New Blog Live

Hi Everyone,

If you read my last post, you know I am in the process of starting my own small business. At the moment, I’ve launched my website. For the moment, there are only partial aspects that are live. However, I’d be so grateful if you could take a look and share your feedback, comments or just creep over and read some articles. Low porosity won’t be the main focus, but it’ll definitely be one of my most posted and favorite topics to write about . If interested please click this link for more details.

Hope you’re having a great weekend and hope to “see” you over at Blossom Shop.

A preview of a post that might be of interest:

Fail-proof product for moisture and hair growth

Life Updates: Job Changes, Blog, etc.

Hi All! In an earlier blog post, I mentioned that I would have some exciting news for my blog readers and subscribers in December. However, I’m coming a little earlier to share the news. No I’m not pregnant. =) Blogging is something I enjoy …

Happy Saturday

prepoo hot oil treatments FTW! Freshly washed and unraveled. 

 

Successful technique for doing a pre-poo on low porosity hair

I’ll preface this by saying: My hair was blown out and flat ironed when I did this treatment. While on vacation in the States, I decided to have my hair done by my hairdresser. I returned home a couple of weeks ago and life has been very busy. Alas, that flat ironed hair, lasted me 3 weeks– I know, I know, way too long without a wash, but I’ll admit, I did enjoy not bothering with my hair for such a long time– My hair was a bit dry and dirty, definitely in need of a cleanse. Since I’m always deep conditioning, I decided to pre-poo my hair, so I could skip stepping out of the shower, deep conditioning and going back into the shower to rinse.

My first pre-poo consisted of me applying oil to my hair and plopping on a plastic cap. I noticed a bit of sheen, but didn’t really notice a major different in my hair’s overall condition. This time, I decided to do a hot oil/ deep condition pre-poo.

1. I combined different oils that all have beneficial properties: coconut (70%), jojoba (10%), cupuaca (10%) butter, argan oil (10%).
2. I used about 1/4 cup of all combined. Placed the oil in my DIY pyrex dish double boiler and warmed them over medium heat.
3. I added a sprig of rosemary to the oils, as it has healing properties, invigorates the scalp, promotes growth and smells just heavenly. Once warmed, I applied this to my hair from root to tip, paying special attention to my ends. I also applied a small amount to my scalp and massaged my head.
4. I was generous with the amount applied to my ends and applied a light layer to the rest of my hair.
5. Next, I put conditioner on the ends of my hair on top of the oil. Sat under a hooded dryer, with a plastic cap on my head, for about 30 minutes. I then proceeded to shampoo with a gentle sulfate-free cleanser and then condition.
6. Finally, I moisturized with a leave-in and did my usual styling routine (i.e. twists and sat under the dryer to let the moisture seep in).

What I noticed:

• my hair didn’t feel stripped when I shampooed it.
• my hair melted into the conditioner and detangling was not difficult.
• my hair was shiny after washing, but the next day when it was completely dry it was even shinier.
• day three hair is still shiny and so soft. I need to keep my hands out of my head though, definite case of HIH (hands in hair) syndrome.
• My twist out is not as defined as usual, but I’m okay with that. I’ll trade anything for health and shine.

Moral of the story, low porosity hair needs, heat for products to absorb.

*** hair pinned back for my job interview, but I’m still loving the sheen!***

   
  

Pre-poo on low porosity hair

this method has never yielded good results for me… Until today! I’ll post later today on how I achieved, soft shiny, hydrated, tangle-free hair, using a prepoo treatment on my low porosity hair.

  

Rhassoul Quick Wash Recipe

I’m holed up in the bathroom right now, doing a quick deep conditioner, while baby girl is sleeping and daddy is entertaining the not so little peanut.

I write about rhassoul clay pretty much all the time. It’s the real MVP, an all around product that can be used as a facial cleanser, hair wash, deep conditioner, etc. I usually do a hair mask, but with two kids, applying the mask can take time. Making sure every strand is coated, letting it sit on my hair for a bit before proceeding with my routine. Now, I tend to do a rhassoul wash more than a hair mask, because it’s quicker and less messy, but mostly because it’s a short process. A rhassoul wash is my remplacement shampoo, so I always follow it up with a conditioner or deep conditioner, which isn’t always the case with the mask.

I thought I’d share my mixture for my wash. It differs a lot from the mask, because it’s mostly water and has more ACV. The goal with the wash is to cleanse the scalp. Although a minimal amount of rhassoul is used here, I still reap the benefits of soft, tangle free hair.

Rhassoul Quick Wash Recipe

• 3/4 – 1c water
• 2 TBSP ACV
• 3 TBSP rhassoul

Apply to wet hair, close to the scalp, massage scalp in circular motions with the pads of your fingers, rinse and you can detangle as you’re rinsing if you’d like.

I followed this with a reverse oil rinse deep conditioner, which I’m doing right now as I write you.

Side note- I’ve gone through post-partum shedding before, but it seems much more severe this round, because my hair wasn’t as thick this pregnancy. Well, I’ll carry on deep conditioning the three strands of hair this pregnancy has left me. =)

Have you ever tried rhassoul clay? If so, what are your favorite ways to use it?

I’ll have some exciting news towards the end of this year. I can’t really share it with you now, although I’m itching to, but there will be some big changes happening for lowporosityhaircare.

 

Happy weekend!

2nd day hair pic (selfie and nursing —being a mom has made me a pro multi tasker). Just to show my post partum thinning. 

  

Quick Hello

Hi Everyone,

I’m alive and well. A few of you have emailed me to find out how I’m doing. I had a beautiful baby girl on January 26th. I hope to be back to blogging soon and answering your inquiries. For the moment, I’m taking time to enjoy my little and big bundles of joy and just be in the moment. Please read through the blog or search for any lo-po questions you may have. If you don’t find what you need, I’ll do my best to answer your inquiries. I’m working on getting a FAQs section for my blog soon. Lots of love to all of you and thank you for all of your thoughtful messages.

 

Pre-Poo Oil Treatment

Happy New Year Everyone!

The other day, I was skimming through a book a friend gifted me many years ago. The book is about all natural Indian beauty secrets. It also includes a section on healing from the inside, which I appreciate, as all beauty starts from within. The hair section discusses cures for dry hair. Some of the suggestions to combat this problem include: shampooing on an as needed basis, gentle brushing and combing, using creamy conditioners, reducing exposure to strong winds and sun, and overnight coconut oil treatments.

Honestly, nothing new here, but it helps to read about it and have it reiterated. As a lo-po natural, I obviously can’t go without an occasional shampoo. However, I typically cleanse with rhassoul clay, only using commercial shampoos every other month if I notice any product build-up. I’ve never prepped my hair with an oil treatment before cleansing. So I’m giving it a go for the first time today. Ideally, the book suggests doing this overnight. However, I can’t work this into my schedule. So here’s my approach to pre-poo oil treatments:

1. Divide hair into four sections and generously apply coconut oil to both scalp and hair, concentrating on the ends. You could treat yourself to a nice scalp massage at this point.
2. Cover hair in a plastic cap, wet a small towel with very hot water and carefully squeez out the excess water. *Place the damp, hot towel over the plastic cap, place a plastic bag (the kind you get at the grocery store in the fresh produce section) over the towel and cover with a scarf or bonnet.
3. Leave this in for as long as you like, but if you’re stressed for time like me, about 20-30 minutes should be fine.
4. I’ll follow this treatment with rhassoul and condition my hair if necessary.

*Remember heat is the key for effective moisturizing for lo-po hair.

My due date is rapidly approaching and I’m due in a little less than two weeks, but could go at any moment, so my goal today is to get my hair into some kind of protective style and forget about it until after the birth. If you’re a long time follower, you might remember when I was pregnant with my son, I had a fear of going into labor mid-styling. Same thing this time around. So some simple elegant two strand twists might be the way to go again.

I’ll report back with pictures and results after styling (if I’m not in labor— I’m that uncomfortable at this point, I wouldn’t actually mind!).

Do you pre-poo? What kind of results have you noticed?

XO

**UPDATE**

After washing with rhassoul clay, conditioning and applying my leave-in, grapeseed oil and gel, I twisted my hair. I then sat under the dryer for 15 and to let me leave-in absorb. My twists feel moisturized and soft and my hair is shiny and smooth. I think the pre-poo gave it more of a shine than my usual routine, but I’m not 100% sure, so I’ll have to give it a few more tries to test the results. In any case, I’m happy to have my hair twisted and out of the way for the next couple of weeks.

 

Cantu Shea Leave-In

Hi Everyone, life has been insane and now that I have the summer off from teaching things have “calmed down” a bit. I still have my little boy, who is a year and a half now and keeps me on my toes. If any of you with kids, nieces,  nephews etc., have tips for creative activities to do with a toddler at home, please send them my way. As many of you know, I live in Switzerland. Far away, from my family and childhood friends. While, I’ve created friendships here, it’s not the same as my connections back home. Relationships are a lot more formal and a lot of times, excluding our weekly play dates,  it’s just me and the little guy. I’m heading home in a bit and I’m thrilled at having people around, crowding over us, showing up unannounced. Any way, I don’t know how I ended up sharing all of this, but I know you guys usually have great ideas or maybe some of you have similar experiences and can relate??

Any way, I’ve just put my hair in boot camp mode. Last month my hair was a total disaster. Desert-dry, tangled and matted. I just kept pinning it back and stretching my wash days way too much. Now I’m washing it every 5 days and deep conditioning everytime. It’s just necessary for me to DC retain moisture, I’ve come to this conclusion. I’ve brought back reverse oil rinsing. And, depending on the shape my hair is in, I follow up with just an oil or a leave-in and seal with a light oil, I’m loving grape seed at the moment. The past couple of weeks I’ve been testing out a big tube of Cantu Leave-in that I bought this winter. 

When I first used this product, I thought meh, pass. However, upon using it again, it’s a definite winner in my book! If I apply this, and only this, it imparts a nice shine and leaves my twist outs defined and moisturized. For the low price (about 6 bucks) and size (16oz), you can’t beat that. 

Here is a pic of my twist out using Cantu Leave-In Repair Leave-in. I still had some fluffing to do, so ignore the strange shape of my hair. 😋 Have you tried the Cantu Leave-in before?

For my US readers, I hope you have a fun and safe 4th!  

Updated Regimen

So, I added this information to my “regimen page”, but thought I’d just take a moment to chat with you, as I’ve been MIA lately. I’m still experimenting with skipping my leave-out. However, this is only when I do rhassoul clay treatments or use my slippery elm mixture to condition my hair. These products tend to leave me with moisturized hair. So I find that just sealing in the moisture with an oil, is enough for my hair.

Another practice I’ve added to my regimen, that I’m very excited to share with you is deep conditioning on dry hair. I LOVE this method. Not only does it save me time, but I feel it also gives my hair a kick of moisture. Per usual, I divide my hair into four sections and work a moisturizing conditioner into each section. Concentrating on my ends and detangling as I go along. If I’m feeling fancy, I might throw in some honey and oil for an extra moisturizing deep conditioner. I then, put on a plastic cap and sit under the dryer for 20-30 minutes. The conditioner that I use, must have water as the first ingredient. I feel that deep conditioning on dry hair, allows me to maximize my use of the conditioner. When the hair is wet the conditioner, slips off or gets diluted, this method encourages my hair to absorb the product.

Finalls, I hop in the shower and shampoo the areas of my  hair and scalp prone to buildup (while the conditioner is still in my hair). I rinse this out after and then use another slippery rinse out conditioner to do the rest of the detangling job. This method cuts down on a lot of time for me and I really enjoy it.

Have any of you ever condtiioned on dry hair?