AyurNatural Beauty Giveway!

The beautiful Ekua, owner of AyurNatural Beauty has graciously volunteered to do a giveaway for our faithful followers.

The lucky winner will win $20 worth of Ayurvedic products of your choice from her online beauty and health boutique that specializes in "Ayurvedic herbal essentials for the hair, face, skin, & overall health."

As stated in a the Natural Hair Community Entrepreneurs interview that I did a couple of months ago, she sells Hesh Pharma Herbals, Herbal hair color, hair care, skin care, supplements, hair loss remedies, and other ayruvedic remedies. Offerings include many Ayurvedic powders such as Henna, Shikakai, Neem and many others. In addition to Vatika Oil, Amla Oil, and Kalonji (Black Seed) Oil, she also sells powders, soaps,and creams for the skin.

Please stop by the store and check out some of the products at http://ayurnaturalbeauty.ecrater.com/.

You can view the interview "here".

If you can't wait until the end of the giveaway to get your hands on some of her fabulous products, stop by the store now. She's having a month long sale on 2008 crops of Rajasthani Henna, cassia, and indigo throughout this month while supplies last!

Shipping is super cheap and fast, unlike many online markets and her customer service has been rated excellent!

Giveaway Rules: You must be a follower of Kinky Rhonnie's Spot. You will receive an additional entry if you are also a follower of Ekua's blog, AyurNatural Beauty Talk. You must leave a brief comment as to how you currently use ayurvedic products in your regimen or plan to do so in the future. The winner will be selected randomly through an online random # generator.

***Remember, you get two entries if you are a follower of Ekua's blog as well. ***

The deadline to enter the giveaway is midnight Wednesday September 16, 2009.

Natural Hair Community Entrepreneur, Ekua of AyurNatural Beauty

I met the beautiful and elegant Ekua on Naturallycurly.com's Curltalk Hair forum and we immediately became online friends.

Ekua has a beautiful spirit that shines through from a far and I'm privileged to have the honor of debuting her new oline Ayurvedic market, AyurNatural Beauty.



AyurNatural Beauty is a beauty and health boutique carrying Ayurvedic herbal essentials for the hair, face, skin, & overall health. Product offerings range from Ayurvedic remedies for hair loss, hair growth, anti-aging, clear skin, digestion, weight loss, and others.

Some of the products you will find at AyurNatural Beauty are:

Hesh Pharma Herbals including Amla, Brahmi, Neem, Shikakai and many others.
Mehandi Henna
Herbal Hair Care
Herbal Skin Care
Herbal Supplements
Herbal Hair Loss

I myself have often went to online Indian stores to order an Ayurvedic product after reading the rave reviews on many of the popular hair boards, but have quickly backed out my order due to outrageous shipping prices. Often times, the shipping is as much or more than the actual product so I'm excited to find a supplier that will meet the needs of us all. INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING IS ALSO AVAILABLE!

Now, on the the interview...
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What is it that the online Natural Hair community should know about you?
Hi, I’m Ekua, pronounced (eh-kwee-ah) even though most people say (eh-koo-ah). It’s an Akan (Ghana) name for a Wednesday born female. Now that the name curiosity is out of the way... lol….

In general, I’m just a woman trying to navigate through this thing called life and have fun in the process. I’ve been described as that cool sister that people would like to have. I think that comes from a combination of things, like my humor, my loyalty, my insight and keen intuition, and my protective ways. For me, I just like helping people and if I’m not helping, then I don’t feel like I’m serving my life’s purpose. I want people to be better from having known me. That’s how I operate my life.

I’ve been natural for over a year now. It’s been an interesting experience of personal rediscovery. Learning your natural hair truly is a journey, sometimes sweet, sometimes frustratinG. Although I have a ways to go, I already know that I’m committed to my natural hair for life. I really have come to love my hair and in that, I’m loving myself even more.
Oh yeah, I’m also married, mother of one handsome son, and I own a smart, but crazy Jack Russell terrier… she’s barking at a neighbor right now… lol

What motivated you to start your own online retail store?
The experiences and stories of women on various hair boards.

I’ve only been on hair boards since late last year. I lurked a lot at first before becoming active. From then until now, no matter what hair board I visit, there’s this common reoccurrence of women who would love to try ayurvedic and herbal products from India for their hair and skin, but they don’t have local access to a store that sells them. Many of these women report that most online alternatives have been either unaffordable, didn’t have all of the products they were looking for, or just had poor customer service -- sometimes a combo of things. I felt really lucky to be able to find what I needed locally, but once I experienced how beneficial ayurvedic herbs were to my hair and skin, I started selling a little of my personal stash on the side, just so they could share in the benefits too. The thing is, there is only so much you can get at the Indian stores on ground, and only so many offerings per store, so I knew I wasn’t going to really make a difference.

It’s funny how divine ordinance works. When your intentions are really true, the solution does come. Not even a few days later, I was out trying to refill my own stash after just having sold all that I had to a nice sister online. It was that day I met the person who could give me access to much of what I was looking for. From there I went to work with a partner, doing research, building the store, competitive analysis, and all the other necessary tasks that need to take place before doing business.

Thus AyurNatural Beauty was born. It’s my hope that AyurNatural Beauty will bridge that gap to provide the access, for great prices, with great customer service. It’s really just that simple.

What will one find at AyurNatural Beauty?
You will find popular health and beauty herbal products directly manufactured in India where Ayurveda has been a way of life for thousands of years. We carry all Hesh brand powders for hair and skin, ranging from alma to brahmi to rose petal powder to manjishta to kalpi tone to kapoor kachli and so forth. You’ll find a number of hair oils by Dabur. We also have a private label Rajasthani mehndi henna in a fine and even finer premium sift for great prices! You’ll also find interesting offerings that are lesser known, such as Vicco Tumeric Skin cream which is great for skin irritations including eczema. We have a new hair fall solution by Parachute, Kalonji Oil (black seed oil), a number of herbal supplements and more!

Where do you hope to see the store a year from now?
Well, this first year will be about establishment of relationships with my customers as well as with other vendors and suppliers. A year from now, I’m hoping to expand AyurNatural Beauty’s offerings to not just include brand names, but also ingredients as well. I’ve already received a few requests to get in more ayurvedic and herbal oils and additional botanical powders and believe me, I am working on it! Eventually, I’d like to provide offerings from Africa, and not just shea butter and cocoa butter, but also lesser known herbs that have great beauty and health benefits. Still that may be a while coming. Ultimately, I hope to be a one stop shop, offering access to ayurvedic and herbal product brands as well as herbal ingredients that aren’t widely available, while keeping it all relatively affordable.

Anything else you’d like the readers to know?
Hmmm…

I’m working on a blog that will provide news on store updates, specials, and more information about the products that are carried in the store. One of the features that I will have is an Ayurvedic Herb Spotlight, where I will focus on one herb, such as amla or brahmi, provide information, and share experiences and allow for readers to share their experiences as well.
From time to time, I may add something random, but the blog will be primarily an extension of AyurNatural Beauty – The Store.

For those who like to add cassia and indigo to their henna mixtures, we will have cassia and indigo powders to offer very shortly!

Also, there will be a One Day Sale sometime in late August! More details will come soon, so stay tuned!

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A giveway from AyurNatural Beauty will be announced in the near future so, STAY TUNED!

Special thanks to you Ekua!

I wish you much success with this endeavor.

Second Henna Treatment

I just completed my second henna treatment using Jamila Henna.

I followed Curly Nikki's Henna Pictorial recommendations AGAIN. LOL

This time, I remembered to add the honey and eliminated the olive oil.

I mixed the henna with green tea (2 tea bags & 2 cups of boiled water).

I allowed the henna to sit for approximately 3 hours.

While the henna was releasing, I sectioned my hair using cheap natural conditioner mixed with extra virgin olive oil and put into sections.

I shampooed my hair using Blended Beauty Soy Cream Shampoo.

I conditioned with Aubrey Organics Honey Suckle Rose (my favorite).

I applied my henna in sections using an applicator brush. I coated each section both on top and underneath and stretched the hair from root to end.

Since I had planned a late night sleep-in henna treatment, I wrapped my head in saran wrap using two pieces that were long enough to tie after wrapping.

Next, I rolled a hand towel and wrapped into around the edges of my hair tucking the ends into each other.

Third I applied a shower cap.

Fourth, I tied my head with an cotton scarf (which I would never do on uncovered hair).

I'm heading to best and will post results and images in my fotki hair album later.

Again, the application process is not nearly as tedious as people have led me to believe.

Edited to Add:

I left the henna in my hair for about seven hours.

Rinsed with cool water in the shower.

Shampooed twice with Blended Beauty Soy Cream Shampoo.

Added Aubrey Organics Honey Suckle Rose, Honey, and Olive Oil for a deep condition.

After I got out of the shower, I sectioned using my shower comb and put into afro puffs using scunci elastic bands.

I added a shower cap, two satin bonnets, another shower cap, and tied with a scarf to use my body heat for the treatment.

I left the conditioning treatment in my hair for 30 minutes before rinsing.

How to Use Henna in Hair

Henna is a popular way to dye your hair. Not only will it add a nice color of red to most hair colors, but it also conditions your hair. Henna is all natural so it will not harm your hair like the dyes found in stores today. Some other benefits of henna as a hair color is that it strengthens your hair, makes it easier to manage, and can even get rid of dandruff.

1. Henna is red in its natural state. With the addition of walnut plant dye or coffee, henna can be brown. With the addition of chamomile, saffron, or senna, you can use henna to dye your hair blonde. If using just the pure henna, blondes will gain a natural red color, redheads will have a boost of color, brunettes will get an auburn color, but those with a full head of grey hair will only get orange hair. If you have ten percent or less grey hair, henna will dye the grey hair so that it looks like highlights.

2. Buy henna from a special store online, a beauty store, or possibly even a Middle Eastern specialty shop. You will need 100 grams of henna if you have short hair, 200 grams for collar length hair, 300 grams for shoulder hair, and 500 grams for waist length hair. You will be able to buy the henna prepared or in a powder which will come with directions on how to prepare.

3. You may want a friend to help you because henna can get really messy. Drape your shoulders with a towel and wear plastic gloves. It is a good idea to do a test on hair from your hair brush before actually dying your hair. Start at the bottom layers of your hair and work your way up. Keep hair not ready to be dyed in a clip on top of your head. Apply the henna paste to thin strips of hair at a time. Apply evenly. Keep doing this until all your hair is covered.

4. Wrap your hair in saran wrap or a shower cap. Now you must wait two to four hours.

5. Rinse your hair with cold water and a good conditioner. This will seal the hair shaft and make it shiny and healthy looking. Rinse until all of the paste is out.

6. Now that your hair is colored with henna, you must avoid any chemical processing and products, such as getting your hair chemically straightened or permed or putting dye in your hair. This will counteract the henna and damage the hair. Your hair can be safely dyed over and over with henna to achieve your desired color.

http://www.howtodothings.com/fashion-and-personal-care/a3437-how-to-use-henna-in-hair.html

My First Henna Treatment

I did my first henna treatment this weekend and that straw-like after effect that everyone talks about is nothing but the truth.

I mixed 100 grams of henna with 1 1/2 cups of cool green tea (recommended by Curly Nikki)and olive oil. I forgot to add the honey. I let the henna sit for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. I applied the henna with a applicator brush. I left it in my hair of about 5 1/2 hours.

I was able to quickly combat it by doing a deep conditioning treament. I used Aubrey Organics Honey Suckle Rose mixed with olive oil to dentangle and section while wet then left it on for a good 30 minutes after covering with a plastic cap and toboggan.

Prior to the deep conditioning treatment, I rinsed the henna out in the shower and shampooed with Karen's Body Beautiful Shampoo Bar in Juicy.

For moisture, I added Qhemets Biologic Alma/Olive Heavy Cream and Hydrating Balm and sealed with a homemade herb-infused oil.

I could immediately tell the difference in my hair before and after the henna treatment. I had very little shedding.

I'm curious as to whether the hair always feels like straw post henna or does it eventually get used to it. Hmmm!!!

It wasn't nearly as messy or hard to rinse out as people made it out to be.

I love the red highlight that it added to my two tone hair and will begin doing henna treatments every four weeks for three months to see if there is a remarkable difference in my hair as proclaimed by others.