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Yes My family is 1/4 Cherokee and both my sis and I can have frizzy hair. And my DD sometimes have the same issues. Bless her heart my sis had the nickname Fuzz Ball, which needless to say she hated! She straightened her hair for years because of her fuzz.:rolleyes:Quote:
Originally Posted by eaglefeather71
wow it looks soooo healthy!
Thank you so much! I'm so used to the frizzy full look that it's been difficult getting used to the sleek soft look. I often feel like my hair is too flat. It takes some getting used to, but health wise it's so worth it!Quote:
Originally Posted by Nera
Thanks for the links!Quote:
Originally Posted by eaglefeather71
Off to learn and shop!BRB!:D
That is very worrisome about the bumps!! I hope you can figure out which thing it was that caused it. What had you used exactly that day?
I know that Neem can affect some people's menstruation, I don't know if it has other effects but it might be worth checking.
I just washed mine using soapnuts and shikakai Powder, wow! what more can I say I love this mixture, thanks for sharing.
That morning I washed with the mixture I had been using where I mixed the simmered powders with the soapnut liquid I had made. I was still very oily so my hair was up all day and I did a very quick wash with the same thing and left for a meeting. At the meeting the break out started. As soon as I got home I washed again but added the Neem to sooth and disinfect my scalp, which worked great. The bumps are still there but they stopped hurting and the instant dandruff went away completely. I don't think I'll have a problem with Neem, I've used it before in the CV Neem & Tea Tree bar with not issues. But I'll keep an eye on it.Quote:
Originally Posted by mellie
I didn't refrigerate the solution like I should have, so I"ll probably just toss it because I certainly won't be able to use it again after that reaction. Maybe it had gone bad.
Is there something herbal beside catnip and chamomile to act as conditioner? I would really like to go completely natural but my hair tends to be excessively dry, so right now I can't manage without my conditioner.
Amla Powder is a conditioning agent, and Hibiscus Flower is as well. When you add those in to the mix you get a conditioning wash that works great. Of course everyone's hair is different, but both are known to be conditioning. Also, Pre-Oiling 2 hours to overnight before the Herbal wash is the way most that do herbal washes condition. You just need to find the right balance between the oil and herbs as I am finding out.Quote:
Originally Posted by Heidi_234
ETA: I have also noticed that since the Soapnut and Shikakai are more acidic than alkaline, my need for conditioning has greatly decreased. Something to keep in mind.
That's an interesting observation. Though I can't say the same, I damped the shampoo quite long time ago, and my hair is as dry as always. But you've got a point, clarifying does dries hair out horribly.Quote:
Originally Posted by eaglefeather71
Hibiscus can stain, can't it? From red to purple depending on the tap water's pH.
What do you pre-oil with? Special mix or just plain oil-of-choice?
I stopped using Shampoo a long time ago too, but the things I have used (poo bars, no-poo, egg, soap, etc) all are more on the alkaline side, but I think its amazing and intruiging that natures cleansers are on the acidic side.Quote:
Originally Posted by Heidi_234
Hibiscus has never stained my hair. I have actually tried to stain with it and as long as it was rinsed out it never stained. But if your hair is light, I would be careful and maybe do a test first.
I currently pre-oil with Vatika Coconut Hair Oil or Jasmine Hair Oil, but before I purchased those I was using EVOO or Coconut Oil for Heavy Oilings, and Jojoba for the light leave in after oiling. I think experimentation is definetly in order with oils because hair can be very finicky when it comes to oils.
I love herbal washes :inlove:
My recipe is very simple: 2 tbsps of shikakai, 3 tbsps of amla, hot water, let sit the paste for a few minutes, put the bowl in the tub, bend over, apply the paste in my scalp and mix the leftovers with conditioner, applying them in my length. Let sit in my head for about 15-30 minutes, jump into the shower and rinse. Sometimes I do an ACV rinse, sometimes no.
The thing I love the most about this method is, not only how great it leaves my hair :cloud9: but its simplicity. And all the water I save in tthe rinsing process! Just one rinse (2 if I use ACV). No conditioner, wait, rinse, shampoo, rinse, conditioner, wait, rinse.
In my last wash, I only had 1 tbsp of amla and used cassia instead. Great results too.
Almudena, I have always admired the beauty of your hair! :-)
That sounds great! Are you applying it to dry hair then? When your letting it sit for 15-30 Minutes, do you wrap it or use a shower cap? I wouldn't need the conditioner on my ends like you do, but I like the idea of applying, letting it sit, and then jumping in the shower. That way I'm not letting the water run forever while waiting, or not waiting long enough because I'm being worried about the water waste.Quote:
Originally Posted by almudena
That's true, I hate to waste water too!
I don't think I could use powders in our house (sneezing issues) but I've been wanting to try whole shikakai and amla. I found whole amla on Amazon.com but can't find whole shikakai in the US.
https://www.spicesofindia.co.uk
This site has lots of cheap herbal powders. one of my favorites is kalpi powder.
and that website has whole shakakai and other herbs, in whole!
Hi lahondas www.spicesofindia.co.uk does not deliver to the USA.:(
Thanks so much for the link and the information about them carrying whole herbs. It will be helpful for those of us who are in the UK or europe. I hope we will be able to find someone in the US that sells whole herbs too.Quote:
Originally Posted by lahondas
I apply it to dry hair and leave it in unwrapped :)Quote:
Originally Posted by eaglefeather71
This thread has encouraged me to place an order. My hair is very excited. Thanks for all the info!
Wow I like your method im going to try it sounds like my hairs will like it;) thanks for sharing Almudena:flower:Quote:
Originally Posted by almudena
FYI if anyone else is interested (besides me, haha!), I did find one vendor for whole shikakai in North America, however they are in Ontario:
http://www.eastwestbazaar.com/produc...oducts_id=2098
Whole amla is available here:
http://www.indianblend.com/site/664954/product/SP-93
And here:
http://www.herbalhut.com/detail.aspx?ID=10176
I never have dealt with any of these vendors, so I can't vouch for them at all.
I just washed my hair with a soapnut/amla/shikakai mix yesterday. I pre-oiled the night before with some Amla oil. Then I put one tablespoon each of amla and shikakai in two cups of distilled water. Boiled until it it started to foam up. I let it cool down and then I dumped in the bag of soapnuts I happened to find at the local indian grocery store. Let it sit overnight and then strained the next morning. I got a little application bottle and squirted it all over my head and made sure it was really saturated cuz I didn't want any left over oil in my hair. I left it on for about 10-15 minutes I'd say. My hair came out AWESOME. There were NO tangles!!!!! I washed my hair before with only the Amla/Shikakai and my hair wasn't this tangle free. Not sure if it was the soapnuts or the oil cuz it was my first time with both of those. My hair came out really nice and smooth and holy cow, no frizz! My horns have been tamed! Of course I have to give thanks to Mellie for posting about the soapnuts. I wonder if she has been keeping track of how many people have thanked her about this? Anyway, my hair ROCKS after using indian herbs. I wish I had known about these a long time ago......
Oh that's very nice of you Mao!
I'm so glad that you are so happy with it! I'd love to see some pics if you have any!
Your very welcome. I am a littlw worried about the place I bought the whole soapnuts from. I haven't received them yet :sad:. It hasen't been an unreasonable amount of time, but it's starting to get worrisom.Quote:
Originally Posted by ItsMyHair
Oh! Me too, Me too! :bounce: We need pics of more results for sure!Quote:
Originally Posted by mellie
I'm finding it difficult to wait a few days between washing for a couple reasons. One, I just love this washing technique and want to wash all the time (it's kinda fun in a weird way, putting muddy stuff in my hair and having it come out so nice), and two, I'm not used to such soft, smooth hair and I don't know what to do with it. My hair is at that length that it isn't short any more, but isn't long yet either and I'm used to having more "body" for lack of a better term. I LOVE it but don't really know how to wear it down comfortably yet... the health is so much better though so I'll deal with it until I get used to the different texture.
Haha, you're like me! I love washing with the foam, I feel kind of like a kid again, it's so fun!
And like you said, the softness and shine - so nice!!
I think you will see some quicker growth too, I have sure noticed a difference for myself when I went to exclusively soapnuts!
LOL I know, I need to take some pictures. I am not very good at taking pictures of my own hair. I tried and they didn't come out very well. I also tried to get my daughter to take pictures and those didn't come out very well either:p. I wanna ask my husband to take some but he will probably look at me as if I've grown a second head. Oh well, practice makes perfect! I will try again this weekend. Actually, I tried to post those pictures that I took before but for some reason it didn't work.Quote:
Originally Posted by eaglefeather71
Thats what I'm hoping for. Especially for my 14yo DD. She's in a growth stall that is lasting months. Researching for her is what led me to the indian herbs iand oils in the first place. I think my growth goals in my siggy are pretty agressive, but maybe with the help of soapnuts and herbs, I'll be able to reach then without using things like monistat :smile:Quote:
Originally Posted by mellie
Ha! Me too! I never used to want to wash my hair because it always came out so frizzy, now I find myself thinking at weird times..."hm, maybe I should take a shower", because I can't wait to wash my hair with the Indian herbs!Quote:
Originally Posted by eaglefeather71
Today at work about 2 hours before I was supposed to leave, I started thinking about whether or not I wanted to oil my hair tonight, and sent a text to my DD to see if she wanted to...so funny how we are, like children looking forward to the weekend, but for us it's "what are we going to do to our hair this weekend?!"Quote:
Originally Posted by lynnala
EagleFeather, I think you're my hair twin! I did a double take when I saw your picture. I have that same frizz issue. The back of your head is practically identical to mine!
Guess I'm going to have to head to the Indian grocery store to get me some herbs. I want smoothness too!
I love the oiling part as much as the wash part. It feels so good to rub the oil into my scalp, and it gives me the opportunity to give myself a scalp massage, which I'm always forgetting to do.Quote:
Originally Posted by eaglefeather71
May be you should try using a fan to dry your hair for the static issue. Thats what i have been using for over 2 years. When i travel i carry my hair dryer which has cool air setting but i dont like it as much as i like fan.Quote:
Originally Posted by eaglefeather71
I hope this works!!Quote:
Originally Posted by mellie
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...228984&thumb=1
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...229137&thumb=1
Wow!! When I clicked for the bigger resolution pic, I was soooo amazed!! What beautiful shine, color and some killer body there too! Heck yeah!!! :-)
Awww, shucks! Thanks :)
Thats funny, you having to take a double take. Just so you know, I really think the pre-oiling is helping but lately I think I have been oiling too heavily. I really need to back off on that because I'm now going in the other direction, flat and stringy. I hope it works for you, please keep us updated!Quote:
Originally Posted by TheHuman
I really love the oiling part so much I think I do it too much, or use too much oil. Boy do I love the scalp massage! It's easy to do with the oil, but I don't do it otherwise.Quote:
Originally Posted by lynnala
Thats an interesting idea. I may try that in the summer, but my house is too cold to have a fan blowing on me right now. The last 2 washes, I just let it dry naturally and it worked pretty good. I still have some static but it's not near as bad as it was. So my hair is either adjusting to the new routine, or the blowdrying with cold air was making it worse.Quote:
Originally Posted by tina1025
I'm glad you like it :flower: This method (or almost the same) is posted at the Articles section here. It is Shell's herbal wash.Quote:
Originally Posted by Aisha25
The tricky part is applying the paste to the dry scalp and hair. It is a weird feeling, like you are missing spots. But once I wet my hair in the shower I'm able to massage it all over.