Glam Swagger

Twist out Results

2012-02-23T06:33:00.001-05:00

Here is my twistout using the Elasta QP Olive Oil and Mango butter moisturizer.

I wasn't feeling my hair out today. Bleh! Half up half down with a butterfly clip.
My hair feels sooo soft!

Elasta QB Olive Olive Oil & Mango Butter Moisturizer

2012-02-22T20:12:00.001-05:00

Why did I ever give this stuff up?! I used this daily the first 6 months of my natural hair journey.
Aside from smelling amazing, this stuff leaves my hair super soft and moisturized.

I twisted my hair with it tonight and I already know my twist out is going to be the bomb dot com tomorrow.
I unraveled one for a sneak peek :)

I think I got so caught up on trying new products as a natural newbie that I actually tossed something that works!
By the way...it's also a great alternative to gel for taming unruly edges!

Winter Wash & Go Tutorial

2012-02-15T19:11:00.000-05:00

I've been itching to do a wash & go! I definitely hate the repercussions of them (single strand knots, tangles, shrinkage) but I love seeing my natural texture. Oh and 1 other thing. Old man winter. Heading to work at 5am with wet hair is a no go, no ma'm not me. So I thought I'd share a new method I tried that eliminates most of the things us kinky curly girls struggle with.

Start with freshly washed, wet hair. I applied Curls "Quenched Curls" and Curls "Curls Milkshake" as a base.

If you have thick hair like me, you'll need a heavy gel. I used EcoStyler. Smooth this down 2-3 inch sections of your hair to define your curl pattern,

Loosely twist the section of hair keeping the ends smooth yet free. Repeat for the rest of your head. I ended up with about 8 twists.

I let it dry overnight. You can sit under a hooded dryer if you have one. This is what it looked like the next day.

I throw my hair in a high pony tail at night and spritz with water in the morning. Easy breezy!
Try it and let me know how it works for you :)

Twisted Sista Review

2012-02-08T19:09:00.000-05:00

Sooo when I said I was going to post this review over the weekend, clearly that meant Wednesday :)

Without further adieu here we go...

Twisted Sista De-frizz shampoo:

Claims: Gently cleanses hair without drying, smoothing away frizz and leaving hair soft, silky and static free.

Normal consistency, great foaming and a little goes a long way. It left my hair and scalp feeling squeaky clean but not stripped. I noticed my hair did feel smoother after using it.

Twisted Sista De-frizz conditioner:

Claims: Detangles, calms, soothes, conditions, leaving the hair ready to style-minus the frizz.

I used this immediately after the shampoo and detangled in sections. It didn't do anything special for me. Took a little longer to detangle because it doesn't have a lot of slip.

The consistency is fairly thick but it spreads easily and absorbs into the hair fairly fast. I actually prefer it as a leave in conditioner :)

Twisted Sista Curl Activator:

Claims: Puts the life back into tired, saggy curls. Delivering volume, bounce and curl definition to naturally curly, afro or permed hair.

Ok, I really didn't have my hopes up for this one because my hair is crazy and just cannot be tamed. Gels are the only products that enhance my natural curl pattern.

This product is creamy and pretty much just sat on my hair. If your hair is into creamy products this might be for you. As an added bonus it contains a UV filter to protect your hair from the sun and antioxidants.

Twisted Sista 30 second Curl Spray:

Claims: Revitalizes curls instantly.

Yes ma'am. I'd have to agree. This product was a winner for me. Very moisturizing spritz and it added shine to my tresses. It's the perfect curl re-fresher, and it smells amazing! Actually all of the products smell great. The scent is hard to describe but I like it. My only gripe is that the bottle is so small. Ya'll know I love my big bottles :D I went through that 5.07oz bottle in 2 weeks! The UV filter and antioxidants are also featured in this product. Sun damage is real!

Twisted Sista Different Strokes Serum:

Claims: Instantly eliminates frizz for both straight and curly hairstyles.

Does a great job of taming the frizz. Adds great shine as well. I used this on my hair both curly and straight.

Twisted Sista Blow Drying Creme:

Claims: Reduces blow drying time, protects hair from heat styling, hydrates hair and adds shine, adds volume, contains UV filter.

I really like this! Not sure why it's called a creme, it looks more like a gel to me. I digress! I used it when I was blow drying my hair straight and it definitely sped up the process. My hair dried faster and got straighter than it would without product.

***I was sent the Twisted Sista products for review. I was not paid and the opinions are my own***

Twisted Sista With A Twist & Curl

2012-02-02T17:45:00.000-05:00

I'm still on my mission to perfect Curly Nikki's "Twist & Curl."

I gave it another go this week with new products and a slightly different technique.

This is what I started with. Yes my hair was a mess. A hot hot kinky mess. Detangling was not fun, but a natural's gotta do what a natural's gotta do.

I washed, and conditioned with Twisted Sista de-frizz shampoo and conditioner.

I let my hair air dry overnight in 4 big twists. I was too tired to do anything else that day.

So the next day I spritzed my hair with the Twisted Sista 30 second Curl Spray. Yea the bottle was pretty much done! I went to town with this stuff on my mini twists lol. I ended up having to use water when I ran out. Sad times.

I then applied the Twisted Sista Curl Activator to each section and began twisting.

I stopped about 2 inches from the end and then twirled my hair around the rod. I used a bunch of different sizes because that's what I have.

The next morning I looked like someone's granny. Ahh shrinkage! I will never learn to love it. I don't care what anyone says, shrinkage is the devil!!

It was kinda cute when I shook it out though. Ha ha!

I used the Twisted Sista frizz serum to stop the fuzzies in their tracks.

Me likey!

I repeated the process last night and I like day 2 even better! My hair was a bit more stretch and seemingly more defined.

What ya think?

*I was sent the Twisted Sista products to review, however I was not paid and all opinions are truthful and my own*

full review on the products will be up this weekend! :)

Mini Twists Are Back!

2012-01-17T17:42:00.000-05:00

I've had them in for a week now, and the break is much appreciated. I plan to keep them in for at least another week and I may re-install them after that. I didn't do them as small as I usually do so it only took about 5 hours compared to the usual 15. My arms thanked me.
Here are a few styles I did this week!

I call this style the "Roll & Rock" tutorial coming soon!

Simple bun

My favorite style this week! Hanging flat twist w/ side bun

This is what I've been using to moisturize my twists. It's hands down the best curl refresher I've tried!

A full review on the 30 second curl spray and a few other Twisted Sista products is coming soon.

Also, look out for the tutorial on the "Roll & Rock" style! That should be up later this week :)

MyGlam Bag (January)

2012-01-13T17:04:00.001-05:00

Have you guys heard about MyGlam? I've talked about it on my YouTube channel, but I just had to write a post about it as well.
It's a monthly beauty bag started by YouTube beauty guru Michelle Phan.
The $10/month price lured me in. Shipping is free and you get 4-5 deluxe or full sized products in each bag. Oh and and all the products come in a cute little makeup bag every month.
This month's bag included a nail polish, cucumber face mask, Wen almond mint conditioner and a concealer duo.
All are full sized except for the Wen which is more than enough conditioner to use more than once.

I can't wait to try them out! Actually, in sitting here with the face mask on right now. It feels all tingly and cool :) Did I mention it just peels right off? Awesomeness!
Peep my vids on MyGlam or check out the website to sign up!

What Happens Between Washes

2012-01-08T11:21:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year! You can definitely see my color here.

Swagged Out Bun

Twist out Day 1 and 2

Twist out Day 3. Definitely time for a wash & trim. I think I'm in the mood for mini-twists. A little styling break would be nice for Thickums and I.

Stylist Spotlight: Nadia Vassell

2012-01-01T18:57:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year everyone! I recently interviewed NYC based hair stylist and salon owner Nadia Vassell about caring for natural hair.
Her work can be seen on numerous celebrities an in major publications including Essence, Black Sophisticate, and Uptown Magazine among others.

GlamSwagger: A lot of naturals take the DIY approach to hair care, what services do you recommend heading to the salon for?

Nadia: Natural hair is the new trend from major product companies formulating products the combat the concerns of the naturalistas. The services I recommend for naturalistas when visiting the salon are haircuts/trims and hair color services.
GlamSwagger Reader Submitted Question: "I want to color my hair, but I'm afraid of damaging my virgin strands, any advice on keeping hair healthy after it's been color treated?"
Nadia: One of the concerns of many is maintaining healthy hair after it has been colored. Natural hair tends to get dry and brittle, especially when you add a chemical service to the mix. Moisturize and condition the hair regularly. Follow the recommendations of your hairstylist. The less processed your hair, the healthier it is. Below are some of my favorite products for achieving and maintaining healthy hair:

Mizani Moisturefuse

Pantene Daily Oil Cream Moisturizer (From the Relaxed and Natural line)

Karen’s Body Beautiful- Complete Hair Conditioner and Hair Nectar leave-in conditioner.

GlamSwagger: Any tips on protecting the hair during the cold winter months?
Nadia: Try a dry shampoo, wear hats that are the right size, use cool or warm water when shampooing hair. Use a daily moisturizer and each time you shampoo, and apply leave-in conditioner.

GlamSwagger: How often do you recommend trimming the hair?
Nadia: Depending on the condition of your hair I recommend trimming the hair every 4-8 weeks.

For more information, feel free to check out her website!

Week In Review

2011-12-17T08:25:00.000-05:00

These photos pretty much sum up my week. Super busy and draining...but I try to stay glam despite the stress. Oh...about the Karite Special line giveaway! Hana aka 'Hitgirl' is the winner! Yay! Thanks to all who entered, more giveaways coming soon.

Quick Updo Tutorial

2011-12-10T20:56:00.000-05:00

Hope you all enjoy. Try it out and add your own swag to it!

*Oh and if you haven't entered to win a full set of hair products yet...do it!!*
Check this post for the details :)

Whoa!

2011-12-10T13:09:00.001-05:00

Twist out day 1...

Anyone else's hair do this?

Literally 2 days later and it's like tripled in size. I didn't retwist i put it into a high pony at night. Now I don't mind it being so big but why? How? Lol!

The Curls are Back In Town!

2011-12-04T07:49:00.001-05:00

I missed my hair so much! That break was much needed though. So was this change...
I chopped my bangs!! Those long floppy things had to go! I filmed a video
during the process and I'm not gonna lie, I freaked out for a little bit. But, I love the end result!
I also colored my hair. *Gasp* I probably should have went to a salon, but I just couldn't wait. I neeeeded it. The color is a deep auburn. You can really see it indoors but it's pretty bright in the sun. Perfecto!
Love love love it!

Giveaway! nuNAAt Karite Special Line

2011-12-03T19:51:00.000-05:00

Hey ladies! Here's a chance for you to win some swag. I'm giving away a set of products from the nuNaat Karite Special line. It includes a shampoo, conditioner, detangling leave in, a deep conditioning hair mask and an anti-frizz heat protectant.
Interested in trying them out? Just make sure you're subscribed to my YouTube channel and my blog via Google Friend Connect. All you have to do is shoot me an email at glamswagger at gmail dot com with your username for Google and YouTube.
That's it! Good luck to all who enter. I will announce a winner on Tuesday, December 13th.
**This giveaway is for U.S. residents only**

Having Your Weave Called Out...

2011-12-01T13:58:00.000-05:00

Would you be embarrassed if someone called you out on your weave in public? A tv news anchor in Virginia was put on blast recently by her male co-anchor during a joke about the sprinkler system going off. He commented about it ruining her "beautiful weave" and man the look on her face was priceless. She exclaimed "It's not a weave!" LOL clearly it was but I guess that was her first instinct reaction.
Both anchors walked off the set during the awkward exchange. (A tv producers nightmare! Not sure what I would have done.)
The incident went viral on the internet and the pair put together a video a few days later explaining the incident. The embarrassed co-anchor goes into detail about why she wears weaves and even shows off her bodacious fro. Check it out!

Coarse Dame Crochet

2011-11-14T17:19:00.001-05:00

The cold Winter months are quickly approaching :( While I'm not a fan of the frosty temps there are a few things I love about the season.
Scarves, hats, and boots!
My girl CoarseDame has us covered on a least two of those things. She is a crochet artist and handmakes hats, gloves, scarves, earrings and even headbands!! I remember seeing some items she posted on Twitter and thinking "oh how cute!"

I remember this adorable sock monkey hat in particular that she made for her *then* unborn daughter.
After many failed attempts at teaching myself how to crochet, I'm just gonna leave it to the pros for now.
Here are a few items she has available for purchase.

If you see something you like but want a different color, she's able to do that as well with the turn around time being about a week.
Check out the site and if you see anything you like, take 15% off using my promo code: GlamSwagger
There's also a free shipping sale going on Black Friday.
Her prices are very affordable, you can't beat this deal for something one of a kind handmade!

Royal Purple Eyeshadow Tutorial

2011-11-14T09:33:00.000-05:00

Hey guys! I just uploaded my first eyeshadow video to YouTube! Check it out if you want to see how I created the look.

***Thanks to all who left comments/tweets of support regarding my protective style struggles :)

Protective Style Struggles

2011-11-12T18:34:00.000-05:00

**Warning** Rant ahead...I miss my curls ya'll!

P.S. If you want to see posts non hair related let me know! I have tons of stuff to share, makeup, fashion, dating :) I'd rather not share if no one is interested though lol

I've Cheated On My Lover

2011-11-04T21:57:00.001-04:00

Ok y'all knew I was using the conditioner, but "what had happened was" lol the shampoo was at Marshall's too so I said why not?!
It's a great value and my hair feels just as great as if I used my Shikai shampoo.
Neither shampoo contains sulfates so my hair doesn't feel stripped.
It smells citrusy just like the conditioner. I looooove that it comes in a large size with a pump. To be honest, large sizes are a necessity for me at this point. I can't play around with these sample sizes most companies are offering, I have a lot of hair!!
*I was not paid for this review, all products purchased with my own moolah and this is my honest review*

Miss Me Much?!

2011-10-29T13:27:00.001-04:00

I am a procrastinator. I think about blogging everyday and I put it off until later and later never happens! I'm on a new shift at work and so I really have to put myself on a schedule now.
Anyway! How have you guys been? I took my sew in out as you can see from the pic above. My hair is at an awkward length right now and needs to be cut/shaped badly! All my styles just look "off."
So I decided to weave it back up again! I needed something super low maintenance so I opted for straight hair.

I'm so happy I don't have to wet/fuss with my hair at 4a.m. anymore (yes you read that correctly! I'm yawning just typing it.) Also, wetting my hair every morning is a no-go. It's 30 degrees and snowing already! So it'll be straight for awhile. I want to try senagalese twists next but my last attempt was a #fail lol I'll figure it out soon.
Oh! I celebrated my birthday this week too. Team Scorpio! I pranced around in sequins and a tutu with polka dot tights. It was awesome. Here are the "Crunkcakes" my friend bought me. So yummy and buzz inducing!

World's Largest Afro Goes To...

2011-10-17T16:13:00.001-04:00

Aevin Dugas holds the Guiness World record for the largest afro! The hair was fierce and she was super sweet :)
I stopped by the Koils by Nature "Natural Hair is Not a Fad" event here in the DC area this weekend and she was one of the attendees.
Shout out to Natural NouNou for the free ticket!
The event was very fun and informative. The ladies from The Damn Salon were in attendance looking fab!
Several workshops were held and a number of vendors also set up displays with their products.

These are a few samples from my swag bag! The full size products were not included but were gifted to me :) gotta love free-99!

Oh yea, the weave is out! For a limited time only though. My hair is already getting on my nerves. I'll be wearing buns until my next style!

PS Length Check Month 2

2011-10-09T10:00:00.001-04:00

It's time for the October check in! Time is flying with this protective style challenge.
Less than 1 month to go...and I'm seriously starting to miss my hair.
I know I'm only saying that because I'm bored with this weave though lol. I want a different look. I'm planning to continue protective styling after this challenge with the good hair blog. Still debating on between a straight weave or senegalese twists (I've never done them but I plan to teach myself!) lol
Anyway here are the length check pics.

August-October

The 1st two shots from the back are both from August, I didn't take pics of the back last month.

This last pic just shows a little shrinkage. My hair is still wet.

Weave Care Part 2 (Blending)

2011-10-01T11:41:00.001-04:00

Hello ladies! I've posted part 2 of my video series on weave care. This vid shows my blending method as well as some products I've used.

P.S. Peep my "get your freak on" tag video...I must warn you my singing is horrible!

Still Steaming!

2011-09-29T18:04:00.001-04:00

My Huetiful hair steamer is still being put to work ladies! It's part of my regimen to keep MY hair under the weave moisturized.
I do my shampoo and conditioning routine then sit under the steamer for 20 minutes.
Trust me when I say that steam penetrates! Those of you who own a steamer know what I mean.
Besides the moisturizing effects, the creator of the Huetiful says it's helpful for those wearing protective styles.
I had the opportunity to talk with him during a conference call with bloggers a few weeks ago and he explained that the steam and UV from the steamer also helps rid any bacteria that may be left on the scalp. This can become an issue for some can't throughly cleanse the scalp due to braids, weaves, etc.
Remember a healthy scalp = healthy hair!

Natural Hair Meet-up At TGIFridays!

2011-09-27T06:13:00.001-04:00

I had the pleasure of attending a natural hair meet-up over the weekend. It was the first one where I actually got to enjoy being a participant and not a host!! Alex from The Good Hair Blog and Art from Natural Nou Nou hosted the event along with Jocelyn from Curly Nu Growth.
Great food and natural hair conversation :)
No one left empty handed and I hit up Alex for a couple of her handmade bracelets.

Can't wait until the next one! If you're in the DC/Baltimore area sign up for the meet-up group so you don't miss the next one. I'd love to see you there!