Hair Rules products + Ingredients 101 on the Coil Reivew + Other Tidbits

Hi Lovelies!  I know, I know... I have been neglecting yall!  I am so sorry.  For those of you who sent GMAT prayers my way, THANK YOU.  I did pretty well, but am going to take it one more time, so thank you for hanging in there with me.

There has been a lot of buzz surrounding Hair Rules products for "kinky" hair - both good and bad.  My aunt told me that Hair Rule products were featured on the Today show this morning, so I have been trying to find a clip of the segment, but I haven't had any luck.  I have been on the fence for months about whether or not I should buy them and try them out. We all know that my experience with the wash and go look, has left me pissed and lookin' like a poodle.  If you have used them, let me know your experience.  I might finally bite the bullet and give them a try.  The only thing that I am kind of weary about is that the second ingredient in the Kinky Curly Cream is mineral oil - yuck.  I try to stay away from products that contain mineral oil, but some of my favorite Miss Jessie's products contain mineral oil but they are near the bottom of the ingredient list.  Yall know I love products so I am very close to pushing the "buy" button so we shall see...

So the new name of my section on The Coil Review is "Ingredients 101".  Check out my July article on Aloe Vera.  Check back monthly for my new articles as well as all of the great information and resources on the website!
 
I have stopped being lazy and have finally 2-strand twisted my hair and it looks fabulous (if I might say so myself).  My roots are definitely coming in, but I am trying to hold out until I get them touched up again.

Pictures from my Photo Shoot

I had a photo shoot a couple weeks ago with my wonderul soror Amber (you might remember her spotlight).  Below are some pictures from the session.  We had a lot of fun!

Calling website designers!

If you know someone who is a genius when it comes to website design (and reasonably priced), please let me know. I am looking to revamp the blog! Thanks lovelies!

So far, so soft!

Hello lovelies! The Redken Butter Treat is really working. My hair is noticeably softer and I am able to use less product through out the week. This week I am going to rock a pulled back afro look. I have been studying like crazy and I don't even have the energy to twist my hair every night after I study for 3 hours. Yes pure laziness!

I am going to a wedding in SC in a few weeks and I am trying to figure out how to wear my hair. I am thinking about blowing my hair out and finding a really pretty ribbon or hair band of some sort to match the dress I am wearing (see right). I think the yellow (the actual dress is a richer yellow if that makes sense) will really look great with my red-golden hair! What do you think?

I am going to get my hair straightened and possibly my ends "dusted" right before July 4th. I am slightly worried about the upkeep of my color and highlights. It is one thing to have roots when you have one color, but I have highlights too, so I am not sure how my natural roots will look. That could be down right tacky. I will be sure to talk about the color "game plan" with Nicole when I see her in July.

Well please keep me in your prayers. The GMAT is in 10 days *gasp*. I have already booked my massage and pedicure for the day before the test. I am praying for complete relaxation for test day. Also, please keep checking out my articles on The Coil Review. My articles will be focused on the good and bad ingredients in hair products. I am really excited about delving deeper into some of the ingredients in products that are marketed to natural beauties!

Summer = Time for Swagger

Swagger Like Us
By: Elisa Dobbins 
 
"Swagger" is an expression that has been introduced by Hip Hop and has been embraced by all. Swagger is the natural hustle encoded in each of us. Swagger is brazen confidence exhibited through one's persona, vibe and style. Swagger is natural, timeless and is not just a state of mind; it's a state of being.
 
Sometimes we don't explore our own personal swag out of fear of how people may react. Newsflash – stop making apologies for being yourself! We are all beautiful in such unique ways and these distinctions make our community so fabulous.
 
We all have swagger, but sometimes need an extra push in discovering it. So why not unleash your inner 'swag star'?

• Play with color: You will be amazed at how a change in color can give you that extra "umph". If you are hesitant of permanent hair color due to the chemicals or commitment, try semi-permanent or temporary rinses.  Red hues add a beautiful warm hue to dark hair and a funky, richness to medium brown tones.
• Switch it up: Change your hair style. Spend a day experimenting with new styles and new products.  Let your hair speak to you – you might be surprised as a new style is unleashed.
• Get inspired: Try collecting pictures of 'dos that you love and make an inspiration book of sorts.
• Be comfortable: if you know that you don't feel comfortable with your hair pulled back, don't do it!  Work within your comfort level.  You cannot be confident if you are uncomfortable.
• Rock it: Whatever your style is, rock it! If you feel fabulous, that feeling will follow you through the whole day.

Bottom line, take some time to explore what makes your style special and embrace it. Nothing is more beautiful than a confident woman that doesn't apologize for her swagger! Spring is finally here and your inner diva is itching to get out.  No one on the corner has swagger like you!

Courtesy of The Coil Review

LOVE my highlights

Okay - it's official. I am giving up the box color *sniff*. Nicole is an amazing with the color, so I might as well leave it to a pro. I went back for my color appointment on Saturday and I have to admit that I was a little nervous. First, she did foil highlights all over (about 2 - 3 shades lighter than my base color), then my roots and then a glaze. My color is beautiful! I think I was born to be a redhead :o). She said the glaze should last a few months.

I didn't have time to let her straighten it because I was already late for my wine club meeting. So I wore it blown out and cowashed, used the Butter Treat conditioner and twisted it last night.

I am going to treat myself to one 'do a month from Nicole andI already scheduled my next appointment for July 2. (I tried to get into the sunlight this morning so you could see the highlights in my twists, but the picture where my hair is pulled back is the best way to see the highlights).

Butter Treat is the truth!

Girls - my hair is soooooooo soft.  I can't stop touching it!  I did my hair on Tuesday and haven't put any type of moisturizing cream in it since.  I haven't needed it!  If you have dry hair, I really really reccomend picking up some of the Redken Butter Treat deep conditioner.  Best buy of 2009 for sure.

I'll be posting pictures tomorrow of my new color.  Can't wait!!!!

My 2nd trip to see Nicole @ Pure Beauty + the BEST deep conditioner

So after 7 months (yes shameful) I finally returned to the hair salon for the dreaded "trim". Nicole loved my color but thinks that my color is too drying *sniff sniff*. So I will probably be saying good bye to my beloved Textures & Tones. She suggested that I let her color my roots, put a glaze on my ends, and highlight my hair. So that's the good news - this upcoming Saturday, I hope to be more golden for the summer!!!!

So for the bad news, she trimmed a lot of my hair, so much that we decided not to straighten my hair until I get my color done or even not until I have a really special occasion. She thinks my natural hair suits me sooooo well and since my hair is on the dry side, she wants to hold off on straightening it, until she can color it and I can then get that silky straight look.

So the verdict - I will be visiting Nicole on a much more regular visit to hopefully avoid these traumatic cutting sessions. I was totally bummed on Friday and my poor bf had to listen to me whine all weekend. But yesterday, I had a breakthrough and I am really digging the shape of the cut she gave me, something I had been lacking for a while. You can definitely tell that my hair is shorter in the pictures below. I'll post pictures this week of my twist out.

Nicole also put me on to a great deep conditioner and it was only $15! My new "can't leave home without product" is.... *drumroll please* Redken Smooth Down Butter Treat. Ladies, this stuff is amazing. Some of the great ingredients include macadamia oil and candelilla wax. The directions say to leave it in for 5 to 10 minutes, but I left it in for 2 hours while I did some GMAT studying. After I rinsed it out and applied a concoction of my Aveda smooth products, BioSilk and the Fantasia IC anti-humidty serum, I blew out my hair and my, my, my is my hair super soft! So Nicole is my hair angel at the moment and she is quite an expensive one.

Update: Pics of my dry twist out today (one day later) post "trim".

New Pictures + Scalp Woes

Happy (freakin' ) Friday! Yes I am feeling that kinda way! Anyways, I noticed that I hadn't posted pictures in a while, so enjoy the pictures of my wet twist out a week later (I'm wearing blue) and a dry twist out I did a couple weeks ago (I'm in the black). I'm not really feelin' the wet twist out but, hey, it works. Not sure how long this 'no heat' thing will last. Meah.

My scalp is irritated. I noticed a... pimple yesterday! WTF! So I think I need to pay very close attention to cleansing my scalp, especially since I either use Wen or co-wash. I need to make sure I get all the build-up off of my scalp. I was thinking about mixing up some type of concoction to cleanse my scalp - I still haven't gotten my peppermint oil, but maybe this will help a little bit. Maybe an apple cider rinse? I really just want to cleanse my scalp - I don't know if my hair needs a serious cleansing too. Any suggestions?

Tonight is hair night. On the agenda tonight - a serious, under the dryer deep condition, a clear rinse to make my color shine some more and maybe a dry twist out - yes I know, I said no heat, but my hair doesn't do well with the wet to dry look. It shrinks to darn much!

Side note - My mom just told me that she knows a natural that swears by Nick Chavez hair products... thoughts?

Stimulating my scalp + my rod set FAIL

So let's start with the good "news". As I have blogged about before, oils really don't do a lot for my hair, but I am going to start massaging my scalp to hopefully promote hair growth. I still take my Biotin supplement just about every day, but I sometimes notice that my scalp is itchy or tender in some spots. I am thinking of stopping by Aveda today to get some peppermint or ylang ylang oil for nightly scalp massages. I don't see why I can't incorporate this into my nightly twist regimen. Scalp massages are great for stimulating and getting the blood circulating in your scalp.

Now on to my epic fail - the rod set. I was so hype on Friday about rod setting my hair this weekend. I went to my beauty store and got tons of rods - TONS (on a side note - I stumbled upon a creme gel and leave-in that rival my Miss Jessie's products AND are much cheaper)! So I get home, wash my hair with Wen and deep condition with the Garnier Fructis hair masque (not so hype about this one - I like the Pantene one better) and I start to rod set. So I am doing good and as I am move on to my second row, I go back to feel/check the first row. Low and behold my ends are unraveling, even with the gel on them. Needless to say, I had a mess on my hands. Luckily I only opened 2 packs of rods and took the rest back and got my $20 back. I think I'll stick to the wet/damp 2 strand twists for now and revisit this style later!

I'll post about my new product discoveries soon!

PS - I am still discouraged about styling my hair wet/damp. It's so hard for me, but I sometimes I feel like I am the only person who has awful shrinkage, hair shrinkage that is ;)!!!