Castor Oil: Oil Nut Tree

This is my first shoot of oil nut. I will be making my own Castor Oil in just a while.

How to Trim Natural Hair: Measure and Cut Method

The Measure and Cut Method is a solution I have come up with for trimming my natural hair. It may be considered tedious, nevertheless it works. I have noticed that a lot of naturals on Youtube straighten their natural hair whether by blow out or flat ironing or some other creative means in order to do a trim, however,what the Measure and Cut method involves is using a tape measure to measure each selected/ parted section of the hair then clipping or cutting at the desired length. This process is continued until you have completed the entire head of hair.

Initially, determine the shortest section of hair (and I am not referring to hair along the edges since these are usually shorter and may not grow beyond a certain length), measure it then cut each section at the same measured length. For example, say you have chosen 12 inches as your ballpark measurement, each section that is cut should measure that same length. In my view, this method prevents heat damage or excess breakage.

Natural Hair: 2 years length check

This is the length of my hair after 2 years and 2weeks. It is pretty much the same length throughout as a result of doing regular trims to ensure my ends are even.

New & Innovative Way to Curl Your Locks

These beautiful dreadlocks curls were created using pipe cleaners
Model: Dorraine Reid
Stylist: Dorraine Reid
Photographer: Diamond Martin

Fro with Afro Kinky

This Hairstyle has become my signature. It is literally "no care" just "fro pickin" which makes it my favourite style yet. I have been getting a lot of questions about this hair in the streets. It is the Realistic Afro Kinky "20". I totally love it.

Soursop Green Smoothie

There is SOURSOP in my green smoothie. Having tried so many variation of green smoothies, I ran out of ideas - then came that one 'light bulb' moment - I have never tried soursop. I was getting tired of doing the same smoothies all the time, especially banana green smoothies, so I was quite delighted to try something new and I must boast, it is one of the most refreshing green smoothies I have ever had.

Here are my ingredients:
1/2 Medium sized Sour Sop
9 Moringa Seeds
Moringa Leaves
Spinach Leaves
Pusley
Lettuce
2 Cucumbers
1 Sweet Pepper
1/2 Large Aloe Vera Stalk

I blended these babies together and Voila! It was a magical moment.

Ingredients grown in my backyard

I have been juicing for sometime now for healthy hair and skin. Initially, I was doing very basic juicing like Callalloo and Pineapples but my juicing has evolved and I am loving the juices I create every time I enter my kitchen and the benefits of juicing. What makes it even more special is that most of the ingredients are grown in my own vegetable garden in my backyard and so I am definitely sure that the only chemicals are what are deposited by those "bug legs" : -)

Natural Silver Hair

When my neighbour asked me to comb her hair, I was only too willing. Since I met her, I have always been fascinated by how beautiful her hair is which, she said has never been chemically processed. I had never touched it before until now. It was like silk in my hands, I had to do a feature on her (of course, with her permission).

What was even more amazing is the healthy condition her hair is in despite the fact that she has a simple regimen which consists of just shampooing/ conditioning and oiling her scalp. she has approximately 13-14 inches of hair.

Crochet Braid with Marley Braid

#CrochetBraids



In this pic I am sporting crochet braids.

Deep Conditioning

Jamaicans Associate Natural Hair with Christianity

Have you ever been asked the question "Are you a Christian?, when you wear your natural hair. Jamaicans share a common misconception that to sport your natural hair you must be a Christian. Of course, I have no problem with being identified as a Christian since I am one, but my only reservation to this is, am I still considered a Christian when I wear my extensions or wigs?




I would really hate to think otherwise since I wear protective styles 98% of the time. I understand where this concept was birth however as I, once upon a time, shared this same view. From ever since, Pentecostal Christians and Revivalists in Jamaica are required to wear their hair in its natural state and in more conservative hair styles. Since the trending natural hair community has slowly began to emerge in Jamaica, people are finding it hard to differentiate.

The Other question I also get from time to time, though less frequently, is if I am associated with Rastafarians. Being natural automatically makes you a strong candidate for becoming a Rastaman's queen. Returning to your natural roots is not seen as a decision that can be made without the influence of religion (denomination).

Protective 'Pro' Bun

As I promised, this is my hair in one, for the first time. It is in a Pro Bun.

My Untamed Crown

This is the first time I have ever attempted to wear my hair in one with a bun. The bun is beneath the afro ponytail I am wearing and is my very own

pro bun

I'd say I invented. I will post a pic of how this looks when I remove my afro ponytail.

I was forced to wear my hair in one because my twists were looking too trashy (frizzy). I tried every possible way to get my hair to lay flat but to no avail despite using almost quarter jar of Eco Styling Gel and tying it with a silk tie head before bed. I really do believe someone needs to invent a styling gel that works for natural hair like mine or I'll have to resort to one of the two options: Creating my own or just not wear my hair in out styles. However, I believe the style gives me a fresh look. Before this I had in synthetic weaves which I had planned to keep for two months but that plan failed. After the first two weeks I started getting bored, by week 3 my face really started looking tired so I stretched myself all the way to week 4 and as you can see above this is the result.

Protective 'Pro' Bun

Protecting my ends are important. I am on a healthy hair growth journey and so I rarely ever wear or style my natural hair. It is usually in some form of protective styling. In recent times, I have been doing a lot more medium twists when I need to give my strands a break from the synthetic fibres, since these can cause your hair to thin when worn for extensive periods.

When I wear my twists they are usually in an up-do as seen below.

However there are times when I just want to put my hair up in one but still need to keep my ends protected. This may be extreme but this is where my Protective bun PRO BUN

comes in.

My Pro Bun is done with a stocking cap and secured in place with a scunchie.

Length Check

Growth Progress

Twist Out

This is my first twist out and I absolutely loved it...

Jamaica Names for Kinky Hair

It was quite common back in the day, particularly from the 50's through to the 90's, for kids with kinky hair textures to be teased by other kids. These are just a few of names that you could be called in school or among your peers, if you never had so called 'pretty hair' or 'coolie hair.'

Picky Picky Head
Dry Head Addassa
Kyah Head
Hog Hair
Bumpy head
Coconut brush
Tough head
Peppa grain
Bad head

The Rockfort Mineral Bath: A Therapy for the Skin, Mind & Body

YES, Skin, Mind & Body: The RockFort Mineral Bath is a public pool situated in the community of Rockfort, Kingston, Jamaica - It is a good place to soak up some sulphur and other minerals into the body. The water flows into the pool directly from the rocks. However, patrons are usually advised not to spend beyond forty five (45) minutes in the pool as over absorption can be toxic.

Occasionally, This is where I go to get my scalp and entire body soaked with minerals in their natural state. For me the pool provides therapy and leaves me feeling refreshed, revived and healed. On my last visit, I noticed, a very popular Jamaican public figure drinking the water. At first, I found it a bit gross, but thereafter reconsidered my stance. Why not? Anything flowing directly from nature in an unaltered state must definitely be good.


http://www.visitjamaica.com/rockfort-mineral-bath

Proper Diet = Healthy Body=Healthy Hair

Because good nutrition equals healthy body, I have reintroduced as well as added more natural foods to my diet. Green smoothies and juices have become a part of my daily nutrition and to be sure I am getting optimum benefits from juicing, I have been using green leafy vegetable from my own garden. I have reintroduced almond fruit to my diet. The fruit is packed with calcium, magnesium and other minerals as well as vitamins. The tree grows in my yard and the fruits are allowed to sun ripen. Almonds are also an excellent source of vitamin D.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3c63GHSEm0

Life Span spring water flows from the lush green hills of the parish Portland in Jamaica. The water in its natural state has a PH O7.9 which means it is alkaline. Alkaline water readily transports oxygen and other nutrients to the blood. It is useful for obtaining and maintaining the body's natural PH balance.