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Natural Nina

Saturday, July 30, 2011

Moving......

This blog is in the process of being moved from to WordPress, as part of my new site, TheNinaNetwork.com. Please be patient me ladies, as I'm a one woman team over here ;0) The new site will be up and running in a few days.

Thanks for your cooperation and continued support.
Nina

posted by Natural Nina @ 12:36 PM   0 Comments

Friday, May 27, 2011

Naturally Straight Ends?


Going natural really gives one the opportunity to learn different things about her hair. One of the things that I've learned about my hair throughout this journey is that in the crown section of my hair, the ends are almost completely straight. Whenever I visit any natural hair salon they ask me, "when was the last time that I texturized my hair?" My answer is always, "somewhere around 1999", and that's no exaggeration. The stylist usually makes a face, and suggests that something has to be in my hair, to make the ends go straight like they do when wet. 

The other day, an older women stopped me in the bank and asked me, "what type of curl kit (meaning a Jheri Curl Kit) do I use?" She also gave me a suspect look when I told her that my hair is chemical free, and that I just use a little curl defining product to achieve the curly look. 

Now, I don't blame those who assume that my hair is chemically treated because everyone is not well educated in the various textures that natural comes in. You live and you learn, I'm just glad that I could be one to enlighten a fellow potential naturalista in need. 

My major concern is how I can get my straight ends to cooperate with the rest of the curls and coils in my hair? I tend to miss out on many of the cute twist-out and flat twist styles because I end up with straight hair. I also end up with knots on the ends of my hair if I attempt to keep two strand twists in for longer than over night. I can honestly say that I have given up on twist-out styles for the most part, only wearing twists at night for bed.

I often wonder if my hair would hold any type of twist-out style if it were longer? I guess I will find that out when I get there. In the meantime, I'll just keep working my straight ends into wash-n-goes, and accept the reality that my hairstyles are only going to be a one day deal. At the end of the the day, it is what it is. I accept my straight, wavy, curly, coily hair the way it is.


Do any of you ladies have an issue with straights ends on your natural curls?

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posted by Natural Nina @ 6:31 PM   1 Comments

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Trial and Error: The Nappy-Laxer




Many of you have seen my review of The Nappy-Laxer on Natural Nina TV, and you got my opinion on how well product worked on my hair. In the video, my hair was freshly blown out and straightened with a flat iron. I loved the way my hair turned out with The Nappy-Laxer treatment, and I had to try it again on a day where I wore my hair curly. 

I didn't get the chance to video tape my treatment with The Nappy-Laxer the second time, but I was able to snap a few pics after the treatment was freshly washed out of my hair. The most important thing that I noticed, was no change in the texture of my hair. My hair was just softer and more manageable.  


As you all can see from the photo, my hair looks the same as it is any other time that I wash and deep condition my hair. The Nappy-Laxer did not make my hair straight, and as I mentioned in the video above, the ingredients are all natural. My hair was super soft, and after rinsing I added a little of curl enhancing smoothie, and the Re Coil Curl Activating Cream from AG Cosmetics.Once my curls dried naturally, I rubbed a light layer of the Natural Oil Blendz from Sherita's Hair Temple in my hair. You can see the defined shiny curls in the picture below.

 

For more information on The Nappy-Laxer and other products from Sherita's Hair Temple, checkout her website:  http://sheritashairtemple.webs.com/.

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posted by Natural Nina @ 8:18 PM   0 Comments

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Sweat and Natural Hair



How do you deal with perspiration and your natural hair? I ask this question because as a natural who works out 4-5 times a week, I find myself having to wet my hair fully everyday, and co-washing more frequently. I tend to perspire a lot in the summer time, causing me to take several showers a day. I hate to feel sweaty at any time that I am not working out, and I hate for my hair to smell sweaty as well. I'm not going to give up working out for hairstyle preservation, and I can't stop chasing my kids around, so how can I work this out?


My other concern is retaining moisture, I know that water is the best ingredient for natural hair, but to much sealing with oils can be bad for my protein sensitive hair. My hair doesn't like oils much, they can weigh my hair down, and make it feel hard at times. That's why I only moisture and seal three times a week now. Once after my deep conditioner, and twice with accompanied scalp massages. Other than that I try to keep the oil usage down to only when necessary.


My questions for other natural beauties are, how do you manage your natural hair as it grows when it comes to perspiration? Do you just co-wash daily and keep it moving? What if you like to straighten your curls sometimes? How to you preserve a twist out, or updo? Is it possible to use too much water, or seal your hair too often?

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posted by Natural Nina @ 12:20 PM   0 Comments

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Welcome to Curly Season


It's my favorite time a year again natural beauties. Welcome to curly season! The time of year when wash-n-goes are my friend, and my hair thrives the most. Last year, I enjoyed my curls so much by co-washing, daily spritzing with my custom moisture mix, and using Knot Today and KCCC for my curls. The results gave me a head full of healthy curls, so I intend to follow the same plan this summer.

I have a few curly products to try out this year, before I invest in my usual Knot Today and KCCC blend. I have a sample of the AG Cosmetics Re Coil Curl Activating Line from Naturallycurly.com that I'll be trying out, along with a few others. I'll have to see what product line will give me the same type of curl definition that I get from Kinky Curly Products.


If all else fails, I know that I can go back to what I'm used to using and all, but I would like to try some of the other naturalpreneurs out. I take a few things into consideration when I choose a product line. One of them is time, with KCCC and Knot Today, I can get the curls I want in less than 10 minutes (5-7). I'm not interested in any product that I have to manipulate for a half hour, just to get the desired curl definition. Especially, when a few sections of my hair are already curly, with a natural frizz to it. I like to keep it simple all the way around. 

The other important characteristic that I seek out in a curl definition product is a nice hold, with out the flakes and crunchyness that makes my hair look and feel a mess. Those are two no-no's for me. If my hair feels crunchy, the first thing that I think about is dryness. I'm not looking for anything that will make my hair dryer than it is naturally. 

I'll let you all know which products that I found gave me the best curl definition, and which ones could have stayed on the shelf. Look out for updates on here, and on NNTV.

Are there any curly product lines that any of you natural beauties like? Please feel free to share.

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posted by Natural Nina @ 4:17 PM   0 Comments

Monday, May 16, 2011

Trial and Error: Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil for Hair Treatment

Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil for Hair Treatment - 16 oz

Many of us in the natural hair community are familiar with Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil, but have you had the chance to try the Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil for Hair Treatment? If you haven't, You should!!! This is the best coconut oil that I have used on my hair, since I became a free natural. I used to think that all virgin coconut oils were created equal, until I tried the coconut treatment for hair. This smooth creamy coconut oil bathes may hair in goodness, and let's not talk about how smooth and soft it makes my skin.


Now, I've tried the regular coconut oil from Tropical Traditions, and I use their green label coconut oil for cooking, but I never tried the coconut oil for hair. I'm so glad that I did. According to the Tropical Traditions website, the coconut oil for hair treatment had a higher concentration of protein than any of their other coconut oils, and it's been used as a hair treatment in the Philippines and India for years. 

What I initially noticed about the coconut oil for hair, is the "suggested uses" that are listed on the back of the jar. 
Here's how Tropical Traditions recommends using the product:
  • For dry scalp: Rub into hair and scalp at least 30 minutes before showering, or before bed at night. Wear a shower cap or towel to protect bedding.

  • As a hair conditioner: Rub into the ends of your hair after washing, while the hair is still wet. Apply as needed, working towards the scalp. It can also be used as a pre-wash hair treatment applying just before showering. 

I know that my hair is protein sensitive, so I use the coconut oil for hair as a pre-poo. Sometimes I pre-poo with it for a half hour before I shampoo my hair, and other times I massage my scalp with coconut oil for hair at night, and shampoo my hair the next morning. I have yet to try it in one of my homemade conditioning treatments because I've been busy reviewing product lines for other naturalpreneurs, but I'm sure that I'll get around to it. 

I also use the coconut oil for hair to seal in moisture. I moisturize and seal my hair three times a week, twice with JBCO (Jamaican Black Castor Oil), and once a week with the coconut oil for hair. 

My skin loves this oil as well, especially the heals of my feet. I use this oil daily when I hop out the shower to give my skin a nice healthy glow, while making it soft to the touch. 

After using the coconut oil for hair treatment for about 6 weeks on my hair and skin, I am completely satisfied with my purchase, and I've found my staple coconut oil. As I mentioned above, all coconut oils are not created equal.

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posted by Natural Nina @ 3:31 PM   0 Comments

Saturday, May 7, 2011

Happy Mother's Day Ladies!!!

Happy Mother's Day Natural Beauties!!!

I don't usually post music videos, but I think this song describes us all perfectly!!!

Special thanks to Dead Prez for showing us some love!!!!

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posted by Natural Nina @ 10:24 PM   0 Comments