Heya, curlies! I am going to talk about treating cradle cap today.
My youngest child is 2 months right now. She has a serious case of cradle cap, or so she used to. My previous child, Jalani, didn't have half as much cradle cap as she did. I don't know what it is, but poor little Kyanah has had a ton of the stinky, white flaky stuff on her little scalp!
I always use coconut oil from birth on my children as a moisturizer for their hair AND body. It's the best. Very silky and smells good, no issues with skin breakouts or anything. So of course, I use it for cradle cap as well.
I made a post on Instagram about not worrying about whether or not to use 'regular' Shea Moistureproducts on your baby. Shea Moisture is supposed to be all natural anyway, so there's no real need to refrain from using it because you don't have the baby version. I always use it on all my kids as babies and they work just fine! No need to go broke using 'specialty' products. ;)
So for the cradle cap, I wash her hair using one of these SM shampoos and I massage really well. I don't use my nails at all, ONLY my finger tips. You don't want to pick the stuff off their scalps and create scabs. It's so tempting for me to pick at it because I HATE dandruff or anything that looks like it because it looks like dirt to me; however, I know that I shouldn't. lol
I wash and rinse like normal. No conditioner needed at this age. Afterwards, I just take a palm full of coconut oil and massage it all over her head. Then at this point, I take one of those tiny baby combs and gently comb her hair out, which is the perfect time to tackle the cradle cap because her hair is wet and the stuff is loosened up. It comes right up easily with the baby comb and it doesn't hurt her. In fact, she loves this process and nearly falls asleep. lol
After combing as much as I can out of her hair, THEN I go in with the baby brush and brush it down, slick it down. I put a hat on her so she can warm up quickly after the bath.
Doing this same process after every bath has significantly decreases her cradle cap issue. Like I said, in the beginning, it was really bad. Now it's almost completely gone! I am so happy about that.
Hopefully, these tips will help you guys, too. I'll probably make a video addressing this also.
What do you about cradle cap? How do you treat it?
Hiya guys! I don't have time to update this blog much anymore, but I will still try to do so. I have been recording a bunch of videos lately and also doing other projects in my life. The kids keep me occupied 24-7.
Anyway, I have gotten a kind of new regimen with my hair. I now dry detangle instead of wetting my hair first!
I was doing this as an experiment in the weeks prior to me sticking to it, but now it works so much better for me. So it's back to the basics of using coconut oil in my hair to detangle. It's been working sooo well.
I am still doing the Baka Beautiful NaturalLaxer review. One more week for the last application and then editing time!
My hair color has been working so well! It's not as dry as it was when I first bleached it, only because I started integrating my shea butter back into my routine. Silly me; I should have been doing that. But I've been forgetting, using leave ins without using shea butter on top to seal. That's what has been saving my hair all these years anyway! #backtobasics
So I am still loving this color on me. :)
I've been shedding a little more than usual the last few months, and I think it's because of the normal winter shedding a lot of women get around the winter time. It's annoying, but it's actually getting better every day. Woo hoo! Also, I am making sure that my iron isn't low, because that can cause shedding as well.
I will be back soon with more updates! Stay tuned to YouTube for videos. :D
Hiya, curly mamas! It's been forever. Uber busy once again. I have a review of the Baka Beautiful products coming soon. It's a 'natural relaxer', and no, it's not one of those freakish gimmicks to make you buy the product, claiming to 'fix' your natural texture. It's all natural and clay based. But it's a kit, with a process that I have to try within about 3-4 weeks, so the review won't be ready until later on this month. I'll do a video about it and probably do a detailed blog post as well. So stay tuned!
By the way, my mini braids are out! ;-)
They lasted for two weeks, and then my scalp was beyond itchy. So I wet my hair with my aloe vera juice and water mixture and added LOADS of coconut oil to the braids. Taking them out was annoying, but it was a breeze. Three hours compared to the five hours that it took to install them. O_O
Stay tuned to YouTube for the Baka Beautiful review coming soon enough. ;)
New video! This is how I 'cure' my bushy ends. ;) #curlsofinnocence
On another note, have you guys always wondered what to do about fairy knots and bad splits in your natural hair?
Yes, this is the best (actually, only) way to combat this. You can't 'repair' them. You can't detangle those tiny little knots and somehow get them out; I have tried! LOL! I have 4A type hair in the front sides of my hair and that's where I get the most breakage and splits for some reason. It knots easier than the rest of my type 3 hair. Occasionally, I'll examine my hair and I'll come across something like what you see above. Yes, you will lose a tad bit of length cutting it off with shears, but it's better than to have it still sitting there, splitting the rest of your hair off and breaking.
Tips to avoid fairy knots:
-Detangle with fingers first before using a wide-toothed comb
-NEVER use a paddle brush until you've at least attempted finger detangling first
-Only detangle when your hair is wet. Not damp, WET, preferably with conditioner or coconut oil
-Keep your hair in a stretched state
-Avoid products that have a lot of chemicals, they tangle and dry your hair more
Hope you enjoyed this post. Peace out till later, curly mamas! ;)
I got some new products a few days ago. Nothing special, just some random gels at Walmart that I have yet to try.
I have already tried the Olive oil cholesterol stuff and the Shea Moisture gel before. But I haven't used that SM gel in over a year, so I decided to try it again. Last few times that I have tried it, it didn't work very well for me. It left my hair sticky, slimy, and undefined! So I wanted to try it again, just to see if the reason it didn't work for me was because it has coconut oil in it (protein sensitivity) or I was simply using it wrong... again. lol
The V05 stuff is so cheap that I've been using it a lot lately on the entire family. Of course, the conditioner bottles run out so much faster than the shampoo bottles!
The ratio is like; for every one bottle of shampoo = three bottles of conditioner. -______- #naturalhairproblems
Those two other gels I have never tried. People rave about that ORS Lock & Twist gel, and so far, I see why. It worked wonderfully on Jamian's hair! Finger coils for the WIN! #curlsofinnocence
I will be reviewing this stuff on my hair very soon, as well as the other gel. These aren't natural gels, but I wanted to try them anyway. I'm not that much of a #ingredientNazi anymore. I use what works!
Heya, curlies! I have had a lot of changes to my hair and my kid's hair recently, but the one thing that remains the same is the pre-pooing part. I still pre-poo our hair with coconut oil. No matter the hair type, a lot of people swear by coconut oil for pre-pooing and detangling. Ya'll know I can't leave the stuff in my hair... don't need protein overload! lol
I even use coconut oil on my 3 month old's hair after his baths! It's all he needs right now. He has a natural mohawk. O_O
Recently, I tried something new with Syriah's hair, though. I have seen other vloggers do this and I have yet to try it on mine. I used coconut oil AND conditioner to pre-poo her hair! And this time, I put a plastic bag on to really moisturize it. Felt so good and moist when I washed her hair afterwards. The detangling process wasn't hard, either because I had previously finger detangled.
As you can see in the video, I used a VO5 conditioner. I have used this in the past and it has never failed me. It's cheap and it works! Plus, it has no silicones, and although naturals SWEAR by silicone usage for slip, I don't like to use them a lot. Eventually, my hair ends up feeling horribly coated.
That's also my reason for not co-washing with conditioner that is not meant for washing lol! I do, however, LOVE the As I Am Coconut Cowash. I am still using the same one from my CurlMart haul from a few months ago, only because I have been either washing with my trusty Shea Moisture raw shea butter shampoo or my Dr. Woods liquid black soap, which is WONDERFUL as a shampoo and a conditioner combined!
We've been re-purchasing it for about 4 months now.
Other new changes that I've made, I've cut a few inches off my hair about 3 weeks ago! Watch this video to find out why.
Because of budget changes, I've had to cut back on a few things. So we are currently using the Cantu repair cream leave in. It's okay. It's cheap and it works, but I have to be careful. Overuse of that stuff will cause my hair to feel coated as it has done in the past. But for now, it works.
Even though I cut a good chunk off of my hair, it doesn't seem like I cut much off. My hair is still longer than I expected it to be after cutting. But my hair does grow really fast (without vitamins), so yay for that! Plus, my 'holy grail' oil always helps with growth and I still use that religiously.
So, that's my update for today. I will try to come back and post more often. I have been slacking on that because of me doing more YouTube videos now. Video editing is soooo fun, but it can be time consuming! I'm trying to get to where I can do three videos a week with ease... yeah. Not easy with four kids.
But I do homeschooling videos now as well, so I record that, too. Beauty & brains for the win! xD
Peace out till later, folks! Join the website so you won't miss out on updates. SUBSCRIBE to the YouTube channel for more vids, and thanks for reading! ;)
Heya,curlies! It's been a while. I have been sooooo busy lately. We just moved and finally got settled in with everything. :)
I did a braid out the other day, and it came out AWESOME! I mean, super awesome. I had eight braids in my hair for three days (using damp hair with shea butter and oil), and when I took my hair out, it was super defined!
Now this video was done on the first day hair. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWlv8C2vuoQ
Today, I am on day four, and I'll probably have another video up soon showing how it looks and how big and fluffy your hair gets each day. Lots of frizz, but still good enough to wear outside if need be. ;) Pics of day 4 hair:
Compare that to the video above lol!
Syriah's hair is still in mini braids now for 3 weeks. They're a little frizzy, but still holding up well with proper maintenance (water and coconut oil every other night, stocking cap before bed). I'll have a video about that up very soon.
Peace out, ladies! Stay curly!
Heya,guys! I wanted to show you what's been going on with my hair lately. I've had a hair setback that I'm not too proud of. :( Natural Hair Setback
Check out the video link or click the picture above to see the details.
I am hoping that this breakage is irreversible. I did some research and went to Sally's to get an ApHogee product that I had heard raves about as far as restoring damaged hair. It was seven dollars and change for the small bottle, so I hope that it works for me!
I got the ApHogee Keratin 2 Minute Reconstructor, which is apparently notorious for helping to strengthen and repair hair. I was careful to get this one and not the protein treatment, because a load of protein is the last thing my hair needs right now lol! I got the Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie (an old fave) mostly for my daughters because my hair especially can't handle protein during the colder months. Although this product only has silk protein in it, it still has coconut oil in it, which adds more protein. And you know from a previous post how my hair feels about protein during the colder months. LOL! But for my kids, it works just fine without the crispy feeling the next day.
The last thing I got from Sallys was the satin scarf in the picture. One of my other satin bonnets had recently fallen apart. The elastic was stretched out really bad and basically, the thing had to be discarded. So I threw it away and got this new kind for two bucks. Here's a pic of me wearing it. lol
I am still doing the KCCM challenge this winter, although it's been rough keeping up with it and my three busy kids and their homeschooling/mischief. But I'm doing it! So that's my update for now. I'll let you guys know how the ApHogee worked out for me... as soon as I get a chance to use it. LOL!
Peace out, till later, curly mamas!
~Epic Realist~
Click Diva chic's pic above to see her newest hair video! ;)
I love using coconut oil as a pre-poo for my hair, but mostly during the warmer months. In the colder months, I usually pre-poo with EVOO because it's such a heavy oil for the winter dryness.
Right now, Syriah's hair takes coconut oil better than mine. I think that it's because my hair cannot take lots of protein, so if I constantly use coconut oil as I had been using previously, my hair will be more dry and brittle. So right now, coconut oil is mostly used as a pre-poo for both my daughter's hair instead of mine.
I also like using coconut oil on my face in the morning after I've washed my face. It's silky smooth, smells good, and not heavy at all. It's part of my facial routine. ;-)
Here is Syriah's hair with coconut oil in it. I have these pics in the previous post, I believe. This is on damp, finger de-tangled hair.
Love the shine and the extra softness that it gives when I wash it out of her hair. It's amazing. Sometimes, I don't even need to use my Herbal Essences conditioner because the oil is so soothing that it's VERY easy to manipulate the hair. The last picture is the end result.
So, that's pretty much how I use my coconut oil during these cold months. Hope you guys enjoyed this post! Follow me on Facebook for everyday tips and updates. Peace out!
Ello again, curly mamas! I am doing an overnight oil treatment tonight because my hair is parched! My mini braids are out! I dampened and slicked coconut oil on my hair as I was taking them out. It took about an hour. Good thing I had a movie to watch while doing so. ;)
My hair is dry because it's been two weeks of nothing but gel being used on the braids. I mean, I spritzed my hair with water a couple of days and used the infamous castor oil on my scalp a few times, but now that my hair is all out again, it's... pretty dry. The ends especially are drier than ever.
My hair is actually softer than I expected and not as dry as I'd expected. I doctored it up well before doing the braids. I guess that's why? (shrugs)
So I am doing an overnight oil treatment with coconut oil and EVOO. If you don't know what EVOO is, you are missing out! It's extra virgin olive oil and it's the BOMB for moisture. I mixed both oils and threw a ton of it into my damp hair after the braids were all out. Then I tied a plastic bag over my hair after putting sections into a few fat twists. I'm hoping for super soft, moisturized hair in the morning when I wash the oils out.
I'm still going to condition after I wash, especially because I plan to use my sulfate shampoo to get all the gel out. I've stuck to doing my 'clarifying wash' once a month so far and it's working well for me.
Well, that's my plan for tomorrow. Hopefully, I will get a chance to doctor my hair up. I can't keep protective styles in my hair too long because then I get bored and start to miss playing in my hair. I don't know why I'm like that; guess I just love hair. LOL!
I don't have pics now, but I might next post. I may show how my hair looked after washing and conditioning. Peace out, ladies! Whipped Curly Butter is being sold now! ;)http://curlsofinnocence.blogspot.com/p/purchase-our-product.html
Syriah has a new style! I'd never done this before, but had been meaning to try it. The famous bantu knots! I've done something similar a few years back, but not this.
These were mega easy. I spritzed her hair with distilled water and used a random product that I had lying around (III Sisters of Nature Lengthening Creme), de-tangled, and coiled the hair around with my finger. Then I wrapped it around itself like a mini bun and secured with a rubber band wrapped around once. She loved it.
The only problem I had, of course, was making sure that they stayed pinned up. Because she's an active 3 year old, she kept bouncing around and the coils kept falling out. But I just re-pinned them. Eventually, when it was almost bedtime anyway, I wrapped her head up with a stocking cap.
I can't wait to see the bantu knot-out when these get old and dried out. Lol! My little one Symari's hair has been flourishing as well. When I wash it, I use Earth Mama Angel Baby shampoo and body wash (AWESOME stuff, organic, all natural ingredients, no sulfates or parabens) on her hair and body and moisturize her hair and body with my whipped shea butter or plain coconut oil. Sometimes, I use my JBCO/coconut oil concoction in her hair. It's been seriously growing. I'm glad that she's starting off with the right stuff already. Didn't have that opportunity with my other two babies.
I love her adorable little curls! This is how it looks 'stretched out' with shea butter. This is also her first COI hair update picture by herself! Awwwwww!
She cried getting this done because I don't do her hair often. No need for ponytails on a baby all the time. Her hair needs to breathe and grow and flourish without tight ponytails all the time. I didn't use rubber bands in her hair, but still.
Jam's hair is... well, low. I gave him a low haircut a few weeks ago because he couldn't take me combing his top fro anymore. Guess he'll never be able to handle long hair... or at least not now. :-/ All he can handle is his rat tail!
Hope you enjoyed my update. Add me on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/pages/Curls-of-Innocence/256662627753918
Last night, I washed my hair. It has been a week and a half. Been going through a lot lately, and with me being a stay home mom, sometimes my hair care is at the bottom of my list of things to complete and well, keep up with.
So it was 10:00 p.m. when I hopped in the shower, but my hair didn't take too long. I used my usual shampoo and washed my hair while it was in eight fat twists. Felt good. I rinsed and used my Tresemme conditioner, kept that on for about five minutes, and rinsed it just enough to get the bulk of it out of the twists.
I left some of the conditioner in on purpose so my hair could be easy to de-tangle and have some slip. I came out at 10:20, dried my hair with a T-shirt, moisturized my body, got dressed, and de-tangled my hair twist by twist. It was super soft and easy. I massaged my JBCO and coconut oil mix into my scalp, put some shea butter on each section, finger combed, and re-twisted. They were soft, plump, and juicy. Easy. It was 10:50 when I was done, though.
I threw my satin bonnet on for bed, went to sleep, and today, my hair feels wonderful. I love washing my hair in the twists. There are no tangles, and I don't get my everlasting shedding strands all over the tub! Instead, they end up on the floor, which I can easily sweep up instead of digging my fingernails into the drain for hair. -___-
I am still using that Dudu Osun soap for my body. It's wonderful... all natural black soap. The entire family uses it.
Currently, Syriah's hair is in semi-mini braids for the first time. They still look wonderful after almost a week. Pictures of those will come soon.
Here's a pic of how my hair looked last night after washing and de-tangling.
That's my quick little update for now. I LOVE having healthy hair!
I did this after the hair show, but I have been way too busy lately to make a post about it. As I like to do, the pictures speak for themselves. I am way proud that I have nursed Syriah's hair to full health since last year, and Jamian's is following right behind. He's okay, anyway, because he's a boy. But Syriah's hair is awesome right now.
No breakage, no split ends, no falling out, no knots, and no dandruff for miles. Oh, and it sure is growing! =) Syriah's Current Hair Care Routine: ~Hair Type: 3A-3B ~Pre-poo: Coconut oil saturation all through head for about an hour before washing ~Wash once every week with Shea Moisture Curl and Shine shampoo (because she likes to keep her precious little head on the floor, practicing gymnastics -___-)... ~Detangle afterwards with water and coconut oil, part into sections with shower comb, twist/braid the sections with my whipped shea butter (which has EVOO, coconut oil, grapeseed oil, lavender oil, and sometimes jojoba oil in it)... ~Daily Care: If we are in the house, I dampen her hair and apply the whipped shea mixture and/or coconut oil and re-twist/re-braid. Sometimes, if her hair isn't dry and frizzy, I'll just leave it alone the whole day. Less manipulation is always best. ~Outdoor Care: If we are going out, I use one of the many curl creams that I have now because of the hair show and style, trying to stick to protective styling most of the time. This can be a challenge sometimes because I have figured out how she can wear her hair out and her curls can look fresh all day, but I know her ends need to stay protected. Bad Mommy. ~Nightly Care: I dampen her hair at night (if I remember and I'm not too tired) and apply coconut oil and whipped shea butter to seal the ends. Then I put a simple stocking cap on her head. It doesn't come off in her sleep... for the most part. Her hair feels like butter the next morning, and not a tangle in sight. ~Deep Conditioning: This step is rare because her hair is so used to moisture that she hardly ever needs a deep condition. But occasionally, I do it anyway. I just use whatever deep conditioner I have lying around, which at the moment is a Tresemme Moisture Rich conditioner. It's not the best in the world, especially because it is kind of laced with chemicals like most conditioners, but it gives her hair more moisture and volume.
Doesn't do jack to my hair, considering that may hair is already way too thick on it's own. I don't need any more volume. O_O
Frankly, she doesn't need any more volume, either. She's got her daddy's silkiness and curl pattern and she got her thickness from me, even though her hair still isn't as thick as mine. Go figure.
So that's my daughter's routine for now. Sometimes, it seems like a lot, but because I am a SAHM, I can afford to spend extra time on her hair, whereas other mothers cannot. For Jamian, it's pretty much the same routine, except I don't put a stocking cap on his head because he'd probably just rip it off. I also don't have to section his hair. All he has are his little curls on the top of his head and that little rat tail, so it's pretty easy to maintain. He still hates getting his hair combed or brushed no matter what, but oh well. It's a part of life.
I am very strict about what goes onto my children's hair and skin, so I have been trying to use all natural products all throughout the border. I still use coconut oil and my whipped shea butter on Symari's delicate skin. All five of us use the same soap, a black soap from Ghana called Dudu Osun. It's so mild; it can be used on a newborn!
Of course, it's always more pricey to make adjustments to go the healthy way, but it is way more beneficial in the long run.
Well, I gotsta' go now and do a little cleaning. Can't let the house be a pigsty because I am only paying attention to everyone's hair LOL! I shall return... soon. =)
Until next time,
Peace out, curly mamas! Stay curly!
Hey, guys! I'm going to share what I've learned on my hair journey so far. It's been three years, and I've come a long way and still have an even longer way left to go. I'm not giving up! As I mentioned in the previous post, my hair texture doesn't hardly benefit from a perm anyway, so I shall never go back.
1. Transitioning your hair also means that you are transitioning your life. If you beg to differ, look at it like this... you're finding the 'black pride' within yourself, so you are becoming happy(er) about being African American. Therefore, you develop a new outlook on life that you previously did not have. 2. Technically, you do not 'go natural'; you were born natural. So you are only going back to how you came into the world, but this time, you're accepting it. 3.Water is not the devil. In fact, water is your friend, a good friend to your hair. You hear that, black women? Stop being afraid of putting water on your hair! Unless it's well, hard water...eh, not much you can do there except go buy distilled water or install a filter in your shower. Hehe. 4.Just because someone else has tried a certain routine and it has worked for them does not mean that it will work for you. Try your own regimen and don't be a follower! You'll be disappointed if your curls don't look like theirs. Talk about hating your hair all over again. Trust me. You don't want that. 5. Having several hair patterns can sometimes appear to be a curse. Literally. One side of your hair is cooperating so far, but the other side wants to act like it's on crack. Just gotta' keep working at it. 6. Trimming is not necessary to do by a certain time. Only trim as you need to, like if your ends begin to break or look split and straggly. If you trim too often, like every month, you'll never notice your hair's growth and you'll keep thinking that you're doing something wrong and that your hair isn't growing. Be patient... and drop the scissors, woman! 7.Less manipulation is best. Combing and brushing excessively is not good at all. Yes, that's for all you women who do this every day. Try to do as little combing and brushing as possible to minimize hair loss and hair breakage. Fingers have become my friend when it comes to lazy nighttime parting and taking down twists for twist-outs. I barely ever touch a comb unless it's wash/conditioning day! 8. Rock what you like and don't be afraid. If your hair is acting flat that day, wear your slick back afro-puff. If your hair is busting with volume and frizz, throw a headband on it, wear your full fro outside and be retro. Women are wearing styles from the 40's again lately, and I think it's sexy. Who cares about the freakin year? There's no law that says if a certain style hasn't been 'popular' since let's say the 60's, then you shouldn't wear it. That's how I feel about my son's rat tail, and now my hubby has a rat tail, too. Rock what you like no matter the season! 9.Commercial shampoos should be banned. Like, seriously. Those sulfates make your hair dryer than the Sahara Desert. 10. The best deep conditioners can be found right in your kitchen. You don't have to spend an arm a leg, and your head on a platter to get silky hair. Got an egg, some mayo, and some olive oil? Yeah. Sounds gross, but that stuff actually works. 11. Constant stressing over your hair won't make the problem go away. It can only make it worse... and cause it to fall out. Research the problem, do your best to fix it, and leave it alone. Chances are, your hair will cooperate in time. Again... be patient. 12. You are still going to have bad hair days. Don't think that when you go natural, the decision to stay natural will be a walk in the park. Sometimes, you're going to want to revert right back to the creamy crack. I never did, but some of you will. Don't feel bad, and don't give in. Look at YouTube videos for inspiration! LOL 13. Begin the de-tangling process before you wash your hair. If you just took down a braid out, it's going to be hard to really wash and condition your hair with knots in it. Try putting coconut oil and/or EVOO in your hair an hour before you wash it, and comb the knots out before washing. It makes it way easier, and you don't have to lose any hair, either. 14.Protein-based creams and moisturizers will always have your hair feeling like butter... unless your hair is protein sensitive. My hair loves it, soaks it up. 15.Corn braids are not the only protective style in the world! I used to think that it was, because that's all I saw in little girls' hair and I still do. In fact, corn braids are one of the worst protective styles. Yeah, they look really nice and what not, but people often braid too tight and leave the braids in way too long, neglecting the hair's need for moisture. That tight braiding allthe time can put wear and tear on your hair, and possibly create little painful, sometimes bloody bumps on your scalp. Then when you take the braids down, you have lots of hair coming out in your hand and the comb. Some parents don't realize this and they keep corn braids in their' kid's hair almost year round, over and over and they never know that the child is slowly suffering hair loss/damage. Ladies, cool down on the braids, please, and let your child's scalp breathe and be free! 16.Again, it doesn't cost a lot just to maintain healthy hair. Use natural oils, shea butter, and water. That's pretty much all you'll need. You don't have to try every new fancy product out there just to have healthy hair. Create your own concoction and work it. That's what I did, and my shea butter mixture has lasted me 3 months each time. FIVE pounds of unrefined shea butter for 17 bucks on Amazon... and lasts for 3 months... how the hell can anyone beat that!? I mean, come on ladies; let's be resourceful here, and not break the bank trying to look cute! 17. Just because something says it's organic, doesn't mean it is. Just because it says it's all natural doesn't mean anything, either. Read every ingredient, and do your research.
Okay, I'm all out of suggestions... for now. Gotta go feed my little desparatos. If I have more, I will most likely come back for a part 2 of what I've learned. Take care, curly mamas!
P.S.: Curls of Innocence is on YouTube now! Check out my first little bootleg video that I did a few weeks ago. Don't laugh at me. Hehe. Comment and subscribe! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDNOuCfqQzE
The time for the mini twists has come to an end! I tried to go for another week, but Syriah had fun at her granny's house for two days and she came back looking like a ragamuffin! I already knew that it would happen, so I prepared for a long time of taking down the twists... a dreaded process.
Come to find out that I didn't have to dread it, and it didn't even take long at all. It took me 10 minutes to safely take down 70 mini twists. I was baffled. That was it? It was easy, too. I just put some coconut oil in her hair, which is something I do before I ever wash her hair anyway. I started from the top of the twist and used my fingers to pry it apart. Easy. It didn't even get tangled. Her hair feels silky and ready to be washed, and the twist out came out fluffy and cute enough to wear outside, if we had somewhere to go today. She's proud to whip it back and forth.
I introduced her to the Willow Smith 'Whip My Hair' song and now she loves it. Go figure. I have my own personal feelings about what that song and that music video is really about, but I'm not going to deprive my kids of music where the lyrics aren't harming them. Since I love hair, why not? LOL!
So, I will be doing these twists again at some point. I don't think I'd want to try mini braids. Braids are waaaaay harder to deal with, and they take longer. I know because I grew up with mini braids. I had so much hair that my mother didn't know what to do with it sometimes, and this is way before the natural hair revolution. I wore mini braids a lot during middle school and high school because I wasn't allowed to get a perm until I was 15. It took forever to take down the braids I had, and my hair is so thick that there were probably about 200 or more of those suckers on my head. Syriah's hair is a medium thickness, which means that it's not as thick as mine is, but I still do not want to attempt mini braids any time soon, if ever. I'm quite sure that it'll take me more than 2 hours to do all that.
Therefore, I'm sticking to mini twists unless I have a change of heart, or unless I have about 5 to 6 hours to devote to doing her hair AND to making sure that they last for more than 2 weeks. If I ever do that, wish meh luck because I'm gonna' need it! Hahaha! -O____O-
So, Syriah's mini twists have been going strong. It's been a week now. For once, I don't have a picture of it. It's been kind of hectic lately and I haven't taken many pictures. But the twists are holding up. I've been wrapping them every night so far. They're getting a bit fuzzy and some of them have began unraveling, but once I used some of the Cantu natural curly cream on them, they looked fresh again. I'm hoping to go for another week of this style.
I know that they wouldn't look as bad as they do for one week if Syriah didn't insist on putting her head all over the carpet in her gymnastic attempts, but hey. She's three. I can't help that much. So maybe next time I feel like doing the mini twists, she'll be a bit older and maybe she won't be in 'headstand mode'.
Her baby sister, Symari's hair is growing like a weed. Literally. She's 2 months and her hair is already 3 and a half inches long and the thickness is out of this world. It must be what I'm doing to it... using only all natural Earth Mama baby shampoo and coconut oil in it. Everyone comments on her hair. In fact, we get great hair comments on all of our kid's hair because I try my hardest to take care of it. Now I have to work on other areas of their little lives, like getting them something new and fun to do every day/week. -__-
Until next time, curly mamas! =)
Hiya, guys! I've been doing more research on coconut oil. I've done this before already; I use it in my shea butter mixture. But lately, I've been using it on skin as well. It's awesome.
Sometimes, if it's not extremely hot in the house, the shea butter doesn't 'melt' enough on it's own to be soft, soft enough to spread easily onto skin. Microwaving it repeatedly will eventually make it lose it's properties, so I don't even do it. Plus, I make it in a glass jar, and I don't exactly feel comfortable putting glass in the microwave for a long time. I get this feeling like the glass will somehow crack, and then when I open the microwave, it'll explode in my face or something. The jar I use is, well, huge. I wouldn't want that exploding on me. That'll be the end of my eyes. O_O
So, on those days I feel overworked and I give the kids quick showers one at a time or even when they have 20 minute baths together, I use something that's much easier and faster to spread onto their skin. Coconut oil is perfect for that. I used to use EVOO for their skin, before I ever created a shea butter mixture. But I like coconut oil better, and it smells awesome. It's so light and absorbs easily. And it's also edible, so I won't freak out when my greedy two-year old son licks whatever I moisturize his face with it.
Of course, EVOO is edible too, but it doesn't taste good. Then again, this little boy eats anything. Literally. -___-
I even use it for little baby Mari's body and hair. She's almost two months now. She has so much hair already and I plan to keep it very healthy by using natural products from the start.
I like the fact that this oil has certain acids that have antimicrobial properties which help prevent hair loss. People from all around the world use it in their hair, places like India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, etc. It melts easily, maintains moisture, prevents dandruff, and is great for styling purposes. I'm glad that I can find coconut oil right in the supermarket. I hadn't realized that before, but recently I found it right in the oil section! The first batch I'd bought came from Amazon, and I paid about $6.99 plus shipping. That's too much... heck to the no!
I was relieved to see it for sale somewhere I go every week, so no shipping costs. Yay!
So, that's my little coconut oil review. Tip of the Day: If you're looking for a light carrier oil, something not too heavy or sticky or weird smelling, try coconut oil. Make sure you get one that's unrefined/virgin/unprocessed. They should all mean the same thing. Hopefully. You never know sometimes. You can also use this oil for conditioning purposes, as in leaving it in your hair for one or two hours before shampooing it. I tried that and it worked like a charm. My hair was lighter and fluffier. If you want to avoid shipping costs, check your local supermarket. You might get lucky. =)
Peace out, curly mamas!
P.S.: I've recently started my personal Facebook account over, so the Curls of Innocence page that's affiliated with that page might go bye-bye when I officially delete the account. Not sure. As of now, I don't think there's a way of transferring it. I will let you guys know if I restart the COI page so people can continue to follow me.
Sigh... so my daughter has not made her grand entrance yet. I'm almost 40 weeks now for the first time ever. It's completely new to me because I've never gone past 38 weeks. It's been absolutely miserable because I want to have a VBAC and not another C-section, and I don't want to be artificially induced, either. Oh well. Just have to keep waiting. >_<
Anyway, I thought I might as well share a few hair things. The newest shea butter that I created about three weeks ago was a bigger success than the last ones I've whipped up, and I'm assuming that's because I used more oils. Also, this time, I used my hand to whip the stuff and didn't even bother with the blender, so I avoided another mess. It was much easier this time, because I was trying to figure out how to make the butter stay softer after it sits for a while. I mean, it's always going to harden up, but it always hardens to where it isn't easy to get out of the jar. This time, I think I actually figured out how to make it stay softer. =)
I loved the consistency of it after it was done. Super silky. As you can see in the pic above, I added EVOO, grapeseed oil, jojoba oil, coconut oil (new ingredient), and my classic lavender oil for smell. Because I used coconut oil, the butter smells like both coconut and lavender, which is even more awesome. I was very proud of my mixture this time around.
We've been using it on our skin and hair and it's super awesome! Syriah's hair stays moisturized, not greasy, as long as I don't overload it. Tip of the Day:Don't focus so much on curls! A lot of mothers are worried about finding their daughter's curl patterns and keeping it curly by all means necessary, even if it means sacrificing moisture. But moisture is the key to retaining length, that plus protective styling, little to no combing, all natural products, and covering the hair at night. Stop worrying so much about keeping your child's hair out and wild just to show off the curl pattern. What's best for a little girl is to keep her ends sealed with oil and protected so that the ends won't get shabby and broken. I had to learn that myself because last year, Syriah's hair health was horrible compared to now... massive split and broken ends, dry ends, dry scalp. Good thing she's not tenderheaded and never cries when I comb her hair, no matter how nappy it may have gotten. Once you find her curl pattern, study it and work with it, but it's not good to keep her hair out and free all the time just to show the curl pattern. You're only going to cause yourself more trouble in the long run. When it's time to de-tangle her hair, you'll have her running for the hills. LOL!
So, there's my little update. I'm just waiting for this baby to come so she can have the best all natural start as far as everything. She's going to be 'naturally spoiled'! We've got this stuff, natural shampoos, natural toothpastes, cloth diapers, cloth wipes, and also a wipes warmer that I've always wanted for my other two children. Hopefully she'll arrive before our anniversary in two days... or at least on it. Wouldn't that be a nice anniversary present? <3
Updates will come when I have something new to share. Stay motivated, curly mamas!
