Alright as you all know I’m on the quest for the perfect curl and will try just about anything to get it.  A twist out is a very popular way that a lot of curlies employ to get a consistent curl pattern, etc.  Anyhow, here is my first attempt at doing a twist out.

WHAT I DID

I cowashed with Treseme Curl condish, used Knot Today to detangle and Kinky Curly Custard as the styling agent.  I took sections of hair, made sure they were detangled and began twisting.  Now the important thing about this style, is making sure that you seal your ends and that they curl up at the ends.  Mine curled up a bit, but I plan on trying CurlyNikki’s technique of using rollers and HoneyBrownSugar’s technique where she uses McDonalds’ straws and wraps her ends around to create a drop curl effect.  The two strand twists are super easy and relaxed, naturals and the kiddies can recreate a variety of different looks with them.  I also love that you can wash your hair at night, sleep on them and take them out in the morn.

…the bomb!

Last week I posted my Curlista Wants These List and at the top of the product pile – CURLFORMERS.  They are sold at Sally Beauty Supply Stores in Toronto – so last week Friday I decided to take a trip to the one in Malvern.  I was shocked at the price tag – $82.99 – WHAT!!!!!  On the US site they were $59 USD and I thought that was expensive.  The sales girl tried to talk me out of buying them because of the price – but I bought them anyway.  Sally has a 90 day return policy – so if they didn’t work I knew that I could return them.

PRODUCTS I USED:

CoWashed with WEN, then to deep-condish I used a mixture of WEN Re-moist hydrating mask, Jessicurl WDT, and Kerastase Oleo Relax (slept with this overnight)  and in the AM I rinsed my hair with cold water.  I used two pumps of WEN as a leave-in, WEN Fig Oils to lock in moisture and Knot Today to prep and detangle the hair before setting with the curlformers.  Once they were all in, I let my hair air dry – but I would have used a hood dryer if I was short on time.

WHY I LIKE THEM:

First of all, I have perfect ringlet curls!  They are soft, shiny and did I mention they are perfect.  Secondly, for any transitioning gals or fellow curlistas – Curlformers give amazing grip and tension at the root – which is great for anyone who has kinky hair.  Therefore there is no need to have to flat iron or blow out your roots!  Lastly, they are easy to use  once you get the hang of it – it took me less than an hour to put them in and I know I will get faster the more I used them

THE CONS:

The biggest con – THEY ARE EXPENSIVE!  I think the results are great and if you are looking to invest in your hair and like this sort of style then I think the pros outweigh the cons – get them.  I bought the starter kit – but they do sell the needle and various sized packages of Curlformers at a lower cost.  The other con – I found it was hard to tell if my hair had dried or not without pulling them out – luckily it had.

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Just read this really great article posted by Amy Graff of  The Mommy Files where Lorraine Massey – author of  Curly Girl – dishes on all things curly.  In the article Lorraine reveals how she came up with her popular ‘no poo’ routine and confesses her mane has never looked better since.

Here’s Lorraine’s 7 tips to going “No Poo”:

1) Pick the right conditioner. Massey says that reading the labels of conditioners is key, but this can be confusing since so many ingredients just add to the thickness, fragrance, or look of the product itself and have no benefit for the hair. “I suggest that you avoid conditioners with silicones–this means no products with ingredients whose names end in -one,” Massey says. “Although they do add temporary shine, I find they weigh down hair.” So what ingredients should you look for? Massey says every conditioner should contain at least one ingredient from the following four categories:

• Emmollients–shea butter, vegetable oils, wheat germ, olive or walnut oils.
• Proteins–Wheat, wheat germ, soy protein.
• Humectants–Panthenol, vegetable glycerine, sorbitol.
• Moisturizers–Amino acids and aloe vera.

2) Remove buildup with lemon. “More clarifying and cleansing than any shampoo, this moisturizing and neutralizing tonic adds shine to your hair and removes buildup,” Massey says. “It’s especially good for very dry or damaged hair. Combine juice of large lemon with your usual amount of conditioner, then rinse through hair thoroughly.” Baking soda also does the trick. Use 1 tablespoon baking soda and mix it with 1 cup warm water; wash your hair with the mixture in the shower.

3) Exfoliate your scalp. If you’re recovering from a longtime addiction to shampoo, your scalp will probably feel itchy a couple of days after you stop using it. Massey says an exfoliating mixture scrubbed on the scalp in the shower can help. Recipe: 1 tablespoon brown sugar or quinoa and 3 tablespoons conditioner. “We know that exfoliating is good for improving the condition of your skin,” she says. “Since your scalp is also skin, give it a special exfoliating treatment once a week or so. Exfoliating will slough off any dead skin cells or conditioner buildup, making your scalp healthier and reviving any itchiness.” Also Massey says, “Don’t always think an itch means your dirty; it’s your skins way of talking and telling you to ‘move me.’”

4) Revive hair with a spritz of lavender. If you decide to skip a shower one morning, you can spritz your hair with a combination of water and lavender essential oil. Recipe: 1/2 gallon water, 5 drops pure–not synthetic–lavender essential oil; three spray bottles. “Lavender has cleansing properties,” Massey says. “This quick mist not only makes your hair smell like a lavender field in Provence, it’s also indispensible for cleansing and reviving your curls.”

5) Don’t overbrush. “Give up the myth that brushing one hundred strokes a night is good for your hair and donate your hairbrush to someone who needs it, maybe your cat or dog,” Massey says. “Brushing can damage the cuticle of curly hair and rob it of its sheen.”

6) Avoid blow-drying. “A daily blow-dry damages hair, but if the weather is frigid, and you’re in a rush to leave the house, you can use a blow-dryer with a diffuser, a travel hair dryer, on the “low” setting, or the DevaFuser,” Massey says. “Dry slowly to protect your hair from frizzing, singeing or getting blow-fried.”

7) Keep your hands out of your hair.  Is your hair greasy? Massey says that a lot of that grease is coming from your hands. Also, if you’ve got a lot of frizz it’s probably because you are twirling your curls too much. “Do not disturb curls!” Massey says.

*thanks to Amy Graff for the post

Just read a cool article from the Feb/March 2009 issue of Verve Girl featuring a how-to-guide on creating iconic curls.  Check out the article to get step-by-step instructions to achieve:  starlet curls of the 50’s, the 60’s beachy bohemian wave, the 70’s fro and the big hair of the 80’s.

My favorite is the afro – here’s how to get the look:

Step 1: On clean hair, apply your favorite product (mouse, pudding, setting lotion) – whatever works best for your hair.

Step 2: Section off hair – I usually do four sections (two in the front, two in the back) and then I usually section off from there.

Step 3:  Using half or quater inch sections, roll hair away from the face.  Perm rods, small rollers or bendables all work well.

Step 4: Let hair air dry completely (will take a while) or use a hooded dryer on medium for faster drying.

Step 5: Remove rollers and work a smoothing balm into curls.  I suggest seperating each curl for extra volume.  And voila -a retro hairdo with a modern twist.

Pantene recently teamed up with Essence to launch Healthy Makes it Happen – promoting the brands Relaxed and Naturals, Curls, Beautiful Legnths and Nature Fusion lines.  Featuring black models – the results are stunning!  I’m loving what they did with the curly ladies of the group – their hair is such an inspiration – great curl, definition and no frizz.   Watch Rose’s video and Kimberly’s video here.  And it’s not to late to enter their sweepstakes where you can win a trip to New York to indulge in a shopping spree and a hairstyle make over .

Find out how they did it after the jump
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Dominican’s are SERIOUS when it comes to hair.  If you have never been to a Dominican hair salon and have kinky, curly, wavy or even relaxed hair – they are a MUST!  Seriously, if you want to fall in love with your hair all over again – experience a Dominican Blow Out and exactly that will happen.  Unfortunately, there aren’t a many Dominican hair spots here in Toronto (my fave is Martha’s Beauty Centre on Jane near Finch) however if you are in Montreal there are several to choose from (I’ll post locations in a separate post).  But if you hit up the NYC or other states south of border you are bound to buck up on a DR hair place.

WHY THEY ARE GOOD?

If you want super straight, super silky, super soft, full-bodied flowing hair – the Dominican blowout is for you.  Even if you hair is curly, frizzy, coarse or kinky they know how to tame your locks.

THEIR SECRET?

Weekly deep conditioning treatments, rollers, a hot blow dryer and a round brush.

MAKE IT LAST!

Before you leave, make sure they teach you how to do a doobie.  At night wrap your hair with silk scarf or sleep on silk pillowcases.  The style should last you a week, if not more.

DO- IT-YOURSELF

A NY hairstylist by the name of Nina Ramirez even came up with a website dedicated to teaching do-it-yourselfers

Okay, so I’m talking about shampoo here ladies.  I’ve previously posted about the CG method (Curly Girl) and how its said to be a great hair regime for naturally curlies, but I think it would probably benefit a lot of different hair types including relaxed ladies.  I started doing CG at the beginning of the year, and have seen tremendous results – even after modifing the regime to suit my hair needs.  I will post my modified CG in a separate post.

Ok – so CG suggest giving up shampoo and I have.  I’ve only shampoo’d my hair twice this year to clarify (I used Giovanni 50:50 Balancing because its free of laurel sulfates)  Since going no ‘poo my hair has never felt softer.  Normal shampoos contain harsh ingredients like ammonium laureth sulfate, ammonium lauryl sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate, sodium lauryl sulfate, etc – that are popular in dish washing detergents for lathering and cutting grease.  And they do the same for hair – stripping the hair of its essential oils.

Have you ever washed your hair and felt the need to add a cocktail of products (ie. conditioners, grease, leave-ins, hair polishers, silicones, etc,) to restore the natural moisture?  Ever since going no ‘poo, I’m no longer fighting to put the moisture back in – its already there.  Here’s what I do – since conditioner is capable of cleansing my hair – I conditioner wash (co-wash).  I load my hair up with conditioner, then using the pads of my fingers I scrub my scalp, then detangle with a wide tooth comb and rince with cool water and voila – the best hair I have ever had.  I know it may be a hard concept to grasp but try it out for a week or two and see if you see and feel a difference.

CLEANSE NOMRALLY

Begin by cleansing hair with a sulfate shampoo – most shampoos that lather contain ingredients like lauryl sulfates (or a derivative) that will strip your hair of any non soluble hair products like silicones.

TRIM

Get you hair trimmed to remove damaged or split ends.

BRUSHING

The CG method suggest stop using a brush when hair is wet or dry because it causes frizz and tangles.  They suggest using a wide tooth comb or fingers.  However, a lot of curlies do swear by the Denman brush to get the perfect clump of curls.  Do what works for you.

NO POO

No more poo.  Many shampoos contain harsh ingredients that can damage and dry out hair.  Lathering chemicals like ammonium laureth sulfate, ammonium lauryl sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate, sodium lauryl sulfate are not only found in shampoos but are also present in dish washer detergents, etc are known for cutting the grease.  The use of these products causes frizzy unruly hair and strip the hair of its natural oils.  Note, there are shampoos that are now on the market that are laurel sulfate free – they maybe worth a try or used occasionally.

CO-WASH

Instead, use conditioner.  Massage conditioner into the scalp and use the pads of your fingers to remove dirt and dandruff.  Conditioner is capable of both cleansing the hair and adding necessary moisture – but avoid silicone based products because they need to be washed with shampoo.  Use wide tooth comb to detangle and rinse with cold water to seal cuticle, reduce frizz and add shine.

GETTING USED TO NO POO

It will take approximately 2-4 weeks for your hair to adjust to the new no-poo routine. 

PRODUCTS

Apply products to soaking wet hair by raking product through hair.  Scrunch, finger shape or do what works best for your curls.

PLOPPING

Plop to dry.  Use old t-shirt, microfiber towel to dry hair quicker.  Lean over towel, positioning curls so they are on top of the head and wrap the towel around your hair.  Leave for 15 minutes to remove drippies.

DRYING

Air dry or use a diffuser attachment to complete drying process.

Special thanks to Waterlily WikiHow who inspired this article.