If you’re still apprehensive about the ‘giving’ part in order to help the victims of the earthquake in Haiti, please keep this in mind as you stroll through the natural hair forums today, tomorrow & Sunday. Karen’s Body Beautiful’s Fabulous Free Friday is here, and with it comes a chance to make a difference.

The names behind the brand, Karen Tappin-Saunderson and Damani Saunderson are doing their part to help victims by matching contributions made by YOU. Stock up on some of your favorite hair & body goodies, but don’t forget to make a contribution…be it $5 or $50, your contribution will be matched by KBB, in addition products from the line will be shipped to Haiti aiding in the inevitable healing & transition stages.  Click here or on image to be directed to site.

*Click here for more ways to help the victims in Haiti

I’d be a bit remiss if I didn’t post something on the tragedy that struck Haiti Tuesday, and not because there’s an enclave of sites devoted to the news over the past 48 hrs, or because celebrities and news media are Twittering pleas for donations… but because after coming home from work Tuesday night & hearing the news at a local deli around the corner from my house, I dashed home…on my way there dialed my parents number to see if they’d heard the news. I needed to hear their voice, the tone of my mother and father’s voice to reassure me that our family was safe.

Thankfully they were.

But what followed was not relief, it was utter and complete helplessness. And whether or not you’re Haitian, pain is universal & plain to see on the faces of those suffering.  I can’t bring myself to watch the news for minute on the minute coverage of the tragedy, mostly because over time…words aren’t enough, and reporters do stretch to find meaning in what’s happened, often times finding it in unfitting places such as past statistics on the country & it’s resilient people.

What I do know about the Haitian Community is that they are in fact a VERY resilient & proud people, and while keeping faith along with the promise of a prayer in mind to help those suddenly homeless & in need of aid, there’s so much WE can do here in the United States and all over the world.  I’d of course implore everyone to do their research before extending their kindness with a dollar, but do not forget the mission…to help.

*Doctor’s Without Borders

*thanks for reading, & stay blessed everyone.

I’m excited. No, seriously I’m REALLY excited this week because I’m finding that trying something new can reap some ridiculously famous results!  Prompted by a conversation with a friend this past weekend, I decided that while it’s fancy and fun to stock up on all that a PJ wants, it’s even better to actually use it! Friend & I were talking product & hair, combos to stay away from, tips to try when I quietly hinted to the damage done this past Black Friday. I’d stocked up on ounces & ounces of butters/pomades/puddings and conditioners to last me well into the Winter/Spring, then carefully placed them off to the side in a sort of safe keeping.

Sounds silly right, safe keeping some of your goodies? Sounds a tad off,  now with hindsight as a decoder. I forgot that it is more beneficial to use up what’s purchased so that if necessary, I can move on and try more goodies… if need be. By no means am I trying to advocate future shopping binges, but rather forcing my hand a bit, saying that it’s okay to use up what you’ve got even though it might one day be gone. It’s irrational at best, but my sensitivity comes from….just nonsensical ish! Time to get over it, and this week was a start.

Life is much better when you pre-poo…I say. It’s frigid outside & by the time wash day rolls around my hair is on bended knee, craving moisture even before a traditional poo is applied.  I’ve bid adieu to ‘ol faithful, Vo5 Moisture Milks, to make way for the newbie Trader Joe’s Tea Tree Tingle. The consistency is very creamy, easy to apply and the ‘tingle’ is felt almost instantly. I left on for a 15-20 minutes because I intended to massage the scalp with Naked Naturals Shea Butter & Avocado Smoothing Shampoo for a good five minutes, and did not want to over strip the hair in the process. Before applying conditioner I did take a quick pic of hair. Picture to the right is taken right after cold rinsing the shampoo out of hair, & prior to adding conditioner. In it’s natural state you can still see bits of remaining hair color that I’m still trying to grow out. The tips show the only visible signs of hair color, which means I’m about a month or two away from another good trim. Ultimately the goal is to get rid of all colored ends, because to the touch they continue to remain a bit brittle even after a good 45 min DC’ing. Other than the ends, the rest of the hair appears pretty healthy, and for that I’m quite happy;-).

Detangled then deep conditioned with Aubrey Organics Honey Suckle Rose under a heating cap for an hour before cold rinsing. Took a chance on my own stash of products and styled this week with Darcy’s Botanicals Herbal Leave-In Spritz, just a few sprays to hydrate. The ingredient list is just too good not to:

Botanical infusion of Distilled Water, Organic Nettle, Organic Peppermint leaves, Organic Burdock Root, Organic Horsetail, Organic Marshmallow Root, Organic Coltsfoot, Organic Sage, Organic Hibiscus Flowers, Organic Kelp, Organic Sea Moss, Vegetable Glycerin, Organic Aloe Juice, Sea Salt, Polysorbate 20, Litsea Cubeba, Tangerine, Patchouli, Sweet Orange, Peppermint, & Tea Tree Essential Oils, and a paraben free preservative.

Then applied a new favorite from Naturi Beauty, their Naturi Quench Moisturizer. Lucky me won a hefty 8oz jar of the butter during a recent contest hosted by Laquita and Shelley. Began using the butter on my skin once the weather here on the East Coast starting behaving badly, but stopped short after realizing I wanted to experience it on my hair as well. The site indicates that it’s best to use for twisting & braid-twist outs making it ideal to use as a weekly styler:

From the Site:

An intense moisturizing cream that rejuvenates dry hair and restores moisture and sheen. Hemp and jojoba oil strengthen each hair strand and aloe and honey create healthy, hydrated brilliant curls, waves and kinks. Great for daily moisture, smoothing edges and styling touch ups, works wonders for braids

Reasons for using the Naturi Quench were two-fold. I needed the moisture that only a butter could provide in order to use something I’ve had in the stash for way too long, Curl Junkie’s Aloe Fix Gel. I was hesitant to try the Aloe Fix for reasons I’ve lamented about here on this blog. I have a very sensitive scalp, & coincidentally sensitive skin.  Years ago, months after my first BC & even some moments after my 2nd, I’d routinely style my hair with Sleek n’ Shine’s aloe gel formula yet had never experienced ill side effects. Fast forward to last year, oddly enough a few days after reviewing it here on Back To Curly, I began to have quite visible allergic reactions.

To put it bluntly, I experience painful outbreaks on my skin when using the wrong gel. I haven’t experienced fun times with a gel in a good while, and gave up on drugstore brands to help slick back edges and twist. After the last Kinky Curly Custard application I was ready to completely shy away from any & all gel type stylers until I realized a hefty 16oz jar of Aloe Fix was idly sitting by, untouched.  So essentially, I made provisions.  Before applying the Aloe Fix, the spritz was applied, followed by the Naturi Quench Moisturizer. This was the only way I’d manage to use a gel on my hair during the winter, specifically to avoid the inevitable crunch & strong hold. I wanted definition in my twists, moisture, light hold without the crunch…and thankfully I got it!

From Curl Junkie’s Site:

Have curls that need a little control? This thick, rich, 98% natural/naturally derived Aloe based gel is formulated for hair with curls and coils. If scrunched into the hair it helps to give your hair definition, volume and bounce, and when smoothed into hair it can help stretch out the curls you have and add weight to hair to help elongate and define curls. You choose…It’s all in the application technique! Imparts lasting moisture and shine with aloe, glycerin, Vitamin B5, and Sweet Almond oil. If you are transitioning from a relaxer to a natural, try using this to smooth out the new growth. Can also be used for 2-strand twists or to slick back hair into ponytails or smooth flyaway hairs and refresh mid-day curls. Gives hair a fresh herbal/citrus scent.

Twisted into large twists using my new favorite combo, and unraveled this morning for some insanely gorgeous hair!  I’m tooting my own horn here, but you’ve gotta know that feeling when you’ve struck gold with a product combo, tried a new method, and somehow all turns out famously well! It’s time well spent…(6hrs to be exact;-). I’m happy with the results which yielded me zero crunch, significant shine & soft-medium hold that with proper maintenance should carry me through the week. More importantly, my hair is not stiff! Don’t you hate a gel that makes your hair act like a weapon? Ideally, you want a product that’s going to smoothe, deliver shine, and if you’re lucky a bit of nourishing properties.

During the Winter months I’m wising up with gels, pairing up beforehand with an adequate moisturizer as a leave-in, and some kind of herbal tonic for nourishment. What I loved about the Naturi Quench is that it’s a butter blend with water as it’s first ingredient. This helps the butter apply smoother onto hair that’s especially wet or damp and emulsifies clear on hands before applying. Paired with the Aloe Fix Gel, it really was the perfect combo!

There’s a pretty nifty new blog on the horizon for Naturalista’s and today they posted this video:

Natural Hair mistakes really do have a tendency to run a muck during the beginning of transitioning & sometimes even years later.  A handful of years after my first BC I still managed to complete all mistakes mentioned in the list, except for 1.  It’s damn near too easy to fall into these ways, but trusting in those who’ve been there, made the mistakes and have come back much better informed is a good thing.

These are their top five, anyone made any natural hair mistakes during transitioning or later?

Via:   The New Naturalista

Turns out I have plenty to be thankful for this past year. The list is plentiful and I haven’t the borrowed melancholy to jot them all down…except for a few.

A year ago today Back To Curly was created by a seemingly bored young thing, lamenting in the comforts of chips & dip about her heat damaged hair. I’d been distraught for weeks, heading to and fro many a beauty supply store to find a cure-all for the straight ends that were taunting me each time I got down to styling. I knew nothing about hair health, products to steer clear of, websites (blogs) full of uber knowledge, YouTube channels with ladies pouring out their own passions for all things natural. I knew nothing, but still felt I needed to contribute the ‘something’ that would help climb me out of this rut.

Chronicling my hair journey was that ‘something,’ and like our girl Sunshine emphatically points out, often times you just have to ‘Do It!’ A journey can’t begin until you have a clear goal in mind, yet you have to learn to envision it- whether it’s hair related, job related, relationship related…etc. By doing ‘It,’ you’re doing ‘You.’

So with that a huge ‘Thank You,’ goes out to the friends I’ve made in the past year, bloggers, real life ladies who continue to inspire me everyday, and even those I hope to meet in the future. A year ago I set out to start something, anything that would help vent my frustrations, and today I’m back on solid ground… ‘Back To Curly’ (pun intended;-), and it’s been more than a swell journey.

In a few weeks I embark on a different kind of journey (Grad School, Hoozah!!!), which has me excited/anxious/stir crazy/fearful/nervous – basically all those good feelings letting you know you’re onto something good! The blog will continue, cause a girl has to get her hair did, though to kick off what I hope to be an even better, inspiring year here’s a special Contest Giveaway! Most likely this is the only one I’ll be doing this year or for the foreseeable future, so trying to make it worthwhile;-)

Continue reading »

Feels like I haven’t done a review in a good minute, but this one I absolutely wanted to make sure I busted through. For every PJ purchase there is often a tale or two to tell, whether it involves faulty shipping, snippy customer service or simply waiting a lifetime for your goodies to arrive. Luckily this tale is void of nonsensical drama even though it throws back to Black Friday, when I purchased during the online frenzy using a coupon the owner graciously offered her Twitter followers.

Heard about Bee Mine products via YouTube and word of mouth, and because the owner reached out with the coupon & I’d heard nothing but great things regarding their Customer Service, on impulse placed an order.

Shipping was quick & very easy considering the influx of orders many online companies received during the Black Friday events. Order was placed on Nov. 27th,  soon received package a week and a half later.  In my bundle was the companies # 1 seller, Bee Hold Curly Butter. a shea butter & aloe  based moisturizer.  The butter is available in seven scents including unscented:

* Coconut Cream

* Baby Powder

* Chocolate Decadence

* Unscented

* Mango

* Strawberry Kiwi

* Island Mango (Tropical Mango)

I chose Baby Powder, which in all honestly might’ve been a bit too strong for my nose. I prefer light baby scent smells, & this came off a bit perfumery on top of the baby powder. Other than scent the ingredient list is short & good:

Ingredients –

100% Shea Butter, 100% Aloe Vera Gel, Essential Oil Blend, Glycerin Oil, Rosemary Leaf and Chammomile Extract, Silk Powder and Perfume

The butter was not what I’d come to know of traditional butter stylers, comparable perhaps to Afroveda’s buttercream or KBB hair cream.  The consistency resembled more of a pudding/cream than a butter and goes on silky without having to emulsify in hands prior. To me this is an added bonus. No need to be heavy handed as I tend to be, a dime size amount was used to coat a single twist while hair was sufficiently wet/damp. As the directions suggest, best results are achieved when product is applied to damp or wet hair then dried, yet I’d still love to dry it to slick back the front edges using a soft bristle.

The shea butter and aloe based curly butter is packed with rich moisturizing nutrients to give you lasting moisture and promote growth.  It has a soft touchable hold that will help to defrizz your frizzies and give great defintion

The butter does help to cut down on frizz and significantly defined my hair, enough to prolong my usual 7 day twist-out.  I twisted the hair for a Christmas party December 23rd, and didn’t wash out the style until January 3rd! To maintain the style & to retain moisture, I twisted hair every other night (not the entire head, just the crown and front third), and left the back ends in two pony puffs. The mornings were meant for fluffing and going, making me seriously LOVE this product. It does not feel product heavy, comes in a generous 8 oz size at $13.

I would absolutely purchase the Bee Hold Curly Butter again because of the great moisture it provided, considering I styled the do in pretty frigid temps over the Holidays.  With proper maintenance, this product should be good for two-strand twists, braid-outs, twist & curls, flat twists – pretty much any style that needs long lasting hold and ample moisture. Sample 2 oz sizes start at $4 – reaching the larger 16 oz at $23.  All other products from the line can be found here.