Big Flower and Puff

Who do I think of everytime I see a huge flower in somebodys hair? Niecy Nash! I don't think I've ever seen her without one. I love big flowers when added to a hairstyle, and thought it would look very cute on Jannah, here are a few pictures.

How to achieve this look:



• I had just washed Jannah's hair and moisturized it with Fructis Sleek & Shine Leave-in. Note that I am not a huge fan of it, I'm still pondering which organic-natural product to use next.
• I used an ouchless ponytail holder and brushed her hair to the side and a bit up.
• Shea butter was used to smooth down fly-aways.
• Added a big flower and she was done!



Cornrows and Flowers

Simple cornrows to the side, add a big flower and you're good to go! I think this style is so easy to do and fast and it's good for school, holidays or even special events like a wedding. It's all about the accessories. As you can see in the header image, I did this style a few weeks ago.


How to achieve this look:

• This is a style that can easily stay in for a week or more, so make sure the hair is washed, detangled and moisturized. I used Fructis Sleek & Shine Leave-in and Coconut oil and Avocado oil.
• Instead of parting the cornrows from forhead to nape, part the hair about the width of your middle finger from ear to ear.
• This is the website that taught me to cornrow. I remember I was in tears when I first started to learn just a few months ago, but it's actually very easy and it's just like riding a bike, you will never forget how to do it.
• 
  
  When the cornrows are done, use a ponytail holder to hold them together and add a huge flower. Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy!

             

STRAWLLERS Giveaway at Curly Hairdo Ideas

Just wanted to let everyone know know that there is a great Giveaway at Curly Hairdo Ideas! What's even better is that you get to choose your own color and size. Click to enter the giveaway here. 

Also, make sure to read part 1 and  part 2 of the Strawllers Review!

Curly Jannah is on Curly Nikki

Yaay! We are so happy to have Jannah on Curly Nikki. Please check it out and comment on this post. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Head on over to Curly Nikki to enjoy some good reads, she just had a beautiful babygirl too!

Friendly reminder: Please be kind enough and follow our blog! For a long time I bookmarked blogs instead of following them, until I realized that I would be supporting them in a good way by 'following' instead of just reading. Plus, a great giveaway is coming soon.

Thank you to those who are following and supporting our blog already! Your advice and support is GREATLY appreciated. :)

Meet Yu-Yu



Meet 1 1/2 year old Yu-Yu. He has very fine, tight curls that get tangled too easily. His hair is about 3-4 inches long. I am going back and forth about cutting it to about 1 inch because it gets tangled so quick and he does NOT like getting his hair brushed. I'm really not sure if I should cut it. I think I will regret cutting it, so that's why I haven't done it yet. I'm still looking for a product for his hair, haven't found the right product yet though, so we will see.

Here he is with just Fructis Sleek & Shine leave-in

What does your child use for very fine tight curls?



Natural Flower Girl: Braid Headband & Elegant Bun



I always thought doing a sock bun on Jannah's hair would be very difficult, but nope, it was very easy and fast. This hairstyle took only 20 minutes. Jannah loved it and felt like a princess. If you googled 'natural flower girl' hairstyles, you really won't get much for natural hair. So I thought I would add some, I hope you enjoy, and more will come very soon.

How to achieve this look:

• Start with clean, detangled and moisturized hair. I didn't use avocado oil on this style because I knew I wanted to add some bows or possible flowers that were white later, and didn't want them to turn greenish because of the avocado oil.
• Let's fix our sock first. Take an old sock and cut off the end. You should be able to put your whole hand through it now. Make sure you are using a clean sock. Haha! Roll the sock until it looks like a doughnut (whole in the middle). Put to the side.
• You want to start making the braided headband. Part the hair from the side till the farthest ear. If you are parting on the left, keep parting until the right ear, or vice versa, which ever side you choose to part bigger than the other.
• Add your styling product of choice and start cornrowing the headband. If your daughter's hairtype is in the 2's or 3's, I suggest to french braid the headband instead of cornrowing it.
• Now work on the other side. Part the hair until about 1 inch below the ear, add styling product and cornrow. These two braids from each side will meet at the nape after you are finished making the sock bun.
• Now gather all the left over hair on the top of the head and use an ouchless ponytail holder. Pick up your sock and bring the hair through the sock hole. Lay the hair all around the sock. Smooth the hair down and add another ponytail holder around the bun. Don't wrap it around, just put it around the bun. The left over hair that will stick out, you can just tuck it under the bun.
• Add more styling product to smooth down the surface of the bun and any frizzies that decide to show up. Add whatever accessories you like. You're all done!

The Princess Wave

Poll Results

Here are our poll results. Thanks to everyone who voted!

What would you like to see for our first Giveaway?

• Basics, ie. Denman brush etc  42%
• $25 Gift Certificate   21%
• Moroccan Hair Oil   28%
• Goody Hair Accessories  7%

The giveaway will be announced soon. I am too impatient to wait until 100 followers. Lol.

What would you like to see more of?

• Braids, Twists, etc..  80%
• Product Reviews  80%
• Giveaways  40%
• Hair Recipes  80%

So I guess I will be doing a little bit of everything!

The Princess Show: Hannah Kaelani

Hannah Kaelani

1. Please introduce yourself and your daughter.

My name is Vanessa and my daughter's name is Hannah Kaelani.

2. What is your daughter's hair care routine?

Hannah's hair is "cleansed" about 3 times a week but only shampood about once every 7-10 days. We use Hair One Cucumber and Aloe and Fructise Sleek and Shine conditioner to co-wash or cleanse and Kinky Curly Come Clean to shampoo. Once in a while I used GVP Matrix Moisturizing Shampoo which has sulfates to clarify it, but only after I do a pre-poo deep treatment. Her rinse out conditioner is GVP Matrix Conditioning Balm, sometimes with honey mixed in.

Deep treatment is Coconut Oil, Olive Oil mixed with Organix Shea Butter Conditioner before shampooing OR GVP K-pak if she needs protein. I do this about once a month, but more often in summer. Been thinking about trying Avocado oil too.

Leave in is Kinky Curly Knot Today.

Styling products vary. For the most part I use Kinky Curly Curling Custard, KC Spiral Sprits, Olive or Coconut oil mixed with KC Tiny Twirls for pony tails

But when humidity is crazy I switch to some products with silicones such as GVP Matrix Extreme Cream and GVP CHI Silk infusion. I also occasionally use Eco Styler and Tizz No Frizz gel from Aussie. Been experimenting with Aloe Gel too. You just never know with me.

3. What products work best for her hair?

It really depends on what is going on weather wise, when's the last time I washed it and what activities we're doing. But if I had to choose, Kinky Curly products are my favorite and I can feel really good about using them because they are organic.

4. What products have you tried that didn't work as well?

I've never had anything completely fail. They just have worked in their own way.

5. How long would you say her hair is in inches?

We recently had her hair cut into a bob because she had a mullet forming. :-) So, maybe about 7-9 inches when pulled all the way out.

6. Do you periodically trim her hair? If so, how often?

Yes. Every 4-6 months. It's really more for mullet control. :-)

7. Do you ever use heat on her hair? If so, how often?

Yes. VERY seldom. I used Chi Silk infusion and a heat protectant spray when I do.

8. Have you ever relaxed her hair?

NO!

9. Do you plan to in the future?

HECK NO!

10. Do you have any hair advice to share with us?

Learn you children's hair. Every hair type has the potential to be beautiful. There is nothing worse than a multi-racial child suffering humiliation because of a lack of information or a lack of effort on the part of their parents. ALSO....NEVER comb or brush curls once they are dry.

11. Finally, let's see pictures of your princess!

Vanessa, your daughter is a pure beauty! Her beautiful big green eyes just make you melt and those curls are perfect. Thank you for being on The Princess Show and I especially loved your advice about learning your children's hair.

Iman E.

Cornrows & Three Strand Twists

This is a very easy and fast style to do and will last about a week which is perfect for school. Since she has quite a lot of damage on the top part of her head, I try to keep that part mostly braided or in cornrows.

How to achieve this look:

1. When styling hair always start with freshly washed, detangled and moisturized hair. For a moisturizer, I'm making my own at the moment with a mix of Avocado Oil, Hello Hydration Conditioner and drinking water.
2. Part the hair from ear to ear. Pull the back hair into a ponytail to get it out of your way so you can start working on the top hair.
3. Start parting the hair to get ready to cornrow. I am still not perfect at it since I only learned how to cornrow in May 2010. If you don't know how to cornrow, visit this site here. This, with a few youTube videos made it pretty easy to learn.
4. You want to make about 4 or 5 cornrows at the top. I parted mine a bit slanted.
5. Once you finish the top cornrows, start parting the hair in small boxes and use rubber bands for each section that you want to twist. You can do 2 strand twists, or 3 strand twists. In this tutorial I did the 3 strand. For 3 strand twists, separate the hair in 3 equal pieces, hold 2 of those pieces with your left hand and 1 piece with your right. Now all you have to do is take the right piece over the left piece and place it on the far left. Now the one that used to be in the middle will be on your right. Repeat the step and take the right piece and place it over the left piece and place it on the far left. I hope this makes sense.
6. ***Note: If you want to twist the hair in the back for the purpose of having a twist out curly look, I recommend not to use rubber bands and not part the hair in boxes, rather, just grab an equal amount of hair and start twisting. This is what I did in this tutorial.
7. I spritz with a lavender spritz after I'm finished styling. Add some cute hair accessories and you are all done!

This is the finished look. I took the twists out after a few hours.

Glossy Shine & Silky Texture: Avocado Oil

I have started using Avocado Oil a few weeks ago and I don't ever want to stop! I am using Roland' Extra Virgin Avocado Oil. It has done wonders to Jannah's once dry and damaged hair. I saw amazing results the first time I tried it, I remember trying it as a pre-poo and left it in for 30 minutes. Her hair was so soft and shiny I didn't even want to wash it out. Seriously. It supplies vitamins A, B, D and E which nourish both scalp and hair follicles. I have read somewhere that the only oil that moisturizes hair is Coconut Oil. I'm not so sure how true this is, all I know is Jannah's hair now feels very moisturized and ummm....moist! lol. I believe it is making her hair grow faster too. I haven't seen any growth in her hair since she was 2, she is now 4 and I'm finally seeing some growth. About an inch of growth in a few weeks. There are several ways we use this wonderful oil. Here they are:

• Daily Spritz: I mix about 1/2 cup Hello Hydration conditioner with about 1/2 cup drinking water (I wouldn't use tap water) and add 1 tbs Avocado Oil. You can use this mix every morning to wake up the curls/braids/twists.
• Hot Oil treatment: 1 tbs Avocado Oil, 1 tbs Coconut Oil, 1 tbs Olive Oil. All of these oils must be extra virgin. You can also add 3 capsules of Wheat Germ oil (optional). Apply to scalp for about 30 minutes. Most likely you will have some left over which you can just add to the rest of the hair.
• Banding hair with Avocado Oil: After I co-wash Jannah's hair, I like to leave the HEHH conditioner in and when I'm about to band her hair, I just apply the oil straight over each section that I'm banding, brush it with our modified Denman D3 brush and start banding. The hair comes out very soft, shiny and moisturized.
• Some people like to add Avocado Oil in their choice of conditioner, I haven't tried that yet, but it sounds like the same as the step above.

Are there any oils you can't live without?

The Princess Show: Nyana

1.Please introduce yourself and your daughter.

My name is Kandyce and my daughter is Nyana. She's 5 years old and has curly thick hair.

2.What is your daughter's hair care routine?

I wash/deep condition her hair once a week and once a month I give her a hot oil treatment and protein treatment using eggs and oil.

3.What products work best for her hair?

I am currently using Garnier Fructis (sleek&shine) for shampoos, Infusium 23 (repairologie) for deep treatments and I moisturize her hair with Bee Mine (hair and scalp moisturizer, Juicy Spritz and Curly Butter)

4.What products have you tried that didn't work as well?

I have tried several products which didn't do a thing for her hair, but I kept searching around looking for the best products for her hair type. I'm still searching around looking for a complete hair care line for everything.

5.How long would you say her hair is in inches?

I have never measured her hair but I would guess around 12-16 inches when stretched out from the nape.

6.Do you periodically trim her hair? If so, how often?

No I haven't trimmed her hair, I have recently taken her to the salon and they said she didn't have many split ends, so they didn't recommend it yet.

7.Do you ever use heat on her hair? If so, how often?

I haven't used heat on her hair yet, I plan on flat ironing her hair this winter and I will use a heat protecting product and only flat iron her hair once every 2 months if that.

8.Have you ever relaxed her hair?

No, it will ruin her naturally curly texture.

9.Do you plan to in the future?

No Way !!

I will flat iron her hair when she wants to have the straight look, but I will not use any chemicals.

10.Do you have any hair advice to share with us?

Whenever you come across a knot try wetting it, and then finger detangling it but NEVER pull it apart.

11. Finally, let's see pictures of your princess!

Sure :-)

 

Kandyce, you have a beautiful daughter and thank you again for being the first on our Princess Show.

Shout out!

Before I continue with any more posts, I had to give a BIG Shout out to these following blogs! These blogs have really taught me so much about the do's and don'ts when it comes to natural hair. Keep blogging busy mommas and I wanted to thank you with all my heart, I have read every single one of your posts!

In no particular order:

Keep Me Curly

Beads, Braids, & Beyond!

Happy Girl Hair

Where you can find Curly Jannah

Email: CurlyJannah@yahoo.com
Facebook, please add us!
Twitter, follow!

Slanted Cornrows with Box Braids

This is our first style post. :)

How to get this look:

1. I co-washed Jannah's hair with HEHH (Herbal Essences Helly Hydration Conditioner).  For now I'm not using any shampoo. After I co-wash her scalp gently with my finger tips, I rinse it out and immediately apply HEHH. I use alot and make sure every part of her hair is coated with it. This conditioner has been a life saver for me and her.
2. For now I'm using an old t-shirt to dab her hair with, instead of a towel. It soaks up the water nice but not too much and doesn't leave it dripping.
3. Next I apply Roland's Extra Virgin Cold Pressed Avocado oil (which makes her hair unbelievably soft and shiny), band her hair in 4 - 6 sections and put her sleeping cap on.
4. In the morning her hair is usually a tiny bit damp still but that is fine. I'm not using any of the fancy hair butters and such as of yet, so I make my own styling concoction using HEHH conditioner, avocado oil, and purified water. These are pre-mixed and all I have to do is shake it up before spritzing. Works well for her hair for now, until I find something better.
5. Back to how to get this look: Part the hair from ear to ear and tie the back off.
6. Now you will be working on the top part. Instead of parting straight across, part the hair slanted. Now part about 1 centimeter (about 1/2 an inch) right next to the first and start cornrowing. Keep parting the hair to prepare for the cornrow and finish cornrowing the right and left sides.
7. The rest of the hair in the back is box braided. I usually make the boxes 1 inch by 1 inch.
8. This Should take about 45 min.

This is the same style pulled up in a pony tail. Flower is from Claire's.

 Here she is twirling around to show off her dress. :)