Pinapple Pros and Cons

The pineapple method is a nighttime practice used to maintain curly/coily hair. In a nutshell it's basically the act of gathering your hair into a very high ponytail on the top of your head and securing with a scrunchie (your hair is in the shape of a pineapple as the term suggests).    Pineappling is a great way to achieve second-day hair. It helps to preserve your curls while you sleep.

I suppose like almost anything, the pineapple has its pros and cons.  These are they (in my opinion):

Pros:

• Helps to prevent overnight curl wreckage/smooshing
• Quick and easy
• Helps to keep wash in go for multiple days
• Yields good results if I want an updo or backdo the next day (Alot of times I will leave in the pineapple and wear it like that the next day.  I just shake and fluff, and keep it moving)

Con:

• Not always full proof if I want to wear my hair down. Sometimes creates this rather awkward shape the next morning (sides and back stretched, crown normal).

My personal preference is to pineapple at night, when I am going to wear my hair up or back the following day.  Since it stretches some of my curls, I don't always do it if I know I want to wear my hair down. I really don't have the energy in the mornings to fight to reshape my hair.

What are your thoughts on pineappling?

My Two Cents - Miss Jessie's Curly Meringue

During a shopping trip to Target a few months ago, my curlyfriend Cindy and I spotted a pretty fabulous Miss Jessie's sale. We were shocked to see that Miss Jessie products were 40% off.  Now that's a deal!

It had been years since I jumped off the Miss Jessie's bandwagon.  When I first started wearing my hair natural I used the Curly Pudding pretty regularly.  I really liked it, as it provided a really nice hold for my hair.  I stopped using for a few reasons; I wanted to find a cheaper alternative, I felt that my hair was dry, it gave me that hard hair effect, and I wanted to use more all-natural ingredients. 

That was probably about 4 years ago.  Since then Miss Jessie's has changed the formula for both the Curly Pudding, and Curly Meringue to exclude silicones and parabens, so with the urging of my curlfriend Cindy I decided to give the Curly Meringue a try and purchased the 8oz jar.  I was very unsure of what the results would be.  My hair care practices are very different then what they were 4 years ago (i.e. I've learned how to retain moisture), but I still feared that Miss Jessie's would result in dry hair.

Here are my two cents...

Miss Jessie's Curly Meringue
I apply this styler as I would any other.  It's my very last product in my wash day routine (leave-in conditioner, then Shea butter, then Curly Meringue).  I've used it both as a wash n go styler, and large twists.

Rating: 4 out of 5 Coils
Pros:

• Silicone-free
• Paraben-free
• Can be purchased just about any place that sells hair products
• Smells wonderful
• Great hold, yet hair soft to the touch (very important to me)!!!!!
• Hair maintained moisture (huge plus)!!!!!
• Can get 6/7 day hair

Cons:  

• Pricey when it's not on sale
• I have to be pretty heavy-handed when applying
• Cream is visible in hair until hair fully dries
• Takes forever to air dry (which is actually the norm for me, not really the fault of the product.. I just have so much hair)

I was extremely happy with the results.  So much so that I then bought 3 (yes I said 3) of the 16oz jars while they were still 40% off!!!  Might as well make use of sale price while I can :-)

How about you?  Any experiences with Miss Jessie's products? 

To Color or Not to Color... That is the Question

 

Every once in awhile I get the itch for change.  This time my itch involves the question of color.  Specifically, should I or should I not change my hair color? 

I'm no stranger to color.  Years ago I was a redhead.  (Well it was a cross between light brown and red.)  The photo below is from my redhead days.  I went back to my dark brown/black hair about 4 years ago for a few reasons:

1. All the coloring left my hair very dry, and I couldn't deal anymore. 
2. I went the more all-natural organic route, and swore off all chemicals.
3. I was tired of the upkeep, and maintenance.  It all became soooo time consuming and I just didn't want to deal anymore.

Fast-forward 4 years to now....  I've been happy with my natural hair color, but sometimes I feel like I want to do something a little different.  My cousin has these fierce highlights that I'm really digging.  But I don't know if I want to go through the hassle.  Then there is always the semi-permanent rinse option, which is good because it's commitment free.  And if I want to go the all-natural chemical-free route there is always henna or indigo.

What's a curl to do?  To color or not to color?  Any thoughts?

Water - Drink Your Way to Healthy Hair

H20… We all know it’s good for our bodies.  This should come as no surprise.  Water is important for our overall health.  It hydrates every cell in our bodies, which in turn also effects our hair.

I must admit, I am not getting my recommended 60+ ounces each day.  I do pretty well, but I’m not all the way there yet.  I am usually somewhere within the 32-40 ounces range.  This is not including when I work out.  I don’t count my working out water intake, because all I’m doing is trying to replenish whatever I’m sweating.  To me that doesn’t count towards general daily water intake. 

Let's talk water and hair for a minute....  Do your tresses always appear dry despite all your attempts at moisturizing?  It might be because you are not drinking enough water.  When you don’t intake enough water, your body becomes dehydrated.  This will impact your hair too curlfriends!

I’m going to start a 6 week challenge, which will encourage me to boost my water intake from my normal 32-40 ounces to 60-70 ounces per day (excluding working out of course).  Not just for my hair health, but overall health.  I invite you to join me on this challenge so we can all reap the benefits together!

The target is to drink ½ your body weight in ounces each day. For example, if you are 128lbs you should be drinking 64 ounces per day.  In general 64 ounces is a really good target, regardless of weight (in my extremely unprofessional opinion).  My suggestion for achieving 64 ounces:

16 ounces before breakfast
16 ounces before/with lunch
16 ounces before/with snack
8 ounces before/with dinner
8 ounces when taking daily vitamins

Let’s challenge ourselves to complete this daily.  Our bodies and hair will thank us for it!  Happy Drinking!

High Pom Pom Ponytail

My hairstyle for today is what I call the Pom Pom Ponytail.  This is more commonly called a high pony tail, or puff. I like to say pom pom, because it reminds be of my cheerleader days back in highschool.  This hairstyle is great for an old wash and go, that's starting to lack whip appeal! 

This is how I achieve my High Pom Pom Ponytail:

Items You'll Need

• water bottle (optional)
• moisturizer/gel (optional)
• hair tie
• hair/bobby pins (optional)

1.  Spritz hair with water, so that hair is pliable. (optional depending on the mood my hair is in)
2. Add moisturizer and/or gel. (optional depending on the mood my hair is in)
3. Bend forward, and flip hair over head. Smooth it from the neck down.  You can either use your hands, or a brush.
4. Gather hair into a ponytail. While bending, bring all hair into a ponytail that sits high on the crown of the head. 
5.  Secure the ponytail with hair tie.  I like to use a either a headband or scrunchie. 
6.  Loosen the front and side perimeters (optional). Push the ponytail upwards, making a loosening around the edges (as not to have so tight and ease the tension). 
7. Fluff the pom pom.

All done!

 

My Two Cents - Carol's Daughter TUI Hair Smoothie & TUI Leave-In Conditioner

While perusing at my neighborhood ULTA I came across the Carol's Daughter section and had to stop.  I have heard so many great things about Carol's Daughter hair products over the years, but I had yet to try them for myself.  So I saw this as the perfect time to give them a try.  I  mean if it's good enough for Jada Pinkett-Smith, it's worth a shot right! 

My hair was in need of a good deep conditioning session, so after much reading of labels I decided on the TUI (Moisturizing) line. I purchased the TUI Hair Smoothie Deep Conditioner, in addition to the TUI Leave-In Conditioner.

Here are my two cents...

TUI Hair Smoothie
I applied this deep conditioner after my regular shampoo session. After thoroughly coating all my strands with the smoothie I covered with a plastic bag, and sat with my heating cap for 30-35 minutes. 

Rating: 1.5 out of 5 Coils
Pros:

• Natural ingredients
• Smells wonderful

Cons:  

• Soooo not moisturizing for my hair 
• Hair felt almost hard-like after washing out
• A little does not go a long way. I used about 7 of the 8 oz in one application.
• Totally overpriced considering the results

TUI Leave-In Conditioner
I used like I would any other leave-in conditioner (post wash, and conditioner on wet hair). 

As a Leave-In
Rating: 1.5 out of 5 Coils
Pros:

• Natural ingredients
• Great fruity scent
• Does not weigh down hair

Cons:  

•  Not a fan of the texture - I prefer leave-ins that really coat my hair
• Non-moisturizing
• Horrible for my detangling

I must say that I was terribly disappointed with these two products.  In the words of "In Living Color's" Blaine and Antoine, "Hated It"!!!  In no way, shape, or form did it live up to the claim of "Moisturizing" for me.  Perhaps there are other Carol's Daughter product lines that will work better for me.  But as far as the TUI line goes, it's a wrap.  I do not plan to repurchase. 

How about you?  Any experiences with Carol's Daughter products? 

Weathering the Winter

I often hear complaints about the winter weather and what it does to our hair.  Actually I've been one of those complaining in winters past.  But I must say, that this winter I have noticed quite a difference in my hair.  I am not having dry hair issues like I have experienced in times past.  Of course now that I've said that I hope I don't jinx myself. 

It was just the other day actually when I really noticed.  I've been traveling quite a bit since December...and to be honest I haven't paid much attention to my hair.  I've been trying to do as little as possible as far as maintenance.  I haven't pampered and babied it like I normally would (especially during the cold weather).  Over the last 6 weeks, I think I've deep conditioned only once! In addition, I haven't done my normal pre-oil treatments either.  So how the heck is my  hair not dry!

Right now my hair seems to be thriving even with the bare minimum that I've been doing.  Could it be that all the months of TLC and oil treatments were in vain.  I wouldn't go that far.  I do believe that healthy hair habits are beneficial and helpful.  I just realize now that it's not the end of the world if you don't cross your t's and dot your i's every single wash session. I suppose it's similar to eating healthy all year, and then forgoing the healthy food for the Holiday meals.  Having some mac and cheese, candied yams, and sweet potato pie is not going to suddenly cause me to have high blood pressure and cholesterol.

Anyway, I'll definitely be giving myself a nice deep treatment this wash day.  Don't want to take things for granted and then end up with a pile of hay sitting on top of my head :-)  Better to be safe than sorry.  Later curlfriends! 

Happy New Year & Happy Naturalversary to Me!

Hola Curlfriends! Happy New Year! 

It has been a little over 2 months since my last post.   My bad ya’ll!  The time just slipped away from me! 

I just realized yesterday that I missed my natural anniversary.  I’m 7 years a naturalista now!  Man does time fly.  I remember back in the day when I was contemplating the decision….wondering if I should chop it off or not.  Then once I chopped it I went through the shock of “what the heck do I do now”?!?!  As they say, hindsight is 20/20. 

All in all, I’m sooo glad I made the decision to go for it! One of the best choices I’ve ever made.

Fall Into a Bun

The seasons are definitely changing.  Summer has passed and the chilly weather of Fall is upon us.  As the seasons change, in a way, my hair practices do as well.

Around this time of the year, I usually start rocking my buns more frequently.  I use them as a styling option for a couple reason.  One... when the weather gets on the windy side it's bothersome to have to worry about my hair blowing every which way.  Two... it's a good idea to keep my ends covered and away from the harsh elements. Buns are an easy protective style for those who want something quick.

My bun of preference is probably the low ballerina bun.  It's sleek and professional at the same time.  Plop in your favorite conditioner, cream, or gel and you're good to go :-)

Shrinkage

Shrinkage = the amount by which something becomes smaller or less. 

The photo on the left is my hair wet, while the photo on the right is my hair dry.  There are many products that "claim" to control/prevent shrinkage, but I'm not really a believer.  Sometimes I am able to have less shrinkage by pulling my hair up/back at night, and releasing it in the morning.  But depending on the mood my hair is in, that may cause other problems (i.e. frizz, messed up curls, lopsided hair, etc.). 

Shrinkage is a reality for all us coily girls.  No matter what....I know that my hair is going to have some sort of shrinkage, unless I'm wearing it straight.  It's just another fun fact about being a naturalista!

My Two Cents - Beautiful Curls by Alaffia

I mentioned a couple months back in My Faithful and Favorite Products post, that Beautiful Curls products are one of my favorite product lines.  I regularly use their Shea Butter Curl Activating Shampoo, Shea Butter Deep Conditioning Treatment,  and Shea Butter Curl Activating Leave-in Conditioner.  I've occasionally used the Curl Control Custard.  They also carry a curl cream, lotion, oil, and sculpting wax...but since I haven't used any of those, I'm not able to make any comments just yet :-)

I love the story behind the Beautiful Curls products.  The shea butter is handcrafted by the Alaffia Shea Butter Cooperative in Sokodé, Togo West Africa. The products are Certified Fair Trade, which means that the members of the Cooperative are guaranteed to receive fair income.  Also a minimum of 10% of sales are returned to West Africa to fund community empowerment projects.

Here are my thoughts...

Shea Butter Curl Activating Shampoo

Rating: 4 out of 5 Coils
Pros:

• Lathers really well 
• Cleans scalp and hair well without any harsh ingredients
• Last a long time - You don't need to use alot
• All natural ingredients
• Smells great
• Price is reasonable
• Nice creamy/smooth texture
• Non-drying - Does not strip the hair
• Curls pop and hair is left feeling moisturized
• Incredibly moisturizing for a shampoo

Cons:  

• None really, with the exception that I've only been able to find this product line at Whole Foods (not sold everywhere). That's a ditto for all 4 products that I am reviewing.

Shea Butter Deep Conditioning Treatment
I normally apply the conditioner and then sit under my heating cap for 30-45 mins and then rinse out.

Rating: 4 out of 5 Coils
Pros:

• All natural ingredients
• Smells great
• Price is reasonable
• Creamy texture
• Pretty good slip
• Leaves hair feeling very soft and moisturized 

Con:  

•  Not a fan of the tube that it's packaged in.  Not always easy to get the products out of the container. I would prefer if it was in a jar instead of the tube.

Shea Butter Curl Activating Leave-In Conditioner

Rating: 4 out of 5 Coils
Pros:

• All natural ingredients
• Smooth texture is very easy to apply
• Great at coating my hair - coats very easily
• Smells wonderful
• Great moisturizing properties
• Curls pop
• My hair loves this stuff.  It really does my hair good.

Cons: Can't really think of one

Curl Control Custard
I apply this to wet hair after I have applied my leave-in.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 Coils
Pros:

• All natural ingredients
• No alcohol
• Decent curl defination
• Great hold on Day 1 and Day 2
• Day 1 and Day 2 hair looks really good

Cons:  

•  Smell is kind of perfumey (not my cup of tea)
• Consistency is runny, which can be somewhat messy to apply
• Hair has a bit of that hard/crunch factor
• Leaves hair dry
• Around Day 3 the frizz starts to take over (I like gels that last at least 3 days)

So in  a nutshell I absolutely love the shampoo, deep conditioner, and leave-in, which is why they are on my favorite products list.  The custard (aka gel) is on my honorable mention list, as I have others that I prefer.  So if you're interested in trying any of these, or any of the other products within their line, visit your local Whole Foods, or you can also order online.  To learn more about Alaffia's mission and Beautiful Curls products, you can check out http://www.beautifulcurls.com/

Flower Power!

Flowers are one of my favorite hair accessories! I have one in just about every color.  They are super cute, and super feminine, and can jazz up just about any hairdo....all while adding a splash of color! 

For a couple years flowers were my signature.  You could just about always catch me with a flower!  The other day I felt the urge to revisit my former signature accessory.  I decided to liven things up, and wore my pink and white flowers with some twists. To my surprise the flowers brought a smile to some normally frown prone faces. It reminded me why I used to love them so much..... They just have a way of brightening things up!

Fran - Locker Extraordinaire

Fran

I've been admiring my fellow University of Hartford gospel choir member and alum Fran and her lovely locs.   This song bird has some seriously beautiful hair to match her amazing voice.  I was interested to learn a little bit about her hair story.  I decided to interview her to learn about her loc journey.


How long have you been relaxer free?

I have been relaxer free for 10 years.

What inspired your decision to rock your natural hair?

I hadn't seen my hair in its natural state since I was nine years old.  I just wanted a change.

Did you slowly transition or do a drastic big chop?

I did a slow transition.

How did family and friends react to your decision to wear your hair natural?

Family was slow to get on board with my decision but my friends loved it.

What would you say are your biggest hair challenges?

I don't think that I have any big hair challenges but sometimes I loathe having to re-twist my locs after having washed them.

If you were stranded on a desert island and could only have 4 hair products/tools, what 4 would you choose?

Locking gel, olive oil, coconut oil, and a fine-toothed comb.

Do you have any hair inspirations?  If so who?

I am inspired by my aunt, Dawn, who has locs down to her knees!

Any words of wisdom or advice you’d like to pass on to others?

The only advice that I have would be that if you're going to go natural, embrace all of the changes with an open mind and patience.  We are all beautiful no matter how we style our hair. 

FestAfrica 2013

I had an awesome time at FestAfrica 2013 this past Saturday!  The festival included African music, dance, comedy, and a fashion show. It's the 11th annual official African Festival for the State of Maryland, and is sponsored by the Nigerian Youth Association of Maryland.

I went with my fellow naturalista and blogger Kristy Samone. Kristy is a fashion blogger and writer of http://kristysamone.com/. She was rocking a cute blowout, and a bowed headband accessory.  We had an amazing time just hanging out watching the performances and eating :-) And of course being the bloggers that we are, Kristy was particularly interested in the African inspired fashion, as I the hairstyles :-)

I saw many MANY naturalistas at FestAfrica.  There was such a variety of styles; curls, locs, braids, twists, twas, updos, afros, you name it.  I saw this really cute curly puff w/ bangs worn by Jalisa. She was such a doll and let me snap a photo.  Her style was multi-functional as it was super cute, and the updo really helps to beat the heat.

My Two Cents - Pure Shea Store Mango Hemp-Shea Shampoo Bar & Shea Leave-In Conditioner

 

I recently tried out Pure Shea Store's Mango-Hemp Shampoo Bar, along with the Shea Leave-In. Pure Shea Store products are completely natural and created without animal testing, parabens, GMOs or other harmful ingredients. I've been using the products for a couple months now. I wanted the effects of the products for more than one use.  Alot of times the first use is a fluke, be it good or bad. 

Here are my thoughts...

Mango Hemp-Shea Shampoo Bar
I use this like I would any shampoo.  I applied after my oil treatment.

 

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 Coils
Pros:

• Lathers really well 
• Cleans scalp and hair well without any harsh ingredients
• Last a long time - You don't need to use alot
• All natural ingredients
• Price is really reasonable

Cons:  

• Personally it does not provide enough moisture for me.  My hair was super dry. 
• Frizz was like WHOA
• I actually ended up giving this away

Shea Leave-In Conditioner
I used this 2 different ways....  1st as the marketed leave-in conditioner.  I used like I would any other leave-in conditioner (post wash, and conditioner on wet hair).  2nd use was as a pre-shampoo treatment, used with a heating cap (pre wash and conditioner).

As a Leave-In
Rating: 3 out of 5 Coils
Pros:

• All natural ingredients
• Nice smooth texture - Very easy to apply 
• Last a long time - A little goes a long way
• Great at locking in moisture

Con:  

•  I had to experiment some with the amount to use, because my hair is somewhat sensitive to oils post wash and conditioner.  Oils tend to leave my hair on the greasy side.  So it took some trial and error on my part.

As a Pre-Treatment
Rating: 4 out of 5 Coils
Pros:

• Smooth texture is very easy to apply
• Coats hair easily
• Great for my finger detangling
• Smells wonderful
• Hair was soft and moisturized as I rinsed out

Cons: Can't really think of one


Check out the entire line of Pure Shea Store products for yourself at the following website: Pure Shea Store or visit on their retail stores in MD, DC, MI, GA, NC, or VA. 

My Faithful and Favorite Products

One of the most frequently asked questions I receive is….“What products do you use in your hair?”

Before I go any further, let me make my disclaimer :-)   These are products that "I" like.  Everyone’s hair is unique and these items may or may not agree with your mane.  Using these is not a guarantee for success.

Ok, back to our regularly scheduled program....

Although I sometimes experiment with different products, there are those products that I am faithful to.  These are the ones that I can always count on to do me right.  My faithfuls tend to be “all-natural” products.  It’s just a personal preference of mine that the items I am repeatedly using are healthy and natural.  Yeah I know…I’m a bit of a health fanatic.

Here's my list....

Shampoos:

Kinky Curly’s Come Clean

Beautiful Curls' Shea Butter Curl Activating Shampoo
Terressentials Pure Earth Hair Wash
Giovanni’s Smooth as Silk Deep Moisture Shampoo

Trader Joe's Nourish Spa Balance Moisturizing Shampoo

Conditioner:

Trader Joe's Nourish Spa Balance Moisturizing Conditioner

Honorable Mention Conditioner:
Giovanni's Smooth as Silk Deeper Moisture Conditioner

Deep Conditioner:

Beautiful Curls' Shea Butter Deep Conditioning Treatment

Protein Deep Conditioner:

Aubrey's GPB Balancing Conditioner

Leave-in Conditioners:

Kinky Curly’s Knot Today
Beautiful Curls' Shea Butter Curl Activating Leave-in Conditioner

Honorable Mention Leave-in Conditioner:

Giovanni's Direct Leave-in Weightless Moisture Conditioner

Gels:

Kinky Curly Curling Custard
Eco Styler Krystal Styling Gel

Honorable Mention Gels:

Beautiful Curls' Curl Control Custard
Homemade Flax Seed Gel

Cream:

Donna Marie - Dream Curling Creme

Honorable Mention Cream:

Shea Moisture - Coconut & Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie

Oils & Butters:

Unrefined Shea Butter

Coconut Oil

Nourish & Shine by Jane Carter ***Been using a few months now.  I think it may be favorite worthy.

Pomade:

Giovanni’s Wicked Texture

Wash & Go Web (ie. Tangles)

 

Hola mi amigos!  It's been a minute since I've posted anything.  Been super busy with the new job.  I finally have a moment to breathe and write a post!

 

A couple weeks ago my curlfriend Cam and I were venting about the annoying tangles when wearing wash & go styles repeatedly.  So of course, I decided to write a post about it :-)

 

Wash & Go - In the coily natural hair community this refers to a carefree style where you wash/condition, add gel or cream to style it and then leave it to air dry or use a diffuser.  In theory you should be able to wash your hair and just go about your business.

 

My relationship with the Wash & Go has evolved into a love/hate relationship.  It's been a staple style on and off for YEARS.  I absolutely loved it, but over the past year and 1/2 or so they have evolved and require more post styling maintenance than I would like. 

 

My gripe has absolutely nothing to do with the look of my wash and go.  I absolutely love the look!  And I get complements left and right when I wear them.  My gripe and frustration is concerning the tangles that come as a result of repeated wash and going.

 

The logical reason that I came up with is that the tangles are worse because my hair is longer.  Therefore there is alot more opportunity for the strands to tangle and intertwine between themselves.  On wash days my hair can be tangle city!  Although it looks great, it's such a pain dealing with the knots and tangles.

 

I love wearing wash and gos in the warmer months, so I'm going to have to find a way to combat these tangles.  I already do regular oil treatments, which do help alot with getting out tangles.  But how about avoiding tangles in the first place! 

 

The first thing that comes to mind is to perhaps stretch my hair before I wash it.  Like maybe do my hair in big plaits/twists at night before washing...the hope would be that twists/plaits would keep the hair from raveling around itself overnight.  It's worth a shot.... Hopefully it works!

 

How about you?  Any suggestions?  How do you prevent tangles?

 

Pre-Shampoo Treatment w/ Pure Shea Store's Leave-In

Hola Curlistas!

I woke up the other morning ready for my weekly pre-oil treatment.  Just one thing...I didn't have enough coconut oil!  What's a girl to do?!?!?!  I was on the lazy side and didn't feel like running to the store, so instead I looked around to see what I could use.  I came across Pure Shea Store's Leave-In Conditioner in my closet, and decided to press my luck.  The 2nd ingredient is coconut oil...so I figure it was worth a shot.  Wouldn't you know it, it actually worked very well as a pre shampoo treatment :-)  Here are my thoughts:  

Rating: 4 out of 5 Coils
Pros:

• Smooth texture is very easy to apply
• Coats hair easily
• Great for my finger detangling
• Smells wonderful
• Hair was soft and moisturized as I rinsed out

Cons: Can't really think of one

I have to say that I am really glad that I thought of the idea.  I assume its because of all the oils included in the products that I was able to use it as an oil treatment.  Yaay for multi-tasking products!

My Two Cents - Nourish & Shine by Jane Carter

 

I've recently been using Nourish & Shine by Jane Carter Solution.  I was drawn to the product because of the all-natural ingredients.  I've been using for over a month now, and I must say that I love, love, love it! 

The first time I used it I ended up with not so great results.  I applied it to my soaking wet hair in sections after my wash/conditioning session. This left my hair icky and greasy.  I hated it. This product contains butters and oils, and oils are not always my friend.  I have to be especially careful with oils post wash/condition because my hair tends to repel the oil and I'll just be left with an oily head of hair. 

How this product works best for me is in-between washes.  I lightly spritz my hair with water, and apply the Nourish & Shine in a few big swoops.  The combination of the spritz and the Nourish & Shine really helps to spruce things up, and keeps my hair moisturized in between wash days.  I'm really a fan of the product.  It just might become part of my staple list.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Coils
Pros:

• Smooth texture is very easy to apply
• A little goes a long way
• Great flowery sent
• Helps to maintain softness and moisture in between washes
• All natural ingrediants
• Can be used on skin also

Con: Product is somewhat pricey

Twisted Ballerina Bun

Today I’m rocking what I like to call the Twisted Ballerina Bun.  I like to rock this when I’m going for that professional look.   

This is how I achieve my Twisted Ballerina Bun:
Items You'll Need

• water bottle (optional)
• leave-in conditioner/moisturizer/gel/pomade (optional)
• hair tie (2)
• hair/bobby pins (optional)

•  Spritz hair with water, so that hair is pliable. (optional depending on the mood my hair is in) 

• Add leave-in conditioner/moisturizer and/or gel. (again, optional depending on the mood my hair is in.  I normally use leave-in conditioner)

• Smooth hair from top to bottom. You can either use your hands, or a brush.

• Gather hair into a ponytail.  Smooth the crown so there are no bumps. 

• Secure the ponytail with a hair tie. 

• Take the ponytail and roll it together from top to bottom. Then twist into a circle.  Then secure with hair tie.

Add a hairpins for extra security. (optional)
Add gel or pomade to smooth out crown and sides. (Optional) You can either use your hands, or a brush to smooth in.

All done!