Headbands

I've long been a fan of headbands. They come in handy when trying to grow bangs out, which is the main reason I wear them. I started with just one, and then suddenly the funkier the better, I started picking them up everywhere, and now have a stack of them on my dresser.

Today is a headband day! My hair is still nice and soft from my coconut oil treatment, but I wanted my bangs out of the way with a little color, so I just threw this on this morning.

With the heat outside and lack of effort I put into my hair today, I like to think this makes it at least look like I tried just a tiny bit, even though I didn't!

Coconut Oil experiment

I've been reading lately about using virgin coconut oil on hair, and how good it is for your hair. The whole idea behind is that the coconut oil replenishes the natural oils that your hair loses, and leaves hair shiny, smooth, and soft.

I went to Whole Foods for my very own jar of coconut oil. I couldn't find it right away, and had to ask the sales girl for help. She walked me down the fruit juice aisle to point me to coconut juice. That turned into a 5 minute rundown of what I was actually looking for, and in the end I found my very own jar of virgin coconut oil. By the time I left I had about 8 people all about to buy their very own jar and try it out themselves.

If you're thinking of trying this, please know that this stuff comes in SOLID form! Also, make sure to get the UNrefined kind. Brandwise the prices ranged from $7.99 to $15.00, but I settled for the Spectrum Organic version.

Back at home it was super simple. I spooned out 2 tablespoons of the stuff (I'm sure it varies depending on hair length) and stuck it in the microwave for 10 second intervals until it all melted. Then I just poured it into my hands and ran it through my hair, saturating ALL of it. I massaged it into my scalp, threw a shower cap on, and let it roast for about 2 hours.

It suggest for VERY dry hair that you can also leave it on overnight. For oily hair and dandruff prone hair this is also a good idea, in which case 2 hours should work just fine.

After 2 hours I jumped in the shower, used a light shampoo to get the oil out, and used the diffuser to dry it. I am IMPRESSED! My hair was immediatley noticeably softer! Where it felt a little brittle this morning it simply just felt soft, and it's a lot less frizzy. I'm pretty sure at this point that coconut oil is an orgasm for my hair, and I'm looking forward to using this stuff on a regular basis!

Day 1 Curly

So today was my first official day of letting my hair go apeshit "no straightening" . I actually went the whole weekend without, mostly because I was busy and didn't care to take time out to do my hair. Also, it's a bajillion degrees in Cincinnati this weekend!

I got some new John Frieda Frizz Ease curl spray that I wanted to try out, so I used that this morning. I let my hair air dry, and it had the teensiest amount of crunch to it and was a little sticky, but maybe if I use it with some other products I won't get that effect next time.

Another sore spot with me is that I have bangs, which is not working out too well with having it curly. When my hair is straight the bangs looks great, when it's curly they sort of take on a life of their own. I solve this problem by using headbands and clips, and am planning on growing them out. We'll see how that progresses.

Day 1 pictures are posted. I'm thinking of just posting photos once a week to see how the hair changes.

Another thing I'm noticing is that the bottom layers are WAY curlier than the top. That little top layer is just sort of laying there, and the major curls are hiding underneath. I'm not sure why that's happening.

Product Review

I bought this Matrix Shampoo about a month ago, basically so my hair wouldn't turn orange. They're not kidding about the color, it's dark purple, and gets all over the entire shower. They recommend you wear gloves when using it, but I haven't had any problems. It's basically intended to keep your highlights looking nice and blonde, which it's doing quite well. I alternate it with a different shampoo, so I'm using this stuff about twice a week, and am noticing a nice upkeep in my highlights. The downside to this is if you use it too much it turns your hair purple. That's not a look I'm going for, so I lather it up quickly, run it through my hair, and rinse it out. So far, so good!

I have been using this mouse for about 3 years now. Yes, I know, I could be using way more expensive and "hair stylist recommended" stuff, but why fix it if it's not broken? At under $4 a bottle, my curls are in love with this stuff. It's lightweight, bouncy, and I've never had an issue with crunchy curls if I happen to go overboard. If I don't end up scrunching with the diffuser, my curls have a nice definition to them also, so I usually air dry with this stuff.

I use this as a heat protectant when I'm using hot tools. Instead of spraying section by section as I go, I sort of whip my head around like a wet dog once my hair is dry, and spray as I'm giving myself whiplash. Not sticky and dries quickly, but still leaves hair soft and feeling product free!

Curly vs.Straight

Yes, I posted the first picture on the internet, for the whole world to see. This is hair straight out of the shower, with nothing in it, and no styling whatsoever. Throw in some 90+ degree heat and a day of playing outside and running errands, and that's my hair. Nice canvas to work with, right?

As for the second photo. My personal hair favorite. From shower to finished product you're looking at about and hour and a half of work, an hour if I'm having a good day. That consists of applying a serum and a heat protectant, blow drying first with my fingers, then with the round brush. Add round 2 of heat protector. Then sectioning hair and going through it little by little with both a curling iron and a flat iron. Sometimes I might burn myself, other days I get lucky.

Curly is wash and go, 20 minutes tops if I'm using the diffuser. So shedule wise curly is the way to go for me. Vanity wise, I'm def in love with the smoother straighter look.

It's going to be a battle to stop using the irons and the blow dryer in a straightening sense. Usually once I stop putting heat on my hair, the curls bounce back within a few weeks, the frizz eases up, and I have a head full of corkscrews once again.

Day one begins tommorrow.

The battle begins...

I have curly hair. Like most women with curly hair, I have fought my fate. From as early as I can remember I wished that my hair would fall, straight out of the shower, over my shoulders in waves. Mine was more likely to poof out in all directions like a Brillo pad. I have done everything imaginable to my hair to get it straight, from ironing (with an actual iron) to relaxing, to putting perm solution in and combing it straight. Flat irons, curling irons, crimping irons, and every single serum and lotion out there. It has all gone on my head. Some have worked better than others, but always with an insane amount of work.

I started cosmetology school 7 months ago. In this time I've learned a whole new slew of information, found new (and more expensive) hair products, and waged an entirely new war on my hair, only this time with more high tech and damaging equipment.

I've decided I've had enough. No more irons. No more blow dryers. No more anything on my head except things that are going to keep it healthy and shiny. As a curly girl, I might as well be trying to recover from an addiction. I have tried before to give up the tools, and failed miserably.

It's time to try for real, and to chronicle it here. Along with photos the goal is to post products I'm using, products I'm trying, and things I'm learning are good for hair, bad for hair, and all the in between. My curls at the moment are a frizzy mess, which is thanks to the color and heat I've been putting on my head, and courtesy of mother nature and the weather lately. Hopefully with a lack of heat being applied daily to my head, and some help from certain prodcuts, the curls will slowly start coming back and I can begin to enjoy them.

Let the battle begin...