Flexi Rod Set Using Camille Rose Naturals Almond Jai Twisting Butter and Aloe Whipped Butter Gel

Hey everyone!

      This week, I will be reviewing Camille Rose Naturals Almond Jai Twisting Butter and Aloe Whipped Butter Gel combination. If you follow my blog regularly, you will recall that I did a product review for the Almond Jai when I used it with the Camille Rose Naturals Coconut Water Leave-In. I decided that I wanted to experiment more with this product by using it with other leave-ins and stylers because I wanted to see if I could still use this product without getting the "matte" feel that I got from using it with the Coconut Water Leave-In. The first product I tried it with was my absolute favorite leave-in, the Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen, Grow & Restore Leave-In Conditioner. I used these two products together on a twist out and loved my day one results! My hair was shiny, super hydrated, and had amazing volume, body, and definition. The only con was that I wasn't too fond of my day two curls. They were a bit stiff and were not as "flowy" as my day one curls, but I rocked them anyway!

      I came to purchase the Almond Jai Easter weekend when I went to Target to purchase the Aloe Whipped Butter Gel and could not find it. I had been wanting to try the Aloe Whipped for a long while and learned from a fellow natural hair blogger on Instagram that not only did the Aloe Whipped work great with the Almond Jai, but it is really only sold online. With learning that new information, I decided to go ahead and purchase it off of Camille Rose Naturals' site. I was so determined to get my hands on this product because I have seen some really great product reviews and tutorial videos about this product and I also heard that it was very light and not heavy on your hair, which is what I always look for in my hair products. So again, I went for it and purchased this product online. It was a bit pricey, however. It was $16 plus shipping, so my grand total came up to $24. I was not too happy about this, but I really had high hopes and faith in the amazingness of this product. Thankfully, it most definitely lived up to and beyond expectation!

      The Almond Jai is a butter that results in soft, elongated twists while strengthening and holding the style in the process. Some of its ingredients include: sweet almond milk, jojoba oil, hemp seed oil, castor oil, aloe, and honey. The Aloe Whipped is a cream based gel that is rich in vitamins that nourish the scalp while it provides definition, a light hold to curls, and maximum moisture. Some of its ingredients include: aloe vera gel, macadamia oil, avocado seed oil, jojoba oil, sweet almond oil, castor oil, and vitamins C and E.

      When it came to styling, I wanted to try a style that I knew would last and one that I felt would yield good results. I was attending my best friend's college graduation that weekend, so I wanted to try something that would be a bit more dressy and sophisticated! With that being said I decided to try flexi rods for the second time. My first encounter with flexi rods was less than amazing. I used the As I Am Curl Defining Cream to achieve the style and I didn't end up loving the results. They really only lasted for a day, but even after I took them out of the rods and separated them, they began to poof and lose the structure of the curl. I figured I just hadn't used the right curling product, so I decided that i would try again this time around with the Camille Rose Naturals. Here is how I achieved the look:

I deep conditioned my hair using the Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen, Grow & Restore Treatment Masque. I applied the product in sections of four, covered my hair with a plastic bag and sat under my bonnet hooded dryer for about 15 minutes. I then rinsed my hair completely with cold water and wrapped my hair in a t-shirt to absorb all of the water. When I started to prepare my hair for the flexi rods, I parted my hair into four sections. One section at a time, I applied the Almond Jai to the entire section of hair. I then took a small amount of hair from the larger section and applied the Aloe Whipped. I then smoothed the product through my hair thoroughly, detangled, and then took one of the flexi rods and curled my hair around it being sure to curl towards my face as opposed to in the direction of the back of my head. I continued to do this until my entire head was finished, which ended up taking about 45 flexi rods in total! I then sat under my bonnet hooded dryer again for about an hour and a half. After my hair was fully dry, I left the flexi rods in for another hour or so just to make sure they were fully set. After the hour was up, I removed the flexi rods and did not separate and fluff. I let them stay as they were for the rest of the day and overnight. When I went to sleep, I pineappled my hair (put it in a high bun on the very top of my head), tied my silk scarf around my head, removed the hair tie I used to pineapple so it wouldn't create a crease, and then put on my silk bonnet. The next morning we drove to my best friend's school to attend her graduation! For the course of the road trip, I decided not to separate and fluff my curls just yet. I wanted to make sure they had the time to really set into the pattern of the curl, so I left them as they were until we started getting read to leave for graduation.

      Before I began separating my curls, I smoothed a little bit of the Shea Moisture Tahitian Noni & Monoi Smooth and Repair High Shine Glosser over my entire head of hair. I then proceeded to separate. To separate, I twisted the curl in the opposite direction that it was curled in, carefully separated the curl into smaller pieces, and softly twirled the smaller pieces back in the original direction of the curl. I did this all over my head.

      The end results were amazing!! My hair had so much shine and body that it was, honestly, unbelievable! The oils from the butters came through so strong and provided such a soft and hydrated feel to my hair without weighing it down and making it fall flat. I wore my separated curls for two days and then on day three, I separated my curls and fluffed at the scalp some more in order to achieve more volume and wore those curls for two more days. My hair maintained its high amount of shine, softness and elongation up until the day I washed my hair a couple of days later. The curls lasted for about  five days, but they would have lasted longer, but I was in a rush to get a fresh head of hair so I could try out some new products (lol), so I washed my hair before my curls lost their luster.

    I am extremely happy with the results I achieved by using the Almond Jai and Aloe Whipped! I was nervous about trying a new brand of hair products, mainly because I have been an avid Shea Moisture user since my transitioning days, so I have a hard time trying out new products from other brands. However, I have heard way too many great things about Camille Rose to not give them a try and I'm SO glad that I went for it! I also was hesitant to use butters on my hair. I try my absolute hardest to avoid them because they are always too heavy for my hair. They overwhelm each strand and result in my hair looking wet, clumping up, and lacking in volume, body, and movement. However, these Camille Rose Naturals butters are extremely light and provide ample amounts of body, so I don't even have to worry about my hair getting weighed down. In fact, I don't even know that I would call them butters. They have more characteristics of a cream rather than a butter, so I think that's why it works so well in my hair! Another great thing about these products is that it didn't take a lot of product for me to achieve such a strong hold so I know that these products will last for a long while! Considering the prices of these products, I am very happy to know that I can use them sparingly and still yield great results! I have used the Almond Jai four times already and I'm not even halfway through the jar yet! And as far as the Aloe Whipped goes, I have barely made a dent in it. It still looks brand new and completely full! A little bit goes a long way with these products, so there's no need to feel like you have to use a lot in order to get the a good result, which is amazing! I will definitely be keeping these products around as staples!

I really hope that you found this post helpful and thank you so much for supporting my blog! Be sure to check back next week when I do a product review of the Kinky-Curly Knot Today and Curling Custard! Also, be sure to cast your vote for the monthly poll question. It's under "The Purpose" on the left side of the screen! Thanks again and I'll see ya on the next post!

Product Review: Camille Rose Naturals Coconut Water Leave-In Detangling Hair Treatment and Almond Jai Twisting Butter

Hey everyone!

This week I'm going to do a product review for two Camille Rose Naturals products: the Coconut Water Leave-In and the Almond Jai Twisting Butter. I have been wanting to try Camille Rose products for a while now, but could never really gather the drive to do so. I know that my hair doesn't react well to all hair products, so I was really nervous about trying a new line, especially one that's a bit pricier than the other product lines I'm used to. But a few weeks ago, I built up the strength to dive into a new product pool, mainly because I have seen some AMAZING product reviews and tutorial videos featuring this product line. Obviously, this was my first time using Camille Rose on my hair and I have to say that I was impressed for a few reasons, which I will discuss later on. At this point, I hadn't done a twist out in a while, so I figured since I was trying out the Almond Jai Twisting Butter, what better style to try it out on than a twist out?! :)
The Coconut Water Leave-In Detangling Hair Treatment is a part of Camille Rose Naturals' Coconut Water collection that provides superior moisture. Some of its ingredients include: coconut water, shea butter, grapeseed oil, flax seed oil, and yucca root. I wanted to try this product mainly because I read many reviews on it that said that this product was very lightweight and that it was perfect for fine hair, which I have. I loved that it had the benefit of hydration and that it promised awesome slip. Since I prefer to finger detangle my hair instead of using combs, I love to find products with a good amount of slip so that I can detangle with ease and reduce the amount of breakage and splitting. As an added plus, this product smells SO good!! It smells like a light breeze of fresh coconuts!
The Almond Jai Twisting Butter is a styler that strengthens and softens hair and elongates curls. It contains ingredients such as: almond milk, jojoba oil, castor oil, aloe, and honey. I originally wanted to try the Aloe Whipped Butter Gel, but did not find the product in the Target I was in, so I opted for the Almond Jai. (I recently found out from a fellow natural hair blogger that the Aloe Whipped Butter Gel is only available online, so I just purchased it and will be doing a product review as soon as I use it). I normally don't purchase butters because they are oftentimes way too heavy for my hair. I love hair milks, curling jellies, and light creams because they give me an amazing hold without weighing my hair down. However, I was not at all disappointed with the results I got from using this butter. It is not heavy at all and my hair still had SO much body and volume! Also it smells absolutely amazing! I kid you not, it smells like vanilla cake batter! Sooo yummy!! Let's get started with how I styled my hair!
To start off this style, I deep conditioned/cleansed with Shea Moisture's Superfruit Complex 10-in-1 Renewal System hair masque. After I cleansed, I parted my hair into four sections. I then took one of those sections and separated it into fourths. I took one of those smaller sections and dampened it with a bit of water and applied the Coconut Water Leave-in from end to root as I detangled on my way up the section of hair, being sure to focus on my ends. After I thoroughly smoothed the product through, I then took a little bit of the Almond Jai and applied it to the same piece I just applied the leave-in to. After the products were smoothed into my hair, I then did a two-strand twist. I continued this process all over my head until I was done. After wards, I allowed my hair to air dry over the course of the day and overnight. The first thing I noticed was that it dried much quicker than I expected, so that was great!
The next day, I took my twists out, separated and fluffed my roots. Y'all...when I tell you that this Almond Jai is amazing...I truly mean that!! My curls were defined, yet still SO full! My hair was also extremely hydrated! The only flaw I came across was that I had a slight "matte" feel to my hair that I wasn't too fond of. However, this does not discourage me from using either of these products ever again. What I want to do is try using them separately so that I can see how they do on their own or with other products But overall, I highly recommend these products. The leave-in had amazing slip and I was more than able to detangle with ease. The Almond Jai was so amazingly lightweight and smooth that I wouldn't even consider it a butter. It has more of a creamy, thick whipped texture, which I absolutely love!

:)

I hope y'all found this review helpful! Be sure to come back and check out my next post and don't forget to respond to the poll question under "The Purpose." See ya on the next post!

Product Review: Shea Moisture Anti-Breakage Firm Hold Gel Cream

Hey everyone!

I'm so sorry for being so absent lately! I have been super busy and by the time I got around to writing a blog post, my computer crashed! So I finally have a new laptop and now I am all ready to go!

This week, I will be reviewing Shea Moisture's new Yucca and Plantain Anti-Breakage Firm Hold Gel Cream. This product is a new styler from their newly formulated Yucca and Plantain collection which is meant for frizzy, split, and breaking hair. This gel cream defines waves and curls while providing a firm hold without a sticky or flaky residue. It prevents frizz by hydrating and smoothing the hair cuticle, allowing for soft, shiny curls that last all day long. This collection contains:

-Yucca extract - promotes hair growth for thicker, fuller hair
-Plantain extract - rich in Vitamin B complex and nourishes hair with moisture
-Baobab oil - contains Vitamins A, D, E and F to fortify and strengthen hair
-Garlic - increases blood circulation in the scalp for healthier hair

Freshly washed hair

Overall, this collection has some AMAZING ingredients that help promote healthy and strong hair growth. It is formerly known as the Yucca and Baobab collection that was for fine, thin hair, and it contained biotin, a vitamin that strengthens the hair follicle. The new formula, unfortunately, does not contain biotin and it actually made me really sad when I found this out because that formula was perfect for my hair. However, I found that this collection definitely makes up for the removal of this awesome vitamin by replacing it with other ingredients that fortify hair and aid in healthy hair growth. If they took out the biotin and didn't add anything else, then that would have been pretty sucky. But the fact that they replaced it with other great substitutes definitely makes up for it. But yet and still, I know that my hair absolutely loves biotin and proteins, so that's what I try to look for in my hair products. So when I found out that Shea Moisture's Superfruit Complex 10-in-1 System collection contains biotin, I was super excited! I tried the masque from this collection and LOVED it!! It's definitely a new staple. So if you are like me and you looooooove biotin containing hair products, be sure to check that collection out! Now lets get to the product review for this gel cream!

Wet hair with Gel Cream applied

When I purchased this product, I knew right away that I wanted to do a wash-and-go. I figured it was the best fit style for this product because of its thick and slippy nature, so I figured I would first rate it in its element. To start, I deep conditioned/cleansed my hair with the Shea Moisture Yucca and Plantain Anti-Breakage Strengthening Masque and used their Yucca and Baobab Thickening Growth Milk as my leave-in/detangler. This is a milk from the older collection, obviously. I had some leftover from an old bottle so decided to use it! When applied the masque and leave-in, I made sure to massage my scalp to promote blood circulation and and remove buildup and I also paid close attention to my ends by making sure I applied a little extra product to them and finger detangled softly.
After I cleansed and rinsed, I parted my hair into 4 sections and applied my leave-in, again, paying close attention to my ends. When I began styling with the gel cream, I took one of the four sections, sprayed it with water and applied the product to small pieces at a time. After I finished a section, I scrunched my hair and then continued that process all over my head. When I got to the front sections where I have a looser curl pattern, I coiled my hair around my finger in small pieces to allow for better curl definition. My hair took quite a while to fully air dry, as it usually does, but when it did, it was extremely defined and hydrated. I did have a slight gel cast, but all I did was smooth my hands down my hair and fluff my roots and it was gone! My hair had tons of body and my curls were beyond soft and shiny! Most importantly, when I washed my hair the next week, I had barely any shedding! It was kind of crazy how much the amount of shedding decreased in just one week, so I know for sure that my hair really loves and reacts well to this system, so I will continue to use it in the future.

Dry and fluffed hair

Overall, I was VERY happy with this product. My wash-and-go lasted a full week with my hair gaining more and more body and fullness with each day! I absolutely LOVE this gel cream and this new formula. The masque was also amazing and I want to try the hair lotion this collection also offers!

I hope you found this post helpful and that you gained some insight to this collection. As always, thank you for the support and I will see y'all on the next post! They hopefully will not come months in-between anymore LOL!

To see a video of my results using the cleanser and the cream, check out my Instagram, @naturallykimie :)

Long Time No See!!! :) Winter Hair Tips, and Maintaining Flat Ironed Hair

Hey everyone! :)

      I am SO sorry that I have been so inactive on the blog lately! The end of 2014 and the beginning of this year has all be so crazy! Between some personal family matters, Thanksgiving, my undergraduate graduation from the distinguished and prestigious North Carolina State University (whoop whoop!!), CHRISTmas, New Years, having started graduate school a couple of weeks ago, and all of the traveling in between, I have been super uber busy! But I am settling down now and am in a much better position to get back to dedicating more time to blogging and sharing more reviews and tips with everyone! :) So lets start off with some healthy hair tips!

      Of course, it is winter time and everyone is looking for different ways to protect their hair from the cold! I have a lot of friends who tell me that their hair gets super crazy dry during the winter months. They are always trying to find new products to put on their hair because the winter air makes their hair dry and brittle. Somehow, I have never experienced this extreme dryness this time of the year. My hair tends to be pretty much the same all year around, but I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. But either way, just because I don't face a certain amount of problems during a certain amount of time, that doesn't mean I don't still face those same problems throughout the year! Whether it's winter or not, we all still face dry hair, itchy scalp, and frizziness throughout the year! So here are a few tips to help you through those frustrating hair times!

Tip #1: If your hair is suuuuper dry and lacking softness, try making a DIY deep conditioner using mayonnaise and extra virgin olive oil (EVOO). You could leave it at that, or you could add some other ingredients for added nutrients and benefits such as avocado, pumpkin, eggs, yogurt, or banana. I find that after I cleanse my hair with deep conditioners containing mayonnaise and EVOO, my hair is beyond soft, full of body, hydrated, and moisturized after I rinse it out! It's beyond amazing and it lasts!

Tip #2: If you love beanies but can't stand the frizziness that they cause your hair, try either sewing a silk lining to the inside of your beanie, or you could wear a silk bonnet (yes, the sleepwear that many women, unfortunately, wear out in public) under your beanie. That way you don't have to buy a bunch or material or silk bonnets and sew them into different hats! This will help your hair to stay smooth instead of rubbing up against the cotton material of your beanie or even your toboggan!

Tip #3: For those of you who feel like you can't rock your wash-and-go in the winter time because you don't want to walk outside with a wet head of hair, think again! :) Try preparing your wash-and-go on a day when you know you won't leave the house! That way you can style it on wet hair the day before, let it air dry, and then wear it out as your style the next day! This way, you get the fullness of day 2 curls on their first day out! Or if you prefer to not have to be tied down in the house all day, try letting your hair get about 50% air dried before you apply your wash-and-go product! That way, you won't have to style and walk out of the house with soaking wet hair AND your hair will have more volume! Be aware that there may be a bit less definition in the curls. But me, personally, would choose fullness over definition any day!

Tip #4: Hydrate your hair much more often. If dry hair is an issue for you, try spritzing your hair with a bit of water daily and following with a small amount of a light moisturizing lotion or creme. Or you could do as I did when I did my big chop and put a little bit (maybe about 3 quarter-sized amounts) of your favorite leave-in in a spray bottle, fill the rest of the bottle with water, shake it up, and spray that on your hair daily! I may actually start doing this again because my hair was very well moisturized when I would do this daily!

Tip #5: Try to wear styles that keep your hair off of your neck and back. Since during this time of year, we are all wearing scarves, and wool coats, it is easier for our hair to frizz up because of all the friction. Especially our poor ends! They get it the worst :( So if you know you are going to pull out the cotton or wool coat and scarf, consider wearing your hair in an updo, braids of any kind, or twists that day! This isn't necessary to do every single day, but every once in a while, give your hair a break from the friction. Maybe for at least half of each month total, try keeping your ends off of your neck and back. You'll be happy you did! And be sure to keep your hands out of your hair if you have on gloves or mittens that aren't leather! :)

      So now we are going to shift gears a little bit and I'll explain to y'all how I maintain my straight hair. Like i mentioned before, I had my undergraduate graduation last month and I decided that I wanted to get my hair flat ironed for it. I got my hair done the Sunday before graduation (December 14th) by an amazing cosmetologist named, Kendra. She came highly recommended by one of my best friends, Adrianna. Kendra trimmed and flat ironed my hair and I loved it! My hair was shiny, it had SO much body and it looked incredibly healthy! I kept my hair up and maintained it by not applying any unnecessary heat, but I found within the next couple of days that my hair was getting very dry, as it usually does. It was losing a lot of its luster and it wasn't looking as healthy. I didn't know what to put on it to give it its glow back because all of the hair product I had was for hair in its natural state. I had nothing that wouldn't make my hair revert back to its curls. So then I went on Pinterest and searched "natural heat protectant." A few things came up, but the one thing that popped out to me was grapeseed oil. I just stared experimenting with grapeseed oil in August and what I notice most about it is that it's extremely light. If you follow my blog regularly you know that is a winning characteristic of a product for me. I LOVE a product that sits lightly on hair because it doesn't cause any weigh down. I love for my hair to move and have body rather than stick to my head. Especially when it's flat ironed! So I took the grapeseed oil tip and ran with it!
My best friend, Teleza, took my senior pictures for me the day before graduation (December 17th). So the night before we took them, I poured about a quarter-sized amount of grapeseed oil into my hand, rubbed it between both hands, and applied it to half of my hair from root to tip. After I applied and rubbed it in thoroughly, I did the same thing to the other half of my hair. I then combed my hair with a paddle brush and put my hair into a top knot (wrapped my hair into a knot bun on the top of my head). I put on my silk bonnet and then went to sleep. When I woke up the next morning and took my hair down...y'all. My hair was right back to how it was before! It was full of life, SUPER shiny, and had SO much volume!!! It wasn't weighed down at all! I could not believe how much that grapeseed oil did for my hair, literally, overnight! I was so excited! I then got my flat iron and put some curls in! I had it on low heat, of course. I was in absolute and total LOVE with the results I got from using the grapeseed oil! That night, my hair looked and felt fine, but I wanted to add a little more oil, so I did! I then put my top knot back in and my silk bonnet. The next morning, graduation morning (December 18), my hair was just as it was the day before! And not only that, but the top know preserved my curls! So I barely had to add any curls in that morning...but I did anyway because I wanted to hahaha!! :) My curls lasted all day long! From that night on, I didn't add anymore grapeseed oil to my hair, nor did I use anymore heat. My nighttime hair routine consisted of only 2 steps: top knot and silk bonnet! Doing just that alone, i preserved my curls and my hair was still so hydrated, so I didn't have to add anymore oil or curl my hair until CHRISTmas, which was exactly a week later.
      From now on, I definitely will be using grapeseed oil on my hair when I do any kind of heat styling! It was soooo good to my hair and I love the results I got! And in case it wasn't obvious, no, I didn't acquire ANY heat damage!! My hair reverted right back to its curls when I washed it! So long story short, a great way to protect and maintain your straight hair is to add grapeseed oil before you go to bed, put your hair in a top knot, and sleep with your silk bonnet on or on your satin pillowcase.

:)

I hope y'all found this post super helpful and that you gained something from these tips! If you have anymore questions, feel free to ask by commenting below! I'll see y'all on the next post! And as always, thank you for your support!

Natural Hair Spotlight Month: Meet Keith and Travis!

Hey everyone!

We are continuing with Natural Hair Spotlight month this week and focusing on the guys! I have 2 naturalistos (I just made that up) who I interviewed for this week's post! One of them is my brother-in-law, Keith, and the other is my love, Travis! I hope y'all enjoy reading their interviews and learn some valuable things! :) Lets get started!

Meet Keith!

Name: Keith Butler Jr.
Age: 25
How long have you been natural: Forever!
What made you decide to return to your natural hair: I didn't want to look like Katt Williams!
How did your friends/significant other/family react to your decision: *I'll answer this as if you're asking about my decision to start/grow my locs* My family didn't really like the idea of me having locs. They all thought locs were nasty. Krystal (my wife) was the most supportive. She was only hesitant because she liked my short hair.
How do they feel now: My family approves! I guess they see that locs are great when they're taken care of properly.
How is your hair viewed in the workplace/at school/among friends: It seems as if my friends/coworkers/peers don't view my hair any differently than before I had locs. They ask more questions, but that's about it. I think being a musician helps. A different/creative style is what most people expect from creatives.
What is your style of choice: I prefer to have the locs down. I don't really like putting them up in a hair band. Gotta let them breathe!
What led to that decision: I'm not really sure. I like to let my hair do what it does if that make sense. I don't really like letting environments (business, professional, etc) determine what I do with my hair, so I try to go with the flow.
Did you experiment with any other styles before sticking with your current style:I tried one of those braided loc styles, but I'll try it again when my hair is longer.
If you could do whatever you wanted to your hair, what would you do (funky cut, color, etc.): I would cut the locs off the sides of my hair and only have locs up top. Basquiat-esque!
What are your must-have staple products/oils: Water and any kind of oil. I've been using the African black castor oil (coconut scent) recently.
What is the biggest learning curve you have encountered with taking care of your natural hair: Product is bad for retwisting! It only causes buildup. And I can't wash my hair like everyone else. Regular shampoo doesn't clean my locs good enough. I used lemon dish soap last time because it also acts as a degreaser.
What is the biggest life lesson you have learned on your natural hair journey: Our hair is very important. Sacred if you will. Especially these locs. I feel lik they represent bigger things like my commitment to my wife. I'm commited to these locs through the good and the bad hair days. Just like marriage!
If you could change one thing about your journey thus far, what would you change: I would never have used product. It's terrible!
What has been your biggest personal gain since the start of your journey: Just learning how to care for what I've been entrusted with in this life. It takes a lot of TLC to maintain this hair.
Do you think you have inspired any guy friends to go natural or to take better care of their hair: Hmmm. I hope so!
Any advice for anyone considering taking the leap into living a natural hair lifestyle: Go for it! Don't let societal pressures determine how your heart feels. Do it!
Business/blog/social media inquiry info:
Twitter: @killabeets
Tumblr: Keith Butler Jr.
Facebook: " "

Meet Travis!

Name: Travis Eaton
Age: 22
Describe your “pre-natural hair” (damaged, dry, etc.): I had waves before, but due to using unhealthy chemicals that were in the products I was using, my hair was thinner in some areas of my head than others.
How long have you been natural:1 year and 1 month
What made you decide to return to your natural hair:I just wanted to have healthier hair.
How did your friends/significant other/family react to your decision:My friends and family tell me that the short hair look is fine so they were neutral. However, my girlfriend, who is the wonderful creator of this blog, was very very supportive of my decision!
How do they feel now:Everyone is happy now. My hair has come back healthier and wavier than ever.
How is your hair viewed in the workplace/at school/among friends:When I go somewhere, one of the first things someone tells me normally is that I have nice hair.

What is your style of choice: My hairstyle of choice is either a low taper or a fade.
What led to that decision: The 2 hair styles I alternate between are just very clean and professional, but at the same time, they still allow me have my waves.
Did you experiment with any other styles before sticking with your current style: No I did not
If you could do whatever you wanted to your hair, what would you do (funky cut, color, etc.): I would think about getting a part again, but that’s about it.
What are your must-have staple products/oils: Shea Moisture Raw Shea Butter Restorative Conditioner and Extra Virgin Olive Oil
What is the biggest learning curve you have encountered with taking care of your natural hair: Just how often I should wash my hair and how to properly wash my hair.
What is the biggest life lesson you have learned on your natural hair journey: Honestly, the biggest lesson I learned was how hard women have it if they decide to do a big chop. The world judges them and at times it is very hard, but you have to remind yourself that it is a process.
If you could change one thing about your journey thus far, what would you change: Nothing. I wouldn’t change my journey at all!
What has been your biggest personal gain since the start of your journey: Just more confidence and being more comfortable in my skin.
Do you think you have inspired any guy friends to go natural or to take better care of their hair: Yes. A few of my friends have decided to follow my lead. They have started using Shea Moisture, and they ask me for tips here and there.
Any advice for anyone considering taking the leap into living a natural hair lifestyle: Do it! The journey is more than worth it! Besides growing healthier hair, the journey will force you to gain more confidence, so it is a win-win!

:)

Thank you so much for reading! If you have any questions for these guys or any of the ladies I have interviewed in the past few weeks, leave your comment or question in the comment section of their interview post and I will send the question/comment their way and reply to your comment with their response! Thank you again so much for your support! It means the world to me!

Don't miss next week! It is the last Natural Hair Spotlight month post and I have interviews from 3 lovely ladies to share with y'all! And as always, be sure to cast your vote on my monthly poll located on the left under "The Purpose"! The winning choice will be announced on the first post of every month! Again, thank you for the support and I'll see y'all on the next post!

Natural Hair Spotlight: Meet Kelley and Krystal!

Hey y'all!

So as promised, the month of November will be "Natural Hair Spotlight" month on my blog! I gathered some friends and family and asked them to answer some questions for y'all, and each week in the month of November, I will post the interviews of two of my guest bloggers! This way you can have new references from people on all different walks in their hair journey and they get a chance to share and inspire! I hope y'all enjoy and that you gain some insight from these amazingly amazing naturals :) So let's get started!

To kick things off, here are my interviews from my sisters, Kelley and Krystal!

                                                                       Meet Kelley!!
                                                                 

Name: Kelley  

Age: 25
Describe your “pre-natural hair”: My hair was actually not bad when it was relaxed. It was short, shoulder length but it never grew past that point.
How long have you been natural: I have been natural 3 years this month! :)
What made you decide to return to your curls: My sister encouraged me to go natural after I had stopped getting relaxers due to pure frustration of harsh chemicals and a burning scalp.
Did you transition or big chop: I transitioned for 15 months before I big chopped.
What made you choose one over the other: Honestly, I was afraid to have a TWA. I work in DC and I wasn’t sure if people would find it professional.
How long has it been since your big chop: 1 year and 9 months
How did your friends/significant other/family react to your decision: Everyone seemed to love it! I actually got a lot of great feedback and encouragement.
How do they feel now: They are still amazed at how much my hair has grown, and how fast it grew! My co-workers and friends love seeing my curls stretched out!
How is your natural hair viewed in the workplace/at school/among friends: My natural hair is perceived really well. In fact, I love the excitement when I do something different with my hair. It's fun to see other people enjoy something that makes me unique :)
How do you normally style your hair/what are your go-to styles: My new go to style is wash, cool blow dry and quick chunky twist out. It’s the fastest style I have found so far. I learned the hard way that my 4b natural hair does not like wash and goes.
Are you a “I want to experiment with my hair weekly” kind of natural, or a “Put it in some braids or twists for a few months at a time and call it a day" kind of natural: I am a “put it in a twist out and hope and pray it lasts 2 weeks” type of girl! The less time I spend on my hair the better for everyone haha! The longer my hair grows, the thicker it gets and maintaining it gets even harder. So the quicker the better when it comes to styling. I got micro mini twists and I somehow made them last 3 months. Take down was an epic disaster but it was worth the break.
If you could do whatever you wanted to your hair, what would you do (funky cut, color, etc.): I wouldn’t do a thing haha! I’m too nervous! Besides straightening once a year, experimenting with different styles and cautiously trimming my ends, that’s the most adventures I will be for a while.
What are your must-have staple products/oils: I’ve just discovered Carol’s Daughter Mimosa Hair Honey. It smells wonderful and my hair loves it for twists. It gets a little greasy but by day 2 or 3 its perfectly moisturized and soft. I will always live by my Eco styler gel. My hair does not like creams, hair lotions or leave ins. It, literally, only likes oils, light gels or pomades.
What is the biggest life lesson you have learned on your natural hair journey: That the natural me is the best me. I used to straighten my hair until my whole house or dorm room smelled like burning hair and filled the air with more smoke than a Snoop Dogg concert. It feels great that I can be myself and face the world with the hair I was always intended to embrace. 

If you could change one thing about your journey thus far, what would you change: Absolutely nothing. Every bad hair day was a lesson learned and another chance to change it up! I got to experience transitioned hair, short hair, and all natural hair. It’s been a delightful, journey filled with ups and downs and a lot of hard work.
What has been your biggest personal gain since the start of your journey: I have gained a wonderful sense of sincerity. I feel sincere when I face the world, like “hey world, this is me, love it or hate. But if you hate it who cares because I love it! :)
Any advice for anyone considering taking the leap into returning to their curls: Oh my grace, jump! Leap! Do it! It’s an amazing journey and if you keep your eye on the prize, on your goals and hair dreams you will make it! Please trust me, it is sooo worth it! :)

Meet Krystal!

Name: Krystal Nicole Butler
Age: 25
Describe your “pre-natural hair”: Relaxed (Thin, weak, damaged)
How long have you been natural: My last relaxer was February of 2012, so I have been without a relaxer for 2 years and 9 months.
What made you decide to return to your curls: After my last relaxer, I noticed that my shoulder length hair was slowing becoming extremely thin and starting to fall out. One day, my (then) boyfriend, Keith, came to my apartment to pick me up for dinner and I opened the door and started crying. As I stood in the doorway, holding strands of my fallen hair in my hands, I explained to him that there was something wrong and I didn’t know how to fix it. He calmed me down and asked me a series of questions: “What do you want your hair to look like?” In between tears I said, “Thick and long and healthy.” “Ok. What can you do to get it that way,” he asked. I thought about what it took for me to style me hair: get it relaxed, wash and condition every week, flat iron (with retouches almost daily) and “moisturizing” my scalp with hair grease. I thought about the burns I would get each and every time I got a relaxer. “What if I stopped getting my hair relaxed?” I asked him. “I think that would be a good idea,” he said. That night I Googled something like, “What if I stopped relaxing my hair?” Since I had chemically straightened hair since before I could remember, I had no idea what my hair would look like without one. A few Youtube videos popped up about “Natural Hair” and the rest was history.
Did you transition or big chop: I transitioned before I did my big chop.
What made you choose one over the other: I chose to transition my hair only because I did not quite know what I was doing. After watching a bazillion Youtube videos of women styling their beautiful TWA’s (tennie-wennie afros) I was ready to start my journey too.
How long did you transition before your big chop: After transitioning for 9 months, I decided to do a big chop.
How did your friends/significant other/family react to your decision: In the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving (in 2012) I told my little sisters, Kelley and Kimie, that I was going to big chop. They were extremely hesitant and tried to convince me to “stick it out” and let my hair grow out and then cut it once it was long enough. My boyfriend, Keith, was really supportive. I kept telling him that my hair would be really short and super thick and curly. “You won’t be able to run your fingers through my hair anymore,” I warned. “I always thought it was weird that I could run my fingers through your hair,” he replied. (Since his mother and sister had been natural for quite some time, he was used natural hair and TWA’s.) My Grandmother, or ‘Mema’ as we called her, was my biggest fan. I would call her weekly and tell her about my new growth and how I couldn’t wait for it to be long and healthy. My Mema never liked relaxers so she was thrilled to know that I wouldn’t be getting them anymore. After Thanksgiving dinner, I pulled away from the table, went to the bedroom and starting cutting away! When I went to work the next day, some of my coworkers were not impressed. Throughout the day I heard a mix of positive and not so positive comments like, “What did you do?” and “I liked it better the other way” ; “it’ll look better once it grows out a little” and “you could always put a hot comb to it.” Some of them (those who understood the natural hair movement) had such nice things to say “you look beautiful, girly” and “I love it!”
How do they feel now: Keith and I are married now and he is still a fan of my natural hair. My twin sister, older sister and mother are all natural now! Though my little sister Kimie was already natural, I taught her about natural hair, how to take care of it, and introduced her to lots of styles. I no longer work with the same coworkers I did when I big chopped, but some of them follow my hair journey on social media and ‘like’ my pictures and post really nice comments. Before she passed my Mema would always express how much she loved my hair. “It’s so healthy and full!” she would say every time I did a twist out. Her favorite hair style I had ever done was when I cut my own bangs a few years back when I was relaxed. She would always ask me to cut them again, but I told her I wasn’t going to cut my hair again for a while. I just recently cut my bangs and now I see why she loved them on me so much. I wish she was here to see them now.
How is your natural hair viewed in the workplace/at school/among friends: At work, I get a lot of positive feedback about my hair. I have realized that two strand twist and twist outs are much more appreciated than a stretched out Afro. Almost all my friends love my natural hair and enjoy seeing its versatility just as much as I do.
How do you normally style your hair/what are your go-to styles: I almost always have some sort of twist out or two strand twist. As it gets longer it takes more time to style it this way however it last for as long as I need it to and requires no up-keep throughout the week.
Are you a “I want to experiment with my hair weekly” kind of natural, or a “Put it in some braids or twists for a few months at a time and call it a day” kind of natural: I love to experiment with my hair but since I am very busy throughout the week, I try to do styles that are easily interchangeable. For example: I’ll wash and style my hair on Saturday in two-strand twist. For the weekend I may wear the twist in a half up half down style. On Monday and Tuesday I may wear then in a top knot. On Wednesday and Thursday I’ll unravel the twist and wear them down and on Friday I’ll pick the curls out for an extra large curly fro.
If you could do whatever you wanted to your hair, what would you do (funky cut, color, etc.): I have considered coloring my hair deep red using henna dye, but I really love my natural hair color so I always talk myself out of doing it. If I could make my hair grow to be waist length over night, I would! I can’t wait for it to be long already. I don’t like shrinkage, it drives me crazy, so I would get rid of it. I do really miss my hair length when I initially big chopped. Once I get tired of wearing it long, I will most likely cut it all off and start over again
What are your must-have staple products/oils: Eco styling gel. Although I do not use it as often as I used to, it is a staple in my bathroom cabinet! My hair texture is closer to 4B/C (tightly coiled) so without a little gel, my natural curls are not very defined once my hair dries. Eco does a great job of defining my curls and holding down my ‘baby’ hairs! I use Trader Joes Tea Tree Shampoo and Conditioner (mostly I co-wash and only shampoo if I’ve used a lot of gel or product). I also love the Trader Joes Jojoba oil. Those are basically the only products I’m currently using.
What is the biggest life lesson you have learned on your natural hair journey: The biggest life lesson I have learned is how freeing it is to be 100% natural. It’s crazy to think about when I used to go to the hair salon and hear the stylist complaining about how thick and ‘nappy’ my hair was and how it needed to be fixed. It hurts my heart that those words were used to describe hair that I now know is absolutely spectacular. Black hair, especially in its natural state and texture is amazing. Its ability to take any shape, hold any style, be any length, texture, color and display any mood or expression is something that is unique to men and women of African descent and is a trait that I am proud to posses. Through my natural hair journey I have developed a new found sense of pride in being women of color. It’s difficult to be a minority in almost all aspects of your life and not feel pressure to conform to the majority. As a result of my natural hair journey I have sought to celebrate (not eliminate) my differences and become as comfortable in myself as possible. I love that I have discovered this sense of freedom within my natural myself. It is because of it that if I choose to wear makeup or flat iron my curls, I now view it as an accessory or style verses an improvement or ‘fix.’
If you could change one thing about your journey thus far, what would you change: The only thing I would change about my journey is that I would have started it sooner! Much sooner!
What has been your biggest personal gain since the start of your journey: The biggest personal gain I’ve received as a result of my natural hair journey is the ability to not take negative comments to heart. One day at work, before I began transitioning, a white co-worker of mine said to me that she had always been told that she had “bad hair” much like “black people hair” which she described as coarse, nappy and dry. She then grabbed my hair, rubbed it and said “yep, just like that!” I was always confused by that exchange because at the time my hair was as straight as hers, and soft. I realized then, that no matter what we change about ourselves, sometimes people can’t see passed the stereotypes or assumptions they have engrained in their minds. When that comment was made, I instantly began thinking of more ways to improve myself. Now, when people make a negative comment about my hair, I don’t even get sad or offended anymore. What’s cool about being natural is that it can’t get any better. If people have a problem with my natural hair then they must take it up with God. I didn’t create my hair, I just simply maintain it.
Any advice for anyone considering taking the leap into returning to their curls: Take a deep breath. Do research. And go for it. Your hair is amazingly versatile so take time to figure out all that it can do. The old idea that “straight is the only acceptable/professional type of hair” is dead, so let it go. Dive all in and enjoy the ride! It really is a fun journey :)
Business/blog/social media inquiry info: Follow me on Instagram @KrystalNicoleButler

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Thanks so much for checking out my blog post this week! I hope you gained some insight from these lovely ladies and gained an understanding of the perspective of a fellow natural! Be sure to check out next week's post for two new spotlight features! And don't forget to cast your vote on my monthly poll! It's located on the left side right under "The Purpose". As always, thanks so much for the support!