PR: Kinky-Curly Knot Today

So I've finally found my Holy Grail leave-in/detangler.  That's right, move over Giovanni Weightless Moisture there's a new sheriff in town and her name is Kinky-Curly Knot Today.....My affair began a few months ago...at first it was nothing, curiosity at best, I would see KCKT everywhere I went, as I was searching the forums, hair boards and blogs, I noticed a lot, and I mean a lot, of natural women* were using this KCKT as their detangler and leave-in.  It sparked my interest and on numerous occasions while shopping in Whole Foods it was calling me on the shelf, but I rejected the urge as I had a "couple" of bottles of my Giovanni left......And then there was 1.....Since I am far into a stretch I decided to stock up so that I wouldn't have any last minute disasters as this new growth is kickin!  Now don't get me wrong, I have like 4 stores in a 5 block radius that sell Giovanni but of course this was my excuse to appease the inner pj in me.  So the day b/4 my trip I took the ultimate chance and purchased the KCKT, something I would not normally do esp. while travelling with all this new growth.  Ok, so to balance it out I decided, to wash and curl my hair before I left for my vacay, of course it was an excuse to try out my new leave-in. And so our affair began!  Let's just say I was not disappointed in any area; this stuff smells amazing, feels amazing, works amazingly, good gosh ya'll!  I used this everyday on my vacation, even had the hubby dipping his grubby paws into my stash!  The slip is like no other, now don't get me wrong Giovanni definitely holds its weight, but it's something about KCKT that just takes it up a notch. Is it the fact that it just melts the kinks away in my new growth and makes the comb glide, or b/c a little definitely goes a long way, or maybe b/c if you happen to use a lot, your hair still doesn't feel weighed down, heavy or greasy, or how about the fact that everytime I smell it, it put's me right back on an island with a tropical drink in my hand!  Folks, it's not just one thing, it's ALL of these things that make me say to Giovanni, honey I ain't never coming home!

Funny thing is I was never dissatisfied with Giovanni so I'm not sure why subliminally I was never "complete" with her either.  I had no complaints, even referred her to many a person but the reviews and the Whole Foods shelves were just calling me w/KCKT.  To be honest, I am upset that it took me this long to give in to my inner pjism.  This is a good and a bad thing but I won't go into that now. Bottom line is, run don't walk to the nearsest store (or websites) and order you a bottle of KCKT Natural Leave-In Detangler.  I highly doubt you will be disappointed! (Btw I used it on dry hair once or twice to moisturize and it was very moisturizing as well).  A new staple, esp for stretches.

Ingredients: organic Mango fruit extract, organic slipper elm, organic marshmallow root, organic lemongrass, cetyl alcohol, behentrimonium methosulfate, citric acid, phenoxyethanol and natural fragrance

*(I watch a lot of products referenced and used by 4a/b naturals.  When these ladies say something "softens" or makes their hair more "manageable" I quickly take heed. I mean during a stretch your new growth IS your natural texture and IS what's actually causing all of the breakage and manageability issues at the line of demarcation so for me it not only makes sense but it IS effective.  However this is a theory and practice that works for ME)

Sun & Fun

It feels good to be back from a much needed, but much exhausting vacation.  7 days in the Caribbean sun and beach water did good for relaxation and rest assured I was fully equipped to handle my hair.  My hair care items were just as important as my bathing suits and sunblock, and let me tell you, I felt good handling my hair like a real pro, no tangles, no snarls, no dryness.....it made the vacay that much easier.

First off, before I stepped off the boat for each island I made sure I thoroughly saturated my hair with water while taking a shower that morning.  I then used my mixture of avocado and olive oil that I prepared in a small bottle, making sure it was distributed along all of  my hair strands.  I pulled my hair back in a pony and bun.  On the way to and from the beaches I wore a large straw hat to protect my hair from the sun.....We spent so many hours on the beach each day, so on return to my cabin I would step in the shower really quickly to rinse the sand from my hair and out of my bathing suit. I then towel dried and alternated the application of either Jessicurl or Hairveda's SitriNillah.  Shout out to Traycee at KISS b/c I picked up this next part from her, I would go up to the steam room and sauna with the dc in my hair to really let it penetrate while I further relaxed from all the wear and tear on the beach (falling off the banana boat (twice!), jumping the tarzan swing off the pier into the ocean, the water trampoline...I'm just glutton for punishment sometimes..lol). I spent about 1/2 hour alternating between the sauna and steam room, then headed back to my cabin and showered while I cowashed my hair with Nature's Gate.  I did a final cold water rinse and t-shirt dried while I handled my business.

I then used Kinky Curly Knot Today leave-in (review later today, maybe tomorrow) and moisturized and sealed w/Bee Mine Luscious Balanced Cream Moisturizer (review to follow) and my olive oil/avocado oil mixture.  I primarily air-dried except for two nights which were elegant/captain nights on the ship where I blow dried and flat ironed. My hair felt and still feels amazing!  It was so soft, and moisturized and felt really healthy.  My new growth was so manageable, detangling was a breeze, I was on easy street.  I only brought along these six products and it made me realize how much of a solid regimen I have. Not one bump in the road!  Cowashing 5 out of 7 days gave my hair some serious moisture benefits, I may just up the amount of x's I cowash until the weather changes.

 BTW, I am 15.5 wks post (more on that later)

Test of Time

So I've got a big challenge ahead of me next week.  I am leaving on Sunday for vacay and am officially 13.5 wks post.  Yep, I went past the 3 month/12 week mark that I am accustomed to.  It's not too bad but the only thing is I'm not sure how this is going to pan out with the sun, the beach, cowashing, detangling etc for 7 days....... I've past the point of no return so I'm determined to make it work.  Needless to say I will probably need an extra bag for hair products alone :-(

 I am not going to announce how long I plan on stretching, b/c it seems whenever I do so I have to eat my words.  I am just gonna take it one week at a time.

Washing in Braided Sections!

I've read about washing in braided sections last year . It's a method you will may find necessary as the length of your hair and your stretches become longer.  I've incorporated the method into my wash routine over the last month and  whoo, it's a life saver!  This is something I find will benefit you as you get deeper into your stretches, however you may not need it when you have a fresh relaxer.  I've read it works wonders for naturals, I will be trying on my nieces hair next time I wash and braid it for school.

To wash in braided sections just follow these steps:

1. Gently detangle your hair b/4 beginning the process.
2. Part your hair into 4 sections.  Make a part down the middle of your head (from forehead to nape) and another part across the crown (from ear to ear).
3. Optional - If you are going to pre-poo, here's where you would do so, if not skip to step to step 4. Thoroughly apply the product to each section of your hair. (Let it sit w/or w/o heat however you work your pre-poo magic!)
4. Braid each section in a plait style braid.  (Think Celie plaits)
5. While in the shower wet hair thoroughly and apply conditioner to the scalp of each braided section ( I co-wash hence the conditioner but if you use shampoo then do so). Focus on one braided section at a time, using the pads of your fingers, not your nails, to "scrub" your scalp clean.
TIP: I use an applicator bottle to apply the product to scalp.  It makes it so much easier to navigate through the new growth and evenly distribute the product.
6. Rinse thoroughly
7. Unbraid a section, apply your conditioner to that section and then re-braid the section after the product is thoroughly applied.  (Repeat on sections 2-4).  Let your condish sit for as long as you like!
8. Again focusing one section at time, rinse the condish from your hair under running water.  You have 2 options here:
      a) unravel while rinsing and detangle with either a detangling comb or your fingers and rebraid
                                                                            OR
      b) leave the braid in while rinsing and detangle further down -
                ***whichever option you choose you should end back up in your 4 braided sections
9. Towel or t-shirt dry the hair for at least 10 minutes in order to absorb excess water from the hair
10. Unbraid a section, apply your leave in (here is where you would detangle before re-braiding if you didn't do so in step 8) and:
     a) re-braid to airdry
                                                                           OR
     b) proceed with your styling option of choice

That's it! I hope I didn't confused anyone, I tried to make it a simple as possible. Let me know how it works for you!

HHG

Nape Care

One of my biggest issues for MOST of my life has been my nape!  Breakage, dryness, alopecia, slow growth you name it, even at my longest lengths it was always just plain old choppy and never the length of the rest of my hair.  Throughout the years various practices have helped the hair grow and become healthier but right now with my last alopecia flare up it still isn't anywhere near where it should be.

Well if you are a fragile nape sufferer and looking for some great tips in treating and "rebuilding" your nape check out the following article which, imo, has all the basic steps you need to get your nape growing in long and strong!  Thanks to Eryn over at hair2toe for sharing!

http://www.hair2toebeauty.com/2010/03/how-to-grow-your-nape.html

Dr. Ali Syed's New Growth System

I've been looking for a hair care "system" to help battle this alopecia.  I basically wanted to get one complete line for the specific use of thinning/balding and shed hair.  In reading Dr. Ali Syed's blog he's introducing a new system coming soon, that I hope may be the answer to my prayers!

Check out the link below:

http://www.dralisyed.com/2010/06/syntonics-grothentic-anti-thin.html#more

Long Time No See

Hey All,

How ya been?!  I know I've been m.i.a. so yes we've got a lot to catch up on but we'll get to that at another time.  One of the things I've been meaning to incorporate in my blog is giveaways.  Since I never got the chance why not advertise for a fellow blogger and take the pressure off of my self ?! (and gain another entry..lol)

So without further ado,  here's your chance to win a Corioliss flat iron courtesy of Misikko over at LHDC. Click the link below to enter and for contest rules.  Good luck!

CONTEST CLOSED