I Shingled

The word "Shingled" sounds hilarious to me...LOL

But anyways...I finally took the time to shingle my hair last night. For those of you who may not have heard of "shingling" it is basically a detangling and smoothing process using teeny, tiny sections of hair and a lot of curl defining, moisturizing product. On soaking wet hair, you apply product to each section and spread it evenly with a fine tooth comb. When I say fine tooth, think rat-tail fine..or even finer. This goes against every curly-girl rule in the book, but is very necessary to achieve the definition of each curl.

Last night I had a little free time, so I shingled with my beloved Cantu Shea Soft Leave-in mixed with Extra Virgin Olive Oil. It didn't take me as long as I thought it would; I have to admit that I did get a *little* lazy in the back and parted much bigger sections. But my curls are more defined in the back, so they don't need as much work..LOL. In the end, I am pleased with the results. I learned that the front left side of my hair has *WAY* less of a curl pattern than the rest of my hair. It looks like a puff-ball against the rest of my curls. Shingling causes maximum shrinkage...my hair looks soooo short, but I am loving the curls.

Once it dried, I slept with a satin bonnet and one side was flat as a pancake this morning. I misted all over with my mini spray bottle filled with water, pulled at the ends with my fingers, and it fluffed right back out.

I must say I like it..sans the shrinkage...

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...

Flat Twist Out

Last weekend I tried a flat twist out again. My hair has gotten longer, so you can see the definition a little better but it is still not where I want it to be. Again, I am rather lazy when it comes to parting smaller sections...I know this would help, but I have a 4 year old child...I do not have hours to spend playing in my hair!

This time I will let the pictures speak for themselves. I co-washed, added EVO and "Feels Like Silk." It air dried all day underneath a stocking cap and army hat :P

Can you ladies tell that I am ready to switch it up? I think I have tried about 3-4 different styles in the past two weeks :)

Style and Error

Here is an example of a style I tried when attempting to re-create a fro-hawk on my hair. I started with freshly washed hair and added a leave-in (HE), some EVOO, and a dab of Elasta QP's "Feels Like Silk" liquid styling gel. I then:

1. Parted each side from front to back. I pinned the sides and left the center (or the hawk) out.
2. Two-strand twisted the center into medium sized twists.
3. Quickly realized that I cannot braid the sides of my own hair...panic set in..
4. Tried to flat twist, but that wasn't working either...
5. I grabbed a tiny section of hair and twirled it into a string of sorts...like you would to create a bantu knot.
6. Instead of letting it knot up, I pulled it straight up to the hawk and pinned. I repeated this process in small sections on both sides. I pinned with hair clips until dry, and later replaced the clips with bobby pins. I took the two-strand twists down and separated.
7. Voila...something new... I rocked this to work and out shopping..people loved it.

This just goes to show that you can make just about any style into one that works for you. Look online for new styles, and if it requires a skill that you don't have (or can't do on your own head) then play it down a little and rock your version of it.

Happy styling! What do you ladies think?

Holy Crap...I Think I Found My Holy Grail Styler!!!

About two months ago, someone with a similar hair texture to mine recommended that I try Elasta QP's "Feels Like Silk" Liquid Styling Gel. Her hair looked absolutely fab and I loved how defined and moist her curls were.


Fast forward to last weekend---> I gave in a bought it and I am SO GLAD I DID!! I love this stuff!! It's like a really thick setting lotion/gel if you as me, but instead of drying crunchy, it leaves behind natural oils so the hair stays moisturized with hold. Pretty soon I will do a formal product review, but here are pics of a new style I tried with it.


If you haven't heard about it, don't say I didn't tell you!!

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

Hey everyone....please don't forget to watch THE BUFFYS today at 7pm EST. Think about the question from last week: What are your top three questions you want answered after your first date??.......www.thebuffys.com with Natasha and Essence

And the Winner IS....

Me!!

You guys didn't give me any suggestions, so I had to hunt for inspiration online. I found the website of a natural hair salon here in Atlanta, Afrodisiac, and they have some bangin hair styles in their gallery.

These pics are my take on their version of "Flat Twists with Twisted Puffs." I had a hard time taking the flat twist all the way to the back of my head, and the "Twisted Puffs" part was just too much for me to do all together, so this is a played down version of the style. What do you ladies think?

All I know is that I will *definitely* be checking out Afrodisiac!! They seem to have natural hair flyness that I am looking for...

Help Me Get All Jazzy :)

Ladies,

I have a really important event coming up this weekend and I want to be supa-dupa fly (yes like Missy Elliot)...and I am having a difficult time coming up with ways to stretch out my curl pattern a little. The look I really want is a braided fro-hawk, but I want my hair to stand up and out a little more. I was thinking that maybe I should try a roller set?? Some really small twist?? I have no idea... What I do know is that when I have done medium sized twists on my hair, you can hardly see the twist out pattern and hair elongation= 0.

The pic posted is my quickie version of a fro-hawk... I need to take this look up quite a few notches before the weekend. Braiding the sides should help, but what oh what to do with the center??

I need inspiration, so weigh in ladies... I will post pics of the results on the idea I choose to go with for bragging rights ;)

(The pic below is how I envision the braids..or maybe in a funky design pattern)

I Had a Moment...

So last night I had a moment... a moment of natural hair remorse.

After twisting my hair last Thursday so that it would look FABULOUS for the masquerade ball Friday night, I found my hair in need of yet another twisting session on Sunday night. I couldn't bring myself to do it...I mean, I started to and then I was like eff it!! My arms get tired and so do my fingers, and I have to re-twist my hair entirely too much (it seems like). I guess it doesn't help that my son's hair is a TWA and I have to braid/twist his hair once a week, too. The only word to sum it up is FRUSTRATION.

One thing about type 4 hair is that you can only do so much to it that will make it look any different. My curl/coil pattern is off the chain, and no matter how much product I use or how tight I twist, there is not much difference in the look/feel of my hair. Maybe for a day, but then my stubborn curls say to hell with all the jazzy-ness and it's back to normal.

I'm getting the itch for a change...I haven't the slightest idea what that change will be, but I know something has gotta give soon to keep me motivated. It might be time for another break, and put my hair up in braids or something. Maybe it will be color. All I know is it is definitely time to ponder the subject.

Today was a rough hair day...hopefully tomorrow will be better. Any advice ladies??

Liquid Gold

"Homer called it "liquid gold." In ancient Greece, athletes ritually rubbed it all over their body. Its mystical glow illuminated history. Drops of it seeped into the bones of dead saints and martyrs through holes in their tombs. Olive oil has been more than mere food to the peoples of the Mediterranean: it has been medicinal, magical, an endless source of fascination and wonder and the fountain of great wealth and power. The olive tree, symbol of abundance, glory and peace, gave its leafy branches to crown the victorious in friendly games and bloody war, and the oil of its fruit has anointed the noblest of heads throughout history. Olive crowns and olive branches, emblems of benediction and purification, were ritually offered to deities and powerful figures: some were even found in Tutankhamen's tomb."

(Excerpt taken from http://www.globalgourmet.com/)

What more can I say about olive oil, other than it is THE TRUTH!! While I was in college a friend dropped some knowledge on me about the benefits of using Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)on our hair and scalps. We used it to keep our hair sealed with moisture and our doobie wraps and roller sets were *too* fly.

I got away from using EVOO on a regular basis after a while, but have since gone back to it now that my hair is natural. My hair couldn't handle too much oil in its relaxed state, but natural I swear by it. During the summer months I was fond of Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (EVCO), but I can tell that need something heavier in the fall and winter, so EVOO fills that bill. Adding a equal parts to my conditioner as a leave in helps to set my twist and seal the conditioner into my strands.

You can use EVOO to luxuriate otherwise el cheapo lotions, too. I buy $1.00 cocoa butter lotion from the Dollar Tree and add EVOO to my palms as I rub it in. It leaves my skin silky smooth and moist. Sometimes, people tell me my skin is glowing and it is all because of the EVOO. Try scrubbing from head to toe with a sugar scrub, moisturize with the lotion/oil combo, and put on some cotton socks/plush loungewear... I promise you will be a believer :)

TGIF! I am going to a masquerade ball tonight and my roomie's engagement party tomorrow. I plan to rock a twist-out to both of these functions. As I type this, I my hair is in twist underneath a hat...just waiting to be unleashed in all its natural fly-ness!!

Goodbye "CurlyLikeMe" and Hello to "Queenofthe4s"

Today is an exciting day! Not only is it my birthday (my 3rd Annual 25th birthday), but today is the re-birth of my baby blog. I have been pondering this for some time now, and I feel like there is no better day than today. I have officially been relaxer free for one full year and can totally tell the difference in the health of my hair.

The reason for the name change of the blog is completely random on one hand and is truly fitting on the other.


One day I was reading through comments on CurlyNikki's blog and ran across another link to tightlycurly.com. Terri, the creator of the site, has biracial hair and has her own method of taming her curls which she plans to release in her new book, "Curly Like Me." I will admit that I was a little depressed to see that we both somehow came up with the same name. But to be honest, she obviously came up with it first, and I don't want anybody to get it twisted....I am not a "biter" by any means of the word, so I decided to change the name of my blog out of respect to her.


I think the new name is more fitting of me and my hair. I don't really have "curls" as much as I do tight coils and cotton puff patches that make up type 4hair. After a year of experimenting, I feel as though I am now (more) in control of my hair and it does what I want it to for the most part. It's only fitting that I am the queen of my two textures :) ...."Queen of the 4s"... I like it!!



You will notice that most of my pics up until this point don't really reveal my true identity, and I feel now is the time to put an end to that so that you all can get a better feel for what is going on with my hair. The intensity of this blog will increase with weekly and monthly segments as I set aside more time to devote to researching and editing material to post.





Happy birthday to me and to Queenofthe4s!! :)

Smooches,

Natasha

It's Almost Been a Year...

My, how the time flies!! It's almost been a year since my last relaxer in October of 2008. I am not sure when the exact date was, but I think it was around the 17th or 18th. Since that time, I have had some trials and tribulations with this hair of mine but I grow more and more comfortable with my decision each day. This month I will be celebrating for two reasons; my Nappyversary and my birthday on the 22nd!! Once I decided to go natural, I transitioned with roller sets using the green magnetic rollers. My great-grandmother taught me how to roller set hair at a young age (I'm talking elementary school age!!) and they would always come out looking fab. Once I found out about Elasta QP's Mango Butter I used that to moisturize my hair, especially at the line of demarcation (were the new growth meets the relaxer) and I managed to retain quite a bit of hair. The only thing I didn't like was re-setting it every three days or so, and as my hair grew out it became more and more difficult to manage during my co-wash days. If I were a little more patient, I could have transitioned for much longer with this style, but patience is a virtue that I don't have :) I included some pics of me with the curly set. I kind of miss these days...but I am not too far off from this look again. I bought some smaller rollers (blue and black-talk about tiny!!) and plan to try a roller set soon..