Tag Archives: Natural Hair

Mar16

Updated haircare routine

Posted on by
Updated haircare routine

So have have not been buying a lot of products as of late, but I’ve been loving a few items. I usually wash and condition every other week. The process is done in four sections.   I wear my hair in a protective style for one week then as a twist-out/bun for the next.  I definitely will be experimenting with more styles this year! So here’s what’s hot with me!!

  • Prepoo: Organic Coconut oil.  Just applied to my strands a few hours before washing.
  • Shampoo: Well I stopped using regular sulphate shampoo years ago, and I have been loving the Shea Moisture Organic Raw Shea Butter Moisture Retention Shampoo. My hair never feels dry with this product!

 

I use the shampoo with the tan label, image courtesy of Shea Moisture

Click to see more products!

Mar8

Two strand twists – a new protective style!

Posted on by
Two strand twists – a new protective style!

So here’s an update on my protective styling.  For those who don’t know, I pretty much live in protective styles because when it comes to my hair, I 1) am kinda lazy when it comes to styling, 2) like the convenience, 3) don’t like to wear my hair out when it’s cold (which is at least 75% of the year).  I wear a twisted style one week, then a twist-out bun the next, wash, repeat. Get it??  Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE buying hair products, testing them out, but I have not that creative with styling.  So I’m trying to bust out of that.

Here is my usual protective style, a two-strand cornrowed flat twist:

Two-strand canerow

Click for more fotos!

Mar2

Two strand twists – a new protective style!

Posted on by
Two strand twists – a new protective style!

So Trinidad & Tobago Carnival 2011 drops in less than one week and as ah true, true Trini, I’m now getting around to this!!!

Anyway, as usual the bands have provided lots of inspiration for makeup looks, plenty brilliant colours, lots of beading, feathers, sequins, skimpiness!. You have to admit that it’s amazing!!!

So I chose two costumes to create a look around.

Island People Mas in Mars Secret!

Mars Secret, image courtesy of Island People Mas

TRIBE/Bliss Carnival Mas in Izumi Clan!

Bliss Izumi Clan, image courtesy of Trinidad Carnival Diary

Remember, this is the time to express yourself…be more bold. Accentuate your look with rhinestones, palettes, body paint, falsies, glitter, whatever you want. Also since you are going to be jumping up in the blazing sun and sweating, you want to use as much waterproof makeup as you can. Make Up For Ever makes an entire line of great products. Many other companies sell waterproof items, M.A.C., NYX etc. Just do a little research.

Note: My Trini folks, head over to The Falls at West Mall to the M.A.C. store and get some waterproof eyeliner, like the Technakohl eyeliner, the Paints, which can be used as a stay-put, crease-free base. They have a lot of options. A Wonderful World sells a lot of different drugstore brands that have waterproof items. Mascara, eyeliner and blush are musts in the waterproof formulas.

So here is the look that I came up with:

Read the rest of this entry →

Feb22

Karen’s Body Beautiful after-work Natural Hair Mixer

Posted on by
Karen’s Body Beautiful after-work Natural Hair Mixer

Hey!!!

So last Friday, I went to the KBB after-work event.  It was a great day in the Big Apple, nice weather, a taste of spring, so I was game to going.  So I trekked over to my old nabe in Brooklyn and the place was packed! People spilled out onto the sidewalk.  Lots of beautiful women, great natural hair, different textures, colours and styles.

KBB event, it was packed!!!!!

That’s always pleasing to see.  I pretty much spent the time meeting other amazing people, bloggers, YTers, and chatting about different techniques and styles.  There were some better known bloggers there like Jenell from KinkyCurlyCoilyMe, Yvonne from AfroCrownDiva, Zara from Leave In The Kinks, Milan from A Grl Can Mac, Yardley, Editor-In-Chief of The Coil Review, YTers Sweeteababy0427, Chery818, SumKindaWndrful and Taren916.

More pictures!

Oct20

Champagne & Cupcakes!

Posted on by
Champagne & Cupcakes!

Hi ladies!!

Over the weekend, I attended the Champagne & Cupcakes event at Karen’s Body Beautiful in Brooklyn, my old neighbourhood!!!  I am amazed at how the area has changed for the better.  Lots of cute shops, restaurants etc.  But I digress….

This was the bash celebrating the brand’s total makeover: the new packaging, the opening of the spa, the website relaunch, the store redesign.  I appreciate what Karen has done as a minority business owner, especially in this economy.  I like her products and I think she aims to bring out a quality, natural, handmade product that caters for people with naturally curly/kinky hair (even though anyone can use her products).

Anyway, I got there pretty late, but the place was still jumping…

DJ was mixing…

Her hair was cute!

For more on the event, click here!!!

Apr19

Product Review time!!! Looking for a good deep conditioner???

Posted on by
Product Review time!!! Looking for a good deep conditioner???

So, as I previously mentioned, I visited Target last week and bought a new hair product.  Today’s review is going to focus on the SheaMoisture’s Organic Raw Shea Butter Deep Treatment Masque.

It is advertised to have Sea Kelp, Argan Oil and Shea Butter and it’s to heal, grow and strengthen dry, damaged hair.

First, a little history about SheaMoisture….

As per the packaging:

“Sofi Tucker started selling Shea Nuts at the village market in Bonthe, Sierra Leone in 1912.  By age 19, the widowed mother of four was selling Shea Butter, Black Soap and her homemade hair and skin preparations all over the countryside. Sofi Tucker was our grandmother and SheaMoisture is her legacy.”

So this is basically a family business that has blossomed over the last almost 100 years!!!!!

Now back to the product…..

The thing that caught my eye is that the product contains no parabens, no phthalates, no paraffin, no gluten, no propylene glycol, no mineral oil, no sulphates, no synthetic fragrances, no PABA, no DEA, no synthetic colours, no animal ingredients and they conduct no animal testing. Therefore this product is also cruelty-free and made with ethically traded ingredients.  This just has ‘great’ written all over it and as you know I am always looking for all natural/organic minority-owned businesses to support.

What this product does contain are some wonderful ingredients.  In general, you want to make sure that the ingredients advertised are the first 5-6 products on the label and this one certainly follows that rule!  Three of those first ingredients are:

  • Shea Butter – deeply moisturizes, and repairs damage to hair and scalp
  • Argan Oil – restores shine and rebuilds hair elasticity
  • Sea Kelp – trace minerals detoxify hair follicles of impurities and residue

The verdict:  This product lives up its claims.  It has a rich, creamy texture which coated my hair and instantly made my hair supa soft!  This has a lot of slip and I left this in for about 1 hour with a plastic cap.  I could feel the slip from the oil and shea butter, but I was not left with a greasy residue.  My hair was real easy to detangle and, again, my hair was super smooth and soft.

This is a must keep for me!!! I love this product and it’s affordable price and great ingredients will keep this in my hair regime for a while!!!!!

Overall Rating: A!

This product is available from select Target locations and for the Trinis, this may be available from Beauty on D’Avenue in the coming months!

FTC Disclosure: Product was bought by me.  For more information, please see my Disclosure Policy.

Bookmark and Share

Apr15

As seen in Target…..

Posted on by
As seen in Target…..

So I’m browsing through Target the other day and and to my surprise, there is a section designated for natural/organic hair care products.  Now I know that they just started selling Miss Jessie’s products, but there is a whole end display with four different natural lines specifically geared towards people with natural curly, kinky, coily, wavy hair.  So you know my heart started racing!!!!!!!

Target now sells Miss Jessie’s, Jane Carter Solution, Curls (for Target) and Shea Moisture.  I quickly bypassed Miss Jessie’s as they are not really natural products (although they work quite well), and I have already tried both the Jane Carter (when I was relaxed) and Curls and headed straight for the Shea Moisture line.

Shea Moisture for Target, Image courtesy of SheaMoisture.com

Now this is a line that I have seen being sold on 125th Street in Harlem as well as black owned establishments, but I have never tried them.  It seems that they have created a new line of all-natural and organic certified products specially for Target.  They revamped the packaging, became cruelty-free and incorporated some delicious ingredients found on the Mother Land, like Argan Oil (!) and Shea Butter.  This is straight…up…my…alley!

All of these products are available online at Target.com, but they will not be available at all Target locations.  I visited the Target on Atlantic Avenue.  Check the Target website for availability.  I can’t wait to try out what I bought! Review comin’!!!!

Note to my Trinbagonians: I know that Beauty on D’Avenue sells Shea Moisture and that they are looking to expand on their offerings of that line.  I know that they are also interested interested in bringing down Jane Carter Solution.  So check them out!!!

Laters!!!

Bookmark and Share

Nov22

What’s my hair to do for winter????? Tips for colder weather

Posted on by
What’s my hair to do for winter????? Tips for colder weather

Image courtesy Urbanbella.com

Hey folks!!!

So here on the East Coast it’s slowly getting colder.  I have been thinking about how to take care of my hair during the winter months.  The biggest thing I, and many other people with kinky/coily/curly hair, have to deal with, is getting enough moisture especially as the humidity drops and indoor temperatures rise.   My hair tends to get very dry quickly and this leads to frizziness and eventually split ends. This is a great time to review your hair regime and find what works for you to gain and maintain healthy hair.  Remember, you don’t have to follow all of the hair ‘rules’ but just do you!  Here are a few tips to remember when deciding what to choose.

Cleansing/Shampooing

Growing up, I always remembered having super dry hair, especially when washing it.  Even as an adult, I used to feel my scalp contracting when I went to the salon to get a wash and blow out.  The one thing that has drastically changed the condition and health of my hair and scalp is cleansing without the use of sulphates.  Just about every commercial shampoo contains sulphate – sodium lauryl sulphates, ammonium laureth sulphates and there are many more.  I ALWAYS stick to sulphate-free shampoos.  Look for products that state they are sulphate free, castile soaps, cleansers containing betaine.  You could also use diluted apple cider vinegar or baking soap.  Again, lots of people have great success with sulphate shampoos, but I don’t.  My hair no longer feels dried out and brittle.  Remember to main reason we shampoo is to cleanse the scalp to remove products, dead skin cells, excess oils, pollutants that build up on a daily basis.  You can’t have totally healthy hair without a healthy scalp.  So massage your scalp well when cleansing!

Click for more tips!

Aug31

Natural Hair

Posted on by
Natural Hair

So I have been transitioning to my natural hair texture for almost a year and a half. I have kinky, coily hair, but I don’t know what type it is (3C?, 4A?, whatever). I am not really interested in getting caught up in ‘type-ing’ my hair, that takes a lot of energy and I don’t think it’s ultimately important.

Anyway, I just spent a week at the beach (what’s up Fire Island ladies…and lad!) and needless to say my hair was super parched and tangled.  When I got home, I decided to make a little concoction to help me detangle and moisturize.  I went to the grocery and bought a large aloe leaf.  You could usually find this in Latino and Asian markets. Back home in the Caribbean, as a child, we would also use the flat cactus leaves (the ones that had few pickers, needles).   I did some research online and decided to make a very simple mix:

Aloe Vera Detangler Recipe

1 large aloe vera leaf

2 tablespoons, extra virgin, organic coconut oil

1 tablespoon vegetable glycerine

I forgot to add honey, which is great for hydration as it draws moisture from the air (next time!!)

I scooped the inside of the aloe vera leaf out, and added the other ingredients.  Then I placed the mix into the food processor and pulsed it for a few seconds.  I then sectioned my hair into quarters and applied liberally.  I added a moisturizing conditioner  (L’Oreal’s  Nature’s Own, Mega Moisture Nuturing Creme) on top of that, covered with plastic and left it on for at least half an hour.

Let me tell you!! This made detangling super easy as the slip was AH-Mazing!!! Tangles just fell out. So I am going to add this to my routine, probably once a month or so. My hair was also left moisturized.

Things I learned….

  • I did not pulse the aloe enough and I had small bits of aloe in the mix… and all over my hair, small ting!! I think the next time I will blend the mixture and then pass is through cheese cloth or a linen sieve so I’ll just get the gel part.
  • Add honey for more moisture and antibacterial properties
  • Add oils like peppermint or rosemary
  • Use this mix with my beloved Oyin Honey Hemp Conditioner.  This might just be the ultimate moisturizing deep conditioner.

What recipes with aloe vera do you have for your hair???