Braids and protective styles

Is it just me or it's great to give your hair a break from the elements in the fall/winter months?! So if like me you like wearing braids for that reason or even just to mix it up; contact me. I have good prices and I can do multiple styles if you live in the Montreal area. Here are some of my latest clients:

Contact me at marieconstant84@hotmail.com for an appointment. Let me know in advance and I can even style your hair on a week day. See you soon

Banana baby food Homemade Deep conditioner

It is just me or I've been using a lot of food on my hair lately? I just figure, I've stopped using the chemical relaxers, I might as well try to use as less chemicals on my hair as possible! I still use store bought products but I'm experimenting with what nature has to offer right now and it's great. It's inexpensive and fun. So for about 1$ I came up with this little recipe that's sure to:

1- Make my hair softer: Bananas are rich in potassium and Vitamin C which help soften and hydrate the hair
2- Give my hair bounce and shine: thanks to the olive and coconut oil
3- Help my hair grow: The sulfur and zinc contained in garlic stimulates hair growth

Banana Deep-conditioner

1 bottle of banana baby food
2 tablespoons of honey
1 tablespoon of virgin coconut oil
1 tablespoon of "garlicky" olive oil --> Crush 2 garlic clovers and let them sit in the heated olive oil for 2-3 days. Sift out the garlic pieces and only keep the olive oils for the mask. You can keep the oil in the fridge for 10 days [Source Journalnappygirl.com]
Mix all of the ingredients together and apply the mask on clean (washed hair). Place a plastic cap on your head and let it sit for at least 30 minutes. Rinse abundantly. Then use regular conditioner.

***Important***: Garlic is counter-indicated for people that are on anticoagulant drugs such as aspirin. Also, do not add the garlic to the recipe if you have soars or cuts on your head as it will "burn". The overwhelming garlic smell dissipates after a few hours

If you try any of the recipes, please let me know what the results are for you :)

Black women reverting to natural hair

I myself have stopped putting perm 4 months ago because: 1- It burnt my scalp almost every single time it was applied (but I was trying to be strong feeding myself with the you have to suffer to be beautiful non-sense) 2- I was trying to lead a healthier lifestyle so it was kinda incoherent for me to continue applying harsh chemicals to my hair) 3- I was a bit influenced by the whole movement (i have to admit watching pics of #teamnatural sisters on Instagram I was inspired to try something new: deal with my natural hair) So I shaved it all off, and I must say it was an empowering moment.

If you have taking the same decision to big chop (cut your permed ends in order to only have your curly hair left) I would like to congratulate you !!!! You did a BOLD move. BUT, I think you have to be aware of the repercussions in the way that others' perception of you might change. Your colleagues, family or even loved one might not love your drastic hair cut as much as you do! You must remember why you took that decision and why it was the right one for YOU. Weather it be health [perms are being linked to uteran cancers for African American women], values or even reconnecting with your roots be confident that you made the right choice. Also, it is nice to have someone who supports you in your decision to help you ease into the transition and make you feel comfortable. It might also be nice to have someone who can answer your questions as caring for natural hair is a whole other ball park than it is for permed hair. There are tons of instruction videos on Youtube and communities on Facebook. Joining just one of those is fine to start because the info can be overwhelming (sometimes to much is like not enough). My personal advice is if you've just big chopped, enjoy those first couple of low-maintenance months where you can just wash-and-go and maybe sometimes have a brush run through your hair, soon after you'll ear about bantu-knots and twist outs and protective style and WHOA, this is getting kind of complex!!! But don't worry, it will take you a few months before you can start to think about doing any of that so don't worry, you'll get there. Relax and enjoy the journey. I know I have mine!