Natural Hair FAQ's

The way I maintain it depends on the hairstyle. I don't do much though. When wearing puffs I usually throw a scarf around the hairline and place a stocking cap over that. For twists & braids I spritz with water before putting on my stocking cap and that's about it! There's no point in doing my hair at night - it will just get smashed from sleeping. :)

It depends on the size of my twists, and the length of my hair (since I'm always cutting it). At about 6-8 inches and it takes me about 15 min's. To do about 18 large twists and about 45
min's. To do about 40 twists. When my hair was longer, it took longer. Instead of using a comb, I use my fingers to part, so that helps cut down on the time. While twisting I just grab my bottle of Aloe Vera Gel or ORS Loc & Twist Gel, throw on one of my 'Sex and the City' DVD's and start twisting. ;)

• I'm the queen of the afro puff! There are many different things you can do to your puff to help change it up:

• Go to a craft store and purchase some cute little flowers to put in your hair. A flower on the side that matches your outfit will look really cute!

• Put some chopsticks in there.

• Wear some pretty fabric around your puff (lace, cowrie shells, hair ribbons etc).

• Wear some nice barrettes, hair clips or pendants.

• Put some flat-twists or cornrows in the front and let the puff hang out the back.

• Wear a couple of tendrils or twists in the front and/or on the sides to frame your face.

• Put a small part in the middle or on the side of your hair then put your hair into a puff.

• You can also change your the texture of your puff to make it look different. Try twist-outs, braid-outs, applying your product on soaking wet hair, fingercomb after drying, or
picking it out for different textured looks.

• Also, switch up the location on your puff. Place it at the top of your head, on the side for an 80's look (lol), in the mid-back and if you have longer hair, try placing your hair into a low puff near your nape. The sky's the limit when it comes to creating puffs!

Sure. These have been the best rollers I've come across. They come in various sizes and they are heavily padded all around, which makes them very comfortable to wear. I use these for straw sets, roller sets and or I want big Diana Ross hair. :) I start off by detangling my hair in the shower. When I get out I gently towel dry and I put some kind of moisturizer on all over my hair. Then I take small sections and put a dab of rollersetting lotion on the middle and ends of my hair. Then I smooth out my hair with my fingers, place the end of the roller at the end of my hair (the roller will be in the middle) and proceed to roll it up. When you get to the roots, bend the roller in half and criss-cross it to hold it in place. Just be sure you roller the hair in the right direction.

This is an example of the rollers I use:

This may not be the answer you are looking for but if you don't have curly hair, there isn't a product that will give you curly hair. Many products may claim to give you 'that curly look', but in reality those products are used to enhance the curls you already have. Please don't texturizer your hair. If you don't have curly hair, it will make your hair semi-straight/semi-nappy. For curly hair styles, check out my directions to an alternative shake and go look or do a straw set.

However, there are some tricks you can try to use such as applying your product(s) (gel, leave-in conditioner etc.) on soaking wet hair in the shower. Then you could either shake your head to let the excess water leave the hair and the separate the curls/coils or you can plop or scrunch the excess water out. Also do not touch your hair at all while drying and it will cause your hair to frizz.

It's very hard to recommend products because everyone's hair may respond differently. For example I may love a product. You may try it and hate it or vice versa. Even though our hair may look or act the same, it may not respond the same with products. I provided my detailed hair routine and a list of product reviews. You can use my experience with hair products as a guide. I know this really doesn't answer your question, but the key is to try out products and see how it reacts to your hair.

I personally don't think there is a strict answer to these types of questions since we're all different and do different things with our hair. I also believe it depends on your lifestyle and the outside temperature as well. So it's difficult to answer. I do a daily conditioner wash about everyday in the warmer months and in the cooler months once a week (sometimes more). I trim 1/2 inch off every 8 weeks like clockwork and my hair thanks me.

"Cones" is a term short for "silicones" and they are ingredients in some hair products that are not water soluble. When looking at the list of ingredients they end in the word "cone". Silicones are looked down on because they can cause build up and can left the hair with a film.