Category: shea butter

May Onyx Box Review

Posted on by Michelle
curlyincolorado.com onyx box review
Goodies from this month’s Onyx Box

I was recently sent a box full of goodies from www.WeAreOnyx.com.  This site offers a subscription service geared towards fashion forward women of color who are looking to try new hair and beauty products.  In each month’s box, subscribers can expect to find full size items from well known beauty brands.  This month was geared towards nail art and skincare which was right on time for me.

The Colorado winter has been a beast and has left my hands wrecked and in need of some love.  So I was delighted to see that the Onyx Box for May had some new things for me to try when I do my next manicure.

I already tried out the Shea Moisture Shea Butter hand creme which felt divine on the skin.  I was upset though that the scent was a little overpowering for my taste.   That is somewhat of a turnoff when I buy products because it can lead to headaches for me.  The scent is similar to the Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie so if you’re fine with that, then it shouldn’t be a problem.  If it wasn’t for this I would probably use it often because my hands sure do need it.

Other than that, I’m looking forward to using the nail polishes and skin wash that came in the package.  Check out the pics below for a sneak peek at what was inside this month’s box!

curlyincolorado.com onyx box review
I love the pretty packaging and full product sizes
curlyincolorado.com onyx box review
Products featured in this month’s Onyx Box

If you’re interested in subscribing for a monthly Onyx Box then head over to www.WeAreOnyx.com to get started.  The monthly subscription fee is $25 USD but is well worth it considering each box includes items that, when combined, can retail for much more than that.  You can look forward to receiving items such as hair, skin and nail products by well known brands.  It’s definitely worth a look see!

Healthy Hair and Skin from the Inside

Posted on by Michelle

Recent twist and curl style

I am pretty happy with my hair recently and am feeling like things are getting back to normal.  By that I mean I was having some issues with dry, flaky scalp followed up by a month or two with heavy shedding.  Both issues are finally getting under control so I have been uploading to my YouTube channel more often with hair tutorials.  Before now though it was so frustrating to do anything with my hair because I almost felt like there was no point.  The flakes made it look so bad that I didn’t even want to go out some days.

One of the things that I think helped was that I started working on my immune system to help get my skin under control.  I have psoriasis and I have known for a while now that the inflammation in my skin is because of something not quite right with my immune system.  When the psoriasis flared up I started introducing probiotics into my system by eating a serving of Activia yogurt each day.  This helped with digestion and made it possible for my body to absorb my supplements better.  After doing that for 2-3 weeks I decided to go back to a more effective multi-vitamin formulated for women.  It costs more but has proved to be much better for my body than the usual store brands.

So happy my scalp is finally clearing up

I also added some supplements to my daily routine like garlic, super B-Complex and vitamin E.  The garlic helped with the shedding and didn’t start working right away but I can tell that I am shedding fewer hairs per wash session now.  I would say it took about a 3-4 weeks before it started to make a difference.  The B-Complex contains biotin and I can see that it is helping my nails so hopefully it’s doing something for my hair as well.  The Vitamin E is a given because it’s known for being good for the skin.  I usually try to take my multi-vitamin on its own  and then the other supplements together at another time during the day.  Both times are with a meal.  I also started drinking Green Tea for the antioxidants and increased my daily water intake.

With the Colorado climate being especially dry right now,  I hope that this regimen will get me through the winter without having anymore problems.  For now,  I’m using shea butter to moisturize my skin and staying away from heavy oils on my scalp to avoid build-up.  I’ve also started doing more finger detangling instead of using a tool to get rid of shed hairs.  

NOTE:  As with anything health related be sure and speak with a physician when considering adding vitamins and supplements to your daily routine  

Natural Style-Flat Twist-Out

Posted on by Michelle




 

While I was transitioning, I learned how to flat twist my hair by watching videos on YouTube.  At first, the technique eluded me and it seemed like I could never get the twists right.  I was always starting each one over and over.  I kept at it and now it is one of my favorite styles.  The only thing I haven’t quite figured out is how to get them to dry faster. 

This weekend I decided to do some flat twisting once again for a soft wavy look.  One thing I figured out is that if I twist in rows from the crown and go back towards my nape, I end up with pretty little spirals that fall down around my face. 
Another tip I picked up over at CurlyNikki.com is to secure each flat twist with a bobby pin so that it doesn’t unravel.  Sometimes I use rollers on the ends for a Twist n’ Curl or just leave the ends out for a faster drying time.  

Flat Twists in Rows for soft
Curls that frame the face
After I washed and conditioned my hair, I applied Giovanni Direct Leave-In and a little olive oil to seal the moisture in. Then I used my Aloe Vera/Water/Glycerin spray to re-wet each section before detangling with my Denman brush.  After that, I twisted each section until the hair began to come away from the scalp and pinned the twist down before twisting to the ends.  

The next day, it was a teeny bit damp so I took them down and used a diffuser to dry the hair completely.  That night I twisted them again and used Palmer’s Coconut Oil Formula Replenishing Hair Milk, a little more water and Shea Butter to set the twists for another day.  This time the twists were shiny and the hold lasted a couple more days without re-twisting. This may be my new wintertime style!