Fine 4b 4c Gone with the Wind Fabulous

This video is designed for all naturals, especially my 4b, 4c, 4z sisters.

Be proud of your hair, the kinks, the tangles, and the single strand knots. Our hair is unique and is truly a crown of glory! Our hair is fabulous! Gone with the wind fabulous . . . LOL

Enjoy!

Takedown demonstration of Urban Twist on 4b 4c hair

Check out my video showing a demonstration of how I take down my urban twist and camouflage my hair during the process. Enjoy!



Don't forget to check out my channel on youtube: Niafloda! :)

Urban Twist by the Damn Salon

I got my urban twist installed on November 13, 2012 in Los Angeles by Mushiya. The hair used is a high quality synthetic hair. It is very light. However, the ends do feel a little dry and have a tendency to get tangled.

I love the versatility of the urban twists and get compliments on my hair all the time.

The price can range anywhere from $300-$600 depending on the length and density of your hair and the look you are going for. Mine were on the higher end because my hair is BSL.

I will admit that I am afraid of the take down as I have 4c natural hair tangles easily and I am afraid that my hair may have locked up with the extensions. I will keep you posted on the twist removal.

Below is a photo of my urban twists taken on November 24th and on New Years Eve .

I take care of my hair by washing with my Ayurvedic ACV mud shampoo and deep conditioning via steamer weekly. Then I use my pH balanced moisturizing leave in and seal with the Damn Salon Butter or Qhemet Biologics Aethiopika Butter. I use my moisturizing spray daily and seal with and oil or butter. I massage my scalp nightly with Super Potent Black Castor Oil.

Curls

The claims of each product(source: www.curls.biz):

Curlicious Curls Cleansing Cream
"This creamy, sulfate free cleanser is gentle enough to use daily and moisturizing enough to use alone!  Ideal cleanser for curly hair. Great  for chemically altered and color treated hair. Perfect for active women on the go!

This rich and creamy sulfate free cleanser gently cleanses your curls, hydrates, and conditions the hair all in one step.  Produces a mild, gentle lather, as it is sulfate (detergent) free.  Infused with Carrot Seed oil, Horse Chestnut, Sage Leaf and Arnica Montana Flower Extract. Perfect cleanser for relaxed, chemically altered, and/or color treated hair."

Ingredients: Water, Sodium Cocyl Isethionate, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Steric Acid, Glycerin, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Cetearyl Alcohol,Polyquaternium-7, Fragrance, Silk Amino Acids, Panthenol, Daucus Carota Sativa (carrot) seed oil, Arnica Montana Flower Extract, Aesculus Hipocastanum (Horse Chestnut) extract, Salvia Officinalis (sage) leaf extract, , Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Potassium Sorbate, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Caramel.


My review: I give this 4 out of 5. It does a great job mildly cleansing the hair without stripping and drying the hair out. This is ideal for someone that doesn't like the concept of conditioner washing but wants to a mild shampoo to gently cleanse their hair. I've used the product every day for a week and my hair  was cleansed. I would recommend a monthly clarifying shampoo to to remove any build up. This shampoo is not designed for heavy cleansing of heavy build up. The smell is amazing. It smells like cake batter. I didn't give it a 5/5 because of the claim that it can be used alone. It's not moisturizing enough to not be followed without the conditioner. Even the week where I used the cream wash twice in a week, I still felt my 4b hair needed a conditioner to help with moisture and help with the detangling process.

Coconut Sublime Moisturizing Conditioner

"Looking for a conditioner that provides MAXIMUM moisture and softness for your dry curly tresses? Look no further, Coconut Sublime Conditioner is guaranteed to soften the kinkiest curl, moisturize the driest lock, and detangle the most unruly tresses. Great for all curly hair textures especially dry, damaged, and chemically treated kinky, medium or coarse curly hair." Ingredients: Purified Water, Cetyl Alcohol (derived from coconut) Stearalkonium Chloride, Cetearyl Alcohol (derived from coconut), Polysorbate 60, Virgin Coconut Oil (Cocos Hucifera),  Panthenol, Certified Organic Arnica Flower Extract, Certified Organic Chamoile Flower  Extract, Certified Organic White Tea Extract,  Monoi de Tahiti, Methylheptyl Isostearate, Hydroxypropyltrimonium, Hydrolyzed Corn Starch, Potassium Sorbate, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Natural Fragrance,Caramel. My review: 4 out of 5. This product is a great detangler and has good slip. I usually just saturate my sectioned hair with the conditioner and my hair feels amazingly soft in the shower. When I dry my hair with my terry turban, the hair still feels moisturized. I haven't tried using it as a leave in, but I may. If I let my hair air dry too long it seems the hair dries a little crispy. It must be followed up with a moisturizing milk, cream, or souffle. This conditioner can also be used for co-washing. Quenched Curls Moisturizer "Give your curls just what they need....moisture! Formulated with certified organic ingredients, this daily curl moisturizer is a curl life saver! Use daily...alone as a 2nd day curl refresher or under any of our stylers for curl prepping. Your "underwear for your hair!"

Ingredients: Water, Glycerin, Bean Tree, Certified Organic White Tea Extract,Certified Organic Chamomille Extract, Certified Organic Pomegranate Seed Extract, Hydroxypropyltrimonium, Hydrolyzed Corn Starch,  Butyrospermum Parkii Shea Butter, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba Seed Oil), Cocos NuciferaCoconut Oil, Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ Oil, Silk Amino Acids, Citric Acid, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Disodium EDTA, Potassium Sorbate, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Natural Fragrance.


My review: I give this product a 2 out of 5. I don't like the spray bottle that it comes in. The moisturizer has a maple syrup consistency and when it's sprayed out of the bottle it squirts in a stream rather than a spray /mist. The solution may need to  be watered down to make it more sprayable and this may give you more bang for your dollar. But, I didn't try it this way. My experience is I would spray the solution into my hair and then pat the moisturizer into my hair. It felt like it just sat on the top of my hair. I even used it on my 3c/3b lace front wig an it seemed to just sit on the hair. It didn't penetrate as well. I might give it another try by watering the product down. But, for now, I wouldn't recommended it for a 4b hair. It doesn't weigh your hair down enough to make the coils pop. Its so thick when used to refresh a style it just makes the 4b hair gummy because it doesn't absorb very well. I'm not sure if it worth the hassle of watering it down. I may just put it in my product grave.

Curl Gel-les'c 

It isn’t a gel, and not quite a serum it’s Curl Gel-les’c (pronounced Curl Jealousy). This botanically based, organic curl styler imparts brilliant sheen, banishes frizz, and holds those twirls in place! Great for humid climates. Transform dry frizzy locks into the enviable curls that every woman dreams of, with Curl Gel-les’c. Go ahead, your curls deserve it! Ingredients: Purified Water, Polyquaternium-11, Sorbitol, Certified Organic Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Polyquaternium-37, Vegetable Glycerin, Certified Organic Coconut Milk ( Cocos Nucifera Fruit Juice), Certified Organic Linden Seed Oil ( Tilia Cordata Flower Extract), Certified Organic Flaxseed Oil ( Linum Usitatissimum Seed Oil, Certified Organic Chamoile Extract (Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract) Certified Organic Rosemary. My review: Hmmmmm. I'm going to have to come back to this one. I tried it twice on a section of hair. It did make the coils pop and added sheen. But, I'm going to have to try my whole head and see if it keeps it moisturized the whole day. I will keep you guys updated on this one. Curls Milkshake Guaranteed to define, defrizz, revive, hydrate, and soften dry curls. Derived from natural milks and exotic extracts, this moisturizing cream will bring life back to your overworked tresses. Light enough to use on fine curly hair.  Perfect cream for transitioning curlies...to soften and hydrate dry newgrowth.   Ingredients: Purified water, certified organic aloe barbadensis leaf juice, cetearyl alcohol, behentrimonium methosulfate, jojoba oil, cetrimonium chloride, soy protein, soyamidoprpylkonium chloride, allantoin, soy lecithin, sweet almond milk, coconut milk, aloe vera milk, milk amino acids, buttermilk, arnica extract, lavender extract, chamomile extract, white tea extract, sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, fragrance. My Review: This product gets a 3 out of 5. I want to love this product so much. I do love it when I put it on because it does a great job of making my hair soft and it aids in detangling. My problem is it leaves a white film on my hair so I can't just put this stuff on in the morning and walk out the door. Then, when it finally dries (this product is a loose lotions consistency) it doesn't feel as soft. I have to keep putting this moisturizer on a few times throughout the day to ensure my ends don't get crunchy. I may start adding a little castor oil to assist this product with keeping it moisturized throughout the day. It has a lot of potential. But for your money, there are better things out there with less hassle for the same price or more affordable. Whipped Cream Whipped Cream is the perfect product for natural styles (twists, locks, afros & more) for thick, kinky, curly 3c-4b hair! This thick, and ultra rich whipped cream has a warm vanilla cream fragrance that makes you want to eat it! It provides SUPERB curl definition, frizz protection all while providing moisture and sheen. Enriched with natural oils, exotic butters and nourishing extracts and botanicals.  Also works great as gel substitute to smooth edges, slick hair, and to hold twists and locks in place. Ingredients: Purified Water, Certified Organic Sunflower Oil, Certified Organic Aloe Vera Leaf Juice, Cocoa Butter, Polyimide-1, Glyercin, Certified Organic Coconut Oil, Certified Organic Sweet Almond Oil, * Gardenia Essential Oil, Tahitian Coconut Oil, Grape Seed Oil, Wheat Germ Oil, Avocado Oil, Plumeria Oil, Olive Oil, Sodium Carbomer, Centillica Asiatica, Panthenol, Octyl Palmitate, Polysorbate-80, Soy Tocopherols, Phenoxyethanol, Ethyl Hexyl Glyercin, Fragrance. My review: 3 out of 5. This stuff is pretty thick. It didn't slick down my edges nor does it have the best sheen. It does have a light hold due to the thickness of the product and would be ideal for twists but you would need some sort of oil afterwards to give you some sheen my 4b lovelies.  The product claims to define coils. I didn't see any thing. I emulsified the product in my hands and applies to loose 4b hair in sections and the product just sat there. When I use it over night, i think my head scarf and pillow absorbed most of the product. The good thing though is the hair isn't dry. I don't have to reapply as often as I do with the milkshake. Curl Souffle This soufflé textured cream defrizzes, defines and holds curls while locking in moisture. . Curl Souffle' will define your curls with added moisture and sheen with a soft natural hold. Also works great as gel substitute to smooth edges and/or slick hair into a protective style. Provides curl protection against the elements will keeping your curls in shape! Ideal styler for brutal winter months and scorching summer days. For best results, apply evenly, section by section. Ingredients: purified water, certified organic sunflower oil, octyl palmitate, certified organic aloe vera leaf juice, glycerin, glyceryl stearate, potassium stearate, panthenol, stearic acid, sodium carbomer, allantoin, cetearyl alcohol, sweet almond oil, shea butter, jojoba oil, soy tocopherols, phenoxyethanol, fragrance. My review: I don't know. I'm going to have to try again on this one. It's consistency is in between that of the milkshake and the whipped cream. A lot lighter than the whipped cream but thicker than the milkshake. I don't know why they didn't put the coconut milk in this one because I think this would solve the problem with the curls milkshake. It was good at moisturizing and would need to be reapplied again at the end of the day. I'm not super excited about this product. Maybe I will give it another try before I make my decision on the rating. I do know there are better products out there.

Product Review: Sweet Nature by Eddie

Sweet Nature by Eddie makes holistic natural products that heal the scalp and condition the hair for optimal growth. The products focus on gentle cleansing of the scalp, adding proper moisture to the hair shaft, and follicle stimulation. The products are all natural and contain only natural preservatives.

The Complete Kit plus Follicle Stimulator includes:

Dream Cream Butter, Wisdom Shea-Cocoa Butter, Growth Daily Moisturizing Spray, Inspiration Ultra 
Moisturizing Shampoo, Love Stimulating Deep Conditioner, and Spirt Follicle Stimulator.

Product Ingredients:

DREAM CREAM BUTTER:

Shea Butter, Coco Butter, Olive Butter, 
Aloe Vera Juice, Vegetable Glycerin, Vegetable 
Moisturizers, Herbs, Essential Oils.

WISDOM SHEA-COCOA BUTTER:

Shea Butter, Coco Butter, Olive Butter, Aloe 
Vera Juice, Vegetable Glycerin, Vegetable Moisturizers, 
Herbs, Essential Oils.

GROWTH DAILY MOISTURIZING SPRAY:

Spring Water, Avocado Oil, Jojoba Oil, Vegetable 
Glycerin, Aloe Vera Juice, Grape seed Oil, Herbs, and Essential 
Oils (Juices and Berries Baby…Juices and Berries)

INSPIRATION ULTRA MOISTURIZING SHAMPOO

Purified water, Decyl Glucoside (Naturally Occurs in Sweet Orange),
Avocado Oil, Vegetable Glycerin, Cocamidopropyl Betaine (Naturally Derived From
Coconut), Coco-Glucoside & Glyceryl Oleate, Citric Acid (Fruit Acids), Natural Fragrance
Oil. *No Sodium Laureth Sulphate (SLES) or Sodium Lauryl Sulphates
(SLS), which causes drying and damage

LOVE STIMULATING DEEP CONDITIONER

Purified Water, Raw Honey, Avocado 
Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, PEG-40 Castor Oil, Jojoba Oil, 
Olive Oil, Peppermint Oil

SPIRIT FOLLICLE STIMULATOR

Olive Oil, Jojoba Oil, Avocado Oil, 
Grapeseed Oil, Wheat Germ Oil, Saw Palmetto, 
Gotu Kola, Blend of Nettles, Sublime Sulphur.

My Experience:

Wow!!  The customer service was amazing! I got my products in less than 3 days. I'm in Los Angeles and Sweet Nature by Eddie is in Michigan. The owner is such a sweetheart and answered all my questions about the products and working to get my package out so quickly. The products are even more AMAZING!!!! With a little extra zing.

The follicle stimulator has sulphur but doesn't smell like eggs like some sulphur hair oil products. It's light and sweet. A little goes a long way. I love, love, love the moisturizing spray. This spray saves me so much time in the morning from the afro bed head. I spray fluff and pull my puff into a protective bun. I've seen less breakage and more softness on my ends.

The dream cream is like butter creme frosting. It's light and your only need a little. This is perfect for fine 4b/4c hair strands like mine. The wisdom cream smells like cocoa and is a heavier creme that's great for twists and stretching the hair. I use the Dream cream in the morning after the moisturizing spray and the wisdom cream to seal my ends at night.

The ingredients are simple with a powerful formulation. The products are easy and a complete routine.

I haven't used the shampoo and conditioner yet but I will put an update this weekend.

My Rating:

Scale is for 4b/4z only:

1- Would never recommend :(

2-

3-It has potential but wouldn't consider buying again

4-

5- Super awesome!!!

5 out of 5. So far, the products that I have used have been wonderful. The customer service is stellar. Shipping is quick. The products deliver what they promise and offer inspirational words for any natural that is on a transitioning or on natural hair growth journey. The price fits into any budget and she is also looking to add 12 oz sizes to her collection. She offers stock up prices as though you're purchasing wholesale which offers even more savings.

Final Comments

As always, this is just my opinion on this product with my hair. Everyone's hair responds differently to different products and ingredients. Feel free to check out the website and over 130 + positive reviews on the products on her Fotki http://public.fotki.com/AngelNapps/guide-to-growing-yo/.

Tracking my hair growth and condition. 2008

This was Sept 18, 2008. I had loaded my hair with water an dollops of shea butter to get my hair to stretch and lay down. It was amazing! But sooooooooo oily. I was leaving grease spots everywhere. There was some definition. But, I just loved how my hair hung on the sides and at the top where my hair is the dense. I think my hair was up to 12-13 inches before I did a uneven cut in December.

Here is my bun! There is a donut in there to make it more symmetrical. I made the dounut my self by cutting a black sock that my boyfriend couldn't find the other pair to. I soaked it with whatever oil I had (almond, olive oil, etc) so that my ends would dry out from the sock.

The texture is so amazing. Sometimes I get so frustrated with the tangles, knots, shrinkage, and dryness. But, it's beautiful.

]

Look at the length vs. the shrinkage!

Halloween 2008. My dog was at the J Lounge for the doggie halloween customer runway show. He was a lion and I was the trainer. My fro was huge!

End of November 2008 puff.

My baby and I Dec 2008. This puff was after the hair "trim" that went wrong. The call myself trimming my left side and took off 3 -5 inches (5 inches at the top and 3 inches towards the rear). A mess!!! The right side only had .5 inch trim. I was a little upset but my beau encouraged me that it would be ok. I still rocked my lop-sided puff!

Product Review: Miss Jessie's Stretch Silkening Creme

Miss Jessie claims to have "the best darn curl cremes period."  The Stretch Silkening Creme has been described as "a splendid emulsion for curls, kinks, and waves" that offers "super strength moisturizing and conditioning". It can be used daily to refresh curls, two-strand twists, and coil outs. $22 for 8 oz. This is not Miss Jessie's silkening creme!

Ingredients:

Water, Paraffinum Liquidum (mineral oil), glycerin, triethaolamine, carbomer, wheat amino acids, aloe barbadensis leaf extract, hydrolyzed wheat protein, avocado oil, coconut oil, sweet almond oil, jojoba seed oil, olive fruit oil, peg-12 dimethicone, fragrance, ethylhexl methoxycinnamate, oleth-5, dmdm hydantoin, iodopropynyl btuylcarbamate, disodium edta, red 40,yellow 10.

My Experience:

All I can say is wow. Last night I shampooed and conditioned with the Aveda Dry Remedy which always leaves my hair soft. I applied the stretch Silkening Creme to my hair which made my hair feel stripped and gummy. This morning. My hair had all of these white clumps that were sticky. I didn't have time to rinse my hair out because I was going to work so I had white clumpy, gummy flakes in my hair. By the end of the day my hair felt like a brillo pad. It was so dry and needed moisture. During my lunch I went to my favorite beauty supply store and picked up the Kinky Curly Spritz which is a moisturizer and it fixed the moisture problem. However, I still had clumps. I wasn't too worried about the clumps, just more concerned with breakage.

I think this product would be more ideal for someone with loose curls (3a/3b) versus kinky coils (4b-4z). It is fast drying, so it would be ideal for someone who can do a wash and go and doesn't mind a product that uses mineral oil as the primary ingredient.

My Rating:

Scale is for 4b/4z only:

1- Would never recommend :(

2-

3-It has potential but wouldn't consider buying again

4-

5- Super awesome!!!

1 out of 5. I wasn't expecting curl definition with this product since I understand that no product can truly transform my 4b/4z hair to 3 anything. I was at least hoping for moisture and sheen. But instead it left my hair a dehydrated and gummy mess.

Final Comments

As always, this is just my opinion on this product with my hair. Everyone's hair responds differently to different products and ingredients. The experience may be different if it was done at Miss Jessie's Salon. If you do decide to try this product go for the 2 oz or trying some of the curly hair boards like www.naturallycurly.com for a product swap so there is no commitment. This stuff is going to my product grave yard. :(

Who am I?

I'm your gracious host Niafloda. I live in the Los Angeles area and I'm a happy nappy! I haven't had the luxury of running into a lot of naturals in Los Angeles and not any with my kinky, curly, shrinky, 4b/4c hair. 

I started my natural hair journey in college when I saw the beauty in my best friend's natural hair. I admired the texture, density, and halo that the afro represents. I did the big chop but I don't remember when. It may have been 2001 or 2002. I remained natural until 2005 when I wanted a more "curly", aka 3C look. I got a wave nouveau. What a mistake! I was cute for half a second until the second touch-up ruined my hair. I was devastated that I caved into the creamy/liquid hair crack. Before the wave nouveau I had about 10-12 inches of thick hair. It was great and then I messed it up with chemicals.

I spent a lot of time trying to get my hair to recover by hiding it in braids. I defaulted to micro braids because my hair was in such bad condition. I went to a braider that was gentle and patient. I did this for 2.5 years. 

To abridge this story, I got tired of the braids and with my boyfriend's encouragement I got rid of the braids for a few months and enjoyed the length I had acquired. About 12 inches all around. I was ecstatic.  My fro was huge!! Then late December 2009, I fell under the pressure of doing an updo with my hair for a work Christmas party and got scissor happy cutting 2-3 inches off my hair and some sections even shorter (the right side was almost 4-5 inches). I don't know what I was thinking??!!? I resorted back to braids to let my hair rest and to not stress over growth.

 Now I'm back to my free-fro and want to dedicate a blog that concentrates on 4b/4c hair only! 

My objectives:

1. Get 4b/4c kinkies to embrace and enjoy their hair

2. Educate on proper and healthy hair maintenance

3. Product reviews

4. Network with other 4b/4c kinkies on their best practices for everyone to share.

I want this to be a positive forum that gives 4b/4c kinkies their moment to show the beauty of our hair.