Keep Your Curlies Closer

Hey Dolls!!!

When I was goingn through my transitioning proces I was so alone going through it because not a lot of people around me understood my struggles with my hair. I had to deal with my hair being badly broken off and damage due to relaxers and boy it was a damn struggle!!

But you know what, I turned to the natural hair community which I NEVER knew existed until I checked out CurlyNikki.com... I was FLOORED on how the ladies supported one another in the natural hair community.

So there are quite a few bloggers and vloggers I follow til this day in order to keep me inspired to love and embrace my natural hair.

Also last year I attended a awesome natural hair meet-up hosted by Shelli of Hairscapades (www.hairscapades.com)  in Orange, NJ at Pooka Pure and Simple body shop. It was so much fun and I learned so much about natural care from the other ladies. Here are a few pics from the event:

 

LOOK! I WON A GIFT!(i was huge! lol)

 Tameeka of JadedTresses is the bomb! She was demostrating how to make your curls pop!

 Shelli of Hairscapades.com she is so sweet and cute as a button!

The winners (including me! of the giveaways!)

 

 

 

 

 

So  ladies in order to keep yourself motivated and inspired to reach your full natural potential, surround yourself with people who will support you while you transition...follow bloggers and vloggers in order to gain advice and tips to care for your natural hair...and be inspired by pictures!!!

 

 

If you have a instagram that's a awesome place to look at pics of other naturalistas and their beautiful hair.

 

So ladies stay inspired and motivated!!! It will all pay off!  TRUST!

 

 

LOVE AND LIGHT!

From the Desk of Curly Nikki.Com

Transitioning to Natural Hair: Ignoring The Urge To Return to the Lye

current transitioners | Guest Blogger | Hair Tips | Transitioning Tips and Resources



source



by Bennii Blast of The Culture Pine

I often see a lot of transitioners appearing to be at their wits end when they reach that point in their transition, where the call to reach for the box of relaxer is looking like it is about to be answered.

Read On>>>


Although I have surprisingly not had the itch to go back to relaxing yet, I have had this dream, well nightmare, where I accidentally relax my hair. How one accidentally relaxes their hair I do not know, but I remember being pissed in my dreamworld and waking up feeling for my hair to make sure everything was as it should be. That sigh of relief I tell ya…pure madness! It just reminded me of how much work and patience goes into transitioning, and how mad I would be at myself if all that commitment went to waste. It confirmed that going back to the creamy crack is a definite no no for me right now!

Anyways…I wanted to be of aid to those who have reached this point in their transition and may just need some encouragement to keep moving forward with their journey:
#1 Don't spend HOURS looking at photos where you were relaxedThere have been moments where I catch myself looking at old photos and I have to remind myself to keep it moving. If you are experiencing a weak moment, don't torture yourself further by bringing out those old photo's where you were still relaxing. This could stir up emotions you felt at the time of the picture where you may appear happier, and because your hair happens to be relaxed in the picture, you may wrongly connect the two an make an irrational decision. Instead, start collecting new photo's of your transitioning hair (especially when you have successfully pulled of a new style from that YouTube tutorial!) so that you can look to those for encouragement to keep going!
#2 Try an alternativeInstead of making such a drastic change as returning to the use of chemicals, why not try something less permanent such as flat ironing occasionally or roller sets? This may help you to overcome this part of your transition without having to give into that urge!
#3 Reward Yourself!Transitioning can be a roller coaster of a journey and requires more patience than some of us even knew we were capable of having! So instead of focusing on the negatives, try celebrating the positives by rewarding your accomplishments so far. Acknowledge the efforts you have put in already, and allow yourself that new lipstick you have had your eyes on!
#4 That 'Good Hair' documentaryAs cheesy as it sounds, watching this documentary was the kick up the backside I needed to finally start my transition, and I know I'm not alone in that! When you are at a low point, watch the documentary and hopefully it will stir up those emotions that made you want to kick the relaxers out of your life. Remember the coke can? Sheeesh!
#5 Spend time looking at naturals and fellow transitionersHappiness can be infectious! If you spend some time surfing the web reading the testimonials of those who have been in your shoes and are now completely natural, seeing how happy they are with their decision will no doubt rub off on you and remind you that this thing is not impossible. Collect some pictures of smiling naturals whenever you feel that relaxer urge coming on!
#6 Write a list of all the reasons why you decided to transitionAs you get further into your journey, the reasons why you started it in the first place may become blurred along the way. This can make you question whether continuing to go any further with your transition is really necessary. For those times where you feel you may be reaching for that box of chemicals, make a list of all of those reasons that you decided to start transitioning. This will keep your goals fresh in your mind and motivate you in achieving them.

…………..

Feeling like you are ready to go back to relaxing does not make you a terrible transitioner! We all have our weak moments and sometimes just need some encouragement to keep the wheel spinning. At the end of the day, you have to remember that doing what is best for you is what is most important!

Happy Transitioning =)

How do you stay motivated during your transition?

 

 

**Natural_E_Kee helpful tip.....google or check out different social sites like Instagram and Youtube to keep you inspired. Look and follow other people transitioning process to keep you motivated...patience is key with working with our natural hair!!

 

 

Love and Light!!

Squeaky Clean

Hey Hey Hey Dolls!!!!

Missed blogging but the past week was a bit hected for me but I did get in my beach time since Saturday was like the only nice day of the week here in Jersey UGGHHHH SUMMER WHERE ARE YOU!!!

 Hope everyone enjoyed their weekend


So my box braids has been holding up so good since I got them done and dammit I LOVE my braids!! One downfall is these thangs itch my hair like crazy! I have really dry scalp to begin with so dealing with synthetic hair and dry, itchy, sensitive scalp is a bit of a challenge.

So since my hair is in a protective state I will still care for it like I have my fro out, by doing my weekly washes just to make sure I keep my scalp clean and moisturized to avoid dry and flaky scalp issues.

So this is what I will be using over the next few weeks to ensure my scalp remains clean and less itchy:

 

Put 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar with warm water in a spray bottle



Spray MY SCALP ONLY with the mixture and massage the mixture into my scalp

I let the apple cider sit my hair for about 15 minutes then wash it out with my Herbal Essence Hello Hydration Conditioner



I dry my roots and the top of the braids with a cotton t-shirt...it's safer for your hair to use a cotton t-shirt or air dry



 

I use a regular towel to dry my ends because your braids will hold an excessive amount of water so a regular towel will help with getting the excessive amount of water out of your hair

Next I use moose in order to control the fly aways from the braids because there will be some fly aways and you can use spritz as well to hold down the fly aways

 

 

 

Annndddd there you have it, the end results of my first wash...looks fresh and feels clean and LESS ITCHY!!

Of course you can add oils to your scalp and hair to seal in moisture..I added my usual mixture Jojoba Oil, Jamaican Castro Oil, Peppermint Oil and EVOO

 

 Love and Light!!!!

Hot, hot, HOT OILS!!

Hey Dolls!

So just a brief post to express importance of doing hot oil treatments on your hair especially if you are transitioning.


For my hot oil treatment I use Jamacian Castro Oil, Peppermint Oil, Jojoba Oil, and Extra Virgin Olive Oil

I let hot water boil in a small pot then placed the bottle filled with oils in the pot for about two-three minutes then rub the oil in my scalp then rub the oils from tip to roots of my hair. Then use hair clips to clip up each section of my hair.

Below is a video I made during my hot oil treatment process which I did the night before I got my box braids, protective style.

So Dolls keep your hair moisturized and hot looking by doing hot oil treatments!!

Love and Light!

How to Slowly Transition to Natural Hair

Posted by CURLYNIKKI|

by Danielle of Long Natural Hair Care

One of the questions I’m asked most often is how I was able to do such a long transition. For me it was a fairly easy transition once I learned to handle my two textures. Here is a “how to transition” rundown of things to consider. I hope it helps!
Decide to go back to natural hair:

Definitely step one. Is natural hair really the move for you?

Some things to consider:

• Do you really want to have natural hair and why?
• What are your hair goals?

Read More>>>

Determine on your Transition Length:

I chose 2 years as my transition time because I knew my hair would be at or almost at a length where I could easily pull it back in a bun.

Some things to consider:

• How long do you want your hair to be when you finally BC?
• How dedicated are you to dealing with a potentially frustrating hair experience?

Choose your Transition Mode:

Some modes to consider:

• Weaves, with your hair braided underneath
• Wigs, with your hair braided underneath
• Extensions/Braids, using your hair and added hair
• Your hair alone, without added hair, using styles to blend the two textures.

(For purposes of this article, I will only be discussing transitioning with your own hair, as that is what I have experience with.)

When choosing your transition mode - Some things to consider:

• Do you want to deal with my hair on a daily basis?
• How often will you want to snip away permed ends?
• How long do you want your hair to be during your transition?
• How often do you want to style your hair?
• Will you want to rely on your stylist?
• Will you want to find a new stylist?
• How hair savvy are you?

NOTE: When you are transitioning, you are essentially “growing out” your perm. You will have straight (or wavy) hair at the ends, and growing from your scalp will be your naturally textured kinky coily curly hair. The two textures will behave and react differently to your manipulation, products and heat. The line where the two textures meet is called the line of demarcation. The demarcation line is a sensitive area and should be handled with care so as to avoid any breakage.

Pick your Transition Styles

Assuming you’ll be transitioning with your own hair:

You will want your hair to be as uniform as possible during your transition. Meaning, you will want it to be all straight, or all curly. Easiest is all curly.
For my personal transition, I straightened at times during the cold months and wore curly styles during the warm months and most of the time.

Some styles to consider:

• Wash and go
• Braid-Out
• Twist-out
• Dry Twist-out
• Twist-n-Curl
• Curly Fro 1
• Bantu Knot-Outs
• Cornbraids
• Flat Twist-Out
• Roller Set
• Rod Set
• Flexi Rod Set
• Curlformer Set
• Flat iron
• Faux Bun
• Messy Side Bun

My personal choices were wash and gos during the first few months and after that braid-outs were my go-to style. I preferred wearing curly styles so that I wouldn’t have to straighten the natural new growth.

Get To Know Your New Growth

What we would normally call our “new growth” is what you will have to get used to calling simply YOUR HAIR. After your transition, when you do your big (or little) chop, you will have all new growth. To make the BC less intimidating it is wise to get to know your new growth during your transition.

Although you will most likely not be able to determine your “hair type” while you still have your permed ends weighing your hair down, you will be able to learn some interesting things about your natural hair.

Some things to notice:

• How does my hair react to water?
• How does my hair react to oils?
• How does my hair react to my current products?
• How does my hair feel (when wet, when dry, when dirty, when thirsty)?
• How quickly does my hair dry?
• How quickly does my hair tangle?

Create Your Regimen

This, to me, is the fun part. With creating a regimen comes a bit of experimentation with products, techniques and timing.

Some things to consider:

• How often will I wash/condition/moisturize?
• How often will I do treatments? (moisture/protein)
• What will I use to moisturize? (how does my hair react?)
• How often will I detangle?
• How much time do I have to devote to my healthy hair practices?
• How much effort do I want to put in to my regimen?

Stick to the Plan (or not!)

After your regimen is set and you’ve decided on your styles, your only job now is to stick to it and last until your predetermined big chop day. The longer your transition, the more time you’ll have to deal with both textures and the higher the natural hair to permed hair ratio becomes.

This requires patience among other things. If it becomes too much for you, you can always BC early, or switch your transition mode to one where you won’t have daily manipulation/styling of your hair.

BONUS:

Find Support

This is key, for those days when you’re so frustrated with dealing with the two textures on your head that a buzzcut sounds like a good idea. You will want people who are going through the same thing, or have gone through it to discuss things with and share ideas, as well as get advice. Plus, you’ll want a safe place to vent about something as important/trivial as your hair.

Some places to go for support: LHCF, NaturallyCurly, Nappturality, Curly Nikki, And you can always email me!

I hope this helped any transitioners-to-be with making your decision and hopefully now making a more informed one.

Good luck on your journey!

Braids n Thangs!

Hey Dolls!!!

So hope everyone weekend was a BANGER!! Mines was HAHA!!

So this weekend I spent 7hours....YES 7 HOURS waiting to get my hair braided in box braids. I waited to get my hair done for two hours and sat in the chair for 5 hours to get my braids. I wanted these braids forever, plus I wanted to give my curls a break.

 I love the way they came out, still a little tight but by midweek they should loosen up.

 

Braids, twist, wigs, or any style that will cover your curls is considered a protective style.... protective styling is something recommended because there are times your curls will need a rest from the washing and styling. Protective styling preserves your hair from breakage and damage.

PROTECTIVE STYLING IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FOR TRANSITIONERS!!!

Also I want to warn you ladies, if you are getting your hair braided by a hairstylist PLEASE make sure you make them aware what kind of comb to use to comb and detangle your hair. I brought my own wide tooth comb because the fishtail combs will break and take out your hair badly...hair care dont stop because someone else is laying hands on your hair.

 






NOOOOO!!!!                                              YESSSS!!!!!!




So when you put any protective styles in your hair and have your hair tucked away for a long period of time (say for 1-2 months) you should put your hair through what I call "THE SPA TREATMENT!"



 The SPA TREATMENT consist of the following:

* Prepoo (Coconut Oil or other oils, detanglers; hot oil treatments)

*Shampoo (wash hair with any sulfate free shampoo or what I recommend is a shampoo that contains protein since protein strengthens hair during harsh processes such as washing or braid styling)

*Deep condition with conditioners that contains protein (I use my Aubrey Organics Protein Conditioner-another great protein treatment is Aphogee two step Protein treatment)

*Wash out, blowdry hair (which I will make a post about blowdrying hair later)

*Apply oils or use LOC method

Do this process the night before you get your protective style so your hair is fresh and moisturized.


In about two to three weeks I will talk about how I wash my braids out so I can keep them looking fresh and my scalp clean.

Remember, even though your hair is not exposed you still need to treat the hair like it's exposed...meaning you should still wash and moisturized your hair and scalp so your new growth can grown in healthy.


So how will you be protecting your new found curls??

 

Love and light!!!

How to Slowly Transition to Natural Hair

Posted by CURLYNIKKI|

by Danielle of Long Natural Hair Care

One of the questions I’m asked most often is how I was able to do such a long transition. For me it was a fairly easy transition once I learned to handle my two textures. Here is a “how to transition” rundown of things to consider. I hope it helps!

Decide to go back to natural hair:

Definitely step one. Is natural hair really the move for you?

Some things to consider:

• Do you really want to have natural hair and why?
• What are your hair goals?

Read More>>>

Determine on your Transition Length:

I chose 2 years as my transition time because I knew my hair would be at or almost at a length where I could easily pull it back in a bun.

Some things to consider:

• How long do you want your hair to be when you finally BC?
• How dedicated are you to dealing with a potentially frustrating hair experience?

Choose your Transition Mode:

Some modes to consider:

• Weaves, with your hair braided underneath
• Wigs, with your hair braided underneath
• Extensions/Braids, using your hair and added hair
• Your hair alone, without added hair, using styles to blend the two textures.

(For purposes of this article, I will only be discussing transitioning with your own hair, as that is what I have experience with.)

When choosing your transition mode - Some things to consider:

• Do you want to deal with my hair on a daily basis?
• How often will you want to snip away permed ends?
• How long do you want your hair to be during your transition?
• How often do you want to style your hair?
• Will you want to rely on your stylist?
• Will you want to find a new stylist?
• How hair savvy are you?

NOTE: When you are transitioning, you are essentially “growing out” your perm. You will have straight (or wavy) hair at the ends, and growing from your scalp will be your naturally textured kinky coily curly hair. The two textures will behave and react differently to your manipulation, products and heat. The line where the two textures meet is called the line of demarcation. The demarcation line is a sensitive area and should be handled with care so as to avoid any breakage.

Pick your Transition Styles

Assuming you’ll be transitioning with your own hair:

You will want your hair to be as uniform as possible during your transition. Meaning, you will want it to be all straight, or all curly. Easiest is all curly.
For my personal transition, I straightened at times during the cold months and wore curly styles during the warm months and most of the time.

Some styles to consider:

• Wash and go
• Braid-Out
• Twist-out
• Dry Twist-out
• Twist-n-Curl
• Curly Fro 1
• Bantu Knot-Outs
• Cornbraids
• Flat Twist-Out
• Roller Set
• Rod Set
• Flexi Rod Set
• Curlformer Set
• Flat iron
• Faux Bun
• Messy Side Bun

My personal choices were wash and gos during the first few months and after that braid-outs were my go-to style. I preferred wearing curly styles so that I wouldn’t have to straighten the natural new growth.

Get To Know Your New Growth

What we would normally call our “new growth” is what you will have to get used to calling simply YOUR HAIR. After your transition, when you do your big (or little) chop, you will have all new growth. To make the BC less intimidating it is wise to get to know your new growth during your transition.

Although you will most likely not be able to determine your “hair type” while you still have your permed ends weighing your hair down, you will be able to learn some interesting things about your natural hair.

Some things to notice:

• How does my hair react to water?
• How does my hair react to oils?
• How does my hair react to my current products?
• How does my hair feel (when wet, when dry, when dirty, when thirsty)?
• How quickly does my hair dry?
• How quickly does my hair tangle?

Create Your Regimen

This, to me, is the fun part. With creating a regimen comes a bit of experimentation with products, techniques and timing.

Some things to consider:

• How often will I wash/condition/moisturize?
• How often will I do treatments? (moisture/protein)
• What will I use to moisturize? (how does my hair react?)
• How often will I detangle?
• How much time do I have to devote to my healthy hair practices?
• How much effort do I want to put in to my regimen?

Stick to the Plan (or not!)

After your regimen is set and you’ve decided on your styles, your only job now is to stick to it and last until your predetermined big chop day. The longer your transition, the more time you’ll have to deal with both textures and the higher the natural hair to permed hair ratio becomes.

This requires patience among other things. If it becomes too much for you, you can always BC early, or switch your transition mode to one where you won’t have daily manipulation/styling of your hair.

BONUS:

Find Support

This is key, for those days when you’re so frustrated with dealing with the two textures on your head that a buzzcut sounds like a good idea. You will want people who are going through the same thing, or have gone through it to discuss things with and share ideas, as well as get advice. Plus, you’ll want a safe place to vent about something as important/trivial as your hair.

Some places to go for support: LHCF, NaturallyCurly, Nappturality, Curly Nikki, And you can always email me!

I hope this helped any transitioners-to-be with making your decision and hopefully now making a more informed one.

I would love for you dolls to share your transitioning experience with me? How is it going?? Are you thinking about transitioning?
 

Good luck on your journey!

 

Love and Light!

How Can Protein Help Your Hair?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hey Dolls!!

 

 

Hope you guys had a lovely weekend like I did. The weekend was filled with love and new beginnings!

 

 

So I want to talk about how important protein treatments are for your hair.

 

If you are currently transitioning then protein treatments is something that's very important, because as your hair was going through the relaxer process, the chemicals in the relaxers are tearing down your hair, hair follicles and just leaves your hair straight and limp.

 
Plus what's great about protein treatments it puts the snap back in your curls!! Curls be poppin! If your curls dont snap back after you wash your hair and it just says limp, then you will need a protein treatment.
 

Since you are currently transitioning you need to put your hair on a regularly schedule in order to maintain the two textures and to make sure your new growth of curls grow in healthy.

 

Protein treatments are excellent for people with damage or hair that deals with breakage, porous hair, or hair thats fine or thin.

 

 

 

When I do my monthly protein treatments I use Aubrey Organics Glycogen Protein Balancing Shampoo followed by Aubrey Organics Glycogen Protein Balancing Conditioner

 

Both products can be found on Amazon.com for about $8.00-12.00 depends on which seller you purchase from. Also I saw Aubrey Organics products in Fairway Supermarkets but it's more pricey there. Aubrey Organics products are GREAT for natural hair.

 

 

Here I am showing how to apply conditioner to your hair...ALWAYS start with your tips when you are working on your hair and work your way up to the roots.

 

 

I section my hair and apply the Aubrey Organics Glycogen Protein Balancing Conditioner to each section and use hair clips to secure the hair. Then I cover my hair with a plastic cap ( this time I ran out of my conditioning plastic caps so I settled for my target bag-heyI love Target' they always come in handy!!) Covering your hair will seal in the moisture and it will help the conditioner work more in your hair.

 

 

 

 

 I normally just leave the conditoner in my hair for a few hours while I handle things around the house or sleep with the conditioner in my hair overnight, but I just started using this conditioning cap you can hook up to you handheld hair dryer. Got it at Sally's Beauty Supply for $7.99.

I barely use heat on my hair because heat can damage your hair (which I will later discuss in a posting) but the conditioning cap saves me half the time and so far I used it twice and I really like it!

 

So after you finish conditioning you hair just rinse out with lukewarm or cool water and either let it air dry (like I do) or you can dry your hair with a cotton t-shirt. Drying your hair with towels will snag on your hair and cause breakage. Now we dont want that now!

 

 

 

For more information about the best Proteins for your hair check out

The Best Protein for Hair on naturallycurly.com....Also you can create your own homeade hair protein treatment with things thats in your refrigerator.. how awesome is that!!

 

 

Love and Light Dolls!!!



Decoding Hair Texture: Hair Typing Systems 101

Decoding Hair Texture: Hair Typing Systems 101

Posted by CURLYNIKKI|

… by Susan Walker of Earthtones Naturals

via ThreeNaturals

Now that hair texture and type are established, we can take a closer look at some popular hair typing systems. These are used by textured women to help identify their hair and communicate with other curlies or product choice and hair care methods. Some of these systems are simple, some more complex. In my opinion, I believe they should be used as a general guide to better understand your hair, which products will be beneficial for it, and how to take care of it.

Andre Walker’s Curl Typing System
Possibly the most popular and used by mainly curly girls is the Andre Walker system. Many systems are based on this one. In 1997 he took the standard hairdresser texture classes and expanded it into curl typing. He classified hair into four main categories: Straight – Type 1, Wavy – Type 2, Curly – Type 3 and Kinky – Type 4. Andre created and defined subcategories - a, b, c – within the texture classes.

Type 1
Type 1 is straight hair and is further subcategorized:

•Type 1a – Straight (Fine/Thin) – Hair tends to be very soft, shiny and difficult to hold a curl. Hair also tends to be oily, and difficult to damage.
•Type 1b – Straight (Medium) – Hair has lots of volume & body.
•Type 1c – Straight (Coarse) – Hair is normally bone straight and difficult to curl. Asian women usually fall into this category.

Type 2
Type 2 is wavy and tends to be coarse, with a definite S pattern to it. There are three Type 2 subtypes defined below.

•Type 2a – Wavy (Fine/Thin) – Hair has a definite “S” pattern. Normally can accomplish various styles.
•Type 2b – Wavy (Medium) – Hair tends to be frizzy, and a little resistant to styling.
•Type 2c – Wavy (Coarse) – Hair is also resistant to styling and normally very frizzy; tends to have thicker waves.

Type 3
When this type of hair is wet, it appears to be pretty straight. As it dries, the hair goes back to its curly state. When curly hair is wet it usually straightens out. As it dries, it absorbs the water and contracts to its curliest state. Humidity tends to make this type of curly hair even curlier, or frizzier. Type 3 hair has a lot of body and is easily styled in its natural state, or it can be easily straightened with a blow-dryer into a smoother style. Healthy Type 3 hair is shiny, with soft, smooth curls and strong elasticity. The curls are well defined and springy.
Andre defines two subtypes of curly hair. First, there is type 3a and 3b. The longer the hair is the more defined the curl. Then there is type 3b hair, which has a medium amount of curl to tight corkscrews. It’s not unusual to see a mixture of these types existing on the same head. Curly hair usually consists of a combination of textures, with the crown being the curliest part. Lastly there is a type 3c. This is a hair type that is not in Andre Walker’s book. This type of hair can be described as tight curls in corkscrews. The curls can be either kinky, or very tightly curled, with a lot of strands densely packed together.

•Type 3a – Curly (Loose Curls) – Hair tends to be shiny and there can be a combination of textures. It can be thick & full with lots of body, with a definite “S” pattern. It also tends to be frizzy. The longer the hair the more defined the curl becomes.
•Type 3b – Curly (Tight Curls) – Also tends to have a combination texture, with a medium amount of curl.

Type 4
According to Andre Walker, if your hair falls into the Type 4 category, then it is kinky, or very tightly curled. Generally, Type 4 hair is very wiry, very tightly coiled and very fragile. Similar to Type 3 hair, Type 4 hair appears to be coarse, but it is actually quite fine, with lots and lots of these strands densely packed together. Healthy Type 4 hair typically has sheen rather than shine. It will be soft and silky to the touch and have proper elasticity.
There are two subtypes of Type 4 hair: Type 4a, tightly coiled hair that, when stretched, has an S pattern, much like curly hair; and Type 4b, which has a Z pattern, less of a defined curl pattern. The hair bends in sharp angles like the letter Z. Type 4a tends to have more moisture than Type 4b which will be wiry.

•Type 4a – Kinky (Soft) – Hair tends to be very fragile, tightly coiled, and has a more defined curly pattern.
•Type 4b – Kinky (Wiry) – Also very fragile and tightly coiled; however with a less defined curly pattern -has more of a “Z” pattern shape.

L.O.I.S. African American Natural Texture Typing System
This popular curly typing system basically deals with Straight, Wavy, Curly, Kinky and Nappy categories. Compared to the Andre Walker system, it also takes strand thickness into account and assesses how hair texture (thin/fine, medium, thick, very thick) can impact the various top categories.

This system which is very comprehensive and somewhat complex is based around the letters L. O. I. S. which stands for L = Bend, O = Curl, I = Straight and S = Wave. In addition to Bend, Curl, Straight and Wave is the texture or strand thickness, including the categories of thin, medium and thick.

Additional detailed definitions of natural textured hair include -

Thready: low sheen, high shine, low frizz
Wiry : sparkly sheen, low shine, low frizz
Cottony: low sheen, low shine, high frizz
Spongy: high sheen, low shine, high frizz
Silky: low sheen, high shine, low frizz
Shine is defined as hair that reflects light along its surface. Sheen is a sparkle to the hair.

Textured hair is extremely difficult to classify due to the complexities of this hair type in terms of texture and curl pattern. Despite their limitations, hair typing systems do a great job at giving a general idea of categorizing hair to help guide product choice and hair care. One of the best examples of this is the Naturally Curly Hair Finder which does an excellent job of expanding on the major hair typing systems, providing images of these hair types and giving hair care tips to bring out the best in each type.

What Type are You?
Select a single strand of the most common type of hair on your head. Aim for the most common texture on your head if you have different hair textures. The hair should be freshly washed without products applied to it and rinsed in cold water. Place the hair on a piece of white paper. To determine texture, compare your hair to a piece of thread. If you hair is thinner than the thread it is fine. If it is the same thickness then you have medium hair. If your hair is thicker than the thread then you have thick hair.

Find Your Pattern
The bends, kinks and coils of your hair will resemble one of more of the letters L, O, I or S.
L – If the hair has all bends, right angles and folds with little to no curve then you are daughter L.
O – If the strand is rolled up into the shape of one or several zeros like a spiral, then you are
daughter O.
I – If the hair lies mostly flat with no distinctive curve or bend you are daughter I.
S – If the strand looks like a wavy line with hills and valleys then you are daughter S.
You may have a combination of the L,O,I,S letters, possibly with one dominant.

Determine if your hair is:
• Thready – Hair has a low sheen, with high shine if the hair is held taut (as in a braid), with low frizz. Wets easily but water dries out quickly.
•Wiry – Hair has a sparkly sheen, with low shine and low frizz. Water beads up or bounces off the hair strands. Hair never seems to get fully wet.
•Cottony – Hair has a low sheen, a high shine if the hair is held taut and has high frizz. Absorbs water quickly but does not get thoroughly wet very fast.
•Spongy – Hair has a high sheen with low shine with a compacted looking frizz. Absorbs water before it gets thoroughly wet.
•Silky – Hair has low sheen, a very high shine, with a lot or low frizz. Easily wets in water.

What is your hair type and texture according to the above systems?
Are there similarities or differences among the various systems?

 

 

 

**Natural_e_Kee says**

 

Now I know hair types can be a bit confusing to first understand. It's important to know your hair type in order to understand what hair products are good for your hair and what is'nt but this shouldnt be your main focus about your hair**

 

 

What's your current hair type???

Understanding Hair Texture

Posted by CURLYNIKKI

source

…by Susan Walker of Earthtones Naturals

via Three Naturals

Part 1: Hair Texture

We love systems don’t we? Systems often take complex ideas or processes and simplify them for people to use and get a desired result. The great thing about systems is their simplicity; however this can also be a weakness. In life things are rarely simple. They are rarely straightforward and often contain complexities that cannot be systematically addressed.

There have been several attempts to systematically type hair and texture into easy-to-use-and-understand categories. While they are meant to give a general idea of how to classify hair I find that for some naturals they are used as gospel. Some systems may do more harm than good by typing hair as “good” and “bad”. Now I know what the common mantras are – healthy hair is good hair, all curly hair is good hair, etc. However not everyone really believes or accepts that. I’ve written about this in a previous post, but it can take a while for someone to really come to terms with their hair types and texture and truly love being natural and love their hair.

I was consulting a woman last week and had my hair in a twist out. My hair is extremely thick and kinky curly, while hers is fine with a wavy curl pattern. She was admiring my hair and stated that she wished her hair were like mine. I thought the same thing about hers due to the ability of her hair to be styled quickly and easily. Since my hair tangles very easily and is so thick my cleansing regimen is pretty extensive. Additionally, I rarely wear my hair in wash n’ go styles anymore because of this. Furthermore regarding many hair-typing systems all kinky, curly and coily hair tends to be lumped into one big category with a few variations. So, how useful is that? Considering everyone’s hair is slightly different and people can even have different textures and types of hair emerging from their scalp, categorizing hair is a difficult proposition at best. So should we do away with hair-typing and classification systems? Not necessarily. Where I find hair typing most useful is in assisting with product choice.

For the next few posts I’ll be discussing some popular hair typing systems. One, two or all of them can be used in a comprehensive way to guide you in the types of products that would be best for your hair. However, first I’ll give an overview of hair texture and type.

First things First – Hair Texture

Regardless of if your hair is straight, wavy, curly or kinky we all have 3 basic textures: fine, medium and thick which can also be called coarse. Texture is not how the hair feels but describes the thickness of each individual strand of hair. The comparison is typically to a piece of thread. If your hair is fine, it’s thinner than the thread, medium hair is usually the same width and thick or coarse strands are thicker than the piece of thread.

Characteristics of Each Hair Texture

Fine Hair
Fine hair is the most fragile texture and can be easily damaged. Contrary to popular belief, people
with finer hair tend to have more hair than people with thicker hair strands. Fine hair can tend
to be oilier than other hair types. For those of you with fine hair you may find difficulty holding a
style; your hair is light and can fall flat against your head. Volume is often desired but not often
attained. Structurally fine hair has two hair layers – a cortex and a cuticle.

Fine natural hair:
•Doesn’t hold styles well
•Can become weighed down with heavy products, causing the hair to look stringy
•Can look thin
•Can break easily because it’s fragile

Medium Hair
Medium hair is the most common hair type and often covers the scalp very well. This hair texture is not as fragile as fine hair and can be manipulated into styles easily. Structurally, medium textures usually have two layers – the cortex and cuticle – and may contain the medulla.

Medium natural hair:
• Holds styles fairly well
• Usually looks thick and covers the scalp well
• Is not as prone to breakage as fine hair

Thick or Coarse Hair
This hair texture is strong because structurally it contains all three hair layers – the cortex, cuticle and medulla. The medulla, the innermost layer of the hair shaft is pretty much a series of empty spaces. It’s an area filled mostly with air and protein. This hair texture usually takes longer to dry than others, and can be resistant to various chemical treatments. It can tolerate heat well and resist breakage better than the fine or medium hair.

Thick natural hair:
• Appears full
• Holds styles well
• Can tolerate higher amounts of heat
• Can be resistant to hair colouring and chemical relaxers

Hair Type
In general there are 4 basic hair types: straight, wavy, curly, kinky curly. This classification is based on the shape of the hair fiber.

Straight
Naturally straight hair is the strongest of the types and reflects light to the eye the best giving it a glossy appearance. One challenge of curly hair is that it’s resistant to curling and usually requires the use of chemicals for this to be done permanently.

Wavy
Wavy hair has s-shaped curls down its length or much of the hair can appear straight with slight bends towards the ends of the hair. Wavy hair can frizz fairly easily and requires care to achieve perfect waves.

Curly
Curly hair tends to do so down the entire length of the hair shaft. Strand thickness can range from fine to coarse but is most often fine. The greatest challenges for curly hair types are frizz, lack of curl definition, shrinkage and dryness, to a lesser extent.

Kinky-Curly
This hair type has the tightest curls ranging from fine to coarse with s-shaped and z-shaped curls with everything in between! It is the most fragile of the types. If curl definition is a challenge for curly hair types it’s almost an impossibility for kinky-curly hair. Additionally, shrinkage and dryness are two issues to constantly fight against.

Join me next week as I begin discussing popular hair typing systems!

What is your hair texture and texture? What are your best styles?