Curly Nikki | Natural Hair Styles and Curly Hair Care

Put about 4 tablespoons of shampoo into an applicator bottle (large) and fill it up with warm water and shake.

Buy an applicator bottle from the beauty supply store/ Drug Store etc. (I purchased one for $0.99)

Benefits:

• You get more bang for your buck.
• Loosens the shampoo; helps spread product throughout your hair faster and easier
• Allows you to target your scalp
• Less concentrated; less of your natural oils being stripped out of your hair (LESS DRYING)
  

ReignElle's Tip Of The Day : Made your shampoo too watery? Add a pinch of salt and watch your shampoo thicken!

SheeTacular writes:

For the last 2+ years I've been chasing after length. Now that I have a decent length I have found that twisting for a twist out is easier. I can do fewer twists. I also can was in twists and braids with less unraveling when rinsing.

I am always fielding this question since I work out approximately 4-5 times a week (well, I try to at least!). Here are my tips and ideas to deal with your natural hair while maintaining a consistent exercise program.

My first piece of advice is to consider your lifestyle, and your hair preferences. If you’re currently a straight haired natural, are you willing to go curly more often? If so, your life will be loads easier.

If not, here is my advice for straight haired naturals that want to maintain a consistent workout schedule:

Time your workouts with your regimen. Meaning, do your more intense, sweat-inducing cardio days before wash day. For example, if you normally do your wash and straighten routine on Sundays then, Mon-Thu you can do your strength training, your yoga and low impact work that doesn’t leave you soaked. Then Fri-Sun you can do your hardcore cardio that will sweat every straight strand back to kinky….just in time for your wash day!

Protect your hair pre-workout and during. When I wore my hair straight and wanted to work out, I would put my hair in one, two or four tight buns and use coconut oil around the nape/parts/hairline/roots before starting to work out. I would blot my hairline and nape and along the parts of my hair with my towel as damage control to soak up any sweat I could as I went along. If you’re not a bun person, or prefer a protective look that is still office-worthy, I suggest a tight ponytail with the end rolled around a large roller while you workout, then as the scalp/roots are drying, just remove the roller and wear the ponytail.

Let it dry. Letting my hair dry FULLY while still in the 4 buns, or after quickly brushing it back into one bun before loosening my hair made worlds of difference. When I loosened my hair before allowing it to fully dry, the first few inches of roots would be curly and puffy, and jacked up any hope of looking sleek. Be sure your hair is fully dried before you loosen so you won’t feel the need to touch up your roots with heat.

If you primarily wear your hair curly, you’re in luck. It’s a lot easier to maintain your hair in curly styles when you’re not so concerned with reversion and a lot less stressful if you’re a fan (or a victim) of intense cardio!

My only tip for curly haired naturals:

Pick easy styles. If your workout routine is intense, you don’t want to have to fuss with your hair before and after each workout. I see some women at my gym two strand twisting their hair in the locker room before their workout and untwisting after. That’s great if you have time to kill and don’t care about over manipulation. But for those who want to be low fuss and efficient, pick a style that will last you a few days, like a twist or braid out, or the trusty bun. That way you can wear it a few days and wash frequently to avoid any buildup on your scalp. Twists are also a great style for consistent exercisers as it’s easy to wash them as you please and you don’t have to do any major maintenance before or after your workout. If you’re rocking a TWA, you’re good to go!

On January 21st, in Tehran’s Mellat Park, curly haired Iranians gathered in celebration of their glorious tresses. They called it The Day We Had Fun. Jennifer, a CN reader, wrote in and shared the links with us a couple of weeks ago. I, like many of you, was intrigued, and did a bit of follow-up research. I tracked the 'Curly-Haired Ones' down, reached out for an interview, and quickly learned that like many of us (1) they're learning to embrace their curls despite societal pressures, and (2) wearing their hair naturally is not a political statement.


CN: What led you to start 'The Curly-Haired Ones' Facebook page? What purpose do you hope it will serve?
M: The only thing that made me create this community was its absence in Facebook. Curly Heads are normally divided into two groups: Those who are fed up with their hair because of its annoyances and those who despite its problems, love their hair (like taking care of it, giving it style, being mocked by other people, our afro hairstyle being unusual for our society and many other things that you are aware of). I used to see a lot of people not having any confidence when in groups of friends- - this page was made to show the real beauty of curly hair and to turn a negative thing for some to a positive, and to be proud of their hair.

The biggest goal of this page is the smile it brings to its members. We mostly like to joke about famous Iranian poems, phrases, sayings and important events happening in the world. These jokes are made by linking them to curly hair which needs creativity. So one of the other goals of the page besides making you laugh, is to be creative in what we do, and to inspire. Most of the phrases used in the status section of the page might not be understood even after translation, but I’ll give you an example:

Straight hair does not exist in the world, as a long time ago people thought the earth was straight too.

In general this page tries not to focus solely on people with curly hair and it’s just an excuse to laugh and be happy.

CN: What sparked the meeting at Park e Melat in Tehran on January 21st? Was the turnout bigger than expected?
M: Truthfully I have to say no particular event sparked this meeting. I receive a lot of pictures, and every now and then, I would make a music video out of them and share it to show the beauty of curly hair. But this wasn’t enough, so I thought it would be cool to have all the curly haired people in one big panoramic picture, to show how small things can turn into big events. I started to market this idea one month prior by distributing a poster of the music video. Approximately 250 people came to the gathering which was more than I expected. A lot of people thought no one would come, but after seeing the pictures they regretted not coming.

For boys in our society, having an afro is very unusual. The feedback we got after the gathering was that the curly ones were proud of themselves, and learning to love their curls. Also people with straight hair wished they had curly hair!

CN: In a time where there are so many political causes, what is your reasoning behind not making this a political movement?
M: Taking into account the goals on which the page was made, you can see there is no use politicizing this issue. This gathering with all of its problems happened and made for a memorable day.


CN: What are your favorite hair products? What are the popular products in Tehran?
M: There is a lot of variety in the products. As I said before, we don’t really put much attention to these matters on our page, but we do have a section where people talk about how they style their hair and what products they use (in which there is no similarity between them in choosing hair products). Most mention famous brands which are used all over the world.



CN: Are you the founder of the group? Can I please have a picture of you to share?
M: Yes I am. Unfortunately I cannot share a picture of myself. One of the main reasons of the pages’ success is that no one has taken a leadership role and every member has an equal role. No one of the members knows whom the administrator a.k.a. founder is.

CN: I've seen the articles about mandatory haircuts in Iran. Are the rules enforced, and how does it affect the 'Curly-Haired Ones'? If you feel comfortable sharing, do you plan to abide by these rules?
M: These rules have been passed but they are not strictly implemented, so you are not forced to style your hair to a particular standard and you can see different styles of hair throughout the city. What we’ve done has nothing to do with protesting to these rules.

CN: Is it hard to get a job with your curly hair?
M: For girls no, but for boys with really long curly hair, it’s hard to get a job because for the majority of the society, it is something unusual.

CN: How long have you been natural?
I've been natural for about 11 years.

CN: Were you a long term or short term transitioner, and why?
I guess I was a relatively short term transitioner, if you could even call it transitioning. I BC'd at 6 months post relaxer. Those terms and the idea of "transitioning" didn't exist in my world or vocabulary at the time. I got my first relaxer and hair cut at 13 at a salon. From then on, either my mom or I relaxed my hair once every 6 months with a home perm. I could probably count on my 2 hands (maybe even 1) the number of times I got my hair professionally relaxed. I was too cheap for that. Anywho, at about 26, I had a bad experience with a relaxer that a "stylist" insisted she must put on my hair for a doobie at a Dominican blow out spot. I hadn't had a relaxer in 6 months; my norm. The stylist (if you could even call them that, because it was like a huge factory assembly line in this spot) decided to pull that junk through almost the entire length of my hair and not just the new growth!!! My hair started to break off badly after that. So, that was it for me. Plus, I wore my hair curly even with a relaxer because I worked out 5-6 days a week and sweat like a race horse. I very rarely even wore my hair straight for that reason, because it would have meant putting heat on my salty hair on a daily basis. I knew that was a no-no. So, I relaxed my hair, but then I would use products to scrunch in the curls (my hair was never bone straight anyway). So, the decision to go natural was easy and practical for me. I didn't wear my hair straight anyway and I was experiencing breakage, so at the point when I would have usually gotten another relaxer, I did the BC.



CN: What is your current regimen?
LOL. It's changed a lot since discovering CurlyNikki.com on President's Day 2010=). Currently, I'm participating in the GOC, so I'm trying to follow a very consistent regimen. On a weekly basis, I pre-poo and detangle my dry hair with Vatika oil for 20 minutes to an hour (depending on how I feel). I was using the Tangle Teezer to detangle, but now I'm scared because of Nikki's update about it shredding her ends and the fact that I just got a major trim and have fine strands too! So, I'll probably go back to finger detangling. Then, I wash with DevaCare No Poo for color-treated hair (find it more moisturizing than the regular one). I put my hair in 4 twists, not because it re-tangles easily, but because it helps encourage my wavy sections to be more curly. Lately, I've also been using a black tea rinse to see if it decreases my shedding (picked that up from TiaShauntee's "Her Best Hair" blog=). So, I'll pour the rinse over my hair and put on a plastic cap for 20 minutes. Then, without rinsing the tea, I apply my deep conditioner, which has been Darcy Botanicals Pumpkin Seed Conditioning Rinse as of late. I untwist to apply the DC and then re-twist, then I clip the twists on top of my head, pop the plastic cap back on and go under the bonnet dryer on medium heat for an hour (or, if I don't feel like finishing my hair that night, I'll put my satin bonnet over the plastic cap, then put on my twistie turban and go to bed=). After an hour or when I wake up, I let my hair cool for about 15 minutes. Then I'll usually put a "conditioning rinse" over the deep conditioner before rinsing my hair entirely with cool/cold water. The conditioning rinse is just conditioner thinned with water. Lately, I've been using Aussie Moist for that (newer purchase b/c of CN). But, sometimes I use DevaCare One Conditioner for color treated hair (staple of the last 5 years, at least). Once I rinse the DC, I apply a leave-in to my hair in sections and comb through to make sure my hair is detangled (again, was using the Tangle Teezer, but think I'll go back to my wide tooth shower comb). I then apply a styler for hold and moisture and do a twist and curl (TnC). The TnC has become my staple style over the last year because of CN=). Before that, I was a WnG girl for YEARS! Lately, my leave-in has been DevaCare One. I've been experimenting with a variety of products for styling though, including Shea Moisture Coconut Hibiscus Curl Smoothie, the SM Smoothie or Carol's Daughter Healthy Hair Butter (another long time staple) mixed in my palm with Eco Styler Olive Oil and, most recently, I've been testing a friend's new butter product. I've also used CD's Health Hair Butter and Murray's Lock and Loc gel for installing small two strand twists that I wore for a week. Because I'm participating in the GOC and want to see if I can grow my hair to WL, I've been using TnCs to stretch my hair and then putting my hair up in protective styles (buns, faux hawk, pin curled updo, etc). So, that's my weekly regimen. I also try to henna once a month and use Nikki's basic recipe, except I use 100g Jamila henna with 50g Dulhan. I use brewed green tea as my acid, add honey and sometimes I'll use Sally's GVP Conditioning Balm in the mix too. I had been doing a full head of henna 2-3 a month, but my curls have really loosened, and that is not a side effect I desired. I tried amla to preserve the curl, but I experienced a lot of itching with it and think it irritated my scalp and caused excessive shedding last year. So, my new plan is to henna only my roots and do a gloss on the length. I won't give up henna because I love, love, LOVE the red color and it makes my crazy amount of greys look like fire red highlights. Well, I LOVE the highlights in the front. In the back, it makes my head look patchy (lol), so I use a two step henna and indigo for the entire back half of my head=).



CN: How do you maintain Length? Moisture?
I never struggled with maintaining length, but I've achieved my longest hair in the last year, which is about an inch past BSL. Recently, I requested a "trim" that turned into a cut and it looks like I've lost a couple of inches=/. I have learned over the years that there are probably four things that stimulate my hair's growth and allow me to maintain a healthy, moisturized head of hair. Those things are deep conditioning every time I wash my hair (once a week or every two weeks), applying a leave-in conditioner and combing through my hair before styling (learned from a Ouidad stylist - makes detangling a breeze the next wash session and keeps my hair moisturized), using a hair butter or oil to seal moisture into my ends and staying away from protein heavy products (conditioners, stylers and gels - thanks Nik;-). Oh, and there is one more thing that I think has been very important, but has not been in my regimen as of late. If I am wearing a WnG, I never re-wet/re-fresh with water. If I re-wet/re-fresh it is with a leave-in conditioner (like Infusium 23) or a regular conditioner diluted with water.

CN: Night time routine?
I sleep on a satin pillowcase and wear either a satin scarf, bonnet or both. I sometimes pineapple if wearing a TnC, but it's still not the best solution for me. My nape hair is almost completely straight and I have to work to make it blend in with the rest of my hair. The pineapple can stretch that hair and ruin my blending efforts. However, given that I've been wearing a lot of protective styles lately, I haven't had to worry about securing loose hairstyles.



CN: What would you tell a new natural, or transitioning diva?
You know, the most important thing for me to tell a new natural or transitioning diva is to love their own head of hair. I think we all have moments of curl envy as we see all the gorgeous heads of hair out there. You may think that someone has the most fabulous head of hair ever and that they couldn't want anything else, but you'd probably be completely wrong. I drool over hair of all different shapes, lengths, curliness, kinkiness, thickness, etc. and wish for thicker hair, curlier hair, hair with more shrinkage, longer hair etc. But, at the end of the day, I'm good with my head of hair=). I enjoy it immensely. So, I think it's important to look at these blogs and youtube videos with a healthy appreciation for all the variety out there, but a healthy appreciation for your own head of hair too. There's nothing I hate more (well, that may be a fib ... but, I'm trying to prove a point;-), then someone saying "you have 'good' hair" or that, if they had my grade of hair, they would have been natural years ago. It's nothing against the person who says it, but I get annoyed that our world that has "taught" people this lie. I just want them to know that no matter the texture or length of their hair, it is and can be beautiful if they take the time and have the patience to learn how to treat their hair well.



CN: What's the best thing about being naturally glamorous?
For me, the best thing is inspiring others to be naturally glamorous! My sister and mom both went natural shortly after I did. My mom rocked a short, tapered cut with a Jerri Curl for a couple of decades!! Long before I decided to stop getting relaxers, my sisters and I would constantly tell her she should stop getting Jerri Curls because the "new growth" at her shaved nape was full of gorgeous curls! So, it was very rewarding when my youngest sister, then my mom, went natural within a few years of my BC. All of our textures are different and I constantly want to get my hands in their curlier heads to experiment with all of the styles that I've learned over the last year=)! Also, a few people at my job went natural after I did, and I think I was the one who inspired them to do so. So, it is really rewarding to see others let go of the "chemical dependency" and embrace healthier hair.

CN: Anything else you want to add?
Yes. Thank YOU Nik for all that you do. Since finding your site (at the recommendation of a friend - Thanks Meesa!), I discovered this whole online universe of natural hair. However, your site, with the information, inspiration and support you provide, is the best out there by far. YOU are my natural hair staple=). So, thank you for starting and maintaining such a wonderful place for all of us to visit, even in the midst of new and far more important responsibilities in your life. YOU are MY Hair Idol=).

Autumn writes:

I'm trying to figure this one out...

It seems as though I've been calling my "good hair days" the ones on which I take the time to define my curls. And my bad hair days seem to be the exact same days that I don't.

Is it really that I just "prefer" defined curls? Or do I have apprehension about wearing my 4a/4b hair in a moisturized afro? I mean how can I call myself doing a "wash n go" if I'm really doing a wash n add product n manipulate n add more product n manipulate n go? Am I alone?

How are other fairly new naturals managing to accept their "real" texture vs. their "styled" texture (shingling, twist/braid out)? Are u okay with both? I feel like it's more of an issue when you still have a TWA like me.

Joyce Clements of Naturallycurly writes:

Want beautiful hair and blemish-free skin? Then you need to become a detective—actually a cosmetic ingredient detective.

The truth is that some ingredients may cause problems for you and not for other people. At the end of this article, we’ve included a list of ingredients that have been shown to cause acne. Or you can purchase a book on cosmetic ingredients for future research.

Try to Keep it Simple

If you have acne, do not use products that add any oil to your skin or hair. Ingredients labels don’t underline the acne-causing ingredients. When looking at products and acne treatments, always look for “non-acne” or “non-comedogenic.” Not oil-free, because it may still contain ingredients that cause breakouts. Stay away from isopropyl myristate, oils, and silicone, petrolatum, PVP, CVP and copolymer ingredients. Also sodium lauryl sulfate and ammonium lauryl sulfate are ingredients to avoid.

Wash and condition your hair before you wash the rest of your body. Do this to wash off any residue that hair products may leave on your skin. (Just think how hard it is to get grease off of dishes, you normally need to wash it several times to be grease-free.) It’s the same with hair products—they will leave a residue that can cause breakouts IF YOU ARE PRONE TO ACNE. Really clean the skin well to rid it of any product residue.

Hola Chicas!

#NaturalHair is booming on Tumblr right now! So I'm giving you divas a chance to rep your natural hair tumblr OLD SCHOOL! Remember the Shabooya Roll Call? Well this is the Tumblr Roll Call! If you have a Tumblr that mostly features natural hair, send me your url with 'Tumblr Roll Call' in the subject line to nikki@curlynikki.com. Here's the catch: you have to rep your Tumblr in call and response format!

For example, if I had a Tumblr, I would say:

My name is Nik
My Tumblr's sick
And if you're natural
Send me a pic!

Featured Tumblr's will get this customized CN Badge so everyone knows you got a spotlight!

CN: Were you a long-term or short-term transitioner, and why?
D: I was a long-term transitioner mainly because I have never had short hair before and was scared that it would not look right on me since I have a long face.

CN: When did you BC? What was your initial reaction to your natural hair?
D: I BC’d in June 2010. I was just ready to get it over. I was in New Orleans for the summer. The weather was so hot, and my hair just didn’t look right when I twisted it. The ends of my hair just looked out of place. So I asked one of my grandmother’s salon technicians to cut the rest off for me. After it was done, I was relieved! I was ready to start the real deal.



CN: How did family and friends react to the new you? What was your response to them?
D: I come from a family of women who are all hairstylists. So, you can pretty much figure out the reaction. I had minimal support for my decision to go natural. That’s why I’m so grateful to have Curlynikki.com in my life! My grandmother really took it the hardest, and that’s why I did not tell her until about 3 months into my transition phase. Actually I didn’t tell her, my mom told her! Some of the people in my life really had a lot of negative things to say about my wanting to go natural and about how I would look with natural hair. It hurt my feelings a little bit, but I am so happy I did it because now I’m free. My hair is healthy, and I don’t have an excuse to not workout.

CN: What was your transition routine?
D: I wash my hair whenever I feel like it. There is never a set time to do it. I’m actually scared of the over manipulation syndrome. The shampoos I use are Biotin B-Complex and Suave Mango Smoothie. I use Biotin B-Complex, Herbal Essence Hello Hydration, Yes to Cucumbers and Shea Moisture Masque Treatment to condition my hair. To moisturize, I use olive oil, jojoba oil, African Shea Butter, Organix Coconut Serum, and CURLS Soufflé.

CN: What was your staple hair style during the transition and what is it now?
D: When I first decided to go natural, I wore buns. I then learned how to do a straw set from YouTube. Straw sets were my staple style throughout my transitioning phase. Currently, I am trying to be more versatile with my hair. However, since I am a college student, I can’t sit and play around with it all of the time. I have to say that two-strand twists and twist-outs are my best friends.

CN: How do you keep your hair moisturized?
D: I keep my hair moisturized by deep conditioning it every time I wash my hair which is about once every two weeks. I just started trying the pre-oil treatment because my hair is extremely dry in the winter. I wanted to find something to eliminate the dryness, and its working! Lastly, I seal my ends with shea butter because Midwest winter weather is harsh.


CN: Why did you choose to go natural and what advice can you give newly transitioners?
D: Honestly, I was feeling kind of adventurous! I just woke up one morning and decided to go natural. It was so weird for me to say that because all I knew was perms. Actually following through with it was a big accomplishment for me because I didn’t know I could be that patient with myself. I am so glad I did it and that I didn’t let negativity change my decision. For those who are thinking about transitioning to natural hair, please don’t get discouraged. Don’t let people around you make you second guess yourself. When you finally get to that place you want to be, you will be so proud that you made up your own mind!

Porchia writes:

I have been asked questions about natural hair by new naturals, transitioners, and people considering going natural. I want to tell them everything I know, but our time together is usually limited. What information is most vital to give to the aforementioned people without overwhelming them? If they are receptive but think that their hair types are different from the person giving advice, what general (not specific to hair type) advice can be helpful?

Hola Chicas,

Every other week, immediately following Fierce Friday, we'll have a virtual play date to celebrate the beautiful, curly babies in our lives! Click on the images to enlarge them:

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: