Style Remake Contestant #2

Here are photos from contestant #2 of our contest.
Vote for your favorite style by either leaving a comment here OR 'like' it on our facebook page.

To enter, contact me at curlyhairisbeautiful@gmail.com

Style Remake Contestant #4

Here are photos from contestant #4 Vote for you favorite style by leaving a comment here, or 'like' your favorite on facebook.

4th of July Hairstyle- Rosette Star w/ Braids and Rolls

I wasn't very creative with this, but I still think it turned out cute.
I started by parting out the star.  It did'nt turn out as well as I wanted since C's hair is so thin in that area.  Me and C were both getting tired of trying so I called it good enough! :)
  I gathered the hair inside the star into an ouchless ponytail holder, then did a 2 strand twist and wrapped it around the ponytail holder.  I could'nt find our bobby pins, so I just used a small snap clip to secure the end of the twist under the little rosette.  That worked just fine.
As I began cornrowing C's hair, I noticed that even with loose braiding I seemed to be pulling her baby hair near the crown.  I'm working on some no-stress styles for the summer in hopes of that hair thickening up and growing, so I want to leave it alone.  By the way- you never want to cause stress on the hairline even if you are'nt trying to grow it out!
Since I noticed I was pulling too much, I decided to do twists with the rest of her hair.  Well, they're actually more like rolls than twists.  I'll do a post explaining that tomorrow.
To minimize the use of rubber bands, I gathered 4 twists and made one ponytail. I crossed 2 twists over 2 more twists like I was making an 'X' with them and tied them off with a pony-O.
Once I had all the twists into pony-O's, I remoistened the free hanging hair and moisturized, then braided each section. 
I didn't need to use anything on the ends to hold the braids together because C's hair is curly enough to stay on it's own :)
I did not want to add beads or many accessories, but C asked for beads.  I put just a few into her cornrows rather than at the ends.

Items/Products used- Wide tooth comb, metal rat-tail comb,  Curls Creme Brule, Eco Styler Gel, and Shea Moisture Organic Yucca & Baobab Thickening Moisture Mist (Review coming soon!)

So what do you think?

What are your 4th of July hair plans?

Curls Giveaway!

I know I said the Style Remake Contest would take the place of a giveaway, BUT...
I changed my mind since I got a company to help me out! :)

In honor of CHIB reaching 100 followers, our friends at Curls have generously agreed to offer some products to give away to one lucky follower!

The winner will receive:
1 Curlie Cutie Cleansing Cream
1 Coconut Dream Conditioner
1 Moist Curls Moisturizer
1 Curly Q Gel-les'c

The contest will begin today, 6-28 and will end Thursday, July 19th at 5:00 pm. The winner will be chosen randomly. You will not win by having the most entries, however the more times you enter the better your chances of winning will be.
The winner will be announced Friday, July 20th by 10:00 pm.

You must follow CHIB (leave a comment saying you follow for 1 total entrty)
For additional entries...

*You may enter once daily

*'like' CHIB on facebook for 1 entry

*Leave a comment to tell me if you have tried any Curls products and which one(s) for 1 entry

* Visit the Curls website at www.curls.biz  and tell me which product you would like to try for 1 entry

*Mention and link to the giveaway on facebook, then let me know you did for 2 entries. You must leave a link for confirmation

*Tell me your favorite products/product line for 1 entry

That's it.  There are lots of ways to enter, so get to it and good luck!

Style Remake Contestant #1

Here are the style photos submitted by our first contestant!
Remember to vote for your favorite style be either leaving a comment here, or you can 'like' your favorite on facebook.
Each like and/or comment counts as one vote.

Style Remake Contest

I came across this style back around Valentines Day when I was searching for heart hairstyles.  I've seen lots of styles similar to this with the braiding, but nothing quite like this!  I thought about just asking if anyone knew how this was done, but I decided this would be a lot more fun!  :)

See how the heart just 'floats'?  I thought this looked just awesome so I tried to copy it.  I failed! :(

So here's where the contest part comes in!...

Since I did say that we would have a giveaway once we reached 100 followers (and we're one away), this contest will take the place of that giveaway.  Do you think you could reanimate this heart?  If so, you will be the winner of this contest. 

The prizes include the winners choice of the following....

Package#1:  

1. 1 8oz bottle of Curls Coconut Conditioner
2. 1 4oz bottle of Curls Kikinut Oil
3. 1 Satin bonnet
4. Mystery package of accessories chosen by Miss C

-OR-

Package#2:

1. 1 8oz bottle of Kinky Curly Knot Today
2. 1 wide tooth comb
3. 2 packs of heart or princess crown shaped beads (your choice of color)

*In the event there is only one entry, you still may only choose one package.

*If there is a tie, I will choose who gets which package. 

Here are the rules....

• The hairstyle can be completed on a person OR styling head (beautician style only)
• You must show detailed, close up photos of the style to prove your design 'floats'
• You do NOT have to do the exact style as the photo.  You may use any style you want (cornrows, twists etc.), as long as you incorporate the floating design somewhere
• The style must be done on real/growing hair (or original hair only if using a styling head)
• You can choose from either a heart or a star, as long as it 'floats' on it's own (not connected to any other part of the head or hair in any way)
• Since I want to know how this type of style is done (and I'm sure I'm not the only one), you must give detailed instructions on how you accomplished your style.  You can start sending style photos right away, and they will be posted as soon as possible.  I will give you a contestant number so you can keep track of your photos and tell your friends which one to vote for
• The contest starts now!  You will have until 5:00 p.m. on Friday, July 20th to complete your style and send your photos.  I will post every photo I get here on the blog and also facebook.  Voters will have the option of voting on the blog (be leaving ONE comment stating their favorite style), and/or 'liking' their favorite photo on our facebook page.  You may vote for your own style
• I will keep track of who sent each photo but I will not reveal the stylists until the winner is announced.  Instead, I will label them with your contestant number.  If there happens to be only 1 entry (which I hope doesn't happen), that person will win automatically
• You may use bobby pins etc, as long as they are not visible

So get creative and get styling!  This should be a lot of fun and I can't wait to see what everyone will come up with!  Oh, and don't forget to spread the word.  The more people you recommend, the more 'likes' your photo will get  :)

I hope I'm not forgetting anything important! If you think of something that I forgot or didn't make clear enough, please leave a comment here or email me at curlyhairisbeautiful@gmail.com   Thanks, and have fun!

Kynx Miracle Kink Cream Review

Price:  $15.99 at Target

Product Description:  Kynx I Am Free Miracle Kink Cream can be used as a leave-in conditioner or a setting lotion. Formulated with the magical ingredient Monoi de Tahiti, this leave in styling treatment take your natural hair to a new level of gorgeous.

Ingredients:  Water, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Cyclopentasiloxane, Cetearyl Alcohol, Ceteareth-20, Polysorbate 60, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Dimethicone, Glycerin, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Gardenia Tahitensis Flower Extract, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Oil, Silk Protein, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Allium Sativum (Garlic) Bulb Extract, Hedera Helix (Ivy) Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Pinus Sylvestris Cone Extract, Urtica Dioica (Nettle) Root Extract, Nasturtium Officinale Flower/Leaf Extract, Arnica Montana Flower Extract, Arctium Lappa Root Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Extract, Panthenol, Methylheptyl Isostearate, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Fragrance, Citric Acid

Instructions:  Use as a leave in conditioner: Apply to wet hair, start by warming product in your hands and working it throughout your hair. Twist small strands, pull out coils as desired. Use as a setting lotion: Apply to wet hair, warm product in your hands and apply section by section rolling, twisting or styling as you go. Allow to dry as usual.


Well, I don't have much to say about this product at all.  I used it on C's freshly washed hair as a leave in and also for styling.  This basically did nothing at all for C's 3C type hair   : /
Other than the scent (and the cute label), I have to say I don't care for this product and we won't likely be purchasing this in the future.
One thing that I did, which made this product a little better, was added to it.  I used about 1/4 of a bottle so I filled the empty space with a few squirts of Kinky Curly Knot Today and a few drops of Curls Kikinut Oil.  That helped a enough that we will be able to use the rest of the bottle.  Not every product will work for every person, you might get great results with this product- this is not a 'hate' review against the product or the company itself!

*To be fair,  a lot of products work better when you use the entire line or at least 2 so they can work together.  And if you've actually been reading our blog, you know that getting and keeping C's hair is a HUGE struggle for us!  I also purchased the Refreshing Leave-In Moisturizer, so look for that review to come soon as well as possibly a follow up for the Miracle Kink Cream!  :)


Have you tried this or any other Kynx products?  What did you think?

Stupid Baker's Hat

I'm sure most of you have something that you/your child wears when you sleep to protect your hair.
C prefers to wear a satin sleep cap, or as we call it, a bonnet. 
Ok, with that said I have a little story for you!...

My sister and her family were having a party to watch something on pay per view, so I took my kids to watch the event.  It wasn't going to get over until late and I knew that C would either want to lay down at my sister's house or she would fall asleep in the car on the way home, so we put her hair into a french braid (a "night-time" braid) and put her bonnet on before we left home. 
C hates to be seen in her bonnet because she's been told so much that it looks bad, but I assured her that it was only going to be family and no one would say anything to her about it.

So, a couple hours go by and no one seemed to notice C was in her bonnet until she came into the kitchen where I was talking to one of my sister's friends.
When my sister's friend saw C in her bonnet, she yelled out "WHY IS SHE WEARING THAT STUPID BAKERS HAT?"  I told her the reason as nicely as possible.  Then she says "She doesn't want to wear this stupid looking thing!" 
Now here's the part where I flew off the handle!
My sister's friend pulled the bonnet off her head and said "Her hair is beautiful! Don't you DARE put this stupid thing back on her!"  And tried to put it in her pocket. 
I'm not even going to tell you what I said to her!  Notice how the word 'tried' is underlined!

Anyway, after I got my anger out, she did apologize and for some reason felt the need to keep repeating that she wasn't racist...  I didn't even have a thought that what she did was out of racism.  I was mad because #1, she insulted my daughter for wearing something she needs right in front of her when she's already embarrassed by it, and then she took it off her head and tried to keep me from getting it back!  Plus I told C no one would say anything, so I had to stick up for her even more.  She had absolutely no right at all to tell me what to do with my own child and I made that perfectly clear.
One thing about me is I'm the sweetest person until you make me mad, and it takes a lot to get me as mad as I was that night!  When it comes to my kids, I'm obviously very protective and very defensive.  No one gets away with saying something bad about my kids or doing something bad to them.  My sister has acted like she hated me ever since that night, and now she talks to me even less than before.  The woman's husband and one of my sister's other friends agreed with me.

So what my question is, do you think I overreacted? What would you have done or said?

Curls Passion Fruit Curl Control Paste Review

Price-  $7.99 for a 4oz tub at Target

Ingredients-  Water, Ceteareth-25, PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate, Glycerin, Isostearyl Isostearate, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Shea Butter, Mango Seed Butter, Jojoba Oil, Vitamin E Oil, Tetrahexyldecyl, Ascorbate, Passion Fruit Oil, Evening Primrose Oil, Hydroxyptopyltrimonium, Hydrolyzed Maize Starch, Panthenol, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance

Consistency-  Jelly

Scent-  Pleasant, much like the Curls Creme Brule

Product Claim-  Smooth out and slick down unruly edges, tame frizzy, out of control curls, and add amazing sheen all in one step!  Formulated with pure goodness, pure Passion Fruit Oil, Shea Butter and Mango Seed Butter, Passion Fruit Curl Control Paste is the go to product for curlies demanding perfectly coiffed curls.

Directions-  Use this super sculpting, incredible sheen enhancing pomade on wet or dry hair to create perfectly sculpted curls and to smooth down rough and unruly edges.

I really like pomades and I never heard of this particular one until I found it at Target.  Since it's from Curls and I like the rest of their products that I've tried, I decided I'd give it a try.

As far as smoothing down C's edges, this product did pretty good.  I expect products to do what they say they are supposed to, but I also think I expect a little too much at times.
This pomade made C's hair look sleek and neat, it didn't leave it crunchy or flaky.  I really liked it for C's crown area because all the tiny baby hairs stayed down longer than they do with most other products.  This is very light but a little goes a long way.  It dissolves quickly and doesn't feel sticky.

When it comes to sculpted curls, well, C's hair needs a little more to give her the definition I like.  It didn't do bad, it's just not my favorite for defining curls.  It did give the sheen it promised, so that's a plus.

This product gives a light but strong hold that lasts all day.  C's hair did soak it up though, so I'm not sure I like it for cornrows.  After a day, all her baby hairs and hairs inside each braid were sticking up.
Overall, I'm pleased with this and I will definitely buy it again.

Kinky Curly Curling Custard Review

Price-  $16.99 for an 8oz tub at Target
Consistency-  Somewhat runny, normal hair gel feel
Scent-  Much like the Kinky Curly Knot Today, a little fruity- very pleasant
Ingredients-   Botanical infusion of water, Horsetail, Chamomile, Nettle and Marshmallow Root, Organic Aloe Vera juice, Agave Nectar Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Pectic, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate and Natural Fragrance

Product Claim-  Curling Custard gives moisture and curl definition, hold and brilliant shiny hair all in one product!
It reduces bulk, defines & elongates your curls helping them to 'hang' better. Curling Custard will bring out the natural curl or wave pattern you never knew you had!
It is an advanced botanical formula made with ALL NATURAL ingredients that nourish and strengthen the hair. Utilizing the humectant properties of the Agave Nectar, Curling Custard will give weight to your hair, define your curls, remove frizz, provide long lasting hold and shine without ever being greasy, crunchy or drying to your hair.
This high performance product is very concentrated so a little goes a long way.

**TIP- This product is designed to work alone but ultimate curl definition and length can be achieved when used with KNOT TODAY TM as a leave in conditioner.

For best results apply Curling Custard to soaking wet, freshly washed hair. For very kinky and tightly coiled hair use Knot Today as a leave-in conditioner then apply Curling Custard to soaking wet hair in small sections. Smooth each section with fingers from root to tip.

This gel comes with a sealed lit that you have to cut to open.  I like that, because you can be sure no one got into the tub and 'sampled' it before you buy it!

We washed and detangled C's hair and divided it into several small sections.  I used lots of Kinky Curly Knot Today and combed it through each section.  I added lots of Curling Custard and combed it through.

I have to say, I was half expecting this gel to leave C's hair sticky feeling.  It really looks like it would be sticky, but it isn't at all.  I also expected crunchy hair and flaking, which I didn't see any of so that's a big plus!

C's hair looked really shiny (almost too shiny) when I finished putting the gel in.  I left her hair down to get the full results. 

I didn't really notice much elongation or less bulge, and I'm fine with that.  This gave C's hair great definition, I just love it!  It says that a little goes a long way, but I find myself having to use a lot of it to get the results I want.  I'm ok with that too- even though it isn't going to last us long, it makes C's hair look and feel amazing, and that's all that matters!  This is what I've been looking for!  :)

We will be buying this again, along with Knot Today and the Spiral Spritz.  In fact, I've already started stocking up!...

*I haven't used the Spiral Spritz much, but I'll be doing review soon!

Criss-Cross Ponytails And Curls

We didn't have any time for hair this morning, so this is just a simple style we did to get her out the door in a hurry.

I think this 'style' is pretty well self explanatory! :)

After moisturizing C's hair, I parted it into 6 ponytails; 3 on each side.  I secured each ponytail with an ouchless ponytail holder.

Starting at the bottom, I braided those 2 ponytails then crossed each braid to the opposite side and secured it into the middle ponytail.  I did the same for the middle.

As I said, we had no time to do hair!  I ended up just leaving the top ponytails out. 

So, this is very simple but still cute I think.  It only took about 10 minutes to do and it saved us from having to leave it down and end up with a tangled mess.

In case you're wondering, we used Curls Creme Brule for moisturizing and Curls Curl Control Paste for hold (review coming soon!)

Kinky Curly Knot Today Review

Price-  $11.99 for an 8oz bottle at Target

Consistency-  Creamy and light

Scent-  Fruity, it's kind of hard to describe. C thinks it smells like candy  :)

Uses-  Leave-in conditioner/detangler

Ingredients-  Organic Mango fruit extract, Organic Slippery Elm, Organic Marshmallow Root, Organic Lemongrass, Cetyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Citric Acid, Phenoxyethanol and Natural Fragrance. 

This is one product I have been wanting to try for very long time but couldn't find it, and I really hate to order by mail.  I finally found it at a Target store near me and threw it right in my cart!

I CO washed C's hair with Organix Nourishing Coconut Milk Conditioner.  As always, me and C finger detangled her hair in the bath with lots of extra conditioner and used a wide tooth shower comb.  We let the conditioner sit in her hair while she finished her bath.

I divided C's hair into several small sections and added lots of the KCKT and combed it through her hair.  I really liked how it worked for C's hair!  It was very shiny and much easier to comb than usual.  I did notice that this product alone is not enough to keep her hair moisturized, so the 2nd time we also used Kinky Curly Curling Custard along with it (review coming soon) and that gave GREAT results!

We've been using this almost everyday as a detangler, and once a week as a leave-in after C's hair gets washed.  I must say, I LOVE the Kinky Curly products!  It's so much easier detangling C's hair with Knot Today- we will for sure continue buying these products!   :) 

Queen Helene Royal Curl Shaping Creme- Follow Up Review

A while back I tried Queen Helene Royal Curl Curl Shaping Creme on C's hair.  I still LOVE this product!  It's a must have for days when we leave C's hair down or have ponytails with free hair. 
I had a few requests for pictures to show how C's hair turns out when we use this, so here they are!  :)

Here's the back view.  Just look at all those luscious curls!!!  And yes, her hair is completely dry here.  The RCCSC gives C's curls tons of definition and leaves her hair soft and bouncy.  I use lots of this product each time and we haven't ever experienced flaky or crunchy hair.  It isn't greasy or sticky at all- just all around awesome!

And here are some ponytails we used this gel on...

Nothing has given C's hair more definition before.  Look at all the cute little ringlets!  :)
I decided I would really put the RCCSC gel to the test.  C had gym class this day plus she went outside for recess.  I think her curls held up really nice.  For a little girl running around playing all day and still have her hair looking like this at the end of the school day, her ponytails still looked great in my opinion!

And as a comparison...

This is how C's hair ends up looking once her hair soaks up whatever products we use.  This picture was taken last summer and we used EVCO and BB hair lotion.

Now that's a pretty big difference!  I have to say I'm amazed at this product.  I'm going to keep this RCCSC gel in the house, and I'm going to try it again this summer and do another follow up.  C's hair is even harder to keep moisturized during the summer, so we'll see how this gel holds up under the heat!  Stay tuned   :)

Curls Blissful Lenghts Kukinut Oil Elixir Review

Price-  $7.99 for a 4oz bottle at Target

Scent-  The scent is a little hard to describe, but it smells very nice- a little fruity

Consistency-  Oil (of course) but light, not greasy at all

Product Claim-  Longing for longer curls? Experiencing dry, lifeless tresses?  In search of a heat protectant elixir?  Blissful Lengths Kukinut Oil Elixir is just the product you've been dreaming of!  This multi tasking miracle product is loaded with natural oils and growth enhancing extracts guaranteed to leave your tresses and scalp eupohoric!

Directions-  Apply directly to scalp to stimulate growth, on wet or dry to hair to strengthen and moisturize dry hair, or before heat processing to protect hair for over processing.

Ingredients-  Soybean Oil, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Coconut Oil, Vitis Vinifera Grape Extract, Silk Amino Acids, Shea Butter, Mango Seed Butter, Sweet Almond Oil Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Evening Primrose Oil, Vitamin E, Candelilla Wax, Fragrance 

YES!!!  C's hair loves this oil!  It's by far the best oil we've ever used.  I think we finally found our product line!  I bought a bottle of it, then we liked it so much I went and got 3 more, just to be sure we wouldn't run out any time soon :)

This oil leaves C's hair soft and moisturized without a greasy or heavy feel.  We use this everyday and never see any buildup.

I like all the Curls products- we're very well stocked up on them all!  They all work nice alone, but together they are amazing!  I had a half bottle of the Creme Brule and just to see what would happen, I mixed about 15 drops of this oil into it and shook it up real good.  That makes both products so much better!  I'm glad I tried that, I feel like a genius :) Haha!

I'm going to have to see if this oil really does help C's hair grow, so there will be a follow up on this.

Have you tried this or any of the other Curls products?  What did you think?

Hair Nightmare- And Some Tips For Combing And Styling Toddler Hair

It's story time!  (Read the whole story or just skip to the purple text at the bottom for toddler combing/styling tips)

This is sad, I'd love any feedback you might have...

A couple weeks ago, I met and became 'friends' with a woman (T) with 2 biracial children.  A little boy around C's age and a little girl who is 3 years old (also C, so lets call her CC) The little boy always has his hair cut short, and he even recently had a design cut into it.  This gave me the idea that their mother probably takes care of their hair. 
When I first met CC, her hair was in several ponytails with barrettes.  It was very messy and frizzy, but I don't judge.  Not everyone knows how to do hair and I figured at least this mother was trying, which is more than some other people I've met!  I saw the little girl again a few days later.  Her hair was still in the ponytails, but only 2 braids remained.  The rest of the ponytails were just knotted hair.  Still, I couldn't judge- maybe T is trying her best.  There could have been lots of explanations.  Anyway...    The next time I saw her, her hair was in a single ponytail.  That same day (yesterday), T asked me if I would do CC's hair the same way as C's was done.  (Click here to see)  Of course I said yes.

T asked me what I needed, and I told her to bring out a comb and whatever products and accessories she wanted me to use.  I probably don't have to tell you that she had less than quality products.  She brought over a bottle of detangling spray and a comb, along with some rubber bands.
All of her rubber bands were either broken or had chunks of hair on them.

The spray T brought over for me to use was something similar to this.  I have to say, I miss this spray.  Me and C both loved the smell.  I actually still have a couple bottles of it, but anyway...

So, T and CC came downstairs with all their stuff and I sat little CC down to get started on her hair. 

I don't want to be mean, I'm not saying anything bad about the baby, BUT...

This little girl had the most knotted hair I've E V E R seen in my whole life!  It wasn't tangled, it wasn't knotted- it was matted!  And I mean bad!  Some parts of her hair were so matted that it looked like she had dread locks in her hair!  Not that there is anything wrong with dread locks at all, but this is not the same!  There were also parts of her hair that looked like there was gum stuck in it!  I felt SO bad for this little girl.  Her hair was matted all the way to the scalp.  I have never seen anything like that.  Not even close, and I've seen some pretty knotted hair, trust me. 

I knew I was going to have a problem doing CC's hair as soon as she sat down.  Right away she started to whine before I even touched her hair, and told her mom "Mommy, I'm scared!"   :*(

I told her I was going to be nice and I wasn't going to hurt her, but that was before I realized what condition her hair was in.  She cried and screamed the entire time even though I thought I was being pretty gentle.... As gentle as I possibly could!  I finally gave up and handed the comb to T.

T was barely even touching CC's hair with the comb- she was just rubbing it down her hair.  I got very upset because this mother wasn't even trying to keep her hair combed and then she expected me to do it!  She only 'worked' on CC's hair for maybe 30 seconds and handed the comb back to me.  I had to give her the comb back again when little CC was crying again.  I'm not going to torture a baby just so her mommy can see her hair looking pretty!

T did the same rubbing on CC's hair and asked me (as if she didn't know)  "Ok, I got that knot out.  Is there any other ones you need me to get?"  I handed her a fist full of matted hair and said "Yeah, get this out!"  You won't believe what T said next!

She took the comb again and barely touched CC's hair with it, then says to me...

"Yeah, that's not gonna come out.  You're just gonna have to work around that!"

.....o_0.....

Are you serious?!?  How am I going to 'work around' that??? 

I told T that if I was going to cornrow CC's hair (or do anything at all with it), that it had to be completely tangle free.  She just kept insisting that I needed to spray more detangling spray on her hair.  I had her hair dripping wet with it!  I must have used half a bottle just in the small section of hair I tried combing through.  That's just ridiculous in my opinion!  I'm sure you agree.

So,  I keep trying to get through CC's hair and I grabbed a section that felt very weird.  Like gum.  I asked if CC chewed gum and T said no.  She got very mad at me when I told her it looked like there was gum in her hair!  She didn't even come check, she just snapped at me "No there's not!"

I couldn't even get into her knots.  I actually broke a tooth off their comb.

Then, as if that all wasn't bad enough, T says to me "I always just cut her knots out."

detangle like I do with C's hair because it was too matted-  I couldn't even get a single strand to come loose!  Not unless I snapped all her hair away from the knot one by one, and I sure wasn't about to do that!  If her mom insisted I could have cut the knots with some hair scissors if we were at my house.  I wouldn't want to do that, but I don't see any other way.

I think T could tell that I was mad.  When I finally gave up and told her I'd do her hair after it got combed, she jumped up, grabbed all their hair things and said "Tell Danielle you're sorry CC!  Tell her don't be mad at me!"

I wasn't mad at the little girl at all!  I was very upset with her mother though!  I wanted to slap her to be honest.  It's her mothers fault that her hair got that bad- not the little girls! 

I just can't understand some people.  I know that not everyone likes doing their child's hair and not everyone even knows how.  Anyone can use a comb though! (You would think)

Poor little CC's hair was a nightmare- I'm just glad it's not my nightmare!

What would you have done or said?  What do you think about using a steel comb to get through hair this matted?

So now I'm going to give you some tips in case you're in the same situation.

Always comb or brush curly hair while it's wet.  Doing it while try will only cause frizzing and breakage.  If you need to, wash their hair first and use lots of conditioner followed by a leave-in.

Divide the child's hair into several small sections and gently pull tangles apart with your fingers before using a comb.

Use a wide tooth comb!

Do not snap any hairs that might be tangled.  If you come to a matted section, try to loosen it with leave-in conditioner and a rat tail comb.  If you still can't get it loose, use hair scissors to cut one hair at a time until you can.  Cut each hair as close to the knot as you can, because the end of that hair is somewhere in that knot.  You don't want to cut any shorter than you have to.

Keep your child's hair in a protective style, at least while they sleep.  This can be as simple as 1 or more french braids or cornrows, or even simpler yet is banding.  Do this by dividing the hair into several sections (4, or as many as you would like).  Add a METAL FREE ponytail holder at the base of each section and another one every inch or so until you reach the end of the hair.

If your child does not like hair time, keep it short.  Don't expect them to sit for an hour or more getting their hair cornrowed if they've never had anything other than ponytails.  Start simple by doing just a couple big cornrows, or cornrow only halfway back.

Put something on tv that your child likes or even let them play a video game.  I've learned that if you let them see something they haven't seen before or don't see very often, they're more likely to pay attention.  Try buying or renting a movie they haven't seen, or keep certain movies and/or games that your child only gets to watch/play during hair time.

Give your child a snack.  I wouldn't recommend anything sugary like candy or junk food if it makes them hyper.  If something sweet is the only thing that will work, try some fruit snacks.  At least the have Vitamin C :)

Let your child get involved in hair time.  C still loves to chose her own bead patterns and put them on the beader for me.  That keeps her busy for quite some time!  Even if you aren't using beads, they still might like to play with them.  Older kids can even sort them (as long as they know their colors).  I had C sorting her hair things by color when she was as little as 2 years old, and she liked that too.

Let your child see your work.  Get a little hand held mirror and keep it with your hair supplies.  Every little girl who had their hair done by me always wanted to see how pretty it was looking.  If they like the way it looks, they're probably going to want you to finish!

Compliment your child.  Still to this day, while I do C's hair I keep saying "This is gonna look SOOO pretty!"  When I'm done, I really go on and on about how nice her hair looks and how pretty she is.  That has made her not only put up with having her hair done, but also like it.  She even asks for styles she likes best.

Don't let your child hear you talk negatively about their hair.  Doing that will just make them learn to hate their hair and give them low self esteem.

One more thing- say thanks!  When I'm done doing C or any child's hair, I tell them  "Thank You for letting me do your hair!  That was fun- and you look so beautiful!"

So those are the tips I have for you.  These are all things that have worked for me and I hope this can help someone else too  :)

Cornrows With A Rose

Well it's kinda a rose!  This is an updated style from yesterday's Cornrows With 2 Strand Twists style.

As I said, I didn't like the twists in the style.  This morning, I took the beads out of the twists and un-twisted them.  It looked really pretty with all the twisted hair, so I decided I'd keep them.

It would have looked adorable even if I would have left the separated twists hanging from her ponytail but I decided to wrap them around the ponytail instead and make a little bun.

C said her friends at school thought it looked cool.

In this picture you can really see how much her hair frizzed.  Oh well though.

I was going to cornrow the front or do something else to it tonight, but since her hair has this much frizz I'm going to just start over tomorrow.  I'm going to take out the rest of the beads and put a little Curls Creme Brule and Curls oil on her ends, and some Eco Styler gel on each braid.

It looked better this morning, but 2 other people said it looked like she had a rose in her hair- one person even thought it was a hair piece!

So does it look like a rose to you?

Cornrows and 2 Strand Twists With Beads

I had C's hair in a french braid the night before we did this style.  I took it down, wet her hair and moisturized with Curls Creme Brule.  I divided her hair in half from ear to ear and tied off the front section.  I parted out a section in the back near her ear to cornrow and added lots of Eco Styler hair gel (review coming soon!)  When I finished each cornrow, I added a small dab of gel between my thumb and finger and ran it down each braid to make sure no hairs would poke out.

I've been wanting to cornrow C's hair for a while but couldn't find the time.  It felt like I haven't cornrowed in forever, I was starting to think I might forget! ;)
I finally made the time last night, and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

Well, I messed up a little on the X braid.  I didn't think it was all that bad (and I was getting tired) so I left it.  Like I said-  I haven't cornrowed in a while!  It always seems like I don't do as well if I go a while without braiding.

I was tired of braids, so I switched to twists for a different look in the front.  Yeah, my twists didn't turn out so good either!  I do them the right way, but it seems like as soon as I loosen my grip on them, they start to unravel.  So I'm gonna have to work on that.

On the plus side, look how nice and moisturized her hair looks!  This was right after we finished her style, but still it looks nice.  Usually we have little hairs poking up all over right after we finish braiding- which is a bad combination with dry hair!  (We have to restyle constantly!)

So there you have it!  I just did something simple so I could try out the Eco Styler gel, I have a few ideas for some more exciting styles though-  I'm trying to bring out my creativity ;)

C's Best Braid Out EVER!

I'm so excited about the way this turned out!  It was much prettier in person though.

I CO washed C's hair with Organix Coconut Milk conditioner and gently finger detangled as we normally do.  I divided C's hair into lots of small sections- only about a marker sized worth of hair- and added lots of Kinky Curly Knot Today to each section.  I used a lot.  So much that it was dripping out of her hair!  I let that soak in a minute and gently combed with out wide tooth comb.  I did the Tightly Curly Method, then I added LOTS of Kinky Curly Curling Custard.  I did the Tightly Curly Method again, then combed her hair lightly, just to distribute the KCCC more.

I kept our spray bottle of water handy to lightly spritz C's hair as I styled.  I added even more KCCC to each section of hair as I added ponytail holders and braided each section into a ponytail. 

I used a very generous amount of Curls Passion Fruit Curl Control Paste along every part line, all along her edges, the top of each ponytail, and every strand of each braid (review coming soon!)

About 10 ponytails later, we were finished.  I put C's night cap on her head right away so that no moisture would be able to escape as her hair dried. 

The next morning, I added some ballies and beads.  C's hair looked very fresh, almost like it had just been finished.  Her ends looked and felt amazing.  I only added barrettes because C asked for them and I've been feeling bad about not giving her many cute styles lately. 

I took them out of her hair as soon as she got home from school, along with the ballies.  Any time I try to moisturize C's hair while it's styled, I end up making it look 5 times worse, so I just added some more pomade to lay down all the hair that poked out and re-tightened the ponytail holders that needed tightening.

The next day, C's hair was frizzy and starting to dry out but I left it up.  I added some ballies to match her outfit but no barrettes this time.  I gave C the option and she turned them down to give her ends a "little break"!  :) 

I didn't get a close up pic of her hair- if you've seen one ponytail hairstyle, you've pretty much seen them all.  I mostly just took this pic because she looked so cute!  She got to dress down at school and this is the outfit she picked out for herself.  :)

Usually if I leave any style in for 2 days, C's hair is super dry and brittle.  This time that wasn't the case.  I love how this turned out!

Unfortunately, I can't preserve a braid or twist out style overnight.  They always turn to pure frizz within an hour or so of her hair being taken out.  So she wasn't able to show off her gorgeous braid out at school :(  At least I got some pictures though!

I'm always jealous of other little girls' braid/twist out styles because I can never get C's to look as moisturized, but this I wouldn't trade this braid out look for any other we've done!

There wasn't even really that many fly away hair, which surprised me.

I don't know what product(s) that we used are responsible for this look (maybe it was the combination of all the products, maybe it was the amount of product I used), but I love all the products involved in this style.  They have all become staples right away in our house and I'll continue to use them all.  Just maybe I've finally found what C's hair needs and likes! 

If only I could find something that moisturizes her hair and KEEPS it moisturized!

Agadir Argan Oil

Price-  $22 for a 2.25 oz bottle at Kroger

Scent-  Pleasant smelling, almost floral

Product Claim-  Leaves hair shiny, smooth, luxurious and healthy.  Instantly penetrates, moisturizes and shines, corrects frizzies, conditions, humidity resistant.

Directions-  Apply small amount in palm of hands (more for longer or thicker hair), massage into damp hair.  Style.  May apply a few drops to finished style for added shine and protection.

Ingredients-  Cyclopentasiloxane, dimethicone, MSDS, cyclomethicone, argania spinosa kernel oil (argan oil), caprylyl methicone, phenyl trimethicone, fragrance

I didn't really want to try this oil because it's basically all silicones.  I was surprised that is cost so much considering the ingredients, but I decided to try it anyway because someone recommended it to me.  I'm willing to try anything once!

I put this in C's hair after using Curls Curl Creme Brule while it was wet.  I also used this oil alone after wetting her hair.  This isn't too bad of a product, but I'm not sure if we'll be trying it again because I don't really think it's worth the money.  

Since there isn't much in a bottle, we used 2 full bottles and part of another (not all at once!)  One bottle lasted us about 3 weeks.  I wanted to give it a fair review, as I do with all products.  

This oil did seem to make C's hair look more moisturized, and it was fairly light.  It also made her hair feel nice and soft, and it didn't leave it looking too oily once her hair dried.
I didn't find this oil to be the best, it's just ok in my opinion.

Have you tried this oil?  What oil is your favorite?

Length Check

I've been thinking that C's hair has gotten longer since school started, but comparing photos is the easiest way to tell.

The photo on the left is C's hair shortly after being washed.  The length stretched when wet goes to her butt.  The photo on the right is her hair almost completely dry- that was taken after a CO wash a few days after the photo on the left.

Here  is what her hair looks like completely dry...

(Ignore the face- she was being silly)

I think it shows the length better from the side, since she was wearing a dark shirt it was hard to tell where her hair ended from the back view.
As you can see, her dry length is to about the middle of her back- this time anyway!  Sometimes her hair has a lot more shrinkage- it just depends on products we use, her activity and the weather (her hair shrinks up to about shoulder length and frizzes when it's hot!)  I'm going to find our soft tape measure (or buy a new one) and measure exactly before summer, then compare when school starts again.  We've come a long way since I first learned how to properly care for C's hair, but we still have a long way to go!  :)

Carpal Tunnel - Tips For Hairstyling

If you suffer from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome like I do, you know how much of a challenge it can be to complete even a simple hairstyle- and even sometimes just holding a comb!
  Here are some things I do to get through hairstyling with as little strain as possible.


What is Carpal Tunnel?

Carpal Tunnel is a condition characterized by pain and numbing or tingling sensations in the hand and caused by compression of a nerve in the carpal tunnel at the wrist.

What causes Carpal Tunnel?

One thing is repetitive movement, such as typing, knitting and hairstyling. 

You know what it feels like when part of your body falls asleep? Imagine trying to style your or your child's hair with one or more fingers, a whole hand or both hands asleep.  

Now imagine how it feels when you have been writing for a very long time and your wrist is sore (maybe even both wrists), and add that pain to the numbness and/or tingling feeling. This is what it's like for me.

*I won't get into too much medical detail, because if you have Carpal Tunnel, you know what I'm talking about.  If you want to find out more, there are several online information sources and you should consult your doctor if you are experiencing any pain, numbness and/or tingling in your fingers, hands or wrists.  The information in this post is meant as a suggestion only and is not a cure or definite diagnosis.

One thing that I do is prepare for styling. Sometimes I will start to prepare a day or more ahead of time- if my hands and/or fingers are in a lot of pain or if it's something I think will take me an extra long time.

Several hours before I sit C down to do her hair, I rest my hands. When you do this, you want to keep your hands flat and straight with your fingers spread slightly. This also sometimes helps me to relieve pain.

Try not to use your hands more than possible when you will be styling hair. I always let the dishes and other house work go until after I have finished a hairstyle, or if it can't wait I do things in short intervals.

Using ergonomic gloves helps a lot. I usually only wear them to bed when I'm having a lot of pain in my fingers and/or hands and wrists.

Take lots of breaks. maintaining a constant grasp (like when holding a comb) and repetitive movement (like cornrowing) are big contributors to carpal tunnel pain or discomfort.

Doing hand exercises can help, and I do these before I begin a style and during breaks.

Along with these, I wiggle my fingers around like I'm typing really fast but with my fingers straight instead of bent- (like they are during typing).

I like to use vapor rub on my hands and wrists. It cools and soothes, and I like the mentholated scent. :)

Hot water feels good, but doesn't really take the pain away.

There are several things you can do to help relieve some of the pain caused by carpal tunnel. Surgery is also an option, but I don't want to take that measure as of right now. You should talk to your doctor about your symptoms and get tested if you think you have carpal tunnel.

Is there anyone else suffering from this too? If so, what do you do to get through hairstyling time and are there certain styles you can't or won't do?

I hope this can help someone else out there. You don't have to give up hairstyling do to Carpal Tunnel ! :)

Half Crown Braid With Cornrows

This was re-created from a past style of ours, the Black And Neon Style.  I thought I posted this already, but I just saw it was in draft so I decided I'd show you now!   :)

I'm going to be having some pretty sad pictures for a while, because I'm having to use my phone again :(

But, at least I'll still have some pictures!

Ok, I'm not the best at explaining things, as you probably already know!  So, I'm hoping that this diagram  will help me explain it a little better.

It wasn't my original plan to keep the crown braid in front, but C got sleepy by the time I finished the back of her hair and we didn't have the time to cornrow any more this morning.

Anyway...

I started with section A.  I just braided 4 small cornrows straight down.

I braided 2 cornrows starting at the top of section B going all the way across the top of sections C and D.

Then I made a cornrow under those 2 starting at the left side of section B and going down the right side.

I moved to the part line of section C and made a cornrow going to the front of her face.

Then I went to section D and made a cornrow all the way back over to section B.  I did 3 more cornrows going straight down and section B was finished.

To finish sections C and D, I made one cornrow starting at the side of C's head (by her ear) and went down with it following section C's pre-existing part line.

The rest of C's hair was finished with cornrows just going straight down.

Wow, even I'm confused by that! o_0

The pictures are probably easier to follow than my explanation!

Poor C was so sick of me taking pictures of her to get ones that were good enough to use!

I didn't even realize I was leaving out the ends!  I used a bright pink and glow in the dark pink bead pattern.

Here's a little view of C's beads.  I added a cute butterfly barrette to the end of the crown braid with the same shades of pink.  Those are going to be part of my next giveaway (100 followers celebration) because I LOVE these barrettes!  Stay tuned to get a look ;)

This style looked so much cuter in person!  I wish I didn't have such bad photos.  I might just have to do something like this again...