Check out Dem Curls: Annalee

Check out this week's hair profile!

 

What’s your name? Annalee

How old are you? 23

What do you do? I’m an Auditor at a public accounting firm.

Where are you? Toronto

How did we met? Since we’re related I was too young to remember that dreadful day ;) But it’s safe to say I’ve known you my whole life (so 23 years).

Now Playing:

Dance again – Jennifer Lopez
Mercy – Kanye West
Va Va Voom – Nicki Minaj

Quote you live by: “All that we are is the result of what we have thought” – Buddha

Describe your hair type. Shoulder length (growing it back after a major cut last year)3b/3c - Corkscrew curls mostly (different textures in different parts of my head). More on the fine side but it probably doesn’t look like that once it dries and volumizes. Dry!

"Back in the day..."

Tell us a little about your hair history and what made you decide to go natural? I didn’t really have a hair role model growing up.  Since I’m mixed neither of my parents had my hair. Maybe my dad more, but I obviously wasn’t going to get hair advice from him. Throughout my youth up until I was about 9 I brushed out my curls and wore my hair up in a ponytail/bun. My baby hair at the front with all its frizzy glory would stick out so I looked like the sun. When I turned 10 and started grade 7 I began experiment with my mom’s curling iron and used it to straighten the front of my hair so it stayed down. Then I burned myself one day and to this day I still have that indentation on the side of my head.  Up until then the products I was using in my hair were minimal, just shampoo and conditioner once a week, water to keep my hair down and oil for my scalp. At 12 I finally convinced my mom to relax my hair so it was more manageable and easier to straighten. For the next 9 years or so I would straighten (deep fry) my hair daily - sometimes multiple times a day. About 2 years ago I began converting my skincare to natural products, after doing research and discovering all chemicals I was putting on my body. It was only natural that I overhauled my hair care regime too! Since then I’ve grown out my natural hair and haven’t looked back!

Describe your hair regime:

Morning: While I shower I condition my hair with any number of my conditioners I have on hand (usually either Giovanni or Acure Organics). After I rinse out the conditioner I remove the extra moisture with my Micro fiber curl towel and apply the Acure Organics leave-in followed by the Kinky Curly styling gel. I scrunch my hair and just let it air dry during my 1.5 hour commute to work.

Anyone notice I didn’t shampoo?

Night: Every night I make sure I sleep on a silk pillowcase and I pull my hair back into a ponytail because I can usually get a 2 day wear of my curls that way.

Weekly: I’m a big fan of treatments! Every weekend I’ll do at least 1 moisture mask using the Jessi Curl Deep Conditioning Treatment, John Masters Organics - Honey & Hibiscus Hair Reconstructor or a simple Coconut Oil mask. I usually use a hairdryer to open up my hair follicles for the masks to penetrate and I rinse it out the next morning.

That’s it! Pretty simple!

Who is your hair icon? Blast from the past – Dianna Ross, Modern – Noemie Lenoir & Tracy Ellis Ross (naturally)

What was your Momma’s best kept hair secret? None!

The one hair product you couldn’t live without? Conditioner hands down!

Mistakes that you’ve learned from? Do not perm your hair! It takes forever to grow out and that whole in between stage when your hair has a split personality is no fun. Also don’t shampoo unless you have to. Your hair will tell you when it’s time to clarify.

What’s the best thing about being natural? Flexibility! I can get my hair straightened if I really want to but I also get to keep my curls in it’s natural state! Also it’s less work! I used to have to straighten my hair every morning when it was relaxed, my routine is much simpler now.

Any advice for ‘dem curls out there? Embrace your natural hair! I think we look best with the features we’re born with!

Social Media (Where can we find you?)

Blog: Greenyourbeauty.blogspot.ca

Twitter: greenyourbeauty

Like Annalee’s products?

Check your local beauty supply store or find them online at: http://www.honeyfig.ca/ and http://www.curlmart.com/



Remix your Conditioner!

Heller!

So the last post I did was about the importance of conditioning dem curls.

Deep conditioners (especially natural ones) can get a little bit pricey...but if you follow the 5 tips in the previous post to selecting a deep conditioner, you can always get a less pricey one and.....REMIX YOUR CONDITIONER!

There are many things you can add to your conditioner to help enhance it and you don’t have to break the bank! All you have to do is raid your kitchen and remember if you can eat it, chances are you can put it in your hair J

1. Coconut Oil

I LOVE coconut oil!! I use it in my hair and after I shower I’ll use it on my skin (who needs lotion!?) In my last post I mentioned that coconut oil is one of the oils that can naturally penetrate the hair shaft, which makes it great for conditioning and repairing hair.

Benefits: retaining moisture, repairing splits ends, strengthening hair, helps dry scalp and dandruff

Tip:  Make sure you buy virgin coconut oil (most health food and grocery stores carry it).

Use: At room temperature coconut oil is solid. So I’ll heat up 1-2 tbsp in the microwave before I add it to my conditioner.

2. Honey

Good in your tea and great for your hair!

Benefits: Honey is humectant (attracts moisture and helps to retain water), helps with hair loss

Use: I add a few tablespoons to my conditioner. As honey can be sticky and slightly thick, I’ll warm it up in the microwave for 20-30 seconds to make it easier to mix into my conditioner.

Tip: You want to make sure you use natural honey. Most grocery stores or health food stores will carry it.

3. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

EVOO is another oil that can naturally penetrate the hair shaft, giving it great conditioning properties.

Benefits: retaining moisture, helps dandruff, helps add shine, strengthening the hair, helps with frizz

Use: I’ll add a few tablespoons to my conditioner. When I do a hot oil treatment at home, I’ll use this oil as my base (i.e., start with ¼ cup of EVOO) and add other oils to it (blog post to follow)!

Tip: EVOO can get slightly pricey but if you buy it on sale, you’ll never pay more than $5/ bottle. When EVOO goes on sale at my grocery store, I’ll buy a couple bottles. I keep one in my kitchen and one in my bathroom. Make sure you buy cold pressed EVOO.

4. Avocado

It’s great for more than guacamole...

Benefits: strengthening and repairing damaged hair, adds shine, helps dandruff and dry scalp

Use: Overripe avocados work best. Mash 1 avocado and mix it in with your conditioner. You can also make a great homemade conditioner by using only avocado and a few tablespoons of some of the natural oils listed above.

Tips: If you don’t want to deal with the mess you can always purchase avocado oil from any health food store.

 5. Eggs

I love eggs (with ketchup)! I’ve found that since I moved out...I eat a lot of eggs lol Anyways, eggs have protein, which makes it a great protein treatment for the hair. It is very important to maintain a good moisture/protein balance in our hair as protein helps to strengthen the hair shaft.

Benefits: Strengthening the hair, adds shine, thickening hair

Tips: An egg every once in a while will be good enough. It is important to not do too many protein treatments as the hair can become brittle and break.

Use: Whip a whole egg and add it to your deep conditioner. You can leave out the ketchup J

You don’t have to add all of these ingredients to your conditioner. Based on the given benefits of each, pick and chose the ones that will work best with your hair and experiment with the quantities to find what works best for your texture. In most cases, a little goes a long way. You can also try different ingredients every few weeks to add some spunk to your regime.

After you apply your conditioner to your hair, put a cap over your head (or a plastic bag works just as well) and sit under a drier (or blow-dry) for 15-20 minutes. (The heat opens up the hair follicles, which allows all the good moisturizing properties to get inside and work their magic). Rinse thoroughly and don’t forget to add a leave-in conditioner!

J! :)

Live without pretending, love without depending, listen without defending and speak without offending.

-      

Condition Dem

Welcome to my first official blog post that's dedicated to conditioning dem curls!

When I was younger, I never deep conditioned my hair. On a wash day the two items in my hair kit were shampoo and pomade (love you Mom!). My hair is very thick and also very dry and neither my Mom nor I realized the importance of deep conditioning my hair (especially because of my hair texture)

Why is it important to deep condition?

The kinky curly textured nature of my hair makes it difficult for the natural oils produced by the scalp to travel down the hair shaft. This can result in dry hair, especially at the ends as it’s the oldest part of the hair shaft and the furthest away from the scalp. Makes sense right? (This is also why it’s not necessary to wash our hair every day, in comparison to people with straight hair that gets oily more quickly).

It’s very important to deep condition curly hair to help add moisture back into the strands. Moisturized hair is happy hair and happy hair is healthy hair. Happy hair is also softer, less frizzy and easier to detangle.



JESSICURL Deep Conditioning Treatment
This is one of the natural deep conditioners
I use. It can be purchased online at:
www.honeyfig.ca



How often should I deep condition? Some people say once a week, some say once a month. It depends on the texture of your hair, the environment and how dry your hair is. I have 4b/4c hair, and it can get extremely dry (especially during the winter) so I deep condition once a week. If your hair is extremely dry and damaged, I’d suggest once a week. On average, you should deep condition dem curls at least once a month.

Difference between a regular conditioner and deep conditioner?

Regular conditioners are for normal use  (day to day) and mainly coat the hair with moisture. A deep conditioner does more to penetrate the hair shaft: moisturizing and repairing the hair strands. Deep conditioners are normally used in combination with a heat source (i.e., hooded drier, steam cap). The heat opens up cuticle (outer layer of the hair shaft), allowing all the good stuff to get inside the hair shaft and work its magic. Deep conditioners are also left on the hair for longer than a rinse out conditioner.

Things to look for when selecting a deep conditioner

The first rule to selecting a deep conditioner is reading the ingredient list! Make sure you’re investing in a good product and not shopping blindly.

1.      Water should be the first ingredient.

Water is naturally able to penetrate the hair shaft, making it the best moisturizer, hands down. Look for products that list water as the FIRST ingredient.

2.      Natural Oils

I’m going to do a blog post on the benefits of natural oils later, but to keep it brief any of the follow oils are great must-haves in order to help seal moisture in to the hair.

Ingredients to look for:Jojoba, Coconut, Avocado, Castor, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Almond

Note: Coconut oil, avocado oil and olive oil also have also been shown to naturally penetrate the hair shaft and help strengthen the hair. Natural oils also help make hair soft, shiny and healthier! :)

3.      The Problem with Petrolatum

Avoid products that list ingredients such as petrolatum, lanolin, or mineral oil. These oils are cheap filler ingredients used in products that only seal the moisture OUT of the hair (dry hair problems!) and clog your pores (preventing the natural oil production from your scalp and aiding in dry scalp and dandruff!)  It’s often a subject of debate in the hair community because most people swore by it growing up (My mom loved Pomade lol). Some people use petrolatum as a sealant, but if you do, make sure you use a good clarifying shampoo to remove build up. It’s important to remember that petrolatum can’t penetrate the hair shaft, so it doesn’t moisturize or help to repair hair. As I try to use mostly all natural products on my hair, I try and stay away from it.

4.      The Good P: Protein

Protein helps with the strength and structure of the hair. While it’s very important to moisturize the hair, it’s also very important to maintain a good protein balance as well. Don’t overdo it on the protein treatments though...too much protein will make hair brittle!

Ingredients to look for: Keratin, hydrolyzed proteins, wheat protein, silk protein, collagen

5.      Eat Ice Cream Cones, Stay away from Silicones

Did you like that rhyme? :P On one hand, silicones help to detangle hair and make it shiny and smooth. But don't be fooled by false advertisements! Overtime silicones can cause build up on the hair shaft and prevent moisture from getting in. If you’re using silicone based products, it’s important to use a clarifying shampoo to get rid of the buildup. There are debates around silicones as to whether they are truly “good or bad”, to “avoid them or not”. 

Ingredients to stay away from: anything ending in "cone, conol, col or xane" i.e., Cetearyl Methicone, Dimethicone, Dimethiconol

I firmly believe conditioning is the most important part of any hair care routine, especially if your hair is dry, damaged or processed. Conditioners help to infuse much needed moisture into the hair. They can get a bit pricey, however, you don’t have to break the bank!  Substitute for less expensive shampoo’s and invest in a good conditioner. Or read my next post on how to "Remix Your Conditioner!" Make sure you do the proper research and find what works best for your hair. Hope this helps!

Later ya’lls.

J! :)

Live without pretending, love without depending, listen without defending and speak without offending.

Welcome to Dem Curls: my blog about caring for curly hair!

Name, Age, Occupation – Jhanelle. I’m 23 years old. I graduated from McMaster University with an Honours Bachelor of Commerce. I work as an auditor for an accounting firm and I am pursuing my Chartered Accountancy designation.

Interests – I love my family, friends, FOOD, dance, languages and ketchup. I put that ‘ish on everythang’ :)

Now Playing: “Mi Habitacion” – Prince Royce

Quote to live by: “Live without pretending, love without depending, listen without defending and speak without offending.”

What made me decide to go natural?  - I was tired of relaxing my hair and it was damaged and breaking. I figured there had to be other options and it couldn’t get much worse than what it was.

How long have I been natural? – 4 years and counting!

How did family and friends respond to my natural hair? My dad hated it at first! (Actually...he still doesn’t like it lol but he has grown to accept it.) At first, he promised to pay for me to get my hair straightened every 2 weeks. I still get the “what are you going to do with your hair?” conversation from other family members. My mom, however, loved it!

Favourite Product? I am the first to admit that I am a product junkie. Buy first, research later (that’s how I use to roll). However, recently I have become better and learned what works well with my hair. My staples are Kinky Curly Leave-In Conditioner, Shea Butter and Coconut Oil (the ‘Don’ of all oils in my opinion!). I definitely recommend researching first and checking out reviews on YouTube, that way you can see what will work best with your hair type. Products (especially natural ones) are expensive and you don’t want to spend money unnecessarily. Yes, I have learned lol

My Hair Icons – I love Diana Ross for having the confidence to rock her big hair. Recently, I’ve also been admiring Solange Knowles for rocking the fro.

Why I decided to start “Dem Curls”? I decided to go natural a few years ago and when I started I didn’t understand my hair texture or how to properly take care of it. I was under the impression that going natural meant less work...which isn't true! My first few years being natural, I experienced breakage and extremely dry hair. I started researching and slowly came to understand my kinky curly texture and how to take care of it. I don’t know everything about hair, and I’m definitely still learning but Dem Curls is a way for me to share my curly hair experiences and what I have learned so far with other people (whether they are curly, natural, or have chemically treated hair). I also love to talk...and this gives me the chance to do so! J

Any advice? – Start by accepting the hair that you have. Learn to appreciate it and realize there is nothing wrong with your hair, natural or curly. I love my hair...and trust me... it took me over 20 years to say that! I love the multitude of styling options...straight, curly, afro, up, down, to the side. The most important thing I’ve learned in the past few years, is how to be patient with my hair. Overtime I’ve learned what works best for it and most of the time I just let it do its own thing.

Keep smiling!

J