Taking Down the Mini Twists!

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-

~Epic Realist~

Mini Twist Update

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! =)

~Epic Realist~

First Mini Twists!

So, I finally tried mini twists on Syriah's hair. I washed her hair and used only my shea butter mixture on her wet hair, detangled, parted with my fingers, and began to do the tiniest twists I'd ever done. It was kind of fun. It took 2 hours, which is less than what I thought it would have taken.

I did pretty well, and I'm hoping that this lasts about 3 weeks. This is a very effective protective style, and if you have time, it's good to do if you don't feel like doing your daughter's hair every day or every other day. I love seeing her flip the twists back and forth!
I've been wrapping it every time she lays down for bed or to take a nap, and it's going quite well so far. Like the picture says, let's see how long this lasts!

Peace out till later, curly mamas! =)

Cool Curly Styles!

Hiya, curly mamas! Here is a picture of two new random styles that I did in Syriah's hair. I'm not very good with corn braids, but I'm getting better each time. I need to practice more so I can really work some magic. 

The only products I used were water and my shea mutter mixture. They both lasted about three days. This is why I say I suck at corn braids. They're supposed to last longer than that, but I didn't do them small enough and they're not tight enough, either. :-/
Here is another Shea Moisture style I did. This actually lasted for several days, up until I had to wash her hair. I love that Coconut and Hibiscus shampoo they have. It's sulfate free, smells great, and full of organic ingredients only. Oh, and it enhances curls. The only problem that I've ever had with this stuff is that when it sits for a few weeks and you take a sniff of it, it may start to smell 'mucky' and weird. Anyone else have this problem? I'm quite sure it isn't just me. O_o

I love photography and I love hair; why not mix the two? Before I started this blog, I had a photography brand called 'Colors of Innocence' instead of 'Curls of Innocence'. I would take pictures and enhance them, and experiment on other people's children as well. But since I discovered that I had a passion for natural hair, I changed the name and incorporated the two.
I should have known that I had a passion for this stuff when I was a teenager. I would take forever doing my hair in the morning, even though hey, what young girl doesn't? I also had a passion for lotion and cosmetics. I LOATHE dry skin and dandruff, so I always tried to stay 'silky smooth'. I would get excited to try a new product then, only to realize that it didn't 'cure' my dandruff or my dry skin. So, today, I've created the shea butter stuff, which works for both hair and skin. Take that, you petroleum-paraben-and-sulfate-laced lotions and hair creams! Haha!
But I mostly loved doing little girl's hair. I adore the cute styles and the versatility. My mom used to babysit this pair of two-year-old twin girls a long time ago, and their mother never really had time to do their hair in the morning. The poor kids looked like ragamuffins. LOL! So I started doing their hair, and their mother actually appreciated it.
It was fun because both girls had two different hair textures. One's hair was thin and silky, the other's was thicker and dryer. I loved playing in their hair. Now I have my own daughters to play with! Can't wait for baby Symari to get older so I can see what type of hair she has. So far, Syriah and Jam have the same exact type.
Anyway, enjoy the styles! I'll be posting more very soon. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below. Also, join our Facebook page! =) http://www.facebook.com/pages/Curls-of-Innocence/256662627753918?ref=hl

Peace out, curly mamas! <3

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~