QOTD: Curl Stretching

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Question of the dayCourtney asks

Are there any good products for curl stretching?

Ah, what a loaded question you ask my dear, lol :) Asking what products are good for curl stretching is the equivalent to asking what foods are good for losing weight quickly. So I will take this answer in two parts.

One, there are no products out that actually stretch your hair.  There are many product lines that claim to stretch and/or elongate curls but I have yet to see this ever happen. This is just a marketing ploy.  I will say there are some products that shrink the hair more than others but none that actually stretch the hair.  Products that are heavier do tend to weigh the hair down and not allow it to shrink up completely, but that is not the same as stretching.

Two, while there are not products that work in stretching the hair there are techniques that you can apply to stretch the hair. Note any further references to hair stretching really means the hair will not shrink up as much when compared to naked hair.

The hair on the right was stretched using twist method. The hair on the left air dried normally

Compare my bangs in these pics.  The hair on the right was stretched using twist method. The hair on the left air dried normally.

4 Ways to Stretch Your Curls

  1. Braiding: grab a section of your hair and simply braid loosely, allow to dry 75% then gently release and separate
  2. Banding: grab a section of your hair, use scrunchies or clips to form extended pigtails, allow to dry 75% then gently release and separate
  3. Twisting: grab a section of your hair and simply twist loosely, allow to dry 75% then gently release and separate
  4. Pineappling: pull hair loosely into a ponytail on top of your head, allow hair to dry 75% then gently release and separate.

That is my advice on how to stretch your curls. Please do not fall for products that claim to stretch and elongate, that is just simply not the truth.  But with the methods I listed above you can keep your hair from shrinking completely.

Solange Reads and Gives Life!

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So there are two things I hate about twitter, okay probably more than two but let’s stay focused.

  1. The trolls who say really mean, hurtful and disgusting things to celebrities. 
  2. The keyboard gangsters who only say things because they are in a virtual world that they would not dare say to a person face to face. Anonymity makes people bold.

And then this happened.

solange tweetOh yes. So some girl @RealBarbieSlutz sent a tweet to Solange stating she would be prettier if she had a relaxer.  Obviously it was late and the girl was in need of a bedtime story so Solange graciously read her to sleep by telling this child to put a relaxer in her ignorant mouth. Go night-night.

sonic

Oh girl Solange just snatched all your rings.  Womp, womp.  I need y’all to know that when I read this tweet I literally jumped up off the couch and danced a jig in Solange’s honor. Yassssss! My life was just restored.

Let’s go over a few basic facts.

  • Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but not all thoughts should be uttered out loud.   
  • Never has random advice from a stranger been received well so stop giving it.
  • Someone else’s personal style preferences are really none of your business.
  • Watch how you treat people, because some are going to give you just what you deserve.
  • Golden Rule: If you don’t have anything nice to say, shut your mouth. 

I, like Solange, don’t care what you think about my natural hair. How I chose to wear the hair that grows out of my head is none of your business.  The compliments are nice but honestly I take them with a grain of salt because I don’t wear my hair for the approval of others, I do this for me.  I will afro, twist, wash-n-go, straighten, color and rod set as I see fit for the hair on my head.  If you do not like it I suggest you avert your eyes child.

solange-knowles

Natural Skin Care Products via Natural Review Box

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If you have followed me for awhile you know that I love not only natural hair products but natural skin care products too.  One of my favorite subscription services is Natural Review Sample Box because it comes with so many great natural products for hair, body, skin care, and home.  I was not familiar with either of these brands prior to receiving them in the box, but I used them both and decided to do a mini review on my experience.

blum naurals cleansing towelettesBlum Naturals 

Daily Cleansing & Makeup Remover Towelettes

$6.99 for pack of 30 wipes

Available at Whole Foods, Earth Fare, VitaCost.com and others

ing: Aqua (Water), Decyl Glucoside**, Organic Chamomile Extract*, Organic Aloe Vera Extract*, Lavender Oil*, Vanilla Oil*, Patchouli Oil*, Gluconolactone***, Sodium Benzoate***, Glycerin*.

So I love these disposable makeup remover towelettes.  I keep them near my bed so when I drag myself in after a long night I can just grab a wipe and remove any makeup, sweat, food or whatever from my face when I am too lazy to go wash it *don’t judge me*.  The awesome thing about these towelettes is that the actually do remove makeup including my eyeshadow + primer which regular soap and water or baby wipes cannot. I received the chamomile towelettes which smell lightly scented like chamomile tea.  These wipes are gentle on my skin, do no cause dryness or leave a film after use.  I will definitely repurchase.

kiki bella mud maskKiki Bella

Beauty Mud

available on Etsy 

ing: made with natural clay from the Great Salt Lake mixed with purified water.

I use mud mask once per week as part of my skin care regimen. Mud masks help to remove dirt, oil and impurities from my skin, reduce blemishes and to firm the skin as well.  I only received a small heat seal pack of mud mask but it was enough for 3 applications.  To use I first wash my face with mild cleanser, exfoliate with a facial scrub, then apply the mud mask.  This mask is very simple it smells like mud, there are no frills to it but it works well.  The product claims that the salt found in the mud from the great salt lake is supposed to be superior for your skin. I cannot say that this mud was worked any better than others I have used, but it was not any worse so I cannot speak to those claims.

I was pleased with both products I received and I had great results incorporating them into my skin care regimen.  For more info on Natural Review Box check out my video below from my April reveal video.  If you have tried any new skin care products leave a comment below and let me know about them. 

DIY Laundry Detergent

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Here is a great money saving idea. A lot of us are going back to making products in their own home.  A while back I reviewed a natural soap bar, Kirk’s Original Coco Castile Soap, as part of my bar soap challenge where I tested different bar soaps.  I have been a fan of Kirk’s  ever since and they recently posted a recipe on how to make your own laundry soap. The recipe is very simple so I wanted to share with all of you. This recipe is for a powder (dry) laundry detergent mix.  There is another recipe for liquid. Happy mixing.laundry-detergent

Kirk’s Powder Laundry Detergent Recipe 

Ingredients:

  • 1 bar of Kirk’s Coco Castile Soap, grated
  • 1 cup of washing soda
  • 1/2 cup Borax
  • 1/3 cup OxiClean

Mix ingredients together well. You may opt to add to a blender or food processor to mix thoroughly.  After mixing store transfer to an air tight container for storage.  Add two Tablespoons to each laundry load for washing.

This is just a basic recipe. You can experiment with different levels of cleansing agents.  You can also add essentials oils to make this smell nicely.  You will still need to pre-treat your clothes for stains and use bleach for whites.

Product Review: Amazing Botanicals Hibiscus Gel

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amazing botanicals hibiscus gelAmazing Botanicals

Hibiscus Hair Gel

16 oz for $20.00

ing: distilled water, aloe gel, flaxseed, hibiscus tea infusion, optiphen, black castor oil, safflower oil, glycerin, xantham gum

The great people at Amazing Botanicals contacted me about wanting to do a giveaway back in December which went great.  They were also kind enough to send me products to check them out for myself.  At the time I was on a use-up-the-stash product purge trying to  finish all my partially used products.  I have a LOT of products and it has seriously taken me this long to get to the new stuff. I know, just shake your head and keep reading.

I have now been natural for five years and I have tried my fair share of hair gels and definers and I have my obvious favorites. However, it is still fun to try out other gels based on ingredients to find other options that may be cheaper, available on the ground, or provide better results.

Amazing Botanicals Hibiscus Gel is a mucilage based, soft hold hair gel.  Mucilage meaning the ingredients are basically “snotty” as the main ingredients are aloe and flaxseed gel.  My hair loves mucilage gels they are great for curl defining and are moisturizing. The gel has a medium viscosity and is very easy to apply. The smell has a light tea scent.

5 Things I Love About This Product

  1. Soft holding, my hair was not crunchy or dry feeling.
  2. Smells delightful, light tea scent.
  3. Great ingredients.
  4. Nice price, at $20 for 16 ounces that comes down to $1.25 per ounce which is a great price.
  5. Non-sticky feeling easy to apply. The product also rinses clean from the hair no need  to clarify or use a strong shampoo to cleanse after application.

I applied this product in the same manner I apply my other gels. I applied kinky curly knot today to soaking wet hair then smoothed the gel on top.  It took approximately 5 hours for my hair to air dry which is pretty normal for me.  The gel performed similarly as other soft hair gels for me.  The downside for me is that I can only get 2-day hair using this gel. To refresh my hair in the morning I lightly spritz with water. On day 3 I could have pulled my hair into a puff, but that was as much use as I could get.  I would purchase the gel again if it was on sale it is a nice gel to have on hand for a quick wash n go.  It will not replace my favorite wash n go gels however.

Check out my YT review below 

Eden BodyWorks New Coconut Shea Products + Sale

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Okay the very LAST thing I need is more hair products, lets just be real. I have more than I can ever need or use on my hair.  I have put myself on an unofficial no-buy and have been on a use-up-the-stash cleanse to get rid of older products.

Then Eden BodyWorks comes out with this new Coconut Shea product line and it has my credit card finger itching.  I still have products from this line including a deep conditioner, shampoo and conditioner that I have NOT used, yet I want to buy MORE!!! *smh*

eden bodyworks coconut shea But far be it for me to deny you all of a good sale. Enjoy 50% off Eden BodyWorks Coconut Shea products with code CS50 thru 4/3/13.  This line includes the following products: cowash, leave in conditioner, a curl defining cream and a pudding souffle.

Spring Into Savings

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The weather outside is still frightening even though it is almost April. No worries there are some great Spring Savings from your favorite natural hair product companies to keep you smiling. Check them out below.

Jessicurl 37% off all 8 oz products in store with code: JSCRL3748 sale ends 3/27/13   DCN Recommends: Jessicurl Deep Conditioning Treatment

Dax Haircare 30% off Dax Roots products no code required sale ends 3/31              DCN Recommends: DAX Roots Olive Cream

Marie Dean 20% off all hair butters with code: HAIRBUTTERS sale ends 3/31

Curl Junkie 25% off with code: EASTER2013 sale dates 3/28 – 3/29                            DCN Recommends Curl Junkie Smoothing Lotion & Pattern Pusha Gel

AfroVeda 20% off with code: SPRING20 sale ends 3/27                                                 DCN Recommends AfroVeda Coco Latte Moisture Mask

Eden BodyWorks 40% off order of $25+ with code: FEVER 

EmJay Natural Beautique 50% off close-out sale no code required                          DCN Recommends Curls Products

CurlMart Buy ANY Eden BodyWorks Coconut Shea product and Get Eden BodyWorks Coconut Shea Leave-In Conditioner FREE no coupon code required sale ends 4/1

LACE Natural 25% off order with code: ILUVSPRING sale ends 4/1

Mainelement: love 15% off with code: easter13 sale ends 3/31

So that is all I got y’all. Follow me on facebook and twitter and youtube.

KY NBMBAA Black Beauty Business

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I am honored to announce that I was invited to speak at the National Black MBA Association, Kentucky Chapter on the topic of Black Beauty Business.  I will be specifically discussing natural hair business, natural hair in a corporate setting, building your brand and my personal experiences in launching Derby City Naturals.  The event will be hosted at Shades of Ebony, Kentucky’s first official makeup bar, located in Mellwood Arts Center. This is a great opportunity to network with other business owners, working professionals, entrepreneurs and those in the beauty industry.  Also I would your support.

All are welcome, so please join us!

Photo Credit Curly Nikki

Photo Credit Curly Nikki

KY Nat’l MBA Association

Tuesday March 19th 2013 6:00 – 7:30 pm

Shades of Ebony 1860 Mellwood Ave Suite 155, Louisville, KY 40206

view event invite