The Best Conditioners for Curly Hair (Prt. 1)

Hey there Curlies!

When I started my hair journey I did the same thing many curly girls do.  I ran out and bought every conditioner advertised for curly hair because I knew my curls needed moisture and LOTS of it. Some products worked and some didn't.  It was all trial and error. I quickly realized I had to condition (see what I did there) my hair to return to its natural state. Some products that were my holy grail when I started this journey are no longer in my shower with my must haves and that is perfectly fine because my hair is changing and reacts to certain products now better than others. Here are two conditioners I have been using steadily for the better half of this process. 

1. Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen & Grow Leave-In Conditioner

This product was a total game changer.  Not only was I able to use it to detangle my curls in the shower but I was also able to leave it in for styling afterwards leaving the softest & bounciest curls possible behind. 

 This Leave-In contains Organic Shea Butter which moisturizes and conditions the hair and scalp, the Jamaican Black Castor Oil is loaded with omegas that promote hair growth and Peppermint which stimulates the scalp.  

I love to use this leave in product when styling my hair because it truly does work and my curls love it.  I especially like to use it after having my hair straight for a week while I transition back to my curls. The scent was not my favorite at first but it grows on you and the effects of the product absolutely outweigh the smell.  This 16oz bottle retails at most locations for $10.99.

2. Silicon Mix

This little baby is a Dominican staple which makes me a bit proud of my heritage.  My mom used this in my hair when I was a little girl.  The scent brings back such fun memories.  I know there is a lot of controversy as to wether you should use silicone products in curly hair but it works wonders for me and truly helped speed up the restoration process.  

It's an intense hair treatment that I like to leave in my hair for about 30 minutes wrapped in a towel to retain heat.  I like to use this treatment once a month. When I rinse my hair it's left smelling wonderful, feeling soft and silky.  

If used as a styler you might have some product buildup left behind because of how intense this treatment is. I don't usually use it to style other than what's left in my hair after my shower. I am able to just add water on second and third day hair and easily revive my curls. I purchased this 8 oz. trip down memory lane for $5.39 at Target. 

Hope you enjoyed this post and have a few products to look into.
What conditioners do you find help restore and keep your curls?  Any product recommendations?

Come back next week for two more conditioners I've also been loving!

Thanks for stopping by!

Mia

Curly Hair Check In

Hey there Curlies!

I hope you enjoyed my last post and are having a great year so far.

Today's post is about

 I wanted to take a moment to catch you all up on my curly hair progress. It's been  a little bit over a year since I started taking proper care of my hair.  I've been using products made especially for curly hair as well as keeping my hair curly 70% of the time.  I like to straighten it once every two months for about a week to check on my length.

For a while I felt like there was no growth or improvement.  I was using all the right products, washing 1-2 times a week, co-washing and doing deep treatments but it wasn't until about 4-5 months into it that I actually started to notice a difference in my hair.
During those first few months, because I was terrified of the words "Big Chop", I trimmed my hair every month a bit at a time where I thought it needed it the most.  Then at about the 6th month I finally did it.  I didn't care how many inches were coming off I grabbed the scissors and never looked back.  I cut every single strand of hair that looked the slightest bit straight.  I remember thinking if I'm going to do this I'm going to do it right although I hated how short my hair was.
I hated even more trimming it every month and never being able to see any progress. 

 The first few months since the BIG CHOP I noticed that my curls were shinier,  bouncier and more defined, I wasn't shedding nor was my hair breaking as much as it used to on the ends.  I was super excited but even then I didn't notice any growth.  Little did I know that my hair was in fact growing but it was more so repairing itself from the inside out.  

So I kept with it. 

Making sure I was eating healthy meals, taking my vitamins, drinking plenty of water, using the right products and using protective hair styles.  I was finally at a place where I was happy with how my hair looked when it was curly.  And when that happened, I kid you not, I started to notice growth. I started writing down my hair length measurements every other month making sure to measure the bottom, mid section, sides, top and my bangs.  I wanted to see how it was all growing because I knew not every section was the same length.  Sure enough my hair was growing half an inch to an inch every time I recorded it. It's grown a total of 5-6 inches in 8 months.  

I am one happy Curly Girl! lol

I write all this to say, that I hope this post will be able to inspire anyone who is struggling with their curly hair and who would like to make 2017 the year of your curls.  It's definitely a slow and frustrating journey at first but it will be so worth it in the end.  We were given such beautiful locks and they deserve to be cared for and shown off.  Don't be afraid to take that leap of faith.  I promise you wont regret it.  

Below are a few progress photos of my journey. Hope you enjoy!

My next post will be about some deep conditioning products I have found to help lock in moisture and that help with curl definition. Be on the lookout for that post if you're interested in some new products.

Thanks for stopping by!

Mia

Lets Get Personal...Shall We?

Hello Curlies!

I'm sure you can guess that my blogs main focus will revolve around my hair and how I plan to be Confidently Curly! 

You see, only recently did I choose to accept my hair for what it really is at its core.  Right now it's recovering from years and years of heat damage, poor management, hair extensions and highlights. And after 4 eternal months I have seen a tremendous change in my curl pattern and the life of my hair.  

I simply looked in the mirror one day and said, I'm tired of my hair breaking off and smelling like burnt flat ironed hair!.... (we've all had those days) I didn't want to have to worry about taking hours to straighten my hair only to have humidity, frizz and the likes attack me in the most inopportune moments of life. 

I wanted to let lose and just be me!  Someone I had truly lost sight of over the years because I was too busy trying to conform to what I thought I HAD to be, instead of who I was MADE to be.  So on that very fateful day I grabbed the scissors and chopped about 4 inches off and each month since then I've been cutting a little bit more every time. Which brought me to this blog....

I feel as though curly girls all over the world have finally had enough! We don't fit societies norm, nor should we! Our curls are beautiful, unpredictable and absolutely wonderful. All they need is some love and attention and I would love to do nothing more than to encourage and inspire curly girls everywhere to accept who we are because WE ARE BEAUTIFUL and OUR HAIR IS BEAUTIFUL wether we have waves, loose curls, tight curls or super tight curls we have to own it  and we are the only ones who can! We have a story to tell.

Here are a few of the photos I could find of my journey. Please ignore the faces lol these were either sent to my hubby or my chummy during conversations .... haha (you gotta be able to laugh at yourself every once in a while)

       Years of straightening       Attempt to wear hair      Recovery & Pampering

         & using curling irons        "naturally curly"                     Process

So if you haven't already done so, but deep down inside your yearning to live a carefree life with your hair.... take the plunge!  There's no better day than today to embrace who you were meant to be!  I promise you wont regret it! 

But for those of you that are still weary, thats okay too, we all have to go at our own pace. I know exactly how you're feeling because I've been there too.

And so with that, I hope that no matter what stage you're at in your journey we can learn from each other how to love our hair, watch it grow and be Confidently Curly!

Thanks for coming over!

 Feel free to comment below. What are some of your struggles? Where are you in your journey?
Join me for my next post!

xo Mia