Daily Archives: June 7, 2012

Jun7

Mini-Hairscapader: Kynnede’s HairStory

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as told by Adrienne (sister) of NaturalEmbrace

What’s your child’s name and age? Tell us a little about her.
Well first let me say that Kynnede is my sister and she’s 14 years younger than me. So, sometimes it does feel like she’s my kid. She’s 11 and just now beginning to pay attention to things like her hair, but still doesn’t take care of it as well as she should. I’ve been trying to tell her about the importance of deep conditioning and sleeping with a satin scarf, but … she’s young and doesn’t listen. Plus, she lives in San Diego with our Dad (I’m in Maryland) and he knows nothing about hair. So, she’s pretty much on her own out there. When she comes to visit, we do as many girly/beauty things as possible. But it’s hard to get her to retain anything I teach her because I don’t see her very often.

How do you care for her/his hair? What products do you use, how often do you wash/condition, what techniques do you use (i.e., how do you detangle), etc.?
When Kynnede visits, I usually take her to get a trim, because her ends are always looking frayed beyond repair. She loves long hair, but I tend to convince her to keep it short until she can better learn to take care of it.

While with me, I make sure she conditions more than she uses shampoo and I always supply her with sulfate free shampoos. But, I don’t even bother with trying to give her silicone free conditioners. She doesn’t deep condition either … so it’s just conditioner in the shower and then she detangles her hair while wet with conditioner, which is about the only thing that has stuck with her after all I’ve told her. She never combs through her hair while dry, but does have a tendency to slick it back with a brush. She usually co-washes every other day, mainly because she’s a wild sleeper without a satin scarf and wakes up with tangled hair … especially if I don’t fit it into a bun or braid the night before.

Do the same products that work for you work for your sister’s hair?
Her hair texture is completely different from mine. It’s a lot looser and more in the 3 family instead of the 4. She can have awesome Botticelli curls when we really work at it. Her hair doesn’t really resist too much and I’m not sure what products she uses regularly when home. But, with me, she uses Tresemmé Naturals to co-wash and I use the Cantu-Shea Butter Leave-in before styling her hair. I sometimes use Eco Styler Gel, depending on the style. Her hair loves the Cantu though, so I made sure she went home with a big bottle! We also did a mini henna treatment, because she wanted red highlights … we didn’t leave it on long enough to make a difference, but it did enhance the natural light brown highlights already in her hair.

What is a typical style? Does she employ protective styles? If so, how often?
 Kynnede hasn’t quite embraced her curls … at least she loves her curly hair, but doesn’t like how her hair looks. I styled her hair in braids for a braid out and it came out awesome! But, she didn’t like it and quickly pulled her hair up into a ponytail, which is her main styling choice. I’m trying to get her to not tie her hair so tightly, but she doesn’t listen … and she keeps using the elastics with the metal on them (despite the fact that I throw them away every time I see them). If she doesn’t have a ponytail, it’s in a bun. Her hair grows quickly and has been waist length before, but she just doesn’t care for her curls well enough at the moment, so her hair isn’t as great as it could be.


What challenges do you face with your sister and her hair?
Mostly, she’s stubborn and wants to do whatever is easiest style-wise and whatever won’t make her look weird. It would be easier for me to teach her about her hair and to care for her curls if we lived in the same state, but we don’t. So, I do what I can while we are together. I’m hoping it’ll get easier when she gets older … she’ll listen eventually!

Has your sister ever had relaxed/texlaxed hair? Why or why not?
Her hair has never been relaxed. Our mother wouldn’t hear of it and none of us wanted to relax her hair anyway … the thought never came up!

Anything else that you’d like to add?
Nothing, just that my sister is pretty awesome for an 11 year old! Very mature for her age and I love hanging out with her!

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Jun7

We May Have A Winner! Another Dry TnC

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It’s dry twist-out day on Hairscapades ;)! LOL!! Here’s Tiffany with her most recent dry TnC results!

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by Tiffany Millican

Well, on Saturday, I hennaed. I used apple cider vinegar, cayenne pepper, lemon juice, green tea and Herbal Essences Hydralicious conditioner. I only applied to the roots. Well, about 20 minutes into the process, my head was on Fiyah! (Yeah that’s how I spell it.) I remember my friend telling me that her head heated up too when she used henna one time in the past (of course I don’t remember the brand). I left it in for about 2 hours and then I couldn’t take it anymore, so I washed it out.

I conditioned and deep conditioned. My hair looked normal, but it itched, hmmmm … IDK. I did a wash and go with a diffuser. It was cute, but too wild for work.

So, I decided to do twists. I saw this video on YouTube using just Cantu Leave-in as a styling crème. I’m like, “HEY! I have some of that,” which I had only used on my daughters Wash and Gos. SO here we go!

This is 3 part video process and I loved her results!

via 101LadyT

Part 1: Twist Out Prep (Summer Routine) 

Part 2: Twist-Out Results w/Cantu

Part 3: Twist-Out Maintenance (Night Routine)

Prep
I did the basic two strand twist set up: Part the hair into sections (approx. 15 twist), coated each twist in Cantu Leave-in and Taliah Waajid African Healing Oyl (my cousin gave it to me; she said it did nothing for her locks), rolled the ends with perm rods, bobby pinned the roots and air-dried.

Product Info

Cantu Shea Butter
Leave In Conditioning Repair Cream

  • Made with real shea butter and essential oils to replace vital oil in your hair leaving it stronger and healthier with a natural shine.
  • Can be used on wet hair as an intensive moisturizing treatment or to tame frizz and fly-aways.
  • Helps moisturize dry brittle hair with deep penetrating oil and emollients soften, detangle and add shine to hair protect hair against heat and sun styling damage provide extra protection from split ends and breakage

Directions for Use:

  • Daily Styling – Apply to towel dried hair. Work a generous amount of product into hair beginning at the roots to the tips. Comb through for even distribution. Do not rinse. Apply more to longer hair at the ends or problem areas.
  • Leave In Treatment – Apply as directed for “Daily Styling” just after shampooing. Re-apply and cover with a plastic cap overnight for maximum absorption and intensive conditioning.
  • Frizz Free Hair – Apply daily to split ends or damaged areas. Comb through and let dry naturally.

Taliah Waajid African Healing Oyl 


  • A multi-use product that can be used on both the hair and body.

Directions for Use:

  • Hot Oil Treatment – After shampooing the hair using the Total Body 
Black Earth Shampoo, towel dry the hair. Section off the hair and apply the 
African Healing Oyl to the hair and scalp. Cover with a plastic cap and sit 
under a dryer for 15 minutes on medium heat. Rinse and condition the 
hair use the Enhancing Herbal Conditioner.
  • Skin – After showering or bathing, apply to body and feet to 
eliminate dry skin. Can also be used as a moisturizer 
for hands and cuticles; simply rub into the skin anytime dryness occurs.

Results
My twists were not that plump and I really didn’t have much shrinkage. I went to sleep hoping that it would look right, because I had to be to work at 6:30 am and didn’t have time to rebound if I looked like Kizzy in the morning.

Well, to my surprise … WE HAVE A WINNER!! I used no product, just untwisted, separated and fluffed. Shine and defined! In one pic, you can see that my front is my problem area; I have waves and not curls. I have to work this section a little harder and I also have this bob look going on where my back is shorter than my front.


The end.

Jun7

Style Refresh: A Dry TnC

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I generally don’t do too much re-twisting of my hair between weekly wash sessions, but that’s because most times it’s up in a bun or something. However, after a couple of days of wearing it up, I decided to re-twist on Tuesday night and set my ends on flexirods. I wasn’t trying to have a repeat of the shenanigans my ends pulled last wash day ;):

First, I re-moisturized the length of my hair using Doris New York Olive Oil Cream and sealed it with Wild Growth Hair Oil (WGHO) Light. Then, I oiled my scalp with the regular formula WGHO. I put my hair in 6 loose twists as I wasn’t trying to reset the wave pattern from the last twist out. Rather, I was just trying to “contain” the hair in order to preserve the existing waves and set the ends. After twisting, I used DevaCurl Set It Free  to wet the ends (love that stuff, though I don’t use it often … have had the same bottle for well over a year) and JBCO to seal, prior to rolling the twists on medium-sized purple flexi-rods. Then I hit the sack with a satin bonnet.

The next morning, I applied Eco Styler Olive Oil Gel mixed with shea butter to my edges and tied them down with a satin scarf before hitting the shower with my requisite terry-lined shower cap. Once done my wash rituals, I removed the flexi-rods, untwisted the twists and fluffed my roots a little, but left the ends of the twists intact. I didn’t remove the scarf until I was about 20 minutes down the road on the way to work, then separating the ends a little to fill out the perimeter.

At the end of the work day, it still felt moisturized, but not oily or weighed down. I actually wore it with a center part at the office. But, I pulled the front back to take pics. I should have worn it like this all day as I think that it makes me look younger this way! LOL!! Just reinforces to me that it and I will look better with some layers!

 As you can see, my hair lost a lot of the definition that it had from the wet twist-out I did over the weekend with Aubrey Honeysuckle Rose Conditioner. And, since I neither dampened nor twisted my hair tightly, the dry TnC did not reset the pattern. You can also see that section of hair that just refuses to behave and hangs lower than the rest of my hair despite the TnC set! This is the section that is almost completely straight. It is the BANE of my curly girl existence!! Ugh!! *lol* I think the only thing that can be done for this is to cut it shorter than the hair that is above it. I’ve had that done before and, in fact, a Ouidad stylist cut the nape section in an upside down “U” shape because it’s just the center that wants to act a donkey. Because it’s covered by the other areas, it wasn’t noticeable when my hair was straightened. So, that may be what I go for again because, right now, I think it’s actually the longest section of my hair. Curly hair Algebra: Longest + straight – (shorter + curliest) = tail. 😛

Now, back into an updo for the next couple of days. I tried a very simple style for the first time and will share that tomorrow. I know, I’m such a tease;)!

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Do you like dry sets? What techniques and products give you the best results?