The Origin of Gugo

Have you ever wondered how Gugo is made?

I have been very blessed to meet some of the makers of Gugo in Batangas.

In this small town, it seems everyone knows how to make Gugo! They were so nice, they even showed us how they make it.

Gugo starts from a bark harvested from a vine that may only be found in mountainous areas.

Gugo bark

After the bark is skinned, it is cut into strips like below.

Gugo strips

It is then hammered into rectangular strips.

Nanay Berning Suarez showing us how Gugo is shaped. 

After being sun dried, it is then sold as dried Gugo strips. Drying takes a minimum of 5 hours depending on the weather.

Do you notice how these two sets of gugo differ in color?

According to one of the makers of Gugo, the color depends on what tree the vine was next to.

The light colored one came from a vine which grew near an Indian Mango, while the darker one grew next to a santol tree.

They may differ in color but they are just effective in helping you care for your hair.

So, which color do you like better? Let us know! :)

Order your Gugo from us! 

Leave us a personal message at our FB page: https://www.facebook.com/HerbalnHerbs,

or contact us through https://herbalandherbs.wordpress.com/

Molasses Hair Conditioner for the Brunettes

Image from: www.huffingtonpost.com

I love Molasses. When my bakery was still up, I used molasses instead of glucose. It made and kept my cookies, crinkles, and brownies soft and chewy and it didn't over-sweeten it. Plus, it's not overly processed so it's much healthier. Thus, I love it. I love it to the very core of my being. 

I've been trying to develop my own cold wax for hair removal that didn't need heating and I just know that Molasses is party to this recipe. So I was researching like crazy when I found out that Molasses can be a good hair conditioner. So armed with Molasses, I rushed to my bathroom and gave it a go. 

I just shampooed as usual. (For people, who have oily scalps like me, it is suggested you shampoo twice. You can even do a baking soda rinse, check it out HERE. It's just as good as using shampoo.) And I used Molasses as my conditioner. Instructions in other websites say that you can leave it on for 20 minutes or use it as conditioner (you can add water if it's too thick but keep it paste-y). Personally, I prefer using hair masks as conditioner because my hair has this tendency to get too damp. Damp as in it won't dry even after days! Plus, it's a time-saver. 

I enjoyed my first-time with Molasses. It didn't leave my hair damp like other hair masks. And it also kept my hair down. I have coarse, wavy, thick hair. Need I say more? It is also said to strengthen hair and leave it with great luster and dark, rich color so it goes without saying, the blondes and redheads can't do this without compromising hair color.

As for me, I'm getting myself a pump bottle for my new, natural conditioner. Try it yourself! 

Mama's Aloe Vera Conditioner

So Aloe Vera is not just for skin! My mom claims that her hair has been divine because of it. And if were you, I would take advantage of her secret.

What you will need:

Aloe Vera Gel (Cut it up and discard skin)

Water

Empty shampoo bottle

1/2 tsp. vinegar

What to do:

Put the Aloe Vera gels in shampoo bottle. Add vinegar and fill with water. 

Usage:

Use as you would with your conditioner. 

Verdict:

I tried it earlier and of course, it didn't disappoint. My hair's moisturized and despite the humidity, it didn't stick out as it usually does. Mothers really do know best. Thank you for sharing this with me, Mama! Advance happy mother's day!

Get your Aloe Vera at Php60-100/seedling. 

Visit https://herbalandherbs.wordpress.com/ for more details. 

Eggs: Also for Bouncy Hair

My mom recently bought a book entitled Herbal Home Remedies by Jude Todd. 

Photo from: http://www.paperbackswap.com/Herbal-Home-Remedies-Jude-C-Todd/book/8180565505/

I totally worship this book! I mean it's amazing and I can't wait to try out all the interesting stuff written here and share it with all of you! And the best thing is my mom has this herbal garden business so getting my hands on those herbs are easy, breezy and free. I'm such a lucky girl!

Today, I'm posting a review on this book's shampoo substitute. And I bet every person reading this can do it as soon as they read it. 

What you need: 

Egg

Vinegar-rinse

Photo from: https://www.organicbuyersgroup.com.au/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=740

All you have to do is beat the egg before taking a bath. Massage it on your scalp. I like to leave it on while I soap myself and then rinse my hair with the vinegar-rinse and water.

As for the vinegar-rinse, use the recipe here. But instead of using everything, put it in your empty and clean shampoo bottles so you can use it every time you need it. Pour enough vinegar-rinse on your hair then rinse with water. Do this twice a week. 

So what I thought of it? After my bath, my hair already felt different. It felt thicker and heavier. I did this shampoo substitute for two consecutive days. If there is something to complain about this recipe, it is that the egg smell stays even with the vinegar. So you better wash really well.

I remember when I was a teenager, my mom and I would put mayonnaise on our hair and it would come out just beautiful. Mayo is basically eggs and olive oil. So maybe egg really is the secret! 

When making leche flan, we put  lemon or lime to remove the smell of eggs. Maybe I should try putting vanilla. Leche Flan scent on my hair. Hmm. 

Photo from: http://muchamunch.wordpress.com/2012/02/13/i-heart-leche-flan-2/

      

I didn't really notice the wonderful effects of this shampoo substitute until I was back to using my commercial shampoo. My hair was manageable even if it's just air-dried. I'm also doing DIY Highlights and after this shampoo substitute, I could see that my hair has really lightened! Biking under the sun has really paid off! And to add to this, my hair is shiny and tangle-free! And I don't brush because I have curly hair. 

All in all, I love this DIY shampoo. I'm definitely doing this twice a week and I'm adding lemons and vanilla.  Leche flan-scented hair anyone?  

DIY Highlights

I have a confession to make. I'm terrified of going to hair salons and this is probably why I am doing all the DIY stuff (except for the haircut) so that I wouldn't have to go. When you go to the salon, it's usually to feel good about yourself. I don't know if it ever appeared to you in this way but notice when you go to salons you feel picked on (at least at the salons I've been to). 

I have naturally curly hair and there was a time when rebond was all the craze. Oh my formative years. When I go for a haircut, the person doing my hair does nothing but rip my self-esteem by telling me to have my hair done straight. For awhile I followed their advice until I realized that they were not after my welfare when they suggested this to me. My hair got damaged and I had to grow it out to its former glory. 

Until now, when I go to salons I am still being told to do the same. But after that really bad experience, I know better. And if you want something done right, you gotta DIY, love!

Summer's around the corner and what better way to start feeling it than to have HIGHLIGHTS on your locks. I have black hair - not really the jet black type because when I'm under the sun it reveals a light brown color. Since I'm all for the natural stuff, I did my research on highlighting hair naturally. And all of them say the same thing, use LEMONS!

Photo from: http://kas2ri-kas2ri.blogspot.com/2009/06/limau-kasturikalamansi.html

We have American lemons here but I think our native Calamansi will do just fine. 

I've experimented on this just this morning. Below is the list of what you will be needing:

1 cup water

4 tbsp. Kalamansi (approx. 16 pcs.)

Sunblock

Sun

Photo from: http://rainbowsunshinekittens.tumblr.com/

You simply mix them together, go for a bath and use this as a last rinse over your head. Then put sunblock and bask under the sun for thirty minutes. After that rinse with water and dry! 

What I like to do is go out to bike around the village at 8:30 AM. The sun will be up and about by then and it's exactly 30 minutes away from the sun being harmful. I not only burn 109 calories according to this calorie calculator, I also get my much needed Vitamin D, a tan, thigh muscles and my highlights on! Definitely better than sitting for an hour to two hours in the salon while reading magazines or watching TV! And mind you lemon is also skin lightening and a wonderful astringent for your face so that's like doing three treatments in one! Just don't let it get to your eyes!

Of course, the effects are not as immediate as with the salon. So I might be hallucinating a bit when I find my hair a little lighter when I saw it a minute ago against the light. The best way is to do this once a week for four weeks. Lemon is very acidic and may dry hair (and your skin!) if you do this everyday. Patience is a virtue. 

Some websites say that you will have blisters on your head if you do the last rinse method for this but I've just tried it this morning and no, none of the pain they were saying. But if you are still not sure about this, you can put the concoction in a spray bottle and spray away so lemon juice won't hit your scalp. 

If you have time to spare, you may also want to try honey and olive oil. You can check how it's done here. I've tried them both. I didn't enjoy it though because olive oil is again too greasy and honey makes the ants go crazy in my bathroom. But honey does make your hair feel softer. I can't wait to try the beer treatment but I think this would be best with a girl friend so you can drink and bash old boyfriends so early in the morning together. 

I'm continuing this treatment until the four weeks are up. Just in time for April! Can't wait how it turns out!

DIY Hair Spa

My mom has been keeping secrets from me. And this is a good one. I've been telling her for weeks now that her hair looks more wonderful than usual. Her secret, VINEGAR. Her last rinse in the bath is aloe and vinegar but she mainly used vinegar to be a preservative of aloe vera because it starts to smell after awhile. I researched about vinegar and its benefits when used on hair and apparently a lot of people already know about this the secret behind vinegar.

Image from: http://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/cleaning/all-natural-cleaning-solutions/vinegar-0

So vinegar... Who knew right? I certainly did not. And when I found out about it this afternoon, I tried it out immediately.

So this is what you'll need:

2 cups of warm water

1 Tbsp. of vinegar (any kind you want)

Basically, you're going to mix this together and then use it as a last rinse when you take a bath. You leave it on for 30 minutes then rinse it again to remove the vinegar smell. 

I've tried this and it's wonderful! The effect is immediate. After the last rinse, I noticed my hair feels different already. I just air dried my hair after the second rinse and it was manageable and shiny and not a whiff of vinegar! Usually my hair does not know which way to go at this point so I cannot get over the fact that it's down and easy with just vinegar! 

I read here that you can do it as much at three times a week. I'm definitely doing it weekly! It's a good antiseptic for skin too and hey, it kills mildew in the bathroom. Three birds with one stone all for the price of vinegar!