Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Bee Mine Bee Lovely Moisturizing Daily Conditioner

Bee Mine Bee Lovely Moisturizing Daily Conditioner

Product Description 

Dramatically improve the moisture balance of your hair with the natural and organic nutrients in our new Daily Conditioner "Bee Lovely." With the soft & creamy consistency of Cupuacu Butter, offers exceptional daily moisture for the hair also provides some protection against UV-A and UV-B rays. Enjoy hair that feels soft and smooth all day after just a single use without weighing it down. With daily use, even dry, brittle and damaged hair can see noticeable improvement in softness, smoothness and manageability.

Directions: Apply to hair from roots to ends on wet hair. Rinse it out or use use it as a light leave-in. Good for daily use very moisturizing, and doesn't weigh down the hair. 
Ingredients: Distilled Water, Chamomile Extract, Cetearyl Alcohol, PEG-40 Castor Oil and Stearalkonium Chloride, Cupuacu Butter, Organic Coconut Oil, BTMS (mild emulsifier), Organic Raw Honey, Preservative (Paraben Free), Fragrance (Phthalate Free).
With this and any other of our products please do a patch test prior to full use.
Currently comes in CC Scent.

Silicone - Free / SLS - Free / Paraben - Free / Protein Free
(Above information was copied from www.BeeMineProducts.com)
Our Review
Scent: Like a Fluffy Almond/Coconut
Color: White     
Consistency: Light and Soft
Cost: $12.97

I used this on my Mommy Hair *_* I had originally got this for Diva R but since that was around the time that i found out that she was allergic to coconut's i was not going to use it on her. So i would never let such a product go to waste so i decided to try it out on myself . I began using this as a rinse out conditioner, i did this for about 5 times before i thought... Why don't i try this as a leave in and see how it compares. Since it is naturally organic i knew there wouldn't be that residue if not rinsed out.

The scent is pleasant and i LOVE it actually, the texture is very pleasant as well :)

I must add that my hair is dry and color damaged at the mids-ends. So my goal from using this conditioner was to gain strength by gaining health, softening split ends, and providing nourishment to my damaged dry hair. I used to color my hair regularly at least once a month and have fell victim to bleach, color stripping and bad cut jobs :( SO I've been on the come up for a few years now and my growth has stunned me as well as my hair health. I can say that this was one of the first organic/natural product that i began using consciously. Bee Mine has done Diva R's hair great justice from the beginning of time so i was curious if it could give my hair a miracle jolt...  

As a rinse out conditioner i must say i have to use a decent amount in order for it to coat my dry fine hair. It doesn't really lather up in my hair much, most conditioners shouldn't lather in particular but a little doesn't go along way with my tresses. So even though i loved the scent it just didn't do well for my hair type as a rinse out. My hair didn't feel conditioned afterwards.

As a leave-in This Bee Lovely Conditioner is LOVELY! I apply this on the last 4-6 inches of my hair generally since this is the area that needs life the most.  I also interchangeably apply it throughout when i get out of the shower as i tousle my hair before i put my gel in and do a scrunch-n-go. This doesn't leave my hair greasy, it actually softens, nourishes and leaves a luscious after fragrance in my hair :) I have used it with braid outs in my hair as well as scrunch-n-gos, and straight looks. I love its results with braid outs! Oh the braid outs are so defined and bouncing with softness and the fresh scent just opens up as i take the braids out. When i do the tousle with the conditioner after the shower my hair keeps its scrunch throughout the day with the moisture being in constant place from the conditioner under the gel, the wave look stays nice and wavy and doesn't get crunchy as it usually would when I'm not using the Bee Mine Bee Lovely Conditioner.

Ive also used it on wet and dry hair and i find that it works equally as great on both  and it tames fly-aways well also :)

I have to say that This is a good leave in conditioner in my opinion, i wish i would have been able to use it on Diva R :/ But i use it daily and i love it for my hair! This was a great find. It acts as a good leave in and holds true to its being "light" claim as well as it does provide as a nice light moisturizer.

Diva R's Mommy- Kim

Three Strand Twist's/Half Cornrow's With Heart Beads

This is a Curlee switch up from the previous style i shared that lasted 8 days. I decided to change up the three sectioned pony tails that i had on the top half of Diva R's hair. Instead of the finger curls that she wore previously. I did three strand twists , twisting the 3 strand together going to the left because i found that one thing i was having trouble with was that i wasn't thinking about twisting with her curl pattern i was just twisting in what ever direction came to mind and that is what contributed to the twists unraveling very quickly. YAY i love learning new things!

    

No matter how tight i do the twists or how loose i do them they always end up unwinding slightly looking puffy yet cute :)

As you can see the beads were turned into black and white heart beads as mentioned in the last post  :)

Below is a close up of one of her 3 strand twists and i am beyond surprised how long they lasted! NO twist has ever stayed in Diva R's hair longer than an hour. these lasted for several hours! YAY its a start.

 


I used the Bee Mine Curly Butter to create the twists and finger twirl the ends.

Below is another side view of her twists :)



I am definitely happy with the results and will try these more often in different ways in the future. Twists have always been easy for me to do but they just never stay in fine hair.


Diva R's Mommy- Kim

Monday, May 30, 2011

Hair Care /Styling Tips for Those with Thin Hair (Children and Adults)

This post is for everyone out there who has experienced, is experiencing, has loved ones with our deal with THIN hair on a day to day basis.

I am providing some tips so that when it comes to wearing your hair out naturally, styling, using accessories, adding extensions, and using tools to maintain/tame your hair you will have some food for though and information at hand to help you through each element carefully and successfully.

Diva R has thin hair, always has and probably always will so this has been something that over the years i have had to learn how to work with, having no choice in the matter *_*  Regarding Diva, it has been extremely hard to style, use certain accessories and learn techniques to be soft on her hair and scalp because generally when people have thin hair they have a tender scalp too.

I will begin by touching on the use of Beads... There are normally 3 different size hair beads...

Small (Regular Size Pony Bead)


Medium (BGP's or Chubbie Beads)


Large/Extra Large (Barrell Beads)


The sizes and quantities are very important when deciding how many and what types to put in the hair.

The small pony beads are the lightest in weight and have the smallest holes (aside from the Sidewinders which are feather light), so more of these beads are required to complete a style than any of the bigger ones for stacking/proportion sake.  So by adding more you are also adding more weight, this in return isn't good for thin hair especially let alone thicker hair, because with this hair the more weight added the more the risk for damage, breakage, splitting and pulling out the hair increases. The small pony beads cannot fit a whole lot of hair through the centers, so the braids/twists have to be quite small for them to slide on with ease. For baby/toddler thin hair i would recommend limiting the amount per strand/braid/twist to 2-7 and that is length dependent, because you DO NOT want to load a babies hair up with beads from scalp to ends, that's only paving the way for disaster. Thin hair that is about shoulder length or beyond can safely use 2-12 small pony beads per grouping.

With the medium size chubbie pony beads, these are slightly heavier than the small pony beads. One of these is equivalent to nearly 2 small pony beads in outer diameter. The holes are slightly bigger than the small pony beads allowing for more hair to fit in through the bead allowing you to be able to braid and twist a little bigger or use bigger sections of hair to slide the beads on to. With these you must take into account that because they are bigger than the standard size pony bead you have to use less of these. So for example, 5 of the chubbies would equal 7 small pony beads. So the weight of the chubbies is about two beads less BUT only 5 beads make up the weight of 7 small pony beads so in this case less is more. When using these on thin hair it is best to not go bead crazy and by my recommendation i wouldn't put any more than 2-4 on baby/toddler short hair and 6-8 per medium thickness braid/twist/strands on shoulder length or beyond for safety and hair preservation's sake. These are the best choice for medium-thick/thick hair. 

About two small pony beads equal the size of one medium chubbie bead.

(Chubby on left, small pony bead on right pictured below)

The Large/Extra Large Barrel Beads really resemble actual Barrels, like the sort that hold wine.  These are LARGE in diameter and hole size, the hole size is double the hole size of the small pony bead and a whole and a half size bigger than the chubbie bead's hole.  So obviously these weigh even more than both the small pony beads and the chubbies.  One of these are equivalent to about the length of 3 small pony beads and 1 and 3/4 of two chubbie beads. Meaning that these are way heavier than the small ponies and chubbies so much fewer of these must be used at a time to preserve the already thinned hair. 

(The large barrel is the leftmost bead, followed by the chubby and then the small pony bead respectively)


I wouldn't even recommend using these on a baby/toddlers hair.  I would say that using no more than 3 of these on shoulder length or longer hair is recommended. To each his/her own when it comes to EVERYTHING but through many avenues of thin hair that i have traveled i have learned that beads are a huge culprit for damage and usually people use too many.  I have seen these quite frequently in Loc's because locks are generally stronger in nature and most beads don't like to fit on Loc's well, this is fine in moderation.  It is suggested that if you are going to use these that you use a smaller ending bead under the big barrel bead because wrapping the hair around one of these bad boys will for sure damage a huge portion of the ends very quickly. I cant say that i would ever recommend these size beads to anyone because of how HUGE they are... These have mad weight and are really bulky.

In summary of the normal hair bead variations this picture below should help to illustrate the quantity and size differences in relation to how many should be put on the hair safely (note that i used a random amount of beads and stacked them on top of each other in rows so that you can do the math as to the weight vs amount ratio.)



These sizes can range from small to large in diameters and holes. They come in many materials such as glass, ceramic, metals, clay, and the like. These ones are especially of concern with those with thin hair because they are HEAVY and variate vastly in shape as well.  The weight of one of the glass ones i have pictured is equivalent to 5-6 of the large barrels discussed above and a whole handful of the small pony beads!! That description sums it all up. 


The metal hearts pictured are HEAVY also, one of the hearts is equivalent to the weight of 5 small pony beads.  The small ceramic beads pictured are also heavy, one of those is equal to the weight of 6 small pony beads. Without me even saying it, you already know i wouldn't recommend ANY beads like this nor any bead that is NOT acrylic.

Acrylic/plastic beads are the ones to use PERIOD. You can even get cute shells and other shapes in acrylic. These are the lightest bead.

Hair ties, beads, headbands and the like with metal in them should be avoided at all costs, this metal will break, snap, cause hair separation from the root, create hair/scalp disorders, cause unexplainable frays throughout the hair shaft or tear the hair undoubtedly. Bouts of excessive accessorizing are also blamed for being culprits for causing hair to fallout, become dry/brittle and break off. Items that are commonly used to over accessorize are ballies(bubbles), beads, hair ties, ribbons, clippies, barrettes and things of that nature. Its fine to wear these in thin hair of course just in moderation :) The last thing you would want to do is weigh down already thinned hair. 

Now i am going to touch on the use of combs, brushes, picks, and the like on thin hair. 

It is recommended that on thinner hair types you use smaller toothed combs and brushes. BUT your selections shouldn't depend on that solely if at all, because since the hair is CURLY you have to keep in mind that the WIDER the teeth are spread apart on the comb the easier the hair is for detangling, less susceptible to be damaged during combing/detangling and there will be less tension applied to the scalp while combing/detangling/parting the hair. 

Here are some GOOD combs to have on hand if you have thin curly hair or thin coarse hair and thin hair PERIOD! These are great for all thin hair types and you don't have to buy the name brand ones if you choose not to but there are PLENTY of all types of brands as long as they look like these your good to go :)

          Wide Toothed Comb      Ouidad Wide Toothed Comb                Denman Comb
Detangling CombView Image              

The closer the comb acts/looks like finger detangling the better off the hair will be because of the wide-ness of the detangling/combing tool, this will also benefit the hair by using less pull when combing versus a small tooth comb which would virtually yank on the hair if a knot comes about. the dollar store even sells some plastic versions of these combs that would make doo until a better one could be obtained. When it comes to taking care of your natural hair you must consider the benefits ahead by purchasing the good things that would spoil your natural blessings :)

As for brushes that are good for Thin Hair..

Finger detangling with the right products is a great go to first guide for a brushing alternative :)

Paddle brushes are suggested to be the brush of choice with thin hair because if its shape and brissle alignment, it fairs to be rather soft on thin hair and it wont just rip on knots such as brushes with really close together brissles will, not to mention how those packed brissle brushes damage hair also!!!
Boar brissle brushes are recommended for those with coarser hair types Safely i would say for 3c-4b and kinkier hair types.... So whether the hair is thin or not isn't the concern for boar brissle it is just a better slicker brush as well as tamer all around, this brush isn't known to pull on the hair either :)  The Denman brush is a brush with alot of faces, there are so many different styles to this brush that they suit every hair type from thin-thick. So for Thin Hair, since that is the topic we are discussing 7row Denman brushes would be a great fit, it is evenly spaced enough so that brushing wouldn't be dreadful and stressing on the hair and the brissle construction is soft too. Denman makes alot of good quality brushes and is widely recommended by hair guru's all around.

   Paddle Brush                                Boar brissle brush                       



View Image View Image
Denman Brush




View Image   
Brushing and the like are big concerns with thin hair because if your too rough the hair can break, split or crunch just that easy. Its important to start from the ends of the hair while holding the mid shaft of the hair so that when you brush/comb your not tugging down on the hair.  Its important to shop around and find the right hair tools!!!

Weaves/extensions

Another food for thought bit of insight when it comes to thin hair is weaving/extension use, considering all of the already present negative stories and connotations weaves have and have had, it is important to note WHY it could be considered a no-no for thin haired individuals. This addition to the natural hair has been blamed as one of the leading culprits for thinning of the hair and has made peoples hair fall out over time and or break off.  If it wasn't bad enough for all hair types on a consistent tightly weaved basis, for thin hair the problems get worse.  A good portion of people who use weave/extensions with thin or short hair usually go that route for added fullness/length or both, which is completely achievable with out destroying the hair.

This is where proper technique, professionalism and the use of good hair comes in.
A rule of thumb to consider is this, for weaving, it puts alot of stress on the hair as it is so it is best to choose sew in or glue in weaves versus braid in weaves or weaves that require the use of extra tension or tools beyond a curved crochet hook. What is most important about doing/having tracks put in is the tension applied and type of weave used. As the tracks are put in, the tightness of applying is what you must be lighter handed on. You can design your parts and sections in many different ways, the options are unlimited, but you have to keep in mind that tender heads and thin hair will suffer greatly from improper weave'age. 

With thin hair the scalp is more tender, hair is more fragile, and the roots are more spaced apart. When it comes to using free hair to add into cornrows per say, try adding the extension hair in using the "Feed-In" method that doesn't create the knot at the base of the beginning of the cornrow. Click here to learn more about the "Feed-In" method.

On to wigs... The safer weave alternative

Here is an idea for those who love weaves/extensions but would rather not go through the pain, risks and the cost gauge.  Wigs that have the breathable inner layer that you can remove are wondrous ideas compared to consistently using weaves that could be or are destroying your hair.  They make wigs so good now one cannot tell one from natural hair.  Wigs can be switched up frequently, styled, colored, permed and the whole sha-bang. Wigs are so common any more that its hard to tell real from the fake, and of course there are the many varieties of real haired wigs too that the options are endless!
This of course wouldn't be harmful in anyway to the hair :)

Tight braiding/styling

Here is what the majority of the problem with having thin hair and loving cornrows and the like comes in to play.  If the hair is manipulated to frequently in the same areas of the head the hair could start breaking off close to the base of the scalp. To try and avoid this experiment with parting in different spots each time you part the hair, wear varying styles, switch up the tool usage, and make what you do to your hair change from time to time so that your hair doesn't get set in one place and become difficult to style differently allowing your hair to be manageable from all angles and remain healthy. If you are going to venture out into the world of hair braiding, it is a great rule of thumb to learn how to be "light-handed" because this can make or break you as well as your client.  Tight braiding can cause whirl winds of problems for the one being braided.  Are you being told your heavy handed or that IT HURTS? Do you see a red scalp consistently or in certain sharp points as you braid? Do your inner webbing's of your hands hurt/throb during styling? Did you notice big chunks of hair falling out or breaking off after taking out a style or while a style is in?

If you answered Yes to any of those above, it is time to re-evaluate your braiding technique...

Here are some ways to tell if your braiding is too tight and some associated hair and scalp conditions

Traction Alopecia (Baldness)-  This is baldness that results from braiding/styling being too tight on the head. The hair actually falls/breaks out/off because the tension used during styling was too harsh, rough and hard. Usually there is alot of PULLING involved on the hair shaft that causes this condition to surface. Prolonged and/or untreated Alopecia leads to permanently damaged hair follicles and doesn't allow for new ones to develop speeding up hair loss and making it lasting.  The hair line is usually the first affected if not first then, ultimately the damage done till show in the hairline.


Scalp Dermatitis, Scalp Psoriasis, Atopic Dermatitis (Eczema), Tinea Capitis, Seborrheic Dermatitis, Acne Keloidalis Nuchae, are other conditions related to braiding/styling to tight..


Click here to read more about those conditions...


Protective Styling

Being on the subject of tight braiding also highlights protective styles, which are also done for longevity and convenience such as tight braiding according to many stylists. I must say that i do not agree with tight braiding no matter the results, longevity or any given answer, its outright damaging all around. So styles that you plan on leaving in for a while, make sure that you aren't using excessive force in order to tighten up the style in hopes it will stay longer, because what your really doing is destroying the hair and its follicles and in due time whether its sooner that later or later than sooner YOU WILL SEE the effects of what has been done. The goal here with thin hair is to NOT do protective styling. This is recommended because even though during protective styling the hair isn't being manipulated often, the hair isn't able to "rest" as it requires. Consider the hair being at work if you will, and if the hair never gets a break it will tire out and die just like us humans with no rest, we start to shut down. Thin hair and protective styles don't mix well as it is since thin hair tends to have to be managed often. It is quite easy to tell/feel right away if the braiding is too tight, not rocket science at all.  


With these tips i hope to help someone make better choices for their little ones/self when considering options for styling and caring for thin hair. These tips can benefit everyone no matter the hair type, but this time around thin hair in particular was my focus as many of us have little thin haired cuties to tame daily :)


I will provide more as i go... Happy SAFE Styling :)


God Bless.


Diva R's Mommy-Kim







Announcing Our 4th Annual Hair Show!!! Diva G

Welcome welcome to our Hair Show!

This is a very close to home friend of Diva R's, Introducing Diva G!

For this Hair Show i thought it would be cool to showcase her LOVED hair style.
This is a style that i did for her and it was per her request from seeing Diva R's half hawk and half cornrow hairstyle...   (Click here to see Diva R's version :)

Hi Diva G!!


Diva G's Mommy wanted me to do Diva G's hair and give her advice on how to care for her daughter's naturally LONG and curly biracially Caucasian and African American blended hair :D  I must say that i feel silly because i forgot to take before pictures!!!! But i will next time for sure! Her hair is gorgeous, thick and long!!

Diva G wanted it done soo bad too so i re-created the style that she wanted because that's whats most important to me is that she is happy and has choice in the style she wears and accessories too, so it was really fun and i must say i love doing hair! Natural curlees need to be cherished and worn proudly!
So we jazzed her style up with some beads of her choice too, they were the regular size multi-translucent beads.


Needless to say she was cheesing ear to ear and loving it! The look on her face was priceless and Diva R was sure to compliment her right away saying "Your hair is beautiful!!" :P


Her hair was washed and conditioned with the Silk Element's products, and then moisturized with Bee Mine Luscious Balanced Cream Moisturizer the night before.  The following evening i removed the bands, spritzed some distilled water on while i was lightly finger detangling. I Then as i was going i added the Bee Mine Juicy Spritz of ours and her hair just LOVED this spritz! It serious helped to tame her hair throughout styling. I added dabs of Curly Butter here and there as i was cornrowing.  I seriously had to detangle the whole time i braided her hair for it being so thick and semi coarse yet semi soft and long. Her ends would get tangled so i had to keep spraying them so that they wouldn't knot up.

I must say that detangling was a slight time absorber, i am usually as quick as i can be when it comes to braiding kiddies hair because i know how they want to be up playing and doing something else but i am also OCD with lineage because sloppy lines mess up the whole style and that wouldn't ever fly coming from me *_* But she was so patient and sat and drew pictures, read books, watched TV and just went with the flow not a complaint in the world! Such a dear blessing!

Diva G is 7 years old, loves school, loves soccer, riding her bike, going to the park and much much more :) Shes a big sister too!

She usually wears two-three ponytails with two strand twists and or/braids. Her mom doesn't know how to cornrow yet but she will in due time :p Ive given her tips already and am happily helping  her along the way with her two daughters hair journeys so that she can properly care for her little ones hair :) I'm excited because i love sharing the wealth!

Not to mention Mommy E is a friend of mine :) It works out because Diva R and Diva G are friends too!

More to come in the future about Diva G and her styles.

She has such lovely curls :) Cant wait to feature her naturally flowing long curlees!!!

What do you think? and How long do you think this would this have taken you with LONG super tangle prone hair?

*Days later she is still rocking it!!!* YAY and Whippin her hair like Willow!!!!

Who wants to be featured next Monday???? Email me within!!!

Diva R's Mommy- Kim

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Freestyle Cornrow's, Beads and Pony Tails

This is the style half done :) Diva R's hair was washed conditioned and moisturized the night before as well as moisturized again the afternoon of.

Shamp: Bee Mine Botanical Wash
Leave In Conditioner: Mixed Chicks Leave In
Moisturizer: Bee Mine Juicy Spritz


I just parted her hair from ear to ear and just freestyled a bit ending the braids in translucent flower beads from Curly Princess Hair Boutique and some other translucent multi color beads i got locally. I used the Bee Mine Curly Butter to cornrow with for light yet great hold.
I didn't take pics of the full style with those beads pictured above for some reason LOL So what i did was just split her hair in three diagonal sections and put matching ballies and let her finger curls hang loose :)

Below are pictures from a few days after having the translucent beads in... I decided to do a switch up with beads and ballies to match another set of outfits. 

Here is the complete switch up style :)


I used the Bee Mine Juicy Spritz as the moisturizer of choice during the non washing days of wearing this style. I did use a slight bit of the Curly Butter as i was finger twirling. As i was switching out the beads from the first style to the second style switch up i generously coated her hair with our distilled water spritz, followed by a light drizzle of the Juicy Spritz and followed up by the Curly Butter nice coating the ends especially that have been wrapped in a rubber band for days prior to.

Nothing to it :) Cute and easy to switch up and it took about an hour or so to complete :)

I was just going for something different and girly yet with angled cornrows half done and it worked for us! So it lasted about 8 days!! Amazing as that sounds some were fuzzy for sure and it was clear they needed to be taken down BUT she INSISTED they stay in LOL

I ended up changing it AGAIN throughout these 8 days, for a little different variation including twists :)

Diva R's Mommy- Kim

Friday, May 27, 2011

Winner's Circle!!!!!!!!!

Our My True Nature Giveaway has concluded as of today and I just want to thank everyone for entering, inquiring, "fan-ing" My True Nature and for being an active partaker in our natural hair care community. We appreciate all the new fans and friends we have gained and welcome you all aboard!

It is always a pleasure to be able to give back to our fam! We have grown so much thanks to all of you!
So we are proud to announce that the winner of the My True Nature 4oz 2-in-1 Shampoo/body wash & bubble bath combo....                        







IS.............

Who Said...


Congrats Brooke!!! Please contact me with your mailing address so we can ship these right out to you :) The competition was fierce and Random.org made the final cut! Thanks and BIG HUGS to everyone who entered, i hope you enjoy giveaways as much as we do because we will always have something going on over here!

HUGE Thank You to Kelly from My True Nature for collaborating with Love Your Girls Biracial Curls in effort to give back and show love to our reader's, friend's and fans! This was a great blessing :) 

Diva R's  Mommy-Kim

God Bless Everyone


Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Creme of Nature Lemongrass and Rosemary Leave-In Creme Conditioner

Creme of Nature Lemongrass & Rosemary Leave-In Creme Conditioner

Creme of Nature Lemongrass and Rosemary Leave In Creme Conditioner

Product Description


  • Soothes damaged hair 


  • Restores moisture 


  • Detangles and prevents breakage 


  • Protects and strengthens hair 


  • Organic lemongrass adds shine

  • Creme Of Nature Lemongrass and Rosemary Leave-In Creme Conditioner creamy formula quickly softens, detangles, and conditions. Organic Lemongrass adds shine while Rosemary helps protect and strengthen.

    Ingredients
    Ultra-Purified Water Aqua , Petrolatum , PEG-4 , Glyceryl Stearate , Sorbitol , Cetearyl Alcohol , Ceteareth-20 , Octyl Palmitate , Isodecyl Stearate , Cyclomethicone , Amodimethicone , Mentha Piperita Leaf Extract Peppermint. Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil Rosemary , Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Oil Orange , Mentha Piperita Oil Peppermint , Citrus Aurantium Oil Lime , Mentha Viridis Leaf Oil Spearmint , Glycerin , Panthenol , Polybutene , PEG-75 Lanolin.

    Directions
    After shampooing, rinse and towel dry. Massage thoroughly hair. Gently comb through making sure that the ends are treated. Do not rinse out.

    Our Review

    The Scent: A mix between Rosemary and Lemongrass with a lotion fragrance
    The Color: White
    The Cost: Around $4.00
    The Texture: Lotiony

    This conditioner was bought because we were in need of added moisture for miss Diva R and what we had on hand at the time just wasn't cutting it. So we went to our beauty supply store and after looking through tons of products that all seemed the same to me this is the one we went with because of its fragrance and i knew that this was a popular brand so we decided to scoop it up.  I really love Rosemary and Lemongrass so these two together i felt would be explosive and captivating and aside from the lotion scent included it had a good smell.  I honestly used this daily as a leave in for Diva R after we shampooed her hair with and with out using a rinse out conditioner prior too and i felt that the best time to use this was when her hair was slightly wet/damp.  I believed this because it wouldn't apply itself clump-like as most hair lotions would.  I would have to use a whole lot of this on her dry hair and it didn't seem to be as nice on her dry hair versus damp. 

    We used this product until only 1/4th the bottle was left (taking several months to be used up) and we only stopped using this product when Bee Mine fell in to our arms like an angel from the sky *_*

    The consistency being of a lotion nature left a slight residue on my hands there after use and it was sort of sticky between my fingers.

    I would say that this was a decent detangler product on wet/ damp FINE and thin curly hair. I wouldn't say that this is a good product for thick/coarse hair nor is it good on kinky or straight  hair. With all that being said i would rate this as a moderate product aside from knowing the ingredients, now if you know your ingredients than you would deem this as a bad product as i do.  Ive never been one for hair lotions anyways but since this was the 2nd try at hair lotions i thought since it was a better quality than the first kids hair lotion we tried, that we may have success with it but i was wrong.

    This product is loaded with mineral oils, petroleum, cones, alcohol and more baddies that make this product un-recommendable coming from our stand point regardless of its minor decency.

    Hope this was helpful for someone :)

    Diva R's Mommy-Kim

    Tuesday, May 24, 2011

    Way Back Wednesday Style Reflection

    This WBW Reflection was created in thought of cute short hair styles for Diva's of all young ages *_*

    Back in the beginning of our hair time adventure the one thing i knew how to do off bat was pig tails with the single braid coming down from each side. I seriously don't remember back at this time using any special products at all i know i had that kids hair lotion on hand ...


    I just loved how her piggy tails kind of pointed out wards when i left em freely hanging :P This was such a cute and easy spunky style it was duplicated many many times. I would switch out the pony tails/ballies to match with each outfit and it was a completed style in less than 10 minutes.  Her baby hairs had a mind of their own and i would just let em do their thing :)

    This was taken 3 summers ago and i must say i <3 it!! It kind of reminds me of Snoop Dogg's hair years ago lol with his little piggy tail braids sticking out with a curve to them LOL

    Here is a baby hair view  and an idea of what her hair looked like a few hours after playing, going to the circus and having an all out field day.



    These were oldies but goodies and please excuse the lesser quality pics above, they were magnified and taken from an old camera.

    I loved doing Little Diva's hair and at this time i had such an interest in learning how to do something more fancy with her hair. I tried and failed tried and failed and just stuck to the all over pony tail designs, pig tails, pony tails/side ponies and a head band from time to time.  Her hair was so super fine at this young ripe age of 2 so not alot would keep in her hair.

    <3 The stubborn baby hairs with all my heart i just wish they'd make their minds up LOL

    What types of styles did you do for your child when they were 2?

    Diva R's Mommy- Kim

    Monday, May 23, 2011

    1st ever feature of Diva R...

    Here is our first feature :) Im not sure why i didnt have it labeled but here it is and Kandylandkurls is to thank for such a great introduction for Diva R into the world of childrens natural hair care :) I was only blogging for a little over a month at this time so i was beyond geeked to have Diva featured!!!!

    Click here to reflect on our first ever feature <3

    Thank you Kandy!!!!

    Diva R's Mommy- Kim

    Diva R is featured again!!!!

    We are proud to announce that Diva R is featured right now on Precious-Curls "Little Naturals"!!
    Stop by and show us some <3!!! Click here



    Thank you Precious it was a blessing to be featured on your  blog <3

    Diva R's Mommy-Kim

    Soft Sheen-Carson Lets Jam Shining & Conditioning Gel

    Let's Jam Shining & Conditioning Gel - Reg. 14oz.

    Product Description

    A shining and conditioning gel gives your style extra hold while hair remains supple with moisture.
    Absolutely NO flaking, NO drying and NO alcohol!
    Use it every day to condition your hair while hold Excellent for holding sides, waves and fades, conditions and protects your hair
    Soft Sheen Let’s Jam Gels are pure excitement for your hair. Let’s Jam Gels give your hair super shine and control with no wax, grease or alcohol. Provides a regular hold for molds, wraps, or sleek styles.
    Ingredient's
    Water Aqua , Mineral Oil Paraffinum Liquidum , OLETH-5 , Glycerin , PEG-24 Hydrogenated Lanolin , PEG-12 , OLETH-20 , Cetyl Acetate , Acetylated Lanolin Alcohol , POLYQUATERNIUM-6 , PPG-5 CETETH-10 Phosphate , PEG-75 , Tocopherol Acetate , Triethanolamine , Imidazolidinyl Urea , Butylparaben , D&C Yellow No. 11 CI 47000 , D&C Red No. 17 CI 26100 , Fragrance Parfum
    Directions

    Smooth gel onto surface of wet hair. Style as usual

    Our Review

    Cost: Under $4.00

    Scent: Poorly fragranced/Yucky

    Texture/Consistency: Like a medium firm gelatin and greasy

    I must say that this was the first hold product/styling gel that i bought for Diva R. This one i had many recommendations to get by all blended race people that i had come across. So i figured to give it a whirl and my initial goal was to find a product that would provide good hold during styling as well as a good slicker gel to help me with those stubborn baby hairs!

    This jar that i bought was the 4oz size jar. Green cap.

    I began using this as a slicker, i wasn't in favor of the scent nor texture of this gel. It did function well on Diva R's hair type but the coarser hair that i used to braid using this, it wasn't good at all, it was gunky and almost like slapping greasy jello in the hair!

    Back to Diva R and those mighty fighters of baby hairs she has, i used this gel in tiny pea sized amounts each big section of her baby hairs i would grab and just slick it downward, just enough so that her curly ends pop up a little across her forehead.

    In this picture below i am highlighting her baby hairs at a long stage when i was using the jam as her sicker of choice.


     The object here wasn't to stick them to her head with a ton of gel because if i did that then they would be touching her eye brows and that would irritate the Diva as well as looking tacky.  I always liked to slick her baby hairs minorly so that they were slicked yet have popping end curls since they always grew out so long.  This shining and conditioning gel is for more of a shine effect than hold product in particular in my opinion. I liked the texture that this provided to the hair and it never got gunky on Diva R. I also branched out and started doing the pony tail styles all over her head with ballies and the whole 9 using this Lets Jam Gel to style with. I used it for about 2 years and had used it in many different styles for a shining agent, slicker, light hold gel and for braiding/twisting. 

    Overall i wouldn't buy this product again because it is loaded with bad ingredients and we are a natural/organic product loving family. Were not a fan of greases nor mineral oils, This may be a good product for others with finer hair possibly but i wouldn't recommend it based off of its ingredients alone. The texture left a sticky residue on my hands, not in her hair thankfully and surprisingly. One the only good side of the spectrum, the same jar lasted several months!

    Click here to see what information the EWG has provided based off of research about this Lets Jam Gel.

    It was a semi versatile product and it stayed in our use until i found out nearly all of the ingredients in it were harmful!! This product is heavy in parabens, formaldehyde preservatives, and mineral oils to say the least.  But as if said many times about my first bought products is that trial and error got me to the point that i am now full of knowledge and highly educated and interested in natural hair care :) I'm thankful that we were able to try these different "bad" products so that we can provide information and help others to be aware so they don't make those same mistake decisions from lack of knowledge like i did.

    Diva R's Mommy- Kim

    *Anyone else fall victim to this gel?*

    Announcing Our 3rd Annual Hair Show, Introducing Dominique-Alexis!!

    Hey everyone here is our 3rd Annual Hair Show and on the show this week is Dominique-Alexis! She is the creator of www.natural-hair-care-info.com

    Thank you for allowing me to be on your blog. I’ve always enjoyed seeing other people’s guest posts so it’s really cool to do one myself. 
    Bio: My name’s Dominique-Alexis and my younger sister’s nickname is Bunny. She turned nine years old in March and is on the Shining Stars Gymnastics Competitive Team. She loves gymnastics, writing songs and singing. We live in the south and come from a very outdoors-y family. I’ve always known how to braid hair but only learn how to cornrow a couple years back. Bunny and I spend most of our time in school, the music school, volunteering at the zoo, in the gym or outside, which is why neither of us ever wear afros or twist outs. Flat twists, cornrows, and twists are the usual styles due to tumbling in the gym and outdoor humidity. 


    Our Hair Types: 3C & 4A for both of us. We have the same curl pattern but she seems to have more hair per square inch so you’d never know it :) 


    Race: African-American/Black 
    How and when I got started styling Hair: About three years ago. Simply because someone needed to do it (Bunny and I have four other biological sisters with natural hair so it was a handful on our mom to have so many heads to braid) and I really enjoy doing hair. (I’m hoping to get my braiding license soon!) 


    Hair care routine: I usually put on a movie like Up, Despicable Me, Megamind or something like that for her. Sometimes we’ll listen to music or she’ll play the piano. ANYTHING to distract her. I wash her hair once a week in the afternoon (adding conditioner before and after the shampoo goes in so I don’t strip her hair) then leave it to stretch so it’s mostly dry before bed. The next day I’ll comb her hair through, moisturize it and style it. Sometimes I’ll throw a co wash/no poo or two into the routine, depending on how dirty she gets her hair. As far as styles go, I have no idea how it’ll turn out until it’s finished. 
    I recently stopped using Herbal Essence shampoos because of how much it strips her hair and have started using Honey & Almond Moisture Whip Shampoo by Naked. Her hair loves it! Whatever conditioner is on sale or is in the bathroom is what I’ll use to detangle and I’ll leave a little bit in her hair to soften. Something else I do is moisturizer her hair nightly before I wrap it so it’ll still look pretty in the morning. 


    Likes/dislikes regarding hair/products/accessories or advice: My advice to anyone and everyone would be not to get caught up in putting a bunch of beads or bobbles in your little ones hair that can lead to hair damage and breakage. Instead, take the time to make the parts neat or by getting creative with cornrows instead. Neat hair is pretty; it doesn’t have to be covered with bows and stuff. It can be, but it doesn’t have to be. 
     
    Favorite family activities/hobbies/interests: Family time, being outside, camping, horseback riding, working on my site, watching the fire with the family, playing with the dogs. I’m pretty live in the moment I guess. 
     

    How do you get your little one to tolerate hair time? I get people (sisters/friends) to stay still by being really gentle, this makes it a positive experience. I’ll put the TV on or let her use the computer or give her a snack or a toy. I ALWAYS try to be VERY GENTLE and now she’s learned to love hair time. A quick tip is not to stop your daughter or son from having fun with their friends or their game cube thing or whatever it’s called :) to do their hair, because then they’ll hate hair time. 
     
    Thank you Dominique for participating on our Hair Show, it was an honor being able to display your art work and learn about the artist behind the scene. I must highlight the positivity displayed from Miss Dominique-Alexis, through my getting to know her i have gained such an inspiration from just conversing with her that i have to share!!

    I couldn't believe she is 15 when i read that in a previous blog interview because her demeanor, devotion and dedication on the side of her family closeness just blew me away. Most 15 year olds are just the opposite of Miss D and are off doing their own thing. I believe that Dominique-Alexis is a wonderful inspiration for all tweens-teens out there, family is first, school and getting good grades being secondary are not options but Duties to her. As a young person it is crucial and important to put family and school over any and all things, and even as you age family is always  top priority unconditionally.

    Usually one doesn't learn how to or how hard it is to manage a household until you've become an adult yourself, but Dominique has the drive and initiative beyond words and there seems to be no such thing as hard to her, its just so touching to see her levels of care and positivity towards her helping her Mother with her sisters and in general. YAY Dominique for lack of better words! Kudo's

    Check out her lovely Natural Hair Care site it is PACKED with EVERYTHING one would want to learn, see or be inspired by. There are tutorials of ALL KINDS, picture demonstrations, many gorgeous styles, information and much more!!

    Who wants to be on our next Hair Show?

    Diva R's Mommy-Kim