Saturday, February 15, 2014
All Cones and Sulfates aren't of The DEVIL...
Let me start by saying that my information has come from years of research and experience while using products with and without these ingredients.
Silicones coat the hair and/or skin with a film. They're usually found in moisturizers, detanglers, conditioners and serums. They help smooth and soften the hair/skin and also treats and protects from dryness; it also helps protects your hair from humidity.
Silicones also provide the "slip" in many conditioners; in heat protectants it shields your hair strands from excessive heat and locks in moisture.
There are two kinds of silicones that are used in hair products: NON-Volatile and Volatile.
NON-Volatiles are NOT water soluble, which means they're difficult to remove or wash from your hair.
Volatiles ARE water soluble, which means they're easy removed or washed from your hair.
Non-volatile silicones are thick/sticky and heavy, and hard to remove from the hair strands...these are NOT good silicones.
Volatile silicones are light and runny, and easy to rinse from the hair strands...these ARE good silicones.
Listed are prefixes and suffixes of silicones that can tell you whether a cone is good or bad.
SUFFIXES:
Phenyl - BAD
Alkyl - BAD
PREFIX:
PEG - GOOD. Processed to make bad cones good...meaning the NON-Volatile Silicon was made to be more water soluble.
BAD CONES: GOOD CONES:
Dimethicone PEG-modified dimethicone
Dimethiconol Dimethicone copolyol
Phenyl Trimethicone
Amodimethicone
Cyclomethicone
Moreover, certain natural textures NEED cones to tame the hair for styling. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with using a water-soluble 'cone when you're using the appropriate sulfate shampoo to remove it later.
And since I've mentioned SULFATES, let's discuss those!
Sulfates are ingredients that produce suds...the bubbles in your shampoo. Sulfates don't only remove the dirt and old oils from your hair, they also strip your hair and scalp of its natural oils needed to keep your hair and scalp healthy. Which can cause dry, itchy scalp, and also dandruff as well as frizzy hair.
BUT using a sulfate is a must when removing 'cones from your hair. After my blowouts I lather my hair ONE good time with a sulfate shampoo and then I proceed with a sulfate-free shampoo and condition thoroughly until my moisture is restored.
Therefore, as a rule of thumb, in order to wear certain styles SUCCESSFULLY, certain silicones and sulfates are many times needed. And as long as these ingredients are those that aren't used regularly, I see no problem with using them occasionally.
Lastly, if you're sticking with your puffs and/or twistouts, you can easily get away with steering clear of these ingredients. But if you want a nice LASTING updo and/or some smoothness to your 3C/4BC hair, your best bet is to use a water-soluble cone then a sulfate to remove the cone.
DO YOUR RESEARCH!!! Using a cone/sulfate for that special occasion won't send your hair down the drain or have you leaving it on your pillow in the morning. Just make sure you're using the right ones! :)
Until next time...
Kinky Curly Beauty
Silicones coat the hair and/or skin with a film. They're usually found in moisturizers, detanglers, conditioners and serums. They help smooth and soften the hair/skin and also treats and protects from dryness; it also helps protects your hair from humidity.
Silicones also provide the "slip" in many conditioners; in heat protectants it shields your hair strands from excessive heat and locks in moisture.
There are two kinds of silicones that are used in hair products: NON-Volatile and Volatile.
NON-Volatiles are NOT water soluble, which means they're difficult to remove or wash from your hair.
Volatiles ARE water soluble, which means they're easy removed or washed from your hair.
Non-volatile silicones are thick/sticky and heavy, and hard to remove from the hair strands...these are NOT good silicones.
Volatile silicones are light and runny, and easy to rinse from the hair strands...these ARE good silicones.
Listed are prefixes and suffixes of silicones that can tell you whether a cone is good or bad.
SUFFIXES:
Phenyl - BAD
Alkyl - BAD
PREFIX:
PEG - GOOD. Processed to make bad cones good...meaning the NON-Volatile Silicon was made to be more water soluble.
BAD CONES: GOOD CONES:
Dimethicone PEG-modified dimethicone
Dimethiconol Dimethicone copolyol
Phenyl Trimethicone
Amodimethicone
Cyclomethicone
Moreover, certain natural textures NEED cones to tame the hair for styling. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with using a water-soluble 'cone when you're using the appropriate sulfate shampoo to remove it later.
And since I've mentioned SULFATES, let's discuss those!
Sulfates are ingredients that produce suds...the bubbles in your shampoo. Sulfates don't only remove the dirt and old oils from your hair, they also strip your hair and scalp of its natural oils needed to keep your hair and scalp healthy. Which can cause dry, itchy scalp, and also dandruff as well as frizzy hair.
BUT using a sulfate is a must when removing 'cones from your hair. After my blowouts I lather my hair ONE good time with a sulfate shampoo and then I proceed with a sulfate-free shampoo and condition thoroughly until my moisture is restored.
Therefore, as a rule of thumb, in order to wear certain styles SUCCESSFULLY, certain silicones and sulfates are many times needed. And as long as these ingredients are those that aren't used regularly, I see no problem with using them occasionally.
Lastly, if you're sticking with your puffs and/or twistouts, you can easily get away with steering clear of these ingredients. But if you want a nice LASTING updo and/or some smoothness to your 3C/4BC hair, your best bet is to use a water-soluble cone then a sulfate to remove the cone.
DO YOUR RESEARCH!!! Using a cone/sulfate for that special occasion won't send your hair down the drain or have you leaving it on your pillow in the morning. Just make sure you're using the right ones! :)
Until next time...
Kinky Curly Beauty
I Don't Want Natural Hair that I Can't Comb!!!
It didn't take long for me to see that MANIPULATION is a word in the Natural Community that's almost used in a negative connotation. Many Naturals do very little manipulating for fear of breakage, others don't recommend it because they believe it stunts growth, and many others don't know why they don't do it...they've just read so many blogs and viewed so many vlogs that they're just doing what they've heard.
As a licensed Cosmetologist of 21 years, I know that 'harshly' combing, pulling, bundling, and teasing can cause breakage of any texture of hair. But for some of us Naturals, to not want to use a comb at all AND encouraging others to not use a comb is disheartening to me.
I'm sure that finger-detangling is wonderful, I don't doubt that at all. But for women like myself who have full-time jobs, children, spouses or just busy lives as a whole, we don't have the time needed for finger-detangling.
What we (professionals) should be teaching is "proper manipulating". There are ways to manipulate ANY texture of hair without experiencing massive breakage. And I say massive because any type of manipulation, whether it be finger-detangling or using a wide tooth comb, will cause some form of breakage because it's hair. Not to mention that we all shed hair on a daily basis.
And that's another thing! Going weeks without combing/manipulating your hair only makes your normal shedding look EXCESSIVE, when in reality it's just God's way of removing the older strands from your head. And when you're waiting an excessive about of time/days/weeks to remove those shedded strands, you create a possibility of also catching the new/stronger strands by having them intertwined in all of the older, normally shedded strands. (If that makes sense at all to you)
So please, do your research...learn proper ways to manipulate your beautiful hair and remove the FEAR that many of us have put in your heads about combing your hair!
Because I'm just going to tell you like this...I was a DIVA with a relaxer and I'll be darn if I'm not going to be a DIVA with my God-given texture!!!
Until next time...
KinkyCurlyBeauty
As a licensed Cosmetologist of 21 years, I know that 'harshly' combing, pulling, bundling, and teasing can cause breakage of any texture of hair. But for some of us Naturals, to not want to use a comb at all AND encouraging others to not use a comb is disheartening to me.
I'm sure that finger-detangling is wonderful, I don't doubt that at all. But for women like myself who have full-time jobs, children, spouses or just busy lives as a whole, we don't have the time needed for finger-detangling.
What we (professionals) should be teaching is "proper manipulating". There are ways to manipulate ANY texture of hair without experiencing massive breakage. And I say massive because any type of manipulation, whether it be finger-detangling or using a wide tooth comb, will cause some form of breakage because it's hair. Not to mention that we all shed hair on a daily basis.
And that's another thing! Going weeks without combing/manipulating your hair only makes your normal shedding look EXCESSIVE, when in reality it's just God's way of removing the older strands from your head. And when you're waiting an excessive about of time/days/weeks to remove those shedded strands, you create a possibility of also catching the new/stronger strands by having them intertwined in all of the older, normally shedded strands. (If that makes sense at all to you)
So please, do your research...learn proper ways to manipulate your beautiful hair and remove the FEAR that many of us have put in your heads about combing your hair!
Because I'm just going to tell you like this...I was a DIVA with a relaxer and I'll be darn if I'm not going to be a DIVA with my God-given texture!!!
Until next time...
KinkyCurlyBeauty
Dare to Compare your Hair
One of the first questions I'm asked is "What's your hair texture?". In my almost two years of conversing throughout the Natural world, many of us want what we see on others. We want her curl pattern, her thickness, her sheen, and her length. And initially I was that person! It wasn't until I grew frustrated from trying to make my hair turn out like others that I realized that this is MY hair...this is what God gave me, so I'm going to make it 'do what it do'. It was in that moment that I began sampling different products until I found a few that worked for me. I also tried different styles until I found a few that I felt fit me...
And this is not to say that I think or speak negatively about other textures and styles, I just realized that I had to work with what I have. I love wash 'n go's on other women, but I look like the "young Michael Jackson" with one; so I know that at this point in my journey they're not good for me.
I think it's best for all naturals to make time in your schedule to try different products and styles until you find what works for YOUR hair. There are so many beautiful natural sistahs on YouTube that's helping us out tremendously! These women have so many different textures and are sharing hundreds, if not thousands of regimens, styles and techniques to assist us along the way.
Another reason to take time to learn your hair is because as your hair grows, your texture may have a tendency to change. Therefore, you will be learning throughout this journey as your hair takes on its on image throughout each growth curve.
So my advice to our Natural Community is to learn your hair...research products, get on YouTube and watch tutorials, then try different things on your hair. In order to learn anything you must study it, read up on its history, then dabble in it to get a feel of it for yourself. This journey requires patience...and lots of it. In time you will have a healthy mane that you've nurtured into a beautiful head of hair.
To give you a few tips on starting your research on YouTube, go to the website and type the following subjects in the search box:
1. natural hair
2. natural styles
3. moisturizing products
4. natural hair maintenance
5. moisture sealants
These are just a few examples of things you can type in the search box to start you on your way. Also, there's absolutely nothing wrong with reviewing another Natural's regimen and/or the products she's using. I'm just advising you to try different things that may work for you, and not just because it works for someone else. Because everyone's hair is different.
As a newbie I subscribed to the Curlbox and CurlKit, and they helped me determined what worked for my hair and what didn't. Both are monthly subscriptions where you have $20 automatically taken from a checking account or credit card monthly and they're sending you a box with different products to try. Many times the boxes are mixed with full size AND sample size products. But it's a perfect option for newbies that no nothing about natural hair products. They can be found at:
www.curlkit.com
www.curlbox.com
All in all, it's natural to admire beauty and desire beautiful things, but many times that that we're seeking lies within you. With time and patience you can bring out that that you're looking for.
Dare to compare your hair to another natural diva, when your beauty lies within you. :)
Until next time...
KinkyCurlyBeauty
And this is not to say that I think or speak negatively about other textures and styles, I just realized that I had to work with what I have. I love wash 'n go's on other women, but I look like the "young Michael Jackson" with one; so I know that at this point in my journey they're not good for me.
I think it's best for all naturals to make time in your schedule to try different products and styles until you find what works for YOUR hair. There are so many beautiful natural sistahs on YouTube that's helping us out tremendously! These women have so many different textures and are sharing hundreds, if not thousands of regimens, styles and techniques to assist us along the way.
Another reason to take time to learn your hair is because as your hair grows, your texture may have a tendency to change. Therefore, you will be learning throughout this journey as your hair takes on its on image throughout each growth curve.
So my advice to our Natural Community is to learn your hair...research products, get on YouTube and watch tutorials, then try different things on your hair. In order to learn anything you must study it, read up on its history, then dabble in it to get a feel of it for yourself. This journey requires patience...and lots of it. In time you will have a healthy mane that you've nurtured into a beautiful head of hair.
To give you a few tips on starting your research on YouTube, go to the website and type the following subjects in the search box:
1. natural hair
2. natural styles
3. moisturizing products
4. natural hair maintenance
5. moisture sealants
These are just a few examples of things you can type in the search box to start you on your way. Also, there's absolutely nothing wrong with reviewing another Natural's regimen and/or the products she's using. I'm just advising you to try different things that may work for you, and not just because it works for someone else. Because everyone's hair is different.
As a newbie I subscribed to the Curlbox and CurlKit, and they helped me determined what worked for my hair and what didn't. Both are monthly subscriptions where you have $20 automatically taken from a checking account or credit card monthly and they're sending you a box with different products to try. Many times the boxes are mixed with full size AND sample size products. But it's a perfect option for newbies that no nothing about natural hair products. They can be found at:
www.curlkit.com
www.curlbox.com
All in all, it's natural to admire beauty and desire beautiful things, but many times that that we're seeking lies within you. With time and patience you can bring out that that you're looking for.
Dare to compare your hair to another natural diva, when your beauty lies within you. :)
Until next time...
KinkyCurlyBeauty
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