Sunday, September 22, 2013

What to Expect From Cassia Obovata: The Coily Hair Edition





One thing that I used to LOVE to do with my weekend was to spend time pampering my hair. If I wasn't doing a deep conditioning treatment, I was doing small sized two strand twists or steam treatments. These days, I'm extra lazy to do my hair. Today (Sunday), I decided to break open a 200g  bag of Cassia Obovata (colorless Henna), and deep condition treat my hair and both of the girls (T and Dimples). They're always ready for a spa day. We took time out to do clay mask (bentonite) face treatments, and honey masks as well.

We're looking forward to a week of soft, tangle free, well moisturized hair. We will probably do styles like twist-outs, braid outs, and or wash n go's (between the three of us).

CASSIA PREPARATION:
I mixed our Cassia Treatment with about 1/2 cup of Tresemme Naturals conditioner, 3 tablespoons of Hemp Seed Oil, 1/3 cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and 1/4 cup of Aloe Vera Gel. It made enough to finish up all three of our hair (I had to skimp on T's treatment a bit).

Before I applied the Cassia Treatments, I spritzed a mixture of apple cider Vinegar and water (2 tablespoons ACV, and 1 ounce water). We let that spray mixture sit on our hair for about 10 minutes before rinsing. That step was to clarify our hair strands. I wanted to make sure that any and all product build-up was removed, without causing dryness.

I expect that this level of deep conditioning could last all week (if drying products are not put on the hair...mineral oil, blow drying or flat iron, etc). I hope to only have to add water from time to time in order to re-activate the deep conditioner effects. 

3 HOURS LATER....
We took off the cotton t shirts that we used to secure some body heat with. Underneath that we had plastic shower caps. We used those 2 together in order to trap the heat from our body and help the conditioner work it's magic. I had placed our hair into sections and had mini buns throughout during the conditioning process. The ends were tucked under each mini bun. We began by pulling down each section and working with the hair 1/2 of the head at a time. Rinsing with warm/hot water, while using fingers to massage the scalp and work the Cassia through, we began the long journey to removing the "debris".  

The Cassia takes lots of time to remove from the roots and hair shaft. It's best to use warm water to start the rinse. Next, we put some conditioner (preferably all natural) on each section of the hair and continued to rinse. The conditioner (and oils) helps to make it easier to remove the Cassia. "T" finds that it's also easy to remove the Cassia by brushing it out while under running water with conditioner on the hair. We love to use paddle brushes with soft rubber tips (the Goody Finisher brush Listed in our Favorites to the right of this post). It took about 20 minutes (each person) to remove all of the Cassia from our hair.











Put on your sunglasses before checking out these pictures.
Lots of shine and define from the Cassia Conditioning Treatment.


THREE DAYS LATER....
For about days 1, 2 and 3 we had great shine, define, softness and pliability. By day four, though, we each found that the wonderful effects of the Cassia Deep Treatment wore off. I was surprised. I expected it to last well into 1 week. T tried a braid-out, but didn't braid up her roots--so her hair didn't "lay down" the way she likes. That's why she did her trust ponytail. But you can see that her hair is very shiny and full of lush curls. Dimple and I did our trusty braid-out. The definition and shine was pretty extreme.

One thing that seems to be long lasting with this treatment is the strengthening. It seems to have provided a bit of strength to the strands, which is great for anyone who is experiencing breakage, lots of shedding, or unusually fine hair.

All in all, it was a relaxing day with the girls, a few great mornings with lustrous, shiny hair that responded to our styling choices. It put our hair in the right direction for future coily styling options, thus minimizing frizzy days. Isn't that a major goal for every coily girl? Minimal frizz, lots of shine!

We want to hear from you if you've tried any wonderful and natural hair conditioning treatments. Sharing is Caring!  ---------------------------As Always, Stay Beautiful   .tia

6 comments:

  1. Your hair is So beautiful Tia.. I remember when you use to do your Cassia's on and post your vids on youtube. I use to love Cassia. Once I started buying in bulk from "senna leaf powder" which is Cassia...I started noticing little small needles throughout my hair that was hard to rinse out.. that made me run back to Henna! My hair is so cottony that it held on to all of those Cassia needles.. Not sure why the Senna powder aka as Cassia leave behind the needles?

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    1. Hey Chan! IDK why it's so hard to get everything out. I know I still had some left from the previous wash. It does impart a nice shine, and soft hair, though. I may do it about 2 times a year. Just because I think it is a great strengthener, and will minimize any breakage and shedding. I can get shine from lots of different sources.

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  2. How Much cassia did you use? It Says 200 kilos but surely you just used a fraction of that?

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  3. Where did you buy the cassia?
    I've been wanting to try it since my first year natural.
    If you got it at an Indian grocery store or it can be found at one, then I'm sure I can get my hands on it here in England.

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    1. I had to order my cassia online. Probably eBay. There's lots of good sources online, though.

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