Growing Out Your Edges

Hola, chicas!!

So, some of you know that during these sat few months, I have been able to grow my edges out to lengths that many don't think the edges can grow up to. I just thought I should share with you tips on growing out your edges because I'm sure many of you want to grow yours out.

D'accord! On y va!

• Keep your edges detangled at all times, but don't necessarily comb through them or brush them daily because that'll cause breakage
• When protective styling (and you know how I love my protective styles), never put your edges in them. If you braid your hair, twist it or whatever, do not put your hair in the braid, twist or whatever because our edges are more prone to breakage (especially when they're still short) so tugging them back with a braid or up with a lot of hair in a twist or box braid can lead to them being pulled out or breaking
• Keep your edges moisturised at all times. Moisture! Moisture! Moisture! oh! did I forget to say, MOISTURE! Your hair needs moisture in general and let's just say that your edges need paying attention to. Remember to use some water and then seal it in with a light butter.
• It is best to keep the pH value of the hair on your edges balanced. My shea butter mix has some apple cider vinegar in it to balance it out. If the pH is balanced, your hair cuticles will lie flat and therefore, retain more moisture and appear healthier.
• Keep your edges clean. Zero buildup, tu capisci? Sulfate free shampoo, mud wash or natural/organic hair and scalp cleanser.
• When you deep condition, try your best to make sure the plastic cap or bag covers your edges.
• Drink a lot of water too.

Do this and you will notice a your edges growing out!

~SammyWithTheBigHair (and growing edges!)

Review: Terressentials Mud Wash

I'm not even going to tell you 'hello,' I have to get straight to the point.

This product is a must-have for all curly ladies!

Ingredients (I used the Lavender Garden one):

Organic aloe vera juice°, clay minerals, organic extract° of organic linden flower°, essential oils of organic true lavender° and organic sweet orange°, extracts of organic nettle°, organic chamomile° and organic shavegrass°, essential oils of organic rose geranium°, organic ylang ylang° and organic clove bud°.

°Certified Organic

My thoughts:

I LOVE IT! I LOVE IT! I LOVE IT!

Ohmigosh! This thing took off all buildup, took off all traces of the smell of the greek yogurt deep conditioner, took off the annoying feeling the Shea Moisture Restorative Conditioner gave me at some parts of my hair and it left my hair feeling so soft and moisturised!

Once I saw the first ingredient in this, I knew that I'll love it. Aloe Vera, incase you didn't figure it out, is my hair's boo! I love aloe vera, it balances the pH value of hair, moisturises and just adds a lot of goodies to the hair.

I left this mud wash (hair wash) on for a little (heck, WAY) longer than I had planned and I didn't have a plastic bag on so the mud wasn't moist in my hair, it had dried up holding my hair in place. However, once the water came on, it loosened up without being touched and rinsed out thoroughly leaving my hair so clean and so nice! I couldn't believe it! My hair felt so good!

Would I recommend this product:

HECK, YEAH!

Would I try this product again:

HECK, YEAH!

How many stars would I give this product:

HECK, YEAH!

I'm sorry, I mean, 5-stars :)

Review: LUSH Cynthia Stout Beer and Cognac Shampoo and Blousey Banana Shampoo

I'm putting these two products together because I have exactly the same thing to say about both of them:

Thank God I did not use them all over my hair or on even a quarter of my hair!

These two products are super drying and stripping.

I'm just noticing that both have Ammonium Laur(yl/eth) Sulfate on their ingredients lists (Sam, why didn't you see that before). That must be why they gave this effect.

Will I be trying these again: No

Will I recommend these: No

How many stars: 1

Review: Greek Yogurt Deep Conditioner

Hey,

That's the actual yogurt in that pic above, not the deep conditioner. Hehe!
I used that greek yogurt (and yes, it has bits of desiccated coconuts in it).
I used one full pot of it mixed with a teaspoon of honey and about 3 teaspoons of olive oil to make my deep conditioner.

My thoughts:
If you read my tweet about an hour ago, I hated this DC from the moment I put on my hair, but ever since I started rinsing it out, I have loved it!

It made my hair feel so soft and moisturised and it left my hair so shiny! :)


Would I be trying this again:
*laugh* Not in the near future! The application process is way too messy, the smell of the DC is way too nasty.
However, if I need a quick fix and I can't find anything else to DC with, I just might try this out again.

Would you recommend it:
Yes, if you don't mind the smelly smell and messy mess. Oh! and you might want to run the greek yogurt through a sieve with little holes before using it to avoid the coconut bits getting in your hair (but they came out relatively easily). Using a coconut greek yogurt was just for an extra something from the coconuts.

If I was rating with stars, how many would I give this:
4 stars
(considered giving a 3 because of that rancid smell)

Review: LUSH - The Hair Doctor Hair Treatment

Hello again,

This product was given to me as a sample to try out by someone in LUSH who happened to have kinky-curly hair like mine. I don't know her name, but SHOUTOUT TO HER!

So, the ingredients in this product are:
Water, Irish Moss Powder, Fullers Earth, Cetearyl Alcohol, Perfume, Irish Moss Decoction, Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Almond Oil,Peppermint Oil, Rosemary Absolute, Chamomile Blue Oil, Soya Lecithin, Glycerine, Yeast, Red Henna, Lanolin, Cetrimonium Bromide, Propylene Glycol, Glyceryl Stearate & PEG-100 Stearate,*Eugenol, *Limonene, *Linalool

*occurs naturally in essential oils

The ingredients in green are natural ingredients while those in black are said to be safe synthetics.

My thoughts:

From seeing those synthetic ingredients, you guessed right I was a little sceptical about this product, but I still tried it out on two corners (opposite sides) on the hair near the nape of my neck.

This product smells really good and if you saw my tweet a few minutes ago, the results of this product.....oh my.....they were divine!

My hair felt so moisturised after using this product and.....here's the funny thing, I had the most defined, most beautiful looking twist out from using this product! The thing is, I put deep conditioners in my hair in sections and twist my hair as I'm done with each section. I undid the twist on those sections just before rinsing out and was like, "OH.MYYY.GOSH!" The rest of my twists were nowhere near defined when I took them down plus my hair was damp from deep conditioning so, it was pretty cool that it could still hold a twist out look.

This product left my hair shiny and gorgeous looking and OHMIGOSH IT MADE MY HAIR FEEL SOOOOO GOOOOOOD!!!!

Would I use this product again:

If I get really busy at any point in time and I can't whip up a DC for myself, yes, I will buy this product and use it.

Would I recommend this product to people:

If you don't mind the few synthetic ingredients, yes, I will recommend this.

If I was rating with stars, how many stars would I give this product:

4.5 stars

Review: Shea Moisture Restorative Conditioner

¡Hola!

So, as mentioned before, I am going to be reviewing the above product. So, let's get started!

The ingredients in the above conditioner are:

Deionized Water, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter)*, Argan Oil, Coconut Oil*, Behentrimonium Chloride, Essential Oil Blend, Vegetable Glycerin, Emulsifying Wax, Sea Kelp Extract, Panthenol (Vitamin B‐5), Avocado Oil, Lonicera Caprifolium (Honeysuckle) Flower (and) Lonicera Japonica (Japanese Honeysuckle) Flower extract, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Daucus Carota Sativa (Carrot) Seed Oil.

My thoughts:

So, I just took down a protective style I've had for about four months now and decided to try this out on my hair to see if it's good as a shampoo replacement. Honestly, if I go on one of those 2-3 weeks things I did when I was busy last spring-summer (not washing my hair for 2-3 weeks), I wouldn't use thing product to wash my hair. I would rather use my BeeMine (sulfate-free) shampoo. This product did nothing in cleansing my hair. My scalp and hair actually felt kinda dirty and sticky-ish near the roots when I used it and it seemed not to want to rinse out of my scalp. As for the rest of my hair, yes, they felt a tad bit moisturised which was okay, I guess.

From reading about how long I protective styled, I'm sure some of you might have thought about the killer tangles I must have. Honestly, I didn't really have "killer" tangles. I did have a bit of tangles, but I could get through them. I had this product on my hair when I was trying to detangle and yes, it did give a bit of slip, but just a little more slip would've been better.

Would I recommend this product:
I might have to give it another try some other time, dunno, but right now, I'll say that I won't be all giddy-giddy recommending this product right now. It's not bad, don't get me wrong. I'm just not excited about the product.

If I had to rate it with stars, how many would I give this product:
3 stars


--

Update - 11-07-15
Hey!
So, believe it or not, I am still using this product. I do prefer it as a leave-in conditioner though. It is amazing (5 stars) as a leave-in. So, I am switching to the Coconut and Hibiscus line for a rinsing conditioner while I stick to this product as a leave-in.
~Sammy

Get the Look: Mindy McKnight

This is Mindy McKnight of Cute Girls Hairstyles. Now, I'm sure most of you have noticed that her hair's not curly. So, let me explain, I saw this do and I loved it and I know many naturally curly girls out there put their hair up buns so I thought that this would be an interesting twist instead of the regular bun.

• Start by sectioning your hair in two by parting your hair from ear to ear.
• Using sectioning clips, an ouchless band or something else, hold away the front section.
• (It may be easier to flip your hair over to do this bit) French-braid your hair from the nape of your neck up to the where you sectioned your hair and braid a few inches up (off the scalp) securing the french braid with an ouchless band.
• Untie the front section, smooth it down using a seamless comb or brush and gather the hair back and to the end of the French-braid holding it with that part in a ponytail using an ouchless band then take out the ouchless band used to secure the end of the french braid and run a comb, brush or your fingers through your pony tail.
• Put your hair up in a bun securing it with bobby pins
• For an even cuter twist, you could add a bow like Mindy did.

Voila! You have the look (.....only with curly hair......unless you straightened or blew it out, that is)
To spice this up a bit, a ribbon could have been added to the hair when making the french braid. For me, a shiny/glittery black or dark red ribbon would be perfect :)

Natural in Nigeria

Hello everyone,

So, I happened to stumble upon this video. I felt so happy and proud because when I left Nigeria, I wouldn't have expected to see something like this or this huge take place. I just had to put it up on here:

My 3rd Year Natural (COMING SOON) + Celebration Giveaway

Hey,

So, in 29 days, I will be "celebrating" my 3rd year natural! I'm sure you noticed the celebrating was in quotation marks. It's going to be a Monday, I'm going to be in school and my first class of the day is not one I'm fond of. So, this celebration is going to be on the inside and basically, after school (dancing and smiling like a crazy person to myself in the comfort of my bedroom or if I want to scare people, in the hallway). Unfortunately, I won't be able to blog on that day so, I'll blog about it in February.

Anyways, for my 3rd nanniversary, I am going to host a little giveaway. Now, now, don't get your hopes up, I'm not giving out free products. You see, this was not expected, but I wasn't able to do what I planned to with my eBooks (if you read earlier posts, you'll know what I'm talking about here). So, to celebrate my 3rd year, I am going to give free copies of my eBooks to three lovely people. All you have to do is:

• Create a lovely new banner for this blog and send it to me using the info on the Contact page on this blog
• Follow my twitter page and tweet to me (so I know you're in on this)
• Comment on this post saying, 'I'm in,' or comment on any blog post with a serious comment, not an 'I'm in'
• Advertise my blog somewhere and send me a screen shot of it using the info on the Contact page on this blog
• Write an article for me to feature on my blog and send it to me using the info on the Contact page on this blog

You don't have to do all five, you could do one.

Okay! so, here's the thing, the person who does a banner stands a higher chance of getting the 1st prize than anyone else. The person who writes an article to be featured stands a higher chance of getting a 1st or 2nd prize than anyone else. The person who does all 4 stands a much greater chance of getting the 1st prize than anyone else who participates in this (even those who do the banner).

1st prize

All my eBooks + your blog or youtube channel advertised on my blog + an interview with you uploaded on this blog

2nd prize

All my eBooks

3rd prize (Randomly chosen winner)

One of my eBooks (randomly picked)

This is open now and will be closing on the 31st of January (I'll wait till it's the 31st in all American states before it closes because most of my readers are from the States and my time is ahead of theirs SHOUT OUT TO MY READERS IN THE STATES).

I will write a blog post with the names/usernames of the winners sometime in February. If you sent me anything using the info on the Contacts page and you are one of the winners, I'll contact you via email. If you followed me on twitter, I will follow you back and send you a direct message to know where to send the eBook. Other winners will be asked to contact me via the Contacts page on here and prove their identity by basically a screen shot showing that they are logged in to the account that commented on a post or advertised my blog.

Hope you have a lovely day and a wonderful holiday (if you get one.....I hope you get one).

~SammyWithTheBigHair

My Considerations - Gel

Hey,

So, I've been considering hair gels for about a day now. Well....yesterday, I saw my curls (just a lil bit in front - the rest of my hair is still in crochet braids) in their natural form and frizz-free too which is not usual because my hair frizzes up so fast. Anyways, I was like, okay, okay, so this is mainly 3c/4a (more 4a, though). I actually thought my hair had become 4a/4b/4c, but it hadn't. Or, maybe I have a bit of the others at other parts of my head, dunno, but my curls looked so beautiful. My cousins were here and they thought it looked amazing. So, I was like, I would love to wear my hair like this - with it's natural pattern showing so well, but my hair frizzes up before I can say my full name. I began to consider using gels. 

Now, y'all know I've had some experiences with gels. I used the Organic Root Stimulating Twist and Lock gel. It wasn't as organic as I would've wanted and right now, I pretty much hate it. I've tried the Eco Styler gel and hated how my hair felt with it on till I had rinsed off about 50% of it from my hair (and I only used really little of it in my hair). I love my homemade Aloe Vera gel, but I couldn't bring any aloe leaves with me. Also, it gives just a really light hold. I don't think it'll be strong enough to keep my curl pattern intact and frizz-free. So, I've considered flax seed gel, but I don't think I've ever seen a flax seed in my life.

So, I just looked up flaxseeds on ASDAs website 'cause I have to go shopping in a few days (got back home on Friday and there's barely any food in the house). The flaxseed there was milled so, I can't use it (it's in like a Weetabix form). However, ASDA has golden linseeds. Did you know that flaxseed and linseed are exactly the same thing? I didn't know till today. Anyways! That's a win and it's just £1.28! :) So, I'm going to try getting my hands on that and giving it a try.

Now, now, I am a tad bit nervous about gels so, I'm going to end up following a recipe (most likely Whitney's (Naptural85's)) on getting the gel from the flax/linseeds and then I'll add some coconut oil and maybe some olive oil to it. Now, I am totally about pH values of things on my hair so, I had to do a little research on the pH value of flax seed gel and it's about 6.5 which is okay, but I would've preferred it a little lower, but as long as it's not above a pH value of 7, I'm not worried.

I might add some aloe vera juice or gel to the flaxseed if I can get my hands on a 100% organic and natural one to reduce the pH a bit and because I do love my aloe vera.

Oh! and I'll add some vitamin E oil (from capsules) to it. Vitamin E capsules are £4.00 in ASDA and about £3.29 in Boots, but I'll be going to ASDA. I am yet to find a Boots that's closer to my house and not in the city centre. The Vitamin E oil is going to be used to preserve the gel. Also, I need to find a container for the gel, but I think I'm just going to recycle one. I'll have to look around this house and ask family if they have containers first, though. Then wash and "sterilise" the container before I use it.

I'll let you know when I try it and I'll make a pictorial on it.

Can't wait to try it out!!

~Sammy

Protective Styling

Hello, Lovelies,

So....you all know that I've been protectives styling since August. I started off with the mini twists for about 2 weeks then I got crochet braids done and I've had those since late August (I'm taking them down soon, though, but after a week or so, I'm reinstalling them).

I believe that protective styling is key in achieving our desired hair length and it helps with out hair's health.

Protective styles give your hair a break from being tugged and pulled, combed and blown around, et cetera. Therefore, it aids in minimising breakage. Breakage plays a huge part in us not achieving our desired length because as our hair grows and breaks off, we don't see the growth, that's why many of us think that our hair length is at a standstill.

Between when I got my crochet braids installed and now, I have grown over an inch of hair and I see that under the crochet braids. So, I'm closer to my goal of BSL.

As you might've guessed, my favourite protective style is the crochet braids. Why?

1. My hair is fully protected from the elements
2. My hair can rest
3. They look super good
4. They can be done at home
5. They can last for a really long time
6. I can still have curly hair everywhere even though it's not my hair
7. I want BSL or below BSL hair, with these things installed it's like voila! longer hair! (then they're taken down and it's like umm.....you're getting their hun')
8. They're easy to take care of

    Et cetera

There are other protective styles like the mini twists, box braids, cornrows, roll, tuck 'n' pins, weaves and wigs. They all are good (not my favs, though).

Anyways, moving on....

Protective styles can cause damage if not done properly or you forget about your hair when you're protective styling. This damage could be

• The breakage you are trying to prevent
• Dandruff
• Traction alopecia....

     Et cetera

So, in order to prevent the possible cons when protective styling, ensure you:

1. Do not make your protective style tight
2. Do wash and condition your hair while protective styling even if not as often
3. Don't tug and pull at your hair in the protective style
4. Moisturise your hair as needed
5. Do not make your protective style too thin (like mini mini-twists or mini box braids)
6. Do not leave your hair in protective styles like mini twists and box braids for too long (unless you want dreadlocks, that is)
7. Do not neglect your hair

Remember, when you take down your protective style, give your hair a break from being in a protective style for a long time. This could be done by wearing your hair out for a few days before protective styling again.

I miss my hair often, but I love this protective styling journey. I'm going to continue with my crochet braids when I can, but someday, I hope to try marley/havana twists (they look so good!) and maybe a weave for the first time since I've been natural (scared of taking down weaves, though x_X).

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What are your favourite protective styles and which ones would you like to try some day?

How do you care for your hair while protective styling?

The Test

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Hola!!

So.......I am going to be trying out some products on my entire head of hair in a few days.....or weeks. You see, I've been in a protective style for about 4 months now and I miss my hair. Yes, I miss my hair. I'm going to take down this protective style soon and then I'm going to try out the Terressentials mud wash (I have two different ones, but I'm trying out just the lavender one), Shea Moisture Restorative Conditioner, a Greek yoghurt deep conditioner and a WetBrush given to me to critique and review by TheWetBrush. Unfortunately, I don't know if the WetBrush ever arrived at my house 'cause I can't find it anywhere so I'll need to ask family later to know who received it and where's it's at.

So excited! Can't wait to try them on my bird's nest!!

Oh! and I'm going to do a length check! Can't wait to see how long my hair is now when hand stretched and when left to shrink. :)

I'm also trying out a new brand of coconut oil for the first time. From the look and smell of it, if any coconut oil is fully real, it's this one. It's 100% organic and raw, nothing added and it looks and smells divine! Like coconuts!

Hehe :)

Anyways, I'll post a review of all those products after trying them out! :)

~SammyWithTheBigHair