What a Difference a Year Makes

If you have been following my blog or my YouTube channel - Nurekad then you know I am awful at twist outs!!!! Or so I thought before last weekend.  Ever since my Big Chop in August of 2011 I have been wearing my hair in WnG styles because every time I try a Twist out I end up with a frizzy fuzzy mess. Now to be fair I have only tried twists about 5 times in the last year because they end up looking so bad.  I'm not exactly sure what made me want to try again last weekend, other than I hate feeling like I can't do something and it was a 3 day weekend from work.  So late Friday night, actually very late it was about midnight I co-washed my hair and started into my twisting journey yet again.  I'll be honest I did not have high hopes that my hair would look good.  I was just hoping it would not look bad. I used the same steps I had used in the past. I applied leave in then styler and twisted.  This time I used CoCo Curls as my styler.  After I was done twisting I was shocked at how much my hair has grown in the last year.  My twists actually looked good enough to wear out without hiding them under a hair or hair accessory. Now that is progress. I wore the twists for 2 full days and then on Monday (Labor Day) the true test came.  Would I be able to wear a twist out or would my hair be a frizzy fuzzy mess????  I oiled my hands with Ampro Vitamin E oil and started untwisting. I did NOT separate the twists into smaller sections as  suspected this was what had caused my frizziness before. When all was said and done I was shocked at how good my hair actually looked and at how long my hair has gotten.  Although I will no doubt still wear WnG styles most often it is great to see how much progress my hair has made over the past year.  Now I have another style I can add to my bag of tricks.

Front view of my twists

Twist Out Results Yayyyyy!!!!

CoCO Curls

Below are previous twists and twist outs attempted over the past year

KK's Updo

KK, age 9, with an updo on a week old twistout

Side View

Side view with the flower

Back View

A view from the top

You guys have met my youngest daughter KK in other posts so no introductions are needed.  The pictures above are of a quick and easy updo  we created using three hair accessories. A banana clip (I purchased them in a 3 pack from Sally's for $1.99), a Goody brand rounded hair clip and a flower. This style is also a good way to get more wear out of a twist out. KK wore her twists done with Komaza Care Califia Moisturizing Cream for 2 weeks.  Then I took her twists down (twist out) and she wore her hair free with just a headband for a week.  Because I really don't want to do her hair until this weekend I decided to create a cute updo for her to get more days out of her twist out. First I sectioned off the area in the front to create the hump or Pompadour, then I used a little Curls brand milkshake (a light moisturizer) to brush up the sides and back all into one hand, then I put the banana clip horizontally around the hair that I brushed into my hand.   I fluffed the hair so you could not see the clip and turned my attention to the section in the front.  To create the hump I just brushed the hair straight up and twisted the hair and then pulled it down and secured it with the Goddys hair clip.  For a final feminine touch we added a flower to the side of the hump and that was it.  From start to finish the style took 3-4 minutes to complete.  This one of my favorite styles because you can dress it up and it looks like a complicated style and it only takes a few minutes to complete.  KK absolutely loves this style.  Look for more styles coming soon, as in tomorrow. lol I am taking my own twists down tomorrow and I will post pics of how I style them. 

GIVEAWAY!!!!!! Pura Body Naturals GIVEAWAY!!!!!

Cupuacu Hair Butter 

 4oz for $14.00

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Description from www.purabodynaturals.com
100% Natural
A rich creamy blend of natural butters and oils to combat dry, brittle hair.  Cupuacu is well known for its high fatty acid content which benefits dry, damaged hair while protecting moisture and leaving hair soft and silky.

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Ingredients: Cupuacu Butter, Murumuru Butter, Mango Butter, Illipe Butter, Organic Shea Butter, Virgin Coconut Oil, Organic Olive Oil, Jojoba Oil, Organic Brazil Nut Oil, Organic Mamey Sapote Oil, Castor Bean Oil, Herbal extract blend (horsetail, nettles, burdock root) and Essential Oil Blend/and or fragrance

IT'S GIVEAWAY TIME!!!!!!!!!!

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In order to enter the Naturally Nu Pura Body Naturals Giveaway please do the following:

1.  Post a comment to this post telling me why you want this product and how you will use it.
2. Subscribe to the Naturally Nu Blog by entering your email in the "follow by email" in the upper right corner.

Bonus Entry
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The Contest will run from May 21, 2012- May 30, 2012.  I will announce the winner on May 31, 2012. Get those entries in!!!!!! Good Luck!!!!!

Product Review: COCO Curls Moisturizing Styling Cream

Available at www.cococurls.com

8 oz $15 16oz $25

I was able to get mine at the World Natural Hair Show 2- 8oz for $20

It is thick and creamy and smells like butterscotch candy. Yum

From their website

"Coco Curls combines the properties of both  SHINE & MOISTURE, as well as HOLD & DEFINITION. A small amount goes a long way and works best with wet hair. You don’t have to worry about a white residue or greasy after affect – perfect for wearing a 2 strand twist style right out the salon! Coco Curls is made with all natural ingredients, that combine to nourish and strengthen natural hair." 

Ingredients:

Aloe Vera Juice, Shea Butter, Jojoba Oil, Coconut Oil, Cetearyl Olivate and Sorbitan Olivate, Hydroxypropyl trimonium Honey, Lactobacillus Ferment, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil (and) Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract,  Dehydroxanthan Gum, Fragrance Oils.

Minnie's hair in 2 stand twists with Coco Curls

The back

Twist out results after keeping twists in for a week and a half

Side View- Great Curl Definition

She loved her hair. Yes those are feetie pj's lol 

Beautiful Curls

I stalk YouTube for product reviews.  Before going to the hair show I saw lots of vloggers reviewing the Coco Curls Moisturizing Styling Cream and all the reviews were very positive.  I also knew they were going to have a booth at the World Natural Hair Show so I decided this would be a great time to give it a try because not only could I buy it at a discounted price but I could also get it without paying shipping. Winning! I have to say the ladies that were working the booth were very friendly and eager to help. They were running a deal to buy 1 for $12 or 2 for $20. I love a good deal so I walked away with 2.  When I got home I decided my oldest daughter, Minnie, would be the one to test this product. The label says you do not need a leave-in and that you can use it for wash n go's or twists. So for an entire week Miana tried using it for WnG's  both with and without a leave in. The result was not very good. There was not much curl definition and lots of frizz.  So I decided to try it for 2 strand twists. SUCCESS!!!!! She washed and conditioned her hair and I applied Curls brand creme brulee as a leave-in conditioner and then CoCo Curls on top and I twisted her hair. The results were amazing. The first pictures are of the day after I twisted her hair.  She wore the twists for over a week and a half and then took the twists out.  While her hair was twisted NO extra product was used, no water, no sprays and no oils or butters. Her hair stayed moisturized the entire time.  She did not even add any more product to her hair after she took the twists out.  It was not until day 3 of her twist out that I took a small amount of the Coco Curls and rubbed it through her hair.  Today she is still rocking her twist-out and it still looks really good. Today is day 5 of her twist out.  So lets add this up she had the twists in for a week and a half and so far has had her twist out for 5 days, that is over two weeks on one application of the product and I only had to do her her one time!!! Winning again!!!  I can say we really like this product and will purchase it again. I don't think it works well for WnG's but it is outstanding for twists. I give this product an A+++++++++.