Curly Nikki | Natural Hair Styles and Curly Hair Care

Erica, an NFL Cheerleader writes:


This is my signature style. I never really change it, and if i do, I just throw a headband on it.

I do the following 3 times a week:

1. Wash my hair with Pantene Pro-V volumizer shampoo

2. Comb through my hair with a wide tooth comb while shampoo is still in hair.

3. Rinse and follow with Mixed Chicks leave in conditioner. Mixed Chicks wash out conditioner doesn't' work for me.

4. After the conditioner is in, and while hair is still wet, I put LaBella styling gel (the pink gel)

5. I then put heat protection gel on my hair and blow dry on hot for about 10 minutes and let the rest air dry.

I hope y'all have good luck with this remedy, it works for me!!

So you want to loc your hair. Or so you think. Actually, you're not really sure but you've been giving it some thought and have NO idea where to start. Girlfriend, I've been there. Deciding to loc your hair is a pretty big decision and while there is no right or wrong way to start locs, here are a few of my "Things to Think About Before You Loc" tips.

1) You BC'ed a month ago...are you SURE you want to loc now? I remember when I first chopped my hair back in '05, I got a dozen, "When are you going to loc?" questions. Enjoy your fro. Don't feel pressured to loc if you aren't ready. Still lovin' your loose natural hair? Keep rockin' it! Your hair will tell you if and when it's time to loc it up.

2) Decide what method you want to use and STICK to it. Locs can be started off and maintained by many different methods. From comb coils, braidlocks, Sisterlocks, freeform to 2-strand twists, it's super important to know what method works for your hair texture and lifestyle before you commit. I won't tell y'all how I adopted THREE methods in my very short journey. Insane in the membrane, is right. Ha!

3) Realize that locs are versatile. I get so many, "What can I do with locs"-type questions. Are you kidding me? You can do just as many hairstyles with locs that you can do with loose natural and relaxed hair. The options are endless and because no two loc'd ladies look the same, you will always have a unique style. BAM!

4) Prepare to just let go. Someone should have told me this when I first started loc'ing my hair. They call it a journey for a reason. As much as you may try to manipulate your baby locs, they are going to do whatever they want to do. They are going to be fuzzy and all over the place. The beginning months may frustrate you to no end and the best way to rid yourself of that frustration? Leave them alone.

5) Loc'ing does not mean a "total commitment to a hairstyle". If you love color, guess what? You can color your locs. You can cut them in layers, grow a bang, curl them, shave off one side---whatever fits your personality. It does not mean the end of doing your hair. But, if you're looking for low maintenance, locs can be that too.

Bottom line...locs are just an extension of natural hair and they aren't for everyone. Talk to locticians and current loc rockers and do a mess of research before you begin loc'ing. I'll tell you one thing though, I thought I loved my hair when I was a loose natural...my locs have given me another ridiculous amount of self-love.

Okay, so here we go...

• Shampoo and/or co-wash. I used DevaCare Low Poo because I had some product build up and I co-washed/detangled with Herbal Essence Hydralicious (I think).

• Section hair into four, and clip. I created two sections in the front and two in the back (parting from ear to ear and selected style part from front of forehead and parted to middle of nape of neck).

• Start with the left front section. I raked about a quarter size amount of DevaCare One Conditioner through the section first and then a similar amount of Aveda Defining Whip.

• Use a metal rat-tail comb to make a half moon like section for the twist and oil scalp with JBCO (Jamaican Black Castor Oil-- my new holy grail product). Next time, I'll probably just make my style part and do freestyle sections with fingers. Clipped remainder of section out of the way.

• To create the twist, separate the section of hair into two pieces. Twist EACH piece, SEPARATELY, counter-clockwise a few times, close to the scalp. Then, take the two pieces and twist them together clockwise while continuing the counter clockwise twisting motion with the separate sections of the twist. So, this creates a rope like effect and a tighter twist.

• Repeat this prior step for the remainder of the section and repeat for the remaining three sections. I re-wet my hair with Infusium 23 as my hair has started drying a lot more quickly due to henna, I believe. However, after a bit, I started worrying about the "cones" in the Infusium 23. So, I stopped with that, and started using a new concoction I created based upon a lot of information I've found on CurlyNikki! It's a mix of distilled water, Aloe Vera Juice/Gel (the edible kind), a tbsp of JBCO, some DevaCare One Conditioner and a little lavender oil (I call it WAJD).

• Once all the twists are complete, spray a little more of my concoction and some Elasta QP Silk Design spray for setting power on the ends and sealed with JBCO. Then, I set the ends on those "plushy" type fabric rollers using end papers.

• Sit under the dryer for about 30 minutes to an hour. I only did this because I'm impatient and couldn't wait to see the results. However, you could easily allow to dry overnight.
  

• Unroll the rollers and go to bed with twists pulled into a low ponytail secured with a satin scrunchie and a scarf tied around my head.

• The next morning, the twists were thin and my head was looking "scalpy." So, I styled the twists into an updo by pulling the ponytail a little higher, wrapping it around the scrunchie one time with the ends toward the top and securing the loose ends with one or two of those "doobie" bobby pins below the curls. I then adorned with a faux flower.

• At some point during the first week, I did wet my whole head in the shower in an attempt to make the twists "plump." It worked a little, but not enough for me to wear my hair down. I oiled my scalp and sealed my ends with JBCO every couple of days after spritzing my ends with the above Water/Aloe/JBCO/Deva concoction.

• However, after work on Day 10, I untwisted my twists and went to bed with a low ponytail and scarf.

• On the morning of Day 11, I took down the ponytail and sprayed my hair with my WAJD spritz, sealed the ends with JBCO and voila!! These are the results! The separated twists plumped up beautifully!!! I was pleasantly surprised as I wasn't really expecting to have a second style, let alone one I really loved!

Two-strand twist out:

So, I ended up with very defined, "piecey," spirally locs and very little "scalpiness!!" I spritzed and sealed every day and wore through Day 15. I think if I hadn't been playing in my hair so much, spritzed it so much and had tied it up a little better, I might have gotten a few more days out of it. But, I was ready to take it out to henna anyway.

I hope you enjoy this and find it useful!!!

Thanks Nikki!

Shelli

Hey Nikki!

My husband David and I were married June 20th, 2010 in Long Branch, NJ. Choosing wedding hair was such a struggle to say the least. After googling wedding styles over and over, I realized that there were very few natural bride pictures which of course made me sad. I eventually came across a few blogs that stated "sure natural hair is great...but not for your wedding day". UGGGHH! At that point I gave in and tried straight styles with bouncy curls and even tried out a weave. They were cute, but just not me...and certainly would not have worked in the New Jersey heat, on the beach, WITH the humidity created by the ocean.

One day I came home completely discouraged and went through many styles with my husband. He stopped me and said "you know, all of these are great, but I am IN LOVE with your natural hair... I love those curls!" I had been so concerned about being beautiful for him on our special day that I never considered that he would be more than satisfied with my natural hair. That was all I needed to rebuild my confidence and truly embrace these curls.

So, a day or so before the wedding I took a great friend of mine to a natural hair salon with me (just in case I hated it and had a nervous breakdown lol). I ended up going with a few flat twists on the side and a rod set for the rest. My friend sat there anxiously with the camera trying to gauge my reaction... and I loved it!


Hopefully this post will give other natural brides the confidence to embrace that natural hair on their special day. I cannot imagine the extra headaches I would have had running back and forth to the bathroom attempting to de-poof straight hair or flatten edges and so on. I was able to dance all night with no worries!

As I walked down the aisle and saw the smile on my husbands face, I knew I made the right decision (on both my hair and my man, lol!)

Thanks for letting me share!
Cara Rivera

NaturallyCurly.com writes:

American Idol contestant Crystal Bowersox has focused attention once again on the ancient art of locking, perhaps causing many Americans to look at the hairstyle with fresh eyes.

“I’ve had these for about four and a half years now,” Bowersox told AccessHollywood.com in March. “I do wash my hair— just so everyone knows. There’s a lot of myths out there about dreadlocks, but they’re very clean and well-kept.”

A story about Bowersox’s hair on Stylelist.com attracted comments ranging from compliments (”they fit her perfectly”) to critical (”disgusting and distracting,” “horrible” and “[she] looks like a pothead”). One poster summed up voter expectations this way: “You keep those dreadlocks and be happy, but you won’t win ‘American Idol’ with that look—do you really think [fourth season winner] Carrie Underwood would have won if she looked like Crystal?”

With the renewed attention on locs, we thought it was a good time to present a primer on this hairstyle.

Protective styling is a cornerstone in most natural hair care routines, especially if overall health and length retention are goals. In this post, I share with you some of the best types of styles to use when protecting the hair, and criteria that you should consider when you are determining which ones are best for you.

Some general guidelines:

• Versatile, meaning you can wear it in more ways than one.
• Easy and non-damaging to put in and take out. The style shouldn't strain your hair in either process.
  
• Relatively easy to clean and moisturize.
  
• Protects your ends.
  

Beware of styles that place a lot of strain on your hair with heavy extensions. Some people think that the 'pull' helps to grow your hair when in fact it's just weakening and straining your individual hair strands. If someone else is doing your protective style for you, make sure you pre-detangle your (wet, slippery) hair so it's easy for them to work with. If your stylist has to comb or brush your hair while it's dry, you could end up losing a lot of hair to breakage...which completely defeats the purpose!

Also make sure that you go to a stylist you trust who has dealt with natural hair before. Getting referrals from friends is a good way to find a stylist. My personal favorite protective styles are: braids, twists and cornrows. They all protect your ends very well and are easy to put in and take out. Cornrows aren’t very versatile once they’re done but you can get creative with the designs you choose.

I prefer to style my hair without the use of extensions only because I have a very fine hair texture. The added weight of the extensions tends to strain and break my hair. It's also easier to wash your hair properly when you don't have extensions in them and you won't have to worry about your real hair getting knotted and tangled with the synthetic hair as you're removing the style. If you remember the guidelines above, you want to make sure that your style is easy to maintain. For me, styles with extensions are low maintenance at first but then they become a hassle the longer I have them in.

Keep in mind, this doesn't apply to everyone but hopefully my personal experience will give you some insights on what may or may not be a good fit for your hair. A lot of people utilize styles with extensions and have no problems, but again it all depends on your hair and how well you maintain the style.

Again, I hope this post gave you some helpful insights and guidelines on choosing protective styles for your hair.


If you have any other questions or comments about this post, feel free comment below as well.

To your hair journey,
aJ

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