A few of my favorite things! for Naturals and Transitioners

In the spirit of the holidays just thought I would share a few of my favorite products and product lines for naturals and transitioners. As I said everything doesn't work for everybody, but here are SOME things that have given me good results.

CUSH COSMETICS www.cushcosmetics.com
Who am I kidding I haven't tried anything from this line that didn't work in my hair but here are a few of my top picks that I keep in rotation in my regimen.

• Mango Pomade to lock in moisture and tame the mane
• Extreme Protein Leave in to help decrease shedding and breakage. I love this because it is a leave in product and it works pretty much instantly. My hair responds really well to it.
• Moisturize Me Leave in Conditioner great for detangling helps me to keep my hair hydrated and curls looking crisp and fresh
• Creme de Palm Moisturizing Cream smells delish, makes hair feel especially soft and manageable and moisturized, does not weigh my hair down AT ALL

KOMAZA CARE www.komazahaircare.com
Another great line that has done nothing but great things in my hair. Need to place an order now

• Coconut Curl Hair Lotion/ Shea Butter Hair Lotion Both smell amazing and keep my hair hydrated and curls defined ridiculously. I use the shea butter hair lotion mainly when I am naturally straight to aid in keeping my hair moisturized while it is straight and in preventing head damage.
• Olive Moisture Mask- great hydrating deep conditioning treatment
• Komaza Scalp Conditioner- feels like heaven on my scalp lots of yummy ingredients to encourage growth and prevent dry scalp
• Honey Comb Hair Rejuvenator- to worked great to slow shedding/ breakage and encourage strengthening the hair shaft

DEVA CURL www.mydevacurl.com (sold at Ulta and in several salons)

• numero uno The Curly Girl Handbook, the name says it all
• Deva No Poo my sulfate free cleanser of choice.
• Deva One Condition one of my two ultimate favorite conditioners. I also leave a little in as a leave in conditioner. Leave hair soft and manageable and makes my curls pop!
• Set it Free refreshing spray, refreshes and rehydrates my curls
• B'Leavin Leave in Conditioner- for great curl definition and to maintain moisture in my hair

HUETIFUL www.behuetiful.com

• Huetiful Hair Steamer cannot live without it
• Huetiful Hydrating Hair Masque- does exactly what it says and you can feel it stimulating your scalp while you steam

JANE CARTER SOLUTION www.janecartersolution.com (sold at Target, Vitamin Shoppe, Walgreens)

• Jane Carter Wrap & Roll my secret for great roller sets and rod sets
• Jane Carter Revitalizing Hair Mist another fabulous refreshing spray
• Jane Carter Nourish & Shine love this for when I do twists/ twist outs

KINKY CURLY (sold at Target & Walgreens and online)

• Knot Today great detangler

CURLS www.curls.biz also sold at Target and Sallys
this line works really well in my daughters hair

• Creme Brule great moisturizing lotion
• Souffle hair cream. My hair loves this as a styling creme

MISS JESSIES (sold at Target, in most beauty supply stores and online)

• Quick Curls great for hold and curl definition

CURL JUNKIE www.curljunkie.com
another great line with great conditioning and deep conditioning products

• Repair Me!- Reconstructive Hair Treatment great protein treatment
• Hibbiscus & Banana Deep Fix- smells delish and restores moisture fabulously
• Curl Rehab- definitely one of my favorite deep conditioners

AUBREY ORGANICS (sold online and in Vitamin Shoppe, Whole Foods...)

• Honey Suckle Rose Conditioner the other one of my favorite contioners that I also sometimes leave in

CAMILLE ROSE www.camillerosenatural.com
another great line I want to try more of

• Algae Deep Conditioner smells like cake and definitely another favorite in the way of deep conditioners
• Almond Jai Twisting Butter great for twist sets

JAMAICAN BLACK  (sold at most beauty supply stores)

• Jamaican Black Castor Oil, great for nourishing the hair, apply to hair and scalp to promote growth and thickness

EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)

• promotes a healthy scalp and strenthens hair shaft

Virgin Coconut Oil

• moisturizes hair shaft, great for detangling

In Living Color-Healthy Color Treated Natural Hair new regimine

• Cleansing

cut down co washing to twice/ week, although color treated hair needs moisture I also recognize that the more I wash/ cleanse my hair the quicker my color will fade. In addition to fewer washes, I use cooler water which will 1. decrease the fading of my color and 2. lock the moisture from the conditioner in better. Because I know the conditioning effects I am locked into using Deva Care One Condition and Aubrey Organics Honey Suckle Rose conditioner as they are safe for color treated hair

• Conditioning

In addition to my cleansing conditioners (above) I am also committed to a weekly deep conditioning is an absolute MUST no question as is a balance of protein and moisture to prevent breakage- I am rotating between Curl Junkie Curl Rehab and Camille Rose Algae Deep Conditioner. On order right now so I am also doing some recipes including egg treatments and avocado hair masks including my moisturizing conditioners and  oils. I will definitely be continuing with my Extreme Protein Leave In from Cush Cosmetics

• Moisturizing

I am currently trying with much success using Cush Cosmetics Creme de Palm moisturizing cream and Komaza Care Shea Butter Lotion to apply moisture to my hair during this time. The both last pretty well in my natural hair and Cush Cosmetics Mango Pomade to lock it in

• Revitalizing Moisture

Jane Carter Solution Revitalizing Hair mist all day!

• Oils

Sticking with my favorites.... Jamaican black castor oil on the scalp and ends daily, prepoo with EVOO, conditioner with Coconut Oil and Honey Added.

other plans for my curly hair especially now while its cold outside and my hair is adapting
- weekly steam treatments for Deep Condtioning
- low manipulation styling twist sets, rollersets, silk wraps

excited about my new color and continuing maintain healthy growing hair!

Tips on Transitioning WITHOUT a Big Chop

so in my inbox this morning I had messages from 3 different people asking me about transitioning... tips and products.... so I figured it best if I address them all at once.

Let me start with this disclaimer, when I transitioned NONE of these products were on the market and there was no such thing as transitioning, so there was no method to my madness. It just was what it was.

How I Did It
The first year of my 'transition' I was expecting and nursing a newborn, hence the reason for my deciding not to do any chemicals. During that time I mostly did rollersets and rod sets pretty much weekly. I drank alot of water and NO sodas. My diet overall was pretty good during that time because as I said I was pregnant and being very conscious of those things. After that I just continued with rollersets and flat ironing. I kept my ends trimmed regularly, eventually all the relaxed ends were gone and I never gave it a second thought. Now I am not trying to make it sound simple at all but the key is to find the right style for you that allows for low manipulation. The less you have to deal with your hair the easier transitioning is to deal with.

Low Manipulation/ Protective Styling
One thisng is that you definitely have to learn to love and appreciate natural hair, you never know what lies beneath so start experiementing with natural hair styles and looks. Manipulate your relaxed hair to make it look 'natural' Try rod sets, straw sets, buns, updos, braid outs, twist outs, sew ins and braided extensions are also an option, but don't overdo it you don't want to put too much strain on your hair, which can lead to breakage. Flat twists are always great for keeping the new growth down and tamed.

Products/ Moisturizing your Hair

• One main reason for breakage and not retaining length is due to a lack of moisture. However if you are experiencing excess breakage and shedding I highly recommend you seek a consultation with a licensed cosmetologist expereienced in healthy, natural hair. I say this because not everyone is comfortable dealing with natural hair or transitioning so do your research. You get what you pay for.
• Pre-poo. Pre-pooing is the process of moisturizing your hair before you shampoo. This strengthens your hair and helps prevent breakage. This can be done with an oil (like a hot oil treatment) One of the best ones to use is extra virgin olive oil EVOO. You can put on a plastic cap and hot towel, hood or hair dryer or just sit under a steamer to allow the oil to penetrate your scalp and hair. Then use your fingers to detangle the hair before cleansing.
• Cut back on Washing/ Shampooing your hair. Cut back on shampooing your hair with harsh shampoos choose cleansers with NO sulfates. I have been successfull cowashing regularly with a clarifying conditioner and shampooing every 4-6 weeks as well to prevent build up. (cowashing as an alternative to shampooing is where you wash your hair using a conditioner instead of a shampoo)
• Deep Condition. At least once a month (now every week since I have color) I deep condition my hair as well. This helps to keep my hair soft and manageable and helps to control the shedding and breakage.
• MOISTURIZE I know I have already said this but its really important so I am saying it again! Start with water, product and then seal the moisture with a natural/ essential oil.
• Experiment with products. I can and will share some of my favorite products but be mindful that everything doesn't work for everyone, so get recommendations from other naturals but don't be discouraged if you don't get the same results. The only way to determine what works for you is to experiment. I recommend joining and participating in local meetups and natural hair events, product swaps, get samples to determine what your hair best responds with. Distribute the product from root to end

Just Say NO To Heat
stay away from direct heat on your natural hair. This will lead to breakage and damage to your natural hair. Your hair could be heat trained and unable to hold your curl and worse heat damaged and ultimately dead hair. I experienced this first had from flat ironing my hair to the point where when I decided I wanted to try to embrace my naturally curly hair texture I had over 4 inches of heat damaged ends that had to be cut off. So put down the flat irons and blow dryers. There is a better way.

Trim your hair regularly.
Trim your hair every 2 weeks- 1 month trim off  a little maybe a 1/2 inch. Your hair is growing because you are practicing healthy hair techniques so eventually all your relaxed hair will be gone and you won't even know the difference.