Beautiful Skin is In!

You know I can't hold out on my fellow Curlies. I've started a new skin care routine and I'm noticing IMMEDIATE  results! Christine over at Temptalia.com interviewed Renee Rouleau, an esthetician who warns against over-exfoliating facial skin with the Clarisonic. Instead, she suggests alternating weeks of chemical and physical exfoliation, and using adequate moisturizer. Click here for the full interview.

Here's what I've been using for my dry skin. Make sure you choose products for your skin type.

Week 1
Cleanse with Philosophy Purity Made Simple
Exfoliate with Philosophy Microdlivery Peel (day 1)
Apply Reviva Labs Glycolic Acid facial toner (vitacost.com)
Moisturize with Philosophy Hope in a Jar Dry, Sensitive skin

Week 2
Cleanse using Oil-Cleanse Method
Exfoliate with Honey Olive Oil Sugar scrub, 2-3x/week  (3 TB Olive Oil, 2 TB Honey, 1/2 C sugar)
Moisturize with Garnier Nutritioniste Skin Renew serum and
Philosophy Hope in a Jar

My skin is so clear, virtually pore-less. My face looks healthy and glowing. Old acne scars are fading and I don't need to wear foundation, just a bit of concealer. I am sticking with this routine, and I hope it works for you if you give it a try. Always remember to eat well, drink water, exercise and rest. Vitamins can also be a great supplement. Leave a comment and let us know what works for your skin!

Update: Hair Routine

Check the "routine" tag in the sidebar. I've just been playing around with a few ingredients and made a few tweaks. 

twist-out

wearing 2x twists

• Scalp massage on wash day using avocado oil, Auromere oil and blend of  rosemary, tea tree, peppermint e.o
• Pre-poo with hair in 2x twists with Auromere oil, or conditioner under hooded dryer for 20 min. This helps with detangling since hair has been in twists 7-14 days.
• I pre-poo on DRY hair with a combo of 3-5 of my fave conditioners and seal with oil. Pop on a plastic cap, wrap a towel or scarf around that, and wear as long as I can stand it, sometimes overnight. My current pre-poo conditioners:
• Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose
• Burt's Bees Shea & Grapefruit Deep Conditoner
• Desert Essence Jojoba Conditioner (vitacost.com)
• Inecto Pure Coconut Oil Conditioner (Ulta)
• Coconut Oil to seal
• Finger detangle twists after pre-poo, then wash.
• This is key: Deep condition under hooded dryer for 30-45 minutes, then detangle with shower comb and paddle brush. No more detangling in the shower for me. Rinse and apply leave-in.
  
• Nature's Blessing hair dressing on scalp while twisting with Shea-Aloe. Seal with coconut oil, aloe vera gel mixed in palm of hands.
  
• Refresh twists daily with leave-in spray and seal with oil
• Set twists on rollers (sponge removed) on Saturday night for church
• Twist- out Sunday, detangle with fingers and paddle brush, moisturize  and re-twist Sunday night. This is the key to fewer tangles on the next wash day.
  
• Day before washing, saturate dry hair with fave conditioner and finger detangle
• Wash day and repeat

Best of 2009!

Happy New Year, Curlies! Better late, than never, right?

I still love you, I just want to make sure I'm giving you the best information I can, so I write when there's something exciting to write about. 2010 will be full of new product reviews, updates, beauty, skincare, videos and more! Before we jump into the new, let's recap some of the best products of 2009. Here we go......

Overall Hair Care: Curly Girl Method, "Baggy", and Sealing

Eliminating sulfates and -cones in my hair products has been the single best thing I've done for my hair in 2009. It retains moisture better, it's softer, shinier, and it simply looks healthy. For more info, check the tags in the side bar.

Shampoo: Aubrey Organics White Camelia

This cleanser is sulfate-free, but still does a great job cleaning my hair and scalp. I only use this product once every 2 weeks, focusing mainly on my scalp.

Co-Wash Conditioner: Trader Joe's Nourish Spa

Deep Conditioner: Aubrey Organics Honey Suckle Rose

I get much better results with a damp washcloth over my hair, plastic cap, and a hooded dryer for 30-45 minutes. Makes detangling a breeze!

Leave-In Conditioner: Desert Essence Jojoba Conditioner and Taliah Waajid Protective Mist Bodifier

Moisturizer: Shea-Aloe (with a KinkyCurly Twist)

Follow the recipe for basic Shea-Aloe. Once the oils have cooled, add 1/4 C of conditioner (must be silicone and protein free) and 1/4 C Taliah Waajid Bodifier. Mix until creamy

Oil(s): Auromere Pre-Shampoo Conditioner

This Ayurvedic oil is a blend of Indian herbs, coconut, and wheat germ oils. It gives my hair nourishment and amazing shine. For an amazing hot oil treatment- saturate hair with oil, pop on a plastic cap, and sit under a hooded dryer for 20 minutes. Wash and style as usual.

Styling Product: Taliah Waajid  Lock It Up "gel"

This product defines curls like a traditional gel, without the drying alcohol. It's also made with nettle, hemp, and Taliah's Black Earth formula.

Routine: Check these    posts

Skin Care (For my dry skin)

Cleanser: Oil Cleansing Method (All skin types)

100% African Black Soap

Moisturizer: I love experimenting with the ingredients that I have on hand. This winter, my skin has been loving shea butter, jojoba oil, and aloe vera gel mixed in the palm of my hand.

Exfoliator: Philosophy The Microdelivery Peel

Worth every penny! Vitamin C crystals and lactic/salicylic acid gel combine to exfoliate and resurface skin revealing glowing, just-had-a-facial skin. This will last months-a little goes a long way.

Must See T.V

Also check out kimmaytube's channel. She has a great washing and detangling video. It never occurred to me to twist my hair in the shower, to keep detangled hair from tangling again after it's been combed. Great idea.

Do you have a special method or technique for dealing with your hair? Please share it with is in a comment. Until next time....

A quick hair update......

You all know my current cold-weather hair routine is 1 week of wearing twists, 1 week of a twist-out or puff, wash day every 2 weeks. That's the big picture. Let me hit you with the details:

• Scalp massage on wash day using avocado oil, rosemary e.o blend
• Nature's Blessing hair dressing on scalp while twisting
• Refresh twists daily with leave-in and seal with oil
• Set twists on rollers (sponge removed) on Saturday night for church
• Twist- out Sunday, detangle and re-twist Sunday night. This is the key to fewer tangles on the next wash day.
  
• Day before washing, saturate dry hair with fave conditioner and finger detangle
• Wash day and repeat

This has helped my hair stay knot-free, and combing on wash day is much easier. I can't stress enough the importance of a GREAT arsenal of conditioners to moisturize and manage  our hair. *NOTE: conditioners that contain -cones provide excellent slip and aid in detangling, but beware. They build up on hair over time, even when you rinse thoroughly, and leave hair dried out and hard to manage. Try rotating your conditioners once a month, and shampoo or clarify your hair once a month to remove -cones.

What are some of your fave conditioners? Let us know!

Until next time....

Updates :)

I've done a lot of make up posts these past couple of months, right? Can't a girl love hair AND make up?

No worries, I'm back with a hair update, pics, and recipes just for you!

New Hair Routine: Part 1

Fall is here, winter is just around the corner, and cold air is waiting to suck the moisture from our hair and skin. My first line of defense against dry locks this season will be protective styling. 2x twists on wash day, worn for 1 week. Twist-out the next week, pulled back in a puff, until next wash day.

Wash Day: Part 2

I pre-poo on DRY hair with a combo of 3-5 of my fave conditioners and seal with oil. Pop on a plastic cap, wrap a towel or scarf around that, and wear as long as I can stand it, sometimes overnight. My current pre-poo conditioners:

Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose
Burt's Bees Shea & Grapefruit Deep Conditoner
Desert Essence Jojoba Conditioner (vitacost.com)
Inecto Pure Coconut Oil Conditioner (Ulta)
Coconut Oil to seal

When I'm ready to wash, I detangle with my fingers as much as I can, then I finish in the shower. I shampoo with Aubrey Organics White Camelia (SLS-free), co-wash with Herbal Essence Hello Hydration or Hydralicious, detangle some more with a shower comb AND a paddle brush, then rinse with cold water. I use a little more of the Desert Essence (quarter size amount) over my entire head as a leave-in. I follow that with a scalp massage using any carrier oil I have on hand (avocado, olive, almond) mixed with a few drops of peppermint and lavender e.o.

New! Hair Mask/Smoothie Recipe: Part 3

I have tried Carol's Daughter Tui Hair Smoothie ($19, 8 oz.) and I don't like the wax that's in it, Jessicurl Weekly Deep Conditioning Treatment ($12.75 + shipping, 8 oz.) and I hate to pay for shipping, and I've been eyeing Karen's Body Beautiful Luscious Locks Moisturizing Hair mask ($25 + shipping, 8 oz.). I simply refuse to pay that much money for product that will be rinsed out, and will only last 2-3 uses. So, a sistah got creative. I took the best ingredients from each of them and whipped up my own luscious creation. Here's what's in it:

shea butter
cocoa butter
coconut oil
castor oil
glycerin
*conditioner (cannot have silicones or protein. I use my Aubrey and Desert Essence)
almond oil
olive oil
rosemary e.o.
Taliah Waajid Protective Mist Bodifier (will post ingredients)

These are products that I use daily. I simply combined them in one product and it is the most moisturizing treat for my hair. I use it as a DT, I twist with it, I mix it in my palm with a few extra drops of oil and use it as a daily moisturizer. It is the business!

Styling: Part 4

Once my twists are done, I like to pin them up for a sophisticated look. My hair usually stays moisturized for 2-3 days using the smoothie. If it looks lackluster, I remove the pins, use the smoothie (with oil) as a daily moisturizer, seal with oil, and pin it up again. That's it!













My puff: Part 5

Hair Update

I'm turning in my PJ card. No more samples, no more stock up and save, no more trying the next best thing. I've massed a good amount of product in my beauty closet and I'm really going to give what I have a chance to work and yield results. This is what I'm working with:

Shampoo
Aubrey Organics White Camelia
African Black Soap

Co-Wash
Herbal Essence Hydalicious and Hello Hydration
Yes To Carrots Pampering Hair Mud Conditioner
Inecto Coconut Conditioner

Deep Conditioner
Aubrey Organic Honeysuckle Rose
Lustrasilk Shea and Mango Cholesterol

Leave In
Talia Waajid Protective Mist Bodifier
Qhemet Biologics Cocoa Tree Detangling Ghee

Moisturizer
Karen's Body Beautiful Hair Cream
Carol's Daughter Healthy Hair Butter
Shea Butter

Sealing Oil
Avocado oil
Coconut oil

One More Again

When I was rocking my TWA, I was able to throw any 'ole condish in my hair. Now that my hair is 6 to 7 inches all around, not so much. But every Curly Girl at naturallycurly.com raves about cheapie conditioners! Suave, V-05, White Rain constantly come up on the boards as co-wash faves. Now that summer's here and I've increased my co-washes to 2x/week, I'm gonna give the $1 conditioner another shot. I just picked up Suave Naturals Tropical Coconut conditioner. I'll let you know if it rings my bell, or ends up in the product graveyard. Until next time......

Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose Moisturizing Conditioner

Please believe me when I tell you that this 11 oz bottle of conditioner is the most a-mah-zing product I have EVER used on my hair! I will never be without it. I buy 2 or 3 bottles at a time. It's that awesome. I know I've mentioned it here before, but let me break it down, so it can forever and consistently be broken.

The Claim:

100% natural since 1967
Detangles & smooths for ultra-soft, shiny, touchable hair
For Dry, Brittle hair

The Ingredients:

Coconut Fatty Acid Cream Base, Organic Aloe Vera, Organic Shea Butter, Wheat Germ Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Organic Rosa Mosqueta® Rose Hip Seed Oil; Extracts of Fennel, Hops, Balm Mint, Mistletoe, Camomile, Yarrow, Chrysanthemum, Angelica, Forsythia and Magnolia; Honeysuckle Oil, Carrot Oil, Aubrey’s Preservative (Citrus Seed Extract, Vitamins A, C and E).

Organic shea butter and rosa mosqueta oil deep condition, protect and soften hair texture, organic aloe replenishes moisture and honeysuckle oil adds a soft, floral scent.

The Price:
11 oz/$10.39 at aubrey-organics.com
$7.69 at vitacost.com
$9.99 at drugstore.com
$10+ at whole foods market

I use this weekly as a deep treatment. I add other ingredients and a thinner conditioner to stretch my mixture. When my bottle is empty, I add distilled water, avocado oil, and vegetable glycerin to make my own hair milk. I'll also add a squirt to a water bottle when making my daily spritz.

I am not the only Kinky/Curly Cutie singing Aubrey's praises. If you are a newbie to natural hair I insist that this be your next hair purchase. You can thank me later :)

The Curly 'Fro

To keep my hair looking its best, I have to take care of it at every stage of the styling game. My nighttime routine includes dampening hair with my daily spritz, smoothing whipped shea over small sections, and re-twisting my hair in 12 twists. I cover it with a bonnet or silk scarf, and sleep on a satin pillowcase. The result: My glorious Curly 'Fro.

Here are a few videos that I watched to help me achieve this look. There are so many different techniques out there. Some people use flexi rods. You could also bantu knot, or curl your hair onto itself, using Lisa Akbari's method.

Gimme the Luscious

Consistent deep conditioning is the only way I can keep my 'fro juicy. Shiny. Thick. Soft. Luscious.
Here are a few ingredients that you can add to any commercial conditioner to kick it up a notch, taking it from average to A-mah-zing! And your hair will be oh-so-healthy, not 0h-so-krispy.

coconut milk
molasses
honey
oils- coconut, olive, jojoba, avocado
butters- shea, 100% cocoa (melted)
ayurvedic powders- 1 tb each amla, shikaka or brami
baby food banana
whole fat, plain yougurt
aloe vera gel
essential oil- 3-5 drops each rosemary, lavender, peppermint vegetable glycerin

Summer-ize Your 'Fro

Sunday was wash day for me, and after a much needed DT, I had the softest, shiniest 'fro on the block. By mid-week, my hair was feeling a little fried. The sun can do damage to our hair as well as our skin. Some tips to summer-ize your 'fro:

Weekly deep conditioning treatments

Daily moisturizing with water spritz and/or water based product

Add a night time moisture treatment. Try shea butter applied to hair in sections. Braid, twist or pony (depending on hair length), baggy and sleep with a satin bonnet

Add a mid-week co-wash to your summer hair routine

Try wearing protective styles and keep twist-outs to a minimum

Cover up your locks with a silk scarf when out in the sun

Hope this helps! Until next time......

Do It! Do It!

It's been a while dahlings, but I'm back. I've been trying new products, attending industry events, and mixin' it up in the lab (aka my kitchen).



Since going natural and adopting the CG Method, I've been scrambling to find products that work for my hair, and struggling to find a weekly routine I could stick to. Browsing the hair forums, I came across new methods like "baggying" and "sealing" that I had never done before to my hair. After reading hundreds of threads, I think I've found a weekly routine that I can stick to. It's work, I use way too many products, but my hair looks healthy, feels great and I'm worth it! In a perfect world, this is what I do weekly:

Pre-poo overnight with oil

Wash 1x monthly with shampoo

Co-wash with conditioner

Detangle out of the shower with wide tooth comb and paddle brush. Section hair into 4 sections

Leave sectioned hair in clips and rinse conditioner


Apply hair mask 1x month

Apply deep treatment to hair in sections



Sit under hooded dryer 30 minutes

Remove clips and rinse DT

Moisturize with Qhemet Biologics Detangling Ghee and Taliah Waajid Protective Mist Bodifier. Comb through

Apply Trader Joe's Nourish Spa conditioner as a leave-in

Apply shea butter

Seal with oil

At this point, my hair is cleansed, soft, detangled and full of moisture. I can style it any number of ways, usually in 2x twists.

Apply light oil to scalp. Massage

Spray each day with a mix of water, conditioner and oil in a spray bottle. Spray again at night and baggy.

The Vocab:

Sealing- Applying an oil to well moisturised and conditioned hair to lock in moisture

Baggy- Applying moisturizing product to hair and applying a plastic cap and leaving over night

Pre-poo- Saturating hair in oil and leaving overnight. Shampoo in the morning

Word to the wise: Do your research. What works for one kinky girl may not work for another. Experimenting is the fun part of this natural journey. Good luck, dahlings! Until next time.....

Kinky Curly Love

I started this blog because I believe Brown girls are grossly underrepresented in mainstream fashion and beauty mags. Imagine my surprise to see beauty tips for Kinky (yes, they used the word) hair in Glamour. Finally showin' us some love. Progress is often slow, but the world will catch on. This Kinky Curly Cutie demands it.

Check out these healthy hair tips from Glamour magazine.

My Stash

"This is a stick-up, stick-up. I need the bags or that money..."- Sasha Fierce

If you don't own Beyonce's new joint "I am...Sasha Fierce", somebody done told you wrong.

On to the kinky/curly biz...

I am getting to know my hair a lot better. We've been dating, chillin', just kickin' it and I really like it. I think this could be the one! LOL. I'm learning what ingredients my hair loves (shea butter) and hates (silicones). I have a routine that consists of low manipulation (combing, brushing), low heat (45 minutes under a hard bonnet dryer to deep condition), and ridiculous amounts of moisture and conditioning. I'll detail my routine in a later post.

I want to let you all in on what's in my stash. These are the products I can't live without, the creams and butters that feed my product addiction. "Hi, I'm Kinky/Curly and I'm a product junkie."

Cleansing

I've been following the Curly Girl Method, so I don't use shampoo. I conditioner wash (co-wash) with an all-star team of products that smooth, nourish, hydrate and strengthen my hair. Like a true PJ, I can't use just one conditioner at a time. Here's the current rotation:

Inecto Pure Coconut Oil Moisture Infusing Conditioner ($5.99, www.ulta.com for store locator)

Herbal Essences Hello Hydration ($3.39,www.ulta.com)

Avalon Organics Fragrance Free Conditioner ($9, available at Whole Foods)

Origins Knot Free Finishing Rinse ($13, www.origins.com)

If I've been using gels, Curly Meringue, or other stylers that are not CG friendly, I will clarify my hair with Chagrin Valley Shampoo Bars ($7, chagrinvalleysoapandcraft.com), Aubrey Organics White Camellia Shampoo (sulfate-free) or a mix of baking soda and water (2 TB baking soda, 2 C warm water).

After my hair gets so fresh and so clean, I layer on the moisture. I start with my lightest hair lotion, add a cream, an oil to seal, and finish with a heavy butter. Here's a list of my favorite leave-ins, creams, butters and stylers:

Aubrey Organics Honey Suckle Rose Conditioner ($7, www.vitacost.com)

Taliah Waajid Protective Mist Bodifier ($7, naturalhair.org)

Homemade Shea-loe

Whipped Shea Butter

Castor Oil

Shea Butter

Miss Jessies Baby Buttercream and Curly Meringue

Every week I deep condition (45 min. under a hooded dryer with plastic cap) with richer, heavier products than the conditioners I use during the week. I use homemade treatments, old-school cholesterol masks, and some new brands that I've discovered on my natural hair journey. You should definitely give these a try:

Lustrasilk Shea Butter Cholesterol Plus ($3, Sally's Beauty Supply)

Jessicurl Weekly Deep Conditioning Treatment ($12.75, www.jessicurl.com)

Aubrey Organics Honey Suckle Rose

Olive Oil, Honey, Shea Butter

Homemade Caramel Treatment



For extra special pampering, take a cue from our brown sistahs and use Ayurvedic herbs and oils on your hair and scalp. Ayurveda (“Ayur” = Life and “Veda” = Knowledge) is the ancient holistic science of India which aims at a total harmony of mind, life, body and spirit in balance with nature’s rhythms and the world around us. I just added these to my weekly routine:

Vatika Enriched Coconut Hair Oil and Amla Powder (available and local Indian grocers)

Auromere Pre-Shampoo Conditioner ($5, vitacost.com)


Our hair has been through alot this year. Let's pamper our stressed tresses as 2008 draws to a close. Adding one, or all of these fantastic products to your current routine will guarantee 365 good hair days in 2009! Until next time...

TLC

Baby,Baby,Baby.....

Ah! memories. This is one of my favorite songs from the Crazy Sexy Cool ladies of TLC. "I require plenty of conversation with my...", you know the song!

But this mag is about hair-black girl hair. I just had a moment, indulge me. On the topic of TLC (tender loving care), your hair requires plenty of it. From shampoos to stylers, any and every product you use in your hair should pamper, coddle and baby your strands. The result is soft, tangle-free, moisturized hair that is healthy and cooperative.

I'm lovin' Aubrey Organics White Camellia Ultra-Smoothing Shampoo to cleanse my hair and scalp twice a month. Yes, you read that right. This shampoo is sulfate-free and packed with Mother Nature's yummies- coconut, sweet almond, lavender and macadamia nut oils.

Replenishing moisture at every step of your hair care routine is essential. Afro hair is one of the driest textures because its tight curl pattern doesn't allow natural oils to move down the hair shaft. Sulfates, alcohols and other harsh chemicals strip hair of much need moisture, so beware. After cleansing, I apply a generous amount of Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose Moisturizing Conditioner. I take the time to detangle with a large comb, starting with the ends. It's a process, it's time consuming, my arms get tired, but like Beyonce says, "I'm worth it!"

When I'm ready to style, I have a few go-to items that give me the fabulous fluff that I craaaaaave! I apply 100% African Shea Butter to damp hair and spritz with a homemade brew of distilled water and glycerin. Now, for the icing on the cake! Origins Hair Dresser smooth styling cream makes my hair so soft, moist and looking like a pretty, fluffy cloud. The smell is a fantastic blend of citrus and vanilla. Aloe, and a trio of rich hair oils (Jojoba, Macadamia Nut and Avocado) condition and impart amazing shine.

Sometimes I rough my fingers through my hair for a rock star look. Other times I twist my hair into Bantu Knots and leave in overnight. With a quick spritz of my homemade brew, bedhead is no more and I am out the door.

Be good to your hair and it will be good to you. In my next issue I'm giving away a few of my hair secrets and letting you in on my complete hair care routine. Until next time......