A Homemade Hydration Wash-and-Go Juice

 Winter has been rough on my hair. It's getting better as the weather warms up and the moisture is creeping in. However, I did come up with a simple blend of products for when

1. my curls are just naturally dry, or 
2. I use my favorite curling product (that leaves my hair crunchy), or
3. when I need to do a wash-and-go and the "go" part does not mean having to go fool with my hair before it's ready for the world.

So, here's the thing: I love Long Aid activator gel because it brings out all the pop-pop-pop in my curl pattern. I always get huge jars because they last forever, then put some in smaller jars. (I see that I bought my last big jar in 2019 because it doesn't take much to produce a curl pattern.)

However...

The gel leaves my hair with more crunch than fresh Fritos. So my "Homemade Hydration Juice" is my personal game-changer. (I'm working on the name!)

This is what my wash-and-go looks like when I've used the homemade juice I am going to tell you about. You know, because I am not stingy or begrudging like some folks...

And that is just slightly damp

Like I've said, my hair looks like that with just a little bit of Long Aid by itself but... it's crunchingly untouchable. What you can't tell from a photo is how SOFT and un-greasy my curls are with the "special sauce" I concocted. Also, I get more elongation that I normally do with freshly-washed hair.

Okay, I'm going to stop acting like those food sites that never get to the dang recipe so, without any further fooling around, here is what I blended up. (Disclaimer: you can do your own thing because I am not a professional):

• A bottle with a good spray nozzle. This is important. I got my glass ones here. (And, no I am not paid for the link!)
• Long Aid (or probably any other activator gel). (Not paid for this either.)
• Camille Rose Honey Hydrate  that you need to shop the best price for (And, no, still not getting paid.)
• ** Almond oil (but can use any good, thin, light-weight, and not-too-greasy oil.)
• Some good water. I use spring water because I think it's "softer" than purified.
• optional: I might start adding some Rosemary essence but I have not yet. 
• additional: I do add another water-like ingredient that doesn't affect this end result.

I'm not nitpicky with the measurements but for about 10-12 ounces of water, I try to do about 3 to 5 tablespoons of the Long Aid (depends on how much curl definition I want) and not quite a half tablespoon of the Honey Hyrdate (HH is pricey but it does not take much).  By the way, I add only about half a teaspoon of my secret ingredient.

Give that a good shake every single time you use it.

I don't make a lot at one time because I don't know how well all the ingredients will "set" together for more than a couple of weeks.

I wish I had come up with the juice sooner. I was motivated by my recent resolution to cut way back on buying hair products. 

Right now, I have a shelf full that I plan to find innovative ways to tweak until I have used them up. I've been playing with different combos. For instance, if a product is too thick, I add something thin - water, oil, floral essence. Because I have dry hair, most products are not moisturizing enough. That's where either the Honey Hydrate (which, out of the bottle, is too moisturizing for any curl definition) or a light oil comes into the mix. 

I have one product that left my hair feeling a little "gluey" so I will start using it on my edges for when I pull my hair back.

You must know how desperate I am to 1) save money, and 2) use some of these products I've been hoarding. 

Since I don't plan on buying anything (except to replenish the Honey Hydrate and Long Aid), I am experimenting on myself. I have some ideas for using tea and coffee sprays. Also, I had a huge box of green tea that was off-brand and kind of week. I am using that to steep with some grapeseed and olive oil.

By the way, when I started this use-and-reduce thing with products, I ran across a new YouTube channel. It's called Curly Chemistry (but I keep wanting to call the very personable young lady the Curly Chemist!). I love her style of explaining things. Plus, I think it is high time to have someone with her knowledge talking about the subject of hair and products. 

In one video, the Curly Chemist (I'm going to keep calling her that) dropped some knowledge that I have been using since I heard it. I now always focus more on the first 5 ingredients of products for my hair (and skin). In addition, I went through my product junkie arsenal and checked the First Five of all the products that I love for some reason or the other. That was an interesting exercise, let me tell you.

In addition to the Honey Hydrate (and the Long Aid), one product I plan to occasionally replenish is Taliah Waajid's  Bamboo and Coconut Milk Leave-in Conditioner Intense Moisture. Like they HH, by itself, it's almost too moisture-intense (if I want lasting curl definition) but it's perfect for when I need an extra softness boost.

So there you have it. I'm not advising you to use this recipe, I'm just telling you about it. Just keep in mind that I'm no professional on anything-to-do-with-hair. Just know that. However, if I were going to market this, I'd call it Homegirl's Hydration Juice. ROFL.

Maybe soon, I will be able to let you know how the coffee and tea items worked out.

Peace

--Free

** The almond oil I use is the only one I really like. I have used others that are too greasy-feeling. Maybe it's the type but this is the one I get from Making Cosmetics (still not paid!)

 

I had to reset my password so I can't get into my account to link straight to it but you can find it from the info up there.