Saturday 25 March 2017

Diy African Black Soap ( sulphate free ) shampoo*

Hey there curlies!

Don't you just love a product that is budget friendly, has multi usage benefits... Aaand... works ridiculously well too?
African Black soap happens to be one of those- I've been using this soap for about a year. My hair never feels stripped or crunchy but clean and moisturised(?)  No shampoo has ever left my hair moisturised before.
African black soap has some healing properties and is antifungal. Its known to help with scalp and skin conditions such as eczema, dandruff, psoriasis and other irritations you may have going on up there. As you know- getting rid  of scalp issues helps promote a healthy environment for your hair to grow.


I have a soft spot for this soap because it's all natural I can never go wrong with that. My staple is ABS; it's cheaper and more effective than experimenting with other shampoos.
 Anyways let's get on with it- 

Here's what I used:)
Black Soap pictured above
11/2 cups of water
 glycerine
 honey
 my oil mix containing almond, avo and grapeseed oil
castor oil
1 stick of cinnamon
Essential oils - ylang ylang and rosemary
You can use whatever oils and essential oils of your choice.


Customise and adjust this recipe according to your preference. I didn't use any precise measurements. Go ahead feel free to play around with the mix.


How to make it:)
I boiled the kettle
I cut up about a quarter of the the soap
Grated the soap then put it in a container
Then poured the hot water into the container with the soap
Slowly I  stirred the mixture
When cooled I added my oils-
Thereafter honey and glycerine
Then my essential oils- ylang ylang and rosemary- about 8 drops each.
 After an hour or so  I poured the shampoo into my spray bottle, adding in the cinnamon stick.
The extra ingredients add a moisturising effect to make it more suitable for the needs of my hair and for everyday use. I store mine in the fridge for safekeeping. So there you have it your very own sulphate free shampoo!


Check out all that wonderful goodness in this soap- Shea butter! Whooa... Its all natural ingredients with no preservatives. I love what it does for the skin too.


My hair clumps better with this soap and it lathers very well. It detangles, clarifies, moisturises and softens my coils.


Don't be fooled by how watery it is -this shampoo gets the job done!
Have you tried ABS? Let me know how you make yours - And drop a comment or like if you found this post helpful.
Connect with me on Instagram for more hairspiration.

Stay Magical


Thursday 23 March 2017

New updo

Hi all!

So I needed something fresh and new concerning hairstyles. Experimented a little yesterday and I came up with this one for you-
Check it out:)

Start off on dry stretched hair.
Make a side path. Two strand twist and pin.
Do the same on other side then gently unravel but not completely and pin. This gives a swiss roll look.



Do the same at the back -roll, tuck and pin. You got to have a gentle hand not pulling because this gives a puffy, big kinda look to the style.


I use to really hate my spongo( forehead). All my life I thought it looked like a half a loaf...seriously!  Anyways you can accessorise if you want to spruce it up a little more. I used  my favourite cute clip with an attachment of a bow.


Hope this style inspires you if you feeling a little blah with your hair. It took me less than 5 minutes to do.
Stay tuned for more styles! And show some love by liking this post and share it too...

Until next time- Stay Magical


Monday 20 March 2017

AfroBotanics deep conditioner review

Hey Curly Naturals

So your editor in chief has asked me to do a review on her blog, before I go into that let me introduce myself. 

My name is Nidia blogger of SA Curly Girl. I have been natural since 2013 and I have 3C low porous hair.
My review is on the Afrobotanics
Amina deep penetrating moisturising conditioner.




 I stumbled upon it when I was deciding what my hair treat would be, I took a whiff of it and it has that "this product is expensive and it will work" smell. The price on the shelf said R71.95 but at the till it scanned at R89.95 the shelf price was honoured but I have prepared myself to pay that price once this gem is finished. Through my research I have found that it is a true gem and really great for low porosity girls as many of the ingredients help retain moisture.
Anyway back to the product.
Size: 500ml
Who stocks it: Clicks
Price: R71.95 - R89.95 (or double check the at the till)
The conditioner is a double duty product you can use it as a normal conditioner or a deep conditioning treatment.

The conditioner is 98% natural yep 98 %
The first 5 ingredients is a true reflection of what a product actually contains and how effective it actually is and here is the list of the first 5 ingredient (and there after what other goody goodness the conditioner container)
Coconut oil
Castor oil (good for low porosity hair)
Cyprus Esculentus Root oil (this oil is also called Tiger nut oil or Chufa oil it is high in vitamin E and oelic acid. The root consists of 20-36% oil which makes it a great alternative for biofuel.)
Shea butter
Meadowfoam seed oil (is known for making hair shinier and fuller, reducing scalp dryness and best of all retaining moisture, another one for the low porosity girls)
Olive oil
Avocado oil
Pro Vitamin B5
Vegetable glycerin (another good on for low porosity)
Wheat Bran extract (its high in Vitamin E and also helps retain moisture yet another one for the low porosity girls)
Honey (another good one for the low porosity),
The conditioner does live up to its name by being deep penetrating and moisturising considering the ingredients just listed.

The first time I tried it was on a late lazy night so I used it as an overnight deep conditioner boy oh boy was I happy by the results.
My hair was soft and light. I've never done a deep conditioner that leaves my hair soft, fluffy and  not weigh it down.

To round it off, I recommend this product hands down especially to low porosity girls as it works wonders and yes the price tag is worth it.

For those that want to connect find me on
Facebook page: SA curly Girl
Twitter : @CurlsOnly
Blog: www.nidiadaniels.wordpress.com
ND ;)

Saturday 18 March 2017

If a dog was your teacher...

Hi again!
So I came across this and thought that you would appreciate it just as much as i did.

If a dog was your teacher- these are some of the lessons you might learn...
When loved ones come home always run to greet
Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride
Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your hair to be pure ecstasy

When its in your best interest- practice obedience
Let others know when they've invaded your territory
Take naps and stretch before rising
Run romp and play daily

Thrive on attention and let people touch you
Avoid biting when a simple growl will do
On warm days stop to lie on your back on the grass
On hot days drink lots of water and lay under a shady tree
When you're happy dance around and wag your entire body.      

No matter how often you're, scolded, don't buy into the guilt thing and pout,
run right back and make friends

Delight in the simple joy of a long walk
Eat with gusto and enthusiasm
Stop when you've had enough
Be loyal
Never pretend to be something you're not

If you want what lies buried,        
dig until you find it
When someone is having a bad day,
be silent...
...sit close by
and nuzzle them gently







Tuesday 14 March 2017

But enough about me already...

Hieey there Magicals!

Wait... This post supposed to be published a long time ago. I just realised I haven't  properly introduced myself.

 Seriously, procrastination should be my middle name.

So who am I?
My full name is Marlene Ann Mureson Louw.

 I'm an entrepeneur, a daydreamer and an introvert who enjoys the simple things in life. A coffee and hot chocolate lover.
 My greatest joy comes from being a mom, wife and a sister:)

         

 I love natural anything from hair to homemade juices. I
totally love all things  vintage too and giving compliments is part of who I am.

I've made more friends via the Internet than "real life"😅

Here's more of what I love:
I love the feeling of grass between my toes.
I love my hair
I love to laugh and sometimes way to hard!
I love to watch British comedies
I love old cars
I love the way my husband looks at me...
I love to hear old peoples stories about 'back in their day'
I have a weird- funky sense of style-  And beauty to me is not the same standards of how the world views beauty.




I'm weird ( did I mention it already)? Reserved- I can be outspoken if I wanna be.  I live in my head a lot...(don't repeat that)
 who created us wonderfully and beautifully, unique in our own right!


I struggle  at backing my car out of tight places and  I must mention that I'm quite bamboozled by those who can- here's to my hubby😅
       
Here's what I'm not:
I'm not a scientist
I'm not a hair guru
I'm not the smartest
I'm not the best writer either.
I'm just happy to share what I know and pass it along to you:)
       
So I really hope that you kind of got a little more insight into my life.

Get to know me further by following me on  Instagram

And remember that sharing is caring!

Stay Magical -

         



Friday 10 March 2017

The Funnies:)

Hi there!
I came across this short funny story that I totally loved. I hope you too enjoy it as much as I did:)

The child and his mother:

A curious child asked his mother: "Mommy why are some of your hairs turning grey?"
The mother tried to use this occasion to teach her child: "It is because of you, dear. Every bad action of yours will turn one of my hairs grey!"

The child replied innocently: "Now I know why grandma has only grey hairs on head."



Gal behind the Magicalmessyhair...

Hey there curlies!

This week I'm coming atcha with another beautiful gal behind the Magicalmessyhair! She is some Serious inspiration for Big Choppers! I love the fact that Maxine is just like you and I natties, (big chop and all) who is on her way to building her own business because she saw a need for her hair. She also tests them all out on herself first- business with integrity!

Meet Maxine everybody:)


 Please introduce yourself?
 Hi Natties , My name is Maxine Arnold and I'm repping the sunny city Durban, South Africa. I am a natural hair enthusiast and ambassador. My friends call me a "natural hair Nazi " because I WILL rehabilitate you (see what I did there? ) 



How long have you been natural? 
Hmmmmm, this is quite a tricky question, because my natural hair journey hasn't been a cut and dried case. I say this because I have fallen off the natural wagon a few times. I first returned to natural in 2006. I transitioned for 9 months before snipping off the remaining processed ends (man oh man, those buggers are pesky) I stayed natural for a year and gave in to the creamy crack…yes yes I did.  Simply because I did not know how to manage my natural hair. Don't get me wrong ...I LOVED my natural hair, but my hair had been relaxed from the age of 9 .. my natural hair, the very hair that naturally grew out of MY scalp... was foreign to me. This made me very uncomfortable, it made me feel almost as if I did not truly know myself. I mean, how could I, when there were certain aspects of myself that I did not completely understand? That sparked a desire in me to learn as much as I possibly could about my natural hair so that I could eventually successfully maintain it. I began reading natural hair blogs, stayed up till the early hours of the morning watching YouTube tutorials (between me and you, it's still an addiction lol) until I was confident enough to return to natural again. This time in 2014 I did the big chop (BC) and creamy crack has since become nothing more than a nasty mistake that never should have happened.



What or who inspired you to return to natural?
 Bob Marley said it best " emancipate yourself from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds" I returned to natural solely for this purpose. I wanted to break free from that slave mentality that "nappy, kinky, coily, curly hair" is bad hair, and that it needs to be fried into oblivion for it to grow long, or lie flat in order to be considered beautiful and be socially acceptable. No honey, my hair defies gravity.... and that?.....that is beautiful.





Have you ever had a setback with your hair?
 Girl...yes!!! I like to describe my natural hair journey as an adventure...and whats an adventure without any surprises, both good and bad. As you already know, my first setback was just pure ignorance and lack of know how. My second setback was just denial lol!! I have to be honest with you here. I have very delicate hair around my edges, AND I KNEW THIS , but you see what had happened was, box braids had just made a huge come back and I caught a bad case of FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out). Needless to say, them braids done snatched up my hairline ..it was GONE!! POOF!!!



My most recent setback happened at the end of 2016. I had been playing around alot with colour. I dyed my hair plum; bleached it blonde, dyed it purple and then black again. So my hair really took a beating, and she wasted no time in letting me know that she was not having it! (She has zero chill) my hair began shedding like crazy and was just constantly dry....so I decided to do my 2nd Big Chop. I'm now 2 month's post BC and have decided to grow it out in a tapered cut. Do I regret any of my setbacks? ...no. it's all part of this beautiful adventure, and hair grows! It will grow back. Would I ever experiment with colour again? Yes Ma'am! I love trying out new cuts, styles and colour on my hair...the same hairstyle and colour can get boring, so it’s good to be adventurous and switch it up now and then.


What advice would you give to someone considering a BC?
 Since I have had the opportunity to transition and do a Big Chop, I can honestly say, when it comes to BC JUST DO IT!! From my experience BC'ing is definitely much easier than transitioning. It allows you to become quickly acquainted with your natural hair from the get go without the struggle of dealing with two different textures. I always advise women to BC when starting their natural journeys. Embarking on a natural journey requires a certain state of mind, a whole paradigm shift , and a clean slate is always best to get things started.


What do you love about your current hair journey?
I'm loving the extra confidence that rocking my natural hair has given me. I mean, I was a confident woman before I returned to natural...but now it's like, when I walk down a street,.... I own that street! Uyezwa wena gal!!!? There is so much power in knowing...really knowing yourself.

Describe your hair in one sentence?
My hair is Nappy as yo pappy, but ooooooh so happy!!



What are your favourite products that you can't live without?
My Almond oil: every low porosity natty should have a stash of this oil at all times! It is definitely a must have. I use it as my moisture sealant.
My leave in conditioner. I use Elvive extraordinary Oil leave in cream, and my hair loves it.
Lastly, right now because, my hair is super short, my Aunty Jackies Flaxseed Gel and Easy Waves curl activating gel are my go to’s to get them curls popping!

Do you have a side hustle/business or project that you'd like to share with us?



Once I realised that I had totally annihilated my hairline, I frantically and desperately tried to repair it..... I mean how was I supposed to flourish with my FINEAPPLE with no edges???? kanjani!? I used every product out there in an attempt to regenerate my hairline ...but DOLOLO!!! No luck. And well necessity is the mother of creation. I , together with my brother Bryce Arnold (super Seiyan , master potion mixer!!) began researching oils with restorative properties and together we formulated what some of the Natties who have used our treatment call "the magic potion." Within weeks of using the oil mixture, my hairline began to thicken and fill out again...much to my relief..I could confidently fineapple again.
Driven by pure passion and love for natural hair , my brother, Bryce and I co-founded the Facebook natural hair support group "Its All Natural! " where were we motivate, advise , organise natural hair meet ups and give great tips on how to care for your natural hair. It's an awesome place for a natty to be! If you haven't already .. Please join and feel at home in our natty family. Find the link below :
For more information on our Hairline Repair Treatment or to place an order drop us an email at: itsallnatural16@gmail.com or
Follow and PM me on the Grams @natural2themax
Brown child, you are enough!!Remember it's not a journey it's an adventure!
Peace and love!


Well curlies I hope you learnt a thing or two from Max and don't forget to check out her hair group  on Facebook for more tips and tricks-  its just a click away!

Thanks again for dropping by and if you would like to be featured on my blog drop me an email.



Thursday 9 March 2017

Detox your hair with Bentonite Clay...

Hi again!

 I am so glad that I discovered Bentonite clay thanks to all the hair groups that I follow. After a few uses all I can say is I'm getting me another one! 
I apply it as a hair mask, face mask and use it as a shampoo to clarify. I just make it in a  liquid form.



So I'm sure by now you like what's so special about this clay? Well, it

- it cleanses, clarifies and conditions the hair. It literally sucks out all the toxins and dirt and restores your scalp back to normal. It also relieves an itchy scalp. So just like a magnet it attracts everything thats bad in your hair  that is why it makes an excellent face mask! 


I mix the powder with some apple cidar vinegar. You can add aloe vera juice if you want.  It will fizzle not to worry. I also added some essential oils after one of my curlfriends from Instagram suggested it. What I love about this clay is that you can add a bunch of things to the mix, like conditioner, tea, yoghurt, ils etc. I didn't yet try all of these ingredients but I will soon.
                 I added more water to this mixture as you can see it was too thick.
Oh I read somewhere that you should not use a metal spoon or bowl to mix. The properties of the metal interact with the properties of the clay and decreases the clay's potency. (in my simplified version lol).
The very first time I applied it on dry hair. I didn't like it that way. I now apply it to wet hair because the water helps to evenly distribute the paste better.


Forty minutes I leave it in for but you can leave it longer or shorter its all up to you. Rinse thoroughly. To my surprise it's rather easy to rinse off-  but still rinse really well. You will immediately notice how soft your hair feels. Now you can apply your favourite conditioner! I always deep condition afterwards. The choice is yours there is no wrong or right way. Play around with the different methods and mixtures to find what your hair loves.

         
Wear an old t-shirt cos things can get really messy...

The clay transformed my hair into soft pliable hair! My expectations moving forward - to get healthy hair and glowing skin! 

Check out this video I did where I'm using Bentonite clay as a shampoo.



If you haven't yet tried out this clay then you should. Your hair will love it:) Thank me later..


Stay Natural -  Stay Magical




Saturday 4 March 2017

Meet the gal behind the Magicalmessyhair...

Hello again curlies!


I have a gorgeous curly to introduce to you! Yep another Instagram curlfriend of mine. I was instantly attracted to her swag and I can not begin to say how beautiful she and her hair are! ( We kinda have the same hair type too.) Anywho she shares lots of her favourite products with us - which I really appreciate.….Meet the gal behind the Magicalmessyhair




1 Please introduce yourself?
My name is Darian Leigh Roman. I am 22 and a natural curly girl since 2014. My interests include blogging, dancing and being creative. I have social pages that follows my journey with tips and tricks I used from then until now called Reddee. I am outgoing and full of jokes Loloud.

2 How long are you natural?
I started my journey in 2014 so that would make me 3 years Natural this year.






3 What or who inspired you to embrace your God given crown?
My journey started when I had patches of hair broken off due to a relaxer and dye in the same week. I went scrolling for makeup inspiration and Glamtwins334 YouTube video popped up as a suggestion. And I've been Natural ever since so I would say Kelsey and Kendra (owners of the page) inspired me to embrace my crown.





4 Describe your hair in one sentence? 
My hair is moody, playful and stubborn but the love of my life.

5 Please share your hair regimen with us? 
1 week regimen consists of: 
Co-wash (the perfect range) 
Conditioner (no preference)
Deep conditioner (DIY mango DC, video on my page)
Leave-in (homemade) 
Styler (homemade / Curl chemistry)
Protective style (twists) 

6 What are some of your favourite products that you can't live without? 
Pure unrefined Shea Butter!!!! 
I can't live without shea butter as I add it to everything. 
Recently added Natural aloe as well 
Homemade flaxseed gel 
Store bought product faves: 
Organics Hair mayonnaise (been using this since 2014) 
Aunt Jackies Shampoo 
Curl Chemistry curl activate 
The perfect hair co-wash and gel (recent but will become a staple) 
Organics moisturizer.




7 Any hair practices you'd like to share?
I never do the same thing. I always switch it up

8 How do you like to wear your hair most of the time?
My hair is usually in twists or a bun and I let my fro out on weekends only - unless I have things to do in the week.




9 What advice would you give someone who is considering  returning to  natural?
DO THE BIG CHOP! It's the one thing I regret because I believe my journey took this long because I didn't just start from scratch also you learn how to work with your hair from the get go and you wouldn't need to chop and swop products as you go from having to battle transitioning  

10 Do you have a side hustle / projects that you'd like to share?
I currently make my own products that is best suited for type 4 hair because I have noticed that shelf products cater more for type 2-4a max so hopefully I can get that up and running this year as well as create a blogging platform that will inspire and bring deals to my followers as being Natural can be very expensive. 

This gal is going places! -  to stay  connected with Darian for more hairspiration follow her: 
Fb Redder
Instagram Redee.za
Twitter Refer.za

P.S. If you are interested in being featured as a gal behind the Magicalmessyhair drop me an email (louwmarlene08@gmail.com) or use the contact form to get in touch with me.




Featured post

Let's get picture ready!

What's up Magicals!         Last month I purchased an Essence  concealer at Dischem , they were having a sale, and you guys know ...