Monday Momentum - Chase Your Dreams!

Good morning beauties! ;) Wishing you all a fantastic week and remember...

Until next time...Be Sweet!

Hot Oil Treatments!

Hi Beauties!

Do you all ever use a hot oil treatment on your hair? I remember years ago using the V05 hot oil treatment on my hair as a pre-treatment before washing and styling my hair. I don’t know why or remember when I stopped the practice but recently I have picked up the practice again with great results!

For most people, especially African-American women who tend to have excessively dry hair, the use of heated tools such as blow dryers and flat irons lead to serious damage to the hair not to mention the cold harsh air during the winter. A hot oil treatment is one way to counteract this problem. Jenell of kinkycurlycoilyme.com states on her blog, “[h]ot Oil treatments should definitely be a part of your WINTER regimen if not any other time of the year.” Hot oil treatments are known to improve the hair’s condition and impart shine and manageability to dry hair.

Sweet Trinity Aloe Vera Body Oil can be used all over the body and is also excellent as a hot oil treatment. The 1oz. bottles are easily heated by placing the bottle in a cup of hot water for several minutes. (It is best not to heat the bottle directly in the microwave to avoid over heating which can lead to burns). To prepare the hair, for those with a straight texture and loose curls, detangle before applying the oil. For those with tight coils and course hair, you can detangle once the oil is applied or after the oil has been on the hair for the duration of the treatment.

Before applying the oil to your hair, test the temperature by placing a small amount on the inside of your wrist to be sure the temperature is comfortable. When the temperature is warm to the touch, it is ready to apply to your hair. Pour in hair, smooth through strands, and massage into your scalp. You can get two (2) treatments from the 1oz bottle of oil for short hair and one (1) treatment for hair that is shoulder length and longer.

You should then cover your hair and either use a warm towel to wrap your head or use a headed cap. I love using my thermal spa heated cap for hot oil treatments the same way I use for deep conditioners. After 15-30 minutes, you can shampoo and style as usual. I will say that when I use the hot oil treatment, I will not use a clarifying or sulfate shampoo because that would defeat the purpose of pre-conditioning the hair with the hot oil. Also, I typically do not need to deep condition after shampooing on the days that I use the hot oil treatment.

Hot oil treatments always keep my hair in good condition and especially during the harsh winter months, the treatment helps alleviate excessive dryness. My scalp always becomes dry during the winter and the hot oil treatment helps with this problem. I love the feeling of the warm oil on my scalp during the treatment! ;) The treatment, when done at home, is an inexpensive luxury with so many benefits that everyone should try.

If you have any questions about Sweet Trinity Aloe Vera Body Oil, natural oils and ingredients, or commercial hot oil treatments, please leave them below in the comments box and I will be happy to help you. Until next time…Be Sweet! ;)

Product Review - Shea Radiance Moisturizing Hair Milk

Hi beauties!

I mentioned on Instagram that I use "refreshers" on my hair when I have a 2nd and 3rd day wash and go. What that means is that when I wash my hair and put gel in it to lock in my coils, the next day I only use a refresher spray to plump up my coils and I do not put additional gel in my hair. I usually can repeat this process for 2-3 days - sometimes 4 if I am lucky!

My favorite refresher is the Shea Moisture Moisture Mist. I also keep Carol's Daughter Tui Leave In Conditioner Spray on deck as a back up. Well recently I received the Shea Radiance Moisture Milk in my CurlBox subscription box which was a great way for me to try a new refresher.

When I first pulled the Shea Radiance Moisture Milk out of my box, I was a little skeptical to use the product as a refresher because the product appeared "milky". The milky appearance did not indicate a problem at all - that is just the way the ingredients appear in the bottle. The problem for me, however, knowing my hair, is that if I put any milky product or cream/butter product in my dry hair on day 2 or 3 of a wash and go, I am left with a residue or white flakes. But I didn't let the appearance stop me from trying the product!

Surprisingly and to my delight, the product did not leave any white residue in my hair! I was very happy especially considering I was walking out the door less than an hour after applying the product! The Moisture Milk actually did a wonderful job of plumping my curls and providing softness and moisture. I was very happy about that. The product soaked in nicely and did not leave any sticky residue in my hair at all. All major pluses of a refresher!

Now to the con of the product - I do not like the scent! ;( Scent is very personal and when you buy products, you either love it, can live with it, or hate it. I can't say I hate the scent but I didn't like it. The scent is a orange neroli scent and after reviewing the ingredients, I didn't find neroli as an ingredient or anything that may resemble a neroli scent. Mind you, since I make products with essential oils I am very familiar with essential oil scents and synthetic fragrances. The Shea Radiance website lists the ingredients as:  De-ionized Water, Aloe Vera Juice, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine Lactate, Polyquaternium-7, Panthenol, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Phenethyl Alcohol and Ethylhexylglycerin, C14-22 Alkylalcohol (Vegetable Based Emulsifier), C12-20 Alkylglucoside (Vegetable Based Emulsifier), Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate (Vegetable-based Conditioning Agents) , Hydroxypropyl Starch (Vegetable-based Conditioning Agents) , Vegetable Glycerin, Butryospermum Parkii (Unrefined Shea Butter), Persea Gratissima (Avocado Seed) oil, Ricinus Communis (Castor Seed) oil, Cannabis Sativa (Hemp Seed) oil, Chamomile, Nettle & Horsetail Extracts, Citric Acid.

Again, scent is highly personal and neroli may be a wonderful choice for some people. I will say that the scent did dissipate by mid-day which was great for me!

Overall, the product does what the description says it will do - it is almost weightless yet eliminates frizz and leaves hair soft and smooth. I liked the results of the product and I could live with the scent if I needed to. Other than the fragrance, the product lived up to being a great refresher! ;)

Have you all tried this product? What did you like about it? What didn't you like? Please share so others can learn from your experiences.

Until next time...Be Sweet! ;)

Monday Momentum - The Five W's of Life!



It has been a while since I have posted "Monday Momentum" and today could not be a better day to post about life choices as it is the eve of the presidential election! Regardless of your party affiliation or your belief system, make sure your voice is heard tomorrow by voting!

Until next time...Be Sweet! ;)