After coming across a pretty insightful blog post shared by Savvy Brown earlier today via Twitter, I finally had to admit what’s long gone undiagnosed in my natural hair world…a woman is certifiably ADDICTED to conditioner! The natural girl’s creamy crack has manifested itself into the form of conditioner! No real light bulb moment here…yet it’s interesting to realize how much I do actually depend on the luxury of treating my strands to something creamy, nourishing with the promise of leaving hair soft & ‘manageable.’ We often turn to condtioner when hair’s dry, thirsty, heat damaged or simply in need of a little TLC, and because of it’s usability it seems a natural girl can’t get enough!

Rarely does my hair go without some form of leave-in conditioner, rinse out/deep duty condish etc., and truthfully I think Fro’s much happier this way. So after reading countless…NUMEROUS thumbs up reviews for the Anita Grant Rhassoul Deep Condish, I finally took the plunge a few weeks ago & purchased from their new US retailer, Hairrogant. Shipping was incredibly fast…I’m talking same day, express…goodies were in my hand within the span of 4 days. Couldn’t be happier.

I ordered the 3 box cube hoping this would be enough to cover my massive bush. When it finally did come down to mixing and applying, thankfully there was just enough to get through the treatment. There are several ways to mix the Rhassoul Deep Condish, a few tips & examples are provided on both the Anita Grant site and Hairrogant’s. For a quick visual on how others mix their hair mask, Richeau from Youtube delivers a great 3-part demo. Click here to view.

Lifted from anitagrant.com:

Beneficial nourishment for YOU:

• Rhassoul contains Iron, Calcium, Potassium, Silica, Magnesium & Sodium. This mineral rich ingredient, detoxifies your scalp leaving hair light, soft and fluffy.
• Virgin Olive Oil – Promotes sheen & a healthy scalp.
• Vitamin E – mixed tocopherols – Natural antioxidants that helps protect tresses from external stress & strain.

I went the simple route, slowly mixing in hot water with the 3-cubes in a heat resistant container. It takes a while to break up the block, but after it is fully dissolved I whipped the mix to form soft peaks, waited until it cooled, then applied to freshly washed & detangled hair.

I concentrated most on applying the mix to the hair as opposed to scalp, because I was going for full coverage with what little I had, though typically the clay is great as a detoxifier for the scalp. Application was moderately messy at first & while no gloves were necessary, it’s best to go slow when applying if you want to keep your bathroom walls, mirror free of dry crust:). The hair mask was left on for about an hour for maximum deep conditioning (with a conditioning cap), then completely rinsed out using warm water.

Rinsing the clay was very easy & took no longer than 5 minutes for hair to feel clean & mud free! I took a quick pic after rinsing the bottom half of mud from the hair, and noticed instant definition even prior to applying the usual styling product. Hair was noticeably softer, a bit more elongated and tangle free!

Styling was a breeze, experiencing zero tangle issues and strands appeared noticeably smoother. I was truly giddy with excitement after the final rinse that thoughts of snagging the larger block of Rhassoul available on the Hairrogant sight…were seriously not far from my mind:). Deep conditioning with a clay mixture as opposed to a creamier formula, i.e. Aubrey Organics/Herbal Essences matters mostly in how each is prepared & applied. The results with the clay did leave my hair slightly softer & my curls were definitely more defined.

A repurchase of the Rhassoul Clay Deep Condish is almost certainly in my future, and I’m excited! The 3-block pack was barely enough for full covrage…soooo…is the $98 block in my future (oh…dear…)?

*Anyone have heartfelt condish stories to share? SPILL!*

There are countless remedies, treatments, serums, etc., on the market and even in most kitchen cabinets today to help combat the pesky dry scalp situation that typically rears it’s head when the temps dip lower….and lower. I know. I’ve tried most of them. Over the past few years I’ve dabbled in my fair share of scalp treatments, some successful…most not, but what always remains is my stubborn persistence in not necessarily ’treating’ my seborrheic dermatitis, but keeping it in check & under control. Thankful that I do only have a relatively mild form of dermatitis, recent  cold/dry temperatures here on the east coast still have me leaning towards the latest new cure du jour. My latest light bulb moment came after a Twitter exchange with the always insightful kitchen genious, Anita Grant, and her suggestion to use several nourishing oils in place as a hair rinse.

Deets on Oil Rinsing via Anita Grant:

Oil rinsing :

• helps your hair & scalp retain much needed moisture.
• makes it easy to de-tangle & loosens knots.
• adds softness & sheen.

Steps are pretty simple but there are many variations.

This is how I oil rinse:

• Babassu shampoo and rinse as usual.
• Whilst still in the shower, coat hair with approx. 15ml of nutrient rich oil.
• (Oils high in fatty acids like linoleic acid, capric acid, oleic acid, myristic acid & triglyceride of fatty acids are best).
• Leave on for no more than 2 mins.
• Rinse hair and scalp of the oil, first with hot water to open the cuticles then with cooler water to seal in the cuticles.
• (I use an herbal rinse of Organic Coltsfoot)
• Detangle, air dry and style as usual

Note:

• Use nutrient rich oils as this will be captured in the cuticle of your #naturalhair & any excess oil will be rinsed away.

Alright, so I was sold…easily! My methods differ from above, then again…no two scalps/heads are alike.  I find my method worked rather well for what I intended to accomplish. Before pre-pooing my strands I placed a good dollop of  Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil w/ several drops of Lavender essential oil into an applicator bottle, warmed it in the microwave for 10-15 seconds – waited until it was cool, then applied liberally to my scalp while massaging with the softest part of my fingers, trying my best to avoid scratching the scalp – instead using circular motions.

I’m not a fan of mess & the drippy business, so after 10 minutes of TLC’n the scalp, I donned a conditioning cap for another 10 minutes, applied a quick pre-poo to the hair using my remaining bits of Qhemet Biologics Amla & Olive Heavy Cream, hoped in the shower to divide the hair into sections & cleanse.

Products Used:

• Cleanse: LaCoupe Orgnx De Frizz Shampoo
• Deep Condition: Anita Grant Rhassoul Deep Condish
• Style: EO’s Moisture Rich Conditioner + Karen’s Body Beautiful Hair Ambrosia

Final results were pretty epic! I hadn’t treated the hair to full attentive spa treatment in a good while, and the fruits of my labor showed as soon as the final rinse was completed. Because of impeding snow in the forecast for the week, I opted to keep hair in a protective style using twists, and donned a beannie. Each night to ensure moisture is retained & to keep the twists soft, I apply a dollop of KBB’s Hairlicious Cream.

*I’m really trying hard to contain my excitement…but a FULL review of the Rhassoul Deep Condish to come! My pockets are going to need saving…and maybe your advice if I decide to invest in the large block!*

Anyhoot…hair/scalp are back to non-itchy standards, and a woman is happy! I’m currently outlining a formal hair strategy…thing for the remaining winter. I took pen to paper a few nights ago and began putting together my wants & goals as far as hair health, and I’ll share those in the coming days. It’s actually a surprising motivator writing it all down…seeing it, and visualizing how to implement what it is I want to accomplish…in some ways it also means that I have to hold myself accountable for getting it done! I’m excited…;-)

One of the many lessons learned week in and week out from washing, styling and waiting over 8 hours for your thick mane to dry, is that often times…it’s best to fail in order for success to rear it’s fluffy little head. In some ways, it’s the most annoying right of passage to being completely comfortable in accepting the ‘fluff.’

The ‘fluff’ is often experienced whilst one natural is in a rush throughout the day, hardly enough time to tame the regular errands of the morning, noon & afternoon, but just enough time to force the fro into something presentable for another work/play week. You might just manage to wash & detangle, but fall short of the often time consuming task of deep conditioning with your favorite DC. Late nights filled with twisting and smoothing hair, can often turn into rushed mornings where, with hair still slightly wet from the night before, you still have to ‘make it work’ and say…whatevs.

This past week landed me in a similiar situation…perhaps not as dramatic, but nonetheless. Twas shameful, but after starting the New Year without a proper deep conditioning, I settled on a quick cleansing of the scalp & styled the hair, only to have my damp twists turn into a dry, crinkly entanglement. To help salvage yet another no-time hair faux pas, I turned to Shea Moisture’s Coconut & Hibiscus Hold & Shine Moisture Mist. The goal was to remoisturize the crap out of what old man Winter managed to insight on my head.

The window shopper in me picked this up while at Target a few weeks back without any inkling of how to proceed. Yes, there are directions…BUT, with natural hair I find this matters less and less. So, before heading to bed…and with plenty of time left to twist using my nightly routine, I sprayed, prayed and woke up the following morning with shiny & revived hair!

It’s tricky territory with products formulated to leave hair shiny and provide hold, because with natural hair it’s usually anyone’s guess – factor in dew points, current moisture level, etc – and it’s easy to fall into the …’this doesn’t work for me’ file. I’m usually of the mind…make it work. Especially if the first ingredient is water (instant moisture) and coconut oil, two things my hair thrives on, which also happen to be the first 2 ingredients.

The spray did smooth out many a frizz situation while making hair incredibly soft-to-touch. I did not saturate the hair while twisting, but lightly sprayed then sealed with a shea-butter based hair cream. The above pics are the result the day after untwisting. Sadly, no portraits of the tangled mess…but TRUST…it resembled 7-day hair at best because of the dryness, lack of curl definition factor.

Instead of remoisturizing again the following night, I simply continued with my nightly routine and this morning loved the reulsts even more! This time ‘fluff’ had character and didn’t feel threatened by the harsh winds of Winter.

I’ve probably said it here before, but while I adore the ups/downs/twists & turns of natural hair, hardly do I enjoy fussing with my hair more than a few times a week. Apart from my nightly routine, the most managing of the hair takes place in the a.m. right before dipping and fluffing for full Fro effect, so for the cost of about $9 I love that I can use this once a week to revive whatever might need saving during the course of the week. More so now with Winter the moisture mist works amazingly well.

This must be the point where I apologize, thank and wish you all a Happy New Year all in the same breath…! Whew! It’s been a minute, yet another year has come and gone…and a seemingly momentous turn as well for moi! Today marks the 2nd bloggiversary for Back To Curly, and aside from being thankful for continuing on with this natural journey (10 yrs +!), I feel just a tad more blessed to have readers, online friends, off-line comrades who encourage me to keep sharing my weekly shenanigans .

In the spirit of celebrating all that I do have and am thankful for, a bit of a giveaway featuring one of my all time favorite winter staples! I’ve raved about this goodie from the first time it lavished my hair in moisture and shine many moons ago, and even today it continues to be one of my go-to products when hair is feeling extra parched. Aside from the incredible YUM fragrance, Darcy’s Madagascar Vanilla Styling Creme works on a variety of natural hair textures while using very little to get the job done. Read the glowing review here.

Ways to Win!

• To qualify for the Giveaway, leave a comment down below letting me know you’re indeed entering. One comment counts as 1 entry.
• For more ways to win, head on over to my spankin new Facebook Page and give it a thumbs up for an automatic 2nd entry, or 1 entry if you choose not to drop your deets down below.
• Are we friends on the Twitter? Yes/No/Maybe? Let’s figure it out…for a bonus entry, Tweet this post  @Chai_Tee letting me know for sure. In total, that’s 3 chances of #winwin.

Giveaway will remain open until Monday, January 10th @ 9 p.m. Winner will be chosen at random and notified by email within 1 week.

Good Luck & thank you for your continued support!

*EDIT* International readers GET YOURS! Giveaway is open to readers near & far

**GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED**

thanks to all who entered!