DevaCurl has Four Curl Categories

DevaCurl curl care line has categorized curls into four categories: S'wavy, wavy, botticelli, and corkscrew. Please see the attached picture for examples of each category. Most ethnic hair is considered curly or overcurly and would most likely fall into DevaCurl's "corkscrew" category.

If you are interested in other curl pattern pictures, please review our curl pattern review article on this blog: Curl Pattern Review

According to January 2011 Modern Salon magazine, 65% or more of all people have some curl or wave in their hair. When managing curly hair, remember some people need moisture only and others need moisture and control.

Those who need control should seek out curl care products with more weight to them in order to seal. Yes, you may feel some film on the hair or some firmness, but it should not look hard. You should see shine and curls that are set into place.

If you are not worried about control then moisturize and go! Leave-in conditioners such as Mixed Chicks is all you would need.

On a separate, note, according to Naturally Curly Network 2011, 48% of curly-haired consumers wear their hair curly 100% of the time.

Paul Mitchell Products now has added a Curl Care line. Honestly, all major product lines are adding "curl care" components to their existing line. I think that curly hair is here to stay until the economy gets better. Natural hair is less fuss and less styling time when you get a good regimen down.

December 2011 Relaxer Touch-up

I'm a little exhausted from the start of a full week, but the relaxer touch-up application went well. I had the hairstylist to use the Design Essentials Regular relaxer with shea butter and olive oil. (new improved formula) I was happy that I did not burn. Surprisingly, the back half of my hair still seemed resistant. So thank God it was not my imagination. The stylist agrees that the back half of my head does NOT want to relax as quickly as the front half of my head. She also mentioned that five weeks should be a good touch-up timeframe for me. I had a lot of new growth for under 7 weeks since the previous relaxer touch-up. We did roller set my hair with the Mixed Chicks leave-in conditioner. Also, we trimmed /cut again.

I am pleased with the Design Essenitals Shea Butter and Olive oil relaxer. I will probably use it again. Second day hair was good. I just put it in a bonnet and picked it back in place the next morning.

So your hair will not hold curls?

The True Indulgence Relaxer delivered fabulous results again . . . on another client who decided to return back to the relaxer! She and I were very pleased with the beauty of the finish. So the True Indulgence relaxer is still my favorite relaxer so far, but as you know from my last post, I feel that my hair won't hold curls as well now. I had been fighting for a while to get my hair to hold straight without burning up my scalp. Well, my wish has come true! But now, I want my curls to hold better. As you can see from my picture, I figured out how to make them hold! Yeah!!

So the secret to making your curls hold in case you potentially get overrelaxed is: Use a generous amount of Lightweight Curly Leave-in Conditioner to roll/wet set your hair with. (I fully saturated my hair with Mixed Chicks Leave-in conditioner after my shampoo, then rolled my hair.) The results are soft, hydrated, defined curls!

Your brain is churning right? Remember when using curl defining creams and leave-in conditioners, straighter ends will show up as you were trying to enhance your new natural curl pattern? Most people trying to grow their relaxer out to transition into natural would snip those straight ends away. So why not embrace the fact that the curl defining cream or leave in conditioner could be used as a setting cream for those straighter pieces? Now, apply that same principle to a whole head of straight hair that will no longer hold a curl. The curl defining cream absorbs into that straight, wet hair. The hair will feel heavier than foam or lightweight setting lotion, but you wrap the wet, generously saturated hair around the rollers the same as usual. The hair dries in the same amount of time or quicker because it is a leave-in conditioner versus a setting agent.

So how do you select the right leave-in condiitoner or curl defining cream? Because I learned a lot this summer experimenting with my natural hair, I know which creams dry stiff and which creams dry soft. You want the curl creams and leave-in conditioners that absorb easily into the hair, but they dry soft. The Mixed Chicks Leave-in conditioner was my obvious choice because it has a lot of glycerin in it. Kinky-Curly's Knot Today Leave-in is organic and leaves the hair soft as well.

The "cheap" curl creams may not work as well nor be as healthy. Then again, they may do just fine. You choose the cream or leave-in that works for you. This article is to give you the concept of how to make your potentially overrelaxed hair hold curl using a wet set. Enjoy experimenting!

Product Review: Kinky-Curly Knot Today and more

One of my clients that did the big chop told me that the Kinky-Curly line builds on top of itself so you need to use the whole line. I had played with the Curling Custard over a year ago. I could not get the hang of it. However, now that I started using the KeraCare Defining Custard, I realized they are both about the same product consistency. I just purchased the "Knot Today" leave-in conditioner to use with my existing Curling Custard.
Voila! Day one hair with Kinky-Curly leave-in conditioner and Curling Custard. Most Target stores have the leave-in conditioner and the curling custard. The SuperTarget stores with larger ethnic displays carry the whole Kinky-Curly line. I still used my KeraCare cleansing cream first! I will have to buy the Kinky-Curly shampoo soon. On a separate note, the leave-in conditioner is more organic than the Mixed Chicks leave-in conditioner. Because the Mixed Chicks Leave-in conditioner does have some silicone in it . . . it is probably a better fit for Type 3 hair as a final step. For those who need one extra final step . . . the Knot Today Leave-in conditioner seems healthier for the Kinkier hair that need a gel finish. I am looking forward to Day 5 hair . . . I will update this post then!

The Natural Look: Day 2 is a Charm

This is my Day 2 look! I slept on a satin pillow cover. I woke up and used Mixed Chicks Leave-in Conditioner to calm the sides and back down. The top remains untouched. I can get a week out of this look. My volume remains in place on top just by finger styling daily.
This my Day 1 look. My hair is a little flat for me. It is freshly hydrated. It has not fully swollen nor fully dried out. The drying effect gives me a "little afro" control. Some volume is always good for styling purposes. The volume comes naturally by the second day without any styling aids. Also, please remember that my hair is texturized; this is a regimen that is working for me.

It's humorous because those with oily scalps love first day hair but by Day 2 the hair starts going flat from the natural oils from the scalp. Luckily, product lines such as Rene Furterer have dry shampoos that do wonders for creating volume in Day 2 old hair with oily scalps.

UPDATE: This is Day 5 (five) hair! Exceptional! Maintenance: I shower without a shower cap so only nape and sides get a little damp . . . then follow with Mixed Chicks Leave-in conditioner. "Finger fluff" and go! The KeraCare Defining Custard softens up daily. Only the first two days is my hair a little firm.

Wash n' go Regimen for Type 3 curl pattern!

This combination seems to work great for Type 3 curl pattern, but not enough hold for a Type 4 curl pattern. I tried this combination twice, and twice I shrink into an "afro" within a few hours. Reminder: I have type 4 curl pattern. Actually, the difference between the regimens for Type 3 and Type 4 curl patterns is the last product used.

In detail, the regimen goes like this: 1) KeraCare Cleansing Cream: shampoo between 1 and 3 times as needed. 2) Towel blot. Skip the deep conditioning step if your hair is healthy and not too porous. Deep conditioning sometimes makes the hair strands too soft. 3) Use the Mixed Chicks Leave-in Conditioner to give you volume and shape. 4) Miss Jessie's Quick Curls helps give added control. The "Quick Curls" do not seem to hold Type 4 hair, but does great on Type 3!

Some folks may find the KeraCare cleansing cream and the Mixed Chicks Leave-in Conditioner to be sufficient as well. Two products instead of three . . .

These articles are designed to help you eliminate some trial and error! Have fun being natural!

Making Texturized Type 4c hair Wash n' Go!

Hair by Benita Blocker. This is a picture of Type 4c curl pattern that is "texlaxed" or texturized. The "Wash n Go" terminology is typical for Type 3 hair, but it usually means an "afro" for Type 4 hair. On the other hand, texturizing type 4 hair using a mild relaxer or a permanent haircolor reduces the curl pattern and softens the hair. This softening can cause the hair strands to go limp if the curl product is too oily or too heavy. So after a little trial and error, I discovered a "wash n go" regimen that seems to be light, curl defining, and prevents shrinkage (i.e. holds the style). Also, it is simple enough to repeat every morning! Yay!!!!
The regimen: 1) Start off with KeraCare Cleansing Cream. Shampoo with this between 1 and 3 times depending on how "soiled" your hair is. 2) Towel blot; skip deep conditioning because it will make the hair strands too soft. 3)Add Mixed Chicks Leave-in Conditioner. Use moderately. Too much may cause crystallization with the next product. However, you need this leave-in conditioner for volume purposes. 4) Work the KeraCare Defining Custard through the hair. This product consistency is like "egg whites" but not sticky. 5) Style and diffuse or style and air dry.

Voila! Three products and about 15 minutes max!

NOTE: The hair should be cut or shaped to support a wash n go style. Also, texturize the new growth as needed. If you are wetting the hair everyday, you will not need to texturize as often. Also, I tried the KeraCare Natural Textures Leave-in Conditioner. It worked fine, but it has propylene glycol in it. The Mixed Chicks Leave-in conditioner is healthier for the hair because of the glycerin in it. Please see my other articles on propylene glycol and other potential cancer causing ingredients.

Going natural is a great summer experiment!!!! Enjoy!

Natural Hair Styling for Type 3b Curl Pattern

Hair by Benita Blocker. In order to achieve this shine and curl definition on Type 3b curly hair, I shampooed three times with KeraCare Sulfate-free Cleansing Cream. The KeraCare cleansing cream is not a deep cleanser so that is why I used it three times. I desired a clean scalp without drying the hair out. For additional conditioning, I used the Mixed Chicks Deep Conditioner. (see separate article about Mixed Chicks brand) No heat. Just 5 minutes massaging and manipulating the natural curl pattern. Then rinse.
I towel blotted the hair leaving it pretty wet and began applying and twisting the hair using Design Essentials Defining Creme Gel one slice/section at a time. Then client has to dry under pre-heated dryer for about 30 minutes or so depending on length of hair. Then Voila! No extra shine products nor leave-in conditioners needed. Hair by Benita Blocker.

Review: Sedal Obedientes Curls hair products

Sedal Obedient Curls Anti-Frizz hair products are perfect for all curly hair type 2 and 3 curl patterns. It is great for those with permanent waves as well. The shampoo and conditioner perks up the curls for fine and medium textures without weighing them down. The Sedal leave-in conditioner is good for Type 2 curl patterns. The Mixed Chicks Leave-in Conditioner is better for Type 3 curl patterns. Type 3 curl patterns often need the extra frizz control and can support a little more weight.

Where can you buy the Sedal line? Most spanish based stores such as "Compare Foods supermarket" and Mexican convenience stores. Sedal products typically cost around $8 to $11 for the conditioner. This is a very affordable curly hair product line that delivers great curly results!

Mixed Chicks Leave-in Conditioner is being carried in more and more beauty supply stores nationwide. Blooming Beauty Supply and Salon in the Northlake Mall carries the Mixed Chicks line.

Sally's Beauty Supply offers Beauty Knockoffs!

OMG! I was in Sally's Beauty Supply recently, and I saw so many bottle and product packaging that looked like brand names from the first glance. I thought I saw "AG" "Rusk" "Moccocan Oil" and pictured here "Mixed Chicks." But look closer the product pictured says "Mixed Silk." The shape of the jar and colors look like "Mixed Chicks" packaging. Even the "Mixed Silk" shampoo was the same color as the "Mixed Chicks" shampoo. I was amazed. I picked up this jar of conditioner to look at the ingredients. Guess what? They had used propylene glycol instead of glycerin to make this conditioner. The original Mixed Chicks deep conditioner uses glycerin which is much more expensive and healthier for your hair. Please see my articles on Mixed Chicks deep conditioner and the brand Onesta which is free of propylene glycol.
Also, I found knockoff tools in Sally's. This "root control" tool entered the market about four or five years ago by a company called R Session Tools. It runs over $100. This knockoff is half that price in Sally's Beauty Supply.
I do not know about the quality difference. I purchased the original tool about five years ago, and I did not feel that it was healthy at high temperatures for ethnic hair. Heat protection sprays were needed. My original Root Control tool by R Session Tools eventually fell apart. I may have dropped it one too many times, but the thrill was gone within six months of purchasing it. That round cylinder heating element in the center either did not hold the hair straight or when too hot, seemed to cause erosion of the hair cuticle resulting in longer term damage.

In summary, please compare ingredients when considering the "knockoff" versions of beauty products. They may smell alike and look alike, but they may not work exactly the same. Also, the knockoff versions may be more diluted so you may use more at one time than if you bought the higher price concentrated original brand name. With the knockoff tools, I have not received any feedback on the differences. I only purchase brand name tools for professionals.

This was a quick review on off-brand hair care products and tools from Sally's Beauty Supply/stores.

The Best Detangler for all natural hair types!

Type 4c hair? No worries! Mixed Chicks deep conditioner softens all healthy hair types! So if you are naturally curly and not too "heat trained" then this conditioner works very quickly to detangle without any heat. 30 seconds to 5 minutes and rinse!
Mixed Chicks Deep conditioner works great on hair with tightly closed cuticles, and it will not weigh it down. On hair where the cuticle is eroded from heat damage, I have found this conditioner to not absorb into the hair. However, once the damaged hair has begun to heal and the natural curl pattern starts to return, then this conditioner will absorb and work fine. The use of "organic" coconut oil that is bought from a "Organic Specialty" type store is recommended as a pre-shampoo treatment if you think that your hair is heat damaged. Note: Organic Root Stimulant product line has a "coconut oil" blend, but this is not the same as a more "pure organic coconut oil." Also, many other product lines are adding coconut oil to their ingredients.

Organic specialty stores include places like The Vitamin Shoppe, Earthfare, Healthy Home Market, Trader Joes, and Whole Foods stores. Please search for my separate article on coconut oil.

Looking for Mixed Chicks Deep Conditioner? Beauty supply stores nationwide are starting to carry it or just purchase online from the Mixed Chicks website.