8 Fun Hair Facts About My Natural Hair

I'm always asked the question, "How long have you been natural?"  When I answer "most of my life"  I tend to get a side eye like "Yeah, Girl whatever!" but then I'm bombarded with loads of product questions. Even in the moment of skepticism, my "secrets" are still on request for reveal. It's always been a tickling topic to me. Sometimes I have the "basher" (anyone and anything not natural is a problem!), the speudo educator (timelines and posts are their teacher. From their perspective, hairstylist don't know what they're talking about. 0_o) or (my fav) just a woman who likes to talk good haircare.  Many people tend to think that a series spectacular events happen in order for me to achieve the look/s they're inquiring about. Nope! Having been natural most of my life did not exclude me from the trial and error of finding out what works for my hair. However, being a hair professional and product trainer did make the journey a bit easier.  As per some of your inquiries, I thought I'd share a fun fact list of my journey along with my regimen. 

Cheeeeez! 18 months old and afro happy

MY FUN HAIR FACTS

1.I was a toddler rocking  huge afros. I really appreciate my mother for this. She had me wearing braid outs until first grade and I loved it!

2. As a child I maintained my curls with VASELINE and water. My edges and curls were LAID. I thought I had the secret until I went swimming and my hair turned white. My mother had to wash it out with dish detergent.

3. I've only worn a relaxer for 10yrs of my life (age13-23) *whispers* I'm going on 20yrs natural again. *winks*

4. I love hair color! I keep this strictly professional. 

5. People tend to think my hair is a wig or wig piece. I've been called some colorful names when I've replied "It's my natural hair."   One woman went as far as pointing me out to store patrons "she's a lying *BLEEP*" Geesh! She was mad!

6.There are NO holy grail products in my regimen. I switch up products all the time. When I find something I really like I keep it replenished but I still try other things.

7.My favorite hair tool is the Denman brush. A curly hair gift from the heavens. Amen! 

8. I am not a slave to my hair. 

Bonus fact: My husband usually colors, cuts and blow dries my hair. Who is spoiled? Meeeee!

Me today wearing a Wash and go

HAIR REGIMEN

Daily:  leave in conditioner/moisturizer. During the summer I use products specific for sun protection.

Weekly: Shampoo and condition. During the winter when my scalp is most dry, I do a bi-weekly scalp treatment.

Monthly: I alternate with deep conditioners according to my hair needs. I usually use a protein reconstructor of some sort every other month.

Bi Monthly: IF I stick to it then this is when I trim my hair. 

Quarterly: Hair color. new or retouch depending on if I'm using permanent or demi permanant. 

Yearly: Once a year I take off about 4 inches.  I don't have a clue as to how that number became the target but for the last 5yrs that's what it has been.  

See! No tricks or special effects. Just two tired arms trying to maintain what is affectionately known as the gorgeous beast.  Are you natural or straight? How do you maintain your healthy hair? Share some of your favorite hair tips below. 

 

Queen Helene Royal Curl Review

At some point in time in our lives most of us have been introduced to Queen Helene. Whether it was the cool Mint Julep mask your mom would walk around the house in or the pink gel shared in the girl's bathroom to "slick down those edges", Queen Helene has long ruled the beauty cabinets.  Continuing in their commitment to remain a leader in health and beauty, Queen Helene Royal Curl enters the court. An all natural royal treatment rolled out in four great products.  Amino Acids, Vitamins and antioxidants are just some of the power packed nutrients that round out this royal formula which is sure to nourish and tame your curls.  

Stay Clean Shampoo - a mild lather detangling formula which cleans unbelievably well.  My hair felt moisturized and had a wonderful sheen.  Did I say it DETANGLES?

Moisture Rich Conditioner-  this conditioner can be rinsed out or left in depending on the density of your hair type.  This light formula will soften, add shine and work out any tangles that the shampoo missed.  If you're looking for a daily maintenance moisturizer to protect those ends.  This is a product to consider because it does it's job without any residue.

Curl Shaping Creme- although it's called a creme it is more like a gel in texture. The holding power is AMAZING! I didn't put anything in my hair other than water (mist) for four days.  Now, it's important to follow the directions "a dime size per section"  my hair is thick so I did more like a quarter and it dried a tad bit crunchy (lol)  Still, even with that mishap I didn't have any flaking or residue on my hair or scalp

Smoothing Oil - i'm not a huge fan of oil products because I tend to get breakouts on my face (around the hairline) when I use them. This product was no different on ME.  Although I like the light formula, scent and its humectant factor.  I will only use it as a hot oil treatment.  

All in all my hair and I are well pleased with our Royal experience(take a look at the pics below)  So if you're looking for an all natural product ("No harsh, or drying chemicals like alcohol, sulfates, petrolatum, parabens or phthalates")  that delivers on it's claims, smells good, and has a modest price point of $8.99 this is for you. The product hasnt hit the shelves yet but you can get it on the site, click here

(shampoo, conditioned & gel) 

 (diffused, no stretching)

 (Day2 ~ just a tiny bit of smoothing oil to wake up curl)

(Day3~ no product added just mist w/ water for twist out)

*product samples courtesy of BeautySat

Queen Helene

Shea Moisture Review

Well I gave the Shea Moisture products a go and I have to say they just didn't do it for me.  Let me back up a bit and break it down product by product. I want to be fair and not generalize the results.
Brilliant Curl Shampoo: has a great coconut scent that is not too strong. the texture is smooth and spreads really well.  There isn't a lot of lather to the product but that's ok because my hair was gently cleaned and felt soft. I know with some people lots of lather means clean.  As my hubby says " I need to see some suds"  I assure you that the product does it's job of cleaning despite the minimal lather.

Curl Enhancing Smoothie: So this is the product I really had high hopes for. This is a thick cream that per the directions should be applied to damp hair. I tried it on both wet and damp hair.  The product just didn't work for me. It left a film on my hair and suprisingly wasn't as water soluble as I had hoped.  Usually if a product doesnt work for me I just rinse it out, the water breaks it down and it runs right off the hair. That was not the case with the smoothie; I had to shampoo my hair to completely remove the product.  On the positive side, it does smell good and it spreads well.

Deep Treatment Masque: A nice lightly scented cream full a good combination of ingredients that will help get sickly hair back on the road to recovery. I wasn't blown over by the results but I would use it again. I am even more interested to see the results on relaxed hair. 

The end result was that my hair wasn't AS dry as is was before I used the product. There wasn't a great hold so a bit of frizz did kick in after a few hours and again I had a film on my hair. 

Now, I couldn't just let this be the end so I passed the product over to my sister-in-love and here is what she said:  "I like the product a alot. My hair is soft, my curl is more defined and my hair feels more moisturized"   hmm! look at that.  It didn't work for me but it sure did work for her. 

                                                                  my gorgeous sister

shea moisture hair Target

My hair must have it!

Cream leave in conditioners have never been nice to me , deceptively enticing me with their grandeur claims of hydrating and defining my curls but just hanging out on my hair shaft as an opaque film , hmmph! so not a good look. On a trip to CVS, I came across something that caught my eye. The Ellin Lavar detangling mist is filled with antioxidants and botanicals that nourish, soften and moisturize. It is mildly scented, lightweight, works well with my existing conditioner and also refreshes my curls when i skip a shampoo. My Denman brush glides through my hair with no tugs, snags or tears. I love it!!

Ellin Lavar DetangleMist, $7.99

People are always surprised when i tell them about this product. I have been using Smooth n Shine Polishing Curl Activator for years. No, it's not a throwback to the 80's curl revolution, so you wont have stained necklines and sofas. This non greasy, weightless formula defines and smooths my curls. I do add a tiny bit of Ampro gel (black gel to some of you..lol) if i want a strong lasting hold. It has recently been reformulated and i sure hope that despite the extra added ingredients (not needed) it will still deliver good results. It's so inexpensive i usually buy a few jars at a time so i have another couple of months before i try the new formula sigh

Smooth n Shine Curl Activator Gel, $2.99 @ local Walgreens

activator