Natural Hair #8: Spiral Rod Curls using Hot Curlers

Well, it's that time of year when I feel the need to see how my hair holds up in a blown out and curled state. I know many naturals refrain from using a lot of heat on their hair to reduce heat damage, but I've been doing this for years and never experience heat damage with the right types of products for my hair type.  For this hair styling escapade, I decided to apply Liquid Lanolin on wet hair as my heat protectant and blow dried my hair with my hand held drier on high heat...yes I said HIGH heat, but no worries or heat damage.

My hair gets really straight and can easily be worn without further heat manipulation, but I wanted some curls so I whipped out my SUPER OLD 1" barrel Gold-n-Hot hair curlers; and YES, the curlers work like new.  Before starting the curling process, I applied ULI pressing wax to each section of hair as an additional heat protectant.

Day 1: Curls are soft and bouncy.  No product build up. No greasy feeling.

During the time frame of this curl experience, the weather in Alabama was cooler and rainy due to Tropical Storm Karen.  This also provided an excellent test to see how my hair would hold up in high humidity.  Although I wasn't outside while it was raining nor even got wet while sporting my curls, the moisture from the air can sometimes add frizz.  However, the weather didn't significantly impact or distort my curls. Even my high impact exercising had relatively minimal impact.  My theory is that after I worked out at the gym, I would apply a nickel size amount of Liquid Lanolin around the perimeter of my head, then brush from root to the beginning of the curl.  This helped smooth out my roots.  Then I tied a satin scarf around my head to hold my roots in a straight position while the scarf absorbed any moisture. I  removed the scarf before bed and used the pineapple method.  I did NOT use any rollers at night to maintain my curls.  I wanted to see how my curls would fall and flow during the duration of this style.

Day 6: This is how my hair looked after applying Liquid Lanolin and scarf to reset roots.

Take a look at my video demonstration below.

Nail #6: The Purple Tango using LacQit One Step Gel Polish

From the title, it sounds like a blog post about a new dance, but instead it is a polish escapade using the LacQit One Step Gel Spring 2013 collection.  I decided to test out an unlikely combination; Tangerine Tango and Pop on this Purple.  Check it out in my latest video: 

I started out with 2 coats of the Tangerine Tango as my first color and cured each coat using my LED lamp.  Next, I used nail tape to create an X shape near the upper portion of my nails. 

I used more nail tape to create another X above the first one, making sure to leave a small space between the first X and second X.  This will look similar to railroad tracks crossing over each other.  Once the tape was in place, firmly press down to avoid any bleeding of the polish underneath the tape.

Next I used the Pop on this Purple color to paint above the first X all the way to the tip of my nail.  Cure the 2nd color and apply another coat to enhance the sparkling effects.

Once the polish was cured, I removed the tape from each nail.

SHAZAM....The Purple Tango!

Natural Hair #7: Defining Curls with Eco Styler and Liquid Lanolin

I've tried an assortment of gels and creams, but there is one that is a keep sake in my hair arsenal; that is good 'ole Eco Styler gel.  I started using Eco Styler back in 2009 after hearing about it from some other Naturalistas on YouTube.  The Eco Styler combined with Castor Oil created massive curl definition for me and provided great hold.  But in this "How To" video, I decided to try a different combination.  In my past videos, you will notice the use of Liquid Lanolin for many of my styles, so I decided that I should test it out with the Eco Styler gel.  

You will notice in the video that I did not rinse out the Alba Botanica Hawaiian Coconut Milk conditioner.  My reasoning behind this was that I felt the conditioner would help reduce the crunchy feeling that I get when using gels alone.  I got this idea when I first started wearing Wash-N-Goes using Kinky Curyly products.  I would use the Kinky Curly Curling Custard and the Knot Today Leave-In Conditioner along with Castor Oil to seal in moisture.  Using those 3 products would always leave my hair soft and well defined for the duration of the style (usually 7-10 days).  


When I first started applying the liquid lanolin on top of the Alba Botanica Hawaiian Coconut Milk conditioner, I couldn't tell that the lanolin was actually on my hair.  All I could feel was the conditioner.  As a result, I added a little more of the lanolin to each section and focused on working it onto the ends of my hair.  Even when I began applying the Eco Styler with Olive Oil gel (level 10 hold), I could not tell whether the gel was on my hair.  However, I continued to apply and shingle as usual...and hoped for good results. 

After the application process, I lightly misted my hair with water to give my hair concoction a boost and then allowed my hair to air dry.  In the pictures at the end of my video, you will see how my hair progressed from Day 1 through Day 7.  I must say that my results were AWESOME.  Throughout the week, my hair remained soft and well defined.  Even my gym escapades did not jeopardize my curl definition nor create excessive frizz.  I didn't have to mist my hair with water until Day 5 to reshape the style, but really could have reshaped without it.  The Liquid Lanolin and Eco Styler gel combo is a winner in my book!

Day 1

This is how my hair looked on Day 1 after styling.  Although it is still wet in this picture, my curl definition is visible.

Day 7

By Day 7, my hair still maintained a lot of curly definition.  I decided to switch the look up by doing a simple up-do.  

Below are a list of highlights about the products I used: 

1. There is a wide variety of Eco Styler gels.  I've only used the Olive Oil formula which is a level 10 hold.  
2. Eco Styler gels can be purchased from stores like, WalMart, Sally's Beauty Supply, WalGreens, and CVS.
3. A 32 fl oz container costs less than $5.00.
4. Liquid lanolin can be purchased online.  I actually purchased a 4 fl oz bottle from the Vitamin Shoppe for around $8.00.  
5. Eco Styler does NOT contain Alcohol.
6. Eco Sytler DOES contain Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein for those of you who may be sensitive to this form of protein.

Check out my interview here-->My Hair Story with Black Hair Information

Using LacQit One Step Gel Polish to create Color Blocks and Curves

LacQit One Step Gel Polish has released the 2013 Summer Color Collection and the owner, Nanci Spencer, sent me some colors to try out.  I decided to get a little creative and use a combination of various colors to create some nail magic.  Check out my demonstration video below.

Nail art definitely adds flare to the overall look of pampered hands, but as an amateur, it is a challenge...but in a good way.  The challenging aspect of nail designing is that I seem to spend hours trying to decide what look I'm going for and what color combination I should use.  So in this attempt, I finally decided to use the 3 colors listed below:

1. In a Blue Streak
2. It's a White Out
3. A Flare for Pink

I started off with In a Blue Streak as my first color.  Next, I used nail tape to section off a portion of my nails to create a color block using the It's a White Out color.  Lastly, I used A Flare for Pink to create mini dots and abstract curves.  Below are a few pictures of my final results:

My 1st Attempt at Nail Art Designing

I am always looking at creative nail art work on Pinterest and wanting to give it a try, but always talking myself out of it...until now.  For the past 2 weeks, I've been wearing the LacQit Cosmo to Go color, so I wanted to spice up the look.  Using 3 LacQit One Step Gel polishes, a dotting tool and nail tape (both purchased from Amazon.com), and a nail decal (purchased at Sally's Beauty Supply Store), I set out on my FIRST attempt at nail designing.

Items used

After deciding on a design, the application process was simple.  I used the nail tape to section off a portion of the nail so that I could add the Pop the Cork color.  I followed with using my dotting tool to add about 7-8 dots toward the lower portion of the nail to create a subtle burst of color with a combination of Road Trip with Rosie and Pop the Cork colors.

My amateur nail work!

Take a look at my demonstration video.

Shingling method using Gorilla Snot Hair Gel

These days, there are so many curling gels on the market offering those with natural hair a plethora of options.  I recently watched some fellow YouTubers demonstrate their application process using Gorilla Snot Hair Gel or Moco de Gorila.  I've been doing wash-n-goes using the shingling method for years using products like Kinky Curly, Uncle Funky's Daughter, Eco Styler Gel, and the list goes on (LITERALLY). So, it made me want to try this Gorilla Snot out for myself.

I purchased the Gorilla Snot Hair Gel at a local Walgreens for $2.99.  This gel comes in a few different hold/strength levels, so I picked level 9 out of 10.  I felt this would give me the hold I need without too much of a crunchy feeling or that helmet hair look after it dries.    Now keep in mind that this gel is used by various ethnicities, such as Hispanics or Latinos to create spike styles.  With that in mind, who would have guessed it would be suitable to maintain wash-n-goes of those of us with curly textures.

My impressions of the Gorilla Snot Hair Gel:

Display Look & Feel: The design of the container is cleverly funky yet very practical because it allows you to easily squeeze out the product due to the fact that the bottom of the container is also the lid.  This eliminates the need to turn the container upside down to get that last tiny weeny bit of product out.

Smell:  Very pleasant scent with a hint of lemon smell.

Cost:  $2.99 + tax....no further cost point analysis needed:-)

Gel Look & Feel:  This gel has a slime consistency.  It is sticky, but not as sticky as some other gels I've used.  As my hair was drying, I didn't have a sticky residue feeling on my face or neck, so that is a  plus.

Ingredients off the bottle: Water, PVP, Alcohol, PEG-150, Sorbital, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Triethanolamine, Carbomer, Cyamposis Tetragonoloba (Guar) Gum, Fragrance.

Hair Impact Review:  The Gorilla Snot Hair Gel is good, but the alcohol seems to have caused frizz by Day 2.  Although my curls remained defined, my day 3 hair had more volume than expected.  I decided to  lightly spritz my hair with water and add some of my shea butter mixture for moisture.  I repeated as needed on the following days.  Overall, I will continue to use this product and tweak my regime to see if I can reduce some of the volume and retain more curl definition throughout the week.

Day 1 results using Gorilla Snot Hair Gel

Application Process:

1. I applied Castor Oil and Lanolin Oil to wet hair from root to tip.
2. I applied a generous amount of Gorilla Snot Hair Gel to each section.
3. I smoothed sections of hair from root to tip to allow my natural curl pattern to take shape (Shingling Method).   NOTE: In some areas I used my Denman brush to help separate my curls. 
4. I allowed to air dry from morning until night.   
5. I pineappled my hair with a satin hair tie.  

Take a look at my application process and more pictures in my video.

Day 5

Refreshing an Old Braid-out Using Curl Popper

Sometimes you just don't feel like shampooing & conditioning your hair just to get a new style so you begin to realize that nothings wrong with reviving a style and saving time to do other things. Well, my hair goes through a lot of those "reviving" situations too not only save time, but also to reduce the chance of my hair and scalp being stripped during the shampooing process.

With this in mind, I decided to give the Curl Popper product another try to refresh an old braid-out.  This time, I just lightly misted my hair with water then mixed my shea butter mixture and Curl Popper together before applying to my hair.  This was applied to each section of hair before braiding.  Since my hair wasn't soaking wet, I let it air dry and slept wearing a head wrap. The next morning, my hair was completely dry and ready for take down.  I got great definition and shine!

In the days that followed, I just added a small amount of Curl Popper to wet hands then applied to each section and re-braided to maintain the style each day until time for my next shampoo & condition regime.

Here's my demonstration using Curl Popper to refresh an old braid-out.

Finished Results!

Check out my initial Curl Popper blog entry experience at:  http://thediydoctor.blogspot.com/2013/05/curlpopperreview.html