How to style your hair the simple way - Naturally.

 It's not easy being a natural chic. I hear this all the time! How is it I find it so natural to be natural? I am sure it's not the supposedly easy to manage texture my hair possesses because Lawd I wish my mane was a little thicker so I can achieve the big twists and fros!!! It's never about the texture. I feel that it is more about knowledge of the products that work well with your mane.

Basics of hair regimen varies from one naturale to another. I mix my routines up. So it's never really a regimen. All I know is that shampooing, conditioning, hot oil treatment, masque, protein treatments, and deep conditioning are all in that non-systematic regimen. Point of this post is to encourage y'all to think it simple, keep it simple, and the results will simply amaze you.

Take Lily's hair for example. She has not relaxed her hair for over a year and today, I snipped the final few wisps of relaxed hair. Today she shampooed and conditioned with Shea Moisture products.

 

Love love love the way her hair feels after using this pair and following with 5-10 minutes of Organics hair mayo treatment. This last step is optional. She could have skipped it but I was not sure if she had the conditioner...... So she followed instructions from the last wash.

 

In comes the famous Cantu leave-in conditioner....

 

Sorry, darn picture pasted so big but this seems like the actual size LOL!!!!

I let it rest in 4 big matutas while we ate dinner then I undid them to prep for styling.

 

Last time I twisted her mane I discovered that Olive oil twisting gel does not go well with the leave-in. Makes this grainy residue. So now, no gel but not sure if the twists will hold without any, I was not going to be embarrassed with a flop. Mimi nani? Translating that phrase makes it sound a little stupid. "Who am I?" :-) LOLEST! I opted for the Pro Styl gel. Not my go to product on natural hair but it worked great! It promises not to flake and after drying, I did not see any. Whew! My choice of twisting gel currently is the Cantu twist and lock gel. Aaaaamazing! But my hair stash is in KC and I am in Austin.... Long story for another day.

 

Applied a very small amount to each section making sure it coats the hair thinly from root to tip then I did my twisting. Combined flat twists and double twists to create an asymmetrical do.

 

I love the shine on her hair!! 

I did Bantu knots to 'lift' the twists a bit by bunching up about 4 twists and twisting them snugly and wrapping the ends under the knot. 

I love how the result turned out!! She should be able to rock this do for about two weeks. It can tolerate workouts and still manage to be dressed up for work by simply maintaining the sheen using a touch of jojoba oil every two days or so. 

I hope you like it. It was simple, easy and Lily loved it! So you see, it didn't take much. Do not overwhelm yourself with too many products  for one-time styling. With time, you will learn your own basic styling must-haves. For me, it is the Cantu leave-in and jojoba oil/my homemade shea, coconut oil, jojoba mousse. Done. Simple way, naturally.

 

Think it simple, keep it simple, and be amazing, your own way. It's your mane after all!!

 

Yours truly,

The Frugal naturale

Nightly Moisturize & Seal Winter Routine

Flat Twist Updo

Review - Homemade daily moisturizing spritz

Sorry guys it took a looooong while to write the review I promised on the spritz I made. http://mytangledmane.blogspot.com/2014/01/homemade-natural-hair-moisturizing.html 

Love, love, love this stuff! I use this spray once a day, sometimes twice just coz it is so amazing! My mane loves it. The lightness of the spritz is good for all kinds of hair. One thing to note, if you have straightened your hair, the water (or Aloe Vera juice) will revert your curls. In this case an oil based moisturizer would be preferable. Any who, on open, twisted, braided, or weaved hair, this spritz works great.

What would I change in my concoction?

Probably the aloe Vera juice. For my refill, I used plain water instead of the juice. It saves me the need to refrigerate.


Notice a different bottle? The last one I used gave me more of a stream than a spray. This one is recycled. Doesn't take many spritzes to do the job and I am assured all hairs are covered. It pays to be a packrat...... sometimes. :-)

Don't forget to adjust your measurements to suit the size of your spritz bottle. Now I just eye ball the ingredients and actually use less of the leave-in conditioner for the same results! Too much of a good thing can yield bad results. Like the time I used ten drops of tea tree oil and I thought I smelt like an entire forest of pine trees. Bet no bee dared land on me though! ;-)

Oh, another suggestion. Want a fresh scent without breaking your bank? I know I do. Those essential oils can get so costly! I have tons of Bath and Body Works body sprays I am yet to use up. I used a small amount of that with the water and I love the scent. Tweak it till you find your favorite, then tweak it again to discover your next new fave!

How have I used it?
I have used it prior to finger-detangling my hair and left it at that and rocked my fro.
Before double twisting or bantu knotting (that is a word, I think?).
I am currently using it to keep my hair moisturized while in Senegalese twists. I can almost hear my hair sigh in contentment every time I spray it! Thirst-quencher is what it is to my mane.

Verdict
Amazing stuff! Simple and it stretches your moisturizer. My $11 knot today detangler/leave in is still going! Usually it would last my a few weeks tops. Now? It's on its second month coz I use it to make the spritz and water makes the bulk of it so, saving a dollar baby for a rainy day!!!

Have you tried making your own bottle of my version of spritz? Tell me how it turned out and how you like it.

Your hair is your crowning glory. Therefore, love it, live it, rock it!
Blessings!

Homemade daily hair moisturizing spritz for natural hair

Two tbsp. 100% glycerin

Two tbsp. avocado oil

2-3 drops 100% tea tree oil

1 cup pure aloe Vera juice

1/4 cup knot today leave in/detangler

7 bucks and some change at walmart for this big ole thing. Walgreens think they are sleek. Selling theirs for 12 bucks. Nkt. I took it back so fast! Shoulda known Sam got my back. :-) 

Guess where I found this stash tho! At the laxative aisle. Really??? So if it's drinkable, it's safe for my mane right? Whole new meaning to 'my hair is the sh*t.  ROTFL. I need to stop!!!!

Tea tree oil was 10 bucks. Cheaper at the  Body Shop but might be a smaller bottle. Hey, I'm frugal but who goes to the mall and leaves with just the one thing they budgeted for? So I resisted temptations. Went to A1 beauty. That Asian brother got eeeeeeee'rything!!!!

Knot today - 11 bucks at target, Urban Beauty etcetera. 

In a clear spray bottle, I mixed the above ingredients and shook it up. Amazing how it mixed together so well to produce a white creamy yet light solution for my daily use. 

Try it with different oils too, eg. add a bit of jojoba oil for more umph to your cocktail :-). Better yet, if you do not like tea tree's scent (I heard its good for preventing dandruff, scalp itching and also promotes hair growth) sub with your essential oil of choice. I coulda used a gallon with all that jazz about it.... but you would choke around me lol! Might try vanilla, orange or other next time. 

Planning on using it even if my hair is in braids. Working on a flat twist out right now. Will keep you posted on how my hair portion works with it. 

Ps. The aloe needs to be refrigerated once it's opened so my concoction (make small portions at time- 1-2 weeks worth is good) gets to claim a place in the ice box. Marking my territory y'all! Got junk and knickknacks all over the house so I guess it's marked already huh. :-)

So, my natural sistas. Moisturize, moisturize moisturize! It's the secret to healthy strong, shiny hair that looks alive and not dying. 

What do you do to curb breakage? This winter calls for measures to protect your hair from the harsh cold and dry heat indoors. 

It's your mane. Love it, live it, rock it!!

Do your natural hair products deliver?

As with a lot of hair naturalistas (is that a word?) I have a whole stash of products that promised lots of things. Some have more than delivered their promises, and some have been an outright rip-off. I give each product a couple of chances usually. 

This time my object of attention was the CurlMax curl pudding.

Bought it at Walmart early last year and hated it on the first use. But again I never read instructions..... still do not know how the manufacturer says to use the darn stuff :-). All I know is that the first time I used it, the slimy feel in my hands conjured up really ugly images in my head. And my mind is never in the gutter y'all (ha!).
Anyway, yesterday, second night of duty (vamp kind of life), i needed to give my edges a break from the poof. And it had to be a quick style. So, my hair is one of those really thirsty kind that breaks and screams for moisure every day no matter what. Instead of spritzing or using my hands to wet it with a lil water, I opted to shower without a cap. The humidity, heat and moisture from the shower was heaven to my hair. Then I remembered this lil acronym I keep reading about in NHBs (Natural hair blogs). Just came up with that too - LOC. Liquid, Oil, Cream. Okay, so liquid is on board (water), I followed with my homemade mousse of coconut oil, shea butter and jojoba oil combo. Then the cream was my all time favorite product Knot Today leave in/detangler.


Then I finished with the curl pudding and walaa!! I think I found a way to maximize its supposed attributes!

I love the soft feel of my hair. Wierd but the oil must have diminished the slimy feel!!! I dont see any caking or flaking at all and no dryness that's out of the norm for my hair after hours of working in a hospital under bright lights and purposefully very dry air. My mane is soft, the curls defined but very small for what I am used to getting with other products (looks like ringlets).
As for shrinkage with this combo of products, it was like 50% I think but I love my teeny weeny fro!I am sure if I was doing twist outs or double twists, I would have retained more length.

I think I will follow this routine often for an easy, on the go look.  Different hair types react differently to different hair products. Just because I achieved what was promised is no guarantee for the next person when they follow the exact same routine. Hair has life of its own, personality too. So its alright to write a product off if your hair was not too happy with it. There is a sea of produts out there.

I may have to dig deeper and see what other products I had written off and need a second chance. But on my mind is Cantu hair masque. Will tell you all about it when I give it a try. God bless you all and happy New year 2014!!!

I am all about loving my mane, and living it too!! It ain't that serious!!

A breakage experience

Breakage is a hot mess!!! I promise you it is!! 

So I had my hair in a lil protective style and really liked the minimal manipulation for two weeks. Well, all was well until I took the crochet weave down. 😞 Sigh. I was horrified at how crispy my hair felt between my fingers. I dreaded combing it out even with my wide toothed comb. I forgot a very important principle while I rocked the curls. Hydration. 

With a dreadful feeling, i decided to do a hot oil treatment and see if it will save me the agony of seeing my hairs on the comb and bathtub....... Nope! Too late an intervention. 

For the first time since going natural, I shed like a dog. Or Mercedes, Kui's cat. 😝🐈. That kitty gal is something else! Anyway, I lost lots of hair.

 A shampoo and condition later, my heart broke over the clumps of hair on the shower floor and on my wide toothed comb.... Sob sob!

I saturated the hair with Mr. Favorite Cantu leave in conditioner (well, not that much. Just a lot!!) and followed with my Shea butter, coconut and jojoba oil concoction. Then I did a simple Bantu twists routine.

I slept on it and unravelled them the next day and used mg concoction again, this time lightly on my hands as I separated each twist to minimize frizz.

So, lesson learnt. Moisturize moisturize moisturize!!! And it doesn't matter the style. I dropped the ball; paid for it too. So my plan is to come up with a concoction that I can use in a spray bottle for ease and to ensure it really gets in there. Research has given me a couple of ideas. Will try them out and will share what works. Not just for open hair but hair in protective styles too - braids, corn rows, and weaves. 

All hair needs moisture to keep from breaking. Natural, or permed. Well, At least our kind of hair. Will have to ask Rosa or Cynthia if theirs does too 😜😀☺️.

I love the Bantu twist out. Easy, and gives the hair curl definition. 

Gather it up in an up do or let your fro loose. Pin it up for a Mohawk look or whatever. So many ways, so many looks. 

Maybe you have experienced breakage too. What's your take on it? What did you do to curb it? Comments on the blog are highly welcome!! 

It's your crown, love it, live it, wear it.

Love and blessings!

Mrs. Roulette