The Tiny Closet

Sooooo, I've been blogging about my minimal style and lifestyle for a few years now and though my tastes have evolved and my life has changed, one thing that has remained the same is my persistence and determination in growing and keeping my natural curls.

And also...

 answering tons and tons of questions on just how I grow and keep my natural curls.  Whew!  What a community I've become a part of.  So many amazing, encouraging, inspiring videos.  So many women walking the same path as mine.  And doin' it well!

I've been asked to make videos in the past, specifically of my haircare and styling routine, which I've shied away from simply because there were already so many great videos of how to do my kind of hair out there already.  But when Camille Rose Naturals asked me to try a few of her styling products, I fell in love with the results and knew I had to show the rest of you just how fabulously it handles my extremely curly hair.

I also noticed for the first time, there aren't too many wash and go tutorials for 4c shoulder length hair.  And since wash and gos are really the only style I've been able to hold down for the past 5 years,  I think I might be sort of an expert at this point :)  

What is probably the hardest style to achieve for gals with hair like mine, I've gotten it down to a science.  And I can tell you, it's 20% method and 80% product.  A great method with a poor product can only get you so far and it'll be just short of getting it perfect.  Especially, if you want the style to last.  And don't we all?

I have to brag, my method is the best (heehee, but it is though!) but using these styling products with my method was what made me finally agree to do a video.  This video is sponsored by Camille Rose Naturals but the content is my own opinions and experience. And my experience was my hair went from great to frickin fabulous.  At the end of the day, I really just want to impress myself.  I mean, we're our biggest critics, you know?  So being able to fully support a line I love, I was thankful to also be sponsored by this indie brand.

A little more info about the products that I use in the video:

The 1st step is:

Camille Rose Moisture Milk

This product locks in the natural oils of my hair, as well as the water and moisture on my hair from my shower and conditioner.   When my hair dries, it's still extremely soft, manageable and full of movement.  No stiff, bushy, dryness here!

The next is:

Camille Rose Curl Maker

This gel-like product coats the Moisture Milk perfectly, sealing in the product and then instantly defining each and every curl on my head.  No frizz, just curl!  The shine is amazing and the product does act like a styler as it keeps the curls in place but still allowing plenty of movement and manageability.

The two things a curly girl needs is moisture and definition and these two products have you covered.  Completely.

So if you want to see how my fluffy soft class 4 curls literally transformed into defined, shiny corkscrew goodness watch my video!  And pssst, it's a tutorial (yay!) - so when you're done watching, you can go try it on yourself!

Check out the Camille Rose Naturals lines.  You can buy her products at Target, Whole Foods and online at www.camillerosenaturals.com

Oh and don't forget to tell me how it works :)

I was having some major styling issues with my hair recently.  It wouldn't.do.anything.  I couldn't even detangle it without shedding a tear or two and losing 2 hours of my day.  I knew something was wrong.  And just as I was picking up the electric shaver, I called my mother.

After an hour-long vent of cursing my mixed heritage, lamenting over getting my dad's hair and not my mom's latin waves, she asked me a simple question....

"When's the last time you trimmed your hair?"

I proceeded to count the years...

"4 years - to be exact."

yikes. embarrassing.

After that realization, I started re-thinking my hair story.  Was I the victim or has it been my hair all along?  I'd been trashing my hair.

 I pinpointed the most damaging things I do to my hair and began finding techniques to fix my habits.  One big solution was trimming.  I had to cut off four to 6 inches!! Waaaaaaaaaaaah!  It had to be done.  I also had to stop frying it with my blow dryer.

I got a new dryer.  A helmet dryer.  

The best helmet dryer on the market actually.  Eeee!

Pibbs Kwik Dri 514 Dryer

My blow dryer had been zapping all of the moisture out of my hair - even frying it and I had no clue.

She also asked me what products I'd been using.  [background: my mother is a retired hairstylist and an expert on natural coily hair]  

"Why can't you find Dove, L'Oreal or Tressemme at a salon??  Because stylists don't typically use them."

With my super fine, long, very tiny spiral curls I don't have the luxury (or time) of skimping on tested quality and buying drugstore products that have no professional proof of clear and positive results.  So I said goodbye the mediocre staples I'd been using and upgraded to some seriously fabulous stuff.  I had no idea what I'd been missing...

 I wanted to buy everything I picked up but the prices were triple what I'd been used to paying so baby steps:  Redken - a salon classic and Moroccanoil, the most valuable item in bathroom.

Redken: All Soft Shampoo / Moroccanoil: Intense Hydrating Mask (I use it as a daily conditioner)

I took my new toys out for a spin throughout the weekend and learned a lot.  Since I'd cut my hair oh-so-short, I wanted leeeeeeeength.  

I also wanted to keep my wash and go (because doing my hair causes me to have tantrums so the less I have to fuss with it the better).

Washing and going is not a great way to manage my type of hair once it's longer than like 8 inches.  Coily/kinky hair needs management.  

Shingling is the closest I could get to the wash&go.

my next best bet.  

I enjoy Miss Jessie's tutorials and they've broadened their 4-b/c hair tutorials so I was so excited to try their shingling method.

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So here goes...  This is my hair natural and wet after a shampoo and conditioner using the products displayed above.  

It was fully detangled in the shower, which only took 10 minutes!

1.  

Section

I sectioned my hair into 8 parts: 4 sections on each side.  And then an extra section for my bangs.  I only have 6 clips so I could only section half of my head at a time :)

2.

Shingle

Starting at the nape of my neck, I took parts of each section, re-wet it with my spray bottle and worked through a pea-size amount of my Moroccanoil styling cream into my hair.  Then I took my wide-toothed comb and ran it through, allowing my hair to begin clumping together into defined curls.  

I further defined the curls by wrapping them gently around my fingers.

step 1: apply styling cream to part of section / step 2: comb through hair / step 3: wrap curls around fingers

3.

Twist & Dry

Again, I wanted to retain as much length as possible so to add weight to my curls, I twisted them together into big sections - about 10 sections.  

Then popped my head under the dryer for a full hour.  

 The Pibbs dryer has a lot of heat settings and can get very very hot.  The first time I tried it, I used it's highest setting and my hair was fully dry in less than 30 mins.   BUT - higher heat settings zap the moisture from my naturally dry curls so I place the dryer on a cooler setting.  It takes more time to dry but my hair is shinier with plump, soft curls!

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After drying, I don't rush to the bathroom to untwist and style.  I let my hair settle a bit after being under the dryer.  The change in environment will aggravate the hair shaft a little (causing very light frizz).  I want to minimize frizz for my style so it's important to let my hair acclimate back to the air in my apartment while it's still in a twisted managed state before I let it free.  I clean up, do my makeup, get dressed, whatever.  

Ta da!   And the best part?   I only use 3 products and I only have to do this once to twice a week... with no maintenance!

But speaking of makeup....this is what I use now:

 I adore Milani, I swear by Bobbi Brown and e.l.f is a life saver!  

Bond No. 9 Central Park West is my signature scent and makes me weak in the knees smelling it even to this day.  

Moroccanoil Glimmer Shine is so far the best shine finishing spray I've ever used.  I spray it on as the very last thing right before I get dressed.  People have been asking me lately if I dyed my hair because the color is so deep and brilliant.  Nope, it's Glimmer Shine.

Antyways, that's a wrap for hair and beauty products for today.  I hope this new hair technique is fun, if you end up trying it for yourself.  It's so healthy and good for your curls!  It makes me feel like my curls are a blessing and not a curse.  And of course, you don't need a helmet dryer to get the same results.  Just do it the night before, wrap it and sleep with it overnight.  That works too.

I plan to talk more about Milani because this photo shows only a fraction of what I own of the Milani line.  I'm obsessssssssed with their lipsticks!!!!  More on that later.

What products do YOU swear by??

seriously, I want to know.  I think I opened a gateway...