A Quarantine Hair Story

I’ve been #teamnatural my whole life but I am far from perfect when it comes to knowing and doing what’s best for my hair.  I have type 3 hair (though I’m 100% not sure if I’m A or B if I’m totally honest) and it has suffered through some major heat damage in the last 10 years due to straightening with heat. Since my sophomore year in college it has become a sort of traditional to straighten my hair every fall/winter, be it via a roller-set or blow out. It started out as something I did for internship/job interviews but later it I realized that having straight hair also made things much easier for me during the colder seasons as my curls are not fans of winter outerwear, hats or scarves.  (For context, my hair tends to get a bit matted and seriously frizzy under any kind of duress from wool and other winter knits.)

How it started (March 2020) vs. How it’s going.

Quarantine began around the time I would normally begin transitioning back to my natural curls, however once it became obvious that I wouldn’t be working at the office anytime soon, I started to change up my weekly hair care routine in order to give my hair the care it desperately needed after so much neglect. By the time my birthday came around in May, I started to see an improvement so I fully committed to staying curly for the rest of the year. No heat styling at all.  I even went so far as to packing my heat styling tools deep in storage so I wouldn’t be tempted to keep up with my old ways.

While it did take some trial and error with products, as well as patience, my hair now is the healthiest it’s been since probably high school. I know that all curls are not the same, but I wanted to share the products I’ve used  (in the order that I received and tried them) that helped get me to this point. I hope you find it helpful whether you have curly hair or not, as some of these work on all types of hair.

Disclaimer: Some of the products listed here were sent to me as samples for review. All opinions are my own. 

Briogeo Scalp Revival Charcoal + Coconut Oil Micro-exfoliating Scalp Scrub Shampoo

Ok, first let me just say that this is probably the priciest product I will ever share on this blog, but I had to. I got a sample of this product last May as my Sephora birthday gift and from the first time I used it I was in awe. In an attempt to limit frizz, I tend to be pretty heavy handed when it comes to applying styling product to my hair which often times leads to my scalp flaking so having a product like this is a God-send. I immediately went to see about getting myself a full size bottle only to see the $42 price tag.  It would be months before I could convince myself to spend that kind of money on my head, but I don’t regret it for a second.

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Naturally Curly Hair Winter Straightening Tips

Thanks to my mother I have been natural my entire life. I only got around to experimenting  with me hair once I got into college,  mostly out of necessity as I could no longer sport the two pigtail braids that were my signature back in high school. Yet it would be some time until I could actually figure out how to properly care for my natural curls without twisting them and in the process I began to try something new by straightening my hair via heat styling.
curls-and-straight-hairFast forward to the present and I really only ever straighten my hair during the  late fall/winter and sometimes into early spring. Why? Well, to  be honest  I do love my curls and make a point to try to challenge western hair standards, however, I’m a very lazy natural. In order to get my natural coils looking fresh and defined,  it takes at least 7-8 hours of work and waiting (I air dry my hair).  That’s practically a full day of work! For straightening it can clock in at 2- 3 hours max, which is still a lot, but I still get time to do other things.  Not only that but I can get my hair done in the evening once I get home from work and this is  something I can’t do with my curls because they don’t set and dry that quick. So more often than not, my decision to straighten my hair is in response to my hectic schedule, which usually does not have room for a lengthy hair day, OR I have a job interview (Note: That is a topic for another time.) That said, with today marking the official start to  winter  I felt it would be beneficial to share a few tricks and products I’ve picked up that have helped keep my hair healthy in the winter when using heat styling.

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