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Hairveda Whipped Ends Hydration

Hello curlies, i've been gone for a while- but I'd like to review a product a ordered from British Curlies Hairveda Whipped Ends Hydration. The product was quite cheap for the size- about £6. So i thought why not. The delivery was quite fast but to be honest I was paying £3 for shipping so.....

Anyways I used a small amount to my clean shampoo and conditioned hair- it says don't use with flat ironing, I was curious to why this was- my hair was pretty soft maybe a little greasy but I am v. heavy handed. The ingredients were brilliant- it was pretty much all natural! Overall this is brilliant value for money



5 Combs

F Is For Frizz....

FRIZZ....


Frizz can be a result of damaged/dry hair. It can be a real pain but there are steps you can take to alleviate the problem.

1. Apple Cider Vinegar- I have used it, it's inexpensive and seals the cuticle. The smell is a little strong so be warned open a window. I used half a cup of vinegar to 1.5 cups of water. Experiment.
2. Bobby Pins/Grips- In my opinion these are a godsend. Never use them when the rubber tip on the end has been broken off as this can be rough on your hair. You should dip them in oil before using so they are a bit more lubricated
3. Microfiber Towels- I love these, there soooo soft and they prevent frizz because they don't roughen the hair cuticle (this causes frizz)
4. Moisturize- I always moisturize my hair is humid weather, I think it makes my hair soft and less prone to frizz. Herbal Essences Beautiful Ends/Long Term Relationship.

Have a good summer!

E is for....

EXTENSIONS!


Yes the dreaded extensions, most people think they're bad for the hair, with good reason to. Extensions are known to cause:

• Alopecia
• Thinning
• Dryness
• Breakage

So obviously there doesn't seem to be a lot of point of getting them, but let me tell you I use cornrow extensions to grow my hair. A bit of a contradiction, right? But braid extensions are a protective style!
This is because the ends of your hair is tucked away so it can't be damaged by- wind,sunshine,combing or heat! This means your hair should retain most of it's length. However, it's not that simple there are several steps you need to take to see optimal growth. Here is my braid routine

• Saturate top of braids with water,aloe vera gel with a bit of oil
•  Seal the water with an oil of your choice(this should be done every day)
• Wash your hair with shampoo of your choice very week. It is imperative that you don't leave any traces of shampoo this can be insured with an ACV rinse after the shampoo
• Wrap your hair with a silk scarf, every night.
• If there is dryness on your scalp, lightly exfoliate your scalp with an old toothbrush then put a little oil on the dry patch
• Remove braids after a month.

I recommend giving your hair a rest between braiding sessions and before applying braids do a protein treatment so your hair is strong and pliable!

Feel Free to ask any questions!

D is For Dictionary

Yes the natural hair revolution is big and to help Naturals communicate easier there are abbreviations to describe things such as hair length. Here's the list courtesy of Camille's Corner....



When I was thinking about and researching going back natural, I was seeing abbreviations and had no idea what I was looking at. Better yet what it meant. You should have seen me looking at the blogs and natural pages with this confused look on my face. But I am here to help you like I have found help from others. So here is a list of terms and abbreviations that will help get that same look off your face.. 

2nd day hair- Hair that looks good (at least decent) when you wake up the next morning... you don't have to do much before walking out of the house. Some are lucky enough to get 3rd and 4th day hair!

3abc/4a/4b/4c- A hair type classification system

ACV- Apple Cider Vinegar (used to seal cuticle...final rinse) A hair type classification system.

APL- Refers to length-- arm pit length.

BAA-Big Ass Afro

Baggy - After you moisturize your hair at night, you put a shopping bag, plastic cap, shower cap on overnight.

BC - Big Chop - cutting off all your chemically treated hair

BNC- Braid-n-Curl, simply plait or braid the hair and roll the ends on rods or flexis.

BSL- Refers to length-- bra strap length.

BSS- Beauty Supply Store

CBL- Refers to length-- collar bone length.

Co-Wash- Using conditioner to wash the hair in place of shampoo

Cones- Are 'silicones', or ingredients found in hair care products that are not water soluble (i.e. you need shampoo to remove).
DC- Is a deep conditioner. A DC is when you leave a moisturizing or protein based, depending on your needs conditioner on your hair for an extended period of time, along with a heat source to aid in penetration. But you don't always have to use heat.. 

Dusting- Dusting your hair is a trim of 1/4 and inch or less. This method is also referred to as dusting because even though your hair is being trimmed evenly, it is so little hair, that it just looks like dust on the floor.

EO- Essential Oil

EVCO- Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (used in conditioning treatments)

EVOO- Extra Virgin Olive Oil (used in conditioning treatments)

HIH- Hand in Hair. Its a disease that causes you to always be manipulating your tresses.

MBL- Refers to length-- mid back length.

No-poo- It's just that- no shampoo. Ladies who follow this routine are CG'ers and don't use cones or other heavy/oily products that may need shampoo to remove. Instead of pooing, many ladies conditioner wash, or use conditioner in place of shampoo to cleanse the scalp.

Pineappleing- a type of sleeping technique that curlies with long hair use to
preserve/protect curls overnight so that they have great 2nd day hair. You gather all of your hair in a high, but loose pony tail at the top of your head and go to sleep on a satin pillowcase. In the morning you take it down and shake it out gently and all of your curls will have been preserved.

PJ- Product Junky or someone that buys any all hair care products in sight...forever on a mission to find the next best thing.

Plopping- A quick dry method. You use a t-shirt or a curl friendly material (terry cloth towel, paper towel) to dry your hair instead of rubbing a towel on your hair to dry it. It drastically decreases drying times.

Pre-pooing- A treatment applied prior to shampooing. It usually consists of oils and/or conditioners applied the night before the shampoo or immediately prior, with a heat source to help penetrate. This is usually performed to help the hair maintain necessary moisture during the drying shampoo process.

Sealing- Is essentially sealing moisture in the hair, specifically the ends. For sealing to be effective, you must first use a water-based moisturizer (a conditioner or cream that has water as its first ingredient), and then seal with a butter or oil. The molecules in most butters/oils are too large to pass into the hair, so they stick to the outside of the shaft, trapping in the rich goodness of the moisturizer. Reversing those 2 steps will lead to dry hair. Sealing has saved my hair.

Slip- Used to describe how slippery a product is (usually a conditioner or detangler)... the more slip it has, the more effectively it will coat the hair to aid in detangling.

SLS- Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (found in the harsher shampoos).

TNC- Twist-n-Curl. This is my signature style. I twist the hair and roll the ends.

Transitioning - This is the period of time since one's last relaxer.

TWA- Teeny Weeny Afro

Twist Out - Two strand twist the hair, allow to dry either by air drying or sitting under a dryer, take the twists apart, and style.

Wash and Go- Simply co-wash your hair, add a styler (gel, cream) and GO You leave the hair to air dry or dry with a diffuser. Although this style is cute and easy, my ends couldn't handle it. This is also seen as WnG, and W&G.




Hope this was useful(;

C is For Cutting...

CUTTING....

How many times have you been to a salon and requesting 'a small trim' to come out with 3 inches of growth hacked off? Welcome to the world of scissor happy stylists! I have had a notable experience with one- when he did cut off about 3 inches of my hair. Luckily I'm not 'precious' about my hair so it didn't irk me so much. These hairdressers may be a bit too enthusiastic but that's no excuse for refusing a trim to hold on to a bit of gained length. Here are my tips for cutting and trimming.

1. You can always ask a hairdresser for a dusting which is when about a quarter of an inch of hair is snipped off. Please note if your hair is damaged you should eventually get a proper trim.
2. You shouldn't use regular kitchen scissors to cut your hair if you are just snipping individual knots then those scissors are fine, but for a DIY trim use scissors
3. Detangle your hair before self trims.
4. You shouldn't always listen to peoples advice on trimming. For example i have been told to trim my hair every two months, but that isn't always necessary if my hair isn't thinning or has a lot of knots. Listen to your hair.

For more help with trims, watch this video from Vlogger Naptural85. She's Awesome

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JAoKRgcvKA

B is For....

BREAKAGE


Due to the structure of Afro hair- knots,split ends and breakage is pretty much inevitable-this can hinder growth which can leave hair at the nape of the neck stage for years or even shorter.

My story-   Every day I would comb my hair with my Den-man and there would be small knots in the sink - I would dread detangling my hair): but one day I was introduced to a wide toothed comb and I never went back! To be fair  I had a lil' breakage it wasn't anything like what I had with my Den-Man. I was ecstatic! Here are my tips which helped reduce my breakage significantly

1. Put down the comb- a lot of people depend on combs for convenience. Picture this, it's a busy day at work, your late- and then you have to finger detangle. UH.NAH......When my hair was stretched I would constantly comb my hair even though it was detangled and soft, sound familar? This created unnecessary breakage. My solution was to style my hair is a Southern tease Bun- which is easy,neat and eliminates breakage(because your hair isn't rubbing against your clothes). Love this Tutorial
2. Low Manipulation- If your someone like me who doesn't like their ends to be tucked away for too long in twists and braids then this method might be for you. This simply involves not using direct heat for styling the hair and avoiding consistent combing. What I do is- wash and condition my hair, air dry and stretch my hair with simple plaits (though I redo them throughout the day). Then I moisturize and seal after my hair is dry and put my hair into a Southern Tease Bun. ( I moisturize my ends every day and I moisturize&seal once a week)
3. Heat- You usually hear naturals saying that heat is bad, blah blah. Although it isn't good sometimes you want to change up your style. I used to blow-dry my hair  every week but now I use it once a month. I think as long as you use a heat protectant, section your hair and  have a good technique-you should be fine. I never blow-dry my hair myself and  I swear by a brilliant heat protectant called Andrew Barton Heat protection styling cream and I use Fantasia IC Hair Polisher Heat Protector Straightening Serum for shine

That's all folks- here are some useful sources to help you

http://www.curlynikki.com/2010/04/dr-perry-on-curly-hair-breakage.html

http://www.curlynikki.com/2012/05/b-word.html