1. Trim ends often - it may sound counter intuitive when trying to grow your hair out to add cutting/trimming into your curly hair routine. But when you think about the science of hair, it makes sense. Hair grows at a rate on average of about 1/2 inch per month. The recommendation is to trim your ends about a 1/2 an inch every 3 months. This would net you about 4 inches of growth every year. This is pretty substantial if you are dealing with a TWA. It's also the difference between ear length to shoulder length hair. But if you are trying to grow your hair, why should you cut any of it off anyway? Well, your ends are the oldest part of your hair and they tend to be more dry, brittle, and susceptible to fairy knots and split ends. Ridding your tresses of this adds to the overall health of each strand.

SunKissAlba 

I can pretty much guess that the majority of us curly naturals are product junkies! I mean how could you not be? There are so many great brands and products out there nowadays that we just want to try them all! And don't get me wrong, it's good to experiment and try new things but there is a limit to all this fun. You don't want to go online or in a beauty supply store and go crazy because a product looks good, gets rave reviews, or smells amazing! You want to be able to pick your products with purpose and according to what you have/don't have in your collection.

Hey Curlfriends! I'm back at you with another trio of goodness, 3 steps to effective deep conditioning. As a curlie, deep conditioning is your bestfraaand! It will help make your curls soft, smooth, and healthy! There is nothing like a full head of curly hair that when touched, feels like silk! Ok, ok I may be going a little too far! But honestly, deep conditioning is life! And I have here, just for you, how to get the most out of your deep conditioning treatments! Let's get started...


Step 1. Coat all strands evenly - every single curl needs love. And a good deep conditioner is just what the curl doctor ordered for your tresses. So it is imperative that every last hair strand end up with product on it. The best way to apply the product is to section the hair. The amount of sections will depend on your hair density. The more hair strands you have the more sections you will end up with. I have medium density hair and can usually apply product to all my strands in 6-8 sections. Use your fingers and/or a wide tooth comb to get the tangles out and help coat the conditioner on your hair as well. Once you've applied the product, you're ready for the next step...

Man oh man, do I love me some leave-in conditioners!! When you have curly hair, you live by this stuff! Leave-ins are key to helping your curls add and maintain moisture.

Finding the perfect leave-in can be a bit daunting considering the amount of brands out there nowadays.  I've tried quite a bit, but lately, as I continue on my healthy, curly hair journey, I tend to lean toward more natural products. In my quest, I've found 3 that I really love!

1. Eden Bodyworks All Natural Shea Leave in Conditioner - this product not only moisturizes but also has some hold. As you can see in the picture below, curls are super defined. It smells like coconuts and has a watery, smooth and sticky consistency.



2. True by Made Beautiful - you get very little to no hold with this one so it gives the hair nice and fluffy, shiny curls as pictured below. It smells amazing. It's very fruity and the smell lives up to its honey, mango and coconut ingredients. It has a more watery consistency than the Eden leave-in and is not as sticky.




3. Kinky Curly Knot Today - thicker consistency than the previous two, so you have to be careful with the amount you use, especially if you have low density and/or fine strands. It gives a little bit of hold, yet leaves the curls soft and manageable. It smells more sweet, almost candy-like.


I love the versatility of changing up my products to achieve the look I want with my hair. Although it's always fun to change things up, some products don't always work well with my hair. In my case, even though I live by Shea Moisture products, the Raw Shea Butter Extra-Moisture Detangler does not do well with my hair as a leave-in. On the flip side, my husband's hair loves it! It gives his curls great hold and shine.

Having curly hair doesn't have to be overwhelming. If you use something that doesn't work well with your hair, no need to re-wash your hair, just spritz away with a little water, and put it into a protective style! Check out an option below - 2 strand flat twist:



I hope you enjoyed my review on 3 of my favorite leave-in conditioners. Leave a comment below and let me know what your favorite curly hair leave-in conditioners are!

Hey Curlies!





<3

N

Hey Curlie! I'm coming to you today with my Spring Wash and Go Styling routine. Yes, yes, spring is in the air and that means warmer weather and new beginnings! With the harsh winter weather behind us we can begin to use lighter products with our curls.

The winter months tend to give me dryer hair, so in essence I do welcome the more rainy, moisture in the air weather that spring brings. You may be thinking, "Girl, what is wrong with you? Moisture in the air equals frizzy hair!" Well, this can be true...however frizzy hair due to rain, humidity or any other type of moisture in the air is only caused when the curls don't have enough moisture in them. Hair yearns for moisture so when it lacks moisture, it will be drawn to it. Hence why the hair almost magnetizes itself to the environment and away from your head on those types of days.







The key is to maintain well moisturized hair throughout spring, and all year really. I like to go in with a really light leave-in after washing my hair. Again since the air is not so dry in the spring we can get away with products that aren't so heavy. One of my favorite leave-ins at the moment is TRUE by Made Beautiful's Nourishing Leave-In Conditioner. It has shea, honey, coconut and mango. And the smell is out of this world; it is so good! It takes me back to my roots...tropical, island girl!









I love using creams in my hair, but since I have fine textured tresses I've had to do quite  a bit of trial and error to find the perfect cream that doesn't weigh my hair down or cause product buildup. My all time favorite is probably Shea Moisture's Curl Enhancing Smoothie. However, I recently tried Cantu's Coconut Curling Cream and I am in love. I'm a big fan of anything coconut and I am especially loving the creamy, velvety texture this cream has. It's almost a mix between a regular cream and a whipped cream. Not as light as whipped but not as heavy as some other creams out there. If you haven't had much luck with creams for your hair, this one is definitely worth giving it a try.












And finally, I've been sealing the leave-in and cream with DevaCurl's B'Leave-In Curl Boost and Volumizer. And to me its the perfect, light gel product that gives great hold. In the dry winter months I like to use Shea Moisture's Curling Gel Souffle but for spring, it doesn't always work for my hair. The Gel Souffle has an oily, thick consistency, which is complete opposite from the DevaCurl B'Leave-In, which has a more watery based consistency.


Switching things up also helps my hair not get too used to a certain routine, giving my hair the ability to adapt to various environments.

I hope this was helpful and you consider giving these products a try! If so, let me know in the comments below how it works out for you!

<3 N

THE RESULTS!! :)