Search Results: NaturallyCurly
Celebrity Stylist David Babaii shares his secrets to creating celebrity hair. Read on to learn how you can recreate actress Olivia Wilde’s beautiful beachy waves.
“I began by applying Couture Colour Pequi Oil Treatment through the hair before drying. For the bang area, I used a large paddle brush to create a sleek finish. Next, I created 3 sections (sides and nape”> for total control. Starting at the nape area, I took 2″ sections and wrapped them around the inside of a large barrel curling iron, securing with pins. After curling the entire head and allowing the sections to cool, I removed the pins, allowing the curls to fall naturally. To finish, I applied an additional amount of Pequi Oil to my hands and gently brushed the curls out using my fingers, allowing her curls to fall into a natural wave pattern. Then, I finished her style by applying additional Pequi Oil for enhanced condition, strength and shine without weighing it down.”
All commercially manufactured hair products contain preservatives to keep them fresh and to inhibit the growth of bacteria and fungi. May of these chemicals can also cause dry, itchy scalp and skin. Here are some commonly used preservatives that are known to cause skin irritation:
- Benzyl alcohol
- Imidazolidinyl urea
- Diazolidinyl urea
- Sodium Hydroxylmethylglycinate
- Methyl, Propyl, Butyl and Ethyl parabens
- Phenoxyethanol
- DMDM hydantoin
- Quaternium-15
- Methylisothiazolinone
For silky, soft, fine curls or hair with loose curls or waves, use a hair diffuser to remove much of the moisture from hair. The warmth helps fine hair hold its shape longer. Water in hair (and moisture in styling products”> weighs hair down and pulls out the waves. Use products with glycerin or a heat-protectant to prevent damage.
A mayonnaise hair treatment is an effective hair conditioner that can help restore vitality and sheen to your hair. It contains oil, vinegar and egg yolk, which are all natural conditioners and cleansers that help in adding luster and shine to the hair. Mayonnaise is especially recommended for dry and overly damaged hair.
Simply apply a liberal coat of mayonnaise on your hair, making sure to cover strands from the root to the tips. Leave on for at least a half hour, then wash normally.
Dry hair can look frizzy and dull and be prone to breakage. Make your own yogurt hair mask by whisking one egg until frothy. Then blend in ½ cup of plain yogurt and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Apply to damp hair in sections. Leave on for at least 15 minutes then shampoo and condition as usual. The lactic acid in yogurt will smooth and hydrate your strands.
If you have finer hair in front, on top, or coarser hair underneath; patches of tighter curls or straighter hair or areas which tend to frizz more than others, you have combination hair (that’s a lot of us”>! Treat each area according to its specific needs, even if they are vastly different.
Frizzier places may need more moisture or a combination of moisture and protein. Sections of your hair may need more styling products than others or a different type of styling. Responding to your hair’s varied behavior will give you the best end result.
Coloring your hair opens the cuticles, so we must be sure to close them back down!
Deep conditioning after any permanent chemical dye is a good way to lock moisture into your hair. Chemicals will only further damage dry, over-porous hair, so it’s important to maintain the proper moisture levels in the hair.
Ayurvedic herbs that promote healthy hair health include Eclipta alba and Gotu Kola. Eclipta alba is called “Bhringaraj”—literally, king of tresses. It nourishes the hair and offers resistance to stress as well. Brahmi, sometimes called Gotu Kola, also helps balance the mind and nourishes the hair and scalp. Since Ayurveda considers the health, color and luster of hair so dependent on overall mind/body health, synergistic Ayurvedic herbs are also wonderful for healthy hair.
Hops, a vine whose flowers are used to flavor beer, has cleansing and bodifying properties for hair. Make a hair rinse with 2-3 teaspoons dried herbs (or 3 tablespoons fresh flowers”> to 1 cup of boiling water, let it steep for 15 minutes, strain out the herbs and use it as a hair wash or rinse when it has cooled.
If you can only find powdered hops, tie the powder up in a square of old t-shirt or put the herbs in a coffee filter and pour the water over them, let the filter and herbs soak in the water, tied with a rubber band or string. Leave this rinse in your hair.
In high humidity and water, hair can swell up to 15% in diameter, but only 2% in length. Sodium lauryl sulfate (in shampoo”> causes hair to swell in a similar manner, but causes more damage because of its ability to de-grease. Avoid too-frequent wetting of hair or prolonged wetting, and always watch hair for signs of needing special treatment such as breakage.
Store brand, generic products can be the same as salon or more expensive products, but for a much lower price. If you’re trying to replicate the results you get from a brand name product, compare the ingredients lists. You want the ingredients to match as closely as possible. Look for salon supply stores or drugstore brands for inexpensive versions of pricier products.
Fragrant and moisturizing, a sweetly old-fashioned spritz for your parched hair and skin:
- 1 cup distilled or filtered water
- 2 tablespoons vegetable glycerin
- 5-10 drop rose hip seed essential oil
- 1/4 cup fresh rose petals or 1 tablespoon dried rose petals
- Boil the cup of water and add the rose petals.
- Let this steep overnight, then strain out the rose petals and add the glycerin and rose essential oil. Combine these ingredients in a spray bottle that has been sterilized with rubbing alcohol, shake and refrigerate.
Other herbs could substitute for the roses and rose oil—chamomile teabags, dried or fresh leaf rosemary, lavender buds, other essential oils or evening primrose oil.
Many protein and deep conditioning treatments recommend using heat during the treatment process. But does heat really do anything?
The simple answer is yes. Heat speeds up chemical reactions and helps products bond to the cuticles of our hair. Heat may also improve the ability of the active ingredients in these products to adhere to more sites on the cuticle.
Many ingredients in conditioners (oils, butters, emollients, emulsifiers”> also become more liquid with heating. This may improve their ability to diffuse through the cuticle. Water also causes hair to swell, making it more permeable to conditioners. The result? Heat, moisture, and product combining to create, softer, silkier hair.
Some hair can withstand a load of up to 100 grams; can yours? Here’s a quick way to test the strength of your hair.
- Remove or salvage one hair.
- Tape one end to a butter knife, pencil or a ruler.
- To the other end of the hair, tape a thin plastic baggie.
- Over a sink, hold the hair and butter knife in one hand and have a bowl of water and tablespoon ready.
- Start filling the plastic bag, 1 tablespoon at a time. Count how many tablespoons you can add before the hair breaks. 6½ to 6¾ tablespoons is 100 grams (depending on the weight of tape and bag”>.
- Try hairs from different parts of your scalp. Notice where the hair breaks. The weight of the bag will make it likely to break near where the bag is taped, but weak areas are also likely places for breakage. Each tablespoon is about 15 grams.
Have you ever noticed that your hair sometimes seems to repel itself as though you had rubbed a balloon on your head? The dreaded flyaways.
Conditioner causes this in two ways: too much conditioner and not enough rinsing.
Try rinsing your hair longer, separating the hair in sections to rinse thoroughly (don’t worry, you won’t remove all the conditioner”> to see if this fixes the problem.
Protein is beneficial for fine hair and for damaged or porous hair, and is used in many deep conditioning treatments. But with so many different types of products that contain protein for hair, which one one do you choose?
- Look for hydrolyzed proteins in rinse-off products. These can penetrate hair and add strength and shine.
- Collagen is helpful in improving hair elasticity.
- Keratin is thought to be strengthening and improves manageability.
- Wheat protein adds strength and helps retain moisture.
- Soy protein and other plant proteins also have moisture-attracting (humectant”> qualities.
- Silk protein tends to soften hair.
From weaves to microbraids to straight as straight gets, Kim Coles has done it all. We’ve gathered these pictures from her career throughout the years – and even a few before she went pro. Now, she’s all natural, and we love her even more for it.
This is how it all began. Kim Coles in school uniform with her natural texture.
Maybe not natural, but promoting the curls early on.
True ’80s style – blown-out and big.
Glam and sexy – with a 3b weave.
Cutting up during a photo shoot in a 3c weave.
Microbraids, a curling iron, and personality as big as her smile.
Braided on top, braids let loose in the back. Again with the big smile! Yay!
Braids worn loose in the back and acting coy on the BET Awards carpet.
Microbraids and hair extensions can’t keep the real Kim Coles from shining through.
Microbraids and loose curls as big as her personality.
Extensions? Maybe. Kim Coles gets cozy with the flat-iron.
Super-sleek Kim during her straight hair phase.
We can’t resist Kim Coles, no matter what!
Kim Coles threw down the gauntlet and challenged herself to go natural! We couldn’t be happier, and think she looks more beautiful than ever. Her natural curls definitely suit her vibrant personality as well.
Says Kim, “I chopped off 20 years of hair that came in a bag and I’m embracing the hair that grows on my head… My new nickname is Kim Coils!”
So pretty in pink. Love that hair!
Natural. Short and sweet.
Kim Coles and Aubrey O’Day spoof Madonna and Britney by sharing a smooch.
Kim Coles and Aubrey O’Day post-smooch.
Kim Coles and Aubrey O’Day at the 2011 Logo NewNowNext Awards.
Kim Coles at OK! Magazine & Step Up Women’s Network Women Of Music Celebration.
Kim Coles looking glam and fab and rockin’ her natural curls at the Women Of Music Celebration.
Kim Coles on the carpet at the USA Network and NAACP Reception Honoring The 42nd Annual NAACP Nominees.
Kim Coles and Vanessa Bell Calloway at the USA Network and NAACP Reception Honoring The 42nd Annual NAACP Nominees.
Kim Coles with with Nikki Watson, aka CurlyNikki, and Nikki’s adorable baby!
Kim Coles with her former teacher from Brooklyn Technical High School.
Kim Coles – natural and with a lot of heart to boot.
Kim Coles today. Way to go natural – love those sweet curls! (Extra points for the fuzzy earrings.”> Thanks, Kim, for showing us how beautiful natural curls can be!
Want to watch Kim Coles do her big chop?
Read our other Kim Coles articles:
Announcing the Kim Coles Grow Out Challenge
Kim Coles is in Control of her Natural Hair
Creating Your Regimen for the Kim Coles Grow-Out Challenge
Actress and Comedian Kim Coles Discusses her First Monthiversary with Natural Hair
CurlTalker CSteen85 describes her method for getting clumpy curls—something many curly girls are definitely looking for:
So, I don’t know if I invented a new technique or what, but I figured out a way to achieve clumps for myself—and they’re good ones, too!
I did my normal routine with No Poo and One Condition, which I don’t rinse out all the way, so it makes that squinchy sound when I scrunch and it’s still dripping and I add AnGel.
But here’s what I do. I coat my hands with the gel and then scrunch, but each palmful of hair that I cup, I squeeze and pump eight times for each section.
As long as I can hear that sound and it feels squishy when I pump my hand open and closed, I know it’s working.
When I take my hand away, I’m left with a really soft-looking clump!
I did this all over my head to apply the gel and diffused and got gorgeous clumps!
I really find that the pumping helps distribute the product really, really well—especially for my super-dense hair.
