DiscoveringNatural

------------------------------------------------------------ Style 2: Individuals Wash Process: Pre-poo for 1 hour with Shea Moisture Purification Masque. SMPM helped with her itchy scalp. Even though she wore swim cap for her swim lessons, she must have got some of the water on her scalp that caused it to itch. Shampoo hair with Elasta QP Creme Conditioning Shampoo . This is our monthly shampoo session. We normally do co-wash. Condition for 5 mins with Tresemme Natural Conditioner  and Aloe Vera Juice. The AVJ helped soften her hair. Rinse and dry with t-shirt Apply Castor Oil to scalp. Apply leave in - Kinky Curly Knot Today. This product really detangled and moisturized her hair.  Tools used: Moisturizer Thread Scissors Styling Process: Create groups of thread with four thread strands in a group.  Use the scissors to cut the thread Knot ends of threads and set apart. I used two groups of four threads per sectioned hair. I made about...

Wether you have kinks, coils, or curls, you can always take advantage of curl defining products.  What are Curl Defining Products?  Have you gone to the hair product aisle and seen products such as...XYZ Curl Defining Pudding and ABC Curl Enhancing Gel. (fictitious names, of course).  Well, the purpose of those products are to define your hair strands to give it the look of curls. Now, everyone have different types and textures of hair. The important thing to know, first hand, is that these products will not create curls that do not exist. Let's say your hair type is more of a zig-zag look, these products will not make it into a s-curl look. The purpose of these curl defining products is to clump your coils or curls together.  Some people might have to twist their hair to create more curly hair look.  For me, different products clump my hair strands differently. For example, the picture below, shows how my hair clumps together with Tresemme Natural Condit...

Whenever I do my two strand twists, I always do it on wet or damp hair, never on dry hair. I decided to try doing my two strand twists on dry hair using the Whipped Shea Butter I made yesterday. Here is the recipe: 16 oz of Shea Butter (white) 1 tsp of Vitamin E 2 tsp of Extra virgin coconut oil 2 tsp of Extra virgin olive oil 2 tsp of Almond oil (by Zayd's ) 2 tbsp of Jojoba Oil 2 tbsp of Castor Oil Whip with hand held mixer until mixture looks creamy and fluffy. For each section, I applied 1/2 a dime-size, and twisted. My hair felt moisturized but lacked the soft feeling that is usually present when I do the twists on damp hair.  Also, I noticed, my front area did not have a curly look as it used to. Which do you prefer, wet/damp twisting or dry twisting?

In April, I tried to use the Pineapple method to preserve my braid out without rebraiding it.  Click here to read all about it .  It was a total failure. After doing much research, I decided to try mini pineapples.  Here is the video that I used: I only looped scunci headband loosely twice. The next morning, I woke up, undid the scunci and repositioned my hair... and HERE is the RESULTS!! Have you tried doing mini pineapple night routine?

What is Generic Paul Mitchell Leave In Conditioner? This is a leave in conditioner that can be used to balance and moisturize your hair.  It compares to the Paul Mitchell The Conditioner. This product is sold only at Sally's Benefits: Smoothes and detangles hair Adds moisture to hair Strengthens hair strands  Enhances shine   Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Ceteth-2, Cetrimonium Bromide, Bisamino PEG/PPG-41/3 Aminoethyl PG-Propyl Dimethicone, Hedychium Coronarium Root Extract, PEG-12 Dimethicone, Bisamino PEG/PPG-41/3 Aminoethyl PG-Propyl Dimethicone, Algae Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract, Lawsonia Inermis (Henna) Extract, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, PEG-12 Dimethicone, Wheatgermamidopropyl Ethyldimonium Ethosulfate, Citric Acid, Fragrance (Parfum), Blue 1, DMDM Hydantoin, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, Methylparaben...

I found this YouTube video that demonstrates four different techniques that can be used to " Define Your Curls " I get more definition and longer lasting results when I do braid and pin curl them.  I can get 3 day hair ( braid-out ) from this technique. What is your favorite " Define Your Curls " technique?

It's been 3 days since my last wash, and I didn't have time to do a co-wash. Actually, I want to try to push my wash back to every 7 days as I was before starting the Curly Girl Method . Here is how I refreshed my curls for another 3-4 days usage.   Lightly mist hair with water Apply some castor oil to my edges and scalp Do a scalp massage Apply some Generic Paul Mitchell Leave In Conditioner to hair canopy I decided to do a braid out.  Here is how I do my braid out.... I used Taliah Waajid Curl Sealer on each section Braided my hair Pin Curl it... like this.. Put on my satin bonnet and let it dry set overnight Next morning... Apply coconut oil on palms and run hands on top of hair Gently undo each braid to reduce frizz Hide parts by putting fingers at the base of the hair and fluff a third of the way up. How do you refresh your curls/coils?

My favorite YouTube DIY gal, LongHairDontCareLLC , has done it again! Last week, she showed how to make Ribbon Headbands.  After several tries, I was able to make a couple of the girls. Warning! It is very addictive! Here are the ones I made... 

This style was done on hair that has been washed and stretched out with two strands twists for two days. Styling Process: Divide hair into three sections; bang area, left side and right side Starting from the left side, divide hair into five or more sections, going from side of the head to middle parting For each of these sections, begin to roll and tuck in the hair, working your way to the middle part. When there, secure hair with rubber band. Do the step above for the right side Now gather some hairs (the mohawk area) and braid it up. I gathered three at a time. Roll each braid with perm rods. For the banges area, create a pompadour and either secure with a bobby pin or rubber band. Wait for a couple of hours, so that the perm rods side will set. Release perm rods and undo the braids gently.  Secure the ends with bobby pins underneath the bottom of the mohawk. Have fun!

------------------------------------------------------------ Style 2: Spaced Threading Wash Process: Divide hair into 4 sections Co-wash hair with Tresemme Natural Conditioner Deep Condition hair for 20 mins with Shea Moisture Deep Treatment Masque   Rinse hair. Apply Generic Paul Mitchell Leave In Conditioner to hair and Castor Oil to scalp, edges and nape. Band hair overnight. Tools used: Moisturizer Thread Scissors Styling Process: Create groups of thread with four thread strands in a group.  Use the scissors to cut the thread Knot ends of threads and set apart. I made about 10 groups of thread. Undo one section of hair, and moisturize scalp with oil mix Moisturize hair with Shea Moisture Curl Enhanced Smoothie Seal ends with Shea Butter Mix . Section hair, first ear to hear Divide top section into 5 parts and bottom section into 3 parts. Wrap thread around the base of hair and as you thread upwards to the end of the hair, move finger to...

It is important to protect your hair when swimming.   This is what I keep on hearing about when doing my research for our recent visit to the waterpark. I always cover my hair with a swim cap when in the pool, but since this was an all-day event, I did not want to have a cap on for the seven hours we spent at the waterpark. So, I went to YouTube to see if I could be find any other method of protecting my hair. I came upon this video by Kelz06081984 Here is what I did that helped keep my hair moisturized throughout the day. Before going to the WaterPark Moisturize hair and braid into 2 cornrows going back.  This will protect your ends and also keep your relaxed ends tucked in so as to avoid tangling. Make a mixture in a small 2oz travel size container of - Tresemme Natural Conditioner + Castor Oil + Extra Virgin Coconut Oil Upon arriving at the WaterPark Wet hair. Apply the condish mixture all over hair and rub in to avoid whiteness Take a little bit of ...

I'm getting it... I'm getting it... Yesterday, I loved my hair.. I mean, my hair was TRULY moisturized all day long. I was in and out of the hot sun... and at the end of the day, my hair still felt nice and soft. I was truly amazed. So ... curious to know what I did? Wash Process Pre Poo: Skipped this step Co-wash :  I co-washed with Tresemme Natural Conditioner.  This is how I do my co-wash: I mix 1 part conditioner with 4 part water in an application bottle. Shake well. Using the application bottle, saturate my scalp with the mixture and gently massage.  Rinse. Then take conditioner ONLY, and work about a dime-size into each section of hair ( hair is divided into 4 sections ). Rinse well Deep Conditioning : Since this was mid week, skipped this step Styling Process Sectioning my hair into 4 parts, I applied the Generic Paul Mitchell "The Conditioner" on my slightly damp hair. Apply Castor Oil to my scalp and the ends of my hair.  Maked sure to appl...

Since our African Threading Challenge started on June 1st, we have had some friends join us.  This is very exciting and my daughters love the challenge.  It is so low maintenance and keeps the ends well protected. We started swimming lessons this week and of course, we wear our swim caps.  But on one occassion, the cap slipped off Big Sis' head and her hair got wet. Even with co-washing, while the hair was still threaded, her hair still looked good! Here are a couple of pictures sent in by our "followers".  Way to go, ladies!! Threading and Braids: Front and Back PonyTails Threading and Braids with Accessories Full Threading mixed with Spaced Threading Threading and Two Strand Twists 

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It took about 6 hours for my hair to air dry.  Come to think of it, this is the same amount of time it would normally take it to dry up even without the CG Method. By the time it dried up, the relaxed ends were more curled up, I decided to restyle my hair to protect my ends. By the end of the day, my new growth was quite hard and did not feel moisturized at all.  I felt defeated, but decided to spritz it a little with some water, apply some Shea Moisture Curl Enhanced Smoothie, create four lazy bantu knots, cover with a scarf and went to bed.  I have a feeling it is the Eco Styler Gel that caused my hair to be like this.  Next time, I will try only leaving conditioner on my hair. Another thing.... The Generic Paul Mitchel Conditioner might not be the best for my more densed natural hair. It worked fine in keeping my relaxed ends moisturized, but not my natural hair. I will definitely continue to use it without the Eco Styler Gel because that might have ...

It's Day 1 of the Curly Girl Method on my transitioning hair. I am actually doing this without little information on how to attempt this on transitioning hair. So, I must definitely say I was quite nervous about starting this method because the only information I have is on fully natural hair. But.... Here goes... Wash Process Pre-poo:   Since I was going to use a sulfate shampoo to get rid of the silicones from the Cantu Shea Butter Leave In, I wanted to make sure that my hair is fully coated with all the yummy oils and condish   prior to stripping off with the sulfate shampoo.  I used a mixture of VO5 conditioner (milk moisture) and Extra Virgin Olive Oil to saturate my hair. Covered my hair with a plastic cap and kept it covered overnight. Shampooing:   Next morning, I rinsed off my pre-poo treatment, and used a mixture of water and Garnier Fructis Triple Nutrition Fortifying Shampoo to shampoo my hair. I did this twice.  My hair felt icky, stripped,...

Hair in the red box is my new growth I have decided to do the Curly Girl Method on my transitioning hair. The Curly Girl Method is based on the book called Curly Girl: The Handbook , written by Lorraine Massey.  It requires hair maintenance to be done without the use of shampoos, silicones, and styling tools.  While doing my research for this method, I had a hard time finding transitioners doing this method.  I decided to do it myself because I want take advantage of the moisturizing factor that this method addresses. So... I will be making a couple of changes to my hair regimen: I will still be... doing protective styles like twists, braids, and cornrows doing twist outs, bantu knot outs, twist and curl,  and braid outs using the following oils: Coconut oil, Castor Oil, and Jojoba Oil New changes... Pre-poo with VO5 Conditioner and Extra Virgin Olive Oil Co-wash with Tresemme Natural Conditioner and other CG friendly conditioners need to fi...

I was thinking of what I should blog about today... and since it is Friday Fun, I wanted to post something that had to do with swim caps.  When I came upon the brilliant DIY, I had to share it with you. Click the picture to read more about how to create this Flower Swim Cap Clutch. Post by Margo Isadora of dontmisit.blogspot.com * Genius!*

The versatility of natural hair never ceases to amaze me. In the past 7 years, I have learnt how to braid, cornrow, cornrow with extension, twist and thread hair. Now, I can add one more thing to that list and that is "Retightening Locks". I am always open to learning new things when it comes to hair, so when my transitioning buddy asked if I would be interested in retightening her cousin's waist length locks, I was quite excited. So, let the adventure begin.... First of all, I have never done this before. I went on YouTube to see how to do it. This is what I did... Gathering the new growth that is closer to a lock of hair, I added that to the lock. Applied Eco Styler Gel (Krystal) to the base and ends of the new growth Finger rolled the new growth into the lock of hair Continued this process until all the new growths were successfully added to a lock of hair. If you have done this before, please advice on how I could do a better job.

When you hear Humidity... you think frizz and bad hair days. The weather has been quite humid lately, so I have tried to minimize the amount of frizz and bad hair days I will experience by just having my hair in cornrows and twists with the hope of doing a twist out on the twisted part next week. I have my fingers crossed and hope that this humidity does not cause me to have frizzy twist out. While researching this issue, I have found a couple of methods that can be used to minimize the effect of humidity on the hair. Use the right products ... that will help seal your hair and prevent moisture from penetrating the hair shaft. Products like anti-frizz serums, silicones, and bee-wax. Click here for more products . Add Protein ... ingredients such as hydrolyzed protein. Create anti-frizz hairstyles ... such as pin-up updos, braids, cornrows, and twists. Embrace the frizz ... and use it to your advantage.  Create styles like will minimize the obvious appearance of th...

Weekly Wash Routine Section hair into four parts Spritz one section with water and then apply VO5 conditioner mixed with Extra Virgin Olive Oil to use to detangle. Do the detangling with my fingers. Click here to learn how I finger detangle. When all sections are done, cover hair with plastic cap for 30 mins. Add Tresemme Natural Conditioner and water in an applicator bottle, apply to scalp. Co-wash scalp and then let then wash hair strands. Rinse off. At the end of the month, clarify hair using Creme of Nature Detangling, Conditioning Shampoo (sulfate) . If I feel the need to shampoo or hair is much more tangled up than usual, use Elasta QP Creme Conditioning Shampoo (sulfate-free).   After wash is done, hair is now in two sections (left and right) Dry with a T-shirt If breakage is noticed that is excessive, do a protein treatment using Organics Root Stimulator Hair Mayonnaise . If this is not the case, do a deep conditioning using Organics Root Stimula...

Starting Hair Measurements Back: 7 inches Front: 6 and a half inches Crown: 6 and a half inches Sides: 7 inches ------------------------------------------------------------ Style 1: Threading with braids Wash Process: Divide hair into 4 sections Co-wash hair with Tresemme Natural Conditioner Deep Condition hair for 40 mins with Organics Root Stimulator Replenishing Conditioner Rinse hair. Do final rinse with a mixture of Aloe vera  juice and water, Section hair into style that I plan to do, and band it using  Belle Pony Sox Hair ties. I got these black hair ties that don't have any metal piece from Dollar General. It is the BEST hair ties I have found so far. Tools used: Moisturizer Thread Scissors Styling Process: Create groups of thread with five thread strands in a group.  Use the scissors to cut the thread Knot ends of threads and set apart. I made about 30 groups of thread. Undo one section of hair, and moisturize scalp with oil mix ...

Today, I was banding my older daughter's hair and wasn't paying much attention to my younger daughter, who was playing with her dolls and stuffed dog.  When I finished what I was doing, I looked at the stuffed dog...and this is what I saw: On other news... the protective styling challenge on Beads, Braids, and Beyond ended yesterday. My daughter gained about an inch and a half in a month. I was very happy with that but even more happy with the health of her hair. It was fuller, stronger, and richer! This prompted me to do a summer-long protective styling challenge of my own.  I plan to african thread her hair all summer, from June 2nd to August 20th. I will be sharing her progress on the blog, so stay tuned!