D-I-Y Nappturaliciously: Mixtress Magic - Oh Honey! Hot Oil Hair Treatment

I've been dying to try a Honey Hot Oil Hair Treatment in my hair after hearing raves about it throughout the natural hair community. I was a bit skeptical at first, I must admit, but after reading up on the healing properties of honey, I was sold.

Honey is a humectant; it attracts and holds moisture. This makes it a good choice for damaged or dry hair. Incorporating a Honey Hot Oil Treatment can help return the natural shine and will add health to your hair.

Honey Hair Conditioner Recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 cup honey
2 to 4 TBS olive oil (depending on hair type, use lesser amount for oily hair)

Directions:
Mix together the olive oil and honey then massage well into your hair until evenly covered.
Cover your head with a shower cap and allow the honey treatment to set for 30 minutes or longer.

Wash & shampoo hair very well and rinse thoroughly.

Check out the fabulous ashiek118's video tutorial on the Honey Hot Oil Hair Treatment for a more in-depth tutorial.



Have you tried a Honey Hair Treatment? Be sure to leave a comment with your thoughts! I will be trying this in the upcoming weeks, so be sure to check out the blog for pictures and tales of my experience.

D-I-Y Nappturaliciously: Mixtress Magic - Curl Recipes from NaturallyCurly.com

When I worked at Carol's Daughter years ago (in their Customer Service department), I had a few opportunities to chat with Founder Lisa Price. She's a very sweet, and down-to-earth woman, who knows her sugar-honey-iced-tea when it comes to the D-I-Y approach to hair care!

Because of this, I was not surprised in the least when I read on NaturallyCurly.com that they had partnered with Carol's Daughter to provide a one stop shop for a bit of Mixtress Magic on Demand!!! Not only does Lisa share some of her favorite recipes, but readers are invited to add their own!!! Here are a few of my favorites:

Hair Rinse

This rinse is ideal to boost shine and soothe the scalp. Made with chamomile flowers and lavender it's as beautifying as it is relaxing.

Ingredients:

2 cups water
Chamomile Flowers (handful)
Lavender Buds (handful)
Fresh Peppermint Leaves (small bunch)
Chopped Fresh Parsley (small bunch)
1 large Lemon
Chopped Rosemary (small bunch)
10 drops of rose geranium essential oil

Directions:

Chop herbs and flowers and place in 2 cups of water. Squeeze lemon and add juice. Boil and let cool. Strain mixture to separate water Pour throughout hair after cleansing and conditioning. Do not rinse out. Style as usual May also be placed in the fridge in a spray bottle to freshen curls in between shampoos.

Scalp Exfoliating Treatment

These are one of my favorite recipes to make. Outside of it smelling good enough to eat, its fun to make. In order to have healthy hair, you have to start with a healthy scalp. I like using sugar for the scalp because its gentler than salt.

Ingredients:

4 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
1/4 c. Coconut Milk
2 Tbsp Grated Coconut
2 Tbsp. Honey
Lemon Zest from 1 Lemon
Oil Elixir:
2 Tbsp Sunflower seed oil
2 Tbsp Soy oil
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 drops of lemongrass, grapefruit and geranium essential oil

Directions:

1. Empty dry contents into a bowl 2. With a spoon, stir together and mash any clumps of brown sugar 3. Stir in coconut milk and honey 4. Once thoroughly mixed, slowly stir in 2 tablespoons of the Oil Elixir.

Key Tips for Mixtresses from Lisa Price

1. Always write down exactly what you do when you make a recipe, even if it's rough notes. It can be annoying because you want to be creative and grab things, but if it comes out glorious and you can’t remember what you did it's hard to recreate steps. If it comes out horrible, you can figure what went wrong and fix it.

2. Never be afraid to experiment. If it sounds interesting, go for it.

3. Two of my staples are shea butter and cocoa butter; they are like butter and eggs. You can make a cake without them, but it’s not going to be as good. There’s simply a texture and richness that the combo of shea butter and cocoa butter brings to things.

4. When it comes to oils, opt for ones that don't have a heavy odor associated with them. You can blend them and not have the base oil interfere with the fragrance. Some good oils to work with are wheat germ oil, coconut oil and macadamia oil. You get effectiveness without weight.

5. If you're a new mixtress, avoid recipes with glycerin. It tends to be sticky and tacky, which can be challenging.

6. If you're working with a recipe containing bananas and avocados, it needs to be used right away. Even if you're putting it in the refrigerator, it can turn bad too quickly.

7. A lot of times people think they can infuse fragrance from real flowers, but buying botanical oils are cheaper. It takes about 4,000 pounds of rose petals to distill one ounce of attar of rose (essential oil of rose).

8. Some of the easiest recipes for beginning mixtresses include hair oils, scalp exfoliation treatments and herbal rinses.

9. If you’re making products as gifts or to sell, you need to disclose ingredients on the label. You never know what somebody’s allergic to.

10. Some good books for beginning mixtresses include:


"The Art of Aromatherapy: The Healing and Beautifying Properties of the Essential Oils of Flowers and Herbs" by Robert Tisserand


"Aromatherapy Book: Inhalations and Applications"by Jeanne Rose


"Aromatherapy Workbook" by Marcel Lavabre

To check out all of the recipes, be sure to visit the Curl Recipes homepage at NaturallyCurly.com

D-I-Y Nappturaliciously: Mixtress Magic - Simply Ayurvedic

I've recently started dabbling in Ayurvedic Hair practices by incorporating the use of Dabur Amla Oil into my Spring Hair Regimen. It's been a bit over a month, but so far my hair has responded amazingly to the oil: From root to ends, my hair is softer and shinier, and I've noticed dramatically less shedding  (which was a concern of mine). I've even started to notice a bit of accelerated growth, which wasn't my focus, but I'm taking it as a sign of happy hair!

I decided to search the internet (starting with a few of my favorite blogs!) for recipes we all can do at home to pamper our textured tresses. Here are a few simple options to start... your hair will thank you! :)

Henna-Coconut Milk Hair Mix

Recipe Courtesy of Natural Review by L

Ingredients:

- 100 gram of henna (Jamila or any kind that is body-art quality)
- Coconut milk (Use about 7oz. or as much as needed to create a good creamy texture)
- Apple cider vinegar
- Olive oil

According to L, this combination resulted in a consistency that was creamy and on the thicker side, which is a bonus because the thicker, the less mess!

Directions:

- Pour the henna into a clean bowl
- Add the entire container of coconut oil and mix thoroughly
- Add 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
- Add ACV little by little and mix, being sure to check the consistency (L used just a few tablespoons)
- Apply henna mixture to dry hair in small amounts without rubbing too much, but coating as much hair as possible.
- Cover hair with a plastic cap and leave in hair (people have left it in anywhere from 2-24 hours.)
- Rinse hair with water first carefully.
- Add your favorite conditioner to your hair and rinse several times.
- Once the henna mixture is completely out your hair, use your favorite deep conditioning treatment.
- Style as usual

Shikakai-Fenugreek Ayurvedic Shampoo

Recipe Courtesy of the Malaysian Yoga Society

Ingredients:

- 4 finger-length Shikakai Pods
- 1 Tbsp Fenugreek Seeds
- 1/2 cup water (Distilled is best)

Directions:

- Rinse Shikakai Pods and Fenugreek carefully
- Soak in water overnight
- Remove seeds and any hard fibers from the softened shikakai pods (Reserve liquid)
- Bring seeded shikakai, fenugreek and soaking liquid to boil in a pot. Remove from heat and let cool.
- Once cool, blend the mixture until frothy like a milkshake
- Wet your hair and lather with shampoo, rinse and repeat if desired.
- Follow up with your favorite conditioner


Ayurvedic Hair Cream

Recipe Courtesy of Natural Beauty Workshop

Ingredients:

- 1 ounce Amla Oil
- 1 ounces Mahabhringraj Oil
- 2 ounces Shealoe Butter (Found a great recipe from Natural Hair Rules!)

Directions:

- Gently melt the Shealoe Butter over medium heat in a double boiler.
- As soon as the Shealoe Butter has softened into a liquid, remove it from the heat and add the two Ayurvedic Oils.
- Whip the mixture until it cools. The cream should thicken slightly as it cools down, but will not become firm. If desired, add a few drops of your favorite Absolute, Attar, or Essential Oil. Jasmine Absolute would be a great choice.
- Transfer the mixture to a clean jar and allow it to cool completely.

D-I-Y Nappturaliciously: Mixtress Magic - Delightful Deep Conditioning Treatments

One of my favorite ways to pamper my curls is to apply a good deep conditioning treatment. I've spent oodles of dollars over the past few years on many different brands (some of which I've discussed here), but I've never made my own treatment. Which, frankly, is kind of like only taking a loved one out to dinner, but never making a home-cooked meal.

And just like I would research the best recipes to cook the best meal imaginable for my loved ones, I searched the net for some easy to make at home hair recipes containing ingredients you may already have in your kitchen!!! Some of these recipes work wonderfully as a pre-poo treatment as well! Enjoy!


Sesame and Coconut Protein Conditioner

Recipe Courtesy of Styles 101

Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp light sesame oil
2 eggs
2 tbsp coconut milk
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp coconut oil

Directions:

Mix ingredients in bowl, apply to hair before shampoo. Let sit for 20 minutes or longer. Rinse thoroughly, then shampoo.

Papaya-Coconut Hair Drench

Recipe Courtesy of Bright Hub

Ingredients:

1 Fresh Papaya
1/2 cup coconut milk
2 tsp. Honey
2 tsp. jojoba, olive, or coconut oil (your preference)

Directions:

Mash one fresh papaya and add 1/2 cup of coconut milk. Add 2 teaspoons of honey and your preferred oil. Mix all ingredients well and apply to the hair. Rinse well with warm water after 15 minutes. If your hair is not dry, leave out the oil. The papaya, honey, and coconut milk mixture is nourishing and shine enhancing on its own.

Methi Hair Mask

Recipe Courtesy of Fat Free Kitchen

Ingredients:

8 oz. Methi (Fenugreek) Seeds
Distilled Water

Directions:

Grind fenugreek (methi) seeds soaked in water overnight. Massage this paste on scalp and hair and leave it for 15-20 minutes. Wash it off with a mild shampoo. This paste is good for all types of hair problems, viz. dandruffs, falling hair, thinning of hair, baldness, split hair, etc.

D-I-Y Nappturaliciously: Mixtress Magic - Hair Recipes 101

I find it funny that my natural hair blog postings are called D-I-Y Nappturaliciously and I have never included advice on how to do it yourself. The reason? I am not a mixtress... despite my interest in herbology... I don't dabble in making my own products.

And I've been thinking I should start. When friend and  "blog consultant" Stephanie (hahahaha!) suggested I feature hair recipes for the blog, I scoured the internet for inspiration and found a treasure trove of yummy hair recipes that I couldn't wait to share, starting with recipes featuring what I call the Three Mixtress MUST-HAVE Ingredients: Honey, Shea Butter, and Coconut Oil!



Rosemary Honey Hair Mask

Ingredients:

* 1/2 cup honey
* 1/4 cup warmed olive oil (use 2 tablespoons for normal to oily hair)
* 4 drops rosemary essential oil
* 1 teaspoon xanthum gum (you should be able to find this in health food stores)

Directions:

Place all the ingredients in a bowl (select a small bowl) and mix thoroughly. Pour into a clean plastic bottle with a tight fitting stopper or lid. Apply a small amount at a time to slightly dampened hair. Massage scalp and work mixture through hair until completely coated. Cover hair with a warm towel (towel can be heated in a microwave or dryer) or condtioning cap; leave on for at least 30 minutes. Remove by shampooing or co-washing lightly and rinse with cool water. Dry as normal.



Shea butter Crème
This recipe makes an excellent hair moisturizer and sealer for both natural and relaxed black hair. It also makes a wonderful body butter!

Ingredients:

* 4 tablespoons shea butter
* 2 tablespoon cocoa butter
* 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
* A few drops of your favorite essential oil for fragrance

Directions: Melt the shea butter & and cocoa butter in a double boiler over a low heat until melted and slowly add olive oil. Pour the oils into a bowl, add a few drops of the essential oil to provide a light fragrance (Don't go overboard!). Put your bowl over another bowl filled with ice to allow the oils to set faster. Whisk vigorously until the mixture is light and fluffy (If you have one, use an electric hand mixer for this). Spoon into a jar, seal and enjoy!



Frizzy Hair Hot Oil Hair Recipe

Ingredients:

* 3 tablespoon Coconut oil
* 1 tablespoon Castor oil
* 5-10 drops Essential oil of choice for smell

Directions:

Melt coconut oil in a double broiler on low. Add castor oil, allow to cool then add your chosen essential oils.

Apply to hair, wrap hair in a towel for 30-45 minutes. Wash then dry hair.



Are there any Mixtresses out there? What are your favorite recipes? Have any you'd like to share? Drop me a line here and your recipe may be featured in a future Mixtress Magic post!