“I started having babies with bad eczema and a lot of allergies,” Janell Stephens told us when we interviewed her for our new book, The Curl Revolution. “Nothing worked. We thought it might be environmental. We changed everything. I started paying attention to ingredients. I told my husband we needed to research ingredients and make products ourselves. Within two weeks of paying attention, the problems were gone.”
This attention to ingredients lead Stephens to solve not only her own childrens’ hair concerns, but the hair and skin concerns of women all over the world. “At Camille Rose, our customers are label readers. If you’re natural with your hair, you should be natural with your body as well.” As the founder and CEO of Camille Rose Naturals, which launched in 2011, Janell Stephens is responsible for cult favorites like the Coconut Water Leave In and her Almond Jai Twisting Butter.
She recently shared with us how she uses those products and a few simple techniques to create this gorgeous stretched look above on her fine, Type 4a/4b coils.
Step 1. Shampoo, Condition + Detangle
I Use CRN’s Sweet Ginger Cleansing Rinse to thoroughly cleanse my hair, focusing primarily on my scalp to break down any build up. I follow up with our Moroccan Pear Conditioning Custard to moisturize and detangle my hair.
Step 2. Apply Leave In
Then I apply CRN’s Coconut Water Leave In Treatment to freshly shampooed and conditioned hair, working the product through the strands from roots to ends.
Step 3. Stretch
I like to braid my hair into one big plait and letting it air dry. Once it’s at least 80% dry, I part my hair into 4 sections and apply our Almond Jai Twisting Butter to flat twist each section.
*Editor’s note: If you are new to flat twisting, it’s a technique used for stretching and defining the hair that’s similar to a twist out or braid out. The difference with a flat twist is that the hair is twisted lying flat against the head. You can learn how to do it here.
Step 4. Untwist + Fluff
I apply CRN’s Cocoa Nibs & Honey Growth Serum to the palm of my hands to unravel the flat twists. The Growth Serum works to minimize frizz and seal the strands. To finalize the look, sometimes I use a wand curler on medium heat to give less defined areas more definition, and I finish with the Ajani Growth and Shine Balm.
Are flat twists a part of your routine? Let us know in the comments below!
This article was originally published on December 14, 2017 with an incorrect quote that was not by Janell Stephens. It has been updated.
