Shea Growth And Retention Regimen 2018

[IDareT'sHair]

@NappyNelle
Please Feel Better Soon.

 

[IDareT'sHair]

@scarcity21
No I have not.

But I do have Vegetable Glycerin that I add to my mixtures from time to time.

Wash Day: I apply my S-Curl 1st and then the SB Mixture on top.

 

[Chicoro]

Forgot to mention one of my other favorite Shea Made Unicorns: Jo Stylin. This girl is about 6 feet tall. Imagine her walking past you with all that gorgeous afro-textured hair.



*Both she and Shea Made Unicorn Naturally_Nica on Youtube are about 6 feet tall.

 

[ElevatedEnergy]

DIY Shea Butter Deep Conditioner made from scratch!

View attachment 426429
What you will need:

Distilled water or herbal tea - 4 ounces
(I used Burdock root tea)
Raw Shea butter - 12 grams
Penetrating oil - 15 grams
(I used a fenugreek infused avocado/apricot mix)
Emulsifying wax - 8 grams
I used BTMS 50 as it's able to penetrate strands
Powder of choice - 1 tsp
(I used banana powder but others that work well are: rose clay, any Ayurevedic powder, guava powder, Coconut Milk Powder, colloidal oat powder etc)
Humectant- 5 grams
(I used honey)

View attachment 426427

Optional: fragrance
Also this is a small batch that I use up in one use so I don't use a preservative. However, you should preserve it if you make it and plan to use it at a later date. I would not recommend optiphen for this particular deep conditioner as it will cause it to de-mulsify. (Don't know if that's a real word, but what I mean is it will thin out and become almost like a liquid) Ask me how I know. LOL

Directions:
Separate oils from liquid and put in a water bath together. I usually make my tea at the same time and when the oil phase is around 75% melted, I stir in whatever powder I'm using.

View attachment 426431

View attachment 426435
Add liquid phase to oil phase and use an immersion blender to blend.

View attachment 426433
Every 10 minutes or so, while it is cooling down...give it a few more bursts with your immersion blender. It will thicken up as it cools down and you blend. Don't go too wild, just blend enough to get to thickness of choice.

View attachment 426437

View attachment 426439

Once it is cool, add your fragrance/ preservative or any hydrolyzed proteins if you wish. Follow directions on how much to use based on weight of 4 ounces.

Enjoy!!!

Update! Got a tip to add the optiphen to colder temperatures, so instead of adding it at room temperature, I stuck the DC in the freezer for 45 minutes after emulsifying with my immersion blender. Then added the Optiphen at around 50 degrees instead so the emulsion would not thin too bad. Whipped it instead of using my immersion blender.

It went from this:



To this:


So it thinned out some but at least it didn't turn into a liquid mess!

All bottled up and ready to use:


I also did a few things differently:
Didn't seperate the oil and water phase. Melted it all together. It melted down faster that way. Blended every 30 minutes for 2 rounds during the cool down phase. I also added some Hydolyzed Oat protein and a few other goodies. Wanna see how long this batch will last me now that I've figured out how to stabilize the emulsion.

 

[jennex]

YES, says Chicoro, from the peanut gallery! ...with caveats.

Determine a goal length. Try to keep the hair so that there is no more than 2 to 4 inches of length difference between the shortest and longest parts. Otherwise, tangles may ensue. If this is not clear, please let me know and I can try to explain better!

@Chicoro
Please clarify! My hair has the same upside down U thing going on and it has always frustrated me.

 

[icsonia22]

You are only 1 to 3 inches from armpit. Assuming your hair grows at the same average 1/2 inch per month rate, that's 6 months or, by September .
One or some of your hair feets will have landed at armpit length by September 2018. Then the rest of your hair, the bulk, will follow to grow and fill in at that length, too.

Do you realize what an incredible milestone
you have reached: having your longest hair EVER!

Can you share your hair routine in détail with us. What did you do differently this time? Why did you not give up? What encouraged you to keep trying? How did you know you were on the right track this time?

Thank you! It's very exciting. My hair grows on the slower side of normal. It grows 4.5 inches a year. I keep my hair routine rather simple. I normally wear my natural hair in individual braids. I spray the braids with scurl every other day and lately I've been slathering whipped Shea butter on top of the scurl to seal in the moisture. I do an aphogee 2 step protein treatment once every 6-8 weeks and I wear wigs on top of my braids.

The biggest change I've made is keeping my hair moisturized, stretched and only detangling hair that is saturated with a product that gives me slip.

I never gave up because I want to give hope to the women in my life who feel as though they have bad hair that won't grow. I was the girl with chewed up ear length hair that thought I'd always have to hide behind weave.

I've made mistakes this time around. When I was 4 months pregnant, I decided to heat train my hair to make it easier to manage but it just ended up causing breakage. Now that that is out of my system, I know that I'm on the right track because my hair is consistently retaining length and I'm seeing less breakage.

 

[Chicoro]

Thank you! It's very exciting. My hair grows on the slower side of normal. It grows 4.5 inches a year. I keep my hair routine rather simple. I normally wear my natural hair in individual braids. I spray the braids with scurl every other day and lately I've been slathering whipped Shea butter on top of the scurl to seal in the moisture. I do an aphogee 2 step protein treatment once every 6-8 weeks and I wear wigs on top of my braids.

The biggest change I've made is keeping my hair moisturized, stretched and only detangling hair that is saturated with a product that gives me slip.

I never gave up because I want to give hope to the women in my life who feel as though they have bad hair that won't grow. I was the girl with chewed up ear length hair that thought I'd always have to hide behind weave.

I've made mistakes this time around. When I was 4 months pregnant, I decided to heat train my hair to make it easier to manage but it just ended up causing breakage. Now that that is out of my system, I know that I'm on the right track because my hair is consistently retaining length and I'm seeing less breakage.

You have all the hallmarks of a successful hair journey to long afro-textured hair:

1. You have a simple regimen or hair routine. ( that can be easily done regularly). There is moisture and protein consideration in that routine.
2. You use protective styling. For you it's individual braids and a wig.
3. You moisturize hair and seal it.
4. You detangle hair when at the optimum point. (When the hair is wet or moist in the case of afro hair.)
5. You have a hair wound. (Your words, "The girl with chewed up ear length hair...")
6. You have a mission. (To be an inspiration to and change the thinking of those who believe the lie that their afro hair can't grow). Telling is not enough. You must also show and you understand this.
7. You made mistakes, accepted the responsibility for them and made changes.
8. You observe and consciously acknowledge your own progress by noting the retention of length and less breakage.
9. You accept and embrace what you have. You realize your hair grows 4.5 inches per year and there is no judgment or complaining. You lovingly work with what you have.

BRAVO @icsonia22 !

​

 

[Chicoro]

@Chicoro
Please clarify! My hair has the same upside down U thing going on and it has always frustrated me.

Tell YOUR story, please. Put it in context as it relates to your hair regimen and your current results.


Then I can better clarify for your specific situation!

 

[ArrrBeee]

Here's another discovery I made with Shea butter, but have been fighting because I felt the need to do it:

Using Shea butter has eliminated the need for me to stretch my hair on wash day. My hair does not require to be twisted, braided or roller set for it to be stretched. It now just hangs. It also does not take on the shape of the before mentioned styles anymore. Shea butter clumps my curls so well together that even after manipulating it with braids, it still holds the shape of my original curl pattern. So I've decided to stop fighting that too. After it air dries on wash day, I still either throw it in a bun or one big braid. However, I'm no longer twisting, braiding or roller setting to stretch on wash day. I'm loving the ease of less manipulation. Queen Shea strikes again!

I get what you're saying. Before shampooing my hair, I pulled on a small section to check the length. I did a prepoo with Shea and other stuff. After I conditioned it and rinsed it out, that one area of hair was still stretched out.

@Chicoro

Thanks for explaining the hair feets. I could not figure out why my natural hair kept thinning toward the ends. I even had the stylist cut off 2 inches the last time because of this. Sigh. Now I realize that this is how it grows. When you get your state dates, I would totally be down for a sibling meetup. Late fall and I could come up with some ideas.

 

[naturalagain2]

Here's another discovery I made with Shea butter, but have been fighting because I felt the need to do it:

Using Shea butter has eliminated the need for me to stretch my hair on wash day. My hair does not require to be twisted, braided or roller set for it to be stretched. It now just hangs. It also does not take on the shape of the before mentioned styles anymore. Shea butter clumps my curls so well together that even after manipulating it with braids, it still holds the shape of my original curl pattern. So I've decided to stop fighting that too. After it air dries on wash day, I still either throw it in a bun or one big braid. However, I'm no longer twisting, braiding or roller setting to stretch on wash day. I'm loving the ease of less manipulation. Queen Shea strikes again!

Okay so I'm not crazy. It's the Shea butter!!! My hair has been mad easy like finger detangle don't really need to use a comb on wash day easy and I thought maybe it was because of me starting over with my haircut. Nope its that dang Shea butter!! It may also be the combination of ayurvedic herbs and shea butter. Will not be without either of these things in my regimen.

 

[jennex]

So I've been battling with this hair issue I like to call upside down V or upside U or W where my hair on the left and right get to armpit length and the middle is much shorter like neck or shoulder length. I've been dealing with this for over 10years and I keep cutting the left and right sides to be even with the middle although I almost never wear my hair straight. Should I stop trimming and just keep babying it until I get to my goal length?

This is pretty much my story. @scarcity21 must be my long lost twin. The last time I cut was March of last year.

YES, says Chicoro, from the peanut gallery! ...with caveats.
Determine a goal length. Try to keep the hair so that there is no more than 2 to 4 inches of length difference between the shortest and longest parts. Otherwise, tangles may ensue. If this is not clear, please let me know and I can try to explain better!

The bolded is what I am asking for clarification on.

Here's a picture if that helps.

 

[Chicoro]

@jennex ,

The 2 to 4 inches of length difference applies if you are wearing your hair in a heat straightened, style and wearing your hair loose. For braided hair, that you are not wearing out, it doesn't apply [as much].

Based on the picture, it looks to me like the shape of your nape hairline goes up a bit. That's natural for you. I will add that instead of having 2 braids in the back, you may want to have 3. You may want to consider eliminating that middle part since the hair is fragile in that area.

 

[IDareT'sHair]

I ended up pitching the remaining SB I had (you know the one that smelled like Cow-Dung) in the Trash.

The smell got more rancid and pungent as the days wore on and I couldn't stand the smell of it and it was not "worthy" to be whipped = so in the trash it went. I probably pitched about 2 lbs.

And I'm not one for throwing out product nor wasting my hard earned cash - but it just wasn't worth it.

Thankfully, after my complaint, the Seller gave me half my money back. He knew that stuff was putrid when he sold it......

I still have Os.love and 4oz (from N.igeria), and 16oz's of Nilotica ro whip up so it's still good.

 

[Chicoro]

I ended up pitching the remaining SB I had (you know the one that smelled like Cow-Dung) in the Trash.

The smell got more rancid and pungent as the days wore on and I couldn't stand the smell of it and it was not "worthy" to be whipped = so in the trash it went. I probably pitched about 2 lbs.

And I'm not one for throwing out product nor wasting my hard earned cash - but it just wasn't worth it.

Thankfully, after my complaint, the Seller gave me half my money back. He knew that stuff was putrid when he sold it......

I still have Os.love and 4oz (from N.igeria), and 16oz's of Nilotica ro whip up so it's still good.

Good. It's not worthy to be used on your PRECIOUS body. Just have to chalk it up as a lesson learned.

 

[IDareT'sHair]

@Chicoro
It was indeed Funky. Totally Rancid that progressively got worse.

I didn't even try to use Fra.grance Oil to try to mask the Funk. In fact, that probably would have made it worse.

 

[Froreal3]

Ordered some scents from Bulk Apothecary again. Will make a couple more scented batches of my creamy Shea mix.

 

[Aggie]

I need to work on my next SB blend. Not sure what I will be mixing but I know I want some of my very own DIY calendula oil in it. I may work on that later today or tomorrow for sure. I do have quite a bit of fragrance oils to start with as well - will update later.

 

[caribeandiva]

I picked up another Shea disciple it seems. She was a customer at work. She commented on my hair and that she wants hair like mine. I told her if she was serious that I’d show her how to get it. Well she was. I completely revamped her non-existant hair regimen! We went hair product shopping. I taught her what to do, walked her through a wash day and everything. I can’t wait for her updates! here she is learning how to whip up her own Shea butter.

 

[Chicoro]

​

I picked up another Shea disciple it seems. She was a customer at work. She commented on my hair and that she wants hair like mine. I told her if she was serious that I’d show her how to get it. Well she was. I completely revamped her non-existant hair regimen! We went hair product shopping. I taught her what to do, walked her through a wash day and everything. I can’t wait for her updates! here she is learning how to whip up her own Shea butter.

View attachment 427593

What attracted her about your hair? It's length? Shine? Style? Thickness? Please share the details, in detail!

She sprung! Shea done got her, too. She's a Slave to the Shea.
Shea 'got her working day and night'.​

​

 

[caribeandiva]

What attracted her about your hair? It's length? Shine? Style? Thickness? She sprung! Shea done got her, too.

The darkness, bling, waves and thickness. Mostly the shine and darkness. I wear my hair in a bun 100% of the time so I know it’s not the length. But yeah Shea butter got her too! Cue the song: Another one bites the dust.

 

[Chicoro]

The darkness, bling, waves and thickness. Mostly the shine and darkness. I wear my hair in a bun 100% of the time so I know it’s not the length. But yeah she butter got her too! Cue the song: Another one bites the dust.

I wanna see!

 

[Chicoro]

Shea butter international anthem sung by Shea Made Hair Unicorns:

​

 

[caribeandiva]

I wanna see!

 

[Chicoro]

I thought I was going through about 1 kilo of Shea butter per month. It turns out that I go through 1 large kilo gram jar of WHIPPED, Shea butter. Technically, it's air and grease mixed Shea blowing up in the jar. I go through 1 jar a month.

I still have about 7 pounds of Shea left. This is un-whipped up, sitting in its original container Shea butter. I thought it would never happen, but I may not need to buy any Shea butter for about 10 more months. I'm going though 1/3 container per month, if that.

 

[Chicoro]

View attachment 427605

It IS thick and jet black and full. I see three (3) different textures of beautiful afro-textured hair in this one photo. Most people beg for this thickness you so casually are sporting, in this photo. You are blessed to have such full hair.

 

[caribeandiva]

I thought I was going through about 1 kilo of Shea butter per month. It turns out that I go through 1 large kilo gram jar of WHIPPED, Shea butter. Technically, it's air and grease mixed Shea blowing up in the jar. I go through 1 jar a month.

I too noticed that i use a lot less Shea now because my mix has very little oil in it. So it’s more concentrated. A little bit goes a long way now.

 

[Chicoro]

I bought some food grade cocoa butter. I'm not whipping none of that with Shea butter. In my mixes, my cocoa butter seems to get overtaken by Shea butter. I bought my cocoa butter to eat, anyway.

I have to wring my hands not to buy more Shea. I find it so pleasurable to purchase it and to stick my hands in my whipped jar of it. It makes my hair sleek. All the broken hairs in my crown, are tamed and lay down better with Shea butter.

 

[Chicoro]

I too noticed that i use a lot less Shea now because my mix has very little oil in it. So it’s more concentrated. A little bit goes a long way now.

@ElevatedEnergy got us out here saving our coins.

That was some golden advice she shared with us about putting in less oil in our mixes.

 

[caribeandiva]

It IS thick and jet black and full. I see three (3) different textures of beautiful afro-textured hair in this one photo. Most people beg for this thickness you so casually are sporting, in this photo. You are blessed to have such full hair.

Thank you! I’m blessed to have super thick hair! Thanks to both of my parents for that but especially my mother. I don’t know anyone who have hair thicker than that of my family. Stylists are baffled! As for my hair texture the crown is looser than the rest. It’s a 3C while the rest is 4A/B. I think. Who knows? This is a picture of my hair when years ago in a wash N go:

 

[Chicoro]

I think I've had a bit of a drop in length this month. Every other month I notice a length gain.



If this keeps up, the 'hair feets' of that braid are going to be touching my thigh by the final part of the year. The bottom of the braid is right below the frame of this photo. Hair is being pulled and stretched.