Kinky-Curly Knot Today leave-in conditioner is MAGICAL: It really works! - June 24, 2013

[ Kinky-Curly Knot Today leave-in conditioner, $24 @ www.honeyfig.com ]

I recently purchased the famous Kinky-Curly Knot Today leave-in conditioner and was so excited to try it out! I mean, I've used it before, well my hair dresser used it before! The ladies at the Curl Ambassadors salon always use it on my hair in conjunction with the Kinky-Curly custard styling gel. I always leave the salon with extremely defined curls; a little crunchy but they soften as the day goes on. I had to buy the product to recreate the results myself!

The Kinky-Curly line is best known for instantly turning thick, tangled kinks and coils into soft, elongated, defined curls. Trust me, they live up to the standard! Popular products from their line include their leave-in conditioner, custard tyling gel and polishing oil. The Knot Today leave-in conditioner melts away tangles and allows you to effortlessly wide tooth or finger comb through your curls. My fingers literally glided through my curls; it was fascinating!!! I wasn't expecting it to work that fast and so well! I didn't need much product for my curls either. This is the FIRST time in my natural hair history (6 months) that I could actually run my hands through my hair, all the way, repeatedly without knots or tangles forming and getting in the way! I never combed my hair outside of the shower or when dry because I literally COULDN'T! Knot Today really saved my curls. They are super soft, full, defined, moisturized and detangled.

Here's a brief breakdown of what I did to achieve the curls in the above photo:

•Because I'd washed my hair a few days before, I just rinsed my hair in the shower and applied the leave-in conditioner

•I applied Knot Today to small sections starting in the back, moving to the sides and front and taking time to detangle the middle last

•Right after, I applied the custard styling gel in sections, making sure to dilute with water when necessary

•I dried my hair with my diffuser (and sat in front of my fan) for about half an hour

•I applied the polishing oil for finish

•I pinned the front with bobby pins on each side

 

All day, my boyfriend was saying how soft my hair was! And I was still in awe that I could run my hands through my curls. Also, a few days later, my hair was still super soft and untangled. All I have to do to style my hair daily is spray my curls with water and run my hands through my hair or apply some moisturizing cream in sections. My hair remains untangled and easy to comb through. I strongly encourage you to try Knot Today as your leave-in conditioner if you want softness, definition, moisture and an easier styling routine!

Testing the (Hair) Waters: Kinky-Curly Hair Polisher Oil & Tasti Kiss Hair Butter - June 16, 2013

One of the perks of working at Honey Fig is the access to the 80+ brands and hundreds of products that we carry and sell! Of these products, we occasionally have a select amount of products that either arrived leaking or with missing pieces and can't be sold, so the employees get to pick, choose and take them home! This includes hair products, soaps, lotions and nail polishes. On my first day, I took home Kinky-Curly's Hair Polisher Oil and Tasti Kiss' Hair Butter. Since then, I've used both and can offer my opinion and experience about them. **Please note that this is not a comparison between the two products**

Kinky-Curly's Polisher Oil is a combination of Argan oil, seed oil, apricot and more Argan derived ingredients. Some good things about this oil is that it doesn't disappear easily so you can use a small amount to coat your hair. It definitely improved the feel of my hair, softening it more than adding moisture or shine. I actually like that it doesn't add too much shine! I don't need my hair to shine! I like that it gives my hair a moisturized look instead of making my curls sparkle! I would suggest layering the oil over an actual moisturizing cream or butter and using the oil mostly for nightly use and a style finisher. Other than the actual oil, I found the squeeze pump a bit weirdly constructed and would have liked one of those longer nozzle pumps instead! I don't like having to pick up the whole bottle to disperse the product. Call me lazy but it's all about ease with this afrotastic chic!

Something that I wasn't expecting is that the oil is pretty thick compared to the other oils I have tried. I'm not sure if I like the consistency because it doesn't melt away as quickly or easily as my sweet almond oil does. The oil was very hard to wash off my hands after applying. Other than that, I like the scent and the results. I will definitely continue to use this oil as a pre-shampoo and night treatment and on a daily basis to finish off my hairstyles.

Tasti's Kiss Hair Butter smells divine! I love the bubble gum scent; I could smell it the whole day! This hair butter is pretty thick and stiff but very easy to warm up and melt down. I like how it melts easily onto my hair and how moisturized and soft it makes my hair feel. I would say be careful not to use too much and definitely don't use it on wet hair even though it says you can. I put a bit of the hair butter on my wet hair the other day and my front section turned into a white mess! Maybe I put too much but it did not melt away like I thought it would! However, it is great for a daily moisturizer on dry hair.

For daily use, I prefer oils because I can massage them into my hair easily and don't have to worry about residues or white leftovers. I also like working with water-based or liquid products vs cream-based ones because of the kinkiness of my hair texture. Anything water-based helps define my curls.

I hope this helped! As a side note, Kinky-Curly products seem to work very well with my hair! I'm currently seeking out a leave-in conditioner and am seriously considering the Knot Today leave-in. I want to give it a try because the salon uses that combined with the custard styling gel to style my hair and it transforms my curls from a kinky-frizzy mess to well-defined spiral curls. I will let you know how the leave-in conditioner hunt goes! Happy reading y'all and hope you're enjoying the bits of sunshine we've been getting!

Natural & Organic Beauty: My new appreciation for "tree huggers" - June 14, 2013

[ Free Flow Fro! ]

One of the requirements of my new job as sales associate at Honey Fig is to constantly research natural hair brands, products, blogs and websites. I am also to familiarize myself with new products, trends, terms, techniques, especially the ones sold and used in our store. The other day, I spent 2 hours looking around the World Wide Web, reading up on natural hair products, black hair, hair types, and let me tell you, the web IS definitely worldly and wide! I thought I knew a lot about natural hair and skin care but there's SO MUCH I have yet to learn! It's exciting! I came across lists and lists of "ingredients to avoid", "the best natural shampoos & conditioners", "natural looking mascaras", "foundations for women of colour", "natural smoothie recipes" ... The lists of lists goes on! I also think I found one of my new favourite blogs/websites called Organic Beauty Talk (www.organicbeautytalk.com). I have always been a "tree hugger" who cares about the environment but this site really educated me that living a "natural, non-toxic life" is more than just respecting the environment with your eco-friendly purchases. Living naturally also involves physically and mentally leading a completely healthy life too! I also learned how to make homemade deodorant! Say what now?!

The reason why I'm telling you all this is because I want to share my knowledge with you and encourage you that making the switch to a natural lifestyle doesn't have to be lonely! There is SO much support out there, like I mentioned in my entry entitled "Making (Curl)friends". We have a following, a community, a world of friends who want to travel through these hair journeys together! There are tons of educated, experienced people who will answer all of your questions. All you have to do is know where to look! But trust me, we natural enthusiasts aren't hiding! Some websites to search include but aren't limited to (and don't forget about my blog!):

Organic Beauty Talk
Organic Spa Magazine
Andre Walker Talks
Cathy Howes of UBH
Natural is Dope

Some great people/accounts on Instagram include but aren't limited to:

Head of Curls
Curly Nikki
Greenenigma
Mz. Tammy
Natural Hair Daily
Wonder Curl
Cydara
Mixed Chicks Hair

These naturalists are just like you! They all started off unsure of what to do with their hair and learned how to survive the long journey of embracing their natural hair texture. We are really in this together (I'm cheesy) or at least we should be! Feel free to check them out, follow them on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook and become curlfriends! Connect, share and build up our natural hair community!

My New Home @ Honey Fig! - June 14, 2013

[ Honey Fig - www.honeyfig.com ]

 

My (hair) dream has come true!!! I am now a sales associate/hair consultant in training/amateur hair expert, working with the wonderful natural hair and skin experts at HONEY FIG. Yes, the same natural beauty boutique that I have been mentioning throughout my blog!

Here's some basic information about Honey Fig: Honey Fig is located at 4967 Yonge Street (3 blocks north of Sheppard on Yonge), Toronto ON, Canada. We carry over 80 different brands of natural and organic hair, skin and beauty products and also offer various beauty services! Our goal is to provide customers with the best shopping experience by educating them, listening to their needs and wants, suggesting products that will work for them and promoting a healthy, natural, nurturing, beautiful lifestyle. All of our products are made from natural or organic ingredients and are eco-friendly, cruelty-free, vegan or all of those combined! We are strong believers of leading a life where wellness and beauty intersect! Please visit our website www.honeyfig.com or give us a call at (416) 226-2100! You may also post a question via one of my blog entries to ask me about certain products/services.

Back to my dream job! This is the PERFECT way for me to develop and strengthen my hair skills in terms of hair care, hair consulting, product reviews, beefing up my blog and more! My role at Honey Fig is sales associate but I will do so much more than just sell products! While some customers come into our store knowing exactly what they want and from which brand, most customers come to us based on a referral or recommendation from others. Most people don't have a clue what their hair needs, what they want, what works, what doesn't work. That's where I come in! My job is to guide them in their purchase based on their hair needs and budgets. The best part is making friends and building relationships with people just like me!

I have also taken upon myself to educate my friends and families about hair and the hair products that Honey Fig sells. I am going to live my life as a true Honey Fig ambassador and get as many customers into the store so they can start leading a healthier, more natural life :)

Experimentation Gone Wrong - June 12, 2013

*Before you read, I want to state that this isn't an entry bashing Pantene products. I know many people use and like the brand and I know they recently introduced a line for naturally curly hair. I even used Pantene products when my hair was relaxed and through my transitioning process. I am simply relaying my experience using one of their products. Please read the whole entry before you accuse me of bad mouthing Pantene. Thanks!*

I made the biggest mistake of all time! I used a non-natural hair product, Pantene Shampoo and Conditioner for Curly Hair!!! This may not seem like a tragedy but it is, especially after using natural hair products for about a year now. I may have walked down the wrong path when I decided to use the shampoo and conditioner duo yesterday to condition my hair. I am STILL literally feeling the effects of that decision.

The reason why us natural girls don't use the traditional, department store products are because they are usually ridden with sulfate. Sulfate is the ingredient that makes shampoos and conditioners super foamy. There's always such a large amount of sulfate in these products that we might as well be washing our hair with foam! What most people don't know is that sulfate is harsh on the hair, has drying effects, causes frizz and damages coloured hair! So why do people use it? It is cheap for one and that foamy avalanche has been associated with washing hair for years! We have been conditioned (no pun intended) that the more foam, the better; the more foam, the more clean our hair will be! Natural girls have been educated on what is healthy for their hair and know to stay away from products with sulfate because all the effects are dangerous for our curls.

So, why did I use the shampoo and conditioner? I gave into the description on the bottle! True story! I ran out of my leave-in and rinse-out conditioners last weekend and the Pantene shampoo conditioner concoction was sitting under my sink, half full. The bottle said it would turn dry curls into frizz-free, soft, shiny curls and I actually believed it! Let me tell you, I got the exact opposite. Even as I was finger combing my curls in the shower, I could feel the difference. I can't really explain it but the product did not have nearly the same creamy texture as my Aveda conditioner. My hair felt instantly dry and frizzy after. Today, my hair is still dry and frizzy.

I honestly feel like I went backwards with my hair! Now, I know my hair isn't going to suddenly become unhealthy or stay dry and frizzy forever from this one use but a small part of me is worried. I learned a valuable lesson. If it ain't broke, don't fix it! My routine was working just fine. There was no need to change it and definitely no need to insert an extra step that I kind of knew wasn't going to work! After this experience, I told myself I would a) never use a Pantene product unless it was from the line for naturally curly hair because it doesn't work FOR ME AND MY HAIR, and b) never run out of conditioner so that I never have the excuse to want to be brave and dig around my neglected product collection.

Again, this entry wasn't in any way shining a negative light on Pantene, but making my readers aware that it is important to use what works for their hair and not revert back to what you used when your hair was relaxed! Happy Wednesday everyone :)

Bringing The Heat: Protecting your hair from sun damage, discolouration, breakage - June 11, 2013

  

[ My hair colour after 8 years of chemicals and neglect ]

I love the sun but I'm not crazy! Though I love warm weather, I know how damaging the sun can be to your skin and hair. Unfortunately, protecting my hair from sun damage was probably the one thing I never did, when my hair was relaxed AND since I became natural. It didn't even occur to me to pay attention to that...until I saw an article on the effects of sun damage on hair. It reminded me of my previous sun damaged, relaxed hair. After all those years of relaxing and straightening, my hair had turned into a light, light, light brown which was NOT my natural hair colour (see photo). My natural hair colour is a very dark brown with natural burgundy red tones. I knew the discolouration was from the sun but also from all the chemical and artificial heat damage! So how do you keep your precious curls healthy? This entry outlines the simple things you can do to protect your hair from all types of heat damage, discolouration and breakage.

The most obvious solution is to wear hats and scarves right? Well, you're not wrong! Hats and scarves are great ways to protect your head and hair from sun damage. I love my black and grey baseball caps! But with most things, you have to start on the inside, in this case you have to protect your actual hair! Plopping a hat on your head is great but your hair is still in the same state as before, dry and unprotected. You haven't done anything to improve the condition or protect the actual strands of hair!

 

Some ways to improve the health of your hair so that it can deflect sun damage or withstand heat damage are:

 

• Oil: Using various oils on a daily basis is great for giving your hair the nutrients it needs to be strong, healthy, shiny and soft. Hot oil treatments are also great. You can create your own hot oil treatments by placing a capsule or container of oil into hot water. Wait until it heats up and then spread the oil all over your hair. Leave it on for a few minutes and then rinse it out. Heat helps products penetrate the scalp and hair. In this instance, heat is a GOOD thing! ;)

• Leave-in conditioner: Leave-in conditioner is also a great product to help protect your hair from damage. It adds the necessary moisture that gets stripped from your hair during shampooing, harsh elements and daily styling. It also helps you detangle your curls by softening them. You want your conditioner to be water based, creamy and have slip so it can spread and penetrate your strands easily.

• Deep conditioning: Deep conditioning is a wonderful way to repair damaged hair. The difference between leave-in conditioner and a deep conditioner is that a leave-in can be used on a daily basis, even on dry hair. Deep conditioning is usually done once or twice a month and left on the hair for 1-10 minutes. You can follow a deep conditioner with a leave-in conditioner.

 If you are experiencing discolouration, the best thing to do is visit your hair salon and get a professional hairstylist to access your unique hair situation. Sun damage or heat damage can usually be repaired by following the above mentioned steps and ensuring moisture, conditioning and protecting are apart of your daily hair routine. Breakage is a result from weak or damaged hair caused by excessive sun and heat damage, so if you want to reverse the damage before it gets to the point of no return (I'm so dramatic), refrain from using heat and properly protect your hair if you are going to use hot tools.

 

Hair is kind of like your skin. When skin is extremely damaged by heat, it burns but you are also susceptible to skin cancers etc. With hair, your hair may start to break off because it has been weakened by the damage. You don't want a situation where you have to dramatically cut your hair because you didn't take care of it! Read some hair blogs and magazines to find out the best heat protection system for you. Also, of course we encourage you to rock hats! At least it's some sort of sun protection.

Question of the day: Do you have a special treatment or regime to help repair your hair from heat or sun damage? Is it store bought or homemade?

Check 1, 2: Why I haven't done a proper "length check" since I cut my hair - June 10, 2013

I'm pretty sure everyone who has done a big chop was checking their hair every few minutes to see if it grew. Multiple times a day even though you knew your TWA (teeny weeny afro) wasn't going to become BHA (big huge Afro) anytime soon, let alone in a day. So why do we torture ourselves, wishing, praying, hoping, tugging and pulling, willing our hair to grow faster?? Why do we give in to those phony hair growth formulas and methods just because we can't WAIT to see natural progress??

 

When I cut my hair in January, I told myself I wasn't going be that girl who checked the mirror every second. I wasn't going fret over the length. I WAS going to focus on improving the health of my hair, however long it took. The best part is, I honestly listened to myself!! I'd cut my hair because I'd wanted to finally let my natural curls live but I'd also wanted to start over with short hair! I flipped through countless black hair blogs and magazines for short hairstyles, taking pictures of my favourite ones. I spent the first 3 months rocking my TWA and cheekbone length bangs taking advantage of roller sets, fauxhawks, pompadours, hats, scarves and more! I made the most out of having a super short 1 inch Afro with some length in the front.

 

Then came March and suddenly...BAM...my hair was 3 inches long! WAIT WHAT?!? I honestly didn't even notice the growth until my co-worker pointed it out. That night, I decided to get rid of the long length in front and fully embrace my fro. I cut it off with regular scissors and styled it in a fauxhawk. Yea, this was so me!!! (Of course, I went to the salon a few weeks later to get it cut properly). I looked in the mirror a few weeks later and was genuinely surprised that my hair had really grown about 3 inches in 3 months and that patience really is a virtue! I had left my hair alone, treated it right and it did its thing! It's almost like people; if you hover over them 24/7, watching them, poking at them, bothering them, they won't perform to the best of their abilities, they might not do anything at all! The same thing applies to hair; leave it alone and it will grow!

 

Now about this length check jazz! I hear that some people conduct monthly length checks. Some do yearly checks. I think a length check typically consists of blowdrying your hair aka stretching it out and measuring the length of it. I haven't done a real length check yet. I have no desire to! I can see that my hair is still an Afro, about 3/4 inches and maybe 5/6 inches when stretched. What does that knowledge do for me? Where did it take me? I don't see the point in constantly checking the length of my hair especially if I'm nowhere near my goal length. Speaking of which, I don't even have a real goal length! I just want my hair to grow healthy! I'm literally just waiting until the end of the year to see how long my hair will be. I don't have the end of the year at the forefront of my mind! I have no worries about my hair growth. The obvious progress has shown me that my hair is growing. Patience really is a trait to have and execute!

 

The most important thing that I focus on is the essential steps in maintaining healthy hair and work with the length I DO have, not worry about the length I wish to have. I am having a great time with my hair at its current length. It's long enough to do many styles like the fauxhawk, the faux headband, and I recently purchased some cute hair bows in which I can use to spice up my curls.

In conclusion, if length checks work for you, that's wonderful! But I find that they wouldn't do anything for me except discourage me and waste my time.

Question of the day: Why do you think people do length checks? Do you do them? Does it help? If so, how?

Speedy Styling: Saving time but not scrimping on your hair needs - June 9, 2013

[ Picked up some cute hair accessories! ]

I like fast, quick, easy hair styling! That's one of the greatest things about my hair texture and current hair length. Though I did vow to take care of my hair properly and to follow the alternating shampoo/co-wash routine process, sometimes I just don't have the time. This is not to say that I neglect this process or don't complete the essential steps in keeping my hair clean and moisturized; I simply found quicker ways to achieve it all. My main concerns are my curls tangling or getting dry. The following step by step process is typically what I do when I have less than an hour to get ready or when I want to quickly condition my curls during the week. This is what I did today:

*please note that the switches from present & past tense are from my added side notes. I'm an English tutor, I need to cover my bases haha*

I thoroughly wet my hair in the shower, squeezed the excess water out and then applied my rinse out conditioner by Aveda, made with natural ingredients like rosemary, mint and plant extracts etc. I could have also used my Curl Junkie Beauticurls leave-in conditioner except I ran out of it the other day! I make sure to apply the conditioner to damp not soaking wet hair so the conditioner actually penetrates my hair and doesnt get super diluted by the water. I always make sure my curls are completely covered and then I begin to detangle with my fingers. I started from the hair by my neck, then moved to the sides and middle and then finished with the top. I usually saturate the middle of my hair with ALOT of conditioner because I find most of my knots and tangles are here. This conditioning/detangling process here takes about 5-10 minutes depending on the amount of tangles!

After rinsing my hair, I covered my head with my turbo hair towel and went about my face washing routine. After finishing that and getting dressed, I added my Super Curl moisturizing cream to my curls and then topped them off with my light Curls in a bottle styling gel. I alternate between my 2 moisturizing creams and 2 styling gels. One of my creams is water-based; the other is thick. One of my gels is water-based; the other is thick. It all depends on what I feel like using! I then pulled the front and nape area sections back and secured them with duck clips to stretch my curls and heighten my afro! I sat in front of my fan and let my hair lightly dry. During this, I do things like paint my nails, do my makeup (that's a joke for those who know me) and anything else non-hair related. After my hair dried a bit, I added my Shescentit rich cream to add more moisture. I also added a blue hair bow.

Like I said, this process takes anywhere from 30-45 minutes. During this process, I conditioned, detangled and moisturized my curls. Though my regular process is much longer and usually consisting of multiple washings or co-washings and a deep condition, I am still able to take care of my hair, style my hair and get the results I want! Try my tips the next time you need to get ready in a short amount of time and let me know how it works for you!
 

Question of the day: If you had to choose between your hair products, which 3 hair couldn't you live without?? For me, I NEED my Super Curl water-based moisturizing cream, my Kinky-Curly styling gel and Curl Junkie Beauticurls leave-in conditioner. If you have 3 must have products, make sure you never run out like I did :( Happy Sunday everyone!

What's TWA mean to you? A blog entry on subjectivity - June 9, 2013

After stalking a few natural hair Instagram pages for the past month, I've come to realize that I'm really confused about the term: TWA. From my understanding, a TWA is a Teeny Weeny Afro. What was your understanding of a TWA?? But then, I saw a picture of a girl whose Afro was defying gravity, in other words MASSIVE, and the caption screamed "TWA". I thought, there's nothing TEENY OR TINY about that Afro! I wouldn't even describe my hair as a TWA and my hair wasn't nearly half of her height. So what's a TWA? I began to ponder why this term could be subjective. Here are my conclusions:

TWA could be relative to the length someone had before their big chop or their goal length. If someone had hair my length and was aiming for waist-length curls, then yes sure they could consider their hair a TWA. I also thought it could just be the term used when someone got a big chop and the varying length of people's hair when they are finally all natural. Then I stopped pondering this phenomenon and just accepted that I truly do believe that anything relating to curls is subjective! Curl type, curl length, curl colour, hairstyles etc. I describe my curls as a super-tight spiral kinky-curly hair texture but others have argued that my hair is not kinky-curly because my curls are very defined and have a nice spiral shape. Another example is that I still think my hair is pretty short but others think my hair is long compared to when I first started out and compared to some girls with natural hair. All subjective!

 

I'd like to pose some questions for you readers! Feel free to add your (positive and appropriate) comment and questions as well.

1. What's your unique description for your hair texture?
2. What does the word "Afro" mean to you?
3. What does the word "kinky" mean to you?
4. What's something you dislike about your hair that others like?
5. What do you love most about your hair?
6. What's your process for trying to achieve a certain length?
7. If you could take a pill that would speed up the process of hair growth, would you do it and why?

My answers to these questions are below:

1. I describe my hair as kinky-curly frizzy tight spiral curls
2. Afro means alot of things to me but I guess it's just a short form for Afro-Aemerican, African or African/Caribbean descent. Afro = black to me. That may change though, as I become more educated.
3. Kinky means "really, really tightly bound" curls. Simple.
4. I can't really say I dislike much about my hair but I dislike the shrinkage factor and how tight my curls are. People seem to think it's cool that my hair is like a spring though. Sigh!
5. The thing I love most about my hair is its curl pattern and thickness.
6. My process for achieving a certain length is to simply follow the essential curly hair regime and practice patience.
7. I would mosr definitely not take a pill to speed up the growth process of my hair. That's cheating!!!

 

Soft As A (Curl) Cloud: How I achieve my healthy, super soft, touchable curls - June 8, 2013

[ Curl Cloud! ]

One of the biggest compliments I always get is that my hair is really, really, really (surprisingly) soft. Yes, people actually say, "wow your hair is SURPRISINGLY soft!" Must be those false stereotypes/assumptions that black hair is always course, nappy, tangly, rough etc. Well, I'm glad I can defy those ignorant pre-conceived notions! So, now you're asking how I get my hair so soft? Well, it all goes back to one of my first blog entries "Hair Growth: Not just a 'mixed' girl thing". My argument was and is that hair health and the length of people's hair has nothing to with race but everything to do with how you take care of it. My hair is soft because it is healthy! Moisturized, shiny and SOFT strands are all natural results of healthy hair. So, what products do I use to maintain this softness? Besides washing, co-washing, tying my hair at night, refraining from heat damage and carefully detangling my curls, here are some additional yet very important things I do:

•Leave-in conditioner: I just recently discovered the importance of using leave-in conditioner on DRY hair and not only in the shower, on damp hair, after a wash or co-wash. The way my leave-in conditioner instantly transformed my hair after one use showed me that I needed to do this on a daily basis. I absolutely LOVE my water-based Beauticurls leave-in conditioner by Curl Junkie. It added moisture to my hair, softened my curls and helped define them. The greatest part about it all was that the next morning, it was like I had a new head of hair! My hair was still soft, something that never happened when I used oil. All I did to style my hair was spray my curls with water to reactivate the conditioner. My curls stayed super soft and defined all day. My suggestion for you is to use leave-in conditioner as a base before you add other styling products (on dry or damp hair) to seal in moisture and protect your hair from the drying elements of most gels. Another note is that your conditioner should have "slip" which means it should be easy to spread over your hair and you should be able to mix it with your gel.

•Oil: Even though I now know that oil isn't the best daily moisturizer for ME, I still use it to a) prep my hair the night before washing it, b) add shine after I've styled my hair, c) soften the random dry spots of my hair. I'm not at all saying that oil is a terrible moisturizer, I'm simple stating that for me it doesn't compare to the other methods I discovered. Oil should always be apart of a curly girl's life; the amount of use just depends on your specific hair and how it responds to it. The best oils include, but are not limited to, coconut oil, jojoba oil, lavender oil and sweet almond oil.

•Water: I'm sure you've heard that it's good to spray your hair with water daily, right? I made a comparison awhile ago that hair is basically like a plant or person; it NEEDS water aka moisture. Even if you're just spraying some water on your hair before you style it or even if spraying water is the only thing you do to style your curls, it's needed! I always spray my hair with water every morning or mix water with my gels to get a more watery texture. I find that my gels work better and therefore, my curls respond better. Water is a necessity in all parts of life!

•Alternate between daily moisturizing creams: Every curly girl should have a few different moisturizing styling creams in her hair product stash! I have about 3 different moisturizing creams but I religiously use two and haven't tried one. I use Uncle Funky's Daughter Super Curl moisturizing cream, which is a water-based Shea & cocoa butter cream, and Shescentit Rich Cream, which is a thicker coconut, avocado & pineapple concoction. Both work beautifully! Why do I use both? Everyone's hair likes different consistencies. Everyone's hair needs different things at different times, depending on the style. My hair happens to like water-based creams AND thick creams. I use each one depending on the state of my curls. I typically use Shescentit's rich cream at night before bed so that all the wonderful ingredients have time to penetrate my curls and work their magic. I'll use Super Curl as a light styling product, topped with my sweet almond oil, on the days when my hair is just slightly damp with water. I also love using these two creams on dry hair because they do a great job at adding the needed moisture and defining my curls.

The last cream I have is a sample of Shea Moisture's curl smoothie. I attempted to use it on a braid out one day and was left with a white residue mess! I have not touched it since. Now, I've heard great things about curl smoothie, and have even witnessed many naturalistas on Instagram using it for their twist and braid outs and praising it. Maybe I wasn't using it right?! Maybe I wasn't supposed to use it on wet hair? Maybe I didn't rub it in enough? So many questions!!! Luckily, I'll be visiting my best friend, Honey Fig (the natural hair and skin boutique), very soon and will hit you up with the answers to my questions as soon as I get them! Until then, remember that soft curls are a result of healthy hair! Any curly girl can achieve soft hair! As long as you follow the basic curly hair regime of washing and co-washing, conditioning, detangling, moisturizing, protecting and loving your curls, your hair should reward you by being shiny and soft. True (hair) story! Happy June y'all! :)

Comments, Suggestions, Questions, Hairstories? I Welcome Them!!! - June 7, 2013

I just want to send out a super brief and friendly reminder that I wholeheartedly welcome any comments, suggestions, questions and hairstories you may have for me! I am (obviously) a very open person and value any opinions that come my way! Interested in the products I use? Want to know more about my hair texture? Need a step-by-step process of how I achieved a certain hairstyle? Wondering how I combat frizz? Curious about why I started this blog? Want to meet me? (Totally kidding about that last one). The point is, I want to hear from YOU!!! Hey...this gives me a great idea of either adding a "comments/questions" box to my blog or posting various questions and asking my readers to choose some to ask me! We shall see! In the meantime, enjoy my hairstories and keep smiling! :)

Making Curlfriends: Seeking, joining and supporting natural hair communities - June 7, 2013

[ Another look at my "crown" hairstyle ]

Natural hair is EVERYWHERE!!! We can't deny it or reverse it! I think it's great! No one can say they don't have the knowledge, inspiration or support to go natural because there are millions of natural hair gurus, hair bloggers and websites dedicated to natural hair! Some great benefits about going natural were saving time, saving money and embracing my true self. One of the best things about going natural was the multiple communities I was able to join, the many friends I made and the support I received. Since I went natural in January, I have made multiple curlfriends, found friends in people I didn't expect to, discovered many curly girls via Facebook and Instagram and have been introduced to a whole, wide world of awesome naturalness.

I have always had very few friends who were natural. Most of my friends wore weaves or wore their hair relaxed. My decision to go natural was a pretty lonely one because I didn't have support from anyone. However, the few friends that were natural were so kind enough to take me under their wings and offer amazing friendships outside and within the curly world. I want to shout out my dear friend (and AMAZING singer) Vanessa M., who was and is always so positive about my hair through all of its stages and continues to be a great source of information as I travel through my hair journey. When I decided to transition, my friends Nisha and Gaelle, both natural girls, were also very encouraging. They gave me style ideas and even accompanied me to Honey Fig, my lifesaver natural hair and skin care boutique (www.honeyfig.com). When I big-chopped, one of my close friends and fellow event planner Deneita, had also just cut her hair and was great in helping me get used to my new hair. I have many, many people to thank, like my wonderful parents, my stunning boyfriend and other friends and acquaintances, and no one goes unnoticed or forgotten, but these specific ladies displayed memorable actions.

Through friends and acquaintances, I was able to meet people who have helped me grow as a natural hair enthusiast. I now purchase some of my hair products from my good friend Shauntee, who makes natural hair and skin products under the name Nu'khara (Facebook: Nu'khara OR Shauntee Sutton). She introduced me to natural oils, offered twist-out advice and she forever supports me in my journey. I was also able to find amazing hair inspiration from various blogs and Instagrammers through Black Girl Long Hair. I now follow a ton of natural ladies and I am never at a shortage of hair advice, hairstyles, tutorials and pictures. Some of these lovely ladies have even followed me back!

As you can see, going natural opened the doors to a world of curlfriends and curly friendships. I have friends who are great friends but can also help me through my hair journey! I feel very blessed to have been able to benefit physically and mentally from my decision to cut my hair and embrace my curls. I love every moment of being a curly girl and hope I can inspire others to embrace their true selves! If you are unsure of where to go or look for curlfriends, check out Black Girl Long Hair (http://blackgirllonghair.com). The website always features diverse natural girls and in their interviews, you can find their Instagram or Facebook contact information. This is a great way to create your own curl community and have unlimited advice and hairstyles at your fingertips!

Here's how you can stay connected with me:

FOLLOW me on Instagram: @blackandkinky (I follow back!)
LIKE me on Facebook: Black and Kinky: a hair journey
SHARE my hair blog with friends and family: www.blackandkinky.blogpsot.com

Remember, I write with a purpose; I write with you (my readers) in mind. As always, thanks for reading! HAPPY FRIDAY! :)

Stop Complaining About Shrinkage! - June 5, 2013

[ The "crown" hairstyle: sides twisted and front section pinned back with bobby pins ]

 

When it comes to my hair, the easier the better! That's why I love the length that its at right now! I can do a simple wash and go and look amazing in about 30 minutes. I am also able to create multiple styles on dry hair, like the faux headband, the fauxhawk and one side pulled back, both sides pulled back, twisted or braided sides in 5 minutes or less. I have a handful of funky hairstyles that I can choose from and I am never bored! The one thing I have not taken the time to do is to attempt to stretch out my hair by doing a twist/braid out, banding my hair or taking advantage of any other stretching methods. "Stretching" your hair literally means to stretch out your curls so they look more loose. You can achieve a stretched or elongated look by twisting or braiding your wet hair and unravelling them once dry. Basically, your hair looks longer than if your hair isn't stretched.
My hair is currently (naturally) at least 6 inches but looks 3 inches because my curls are SUPER tight. If I were to take the time to do a twist/braid out, my hair would be able to flourish at it's real length. If only I wasn't so lazy!

By total accident, I discovered a way to stretch my hair without going through the gruelling process of a twist/braid out. Though I LOVE my head of hair to pieces, I just don't have the patience! But just yesterday, I styled my hair to resemble a style I saw on the Black Girls Long Hair blog, nicknamed "the crown" (see above photo). I wet my hair with water, added my Curls in a Bottle styling water-based gel and dried my hair a bit with my fan (yes, my fan). I then parted my hair and completed a French twist on each side. I also pulled the front section of my hair back too. I used my long, black bobby pins to secure the twists and front section. I kept my hair like this all day. When I took out the bobby pins at the end of the night, the sides of my hair were stretched beyond belief! I looked like the female Einstein! I then figured out that I could potentially achieve a stretched look with minimal effort by French twisting my wet hair (imagine cane row braids except with twists). EPIPHANY! Now, the only thing left to do...is to actually do it. I will take the time one of these weekends to give this a try and let you know how it goes!

Happy Birthday to Me! - June 5, 2013

[ Rocking my signiture wash and go style; front is pulled back with floral ribbon (hidden by all those curls! ]

Good afternoon everyone!! I am extremely excited that I was able to see another day and birthday! I feel AMAZING! First and foremost, I want to sincerely and warmly thank each and every one of you wonderful readers for taking interest in my thoughts, opinions, words, pictures and hairstory. Thank you so much for following me via the various social networking sites, clicking on my blog entries on google, sharing my blog with your friends and family, and thank you for being YOU! I now have readers all over Canada, the US, Germany and Russia! What a great accomplishment after operating for only a few weeks now! I feel so great to be able to share my journey with such lovely readers. I also want to mention that I've come a LONG way; in life and in my hair journey! I've been many, many years in the making and I'm so glad that I am finally 100% comfortable, accepting, happy, confident...the list goes on...with myself. I've learned so much about myself, life, love and of course, my hair! This day marks more memories of laughter, joy and life changing events. I am proud of all my achievements, creations, failures, lessons and everything that makes me ME. I could go on and on about myself, and seeing as this is MY blog, that seems perfeectly reasonable, but I do have another blog entry waiting for you! Thanks again from the bottom of my heart for reading. I hope you all can take something from my tangles, knots and random curls haha! :)

Oil vs. Leave-in Conditioner: What works as a daily moisturizer? - June 1, 2013

[ Hair after using leave-in conditioner; soft & defined! ]

Happy June everyone!!! I hope you all are enjoying the finally warm weather and of course, my blog!

Every head of hair is different; this is what I have been trying to emphasize throughout my natural hair journey and my blog. Curls also change over time, and I've experienced this first hand! After months of trials, tribulations and straight-up frustration and annoyance, I now have a flexible regime going for me, I have a handful of products that I use and I'm able to get the results that I want!

One of my most recent blog entries was about moisturizing your curls and how to tell if your hair is properly moisturized. Well, readers, I'm 6 months into my journey and I may have come to a conclusion that maybe oil isn't the right moisturizer for me and my curls! *GASP* I know, 6 months later eh! Since my big chop, I learned that my hair likes water based AND rich cream styling products but I also have always known that oils are essential for healthy, strong, shiny curls.

However, just last night, I realized that oil may not be a match for my leave-in conditioner! Instead of putting my sweet almond and jojoba oil in my hair before bed, I used my Curl Junkie Beauticurls leave-in conditioner, made with water, mango and Shea butters. This conditioner has more of a watery consistency with lots of "slip". I smoothed it onto my hair in small sections and immediately saw and felt the difference! Instead of just adding shine to my hair like the oil did, my hair was visibly moisturized as in shiny, my curls were more defined and they were moist, soft and untangled to the touch. After saturating my hair with oil, my hair was still always dry to the touch but I figured, you know it's oil, so it must be doing its thing! This random experiment is proof that you never really know until you try! This goes for anything! As long as the product, tool and/or routine is good (healthy and non damaging) for your hair, you have nothing to lose by trying it out! I would have never guessed that leave-in conditioner on dry hair could be a more effective moisturizing method for me. I'm glad I decided to stray from my regular oil path because I now found a new product that gives my hair what it wants and needs. Hopefully, I will see progress in terms of my hair texture after using this method for a few weeks. I will keep you posted on what happens! As always, thanks for reading! :)