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Fantasia IC Hair Polisher Styling Gel
Tuesday, May 13, 2008

I don't hype products; that's not the purpose of this blog. However, I am a happy woman when I find something that works. And Fantasia IC Hair Polisher Styling Gel works!

My hair is kinky, not in the least curly. Outside of an old school jherri curl, I didn't think I could have any.

Well, this product helps my 4a-z hair show some curl! Small waves and itty bitty curls! I am astounded. I get a curl when I put a deep conditioner in my hair. This stuff does it without a strong scent, stickiness, and it doesn't dry hard or crispy.

Nice.

How I apply: after I wash my hair. While it is still damp, I take a section - like for a medium-sized plait about an inch or more - and work in the product from root to tip. The hair gets wavy / curly. To keep the style and my hair moist, I wear a perforated shower cap. I also re-wet my hair and re-apply product. I wash out the product by day three. Too much build-up is no good.

By far, the easiest hairstyle of all: loose, lovely and low-maintenance. It's almost completely wash and go.

Labels: curls, deep conditioner, Fantasia IC Hair Polisher Styling Gel, IC Fantasia, kinky, natural hair

posted by GoldenAh

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Garnier Fructis
Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Dry Hair

Everyone has different hair requirements. I am a 4a-z with hair that is fine, medium density, kinky, coily, textured, cottony, or nappy. It is rarely hard and never coarse.

Did I mention how fragile and delicate my hair is?

I envy people who can comb, flat iron, and blow dry nearly every day. It's hard keeping my hands out of my hair. At a minimum, I let three days pass before I comb it again.

What I want from a hair product is that it leaves my hair feeling soft, moisturized, and easy to comb. It's amazing how many products do the first two and not the last one!

Research

Periodically, I must switch products.

I read hair boards, searching for conditioners and gels with the best reviews. I evaluate based on hair type. I don't ignore other hair types. I note those with similar problems: dry hair, often brittle, which leads to breakage.

Garnier Fructis Moisture Works Fortifying Cream Conditioner

For now, this product works. I love the smell, and I can comb my hair after I've washed with it.

Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Leave-In Conditioning Cream

The first time I used this product it left my hair a sticky, clumpy mess with a lot of white residue. I don't know if I finally figured out how to use it or what, but I love this stuff now.

It is excellent for helping me unravel my twists or plaits. The drier my hair is the tighter it gets. This product makes my hair slide apart wonderfully and easily. There's no snapping plaits apart with this.

Overall, I'm satisfied with Garnier Fructis for now.

Labels: damaged hair, Garnier Fructis, hair, kinky, nappy, natural hair, plaits, two-strand twist

posted by GoldenAh

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Hair Matters: Don't Do it Again
Monday, March 31, 2008

Trying Something New

I went against my own credo to leave my hair alone and stop experimenting. Out of curiosity - because I'm always curious - I decided to try something new: leave conditioner in my hair.

Now, I'm asking myself: Why did I do that?

I did it, because I wanted to see if I could emulate a loose curl, kinda wavy look for my hair that I get when I put in conditioner. I may still seek out a product that does it, but I don't want a sopping wet, heavy mess that feels like a jherri curl.

What I Learned

I've been seeing breakage on the ends I haven't seen in years. It's not as bad as used to be in the past, but any little amount is alarming to me.

So, I will note to myself: never leave conditioner in the hair again. Sometimes one can overdo it and I have to keep it simple. My hair doesn't want more of anything, it requires less.

Wet Two-Stand Twists

Recently, I've discovered that I can't twist my hair while it's damp anymore. That used to be the fastest way for me to take care of my hair. I'm not big on detangling, or combing hair. I don't see the point. I don't trim my hair either, unless there's a knot I can't undo.

My hair knots up in twists so bad, I can't open the twists without cutting the ends or snapping the hair apart. It's horrible. I don't know why. It doesn't matter what I put in my hair. I just know I can't twist or braid it while damp. I have to wait for it to dry.

That sucks.

At a current length of being an inch or so from bra-strap, or between shoulder blades, my styling options are being challenged. I have to stick with big plaits, but not too big. At the moment, eight plaits work.

The oil of choice, right now, is castor oil. But since I can't wet my hair at the moment unless I'm going to wash it, this is the product that softens my hair.

Maybe it's the weather and come the Spring / Summer the dryness and tightness will go away.

Labels: castor oil, hair, kinky, nappy, natural hair, two-strand twist

posted by GoldenAh

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Hair Confession: Nappy Head Check vs Relaxed
Thursday, August 16, 2007

I do not believe that black women who do not relax / perm their hair are more politically or socially aware, or even nicer / friendlier than those who do. Nope.

People are complex, complicated beings. A hair style doesn't tell me anything about them.

I think a number of people do make interesting assumptions. Think of the evening news after a mass murder has been committed.

What do the people usually say? "But he was such a nice, normal guy." My favorite is, "That doesn't happen in this kind of neighborhood." I always want to slap the person who utters that kind of nonsense. They are so caught up in their idea of specialness. Anything can happen in any neighborhood. Sheesh.

I do, however, make assumptions with regards to relaxed versus natural hair styles. My thoughts relate to health and normalcy.

I read my share of magazines, and the first thing I do is seek out pictures of black women. I'm always curious as to how the media is portraying us lately.

I'm moderately pleased to see that natural hair is quite popular. The hair styles range from nappy kinky coily curls in Afros to twist outs big or small. All of which I regard as normal.

Yeah, I said it, normal. My internal programming says that a black woman with a natural hair style is normal. Whenever I see relaxed hair, I regard it as abnormal. I'll explain why.

A relaxed hair style makes me think: Wow, I hope she's okay.

I know that may be out of the norm thinking. In fact, a hair study shows that relaxers don't make black women sick. In an age where coffee is good for you one day and bad the next, I'll take that report with a truckload of salt.

This report comes about because researchers have found that a particularly aggressive breast cancer targets black women more than white women.

I'm not making any assertions that relaxers cause breast cancer in black women.

I automatically think there is a connection: I can't help myself.

To recap my hair fixation, if I see a natural hair style I think: she looks normal. If I see a relaxed hair style, in the back of my mind, I'm hoping that the woman lives a long and productive life.

Labels: breast cancer, hair, health, kinky, nappy, natural hair, relaxed hair

posted by GoldenAh

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