Paul Mitchell's Straight Works Gel

A funny thing happened to me on my way to Sally's Beauty Supply Store a couple of days ago. I walked in there with the intention of purchasing some more curlformers because a lot of the ones I have are falling apart gradually. Side Note: I need to complain to the makers of this product because curlformers are entirely too expensive to be falling apart like that.

Anyway, I walked into Sally's and while I was browsing I ran across a curling/clumping product that was supposed to make my curls pop or whatever. I picked it up, figured I'd give it a try but while I was in line waiting to get checked out, I scanned over the Sale Items of the Week that was standing next to me.

And this product just seemed like it was screaming at me to pick it up. I did pick it up out of curiosity and debated if I should put it back or not becuase of the price $4.99. I got the cash register, when the lady behind the counter rang it up it came up as 0.99cents! and she let me keep the price!

I got home, used it liberally all over my hair and fell in love! I'm still trying to figure out how it works but I think the key is that unlike other gels, it actually doesn't clump my hair together. It basically un-clumps it and makes it more individually strandy. It basically tries to get the strands of my hair to seperate and be defined at the same time.

I've used it for flat-twists a couple of times now and in both cases it's turned out well. It make my hair super shiny and super uber soft. Which is actually a negative for me because it means my hairstyle won't hold for longer than a day.

But it's definitely one of those products I will keep in my arsenal and continue to tweak and mess with it. But so far, I am in love, so much so that I am returning the original product that I bought for $7.00 to get more bottles of Paul Mitchell's Straiht Works Gel.

I looked on google blogs to see if anyone's else has used and reviewed this product and didn't say one so, it's nice to be the first, at least to the best of my knowledge, to blog about it.

Still Going Strong

This is the longest time that my natural hair has kept twist-outs. I think it's been a week now and it still looks nice. My hair isn't matted or anything. The twists are still defined and nice.

I sleep with a scarf on my head at night and in the morning I spray some jojoba oil on the hair, fluff a little bit and go. I love having "get up and go hair" that's reliable!!!

Operation Twist-Out was a Success

The twist-out I did with half a bottle of Kerastase Oleo-relax was a definite success. So much so, that even my second day hair still looks nice. I could even venture to say that it looks better than my first day Hair!

Kerastase is definitely a keeper in my arsenal now, at least on dry straight hair. Only heaven knows how it'll react on coily wet hair. I'll find out in a month or so.
It definitely held the style in place. I sprayed some Jojoba oil on it to give the hair some shine/sheen.

An idea occured to me for a different kinda twist-out. I remember back in the day when I used to do twisties on my hair. The front of the hair would be flat-twisted and the back would just be straight hanging down (memories of my relaxer days).

Well, I think I'm going to try that on my hair the next time but instead of having the back of the hair straight and not doing anything, I'll flat twist the back sections also. I think this will give a more fuller look for my hair.

I think the ends of the twists will be more defined and fuller because the ends will be more curlier. What I do at the ends of my twist is wrap it around itself - kinda like a Bantu-knot. So, I'm imagining the result will be half the hair would be wavy and half curly. A good even mixture of this.

I really need to invest in a camera because I don't think anyone can picture what I just typed except for me, the person that typed it. One of these days, I'll re-arrange my priorities so that the purchase of a digital camera will be closer to the top of my list and I too will join the digital age!

Bantu-knot Result on Dry Straightened Hair

I did the Bantu-knot twist out on my currently straightened hair with a mixture of Jojoba and coconut oil.

It was cute, it did the whole coily fro thing it always does, but I was expecting the curls to be looser and more defined. Needless to say, it was still somewhat frizzy and the majority of it wasn't defined, especially for the second day hair.

But I got a pleasant surprise earlier today when I applied mega doses of my left over Kerastase Oleo-relax serum to my the dry, second day, bantu-knot twist outs. It made the curls very much looser and defined.

But I didn't leave it to see what it would look like in a few hours, instead, I proceeded to do some flat twists on my hair because I am taking full advantage of this straight manageable hair. I also sprayed some of the Salerm brushing spray on it, to give the twists some hold, and then sat under the dryer for about 15 minutes.

I think I should have set the temperature for the dryer to medium and not high because I lost a lot of the shine that the Kerastase serum gave my hair. But we'll see tomorrow morning when I un-twist the flat twists, what results I get.

Don't think I can experiment with Kerastase any more because I've pretty much run out of the whole bottle. It took me just two stylings to use it up. Some reviews I read said the serum lasts for 6mths. or longer. Not if you got the hair on my head it don't, LOL. It lasted a whole week, ha! I think I'm going to try the one for really dry hair next time. Maybe then I won't use so much of it. I highly doubt that.

Va Va Volume....a la Curlformers

Since my hair was already straightened and since I don't appreciate straight hair that just sits on my head and does nothing. I decided to add me some curls! with the help of my, sometimes trusty, curlformers.

Well, they got the job done, and they did it well.

First I doused my hair and scalp with Jojoba oil
Then I applied coconut oil onto every section I was going to curl
Then, when all the curlformers were in place, I sprayed my hair with some
Salerm Brushing Plis Technico, or whatever it's called.
Its the same spray I used to flat iron my hair
Then I dried the hair, even though it wasn't wet but, this is the only way to keep the curls in place. So, I dried it under my trusty hooded-dryer for about 45min.

Left the curlformers in, tied a scarf over the whole shabang
Woke up in the morning and Voila, nothing but volume, honey!
My hair came out wavy and voluminous, and I love it. But, of course, the real challenge is, how long will it last.

But I won't be too dissappointed if it doesn't last long because I want to try the same exact steps with Bantu-knots instead of curl-formers. I actually think the Bantu-knots will give more defined volume, as opposed to a loose volume, like curlformers. I also think the Bantu-knots will last longer than the curlformers.

I might as well enjoy and experiment with this straightened hair for as long as it lasts.

I Did It...But I'm Not Impressed

I flat-ironed my hair last night/this morning. It took me a total of 4 hours even with my new fangled flat iron. Why 4 hours? because my hair is really thick and it got even thicker with the products that I used.

First Step: I drenched my head in a mixture of Shikakai powder and coconut milk.
The box said to make it into a paste, well I didn't realize how much
milk was in the coconut milk can because all I saw was the fatty white
stuff. So I got a little carried away and the paste turned into runny
muddiness.
No worries, I still used it anyway. My goal was to keep it on my head
for at least 2hrs. I think I managed 45min. because it started running
down my face and neck.
Needless to say I liked it and it will be part of my regimine. It made
my hair thicker, (not sure if I need anymore thickness) somewhat softer
and overall stronger.
Thats precisely why I waited to use it before I flat-ironed my hair
because I wanted it to be strong enough to handle the heat and not have
as much split ends.

Second Step: I pumped a handful of Kerastase Oleo-relax on my hands and applied it
all over my damp hair before I blow-dried it. Lets just say this
anti-freeze serum was no match for my frizzy hair, not even close. It
just made my hair feel hard and weird.
The funny thing is the box says to use two small pumps and apply over
the hair. I ended up using two puumps of the serum for every strand of
hair on my head. I literally used half the bottle.

Third step: I used Salerm Brushing spray on each section of the hair and re-used
Kerastase on the same section, and then, another pump for the ends of my
hair, which is what I really want to protect.
Then I flat ironed with the brand new Solia flat iron I purchased from
Folica.com

Overall, I'm not impressed. Yes, my hair is flat. But that's all it is flat. It's straight but not silky or anything, actually, its very dull looking (gotta hit up that jojoba oil. I tried to put some "oomph," some bouce, body, whatever you want to call it but, it basically fell flat this morning.

I'm not impressed with the flat-iron so I'm returning it. I figure I can use my rollers and over-head drier and get a semi-straight result. I won't be as soft and the ends will still look kinda crinkly but the overall effect is pretty much the same. So, obviously I will not be flat-ironing my hair every 3 months like I thought.


Maybe I'll try again next year with a different flat iron and/or different products.
This experience just reminded me of one of the main reasons I went natural in the first place. I hate when hair just sits flat on my head and doesn't do anything!
At least give me some shine, something! something to work with!
I plan on returning the flat-iron on Saturday and getting my roughly $80 back into my account where it belongs. Thank God for return policies!

Its That Time Again...Coco Swiss...Natural Hair Star of the Month

When and Why did you decide to go natural
I decided to go natural as my way of letting go of the past and starting over.

Who does your hair mostly, i.e. hairdresser, aunty, urself, e.t.c.
I a beautician, so myself

What r ur "IT" Hair Products
Miss Jessies buttercreme, curling pudding, fantasia Ic leave in and Black earth shampoo-Taliah Waajid

Who is ur natural hair inspiration
Kelis, when she had big and curly hair

Words of Wisdom to natural hair folks or those considering it.
Be patient, enjoy the many hair stages you'll go through, Love and learn your hair and discover the natural beauty that's inside all of us. The end results are well worth it.

Apple Cider Vinegar and Sea Salt...The Zit Buster.

Here's another tip for crystal clear skin because great skin complements great hair.
About two days ago, I saw some nasty little pimple forming on my forehead, two on both sides of my nose and another right on the tip of my nose - not fresh at all.

It most likely got there due to my recent consumption of mucho junk food but I had no fear at all - I have my trusty recipe for pimple be-gone! so I sprayed my faithful mixture of apple cider vinegar and sea salt on my palm and added extra sea salt to it for good measure.

I pressed the wet crystals on the pimples and left it there and went to sleep. Woke up the next morning, and my old faithful truly lived up to its name. The pimple all but dissappeared and I repeated the same steps yesterday for good measure.

No, I did not look this up on-line before I did it. (I've been doing it for like a year now) I discovered it out of curiosity, like I do, all the other concoctions I come up with. Sea Salt is flippin' amazing for the skin.

I mix it with raw honey for a scrub sometimes and other time with apple cider vinegar. I rub it all over my face for about 5 minutes and wipe it away with a damp cotton ball. Voila! Clear Skin Every time, hasn't failed me yet. Try It!

Its Spring....Well Not Officially

This post has a bit to do with hair but more with nature.
It's spring time...well actually its officially spring on sunday but this is the first time in a long time that the weather's been in the 5o's!

I definitely had to celebrate it today so I put on my short-sleeved, canary yellow, cotton shirt that I got from Old Navy like 2mths. ago, in anticipation for a day like this!

Even my hair is behaving springy-ish. It's doing this soft fluffy wavy but of course, true not its nature, mucho frizz, thing. I likes it a lot. I actually didn't do much to my hair last night 'cuz I didn't feel like it and I wanted to see what it would look like this morning, from yesterday's bantu-knot twist-out - which has been my staple night routine as of recently.

The only thing I did last night was re-bantu-knot the front and sides of my hair.
First: I sprayed it with my Apple Cider Vinegar and Sea Salt mix (there's something about this mix that makes my hair softer...must research further)
Then: I did the bantu-knots on the front and sides of my hair (because those regions are more prone to frizz on my head)

Woke up and unraveled the bantu-knot twists by dipping my fingers slightly into some white palm oil/palm oil shortening that I rarely use because I think other oils are better, but it got the job done. It gave me some shine and loosened the curls a bit.

A warm sunny day after 20 degrees and below weather, a cute little canary yellow cotton shirt, and hair that's actually looking kinda cute - in a Lazzaie Fairre, Que Cera Cera kinda way, What more can a girl ask for!

Great Skin Complements Great Hair

It doesn't always have to be about the hair, but it mostly has to be natural, thats one of my mottos. Anyway I've recently discovered, recently as in, the past couple of months that Extra Virgin Coconut Oil is not great for hair but its fantastic for the skin also.

When I first got my Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, one of the first things I realized was rich it was. It's one of those oils where you can really tell that its got a lotta fatty acids. I mean, its just rich and I noticed I smoothly it made my hands and sunk straight into my skin.

So, of course, I figured if it felt this great on my hands it must feel just as great on my face. Then I proceeded to smooth it on my face, not too much because I'm the last person that should be putting oil on her face. I already have oily skin but the Extra Virgin Coconut Oil did not make my face oilier, only smoother and clearer!

Its crazy weird, I thought I was gonna wake up with oil oozing out of my pores but that was not the case at all. My face was soft when I woke up in the morning and noticably clearer.

You know that glow they always talk about. I swear, Extra Virgin Coconut Oil gives my face the glow without the grease!

It's Been a Long Tme...Shouldn't Have Left U w/o a....inspiring note!

Ok. In my little hiautus I have realized several things. This is why its good to take a break from stuff sometimes. Anyway...yes, I've realized a few things.

The first thing is coily hair is not nappy ITS JUST EXTREMELY FRIZZY!!!
That is all it is, FRIZZ. Too many ions colliding and they don't know what to do with each other and that's why our hair loves moisture so much. It interferes with the ions and keeps them calm...for a while anyway.

No, I didn't read this anywhere...just had a little talk with God about the hair he put on my head and the best way possible to take care of it. When you talk, he listens, when you listen, he speaks and that is what I know for sure.

Anyway, I digress, back to hair matters. I had to become obsessed with getting as much information on my hair as possible. As obsessed as I was when I started my journey of transition. It consumed me then, and it consuming me again. It is now part of my mission.

I am now looking more into Indian products because they have a lot of knowledge when it comes to hair and they also have an abundance of natural plants and oils that they have been using for their hair since...who knows...creation began.

I have also ordered a flat iron like I said I was going to do along-side with some products to help with the heat and make it look good and what-not. I figure, I'll probably straighten my hair once every 3 months because I get bored, and then I start getting irritated with my hair, not realizing that it's partly from boredom.

Anyway, I figure I'll go with the Ying-Yang, East meets West, Synthetic and Natural approach when it comes to my hair because I think in the finally analysis this is what works best for me. I'll use natural products to strengthen it and synthetic to straighten.

Of course, I will be back with the latest update and more specifics concerning these glorious coily coils that God gave me to love, protect and cherish. This is kind of a general summary or over-all analysis of what I learned while I was away.I'll be back with more specifics on the names of the products both synthetic and natural, and even which flat iron I bought.