Friday, April 30, 2010

We have an announcement....

Mom2KurlyT has decided to transition to natural hair!

I have been thinking about it for a while now and I've decided to do it! Thank you to Nikki of Beads, Braids & Beyond for posting this awesome topic: Should Mommy Be Natural Too?

It has been 8 weeks since my last relaxer and I have about 1/2 to 3/4 inch of new growth. It took some convincing to get the hubbs on board because his main question was "what is it going to look like?" To be honest, I don't really know. I haven't been natural since I was 12! This is definitely an opportunity for me to "walk the walk." Thank you for those of you who have supported me in this decision and for those of you who think it's a bad idea, oh well! It's MY HAIR! Stay tuned for updates in my transitioning. Wish me luck!

Here is a pic of my first transition style: The Braid Out
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Sorry for the blurry pic, I took it with my phone. Blame my unsteady hand!

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Veil Mohawk

Okay, so after our DC I did a veil style into a mohawk on Kurly T. I have been getting tired of cornrowing lately because it takes me sooo long (I'm so not a fast braider). So what I did was part the hair in 4 sections and did a veil style on each section. Then I braided the ends of the hair that was in the middle secured the braids in rubberbands (soaked in olive oil of course) to make small ponytails in the shape of a mohawk. Then I added some beads in the color of the rainbow and voila! Instant cuteness. Let me know what you think. BTW...Kurly T's hair is getting long. I'll have to do a length check soon.

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No style would be complete without our "signature bangs" I like this. We will be doing it again!

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Deep Condition/Deep Treatment on a toddler

Okay, so I've been stalking the Curly Nikki Forums about deep condition (DC)/deep treatment (DT) and maintaining moisture. I've been wanting to DC Kurly T's hair, but I had no idea what to use. I consulted Nikki G of Beads, Braids and Beyond and she told me to use the HE Hello Hydration (HEHH) since I use it as a leave in anyway. Great! Nothing new to buy. Well...maybe. I've also been doing some research on oils and have bought some from GNC. I found a youtuber (ulovemegz) who mixed her oils in her conditioner for a great DC. Even though she is not natural she had some beautiful hair!! So...here is what I did:

After washing the scalp with Organix Coconut Milk Shampoo, I cowashed with Suave Naturals Tropical Coconut Conditioner (Can you tell I like coconuts?)Then I applied the DC concoction and covered with a plastic cap and left on for 1 hour. She watched Yo Gabba Gabba and Dora The Explorer, then we were ready to rinse it out. I was shocked that she didn't try to rip off the cap. That would have been normal Kurly T behavior, but nope. See...she amazes me all the time!

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To make the DC mix, I squeezed about 1 1/2 handfulls of HE Hello hydration into a bowl (sorry I didn't measure, lol) added 10 drops of Rosemary Oil, 5 drops of peppermint oil, approximately 1 tbsp of almond oil and 1 tbsp of grapeseed oil. I slightly amended this mix from Tia of Her Best Hair

The oils made the HEHH smell like a totally different product. The smell reminded me of Christmas..it was probably the peppermint oil, lol. The amount of conditioner I used is way more than I use for her normal leave in. I wanted to make sure her hair was completely saturated with the mixture to get good results.

Below is some info about the oils that I used:
Rosemary Oil - The use of rosemary oil on the hair and scalp helps stimulate blood circulation in the scalp and thus promotes healthy hair growth.
Peppermint Oil - Peppermint oil is very useful for hair care as it gives a cooling effect to the head, and removes dandruff and lice.
Almond Oil - Almond oil prevents hair loss, provides shine and strengthens hair.
Grapeseed Oil - Grapeseed oil helps strengthen your hair. It is an odorless oil, and can help add shine and moisture to your hair.
Coconut Oil - Coconut oil is used as a natural conditioner for hair. The molecular structure of coconut oil makes it easier to penetrate through the hair shaft and works with the natural hair proteins.

After we rinsed out the DC, I added our normal amount of HEHH and detangled, oiled the scalp then sealed with Coconut Oil (Yep, more coconuts!). I did notice that her hair detangled even more easier than it usually does. The rosemary and peppermint oil wasn't as strong after I washed it out and her hair was very shiny after we styled. I would definitely do this again, but I will try with the Lustrasilk like Tia uses. Okay, Mamacitas...stay tuned for pics!

**Update** Kurly T got into my BRAND NEW bottles of almond oil and grapeseed oil and spilled them all over her clothes, her dora couch and the carpet. *sigh* I'll have to run out and get some more and knowing me some other stuff too. I have totally turned into a PJ!!

Sale! Sale! Sale!

Rite Aid has Organix shampoo and conditioner and ALL Giovanni Hair Care Products buy one get one free (BOGO)!!

***Update*** ULTA also has Giovanni Hair Care Products BOGO 1/2 Off if you don't have a Rite Aid.

Kmart has the large 33.8 oz Aussie Moist conditioner 2 for $12, and Wal-mart has it rolled back for $5.

I'm sorry for enabling any Product Junky-ism, but I had to let y'all know. Happy shopping mommies!

***Update*** I bought the Giovanni Tea Tree Triple Treat Conditioner and Direct Leave-In Conditioner. I'll let you know how it works for us!