The Twirly Bun

This bun has been my go-to hairstyle for the past couple of holidays. You know those times when you need your hair to look its best and it falls through? That doesn't happen with this bun.

This bun is for the curly who:

• wants an intricate-looking updo
• loves compliments on her hair
• woke up with hair that looks less than perfect
• has about five minutes to make herself look presentable
• has at least ten bobby pins lying around
• doesn't mind losing half of said bobby pins in her hair until the next co-wash time

Seriously, this is the easiest bun you will try. I did this in the car the other day without a mirror (not while driving - I carpool). You don't even have to have long hair to do it!

Pull your hair into a ponytail.

Grab a section of hair.

Twist it.

Pin it.

Repeat. I usually work from the outside in.

You end up with something like this:

Accessorize

Complete!

A Magical Combination

This week, something crazy happened. I got legitimate, looks-like-I-just-washed-today 3rd day hair. That doesn't happen... at all.

And that's not all. Here's what my hair lasted through:

• Two nights in a modified pineapple
• One night of just plain sleeping on it (Got home too late on Tues night to wash; I figured I would put it up on Wednesday)
• Two days of horribly high humidity. It was so bad that I felt like I was on the Gulf Coast.
• A day of crazy storms, which included lots of high winds and being rained on

My hair did get a little flat (which is normal for me in high humidity), but for once it actually stayed pretty defined. The most impressive part of all of this for me was waking up Wednesday morning and actually being able to leave the house without putting it up. That never happens. Ever.

Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures. But I'm glad I found a new combination for high humidity/windy/rainy days:

• Shampoo - Organix Pomegranate Guava low-poo
• Rinse-out - GVP Conditioning Balm
• Darcy's Botanicals Natural Coils Curling Jelly
• BRHG (generous amounts)
• Curl Junkie Curls in a Bottle!
• Garnier Fructis Curl Spray Gel

Each day, I sprayed with a little water and then a little of the GF Curl Spray Gel. Works like a charm!

Short Update

I'm still here! Work has been crazy, and though I've had a few posts bouncing around in my head for a couple of months I obviously have yet to sit down and type. I'll work on that.

Here's what my hair is looking like these days:

I haven't gotten it cut since the beginning of February (when I last posted), and even then it was barely a trim. I've trimmed a few layers myself since then, but it's largely untouched.

This picture was taken this past weekend (Saturday night). We took a short trip to the east coast for a family event. I washed my hair Thursday night and took no hair products with me! We didn't check any bags and I didn't want to go through the pain of divvying up products into little containers to get through security. Luckily it lasted through Sunday when we returned. Isn't that awesome? I attribute it all to the low-poo and PT I did Thursday. Magic.

Productless

Happy February! I just got my hair cut tonight (a trim - my ends needed it badly!) and as usual, left with wet, productless hair. It was almost dry by the time I got home.

I'm not really in the mood for washing and doing the whole routine. I was going to straighten, but I'm tempted to just leave it like this for tomorrow (minus the frizz). Most people who ask about my hair seem to think it has magical properties because they have "bad" hair that "doesn't cooperate" and "could never look like that." This would show them! Oh the power of a good gel and diffuser...

Behold: The Power of Protein

Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year! I know I haven't been updating as much like I wanted to - things have been unbelievably busy this month. This is the first week I've been able to sit and take a breath!

For the past few months, I've been experimenting with protein treatments. I started making my own after reading the thread by IAgirl on NC during the summer. I love that you can customize it easily. Mine is very basic, but works unbelievably well. I never thought that protein would be a big deal for my hair (what with a sensitivity and all) but now I can't live without it.

There's a point every two or three weeks where it becomes very apparent that my hair needs a stronger shot of protein. This week happened to coincide with a much needed low-poo (while I've dropped the sensitivity to protein, I haven't been as lucky with oils, which are prevalent in SS FHG and Darcy's coiling jelly). So I washed with a low-poo (Organix), toweled off with a few flour sack towels, and applied my treatment.

Here's my recipe:
1 packet of gelatin mixed with about half a cup of boiling water. While it's cooling, I add about a teaspoon of ACV and three or four drops of neutral protein filler from Sally's.

After I apply, I blow-dry it on high with medium heat until it's pretty crunchy. Then I continue the washing routine as normal, except I usually use a heavier rinse-out. This time I used GVP Conditioning Balm (didn't want to use anything with oil in it).

My hair usually doesn't look much different on the day of a PT, even if I use all of my regular styling products. I think I used CJ Pattern Pusha and my old Aussie Instant Freeze. I had some ok curls, but not a lot of volume.

Then I washed again yesterday. I don't have any recent pictures on my phone, but my hair is about four inches below my shoulders when dry and six inches when wet (closer to BSL). I haven't gotten a haircut since early October. I was definitely not expecting this:





This is styled with Spiral Solutions Firm Hold Gel (love love love this!), BRHG, and CJ Curls in a Bottle! I also used V05 Silk Champagne and GVP CB. I know these aren't the best pictures and I should have waited longer, but I was very excited (these are just after SOTC).

I love this! It feels like I got a haircut. I'm definitely going to do protein treatments more regularly! Do you make your own PT?

Curl Junkie Curls in a Bottle!

Price: $18 for 12 oz. I believe I purchased this last spring at aveyou, so I got some sort of a deal with good shipping.

Claim: A lightweight liquid styling gel/serum with a light hold. Adds shine and helps to tame frizz. Also enhances and defines curls.

How I use it: I've tried this a few different ways. In the beginning, I was thrown off by the reference to being a gel. I tried to use it like I do all light-hold gels - as a curl enhancer. This doesn't really enhance. Next I tried this as a 2nd day refresher. It didn't help much; it actually hurt. It made my hair hard and more straight. I've tried using it after diffusing a while to help set gel; all I did was end up SOTC, which made my hold disappear and hair look horrible. Lately I've been using it as a serum after I plop with BRHG and right before diffusing.

Pros:
* Helps cut down on frizz
* Adds a little shine, at least in the beginning of the day
* Smells nice
* A lot goes a long way; like most CJ products, this will last a while
* It's working well in the winter (the season I figured out how to use it!)

Cons:
* No enhancement
* No hold
* I've only found one way to use this, and I'm not sure it's something I need to use

Final Thoughts:
This is good for someone who has problems frizz or dull-looking hair. I wouldn't use this if you're a wavy-curly looking for enhancement, because you won't find any here. The bottom line is: Do you really need a serum? And should you spend $18 on one? I'm not really a serum person - I never was one before I went CG. I think cold water works really well for me to reduce frizz and add shine. I probably didn't need to buy this product as it's just ok for me.

(Blogger is being weird, so hopefully this uploads and looks ok! If so I'll be adding some more posts in the coming days!)

I'm Back!

I know, I know... I've been a bad blogger...

I'll be making it up to you in December with a few reviews....