Hair Love Oscars 2015

So in love with Zendaya's faux locs! She looked so gorgeous in them! Image source Photo credit Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

And of course Miss Lupita killed it in those pearls! Love love love her hair! Photo credit Jason Merrit/Getty Images Image Source

Sooooo in love with Ms Ava's top knot! Image Source/Getty Images

Ms Viola stunning as usual! Image source Photo credit Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

Braids out!

I took down my kinky twists in the fourth week I thought I could carry them for at least six but they were getting real loose around my edges thanks to new growth and I didn’t want to risk them pulling my edges out seeing as my hair is weakest around that area. I couldn’t be asked to fix them so I decided to take them down instead and get something else done. Take down took me all of two hours! Seriously it was that easy their size and the fact that they were twists greatly helped in the take down. Take down over I finger detangled then saturated my hair with leave in conditioner and went to bed. The next day I detangled properly with a wide toothed comb there were one or two knots but nothing too tangled so that was stress free. Detangling done I proceeded to apply my previously mixed henna (I mixed with the juice of a fresh lemon and cold black tea) from roots to tip, covered that with a cling film/wrap, tied a scarf over it and let it sit for two hours.

henna mix

The company whose henna I use decided to start selling super finely ground double maybe triple sifted henna and I could kiss them for that. It is so much easier to handle than the not so finely sifted and ground henna that they have had for eons. This new pack is super fine, swells more when in contact with water and spreads easily. I remember mentioning in a different post that my hair was getting too thick for 100grams of henna, scrap that lets replace it with my hair was getting too thick for 100grams of the not so super finely ground henna. This new pack was 90grams and it was more than enough it covered my entire hair very well and still had some left over in the bowl which I just piled on top of my already hennaed head. It was too little too store and I didn’t want to waste it so I just added it in. I use henna from Sudan the new pack I got from my local BSS looks like this;

It is distributed in a few countries from the little English information I could read on the pack everything else was in Arabic. I have never really tried any of the sourced from India brands come to think of it maybe next time I will get one of those that has other herbs in them and see how my hair likes it. The old not so super finely ground pack that I used to buy from the same company I bought out of familiarity more than anything else it is what I have known for eons and seen being used by women around me for as long as I can remember.

Back to my wash day after the two hours watching TV were up I proceeded to rinse it out and once again super finely ground henna rinses out much quicker than the not so fine ones and doesn’t leave as much twigs and leaves plant particles in your hair as does the not so finely ground one on rinsing. The leftover henna specks are hardly noticeable and don’t bother me because they fly away on combing or blow drying anyway. Henna rinse done I shampooed with TRESemme naturals twice and then conditioned for like ten minutes and rinsed off. I t-shirt blotted my hair dry applied my leave ins and coconut oil and let it air dry some more, detangled a bit and then did one braid and let it dry like that.

 I really need to start wearing gloves when applying henna usually they get stained but clear off after a hand dishwashing session or two on the same day but this time round because I used a generous amount of lemon juice and probably because of the better quality henna they were still slightly stained three days later. I mixed the henna and applied it less than 30 minutes after mixing, application took me 10-15 minutes not enough time to leave a lasting stain on a regular application day. Usually I will add vinegar to my henna mix since I never seem to have lemons in the house on application day and leave the henna out for four hours plus sometimes overnight for the dye to release and my hands were never stained for this long but this time round the lemon juice reminded me of the need to wear gloves while applying henna. 

Lucia’s Bloggers Giveaway Competition

The lovely Lucia over at luciamusau.com came up with an awesome idea to get bloggers connected that included a Valentine’s special giveaway sponsored by www.hellofood.co.ke.

So she wants to know……

How does online food delivery make my life easier?

The fact that I can get food delivered to my doorstep to satisfy my random cravings and lazy days when I am too tired to turn on the stove is a blessing.

What do you think can be improved on hellofood.coke?

24 hour delivery maybe yes I crave hot wings at 3am in the night sometimes and no I am not pregnant:) My food cravings are legendary the kind of wake up at night and cook kind of food cravings yes it’s that serious! Also get more restaurants on board and spread your services to other parts of the country.

What more can be improved on luciamusau.com?

As a hair blogger, I think Lucia plays it very safe with her hair perhaps too safe maybe? I would like to see her experiment more with her hair try different hair and braid styles and do product reviews of the products she uses on her hair including a post on her hair regimen if she has one. On the fashion aspect I would love to see more laid back styles something that one would wear to a very casual girls lunch date that does not include heels. Something you would wear on a random Saturday out and about running errands or shopping or something one would wear to a picnic for example or better still an afternoon outdoor concert in a park somewhere.

Fitness Friday: Mango Cucumber Salad

Its healthy eating time and todays recipe is for a Mango Cucumber Salad; I made this over Christmas and it was a huge hit.

Ingredients (serves two)

One ripe but firm mango washed peeled and cubed (taste to make sure it is a sweet NOT tangy mango)

One medium cucumber washed and cubed you can peel or leave unpeeled it’s up to you

One carrot washed peeled and shaved or grated depending on your preference

One bell pepper washed and diced can be any colour i.e red, yellow or green (red and yellow are sweeter)

One medium red onion peeled and diced

A few leaves fresh coriander/cilantro washed and chopped (parsley can be used as well)

Vinaigrette (optional)

Juice from a fresh lemon

One teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar or white vinegar etc

One teaspoon Olive oil or any other salad oil of your choice

Extras (optional)

A small pinch black pepper

A pinch of salt

A sprinkle mixed herbs

Directions

Toss all the vegetables into a salad bowl and mix

Add the vinaigrette ingredients if using and combine into the salad

If using any or all of the Extras sprinkle them in at this point and mix into the salad

Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to an hour before serving (room temperature is fine too if desired)

Can be eaten alone or as an accompaniment; goes very well with spicy/peppery meals as the mango and cucumber help cool down the heat. The mango can be substituted with a sweet pineapple to make Pineapple Cucumber Salad. Enjoy!

Methods Salon Valentines Offer!

Nairobi, Kenya