Wash & Go Variation For A Springtime Evening Out

Well, it looks like Spring is finally ready to arrive with warm temperatures!!!  *insert happy dance*  This weekend in NC, it was in the 60's and this week will bring a week's worth of 70 degree temperatures.  Now we can wear our cute, flirty, flowing, colorful outfits.  Along with that comes carefree, fun hairstyles.  Around this time last year I had a date for a comedy show and created a very fun look that was easy to achieve.

To achieve this look:

• After cleansing and moisturizing I slicked back the front of hair with Argon Oil Ecostyler Gel
• Then I smoothed back the front of my hair with the side of my brush (not the direct bristles) 
• I used bobbypins to secure my hair just beyond the crest of my head
• I applied Koils by Nature Herbal Curl Defining Gel in an attempt to define my curls but this gel is just not heavy enough to provide curl definition to my texture I still liked the results though
• For a more island look, I attached a hot pink flower to my hair
• As my hair dried, I used a pic to shape my hair.  (Funny story, I was asked if this was my real hair.  Yes it is!)
• The outfit I wore was a Grecian style one shoulder tunic with black leggings. I wore 4 inch strappy heels. 

EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT UPDATE: Return of the Curls "Curls Gone Wild" Hair Show & Natural Hair Expo & Tweet Chat!

I am so excited to announce that Return of The Curls will be bringing their Curls Gone Wild Natural Hair Expo & Hair Show to North Carolina!  Last year, the event was hosted in Virginia and featured guests such as celebrity natural hair stylist, Felicia Leatherwood, vloggers Jenelle of Kinky Curly Koily Me! & Nina of BeautifulBrownBabydoll & founder & creator of Jessicurl, Jessica McGuinty.  This year's event has been expanded to 2 cities & states of which Greensboro, NC is one!  Other Return of the Curls events will be held in:

• May 4 &5 2013 Richmond International Raceway Richmond, VA

No matter which location you attend, you can expect on site consultations from stylists that specialize in curly hair, product giveaways, hair shows, workshops & vendors!  What's so exciting is that in North Carolina we will have NC's own, Curly Nikki of www.curlynikki.com  & recently published curly girl guidebook Better Than Good Hair!

I am honored to be partnering with Keenya Kelly and her amazing team to share the news about the Return of the Curls events this year.  Look for more posts about details for these Expos as they develop!

MORE BIG NEWS AFTER THE BREAK!!

Updated Perm Rod Set

During my natural hair journey, I have done several perm rod sets on my hair.  I did this one on my twa and I loved the results.  I used Jane Carter's Wrap & Roll to set my hair.

Then in December 2012, I did this perm rod set using Qhemet Biologics & Taji's Aloe Jelly to style my hair on the perm rods.  In both cases, the style lasted about a day because the hold was so soft and because of humidity.

This time because I understand my hair a little better, I used different products for my perm rod set.  First, I understand that my hair has high porosity which means it loves moisture.  This is detrimental to any sort of smooth curly style.  So to minimize some of this, I used Giovanni's Direct Moisture Leave-In Conditioner instead of my usual Koils by Nature Shealoe leave in.  The KBN leave in has glycerin which is a humectant meaning it draws moisture to the hair so eliminating this helped to maintain my style longer.  Then I used the Koils by Nature Herbal Gel to set the style.  Another thing that I did differently with maintaining this style was to sleep on a satin pillowcase instead of putting a satin bonnet on my head.  The satin bonnet tended to just mash my curls down.

Want to see what my new & improved technique looks like?  Check it out after the break!

Return of the Curls! New Announcements!

Hi Naturals!


Just a few quick updates on Return of the Curls - Curls Gone Wild!

This is the last week for early bird tickets (for attendees & vendors) AND the last week of the giveaway on this blog for 2 free tickets to the Greensboro event!  Get your tickets today!
http://curlsgonewildgreensboro.eventbrite.com/

If you are in Virginia, the date of that expo is May 4th & 5th.  Currently, if you buy 2 tickets to the Virginia event, you get 3 tickets FREE!
http://curlsgonewildvirginia-eac2.eventbrite.com/

Return of the Curls has also re-released a brand new website & created a blog.  The website can be found at www.returnofthecurls.com  & the blog name is www.returnofthecurlsblog.

Product Review - Koils by Nature Herbal Curl Defining Gel

Earlier this year, I shared some of my key staple products for my hair.  One of those for styling purposes is the Koils by Nature Herbal Curl Defining Gel.  This is my primary styler for my hair.  One of the reasons for this is because it gives my hair great definition with medium hold which results in awesome 5 day hairstyles for me.

My hair is medium density, medium texture, & highly porous hair.  My hair is cottony in texture.

Product Name:  Koils by Nature Herbal Curl Defining Gel

Product Description:  Herbal Soothing Gels are infused with organic calendula, burdock root, horsetail, & nettle and will provide your hair with great hold, excellent for defining curls, wash & gos, two strand twists, and smoothing your edges.  This gel will provide you with a medium hold depending on your hair type.  The oils will help seal in the moisture and the organic slippery elm bark and marshmellow root will help condition your hair.  The gels contain no alcohol & no protein. It will not dry out your hair or cause flakes.

Product Ingredients:  Distilled water infused with organic calendula, organic burdock root, organic horsetail, organic nettle leaf, aloe leaf juice, Shea oil, macadamia nut oil, Jamaican black castor oil, grape seed oil, organic olive oil, organic marshmallow root powder, organic burdock root powder, organic calendula flower powder, organic slippery elm bark powder, chamomile flower powder, preneutralized carbomer, guar gum, potassium sorbate, willow bark extract, peppermint essential oil, lemon essential oil.

Fragrance:  Strong essential oil scent.  I use peppermint but the the eucalyptus & lavender gel I have tried in the past & it has a similarly strong scent.

Texture:  Loose, almost watery

Ease of application:  5

My experience:  When I first saw this gel, I thought a gel this watery is not going to hold my hair.  But to my surprise it did!  So be careful, a little goes a LONG way!  Too much of the gel will make your hair crunchy.  However, this can be worked out by scrunching the hair.  I use this gel in combination with a leave in conditioner & coconut oil before application.  My favorite way to use this gel is for twist outs but I have used it with roller sets & other styles with similar success!

Would you recommend to a curlfriend:  Yes, especially if you like super defined twist-outs rather than lightly textured, fluffy twist-outs.

How many curls would you give it: 5

Day 2 twistout

Day 5 twist & curl

Natural Hair Protective Style: Buns!

As is usually the case during this time of year, I wanted to give myself a break from styling my hair daily.  I typically  get a braided updo style but with my increasing length, I decided to try styling my hair in a series of buns!  I wore the following 3 buns over the course of 3 weeks. I loved the break, my hair stayed moisturized and protected, and I looked very chic with each style!  I can see me returning to buns for a quick style alternative throughout my hair journey.

Prep

Before setting each bun, I shampooed my hair, deep conditioned, & applied my leave in.  I then sealed the moisture with coconut oil & applied a moisturizer.  I smoothed my hair back with Koils by Nature Herbal Gel for each style.  I pulled my hair into a ponytail and 2 strand twisted the loose hair into 4 twists & then rolled and bobbypinned the ends down.

Bun #1  - Marley Hair Bun

I used Marley hair to achieve this bun.  I received my inspiration for this style from Jouelzy from Youtube's Empress Bun.  Her's is larger than mine but I followed the same concept. 

Bun #2 - Low Side Bun with Side Part

For the next week, I decided to change it up and create a low side bun.  This time instead of using Marley hair, I used regular braiding hair and bobby pinned it around my ponytail.

Bun # 3 - Bun with Center Part

First of all do you see those waves?!  LOL!  I used the same braiding hair for this bun as well.

Maintenance

I tied my hair down each night with a satin scarf.  In the morning, I would rub coconut oil over my hair for sheen.  If my edges needed to be slicked mid week I would add the Curls Paste to smooth them down.  

I loved these options!  What is your favorite protective style?

Return of the Curls "Curls Gone Wild" Ticket Giveaway! - CLOSED

GIVEAWAY ALERT!  I'm sure you've been hearing the buzz about the Return of the Curls Natural Hair Expo and Hair Show & I am hosting a ticket giveaway to this amazing event!

At this expo you can expect:

• to be introduced to established and new hair products!
• Shop with vendors!
• Participate in workshops that will educate you on natural hair care!
• See onsite hair/beauty consultations!
• Watch live BIG CHOPS!
• See the versatility of natural hair with creative hair shows!
• Mingle with your favorite bloggers & Youtube vloggers!
• Meet Curly Nikki at the Greensboro show!

Sounds like fun right?  Well, to help you get there, I am giving away 2 free tickets to the Return of the Curls "Curls Gone Wild" Expo.  You can choose to attend either their Richmond, VA expo on May 4 & 5th or the Greensboro, NC event on July 13th. 

How do you enter?  I'm so glad you asked!

• Follow my blog
• Enter a comment below stating what your favorite hair care product is and how you use it (i.e. My favorite product is Curl Junkie Curl Rehab Deep Conditioner.  I use it to condition my hair & it makes my hair feel amazing!)
• The giveaway will run for 2 weeks.
• Winner will be announced by March 31st!

Good luck!

As a reminder, if you don't get a chance to win (#rats), you can still purchase early bird tickets to the Greensboro show by April 1st.  Snag discounted tickets at curlsgonewildgreensboro.eventbrite.com

Be sure to follow Return of the Curls on Facebook & Twitter at @ReturnoftheCurl!

UPDATE  04/02/2013
Winner Announcement after the Break....