Curly Hair Care

Hi Friends! I wanted to share my hair care routine with you all; now I realize that this post may not be everyone's cup of tea. But, I do get questions about what products I use, and wanted to share my process and the exact products that I use. My deep conditioning and wash day is very involved and takes hours sometimes. But I'm thankful for the health and volume that I have been blessed with. Also, not sponsored, but I wanted to share the vitamins that I have been taking that I believe contributes to the growth and health that I have been experiencing lately.

 

This picture above is right before giving my hair a good wash; it was also in need of a deep conditioning but as you can see there's lots of volume.

I love Mary Ruth's collagen-boosting gummies and biotin gummies, I also take regular capsules but have been loving these lately and they taste good and makes me feel like when I was a little kid eating my gummy vitamins😆

I "TRY" to deep condition weekly, it doesn't always happen but I do try. Deep conditioning helps with retaining moisture the tighter the curl pattern (me) the harder retaining moisture can be, that's why it's so important.

Sometimes I just clarify my hair and scalp with Apple cider vinegar (ACV) and then follow up with a conditioner and rinse. But these are the products that I use and have been using for years, literally, and they work great for me. 

I always- ALWAYS ALWAYS, have a leave-in conditioner for my hair and I use this one, and it's great! Very moisturizing. I occasionally use African Black soap as a clarifier and I also use it as a body wash too there are so many great benefits. Coconut oil, Shea butter for both hair and skin during the winter, when I do use a shampoo (currently on major sale)I use this one and the matching conditioner. I know this may sound weird but I only shampoo once a month because I use the ACV for in between shampoos and it works better than shampoo for me. Another favorite conditioner is this one, Depending on what my hair needs at that time I'll deep condition and follow up with regular conditioner. You might see a theme here but conditioner, conditioner, conditioner is the main process for my hair. 

Let me know if you have any favorite hair care products or if you use any of these. 

Thank you so much for stopping by and happy first day of October!🍁

My natural hair care routine

Hi Friends! I was recently messaged about my hair routine. I was actually quite surprised & humbled because I feel as if I'm the last person to ask about hair care. My hair is definitely NOT beautiful (especially by society and popular opinion) and in need of a lot of attention, especially lately. However, I'm thankful for my hair and how far its come since I stopped chemically treating it to be bone straight. Its been almost 7 years now. But I promised I'd write a post. I hope it'll be helpful to anyone. And if you have any additional tips for us curly/kinky/afro-textured hair girls feel free to leave a comment. I'm always open to helpful tips.

The picture above is my head wrapped in a turban style scarf with a plastic cap underneath while I deep conditioned my hair. Deep conditioning is KEY to natural hair. I try to deep condition my hair once a week for between 30 minutes to overnight, depending on how much time I have.

These items are what I always use and keep on hand. And I've been using them for years now. I used to think the more products the better but I've found for me personally that less is more.

I do not wash my hair with shampoo very often because of its very drying. So this Shea moisture shampoo has lasted me a while. When I do shampoo I usually do an apple cider vinegar scalp massage to lift the dirt and to clarify my scalp of any extra build up and then I shampoo it all out. Afterward, I'll deep condition to restore moisture back into my hair because of the shampoo, although moisturizing can strip your curls of any moisture. After deep-conditioning I'll rinse it out and do another layer of conditioner. The Trader Joes Tea Tringle conditioner is my favorite and doesn't have as much junk in it. 

On weeks I'm not shampooing my hair I'll do a co-wash, which is a conditioner wash and deep conditioning too. 

Sometimes before I'll do a Jamaican castor oil scalp massage to get the circulation going. I always make sure that I wash that Jamaican castor oil out thoroughly due to its pungent smell. Once washing is done I'll wrap an old t-shirt around my head to soak up the water. T-shirts cause less frizz than a towel and I already have very frizzy hair. once its semi-dry I'll add detangle gently and add ALOT I mean ALOT of leave-in conditioner. Remember moisture is key to healthy curly hair. And I"ll layer my shea butter mixture (usually mixed with coconut oil) to my hair and style it. 

Wash days are very extensive so I usually do my hair care over the weekend. 

Below are some pictures of my hair with a twist out and worn down natural. 

I hope that you enjoyed this post and that it was helpful. 

NOTE* I realize everyone has different hair so what works for me may not work for you. It took me 4 years to figure out what was best for me. So you do what's best for your hair. This is my personal routine. Also, this post is not sponsored. I honestly use all of these items. However, I'd love to work with Shea Moisture. Put a good word in for me. LOL

Lilly APS Purchase

So I kept it really easy this after party sale time and only bought one item. And it's this gorgeous maxi skirt. Thankfully it can be worn into early fall here in Florida. It's very lightweight and flowy. It was on my wishlist and thankfully I found it in store- so I didn't have to wait for shipping. I styled mine with a denim jacket and a white shirt for an easy and casual style while I was answering emails and phone calls. What did you all buy from the APS? I'd love to know.

A casual day in St.Augustine

I loooove St. Augustine! I go quite often; Its full of history, charm, and beauty. Today I threw on my favorite lilac elephant Finn Tee from Lilly with my camera and took a stroll through the historic streets and the beach too. I also grabbed a deliciously iced honey badger and meat pie from my favorite Australian coffee shop in St. Augustine. I have talked about them before in a previous post which I'll link here. I hope that you're having a great Labor Day.

The coffee shop on the bottom is a place I want to try next time.

Fantasy Garden

Hi Friends! So recently I bought this printed peplum top from Lilly. I just love the exotic floral print; I've received so many compliments on this top. The colors are vibrant and the material is machine washable which is perfect. Most of my Lilly tops I have to take to the dry cleaners because they're made of silk. But this one is" I'm a busy lady and I don't have time to squeeze in a dry cleaning stop in my schedule" friendly. LOL! Well, I hope that you enjoy the photos. And thanks for stopping by and reading.

Maxi Lover

Have I ever told you how much I love maxi dresses? Well, I do and this one is my new favorite. I love the wrap style of this dress; it can easily be adjusted to fit you comfortably. Too often I'll try a dress on and it'll be extremely baggy in some areas and tight in others. But this one is so perfect. I plan on adding a denim jacket for layering or when I'm cold; plus I love all of the colors. Unfortunately, this dress is sold out. But I linked my next maxi purchase here.

Lilly Head band and Top Knots

     Hi Friends!  Thanks for stopping by! So I was recently shopping and noticed a really pretty headband from Lilly and I noticed that you can tie it.  I was ecstatic!!!  I know you are probably thinking, " Really! Over a headband!"  But, let me explain. I rarely can wear any hair accessories because they usually are too big.  Small head problems, lol.

I decided to put my hair up in a super top knot or bun. And I loved it, I have really curly and textured hair so styles like this look best on me.  Its my new favorite accessory. Its bright and colorful my two favorite things.