Banana Protein Treatment with Slip

I know I have been MIA for a minute. There has been alot going on in my life and I will share all the details later on when I'm in a more settled place mentally.
Anyway, I wanted to share my banana protein treatment, which I did today. I'll give you a little insight into what my hair and I have been up to. It's no longer a TWA. I'd call it a small 'fro. Shrinkage is serious and very annoying. And because of all the other craziness going on in my life, I have kept it tucked away in 'protective styles', cornrows and braids, as not to mess with it. There is one advice from youtuber natural, Sera, that I found to be invaluable and that is to not mess with your hair when you are frustrated/angry or stressed, because you are likely to take it out on your hair with rough-handling, and not even realize it. So 'protective styles' have saved my hair. 
By the way, I use bananas in this treatment because bananas contain natural protein (so does the Braggs) and the point is to restore protein to my hair (in case any hair strands have become weakened due to protein loss).
Some of you may want to know how I decide what type of treatment my hair needs. The answer is that my hair tells me. I pay attention to my hair. I pay attention to every knot, every split end I can see with the naked eye, every broken strand. And after noticing one to two broken strands while doing my last protective style, I realized a protein treatment is probably a good idea about now.

Here is the recipe for the treatment I applied after shampooing my hair with Dudu-Osun natural shampoo (I still use my homemade shikakai tea as a 'poo but I like to do one homemade treatment at a time).

Banana Protein Recipe
2 overripe bananas
3-4 tablespoons Braggs Liquid Aminos
1/2 tspn brahmi powder
1 tablespoon shea butter (melted)
1 tspn olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup finely ground marshmallow root powder 

Blend bananas in blender, then strain (using mesh strainer) into a bowl to remove seeds (the tiny black spots you see after blending).
If you do not remove seeds, they will end up in your hair.
Add all other ingredients except marshmallow root powder and mix until smooth. Fold in marshmallow root powder and let mixture sit for a few minutes (2-4).
The longer you let it sit, the more slippery the mixture will become. Don't let it sit too long or it will be difficult to massage into your hair due to the slip.
Apply mixture to clean, damp but not soaking wet, hair. Cover with a shower cap. I have disposable shower caps as these things do get messy and don't smell great. Let sit for at least 20 minutes or as long as you like. Rinse out and style as usual.

The Low-Down on my Current Regimen

There have been some minor changes to my haircare regimen, especially as she is growing, growing, growing!
Here goes:

Washes
Since my hair is growing out, which means more detangling, I have reduced my co-washes from every day to about every other day, sometimes I go even two days. Of course I de-tangle in the shower with a wide tooth comb while conditioner is in my hair. When I don't co-wash, I still let steam and water get to my hair by leaving it out in the shower or I spritz with this mixture:
Glycerin
Water
few drops of jojoba oil
a drop or two of tea tree oil (to prevent my mix from mold)

I poo-wash once a week, sometimes I'll go a week and a half. I no longer use shampoo.  I have successfully transitioned to my homemade shikakai hair cleanser.  It's awesome and my hair responds well to it which makes me happy! *happy*

When I use the shikakai to cleanse my hair, I detangle after the wash, with my commercial-brand deep conditioner in it.  The shikakai mix does not provide slip so I don't try to de-tangle until the conditioner is in my hair so I have some slip.  More slip equals less breakage.
If I feel buildup, I will shampoo once a month with Organix Coconut Milk shampoo, but only if I feel like I need some clarifying that an acv rinse or bentonite treatment is not providing.  If I shampoo, I apply my daily conditioner before the shampoo and detangle with the conditioner in it, then add a bit of shampoo on top of the conditioner to cleanse.  I rinse then deep condition.

Conditioning
My daily conditioner (used for my co-washes) is a pretty generic one from Whole Foods.  It's called Everyday Shea, is natural, and most importantly, is gentle enough for everyday use.

My commercial-brand deep conditioner is still my Kerastase Oleo-Curl but I plan to mix that with DevaCurl Heaven in Hair (right now its just Kerastase).  I recommend Kerastase only if you don't mind paying alot for your conditioners, and its why I'm switching to DevaCurl which I've heard rave reviews about.  I'll let you know how my hair responds to the mix.

Of course there are my homemade deep conditioners, some of which I have shared with y'all.  Some of these have changed, for example, my bentonite clay hair treatment now includes marshmallow root powder  which acts as a humectant (and adds slip).  I will share new recipes and changes to posted recipes in later posts.

My homemade deep conditioners can be broken into four categories which I alternate based on how my hair is behaving:

Clarifying Treatments
Right now, my homemade bentonite clay treatment does the trick

Protein
This is my Braggs Liquid Aminos treatment that I shared in an earlier post (I'll add the link here).  This is great for those who do not need or whose hair does not respond well to protein treatments (like mine).  It is a 'lighter version' of a protein treatment.

Moisturizing
Usually for this, I just use my commercial-brand deep conditioners but when I feel like treating myself I do treatments like my chocolate treatment  (add link here) or a caramel treatment.

This also includes my pre-poo hot oil treatment (recipe provided in an earlier post - will add link).

Strengthening and Growth
This includes my henna and brahmi clay treatments which I have yet to share - but will, definitely.

I generally do deep conditioning treatments no more often than once every two weeks and I might cut back to once a month depending on my hair needs.

Daily Care

Scalp Moisturizing. I have a scalp oil concoction which is a mix of the most nourishing oils I know of:
Here is what is included in this mix:
Hemp seed oil
Castor oil
Jojoba oil
Macadamia nut oil
Kukui nut oil
Few drops of Tamanu oil
Spearmint essential oil (to cut the nutty smell from the macadamia nut oil and the castor oil. Nutty smells drive me crazy!)

I think olive oil but I can't remember.  Anyway, I massage a bit of this mix into my scalp at least every other day, and if I'm home all day, I do this more often.

After Wash
After a wash, I apply a pureed mix of gel, butters and olive oil.  It provides the hold to define my curls but doesn't make me choose between curl definition and moisture.

When I don't want any gel in my hair, usually if I will be home all day, I apply my super-moisturizer:  Its a pureed mix of the following:
Mango Butter
Shea Butter
Kukui Nut Oil
Coconut oil
Glycerin
Fragrance (I add almond fragrance oil with vanilla and it makes this mix smell super-yummy!)

If I am going out, getting dolled up, I will do a leave-in like Knot Today and gel, usually Eco Styler and big, loose, messy twists.  Its my current NSTWA going-out look. :)

That's the full scoop. If I left anything out, I will add it later.

Scalp Purifiers and Stimulants and My Improved Protein Treatment

Hello World,
So I mean for this to be a quick post but I've said that before and....well you know how it ends up.  :)
Anyway, a couple new things with my hair:
-I did a protein treatment this weekend with avocado that amazingly worked really well and to my excitement left my hair gunk-free (last time I tried it, I ended up with bits of white gunk in my hair)
- I found a use for the Mixed Chicks leave-in that I am oh so happy with I might just order it again once I run out!
-I have found a low-cost way to get my curls to last several days.

Ok so here is the protein treatment, its very similar to the one I posted before but I kept it simple:
Braggs Liquid Aminos (about 1/4 cup)
Small avocado (about half)
Honey (1 tbsp)
Olive oil (2 tspn)
Tea tree oil (few drops)
I added tea tree oil because earlier in the week my scalp was itching the heck out of me. I thought maybe it was dirty and I didn't want to shampoo so mid-week I did my usual co-wash and then rinsed with a vinegar and water rinse and massaged my scalp. Then I applied this leave-in:

It's called Fluide Purifiant from Kerastase and its purpose is to 'purify' the scalp including treating dry, itchy scalp. It works for the dryness and flakes. I had dry, flaky scalp for years when I had a relaxer (I think it was my scalp reacting to the harshnes of the relaxer) and nothing worked until I found this. In this case, my scalp wasn't flaky, just itchy. This didn't totally eliminate the itching but it lessened it. I recommend it though it, like all the Kerastase products, is kind of pricey.

Generally, before I do my weekend homemade treatments, I shampoo to remove buildup with Organix and before I shampoo, I do an oil treatment. But not your usual oil treatment - an essential oils treatment. What's the difference you ask? Essential oils take all the best properties of a plant and provide it in a concentrated form. For example regular oil from the rosemary plant may be harmless because of the dilution but the rosemary essential oil - well if you've never used it and you do, you will know, it doesn't play  - you can feel how strong it is, and it smells that way too! In the case of my treatment, the purpose is to stimulate circulation to the scalp and lift any dirt and bacteria from my scalp before I shampoo. I highly recommend it. I have been doing this for years, even when I had a relaxer.

So let me tell you how its done:

Most people do a regular hot oil treatment with some random oil such as OO. Instead try this: add to your hot oil treatment at least 3-4 drops each of the following clarifying and stimulating essential oils:

-Peppermint essential oil

-Eucaluptus essential oil

-Rosemary essential oil

-Basil essential oil

-Cypress essential oil

You can add tea tree oil if you have scalp issues such as dry scalp, dandruff but use only 1-2 drops of this, too much will burn.

Of course you need a base for these oils so OO works, or a lighter base such as Jojoba oil or Sweet Almond Oil (what I use).

I have to warn you, the combo is pungent (the smell) so be prepared. You can help your nose out by putting on a cap and a towel over it. The best is to apply this treatment the day before you plan to shampoo and sleep on it, with a cap on of course and make sure to protect your pillows because the smell lingers.

I leave it on overnight or a couple of hours if its same day then I take the cap off and let the scalp get air a few hours before I shampoo. These oils increase blood flow to the scalp (you will feel it) and the antibiotic properties of tea tree clarifies as well. If you are too lazy to invest in purchasing each of these oils and mixing them, you can just buy this:

The product is called Phytopolleine and it is basically a mixture of essential oils meant to stimulate the scalp. Its also pricey so you might be better off mixing your own. But the good thing is it includes scalp-stimulating essential oils  proven to work but are hard to find individually. Either way the goal is to massage, clarify and stimulate your scalp for optimal hair growth and health. It smells pungent too but luckily either way you do it, shampoo will wash away the smell.

My Mixed Chicks leave-in revelation will have to wait until another post. I have already broken my promise to you to keep this short. My bad. Anyway I hope all this stuff is helpful to you all and as always I welcome ideas as well. Can anyone explain how to tell if I have scab hair?  My next post will explain why I ask. Bye for now....

Homemade Protein Hair Treatment

 I did a homemade conditioning treatment on Saturday and I think my hair loved it....
I went to whole foods and got the following:
Braggs Liquid Aminos
Unrefined honey
Avocado

Once  I got home, I whipped these up with some aloe vera gel (straight from the leaf but I don't think it matters), a few drops of olive oil and two teaspoons coconut milk. I won't give you the quantities because I think you will need different amounts of the above based on what your hair needs are. For me, I need lots of moisture because my hair tends to be dry so I had to include several drops of olive oil. Just as a starting point, I used only a half of a small avocado.

Warning: This stuff does not smell friendly thanks to the Liquid Aminos, but I read it makes a good protein treatment and is not too harsh on your hair which stronger protein treatments like Infusium is on mine (Infusium makes my hair feel sticky and brittle and staticky). Anyway, I whipped these in a blender and applied to hair after I had shampood with Organix coconut milk shampoo which I was so pleased to find at Wal-mart. I let it sit for about 30 minutes and when I washed it out my hair curls were very defined, I'll post pics later. I then conditioned with a random daily conditioner I bought at whole foods that I plan to use to co-wash (I'd been using the kerastase oleo-curl but I think this is meant to be a deep conditioner and its too expensive for me to be using everyday).

After I got out of the shower, my hair felt and looked so happy like it was curling  up in happiness.