Hair photos

I said I'd post photos if the side rows with top pony turned out.. so here they are.
As you can see I had to add a clip at the back of her hair, since it isn't quite long enough to carry up to the crown.  But it looked pretty cute.

Unfortunately, this style lasted only 1 day- her hair all fell out when she was playing.  I did think it looked cute while it lasted.  As you can see, I need to get better at making even parts on her head so the braids are the same width.

What to do with 3b/3c curls..

So while I have found when helping friends whose children have 4+ curls, the texture makes it quite difficult to manage, what I'm finding as curlygirls hair gets longer is that the 3b/3c curls really won't hol some of the styles that I love (such as cornrows) for more than 2 days.  after 2 days it starts to fall out and there are so many fly-aways that the style just won't hold anymore.  Because the curls that fall out aren't really tightly curled you can really see that the style needs to be redone.  Curlygirl also runs around, plays outside and rolls in the grass a lot- which I know also contributes to her styles not lasting very long.
To try and combat this I've tried gels, setting products and making sure the braids are really tight on her scalp.
As curlygirls hair gets longer it's taking longer and longer to complete the braids-which are having to be removed after 2 days.  She's still willing to sit, but more and more the cornrows are becoming a once a week event.
The styles I'm finding I'm using more are: Ponies-with braids or twists, natural (with finger coils), puffs, headbands, and veil braids.  I'm particularly loving the veil braids- as these will last 3 days.

I'm going to try some cornrow crown braids (wrapping the head) and see how it looks with a puff on top.  I'll post photos if it turns out.

Product Review: Curly Curl Cream

Overall summary: We decided to give this a try after a friend recommended it as her new favourite product for her daughters 3b hair.  Overall I really love this product.  It does provide good hold and excellent curl definition.  What I like best about this product is that once it's been put into the hair it actually keeps the hair frizz free and soft for about 8 hours- no need to reapply product or re-do the style.  Found this works really well for finger coils and twists as well.  

Price: $$ ($10.00). A moderate price for 6oz.  I've rated it as two $$, since I tend to use quite a lot in order to get the control I like- when using this product for Evies hair which is about 4" long, I scoop about 4TBSP each use.  

Consistency: Thick pudding like consistency.  

Scent: I'm not too keen on the scent, it's a bit of a fresh floral scent, but it kind of reminds me of baby powder/ clean diaper scent.

Recommended for: At this point I'd recommend this for moderate frizz control and hold for hair types 3-4+.  I'm not certain how well it would work for 4+ hair types, not without particular attention paid on twisting and manipulating the hair into individual curls but I think it would work.

We will definitely buy this product again, much prefer it over the Kinky Wavy Natural Style and Shine- it has better hold and doesn't leave the little white flakies that the Kinky Wavy sometimes leaves.  It's my new go to styling cream for natural hair, twists and coils.

Oops.. back from holidays!

Well I really did mean to set up some posts to "self publish" while I was away on holidays, but somehow parenting and various other responsibilities got the better of me and it didn't happen!

We  have had an eventful summer.  We went camping, and spent time all over the interior of BC visiting friends and family.  Curlygirl had her first camping experience- and loved sleeping in a tent with Curlymama and Daddy.  We on the other hand, didn't love trying to get her back into her own bed when we got home.

Care for Curlygirls hair when we were away was a bit challenging.  I had great intentions- cornrows which hopefully would last 3 days while camping (lasted 1 after swimming, sand and dirt).
Then applying yummy smelling product wasn't the best option with all the mosquito's either.  So I ended up having to ditch the coconut oil in the hair- bugs loved it too much, and stick to less fruity or food smelling products.

Here are some photos.. for any of you curly mama's or dad's out there, how do you manage curly locks when camping?  While I do like her 3b/3c curls, it really doesn't stay in braids or cornrows very well without falling out after a day or maximum 2.  I'm open to suggestions!

For haircare we would: spray down hair with water bottle each day we needed to re-style, then add leave in and detangle (++), then for the loose hairstyles we'd add curly curl cream, and for the braided styles I'd use vanilla shea styling butter (which the mosquito's loved).

Our camping hair styles over the weekend went something like this:

Departure day: Put in cornrows.
Day 1: Cornrows
Day 2: Cornrows falling out and frizzing everywhere (see photo below)

Day 3: Natural hair with ponies/ front braid to keep out of her face (see photo below)

Day 4: 6 front cornrows to ponies
Day 5: 6 front cornrows to ponies (see photo below)

Never brush dry curls and 10 other rules for managing curly hair

Here are some general rules for curly haircare.  You'll find all different rules for curly haircare on the internet.  I've combed through the rules and tried to summarize them based on my own personal experience and my experience with curly girls hair.
Again, I'm not a stylist.  Just a curly girl who has had some really hilarious and bad experiences trying to manage my hair....

1. Never brush curly hair dry.  Never!  I can't think of any exceptions to this rule.  When you comb curly hair you should comb it when wet, with lot of conditioner using a wise tooth comb.  The conventional brushes that you see at drugstores are not meant for curly hair.  If you are looking for a curly hair brush or comb, I'd recommend looking at online curly hair stores to see what they carry.

2. Don't over shampoo (and use a sulfate free shampoo).  As I've mentioned in previous posts curly hair should only be shampooed when dirty, or about once/twice a week.  Shampooing more often strips hair of it's natural oils and makes it more frizzy.
A good rule I learned from a curly hair stylist is that you should be going through 3 bottles of conditioner for every one bottle of shampoo (approximately).  And don't be afraid to use lots and lots of conditioner-condition every day.

3.  Use a cool water rinse to rinse out the last bit of conditioner.  I'm not 100% sure on how it works, but I was told this helps to seal the hair cuticle.  Either way, I find it way easier to manage curls that have had a cold rinse.
(Note: I don't use cold rinses on curlygirl.  It seems too cruel on a baby/ toddler. I'll wait until she's older and can understand why we are doing it).

4. Always let air dry (In other words.. don't use a blowdryer).  I'll be honest, I own a blow dryer.  A stylist once convinced me to buy one.  It's been used about 4 times in the past 12 years and each time my hair has become extremely dry and frizzy.

5.  Don't towel dry curly hair.  The terry towel material makes hair frizzy.  Use a micro fibre cloth or better yet, just leave it (see rule #4).

6. Sleep on a satin or sateen pillow case- this is the same rule as using a sleep cap.  Helps with frizz.

7.  Put your hair product in your hair when it's wet.  You'll find this recommendation all over curly hair blogs.  I'm not sure this is unique to curly hair.. but wet hair holds product.  The best order to put product in is to use a leave in conditioner first (some sort of curl cream or heavier moisturizer) followed by a gel.

8.  Find a hair stylist who knows what they are doing-hard to do.  I've lived in Vancouver for 8 years and I haven't found one that I'm 100% happy with yet.  You will find at Ouidad salons in the USA they cut curly hair dry- but I have found that very few stylists are willing to dry cut hair.  If they say they want to take off an inch, tell them to take 1/2 an inch.  I think every curly girl knows this rule (lol).
Another thing I've found that works well for me is to bring my own styling products to the salon. After my hair is cut, I ask them to wet it/ wash it, and then I put in my own styling products.  Getting the stylist to use a tiny bit of their hair serum and maybe a bit of gel doesn't work at all.  I usually end up walking out looking like a cotton ball.  So I've now started being more assertive and styling my own hair at the salon.
Curly hair also doesn't need to be cut as often as straight hair.  (Unless maintaining a particular style).  But if you are going for natural, it takes so long to grow that you can cut it less often.  I spend my money on good hair products rather than at the salon.

9.  The less you touch your hair the better.  So try not to put your hands in your hair too much.  More manipulation = more frizz.  This is partly why I find braids or twists work so well on curly girl.  She doesn't pull them as much.

10. Embrace your curls, and that includes embracing a bit of frizz.  This is something I still struggle with.  No matter how much time and energy I put into my hair, it's still a bit frizzy and messy looking.  I never feel that I look totally put together- and I think that now it's ok.  It's who I am, my hair is such a part of my identity I couldn't imagine being straight locked.  I've got nothing against people who straighten their hair, but it's not for me.  The few times I've had it straightened I've felt as though I wasn't myself and I spent way more time worrying about my straight hair than my curly hair.

Taliah Waajid: Kinky wavy natural berry clean three in one shampoo

Overall summary: This is a new product for us, and while it does say it is a 3-in-1 and that no conditioner is needed, I went into this product with the understanding that I would likely still use conditioner.   There are sulfates in this product, so those who are working on "no poo" routines would want to avoid this.  However, the sulfates seemed to be moderated somewhat by the curl softeners (chamomile).  

After washing the hair felt a bit astringent (the sulfates)- or that squeaky clean feeling.  Something that isn't really what I like to feel with curly hair shampoos.  However, it didn't irritate curly girls eyes and it washed out quite easily.  Definitely requires conditioner treatment after use.  

Price: $$ ($8.00). A moderate price for 8oz.  I used about a dime sized portion on curly girl and had a full head of lather.  

Consistency: Regular shampoo like consistency.

Scent: It says it is Berry scented, but to us is sort of smelled like bubblegum or fruit.  Artificially scented, but it is not offensive.

Recommended for: At this point I'd recommend this for a shampoo for curly hair types below a 4.  If hair is 4+ I'd definitely recommend avoiding sulfate based shampoo's.  For now this is an ok shampoo and I may consider ordering it again.  

Does anyone use this product for 4+ hair types?  Do you find it drying?  

Are you using conditioner afterwards as well?

Taliah Waajid: Kinky, Wavy Natural Style and Shine

Overall summary: The jury is out on this product for me.  We've been using it for a few months now, and I go through stages where I really like it, and where I'm not so sure.  It's supposed to help add shine and moisture as well as stop and repair breakage.  If you use too much it leaves small white flecks throughout the hair- strange little white crumbs really, not your usual product build up.  I'm still not sure if it provides much hold though.  Right now I've been using the vanilla styling cream for braids and it's a bit better for braids and twists.  This is something I will use as an alternative to curl sealer.  

Price: $ ($8.00). A little goes a long way with this product.  We've gone through 1/3 of this container in over 4 months.  I suspect it will last us about a year.  

Consistency: The consistency of this product is thick and sticky. It's almost like icing.  It feels sticky to touch, but it doesn't make the hairs sticky or crunchy.  

Scent: Coconut- smells a bit like banana boat sunscreen to me.

Recommended for: 2+ curly hair.  A non traditional gel option. Use if you aren't looking for hold, but use sparingly to prevent white build up.  

Is anyone else using this product, how is it working for you?