Are you ready to learn how to infuse your curls with more moisture, shine, and strength with a simple modification to my super easy mud rinse recipe? Keep reading!
Wanna know something funny? Before this post, I hadn't mud rinsed in months.
Wanna know something funnier?
I don't know why I stopped. Seriously.
All I know is that while putting together my 2015 style collage for tha 'gram, I came across some of the dopest wash and go styles I created. I thought to myself, what the heck is different in my routine?
I. Stopped. Mud. Rinsing.
I know, shame on me.
Well in the "new year, new me" spirit (lol) allow me to get brand new with my mud rinse.
Mud Rinsing 101
For those of you who may have forgotten, or don't feel like reading my other post, here's a little refresher on mud rinsing.
For those of you who may have forgotten, or don't feel like reading my other post, here's a little refresher on mud rinsing.
Mud rinsing is an intermediate step between your cleansing and deep conditioning, where a water-based clay mixture is allowed to sit on the hair briefly prior to deep conditioning. It is most easily done in the shower, but can be done over the sink as well. Mud rinsing has been easier to do and easier on my strands than clay masks have been. Clay masks are thick, messy, and can sometimes difficult to work through my hair. But mud rinsing? Simple and fuss-free.
Here are a few more benefits of mud rinsing:
- It's all natural. One of the best thing about DIY mixes in general is that you get to control what goes into them. A mixture of earthen clay, oils, water, aloe, and apple cider vinegar? Talk about a dream for mixtresses and ingredient snobs.
- It's moisturizing and fights frizz.Due to the water content and the oils, the mud rinse hydrates the hair while the oils soften, and the aloe and apple cider vinegar help lay the cuticles to improve shine and moisture retention while reducing frizz.
- It detoxifies the hair and scalp. Bentonite clay is incredibly powerful, possessing a negative charge (anionic). It has the ability to remove positively charged (cationic) conditioners and products that can build up on the hair and scalp. It is also said to have the ability to draw out toxins, heavy metals, and chemicals. It lifts impurities from the hair, aiding in conditioning, shine, softness, and definition.
- It enhances curl definition. No one is quite sure why, but it does. I want to throw in some sciency jargon about ions and whatnot, but for the life of me it doesn't make sense. I just know that it works -- and not just on my hair either. Click here to see how bentonite clay fares on 4c natural hair. Since science can't explain it away for me, I'll just chalk it up to one of the good Lord's miracles and send a fist bump back to the ancestors because this stuff has been around for thousands of years.
- It works instantly. Back when I was doing clay masks post MHM, I was under the impression that it needed 20-30 minutes on the hair, like a deep conditioner. Nope! You can literally work the mud rinse into your hair, and rinse it right out.
Now, here's where things get exciting.
You ready?
I've remixed the recipe for 2016.
I want to say it's because I've been in the lab, mixtressing and experimenting for the best ways to use bentonite clay. But truthfully, I stumbled upon this recipe remix because I have a big @$$ bottle of Blackstrap Molassess, and I need to use it up.
I initially bought the blackstrap for some healthified recipe, but when that didn't pan out, I started looking for other ways to use molasses. My first use I wrote about here: boosting your deep conditioning session with Blackstrap Molasses. Once I realized how much I loved deep conditioning with it, I started pontificating on other ways to make use of my health food investment.
Refresher spray? Nope, Samuel wouldn't come within 50 feet of me if I did that.
Pre-poo? Sure, why not.
Leave-In booster? See idea #1.
Blackstrap & Bentonite Mud Rinse? DING! DING! DING! DING!
And here we are!
Instead of talking this one through, I made an easy to follow video for you guys...yay! See? I told you guys I'd try to do more videos in 2016. Before we get to the video, you might be wondering why I went with Blackstrap Molasses for the bentonite clay. Here's a quick recap on the benefits of Blackstrap Molasses:
Blackstrap Molasses, in all of its dark, thick, sticky, and pungent glory is a nutritional powerhouse that can benefit both the hair and skin. Packed with iron, calcium, manganese, copper, potassium, and other antioxidants, Blackstrap Molasses boosts a number of benefits like:
- strengthening hair
- promoting hair growth
- reverting grey hairs
- soothing itchy/flaky scalp
- boosting shine
- improving hair elasticity
- increasing hydration levels in the hair
Now that we've got that out the way, let's get on to the good stuff - the video and recipe. Grab these ingredients (if you're big on DIY, you likely have most of them already):
- Bentonite Clay
- Blackstrap Molasses
- Jamaican Black Castor Oil
- Apple Cider Vinegar (with mother)
- Water
- Plastic or glass mixing container (I use this one)
- Plastic or wooden spoon (no metal)
- Plastic applicator bottle (I use this 8oz bottle)
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| Come through, curl poppage!!! |
Enjoy! Let me know in the comments below if you decide to give it a whirl!
