Carefree Curls

5k Pageviews!

2016-02-23T14:55:00.002-05:00

Hey everybody! I've just realized that this blog has reached 5,000 pageviews!! Thank you for visiting my blog, everyone; I appreciate it & hope you enjoy it. :)

I'd just like to give y'all a quick update. I am soon going to set up an area where I can take nice pictures of products and such, so that's why I haven't been posting very much lately. Once I get that set up, I'll post more regularly. I wanted to wait until I've set that up so I can do better quality product reviews with pictures to show results :) so stay tuned! In the meantime, don't forget to check out my new blog: curlycosmetics.blogspot.com

-CK

New blog!

2016-01-25T11:17:00.001-05:00

Hello everybody!

I've set up a new blog. :) It's Curly Cosmetics!
This new blog will be about makeup, skincare, and other beauty-related things. I've been wanting to post about stuff like that for awhile now, but I wanted to keep Carefree Curls exclusively about hair, so I created a new blog. :)

I will still be actively posting here on Carefree Curls as well! So, please feel free to check out my new blog and let me know what you think. Have a great week!

New blog: curlycosmetics.blogspot.com

-CK

10 tips for growing out hair

2016-01-23T18:11:00.000-05:00

Hello curlies!

I am currently in the process of growing out my hair, so in this post, I will be giving you my top 10 tips for growing out your hair. Enjoy!

1. Stop heat styling.

The first thing you need to do is drop the heat tools like flat irons and curling irons! These cause so much damage to the hair & can cause split ends. Instead, let your hair do it's natural thing! You can still dry your hair using a diffuser, but only use as much heat as you need. The lower the heat, the better. If you still need to "fix" a few curls, you can wet them, add a small amount of product, and wrap them around your finger. Then, clip/pin them to keep them in that form until they dry; once they're dry, you can un-clip/pin it and marvel at the fresh curl. ;)

2. Lead a healthy lifestyle.

This plays a pretty big role with the health of your hair! Try your best to maintain a healthy, balanced diet with plenty of protein. Exercise often & try to keep your stress levels low. Also, make sure you get lots of sleep & stay well-hydrated. Your hair (and body!) will benefit greatly from all of this.

3. Prevent damage/breakage.

Try to prevent breakage and damage to your hair by doing these things: use a silk/satin pillowcase, don't brush your hair (instead, to detangle, gently comb your hair with a wide-tooth comb in the shower while your hair is soaked & covered in conditioner), use a microfiber towel, and avoid using products with sulfates.

4. DT/PT.

Do deep treatments and protein treatments as needed to keep the protein & moisture balanced! The level of protein to moisture needed varies for different hair types & individual people, so you'll just have to find out what works for you. :) For deep treatments, I personally recommend using your favorite conditioner combined with some oils like coconut, Argan, or olive oil. For a protein treatment, I recommend a simple gelatin treatment like this one.

5. Stop cutting your hair!

I know people think you're supposed to cut your hair every 6-8 weeks, but this just isn't true! The only reason you may actually need to get a trim is if you have split ends, in which case, go ahead and get those damaged ends cut off. Other than this, just let your hair grow out and do its thing! I haven't had my hair trimmed in a little over 4 months & have no damage at all. Whenever I spot a split end, I trim it, but other than that, I don't cut it. My hair is doing great!

However: if you have a lot of damage on the ends of your hair, you may need to do a "big chop" to get rid of that damage.

6. Massage your scalp w/ oil.

Take your favorite hair oil (my hair loves coconut & Argan oil, but you can use almost any oil) and gently massage it into your scalp. This will help the blood flow, moisturize your scalp, and encourage growth! This can also help out with dandruff. I like to do this an hour or so before a shower & then wash it out.

7. Go natural!

If you aren't already doing this, consider trying out the curly girl method. This method has greatly improved the health of my hair! Read this post to learn more about the curly girl method.

8. Keep an eye on ingredients.

This goes hand-in-hand with the tip above. Always look at the ingredients of a product before purchasing it! Try to find out what your hair does & doesn't like. This requires some trial-and-error, but once you've found out your hair's preferences, you can use products that you know it will love. Also, remember to avoid silicones & sulfates! This will help it stay happy and healthy.

9. Try hair supplements/vitamins.

There are supplements & vitamins that you can take to help your hair grow. Since I've never personally tried hair supplements or vitamins, I won't recommend a specific brand; just make sure whatever you try has biotin in it. :) As a bonus, hair supplements/vitamins usually help your nails look great as well!

10. Have patience!

Hair takes time to grow. Sure, you can do several things (like the stuff listed above!) to help it along the way, but it will still take time.

Try not to measure it too often; this may end up discouraging you if it isn't growing fast enough for your taste. I'm not saying you shouldn't measure your hair every now-and-then to keep track of your progress; go ahead and measure your hair every month or so (remember to stretch it so it's at its full length)! Just keep in mind that the growth rate of hair can vary greatly among each person.

Thus, my recommendation to you is to try to not be too obsessed with length. Instead, focus more on keeping your hair happy and healthy, and your hair will eventually get longer! The healthier the hair, the better it'll grow.

I hope these tips will help y'all out with your hair! The picture below shows how much progress my hair has made within about 4 months.

So, what are your hair goals? Do you have any more tips to share? :)

Also, make sure to stay warm this weekend; it's snowing a lot where I am right now!

-CK

P.S. None of the pictures in this post (except for the last one) were taken by me.

Hi guys!

2016-01-22T00:50:00.003-05:00

Hello everybody! I'm back from nowhere! I apologize for taking such a long break from blogging. I don't particularly have a reason for not posting other than I've just been focusing on other things. However, I'd like to get back to it and keep on blogging! So stay in touch and keep an eye out for new posts coming soon.

Let me know if you've discovered any new tips lately ;)

-CK

Jessicurl Giveaway Winners

2015-10-31T15:00:00.001-04:00

In this post, I will be announcing the winners of my October giveaway!

If you didn't get the chance to enter this giveaway, don't feel too bad; I'm sure I'll be hosting more giveaways in the future. ;)

In case you've forgotten, each person will be receiving one of Jessicurl's 2 oz Rich and Radiant collections. Each of the three winners will also receive some bonus mystery items! ;) The first person will receive 3 items, second will receive 2, and third will receive 1.

Let's get to the winners!!! I've selected them randomly on Rafflecopter (they use random.org). Drum roll, please........

First place winner: Addie

Second place winner: Sarah Middleton

Third place winner: Talia

CONGRATS TO THE WINNERS!!! :) I will notify the three of you by email shortly. If any of the winners don't respond within 48 hours of the email being sent, a new winner will be selected & notified.

Thank you all for participating in this giveaway, and thank you again to Jessicurl for providing their lovely products!

Have a great Halloween, everybody!
-CK

Giveaway has Ended

2015-10-31T00:25:00.001-04:00

Hi! I just wanted to inform you that the giveaway has ended, and the winners will be announced sometime today (Oct. 31st).

Also, HAPPY HALLOWEEN! :) Are any of you doing anything fun for Halloween?

Stay tuned!!
-CK

Progress Update

2015-10-27T21:25:00.002-04:00

Hey everybody! It's been a few months since I've updated y'all on the progress of my hair, so I decided to make a post about it to show you how my hair has changed. :)

First off, here's what it looked like at the end of my last update:

July 14th, 2015

And now to continue...

Aug. 16, 2015

Sep. 13, 2015

Sep. 15, 2015

Sep. 16, 2015

Sep. 22, 2015

Sep. 30, 2015

Sep. 30. 2015

Oct. 4, 2015

Oct. 7, 2015

Oct. 24th, 2015

That about sums it up! (My apologies for the worse-than-usual quality of that last picture; someone else took it, but it was the most recent picture I could find!) My hair has been fairly consistent lately, which is why I haven't been taking pictures of it very much since October started. "Consistent" is not a word that I could have even considered calling my hair when I first started the CG method, so that's a great accomplishment for me! There are still a few curls/waves that I have to "fix" occasionally with a curling rod, but not all the time.

The products I've been using regularly are: SheaMoisture's Fruit Fusion shampoo (read my review here!) and Jessicurl's Spiralicious Styling Gel (review coming soon). I've decided that SM's fruit fusion shampoo is definitely going to be a long-term product for me. :) Still undecided about the gel, though. I've been pretty inconsistent with the conditioners I've been using because I'm still searching for a long-term condish. (Feel free to comment with suggestions. I have several on my to-try list, but I'd like to use up what I have right now before I buy any more.)

I encourage y'all to try out the CG method if you aren't already doing it (click here to read about it)! I highly recommend it; it's changed my hair tremendously. Comment & let me know what you think!

-CK

Update

2015-10-21T12:20:00.002-04:00

Hi everybody! I just wanted to update y'all and let you know about my upcoming posts. :)

Upcoming Posts

Progress update - I'm working on another progress update to show y'all how my hair has changed in the past few months.

Product reviews - There are a few products that I've been using that I'd like to review, so I'll start typing those out soon. Some of the products include jessicurl spiralicious styling gel, jessicurl too Shea conditioner, a pomade I've been using to tame the edges for ponytails, and probably a couple of others.

Plopping - I plan on writing a post about plopping soon ;)

Also, at the end of this month I'll be posting about the giveaway winners. Don't forget to enter!!! Click here if you haven't entered yet.

What I've been using

Recently, I've regularly been using SheaMoisture's fruit fusion shampoo (LOVE that stuff) and Jessicurl's spiralicious styling gel. As for what conditioner I've been using, I've just been switching around trying out new ones each time.. I haven't really landed on one that I see myself using long-term quite yet. But I've been sticking with the same techniques mentioned in this post, except I've added plopping. After I get out of the shower, I plop my hair into my microfiber towel (copying the method that Jess demonstrates in this video) and leave it for 15-20 minutes (usually while I do my makeup). After that I take it out of the towel and dry it. Doing this has helped shorten my drying time quite a bit :)

Are there any certain products that y'all would like to see me review? Feel free to leave some suggestions in the comments section below. :)

Have a great week!

-CK

About Jessicurl

2015-10-08T16:25:00.000-04:00

Hi! Welcome to Carefree Curls.
My apologies for not posting in a few days! :) I've been busy. In case you aren't aware: I'm currently hosting a Jessicurl giveaway. It'll run until the end of this month, so you have some time to enter and spread the word. ;) In this post, I'd like to tell you a bit more about Jessicurl. (Click here to check out my Jessicurl giveaway!)

Jessicurl was started by Jess in 2002 when she created an awesome new product: Rockin' Ringlets Styling Potion. She created this product during her search for the perfect products for her own hair, and it worked beautifully. She began selling it and eventually created more products, further growing her business.

Jessicurl has a really great backstory. :) Here's how Jess tells her story:

Until the time I was 14 I had thick yet fairly straight hair. Somewhere around the time that puberty struck, my hair grew more and more coarse and eventually started to curl. I was mortified and at a total loss for how to deal with it. The only advice my straight haired mother could offer was “Go brush your hair!” As we all know, that’s the WORST thing to do to curly hair! My dad was more sympathetic, as he’s the one who gave me the curls, but his motto when it came to “our” hair was “bigger is better”. As a self-conscious 14 year old who didn’t want to stand out, that wasn’t very helpful either.

As my hair grew bigger and bigger, my peers grew meaner and meaner, calling me such names as Mushroom Head, Egg Head, Crusty and Helmet Head. (the latter two were due to the fact that I'd wet my hair down in between classes to keep it from puffing out.)

As I grew up, my hatred of my hair didn't dissipate. Finally in 2002 I figured there had to be a better way, and typed "curly hair" into Google to see what the internet had to offer.

The first thing that came up was www.naturallycurly.com. I was thrilled to find that there was an entire community of curly haired people who shared the same struggles as I did. Who knew?

I immersed myself in their Curl Talk message board and quickly made many "cyber friends" with whom I traded hair tips and horror stories. Much of what they talked about, however, were products. I would go out and buy any product that someone raved about, most of which didn't do anything to make me like my hair better. Many of them actually made the condition of my hair worse, drying it out with alcohols and stripping the natural oils with harsh detergents.

One day I came across a very basic recipe for a hair gel made out of flax seeds. I remember thinking, "Wow, how cool would it be if I could just make my OWN hair gel? I sure would save a lot of money!" I tried that very basic recipe, and the results were less than stellar. By this time I was inspired, however, so I tweaked the recipe, adding other natural ingredients that I had learned are good for curly hair. The results were nothing short of miraculous. I was shocked that FINALLY my hair looked like I wanted, and I had made the product on my stove!!

With much exuberance, I went back to the NaturallyCurly.com message boards and excitedly shared the recipe with my newfound friends. (The thought of going into business hadn't crossed my mind.) After posting my recipe I was flooded with emails from curly headed members asking if they could just buy some of the magic potion from me, as they really didn't feel like making it. The rest, as they say, is history! Rockin' Ringlets Styling Potion was born.

That was in 2002 - The business has also since moved out of her home and into their factory in Arcata, CA. Jessicurl now has many different products to choose from and is a wonderful curly brand!

Jess also cares a lot about about what goes into her products; she uses great ingredients, and each one has a purpose! Click here to read about the ingredients she uses.

Over all, Jessicurl is an awesome brand that has helped out a lot of curly girls by creating great products! I definitely suggest that you check them out at Jessicurl.com. If you want to try out some of their products, you can enter my giveaway to possibly win a 2 oz. Rich & Radiant collection! Click Here to read about the giveaway.

Have an awesome weekend!

-CK

Have you tried any Jessicurl products? Post a comment if you have!

Jessicurl Giveaway (CLOSED)

2015-10-01T09:03:00.000-04:00

Hi everybody! This is going to be an awesome month. It's time for my October giveaway!!! (Scroll down to the "How to enter" part to enter.)

This giveaway has ended! See who won here: [link]

This giveaway will be run from 10/01/15 to 10/31/15 at 12:00 AM EST, and the winners will be announced and notified on 10/31/15. Open to U.S. residents only.

Isn't their logo adorable?

As you may have guessed, the prizes are Jessicurl products! Jessicurl is sponsoring this giveaway and has kindly provided the prizes, so I'd like to give a shoutout to them. :) My next post will be all about Jessicurl so that I can tell you more about the company and why they're so wonderful! If you want to explore their products and learn more about Jessicurl right now, click here to view their website.

Now, let's get down to the good stuff.. ;)

Prizes

The winners will each receive one of Jessicurl's 2 oz. Rich & Radiant collections (pictured below)!!

Yes, I said winners & prizes! Plural. There will be three winners. Jessicurl has provided three of their 2 oz. Rich & Radiant collections (unscented). Each collection is worth $36 and includes 6 individual 2 oz. products, so that's 12 oz. total for each collection! The 6 products are: Hair Cleansing Cream, Too Shea! Extra Moisturizing Conditioner, Rockin' Ringlets Styling Potion, Confident Coils Styling Solution, Deep Conditioning Treatment, and Awe Inspiraling Spray. Don't you love the clever names? ;)
Jessicurl's description of this fabulous collection: "This collection is best suited for thicker, drier hair that is looking for curl enhancement and moisture. From cleansing to conditioning to styling, this collection will give your thick curls all the moisture and bounciness they can handle. A handy step-by-step instructional insert is included to help you figure out the best techniques for frizz free curls."

Of course, that's not all: I must add my own touch to the prizes.. ;) I'll be throwing in some surprise goodies to each prize! The first selected winner will receive 3 surprise items, 2nd will receive 2, and 3rd will receive one. These mystery items could be product samples, hair accessories...who knows! You'll find out if you win! So, the prizes are as stated below.

Jessicurl Rich & Radiant 2 oz. collection + 3 surprise items
Jessicurl Rich & Radiant 2 oz. collection + 2 surprise items
Jessicurl Rich & Radiant 2 oz. collection + 1 surprise item

How to enter

It's super easy to enter! Just click the Rafflecopter widget below (the one that says "enter the giveaway"), enter your name and email address (note: this email is only provided so I can contact you if you win), and click the option that says "Click Here." Just type in your hair type (wavy, curly, coily, etc.), click "enter," and there you go! You've been entered! (Note - you have to type something in the box to be able to click enter.)

You can also get two extra entries (optional): one by following me @CalicoKitties on Twitter, and the other by subscribing to this blog through email. So, what are you waiting for?! Enter this giveaway; you just might get some free hair products! ;)

a Rafflecopter giveaway This giveaway is being run through rafflecopter.com, and the winners will be chosen at random through rafflecopter.com, which uses random.org to select winners. Please read through the terms and conditions before you enter (I typed it out)! :)

I encourage you to leave a comment on this post! You could tell your hair journey, list the products you use regularly, or even just tell us your hair type. Have fun, and good luck! Spread the word about this giveaway so we can spread the curly love!

This is Jess, creator of Jessicurl!
As Jess often says: "You have the right to remain curly." :)

Feel free to send me an email at carefreecurls@yahoo.com if you have any questions.

-CK

Meet Waterlily716!

2015-09-22T14:03:00.001-04:00

Hi! Welcome to Carefree Curls.
In this post, I'd like to introduce you to one of my favorite curly-haired youtubers: Waterlily716!

Her name is Sarah, and she currently resides in Dubai (though she's from Kentucky)! She has gorgeous 3a/3b curls and helps a lot of curlies out by spreading great information about curly hair on both her blog and her YouTube channel.
Now, let's get to know her better! :)

1. How did you first get involved with vlogging/blogging, and how did you decide on your username (Waterlily716)?

"I starting making YouTube videos about 6 years ago because I had just started using the Curly Girl method for myself, AKA the 'no shampoo' method. And I was watching lots of youtubers, but no one on YouTube really had hair like mine. My username is a reference to my favorite painter, Monet, who is famous for painting water lilies."

2. Who is your favorite youtuber or blogger (aside from yourself, of course!)?

"I have so many! Most of them are listed in the 'other channels' section of my YouTube page. Of the top of my head I would say CurlyPenny, Shalimarcat, and MahoganyCurls."

3. What's your absolute favorite hair product, and why? How do you use it?

"My favorite hair product is probably Curly hair Solutions Curl Keeper. I use it over my leave in and under my gel. It's an amazing frizz reducer."

4. What/who is a big inspiration to you?

"I think my biggest curly inspiration would be the one and only Lorraine Massey. I still think her book, the Curly Girl Handbook, is the best thing since sliced bread. She has beautiful hair, is an amazing curly stylist, and a successful business woman."

5. Describe your hair using only 3 words. :)

"Ringletty, curly, springy"

6. What would you say is the one thing you love most about your hair?

"I'm happy to have natural hair that is very healthy, in that I rarely get split ends, and grows very fast. :D"

7. How do you usually deal with a bad hair day?

"Two options. 1) Deal with it and just keep wearing my hair confidently, even if I'm not loving it. I find I usually think my hair looks worse than it really does. 2) Put my hair up and use a headband to tame the frizz."

8. What are some words of encouragement that you would give to somebody who's having trouble embracing their natural hair?

"Try to embrace YOUR hair and YOUR curl pattern. Work towards healthier hair and loving your natural hair the way it is. Many times I see comments on social media by girls along the lines of 'I love your hair, it's so beautiful. My hair will never be like that D:'. That's the wrong mentality to have. Everyone's hair has the potential to be gorgeous, you just need to have confidence in yourself and give your hair some TLC."

9. Finally, if you could give a single piece of advice to all of the curly/wavy girls out there, what would it be?

"Straighten your hair, be happy for a day; learn to wear your hair curly and be happy for life!"

Thank you again to Sarah for taking the time to answer these questions so we can all get to know more about her! I appreciate it, and I enjoyed this interview. :) You can find Sarah on Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and some other sites @waterlily716. She also has a blog: curlsandblossoms.blogspot.com.

Make sure you check out her youtube channel, and don't forget to follow me on Twitter @CalicoKitties as well! Also, remember that I'm holding a giveaway this October, so make sure you come back to check it out and possibly win some free products. :) Have a great day, y'all!

-CK

Let me know in the comments if you'd like me to do another interview with someone! :)

Product Reviews: Elucence Products

2015-09-19T10:06:00.001-04:00

Hello! Welcome to Carefree Curls.
In this post, I will be reviewing three of Elucence's products:

Elucence Volume Clarifying Shampoo

Price: $6 for 10 oz.

Ingredients: Salix Nigra (Willow) Bark Extract, Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Extract, Honey Extract, Anthemis, Noblilis (Chamomile) Extract, Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Extract, Dioscorea Villosa (Wild Yam) Extract, Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ in Purified Water, Sodium Myreth Sulfatel ) (Coconut Oil Derived), Sodium 14-16 Olefin Sulfonate (Mineral Derived), Cocomidopropyl Betaine (Coconut Oil Derived), Cocoamide MEA (Coconut Oil Derived), Salicylic Acid, Biotin, Panthenol, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, EDTA, Polyquarternium-10, Methylparaben (USP), Propylparaben (USP), Benzophenone-4 (UV Absorber), Fragrance/Parfum, FD&C Blue 1 CI 42090, DC&C Yellow 5 CI 19140.

My experience

My experience with this product has been pretty good. I live in an area with pretty hard water, so I get buildup sometimes and need a deeper clean than just a sulfate-free cleanser. This is why I grabbed this clarifying shampoo. I don't need to use it very often: just every now-and-then when my hair is feeling a bit icky. :)
This shampoo does the job! It has EDTA, which is something to look for in a clarifying shampoo because it helps get rid of the mineral deposits from hard water. Note that this isn't a CGM-friendly product because of the sulfates. Like I said, though, sometimes I just need a deeper clean. Also, when I did use it, my hair actually didn't feel dried out or anything.

Pros:

-It cleans my hair

-Surprisingly, it didn't strip my hair too much

-It's great for hard-water areas

-Affordable

Cons:

-I don't like the scent

-Could be drying for some because of sulfates/EDTA

I would recommend this product for anybody like me who lives in a hard-water area and needs a good clarifying shampoo every now-and-then.

Elucence Moisture Balancing Conditioner

Price: $8 for 10 oz.

Ingredients: Panax Ginseng root extract, cetraria islandia (Irish Moss) extract, saccharomyces cerevisiea (Brewer's Yeast) extract, Gingko Biloba extract, pimpinella anisum (Anise) fruit extract, prunis persica (Peach) extract in purified water, hexadecanol, stearakonium chloride, certimonium bromide, Squalane (olive oil lipid), Capric Caprillic Triglycerides (coconut fatty acids), Panthenol (pro-vitamin USP), Biotin (USP), imisazolidinyl urea, methylparaben (USP), fragrance

My experience

I'm not a huge fan of this conditioner, but I suppose it does the job. I don't like the feel of it in my hair, and it has a really odd sorta citrus-y smell.

Pros:

-Moisturizes hair decently enough

-Doesn't weigh my hair down

Cons:

-I don't like the scent

-Has kind of weird texture

-Doesn't help much with detangling

Over all, it's use-able, but I won't be purchasing it again.

Elucence Volume Designing Foam

Price: $8 for 7.5 oz.

Ingredients: Rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) leaf extract, urtica dioica (nettle) extract, melissa officinalis (balm mint) leaf oil, chamomilla recutita (matricaria) extract, aesculus hippocastanum (horse chestnut) extract, salvia officinalis (sage) leaf extract, tussilago farfara (coltsfoot) flower extract, equisettum arvense extract in purified water, vinylpyrrilidone/dimethylaminoethyl methylparaben, octooxynol-13 citric acid (usp) fragrance/parfum.

My experience

This product has been alright. The thing is, I had to use a lot of it each time I used it. Otherwise, it does nothing for frizz, definition, or forming the curls. It felt like I didn't even have product in my hair. However, when I tried using more, it worked out a bit better.

Pros:

-It works (IF you use a lot of it)

Cons:

-You have to use a lot

-Doesn't do much for frizz

-Doesn't do much for definition

-I don't like the scent

Would I recommend this product? Probably not. I'm just not a fan.

So, that sums up the products that I've tried from the elucence brand! As you may have noticed, I didn't like the scent of any of their products. I don't know why, but they all smelled..off..to me. I likely won't be repurchasing any of these (I did like the clarifying shampoo, but it has blue 1 in it. I didn't realize this when I bought it. I'm allergic to blue 1. lol).

-CK

P.S. Remember that I'm hosting an awesome product giveaway in October! Come back soon to check it out!

Deva Cut!

2015-09-17T14:32:00.002-04:00

Hi! Welcome to Carefree Curls. :)
A couple of days ago, as you may know, I got my very first deva cut! (My apologies for not posting this yesterday.)

You may be wondering...

What's a deva cut?

Well, a deva cut is a special kind of cut for curly/coily/wavy haired people where the stylist has been trained/approved by the people at DevaCurl. You can find a Deva stylist near you by using DevaCurl's "find a stylist" tool! Click here to try it. This is how I found my stylist. These stylists know how to cut curly hair and give great cuts for curly, wavy, or coily hair!

A deva cut is where the stylist cuts your hair while it's dry. They do this because, as you likely know, curly hair has spring to it! When you get a "regular" haircut & they cut it wet, once it'd dry, your hair will sit differently than it looked wet. This is why they cut it dry. Makes sense, right?

My Experience

Over all, my deva cut experience was alright. I didn't go to the Deva salon in NYC; I just chose to go to a local Deva-approved stylist. I like the way she cut my hair, but I didn't like the way she styled it. You see, when she styled it, she raked her fingers through my hair (eep!) which my hair is too weak to handle; it pulled out all of my curl and made my hair just slightly wavy. However, when I styled it myself the next day, my waves popped into loose curls! I'm really enjoying the cut.

Here are some before shots..

Add caption

Honestly, I love my hair long, but the last few inches of my hair could be pretty unpredictable. They were constantly getting tangled and were a lot more undefined than the top sections of my hair. This is why I cut off so much; I figured it was probably from heat damage and decided that it would be best to chop it off and have a fresh start. ;) Here's the after shots..

This is such a fun length. :D I haven't had it this short in a long time! Anyway, like I mentioned previously, I disliked the way the stylist styled my hair. She raked the product through my hair which pulled out my curls and made them undefined. However, I was pretty satisfied with the cut, and I figured it'd look a lot better after I styled it myself. Here are some shots from after I styled it..

I'd like to note that I ran out of my favorite gel and had to settle with using a mousse (which I don't normally do), so once I style it with a gel it may look a bit different. Still: I like the cut a lot more the way I styled it! I think the shorter length is helping the frizz from the last haircut (where the lady slid her scissors down my hair to "make it weigh less").

I'm pretty happy with how the cut looks. I think it'll be fun to play around with my new, short length (or, at least, it's short to me lol)! I do love long hair, so I'll probably grow it out eventually, but I'm enjoying this length for now. :)

Post a comment and let me know what you think! Have you ever gotten a Deva Cut?

-CK

P.S. remember that I'm doing a hair product giveaway in October! It's going to be awesome, so check back in October to see it ;)

How my hair has changed

2015-09-15T18:48:00.002-04:00

Hello! Welcome to Carefree Curls.
In this post, I will be discussing the changes that my hair has made since I started the CG method. I'm curious to hear if any of y'all have experienced your hair doing these as well!

Natural Highlights: Okay, this one actually has happened my whole life, not just after the CG method, but I still wanted to add it. :) During the summer and when it's sunnier or I'm outside a lot, my hair gets naturally highlighted by the sunlight; especially in the front on the top layers. It's just interesting to me. I just say that it gets sun-bleached. But these highlights have occasionally become so prominent that people have asked me if I highlighted my hair! I find it amusing. :) I have never highlighted nor colored my hair.. Once I haven't been out in the sun as much, it goes back to its normal coloration. You can especially see it in this picture from when I was still styling my hair straight..

Different parting: Ever since I started treating my hair better, it has begun parting naturally more towards the middle of my head. Just compare where it parted in the photo above to the one below..

I'm not even sure if y'all can really tell from that, but that whole curl in the front to the right used to be on the other side lol.

It's shinier: I've heard several people say that curly hair is less shiny than straight hair because light reflects better on flat surfaces. Makes sense, right? Well, my hair has actually been more shiny since I started the CG method! Maybe it's because I've begun rinsing in cold water (as described in step 3 of this post), or maybe it's because it's getting more moisture...who knows.

Needs less moisture: The longer I've done the CG method, the less I've needed to give my hair copious amounts of moisture. In fact, my hair has gotten over-moisturized a couple of times and seems to enjoy protein quite a bit. It definitely needed more moisture in the beginning than it does now; I haven't had to baby it as much as I did at first. :)

That's all I can think of that's changed, others than the fact that it's obviously gotten curlier lol. Also, I just got a deva cut! Pictures will be up tomorrow (so remember to come back and see how it turned out)! I got quite a bit of length cut off.. I haven't had it this short in awhile ;)

Post a comment if you've noticed anything interesting that has changed about your hair since you went natural!

-CK

P.S, I will be holding a giveaway during the month of October, so make sure you check back then!

Product Review: DevaCurl Hairspray

2015-09-12T16:30:00.001-04:00

Hi! Welcome to Carefree Curls.

In this post, I will be reviewing DevaCurl's flexible hold hairspray.

DevaCurl Flexible Hold Hairspray

Price: $25 for 10 oz.

Ingredients: Alcohol Denat., Hydrofluorocarbon 152a, Octylacrylamide/Acrylates Butylaminoethyl Methacrylate Copolymer, Water (Aqua, Eau), Phenethyl Benzoate, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Melissa Officinalis Extract, Humulus Lupulus (Hops) Extract, Cymbopogon Schoenanthus Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Extract, Achillea Millefolium Extract, Aminomethyl Propanol, Propylene Glycol, Monoalkanolamide Borate, Fragrance (Parfum).

My Experience

I'm not a big fan of this spray. First off, the scent is lavender. I didn't realize this when I bought it. I don't like lavender, but I know a lot of people do, so I don't hold that against it. The thing I didn't like about this was that it didn't do a thing for frizz (which I have a lot of), and it made my hair feel gross. It felt like it was coated in dirt or something. It did do what it was meant for, though; it held my hair's shape all day (and the next day as well) with flexible hold and no crunch or flaking.. Even so, I won't be repurchasing this when/if I run out. If I use it, it will probably be for an updo of some sort.

Pros:

The scent didn't linger all day. The reasons why I consider this a pro are A: I don't like lavender, and B: it would clash with the other scents I regularly wear.
It worked. I mean, it held my hair in its shape all day, and my hair even looked pretty decent the next day.

Cons:

It's lavender scented. I didn't realize this when I got it. Of course, this may not be a negative to other people. You may love lavender. I'm just not a fan of lavender.
It made my hair feel gross. This is a pretty big con for me. I don't like products that make my hair feel untouchable. It made my hair feel gritty and, over all, gross. That bothered me.
It did absolutely nothing for my frizz. Sigh. I still have yet to find a product that makes my hair frizz-free. :(

So, to sum it up, this is an OK hairspray if you don't mind what your hair feels like. It would probably be good for an updo (which is likely what I'll use it for in the future). I personally wouldn't recommend this product, though.

Do you use hairspray? What kind? Post a comment!

-CK

Guess what! I'm holding a giveaway in October! Make sure you check back in October to enter!

Product Review: SheaMoisture Fruit Fusion Shampoo

2015-09-09T14:34:00.001-04:00

Hi! Welcome to Carefree Curls. :)
In this post, I will be reviewing SheaMoisture's Fruit Fusion Coconut Water Weightless Shampoo. (Phew; that's a mouthful!) This product can only be found at Ulta or be ordered on SheaMoisture's website since it's an ulta-exclusive product.

SheaMoisture Fruit Fusion Shampoo

Price: about $10 for 13 oz

Ingredients: Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Water, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Fruit Juice, Glycerin, Fragrance (Essential Oil Blend), Litchi Chinensis (Lychee) Fruit Extract, Hylocereus Undatus (Dragon Fruit) Fruit Extract, Pyrus Malus (Apple) Fruit Extract, Garcinia Livingstonei (African Mangosteen) Seed Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter*, Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot) Kernel Oil, Hydrolyzed Rice Protein, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Sodium Benzoate, Panthenol, Psidium Guajava Fruit Extract, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Phytate *Certified Organic Ingredient

My Experience

Ohmygosh I love this product. :) It has a rich lather, a beautiful fruity/floral-y smell, and it left my hair feeling nice and clean. This shampoo does an amazing job at cleaning without stripping your hair! This product is great for fine-haired or wavy-haired people since it doesn't weigh hair down but still helps moisturize. It has fantastic ingredients, too.

My hair feels very hydrated after using this, and it's never weighed down by it. Over all, I really love this product, and I plan on trying out the conditioner in this line ASAP! ;)

So, to sum it up..

Pros:

-Smells fabulous
-Hydrates hair
-Doesn't weigh down hair
-Left hair feeling clean & fresh
-Rich lather
-Doesn't strip hair
-Great ingredients
-Sulfate free
-Color safe
-Affordable

Cons:

-Literally nothing that I can think of! (Unless you don't like the scent of it.)

I would absolutely recommend this product, especially to people with fine to medium hair, wavy hair, or hair that gets weighed down easily. Hope you found this review helpful! Click here to view the product on SheaMoisture's site: [link]

Post a comment if you've used SheaMoisture products before; what products of theirs have you tried? Did you like them? :)

-CK

How to wash/style wavy hair

2015-09-07T12:29:00.001-04:00

Hey there! Welcome to Carefree Curls.
In this post, I'd like to share a few styling tips for wavy hair. It's easy enough to find information about curly or straight hair, but what about us wavy girls?! ;) I've been doing some experimenting with how I style my hair (2B/2C), and I'm sure you'll find these tips helpful if you're in the 2A-2C hair type range.

This may all sound like it would take forever or be complicated, but I swear it's easy (otherwise, I wouldn't do it), so just bear with me; I simply wanted to give a detailed description of some tips and what I do. :)

The finished results of this routine!

Washing

Step 1- Okay, so, first thing's first; we gotta wash our hair. :) Begin by taking some sulfate-free shampoo and gently massaging it into your hair, focusing on the scalp. (Side-note: Every now-and-then I wash with sulfates to give my waves a fresh start if my hair feels like it has buildup.) Rinse out your shampoo.

Step 2- Grab your silicone-free conditioner and smooth it into your hair. However, try to avoid putting conditioner right on the roots of your hair; this will help you keep some volume at the roots because this area can be easily weighed down by conditioner. :) While you still have condish in your hair, grab a wide-tooth comb and very gently comb through your hair to get rid of tangles. Leave in the conditioner for the rest of your shower.

Speaking of combing your hair: don't brush your hair out while it's dry. The only time you should run a comb through your hair is when you're in the shower w/ conditioner in your hair. I'm sure you know from experience, but if you brush your hair out while it's dry, it'll end up looking like this..

Step 3- Rinse out your condish as usual. Then, flip your hair over and make the water as cold as you can stand (the colder the better!), and do a quick rinse with the cold water while scrunching your hair as the water runs through it. The scrunching helps your waves begin to form, and the cold water closes up the cuticle to seal in moisture, add shine, and help your hair clump nicely together. If you don't feel like freezing yourself at the end of your shower, you could probably just grab a bowl and fill it with cold water (maybe even ice water if you're brave) and dip your hair into it. Note that this whole cold-water thing is optional, but I've found that it really makes a difference for my hair. Even if you don't do this, I still suggest doing a final rinse upside down while scrunching to form your waves.

Styling

Step 4- Still upside down, scrunch a bit of leave-in conditioner into your ends (optional). Then scrunch out as much excess water as you can. (Side-note: I used to scrunch in product while my hair was still soaking. I've found that my hair looks better and dries a lot faster if I scrunch out excess water and then add product.)

Step 5- Scrunch in your product. I usually use a gel, but sometimes I use mousse. Which one you choose to use really depends on your hair and how much hold you need. Anyway, scrunch in a generous amount of product into your hair in sections. Note that we're still upside down here. :) (You don't have to do it upside down, but it really helps with volume.) After this, scrunch your hair using a microfiber towel (or cotton t-shirt) to get more excess water out. The more water you get out, the better, because the water can really weigh down our waves while they're drying! If you'd like, you can even scrunch a bit more product into your hair after scrunching with the towel.

Step 6- Let your hair air-dry or dry it with a diffuser. Don't touch your hair until it's fully dry! Once it's dry, you can scrunch your hair to get out the crunch from your products. If your hair takes forever to dry (like mine), you can "plop" it for about 15 minutes before diffusing it. I like to follow the plopping method shown in this video by Jess from Jessicurl (she calls it "plunking"): http://youtu.be/O2qD38ZYX6A

And that's it! Your waves will thank you for taking such good care of them by looking fantastic! ;) Try this method out and let me know how it works out for you.

-CK

Quick update post

2015-09-01T23:53:00.000-04:00

Hey everybody! My apologies for not posting in quite awhile. I just started school (senior year in highschool! College is coming soon...yikes) and have been rather busy. I also got a car; it's the cutest little yellow VW beetle! Yippee!!

Anyway, I'd just like to let y'all know about some upcoming posts.
I'm going to be writing a post about Waterlily716, aka Sarah. :) She has agreed to answer some fun questions so we can all get to know her better!

Aside from that, I've been experimenting with products and will try to get some reviews posted ASAP. I just got some stuff I ordered from curlmart, so I have some more stuff to try out. :) The reason it takes me some time to review products is because I like to give the product a thorough try before I judge it too much!
So, here are the products I purchased:

Elucence Volume Clarifying Shampoo
Elucence Moisture Balancing Conditioner
Elucence Volume Designing Foam
EDEN Bodyworks Control Edge Glaze

I'm on the search to find a more long-term conditioner/shampoo than devacurl because the deva line is so expensive. I love their stuff, but I'd rather not spend that much on hair products, so I'm looking for a cheaper alternative. Post a comment if you have suggestions :)

Right now, I need to use up all of my extra hair products so I can clear some space in my bathroom shelves lol.

Just an observation: something I've noticed about my hair is that the place where it parts naturally has moved ever since I started the CG method. It's moving more towards the middle of my head. I've always let my hair part where it naturally wants to part, and I actually think it looks better/more balanced where it's parting now :)

Anyway, I hope y'all enjoy the rest of your week! Come back soon!

-CK

---

By the way, how was your summer?

Hard Water & Hair

2015-08-19T10:21:00.000-04:00

Hi there! Welcome to Carefree Curls.
In this post, I will be discussing water and how gH affects your hair.

What's gH?

This is where my interest in aquariums & chemistry comes in handy! ;) Since I often test the water of my fish tank & have done extensive reading about this matter, I have become pretty familiar with the chemistry in water. I won't go too in-depth into it, so please bare with me for this scienc-y stuff; I promise I'll keep it simple!

You're probably wondering what gH even means. You've likely already heard of pH, which is used to measure the acidity of things (acidic things have a very low pH, and alkaline things have a high pH. Water is usually around the middle, around 6-8).

gH stands for General Hardness. This is used to measure how "hard" or "soft" your water is by seeing how high or low the levels of dissolved minerals are in your water. If your water has a high gH, you have hard water, which means your water has lots of minerals. Magnesium & calcium are the two major ones. This is why you often see white mineral deposits/water spots when you have hard water. The water evaporates, but the minerals leave a spot in its place. Anyway, if you have soft water, you have a low gH and a low level of minerals. If you have a low gH, you have nothing to worry about as far as hair. Carry on. If you have high gH, you may run into some trouble.

Leave a comment if you have any questions about this. I'd be glad to explain.

Here's a map of the USA showing a general guideline of the gH in different areas. Your water's actual gH may differ from what's on the map; if you really want to know your gH, you'll have to test it. In fact, you can usually take some of your water into a local fish store and have them test it for you.

My water has a gH of 12, so it's in the "very hard" zone even though on that map it says I'd be in the "hard" zone. Like I said, the best way to find out your gH is to just get it tested. Most pet stores that sell fish (like petsmart) will test your water for free if you ask. :)

How does it affect my hair?

The minerals in the water can end up building up on your hair, making your hair look more dull and unmanageable. This is actually what pushed me to start the CG method; my hair hadn't been acting the same ever since we'd moved (the water at our last place literally had a gH of zero), and I had been doing the same routine that I'd been following for awhile. The only thing that'd changed was the gH of our water. It built up on my hair and made it frizzy, dull, and just plain sad-looking. Of course, at the time, I didn't realize that the hard water was causing this. This was when I started doing a buttload of reading about my hair & ultimately decided to start the CG method. I also discovered that hard water was probably the cause of my troubles. In a way, I'm glad that we have hard water since it's what pushed me to discover the CG method ;) A few other symptoms of hard water bothering your hair can be strawlike/dry/brittle hair (this is also a sign of too much protein; read this), lifeless/dull/limp hair, and getting more tangles.

How do I deal with it?

Dealing with hard water is actually pretty easy. There are a few things you can do.

-Use a chelating shampoo. The ingredients in a chelating shampoo bind to the minerals (and also chemicals from pool water!) in order to remove those elements from the hair. Key ingredients to look for in chelating shampoos are EDTA, Disodium EDTA, Tetrasodium EDTA, or Sodium Citrate AKA Trisodium Citrate. As long as it has one of those, it'll work. These can be stripping/drying, but it removes the mineral buildup on your hair. Just follow it up with something moisturizing, and don't use it every time you wash your hair. A clarifying shampoo is not the same as a chelating shampoo (nor will it remove minerals), by the way. Clarifying shampoos are for a deep cleaning to remove dirt, oils, & silicones from your hair.

-Get a shower head filter! It softens the water that comes out of the shower. It's a quick, easy fix.

-Use a water softener. I'll let you do your own reading about that, but it also softens the water.

I hope this helped you understand the relationship between gH & hair! :)
Do you live in an area with hard water? Post a comment & share your story.

-CK

Product Review: Ouidad Cleansing Oil

2015-08-16T21:34:00.000-04:00

Hi! Welcome to carefree curls.

In this post, I will be reviewing Ouidad's cleansing oil which I received for free through a giveaway. Read on!

Ouidad Ultra-Nourishing Cleansing Oil

Price: $26 for 8.5 oz

Ingredients: Water/Aqua/Eau, Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Propanediol, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Citric Acid, Glycerin, PEG-12 Dimethicone, Polysorbate 20, Citrullus Lanatus (Watermelon) Seed Oil, Trichilia Emetica Seed Butter, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Oil, Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Oil, Passiflora Edulis Seed Oil, Raphanus Sativus (Radish) Seed Oil, Limnanthes Alba (Meadowfoam) Seed Oil, Cocodimonium Hydroxypropyl Hydrolyzed Silk, Panthenol (Provitamin B5), Silicone Quaternium-8, Polyquaternium-10, PEG-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides, Cetrimonium Chloride, PEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate, Starch Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Ethylhexylglycerin, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Benzyl Benzoate, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Citronellol, Eugenol, Hexyl Cinnamal, Hydroxyisohexyl 3-Cyclohexene Carboxaldehyde, Limonene, Linalool, Fragrance/Parfum.

My Experience

(Just FYI: This product has silicones in it. I have bolded them in the ingredient list above; however, these are both water-soluble silicones, so they aren't much to worry about.) I like this product! It has a refreshing floral-y scent; I'm usually pretty picky about floral scents, but I love the smell of this product.
I admit I was a little confused when I first read the bottle. Cleansing oil? What on earth is a cleansing oil? I didn't know what to expect until read the instructions and discovered that it's basically shampoo with a fancy name. ;) Anyway, I enjoy it. It leaves my hair clean with a refreshing scent.

The product is pretty runny, but that doesn't bother me. It has a nice, gentle lather and leaves my hair clean but not stripped. It reminds me a lot of Burt's Bee's baobab shampoo (not the scent, the texture/lather). I've found that my hair doesn't like it if I use this product too many times in a row (when I did, my hair wasn't clumping very well), but it works wonderfully when I just use it every now-and-then. My only thought is that this product seems kind of heavy for a shampoo, so if you have fine hair or hair that gets weighed down easily, this may not be the product for you. Also, if your hair is really greasy, this may not get the job done. But if you just need a gentle, moisturizing cleanser, this is perfect. :) Over all, this is a great cleanser!

To sum it all up..

Pros:

-Refreshing scent

-Leaves hair feeling clean and moisturized

-Doesn't strip hair

Cons:

-It's a bit heavy and weighs down my hair if used too often

-It may not be a strong enough cleanser for some people

-It's pricey

Would I reccommend this product? Probably. It's pricey, but if you're willing to spend a bit more money, then it's a nice product.

Click here to view the product on Ouidad's site: [link]

Comment & share your experience if you've used Ouidad products before!

-CK

Product Review: Ouidad Vitacurl Styling Gel

2015-08-12T16:37:00.000-04:00

Hi everybody! Welcome to Carefree Curls. :)

In this post, I will be reviewing Ouidad's Vitalcurl Tress Effects Styling Gel which I received for free through a giveaway.

Ouidad VitalCurl Tress Effects Styling Gel

(I took this picture! yay me! :D)

Price: $26 for 8.5 oz

Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Glycerin, Polyquaternium-11, PEG-75 Shea Butter Glycerides, Polyquaternium-10, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Panthenol (Provitamin B5), Pectin, Polysorbate 20, Citric Acid, Disodium EDTA, Caprylyl Glycol, Hexylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance (Parfum).

My Experience

Honestly, my first impression of this gel isn't that great. It has a pretty strong smell that I can't place my finger on what it smells like. Maybe apple cider-ish? It smells like this tea that I drank once; it was called Christmas blend or something like that. (It didn't taste very good.) It pretty much smells like different spices and chemicals. Not a smell I like very much. Also, it has a kind of sticky feeling to it.

The first time I used it, the gel didn't impress me. For one small section of hair, I followed their directions of the "rake and shake" method where you rake the gel through the hair and shake it to bring back the curls, but my curls were too weak and raking gel through them made that section lose most of its curl. For the rest of it, I just scrunched in the gel like I usually do. It wasn't too bad, but it was very frizzy, and the smell lingered all day (which would be fine if I liked the smell, but I don't). Here are a couple of pictures showing what my hair looked like using only this as a styler.

Not sure if you can even really see it in the pic, but my hair was pretty frizzy. Some of the curls closer to my neck under the rest of my hair were nice-looking and defined, but the rest of my hair just didn't look great. It also seemed to take longer than usual to dry.

The second time I used this product, I got pretty much the same results, but it was a bit less frizzy since I just scrunched it in rather than followed their application directions. The scent of the product did fade away eventually, but I still caught a whiff of it every now-and-then (which would be fine if I liked it, but again, I don't). Over all, in my experience, this product didn't work well for me & has a really strong scent that I dislike. I would not re-purchase this product.

So, to sum it all up...

Pros:

-It defined (some of) my hair decently

Cons:

-Strong chemical-y/spicy scent

-Didn't tame my frizz

-Sort of sticky

-Made hair take longer to dry

-Pricey

As you may have guessed, I would not recommend purchasing this product.

Click here to view the product on Ouidad's site: [link]

Thanks for reading this review! Post a comment if you've used any Ouidad products and share how they worked out for you.

-CK

My "Hair Journey" (So Far)

2015-08-06T21:39:00.001-04:00

Hello! Welcome to Carefree Curls. :)

I'd like to share a bit about my hair and how it's changed throughout my life.

When I was very young, I had loose curls. I lost those curls as I got older (probably because I was brushing them out every day!), but I still had a slight wave to my hair. For a long time, I never blow-dried my hair; I was too impatient to spend time doing that lol. I just let it air-dry and do its own thing. This is what it looked like for awhile. (I had bangs back then..)

It was always pretty frizzy, and I never really did anything to it as far as styling goes. Anyway, eventually, we moved to another state in 2011. I think I was 13 at the time, and I decided to grow out my bangs after we moved. Once they grew out (took a year or two!), I began to blow-dry my hair to make it look more straight, and I was pretty satisfied with my hair for awhile. However, it still had that poofy frizzy look, and it never looked like other people's smooth, straight hair (at least, not to me). Here's what it usually looked like..

I was fine with that for the rest of the time that we lived in that state. I was blissfully unaware of the harmful effects blow-drying and using regular sulfate- and silicone-filled products would have on my hair. At least I never straightened it!

In late 2014, we moved back to the state we previously lived in. This is when my hair really began to bug me.. It had gotten a lot frizzier and more unmanageable! My guess is that it was because the water here is hard, and the water in our previous area was extremely soft. That's the only thing I can think of. But anyway, here's what it was looking like.

It had gotten wavier, poofier, & frizzier despite the fact that I was doing the same stuff and using the same products as usual. This is when I started doing research & discovered the curly girl method. I began to fall in love with curly hair and I was curious about how curly my hair could get, if it could even be curly at all. You see, I always just thought of my hair as slightly wavy. I knew my hair had some spunk in it (I always had a little curl where I parted my hair), so in the summer of 2015 (June 14th, to be more specific), I decided to go for it and try the curly girl method. To start it all off, I got a haircut. Just a trim, really, to rid myself of any split ends. Unfortunately, when the lady cut my hair, she did this thing where she slid the scissors down a section of my hair to "thin it out" or something so it wasn't so heavy.. I immensely regret letting her do that; this caused SO MUCH FRIZZ!!! All of those little hairs that are shorter than the rest now stick out everywhere. I have a feeling that once all of those shorter hairs have grown out, my hair will be a lot less frizzy.. But until then, I'll just have to deal with lots of frizz. Oh well. Here's what it looked like right after my haircut (I asked her to style it like curly hair). You can see the frizz..

Anyway, when I started the CG method, I was immediately happier with my hair (aside from the frizz because of the way the lady cut my hair); I was pleasantly surprised as loose curls began to slowly form in place of the slight waves that I was so used to having. After just one month of the CG method, this is what my hair looked like:

In my opinion, that's a major improvement. :)

It's been so exhilarating & freeing to embrace my curly hair; I absolutely love it, and I've learned so much in such a short time. I am amazed at how well my hair has reacted. It feels so much happier & healthier (and shinier!), and it's almost as if I'm letting it breathe for the first time in forever!! Allowing my hair to do what it does naturally has given me a new, refreshing confidence; I'm completely in love with my hair, and to be honest, that's something I've never really been able to say until I embraced my hair and let it go natural. I'm so glad I started the CG method, and I'm NEVER turning back. <3

Hopefully you've enjoyed reading about my "hair journey" (so far). :) Feel free to post about your own hair in the comments!!

-CK

I won a giveaway! :)

2015-08-04T20:20:00.004-04:00

Hi there! Welcome to Carefree Curls.

I recently won a giveaway from naturallycurly! I recieved these three products:

(Side-note: I took that picture. :D I'm practicing taking pictures of products.)

The products included in the prize were Vitalcurl Styling Gel (2.5 oz), Ultra-nourishing Cleansing Oil (8.5 oz), and Deep Treatment Curl Restoration (8.5 oz). I'm especially thrilled about the DT, and I'm very curious about the cleansing oil. :)

I'm super excited to try out these products! Reviews of each individual one will be coming soon! So, stay tuned <3

-CK

How to protect hair while sleeping

2015-08-02T20:27:00.004-04:00

Hi there! Welcome to Carefree Curls. :)

There are a few easy things you can do to protect your hair while you're sleeping. Here are a few quick tips on how to do so..

Use a satin/silk pillowcase

This is more gentle on your hair than a regular cotton pillowcase.

Wear a satin/silk sleep cap

This will help you not to smush your curls while you're sleeping! :)

Pineapple your hair

Pineappling your hair is easy; you basically just make a ponytail on the top of your head. It's actually really fun. ;)

It's as simple as that! Your curls will thank you in the morning. <3

-CK

Top 8 Hair Oils

2015-07-30T11:27:00.000-04:00

Hi there! Welcome to carefree curls. :)

Putting oils in your hair can be a great way to moisturize and add shine to your hair if used correctly. I'd like to list a few of the most popular oils (starting with a few that I personally love)!

Argan Oil

Oh my gosh this stuff is amazing. It adds shine, is easily absorbed so it doesn't weigh down the hair too much, and you barely need any of it (literally only 3-4 drops for my whole head of hair, and I have a lot of hair). I like to smooth the frizzy parts of my hair with this. My hair feels so much happier when I'm using Argan oil. ;) You can use it for DT's or to style your hair with. The only drawback with Argan oil is that it's pretty expensive (usually around $15-20 for 4 oz). However, it lasts a long time because a little really does go a long way!

Just so you know, when you're looking for Argan oil, DO NOT just go grab whatever product you see that looks like oil and says "Argan oil" on it. You want to look at the ingredients. Most "Argan oils"
have silicones and all sorts of other stuff in them. The best thing to do when looking for Argan oil is
find one that's cold-pressed and 100% Argan oil. Remember, always check the ingredients!

Olive Oil (extra virgin)

Okay, I admit, when I first heard of putting olive oil in my hair, I was a little grossed out. I eat it all the time because I live in an area with Italian food all around me! But on my hair? Ew. After doing more reading, though, I became more and more curious about what effects EVOO would have on my hair, and I decided to try it out. It works beautifully for deep treatments (like this one!) since it's a very moisturizing, heavy oil. I was pleasantly surprised! It also helps to seal in moisture.

Coconut Oil (extra virgin)

This is another oil that works beautifully for DT's like the one mentioned above. It's lighter than olive oil, but I wouldn't call it a light oil. It's a penetrating oil that gets moisture deep into your hair. :) My hair seems to really enjoy coconut oil.

(Those are the only oils I've been able to try on their own so far, so I may not have as much to say about the ones I'm about to mention. I'd like to eventually try all of them, though.)

Jojoba Oil

This is an oil that closely matches the oil (sebum) that your head produces; jojoba oil is pretty similar to Argan oil, but a bit cheaper and lighter. Since it closely matches the oils on your scalp, it can help prevent your scalp from overproducing oils and causing greasy hair. It's moisturizing, adds shine, and isn't a heavy oil, so it can be used for styling as well.

Grapeseed Oil

This is a light, moisturizing oil that can be used as a heat protectant when blow-drying, flat-ironing, or curling w/ a curling iron. It can strengthen hair & help with dry scalp issues.

Avocado Oil

This oil helps your hair grow, and it's very moisturizing.

Sweet Almond Oil

This is another good oil for hair that can be a good sealant to keep in moisture. Keep in mind that sweet almond oil is different than just almond oil!

Castor Oil

This oil is a heavier oil (which may be better for tighter coils) that helps to seal in moisture and add thickness to hair.

Those are all some great oils for your hair! Also, I didn't even talk about essential oils, which are also popular to use on hair. I still have no experience in the world of essential oils, so I decided not to talk about that in this post. Keep in mind that your hair might love some oils but hate others. For instance, I suspect that my hair strongly dislikes castor oil, but it obviously loves Argan oil. Think of it as though your hair has tastebuds. ;) It likes the flavor of some things, but not others! If you use any other oils, comment & I may them to the list! :) Hope you enjoyed this post.

-CK

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