Clay Masks

I really like doing clays masks and facials 2x a week for visibly smoother skin.  I guess that is why I was so focused on making one or two that everyone can enjoy.  BTW, the vanilla bean facial is doing well, a few more tests and it will be ready to go.  In any case, I decided to let you guys in on the secret so that you can make some simple masks at home.  The more complex ones you can purchase from me :)

You will need kaolin or white clay and water.  That's it.  You make a paste out of the clay and rub it on your skin.  Let the paste air dry and then steam it off using your face cloth and really warm water.  The first application may make you skin red at first but the redness will go away rather quickly.

The fancier mix ins include aloe gel, whole milk, yogurt, honey and glycerin.  You may also want to consider pureed cucumber or witch hazel for more oily skin types.

I prefer kaolin clay because all skin types can use it and it is the mildest of all clays.  This makes it easy to tailor it to your needs.  Kaolin clay may be purchased on line or in your local natural food store.

Black Rose Water

I have justed listed the moisture shampoo  on my etsy site.  It's called Black Rose Water for the black soap and all the rose stuff I put in it.  This shampoo is good for children 2 yo and up as well as locs, naturals, waves and all the in betweens.  The shampoo gives a rich lather but will not strip your hair of its natural oils.  My black soap shampoos also last a long time.  In other words, a little goes a long way.

I still have to list my protein treatment.  I was acutally going to list that first but I didn't have the proper containers.  So I will have to wait for my shipment to come in.

Lastly, the Miracle Moisture is flying off the shelves ( sort of speak).  I am running out of ingredients and I still haven't finished making my mom her batch (she is so going to disown me).  If it keeps up like this I may have to buy all the stuff in huge bulk.

Avocado Oil

I use avocado oil for a variety of reasons. It has great nourishing benefits for persons who have dry skin and hair. Avocado oil contains vitamins A, B, C and E, large amounts of vitamin D and potassium, minerals, lecithin and fatty acids. This oil also contains protein great for persons with brittle, dry hair. It is also said to have healing properties. This is a rich hypoallergenic oil where a little goes a long way. Vegan friendly.


Avocado oil can be found in the following products: Indulgence Hair Oil, Asian Silk Body Oil, Indulgence Shampoo Bar, Avocado and Honey Shampoo, Avocado and Honey Conditioner and brand new to the market :  Restoration Hair Repair Protein Treatment.

Oil sheen for hair and body

It's Saturday and I am at again.  I dreamed (yes it occurred to me in my dream) about an oil sheen spray.  When I got up this morning I decided on what would go in it an realized that it would be great for hair and body.  I want it to be rejuvanting for dry skin and hair and I believe that I have come up with a good formulation.  Once again no name and I have to nail down some exact measurements but so far here is what will go in it:
rice bran oil- light oil with some protein and anti oxidant properties

olive squalane- good for damaged skin and hair, great moisturizer on its own

camelina oil- provides a protective coating without being overly heavy, has lots of good fatty acids too

vitamin E- good for hair growth, skin repair, sun protection

pomegranate- I just love the idea of this oil, is a particular fatty acid that is said is excellent for skin repair

carrot seed oil- great for dry and mature skin

I am going to scent this one as the carrot seed oil can have a strong scent that some may not find too pleasant.  I promise any fragrance I use (if I don't come up with an essential oil blend) will be 1% or less.   And great news- no parabens and absolutely no preservatives!

Honey Moisture Spritz

The latest in my mad lab:  a moisture spray.  I had developed one before but it left my hair too sticky and I just put it to the side.  Well today I had new inspiration and yes, I mixed it together today.
When I tried it on my braids it gave my hair a nice light sheen.

So....calling all product testers, I need you guys on this one.  I developed this product to give a light moisture without weighing your hair down.  This one contains water, honey, natural moisturizing factors, glycerin and a touch of cyclomethicone.  I know,  a silicone?  I promise this is a really light cone and only a little bit (about 2%) in the product.

In other news, after a few touch of this and a touch of that the Vanilla Bean mask looks like its going to be a hit.  I need to nail down some exact measurements but so far so good.  I used the cleanser (new thought call it Vanilla Bean Clay Cleanser and Masque) tonight and it worked very well.  I have combination skin and the problem I tend to have with my clay creations is that they dry my skin out when using plain water.  I know I can mix in other things but water is what everyone has access to.  So this time I added shea nut oil along with the glycerin and apricot oil.  So when the water was added it still made a nice paste but it also had a nice moisture element to it.  My skin came out nice and smooth.  I am going to need testers on this one as well.  So email me and I will give the details.

Miracle Moisture

I have just listed my deep moisture cream.  You guys can actually check out my mini Etsy to just it out quickly.

Trust me guys, this is some good stuff.  I have to pat myself on the back for this one.

Etsy shop

Hi guys, here are a few items from my Etsy shop.  Contact me if you have any questions.

Etsy Buy Handmade nbdcosmetics

happygirlhair.com

So I am analyzing who is visiting my Etsy shop and from where.  I am actually listed on a blog called happygirlhair.  I am kinda excited about this.  It is a website devoted to taking care of little African American girls.  So now I really have to get on the ball.  I am have the future of little girls (and their hair) in my hands.  

So what does this mean:  It means that I will have to make the moisture shampoo and the twist and loc creme (the offical name is Miracle curl, twist and loc creme).  The moisture shampoo has already been tested and of course it is black soap based.

I also have a shea butter shampoo, that I threw together.  I don't promote this as much because I am working off of a base, then I add extracts and other little things.  I guess you can call me a purest, I like making all of my own stuff from start to finish.

BTW, round one: rose clay 1, kenda 0.  The first batch is not what I was looking to accomplish.  First of all it actually gave a burning sensation to my skin (I tend to have combination skin).  I can't figure out what that would be as everything in it is supposed to be gentle to the skin.  I think I will have to make it using my lotion method.

Mango and Castor Oil

Exciting news, one of my product testers just emailed me about one of the hair dressings I had been working on.  The castor oil and mango hair blend.  She made mention to me that before she started using the balm she had a bald spot.  Three weeks later (yes 3 weeks later) she is already seeing new growth!  Her hair dresser was very surprised.  Not to mention the tester loved the fact that it did not flake her hair like other products did. 
 Guess I got to get started making a couple more batches of this stuff.  Once again I do not have a proper name for my inventions.

You may me be wondering what I put in this concotion of mine.  I did some research regarding herbs and male pattern baldness.  I also went trolling on You Tube looking for things that others said made there hair grow.  What I came across was a list of herbs and several reports of the benefits of castor oil for growth.  I decided to infuse a few of these herbs into the castor oil (pygeum bark, nettle, saw palmetto) and whip them into some mango butter for stiffness.  I also added a little green tea extract.  Absolutely no wax was used for this as the mango butter is really hard and resists melting on its own.

I have to get a few more items ready for a showcase as well as finish designing a few adverts.

Tucuma Butter

Tucuma butter is an off white moderately hard type of butter cold pressed from the seed of the Tucuma tree of Brazil.  I started using this butter as a substitute for another butter that was harder to find on this side of the ocean.  I am so glad that I made the decision to use this as a substitution.  The scent from this butter takes me back to fresh baked cookies in my grandmother's kitchen. 

This butter contains lots of vitamin A, B and C and  is excellent at softening and protecting the skin and hair from the sun.  This butter is great for conditioning and adding extra shine to hair.  This may be contributed to the fact that this butter also is rich in lauric, mystric and oleic acids, amino acids that beneficial to strong health hair.

You may find tucuma butter in the following products:  Sunshine, conditioning hair butter and Miracle, a curl defining setting cream.

masks

Vanilla Bean.  I am going to make a facial exfoliant based on vanilla beans and clay.  I am kinda excited about it actually.  Can you imagine sloughing off dead skin with something as fragrant as vanilla beans?  Yummy. 

I am also working a rose mask.  That will have rose clay, rose powder and a few different rose essential oils.  I may actually use rosewater to help blend the mix.  I am going to try making the blend two different ways and see which one works better.  Both the vanilla bean and the rose mask are actually intended for normal to dry skin and mature skin.  The rose clay may also be used for sensitive skin as well. 

If this works like I hope, next on the list is the cucumber mask that I have been tossing around for a while.

Rambles and other things

Just finish making the eyecream.  I actually started it in hopes of making a finished by product by April 15th for a showcase.  Not goin happen cap'n.  I forgot about labeling and lets not forget final testing.  In any case, it is a nice smooth consistency that is easily absorbed.  Tha's the first hurdle.  I think I will call it Eye Magic, at least I hope it will be.  I may add another ingredient to the blend to ensure the "magic" but that may add dramatically to the overall costs.

Next on my list, papya and coconut face wash.  I may make a hair mask with this as well.  You know me, overflowing with ideas.  I need to make a black soap body wash with manuka for acned backs and butts (gross).  I may scent this with papya but again I can change my mind at any minute.  I also wanted to make an olive facial wash and maybe compliment it with a light olive oil lotion.  Let me think, water of couse, olive oil maybe some glycerin and olive leaf extract.

Took a look at the Natural Laxer featured on another website and I am starting to to think I may be able to do the same thing.  I wanted to  make wet clay masks for face and hair in general but I am in quandry on how to preserve such mixtures.  You know me, I always figure out something.

Time to get my day started, just finishing feeding the baby and my husband fed my oldest and himself.  I may want to consider getting some food in between me creating all this stuff.

Love

I have decided to be in love with my hair.  Actually, I made this decision a few months back.  Even though I went natural, I was still trying to "train" my hair.  I still found it hard to manage because I had yet to discover what worked for me even though I figured it out for everybody else.  I was still concerned that I would not be accepted at work or that I would get funny looks from my patients.
It didn't matter that my husband encouraged me to stop relaxing my hair.  I didn't notice that I got more hungry looks from him when my "nappy" hair was freshly washed and out in its full glory.  I could have cared less that my 3 year old son would happily touch my hair more and comment with more wonder and amazement than I have ever heard from him.
I just didn't care.
At some point, my hard to manage hair became my only obession.  I began to treat it very gently, like a newborn baby.  I have always been able to grow my hair out but now it was beginning to thrive.  The nicer I was to it, the easier it became for me to tame it.  And suddenly, I didn't want to tame it.  I wanted it wild and free.  I wanted all the kinks and coils to be noticed and I wanted every one to see how proud I was of it.

I am in love with my natural hair.  I will never treat it badly again.  I will treat it with kid gloves and be excited with every minute of it.  I will continue to use natural products and do only things that will allow it to be happy and free.

 If you are happy with your natural hair, let me know.  If not, why not?

Summer time is coming and I just had a new thought:  sunscreen for the hair.  I have already made a couple of batches of color protectant  conditioners for friends but now I think I will consider making a sunscreen for the hair.  I know, why sunscreen?

Well just like the sun can damage your skin when exposed for too long to its glorious rays it can also make the hair dry and brittle and discolored.  Okay new new thought: why not make it for hair and body.  The problem with that is you have to have special clearance from the FDA to promote sunscreen or use the label spf.  But I can say that sunflower extract (which has vitamin F) has been shown to protect hair color.  Like I said thoughts.

So I am really big on using black soap for my hair and I have started testing a few black soap shampoos.  I would like to get them on the market soon but I am still waiting for feedback.  Why black soap?  Well its all natural, contains no sulfates, preservative free and vegan friendly.  In addition it produces a rich lather but will not strip your hair of its natural oils.  This is great for all hair especially dry brittle hair.  So what I do is add a few herbs, essential oils and extracts and voila!  My blends also last a while.  In any case, I saw someone post their version of black soap shampoo on Etsy and I am like no!  I wanted to like corner the market but there is still hope.  The seller who posted has made no sells and she doesn't even specialize in the hair and skincare market.  There is still hope but I cannot be wasting time.  I think I will put my moisture shampoo out first.  This is great for kids as well as adults.  The thin hair shampoo still needs some tweaking even though my mother loves it.

My to do list

I am dead tired from the Easter weekend.  I have orders to fill tonight but I have yet to move beyond the aloe facial wash.  I also need to run numbers for the wrinkle cream I formulated a couple of weeks.  This one includes the date palm I was excited to try.  I also need to get in the "lab" and whip my eye cream.  Just thinking about the week ahead makes me want to bury my head in the sand.  I guess no rest for the weary.

I need to stop by Kinko's to make cards and coupons.  I have been asked to be part of yet another festival and I never do it because I don't have my adverts together.  I guess I didn't think my side hustle would be this noticieable.

I think I will also do the watermelon face wash to go along with all the anti wrinkle set.  I might be able to package as a "facelift" package.