Style Photo: Dry Braid Out (The Cure For Shrinkage)

Shrinkage is an inevitability in the life of one who has decided to embrace their natural hair. Having said that there are ways to reduce the amount of shrinkage one gets. There are many ways such as banding, the ever controversial heat training of the hair, and even just plain straightening it. I have tried a few of these but the one method that I use most often is simply styling my hair once it has already dried. Seems simple enough and honestly it is, but it took me a long time to get to the point of doing so. I guess because you have to wait for the hair to dry and I usually just wanted to get done with my hair and be done. I'm glad that I finally found a system that works for me because I simply love it.

Here is what I do:

I usually wash, condition, and detangle my hair and then follow up with my aloe vera juice as a leave in and then apply my shea mix. After doing this I usually put it in about 4-6 twists and pin it on top of my head in some way and go about my day.

Once my hair has dried about 85-90% I begin sectioning my hair into 5 parts being sure to place my part where I want it. I then french braid my hair and leave it to dry overnight. I want to add that even though I usually do this on 85-90% dry hair you can absolutely do it on 100% dry hair. It will take a while longer to take on the braid out texture though. This is why I like doing it on slightly damp hair.

Once I take it down, which is usually the next day, I get beautiful results that are elongated much more than normal. I love the volume. It's just fantastic even if I do say so myself. Btw, I have no idea what was happening with my blush that day so please know that I know it was a bit off :). I put myself out there for you guys. Crazy looking makeup and all. Lol.

I maintain this braidout by remoisturizing it with my shea mix and then rebraiding each section. I know it may seem like alot, or maybe not, but it is so worth it because the style will last much longer. I used to be opposed to any style that required me to retwist or rebraid at night but since this is only about 5 braids I decided to try it out and it really wasn't so bad.

Coiffure is Expanding

In my quest to find healthier alternatives for hair care it seemed silly to have such high standards for my hair and not my body. I have to care about what I'm putting on and in my body as well as my hair. Just as I have shared my natural hair care journey with you I'd like to share this journey as well. I hope you don't mind.

I am expanding Coiffure to include all things natural. I truly believe that God has provided all that we need in nature. I also believe that God has gifted us with minds that are able to conceive witty inventions and create ways to make life easier for us. Having said that, when have we gone too far? Our society is so greedy for monetary wealth that our physical health has taken a back seat. It's sometimes too much to take in when you read or hear about what else "they" are putting in our food or body products. I'd find myself tuning things out for sometimes because the gravity of it all is so heavy. I'm sure some of you have done this as well. It's so much.
How do you totally revamp your life and only buy things that you know are safe for your family? Do you just stop eating meat? Buy all organic? Make your own body products? If so how do you afford this new lifestyle?
I most definitely don't have all the answers, but I am again embarking upon a journey and you are most welcome to join me or just read as I share. :)

ETA: I will be updating the design and name of Coiffure so please bear with me if you stop by and you don't recognize the place.

Tangle Teezer!!!

If you haven't heard about this product then you need to listen UP! The Tangle Teezer is AMAZING! If you can't tell it is a brush/comb used to detangle hair. I have had my own Tangle Teezer for about 2-3 months now and I simply can't say enough about it. I will say that the only reason I use a comb any more is to part my hair. IT'S THAT GOOD!!
I believe the Tangle Teezer works so well because it has so many small teeth and it is able to get the small tangles that our combs are not able to get. The bristles of the brush are also flexible so that it doesn't tear your hair out like a comb or Denman brush will. I will say that just as with any other styling product you still need to be gentle and take your time.

In my use of the Tangle Teezer to detangle I part my hair into 4 section s and then break those sections in half. Altogether that's eight sections. I tell you this to say that you will still need to do semi small section s to get the best use of of the product. I also, just like with a comb, start from the end and comb (or brush) to the root. I have heard people say that they can even start at the root but I didn't try it. The Tangle Teezer detangles on wet and dry hair, but in my experience it works best when I am detangling under running water in the shower.

I purchased my Tangle Teezer from Sally Beauty for around $10. If you haven't tried this product I HIGHLY recommend it!

UPDATE 6/2/11

All Natural Shampoo Reviews

I have been on the hunt for a new shampoo. I know I've told you guys over and over how much I love my beloved CON shampoo and it is true, but I just haven't been feeling it lately. It still works fine. I think I'm just interested to see if I can find something more natural to cleanse my hair with. I have tried several different ones and I figured instead of doing different posts I'd do them all together.

First I decided to make my own shampoo. I had purchased some African Black Soap for my face awhile back that turned out to be a bit too drying for my skin. I decided to turn that into a liquid shampoo by using distilled water and adding some moisturizing ingredients. Let me first say that I was so proud of myself for the work I put into it. I mean it wasn't hard (at all), but 3 years ago I would have never imagined myself making a shampoo. Black Soap in general smells very woody and smoky so I'm sure some people will hate the smell. I however don't mind it at all. If you know anything about black soap you know that it lathers very well and this one was no exception. After trying it out for about a month I finally admitted to myself that it just wasn't that great. LOL. It wasn't moisturizing enough and while it did clean my hair it also left it feeling just plain stripped. I will say that this mixture with a few extra ingredients added makes a fantastic face wash. I've been using it for about 3 months and just recently made a new batch so it wasn't a total loss.

Next I came across "Yes To Carrots Nourishing Shampoo". The local HyVee where I found it, sells sample size bottles so I thought I'd give it a try. The smell is hard to describe because it doesn't really smell like anything I've smelled before. Whatever the smell, I enjoyed it and for some reason after you wash your hair with it your hair smells even better. WAIT...wait..before I go on let me say that this shampoo has an ingredient that I wasn't too sure about. It contains sodium coceth sulfate. I was like WHAT?! Upon doing a bit of research on it I don't think that it is as harmful or harsh as your typical sulfates such as sodium lauryl sulfate. It is said to be derived from the fatty acids from coconut oil and then modified using something called ethylene oxide. This ingredient is also said to be an organic compound but organic compound or not I wasn't impressed. Being that in the last post I reminded you guys that I'm nobody's chemist you need to research the rest yourself. My brain hurts. Lol. If anyone else knows more feel free to school me. That being said I didn't feel that thrilled with using it since I am looking for an all natural shampoo with the hopes that it will be better for my hair and body. I am taking baby steps though so I continued using it. :)
I actually did like it. It had a decent lather. Not as much as some shampoos, but good enough. It again smelled great and made my hair really soft when washing it. Once I rinsed the shampoo out of my hair I was a bit let down that it didn't leave it as soft as I thought it would. It was okay though. I really thought it worked well on my youngest daughters' hair. It also has a really good price. It's around 8 bucks for a 16 ounce bottle. Not bad. Even still, my search continues.

I finally managed to get around to trying some of the BeeMine products. This was well over 4 months ago so I'm reaaally late in updating you guys. Sorry about that, but better late than never right? Anyway, BeeMine has an all natural shampoo called "BeeMine Peppermint and Tea Tree Nourishing Shampoo". I was so prepared to love this whole line and I am sad to say that I just did not. This shampoo for me was not bad it just wasn't great. I don't really have too much good to say about it. For the bad: I absolutely hated the smell. It smells like hazelnut which I love, but it was mixed with peppermint and tea tree. It came together to make the oddest smell and I simply could not deal with it. I tried several times so that I could atleast give a fair review but I just did not like it at all. Each time I would sniff the bottle I'd think, "Oh, it's not that bad", but once I applied it to my hair it would just get worse. Whether the shampoo is good or not hmm...I can't truly say because I couldn't past the smell. I know that the owner of BeeMine will sometimes do custom orders so I suppose it's possible that she would mix this with a different scent. I actaully just looked on her site for the shampoo and do not see it. I'm not sure if she is no longer selling it or if it's backordered or what.

Finally, I am now using "Giovanni Smooth As Silk Shampoo". I have been using it for about 3-4 weeks and I am...well let me just say that I will probably finish the bottle but I won't be repurchasing it. It cleanses fine it doesn't make my hair hard, but it sure doesn't make it "smooth as silk". I like the price and I like the ingredients, but when it comes to my products I'm not going to stick with them unless I absolutely love them. I did not love any of these so I am still on the hunt. I have 2 recommendations that I am really excited to try and I will keep you guys posted. If you guys have tried any of these products and have had a different experience please leave a comment in the comment section. I'd love to hear from you.