Welcome everyone!!!!
This is the Shea Growth and Retention Regimen 2018 thread. Come on in! If you are using pure shea butter, a shea butter mix or shea butter with ayurvedic oils and powders or any other mix, you are probably going to get some great results!
Just come by and let us know how things are going for you. I will not be moderating this thread and there aren't any rules, except three: I would ask that we be kind, patient and supportive of one another.
I'm excited! Let's go!
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https://longhaircareforum.com/threa...-butt-length-hair-3c-4a.742331/#post-20654287
"I know I have said this before, but I will say it again.
Shea butter seems to be the common denominator in hair growth. I can't think of this woman's name, I think Sera or something, but she used shea butter and so does Naptural85 and countless others."
"We should have a sheagrowth challenge with recipes, etc. just a suggestion."
"You know what I've noticed? All 4 naturals who have long thick healthy hair such as Sera, JazB, Naptural85, Africa Export, etc all have in common in terms of growth?
*drum roll*
SHEA BUTTER MIXES.
Im totally convinced that Shea Butter has A lot to do with growth."
(from 2013)
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Edited Jan. 11th, 2018 to add:
Shea-Made Hair Unicorns 2018 Hall of Fame
@caribeandiva - Dec 2017 to Jan 2018 ~ 1 inch of retained hair
@lalla - January 20th, 2018 ~ New avatar '
outted' her as a Shea-made hair unicorn. (Snatched waist-extra points)
@ElevatedEnergy - January 10th, 2018~ Post # 2201
'outted' her as a Shea-made hair unicorn. (16 year old body after 4 babies-extra points)
@AbsyBlvd -February 24th, 2018~ Elegant Shea Made Updo identified her as a Shea-made unicorn.~ Post # 2543
'outted' her as a Shea-made hair unicorn.
@sgold04 - March 6th, 2018 ~ Post #2794
'outted' her as a Shea-made hair unicorn. Her colored hair is long, healthy and full.
@ArrrBeee - March 16th, 2018 ~ Post #2990
'outted' her as a Shea-made hair unicorn. She has made a tremendous shift as it relates to caring for her hair. She totally changed the way she thinks about and how she treats her precious afro-textured hair.
@tapioca_pudding - March 20th, 2018~ Post #3133 '
outted' her as a Shea-made hair unicorn. She had the fattest, juiciest braids you ever did want to see.
@Chicoro - March 22nd, 2018 ~ Post #3215
'outted' her as Shea-made hair unicorn. Actually, it was
@FadingDelilah who outted her.
@Daina -April 4th, 2018 ~ Post 2130 in the TBL Thread
'outted' her as a Shea-made hair unicorn. She went from mid back to waist length in 3 months, using shea butter, AND has almost eliminated single strand knots.
@NCHairDiva - April 16th , 2018 ~ Post #3659
'outted' her as Shea-made hair unicorn. Gorgeous, silky shine from root to tip!
@guyaneseyankee - April 16th, 2018 ~ Post #3641
'outted' her as a Shea-made hair unicorn. Juicy, thick, scrumptious Shea slathered hair!
@kupenda -April 24th, 2018~ Post #3654
'outted' her as a Shea-made hair unicorn. Pretty, coily twists in a picture.
@CurlyWhoCrux -April 24th, 2018~ Post #3665
'outted' her as a Shea-made hair unicorn. Long, thick shed-slathered braids that can't fit into the picture frame.
@Sosoothing -April 24th, 2018~ Post #3690
'outted' her as a Shea-made hair unicorn. Great progress and growth shown on her long, pretty, stretched hair, coily twists in a picture.
@SunySydeofLyfe - November 14th, 2018~ Post #4891
'outted' her as a Shea-made hair unicorn. Gorgeous, curls created on the ends of her lovely hair by the butter.
@sunflora - November 14th, 2018 ~ Post # 4884
'outted' her as a Shea-made hair unicorn. Beautiful, thick crown braids, that just get thicker.
@SunkissedLife -November 18th, 2018 ~ Posts #4755 and #4950
'outted' her as a Shea-made hair unicorn. Stunning color on silky, beautiful hair.
Shea Made Hair Unicorn 2018 Hall of Fame of Mixtresses (Added April 23,2018)
@IDareT'sHair recognized on April 23rd for all her incredible mixes and combinations.
@ThatJerseyGirl recognized on April 23rd for sharing photos of her Ayuverdic Shea Mixes.
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ANNOUNCEMENT!!!!!!
Edited Jan. 29th, 2018 to add:
Shea-Made Hair Unicorns 2018 Hall of Fame Extravaganza!
Don't Miss This Once in a Life Time Event!
When: December 31st, 2018
Where: On YOUR Head
Entry Fee: 8 ounce Pot of Unrefined 100% Natural Shea Butter
*
What: Shea-Made Hair Unicorns 2018 Hall of Fame Extravaganza!
*All Shea-Made Hair Unicorns of 2018 Get in Free!
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Shea Butter 'Discoveries' We Have Made (Recapitulation): Added Feb 24, 2018
- Shea butter can be unrefined or refined. We strongly recommend to use unrefined Shea butter that YOU mix up yourself. Or, if you are not into that Mixtress Life, use products from Cottage Industries like small companies and Etsy made products which are more likely to contain a higher percentage of unrefined Shea butter.
- Shea butter can be gold or beige. The gold butter is mixed with a plant. The beige color does not have the plant or root added. Beware, some butters have been artificially colored.
- Shea butter gets its yellow color from the Borututu Root, in Ghana. It is gives the Shea butter a naturally colored, bright yellow appearance. The Borututu Root has some antioxidant power.
- Shea butter can be Western or Eastern. Shea Nilotica (East African- Oil is more prized, butter is softer and is sub-species of the Shea butter tree.) Most of us can easily get, use and have seen great results with the Western Shea butter.
- Shea butter helps shed hairs slide out. Shea butter lubricates the hair so that that shed hair can be removed easily with finger detangling.
- Shea butter clumps hair and minimizes frizz and tangles. Shea butter has gummy components that seem to clump the hair together. This is great if you don't use a comb or brush and rely on your fingers to detangle your hair. This keeps the hair stabilized and detangled. Tangles are almost completely eradicated.
- Shea butter helps protect hair ends. Shea butter can be a go to product if you have an "Ends Routine" for your hair. If your ends are always dry, Shea butter can add extra lubrication and hold in moisture. It may be just what the ends of your hair need.
- Shea butter strengthens finger nails. It fortifies the nail bed and may prevent nails from splitting. This benefit extends to hair, too. Shea strengthens and fortifies the hair strands.
- Shea butter blends with a greater percentage of Shea absorb better. Your Shea butter blend may absorb faster and be less greasy if you use more Shea butter and add fewer oils to the blend. Ideally, 100% natural Shea butter by itself, on her own, may absorb better than Shea blended with any other oils and/or butters.
- Shea butter - Creamy Mix. If you want a more creamy result, you may want to use a blender to mix your Shea butter blend.
- Shea butter- Fluffy Mix. If you want a more fluffy result, you may want to use egg beater/whipping utensils.
- Shea butter and mineral oil may dull and coat hair. Shea butter does not seem to mix well with products that have mineral oil in them. This may leave the hair coated with a gray cast and dull. It is suggested that no mineral oil based products be placed into your Shea butter mix.
- Shea butter may need to be melted to remove graininess. If you find that your Shea butter mix is grainy, melt it down completely to a liquid. Do not cook it! Use a double boiler method. Then, refreeze the butter until it is hard. Then, blend again. The graininess should be mostly gone, if not totally gone.
- Shea butter mixes well with hair conditioners. You can add Shea butter to any conditioner to turn it into a deeply moisturizing and lubricating product.
- Shea butter mixes well with Ayuverdic Powders. Shea butter absorbs and captures the color of powders such as amla, brahmi, etc. Not only are the powders absorbed in the mixes, there is no graininess. These mixes are great for deep conditioning treatments.
- Shea butter sources like Cleopatra's Choice may be a reliable choice. They have small and bulk sizes that can be ordered and the quality of Shea butter and their services have been good thus far. Here is the link: https://www.cleopatraschoice.com/ooa-0043.html
- Shea butter works great on heat straightened hair, too. You can even use Shea butter on your straightened hair styles. Just don't be too heavy handed with the product.
- Shea butter may work better with damp hair and skin. Shea butter may spread better and hold in more moisture when the substrate (hair or skin) is damp.
- Shea butter should have a nutty, earthy smell. If your Shea butter smells 'funky' or there is a 'stench', it is very likely that your Shea butter was made with fermented or rotten Shea nuts.
- Shea butter may darken the hair. Although Shea butter does not turn gray hair black, it can darken the hair in general. It makes the natural, hair color richer, darker along with creating super moisturized hair.
- Shea butter residue can plug your pipes. Be sure to clean your sink and pipes weekly with a mild de-clogging product. Don't wait until you have a clog. Shea butter run off from hands and hair can be quite greasy and gummy. Treat your sink, tub, or shower weekly to avoid clogged drains. If anyone is looking for citric acid in the grocery store it was found and labeled as “sour salt” in the Jewish foods section.
- Shea butter needs time for a scent to 'cure' within the mixture. Fruits, florals, beach, or nature type scents can get very overpowering if too much is used. For a 8 ounce Shea mix, start with 15 drops, mix in good, let it rest for a few days then test it on the hands. If it is not strong enough, add in another 5 drops. However, it is suggested to stop at 15 drops. For sweet, bakery scents, it is suggested to start at 25 drops and follow the same procedure. The scent usually settles in and attaches onto the butter after a few days. It's just like adding fragrance to wax, it needs time to "cure".
- Shea butter seedlings are being successfully cultivated in the Shea Belt, specifically in Burkina Faso. Shea trees have been considered wild and not able to be cultivated. 108,000 seedlings have been cultivated. Although these seedlings have yet to grow into trees and become fruit producing, this is a tremendous and impactful paradigm shift in the production of Shea butter.
- Shea butter may extend the life of your hair color. Some have reported that their color is lasting 2 times longer than usually. The only difference in their regimen was the addition of Shea butter.
- Shea butter may make porous hair greasy. Porous hair is not dry hair. Porous hair is hair that has been damaged by coloring, chemicals or heat. [I, Chicoro] define porosity as either HIGH or NORMAL. Conditioners and leave in products with dimithecone and behentrimonim chloride may change and improve the porosity of the hair. This will allow for Shea butter to better adhere to the hair with less greasiness.
- Shea Butter Overall Hair Benefits (Which is the reason for this thread)
- Softens hair
- Stops tangles
- Hair is easier to detangle
- Minimizes dry-ness
- Eliminates knots
- Minimizes split ends
- Hair hangs heavier
- Darkens hair color
- Infuses hair with moisture (if moisturizing products are applied first)
- Hair retains more length
- Thickens the hair
- It minimizes breakage
- Beautifies the hair
Post #2570
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TUTORIALS:
Keeping Your Pipes Grease Free!
Chicoro's Process for Plugged Pipes (Plugged with Grease)
Most plumbing has a connection of pipes. Meaning, your kitchen, bathroom and washer and dryer area may be connected. This, you'll have to determine for yourself. In my place, the kitchen sink, shower and bathroom sink are connected. The toilet is separate and not connected.
- I plug up all the connected pipes except the one I want to unclog. Do this by putting in the stoppers and putting an inch or two of very hot water in the sink. You want to create pressure. If you need to put something in the basins/tubs to hold that plug in place, like a heavy object on top of the plug, do that.
- Then I use an old fashion plunger (a flanged plunger is high tech if you can find them) and I plunge the stopped up sink to bring up the goop.
- If more than one sink is stopped up, I may plunge that too.
- You may have to plunge for 20 minutes to 45 minutes.
- Once the gunk comes up, put some baking soda and vinegar down the pipe.
- Then follow up with some very hot water. Be careful, boiling water may mess up your particular pipes.
- Then, go and release the water where you had it plugged.
Ideally, I suggest you do something EVERY TIME you do your wash and condition process as this is when the largest amounts and quantities of greasy gunk goes down the sink.
Weekly Preventive Maintenance (Or monthly, etc...depending on how often you wash your hair)
- Do hair.
- Pour in some baking soda and white vinegar.
- Boil some water and let it cool.
- Pour it down the sink to move the greasy gunk through.
Ceramide Rich Oils and Shea Butter Tutorial (courtesy of
@ElevatedEnergy )
Sure! You know I got my Shea Siblings!
I love Ceramide rich oils and have been using them consistently in my routine for close to 3 years after being inspired by this particular thread and the OP documenting her progress.
https://longhaircareforum.com/threa...mony-and-the-evolution-of-my-bun-pics.488440/
And this:
http://www.bellemocha.com/2010/01/stronger-cuticle-layer-with-ceramides.html
I would highly recommend reading those but for a quick wrap up of them both:
Ceramides are the "glue" that bind the cuticle and the cortex of the hair together. It helps in the prevention of split ends.
Ceramides help protect the cuticle layer of the hair which in turn slows down moisture and protein loss. They are high in linoleic acid and helps to flatten the cuticle. When cuticles lay flat; hair is shinier, retains moisture better, feels smoother, porosity and elasticity are improved.
For my own personal experience, the biggest change I noticed right away was the difference in my split ends. I was transitioning and was dealing with tons of splits. Once I started using the ceramides, it was almost as if the splits just repaired themselves and I haven't had an issue with splits since.
Then I added Ayurvedic powders a year and a half later to my routine and I noticed my need to do protein treatments was almost non-existent. So ceramides plus Ayurvedic powders equal a lovely fortifying and strengthening treatment. (Particularly Brahmi or Bhringraj)
Then I added Mango Butter a few months later and I noticed my need to moisturize in between washing was few and far in between. Its high fatty acid content makes it an intensive moisturizer for hair.
Then around the fall of last year, Shea butter hit the scene and my hair journey has been a wrap. Ceramides, Ayurvedic powders & butters have been my hairs saving grace.
So ceramides are great alone but when used with certain ingredients are almost magical.
How I use them:
*In an Ayurvedic Herbal Oil
*A Ceramide Buttercream Hair Treatment
(I use this pre-wash on the last 6 inches of my hair after spritzing my hair with very warm water. I leave the treatment in overnight) It has a Ceramide Oil, Mango Butter, Shea butter, An Ayurvedic powder, Argan oil & Coconut Cream Concentrate (which has a high fat content & also has the ability to penetrate deep within the hair strands to plasticize the cortex, making hair stronger)
*In my Shea Butter Blends
My favorite Ceramide Oil hands down is Safflower Oil and I use it on my hair and face. However, here is a list of some Oils and their ceramide percentages:
Safflower oil 78%
Grape seed oil 73%
Poppy seed oil 70%
Sunflower oil 68%
Hemp oil 60%
Corn oil 59%
Wheat germ oil 55%
Cottonseed oil 54%
Soybean oil 51%
Walnut oil 51%
Sesame oil 45%
Rice bran oil 39%
Pistachio oil 32.7%
Peanut oil 32%
Canola oil 21%
Egg yolk 16%
Linseed oil 15%
Lard 10%
Olive oil 10%
Palm oil 10%
Cocoa butter 3%
Macadamia oil 2%
Butter 2%
Tightening the Skin
- Dry brush your body
- Cover body in wet clay and let it dry
- Apply pure Shea butter or a mix of Shea butter and castor oil
because you got nominated for the Shea Made Hair Unicorn Hall of Fame BEFORE these pictures were posted of the fabulousness that is your hair!
. I will post here and in the Classic Length thread, my fantasy full length goal. I don’t like radar, especially when it’s followed by sirens! 
My current tub will be finished in probably a few weeks 
