Fall is Here!! New Look and All!

Season's Greetings! :)

Ok y'all! So we are officially getting into the holiday season and I have to say this is my absolute FAVORITE time of the year!! I love the weather, the cheer, the joy, the leaves changing colors, seeing pumpkins everywhere, the return of pumpkin spice flavored EVERYTHING, and just being close to and spending time with all of my friends and family!

I literally start listening to CHRISTmas music on the 1st of November and I get into the spirit of fall and Halloween by watching Hocus Pocus, every Halloween movie on Disney Channel, and getting into new movies on Hallmark! This time of the year just brings so much joy to my heart, so I wanted to apply that joy and happiness to my blog! So during this season, I will be changing up the look of my blog to tie in with the season we are in! This is my way of spreading a little holiday cheer and love! :) So from now until February, be prepared to see fun changes on the blog as far as the background, color scheme, fonts, and poll questions go!! Fall, Halloween, Thanksgiving, CHRISTmas, New Year's, and Valentine's Day...here we come!

Transformation Tuesday!!!

Hey y'all!

So I was scrolling through my phone the other day looking through my photos and I came across some that I took last October while I was still in school. When I first looked at them, I didn't realize that I had taken them almost a full year ago! I have deleted so many photos off of my phone in the past 2 years to make room for apps, music, updates, etc., so the timeline of my photos is not very lengthy because there are many gaps in the time. So when I came across these photos I took last October, it didn't occur to me how old the photos were until I looked at the date they were taken on. Looking at the photo, I could tell that my hair had definitely grown, but it wasn't too obvious to me how much it had really grown. I spend my days on Pinterest and YouTube looking at photos and tutorials from women who have crazy long hair! So my impression of my hair is that it's short, mainly because the length of my hair doesn't even come close to some of the naturals I have seen! So when I saw my photos in my phone, I wasn't floored because I didn't think my hair had gotten too much longer than that, but I knew it had obviously grown. 

This time last year, my hair was short because I had just done my big chop only 6 months prior. Even now, my view of my current hair length is that its still pretty short. However, I decided to test out just how much my hair has grown my doing a compare and contrast photo. I remembered I had done a twist-out to achieve the style in the picture from last October, and, lucky me, I just did a twist-out the week before last and took photos! So I put the two pictures side-by-side and I was amazed! The amount of growth I saw in my own hair was crazy! My jaw literally dropped and I was over the moon!

October 23, 2013 - September 20, 2014

The reason I decided to post about this is because I needed to share my realizations. Through this moment I had, I realized a couple of important things:

1.) You should always take photos of your hair and your journey! This is the only way you will be able to go back and see just how far you have come on your natural hair journey. You don't have to post them to social media! They can be, and should be, strictly for you! In times of discouragement where you feel like you're done with your hair and you don't want to bother with it anymore, or the shrinkage is getting to you and you feel like your hair just isn't growing, it's great to have those photos as motivation so that you can see just how far you and your hair have really come!

2.) Don't get wrapped up in hair types, fellow curly girls, or naturalistas. Your hair is BEAUTIFUL! I know it's easy to get on YouTube and see women with long natural hair and then wish your hair looked like theirs or wish you could skip this awkward hair length phase you're in! However, I came to the realization a little while after I did my big chop that being natural is for me! It's about embracing all of who I am and who God created me to be! It isn't about having a title or being part of an exclusive group. It's about being confident and it's about owning ALL of who you are! Watching tutorials is great because they help me to see just how diverse my hair is and can be and it shows me that I have options! It's also the Best Buy for products! I get to see how products work and learn about them without having to spend the money, which is great! But it is important to remember that while it is okay to admire the beauty of another natural's hair, that admiration should never result in you feeling less about yourself or your hair! I admit to having had felt this way before, but I am at a point now where I can appreciate the beauty of another woman, but still walk in confidence with who I am and know that I am beautiful. And to me, that's what truly makes a woman beautiful. Being able to be modest and appreciate the beauty we all have without having an attitude about it, and still know that we ourselves are a divine creation as well.

So, that was the real point of me writing this Transformation Tuesday post. I wanted to inspire you to love your hair! I wanted to share my latest experience and let you know how dangerous it is to lose sight of your own beauty. I was so wrapped up in wanting hair like the naturals I see on Pinterest and YouTube, that I couldn't even see the growth and beauty that was taking place within me and my own life and with my hair. It's so important that we love our hair and that we love ourselves! We need to focus on who we are and on our own personal growth and be proud of that! That's what being natural is really all about anyway! :)

Product Review: Shea Moisture Manuka Honey & Mafura Oil Intensive Hydration Conditioner

Hey y'all!

This week, I'm going to review the Shea Moisture Manuka Honey & Mafura Oil Intensive Hydration Conditioner for y'all! I purchased this product from Target for $10.

Now, I'm usually very up to date with what is going on with Shea Moisture. They are my favorite line of hair care products, so I like to keep up with them to see what new things they have going on. However, I didn't know about this product before I purchased it. I always go to the hair care aisle when I go to Target because I am always in need of more of my staples! I came across this collection on the shelf and was a little surprised. I hadn't seen too many posts or much publicizing about this product, so I didn't know they had this new collection out.

I'm still not sure if it is an official new collection from Shea Moisture, or if it is a limited time or special addition type of thing. However, I decided to try it out and give a review of it anyway. All I can say is that I hope they keep it and make it an official part of their line because I LOVE it! In addition to this conditioner, they also had a shampoo and a masque. I decided to try the conditioner because I had just bought the Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Masque, and I already had enough shampoos at the time.

A great thing about this product is that "10% of the sales goes to women-led businesses, to support communities that supply ingredients for [Shea Moisture] products, or to support The Sofi Tucker Foundation."

The main ingredients present in this collection are:
-Manuka Honey: anti-infammatory properties soothe the scalp and helps create and moisturizing barrier
-Mafura Oil: high levels of beneficial oleic acid helps replenish oils stripped from hair
-African Rock Fig: contains antioxidant Vitamin C, which helps keep hair looking vibrant.

This Intensive Hydration Conditioner has a recipe that is geared towards dry hair. This conditioner allows for easy detangling, helps make hair more manageable and infuses hair with intense moisture and shine-enhancing nutrients. It has an intense blend of restorative oils (shea butter, honey, mafura, and baobab) that nourish and condition hair that is dry and/or brittle. The African Rock Fig also plays a role in increasing hydration while protecting hair from environmental influences. The intense hydration this conditioner supplies will leave your hair soft, shiny and easy to style!

Here is how I used this product:
I sectioned my hair into four parts. One section at a time, I applied the conditioner to my wet hair while detangling. I also made sure to massage my scalp to remove build-up and to promote circulation in my scalp. I then wrapped each conditioned section into its own small bun and secured each with a hair tie, then moved onto the next section. When I was done applying the conditioner to all four sections, I placed a plastic cap on my head and then wrapped my silk scarf around my head and the cap. The bottle says to let the conditioner sit for 3 minutes, but I tried that one time before and I didn't feel like I got all of the hydration and softness I needed, so I decided to leave the conditioner in for 30 minutes this time around. After the time passed, I rinsed the conditioner out section by section with cool water in the shower. I allow the water to run down the section of hair I'm focusing on while I massage my scalp and detangle, making sure I am thorough in rinsing out all of the product! After I have completely rinsed a section, I twist that section up and put it back into a small bun, and then move on to rinsing out the next section. After all of my sections are rinsed of conditioner, I wrap an old t-shirt around my hair and allow it it soak up all of the excess water. I style, and then that is it!

So, I have to say that I was VERY impressed with this product! When I first pumped the conditioner out of the bottle, I was extremely nervous because it is a pretty think conditioner! I am not a fan of thick conditioners because, in my option, they don't provide enough slip on my hair for me to be able to detangle effectively. However, I let it go and applied it since the product promotes manageability and easy detangling. To my surprise, this product slid through my hair very well! I was definitely able to detangle with it and my hair was very manageable! After I rinsed out my hair, I found that it was extremely soft! My hair was beyond hydrated and intensely shiny!

I would definitely give this product a 10/10! It did everything it said it would do, so I am very satisfied with this conditioner! I also love this because since I have embraced the Curly Girl Method (check out last week's post for more info), this conditioner adds more hydration and aids in supplying the nutrients to retain that moisture and protect my hair. I definitely feel like besides using this conditioner to nourish dry hair, I think it can do wonders for those who follow the CG Method because of the ample amount of moisture the conditioner provides. I know I left this product on my hair for 30 minutes, but if you don't have that much time, then you do not need to leave it on for that long. Personally, I think 10 minutes would have done the trick, but I had the time to sit and let it work through, so I decided to see what would happen.

:)

Have you tried any of the products from the Manuka Honey & Mafura Oil collection? Did you love the collection? I'd love to hear your stories and thoughts! Leave them here! And don't forget to participate in my monthly poll question and as always, thank you so much for the support! Feel free to share the link!

 

Curly Girl Method: Check-in

Hello!

For my post this week, I decided to let y'all in on how I'm feeling so far about adapting to the Curly Girl Method. I adopted the method about a month ago, and already, I have seen such a difference in my hair! I can't wait to share my results with y'all, but before I do, let me first give y'all some background info!

Background

The Curly Girl Method is a method for embracing natural hair that was developed by curly hair advocate/expert and owner of DevaCurl products, Lorraine Massey. One of the main purposes of this technique is to increase the moisture in your hair by eliminating the use of silicones and sulfates from your hair regimen.

The purpose silicones serve in hair products (mainly conditioners) is to create a barrier on hair strands that allow for them to glide past each other, making the hair appear to be more sleek, less tangled, and easier to manage. However, not only do these barriers keep moisture from getting to your hair, but many of these silicones that are present in various conditioners and hair products are not easy to wash out. Some are easily dissolved by water (water soluble), while others are not (water insouble). These insoluble silicones can only be cleansed and removed by sulfates, which are mainly found in shampoos.

Sulfate is an ingredient that removes buildup from the hair and scalp. This doesn't sound too bad, but it can actually be very harmful for natural hair. Among the things sulfate strips away from the hair and scalp is sebum, the natural oil our scalp produces that is meant to nourish the scalp and hair.

Now, we all know that conditioning follows shampooing, right?! So that means that you shampoo your hair to get rid of the silicones, but then you reapply more of them when you use your conditioner. So now, those silicones are likely to remain in your hair until the next time you shampoo. What are the damaging effects of this, you ask?!

This water insoluble barrier prevents moisture from getting to the hair. Since natural, curly hair tends to be drier than naturally straight hair, these silicones can do a lot of damage. Moisture is the number one must-have for all curly girls! Whether it be in the form of water, humectants, or water-based products, it is so, so, SO important to keep natural hair properly moisturized. If your hair is depleted of moisture, then it could lead to the dreaded "d word"...DAMAGE! Loss of moisture and deprivation of moisture can result in dry, brittle, damaged hair, and that isn't a good look on anyone! Not to mention that if you strip the oils from your hair with your shampoo, and then place a water insoluble barrier on your hair from your conditioner, your hair could have little-to-no access to moisture, which could lead to more damage, dryness, and potentially breakage.

So what the CG Method proposes is that in order to increase the moisture in your hair, you cut out or significantly cut down on these silicones and sulfates! This is why the CG Method is sometimes referred to as the "No Poo Method." With this practice, you do not use shampoos to cleanse your hair. You only use silicone-free co-wash (a mild cleansing conditioner with no lather) or conditioners to cleanse your hair. Some people, like myself as of now, take to a "Modified" CG Method where if you feel like your hair has a lot of build-up, then it is ok to use a sulfate-free shampoo to cleanse your hair. However, those who closely follow the CG Method prefer to strictly stick to conditioners and co-washes for cleansing.

In my opinion, it is important that if you get rid of one, that you also get rid of the other. If you decide to stop using sulfate shampoos, but still want to keep using your silicone conditioner, remember that you won't be removing those silicone barriers at all. Every time you apply that conditioner, you will just be coating your hair more and more with those silicones, making it even more impossible for moisture to get through to your hair. And if you decide to eliminate silicone conditioners, but keep your sulfate shampoo, then you are applying that harsh chemical directly onto your hair. As I mentioned before, sulfate strips your hair of its natural oils, which is terrible for curly hair because it needs every drop of moisture and oil that it can get to stay healthy. So to keep it simple and to keep your curls happy and healthy, if you decide to stop using products with silicones, then take the extra step to remove sulfates from your routine as well and vice versa.

The CG Method also calls for the elimination of heat styling tools and other styling tools. Finger detangling, wash-n-go's, and treating your hair and curls as is is the preferred way of using the CG Method. Combs have the tendency to pull, pop, and snap the hair and can add unnecessary pressure on the strands when styling or detangling. Both of these instances can lead to breakage, which of course, is very damaging. Also, we all are familiar with heat damage and the effects it can have on the overall health of your hair!

 What does the CG Method mean for me?

Since around September 2012, 3 months after I started transitioning, I have been using Shea Moisture shampoos and conditioners. Their products do not contain any silicones or sulfates, so adjusting to the CG regimen, with regards to eliminating sulfates and silicones, was not difficult. However, even though I do not use products with silicones or sulfates, I kind of wanted to try my hand at cutting out shampoos altogether. Originally, I wanted to follow the CG Method strictly, meaning absolutely no shampoo and only using co-washes and conditioners for cleansing. However, after a couple of days of thinking about it, I decided that I love my Shea Moisture African Black Soap Shampoo too much to give it up, so I decided that I will only use shampoo once a month and co-wash/deep condition any other time my hair needs cleansing! So I guess you could say that I have taken on a "modified" CG Method! However, I do plan on phasing shampoo out altogether overtime. By the end of 2014, maybe sooner, my goal is to operate strictly by the CG Method.

I also decided to take on the practice of finger detangling, so I have done away with my combs and brushes! Well...I still have them, I just don't use them :) I thought this would be difficult, but it really hasn't been so far! For washing, I section my hair into 4 sections, apply my conditioner one section at a time while finger detangling and massaging my scalp to loosen any product build up. I then rinse the conditioner out in the shower section-by-section. I make sure to keep my hair in sections after rinsing out the conditioner to help the detangling and styling process outside of the shower go much smoother. Also, it gives me more control of my hair. I still use all of my normal staples (minus the Cantu Shea Butter Leave-in Conditioning Repair Creme) because none of them have any silicones or sulfates, so I really only adjusted how I treat my hair instead of what I treat my hair with.

Why did I decide to go Curly Girl?

My biggest inspiration for making this transition to going CG was my favorite naturalista, Jess aka MahoganyCurls! I have always admired how amazing her curl definition is! When I started following Whitney aka Naptural85's blog a little more, I noticed how amazing her curl definition is, too! Then, I realized what the two of them have in common: they both finger detangle instead of using combs and brushes, and they both prefer to co-wash. Jess doesn't use combs or shampoos at all, and Whitney will use both of them every now and then, but mostly not. It seemed a little silly to me at first that finger detangling and avoiding shampoos could aid in defining your curls, but after I did some research on other women who practice the CG Method, almost all of them said that going CG and finger detangling resulted in a more defined curl pattern. So, this is the main reason I decided to go CG! I love the textures in my hair (3A in the front, 3C in the crown, and 3B everywhere else), so I want to be able to have better definition so that I can wear a super cute wash-n-go and be able to just see my curls pop when I style them! 

Besides curl definition, I noticed that when I would comb my hair, it was very easy to try to rush through it. I would find myself tugging and pulling in all directions sometimes, just trying to get through it all! I am certain that that is what contributed so much to my hair getting damaged and splitting the way it does. I would hear some of my hair strands snap and I would comb at my hair instead of comb through it. So this past month, I have really been focusing on taking my time to give my hair the care it needs so that it can grow healthy and pretty! I have put the combs and brushes down so that I can feel out each tangle and softly pull them loose with my fingers instead of being so harsh!

Results so far

I am DEFINITELY seeing some major results already! My curls are becoming more and more defined, my hair isn't shedding anywhere near as much as it used to, my hair is so full of moisture, softer than ever, and I am noticing less and less breakage. I am loving this change so far and I can't wait to see what changes will continue to happen the longer I utilize this practice.

:)

Do you stand by the CG Method? Did you try it and then realize it wasn't for you? I wanna hear about it! :) Leave your thoughts and stories here along with any questions you have! I hope you found this post helpful! And as always, thanks for taking the time to read and support my blog! Feel free to share the link! And don't forget to participate in my monthly poll question! :)

For more information on The Curly Girl Method, check out Lorraine Massey's book, "Curly Girl: The Handbook"

 





DISCLAIMER: The CG Method will not loosen or change your curl pattern. It only has the potential to enhance the curls you already have! Do not take on this method expecting that you will end up with a different or looser curl pattern. Like I said, this is a method that is meant to increase the moisture in your hair. Results of this increase in moisture could be more shrinkage, due to the enhancement of your curls, and softer hair.

NEXT WEEK ON THE BLOG: Shea Moisture Manuka Honey & Mafura Oil Intensive Hydration Conditioner review!

UPDATE! Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen, Grow & Restore Styling Lotion

Hey y'all and Happy September!

As promised, I'm back with an update on the Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen, Grow & Restore Styling Lotion. If you read my product review I posted last month about this new collection, you will recall that I LOVED the masque, but I wasn't a huge fan of the styling lotion. It smelled great, and I loved the consistency of it, but I wasn't loving how it made my hair feel or the result I got from styling with it. But because I love the Shea Moisture line so much, I couldn't give up on it quite yet. With this being said, I tried the Styling Lotion out again last week, and this time, I loved the results I got! So here is my updated review on the Jamaican Black Castor Oil Styling Lotion.

This new collection from Shea Moisture is for natural, chemically processed, color treated, or heat styled hair. The lotion has a special blend of oils at its base that restores moisture and shine to dull, damaged, or chemically processed hair. The Jamaican Black Castor oil, organic Shea Butter, and Peppermint all aid in healthy and strong hair growth by working together to protect hair from the damaging effects of heat styling and increasing the hair's resistance to breakage.

Day 1 curls

For styling, I decided to try my go-to curly girl style...a twistout! I co-washed my hair using the Shea Moisture Manuka Honey & Mafura Oil Intensive Hydration Conditioner (will review in 2 weeks). After rinsing out the conditioner, I finger detangled and applied the Styling Lotion to my hair. I wanted to see how well this product worked on its own, so I did not use any oils or any other products on my hair for styling! After applying the Lotion, I twisted my hair into two strand twists. I had a total of about 20-25 twists when I was all done. I allowed my twists to air dry, which took about 6 hours total. I was wanted to take them out, but because I wasn't going anywhere for the day and I didn't want to waste a style day, I left them in overnight! So that night I applied a little bit of the Shea Moisture Raw Shea Butter Reconstructive Finishing Elixir to my twists. Because this product is used for styling, it has a slight hold to it to ensure lasting styles. With that hold comes a slight crunch, and because I like soft, loose twistouts, I used the elixir to get rid of some of that crunch. The next morning, I took the twists out, separated, fluffed, and styled!

Day 2 curls

I have to say, I liked this product MUCH better this time around! My hair was extremely hydrated, soft, and my twistout was very defined, but still full, which I loved!! The only thing I didn't necessarily love was that the product left a slight residue that made my hair feel a little like how your hands feel after you play with Play-Doh. I felt it most on my roots while my hair was drying, and then while I wore my twistout, each day that residue feeling became more and more prominent. It was never unbearable or out of control, it just didn't allow my hair to shine as much as I expected. It was almost like there was a powdery matte finish on my hair, and I wasn't a fan of that.

Day 3 curls

Either way, this product gave me great hold! My twistout lasted for 4 days, which, literally, has never ever happened before!! My twistouts usually frizz up, are way out of control and beyond tangled by the end of day one! But this product gave me such a great hold that I didn't have to touch my hair for 4 days, which was amazing! At night, all I did was put my hair into a loose ponytail at the tip top of my head (a pineapple) and slept on my satin pillowcase.
 
    In sum, I would give this product a 9/10. I loved the lasting effect of the Lotion, the consistency of it, the smell, and the hydration I got! What I didn't love was the emerging powdery residue it left behind. However, this isn't something that will keep me from purchasing this product again. There is a serum that is also a part of this collection that I would love to try! I think it may help with the residue feeling and even the crunch that came up while my twists were drying. Overall, I definitely think this product does what it says, so I'm happy with it!

:)

Have you tried any of the products from this collection?! Love them or hate them? Leave your story in the comments along with any questions you have for me! I'd love to hear them! And as always, thanks so much for taking the time to read my blog!

For a walk through on how I do my twistouts, check out my blog post on the review for Cantu for Natural Hair Define & Shine Custard here!








ON THE BLOG NEXT WEEK: I'm trying out the Curly Girl Method (CG Method)!!! Find out why, learn more about it, and see what I think so far!

*Photo from Google images