Shea Moisture Curling Souffle

SHEA MOISTURE CURLING SOUFFLE REVIEW


Like many of you I too was uber excited to hear that Shea Moisture was coming out with a curl enhancing gel or should I say a gel that would freeze my curls as they appear when soaking wet. As such, I couldn't wait to hit a target store to purchase the souffle once I hit the City of NY on my brief vacation.  I was so pleased to have gotten my hands on a jar and couldn't wait to use the product once I made it back home to the island.  As always my first instinct was to search and research what others said about the Curling Souffle, as I did so I was so disheartened to come up on one after the other less than stellar review of the product.  As I watched more and more reviews my heart sank a little lower with each comment that the souffle was to tacky, sticky, that it would not dry, that it left the hair untouchable due to the gewy feeling sooo what did I do?

 I STOPPED LOOKING AT REVIEWS!!!!!

Yes guys I stopped looking at those reviews and went straight to the source!  I went on Shea Moisture's fan page on FB  Fan Page to see what did they have to say about their latest product and the proper way to use it.  Now what I saw in their postings defied every concept I had in my mind as to how to use a gel in my hair! Per Shea Moisture's instructions the Curl Enhancing Souffle is to be applied:

1. To soaking wet clean hair. Check mark this is a regular process for me when doing a WnG.
2. To "Virgin Hair" in other words nothing should be in your hair no leave in and no other styler. Now this was where my confusion started and where my brain cells shut down on me.  I do not put gels or stylers or anything in my hair with out a leave-in.  My sense of reasoning could not grasp this step and everything in my mind was screaming "NOOOOOOO DON'T DO IT, IF YOU DO YOU WILL BE SORRY" LOL
3. Only use a dime size amount on each section.  Hahahahah this I laughed at, "a dime size"! These people must be mad! I thought to myself, do they not know I live in the Caribbean where humidity is boss and the salt air is prone to cause frizz in places you didn't even know you had hair?

Any who I made up my mind to do as I was instructed and to give it a try . Welllllllllll, what can I say the results were Marvelous. Take a look for yourselves Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie Review

It is my opinion that once again Shea Moisture has hit the ball out of the park with this one!  I had big hair the first day which is rare for me when I use gels and my hair remained soft and moisturized.  I wore my WnG for the entire week and probable by the 4th day it could have benefited from a little refreshing but my hair was still soft and moisturized so I took the lazy road and just pulled it up in a puff.  Thus far I have not been disappointed with any of their products I have tried. 

PROS

1. A little goes a long way! This coming from a person that is heavy handed with product so in order for me to abide by the instructions all I did was dip my pointer finger in the jar and use what product coated my finger on each section.  My jar is still full
2. Extremely moisturizing.
3. Gives a "natural" hold and look to curls.
4. Gave my tresses second day looking hair the first day! I love big hair so having volume and curls the first day is a plus in my book.
5. Affordable, at 9.99 per jar.

CONS

1. At this time the only con that I can come up with is that it is not available here on island curlies.

Of course Ms. Naturalist @ Essentric Shoe Boutique still has a few jars available at her store however, it still remains to be seen if the Shea Moisture line will become one of the many natural hair care lines she will carry on a regular.  Lets hope that she can seal that deal and make it easy for us to get the products.  I will continue to experiment with this product I have a feeling it will give my daughter who has type 4 hair a gorgeous twist out!  Thanks for reading my post curlies and remember to "Twirl A Curl Today" Blessings....

**To access links just click on the white words curlies***

SHEA MOISTURE IS HAVING A SALE!

Hi there curlies!

Have you heard about Shea Moisture? Well, I am here to tell you that Shea Moisture is a great product and it is extremely affordable. The products have worked great for me and my daughter the curl enhancing smoothie gives my daughter the best ever twist outs.  Her twist outs are extremely defined and moisturized, her type 4 hair stays so soft with this product.  I use the moisture milk as a leave in and the curl enhancing smoothie as my styler. The above mentioned combination leaves my hair shiny, soft, and bouncy curls.  I use this combination when I want to achieve the look that I have just stepped out the shower and done absolutely nothing to my hair.

SHEA MOISTURE HAIR PRODUCT LINE

Sooo this entire week you can get Shea Moisture hair products at Walgreen at buy one get one half price! I don't plan to miss out on this sale and actually I have already placed my order. I was so excited I swear I purchased two of each hair product that Walgreens carries.  Now if you are reading this post for the Virgin Islands you are well aware that we do not have a Walgreens on island however, you can purchase the products at http://www.walgreens.com/ and yes they ship to the VI.  I purchased at least 10 products and the shipping was around 19 dollars which I don't find to be unreasonable at all.  Guess what else curlies if you enter the code SHEA4FALL at checkout you will receive an additional  20% off your entire order.  Blessing, Blessing, Blessing!  YESSAH! Now don't delay because the sale is only from August 28, 2011 to September 3, 2011 so put in your orders quickly don't hesitate. If you have been wanting to try these products I advise you to take advantage of the sale and remember that each product only costs $9.99 a jar so with the bogo you get 2 jars for $14.98.  Till next time curlies!

Uncle Funky's Daughter.....Is It Truely Funky or Just Blah!!!!!!!

O.K. curlies if you saw my I am blessed video on YT you saw how my friend Denise Benjamin hooked me up with loads of products for me to try and of course review.  Well in my stash were the following Uncle Funky's Daughter products;

Curly Magic $25.00 for 18oz
Ingredients: Organic Aloe Vera Juice, Aqueous-Infused Extracts of Marshmallow, Chamomile, Nettle, Horsetail, Vitamin E, Agave Nectar Extract, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate and Natural FragrancExtra Butter $22.00 8oz

Ingredients:Water, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Elaeis Guineesis (Palm) Kernel Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Stearic Acid, Fragrance, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Potassium Hydroxide, Xanthan Gum, Carbomer, Tetrasodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Caprylyl Glycol, Caramel.




 Conditioning Styling Creme $18.00 8oz Ingredients: Water, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Oil,, Stearalkonium Chloride, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Propylene Glycol, Polysorbate 60, Isolaureth-6, Octyl Methozycinnamate, Octoxynol-40, Polyquatemium 47, Methyl Gluceth-2C, Pvp, Oenothera Biennis (Evening Primrose) Oil, Hydroxyethlcellulose, Phenoxyethanol, Grape Seed Extract, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Wheat Amino Acid, Oat Amino Acids, Citric Acid, Benzophenone-4, Fragrance.


Moisturizing Conditioner$15.50 8oz

Ingredients: Symphytum Officinale Leaf Extract, Sesamum Indica (Sesame) Seed Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Oil, Prunus Amygaldus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Glycerin, Urtica Dioica (Nettle) Extract, Brassicamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Cetearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Polyquaternium-11, Trideceth-12, Fragrance Equisetum Arverse Extract, Panthenol, Cetrimonium Chloride, Malic Acid, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate, Annatto.


Squeaky Clean Shampoo $13.00 8oz
Ingredients: Water, Sodium C14-26 Olefin Sulfonate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil, Symphytum Officinale Leaf Extract, Salix Alba (Willow) Bark Extract, Menthol, Kelp Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Hamamelis Virginia (Witch Hazel) Water, Cetyl Betaine, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Equisetum Arvense Extract, Polyquaternium-10, Cetrimonium Chloride, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Fragrance, Methylisothiazolinone, Annatto.

As you can see my gurl Denise hooked a curly sister up! So what I used was the shampoo, moisturizing conditioner,  and the curly magic.  I was so idled one Saturday sitting at home that in my mind I was running through hairstyles I had not tried and it dawned on me that I had yet to try finger coils.  Now, I have no clue what I was thinking because in my right frame of mind I would have known that finger coils is something that I should have tried when my hair was shorter, however it was gnawing at me couldn't even sleep just dreaming about whether I had the right tools to do these darn finger coils in my hair.  So needless to say on Sunday morning I could not wait for the local BSS to open so that I  could go purchase some clips to use on my hairstyle venture...LOL

Let me tell you guys, I started twisting those darn finger coils at around 12:00 noon and I swear to you I didn't finish until midnight! Yes me, I sat there for all those hours in front of my big screen T.V. just taking randomly parted sections of my hair and twirling my life away!  I so wanted to film it when I got to the front but was so disgusted by that time that I was just ready to be done with it and get to bed.  The steps I took are as follows;

1. My hair was lready washed, conditioned, loaded with leave in conditioner and dried.
2. I placed all my tools on my table the clips to clip the base of my coil so it wouldn't unravel, the curly magic, a towel to get excess product of my hands and remove shedded hair, my spray bottle with water and glycerin.
3. I proceeded to part my hair randomly with my fingers just picking up sections of hair and moistening with my water spray, not totally wet but damp.  I didn't want my hair dripping wet because I refused to go under a dryer no way no how. 
4. I then took just a small amount of the curly magic and applied it from root to tip. Not much was needed at all. I then took my fingers and began to twirl my section until it was tight enough where the roots of my sections started to curl up.
5. Lastly I placed a metal clip to the base of the coil to stop it from unraveling while I slept that night.
6. When I was through I covered my head with my satin cap and went to bed.
7. The next morning I simply took out the clips and shook my head and ended up with this........

O.K. so at first glance I HATED IT these things looked like drop curls and it disturbed me that I might look a little childish with the coils. I just felt it was not age appropriate but after thinking about it  there was no way after all those hours I was going to wash these things out! They were in and were gonna stay in for at least one week.

My next try with the UFD was a wash and go so for this I used the Conditioning style cream as a leave in and the curly magic.  Here are the results of this application;

2nd day hair with UFD

PROS:

• A little goes a long ways
• Pump makes it easy for application
• Love the overall packaging of the product
• With coils the shine that this product gave was outstanding I can even say amazing
• The hold with the coils was great, after one week of having them in the coils still looked as shiny and healthy as the very first day
• WNG results were very natural looking
• Product did not feel heavy on my hair
• No flaking 

CONS:

• The tackiness of this product is awful, with the coils my entire face felt sticky where the coils touched my face....Yuck Yuck Yuck!\
• Even though the product left my hair shiny when I finally washed them out OMG my hair was dry, dry, DRY.  Now in all fairness it could have been to my upkeep of the hairstyle or better said lack there off since I never spritzed my hair with water the entire time I had the coils in due to fear that they would unravel
• I also experienced dryness with the WNG didn't like the way my hair felt to the touch in the least but I loved the look of it.

O.K. so after using this product again,  now on my daughters hair for two strand twist I can safely say that I would recommend this product for coils, braids for braid outs and twist for twist outs.  My daughters twist out was well defined, shiny, moist , and soft.  My friend Colleen also used the curly magic on her 4 year old daughter for twists and kept them in for over a week spraying them daily with her water/glyceren mix (per my advice) and she reported to me that her daughters hair stayed shiny, soft, and moisturized for the entire time.  Colleen also reported to me that wash day after having the product in her daughters hair was a breeze no tears and no discomfortrt on her daughters end.

Personally I would not purchase this product again for my hair due to the fact that the drying out of my hair was too much for me to be comfortable with.  However, I will continue to experiment with it and use it for twist outs and braid outs.  Maybe as I continue to experiment with it I will find the right combination to combat the dryness and revisit my decision but for now I will stick to my guns and stay away from it for WNG's.  

Sooo curlies if you have used this product and it has worked for you please leave your comments, combinations, and how you used it so that I too may benefit from your knowledge and experiences. Until next time curlies don't forget to twirl a curl today.

Blessings!!!!!!





HAIR STORY #1

O.K. curlies let me begin by saying that, we all have gorgeous hair!!!!

Wether it is kinks, coils, or curls (thus the name of my fan page) it is gorgeous in its natural state. Lets get with it curlies. Today I went to claires on a hello kitty mission my 13 year old sent me on (and being a hello kitty fan myself needless to say I bought everything they had in the store for school for eshae spent 150 that my ass don't have schoops but thats another story) b4 I went on my regular movie date. Sooo as I was perusing the store looking for Hello Kitty, this young lady asked me "is that your hair" yes was my answer she then said "can I touch it?" yes i said "its so soft" she said, I said thanks, you too can have beautiful curls if you go natural to which she replied "r you Puerto Rican?"  Oh gosh not again!!!! 

I pondered my answer because I just knew what was coming next however, since I live by trying to be as honest as possible I responded yes Puerto Rican and Kittitian. I saw the change in her face and the slump in her posture as she responded "my hair could never look like that". What a declaration she made as I looked her in the eye and I said it can look as beautiful, healthy, and soft as mines. I then continued my impromptu shopping because I didn't have time to sit with this young lady and try to put a crack in that armor of fallacies that she so covered her insecurities with.  

Arghhhhhhh I wanted to scream shake her and say not like mine cause we are different but curly never the less and most importantly healthy and beautiful. Now, as she walked away I felt great sadness because this young woman had over processed, colored, permed hair that was obviously damaged, limp, breaking and short short short just lifeless, and I thought to myself your natural hair would look so much better than what you are rocking now you just have to believe that God knew what he was doing when he gave it to you and learn how to take care of it for God helps those who helps themselves and he never makes mistakes.  

Hair envy is the DEVIL curlies, let me say it again HAIR ENVY IS THE DEVIL!  Now let me explain, it is hair envy that has brain washed some of us (notice I said SOME) to wear those blasted straight indian hair weaves, to perm our hair as soon as we see a curl popping up, to bleach our hair an unnatural shade of blond and to ignore our hair when it screams STOP IT GIVE ME A BREAK.  It is hair envy that derails our good intentions of transitioning to natural because that awkward stage when we don't want to BC and can no longer deal with two kinds of hair on our head leads us to give up and go back to the salon and fix what has never been broken.  It is hair envy that pushes us to cover our natural hair with wigs, braids, and whatever we could find because it just doesn't look like someone else's.  But there is a hope and cure for hair envy curlies its called  CONFIDENCE, confidence is the end all of the nae sayers who say you look funny, or you need a perm.  It is confidence that builds a shield around us that eventually transforms those nae sayers into believers and the jabs, and insults turn into questions as to how did you get your hair that way, can I touch it, and what product did you use.

Now lets not confuse admiration with hair envy for I myself admire several naturals and the lengths and success that they have achieved with their natural coils, kinks, and curls.  Hell I even have a picture up in my office of what my hair goal is and no its not to have waist length hair but to have a head full of curls that span the greatest divide lol and are so perfectly shaped that even I a person that is "hair challenge" can manage it effortlessly.  Now I have never envied another yes admired, cheered, and even clapped at their achievements.  However, self love and confidence has always allowed me to know that I myself can achieve whatever I put my mind to and that obstacles can only make me stronger not break me.  Through the funny hairstyles, the dry hair spurts, the days that I myself look in the mirror and said this look is not working today, I have thrown caution to the wind and worn it with confidence and sooner than later others have come to realize that me and my natural hair don't really care what they like or don't like cause we both know that WE ARE THE BOMB.  So today I implore you to look at others and say wow that hair is gorgeous but to also know that even if your hair is not like, similar, or same, yours is as gorgeous as the other persons and yes YOU ARE THE BOMB TOooo.  Hold your head up high leave the envy at the door and embrace the confidence for if you do you will see that those who have squinted at your hair will soon be smiling and asking advice from you yes you the one who had the courage, conviction, and confidence to let your tresses be themselves and do what they do best  cuuuurrrrrrllllllllll.

KISS MY FACE UPPER MANAGEMENT GEL REVIEW

Hi Curlies,

This is a review of the Kiss my Face upper management gel.  I got curious about this gel after watching a fellow youtuber achieve great wash and go's (wng) with the product.  I must say that I am not disappointed that I decided to go on the hunt for this product and try it myself.  Needless to say I LOVE IT.

Ingredients:
Purified, Deionized Certified Organic Floral Water of Nettle, Calendula and Chamomile, Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate (Amino Acid derived), Yeast Extract, Panthenol, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Grapefruit Extract


Cost:
$9.95 on island at Chelseas Drug Store Red Hook St. Thomas
$5.45 on-line at www.swansonvitamins.com


I used this gel on freshly washed hair over my  Curl Junkie Smoothing Lotion leave in conditioner.  I sectioned my hair into 8 sections and worked the gel through my sections.  I did not rake it through instead I smoothed it into my sections ( this method works best for my curls).  I must say that the application of this gel was not great for me.  It was not slippery to the touch and as I applied it to my hair it felt a little stripping, kind of as if I was applying lemons to my hair however, I continued with the application.  Well, I am so happy I didn't stop mid application and run under the shower to wash it off because the end result was a bouncy, natural feeling, wng that lasted me 3 days straight and could have lasted up to five days.  


Since this was an impulse purchase, I only purchased one bottle however, the results were so wonderful that the next day I immediately went back to the store and purchased the last bottle that was left on the shelf.  That weekend I went on line and found it at such an affordable price that I ordered 5 more bottles for my stash.


PROS:

• natural product
• thick consistency but not sticky
• dries quickly
• great clump of curls 
• available on ground

CONS:

• application is not slippery
• product is only 8oz

As you can all see the pros out weigh the cons.  I know that most curlies are in love with eco styler gel for the most economical product to achieve a great wng. However eco for wng on my hair is a fail. The Kiss my Face gel has proven to work for me every time and it works well with other products such as Curl Junkie smoothing lotion.  I give this product a 9 out of 10 rating curlies, and I only give it a 9 because no product is perfect.  

My Reflection in the Mirror part 2....

Helloooo Curlies!

Welcome to my "Reflection in the Mirror" blog series!  I am so excited to bring to you today a guest blogger. My guest blogger is Dr. Dionne Pickering-Simmonds.  Dr. D or better known as "shoes" by her dear friends is a Natural sister her very self and has been for a very long time.  Dr. D possesses a Doctorate in Social Work and has lent her talents as a Probation Officer for over 10 years.  As part of Dr. D's as well as, her place of employments mission to affect our children young before they start committing crimes and  become part of  the system she travels to our  Middle Schools, Jr. High and High Schools imparting information on the system and basically living within the law.

Dr. D conveyed to me how often her speech is circumvented by questions from girls about her natural hair. Sooo of course I took the opportunity to ask her to write and blog for my "Reflection in the Mirror" here it is curlies enjoy the perspective of yet another beautiful, successful curlie Dr. Dionne Simmonds.

WHO RUNS THE HAIR WORLD? “NATURAL HAIR GIRLS”

            1 Corinthians 11:15 reads: …”but if a woman has long hair, it is glory to her?" First, allow me first to set the record straight, I give honor and respect to my sisters who prefer to wear their hair short, or boldly bald, and I applaud your confidence.  I have always, however, been blessed with very long tresses. With that said, I embarked upon my “totally” natural hair journey in October, 2010. I say “totally” because I had been pressing my hair for the past eight years and finally the unrelenting and consistent heat was taking its toll. As a consequence, my hair was badly damaged and falling the “HELL” out (Ooops! who said that!) I believe it was by divine appointment that made me seek the consultation of Ms. Kim Aska---and, “what ah revelation it was!” Quickly, I learned about curl patterns, organic products, protective styling, the bomb wash and go and the fact that although left-handed, I could manipulate and style my own hair---with PRACTICE!  As I reflect on October, 2010, I could not see myself wearing a “Nappy Do!” Twist outs, Bantu Knots, Braids!!! Yuck! Oh! Heck no! Although this is a rare occurrence, (LOL!!!) I was so wrong. First, I embrace the fact that my Afrocentric look and Kinky, Coily Hair is indeed a gift from GOD and it is beautiful.

            How do I know my “Natural Do” is making great strides? Well, I recently took an International trip and I rocked some Bantu knots. A fellow passenger of Mexican descent asked me about my hair. She told me her daughters were bi-racial and she was having a difficult time controlling and styling their respective locks. “Natural Hair Girlies..!” I took immediate action schooling her on products, recent studies, styles and tools of the natural hair trade. Before it was over, she admitted to feeling inadequate as it related to her daughter’s hair care. Since leaving feelings of inadequacy was not my mission, I encouraged her by offering other tips and to begin by researching natural hair. Hey! “I could not believe it---yes, she asked me if I was a stylist!” Kimmo---would have been proud! Over the course of my trip, strangers everywhere were commenting on the beauty of my hair and I was enjoying the compliments. Interestingly, while on the hunt for Eco Styler Moraccan Argan Oil Gel at Sally’s in Atlanta, I loudly remarked to a friend, how great the Natural Hair movement was progressing. The salesperson heard my comment and retorted, “It’s been a movement!” She was wearing her hair in lock braids and was glaring at me as if to say, “look at this Johnny Come Lately, Heifer!” Still, I understood her seemingly disgusted posture because her journey unlike mine had begun a long time ago and she was comfortable in her own “Natural Hair Skin.” I lend the words of the Madonna character in the movie, Desperately Seeking Susan: “Good going stranger!”

            My intent is not to brag or bore you with my adventures of Natural Hair living. It is simply a call to build self-esteem, launch creativity, exchange valuable tips and release the beauty within you. Now, this is very important! Prayerfully, as we age gracefully, let your style, your look, YOU---EVOLVE. On a final note, I missed out on an awesome opportunity via an islandgurl3601 contest to give voice to sharing is caring or was it caring is sharing? Whatever!!! I still got a Tangle Teezer just for making pathetic excuses as to why I had missed the contest deadlines. I call this FAVOR! Ms. Aska, much love and thanks for taking me along with you on the Natural Hair Journey. Anyway, this will not be the last time---you get it “HAIR” from me.

With All Natural Hair Blessings,

Dionne M. Simmonds, Ph.D.

Fierce Friday's Contest & Update

Hi there Curlies!

Welcome to my blog! Now lets get down to what you have come here for. I hope that those of you who are following my blog due to my "Fierce Friday's" contest will not only follow but keep coming back to read my stories and my reviews.  If you have joined me and are not aware I am having a contest on youtube. My contest is about the entire look, hair, makeup, and outfit. You don't have to be a makeup and hair expert just show me your style and don't forget the shoes. Periodically I will post updates to the contest on my blog so don't forget to check frequently.

I read a blog not to long ago that inspired me to start my fierce friday's series. The question was does your natural hair  determine your style? I wanted to challenge myself and see if my style had changed since going natural so I started the series. Six installments is all I could muster so I decided to end it with a bang and get inspiration from my subbies by having a contest.  Thus far there have been no entries but the contest will run for one month, it began on July 15, 2011 and will end August 15, 2011.  Here are the rules;

1. You must be a subscriber to my youtube channel.
2. You must follow me on my blog
3. Video can be 5 min to 10 min long
4. You must say in the video or hold up a sign with my name and the contest name. Must be a new  video.
5. You must have fun

Now here are the prizes:
There will only be one winner. (If I get a large number of entries I will revisit this decision)

1. A $100.00 gift certificate to www.aveyou.com (check them out)
2. An Urban Decay Roll Girl eyeshadow palette
3. Jewelry by Natasha Illis jewelry designs here is a picture

This contest is co-sponsored by

1. BEADED JEWELS BY MS. ILLIS you can contact her at  natasha.illis85@gmail.com You can find more of her designs at  http://www.facebook.com/#!/media/albums/?id=636537422
2. Aveyou.com your unique beauty boutique you can check them out athttp://www.aveyou.com/
   https://twitter.com/#!/aveyou
   http://www.facebook.com/aveyou
3. And me islandgurl3601 follow

CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOUR ENTRIES! GOOD LUCK CURLIES!

THAT CANNOT BE ME!!!! MY REFLECTION IN THE MIRROR.......

MY REFLECTION PART 1 OF A SERIES

I look at my reflection in the mirror and I must say that day by day it becomes easier. I can even confidently say that more days than not I can't stop looking at my reflection because I have become so in love with myself.. This is not an egotistical statement by far but an acceptance of my very own reflection. After years of becoming comfortable with my appearance being one way, one year ago I decided to change that reflection in a way that many still see as REVOLUTIONARY.

The me I knew before was a straight haired, sleek, well put together and professional woman.  One that turned heads as she walked down the street with the wind blowing through her hair.  At that time the worse comment I got was wether my hair was a weave and if so what type of hair did I purchase. LOL take a look at that reflection.

I liked the chick I really did, but that chick had to change.  As my daughter grew and started looking and comparing her image to others I had to make the hardest and best decision I have ever made.  I decided to give my daughter a gift, a reflection of herself in me and of me in her so the straight, permed, well put together look had to go.  I was nervous for I had no clue what lay naturally coming out of my hair.  Had it been so long that I had seen my natural hair, well, yes the disconnect was there and even when I saw my childhood pictures they looked funny to me.  I promised myself to not go the dramatic way and come home with one of those barber cuts that made me look like a boy so no big chop was my cry.  Please how delusional could I be? To think that two totally different textures growing out of one head could co-habitate peacefully, especially when the head they were growing out off was of a person that was "hair challenged" a person that never even washed her own hair because she had no clue how to  style it or where to begin.

The frustration of those two textures and the care it took to ensure it looked presentable kept me up many nights and as my reflection in the mirror slowly changed I became unsure of who that person was staring back at me in the mirror.  Frustration won out my desire to appear attractive to others, even to the one I loved most and I decided if I was going to change then I needed to do it completely and stop avoiding the inevitable thus came the BIG CHOP and yet a new reflection to get use to.

Now my reflection is me the real me, the me that God intended me to be and that reflection changes constantly.  I can go from straight to curly in a drop of hat.  Braids to braid outs, puffs to buns, twists to twist outs and all over night.  I keep others guessing and I even surprise myself with my hair skills at times. Hell I didn't even know I had it in me..LMAO.  So everyday my reflection becomes less of a surprise to me it becomes a comfort.  How other see me becomes less important and as I walk down the streets now young women stop me and tell me how the love my hair.  People of other races stop me and ask me if they could touch it cause it looks so textured, and my daughter sees a reflection of herself in me and I in her...... to be cotinued

Memorial Day Sales Alert & Olive Oil Smooth -N-Hold Pudding Review

To Oil or not To Oil

O.K. Curlies



Due to the fact that I have been experiencing some itching in my scalp lately, which I have contributed to the growth of my hair, I wanted to write a few words about it. Well, you guys should know that I believe "SHARING IS CARING".

Due to this development, I have been on the look out for advice as to whether it is good for me to oil my scalp or not. I have never been a fan of grease, due to the fact that I find grease to be heavy, weigh down my hair too much, and lets be realistic I live in the tropics so if you have a greased down head that sun is sure to fry your scalp and your hair. I ran into an article where a dermatologist stated that we should treat our scalp as we do our skin.....DUH!

WHY, is it that we can all be as smart as we want to be and miss out on the most elementary things?

Anywho he suggested that if we experience itching or flaking of the scalp it is because like our skin, it is dirty, and that we need to wash our hair more often, maybe every 3 days.....hmmmm I don't know about that one guys because as much as I love to mess with my hair I like to keep my styles in for at least a week. However, a light bulb went off in my head! When my hair was shorter my go to style was a wash and go. I use to co-wash my hair every morning put in some moisturizing product, and went through the door, but since my hair has gained some length I try to wear it in protective styles that will last all week so two strand twists, buns, and braids are my style choices of late. Thus, even though my hair gets moisturized daily the products are going on my hair not my scalp....

(See where I am going with this?)

It just dawned on me that I have been ignoring my poor scalp and it must be feeling a little dejected! It was so use to getting watered and conditioned everyday and all of a sudden I turned on it and only cared for it the one day of the week (wash day). So this brings me back to my original question, to oil or not to oil my scalp. I have read countless articles on the subject most either pro or con the process of oiling our scalps however, I most recently ran up on an article on naturallycurly.com that was not bias and really just left the decision up to me.

Here is what I gathered from the article. Hair oils can moisturize our scalp and help in stimulating our pores thus allowing us to produce more healthy, natural oils. However we must remember the "what’s good for me may not always be good for you" rule. We must also keep in mind the following cons;


1. Oil gathers the pollutants and dust in the air.

2. Over-oiling can leave us looking greasy.

3. Heavy oils can weigh the hair down depending on how thick or fine your hair texture is.


Now some pros;


1. Massaging oil into our hair creates stimulation and thus improves blood circulation as well as is

relaxing.

2. Oil gives extra shine.

3. Oiling the scalp can counteract dandruff and dry scalp

4. Oil can act as a conditioning agent for our hair and prevent it from being dry or brittle.


Now as I am newly natural (14months) I believe that all my research has shown me that oil is not really a moisturizer but it locks in moisture. Therefore in order for the oil to be moisturizing we must ensure that our hair has already been moisturized with a moisturizing product or better yet water.

O.K. guys I have made up my mind. Have you? Let me know your thoughts on this and if you wan to know what oils are good for what then here is the link to the article.

http://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/curl-products/pros-and-cons-of-oiling-your-scalp



Please let me know your thoughts on this subject.



Thanks for reading curlies!





Blessings

BACK TO MY CURLS!!!! YESSSSSS

Hello Curlies!

Since I wrote a blog about my adventure in straightening my hair I decided that it was only fitting to write one about my return to my curly state. Let me state that saying I was nervous as I prepared to hit the shower today, and wash my hair back into its natural existance is an understatement. My heart was racing, my thoughts were jumbled, and I said a prayer before I hit that water...LOL.

As the hot water hit my head and I felt the heaviness of the water push my hair on my back, the first thought that came to my mind was "why isn't my hair shrinking?"  I kept massaging my hair and waiting for the customary feel of density that I have grown so accustom to in the 14 months I have been natural. After a few minutes (which seemed like 4ever) out of the corner of my eyes I saw some curls slowly springing back to life. As I continued to squoosh my hair together all my curlies seemed to just pop to life! WHAT A RELIEF...:)

I kept my hair straitened for 6 days, and I never applied any extra heat to them.  The first day I did a dry wrap but I didn't like the results, my hair seemed to flat to me and lifeless. I guess after becoming so used to a head full of curls the flatness disturbed me. So, the second night I did some large pincurls in my hair after adding my shea butter mixture and the next day wala, beautiful, shiny, bouncy, hair is what I came out with. So for the remainder of the week I continued putting the pincurls in my hair before bed and sleeping in my satin bonnet.

I found that wearing my hair straight was more work than I really cared to be involved in. The pincurling, the making sure I didn't wet my edges, looking at the weather forecast to see if it would rain..Lawd it seemed like I spent the entire week on edge trying to protect my straight stressess.  I found that my scalp felt tender, probably because I was messing with my hair every night and morning something that I rarely do when my hair is curly, and, on or about the 3rd day my scalp began to itch, something that never happens when I have my curls.

Over all, the experience was pleasant.  Would I do it again? Yes, maybe once a year or every 6 months or so just to clip the ends and see how healthy my hair is growing.  I much rather prefer my curls though.  Now this experience has solidified my decision to go natural for only in my natural state could I experience all this versatility and choices over how to wear or change up my hair.  So there you have it curlies I SURVIVED MY STRAIGHTENING EXPERIENCE AND NOW ITS BACK TO NORMAL FOR ME....Hello wash n go, two strand twists, puffs, twist outs, box braids, braid outs, mini twists, and cinabbun!

ts your money….but really

O.K. guys lately I have seen you tube bombarded with natural sisters who are expressing their hurt and feelings of betrayal by a certain natural hair company that has increased their prices at a rapid speed. I have listened to the rants, the cries of betrayal, and the yells of let us all unite and boycott this company. While I truly believe that buying power is the strongest power yielded by consumers I ask myself if our energy could not be better spent on positive and uplifting things.

Now don’t get me wrong. If it wasn’t for some of these same you tubers I would have never heard of the product which I love and my hair loves as well, soooooo I can understand how one can feel disappointed that one has promoted a product not only because of its great quality but also its affordability and then they go and double their prices without even a second thought. I could understand how the consumer can feel like the company has basically bamboozled them into liking the product and then when they have them on the hook like a fish reel them in with high prices. In an industry where many of us can become product junkies and leave a big chunk of our salaries on the shelves great pricing for a product that does what it promises can be the bridge to prosperity for many a small company. My question is, is the price hike a bi-product of the present state of the economy or just greed? Well, I will never know the truth to that answer but I do know the following;

1 You as a consumer have the power to choose where and how you spend your money.

2 Most of these natural products can be made at home by just purchasing the ingredients and working on   your own formula…it might take some time but it can be done.

3 Business is business and most people are in a business to gain profits or make money

4 If you were not asked personally to promote a product and paid for doing so then why do it? Why get offended because the company has changed prices?

5 If a company changes its prices to rapidly and you feel it’s unfair just don’t buy it anymore hit them where it hurts choose to spend your money elsewhere.

Now personally I have mentioned these products in my videos and given reviews simply because I use them and I love them. I can say that I will continue to purchase them due to the fact that my experience with the product itself is favorable and I personally don’t have the time to make anything at home nor am I a chemist so I rather not. Throughout my lifetime both natural and permed I have spent many a dollar purchasing products that never did what they promised; products that if I look in my bathroom shelves are just there collecting dust because I am too lazy to throw away for lack of a better word. I see my hair as an investment now, and if I have found something that works and even with the price increase I find reasonably priced I will commit to stick with it. It is a personal choice that I implore, no I challenge all of us to make. Use your purchasing power people its o.k. to leave it but it is also o.k. to still believe in the product and purchase it.
Now this is just my humble opinion as a humble consumer. What is yours…..be gentle….

BONDING OVER HAIR???????

For decades women have been meeting up in hair salons and sharing their successes and woes over a roller set, wash, perm, or blowout. I question if the same bonding occurred in their homes with their children over the grease and cornrows. Now, I can only talk from my experience and say that in the past when my daughters sat down to comb their hair there was no bonding to be had during the experience. If I recall correctly there were tears shed, shouts of “Oweeee you pulling to hard”, cries of are we done yet and me feeling frustrated that I even had to attempt to make this hair look cute LOL. I can look back on those times now and laugh but there was no laughter in my voice back then.

In my journey to embrace my natural roots (ha see the pun) I have found a new way to bond with my daughters and yes even my son. It seems that everyone in my household is interested in what I say about our hair and what I buy to put in our hair. All of a sudden even my 15 year old son (Emil) has opted to no longer cut his hair short and wear waves but is working on obtaining a neatly packaged afro. It is amazing how much I learn from my daughters while sitting at my makeup/hair vanity while my 12 year old (Eshae’) and I moisturize our hair and prepare it for bed. My 17 year old (Elisa who is permed) has all of a sudden gotten out of her “its all about me, matter of fact teenage attitude” to join us at night and watch and engage in the more than interesting conversations that occur around our hair rituals.

As a single parent with three active kids most of the times I feel like I am running a well oiled machine and not a household, always having to keep a tight schedule between football practice, dance practice, basketball practice, volleyball practice, track practice and lets not talk about the appearances and games. I get tired already just writing about it. It seemed to me that there was never enough time in the day to talk to the kids I mean really talk. Of course I took every opportunity to ask how school is, do you guys want to share anything, but most of these questions were asked in my car on the way to or from school, work or any given activity.

My natural hair journey has not only given me an exciting and educational way to learn more about myself but it has also open the door for me to bond with my children. We sit at the table every night and my daughters tell me so many simple things about their day, some funny some that raise a red flag and alert me that I have to pull out the mommy card and nudge them in the right direction. Through our nightly hair ritual I have been able to become a better listener, my kids feel more relaxed to share, and I am better equipped with the necessary information to ensure that my parenting skills stay on point.

So you see, its just not hair! It’s just not about to perm or not to perm for me its all about bonding. It’s about being able to create that comradeship that you find so often in a beauty salon amongst women of all walks of life and social and economic backgrounds within my home with my children.

So, I welcome you to the Aska natural hair corner where you can sit run some coconut oil through your stresses, relax, and share your day experiences freely.

A funny story....The Rainy Day!

O.K. so I am going to share a funny and embarrassing story with all of you. It has been raining nonstop on this island for two days straight. I mean this is hurricane rains without the darn wind. So any who on Monday the rain started and we were hungry in my office. Like when you feel boxed in you get the munchies, sooooo my staff decided that since I was the boss and drive a 4wheel drive I should do the food run to pizza hut for the goodies. My staff had plenty of reasons for sending me out such as;


1 You have a designated spot to park so your parking spot will be there when you return

2 You don’t have a perm so if you get wet your hair will still look good

3 If we leave this office in this rain there is no way we are coming back!

Being the good boss that I am  I acquiesced and braved the rain. Well everything was going well I was jamming to one of the local radio stations put my jeep in 4wheel drive and headed to pizza hut. Sounds normal thus far huh. Well, well, well, upon arriving to the restaurant I took of my 4 inch heels and slipped on some flip flops in order to walk through the river of water that was running on the street leading to the restaurant. I picked up the food and thought oh oh I don’t have enough hands to carry this food, and an umbrella but two nice young men came to my rescue and opened the door for me while I opened the umbrella and proceeded through the door with the loot. I took one step an down, down, down, I went…the steps were so slippery that I lost my footing and properly bounced down 4 stairs on my butt…bounce, bounce, bounce, I went. Pizza, wings, lasagna, pasta all over the place let’s not talk about the umbrella. It was just me dumbfounded on my rear sitting in the pouring rain in a 3piece suit and tie to in shock to even get up quickly.

When I finally got my whit’s about myself and got up, gathered my ego, my messed up food, and umbrella I made it back into the restaurant to reorder the food. As I was explaining to the manager my mishap and why I was dripping wet, and not to worry I wasn’t going to sue, all he could do was stifle a laugh and apologize. In between his apologies and offers for free drinks and dessert he looked me in the eye and said well thank god your suit is blue because I can’t tell its wet and your hair looks beautiful. At that point what could I do but laugh along with the manager, and thank God I had the great idea to go natural…..the end, se acabo, finito!

Thoughts of a Caribbean Child

You would think that growing up in a Caribbean Island we would be more aware of how to take care of our hair, however, I find this to be so not the truth. As a child living in a Hispanic household where my mothers hair is full of silky curls, her lack of knowledge as to how to manage my hair that was not so silky was passed on to me. For a better part of my life all my mother new how to do was make sure my hair was clean and brushed back into one thick braid or ponytail. My mother had no knowledge of how to tame my hair or do two strand twists, or cornrows simply because her hair was easy to manage. Therefore of course I was excited when at the age of 13 I could finally get a perm. As I got older I never fretted about my hair it would grow nicely and because I have never been a hair person I would chop it of and keep it moving.


Being blessed with two gorgeous daughters whose hair is not particularly easy to manage, I myself never new what products were best to nurture their hair. As many Caribbean people do I simply washed it and greased it, it never mattered what ingredients were in the grease just as long as it helped me keep those cornrows in place and helped their hair look shiny.

Now that I am natural once again and I am educating myself as to what products love my hair and my hair loves back I am in awe of how little of those products are available in the regular hair market her on my island of ST. Thomas U.S. Virgin Islands. Most of my products I have to purchase on line. I am also amazed of how little we Caribbean people know about the versatility of our hair, how locks or dreads (sister locks) as we call them here are not the only styles that we can rock as we get older and opt not to go the way of a perm.

I get stopped everywhere and asked how did I get my hair that way, what did I use to get those pretty curls, is there a texturizer in my hair? I always stop and explain what is in my hair how I achieved the look and encourage the person to try it with their young daughter or if they are natural to do it on their own hair. Most people reply “oh no my hair is real African hair not like yours” to which I say every one of us has good hair, coily, beautiful, full hair. I wonder how many people have experienced a self awareness once they went natural and were able to see themselves as God intended them to be? Now don’t get me wrong I have nothing against a good perm, my eldest daughter has a perm in her hair and even though she has been contemplating putting locks in her hair she is still very attached to her perm LOL

Sooooo I did It! I straightened my hair! (just temporarily lol)

O.K. curlies so my last blog was about my trepedation as to wether to straighten my hair or not. I read your responses and then I decided to go ahead and do it.  Honestly, I wanted to see how my ends were and to do a trim on my hair due to the fact that I have been 14 months natural and have not visited a hairdresser since I Bc'd. I also want to be able to do everything myself to my hair so visiting a hair stylest to do a trim was a no no for me. 

 I want to say that I love the results, I like my curls 100% better but one of the benefits of being natural is to have versatility, and for me that means being able to switch it up and go straight if I want to.  There is no other way to learn than to take the plunge and do it so I did.  I took great precautions when straightening my hair, believe me I was careful. Here are the steps I took to protect my hair and achieve healthy results;

1.  I applied henna to my hair. (I was scheduled for a henna treatment any ways)
2. I applied a moisturizing conditioner to my hair, heavily. I applied the conditioner in sections as if I was giving myself a perm and then I slept with it in my hair, I also sat under my hair steamer for 15-20 minutes.
3. The next morning I washed the conditioner out of my hair and I applied Maximus hair straightening gel and The end  gloss.
4. I then proceeded to blow dry my hair using the tension method. I used my denman paddle brush and my ionic blowdryer with the concentration attachment. I kept the dryer 4-6 inches away from my hair and kept it moving ensuring that the heat was distributed evenly.  
5.  After blow drying I parted my hair in 4 sections and proceeded to use my maxiglide to straighten my hair. I kept the temperature between 3-5, due to the fact that I have much curlier hair in the crown area of my head.
6. I pin curled my hair by sections and then did a dry wrap.
7. The next day I let out my pincurls applied my shea butter mix ensuring that my ends got the most and simply finger combed my hair.

 Soooo the results where bouncy, shiny, and hair that is full of body. You be the judge guys.  In my next post I will talk about how my hair reverted back to its curly state and if I see any difference in my hair. 

To Straighten or Not to Straighten | That is the question :)

O.K. Curlies so I am having a dilemma with myself and would love to hear how you guys feel about it.  O.K. So in 2011 I have decided to work on retaining length. Safe to say that I spent the first year of being natural concentrating on learning about my hair, how to manage it, how to keep it curly, how to comb it style and basically deal with it. Once I passed the TWA stage it really got interesting.  So now that 14 months have passed and I am confident in my knowledge to keep my hair healthy I have decided to pay attention to its growth and I have assigned this second year my hair growth challenge.

So here is my dilemma.... I am trying my best to stay away from heat for the entire year which shouldn't be that big a task because I have no desire to wear my hair straight. However, I did recently purchase a maxiglide and I am dying dying to try it out. I want to try it out for various reasons; 

 1. to see if it was worth my investment (or do I just give it away ) 

 2. I would like to see if my ends need a trim I have not trimmed it in the 14 months I have been going natural and if I am going to grow my hair for the year I would like to get rid of any damaged or frayed ends.

So what do you guys think should I try my maxiglide and deal with any frayed ends if any?  Help me decide Dolls!