Curly Hairstyles Part 2

You can substitute gel for the recommended curling cream in this video if you can't find an ingredient approved curling cream.

Curly Hairstyles Part 1

This is the beginning of a series of posts on different techniques I have found to style your curly hair. Most of these videos are better suited for longer hair. I have medium/ shoulder length hair and some of them did work for me. If you have shorter hair you can do variations of these styles with some success. Be Creative. Play around. It's just hair.:) And by all means let me know how these looks turned out for you.

 

 

This is one of my favorite styles. I have worn it for church, date night, or when I am just plain tired of my look. I always get compliments with this look.

Winner of the Contest

Congratulations go out to Angellike550 for her winning idea! Make sure to check back during the next few weeks as I teach you how to a dress up your curls in different ways and hopefully help you expand your hair “wardrobe”.

p.s. Angellike550 please send me your address via my email link so that I can get your prize off and in the mail right away.:)

New beginnings

Well I haven’t forgot about you but I have had to take a short break to have a baby.:) The newest member to my family was born last Tuesday May18th.  He weighed in at 8lbs 4oz. Not bad if I do say so myself.:) I wish I could tell you some story about my hair and the effect of pregnancy on it, but in all honesty I really don’t think that I had any ill effects. If all my hair starts to fall out I’ll let you know. lol jk:)

With a million things running through my head at the moment I decided it might be fun, and make life a little easier on me, plus spice things up a bit, to ask you (the reader) what you would like to know more about (with regards to curly hair of course). So here I go, I am opening up the floor to your suggestions, and if your suggestion gets picked I will send you  a set of metal clippies and 2 plopping towels as my thanks.  To qualify all you have to do is leave your suggestion in the comment section below and then follow me using Google Friend Connect. If you are already following me using Friend Connect then leave a 2nd comment in response to a different article in my blog archive.

Can’t wait to see what you come up with. Good Luck!

P.S. This contest will close on Tuesday June 1st.

Tip of the week #5

Don’t have time to wash you hair in the morning, but your curls look like a crazy mess! Try spritzing your hair with water and then scrunching a bit of conditioner into the mid shaft and ends with your hands. Let your hair air dry and remember, don’t mess with it until it is all dry.:)

Comb vs. Brush Part 2

In my last article, regarding this subject, I gave an overview of a few different types of combs. I also explained why, I believe, certain combs work better for certain hair densities. In this article I am going to cover brushes. Two specifically, one I recommend using and one I recommend staying away from. Hopefully, by the end of reading both articles you will have a better idea of what you will want to use for your hair care needs, whether it be comb or brush.

The first brush on the list is a Boars head bristle brush (say that 10 times fast), which derived its name from the animal it came hailed from, the boar.

 

Pros:

1. Made out of  natural boar’s hair fibers
2. Soft bristles are attributed with being  useful in moving natural oils down the length of the hair
3. Much more gentle on the hair than their synthetic counterparts.
4. Efficient at smoothing fly-aways

 

Cons:

1. Bristles are densely packed together
2. Does not easily remove tangles
3. Can cause undo stress and damage to the hair strand resulting in breakage.
4. Should not be used on wet hair
5. Causes frizzing and/or  relaxing /straightening of curls

This brush does wonders when it comes to straightening the hair, or when you want a smooth looking style (i.e. a ponytail), but when it come to curls it just doesn’t make the cut. The densely packed bristles do an awesome job of moving natural oils down the hair strand, but when you want your curls to look their best the closeness of the bristles tug away at your beautiful curls leaving them frizzy and awkward looking. Using a boar’s head bristle brush on wet hair is a definite no, no, because that is when the hair is most fragile and you are likely to end up with a lot of split ends. Using it on wet hair also adds a lot of extra bulk and volume to the hair that most  people do not like. In the end, this brush is wonderful for straightening only.

 

The second on the list is a plastic vent brush. This brush must be entirely synthetic and have little plastic balls covering the end of each bristle.

 

Pros:

1. Vents allow for faster drying time when straightening the hair.
2. Fewer bristles
3. Generously spaced bristles
4. Easily detangles dry or wet hair
5. Versatile in use
6. Turned edges aid in “curling” or bending the hair into desired style
7. Fair amount of control when styling

 

Cons:

1. Generously spaced bristles

To be honest, this is my most favoritist tool out of  the whole lot. While yes, it does have many advantages that can be utilized during the straightening process, none of those advantages become disadvantages when using it solely for curly hair. It is comfortable to use, works (in my opinion) as well as a pik in detangling hair, shower friendly (i.e. doesn’t get ruined in the shower), can be used if you want to “straighten” your hair, etc… I really do love this tool! To temper myself a little, I will concede that this may not be the best choice for those curlies with fine to medium fine hair, for the same reasons given with the pik. At the end of the day, if I had to choose just one tool to use, I would pick the vent brush every time. The versatility of this tool, for me, makes it irreplaceable.

I hope that after reading both articles you will me able to make the best choice for your hair and your lifestyle.  What your final preference will be may be different than mine, but that is ok, so long as you are happy with your results.  I should let know now that I only recommend using a comb or a brush to detangle your hair right before your get in the shower. I use my fingers for pretty much everything else. In the end you could decide to just skip the whole comb and brush routine and use what God gave you, your fingers! But whatever you decide make sure it’s what’s right for you.

Product Review: DivaCurl Travel Pack

For about a month and a half  or so I have been trying out the  products found in the DivaCurl Travel Pack*. The pack includes 3oz. size bottles of: No-Poo, The One Conditioner, Angell, and Set It Free.

  Warning!: These products are NOT recommended for those with fine to medium-fine textured hair. They contain no proteins and a fair amount of humectants.  If you have medium/normal textured hair  and choose to use these products but find that your hair is a bit frizzy try adding  some protein into your hair care regime.  That said, these products are perfect for those with medium-course to course textured hair.

During the trial I used all of the products together. I wanted to try to keep my test results as accurate as possible. I normally wash my hair every other day, MWF, so that is what I continued to do.  When dispensing the product into my palm I used no more than a half dollar size of the product, sometimes less, per application. The results of how long the product will last will vary depending on your length of hair and amount of hair. My hair comes to halfway below my shoulders and my bra strap and it is also fairly thick.

I started by cleansing my scalp with No-Poo, using  only one application. I applied the product into my palm and then rubbed my hands together to emulsify it. Then I raked the product from my palms to my finger tips, using,well, my finger tips. I then rubbed the product into my scalp vigorously, using my fingertips, for about 2-3 min. Once I had thoroughly cleansed my scalp, I ran what little product was left on my hands down the length of my hair from scalp to ends.  I let the No-Poo sit on my head while I attended to the rest of my shower duties. When I was done with the rest of my shower I thoroughly rinsed out my hair and turned off the shower. After carefully squeezing (not ringing) out the excess water from my hair, I applied the One conditioner to the palms of my hands and emulsified the product in my palms. I glided my hands over my hair pretending like I was putting in a pony tail, but continued running my hands over the the length of my hair from scalp to ends. Then I ran my fingers back up through my hair  from the ends to scalp, but not on the scalp, to help distribute the product more evenly (I only needed one application).  As soon as I felt that the product had been evenly distributed, I proceeded to apply Angell. Flipping my head over I applied 1 and 1/2 separate applications of  the product to my hair by running my fingers through the length of my hair beginning at the ends and working my way up towards the scalp (of course I again emulsified the product in my palms first). Next, I sprayed several pumps of Set It Free into my hair, on both the under side and top side (my head was still flipped over).  Then I firmly scrunched the product into my hair and followed with my normal hair plopping routine.

Of course I forgot to take any pictures of my hair during this time, but my curls were evenly formed and not frizzy. Second day hair was easy to wet and restyle, scrunching a pump or two of my Fruit of the Earth Aloe Vera Gel  into my damp hair to ensure a frizz free day. My hair, which was already in good condition, remained soft and manageable. Overall, I give this product a  4 out of 5, mainly because a 5 would be my holy grail of products and also because they are rather costly. Please, let me know if you have used any of these products and what your results have been.

*I was given this kit to test by my local RDA distributor. A perk of being a cosmetologist.  I did not receive any payment, however for my review.