i'm bunning it!

that's right. the wash n go's number one fan, me, is taking a break and wearing my hair up in a bun for a while. i tend to struggle with my hair once it gets to APL (arm pit length) and longer because its just too much hair for me to deal with. wearing my hair up in a bun allows me to ignore my hair (yay!) while still protecting it from damage. on the weekends i wear my hair in a wash n go.

random bunning tips:
- take down the bun at night time/bed time. if i keep my hair up, it wont dry. and if it doesn't dry, my hair mildews. i had to learn that lesson the hard way. :( i'll put my hair into one loose braid at night so it dries out, but it still stays stretched out a bit.
- move the bun around a bit--it doesn't stress the hair as much. if i start with a high bun, then the next day i'll smooth it down to a low bun or vice versa.
- raw shea butter is a bun's best friend! i use it to smooth my (wet or dry) edges down/ i also make sure that i put some on my ends daily. it makes my hair sooooo soft and gives it a nice shine.
- if you have thin/fine hair like me, try using a scrunchy, sock, or donut to create your bun. http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Donut-Bun it gives me the illusion of having fuller/thicker hair.

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!

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!

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!

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.

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

product review: pureology essential repair split end correcting treatment

i recently recieved a sample of pureology's essential repair split end correcting treatment and i like it. i dont have any split ends, but i could see myself using this on a regular basis based off of how great my hair felt and looked after using it. i applied it to clean wet hair and then applied my regular products on top of it. the result were curls that were shinier and more defined than they usually are.

here is the product description from their website:

Intensively nourish distressed hair and help seal split ends while protecting colour vibrancy. This reparative leave-in treatment delivers deeply penetrating protein-rich soymilk and pure biotin for extra fortification, thermal protection and defense against damage. The exclusive AntiFadeComplex® maximizes colour retention.

Organic Botanicals:
Chamomile and Olive Oil
Ingredients:
AntiFadeComplex®
Advanced Repairing Micro-Emulsion Technology
Natural Ingredients:

Soymilk and Biotin
Signature Aromatherapy Blend:

Jasmine, Ylang Ylang, and Rosewood
How to use:
Apply evenly through damp hair. Style as usual. Do not rinse.

it has a really light fragrance...its so light that i have to intentionally sniff the product to smell it (yay!) and even though its part of their anti fade line, id still recommend it to those without color treated hair. the full ingredient list does have a few parabens as well as a water soluable silicone. but if that doesnt bother you, then id say definitely give this product a try. good stuff.

http://pureology.com/systems/essentialrepair/splitend-correcting-treatment

cool hairstyles for little girls

i came across this blog full of cute hairstyles for girls, so i thought i would share!

cutegirlshairstyles.blogspot.com

perfect curl technique: rinsing upside down

somewhere on naturallycurly.com i read that rinsing your hair upside down provides better clumping. over the past 3 days ive been experiementing with this process and for the moment its changed my life! since my hair cut, ive had to spend more time styling my hair than im used to. and one issues i was having was getting good clumps of curls. now that i have the rinsing upside down thing perfected i just had to share! this is what i do:
- in the shower, wet my hair completely. shampoo, co wash, rinse out a dt, condition or whatever i need to do. using a wide tooth shower comb, detangle my hair.
-after detangling im ready to rinse. flip my head upside down and rinse out hair making sure not to touch my hair too much. i dont want to disturb the miracle of curl clumping!
-once my hair is rinsed completly, i squeeze out the excess water (still upside down). once im out of the shower i flip my head upside down again and briefly wrap a cotton t-shirt or my microfiber towel around the length of my hair and squeeze out any more extra drippies.
- now its product time. i apply my products with my head still flipped over. the key is to get work enough product through the first time, so im not fiddling with my hair too much. so for me i mix some elucence mb conditioner and oil and smooth it into my hair. no raking it through because that will disturb the clumps. next i use a small bit of shea butter and concentate that on my ends. lastly, i apply my gel (aubrey organics mandarin magic jelly).
-now its finally time to stand upright!
- once my hair has fallen into place, i touch up a few of my frizz prone areas with my fingers. for me its the very top of my hair (canopy?) and the hair right above my ears. i basically just smooth/rake each individual curl clump with my fingers to smooth down the frizz that i know is soon to come.
-air dry and wait for the fabulousness to begin.

once my hair dries its moveable, the curls are defined, and have the perfect amount of volume. i might just make a youtube of this one day because im in love with this technique!

cool hair video

im a big fan of short, easy, hair tutorials. this video is by trenell, who has awesome hair. its a how to showing a creative, yet simple spin on the ponytail. it would look great on any hair type (curly, wavy, kinky, straight) so give it a try!

my haircut

i got my haircut yesterday and i love it!

i forgot to take a before pic, so this pic was taken earlier this month to give you an idea of what my hair looked like before:

and this is what it lookes like now:

i have a hair appointment tuesday...

and im so excited!

since i havent colored my hair in a long time (and i may stay away from color for a while), i desperately need a change. best case scenario: i get a cute angled bob. most likely to happen: i'll just get my hair shaped up a bit.

in my opinion, having a definite haircut or shape adds sooooooo much to the overall appearence of hair. its been quite some time since ive had a trim, which is usually when i get my hair shaped as well, so my layers have grown out. and that reults in having triangle shaped hair for me. not a good look. im definitely going to post before and after pics to show just how much improvement a shape/style can give curly hair. the best part is that its so subtle and you dont have to lose any length.

i can't wait!

3 strand twists

due to a recent thread on the 4a board at naturallycurly.com, i was inspired to try 3 strand twists on the munchkin. i remeber doing these on my friends' hair back in the day, so i didnt need to watcha tutorial, but here is my favorite tutorial:



this is how the munchkin's hair looked with her 3 strand twist pigtails:

perfect curl products: kinky curly

my little girl had an awesome hair day using kinky curly knot today conditioner and kinky curly curling custard.

here are product descriptions of both products directly from the website (kinky-curly.com):

KNOT TODAY TM is a creamy herbal conditioner and detangler designed to smooth the cuticle and remove knots, snarls and tangles from thick curly textured hair.After washing hair, apply KNOT TODAY TM generously and work through troubled areas with a wide tooth comb.Can be used as a regular rinse out conditioner for wavy hair or as a leave-in for thicker curlier hair types.An excellent product to use after removing braids and extensions.**TIP- When using this product as a leave-in, apply in the shower and rinse with a little water to evenly distribute the conditioner.

CURLING CUSTARD TM gives moisture and curl definition, hold and brilliant shiny hair!You get Moisture + Hold + Shine in one product!An all in one product which will simplify the styling process!This high performance product is very concentrated so a little goes a long way. It reduces bulk, defines & elongates your curls helping them to 'hang' better. CURLING CUSTARD TM will bring out the natural curl or wave pattern you never knew you had!It is an advanced botanical formula made with ALL NATURAL ingredients that nourish and strengthen the hair.Utilizing the humectant properties of the Agave Nectar, CURLING CUSTARD TM will give weight to your hair, define your curls, remove frizz, provide long lasting hold and shine without ever being greasy, crunchy or drying to your hair..**TIP- This product is designed to work alone but ultimate curl definition and length can be achieved when used with KNOT TODAY TM as a leave in conditioner.For best results apply CURLING CUSTARD TM to soaking wet, freshly washed hair.For very kinky and tightly coiled hair use KNOT TODAY TM as a leave-in conditioner then apply CURLING CUSTARD TM to soaking wet hair in small sections. Smooth each section with fingers from root to tip.

ive never used knot today as a rinse out conditioner, and until i started typing this post, had no clue that you could even use it as a rinse out conditioner! ive always used it as a leave in for the munchkin and her 3a/b curls with great results, as you can see below. to achieve this look i started with clean wet hair and applied the knot today conditioner. i combed it through to make sure it was evenly distributed. next, i took a small dab of the curling custard (too much will make the hair crunchy) and rubbed it in my hands and raked it through her hair with my fingers only--no comb. then we air dried.

i got a little envious of my daughter's awesome hair day so i figured id give the knot today and curling custard a try. ive used the curling custard several years ago, and really liked it. but i never repurchased because i found fantasia ic gel w sparkelites (its cheaper and i felt like i had similar results).


for my 3c coils, i started with clean wet hair and raked the knot today through. no comb. then, i parted my hair in three sections, from ear to ear. starting at the bottom section, i raked the curling custard through with my fingers once again, and braided the section of hair. i did this until all 3 sectoins were braided. after about 5-10 minutes i released the braids. this modified braid out helps clump my curls together more. after unbraiding i usually shake my head a bit because i like fuller hair. i try not to touch it too much, if at all, because the hair is still wet and i dont want excess frizz. once my hair dried, i wasnt sure if i liked the results. i definietly need more moisture than what the knot today seems to be able to deliver. my hair felt kind of dry. in the past ive used the curling custard on top of a heavier conditoiner (elucence moisture balancing conditioner) and my hair didnt feel as dry. i was also pretty haphazard with my application because i wanted a more voluminous look, which i got. here are my results:










im going to revist the curling custard one last time to see if i can get the amazing results i had in years past, but i will say farewell to the knot today (for myself, not for my daughter). i would love to try the rest of the product line, but i'll have to save up my pennies before that happens :)

for those interested in purchasing kinky curly products, they can be bought online and in some whole foods stores. check the website to see who's selling it near you!

for the kids

running out of styling ideas for your little girl? well check out videos from kaylenasmommy at youtube. ive never seen such creative (and rather simple) hairstyles!


http://www.youtube.com/kaylenasmommy