Summer 16″

Ok, Queens well officially begin Summer, and I know you ladies are looking for ways to maintain your coils, kinks, and curls. Looking for protective styles, just plain ole ways to take better care of our crown of curls.

Let’s get started. Here in Baltimore, Maryland the weather is starting to heat up and at night, it becomes sticky and Let’s face it ladies “These curls ain’t loyal”!! Here are a few *Tips* to use to help your hair from becoming fluffy.

Picture courtesy of Google Images

 

Add Eco Styler Gel/ or any clear gel with a hair cream or butter to help with the hold when styling Twist-outs, braid-outs, rods, etc. Hair creams or butters will moisturize your hair, and when the moisture in your hair meets the muggy, humid air, it may become a *BIG* Bush. Not saying I don’t like the Big Bush because you guys know I do. However, if that’s not the look you are going for you may want to add a gel.

It’s best to mix the two products together on your hand first before apply on your hair. If the two products create a white residue on your hand, it will do the same in your hair.

 

courtesy of google images

 

Heat Protectant Serum, spray, or cream. Yes, that’s right. I love the Cream of Nature and Tresemme’ Heat protection and Serum. I know you would normally add to your hair when using heated styling tools, however, these products can help to control fly-aways as well as to hold a good curl pattern for wash and go’s and twist-outs. Plus, it’s perfect for protecting your hair from chlorine in the pool or salt water at the beach. I love big hair (Defined curls), and Heat Protectant helps to keep your hair softer, shinier and helps your hair from frizzing and drying out on those hot summer days.

This is my favorite say it with me now! ***EDGE CONTROL*** Nothing screams summer is here more than melting edge control or edge control that only got your back for the first 5 to 10 mins of life. Quite frankly It’s disrespectful to put all that work and money in a good ( slick down ) just for the edge control to abort the mission. I know ladies it’s hard to find a good edge control that’s not flaky, sticky, leaves the white residue, or just don’t well control the edges. Well, these are a few I love. Yes, I tried each item and loved them all.  These edge controls give me the best slick down of all the slick downs.

The next thing is my Second favorite.  When your hair just refuses to be your friend I mean refuse to give you any act right. Well, it’s time to try an Updo, Flat twist, crown braids, etc. These kind of styles are convenient, easy to do and just plain cute to style.

Picture from Pinterest Flat twist w/2 strand twist

Crown Braid  (Picture from Pinterest)

 

 

Two strand twist(photo from Pinterest)

Single two strand Twist (Picture from Pinterest)

 

Or you may want or miss your curls. You can always unravel your locks (twists and braids) and let’em flow. And Did I mention you can’t go wrong with a High Puff, Rods and crochet braids? These styles seem to be the trendiest styles for summer 2016. 

This is a picture of my beautiful 14 y/o babygirl. (rocking crochet braids)

 

 

 

Red hair don’t care. I just love rods during the summer months. They will start off tightly curled and loosen up by the end of the week.

 

Well, Queens, that’s all for now. If you would like to see any other summer style to help maintain your natural hair. Please feel free to let me know by emailing me ourkinksrcurls@gmail.com or contacting me on my social media pages.

Happy Summer 2016 Queens

Be kind to yourself, Remember to NEVER give up on your hair.

Love Peace and Hair cream.

Blogged By: Tanya

courtesy of google images 

 

3rd year Anniversary Big Chop(part 2)

So, I left off with me posting my

The first time I pressed and trimmed my hair

After, My year anniversary of my big chop I pressed my hair and got a trim. Yes, This was all my hair post big chop. Yes, I waited one year for a trim. I went without heat for the entire year. I had almost NO split ends and No damage from the color. I left my hair straight for two weeks and as most naturals I follow who get their hair pressed for trimming reasons I missed my curls and could not wait until washed day.

15 months post Big Chop and for me, it was getting easier to maintain my health hair. Of course “Wash Day” would be for 2-3 hours a week and I build some serious muscles when I do my twist and braid out. But, I had no reason to complain I was growing thick, healthy hair that I was proud of at the moment.

 

The picture were taken in Feb 2015. This length was the longest my hair has been since I was a child. During my relaxed days. My hair would always need a major trim due to dryness and breakage, so my hair length was limited.

 

This press and trim were in Feb of 2015 I received at Hair Cuttery in Essex, Maryland only $60 and very professional. (See blog named Hair Cuttery review) For my full salon experienced. The hardest thing about maintaining this style was wrapping my hair up at night. (lol) Yes, Queens I forgot how to wrap my hair around my head. (there I said it) I guess it’s true what they say, If you don’t use it, you lose it.

See, It wasn’t long that I was missing my curls, and I couldn’t wait until the end of my two weeks to wash my hair. Now this picture, (half &half) style was right before I decided to cut my hair again. Yes, I cut my hair five months ago, and we will soon get into that.  The summer of 2015, and I wanted something different, so I visited Pinterest for ideas. The half up &half down was my favorite to go hair style until the humidity said otherwise.

October 2015, This picture was taken the night I went to the barber shop. I miss this hair style and my hair. Handling shorter hair is very hard work when you are not used to it.  I encourage if you want something different and not sure which way to go. Look for a wig stylist that can help you design something for when you feel the need to try something “New.”

October 2015, The Cut. I loved it when I first got it and of course, it was the growing it out and having three different layers that gave me a headache. 

The Cut (a closer look) Sides was completely shaved. I missed those first. Achieving my signature high puff style was hard at this point.

Yes, five months after my 2nd mini Big Chop this picture of April 2016 my sides and back grew back in and still growing at a rapid pace. My high puff is back and bigger than 2015. I dyed my hair a few my times more, and my curl pattern remains the same.

Now, that I’m back on track. I colored my hair every color I could get away with at work. I been everywhere from green, blues, reds and purple as of today. Bottomline, It’s your hair and you are free to do whatever you want and like to do your hair. It can be relaxed or Natural. Natural is the very best thing that I could do for my hair and self. My hair is healthier more than ever, edges are full of life and splits ends are little to none. I do not rely on a hair stylist to manage my crown. Yes, it’s my crown that repersents me well each and every day. I’m not saying returning natural means fire your sylist. Do whatever is best for you. However, for me, it saves me money, and time additionally it taught me patience when it comes to handling my crown full of curls.

Happy 3rd year Natural to me and my Curls.

Love, peace and buttercream queens.

~Tanya

 

3rd Year BC Anniversary Part 1

It’s the time of year again. My Big Chop anniversary.

Hello, Queens and Yes I can’t believe it’s been three years since I been chop and four years since my last relaxer and to be honest it has been the best decision I ever made for myself. When I was relaxed, I had to have hair appointment every two weeks. I MEAN every two weeks; I loved my hair then, but I love it more now.

November of 2012 I was relaxed. Dark Hair 

During my “Relaxed hair” days I only cared if/when my hair was done. I didn’t care for the health of my hair; I just wanted it done, and I like when it looked good.

Bleached and relaxed hair 2012

Yes, Ladies my hair was the real meaning fried, dyed and laid to the side. My edges were so crispy and hard. Even though my hair did well with bleach and by well I mean my hair was still thick and looked healthy. However, my hair shed a lot, and I had a mean comb over that covered my broken edges. But, see I wasn’t no fool I knew I had to keep my hair well oiled and deep condition to keep my hair thick and lasting.

The day I decided It had to go. 

I only grew my new growth out for about two months before I Big Chop. 

“FREEDOM” 

The best day of my life. A New Beginning.

Why? You may ask. I had relaxed hair since I was about 11 years old. I always had straight brittle hair. But I wanted a black curly bush like my mother. In fact, I wanted to be like everyone else but myself. Honestly, the day I Big Chop was the day I learned how to love me, all of me. When I shaved my head, I had to get myself mentally ready to be tortured by adults who were used to seeing women with either straight hair, weaves, braids and wigs to cover what they had done to their hair. Not me. I rocked the hell out of my “TWA.”

One month after BC

Summer of 2013, this is NOT bleached its cream of nature Honey Blonde 

 

My Hair grew quickly. These are pics from “Summer 2013” file. Left Pic was when my hair was freshly co-washed, detangled after I used the “LOC Method” Liquid, Oil and Cream created by Rochelle Graham a.K.a BlackOnyx77 Owner of Alikay Naturals Products. Right Picture is my quick look. It’s a wash&Go only using JBCO (Jamaican Black Castor Oil) and Eco Styler Gel for shine and hold.

As my hair begin to grow out, I start to research how to manage and care for my new hair. It’s the first and first year of me caring for my hair without the help of a hair stylist and learning my hair without a relaxer in it.

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Yes, as time went on I tried as many “Natural Hair Products” as I can to find out what better worked for me. And since I love a good color, I didn’t let it stop me from being creative with my “TWA’s” hair style. Don’t worry the colors you see hair are semi-permanent hair color so it washed out in 6-8 shampoos. “Totally Safe” for my curls. as you can see, my curl pattern did not change a bit.

 

Catching up. Came a long way.

Hello, queens.  Hope all of you beauties enjoyed your Spring break and Easter holiday. This picture you see here is an old picture of me dated 5 years old during my 5th anniversary with my job. As you can see from this picture I was a bit on the heavy side and yes, I know what you are thinking. Yes, this was my real hair. I was relaxed and had bleached my hair. This was how and when I began my Natural hair journey. You can’t tell but my roots were thick as cornbread and my bangs had breakage and kinda thin. All though my hair can take coloring very well, it did not take relaxers well at all. Every time I would get a touch-up my day 1, day 2 and day 3 hair was slamming. But by day 4 through 7 my scalp was itching, my hair was flat, I couldn’t hold a curl, and I had to maintain my style for another week until my next appointment and my hair was shedding like crazy. I use to comb my hair to the front of my head to cover my burnt, thin edges. I was miserable trying to maintain 2 different textures of hair. So, I big chopped right after this picture was taken. BEST DECISION EVER!!!

Now, let’s fast forward a bit. Today is my 10th anniversary with my job, I lost all my baby weight and gain just a little back (lol) I moved up 2 more positions since this picture and I am now a little over 3 years natural and may I add again I LOVE IT!! Part of the reason I lost my weight was I did not mind sweating my hair out. Yes, queens you and I both know a few people who hate to sweat out a good relaxer ( I was one of them).  When my edges got damp it was over and I didn’t want any parts of it. (real talk) Once I big chopped I knew I could workout and not worry about my hair. I knew that water and a healthy diet would help with my hair growth and yes contribute to my weight loss as well. See, as momma would say “I’ll killing 2 birds with one stone”. #Nopunintended

Since returning back to natural I learned how eating and living a better lifestyle can help with my weight control and hair growth. I started to save more money by not needing a salon visit every 2 weeks instead every 2 months for a trim or press. I still love to try products but I make smarter choices when I go product shopping. I only buy products that are on sale and I mean a GOOD SALE. I would stock up on my favs and try any newbies that I heard good reviews about. Since the natural hair industry is booming you can catch a good sale at CVS, WALGREENS, TARGET and of course SALLY’s. (BTW) if you do not have club cards for these stores you CAN NOT get the products at the sale price. So, please go to your nearest locations and apply for your keychain cards. Now, as for Sally’s it cost 5 bucks but you get a $5 coupon you can use for your next purchase and the membership last for a year.

So, there you have it queens I wanted to tell you guys what I’m been up to and I’m sorry for not blogging as much as I should. However,I made a commitment to post a blog every Wednesday and Saturday night.

TGIN Product Review

Hey, Curly Beauties!

Today’s review is about the Moist Collection by TGIN (Thank God I’m Natural). I have heard some pretty awesome reviews about TGIN products and that they are great to use for color treated hair. Since I just dyed my hair about two weeks ago and I was looking for products that were color safe, I thought I would give it a try.  But before I get into the review, let me give you a little background on TGIN.

TGIN was started by Chris-Tia Donaldson, a Harvard graduate ( yes, #SmartBrownGirl) who started a law firm job where she would wear wigs to hide her natural hair. There weren’t a lot of natural hair products out around that time, which made Chris-Tia’s hair journey even more difficult. So after many years of research, Donaldson wrote Amazon’s #1 best-selling book Thank God I’m Natural: The Ultimate Guide to Caring for Natural Hair which also led to the launch of TGIN products. The product line includes shampoos, conditioners, handmade soaps, body creams and more. Most of TGIN products are infused with Argan oil, avocado oil, honey, coconut oil and many more organic goodies.

Pretty awesome story, right? The Moist collection bundle that I purchased came with four products, the Moisture Rich Sulfate Free Shampoo, the Triple Moisture Replenishing Conditioner, Honey Miracle Hair Mask, and their Butter Cream Daily Moisturizer. The Moist collection line also has a styler, the Twist & Define Cream, but that product was not included in the bundle pack. The Moist bundle pack was on sale during the time of my purchase for $49.99, the regular price was about $75 (great sale). Placing the order was very simple, and I received 15% off my purchase for signing up for their newsletter subscription. There is free shipping on orders over $50, but you have to use the promo-code in order to get the offer. My products were shipped the next day and I received them within the week.

My wash day is mostly on Sunday’s, so I took this wash day to play around in these products. First is the Moisture Rich Sulfate Free Shampoo.

This shampoo is a gentle, moisturizing cleanser made with Amla oil, which helps to reduce breakage and increase moisture, and Coconut oil. This sulfate free shampoo will cleanse your curls without leaving it feeling dry or stripped of its natural oils.  I loved this shampoo. It is very moisturizing and it made my hair feel so soft and not brittle or dry. If you’re a leather girl, you will love how this shampoo lathers up. A little goes a long way. The smell is very light and does not have that overpowering coconut smell that some hair products have that contains coconut oil. This shampoo also has slipped, I could easily finger detangle my hair WITH JUST THE SHAMPOO!!

 

That is a miracle for me, so I am sold on the Moisture Rich Sulfate Free Shampoo.

After shampooing, I followed with a conditioner, the Triple Moisture Replenishing Conditioner with Shea Butter and Jojoba oil. This conditioner helps to revitalize dry hair and helps to hydrate and repair your curls. The conditioner is infused with great nourishing oils such as sweet almond oil and rosemary oil. The Moisture conditioner is creamy but not too heavy so it will not weigh your hair down. The scent has a light “almondy” smell (is that a word? It will be today LOL).Once I place the conditioner in my hair, my curls instantly popped. That is a good sign that your hair loves the product. Because I could detangle my hair with the shampoo, it was a breeze detangling with the conditioner. My wide-tooth comb breezed through my hair. My hair felt soft and my curls had some shine to them. Thumbs up on the conditioner.

I followed up conditioning my hair with TGIN’s Honey Miracle Hair Mask with raw honey, which helps improve shine, and olive oil. This intense deep conditioner is great for dry damaged hair and color treated hair. Since I have color treated hair, this was perfect for my curls. I was really excited about using this product because I have heard so many great reviews. My hair-crush and fav YouTubber Chary-Jay swears by this hair mask, which really peaked my interest and excitement even more. I must say, I see what all the hype is about. OH, MY LAWD! Again, with this product the curls just instantly started to form with this creamy conditioner. Sheba just soaked up all the goodness that raw honey, olive oil, and jojoba oil had to offer. I placed a plastic cap over my hair and left the conditioner in for about 45 minutes. If you decide to sit under a dryer, the instructions advise 10-15 minutes. After 45 minutes, I rinsed the conditioner out with cold water. The cold water helps to seal in the moisture that you just gave your strands. My hair has never felt so soft or look so shiny!!! Sheba was so manageable I could run my fingers through my hair with no products in it. I am going to be adding this hair mask to my wash regimen from now on.

Now it is time to moisturize this hair even more. To help with the moisturizing process ( I use the LOC method) TGIN’s Butter Cream Daily Moisturizer  came in handy. This moisturizer is infused with shea butter and vitamin E. This creamy moisturizer really helped to hydrate my curls, I experienced no frizz and helped with manageability, which made detangling so easy. This is great as a setting cream for any twist-out or braid-out style. When I took my twists out the next morning, my curls were shiny, defined, and soft.  I loved my results!

 

In a nutshell, TGIN’s Moist Collection is a must try for any natural who may be experiencing dryness. Even if you’re not, try it anyway! The whole line will leave your hair feeling soft, manageable and shiny. All TGIN products have no parabens, sulfates, petrolatum, lanolin, artificial colors and do not conduct any animal testing. These products are color safe, for all my naturals who have color treated hair. My favorite product out of the whole collection is the Honey Miracle Hair Mask. To learn more about Thank God It’s Natural or to purchase any of their products, please visit http://www.tginstore.com.

Have you tried any products by TGIN? Which product do you like from TGIN? Let us know at Ourkinksrcurls@gmail.com.

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