Swedish Naturalistas UNITE!!

I started an Instagram account not too long ago with the intentions of connecting Scandinavian Naturalistas. It's time for us to get our shine too!! I post pictures that are natural hair related but I really wanna see more Scandinavian beauties!! Make sure to follow @neoroots_se and tag pics #neoroots

And also there's now a Facebook forum called Afrotalk for all Swedish Naturalistas so make sure to follow them too. I deactivated my Facebook account about 2 years ago and had no plans on activating it again but I couldn't resist knowing that we got a growing platform for us online. I had to support, make sure you do too!!

More exciting news on the way!!!!!!

Stay tuned for more!

Love Always,

Yaya

My beloved Heat Wrap!

When you do a hair treatment such as deep conditioning and oil treatments, it's highly effective to incorporate heat because it causes the hair cuticle to open up and allows the product to penerate into the cortex. (Source: Blackhairinformation)

I bought my heat wrap on Amazon (<---- Click the link!) Make sure you purchase from the warehouse in the UK; amazon.co.uk because shipping is going to be cheaper.

These liquid filled cushion things (I clearly don't know what the correct name is.. But you get what I'm saying lol) can be heated in the microwave or on the stove. I heat them up for about 1-1.5 min in the microwave. 

The next step is to put the liquid things in the pockets of the wrap.

The big one is placed on top of your head, from forehead to nape and smaller ones are placed on the sides.

The texture of the wrap is similar to a towel. You have to put on a plastic shower cap before putting on the wrap.

This is what the package looks like.

Stay tuned for more!

Love Always,
Yaya

DIY: Onion & Rose Water Hair Growth Mix

As I mentioned before, I made three DIY (Do-It-Yourself) concoctions that I'm currently using on my hair.  In case you're not familiar with DIYs it  basically means creating or modifying something without any professional experience.

In this post I'm gonna tell you about the onion and rose water mixture.

Onions carries nutrients that are beneficial for hair growth such as; sulphur, folic acid, vitamin B6 and C.

The onion juice also has anti-bacterial properties, promotes blood circulation and if used religiously it can lead stronger hair and prevent scalp infections. (Source: StyleCraze)

I find it difficult juicing the onion since I'm using a blender, so I added some rose water because:

A. it helps to liquidize the onion. I use a blender and it helps to blend smoothly when liquid is added.
B. to somewhat disguise the smell because onions stink!! Although it didn't quite mask the smell entirely, it wasn't overpowering. (Depending on how much rose water you use.)

Rose water has it's own properties that will stimulate hair growth, moisturize, nourish hair, and also treats dandruff and scalp infections. It's perfect for stabilizing the hair porosity level as the pH balance of rose water is close to the ideal state of the hair. 

Click on the source for details on how to incorporate rose water into your beauty regim. (Source: StyleCraze)

Don't get me wrong.. You will probably still smell like OLW Grill Chips (my swedes know) with the solution in your hair and you have to make sure to thoroughly wash your hair afterwards.

I chopped up 1 small onion with the peel.

I then poured about 1 dl rose water 

Finally, I strained the mixture to get rid of the chunks.

Stay tuned for more.

Love Always,
Yaya

Wash Days...

Wash days... Sigh.. I don't like them. At all. It always takes FOREVER! I need to give myself a time limit, when to start and finish, also prep my DIYs (Do-It-Yourself products) and my hair the day before. I did do three DIYs last week, my results weren't the best but they'll work for now.

Let me tell y'all about the wash day I had this past Sunday.

1. I started off by finger detangling on dry hair. I usually finger detangle with conditioner in my hair but this time I didn't want to add anything so that my hair can be ready for the next step. 

2. I followed with my first DIY which is my onion juice and rose water mixture that I put in a spray bottle. I put on my heat wrap and left the mixture for about 40 minutes.

3. I rinsed out the mixture with lukewarm water and shampooed my hair with Aphogee Shampoo for Damaged Hair.

4. Since I was waaaay past my bedtime (aintnobodygottimefodat), I just did a quick deep condition with the heat wrap for 15 minutes.

5. I rinsed out the deep condition with cold water and dried my hair about 70% with an old tshirt. 

6. I use the L.O.C method when I moisturize my hair. 

Leave-in, I used my other DIY which was another mixture with rose water and a little Herbal Essence- Hello Hydration conditioner.

Next, I apply both Almond and Coconut Oil.

And finally, I use my last (failed) DIY, a Shea Butter Cream with Almond and Coconut Oil.

I ended my misery by putting cornrows in my hair that I wear underneath my wigs and keep for no more than 2 weeks.

I'm probably going to modify my routine a little and add a midweek routine because my hair is so dry lately and I'm really striving for thicker hair and stronger edges. I'll keep you posted!

After I've finger detangled my hair, I section it into four parts. #yesfilter

Wearing my heat wrap while deep conditioning. I will post information about in another post. #yupanotherfilter

I will have a separate post with information about my DIYs.

Stay tuned for more!

Love Always,

Yaya

I need to tell y'all...

About my obsession with Lupita Nyong'o! She's a absolutely beautiful, intelligent and talented young lady who made an amazing Hollywood debut in the movie "12 years a slave". It's a great movie based on a true story and if you haven't seen it, GO SEE IT NOW!!! (Make sure to bring tissues).

I love seeing her being celebrated in Hollywood, she's become the new It-girl. On top of that she's a fellow naturalista and looks incredible in her low cut hairstyle.

Stay tuned for more!

Love Always, 

Yaya

I just wanna say...

A big THANK YOU to all my new and old readers!! I'm sending all you lots of love and appreciation because even though I haven't posted in a while, you still check in on me and I appreciate it. I see y'all!! :-) And don't forget to write me a comment, I would love to hear from you :-)

I needed some time off to just reflect on this past year and my goals for the future. I definitely plan to step it up a notch when it comes to my blog so I hope you'll stick around. 

Hope you all are off to a great start this year and I wish much success moving forward!

            2014, I'm ready for you...

Stay tuned for more.

Love Always,

Yaya

My Experience on: Onion Juice for Hair Growth

As I mentioned before, I am a You Tube Addict. And proud of it!
I came across xoDVF and fell instantly in love with her gorgeous hair, she is seriously my hair crush and inspiration. She is living proof to all non-believers that Africans, I repeat, AFRICANS can grow long hair. It just needs the proper love and care.

One of her secrets to healthy hair is Onion Juice! Now before you give me the blank stare like everyone else I've told, I've tried it twice. I massaged it into my scalp and left it in for about 4 hours each time, and yes, it did smell so I made sure to stay home. I've read that you can leave it in for about 30 min to 1 hr. But my hair is so greedy, I figured that it wouldn't hurt to leave it in longer. And let me tell you that it was like a magic potion: the re-birth of my hair. Seriously. My hair was soooooooooo Soft after my hair was rinsed with lukewarm water. I'm definitely going to include it in my weekly regiment.

Healthextremist writes a blog post about the nutritional benefits of onion juice on hair. Click here

And check out the video below!



Stay tuned for more!


Love Always,
Yaya