Search Results: Peniel Tovar

By Peniel Tovar · Published September 30, 2015

I think it’s safe to say that men and women of all hair types will agree that embracing their natural texture has taught them to listen to their hair. Doing this has led us to creating many unique practices, like co-washing, oil sealing, the LOC method, and clarifying with apple cider vinegar.

What is a pre-poo?

A “pre-poo” is a treatment, typically with oil or conditioner, applied to hair before shampooing or cleansing. It can help provide your hair with moisture and prep your hair for detangling. Many curlies mix their own pre-poo (check out this olive oil pre-poo“>, and then massage it into the scalp and apply it to the hair’s length. You can leave your pre-poo in 15 minutes before you shower or even overnight, depending on what your hair needs.

Do you need to pre-poo?

Whether you have never pre-pooed before or you do not see the point in it, here is a list of signs that may indicate your hair needs a pre-poo.

1. A Bunch Of Breakage

This is a curly girl’s worst enemy. A lot of breakage usually happens during the cleansing process inside the shower; the vigorous rubbing can cause hair strands to rub up against each other and rip. Pre-pooing the hair can lubricate the hair strands and protect them from ripping easily. In the long run, the treatments can contribute to length retention by protecting the hair during the cleansing process.

2. Squeaky Scalp

We all like to have a clean scalp, but nothing makes me cringe more than that horrid squeaky feeling after cleansing my hair. For some people, that squeaky sound is the sound of a job well don. It lets me know, however, that my detangling process afterwards is going to be full of knots and pain. If you want to avoid that squeaky feeling, pre-pooing will do just the trick. By lubricating your hair before washing it the cleanser won’t be able to remove all your sebum, most of its suds will only work through the pre-poo, thus retaining moisture in your hair.

3. Suffering Slow Growth

If you plan to grow your hair ‘faster’, adding a pre-poo to your washing regimen will be your best bet. As you massage the treatment onto your scalp, you promote blood circulation. This helps deliver more nutrients to your hair follicles thus helping to promote longer, thicker curls. Massaging will also help grow back your baby hairs and receded hairlines. A popular hair growth pre-poo is Jamaican Black Castor Oil.

4. Tons Of Tangles

If you find yourself constantly struggling with knots and tangles in the shower, a pre-poo can loosen your tangles by lubricating and softening your hair. You can also finger detangle your hair before the shower with a pre-poo to get rid of any big knots.

Do you pre-poo?

By Peniel Tovar · Published September 21, 2015

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A video posted by Singi Vo-Peters (@singi.vo.peters”> on Sep 5, 2015 at 8:17pm PDT

Move aside, ombre and balayage–there’s a new girl on the block of modern hair trends and she’s stepping out making her own bold moves.

You may already be familiar with the trendy “mermaid” or “unicorn” hair colors.

Although mermaid hair is a close cousin, opal hair is way different. The latest hair coloring trend was created by a talented hair colorist by the name of Aura Friedman from Sally Hershberger Salon. The origin of her idea was sparked by the inspiration of a beautiful and mystifying stone, the Opal gemstone. Fun fact: The Opal is the national gemstone of Australia and the birthstone for October babies.

OPAL HAIR COLOR CREATOR, AURA FRIEDMAN

How to get opal hair

The hair is to be bleached as light as possible (or as light as desired”> and the base color is a pearly hue which serves to emulate the mesmerizing translucency of the opal gemstone. After the pearly layer is applied, you can add any (and all of the”> pastel color that your heart desires–pink, green, purple, blue, red, orange, and yellow. If you want to get really creative, ask your colorist to mix the dyes and create a unique color combination to rock something no one else will have.

Unique, bold, and beautifully crafted, this hair color is everything packaged in one look. The only downsides to having this hair are pretty obvious–possible damage and upkeep. This look requires tedious retouching to keep the colors looking fresh, although the colors don’t really look that bad as they fade away because it adds to the opaque gemstone effect.

If you need inspiration for your stylist/colorist, check out these 5 awesome girls who rock opal hair:

@TasselFairy

Amina Mucciolo is a fashion and lifestyle blogger and she often refers to herself as a mermaid and unicorn. This black beauty rocks long luscious locs in many cute cotton candy colors.

@Larayia

Larayia Gaston is a creative director on apuletown.com and she rocks long locs in the colors blue, mint, pink, purple, magenta and pearl white.

@nailart_nailedit

This awesome lady has a photography account on instagram and a cool nail art blog, too. She is rocking simple opal hair and her pearl undertone hue is spot on.

@singi.vo.peters

Singi Vo-Peters is a hairstylist and colorist in the heart of Texas. She likes to go big with the newest hair trends and she tried out opal hair on one of her clients @tyler_leann and the result was a gorgeous rose pink mixed with streaks of blue and green.

@_rchlelzbth

Rachael Phizacklea has a YouTube channel where she posts vlogs and tutorials on her hair dye experiments. Here is her latest dye job and it’s a beautiful pearl blue with streaks of magenta, green and pink.

Opal hair= Yay or nay? Let us know what you think.

By Peniel Tovar · Published September 14, 2015

PHOTO COURTESY OF ABC.NET

As if Australia wasn’t awesome enough already giving us the amazing gift of tea tree oil, we now have another great plant that we can rave about and reap health benefits from.

Northern Australia is native to the ever strange Kakadu Plum fruit. We all have witnessed a fruit becoming ripe and then falling off of the plant. This one, however, stays on the plant long after it has ripened. Despite its name, the Kakadu Plum is actually more closely related to an almond nut than a regular plum that we are familiar with. Its most distinguishable, sought-after feature is its vitamin C content–it contains more than any other food on planet Earth.

The Australian Government’s Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation showed through many experiments and evaluations that the Kakadu Plum can contain as much as 1,000-5,300 milligrams of vitamin C per 100 grams, which is nearly 100 times more than that of the vitamin C content of an orange or blueberry.

Kakadu Plum can contain as much as 1,000-5,300 milligrams of vitamin C per 100 grams, nearly 100 times more than an orange or blueberry.

What it does for the hair, skin, and body

The Kakadu Plum fruit has been found to contain very important and beneficial phytochemicals, one of them being known as gallic acid. Gallic acid has been shown to treat inflammatory allergic diseases due to it’s significant anti-inflammatory properties. For hair, this means reducing the chance of bacterial or fungal infections in the scalp, for an intense clean. This fruit also stimulates the natural bounce in your curls due to its production of elastin and collagen.

Another important phytochemical found in this amazing fruit is its ellagic acid content. This type of acid has been shown to help fight cancer by lowering estrogen’s role in the contribution of the formation of breast cancer and it can actually kill cancer-causing cells.

Although it is not very well known outside of its native land of Australia, the Kakadu Plum has been slowly finding its way into being incorporated into the content of more and more beauty products all over the world. This fruit’s high vitamin E and folate amounts aid in combating the effects of damage-causing free-radicals, which causes premature aging. The vitamin E also helps the cortex of your hair strands absorb the fruit, creating a silky, soft touch to hair that is naturally dry or coarse.

This amazing Aussie fruit can help you build a strong frame, build a strong immune system, fight premature aging and lose weight as well because the Kakadu Plum Fruit is also a natural laxative and colon cleanser due to its rich fiber content.

You can find the goodness of Kakadu Plum in hair products such as:

• Kevin Murphy Hydrate-Me Rinse – Smooths and hydrates hair for those who live in naturally dry climates
• NZ Fusion Botanicals Manuka Honey and Australian Kakadu Plum Shampoo – Serves exceptional antioxidant properties for scalp health while smoothing the cuticle with natural emollient Manuka Honey

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By Peniel Tovar · Published August 30, 2015

As much as we love natural hair, we adore natural ingredients, too. And even more than that, we like to save money. Sometimes, using a plant or other naturally-based ingredient can be better than using a product with natural ingredients. Not to mention that plants are a lot cheaper than many hair products on the market. Twenty dollar conditioner? No thanks. Here’s a list of popular natural ingredients you can use for gorgeous naturally wavy, curly, and coily hair.

1. Hello, aloe

Aloe vera is known for its ability to soothe sunburn, but did you know that it makes a great light leave in conditioner as well? Aloe vera juice helps to provide light moisture while soothing the scalp with its anti-microbial properties. Oh aloe, is there anything you cannot do? You can buy 100% aloe vera juice, put it in a spray bottle, and use it as a moisturizing leave-in.

2. Shout out to shea butter

No matter how long you have been natural–whether it be two years or two weeks–you have definitely heard people rave about the wonders of shea butter.  Straight from the shea nut in Africa, shea butter can be used as a heavy sealing cream to help your hair retain moisture. It is a natural emollient, known to soothe the hair cuticle and preventing breakage with a protective barrier.

3. Fantastic flax seeds

We’ve all had at least one horrendous experience with hair gel. Most gels on the market contain parabens and alcohols; mother nature to the rescue.Flaxseeds can be boiled, strained and squeezed to make hair gel. Flax seed gel is incredibly light and encourages curl formation while calming frizz. You can also customize the gel by adding your favorite oils.

4. An apple a day keeps the build up away

Apple cider vinegar has grown extremely popular in the past few years as a clarifying rinse. Instead of using a clarifying shampoo full of chemicals, opt for a diluted solution of water mixed with apple cider vinegar to get rid of an itchy scalp and product build up. ACV can also help balance the ph on your scalp while adding shine.

5. Crazy for coconut oil

Coconut oil is infamous for its infinite uses for the skin, body and hair. It hardens the hair cuticle, in turn helping to prevent split ends while encouraging curl formation. Coconut oil is great for scalp massages as well as a curl sealer, as well.

6. Egg-cellent

Eggs aren’t just a tasty breakfast meal, they make a great hair mask, too. The protein from eggs strengthens the hair cuticle to help combat breakage and promote thicker hair. There are many people who use the egg whites only as an all-natural shampoo because it has amazing clarifying properties. 

What ingredients have helped you through your curly hair journey?

By Peniel Tovar · Published August 20, 2015

PHOTOS COURTESY OF DELCIA AND ALIA

We do not need a rocket scientist to tell us if our hair is dry. For most curlies, that is completely natural. But there are many factors that can make our hair even thirstier. I have a few tricks up my sleeve that will finally quench your parched locks’ thirst.

1. Stop using sulfates

This is a no-brainer. Sulfates are harsh detergents in many shampoos (and laundry soap”> that strip the hair of sebum, the natural oil our scalp produces to moisturize itself. If you want to retain moisture, you need to avoid sulfate shampoos.

2. Start co-washing

Sometimes, even sulfate-free can be too drying for curly hair. Using conditioner to wash the scalp is an alternative to shampoo. You can use any daily conditioner or you can buy specially formulated co-washes. Co-washing moisturizes dry hair and prevents it from becoming stripped of its natural oils.

3. Deep condition regularly

I am sure that many of you already deep condition, but here’s the thing, it’s time to buy a real deep conditioner. A lot of curlies like to save money by making DIY masks or using regular conditioner to deep condition, but no mixture will do what a specially formulated deep conditioner can do. Splurge on a good deep conditioner, your hair needs it! And although deep conditioning is recommended once or twice a week, it’s okay to deep condition your hair every time you shower. For a deeper condition, put on a shower cap to trap the heat in.

4. Seal with oil

Curly hair tends to be dry because the hair cuticle is naturally raised thus leading to moisture loss. Help your dry hair retain moisture by oiling it immediately after showering. The oil seals in all the water and conditioner from your wash and go and create a barrier to prevent moisture loss and promote shine. Any oil is fine, coconut oil is very popular for its strengthening properties.

5. Condition everyday

You have heard people say to not shampoo every day, but no one ever said you can’t condition every day. If your hair becomes parched by the end of the day then it won’t hurt for you to give your hair the thirst-quenching moisture that it needs. You can just jump into the shower and condition your hair every morning. Conditioning every day will also lead to hair with less tangles!

6. Sleep with satin

Protect your hair overnight to retain moisture. Sleep on a satin pillow case or sleep with a satin bonnet. Cotton is very absorbent and can steal the moisture from your hair while you sleep. Satin is a sleek material that won’t cause frizz and will help with moisture retention.

By Peniel Tovar · Published August 10, 2015

Four fellow YouTubers decided to try out one product to see how it would affect their different hair types and here are the results. The YouTubers who collabed together for this idea were:

• RisasRizos, 3a/3b
• DiscoCurls, 3b/3c
• LivingWithOsa, 4c
• CurlyPenny, 2c

This styling cream is packed with hydrolyzed jojoba protein to strengthen the hair cuticle, rosemary extract to give the scalp and hair an amazing mint sensation and aroma, and panthenol which is a lubricating emollient. To top it all off, it smells like a tropical island. As we all know, all DevaCurl products are 100% sulfate free, silicone free and paraben free, what’s not to love about Lorraine Massey’s creations?

What RisasRizos thought

Rocio was actually the one who gathered everyone for this collab, so let’s give her the honor of sharing her experience with the product first!

The first thing she points out is that the bottle has a pump that you can’t open, so whatever amount you get out of the bottle, you will either have to use it all or wipe some on your towel (since you cannot get the leftover cream back inside the bottle”>. It’s a small manufacturing detail, but it’s worth mentioning.

Rocio was able to use the cream in many different ways–she used it alone, cocktailed with other creams, applied it on wet hair, as well as on dry hair.

In general, Rocio liked the results the cream gave her, but she did not like it mixed with gel because it caused her hair to become crunchy. The cream gave her curls shine, definition and moisture.

What DiscoCurls thought

Rochelle shared that her hair is fine and is sensitive to heavy creams, butters and oils. They cause her curls to be weighed down easily. The cream gave Rochelle favorable results. The cream acted like a gel for her fine curls and she did not notice any limpness with using it.

This styler gave her a lot of shrinkage, which she thinks works great if she wants to rock a small fro for the day. At the end it gave her small, tight curls that looked amazing when shaken and picked out.

What LivingWithOsa thought

Osa immediately mentioned that the product has a high content of glycerin. As soon as she saw this ingredient she knew her hair would revert to its original shrinkage if she attempted to stretch her hair with the cream. However, for the sake of the review for the product review, Osa used the cream alone. She did her regular wash and go routine, twisted her hair with the cream, then put perm rods on the ends of the twists. 

The cream gave her non-sticky, non-greasy and non-crunchy results, which she adored. Overall, she liked the cream, but wished it had more slip and a lesser tendency to flake.

What I thought (Curly Penny”>

The first thing I liked was that the cream was sulfate free, silicone free, and paraben free. I also like that the cream has protein, protein helps to give me more curl definition.  I used about a dime size after my shower, but once my hair dried I noticed that I should have used more.

The cream is lightweight, moisturizing, and it gives great hold. It worked like a creamy gel. Overall, the cream gave me moisture, definition and volume so I liked the cream for my sharp s waves.

Keep the review going! Have you tried this cream? How did it work for you? Let us know down below.

By Peniel Tovar · Published June 9, 2015

It can be hard trying to begin your healthy hair journey when there is so much advice out there on what you should be doing for your texture. To make things easier, lets go back to the basics. This is what every curly should know–and avoid.

1. Don’t brush your hair.

Everyone knows that it is never a good idea to brush curly hair because your curls will lose all their definition, immediately. Brushing your hair is not all evil though. It’s good to have a deep detangling session at least once a month, but if you wake up in the morning and brush your hair that’s why you are struggling. Put the brush down and let your hair be! Take knots apart with your fingers instead.

2. Don’t blow dry.

When I say don’t blow-dry, I mean never blow-dry without a diffuser. If you blow dry without a diffuser you will greatly hinder your curl formation and end up with a bird’s nest. Also, use the dryer on a cool setting to avoid heat damage.

3. Don’t towel dry.

Now, this will be a hard habit to stop. I am sure all of our mothers did this to us growing up–wrapping our hair in a towel turban. Here’s the thing, terry cloth towels have extremely big fibers that frizz up the hair cuticle immensely. The turban can cause the curls to dry in weird lumps. Use a t-shirt and scrunch the water out of your hair instead and air dry.

4. Don’t mindlessly buy products.

This may sound shocking, but just because a bottle says, “For curly hair” does not mean it is for curly hair. If your hair is dry and frizzy, you need to pay closer attention to what you are using–and it’s all in the ingredients. Many shampoos and conditioners contain sulfates and silicones which strip the hair of the natural oil our body produces called sebum. Buying sulfate free and silicone free products will allow your body to keep its sebum thus helping to add moisture and definition to your hair.

5. Don’t sleep with wet hair.

There’s a reason why you use flexi rods on damp hair–it molds to its environment. Your pillow is a flat surface and if your hair is wet while you sleep your curl shape will be lumpy and oddly-shaped. Sleep with hair that is 100% dry and in a protective style. On a side note, wet hair is insanely prone to breakage so that’s definitely not a good idea to toss and turn all night with vulnerable hair.

6. Protect your hair overnight.

This is crucial. The reason your curls go away in the morning is because you’re not taking any precautions to prevent it’s unraveling overnight. Always sleep with hair in a protective style to keep the curl formation tight and the frizz at bay. The pineapple method is extremely popular among the curly hair community, learn how to do it here.

7. Don’t sleep on a cotton pillow case.

Now, cotton material isn’t the devil. The reason cotton pillow cases should be avoided is because they’re not slippery. If you toss and turn all night on a rough surface, your curls will get tangles and frizz like no tomorrow. Sleep on a slippery surface to prevent disasters in the morning. Good slippery pillow cases can be made from silk, satin, or polyester.

FINALLY, don’t hate your hair.

Your hair is beautiful, unique and it makes you you! Instead of being ashamed of your hair use it as a confidence tool. Play with it and show it off! In a world that’s obsessed with straight hair we have to stick it to the man and show the world that curly hair is beautiful too. The best part about curly hair? When you show it love and care, it will show you love back.

Watch my video and let me spell it out for you.

By Peniel Tovar · Updated May 21, 2015

Psoriasis is a lot more common than you think, according to the National Psoriasis Foundation, psoriasis is the most prevalent autoimmune disease is in the United States with approximately 7.5 million Americans impacted. Those who are impacted know that it is a struggle to find proper treatments while trying to use all natural ingredients, especially when your doctor is always prescribing you medical shampoos. There is a trick you can use at home to self-medicate your scalp–and it is all natural.

The secret? Emollients.

An emollient is a substance that helps soothe, hydrate and smoothen the skin. It is important to understand that an emollient cannot cure psoriasis, but it can lessen the severity of the irritation and flakes. For the best results, they must be applied on a regular basis on the troubled areas.

Where can you find emollients?

You can order these online or go to a health food market, such as Whole Foods. Here are some suggestions, according to Organic Glow.

• Jojoba oil

• Castor oil

• Shea butter

• Cocoa butter

• Vegetable glycerin

• Mango butter

How to use

Emollients work best by sealing in moisture, according to Papaa. They will work optimally when applied to the scalp right after the shower. After you shampoo, condition and style your hair grab an emollient and rub it in your hands. Start by massaging your entire scalp or you can work on a specific trouble area. Rub in the emollient softly using a circular massaging motion to help soothe and loosen the patches. These emollients work by softening the dry patches and relieving irritation while making the patches look less noticeable. They create a protective barrier by preventing the skin from drying out any further and preventing infection from any pathogens.

If your hair does not get weighed down from oils you can do this process more than once a day, working the emollients into trouble areas. For fun, you can try out this easy DIY patch soother to use at home.

DIY Psoriasis Emollient Butter

Make your own Psoriasis Emollient Butter as a natural scalp treatment.

• Tea tree oil

• Shea butter

• Castor oil

• Stove

• Container

• Double boiler

Directions

1. Get a clean container

2. Set up your double boiler on the stove

3. Melt 1 cup of shea butter

4. Mix in 1 tablespoon of castor oil

5. Mix in 5-10 drops of tea tree oil

6. Let it cool down for an hour

7. Keep it stored in a cool, dry place

The shea butter in this DIY mix will create a thick protective barrier on the scalp to prevent it from drying out. The castor oil will help soothe the flakes and patches, making them less noticeable. The tea tree oil will help prevent infection by pathogens while fighting against fungal infections as well. Before attempting any homemade recipes, make sure to try out every emollient to see which one works best for you.

Which emollient is your favorite? And how does it help your Psoriasis?

By Peniel Tovar · Published May 11, 2015

But what exactly is protein sensitivity? Protein sensitivity is a problem that a lot of people face with their hair. Basically, if you expose your hair to proteins your hair becomes hardened and brittle, according to Black Hair Information. This is why some people love coconut oil and why others hate it. Livestrong says some peoples’ locks are more sensitive to the strengthening properties of proteins, thus causing their hair to become overly hard.

How can you test?

The only way to find out is to expose your hair to protein and see how it reacts. You can test your protein sensitivity with products or foods that contain protein such as greek yogurt or eggs.

1. STEP ONE: Wet a section of hair
2. STEP TWO: Rub the protein ingredient on the wet test section
3. STEP THREE: Let the test patch dry
4. STEP FOUR: Look at your results

It is normal for protein to harden the hair whether you are protein sensitive or not because they add resilience to the hair. But if your hair gets to the point where it crackling and breaking, bingo, you are protein sensitive.

So what can you do about your protein sensitivity?

First off, do not avoid protein.

Proteins are essential for healthy, strong hair. Find styling products that contain little to no proteins, but make sure to compensate by doing a protein treatment once a month. To balance out the power of the protein make sure to use a good protein-free moisturizer so get rid of the crunchiness.

Watch my Q&A video–and don’t forget to subscribe to my channel for more of these clarifications!

By Peniel Tovar · Published April 30, 2015

1. When you go grocery shopping you come back home with hair products instead.

4. You constantly say, “This is it! I think I have found the one!” And you still keep looking for new products anyway.

5. You have multiple bottles of the same. exact. product.

6. You immediately buy a product when you see it’s on sale, even if it’s a product you don’t like that much.

7. You get irritated when a friend says, “You’re going to buy another product again?”

8. Whenever a gift-giving occasion arises everyone already knows you’re going to ask for hair products.

9. Your bathroom contains enough products to last throughout an apocalypse.

10. The look you give someone when they say, “Don’t you think you have enough?”

11. When you hear that CVS has a BOGO sale you immediately drop everything you’re doing and run to your car.

12. When browsing through your stash you have said this at least ten times, “I forgot I had this.”

13. You have bought a product that you hate multiple times hoping that your hair would change its mind and like it this time.

14. You know you would make a great worker at any store because you have tried all their natural products.

15. You drop by Sally’s every chance you get just in case you forgot that you needed a product.

16. All your pocket money goes to a new leave in conditioner every month.

17. When you’re thinking of buying a new product so you look up dozens of reviews, but there’s no point because you’re going to buy it anyway.

18. You don’t need any products, but you go down the entire hair care aisle anyway just to look.

19. You need to convince yourself why you need a product so you won’t go through buyer’s remorse.

20. Your mother tells you you’re too obsessed with your hair.

21. You could set up a shop with all the products you have.

22. When you shop online you have a cart full of dozens of products, and even if you don’t end up buying them you just leave them there just in case you need them someday.

23. Even though you already own all of Shea Moistures products you enter their giveaways anyway.

24. When you think to yourself, “If I don’t like it I can always return it…”

25. After all the products you have used, you are still on the hunt for that holy grail.

So fess up, are you a Product Junkie?

By Peniel Tovar · Published January 21, 2015

Detangling your hair can be one gruesome task, especially when it’s long. Should you brush? Comb? In the shower? Fortunately, there are many methods to detangle your hair, and here we will present one of the most commonly used methods, finger detangling.

Watch my tutorial

Pros of finger detangling

• Less hair fall out

• No need to purchase a comb or brush

• Less painful than using a brush

• Gentler process than brushing

• Less Breakage

So how should finger detangling be done on long hair?

What you need

• Spray bottle

• Water

• Conditioner

• Hair clip

• Fingers (of course”>

How to do it

• Fill your spray bottle with water

• Pour in a few teaspoons of conditioner

• Shake the spray bottle and soak your hair with it

• Grab a hair clip and put up all of your hair

• Let down the lowest section and spray it, rake your fingers through it and work through any tough knots

• Let down the next upper section and repeat the process; spray it, rake through and work through tough knots.

• Repeat until all your hair is detangled

This process is better done before your shower. With this process your hair will be conditioned and tangle free before you even shower, which will cut back a lot of time on washing and conditioning.

How do you detangle your long wavy or curly hair?

By Peniel Tovar · Published January 20, 2015

Your alarm didn’t go off, you are running late and your ends look a mess, in this time of desperation a quick hairstyle is needed to control your hair and to tuck in those ends. Why not try a big messy bun? This messy bun is quick, cute and it will keep your ends safely tucked and away from any possible split end hazards.

What you need

• Bobby pins

• Hair tie

• Edge control product (optional”>

What to do

1. Put your hair into a tight high ponytail

2. Slick back your edges, if you want

3. Split ponytail into 3 sections

4. Take one section and wrap it around the other sections in a donut shape and pin down the ends

5. Wrap the second section around the donut and pin those ends down

6. Grab your last section and wrap it around the previous donuts and pin those ends down.

Watch the tutorial

What style do you want to see me do a tutorial for next? Leave a message in the comments below.

By Peniel Tovar · Published January 16, 2015

NYC Curls Curl Conditioner is one of our Top 20 Silicone-Free Daily Conditioners, and I had the opportunity to put that proclamation to the test. I used the Curl Cleanser, the Curl Conditioner and the Curl Styling Gel and I want to share with you all my opinions on the system and how it affected my wavy curls.

[prodmod]

First off, I immediately liked the fact that all their products are sulfate-free, silicone-free and paraben-free.

Each product also has unique extracts such as ginger, olive oil and peppermint. So far, the Curl Cleanser is my favorite of the whole system because you can really feel the ginger and peppermint. I personally love the fresh minty feeling on my scalp and this cleanser gave me just that. And I should let you know that it is not a sulfate free shampoo, it is actually a co-wash, but it cleansed well for a cowash. The cleasner left my curls clean and moisturized and not feeling stripped.

Although I liked the cowash, I am not a huge fan of the conditioner.

My hair is normal porosity and I feel like the conditioner did not penetrate my hair strands, I felt like it sat on top of my strands. I feel that the conditioner would do well as a leave in rather than a rinse out, but I think that the conditioner would have been more moisturizing if I added an oil to it. It could also be useful as a curl refresher in the morning.

I avoid using styling products because my fine hair strands are easily weighed down by even the smallest amount of product

I avoid using styling products because my fine hair strands are easily weighed down by even the smallest amount of product, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that the gel was very light and it gave my hair great definition and shine. My wavy parts were encouraged into a nice twirly curl, which I really liked.

Now here are the cons, in my opinion.

The smell is insanely strong, like, super strong. It will fill your shower with a ginger aroma, which I personally didn’t mind–but I know some people may be sensitive to fragrances, so beware.

Also, this system is not the most economical. Each product costs $18.99, and I am a person who thinks SheaMoisture is expensive so this price almost gave me a heart attack.  You can get it here in Curlmart to test it out for yourself.

Watch my video review

Giveaway

We’re giving away 2 full sets of the cleanser, conditioner and the gel. Simply comment below!

Two winners will be randomly selected on Friday, January 23.

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By Peniel Tovar · Published December 31, 2014

Let’s go back to the basics! (pun intended”>.

Check out this simple DIY clarifier that features the star ingredient–baking soda. And remember, you should always follow up with an acidic rinse after you do a basic rinse to re-close the cuticle, apple cider vinegar is usually used for this purpose. You can clarify as often as you see fit, some curlies even replace their shampoo with baking soda. Just make sure you pay attention to your hair’s reaction to the mix and dilute as necessary.

Baking soda is known for its ability to degrease stoves and to scrub off grime practically anywhere in your home, but it has also gotten its fair share of fame in the natural hair community. According to the United Nations Environment Programme, baking soda has a high pH of 9, which means it is a basic solution.

pH simply refers to the concentration of hydrogen ions within a substance. A low pH means there is a high concentration of hydrogen ions within the substance and a high pH means there is a high concentration of hydroxide ions. A substance with a low pH is called an acid, such as lemon juice, and a substance with a high pH is called a base, such as baking soda. When a basic solution is applied to the hair the cuticles open allowing the products to be released and absorbed more easily.

Because baking soda has this effect on the hair it is a great clarifier that will give your curls a great pick me up. Most clarifying shampoos contain harsh sulfates that dry out hair beyond belief, so baking soda is a great alternative.

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