Curly Nikki | Natural Hair Styles and Curly Hair Care

NaturallyCurly.com writes:

You know that love-hate relationship we have with fatty foods? Well, the same holds true for glycerin, according to Marsha Coulton, founder of Curl Junkie.

“If you use too much, it can be too heavy and feel like an oil in your hair,” Coulton says. “If you use too little, you don’t get the effect you’re looking for."

Just as fats (at least the good ones!) are important in a healthy diet, glycerin is a coveted ingredient when it comes to feeding our curls the moisture they crave. Coulton uses glycerin in both of her curl sprays, but in different proportions. Curl Fuel, which is heavier, has more glycerin. But she cut the glycerin by a third for her Curly Boost spray because too much can weigh down curlies with fine hair.

Michelle T. writes:

What inexpensive products have you found to work that you really never thought would have worked?

Hola chicas!

It's that time again! The images below are of CN readers at their flyyest...at work, on the town, and with the fam. Showing us all that natural hair is not a fad, it's a way of life...an extension of our beauty! Click on the images to enlarge them:

Send in your favorite picture with a caption detailing where you were (or where you were headed to), along with a brief description of your hairstyle, to nikki@curlynikki.com. I'll post several each Friday. Be sure to use 'Fierce Friday' as the subject line!
We need more for next week!

Lori asks:

I've been a bad girl. I strayed from my Curly Girl routine a month ago and my hair is acting up. Build up I guess? My hair likes all natural products and I knew that, but I let my inner PJ get the best of me.

Hello Curly Nikki,

Hola Chicas,

It's that time again!

Remember that an affirmation can help you replace a negative thought (ex. I'll never find love) with a more helpful positive one (ex. I'm worthy of love, and I will find it in time). By using the power of positive affirmations and by repeating them, you can recondition your brain and change how you feel and think about any situation (your appearance, your hair, a relationship, etc.). You can choose to be happy, no matter the circumstances! It will transform your life.

Share your affirmations here, but remember to revisit and reflect on them everyday-- in the evening before retiring, in the morning before rising, during prayer, meditation, or while exercising! This is one habit you need to develop... as another reader stated, don't just think them, say them aloud! Own it :-)

Hola Chicas!

Time is ever so quickly winding down... I'll be 37 weeks on Friday and the baby feels low (and though she feels as if she's gonna fall outta my butt any second, I'm taking y'alls word that she won't!). The nursery is complete, my bag is packed and dear family and friends will begin arriving as early as next week!

Strange new symptoms? Let's see... since breathing is an activity I find quite enjoyable, I have to sleep sitting up, which I hate. Plus, if I happen to fall asleep laying down, I wake up with very painful cramps in my lower belly and back. So yeah, restful sleep is not happening and I'm so tired during the day. Also, one boob is noticeably larger than the other... but neither are big enough for me to purchase a nursing bra in my size. I've been to two Tarjays and a JcPenny and apparently I have very, very tiny breasts... maybe A cups aren't supposed to breast feed? But dammit I'm gonna give it my all...hopefully the bigger boob (which I now call 'my good boob') will pull the weight! TMI?

Finally, I have a perfectly straight line running down the back of each leg (from my butt to my ankles). To the right of each line, my skin is very dark, to the left, it's very light. So strange! And the kicker is that my mom said the exact same thing happened to her.

Anywho, on to my reason for this post. I tried the Goody Simple Styles hair clip tonight with great results! Here's the description they provide:

Pony Pouf makes the "piece-y" pony so easy! Clever little styling tools and instructional guides to assist every woman in achieving a salon-inspired hairstyle at home.

I can see how this product really would deliver what the texture challenged community so desires. Volume. Since we curlies don't have this problem, I truly questioned the reason for even trying it. Glad I did though! It's yet another low stress, low tension way of securing the hair in a chic and easy style. Plus the design allows for ultimate poofage without the hassle of tying a pantyhose around your head. It sort of reminds me of a tiny, modified banana clip. It has two positions (the first for finer hair, and the second for thicker), and the comb portion on the top half makes it easy for you to fluff the hair up and intensify the volume of your puff.

I like it because it gives me the security of a pony tail holder (looped two or three times), with the volume of a pantyhose or goody headband secured puff. It's easy to put in and remove-- snagging and tearing is not an issue. Definitely another tool to add to your arsenal!

A woman at work asked me why I didn't wear my hair straight. I said 'it doesn't grow that way and I'm too lazy to make it do that'. She asked what I use in my hair to create the funky styles I wear. I said 'hardly anything'. (The style in the picture is what I wore to a holiday party)

I used to religiously put an oil mixture in my hair everyday. Combo of olive oil, grapeseed oil, jojoba and god knows what else. My hair was moisturized but my skin took a beating! So I stopped. I could go bald, but I'd like my skin to be healthy. Now, I wash once a week, put some moisturizer in every few days and call it a day. With putting even less natural products in my hair...my hair is actually handling it better and my face.

I spoke with the woman from my job a little bit about hair. She told me her's was wavy and that she flat ironed it everyday to keep it straight.

I realized at the end of that conversation which I've known of myself for quite awhile, is that what I seek is to live an authentic simple life. I want to be natural and organic..not just with hair but with every facet of my life. And being sustainable in your life, also makes for a more simple life and gives you time for things that actually matter.

I grow my own herbs instead of buying them most times. Why? Not because I'm on some granola soapbox of the benefits to the world in doing this. But because its simpler. That's why I went natural. It's why I purge my clothes a few times every year.

Everyone has their reasons. To each their own. What I look forward to is the day when we do away with this need for surface level BS and get to a point where we can just be...however we are.

I know one too many women who won't go outside without makeup, without heels, without earrings, without that outfit...and it's sad. But adorning ourselves and attributing worth to it has been pervasive in our world since the beginning of time. But who's to say it has to always be that way.

Jeanine writes:

I go through one 16oz bottle of cheap conditioner a week. I use an 8oz jar of gel in two. Although my favorite products aren't very expensive, the constant re-upping is draining my pocket. The other day while slathering on my leave-in, I began thinking, am I using too much? Is it even effective?