Baka Natural Laxer and Curlformers

My hair had just been done in a three strand twist out on Saturday, August 20, 2011. They were very defined and I had a little Afro. I used an olive oil/Castor oil mix to smooth out and detangle my hair. I left it on overnight with a conditioning cap (plastic shower cap). The next morning I sat under the dryer for about 15 minutes for a makeshift hot oil treatment.

The following is the regimen that I used to do my hair:

1st   Hot Oil Treatment Overnight   No pH

2nd Wash with NuGro Shampoo    pH 5                     (rinse)

3rd  Baka NaturalLaxer Mix           pH 7 neutral        

4th  Dryer highheat / 45 minutes                                  (rinse)

5th  Wash with NuGro Shampoo    pH 5                     (rinse)

6th  Baking Soda Mix                     pH 8           DO NOT RINSE

7th Palmer's Deep Conditioner        pH 4    Dryer high heat/conditioning (plastic shower cap / 15 min)  (rinse)

8th Apple Cider Vinegar Mix          pH 3     DO NOT RINSE

9th Allways Leave-in Conditioner/Setting lotion

10th Hair Dryer 1 hour, curlformers

5  + 5 + 8 + 4 + 3 = 25

25 divided by 5 = 5 perfect hair :-D

(total pH of all products used divided by the total number of products used)

Baka Natural Laxer

This link will take you to Treasured Locks which is where I ordered my Baka Natural Laxer. I ordered one mix and one rose water. My order was 19.98 + 5.95 shipping for a total of $25.93. It did not take long for my order to reach me. I only had one complaint. Whoever packed my order did not close the bottle of the rose water tightly so a little leaked out. The whole package has a nice rosy scent.

Baka Natural Laxer Mix

Here is what it looks like, it also came with a directions pamphlet.

 I followed the directions to the letter with the exception of the heat cap. It wasn't hard to mix.

Nice and creamy.

I used a butter knife to mix in the rose water.

The mix was quite fragrant and I loved the way the rose water smelled. I added a little filtered water from my fridge to be sure that the mix was creamy enough because the directions said to mix it to a thin paste.

I applied the mix to my hair with my fingertips starting from the back. I parted it and used hair clips to hold my hair back. It applied easily. I began with the hair closest to my roots smoothing in a downward motion.  When I finished my whole head I still had plenty of mix left over so I applied it to my hair.

The mix does dry as you work with it so it makes sense that the directions say to begin in the back. You cannot comb through this stuff, use your fingertips to apply.

There was a bit of grit from the dried natural laxer on my neck and counter.

I sat under my hooded dryer with high heat for 45 minutes with a plastic (shower) conditioning cap on my head. Afterward I rinsed my hair with lukewarm water. My hair was really soft and the natural laxer rinsed from my hair quite easily. I shampooed with the NuGro Shampoo once more and rinsed with lukewarm water. I applied my baking soda mix to my hair and scalp, then the Palmer's Deep Conditioner.

This stuff smells wonderful and it left my hair feeling silky smooth.

  I sat under the dryer, high heat, 15 minutes with a plastic conditioning (shower cap) and then rinsed it out with lukewarm water. I applied my Apple cider vinegar mix to my hair and rung out the excess gently. I blotted my hair with my towel and applied my Allways leave-in cream conditioner and setting lotion and proceeded to roll my hair with my curlformers. I sat under the dryer for an hour and then removed the curlformers.

I used a lot more rollers this time.

This is how it looked when I first pulled out the rollers.

This is how it looked once I applied my olive/castor oil mix and pulled the curls apart.

Once the process was complete my hair was smooth, my scalp clean and my hair was easy to comb through as I rolled my hair. My hair was more manageable. The hair at my scalp was not straight, but I can get a comb through it now without all the pop, pop. pop. My curls were bouncy, soft and shiny. I give natural laxer two thumbs up and I will be using it again. Click here to check out their site. It is an all natural product and it is not permanent, rather its effects are cumulative. I will be purchasing a heat cap to use for the next application (which I will do once a month while I am transitioning and afterward once I'm completely natural) so that I won't have to sit so long. The time for a hooded dryer is a lot longer than the recommended time for the conditioning cap.

Curlformers Results

Here are the results from my use of Curlformers brand curlers.

I pinched the opening of the curlformer closest to my scalp and stretched out the curler. I slowly pulled the curlformer from the formed curl.

This is with all of the curlformers removed.

I pulled the curls apart.

I think next time I should use more of the rollers. The curls came out really pretty and I still have a few today after sleeping on my hair with only a silky head covering for the past two nights. This lasting curl may be do to the baking soda/apple cider vinegar OR the curlformers OR both. I give curlformers a thumbs up. I want to try them as like a touch up during the week with maybe a little gel and a natural oil.

Baking Soda Wash, Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse and Curlformers

While doing some online research about transitioning and hair care I came across lots and lots of information about the pH of hair and how this will help your hair to be healthy and strong and shiny, so I decided to try it. Here are some links which have in depth information about pH and the role that baking soda and apple cider vinegar play. I learned that the hair takes on the pH of the product that you are using. That the healthy pH range for hair is 4.5-5.5 and that you must take the total of the pH for each product that you are using and divide it by the total products used. Example My baking soda mix was 8, the apple cider vinegar rinse was 2, the shampoo was 5, and the conditioner was 5. So 5 + 5 + 2 + 8 = 20 Twenty divided by 4 is 5. So at the end of my hair regimen my hair had a pH of 5 which is healthy hair. :-D

No Poo
No Poo Method
pH levels of hair and skin
pH of your hair
shampoo free


Well, I tried lots of new things tonight. I tried the baking soda wash, apple cider vinegar rinse, alkazone pH test strips and curlformers.

Alkazone Test Strips

These pH test strips are really great because the range is from 2 to 10 and the package that I purchased contained 50 strips. I purchased them from evitaminstore.com.
Cost: $6.81 + shipping and handling $4.99 = $11.80.

My Containers

 I purchased two bottles of shampoo from the Dollar Tree where everything is a dollar, literally. My husband emptied them, soaked them in water and I rinsed them well until the water rinsed clear and bubble free. Voila empty, clean containers one dollar each. :-D


 Mixing the Baking Soda Solution and Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse

My husband helped me with this entire process. We filled each bottle with filtered water from our refrigerator. you don't necessarily have to use filtered water that's just what we did.

We began mixing the baking soda solution. We added 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda to 18oz of water. The bottle was shaken vigorously. After wards we measured the pH of the mixture which came out to a pH of 8.

Which is what we were aiming for.

Next we attacked the apple cider vinegar mix. We added 1/4 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar, after which the mixture was shaken vigorously and tested at a pH of 4. We added 1/4 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar to the 18oz of water three more times and each time tested at a pH of 3. We graduated to 1/2 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar which we added 6 times until we reached a pH of 2. For a total of 4 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar to 18oz of water.

Hair Regimen

First I washed my hair with NuGro Shampoo which tested at a pH of 5.

I rinsed and applied the baking soda solution to my hair and scalp. If you remember baking soda is an alkaline which opens the hair shaft. Next I applied NuGro Conditioner to my hair and scalp. The NuGro Conditioner tested at a pH of 5.

Then I rinsed and applied my apple cider vinegar rinse. Once my hair was dry I did notice that the vinegar smell had dissipated and my hair was easier to comb through. My hair was really clean.

Curlformers

I purchased three packages of Curlformers locally from Sally's. Two short and wide and one long and wide. I have a Sally's card so each package of rollers was like $11.89. Each package comes with 10 rollers. So I had 30 and I purchased the crochet hook as well which was about $3.89 with the card. My total was about $43.00.

The ends are rubbery and firm, the overall roller is a mesh build and the roller is a preformed tube curl. Each color turns a different way which is helpful in creating a spiral look and especially if you want your hair to come towards or away form your face.

I used Lottabody setting lotion.

I sectioned my hair and used hair clips to keep the portions that I was not working on out of my way.

I began with the short and wide curlformers in the back of my head at the base of my neck per the directions. Here is my first "curl". 

 The hook was fairly easy to use. You place a curlformer on the hook, section a piece of hair, give it a twist, place the hair on the hook and open the curlformer by pinching with your fingers to form an "O", then gently pull in a downwards motion the hair down and through the curl former.

In no time I was finished. I used 24 of the 30 rollers that I purchased. Mostly the short and wide. My hair is shoulder length and I now wished that I had purchased the curlformers labeled long and wide because I had quite a few curls that I had to pull more towards the end and away from my scalp because their were ends sticking out. There were a few times that my hair got caught up in the hook and tube and I had to start over. I saw a few hairs in the sink which indicated breakage I believe. I sat under the dryer on high for 30 minutes. I will sleep in them overnight and remove them in the morning. I will take pics to show the final result. I will use these again and be more gentle next time.

 

I am transitioning from relaxed to natural hair. ;-D My last relaxer was June 17, 2011.