Candy-Scented Hair!

My hair styled with SheaMoisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie

My hair smells so delicious!!! And what has it smelling so yummy? My SheaMoisture products.

When I got home from taking my last final on Wednesday the 22nd, I thoroughly washed my hair (for the first time in weeks!) with the Deep Cleansing Shampoo[sulfate-free] for dry, itchy hair (because I have scalp issues...yea, it sucks). I'll do a separate review on the shampoo if anyone's interested.

I didn't however have time to deep condition (as usual), but I shampooed, conditioned and de-tangled with suave naturals conditioner and I styled with SheaMoisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie.


SheaMoisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie Versus the Suave Professionals Conditioner??

I was soo excited to try these products (they were not gifts from the company or anything) when I got them!
BUT, I was disappointed!

I was shocked that a product that has such moisturizing ingredients, left my hair feeling so mediocre!
I actually compared the curl smoothie to my other product, Suave Professionals Almond and Shea Butter conditioner...And I liked the Suave better!

The Suave Professionals left my hair softer and with less frizz than the SheaMoisture. I'm not sure if that was because of the olive oil that I added, but even with that, I was still upset that a $3 product worked so much better than a $10 product.
I had pictures for the Suave twist-out, but they didn't upload. I'll do a separate post on this as well though.
Pictures of SheaMoisture results:

Pros:
1. My hair was a bit shiny and bouncy (although I got about the same shine and bounce with Suave)

2. It smells great!

Cons:

1. Not moisturizing enough/ a bit drying to my hair

2. Not enough frizz control (I got more frizz control with suave)

Although I love this product for it's smell, I will not re-purchase because it doesn't moisturize enough.

My December Hair and Products

Hey Ladies,

I have some new products that were given to me as early Christmas presents! Yay!


I'll be reviewing Suave Professionals Almond and Shea Butter Shampoo and Conditioner. And also Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie and Deep Cleansing Shampoo.

So, if you're interested, look out for that (after final exams lol).



For now, I just wanted to post how my hair has been since the beginning of December.


Yup! In chunky twist and under my bonnet. When I have to go out -- School, Church or just to hang out and relax -- I put a hat on top of my bonnet and head out.
When I get back home, I take off the hat.



However, because I don't want free form locks, every other day or so I take out each twist individually, wet it, apply a little conditioner if needed, de-tangle and re-twist! That's about it when It comes to maintainance!



In my winter routine post, I wrote about the different styles I wear with my hat.
This winter protective styling thing is easier than I thought.

There are LOTS of benefits:
~ Most obvious is length retention
~ Saving product since I'm not completely re-styling every week
~ More time to do what I need to do: currently studying for final exams
~ Easy cute style for going out: Of I'm invited to go out on short notice and I want to ditch the hat, I can easily take out my twist and have a beautifully defined twist-out that I can style however I want!

I just love it!!


Year's end is going to catch me in Georgia though, so we'll see how that will go.



Are you protective styling for the winter?

Current Winter Routine

I think it can be agreed that winter and curly hair aren't the best of friends. For the past few winters, I have not giving my hair any special care or attention.

There were winters (most recent- last year) when I would treat my hair just the same as I did in the summer. And needless to say, my hair didn't respond too well.

This winter, my current (as it may change) is as follows:

Wash Day:
1. Shampoo in braids (once every 2 weeks to a month) with either Dr. Miracles or Suave Professionals (newest purchase)
2. Condition/ de-tangle
3. Deep Condition (sometimes I don't have the time to DC, but I try and make the time)

Style:
Chunky Twist! About 10 medium size chunky twists all over, with either Herbal Essences Hello Hydration or Suave Professionals Almond and Shea Butter Conditioner.

Wearing The Twist:
Since it's winter I get to 'hide' my hair under hats! So unless I'm going out someplace special or I just want to wear my hair out, my hair will be hidden under hats.

The only parts of my hair that will be exposed will be the very front, which I will be using as 'bangs'.
1. Some days, I will loosen and separate the twists and pin it to the side
2. other days I'll loosen, but not separate- as to have the thick curls hanging out the hats
3. I will also have the twist peeking out without loosening and pin them back or to the side
4. And finally, I'll loosen all the twists and wear a twist out

These variations will hopefully help me to not become bored with the protective style.
I will also be doing 'touch ups' to keep the twists moisturized, by wetting and sealing with olive oil or Shea butter, or both.

Out And About- Twist Out

This was the way I wore my hair yesterday. I took all of the twists out and wore it down. I rolled the sides (toward the back) and pinned them.

I also rolled the very front section and pinned it back. From the front it resembled a pouf.

the back

The entire style resembled a fro-hawk. I liked it!

I labeled this post as 'winter routine' also because, this is part of my winter routine that I'm working on. The majority of the week, my hair will be kept in chunky twists and under a hat and maybe 2 or 3 days, I'll wear a twist out. So far, so good!

Today's Hair- More Of The Same

Although I planned on changing it up for today, I wore my hair basically the same as yesterday. I really wasn't in the mood for anything much. It was very cold in NY today and so this hat was once again the best option (it's layered and thick enough for cold weather).
The only 'change' in this style was that I let a few curls hang out of the hat.

I need to get some more of these winter hats. So cute, they are.

Looking forward to finding some more ways I can wear this (and other) hat(s) as a part of my winter protective styling.

The Kinks And Curls Are Back-- A Popular Protective Style

Yup that's right! The good ole Beret with minimum hair exposure. I only have one beret (the one I'm wearing), but I'm thinking about getting a few more, because I'm liking this style! It's so winter appropriate.

I really need to protect my hair this winter. I had a lot of breakage over the past few months and winter is usually a hard time for my hair, so protective styles are a must!

For this style I put my wet and oil-sealed hair in about 10 chunky twist on Monday the 29th and on day one, that Tuesday, I pulled the super-shrunken twists in to a low side-'bun' and slapped on a regular hat (the gray hat with red designs I wore in one of my previous post).

On Wednesday the 1st, I loosened the right front-twist, finger combed the roots and pinned it to the side and secured on (with booby pins. It was a Windy day) my beret.

Today's was basically the same look, except I loosened the left front-twist, finger combed and swept it over and pinned it to the right side. Doing this gave the hair a fuller look.
I want to change it up for tomorrow, but I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it.

On Saturday, I'm going out, so I'm going to wear a twist-out, I'm going to pull it up into a pineapple for the night and wear it down again on Sunday for church. However, Sunday night, I'm thinking of re-twisting for the protective style on Monday.
That's my plan, but we'll see how things actually go.

Underneath The Hat!- chunky twists revealed :)

Straight Hair- Braid and Curl Results

This was my hair when I took it down Thanksgiving Day!

Unfortunately, it was raining and cloudy that day and so, I pinned it up and put on a beret hat.


The following day, it was elgongated from wearing it up all day Thursday and so, I wore it down.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing my readers a (late) Happy Thanksgiving!

I hoped you all had a great Thanksgiving Day with family, friends and food! And I hope that you gave thanks to God for His goodness.

Thanksgiving Day Hair Style: Straight Hair- Wet Set

My still- strightened hair is dampened, braided (cornrowed) and curled with flexi rods.
I think some sections are wetter than other - which means uneven curls, but I'm hoping when I take it down, it won't look too bad.

Two Weeks Straight

Saturday, the 20th, made two weeks since I've straightened my hair. It held up pretty well, and I believe that has a lot to do with the fact that I kept it away from ALL kinds of moisture!
As a result of that though, it became very dried out.

Before going to bed, I styled it for tomorrow - I 'french rolled' the back and did a braid and curl (I dampened the sections for a stronger curl-hold) with the front.

I have no idea how it will turn out, but if worse turns to worst, I'll pull it into a ponytail.
I wanted to hold on to my straight locks for Thanksgiving day, but I'm not too sure if I will.

I'll post pics of how the style turned out.

Still Straight- The Bun

I apologize for the long absense. There's been nighgtly Thanksgiving services at my church and between that and School I had little time for anything else.

For about 2 days, I wore my hair in a big, loose bun.
The bun looked great on the first night, but the second night when I tried to duplicate it-- my hair wasn't cooperating.

I got it to look decent enough though.

excuse the picture quality

A Trim And Some Pin Curls!

For the past two days, my (freshly trimmed) hair has been styled with pin curls.

I think this is the first time I've successfully worn a pin curl set. I never quite seen to get it right, before now.
I love the results! I reminds me of Bantu knots-- which I have done on my straight hair before, with basically the same look, except it added a bit more volume and curl definition.

I think what I like most about pin curls and other means of curling straightened hair over night, is that I get both a good night's sleep and beautiful curls in the Morning.

The take-down: my hair right after removing the pin curls

The results: After finger combing/loosening the curls

I love the pin-curled look! The results are big, bouncy curls! And it's also really easy to sleep on.

Have you tried pin-curls on your pressed/straightened hair?

Did you love the results?

It's That Time Of Year Again-- My Hair Goes Straight!

I've been following my 'straighten only twice per year' method, to get to enjoy straight locks every so often while keeping damage to a minimum.

The last time I straightened my hair was in May of this year. I straightened, for the last time this year on Saturday November 6th.

These pictures doesn't really show the length of my hair, but the length of my longest layer(pre-trim) was bra strap length length and the shortest was a little longer than armpit length.

I'll post pics of my trimmed hair at a later date---sooo happy I got a trim, my ends look so healthy!

Today's Hair--Low Side Bun And a Hat

I spent nearly 2 hours oil de-tangling my hair last night, in preparation for washing it later today.

I put each small de-tangled section into braids and took those braids out for school today. To prevent more tangles the next day, I tucked the hair into a low 'bun' and slapped a hat on it.

I found this look to be cute and I think I will continue to wear it as a protective style.

The Old And Tired Pony-Puff

My last resort for an old braid and curl is always a puff.

After it starts getting dry and tangled and I can no longer wear it out, it goes straight up into a pony puff.
I don't have enough time to do a de-tangling session during the week, and without first being de-tangled other styles are ten times harder to achieve. So, the easiest and most natural thing for me to do is throw it up into a pony-puff.

I actually have some time to de-tangle and re-style tonight, but tomorrow is going to be a rainy day, so I won't bother.

I am trying to figure out how to make my styles last a little longer-- so I can get away with not de-tangling my hair for a few days and retire the old puff

Hair Pics-- Week Old Braid and Curl

This is how my hair looked today-- old braid and curl

Going Back To Twist-Outs

I've been trying to do more twist-outs.
I stopped doing them about a year and a half ago, because I found that braid-outs stretch my hair better than twist-outs.

I've decided to revisit the style and I find that if I pin the roots (with a bobby pin or clip) the results aren't too different from braid-outs.

I moisturized with Suave Coconut--for no reason is particular--it was just in reach.
Suave isn't the best moisturizer, but it also isn't half bad, especially when you're on a budget like myself.

However, I wore the twist-out yesterday and my hair is already dried out. This says:
1. Suave is only a good moisturizer for maybe a day.
2. I NEED to deep condition my hair.

I honestly don't remember the last time I deep conditioned my hair! Terrible, Terrible!
With things as chaotic as they are right now, my hair has definitely been given a back seat. I'll get back on track though--I've invested way too much time to just let my hair break off now.

I need a sulfate free shampoo!
I have been using Dr. Miracles Tingling Shampoo and Conditioner once a month since January 2009. It's a good shampoo, especially for mild scalp issues but I only use it on my scalp, I don't use it frequently and I use a teeny tiny bit because of the sulfate.

As many may know, sulfates are big no-no's. Although the sulfates in Dr. miracles are in the middle on the ingredients list, it can still be drying--therefore, I do not like smushing it into my hair. I know the results would be a mess of hay.

My hair needs a good, long shampooing--a real 'start over'.
There is a sulfate-free shampoo I've heard of and want to try: SheaMoisture moisture retention shampoo. I'm not sure if that's the exact name, but it's pretty close.

One of the YouTubers did a review on it (I believe her name's msVaughn--lovely videos). She said it really moisturizes the hair--that's great for a shampoo! It's about $10.

So, I'll be doing some research, to make sure this will be a good buy. I'm in college and I really can't afford to be throwing around money for anything.

If there's any good sulfate-free Shampoos that anyone has tried, please let me know.

P.S: I'll post pics of my twist-out--or what's left of it!

Today's Look--Tucked up and Away

I've been trying to prepare my hair (and myself) for winter styling.
Last winter, I was terrible to my hair--I wore it big and out nearly 90% and of course, It suffered. It dried out, tangled and broke.

Now, a year smarter :) I have decided to do protective styles at least 50% of the time this winter: tucked in, twisted up, pulled and hidden to the back--the works.

Earlier this week I wore a bun using my sock donut bun. Today I also wore something bun-like.
I pulled my hair into a pony tail, took the hair (hanging out the pony tail) and pulled it to the front and pinned it down with bobby pins. I loved the delicious volume! And it's a protective style--so it's a win-win, right?

These pictures were taken after the day (very windy day)

I Wanna Try More(totallyawesome) Styles, But...

My hair tangles like...I don't even know what...it's ridiculous.

It might be my own fault though. I'm a big-n-wild type when it comes to styling my hair. I love it when my hair surrounds my head and bounces with every step!

And so obviously, after a few days of being my big and bouncy self...I have a huge tangled mess on my head.
So, while I would like to try more of the awesome styles I see on blogs, websites and YouTube videos, I always feel the need to wear my hair big first and then tuck, twist, pull it into other styles...and by then it's too late.

I think it's all about self-discipline. Saying no to the big and wild look (for a week or two) and trying a cute style. If I don't like it, I can always switch to another or fall back on my signature look!

Bunning!

I've been M.I.A lately. Things have been pretty hard lately, but thanks to God everything works out for good.
I've been trying to get back to the routine of caring for my hair. Today, I pulled and tucked my old braid-out into a bun for church. And I liked it!
When I wear buns, I usually wear them pretty high, but today I had to pull it to the back a little to wear my head covering (I am an Apostolic Pentecostal).

I used my sock bun that I made last summer (there's a bunch of tutorials on how to make them on YouTube). It's really not that bad, especially since I didn't do it on fresh hair.
I think I may do a little experimenting with bunning this week :)

Until next time,

Kerri

Hair Update

From the time I've been a no-show on my blog, I've twisted my hair and worn the mini-twists for about two and a half weeks. They have been out for nearly a week now, and all I've managed to do was a curly puff, with some gel added for a little definition. Yes, I said gel.
I don't know that last time I had gel in my hair, but with little time on my hands, I decided why not.
This coming weekend, Im hoping to have time enough to wash, deep condition and braid and curl my hair.
Until next time,
Kerri :)

An Apology And Good Excuse!

I will like to apologize for the lack of posts! The wire-less Internet access that I've been relying on has let me down. It hasn't been working for almost 2 weeks now an I only get to go online at certain times! It really sucks...but hey.
Well, on another note, I once again have my hair in two strand twist. I needed a break from the everyday tangles from the curls. I also finally got my hair trimmed!!! So, I'm happy about that.
I might keep my twists in for about 2 weeks with touch-ups in between.

Kerri :)

My 'No Time For Hair' Hairstyle

School is upon me!!! Summer is practically over which means back to the books, studying, projects and exams! And less free time for me things such as proper hair care.

On the curly hair website www.naturallycurly.com one reader asked about hair care during college semesters. Some ladies advised her to set aside a day just for hair (washing, deep conditioning, styling), which I agreed to but also added that she should also come up with 'no time for hair' hairstyle. A hairstyle which will give at least a week without having to De-tangle and re-style.

I think this style could be anything from braids, twists or just a bun, whatever style you like that will "take care of itself" when you can't.

My recently discovered 'no maintenance' style is the famous two-stand twist! Yes, I've fallen in love with this style. Not only for when I need a styling break either! I just enjoy styling it; there's countless ways to wear these mini twist.

I've created neat buns, messy buns, curls and curly ponytails (by adding rollers and letting it set overnight) and my most recent love: the messy bob. Neat 'bun'

Curly Ponytail: Twists curled and pulled up into a ponytail

Curls created by rollers (looked neater in real life)

Messy Bun


Messy bob. I tucked the longer layers of my hair underneath itself
and pinned it with a bobby pin. With the shorter layers
hanging out and a few twists pinned to the side, it made a cute style.