Hairveda has arrived!

Yes, that's right. I am now the proud owner of some Hairveda products (and a Hair Rules sample too!).I didn't quite order what I said I was going to - oops - but hey, I can always get them another time...that's the benefit of having them now easily available at British Curlies.

Just a short and sweet post to let you know what I've ordered. Reviews will follow. 

From left to right: Champaka Artisan Bar; Moist Condition; Hair Rules Hydrating Finishing Creme (sample); Whipped Cream Ends Hydration, Whipped Gelly, Sitrinillah Deep Conditioner

The soap smells divine. It was a freebie that they're throwing in with all orders - nice! I can't wait to try them but now that I've overcome the problem of which products to order, I have the 'what do I try first?' issue to deal with.

Ok, so that's it from me...for now.

Thanks for reading.

Hairveda available at British Curlies

News Alert! 

Exciting times ahead...I'm going to be placing an order of Hairveda as it's now available at British Curlies. I've read loads of positive reviews so it's definitely worth a try. Right? 

It's so inexpensive as well (cheap just doesn't sound right). 

But there's a problem...

What to try first!?! 

This is my shortlist...(apologies for the picture quality...I've taken them from other websites)

Hairveda Noinah Thai Butter

Hairveda Moist Condition

Hairveda PUR Shea ButterCreme

Hairveda Whipped Clouds

Hairveda Whipped Creme Ends Hydration

Decisions....decisions. 

Well I'll let you know when the order arrives.

Thanks for reading!

Winter Hats for Curly Hair

I have a little problem when it comes to hats in general...they don't fit! Seriously I need to scour the shops before I can find a hat that fits over my head + curls and doesn't cause a hat line across my forehead. Alternatives to 'normal' hats were scarves wrapped around my head, dread hats and even coats with hoods. It's a little frustrating to walk into an Accessorize store and know that none of those gorgeous hats are going to fit properly. If I did manage to squeeze it over my head my poor curls would be squashed to nothingness (either that or I'd end up with some sort of Krusty the clown look).

I firmly believe that the snood is our little lifesaver. It's a wonderful accessory and is a great alternative to winter hats for curly hair. I picked one up a bargain the other day and I love it. Snoods are the new hats!  

 

I really love snoods now. I mean the name is really weird but hey...what's in a name. It's kept me warm so far and I definitely won't be leaving home without it.

Thanks for reading.

 

Winter Curls

I realised this week that I need a completely different hair routine in winter.Well maybe not routine but I definitely have to use different products and I think I'll be deep conditioning way more than before. With the heating on wherever I go: home/car/office, my hair was really looking parched. My deep treatments consist of a mixture of whatever oils I have in stock and right now it's: olive oil, castor oil, argan oil, coconut oil plus I add some Lustrasilk Shea Butter Cholesterol. I tried something new this week and scrunched in some unrefined shea butter (which I'd rubbed to form a smooth paste) after applying the DT. Ooooh did the hair gods smile on me for doing that. 

I've also been experimenting with styling products. The old faithful (Curl Junkie's Coffee Cocoa Cream) just wasn't cutting it. It just left my hair looking flat. Not the results that I'm used to getting from this product. So now it'll have to live in the cupboard until there's a hint of summer...which is probably only in about 6 months time. 

Here's a little collection of the week that was...(ps. this is the first post where you can actually see ME...still not sure how I feel about that) 

My hair looking a little thirsty on Monday night

And this is what it looked like on Tuesday...a bit flat for my liking hence the Curl Junkie's relegation to the cupboard. 

Wednesday I used only Lustrasilk and unrefined shea butter...result! Umm hi there :) So that's what I look like.

Thursday's hair was looking gooooood! Well that's my opinion. This pic was taken quite late (I was already in my comfy clothes) when I discovered an unopened sample of Jessicurl Oil blend for softer hair. I tried a bit. Definitely a keeper.

 So looks like I'm going to keep my winter curls routine pretty simple: co-wash with Inecto coconut conditioner (until I get something else) then rinse with Lustrasilk or Boots honey and jojoba mask then seal with one of the oils. I'll use Lustrasilk as my leave in and then scrunch in some unrefined shea butter. He he...reminds me of a hair colour...Nice & Easy.

Thanks for reading.

Curly Hair Obsessions

As a teenager and well into my 20's, I was constantly having my hair relaxed. In 2004 a lot of changes were happening: I ended the relationship that I was in, I quit my job, I decided to move to London and...I chopped off all my hair. Well, most of my hair - from below my bra strap length to just 2cm. It was like a weight lifted off my shoulders! Writing this I realise that the act of cutting my hair was a way to manifest all the changes that were happening in my life.

After the big chop I wore my hair curly most of the time. And while I haven't relaxed my hair since then, on the odd occasion I have used hair straighteners (just to see how long my hair really was, of course). The last time that I went for the silky smooth look (have you seen Don't Mess With The Zohan?) was in Feb 2009. 

I thought that giving up relaxers and hair straighteners would remove all hair frustrations. Boy was I wrong. When I think of all the things I used on my hair - I say 'things' because not all of them were actual hair products! Vaseline, baby oil, aqueous cream and body lotion all once part of my hair care routine. I've tried too many curly hair products to mention here. Curl enhancing and frizz free were the key words to get me to try a product. My biggest frustration was that I could use the same product and do the same routine on 2 different days and get 2 totally different results. I could have pulled my hair out! As I mentioned in my first post the turning point for me was The Proposal (our engagement, not the movie). In my quest for perfect curly wedding hair, I developed an obsession.

It started with me researching hair salons that could 'handle' curly hair. Then I started looking into curly hair care. There were loads of US sites which proved useful (and still do). The ones I keep going back to are Curly Nikki and Tightly Curly. In my quest to find something in the UK, I stumbled upon British Curlies and this is where my obsession reached a manic state. I would stay up until the wee hours because of the wealth of information on the site...and I wanted to know it all...NOW! I learnt about the CG (Curly Girl) way, curl type, porosity, texture, co-washing, plopping, cones, protein treatments, low-poos (that still cracks me up), the list is endless. I decided to have a go at the CG way because it seemed to work wonders for so many other curlies. I took my before photo and was on my way. The obsession didn't end there...I was taking photos of my hair every day and posting it in my Curly Hair Diary. I was still spending hours at the pc every night reading page after page in the forum. Coupled with this was a new obsession with products. I had to try everything! So I scoured the British Curlies Swap Board for samples of products.

About a month and a half before we were due to be married, we decided to postpone (don't worry, we're still very happy together). We were planning a wedding in the UK and realised that our shared dream wedding needed to be somewhere else...and now we're planning a beach wedding :-)

This decision gave me some perspective and I realised that this obsession (or any obsession for that matter) wasn't healthy. Focussing all my attention on one thing (my hair) was at the expense of a host of other things that deserved more from me: my relationship, work, studies, and me.

Have I given up curly hair research? No way! But instead of reading everything, I look for something specific. Right now I'm trying to learn more about protective styles. So when I go to the sites, that's what I search for, instead of going through all the posts and seeing what they can teach me. I'm not sorry that I brought my attention to my hair and that I've learned so much about haircare. The most important lesson so far has been this: at the end of the day, it's all about balance.

Thanks for reading.

Smile a While

So this isn't a blog just about hair. Cos I'm so much more than my hair (although there's PLENTY of hair...a whole mane of hair to be exact). I've heard about laughter therapy and while I'm very interested in the concept, I've not actually been to a session. I've also heard about Open Heart meditation and a friend who went to one of these sessions told me that you hold your hand on your heart and smile while meditating. This sounds lovely. I'm a big believer in the power of a smile. A BIG believer in the power of a...

Do you remember a song by Phil Collins called 'Groovy Kind Of Love'? Well it starts with 'When I'm feeling blue, all I have to do is take a look at you and them I'm not so blue.' I think that the rest of that line goes something like this...'because then I start smiling and all the blue thoughts get pushed out of my brain'. My theory is that this was the original way the track was going but then they could get that second bit to rhyme so they scrapped it.

Have I mentioned that I'm a huge believer in the power of a smile? I have? Good. There are days when I drive in peak hour traffic with a huge, very stupid looking smile on my face. It looks really goofy. Even if I don't really want to, I still smile. And it may feel strange in the beginning but you will get used to it. And by driving around looking like a happy weird person, I don't have a chance to get angry or upset with other drivers or the traffic in general. There's something about the anatomy of a smile that kind of suppresses a part of the brain that's responsible for these negative emotions. If I feel bad about something, a quick-fire way to overcome that is a smile. I'm serious (said with a smile). Go on, try it...pretty please. Have you tried it? See, it works.

I'm going to keep this one short and sweet because I've said what I needed to say... 

BUT here's what some other people have said about smiling...(didn't think you were going to get off that easy, did you?)

Today, give a stranger one of your smiles. It might be the only sunshine he sees all day. Quoted in P.S. I Love You, compiled by H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

A smile is a curve that sets everything straight. ~Phyllis Diller

The world always looks brighter from behind a smile. ~Author Unknown

A smile is an inexpensive way to change your looks. ~Charles Gordy

Always remember to be happy because you never know who's falling in love with your smile. ~Author Unknown

Everyone smiles in the same language. ~Author Unknown

If you don't have a smile, I'll give you one of mine. ~Author Unknown

Smile - sunshine is good for your teeth. ~Author Unknown

Everytime you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing. ~Mother Teresa

You haven't lost your smile at all, it's right under your nose. You just forgot it was there.

If you see a friend without a smile; give him one of yours. Proverb quotes

Smile, even if it's a sad smile, because sadder than a sad smile is the sadness of not knowing how to smile.

A smile happens in a flash, but its memory can last a lifetime.

Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy. 

And my favourite...

 

Thanks for reading.

Hair and Self Esteem

I was chatting to my niece the other day and she mentioned that she was doing her hair. 'Doing her hair' = getting a weave.The weave was essentially a protective style. She really wants to grow her hair and, like any good aunt would, I've been encouraging her to do research and learn more about how to take care of her hair. 

So what's slowing down the hair growth?

In my opinion, it's chemical straighteners. She's only 16 and regularly straightens her hair. Why? Because there's immense pressure for girls her age to look a certain way. I remember through my teens being sent to the hair salon to get my hair straightened. During my 20's it was more a case of Dad saying "Here's some money, go and get your hair done". This seems like a long time ago but not much has changed. There's still this pressure on females to conform to a particular picture. (If you haven't seen Good Hair yet, you should!)

Thankfully there's a natural hair movement that's talking about it being ok to wear hair naturally. That straight isn't the only acceptable look. We need more role models for young girls who are proud of who they are as they are and not the look that their money can buy. 

This isn't about judging. This is about a young woman who wants to grow her hair but finds her hair damaged because she wants to look a certain way. She doesn't have the self-confidence to go against the image she has of what good looks like and do what she really wants to do. 

So that's what this post is really about. Building self-confidence. Nurturing our children in a way that they choose a look that's their choice and not one they feel pressured into choosing. Do you know what I mean? It's about telling little girls and boys that they're beautiful, gorgeous and amazing...just the way they are. Something a little like this song...so that they can feel proud to sing this. Because, at the end of the day, 

Thanks for reading.