AphroKiKi's Deep Conditioning Treatment of the Week

Coconut oil, Olive Oil, Honey, Egg (for added protein)

So it's that time in my regimen to deep condition. I've actually been avoiding my hair regimen for a few days (which I now regret!), because of unnecessary laziness on my part. I'm ashamed to admit that it's going on two weeks since I actually washed my hair. Alas, I have to take care of my strands eventually, and there is no better way to nurse it back to health than with a hot oil treatment. I combined Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, and Honey for my deep conditioning treatment. Whenever I use this combination of ingredients, my hair is instantly softer, shinier, and moisturized. I mix them all together, heat in the microwave for one minute, and apply directly to my scalp and hair shaft. I let it sit for about 25-30 minutes, then I co-wash, apply leave-in conditioner, and then I can decide on a style. It's a long process, but you natural gals are already accustomed to time-consuming hair care! WE GOT THIS!
That's it for now! Gotta go wash my hairrrrrs! 

Nite,

AphroKiKI

Product Junkie Diaries: Out with the Old, In with the New

     I must confess that I am a recovering Product Junkie. If there was a support group for natural hair product addicts, I would be among the first to sign up. Now that it's 2013, I'm beginning to see the error of my ways (and the exorbitant totals on my Target receipts). In 2013, less is more. This post is about the products I used in 2012 that didn't make the cut for 2013.

      Let's start with the shampoos. 2012 was the year I discovered sulfate-free shampoo. My inaugural sulfate free poo was Nubian Heritage's Honey and Black Seed Heat Protectant Keratin Shampoo ($10 at Target). A few notes on sulfates-- they are cleansing agents placed in shampoos. Unfortunately they can be very drying,and strip the hair of the natural oils it needs to stay moisturized. Typically they are listed as Sodium Laureth Sulfate and Sodium Lauryl Sulfate. I'm still doing my Co-Wash Challenge, so I've discontinued using shampoo for the next month at least. The Honey Black Seed shampoo is definitely a step up from regular shampoos; it is silky and slippery in texture, and it didn't seem to strip my hair. My curls were fresh and bouncy when I stepped out of the shower, and easy to detangle. In addition to the honey, this product also contains coconut and shea oils. The smell is a bit underwhelming-- it's really not appealing in any way, but it does get your hair and scalp clean. Even though this product wasn't in any way damaging to my hair, I won't be using it in 2013 because I don't need it! However, I may consider finishing my current bottle in the summer to better protect my hair from the sun's damaging rays.

      I also briefly used TRESemmé's Luxurious Moisture shampoo for 2 wash days. This was an unintentional buy; I thought it was conditioner in the store! It's a little thicker than most shampoos, and it's very smooth in texture. It felt nice and silky on my hair but after I rinsed it out, my hair felt a very dry. This was the last shampoo I used before I started my Co-wash Challenge. It isn't sulfate free, but it is alcohol free. It could be a nice alternative to other shampoos for that reason-- that and it cost about $4.

     Another product I'm not head-over-heels about is the Shea Moisture Organic African Black soap Purification Masque. It aims to relieve dry itchy scalp and it contains Plaintain Enzyme, Tea Tree and Willow Bark Extract. I used this product as a pre-poo and deep conditioner. Although this product has AWESOME ingredients, I feel like it didn't do very much for me. I will say that it did temporarily relieve my itchy scalp. It is gooey and slippery in texture, grayish in color, and smells a little bit like banana bubble gum (if that makes any sense...let'st just say I wasn't in love with it.) In accordance with the Shea Moisture creed, it consists of all natural ingredients, is sulfate, paraben, and paraffin free. It cost about $10 at Target.

      The last product I can do without in 2013 is Garnier Fructis Sleek and Shine Blow Dry Protector. It's supposed to be infused with argan oil, but considering that I can't pronounce most of it's ingredients, I think it has less argan oil and more synthetic ingredients that could harm your hair. I'm not sure it protected my hair at all from the blast of my hair dryer. It cost about $7 at Walmart, and I consider it a definite waste of money, because I no longer blow dry my hair 100% of the way. The best heat protectant is a leave-in conditioner followed by an oil to seal in the moisture. There is nothing remarkable about this product-- at least that's the verdict of my 4c hair! I think it might work best for texlaxed or relaxed hair.
      This concludes my Product Junkie Diaries! Hopefully I'll be smarter about buying products that I don't serve any purpose for my hair in 2013, and I'll be sure to follow up with a post about my staple products this year. What products did you use in 2012 that you wish you hadn't?

 Keep it Nappy,
AphroKiKi

Marley Twists: My Winter Protective Style

Havana Marley Afro Puffy Kinky Twists. 

     I spent the last five hours of my young adult life engaging in what felt like a rite of passage: braiding my hair. YAY! For my first time braiding and twisting with extensions ever, it really wasn't as terrifying and awful as I thought it would be. I'm not exactly sure what to call the finished result-- it's a combination of Marley Twists, Afro puffy twists, and kinky twists. Regardless, they're on my head for the next month or so and I'm pretty pleased with them. Not gonna lie, when I started I was intimidated by the amount of the natural hair on my head (especially because it's so thick) and figuring out the proper technique for installing the twists, but after watching a few excellent YouTube tutorials I felt emboldened enough to navigate the treacherous waters of Hair Braiding 101.  I used Prism's 100% Kanekalon and Toyokalon hair which cost about $6 a pack. I only used 2 and half packs so I have plenty left over for touch ups. Because I installed this style  myself I saved  a ton of money-- you cannot beat a $20 protective style that will last you 2-3 months.

Quick Messy Updo.

I tried to make them shorter at the top and near the back.

  I learned more than a few things about braiding with extensions. Number one: make sure your real hair is detangled, conditioned, and that the moisture in your hair is sealed. When other people braided my hair, they didn't know the first thing about detangling my 4c hair which made for a very uncomfortable experience for me. On the contrary, I know exactly how to detangle my kinky hair so I had no issues in that department.Number two: Section your hair for manageability and accessibility. I sectioned my hair off (about 5 total) and two strand twisted the sections I wasn't braiding and clipped them out of the way. Number three: Pick a method of installation and stick with it. The method I used was pretty basic; I attached the extensions to my hair with a braid and then twisted the remainder of the hair. The beginning is honestly the trickiest part of the whole braiding situation, but once you get past that, it's pretty much smooth sailing. Next time around, I want to improve the way I part my hair (I got pretty lazy about it in the back) and use smaller parts in the front. All in all, I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. I've tried to install twists and braids in my hair before, and needless to say I was in the dark. Just ask my college roommate. We've had plenty of laughs over my hair braiding attempts. For example, I once went to a bar with half my hair in raggedy kinky twists and the other half fro'd out! I unsuccessfully disguised my hair with a beanie. It was all in good fun I guess, but I will never have to do that again! What was your first successful hair braiding/twisting experience like? I would love to hear about it!

AphroKiKi

Thoughts on Thursday: To Flat Iron or Not to Flat Iron?

     Let's talk about something that is a little controversial in the natural hair community: heat manipulation! The impression I get from watching several Naturalistas on YT, the verdict on flat ironing  is very divided-- some naturals use heat with much success  some forbid and abhor it, and others remain undecided. I think I'm of the undecided/ neutral variety. It's very hard for me to say what someone should or shouldn't do with their hair because I believe in experimentation, especially if you're newly natural and you're just learning about all the wonderful things your hair can do. I've straightened my hair four or five times, and each time I achieved different results. I always made sure to use some form of heat protectant-- whether it be oil or some other heat protectant product (I hear grape seed oil is great for this). Furthermore, I only flat iron my hair once or twice a year, usually because I want to check my length and trim my ends if needed. I will say this much-- I have never succeeded in getting my hair bone straight. My natural texture is extremely thick and because I never get it super straight, it ends up looking like a blowout after one day.

     I won't sit here and say that I'm not somewhat paranoid about what heat manipulation is doing to my hair. Sometimes I worry that straightening my hair could be stunting my growth (even though I only do it twice a year) or that I may get heat damage and my kinks wont bounce back. To ensure that I'm protecting my hair from heat damage, I deep condition my hair two or three days before I flat iron, and I wear styles like braid outs or flat twists that stretch my natural pattern. I notice that when my hair is already stretched, half of the flat ironing battle is already won. I proceed to add oil to each stretched section, comb through to detangle, blow dry on low heat, and THEN and only then do I pass the flat iron over my hair--and I was surprised to find that just one time is all it takes! Another lesson I learned, is that I shouldn't apply heat to my hair when it starts to revert; instead I should wear styles that really showcase my stretched hair. All of these tips I picked up by watching hair videos-- gotta love YT!

Two days post flat iron: It looks like a blow out!

     I flat ironed my hair about two weeks ago just to gauge my length and see how much my hair had grown since last year. I was happy to see that I retained a few inches and that my ends were in pretty good condition. I probably wont use intense heat on my hair until May, which marks the anniversary of my last relaxer. It will be interesting to compare photos of my relaxed hair with photos of my flat ironed natural hair. Every once in a while I get the itch to flat iron, but then I hear my inner voice preaching to myself that heat should be used in moderation. What do you think? Do you incorporate heat styling into your regimen? Or do you think that flat ironing your hair is plain unlawful? I would love to hear thoughts, ideas and suggestions!

AphroKiKi

Keep Calm

     Just a quick post today. So, I totally had a moment today with my hair. I really wanted my hair to behave a specific way today because it was my birthday, and we all know that we want to look special on the day that we realize we've gotten a year older. I don't know why my hair didn't turn out the way I was expecting it to, especially since I've spent about a year and a half training it. Anyway, I attempted to do a braid out on stretched hair. When I took down the braids, half of my hair was fly, curly, and fierce, but the other half was not! At first I thought, "Okay, no big deal, I will just re-braid it". The second time around wasn't any better, it had actually gotten worse! I had no curl definition at all, so one side of my head had stretched curls while the others was a chunky afro. Utterly exhausted, I repeated the process of restyling my hair, this time putting in chunky twists on both sides. Basically, I'm telling this story because there is a lesson in it, I promise. I was very frustrated almost to the point of tears, and this really never happens with me. I am not that girl who cries over her hair!!!! I ended up stepping away from the mirror and the hair products, throwing a scarf on it, and gaining the patience I needed to let my hair do its thing. I had to remember that there will be days when my hair doesn't have the perfect curl, definition, length, height, whatever. My hair has its off days too-- and because it's fierce 98% of the time-- it's allowed a break. It is sometimes difficult to do, but being patient is so necessary when it comes to caring for your hair. If you don't have that resilience you may end up making rash decisions that may seriously damage your 'fro. Avoid styling your hair when you're in an emotional state, and instead, step away from the mirror and remember the reasons why you went natural to begin with. Caring for your natural hair is a beautiful thing, and it is one of the most unique things about you. A bad hair day here and there can't change that.