CurlyNikki Testimonial- AuNaturale

Hi Nikki,

I hope you are doing well!

I’ve been on naturallycurly.com a lot lately and I kept reading all these rave reviews about Herbal Essences Hello Hydration conditioner. So I decided to buy a bottle and try it in a co-wash. I’ve also read other posts and blogs from people who insist that combing additional conditioner in the hair after washing and leaving it in overnight does wonders for moisturizing—so I thought I would try that as well with the HEHH. And since I was feeling so experimental, I decided to go all out and try your twist n’ curl method! I twist my hair quite frequently, particularly after washing, and my hair takes to it very well. I usually twist my hair when it’s dry or I’ll use a mix of Giovanni Direct Leave-In and water to detangle/moisture before twisting. However, I’d never tried combing regular conditioner in my hair and leaving it in over night; nor had I tried twisting my hair and rolling the ends. I was so excited to see how it would turn out.

So here’s what I did:

• Step 1: Regular co-wash with HEHH;
• Step 2: Let hair air dry to the point where it is damp and not sopping wet (I try to stay away from towels when it comes to drying my hair);
• Step 3: Separate hair into four sections and secure each section with a hair clip;
• Step 4: Remove hair clip from one section and apply conditioner (I’m not sure how much conditioner I used, but I’m always pretty heavy-handed when it comes to applying products. I just applied enough conditioner until I felt my hair was sufficiently saturated);
• Step 5: After applying conditioner, detangle with Jilbere Shower comb (combing from the ends to the roots);
• Step 6: After detangling, I separate the section into smaller sections and make two-strand twists. I did 5 twists in that section. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any hair clips you mentioned in the tutorial, so I had to bypass that part of your method;
• Step 7: Repeat steps 4-6 for the other 3 sections. I ended up with 20 twists total;
• Step 8: I sealed the ends of each twist with jojoba oil and then rolled each twist individually (I just rolled the ends and not the entire twist). I also didn’t have any end papers…lol (in the future, it might help if I attempt this with all the required supplies);
• Step 9: Covered hair with satin bonnet.

Results: In the morning, I took out the rollers and unraveled the twists. The HEHH left my hair feeling soft and moisturized, particularly at the roots. After taking out the twists, I finger combed and fluffed. My hair exploded into a mass of frizzy curls and I ended up with a curly afro (this is also what happens when I twist my hair using the Giovanni Direct Leave-In). My roots looked silky, but the length of my hair looked dry in certain parts. Also because the curls were tighter, my hair looked a little shorter due to the shrinkage. I don’t think the initial results turned out anywhere near as beautiful as your hair (your hair is much thicker and longer than mine), but I didn’t give up. I applied my SheaMoisture Shea Butter Leave-in and kept fluffing and manipulating my hair. By the end of the day, the curls had fallen some (likely due to the SheaMoisture and the fluffing), giving my hair the fullness and length that I like. I was really pleased with the “end of the day” result…I think it’s more of a complete “twist n’ curl” look. Without the twist n’ curl, it usually takes my hair about 1-2 days after washing to look like this. My only complaint is that I lost the curly tendril ends with the fluffing. At some point, I will have to try this using the exact same products you used (Jessicurl DT and DevaCare One conditioner) to see if I get different results.

I have posted some pics of the results below. I hope this helps other natural ladies out there! CN, thank you so much for all you do and please continue to keep up your blog. Your tips, methods, suggestions are invaluable!

Curl Afro (After unraveling twists, finger combing, and fluffing):

End of Day Hair (with SheaMoisture Leave-in & more fluffing):