New Hair

Hey Peoples,


So, I'm trying this conditioning less deal this week. I also decided to do a twist out. For anyone not familiar with this: you wash your hair (in my case with conditioner only), twist several twists while hair is still wet, and after it's dry loose and go. I know that many natural women do this process, and I have been especially inspired by Curly Nikki (http://www.curlynikki.com/). Now, I've tried this before, and have not been satisfied, but I figured I'd give it another whirl. So far, it's okay, but we'll see how things are shaping up at the end of the week. I've been taking pics, so I'll give a pictured report by next week. In the meantime, if anyone out there does this technique regularly please share your experiences (ie. how long it lasts, what your bed routine is, how you wear it during the day...) and what products you use.


Tootles for now,
Me :-)

Hair routine....sort of :-/

Hey,
So I thought I'd write about my regular hair routine. Yeah, I don't really have one. I am so inconsistent with my hair routine; the only thing that stays constant about my routine is that there's always hair on my head. Now, I realize that this is not good for a number of reasons, so I'm turning over a new leaf. I am now determined to have a hair routine that works for me, and that I stick with for at least two months (I feel like that's a good amount of time to know if the routine is working or not).

So, first off, what do I want out of my hair

• Health-I want my hair to be healthy and happy
• Shine-my scalp does not (at least currently) produce a lot of oil and my hair is often dull
• Length-so weird, I don't like my hair on my face, and almost always pull/pin it back, but I want to see how long I can grow it, I'm going for booty length
• Moisture-moisture is so important for textured hair
• Movement-I want my hair to move when the wind hits it, you know, runway hair that blows, and I want to be able to change my hairstyle with ease throughout the day. Okay, so no, I'm not going to go changing my hair a million times/day, but if I go out at night I want to be able to have a different look than I did during the day if I so desire
• Resilience-I want my hair to be tough and strong, and my curls to last from day to day, with low maintenance especially despite the humidity and my workout schedule

So, what do I want out of a routine

• Something that accomplishes all the desires I have for my hair
• Something that is at least fairly simple (otherwise I won't stick to it)
• Something that does not take too much time. I'm a busy woman, and while I do love my hair, I don't want to spend large amounts of time tending to it

So, what will I do first to build a good hair routine

• I currently condition (co-wash) my hair about every other day. However, I would like to cut this down to 2, maybe 3 times per week. I don't know how healthy it is to wash so often, and it will save some time.
• I currently shampoo my hair about 2-3x/month. I think I will cut shampooing down to 1 maybe 2 times per month. As mentioned earlier, I don't have oily hair/scalp so I really don't have much need for shampooing more than 1time/month other than habit.

So, the first steps in building my hair routine is to condition 2xs per week, and to shampoo 1x per month. I am currently trying Garnier Fructis Color Shield conditioner, and I like it. I have not yet decided if I like it better than Herbal Essences Totally Twisted conditioner, but it is close. I also have samples of Dove intensive hair repair conditioner, and am considering trying another Garnier Fructis conditioner. So, technically, I guess my first task is to settle on a conditioner :0 I will finish my Garnier Fructis Color Shield and then try the Dove sample, and go on from there. I am currently using Hemp Hydrating Shampoo, and will continue to use that until it is all gone (don't' want to waste money ;-).

So, first I'll tackle the process of proper conditioning, and then from there move on with the hair routine!!! I'm excited, consistency may actually be fun.

NOTE OF CAUTION: If you find something (product or routine) that you like, and that works well for you, stick with it.......

product review!!!!

Okay,
Still figuring this blog deal out, but I'm soooooo excited, I can't wait until things are figured out before starting a product review!!!!!
I have used about every product out there advertised for women of color with natural hair...okay, not every, but more than I need to, so here I go, with the Shayna opinion of some of the products I've tried....let me know if you've tried any and what your experiences have been...

Caution, this is a long entry, read with caution and lots of free time. Even better idea, read a little bit now, and save a little bit for your next visit to the blog ;-) (star product ratings are out of 5)

Favorites:
Herbal Essences-Totally Twisted Conditioner: I LOVE this conditioner. This conditioner is one of the best that I've tried for detangling my hair, and leaving it soft. I also like the way this conditioner smells. I usually condition with this 2-3times per week, and occasionally I leave a little on my hair. So I know what you're thinking right, this is a "white girl" product, but NOT, I've found that there's no such thing.....hair products are hair products and they don't discriminate~this product gets 4.8stars from me

• I've also tried Herbal Essences-Hydralicious and Hello Hydration conditioners: these two are okay, but have nothing on Totally Twisted (more conditioner review farther down...I've tried a lot ;-)

Herbal Essences-Totally Twisted Gel: I LOVE this gel. This gel is really nice because it keeps down the frizzies (which is important, and hard considering Columbia has about 120% humidity 3/4 of the year). In addition, this gel does not leave hair hard or crispy, and there are NO white flakes~this product gets 4.7stars from me, you have to use a good bit of it so it's not a 5 star

• I've also tried Garnier Fructis gel, Luster's S-Curl Wave Jel Activator, and generic gel that we all used to use to bring out our "baby hair" along the front of our hairline: I didn't like the Garnier Fructis, it did nothing for frizz, the generic stuff was okay, but had a tendency to flake, and the S-Curl Activator (and no, it didn't drip, no Coming to America) I liked pretty good, but it made my hair a bit harder than I like.

Design Essentials-Therapeutic Rx leave-in: This product is really good in combination with another product (my favorite to combine this with is hair milk, carol's daughter, more on that later). This product is a good moisturizer and keeps the frizz down. However, it leaves hair a bit stiff, a good bit is required, and it's not so useful as a stand alone product~this product gets 4stars from me

• I've tried quite a bit of leave-ins: Carol's daughter-black vanilla and tui, ApHogee Pro-vitamin Leave in, Hask placenta no-rinse instant repair, Garnier Fructis leave in: I really like the Carol's daughter products, I think both of the leave ins were about the same as far as making my hair soft and helping to control frizz, the major difference was the smell (both of which I personally like). I didn't like the ApHogee, it was too thin and didn't do much for my hair, I also didn't like the placenta, it just sat on my hair, and built up and got hard if I didn't wash my hair every day.

I am currently using Garnier Fructis and I quite like it. I'm not in love with the smell of the garnier fructis, but it does help control the frizz. This product is not the absolute greatest alone, but it can stand alone if it must. I added to this a little oil (carol's daughter, Lisa's hair elixir), several drops (~12) of sage essential oil and several drops (~8) of rosemary essential oil~this product gets 4.5stars from me

Carol's Daughter-Rosemary Mint Shampoo: I REALLY like this shampoo. This shampoo leaves my hair soft and it is all natural (which is always a plus). I have no big complaints about this product except that it does cost a bit more than I'd like, but it's worth it~this product gets 5stars from me!!!!!

• I've tried a billion shampoos, and wouldn't even try to go through all of them, but to list a few: Hemp hydrating shampoo, herbal essences totally twisted shampoo, design essentials organic cleanse deep cleansing and moisture retention conditioning shampoos....I don't shampoo often so I'm not too picky about my shampoo, however, the most hydrating were the two design essentials, I would list these two above carol's daughter except that they are not made of all natural ingredients, but they do hydrate well.

Carol's daughter-Hair Milk: This product is awesome. I only know very few people who have tried this product who have not liked it, despite hair texture. This product is very good for defining curls, it is light and can be used everyday, it can be used on wet and dry hair (although wet is better), it is not greasy or flaky, and it helps moisturize. I don't recommend using this product alone, but I have yet to mix it with something and not like it~this product gets 4.9stars from me.

• I've also tried just for me hair milk: NOT even worthy of having the name hair milk-this product did not moisturize my hair, it did not work in wet or dry hair (although it absorbed better in dry), and this stuff left my hair hard...yuck....didn't like anything about it~this product gets -8stars

Carol's daughter-some of margurite's magic: I absolutely love this product. I use this at night or when I want to tie my hair down when it's wet. This product is a good moisturizer and makes hair really shiny. This doesn't soak into my wet hair as well as I'd like, but it is amazing for twists and on dry hair~I give this product 4.7stars

Conditioners: So, I'll give a brief rundown of some conditioners I've tried, because there have been a LOT (if you have a question about something not on the list just ask me, I've probably tried it)

• Carol's daughter-black vanilla smoothie: this is a good moisturizing product, but it's a bit expensive~4.5stars (mostly because of cost, actual product would be 4.9stars)
• Queen Helene-Cholesterol:this product is really good, and it helps define the curls. This is a nice conditioner to leave a bit in as a leave in and it's cheap, but doesn't have a good smell (not bad, just not good)~4.7stars
• LeKair Cholesterol: Queen Helene knock-off, not nearly as good, not worth more words~2stars
• Design essentials-express instant moisturizing: this product is a good moisturizer, however, it is thin and I personally like thick creamy conditioners (I find creamy to be better for thicker hair) so I end up using a lot of this, and it therefore doesn't last long, but it moisturizes~4stars
• Design essentials-stimulations super moisturizing: this is a really good conditioner, and it's thicker than the above mentioned which makes me like it better ~4.6stars
• Hask Placenta manage damage hair repair: this conditioner is okay, nothing horrible about it, but nothing special either~3stars
• baba de caracol (dominican product): this conditioner is the BEST for detangling. However, for some reason this conditioner makes my scalp itch. Also, this product leaves hair soft. Downfalls: you have to order this from the internet, unless of course you're headed to the Domincan Republic, in which case, take me too (I prefer to stay away from internet items for convenience purposes) and I couldn't take the itchy scalp~4.6stars
• keratin (Dominican product): this conditioner was an okay product as far as moisturizing, however it smelled HORRIBLE~3stars
• Pantene ProV relaxed and natural: I loved this conditioner when my hair was relaxed, but it did not moisturize my natural hair, and I felt like it made my hair frizzy (more so than it naturally is)~3stars
• Big Sexy Hair straightening conditioner: This conditioner was okay, but definitely not worth the money that it cost~2.5stars (too expensive for the results)
• Bed Head-beyond the zone last call conditioner: This was a good conditioner, but like the above, not worth the money(because I'm on a budget)~3stars
• Affina (I've tried most if not all of the conditioners of this brand)-I really like these conditioners they are moisturizing and natural; however, I have only found this product at one health food store (Rosewood supermarket for those in the Columbia area) and online, and as mentioned before I need convenience in obtaining the product, I'm not all for that planning ahead stuff~4.7stars

There have been many more products used, more leave-ins, lots of additional conditioners, shampoos, oils and I didn't even touch on moisturizers....review in specific areas will come later, but please hit me up with any burning questions about anything mentioned or not....I'm waiting to hear from you :-)

Tootles for now

Lady Shay

Pics

Okay,
So, I'm finally getting some pictures added. And I have to say, I'm not sure how this blogging thing will work, b/c although I do watch ANTM (America's Next Top Model for anyone crazy enough to not watch the show enough to know the acronym) I am not so photogenic, so just look at the hair, and pretend that the rest is fierce and I'm smiling with my eyes :-)

And more pics are on the way....

My first blog entry :-)

Hello!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


So day 1 of my natural hair blog. I personally view interesting websites, blogs, forums, youtube videos etc on quite a regular basis. Then one day the light hit me, and I decided that I should start my own blog. This blog is so that the countless dollars and time that I spend on my hair will no longer be in vain. I realized that I can hopefully save some of my friend's pennies by sharing my experiences with new products (which I try ALL the time), and hopefully get some insight from others about products. So this blog will be heavily based on product reviews, hair routines, questions about transitioning and natural hair care for women with curly and/or kinky hair. While I'm super excited for everyone to read this, I would really like to create a good natural hair support network in Columbia, SC.


So, for all those beautiful women out there with natural hair, and those of you contemplating going natural, PLEASE share your thoughts/comments/questions/concerns or I'll annoy you until you do.......

Tootles for now
Lady Shay