I Tried a Kinky Curly Wash and Go and it was ... Just OK?!!!!!

Yeah. I liked some of the products individually, but as a system for wash and goes, this was a bit underwhelming. My wonderful sis A got me the Kinky Curly Knot Today (KCKT) and the Kinky Curly Curling Custard (KCCC) for my earthstrong and I decided to go ahead and get their Come Clean Shampoo as well so I can try it as a system as they say you should do. I have imitated their wash and go technique for a while, you can see my last documented try here using other products, but this is my first time using Kinky Curly products, mainly because I'm cheap. lol. Turns out I haven't really been missing out on anything. Now that I have tried it I can say definitively you can get the same and probably even BETTER results using a leave in of your choice and some IC Fantasia or any other curl activating gel of your choosing.

I had my hair in about 11 braids and I used the Come Clean shampoo and washed my hair with the braids in. I really like the shampoo, it gets your hair very clean but also doesn't leave it feeling dried and stripped or like hay as I like to describe it. It's a great clarifying shampoo so maybe I'll purchase it again but at the rate I use shampoos that's not going to be anytime soon. Once I rinsed the shampoo out, I did a cold ACV rinse.

On the Kinky Curly site they recommend that you apply the styling products to soaking wet hair, so I got out of the shower and headed to the sink. There I took down one braid at a time, starting in the back, soaked it good with my water bottle and used my fingers to remove shed strands and do some detangling. 

Section freshly washed, no product

I then took  1/2 tbs of the KCKT and applied it to the section. I detangled with my comb and then did a final pass with my tangle teezer, hoping to get an effect similar to what a denman would do but that didn't happen so this step was probably unnecessary in addition to dangerous. 

Same section, KCKT added, combed and 1 pass of TT

I then applied a 1/2 tbs of the KCCC, smoothing my fingers down around my clumps of curls and then finally clasping my palms around the section and smoothing from roots to ends. I then loosely twisted each section to 1.5 inches from the end  to keep it out of the way. 

Section twisted after smoothing with KCCC

Once all sections were complete, I unraveled the twists and let my hair airdry. The entire application process took a little less than an hour and it didn't require that much product, a little can go a ways if you can get more than a couple days wear out of this hairstyle.

The Final Result

Closeup

Compare to the pic up top to see how much product I used, which isn't that much considering how long and thick my hair is

I must say I loved the KCKT. I see what everybody has been raving about, this thing was a dream as a detangler, it smelled wonderful and even on its own it made my curls sing. I am looking forward to using it as a base in my homemade leave-in. I can probably make a better judgement with more uses but I think this is something I may buy more of in the future. I want to do a direct comparison with my Giovanni Direct leave-in first before I make a final decision. 

The KCCC, at first seemed like a banger. My curls immediately popped when I smoothed it on my hair and I got some serious hangtime for like 2 secs but the amount of shrinkage I got was something else. I don't know why I had it in my mind that I would get less shrinkage with this product but I actually got more than when I use my gels like IC Fantasia. It gave me great curl definition in some areas but in a lot of areas it did nothing, especially the front and crown of my hair. To be fair, the curls at the back of my head are looser but I know I can get curl definition even in the front of my hair because I have seen it many times before with way cheaper products. The KCCC also made my hair hard which I didn't like at all. 

The deal breaker was that there is not enough hold, by the second day my hair was already starting to flop. My curls in the back were still good but the front of my hair looked like my naked hair lol. I get at least 5 days wear with my gels so this was unacceptable for such an expensive product. 

Second day hair. No mam. Not even my 5th day hair with gels look like this

2nd day curls at the back of my head still looking good though.  Loving the shine

I still have a little less than 3/4 the jar left so I'll use it again and see what happens but as of right now, I probably won't be buying this again. I think it is great for ppl with 3 something - 4a hair but beyond that it seems to be pushing it. On a positive note, the smell is divine, the product is light, non-sticky and not greasy and even though the individual clumps of curls feel hard to touch, your hair still feels light and has lots of movement. Your hair doesn't feel dry and there is no flaking or buildup. 

Last night I grabbed sections of my hair and two strand twisted it without adding any product or moisture to see if I can stretch it out and salvage 3rd and beyond day hair. I'll update with pics later.

Tangle Teezer Update: Not WINNING!!!! Anymore :(

Yes folks. I think I may have to retire my beloved TT. Lord knows I was in heaven when I found something that glided through my hair so easily. But after a while the scientist in me got to wondering about the mechanism of this thing. How exactly does it get through those tangles? I also started noticing way more breakage than I normally would. Mind you for about a year I had ZERO breakage: every strand on my comb and finger was full length. Then slowly but surely I started seeing those little 1cm strands, then longer ones and then so much more. And my problem area, the front of my hair just seemed to be getting worse no matter what I did. Now not to cause alarm, I would say that even now my breakage really isn't anything to write home about, however, coming from a place where I had none, any amount is concerning.

My bday wig lol

One day I decided to get to the bottom of this dilemma. I rocked a wig for my birthday and with all my intense dancing and sweating, the nape area of the wig was EXTREMELY matted. So I told myself "Self, how about we try the tangle teezer on this?!!!" Well folks suffice it to say I now know how the TT dissolves those knots: it is chopping them off strand by strand. lol yup. By the time I was done detangling the matted hair, the 6-8 inch hair at the nape was a sparse 4 inch or less lmao. My APL wig was almost a bob when I got done. So yeah, I reverted to my comb and fingers with a quickness. I'll prob still keep it in case of emergencies. I even used it this weekend as a last pass on my hair in a wash and go but I knew I was doing damage. 

This is so heart breaking but I think I have to break up with my tangle teezer. I think I'll try a denman next. The worse that will do is pull my hair out, not chop it off. lol What have your experiences been?

National Headwrap Day

The lovely Ms S invited me to participate in this wonderful event. By now you all know I LURVEEEEE my Headwraps. It was great to share that love with others for one day. For this one I used this beautiful delicate scarf I found at H&M. I folded into a large square and then folded the square into a triangle. I put the straight edge around the back of my head with the peak of the triangle towards my forehead. I then grabbed the two edges and made a knot over the peak. I pulled the peak forward to smooth the scarf on my head then folded the peak over the knot and tucked under/behind it. I then fashioned the remaining cloth of the two edges into a bow by strategically tucking into/under the knot. As always, I'm rocking my protective satin scarf under this creation.

Summer 2011 - Regimen update

You know it's summer when you are driving around minding your business when all of a sudden  a hot air balloon lands in front of you. lol

As I revealed in my confessions post, I haven't been as good to my hair as I know how to lately and I am going to do better. For one, my once a month washing routine won't work in this heat. For two (lol), summertime = cute hair time so I'll probably be rocking more out styles and changing my style more often so I'll have to change my routine to suit. For three, I anticipate quite a bit of travelling so that will also affect my hair styling and haircare so I need to plan. These are the changes I'm going to be implementing to try to keep my hair healthy this summer:

1. Washing
• Wash every one to two weeks
• Do an oil Prepoo everytime I wash to finger detangle and remove shed hair then braid hair into 10 loose braids (washing loose will take hours, washing in twists leads to locs so braids it is)
• Shampoo, condition and deep condition every wash day
• Wash my hair in the prepoo braids
• When shampooing focus on the scalp and then while the shampoo is still in the hair, coat in conditioner and then rinse. 
• Try to do a Steam treatment at least once a month but every wash day is ideal
• ACV rinse every wash day
• 
  
2. Moisturizing
• On wash day, moisturize with my homemade leave in
• Try using the homemade leave in on dry hair between washes
• During the week spritz with infusium 23 and baggy often
• When rocking out styles, if possible try to retwist/braid at night and baggy, use shea moisture or homemade leave in to moisturize
• When rocking wash and goes, spritz daily (try a glycerin/rosewater mix)
• Seal with coconut oil
• 
  
3. Styling
• Finger detangle as much as possible. Only use a comb when absolutely necessary. Use the TT as a last resort
• For twists and braids - Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie
• For Wash and Go - experiment with KCKT/ KCCC, Infusium/Giovanni direct/Carefree Curl Gold Instant Activator/IC Fantasia. If just refreshing a wash and go, forego all the typical wash day shenanigans and simply water rinse or cowash.
• 
  
4. Protecting
• Always sleep on a satin pillow case/ with a satin bonnet
• Try to retwist/rebraid often to baggy ends
• For next day out styles, pineapple the hair overnight
• 
  
5. Other
• Exercise
• Drink more water
• Take my supplements
• Eat more fresh/natural food
• Reduce stress
• 
  

Any other ideas on other things I can do?

Damn You HUMIDITY!!!!

Summatime. You got's to love it. The sun is shining and you can actually feel it, ppl are happy, lots of bbqing , zipline diving/ swimming, tanning and mimosas and just good old hanging out. And oh yeah, that humidity. You leave home with a nice stretched out defined twist-out and when you get back it's a shrunken tangled fro. lol Anybody found a solution? Most times I just work with it, especially if I'm rocking curly styles. It gives me big hair and I love that. But sometimes I just want to be sure that my hair stays how I styled it. Anybody has any product suggestions? I tried Garnier Fructis Style Full Control Anti-Humidity Hairspray on my July 4th curly fro and it seemed to kind of work but I couldn't really tell and I don't really like using hairspray. I want to try the Sabino moisture block next, maybe my boo A will let me try some of hers. lol. For my Trini peeps and others who live in humid climes who want to rock a blowout/flat iron for more than a few days, the perfect moisture block is your best friend. Join me in my search will you?

Shea Moisture, Me likey!

So I've been playing around with trying Shea Moisture products ever since I walked into my local Walgreens and saw them sitting there just waiting for me. At $10 a piece they are kind of pricey for a cheap girl like me but I decided to pick up the Organic Raw Shea Butter Deep Treatment Masque when my staple ORS Hair Mayo ran out. The label says you can also use this as a leave-in but i have not tried it as such yet. Maybe I'll use it as a base in my next homemade leave in mix. 

The smell of it is touch or go, it has grown on me but I can see how some people may not like it. I used this with my Huetiful steamer and it left my hair uber moisturized although I can't say it does a better job than my ORS so i probably won't be buying another one when this is done. but if you are in the market for a new deep conditioner, try it. It definitely gets the job done as far as my eyes can see and my hands can feel and it is also doing other wonders that I can't perceive just by virtue of the wonderful ingredients in this thing: Sea Kelp, Argan Oil, Shea Butter, Avocado Oil, Honeysuckle and Carrot Seed Oil to name a few.

I also eventually gave in to an impulse buy and got the Organic Coconut and Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie and I must say I have been using it a lot lately and it will probably end up being a staple. I have been using it to re-twist/re-braid/ re-moisturize my curly fro and it imparts excellent shine and moisture and does a good job of giving me defined curls on my dry hair. I haven't tried it on wet hair yet but when I do I'll be sure to update this review. It is kind of greasy and definitely leads to buildup but a little goes a long way. It is also very thick and on dry hair you have to really work it into the hair if you don't want to see the white stuff just sitting there. I think it's a good product for twists and braids as you get a smooth shiny finish and if you want a defined twist- or braid-out you will get that with this. To me it's a healthier version of Ms Jessie's Buttercreme and Curly Pudding in one.

I think I want to try their Curl and Style Milk next. It looks like it would do great for wash and goes.

These Are My Confessions...

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I've been a bad bad girl. lol. As you can probably judge from the myriad of posts I have been posting lately (NOT), I have been kind of ignoring my hair. I got cornrows in May and since then I have been coasting on easy street. While in 'rows I washed, co-washed and deep-conditioned a few times, used what was left of my last batch of homemade leave in and didn't do much else. Midweek spritzing with Infusium? Maybs. Baggying? Ummm what's that again? lol 

Then 4th of July weekend I took my 'rows out, did a pre-poo with coconut oil and dry detangled/removed shed hair. That was an effort, took me about as long as it took to put them in (4-5 hrs) and resulted in a nice big ball of shed hair and a crazy looking fro.

on par for what I usually shed in a month

look at all that hair

I tried a new wash routine: twist my hair into 16  two strand twists and do the entire wash, condition, deep-condition, acv rinse routine with them in. That was easy enough, it only took me a little over an hour. Unfortunately, I couldn't do my immediate detangle, moisturise, put in a protective style routine as I had to jump on a plane (yes I flew with naked hair and I liked it! lol). The unfortunate part is that as I have said on numerous occasions, my hair thinks it's rasta, yes the dread kind, so by the time I got around to moisturize 24hrs later, not only was I in a hotel with only products that could fit in a ziplock bag but my tangles were frightful. lol Lucky for me, it turns out that hotel water is almost as good as my infusium for detangling purposes and my free sample of Moringa Tree Conditioning Ghee from Qhemet Biologics is also an excellent detangler and moisturiser! I was successfully able to detangle and twist my hair in about 2.5 hrs and rocked a lovely twistout updo to my friend's wedding the next day.  

July 4th was also National Afro Day so I rocked a mean curly afro for the occasion

From then to now I kinda have been... rocking a curly afro lol. Why? part busy, part lazy. Because I wanted my fro to remain fairly defined and big I was scared to spritz because water+my hair = tangles and locs. So I have been experimenting with using Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie as my leave in. It seems to work great but it definitely eventually leads to greasy buildup. 

Curly Fro a la Esperanza lol

I did another prepoo/detangling session with coconut oil last night and I didn't have that much tangling or shedding which was a welcome surprise. I then washed with hello hydration shampoo, conditioned with my suave tropical coconut, deep conditioned in the shower with hollywood beauty carrot cholesterol deep conditioning creme. My hair definitely let out a sigh of relief. As I applied my leave-in I could definitely feel my hair needing some TLC: it feels rougher than usual, probably because I haven't baggy-ed my ends in so long and also because I have been rocking more out styles recently and not moisturizing as much. So this is me confessing and vowing to do better. I have a plan and I'm gonna try my darndest to stick to it!

My Quest for the Perfect Leave-in Conditioner

The perfect leave in varies with season, hair style, hair length, whether the hair is wet or dry, freshly washed or 3 weeks dirty. lol. My moisturizing routine is pretty simple: whenever I wash I use an adapted version of kimmaytube's leave in conditioner. On dry hair I usually moisturize by spritzing with diluted Infusium 23 and try to baggy often. I have used various combinations of creamy bases and oils in my adapted leave in but this summer I want to catch up on some experiments I have wanted to do for a while. In the past I have used Cantu Shea Butter leave in and hollywood beauty carrot creme hairdress as my primary base and jojoba, jbco, grapeseed and coconut oils as my oils of choice. 

I had promised to try using a cheapie rinse out conditioner as my creamy base a while ago and I FINALLY got around to doing it. I used Suave tropical coconut conditioner as my base and avocado and sweet almond as my oils of choice. I usually make big batches and store in the fridge which would last me 3-4 washes but this time I made a small batch that I used in 1 session. 

1tbs suave tropical coconut conditioner
1tbs aloe vera juice
1/2 tbs redken extreme anti snap
1 tsp avocado oil
1 tsp sweet almond oil

look at those juicy braids!

The result was pretty good. My curls were definitely moisturized and felt and look it. I will have to wait till my hair dries to see if that moisturized feeling lasts but I would say that it is a good alternative for folks who live in places that don't have KCKT or all these other US brands to choose from. Every country has shampoo and conditioner so if u find a rinse out that you can use as a leave in (I recommend suave, vo5 and tresseme) then go for it! Check out this link from TightlyCurly for more suggestions of conditioners that you can try and this one for what to look out for if you are considering this option for making your own leave in.

In the coming weeks I will be doing more experiments with the bases and oils I use. As of right now I want to try giovanni direct leave in, KCKT and maybe more cheapie conditioners. I also have a few oils in my stash to try as well: cocnut, tea tree, sweet almond, apricot kernel, grapeseed , jojoba and avocado.  If you would like to suggest a base or oil I should try go ahead and leave a comment or send me an email. Stayed tuned for more on my quest!

Look Who Finally Won Something!!!

MEEEEEE!!! lol. You know there are some ppl always winning a raffle or bingo or random giveaways or play whe or the lotto? I'm not that person. LMAO honestly I don't think I have ever won anything based on chance ever (superficially at least) and I def haven't won any competitions in a while (read: donkey years) so I was so pleased when I FINALLY won something: a 2oz sample of Qhemet Biologics Moringa Tree Conditioning Ghee! How did I win? I was one of the first five to correctly answer 'Cacao' to the question they posted on Facebook: "Indigenous to Central and South America, its generic name literally means 'drink of the gods'". Thanks so much Qhemet Biologics and for the folks reading, if you aren't a fan on facebook yet, what are you waiting on?!! You could be winning fabulous stuff too. lol

I have been wanting to try Qhemet for the longest while and this product definitely did not disappoint. It actually arrived just in time for a plane ride and helped me to successfully detangle my loc prone hair 24 hrs after washing it and used it as a leave in under my Ms Jessie's curly pudding to do some lovely 2 strand twist for a rockstar twistout updo the next day. It is a great detangler and it also moisturizes well and is not greasy. I also liked that it worked well with my curly pudding. No flaking or extra greasiness with this combo. My girlfriend who has looser curls than I (3b/c) used it as a moisturizer/curl definer and omg it did an amazing job on her hair as well. 

rocking my twistout updo

Yay for #WINNING! lol

National Afro Day

Curly Nikki has decreed it and so it shall be. I rocked a Curly fro, what did you rock?

We Love Headwraps

Another Edition. Folded a pashmina into a square and created this turban look

Earthstrong

Hi folks

so I know I haven't been posting too often but I'm busy busy busy preparing for an exciting transition in my life that I'll tell you all more about later. This is just to let you all know I'm still very much alive, enjoying the summer and enjoying my birthday month. As far as hair is concerned, I'm rocking some canerows (no extensions) since memorial weekend compliments of my bff R. Since installing these I've washed my hair at least 3 times. I'll prob rock these at least for another week but they can definitely keep going even longer than that.

Fresh canerows aka cornrows. Perfect summer hairstyle

I got some really exciting gifts for my birthday courtesy of my wonderful sis A! I got a Curlformers starter kit AND some Kinky Curly Knot Today and the Curling Custard! Ain't that exciting?! Expect some documented experiments in the near future. Get excited! 

Hope you guys are enjoying your summer/rainy season depending on your location

Be Blessed, Never Stressed

Inspiration for my 4bcz sistas

If I could get a bucket of Eddy's slow churned limited edition Girl Scouts Samoas Cookies ice cream for every person who has said the following statement to me, I would be a very very happy woman:

'Oh you have that nice hair that grows. My hair doesn't grow.'

Ladies, you do go or at one point did have to get touchups right? The thing you are touching up is your growth. YOUR HAIR GROWS!!! I assure you. Unless you have some kind of medical condition, healthy human beings' hair grows 1/4 inch per month on average. Some people's hair grows faster due to genetics and other factors but EVERYBODY's hair grows. The key to 'seeing' the growth is retaining it. So if you aren't seeing length and that is a goal of yours, growth may not be your problem. You may have a length retention problem. What causes length retention problems you may ask? Not enough moisture, over manipulation, breakage, excessive shedding. You need to figure out what the problem is and fix it and stop buying into the 'my hair can't grow' spiel.   Are you moisturizing enough? Are you cleansing your hair and scalp often enough? Are you eating a healthy and balanced diet? Are you taking your supplements? Do you drink enough water? are you stressed? Are you over-manipulating your hair? Are you not handling your tresses with sufficient care? Any myriad of factors may be affecting your length retention but they can be addressed. 

Now I know you probably still won't believe me so today I'm gonna provide some inspiration for you. Meet Sera25. Is that some gorgeous long hair or what?!!! Go ahead and check out her fotki page for more picture inspiration as well as her regimen and other useful tips.

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For my relaxed hair sisters considering going natural - Natural hair starter kit

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Now that we have the dealt with the other issues we can get down to the hair. I swear to you it is not rocket science. You do not need to have a complicated regimen, use a million products, rub vayjayjay cream on your head or spend hours on end on your hair. Let me say now: if at anytime you feel like having natural hair is impairing your ability to be happy and is encroaching on your peace of mind you might want to go ahead and choose a less stress inducing option for the time being. after all, it's just hair.

Here are a few links for posts I have posted previously that will help you with the basics in terms of the keys to building a regimen and understanding the structure of hair

Building a regimen for healthy hair growth

Hair Structure and the Importance of pH

Coconut prepoo - great for detangling and potentially softening your new growth

To summarize, if I had to give a transitioner a starter kit these are the things I would put in it:

1) A moisturizing shampoo - you want to cleanse your hair without drying it.

2) A cheapie conditioner with lots of slip - moisturize and helps to detangle

3) A deep conditioning treatment - really moisturize your hair and strengthen it to prevent breakage, especially at the demarcation line between ur relaxed hair and your new growth

4) A Plastic cap - serves as a cheapie steam cap when deep conditioning. Also good for baggying.

5) A protein treatment - correct porosity issues and reinforce your hair

6) Apple Cider Vinegar - pH balance, close your cuticles and smooth your hair strands to prevent tangling and breakage. Also removes buildup on your hair and scalp

7) A Wide Tooth Comb - for detangling. Use your fingers first and any detangling implement you have afterward, taking care not to overly manipulate the hair.

8) Water - drink lots of it, use it on your hair.

9)A good leave in conditioner - different hair types like different leave ins. You want something that leaves your hair moisturized, soft and doesn't leave a residue. Experiment until you find one you like.

10) Sealing Oil - Use any oil you prefer e.g coconut or olive to seal in your moisture.

Figuring out a regimen that works for you will take some experimentation both with methods and products and will depend on your lifestyle. You can search around my blog for what I do but take it as a guide as no two heads of hair are the same. Only you can determine how often you need to wash your hair, if you prefer to shampoo or cowash, whether or not your hair needs a protein treatment, etc. Below is a summary of my current regimen

1) Coconut prepoo once every 2-3 months. 

2) Shampoo once a month with Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Shampoo

3) Protein treatment once every 1-2 months with Nexxus Emergencee

4) Condition once a month with Suave Tropical Coconut Conditioner

5) Deep Condition once a month with ORS Hair Mayonnaise (also experimenting with Shea Moisture and Hollywood Beauty Carrot)

6) Steam with my Huetiful Steamer whenever I deep condition

7) ACV rinse whenever I wash

8) Detangle using diluted infusium 23 every time I wash my hair or style my hair. Also use it to moisturize between washes.

9) Use my fingers, wide tooth comb and tangle teezer to remove shed hair and detangle once a month/ whenever I style.

10) moisturize with an adapted version of the kimmaytube leave in 

11) Seal with coconut Oil

I rock protective styles most of the time, mostly 2 strand twists and box braids. This keeps my hair stretched preventing single strand knots and excessive tangling. It also reduces manipulation. I refrain from using heat, getting my hair straightened maybe once or twice a year. When I do use heat, I make sure to prep my hair by doing a protein treatment and making sure my hair is well moisturized. I also make sure to use heat protectants so that I don't get heat damage. If you decide to do your transition using a protective style such as weaves or braid extensions, you have to remember to care for your hair as well. Make sure and keep your scalp and hair clean and moisturized!

Again to my natural sisters on here who were transitioners, feel free to pitch in and for the relaxed sistas if you have specific questions, please post them in the comments or send me an email! In the meantime here is a great inspiration album for people thinking about transitioning, especially longterm transitioners

Hope this helps somebody!

Where to Find Natural Hair and Skin products in Trinidad - an update

Hi Folks,

there has been an overwhelming response to that first post about finding products in Trinbago which suggests to me that many Trinis are interested in the natural hair journey. That makes my heart really happy. lol. Here are some other places where you can find products. Free advertising, I know, but I'm hoping that one of these days if I decide to do a giveaway they will provide some gifts. lmao. We'll see. If you go to these places tell them MzNappyTrini sent you ok. lol. 

1. Body Beautiful On D Avenue

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Located in Woodbrook Port Of Spain, they stock many of the favorites of your YouTube gurus and go to bloggers. From Kinky Curly to JBCO to African Shea butter to Jane Carter products, they have it. They also have natural skincare products as well. I believe they do demonstrations of KCCC if you make an appointment. The best thing about them - they do home deliveries to any locations in Trinidad AND Tobago! Friend them on facebook here to see more of the products they offer as well as to keep abreast of new products, promotions and sales.  

2. Hair It is

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In addition to stocking lots and lots of weave, they stock a lot of the natural hair care brand names like Carol's Daughter, Mixed Chicks, Ms Jessie's and many other popular hair care lines in the US, most notably Chi and Moroccan Oil. This business is owned by none other than Ms Danielle Jones, MS T&T Universe 2004 who was the 4th runner up at the Ms Universe pageant that year. 

If you have the dispensable income to spare and always wanted to try these products, you can pay them a visit. In my personal opinion, these product lines are a luxury, not a necessity. You can take great care of your hair without using products that cost an arm or a leg. They are also located in Woodbrook Port of Spain and run some pretty good sales from time to time, more on the weave than the hair products but hey you know how we Caribbean chicas like to keep ppl guessing. lol. They are also on facebook so go ahead and friend them if you are so inclined.

3. Cher Mere

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Many of us growing up in Trini are well aware of the Cher Mere product line. If you haven't used them you have definitely at least heard about them. They are still around and their product line has expanded. They have several outlets throughout trinidad and do business throughout the Caribbean and ship internationally as well. Their products contain wonderful natural ingredients like aloe and rachette and are infused with a wide array of herbal oils. They also produce products for skin care and offer spa services as well. Check them out on Facebook or get more info on their website

The rest of info I have is still a work in progress. I have been told by Trini naturals who read the blog that my southern naturalistas can find products at a place called Santas??? I'm not sure where it is, somebody give me deets on the actual adress if you can. You can also get products at the herbal store at Carlton Centre. Again, if you have deets, please share. Apparently you can get Mixed Chicks products at some store at Carlton Centre as well. lol 

Ok ppl keep sharing info and I'll keep on updating! We still on the lookout for infusium 23 leave-in in T&T. First person to find it gets some chilli bibi! LMAO

Stay blessed

For my relaxed hair sisters considering going natural - tips for the transition

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I was recently asked for a few tips on going natural from a sister who is currently relaxed and thinking about transitioning. I told her I might just do a blog post with the answer because I'm pretty sure she is not the only one in her situation with this question so C this is for you! lol

Let me make it clear from the beginning that I myself have never been relaxed and so have never had that relaxed to natural transition per say. I have however done some big and not so big chops (BC) in my life and I have definitely had experiences of not taking care of my hair as I should and now actually taking the time to do better and observing the results so I think I can still share some useful tips.

My first piece of advice would be to take the time to get your mind right about what you are about to do. I spend a significant amount of time scouring YouTube videos, natural hair blogs and forums and it seems that a few key themes emerge for sisters contemplating the transition or already in it or even those who have BCed. Many complain about how hard it is to manage their hair, not liking their curl pattern, not knowing how to care for or style their hair. Others have problems of acceptance, from their family, their friends, their colleagues and even themselves. Some ladies go through a stage of not feeling as feminine or as pretty or as attractive as they did before they embarked on the journey. 

To help you get your mind and in turn your spirit prepared here are a few insights to help you cross those hurdles. 

1. First and foremost, hair is just hair!

What your hair and what you choose to do with it ultimately means should be at your sole dictate and nobody else. If you decide to embark on the path to natural because of deep seated philosophical or even health issues or whether you decide to do it on a whim is your prerogative. Don't let anybody invalidate your experience based on your rationale. Once you are secure in your reasoning for doing what you are doing it becomes much easier to be strong in the face of negativity that may or may not come your way but more importantly it will make your journey that much more fulfilling.

2. The journey may not start off easy but I promise it gets better with time

Remember, it's like learning to read all over again. Your natural hair is not the same as your relaxed hair. What worked when you were relaxed may not work on your new growth and what works on your twa may no longer be effective when you get to shoulder length, if that is a goal of yours. Be cognizant of this, it helps to ease the frustration on those days when your hair is acting like a rebellious child. With this in mind I would advise that if your lifestyle allows, it is a good idea to not do you entire transition in braids or a weave as you miss out on that valuable learning time of getting to understand what your curly hair likes. When you do the bigchop you will already have an arsenal of products and styling techniques you have confidence in as opposed to being thrown head first into curls and/or kinks that you didn't spend any significant amount of time getting to know.

3. No two heads of hair are the same

The only way to truly learn what works best for your hair is through your own experimentation. It's great to learn from other ppl's experiences but there are no guarantees. This is particularly important now that we have all these natural hair gurus, products, youtube vids and blogs. Take everything with a pinch of salt and find what applies to you and enjoy the rest. Do your own research and view bandwagons with great suspicion. lol. I'll take the time here to say resist the urge to become a product junkie! lol

4. Your hair is always growing!

You don't need growth aides, magical products or anything else. The key to maximal hair growth is keeping your hair follicles healthy via diet, exercise and your daily water intake, keeping your scalp clean and healthy with a good cleansing regimen, and retaining length by moisturizing your hair and protecting your ends. More on this later.

5. You are not guaranteed to have curls

I have encountered so many ppl who get inspired to go natural based on somebody who has a more relaxed curl pattern and then when they realize that they can't get ms jessie curls or carol daughter curls or mixed chick curls or kinky curly curls they are devastated. There is no one natural and you may in fact find that you have numerous types of curls or kinks on your head. All natural hair is beautiful and your hair will be beautiful because YOU are beautiful. Don't have unrealistic expectations for your curl pattern and embrace and work with whatever you have!

Now that that is out of the way lets get down to the science of hair. In my next post I will provide some specific hair care tips you may want to keep in mind and other resources to make your transition as painless as possible!

To transitioners and formally relaxed sisters who read this blog, feel free to add your own tips in the comments! Let's help our sisters out.

Da Curls (and Kinks and Tangles lol) are Back

 

Got to love that shrinkage lol

So after 6+ weeks of straight hair I'm back to the curly side. It was still pretty much straight after all this time but I just felt like I needed to wash my scalp. I think the straightening may have been a bit of a hair setback in terms of growth but it was still fun while it lasted and seeing how long I was able to maintain it and the potential to go even longer, I may consider doing it again sometime in the future. lol. 

Ready to be washed bye bye, it was good while it lasted

I realize that the days of washing my hair loose are definitely coming to an end. Usually I would wash my hair in four sections but this time I had to do it in 10. 

Fatty twists done, ready to hit the shower

It took me all of 3 hrs to shampoo my scalp and hair, do a protein treatment, condition, deep condition and ACV rinse. The good news is that doing it in all those sections made detangling and twisting my hair relatively easy and took 1.5 hrs. For detangling I used my fingers first, then my big tooth comb and then finally my tangle teezer. Patience really is the key.

Right Bag: 6 weeks worth of shed hair (collected over time lol)
Left Bag: shed hair from detangling after washing yesterday.

For deep conditioning I tried the Hollywood Beauty Carrot Cholesterol I got with the hair dress cream I used in my adapted kimmaytube a while ago. It felt weird in my hand and going on my hair and has a strange baby powder smell but after 15 minutes under my Huetiful, my hair was definitely extremely moisturized and juicy juicy. I then rinsed with My ACV rinse and am happy to report that all my curls are back, in their original state with no apparent heat damage anywhere. Hallelujah!

I think I am going to have to make some changes to my regimen, most importantly how often I wash my hair because I can't be doing 4 hrs every week or even every 2 weeks. I think if I had not oiled my scalp I would have been able to go even longer than 6 weeks no problem so I didn't oil my scalp this week as an experiment. I think I'll be going for once a month washing and trying to use minimal product in between to keep my hair clean.

My hair is now in 22 two strand twists and I will be keeping them in for as long as possible but I am open to dry retwisting if need be. I plan on moisturizing with infusium when needed and sealing with coconut oil, baggying often. As of right now I am enjoying having my juicy curls back! Say a special prayer for me and my tangles. lol

Juicy juicy!

Today's regimen

Shampoo - HE Hello Hydration

Protein Treatment - Nexxus Emergencee

Conditioner - Suave Tropical Coconut

Deep Conditioner - Hollywood Beauty Carrot Cholesterol Deep Conditioning Cream

Leave in Conditioner - Infusium 23, adapted kimmaytube (hollywood Beauty Carrot Creme and Redken Extreme ANtisnap base)

Sealant - Coconut Oil