Protective Styles, Shea Butter Smiles, and Hair for Miles

Hey! I wanted to post these new protective styles that I came up with in the last two or three weeks for Syriah's hair. I love experimenting and playing in her hair and being creative. I'm naturally a very creative person, so why not use some of that creativity for hair?
The last style is the best because all of her ends are protected, which of course, is the best way to do a protective style. The cold months are approaching, and I need to have her hair as well as mine pinned up more, out of the crisp fall air to prevent more dryness.
This second picture is my third ever batch of shea butter... it's only my third because I buy five pounds of unrefined shea butter at one time. I use about two pounds and store the rest for later. In all, it takes about 4-5 months for every drop of it to be gone. But that's a great thing, because it lasts forever and it's used for hair and skin. This stuff's gonna' be great for winter skin.
This time, it has the shea butter, coconut oil, Jamaican black castor oil, EVOO, grapeseed oil, and the usual lavender oil. The castor oil is a new addition. I hear that it's GREAT for hair growth.
I mixed it a different way this time... I melted all the shea butter in the oven down to a complete oil, and then I added the other oils. I hand whipped the stuff (because I didn't feel like using my blender, so darn hard to clean this stuff out of it) for a long time... about 5 minute intervals for about 15 minutes. My hands felt like they were about to fall off, but it was great exercise. I see what the women from back in the day went through when they hand-mixed things... but they had a hell of a strong arm!
I honestly didn't think that it would stay soft, but it finally did! I completed my quest for getting shea butter to remain soft daily! As you can see in the picture, the result was still super soft a week later, and it's still soft now. It's an awesome consistency. Woo hoo I did it! So proud of myself.
Now if only I could find this same enthusiasm when I need to mix something to eat, I'd be a great baker. But I'm just not much of a sweets person. Sue meh.

Oh, and one more picture. MY length check. I had done the kid's checks but I hadn't done mine. I finally got a clear chance to get my husband to take a good picture of my hair from behind while I held it. I didn't realize that I was almost BSL (bra strap length)!
Even though my hair has been shedding like a cat because of what I think may be an under active thyroid problem, my hair has still been growing like a weed. Very grateful for hair that grows no matter what. Hubby and I have always had fast growing hair, so yeah, the kids... no comment.
Woe unto me if we have another girl one day. Gonna' have to put daddy on hair duty... teach him how to do some simple, cute styles and help a sister out! LOL!
 Syriah's hair is actually getting thicker and thicker by the day... Yikes!
Well, that's all for now, folks. Gotta go feed the little boogers lunch. Working on revamping my schedule so I can have more time for myself in the morning and what not. Peace out, curly mamas!

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~Epic Realist~

Dr. Miracles Curl Care Review

Hiya, curly mamas! I got a new product completely by accident in Walmart... long story. But its this Dr. Miracles creme. I had seen this before in a beauty supply store, and I liked the smell of these products. Kind of therapeutic. It has menthol in it, so it's like using Vicks in your head. It also has a 'watermelony' smell to it. Well, I think it smelled like watermelons. LOL! I tried it and it felt awesome! It really was weightless like they claim it to be in the description. Creamy and silky like a normal natural hair creme.

Product description: Weightless Moisturizing Crème (8 Oz; $8.99)—Blended with Coconut & Vitamin E, use this lightweight, fast-absorbing crème to moisturize and add a natural shine while styling curls.

It had a heavy menthol smell, but I kind of liked it. I think I may have used too much of it, because my head was literally burning as if I had a freakin perm in my head! But it made my itchy scalp go away for the time being. I guess whenever my scalp is itchy, I can use this stuff, and it'll probably help on days when my allergies are tearing my sinuses apart and I can't breathe worth a lick.

It's something that I got just to try out, but I'm not sure I would keep buying this product. I don't think I'll always want that menthol smell on me, and because the entire product line smells like that, uh, no. Can't do it, rather not do it.

Besides all that, I finally finished and uploaded my mini twist review video with the III Sisters creme I got at the hair show. I should have done it two weeks ago, but it's been busy and hectic around here lately, with three kids under three years old, a house to keep clean, countless appointments, and endless laundry. But my second video is up on my channel. It's not very amusing like the last one, and it's pretty basic. I hope you guys enjoy it anyway.

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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~

World Natural Hair Show 2012!

The World Natural Hair Show sponsored by Taliah Waajid was awesome! I brought Syriah along with me, and we hung out for hours. It was like heaven in there... hair products, skin products, jewelry, music, and other random products for sale. Hubby let me splurge because it was my first 'real' time out of the house in months, so I spent almost 70 bucks in natural hair products and jewelry. It was so worth it!
If you look closely at the pictures, I bought the Taliah Waajid Curly Curl Cream, the Jamaican Mango and Lime Springing Gel, the Tropic Isle Living Black Castor Oil, and the III Sisters of Nature Natural Lengthening Cream. I have never previously tried any of these products, and I have never heard of the III Sisters products at all. Apparently, they do knock-offs of Kinky-Kurly and Miss Jessie's products. I have used this cream already, and it's great. The smell if out of this world... it smells like raspberry sherbet!
No lie. The smell is GREAT, and it stretches your hair!
I also got lots of samples of other hair products and lotions, and I got the hair show T-shirt and I got another T-shirt for free with the III Sisters product.

Syriah had a good time being out of the house. She and I were kind of matching with our clothes, only she had on mostly pink and I had mostly blue. 
The winner of the natural contest was there, and she spoke on stage, looking very pretty. I think her name was Jessica Williams. I think I might enter one of those contests for next year, and hope to win mounds of cash, a year of Taliah Waajid products for free, and become a spokesperson for them. Sounds like fun. Hehe. =D
So we had a great time. They even had a little kid's corner there for kids to be creative and do some arts and crafts and play video games. Syriah loved it.

As if I wasn't happy enough, when hubby picked me up and took me home, he had a surprise waiting for me.. roses, a cheesecake, some jewelry, and the sweetest card I'd ever seen! <3 I was almost in tears. My life had been so rough and emotional lately, and I hadn't been happy in a long time. But that day was really awesome.
Oh, and I will sure be attending the spring hair show, since it's at the same place next year! =D
Peace, curly mamas!

~Epic Realist~

My First Hair Show... and New Curly Style!

I am super excited! Tomorrow, Saturday, October 6th & the 7th, 2012, there will be a natural hair show being hosted at the Georgia International Convention Center in College Park. I am so grateful to live near this event, so I am going and I am taking my big girl Syriah Lynn. There are going to be so many hair products for sale and so much to do. It's going to be like heaven! http://www.naturalhairshow.org/
This is the first time I have ever been to a hair show, period, and the first time I've got a chance to really get out of the house in ages.

I have a new style that I made up on Syriah the other day. I used my shea butter on damp hair and flat twisted in two different directions. Looked really cute and lasted three days. It would have been longer, but I took them out because I wanted to style her hair in advance yesterday for the hair show. I did mine the same way... co-washed my hair with my new conditioner and twisted my hair with the Shea Moisture Smoothie and EcoStyler gel I used for my last twist-out in my video. Can't wait to see the results tomorrow!
I will probably make another blog post tomorrow after I attend this hair show and go broke buying a million hair products. I get to splurge. Woo hoo!
Until next time, curly mamas! Stay natural!

~Epic Realist~