Online SpotLight: FaithfullyBeautiful

Kandy

Online SpotLight: FaithfullyBeautiful

As you may know when it comes to products I try to use natural products. Lately Ive been searching for more natural products at a reasonable price. FaithfullyBeautiful is a online store that sells things such as T-Shirts,

 Lip Balm, 

Aromatherapy Candles,

 and Bath Bombs with yummy scents. 

Did I mention everything was reasonably priced, and all natural...yea I did, but that's what makes me love their products. 

Stop by and show some <3 (love) to FaithfullyBeautiful and check out their site, let them know KandyLandKurls sent ya!

Celebrity Look-A-Like Style: Circle Braid

Kandy

Celebrity Look-A-Like Style: Circle Braid

If you watched the billboard awards, you may remember seeing Alicia Keys hairstyle. She rocked an elegant updo style. I wanted to recreate the style, with naturally curly hair. 

Since N's hair is so thick, I had to work in sections. 

1.) I started by putting her hair into 6 sections. 3 on the top of her hair, 1 in the middle, and 2 at the bottom.

Note: Being that we are in the final week of  BBB's Protective Style Challenge. I had to follow the rules, and could not use rubberbands to secure the section, so I used all black hair ties.

2.) Starting with the top section I created a braid. Make sure to braid rather loosely.

3.) As I got closer to the next section, I connected and grabbed another section of the hair (like you would when cornrowing) and added it to the braid.

4.) I continued step #3 which is (braiding one section, then connecting it to the next section) throughout her hair, forming a circle.

5.) Once I reached the final section, I tucked the left over hair/ends, around the braid to hide it. 

Note: If your circle is not flat, try using bobbypins to secure the hair. Also use rubberbands to hold each section, it may look a tad neater. 

Side Cornrows With Twists: Updated

Kandy

Side Cornrows With Twists: Updated

This weekend I decided to let her hair down. Well, twists down lol, for a really cute twist out. 

I simply unravel the twists, and don't mess/comb it.  

Can even rock it in a side pony. 

Hair is so versatile, don't be afraid to switch up your style throughout the week. 

Natural Hair Care Brands Sold In Stores

Kandy

Natural Hair Care Brands Sold In Stores

Lately I been asked many times "where can I find____ ? (<--fill in natural brand here.) I thought this may make things easier. I put together a list of popular natural hair care brands sold in major stores. For some that prefer to shop in stores VS online, this post is for you.

Walmart:

Shea Moisture

Beautiful Textures

Organix 

Taliah Waajid

Target:

Cara B Naturally

Kinky Curly

Curls

Shea Moisture

Mixed Chicks 

Jane Carter

Giovanni

Yes to Carrots 

Burt Bee's

Miss Jessies

CVS:

Organix

Walgreens:

Shea Moisture

DevaCare

Taliah Waajid

Check your local stores, brands may vary by location.

If you know of some more brands, please list them below, let's keep this list growing.

-Happy Shopping-

Side Cornrows With Twists

Kandy

Side Cornrows With Twists

 We are now on week 4 of the BeadsBraidsBeyond Protective Style Challenge. I did a simple side style with cornbraids and twists. We only had 1 hour to do this style.

I started in the front, and created 5 side cornbraids.

In the back of her hair, I made medium sized two strand twists. I grabbed random sections, without parting. Then I wet the section, applied Beija Flor Naturals Creme Brulee, and twisted.

It has been rainy and humid all last week, and on & off this week. Her hair is more frizzier than normal (sigh.) But I'm looking on the bright side! Because this summer's heat is going to be torture.

Check out the shrinkage in the ponytail. 

Products Used: 

Beija Flor Naturals Creme Brulee (to style)

Bee Mine Luscious (prior to twisting for moisture)

Homemade Shea Butter (to seal)

Hair Growth

Kandy

Hair Growth

I started N's hair journey in October 2010. The first picture shows her hair back in December 2010, her hair was shoulder blade length. Now in May 2012 the second picture shows how far we came along. 

We didn't use some magical potion lol. We just switched to "mostly" all natural products, did alot of protective styling (without a ton of beads & etc,) learned how to properly detangle, maintained a good balance of water, vitamins, and veggies in her diet. Once you create a good hair care regimen, your hair will flourish as well! 

Big thanks to all who have followed our journey from the start, and all of the love and encouraging words!

Protective Styling

Kandy

Protective Styling

In February we hosted a Protective Style Challenge, and now we are participating in Beads Braids & Beyond Protective Style Challenge. I plan on keeping N's hair in protective styling throughout the summer. During our 2 month challenge N's hair has grown quite a bit, and so has a few other members. This is one of the many reasons why I love protective styling! Also not having to style daily is a major plus! 


I wanted to explain in detail, what is the purpose of these styles and the differences.


Protective Styles: Are when your ends are protected against the elements, such as rubbing against your clothing, climate, and etc. The ends of your hair are the oldest part of your hair, and need extra TLC in order to help you retain your hair length. There are two categories of protective styles: low manipulation and no manipulation.


Low Manipulation: Low manipulation styles are styles that require some daily manipulation, and little to no combing. Styles such as braidouts, twistouts are low manipulation, but they may require some manipulation, such as re-twisting or re-braiding to keep the style looking good.  


No Manipulation: No manipulation are styles that require no daily work. Just a simple moisturize and go style.
 


The key to these styles being beneficial to you, is to keep them in long enough to retain length. I typically try to keep N's hair in the style for 2 weeks. Leaving the hair in the same style for long periods of time can lead to matting and build up. Also it's not good to neglect your hair, make sure to wash, moisturize and care for your hair while its in the protective styles.  Also change up the style, parting the hair in the same spots can lead to thinning of that area. 


Here are some examples of styles with no manipulation and low manipulation.


No Manipulation:

Twists
Braids
Cornbraids
Flat Twists
Wigs
Bantu Knots
Weaves


Low Manipulation: 

Braid Outs

Twist Outs

Roller Sets

Afro

Buns

French Braids

Updo's

Wash & Go's

-What's your favorite low and no manipulation style?  

Flower Braid & Mohawk

Kandy

Flower Braid & Mohawk

(click on photos to enlarge) 

I pre-pooed, washed, conditioned, and put her hair into 4 braids to dry overnight. 

In the morning, I removed the braids. I saw this cute flower on a youtube video, and a friend at N's school had his hair cut into a mohawk. So N begged me to put a mohawk in her hair too. I decided to do both styles, why not?! lol

Starting in the back of her hair, I created one braid on the left, going to the center of her hair. I stopped the braid once I reached the center. I did the same thing on the right and stopped at the center. Also I wanted to do uneven sized braids to create the mohawk. One braid is small, the next is big (and repeat) to create that effect. 

Once I reached the top section of hair. I used eco styler gel and a black hair tie, to create a simple side ponytail. Inside the ponytail I made 4 braids.

To create the flower petals, I create a simple loop by using one of the 4 braids. I tucked it into the hair tie. I continued doing this to each of the 4 braids. Since her hair is long, I had to create 2 loops with one braid. I wrapped the ends of her hair around the hair tie to hide them. 

FYI: You can use a bobby pin to secure the flower petals to the scalp. 

Here is the tutorial I used to create the flower. I made ours larger, since N's hair is thicker. 

The tutorial says to use a rubberband to create the flower petals, but since we are in the BeadsBraidsBeyond Protective Style Challenge, I could not use rubberbands. Instead I used a black hair tie to secure the flower petals.   

I finished her mohawk by creating one large braid. 

*Bonus Pic* Our new 8 week old chihuahua! 

N's Mini Twist: Week 2

Kandy

N's Mini Twist: Week 2

We just finished week 2 of her mini twists, and I'm glad they are gone lol. Her hair was extra frizzy this week, especially in the front. I usually mix Bee Mine Curly Butter (I ran out) with Eco Styler Gel for the perfect hold, but I had to use just the gel this time. -sad face- It took me 2 hours to remove the twists, and I had to wet them with my spray bottle to help the twists unravel. 

(click on photo to enlarge) 

Online SpotLight: Miss Zee's Coloring Book

Kandy

Online SpotLight: Miss Zee's Coloring Book

Can you think of any popular character that catered to young black girls when we were young?...I can't. 

The idea for Miss Zee's coloring books originally came about when I couldn't find any coloring books that contained characters with the likeness of my daughter, Zee. (Zee has medium brown skin and dark, puffy afro hair.) This resulted in me only buying her coloring books that contained images of non-human like characters like Hello Kitty. However, coloring books with human-like characters that had straight hair and white skin (when in color) were purchased for her by family members anyway. Rather than throwing those books away, I taught Zee how to create more diverse images by coloring them in different shades (including one similar to her's) and how to draw on afros, to prevent her for from feeling guilt for not looking like these characters, as I did as a child.

I then realized that having to alter lines in a coloring book was far too much for a child to have to do. The image should already be there for one to color as-is. To combat this issue, I took it upon myself to create her a character that she could relate to.

After I finished the first couple of coloring pages that I made for Zee's custom coloring book, I decided to upload them online for free of charge. I then received many requests to make a book like this widely available. Since getting coloring books printed is not something that my current income can support, I created a Kick Starter page to help make this possible. If you would like to see a coloring book like this made available, please make a pledge to out Kick Starter by going here. 

-This is such a wonderful idea, to finally see children with different features and colors. The Miss Zee's project needs to raise more funding to kickstart it. We all can help by spread the word about this project. Thanks Miss Gee for reaching out to us, and we wish you the best on your endeavor. 

SpotLight: Dezarai

Kandy

SpotLight: Dezarai

Check out these lovely photos of Dezarai's hair!

Isn't she a cutie! and Cheri is doing a marvelous job on her hair! The design is HOT! 

Thanks so much for sharing! 

-If you would like to see your child on the next SpotLight click here to see how!-

Mini Twists Length Check

Kandy

Mini Twists Length Check

We are now on week 2 of the mini twists. They are holding up very well. Each night I add moisturizer and seal her hair. Her twists love to curl for some strange reason. So I either band her hair at night, or I pineapple her hair. She wears her scarf for bathing (so it won't get wet) and sleeping. I will probably take them down this weekend.

While creating her twists, I decided to do a length check. I couldn't find our tape measure, so we used body parts to determine her growth. Surprisingly her hair now reaches her "bottom." If you remember on New Years we set a length goal for the year. Our goal was to reach "bottom length" and we are there! I thought it would take all year. Now we have to set a new goal, I think I would like for her hair to be more fuller on the "bottom" and our second goal (this is a dream) but waist length. I plan on measuring again by the end of the summer, so we shall see.....

Take a look at her "bottom/butt length" 

Had to use a bow to hold it down, hard to take a pic and hold the hair at the same time lol.

I also have to share that Little Miss N, has offically learned how to do a two strand twist. She grabbed her Dora doll and created several twists. I had to take a picture, I'm so proud!  

She even finished the final twist in her hair!

Hair Porosity

Kandy

Hair Porosity

I hear so many people ask the question, "What curl type does my child have?" This is good to know, but when choosing products to buy to moisturize your hair, porosity is more important to know.

Porosity simply put, is referring to the hair and it's ability to absorb moisture, and determines how damaged your hair is. So why is this so important? Because you may be dishing out money on the wrong products and still experience issues, which equals a waste of your money! 

High Porosity means your hair allows a lot of moisture in. 

Low Porosity means that your hair is resistant to moisture. 

The simplest way to test your hair's porosity is to take the "Floating Hair Test" 

1.) Take a couple strands of your shed hair, and drop them into a bowl of water.

2.) Let them sit in the bowl for 2-4 minutes, do not touch or disturb them. 

3.) Observe the hair, if your hair is floating on top of the water, you have low porosity. If your hair is sinking, you have high porosity.

-Normal and low porosity hair will stay afloat for 2 minutes.-

-The higher the porosity the faster it will sink.-

Now what?....

High porosity hair needs protein. The hair strand has tiny holes, that occurred because of some damage being done to the hair examples: chemical services (relaxers, texturizers, bleaching, coloring that involves lifting the hair with hydrogen peroxide and/or ammonia, etc), environmental factors, or harsh and rough manipulation from combing, brushing, etc. Light protein can fill in those holes. The protein is like a patch job, there is nothing that will totally fix the damaged hair. But knowing how to prevent further damage to the hair is important.  High porosity hair can have a tendency to absorb HUGE amounts of moisture. So much that the hair can start to become frizzy. Breakage can occur if the hair is allowed to absorb an excessive amount of moisture.

Low Porosity hair needs help to retain moisture. Humectants and heat, will help to condition and moisturize their hair.  A sign of that would be it takes a while for the hair to actually "feel wet" when water is poured over it. For kids, and those who do not want to use a hooded dryer for heat. Put a shower cap over the hair while conditioner is on it. Then place a hot/warm towel over the shower cap. The towel is heating up their hair. Or you can place a winter hat over the shower cap, after 20 minutes the body heat will warm up their hair. Another way to heat their hair, is to let the steam from the shower heat up their hair, give them a portable video game, or etc, and have them sit in the bathroom with the door closed, the steam will heat the hair.

-So is what type are you?  

Mini Twists

Kandy

Mini Twists

Yup you got it, we are back to mini twists, our new favorite protective style. All this month we will be participating in BeadsBraidsBeyond Protective Style Challenge, I must say it came at the perfect time! I plan on keeping N's hair in protective styles throughout the summer. Last time I did mini twists, well they weren't as small as this time.

(Click on the photo to enlarge)

On Sunday, I washed, deep conditioned, blowdried (on cool) and banded her hair into 5 sections. I began creating small mini twists within each section. We started her hair around 1:00 ish, and finished at 8:30. Longest ever! I usually wash and prep the hair the night before styling. But I did everything in one shot. I plan to keep these in for 3 weeks. 

Products Used: 

Shea Moisture Shampoo

Blended Beauty Herbal Reconditioner

Giovanni Direct Leave In

Shea Butter Mix

Eco Styler Gel

(maintenance throughout the week) 

Cara B Naturally Leave In

Blended Beauty Hair Oil

We Were Featured On Afrolatinas

Kandy

We Were Featured On Afrolatinas

AfroLatinas is a site dedicated to all of the Spanish speakers, who have curls & afro textured natural hair. 

Being that my kids N & L are half Latino. We wanted to reach out to the children and Mom's, so thank you so very much AfroLatinas! and be sure to check them out for hair tips, makeup, and much more.