The Real Secret Behind Detangling Curly Hair: The Coily Hair Edition

Hey Beautifuls,

I have a secret to share with you. In a moment, you will say goodbye to frightening wash days with regrettable detangling stories. In previous blog posts, I've outlined our detangling process--which remains the same to this day. Let me quickly bullet point them for you.

DETANGLING WITH EASE:

• Pre-poo (oil/conditioner on dampened hair prior to detangling)
• Goody (or any ball tip paddle brush) tool
• Start detangling at the very extreme tip of the hair ends. 
• Detangle under running water with your favorite conditioner
• Work your way up the hair shaft INCH BY INCH under the running water
• The thicker your hair, the more sections you will want to work in. I like to make approximately 4 sections  

These tips have helped us to detangle without any tears. Knots, tangles, rips and tears are at the top of the list why most people decide to put chemicals in their hair. 

What if I told you that I have a secret to drastically reducing the drama from coily hair tangles? If you have already implemented the above tips into your detangling routine, then you are half-way there.

THE SECRET TO DETANGLING COILY HAIR:

Have you ever heard of the Chinese finger trap? Here's a picture of it just to jog your memory. We've all played with it at one point in our lives. They're mostly given out at birthday parties. I remember my anxiety one time when I couldn't remove my pointer fingers from this coily toy. I was scared, so I started pulling harder. When I pulled harder, it actually tightened the hold on my fingers. It wasn't until I relaxed my fingers and stopped pulling that I could release my fingers from this trap.

The funny thing is that the Chinese finger trap is similar in design to coily hair. It is considered a helically wound braid. Designed with the helix structure, the Chinese finger trap could be likened to coily hair, which is described to "grow in a tiny spring-like, helix shape".

The helix structure (long story short) is made to tighten when pulled. The circumference of the coil will narrow. When speaking about the mysteries of coily hair, when the coil narrows, it will make detangling difficult. Why? Because the coil becomes resistant, and will not "give". When you pull with a detangling tool--using strength and force, the coil narrows and tightens. In effect, causing the need for additional force. 

The Chinese finger trap has been known to break when a user engages too much force. Ideally though, the user will just relax, and the trap will release. The same goes for detangling coily hair. While using the above referenced detangling tips, try doing the following:

• DO NOT engage your arm muscle force
• Simply use your wrist, while patiently and gently moving the brush along the length of the hair (starting at the extreme hair end/tips).

At first, this may seem useless, but in seconds, you will see that the brush will glide through the coils.


---------------------------------------------------------------------Always for you,
---------------------------------------------------------------------------tia

Bad Things Do Happen at The Hair Salon: The Coily Hair Edition

"So here's my dilemma, do I say anything--or do I let her continue to destroy my hair--and all of the progress that I've made so far? What would you do?"

 Photo Credit: darkskinnedblackbeauty.tumblr.com

If you've ever had to ask yourself that question while at the hair dresser, then this post is for you.

So today is a follow up to yesterday's post where I vent about our salon visit. Yes, the plot thickened, and I can honestly say that I was "ready" for the usual crud that goes on in these salons.

You see, unfortunately, learning about techniques and products that address all of the different types of curly/coily hair is NOT required training for a salon to be able to accept naturally coily haired clients. That being said, much goes on that makes absolutely NO SENSE in the curly world.

I have a friend who washes, conditions, and detangles her hair BEFORE she even steps foot into a salon. That way, all that's left to do is use setting lotion and roller set her hair. This master plan helps her to avoid damage to her ends, avoid lots of pain, and avoid regretful tomorrows. She says they always give her the "stink eye", and some stylists are straight up rude to her for doing this. I don't see why anyone should care, she's still paying good money. If there's any problems with the roller set (such as product build-up, hair not cleansed properly)--they can always let her know that was done by her.

I wish I had done this before I went to this salon. In all actuality, I wish I had never went to this salon. Going to a Dominican Salon in a "country" part of town is most definitely risky business. How much practice they've gotten with caring for coily hair may not be suitable for the best experience. I don't want a stylist "practicing" on me--while acting like they are a "pro".

That's exactly what happened in this instance. 

Not only could this stylist not manage my length, thickness, and tightly coiled hair--she could not detangle it, nor could she lay it down on the roller. By the time she wrapped a big mess of hair around the roller, the section was dry and puffy. You WILL NOT get a proper "set" with dry hair--it has to be soaking wet. So by the time I got from under the hair dryer, my hair was still a bit thick, and ashy--not sleek and bouncy as a wet set is supposed to be.

How Disappointing.

In regards to the improper detangling (using a wide tooth comb, starting from the roots, ripping and pulling), what did I do, you ask?

I asked her if she had a paddle brush. When she showed it to me, I asked her if I could show her an easy way to detangle my extremely curly hair. She was not happy, but I did it in a kind way so as not to "embarrass" her. I was the one being embarrassed by the way she was looking like my hair was breaking off her arms.

I showed her how to wet the hair, start from the ends and slowly work the way up the hair shaft. She seemed to have filed away a new tool for detangling coily hair in her mind--but she definitely wouldn't let me know that I knew better than she did. After all...she's the professional.

Would YOU take the brush away from a "professional" and detangle your hair? Or, would you sit quietly and let the stylist finish detangling (no matter the breakage, pain, and destruction to your hair). 

NOT ANYMORE. I sat by quietly for too long, while letting these professionals damage my hair. Most of the time I had to go home and cry (or be very upset). This applies to relaxer applications, hair trims that turn into haircuts, bad color jobs, and much much more. This is not limited to coily hair types...any woman can experience bad service at a hair salon. 

I just know now that I will keep my eyes open, and respectfully relate my wishes. After all, it's my hair.

 

Until Next Post................................................................................................................Tia

THE Curly Braidout: How to Get a Different Texture From Your Wash N Go

Hey Babies,

(left) Wash N Go: Less Volume    (right) Wash N Go: VOLUME

Hope your day is going well. Quick post to share what I've been doing with my wash n go's. The Spring/Summer seasons prompt lots of wash and curl definition types of styling.

Both T and I love to maintain moisture levels by cleansing (with a non drying cleanser), moisturizing, and defining coils with products. If you don't know how to ensure a moisturized, and long lasting wash n go, check out this post that has literally guaranteed our wash n go success.

I previously posted how I love to braid my hair when the curls have been defined. That creates volume, adds length, and can change the whole direction of how the hair will frame my face.

T hasn't tried this method as of yet. Notice how her wash-n- go lays flat (which is a wonderful option also LOL), and mine show massive volume. All she'd have to do to add the volume (if she so wanted) is to braid up her wash n go at night, and release in the morning...Voila!

I had some pictures of this cause and effect texture--wanted to show you guys that I get consistent results with this method. If ever you are heading somewhere and you need volume for your curls--this is definitely the ticket.

------------Until Next Post Babiesssssssssssssssssssssssss

----tia

BLOW UP YOUR WASH N GO! CRAZY VOLUME! The Coily Hair Edition

This post is for those of you babies who have ever wondered "how she get her hair so BIG?"
I see the tumbler pictures of the girls with the big, curly, luscious coils. I know that they have a cut (most of the time). I personally refuse to cut my hair right now. Only because I don't have a hair stylist I can trust with a pair of scissors. I don't feel like being on the news right now, okay?

That being said, I will show you how I use texture creation, and (sometimes) a blow dryer to create VOLUME, AND LAYERS:

1. Start with cleansed (not shampooed) hair. Moisture MUST BE intact.
2. On an old (or new) wash n go (or curls defined) MOISTURE MUST BE INTACT, separate hair into sections of anywhere between 4-8.
3. With a spray bottle (of water and oil, or just plain water), lightly mist each section and braid.
4. Leave this overnight, and take down each section.
5. Fluff and go -OR-
6. Take down each section and blow dry lightly (no blow drying the ends).

How do you achieve layers? Through the use of the blow dryer. The sections that you blow dry will stretch and show length. The sections that you do not blow dry will not show as much length.

I like to layer my hair by blow drying the back sections, and barely blow dry (or not) the front sections. This will create a layered look. This is where creativity comes into play. Just decide how much (or how little) you will blow dry based on your personal style preferences.

(left) Curls Defined (No Volume)     (right) Curls Defined (Volume)

With this process, I'm able to keep the coil definition, but stretch it by way of texture creation (the braids). This is not a braidout, but yet a combination of braidout plus coils. You will see the different coil pattern that you can achieve by this process.

PLEASE NOTE: If you choose to blow dry as a final means to the volume process, you will not be able to wear this style for much longer. The blow drying process tends to remove lots of moisture, and in effect will cause a bit of dryness. Dry hair does NOT hold style or definition for long. I only blow dry when I'm planning on a "night out" and want maximum length with my volume. However, I do so love the volume that I get from simply braiding on a moisturized curl-definition.

Hope this post was helpful. This process simply adds more versatility to my hair styling arsenal. It's a guaranteed way to add volume to your coils!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Sent with Love

--------------------------------------------------Tia (007NewNew)

How to Stop Fighting with Dry, Unruly Hair: The Coily Hair Edition

(Left) Fresh Washed, Conditioned, Oil Added. (Right) Oil Only Braidout

Naturally Coily Hair (while dry) With Castor Oil/Aloe Vera Gel Mixture

Naturally Coily hair (while wet) without any product

....just add water, your favorite moisturizer/oil combo, and your hair will speak to you.

For a while now, my hair's been "going naked".

 When I first went natural, and even throughout my transition, products ruled me. There are too many dag blasted products on those shelves! 

Now, I like the fact that I'm in control of my product purchasing and usage. 

Right off the bat, I love water as my main source of moisture. But you can be sure that the water will be dried out in a matter of 45 minutes if my hair is left loose with only water. At that point, my hair will dry hard and matte together. So I learned that along with the water, I NEED a leave in conditioning product. 

The thing is, I like to keep my conditioning/moisturizing product to 1 or 2 simple ingredients. One of my favorite moisturizing and sealing combo's are aloe Vera gel and Castor oil mix during the summer. I love oils! I seal with oil, pre-cleanse treat with oil, add oil to my deep conditioner. My hair can not get enough oils!

Mostly, I feel like my hair regimen and products are so simple, and that tactic has paid off. 

Keeping Products Simple will Show on the Strands. Lightweight, Easy Styling

 No Shampoo (only Amla Cleanse, Apple Cider Vinegar Cleanse, or wash with conditioner) = No coily tangled mess/dry hair.
No synthetic products (only natural products with minimal ingredients) = No layers of moisture-blocking plastics. This means I won't have to strip my hair clean with shampoos and be stuck with dry hair all week.

 I need an award from K.I.S.S (Keep It Simple Sister)! If you haven't tried to go naked (with your hair, silly) yet.....give it a try! Of course you will want to stick with your products if they aren't causing you any problems. But if you are often fighting with dry, unruly hair, maybe the answer isn't the "next best product". Maybe the answer is right in your kitchen. Throw some olive oil into your conditioner. Get rid of silicone with a bit of Apple Cider Vinegar mixed with water (1 to 3 parts). Review your stash of products. Do you REALLY love that leave in? I hear people say this all the time "I love such and such product, but later my hair felt dry". That's my first clue to stop using that product or ingredient...the after effects.

 I learned that my hair with only water will dry to a hard matted bush of tangles--by just letting it dry "naked". LESSON: Simply lubricating it with a moisturizer heads off that problem. Then from there...what I put into my hair really depends on the style that I plan to do (straight, braidout/twistout, roller set, etc). 

What's the least amount of product you can put in your hair for a style this Summer?

HELP! Why are My Roots Dry, Matted & Tangled: Coily, Relaxed, Transitioning Hair

Transitioning Hair Roots & Relaxed Ends
Require Thorough Deep Conditioning

Coily Roots Become Manageable All Week Long
After Proper Care

Have you ever spent a week with tangled, matted, dry, miserable hair roots?  It's almost impossible to style hair that is tangled at the roots. I've been known to just "ball up" my hair and carry on with my day. It's a foolish plan, it doesn't really work well, and it doesn't make for a pretty sight.

THINGS THAT BECOME DIFFICULT TO DO WHILE HAVING TANGLED ROOTS:

• Pull hair back into a smooth ponytail or bun (Not impossible, but there's just gonna be a mass of tangled hair in the center of it all).
• Wash or Condition hair properly.
• Treat Scalp thoroughly
• Run your hands (or his) through hair.
• Have a stress free hair day

MY KNOTTY ROOTS TRANSITIONING WOES:
I transitioned for 15 months and the first thing I had to learn was how to care for my tightly coiled roots. Mentally, I was ready to stop looking at my roots as a problem, or something I had to get straightened out. Physically, I didn't know what to do because I used to solve that problem by putting a relaxer on it. Since I was transitioning from relaxed to natural, that was not an option. That was when I learned to lay down my roots, in an effort to "match up" with my relaxed hair.

But guess what? FOR ME AT THAT TIME, THAT MEANT applying heat. I later learned how to lay down my roots, and give my relaxed hair a texture that would match my un-processed/natural hair.

Styling Transitioning Hair: Laying Down Roots to "Match" Relaxed Hair Length

This would only successfully be done on THOROUGHLY DE-TANGLED HAIR...ALL THE WAY TO THE ROOTS.

Fast forward (to the present) a head full of coils (no relaxed hair anywhere to be found), and I realize that from hair ends all the way up the hair shaft to almost THE ROOTS would be nice and tangle free. However, get to the roots and it would often be tangled, dry, knotted.

I started to wonder why this would happen, and through those musings I bring to you 

THE TOP 6 REASONS WHY MY ROOTS BECOME KNOTTY:

1. My roots are not fully de-tangled. Often times, due to reasons such as "tender-headed-ness" (is this a real thing?), feeling lazy, or just can't finish the job-my de-tangling stops right before the roots. TIP: It helps to feel your de-tangling tool brushing up against the scalp to ensure that the roots are fully de-tangled. 
2. My roots are not properly conditioned. Often times, the ends and the hair shaft receive the full benefit of a deep conditioner, but the roots are not navigated through thoroughly. I recall thinking my roots were "too thick" to get all up in there with my conditioner. Well, once my roots began to get properly deep conditioned, then they were no longer "too thick" to get into and spread the deep conditioning treatment properly. DRY ROOTS WILL TANGLE.             TIP: Go heavy on conditioner at the roots, rake through with your fingers, and finally place that section into a bantu knot (or bun), while giving the conditioner time to work it's magic. Don't be afraid to add your favorite oil to your conditioning treatment!
3. I'm Using the Wrong De-tangling tool. Wide tooth combs can not properly and thoroughly de-tangle hair (especially the roots). They are a great tool to START the de-tangling process with. I don't think that fingers can fully de-tangle hair roots, but they are a great way to partially de-tangle the hair. When the hair is not properly detangled, then product can not be applied thoroughly, and this may encourage matting and knotting.                                           TIP: Once your conditioner is generously applied, begin de-tangling at the hair ends. Start de-tangling with a paddle brush at only 1'' of the hair ends, slowly working your way up the hair shaft (one inch at a time). When you reach mid hair shaft, put down your brush and take your pointer finger and divide the section in half at the hair roots. Pick back up your brush and resume de-tangling this smaller sized section. This smaller section of hair was easy to divide because you had already de-tangled the ends. I love to keep water running on my hair strands while de-tangling with my paddle brush.
4. Left to Air Dry without Being Properly Moisturized. Air drying is great! Only problem is if the hair is not moisturized and sealed with oil--then it can become a dry, brittle, knotted nightmare. TIP: Even if you don't want to add a leave in product while air drying, adding oil will ensure that the hair will not dry and then tangle up. If you're worried about how long it takes product laden hair to dry, just allow your "naked" hair to air dry a bit before adding products.
5. My Use of Drying Products. Shampoos, Stylers, and other culprits can cause dry hair--which includes dry, tangled roots. I found that certain shampoos (when I used to use shampoo) would actually cause knotting mainly at my roots. You see, the roots are the "newest" hair, and will react without hesitation to products. Since the hair ends suffer the most damage, and are the "oldest" part of the hair, they will not coil up as easily as the hair roots. Oh they will tangle, but most of the scary balls of knots will probably be found at the roots. Products that are drying will encourage tangled, matted roots. DON'T FORGET SUBSTANCES LIKE CHLORINE, THE BEACH WATER, AND ANYTHING ELSE THAT CAUSES KNOTTING!
6. I've Got Product Build-Up. Need I say more? Flakes, white stuff, layers of products will encourage knotting. If not removed properly, product build-up will hinder proper detangling, proper conditioning, proper cleansing--and cause a mass of tangles, and knots at the roots.

As Always,


Love Tia

The Lazy Way Box Braids: Official Coily Girl Demo

 Start with cleansed, conditioned, stretched hair. This hair was stretched and air-dried first by using 4 plaits. I let them air dry for about 1 hour while I folded some laundry.

Next, each of the 4 plaits were undone and then made into about 4 plaits, totaling approximately 12 to 15 total stretched out plaits. Doing this on air dried hair elongated the coils--resulting in more length to start her box braids with.


While plaiting smaller to stretch, I lightly moisturized her hair with the Eden Body Works Hair Milk. It's a great, creamy leave in product with lots of oils. Taking one of the 15 plaits, I made even smaller box braids, which stretched the hair out even longer. These are the box braids that she will wear this week. I can guess that 

I did approximately 60 box braids throughout the entire head. 


  Why I call this a lazy way box braids is simply because I stop halfway down the hair shaft. Her hair measures over 19'' in length. Doing her box braids as small and as many as I planned to, would take longer than the 1.5 hours that this took. Probably just double the time. I think this process saved me about 1 hour.





After doing a section with 1/2 of the hair shaft left loose, I gathered it into a section and dampened it with water before braiding the whole loose section into 1 plait. I continued his process until I had about 5 or 6 sections with the loose ends placed into a big plait (as shown above).

RESULTS:

Water Only Provides Extreme Definition on Coily Hair

Some things to note about this process:

•  Keep the loose hair moisturized. It is important that the hair from root to ends stay moisturized, but it is especially important to keep the ends moisturized, since they are left loose. Loose hair tends to get dry quicker. I USE WATER TO RE-MOISTURIZE (EVERY NIGHT). The water re-activates the leave in that I used on wash day. The leave in that was used is full of oils (allowing me to skip the sealing with oil step).
• Nightly, moisturize and re-plait the loose ends. It takes me about 10 minutes or less to re-plait her loose hair into about 6 plaits. Satin Scarf or Pillowcase will help keep the frizzies away.
• This style lasts longer than your average braid out. Her hair gets frizzy quickly because it is fine hair. We plan to re-braid the hairline only after co-washing her hair this weekend. We're going to use this styling for another week.

Braidout and Box Braids: Coily Hair

Mastering the Braidout: Natural, Relaxed, Texlaxed, Transitioning

BRAIDOUTS: HOW-TO'S FOR RELAXED, TRANSITIONING, AND NATURAL HAIR

Natural Hair: Braidout on Flat Ironed Hair

BRAIDOUT ON FLAT IRONED HAIR

All mysteries aside, this texture is similar to relaxed hair--but not. Flat ironed hair will define well with a braidout, but will not hold the crinkled texture for long. HOW I GOT THIS LOOK: Used a water based leave in and did about 15 braids throughout the head. It wasn't difficult. THINGS TO NOTE: You can use a water based product on flat ironed hair--but you don't want it to be too watery. You'll need a little water in your leave-in product for the hair to properly "set". However, putting water straight up on this heated texture will revert the hair. So, keep it CREAMY, not WATERY. I only put product on my hair for this braidout on Day 1. After that, I simply re-braid nightly (less braids). 

BRAIDOUT ON TRANSITIONING HAIR

This is the most creative I had to get in order to get a good looking braidout on my hair!

With puffy roots (the unprocessed hair) peeking through, and the relaxed hair uncompromising, I really had to decide on product AND technique. I was known to play with products during my transition, which is important. I had to find out what my hair responded to. I often used creamy leave in--like the Bronner Bros creamy leave-in (I forget the name). So long as it was creamy and not watery, I gave it a try. HOW I GOT THIS LOOK: Fresh washed/conditioned hair. Product from root to ends (your product of choice). Most importantly, I had to accept the fact that my most perfect braid out while transitioning was accomplished with braids and a roller at the end of each braid (to match up the 2 different textures). It didn't match up completely, but it masked the difference a bit.  

Braidout on Transitioning Hair

The more braids: The smaller the waves

 RESULTS:

BRAIDOUT ON NATURAL (UNPROCESSED) HAIR

This picture was taken while I was transitioning, but I cut off all of the relaxed hair from my "bang" section. It gave me a good chance to experiment, and learn before my entire head was "all natural". Because I was working with such a small section, it wasn't as intimidating as a whole head of hair!

I did twists on freshly washed, deep conditioned hair. The results were phenomenal. I recall that I barely used any leave-in. Mostly it was the fact that I had recently used Cassia Obovata to deep condition my hair, and it was soft, pliable, and easily defined. I know I used oils, but I can't recall the leave in. I have been very limited in my leave-in use (even since I was transitioning). I don't think the leave in or "styler" is the answer to defined hair.

One of my Favorite Transitioning Hair Styles

THE FORMULA FOR BRAIDOUT/TWISTOUT DEFINITON

BRAID HAIR WHILE SOAKING WET: 
RESULTS: Tightly defined waves/crinkles. Lots of shrinkage. Long lasting texture. Great shine.

BRAID HAIR WHILE MOSTLY AIR DRIED:
RESULTS: Mildly defined waves/crinkles (hair needs maximum water for "set". Mild shrinkage--less definition, more length. May need to re-braid nightly, as the texture will not hold long. Luster/Shine will depend mostly on the product used.

Braidout on Stretched "Natural" Hair

BRAIDOUT ON STRETCHED HAIR (UN-PROCESSED) RESULTS: Loose texture. Lengthy. Will Revert Easily.


BRAID HAIR IN SMALL SECTIONS:
RESULTS: Smaller crinkles, longer lasting definition

BRAID HAIR IN LARGE SECTIONS:
RESULTS: Large Waves, Definition does not last long. Will need to use product to hold definition.


BRAID HAIR ON BLOW DRIED TEXTURE: 
RESULTS: Soft waves, Definition will not stay for long. Elongated=Length. Will Revert Easily.

Braidout on "Natural" Hair with Products

 BRAID HAIR ON NATURAL COIL/CURL TEXTURE (WITH WATER): 
RESULTS: Strong Definition, Lots of Shrinkage, Lots of Shine, Long Lasting Waves.

BRAIDOUT ON RELAXED/TEXLAXED HAIR (50% AIR DRIED): 
RESULTS: Strong, Defined Waves/Crinkles. Long Lasting Definition. Shine/Sheen. Will show some length.

Braidout on Texlaxed Hair 50% Air Dried (used Oil)

Braidout on Wet Coils Using Oil Only