UPDATE – NATURAL HAIR GLOSSARY

Posted by Kyara | Posted in | Posted on Tuesday, December 15, 2009

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Hi Girls I wanted to share what I've learned during my researches on natural hair. I might have forgotten lots of information, I will keep updating this glossary. Hope this will help some of you.

Hanging light bulb
A
ACV: Apple Cider Vinegar (In french: Vinaigre de Pomme). It can be used to clarify hair (to get rid of buil-up)

AMLA Powder: AMLA is an Indian Gooseberry. It is known to be antibacterial and rich in vitamin C. It can be used to deep condition the hair
B
BAA: Big Ass Afro

Banding technique: Technique consisting in putting bands on your hair to elongate the strands. It is used to fight against shrinkage.

Bantu Knots: Hair style consisting in twisting the hair on itself.

BC: Big Chop. The big cut you do to get rid of relaxed and damaged ends.

Bentonite clay: It's a clay used to deep condition. It has detoxifying properties.

BKT: Brazilian Keratin Treatment. A treatment used to loosen your natural curls for between 4 and 6 months. It contains chemicals and is quite expensive.

C
Carmel treatment: Natural Treatment said to make your hair more manageable

CG: Curly Girl. Book and technique from Lorraine Massey. Describes how to take care of naturally curly hair.

D
DC: deep condition. Apply a nourishing cream on your hair for enough time to enjoy the benefits.

E
EVOO: Extra virgin olive oil

J
JKT: Japanese Keratin treatment

L
LFW: Lace Front Wigs.

LHCF: long hair care forum (forum talking about long and natural curly hair).

Lisa Akbari's Curly Fro technique: technique to have curls and volume for natural hair.

Low-poo: use of a less aggressive shampoo and less often.

N
NC: naturallycurly. Website with information about curly hair

No-poo: stop the use of shampoo

P
Pre-poo: apply product to the hair in order to prepare it for the shampoo

S
S&D: Search and destroy method. Search the damaged ends and trim them one after the other.

Saran wrap treatment: technique to straighten your hair without heat
 
Shake&Go: pretty self-explanatory...

Shingling: Styling technique

T
TWA: Teeny Weeny Afro

W
Wash&Go: pretty self-explanatory...



REPOST : Sleeping beauty

Posted by Kyara | Posted on Tuesday, December 01, 2009

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I got something to tell you ... We are told lies from our childhood! It is impossible to sleep for 150 years and look like this:

Sleeping-Beauty


A rosy complexion, a rested face and mostly ... A PERFECT HAIRSTYLE!  That’s a lie…


OK ... Now we know that we won’t look like this ...


... We can try to limit the damages not to scare Prince Charming the man with smelly feet (if it is not the case, it will be one day ...) who shares or will share your life. :p


Anyways ... back to the main topic: Stay beautiful even during the night:)
You can find some nice satin scarvesto protect her hair from dehydration and breakage (can not say it enough, the cotton pillowcases dries hair!)


Here are beautiful scarves for every wallet :

freywille_banglesImage: http://www.frey-wille.com (price on request)

image
Topshop.com (price: £ 22)

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Image: luxuo.fr (Hermes Carré)

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Image: The Clutch Magazine


If your significant other still does not bear to see you wear a scarf at night, there is a solution! The satin pillowcases!


Now that this is solved, there are other problems which can come from over-night treatments:
-The smell of eggs and mayonnaise ...
-Olive oil spreading on the sheets ...
-Carapate oil acting as a repellent even for your boo...
These methods are known to be very effective, but every once in a while, replace carapate oil or olive oil with oils that have a good smell ...
[the air oil tui from carol's daughter, or the Monoi oil prodigious Nuxe may be the case]

image
... And put a smaller amount  can not hurt (Honey won’t say the contrary ...): p


And you? Have you already had problems with your loved one because of that? Other tips to stay beautiful at night??


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Hair Check

Posted by Kyara | Posted on Thursday, October 01, 2009

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This post is just meant to show you how my hair looks now:

hair check3

Headband: Next (£4-£5)

Products used:

Conditioning: Redken Fresh curls conditioner

Styling: Bumble and Bumble calming cream

Technique: finger styling

I can’t wait for it to grow longer!!!!

++

K.

Shack's’ rendez-vous: “Vitamins, vitamins, vitamins...”

Posted by Kyara | Posted on Tuesday, September 01, 2009

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This is our new rendez-vous. We will have shack’s coming from time to time to talk about her natural journey!

If you are in serious turmoil about your hair growth, you might have heard about what vitamins can do to fasten it.
To sum up, your hair should be supplied with various things among which : moisture, protein, vitamins, etc.

There are 3 types of vitamins:

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- Natural product extracts, supposed to bring your hair some specific attributes
- Pure vitamins
- Vitamins complexes

Here are the different ones that I have experienced so far:

Type 1: garlic (supposed to prevent hair breakage due to its high sulfur content),

garlic-clove[1]
           horse tail (a grass supposed to provide with silica)
horsetail_1[1]

Type 2: B8 (also known as biotin)
           MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane)


Type 3: B complex
           Various vitamins mix
           Women vitamins
           Hair, nails and skin complexes
           Yeast

Pros:
- Vitamins are, generally speaking, good for your health. Doing a cure from time to time prevents shortage, and is good for your overall metabolism
- When you take the appropriate amount for you, chances are you are going to end up feeling good and looking freesh!

the-fresh-prince-of-bel-air_324x218_1229284306
- Prices in pharmacy or local supply store usually are reasonable. No need for it to be expensive, what matters is the dosage. You can also get it from online stores

Cons:
-It might take a while for you to figure out what amount is really appropriate for you. General advise is: increase slowly. If you really do not want to stick to the label, start slow, and take it up from there
-Missing your dosage and taking too much might lead to breakage (especially with biotin, beware, take it at your own expense)
-Your body only uses what it needs for 12h. Consequently, to maximize effects, do not take it all at once, try and take it at breakfast and dinner for example or throughout the day
-Taking multiple pills can get quite tiresome

So, what kind of results have I seen on myself:
- My new growth feels stronger
- It grew quite fast I think (I got approximately 4 cm in less than a couple of months)
- I'm currently on a break since I experienced breakage because of biotin. I'll resume with my routine in a few days I think

Vitamins can only be an addition to an external routine as well as eating well and exercising. If you don't take care of your hair externally (keeping it clean) or eat well, it might lessen the effectiveness of the vitamins.
HHG!

If I could turn back the hands of time

Posted by Kyara | Posted on Thursday, July 02, 2009

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Hi guys,

I’m in holidays in South America, where I come from.
Since I’m back to my roots, I wanted to tell you a little bit more about my story…

So, I was born in Bordeaux (French city) and right after, my parents decided to go back to South America, where they were raised.

Here are some pictures I found :

 

For this one, I think I was around 4 years old :CIMG1520

These two pics were taken during my sixth birthday, if I remember well…CIMG1522 CIMG1524

If I could turn back the hands of time, I would never have relaxed/texturized my hair!

Length check: 7 centimeters. I hope it grows that long again!!!

See ya!

K.

She rocked it both ways; Macy Gray

Posted by Kyara | Posted in | Posted on Tuesday, June 23, 2009

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I think Macy Gray tried everything as far as hair is concerned! That the reason why she’s the spotlight  of the month in “She rocked it both ways”

As a reminder, Macy is one of the most talented soul and R&B singer. The sound of her voice can be recognized among thousands!

Check out my favorite song of her… I try:

And yes, Macy rocked it both ways:

Macy-Gray-u01 macy gray rrl ready

I must admit that I like her highlights in the straight look, but I prefer the curly look and you? Which one do you prefer??

K.

TOP 10 reasons why you should BC now!

Posted by Kyara | Posted in | Posted on Friday, June 19, 2009

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Hi guys, if you are transitioning and hesitating to go back to your natural texture, this post is for you!

bc

  1. Summer is almost there (yayyyyyyyyyy) and the first style you will try is wash and go! (especially if your natural hair is really short) … And a wash and go in winter … hum you can wash but you’ll have to wait a little while before you can go…
  2. It will be easier to take care of … No different textures… No line of demarcation…No need to figure out how you can blend the two textures anymore!!
  3. Your hair will look better! yes… it looks really weird when the two textures are not blended! ;)
  4. You’ll actually see your hair grow! You can be tempted to put a relaxer in your head if you don’t see the results.
  5. You’ll learn how to take care of your natural hair. I figured out that I had to change my regimen after I BC’ed. The sooner you figure out what works for your naturak hair, the better…
  6. You can enjoy it… Play with it… And I can assure you, it will be a lot of fun :)
  7. You don’t want to begin your natural hair journey with split ends… and it may happen if you don’t pay attention enough to the demarcation line.
  8. You can get used to your new cut during the holidays and when you get back, you know how to style it and to take care of it.
  9. The weather is hot so less hair is better :)
  10. Finally, there’s a time when you got to jump into it !! after all, it’s just hair!! :)

I hope this list helped you!!!

But the first reason why you should BC now is if you FEEL READY!

K.