GET CRULY

Hey everyone its summer time the best time to GET CURLY. This is the best time wear your wash and goes and show your wild side. Here are some tips and products for this summer's curly girls.

1. You can wear your hair in a curly set. This would be for my relaxed women or my natural girls whose hair is heat trained ( Heat trained is when the hair is use to being style by heat and when wet, will not revert back to his/her natural curl pattern). Using rollers is a great way to get the summer curly look Yes you have use heat to achieve this style but your ends will be tuck under so it pretty safe to do. And the plus side, doing a curly roller set style can lasts for weeks. Remember to keep your hair properly moisturized. Hair pudding will help you hair keep its shape and moisturized. When sleeping do the pineapple method. (Click the link sot see pineapple method): http://youtu.be/RKVk8Jb_WHo
    Roller Set link: http://youtu.be/qI8XNh8dHPw

      




           If you are natural and you want to show off your natural curl you will need the right products. You will need a good leave in conditioner, and some type of styling aid/gel. There are a lot of products out there for curly hair especially at Target. When you are using styling aids and gel, product build up is going to happen. Most naturals wash their hair 1-2 times a week. Me personally when wearing my hair natural I washed 1 time a week. Using my Favorite Shampoo SheaMoisture's "Organic Coconut and Hibiscus Curl & Shine Shampoo." SheaMoisture's products are extremely moisturising. The shampoo alone is so moisturising and detangles my hair with ease and I have some thick hair! You can find this Shampoo and other SheaMoisture products at Target or Walgreens. All SheaMoisture Products are $9.99.

             Washing your hair is very important and the way you style your hair is also important. Naturals must know that combing through our hair on a daily bases is not necessary. When wearing my hair in its natural state I would lightly comb through my hair once every 3-4 days. The only time I would really detangle my hair is before washing and after my deep conditioner when I apply my leave in conditioner. That's it! My hair seemed to get a lot thicker too. The more you mess with your hair when curly and styling it the frizzier it will appear.

Gels and Styling aids: I don't think there is anything wrong with using gel, custards, and styling aids. As long as you can read the ingredients, understand whats in the product, and as long as it doesn't contain alcohol, it should be fine for your hair. If the gel/aid makes your hair hard do not comb through it, it can cause breakage. Wet your hair with a spray bottle before combing through your hair. Gels and aids tend to activate your natural curl pattern. Here's a quick tip. When your hair is wet with your leave in conditioner/water add gel or aid to your hands rub your hands together, flip your head upside down, add the product to your hair by scrunching your hair. Add as much product as desired. Then flip you head right side up, give your head a good shake and your curls should be poppin! Or you can apply your product like this:http://youtu.be/WNbu4zL_0Ws



GOT SHRINKAGE?
    I personally understand shrinkage. When my hair is straightened its right above my armpits, when it gets wet it shrinks up to the middle of my neck. Instead of having a short Jerry curl look you can have a big, full, curly look in minutes by using a diffusing. Check out the links to see how! http://youtu.be/RcbURgM6ukw
                                                                                                   http://youtu.be/dRxhY4davjk

Stop Using Hot Combs

We have come such a long way when it comes to technology and styling tools. I admit back in the day my ma use to press my hair with a hot comb and yes my hair was down my back. Thank God my ma knew that too much heat could cause serious damage to my hair. So she didn't do it often.
       A lot of women/men (who are natural) believe that they have to press their hair with a metal hot comb before flat ironing with a metal CLINK CLINK flat iron in order to achieve the smooth silky relaxed hair look. Well I'm here to tell you, you don't have to do all of that.

Note: This post is for natural women/men but of course relaxed women/men can use these tips as well.

Why Not Use a Metal Hot Combs and or Flat irons.

   You should not use these particular styling tools on your hair because 1. When styling at home you tend to heat up these tolls using your stove which can get very hot. So hot that if you over heat the tool and place it on your hair it can melt your hair right off.... Why would you want to take that risk? 2. The old school hot combs and heat styling tools are made out of metal. And we all know metal and heat cook things, including your hair. Causing your hair to become weak, damaged, and brittle.

(NOTE: Try to blow dry your hair as straight as you can before flat ironing. This will make you straightening process easier and faster.) I recommend using a blow dryer that has ion technology this drys my hair in no time. I got my from Walmart for about $17. Here is a link to show you how to blow dry your hair: How to blow dry hair smooth , Blow drying part ll


So What Should We Use?

I suggest, if you do your hair yourself, invest in a professional flat iron. I have had my share of Walmart and Target flat irons, and the more I became natural the frizzier my hair became and the harder it was to flat iron with them cheap "ceramic" flat irons. Yes you do want to look for a flat iron that is ceramic but most of the flat irons that are $20-$40 are ceramic coated. Meaning in time the ceramic will burn its self off and your iron will be nothing but metal. When looking for a flat iron make sure it says "100% Ceramic" on the box. This means that the ceramic is baked into the flat irons plates and wont burn off.
    Note: Ceramic helps the hair to become smooth and silky  and helps to prevent split ends when flat ironing.


You so want to look for a flat iron that say Tourmaline as well. This is very important for my natural people trying to create that relaxed look. Tourmaline are crystals and when they are infused into the flat iron with nano technology and ceramic its doesn't just straighten the hair, it seals the hair cuticle allowing the hair to become extremely silky and soft. Tourmaline also gives your hair frizz control allowing you to be in humid weather and not become a poof ball! These flat irons can range from $60-$500. Its up to you on how much you are willing to invest in a CHI, FHI, CORTEX, SEDU, HAIRART, or any other flat iron. I personal use the Cortex international it is 100% Ceramic and infused with black Tourmaline. The Flat iron is red and has shiney black plates. This flat iron was $200 but I found it TJ MAXX for $29.99. :)

Remember you shouldn't add heat to your hair more than once every TWO WEEKS. And ALWAYS ALWAYS use a heat protector!

Some of us naturals have really coily hair and when we flat iron it, it just does not get straight. Well try the chasing method. For this method you will need a professional flat iron and a thick rat tail comb.

Here's the link that shows you how to do the chasing method. (I always get the best results when I flat iron my hair this way). Chasing Method

Here are some websites where you can find a professional falt iron

Folica.com 
miskko.com
FHI.com
Chi.com
Amazon.com
overstock.com

Breakage!

   There is one major reason why a lot of African American woman never see their hair grow pass shoulder length and that is because of breakage!

      

             There are three things that WILL cause breakage.
1. Dryness. Our hair texture being natural or relaxed needs moisture! Because of the complicated twists and turns of our hair strands the natural oil that is produced from our scalp does not reach to the ends of our hair. That's why our "Roots" are typically always so THICK & HEALTHY. So since that natural nutrients does not reach all of our hair we MUST add it back to or hair by using water (and water based products), deep conditioners, leave in conditioners, Hair lotion/Shea butters, and oils. When moisturizing our hair the items I just listened are a must for our hair! Not just one of them, but using all of them in conjunction will truly benefit your hair being relaxed or natural. Make sure to moisturize and Seal hair daily


Here a link showing you how you should moisturize and seal your hair every day.
http://youtu.be/QhpHDN-7BfA

2. Protein Treatments. For relaxed women, protein treatments are a must for long strong hair. The chemical in the relaxer breaks down the hairs Keratin (protein) in order to straighten the hair strand. Because the protein is broken the hair is weak and can easily break. SO a week before your relaxer or a week after your relaxer give yourself a protein treatment. It can be simple as a deep conditioner with protein in it ( look for the word "Strengthen" on the bottle), or more complicated by putting a protein shock liquid on your hair drying it until the hair become hard then rinsing it out. Remember after doing a strong treatment make sure you add moisture back into your hair by deep conditioning. Moisture and protein go hand and hand. Natural women if you are not consuming enough protein in your diet you might want to do an occasional protein treatment. Also if you are natural and use a lot of heat on your hair you will definitely need to do protein treatments every week or every other week.

Note: You can also do a protein treatment using mayo, eggs, Avocado, or all three at once as a hair mask leave on for an hour then wash out. Also remember too much protein can cause breakage. Make sure you do a protein check. Take a shedded piece of hair from your comb, tug on it, if it pops easily your hair is lack elasticity and needs protein.

Here is a link that shows the process of a harsher or protein shock treatment. This one is my fav to use on my hair.
http://youtu.be/bsSylgv5ds4

3. Detangling. A lot of us are really rough with our hair. Its important to remember that hair is FRAGILE. By combing it or brushing it too often, too rough, and through knots and tangle our hair will snap and break off. For my natural women do not detangle the hair when it is dry. Add conditioner to add slip or spray some water to moisten the hair. Remember when detangling use a WIDE TOOTH COMB (or a soft brush) start from the ends of your hair then slowly work your way up. From my own experience it truly pays off the take your time and slowly detangle your hair ( Takes me about 30- 40mins). You will notice less hair in your comb and more on your head :). NEVER detangle your hair with a rat tail comb! You should use rat tail combs for styling and when your hair is tangle free. Relaxed women should also use a wide tooth comb when detangling as well. For the relaxed women who are stretching their relaxers, make sure your gentle with your new growth and i suggest using a detangling leave in conditioner to handle those roots. Remember always comb your hair from ends to the roots. This will help your detangling experience be not so painful.

Here is a women who is stretching her relaxer: http://youtu.be/w0Z9vBEbQw                                                                     

Here is a link to show you how to properly detangle your hair. Keep in mind this video is fast forward she is not combing through her hair that quickly.http://youtu.be/gxJZ_7TKmDw

Hope all this information Helps!!!