As a low porosity natural, deep conditioning is often the bane of my existence. I loathe sitting under the dryer counting the minutes until I can relieve myself of the heat filled agony. I find that DCing before I cleanse makes life so much easier. However, sitting around for hours in order to avoid heat is not the vision either. I had an epiphany this past wash day and decided to baggy with my deep conditioning masque overnight. For those of you who aren't sure what baggying is, it is merely coating your strands with an oil or conditioner of choice, covering your hair with a plastic processing cap or two, and letting your body heat work for you. I'd read that some naturals are against conditioning overnight because the hair could become mushy or over conditioned. Since my hair has trouble taking in moisture, I thought that it might work in my favor instead. How shall I put this? I'm pretty sure I scored major points with Jada. When I rinsed my hair the next day, it felt like silk. No tangles, snarls, dryness, or knots were present. My curls were happier than they'd been in months. I'll share my recipe for my homemade DC in a minute, but first I must sing the praises of my new "lazy" conditioning method. Even the cleansing portion of my wash day was easier after the overnight treatment. Usually, I just prepoo with Vatika oil overnight when I'm not DCing. If you are experiencing dry hair or are low porosity (or both), I totally recommend overnight deep conditioning.
Banana Deep Conditioning Masque
*You can use a banana but I recommend pureeing it in a blender as mashing will not give the desired consistency and will get very stuck in your curls. I use banana baby food.
1 3.5 oz. container of Gerber Organic Bananas (pictured above)
1 tsp Pure Wildflower Honey
2-3 drops Apricot Oil
1 drizzle of Castor Oil
Stir ingredients together in a clean plastic container. I would suggest one with a lid as this masque is rather messy. Apply evenly to dry hair and cover with a plastic processing cap. I like to put my satin bonnet over my plastic cap to lock in extra body heat. My curls are highly dense and reach about armpit to bra strap length when stretched, so you may need more or less depending on your hair's density and length. If you find that you'd made too much, you can always refrigerate the remaining masque until your next conditioning session. I use this treatment every two weeks especially when it's cold.
*You can use a banana but I recommend pureeing it in a blender as mashing will not give the desired consistency and will get very stuck in your curls. I use banana baby food.
1 3.5 oz. container of Gerber Organic Bananas (pictured above)
1 tsp Pure Wildflower Honey
2-3 drops Apricot Oil
1 drizzle of Castor Oil
Stir ingredients together in a clean plastic container. I would suggest one with a lid as this masque is rather messy. Apply evenly to dry hair and cover with a plastic processing cap. I like to put my satin bonnet over my plastic cap to lock in extra body heat. My curls are highly dense and reach about armpit to bra strap length when stretched, so you may need more or less depending on your hair's density and length. If you find that you'd made too much, you can always refrigerate the remaining masque until your next conditioning session. I use this treatment every two weeks especially when it's cold.
Jada's latest pampering session just happened to coincide with the day before Valentine's Day a.k.a. Single's Awareness Day. Like many singles, I was not looking forward to the holiday of Love but not for the usual reasons. V-Day and I have never been friends since I had to go identify my beloved dog's dead body when I was 10. For years afterwards, it only marked the anniversary of my childhood best friend's murder (she was shot in the head). We never found out who was guilty. The one Valentine's Day I spent in a relationship was a nightmare of day ruining proportions. Apparently, his idea of romantic was a meal at Buffalo Wild Wings, having a stuffed animal tossed at me, and being dragged to a movie I told him that I didn't want to see. It was the one time I wanted to pick the movie, but noooooo. Needless to say, it only got worse that day, but that would be over sharing. My point is that I usually dread V-day with a passion. This time was no exception, but I decided to make the best of it. I decided to make Jada my valentine. What better way to give my self-worth a nod than to pamper my tresses with the uttermost care. I even tried a coil out for the first time in nearly a year. The only downside was having a bomb diggity hair day without having anywhere to show it off. I was actually surprised with how okay I was with this past Valentine's Day. You see I didn't have to be single this past time but I chose to be. Why? Because, I'd rather wait for the right guy instead of being with someone just for the sake of not being lonely. As for my dog, I'll get another one one of these days, but right now my focus is being the best version of me possible. I'm not sitting around pining away for companionship. I'm taking care of myself spiritually, physically, emotionally, and mentally. That's the best V-day gift I could give myself...well that and a great hair day. So why do I hate Valentine's Day these days? Did I mention that I Didn't get to take Jada for a spin around town? If you haven't guessed, the only thing I hate about V-day is wasting a perfectly good hair day :P
Later Days, Curl Chaserz
~PJ
Later Days, Curl Chaserz
~PJ