Curly Nikki | Natural Hair Styles and Curly Hair Care

CN: Were you a long term or short term transitioner, and why?
I was a short term transitioner-- 4 months and a week to be exact. I wanted to transition longer but my mom inspired me to go ahead and big chop.

CN:When did you BC? What was your initial reaction to your natural hair?
I big chopped on November 24, 2009. My initial reaction was SHOCK! I couldn't believe I had actually done it. When I looked in the mirror and saw myself for the first time, all I could ask was 'is that me'? Then I said to myself, 'I am beautiful no matter what'. From that moment on, I've been loving my hair...haven't looked back.

The winner of the Blended Beauty SilkShake Giveaway is...

SuburbanBushBabe, a fellow blogger, NC.com member, and long time curly friend shares her tips on growing healthy, hypercurly, natural hair.


Acceptance and Clarity - Take off the "mental wig." Once I accepted that I would never have Botticelli curls, I began to see that my hair could be even more beautiful. To actually see my hair, I need to look at photos. Mental distortion can occur when I look in the mirror, but the camera doesn't lie.

Understanding - Observe your hair under different circumstances, different climates. Learn to understand what your hair does, not what you want it to do and build on that. Look inward at your own hair, not outward at someone else's.

Look, listen and learn - It's a given that other naturals know more than I do, especially if their hair is thick and long and beautiful, right? I'm so teachable!

Protection: At night, protect the hairline with a silk head wrap, guard against friction with a silk pillowcase. Anchor the hair in a loose puff or large twists so it doesn't shift or rub against itself. During the day, I wear my hair out 95% of the time. Protection means the right products applied to each strand and a soft, aloe-vera based gel for hold. And no touching! (that one is hard.)

Know your hair's width and porosity - More important than knowing if your curl type is 3c, 4a or 4b is knowing whether your strands are fine, medium or coarse and how porous they are. Fine and coarse refers to the diameter of your hair strand, not the feel of your hair. Porous refers to how open or smoothed (closed) the surface (cuticle) of your hair is. Fine, porous hair reacts differently to products and the environment than does coarse, non-porous hair. It also needs to be handled differently. Each hair type has its own issues. Fine, porous hair tends to need more moisturizing and strengthening products. Coarse, smooth hair can be subject to quicker product build up.

Layers of moisture - This means water. Moisturizing shampoos like shampoo bars or cleansing creams or a gentle castile soap (they aren't all equal). And liberal doses of conditioners with great slip, moisture and a little of the right protein for my hair. A little butter or oil. More conditioner. And those aloe-vera based gels. Dirt-based deep treatments (Rhassoul clay, sisyphus spina christi) year round, moisturizing deep treatments in the winter.

Gentle detangling - if my cleanser is cleansing without stripping and my conditioner is loaded with slip and moisture, then I can finger detangle easily. A little KBB Hair Milk added to conditioner boosts its detangling ability. I do this at most twice a week.

Regular trims - I get ends trimmed and shape adjusted 3 times a year. My hair is easiest to style a month after a cut.

Low manipulation - After I style my hair wet, I leave it alone for up to 3 days, except to gather it into a pony puff at night, let it down in the morning and scrunch a little Set it Free and butter into it. No combing or brushing. When I dry twist at night, I use my fingers only to separate, and a little more product to smooth.

Forget about growth, learn how to retain length --
If you're healthy, growth is a given. Retaining length is the hard part. Transitioning to gray showed me just how fast my hair grows -- and how fast the ends break. By babying my ends and boosting moisture to keep them hydrated, smooth and soft, I help my fragile ends stay put instead of snapping off like dry twigs. If I'm doing dry twists, a moisturizing custard or lotion gets smoothed on the ends of those twists. If I'm bunning, the ends get moisturized with a lotion and a little baobab oil. On the second and third day of my wash and go I scrunch a moisture lock lotion and a little butter onto my ends. When my ends stay soft, my hair retains length.

Celebrate each success, and learn from the challenges.






For more SuburbanBushBabe, check out her blog, Starry Eleven Twins!

Hola Chicas!

We've got a bottle of the slippery SilkShake up for grabs! Is your PJ curious? Mine is...they sent me two bottles but I have yet to try mine. Whoever wins, must come back to CN.com and provide an official review!

Today, I started several new threads in the forum. The 20th person to respond to the specific thread I'm watching wins! Good luck!!!!


Description: Treat your curls and give them a shake! SilkShake will revive dry and lifeless curls and hydrate while boosting shine, with Rice Bran oil. Perfect for detangling damp curls or for a boost in the morning or anytime of the day, on dry or damp hair. You can never spoil your curls too much!

SilkShake Ingredients: Aloe Water, Vegetable Glycerine, Capryl Isostearate, Rice Bran oil , Natural Conditioner, Natural Preservative Optiphen, Rosemary Leaf Extract, Soy Protein, Silk Powder.

Directions: Shake before each use. For detangling, spray onto hair generously and comb in small sections. To revive curls, spray on to curls from 6 inches away. Crunch or smooth curls with your fingers.

Hola Chicas,

I hope you curlies had a splendid Thanksgiving. I ate entirely to much, and now have a stomach ache...but it was so worth it!

The forum is popping and many readers are getting together to share curly hair knowledge face to face! A recent meet-up was held in Detroit, here's a few pics from their event:

SheeTacular_napps reports, 'we talked for hours about how long we've been natural, why we are natural, and family, friends and public reaction to our hair, and our family life.' They had a blast, and so can you! Head over to the forums and find out if there is a meet-up in your city. If you're already a forum member and are currently planning a meet-up, be sure to shoot me an email so that I can post it on the blog!

Later Gators,
Nik

CN: How long have you been natural?
I have only had my hair relaxed once, and I was too young to remember. So with that said, I’ve had stages where I wore my hair curly more than other times. From about 8th grade all the way up to about my 2nd year of college I always got the beloved roller set and blow dry from Dominican salons. Then I discovered a Malaysian stylist who used one of those wet-dry flat irons. It cut out the long roasting sessions under the hair dryer and gave me the straightest hair imaginable! Occasionally, I would wear my hair curly but I was not satisfied with it, meaning it was shapeless and lifeless. I then discovered Teri’s tightly curly sight and began wearing my hair curly more often. So to answer the original question, I’ve been natural for about a year, since summer of 2008.
I am desperately trying to grow out the color in my hair. I chopped off 6-7 inches back in March, so I'm looking forward to growing it back out.

CN: What is your current regimen?
M: I really don’t have one, I really try to be consistent but I am so busy! I had a paper due this week and I hadn’t washed it in 4 days!! Lucily, it detangled better than expected.
I adore the co-wash method, which is still somewhat new to me. To think I was shampooing my hair and combing through it at the same time! Terrible.
I am a green queen and refuse to use any parabens, petrochems, etc. I co-wash with Giovanni Direct Leave-in (too greasy as a leave in). After rinsing, I use the Kinky Curly Knot Today and CURLS Goddess Glaze. Recently, I added the Organix Anti Breakage serum before the KCKT and got fab results. Even though the Serum has dimethicone in it, I absolutely love this product. I am looking to get another jar of the Kinky Curly Curling Custard, but for some reason it makes my hair really crunchy and elongates my curls too much. For now, that is what I mostly use with the addition of Aubrey Honey Suckle Rose. I am looking forward to trying some stuff from the AfroVeda line.

CN: How do you maintain length? Moisture?
M: I don’t! lol This is something I desperately need to work on. After I got my hair cut in March the ends went bad to worse! I think the damage is a result of the dye job. My hair has been growing, as you can see by my serious roots, but I don’t feel as though I have any healthy length. As soon as this semester is over I will be going in for a new cut. As far as moisture, I do think that the KCKT keeps my hair moisturized all the way up to day 3. The bottom line is that I need to invest more time in my hair.

CN: How do you protect your curls at night?
M: I’ve been sleeping with a satin scarf and satin pillow case for the longest time. This habit began a while ago though. At one point I had bad acne and my dermatologist recommended the scarf to keep all the oils, etc from getting on my pillow.

CN: What would you tell a new natural, or transitioning diva?
M: Don’t believe the hype about hair “pills”-- If your diet and lifestyle are healthy then you shouldn’t need them. I mean who honestly lives like a personal training expert?! Eat your fruits veggies and PROTEIN!!! Also, having people who support you and your goals is essential!

The winner of our weekly Butters-n-Bars giveaway is.....

To join the challenge, check out the links below:

Contest Rules and Forum
Miss Naturally Beautiful You 2010

Remember, you must post everyday, Mon-Fri, to qualify for the weekly henna/shea butter giveaway!!!

Later Gators,
Nik

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:


Tai:
This is one of my favorite hairstyles since being completely natural August 20,2009!
It is basically a frohawk...braids on both sides and a twist out throughout the rest of my hair! :)






MahoganyCurls (our resident TWA expert):
Yesterday I tried a spiral set on my hair to switch the look up. I only had two hours before it was time to leave so I had to rush, but it turned out very pretty! I enjoyed my Thanksgiving!












Shontae:
This pic was taken after 2 helpings of Thanksgiving goodness, 3 Cupid Shuffles, a Cha Cha Slide, and a quick run in the rain. Happy Holidays!












Ashley:
Here's me and my cousin at a thanksgiving party. I just BC'd 2 days ago and last night i felt fierce!










Nadia:
This is my hair on Thanksgiving Day. My first good twistout!










CN's Thanksgiving Hair:
4 day old TnC-- used Trader Joe Tea Tree Tingle and Setting Lotion to set. Fluffy, soft, and defined!










NiK G (our 'baby girl' resident expert):

Megan:
Side-swept wash and go using bobby pins.













Terra D:
My Thanksgiving hair!










Cheryl:
I volunteered for the Father/Daughter Dance at my daughter's school and the photographer snapped a photo of me :)














Christy:
These pics are from a professional photo shoot my husband gave to me shortly after I went natural. He wanted me to know that I was beautiful in all hair.

CN: Were you a long term or short term transitioner, and why?

My youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/smartblackchic

CN: Were you a long term or short term transitioner, and why?
I was a medium term transitioner, Lol! Sad to say it, but I dragged out a short term transition because I didn't think I would look right without enough hair on my head...I'd been called Big Head forever..so I desperately wanted to cover it up. I felt like it was too much to deal with both the head and hair..thus the medium transition. Fortunately as time went on, I kept thinking why am I so concerned with other peoples opinions, I decided to take control and one major mini chop and a touch up mini chop later I felt more like myself than ever before. I embraced both my beautiful head and hair! :-)

CN: When did you do your first/last Mini-Chop? What was your initial reaction to your natural hair?
My last Perm was on Oct.13, 2007. My first mini chop was a major one, done exactly 11 months later on Sept. 13 2008, my 2nd (because I clearly missed some permed and heat damaged ends) was on Dec.29, 2008. My initial reaction was 'WOW this is pretty short', but then I started checking out the curl pattern and the shine and fell into super strong like mode with my curly locks.

CN: How did family and friends react to the new you? What was your response to them?
I was one of the luckier ones. I never got any of the negative feedback from family and friends. My family was used to natural curls thanks to my mom, who has been natural her entire life (with the exception of three minutes back in '83 when she rocked the perm for a sec). She's been my Hair Idol for the longest. Also, I was fortunate enough to have several friends who were transitioning around the same time, and even if they don't know it, each and every one of them helped me out tremendously, when it came to helping me stick with my decision.

CN: What was your transition routine (products included)?
Quick disclaimer..I have to admit, I wasn't always the most consistent with this routine..but for the most part this is how it went down..Lol
My transition routine consisted of weekly Olive Oil Baggy Treatments, were I'd leave the oil in overnight. Sometimes I'd add essential oils such as Lavender, Chamomile, Rosemary, and/or Texas Cedar wood to the mix for some extra oomph. I'd rinse the oil mixture out in the morning, and then I would co-wash with Suave Naturals (sometimes adding Lemon juice to clarify and soften). I detangled with DevaCurl OneC, I would rinse and then add some more as my leave in. Finally I'd use my spray mixture of DevaCurl OneC/Water/Lavender EO to either set my hair, or to help in the bunning process. I'd seal with Raw Shea Butter.

CN: What was your staple hair style during the transition?
My staple hair styles during my transition were LOTS of buns (both high and low), Braid Outs and Twist outs and finally Braids.

CN: How did you moisturize your hair to prevent breakage at the new growth line?
I used Raw Shea Butter like it was going out of style. I also made a lot of my own oily concoctions and would use them in conjunction with the Shea Butter. My hair seemed to love it, so I just kept right on with it. I also left lots of conditioner in my hair when using it as a leave in. I would baggy(using a moisture and then oil to seal, then placing a bag over the area allowing to sit overnight) at the ends or over my whole head when it crossed my mind to do so (which was like once or twice a month) and that was about it...

CN: Why did you choose to go natural?
I chose to go natural for a variety of reasons. The main one being my need to be in line with my healthier, all natural, holistic, hippy chick self. I'd already been in the process of changing A LOT of things in and around me to reflect my healthier attitude. I was trying my hardest to make better decisions about the products I was putting in and on my body. I didn't think it made sense to change all of that but still run to the salon to get a relaxer every 6 to 8 weeks, saturating my scalp with crazy chemicals. Thus the transition, which has been one of THE BEST decision I've ever made in my entire life. I am absolutely IN LOVE with my crazy curls. Thank you SO MUCH Nikki for helping to make my transition a positive one! I'll NEVER EVER go back!!