The Tea Tree Blues

Recently my scalp was itching just a tad, so I decide to try something I've heard about on these natural hair blogs - apply tea tree oil. The next thing I know (3 hours later), I can't stay asleep because my scalp is on fire. So, I decide to apply more tea tree oil. After all, it's supposed to help with itchy scalp, right? 2 hours later with no sleep, I decide to search online for what I was doing wrong. I thought I had an allergic reaction.

Do the Dula

FYI - Mountain Dew is the official soda of computer scientists. Had some at work today and based on the hair meetup I attended tonight, I was inspired to name the title of this post "Do the Dula"

Okay, so enough nonsensical banter. Tonight I attended a meetup in San Jose with a couple friends (Maryland alumni. Go Terps!) "It'll be A Sassy Affair" was the name and a stylist ad owner of Bebe salon answered questions we had about our hair and products and gave free consultations at the end. Plus there were free cocktails, so that's always a plus! During my consultation, I learned about an oil called Calendula Oil. Supposedly it's great for dry skin and can help with hair also.

Calendula Oil is extracted from a flower call pot marigold otherwise known as.... a calendula! You can find more details about the specific extraction process online, but the mildness of the oil and the antiseptic within makes it a great product for treating infections.

But the real question is, can it be used for your hair? I've found a recipe for Calendula Soothing Scalp Oil which is said to help combat dandruff which consists of:

• 6 ounces of calendula infused oil
• 2 ounces jojoba oil
• 10-15 drops of rosemary essential oil
• 10-15 drops of tea tree essential oil
• 10-15 drops of sage essential oil

Apply directly to your scalp and voila! I'll try this once I can get my hand on all these ingredients. It may be a little tough to do out here in Silicon Valley. Might have to wait until I get back to the DMV.

In other news, I did get a free sample of the Curls line's Curl Gel in our goodie bag!

 

Neglect

Final papers and conferences have filled my last couple of weeks and I apologize for neglecting my blog! In other news, I have not been neglecting my hair. Recall the previous post where I spoke of Monistat + hair growth?

Well, since then, I've concocted a Monistat mix for my hair. (p.s. this stuff is harder to find in drug stores than I previously thought! I feel sorry for people who actually need it) My mix consisted of some extra virgin olive oil (or EVOO as Rachel Ray loves to call it), a little more Jamaican black castor oil (JBCO) and half a tube of Monistat. Sorry for the imprecise calculations, I didn't measure anything officially other than the half a tube of Monistat.

I've used it pretty consistently for the last week, trying to apply to my scalp twice a day, but sometimes only once a day. I'm not sure if the growth I think I'm feeling is a placebo effect but my thinning patch does feel a tad bit thicker. Good news - I haven't felt the "burn" that others mention feeling by applying this to my scalp. I haven't seen/felt any side effects at all actually. But only time can tell.

Has anyone else had success with this?

Scrub Results

So here are the results of my brown sugar scalp scrub mentioned in a previous post. 

The scrub

My hair!

Pros: 

- It smelled really good

- It felt like it was working

- It worked really well with the Organix Macadamia Oil Conditioner

Cons: 

- I couldn't tell if it had actually worked! Probably because I used the Curl Smoothie which didn't seem to do much for my hair

I'd have to try again to give you all official stars. If anyone has tried it, please post!

Braidout

Don't you love this warm weather? Yesterday (and today) was definitely a dry braid-out kinda day. In other news, my hair smoothie came in the mail! I almost forgot I ordered it.

Curl Ectasy is a deep conditioning treatment that is supposed to be great for dry hair! I think I'm going to use it tonight with this hair scrub that I found on another blog! Results tomorrow!

Resolution Ramble

So it's that time of the year again

New Year's Resolutions:

1. keep scalp moisturized:

I've struggled with this a lot

2. protective style > weave mantra:

I'm going to try to keep my natural hair visible in protective styling instead of just wigs and braids

3. be fruity:

essentially, I need to eat healthier starting with eating more fruits

4. exercise more:

even though the gym is only 1 floor below me in my building, I HATE working out in formal gym settings; most likely I'll accomplish this goal by going to group fitness classes at my university's gym

What are yours?