Can you really deep condition your hair

Well, ladies, I still have not received the response from Catherine at Heanna for Hair, but while going on mountain rose to place an order, I saw this:

Henna is a natural plant coloring for the hair; made from the powdered leaves of a desert shrub plant, Lawsonia. The Henna we offer is 100% natural and organically grown, and is free from pesticide residues, with no synthetic additives or artificial coloring agents.
Henna contains hannatannic acid which, when mixed with hot water, will coat the hair. It seals in oils and tightens the hair cuticle giving your hair a rich, healthy shine. Henna has no lightening action, so the shade that you choose will depend on your hair color (natural or tinted) and it must be noted that Henna will not work as a colorant if your hair has more than 10% greay. Its effects will last up to 3 months. Instructions are included with each order of Henna. I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THIS: with respect to the part about henna not working if > 10% grey, people mix other ingredients to tone down the "copper looking" color that results on the grey strands.

Curlya: If I may share with you some thoughts for you to consider, here goes:

I do not, nor have I experienced a dry hair problem during my almost 10 month transition. I absolutely believe in the power of the "oils," but all oils are not created equal. Do your research. I pre-poo with coconut oil prior to ea. washing. I leave it on overnight. Sometimes, I add other oils, but always with coconut oil. I also use alot of olive oil. My hair is extremely soft and I credit these oils more than anything else. These oils are excellent as conditioners. I use heat, but not a dryer. Moist heat is what I use by way of making my own steamer (place cap on hair, followed by a hot towel, follwed by another cap (or bag). I leave it on and do my work. When I inadvertently picked up 'refined" coconut oil, my hair was not happy. So, my choice is always EVCO. My oils are primarily organic/unrefined and at least they are refined. I use others, but coconut remains my fav.

Looking for a reliable, not breaking the bank conditioner, we often need not look farther than our kitchen. I routinely condition with molasses, honey, coconut milk, bananas, and olive oil (not necessarily all at the same time) But, my experience has NEVER been anything other than very soft hair. I always lean to organic/natural products and I am able to get great results. I use many of the ayurvedic herbs/oils and clays. In nature, we have so many valuable herbs at our disposal. If we want, we can use them just like DB or KBB. But, not everyone has the time or patience to "mix."

Finding the right oils for YOU, with consistent use, will serve you well.

If you would like to try anything I mentioned, keep me posted on how it works for you.

@ Littleone
Okay, I like the sound of the moist heat. I will try that for sure!
As far as oils, I do know that my hair likes EVOO (evoo = softness); not so sure about Coconut oil, but I do notice a shine after using that oil alone (coconut oil = shine).

I've tried honey and coconut milk with my henna treatments and like them both. Also, I've done an ACV rinse to clear up an itchy scalp. So I’m not opposed to looking for kitchen items for hair care. Very good tip!

I love Aloe Vera gel and would use it more often if I did not have to run downstairs to the fridge to get it every morning after the shower, (I know that sounds lazy), but my morning are very compartmentalized and I have to finish my hair, then get dressed, then go downstairs, any variation of that and it messes up my whole day, (sad but true).

I know I've said it before, but I do appreciate your input LittleOne. Thank you.

When I inadvertently picked up 'refined" coconut oil, my hair was not happy

Did you end up using the rest of the refined coconut oil for your hair, body, or giving it away?-reason I'm asking is I bought some coconut oil and the same thing happened to me. I opened the jar a couple of days ago and wondered where the sweet smell was at-after inspecting the jar label I realized I picked up refined instead of unrefined. TIA

curlya wrote:@ Littleone
Okay, I like the sound of the moist heat. I will try that for sure!
As far as oils, I do know that my hair likes EVOO (evoo = softness); not so sure about Coconut oil, but I do notice a shine after using that oil alone (coconut oil = shine).

I've tried honey and coconut milk with my henna treatments and like them both. Also, I've done an ACV rinse to clear up an itchy scalp. So I’m not opposed to looking for kitchen items for hair care. Very good tip!

I love Aloe Vera gel and would use it more often if I did not have to run downstairs to the fridge to get it every morning after the shower, (I know that sounds lazy), but my morning are very compartmentalized and I have to finish my hair, then get dressed, then go downstairs, any variation of that and it messes up my whole day, (sad but true).

I know I've said it before, but I do appreciate your input LittleOne. Thank you.

You're so welcome! Lol about the aloe vera gel....my fridge is just down the hall and I'm STILL too lazy to go get it! Experimenting in the kitchen is fun. I prepoo with coconut oil (bc olive oil stained one of my favorite tshirts) and apply castor oil or shea butter to moisturize my hair every day.

naturalnolagirl1900: I think we have to avoid going too hard in either direction. Hair care is a multi-billion dollar industry in the U.S. Some of the stuff at the BSS is worthless crap, but some of it is innovative and exactly what our hair has needed all these years. I was really diligent about what I put in my Amazon store. Please check it out if you haven't already! hairliberty.org/shop

Little One, you hit the nail on the head about the hair care industry being lucrative. Maybe I am in the wrong business!

I know everyone has their philosophy, but my hair care purchases are guided by 1 principle-- my body is my temple and I am going to do my very best to treat it that way, meaning give it what I think is the best of the best. Since this includes my hair, I gravitate to "natural" b/c that is what has always been and what was put here on earth for us. I gravitate toward organic b/c at least there are a few extra assurances of the absence of certain chemical and processing (hopefully). Time is short for me these days, but I have been trying to be more informed about the health (incl. hair) practices of indigenous people around the world. The people of Africa and the Amazon have been using the oil from nuts for thousands of years. We are a bit behind, yet we are an industrialized nation. Take ayurveda. That practice has stood the test of time x over 5,000 yrs. There are so many benefits in herbal medicine (hair health included). Just looking at the benefits of some of the herbs I use for hair amazes me (and they are cheap too) and I see the benefits personally! In their natural state (without all the pesticides, growth hormones, etc.), we have what we need). I don't trust the exposures. I see cancer at an alarming rate every single day and get to interview patients about their exposures, behaviors, etc. We don't hear about this to the extent we should. So, I am very cautious and careful about food household cleaners, etc. I know we have limitations, but all we can do is our best. I know there are no guarantees with anything all I can do is my due diligence.

So, I am not trying to beat up on any specific companies or anything, but just trying to do what is best for me like they are trying to do what is best for them--which is to make a profit.

So, for me, its back to nature.

The BSS aren't the only ones selling "crap." Some of those more highly regarding retailers sell their share as well.

Now, regarding your Amazon store, I really wasn't sure what I was looking at and when I clicked "about us," I didn't get anything to come up. Are these products you sell? Sorry, don't know what an Amazon store is.

The Hair Liberty Boutique is a an Amazon substore. Meaning that I chose specific products from the Amazon catalog and put them all in one place. Amazon ships orders over $25 for free and they don't charge sales tax, so I'm a frequent customer of theirs. I order my oils, shea butter, aloe vera juice, shampoos, conditioners, and vitamins all from amazon.com.

I study chemistry, so if I have not tried a product in my Amazon store, I have at least researched the risks and benefits of its ingredients. There are hair products that have been proven (through rigorous scientific study) to repair split ends, stimulate hair growth, help hair stay moisturized for longer periods of time, and many other exciting things that people like to say is not possible.

It is possible. There's no magic....but there's a long way between magic and castor oil.

naturalnolagirl1900: I have to add that I agree with you re: being vigilant about what we put in and on our bodies. That is one reason why I cringe whenever someone says that their urine was green after henna'ing overnight...Any product or substance can be harmful when used improperly.

My love of health and medicine is why I don't use or recommend products that contain large amounts of mineral oil, petrolatum, lanolin, or propylene glycol. To your point, phthalates are probably the #1 reason to use all natural/homemade products...but if you use perfume or certain lotions, you're not really avoiding them anyway. There's also the chlorine exposure that comes with taking long, hot showers without a water filter...as you can see the list goes on. You can't control everything, and everyone has to decide for themselves how they want to protect themselves and their families.

I do my best to stay on top of cosmetic safety issues and current research. I'm sure my list of concerns will grow and change over time.

This article from CNN is helpful for anyone who wants more background info... http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/05/31/chemical.dangers/index.html

Yacoomba - I shelfed the jar and really forgot about it until your post (got me thinking where is this stuff) So, that tells you, I have too much stuff already! Anyway, I try and buy most things that I can at WF b/c they have a liberal return policy. Maybe, I can still return it. I usually keep all my receipts from them for that purpose.