moisturizing and sealing.

well..I haven't been moisturizing and sealing nightly. I felt like it was too much product for my hair, but now my hair has been extremely dry so I think I might have to do it every night again..I don't mind M&S everynight,  just have to find the right product balance.

New DC and pre-poo mixture

Thus far in my HJ, I've been mixing a bunch of random things into my deep conditioners. Sometimes it's a hit. Other times it's a miss. To prevent this problem I'm going to come up with a special recipe in order for it to work consistently.
DC Recipe:
6 cap fuls of Kenra Moisturizing Conditioner (or what ever one I use at the time)
about 10 drops of two different essential oils (right now I have eucalyptus and rosemary)
about 5-7 drops of a carrier oil (whatever I choose to use)


It's not exact, but it's better than mixing a lot of random things into a bowl and not knowing what works best or needs to be avoided next time. Also, I used to use a lot of oil in my DC's and they would always be runny. With much less oil used, it won't be so runny.


Pre-poo:
about 6 scoops of a pre poo (lustra silk or sauve)
10 drops of essential oils
few drops of a carrier oil
a few scoops of what ever conditioner/moisturizer I'm trying to get rid of

Petroleum and Mineral Oil for hair

Petroleum (aka petrolatum, petroleum jelly, soft paraffin, white paraffin, and mineral oil) is a common ingredient for black hair care. I bet if you check the ingredients on your tub of blue magic, petroleum is the first ingredient- meaning it is the number one ingredient. For many years (centuries even) its been used as a hair moisturizer. When in fact, it only coats the hair instead of penetrating it. Mineral oil basically coats the hair not allowing the moisture to penetrate. Hair that has no moisture is more likely to frizz (which is not cute!).
Also, these products clog the pores of the hair shaft. So whether you spend $3.99 on a hair product with soft paraffin, or a $59.99 product with petrolatum in it, you're most likely wasting your money.

The reason these products and their AKA's are so widely used in black hair care products is:
a) they are cheap
b) they give our hair an artificial shine

This is why on your hair journey it is important to check the ingredients to make sure they do not contain these products.

Other ingredients to avoid:
Propylene Glycol (PG): not exactly sure, I just know its bad :)
Isopropyl Alcohol: drying
Polyethylene Glycol (PEG): strips of moisture
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS)/ Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES), TEA lauryl : cheap, stripping, irritating
Diethanolamine (DEA), Momoethnanolamine (MEA): can cause cancer (then again, what doesn't cause cancer in this world?)
Silicones: builds up, other bad stuff..

Personally, i just make sure it doesn't have any petroleum or mineral oil in it.

Essential Oils vs. Carrier Oils

Essential Oil:
-concentrated
-more expensive
-extremely strong smell (potent)
-should not be applied directly to the skin (should be diluted with a carrier oil)
-smaller bottles
-found in bark, roots, leaves or other aromatic parts of a plant
-does not spoil (but can lose their therapeutic qualities)
-should not be used to moisturize and seal with out being diluted by a carrier oil
examples: peppermint, clove, eucalyptus, citrus, etc.

Carrier Oil
-vegetable oil
-comes from the fatty portion of a plant- usually the kernels, seeds or nuts
-light smell (if any) (if a carrier oil has a strong smell, it most likely has gone bad)
-can spoil
-often used in health and beauty products
-can used to moisturize and seal
-cheaper
examples: sweet almond oil, coconut oil, grapeseed oil