Regimen Reloaded!

I'm so hype about my hair today!

Product Dream Team!

After a week of utter lethargy, I'm back in the swing of things with my regimen. Well, at least for now I am. Also, I've added a few new products and procedures to my hair care routine. I recently started using COCONUT OIL, which I am now obsessed with-- not only does my hair love it, but so does my skin. I will probably use this stuff until I die (not to be morbid, but real talk, I will). I also bought CASTOR OIL, which I use to seal my ends-- again, I really should have started using this stuff earlier. My hair is shiny and moisturized with each application, plus, it's a really light oil so it doesn't weigh my hair down. I want to briefly mention two new products that I will be reviewing sometime in the near future. The first is Carol's Daughter MONOI SPLIT END SEALER and Organix COCONUT MILK CONDITIONER. I've used them together for the first time today and I'm so pleased with the results! Here's a picture of what my hair looks like today; this is a braid-out on FIRST DAY HAIR!!! I know my 4C girls feel me on this because my hair never looks this stretched or this defined the day after washing it. As a part of my wash-day regimen, I clarified my hair with diluted apple cider vinegar which I let sit for about 10-15 minutes. I then co-washed with Organix Conditioner. After my hair air dried about 30% of the way, I applied the coconut oil and split end sealer to my hair in small sections which I then blow dried (using the tension drying method..check the YT for tutorials). Note that I only dried my hair about 75% of the way, on medium heat, and let it air dry over night. I braided with African Pride's BOUNCY CURL PUDDING (review coming soon). I took down my braids this morning and I'm so hype about the results. I hope you all are having a great hair day too! 

PEACE & LOVE,

AphroKiKi

Beautiful Textures: A Product Review

    

     I discovered Beautiful Textures when I attended the Taliah Wajiid Natural Hair Show in Atlanta earlier this year, and let me just tell you, I'm glad I did! Beautiful Textures creates products for mixed textures including curly, wavy, kinky-coily, and frizzy hair. I was able to get my hands on a full-sized sample of their Tangle Taming Leave-In conditioner at the hair show which by the way, if you ever have a chance to attend definitely go because many product lines will happily give you samples. I left with two big totes of samples and discount coupons to use online!

      But back to Beautiful Textures. The leave-in conditioner is certainly in the top ten list of my favorite products. It is enriched with aloe vera, olive, soy, Argan oil, and shea and mango butters. It is very light so it is perfect for detangling before or after washing your hair, and it is perfect for wet twist outs. You could also use it on dry hair, just to add a bit of moisture-- just rub a bit on your palms and run you hands over your hair and you're good to go. I used this mostly on my protective styles during the summer so that my natural hair, even though it was in braids,stayed moisturized. Also, scent-wise it was very light-- you can really pick up the notes of shea butter and mango. I noticed that my hair always felt super soft when I used this product so I will definitely purchase more. You can find it at Sally Beauty for about $6. A steal!!

       Another product I really like from this line is the Curl Control Defining Pudding. It has the same enriching ingredients as the Leave-in conditioner, so you get a double dose of goodies for your hair. I use this product for styling on damp/mostly dry hair-- that means I use it for my twist outs, braid outs, flat twist outs, and bantu knot outs. It does a great job of detangling my 4c hair and setting the styles so I achieve the desired curl and definition. It is creamy in texture and has the same light scent as the leave-in conditioner. I don't think it makes my hair as soft as some of the hair butters and cremes I've used in the past, but it produces good results and you cant beat the price ($7 at Sally's). I'm still on the hunt for a staple styling butter since I've given up the pricey  Curly Meringue from Ms. Jessie's (which wasn't even all that great because sometimes it left flaky white stuff in my hair...yuck.) Curl Control is a great alternative to more expensive products. So if you're like me and you take care of your hair on a budget, you should give Beautiful Textures a go; the line gives you solid results and you get more bang for your buck. One container of each of these products lasts me about a month and a half, which translates into 4 washes and about 45 twist outs. Just saying you guys, Beautiful Textures is where it's at.

My Regimen and A Product Review

Peace Naturalistas!

     Before I jump into this product review, I want to give my little lecture about product use. First of all, I am a believer in the saying "less is more", especially when it comes to caring for your natural hair. After I fist big chopped, the only products in my bathroom bin were shampoo, conditioner, and Cantu Shea Butter. Because I didn't know very much about maintaining my TWA (Teeny-Weeny Afro), I resorted to sew-ins and kinky twists-- which was a good idea, because I was able to let my hair be. The less I bothered my hair the better-- this allowed my hair to grow without fear of damage. Since then, my knowledge of natural hair care has increased, and naturally, the amount of hair products grew too. Now, I use both sulfate and sulfate-free shampoos (to clarify my hair when it needs it or to maintain my hair's natural oils and moisture), leave-in conditioner, deep conditioner, and hair oils regularly. Not to mention a few hair butters and cremes for when I'm rocking my twist-outs, braid-outs, bantu-knot outs. Getting to know what your hair needs is an important factor when deciding what products to buy, so educate yourself! Know what a sulfate is and what it does! Know what ingredients to avoid, like alcohol, parabens, and petroleum based products. In short, products can be your best friend, or your worst enemy.. Be careful not to overdue it!

     My regimen currently consists of:

• Washing my hair once a week, followed by conditioner in the shower and leave- in conditioner after towel-drying

• Deep conditioning once a week (usually before I wash)

• Apple Cider Vinegar rinse every other week

• Trimming ends when necessary

• Twisting hair with hair cremes, butters, or leave-in conditioner

• Moisturizing daily with water and spritzing lightly with oil

• Protective Styling

• Minimal heat (lightly blow drying after a wash to stretch hair)

My hair is more kinky (4c is the technical term) than curly, so its more prone to breakage than other curl patterns-- therefore moisturizing is my top priority. On top of all this, I try to drink plenty of water and eat lots of fruit to ensure hydration. A product that I use to keep my hair moisturized during the week is b.a.s.k. Palm Tapioca Deluxe Hair Cream. This stuff is amazing! It stretches my curl pattern, softens my hair,  has a soft hold (great for chunky twist outs!), and it smells like a dream (Vanilla Dulche de Leche and Almond). It has oils derived from the Palm family, including Babassu oil-- which is quickly becoming one of my favorite oils (it's in my shampoo too!).You can find the b.a.s.k. Palm Cream here.

Sheeba in her full glory! Why am I squinting?!

I used the Palm Tapioca cream on the twist out above with a little of Ms. Jessie's Curly Meringue for a little more hold and definition. I think it turned out pretty well! That's all for now I guess.

Keep it Nappy ya'll!

AphroKiki