Another Styling Frenzy!

I'm at it again!! I am a bonafide "hair person".  I love finding new ways to style my hair and the longer it gets, the more creative I have to be to keep it fresh and not look a hot mess (especially at work).   I went on another styling frenzy that I want to share with you guys. 

It all started with me wanting to see a different curl pattern without using heat. I tried to employ the same tactics as Akua with her no heat straightening techniques.  All of the styles that I will show you originated from what I'm calling the Sealy Braid Out.

#1 - Sealy Braid Out Fro - I'm sorry to write that I forgot to take a picture of my Sealy Braids.  So I'll describe them to you.  I took my freshly washed hair and parted large sections, combed  out each section and braided everything.  Now that I think about it...I'm kind of glad I don't have a picture...it was quite a sight. 

The next morning I released the braids and fluffed my hair out:

 

#2 - The next day I tried to wear this style again and it was a disaster...so I decided to try an up do.  This is called Hair Kandy in honor of the comb I wore in the back.

 

#3 - That night I decided to try one of my old twist out styles.  I call it the Skinny Twist Out.  First I had to twist it...which took 3 hours.  Then I styled it in another up do.

#4 - After a few days, I decided to take out the twists.  I call this one the Wild Child Fro!

 

My favorite style from the frenzy is the Hair Kandy.....although those bobby pins were a killer!! So...4 different looks from one week of "stretching" my hair with no heat! Love it!!!

 

Which style is your favorite?

 

Peace and love!

The Hair Journey: Freddie D Fro - Chunky Style

Hi Folks!! Everyday is an adventure with my hair.  I remixed the Freddie D Fro Fro to a chunky version....

This style is a result of a dry a dry twist out and products by Herbal Bush House.  The pictures below show a 1 day old chunky fro.

Check it out! :)

Check out the side part! :)

 

 

 

What do you think?

 

 Peace and love!! 

In Pursuit of a Curl Pattern: Caring for Children's Curls

Hi Folks! It's been a while since we've heard from Kiki but she's back to give us an update on her curl pattern pursuit.  She's also sharing techniques on how she cares for her beautiful children's curly hair.  We will call them Princess K and Princess J. 

 

Here is Kiki in her own words.

 

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Wow,  I am at Day 80!  NO HEAT!   Yeah, I am still wearing protective styles.  Here is the latest one.  My curl pattern has double to about 3 inches.  Wahoo!  But, all I can do is wait and keep wearing these protective styles - NO BIG CHOP for me.  So, I turn my attention to Princess K and Princess J.  They have beautiful curl patterns and I am green with envy.

 

Day 80 - protective style

 

Let's start with Princess K:

Princess K's hair is easy peesy. The only non-positive thing about it is that it is somewhat fine.  So when it's is straightened, it can look limp and thin.  Otherwise Princess K has wash and go hair.  It doesn't take much heat to straighten, curl,  and blow dry.   Her hair is a soft, pliable grade.  It response well to any shampoo, conditioner, mousse, gel... whatever...  I can wash her every every week and spend less than 2 hours, start to finish.   This is the style that we do when she is wearing her hair natural.  I wash it, condition it, detangle with big tooth comb, add a curling product.  Most any curl enhancing product will work well.  This time we used Tahlia Waajid Curly Curl Cream.  This and this is what happens.  Easy! 



Princess K's wash and go curls

 

 

Princess J is another story: 

 

Her hair is very thick and it requires that you use the "right" products for deep conditioning and detangling.  It takes me several hours to do Princess J's hair.   You have to used a multi -phased approach to get to the desired result.  Fortunately, I discovered that Bees Wax works wonders on her natural tresses.   I started sectioning her hair after blow drying it, applying some Bees Wax and twisting it. I did this once a week.  

 



Princess J's freshly washed and twisted hair using Beeswax

 

 After the 3rd week of doing this, I noticed that her hair was very soft  and had a nice sheen to it.  After washing her hair it was far less tangled.  I have been using the same products on her hair for years, so I know that it was the Bees Wax!    AMAZING! 

 

 

 

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Great progress Kiki and your children are ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS!  Thank you for sharing with us! I love the fact that you are keeping their hair natural. 

 

Stay posted!  There's more to come from this family of curlies!

 

 

Peace and blessings!

The Hair Journey: Tress Update #10

Hi Folks! The end of 2013 is upon us and I wanted to share my last Tress Update for the year.  Today I wore what I call the Free Flo Fro.  Sounds fun right? Well I picked out my freshly washed hair and did not pat my curls into a smooth shape as per the regular Flo Fro.  I just let it  all hang out!

 My current hair regimen:
1. Wash with Dr. Bronner's Castille Tea Tree Oil Soap (LOVE IT)!
2. Condition with Beautiful Curls leave in conditioner (I partially wash it out)
3. Apply plain raw shea butter to hair while still damp to lock in the moisture (this softens my hair like you would not believe!)
4. Apply tea tree and rosemary oils (diluted with grapeseed oil) on my scalp (not pictured)
5. Style as desired. 
6. Depending on the flavor of the week (my hair style) I may wash it bi-weekly and co-wash once per week.

My curls are glorius!!!!!! I'm in LOVE with my naturally kinky curls!  Before I started this growing process I liked my hair.  Now I LOVE my hair.  I feel more in tune with what's necessary to have a healthy head of hair. I am educated on what my hair needs and that empowers me to make it happen! I also  LOVE the fact that most of the ingredients I'm using are simple and NATURAL. 

 

Recap of 2013:
In 2013 I've experimented with  a lot of styles and products.  Some products were good...and some...not so good! But that's a part of the journey.  Learning what works best for YOU.  YOU are your own hair guru.  No one should know your hair better than you.  See how my hair has grown this year??


What's next?  MORE HAIR!!!!! :)


Peace and blessings!

A Curly Pudding Review....Going Through the Motions!

Hi Folks! I'm still exploring different curl enhancing products to  get the best wash and go routine in my repertoire. So far I've tried Kinky Curly curling custard and As I Am curling jelly.  Why do most curl enhancing products sound like food?? Anyways, I tried something new this week and I actually liked it!

The Pudding: We all know about the Motions brand...in particular that foam wrap lotion we probably all used at one point or another! Well Motions is one of the larger brands that have jumped on the natural hair band wagon and created a "Naturally You" line.   I tried the Hydrate My Curls Pudding.

 

Motions - Hydrate My Curls Pudding

Ingredients: water, mineral oil, glycerin, cyclopentasiloxane, cetearyl, alcohol, cetyl alcohol, glycerl stearate, PEG-100 stearate, dimethicone, cetereth-20, coconut oil, avocado oil, shea butter, laneth -15, DMDM hydantonin, alkyl acrylate ....................................and a whole host of other ingredients I can hardly pronounce.
 

The result: I really like my curls by Motions.  I was able to mold my fro into a chunky one after applying the product.  It dried within 2 hours and left my hair soft and retained the curls.  It did not define my curls like the other products, but there was no residue and I liked the ability to easily mold my curls (15 - 20 minutes). If I did not twist it, I would have been left with a soft fuzzy fro.

After application - note the induced chunky twists

After a long day....the curls are shiny, soft and easy to manipulate

This look is similar to what I can achieve 4-5 days into a twist out.  I like the fact that I can get this look after two hours instead of days.

I'm digging the chunky fro look.....

I'm liking these curls...

 

The conclusion: I like the look this product gave me.  There were two things I didn't like: the amount of synthetic ingredients and the greasy residue.  I put a Jheri curl like grease spot on an exercise mat! LOL!

I will be using this product again.


Has anyone else tried this product?  If so, what was YOUR experience?


Peace and blessings!

A Styling Frenzy!

Hi Folks!  One of the reasons I LOVE my natural hair is the versatility of styles I can create.  I'm the type of person who likes VARIETY! I like variety in my food, clothes, shoes, home décor, and exercise programs. Variety is the spice of life and I like it SPICY! So....I've been trying various styles and products over the last few weeks that help me cope with my growing tresses and the "in between" stages.  Each style expresses my mood or state of mind on that particular day.

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LOOK #1 - The first style is a wash and go with another curl enhancing product: As I Am - Curl Defining Jelly. It behaves similar to the Kinky Curly curling custard.  The main difference was that it dried within 4-5 hours - but left a white crunchy residue on my curls.  State of mind that day: tired...just needed a quick, presentable look.

 

Ingredients: water, aloe extract, beet root extract, glycerin, hydroxyethlycellulose, xanthan gum, pectin, acid, potassium sorbate, diazolidiny Urea (who?), Iodopropynyl butylcaramate (say what?) fragrance and limonene....

 

The texture is like jelly...goopy like the Kinky Curly custard

 

Right after application.  The instructions said to apply while dripping wet. 

2 hours after application....still wet......but curls are cute

8 hours after application....not wet.....but it looks wet....the curls were defined, but crunchy to the touch

Not too pleased with the crunch...yes that is smudged eye make up....It was a LONG day!

Crunch and white  residue...yes....it's dry....maybe I used too much?  But the curls were well defined.  Any less and I would have been looking like Django again...not sure if this product is for me.....
 

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LOOK #2 - The second style is an updo....yes...you heard me I pinned these curls up! :) Check it out! State of mind that day: "I need something new and different!"

 

Front view of the up do (check out my rhyming skills)

Side view

Other side

Other side again...with a peek of the fro on top...

Back/top view - nope...it's not too short to pin up! :)

View from the top

Another back view...the flat twists in the back were challenging due to the various lengths of hair.  I had to redo them twice. In total it took about 25 minutes to complete this look.

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LOOK #3 - This third look is my Flo Fro that has been washed, buttered (shea butter) picked and patted smooth while still damp (damp hair conforms better than dry - plus I can pick it out easier and prevent damage/breakage).  State of mind that day: easy freedom!

The smooth Flo Fro!

Side view

Close up!