First Time Stretching the Wash n Go for a WEEK!

Hola curlies! @:-) I am currently studying abroad in Sevilla, Spain right now and I travel a lot on the weekends. During these trips we tend to stay in hostels with communal bathrooms, and stay busy exploring whichever city. As well I have a very busy schedule for classes and extracuriculars here during the week. I've always been busy back home at school in the US too. Washing and styling my hair is always an hour long process, and the drying process around 4 hours since I didn't bring my diffuser... For this reason I decided to see if I could go a whole week without washing my hair. I have mastered 2nd day hair, but don't usually go past that, so I decided to give it a go. 

Day 1 - hair after a self trim. Good hair day. Styled with kinky curly knot today leave in, CVS personal lubricant, and LA looks sport gel.

Day 2 - still looking shiny and fairly frizz free, but a few curls are starting to go straight. Refreshed with water, kinky curly knot today and some devacurl set it free.

Day 3 - curls are starting to lose their form. For a quick styling fix I threw it up in a side pony tail and bobby pinned by bang pieces. I think I added more devacurl set it free.

Day 4 - Slept with my hair in french braid pigtails to readd some curls. Looking much better than I thought it would, but the frizz definitely comes out. Added some water, kinky curly knot today, and LA looks nutra curl gel to the hair.

Days 5 - Flew to Valencia, Spain this day. My hair ended up in a ponytail because it was raining cats and dogs there. I forgot to take "hair" pics, but here is me with a huge ChupaChup (brand of lollipops). My hair ended up frizzy that day from the rain; my umbrella actually broke in the middle of the stick from the wind!

Day 6 - Second day in Valencia, I styled my hair with water, curl junkie leave in, and LA looks sport gel (a dime sized amount). My hair started out fairly nice, but the continuos misty rain, and moving my hair in and out of a poncho, left my hair frizzy and dry looking by the end of the day. This picture is of me at the Ciudad de las artes y ciencias gift shop, a huge modern museum in Valencia. I'm posing with a Tri-cera-tops because my name is Sarah... get it? ;)

Day 7 - Hair in a bun to fly back to Sevilla. Not worth photographing. :) Washed my hair this day.

So after going a full week, I've established that my hair can survive. It was really nice being able to wear my hair down without too much effort. (Usually a mid week wash, means my hair is going up in a bun or pony for me.) 

However, this routine is really not perfect and my first experiment. (That's why I'm blogging instead of vlogging lol.) The kinky curly worked wonderfully as a moisturizer. I think I probably should use something besides devacurl set it free; although it leaves my hair shiny and smooth, it has beeswax, which may have sealed OUT moisture later in the week. Gel was better- the LA looks nutra curl works well, but I think a dab of stronger gel will give me more hold. I've found that I get better hair if I rewet and add gel each day. However my hair did start to feel producty on days 5 & 6. My sleep cap from SilkyCocoon on esty was great- it lets the length of my hair lay pretty much undisturbed while I sleep, or I can do braids.

Overall I am going to seek out some better 2nd day hair products--I wish I had a butter made of oils here as that's great for braid outs. I also need a moisturizing product for my scalp if I am going to go this long. I have a very dry scalp, and this week of not cowashing, left it extremely dry and flaky. :( I have my eyes on a product made by Moxie Original, because applying oil to my scalp just makes my hair look oily of course. I am also going to attempt the LOC method (liquid-oil-cream) to keep the hair more moisturized. Next time I am going to try water, then kinky curly, then jojoba oil or coconut under, and then LA looks sport because I don't have a cream. I am limited in experimenting until I get back to the states unfortunately!

I think I may need to make some changes to my hair washing routine, after going a full week. After a whole week without fully being wet, my hair felt dry even after washing out the conditioner. So I think a deep conditioner may be in order every time I attempt the week long wash and go. Also the tangles were rather bad, although I attempted to detangle with water and fingers every day. I also think I developed a few more single strand knots (SSKs) aka fairy knots (a single knot on a single strand of hair). I need to be more diligent about braiding my hair every night to help prevent this, instead of sleeping with it loose inside the cap. My hair was not overly frizzy after styling after this wash though, so I consider it a success. :)

In conclusion, the pro's for me included: 

• wearing my hair down for 6 days straight
• good hair days, days 1-4
• decreased time spent on my hair was awesome

The cons for me, or rather my hair:

• more tangles and SSks
• dry hair after washing
• touchiness of day 5/6 hair with humidity and rain
• scalp drying out

I think with product experimentation and braiding more often at night, I can diminish the cons. But for now I am just going to extend my hair to 3rd or 4th day--especially because of my dry scalp and SSKs. I was surprised by how long my hair could go though, and I definitely recommend some of you curlies see how long you can stretttttch your curls as well. Saves you some sleep and time, so you can spend less time thinking about your hair, and more about life!

Wishing everyone a good hair day @:-)

Sarah

Dying My Hair with Henna!

Hello curlies! It's that time again where I have a lot of information to share a long with a video. I am going to try to blog more often because 1) this blog doesn't have very many posts 2) I like writing and 3) it's a nice medium and reference for you guys when you want to read instead of watching a video. Anywhoodles, this post will concern my experience with henna.

In the beginning/middle of November I used henna to dye my medium brown hair to a reddish brown (aka auburn) color. It's orange-ier in insight lighting, and the beautiful auburn shade I love in the sunlight. I am so happy with the results of the henna, and I'm going to keep my hair this way for awhile. It leaves my hair feeling very strong and most importantly a vibrant red shade. I <3 being a henna-head.

This video explains the entire henna process IN DETAIL. From strand tests all the way to washing out the henna.

I bought my henna and amla from mehandi.com:

Recipe I used:
300g henna
100g amla
~4-5 cups of very diluted lemon juice

I added amla because I wanted a very auburn color, and it's supposed to enchance curls, while henna makes them wavy. The lemon juice is acidic and is necessary so the mixture oxidizes. I mixed this up, let it sit overnight, added more water the next day, and then applied the henna to my hair. I left it in for about 3 1/2 hours, before rinsing it out.

All the estimates online told me to mix 500g; I went down to 400g which was still too much. I probably could have mixed up half or less of the amount of dye powder I bought. It was way too much henna for my hair which is thick, but layered and has the longest pieces at my waist. The good thing is that you can freeze the henna mixture and use it for up to 6 months.  I guestimate that I could have mixed 150g of henna and 50g of amla.

Rinsing out the henna is a messy, long process. I used these products:
Suave naturals coconut conditioner (to scrub the scalp)
Shea Moisture Thickening Shampoo (for adding cleansing)
GVP Matrix Biolage conditioning balm - I should have skipped this and gone straight to a deep treatment
Curl Junkie Banana  Hibiscus Deep Treatment - this took away the dry, tangled feel of my hair (henna acts like a protein treatment)
Tangle Teezer Brush

Styled my hair with these afterwards :)
Kinky curly knot today leave in
Curly hair solutions curl keeper
Aussie instant freeze gel

For more info on henna check out:
http://hennaforhair.com/

I learned a few things from my first henna experience:
*add spices or essential oils next time to cover the henna smell (grassy, fishfoody, herbal, yuck)
*add conditioner to mixture to help avoid dry hair
*deep condition immediately after rinsing out henna
*mix 150g probably for my hair length
*nix the amla next time. It left my hair very curly, but I want a redder auburn.

Overall I really love henna and think it is a great natural alternative to chemical dyes. Here's a list of its pros and cons:

Pros	Cons
*Natural look *Vibrant color that does not fade *Can be mixed with cassia or indigo for brown or black colors *Healthy for the hair (like a protein treatment) *Permanent	*Smelly *Messy *Long process (henna has to oxidize night before dying) *Usually must order BAQ henna online *Hard to remove color from hair

After about two months my roots had grow out noticeably, but it still was not bad with my hair down. People I have known for ages continued to assume that my hair had just gotten darker (lol) and people I met for the first time told me my hair color didn't look dyed. So, henna is a very natural change. :) The video below contains more information about henna as well as an update on how I am feeling about the color--still awesome! @:-)

As my experience with Henna grows, I intend to keep this post as a place to post more advice and as a place to refer curlies who ask me about my hair color.

Wishing you a good hair day @:-)

Sarah/waterlily716

Curly Care: Seasonal Changes, Dew points, Humectants, and Emollients

Hi there curlies! It's been a long time since I've posted here, but I've decided to reserve my blog for videos that need a little extra explanation in text. Today I am going to write about what a curly should change in her hair routine when the seasons change, and how this is affected by dew point. Some important ingredient categories for seasonal changes are humectants and emollients.

In the summer, the sun, chlorine, and salt can make the hair very dry, so it's important to keep your hair moisturized. Deep conditioner and cover your hair up when you go out sun bathing. For more tips, here's an old video about taking care of your hair in the summer:

In the winter months our hair gets dry too, because the air around us gets dryer. I also think internal heating sucks moisture out of hair. So for curly hair moisture is important in the summer and the winter. Deep conditioner and using a leave in are extra important.

Now, let's break down the specific humidity levels you're going to see as the seasons change. After all, we don't just get low humidity (dry) and high humidity (wet), we get a huge range in between, depending on the area of the world where you live. The best measure of humidity that will correlate to how our hair reacts is called "dew point." This is the temperature at which water will condense and form dew (or fog). The higher the dew point, the more humid the air, and vice versa. You can find dew points on any weather website.

Dew point at the "current data" section of Wunderground

Some ingredients work well in different levels of humidity. Humectants like honey, glycerin, and Panthenol work well with higher dew points (30 and above). Emollients (moisturizers) are moisturizing alcohols and natural oils; they can pretty much be used year round, but are most important in the low dewpoints.

Here's a quick breakdown of the dew point ranges:

 30 (-1 C) and lower: dry

• richer thicker conditioners, DTs
• humectants bad
• leave ins
• light hold products
• lots of emollients

30-40 (-1 to 4 C) middle

• trial and error
• some tolerate humectants, some don't
• emollients 

40-60 (4 to 16 C) 

• happy haven for most curlies
• moisture and humectants should be used
• emollients 

60 (16C ) +  humid!

• may skip leave in
• hard hold products
• humectants iffy
• emollients 

Since this is just a shorthand, I recommend you watch the video for a better explanation and product recs. Also keep in mind that some curlies may have more sensitive hair than others. But in general if that glycerin loaded gel stops working for you in the winter, it's probably because the dew points are too low and you need to switch to a glycerin free gel. 

I hope that helps! 

Wishing everyone a good hair day,

Sarah @:-)

Sources:

Humectants:

http://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/curly-q-a/curlchemist-humidity-humectants-and-hair

Dewpoint

http://pittsburghcurly.wordpress.com/dew-points/

Overview:

http://www.naturallycurly.com/curltalk/general-discussion-about-curly-hair/128181-curl-talk-i-need-help.html

Curly Hairstyle: Formal/Prom 2-in-1 Knotted Style

Hey y'all! This is a hair style I came up with after needing something to wear to several formal events this semester. It will work for prom, school dances, weddings, or any other special events. You can wear it a couple different ways too, which is nice, especially if you run out of time when you're getting ready!

This style does take a bit of practice to get it down. If you are doing this for a special event, I recommend practicing it the night before so that you've got it down. Give yourself plenty of time and make sure you have the necessary equipment.


Products used:
Jane Carter Nourish n Shine (whole foods)
Bobby pins
Good day hair magic grips (Sally's beauty)
Fancy flower clip - unknown
Duckbill clips (Sally's beauty)

I hope everyone has a wonderful spring! Please let me know if you try out this style. :)

 

Wishing everyone good hairdays,

Sarah @:-)

Curly Hairstyle: Retro Rolled Updo

So the other weekend I went to a decades themed party. I had a lot of fun getting dressed up and doing my makeup, but my favorite thing was probably my hair style!

 

I cam up with a 40s/50s inspired updo with some pinned up curls and rolled sides into a bun. So I decided to record a tutorial for y'all in case you want to recreate the style.

This time around I had more neutral makeup and I added a gorgeous rose flower clip accessory from FlowersFromFatima.com, an etsy boutique that sells handmade hair accessories.

So I think this style turned out super cute! Let me know what you think down below in the comments. I may do more retro inspired hair tutorials in the future.

- Sarah @:-)

Using Up the Product Junkie Stash

Hello curlies, my name is Sarah and I am a product Junkie.

This is a picture of my hair product stash! At college! (More at home.) There are far too many hair products! So I am resolved to start using them up, selling them, or giving them away to friends. That way I can not feel guilty about trying something new, and only buy products when I need them. I am going to come back to this blog post periodically and cross out used things. Hopefully I will be able to make a successful blog post in a little while saying I've decreased my stash!

So I encourage any product junkies out there to join me on my journey! Feel free to share pictures of your stash with me on twitter @waterlily716, or leave a comment on this blog post to join in. I am not going to purchase any new products, besides staple rinse out conditioners and gel, until the rest is gone! (If I haul new products, y'all need to call me out.) I will unfortunately have to add to this list if I receive products from companies.

I am actively working on the conditioners/oils/deep treatments on this list, but the stylers and shampoos are going to be hard to use up. I don't use shampoo everyday or even every week so I may be selling these or giving them to friends. I also am not good about branching out from my comfort zone as far as stylers go, but I think I need to so I can at least try them all and then sell them if I don't need them. Oh and by the way I will be selling any products I don't want on the naturallycurly.com swap board.  Anyways here is my way-too-long-in-a-really-bad-kinda-way list of hair products.   Wish me luck!

3/8/12 - This list below is now pretty updated. I later gave away a lot of products to a womens shelter. I still have a huge stash and I'm still working on getting rid of it!

Shampoo:
AG Hair Cosmetics Smooth Argan Shampoo
Activate shampoo
Shea moisture thickening shampoo (2)
Organix moroccan argan oil shampoo - used as soap!
Giovanni tea tree triple treat shampoo
Kinky Curly come clean shampoo
Aubrey organics white camellia shampoo*
Devacurl no-poo (sample)
Herbal essences hello hydration shampoo (sample)*
Jessicurl hair cleansing cream (sample)

Conditioner:
Bed Head TIGI Moisture Maniac CO
Beautiful Curls shea butter deep treatment*
Giovanni Smooth as Silk CO
Suave Naturals Coconut Conditioner
Curl Junkie Curl rehab DT
Jessicurl weekly DT
Paul Mitchell the detangler CO
Yes to carrots pampering CO
Giovanni tea tree triple treat CO
Natures gate chamomile and lemon CO
Herbal essences hello hydration CO (sample)*
Curly Hair Solutions Slip Detangler

Stylers:
Curly Hair Solutions Curl Keeper
Kinky Curly Knot Today Leave in
LA looks sport gel (travel size)
Herbal essences body envy gel (travel size)
Jane Carter Nourish n Shine melted out :( got grainy.. threw out
AG hair cosmetics re:coil curl activator
AG hair cosmetics curl trigger
AG hair cosmetics smooth straightening lotion*
Biosilk rock hard gelee
Pantene curl defining mousse
Shea moisture thickening moisture mist
Shea moisture curl & style milk
LA looks nutra curl gel
Curl junkie curl fuel spray
Garnier fructis pure clean gel
Moxie mane tame
Moxie sweet poof volumizing spray*
White rain hair spray
Aubrey organics nustyle hairpray
Hair rules curly whip*
Ampro olive oil gel
Ecostyler gel
Devacurl set it free samples (2)
Jessicurl rocking ringlets styling potion samples (2)
Jessicurl confident coils styling potion (sample)
Jessicurl gelebration spray (sample)
Mop-C curl refreshing spray

Oils:
Happy Scalp Oil
Shea hot oil treatment
Aubrey organics Nustyle hair serum
Coconut oil

*Products that haven't been tried, even once.

Also here is a video I made awhile ago about using up unwanted hair products. Some neat stuff I found out about. :)

Curly Care: Dusting for Single Strand Knots

Hi curlies! I hope everyone had a good new year. I made this video to show y'all how I dust for single strand knots.  This is also known as "search and destroy." It's a good thing to do every few weeks or so for curly hair. The SSKs can make curls feel coarse and frizzy, so it's good to get rid of them. A lot will get cut off at a trim, but this way, you lose less length. My hair is still slowing inching towards my goal length of my waist (and then hopefully my hips). Good luck with all your hair goal lengths!

Sarah @:-)