Hello Hello!  Yes it’s been awhile, I know.  Since I’m pretty much locked on my products I haven’t really been doing any experimenting, but I decided to do another remix to my beloved avocado-coconut conditioner recipe.

As you read in our last ITMF post, NaturallyFlyy treated us to her twist on the conditioning classic, as well as my result with it.  Well this week I decided to add a dash of my own spice into the mixing bowl… Literally.  After doing a bit of research I discovered that sage is a wonder herb when it comes to strengthening weak, brittle hair, so I threw on the Journey Kitchen apron and whipped up a batch!  It came out beautifully, and after I shared the news on Twitter I received a request from CommonSynce to share the recipe because she’s in the market for a new conditioner.  So here it is ladies and gentlemen:

Avocado-Coconut-Honey-Sage Conditioner

1 avocado

1/2 cup coconut milk

2 tsp. honey

2 tsp. coconut oil

1/2 tsp. ground sage (can be chopped fresh sage can be used as well)

Peel and mash avocado and add it and other ingredients to a blender or food processor.  Blend until mixture is creamy and apply as needed.  Mixture can be kept for up to two weeks as long as it is well refrigerated.

###

Since I have experimented with various renditions of this conditioner and the effects of sage usage is a time dependent thing, I will not be presenting a results post.  But I can guarantee you, the avocado-coconut combination has never failed to give me body, define my curl pattern and help to promote softness.  When I added coconut oil to the mixture, as suggested by NaturallyFlyy, my hair remained moist and manageable up until it was time for me to wash it. So adding the sage to boost hair’s strength can only be a win-win from where I’m standing.

NOTE: I’m sure sage oil would be a great alternative to powered or fresh sage, although you might want to use only a teaspoon of it and coconut oil in order to cut down on the greasiness.  Additionally, all ingredient levels can be increased or decreased depending on desired texture and quantity.

So there you have it, my personal twist on an old favourite.  If you happen to use it I’d love to hear your thoughts and results via Email at amichelle@journeyback2me.com.

Healthy Hair Wishes,

Can you believe it?  Almost three whole years relaxer free?  Me either!  When I announced the news via Twitter, Pegasus Soap‘s owner, Michelle Ortiz, asked how it’s going for me.  My reply was simply that it’s been a unique experience.  But after thinking on it a couple minutes I realized that up until she asked I’d never given much thought.  I mean, I’m aware of my hair every moment of the day in one way or another.  Whether I’m twirling it around my fingers while considering what topics to Blog about or twisting it around itself to help define my natural curls, my hair is a constant consideration.  But in a latent sort of way.  Realistically, while I take relatively good care of my hair and love every kink and coil that comprises it, it is often “background noise” for me as I move through my days.  For the most part, it’s just “there.”  I’m not a natural style maven or avid product experimenter.  I don’t provide tutorials or combine my journey with other elements of fashion or beauty.  I simply live and allow my hair to do the same.

Looking back, despite my “ignoring” it all these years, I can truthfully say that as my hair has grown so have I.  I’ve grown in prospective, understanding and acceptance.  Not just about my hair and myself, but about  the world my hair and I live in as well.  I’ve wrestled insecurities and inner prejudices that I was totally unaware existed.  I can’t say that I’ve conquered them all, but I grow stronger with each victory, no matter how small it may be.  I’ve seen through the hype of natural hair politics and into an appreciation for everyone’s right to wear their hair how they see fit.  I’ve broken myself out of accepted comfort zones and conforming “rituals”, rendered myself vulnerable and finally gotten to a point in life where I feel good about being me on my terms.  I’ve come from up under the impressions of what natural is supposed to be, and into defining what natural IS, from my hair, to my spiritual practices, to my compassions and social involvements.  Although I have never been overly  preoccupied with my hair itself, I have digested its subliminal every day lessons in a way that has been personally fulfilling.  And now here I am off on a new leg, learning my hair as it grows “from the ground up”, which I’m sure will be a even bigger source enrichment.

All in all, I guess my true answer is that my journey has been a wonderful and freeing experience on many levels.  Consciously, it’s helped me to appreciate myself and others as we are.  Subconsciously, it’s helped me to break down certain barriers in my perspective of beauty, be it natural or enhanced.

Here’s to three more years, and then some!

Healthy Hair Wishes,

I have never been much of an Home Shopping Network fan.  Quite possibly because all my mental images of all home shopping channels  involve elderly, blue haired French Poodle owners or harried housewives sitting on the edge of their couches waiting for the price of some gaudy costume jewelry to lower.  If you grew up in the 80′s and get an immediate image of Peggy Bundy when you hear the station mentioned then you know exactly what I’m talking about. *lol*  In my experience both QVC and HSN have merely been televised versions Fingerhut or Harriett Carter catalogues.  Now don’t get me wrong. I’ve seen quite a few products from both companies that I would not mind owning, but for the most part a lot of the items carried by both corporations, as well as their presentation, are campy and a bit cheesy.  So you can imagine when I happened upon a listing for Carol’s Daughter on the Home Shopping Network channel this morning I was thoroughly amused and intrigued.  I mean, CD products are normally carried in such “high end” merchandisers as Sephora and Macy’s, in addition to all nine of its own stores.  Call me a hair snob if you like, but to me an hour long feature on HSN seems kind of a step down.  Well apparently it seems the home shopping industry has stepped their retail game up over the past decade or two and are now reaching out to a new, more diverse and discriminating demographic.  Kudos to them!

Still another reason why I found the placement initially odd, and I know I’m going to sound a bit bigoted when I say this but I’m going to say it anyway… I’d never thought of CD products being formulated or used  for anything other than “ethnic hair/skin care.”  I mean, look at the advertisements, look at the spokespersons, look at the image representation used on the site. Realistically speaking, health and beauty aids aren’t necessarily racially specific — I use Garnier products, which we know aren’t formulated with “us” in mind, and they work just great despite the bias — but for the longest time Carol’s Daughter target market has consistently been “of colour.” So as I’m sitting here watching Lisa advertise her product alongside Kathy Wolf and not Marlo Smith or Tamara Hooks (HSN‘s two African-American hosts), accompanied by pictures of  Caucasian-American hair models, I could not helped but be slightly tickled.  As one would expect, all of the caller’s who phoned in their praises of CD products were of the African-American persuasion, which gave foundation to my original reaction and tickled me more.  But eventually I got over the “culture shock” and all at once could not help but be impressed by the far reaching ambition of Lisa‘s marketing ideals, and her steps to break out of the colour box in order to expand her company’s customer base.  With a product line as wonderful as CD‘s hair and skin care line, it would be a shame to limit it’s benefits to just one ethnic group, right?  So kudos to her as well!

After doing a bit of research I learned that this is not Lisa‘s first time making the HSN rounds.  I haven’t been able to narrow down the exact date of her debut appearance, but I was able to unearth a plethora of Youtube video clips featuring Lisa and Carol’s Daughter products that span as far back as October 2009.  Today’s presentation featured the Khoret Amen Leave-In Conditioner, Body Aches Bath Salts, Peppermint Foot Lotion, and of course my CD mainstays Hair Milk and Healthy Hair Butter.  Price wise each product were comparable to what you’d find at any other location (shipping might be lower at HSN and there are a few items available with free shipping), but seeing as there more than a few cities that do not have CD vendors, it’s good to know there’s one more venue available to feed that hair and skin care fix from Lisa‘s kitchen.

Healthy Hair Wishes,