Zombie Hair

Aloe… not necessarily a new topic but it is a new venture for some of us. As a child growing up with a Caribbean background I would always hear stories about certain plants, roots, and fruits that would do amazing things for our bodies. Now in my later years, the urge for testing and researching the results of natural, “Old School” remedies has become pretty embedded in my lucid, creative mind. If you didn’t know, Mother Earth has over 500 species in the genus Aloe. Now we're talking Plantae Kingdoms and scientific classification! But that’s technically boring… so let’s get back to the “zombie hair.”

I decided like most naturally dark-haired girls that being “Blonde” may bring more fun, but in reality because of my lack of knowledge, it brought ME dry hell. By the way, ladies and some gents, lemon is a great natural hair lightener, but we can get into that one on the flip side of the bang. So boom, check it… my hair was a mess and I continued to use brand name conditioners but nothing really worked and I cut all the blonde off one day, which left me with a short haircut. FYI, not all chubby people look cute with a short cut. I’m just saying (tip of the day). I allowed my hair to grow out again but I felt that it never came back the same. My curls were damaged and lost, like most people I know. Afraid to put anything in my hair or savagely put her through the flat iron, I’ve kept it in braids and ponytails, but became too comfortable hiding it under my hat. Don’t get me wrong. If you knew me well, you would know Polo Dad hats are my thing, but I also look like a Bronx undercover.

Not so sexy, eh?

I felt it was time to go as natural as possible with my products, so I purchased the aloe leaves at my local grocery store. Two leaves for three bucks… not bad in the “hood.” There are a few ways to prep the aloe plant and store it up for later, which I looked up on good ol' YouTube.

I cut open my leaf and because the plant is so flesh-like, I threw it in the blender to avoid the chunks. Before I washed my hair with the usual shampoo and conditioner, I applied a good amount of the good goo to my scalp, ends, eyebrows, and face… LOL I basically went crazy with it. After I did the lather, rinse, and repeat dance, I applied the rest of the aloe puree to my hair, combed it out, and air dried it.

It wasn’t curling how I desired so of course my anxiety started to kick in and I panicked a bit. The dramatic voice in my head was giving an excerpt on Broadway about how dead my hair was: “Oh Danny Boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling.” So I did what anyone would (I guess) and I reapplied the aloe straight from the plant (Straiiiight, Safaree Voice). Hence, thy curls coiled into springs of life. It also did wonders for manipulating my edges. I cannot wait to see in a few months how thick and curly my hair will be.

I continue to use the product and encourage you to try it on your own. Record your results! I always encourage people to do their own research before trying anything new.

Aloe Vera

The species has a number of synonyms: A. barbadensis Mill., Aloe indica Royle, Aloe perfoliata L. var. vera and A. vulgaris Lam. Common names include Chinese Aloe, Indian Aloe, True Aloe, Barbados Aloe, Burn Aloe, First Aid Plant. The species epithet vera means "true" or "genuine". - Wikipedia