Titi's Prescriptions for November's Winning Bloggers

November Winner: HeartmyHair, see blog
Prescription: As our elders say, “there is the right time for everything” and this seems to be your time! Your hair story was so interesting because you were growing out your natural hair as you were using extensions to achieve the straight look you desired. I think what you realize now is that you’ve changed your mindset. Your perception of your hair and yourself is different now so you are consciously loving and embracing your natural curls — hurray!!

All curly hair regimens must include products that focus on moisture retention. I would suggest that you start your regimen with our Crème de la Curl (non-sulfate) cleansing crème. This cleansing crème will cleanse the hair, leaving it naturally soft and ready to be conditioned using Crème de la Crème conditioner. For a deep intensive treatment the Rapid Recovery treatment will do wonders for your hair with ingredients like sweet almond oil and shea butter your hair will be butter soft. Curly Meringue would be great to use for your rod sets. It will give you hold and help create a consistent curl. This will also work to eliminate frizz as this styling crème helps capture your hair in its wet state and lock in that curl pattern. The other thing that’s very important is a daily moisturizer. Our buttercremes are perfect for imparting moisture and sheen to the hair.

November Winner: snowbird22, see blog
Prescription: Cheers to you for learning from your past experiences and working to embrace the beautiful young lady that you are! Taking the time to get in touch with the person that you are is an amazing thing. One of the lessons I see you’ve learned is to live for yourself. Your attempt to go natural before was obstructed but now you are a stronger person for it with hair to match!

Kinky hair textures tend to be dry so you really want to focus on retaining moisture. Using the Crème de la Curl cleansing crème would be an amazing start. This non-sulfate shampoo will clean your hair and make it supple at the same time. Follow that up with the Crème de la Crème conditioner to seal in that moisture base. Once a week give you hair a moisture boost by using the Rapid Recovery deep conditioning treatment. Leave this on the hair for twenty minutes with a plastic cap on. If you have an overhead dryer or bonnet use this as well because the additional heat will intensify the treatment. As a daily hair dress use either the Curly Buttercreme or the Baby Buttercreme. The only difference between the two is that the Curly Buttercreme has peppermint oil in it, which invigorates the scalp and gives you that cool “peppermint patty” feeling. If your hair is long enough to do two strand twists or coils the buttercremes are perfect for that as well. I can tell that your hair journey is going to be full of great experiences!

November Winner: beautyisnatural, see blog
Prescription: I know you feel blessed to have family, friends, co-workers and a husband who supports and encourages your decision to make a change that makes you happy. As you mentioned, there are times when a woman’s hair can affect her overall disposition and outlook. One of the things that going natural does is it helps shift the perspective so that all of your energy is directed towards your uniqueness through loving and working with your hair texture.

Keeping the hair fully moisturized is a primary focus for all of us with curly, kinky, wavy hair. Many of us start off with a non-sulfate shampoo like the Crème de la Curl cleansing crème. One wash with this and you will feel the difference in your hair instantly. You can follow that up with the Rapid Recovery treatment once a week. This treatment conditions each hair strand with moisture-boosting ingredients such as sweet almond oil and shea butter. Also, for those days that you simply must wash your hair, you can follow up the cleansing cream with the Crème de la Crème conditioner. Another product that would work great in defining your curls is the Curly Pudding styling cream. This emulsion is best used on fully wet hair after you’ve washed out your conditioner. The Curly Pudding will capture the hair in its wet state, define the curl pattern and add sheen. Use a quarter size amount, emulsify the product by rubbing your hands together, and apply it to your hair. You can use this styling cream every time you wash and condition your hair. For those in between days, mist the hair a little to reactivate the product and finger style. If your hair is in need of moisture you can use either of the Buttercremes as a daily hair dress.

November Winner: avivajaye, see blog
Prescription: It seems like you had the kind of frustrating hair week that so many women experience. We have been raised to fight with our hair whether it be relaxing, pressing, flat irons, curly perms, etc we constantly work against our natural curl pattern. It is a beautiful thing to see women like you embrace their curls and work through the frustrating times.

As with all our curlies out there, moisture retention is key. I would start my moisture retention regimen by using our Crème de la Curl cleansing crème. This is a non-sulfate formula that fully cleanses the hair without stripping it of its natural oils. I would then follow up with the Rapid Recovery treatment once a week. This intensive treatment will leave your hair fully conditioned and for a deep penetrating treatment cover the hair with a plastic cap and go under the dryer for 20 minutes. If you don’t have a dryer, all is well. The plastic cap will help retain your internal heat and enhance your deep conditioning. Also, for those weeks you are performing and just have to wash your hair mid-week, follow up the cleansing crème with the Crème de la Crème conditioner.

As a transitioner, from relaxed hair to your natural hair texture without doing the “big chop,” there are a couple of extra things to be aware of. For now you have different textures between the hair that is in various states of chemical alteration and the new growth. You want to have a gentle hand as you work with your hair so that you don’t incur any breakage at the line of demarcation between the two textures. As you are detangling your hair, make sure your hair is wet, and start by using a wide tooth/rake comb while you have the deep conditioner in your hair. For daily moisture, you can use either of our Buttercremes, and for those times you want to twist out, you can use Stretch Silkening Crème.