Ayurveda Adventures: Brahmi Powder

Well its that time again….Sunday Spa Day…I try to deep treat my hair weekly with the additional oomph of ayurvedic herbs. My powder of choice this week is brahmi powder. I have used this powder several times along with amla powder which has similar effects.

I use the Hesh brand of the powder. According to the box Brahmi powder is a remedy for people with chronic hair problems. Brahmi can make hair dark, dense, and lustrous. It strengthens hair roots, thus controlling hair thinning and hair loss. Regular use control premature graying and massaging it into the scalp clears dandruff.

Brahmi is also used as a mental tonic, to rejuvenate the body, as a promoter of memory and as a nerve tonic. It improves memory and helps overcome the negative effects of stress. It is unique in its ability to invigorate mental processes whilst reducing the effects of stress and nervous anxiety. Brahmi induces a sense of calm and peace, says the people over at Mehndi Skin Art.

Brahmi powder has also been said to cool the scalp which induces a sound sleep. I applied my brahmi powder in the form of a paste today and almost immediately I was ready for a nap. I was instantly relaxed. This might come in handy during the week for me after a long day of classes and studying.

To mix and apply the powder is pretty simple and easy to clean up. I follow the boxes instructions but you can get creative with it an mix up all kinds of DT concoctions I have added EVOO, vitamin E, lavender oil, even amla powder on occassion.

Well here’s the basic way to mix the powder:

• Place required amount of powder in a bowl then add water and mix well to create a thick paste.

• Gently massage the paste into the hair and scalp rotating with your finger tips.
• Wait for 1 hour. ( I usually leave it in anywhere from 4-8 hours coving my head with plactic wrap.)
• Wash thoroughly with water. (Sometimes there is a little grit but co-washing takes care of that.)

Today I did coat my hair with EVOO before applying the paste concentrating in the edges. Sometimes my edges come out the platic wrap and this stuff is no fun and damaging to get out if it dries to on hair.

Clean up is also a breeze. It doesn’t stain like henna so you don’t have to worry about plastic gloves or newspapering counter tops and floors.

Overall I’m a huge fan of ayurvedic powders and methods for healthy hair care. I have decided to dedicate a sub-catergory to Curly Products for my Ayurvedic Adventures which will go into depth about other herbs, oils, and methods.

Eco Styling Success

So it official… I lovvvvvvvvvvvvve Eco Styler gels. I used the clear one all weekend. Even used it on hair I had plopped dry and my curls were still popping. I even found a few new styles I have to share with you guys this week. I think its finally time to do some vids and tuts.

BTW the Krystal Eco Styler gets 4.5 out of 5 diamonds. It smells a lot better than  the Olive Oil one and its clear so it doesn’t have blue #40 and what not.

I even made my first official pineapple and that made for 3rd day hair. I will also share a tut on that this week for all hair lengths.

This week should be fun guys I will be purchasing so trader Joe’s and Oyin products maybe some Qhemet too. So stay tuned I plan to do some vids or pictorials on how to sleep with KCCC or curls period, my bantu knot outs, flat twists, and some wash and go styles. I might do an amla vid too depending on how everything goes.

BTYL,

Angelique

Curly Kitchen: Recession Proof Curls

For this edition of Curly Kitchen I will be sharing a few tips of how to stretch your co-wash or poo, making your own no-poo or rinse and deep conditioners.

Last week I was almost on E in the co-wash department…..I just added honey and I was back to a half tank.

For you lo-poo and poo’ers you can just add a little distilled water(about1/3 h2o 2/3 poo)…then BAM…you have a gentle cleansing poo….if you have a lot of build up don’t use more poo just add a scoop of baking soda to the amount you usually use.

If you are a no-poo’er like moi then just try a ACV rinse (recipe posted before) or a Baking soda rinse (8oz of H2o and 1 tbs. of BS) . Ayurvedic herbs do the trick is well my favorite is Amla which has natural astringent and contioning properties.

I have several DC recipes but today I will only share ones I used. One really simple honey is adding honey and evoo to your favorite condish. You can also use honey and evoo alone and from my own experiences the results were amazing my hair was always super shiny, moisturized, and easily detangeled.

Another good DC is the Avocado-Coconut Milk Condish. I posted the recipe for this as well before. One tip I should have done was mixing it in a blender so you won’t be left with banana chucks in your hair or use baby food bananas.

This week I ran out of almost all of my products last night I DC’d with my last little drop of Aubrey’s GBP Rosemary Peppermint and added honey and coconut only. The results were wonderful my hair was so soft, shiny, and moisturized. I might mixed in oil everytime I DC because the results were better than when I used it alone.

Amla Adventures….

I can’t believe  I was able to have 5 day hair but my curls were in need to some overdue tlc. So today I had a some free time to deep condition my hair.

First, I co-washed with Suave Lavender Lilac followed by a ACV rinse. I detangled in the shower which was surprising like a breeze probably because I used the perfect amount of Kinky Curly products and they were still in my hair.

Now for the good stuff I applied my Amla mix, wrapped my hair in plastic wrap, and let it sit for about 1 to 2 hours. I usually leave it in longer but my head was steamy resulting in drippies.

Now I’m sitting here still steamy headed with my DC the GVP Reconstructing Conditioner for Sally’s. I’m not a fan of this condish because it has mineral oil but I do waste anything and besided that its actually a good condish. I plan to leave it in overnight and rock a Kinky Curly wash and go I hope holds up again until the weekend….

Now back to amla powder…..I know you didn’t think I would leave you hanging.  I used the Hesh brand a youtuber warned me the regular powder leaves grit and is better as a face scrub. According to the box amla promotes hair growth, controls hair fall, cures scalp infection, controls premature greying, and removes pimple and grime.  It also says the its a natural astringent and skin toner (so I also use a spoonful on my face as a mask). It promotes black and luxuriant hair as it controls hair loss, it stimulates hair roots and promotes growth. When used on skin is brightens complexion.

All this sounded amazing to me and I had to try it after hesitating with henna. Overall I love at and try to use it once a week. Its only $2 a box so I try to stock up because I have to travel pretty far to get it. Its available online and in your local Indian grocery stores.

It is ABSOLUTELY necessary to DC after because it can be drying. It has similar benefits like henna yet a lot easier and easy to clean up. It only requires water to mix it up. I do add a few drops of lavender becasue the smell is a bit earthy for me.  It doesn’t change hair color when used alone. If you mix it with henna it results in a more brown hue which if your hair is dark you will only see it in the sunlight. It reduces frizz and unlike henna does not affect your curl pattern. Some say it tighten curls but I have not experienced this and have been using it for months. It has condition benefits as well as a gentle cleanser if you are a no-poo curly like moi.

For more info check out the curly product section for my full review, and tutorial will be coming, and my recipe will be in the curly kitchen section soon as well. There are a few youtubers that use amla my favorite was Lo3esponge (which for some reason I cant find the link guess I have to do a vid). So check them out,  I never hold back on what I learn for others….

XOXO,

Angelique