My Stylist Gave Me a Texturizer

Poll: What does 2011 hold for your curls?

Poll: What does 2011 hold for your curls?

Curly Nikki | Natural Hair Styles and Curly Hair Care: CurlyNikki/NaturallyCurly LA Meetup Pics!

Curly Nikki | Natural Hair Styles and Curly Hair Care: CurlyNikki/NaturallyCurly LA Meetup Pics!: "The curlies of LA met up at The Waffle last weekend to talk hair, and products of course. This CN.com meetup was sponsored by NaturallyCurl..."

Tips That Makes Stretching Easier...

I'm 9 weeks post now and I have to say this stretch is going so much better than the last. My ng is much more manageable and my excessive shedding and breakage has improved at least 75%. This is all due i think to the changes i've made in my regiment this time around. Here are a few things i've

incorporated in my routine that are making this stretch so much more easier for me.

1. I completely changed how i wash, condition, and moisturize my hair...I do them all in 4 sections one section at a time. This has kept my hair from being tangled and thus less hair loss.

2. I m&s (almost everyday) and give my edges and nape a few extra dose throughout the day (they are the thickest of my ng and need more moisture than the rest of my hair).

3. I increased my co-washing and use shampoo only 1x a month (this has been a tremendous help i think because my hair is not stripped as much and thus less dryness that can lead to breakage).

4. I DC every time i clean my hair. I DC on dry hair b4 my co-washes overnight. I love this addition to my routine because I have the condish in my hair for a long period of time. This has kept my ng soft to the touch.

5. I have added BTR w/ garlic and Molasses treatments to my hair regiment. I do one or the other every time i wash my hair. This has cut the shedding and breakage down tremendously.

6. I don't comb my hair...yes u heard me right. I finger comb only in between my washes and when it comes time for me to wash i use a hair pick to detangle...I can't tell you how much better i find a really good pick to a comb, any comb. My pick has cut down my breakage during detangling at least 90%. I just love it!

7. I mix a good amount of oils with my DC. The slip is amazing and my hair feels fabulous when i rinse out the DC.

8. I make sure my moisture and protein is balanced. My hair is never mushy or rough to the touch. I use less products to moisturize and nothing really heavy. (Scurl and my own moisturizer are my BFF lol ).

9. I use hair vitamins and drink more water (not that much more because i hate drinking water lol just no my thing).

10. ABSOLUTELY NO DIRECT HEAT....I can't stress this enough. I have no split ends because of this.

11. Finally and most importantly I listen to my hair. I give it whatever it needs when it needs it. I don't follow a strict routine per say. If it's my wash day and my hair is not dirty when i check it, i wash a couple days later. If i don't need to m&s on a particular day because my hair doesn't need it then i don't m&s. This has made my stretch so much more pleasant. I don't feel like I am a slave to my hair and have to constantly be on this schedule.

These are the things that are working for me and they have made a huuuuuge difference with this stretch. I am more confident about my HJ and through trials and errors have come to know my hair a lot better. I am so grateful to all my friends on Hairlista who have helped me when I needed it and who encouraged me when i wanted to just give up. Thank you so much ladies from the bottom of my heart. Your help and encouragement made all the difference. HHJ and God bless :)

EDIT

This was back in August 2010 and I've texlaxed since then. I am currently 19 wks post and have had to adjust my regimen to accommodate my hair. I now comb 1x a day after I have applied my moisturizer ( this is to keep my ng more manageable and tangle free at this stage of my stretch and it is working for me)

 

 

SAVE UR $$$ AND USE UR HOODED/BONNET DRYER AS A HAIR STEAMER!!!!

This was shared with me and I thought why not pay it forward?!! Enjoy!!

So you’ve started to really take care of your hair and it’s thriving. You’ve bought all the things you think are necessary to keep your locks looking at their best. You certainly don’t want to become a product junkie buying every hair tool you can find only to use it once then realize that it’s not absolutely necessary.

A steamer is certainly not necessary if you already own a hooded or bonnet dryer. The idea of the steamer is to infuse moisture into the hair with the aid of heat. The steam method is especially ideal if your hair is in need of extra moisture or you have a treatment in your hair that requires a steamer.

Great results can be achieved just as easily with a couple of handy household items and if you already own a hooded dryer, a steam treatment is well within your reach without breaking the bank! What you will need:

2 face cloths

A bowl full of hot water (not boiling)

2 plastic caps or plastic bags

A hooded/bonnet dryer

Prepare your hair first by washing and apply the conditioner or hair treatment. Soak both face cloths in the hot water. Wring some of the water out of the first face cloth. The cloth should be wet but not soaking. Place the cloth over your hair and immediately cover with one of the plastic caps/plastic bags. Wring the second face cloth and apply this over the plastic bag already on your head and immediately apply the plastic bag/cap. Ensure that the last plastic bag is tied securely around the hairline to prevent water dripping down your neck. Both bags should be spacious enough to allow the steam to form.

For the best results, sit under the hooded dryer for up to 1 hour to allow for maximum moisture penetration.

Is Protective Styles Absolutely Necessary to Maintain Length??

Before starting this journey I used to wear my hair flat ironed and straight down my back and I loved this style....Since being on this journey I don't wear my hair out often, have stopped flat ironing my hair (except on very special occasions) and I don't blow dry either. So now I mainly wear my hair in bun or pony or I have it tied down in a satin scarf. If I'm going out, I'll do a wet n curly look and call it a day. Gone are the days when my hair felt the breeze blowing through it and lifted itself from my shoulders as if to say "hello world, look how pretty I look". I miss those days!! LOL I would have never thought just the simple act of wearing my hair down would make much a difference to me but it does..Why do we as black women have to constantly worry about wearing our hair in protective styles if we want to maintain our length? Before this journey my hair was APL and I almost never had it in a protective style...It grew just the same. The reason it wasn't healthy is because I didn't know how to take good care of it and I used too much direct heat...Not because I wore it down all the time. I don't think wearing your hair in a protective style 90% of the time is the only way to go if you want to maintain length...I know many people will not agree with me and that's ok...but I'll share this with you..I have a close friend who has hair past her waist (100% black) and her hair texture is 4a. She NEVER wears protective styles. Her hair is always flowing down her back and she relaxes it every 8 weeks... She never had a problem maintaining her length (she went from SL to past her waist in about 5.5 years). So I look at her and say to myself, if she can do it why can't I? I know a lot goes into growing your hair individually and that everyone's hormones are different...I realize that. I'm just saying If you take care of your hair and treat it the way you are suppose to, it should be healthy enough to wear out at least 50% of the time without any harmful side effects. Idk, but I'm tired of wearing protective styles and I would love to go back to the days when my hair was straight and flowing down my back...I just miss that lol. I'm just saying...

Just Because Ur Hair is Natural DOESN'T mean It's Healthy n Relaxed Hair DOESN'T = Damaged Hair...

Ok ....So I have 3 sisters who are now fully natural...One has been natural for about 3 years if not more and two decided to go natural this year. Every time I see the two who recently decided to go natural they always ask me why I have NOT gone natural? They go on and on about how that's the best thing I could do for my hair and how I'm destroying my hair by continuing to relax it. Now I understand and respect their choice to go natural. I saw all the struggles one of them in particular went through when she was relaxed...She always suffered from chemical burns no matter what she did and now her hair is nice n healthy n thick and just beautiful. Natural fits her face so well she just literally radiates wherever she goes. I'm so happy for her and for my other two sisters too. BUT they don't seem to be happy for me or respect the fact that I'VE CHOSEN to continue relaxing/texlaxing my hair. I happen to like my hair just the way it is and now that I've finally learned how to take care of it, why should I go natural? It's just not something I would think of doing at this point in my life. My sister's seems to think that in order for ur hair to be truly healthy it HAS to be in it's natural state and I STRONGLY disagree. There are so many women out there with long beautiful healthy relaxed hair...So health is not synonymous with natural. I've seen women who were natural and did not have healthy hair. It all depends on how u take care of your hair. If you don't know what the hell you're doing it doesn't matter if you're natural or relaxed, you're not going to have healthy hair because u don't know HOW to get healthy hair. And my sis are not the only naturals who seems to be on this "you have to be natural for you to have really healthy hair" kick. I've seen other naturals all over the internet on different hair forums who seems to have this attitude that if you relax your hair then you're not doing the best thing for your hair. I say do whatever works for you. If going natural is for you then all the power in the world and best of luck with your decision. But shouldn't I expect the same attitude from naturals even though I'm relaxed? Respecting and supporting each other works both ways after all...