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/