Go Visit THE CURL CLUB: An Extension of The Sagacious Natural

Let’s talk about THE CURL CLUB!

THE CURL CLUB is a brand new website that I designed as an extension of The Sagacious Natural. Before anyone starts wondering, yes, the website was created for a class assignment, but that makes it no less mine and makes me no less proud of it. I think the natural hair community will really enjoy my new site!

Click here to check it out for yourself!

The website just went live last night, so it is fresh off the press! Similar to The Sagacious Natural, THE CURL CLUB was an outlet for ladies who are transitioning to natural hair and just need a few general pointers. Much of the information listed on the site are things that I learned over time as I grew into my natural curls.

THE CURL CLUB is a condensed, more organized version of The Sagacious Natural. For example, many of the hair care supplies I’ve mentioned here are in a nice neat list under Favorite Products. Many of the hair care techniques I have mentioned on The Sagacious Natural are shortened and include photos on THE CURL CLUB website.

I also provide photos of products and links that allow visitors to the site to purchase products I’ve mentioned on The Sagacious Natural, such as ORS Olive Oil Edge Control and the Michel Mercier Detangling Brush (which I love if you can’t tell). I figured that would make it easier for readers to see a visual representation of whichever product I’m discussing at the time.

THE CURL CLUB has a photo gallery of quick and easy hair styles. There is a short survey on the site that asks about your hair product purchasing habits… Please take the time to answer (truthfully!). There is also a link to the podcast I made of the 3-product review I posted last week on The Sagacious Natural! So go on over to THE CURL CLUB and tell me what you think about it! The journey was long and hard, but I am so proud of the work I’ve done!

Keep those curls healthy ladies!

– Chelsea AKA The Sagacious Natural 

3-PRODUCT REVIEW: Michel Mercier Detangling Brush, SheaMoisture Kids and Aveeno Shampoo and Conditioner

There’s a reason I call myself The Sagacious Natural; I have tried more hair care products than I like to admit. People often come to me and ask if I’ve tried a product they’re considering because nine times out of ten, I have! I don’t like to get too comfortable with a product, because I always feel like there’s something that could be just a little bit better out there.

ANYWAY, my discontent has served to your benefit this time.

These are the products I reviewed and the links (in green) to buy them from Walmart.com:

1. Michel Mercier Detangling Brush for Thick Hair
2. SheaMoisture Coconut & Hibiscus Kids Curling Butter Cream and Extra-Moisturizing Detangler
3. Aveeno Nourish + Moisturize Shampoo and Conditioner

First of all, let me say, these products are most definitely listed in order of importance!

The Michel Mercier Detangling Brush for Thick Hair totally works!

I’m sure most of you have probably seen this brush on TV like I did… I honestly did not believe that the uneven bristles were going to detangle my thick curls as easily and as painlessly as the commercials depicted, but I was proven wrong! Those commercials aren’t fronting, this brush is the real deal. For $15 I was not disappointed at all, and Michel Mercier owes me nothing! He showed out with that brush, so if detangling your hair is a full project like mine, get this brush now! 

I also liked the SheaMoisture Coconut & Hibiscus Kids Curling Butter Cream and Extra-Moisturizing Detangler!

Now, before you judge me for using a product that is marketed toward children, let me tell you that I have used many “kids” products that worked better for me than some non-kids products. Kids, shmids.

I liked the way this product defined my curls. I sprayed my hair with the detangler (then detangled it with that heaven-sent brush) and then I applied the butter cream. I flipped my hair upside down and dried it with the diffuser attachment on my blow-drier. My curls are shiny and bouncy and soft and defined, all at once! Plus, the detangler and butter creme contain marshmallow extracts, so I smell like some delightfully sweet pastry… I like it!

Last, and least, the Aveeno Shampoo and Conditioner… I was not impressed! I didn’t even know Aveeno did hair care, so I had high hopes considering how much I love their skin care products. This felt like any other shampoo… Stick to what you know. This one is not worth the switch!

Hope this helps! Keep those curls healthy!

Is a Sew-In Really a Protective Style?

In the many conversations that I have had with other random naturals about natural hair, I can’t count how many times I’ve been told, “I wear a sew-in because it protects my natural hair.”

Okay, cool. I have nothing against a good weave. Rock your inches, girl! Everyone needs a little glamour in their life in one way or another. But before you tell me your weave is meant to protect your hair, remove that weave and assess how healthy your hair truly is underneath.

A sew-in is a hairstyle that is created by sewing hair extensions onto the clients natural hair, which is braided to the scalp.

Now, based on that description, its safe to say that such a style could be considered protective, since the hair is braided and not being manipulated on a daily basis. However, just because the natural hair is braided, does not mean it doesn’t still need attention.

“Out of sight, out of mind” does not apply here!

Your braided hair still needs to be cleansed, conditioned, and moisturized on a regular basis. If you neglect to take care of your braided hair, when you take out the sew-in, it can still be just as damaged as it would be had you never braided it up.

Many women will take excellent care of their extensions, and totally disregard their own hair underneath! This website has some great tips for taking care of your natural hair, and your purchased hair!

Another important aspect to consider is how you go about installing your hair extensions. They can be sewn in, glued in, clipped in, or fused with your natural hair. Check out this website for the pros and cons of each installation method! Most natural hair bloggers will suggest that the sewn in method is the least damaging, but even that rose has thorns…..

Traction alopecia being the sharpest of said thorns.

No one wants to be without edges! Sadly, traction alopecia is the reason that some of my naturals are edge-less. Braiding your hair too tightly, too frequently can cause your hair follicles to become weak and shed hair around the edges of your scalp. Now add the weight of the extensions that are pulling on the tight braids, and you have double trouble!

This website explains how traction alopecia is caused, and how you can prevent it! If you catch it soon enough, the damage can be reversed, so be mindful of your edges!

Keep those curls healthy, ladies!

Brazilian Blowout, Anyone?

As much as naturals love, love, love their curls, sometimes, we want to see some length! I’ve known girls with hair long enough to touch the middle of their backs that rock Teenie Weenie Afros (TWAs for short). When they straighten their hair, they themselves are usually shocked at just how long it truly is.

Many naturals who want to see how much length they’ve gained are afraid to do so for fear of (dun, dun, dun) HEAT DAMAGE. Heat damage is avoidable, and much less likely to happen if you have your hair straightened professionally. There are many techniques that professional stylists use to straighten natural hair. The most interesting, to me, is the Brazilian Blowout.

The Brazilian Blowout is a hair straightening technique that can be used on any hair type, curly or otherwise. The Brazilian Blowout is unique because unlike other hair straightening methods, this one is supposed to make your hair healthier in the process. It’s also unique in the fact that the results last for weeks, even through washes, as if the hair were chemically relaxed. Miraculously, after about 12 weeks, your hair reverts to your natural curl pattern.

I know what you’re thinking, this sounds too good to be true. Well ladies, its all true! But there are a few catches to the deal….

This is not a chemical-free straightening process! Though your hair will revert to its natural state, the Brazilian Blowout uses a chemical agent to make the results last so long.

Speaking of chemical agents, the FDA said that some of the Brazilian Blowout products contain formaldehyde or chemicals that release formaldehyde gas into the air when heated. You can go online and find hundreds of horror stories about people having allergic reactions to the formaldehyde in the product. But I must say, for every negative experience, there are at least 10 positive ones.

If you really want to try a Brazilian blowout, but don’t want to use formaldehyde on you hair, there are alternative products that boast the same results, minus the formaldehyde. Kerapure claims to be a safe alternative to the Brazilian Blowout. It uses keratin proteins, naturally found in hair, to achieve similar results. There are also Brazilian Blowout products that contain less formaldehyde than most, and some labeled as formaldehyde-free!

MORAL OF THE STORY: If you are interested in a Brazilian Blowout, go to a salon to have it done, ask them if the products they use contains formaldehyde, and make sure it’s a risk you’re willing to take!

Flexi Rod How-To

For weeks now, I’ve been promising my readers a flexi rod set. And for weeks, I’ve been putting it off. With Troy University’s Homecoming being tomorrow, I figured, what better time than now to make good on my promise.

So here it is! Now, you may be disappointed because my hair was not dry in time enough for me to post pictures of my result. I will do so as soon as my hair is dry. This post should, however, give you a good idea of how I treated my hair in order to achieve my yet-to-be-seen results.

This is the look of a girl who is unhappy with the current state of her natural curls. Let’s fix that!

I washed my hair with Luxurious Moroccan Argan Creme Shampoo by OGX. After that, I detangled my hair and deep conditioned for about 20 minutes with a mixture of Hydrating CoWash Conditioning Cleanser by My DNA and Organic Virgin Coconut Oil from Spectrum.

I rinsed my hair thoroughly, and then I sectioned my hair off to be rodded. I only had one 10-pack of flexi rods, and I thought I may have needed more. Ten was the perfect number of rods. Any more of those 10″x13/16″ rods would have been too many.

I used a stiff bristled brush to smooth my hair before using the rods. Starting from the roots, I pulled the brush down in one pull, and then…

I carefully placed the rod on the underside of the hair I had just brushed smooth. Making sure to keep the hair pulled taught, I wrapped the hair around the rod. Every now and then I would use the brush to smooth the hair that was not yet wrapped.

Once I had the hair wrapped around to the end of the rod, I carefully bent each end, making sure to bend it in the direction that keeps the hair pulled tightest. Of course, you don’t want it too tight, but tight enough to keep the hair smooth.

I’ll be back with results when it dries!

An Opinion Piece: Let’s Stop Wasting Food!

Many Americans (myself included) take so much of what we have for granted. I’ll give you a few examples. Instead of being thankful that we have clean running water to bathe in, we get upset when we run out of hot water during a shower. Some of us have closets full of shoes and clothes that we never wear, or can’t even fit.

In my opinion, the most tragic part of our world that we take for granted is food! We cook food, and throw out the left overs. We let food sit in our refrigerators until it rots. We go to buffets and restaurants that throw away anything left uneaten or sent back to the kitchen.

World hunger is a real problem. There are people starving to death. You know how you feel if you skip lunch? Imagine dying from hunger…. Now Imagine all the food you threw away or caused to be thrown away just this week, or even just today.

According to the Natural Resource Defense Council, 40 percent of food in the United States goes uneaten. The NRDC says that is more than 20 pounds of food per person each month. These numbers are alarming, but they are a part of a larger whole. If food is being wasted, then so is the energy and resources that are used to produce wasted food.

The NRDC reports that food production and distribution accounts for about 10 percent of the total U.S. energy budget, 50 percent of U.S. land and 80 percent of freshwater consumed in the U.S. Last year, NPR reported that 20 percent of what goes into municipal landfills is food. In 2012, U.S. citizens wasted 35 million tons of food.  

I’m sure by now, we all agree that food waste is a problem in the U.S. But what can be done about it?

The Huffington Post reported that France has passed a new law banning grocery stores from throwing away unspoiled food. In accordance with the new law, larger supermarkets must sign food donation contracts with charities or face a fine of up to $100,000 or two years in jail. Groceries that aren’t safe for human consumption must be used for animal feed or farm compost.

Though such laws will not solve the food crisis entirely, they do provide a step in the right direction. A problem cannot be solved until it is seen as a problem. Do your part, and stop wasting food!

Dreadlocks 101

In my opinion, dreadlocks are the most natural state your hair can possibly achieve. Dreadlocks, also known as simply “dreads” or “locks,” are a hair style made up of individual sections of matted hair that can be quite thin or thick, depending on personal preference.

Dreads are as natural as natural hair gets is because if hair is left untouched, no matter the hair type or ethnicity, it will eventually begin to lock up and form dreadlocks. By “lock up,” I mean that the hair will begin to tangle around itself and become matted, forming dreadlocks. This is referred to as the neglect method.

---

A common misconception is that the neglect method is the only way of achieving true dreadlocks… This could not be further from the truth! The neglect method is primarily used by people who wear dreads for spiritual and religious reasons. A well-known example of this would be the Rastafarian practice of letting the hair grow untouched as suggested in the Biblical book of Leviticus.

There are several methods that can be used to create dreads. The neglect method happens to be the easiest, since the hair just grows and the dreads form at random all over the head. But there are ways of achieving uniform-looking locks that require minimal effort. Many people I know with dreads began them by either plaiting or twisting their hair, and then using the neglect method. This requires you to section the hair, allowing you to control the desired thickness of the soon-to-be dreadlocks.

---

Another common misconception is that all dreadlocks are dirty. This is so false! Dreadlocks should be washed on a regular basis, or they will begin to stink. People also tend to think that unwashed hair will lock up faster than clean hair. This is totally false! Many of the products that are labeled as being “for dreadlocks” contain conditioners and moisturizers that leave residue causing the hair to be more slick, and more resistant to forming the tangles necessary for creating dreadlocks. This site reveals the truth about washing dreadlocks!

---

Finally, the biggest misconception about dreadlocks is that you must cut your hair off to get rid of them! Apparently, that is not the case! You can buy dreadlock removal cream and use it to keep all or most of your length if you decide to quit dreads. Just be prepared to put in work if you decide to not to cut your hair!

Coconut Oil: Maybe You Should Get Some!

Coconut oil is one of many food products that have recently become popular hair products in the natural community. Several of my friends and family members use coconut oil on their hair, and they swear by it!

Personally, I’m all for using food in the hair! Natural hair appreciates products derived from natural sources, but it appreciates a natural source even more.

---

For example, I’ve been adding olive oil to my hair conditioner since I was in middle school! It adds moisture, shine and softness. I’ve also started using honey as a deep conditioner. All you have to do is cover your hair with honey, put on a plastic cap, wait 30 minutes, rinse and thank me later.

---

The coconut oil bandwagon is one that I haven’t jumped onto just yet, but I have purchased a jar for myself. Don’t get me wrong; I’ve heard nothing but good things about coconut oil. I just haven’t had the time (or the energy) to try it out.

In the meantime, I compiled a list of coconut oil uses so that when I do open the jar of magic, I’ll have a plan of action.

• Use coconut oil as a deep conditioner. Starting with clean hair, coat your hair from root to tip with coconut oil. Put on a plastic cap, and wait at least 20 minutes. Rinse, and feel the difference.
• Or, simply add a bit of coconut oil to your favorite deep conditioner for added softness and shine.
• Use coconut oil as a hot oil treatment. This site has a great video that demonstrates how to warm the oil to the perfect temperature for your scalp!
• Use coconut oil as a daily moisturizer. Just apply a small amount to your hair, starting at the ends and working your way to the roots. You can also add a bit to your favorite daily moisturizer.
• Coconut oil can be used to fight dandruff, too! Just warm the oil so that it is liquefied, put it in a squirt bottle, and apply it directly to your scalp.
• I’ve never had to deal with them, but this site says that coconut oil is also a great remedy for head lice! I’m not sure if I’ll ever need it for that purpose, but it’s still a cool fun fact.

Even though the items in the list I’ve compiled only deal with using coconut oil on hair, it is also great for dry skin and of course, for cooking with. I plan to try a few of these ideas in the near future. Please believe, I will be back here to report my results!

HEAT DAMAGE… A Natural’s Worst Nightmare

For about a year now, I have been struggling with a crucial hair decision. Cut my long curls that are so dear to my heart, or keep bunning my hair away to hide heat damage? Yes, you read that correctly. My hair has been heat damaged, and I’m the only one to blame.

I have never gone to a salon to have my hair straightened, because I have deep trust issues when it comes to my hair. It tangles, it shrinks, and it looks relaxed when I straighten it. I know my hair like no one else does. Its like sending your child to daycare. Except you have to sit in a chair and look in the mirror at yourself giving up control of your baby! Like I said, trust issues….

But now, I wish I had paid the price to sit in someone’s chair and had handed over the reigns rather than doing it myself and causing irreparable damage to my own hair…. This is a sad song I sing!

So now, I’m in the position of having to deal with frizzy, damaged, unruly hair, or having to chop it all off. As hard as this is for me, I don’t want to see any of you all having to make that same decision!

So let’s discuss the infamous HEAT DAMAGE.

According to Curly Nikki (one of my favorite hair bloggers), heat damage occurs when the keratin protein in the hair is heated to over 419 degrees Fahrenheit. At that temperature, the hair is permanently altered on a molecular level. This is why heat damaged hair does not conform to your natural curl pattern and seems to be more dry than usual.

That being said, I suggest that you use flat irons, curling irons and blow driers that have temperature settings instead of the standard “HIGH/MEDIUM/LOW” settings.

I have used a CHI flat iron for years now. I assumed that because the iron was so pricey, and because it has no setting besides “ON” and “OFF,” it would be safe to straighten my hair with no threat of damaging my hair. SO WRONG! 

I assume the makers of the original CHI flat iron discovered this design flaw, because it is no longer listed on their website! The new CHI G2 has temperature settings up to 425 degrees, so that’ll be my next investment!

I know there are a lot of you out there who, like me, rarely straighten their hair. DO NOT THINK YOU ARE EXEMPT! I straighten my hair once or twice a year, and it happened to me. All it takes is too high a temperature or too many passes with the iron.

Be careful ladies! Keep those curls healthy!

Hair Emergency? No One Has To Know!

You wake up one morning and realize that you are about 15 minutes from being late to an appointment! You throw together a decent outfit. You find matching shoes. You find matching earrings. You run to the bathroom to address your “bed hair,” and then it hits you…. You do not have time!

If you’ve ever found yourself in a similar situation, then you need an emergency hair kit! One thing I’ve learned on my journey to becoming The Sagacious Natural is that you MUST keep certain items handy in case of an emergency.

I’m going to list three hair essentials that may come to your rescue one day. This list is not definitive, so feel free to add and subtract what you like!

1. Hair ties! For my naturals with curls long enough to be pulled back, you should always keep a stash of hair ties on hand. I have them at home, in my car, in my purse, and even in my backpack that I take to class! You never know when you might need them. 6D Hair Ties offers a great selection of cute hair ties that you can keep handy.
2. Headbands! For my naturals with curls that aren’t long enough to be pulled back, I suggest you keep some of these with you! For those with longer curls, it may be wise for you to have a couple, too! When all else fails, natural curls can always be spruced up with a headband. I like to get the flexible ones that are like giant hair ties, because they are easy to shove into glove compartments and purses without destroying them! ULTA Beauty has all kinds of headbands, so check them out, too!
3. Scarves! Even if you don’t like to wear scarves around your neck, keep a few handy to wear around your head! Of course, I’m not talking about wool scarves (though I have seen it done), but scarves made from cotton or a silky material. This video demonstrates 15 ways to wear a scarf on your head. I see all 15 as potential life savers!

Go ahead and stock up! You’ll want to have these items before your next hair emergency! Most people don’t realize they’re windshield wipers are useless until it rains… Save yourself the trouble, and get new wipers while its still sunny 🙂

---

SIDE BAR: I know I said last week that I would be posting about my flexi rod set this week, but I must confess… I have yet to try it! But don’t give up on me yet! I promise it will be up by next week.

---

Anyway, I hope this helps you through your next hair crisis! Thanks for reading!