The perils of over-moisturising your hair

I never realised my hair could be OVER moisturised...but yes, that's what I've been doing it seems. I'm the kind of girl who doesn't like her hair to feel or look 'dry', so I overcompensate by adding a little too much of everything.

Often we forget that our scalps naturally produce oils to keep our roots healthy, hence why when applying products, a little really does go a long way and we should concentrate on the mid and end section of hair as this has been around the longest and requires the most care.

Recently I was left horrified after I got my scalp analysed by the Curls unleashed team at Curlvolution. They used a probe, similar to one that would be used to check your ears, (if my memory serves me correctly). Once the probe had been safely nested in my hair an image of my scalp popped up on the monitor in front of me. I was astonished to see my scalp gleaming before me looking VERY greasy and oil logged LOL......right around my follicles there were puddles of oil. IT DID NOT look good, and I was quite embarrassed. To be honest the night before I'd probably been super heavy handed, spritzing each section of hair with water before adding hair butter and castor oil then twisting. I loved the twist out the next day, but to be honest it did feel a little bit greasy.

The lady carrying out the analysis said despite the oil slick my scalp looked healthy, and there was no evidence of dead skin. I asked what the negatives were of having an overly oily scalp and she said that when the follicles are pooled with oil as mine were it blocks the area, which in turn does not allow your hair to breath or grow and can cause infections. To counteract we must use clarifying shampoos to thoroughly cleanse and wash the scalp and hair of dirt, grease and impurities, and only apply oils and butters to the ends and mid sections of the hair as these are the oldest and driest points. Our follicles create their own special oils which take care of the root, hence why we do not have to apply products directly to our scalp very often.

Needless to say I have heeded this advice and I have been careful to only apply product to the end and mid section of my hair and I must say I am thoroughly pleased with the results. My hair has felt and looked a lot better since.....

Still loving my easy, breezy Mum bun - Lol. Learning to keep
my ends and mid sections nourished.

HAIR CRUSH!! - This is my goal.

Don't forget to visit my online store www.NaturallyNourishing.co.uk to get your hands on gorgeous natural, hair, skin and body products that my family, friends and I have grown to personally know and LOVE. I'm so excited to announce they'll be new lines added soon so watch this space. You can also keep up to date by following on Twitter, Instagram (@NaturallyNou) and Facebook.

My natural hair - What I am learning

In the 18 months since my last chemical relaxer I have learnt a lot about my natural hair. I have learnt about its texture, its thickness, how well or not so well it reacts to certain shampoo's, conditioners, oils, butters and moisturisers. I still have a lot to learn, especially when it comes to styling, but that's mainly because I'm at that annoying halfway house stage.

The mum bun has been my go to style for quite some months, but I'm getting bored of it so I'm starting to experiment with different things. Last week I tried some curl rods but the outcome wasn't great. I will definitely try again as my hair gets longer.

Yesterday I tried a wash and go for the very first time and I was really quite pleased with the results. I washed with Curls Unleashed sulphate free shampoo and conditioned with TRESemme Naturals moisturising conditioner. I allowed my hair to drip dry for 15 mins then I added Beautiful Textures curl defining pudding. My hair was still very damp, so it soaked up the pudding. I finished with some Jamaican black castor oil, to seal in the moisture.

I loved the way the defining pudding accentuated my coils. I left my hair to air dry and after a few hours it still felt soft and moisturised without feeling greasy.

I must admit I haven't felt comfortable about wearing my hair out, because I don't like drawing attention to myself and a big ole fro would definitely do that. This wash and go however has made me feel differently. It was so quick and easy and completely fuss free. I would feel confident enough to leave the house rocking this style. And in actual fact, yesterday was the first time in 33 years that I have been out in public with my hair OUT. That, for me, is a breakthrough in itself and so liberating. Pat on the back. Sounds crazy because it's such a basic thing, when you think about it. This natural hair stuff is deep. Anyway before I forget here are the things I have learnt about my hair so far.

My hair is fine. I don't know about the type. Frankly I find all the 4a,b,c,z stuff quite confusing and unhelpful, so I don't concern myself with it. Whilst transitioning I used to think it was quite thick and very dry. But since cutting off all my chemically straightened ends (big chopping) I have noticed that it doesn't really tangle easily, and even when it does I just have to spritz with water and detangle with either my fingers or a comb. I prefer my fingers.

My sister often tells me she has to wash her hair in sections or plaits to avoid tangles and make the whole wash process easier for her. She has lovely thick coily hair. I find washing really easy and quite enjoy it. I don't need to wash in sections or plaits. Maybe this will change as it grows longer, maybe not. It'll be interesting to find out.

My hair responds well to olive oil and Jamaican black castor oil. When applied to my damp hair they leave it feeling very soft and looking very shiny.

I twist my hair most nights to keep it stretched. Also speeds up styling for the next day.

I don't always cover my hair with a scarf at night, because i'm either too tired to care or I just can't find the thing. My satin pillowcase, (a pressie from li'l sis. Thanks sis) works wonders and really helps keep frizz to a minimum.

I am yet to master a twist out. I am finding products which greatly help with definition, but my hair can be quite fluffy and flyaway, so wash and go's have been more successful so far.

Speaking of wash and go's here are some pics of my first ever attempt yesterday, that I then wore out shopping.

This is not a sponsored or review post. Just me, sharing my personal hair journey with you.

Grecian style/two bun flat twists

My dear mum taught me to canerow when I was 12 years old and ever since I have loved to plait hair. My own as well as others. 


You'd think that since I have two daughters of my own, I would be in my hair braiding element, but alas they are a nightmare when it comes to anything hair related, so I have to keep things very simple when working with their young tresses. The screaming and carrying on, although slowly improving is still quite soul destroying.


Luckily for me I have family members who help me to fulfil my joy of plaiting without all the nonsense. In particular my  sister who has a full head of luscious, thick, kinky, gorgeous natural hair. She is very compliant and always jumps at the chance to let me experiment with styles on her. She loves, being the guinea pig, I love doing the braiding. It's a win-win situation.


On Thursday she came over  to mine with freshly washed, damp hair and I set to work creating a little bit of magic. She had already conditioned and added Jamaican black castor oil, so I added some Curls Unleashed curl defining cream mixed with a little more Jamaican black castor oil, then parted her hair into small sections and proceeded to flat twist each section, sealing with Anita Grant's creamy vanilla latte as I went. I flat twisted her hair into two distinct bundles ready to join up into two chunky flat twists.


From start to finish it took me about two hours, (that included numerous interruptions from my little boy, who in typical baby fashion wanted all of my attention when I had something else to be getting on with.) The beauty with this style is that it is quite versatile. After I finished I wrapped each section into cute buns, but my sister wanted something that would stay in for a bit longer, so I flat twisted each section down. If she likes she could even wear it all down or pin the front up and leave the back section of flat twists out. 


I must say I loved the finished result and so did she. What do you think?

My sister's freshly washed and conditioned hair
before I started

The finished style from the front

Side/back view

View of the back

Curls unleashed - The lavish suite

This is my second attempt at writing this post, after my first perfectly good post vanished into thin air when I tried to add an image *head bowed, shoulders slumped in near defeat*. I was about to give up because I was soooo peeved, but I thought to myself, 'No. I will NOT let technological mishaps get the better of me', so after going away and returning a day later I discovered my ‘lost’ post hiding within the blogger app after I randomly downloaded it onto my iPhone.


Crazy right?? There I was thinking my post had been lost forever and up it crops in the most unexpected of places….just goes to show if you revisit something with a clear and calm head, things can turn around - well you get what I mean.

Anyway here goes take two, or maybe here comes my recovered and slightly tweaked post…….don't worry if you're slightly lost and confused at this point. I know I am...lol

So on Thursday night I attended the Curls Unleashed Lavish Suite event at TheMilk bar @ grace near Piccadilly Circus. The event was sponsored by the lovely Lukwesa of Gidore.

The goodie bags were brilliant and I have a whole host of sulphate free shampoos, leave in conditioners, moisturisers and gels to try from the Curls Unleashed range. I can not wait. (I would have taken a photo, but I'm feeling lazy, I will endeavour to do so in a future post). I really want to try and achieve a successful braid out. I'm growing sick of the 'mum bun', so I have been on the hunt for a product that will define my braid out curls and waves and minimise the fluff and frizz. It'll be interesting to use the products on my girls too and of course my little man as his little 'fro is growing a treat these days. Bless him.

The Curls Unleashed team were brilliant. They were really friendly and welcoming and there was a lot of great information on hand from scalp analysis to advice on common hair issues. I really wanted to get a scalp analysis but the place was heaving. I think there were about 150 ladies and a smattering of gents in attendance so interest was high and queues were long. That didn't matter though as I bumped into a whole host of lovely bloggers from the hair and beauty scene. Nicola from Belle Noir Bride , Michelle from KurlsKoilsKinks , Fiona from Love your Tresses , Nyla from Kulchicbeauty . I could go on but I’m sure you get the picture. The place was filled with wall to wall beauties wanting to support and be involved with the natural hair and beauty community. The atmosphere was abuzz.

I was impressed to see a nail bar available for you to get your nails done professionally using the prettiest of polishes and an expert was on hand to apply eyelash extensions which looked amazingly natural. There was entertainment in the form of Omar, yes the Omar that sings 'Nothing like this'. Plenty of reminiscing about my teens when that tune came on. I'm getting old.

There was plenty of food and dancing, plus a give away which involved a dance off. The DJ dropped some big classics and the crowd got down. It really was laughs a plenty. Black beauty & hair magazine were also in attendance and they were on the look out for bloggers and vloggers to feature in their publication. I'm not quite sure my blog fits the bill , but I cheekily handed my business card anyway, a girl's got to try right??

So that was my Thursday evening, I hope to try the products soon and report back. Got lots going on at the moment, not to mention the Curvolution's Curls dayout event at The Crown Plaza hotel at Docklands on Saturday. That is sure to be a good one. Watch this space to find out how I got on. In the meantime I'll leave you with some pics from Thursday night's shenanigans....

Curls Unleashed spokeswoman getting the crowd excited about the
fab products with Lukwesa of Gidore

Michelle of KurlsKoilsKinks blog getting her eyelashes 'did;.
They looked gorgeous on her.

Say Cheeeese!!
Me and the lovely Nicola aka Belle Noir Bride.

Heaving

Me and Fiona of Love Your Tresses blog

Omar dropping some classics

Nyla of Kulchicbeauty and Fiona

On my way home. Lovely London at night.