Natural Hair, Winter Blues!

Natural Hair Winter Blues!

Every winter we are faced with dry tresses due to the frigid winds of this season.  We often combat the ravages of the winter season with our satin-lined hats, caps, and scarves to guard our hair from the elements.

Why is the Winter so Rough for our natural hair?  Because it sucks the moisture right out of our tresses!  That dryness than causes our already fragile strands to tangle.  Tangles create knots and knots slows down the washing and styling processes.

My major issue for this season is that I am a primarily "Wash And Go" lady and until this year, I was able to maneuver the winter season fairly well but this season my "Wash And Go" wreaked havoc on my work scheduled.

This caused me to look primarily at protective styling as an option, especially for Monday through Friday.  I then added wigs of various styling options and colors into my arsenal.  This allowed me to keep my hair braided, moisturized, and protected until the Spring.

What is even more exciting is that with all the new "natural" hair options from both European and African American companies have allowed us to not skip a beat in keeping our natural hair styling.

Over the next weeks, we will be looking at some of these options.

As usual, leave a comment and/or a suggestion below!

Until next time, Happy Curls to You!

Copyright 2019-3-04 Crowning Glory Coils and Kinks - All Rights Reserved

Eco Style Olive Oil , Shea Butter, Black Castor Oil

Hello ladies, Eco Style has another new product!  Eco Style Olive Oil, Shea Butter, and Black Castor Oil gel.

I went to my local Beauty Supply Store to pick up some Eco Style Black Castor Oil and Flaxseed gel when I said the shelves were filled with this gold container.  So, of course, I reached for the jar and started to read it!

A one stop product for Wash N Gos!  At first I put the jar back on the shelve to get my usual but the one product only intrigued me.  I picked up the jar and off to the counter I went.

My Experience:

I washed my hair with African Soap Peppermint shampoo, applied a wash out conditioner, I applied a coconut leave-in and shingled the Eco Style Olive Oil, Shea Butter, Black Castor Oil gel.

What I Notice:

• The flip-top jar was convenient and  I liked.
• The fragrance of the gel was soft and floral
• The gel was "gold" and had a glimmer shine to the gel.
• This gel felt thicker than the Olive Oil version and similar to the Black Castor Oil and Flaxseed version.
• This gel also seem to "weigh" hair more than the Olive Oil and Castor Oil/Flaxseed version .
• I was surprised that this gel dried faster than the other two versions also.
• Eco Style Gold has a "10" hold.
• Hair was not hard to the touch when dried.

What I liked about the product:

I didn't get that jheri curl look or texture when my hair dried.

Happy Curls to You!

Leave your comments below!

Color Purple?

I've been wanting to dye my natural tresses to purple.  Why you may ask?  I love the color purple!  And everytime I see a purple haze of natural hair, it stops me in my tracks!  Why haven't you done so?  Bleaching!  To get this rich, royal color I would need to bleach my hair and I love the fact that my hair is bouncy and healthy.

I keep weighing the odds.  Do I sacrifice my desire to join ranks with all the beautiful purple-haired naturals are simply stand on the side lines and watch the purple haze go by?

Pros 

• Use the Coconut-Bleaching Method for Less Damage to Your Tresses 
• Use Manic Panic's Violet or Lavender in Conditioner to Maintain Your Puple Color
• Do a Weekly Protein Treatment to Fill in Holes in Strands Left by Bleaching
• Color is a Confidence Booster!
• With New Hair Color, the Clothing Color Choices Will Look Different

Method:

The night before your bleaching appointment, take pure, unrefined coconut oil and saturate your strands completely, from root to tip. Cover up with a shower cap, and leave in the oil overnight. The next day, bleach (or go to a professional stylist) with the oil still in your hair. The oil acts in the same way that your hair's natural oils do, protecting the tresses and scalp from the harmful effects of bleach.

Cons:

• Avoid Sulfate Shampoos -- They strip/fade the color from tresses
• Bleaching Tresses Is Stressful -- You will need to Deep Condition More Often

Saying yes to purple...tempting it is!  Still on the fence but happily watching the Purple Divas walk by!

Happy Curls to You!

Leave your comments below!

©Copyright 2017-08-08 Crowning Glory Coils and Kinks - All Rights Reserved

What's Up With Your Hair?

It's Summer and I thought I would peruse the cyber world to see how are our naturals styling their naturals in the warm weather.  Here are a few styling options!

These are two different takes for the same styling option!

Style it Hi or Lower!

Colored or Not?

Design in the Back

On the Grid!

Just a few styles to inspire your summer!

As always, Happy Curls to you!

TRUE by Made Beautiful Hair Products

Hello Chicas!


Back with a new product review! 

Hydrating Hair Butter

Ingredients:  Water (Aqua), Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Stearic Acid, Ceteareth-20, Glyceryl Dilaurate, Fragrance (Parfum), Butryospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Mangifera Indica (Mango) Seed Oil, Honey, Dehydroacetic Acid, Benzyl Alcohol, Carbomer, Aminomethyl Propanol, Beta-Carotene


I was at Walgreens to fill an prescription when I took the route through the ethnic hair care line aisle when I spotted this space on the shelf that reflected a beach-like ambiance.  I stopped and realized that I had never seen this line called "True" before.


It's packaging is clean, pure, and refreshing reflecting the theme of the Made Beautiful line.


I first acquired the Hydrating Hair Butter and took it home.  Unfair to the line, I spread the butter on my hands and applied it over the Carol's Daughter Hair Milk and the Olive Oil Ecostyler gel.  I can say that it "played" well and I enjoyed the results.


As a reference point, I am a 3c with 4a coiling sections and low porosity hair.  The Hydrating Butter is creamy and texture is like pudding, smells like mango and the tropics.  I did as directed on the jar.  I took out a quarter-size amount, rubbed the product between my hands and smooshed into the sections of my hair then pony-pineapple three-sections but needed to do six sections to alleviate having to maneuver parting/sectioning issues in the morning.  Placed on my satin scarf and that was my nighttime routine.


Got up in the morning, misted with water, let set for 20 minutes, shook hair, shaped hair, and was ready for work!


So, I decided to try it again after shampooing my hair, applying Camille Rose's Hair Milk and again the True Hydrating Hair Butter "played" well and I ended up with great results.  Soft, shiny, and moisturized hair.


The True by Made Beautiful Line up is as follows:


– Shampoo
– Co-wash
– Hair Mask
– Leave-in
– Stylers ( gel like styler, and hair butter)
– Curl refresher spray


Pros:

• Fresh Packaging of Line
• Tropical Smell is delightful -- Not too strong
• Accessibility is great (Walgreens, Sally, Made Beautiful site on-line)
• Price Range $9.99 to $12.99
• Only Need a Little
• Plays well with other Products that I Use
• Hair Typing Usage is Listed on the Jars/Containers

Cons:

• Curl Refresher must be used sparingly -- Can get "sticky"
• Styler -  Has a very "soft" hold -- I use one of my gels to "support" -- Still evaluating as to whether or not I will repurchase.  Will do a review later.

I was sitting at my desk today when a coworker came over and she said "smells like flowers!" I said:  "It's my hair products!"  She said:  "I like!" 


For convenience of purchasing their items they have put the hair typing numbers along the side of the containers.  I will be giving my opinion on the other products in this line as I continue to use them.


I say that this line is off to a great start!


Until next time!  Happy Curls to You!

Copyright 2017-3-29 Crowning Glory Coils and Kinks - All Rights Reserved

Eco Styler's Black Castor Oil and Flaxseed Gel

In case you haven't heard Eco Styler has come out with the much awaited new product!

Black Castor Oil and Flaxseed Gel!  You will find bloggers, YouTubers, and novices speculating on whether or not the product will live up to their expectations.  My first exposure to its arrival was from a friend on Facebook!

One YouTuber ordered hers from Canada with a shipping cost of $6.99, someone else ordered it with a shipping price of a whopping $27.99, and someone else found an online beauty supply store and was willing to spend $30 on other products just to get the $4.99 shipping!

Eco Style Black Castor and Flaxseed Oil Styling Gel helps to nourish, repair and grow hair. Wheat protein strengthens and protects hair. Like all of our styling gels, it is weightless and will leave your hair with a healthy shine and superior hold.

You still have others across the States on waiting lists for the product!  Well, what a market entry!  I found people on hair blogs asking where this product can be purchased.  On blacklonghair.com one writer commented that this product has the same ingredients as the other with the exception of the two coveted ingredients “black castor oil and flaxseed!”

Here are the ingredients for your review:

Water/Aqua/Eau, Carbomer, Triethanolamine, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Limus Usitatissimum (Linseed) Seed Oil, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, PVP, Glycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Polysorbate 20, Tetrasodium EDTA, Fragrance (Parfum), D-Limonene, Love and Pride

What's all the hype about?

Benefits of Black Castor Oil:

• Increase hair growth.
• Thicken hair that is starting to thin out.
• Reduce and prevent hair damage.
• Eliminate dry hair.
• Make the hair fuller and shinier.
• Deeply condition and moisturize hair and scalp.
• Prevents dry scalp.
• Boost your hair's overall health.

Flaxseed Oil Gel:

• Leaves hair soft, shiny, and moisturized
• Promotes hair growth
• You can reuse the flax seeds
• Cost effective (more for your money)
• Nourishing for the hair rich in omega 3
• Gives great curl definition
• Gives hold with no crunch/non flaking/not drying to the hair/doesn’t cause breakage/or shedding
• Fast drying
• Great for wash n go’s/sleek styles/twists and twist outs and sets the twists once dry for a lovely twist out
• Mixes well with oils/conditioners/ many products
• All natural..organic.
• A lot of reviews compare it to Kinky Curly’s Knot Today, but say Flax seed Gel is actually better
• Great for all hair types

This product has re-ignited the passions of hair product junkies across America!

So, this weekend I will be at my local Target scouring the shelves!

Don’t forget, as always, leave your comments or thoughts below!

Happy Curls to You!

Copyright 2017-3-9 Crowning Glory Coils and Kinks - All Rights Reserved

Those In Between Stages of Hair Growth -- Hair Purgatory

pretty teeny weeny Afro (TWA) is no longer teeny enough to highlight your head shape, but not long enough to hang even partially south. It's still too short for that but it may be flopping out in other more crazy ways. 

Beyond the BC hair purgatory happened to me several times over many years. It was a tough time for me -- too long for the cute shape anchored by my scalp. Too short for the hang. Doing the north, east and west, but definitely no south. WTF was it doing?

• not long enough to hang but not short enough to behave.
• not long enough to pull back into a bun.

I was in this stage several times in my life and each time it felt like I was unanchored and could not see the far shore. No matter how much I patted it down it refused to behave like a TWA. It also refused to behave like it wanted to drop and hang. I went through several cycles of growing it to a certain length, losing hope, and BC'ing again. And it all happened before the curly hair product revolution I saw happen after Y2K.