Tis the season to be natural! As the holidays approach, I’ve been thinking about what I want to see wrapped in beautiful paper under the tree, or sticking out of my stocking. Here are some of the things on my list.
Essential Oils Oils For the burgeoning mixtress in me, my friend Judes gave me my first set of essential oils for my birthday in April and I was in heaven! I loved being able to add drops of peppermint or bergamot into whatever conditioner I was about to use, or to create my own pre-poo using a carrier oil as a base. And let’s talk about the miracle these oils perform on shea butter, which (let’s face it) does NOT smell like roses. Naturally, I’d love it if Santa’s Little Helpers restocked my essential oils (including that dreaded lavender… yup Vee, I said it!) and carrier oils, along with the coveted Jamaican Black Castor oil, which is nearly impossible to find in Canada. And I’d really love to get a few that I haven’t tried before too. I don’t know where Judes got the set she gave me, but I’m sure you guys are resourceful enough to use Google. To “beef up” this gift, why not purchase some cute bottles from Ikea or Pier 1 to put the oil in? Look around and be creative. However, make sure to buy bottles that are tinted. Direct light makes the oil go rancid more quickly. |
Monthly Product SubscriptionsSo the product junkie in me seems to be growing bigger and bigger by the day. For a reasonable monthly fee, I can feed my addiction with a subscription to a product-of-the-month club. Each delivery consists of a sampling of hair and personal care products hand-selected for curlies and naturals alike. Sometimes the offerings are full-sized! The two I’ve had my eye on are curlBOX and CurlKit. Each of these has its own appeal. While CurlKit seems to focus a little more on products with mainly natural/organic ingredients, I must admit that I’m quite seduced by the beautiful packaging of curlBOX. Did I mention the full-sized samples? It’s hard to choose between the two… so why choose, right? Hint… hint… |
Gift Sets Gift and a Half! Anyone who knows me, knows that I’ve been having a long-time love affair with Oyin Handmade products. Ever since the first day I stumbled across their hilarious YouTube videos, I’ve had a soft spot in my heart for the kooky couple (JAMYLAAAAAA BENNU… and her husband) responsible for the uber-moisturizing Juices & Berries, the deliciously scented Greg Juice, and my personal favorite – Shine & Define. So anyone who knows me, knows that I’d love love LOVE to get a box set from Oyin… Say, a Gift and a Half, maybe? Oh, and they also have a “Black Nerds Unite” tee that I could easily add to my wardrobe.  No Frizz Fizz Cocktail Curlmart has a gift set with six or seven products from its shopping cart. Or you can even find a nice box set from Shea Moisture called Curl & Shine Kit too.  Jamyla Bennu & Oyin (yes, I’m back to that) also sells sample sizes of many of their products. Perfect for my stocking, or as decorative bobbles for wrapping my bigger gifts… but no pressure… |
Styling Tools & Appliances Secura – a Reasonable Huetiful Substitute I have a very old “bonnet dryer” that belonged to my grandmother. The bonnet is a plastic cap, similar to a shower cap, with a hose a-la-vacuum-cleaner sticking out the back, and a very loud motor. I can’t be certain, but I think it’s powered by a little tiny dinosaur… you know like on the Flintsones? When it comes to deep conditioning, it does do the job, but it would be nice to upgrade to an appliance from this century. A shiny new steamer like the Huetiful Steamer would be abfab, but a reasonable substitute would be the Secura S-192.  Gold ‘n Hot A heating cap would be welcome if the much preferred steamer wasn’t possible.  Curlformers For style experimentation, a set of Flexirods or Curlformers would be nice. One of each would be even better, since I’m not sure which would work best for my hair. Things like ponytail clips, barettes, hair pins, and ouchless elastics are also welcome. And I’ve been looking for a genuine Denman brush for the longest time. |
Head Coverings byEA Etsy Shop At one point, I was known around the corridors of my workplace as “The Girl with the Hats.” Feels like the old hat fetish has come back. Along with beanies, silk scarves and silk scrunchies, I wouldn’t mind breathing some new life into my hat wardrobe with some cool, funkie new pieces. You know, for those days when I don’t have the time or the inclination to style my hair. Maybe even a few headbands or a fascinator or two. Etsy has a ton of stores selling cute and original styles. |
Books Natural Hair Bible I don’t have a library of hair books, though I have read one or two that people have loaned me. Here’s a list of titles that seem interesting to me:
At the top of my list is the Audrey Davis-Sivasothy book. I have read a few excerpts from it and have heard numerous gurus refer to it. It’s what you’d call a “bible” for hair care.  Cute for Kids! There are a few children’s books that would be fun to read to my niece and nephew too:
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I could go on and on and on…
Maybe I’ve inspired you with ideas for yourself or for your beloved naturalista. What’s on your list?
Happy shopping, Santa!
Nappy Head Chronicles 
Glad to see the essential oils I got you are useful. Christmas has come and gone, but your b-day is coming around again 😉
can’t wait!!! the xmas list still stands for the bday, btw!!
Please let us know if your Crown gets gifted Happy Holiday’s!
I would like those curl formers too maybe i’ll whisper that into some ears lol!
lol! maybe one of us will get lucky!