DAY 1:

INFORMATION BLASTS

MENU PLANNING:

FOOD EXAMPLES

BREAKFAST

SNACK IDEAS:

LUNCH IDEA:

30 MINUTE WORK OUTS

WHO'S READY FOR A CHALLENGE!!!!

Trimming Natural Hair. Very important throughout your journey and each person will vary for how often they choose to trim. For me, I now do small 1/4 mini trims every 2 months it keeps my tresses even more healthy, full and thriving.  Because our ends are the oldest part of the hair, it's the most fragile and like anything else, they do have a shelf life. Once ends need to be trimmed, no amount of product or maintenance will help..so to keep hair in optimum form, dust those ends. And as always, I Hope this step by step of how I trim helps.

STEP 1

 To soften hair, apply your favorite natural conditioner (I used my Natty Moist conditioner). Be sure to apply to edges and nape of the neck which are often neglected.

STEP 2:

To help with the process, place conditioned hair into sections. I either do 2 or 4 sections. Place a plastic cap onto hair for 30 minutes to allow the conditioner to soften and hydrate the hair.

STEP 3:

After allowing hair to condition. Remove plastic cap and prep for trimming. Starting with one section at a time, grab about an inch or more of hair, making sure to grab sections that are similar in length. Grabbing sections where the hair is uneven such as when you have layers may cause you to cut more hair than intended due to the length difference. Smaller sections makes it easier to work with and trim.

STEP 4:

Always keep the hair moist which makes it more pliable when manipulating the hair. Choose your favorite moisturizing mist or plain ole water and moisten the hair.

STEP 5:

Apply your favorite natural conditioner to the sectioned hair and be sure to thoroughly coat and work the conditioner through. Finger detangle to remove any knots. Again, the moisture helps with the process.

STEP 6:

Take your detangling tool of choice. I use my Denman detangling brush  Beginning with your ends, begin gently detangling your hair working your way up to the roots. Always begin detangling at the ends
while holding your hair with your free hand to minimize snags and pulling. (I don't use detangling tools often, so this is one of the rare times I will use a tool, such as a brush to detangle. I normally finger detangle)

STEP 7:

Once the hair is nicely moisturized and detangled, place your free hand right above the desired amount of hair to trim. Trim the desired amount of hair. I normally trim about 1/4 to 1/2 inch of hair.

STEP 8:

Once that section is done, I twist (you can braid or simply pin out of the way) and repeat the process until my entire head has been moisturized, detangled and trimmed

STEP 9:

Once my entire head is moisturized, detangled, trimmed and twisted, I hop in the shower and allow the water to rinse the conditioner out, giving me a light co-wash. The beauty is that my hair is already sectioned, pre detangled and twisted. Once out of the shower, I will simply spray my hair with my Natty ACV Hair and Scalp Mist to help close the cuticles (aids in imparting shine, minimizing frizz, protecting the hair and scalp from mineral deposits) then apply my Natty Butter to lock/seal in moisture and voila..

Enjoy your beautiful Natural!!

(Pic shows how the light reflected off of my twist out)

Greetings everyone!! Now I know everyone has their method of how they rock their twist out, but I wanted to share my step by step of how I achieve my twist out. As always, I hope this helps.

STEP 1:

I use 1 or sometimes 2 products: a moisturizer (either my Natty Creme alone or my Natty Moist) and a sealant to LOCK in the moisture (my Hair + Body Butter ( Natty Butter).

STEP 2:

On slightly damp hair..or on dry hair, place hair in sections to make the process easier. NOTE: if I am twisting on freshly washed hair, I place an old tshirt on my hair to absorb the excess water until my hair is about 75-80% dry. This ensures my twists will be thoroughly dry when I untwist. Using an old tshirt minimizes frizz and friction that comes when using bath towels. 

STEP 3:

Take a small, medium or large section of hair (depending on the size you want your twists to be) and apply a generous amount of your moisturizer. Then apply your sealant of choice to lock in the moisture. I prefer natural butters or natural pomades to help the hair not only lock in moisture but also clump the hair together to create a smooth twist and twist out. 

STEP 4:

While not using a ton of the product, I always make sure my hair is thoroughly moisturized so you may see some of the moisturizer on my twists as I'm twisting, which my hair will nicely absorb ensuring moisturized hair. I twist very tightly to create a sort of memory foam effect so when I untwist the curls are super defined and last for quite awhile.  I make sure to MOISTURIZE my ends and edges especially to ensure they are healthy. I use the same moisture and seal technique on my ends and edges, that I use for my twists. 

STEP 5:

Once my twists are completely dry, I apply a little Natty Butter to my hands then proceed to unravel my twists. Applying the butter or pomade helps to minimize frizz and give hair a nice sheen. 

STEP 6:

Rock it out and Enjoy!

Key notes: I don't use a ton of products for any style. Understanding moisture is the key and making sure to seal/lock in the moisture with a butter, oil or pomade. 

My Results:

At night,

I simply pull my hair into a low bun and cover with a silk or satin scarf. This helps stretch the hair and keeps the hair less frizzy. 

So, here's the scoop:

1 cup of Almond Milk

3 ripe bananas (the ones with the most benefit are the ones that have the brown on the outer peel)

1 cup of pure almonds or 3 tbsp of almond butter. (Peanut butter is an acidic food, almond butter is an alkalinic food. Alkaline foods are better for the body)

3 tbsp of Raw Cacao Powder (for the benefits of raw cacao see my blog post here 

3 dates to sweeten

Blend.

I used our #Vitamix blender because its powerful enough to blend almonds and does a wonderful job of blending everything together. And this mixture makes a wonderful frozen treat, so enjoy. Oh, and kids love it too!!!

STEP 2: CLEANSING

After 20 minutes of allowing her finger detangled hair to soften via the pre poo, it's time to complete the entire hair routine. For us, the sink is always easier to use than the tub, she sits much higher which makes it an easier task for me. I rinse the conditioner from the pre poo out of her hair working one section at a time. After the conditioner has been rinsed, again working one section at a time, I apply our Dudu Osum Shampoo and thoroughly work in. Once I have applied to one section, I repeat on the other sections until I have applied the shampoo to her entire head.

STEP 3:FOCUS ON SCALP

I make sure to thoroughly work the cleanser in, focusing most on her scalp..this is where the most buildup of dirt, debris and oils are, and in order to maintain healthy hair, it's optimum to keep the scalp clean. (tip) While working the cleanser in, I hold one section of the hair with one hand while massaging the cleanser into the scalp with the tips (not nails) of my fingers. This prevents the hair from re-tangling while cleansing. 

STEP 4: RINSING AND DEEP CONDITIONING

I make sure to thoroughly rinse the cleanser from her hair, again, working one section at a time. 

Just as it's important for us, as adults, to deep condition the hair, it's also important for our little ones to deep condition. Deep Conditioning helps to restore the moisture back into the hair that is removed during the cleansing process. I apply our Natty Cupuacu & Rhassoul Deep Conditioner to her hair for 5-10 minutes while allowing her to enjoy bath time. Working one section at a time, I finger the deep conditioner in to ensure that each strand is coated. Certain Deep Conditioners are pH balanced to help to close the hair's cuticle that is otherwise lifted during the cleansing routine. 

STEP 5: RINSING, DRYING, PROTECTING

Once the deep conditioner has conditioned the hair (5-10 minutes for her), I thoroughly rinse. Once I have thoroughly rinsed her hair, I then use an old T-Shirt to dry her hair. Towels can be drying and harsh to the hair aiding in dryness, frizz and split ends.  I then apply our Natty ACV Hair & Scalp Mist to help further balance the hair's pH, as well as protect the hair from mineral buildup, dirt and debris found in tap water. Helping to close the hair's cuticle also helps to minimize frizz and impart shine to the hair. 

STEP 6: MOISTURIZING, SEALING, STYLING

Once all of the cleansing, deep conditioning and protecting has been done, I apply our Natty Moist leave in conditioner to make sure her hair stays moisturized, then apply our Natty Butter to lock/seal in the moisture preventing the moisture from escaping. I then style as usual. Either buns or twists or braids. It's a very very rare occasion that I let her tresses flow freely, so I mostly keep it protected. I repeat this regimen about once per week and her hair has truly thrived. Whenever her hair needs remoisturizing throughout the week, I will apply our Natty ACV Mist to moisturize, then apply our Natty Butter to lock in the moisture..or I will apply our Natty Creme and style as usual. The important factors are: Ingredients, Clean Scalp, Moisture and Stress Free Styling. Here's a couple of ways I keep her hair. And as always, I hope this helps. 

And on rare occasions...

Hola Chicas/Chicos..I pray all is well with everyone.
So I decided to do a series titled 'Step by Step' pictorials of my healthy hair tips that I hope will also be beneficial to aiding you through your journey with ease.


What is PRE-POOing and Why Do It?

PrePooing is a beneficial step that is done before shampoo cleansing the hair. It allows the hair to retain more conditioner, it helps prevent swelling of the hair and it minimizes the harshness of shampooing and helps rid the hair of shed hairs accumulated throughout the days and weeks. (keep in mind, normal hair will shed between 100-150 hairs per day. You can tell shed hair by the white tip or bulb at the end of the hair)...If you have a prepoo method of your own that is working, please feel free to share. I do this about once per month each time I do a shampoo cleanse.

A NATTY GIRL'S STEP BY STEP PRE POO METHOD

STEP 1:

Place hair into 2 to 4 sections (if long enough) to prep for pre pooing. The sections allow for ease of doing this method and to help prevent the hair from re-tangling. Select a spray bottle with water, your favorite oil and/or conditioner (recently, I've been using both an oil and conditioner.)I apply my hair using my Natty ACV Hair & Scalp Mist. This helps remove old product build up, working as a light clarifier as well as help with detangling. 

STEP 2:

Saturate hair with your water or if you have it, your Natty ACV Hair & Scalp Mist (Again this aids in helping to detangle with ease)

STEP 3:

Apply your oil of choice or apply your conditioner. If using conditioner only, skip step 3. Just FYI, oils that are able to penetrate the hair shaft are: olive oil, avocado oil and coconut oil...

STEP 4:

Saturate the hair, making sure to thoroughly apply to your ends, with your favorite natural conditioner. I use our Natty Moist leave in conditioner. It's perfect due to the slip factor and the tangles just melt away. 

STEP 5:

Detangle with your choice of tool or your fingers. I mostly finger detangle. Be sure when using a tool, began detangling from ends working your way up to your roots now that your hair is slippery with conditioner. This minimizes breakage and allows for easy detangling. Be sure to thoroughly work the conditioner through.

STEP 6:

Place hair in twist, buns or plaits so hair does not re-tangle while pre pooing

STEP 7: 

You can opt to use no heat or use a steamer or heat cap to help infuse the oils and/or conditioner into the hair. This is especially helpful for naturals with 'low porosity' hair. The heat helps to lift the cuticle and properly infuse moisture. If you are unsure what your hair's porosity may be, simply place a single hair into a cup of water and watch to see if it floats on top, in the middle or floats to the bottom. If it floats on top, you have low porosity, which is typically genetic. This means that your cuticle is closed very tight making it a bit difficult to penetrate the hair with moisture..but once moisture is infused, it holds moisture very well. This is why the heat, which helps lift the cuticle is beneficial. If the hair floats to the bottom, you have high porosity hair. This type is usually caused by damage such as chemical processes (relaxers, texturizers, colorants), heat and/or environmental pollutants. For high porosity, you can choose to use heat when conditioning or not, just be sure to use butters and oils when locking in moisture to help close the gaps that are in the hair follicle from damage. If the hair floats in the middle, you have normal porosity.

STEP 8:

Shampoo (Dudu Osum Natural Shampoo) , deep condition (Natty Cupuacu & Rhassoul Deep Conditioner), apply a leave in  (Natty Moist) and seal in the moisture (Natty Butter).