perfect curl product: raw shea butter

winter is here and my hair has been feeling it! my hair has looked pretty nice but has been feeling dry to the touch. ive been doing deep conditioning treatments, being a bit more heavy handed with my conditioner and oil and nothing seemed to work. last winter i had alot of growth and there were two things that i did differently: (1) i wore my hair up alot and (2) i used shea butter. so this year i told my sister to buy me some shea butter for christmas and now im back in business!

for 1st day hair, i applied my leave in + castor oil to my hair like i always do. then i took a few dabs of shea butter, rubbed it in my hands to melt it, and then smoothed it on my hair. my goal was to concentrate it on my ends, but i did apply it all over. it has been a while since ive used raw shea butter so i was hoping that the castor oil combined with the shea butter wouldnt result in a greasy mess. and it didnt. woo hoo! for my 2nd day hair, i took my hair out of the pineapple i sleep in and then applied the shea butter on my dry hair, the same way i did it on my wet hair.

its only been two days, but im starting to remember why i love shea butter so much. its great for sealing my ends, keeping my hair soft, reducing static flyaways, smoothing edges, and its a great skin moisturizer! i even used some on the man's coarse, thick type 2 hair. i used some to smooth his flyaways and to soften his dry, raggedy ends (he desperately needs a haircut).

3 cheers for raw shea butter!

The Sudden Big Chop—Joys and Trials

The Sudden Big Chop—Joys and Trials

check it out! my story is all the way at the bottom :)

product review and perfect curl technique: kinky curly spiral spritz

i took a trip to whole foods and of course, made a bee line to the kinky curly products. ive been wanting to try the kinky curly spiral spritz for some time, so i bought some. this is the product description according to the website (www.kinky-curly.com):


The perfect styling product for individuals with fine or wavy hair types.

SPIRAL SPRITZ is a wonderful natural alternative to silicone serums.

This lightweight Aloe based spray is made of all natural ingredients and contains
vitamin B-5 to add moisture to your hair and completely eliminate frizz!

Can be used to style wet or dry wavy hair and provides a flexible hold..

Works great to smooth, moisturize and re-fresh 2nd day hair and remove frizz on all
hair types.

**TIP - Use SPIRAL SPRITZ TM to reactivate your style when you do not wish to re-wet and re-style your hair with the Curling Custard TM. Spray lightly when using to refresh your style. A little goes a long way!

the first time i tried it i detangled/brushed out baby girl's dry hair. i sprayed the spiral spritz in my hands, smoothed it onto her hair and then combed to reclump her curls. fail. it looked like a bird's nest.

on my second attempt i wet her hair and added her leave in, then i smoothed on the spiral spritz like i did the first time. the result was beautiful ringlets with a gentle hold (which ive been looking for).




id compare it to a gel, rather than a hair refresher or spritz of any kind. its great for anybody who is looking for definition, frizz busting, and hold. i havent the foggiest idea on how to use this stuff on dry hair, but if i figure it out, i'll definitely report back. despite that, i still like this product. kinky curly has done it again!

giving thanks

happy thanksgiving!

i love thanksgiving for two main reasons: (1) im a big fan of stuffing my face with my family. that way i dont feel bad when i go back for seconds or thirds. or even when i unbutton my pants and sit in a turkey coma at the table. and (2) it marks another year of me going natural. i didnt exactly plan on going natural, so i dont have an exact anniversary date. i just wanted to chop off all my hair and start over, which i did. a few days later (thanksgiving day) i made my sister cut my hair even shorter and ive been living life as a curly ever since.

6 years have passed and i finally feel like i have "regular" hair now. im not stressed out about length and how fast my hair will grow. ive managed to get over wanting a different texture and im no longer searching for products that will deliver an unattainable result. ive gone through my styling obsession period and ive settled on being perfectly content with wash n gos. i dont obsess about every ingredient nor do i attempt time consuming hair rituals and routines. i know one lather with a sulfate shampoo wont totally destroy my hair. ive relocated my flat iron from the bathroom to the linen closet in the hall. im not afraid of stylists and i know theyre not all out to get me. essentially, my life no longer revolves around my hair. it is what it is. i am not my hair, but my hair is me.

celebrity curls i love: janet jackson

im not going to get into whether or not this is her hair via growing it herself or the beauty supply store :) i just love seeing janet rock this look. i love curly hair on janet, period.



pics from mediatakeout.com and x17online.com

just discovered the webcam and these are my favorite pics

i think these pics are funny...and to relate it to hair, this is my second day hair. i put it in a pineapple (loose high ponytail) last night and slept on my trusty satin pillowcase. when i woke up this morning, i took my hair down and my hair was ready to go!

long time, no see!

not much has been going on with me and my hair. im still in the process of growing it back out to BSL (bra strap length) and i can proudly say that ive stayed away from any random haircuts. and we all know thats a huge accomplishment for me!

ive started using gel again, just to switch up my look. my hair doesnt look too much different with or without gel, but using it does give me a tiny bit less shrinkage and a bit more control. in general, ive started using a bit more product in my hair. i had just been using elucence mb conditioner + castor oil. i would just mix the two in my hands and rake it through my hair. most recently ive been using the same conditioner and oil, but ive been adding a bit of veggie glycerine to that mixture. its been raining ALOT recently, so i figured it would be a great time to use glycerine. after i mix the conditioner oil and glycerine, id apply my gel. ive been shingling the products through--first the conditioner/oil/glycerine and then the gel. all in all, it still takes me less than 10 minutes to do my hair, but by the end of the day i still have a controlled look. at night if i go out, i can fluff my hair to get the volume i like, without frizz or humidity being an issue. here are some recent hair pics:







the first and third photo are at a packed club. without gel, my hair would just be a shrunken poof. i constantly had my hands in my hair and it looked that good thanks to good ol' fantasia ic gel w/ sparkelites.




moving on to the munchkin. i flat ironed her hair (bad mommy) just to get an idea of how long it was. she looks just like a geico caveman with straight hair, so thank God her curls finally came in (she was born with straight hair and didnt get curls until late in her infancy). as you can see in the pics, i didnt try to get her hair bone straight. just one swipe of the flat iron. i did it right before she went to bed and then i wet her hair first thing in the morning. i love her curls!





the munchkin stumbled across a great hair moment as seen in these pics:




i had given her a bath and used burts bees super shiny conditioner as her rinse out. then on her towel dried hair, i applied herbal essences long term relationship leave in split end protector for long hair and combed it through. she ran off to jump on our bed, took a nap, and then woke up with this gorgeous hair. the long term relationship leave in is something i use in her hair once a week. i use it sparingly because it makes her hair feel product-y and stiff if i use too much. i like for her hair to move, so i prefer to use only a small amount.



i think thats all thats been going on with our hair recently. i am considering coloring my hair again. i have a gift card to a local salon and spa so im deciding whether or not im just going to go for color or use it to try some ojon products. either way, i'll keep you posted!

celebrity curls i love: corrine bailey rae

there was a thread about this on nc.com (http://www.naturallycurly.com/curltalk/showthread.php?t=87598) and her hair looks amazing!

here is a pic from her myspace page:
My Photos Photo Gallery - Photo 12 of 12 by Corinne Bailey Rae - MySpace Photos

product review update: herbal essences UPDATE

i have been using herbal essences none of your frizzness smoothing leave in creme since early august on the munchkin. i do like the results, but the other day i noticed a small rash on the back of the little one's neck exactly where her hair hits her neck/back. im left to believe its the herbal essences products that are causing the rash. i dont know how long its been there, but i do know that she has extremely sensitive skin. so if anyone else has extreme sensitive skin and also has the itchies, this may be the culprit. its bittersweet becasuse i did enjoy how her hair looked with herbal essences and the price is excellent, but i was always a bit uncomfotable with the mass amount of chemicals in their ingredient list. i will be switching back to more natural products for the munchkin.

i got my hair trimmed again...

it was lacking shape and it was time to clean up my ends. yes, im still growing out my hair, so thats why i waited so long to get a trim. but it came back to bite me in the end because my ends were horrible so i had to get a bit more than i wanted taken off. if i stretch a curl at the nape of my neck, it reaches my collar bone. i feel like ive been at this length FOREVER! maybe its due to all the cutting i do to it though. this is the 100th time ive had scissors put to my head since i declared that i was growing my hair out. my mom says im rebellious. im starting to think shes onto something. why else would i keep cutting my hair even though im insisting that im growing it out????

ponytails

ive said it a million times an dim going to say it once more: i suck at hair styling and further more, i dont like it even if i were good at it. but i wanted to spice up the munchkin's ponytails. so i did brigitte bardot inspired side pony (deep side part, teased a bit at the crown for a bit of height). simple. age appropriate. super cute.




i love this look on wavy/loosely curled hair.




for the second twist on a regular pony, i just wrapped a small section of hair around her ponytail and bobby pinned it in place. it looks twice as cute when done on pigtails!

celebrity curls i love

TATIANA LONDONO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

for some weird reason i was watching HGTV this weekend, when i saw an ad for the show the property shop. i dont know what the show is about and to be honest, i really dont care. i just know that her hair is amazing!

for more on tatiana, check her out on hgtv.com (http://www.hgtv.com/tatiana-londono/bio/index.html)

product review: yes to carrots hair and scalp mud mask

i had heard alot of good reviews about yes to carrots hair care line from the wonderful ladies at http://www.naturallycurly.com but never felt inspired to give it a try myself until now. i decided to go with their deep treatment because you can never have too many deep conditioning treatments!

i must say, i was pleasantly surprised. it has great slip (and i can honestly say i cant think of another deep treatment that is slippery), melts tangles away, and it left my hair feeling super soft. i usually like to add a bit of veggie glycerine, oil, and honey to my dt's but i didnt have to add anything to this mask to feel the results. i know once i do add the glycerine/oil/honey mix, my hair will be ecstatic. its inexpensive ($13?), is easy to get a hold of (got mine from target), and it worked well on my curls as well as the little one's, so i definitely reccommend this product!

here is the product info directly from the yes to carrots website (http://www.yes-to-carrots.com/?CategoryID=428):


C is for Hair Care
Hair and Scalp Moisturizing Mud Mask

250ml - 8.45 fl.oz

Experience gorgeous hair like never before with C is for Hair Care.

Moisturizing, softening, detangling, shining, volumizing… need we go on??

C is for Hair Care contains extracts of organic carrot, organic pumpkin & organic orange, rich with Beta-Carotene, Alpha-Carotene, Vitamin E and other enzymes that keep your locks in tip-top condition.


Key Ingredients

Extracts of organic carrot, pumpkin, orange & honey contain Beta-Carotene and Vitamin E to keep your hair moisturized and full of shine.




Instructions


Apply to towel-dried hair and massage thoroughly. Leave on for 12-15 minutes (no cheating!) and rinse with lukewarm water. Use 1-2 times per week.



Tips

For maximum nourishment use twice a week, concentrating on roots and scalp.



Ingredients List

Water (Aqua), Silt (Maris Limus), Dead Sea Water (Maris Aqua), Olea Europaea (Olive) Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Oil, Macadamia Ternifolia Oil, Glycerin, Lactic Acid, Cetearyl Alcohol, Niacin, Dimethicone, Algae Extracts (Rhodella, Dunaliella, Spirulina), Ipomoera Batatas (Sweet Potato) Extract, Cucurbita Pepo (Pumpkin) Juice, Daucus Carota (Carrot) Organic Extracts, Daucus Carota (Carrot) Juice, Panthenol, Chamomila Recutita (Chamomile) Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Juice, Imidazolidinyl Urea, Fragrance (Parfum), Cinnamomum Zeylanicum Oil, Apple Vinegar (Acetum), Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Extract, Daucus Carota (Carrot) Seed Oil, Cetrimonium Chloride, Punica Granatum (Pomegranate) Peel Extract.

patting myself on the back

im still styling challenged, so i was super excited when i managed to do 2 braids on the munchking. it took me almost 2 episodes of dora to complete, but i did finish and boy was i proud!

perfect curl technique: smoothing every curl

recently, everyone has been talking about teri from tightlycurly.com and her smoothing every curl styling technique. if youve been living under a rock, and i say that with love :) and have no clue what im talking about check out the website and the video:


i tried it for myself and i have mixed reviews. technically i didnt style my entire head this way because i have neither the time nor the patience to smooth every curl. so i shingled in my products (elucence mb conditioner+ castor oil and fantasia ic gel w/ sparkelites) and just smoothed the defiant curls and rogue areas of frizz. all in all, this styling technique did as promised. my curls were defined.





pros:
- defined curls

cons:
- takes too long for my liking
- if you prefer a voluminous look, this is not for you

i think if my hair ever gets to be teri's length, this will definitely be a perfect curl technique.

product review: mixed chicks leave in conditioner/styling cream

a while back i posted an email i received from an acquaintence singing the praises of the mixed chicks product line (http://subbrock.blogspot.com/2009/04/mixed-chicks-products-testimonial.html). now im not trying to knock anyone's hustle, but the major thing that turned me off from the mixed chicks line in general is their marketing strategy. i personally feel like theyre capitalizing on mothers (white mothers in particular) of bi/multiracial children with curly hair. but i guess thats a-whole-nother issue...

i had the opportunity to sample their shampoo, leave in, and deep conditioner but i decided to go only with the leave in (the shampoo has SLS). i tried it on both myself and the munchkin.
pros:
- it smells yummy
- it has an element of hold to it
- left munchkins hair shiny and frizz free
- definitely gave our hair some bling (munchkin had blinging curls that lasted all day. mine were blinging at first but once my hair dried 100% no bling)
- depending on where you live, you can get it locally

cons:
- hate their percieved marketing strategy
- the ingredients are definitely not CG friendly. the shampoo has SLS, and both conditioners contain non water soluable silicones. the leave in has emulsifying wax (my hair hates waxes) and multiple parabens. many chemicals ive never heard of are listed in ingredients.

baby girl's hair styled with leave in + curl keeper:



my hair styled with only the leave in (no oils or gels added). i used my modified braid out technique (http://public.fotki.com/subbrock/2009/winter/pony112.html)to style instead of my usualy wash n go.





you can get mixed chicks products at www.mixedchicks.net (check their store/salon locator to see if they have a retailer near you) or www.curlmart.com

product review: herbal essences none of your frizzness smoothing leave in creme

the little one and i went to the beach and i realized that i had left her/the man's leave in (generic paul mitchell the conditioner) at home. so i was forced to buy something (anything!) from the grocery store. i decided upon herbal essences none of your frizzness smoothing leave in creme.

pros:
- cheap
- love the smell
- leaves her hair very soft
- lightweight

cons:
- the ingredients. it contains dimethicone (im not opposed to this silicone)and its no where near natural. most of the ingredients are chemicals ive never heard of. also, it contains 5 different alcohols.

im still on the fence about this one. like i mentioned before, it left her hair extra soft even after full days of swimming in the salty ocean water and chlorinated pool water. but im worried that over time, the silicone and alcohols will leave her with a hair disaster. im going to finish this bottle and possibly repurchase one more time before i give it my seal of approval/disapproval for the munchkin. my hair gave it a seal of disapproval. too light to be effective on my dry 3c coils.

here is her hair with the none of your frizzness leave in + curl keeper:


the pics are kind of crappy but i wanted readers to note (a) the lack of frizz, despite the fact that we're at the beach and (b) the bling aka how shiny her hair is.

link to product info: http://www.herbalessences.com/us/collections/none_of_your_frizzness/creme.jsp

product review: burt's bees super shiny conditioner

ive tried burt's bees conditioners on my 3c curls and in general, theyre too light to do much for my hair. but ive been on a quest to find great products locally, so i decided to revisit burt's bees for my daughter's 3a/b curls.

ultimately, i went with their super shiny grapefruit & sugar beet conditioner because it does not contain protein.
pros:
- relatively inexpensive
- can be purchased locally
- natural/CG friendly ingredients
- leaves the munchkin's hair unbelievably soft
- good for co-washing

cons:
- doesnt "melt" tangles away
- not heavy enough on its own to tame frizz

im not in love with it, but i dont hate it either. if youre still experimenting with products, its deinitely worth a try.
here is a pic of baby girl's hair using the super shiny conditioner:



for more info, check out this link to the product info at burtsbees.com: http://www.burtsbees.com/natural-products/hair-conditioners/super-shiny-grapefruit-sugar-beet-conditioner.html

fotki update

laziest blogger ever checking in :)

i added some new pics of my hair (as well as the munchkin and the man) to my fotki. check it out....

http://public.fotki.com/subbrock/

perfect curl products: standing the test of time

ive stated before that im not a product junkie (at least i think i have) and the main reason that im not a pj is because i use products that stand the test of time. i might tweak my routine a bit every so often, but ive seriously been using the same products for years. and the ones ive just fallen in love with keep on working their magic!

generic paul mitchell the conditioner- as far as ive been concerned, this has been the man's product. i dont mess with it and it doesnt mess with me. well, we were running low on my beloved elucence moisture balancing conditioner and i decided to give old paul mitchell a go. i mixed it with some castor oil and applied it to my hair as usual and i was pleasantly surprised at how well my hair held up. soft, moisturized, but light.


baby girl is also running low on california baby calming conditioner and is completely out of kinky curly knot today so i desperately needed to use something as her leave in. i gave the paul mitchell a try and it made her 3a ringlets sooooooooo soft. like buttah. this may be one of her new staple products.

its a great price and you can buy it at sally's. woot woot!

castor oil- castor oil can do no wrong as far as im concerned. if youre working with 3c/4a/4b/cnapp hair and havent tried castor oil thus far, what are you waiting for????? one of the beautiful ladies at naturallycurly.com started this thread after my recommendation: http://www.naturallycurly.com/curltalk/showthread.php?t=80691 thank you SBB for the shout out.


curly hair solutions curl keeper- looser haired curlies, if you havent tried curl keeper yet, what are YOU waiting for???? :) this is an HG product for about a blabillion wavies/curlies. type 2s/3a/3b please try this stuff if you havent already! and tighter curlies, it wont kill you to give it a whirl either. curl keeper is my daughter's HG product. if youve read any review ive written about this stuff, i always mention how you can revive and refresh the product by rewetting the hair. well this is a pic of my daughter's 2nd day hair:

oh yeah. 2nd day hair on a two year old. and id like to mention that this is her hair as shes playing in a tent that is misting water. humidity is no match for curl keeper (thats because glycerine is one of its ingredients)! i gave her a bath the night before and put in a leave in + curl keeper and the next morning i spritzed it with detangling spray to get the rouge tangles out and voila--gorgeous curls.

ouidad climate control gel- i love this stuff. and foxycus is enjoying it too: http://www.naturallycurly.com/curltalk/showthread.php?t=80565

more celebrity curls i love

two words: laurie berkner


if you have a little one or have had a little one in recent years, i probably dont have much explaining to do. and if you do have a rugrat, you probably feel like youre going to gouge your eyes out if you hear the song "googlehead" one more time as well...or is that just me? :) seriously though, laurie berkner and her band a great for small kids. and while my daughter is bouncing around to the music, im mesmerized by her wonderful hair. i cant help it---i love curls!


i found this pic of her on her website http://www.laurieberkner.com/ told you her hair was awesome....

subbrock hair pics

here are some pics of my hair as well as the munchkin's that i just uploaded to the fotki.



http://public.fotki.com/subbrock/2009/summer/



http://public.fotki.com/subbrock/2009/baby-curls/

bravo curlies!

im a reality tv junkie, so of course i spend alot of time watching shows on bravo. the fashion show (thursdays at 10 pm on bravo) has a few of my favorite curlies and here they are in no particular order:

daniella- she has beautiful loose curls naturally, but when shes not sporting those she tends to wear her hair curled like in this picture. gorgeous and talented.

merlin- im not entirely sure hes a curly to be honest, but this man is too awesome/hilarious not to be mentioned.

reco- yes hes bald, but i know under all that scalp is a curly dying to get out! im rooting for this diva to win.

lidia- im not sure if shes a natural curly, but she always wears her hear curled. on her final episode she had the most beautiful drool-inducing curly side ponytail. i loved it.

issac mizrahi- what is there not to love about issac???

and not to be forgotten, teresa (and her cute curly daughters) from the real housewives of new jersey!

www.bravotv.com