Braids & Bubbles Protective Style, Girls' Hair Updates

Hey, curly mamas!
I did this simple hairstyle on Symari about two weeks ago. I've never done this bubble technique on her for some reason, just never got around to it. Initially, I didn't know what to do with her hair after I did the cornbraids. I was going to leave it out, or just braid the three pieces together.

But I saw the rubberbands, and had an idea to do the simple bubble technique. It came out well. Of course, her hair isn't as thick, so the 'bubbles' aren't going to 'pop' as well as it would someone with thick, dense hair, but it worked, anyway. She was happy. See the full video here:

Her hair's thriving right now and I'm happy. Even with all the other heads in the house that I'm trying to keep up with, hers is doing well. It still gets dry and almost matted if not pinned into a style. Leaving it out is rare, because after one day of her sleeping on it, it's already tangled and dried up!

If you're looking for a simple protective style for girls, you can try this. Don't worry; you don't have to cornbraid if you don't know how! This can be done even with flat twists or just doing regular ponytails in the bubble style. Either way, it'll be cute. Just make sure that their hair is properly moisturized (LOC method) prior to 'banding' it up.

 Syriah's 3A-3B hair is also doing much better since her 8 inch cut.

Stay tuned for further updates! See the website for MORE.

The Pressure to Weave? O_o

Hola, curlies! Today, I want to talk about protective styling. Of course, this is a popular topic among the natural hair community. Everyone has their different ways of doing protective styling, from braids, twists, buns, cornrows, updos, tuck and pins, and several others. Protective styling is simply a method that protects the precious ends of your hair from the outside elements, therefore preventing breakage and dryness. It's very beneficial, and long term usage of PSing (protective styling) helps to retain length to your tresses due to lack of constant manipulation. This is how dreadlocks grow so long; they never have to be touched.
But the problem that I have been facing lately is that some women think that the only way to fully protect their hair is to rock weaves. Everybody and their mamas (literally) are getting weaves as their summer style. A lot of them believe that that is the only way.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking the weaves. They are cute and stylish, but they are not for me. I'm just not into the fakeness. I believe that if you have the ability to grow your hair, you shouldn't be trying to rock someone else's. If you know me personally, you know that I'm a die-hard natural, and I don't just mean with my hair. I mean with everything I do. I don't wear make-up, mascara, fake nails, fake eyebrows, all that junk. I try to eliminate every unnatural chemical/compound from my life that I possibly can... that's just me. I even make my own toothpaste and deodorant, for crying out loud. Weaves are just not for me. I have never worn one, and never will.

"Never say never!"
Yeah, right; try me. >_>

Anyway, I understand that most people don't have time to do much with their natural hair when they are running out the door to work and what not. I don't have a problem with people wearing weaves sometimes. As long as it isn't something that's too tight on your scalp, then cool. But people who wear weaves back to back as their PS... that's just not cool. Your hair doesn't have any time to breathe and recover. That's still constant manipulation, whether you know it or not. Women fall in love with the length that they retain from wearing weaves, but they can lose that length if there is constant stress on the scalp from heavy fake hair. I just don't like people being pressured with it just because you don't have to really do your hair for like a month or so. Your real hair still needs pampering. I would never go an entire month without washing my hair or at least putting water on it.
At least with a wig, you can just take it off and tend to your real hair. Wigs look more fake, but you can still do your thing so that you don't lose the length of your hair. Weaves are cool, but don't let that make you lose your hair underneath. No need to look cute for two months and end up bald in the process. O_O;

Weave Facts: Pros & Cons
1. Extensions are made up of synthetic fibers that normally aren't very heavy on your head.
2. Women don't have as much time to go to salons as they used to, so often a weave is the way to go.
3. Most weaves are very low-maintenance.
4. You can experiment with weaves, which means you can try that new color that you're afraid to use on your real hair.
5. Weaves made up of real hair look more natural and can be styled as if it were your own hair.
6. You should still shampoo and condition weaves as if were your own hair.
7. Watch your hairline when wearing tight extensions. You can lose your edges over time.
8. Think about the principle of the matter. There are jokes about horses going naked (LOL) because of their tails being snipped, but it's true. There are men in India and other countries, voluntarily chopping off women's ponytails against their will to sell to the US for money. Yes, all because we want to have that 'good hair'. Demoralizing a woman so another woman millions of miles away can look cute with HER hair. That's just so wrong on many, many levels.

So before you try to wear a weave, think about why you really want to. If you know for a fact that you will miss your real hair within two weeks and have to take it down, then don't do it. If you're only getting one because all your friends have cute microbraids or Havana twists and you feel left out, don't do it. It's only peer pressure. Don't let anyone force you into getting a weave if you know that technically, it's not your thing. And don't pressure anyone else into getting one, either. After all, it's not your head. If you love weaves to death, keep doing your thing. Just don't pressure anyone else with it!

Be like Shameless Maya... Do you, boo! ;)

Until next time, curlies!

~Epic Realist~

More styles like this at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Curls-of-Innocence/256662627753918?ref=hl

Overnight Oil Treatment

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

~Epic Realist~

Hair Tip #1

Today's Hair Tip: PLEASE pay attention to what you are using in your child's hair. It DOES make all the difference. Stay away from SULFATES, parabens, petroleum, and MINERAL OIL.
I will emphasize sulfates and mineral oil because those two things combined will have your child's hair screaming for epic moisture penetration. Mineral oil and petroleum are basically the same thing, so just be careful. Trust me. Been there, done that, got the T-shirt and the head band, too. ;) #hairtips

~Epic Realist~

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Mineral Oil...Do or Do Not?

Hey, ladies! Today's topic is a hot topic among naturals lately. It's our famous mineral oil.
Oh, the horror! How dare you speak such blasphemy! (covers mouth in shock)
So we probably all know by now that mineral oil, (aka baby oil) has gotten a very bad rap in the natural community. Some people still swear by it; others avoid it like the plague. Mineral oil is a super cheap form of liquid petroleum (Vaseline) that is supposed to seal moisture in to our skin and hair. But some people debate that it's the opposite.
Frankly, I don't really care. If it works for your hair, then by all means, stick with it. Me, personally, I hate the stuff. Before I became fully natural and I was stretching my perms by 6 months or so, I went through pink lotion like water. I had to use it every night when I got home from college or wherever I'd gone because my stringy, processed twist outs and braid outs were parched dry again. I used it every night to re-twist or re-braid my hair, but it was never as moist as I hoped it would be. It would always be dry by like, mid day. I wasn't doing much protective styling because I didn't know about that then, but either way, I didn't like the ingredients on the bottles of these products. However, there are some people who use it consistently and they still have healthy looking hair going down their back. O_O
I don't use mineral oil because I don't believe that it works for me. It isn't natural and in my opinion, does nothing but sit on your hair and prevent water from getting in. Then it takes a sulfate shampoo to wash these chemicals out, and I REFUSE to go back to using sulfates on my hair. It's been doing so well without it. I believe that once you go natural, there are certain things that you can always go without. Mineral oil is one of them.
It's basically Vaseline. I've never liked using Vaseline as a lotion. Yeah, it makes your skin all shiny and supple for the time being, but I always knew, even when I was younger, that it was unnatural and it was only 'sitting' on my skin. I'm a huge lotion fanatic... mostly because one of my biggest pet peeves is dry skin. I HATE dry skin... any form of it. Dandruff... ick. It just looks like dirt to me. When I saw lotions or hair products not holding in moisture, the first thing I used to look at were the ingredients. Mineral oil was always on the list. These commercial lotions out there... Vaseline, Jergens, St. Ives, even the awesome smelling lotions from places like Bath and Body Works or The Body Shop... all laced with mineral oil. They don't seal in moisture. It's only an illusion of it being a sealant.
If it's a lotion and it's job is to seal in moisture and keep it there at least for an entire day, then you shouldn't be ashy by 2:00.
So, I don't use anything with mineral oil in it. Not because I'm bashing anyone who does; it just doesn't work for me. For body lotion now, I either use a natural oil or I use my whipped shea butter that I can use for hair AND body. I like being versatile with my beauty products. My whipped shea butter will keep me and kid's skin moisturized for at least TWO whole days. They're not ashy when they get up in the morning, which has been such a blessing to me. Like I said, I HATE dry skin. I even hate it when my hands are super dry because my nails feel scratchy. Then I don't want to touch anything because it'll give me the 'nails on a chalkboard' feeling, even if I'm not scratching anything. Eh, I'm just weird like that. But I like that about myself. You won't catch me or my kids being ashy, unless I was just lazy that day or forgot to moisturize.
Other beauty products have mineral oil in them as well, like make up, lipstick (I think), facial cleansers, and lip gloss. I don't use make up at all anyway, and I am on the hunt right now for an all natural lip gloss/lipstick besides my trusty coconut oil. ;-) Same goes for my facial cleanser. Right now, I use my trusty Dudu Osun black soap for my face and it's doing just fine.

I've pretty much eliminated the stuff from any regimen of mine, and I am happy to have done so. Do or do not? I do not!

Questions? Comments? Hit me up here or somewhere else. =)

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Peace out, curly mamas!

~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~

Coconut Oil Review!

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.

~Epic Realist~

New Hairstyles and... Dandruff?

So, I've been doing it up with Sy's hair lately. Random hairstyles. I have to find time to put the pics together and update them here. Sometimes it takes forever. I'll have several new styles siting on my computer for weeks at a time because I'm so busy and tired lately. But I have some to show now... finally. Hope you enjoy!

The second style on the first pic was when her hair was straight, and so was the second picture. I had never gotten a 'perfect' curved part before, so I surprised myself when I actually got it. So she had an S for her name. She loved it!
Now I need to practice my cornbraiding. I put cornbraids in Sy's hair recently, but they were a bit sloppy looking. Her hair is so silky. What makes it worse is that I can't stand doing anything on dry hair anymore, so I have to put something on her hair to moisturize before braiding. My hands are always slipping all over the place. Sigh... practice makes perfect. lol
I made another batch of my shea mixture a few days ago, and I added another ingredient... honey. Just wanted to try it out. I don't notice a difference in texture, but that's probably a good thing.
Tip of the Day: Best way to combat dandruff is to of course, constantly moisturize! By moisturize, I mean water and water-based natural oils or products. I've heard that tea tree oil works great; haven't used it yet, though. DO NOT use anything with petroleum jelly. It will only clog your pores and make your hair and scalp feel overly greasy, and it will attract dirt as well. So all you grease lovers... yeah. Back away from the Blue Magic and grab some EVOO and water! If your daughter has excessive dandruff, any type of grease will probably make it worse. I know it did back in the day when I used to use grease. Oh, and gentle brushing will definitely help. Use a boar's head brush only. It's soft and gentle to the scalp and the dandruff will fall right out.
Syriah barely has dandruff anymore because of how I moisturize her hair. I might see some flakes in her hair like, once a week, and that's usually before hair wash day.
Alrighty guys, I'm out. Enjoy the hairstyles. Tips? Comments? Let me know! =)
Peace out, curly mamas!
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Shea Butter and What Nots

New Facebook Timeline cover! https://www.facebook.com/pages/Curls-of-Innocence/256662627753918

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!