen

What works for me? - My natural regimen/routine

Coucou transitioners, recent Big Choppers, very well-knowledge naturalistas and of course our frenemeies-our curious creamy crackers ;) welcome and let me share with you what I think is the #1 rule to a successful natural hair journey.  That rule is Find a regimen that you like, stick to it and keep it simple.
Adapting to a particular regimen is not a very easy task and it may take a while before you finally figure out what your hair likes.  Yes! In this natural journey, you must always remember it’s about *your* hair, what *it likes* and not what looks good on your favorite YTuber’s hair.  That said embarking on this natural journey will include a lot of research, experimentation and lots and lots of patience.  Whether your hair is short, long, thick, kinky, and curly, following a regimen will help you manage your hair easier, have fun experimenting while saving energy, time and money.


What works for me?

I’ve learned of these few easy steps that help keep me in charge of my hair and not the other way around:

·        Cleansing:  In the first few months of my natural journey, I’d wash my hair at least 1x a week and would use a sulfate-free shampoo to focus on my scalp and get rid of any dirt/product build up.  Shampoos are also known to strip the hair of its oils which is why it is recommended to always follow it with a conditioner. Several naturalistas do not use shampoos at all during their journey. Some only use shampoos 1x a month.  It’s different for everyone.  I have found an alternative to using shampoo - to wash my hair, I currently use Bentonite Clay treatment.  It is great to cleanse my scalp and my hair.  The main difference than using a shampoo is that the BC Treatment does not strip the hair of its oils, moisture and actually develop curl patterns.
  Conditioning: Conditioners are often followed after use of shampoos or used in the co-washing method which is to solely cleanse the hair by using a conditioner.  For my hair I use silicone-free conditioners and/or conditioners that are labeled deep moisture conditioners i.e. Herbal Essence Hello Hydration Conditioner or Giovanni Deep Moisture Conditioner.

·  Deep Conditioning/Deep treatment: Moisture is one thing that keeps our hair growing beautifully.  In our regimen, we should always try to retain moisture in our hair.  By doing a deep treatment/conditioning (at least) 1x a week letting it sit on the hair w/ a heat cap for 45 mins or more we are fighting against breakage, split ends and dryness.

·  Leave-in Styler: a leave-in conditioner that works best for me is Giovanni leave-in conditioner or my homemade concoction (see my DIY leave-in post)

·   Moisturizer: It's a fact that our natural hair tends to get very dry.  I've had one of my friends share with me that 'her natural hair used to break unbreakable combs'.  It sounds very funny but can be certainly true if you are not retaining moisture in your hair.  You can always count on water as the best moisture.  Pour it in a spritz bottle and spritz away!! - You can also use other moisturizing products be sure to use one where water is listed as the first ingredients such as Hawaiian silky 14-in-1 or be sure to check my post on DIY moisturizer.

·  Sealer: As mentioned above, it is very important to keep the hair moisturized.  It is also even more important to seal in that moisture by using a natural butter (shea, mango etc...) or by using your favorite carrier oils (Jojoba, grapeseed, EVOO, EVCO & Castor)

Voila!!!!! This is my current regimen.  I do this regularly once a week.  If for any reasons during this week, my hair feels extremely dirty or I want to try a new style on freshly clean hair I would simply do a co-wash, followed by a deep treatment, apply a leave in, moisturize the hair, seal it in and style as I wish.


What is your current regimen? How are you maintaining your hair?

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