Highly Textured

Ever get upset because a product didn't seem to work? Ever find yourself disappointed in a supposed "holy grail"? Ever wanted to throw out every single product you've ever bought? Well, No-Poo Jillipoo has a few words for you.

Get it together.

The curly blogger, also known as Botticelli Babe, has a great post up on why a lot of curlies end up despising products -- it's because we're using them wrong! From her post:

It's my contention that most of us are either not honest about our hair or we expect too much of products. Let's take a little quiz, shall we? Give yourself one point for every "yes" answer.

1. Do you mix or layer more than two products (yes, this includes leave-in)?
2. Have you ever used a product marketed for hair that was different than your own?
3. Are you especially frugal with application? Or especially generous?
4. Do you see photos of other people's hair and think it looks like yours, only to have a friend point out that it doesn't resemble your hair at all?
5. Do you drift in and out of the Curly Girl regimen, tossing in silicones willy nilly and using sulfate shampoos here and there?

If you got more than three points in that test, pour yourself a glass of water -- it's time for you to swallow a large and uncomfortable reality pill.

Jill goes on to list a number of reasons why your products may not be working well: using too many products ("Manufacturers have no idea that you use a conditioner, a leave-in, a gel, and a serum in conjunction with their product," Jill says), buying something that's not designed for your hair, using too much or too little product, or simply not being honest about what your hair will and won't do.

Jill gives number of tips to help you get out of the trap of product disappointment. In fact, I'm going to try one of her tips tonight (using a product alone to see what it does) with my SheaMoisture leave-in. Check out the entirety of Jill's post here.

Two-strand twists are one of the cutest styles a natural can rock, but they're definitely time-consuming and labor-intensive! I learned this about a month ago, when I tried them for the very first time.

The results were cool, not perfect. But then, my friends and readers seriously CAME THROUGH with some tips for succesful twisting. I was so surprised... and grateful. Now, the next time I carve out two hours out of a day to twist, I can make sure my effort is not at all in vain.

I've been meaning to share those very tips with everyone else, so... here they are. :o)

A note: Some of the advice varies depending on the person (twist while wet? twist while dry?) so use the tips that you think will work best for your hair.


PREPARING THE HAIR:

"If you want to have those smooth even twists with little shrinkage start with a good pre-poo and a co-wash. I use a cheap drugstore cholesterol deep conditioner like Queen Helene. I mix in coconut oil, vegetable glycerin, collagen, silk amino acids, keratin, and honey. I know, it sounds like a lot but all the ingredients are easy and cheap to buy either at your local drugstore, online or at the health food grocer. I just like to add a few table spoons of each and up the conditioning. I then co-wash with a cheap 99-cent conditioner like White Rain, Vo5, or Suave. Hair comes out so soft and smooth. By the way, I usually condition overnight as I sleep." -- tgirl


TWISTING AND CHOOSING PRODUCTS:

"I always twist when hair is very wet with a good leave in conditioner. I use Devachan Condition One. Smells great. I twist with some Palmer's Olive Oil--bought at the dollar store and Miss Jessie's Butter Creme (the most expensive item I use these days). The butter creme has a more oil based hold and keeps the frizz down for days. You won't have to use much cause it's pretty concentrated." -- tgirl

"I'd suggest you use gel. When I twist, I apply a leave in, then I use Garnier Fructis curl cream (heavy hold). I also will use aloe vera gel sometimes, but the Garnier works well. Also, as I'm doing each twist, I coat it with castor oil to seal in moisture, then once again on the ends." -- T-Dot


PARTING:

"Take a rattail comb and place it behind your ear. Draw a line, through your hair, with it, all the way to your other ear. You've got two sections now. From there, just part the lines across -- don't worry about getting perfect lines within each line. I'll make some of them smaller to make the twists fuller in places, and thicker to thin them out in others. After a few times, you'll get the hang of it!" -- T-Dot

"The more you do it the easier it gets to get the partings even. I don't have perfect lines cause once it's all done I can't see much of my scalp anyway! As long as the twists are going in the right direction for the style I'm going for and the twists are of equal thickness I'm good to go!" -- tgirl


PREVENTING FRIZZ AND PUFFINESS:

"To cut down on frizz/puffing at the crown, make sure your hair is pretty well soaked when you do your twists. Not a spritz. It needs to be wet. Then, coat it with your products (gel or oil or what have you) to seal that moisture in. For those wayward twists (and to give me a little more control) I'll pin the twists down as I do them, row by row, with duckbill clips. keeps them close to your head. I sleep at night with a scarf tied around them tightly and then oil and shake in the morning." -- T-Dot

"For the puffy roots, try braiding at the roots and then continuing with twists." -- KCurly


SHOWING LENGTH:

"To stretch your twists, once done, blast them with the blow dryer while stretching them downward. Helps them to extend a bit -- kinda like blowdrying your hair with a pick. It won't be hanging hard, but they will be a little longer." -- T-Dot

"For shrinkage, I twist on almost dry hair or completely dry hair. It takes longer but the length shows more." -- KCurly


THOSE PESKY ENDS:

"For those rebellious ends: twist all the way to the end. Don't be lazy and stop when you get close. Follow through. And coil them with oil once finished." -- T-Dot

"Dunking the ends in a little water helps them to curl/coil up." -- KCurly

"Twist to the ends and coil aronnd your finger to tame the ends. I have the same problem with crazy wild ends." -- tgirl


FINDING THE TIME TO TWIST:

"...it's nice during a movie :)" -- KCurly



(Shout out to T-Dot, tgirl, and KCurly. Thanks for the advice, ladies!)