Curly Clan Wash Day Diary: Part 1

Today,  I washed someone's hair! One of the kids, of course. Can you guess who it was? Can you?
Okay, that was a little lame. LOL! It was Jamian's little curls. His hair was very dirty. In the last video I did of him, I didn't exactly get around to washing his hair yet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-x_-WTHPeFE

 So this was the last video before the one I filmed this afternoon. I wanted to use one of the million sample hair products that I had gotten from the hair show, so I fished around for a shampoo packet. I couldn't find one! I only found the 10 in 1 Shea Moisture renewal shampoo and deep conditioner packet that I was reserving to use on myself. I have tried the deep co before, and I loved it. But the sample packet was way too little to ever use on my hair, even though the shampoo was extremely sudsy on Jam's hair. So I ended up using that shampoo and the deep co on him. It was so soft and wonderful!
Afterwards, I used the Taliah Waajid Easy Herbal Comb Out in his hair as a wash and go style. I have used this stuff in the past, and it's absolutely wonderful for detangling! However, his hair didn't even need much detangling considering that I finger detangled his hair in the shower with the shampoo and the deep co, because it had sooooo much wonderful slip to it. This Shea Moisture line is the bomb, yo! I need to buy some more of this stuff whenever possible. Whenever Walgreens has another 50% of sale. Hehe.
I'll be editing the video of this wash day very soon, so stay tuned for part 2 and more pics and vids! ;)
Peace out, curly mamas!

Oh! And take a peek at my latest homeschooling video if you're interested.

                                                         ~Epic Realist~
                            IG: epic.realist

          P.S.: Have you seen my new channel update? 

Avoiding Fairy Knots & Splits

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! ;)

~Epic Realist~

 

First ACV Rinse and LENGTH CHECK!

Heya, curlies! Today is Halloween, but I don't really celebrate that, so sorry; I don't have any Halloween hair ideas or anything. lol
I want to talk about my first ACV rinse that I did in my hair, and my length check!
Video is self explanatory... wish I could embed the YouTube one here but for some reason, that never works out for me in blogger... no clue why. Enjoy, though! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dc2lVD8IzvY

ACV is an abbreviation for apple cider vinegar, commonly used by naturals for cleansing the hair of everything in a natural way. ACV also balances the pH of your hair, which in turn makes your curls 'pop'. It closes your cuticles as well... I'm honestly not sure how good that is for your scalp, but that's one of the attributes. ACV is gaining popularity because of the extremely clean feeling it leaves your hair with.
Now don't get me wrong, the stuff stinks to high heavens. When I first heard of it, I was like, apple cider vinegar? I didn't think vinegar belonged in hair! But there are studies that say that vinegar itself is awesome for a total clean.
So I went to Walmart and found the cheapest bottle of ACV I could find. I don't remember the price (I bought it last month), but it was between 5-7 bucks in the salad dressing aisle. I just used it for the first time this Sunday, and it was amazing!
First, I washed my hair with a cheap (VO5) sulfate shampoo to get the last two weeks of gunk out of my hair. I did this over the kitchen sink because I didn't feel like hopping in the shower at the time. Then I mixed the ACV in a small dispenser bottle with less ACV than water, then shook it up. I hated the smell; it smelled like rotten apples that had been sitting in a dumpster for months! >_< Then little by little, I squirted the mixture onto my my whole head, scalp and all. I massaged it in for about five minutes, then rinsed it out. The smell was barely there anymore after rinsing, and my hair felt amazing!

The curls were seriously popping, and I was able to see every hair texture in my head! I have several hair textures. My new red color was popping, too. My scalp felt a little dry, but overall super CLEAN! I love the feeling that the ACV left me with.

Now of course, I wasn't going to leave my hair like this, so I applied my oil mixture to my hair (EVOO, peppermint oil, castor oil) rubbed that in, then applied my Shea Moisture Deep Treatment Masque. I love this stuff; it's so buttery and soft. I like to use it as a leave in. My hair stays incredibly soft when I do that. SO I just twisted and did bantu knots around my head, de-tangling each section while doing so.

Hardly NO hair came out in the detangling process. I was amazed! My hair shed way more than this last week when I washed. I don't know if it was the ACV that prevented the shedding or what, but it's now part of my monthly routine. Probably instead of using a sulfate shampoo monthly to cleanse my hair, I'll use the ACV instead. Hooray for more discoveries! ;)

Hope you guys enjoyed this post! What are your experiences with ACV? How does your hair like it? Tell meh here or on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/pages/Curls-of-Innocence/256662627753918?ref=hl

Until next time, curly mamas! Peace!

~Epic Realist~

╰☆╮The Origin of CI and Other Random Hair News

Heya, curlies! I'm not going to write a long post here, because this video that I created is self-explanatory. It's the origin of this company, basically how it was founded, how I came up with it and all of the artwork that I have done for this website. It's my longest video yet, but I hope you enjoy anyway! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Itjls49tWFc

P.S.: I did mini braids in my hair again! I'm going to make this a habit now to do them at least every other month to retain length and (try to) keep my hands out of my hair so much. Because I'm home a lot, all I have time to do is play with my hair. No bueno. :/
I cornbraided my dad's hair the other day. It was so challenging because it was the nappiest head I've ever worked in! I say that as if I'm a hair stylist who's done thousands of heads... not the case. But he has natural hair (only on the sides of his head because of male pattern baldness) that he doesn't know how or have time to take care of properly, so it gets SUPER dry and knotted up. Took me 30 minutes to detangle each section I worked in, and it still had knots. Beautiful Textures Tangle Taming leave in was a miracle for his hair; it was so matted!
Oh, well, I tried. Still came out okay. These braids will probably be in his head for another month. LOL!

Taliah Waajid World Natural Hair Show is coming up on October 12-13th! Omg, I can't wait! I hope that I can go, because life has thrown me lots of curveballs lately and I'm not sure if I will make it for transportation AND financial reasons. But if so, I will be uber happy.

That's it for my little random update. Peace out til later, folks!

~Epic Realist~

Conair Paddle Brush Review

Hola, curlies! I purchased a new brush yesterday. I haven't bought a new brush in years. I have two other really soft brushes, but I have been really wanting to try a de-tangling brush, aka paddle brush. So I came across an epically cute one in Publix for four bucks and just had to have it!

As you can see, it's way too pink and adorable to pass up. Hubby let me have it. Yay!

 I was very excited to try it, so during Syriah's bath, I co-washed her hair with my trusty Tresemme conditioner. As it sat on her hair, I smoothed it through with my fingers first and then began to use the new brush.
Let me tell you, it was AWESOME! It smoothed through her hair like melting butter and every tangle was GONE. I was somewhat afraid to try it, because usually when you see a brush like this, you automatically think 'white people brush' lol! But lately, a lot of black people with mega thick hair have been using these types of brushes without their hair breaking off, probably because we are learning how to take care of our kinks so they won't be so nappy when it's time to comb or brush.
I think that this type of brush is great for people with type 3 hair. I'm not sure about type 4, although I've heard of some using them and were fine. But so far, I love it on Syriah's silky hair. I tried it on mine this morning when my hair was damp. I re-twisted my twists with shea butter, and de-tangled every section with this brush. My curls were tangle free and defined. Yes, some hair did come out when I used it, but my hair is falling out anyway at the moment due to either stress, thyroid issues, or both. Sigh...
I will also be using this brush for even distribution of natural oils and also for massaging my scalp. Woo hoo!
-Conair Impressions Detangle and Style Paddle brush: A+ + +!
I will keep testing this brush out because I do know that you have to keep trying something to be sure that it's working for you. Long term use could be detrimental if you're not paying attention to the signs. I'll have to see that after using this brush for a period of time that Syriah and I don't develop split ends from it (like the horrible reviews that I've heard from the Tangle Teaser). I haven't seen split ends in my hair for about a year now and I'm not going to start back seeing them now. :-) Syriah hasn't had split ends since she was two and she'll be four in March. So, yeah. If I see one split end on either of our heads, this brush may be to blame. I've worked too hard on our hair so far to damage it all over again because of a brush.
So, that's my little review. I say give this brush a try and use on wet hair for best results.

Peace out, curlies!

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~Epic Realist~

After Shower Routine

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!

Peace out, curly mamas!

~Epic Realist~

Epic Dryness! O_O

The weather has been wrecking havoc on our hair lately. It's abnormally cold here in Georgia this year so far, and I'm trying to keep my hair and Syriah's hair pinned in up and moisturized at all times. Definitely no fros!

I love trying out new random styles in Syriah's hair. It seems like I never do the same style twice... except if it's just two strand twists for bedtime. Haha!
We're all struggling through a bad cold at the moment, yes, all five of us, so I've been slacking with everything. But I shall get back on things soon enough!
For the dryness, I've been doing the simple stuff... my shea butter and water. I spritz distilled water on the hair until it's damp, and use the shea butter mix to twist. With my hair, I don't have time to take down my twists every minute and re-do them. So I just spritz my hair while it's in twists, rub the shea butter on my palms, and smooth it into my hair. Very little manipulation. If Syriah's twists are not too frizzy, I'll do the same for her.
Last week, I washed my hair with fat twists still in for the first time. It greatly helped. I didn't have to worry about serious detangling, and the massive hair loss that I've been going through did not show up in the shower drain again. I washed and conditioned with the twists in, so when I was done, it was easy to apply shea butter and re-twist while wet.
I think that I will be sticking to this for the winter... or at least for now. Thanks to YouTube, once again!
Oh, and I ordered more of the Jamaican black castor oil!  Kinky Curly Coily Me (https://www.facebook.com/KinkyCurlyCoilyMe?fref=ts) is having a castor oil winter challenge starting in December and I have joined. I really want to see how castor oil grows your hair.
There's been a huge rave about this stuff, and I just ran out of the one that I'd bought at the hair show. I had already seen some growth then! My edges have gotten thicker since using it. I'm already amazed. Ha! Maybe it'll make my hair stop shedding. Hopefully.

Peace out, curlies!

~Epic Realist~

Hair and... Politics!?

I do not view going natural as a political statement, because frankly, I do not care about politics. I believe that politics are fake, and that they only portray into the media what they want the masses to believe.

I went natural for two reasons. For one, I was sick and tired of society's view on bashing black women who did not keep their hair straight and 'manageable', and secondly, I already had a passion for 'naturalness' my whole life but I didn't really know it yet.

I got tired of buying lotions and hair creams that 'didn't work' for my hair and skin because they were full of chemicals. I would complain to my sister about commercial lotions that we'd buy and use, and the next day, we were so ashy, it was as if we put nothing on at all. 

I would get utterly frustrated when I got a cream for my hair, lather my hair in it, twist or braid it up, and the next day, it would be as dry as the Sahara Desert. When I did get perms, I only got them every 4-6 months, so I was pretty much wearing my hair natural and curly, anyway. I went to college with my hair still wet a lot, and people called me 'white girl' because my hair was long and wet, and still looking good, even though it was damaged. So 'big chopping' after transitioning for two years wasn't hard for me and it wasn't a hassle. 

I did, however, have to learn how to really take care of it, and that's what I continuously do today.

The rise of natural hair products has definitely made me feel better as a black woman, knowing that we no longer have to succumb to buying crap in the stores because that's all there is. We can wear our natural hair as we have been so afraid to do for years and not have it break off due to overuse of parabens, sulfates, and petroleum.

Going natural is like going on a choosing a healthier diet; you cut out a lot of the bad things, but you have to learn what healthy things you should substitute for and put into your body as well as how to care for your body. You can't just say, I want to eat healthier but I'm not going to research how to do it, so you continue to eat the same way and not exercise. Sorry, not going to work. You won't get anywhere anytime soon with that kind of mentality. 

It may seem that going natural is harder than being relaxed, because in a way, it is. Everything that we are supposed to be doing right is automatically going to be harder. That's just life. We were born natural, so taking care of our curls is what we were born to do. Growing your own food will automatically be harder than just going to the supermarket and picking up any type of food you want with no hassle, because that's the way the world was originally supposed to work. We've just gotten lazy over the centuries, and we don't want to do any more work then what we are allotted to do. Constantly spritzing, detangling, moisturizing, twisting, parting, and styling seems to be harder than just going to the salon for a relaxer every six weeks or so, but that route has it's share of hard work as well. 

Technically, your hair may require more care with a relaxer than our natural curls, only because the chemicals wear our hair down, but hey. Either way you rock your hair is still work to look nice and be as healthy as we can.

Natural hair maintenance can be super hard work, but it's worth it, ladies! Peace out till later, curly mamas! https://www.facebook.com/pages/Curls-of-Innocence/256662627753918

~Epic Realist~

Kid's Length Checks and Routines (Oct. 2012)

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!

~Epic Realist~