*Fav!* Product DIY: “Zero Frizzie, Easy Peasy, Crisco Creme” Sealant

It’s been a few days since I’ve posted- so much going on for NapturalNicole.com! I’m setting up the next mini meetup tour stop (MIAMI!)- and working on some really fun features for a few big natural hair websites (more to come on that- excited!)- but I’m back and wanted to talk to you about your grocery lists- and a MUST HAVE item, you need to add immediately;  Crisco All Natural Vegetable Shortening (solid).

Crisco isn’t a new product to most of us. It has a million known uses both in and out of the kitchen:

Commonly used for cooking and baking:

Or for emergency candles:

Or as a sealant for Natural Hair:

WAIT?  HUH? Wiggity WHAAAAA?!!!!!

That’s right, curlistas. Crisco can (and has been) enthusiastically applied as an alternative sealant (the last step in a moisture retaining regimen-L.O.C. Method- after a leave in conditioner) for curly natural hair! I recently dipped into the oily can, and I’ll let the results speak for themselves:

These curls were created by doing a two strand twist with the Crisco Creme.

You know I had to do a ‘Fro-toshoot’ with my curls, right? I was HYPE!

oh and in other news, I also changed my middle name to ‘Curl Definition’- cause that’s the life I’m living right now (lmao!)

Most of you know that I swear by my Homemade whipped Shea Fluff as the sealant in my moisture regimen. Ever since the Shea DIY recipe became a part of my regimen, I’ve had hair that retains moisture for 2-4 days, stays flexible for maximum length retention, and has more definition compared to my old Shea creamy sealant. I used my fluff as the last step in my moisture regimen (LOC Method) after Water, and my leave in conditioner (Kinky Curly Knot Today mixed with Giovanni Direct Leave In)- IN THAT ORDER! (too much ‘love and hip hop: ATL’- ha!). Well, I have a confession to make (some of you already heard this on my Instagram)-

“My name is Nicole, and I use Crisco Vegetable Shortening in my Curly Natural Hair, and I’m never using anything else but Crisco.”

Seriously, I thought that my homemade whipped shea fluff was the business- I had NO idea what it meant to have shiny, soft, properly sealed, moisturization for MULTIPLE days- I’ve gone 5 days without a cowash or spritz of water- not on purpose, just busy- and my hair was still flexible, soft, and detangled. It’s just amazing. Zola the Fro’la has never ever ever looked better.

I know this may not be news to some of you, but when I heard about Crisco for Natural Hair, I was like ‘Yeah, that’s ghetto- not happening.’ I was wrong. I will say it here, loud, and proud- I WAS WRONG. Using Crisco isn’t any different than applying Coconut Oil, or Olive Oil to your hair. Crisco is made of all natural vegetable oils- Soybean and Palm. Some previous versions of Crisco use Safflower and Cottonseed Oils- all vegetable derived, and all water soluble (can be washed out with just a cowash!).

See how my hair is still a bit frizzy on top with the Shea Fluff mix? Crisco eliminates ALL my frizz (perfectly sealed curls!)

The oils have been Hydrogenated- this is the ‘unfamiliar’ part- this process doesn’t happen with the Olive/Coconut Oils we are so used to buying. What’s hydrogenated mean? It’s the process of making the ‘liquid’ oil into a ‘solid’ cream texture. Using technical terms, Hydrogenation is the process of pumping hydrogen into liquid oil at high temperature and pressure to turn the oil from a liquid to a solid. Hydrogen isn’t anything weird  for our bodies either- actually it’s what the ‘H’ in H2O (WATER!) stands for!

Now that we have the science out of the way- and you’re able to explain to your friends and family why you aren’t just putting ‘fried chicken grease’ into your hair- let me get to the good stuff.

The crisco isn’t applied straight into the hair- a hair butter is often made, with other ‘good for fro’ oils and products. The mixture  I pulled together is SUPER simple, extra effective, and ultra cheap:

Zero Frizzie, Easy Peasy, DIY Crisco Creme

Ingredients:

• 1- 20 oz pkg sticks of Crisco (you use 1 stick per mixture- there are 3 sticks per package)
• 3 tbsp- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/4 cup- 100%, no color added, Aloe Vera Gel
• 1 tsp- Your favorite essential oil fragrance (unlike Shea Butter, Crisco has NO scent- so you can make it as fragrant as you like!)
• 1 tbsp – Softened Shea Butter (optional- use it if your hair seemed to like the Shea Fluff, or Shea based products)
• Mixing bowl and spoon
• Airtight Storage Container (I use a tupperware container- do not put back into the crisco can!)

Pictured here are the above ingredients- I first made this mix in my hotel room in San Francisco while in town for the NapturalNicole Tour- I ran out of my Shea Fluff- and went to the 7-11 (only thing open) and prayed that $2 Crisco would work. I mixed in whatever I had in my travel kit!

Instructions:

1. Mix Shea Butter (slightly softened in the microwave) in with the entire stick of crisco (do NOT melt your crisco in advance).

2. When thoroughly mixed (and slightly smoother consistency)- add your oils and gel and stir again.

3. The finished consistency of the product, should be a thick cream- I put it on the back of my hand to demonstrate- it should not run off the hand. (*Tip: I recently made a small batch version of this cream with double the olive oil- the result was AWESOME- it was much more liquid- the consistency of old school pink oil lotion by Luster- I poured the cream into a bottle with a squeeze top, and use it to quick seal my hair after a water spritz, if I have to put off a cowash- fast, mess free, and easy!)

4. Apply to clean, freshly washed/cowashed hair and twist (or wash and go- whatever works for you). This product is a sealant- it should be the LAST product on your hair, prior to styling. Please note: Unlike what your grandma may have told you- this is not a ‘pressing oil’- do NOT use crisco creme with flat irons, curling irons, blow dryers, or any other form of heat appliance!

THIRD DAY RESULTS: 3 day old, slept on while loosely retwisted (6 large twists) hair- looks even better!:

And because I never make product recommendations without using the product for a while to confirm my results- here’s a pic of my Crisco Creme results a MONTH after using for the first time (is it possible that my curls are even BETTER than before?):

I know it may all sound like another crazy natural hair product fad (bull semen, monistat, cayenne pepper for scalps!)- but I love Crisco in my hair- and as long as I keep getting these results…it’s got a permanent place in my regimen!

(And for those of you aren’t into the ‘Kitchen Mixtress’ lifestyle- Head over to ‘The Coiffed Cafe’ Pantry Store- and pick up a jar of Miss Calvis’s Famous ‘Sugafoot Hair Shortnin!’ It’s got all the bang of Crisco, and none of the dirty dishes to clean up! Check it out: http://www.thecoiffedcafe.com/The_Coiffed_CAfe/Online_Pantry.html )

-N.

What’s the weirdest grocery product you’ve tried in your natural hair? Any product surprise you with great results?