Do You Wear Your Coils Out?

Gel Application Straight From the Shower Can Lay Down Your Curls!

Moisturized Technique: Allow Coils to Expand

Shingling Technique: Coils Expand Once Dried

Puffs are a Fun Way to Wear Coils!

Is it just me--or do you notice coily haired models, ladies on tv commercials, ladies in magazines? I even noted the Reebok advertisement with the coily haired model! Looking in the mirror, it still shocks me to find that I have those coils too! Two years into my FULLY NATURAL status, I am still amazed at the versatility of my hair. Now I just have to embrace that freedom that is mine to wear my coily hair OUT. Yes, wear it as a style. Just like I wear my braidouts, twist outs, straight hair, and all that other good stuff. 


Do you wear your coils out? 
Do you know how to awaken your curls and style them? 
Do you know the products that work for your hair? 


So many questions--and some without definite answers. Products that work for one head of hair can be totally ineffective on other head of hair! 


There are basic needs when preparing to style and wear naturally coily hair. 

• You will need to begin on either washed or co-washed hair (hair that has been washed with conditioner only). 

• Next, you will find a good moisturizer to be helpful. All the while, you will want to work with damp to wet hair. The application technique you use will determine how your coils will lay. 

• Working with soaking wet hair and sliding gel throughout your hair from root to ends will usually lay your coils down in a flattened position. Shingling (or running your gelled fingers through sections of hair) will usually coat the curls, which will later "rise" to a puffier position. 

All of this will vary by hair texture/type. Most importantly, I encourage you to practice and try different techniques on your hair. That way you will know how your hair will respond, and your coily hair days will not be a mystery!

Top 5 Mistakes I Made That Caused Me To Put A Relaxer on My 7 Year Old!!

Yes, you read right. I put a relaxer on the head of my 7 year old girl. She was heading into 2nd grade, and we both were "ready". Just so you know, we spent every Saturday afternoon with a terrible wash day regimen. The regimen was as follows: I would comb, she would cry. It was pretty simple. I did not know what to do with her waist length curly/coily hair! Neither could I find a hairdresser who was willing to work with her natural hair. They kept telling me to relax her hair! That's not the reason I did it. I relaxed her hair for what I thought would be freedom. It was anything but freedom. I will share that experience with you at another time. This article is to make you aware of my TOP 5 MISTAKES WITH MY NATURAL GIRLS HAIR...

1.) Use of Wrong Products in her hair. Harsh Shampoos made specifically for straight hair did not provide the moisture that her naturally coily hair needed. CAUSE: Harsh shampoo on dry, curly hair. EFFECT: Dry, brittle, ashy, breaking, natural hair that will not retain length properly. Will have no sheen/shine, will appear "nappy" as they call it.

2.) Did not know about Deep Conditioning & Moisturizing. OK everybody, this was around 2004!! No, I did not know about deep conditioning and moisturizing. CAUSE: No moisture imparted into dry, coily, shampoo'd  hair. EFFECT: Dry, brittle, ashy non-tolerant hair that will break with every comb/brush movement. In turn, will not retain length, and will also thin out.

3.) I did lots of Blow Drying before any style. I blow dried her hair approximately 4 times a month. Every time we washed, then it was blow dried. CAUSE: Already dry, brittle, natural hair forced to withstand the heat of a blow dryer every week. EFFECT: Dry, brittle, ashy hair breaks off at the ends, and the ends are thin, see through. The hair will not only retain length, but will LOSE length.

4.) Use of wrong de-tangling tools/techniques. Using a comb while the hair is soaking wet is not always the best way to manage hair that is already under stress. It is so important to find the best detangling technique for each different condition of hair. CAUSE: Wrong tools/techniques used for detangling  EFFECT: Broken/split ends, thinning out hair. Hair becomes weak because it is unhealthy and thin. Shorter length hair with thinning ends.

5.) Viewing her hair as an inconvenience. I saw her hair as "not easy to deal with". Since I saw it that way--then so did she! Also, since I saw it that way--and I could not find hairdressers willing to work with her hair, then I did not care about her hair enough to research the correct way to manage curly, coily hair. CAUSE: Bad view of coily hair  EFFECT: No care, Bad Care, Broken, Damaged Coily Hair. (Hey, that rhymes!)

WHAT DID ALL OF THIS ADD UP TO?

BECAUSE OF THESE 5 TOP REASONS THAT I PUT THE RELAXER IN MY 7 YEAR OLD'S HAIR................

I NEVER GOT TO SEE HER TRUE CURL PATTERN

I DIDN'T KNOW THAT SHE HAD CURLY HAIR

I THOUGHT HER HAIR WAS BUSHY/FRIZZY

THE HAIR SHE HAS TODAY (AT AGE 14)--I NEVER SAW IT....

Natural Hair Girl: KEEP ME COILY

...I NEVER SAW IT.

Quick Tip #1 Detangling Natural Coily Curly Hair After A Long Term Style

Scream-Free detangling is what we all want. Taking down two strand twists? Ensure that the roots are entirely untwisted. When you're ready to detangle, get a spray bottle and fill 3/4 with water, about 4-5 pumps of your favorite conditioner, and about 2 tablespoons of glycerin. Shake Well. 

1. Spray some of this mixture on the hair (so you can easily part into 4 sections). Once you've parted, secure each of the 4 sections with clips. 
2.  Next, rub some of your favorite oil down the shaft of each section in a smoothing motion from root to tip. This will help get rid of the shed hairs that accumulated in the twists/braids/etc. 
3. Next, saturate each section with your conditioner mix. Take a little time to use your fingers to gently move through each section. Finger detangling is an excellent way to prepare the hair for brush or comb detangling! 
4. Once you  have finished spraying each section, then place each section into a bantu knot. Once finished, cover head with a plastic cap for about 20 minutes. This will ensure that body heat combined with the spray will assist in an easy detangling session. 
5. If you choose to begin detangling at this point, use your favorite detangling tools and gently begin from the ends and work your way up to the roots. Work with small sized sections. 
6. Once finished with all 4 sections, you are now ready to wash with ease. I would recommend washing the hair in the already parted sections. Doing one section at a time. This same process works well on braid-outs, wash n go's, and other styles that you are finished wearing! Try it out!