Very Grateful

I am very grateful that you guys have been reading my blog. I hope you are getting some great information out of it. I am learning so much and love passing the information on to you. I hope you decide to keep coming back for more information and I promise you I will keep posting.

Also I have a Facebook page the address is http://www.facebook.com/CamillesCorner and a Google+ page as well it is under the name of Camilles Corner.  So go on it, like it, and share with your friends and fans.. I would very much appreciate it.

Until next time....

Understanding Hair

Hair is much more complicated than it appears. It helps transmit sensory information and creates gender identity. Hair is important to the appearance of men and women. There is hair on all the major visible surfaces of the body. It is also the only body structure that is completely renewable without scarring. This article explains what exactly hair is and how it works.

Hair Origin


A developing fetus has all of its hair follicles formed by week 22. At this time there are 5 million follicles on the body. One million of those are on the head, and 100,000 are on the scalp. This is the largest number of follicles we will ever have - follicles are never added during life. As the size of the body increases, as we grow older, the density of the hair follicles on the skin decreases.

Hair Anatomy


Hair has two separate structures - the follicle in the skin and the shaft we see.

Follicle - The follicle is a stocking-like structure that contains several layers with different jobs. At the base of the follicle is a projection formed like sticking a finger in the bottom of a stocking and pushing it in a small amount. This projection is called a papilla and it contains capillaries, or tiny blood vessels, that feed the cells. The living part of the hair is bottom part of the stocking surrounding the papilla called the bulb. This bottom part is the only part fed by the capillaries. The cells in the bulb divide every 23 to 72 hours, faster than any other cells in the body.

The follicle is surrounded by two sheaths - an inner and outer sheath. These sheaths protect and mold the growing hair shaft. The inner sheath follows the hair shaft and ends below the opening of a sebaceous (oil) gland, and sometimes an apocrine (scent) gland. The outer sheath continues all the way up to the gland. A muscle called an erector pili muscle attaches below the gland to a fibrous layer around the outer sheath. When this muscle contracts, it causes the hair to stand up.

The sebaceous gland is important because it produces sebum, which is a natural conditioner. More sebum is produced after puberty. The sebum production decreases in women throughout their lives. The production also decreases in men, but not as much as in women.

Shaft - The hair shaft is made up of dead, hard protein called keratin in three layers. The inner layer is called the medulla and may not be present. The next layer is the cortex and the outer layer is the cuticle. The cortex makes up the majority of the hair shaft. The cuticle is formed by tightly packed scales in an overlapping structure similar to roof shingles. Most hair conditioning products attempt to affect the cuticle. There are pigment cells that are distributed throughout the cortex and medulla giving the hair its characteristic color.

Hair Growth Cycle


Hair on the scalp grows about .3-.4 mm/day or about 6 inches per year. Unlike other mammals, hair growth and loss is random and not seasonal or cyclic. At any given time, a random number of hairs will be in various stages of growth and shedding. There are three stages of hair growth: catagen, telogen, and anagen.

Anagen - Anagen is the active phase of the hair. The cells in the root of the hair are dividing rapidly. A new hair is formed and pushes the club hair up the follicle and eventually out. During this phase the hair grows about 1 cm every 28 days. Scalp hair stays in this active phase of growth for 2-6 years. Some people have difficulty growing their hair beyond a certain length because they have a short active phase of growth. On the other hand, people with very long hair have a long active phase of growth. The hair on the arms, legs, eyelashes, and eyebrows have a very short active growth phase of about 30-45 days explaining why they are so much shorter than scalp hair.

Catagen - The catagen phase is a transitional stage and 3% of all hairs are in this phase at any time. This phase lasts for about 2-3 weeks. During this time growth stops and the outer root sheath shrinks and attaches to the root of the hair. This is the formation of what is known as a club hair.

Telogen - Telogen is the resting phase and accounts for 10-15% of all hairs. This phase lasts for about 100 days for hairs on the scalp and much longer for hairs on the eyebrow, eyelash, arm and leg. During this phase the hair follicle is completely at rest and the club hair is completely formed. Pulling out a hair in this phase will reveal a solid, hard, dry, white material at the root. About 25-100 telogen hairs are shed normally each day.

Hair Shape


The amount of natural curl a hair has is determined by its cross-sectional shape. Hair that is most similar to a circle is straight and hair that is flattened and elliptical is curly or kinky. The more circular the shaft is, the straighter it is. The more elliptical the shaft is, the curlier or kinkier the hair. The cross-sectional shape also determines the amount of shine the hair has. Straighter hair is shinier because sebum from the sebaceous gland can travel down the hair more easily. The kinkier the hair, the more difficulty the sebum has traveling down the hair, therefore the more dry or dull the hair looks.

4th month of my natural journey

 

 

If you have just tuned in to read what I have to say.. WELCOME!!!!!!.. Well In the first post I spoke on what it was like to finally do the big chop. Now here we are 4 months into my growth process and I must say it is going pretty well. I make sure I don't try to manipulate my hair too much. As you can see I have major shrinkage. I don't comb my hair unless I have a head full of conditioner. I deep condition and wash my hair once a week, and co-wash whenever I decide I am going somewhere. I do a protein deep condition one to two times a month, it depends on if my hair needs it. I sleep on a satin pillow case too.. I use a combination of oils like Jojoba, Grape seed, Castor oil, Vitamin E,  Avocado oil, Coconut oil, along with a few Essential Oils like Lavender, Rosemary, Ylang Ylang, and Cedarwood. When I first went back to being natural I missed the length. I didn't miss the relaxer, just the easiness of it all. The ability to throw it into a ponytail at will. As I look at how well my journey has been going, I am happy I did the big chop. I have fun making new things for me and my husband to use for our hair. He is always coming home with something new for me to try out and make a new concoction to see how my hair will react to it. I have been learning a lot everything from what I have read, all blogs and fan pages that I turn to. There are plenty of sources to learn from. You will just learn what will work for you. Not everything is for every one. Just remember your hair is only unique to you. 

Some Natural Hair Abbreviations

When I was thinking about and researching going back natural, I was seeing abbreviations and had no idea what I was looking at. Better yet what it meant. You should have seen me looking at the blogs and natural pages with this confused look on my face. But I am here to help you like I have found help from others. So here is a list of terms and abbreviations that will help get that same look off your face.. 

2nd day hair- Hair that looks good (at least decent) when you wake up the next morning... you don't have to do much before walking out of the house. Some are lucky enough to get 3rd and 4th day hair!

3abc/4a/4b/4c- A hair type classification system

ACV- Apple Cider Vinegar (used to seal cuticle...final rinse) A hair type classification system.

APL- Refers to length-- arm pit length.

BAA-Big Ass Afro

Baggy - After you moisturize your hair at night, you put a shopping bag, plastic cap, shower cap on overnight.

BC - Big Chop - cutting off all your chemically treated hair

BNC- Braid-n-Curl, simply plait or braid the hair and roll the ends on rods or flexis.

BSL- Refers to length-- bra strap length.

BSS- Beauty Supply Store

CBL- Refers to length-- collar bone length.

Co-Wash- Using conditioner to wash the hair in place of shampoo

Cones- Are 'silicones', or ingredients found in hair care products that are not water soluble (i.e. you need shampoo to remove).
DC- Is a deep conditioner. A DC is when you leave a moisturizing or protein based, depending on your needs conditioner on your hair for an extended period of time, along with a heat source to aid in penetration. But you don't always have to use heat.. 

Dusting- Dusting your hair is a trim of 1/4 and inch or less. This method is also referred to as dusting because even though your hair is being trimmed evenly, it is so little hair, that it just looks like dust on the floor.

EO- Essential Oil

EVCO- Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (used in conditioning treatments)

EVOO- Extra Virgin Olive Oil (used in conditioning treatments)

HIH- Hand in Hair. Its a disease that causes you to always be manipulating your tresses.

MBL- Refers to length-- mid back length.

No-poo- It's just that- no shampoo. Ladies who follow this routine are CG'ers and don't use cones or other heavy/oily products that may need shampoo to remove. Instead of pooing, many ladies conditioner wash, or use conditioner in place of shampoo to cleanse the scalp.

Pineappleing- a type of sleeping technique that curlies with long hair use to
preserve/protect curls overnight so that they have great 2nd day hair. You gather all of your hair in a high, but loose pony tail at the top of your head and go to sleep on a satin pillowcase. In the morning you take it down and shake it out gently and all of your curls will have been preserved.

PJ- Product Junky or someone that buys any all hair care products in sight...forever on a mission to find the next best thing.

Plopping- A quick dry method. You use a t-shirt or a curl friendly material (terry cloth towel, paper towel) to dry your hair instead of rubbing a towel on your hair to dry it. It drastically decreases drying times.

Pre-pooing- A treatment applied prior to shampooing. It usually consists of oils and/or conditioners applied the night before the shampoo or immediately prior, with a heat source to help penetrate. This is usually performed to help the hair maintain necessary moisture during the drying shampoo process.

Sealing- Is essentially sealing moisture in the hair, specifically the ends. For sealing to be effective, you must first use a water-based moisturizer (a conditioner or cream that has water as its first ingredient), and then seal with a butter or oil. The molecules in most butters/oils are too large to pass into the hair, so they stick to the outside of the shaft, trapping in the rich goodness of the moisturizer. Reversing those 2 steps will lead to dry hair. Sealing has saved my hair.

Slip- Used to describe how slippery a product is (usually a conditioner or detangler)... the more slip it has, the more effectively it will coat the hair to aid in detangling.

SLS- Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (found in the harsher shampoos).

TNC- Twist-n-Curl. This is my signature style. I twist the hair and roll the ends.

Transitioning - This is the period of time since one's last relaxer.

TWA- Teeny Weeny Afro

Twist Out - Two strand twist the hair, allow to dry either by air drying or sitting under a dryer, take the twists apart, and style.

Wash and Go- Simply co-wash your hair, add a styler (gel, cream) and GO You leave the hair to air dry or dry with a diffuser. Although this style is cute and easy, my ends couldn't handle it. This is also seen as WnG, and W&G.

If you know of any others please feel free to add some in the comments.. 

Well until next time... 

Essential Oil Mixture List

I have talked about the carrier oils and essential oils now here is a list of different oils you can mix together to come up with some great scents.. Have at it and try to come up with some great smelling hair.. 

Suggested Scent Name	Mix These Items
Afternoon Breeze	1part lavender,1 part vanilla, 1 part spring rain
almond joy	1 part chocolate 2 parts coconut 1 part almond
Angel Cake	1 part: Coconut 3 parts: Vanilla
ANISETTE & CREAM	1 part Anise & 3 partsVanilla
ANISETTE & CREAM	1 part Rose, 3 parts Sandalwood
Apple Cinnamon	equal parts apple and cinnamon
Apple Fruit	1 part apple, 1 part grapefruit
Apple Jack	1 part apple 1 part cinnamon 2 or 3 drops grapefruit to your taste
Apple Rose	1 part apple 1 part rose
Apple Spice	1 part apple cinnamon, 1 part hot apple pie, a tiny bit of bayberry
APPLE VANILLA	Equal Parts of Apple & Vanilla
Autumn Harvest	equal parts Pumpkin Spice and Apple Jack & Peel
Autumn Spice	equal parts of Orange creamsicle and cloves
baby	baby powder, lavendar, lilac equal parts
Baby Lavender	1 part of baby powder, 1 part of lavender
Baby Powder	equal parts rose and vanilla
Baby's Breath	1 part vanilla, 1part jasmine
banoffee	equal parts banana and toffee
BayBerry Paradise	2 parts Bayberry ,1 part Tropical Paradise
Berries and Cream	1 part vanilla, 1 part strawberry, 1 part raspberry
Berry Patch	3/4 Raspberry, 1/4 Patchouli
Better than Sex on the Beach	Raspberry, Peach, Pineapple , Cranberry, and Orange
bird of paradise	to make that
Birthday Cake	2 parts buttercream, 1 part vanilla
Biscotti	equal parts Fudge Brownie and Almond Pastries
Black Cherry Toffee	Equal parts Black Cherry, Almond, Caramel, and Coconut
Blackberry Crumble	equal parts blackberry and creme brulee
Blue Hawaiian	equal parts blueberry and pineapple
BlueBerry Cheesecake	to 1lb 1/2oz blueberry and 1/2oz cheesecake
Blueberry Cobbler	equal parts blueberry muffin and french vanilla
Boudoir	2prt rose,2 prts each musk,vanilla,sandlewood
Cajun Cream	1/2 french vanilla, 1/2 butterscotch brulee
Candycane	equal parts of peppermint and strawberry
Cappacino	Equal parts of fresh brewed coffee & irsh mocha
caramel apple	caramel & macintosh apple
Caribbean Ocean	Equal parts Caribbean Breeze, Ocean Dream
Chamomile & Lavender Blend	equal parts chamomile and lavender
Charleston (lampe berger type)	10 parts sandalwood, 2 parts cinnamon
Cherry Cheesecake	1lb 1/2 oz cherry & 1/2 oz cheesecake
Cherry Colada	equal parts cherry and coconut
Cherry Fairy	Equal parts Clean Cotton and Wild Cherry
Cherry Lemonade	1 part black cherry, 2 parts lemonade
Cherry Vanilla	equals parts of Wild Cherry and French Vanilla
choclate covered cherries	1 part choc 1part butter cream 1 part wild cherrie
Chococlate Covered Cherries	Equal parts chocolate and cherry
Chocoholic	Chocolate and Vanilla
Chocolate Chip Cookies	1 part Fudge Brownie, 2 parts Fresh Baked Pie Crust
Cinilla	equal parts cinnamon and french vanilla
Cinilla	equal parts cinnamon and vanilla
Cinnaberry	Bayberry and Cinnamon
Cinnaberry	1 part Cinnamon, 3 parts Mulberry
Cinnamon Apple	equal parts Cinnamon and Apple
Cinnamon Apple Pie	1/3 Cinnamon, 2/3 Warm Apple Pie
cinnamon rose	1 part cinnamon and 1 part rose
city of lights	equal parts lavender and cinamon
Coconut cream pie	equal parts French Vanilla, Coconut Milk, and Fresh Baked Pie Crust
Coconut Lime Verbena	1 part Coconut Milk, 2 parts Key Lime
Cosmopolitan	2/3 Cranberry, 1/3 Lime
Country Berry	2 parts Blueberry, 2 parts Raspberry, 1 part Strawberry
Cranapple Cider	½ MacIntosh Apple and ½ Spiced Cranberry
Cranberry Bread	Equal parts Cranberry & Fresh Baked Bread
Creamsicle	French Vanilla & Orange
Creamy Strawberries	3/4 oz of wild strawberry and 1/4 oz of cream brulee
Cucumber & Cantaloupe	1 part Cucumber, 2 parts Cantaloupe
cucumber melon	cucumber & melon - lime green color
Dewberry	Mulberry & Honeydew
Dusty Rose	1 part Baby Powder, 2 parts Rose bouquet
Energizing	3 parts Purely Peppermint, 2 Parts Lemongrass
French Vanilla	2 Parts Amoretta, 1 part Buttery Vanilla
French Vanilla Coffee	2 parts french vanilla/1 part black coffee
fresh bake pie crust	butter cream & pumkin spice
Fuzzy Navel	equal parts Peach and Orange
German Chocolate Cake	equal parts Fudge Brownie and Coconut
Ginger Pumpkin	Spice Mix (ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon) and amber (may want to add a bit of pumpkin)
Grandma's Lemon Meringue Pie	2 parts Lemon Pound Cake, 1 part Fresh Baked Pie Crust
Green Tea & Cucumber	Cucumber & Green Tea
Harmony	jasmine, cherry blossoms, vanilla, honey, sandalwood
Harvest Fruit	1 part MacIntosh Apple, 1 part Strawberrry Daquiri
Hawaiian Paradise	equal parts pineapple, coconut, & mango papaya
Herbal Delight	equal parts Gardenia and Patchouli
Herbal Island	equal parts Green Tea and Hawaiian Breeze
Honeysuckle Peach	Equal Parts of Honeysuckle & Peach
Honeysuckle Rose	1 part honeysuckle, 1 part Rose
Honeysuckle Rose	equal parts of honeysuckle & roses
Hugs & Kisses	Candy Corn-Peaches-Strawberry
Hummingbird Cake	Half Coconut Half Pineapple
Indian Healing	equal parts Sage & Lemongrass, Eucalyptus
Inocence	Plumeria,Vainilla
Inspired	Rose, jasmine, lily of the valley
Island Baby	Equal Parts Plumeria & Baby Powder
jazz	1 part of jasmine and 2 parts basil flowers
Key Lime Pie	equal parts Key Lime and Fresh Baked Pie Crust
Key lime pie	equel parts of key lime and fresh baked pie crust
Lavendar Orange	1 part lavender and 3 parts orange
Lavendar Vanilla	1part lavendar 2part vanilla
Lemon Lavender	2 parts Lemongrass 1 part Lavender
Lemon Pound Cake	equal parts Lemon and French Vanilla
Lemon Sage	2 parts lemon, 1 part sage
Lick Me All Over	1 part: Cherry 1part: Mulberry 1part: Strawberry
Lilac Breeze	equal parts lilac and sex on the beach
Malibu	equal parts: blueberry,strawberry & blk. cherry
Mango Punch	2/3 Mango, 1/3 Orange and 1/4 Lime
Masculine	2 parts clove, 1 part sandalwood, 1 part honey vanilla
Melon Medley	equal parts: Canteloupe-Watermelon-Honeydew Melon
Mint Chocolate	1 part candy cane, 1 part hot chocolate
Mint Chocolate	2lbs wax 1oz peppermint/ 1oz hershey's chocolate
Mona Lisa	equal parts clean cotton and sunflower
Mother Earth	equal parts red clove, Sandalwood, Oak & Cedar
Mystic Berry	2 parts wild raspberry, 1 part lavender
New Car Smell	equal parts genuine leather and french vanilla
Ocean	Tropicana and Spring Rain
Orange clove spice	1 part harvest spice 1 part orange clove
orange clove spice	orange clove and harvest spice
Passion	cherry, almond, coconut
Passion Flower and Chamomile	equal parts
Peach Cobbler	2 parts Georgia Peach, 1 part Fresh baked Pie Crust, 1 part cinnamon
Peach Pie	2 parts Georgia Peach, 1 part Fresh baked Pie crust
Peaches and Cream	equal parts French Vanilla and Georgia Peach
Peachy Colada	to 1 lb 1 1/4 georgia peach & 3/4 pina colada
Peanut Butter Cup, Concord Grape - equal parts	Peanut Butter n Jelly
Peppermint Herb Tea	1 part Peppermint, 2 parts Green Tea
Peppermint Pattie	2 parts Hot Fudge Brownie, 1 part Peppermint
Peppermint Patty	1/2 hot chocolate, 1/2 peppermint
Pina Colada	30% Pineapple, 70% Coconut Milk
Pine Forest	1 part Mountain Pine, 1 part Cedar, 2 parts Bayberry
Pineapple Sage	Pineapple & Sage
Pineapple Upsidedown Cake	equal parts Pineapple and Birthday Cake
Pink Lemonade	2 parts strawberry/1 part lemon
Planters Punch	equal parts Lime, Orange and Pineapple
Polynesian Paradise	Equal parts Lavender & Ylang Ylang
Pomegranate Splash	1 part Pomegranate, 1 part Fuzzy Navel
poulet pleasure	butter, chicken, butterscotch, a hint of vanilla!
Purple Flower Parade	3 parts Lilac, 2 parts Lavender, 1 part Gardenia
Quiet Time	1 part Chamomile to 3 parts Spearmint
Rainbow Skies	Equal parts Cotton Blossom and Honeysuckle
Raspberry Zinger	equal parts Wild Raspberry and Key Lime
Raychel's love	Lilac,Strawberry,LAVENDAR,sage
Relaxation	equal parts Patchouli, Rose, and Sandalwood
Relaxing	equal parts lavender, peppermint, and green tea
Relaxing aroma	1 Part Jasmine1 part Ylang Ylang
Romance	equal parts Orange and Patchouli
Rose Plumeria	equal parts Rose Bouquet and Plumeria
ROSE, LAVENDAR ,VANILLA	Orange & Pomegranate
rosemary	rosemary & lavender
Rosemary Cucumber Melon	1oz Cucumber Melon and 10 drops Rosemary
Santa's Whiskers	equal parts Home for the Holiays and Sugar Cookie
Sea Breeze	1 part peppermint 1 part rain
Sex on the Beach	peach, cranberry and orange
sexy smelling	Lilac, Rose, Woodberry,Lemon and French Vanilla in equal parts
Soft Rose	equal parts Rose and French Vanilla
Spiced Orange	2 parts Orange, 1 part Red Clove, 1 part Cinnamon
Spiced Orange Cranberry	equal parts orange and spiced cranberry
Spiced Rose	1 oz Rose 1 drop each of cinnamon & clove
spiced vanilla	allspice & vanilla
Spicy Apples & Peaches	2 parts Spiced Apple Pecan 2 parts Peach
Strawberries and Cream	equal parts Strawberries and French Vanilla
strawberry brulle	2 parts strawberry 1 part creme brulle
Strawberry Cheesecake	1lb wax 1/2 oz strawberry 1/2oz cheesecake
Strawberry Coconut	3 parts Strawberry, 1 part Coconut
Strawberry Colada	2lbs wax 1 1/4 strawberry& 3/4 pina colada
Strawberry Daiquiri	2lbs wax 1oz strawberry & 1/4 oz vanilla & 3/4 pina colada
strawberry kiwi	equal parts strawberry and kiwi
Strawberry Lemonade	1 lemon poundcake 2 parts strawberries and cream
Strawberry Shortcake	1 part strawberry, 1 part angel food cake
strawberry water	strawberry and rain forest and moutain air
Strawberry/Banana	equal parts strawberry/banana
Sugar Cookie	2lbs wax 1 1/4 southern buttern pecan & 3/4 cream brulee
Sultry Amber	2 parts amber-1 part Tahitian Vanilla-YUM!
Summer Showers	equal parts Spring Rain and Sunflower
Sweet Apple Delight	equal part Pink Sugar and Country Apple
SWEET DREAMS	EQUAL PARTS OF LAVENDER AND SWEET PEA
Sweet Orange & Pomegranate	Orange & Pomegranate
sweet pea	sweet pea
Tutti-Fruity	Pear Glace, Kiwi Raspberry, Fresh Apple, Wild Watermelon. - Equal parts
Van Hazel	1part van cruch to 3 parts hazelnut
VANILLA GARDEN	ROSE, LAVENDAR ,VANILLA
vanilla garden	sweetpea
Vanilla Mocha	equal parts of french vanilla & irsh mocha
Vanilla musk	vanilla & musk
Victorian Christmas	Old Fashioned Christmas and Rose Petal. 2-1
Vintage Perfume	1 part Rose, 3 parts Sandalwood
Weezie's Garden	Lilac, Rose, Woodberry,Lily of the Valley
Wild Berries	equal parts, Blueberry-Cherry-Raspberry-Strawberry
wow dog	3/4 lilac 1 vanilla 3 blueberry