FB Flashback: My first twist-out

As I stated before, my FB page was a blog of sorts prior to the creation of S.I.A.G. Today our journey down memory lane takes us back to April 2011… The twist n curl experiment.

I had been following hair blogs & forums for months, soaking up all the natural hair knowledge I could get my hands on. During my curl reconnaissance, I noticed that CurlyNikki’s Show & Tell: Fierce Friday pics consisted mostly of  twist-outs. Apparently TnCs & twist-outs were part of everyone’s style catalog but mine. 😦 At this point I was about 16 months into my transition to natural. I almost always wore (& still wear) my hair in a roller set, so I knew little to nothing about twists. Fortunately, me & Giovanni enjoy trying new things…

First I washed my hair with Elasta QP Conditioning Creme Shampoo. Then I detangled & deep conditioned with Pantene Relaxed & Natural Conditioner Breakage Defense Mask. I baggied my hair & sat under the dryer for about 20 minutes before rinsing w/ cool water. Before twisting each section, I applied a glob of Suave Professionals Almond & Shea Butter Conditioner. I sealed my ends using Oyin Burnt Sugar pomade & slicked my edges back w/ Ecostyle Olive Oil gel. I had to use rods on some of the twists, b/c I still had a few permed ends that would not curl. It took me 2-3 hours to create 21 twists.

  

My hair was soaking wet at the beginning of this process. I sat under the dryer for an hour or so to speed the process along before bedtime. The next morning I set my twists free using organic extra virgin coconut oil. These are the results…

 

 Because I used regular conditioner, instead of a leave-in conditioner (YES, there is a difference) my hair felt very producty & had little to no volume. It was more crinkly than curly, so I wasn’t all that impressed. Then there was day 2 hair…

The experiment ends here. By the end of day 2, it was a hot frizzy mess, so I co-washed & roller set my hair, vowing never to twist it again, LOL! In my opinion, this style took too much time & effort to only last me 2 days. But y’all encouraged me to get back on the horse & my next twist out was PHENOMENAL! The second attempt was made on dry, stretched out hair, using an appropriate styling product in the proper quantity. What else was different? By September I had cut off the last of my permed ends. You wouldn’t think a trim had that much impact, but on naturally curly hair it makes ALL the difference in the world! So to all of you transitioning divas: HOLD ON… a change is gonna come! Growing out your curls/coils is only one part of the process. You also have to learn what to do with them! It can be frustrating, but if you take the time to experiment, you will eventually discover what your hair needs to look it’s best. Happy hair growing, styling & evolving!

Curls Giveaway

NaturallyCurly.com is hosting a giveaway to celebrate the release of CURLS Brand hair products at Rite Aid stores. Click the link below to enter for your chance to win!  Easy access to a curl brand out here in the county?! Y’all know I’m geeked about this 🙂 Have any of you tried their products yet? What did you try & what did you think?

Roller set ramblings…

This is a video that I recorded back in May 2011, but for some reason never published. I have since strayed from some of the products in this routine (namely organic virgin coconut oil). Because Giovanni responded so well to it last Spring, I plan to add it to my Fall routine.

The main problem with PJ-ism is that you spend tremendous amounts of money & time testing out new products, hoping to find the holy grail of hair. Then you look back & realize it was there all along. Pray for me y’all! LOL

Something “nouveau”…

A few of you have asked about my shiny, happy wash-n-go/curly fro. Giovanni & I have sampled some new styling products that he really likes & he asked me to share them with all of you 🙂 Our acquisitions include: Wave Nouveau Moisturizing Finishing Lotion & Mane N Tail Hair Strengthener Daily Leave-In Conditioning Treatment – SMH @ Mane N Tail for this verbose nomenclature!

I know you’re wondering & I can guarantee you that I HAVE NOT been back to the BSS this pay period. I bought these products about two weeks ago (on the same day I purchased the Ruby Kisses gel liners)… I just wanted to use them a few times before giving y’all my 2¢.

Wave Nouveau Moisturizing Finishing Lotion contains a blend of silicones & humectants to provide shine, softening & moisture to curly hair. Apply as needed to maintain your Wave Nouveau style. It promises to:

• Quench dry, thirsty hair
• Provide long-lasting softness & shine
• It’s excellent for permanent waved & natural hair

Directions:
1. Apply the desired amount of lotion into palm of hand. Apply evenly throughout hair, massaging thoroughly.
2. Gently comb through the hair and style as usual.

Ingredients: Aqua (Water) , Propylene Glycol , Glycerin , Cetearyl Alcohol , Cetyl Alcohol , Polyquaternium-11 , Behentrimonium Methosulfate , Dimethicone , Methylparaben , Fragrance , Chlorhexidine Dihydrochloride , Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein , Butylphenyl Methylpropional , Linalool , Simethicone , CI 16035 (Red 40)

My analysis: Although it’s called a lotion, it has a liquid-gel consistency. If you ever wear your hair curly then you know that it’s difficult to find balance between curl definition & crunch. The glycerin in this product gives your hair a soft, yet shiny hold… I love the “wet look” & on top of that it smells amazing! This 8.5 ounce bottle cost me $5 @ my local BSS. The efficacy of this product combined with its reasonable price make it a no-brainer! I will definitely be adding this to my natural style repertoire.

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Mane N Tail Hair Strengthener Daily Leave-In Conditioning Treatment is a daily protective & fortifying leave-in treatment for stronger, healthier hair. It promises to:

• Nourish & repair
• Provide essential protection to help prevent split ends
• Protect hair strands from heat & chemical styling
• Provide additional moisturizing & conditioning protection
• It has an alcohol-free formula
• It’s safe & gentle for all hair types

Ingrdients: Water Chaparral Qaternium-79 Hydrolyzed Silk Polyquaternium-11 Colts Foot Allantoin Propylene Glycol Horse Chestnut Retinyl Palmitate (Vit. A. Palmitate) Isostearamidopropylmorpholine Lactate Meadow Sweet Tocopherol (Vitamin E) Dimethicone Copolyol Red Clover Panthenol DMDM Hydantoin Polysorbate 20 Niacin Aloe Vera Polysorbate 80 Fragrance Horsetail Grass Quaternium-79 Hydrolyzed Keratin

My analysis: I used this spray refresh my fro on day two. I selected it because it has a light, non-greasy formula & smells wonderful. It cost me about $5 for a 6 ounce bottle… again, very wallet-friendly. I wish I had more to say about it, but for me it was just something to do. However, I do plan to try it as a thermal protectant spray some time in the future… I’ll keep you posted 🙂

Day 2 Hair!!!

Hair Porn: The Corinne Bailey Rae Edition

Today I’m curl-crushin’ on Corinne Bailey Rae! If you haven’t already, you should check out her music; she has the voice of an angel. *I digress* The roller set was her staple style back when her hair was short & now that it has gotten past her shoulders, she rocks a MEAN twist-out. But whether it’s long or short, her hair is freakin’ fabulous 🙂 ENJOY!

Flexi-rod reflections…

I just wanted to share a few tips with you after my flexi-rod experiment…

• I have slept in just about every type of roller. These, however are not sleep-able rollers! Having said that, do not plan to set your hair in the evening & then go to bed, while they dry overnight… it ain’t happenin’ sistah!

• My advice is to start early in the day, because it may take a while for you to get the hang of these rollers.

• I know it sounds crazy, but eat a good breakfast before taking this journey! You’ll need your strength for twisting & bending 50-70 flexi-rods, LOL! *NO JOKE!* 

•  It can be difficult to asses the number of rollers/rods you will need.  Carefully consider the length & density of your hair, in comparison to the size of the roller/rod. For example: it requires about 35 rollers 1 inch to roller set my entire head, but  when I’m using half-inch rollers it takes 50. This is why I purchased 54 flexi-rods.

• Unless your hair is long ( i.e. past your shoulders), purchase the short rods. I bought all the packs short rods they had @ my local BSS. I ended up having to purchase long ones so that I would have enough rods for my shoulder length hair. If I had bought all short ones, I probably could’ve fit my head underneath my hooded dryer 😦

• Consider purchasing a soft-bonnet hair dryer. Or if time permits, let your hair air dry. My dryer wasn’t wide enough, so I felt like I was in a headlock the entire time. I ended up using a hand dryer to do the job.

• Whether or not you “believe” in using rat-tail combs, keep one handy for scratching your scalp. The flexi-rods are practically impenetrable!

• A bonnet will flatten your curls at night, so sleep on a satin pillowcase instead. If you do not already have one GET TUH STEPPIN!!! *in my Martin voice*

In case you were wondering, my flexi-rod set lasted a total of ONE DAY *shedding tears over my frivolous efforts* It rained the whole weekend, so my curls got tighter & tighter until they fell into my natural curl pattern! Darn Giovanni & his resistance to change! Having said that, I have no intentions of repeating this coiffure until summer is over *SIGHS*

Tutorial: Hit em wit da FLEXi-rods!

Hair Updates…

I couldn’t sleep last night, so I got up to wash & deep condition my hair at like 4am. Crazy!?! Yeah, I know! I was trying to be productive during my period of sleeplessness. Anyway, today I washed with diluted Head & Shoulders Classic Clean Shampoo, cuz I was super itchy & whatnot. After that, I co-washed with Proclaim Olive Glossing Condish, DC’ed & detangled, put a bag over my hair & sat under the hooded dryer. BTW I DC’ed using my “hair crack” deep conditioning concoction. It’s a mix of a bunch of different conditioners & oils… I haven’t made a batch in awhile, so I can’t remember what all I added to it, but I promise to disclose the ingredients for my next batch 🙂 Of course the hot shower & sitting under the dryer made me sleepy, so I laid down (baggy & all) for a nap from 5am-7am… Did I mention I have to be to work by 8am? *SMH* I dragged into the bathroom, rinsed out my DC, applied Cantu Shea Butter Leave-In Conditioner & did a wash-n-go/ finger coil hybrid & blew it dry, cuz that was all I had time for. No FOTD! 😦 LOL

I will try to find the time & energy to straighten my hair in the near future so I can get my ends clipped. Last summer I got an (unintentional) asymmetrical haircut in Atlanta, by a stylist who swore he could cut curly hair. Looking back, it’s HILARIOUS, although I wanted to cry at the time. It took about 8 months for my right side to catch up with my left. I wore it tucked behind my ear ALL fall & winter. LOL… for this reason, I started straightening my hair before going to get a cut. So I guess this next one will be THE CHOP! I’m kinda sad that my final chop won’t be as momentous as a big chop, but I suppose that’s one of the aspects of a gradual transition (December 2009 – present).

My curly fro was rather bossy today, so I wanted to share it with you guys. Try your best to ignore my creasing eyeshadow *hangs head in shame* I was in a severe hurry this morning. OH! I almost forgot to mention that SHRINKAGE is the bain of my existence!!! IJS, can a sistah get some hang time?!? I know you feel my pain…

Tutorial: (wet) Roller set

Tutorial: Finger Coils

The latest addition to my repertoire… easy, breezy finger coils!

Day 2… after I separated the coils…