Styling and Damage

So, for the past 7 months I have been UBER lazy when it comes to my hair. I have taken a minimalistic approach to my hair. My routine consisted of:

• Part hair into small sections
• Shampoo
• Style

Notice anything missing? I stopped conditioning and barely deep treated my hair and now I am paying the heavy heavy price.

Lately my hair has been a pain to style, and recently, I have been dealing with TONS of single strand knots, my hair just wraps around itself the moment I twist it, and it is so dry. Also, I had to cut out lots of hair the other day due to knots that just would not go away!

I lost so much hair that I am SURE I lost my bra strap length.Well I have gotten off my lazy behind and decided to nurse my hair back to health. I found an article on Wikihow on dealing with dry scalp. I also want to try tea rinses to see if they work. 

I also have been working on different styles. I am STILL trying to learn how to braid and flat twist ( yes I can only twist) here's what I did to my hair:

I first got inspiration from this picture I found on Pinterest:

But did this style first: 

Random curl at the bottom due to my lack of parting skill.

(Found my first grey hair so I was not a happy camper)

This lasted a week and I wanted to try the style in the pic so I did my lazy routine and begged my friend Ren to do the side twists. I used Eco Styler Oilve Oil Gel and Aloe Vera juice for this style.

I started in the front

And pinned up the sides so I didn't twist those accidentally

Voila!

I pinned the sides together and did a pompadour in the front 

I forgot to take pictures when the style was finished so I quickly snapped two while in the car. LOVE IT! But good GOD my scalp was TEARING OFF!  The darn dry scalp was terrorizing me!!

BUT I will be applying some intensive care to my hair and report back. Until then,

Peace.

Read More

COSMOTOPIA 2013

Hey peoples! I  FINALLY got internet so I can stop mooching off the neighbours!!! so I went to COSMOTOPIA about two weeks ago sans Ari, but still got some great stuff!

COSMOTOPIA is an annual beauty expo here in Jamaica. Ari and I went to our first expo in 2011 and got some great stuff.

The first booth I stopped at was of course Kumea's Hair Perspective To check out her AWESOME products! I got her Hair Smoothie and went straight home to do my hair. The first time I used the  Hair Smoothie I borrowed some from my sister to finish my twists and I ended up using the whole jar! 

Hair Smoothie

Kumea and I. Leave it to me to wear the same shirt!!

Twist out using Cantu Shea Butter Leave-In and Eco Styler Custard ( reviews coming soon).

Ok so I started off with the twist out. I noticed that I had some flaking in my hair after the second day. I'm not so sure if it was the combination of the two products or what.

Can you see them?

I washed, detangled, sprayed some aloe vera juice and separated my hair into big twists.

I use Naptural85's twist out method to achieve my styles.

I am very heavy handed when it comes to product but I was surprised when I barely scratched the surface of the jar!  What you see there is how little it took to do half of my hair.

Can you say thoroughly impressed?

  

The finished twists

The twist-out. Hair was soft and not "heavy" with product. Usually my hair is a magnet for dust and debris after a few hours but never had that with the smoothie.

 I gathered the hair into a ponytail and tied it down with my silk scarf and bonnet and went to bed.

Next day hair

It shrunk a little but I am not complaining!

Overall, I LOVE this product and will continue to use it for my twits outs. I will have to give the heavy butters a break because I do like my hair to be debris free most of the time. I will definitely have to stock up on this product! Kumea keep on doing your thing girl!

So until the next review,

Peace.

Read More

Hair Inspiration

Hey Curlies , Happy Sunday!!
                       I got some hair inspiration for ya today.. so just sit back , relax and enjoy ..

Read More

Mini Twists with Beeswax

Hey Curlies, Happy Saturday!!

Ok... so I decided to do minis twist this week after I did my Olive Oil Treatment  I was pretty excited about my Ultimate length check I wanted to see how long my hair would look in twists. It took me about three days to do this but as we all know it takes a while to do our hair depending on the style. in the end it was worth it I loved the results and this will last me for weeks.

I simply blow dried my hair with heat protect-ant , serum and leave in con-dish. and started twisting it with Murray's beeswax ( this may not work for everyone's hair) but i love beeswax and it doesn't cake up in my hair. it gives me the hold i need and adds enough sheen for me.

Blow dried hair in twists

Love this stuff!!

End result of mini twists

 

Read More

Featured: Natural Sista

Hey Curlies Meet Courtney Claire

1) How long have you been natural and what make you do so? Also, How do family and friends react to your hair?

I've been natural my whole life, but damaged my hair 1.5 years ago by bleaching my hair to a honey blonde colour. So I did a big chop on August 2, 2012 and been in transition to healthy hair ever since. 
Most people love my hair (before the big chop and after). For awhile I got some negative comments about why I didn't just process my hair but too many positive comments about my curls kept me from doing that. 

2) What do you like about being natural?

I love my curls and hair texture. And all the funky hairstyles I get to try out that processed or straightened hair cannot do.

3) How would you describe your hair? (loose/tight curls, waves, 3b-3c 4a-4b, if you know,etc...)

I have type 3c hair with tight curls. 

4) What products do you use to maintain your hair? (please be specific, thank you!)

I use a variety of products as I am still searching for the right ones for my hair. The main ones are:

- Mixed chicks Leave-In Conditioner & sulfate free shampoo (recently trying)
- Apple Cider Vinegar (80-100% organic)
- African Pride Shea Butter Miracle Moisture Intense leave-in conditioner 
- Organics Hair Mayonnaise and Olive Oil Deep Treatments by Africa's Best. 
- A variety of natural oils (argon, jojoba, olive and grapeseed oil)

5) What is your hair care routine? do you co-wash? (conditioner only) how often do you co-wash? do you blow dry or air dry? etc...

My hair care routine involves a 3 day wash/cleanse cycle. 
Starting on Wednesday with an apple cider vinegar root cleanse and co-wash with my mixed chicks leave-in conditioner. After the wash I apply a mixture of my organics hair mayonnaise with my
Moisture intense leave in conditioner and rinse. Before styling or anything else I apply the organics olive oil deep treatment. 
On saturdays I rinse my hair with a bit of the mixed chicks leave in and reapply only the organics products mixed together.

I detangle once every 2 weeks (counting from saturdays) with a wide tooth comb

I haven't applied heat to my hair since I cut it in august, so no blow driers :D

6) What are your favourite styling products?

My favourite products would be the natural oils and the organics products, they leave my hair smelling all kinds of scrumptious. LOL. People even tell me they could eat my hair.

7) What is your best kept hair secret?

Best kept hair secret would have to be that I've found a way to pineapple my hair to keep my curls. I look all kinds of crazy but my curls last forever when I do it. 

8) (Please finish the sentence) My natural hair is beautiful because....?

My natural hair is beautiful because I stick to my regime. If I'm trying a new product and my hair doesn't feel good I immediately stop using the product until I think its safe. 

9) Is there anything else you would like to add?

Natural hair seems like a task to people who don't have it. Don't let them discourage you from going back to your proverbial roots. Take it from someone who has had it their whole life. Yes, It takes some time getting used to but once you do it an easy road from there. Just be willing to put in the work to learn and you'll enjoy it. :) 

Read More

Ultimate length Check

Hey Curlies..this is a big one. So I haven't done a length check since.. i don't know. until today 5 years post big chop, I know its been a long time coming but i'm uber excited y'all

So I washed my hair out from the Hot Oil Treatment which was in my previous post, and I decided to blow out my hair to see how long it has gotten.. and here it is!!! BSL  (bra strap length) 

its probably a little pass bsl but you can see for yourself

I'm enjoying my journey so far, i admitted there was some times when i felt like to cut the darn thing of cause it was easier short. but I like long hair and always have so why not just let it grow.

people have told me "oh you should relax it again now" or "just loc it" and I have thought about my options but I'm happy how my hair is now and its soooo VERSTILE!! the options are endless when it comes to natural hair.

I'll continue to keep you guys posted and I hope your enjoying your Journey as well.









 

Read More