May6

For the Kiddies : : Qoileez!! GIVEAWAY!!

Posted on May 6, 2013 by Lauren

GIVEAWAY ALERT!!!

Hey!!

I’m doing something a little different today. Since I don’t have any children, I don’t have any posts catered to their hair care needs but THIS post is specifically for the kiddies/teens (an adults too!) and it’s a giveaway!! It’s sponsored by a cute company called Qoileez! and they are giving away a surprise sample pack of their hair accessories!

Qoileez! are multipurpose, trendy, and affordable hair accessories that adds a bit of style and flash to your favorite hairstyles, pencils, chopsticks, eyeglasses, knitting needles – your creativity is the limit! {We’ve even seen them on adorable dog “furstyles.”} Yes, you can use the same item in your best hairstyle or as knitting supplies!

So what are these things I am talking about? Well Qoileez are small rubber coils that come in a bunch of different colors and patterns like dots, stripes, stars, animal prints, etc. so they are sure to match all the cute outfits little girls have (or your outfits!). They are sold in packages of seven for $4.99 or 14 for $7.99.

Here’s some pics of the samples that were sent to me!

You know those heavy plastic barrettes and beads little girls always wear in their hair? (YES, my mother had them ALL UP in my hair when I was a little girl lol) Well these are really cute alternative for those or even something to add to barrettes and beads. Sometimes barrettes and beads can be kinda heavy, uncomfortable, cause breakage and tension alopecia, but Qoileez are really light weight, stretchy and soft (cuter in my opinion too!). They also give you more versatility since typically when little girls have beads in their hair, they are secured onto a braid and don’t come off until they get their hair re-done. Qoileez allows you to take them in and out as you please without disturbing the hairstyle :o). They’re really easy to put in and out, you just wrap one end of the Qoileez around and braid or twist and then twirl it. They are gentle and don’t pull, tug, snag, etc. the hair so no worries about any type of damage :o)

As I mentioned, I don’t have any children yet (Lord willing!), but I was able to “borrow” lol one of the little girls at my church’s bible study program I teach at, to let me demonstrate and show how these cute little hair accessories look! She and her mother LOVED them! Her mother also wanted me to make sure I shared how easy they are to put in her hair! And these pics are just ONE way to wear these, you can get really creative with these things (you know girls and teens always come up with wild ideas for their hair! lol) so I highly suggest you check out the Qoileez site and Facebook page to see some more ways to wear them!

Another cool thing about Qoileez are that they aren’t just for hair. You or your kids can use them on your pens or pencils as grips, on chopsticks if you are learning how to use them and you can use them to keep knitting needles together in knitting baskets. (I’ve been known to knit…well…let me stop frontin…crochet lol a blanket or two hehe :o) I have yet to learn how to knit though :o( I need someone to teach me lol I have a bunch of needles and everything! lol)

So one lucky reader will win a surprise pack of a mixture of Qoileez! I think they are such a cute and unique idea for kids (and big kids!). Check out their website, they have lots more pics of the different styles and more ideas on how these accessories can be used as well! ENTER THE GIVEAWAY BELOW!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

GOOD LUCK!!!

May3

Girl Behind the Curl…Christine!!

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Lauren

Girl Behind the Curl…Christine!!

Cheers to the freakin weekend!!

This weeks Girl Behind the Curl is yet another very special lady in my life ((I have lots of them hehe)) she’s another one of my neos and she’s my number! (Sweet Sixteens baby!!) She pledged in 2009 and I’ve been in love with her since hehe…in a sisterly way of course lol besides the fact that she’s smart, beautiful, amazing and has a singing voice of an angel, she has some amazing hair!! She has BIG, thick curls and a simple regimen. When I met her, her hair was down her back and she cut it into a cute, short asymmetrical bob about a year or so ago. I could go on and on about this girl but I will spare you for now…. meet my lovely number/neo/sister/love, Christine!

Introduction : : Do share a little about yourself!

Hello, my name is Christine Singh and I am a graduate student at American University and Special Education/English teacher in Baltimore City Public Schools. I love my curls and I love trying new natural/organic products on my hair and skin.

In the beginning : : What inspired you to go embrace your natural-ness? OR If you’ve been natural since forever, what inspired you to never get a perm?

My inspiration to go short was my desire for drastic change. From birth to the summer of 2012, I had only ever trimmed my long hair. One summer day in June of 2012, I went to visit my family and my little brother told me that he was growing his hair to donate it to Locks of Love. I felt so inspired by his charity that I started thinking. I have super curly hair that dries out easily and that gets insanely frizzy. I hated it. And I was tired of feeling like I had to subscribe to a glamorized and celebrated Western view of beauty. After teaching for a year and seeing how resistant the young community was to their natural gifts of beauty, I decided that I needed to stop talking about self-acceptance and just BE about it. I wanted a bald-cut (yes, I wanted to go bald), but my stylist absolutely would NOT cut my hair as short as I wanted it. Even still, I shed a single tear at the first cut. But, ever since, I am in love with my hair and the versatility that it offers me. I can wear my hair to match my mood and overall personality. My stylist cut 10 inches off of my hair, which I donated to locksoflove.org.

Mane-tain : : What is your weekly/monthly regimen like? If you have color in your hair, how do you maintain it’s health?

I wash my hair every 5 days. I use Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curl & Shine Shampoo in combination with the Coconut & Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie. I love these products for a wash-n-go’s and the smell is super yummy. I especially love that you can use the Curl Smoothie as a leave-in-conditioner. To help with frizz, I put a small amount of Moroccan oil in my hair and distribute evenly. The shine is amazing, the smell is awesome, and the texture is so soft. I deep condition my hair at least once a month by mixing 1 egg with mayonnaise and Olive Oil. I do this on a Saturday morning and I put a shampoo cap on as I walk around the house and clean up. I leave this in for twenty minutes before following up with my shampoo and conditioner.

Your uniqueness : : How would describe your hair and how do you like to wear/style your hair daily? i.e. wash-n-go’s, twists, straight, protective styles, etc.

My hair is super thick and curly, and it frizzes and dries out easily, especially when it’s cold out. My favorite style is the wash-n-go, but I occasionally enjoy practicing Bantu knots, and also doing twist outs.

Choosing favorites : : What are some fav products you can’t live without or would recommend to someone else? How do you use them?

My favorite products are Moroccan Oil, Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Shampoo and Conditioner.

Drop some knowledge : : Do you have a marvelous hair practice/technique you’ve learned and wouldn’t mind sharing? OR is there something you’d like to learn more about?

To get my hair super curly and bouncy, I first wash with shampoo. Then I follow by gently towel drying my hair and then combing Conditioner through my strands with my fingers. I finish by adding a little Moroccan oil to my palms and massaging it into my hair. The whole process takes about 20 minutes, and I love the curl that it produces.

Shameless plug : : Do you have a hustle you’d like to share while you have the floor? i.e. business, project, etc.

I am currently working alongside my sister to end homelessness through her non-profit Terps Against Homelessness. I am also a volunteer math/GED tutor with Project PLASE in Baltimore, MD. Knowledge is Power. If you know of anyone who needs afterschool tutoring, or if you are looking to get involved with giving back to the overall community, feel free to contact me and I will set you up with some volunteer opportunities!

K.I.T. : : How can we stay connected with you? i.e. website, e-mail, social media, etc.

You can stay connected with me through: twitter @__Singh, instagram @_singhchristine

Apr27

Conditioner : : Trader Joe’s Nourish Spa Conditioner

Posted on April 27, 2013 by Lauren

Conditioner : : Trader Joe’s Nourish Spa Conditioner

***DISCLAIMER! If you are an anti-paraben extremist, don’t continue to read this post or feel the need to rant on why you may feel like this product is of the devil lol please save it for someone else’s blog… with that said….please proceed! lol

Alright, well remember how I felt when I discovered Trader Joe’s Tea Tree Tingle conditioner!? Well those feelings came back! lol I discovered another great cheapie conditioner by Trader Joe’s and it only cost $2.99!! It’s the Nourish Spa Conditioner and the ingredients are honestly better than a lot of more expensive conditioners out there, in the “drugstore” conditioner category that is..

Product Description
When your hair is dry, it needs to be nourished. This balanced hair remoisturizer is ideal for replenishing dry, brittle hair. Perfect for use daily, it infuses moisture and exceptional shine, without weighing hair down. Enhanced with organic botanicals, it does not contain laurel/laureth sulfates.

Ingredients
Purified water, organic rosemary oil, organic valencia orange citrus, organic mango, organic lemongrass, organic ginko biloba, organic echinacea, organic willow bark, organic sea kelp, organic chamomile flower, organic textured soy protein, organic lavender, organic grapefruit citrus, Tocopherol (Vit E), Acetamide MEA, Cetyl Alcohol, Citric Acid, Methylparaben, propylparaben, botanical fragrance

To be honest I did see this back when I first saw the Tea Tree Tingle conditioner but I remember seeing a YouTuber saying she used to use it all the time but stopped using it because it contains preservatives called parabens. That notion sort of lingered in my mind for a long time because I don’t really use anything else in my hair that contains parabens plus I always see products labeled as paraben-free, but I told myself to just go ahead and give it a try because of the other ingredients and the fact that the two parabens appear as the last ingredients (which means they have a low content). I will probably make a post about silicones and parabens so you understand why most some people stray away from them (they have been connected to breast cancer). I personally believe that using things in moderation is what’s key PLUS a lot of things we all use every day contain parabens and we continue to use them.

Hopefully by me using this conditioner doesn’t make me a hypocrite but whatever though let me finish telling you why I like this conditioner anyway…. lol

So besides this conditioner being $3, the ingredients are amazing and their high content was shocking. They’re almost all organic and all beneficial to hair growth and healthy scalp. It has an incredible amount of slip, more than the Tea Tree Tingle, so I love using this after ayurvedic treatments because it instantly seals the cuticle of your hair. I have nothing bad to say about this conditioner (except for the paraben thing) and it makes my hair super soft and shiny. Because I only wash my hair once a week, and don’t always use this, I am not really worried about the parabens, plus this isn’t a conditioner I let sit and penetrate on my head, it’s definitely just a rinse-out. Trader Joe’s is also a very reputable and trustworthy company (in my mind) so I feel if this product was really a high risk, they would have pulled it by now.

I like this conditioner and plan on keeping this and the Tea Tree Tingle on hand. :o)

Apr25

Girl Behind the Curl…Caressa!

Posted on April 25, 2013 by Lauren

Girl Behind the Curl…Caressa!

Yayy tomorrow’s Friday and I am off work so I am happy bout that :o)

Coming to you with this week’s Girl Behind the Curl. Ok, this girl is gorgeous! She’s an island girl who swears by Jamaican black castor oil, which I keep seeing people swear by also! (it’s on my growth challenge list!) Read about this chica’s very sensible and relateable regimen below… meet Caressa!

Introduction : : Do share a little about yourself!

My name is Caressa, I am an Island girl born and raised, a blogger/vlogger and a mom to an amazing 2 year old. I just love all things natural hair and beauty. One of the quotes that I live by is “Courage is the power to let go of the familiar”.

In the beginning : : What inspired you to go embrace your natural-ness? OR If you’ve been natural since forever, what inspired you to never get a perm?

I am going to be very honest. I loved my relaxed “straight” hair because that was the only thing that I was used to. I decided that I wanted to embark on this journey because I needed a change. I also always thought that natural hair was so versatile. I am still learning a lot about my hair, and some days are better than others, but I would not change a thing. I am glad that I made this decision because my hair is now more healthy.

Mane-tain : : What is your weekly/monthly regimen like? If you have color in your hair, how do you maintain it’s health?

My wash days are normally on Sundays. I wear one style for maybe 3 days and then do another style for the remainder of the week. I must use castor oil because it has really helped my hair growth over the past few months. Go get that Jamaican Black Castor oil lady. It works wonders. One more thing, I don’t use shampoo at all unless I am trying out new products. Most shampoos just dry my hair out so much so I just co-wash!

Your uniqueness : : How would describe your hair and how do you like to wear/style your hair daily? i.e. wash-n-go’s, twists, straight, protective styles, etc.

I love trying new things on my hair. I am always experimenting and most of my styles come out really great. My go to style is a braid-out and also a flat twist out. Here is a braid out/twist out tutorial.

Choosing favorites : : What are some fav products you can’t live without or would recommend to someone else? How do you use them?

Right now, the products that I cannot live without are my Jamaican black castor oil and my coconut co-wash by AS I AM. I 100% recommend these two products. For anyone looking to speed up the growing process of their hair I recommend the castor oil, and for people like me with shampoos drying your hair out, I recommend the coconut co-wash. The product that I use the most for my styles is The Cantu Shea butter leave in conditioner. I absolutely love that stuff and it is so inexpensive, so that’s a plus!

Drop some knowledge : : Do you have a marvelous hair practice/technique you’ve learned and wouldn’t mind sharing? OR is there something you’d like to learn more about?

Recently I have learned of the pineapple method, which is basically tying your hair up in a scarf in order to get your twist out/ braid out styles to last. I use this method quite a lot, especially when I don’t feel like twisting my hair at night.

Shameless plug : : Do you have a hustle you’d like to share while you have the floor? i.e. business, project, etc.

I love trying new things, and I support any small businesses because I believe that everyone deserves a chance to showcase their products and get their names out there. I can help get that job done. I have many things coming up in the future so guys please be on the lookout!

K.I.T. : : How can we stay connected with you? i.e. website, e-mail, social media, etc.

You guys can like my page on Facebook- Naturally Westindian https://www.facebook.com/NaturallyWestindian

Youtube- Naturally Westindian http://www.youtube.com/user/NaturallyWestindian

Instagram- caressatearla

All inquires- naturallywestindian@gmail.com

Apr23

Tip Tuesday : : Summer Natural Hair Care Tips

Posted on April 23, 2013 by Lauren

Tip Tuesday : : Summer Natural Hair Care Tips

Summa summa summa tiiiiiiime!! Well…almost summa time lol

The weather has definitely changed (FINALLY) and temperature’s rising which means we’ll be hitting the pools, beaches, vacationing and spending more time out doors **SIDEBAR--unless you are like me and TERRIFIED of these damn 17-year cicadas that are supposed to be out on the east coast soon. I WILL be indoors until they are gone…lol) If you live on the west coast, you really don’t understand what its like to “have seasons” like us East coasters lol and why its such a huge deal when winter is over! oh how I miss Cali…sunshine and warm weather ALL year round….ima be back there soon though! #GodWilling

Any who, a few readers reminded me that I need to make a post about summer hair care tips (duh!) because different temperatures and climates definitely call for different hair care needs. Check out some summer hair care tips below! If you have some other tips, leave them in the comment box!

Oh and one thing I want to highlight, knowing your hair’s porosity is HUGE in warm weather. Check out this post and do some Googling for more info on that. Knowing your hair’s porosity will help determine what products and hair practices work best for you.

Dry Climates

Ditch Products with Drying Ingredients i.e. alcohols (the bad ones), heavy fragrances - It’s already a challenge to keep your hair moisturized in dry climates so don’t make it harder for yourself! :o)
Seal Your Hair! -- I know you’ve seen me mention this a billion times because it is so essential! Always apply a heavy butter like shea or mango or an oil like coconut, olive, jojoba or sweet almond to help seal in the moisture. This is ESSENTIAL if you have highly porous hair because dry climates will suck out all the moisture of your hair (stay away from humectants as well!)
Try the Green House Effect! — Check out this post to see what this moisture “treatment” is! You can also try the baggy method which is similar to the GHE but not quite. The baggy method is where you apply a conditioner or moisturizer on your hair AFTER you’ve washed and conditioned (GHE uses oils). You put a plastic cap on your hair and leave it on for however long you wish (I do it for up to an hour or so).
Co-Wash more often! – Using regular shampoo may actually dry out your hair so try washing with conditioner instead. This way, you will retain moisture and natural oils while still cleansing your hair and scalp of sweat and build-up (the key is your SCALP!). If you feel like co-washing doesn’t clean your hair well enough, try washing with a moisturizing shampoo bar like any of these a couple times a month. Always follow with a good conditioner!
Do Steam Treatments! — Again, the key is to keep your hair moisturized and steam treatments are a GREAT way to do this!

Humid Climates

Embrace the humidity! — Humidity can be a blessing or a curse….I see it as a blessing in the summer! Humidity means BIG hair which I love! Also, it helps moisturize your hair. If you don’t like humidity, then stay away from products that contain humectants (i.e. glycerin, aloe vera, honey) because it will attract MORE moisture to your hair and make your hair even bigger. BUT if you don’t care, then humidity is actually great for humectants….moisture! For those with highly porous hair, you will probably experience more frizz so keep that in mind.
Wear more Wash-n-Go’s – Besides the fact that your hair will dry faster, it’s another opportunity for your hair to lock in the moisture!

ALL Climates

Drink LOTS of water! -- This is a given. It’s hot, you sweat, you lose water so you want to make sure you rehydrate and replenish by drinking more! Water is essential for your body AND hair inside and out! My fav ways to get my daily doses are drinking coconut water or putting sliced cucumbers and lemons in iced water! Sooo refreshing and yummy!
Oil or condition your hair BEFORE you go swimming! -- I know this seems messy and sort of counter intuitive but doing this will coat your hair and act a shield against chlorine and salt water (remember water and oil don’t mix! Same concept with sealing your hair…) Conditioners help because it helps fill in the gaps in the hair shaft (especially protein conditioners) and will help reduce dryness and breakage. This is especially important if you have color in your hair! You can also invest in a cute swimming cap like these or these :o)
Don’t forget the Suncreen… for your hair! – Believe it or not, you need to protect your hair as much as you should your skin! There are a lot of natural oils and butters that are natural UV protectors! Mango butter is especially my favorite but you can also use sesame oil, macadamia nut oil, shea butter, cupuacu butter to name a few. You can also look for products that are labeled as heat protectants or UV protectants.
Use a Moisturizing Shampoo – Hopefully you already are doing this :o) But if you haven’t yet, try using a shampoo bar. You know I am a HUGE advocate of them. Also, you may need to change the frequency of how often you wash. I find that I tend to wash more frequently in the summer because my scalp sweats and becomes oily faster and some people swim more often which leads to my next tip…
Clarify Your Hair — If you swim in chlorine or salt water you will want to make sure you clarify your hair. Rinsing your hair with plain water will not get rid of chlorine and salt. Most shampoos will get most of it out but it is still a good idea to thoroughly clarify at least once a month to sort of “re-set” your hair. It is also good to clarify if you sweat a lot or have an oily scalp. You can clarify with apple cider vinegar, bentonite clay, castile soap, black soap to name a few. There are lots of products marketed as clarifying so just check the labels! Oh and of course, most shampoo bars contain clarifying ingredients (another reason why they are damn near perfect hehe)
Use products with Proteins – Proteins will help patch up the hair shaft which means if you have highly porous hair, it will help keep moisture retained longer which is good in Dry climates. If you live in humid climates, this will help keep frizz down to a minimum! You can also try protein treatments like the Cherry Lola or make your own concoction using yogurt, eggs, beer, etc.
Deep Condition more often – For obvious reasons, it will help restore any damage from the sun and heat, and it will also help retain moisture in your hair! This is great opportunity to use a conditioner that contains proteins (I LOVE Aubrey Organics GPB Conditioner) and to also do the baggy method which I mentioned above. The key is to allow the conditioner time to penetrate DEEP into your hair shaft.
Wear braids or twists! — Back in the day my signature summer style was corn rows. It’s so easy to maintain, your hair is protected and it keeps your head cool. Try rocking some cute braids, corn rows or twists this summer and you really won’t have to worry much about anything accept keeping your own hair moist using a spray or oil! Plus it makes vacationing so much easier and you don’t have to bring a bunch of products with you :o)

and if all else fails… you can always wear a cute hat, scarf or turban wrap! :o)

Hope this helps and gets you ready for the summa, summa, summa time!!

Apr22

Growth : : Bee Mine Bee Sensitive Hair Serum & Mango Serum UPDATE

Posted on April 22, 2013 by Lauren

Growth : : Bee Mine Bee Sensitive Hair Serum & Mango Serum UPDATE

Hello! Awhile back I made a post announcing my unofficial campaign for hair growth (check out this post if you missed it) and I listed a few things I planned on trying out this year to see how much length I could gain. Although health should ALWAYS trump length goals, I feel that I am at the point where my hair is very healthy and I can focus on length. Length and health go hand in hand, if your hair and SCALP are healthy, your hair WILL grow!

So I wanted to use this post to introduce the next topical growth remedy as well as give an update to the last one. I started using Bee Mine’s Mango Sulfur Serum in the beginning of March and applied the serum to my scalp, focusing on my edges, about twice a week (any more frequent it would have been too oily for me). I can honestly say this stuff works! I didn’t do an extensive length check photo shoot like I did when I did my Viviscal update (end of February) too much work lol BUT I do have something I can show you hehe…ok don’t laugh…

I found this random grey hair in my edges lol that shows where the color from my last henna treatment ends lmao!! Hey whatever works! I have only done 2 henna treatments, I posted about my first one mid-february and I did the second treatment that following week which would make it around the last week of February. So the place where the henna color ends and the grey starts is the new growth from the end of February (which was around the start of me using the Mango serum…hopefully you followed all of that and I didn’t confuse you lol).

So I say all that to say, I gained about an INCH of growth in my edges since the end of February! I was actually extremely surprised because I wasn’t even sure if my edges would even continue to grow! I sort of wrote them off in the same category as the hair in my eyebrows—they just stop growing when they reach a certain length lol but I guess I was wrong! They grew! Are are still growing! Check out the EXTREME close-up shots of my grey hair! lmao! I think I am going to keep my grey hair so I can continue to see if my edges are still growing hehe

The Mango serum not only worked on my edges but it definitely worked on the rest of my scalp as well. I noticed I have a new layer of fine baby hairs all over my head, similar to the ones I posted about back in June 2012. That means, the serum stimulated the follicles where I may have had hair fallen out of or where “inactive” for lack of a better word. Either way, it’s doing something making something grow! I also noticed that my new growth is very soft and my curls seem a bit looser! I even noticed growth in my kitchen in the back i.e. the hairs at the nap of my neck lol THIS is amazing because now when I brush my hair up into a bun, I don’t have these random curls wanting to fall back down. They actually stay up and in place.

I will DEFINITELY keep this in my hair growth arsenal BUT I am going to put it down for a little while because…..I will be trying the non-oil version of Bee Mine’s growth serum! (yes, I know, the obsession with Bee Mine continues…)

It’s called the Bee Sensitive Oil Free Hair Serum which is basically and oil-free alternative to their original serum. I am extremely excited about this because it is difficult for me to use oils on my scalp during the warmer summer months because my scalp is naturally oily and I get a lot of build-up so this is PERFECT for me or anyone with similar issues. It was actually created for people with dermatitis, eczema and psoriasis It retails on Bee Mine’s site at $15 for 8 oz. and only comes in the mango scent (which is yummy and juicy smelling). The ingredients are amazing and are what’s most attractive to me but then again ALL Bee Mine’s ingredients are amazing, they are 99% All natural AND organic!! I also love that it is in a spray bottle which means easy application. Oh and read the reviews on the Bee Mine site, 5 star product, AGAIN!

Product Description
Bee-Sensitive ~ Oil Free serum comes to you by popular request for our family members with scalp conditions that prevents the use of oils. We’ve formulated this oil-free hair serum with love to help soothe the scalp and promote a healthy environment for optimal growth. The soothing and healing properties of organic aloe vera juice paired with select herbs can assist in alleviating the discomfort of many scalp conditions. Feel the calming and stimulating and effect of this oil-free serum and keep your hair looking beautiful and healthy. Specially created for those with dermatitis, psoriasis, eczema and other sensitive skin conditions. Also great for those wanting growth without the buildup of oil while in wigs, half wigs, braids, lace fronts, kinky twists, etc. Directions: Use daily or every other day for best results.

Ingredients
Organic Aloe Vera Juice, Herbal Infused Purified Water, Ayurvedic Herbs, Select Herbs, MSM, Fragrance, Paraben & Formaldehyde Free Preservative. 99% Natural & Organic

Like all the other hair growth remedies I have tried so far, I am going to try this for one month without using anything else on my scalp so I can see how well this product works on it’s own. The main ingredient in the oil-free serum is aloe vera juice which is known to promote hair growth as it is a natural astringent. This also means it is perfect for oily scalps. It also contains my beloved ayurvedic herbs, I don’t know exactly which ones but they are all amazing either way. And last, it contains MSM which natural sulfur, the same thing in the other Mango serum. Sooooo it’s basically a bomb combination of hair growth greatness lol

I plan on using this each time I twist my hair, probably 2-3x a week and I will check back in with you all on this in about a month!!

Apr20

Girl Behind the Curl….Corlinda!!

Posted on April 20, 2013 by Lauren

Girl Behind the Curl….Corlinda!!

Hello! Hope you all enjoy your weekends! Today I want to share the hair-story of another natural gal I met via Instagram hehe. She’s a young mother, employee AND student!! (How does she do it all?!) She’s also a transitioner who made it all the way through till the last trim! I applaud all the transitioners out there because I couldn’t do it so this lady is an inspiration!

…Meet Corlinda!

Introduction : : Do share a little about yourself!

Hello my name is Corlinda Stafford. I am 25 years old. I am happily married with four children. I am a full time mother, employee and I go to school as well and plan to get my degree in Nursing.I have been completely natural since November of 2010. I transitioned for six months prior before I cut the rest of the relaxed hair off in November.

In the beginning : : What inspired you to go embrace your natural-ness? OR If you’ve been natural since forever, what inspired you to never get a perm?

What made me start to become natural was that I met a friend who was natural and noticed how healthy, shiny and great her hair looked and was shocked that there was no chemicals in her hair. I was also tired of being burned from the relaxers. My hair was long but think and started to break off. So I decided to slowly transition because I have never cut my hair before and didn’t want to do the “big chop.” When I started to transition my hair was bra strap length. I was also pregnant during the transition so in the summer time I was 8 months and living in texas it was HOT! I decided why not cut some more off and try a short bob hairstyle. So I did. I did not like it at all but it helped with my breakage I was having. November came around and my beautician chopped off the last inch and half of my permed hair and that was when I was officially natural. I absolutely love my natural hair and will never go back to a relaxer ever!

Mane-tain : : What is your weekly/monthly regimen like? If you have color in your hair, how do you maintain it’s health?

I co-wash every week with Tresseme naturals conditioner and I use pure coconut oil, olive and grape seed oil to seal my hair. I do have color in my hair. My hair was just colored a few weeks ago and to maintain the color I constantly put my oils in it daily and once every two weeks I use a deep conditioning mask along with co-washing. I try to follow the CG (Curly Girl) method by not using heat and tools. I style my hair mainly with my fingers. I detangle with my fingers as well. I am very simple with my regimen.

Your uniqueness : : How would describe your hair and how do you like to wear/style your hair daily? i.e. wash-n-go’s, twists, straight, protective styles, etc.

My hair is very unique in my opinion. People will see me do a two stranded twist and still will not believe it is all natural. My hair will look relaxed if I do a two stranded twist while it is wet. Even when I blow dry my hair my co-workers will ask me if I broke down and got a relaxer. My texture is very curly (when wet) which I love. I can do a wash-n- go with just water and grape seed oil or even just mousse. I usually like to wear wash-n-go’s or a ponytail. I have just started coming to the point where I am experimenting with other hairstyles. I am open to any new hairstyles if anyone have any suggestions I am all open ears :)

Choosing favorites : : What are some fav products you can’t live without or would recommend to someone else? How do you use them?

I can not live without Tresseme Naturals conditioner. Giovanni Leave in Conditioner, Eco Styler gel, Shae Moisture Curling soufflé and Curl enhancing Smoothie. Also all of the natural oils (coconut, olive oil, and grape seed)

Drop some knowledge : : Do you have a marvelous hair practice/technique you’ve learned and wouldn’t mind sharing? OR is there something you’d like to learn more about?

I would love to learn more about hair retention. I would love grow healthier hair and how to reduce split ends.