Avocado and Vatika Oil Deep treatment

I did my deep treatment today after doing a pre-poo overnight with my garlic amla oil(trying to hold the whip over shedding). I really don't have a written in stone regimen when it comes to what deep treatment I do when. I just watch my hair and if it seems to want moisture, I do whatever moisture treatment I desire to do at the time. If It needs protein, then, well..you know. This weekend my hair didn't seem to be neither here nor there about what it really wanted. So I just decided to do something I have been wanting to try - a avocado deep treat! Woot! LOL. and yes I did do it in the yarn braids.

Here are the ingredients:

1. 1/2 an Avocado
2. 1/2 TBSP of Vatika Oil
3. 15 drops Vitamin E
4. 10 drops Peppermint oil
5. 5 Horsetail capsules emptied into the mixing bowl

Doesn't it look some what yucky? lol. Anywho, mix with a fork until it's as smooth as you can get it or just stick a electronic mixer in it and work. I did the latter.

What I did:

1. I first washed my pre-poo'd hair with Gro Aut Herbal shampoo <3 This shampoo does not dry my hair out AT ALL. In fact it does the opposite; my hair feels very soft whenever I apply it and after I wash it out.





2. Then I distributed the avocado deep treat all over my scalp and hair and covered it with a shower cap and towel to utilize body heat. You can use a hooded dryer for heat with your hair under the shower cap,  if you have one.

3. I made it stay in for about an hour (I honestly didn't keep track) and then spent around 15 minutes trying to properly wash the avocado out of my braids. Getting it out of my hair was a walk in the park. But out of the yarn braids? Not so much...

My hair felt super clean, super soft and super thankful when I was done :) Glad I took the risk and did it in the yarn braids and now avocado deep treatments will be much in my future. You should try it if you haven't already.

Amara looks so happy in this pic, doesn't she? Amara is my hair of course( the name means beautiful :) )

<3 LATERZ <3

DIY: Yarn Braids

As you know I installed my yarn braids myself last weekend and honestly? It was not hard at all. Tedious yes, but really not hard to do. By just looking, it may seem as some sort of a puzzle to figure out. But all you really need to know is how many strands will give you the desired thickness of each braid. Take for instance I used 4 strand on each and It would probably would have come out with more body if I had used double the amount of strands. Because in my opinion, this set of yarn braids that I have in right now are indeed lacking in the body department..stil cute though :P But let's get to it.

What You Will Need

Acrylic yarn(wool yarn will tangle with your hair and also causes breakage). One to two spools of yarn should be able to do the trick. But if you know you want them extra long and thick consider getting three. The bigger the parts the more strands of yarn you should use for thickness. If your parts are extra small you can use two strands.

A comb for parting

Water in a spray bottle to moisturize your hair and the yarn

clips and or hair ties to keep unwanted hair out of the way

Directions

part hair into 4 symmetrical sections and secure with clips or hair ties. Then work with each section until the whole head is done.

Part out the hair that you wish to work with and mist it with water

overlap the desired amount of strand and place it under or over your hair with you hair in the middle of the two strands and then start plaiting like you normally would.

As you get down to the end of your hair assign two or more of the yarn strands to your hairs section and continue to plait to the end. This way when the braid is done there will not be much of your hair sticking out of the braid.

Tie the end of the braid once done. Which you then have the option of dipping into extremely hot water or burning with candle light to secure.

THAT'S IT!! That is all you have to do to successfully install yarn braids. I didn't even use a comb to part my hair and it still looks good. Have fun installing you braids :)


<3 LATERSZ<3

How I maintain my yarn braids

The good thing about yarn braids is you can basically treat them like your hair. You can moisturize, seal, wash and even condition in them! This fact is what made me decide to get them.
I maintain my yarn braids in basically the same way I maintain my new big chop; by using a method called LOC. I got this method from the Natural Sunshine Network. Here is the break down of it:

Liquid- Begin your sealing process with liquid. That is a water based leave in, etc.



Oil- Next add an oil to your hair. Experiment and find the one that works best for you. Natural hair loves oil and craves it. Step Two: Use the oil to coat your hair liberally.Then you’re ready for the final step...

Cream- Use a rich, cream based, product to seal in the moisture and protect your hair. Step Three: Apply a rich cream or butter based product to your hair concentrating on the ends.

I personally love this method.I do it 1 to 2 times a day according to the status of my hair and It keeps it soft and hydrated. Now I know I don't NEED to do the final step on yarn braids... But I do. Why? Because I don't want to stray from what I usually do all because I have braids. I am a girl who easily gets sidetracked from her hair regimen and changing it could make me drift away from or forget the methods that worked for me..I just want to continue doing it.Besides I wash my hair whenever I feel like.Which means build up will not be a problem for me.

Speaking of washing, My wash regimen is not very consistent. It is really just whenever I think it's needed or have the urge to feel water on my scalp. Usually that is every 2 to 3 days and one of the weekend days. I use an applicator bottle and mix one part shampoo to two parts water and distribute it through my scalp and massage it then repeat once. This helps me to get the shampoo everywhere and diluting it makes it light enough to go through the roots without drying out my hair.

After I rinse out the shampoo I then condition the braids by using the same applicator bottle, this time filled with conditioner and water in 50/50 proportion. I also take some of the conditioner straight out of the bottle and squeeze it unto the braids to ensure that the ends of my hair aren't left out of the equation. Because of this last step I have to stay under the shower head and rinse the braids while squeezing them out to ensure there is not too much conditioner trapped in them.

Once all of this is done, I will follow up with the LOC method of moisturizing and sealing. My leave in is Infusium 23, my oil is coconut oil and my cream is my whipped shea butter.

I will still do my deep conditioning while wearing my yarn braids, because as I said, not going to leave my real hair out of this. I haven't done the first one yet. But I will record how it goes when it does happen and I intend for that to be this weekend.

Well that is all folks!! That is how I maintain my yarn braids.

<3 LATERZ <3