A few days ago I shared some of my favorite curly hair products. I must admit that the post was incomplete. Ok, do not be mad at me but I did not want to earn the “Longest Post in America” award on my first day blogging, lol. I was planning to complete my “hair topic” in a few days, I promise. But, just a few hours ago I got a subsequent text from my cousin, Erica, in excitement because she bought her “first product experiment.” She opted to first try Kinky-Curly. I cannot wait to see pictures of her natural curls flowin’ while she vacations in St. Thomas! (Jealous? I am. My parents are going too!).
In addition to choosing a great styling product, I have also found these tips useful:
- Never towel dry curls. The towel makes your hair frizzy. I am certain there is some science to this, but I haven’t the energy to determine what it is. I just follow the guideline.
- Use a wide-toothed comb. Never and I mean NEVER use a brush on wet (or dry) curly hair!
- Moisturize. Curly hair, particularly African-American curly hair, tends to be dry and brittle. This occurs because it is difficult for the scalps natural oils to move down the hair follicle. To help prevent break-off and damage I use Morrocan Oil. I always apply the oil before applying my “curly hair recipe.” My girlfriend Travelle swears by Parnevu’s Leave-In Conditioner.
- A small amount of product goes a LONG way. This lesson took me awhile. I must admit that I used to follow the more = better philosophy. With curly hair and products this is not the case. I use less than a dime size portion for each of my sections.
- Use the “Rake and Shake” application procedure.
- Co-wash instead of washing. Co-washing, also known as conditioner washing, is a way to clean the hair without using shampoo. Instead, rinse your hair with water, apply conditioner, and rinse out once again!
- Air Dry. Ok, this is not always feasible, but my hair looks its best when I allow it to air dry.
HAPPY CURLS!
Love the posts and the tips as I find my recipe! I learned the "less is more" lesson with Kinky Curly in St. Thomas, but I think my first curly hair experiment was a success. I got a compliment from my younger brother who said randomly during dinner, "Your hair looks pretty." :) I think I will try Moroccan Oil and Mixed Chicks next. I still have a fair amount of relaxer to get rid of on the ends, but I'm hoping that by summer I'll be all curls. Downloading St. Thomas pics right now!
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Erica
Lovin' the blog Mich!
ReplyDeleteI went to Sally's this weekend to try something new and got the Silky Essence version of Mixed Chicks' Leave in (you know how much I believe in leave in conditioners)...lets just say, I was utterly disappointed as my hair dried up into a frizzy mess! It was soft to the touch but definitely dry and my curls quite undefined. It was smooth to apply, but I don't think it did much to control the curl pattern. There was one confound in this experiment, my hair was more damp than usual because I tried the microfiber towel, but in defense of the product, I used quite a generous amount of product.
I'll give it a go one more time to see if I can rescue it with other products, especially since I bought a size-able bottle. I may also try it with their deep conditioner as I am looking for a new one of those. I'll keep you posted!
Travelle, have you tried good ol fashioned olive oil? I find that it's a delicious deep conditioner!
ReplyDeletewow this is a big help to me - i want to grow my natural curly kinky hair... these are great tips i can use... i'm on my way to growing it and finally letting it flow itself... for the mean time... i'll be following your blog... hope you'll have more hair posts.. lol
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NIQUE
you can also chec and follow mine...