Tag Archives: DIY Whipped Butter

DIY Whipped Moisturizing Conditioning Butter

Hey Maicurlies,

Today I have the second recipe for my Whipped Butter “series”.

DIY Whipped Moisturizing Conditioning Butter

This Whipped Moisturizing Conditioning Butter is quite simply wonderful for the hair! The recipe is quick to make and literally can be done with 2 ingredients (I use an extra ingredient to make it super moisturizing but this is optional).

Why is this a Moisturizing Conditioning Whipped Butter?

I have been asked if whipped butter (on its own) is moisturizing for the hair and in my opinion it isn’t really “moisturizing” because I find that in order for a product to be truly moisturizing it should have proper moisturizing ingredients – basically it should have water included in some way. Water, at least for my hair, is the beginning and end of moisture. Regular whipped butter (on its own) doesn’t usually include water (especially if it is homemade) unless you have also added preservatives to keep it from going rancid and growing bacteria. I find regular whipped butter to be excellent at sealing, providing shine, making the hair soft, but not necessarily a moisturizing product in itself. For example, I would not abandon using leave-in conditioner in place of regular whipped butter.

So the combination of the moisturizing leave-in with the whipped butter makes this a moisturizing conditioning butter! To make sure you are using a moisturizing leave-in look at the back of your product to see if water is listed within the top three ingredients (if it is the very first ingredient even better).

Products/Tools:

DIY Whipped Moisturizing Conditioning Butter

1 oz Whipped Shea Butter (you can use any whipped butter, I used my DIY Whipped Butter)
0.7 oz Moisturizing Leave-In Conditioner (you might need to experiment with different leave-ins)
0.2 oz Glycerin (Optional for additional moisture)
Whisk
Bowl
Gloves
Airtight container

When & how do I like to use this mix?:

I consider this an ‘all in one’ product. It has moisturizing properties, the ability to seal in moisture and at the same time also helps to give a little definition. I normally apply the butter mid-week on hair that was already properly moisturized and sealed after it was washed. I use it to help restyle my hair, giving back curl definition on styles like a twist-out, braid-out, Bantu knot-out, pin curls etc. I usually lightly spritz my hair with water and then follow up with the mix and move onto setting my hair. If my hair is feeling uber dry I will use my DIY Spray Leave-In Conditioner or my DIY Moisturizing and Curl Activating Spray. I do not follow up with an oil since the whipped butter already contains oil.

Storage/Shelf life:

I make small batches of this since I do not use preservatives. The combo of the leave-in and butter can result in bacteria/mould growth if it is left for weeks and weeks before being used up or properly stored. I have kept my mix for 4 weeks without any issues (by week 4 I had used everything up) but I strongly recommend making small batches especially when you are first trying out the recipe because not all leave-ins will mix well with your chosen whipped butter. You can store it in your fridge to help extend its shelf life for a little longer, just keep in mind the cold temperatures in the fridge will make the mix a little hard so take it out at least 30 minutes before you want to use it.

I have a video demo of how I make my Whipped Moisturizing Conditioning Butter:

Ingredient benefits:

Shea Butter: Shea butter acts as an excellent sealant and is known to help “trap in” moisture and moisturizing products applied to hair. Shea butter is actually considered to have some moisturizing properties and is therefore wonderful for the scalp as well as the hair. Shea Butter provides nourishment to dry or damaged hair from the roots to tips and is said to help repair and protect against weather damage, dryness and brittleness. It also has a smoothing effect that helps provide shine to the hair.

Water Based Leave-In: Water based leave-ins are a vital part of proving our naturally dry hair with moisture and should be part of our moisturizing routine. Leave-ins help to continue to condition the hair over the days they are left on and therefore help to prolong moisture in the hair while at the same time keeping the hair soft and supple. Leave-ins help to refresh styles, revitalizes our curls and help to smooth the hair cuticle, leaving us with shiny hair.

Glycerin: Vegetable Glycerin is a humectant that attracts water in the air (humidity) and directs it to the area applied (the hair.) Due to its oily nature it can also be used as a sealant however should be used sparingly and should be diluted since it is thick and sticky. Vegetable Glycerin is better served when used in moderately humid climate, if used where there is a lack of humidity in the air it can do the opposite, extract moisture from the hair to the air. At the same time too much humidity in the air can cause frizz. (Not all naturals like to use glycerin so this is a head to head preference).

I would love to hear what you think about this mix, especially if you try it out!

Thanks

Maicurls

Birthday Look and What I did

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Hey Maicurlies,

So this is going to be a quick post. It actually was my Birthday a week ago (the 7th) so I wanted to share a few details about what I did, what I did with my hair and all the goodies I got! My loved ones spoilt me rotten 😀

So this is what I did with my hair:

Surprise surprise….a Twist Out! It turned out quite well so I was happy.

I used my leave-in conditioner (my updated mix which I need to post here soon), almond oil and a little whipped butter. I put my hair in 6 twists the night before, covered with a satin scarf and left them in until I was getting ready for the “celebrations”. I took down the twists, separated with a little almond oil on my fingers and fluffed.

So for my “celebration” I went out with my family to this AMAZING Mongolian Restaurant. The food was awesome! The menu included a soup as starter, your main course and dessert. For mains you get to select what you want which could be a mix of: chicken, beef, lamb, shrimp and then a selection of vegetables: carrots, paprika, onions, green beans, tomatoes, spring onions as well as the sauces of which there were about 6 to pick from. You give your bowl to the chef who cooks it in an open kitchen and did I mention you could go for seconds, thirds, etc as many as your stomach can hold! The meats and seafood is kept cold/frozen so that it remains fresh and like I said you could go for only chicken, a combo of chicken and meat and if you are really crazy a mix of both meats and seafood together! Yes I rolled out of there full and happy. Oh and my choice of drink was white wine.

After dinner I went out with my friends for a few drinks…a good number of drinks which were Lychee Martinis! I LOVE this cocktail! My curlfriend got me hooked on them so I had to drag my friends to the best spot for cocktails of course. We ended up in our local spot and was surpirsed with a lovely birthday cake.

Now what did I get in terms of presents? I really got spoilt rotten!

Ok so these are my goodies! My sister and I like to give each other random gifts that we call “silly gifts”. So I got the softest bathrobe/house robe with matching shoes (It is sooooo soft I want to wear it all day everyday!), a square bean bag seat (silly gift), a cutting board (my sister said so I can prep food for her lol), plant ties (for my soon to be green garden), wireless speakers, red nail polish, iPod Shuffle, Galaxy S4, Tupperware (silly gift), boots (a girl can never have too many boots), kitchen trolley (so I can put all my DIY goodies and other ingredients!), money and I forgot to take a picture of 2 tops I also got. 😀 Can someone say spoilt!

It was a great Birthday 🙂 however, now I can no longer tick the box of 25 – 30…not so excited about that but hey!

Have a lovely day Maicurlies!

Maicurls

Protective Style & Castor Oil Week 6 Update

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Hey Maicurlies,

Week 6

So I have come to the end of my Protective Style and Castor Oil Challenge and have to admit I am a little sad. Figured B&W pictures would show “sadness” but to be honest I just love the look of B&W photos!

Anyways, I will have a separate overview of the challenge as a whole, along with a video shortly but I just wanted to share how my last week went in this post.

For a recap of my previous weeks check below:

How did my last week go?

Not to sound like a broken record but it went well. I did two protective styles over six days and of course also massaged my Castor Oil Mix on my scalp, hairline and ends four times in the week. My two styles were as always super simple. For the first three days I did a really quick & loose pinned back up-do using only bobby pins. On the last three days I did a roll and tuck with 3 two-strand twists & accessorized the style with my DIY Floral hairband.

What Did I do?

I did my wash day routine on Sunday, moisturized and sealed before twisting my hair at night.

Day 1 – After taking down the twists in the morning I massaged my Castor Oil Mix on my scalp, hairline, ends and did one of the simplest styles since starting the challenge for the next 3 days.

Literally all I did was very loosely take my hair back fold it over and pin it down. The style was so loose that you could see a little frizz I call this being “carefree” ( it doesn’t bother me but I could be done the style with a little of my DIY Flaxseed gel for a “neater” look.)

Day 3 – I reapplied the Castor Oil mix to my scalp, hairline and ends at night.
Day 4 – In the morning I moisturized my hair with my DIY Creamy Leave-In Conditioner and sealed with my whipped butter mix then put my hair into a rolled back up-do accessorized with a DIY floral headband. (I had my DIY shell earrings on that day and it get a beach feeling when I wear them) 😀

I left two sections on the sides and one at the front to make two-strand twists. The rest of my hair was pulled back and rolled up. I pinned my hair at the top instead of under (by my neck). I took the twists to the back to give my hair a little texture and pinned the twist at the top as well.

Day 5 – At night I took my hair down, massaged my scalp, hairline and ends with the Castor Oil Mix and pineappled to sleep.
Day 6 – Redid the style and at night I repeated the night method of day 5.
Day 7 – Was supposed to wash my hair but got caught up with house work

Castor Oil Challenge:

As mentioned, I used the castor blend 4 times during the week. My hair felt a little limp by day 7 because I might have used a little too much whipped butter after re-moisturizing but I was still left with smooth, moisturized, shiny and soft hair.

So that was my first attempt at 6 weeks of protective styling and castor oil massages. Like I mentioned I will have a recap post of my final results along with a video explaining my experiences and plans but I can tell you now I enjoyed the whole challenge and it shall be repeated!

Thanks

Maicurls

Protective Style & Castor Oil Week 5 Update

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Hey Maicurlies,

First I want to apologize for being late with this post I once again got caught up with work and personal stuff but I am here with an update!

Protective Style Challenge Week 5

There is just one week left of my Protective Style and Castor Oil challenge and I can proudly say that I am glad I did it and look forward to incorporating more protective styles into my routine from now on.

For a recap of my previous weeks click below:

How did my fifth week go?

Similar to the previous weeks, everything followed together really well. I had my hair tucked away for 6 days of the week, used my Castor Oil Mix 4 times and then washed my hair. I noticed that I tend to do a really quick style at the start of the week and then try to do a little more for the second part (probably because I subconsciously want a little more “oomph” on the weekend). I will admit that when I took my twists down on the first day I really really wanted to rock a twist-out…the definition was AMAZING but I was strong.

The first style I did was a SUPER quick and simple tuck and pin and then finished with a big puff bun with a deep side-bang (I really liked this one)!

What Did I do?

I did my wash day routine on Sunday which included a new and improved Protein Deep Condition (DC) followed by my Moisturizing DC. (The Protein DC involved egg yolks, hibiscus tea, gelatin, coffee infused oil and a little conditioner. I will eventually have a write-up and how to video). I moisturized my hair with my creamy leave-in conditioner, lightly sealed with a tiny bit of oil and then added some of my whipped butter before putting my hair into 12 twists.
Day 1 – After taking the twists down I massaged my Castor Oil Mix on my scalp, hairline, ends and randomly pinned my hair back. There was no real strategy to the method I lightly rolled my hair at the front, tucked it and used bobby pins to hold it in place. For the hair at the back I loosely rolled my hair under and then pinned it (repeating this every morning gave me slight variations in the look).

Loose pin and tuck

Loose pin and tuck right

Loose pin and tuck back

Loose pin and tuck left

Day 3 – I reapplied my Castor Oil mix to my scalp, hairline and ends.
Day 4 – I moisturized my hair with my DIY Creamy Leave-In Conditioner and sealed with Almond Oil. I then put my hair into a big puff bun with a side-bang.

Puff bun with deep side-bang front

Puff bun with deep side-bang right

Puff bun with deep side-bang left

Side-Bang of Puff bun

Puff bun with deep side-bang back

Day 5 – I took down my hair at night, massaged my scalp, hairline and ends with my Castor Oil Mix then pineappled for the night.
Day 6 – I repeated what I did the night before.
Day 7 – Wash day routine and then got my hair ready for the final week.

Castor Oil Challenge:

I still am amazed at the fact that although I have fine hair, I can still get away with using a thick oil like castor without ending up with greasy limp hair. Since I thoroughly enjoyed incorporating my whipped butter into my routine last week I used it again and yes this addition is a winner! I ended the week with hair that wasn’t thirsty, dull or knotty. I will say that I started the week with hair that felt different…stronger, I think my hair was in need of a really strong Protein DC. I will just end this with: I was working with hair that retained moisture, had less tangles and less frizz = happy Mai.

So digging this challenge experience and experiment!

On the last home stretch!

Maicurls

Protective Style & Castor Oil Week 4 Update

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Another week done Maicurlies!

Protective Style Challenge Week 4

I am on the last 2 weeks of my Protective Style and Castor Oil challenge and haven’t given up yet! 😀

For a recap of my previous weeks click below:

How did my fourth week go?

It went by well. I was able to protect my hair for 6 days and used my Castor Oil Mix 4 times in the week. I did a REALLY simple updo at the start of the week (I don’t want to call it “boring”) – the “Gibson Tuck” and then finished with what I call the “Chameleon Twist” (I liked this one!)

What Did I do?

I did my wash day routine on Sunday, a Henna Gloss followed by a moisturizing Deep Condition, moisturized and sealed before twisting 9 chunky twists.
Day 1 – After taking down the twists I massaged my Castor Oil Mix on my scalp, hairline, ends and put my hair in the Gibson Tuck with 2 two-strand twists on the side and a chunky two strand twist at the front – pinned as a “side bang”.

Gibson Tuck with two two strand twists on the side and a chunky two strand twist as a side bang.

Day 3 – I reapplied my Castor Oil mix to my scalp, hairline and ends.
Day 4 – I moisturized my hair with my DIY Creamy Leave-In Conditioner and sealed with my whipped butter mix. I then put my hair into my Chameleon Twist. To do the style I first did my “Twisted twist”.

Twisted Twist

– After making one big two strand twist from 7 medium twists held at then center of my head I tucked away the ends of my hair by wrapping it around the base.

Chameleon twist with pompadour

Day 5 – I took the Chameleon Twist down and massaged my scalp (as best I could), hairline and the ends of each of the 7 twists with my Castor Oil Mix then wrapped it back up.
Day 6 – At night took my hair down, massaged my scalp, hairline and ends with the Castor Oil Mix and pineappled to sleep.
Day 7 – Wash day routine and then got my hair ready to be set for week 5.

Castor Oil Challenge:

As mentioned, I used the blend 4 times during the week and my hair was suuuuuper smooth, moisturized, shiny and soft! I think my whipped butter sort of helped with that as well (particularly on my ends). I had been using my DIY Spray Leave-In Conditioner to remoisturize my hair mid week but decided to use the Creamy Leave-in and whipped butter for a change. My hair LOVED the combination of being moisturized and super sealed. I can’t say it enough, castor oil is the truth and when combined with other nourishing ingredients …bye bye dryness!

Looking forward to the last 2 weeks.

What do you think of the styles I did this week?

Maicurls

What I looked at to identify the structure of my hair

10 Replies

Hey Maicurlies,

One thing us naturals can agree on is (~~our hair needs moisture scratch that)~~ OUR HAIR THRIVES ON MOISTURE. If you are able to get moisture to penetrate the cuticle of your hair, reach the core and (fingers crossed) retain the moisture then chances are your hair will be a happy camper.

I was recently asked to make a video showing what my hair looks like when it is product free after being freshly washed. The lovely lady who requested the video stated she was having issues with her hair and wanted to see what my hair looked like. I will have that video up soon.

Product Free Hair

First I want to point out I am not a hair expert nor am I professional I am however aware of what my hair likes/doesn’t like and can pretty much tell by the ingredients in a product if my hair will respond positively or negatively to it (most of the time not always).

Our ability to grow healthy hair has to do with knowing how our hair is structured such its porosity & width but also the ingredients in the products we use. Some of you might already be aware of this however, if you are newly natural or unsure then I hope this post will be helpful 🙂

I’ve previously mentioned that I wrote about porosity and hair width for Global Couture and have linked the two articles below:

How to Find the RIGHT Products for Your hair (Part 1: Porosity)

How to determine the right products for your hair (Part 2: Hair Width)

I was able to identify that I have medium/high porosity with it leaning more towards high porosity and fine hair strands. If you are unsure of how to do the tests to determine your porosity and width there are simple testes you can do at home which you can read about here.

Porosity – How your cuticle is laid. There are 3 main categorizes:

Low Porosity – difficult to absorb moisture due to closed cuticle but once moisture is in the core it is well retained.
Medium Porosity – easy to absorb and retain moisture due to optimum laid cuticles (lucky people!)
High Porosity – easy to absorb moisture but also to lose it due to highly raised cuticles.

My Hair Porosity

I could not only tell from the results of the porosity test but also because of how quickly my hair absorbs anything I apply and how quickly it can become dry if I do not seal my hair properly. Moisturizing and sealing my hair during the week is necessary if I want it to remain moisturized and avoid breakage. After doing a deep condition I will dilute ACV & water run that over my hair and then do a final rinse with cool water (not always pleasant) but necessary.

In the past I have only ever used oils after moisturizing because I did not have access to butters however all that has changed now. 🙂 With that said, I also have to be careful of how I use my products and how much I use. If I am not careful I can weigh down my curls due to the fact that I have fine hair strands (will be covered below).

It is all about layering products for me so I moisturize (water + leave-in) and the seal (oil and/or butter).

Hair width – Identifying you hair’s width allows you to not only determine which products to use but can also help you with length retention and healthy hair growth. Hair width means finding out how thick or thin your individual hair strand is. There are 3 main categories of hair width:

Fine – The hair strands are thin and can be weighed down if a lot of heavy or thick products/ingredients are overly used. The hair is fragile and extremely susceptible to breakage if it is not handled with a gentle hand and care.
Medium – The hair is neither thick nor thin and is able to handle both heavier and lighter products/ingredients but should still be used in moderation.
Coarse -The hair strands are thick and might require you to “work in” products/ingredients in order for them to be dissipate in the hair. It is said to be “strong” but still requires a gentle hand when manipulating it in order to retain and grow your hair

My hair Width

As mentioned I have fine hair and yes a little too much of ANYTHING can weigh down my hair. I like to refer to it as “mousy” (when my hair is damp/wet). I literally look like a wet cat and detest going out like that! So even “good ingredients” such as creams or butters can really make my hair look lifeless, flat and greasy.

While I need to follow the steps of moisturize and seal, in the back of my mind I always have to remember too much of a good thing can be bad. This also applies for styling products.

When it comes to handling my hair I have to be extremely careful. Rushing through detangling is just screaming for breakage which, I have done more than I’d like to admit. So I also look to strengthen and thicken my hair with the help of my Henna treatments.

How do you take care of your hair based on your porosity and hair width? I would love to hear from you.

Thanks

Maicurls

Twisted Bantu Knot-Out

8 Replies

Hello lovely Maicurlies!

I hope all is well 🙂

Lets get down to business shall we…and that business is my Twisted Bantu Knot-out.

Twisted Bantu Knot-Out

Let me start off by saying I love the curl results I get from this style. I think they are really “girly” and fun… in my opinion. I did not manage to record how I actually put in the Bantu Knots because I decided to do them late at night but I did demonstrate on one piece before taking down my hair (see video below). I can do a proper demonstration of how I install my twisted Bantu Knots in a separate video & write up (if someone needs to see it) although my method is no different to the other lovely ladies on YouTube.

These particular Bantu Knots were not two strand twist, instead I just twisted single sections of my hair around like you would a rope and then put them into Bantu Knots. Because they were not put into two strand twists I separated each curl a little more than I would when they are in twists. With the two strand Bantu Knots, I already have 2 separate sections and then separate each half of the twist one or two times.

I have a few photos of what my Two Strand Bantu Knot-Outs look like here for you to compare to the images below.

Products/Tools Used

Distilled water (spray bottle)
DIY Creamy Leave-In Conditioner
DIY Whipped Cocoa, Shea & Mango Butter
Sealing Oil (to take down the Bantu Knots)
Ribbon – optional (to accessorize the style)

I did not neatly part my hair nor did I use rat-tail comb I just sectioned 5 parts; 2 on the left, 2 on the right and one in the middle of my head and then randomly took small/medium sections of hair and twirl my hair into a Bantu Knot.

Twisted Bantu Knots

Tutorial

I have explained how I achieve this style along with images and text below.

How I install the Bantu Knots

I worked on dry hair that was slightly stretched and finger detangled. I first lightly mist my hair with water, apply my leave-in conditioner and set/seal with my whipped butter.