Coconut oil – Bonita Valli

ElaBrown’s Coconut Oil

I’m a self-confessed product whore. I will try (almost) every and any product as long as it boasts of being 100% natural. I guess I’m of the school of thought that if my hair is natural, so should everything that goes in it (if only I treated my body the same way). Regardless of my scandalous acts, there are two products which I’ve remained loyal to- Coconut Oil and Castor Oil. While my Castor Oil brand is unchanging (Tropic Isle Living, it’ll be hard to convince me otherwise), I’ve really struggled to find a steady Coconut Oil brand in Lagos.

ElaBrown’s Coconut Oil was introduced to me by a friend and I decided I’d give it a go. I had 4 delivered a couple of days after chatting with her- 2 100ml bottles and 2 50ml bottles of coconut goodness. Let me tell you a bit about my experience with it so far:

Packaging: The screw cap bottle cover is perfect so I can carry it around- no spillage! The plastic bottle ensures it’s light so I don’t feel like I’m carrying unnecessary weight- perfect! But the paper labels soaked up oil from my palms and left the brand colours running through. It’s a relatively new brand so I’d say it’s forgivable.

Information Corner: Considering the size of the bottle I was very impressed with all the info provided without being “in your face” or looking cramped.

Product Quality: (Disclaimer… I’m no expert!!! But that won’t stop me from sharing my thoughts….) The smell is a pure, sweet undoubted fragrance only associated with Coconut oil. The colour is clear and light with an even distribution (no particles settling at the bottom). The weight is light and absorbent as Coconut Oil should be.

Price: A 500ml bottle goes for NGN500 while a 100ml bottle goes for NGN1,000

Below are my pictures…..

Would I use it again, definitely! I just wish she had bigger bottles. Have you tried ElaBrown’s Coconut Oil (or any other brand for that matter)? Any thoughts??

Email: elabrown09@gmail.com

Phone: +2349093923923

xXx

Ps: This is not a sponsored post. Never met the owner. Only ever chatted on whatsapp but she seems super nice.

PPs: Has anyone ever tried the “Oil Cleansing Method”? Curious…..

Rhassoul Clay

Hello Beautiful People!

Recently, I’ve been experimenting with new hair routines and the first on my endless list is Rhassoul Clay! Let me tell you a bit about it….

Benefits (or so they say) are as follows:

1. Softens;

2. Moisturizes;

3. Reduces dandruff and product build up (I have a LOT of that); and

4. Aids in detangling

My experience:

1. Reduced dandruff and product build up; and

2. Increased curl definition

My recipe included:

1. Rhassoul clay… lots of it! I have a full head of thick, jet black type 4C (Wura thinks I deserve a league of my own- “4D”) hair.

2. Organic Apple Cider Vinegar

3. Virgin Organic Coconut Oil

I purchased Rhassoul clay and Coconut oil from my number 1 Natural Hair Consultant- Beautifully Nappy, you can buy yours HERE.

I can’t even lie, my hair wasn’t any softer, neither was it easier to manage. But I must say, Rhassoul clay did wonders for my dandruff and in general it was a fun experience. Have any of you ever used Rhassoul Clay? Reap any benefits… please share.

I never realised my hair was layered.

Con you say DEFINITION?

Look at that shrinkage…. about 75% of my hair length disappeared…. AMAZING! The curl definition is ridiculous!

Would I use it again…? Yes, infact I have! It’s always a fun experience and my Mum’s reaction is the same everytime… “JESU!!!” (Jesus in Yoruba).

xXx

Ps: Beautifully Nappy stocks all kinds of natural goodness, check out the blog!

PPs: I’m learning French on DuoLingo and I’m on a 4 day streak! Longest like… ever!!!! Go me!

Vanity Oils

I’m not even going to lie, I’m still very much excited about the whole natural hair phase that I’m going through. I love the spring/elasticity, I’m obsessed with the spongy/fluffy texture and I’m a sucker for the constant attention that natural hair demands. My hair is constantly in protective braids (my Dad + my Job wouldn’t have it any other way), so it’s fairly easy to neglect my hair and forget about how much TLC needs to go into maintaining it.

It’s no secret that natural hair is a struggle (to say the least) and so having limp/dry/dead natural hair cannot afford to be an option! To avoid such dilemmas, I got in touch with Ekua of Vanity Oils (courtesy of Solape, my colleague) and she had the following delivered to me:

1. Argan Oil;

2. Coconut Oil; and

3. Shea Butter.

I’m so excited about all three products (the 4th, being Tea tree oil, is on its way) and so thought I’d share with you. You’ll remember from previous posts that I’m in love with Coconut Oil aka The Holy Grail and Shea Butter aka Women’s Gold. My latest obsession is Argan Oil, but I’ll save that post for another day and perhaps insert the link once it’s done.

In the mean time, I’m off to read up some more on Carrier Oils and Essential Oils and thought I’d leave you with pictures of my Vanity Oils purchases.

Until next time Bonita’s…….

xXx

PS: I decided to leave my natural hair out this week. I’ve got it in some funky twists. I’ve received a mixture of comments on it (more good than bad thankfully). When I’m more comfortable with it, perhaps I’ll upload pictures. Until then……..

Lip Exfoliation

You may remember about 2 blogs or so ago that I mentioned having started a routine of lip exfoliation. Well as promised, here is how I came about it, what I do and how I do it!

Ever so often, when my outfit/mood needs a bit of a(n) edge/boost, I smack on some daring red lipstick (Mac’s Ruby Woo or MUA lipstick shade 1; the irony lies in the pricing) which instantly serves as a fixer. However I have come to realise that chapped/dry lips underneath this alarmingly loud hue, results in a counter act, thereby deminishing the value of my outcome.

Well, every problem has a solution and below is a treatment my sister Wura once talked me through:

Step 1: Crush a couple of cubes of sugar in a bowl, the bigger the granules the better;

Step 2: Mix in some honey until you’re left with a gritty paste. I don’t use any particular proportions, I judge based on what looks equivalent to the sugar;

Step 3: Apply to the entire lip area in a circular motion until dead skin peels off;

Step 4: Rinse off with warm water (alternatively, just lick it off) and apply some Vaseline lip therapy (my latest obsession is the Pink Bubbly, thanks Gbonju).

Voila! DIY Lip Exfoliation in 4 easy steps! I guess I can brave the red lippie once again.

If you fancy going wild, apply food colouring to the mixture and dance around as you exfoliate. I also read that you can apply oil to the mixture for moisturising as you exfoliate, but I’m yet to try that out. In case you were wondering what oil to use, I suggest coconut oil!

Merry Christmas everyone *kisses*
xXx

Ps: Did you notice the Christmassy background? Thanks Taiwo, my trusty techie!

The Holy Grail

Coconut oil is one of those discoveries that have you feeling like you just won a million bucks!!! It’s one of those findings that have you wondering how ever you lived without it!!! It’s the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow!!!! It’s the icing on the cake of natural beauty, and what one of my newly discovered blogs refers to as the Holy Grail!!!

In the second of my series in organic treasures, I bring you the renowned Coconut oil! Following the structure of the first in the series: Women’s Gold, I’m going to take you through my top uses and benefits of Coconut Oil and they are as follows:

1. Skin Care: Coconut oil’s rich consistency provides instant moisture to all skin types leaving the skin noticeably softer and better moisturized.

2. Hair Care: Coconut oil serves as anything from a hot oil treatment, to a deep conditioner, and everything in between… it does it all really, reducing protein loss and aiding growth in damaged hair.

3. Make Up remover: I don’t know about you guys, but I’ve always had a problem with getting make up removers in Nigeria. Fortunately, coconut oil wipes even waterproof mascara right off.

Go on, try it and see for yourself.

xXx

Ps: If you have any problems getting your hands on coconut oil, just let me know and I’ll recommend places!

Pps: I’m watching Meet Joe Black for the umpteenth time and falling in love with the script all over again…. I love you Brad Pitt *sigh*