WATCH ME Take Out My Twists!

Hey, guys!
Do you ever find yourself just watching random vids with people chatting about random topics? Well, I did a video where I was taking out my twists, my 'mini twists' while talking about nothing in particular. I'm sure you'll find it entertaining. Well, at least I hope so. Hehe.

I talk about how I did the twists, a few fears of mine, and shortly demonstrate how to play a phone game app called "Mystic Messenger". The video is quite long, but I hope you enjoy it!

                                             ~Curls of Innocence~
                  www.curlsofinnocence.com

Wash & Go Love!

I love my hair lately! I've been doing a ton of wash and gos because of time.
I'm in love with the Extreme Wetline gel. I've always heard raves about it, but I finally tried it and it's even better than the EcoStyler gels as far as wash and gos go!
"As far as wash and gos go..." okay, that sounds very weird. LOL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkwCd93i0Os

I don't regret buying this stuff at all. I am totally loving it. But of course, I use an oil on my hair prior to using it. The first time I tried it, I didn't put on oil my HAIR; I put it on my SCALP only. I regretted that because my hair was super crunchy. Leave ins didn't work well with this gel. Made those annoying white flakes. LOL



 


 After rocking wash and gos for about a month now, I started back doing my twists. I actually missed doing twists and twist outs, which was shocking because I was getting bored of them before.
But the cooler weather approaches, so I'll be doing more protective styles, anyway. Yay! lol

What do you use for your wash and gos? How will you be protecting your hair this winter?

 ~Curls of Innocence~

curlsofinnocence.com

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~

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~

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~

Avoiding/Removing Rubber Bands

Hey, peeps! I've been slowly getting back to 'hair life' after having another baby, so I created another random twist hairstyle on Syriah. Yes, I know rubber bands aren't the best things to use, but there is a 'right' way to use them.
Some people say it's best to soak them in olive oil before using them, so that they don't pull your daughter's hair out. They swear by it. I don't exactly do that, but my method also works. All I do is completely de-tangle and moisturize Sy's hair before even applying the rubber bands, usually using my shea butter mixture or a Shea Moisture cream. I don't leave the rubber bands in her hair for more than two days, unless they're on the ends of her hair to hold beads in place or something. Also, before I take them out, I put some kind of oil on her hair to loosen up the rubber bands, and then later on slip them off. It's easy and they don't get tangled in her hair at all. The rubber bands are so slippery, I can take them off the same exact way I put them in with no tangles or tears.

I don't even use rubber bands a lot anyway; I mostly use the Goody brand ponytail holders. Those don't even come close to getting stuck in hair. LOL!
I've seen women who swear that rubber bands make their girl's hair grow, and that couldn't be more far from the truth. No hair accessory 'makes' your hair grow. They can either stimulate your scalp in a good way or a bad way, and it's usually more bad than good. Having those tight little things on your scalp all the time isn't good for anyone. Your daughter will lose more hair than she will gain. The rubber slowly eats away at your hair cuticles and there will be a lot of breakage.
Tip of the Day: Whatever your method is as far as rubber bands, just be careful. Never yank or pull them out because they will cause breakage. You may not see it, but you will over time. I don't understand why some mothers continue to use rubber bands excessively... using them on dry hair... and then pulling them out only to apply more for the next week. Elastics tend to do the same thing, but they are a tad bit gentler. I don't use them because Sy's hair is way to silky to even hold those things. They come right out every time!
Oh, and don't buy hair ties with metal on them. Those can also get stuck in your hair and pull it out slowly. I don't buy anything with metal on it... haven't done so in years. When you know better, you should always do better. We're all obviously trying to achieve healthier hair, or you wouldn't be on this blog in the first place. So let's practice healthier hair management! =)

Until later, curly mamas! Hope everyone has a great day.
~Epic Realist~
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