I figured since I'm about to do another one this weekend, it's high time I did my pictorial for the Caramel Treatment.
The recipe is:
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup red palm oil
1/4 cup shea butter
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup Apple cider vinegar
3.5 oz banana baby food
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup molasses
water (as needed to thin)
So. The original recipe called for Wheat Germ Oil, but I didn't have that, so I subbed the RPO instead, and it came out just fine.
I measured out the 'solid oils' (coconut, RPO & shea) first.
Put them in my trusty ceramic bowl (the same one from the Henna How-to) and nuked them til they melted.
The darkness is from the RPO - not burnt oil.
While that was going on, I dumped the olive oil, ACV, and banana into the blender. Yes, I could have done it by hand, but PFFFFTTTT.
Using the babyfood was a brilliant idea, and I REALLY think it made the whole process easier. If I ever use fresh bananas, I'll be sure to use the super, super, super, super ripe ones that practically turn into mush as soon as you peel the skin.
Added the melted oil, gave it a quick blend, and.... well, it's not looking like any kind of caramel I've ever seen.......
But, once I added the Molasses and Honey (I saved those til last, since the warm oils and other ingredients would help liquefy them and insure they blended well together) - it looked JUST like the sauce you would put on a sundae. Okay, not quite as translucent, but still - YUMMY!
However, the rather potent smell of ACV coming from it made me resist even CONSIDERING tasting it - though everything in this IS edible. I didn't need any water, as I thought it was actually a little TOO thin. I'm considering adding cornstarch to it next time, to give it a little body.
I used half, and put the other half in a baggy in the freezer for the next go around. Hrm. Maybe I'll beef that one up with cornstarch, and see how it works.
My hair came out - UNBELIEVELY soft and shiny and MOISTURIZED - right after I rinsed the treatment out, my hair was still pretty oily (I didn't cowash or tea rinse my hair afterwards), but over the next day it settled into a gorgeous, GORGEOUS, state of happiness. Considering my hair doesn't LIKE oil, that's a minor miracle.
And, even more interestingly, it's more or less STAYED like that for the last.... it's been three weeks, I think? Yeah - almost a month, really, as I put it in on the 2nd or 3rd of February. Between this and the Ayurvedics, I swear, my hair has almost become a different creature. It's still super soft (and I've done a protien treatment since then), and shiny.
17 comments:
Banana baby food? Why didn't I think of that? LOL! Your hair looks awesome by the way. Very healthy.
Very interesting combination. I love this posting and I will return to see what other treats you have added.
Question if you don't have the flax or RPO what other product could you substitue?
Thanks
if you don't have the flax or RPO what other product could you substitue?
Hrm. I would think that any 'rich', sebum like oil would work - maybe jojoba, if you have it handy? Or, maybe even Almond oil - I haven't used it, but it might work.
I don't think Wheat Germ Oil is a solid oil, so that's not really a good criteria.
Try what you have, and see how it works - I had actually planned on leaving that 'ingredient' out already....
Hi Kiya, 1st of all thanks for sharing your version of the Caramel Treatment. Girl, I had been on the hunt for red palm oil and finally found some last week...yea!
I do have a question about the amount of ACV you use. You seem to use quite a bit more than most recipes I've seen. Can you tell me what the ACV in the recipe does?
You seem to use quite a bit more than most recipes I've seen. Can you tell me what the ACV in the recipe does?
Hrm. I use so much because I just used equal amounts of everything - *lol* - it made the recipe simpler, in my mind, since the original one didn't actually have amounts.
I can't tell you exactly what it does in the recipe - my hair usually doesn't take to oils well, so I don't know if the ACV helps with that. And of course, it's acidic, so that might be the main use - getting the pH of the mixture just right.
If you are concerned with the amount, try it out with less ACV, and see how it works - come back and let me know, if you do!
Hey there, did you twist your hair before doing the treatment? And did you wash it out afterward?
Hey there, did you twist your hair before doing the treatment? And did you wash it out afterward?
Hey Anony -
Oh, no, I did this on loose hair. Doing this on twists would be - rather messy, I would think. And there's no way it would rinse out fully.
It has to be rinsed out. I don't use shampoo, so no, I didn't wash it out - just rinsed my hair really well. :)
The twists in the picture are from after I let my hair dry in braids and then twisted it.
K. ^_^
hi kiya! i love your version of the caramel treatment but i had a question. i usually do a protein treatment during the week with egg and avocado being the main ingredients. this has really helped with breaking but for a good few days after my hair feels really hard (even after a co-wash)..it doesn't break but i just dont like the feeling. i thought of clarifying but i already do this with baking soda once a week. my question was do you think i could add an egg to this treatment? because it always leaves my hair so soft. i need the protein treatment for m relaxed ends by the way it really helps with breakage. =)
Hrm.... adding an egg would be most interesting! I don't think that it would clash with anything else, and since you already know your hair likes eggs - I'd say go for it!
Do come back and let me know how it turns out.....
K.
After much scouring of the internet for a recipe for a Caramel Treatment, I found yours & scurried off to the store to buy the ingredients I didn't already have.
I found everything at whole foods except the wheat germ oil or red palm oil, so I dashed over to this "natural & herb store" that I'd never been too,but i'd seen in passing.
After my own perusal, I asked the nice little asian proprietor if she had any Red Palm Oil, and she exclaims, "WHY DOES EVERYONE KEEP ASKING ME FOR THAT!! ASK TOO MANY TIMES ALREADY, I have one bottle left, LARGE BOTTLE!"
I thought this had to be because of you!
It was the most hilarious thing! I explained its part of a popular recipe for a hair treatment. And I also advised her to order smaller bottles as they would surely sell out. She agreed, she said it was all women asking for it. I settled for a small bottle of Wheat Germ Oil.
Thanks for this, I'm excited for the great results.
Hi im wondering once you make the treatment, how long do you leave it in and do you sit under a dryer or ne thing?
Lately, I've been using this as part of a steam treatment, so I've left it in for about two hours or so while sitting under my makeshift steamer. I'm not sure how it would react to 'dry' heat.
When I don't steam, I leave it in until it starts to drip and drive me crazy. *lol*
The minimum, for my hair, is 90 minutes. Anything less and it's pointless.
I LOVE the E'tae Caramel Treatment. As a stylist and aspiring hair care expert I'd recommend it to just about ANYONE!
Nice of you to share the ingredients, I've always wondered what they all were. I have only known a few of them.
Did you make your version based on the new or the old formula for the treatment??
Your recipe is the truth. It really pulled some of the curls from my hair and gave me more manageable locks (as i am not a hair person). I'm going to do this treatment again and have my DR beautician doobie my hair. It left my hair shiny ,soft ,and smoother. It did more that i imagined. The only deviation from your recipe is cornstarch. I added a table spoon of cornstarch to 2 tables spoons of water then I mixed it in (no lumps). It came out smooth an thick. I left it on over night. Thanks for posting your recipe!
For some reason, my mixture came out looking like fudge instead of caramel. Well, it did look like caramel until I added the molasses. Nevertheless, the end results were nice. Super soft! Oh..and I used Wheat Germ Oil from Whole Foods. They didn't have the RPO.
Your hair looks gorgeous! :) Your recipe sounds very good, i gotta try it very soon.
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