Search Results: Tasha Swearingen
Usually when we think about matted hair, the first thing that comes to mind is a homeless dog in desperate need of a grooming. Unfortunately, this situation isn’t limited to our canine companions. It’s not even limited to curlies since our straight-haired comrades can easily get matted hair too. While having matted hair can be horrifying, it is possible to detangle matted hair out without reaching for the scissors.
Loosen the Locs
Recently one of my daughters came to me with a ponytail that was evidently hiding a matted mess within. After taking the ponytail holder out, I was horrified at the huge mat buried inside her waves. Cue the lecture on coming to me sooner with problems, yada yada…and then I set out to get that ratty mess out of her hair. Thirty minutes and two very sore arms later, it was out! It took patience and little bit of know-how, but we managed to remove it with no need to trim. That’s not to say she didn’t lose some hair in the process, but there was no chopping involved. Here’s what we did:
- Wet the hair very well, or hop into the shower, but skip the shampoo. In our case, since she was already dressed, I drenched her hair with a spray bottle.
- While the hair is still wet, apply generous amounts of a good detangler (something that should be a staple item in any curly girl’s bathroom”> to the matted hair and the chunks of hair around it.
- Brace yourself and dive into it with a wide-toothed comb. Make sure you hold onto your hair near the root for the chunk you’re working on, or it will hurt VERY badly. The goal at this step is not to get the mat out completely (purely wishful thinking”> but to loosen the surrounding hairs, sort of isolating the mat as best you can.
- Apply even more detangler to the mat and surrounding hairs, and massage it into the mat.
- Working with the comb and your fingers, separate more of the hairs around the mat. If needed, you can hit it with a detangling brush to encourage that stubborn knot to loosen. In my daughter’s case, I found that the detangling brush really helped. Mind you, I usually do not brush wet hair — but I also wouldn’t usually have a daughter with matted hair. Desperate times…
- Repeat steps 4 and 5 as needed until the mat comes loose. Alternate using the comb, your fingers and a detangling brush if you’re using one. Again, it took us a good half hour to get through her large knot. I remember having to rest my arms halfway through, because holding your arms up starts hurting after about 15 minutes.
Have you run into this problem before? How do you detangle matted hair?
What causes gray hairs in the first place? Your body produces a protein called melanin, which allows your hair to grow in (at the root”> through melanin-filled cells. At some point (usually in your early 30s, though it can happen much sooner”>, your body stops producing this protein, resulting in a lack of melanocytes. Your melanocytes share melanin with keratinocytes, which produce keratin. When the keratinocytes die off, they still hold onto the melanin, which means they’re hanging onto your hair color. As a result, new hair that grows in has no pigment and presents itself as gray or white.
In laymens terms: your hair passes through melanin-filled cells as it comes in. When those cells no longer retain melanin (because it’s being hogged up by something — keratinocytes — that is dying”>, the hair has no pigment to pass through as it comes in, so it comes through gray. (This means that your hair doesn’t suddenly “change” into a gray shade; your new hairs are growing in gray.”>
This gray hair, lacking in melanin and keratin, is very dry and coarse. For straighties, this often means they suddenly get hair that sticks out, flies away, or curls near the roots. For curlies, it usually means having hair that gets bumped up a level in type (i.e. type 3s start growing in hair that more closely resembles type 4″>. However, some curlies get shocked with gray hairs that are nearly straight and look nothing like the hair they’ve come to know and love!
Embrace the Gray?
Some people, usually men, view gray hairs as a sign of seniority and say that it gives them a “distinguished” look. Women, on the other hand, are usually horrified. Tolerating gray hair is one thing, but embracing gray hair is quite another! Nonetheless, at some point you’ll have to accept what you cannot change. Remember, chemical hair dyes are not natural!
Glowing in Gray
Some people, usually men,
view gray hairs as a sign of
seniority and say that it gives
them a “distinguished” look.
Women, on the other hand,
are usually horrified.
The solution for your newfound grays depends on what you’re dealing with once they make an appearance. If you’re going from wavy to curly or from curly to coily, consider adding more moisture-rich products to your hair care routine. The more curl your hair has, the more porous it tends to be. Gray hairs are more dry on their own, regardless of curl pattern or lack thereof. Additionally, some curlies seem to have the frizzies under control until the gray hairs takes over the majority of their hair. However, until your whole head is gray, which can take decades, you probably don’t need to go on a full-on quest to find a totally new regimen.
If you’re now dealing with random straight hairs or patches of somewhat straight hair, try scrunching it along with your regular hair. Treat it the same way you do the rest of your hair and see if you can’t convince it to cooperate.
Ask any curly about the most annoying part of her hair, and she’ll probably tell you the little kinks at the nape of her neck that seem to just never go away and are always frizzy. Those pesky nape hairs are always getting in knots, no matter what you do with your curly hair. They are especially irritating because they’re usually too short to actually do anything much to them. What’s a curly to do about those blasted nape hairs?
Why They are Bothersome
Growing up, I didn’t really know what to do with my 3c/4a (current”> hair. One thing I could always count on, though, was getting huge knots at the nape of my neck. Sometimes I’d detangle them by rubbing in gobs of conditioner and slowly and gently undoing the knot with my fingers. Other times, I’d just chop it right off. I wouldn’t recommend the latter, especially if you’re working toward growing your hair.
The hairs at the nape of our necks tend to be fine, so those huge knots REALLY stand out and just look gross — especially if you’re trying to wear your hair in a cute ponytail. Additionally, if you’re trying to comb through your hair, it’s very painful to smoothly go through with a wide-toothed comb and then SNAG right at the neck.
What To Do About Them
The best thing you can do for your nape hairs is to prevent them from knotting up in the first place.
Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you’re going to get a knotted nape. When this happens, use a detangler (conditioner works well also”> and coat the nape. Working in sections, start detangling your hair. When you come to a snag, separate the hairs a few at a time so that you’re pulling the hairs away from the knot. If you get enough hairs away, you’ll just be left with a teensy tiny knot that should just come right out in your finger tips.
If the hairs at your nape are more matted, this strategy will take more time but will still work. You’ll have to work at parting the matted knot, which may require adding more conditioner and massaging it into the knot before you can separate the hairs. Don’t fret — it WILL come out. It may take several minutes, but it’s possible!
How to Prevent Nape Hair Knots
The best thing you can do for your nape hairs is to prevent them from knotting up in the first place. To cut down on the problem, try these simple tips:
- Avoid collars that rub on the nape of your hair. A collar that constantly brushes your little nape hairs is almost asking for knots to form. If your shirt collar is pushing those soft hairs together all day, the result will not be nice!
- Brush them! Sometimes when we brush our hair, we actually forget to brush the hairs at our nape. We’ll hit the sides, front, top, back and everything else, but brushing up against our neck seems to escape our memory. If you want to keep those hairs under control, you’ve got to detangle them often.
- Condition your ENTIRE head of hair. Just like with brushing, we sometimes forget to apply conditioner and to detangle that small section of our hair. In doing so, we make that hair susceptible to breakage, plus it tends to get rough and dry. There’s a reason you don’t skip conditioning the rest of your hair, so don’t forget your nape!
How do you take care of your nape hair?
Many women opt to wear a sew-in as they let their natural hair grow out. Sew-ins let you go natural without sporting a super short hairstyle you may not be comfortable flaunting. They also allow you to slowly adapt to your natural hair, which is good when you’re in the middle of testing products to find a regimen that works — a process that could easily take months or even years. But are they good for your hair, especially if your ultimate goal is to be natural?
What Are Sew-ins?
Sew-ins are a form of weave for the hair that you can actually sew into your hair rather than glue onto your scalp. If you’re going to wear a sew-in while you transition, you’ll want to wear one that covers all of your hair and leaves none of it exposed. This will also save you from having to worry about blending the sew-in with your natural hair color, type and texture.
Who Should Use Them?
In the past, it may have been more common for coilies to opt for a sew-in, but wavies and curlies get them done as well! In the natural hair community, we all go through the same issues, and many of us are transitioning, which isn’t limited to any particular hair type — and neither are sew-ins!
Benefits
The most important thing to remember when you have a sew-in is to care for your natural hair.
Choosing to wear a sew-in while transitioning has many benefits. If you recently did a big chop, you might be self-conscious about short hair. A sew-in will let you “hide” behind the façade of having longer hair. In addition, sew-ins are available in a variety of colors, textures, and hair types. This means you can change your hair color or type without the risk of over-processing your natural hair and stunting its growth. If you are accustomed to wearing your hair straight (relaxers”>, you can purchase straight-haired sew-ins. On the other hand, if you think you might like to start getting used to curly hair, go for a curly sew-in! Since you’ll want to change your sew-in every couple of months at least, feel free to try a straight one the first time and go curly or wavy the next time.
Considerations
The most important thing to remember when you have a sew-in is to care for your natural hair. Don’t think that just because your hair is covered in a sew-in that you can just let it go and ignore it! Quite the contrary, you’ll actually need to pay MORE attention to your hair with a sew-in. This is because the added weight can cause damage and stress to your hair that you otherwise wouldn’t have if you didn’t have a sew-in.
Also, when you’re in between sew-ins, you’ll want to let your hair “breathe” a little after covering it completely. The time you’ll need to do without a sew-in really just depends on how your hair reacts, which you won’t know until you take it out. If you have a lot of breakage after you’ve taken out the sew-in, you might consider leaving it out for a few weeks while you work to replenish the moisture your hair needs.
Almost as important as caring for your natural hair while wearing a sew-in is finding a stylist who knows how to properly apply a sew-in. Don’t assume that just because someone “does weaves” that she knows HOW to do them well! Keep in mind that you get what you pay for. While you may find a “hair dresser” who will do your sew-in for $50-60, it might be worth paying closer to $80-90 to have it done by a stylist who will not leave you with a cone head, bald spots when you remove the sew-in, or overall just looking wrong. A good stylist will also take her time on you. Ask for references from friends, and look at a potential stylists’ portfolio of work to see what she’s done and how she does sew-ins. Bottom line: it might be worth the splurge to have your sew-in done right.
What do think about using sew-ins to grow your natural hair?
Move over spring! It’s time for hot weather, cute clothes, and tons of beach days. For curlies, it also means altering our hair care routines yet again (it’s practically a seasonal thing girls”>. Keep reading for great summer hair car tips for the dog days ahead.
Tips for Each Type
- Type 2: Wavies usually need to cleanse their hair regularly to keep it from becoming excessively oily. Co-washing often leaves wavies with oily, limp hair after just one day. The heat from the summer weather dries hair out, especially if you’re spending a lot of time at the beach or in pools. Just as the heat from hot water opens the hair cuticle, the heat from the sun does the same. Therefore, you’ll want to keep it moistened with something light that won’t weigh your hair down. For instance, Jessicurl’s Hair Cleansing Cream is cleansing and lightweight, yet it won’t strip your hair of its natural moisture. If you’re dealing with limp hair and need something to give your waves a boost, try AG Hair Cosmetics’ Foam Weightless Volumizer. Our wavies love it, and it has ingredients to protect your hair against frizz during summer, which is especially helpful if you live in a very humid area.
- Type 3: Curlies need products that help define their curls without adding “crunch” or weight to their hair. In the drier weather, this means using moisture-enhancing products and leave-ins that are lightweight. However, if you’re using both types of products, you may actually be able to do without one during the summer without causing dry hair. If you’re looking for something to hold your curls in place, especially when humidity is working against you, try using Curlisto’s Control II Gel. It’s practically weightless, yet it holds onto each strand of hair to give your curls definition. Curly Hair Solutions’ Curl Keeper is becoming one of our curlies’ staple products. Since it’s water-based, it’s safe enough for everyday use and still good for preventing the frizzies.
- Type 4: Coilies naturally have very-dry hair. Add some scorching heat and humidity, and you have a recipe for breakage. For good, coily summer hair care, deep condition and use products that add moisture to your curls. With the heat allowing more product build-up to set in, coilies may also need to cleanse more than they have been in the winter. Many coilies absolutely love As I Am’s Cleansing Pudding. It’s thick and moisturizing, even without sulfates and other fillers. It leaves thick, coily hair feeling fresh and clean while also encouraging hair growth and cleaning the scalp. If you don’t do shampoos, try using their Coconut Cowashing Cleansing Cream instead, or alternate use with the Cleansing Pudding. Jessicurl’s Deep Conditioning Treatment provides another way to get good moisture for your coils. With shea butter and cocoa butter as its main ingredients, it’s little wonder this product gets rave reviews for providing rigorous moisture!
How will you change up your summer hair care routine?
In general, afros, twists, locs and natural hair are nothing new. However, it wasn’t too long ago that these things weren’t as widely accepted as they are today. Sure, in the 70s and 80s, afros and twists were pretty popular, but for about 20 years following, natural hairstyles were often seen as taboo.
Beginning a few years ago, though, these styles started making a real comeback. Today, it’s not at all unusual to see many ladies sporting these hairstyles. So we have to ask: is this a generational thing, a trend, or is it the texture revolution in action?
Blast from the Past
As a biracial person myself, I grew up wearing my hair in its natural state primarily because my straight-haired mother (the only parent I lived with”> had absolutely no idea what to do with my hair. She tried, bless her heart, but really, she had no clue. There were’t websites like NaturallyCurly and CurlyNikki to help her figure it out, and there certainly weren’t the hoards of YouTube videos that are available today.
In the 70s, African-American women, and all women to that extent, were more comfortable wearing their hair in its natural state, be it wavy, curly or coily. However, did you know relaxers have actually been around for over 100 years in some form? While they weren’t available in boxed kits at the local market until the 1970s, women have been relaxing their hair in some fashion for over a century. Yet, repeatedly natural hair has come in and out of style.
Most recently, we’ve seen quite a boom in women donning their natural hair. In cities such as New York and Atlanta, you would be hard-pressed to not see multiple women sporting their natural texture or a natural hairstyle. The boom in the industry has spawned hundreds of companies and encouraged even major hair care companies to spruce up their natural hair care lines.
But is it just a trend, or is natural hair here to stay?
Hurting Our Natural Hair
As hair relaxers became more available and commonplace over the years, some women forgot, and still are unaware, how to care for their natural hair. In fact many women wouldn’t even be able to tell you what their natural hair looks like.
For me, like for many of you, the transitioning phase and the want to go natural isn’t about a trend, like the industry often leads us to believe, but about being healthy and embracing our natural beauty.
If you’ve been relaxing your hair for years, you may not even have any “natural” hair anymore, aside from what grows in at the roots. My natural hair is somewhere between a 3c and 4a, but because of relaxers, my entire head of hair falls somewhere between a 2b and 3b (depending on how much I scrunch it”>, while still growing in 3c/4a at the roots. How’s that for combination hair?
The upside to this is that I have experience with a variety of hair types. The downside is that it’s challenging to figure out just what natural hair care regimen works with my hair.
Now, while I haven’t fully transitioned to my natural hair, I have embraced my texture as I allow it to grow out. For me, like for many of you, the transitioning phase and the desire to go natural isn’t about a trend, like the industry often leads us to believe, but about being healthy and embracing our natural beauty.
Benefits of Going Natural
The truth of the matter is that by staying away from relaxers, coily girls can avoid damaging their natural hair. Part of why we see a boom in the natural hair community is probably less of a generational thing and more of a technology thing.
Previously, the only thing we had to go by were our friends, family members, a couple of magazines geared toward African-Americans (though not necessarily geared toward being natural”>. These days, we have blogs, websites, message boards, mobile apps, Facebook/Twitter (where we find natural hair care groups”>, and magazines catering to naturals. There are also a ton of products out there and more product lines coming out on a regular basis.
With so much help available, there’s no shortage of information out there. You just have to take advantage of it!
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, this curly girl says to heck with the idea that this going natural movement, this revolution that we have created as a grassroots community, is a trend. The only trend here is the one that major brands are following in trying to get our attention, our money, our love and dedication. Truth is, we have come a long way from the natural hairstyles of the 70s that perhaps were just a trend.
We are going natural for all the right reasons — and so will our daughters, and theirs after them. The texture revolution has only begun, and I’m one natural who is proud to be a part of it!
There are several reasons why many curlies choose to trim their own hair. However, some actually love their stylist who knows she can’t cut curls the same way she can cut straight hair.
On top of this, she’ll even give you an estimate of how short your hair will be after shrinkage and she refuses to give you the cut you just know you want because she says it’ll give your curls weird layers. She really is a curly girl’s dream come true! So what exactly makes a great curly stylist, and how can you find one that you love?
What’s Great About Her
You can tell a good curly stylist within the first few seconds of meeting her. Does she immediately motion you toward the sink for a shampoo and conditioning? If so, consider that red flag #1. A stylist should not cut your curly hair while it’s wet, and even if they do, she should be inspecting your curls to understand their specific pattern and angle before she washes it down.
If you choose to do your own trim at home or if this is a stylist who knows you, then that’s different. For an initial meeting, though, consider this a warning.
If she knows exactly what you mean when you tell her your current regimen for your 3b/3c combo hair is to low-poo with HCC and follow it up with Ouidad’s CQ, interjecting with Devacurl’s HIH once a week for a DC, she might be worth keeping!
Another sign of a good stylist is that she doesn’t just let you come into the salon insisting on having something done, regardless of how unhealthy or unflattering it may be for your hair type. I’m thankful for my stylist who will absolutely refuse to do something and have her name branded to it if she knows better than me — and trust me, she does! The fact is, you may not have the type of hair in that picture you’re thinking of bringing to her. Also, remember that the girl in that picture probably had loads done to her hair, and without your own styling team to do your hair every morning, yours just won’t look like that. A good stylist will tell you so.
You’ll also know you’ve got a good stylist if she’s familiar with the Curly Girl lingo. If she doesn’t look at you strangely when you mention co-washing or no-pooing, that’s a good sign! If she knows exactly what you mean when you tell her your current regimen for your 3b/3c combo hair (she knows what that means as well”> is to low-poo with HCC and follow it up with Ouidad’s CQ, interjecting with Devacurl’s HIH once a week for a DC, she might be worth keeping!
How To Find Her
Word of mouth is probably the fastest way to find a stylist you love. Outside of that, try looking up Deva trained stylists and Ouidad trained stylists at one of their salons.
You could also check out our Salon Finder or CurlTalk thread for users to share experiences and help each other find good stylists.
Most of the advice given for second-day hair seems geared toward coilies and sometimes curlies. Many wavies, in fact, find that they have to wash their hair on a regular basis, often daily, which eliminates benefitting from second-day hair. However, it’s possible to get great second-day hair that you can benefit from all day before needing to shampoo your hair again in the evening. Yes, even if you have wavy hair.
Second-Day Hair for Wavies
We first heard about great second-day hair from some of our CurlTalk posters who said they’d rather sleep in than deal with their hair in the morning. Even though one poster in particular wasn’t that fond of her second-day hair, she was determined to make the best of it in exchange for a little extra shut-eye.
“I have such hideous luck with 2nd day hair. But, I put up with it because I would just rather sleep in,” says CurlTalk user “Goobernut.”
So what’s her secret to getting second-day hair that she enjoys? Believe it or not, it started with a haircut. Ensuring that you have a good curly cut, and not a cut that works best for straight hair, can seriously improve the overall look of your waves. If you wear your hair wavy on a regular basis rather than straight, tell your stylist. He or she needs to be aware that your daily hairstyle isn’t straight — and the cut should reflect that.
After getting a curly cut, Goobernut started focusing on the products that would really work well with her hair. To her dry hair, she adds Curl Junkie’s Coffee Coco Curl Crème Lite as well as Curl Junkie’s Pattern Pusha.
Saturation is Key
Ensuring that you have a good curly cut, and not a cut that works best for straight hair, can seriously improve the overall look of your waves.
CurlTalk user, “pedaheh,” tells us that spritzing dry hair with product is what helps her as well.
As we all know, wavies pretty much have to saturate their hair in order to get great curls from scrunching and pumping. If you’re going to do that, you may as well just hop in the shower and start with a fresh shampoo and conditioning!
Pedaheh tells us, “If I spray with water, I destroy all the first day work that went into making clumps.”
Instead of jumping back in the shower and starting over, try searching for light-weight sprayable products. Using these in place of water to saturate your curls will save you the time and provide the same saturation waves need to reactive.
Wavies, how do you get your second-day hair?
One of the benefits of going to great lengths to style our curly hair is that it just looks amazing when we find a combo we like! Even better is the fact that we curlies can often have hair that looks BETTER the next day (AKA “second-day hair””>.
We hear so much about curlies who get great second-day hair, but is it possible for that same fantastic look to just keep getting better and better as the days pass? Yes it is!
Benefits of Waiting
If you’re accustomed to washing your hair daily or every other day, you may be wondering why someone would not do anything to her hair for several days. The reason is that most curly girls (of all hair types”> seem to benefit from next-day hair. When our hair has had a chance to “settle in,” we tend to like it better! This is especially true if you apply any heat to your hair. Going with second-day hair also lets us enjoy our curls even longer!
Because the natural oils found on the scalp have a difficult time running down the shaft of curls, the longer we skip the shampoo and the wash, the better our curls can look (to an extent of course”>. Second, third and fourth day hair is often bigger and more stretched out, giving you a different look the au natural way.
Five Day Hair?
Second, third and fourth day hair is often bigger and more stretched out, giving you a different look the au natural way.
It may sound astonishing, but it really is possible to have that great second-day hair roll over into fourth and even fifth day hair. One of my tween daughters, a 2b/3a girl, likes doing bantu knots in her hair. The next day, she’s got some super-tight, bouncy curls (think Nellie Olsen here”>. She’ll flip her head upside down and shake gently, and then she’s pretty pleased with the results. However, as the days go on (she’ll usually let it go three or four days”>, it still looks great and in some ways, better! She doesn’t really do much of anything to it except spritz it with water and scrunch a little. In fact, she’s pretty careful not to handle it too much so she doesn’t cause it to frizz.
CurlTalk user “fabisebien,” who appears to be a 2c and says she has fine hair, has had similar results with her curls. She was kind enough to share a photo with the community of how her hair looked five days later. Fabisebien says her routine for maintaining during those five days was “just add water” and to rub in a little more of her favorite As I Am Leave-In Conditioner, to help define curls.
If you are worried about dirty roots, dry shampoos are all the rage in the curl girl market and are paraben and sulfate-free. You can keep your curly style and boost your roots, even five days after the co-wash or pre-poo.
Final Thoughts
Enjoy your curly hair and just consider being able to look better each day while doing nothing to it as a fringe benefit!
Many naturally curly girls believe that in order to have straight hair, either chemicals or heat must be involved, but this just isn’t true! As a curly girl, you may have recently figured out how to enjoy wearing your hair curly, which is great. However, if you prefer to wear it straight, that’s fine too.
We’re all about doing YOU over here at NaturallyCurly, and if doing YOU is doing your hair straight, too, then go for it. But at least let us help you stay perfectly healthy and natural in the process.
Many webpages have techniques of straightening hair without chemicals, but it always involves heat from either a blow dryer or flat iron. This will definitely work, but there are better ways to straighten without either or these. Of course, if you’re not using chemicals, your straightening won’t last long. But if you just want straight hair for that one special occasion, try this all natural hair straightening treatment from BlackHairInformation.
Does it Work?
Before I lead you on a wild goose chase for all the products mentioned below, and send you off into the kitchen to make yourself some hair straightening gravy, let me tell you this: I’m not so sure it works. See, all the comments on BlackHairInformation state that the mixture does result in soft, defined, looser coils, but not anything that is necessarily straight.
However, if the treatment loosens the coils of type 4s, then it is likely that for wavies and curlies (type 2 and type 3″>, it will straighten your tresses. So, textured hair community, we turn to you. Is the all natural hair straightening treatment merely myth or Mary-sent magic?
To the Kitchen!
What You’ll Need
- 1 Cup Coconut Milk
- 2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Juice of One Fresh Lemon (Or about 4 tablespoons of lemon or lime juice”>
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- In a saucepan, pour the coconut milk and olive oil together and whisk until smooth. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and fresh lemon juice until there are no lumps. You can start with a few tablespoons, but you may need all four.
- When you’re finished, whisk the cornstarch mixture into the coconut milk mixture and put the saucepan over medium heat while continuously whisking. Just like when you’re making gravy, the heat and whisking will liven up the cornstarch, causing it to thicken the liquid. You’ll want to do this until your mixture reaches the consistency of conditioner.
- Working in small sections, apply a liberal amount of the mixture to your hair to ensure that all hair receives the treatment.
- Cover your hair in a shower cap and wrap sit under a hood dryer. If you don’t have access to a hood dryer, you can also wrap your head in a hot towel. Just put a towel in a microwave-safe bowl full of water and heat it up for a few minutes, then — using gloved hands — wring out the excess water. Wrap the towel around your covered hair for about 30 minutes.
- Shampoo your hair as usual and follow it up with a deep conditioner. Then, set your hair with large rollers, cover it with a shower cap and sit under the dryer. Alternatively, you can let it air dry.
- If you’re not opposed to using a flat-iron, doing so will give your hair the most sleek finish. Just be sure you use a heat protectant!
BE FEATURED: The first lady to send in before and after pictures of the treatment will be uploaded to the article and have her story featured on the site!
You’ve made the choice to go natural, and you’re feeling pretty good about it. You did your research, tried a few different products until you found a combination you liked, and you’re all set. Life moves on, right?
Not for some naturals!
Why The Obsession?
When it comes to our hair, we want to rock it! Many of us natural ladies love showing off our locks and secretly enjoy the looks and compliments we get. But that doesn’t mean we need to spend hours upon hours trying to decide what to do with it or how to wash it! Nor do we need to take every minuscule precaution making sure we don’t cause the slightest amount of frizz or damage to our hair.
So why are some naturals curl obsessed?
Part of it likely stems from the fact that going natural is something new to them, which means they’re unsure about exactly what they’re doing. Others are just self-proclaimed product junkies! Add to that the fact that people with similar hair textures come along saying they do this and that to their hair, and it’s no wonder some naturals are a little intrigued. If they have the time and money to try all these different concoctions, why shouldn’t they?
Frankly, I’m glad that they do! When I see a natural with hair that’s almost identical in texture and type as mine, I stop her to talk about all the different products she’s buying, along with what did and did not work for her. I take a mental note and learn from her experiences. If we’re practically hair twins, I can assume that those products will have the same effects on my hair and jump right to the ones with great results!
Odd Girl Out?
Regardless of how long your hair is or how much curl your natural hair has, be proud of your decision to go natural! Don’t feel an ounce of guilt over not letting yourself become obsessed with it.
If you don’t have the time (or desire”> to create homemade hair masks using 12 different ingredients, spend hours working out a henna hair mixture or do a five-hour deep condition, it doesn’t mean you’re not taking care of your hair.
Keep your hair routine simple and make sure it works for you, and that’s all that matters. Monitor your growth now and again, but you don’t have to do it weekly or monthly. Also, it’s okay to refer to your hair as just that: hair. If you don’t have a proper name for your hair (our Global Editor’s coils are named Lola”>, it’s alright.
Where To Fit In
If you’re just not curl obsessed and can’t bring yourself to chat about your hair for hours or make mention of it every other sentence, you’re not alone. You’ll fit right in with the other naturals who enjoy lurking on message boards, blog-hopping, checking out a few YouTube videos for naturals and then moving on with life. Some of us just can’t get on board with the natural hair-mania. At the same time, we definitely appreciate all of the meticulous work that those who are passionate about hair do!
Regardless of how long your hair is or how much curl your natural hair has, be proud of your decision to go natural! Don’t feel an ounce of guilt over not letting yourself become obsessed with it.
To those of you who are obsessed and who are kind enough to chronicle your journeys online, we deeply and sincerely thank you!
Plopping is a great way for wavies to get defined, bouncy curls! However, it does take some time to do. Fortunately, there are ways to speed up the process while getting the same results!
Did You Say…Plopping?
If you stumbled upon this article with no clue what plopping is, yet somehow you feel like you MUST know about this, keep reading.
Plopping (aka “plunking””> is a method of wrapping wet hair in such a way that it scrunches your wavy locks on top of your head (while at the same time drying them”> so that as they dry, they’re being scrunched. This would be used in lieu of scrunching and pumping.
How to Plop
Probably the most important thing to know when plopping is that you do NOT use a terry cloth towel. The little woven fibers in a terry towel lead to frizz for wavies, so definitely avoid them. Many girls who plop prefer to use a t-shirt.
- Lay the t-shirt out over a counter or toilet. If you’re laying it on a toilet, just let the ends hang over the side. Bend over, pull all of your hair on top of your head and pile it in the middle of the t-shirt.
- In the middle, pull the leftover part of the shirt over the back of your head. Twist one of the sleeves (assuming you’re using a long-sleeve shirt”> on the side and continue until the twist has reached your head (your hair should be tucked into this”>.
- Repeat for the other side, then secure the shirt to your head by wrapping the sleeves around your head and tying them. Tuck in any part of the shirt that’s sticking out as well as any hairs that may try to escape.
That’s it! That’s all there is to plopping. Such a simple routine produces fantastic results. The amount of time you leave the plop on your head is up to you.
If you’re in a rush, you can just leave it for 10 to 20 minutes. If you have more time (say, while you drink a cup of coffee, put on your makeup, get dressed and watch the news”>, leave it on the whole time! When you take it off, gently undo it and shake the waves down, then diffuse your hair into s-curls or let it air dry.
Plopping Tips
While plopping is a simple process, there are some tips you can follow to ensure you get the best results possible.
- Multitask! Don’t just sit around watching the clock while you wait for your plop time to pass – get busy! Throw some laundry in, do some dishes, read to the kids, make a phone call or catch up on email. If you want to do it in the morning before leaving the house, shower first, plop second and do everything else next. Then take down your plop a few minutes before you’re ready to walk out the door.
- Prep your hair. To save time on adding product to your hair after you plop, coat your wet hair with nearly everything you’d need. This includes any leave-ins, gels, and anything else you usually use. This is a major timesaver if you’re plopping in the morning before school or work and don’t have a whole lot of time to fuss with your hair after removing the hair wrap.
- Long sleeve t-shirts work best. If you use a short-sleeved one, you’ll probably need to turn it to the side so that you have something to twist up. You’ll then need to secure the two sides together with a hair tie instead of being able to just tie the long sleeves together.
- Spritz a small amount of spray gel onto your hair after removing the plop. This will give your hair better hold and keep any potential fly-a-ways (which cause both Fly-away Frizz and Spider Web frizz”> at bay.
If you’ve hung out with naturally curly girls for any amount of time, you’ve probably heard of girls who co-wash. This is a great way to care for naturally curly hair – as long as your hair appreciates it.
For women with wavy hair, however, it’s often a different story. Many wavies, especially those with thin hair, can’t just simply accept the no-poo, low-poo and co-washing methods. Instead, they have to do a complete wash every day. If this is you, you’re in good company!
Sacred Shampoos
For many wavies, shampoo is an absolute must since dirt and oil can build up and weigh down their hair. For these wavies, co-washing can actually leave a lot of product behind. The result is limp and lifeless waves coated in product build up.
Additionally, while sulfate-free shampoos are all the rage among naturally curly girls, wavies find them to be a total nightmare as they do not completely cleanse the hair and scalp. Because of this, many wavies must shampoo daily — or at the bare minimum, every other day.
Shampooing Daily
In order to shampoo daily without damaging your hair, you need to use a mild shampoo. It doesn’t have to be sulfate-free if that doesn’t work for you, but don’t use anything too heavy or dense. Instead, try something light like Jessicurl’s Gentle Lather Shampoo. Unlike most clarifying shampoos, which can dry out your hair, this gentle poo will leave your hair moistened without weighing it down. Bonus: you can even use it as a face and body wash!
Wavy Options
If you’re a wavy who wants to have some fun taking care of your hair the way you read about online, try adjusting the products for your hair type. Instead of sticking with one type of shampoo that might be good for you, but that seems too harsh for constant use, you could rotate the days you use it. Some wavies and curlies choose to use a clarifier once a week and a low-poo the rest of the time.
In the end, you may just find that you have to stick with a gentle shampoo, and use it daily to avoid product build up and grease.
With all that you’re doing to your natural hair, could what you’re doing actually be doing more harm than good? Are your efforts paying off in producing a head full of gorgeous locks, or has growth slowed down drastically?
One way to find the answer to both of these questions is to do a regular hair length check.
Why Bother?
Checking the length of your hair can give you reassurance that your natural hair regimen is actually worthwhile. After all of the time spent researching, talking to other curlies, studying products, trying multiple combinations (and sometimes experiencing the disappointment of products that don’t work for you”>, it’s very encouraging to see that you’re making progress with your growth!
On the other hand, it can also cause you to reflect on your regimen if you’re not seeing much growth. If that’s the case, keep in mind the rate at which your hair grew before you started going natural. It may be that your hair type simply doesn’t grow fast, which means instead of getting discouraged, maybe you should check less often.
How to Check
Some curlies prefer to monitor growth while their hair is straight. If you can do this without using chemicals or too much heat, go for it! CurlTalk user “allnaturalchick” straightens her hair to monitor for growth because she likes the “wow” factor of seeing just how long her hair really is.
If you would prefer to stay away from the heat completely, you can just gently pull your curls straight and see where it is, then do the same thing a month later and see where it lands. Jenell of KinkyCurlyCoilyMe does just that with her curls. She did a Big Chop, which she found to be quite liberating. Since she did a Big Chop, watching the growth is extra encouraging.
Overall, remember that your natural hair journey is just that, a journey. If you aren’t getting the results you want, it may be time to strategize about a new path. The fun isn’t in the destination; it’s in all that you learn on the way there.
Wavies need to be extra careful when stepping under a stream of water. If the water pressure in your shower is too forceful, it can leave your hair looking limp when you get out.
On the other hand, a stream of water coming out too slowly may not thoroughly rinse out conditioners, resulting in waves that looks weighed down.
Granted, it isn’t only wavy girls that have issues with water pressure. The problem exists for all hair types. However, because type 3 and type 4 gals often have thicker heads of hair, they can use a particularly bizarre, but useful, tool in the shower to protect their texture: hair nets.
Join the Conversation: CurlTalkers on Hair Nets
The premise behind using hair nets in the shower is that it helps to keep texture undisturbed from too much water pressure. In other words, if you have a high pressure shower, using a hair net will help to keep your hair in place, without disturbing the curl pattern, so that you can experience more texture and less frizz.
While the outcome sounds ideal, wavies often find pitfalls in the hair net usability realm.
Waves & Nets Don’t Mix
Much of the curly hair information out there focuses on those with defined curls or ringlets (type 3″> or coily (type 4″> hair. While this information may be useful for girls with super curls, those with wavy hair are wondering what they can do. One such piece of advice is the suggestion of using a hair net in the shower, which doesn’t leave any room for wavies to detangle and can result in a matted mess.
Wavies often need to be able to apply generous amounts of conditioner and detangle with fingers or a wide-toothed comb in the shower. With a hairnet on, this is obviously impossible. On top of this, hairnets can just sag with the weight of the water since wavy hair tends to be lightweight, which would rather defeat the purpose of using one. Additionally, the small strands of hair that come through the holes in the hairnet leads to frizzy-looking hair when wavies step out of the shower.
Hair Net Alternatives for Waves
You understand that you need to be gentle with your waves under the shower so as not to disturb the wave pattern, but hairnets are totally out of the question. What can you do instead?
Try cupping your hair with both hands before holding it under the water. This will ensure that the water pressure doesn’t force your hair into an unnatural position, putting a strain on your waves. Instead of standing directly under the shower to rinse out your hair, try standing in front of the stream and tilting your head forward, then rinse out your hair in sections.
Have you found any good hair net alternatives? Let us know in the comments below!
Have you ever been to a scissor-happy stylist requesting just “a trim,” only to come out of the salon with a big puffball of hair that’s way too short? Sadly, this is common with wavies when visiting stylists who just don’t understand that curly hair (even if it’s just wavy”> goes through shrinkage.
Most stylists like to wash your hair before trimming it, which is fine except it means that you can expect your newly trimmed hair to be at least an inch or so shorter when it dries. Not to mention, some wavies have the bulk of their curl in the bottom half of their hair. Trimming this off is practically detrimental! Because of this, many wavies choose to trim their own hair at home, where they are in total control.
Trimming Hair at Home
Trimming off the majority of waves can be a wavy’s worst nightmare. It’s almost like cutting off Rapunzel’s long tresses – especially for wavies whose only real curl is in the lower portion of their hair.
The results can be hair that looks puffy at the tips, closely resembling dead ends. On the other hand, brushing the hair bone straight (like many stylists like to do while trimming”> doesn’t give a real impression of what the hair will look like later. You may walk out of the salon with product-induced hair, looking fabulous. Later, you’ll be stuck wondering how your hair shortened since you left the salon.
The reason behind this is that many curlies experience shrinkage, which can be anywhere from just a couple of inches to as much as six or eight inches depending on the type of waves, curls or coils you have.
With all of these potential pitfalls to having your hair professionally trimmed, more wavies are choosing to do their own trims — and they like it!
How to Trim Your Own Hair
Trimming your own waves is actually quite easy to do. How you do it depends on what you’re going for, but if you’re just looking for a basic trim to keep dead ends at bay, try these simple steps:
- Wash your hair and detangle with gobs of conditioner still in with your fingers, then rinse out the conditioner.
- Gently part your hair and section it off into a top section and a bottom one, then let it air dry a little until it’s damp. You could also wait until it’s completely dry as many wavies have better results doing dry cuts. If you prefer doing a dry cut, let your hair dry before sectioning it.
- Once damp (or after it’s dry”>, begin trimming the bottom section with shears that are meant for cutting hair. Delicately finger comb your hair so that it’s the same length; otherwise you may end up with uneven hair. Of course, if your hair is already uneven, if you have layers for instance, work along your hair’s angle.
- Separate the top part into two sections, then trim or dust the ends. Remember that this is the part that will be visible from the front, so if you have soft waves and don’t want blunt edges, consider dusting the ends.
- If you have bangs, now is the time to trim them as well. Just go straight across or follow the current angle. Style as usual.
With many other naturals talking about investing in pricey, elite brushes, some wavies are left wondering what the hype is all about. They just don’t get it, especially since brushing seems to leave wavy hair looking poofy. If this is you, you’re not alone! Many wavies prefer to detangle in the shower and just scrunch-and-pump for defined curls or to leave it alone for the best possible defined waves.
Why Wavies Don’t Brush
Like many curlies, some wavies get frizz if they attempt to brush dry hair. It doesn’t look exactly like their type 3 curly counterparts, but it’s still puffy. Brushing wavy hair tends to produce the look of brushing out braids, which generally looks like you have static cling in the hair. CurlTalk user Plunkybug was brave enough to give a very good step-by-step picture tutorial of what happens when waves meet a brush. Check out her pictures because we know you can relate!
So if wavies don’t brush, what DO they do?
Wavy Solutions
Many wavies have found that detangling in the shower followed by a lightweight leave-in afterward is a good combination. Some wavies prefer to emphasize their curls by scrunching the hair, resulting in curly-look-a-likes. Other wavies going for a straight look can usually just brush their hair straight while still damp and coat it with a leave-in (this might take several good brushings”>, and then let it air dry for a sleek finish. So what are some good products for wavies?
- A quality vented brush with rubber tines. If you do decide to brush, You’ll also want to use a good detangler, like a wide-toothed comb, or you can detangle with your fingers. If you choose to detangle with your fingers, be sure to apply some type of leave-in first; otherwise, your damp hair will be susceptible to breakage.
- Use products that lock in waves without weighing hair down. To cleanse the hair, try Mop Top’s Gentle Shampoo. This lightweight, sulfate-free shampoo is great for dry and frizzy hair. It also hydrates your waves and tames them. The added moisture helps prevent breakage, leaving your hair soft and manageable. After washing, you might enjoy DevaCurl’s One Condition, which adds even more hydration without leaving behind residue. Plus, this conditioner is so gentle on your hair you can use it daily! Follow this simple regimen up with Jessicurl’s Gelebration Spray, which even comes in a couple of different scents or without fragrance. This spray is specially made for fine-haired curlies, which makes it work well on wavies. It’s also excellent to use when scrunching your hair. You’ll have the defined waves you’re after but without the “crunchy” look of most hairsprays and gels.
- Many wavies have success with clipping, a method that involves sectioning parts of your hair off with clips while it’s wet, then letting it dry before removing the clips. This produces more volume at the roots where some wavies tend to have hair that’s somewhat straight. Another good tip for wavies is to do bantu knots and let it out the next day. This results in GORGEOUS curls. Be sure to turn your head upside down and gently shake it out as soon as you take the knots out. One of the best parts of doing this is that after a couple of days, the waves actually look better than they do the first day!
Wal-Mart, the top company in sales worldwide according to Forbes’ Global 2000 list, is now better catering to the natural and textured hair care communities. Who knew the giants at Wal-Mart cared that much about helping us natural gals?
While some think it’s just a tactic to get more customers, others are thankful for convenient access to some great products for naturally textured hair.
Their New Inventory
Reports from the natural community indicate that in some areas, Wal-Mart now carrying Shea Moisture, Nubian Heritage, Beautiful Textures, Motions and Lustrasilk. As it turns out, this selection isn’t available in all Wal-Marts, but it’s in at least some locations, so we’ll take it!
Who Will Benefit?
It seems that most of Wal-Mart’s products are for our type 4 coilies. Interestingly, we’re hearing reports that these products are right next to the relaxers. While this is no big surprise (it’s not as though Wal-Mart has taken a stance against them, after all”>, it does indicate who they are catering to when it comes to the natural hair care products. Nevertheless, depending on hair porosity and strength, some type 3 curlies and even some type 2 wavies are reporting that they benefit from these products as well.
Are These Products Any Good?
Most of their products are for type 4 coilies. Nevertheless, some type 3 curlies and type 2 wavies are reporting that they benefit from these products as well.
It’s nice that they carry these products, since this makes obtaining products a bit easier. However, are the products any good? Would you be better off just sticking to your usual products that you order online?
We turned to our CurlTalk community and CurlMart reviewers for the answers to these very important questions!
Shea Moisture
Type 3, protein-sensitive CurlTalk user Valeriia.Sua told us that she used the Shea Butter Leave-In (following a co-wash”>, and her results were amazing! Very defined, moistened curls give her cute face some added pep. You can tell from the photos that her spirals have some great shine as well.
Nubian Heritage
Another CurlTalk user and vlogger makes extremely thorough and helpful videos and video reviews. She recently did one of her video reviews on Nubian Heritage products. As a co-washer, she tells us that a little bit went a long way and that the EVOO & Moringa conditioner gave her a lot of slip and helped detangle her hair (which appears to be a cross between Type 3 and Type 4 from the video”>.
Tea followed up her co-wash with Nubian Hertiage’s Indian Hemp & Tamanu Grow and Strengthen Treatment Masque to deep condition and said that the hair mask gave her defined curls. Bonus: this line’s products smell amazing! They’re also pretty inexpensive and don’t require much of the product to get the job done.
Beautiful Textures
Our Type 3 and Type 4 curlies said this product was “all right” and “decent.” Unfortunately, none of the products our CurlTalk users talked about got any glowing reviews, but if you can catch these products on sale, it might be worth a shot to see if it does anything for your hair.
Motions
This seems to be another “iffy” product line for our CurlTalk girls. Some said there’s no way they’d use it again and that the cones in these products are probably their downfall. Others (coils”> reported soft (yet slightly coated”> and defined curls after a braid-out. For around $5 to $6 per product, why not try it and see how it works for you?
Lustrasilk
It seems that this brand’s conditioners worked best for our coils, though not all coilies found this to be true. However, even a couple of wavies found that if they used the Olive Oil and Mango conditioners as a leave-in, it worked quite well. Overall, another “try it for yourself” product, but if you’re a curly with medium to high porosity hair are you most likely to get good results.
