Cold weather hair care, day six

Kathymack is another role model at naturallycurly.com. We've witnessed her hair go from very nice to gorgeous over the past few months as she's discovered the benefits that natural products give her hair. Kathymack is primarily known for her interest in soap bars (she sells samples of them and other products, if you're interested) but she's also a great resource for information about all things curly.

Read how she copes with mid-Atlantic chill factors....

"Last August/September, I changed my routine over to natural products and added the natural soap bars (after six months of cowash.) My hair was very happy. I also cut out gel, because I didn’t seem to need it.

"Well, some of that routine had to change as a result of the cold weather. This is the first winter I’ve been a curly and not a wavy. In the past, I was a 3a during the summer and a 2-something during the winter. This year, though, I consistently get the tight curls you see here. It’s the product and technique that I’ve learned to use this past year, thanks to naturallycurly.com.

"My usual routine is to do a wash with a natural soap bar every three days. I always follow with an ACV rinse (to restore pH balance) and a rinse out conditioner. The other days I wet and do a rinse out. Because I need more moisture in the winter, I added the Aubrey Organics Island Naturals and GPB as rinse-outs in addition to Curl Junkie conditioners, Komaza Califa Conditioner and Karen’s Body Beautiful Hair Milk. I use varied products as my leave-in and curl crème.

"I frequently use things as stylers that are not marketed as stylers. I always use a leave in: Donna Marie Coco Curly Butter, Lock & Twist, Coco Hemp Buttercream, Curl Junkie Butta or Curl Assurance Leave-in, or the Komaza Califa line, to name a few. Curl crèmes include the three Donna Marie products, the varied Curl Junkie products, Kinky Curly Curling Custard, Aubrey Organics Mandarin Magic Jelly and the Komaza Califa line.

"Gel needed to come back into my routine. My curl was loosening and falling out. The Curl Junkie Aloe Fix Gel is magic -- I mix it with a few things, such as KCCC and AOMM. I’m also experimenting with the Curl Junkie Smoothing Gellie. I scrunch the water out with a Curls Like Us curl cloth, diffuse for five minutes and air-dry the rest of the way."

Cold weather hair care, day five

It's time to feature a wavy in this series. I immediately thought of DEL2C at naturallycurly.com. Yes, she is a self-confessed product junkie, but she's also got sizzling hot hair. (And it turns out she has a very talented four-year-old, as well. That's who takes many of the photos of her hair. Not this one, though.)

DEL2C lives in the northern part of the northeast, so things get pretty cold in her neck of the woods. She has tried several coping strategies, but this is the one she's using lately.

"This winter has been a big challenge for me. I've been trying to find the balance with giving my hair adequate moisture. DevaCurl OneCondition has been fantastic! I wasn't getting the best results, but then I read on the threads about that "seaweed" feel we should get in the shower and that prompted me to be more generous with my conditioner. I use a good palm full whereas before I would use about a quarter size. Also adding a LI has helped tremendously. Lustrasilk Mango Shea or Lustrasilk Olive Oil as a leave-in has been great no matter what combination of products I choose. I use it as a leave-in and I've used it mixed with curl cream as well and have been getting fantastic results. It has just the right amount of moisture for my hair and doesn't weigh me down, I LOVE Lustrasilk. It's made all the difference for me this winter."

Cold weather hair care, day four

Xcptnl (sound it out phonetically and you get "exceptional", which is what her hair is, if you ask me) is not only known at NaturallyCurly.com for her pretty hair but for her relentless experimentation with products. (Msgiblet and Xcptnl tie for honors in this regard.) I've always felt that Xcptnl may not realize just how wonderful her hair is, so because I am queen of this here blog, I am using this cyber-pulpit to show her off to the world!

Here is the story of how she gets these beautiful curls in horrifyingly low dew points.

"I feel like a celebrity!! How exciting to be part of Jillipoo’s blog!

"This winter was the first winter I had noticed issues of flyaways/frizzies -- whatever you want to call them. And it’s no wonder -- I don't think our dew points have been above 20 for weeks! For example, today the dew point is 2!

"I started paying attention to other curlies on Naturallycurly.com and their discussions of glycerin/honey (humectants) and their effects on hair in low dew points. To maintain some of my curls and get rid of those flyaways, I started avoiding or reducing glycerin and other humectants in products such as stylers and leave-ins that stay in my hair.

"Lately I have been using MOP C Curl Enhancing Shampoo* every two or three days. When I do not shampoo, I use Devacurl One Condition as a co-wash (or I just water-wash) and follow it with Giovanni 50/50 conditioner (glycerin is low on the list of ingredients), Avalon Organics Olive & Grape Seed conditioner, or Lustrasilk Shea Butter. I use Lustrasilk Shea Butter as a leave-in. This is put on VERY wet hair while I'm still in the shower and upside-down, after I have rinsed out my rinse-out conditioner upside down. I only use about a nickel-sized blob. My best stylers in these low dew points have been Kinky Curly Curling Custard or Boots Pink Curl Cream. When I use the Curling Custard, I mix it with Biosilk Rock Hard Gelee for good hold while my hair dries. When I use the Boots Pink Curl Cream, I emulsify it in my hand and scrunch into my ends. Both are added to very wet hair while I'm upside-down. When I use the Boots, I mix Biosilk Rock Hard Gelee with any other medium-hold gel that is glycerin-free. In these photos, I mixed it with Pantene Curl Defining Scrunching gel. As any reader of Naturallycurly.com knows, I am a certified product junkie so I am trying to use up these tubes of gel that are everywhere in my house!

I then flip right side up, get my part organized, and then scrunch out the water with my Curlease towel. I do this upside down first and then upright. Then I move on to diffusing with a deeper bowl attachment. I do this upside-down for about five minutes to get the products to set then I go upright. I spend some time on the ends with the deeper bowl attachment and then I move on to the diffuser that came with my blowdryer -- it's shallow and I can use it to get at the top of my head and the roots. I place it midway on my head and then move it up to get some volume at the roots, turn it on, and hold it there for a minute or so. I do this all around my head. I only dry my hair 50% dry with the hairdryer and then I let it air-dry the rest of the way. Once it's dry, I decrunchify with my Curlease towel. I have found by using the towel, my fingers, rings, and whatever do not get caught in my hair and create frizz. TA DA! Curls.

I cannot wait until the dew points go above 30 and I can start using all the products I bought containing glycerin, honey, and other humectants in them. It's very hard for me to ignore all those pretty bottles, tubes, and tubs but soon they will get their day in the rotation!

*This is sulfate-free, folks!

Cold weather hair care, day three

What's cooler than a smart, sassy redhead? A curly, smart, sassy redhead! RedCelticCurls, whose blog Pittsburgh Curly offers up an assortment of curl-related observations, primarily of the scientific/geeky/insightful variety, has been inquiring and experimenting with her hair for years -- and it's paid off. She understands what ingredients work for her thick, coarse locks and stays away from the ones that have proven to disappoint her.

It's hard to argue with a mane this riveting, no? Here's what RedCelticCurls has to say about her cold-weather hair care.

"Last winter, my hair had few problems. It wasn't a very cold winter, and low dew points did not come into play that often. This winter is different. It's actually cold, and dew points have averaged from the teens to negative single digits. My curls had turned to waves. While that wasn't a bad look, I did want to find something that gave me my 'oomph' back.

"After some reading around, I decided to try the Lustrasilk Shea Butter Cholesterol Plus. It doesn't have anything that my finicky hair objects to, and for $2.49 for a 20 oz. tub, I couldn't complain about the price. Little did I know then that not every Sally's carried this product, and some were even obstinate about ordering it. I got lucky.

"I started out using this as a leave-in then reapplied as a curl cream. I have since tweaked it to using Curl Junkie Curl Rehab Curl Moisturizing Deep Treatment as leave-in followed by the Lustrasilk as a curl cream. I have been getting outstanding curl enhancement with this combo. If I use the Lustrasilk alone, I also get a big boost in volume. It's nice to have winter options now. I can forgo the Lustrasilk if I want waves (something I can't get in the summer) and hit the Lustrasilk if I want curls."

Nice to find effective options that don't cost a fortune! Lustrasilk seems to have worked for lots of people (unfortunately, I don't think the weather was cold enough here for Lustrasilk to have been much help to me). Although it's available at some Sally Beauty Supply stores, I recommend you buy it at Amazon to keep frustration to a minimum. (Also, get only the Shea Butter or Olive Oil versions if you are avoiding silicones.)

Cold weather hair care, day two

Ever since I joined the discussion boards at naturallycurly.com back in the fall of 2007, I have been totally in love with msgiblet's hair. The color, the curl, the volume -- I am just enthralled with this hair of hers! And now you can see for yourself what makes my envy meter go haywire. So, I asked her what she uses in cold weather to preserve those awesome curls, and she was gracious enough to tell me. (Now all I have to figure out is how to get that amazing color!)

"I have been using Suave Tropical Coconut conditioner when I co-wash for quite a while now. I love how it makes my hair feel. There is none of that lousy coated feeling that I have found with a lot of the other Suave conditioners, plus it makes my hair feel clean and soft -- a lot better, in fact, than a lot of the more high-end, expensive conditioners. So, I started thinking that if a very cheap drugstore conditioner is making my hair so happy, why not a cheap drugstore gel to go with it?? Ah, the infinite wisdom! Now, I haven't had much success in the past with many drugstore products, but I know that some very wise curlies on NaturallyCurly.com have had great extended success with L.A. Looks Sport Gel. I had never tried this particular gel before so I thought what have I got to lose? Not a whole lot of money, that's for sure!

"After co-washing with the Suave Tropical Coconut conditioner and rinsing very well, I apply some more, massage through my hair and rinse out. Even though I have been on the hunt for some good winter conditioners, I have found that this conditioner seems to give me just the right amount of moisture. Go figure. If the weather is very dry, I mix a little dollop of the Suave with a little more than a quarter-sized amount of the L.A. Looks Sport Gel and gently rake through and then scrunch while upside down. I will apply 2-3 more globs of the Sports gel, scrunching firmly and thoroughly until I like how my hair feels, adding more gel if necessary. Then, using my Curls Like Us towel (I'm really loving this towel; it's the perfect size and design for scrunching), I scrunch out some excess moisture, then scrunch in a little more Sports Gel and plop in a Curlease towel for 10-15 minutes. After that, I diffuse for 10-15 minutes and let my hair continue to air dry. When completely dry, I gently scrunch out the crunch. What I really like about this combo is that yes, this gel does dry crunchy, but it's not the kind of crunch that makes you worry that if someone gets too close to you in the middle of air drying that your hair could literally impale them. No, it's a nice moist-looking crunchy; the kind of crunchy look that doesn't bother me to go out and about with before it's fully dry. Plus it's very easy to scrunch out and gives enough hold to keep my curls going even on the coldest days.

"So, it seems that my hair is just as happy with these oh-so-cheap drugstore products as with the hoity-toity, high-end expensive stuff. But am I going to give up the more expensive products and stick to the cheap stuff? Oh, hell no. There are times when a girl puts on the diamonds and heads off to the Kennedy Center, but then there are times when there's nothing more fun than going out to a good ol' cheap, rowdy, redneck bar."

Msgiblet -- ever the experimenter -- wrote me just before this post went live to tell me that dew points where she lives recently descended into the teens, and this combo was proving not quite effective enough. However, by using Mop Top Daily Conditioner as her rinse out, she's controlling the problem nicely.

What to use in cold weather

A couple of months ago, I wrote about cold-weather hair care. I had a few product recommendations, but mostly I wrote in general terms about which ingredients to seek out and which to avoid.

But because I know that a lot of you don't want to be bothered reading labels and pretending to be a scientist, I'm going to make your life easier. I'm going to ask some other curlies to offer their suggestions about what products have worked for them!

I'll begin with myself, mostly because I am the easiest for me to contact.

I live in San Francisco, where dew points don't vary nearly as much as they do in other parts of the country (or the world, for that matter). Dew points here are in the 40s for most of the year, although in the winter there are probably a few weeks where they dip into the 30s. And at unpredictable times, there are days where the dew point creeps up over 50.

But last Christmas, I found myself in New England, where the dew point never went above 20. I was pretty frightened, I don't mind telling you -- I had no clue whether my theories about what would work for my hair would actually prove out. I packed Karen's Body Beautiful's Super Silky, which has no glycerin. I figured I'd use it as a curl creme.

Well, I used it that way and got some very pretty curls (see photo -- but know that the curls were prettier in person). But what amazed me even more was the way I could squeeze a bit into my palms, scrunch it into dry hair, and watch my hair perk up at midday when the dry air started to take its toll. I was very impressed with Super Silky and highly recommend it for cold weather!

But you know what? Not everybody's hair is the same. I know, it's shocking. So I thought it might be fun to ask some other curlies what they use when the dew point is the same as one's dress size. I turned to the fabulous Nikki, of Curly Nikki blog fame, who knows a thing or two about hair -- especially her own! Can you believe how gorgeous this woman's hair is?

"My go-to ingredient/product is Shea Butter, of course! I truly believe that this mystical butter has single-handedly saved my ends from splitting and breaking off during the harsh winter season. I style my hair twice a week (twist-n-curl) using rich water-based conditioners to moisturize (DevaCurl OneCondition + Jessicurl Weekly Deep Treatment), and Shea butter to seal the goodness in. I also touch up 2-3 day old hair with Shea- it de-frizzes and somehow moisturizes! I also like that the weight of it prevents extra shrinkiness. I hope to continue my love affair with Shea Butter well into the summer."

If you're wondering about quantities, Nikki uses a pea size amount, melts it between her palms and applies it to the ends of each curl with her fingers. She calls it, "tedious, but effective."

And so I'm closing with one more photo of her to-die-for locks. Just amazing.

Tune in tomorrow, when I will be posting yet another curly's secret product for cold-weather hair beauty...

Clump alert!

I may have found a new love: Aubrey Organics Mandarin Magic Ginkgo Leaf & Ginseng Root Hair Moisturizing Jelly.

I had read that some curlies found this product comparable to Kinky-Curly Curling Custard. The ingredients didn't seem similar, though, so I doubted they would work the same way. Here's what's in the Mandarin Magic:

Water, Panthenol (Vitamin B-5), Aloe Vera Gel, Tragacanth and Gum Arabic Blend, Ginkgo Leaf, Ginseng Root, Chinese Magnolia Blossoms, Chinese Angelica, Chrysanthemum, Earth Smoke, Morus Root, Mandarin Orange Peel, Aubrey's Preservative (Citrus Seed Extract, Vitamins A, C and E).

And although they are both gooey, KCCC is much thicker and gloppier. It also takes longer to dry. KCCC smells better but the AOMM hardly smells at all, which is also nice, especially if you'd like to wear cologne or perfume!

KCCC does give me boingier curls and it does deliver fabulous spirals. AOMM's curls are spirally but they look more natural, and my hair is far more touchable. Both products seem to keep frizz to a minimum.

I think I'm in love with both products and will use both, but I just had to share this new crush I have on the AOMM in case any of you are interested in trying something a little less dramatic than KCCC.

I have used Aubrey's B5 Design gel over KCCC as well as AOMM, and I really like the results. (I really want to thank michaput from the boards at naturallycurly.com for turning me on to both the B5 Design Gel and the EO Rose and Chamomille conditioner. I also want to thank kathymack for sending me a sample of the AOMM to help me decide whether I wanted to try it.)