Six months ago I embarked on a journey into self discovery. This journey of 1,000 miles began with the first step using Ponds Deep Cleansing Cream instead of shampoo. Uncharted territory using this product, but not totally foreign. You see I had been co-washing my hair for the past two years but still using shampoo once a week. However, this new journey involved a abrupt departure of completely eliminating shampoo and using a creamy oil based cleanser to cleanse my coils. At the beginning of my journey, my hair was Texlaxed and my name was Blacquel Welch. Blacquel Welch is on sabbatical. The moment I reacquainted myself with my love of seafoam green and popped that seafoam green top on the jar of Ponds, Vik Thatchik emerged.
Vintage footage of the initial process I created for Deep Cleansing my Hair with Ponds...Filmed January 4, 2014
It's been a long time since I left you, without a dope beat to step to... "Timbaland" Oh I just had to say that. The following video is part of the process that started it all... With Typo's and all, I present you Vintage Footage of my Night Time Routine using Ponds Dry Skin Cream to care for my hair. Now I know some will say, "Why in the hell is she using Ponds on her hair, isn't that for your face?" Well Ponds has these key ingredients: Occlusives- Help to prevent moisture from leaving the skin. Humectants- Deeply Hydrates to keep moisture within the skin. So I know are saying " Duh, skin and hair are two different parts of your body?" My answer is no, hair and skin are from the same system in the body so why can't I use one product to care for my hair and skin?
For the past three months of caring for my by deep Cleansing with Pond's Cold Cream, moisturizing with Ponds Dry Skin Cream, Co-washing, Honey and Oil Pre-Steam Treatments, and styling my hair with Aloe Vera Gel, I decided to use natural products to remove any product buildup on my hair and scalp since I have not used Shampoo on my hair since December 2013.
I will not get into the benefits of an Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse and Baking Soda as there is a ton of research on the internet about these two products. If you have ever created the science project with the volcano eruption or the balloon experiment with baking soda and vinegar, then you know the mixture of the two products creates an explosive sizzle!
A video posted on Facebook about unclogging a sink with Baking Soda and Vinegar prompted me to think this mixture could mimic a hair bomb for removing buildup. And BAM I was in the kitchen cabinets gathering the products and off to testing.
Now I went full force with the two products. I did not mix the baking soda with water. However, I did mix 3 parts Apple Cider Vinegar to 1 part water in a spray bottle. I chose to mix the Vinegar with water simply because I was not sure if I should use the vinegar full strength. My virgin voyage into this you see.
After I cleansed my hair then googled Baking Soda and Vinegar to Cleanse Hair did I find basically everyone else mixes the baking soda with water.
Since I had just completed a Coconut Oil Steam Treatment my hair was moist and did not need water. I parted my hair in four sections and dived in.
I sprinkled the Baking Soda directly out of the box onto my hair and worked it in to distribute.
I massaged my scalp briefly to exfoliate my scalp with the baking soda.
Misted my hair lightly with the baking soda and waited for the sizzle sound! and boy did it sizzle I was so excited.
Worked the product through my hair and then repeated the steps with section.
After I completed my entire head of hair I left the product on for about 5 minutes. Initially my scalp felt fine, but after 5 minutes my scalp did experience a tingling sensation so I am not sure if that is good or bad.
Afterwards I cleansed my hair with Ponds Cold Cream Cleanser and proceeded with my weekly hair regimen.
Celebrating the 1st Quarter of being the First Lady on You Tube to use Ponds Cold Cream to deep cleanse my hair!! I have learned a lot about myself and my hair in this first quarter on my hair journey. The first thing I learned about myself is that I can not let my hair rule my life. Hair is very important to men and women as the look of our hair can have a positive or negative impact on our appearance. The billions of dollars generated in the hair care industry is a testament to the impact hair can have on first impressions. Just about everyone wants to look good. As we get older it seems to be even more important as we attempt to hold on to our youthful appearance. My hair has been the reason why I did not attend functions or events. While I could have put on a wig or worn a weave to compensate for the lack of the desired look with my hair, I opted to not participate in certain functions simply because my hair was the stumbling block that prevented me from achieving the overall look I desired. I am much more comfortable with my hair at this point simply because I made the decision to let my hair do what is does. And what does my hair do? My hair sits on top of my head as the crown and glory it is destined to be. The second thing I learned about myself and my hair is that my natural hair although it is coarse, it not really that difficult to manage. After each deep cleansing, I notice the ease at which I can comb my natural hair. The texlaxed ends of my hair are what seem to get tangled. Additionally, my hair seems feel much softer than I thought it to be. Since I do not relax my hair as frequently as I did in the past, the longer period in between relaxers gives me a chance to "feel" my new growth and the thickness of my hair actually feels nice. The last thing I will discuss is that shampoo is a product I do not have to use to cleanse my hair. While a conditioner may have some of the same ingredients as shampoo, I feel a conditioner works best for my hair to cleanse it. Some may say that if I am not using shampoo to remove product buildup than my hair is not really clean. That could be true up to a point as product buildup is real! However, I am able to get a "squeaky clean" result using conditioner to clean my hair.
Looking forward to an exciting 2nd Quarter of 2014 using Ponds Cold Cream to cleanse my hair and scalp, and Ponds Dry Skin Cream to moisturize my hair.
There are some that would not dare step foot in a Dollar Tree or .99 Cent Only stores. I am not that chick.
I am a huge fan of the Dollar Tree but an even bigger fan of the .99 Cent Only Stores.
I purchased the Trance Head Massager for 99.9999999 cents plus tax and for around $1.08 I got one of the best tools yet to take care of myself!
The Trance Head Massager looks like a whisk that has the spindles separated and little black balls added to the ends. The black balls serve as massagers . I tell you for real for real when I say you will go in a "Trance" using this little metal piece of feel good.
Since my initial purchase of the head massager I have not seen anymore at the store, but I am on the look out. I see them listed on the internet for up to $8.00 so I know I got a serious bargain.
If you ever have the chance to get one especially for a dollar, scoop it up quick!
I grew up getting my hair washed with Prell Shampoo! Prell is probably the equivalent to Dawn!! And why does the bottle say "Liquid"? As far as I can recall, my hair was stripped after using Prell and there was no followup conditioner or deep treatment. After using Prell my hair was a squeaky clean ball of luscious tightly coiled cotton candy.
If my hair was not immediately combed when it was wet? The discomfort and pain that ensued as my mom braided my hair was not a good time!
Back then there was no deep conditioning, parting the hair in sections and spritzing with water to keep it pliable. If my Aunt Chippy called after I got my hair washed, it was curtains. My hair would have to wait until mom got her time in with her sister. The only pleasure I would have as I could "hear" my hair drying and shrinking was my mothers joyous laughter and occasional "girl". If something was really juicy she would spell it.
I now know a conditioner would have been nice. Prell now has a conditioner. At any rate I would not touch any of it with a 10 foot pole. I am hooked on Ponds Cold Cream to Deep Cleanse my hair and Ponds Dry Skin Cream to moisturize my hair.
Outside of the fact that my hair loves the Deep Cleansing Process I use, I am potentially reducing a health hazard by not using shampoo.
An article published last year states an ingredient in Prell and nearly 100 other products contain cancer causing chemicals.
Check out the list of shampoos and read this eye opening article. Then maybe just maybe...you will not give me the side eye when I tell you I Deep Cleanse my hair with Ponds Cold Cream.
Once you can get past the fact that the suds are just in shampoo probably for the aesthetic then you may be on board and give Ponds a try.
Maintenance on your hair is equivalent to any other maintenance program.
If you do not maintain your home it will become dilapidated. No maintenance on your ride and the engine, tranny, or lord know what else will go out. No maintenance on your body and well we all get the picture.
I can see why women wear weaves and wigs. You can just throw on a wig and bam! You immediately add 5 points to your appearance. Same thing for a weave if it is done well.
However, I can not wear a wig or weave. My confidence level is too low. I have worn a half wig and was scared to death the entire time I had it on. I even heard a woman ask her man "Is that her hair"? I thought every chick in this place has some type of hair "accessory" why is this chick worried about me?
To achieve the desired curly look I have to maintain my hair every night by adding moisture with Fruit of the Earth Aloe Vera Gel, Moisturizing my hair with Ponds Dry Skin Cream, and flat twisting my hair in either 4 to 6 twist.
I am consistent with this portion of my hair regimen. Otherwise, the next morning I will have a "hair situation".
On Friday or Saturday, I Deep Cleanse my hair using the Vik Thatchik Pond Cold Cream Deep Cleansing Method. My method is different from the other hair guru's in that instead of shampoo, I deep cleanse with Ponds Cold Cream.
Additionally, I have incorporated steaming my hair into my weekly regimen and my hair feels fabulous.
For my full hair care routine that features my nightly hair maintenance and end of week deep cleansing routine that details my Honey and Olive Oil pre-Steam Treatment with hair steaming demo go to my store at Selz.com and purchase the full 24 Minute Video A Week in My Hair Life.
Both videos are ultra affordable at my store on Selz.com. Purchase Vik Thatchik Cold Cream Deep Cleansing Method for $3.00 for those of you who are only interested in how I specifically use Ponds Cold Cream to Deep Cleanse my hair. For those of you who need more detailed instructions Purchase A Week in My Hair Life for $5.00. Both of my videos are respective of your time and your wallet.
My video A Week in My Hair Life details how I use Honey and Extra Virgin Olive Oil as a Deep Moisturizing Treatment during my Hair Steaming session.
The vitamins and minerals in honey are quite impressive. I will not bore you the nutritional details simply because we are talking about hair here. However, if you must know more and are intrigued The Buzz About Honey is a good article to start with.
While Honey lacks Biotin which is touted by many as the growth serum for hair, I find I need a topical approach as the hair supplements I have taken thus far causes my skin to break out.
Some research suggest that honey has bleaching properties as it so while using it weekly may not be the best alternative, I see no reason why my hair can not have an occasional sweet treat!
What I found most intriguing about Honey is in addition to all its glory, the following properties make Honey a permanent resident in my very minimal product list of hair care products.
Honey is Hygroscopic. When exposed to air, honey naturally absorbs moisture from the air. Since I live in one of the most arid climates in the U.S. This is an added bonus.
Honey is Antibacterial. During nectar processing bees introduce the enzyme glucose oxidase that produces the antibacterial, antimicrobial hydrogen peroxide. Thus honey has been said to lighten hair. I now know why they call it Honey Blond. So does this mean with frequent use my hair will look like this?
The ratio I use for my treatment is about 1/4 cup honey and 1/4 Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Since I already have honey on hand, I will use up what I have before I splurge on a more expensive brand. Since I now know my hair and scalp loves honey, it has awesome antibacterial properties, and my hair loves it, I am willing to spend a few extra peso's for an organic raw honey. 2/8/14 was my very first treatment. I am so glad I decided to give honey and olive mixed as a deep treatment a try.
So I thought I would share my hair as it is before I Deep Cleanse with Ponds Cold Cream. The crown of my hair is thin, thus the lack of fullness. I try to compensate for this thin area by wearing handbands... the Struggle
I have omitted the gel that I assumed was alcohol free that I found at a discount store. The Gel did not say no alcohol. So the assumption is my error. What the gel did have is Sorbitol in it which is a "sugar alcohol" which to me equals dryness. Although I was moisturizing my hair daily and only used the gel once a week after a deep cleanse, once I found out Sorbitol was a sugar alcohol I decided to ax the hair product from my regimen. I have since been using Fruit of the Earth Aloe Vera 100% Gel.
I had to look at the name several times before I realized they were slick with the name. The product does not say 100% Aloe Vera Gel. As if it was 100% Aloe Vera Gel, then I assume the product would look like this:
I will give them a pass for the slick marketing. What's interesting is I found a product that did posit that it is 100% Aloe Vera Gel but at the time of this writing it cost $68.86 on Amazon.com. Really? Umm I don't think so. I love my hair, but I am not that serious.
I am still figuring this Twist Out thing out, but I have to keep it 100 and share my progress.
Back in the day, someone I knew referred to my mother 's wig as a "helmet". My response was "um she is not going into battle." But that was in the 80's, I now think "Maybe she was!"
Taking care of your hair properly is a battle within the war! If not armed properly you could definitely lose in terms of dryness and breakage. Dryness and breakage are two of the primary reasons why it "appears" that your hair is not growing. Your hair grows. Length retention is the area where most women struggle.
Rocking a helmet or wig is perfectly fine. I actually have a two piece lace front that I have not yet figured out how to put together. I think it has to be sewn in.
Anyway, if you wear a wig, then please take care of your hair underneath. I know of one woman who told me she sleeps in her wig and did nothing to her hair underneath. She also wore the drawstring pieces as full wigs, I think she had a little head. Some days I could see her hair underneath, it was natural and dry as a bone.
If your hair is natural, The Vik Thatchik Method works on 4C hair.
Following are my Top 3 suggestions for taking care of your hair especially if you wear a wig.
Purchase my videos at: https://vikthatchik.selz.com/
Cleanse your Weekly Hair using the Vik Thatchik Method $3.00
Use the process I created in the Week in my Hair Life video $5.00
Hair Type: 4C Its coily (in its natural state) Chemically Treated: Yes Relaxed Natural Color: Black/Gray Porosity Level: High Length: Shoulder length when straightened and Earlobe length when in a twist-out. Next Scheduled Relaxer: April 1, 2014 With a typecasting of 4C in its natural state my hair is tightly coiled. Thus in its natural state my hair tends to be dry, tightly packs upon introduction to water, and is a challenge to manage. Having tightly coiled hair, the only way I have found thus far to manage my hair is to use a relaxer to loosen the curl pattern. However, I have found that relaxing my hair bone straight is not a good option for my hair so in 2012 I began "texlaxing" my hair every 12 to 16 weeks. The below picture depicts the results I achieved on my texlaxed hair after I deep cleansed and removed 10 flat twist from my hair. (My ends were not rolled). This photo celebrates the first 30 Days of using Ponds Cold Cream to Deep Cleanse my hair and Pond Dry Skin Cream to Moisturize my hair. The initial twist out removal for my hair is pretty flat as my hair is thin. However, my weekly maintenance routine fluffs it up to cuteness.
To see how I maintain this style and what products I use, purchase my super affordable video $3.00 video: At 24 years of age, I noticed my hair started turning gray in the same spot on my head which I first noticed my mothers gray hairs on her head. My father had a head full of gray hair. So if gray hair is hereditary, then you may have to start calling me Ms. White. In a nutshell, I have a significant amount of gray hair all over my head with my hairline being the most prominent area. Frequent semi permanent rinses help me somewhat ignore that reality.
After defining these characteristics of my hair, my research determined I have high porosity hair. My hair is no doubt not unique, there are plenty of women who I am certain contend with these same issues. Couple the fact that I live in an arid climate with hard water adds two additional hair issues to the mix. Since I am now using Ponds Cold Cream to cleanse my hair and Ponds Dry Skin Cream to moisturize my hair, I could possibly stop relaxing and go natural. We will see. Buy the $3.00 instructional video on my Deep Cleansing Process at my store Vik Thatchik on Selz.com.
Before I started using Ponds Cold Cream and Ponds Dry Skin Cream to care for my hair, my hair was dry and breaking. My hair was growing but just not producing the look and feel I wanted. You see, since November 2011, I had been on a hair care journey and had learned some very valuable techniques to care for my hair, but I could not find the product to combat dryness. Having "tex-laxed hair" I needed moisture but was not getting the results I wanted in terms of my hair feeling supple. I knew silky hair was not an option for my hair type, but I felt supple feeling hair was attainable. The process for my hair regimen was in place and being executed flawlessly but the journey for "that product" for my hair was seemingly futile. I had spent hours watching YouTube and trying products suggested by other YouTube Hair Gurus. I tried many of the suggested products and felt like I was becoming a hair product junkie. Couple my dry hair with other stressors and I started sleeping in my makeup. Of course the result of that was pimples and blackheads on my face. I was out of control. I did not want to pay a monthly fee for the latest beauty product or hair product so I went back to what had always worked for my face in the past, Ponds Cold Cream and Ponds Dry Skin Cream. Since I know that hair and skin have the same components I decided to try the Ponds Products on my hair. I figured I had nothing to lose at this point. To date it has been 38 days since I embarked on this journey of using Ponds Cold Cream and Ponds Dry Skin Cream to care for my hair and face and I am very pleased with my progress. The first photo is me on December 28 before I started using Ponds ... the day I hit rock bottom for the last time with my hair. The back of my hair was in a ponytail, but if you look closely you can see how dry it is on the ends....what you can't see though are the little pimples and blackheads on my face. This is my hair 37 days later... my skin is looking great too!
Learn how to deep cleanse and moisturize your dry hair by visiting my store at Vikthatchik.selz.com and purchase my videos. To learn my deep cleansing method for your hair, purchase: Vik Thatchik Ponds Cold Cream Deep Cleansing Method At only $3.00 this investment will yield you high returns with minimal risk. Learn the method to care for your dry hair and create your own hair care regimen. Also subscribe to my YouTube Channel: Vik Thatchik for weekly updates on my hair. New Videos are uploaded every Sunday.
Today officially ends the challenge of my weekly ritual of cleansing my hair with Ponds Cold Cream and moisturizing my hair with Ponds Dry Skin Cream. 30 days ago on Facebook I created an event for myself. The challenge was to use Ponds Cold Cream and Ponds Dry Skin Cream in the place of the usual products I had been using on my hair for 30 days. The styling products I used were gel and water. For sheen, I used coconut oil and Haitian Black Castor Oil. To maintain a style with no heat appliances and low manipulation, my hair was worn in a twist-out throughout the week. Creating the Ponds 30 Day Challenge event on Facebook kept me accountable to not only myself but anyone else who was paying attention. I got 4 attendees and a personal commitment to change my hair care regimen. I'll be blunt when I say my hair regimen up to 30 days ago, was okay. I now know my new regimen is top notch. Now I might add that I am learning as I go with the twist out. Anyone who has ever attempted a twist-out knows there are some failures with this style. Bobby pins and headbands are good resources to combat twist-out fails. Trust me there were a few fails along the way. Overall, I am very happy with my hair and my hair care regimen I created. Oh and my face is too. I use these products as part of my skin care regimen for my face. Two for the price of one for real, for real.
My father once told me "Baby, it does not matter what you do in life. There will always be a critic. If you choose to walk on the left side of the street, there will be some one who says you should walk on the right." So it is with the debate within the natural hair care community regarding mineral oil. Some say yeah it is okay to use mineral oil if it works for your hair and some say hell to the naw! Fortunately, I am at the point in my life where I am comfortable doing what I feel is right and true for me. What I know for sure is that my father was correct on the critic tip. What I don't know for sure is if the ingredients in Ponds Cold Cream Cleanser has changed since it's inception. Maybe I will research that and do a blog post later, but for now I will give you 3 reasons why I feel I have stumbled onto something great for my hair. 1. My hair has more sheen. 2. My hair looks and feels moisturized. 3. My twist out holds up throughout the day.
Some may say there are other products on the market that can do the same. Well after two years of being on a Hair Journey, I had not yet found anything that cleansed my hair as well as the Ponds Deep Cleansing Cream. Nor, had a found a daily moisturizer that did not leave my hair super wet or with a lot of build up, contrary to my results with the Ponds Dry Skin Cream that I use for a moisturizer. My results 30 days into this experiment have been every bit of satisfactory. Excellent to this point I must say. I am almost worried that the first 30 days are almost going to well! But I will press on as the words of the departed Vesta Williams ring in my ear "Don't you blow a good thing baby/Don't you know a good thing when it staring you right in your face?" And this product was literally on my face.
Multitasking resulted in the application of Ponds Deep Cleansing Cream on my hair. If there ever was a good accident, this was one! Since December 28, 2013 I have been using Ponds Deep Cleansing Cream on my hair instead of shampoo.
As a daily hair moisturizer I have been using Pond's Dry Skin Cream.
