ORS Lock & Twist Gel for Two-Strand Twists

Every so often, I like to switch up my products and routine.  I have been craving a product that would leave my twists defined but not crunchy and this has been my quest for the summer!  I remembered that I had a container of ORS (Organic Root Stimulator Lock) and Twist Gel, that I had used only once before and blogged about it.  When I used it, my hair was a lot shorter, so wet sets weren't my friend at the time.  But 2 weeks ago, I decided to revisit it.  Before I shared the results with you all, I had to make sure they weren't a fluke and I used it again this weekend.  Let me tell you....

 +  = defined, soft, moisturized twists

These two products may have become my go to for my wet twist outs (at least for a little while).  My curls are defined but not crunchy, soft, and moisturized.  Here's the kicker... my hair looked great for an entire week.  Simply retwisting and refreshing with some Moroccan Oil resulted in some beautiful styles throughout the week!

 

So the million dollar question is, what are the ingredients in the ORS Lock & Twist Gel?  Well let me tell you, for the most part, I was pleasantly surprised: Water, Coconut Milk, Soybean Oil, PVP, Polyquarternium 37, Propyl Paraben, Methyl Paraben, DMDM Hydantoin, Propylene Glycol, Fragrance, Sucrose.  For more info on some of the ingredients, I went to my new favorite website.

• PVP - You many want to stay away from this ingredient IF in shampoos and conditioners as it may cause build-up.  But in gels, it is okay.
• Polyquarternium-37 - You many want to stay away from this ingredient IF in shampoos and conditioners as it may cause build-up.  But in gels, it is okay.
• Propyl & Methyl Paraben - Some studies (in animals) show that parabens can lead to breast cancer.  Some feel very strongly about parabens, so please make sure you are fully educated before making a decision about this product or any other product containing parabens.

I have also figured out a way to combat the shrinkage I experience from wet twisting.  After I finish twisting my hair and before I sit under the dryer for a few minutes (I sit under the dryer just long enough to take the wetness out of my twists and I let my twists air dry the rest of the way), I pull my twists taunt, and pin them.  This way, they dry while they are stretched out.

Trying to give up the blow dryer...

So with almost 2 feet of snow on the ground, I have been doing a lot of thinking and experimenting with my hair.  I think that I am going to try and ditch the blow dryer (for as long as possible).  After the Hair Rules experiment and after a four hour nap, at 12 a.m. I decided to play with my hair yet again.  After watching some really great YouTube videos, I decided to "remix" my two strand twist out.  This time I tried two strand twisting my hair wet with Baby Buttercreme.  Then I set my twists on flexi rods and went to sleep (please ignore the blue flexi rod still in the back of my head in the picture). I think that I may be on to something...

I am still trying to figure out what to do with the left side of my head, hence the flexi rods.  Maybe I'll pin that side up too and have a curly mohawk of some sort.  If I can get this technique to work, I may have found yet another super easy style.


I like how my color looks when I let it air dry and it is nice not having to pull out the blow dryer.  I am just scared of dealing with shrinkage.


PS - Don't forget about the Clairol Jazzing giveaway!  All you have to do is fill out a super quick survey to be eligible to win!  You have until December 31, 2009 to enter!

Protecting Curls + Staying Warm

I have struggled for a few years now to keep my head warm without wreaking havoc on my hair.  I have been able to keep my hair cute and safe in the DC area without wearing a hat, but that will probably change soon.  I could potentially be attending business school in some brutally cold areas, so enough is enough!

1. Stay away from hats lined with fabrics that will pull, snag, or catch your hair.  I have been searching for hats with satin linings and I have had no luck.  BUT, I kind of like the Aviator style hats with the faux fur lining.  I still have to be careful with faux fur, because that might pull out my hair too.  Not necessarily the cutest hat, but it's funky enough that I think I could make it work.  Check out Amazon for some good deals!
2. Earmuffs.  I haven't worn earmuffs since elementary school, but I may have to get some.  Earmuffs would be perfect on a not-so-bitterly cold day.
3. Be careful with scarves and coats!  Make sure your scarf and/or coat isn't snagging your hair at the nape of your neck.

Do you have any tips to share?  I am close to putting a satin scarf on underneath of a hat.  I am trying to avoid that as much as possible!

Salon Visit + New Products + Pics

Well I had a wonderful weekend and I hope everyone did as well.  My appointment with Nicole at Pure Beauty was wonderful as usual.  She really knows natural hair is an expert colorist - I adore her.  I highly recommend her to anyone in the DC area who wants color (single process, highlights, etc) or a very good blow out.  Her blow drying technique is fantastic.  This time she just touched up my roots, gave me a little trim (not much at all), and blew out my hair in a cute curly look!  Check out the pictures (notice I threw in a picture of my "date night" outfit haha).

I had coupons for my hair services as well as products, so I figured I would splurge a bit.  I feel in love with the Pureology hair products, during my first visit to Pure Beauty, so I picked up the Hydrate shampoo and conditioner (purple bottle) as well as Redken Butter Treat hair conditioner.  The last time I saw Nicole, she said my hair was very dry and told me to use the Butter Treat.  Well in 3 months I finished the whole bottle and she said my hair felt like it did the first time I went to her for a below out - before I had any color.  I warn you that Pureology is expensive, about $30 a bottle, so I don't think I will be able to keep this up! 

In my quest to one day be able to the "wash and go" look, I asked Nicole for some suggestions.  She assured me that there is no reason for me or anyone else not to rock this look.  So here is what she suggested:

1. Wash and condition (and deep condition) as usual.
2. Detangle with conditioner in your hair and rinse.
3. Use a generous amount of Paul Mitchell Sculpting Foam (red top - Flexible Style line) mixed with some of the Paul Mitchell Foaming Pommade (red top - Flexible Style line).
4. Distribute thoroughly through your hair.  Your hair should be saturated and covered with white foam, so don't be alarmed.
5. After you work it through, pull it through your hair.  (When I watched the other stylist do this step, it look kinda like she was shingling in an upward motion.)
6. Sit under the dryer for 5 - 10 mintues, just so the foam will disappear.
7. Shape your hair and you are done!

I recorded a video blog post on Friday night and I haven't been able to upload it yet.  So I will try again and this time tape myself trying this new "wash and go" technique.

Kinky-Curly Results

Okay - so it wasn't a total disaster.  My hair actually came out really cute BUT I need to get the hang of knowing how much product to use.  I first applied the Knot Today leave-in (I still had some left in the bottle) and made sure my hair was soaking wet and I went crazy with the Kinky-Curly custard.  After I applied it all over, I two-strand twisted my hair.  I tried to stay up long enough for it to dry, but I had to go to bed and my hair was still semi-wet when I woke up.  But it was cute... and sticky/tacky and still is!  I am not quite sure what to do about that.  Check out the pictures.  I will keep yall posted!

What do you think?

Kinky Curly Custard Revisted

Hi Lovelies!  So one of my dear sorors has convinced me to try Kinky Curly custard again.  The trick is to put it in your hair SOAKING wet.  So I will try applying it in the shower.  She also suggested that I two-strand twist my hair and use a diffuser while pulling each twist down.  I will try to get a diffuser attachment for my blow dryer tonight.  I went to the website to read the FAQs and they said if your hair ends up sticky (which I have experienced in the past) your hair wasn't wet enough to begin with.  I really hope this doesn't end up a disaster.  


I am going to do my hair while watching CNN's Black in America 2.  Please watch as MLT is being featured.  I am currently in their MBA Prep program - you may catch a glimpse of me (yes, shameless plug).  Send me some Kinky Curly suggestions if you have any!

Air Drying + Color

I hope you are enjoying your weekend!  The weather in the DC area has been amazing and hot.  Yesterday I decided to wash my hair but I wasn't in the mood to deal with the blow dryer.  So I washed with my Wen cleanser and did a deep conditioning treatment with Butter Treat (by Redken).  While the Butter Treat was sitting on my head, I mixed up a moisturizing spritz - water, glycerin and some Kemi oil.  After I rinsed out the conditioner, I sprayed my hair with some spritz and then used Organic Root Stimulator Loc & Twist Gel (love this stuff and it's inexpensive) to coil my hair.  And let me say that this took me a good hour, maybe a little bit longer.  I wasn't terribly happy with my hair when I woke up because of the dreaded shrinkage issue that I deal with, but the curls were defined and coily.  Take a look at the pictures below and ignore the random two strand twists in the front.  I had my hair pulled back all day so before I wrapped up my hair for the night, I had to do something with the semi-straight pieces in the front.

The one positive of air drying, is that my color looks great!  I am not sure if it is from my spritz, the gel, the air drying or a combination of the three.  But my highlights look great and my roots don't even look that bad.  Dare I say that I will try no heat again next week?  Maybe I'll two strand twist...

Overnight Pre-Poo

So when I was transitioning, I used to pre-poo (condition before shampooing) with a protein conditioner every time I washed (well just about every time). For some reason, once I went completely natural, I stopped pre-pooing. Well since I have hit a dry spell, I decided to revisit this. I've read a lot about pre-pooing overnight and have never done it b/c I am a wild sleeper and I can just imagine waking up with a bed full of hair products! Many naturals swear by pre-pooing whether it is with oils or conditioners they are trying to get rid of. So tonight, I have decided to pre-poo with various oils - castor oil, some of my leftover Carol's Daughter oils, and Better Braids Herbal Growth Oil (I highly reccommend this herbal growth oil).

I mixed all the oils together and used my color brush to apply the oil all over. I smushed it all in and put a plastic cap on my head and then my scarf. I am praying I don't wake up with oil all over my sheets.

Tomorrow I need to put another dark brown rinse in followed by a DC under the dryer. Ladies, I am starting to get very frustrated with my hair. It seems that the more it grows, the tighter it curls so it really looks shorter. Ugh! I need a pep talk!

Update: So after I cowashed my hair the next day, I still wasn't convinced that the overnight oil prepoo did much for me. But after the color rinse and a deep conditioner with Elasta QP DPR-11 Remoisturizer (which I LOVE), my hair did feel noticably softer. So I think I am on the right track with the overnight prepooing, but I might try using a conditioner the next time I wash my hair this week.