Stylin'

Here's another hairstyle for styling your mini twist and also the EZ Combs.

Also check out my latest video....

Itty Bitty Twistssss

Finally after two and a half days my mini twists are done. It was hard in the beginning but I got through it (had a little accident with the wii...lol) 

Products used:


*Yes to Cucumbers Leave-In (revisting and it seems to be great for these twists)
*Sweet Almond oil


Done on dry stretched out hair. I also didn't wash my hair before I did these because I had just shampooed my hair like 4 days before but I co-wash the day before twisting)

Look I what I got!!!

As I type this post I am extremely excited and overjoyed. I bought the Ez Combs today...and they actually work. At least the little style that I did worked. I finally decided to get them because 1. they are really cheap at Ross and Marshall's and 2. they seem like you can do a lot of styles with them in a few minutes. Since it has only been like 30 minutes since I got in the house and popped one of them in my hair I can't do a full review (plus I didn't want to mess up my hair) but please believe once I get some time with these bad boys I will definitely let ya'll know how they work. Oh and the price was $ 2.99 at Ross and $ 3.99 at Marshall's.

 
Right now I can tell you all that it felt very comfortable and secure on my hair and removing it wasn't bad at all. Stay tuned =)

Shrinkage.

The other day I did a video on the new technique I use to define my curls. As I watched the video over I noticed how much longer my hair was when I first applied the gel than when it dried (this is nothing new). But for some reason I am always shocked to see how much shrinkage there is when I do stuff to my hair. So looking at the amount of shrinkage in the picture above, that must mean that when my dry hair starts to touch my collar bone my wet hair is going to be way somewhere on my stomach =) Umm I'm a little excited about that.




I know that's random but I just thought I share that with ya'll...lol 

Wedding Hair...

The tutorial for this hairstyle will be uploading soon. Here's a sneak peek of what you'll see....

Oh and by the way I'm not engaged or even close to getting married as my boyfriend would say...lol

Review for Taliah Waajid Curly Curl Cream

Current Events

Here we go again with the "trend" word. This is an article from essence.com about black hair salons having to close down due to women going natural or wearing wigs , and the economy. My suggestion for those salons would be to learn how to style and work with natural hair (and don't charge an arm and leg when doing it). Well anyway here's the link...click here 

Quick question: Do you ladies think going/being natural is a trend???

I'm Jammin Over Here

Those of you who haven't listened to the Jazmine Sullivan album are missing out BIG TIME. I LOVE IT!!!!

Chrisette Michelle album is another fave. I think this album is sooo much better than the last one. And her performance at the Soul Train awards was out of this world. 

I also have fallen in love with a couple of tracks from Rihanna's new cd. 

Oh and I know this is so random but I just had to tell you guys how amazing these albums are. 

It just doesn't work :(

Hey ladies....so a couple of you were wondering why the Cantu Shea Butter Leave-in was on my dislike list. Well see what had happen was... I'm not really sure why it doesn't like my hair anymore. I really used to love this product and I still recommended to people but when I used it the couple of times recently my hair felt extremely dry. I'm hoping that it's because I have had it for a while (like 4 months, which is not that long). Luckily I have other products that work just as well.

Mrs. Berry's Hair.....

I can't wait for this movie to come out. The curly hair looks AMAZING on Halle Berry. 

Has Anyone Tried These???

Hey ladies have any of you tried any of Goodys Simple Styles collection. I have the Volume booster...thinking it was something else. But I'm curious to see how the others work on natural thick hair.

The Product Dislike List...

1. Herbal Essence Totally Twisted Scrunching Gel (ABSOLUTELY DESPISE THIS STUFF) 
2. Yes to Cucumbers Leave-in Conditioner
3. Jane Cater Revitalizing Spray Leave-In
4. Giovanni Smooth as Silk Shampoo
5. Elasta Qp Olive oil and Mango Butter Moisturizer 
6. Herbal Essence Long Term Relationship Leave in
7. Beyond the Zone Noddle Head (NEVER EVER AGAIN)
8. Beyond on the Zone Leave-In
9. Avalon Clarifying Shampoo
10. Cantu Shea Butter ( I used to love this stuff)

What's on your dislike list???

This list is in no particular order.

Goody Jojojba Brush Works Great on Straight Hair TOO

You've heard me rave about this brush before and this time it just keeps getting better and better.  The Goody Jojoba Infused Brush is great for your curly and amazing for you straight hair. Since I've been wearing my hair straightened lately, this brush has become my best friend. I still don't think it does much for adding shine but it sure does smooth the hair down and remove tangels wonderfully. 

Hey guys just a quick update:


-I APOLOGIZE to those of you who have sent me there feature info. I am going to posting the last of those and hopefully when my schedule settles down I can start that back up. Again I'm so sorry for taking so long to post your info.

-I just uploaded a new video click here to view it

-I'm about to post a couple of post

That's pretty much it ladies. Thanks for sticking in there with. I REALLY APPRECIATE IT =)

And I hope everyone has been enjoying the beautiful fall weather. 

Curlies

It's Straight Baby!!!

I finally worked up the confidence to straighten my hair. Thanks to anautralbeauty3's video which basically said DON'T BE SCARRRED!!! You guys have no idea how many videos I watched about natural's who straightened their hair. From that I found that using the comb-chase method (i think that's how it goes) really works!.

Products used:

-Suave Shampoo

-Organix Pomegranate and Green Tea

-Giovanni 50:50 conditioner

-Chi Silk Infusion 

Meet Alisha....

How long have you been natural?

I got my last relaxer in November 2008, and got my first big chop on May 9, 2009. Then I got my second (accidental) bc in July of 2009. Altogether I have been on my natural hair journey for 21 months now!

What do you use?

I use a lot of product all depending on my mood. I use KCCC for my wash and go's. For my puffs, I use Eco Styler gel. Other various products include Dr. Bronner's castile soap for shampoo, and Giovanni's Direct Leave in. For my co-washes I use Yes to Cucumbers, Yes to Carrots, and/or Suave Professionals Humectant Conditioner.

What's the best part about being natural?

The best part about being natural is the versatility! I can do some much! My hair is stronger! I found that when I was relaxed, I have mainly one style, a wrap. Now I can do puffs, wash and go's, twists, twist outs, and the list goes on! I love it!

What regimen have you found to work best with your hair?

I like using KCCC because it last for a while. When I use it I wash my hair once a week. For the first few days I can just stretch it out while its dry (without too much frizzing) then the remaining for days I freshen it up with the KC Spiraling Spritz or just water!

How do you rock your natural hair?

I really just wear playful fros. I also like to wear my puff (classic)! It's the prefect way of keeping it simple and it doesn't take much thought, plus, my little puff is steadily growing (I'm so excited)!

What's your signature style?

A curly fro. I love finding new ways of pinning my hair in different styles.

Do the DO.

Here's another variation of one of my favorite hairstyles. 

How it's done:
----Either stretch your hair or wet it up so that you can flat twist. (NOTE: if you don't know how to flat twist you can do the tuck and roll)
-----Then part your hair down the middle.
-----Next start to flat twist your hair going down on one side your hair until you reach the nape of your neck and STOP. Don't twist all the hair. 
-----Repeat the same steps on the other side.
-----Next grab the two twists and the loose hair left out in the middle and put into a ponytail.
-----Then start to roll the the ponytail upwards into a bun. Hold the bun in place and pin that sucka down :)

And there you have a quick and super cute protective style.

Ravishing Red!!!

Thursday night I colored my hair a FIRE red color....not really :\ I put a rinse in my hair because I'm too chicken to put permanent color in my natural  hair...because of past experiences with coloring. 

EX #1: When I was in high school I decided to highlight own hair. The outcome=EPIC FAIL. Due to the embarrassment I felt after months of wearing the highlights, I decided to go to a professional and get my hair colored JET BLACK w/bangs. 

Of course since it's a rinse you're really not gonna be able to see much of the color in the pictures (you can see a little. But you can definitely see the color in certain light. I've used this brand before but with a dark brown color but this time I have to say I absolutely love the color and my next little color experiment will be henna. 

Meet Brittiney....

How long have you been natural?
I have been natural for 6 months. I did the big chop in February 2010 after transitioning for 9 months. During those 9 months I educated myself about natural hair through YouTube videos, blogs, and hair forums. 


What do you use?
Water- the best moisturizer
Shea butter mix [whipped shea butter with coconut and castor oil]
Glycerin mix [vegetable glycerin, aloe vera gel, water, rosewater]
Non-sulfate shampoos [Giovanni, Dr. Bronners]
Cheapie conditioners such as: Suave, V05, Herbal Essence, Garnier Fructis, Aussie for cowashes
Yes to Carrots, Yes to Tomatoes and Yes to Cucumbers- all super moisturizing for my bi-weekly deep condition treatments. 


What’s the best part about being natural?
Definitely, the growth. I can see my hair growing and my blowouts/fros getting bigger and bigger. I’m retaining length without putting forth any effort at all, and I love it. I have gone from neck length to shoulder length in five months and I am in absolute awe! 
What regimen have you found to work best with your hair?
Low manipulation all the way. I wash my hair once a month and cowash twice a month, only deep conditioning on wash day. I wear two strand twist for a week and then a twist out puff for the next, and start all over again. That’s it! 


How do you rock your natural hair?
My hair is still in the growing outward stage and has yet to reach the growing downward stage, so I am rocking twist out puffs for now. I usually dress my puffs up with accessories, such as: flowers and headbands. 

What’s your signature style?
Simple, low manipulation, tension free…..puffs! I was told that puffs are not categorized as protective styling, and that they could hinder growth. However, my experiences with puffs have been the opposite. I experience no breakage or knots, and for some reason my hair thrives with this style. So for now, puffs are my go to signature style.
 
Blog: http://coilylajon.blogspot.com 

What Gravitates me to a Product....

Does this ever happen to you ladies....

Okay so the other day I was in the store looking for some shampoo, when all of a sudden I turned around and saw a Tresemme product that had something about "Curls" and "Cream" on it.....my two weakness when it comes to products. Whenever I see a product that says:

---Curls

---Gel

---Wavy

---Cream

---Define

I HAVE TO HAVE IT!!!!

I remember when I first did my BC, I rushed out to get the Sunsilk Captivating Curls Leave-In, the gel, and conditioner. None of which did anything GREAT for my hair. So what I do nowadays is basically talk my self out of getting the product. I say "you don't need that", "what reviews have you heard about this product", and sometimes I have to look at the ingredients, if there's to many ingredients then I won't buy it.




Oh the the life of a product junkie.....

Twistout with Miss Jessie's Curly Pudding

I decided to use my Miss Jessie's Curly Pudding for a twistout (which I haven't done in a million years it seems).


Products used: 
Giovanni Direct Leave-in
Miss Jessie's Curly Pudding


I used my Denman D41 brush for some curl definition 

I'm truly falling in love with my Curly Pudding. It's great for wash and gos, twistouts, and probably much more =)

Disclaimer: I hate how these pictures don't capture how AMAZING this twistout came out. I promise it looks better in person and it's not as frizzy as it looks on here  :(

Meet Akia...

How long have you been natural? 

I've been natural since February 2009. Actually that's when I had my big chop, but I did transition for about 3 months. I am an avid youtuber, juststylefree is my channel, and I was inspired to go natural by watching chescaleigh hair birthday video. I originally locked my hair but after 2 months of that I decided I wanted to keep my hair natural and let it get as long as possible before locking it.

What do you use? 

• I regularly use shea butter to keep my hair from drying out.
• I consistently use coconut oil, olive oil, sweet almond oil and olive oil for moisture as well.
• I use castor oil to help keep shape to my styles and I use grapeseed oil as a heat protectant when blow-drying my hair.
• I also use eco-styler olive oil gel.
• I'm not a huge product junkie but I have used Miss Jessie's Curly Pudding and Cantu Shea Butter Leave-in conditioner.
• My favorite conditioner is the Organic Root Stimulator Olive Oil Replenishing Deep Conditioner. I am still trying out Giovanni's Moisturizing Deep Conditioner
• For shampoo I use the almond scented Castile Soap when clarifying and Herbal Essences Totally Twisted Shampoo.

What's the best part about being natural? 
For me the best part about being natural is the liberation of being able to rock my hair in it's natural state- just the way it grows out of my head. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against relaxers. My motto is "to each his own" but I love knowing that my hair is healthy and that I can rock a style in my own unique way because I have a texture, curl, length, color, and grain that is unique to me.

What regimen have you found to work best with your hair?
 I've found that co-washing once a week, twisting or braiding every night, clarifying once a month or as needed according to product usage, and moisturizing with oil and water daily is what works best for my hair.




Thank Akia for sharing. I am lovin that pic =)

Where ya been...

Hey ya'll please please please don't think I've abandoned you all (cuz I haven't). School is back in session and I'm still adjusting to my schedule between classes and my organizations... crazzzzyyyyyy Plus nothing really special has been going on over here in curly afro town. I'm taking a fitness class and a swim class (tryin raise that gpa) and between the two it seems like I'm consistently washing my hair :( But I've managed to find a way to keep my hair moisturized. 


I do have a some reviews in store for ya'll and plus more goldensparkle features!!! By the way a humongous THANKS to those who have sent me their info. If you wanna be featured click the "be featured" button at the top of the screen. 

Meet Kalisha...

How long have you been natural?
Ive been natural for 7 months now and i'm very happy i went natural.
 
What do you use?
When i first Big Choped i used kccc but as my hair grew. i changed things up a bit. Now i use griner frutis condish, Giovanni direct leave in, and eco styler olive oil gel( which is the BOMBBB) and just coconut oil and she butter to seal moisture..
 
What's the best part about being natural?
BEST part of being natural for me  is that i'm finally  getting to know myself!!! it  has really changed my life...
 
What regimen have you found to work best with your hair?
 Co wash every 3 days and a warm honey and oil  treatment once a week(twice if i'm really on it)  and two deep treaments a week (one with avacodo  another with just condish) my hair is dyed so i must take extra care of it... but hot oil treatment reallyy helps alot!!!!

 Thank you Kalisha. I LOVE LOVE LOVE your hair color and hair =)

I Don't Know What I Want...

Seriously you  guys she makes me wanna loc my hair!!!!

How to get waves....

Hopefully I can make a video showing you guys how I get my waves in more detail.  It's pretty easy. 

I always start start with dripping wet hair.
Then I apply a leave-in/moisturizer followed by oil.
Then I brush my hair back a little before applying the gel with a soft bristle brush.
Next I apply a generous amount of gel (I love using the clear Eco Styler for a more wavier  look).
Then I brush the hair back.
Next I put my scarf on for a few minutes. 
And that's pretty much it !!




Be sure to look out for a quick tutorial on this =)

Miss Jesse's Curly Pudding

8/16/10-Today was the first day of classes for me and I decided to try something different (i never like to test out a product before a big event). I prepared and applied my hair as I normally do with other products like Eco Styler Olive Oil or Kinky Curly. And then it hit me. "I don't have a blow dryer here at school. Dang it." I started worrying because I didn't want to leave the room with noticeable globs of product in my hair. I ended up just leaving hoping no one would notice (thankfully it was hot hot hot outside). 

First day application

Second day

8/17/10- So far I really like this stuff. It is a little comparable to Eco Styler BUT when I use Eco Styler I don't get nearly as much volume the first day as I do with Miss Jesse's Curly Pudding. 

Givin my hair the best....

For those of you who are subscribe to my youtube channel, you probably know that I have buying a bunch natural hair products. So you can imagine how excited and anxious I was to try a couple of  them out. The other day I tried the Giovanni 50:50 conditioner, Giovanni hair reconstructor, and the Yes to Cucumbers leave-in, all of which I am EXTREMELY happy I bought. So here's a quick review of each:

Giovanni 50:50 Balanced Hydrating Calming Conditioner (they always have the longest names for their products.lol):
       I have to say that I absolutely love this product!!! The consistency is thick and creamy. The scent is light and kinda fresh. The price is descent for a natural product. If I had to compare it to another conditioner it would have to be the Yes to Carrots conditioner that I RAVED about in this video. It's moisturizing and I love it!!!

Giovanni Nutrafix Hair Reconstructor:
       This was my first time using a protein treatment product, so I was very nervous and careful when I was applying the product to my hair (totally not necessary, it's just like applying conditioner).  The consistency is very thick and creamy. A quick tip for applying it to your hair, kinda warm it up in your hands a little, it spreads a lot better in your hair. The scent is light. The price is very good for a deep conditioner. Don't be scared of the amount in the container, I found that if you section you hair off properly you won't go through so much product.

Yes to Cucumbers Leave-In Conditioner:
        I've been dying to try this product out ever since I tried the Yes to Carrots conditioner months ago but the only problem was the availability. I never could find it in stores and I didn't want to pay for shipping online. Now that it's in my possession I can finally sleep.jk. The consistency is like your typical conditioner. The scent is light, not as fragrant as Yes to Carrots conditioner. The price is pricey. 12 whole bucks! I used this product  to braid my hair for a twistout, there was no hold what so ever.NONE (not there's supposed to be). This product would probably work great on mini twists or just moisturizing a protective style. 


Oh and by the way if you're wondering I used the regimen mentioned in the previous post with Bed Head Self Absorbed conditioner to detangle and Giovanni Smooth as Silk shampoo. I'll update ya'll if I see a change in these products.

New Wash Regimen

Since I've been natural I have gone through soooo many wash day regimens. So I come to y'all with a new and hopefully final wash day regimen. Okay so you guys who have seen my recent videos on Youtube, click here if you haven't, you know I've been in Myrtle Beach for the past week. And if there's one thing that I've learned this summer, is that my hair doesn't particularly like the ocean water if it's not twisted up (even though it gives amazing curl definition, out of this world). Halfway through the week, I had become sooo frustrated with my hair being tangled at the ends that I just decided to detangle my hair while I was there (which I NEVER do while vacationing ANYWHERE). So that helped a little but obviously not a lot, when I got back home I decided to try something different. Usually when I wash my hair it tangles up a lot more than when I first start but this time I decided to detangle FIRST with conditioner, then rinse that out a little, then I apply shampoo and rinse that out COMPLETELY, then co-wash. When I was done with everything my hair was not tangled AT ALL. It was amazing!!! So I'll give it another try and update y'all if it works out the same. 

The Regimen:

           1.  Start with dry hair

           2.  Section the hair off into medium sections and spray with water and apply conditioner

           3.  Smooth the conditioner into the and start to detangle
           4.  Braid the section up (every important: twist will slowly come out while washing)
           5.  Rinse 90% of the conditioner  out
           6.  Apply shampoo
           7.  Rinse out completely
           8.  Co-wash
           9.  Deep condition if you want!

By the end of all that my braided sections were still in.