Hello amiras! Today I am finally sharing my favorite routine of products with you guys, for those of you that live in the UAE. A lot of these are made in the US or the UK though, or you might just have some of these in your country. Enjoy the video! I have started embedding the link and the video preview so hopefully it's easy for everyone to watch.
Hello lovely blog readers! Today I thought I would cover a blog topic I have talked about on my YouTube channel but have never devoted a blog post to. And that is DIY homemade treatments; in this blog I'll talk about the more common ingredients and what benefits they give the hair, as well as my favorite tools for doing the deed. While it's lovely for me to break open a tub of Curl Junkie Curl Rehab and go to town, it's rather expensive to ship to Dubai, and it's $20 a tub to start with. While homeade treatments aren't really going to measure up to professionally formulated ones, they can achieve some beautiful results and some people swear by them.
Image from http://shatterproofglassdolls.com/
A little bit of background first. Most of the time if you're doing a deep treatment you want to consider if your hair needs moisture or protein. Balancing out your hair's moisture and protein needs is key to keeping it healthy.
Hair that needs moisture is
dry, frizzy, rough, tangly
Hair that needs protein is
weak, quick to break or snap off, chemically processed hair, heat damaged hair, sun damaged hair, etc.
But don't forget that your hair can also get too much of either of these key nutrients!
Hair is is over-conditioned (too much moisture) is:
soft, mushy, stretchy, frizzy
Hair that has too much protein is:
straw-like, frizzy, stiff, dry feeling
If you find you have too much of one thing, either protein or moisture, the best thing to do is clarify with either sulfate free shampoo or a mix of lemon juice and water; apple cider vinegar also works. This gives you a clean slate to then impart what your hair needs. Generally over-proteined hair needs moisture, while over-conditioned hair appreciates some protein.
If you have healthy hair be careful with administering protein treatments, as they can leave your hair stiff and hard to manage as described above. Try combining moisturizing and protein ingredients to avoid adding too much protein to your hair, or do protein first, and then moisturizing the same day. If you have fine hair that doesn't need much moisture, be careful of over-conditoning your hair. I probably deep condition my hair once a month, but it's very healthy. Damaged or dry hair can require treatments as often as once per week.
From loveyourcurls.com.au
So with that out of the way, let's talk porosity for just a smidge before we get to the recipes. I have low porosity hair, which means that the scales on my hair strand lie very flat, and it's hard for moisture to get in. So I need to use heat or steam most times to truly deep condition my hair. BUT this is also helpful for those with normal and high porosity hair. I use a Heat Therapy hair wrap I got from curlmart.com, which is super convenient because you can warm it up in the microwave, but you can also just use a warm towel fresh from the dryer or try to use your blowdryer. Also, if you know you have high porosity hair, your hair should love protein by the way. To learn more about porosity, visit my blog post on the subject.
Ok, onto the recipes! Now that you are armed with knowledge of ingredients and porosity it should be easier to pick which ingredients you want to use. As someone who always goes for moisture in her treatments, I am a huge fan of mayonaisse (smell gross but works), honey, agave nectar, jojoba oil, and olive oil. You really just have to do a bit of trial and error at first to see what your hair loves; but thankfully you can just eat the rest if your hair doesn't like it! I also like to add a conditioner to the base of any treatment so that it will be a nice consistency.
Popular ingredients for adding protein to the hair include egg (DO NOT heat unless you want scrambled egg hair), greek yogurt or regular yogurt, and gelatin. Some moisturizing ingredients I missed before include aloe vera gel, other oils like coconut and others, coconut milk, and banana (or baby banana food if you prefer not to blend). You can also use natural powders like henna (READ: dyes your hair red unless you do a gloss or have dark hair), cassia (strenghthening and glossing), or bentonite clay (clarifying masque). Really the sky's the limit!
Below are some recipes I have compiled from my time perusing the hair boards. Blend it in the blender extremely well, makes plenty, you can freeze what you don't use for a few weeks or refrigerate for one week. Enjoy!
WARNINGS: Make sure to blend any fruit very well. You don't want to get banana bits or anything else stuck in your hair. (This is why banana baby food is a time saving, easier ingredient.) Eggs and greek or natural yogurt are good sources of protein for the hair. If you use an egg, don't put hot water on your hair or you will end up with scrambled egg hair.
I hope you guys enjoyed this post! It one of those nice hair posts that anyone can benefit from reading. Let me know what you favorite DIY ingredients are down below in the comments and what your results are. Please feel free to leave any questions as well. You're now well on your way to becoming a mixtress in the kitchen!
Hello curlies! I hope you're having a great week. You have may have noticed a change in my blog. New layout! ^_^ Let me know what you think about it in the comments.
Anyways I wanted to do a post on my top 5 unique or extra curly hair stylers. As a bit of a product junkie I tend to try lots of different types of products. In doing so I come across some unique products that do something no other product in my collection can do. These are products outside of your basic shampoo, conditioner, gel, serum, mousse etc. There are also products that are not particularly unique on the market but are "extra" products I like to have around to style my hair in a variety of ways.
All of these products are free of heavy silicones, waxes, or mineral oil.
This is one of my favorite products for smoothing down my edges aka baby hairs. I use this almost everytime I put my hair up in a bun, ponytail, or half up. I dampen my hair, moisturize with conditioner, and smooth on the Design Essentials product. It works like a dream to get pesky hairs to stay put, especially when combined with a tooth brush or boar bristle brush. This product has a non-descript, pleasant scent.
This is my favorite second day hair product, and it has a very unique texture compared to other stylers I've tried. It has a thick texture that changes to a slightly tacky, oily texture when emulsified in hands. I apply this over water and conditioner on the second day. The light hold and tackiness gives me enough control to reshape my hair and it dries shiny and non-sticky. It also has a pleasant citrus scent.
Sometimes our curls get a little droopy, or we just want a boost. This salt spray mist is perfect for that. I spray it on underneath my gel and then diffuse for best results. Hello curls! Just be sure not to use this too often, as the sea salt can dry out hair. This is one of the only curl enhancing sprays I've seen at the drugstores, and it smells divine. Pictured above is my DIY sea salt spray which I have with me at the moment. The OGX product is nice to have though, since it's a store-bought product that wont expire and smells great.
This is a new product I've tried recently that does a great job at heat protection. It has a perfumey scent and also adds shine to the hair from the natural oils in the formula. It's secret weapon is that it shortens blow drying time, which I have never seen in another product. I spritz this on before my gel (or after if I forget) and then diffuse my hair. This is great for those of us with low porosity hair that takes forever to dry!
Lately I have been using this product after I work out to help dry my scalp which gets a little sweaty. That way I can wear my hair in a bun the next day, or work out at night but wash my hair in the morning. This product contains drying alcohols which can dry out the hair, but works to help zap away moisture. (I wouldn't recommend using this daily, especially without re-moisturizing your hair.) The scent is light and perfumey.
For my light brown hair, it's very hard to detect, but when used on my husband's dark brown hair to reduce oil, it shows up after spraying. I work it through his hair with my hands and a brush, and the white caste disappears. (You should also spray at least 30 cm from the scalp.) This would also be a great product to use if you were transitioning to the Curly Girl method or to using sulfate free shampoos.
So those are some of my favorite "extra" products I incorporate into my routine from now and then. I wouldn't bring many on a trip, but I wouldn't want to be without them at home.
What are your favorite "extra" or super unique products? Let me know down below in the comments.
Heyyylo blossoms! It's been a long time since I did a photos post so I wanted to do one of those today. A lot has happened for me in the month of May, in between changing jobs, booking flights across the sea to go back home, and my husband's birthday.
Attending a Jennyfer re-opening event at the Mall of the Emirates to cover social media for the event. This was part of my old job. Not too shabby!
Squishy new summer weight yarns from Dubai Knits in merino silk blends for knitting projects. I am in love!
Wearing my new favorite summer lippie - Kate for Rimmel No. 109. I also stumbled upon a hair routine I like here . Success!
My new love are Lush bath bombs. So needed during the work week. <3
Touring the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world.
Hubs smiling during his birthday tour of the Burj Khalifa. We brunched at the bottom as well which was pretty delicious.
My natural hair appreciation blog reached 1000 followers which made me overjoyed! You can hashtag your photos with #curlsandblossoms for a chance to be featured. @:-)
And that about wraps things up! I'm really enjoying the new job I've switched into and I leave today to visit home for a week. This will be a really welcome vacation since I've been going nonstop since Christmas.
Now that May is finishing up, I have a few goals in mind for the month of June:
1. Blog and post YouTube videos more often. I'll aim for one video a week and 3 blog posts this month.
2. Stay more active even though it's sweltering outside. Go to the pool, beach, or gym at least 3 times a week.
3. Try to avoid gaining the Dubai stone, by ordering take out less. Cook 2 times a week (not including weekends).
4. Go to more events and new restaurants in Dubai even though as stated it's hot enough to fry eggs on the sidewalks. Try 3 new restaurants this month.
That's everything! Baby steps for me! How has your month gone? Leave me a comment below.
Wishing everyone a wonderful start to your summer. Here's to fruit, sunshine, and colorful clothes. ✿✿✿
Hey loves! In this post I'll be laying out the different steps I take to change my routine when the summer starts to roll around as well as how to protect your hair from the sun and chlorine. I get lots of questions about this so I hope it is helpful. :)
Routine Changes
For reference I have spent most of my life living in the southern US, so I spent summers in hot and humid places. When the weather starts to get a bit warmer, we all know we need some extra help from our hair products to help prevent frizz and keep our hair moisturized. I use harder hold gels and frizz reducing products. One of my favorite frizz reducers is Curly Hair Solutions Curl Keeper, which is a serum that's awesome for cutting frizz when layered under gel. If I can't get my hands on that I will opt for relying on my gel alone; I enjoy Biosilk Rock Hard Gelee (for ultra high hold) or LA Looks Sport gel (with high hold) for hot weather. If you live in Europe or Asia the L'oreal Invisihold gel is a good dupe for LA looks sport in terms of amount of hold. Or if you want something high end the Original Moxie Hold Up Serum is the bomb and has lots of good ingredients for your hair. If the gel leaves your hair a little crunchy, just give your hair a good scrunch when dry. The gel cast really helps prevent frizz and poofing!
A photo posted by 🐨 Sarah 🌻 | waterlily716 (@waterlily716) on
Hair *usually* frizzes because of dryness so you can't forget about moisturizing in the summer. Not to mention the sun and swimming can take a toll on your hair, which I'll get to in a minute. One of the best steps to prevent frizz is a good leave in. My hair loves both the As I Am and Kinky Curly Knot Today leave ins, which are water based and really leave my hair feeling like seaweed. I also like Beauty Without Cruelty's leave in conditioner from iHerb.com if I can't get my hands on those two. Beyond that good regular conditioner is really important like Sally's Beauty Generic Matrix Biolage Conditioning Balm or the slightly lighter Andalou Naturals Citrus Conditioner (again from iHerb.com). And when my hair really needs an infusion of moisture I use my Hair Therapy heat wrap with Curl Junkie Curl Rehab deep treatment.
It's also worth mentioning that I apply A LOT more of my products in the summer---for all of them. The extra moisture and hold really helps keep my hair from frizzing out. I also check the dew point on AccuWeather on my phone, which is an excellent measure of how much moisture is in the air (aka humidity) and helps me know which products to reach for.
A photo posted by 🐨 Sarah 🌻 | waterlily716 (@waterlily716) on
Surf and Turf Protection
So you wanna go swimming but you don't want the chemicals to affect your hair. And did you know you can get very real heat damage from the sun?? The good thing is that these are easy to prevent.
When I go swimming in chlorine, I follow up my swim with a shampoo with a sulfate free shampoo like any from Shea Moisture or the Boots DermaCare Gentle Shampoo. Then I use a deep conditioner or a really good regular conditioner (mentioned previously). This usually leaves my hair pretty happy. BUT if you want to prevent any chlorine seeping into your hair, you can apply leave in, water, and oil before swimming. This is probably more necessary for frequent swimmers; as an occasional swimmer and more of a pro-tanner I don't feel the need to do the preventative step but it is a good tip. If you spend time sunning, you'll also be letting the moisturizing products work their way into your hair even better.
Lastly if you go swimming in a lake or the sea, don't worry too much about clarifying your hair. The sea salt will actually give you a natural curl boost, so it's fine to avoid washing it out completely with shampoo. But do be sure to follow up your dip in the ocean with a good conditioner. And if you're spending a lot of time in the sun, invest in a cute sun hat or a bandana to cover your hair. There are some products with sunscreen in them (benozophenone in the ingredients) such as LA looks sport gel, but covering your hair is by far the best way to protect it from the sun.
Please leave any questions or comments below. What are your favorite summer products and what do YOU change?
Hello lovelies! Welcome to the giveaway post. Here are some more details about the prizes.
1st set
Charmeuse Satin Giraffe Pink/Brown for Longer Hair Cocoon and Standard Pillowcase
2nd set
Charmeuse Satin Giraffe Pink/Brown 20” diameter Cocoon and Standard Pillowcase
A Silky Cocoon bonnet is made of charmeuse satin fabric with a approx. 1 ¼“ wide soft knit band attached to provide a soft grip when worn. Band can be tied from 20 – 24” with a tab to secure bonnet back without the use of elastic. Protect your hair from frizz, breakage and dryness. The lightweight material provides a silky cocoon for your hair to nestle and emerge anew. These are handmade originals with attention to detail and most importantly comfort. Giraffe pink/brown charmeuse satin is similar to doubled faced satin meaning satin is woven with a glossy surface on both sides. This item does not require a lining.Bonnet, Band & Pillowcase 100% polyester. All seams are sewn using a French seam. A French seam is a seam stitched first on the right side and then turned in and stitched on the wrong side so that the raw edges are enclosed in the seam.
Care Instructions
Hand wash or machine wash on delicate in cold water with mild detergent and line dry.
THIS GIVEAWAY IS OPEN INTERNATIONALLY.
If you don't win the giveaway and have your heart set on one of her bonnets feel free to visit the Silky Cocoon shop.
Hi guys! Thank you for all your support. Below is the rafflecopter widget where you can enter the giveaway! This is open in the US only. My apologies to my followers that live outside of the US.
Hello blog readers! Today someone messaged me asking if there was a list somewhere of ingredients for following the Curly Girl method. The only place this list used to be before was a video description, but I decided to leave it here, so it's a bit easier to read and bookmark. For more information on the Curly Girl method, check out some of the videos I've done or wikiHow.
How to follow the curly girl method:
Please watch the addendum video for more information and clarification
about sulfates and silicones:
From "ingredients commonly found in hair products":
http://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/curl-products/ingredients-commonly-found-in-hair-care-products
This is not a comprehensive list and is not intended to be that way. Usually google can tell you more about an ingredient if you can't find it here! Also please note that the amoutn of ingredient present in the formulation of a product, and the other ingredients they are combined with, can greatly affect how these ingredients perform in your hair. For example you can find harsh sulfate free shampoos and more gentle sulfate shampoos. Something to keep in mind - otherwise happy product shopping!
Wishing you all a good hair day,
Sarah @:-)
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Hola lectores del blog! Hoy una chica me ha preguntado si exista una
lista de ingredients para seguir el metodo curly girl. Antes, solo
existaba en la descripcion del video, pero decidi dejar la lista aqui,
porque es mas facil leer asi. Para mas informacion sobre el metodo Curly
Girl, mira mis videos o es.wikiHow.com.
Esta lista fue constuido con la ayuda de esta lista en naturallycurly.com:
http://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/curl-products/ingredients-commonly-found-in-hair-care-products
No es una lista completa. Google te puede ayudar con otros ingredients. :) Tambien, los otros ingredients en un producto pueden afectar como performa uno de esos ingredientes arriba... y ademas la cantidad del ingrediente.
Hello blossoms! Here are some photos from the beginning of April. How is it Spring already?? This week I visited my boyfriend's family in another area of North Carolina and got my hair cut. I also did the normal college classes grind, and then went to my Senior spring college formal. The formal was hosted by my eating house, which is kind of like a sorority but not really.
My new filming set up and decorations
Soooo in love with this Steve Madden bag I got off Poshmark.com for spring. <3
Visiting my boyfriend's family and all the dogwoods were in bloom.
I chopped off all my hair!!
I got the cut done at Scott Musgrave Hair Artistry in Cary, NC.
Back at school I snapped this photo on my college campus, but didn't notice the bee and almost got killed. lol
My homemade fried rice. Yums!
All my girlfriends and I at our Senior spring college formal
Me and the BF <3
Overall, this was a really awesome week. I got to see lots of fun people and I love my new hair! Thanks for reading along!
Hello curlies! Today I am going to share a bit about my hair growth experience with y'all. I recently reached hip length hair when stretched and I am very happy about that. I'll bring you guys through my length journey (in photos) in this post. And if you want to know I grew out my hair this long, makes sure to watch my "Tips on Growing Long Hair Fast" video that's out on YouTube.
Ok. Let's start at sort of the beginning. So very early in YouTube career, and about five years ago I cut off my hair for the second time and went for a shoulder length bob. This was actually my second time doing this, as I did it a long time ago when I first started to follow the Curly Girl method (first photo).
2007 - note my ridiculous glasses
5/2009
5/2009 - this bob is so cute. it was cut by Kim who works at an Aveda salon in Lexington, KY.
Flash forward seven months and my hair has already grown to a few inches below my shoulders. I know- I'm sorry. My hair grows like a weed, y'all. XD I guess you could call this the beginning of my journey to hip length hair, but I really wasn't too focused on length then. I was just making hair videos and having fun with my hair.
12/2009
There are a lot of haircuts between the end of 2009 and when I really started to focus on growing out my hair to a long length. Exhibit A is below. These cuts did not help me grow my hair longer, but just held me back, because although I love this stylist, she always chopped off several inches.
2010 - After a DevaCut by April Couse Walker at Salon Sabeli (Cornelius, NC)
At the beginning of 2011 I started to get serious about growing out my hair and I made my first length check video. I was really excited and my goals were to grow it as long as possible.
1/2011 - when I started my length check videos
Later in 2012 I posted another length check and I learned how to self trim my hair. But then towards the end of the year I got another DevaCut. And *surprise surprise* I was set back again on my length journey. I was positive about the cut, and I stated in a video I made at that time that I wasn't concerned with length too much. But something in my head had unconsciously clicked. Although my hair was growing and it was healthy, my stylist continued to take 3-4 inches off every visit. So I knew... I can't get my hair professionally cut and expect it to grow.
spring 2012
one of my first self trims - summer 2012
another great DevaCut by April - winter 2012
So after that cut in late 2012, I stopped going to the salon. I relied on my self-trimming skills which I learned from the Curly Girl book. And lo and behold my hair grew at its usual weed like speed! Somewhere in 2012 I hit waist length, which was awesome. And then in 2013 I hit hip length. It only took me about a year and a half to go from bra-strap length to hips (when stretched)! But as you, dear blog reader, know I started this journey four years ago by cutting all my hair off, which I had already done two years before that. So it's time again, once the warm weather rolls around, for a short cut. This is the cycle of my hair. So don't be too sad about it. :)
winter 2012 - freshly henna'd hair
summer 2013
nearly hip length?? - september 2013
september 2013
december 2013
december 2013 - hips
december 2013 - hips!
As a blog or YouTube follower, thank you for coming along on this journey with me so far. I wish y'all the best of luck on your hair journeys. And remember hair is just hair. Any length of wavy, curly, or kinky hair can be beautiful with the proper care. You just have to learn to love YOUR hair. <3
Hey guys! Today I am venturing away from the hair stuff, and reviewing some new Revlon lippies for y'all. These are new as of the fall and seem to be a permanent edition to Revlon's lip products. Here's some swatches, and check out the video review at the end of the post! :)
*this just doesn't apply super opaque when compared to standout... not just me being lazy lol! :)
Hey curlies! So I am soon going to post a vlog and haul from the Natural Star Expo that I attended in Charlotte, but I also wanted to type out some of my thoughts on the event here. I didn't want to add all this to the vlog because 1) I lost the cord to my mike for voice overs and 2) the vlog was already long anyways! :)
lil ol me
So this was the first year that this event occurred. I was fortunate enough to meet the founder of the event when my friend and myself were just walking around, and she was super nice! Overall I had fun networking- I met lots of people at the event and I need to bring business cards if I go to another one of these.
my friend Tyler
The event ran from the morning into the afternoon, but my friend and I arrived about noon. The event was very organized; we were handed a schedule when we arrived. The venue was gorgeous and so was the set up for the event, which you can see more of in the vlog. There were lots of stands from what seemed like local vendors and small businesses with a handful "bigger names" mixed in. For that reason I didn't go crazy and buy a bunch of products, since I hadn't heard of any before.
During the event there was always a supplementary activity going on besides the general shopping. While I was there there was a singer, keynote speaker, a makeup demo, and a natural hair lesson. I went to "Natural Hair 101." I wont say much, but let's just say the stylist arrived kind of late. She had some good stuff to say, but I wish she had focused less on heat styles and "taming natural hair" as she put it. She did show some interesting styles for type 4 hair with pipe cleaners and popsicle sticks. Also I was probably just bored because it was "Natural Hair 101"; I'd love to see a hairstylist do a lesson on a more advanced topic.
As a side note, I found myself to be one of a handful of other Caucasian women at the expo. Now this doesn't bother me, but it makes me think about what the phrase "natural hair" means. Because for me personally, I think that includes all women that wear their hair without using heat or chemicals to change the hair texture.
So should companies in the natural hair market try to appeal to a broader spectrum of not just type 4 girls (kinky coily), but also type 3 and 2 (curly and wavy)? Are they losing business or should they stay in more of a niche market? I started this debate with a few online friends of mine, and we came to the conclusion that companies should be more inclusive in advertising to other races and hair textures. But also the consumers would have to make this change too, by creating their own meetups appealing to a wider range of women, contacting the companies, etc. What do you think? Let me know down below in the comments.
Overall this was a really fun event and if I'm in the Charlotte area and this happens again I will definitely go back. I feel like Charlotte deserves an expo or a convention with more "big" name vendors though, since it definitely has the population for that event to be successful. And I would love to see a hairstylist like April Couse Walker or Joy from JoyfullyCurly.com, who have a different approach to natural hair, at the expo.
Sarah @:-)
*Photos in this post were taken by my friend Tyler (@color_character on instagram).
