Highly Textured

And so it begins, the search for my very own, made-just-for-me hair regimen.

As I mentioned in my last post, I, at 8 years natural, still have no regular regimen to speak of, save for my weekly deep conditioning with the Elasta QP Remoisturizer (hee hee... remoisturizer), separating into sections, and applying whatever products I have on hand. So, for the past few weeks, I've been experimenting...

· Two weeks ago, I deep-treated, moisturized with the Mane 'n Tail Shea Butter and Aloe Creme and sealed with coconut oil. My curls formed smaller and tighter than I'd ever seen form before, giving me a cute little round 'fro. (It was super hydrated -- I may have put too much Mane 'n Tail on -- so I called it the Juicy 'Fro.)

· Last week, I deep-conditioned, and reverted to my old styling standby, Organix Vanilla Silk Conditioner. I sealed with coconut oil again. The result is the same as I usually get from using a conditioner, only my hair was glossier and stayed hydrated a little longer. There was a downside, though: later in the week I restyled into a curly fro using Giovanni Direct Leave-In and more coconut oil, and a day later, ended up with a lot of buildup in my hair. It was pretty gross.

Alas, it's week three in my search, and I think I'm finally getting somewhere. This time, I compiled a number of tips and techniques from a some of bloggers over there in my blogroll (I stalk you all). And the process was rather extensive -- mostly because I went to Whole Foods and lost my damn mind. I ended up buying a whole bunch of stuff I probably didn't need... but couldn't seem to put down.

(My friend Katie makes me feel better by saying that spending helps stimulate the economy. So... I'm helping.)

Anywhoo, I followed my deep treatment by moisturizing with something called Alaffia Mambo Mango Body Butter. Found it in the lotion section at Whole Foods, and figured, "Well, CurlyNikki uses body butter on her hair, why can't I?" The ingredient list was irresistable, and it smelled good too. Now, you know how after you wash your hair, some areas dry out and turn into hay before others? The body butter took care of that. I rubbed a little extra into some dry ends and the hair promptly curled up, hydrated and happy. (The downside is that the little jar cost fifteen bucks. I told y'all I lost my mind.)

I followed that with a dime-sized drop of Giovanni Direct on each section, and then sealed with -- dun, dun, dun! -- castor oil. The dramatics are necessary; castor oil may already be replacing what I JUST called my favorite, coconut oil. Castor oil is heavier, thicker, and acts like a sort of serum for my frizz-prone hair. I was especially blown away when I noticed how it slicked down my edges and my part, and how the effect has lasted at least a full day. Usually, my whole hairline ends up frizzing up to the heavens -- especially at the part. But not this week.

Look at my part. Seriously. It NEVER looks like that. It usally ends up a frizzy, incoherent, mess. That castor oil (and the bobby pins anchored on either side while I was drying) showed my part who's boss.

Speaking of drying... before I settled under the dryer, I tried a few things that Wes at Honey Brown Sugar did when she visited the Devachan Salon and Departure Lounge. In addition to the bobby pins, I slid in clips at the top of my head for lift and body at the crown, and put a few at the ends of the curls at the nape of my neck to weigh them down, since they curl up tighter than rest of my head. I also put a damp paper towel over the other most frizz-prone area, my crown, to prevent the fuzzies. (It actually worked too! Coolest thing ever.)

This is today's result. And I have to admit, I couldn't stop playing in my hair today. (Mostly because of the edges. They haven't laid like this since I attacked them with a gel and a toothbrush in middle school.) And out of all the stuff I tried this week, I think the thing that impressed me the most was ... *ding ding!*... the castor oil.

Add that to my list. :o)

Which, if any, of these products or techniques have you tried? How did you like the results?


1. Wash with _________.
2. Condition with __________.
3. Moisturize/style with __________.
4. Seal with CASTOR OIL.
5. Set with CLIPS and BOBBY PINS.