The Pineapple

First, and most importantly, I'm back home from vacation! Back to humidity and extreme heat, but most importantly, little wind. It may not sound like paradise, but for my hair, it is definitely more of a heaven than New Mexico, Nevada, and the Mojave Desert.  The last night at my parents house, I washed and conditioned my hair with the Carols Daughter products. I then added a quarter size amount of the Organics Curl Enhancing Smoothie to my hair, combed it through, and did a braid out. I put it all inside a shower cap and went to sleep.

I was not happy with the results. When I woke up, my hair was still damp, but most importantly, it was flat and the ends were not curled from where I had to tie off the braid with a rubber band. My hair was a disaster, it looked and felt greasy and stringy. I pulled it back into a bun so I wouldn't have to look at it any longer.

Yesterday after the gym, I came home and conditioned my hair with my KMS Silk Sheen conditioner, combing it through, of course before washing it out. I then added a dime size amount of the Organics Curl Enhancing Smoothie to my hair, again combing it through root to tip. I sectioned my hair in four sections, adding my Curl Defining lotion from Carols Daughter to each section and scrunching it in my hair. For the first time in two weeks I had a fabulous hair day! My curls were defined and soft with minimal frizz. I'm convinced it has to do with my central California weather, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

So onto the pineapple...

I've been watching Sarah's YouTube videos and she did a tutorial on the pineapple, which is basically taking all the hair and putting it in a high ponytail at the top of the head. I resembled a unicorn, if only unicorns had flimsy horns. Before putting my hair on top of my head, I took some more of the Organics Curl Enhancing Smoothie (naturallycurly.com says curly hair can never have too much conditioner) and put it into a spray bottle, mixing it with about 1/2 cup of water and shaking it so the product and water mixed. I sprayed the conditioner on my hair and pulled my hair up into the pineapple. From Sarah's video, I thought my hair was going to kind of rest on top of my head, but I realized my hair is way longer than hers, so this is what mine turned out like:

While the hairstyle is funny looking, it worked better than pulling my hair back and smashing my curls while I slept. I wanted to try some way to preserve my curls overnight because I am sick of styling it everyday, especially when I know I don't have to do so. When I woke up this morning, my hair had a lot more volume, but the curls were still really defined. I sprayed some more of my water+Curl Enhancing Smoothie mix throughout to refresh them and was good to go.

My bangs were a little straight, so I have to figure out how I can make them defined for my second day hair, but all in all, I was very pleased with my first try of the pineapple. I think I'm going to try it again tonight to see if my hair can get another day out of this wash.

In other news, I know this is a blog about my hair and heritage, but I have to share this new face wash I bought last night at Target. I thought it was appropriate that I buy something for my face that is just as good as what I've been putting in my hair, so I picked up Neutrogena Naturals, which contains no parabens or sulfates! I am beyond excited, I hope it makes my skin softer than it has been.

I'll update about the facial wash after a few weeks of using it.

I think I'm going to try a braid out again next week, but this time I'm going to pick up some perm rods from Sally's for the ends of my hair so they can curl as well. I want to pick up this Organic Root Stimulator Lock and Twist Gel because I saw in a video that the girl did a braid out using this product with the Curl Enhancing Smoothie. The good thing is, the Organic Root Stimulator is only $2.99 at Walgreens!Follow @AlexiaaBrooks

Curly Hair & the Desert.

My hair went through various changes over my 10 day vacation. First stop was Vegas and it was 103 degrees, I was certain this weather was going to make my curls dry and frizzy, but I actually had a pretty great hair day. I just wet my curls in the shower and then applied the Curl Defining lotion to my wet hair, combing it through, and let it air dry. The curls were bouncy and soft. That night, after spending way too much time in smokey casinos, I went back to the room and washed my hair with the Carols Daughter Shampoo. Instead of conditioning it with Carols Daughter, I applied the Organics Curl Enhancing Smoothie to my hair as a leave in. I twisted the left front strands of my hair and pinned them back, then threw my hair into a shower cap and went to sleep. When I woke up, the curls were still damp and very moisturized. I proceeded to get my hair wet again and add the Curl Defining product to it.

Then we went to New Mexico, which is where the curls took a turn for the worst. New Mexico is going through an extreme drought right now, the worst its been since the 70s. They haven't had rain since February and they have also had a terrible 30-40mph daily wind. I tried applying my Curl Defining product to my hair on Saturday when we got there, but being outside for a family picnic left my hair looking dry and stringy. Overall, the curls were not well defined and I had major frizz. I think I only had two good hair days out of the five while I was there.  I tried to apply the Organics Curl Enhancing Smoothie to my hair each day just because I felt it needed more moisture, but it didn't really help.

I went swimming on Monday and didn't have a shower cap, so my hair was exposed to all of the chlorine in the pool. When I got back to my aunt's house, I washed my hair with sulfate shampoo to give it a deeper wash and to strip the chlorine from my hair. I then added the Carols Daughter conditioner, combing it through and letting it sit for 5 minutes. When I got out of the shower, I put a small amount of the leave in conditioner in my hair. The curls looked okay after that; they dried and were a little more springy, but still just felt dry, which is to be expected when using the sulfate shampoo.

The last night we were in New Mexico, my hair felt great. I just got it wet in the shower and combed through the Curl Defining product again, but it left my hair feeling smooth this time, maybe my hair perked up because it knew we were headed back to California. It still didn't look as good as it has in the past, but it was the best hair day I had while in New Mexico.

We flew back to Vegas on Thursday and I once again got my hair wet in the shower and added the Curl Definer. My hair looked a little better, but still not as good as I wanted it to look. Yesterday was an awful hair day. I tried getting my hair wet in the sink and towel drying it instead of adding product to wet hair. I took a quarter sized amount of the Organics Curl Enhancing Smoothie and ran it through my hair, combing it through after, of course.  I then sectioned my hair off in four sections because I am not liking the way that the hair underneath looks and thought sectioning off my hair would help, so I sectioned my hair and added the Curl Definer to each section, combing it through and scrunching it. I liked how it looked while it was wet, but when it dried, it was stringy and dry once again.

We left Vegas this morning, so I am finally back in California, but still in the high desert at my parents house. When we got home, I did the works to my hair, shampooing and conditioning it with the Carols Daughter, then adding the Curl Enhancing Smoothie to it after I rinsed out the other products. I am hoping that the desert weather is affecting my hair because if not, I wasted $9.99 on the Curl Enhancing Smoothie product. I've been searching YouTube for tutorials on how to apply this product to hair because the back of the container just says to add to damp or styled hair for curly results. Sometimes it is making my hair kind of curly, but other times, it isn't doing anything, which frustrates me. I am going to give it two weeks and the weather where I live to see if I can make it work, if not, I am going to buy the Carols Daughter Tui Leave In Conditioner from Sephora. I was going to pick it up yesterday, but I decided I wanted to give the Curl Enhancing Smoothie more time.

Today, my hair looks really straight and frizzy, I'm not happy with the frizz, but I will say I like how shiny it is!

I'm going to Target tomorrow to look into purchasing a diffuser, just because I want to try and see if it will even out my curls. I don't like the idea of using heat on my hair, but luckily, my blowdryer has a cool air option, so I hope that it works the same way using heat would.

I will say, however, through the bad hair days I've experienced over these past ten days, I am beginning to embrace my curly hair. I hardly miss my straight hair anymore, nor do I feel as though I'd be prettier if my hair was straight. I think my curls make me look unique, plus they are ideal for dealing with this heat because I don't have to worry about sweat making my hair curly. I still need to figure out how to get the shape and feel that I want from my hair, but I am enjoying the journey so far.Follow @AlexiaaBrooks

Life in the Desert

So I'm at my parents house now, which is in the Mojave Desert area. This means there is extreme heat and high, let me repeat, HIGH winds. It also means my hair is not happy. Luckily, I tried to limit my contact with the outside today, but even then my hair had some frizz. We leave tomorrow morning for Las Vegas, but I'm not sure that fire roasted city will be any kinder to my locks. I did try something new today with my hair. As I was getting out of the shower last night, after having shampooed and conditioned my hair with the Carols Daughter (still LOVE this stuff), I read on the box it came in that to get the maximum wear out of my curls, I should try applying the curl definer to my wet hair, combing it through, then drying it with a T-shirt instead of a towel to avoid frizz, then style it after wards. I did exactly that, which worked pretty well, at least the right side of my hair. The left side is being a little more resistant to the curls, which makes sense because when my hair is straight, the left side gets more straight than the right. The left side has more straight pieces of hair mixed in with curly.

I'm going to continue to work on it, though, because the other side of my hair has made great progress in such a small amount of time. The curls are still really different, though, I would like them to all look the way the right side of my hair looks on top.

I love, love, love the curls on this side, I really do. If I could make my whole head like this, I would be so happy. I am very excited to show my front bangs, they finally curled!

Above everything else, my hair feels soft and healthy, which I am thankful for. So, as I said, I like the way these curls look, I would like the curls underneath to look this way, too. My mom was saying today that when I was little my curls all looked the same, kinky and bouncy, which is the way the hair underneath these curls looks. I know I've just done so much damage to them by straightening them day after day without any breaks.

There are a lot of different curls existing on my head at the moment, but again, I am happy they are all shiny and healthy looking. The back looks a little frizzy, but the wind was blowing at its maximum speed when my mom snapped the photo today.

Even so, I can see the improvements and the life my curls are starting to have.I feel great with my hair, sometimes I miss my straight hair, but I remind myself that I am doing this to discover the other parts of my heritage.

I finally bought a leave in conditioner!!! First, I went to Wal Mart because I read online that they had the Shea Moisture Organics Curl Enhancing Smoothie, but they did not, so I found Cantu's Leave in Conditioner which contained Shea Butter. It was also $6 whereas the Organics is $9.99. I read some of the ingredients, which are:

Water
Soybean
Shea Butter
Soy protein
Wheat Protein

There were a bunch of other ingredients I couldn't pronounce, but I bought it anyway. Mistake! From what I've learned about eating healthy, if you cannot pronounce it, don't ingest it, so I'm not sure why I threw out that rule for my hair. I took the Cantu home and started comparing it to the Organics Leave in, which contains:

Coconut Oil
Silk Protein
Mango Seed Butter
Avocado Oil
Neem Seed Oil
Vitamin E
Aloe Leaf Extract


I decided to take back the Cantu to Wal Mart and pay the extra $3.99 for all of these ingredients, plus I've just heard such wonderful things about the product from different reviews. I am thinking I'll put it in my hair tomorrow night and put a shower cap on to lock in the moisture for my plan ride to New Mexico on Friday. I haven't completely decided yet, but I hope it gives my hair whatever it is it's looking for.Follow @AlexiaaBrooks

Note to Self

So I had to find out the hard way that I should only use sulfate shampoo maybe once every two weeks, if that. It completely stripped my hair of the moisture my hair had built up, making it dry and frizzy. I should have known better, sulfate shampoo is what I use in my washes before straightening my hair to allow the moisture to build up over a four day period, instead of it looking oily the first day after I flat iron it. After shampooing and conditioning my hair with the KMS products on Wednesday night, I woke up Thursday and found my hair had a lot of static. I got it wet and let it air dry while doing my make-up, like every morning, but I had to stop and apply some of the Moroccan oil I got for graduation to my hair- a very tiny amount, about a quarter of a pump, just to get the moisture back in. This also proved to be a mistake, as for some reason, my hair dried a lot faster that morning and I had to re-wet it. I applied the Curl Definer in it, but for some reason, my hair just didn't take to it the way it had the first few days. I'm not sure if this is because of the sulfate wash, or because my hair has gotten used to the product and I have to switch things up. I did a Carols Daughter wash yesterday and restored some moisture to my curls, they looked a lot better, but still, I wasn't impressed with the way it looked when it dried.

The back is starting to come together, but there are so many different types of curls at work on my head. I'm not sure if I'll come to find that part of embracing these curls is accepting that they have a mind of their own. I'm not ready to accept it yet, however. 

 The top isn't super curly, I'd like the curls to be a bit more even, but not too curly to where they are coming off my head at crazy volumes.

I'm happy with the side of it, just not with how it looks underneath, mainly because the curls are so different.

So, I am not sure what is happening to my hair at the moment, I think I need to play around with it a bit more. I am excited to say I think I found a leave in conditioner for my hair, I just have to order it online. It's Carols Daughter, of course.

I'm not completely sure, just yet. I have to read some more reviews on it to see if it's worth $12. The girl I watch on YouTube really liked it and she and I have similar hair types. I am learning it is so difficult to read reviews from full black women because their hair texture is different than someone who is biracial, so their experience with the product is completely different, too. I was also considering the Black Vanilla Leave in from Carols Daughter, which I have read good things about.

Or finally, the Curl Enhancing Smoothie, which I have heard excellent things about. This product is also great because they sell it at Target, Wal Mart, and Walgreens for $9.99.

I'll have to go explore. I leave for Las Vegas on Tuesday, so I'm sure that oven temperature is going to effect my hair, then it's off to New Mexico for a week. I'll post updates of the shapes my hair has taken in these new climates very soon, as well as hopefully find the leave in conditioner of my dreams.Follow @AlexiaaBrooks

The First Time

Today was the first day I have ever felt just as pretty with my curly hair that I do with my straight hair. This is not to say I fawn over myself in the mirror when I have straight hair, but I have definitely felt more together and pretty when my hair is controlled. I have also noticed that I tend to feel less pretty when my hair is curly and I'm around my white friends who have naturally straight hair, but today, I didn't feel that way. I felt beautiful with my curly tresses growing wildly from my head.  It was a wonderful feeling.

So, I washed my hair yesterday with Carols Daughter and just used the Curl Definer, which makes my hair feel so soft without the frizz. This stuff is a miracle. It has also helped shape my curls and makes my hair shiny. The only thing I'm not used to is how much moisture my hair has in it, but I know my scalp and roots definitely appreciate it.

I think one of the biggest reasons I am uncomfortable with that much moisture is because I don't want oily hair, I've never wanted my hair to feel that way. When my hair was straight and I'd do the big wash, I would literally place a silver dollar size amount of shampoo in my hair and repeat this three times. Not only did I go through shampoo extremely fast, but my hair felt dry. Honestly, a lot of these crazy rituals I have for my straight hair go back to the way I felt when I was in high school. I was mainly attracted to white guys, but always felt a little uncomfortable approaching those feelings because I was black. Even when these guys liked me back, I still felt aware of my differences and insecure because of them. One of the main things I felt set me apart from the other girls was my hair, so I really tried to do what I could to make it feel less ethnic, for lack of a better word. It is not that I wouldn't leave my hair curly, because for a long time I didn't want to pay for a relaxer and didn't know how to do my hair on my own, but when I did leave it curly, I didn't feel as pretty. When I would leave it curly, as I mentioned in earlier posts, I would use products like Aussie Mousse to control my curls, making my hair feel very crunchy. I just didn't want them to fro out too much or set me even further apart from the other girls. What can I say, I was a teenager! But a lot of those insecurities stuck with me until now, which is one of the reasons I wanted to tackle this summer project. It's a wonder I still have hair now because I used to glob Aussie into my hand and run it through my hair, then diffuse it so it would dry quicker, then take a curling iron to not so dry hair and try to make the curls look bigger. I found a few pictures of me in a friends photobucket today which show my hair in high school:

The bottom picture is from when I would do my hair with the curling iron after diffusing it. Looking back, it looks awful! The top picture I like because while my hair had a lot of product in it, it was really long. I'd like to get my hair back to that length, but with more of a healthy growth-literally with my hair, but also with my attitude towards my hair.

As I mentioned earlier, my hair has already started showing more definition, which I love.

I am really impressed with how quickly it is starting to curl back up. I love how light-weight it feels and how soft it is! Carols Daughter is definitely everything it promises to be and more. I am still unsure how often I need to wash my hair. I washed it yesterday morning and then this morning I just got it wet and put some more Curl Definer in it. I decided to use my sulfate shampoo, the KMS, tonight when I took a shower, just to do a deep wash because my hair felt a little oily and I knew by tomorrow it would need a wash. I was unsure if I should have used the sulfate shampoo, but I was watching my favorite YouTube girl talk about how she uses sulfate shampoo once a week to do a deep wash. I'll see how it goes. I probably will only do this once a week, though.

I'm on a search for leave in conditioner. I saw from the YouTube channel I subscribe to that Organics Curl Enhancing Smoothie works really well, but I can't find it. I must say I'm disappointed in Target and Sally's for their limited selection on hair products for mixed and black hair. It's frustrating to have to either drive to Modesto or order it online, but I will deal with it because my hair is important to me.Follow @AlexiaaBrooks

An Unexpectedly Curly Day

I didn't expect to go out and do much else than go to the gym today, so I wasn't planning on doing anything with my hair. I was just going to take it out of last night's braid and put it in a high pony tail on top of my head, which is what I did in the earlier part of the day. I got a call from a friend who needed to talk so I decided I should look presentable.  I am glad I chose to do something with my hair today because I kind of had a break through. I just wet my curls, I'm saving the big wash for tomorrow since I go back to work, and then threw in some of the Carols Daughter Curl Definer. I separated my hair into two sections this time instead of four and placed a dime size amount, twice, to both sides and let it air dry. These two pictures are from after I came back from hanging out with my friend. My hair is completely dry in both of these pictures.

The curls felt really moist even after they had dried, this Carols Daughter stuff is a miracle I tell you. I also noticed that they were soft and tame, which is what I have been wanting. I just ran a comb through my dry hair to put into two braids for bed and it was untangled and soft, something I have never experienced when my hair is dry and curly.

It still has a ways to go, there are a ton of "straight-curly" pieces in my hair, but I am liking the shape they are taking right now, plus I am very excited that I may only have to use one styling product in my hair some days. I am still on a search for a good leave in conditioner, hopefully I can find one this weekend.

Today was a great day for hair and heritage. I watched For Colored Girls, Tyler Perry's masterpiece, if you will, about the struggles and the triumphs of colored women. It was beautiful and thought-provoking. First, I must say, I have found the exact person who's curls I would like to model mine after, actress Tessa Thompson.

Her hair is exactly what I know my hair is capable of becoming-it's long and full of curls, but it is still manageable. This was one of the first times I really saw how beautiful a person can be with naturally curly hair. It is not to say I think women who embrace their natural hair are not beautiful, on the contrary, I think they are some of the most beautiful women I've ever seen, it is just the first time I realized I, too, could feel beautiful with curly hair.

For Colored Girls awakened feelings within me that I never knew were there, or maybe ones I tried to ignore. Let me say, I have always viewed myself as Alexia, first and foremost, not as a black female, or a white female. Just Alexia. I understand these two identities have come together within me to form what people see, but they are not my sole existence. While I know these are just facets of an overall complexity, I still feel disconnected from my black side. Watching this film made me understand how much I yearn to be a part of the culture because it is an important and integral part of my make-up.

Most of my girl friends are not black, and that is the way it has been my whole life. Every time I talk to black girls, I feel this almost electricity because I'm talking to someone who looks like me and who has felt the uncertainty I have felt from looking different from my friends to having this insane hair that has a mind of its own. This hair journey that I've embarked on is not just about hair, obviously. It is about opening myself up to a culture that I have felt completely isolated from my whole life because it is a part of me and deserves just as much recognition as I have given the other pieces of my heritage.

Follow @AlexiaaBrooks

Carols Daughter Curl Defining Trio Review

I am so happy with my purchase of Carols Daughter Curl Defining Trio from Sephora. I started with the curl perfecting shampoo, I used a quarter sized amount in my hair and worked it through. The shampoo is:   

                                       -Paraben-Free
                                       -No Petroleum, Mineral Oil, or Artificial Color
                                       -SLS/SLES/Sulfate-Free
It is infused with Pro-Vitamin B5, Vitamin E, Plus Essential oils of Orange and Lemon. Its description on the back says, "A nourishing shampoo for the type of hair that needs it most, curls. Cuts frizz, gently removes dirt, oil and product build up. Made with essential oils plus Vitamin A to help condition the scalp and keep moisture in. Gives curls what they need for that desired, healthy, bouncy look"-CD.

I was surprised at how well it lathers in the hair, I didn't need to use much more than that to make my hair feel clean. After I washed it out, I moved on to the conditioner.

The conditioner is described as:
"Indulgent, penetrating, moisture treatment, restores while supporting healthy-looking natural curls. Made with essential oils plus Pro-vitamin B5 and Biotin to help replenish and strengthen hair with the natural nutrients it's thirsting for, leaving your curls under control...which is where they belong"-CD.

Again, I used a quarter sized amount and put it in my hair. I took my comb and combed it through, root to tip-I swear I heard my curls let out a sigh of pleasure. Never, has my hair ever felt as silky smooth as it felt with this conditioner. I let it sit in my hair for five minutes, amazed at how well defined my curls looked. When I washed it out, it didn't leave my hair feeling dry like other conditioners do when washed out, instead, it felt just as smooth. I am impressed beyond belief at how well these products work. I towel-dried my hair for 3 minutes and then let it air dry a little more while I applied my make up. I noticed the curls were a lot more even-meaning they looked the same around my head, whereas before, I had bigger waves on top and smaller, tighter curls underneath. As it air-dried, it still felt soft.

After I applied my makeup, I sectioned my hair off into four parts, and applied the curl definer product to my hair.

 This product is infused with Apricot Kernel oil, Cocoa& Shea Butters. It is described as "Quenching, fast-absorbing lotion that defines, tames and restores luster to natural curls while conditioning. Made with essential oil of Lemongrass, Vitamin C, and Sweet Almond Oil for bouncy, soft, yet completely manageable curls"-CD.

I placed about a dime size amount in my hand, it's all you need, and worked it through. Once I had done this to all of my hair, I took my pic and combed it through. I then added the Cat Walk Curls Rock to my hair and scrunched the curls up with my hands to get the look I wanted:

I liked the way the curls looked afterwards, they looked more together and curlier. I still cannot get the front of my hair, where my bangs are, to curl:

I know I will just have to be patient and give my hair sometime to redefine itself. My one complaint was the way it looked when it dried. I noticed that it was bigger than it had been this past week and the curls were a little more kinky than I would have liked. I think it may have something to do with the Curl Booster&Cat Walk Curls Rock combination, though. As much as I want to like the Cat Walk Curls Rock product, it does leave my hair feeling a little crunchier than I would have liked and it does not seem to pair well with other products. Next time I do my hair, I am going to skip Cat Walk and see how the Curl Booster stands on its own.Follow @AlexiaaBrooks

Sephora Trip!

Today I went to Sephora with my boyfriend to pick up some hair products, I was so excited! I must say, this hair adventure has been one of the most exciting things I've done in a while. I'm a student, I study English, boring moments are a staple in my life. I'd love to say I'm kidding, but I'm not. So during my Sephora trip, I picked up Carols Daughter products, which I have heard are amazing for curly hair.

I'm very excited to try these products tomorrow. I have actually never been so thrilled to wash my hair. The trio is very affordable, it was $40 for all three products, and as always, you get samples at Sephora. As with everything else that I use from Sephora, if the product works, I don't mind the price.

I was going to stop at Ulta today too and purchase TiGi's Cat Walk Curlesque, but I decided I'd wait to see how Cat Walk Curls Rock works in my hair before shelling out $16.99 for a new product.

Yesterday, my hair lasted pretty long. I didn't put it up until around 7pm, meaning it held for almost ten hours. It did not frizz, the curls stayed pretty developed, but it did get a little poufy. I don't have a proper synonym for that, so poufy is the word I'm using. I noticed that most of the crunchy feeling I had felt earlier in the day disappeared around 5pm, leaving really soft curls. If I could find a way to get that soft curl feel with tamer curls, I'd be in heaven.

Today, I was in a rush, so I just got my hair wet, no wash, separated it into two sections, first applying the half pump of Moroccan oil to both sides and combing it through my hair. Then, I added half a pump of the Cat Walk Curls Rock to my hair. I found the source of the crunch, it is the Cat Walk Curls Rock. I have decided not to completely give up on it just yet, however. It's probably because I am a broke student assistant and one bottle of this stuff was $13.99 at Target. Yup, that is exactly the motivation for making it work. On the up side, I really loved the way my curls were looking, especially at the bottom. They looked like I curled it with a curling iron, which I didn't because this is a no heat on my hair summer.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow's experiments with Carols Daughter. My biggest task right now, after finding the perfect combination for my hair, is getting the front of my hair, where I've flat-ironed the most due to my bangs, to curl again. I will post my adventures with my products tomorrow!Follow @AlexiaaBrooks