Christmas Hair Wish

PHOTO: http://santacallsllc.com/

Usually at this time of year, I come out with a product wish list of things I want to try out, this time I wanted to do something a little different.

Among the materialistic things I would love to receive, there is something much more important, I would like for a Hair Wish.

It is for every woman and child with natural afro-textured hair to be proud to rock their curls and love themselves for who they are. 

As of late, I’ve been reading sad stories about young girls who have been tormented at school, not only by kids, but by adults who are supposed to have their best interests at heart:

Seven year old, Lamya Cammon, in Milwaukee had her braid cut and put in the garbage by her teacher, because she was playing with her hair. Why this women thought it was OK to even touch Lamya’s hair at all is beyond me.

Tiana Parker also seven from Tulsa, Oklahoma, was told that her dreadlocks were not acceptable at her school. Her parents, eventually switched her to another school.

Twelve year old, Vanessa VanDyke from Orlando, Florida, was threatened to be expelled from school, if she did not cut or shape her hair. The school seemed to change their mind once, the press got involved.

My point is, this has happened too many times and I think it’s horrible that any of these girls had to go through this. You cannot tell me that these experiences have not done a number on their self-esteems. It is a blessing that all of them have supportive parents that helped them through this discrimination.

We need to embrace and love each other for who we are, especially when thinking about our children. That is my Christmas Hair Wish … What are yours?

Blessings and Curls,

Kim aka B-Curlie

Extension Revelation

So as most of you know, I installed Marley Twists a little over a two weeks ago give or take a couple days.

I was totally smitten with them. The lead-up to buying the hair and the actually twisting process was amazing and a labour of love. I was super happy with the results. Yet, over the last few days of having them in I came to realize that I am more in love with my own curls and kinks than I thought.

This was actually the first time since going natural that I had extensions and it’s been different for me. I remember when I was younger not being able to wait to get my box braids in, because I loved the look, but also because I wanted to finally fling my hair, swoop it behind my ear or put it in a long ponytail.

This time around, I did this as a protective style and to give my hands and mind a break from styling, with the thoughts of keeping my Marley twists in for a month. Well at my halfway mark and ready to see and feel my hair again ALREADY.

Let me tell you, there is nothing like the feeling of grabbing a cute coil of hair and having it bounce back into place. I really missed them.

I am not taking anything away from this experience of Marley Twists though, I loved every minute or it. I have just realized that I cannot have a long term commitment to extensions, yes two to three weeks, but that is it. I am also really glad I did this. I still plan on trying Senegalese or kinky twists, but not for a while.

I now see how much I’ve really changed and have come to love my hair in all its 4a-4b glory. It’s just like that old saying, the grass always seems greener on the other side – but the truth is, it never is. 

I removed the twists last Friday and have returned to my twist-out junkie ways...totally in love.

What are your thoughts about extensions, share your story?

All smiles - my twist-out is back. 

Blessings and Curls,

Kim aka B-Curlie

Canadian Support

PHOTO: Flag Wallpapers 

So I was thinking the other day about the products I use on my hair, and I realized that none of my staple products are Canadian.

I would love to support more Canadian companies that have integrity especially when it comes to natural hair and beauty products.

I do remember trying Kynk Naturals Hair Honey, in my early transitioning days, and I loved the smell, shine and sealing properties that the product gave my hair. Yet, as everyone know, as you transition, so do the products you use… I think I will revisit some of their offerings in the future.

I also tried Curly Canadians and fell in love with Hair Love, however the company is no more. A company that is new on the scene is Queens & Kings Natural Products. I have not tried any of their products yet, but they are located in Nova Scotia and specialize in natural hair and skincare products.

So tell me where are all the Canadian natural hair products? Do you know of any you’d like to share?

Blessings and Curls,

Kim aka B-Curlie

DIY Marley Twists

So I finally did it, I installed Marley Twists in my hair on the weekend and I love them!

It was my first time doing extensions on my hair, all by myself. I have not had any extensions or weaves in my hair for more than four years, because of a bad scalp experience. I thought, I would not be able to do it again. Well I was wrong.

Me rocking my Marley Twists - I'm in love!

I did some research and found out that I could wash the extension hair in water and vinegar to remove the harsh chemicals and dirt on the hair. I did this earlier in the week. So far so good, my scalp is doing well.

I also lived on Youtube during my free time and stocked blogs, there are plenty of resources online.

So I know you are l really reading, to see how I did it, here goes:

1.       The day before, I pampered my hair with a deep conditioning treatment, a mix of protein and hydrating conditioners (Tresemme, Keratin Smooth and Salon Silk), along with coconut oil. I sat under the dryer for 30 mins. I rinsed, applied Knot Today leave-in, and Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie and twisted my hair in the sections I wanted for my Marley Twists. Note: I’m not a big hair parter and I wanted them to look natural. I decided only to part the front perimeter of my hair, to ensure that my twist looked tidy.


2.   The next morning, I started my Marley Twists, using the invisible twisting method. See video by Cassandre Beccai. I love her videos: 

3.       Before adding the hair, I added a little more of the Curl Enhancer Smoothie, sealed with shea butter and a bit of Eco Styler for hold.

4.       I used two pieces of Marley hair per twist. My hair is fine, but high in density, I wanted to avoid scalpy patches and it worked. I used Freetress Marley Braid hair in colours B2 and P4/27, for a spring of colour.

5.       I ended up with 32 twists and used 4-1/2 bags of hair.

6.       When done, the next day I burned the ends and curled them in hot water, using flexirods.

What I learned

It is definitely trial and error and took me about six hours to do, not including snack and washroom breaks.

The hair will unravel at the end, so you will need to seal it in some way.

It’s important to note that, I did not grab the very front of my edges in the twists, to avoid damage. I’m fine with a few curls, I think they make the twist look more authentic as well.  

I loved having the control over the size of the sections and the tightness. For me, I’m fine will re-doing a couple twists if need be, because I know I’m not pulling my hair out and that means it is a real protective style. There is nothing worse than having extensions, and not knowing what you will end up with after the take down.

Maintenance

I will moisturize with aloe vera juice and a drop of coconut oil when needed.

I plan to wash my scalp with apple cider vinegar and water. Let’s see how that goes, or I will find a good dry shampoo. I’m open to suggestions!

Will I do it again?

Yes, without a doubt. I’m proud that I was able to do this myself, especially it never thought I would ever try this, but then again, four years ago I didn’t think I was going to be natural either. Things change and so do your capabilities, when you put your mind to it. I plan to keep these in for three to four weeks. The next time, I plan to try Senegalese twists.

Tell me what you think or if you have any tips to share.

Blessings and Curls,

Kim aka B-Curlie

   

Halloween hair & product review

  

My husband and I love Halloween, for one main reason. It’s one of the only times you can truly be silly or scary. This year we hosted a Halloween party and also went to a Halloween gathering at a friend’s home. We had fun at both events.

I thought I would show you my Halloween hair and also give you the promised review of Shea Moisture’s Coconut & Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie mixed with Eco Styler Gel (the blue one) for sporty and active lifestyles.

Me being silly, twist out with Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie and Eco Styler Gel.

I have been using the Curl Enhancing Smoothie, for a while now and I’m currently on my second jar. I’ve always been a fan of Eco Styler Gel, but this was the first time I used the blue brand. I use them on freshly washed hair, with my leave-in and then begin twisting with the mixture.

Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie:

It smells divine like coconut and hibiscus. It has a creamy, goopy and slippery consistency, which I found worked well. The product is water based, but also contains Neem oil and silk proteins, which helps contain frizz. I’ve also used it is as a moisturizer and that works as well.

I’m a twist-out junkie, so the first time I used it alone as a styler. It left my hair really soft and defined, but I found the definition didn’t last long enough.  With that said it has become one of my new staples.

Eco Styler Gel

As I mentioned in past posts I’ve tried most of the EcoStyler brands and for the most part I’m very happy with their performance with my hair. I mix a little of it with the Curl Enhancing Smoothie on freshly washed hair and the results are stellar. I get the definition and softness from the smoothie and hold that allows the style to lasts longer with the gel. A match made in heaven. 

I hope this review helped you, let me know. This mix will stay in my play book for a while yet.

Blessings and Curls,

Kim aka B-Curlie

Craving Marley Twists

For the last couple weeks, I have been craving to have Marley Twists installed or something similar to them. I love my curls, but I’m ready for a little change and a break from having to do my hair every day. Here is a great how-to video I found for Marley Twists from My Natural Sistas – it makes me want them even more when I watch it.  

My only problem is I haven’t had extensions in about seven years or so, only because the last time I had them in, my scalp had an attack. My dermatologist friend told me, that many of the hair companies, often package the hair, even human hair with chemicals that many black women are allergic to, but don’t know it. So she wasn’t surprised when I mentioned what happened to me.

Even though my scalp went crazy that one time, it didn’t happen every time I had extensions in the past. So I set on my search for hypoallergenic extension hair. I was pleasantly surprised when I found Prota Hair. On their website they say it’s not human hair, best is made with Ultima, which is a natural hair protein, very close in structure to keratin. That other feature that they mention that really attracts me is this blurb from their website:

“Prota Hair is even better than human hair because it is hypoallergenic, less-tangling, easy to restore, and flame retardant!  For sensitive scalps, Prota Hair is the best option because it is hypoallergenic and always clean and free from harmful bacteria.  And because Prota Hair is made with Ultima Organic Protein, the hair retains moisture so that it is soft and easy to manage.”

I have not purchased the hair yet, but I plan to in the next few weeks. Before I do so, I would love to hear from you. Have any of you used this brand or type of hair?

Blessings and Curls,

Kim aka B-Curlie

I'm Back!!!

So I haven’t written in a while and I’m really sorry about that … the reason you may ask is LIFE. My life outside of my blog, really needed my attention and it was very important to me. During this time I also did some soul searching about this blog and I figured out if I wanted to continue with it. I’ve always loved writing it, but found time was an issue. I also love hearing from my readers and to be quite honest, you are the reason why I’m going to give it another shot. I'll still be really busy outside of blogging, but I will try to be more consistent.

A couple people have recently told me that my blog has given them inspiration to continue their natural journey and that it was good to see Canada represented. This warmed my heart and I knew I had to continue to write about our hair and tell our stories.

So stay tuned for more from me and I will try my best to keep the post coming.

Thanks for your support and be sure to tell me what you think and what you’d like to see on Canadian Curlies, click here to drop me a line.

Getting ready for my wedding anniversary dinner with my hubby last week. I used shea moisture
and eco styler gel for my twist-out. I promise a review with come soon!

 

Blessings and Curls,

B-Curlie

My Mini-Twists

So I’ve just returned from a wonderful holiday in Jamaica. There is so much to say, before I even talk about hair. Ironically enough, one of my blogging idols, was staying at the same resort. It was the first time for us to meet face-to-face, since all of our contact has been through email and Twitter. She is the one and only Accidental Natural I also featured her a while back, check it out here.

After I booked my ticket and knew I was going for sure, I then started to scourer the internet looking for ideas to style me hair will I was on vacation. I intended on swimming as much as possible and I needs a style that would allow me to do that and deal with tropical humidity and dryness. I also knew that I didn’t want to spend my vacation washing and twisting my hair for twist-outs each day. I decided to try my hand at mini-twists.

I put them in myself on freshly washed, deep-conditioned and blow-dried hair. The entire process took me about 5.5 – 6 hours to complete. Here are my pros and cons and if I will do mini-twists again.

Me rocking my mini-twists in Jamaica.

Pros:

• Your hair will swing again (depending on your length).

• They are easy to wash and moisturize.

• A good test, if you are considering to loc your hair in the future. You will get a feeling of what your hair will look like.

• If you twist on stretched hair, you will see your true length, at least until it gets wet and shrinks.

• They are very versatile and fun to style

Cons:

• Depending on your hair texture and your activities, re-twisting after a week, may be needed.

• My twist started to matte after only two weeks, even though I moisturized every day.

• There will probably be a lot of knots when you take them down, even if you use conditioner like I did.
• The twists will shrink when we, but that comes with the territory.

• Can take a long time to do, depended on the size and length of your hair.

Will I do it again?

I have mixed feeling to be honest. I loved the low maintain factor and the look of the twists, but take them out and the finger detangling with tons of conditioner was not fun. I think I will try it again when I go away, but I won’t keep them in that long and perhaps moisturize them even more that I did on this trip.  

Have you done mini-twists, what was your technique?

Blessings and Curls,

B-Curlie

Pressed and Impressed

So a couple weeks ago I decided to go to the salon, because my hair was in serious need of a trim. I was going to a stylist that I trusted, so I decided to let her press my hair.

Me pressed and going out.

Keep in mind a flat iron has not touched my hair in almost three years, since I stopped using mine from the moment I started transitioning. So I was freaking out, to put it mildly. The last thing I wanted was heat damage.

I washed my hair and deep conditioned with a mix of Tresemme Keratin Smooth Infusing Conditioner, Pantene Moisture Renewal Conditioner and coconut oil. I then lightly blow dried my hair after applying my Kinky Curly Not Today leave-in and Fantasia IC Heat Protector. Then I headed to the salon. I sorta of fibbed to my stylist and told her I did not add a heat protector, just because I wanted her to add more…hehehe.  

My ends were in horrible shape. I’ve done mini-trims on my twists, but this was my first professional trim since my chop and there is nothing like it.

Back view - it's getting long. :-)



My stylist did an amazing job and I was really happy with the results. My hair has really grown and to be honest it’s the longest it has ever been in my LIFE! I can personally attest that the length and health of my hair is due to the fact that I no longer, use flatirons or curling irons on my hair anymore. For me it is ammunition as to why going natural was the best decision for the well-being of my hair.   

On a side note, I missed my curls hours after it was pressed. I didn’t recognize myself and because my hair is so fine, it was super flat. I liked the new look, but I love the volume the curls give my hair. I could not relax my hair again. I will probably press it, once a year if that. With that said this was a great experience and I’m proud of the progress of my hair and to know that I can have the versatility with natural hair to be curly or straight.

Maintenance:

Through the week I wrapped my hair at night and slept with a silk scarf. By day three I craved waves and did a braid-out for some volume. I applied a bit of coconut oil in the morning to style. I did not use heat on my hair at all during the week.

Wash day:

I actually needed to use a sulfate shampoo because of the build up of silicones on my hair.  I tried to use my TheraNeem shampoo, but it was not penetrating ... at any rate I deep conditioned with the same mixture I mentioned above and I experience no heat damage. THANK GOD!

Have you pressed your hair? How did it turn out?

 

Blessings and Curls,

B-Curlie

 

My Staple Products

So as I mentioned in my previous post, my hair officially turned two years old. I thought I should mention a few of my staple products that have never failed me.

I’m not a hair-typer, but for those who do, I believe I have two textures in my hair. The back is 4A and the rest of it for the most part is 4B. I know these producs won't work for everyone, but hopefully some of them will.

Let’s get to it:

My go to shampoo is Scalp TherapeShampoo Organix South I buy it from well.ca (free shipping in Canada). I know some of you are avid cowashers, but I need to wash my hair every week with shampoo. It’s a natural product that does not give me a lot of lather. The scent is not amazing, but I love how it washes all of the residue from my hair and scalp, without irritation which is important for me.

My go to conditioner and deep conditioner is Tresemme Naturals. It’s just magical. I get great slip from this product and I find it makes my hair easier to finger detangle while in the shower. When using as a deep conditioner, I any natural oil on hand.

My go to leave-in is still the Kimmaytube Leave-in with Kinky Curly Knot Today. I know Kim Love now has her own  product line, that I’ m sure it is wonderful, but I haven’t tried it yet and as of right now this leave-in mixture has been great for my hair. I’ve loved the Knot Today, ever since I began transitioning and it has done nothing but good things for my hair.

My go to styler is Jane Carter's Curl Defining Cream. I came across this product by chance at an iHeartmyHair event. I’ve experimented with others and they have been OK, but I always end up re-purchasing the Curl Defining Cream.

My go to gel is EcoStyler – Morrocan Argan Oil. I love this stuff.  It slicks my hair back like no nobody’s business, especially after a misting of water. I often end up wearing a puff or updo, a few days before wash day, since my hair is not interested in doing anything else at that point.

My go to oil is Extra Virgin Coconut Oil. First of all I love the smell of coconut and the way it just melts in my hands. I use it to seal moisture in my hair and to even style flat twists when it’s too early in the week to use gel.

My go to butter is my Shea Butter mixture. There is something about making something nourishing for your tress. My hair loves it and I use it for everything from styling, sealing or even as a body cream. I will say, that I do not use it all the time, it really depends on how I feel and what my hair needs.

I'm looking for great protein conditioner. I need something mild. So if you have any suggestions, send them my way.

 

Blessings and Curls,

B-Curlie 

Two Years Natural

So its official I’ve been natural for two whole years. It feel like yesterday when I just decided to transition and grow my relaxed hair out. Sometimes the transition was tough, especially on those days when the roller set just didn’t look super cute or when I flattened my hair while sleeping on it. As much as I love my hair to look good, I will not sacrifice my rest for it!

My big chop after nine months of transitioning.

I also went through a traumatic, bout of seborrheic dermatitis last year that resulted in hair loss in the front of my head because I tried to treat it myself. The good news on that front is that my hair is resilient and is not holding any grudges. ;-) It’s growing back and I can’t even tell where the loss happened, except for the shorter hairs.

Today - two years of curliness, rocking a stretched twistout.

Now I’m looking forward to many years of natural glory and springy curls with personality. I guess what I’ve learned so far is that you have to take care of yourself, pay attention to the needs of your body and hair and most of all be proud of everything that makes you unique.

Where are you at in your journey? What has it been like for you?

 

Blessings and Curls,

B-Curlie

 

 

 

Salon Nightmare – Lesson Learned

Over the holidays, I was in one of my very good friend’s wedding. It was a beautiful day and I’m overjoyed for them.

During the preparations for the wedding, I actually decided not to do my own hair and have my friend’s stylist do it. As a bridesmaid, I wanted to participate in all the pampering including getting my hair done. Well, let me tell you that it was one of the biggest mistakes ever.

Although the stylists were black, they had no idea how to take care of natural hair, except to press or relax the hell out of it. I wanted a simple cornrow style in the front of my head and either twist or roller set on the rest. As some of you know, I’ve had trauma on my scalp from my dermatitis, but my hair is in a much better place now and can definitely withstand cornrows as long as they aren’t too tight.

After washing my hair, my hair was pulled and tugged in horrible directions with sometimes a small tooth comb. Let me tell you my hair is not used to being treated like that. No gentleness or care was applied.

When it was time to do the cornrows I was told, that extension hair was needed for a fuller braid. Needless to say I had cornrows in for Halloween and they were fine with only my hair.

Me as a leopard for Halloween - loving my cornrows :-)

I am allergic to extension hair and I would not let them use it. They didn’t like that. I ended up sitting in the chair for count’em FIVE hours only to have flat twists in my hair and bantu knots in the back. Throughout the nightmare, I got comments from the stylists like, “I can’t do it, because I only braid tight – I’m confused”, “since your hair is SO NATURAL, we can’t do this or that” and “because you have a curl pattern this it taking me longer to do” the best one was “if your hair was relaxed, I would be done by now”. CRAZY right. They made me feel like my hair was a nuisance for them and that is not how you should feel when your are paying customer and when they are providing a service. That was the hair prep day.

Needless to say, I finished my hair myself the next day and tried to put as much love as possible into it. I was not happy, especially since I know I could have done a better job myself, instead of paying someone to treat my hair like crap.

My wedding hair - not my favourite, definitely could have been better.

This experience made me realize that doing your research about a stylist is very important. You can’t just let any “black” person touch your hair. You cannot assume that because they look like you that they know how to respect your precious curls.

Lastly, even though the experience was traumatic, it made me realize how proud I am be natural and that it’s important for more black women to let their curls be free. We need to put the pressure on our people who are stylists to learn the proper way how to take care of the natural hair that grows out of our scalps, instead of focusing on learning ways to manipulate our natural hair.  

Have you had a similar experience? Share your story ...

Blessings and Curls, 
B-Curlie

New Year of Curls

PHOTO: www.business2community.com

First of all, Happy New Year Everyone!

I took an extended blogging break, just to get my thoughts in order and to think about Canadian Curlie’s future. I realized that I still really enjoy writing and posting, but I will do so when I get the itch.

I am committed to this blog and speaking the truth about my personal natural hair experience along with others who want to share, but I am not going to post just for the sake of it. I want all my posts to mean something, interest others and hopefully help others, if it comes to that. So that is my outlook for 2013.

I’m really looking forward to sharing with you and as always please send me your feedback and let me know what’s up!

Blessings and Curls,
B-Curlie