It's New Year's Eve....

SEE YOU ON THE OTHER SIDE!!

***2010**2010**2010***



HAPPY NEW YEAR LADIES!!



SMOOCHES!!

My Twisting Regimen

Last week I shared this advice with a fellow CurlyNikki reader and she told me today that it is really helping her hair's softness and moisture levels. When anyone asks me what I do to my hair, this is what I tell them...

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It took me a while to figure out how to retain moisture, so don't feel discouraged. It sounds like you have the process right, but you may not have found the products that work well for you. One thing to remember is that oil does not equal moisture... a true moisturizer should be a water-based product such as a conditioner (rinse out or leave-in) or a moisturizing cream. I personally prefer to use conditioners to keep my hair moist for two reasons: They actually absorb into the cuticle of the hair, and they can be "revived" so to speak by adding a little water once it dries.

I never could get the whole "moisturize, then seal" with oil concept down... I would have globs of white crap all in my hair that way. So now I mix my leave-in moisturizer with the oil before I apply it to my hair, so I cut two steps down to one. Wash and go's can be prone to dryness, so doing twist outs help me to retain moisture because your curls are more clumped together, making it harder for air to suck the life out of them... My moisture routine goes a little something like this:

1. Shampoo (only if necessary..when conditioner won't cut through the build-up..and only one lather) Creme of Nature Original Formula for Color Treated Hair

2. Cowash with Herbal Essences Color Me Happy (conditioners for colored hair have more moisturizers...use them regardless to whether you have color or not) ....

3. Fully detangle section by section with the conditioner still in... (I use quite a bit..loosen a section with your fingers..then use a wide tooth..then a fine tooth to make sure all tangles are out)

4. Rinse completely.. (try to keep your hair as straight as possible so you don't re-tangle.. lol)

5. Twist your hair in small sections, applying the leave-in/oil mix to each section (don't just apply it..comb it through to get all the strands coated with it) before twisting. Cantu Shea Soft Leave-in mixed with Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Coconut oil is good for warmer months)

6. Let it air dry overnight (sit under the dryer for no more than 20-30 mins if you need to speed things up)

7. Carefully take each twist down in the morning...slowly..so you don't frizz out the ends. Use your fingers to fluff the roots *only* to cover any spaces you don't want showing.

8. Wear the satin bonnet at night, and spray it in the morning with a little water to soften it up a bit...not soaking wet..just mist all over enough to get your fingers down to the roots to shape it back up. I don't add extra product during the week to keep my hair from getting nasty...just water... remember water equals moisture.The most important step here is mixing the moisturizer with the oil and making sure you coat each strand.

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The pic you see above were the results of this method...Try it and let me know what you think!

Smooches

I'm in Computer Hell...Cantu Shea Update

Ladies...

I appreciate your patience as my posts have been M.I.A. here lately, but I am having some major computer issues. I usually post while I am at the office (my personal computer is having connection issues) and they had to switch out my computer at work and it has ONE ..yes I said ONE...USB port. Unfortunately my mouse plugs into that port, so importing pics is becoming an issue. I am going to try importing some on my lunch break, so fingers crossed...

In other news, I am still loving the Cantu Shea leave-in. I think it may be one of the best products that I have tried so far. The main reason I say this is that I can almost swear that it makes my co-wash/detangling sessions go a lot smoother. Usually I have to detangle in the tiniest of sections (think 20), and now I have gotten down to about 5. My hair feels softer and more manageable.

Last night I re-styled my son's braids for the first time after using Cantu, and his detangling session was a breeze, too. His braids were in for two weeks, so I expected it to be a matted mess.

It's got to be the Cantu, because I haven't changed anything else in our routines..

The Buffys - "All the Above with a Feminine Touch"

Hello Everyone, Come on out tonight at 7:00pm EST and watch my co-host Essence and me and for "All the Above with a Feminine Touch" with The Buffys. We are two sexy ladies that talk about everything from sports, finances, relationships, politics, sex, and entertainment. Here is the link - http://www.thebuffys.com/ . See you tonight at 7:00pm EST!!

Product Review: Cantu Shea Soft Leave-in Conditioning Repair Cream

Product: Cantu Shea Soft Leave In Conditioning Repair Cream

Price: $5 for a 16oz jar

The Claim: "Cantu shea butter Leave In Conditioning Repair Cream is made with real shea butter and essential oils to replace vital oil in your hair leaving it stronger and healthier with a natural shine.

Cantu shea butter leave in conditioning repair cream can be used on wet hair as an intensive moisturizing treatment or to tame frizz and fly-aways.
Cantu Shea Butter Leave In Conditioning Repair Cream helps…
moisturize dry brittle hair with deep penetrating oil and emollients soften, detangle and add shine to hair protect hair against heat and sun styling damage provide extra protection from split ends and breakage"

Directions for:

Daily Styling – Apply to towel dried hair. Work a generous amount of product into hair beginning at the roots to the tips. Comb through for even distribution. Do not rinse. Apply more to longer hair at the ends or problem areas.

Leave In Treatment – Apply as directed for “Daily Styling” just after shampooing. Re-apply and cover with a plastic cap overnight for maximum absorption and intensive conditioning.

Frizz Free Hair – Apply daily to split ends or damaged areas. Comb through and let dry naturally.


***MY REVIEW***

After hearing all of the rave reviews about Cantu Shea leave-in I finally decided to try it. I am sooooooooo glad I did!! Even though I have only used it one time for a twist out, I can just tell that I am going to have many uses for it. I co-washed with HE "Color Me Happy" and had a pretty rough detangling session with Garnier Fructis "Sleek and Shine" ... yall know how I feel about that ish, but I have to use it up... I used half a bottle just to get rid of it! LOL

Afterwards, I mixed 2 parts Cantu and 1 part Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) in the lid and applied it to each section as I twisted. I wish I'd taken pics, but words will have to do here....as I applied and combed through each section I could see my curls clump and define from root to tip. Seriously...it was the definition of definition..LOL. I promise to take pics next time..

The Cantu made twisting a breeze, and I loved that my hair didn't have to be soaking wet for my fingers to glide as I twisted. My hair was completely dry by morning, and here are my results..

It's official... Cantu Shea Leave-in is a new staple of mine!!

Corporate Natural

This is me rockin' my natural at work...you can probably tell by the fake azz smile, right..LOL! But in other news, after three years of pure HELL, my braces are finally off!! I guess it was all worth it. All I know is that these teeth better stay put or me and my orthodontist(s) are gonna have some problems...This particular day, I was sporting 2-day hair resulting from a 2-strand, flat-twist out.. It's crazy how short it looks after I sleep on it. Fluffing is not really an option for me past day one, because it ruins the pattern from the twists and I end up with fuzz :(

PJ-ism at It's Best

So this weekend my inner PJ-ism got the best of me during a trip to Wally's World. I went in there looking for pizza... (those 16inch deli pizzas at the front of the store for $9.98... if you haven't tried them, don't say I didn't tell you!) ... and ended up with $20 worth of hair/body supplies.


I have been trying to contain my PJ-ism and I have been doing a great job of it. I haven't bought any new conditioners or styling aids in over a month and I looked up one day to see that I was actually almost completely out. So added to my arsenal are:


1. Herbal Essences "Color Me Happy" Conditioner for Color Treated Hair: $5
2. Cantu Shea Butter Leave-in Conditioning Repair Cream: $5
3. Queen Helene's Cocoa Butter Cream: $5
4. Pure Ice Nail Polish: $2


All I can say is I love, love, love all of them so far. The cocoa butter cream was actually a staple during my childhood that I decided to revisit and it still works just as well. Product reviews to come.


*Smooches*

Miss Jessies- December BOGO Sale!!

Just a heads up that the Miss Jessie's annual December Buy One Get One Free (BOGO) sale has started and is going on from now until the end of December. By now I am sure you all know that their products are a bit on the pricey side so it's a great time to try them out. TDavis and I plan to go together on our order to save even more. With the BOGO offer, we can both get one of each item for 50% off the regular price... $60 is a lot to pay for a tub of Buttercreame (I don't care how big it is...it's just not worth *that* much $$$)

Even though I have heard mixed reviews on the line, I would like to try out the Buttercream and the Rapid Recovery conditioner as recommended by one of you ladies. The Buttercream is heavier than their Curly Pudding (type 3 ladies love that stuff) and I need a product to help with elongation. A stylist contacted me about being a hair model for her Miss Jessies photo shoot, and I am hoping that she calls me back soon for the shoot...maybe I can try before I buy?? Fingers crossed on that one..

The videos below are the one's found on You Tube of the Miss Jessies tutorials. Each models styles her own hair in the videos. If you haven't seen them before, they are awesome! Anyone struggling with learning to twist their own hair should take a peek...they break the process right on down.

Shingling Demo:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g02R7n77kHQ

Twist Out Demo:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAb2KSLp1tA

Finger Styling Demo:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWcaDWL_oXc

Take 3- Flat Twist Out w/ 2 Rows

I did another flat twist out on my hair but this time I forced myself to make them smaller and made two rows of twists. Sometimes when I twist all the way to the back of my head, the twist end up bigger and bunch more; when I take them down, the definition is never what I want it to be in the back. This method gave me more control, and I parted so that I wouldn't have huge spaces to fill and fluff. The pics say it better than me, so here you go...