Friday, November 28, 2014

It's been a while...but I'm still natural and lovin' it.


I love natural hair...it is so versatile as evidenced below.

 Twist Out


Shingled


Roller Set (my very first one!)
I washed my hair and detangled my hair in the shower. I used As I Am Cleansing Pudding (cleansed my scalp well and pulled the cleanser through my hair pulling my hair in a downward motion), rinsed well with water, spritzed generously with Aloe vera juice (squeezed out excess), then added As I Am leave in conditioner then Cantu leave-in conditioner, then my oil mixture and combed through with a wide-toothed shower comb, then I braided that section up in a three strand braid/twist. I had four sections on my head in all. Most of the day I went about with a section of T-shirt wrapped around my head. When I began to roller set the back was mostly dry and the front was a bit damp. Roller set with regular magnetic rollers. I used As I Am Twisting Cream first then Beautiful Textures Curling Jelly and I combed it through. As I rolled each section I held the hair tautly to achieve a smooth set. I mostly air dried my hair with about 15 minutes under a hooded dryer at the end and I slept in my rollers. 




 Below are some products that I generally use:
Usually I put this on my hair after my leave-in. I leave this on for a few minutes then I rinse it out, add aloe vera juice, more conditioner and then my oil mixture. My hair feels really smooth when I use this.

Most of the time I cowash. I like this because the price is right (about $7 at Sally's), it's a large container, it smells wonderful and gets my hair clean.

Every now and then I use this clarifying shampoo, if I feel as though my hair may be getting cruddy, or if my curl isn't as defined as I would like or just maintenance.

This stuff is great. I like to use this when I shingle my hair. I put the Cantu leave-in conditioning repair cream (it moisturizes and aids in drying time), then the coconut curling cream (to assist with making the hair curl) then the cantu custard (below) and just a tad bit of the beautiful textures curling jelly (for hold).

Great slick and good for definition helps to stretch out hair and add definition, bounce and shine

Love this stuff, definitely a staple, great price and good sized container.

I use this but not a whole lot...still on my first container. I use it mostly for my edges. Guess its cause I'm natural, fluffy edges just kind of come with the territory.

I used the last of this a while ago and have not bought any since. I like the cantu better for my hair.

Sorry the pic is sideways. Love the cleansing pudding. It works really well, it lathers and you don't have to use a lot.

I love their color. It really does a great job in terms of a true semi-permanent. This is as close to permanent as I'll get. If you look at my pictures you can tell how my hair has grown since the last time I used this. The color is really lasting.

This stuff smells good, has good slick, but it does nothing for my hair in terms of hold/definition. It's not heavy/strong enough.

This stuff smells good, has good slick, but it does nothing for my hair in terms of hold/definition. It's not heavy/strong enough.

I love this foam. It does a great job adding slick and allows me to comb through my hair..I can't use it alone though because it isn't strong enough to hold my hair. Ok for beginning definition, but again I wouldn't/can't use it alone.

Smells great, does a great job. I use it every time I clean my hair.

My oil mixture: aloe vera juice, olive oil, safflower oil, jojoba oil, sweet almond oil, sunflower oil, castor oil, cod liver oil, and grape seed oil. (added in order or cost) I use this everyday and especially in the shower after I condition my hair to seal it. I rinse the excess oil from my hair.





Saturday, March 1, 2014

Latest Styles

Bantu Knots

Bantu Knot-out

Bantu Knot-out



Hair freshly washed /slightly damp

Hair freshly washed /slightly damp



3-strand twist

3-strand twist-out

3-strand twist-out


top 1/2 3-strand twist out bottom 1/2 of braid 2-strand twist out 

top 1/2 braided out bottom 1/2 of 2-strand twist out

top 1/2 braided out bottom 1/2 of 2-strand twist out

top 1/2 3-strand twist out bottom 1/2 of braid 2-strand twist out

top 1/2 3-strand twist out bottom 1/2 of braid 2-strand twist out

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Two-Strand Flat Twist


The day I  did this it rained and was really humid so the crisp definition only lasted like a day. By the end of the day it was frizzy on the ends. The next day I had to find a way to pin it. The rinse that I applied to my hair the week before flaked some leaving little red crystals as if I had put glitter in my hair.

  
Cowashed Friday

conditioned

used to twist

used to twist

oil mixture next day while untwisting
2 strand flat twist
twist out
Oil Mixture: (jojoba, olive, castor, aloe vera juice, sweet almond, sunflower, avocado, vegetable glycerin) (added to mix in order of expense)

Monday, June 10, 2013

Defined Curls with As I Am Curling Jelly + Shea Moisture Curling Souffle

I got wonderful results when I used these two products together. First I put my hair in four sections, then I cowashed my hair with the As I Am Coconut Cowash and finger detangled in the shower. I conditioned my hair with Suave Naturals. I rinsed my hair and twisted it into four sections while under the flow of the water.

I applied/worked through each section with my fingers (in this order):

As I Am Leave-In Conditioner, Shea Moisture Restorative Conditioner, Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curl & Style Milk, oil mixture (jojoba, olive, castor, aloe vera juice, sweet almond, sunflower, avocado) (added to mix in order of expense).

All products were added while my hair was in 4 sections.
Lastly I applied (sectioning each section even further as I applied the following products) the Shea Moisture Curling Souffle (a good amount to saturate and moisturize the hair) and then lastly the As I Am Curling Jelly. 

Each time I raked my fingers through my hair until I had achieved the desired curl definition. I let my hair air dry.
I love "shingling" my hair, it's fast, it's easy, it lasts and it doesn't put as much stress or manipulation on my hair as twist outs.   




That little should is my son, he is likes to run around in a pampie and socks.

Monday, June 3, 2013

Updates: Products and Hair Growth

Below are pictures of some new products I've started using and my hair growth. This past weekend I used As I Am Curling Jelly with Kinky Curly Curling Jelly and I got stellar results that lasted from Sunday to Sunday! I got all of the products below from Sally's except the Shea Butter Cocunut Cream (the first one) that I got from Walmart.

This stuff has awesome slip, it is really thin and it smells delicious.

This is the container of the above product, this has an awesome hold and defines really well and only costs about $6 a jar at Sally's and most of the ingredients are natural. Some shrinkage.



A little pricey, defines really well, elongates curls, soft hold, can leave a white residue that shows up after a few days.

This is the consistency of the above product. Smells good. This As I Am Curling Jelly works really well in conjunction with Kinky Curly's Curling Custard.




My hair is really growing!


Really defined coils!

Smells good and is a nice conditioner. Not good for defining curls.

Works well for smoothing edges.

I use this as a moisturizer on top of my leave in conditioner after I wash my hair.

This did not work well for me so I did not buy anymore.


I've used this for coils. It works well.

I love this for cowashing, my hair feels really smooth and conditioned when I'm done.

This did not work well for me, I won't buy anymore.

This works really well for clarifying!

I love this, smells great and works well. Lathers too!

I still like my Suave conditioners for cowashing like in the middle of the week or conditioning during  a normal wash.

I still like my Suave conditioners for cowashing like in the middle of the week or conditioning during  a normal wash.