Thursday, February 16, 2012
Natural Hair Quick Tip
Posted by
G. Monet |
Layer! Layer! Layer!
If your ends become unruly in twisted styles, or they seem a bit frayed, then this tip could help.
- Wet your ends with water.
- Put a pomade or shea butter on them.
- Rod your ends or flexi rod them.
What this does is resets your neds back to a twisted state so they are not lose and unruly. it also put moisture back into them and keeps them together so they can work with one another and not against one another. Try to keep yoru ends as tight together as possible to make sure they are protected.
Friday, February 10, 2012
Product Review: Andalou Naturals
Andalou Naturals: Moisture Rich Conditioner
Sweet Orange & Argan
Smell: Great :)
Texture: Creamy & Thick
Rating: 9/10
I ran out of conditioner... as normal... And of course I needed to get more. Where do I buy most of my hair products from if I MUST buy them... WHOLE FOODS! :) As I walked down hair the isle in Whole Foods to pick up a conditioner that I previously used and loved, I saw this conditioner. I have never seen this brand before so I picked it up and read it. I tend to do that with all of my products and so should you, wink wink. Anyway I found this. Andalou Naturals Moisture Rich conditioner. What attracted me to this conditioner is the fact that it says that it benefits dry, curly, textured hair. I read the back of the bottle and saw that it was ALOE VERA JUICE BASED... WHAT??? I also saw that it had lots of organic ingredients. Plus this smelled lovely. So I decided to then give it a try.
As I was putting it on it felt great. It has great slip to assist with detangling. It also smells crazy good. I could feel my hair smoothing down as I used it. When I was finish applying that I put castor oil and emu oil in my hair and I kept it in for about 3 hours. Yea... I keep my conditioners in as long as I want. After I rinsed my conditioner out, my hair felt amazing. It actually didn't feel like my hair at all. It was very soft, my ends curled up and my hair even had an amazing shine. I only used about 1/5 of the bottle too. So I can use this about 4 or 5 times and at $10 that is not so bad. I think this is a great conditioner for course or dry haired naturals as well. Check it out if you like because I loved it!
Thanks for reading! :)
Monday, January 30, 2012
How I Achieve Not Cutting My Ends pt2
Natural Hair Realities
In order to take care of your hair to the fullest there are some things that you need to know. But before I tell you any of these things I need you to have an open mind. We tend to believe things that were passed down to us and quite frankly alot of the old hair tips are myths and not true. Until you can accept the fact that what we have been learning about hair is flawed, then you will not grown and progress. Period! Now with an open mind that is ready to learn for change here it is:
1. WASH YOUR HAIR FREQUENTLY- As children of color we were taught that washing our hair was bad. We do not want to be caught in pools, rain, the beach, NOTHING! The reality is that your hair needs to be washed more frequently. Why? Your hair grows out of pores. When your face is dirty what happens? The pore is blocked and you get a gross pimple. That is the same concept with hair. You have to keep the scalp clean and your hair washed. A clean scalp will not have blocked pores so the hair can grown and not have resistance. Also keeping your hair clean will remove the protecting moisturizers from our hair so water and needed nutrients can be absorbed.
2. OIL, RAW SHEA BUTTER, COCO BUTTER ARE NOT MOISTURIZERS- Don't scream. You have probably been watching youtube videos and reading blogs similar to this and some people act like oils and butters are very moisturizing when they actually are not. Oil and RAW Shea Butter are PROTECTING hair products. Oil can not penetrate the hair. The only oil that can penetrate the hair strand is coconut oil because the molecules are like that of sebum the natural oil our scalp produces. If you do not believe me try this out.
Dip one piece of paper in oil and one piece of paper in water. Now rip the pieces of paper in half. You will notice that the paper dipped in oil rips very crisply as if it was not wet. The paper in water however is mushy because the molecules of water are small enough to penetrate the paper. The oil molecules are not and this is why the paper rips so nicely, because it was protected.With this concept in mind think about your hair. If you have been using oil and raw shea butter and wondering why your hair is not "moisturized" it is because your are protecting your hair while it is in its non-moisturized state. Moisturize with pure water or water based products first and then put on the shea butter and oils. This excludes whipped shea butters because those tend to have extra ingredients in them that can penetrate the hair however even a whipped shea butter should still be used to seal in moisture.
3. TREAT YOUR ENDS DIFFERENTLY- Your ends are the oldest thing on your head. Think about your ends like an old person. You are gentle with old people, nice and caring. So do the same for your ends. When you are braiding or twisting your hair use a different thicker pomade for your ends or use a little extra on the ends.
How I Treat My Ends:
- After applying a deep conditioner a put castor oil on the ends and then I put on a conditioning cap and I sit under the dryer to deep condition.
- When twisting my hair I use Oyin Handmade Burnt Sugar Pomade because it is thicker and it is also a protecting hair dress.
- I never let my ends rest on my shoulders or scarves. I don't want to dry them out or cause them to knot.
These are just a few things that I do but you have to treat your ends better if you want to maintain them correctly.
4. YOU NEED TO PROTECT YOUR HAIR- I am not saying braids one week, twists the next and corn rolls the next. There are a vast amount of ways to protect your ends. You can wear turbans, wraps, twists, braids, braid outs, twist outs, and even protecting hair products. If you don't want weathering of your ends and hair your have to protect it. If you are someone that wears your hair out everyday then that is not the way to maintain your ends. Wind, sun, acid rain, there are so many things that damage your hair. I am not saying lock your hair away but try different styles where you tuck your ends in. Also try styles that will keep your hair stretched that way it is not curling up into itself. Doing your hair everyday is great but protect the ends.
5. LET YOUR HAIR DO WHAT IT DOES- This is true to a certain extent. Unless you are free loc-ing your hair, you should not just let it do what it does. Hair is very unruly. It has to be tamed to a certain extent. It has to be washed and de-tangled. Tangled hair knots around other hairs and causes damage. You never want your hairs to fight one another.
These are just a few things that you should consider when trying to grow your hair to maximum lengths. Do research and get used to the new way of thinking about your hair.
The Video:
The Video:
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Accessories & Protective Style: The Turban
Bin Laden Ain't The Only One! #lol
Hair Style
A Pashmina 4for$20
*** Note: Underneath my hair is moisturized and protected. i also wear a cap between my hair and the fabric of the scarf to protect my hair and so I will not lose precious moisture!***
Accessories
Earrings: Long Feather- $10 Natural Hair Expo
Stud- Forever 21- $3 (6 pair pack)
Glasses: Bonzo.Com $10
Scarf: Walmart $10
Vest: Avenue $6
Lipstick: Mary Kay Black Raspberry 9074
And the theme of this really is good accessories! They take any hair style or outfit to the next level! Plus nowadays, ANYTHING GOES! Be unique but most importantly,
BE YOU!
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Curly Two Strand Twists
Check It Out!
How To Achieve This Look
Items Used:
- Spray Bottle
- Shea Butter Whip
- Oyin Handmade Burnt Sugar Pomade
- Small Flexi Rods
*** Note: This hair style was done on wet washed hair.***
Steps:
- I parted my hair in medium sized twists.
- Before twisting each twist I de-tangled it and put the shea whip then the pomade on the hair.
- I made sure my hair stayed wet as I twisted my head.
- After the twist were done I rolled my wet hair.
- I slept with the rods in overnight and in the morning I had this awesome style!
The Video!
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
How I Achieve Not Cutting My Ends pt1
Naive?
A few years back I was very ignorant when it came to taking care of my hair. I was a product junkie that brought anything hot and I barley read over the labels. I brought things without really thinking. Now I have 100s of dollars worth of... quite frankly useless products for my hair. I was getting so fed up with my hair I was slowly losing its good health. My ends were dry and raggedy. It was horrible. I started watching youtube videos and then I had my natural hair... BING! I am the type of person that wants to always grow and learn more. ;)
Educating Myself...
I soon started doing my own research. I mostly used Youtube and books. One day I came across this Kimmaytube Youtube channel. She was talking about the actual science of hair and because of that (and I am a biology major #teambio) that intrigued me. I also discovered books that were recommended by other youtubers. Cathy Howse's Ultra black Hair Growth 2 and Chicoro's Grow It were the first two books I read and may I just say wow.
Figuring It Out...
Ok so I figured out the science behind natural hair. I figured out that it is a ph issue as well as a product issue. I started to learn what MY hair wanted and NOT what the media, other people, or my ignorance suggested.
What Does All That Have to Do With Ends You Ask?
Well simple... these books taught me about hair health and taught me to pay attention to my hair routine and products. It all taught me how to grow and keep healthy hair. ULTIMATELY however this is MY way of doing my hair and keeping MY hair healthy. You can do your own research and figure out what your hair wants and needs. But I am here to help! :)
The Last Time I Clipped My Ends...
In a blog post on December 21, 2010 I posted about clipping my ends. You can view this post here:
A few years back I was very ignorant when it came to taking care of my hair. I was a product junkie that brought anything hot and I barley read over the labels. I brought things without really thinking. Now I have 100s of dollars worth of... quite frankly useless products for my hair. I was getting so fed up with my hair I was slowly losing its good health. My ends were dry and raggedy. It was horrible. I started watching youtube videos and then I had my natural hair... BING! I am the type of person that wants to always grow and learn more. ;)
Educating Myself...
I soon started doing my own research. I mostly used Youtube and books. One day I came across this Kimmaytube Youtube channel. She was talking about the actual science of hair and because of that (and I am a biology major #teambio) that intrigued me. I also discovered books that were recommended by other youtubers. Cathy Howse's Ultra black Hair Growth 2 and Chicoro's Grow It were the first two books I read and may I just say wow.
Figuring It Out...
Ok so I figured out the science behind natural hair. I figured out that it is a ph issue as well as a product issue. I started to learn what MY hair wanted and NOT what the media, other people, or my ignorance suggested.
What Does All That Have to Do With Ends You Ask?
Well simple... these books taught me about hair health and taught me to pay attention to my hair routine and products. It all taught me how to grow and keep healthy hair. ULTIMATELY however this is MY way of doing my hair and keeping MY hair healthy. You can do your own research and figure out what your hair wants and needs. But I am here to help! :)
The Last Time I Clipped My Ends...
In a blog post on December 21, 2010 I posted about clipping my ends. You can view this post here:
If I could go back in time I would have still had to clip those ends. They were so horrible. My hair was so tangled you could pull one side of it and feel it on the other!!! Funny now, sad then. I also did not know what products worked for me so I was having a battle to figure out what to do. Within a month I learned how I dont have to clip my ends at all!
I Do Not Clip My Ends pt 1
Monday, January 9, 2012
Plus Size Fall/Winter Outfit
Yes, those are jeggings... AND?!
Shirt: Torrid $19-$40 (depends on when you get/got it)
Bottoms: Rainbow Jeggings $10-$15 (depends on where you get them, any hood store will do, lol)
Shoes: Torrid $40
Necklace: My Mommy $Priceless (well that and I dont know the price but any chunky chocker necklace is great)
Braclet: Looped Necklace Forever 21 $5
Earrings: Asian Mall Stand $1
Glasses: Bonzo.com $10
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Curl Define Medium 4c Hair
Ain't It Cute? My Fro That Is!
This style took me less than 20 minutes and it is gorgeous! I mean look at my hair glow and those curls pop! Wah-Lah! Man am I starting 2012 off right?!
How To Achieve This Look
You Will Need:
- Gel
- Spray Bottle Of Water
- Styling Brush or Comb
- Conditioner (only if your hair is not pre-moisturized)
***NOTE: This style was done on DRY , MOISTURIZED , & PRE-STRETCHED HAIR***
Steps:
- Part your hair in small workable sections.
- Clip the sections up and work on your hair one section at a time.
- Take one section and spray it with lots of water.
- (optional if your hair has not been pre-moisturized---my hair was pre-moisturized with Shea Moisture Curl Enchanting Smoothie and a shea butter whip) Take the conditioner and rub it in your hair smoothing it down.
- Take a copious amount of gel and smooth is down your hair.
- Take a styling brush or comb and comb the gel through your hair.
- Shake your hair when you are finished.
These instructions were merely a crash course, but below is the HOW TO VIDEO!
Saturday, January 7, 2012
4c Style: Party Hair Updo
As you all know, I love a good updo... So...
To achieve this hair style:
- I parted the front of my hair that I was going to leave out.
- I then put conditioner first and then gel on the hair in the back. The hair in the was wet.
- I then french rolled my hair up and pinned as I went along. USE AS MANY PINS AS NECESSARY.
- After I finished the french roll I braided the top of my hair and sat under the dryer.
- After about 30 grueling hot minutes I said... Forget this hot dryer... I let the rest air dry...
- I then plucked out the front right before I went out and WAH-LAH!
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Nappy New Year!!!
Happy New Year!!!
With the New Year comes goals, resolutions and BIG HAIR DREAMS!!! This year I would like to see if I can retain all of the length I grow this year WHILE wearing my hair out in styles. For me protecting my hair and wearing it out did not go hand in hand. My hair was short before and coming up with styles for me was hard. I kept my hair in little plaits with my hair wrapped. BUT if the world is supposed to end on 12/12/12 well I'm going to wear my hair out as much as I can before the end!!! How will I achieve this you ask? Here's how:
- DO NOT CLIP MY ENDS- Yeah that's right I said it, I DO NOT clip my ends! I have not clipped my ends in over a year.
- Keep hair up and off the back of my neck- Hair that rubs against scarves and clothing fabrics dry out and break.
- KEEP HAIR STRETCHED- Stretched hair does not tangle up (like a fro) into itself thus causing less single strand or fairy knots.
- NO UN-STRETCHED AFROS- AFROS are the ULTIMATE way to hair breakage the hair tangles in itself... And... Well you know the rest. (especially if your hair is very course and curly)
Let me know what natural hair goals you have by leaving a comment below!
Thursday, December 1, 2011
How to Make Beaded Hair Pins
How to Series pt 1
i
How to make beautiful hair pins in 10 easy steps!!!
This is a cheap beautiful hair accessory that you could customize yourself. it is so fun and easy to do you could get addicted! Enjoy!
What You Will Need:
1. Side Cutters
2. Long Nose Pliers
3. Flat Nose Pliers
4. Bobby Pins
5. 26 gauge Beading Wire
6. Beads of Your Choice
Step One:
Measure out a piece of wire. This piece of wire will be about 9cm or 4 inches. After you make a few you can use your judgement.
Step Two:
Slide the wire through the top of the bobby pin. Only pull about 3/4 of an inch or 2cm through the bobby pin.
Step Three:
Twist the short end of the wire up around the longer part of the wire. The bobby pin should be in the bottom of a small loop. The bottom picture is how it should look.
Step Four:
Squeeze the exposed in closet to the wire that way the beads can slide over it and the rough end won't be exposed to your hair.
Step Five:
PICK YOUR BEADS!!! ...any bead of your choice. I like smooth beads that way the bead can glide over my hair and not damage it. There are so many bead choices!!!
Step Six:
String your beads onto the wire. Make sure they go over the end you twisted up.
Step Seven:
Twist the exposed end over the end of your string of beads.
Step Eight:
Twist the bottom around the bottom of the beads.
Step Nine:
Cut the excess wire off of the bottom.
Step Ten:
Use the Long Nose Pliers to twist the end of the wire close to the base and if you can twist the end up into the bead so it is not exposed. If the end is exposed make sure it is flush against the wire so that it does not snag your hair.
ENJOY!!! You now have a beautiful boss hair accessory!!!
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Corn Rolled Updo
Cool Huh?
This is a very simple style... If you know how to corn roll. If not you can always substitute cornrolls or flat twists with regular twists or braids. I got my cornrolls done with loc butter so they can last longer. You can so any design you want. You can also wear a turban or fedora with this style.
SIDE NOTE FOR 4C+ OR VERY COARSE HAIR
This hair style will work better for you if:
- You get your hair cornrolled.
- If you want to "twist out" or "braid out" the front of your hair, cornroll or flat twist it FORWARD. When your hair sets and you take it out the next day it will fall forward in your face. You can also use hair pins to hold it down.
More Pics!
In this picture I wore a turban. You can see how my cornrolls are braided to the front so when I take them out they will fall forward.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
How to Make a Wig Cap
Steps:
- Corn roll you hair very flat so your wig cap will not be lumpy.
- Place your wig cap on, preferably 2. I suggest 2 so glue will not seep through the cap and get to your hair.
- Measure out sections of your hair and cut them.
- Take weave glue and glue the strips of hair down starting from the back and working your way up to the closure.
- Make the closure by circling the hair at the top of your head until it closes.
This was a crash course.
Here is the entire video!
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Beautiful Curls Review
Leave In $10
Smell: ???
Texture: Deep Conditioner Thick
Leave In Watery
Rating: Deep Conditioner 9/10
Leave In: 7/10
On These Products
Deep Conditioner:
- Ingredients: Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) Extract (aqueous), Arnica (Arnica montana) Extract (aqueous), Aloe vera, Certified Fair Trade Shea Butter (Butyrospermum parkii), Cetearyl Alcohol (and) Behentrimonium Chloride, Emulsifying Wax, Panthenol, Coconut Oil (and) Raspberry Fruit Extract (and) Ylang Ylang Flower Extract, Potassium Sorbate, Magnesium Sulfate, Choline Chloride, Citric™ Acid
This dc is a very thick and creamy one. When I first opened the packaging I was very happy to see that. The line has several products for different hair types and I liked that. This means that the company pays attention to our unique hair needs. I of course needed the products made for curly to kinky hair. The smell is very... odd to say the least. I can't tell of the smell. I have been using this products for the past 2-3 weeks and I have gotten a great analysis of it and I have built up some knowledge about it. Anyway lets get to the pros & cons.
Pros
- Very thick
- Great Ingredients
- Moisturizes hair very well
- Great slip for de-tangling
- Absorbs into the hair very well
- Mixes great with other ingredients (oil, other conditioners)
- Leaves hair feeling excellent
Cons
- Why aren't there bigger jars for sale
- $16 is a little expensive considering but I would pay that because I love this deep conditioner.
Last Thoughts!
I personally love this deep conditioner. I understand that Shea Moisture is cheaper but this conditioner offers something that shea moisture does not. There is something so divine and penetrating about this deep conditioner it is amazing. Sitting under the dryer with a shower cap, or sitting under the steamer makes this dc sooooo much better too. I love this stuff and I have willingly added it to my product line up.
Leave In:
- Ingredients: Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) Extract (aqueous), Arnica (Arnica montana) Extract (aqueous), Certified Fair Trade Shea Butter (Butyrospermum parkii), Virgin Coconut Oil (Cocos nucifera), Cetearyl Alcohol (and) Behentrimonium Chloride, Emulsifying Wax, Panthenol, Potassium Sorbate, Magnesium Sulfate, Choline Chloride, Coconut Oil (and) Raspberry Fruit Extract (and) Ylang Ylang Flower Extract, Citric Acid
This leave in simply makes me go hmmm. This leave in is not thick at all. it is thicker then Vo5 Moisture Milks if you know what that is but it is not as thick as Aussie Moist if you catch my drift. I feel as though this leave in is not thick enough! Thick hair or more tightly coiled hair needs thicker products. However I do really like this leave in. It is very light weight and if used on wet hair it does help form curls very well. I think that has to do with the ph of the products however. Anyways, pros & cons.
Pros
- Light weight
- A little goes a long way
- Moisturizing
- Great for mixing or adding
- Simple perfect leave in
Cons
- Not thick enough
- Moisturizes however you need to apply it atleast once a day if you have thicker hair
- Missing something... Not quite sure
Last Thoughts!
Sigh... Though I think this is a great leave in, I am still on the hunt for something better. DON'T GET ME WRONG, this leave in is awesome for ladies with a 3a-3c hair type. Anything past that... AND this conditioner is better then ANYTHING Olive Oil has to offer because it is all natural and it doesn't dry out my hair which is great to me. This conditioner is great for layering and I use it under my shea butter or other things. And it is good for mixing. However... I will continue to use this leave in but I am still searching for my 9/10. Something thick, rich, creamy, and naturally divine.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Shout Outs
My birthday was September 25th.
Mommy- You always know how to make things grand! My mother hooked me up and made a way for me to go shopping and enjoy myself that weekend. I love everything about her.
Jessica- MULA! Wolf PAck! #teamtheonlyonewhoneededtheemt #teamyoureallydied #teamdelta #teamcranberryjuice #teamvelvet I love you!
Breeze- My sugar lump haha. That one eye the other day. Thank you for being there on my special day!
Angeline- No No no no no... no. #teamhellateams My bff. I love all the time we spend together. Thanks for the time on my birthday! #teamzeta
Tiearra- #teamsims I thank you so much for sharing by birthday with me. We had so much fun! #teamtmblr #teamfoxy #teamdisdiiiiii
Kenneth- BESTIE!!! I miss you and thank you for making my xbox possible!
Kappa Kappa & Cousin- Thank you for somming through. Neither one of yall could handle MULA but its all good. Btw, how is cousin's head? lol
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About Me
- G. Monet
- I'm too natural for all that. I don't do this, but I will do that. I know about this, not about that. People would call me this, but I would call me that. It's just G.
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