2012 World Natural Hair Show

The 2012 World Natural Hair Show in Atlanta, GA was held this past weekend. To say I had the time of my life would be an understatement. This was my second time attending the WNHS and I must say this year was far better than last year. Last year I was pretty new to natural hair and still transitioning so I was trying to learn what products to use and how to "do" my hair.   However this year I had a whole new agenda.  I wanted to meet the people behind the brands that I have discovered over the past year and get great deals on products.  I  also wanted to meet many bloggers and vloggers that I follow. I did all that and then some, I even saw a famous actress in the mix.  The show was a huge success and my natural hair product stockpile has grown by leaps and bounds.

My WNHS Haul ; D

All the things I purchased except the 3 Shea Moisture products I gave my mom and the Jane Carter products that are on their way. 

As you can see from the picture I was able to gets tons and tons of hair products. Before arriving at the show I knew I wanted to get products from BASK, CURLS, Karen's Body Beautiful, Oyin Handmade and some raw shea butter.  Once I arrive I was lured in by the loud music, flashy lights and the aroma of great smelling products that just kept jumping into my bags : D.  And let's not get started on the the prices!!! Everything and yes I do mean EVERYTHING was offered at huge discounted show prices.  For example: CURLS had their 4 step CURLS Cocktails which are usually priced between $67-$79 show priced at $20!!! and yes they did sell out of these by the end of day 1.  There were other deals such as Shea Moisture products reg price $10 each were show priced 3 products for $20.  And lots and lots of free samples!!! All of the products in the front were all free products that were handed out. Beautiful Textures even gave away a swag bag with 2 FULL SIZED products if you "liked" their Facebook page. One of my favorites of the WNHS has to be Jane Carter.  Many of the Jane Carter products sold out due to the huge discounts but instead of saying oh well tough luck Ms. Jane Cater actually let you order at the show prices and is shipping the products to the customers for FREE!! Now that is customer service right there.  I was also able to talk to her personally and she is a very down to earth sweet lady. Great Job Jane.  The WNHS is definitely a great place to  learn about the new products coming out and to stock up on many of your staples. Look for reviews on these products coming soon. 

Me with one of my favorite vloggers makeupandbeautyjunkie on YouTube

8 Month Natural Hair Update

My favorite Hairstyle lately

I call it the Corbin Blue (High School Musical)

On April 2, 2012 I officially hit 8 months post Big Chop and 14 months relaxer free. I am so excited because I can finally see a big difference in the length of my hair. I have come a lonnnng way since my big chop on August 2, 2011. I know alot of people say this but I feel like I have learned so much along the way. I have learned a ridiculous amount of information about hair in general and the many mistakes I used to make with my hair. The biggest thing is reading labels and knowing what to look for in ingredients.  When it comes to your hair you have to read labels in the same way you do when you are trying to eat healthy. I was surprised to know how many "good" and expensive products contain junk. And just because a products calls itself "natural" does not mean it really is. People do your hair a favor and do you HOMEWORK. I will admit I am a product snob. If it has parabens, sulfates, silicone, mineral oil or petroleum in in I'm not gonna use it. Another thing I have learned is to see myself differently.  My hair used to drive me crazy when I was relaxed. It took so much maintenance to keep it looking good that I planned my life around the needs of my hair. For example if I was gonna work out I had to schedule at least an hour and half after my workout just to wash and style my hair. And that was after EVERY workout.  Now after a workout my hair still looks good! I love it, I feel so carefree.  I will be honest with you I did have a hard time getting used to really short hair.  My hair had been well below my shoulders for years so to go to about 3 inches or hair was rough. But as I began to matser the wash and go (WnG) my confidence and love of my hair soon returned.  I can honestly tell you I LOVE MY CURLS, LOVE THEM. I get stopped constantly by people asking how I do my hair, or asking what products I use and giving me compliments on my hair.  And the crazy thing is most of them could have the same look if they just stopped using the creamy crack.  

Though my journey continues and I am sure I will have many more lessons in natural hair I wanted to share with you what I am currently doing to style and maintain my curls.  A few posts back I told you all about my first love, Kinky Curly Products. Nothing has changed as a matter of fact I think we renewed our vows to each other. I did stray and try lots of new products and my hair slapped me for being stupid.  So I went running back. So here is what I have learned over the last two months. My hair loves Kinky Curly! So I have promised my hair it will not be tortured by other stylers anymore.( see my review of Kinky Curly products to see how I apply)  I will continue to try different shampoos, conditioners and deep conditioners. I will also try other finishers but I will continue to use Kinky Curly Products as my styler.  With the other stylers I have used my hair feels awful and the curls are just mediocre and I can only get 1 maybe 2 day hair.  However with Kinky Curly My hair is banging every single time.  And forget about 2 day hair I get up to 6-7 day hair!! Yes yall I only have to apply Kinky Curly once a week!!!! So it may cost a little more than some products but heck fire I only use it once a week so it lasts forever. All I do to my hair on most days is get it wet in the shower by quickly putting my hair under the stream of water  and then I shake it vigorously. When I get out of the shower I rub Darcy's Plum Nectar on my ends and I'm done!! If I am pulling my hair back I will add Oyin Handmade Burnt Sugar Pomade on my slicked down hair and that's it. I do that everyday until its time to reapply. And my curls stay frizz free, hydrated and defined. 

Below are some WnG styles from the past couple of  weeks

4 day Hair puff with bangs

3 day hair Corbin Blue style 

6 Day hair Puff

1st day Hair one side pinned up with KK

Product Review: Miss Jessie's Curly Pudding

Miss Jessie's Curly Pudding

Available at select Targets and many online retailers

8 OZ for $22

Has the consistency of well pudding

Smells sweet and fruity <~~~ I liked the smell

Ingredients:

water, parafinium liquidum, glycerin, triethanolamine, fragrance, carbomer, PEG-12 dimethicone, dipropylene glycol, silk amino acids, aloe barbadensis leaf extract, avocado oil, shea butter, sweet almond oil, jojoba seed oil, macademia seed oil, oleth05, ethylhexyl methoxycinnanate, disodium EDTA, DMDM hydantion, ext. violet 2

I got this product at a product swap sponsored by www.derbycitynaturals.com (<~~~~~ my fovorite blogger and a great friend) Now there is a great deal of hype out there about Miss Jessie's products. Their marketing team does an amazing job.  They are everywhere on the internet. If you are into natural hair at all there is no doubt you have heard of them.  Last year at the World Natural Hair Show in Atlanta they had one of the largest booths and even had models walking around handing out free Miss Jessie's t-shirts.  Despite their numerous adds I have been very hesitant to use any of their products because I am a self admitted ingredient snob. I refuse to use petroleum, mineral oil, sulfates or any kind of 'cone (different forms of silicone) in my hair, no exceptions. And the SECOND ingredient is parafinium liquidum, which is the fancy name for mineral oil.  I'm sorry no thank you Miss Jessie. (note I tested it in my daughters hair not mine. I'm so wrong for that) Another problem I have is the expensive price tag. How can a company use cheap crappy ingredients and charge such a hefty price.  Again no thank you Miss. Jessie's. But again I did not pay for this product it was given to me at a product swap so I figured hey I'll try it in KK's hair and we will see how it goes.  

So I washed and conditioned her hair I used both Curls brand shampoo and conditioner (you can find reviews of those on this blog too) I dis not use a leave-in conditioner on her hair as the products instructions say to apply to freshly washed hair.  I used the shingling method and then had her shake her hair vigorously. 

The slip was pretty good so it was very easy to distribute through the hair even without the use of a leave in conditioner. The pics below show how KK's hair looked right after application.   Her curls were very defined and pretty frizz free. I was a little surprised at how good it looked.  I'll be honest with the ingredients I did not have high expectations.  The last picture shows her hair after it had dried completely.  Meh, it was just ok for me. While the curls are still pretty defined her hair felt crispy and very dry. In fact it felt dehydrated again I go back to the ingredients there is not much there that nourishes the hair so I'm surprised.  So you be the judge is it worth the $22? And that's what's Nu today.

The 1st four pics below are right after the Miss Jessie's Curly Pudding was applied. The last pic was about 6 hours after application and hair was completely dry. 

Final Look 

Minnie's Transition to Natural Hair

My oldest daughter, Minnie, was born with a head full of thick pretty curls.  As a matter of fact she left the hospital with enough hair to put into ponytails.  I have always loved how thick and pretty her hair is.  At the age of 7 I let my hair dresser talk me into putting a texturizer in her hair.  She reassured me it was not a relaxer and she would retain her most of her curl pattern and this would make it much easier to comb her hair.  Because Minnie was going to be in her Aunts wedding I decided it would be a good time to have it done because her hair would look nice for the big day.  BIG MISTAKE.  Over the course of 3 years I watched my daughters mid back length hair go to a chin length bob.  I still have so much guilt for allowing her hair to be relaxed. I have learned so much more about natural hair in the last year and a half. I wish I had known the tips and techniques then that I know now she would have never had to go through that. Oh well you cant change the past.  But once we as a family decided to go natural in 2011 we have not looked back.  Minnie was the last to cut off her relaxed ends.  So after 13 months of twist outs, braid outs and rollersets on Friday March 16, 2012 I cut off the remaining relaxed ends.  The pics above show her typical twist out look and then her before pics right before I cut her hair.

After her BC was done she was so excited.  Since then she has mastered her own wash and go's.  She is loving playing with hair accessories and trying new products. I am so excited that she has embraced her God given beautiful curls. She told me that most of the girls of color at the elementary school have "fake" hair. I love that she is not afraid to be different. And that's what's Nu today

After her first "texturizer"

After her 2nd "texturizer"

Notice the breakage

With her hair in a Bob and her last "texturizer"

After the BC

WnG with KCCC 

100% Natural Minnie

Curls Goddess Glaze WnG

So you all know that I love Curls Brand shampoo and conditioner. So I wanted to review some of the styling products for you as well. As much as I love trying new products and giving you all the information my hair said " ummm I don't think so". Not because it does not like these products but because I have experimented with so many different products in the last few weeks. Enter my youngest daughter KK. I usually keep her hair in two strand twists because they last 2 weeks in her hair and she really likes how they look. She does ask me to do WnG's sometimes and since it's been really warm I decided I could let her wear her hair "out" and give you guys a review too. Winning!!! ;D Previous to this I had tried WnG's using KCCC and they looked great on her. So this time I went total Curls Brand on her. Curls has two different lines. Their salon line is available with many online retailers and on their website www.curls.biz. They also have a retail line that has less expensive ingredients and can be purchased at select Target stores and all Sally's Beauty Supply stores.(Sally's is offering $1 off all Curls products for the month of March.) Most of the retail products range from $7-$10. The salon products range from $10-$20

How I did her hair
First I washed her hair with the Curls retail formula of the Curl Cream Cleanser. Next I conditioned her hair with the Curls salon formula Coconut Sublime Conditioner. Next I sprayed her hair with Curls retail formula of Lavish Curls Moisturizer. Lastly I used my fingers to rake quarter sized amounts of Curls salon formula of the Goddess Glaze. Her hair came out really defined and soft. I could not believe how soft her hair was. I kept playing in her hair because it felt so good. Below you will find pics of how the gel looked in my hand, this was the amount I raked through the sections. I sectioned her hair into 4 sections by the way. I actually forgot to take pictures of her hair until the third day!!!! So the pictures below are after three days. Each day she just spayed a little of the Lavish Curls on her hair and shook it a little and was on her way. I really liked the way her hair came out and that she was able to get multiple days out of the style and she is a wild sleeper too. She does wear a 100% silk scarf at night but it comes off most nights. So overall these products get an A+ for a great WnG.

Darcy's Botanicals Products

4oz $12  Plum Kernel Nectar
Available at www.darcysbotanicals.com
And many other online retailers
Also available in Louisville at Go Natural Boutique

I love love love every product I have ever purchased from Darcys Botanical. For starters almost every products is $12 and they all smell amazing.


Let's start with the Plum Kernel Nectar. This stuff is amazing!!!!! It is a light oil that smells like a warm vanilla custard even though there is no fragrance added. I use this product two ways. First to seal moisture I spray about 5 sprays into the palm of my hand after I have applied my leave in conditioner. I rub my palms together and lightly run my palms over the top of my hair and then I apply my gel of the day. This helps seal in moisture and keeps my hair from getting that crunchy feeling that gel can give you. The second way I use the Plum Kernel Nectar is as a refresher. On the second day after I have applied my gel and for up to the fifth day I will get my hair wet in the shower, not soaking wet, I just stick my head under the water real quick and then shake my hair to revive the curls. Once out of the shower I spray my whole head evenly with the Plum Kernel Nectar and I'm done. My hair is left feeling soft and smelling great. This is certainly a Product I never want to be without. Darcy does have other spray oils available on their website but this one is by far my favorite.

Daily Cleansing Cream $12 for 8 oz or $20 16oz

 Pumpkin Seed Curl Moisturizing Conditioner $12 for 8oz or $20 for 16oz

I love both of these products. The Daily Cleansing Cream is a sulfate free low lathering cleanser.  It is thick and creamy and feels very much like a conditioner.  The smell is like sweet candy.  I really enjoy using this on my hair it leaves it feeling soft and full of moisture.  Following up with a conditioner in certainly optional with this cleanser.  The Pumpkin Seed Curl Moisturizing Conditioner is actually the first product from Darcy's Botanical that I tried and after one sniff I was hooked.  It smells exactly like fresh baked pumpkin pie. I love it! It has great slip and does a wonderful job at adding moisture to your hair. My hair is left feeling like I have used a deep conditioner. This is one of those must have products. This is one of the conditioners that is always in my shower no matter what.  

Curling Cream Gel 8oz $12

Madagascar Vanilla Styling Cream 8oz $12

Avocado and Wild Plum Twisting Cream- Glycerin Free 8oz $12

The styling products are just as great as the oils, cleanser and conditioner.  I have used the Curling Cream Gel on my oldest daughter for braid-outs and they turned out great. It smells like a watermelon jolly rancher and is like a creamy runny gel. For her very thick transitioning hair it worked great (see pic below)  I have used the Madagascar Vanilla Styling Cream for twist outs on my youngest daughter. It is very thick and great for hair that craves butters. (see pic below)  The Avocado and Wild Plum Twisting cream is excellent for twisted styles. It is like a thick lotion and keeps the hair twisted and seals in moisture very well.  I can leave my daughters twists in for two weeks and not have to add any products to her hair. (pics below)

Minnie with braid-out done with the Curling Cream Gel

KK with a twist out done with Madagascar Vanilla Styling Cream

KK with twists done with Avocado and Wild Plum Twisting Cream

Birchbox Monthly Beauty Subscription

Birchbox is a monthly subscription service. For $10 per month they send you various fragrance, beauty, accessory and hair samples and sometimes full sized products to try. I love products and I love trying new things so for only $10 a month heck yea I'll sign up. I have to tell you I was very unimpressed with the first box I got in Feb and actually thought about canceling the service. See the pics and list for what I received. Now I got my second Birchbox today and OMG!!!!! I am so glad I did not cancel. I love this box. So I have not tried any of the stuff yet. But I had to come and show you guys what I got. I will include a list of all the items in each. if you are interested in signing up you can go to www.birchbox.com

Oh so in other news I also joined Curlkit today which is the same kinda thing but for curly hair ppl who wanna try different products it's $20 per month and you can sign up for it at www. Curlkit.com

So I'm thinking of doing a giveaway would you all be interested? And if so what kinda giveaway would you like?

First Birchbox
Colorescience glow and go travel puff
Eye rock designer liner
Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy
Jouer pink lip gloss
Show Stoppers double sided tape in black and nude


2nd Birchbox
Essie nail polish full size in as gold as it gets
Twirl perfume by Kate Spade
Kerastase Elixir Ultime
Twistband hair tie
Tarte natural matte lip stain in lucky