Protective Styles.

That's right, I said it. Protective Styles. Anyone who knows me knows that I've always disliked the thought of having my hair in one style for more than two days at a time. However, now that winter is coming soon and classes have already started, what's a girl to do?

First of all, what IS a protective style?
A protective style is any hair style that protects the hair from harmful factors such as extreme weather or mechanical stress. Most of the time, it is a style that can go from 2-3 days to 2-3 months without being taken out.

What kinds of styles are considered protective?
Any style that protects and hides your hair, especially your ends. This could be braids and twists (with or without extensions), mini twists, or even a simple bun. Doing a protective style DOES NOT HAVE TO TAKE FOREVER. That was one of the reasons why I never wanted one. I just never had the patience to sit in a chair for 6 hours to get my hair done. However, a simple bun and even a few twists may only take up to 10 minutes.

Why are protective styles important?
1. If you're in college or working or even in high school, you know that there are not enough hours in the day for you to do everything on your to-do list. When wearing a protective style, you don't need to spend so much time styling it every morning or every night. That's not to say that you shouldn't pay any attention to your hair or try to maintain it, but there's much less work involved.

2. Too much manipulation of the hair strands can cause mechanical damage. You might find that you're getting more and more split ends or that your curls aren't popping as much as they used to. Sometimes, you just need to let it be and give it time to rest.

-While wearing a protective style, don't forget that you still need to care for your hair. Spraying your hair with that water & aloe vera mix, oiling your scalp with JBCO and applying moisturizer to your hair is STILL NECESSARY. (The water mix and JBCO are just examples, but you get the point.)

CurlBox Natural !!!!

Say whatttt ? So CurlBox is releasing a limited edition "Natural" box that will be mostly (but not all) natural products.
From the email:

"curlBOX Natural will be a limited-edition box.  You do not need to be a current subscriber and current subscribers will need to purchase curlBOX Natural separately from their monthly curlBOX.

 

curlBOX Natural will go on sale this Saturday, September 29th at 3:00pm at shop.curlbox.com. 

 

curlBOX Natural will be $40.00 (one time charge - not a subscription)

 

curlBOX Natural will ship the week of October 22nd."

I think I might just buy this one. Although $40 is expensive, I've never bought a curlBOX before and would like to try it out, especially if it's natural. But for $40, I better get like 4 fullsized products. 

Thoughts?

Campus Curls: Tamara

What is your name? Tamara

What year are you in college school? Sophomore

How old are you? Eighteen

What college do you attend? CSUSB

How long have you been natural? Two Weeks

What is your go to style while in college? Now my head is shaven, so I mostly just rock that! I do not think scarves or headbands fit my face type!

What is your normal hair regimen? Dr. Bronner's as Shampoo once a week. Cowashes when needed. And every night I make my hair damp with water, seal with coconut oil and do the baggy method. Also I take a multivitamin (with Biotin) and an omega-3 vitamin. Spritz my hair with water/conditioner/EVOO mixture if my hair feels dry!

Do you feel like you had to modify your regimen to make time for school? Not yet!

What is your hair type? I am not sure because I have no memory of my natural hair. 

Tamara as a child

Do you have a favorite youtube vlogger? kimmaytube, she is so informative I love it!

Campus Curlie: Marquita

What is your name?  Marquita

What year are you in college/grad school? 3rd year full time chemistry doctoral student

How old are you? 24

What college do/did you attend? Jackson State University

How long have you been natural? About a year and a half

What is/was your go to style while in college? The puff with or without a pompadour and if it is hot outside, wash and go.

What is your normal hair regimen?  I moisturize (water based, cream based, then seal with oil) minimum every two days, I drink plenty of water and try to eat plenty of vegetables.  I wash my hair every week and a half to two weeks.  I deep condition and do a protein treatment (my hair has been shedding a lot lately) every time I wash my hair.  I clarify my hair monthly.  I sleep on a satin pillow case nightly.  I do not use heat in my hair (I tried it twice with AWFUL results).  

Do you feel like you had to modify your regimen to make time for school?  I used to wash my hair weekly but now that my hair is longer it takes it forever to dry so I wash it every two weeks.  In addition, I wear two strand twists more often.  One, I feel more comfortable doing so now that my hair is longer but two I can keep them in for like two weeks and they stay nicely.

What is your hair type? I have mix of 4a and 4b but mostly 4b and tad of 4c in random spots. I have atrocious shrinkage and my hair is fine textured.

What are your favorite products and for what styles? Currently, my favorite style is a high puff.  However, I have recently fallen in love with a stretched twist out I tried using Naptural85's method. As for products, I am a product junkie! It's because I am still learning what works well on my hair.  Clarifying shampoo: V05.  Moisturizing shampoo:  Nexxus or Shea Moisture Coconut and Hibiscus,  Conditioner:  Nexxus Humectress, Deep Conditioner:  My homemade shea butter mix and Shea Moisture's Shea Butter Reconstructive Conditioner, Protein Treatment:  Organic Root Stimulator Hair Mayo,  Leave In: Infusium 23 Moisture type and Cantu Shea Butter Leave-In Strengthener.
I usually do dry twistouts with a bit of the Mizani H2O Intensive or Ganier Fructis Leave-In Cream Conditioner.  My daily spritz consists of water, glycerin, and bit of aloe vera juice, EVOO, jojoba oil, peppermint oil, tea tree oil, and argan oil. I am currently trying to use up all of the products that I have. 

Do you have a favorite youtube vlogger? Naptural85 and NaturallyCandi

Where can we find you? http://chemicalsatire.tumblr.com/

 

Introducing: Campus Curls!!

It's that time of year again. The days are getting shorter, nights are getting longer, the leaves will soon change color and the weather's going to drop. Fall is coming, and with it a new school year and a new semester for a lot of us. With this new school year is a new section of my blog, Campus Curls!

Campus Curls is a section focusing on growing and maintaining natural hair while in school. Those of us who have gone through it or are going through it now can tell you that maintaining natural hair in college is a STRUGGLE. I'll be featuring different naturals, or "curlies" from different campuses to share their stories and tips on maintaining their hair, while maintaining their grades (because that's essentially why we're in college). A new Curlie will be posted every saturday night so stay tuned guys.

Dez.


P.S. "Curlie" is just a name of the naturals that will be shown on the blog. All naturals of every kind will be shown, not just people with curly textured hair.

Sale ends tomorrow!!

Don't forget, the Buy One Get One sale at CVS for all Shea Moisture Product ends tomorrow, September 8th!!!

Perfect time to stock up of your favorites!!

Tress Talk: Why You Should Have Your Own Style

So today I made a trip to the salon for a wash, DC, flat iron and trim. As soon as I walked in, my stylist said "I'm not flat ironning your hair." ... What the hell?! As a part of my nature, I hate when things don't go my way so I was completely thrown off. This is only my third time coming to this salon and she's telling me she's not going what I WANT??

Anyway, she told me my hair was too dry and that the straight style wouldn't last up to 2 days. Greaaaat, especially since I was planning to have it for TWO WEEKS. Strangely enough, she told me everything I was doing to my hair, without me having to say a word. It's wet about 3 times a week, sometimes four. It doesn't get enough moisture, and I'm always keeping it in a tight puff. True, True, True!! But then, where did I get all this from? Youtube. Tumblr. Hair bloggers. I watched them religiously and tried different combinations or what I see them doing. No harm on their part, they were just showing how they work with their hair. What I was doing wrong was NOT LISTENING TO MY HAIR!! All of that washing and even co washing was drying out my hair and the fact that I wasn't applying enough product to my hair added to that. The moisture got in, but quickly evaporated out because there was barely any product there to lock it in.

This is a something every b/vlogger says: What works for me, may not work for you. I even say it in my own posts. This applies not only to products, but also to the way we care for our hair. It's good to take ideas from others who have the same hair type as we do but it's even better to listen to what your hair needs. That hair butter that your favorite YouTube Blogger uses may work for your hair at all. You might need some silicone in your conditioner, you might not.

If you're anything like me and love trying out new products or just need to see what works for your hair without breaking the bank and buying a ton of stuff, try ordering a CurlBox or CurlKit. Both companies send you a few samples of hair products, different every month for you to try out. It's $20/month for each company and it's a monthly subscription. To this day, I'm still using the shea whip, sulfate-free shampoo and Protein DC that I got from my July Curlkit, although I'm using them sparingly so they can last.

Healthy hair journey's, especially in the beginning, are mostly trial and error. Something might work for your mom, sister, AND auntie but may not work for you. Once you find your balance, everything becomes easier.

Peace & Love,

Dez.