My Lush Henna Review

Hello naturals!

So, I finally did my henna last week....right before my friend's bachelorette....which meant it probably was in my hair for around 3 hours... also, you'll have to forgive me for the lack of (my own)pictures. I will update when I henna again. There are some changes that I will do for next time.

What I used:

LUSH's Caca Rouge Mama

I cannot begin to describe how fabulous this is! The smell alone is ahhh-mazing!! Seriously!  The other henna that I've tried just smelled so bad. (That may have been the reason for holding off on it for so long). If you read the ingredient list two stand out the most to me. There's cocoa butter...this left my hair, super soft...super moisturized and so easy to detangle! And the second is the rosemary oil. I've heard that it's supposed to help with "that odor" other henna has.

(Source-someone who left it in blocks)

(Source-someone who cut it up)

What I did: Depending on the length and thickness of your hair will determine how many squares you use. I used three and have SL in the back,neck length on the sides and top of mouth length in the front. (I know those aren't "official" lengths and whatnot, but that's just where my hair comes to). I first started by using hot tap water and chopped up the henna squares. (What I saw a youtuber do was melt the henna in a pot and they had much smoother results...and this is what I will be doing next time). I also decided that I would add some extra virgin coconut oil and a small amount of honey to the mix. I will tell you that I had some SERIOUS clumps! (So mad I didn't take pictures!) That made the applying process a bit tricky and even messier. I'm still finding little bits of henna in the bathroom! After applying I used cling wrap, a shower cap and my satin (henna) bonnet. Rinsing out takes some time, as henna does, but in the process I could feel the transformation in my hair!! Loved it! 

Overall rating breakdown: (Based on a scale from 1-10. 1 being poor. 10 being I'm telling everyone I can about it!) 

Smell: 10! (I cannot believe how good it smells! Seriously..go into a LUSH near you and smell it!)

Messiness: 5 (average compared with other henna brands I've used)

Rinse Factor: 5 (Since my hair is so thick it just takes forever to rinse out so 5 is my norm.)  

How well it works to color hair: 2 (I'm only rating it this low because I only left it in for 3 hours. I typically leave it in overnight, so I will update this review)

Natural Factor: 10 (I was reading their inredient list and the product does contain "Linalool". It's naturally occurring, but some people may have allergic reactions to it. I did not.) 

Results: 6.4/10

I know this rating is low, but I'm looking forward to using this product again and hopefully updating my review....oh...and add (my own) pictures! *hangs head in shame*

What do you think? Would you be willing to give this henna a try?   I know it's pricey and I gave it a low rating, but compared to other henna brands out there this has been the best for me. What did it for me immediately was the smell. (Sorry to keep going on and on about it. lol!)

Hair Envy: "Good Hair"

Hair Envy: “Good Hair”

Hi Naturals! I'm back with another post for bella-kinks.com!

Recently my life has been consumed by gorgeous natural haired women and men on Pinterest, Facebook and even the New York Times. The first thing I find myself thinking is “Wow! Their hair is beautiful, long, curly, colored and just fabulous!” (The list goes on and on…) I immediately start to investigate what they are currently doing to achieve those results, what they have done and how I can get those same results. I long for the day when I will be able to rock protective styles without the use of hair packs and dream about the amazing curl length where I can get it into a pony or puff without the need of stretching my hair….But hold on a second…Their journey probably started the same way as many of us. They were tired of having relaxed hair (or lucky enough to never have gone through that), big chopped and/or transitioned.  They too may have looked at women, whose hair was in their “crush” list, just hoping for the day that their hair will be healthy and long.

I think the most interesting place to witness and just hear “hair envy” or “hair hate” is at the hair salon. My last visit was filled with questions about the state of my hair. “How long have you been natural?” (I politely answer) “Guuuurlll! I could never do that. My sister has ‘good hair’ and it’s long and pretty. I don’t have that.” (I think to myself, have you tried to see what your natural hair would do?) As I look around and see all the women who are getting relaxers, I can tell you I do not envy them. I don’t miss the burning, the hours of waiting nor the smell. (I’m not telling anyone what to do or how to wear their hair. I just know that lifestyle is no longer for me.) I even remember when I did get my hair relaxed and I was working at a summer camp, one of the other camp counselors was asking about my hair and wondered if I was “Indian”. My first thought was 'What does that have to do with anything?' and then 'Does she me Native American? Or from India?' My third thought "Did she really just ask me that?' My actual response "I don't think so." When did "Indian" become synonymous with having "good hair"? 

 So, this got me thinking. Is it bad to look at another’s hair in hopes of attaining that same style? How does it affect our self-esteem, self-worth? When does looking at someone else’s hair become negative and envious? To answer those questions, I immediately came up with another list: Do I neglect my hair after viewing those pictures? (No. If anything, it makes me want to take even better care of my hair. Co-wash, condition, moisturize, oil, henna (I finally henna'd yesterday!), deep condition….). I understand that their hair will not now or ever be my hair. Sure there are women out there who have similar textures as mine and I can envision how my hair might be at that stage/length, but we all have beautiful waves, kinks, coils, curls, locs, twa’s and everything in between. As long as we remember to embrace and care for what we have we all have "good hair" and when we accept that, hopefully we can break those stereotypes and molds. 

What Are Your Goals?

Hello Naturals!

What are your goals?
by JenniferS

I wanted to talk about goals. Not just in relation to hair, but our lives as well. Dictionary.com  describes a goal as "the result or achievement toward which effort is directed". My husband's father asks "Is this plan consistent with your long-term goals?" Usually in relation to career choices, but this can apply to numerous situations. From friends, to buying a house, going (back) to school, going natural...so on and so forth. Goals can be short-term and they can be long-term, which I have quite a few of. 


How many times have you noticed your efforts going to a negative place with results less than desirable? I really do believe that you get back what you put in. If you go into a situation with a negative frame of mind, then the odds are higher that you will receive a negative outcome because it is what is being sought out. But when we put in positive energy there will be a higher possibility of receiving a positive outcome. I also don't want to say that is always the case. I'm sure there have been times when those situations have been found untrue and you get an unexpected outcome.


 So, what goals are you trying to accomplish? If you're like me, there is an ever changing list because things come up. But what if you're stuck? (I just made a post about being stuck) And how do you move forward? The easiest thing for me, when goal setting, is to make a list. I LOVE LISTS! I'm also a visual person so seeing what needs to be done helps me in the next phase of my goal setting, which is prioritizing. What needs to be done immediately? What can be put on the back burner? Goals don't have to be overwhelming, but it helps to know all the facts and then do a break down.


I'll give you an idea about goals that are in progress. 
My husband and I are working on painting our room. (He just left to pick up the paint.) So, last night we spent time cleaning, moving furniture, patching the tack holes and preparing the room. 

(Taken last night before bed our bare walls.)

(The walls all nicely taped by my husband, this morning.)

(My hubby! Love you!)

This has to be done today. Usually when we paint, we space it out between two/three days, but we want to get it all done before we go to his parent's house this evening...*fingers crossed* and because it is the room we actually sleep in. The second bedroom we use as a recording space, office and storage room. 

Of course there's the usual Sunday night grocery shopping and then making our salads for the week. And after that it's finger detangling time for me. I use a solution of coconut oil, olive oil, water and Hair Rules conditioner followed by shower cap and satin bonnet. 

Monday will be co-wash and style followed by more job hunting, a trip to target for the final touches for the bedroom, dance shoes for my performance on Wednesday at a festival, Thursday is my dance class, Friday is my friend's bachelorette party, which I'm helping to organize. Saturday is another friend's bridal shower...which also reminds me I need to pick up a gift for her while at Target tomorrow. Sunday family dinner. And in between all of that, hubby and I will play Dance Central 2. That game is no joke! lol. It's fun and a great way to exercise. We have literally spent 2+ more hours playing this game and it doesn't even feel like working out...until we're done and can't move! I should also mention that I need to henna this week...I have been putting it off as other things needed to be completed first.This week really is going to fly by, but it helps to take each day and adjust goals so that it is less overwhelming. 




What are your goals and how do you prioritize them? 

Gratitude...

Hello Naturals!



This is going to be a brief one and sorry for venting in advanced, but this is of great importance to me. Gratitude. Dictionary.com describes it as "the quality or feeling of being grateful or thankful: He expressed his gratitude to everyone on the staff." There is one thing that I cannot stand. (Well, actually there are more, but that's for another time) People not saying "thank you." It only takes a few seconds to say and yet I believe it is not said enough. I understand that not everything requires the use of those two words, but really they make such a huge difference. Especially when you've put in a lot of work to make something happen after months of planning, organizing and making sure things are moving along smoothly. ಠ_ಠ I usually can let things slide in other matters of manners, but this one I cannot. I really think it comes from a place of hurt first and then anger later. I should be clear and say this really goes for people I know and/or care about. You hold a door open for a stranger and they don't say "thank you", yeah I'm annoyed and sometimes wish that I hadn't held it open, but I get it. They could be thinking about something else, maybe they've had a bad day, maybe they're meeting someone and are running late... I really do try and make it a point to say "thank you" whenever you can. You may not know it at the time, but it really could make someone's day. Especially in a world where we're so hooked up to our mobile devices and computers and social interactions have new meaning. *Whew* Okay, I'm done with my little rant. Who have you thanked today? It may make all the difference in the world. 

Stuck in Translation: Change of mental scenery

Hello Naturals!

Do you ever get stuck? I started writing for this week's post about goals and had gotten pretty far. I started writing about setting goals, how our efforts can lead to negative or positive outcomes, when I just had a brain freeze. Right now I'm sitting at the kitchen table and was working on the finishing touches while watching the rain when I felt the need to write this:

Melancholy rain on the steps of a faded memorial to gather in pools of reflected life. A splash of tires, a clicking of heels, muted laughter from children who fear nothing. The clank of metal in the city guides those to seek shelter, sip tea, watch and wait. Leaves dance about as though alive with the wind in an intimate unknown moment, surrendering to nature. Her delicate balance of a treaty not yet signed and the world waits in stalled silence.

 I often find that when writing there are things that I want to write about and have planned out, but there are also times when I need to get "something" out. I have journals and books filled with these random writings and I must admit that it has been a while since I've had a free flow of thoughts like that. It also makes me think about taking a mental break from a task at hand. Not to completely forget about it, but to do something else to refocus and maintain. It can be triggered by weather, the states of my friends and the need to just take a vacation. Not necessarily to a physical place...although, I love doing that, but most often I just need a mental break. What do you do to change your mentality? 

First Successful Wash and Go...Sort of!

Hi Naturals!

So, I wanted to talk about a wash and go. The idea behind this method of styling is referenced in the Curly Girl Method. Mahogany Curls and Whoissugar  (she is so funny and gets distracted easily, but her videos are great to watch too!) have really great videos about the method as well as products that they used. After watching their videos, I decided that I wanted to give it a try.

(L-R Tresemme Naturals Nourishing Moisture Conditioner, Paul Mitchell's The Conditioner and ECO Styler Krystal...oh and a spray bottle of water, hair clips and a diffuser-not pictured)

In one video of Mahogany Curls, she demonstrates the CG method on someone with a tighter curl pattern...very similar to mine and she used the blue ECO styler.  

So, I first started with the Tresemme Naturals to co-wash my hair. I just purchased the bottle and you can already see how much I've used! I used this to finger detangle in the shower. I often find that I need to turn the water off so that I'm not sitting there wasting it! It's important to note that you need to rinse ALL of the product out of your hair before moving on to the next step. That conditioner with the ECO Styler DO NOT MIX! (At least not for my hair...you can give it a try though and see how you like it)

After rinsing, I sectioned my hair into several workable areas and applied Paul Mitchell's The Conditioner. I used my fingers only to rake the product through my hair and was already seeing my curls become more defined. In an even smaller section, I applied the ECO Styler to set my curls. (It's important to not touch your curls until they are dry. You don't want to mess up the setting/drying phase)

(So, here I am with most of it done. Still need to do the front...make sure you keep that spray bottle handy!)

(Here is the nape/back of my head. Those Curls are so defined and shiny! I used my diffuser to help dry my hair a bit faster.)

(And the end result! I have. SO MUCH SHRINKAGE! Also, I think the left side looks better. I was rushing through the right side to just be done!) 

I really loved the results, but I will say it wasn't exactly a wash and go for me. In an earlier post, I mentioned how my hair in the front was more wavy than the rest, so that meant to get the curls, I had to take really small pieces in order to get definition. (Really small!) I started this process at 11am and didn't finish 'til about 3pm!! That's certainly no wash and go...more like wash and stay! lol! I want to do this style again, but I'm going to do bigger sections in the back and there's no way I can get around the front taking so long. That's just my hair texture and what I must do to get the definition that I want. I will also post pictures of second/third day hair!

Have You Claimed Your Hair?

Have you Claimed Your Hair?
by JenniferS. 


This week on Bella-Kinks.com I thought doing a twist on the name of this post would highlight something that I have noticed in the natural hair community, which is embracing and/or in(hair)iting our hair. I like to think that many of us have gone through the relaxer phase.  Spending hours at the salon waiting for our stylist to a)stop chatting on the phone, b) stop chatting to a “close friend” who happened to come into the shop, c) has walked away to who knows where d) has yet to rinse your hair out and your scalp is burning or e) all of the above. Been there, tired of that!

(Source) 

For so long many women and men, have defined themselves with relaxed hair (myself included). Rainy and/or humid days would take proper planning as to not ruin the new do and making sure you have umbrellas, yes plural lol, in the vehicle, purse, office or wherever your day was going to take you. I never realized just how much I was limited by my hair in its relaxed state, until I became natural. Now I can have big curls using the curlformers, I can do a twist out, a 'fro or a wash 'n go all depending on my mood, my style or no reason at all. And I welcome the rain. If anything it just adds more moisture to my hair! However, I was not always this comfortable about my natural state and even now there are times when I feel self conscious about my hair when I go out. It can be frightening, uneasy and feel "naked" in the sense that I am revealing my true self to the world. I know there is the term "fake it until you make it", but I feel like that's still not accepting our hair. From a counseling standpoint, I encourage myself (and you) to recognize those insecure feelings and then turn it around by saying "this is who I am", "this is who I want to be" and "I am learning to embrace all of me". I also think it is important to acknowledge that there are going to be setbacks, but I also think it allows for innovation and flexibility.

Curlformer'd Hair

It is our right to claim our true selves. No one can take away our value and meaning other than ourselves. Now, just to be clear, I am not trying to put down anyone who uses chemical treatments and/or relaxers in their hair. You have to do what is right for you, not what someone else tells you. But I can guarantee that being natural is the most liberating feeling that I've had in a long time. I can proudly say that I have claimed my (in)hair(itence). Have you claimed yours?