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

LacQit One Step Gel Polish still going strong after 15 days...

In my 8 day follow up video on the LacQit gel polish, the same radiant shine of the gel polish was as visible as it was on the 1st day it was applied.  Well, I'm PLEASED to announce that as of my 15th day wear of LacQit Gel Polish that the only noticeable difference is the significant nail growth (notice the natural nail growing from the cuticle in the pictures below).  I strongly feel that the nail growth by the end of next week (which will be 3 weeks of wearing this color) will make it mandatory to remove this polish.  So at that point, I will do a video demonstration on the removal process and share my experience.  

The pictures below show the 15 day results of LacQit One Step Gel Nail System.  

This polish was applied on April 6th. Here's a link to the video demonstrating the application process.

This is the 8 day follow up video of the LacQit application.

The Hair Process through the Eyes of Technology

When doing various tasks, we often think of the finished outcome without thinking of the steps used to achieve the end result.  Before the use of the Internet, learning occurred from books and classroom teaching.  However, in the 21^st century, we learn how to perform various tasks from visual aids (i.e. YouTube) and/or support guides (i.e. manuals) that are available on the Internet.  YouTube, viewed as a communication medium, has transformed learning into a social event.   Think about it for a second…as spectators, we access YouTube to find content on an assortment of topics.  However, the funny thing is that you never really think about the “learning” that is taking place.  Instead, it is viewed as entertainment that provides unlimited access for continuous use.  Through repetitive use, learning is taking shape.

In my first YouTube video, I demonstrated the shampoo & conditioning process used on my hair with a specific product (i.e. Alba Botanica).  The focus of the video is not on my hair type or length, but the effect the product had on my hair.  

The second video goes further by illustrating the combination of my styling technique (i.e. Heat styling) with a customized product mixture (i.e. Lanolin mixture) to obtain my desired finished style.  In the table below, I have listed each technology used along with an explanation of the action it performed on my hair. 

Share your technologies and the actions they provide for you.  What are you learning about those technologies and actions you encounter?

Technologies used	Action on my Hair
1.       Shampoo	Cleansed hair while providing softness.
2.       Conditioner	Allowed for easy detangling and manageability.
3.       Water	·         Removed shampoo & conditioner. ·         Aided in restoring moisture.
4.       Wide Tooth Comb	Separated and detangled hair into sections.
5.       Hair Claps	Held sections of hair in place which reduced re-tangling of hair with other sections.
6.       100% Cotton Towel	Absorbed excess water from hair after the shampooing & conditioning
7.       Hand Dryer	Stretched the state of hair from curly to straight.
8.       Lanolin Mix ( Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Glycerin, Liquid Lanolin)	·         Protected hair from heat damage while blow drying. ·         Added moisture. ·         Added shine. ·         Reduced frizziness.
9.       Flatiron	Used to add slight curly to hair before applying rollers.
10.   Rollers	Applied nightly to define curls.

Using Technology to D.I.Y.

There are many Bloggers and VLoggers these days on various social media sites.  I am an avid spectator of Youtube to learn the latest on topics, such as, natural hair styling techniques, female fitness and healthy eating techniques, technology tools for computers, tablets, and smartphones, beauty and fashion accessories, and the list goes on and on.  I’ve had a strong desire to become a contributor of this learning community, but felt that the YouTube community was over-saturated with many of the same topics thus providing limited opportunity of finding interested followers to become spectators of my chronicled experiences.  I’ve shared this interest with a couple of friends, who, in return, have suggested that I transition from the spectator sideline into the role of practitioner.  So this starting me to thinking, the role of a practitioner is often viewed as that of a “doctor”;  well at least in my mind.  

Okay, okay, I know this analogy is more on the abstract side, but let me explain my thought process before you jump off my bandwagon.  My definition of doctor is someone who “practices” a certain action on themselves or others in search for plausible outcome(s) or solution(s).  My interest, or “specialty” from the perspective of a doctor, covers a broad spectrum of technology focused topics.  My specialty focuses on topics that will allow my audience to spectate then “Do It Yourself” or as most refer to in the colloquial form, D.I.Y.

I think many of you will agree that the increased use of technology helps us share our practices and outcomes; thus, allowing spectators to discover new D.I.Y. solutions.  But here’s some food for thought:  What is technology?  Many people would immediately say computers, tablets, software, hardware, etc. Those responses are definitely adequate, but also limited.  Technology, from my perspective, is a mechanism that acts as a communication medium for an action to occur.  As you can see this encompasses a lot more than the traditional computer related tools.  From this viewpoint, this Blog and my VLog on YouTube will involve this technology philosophy.   Hence, the birth of  the D.I.Y. doctor

Quiet on the set. Recording in progress J