U DID WHAT??? STRAIGHTENED NATURAL HAIR.. BLOW OUT! FLAT IRON!

I DID IT!!  I FINALLY DID IT!!  I HAD MY HAIR PROFESSIONALLY STRAIGHTENED!! 

*gag sigh & faint*

I know this comes as a shock to most of you -- hell it is a shock for me too -- but its done and I'm happy about it.

I've been thinking about it for a few weeks and today I decided to bite the bullet and just do it! I haven't had straight hair since *jeopardy music* I cant even remember! Its been that long.. And the last time I put any type of heat on my hair was back in July for my birthday 

July 2012

I had a weave in and I let my stylist blow it out for me so of course she had to blow my leave out too! I stay away from heat -- until today 

THE PROCESS...

I applied my deep conditioner before I left for the salon.. 

2hrs later it was time to wash & condition. 

I am the neurotic kind of customer that brings her own products and I'm like "UH_HUH Don't put That in my HAIR!!" I've been there enough times that the shampoo girl doesn't talk about me anymore

After the conditioner she went to detangle my hair and y'all 

*side eye* I wanted to slap the pee out of her!

Like.. 

MISS DO YOU SEE ALL THIS HAIR???? 

DO YOU THINK THAT LIL ASS COMB IS GONNA GET THROUGH ALL THIS HAIR????  

She lucky she don't speak no English!

I had her apply my Dr. Miracles Blow Out Foam heat protectant that I received in this month's CURLBOX and she rolled my hair with those magnetic rollers.. 

All I'm gonna say is THAT DRYER IS THE DEVIL!!!!! IDK how you girls go through that every week -- OMG! I turned mine down at least two times and still kept the lil door thingy open

OH-EM-GEE!!

My home girl -- Spanish mommy -- OLGA *hey girl* hooked a sista up! I pulled out my Tresemme Thermal Creations heat protectant and Olga went to town on this head.

 I had her turn the blow dryer down to medium and I only allowed her to blow the roots. I got a trim and then she let me go!

All in all I am very happy with the way my hair turned out. Will I go back on a regular basis and let them blow my hair out??? HELL NO!!!!!!!! I love love love love my curly fro and all that heat can not b good for any one's hair -- relaxed or natural!

LEMME TELL YOU WHAT I NOTICED...

There are A LOT of bald headed Spanish women too!

Spanish girls wear weaves and get relaxers too!

Natural hair is some form of leprosy in a beauty salon -- you would think they never saw a head of curly hair

The health of your hair is nvr discussed or taking into consideration -- everyone gets the same hot ass dryer, hot ass blow dryer, flat iron, curling iron and pins -- UNLESS you specify otherwise 

STRAIGHT HAIR ROUTINE???

Ummmm right now I don't really have one except stay away from all water (shower, rain, steam,sweat) Try not to sweat out my edges and nvr go to bed without my scarf and bonnet!

STRAIGHT HAIR DONT CARE

ARE YOU WORRIED ABOUT HEAT DAMAGE???

I AM TERRIFIED THAT I AM GOING TO WASH MY HAIR AND MY FRO WON'T COME BACK! 

I am also optimistic -- I used TWO HEAT PROTECTANTS AND TWO DIFFERENT LEAVE-IN'S. 

Both heat protectants offer protection for up to 450 degrees soooooooo *crosses fingers and toes* 

Pray for me y'all..

BEAUTIFUL TEXTURES CURL DEFINER REVIEW -- UPDATE 5/26/13

This month in my Curlbox I received a full sized Beautiful Textures Curl Definer Styling Custard and I decided to try it on a new style I was trying out -- finger coils. I washed, conditioned and  detangled and proceeded to style.

A finger coil is basically taking a small section of hair and twirling it around your fingers to create a coil.

Now I had never done finger coils so I wasn't sure what to expect - I would say I have about medium length hair and it still took my 3 HOURS to coil all of my hair *side eye* yea.. NVR AGAIN!

ANYWAY.. 

Beautiful Textures - Curl Definer Styling Custard for mixed textures (curly, wavy, kinky-Colly, frizzy)

"Achieve amazing manageability and styling versatility for the curly, wavy, kinky-coily, or frizzy hair. Get soft defined curls, bodacious bouncy spirals, and smooth silky tresses while nurturing natural growth of mixed textured hair"

The Styling Custard has a very loose jelly like consistency. It smells good but the smell is a little overwhelming -- luckily the smell doesn't linger. It reminds me of the Kinky Curly Custard - same clear jelly type stuff.

Y'all already know that I am a ingredient conscious natural and I will say I was pleasantly surprised by the ingredients.  There is water, aloe leaf extract, ginseng root extract, olive oil, mango butter, nut oil, hydrolyzed wheat protein and some other not so bad stuff in this product. Towards the bottom of the list  you will find some gycols and polysorbates but all in all it isn't the worst product you can use on your hair.

As far as styling is concerned -- THIS PRODUCT WORKS!!!!! MY CURLS WERE POP'N! The jar says: "Attain the ultimate moisture, definition and curl control"

Did I like the finger coils?? EH--NOT SO MUCH... But I still had excellent definition. My hair wasn't frizzy and it didn't shrink up as much as it normally does. I ended up pulling the coils apart and jst slicking my hair back for a ponytail on Sunday.

I'm going to use this product again with a different style and I'll show you girls the results in another post.

Here are a few pics from Instagram - LATA!

INITIAL EXPERIENCE SCORE: B-

I loved the definition

My hair was not crunchy

I'm taking off for the very perfumed smell

It gets points for less shrinkage & frizz but I still have to take off bcuz the style didn't quite work out 

UPDATE!! UPDATE!! UPDATE!!! UPDATE!! UPDATE!! UPDATE!! UPDATE!! UPDATE!!

LADIESSSSSSSSSSS.... While this product gives AMAZING definition it dries my hair out like no tomorrow and it FLAKES!!!!!!!! like disgusting huge white flakes! 

I've mixed it with oils.. I've tried to use very little and it still flakes up on me and dries me out no matter the product combination so I will nvr go out and purchase this product with my own money.

OVERALL EXPERIENCE SCORE: D

The only reason it didnt get an F was because of the definition I received 

BENTONITE CLAY REVISTED.. HAIR MASK REVIEW

AZTEC INDIAN HEALING CLAY MIX:

• Bentonite Clay

• Warm water

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil

• Dash of conditioner for smell 

I saturated my hair completely with water and applied the mix in sections. After my entire head was covered I put on a plastic cap so it wouldn't dry out. Wait 30mins and RINSE!

After rinsing out the clay my hair felt clean.. REALLY CLEAN!! Not squeaky stripped clean but like there is no junk left on Ur hair clean (does that make sense) A reset button for my hair!

I followed up with mixed chicks leave in and EVOO.. My hair felt super soft - the curl definition was amazing and since I've used this mask my hair has felt really moisturized!!!!

UPDATE: This style was a done last Saturday - Today is Friday. I did not re twist or spritz my hair until Thursday morning. My hair has not felt dry AT ALL! I moistened my hair and smoothed on some evoo to prepare for my next wash day. 

I'm gonna add the bentonite clay to my regimen for once a month treatments.

MARCH CURLBOX UNBOXING

MARCH CURLBOX IS HERE LADIES...

Last month CurlBox had a birthday and this month it is CurlBox BRIDE!!!!! Every month is very exciting because you never really know what you are going to get...

Someone is going to notice that I didn't review February's box and that simply is because my niece stole it! She is transitioning and she wants her curls just like aunties so she got me for my CurlBox

ANYWAY.. 

THE MARCH BOX INCLUDED:

• CurlBox mag card 
• Beautiful Textures Curl Definer Styling Custard
• Dr. Miracles Curl Care Blowout Foam
• Nothing But Sampler Pack (clarifying shampoo, pure pudding, intense healing mask, cleansing conditioner, curl sealer)
• Twisted Sista blow drying creme
• $2 off and Dark and Lovely Au Naturale product

Today is my wash day so I plan to OD with the sample pack.. Make a really creamy deep conditioner using the intense healing mask and the rest of my regular DC ingredients - I'll be adding in some protein today as well. 

I'm going to cleanse and condition as I normally would and for styling I wanted to try out finger coils! I think I'm gonna use the Curl Definer as my styler 

Expect a full initial overall experience review some time this weekend.

Shout out to @myleik and @curlbox for the feature on their Instagram page!!!!!!! If you aren't following them U R DEFINITELY MISSING OUT

TWIST AND CURL TUTORIAL

Wanna know how I got from this..

To this...

Keep reading..

Friday evening I washed my hair --  I actually used the Aztec Healing Clay mask on my hair -- so I cleansed my hair, deep conditioned, detangled and slapped in those oh so attractive Ms. Ceely twist.. 

I didn't put anything in my hair except Mixed Chicks Leave-In and EVOO. I let it air dry overnight and half of the whole next day.

Saturday afternoon around 5 I decided to style my hair for church the following day and all I could think of was a TWIST & CURL!  I've seen them all over YouTube and Instagram -- every other natural hair guru is doing it and I am no exception..

PRODUCTS USED:

Cantu Shea Butter Coconut Curling Cream

Ecostyler Olive oil gel

Purple/Pink perm rods

This hairstyle is exactly what it sounds like - a two strand twist with a curl at the end. EASY!! Your parts do not have to be straight but make sure you use two equal size pieces -- NO SHARING!! 

 Because my hair was already dry I didn't have to worry about it being damp in the morning. I was able to separate each twist two times w/o losing my definition. 

My hair is super bouncy! It has great definition and no crunch. I've been rocking my zebra print bonnet to sleep so hopefully this style will last me until my next wash day..

Here's a few pics from Instagram! 

@metrocitycurly

Let me know if you like this style or if you have tried others like it... 

THE TRUTH BEHIND BREAKAGE

I put up a picture of my last post on Instagram and then I felt inclined to explain breakage..

@metrocitycurly

I can't think of one natural who has a consistent curl pattern throughout her head -- I have at least three! And with these awesome curls comes a few problems

• Dryness -- natural oils are secreted from the scalp and make their way down the shaft.. Since our hair strands are shaped like curly Q's it is difficult for the oil to make that journey down

•  Breakage -- every bend, turn, twist and curl our hair makes is a potential breaking point!!!!!!!!!!

I won't even get into single strand knots cuz that is a whole post all by itself!!!!!!!! *le sigh*

So your saying, Asia what am I suppose to do with this awesome head of hair on my head if it is potentially a battle field for dryness and breakage?????????????????????

Well.. 

1. Hydrate your hair every couple days - Spritz with water/oil mixes.. Co-wash & Seal..
2. Use your fingers as often as possible!!! Finger detangling has been a lifesaver -- combs/brushes can snag and pop your hair
3. Pay attention to your styling -- protective styling isn't effective if it is harming your strands
4. Adopt a regimen that works for you -- my hair benefits from black tea rinses, different oils and low manipulation styles
5. Protein treatments once a month could give you the extra strength you need

It is important to pay attention to your different curl patterns so you can gauge what you should do differently. This bit of breakage in the middle of my head isn't the biggest set back in my journey. I see the problem and I am working on making things right.

OPERATION "GET RIGHT.. ACT RIGHT.." IS IN FULL SWING!

SHEDDING.. BREAKAGE..

Y'all remember the cereal Rice Krispies? And how when you added the milk you could hear the SNAP.. CRACKLE.. POP? Every time I detangle my hair it reminds me of that!!!!

Since I took out my weave I've noticed a bit of shedding and I have this patch right in the center of my head that is completely broken off! While this news is devastating, it just reaffirms that I am not a super hero and that perfect natural does not exist..

Right now I am on operation "get right.. act right" 

My mission is to combat this shedding and to nurse the hair in the middle of my head back to health..

I'm going back to my black tea rinses and I've picked up some Jamaican Black Castor Oil to massage on my scalp.. Another thing, I have to be careful with my styling! The middle is under construction and if I ever want to keep some hair back there i have to be conscious of the amount of manipulation.

Someone is gonna ask sooooooooooooooo..

BLACK TEA RINSE
Add 2-3 tea bags to boiling water
Let it cool
Add to hair.. Sit for 20-30mins
Add DC of choice.. Sit for ANOTHER 30mins
Rinse!

I wrote about the benefits of tea rinses back back back in the day -- check the potions post if you haven't read it!

I'll b back soon enough and keep you guys updated operation "get right.. act right" 

SUGGESTIONS.. SUGGESTIONS..

HEY DOLLS,

Like the title says I NEED SOME BLOG POST SUGGESTIONS!!!!!!!!!

What do you girls want more of????? 

Product reviews? 

Hair tutorials? 

Regimens? 

You girls can leave a comment below or shoot me an email and let me know what you wanna see

LENGTH CHECK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Its that time girls... LENGTH CHECK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I dont own one of those measurung tape things so this may be a lil ghetto but *shrugs* you get the point..

7 1/2 MONTHS AGO

Do you see how my finger is right above the second red stripe??? Well....

TODAY 3/8/13

I used one of the boys rulers and thats about 3 1/2 incles of NEW HAIR!!!!! *SQUEALS* I'm so excited.. I havent done anything special other than leave my hair the hell alone and let her do her thing.. I think I have the same amount of hair I had pre relaxer.

Someone is gonna ask soooooooooooooooooooo...

HAIR REGIMEN:

• Co-wash (Tresemme Naturals or As I Am Coconut Cream Cleanser) - once or twice a week
• Shampoo (Kinky Curly Come Clean) - once a month
• Deep Conditoners (My Homemade concoction, Mixed Chicks deep conditioner, As I am Hydration Elation) - once a week
• Black Tea rinses - once a month
• Leave-In (Mixed Chicks, Giovanni Direct Leave-In)

I dont use any heat!

I barely use any styling tools!

I trim my ends when they feel crunchy!

Most of the week my hair is tucked away and let loose on the wknd!

<-- THEN & NOW -->

LET'S WRK! LOOKING FOR SPONSORS - PROMOTIONS - NATURAL HAIR PRODUCTS

METROCITYCURLY IS LOOKING FOR A FEW GOOD SPONSORS... 

If you or one of your friends has a product they wanna get out there I say we work together.. August makes this blog a year old and I am already planning something amazing!

Giveaways

Prizes

Meet & Greets

Swag Bags

Photoshoots

But all of this would be so much easier with your help.. If your in the NY area and would like to network send me an email about yourself, your product and we can come up with something to benefit us both!

ITS ABOUT MAKING CONNECTIONS... 

Contact me at jstcinn26@gmail.com or follow @metrocitycurly on Instagram

THE FRO IS BACK -- WEAVE TAKEDOWN

SHE IS BACK!!!!!!!!!!!

YES LADIES THE BEAST IS BACK... AND GOSH SHE HAS GROWN!

FLASHBACK: (2 WEEKS AGO)

So 1st things 1st -- the lady who put my weave in took it out bcuz I am not about that track life..

The process included the take down, detangling, deep conditioning, shampoo, condition and detangle again... I know it sounds like A LOT but after almost 3 months (10wks) she needed that extra TLC.

WHAT DID YOU USE TO DEEP CONDITION???

•  Mixed Chicks deep conditioner -- nourish, detangle and restore your thirsty locks.. I found this product while I had my weave in and honestly aside from some of the "NO NO" ingredients it does exactly what it says

DETANGLING?? CONDITIONER?? SHAMPOO??

• AS I AM coconut co-wash cream cleanser 
• Tresemme Naturals Conditioner
• Kinky Kurly Come Clean Shampoo

For the next few days I wore two strand twists to school and then took them out for the wknd..

FAST FORWARD TO LAST WKND:

I decided to try out the perm-rod trend going on right now on YouTube. I studied my faves Charyjay and Fusionofcultures for inspiration and headed straight to the beauty supply store..

PRODUCTS USED:

• ECOSTYLER OLIVE OIL GEL

• 8 PACKS OF COLD WAVE RODS 

          2 gray packs (24 rods) 2 white packs (24 rods) 4 pink packs (48 rods)

• CURLS - KUKULNUT OIL ELIXIR

I decided to roll up my hair on dry hair since I didn't have that much time to wait for my hair to dry. I started to set my hair at 4pm and I'm not sure if my head is really big or if all this new hair is just too much for me but I didn't finish rolling my hair up until 7:30!!!!!!!!! 

3hrs and 30mins later I kinda looked like a martian.. Sleeping with the rods isn't as bad as sleeping with flexi rods but it isn't very comfortable either!

NOTE TO SELF: SEARCH FOR COMFORTABLE ROLLERS

ANYWAY...

 Sunday morning it was time for church and time to separate and fluff!

I'll be back this wknd with a length check for you dolls that are keeping up. 

IMATS WINNER!!!!!!!

AND THE WINNER OF THE TWO TICKETS TO IMATS APRIL 6TH IS......

*Drum Roll Plz*

MICHELLE VARGAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you.. Thank you.. Thank you to all the ladies who participated and entered and sent emails  -- I appreciate you! I will have more giveaways in the future.. Pinky Promise!

Michelle, girl I have sent you an email for all of your info.. I will see you at IMATS!