DIY homemade body wash - 100% natural

  In a bid to find an escape from bad skincare and hair products, you can choose to make your own. There are good natural product brands now in the market that are affordable but some days you might just feel like inventing products in your "small home factory". The advantage is that you are in full control of what ingredients you use and they do not really cost much. Plus you will do your health and body good since your concerns are that the product are natural as possible, free from parabens, sulphates, artificial additives and what nots, that endanger health and the environment.

Much said, I will like to show you how you can make your own Body wash and Natural hair shampoo.
  This DIY product has its major cleansing agent as the raw african black soap. Raw African black soap is made from plantain ash, cocoa pods and palm kernel oil/coconut oil - all natural. To make this suitable for hair, the pH of the soap needs to be adjusted to that of the hair. This is done by superfattening with oils and/or juices to reduce the alkanity to appropriate level suitable for hair. Hence,  prevent loss of hair protein and moisture.

    Here is the process of preparation

Use
1 cup of Warm/Cool water (choice)
African black soap
4 tbsp Olive oil
5 tbsp  Honey
5 tbsp Coconut oil
4 tbsp Castor oil
2 tbsp Aloe vera juice/lemon juice

Learn to make your own Aloe vera gel/juice here

This DIY body wash doubles as a natural hair shampoo. It has been my body wash for the past four months before I gave a break to try out Coily crown Baobab softening shampoo  for a body wash.

Procedure
*First wash your hands and any tools you will be using like the spoon and containers.

*Break the black soap into pieces as much as could fill 1 cup and place it in the warm/cool water inside a bowl.

*Add the other ingredients.

*Stir gently. Don't bother over stirring to dissolve the soap. Just leave to rest for some time it will dissolve completely. Then stir a bit. You can dilute it more with about half to 1 cup of water if you want a more watery solution for bath.

*Pour it into a clean empty plastic container with applicator tip.( You can as well get an empty container of a bad shampoo, wash it and refill it with your own).

*It separates and settles after sitting for hours. So shake a bit to mix content before use.


How to use on hair
Pour a sizeable amount into your palm
Rub palm over hair gently and massage shampoo into scalp to get a good clean.
Rinse your hair well with enough cool water .You can condition your hair, if necessary and/or you do a final rinse ( I will write about some final rinse options in subsequent post).
Then wrap up your hair with cloth to dry excess water.

Follow up with a leave-in conditioner and then style.

There are different hair types, so it might work differently on different hair types.

Try it out on your skin. It lathers so well and deep cleanses, clearing blemishes gives you an even skin tone and more of the benefits of raw african black soap. You will be glad you did.

What natural skincare and hair products do you make yourself?


You might also like
* RAW AFRICAN BLACK SOAP REVIEW
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COILY CROWN BAOBAB MOUSE AND SHAMPOO - PRODUCT REVIEW

Howdy friends?

I am excited to inform you that Coily Crown products are in Nigeria!

I stumbled on Coily crowns stand at the WedExpo in Portharcourt recently where I met Korkor  and Esther of Kibet essentials. We had a nice chat and they told me  about how wonderful Coily crown products are. One thing that kept ringing in my mind after our chat was how softening, coily crown shampoos are. Hard hair is one of the challenge faced by most naturalistas in this part of the continent. So here's a solution! Get any of Coily crowns softening shampoos and thank me later.

I got Coily Crown Baobab set  , reminiscing my childhood moments with the baobabs in Ghana and Lome. As kids, we could lick so much of the baobab fruits till our mandibles get fatigue and mouth gets sore.

 So here I am making a review. IMO!

Coily Crown Moisturizing Mousse

What Coily crown says
Baobab oil has a way of leaving your hair silky and soft. This moisturizing mousse is a blend of baobab oil, cocoa butter and peppermint oil which works wonders for dry, itchy scalp. It helps to seal in moisture after each wash and works well for daily application to your hair, scalp and skin.


Ingredients
Cocoa butter, baobab oil, orange oil, peppermint oil.


Smell
It has a raw earthy aroma and nutty, chocolatey smell that makes one think of chocolates.

You can see what it looks like inside.

It can get real hard in very cold weather and melt easily in warm weather. So keep in cool dry place.

Benefits of the major ingredient - Cocoa butter
Hair
*Adds moisture to hair without weighing it down.
*Gives hair extra conditioning and nourishment.
Skin
*It is an excellent skin moisturizer.
*It minimizes fine line and wrinkles.
*It smoothens patches of skin at joints.
*It fades dark spots and heals wound scars.
*It increases skin elasticity so that skin stretches and expands without tearing during pregnancy or weight gain.

Note: If you are allergic to chocolates, you might show similar reactions with this mousse because they are both made from cocao.

Pros of the mousse
You get the benefits of the cocoa butter and the other natural ingredients.
+It is good for a pre- shampoo treatment.
+It is very suitable for hot oil hair treatment.
+It can serve as a hair leave-in-conditioner. Even regular daily use on hair does not weigh it down.
+It gives the skin a superficial silky shiny glow all day.
+It controls acne and pimples. Personally, I was scared to use it on my oily sensitive face. Then I tried it out. Five days of use to publishing of this post, I could confidently boast of no new pimples popping out.

Cons
-The price is a bit on the high side. 2900 naira for 250ml. A little discount will be appreciated.


Rating
4/5

Coily Crown Baobab Softening Shampoo

What Coily crown says
This has a conditioning shampoo formula which is a mix of Alata samina (Black soap), honey and baobab oil. It cleanses without leaving your hair dry or brittle.


Ingredients
Baobab oil, distilled water, cocoa pod, plantain skin, palm kernel oil, honey, peppermint oil.


Smell
It has a sweet honey minty smell.

Benefits of the major ingredient - Baobab oil.
*It treats dandruff, dry scalp, excema, psoriasis and rosacea
*It protects hair from sun damage.
*Has anti-aging properties.
*It is quickly absorbed into skin leaving a silky feel.
*It does not clog pores.


Pros of softening shampoo
You get the benefits of baobab oil and the other natural ingredients.
+It contains No sulphates, No parabens, No artificial additives. 100% natural.
+It is a moisturizing shampoo.
+It conditions hair while cleansing. So you do not need to use a rinse-out-conditioner after use.
+It softens hair and leaves it noticeably silky.
+Its adds volume to hair.
+It perfectly double as body wash. Excellently cleansing and refreshingly rich to the skin.
+You get more value for your pay, 1900 naira .

Cons
-One needs to be careful when pouring out the shampoo to prevent waste from spill. One way I prevent this, is by pouring out a quantity into a nozzle container for use.
-If you use it as a body wash, you can experience the same drying potential, characteristics of the raw african black soap.  So after bath, immediately follow up with your moisturizer to retain moisture.


Rating
5/5. I could give it 7/5 if there is any such rating.


*Remarkable of 100% natural products brands is the fact the they are multi-taskers. Its perfect for use from head to toe unlike the commercial chemical brands.


Will I repurchase?
I am a happy advocate of natural brands. I can go for Coily Crowns anytime. Infact, the softening shampoo is now one of my ride-or-die staple. The moisturizing mouse will stay as long as I have dark spots to clear and stretch marks to prevent.


Other Coily crown products
Coily crown softening shampoo with coconut oil & Tea tree oil
Coily crown Daily dew Hair spray with coconut oil $ Tea tree oil
Coily crown Sheabutter crea with Aloe
Coily crown Miracle detangler with coconut oil $ tea tree oil
Coily crown Paya puree mask
Coily crown Daily dew hair sprsy with Aloe $ tea tree oil
Coily crown Liquid gold enriching oil.

Which of Coily crowns products have you used and what was it like? Please comment in the comment box below.


To get yours Nigeria- Delivery is nationwide.
Call: 08139021319
         08166766867
         08033088770
       

Coily crown is going global
Johannesburg : +27 832383961
Cotonou: +229 9790609
Lome: +228 99047313
Ghana: +233 268891622

Online connect
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
Website: thebodybutterco.com

Catch ya!

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RAW AFRICAN BLACK SOAP REVIEW

Raw African black soap is that kind of locally made product that has been given a lot of yays around the globe but I am not the type that proudly supports the crowd about any natural product without first giving it a try.

Praises
It has been praised to be effective in skin exfoliation, deep cleansing,  even skin toning, fading discololorations, healing skin problems like eczema and psoriasis and skin fungal infections.



To begin my trial session, I chose to make my raw african black soap (Ghana soap)  into a body wash instead of using it directly in a solid form  and started using it 3-4 days in the first two weeks.

 During the period, I observed the effects on my skin and  then ended up using it every day. Moisturising with oils or oil based lotion is a must within 5minutes after wash to prevent skin dryness.

Positives
 I noticed a gradual even skin toning. Hehehe, I didn't say skin bleaching. It evened the skin areas that usually suffers from sun exposure, reducing the  hyperpigmentation. So, its a skin repair product. I find it to be very ideal for us living in the tropics where the sun is not always kind.

I also attest to its deep cleansing action. Does not really need extra help by exfoliating scrubs. Only the hands and the soap with cool water will do, for a clean feel.

It was also fast in clearing some cluster of skin 'wahala' that popped up somewhere around my mid-chest.

Negatives
But it was not all positive. My face rejected it. In the first few days of use, it was so drying that I couldnt stand the burning pain in some parts of my face like under my nose and the tightening effect as if my face was been stretched. So I  tried using it twice a week. My face felt no better. I tend to attribute this effect , not just to the harsh stripping off of the oils on the face but the pH effect. Raw african black soap alkalinity level was not suitable for my face. It struggled to balance the pH to normal which manifested in discomfort, breakout and acne.

Also bathing with the soap and warm water can leave the skin extremely dry. So cool water is better.

It also stinks and burns on bruise or any opening on skin. Its temporary, though.


Finally, I would say, incorporating the raw african black soap in my skin care regimen was worth it. Yeah, am stuck now. My homemade black soap body wash will always be standing right there in my bathroom.

You can also give it a try. Find out how it works best for you. You can gradually increase or decrease  the frequency at which you use it depending on your skin's response. Find a balance and always make sure to moisturize with oil after use.

Who knows, It could become your BEST!

Note
The original Raw African black soap has an natural earthy scent. No fragrance or perfume. It not hard and jet black. Its loose and crumbly and it looks like 'faeces'. Oh! Am sorry I just said that, but that's how it looks to me. Beware of fakes.

To buy original raw African black soap, click here



What are your views about African black soap? We will love to know. Share with us in the comment box below.


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