LOC - The Leave-In + Oil + Cream Method

Hello Lovelies!

Today's post is great for all my curly girls out there! Yes say good-bye to frizzy and coarse dry hair that does what it wants and does not listen to you. Do you know my favourite quote...?

'' When your hair won't listen to you and it's a mess and ur just like:
I grew you myself??
I gave you life and this is how you
repay me?? ''

source: un-known genius girl.

I feel you girl. :D So this method is originally invented by my beautiful black afro american haired gals with super curly and coarse hair. And it works like a charm for everyone who's hair is is a similar state of dryness and frizziness. I am not sure who came up first with it, but the girls form naturally curly website have been raving a lot about it. This will work for thick, curly, wavy and dry hair. If your hair is super smooth, straight and silky it may weight your hair down, but why nevertheless give it a try. Just use minimal amounts and you should be fine. You always start with freshly washed wet hair.

The basics of LOC-Method are :

1. Leave in. Use a leave in you love. It is important that is mostly water based. I use Aloe Vera Gel (100% organic I switched it now to Urtekrams, which a great Aloe Gel!) You ca also use a rose-water leave in, line seed gel or even very watered down conditioner (like one drop conditioner and a glass of water). I start at my chin and go down all the length.
2. Oil. It is simple, oil and long hair go together hand in hand, they are the best couple on the planet. My favourite at the moment is almond oil, But there are tons of great oils, just find the one that makes you most happy, have a look at my top 5 hair oils. I apply 5 drops of almond oil starting and my ends and work it up about 25 cm. 
3. Cream. Use a good organic body butter. I have a wonderful one from Bioturm with a Vanilla Scent. It works great on your bumpy legs and dry spots as a real body butter but is also amazing for your hair. There are a few different organic options, even DM has two, one with Avocado and one with Vanilla too. Just stay away from Body Butters containing silicones. make sure your body butter contains generous amounts of shea butter or cache butter. You don't want that on your body and hair - it is like a plastic coat. I just ran out of my original hair butter, I have the DIY recipe here for you. I need to order some shea butter to make a new batch.

Results:

Moistutzed soft hair, defined waves. I usually brush my curls out,
but they were much more defined.

Why LOC? Does it matter in which order I apply?

Well yes it does. Applying a liquid moisturiser first and then applying an oil and cream will help you seal moisture in. You will notice that drying your hair will take much longer when you use the LOC method. But the results are worth it, your hair is much softer and finally moisturised.
If you do it the first time I recommend you to use a light hand when dosing your products, start with much less than you normally would. Otherwise it might be too much and you will end up with limp, oily and sticky hair. All happened before -.-
Let me know how this worked for you, lots of happy hair days to you,

About Loving Your Hair

Me happy and content, at peace.

Hello Lovelies!

I have been planning this post for the longest time and finally found the right words.

About the time I was fighting against my hair..

Some years ago, actually quite a long time ago after I finished high school I just had a moment when suddenly I understood what loving your hair really means. See, I have very coarse curly and thick hair that is super dry when not properly taken care of with sheabutter leave in and coconut oil. 

But my hair type is not really common in Europe - I had no idea what to do with my hair or how to take care of it. The girls in my high school class all had blonde fine and shiny super/straight hair with lots of layers. And you know what - I really wanted to look like these girls! I was flat iron my hair to get my curls and waves out, damaging my hair nearly beyond repair. And this was not enough - I dyed it bleach blonde as well. My structure became even worse of course in between washes and I was never able to achieve the silky smooth look I wanted so badly. Leave alone that when my hair is too short it curls and frizzes even more leaving me with the look of a little hedgehog.

It took some time for me to realise that I should really appreciate what I do have and start making the most out of it. Once I embraced my hair structure, colour and thickness and started growing my hair long, it really only then revealed it's beauty. Before believe me - it was a hot frizzy mess. 

No matter what type of hair you have - if straight, curly thin or thick, firstly you got to start loving it. It will only make you unhappy if you are trying to be something that you are not and it will always look fake as well. 

You can take baby steps, this is what I did. 

1. What hair structure do you have? Straight? Great! Try out hair styles that will not change your structure and give you a silky smooth look - e.g. the lazy wrap bun which does not give you bun waves. Curly? Try to nuture your hair with aloe vera gel, use the t-shirt towel method and try conditioning only to keep your moisture in and your curls crunchy. Wavy? You are like me, I am sure your hair will be very happy about braids at night with some hair oil in it so that you hair can keep it's natural waves. You hair will be most happy when you let it be in it's own natural structure and reward you with shine and non/frizz :)
2. Colour! Are you in the silvery blonde or ashy blonde department? Try a silver shampoo that let's your hair shine and removes yellowing from the sun. You are a golden blonde or dark golden blonde? Wonderfull, try chamomile rinses and if you want to go lighter - lemon rinses to naturally lighten up your hair. You have black hair? You lucky one, normally you don't need to do anything. So many people are jealous because you have naturally the most shine. But why not try black tea rinses to add a burgundy glow to your hair and indigo once your greys start to show up. You are a brunette or red head? Wonderful you can use henna rinses, henna glow or henna treatments to intensify your own redness like I do. I use a hair treatment once a month with 2,5 cups of cassia (''colourless henna'') 1 tablespoon of henna and 1 tablespoon of Amla and 2 tablespoons of Shishakai. It gives my natural auburn just enough ginger shimmer in the sun without really changing my hair colour. 
3. Hair State! Well firstly we need to start pampering your hair. Try to be gentle. No heat please at all costs if possible, unless you live in the antarctica and are inuit. Be nice to your hair - take your time brushing, use a good smooth wooden comb or my favourite - a horn comb. Use good ingredients - there are affordable organic options for all budgets and even good affordable silicone free products.You don't need to spend a ton on expensive salon products or super high marketed organic options. Listen to your hair - is it dry? Do a deep conditioning treatment before each wash. Is it very oily? Use a mild shampoo and try to stretch your washes so it gets used to produce less oil. 

Wise saying. Beauty.

Now, it might be that you are still fighting against your hair in one or another sense. But I do have some tips for you. Believe me every hair type and colour is beautiful. You have trouble seeing that? Go to pinterest and google your hair type, you will find thousands of beautiful pictures of your natural hair state. Make your own inspirational board :) 

I believe that once you make peace with yourself - your hair you will always look beautiful. I find the most beautiful people are the ones that are content and always look at the bright side. Your hair might be super frizzy - but it sure does make a gigantic beautiful thick braid as well. Try to always focus on the good aspects. The bad things will vanish and mostly the things you find vaults in are beautiful for other people. Beauty always lies in the eye of the beholder. Such a very true wise saying. This also applies for other things, like your body type, your colours and complexion, your height and many other things. Never forget that we all struggle to an extent and even the prettiest person might be extremely insecure and awkward in certain areas. Once you radiate your own inner peace - you will always be beautiful. Inside and out. 

Current Hair Care Up-Date

Hello Lovelies!

I think it is time for a current hair care favourites post :) 

Here is an update of the products I currently love!

Aubrey Organics Island Naturals and Jojoba and Aloe for very dry and coarse hair

I love Island's Natural Shampoo from Aubrey organics - it is a very rich shampoo with lovely golden coloured herbal pieces in it. It moisturises the hair very thoroughly. In combination with Jojoba and Aloe Conditioner - great! - these two will be the death of dry and frizzy hair. The downside: if used too often in a row, they will weigh my hair down and leave an oily film. 

Mild clearing shampoo - Urea 5% Balea 2 in 1

That is why I use the Balea 5%  Urea Shampoo and Shower Gel. The Balea Shampoo doubles as a body wash is very mild and will remove any film or oiliness. The downside is that there are not a lot of nutrients - so I will just use this shampoo maybe once or twice a month as a clearing shampoo

Easy Gym Solution / Balea Professional

I have been going to the gym on a very regular basis every second day, since I gained some weight over the holidays :D  For the gym the very affordable Balea Professional Shampoo and Conditioner are a great easy solution. I am currently using the brown shampoo and conditioner because I love the smell of these so much - they smell like almonds,caramel and chocolate :) It is a heavenly smell. This duo also contains brown sparkling pigments and helps to intensify my auburn tones.

From the Balea Professional line I have also used the Repair Hair Care Line and the Oil Repair Line - I do like all of these three versions although I love the brown series the most. Please beware that this line will dry your hair out on the long run because it contains PEG and film-bildners that coat your hair. The reason why I like to use it occasionally is because I get very easily detangled hair which is great after a quick Gym workout. 

Now my favourite oil is the Weleda Rose Oil - it is a great oil as a leave-in and deep conditioning treatment before you wash your hair. The smell is wonderful very herbal and not too sweet or flowery. It smells like wild roses. It is a great body oil as well gets absorbed easily and will leave your skin very soft and glowing! It is a very pricey oil and I usually get it for my birthday as a gift :)

It contains mainly jojoba oil, sweet almond oil and rosehip oil. A lot of cheaper organic oils are based on sunflower seed oil and do not contain these high quality organic oils. If you buy a rose oil make sure you check the main ingredients to ensure that your rose oil actually contains rose <3 .

The ingredients are wonderful as well:
Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Rosa Moschata (Rosehip) Seed Oil, Rosa Damascena (Rose) Flower Oil, Fragrance (Parfum)*, Limonene*, Linalool*, Citronellol*, Benzyl Alcohol*, Benzyl Benzoate*, Geraniol*, Citral*, Eugenol*, Farnesol*.

Review: Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiskus - Curl & Define and Raw Sheabutter Restorative Conditioner

Hello Lovelies!

I know I know it has been ages. Apologies to you. In the meantime I did not chop off my hair, dyed it purple or got a perm. All is in it's usual glory eh mess ^^ I have been super busy but more about that at a later time point. 

Good news are : I fell in love! Yes finally! Well I did and I did so through and through with the organic US brand called Shea Moisture! I got a hair care packet from my beautiful long-haired friend Tanja  telling me that I would love that hair care line. Well, she has been right on point! I was astonished. I have always been a great lover of Aubrey Organic's Hair Care I love their effect, incis and philosophy. But I do have to say Shea Moisture is pretty amazing as well!

Originally created for very dry, curly afro-american hair it works like a charm with my dry, coarse and curly hair. If you are a curly girl definitely go for it! The products are very rich but I am not sure how well fine hair would work with them since none of my friends tried out this brand. 

About Shea Moisture:

• organic hair care
• no animal testing
• great ingredients
• easy formulas 
• no synthetic fragrances

Coconut and Hibiskus 

Curl and Shine Shampoo and Conditioner

I have used the whole series up. It gives my curls a very bouncy appearance, defines very well and it is great in moisturising. The conditioner works like a charm in detangling and the best part is: the fragrance! Smells like coconut and mango. Very tropical and very yummy! Imagine you are stepping out of a lagoon at a tropical island. The shampoo had a golden caramel colour and had strong cleaning properties. Beware I had some dandruff because it is rather concentrated. After I started using the shampoo diluted the dandruff stopped.It is a very strong shampoo but my sensitive scalp did not get any break-outs. And by the way the conditioner might be the best one I have tried with regard to curly hair! 

Raw Shea Butter 

Restorative Conditioner

Not as great in detangling like the curly series but still a very good heavy duty conditioner that moisturised very well and caused lots of shine. Again the smell is a--mazing, it smells very warm, like a cashmere, vanilla, powdery fragrance. Very seductive, pleasant and long lasting. However the consistency is pretty thick and once you reach the bottom of the bottle the distribution is not very good. Did not do so much with the curls so I think it is better with wavy or straight hair.

Shea Moisture Conditioners come with a pump which is very handy I like that a lot! The fragrances that they use are outstanding! You can order the products from their web site at around 10 $ /bottle. If however you live in europe like I do it is a pretty pricey matter - a bottle here sells for about 20/25 Euro, but the bottle are again a good size, about 325 ml. The shampoo lasted me long enough, my use of conditioner is very high so this might become an expensive affair. If you know any good sites where to buy please let me know! You can order from this website if you are located in Europe.

 That's it from me today my dear long-haired friends! I am dying to try out their other product lines like Manuka Honey and Tahitian Noni.  Have you every used Shea Moisture products? How was your experience with them?

Oh and just so that you know I still exist after all that long absence a picture of the back of my head ;p and a messy bun <3

Ficcare Topaz Diamond Lazy Wrap Bun in Red Hair

DIY: Coco-Aloe Leave In for very long hair

Hello Loevelies!

I am finally sharing my holy-grail in hair care recipe with you :) I know I promised to do so earlier, one of my lovely reader's reminded me again, thank you so much here we go now :) When I say holy grail I really mean it. I am using Coco-Aloe every morning on my hair and curls before I leave the house and whenever I am running out of Aloe Vera Gel I immediately see the lack of it in my very dry hair! This recipe will work well for any lengths and hair types because Aloe Vera will moisturise your hair while coconut oil will soften your locks. It is especially great for very dry and brittle hair and if you have curls or waves you will never use any other conventional product like a mousse or gel that is loaded with silicones and alcohol. 

The original recipe is by darl_in1 from the lhc and called cocaloe - creme and contains Aloe Vera Gel, Avocado Oil and Coconut Oil. I am using a modified version. The original recipe is whipped up as follows:

How to: 

• 2 Tablespoons of Coconut Oil
• 2 Tablespoons of Aloe Vera Gel
• 1/2 Tablespoon of Avocado Oil

Warm the Coconut Oil and stir with Aloe Vera Gel and Avocado Oil, whip it up during the cooling process until you have a buttery texture.

I have done this recipe quite a few times, but overtime it always went bad and mouldy. The lack of preservative and the Aloe Vera with a very high amount of water is good for bacterial growth! Even if stored in the fridge, the only way I would whip it up is if I know I am using high amounts and just storing the mix for no more than three days.

The solution:

I stopped whipping it up and I am now just mixing every morning equal drops of Coconut Oil and Aloe Vera Gel in my palms wait until they emulsify and work them through my ends and lengths. 

My hair gets an instant shine and the moisture is locked in by the Coconut Oil. It is a staple in my haircare routine and really an essential part of my hair care! I hope you find the simple recipe equally as great as I do and I would love to hear your results! 

Oh and of course I have a picture for you how the effect is on my curls, you know that my hair is normally brushed out and wavy and here is the version of Coco-Aloe Curls,

P.S. In case your hair does not like coconut oil feel free to use another oil xo, Zoey

Care: Review Alterra Feuchtigkeits Shampoo Aloe Vera Granatapfel

Review - Alterra Feuchtigkeitsspülung Granatapfel Aloe Vera

Hello Lovelies! 

Today's review will be about one of my all-time favourite low budget hair care series, the Alterra Moisture Shampoo and Conditioner with Pomegranate and Aloe Vera (200 ml/2 Euro). I have used multiple bottles of this series over time and I usually have a bottle of conditioner at home as a prewash conditioner. Both products work great on all hair types - Lenja has a review in german on her blog and her fine blonde hair loves the conditioner as much as my coarse thick and dry hair! I think one of the reasons is Aloe Vera - it adds moisture to all hair types without weighting hair down. You can buy them online or at the german drugstore Rossmann.

Recipe for deep moisture treatment - Snowy's Moisture Treatment

This conditioner works miracles if you add 

• two tablespoons of honey to

•  4 tablespoons of conditioner and 

• two tablespoons of pure Aloe Vera Juice! 

If everything fails and your hair is really bitchy and unmanageable this recipe is my holy grail! 

Back to our Incis!

Conditioner 

Aqua, Alcohol*, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol,Myristyl Alcohol, Glycine Soja (Oil)*, Punica Granatum (Seed Oil)*, Ricinus Communis(Seed Oil)*, Punica Granatum (Fruit Extract)*,Aloe Barbadensis (Leaf Juice)*, Acacia Farnesiana (Flower Extract)*, Lauroyl Sarcosine, Sodium Lactate,Hydroxyethylcellulose, Carthamus Tinctorius(Seed Oil)*, Tocopherol, Helianthus Annuus(Seed Oil), Ascorbyl Palmitate, Parfum**,Linalool**, Limonene**, Geraniol**,Citronellol**, Citral** * ingredients from certified organic agriculture ** from natural essential oils

Shampoo

Aqua, Lauryl Glucoside, Sodium Coco Sulfate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Glycerin,Lauroyl Sarcosine, Punica Granatum Fruit Extract*, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice*,Acacia Farnesiana Flower Extract*,Hydroxypropyl Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Alcohol*,Parfum**, Linalool**, Limonene**,Geraniol**, Citronellol**, Citral** * ingredients from certified organic agriculture ** from natural essential oils

The conditioner contains stearamidopropyl dimethylamine - it is a softener that was also used in huge amounts on the very popular Sante Brilliant Care Conditioner before they changed the formula. Next there is lots of soja oil, pomegranate seed oil, castor oil (yay!) and aloe vera juice.

The shampoo cleanses with mild coco glucosides, contains betaine and glycerin for manageability and again Aloe Vera. There is no protein in either shampoo or conditioner. 

Fragrance:

Sweet fresh and fruity. It can be a little annoying with the sweetness over time but nothing that would keep you from using it.

Both products get a 10/10 for a great combination of price, ingredients and moisture booster effect!

Did you use this series or any more products of the alterra line? I have only used the pomegranate series but I am curious to try out different shampoos :) 

Flechtwerk - Leave In Recipes for long hair

Hello Lovelies! 

I hope you are all enjoying the sunlight and having a wonderful Summer. I have been swimming for the last couple of days and really enjoyed the amazing weather :) I have to apologize, I am having trouble with my Laptop so this post is coming to you through my Blogger App and I can't link my recipes yet and not load all the pics I want. Bear with me I will fix that problem soon. 

Back to our topic! 

I am a big fan of Leave In's! I really always and forever have some kind of hair oil or hair cream in my ends and lengths. It protects your ends from split ends and nourishes between washes. My hair is naturally extremely dry and I do benefit a lot from Leave In Treatments ! Here my braid with a happy cat on the beach, the picture is just a phone pic but it is just too cute. Don't know why some people don't like cats! Currently there is lots of Alverde Hair Oil in my braid :D I know it does take some effort to use a leave in on a daily basis - but don't let me come over here - you do want super long and healthy hair right? So be good and just do it. 

Alverde Hair Oil

Since I am really big on leave in's there are lots of recipes already on my blog!

 Recipes:

• Sheabutter Hair Balm - my favourite during Winter time ❄️
• Rosewater-leave in , lovely scent and refreshens curls!
• Coc-aloe (50%aloe vera juice & coconut oil) extra moisture! Great for hairstyling and my go to in the morning - Post should be coming soon as well.
• Hair oil ( I do love my Serum the most I have to say. I do admit that it is very expensive so why don't you check out - Argan Oil as well ? My hair just soaks it right up! Then pure coconut or infused oil and almond oil) 

Long red hair & ginger cat :)

Leave In Routine 

I wash my hair every 5-7 days and add a Leave In twice a day! Every morning I usually use some coc-aloe after I comb my hair and then braid or bun it. Every night as Part of my nighttime routine I use a heavier hair oil on dry hair, I use a small tablespoon and start at my ends working up to my shoulders. Then I braid my hair and by the next morning - voila ! Oil is soaked up and my hair is nourished and shiny! By the end of the week at wash day my hair is pretty full of Leave in! That's why I use plain high quality organic oil - you don't want Patene Chemicals or Silicone based hair oil build up for a week in your hair! 

When it does not work for you..

What can I do if I do look like a little grease ball after a Leave In?

• First of all you might be doing what we all did once we discovered hair care and the magic of oils! Quantity is not always everything you might be over doing it. My hair is coarse up to my tighs and curly so I do use a tablespoon of hair oil but for normal haired gals a few drops are enough! It is about doing it regularly - not over doing it. Then happened to me too we all ended up as a little grease ball from time to time. Just braid it and no one will see your oil party.
• You might not find the right oil yet. Not every hair likes coconut oil. Some girls hair react with crunchiness! You need to try a few different oils. Look at my article about the top 5 best hair oils for some inspiration! Link is here. 
• Your hair might want a different consistency. Try Aloe Vera Gel, Pure Sheabutter or Cocoabutter. 

I hope my little tips helped you a little, See the girls post under these links, I am so excited because our hair types could not have been more different! Our next topic will be multi braids! Yay! I wear braids 90% of the time so I am really glad to mix things up a little.

wuscheline

Heike

Nessa

Bobby

Lenja

Review: Aubrey Organic's White Camellia Shampoo

Hello Lovelies,

If your hair is as dry as my hair and curly or wavy it is like a special quest to find a shampoo that is not drying out your hair and causing frizz. Aubrey Organic's is my favourite hair care brand and the White Camellia series is especially formulated for very dry hair. I had the conditioner as well and it is for sure one of my favourite conditioners! But be warned that this series is really only something for very dry hair - I don't have european fine hair, my hair is coarse and very thick. This series would be a good choice for women of colour as well, my roommate uses my shampoo on her shoulder length afro from time to time! I like to alternate White Camellia with the GPB Series (one of my favourite's as well! But causes a protein overkill from time to time so you need to alternate anyway). I usually dilute my shampoo, but White Camellia needs to be used pure otherwise my hair does not get clean.

INCI: Aqua, glycerin, decyl glucoside, sodium cocoyl hydrolyzed soy protein, oryza sativa extract*, prunus amygdalus dulcis oil*, camellia japonica seed oil*, glucose, xanthan gum, simmondsia chinensis seed oil*, rosa rubiginosa seed oil*, glyceryl linoleate, glyceryl linolenate, citric acid, tocopheryl acetate, pelargonium graveolens flower oil*, lavandula angustifolia flower oil*, macadamia ternifolia seed oil*, citrus grandis extract, glycine soja oil, glucose oxidase, lactoperoxidase, ascorbic acid, aloe barbadensis leaf juice*, alcohol denat., (38b, lavender*), hamamelis viginiana water, daucus carota sativa root extract, beta-carotene.

Ingredients

Lots of almond oil, soy protein and camellia oil! Camellia oil was especially used in Japan and is a famous though very expensive hair care oil. 

Fragrance

Like all AO products the fragrances are all natural and without artificial components. Which makes them pleasant for me but it is not the soapy dove smell that comes with regular drugstore products. White Camellia does not smell floral but more herbal/mossy and it has definitely some eucalyptus like fragrance. My favourite AO smell is honeysuckle rose which is a very sweet flowery smell btw! 

Effect

My hair is heavy and takes much longer to dry. The curls and waves are defined. If I do not rinse it well it leaves an oily residue. And it is an absolute frizz killer!

Did you try any of AO Products? Did you like them or do you prefer another brand for organic hair care?