Napptural Beginnings

It's about time I extend a warm welcome to all of the newly added Napptural Beauties! I'm Cherie (think the Stevie Wonder Song)☺ I love creating content, video editing, natural hair and beauty education and cultivation, fashion and culture. I'm also a fashion designer @ lifeoutloudboutique and @elleccustoms by day, and a natural hair consultant and former hair stylist. I'm super grateful and humbled by all of the new interest, love and support from each and every one of you! Especially since deciding to restart my vlogging experience after abandoning it over 7 years ago.  So what can you expect from my content?? My primary purpose here is to help others. Inspired but the countless women, clients and friends and family members who have or ever had a hair question, request or even disaster, I truly felt the need to return helping in the best way I knew how . By sharing my experiences, journey, tips, advice and anything else that I've learned along the way since ret...

Did you know??? The crown of your hair and scalp is the most exposed and can experience breakage, thinning and dryness faster than any other area. This is mainly due to : - CONSTANT SUN EXPOSURE - SLEEPING HABITS - CONSISTENT USE OF AN OVERHEAD DRYER -STRESS OR TENSION ON THE AREA FROM STYLING -NATURAL MOISTURE/Oil LOSS DUE TO GRAVITY So how can you protect your crown ?? - Where satin lined caps when sleeping, or during prolonged Sun exposure - Avoid laying on the back of your head - Dry your hair on low/cool settings or air dry -Section differently when parting/styling - Moisturize the area with water in between wash days -Try Scalp Massages to improve circulation and sebum production -Try pineappling the hair when you DC The are just a few yet hopefully very helpful ways you can minimize dryness, tangles, and breakage in the crown area. It seems like most naturals struggle with this and hopefully this gives some insight as to why and what you can do! Don't forg...

The best ingredient for hydrating your hair is water... Just to make it plain... Water is your No. 1 source of hydration and moisture. If a product claims to moisturize your hair, it can only work with moisture a.k.a water that is already in your hair. Read your product directions Sis! The majority of leavins, conditioners and even styling products advise you to apply the product on wet or damp hair. That's because they were formulated to work best on wet hair, this is when your cuticle is open to receive moisture, and receive product. If are your hair is dry when you are piling products onto your strands, it's just sitting on top our your hair, causing build up and eventually making your hair even dryer. Please keep in mind... Please keep this in mind as well.... oils, butters and greases do not moisturize your hair. It's just not possible, they do not contain water. Most of these act as sealants! Sealants - Sealant is a substance used to block the passag...

So we are effectively halfway through the challenge and so far so good. We figured out washing and deep conditioning treatments, so the hard part is over, right? Right! Or so I thought.... Coming up with a styling DIY is no simple task. Luckily with my adept research skills and ability to adapt in less than ideal conditions I was able to concot a solution that worked...well sort of. Napptural Cherie is on the Job 😄 Honestly, once I put my thinking cap on and brought the process back to basics it wasn't so hard. It really comes down to a few questions:  1.What are you hoping for the product to achieve with your hair? 2. How long should the expected results last? 3. Which natural items currently work in your hair? Personally, answering these questions made the decision process a bit easier. The only lingering query was related to question number 3. Would the products I had in mind actually mesh well together and garner the approval of my curls??? My...

So my journey continues... Cleansing my hair was a breeze, I'm  pretty accustomed to the amazing cleansing and curl renewing effects that Bentonite clay provides.  But can my all natural deep conditioning game come just as strong??? Well this OG curly girl has a few more tricks up her sleeve. That's right, I took a shake at those 14 year old coily roots and what do you know? A couple of miracle fruits and spices fell out: The Amazing Avocado & a Heavenly Honey pot 🍯 . Throw in a healthy fatty oil that's coconut sensitivity friendly and a star is born: The Honey Avocado Hair Mask 🌟. This recipe was one that I dabbled in some years back but never quite hit it off with. At the time the recipe I used included a banana and there was something about those left behind banana strings post deep condition treatment that just didn't sit quite right with me... or my scalp for that matter. I believe the original recipe I had come acr...

It's September and with the 3rd being the anniversary of my 1st Big Chop some 14 years ago, I feel the need to treat my hair extra special. So I'm going all out for the entire month with an all natural care regimen. I'll be swapping out my typical go to cleansers, stylers and conditioners for some all natural alternative. I'm actually pretty excited about this, lots of DIYs are in store 😆. Who's ready to join me? I'll be sharing the items I use and recipes in detail here on my  blog if you want to follow along. I may even include a few diy videos so you can see what I came up with. First things first, let's start of with a clean slate! So before I get busy trying all these wonderful wholesome all natural hair treats, I have to detox. My curls won't be able to fully take in all the nutrients and vitamins from this regimen if they are still covered in and weighed down by my old hair products. My preferred way to remove product buildup? ...