Natural Hair. Straight Hair. Natural Hair.

Hello! I hope that you guys had an amazing holiday! I ended up cooking Christmas dinner which was [insert flame emojis here]. I relaxed, went back to work and have been on the go since lol. I recently straightened my hair as well. No, I do not have many pictures, and yes, I've missed my hair. <3

How does one go from kinky-curly, to straight? How do they go from straight to kinky-curly??? There are many ways and methods. I will tell you mine, which seems to work for me. 

Kinky-Curly to Straight: 

• Do not straighten your hair often!!!!
• Yes, long hair allows you to STUNT on folk lol. However, you can lose your curl definition over time with continuous straightening. I've also noticed that the ones who straighten their natural hair excessively, EVENTUALLY cut it off due to damage. Save yourself the trouble. Find a great wig. And if you must, straighten every once in a blue moon. Fun fact: Before this time, I didn't straighten my hair for 3-4 years.
• If you can, get a professional 
• Less headache, your scalp gets massaged, and you just have to sit there and look cute. Plus, they have better quality of hair tools needed to get the job done. 
• Take your time
• If you are a DIY aficionado, please take your time. You may damage your hair in the process. 
• If you want your straight hair to last, water is NOT your friend
• Oils can be your friend
• I like argan, castor, and almond oils. A little bit goes a loooonnngggg way! 
• Trim your ends!!!
• This helps the health of your hair soooo much! Let the dead ends go beloved. Let. Them. Go. 

Straight to Kinky-Curly:

• WATER IS OFFICALLY YOUR FRIEND
• Pre-condition hair with conditioner (whatever you use is fine)
• Co-Wash hair (using conditioner to "wash" you hair)
• Hair treatment!
• This is the one step that I will not miss! I use Aphogee's Curlrific Protein Treatment. It helps lessen breakage (if I have any)

Well those are my tips! I do not straighten my hair often. I like different styles and love the feel of my natural hair <3 

Let me know what you guys do in the comments below! 

Talk to you soon. 

Brie. 

Cute! 

Pre-Christmas Dinner Preparations :)

Winter Protective Hair Styles!

**DISCLAMER: Bear with me, I am currently in the process of deciding which weekday to publish my blog posts. I recently did a bit of research, and discovered that my posts can garner more engagement instead of Wednesday.

This article may just be the start of another series of blog posts(?) I realized that some people may not know what to do with their natural hair during the winter. I LOVED styling my hair during the winter months. LOVED. IT.  If it sounds like something you guys would be interested in, let me know in the comments below! Also let me know via Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram <3**

 
Hey! I hope that your Thanksgiving was lovely <3. My Thanksgiving was nice: low key, and relaxing. I did not cook this year, but I will more than likely cook for Christmas. Needless to say, I am EXCITED. I will be the black INA GARTEN and you all will deal!!!! 

This blog post will be about protective hair styles during the winter.

Protective hair styles are amazing. It is defined as a style that conceals the ends of the hair protecting them from damage due to overexposure to the elements, friction, etc. They assist in hair retention, moisture (if properly moisturized), and different desired aesthetics. Fun fact: a lot of the hair styles that were mentioned in my previous blog post are considered to be protective hair styles! They are great for people who are striving to grow their hair, yet love a great haircut (ahem, me). They can be worn at any time of the year. A lot of naturalistas, however, wear them during the colder months, where natural hair is more prone to breakage.

Protective Hair Styles 

• Buns

I love this look! <3 :)



• Twists

I WILL be attempting this soon! So cute :)

• Braids

Gorgeous right?! This picture is perfect. <3

• Crochet

Faux Locs, Straight, Kinky, Wavy, Twists, etc. I LOVE crochet!!!

• Weaves

Baby, this is LAIIIDDDDDD

• Wigs



Chile y'all are doing witchcraft with these wigs; I didn't know that this was a wig! :0







The great thing about protective styles is that they can be worn for a period of time. This also helps if you are busy and do not have time to style your hair. It is STRONGLY recommended that you fully moisturize (treatments, deep conditioning, etc.) your hair (ESPECIALLY your ends!) prior to styling.  The key to protective styling is keeping your hair ends moisturized. I hope that this helps. <3<3<3

Talk to you soon.
Brie. 

K.I.S.S. Naturals: Hairstyles!

Hey! I hope that you are doing well. Excuse the late post, I had some technical difficulties yesterday. But I am back! :) This blog post is going to touch on the different hairstyles of natural hair. One of my pet peeves is hearing about how black hair is not versatile when it comes to hairstyles.  I also hear a lot of people mention how they are hesitant to become natural because they don't know where to start when it comes to hairstyles. Contrary to popular belief, natural hair, specifically black hair, can be very versatile. Creativity is a MAJOR KEY for hairstyles!


HEADS UP: This is going to be a picture heavy post. And quite frankly, full of hair porn. LOL. Please use this blog post as inspiration for your hair whether you are a newly or seasoned naturalista. You can incorporate one technique or multiple! And I BETTER not hear any more whining about not knowing what to do with natural hair (slightly joking)!!!!!! LOL

 

 

Popular Hair Styles

• Bantu (think of Jada Pinkett Smith in the Matrix)/bantu knot outs(unraveled bantu knots)
• Braids/ braid-outs (unraveled braids)
• Twists/ twist-outs (unraveled twists)
• Updos
• Afros
• Puffs
• Buns
• Wigs*
• Locs
• Weaves*
• Straightened Hair*

*Try to wear sparingly, if you can; if you opt for these styles for an extended amount of time, please tend to your hair! Neglect can cause dry, brittle hair ultimately causing stunted hair growth.

Bantu knot out. Current fave. Throwback pic from two years ago :)

OMG I love BLACK HAIR. Our hair is so amazing like... I can't even! lol Natural hair is FUN! Experiment! Don't be scared or intimidated! Try new hairstyles!

And if it doesn't work out, throw it in a puff and start again at a different time. NO WORRIES! <3
What are some of your favorite hair styles? And it doesn't have to be natural. Let me know in the comments below. :)


Talk to you soon.
Brie.

Checking In! K.I.S.S. Naturals Coming in September!

Hey guys!

I am popping in to say:

Sorry for going AWOL (absent without leave). I hate excuses, however, dealing with the loss of my stepfather, the move back home, and adulthood have been a damper on my spirits.


I also had to assess why I began blogging in the first place, being honest and blunt with my reasons. I honestly missed writing on my blogs.


Don't think that I forgot about the K.I.S.S. Naturals Series. I did not.

K.I.S.S. Naturals was a blog series that I started last March as a guideline for women that were considering wearing their hair in its natural state.


This post is only to say that I will continue the K.I.S.S. Naturals Series. Instead of every month, I will be posting every Wednesday for next eight weeks (Nine posts total). The second post however, will not be posted on Wednesday, but on my birthday, September 5th. Also, please expect to see additional posts periodically in between the series.


Talk to you soon,
Brie.

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. 

Straightened Hair!

Hey guys! I am back again with another hair post! So I recently wanted to try something new with my hair and one thing led to another...which led to me straightening my hair! Surprisingly, the process was simple and easy...just time consuming. What was even more surprising was that I kept the style for over a week. I would've kept it longer but I became bored with my hair. Here's what I do to achieve my straight hair. Now..results may vary depending on your grade of hair and how it reacts to moisture as well as environmental factors so proceed with caution!!

1. Wash Hair: Self Explanatory

2. Blow Dry Hair: Before I blew dried my hair, I applied Argan oil, John Freda Frizz-Ease 3 Days  Straight Semi Permanent Styling Spray (that was a mouthful lol), Ion Straightening Solutions Healing Jojoba Flat Iron Cream and Ion Straightening Solutions Straightener, respectively. I was taking NO chances with reversion of my hair. Lol

3. REST(OPTIONAL): Because blow drying natural hair can take a lot out of a person physically. 

4. Straighten hair: I  used the FHI straightener, a fine tooth comb and Argan oil. Separate the hair into enough sections so that way you straighten your hair effectively. Also when I straightened my hair I combed the section 1st, applied the oil, and used the comb straightener method.

5. Clip split/dead ends: As needed of course. I unfortunately, became scissor happy and ended up with shorter hair than I expected....Y'all pray for me.

My hair was "flickin" low key. The Argan oil helped to make my hair look and feel healthy. I also received compliments on my hair. Some people thought that I went to a salon, which made me feel even better with my DIY straightening technique. 

I had pictures...But they were accidentally deleted! And I was going to use stock photos to compensate for my deleted pictures but they all look WHACK so don't scold me. Lol

**UPDATE**
I found pictures of my straightened hair!

Talk to you soon. 

Brie.