Which Method Works Better During the Winter? LCO vs. LOC Method

Hey!

I hope that you guys are having a great week! I am doing well! The holidays are here! It is freezing in Chicago, and I have a bit of a busy weekend ahead of me, but it will be okay. :)


Have you guys ever heard of the LOC method? NO? Okay.

The LOC method (leave-in conditioner, oil, and cream respectively) is used to retain moisture in hair. It has been very successful with a lot of natural-haired women. The LOC method works year round, especially during the winter months. In the book, The Science of Black Hair: A Comprehensive Guide to Textured Hair Care, the author, Audrey Davis-Sivasothy, mentions this method as well. Ideally, this method is used after washing ones hair. After washing the hair, the individual applies a leave in conditioner, an oil, and a cream based product of their choice. They finally style their hair as normal.

Although the LOC method has been significantly successful, I prefer to do things a different way. During the winter, I will wash my hair as normal. Afterwards, I will apply a leave-in conditioner, hair cream, and an oil-based product of my choice. This is known as the LCO method (can you believe that there are terms in reference to natural hair? lol).
I prefer the LCO method. It seems to penetrate my thick hair more when done this way. I have also noticed that it feels less greasy.

You can choose any one of these methods WITHOUT breaking the bank. Choose an oil that you like. Choose a leave in conditioner. Choose a hair cream. Wash, rinse, and repeat (pun, intended!). For example, I am currently using Aphogee Leave-In Spray, my homemade hair cream (which I am STILL perfecting!), and Oyin Handmade Burnt Sugar Pomade.

Frankly, whatever method that you decide to choose, do your research beforehand. Whatever route you choose to take, I just want you to have healthy, moisturized hair. <3



Talk to you soon.
Brie.

K.I.S.S. Naturals: Hair Care Products!

Helllooo!!!

How is the week going so far? Mine is great! Work is work, but I now have a friend who is married, and I am praying that the rest of them find their prince charming soon enough! :)

Okay, so you  now have a great idea about what products should work for your newly beautifully cut hair (if you haven't big chopped, what are you WAITING FOR?!?!?!?!). We officially get to the best part of the K.I.S.S. Naturals Series: SHOPPING!!!!!!...well more specifically, shopping for hair products lol. Shopping for hair products should not be stressful! Shopping for jeans, is stressful. Not hair products. :)

This post is going to be a guide on hair products that I like, and have had success with. I also will provide tips for purchasing products.
There is a more in-depth blog post HERE. A lot of my hair products that I use are still the same, with the exception of a few that I am testing out. HERE WE GO!!

• Shampoo/Conditioner-These shampoo/conditioner combos have been moisturizing for my hair. I also would recommend that you stick to the same line when it comes to this combo. This has to do with the combined products being pH formulated to work with your hair. 
• Alba Botanicals Drink it Up Coconut Milk 
• KeraCare Hydrating Detangling Line
• Deep Conditioner/Moisture Treatments
• TGIN Honey Miracle Hair Masque (recently purchased; will update you guys soon!)
• Aphogee Curlrific! Texture Treatment (quick, yields great results, and effective!)
• Oils
• Argan
• It moisturizes your hair DIVINELY. 
• Castor
• Great for coarse, thick hair. A little goes a LONG way
• Jojoba
• Lightweight.  Similar to sebum: An oil that your scalp naturally produces.
• Coconut
• Lightweight. Gives hair incredible shine. Please DO NOT USE if you are allergic to coconuts! 
• Leave In Conditioner
• ElastaQP Olive Oil & Mango Butter
• Aphogee
• Curlrific! Moisture Rich
• Pro-Vitamin
• Jane Carter Revitalizing 
• Oyin Handmade Juices & Berries (honestly, ANY of their leave ins)
• Moisturizing/Styling Creams
• Oyin Handmade 
• Burnt Sugar Pomade (holy guacamole this stuff smells AMAZING)
• Whipped Pudding 
• Shine & Define
• Hair Dew
• Qhemet Biologics 
• Amla & Olive Heavy Cream
• Olive & Honey Hydrating Balm
• Taliah Waajid
• Curly Curl Cream (The #1 product for BUN hairstyles)
• Homemade hair cream
• I am still experimenting, but it looks VERY promising! 
• Styling Gels/Pomades
• Curls Blueberry Bliss Curl Control Paste
• TGIN Curl Bomb 
• Ouidad Advanced Climate Control Heat & Humidity (This gel has changed my life. No, seriously.)
• Kinky Curly Curling Custard
• Styling Foams/Mousse (used mostly for bantu knot outs)
• Jane Carter Solution Natural Twist Out Foam
• Big Sexy Hair Mousse

Tips

• If there is a product that you've been eyeing and it is E X P E N S I V E... Shop online! Amazon, BeautyLish, NaturallyCurly, CurlMart, AveYou are popular websites. 
• You can find a coupon code, there may be a promotion, etc. Save money as much as you can! 
• Some hair care companies offer promotions periodically. Follow them on social media or check out their website! 
• Seasonal promotions are clutch if you are looking to save money, especially around the holidays. For example, Miss Jessie's were KNOWN for their 50% off promotions back in the day lol.
• Samples! I cannot stress this enough! Try a sample of a product FIRST! Then invest in the product if you like it. 
• Try looking for products that emphasize moisture and richness: I've noticed that those products typically have better ingredients and work better for curly hair. 

If you guys have any products that would be helpful for anyone that is newly natural, sound off in the comments below!  FUN FACT: These products also work for men as well. <3

If you made it to the end of this blog, congratulations! I hope that this helps you! 

Talk to you soon. 

Brie. <3

K.I.S.S. Naturals: Why Can't I Use Certain Ingredients?

Hey! I hope that you guys are having a great week so far!

Okay. So you've decided that you are becoming natural! YES! 

You've set realistic goals about your natural hair.....GREAT!!

Now what? (insert thinking emoji)

When I cut off my hair in 2009, I bought hair products, trivializing the importance of the ingredients. So the next thing that you should do if you are a newly natural is to look at the ingredients! 

Fun fact: The ratio of ingredients and the ingredients themselves, play a major role in the health of your hair. They also can be instrumental when it comes to styling your hair as well. There are some naturalistas who are huge opponents of using these products in their hair; that is fine. However, I believe that products with these ingredients should be used RARELY (depending on the situation), if not at all. Speaking from experience, you will experience the effects in your hair after a period of time. 

This post is to give you a QUICK guide of products that you can use rarely (depending on the hair style), or avoid altogether.

• Mineral Oil (a.k.a. Petroleum)
• Leaves a film on hair that makes it difficult to remove
• Clogs hair follicles
• Containing impurities linked to cancer
• Alcohol (a.k.a. Isopropyl Alcohol)
• Dries out hair, dissolving its oils
• It can hinder hair growth
• Can be found in hair mousses
• Parabens
• Preservatives for hair products
• Have been linked to cancer, and negatively affecting your reproductive system
• Formaldehyde
• Used in Brazilian blowouts
• Used to preserve deceased bodies
• Can irritate your respiratory system
• Irreversible damage to hair
• Banned in Europe due to being a skin irritant and a potential occupational carcinogen
• Silicone (a.k.a. Dimethicone, any name ending in -cone)
• Used in heat protectants and "frizz-free" products
• Use only if you are straightening your hair 
• Causes build up over time; Difficult to remove from hair
• Water soluble & Non Water Soluble products available
• Sulfates (a.k.a. Sodium Lauryl/Laureth)
• Can be a skin irritant
• Formerly used as an industrial detergent and engine degreaser 
• Dries out hair follicles by stripping the hair of its oils

Again, I try to avoid these products as much as I can unless I am looking to achieve a particular style. Over time, these ingredients will dry your hair out, break off, resulting in stunted hair growth. 

These six ingredients seem to have a negative effect on your hair regardless of your hair type. There are more ingredients that are considered to be bad, but they can be contingent on your hair type (in my opinion). Aside from the six ingredients that were discussed, experiment with caution. For example, mineral oil doesn't work on my hair, but polyethylene glycol (which is considered bad) tends to work for my hair type.

There are exceptions to the rule: what doesn't work in my hair, may end up working in yours. Your hair will show you if the product is working by the way it feels, and how it reacts to a product. Use this post as a guide to help you when you're choosing products. 

If you guys have any questions, product recommendations, etc., please feel free to leave a comment, tweet me, or message me via Instagram (brieuntitled)!

Talk to you soon!

Brie.

Links used for post: 

http://www.curlynikki.com/2013/07/silicones-natural-hair-good-bad-ugly.html

https://www.treehugger.com/organic-beauty/20-toxic-ingredients-avoid-when-buying-body-care-products-and-cosmetics.html

http://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/banned-europe-safe-us/

http://livingprettynaturally.com/ingredients-to-avoid/

http://www.livestrong.com/article/171916-ingredients-to-avoid-in-hair-products/

My Natural Hair Product Faves!

Hola (Hello)!

I hope you guys are still doing well. Why the long break? Bear with me as I am currently juggling work among some other things (sorry for being slightly vague).


It has been quite a L O N G time however, I am coming to you all with a brand new blog post. I warn you, there will be a bit of information to absorb and process. I will try my best to condense this information for you.

I am not sure how interested you are in my opinion of hair products (This year will mark 7 years of my natural hair journey), styling tools, etc., but I will share them anyway! lol

For the newly naturals (are there anymore newly naturals??), or someone who is interested in trying new hair care lines here are some of my suggestions:

• Hair Products

• Shampoos
• *Alba: Their shampoo doesn't contain ANY sulfates. It is also an organic product. To me, it is the only shampoo that doesn't leave my hair dry. And it smells..AHHHMAZING. 
• Conditioners/Leave-In Conditioners
• Trader Joe's Tea Tree Tingle Conditioner (most wallet friendly!)
• *Suave Naturals Conditioner
• **Giovanni's Leave In Conditioner
• Styling Creams/Butters/ Oils
• ***My hair creme
• ***Qhemet Biologics Alma Butter/Honey Balm (GET. YOUR. BLESSING!) 
• *Oyin Handmade Whipped Pudding (for the chocolate lovers!)
• *Coconut Oil (It cures everything)
• *Olive Oil (Very moisturizing)
• Styling Gels
• **Eco Styler
• ***My home made gel
• ***Ouidad humidity gel (HOLY GUACAMOLE THIS PRODUCT IS AMAZING)
• Moisturizing Products/Sprays
• *Curls Moisturizer/2nd Day Curl Refresher
• *Jane Carter Spray leave in conditioner
• Foams/Hair Mousse
• *Jane Carter's Twist Out Foam
• Styling Tools
• **Denman 
• **MetaGrip Premium Bobby Pins
• *Ribbon hair ties
• *Headbands
• **Satin Scarves
• *Duck Bill clips (hair washing)
• Tips: 
• SAMPLES SAMPLES SAMPLES!!!!!! If you do not want to fully commit to a full sized product (self-proclaimed commitment-phobe here) start with a sample size. You don't waste money, and you can see if you like the product! 
• If you bought a product and you HATE. IT. Try using the product in different ways! I would purchase a few items, until I found a way for it to work for my hair. Money does not grow on trees, okay? 
• Search for coupons and shop around! An obivious tip, but I have saved money by shopping around for certain hair products. 
• Experiment! Look at the YouTube gurus for guidence, then adjust for your hair needs. 

Note: Any product that is italicized and in bold, means that I HIGHLY recommend this product. No I am not being sponsored by these companies (I've paid with my own money). My blog is too indie for that. lol. 

* Mostly found in Target, Walmart, and a few drugstores like Walgreens, CVS, etc. 

**Can be found in select Target, Walmart and drugstores depending on your location

***Can be difficult to access or can be found at Sephora or Ulta. Can be moderate to expensive. I would suggest purchasing either online (possible coupons), the company's website, or a store locator.

This is only to be a guide. I hope that this is a good start for you guys. :)

Talk to you soon. 

Brie. 

Hair Essentials.

Hi guys! I hope you all had a great week!

This blog post will be dedicated to hair essentials that I use to maintain my hair.

When I first became natural (I big chopped), I did not have any hair essentials because...I didn't have much hair LOL. When my hair grew, I became better at finding things that was essential, and they turned into my staple tools and products. I am not a product junkie and it takes a LOT for me to try something new (especially if the previous product gave me awesome results). However, conditioner is the main product that I change periodically depending on my mood (shampoo runs a close second).

My Hair Essentials:

• DIY elastic hair ties and headbands
• Curls Passion Fruit Control Paste (Used for controlling edges)*
• Ouidad Climate Control: Heat & Humidity Gel (Used for styling hair and is true to the label)***
• Meta Grip Premium Bobby Pins (300 ct) (Used for styling hair. Highly durable & worth the cost)**
• Homemade Hair Cream (Shea/Mango butter mix)
• Conditioner-I am currently trying Suave Naturals...unfortunately, I don't like it :( *
• A spray water bottle-I reused an old Tresemme bottle. I like the spray nozzle.

*can be found at Walmart, Target and other drugstores
**found at Sally's
***can be found at Ulta and Sephora (However, I recommend shopping online. You're more likely to find a cheaper price.)

If you have any products that you really like let me know! If you look at this post, and try any of the items..let me know!

Talk to you next time.
Brie.