Natural Hair Archives - Naturally Bree

Sep, 2020

A Curly Girls Guide to Healthy Hair – #NoHeatChallenge

Hey #curlfriends!!! Hope you are staying safe and healthy during this time. Today we are going to talk about some updates with my hair… I haven’t done one in over a year so I’m sure that you all are curious. So last year we talked about how I was going to try to keep up with this no heat challenge. I ended up giving in after about 8 months. I actually ended up straightening my hair twice which really isn’t bad. This is me encouraging myself. I straightened my hair in April because I got bored with my hair and my boyfriend had never seen my hair straight in person. (Yes Boyfriend!! I’ll update you on my life later) The second and last time I straightened my hair was in June for my best friend’s wedding. I really could have left it curly but when you are the Maid of Honor, the last thing you want to be worrying is doing hair.

Fast forward to September 2020 I am about to tell you how I have gone 15 months without my using my flat iron. Before I do that make sure you subscribe to my blog so that you don’t miss a moment of the action. I have a lot of things planned between now going into next year so trust me. You are going to want to subscribe!!

So previously I told you that I was in my best friend’s wedding. That was the last time I straightened my hair and it was a whole process. Any time you do want to straighten your hair you want to make sure you cleanse your hair thoroughly and make sure that your deep condition and use a heat protectant and protect your hair. So I had to wash, deep condition, blowdry, then flat iron my hair which took a couple a few hours. My hair is a lot thicker than it appears. Below are pictures of my hair in different stages.

No heat in a Pandemic

One way that I was able to keep up with not straightening my hair was the pandemic. There simply was no reason to put heat on my hair when I’m going to be in the house. There were times I wanted to because I want to experiment with different styles and stuff but I became a lazy natural during quarantine. Which in the end I think that really helped my hair.

Low manipulation styling

As I have said in my previous posts. The best way to grow your hair is low manipulation. With me keep my hair in coils and braids, it not only stopped me from wanting to straighten my hair but it also helped my hair to grow. My hair has been the longest it has ever been. Even time I stretch my hair I can see a noticeable difference. So my advice to you is protective styling and another low manipulation styling.

No Heat = No Heat Damage

The best thing about not putting heat on my hair is not worrying or stressing about my hair getting damaged. You know as a natural, every time you put heat on your hair you worry about if your curls are going to recover or not. I have really enjoyed seeing my curls flourish this last year. The shrinkage is real but I know that my hair is really healthy.

What are your hair goals?

Now that I have finally made it more than a year without straightening my hair, I really don’t want to do it. I am actually enjoying my curls. I am enjoying trying out different products and combinations. If I end up wanting straight hair for a look or something I am going to play with some wigs. My sister is learning how to make wigs so that’s a plus for me.

What hair goals are you looking to achieve? Let me know down in the comments.

Make sure you are following me on all my social media platforms I have alot of things happening before the end of the year and I don’t want your to miss out. Love yall <3

Aug, 2019

Welcome Back…..

Hey #curlfriends!!!! I know I know, it’s been a while. There has been a lot going in 2019. Some good, some bad but all learning experiences. So I’m here to give ya’ll an update with these curls because I know that you’re all are dying to know what been going on with me.

No Heat Challenge…… Not so much

So going into 2019 I started a new No heat challenge. I was so excited to go all year with no heat. Then life happened. I honestly got tired of dealing with my hair. Curly hair is so much work. So in about April, I straightened my hair. It wasn’t all bad though letting my hair just be in a bun for a while actually turned out to be a good thing. My hair is as long as it ever been. Then in June, I straighten my hair again for my best friend’s wedding. I wasn’t going to at first. I was set on getting a sew-in, you know putting my hair away for a while. But time got away from me so at the last min I just whipped out my flat iron and went to work. Now that all that is over I’m back to not putting heat on my hair.

Color…

So my hair is still blonde. I’m honestly trying to decide what color I want to do next. I really miss my red hair. It was so bomb when I had it and whatever my stylist used lasted for months!! Unfortunately, she isn’t doing hair anymore so I gotta find a new hair color expert in the Richmond, VA area.

What Products am I using?

To be honest I haven’t tried a lot of new stuff this year. I mean if it’s not broke there’s no need to fix it right? I have a couple of reviews that ill be doing soon for some new products that I have used over the last month or so stay tuned!!!

I’m still alternating between my EcoSyle Gels and Wetline Xtreme. It really just depends on how I’m feeling that day. I love the results I get with both products.

What’s to come?

I’m so glad you asked. I have a couple of review coming up. I have a Deva Cut Review coming soon. My appointment is in two weeks. I also have a 20.00 wash day coming out. That will showcase some curly hair products that I found in Ross. Lastly ill be starting my YouTube channel before the end of the year. So stay tuned family!!! I’ll have some amazing stuff coming your way soon!!!

Dec, 2018

Wet Line X-treme Gel

Ok! So as promised I was finally able to get my hands on the Wet Line Xtreme Gel to review for you all. I’m not going to lie to you, it wasn’t easy. Most places were sold out! Luckily my local Wal-Mart had one remaining on the shelf that I snatched up. After seeing so many YouTube influencers raving about it, I was really curious to see how it would hold up in my hair.

Application

So if you read any of my other wash and go reviews you already know that I like to apply my products on dripping wet hair. I had a event at my church that I wanted my hair to be fresh for so I really trying to take my time and get this wash and go as popping as possible. I almost wanted to use my ECO Style gel because I kind of knew how that would come out. you can read the review I need on the newest Eco Style Gel ( Cannabis and Sativa Oil) to see how I felt about that one. I started applying the Wet Line Xtreme with the Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie and the 2 products were not mixing at all. I was like “Nope!!” I’m going to have to do use something else. I ended up changing my leave in to the Camilla Rose Naturals Coconut Water Leave in Treatment. Camilla Rose worked a lot better but I’m interested to see what other leave in are good with this gel.

What I Loved

What I loved most about this gel was the price!! I got this gel for about $3.00 at Walmart. I was going to purchase it from Amazon but it was out of stock at the time. The had a 2 pack available for like 5.00 but I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it so I didn’t want to purchase two of them. Another thing that I really loved about the Wet Line X-treme gel is how it weighs my hair down. Any time a gel weighs my hair down I know my curls are going to pop. After my hair dried I liked how stretched my hair ended up being. I didn’t get as much strinkage as I normally do with a Eco Style Gel.

What I Hated

So to be honest there really wasn’t a lot that I hated about this gel overall. I will say that after drying my hair it was X-tremely hard ( Lol). Really though I was nervous that my hair was going to break off. A lot people said that it was due to the protein in the gel but I’m not protein sensitive. My high porosity hair will take as much protein as she can get. Another thing that I really was not a fan of was my hair flaking after about day 3. I’m not entirely sure if the flaking was due to the leaving that I used or the actual gel its self so I will be trying this gel out again just to make sure, The Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie is probably to blame though. It could also be that I used too much product. I know that I can be a little heavy handed.

Final Thoughts

So my final thoughts on the gel is that it was overall pretty good. I really enjoyed my wash and go overall and I will get trying it again. I think I just have to find a leave in that works well in my hair and with the Wet Line X-treme gel and then I will be successful. I am also going to try the gel again without a leave in as I did wit the Eco Style to see if that make a difference. I really hope that you enjoy these reviews and if there is a product you would like to me to try out make sure to comment below or shoot me an Email. Also make sure you are following me on all social media playforms so that you never miss post.

Dec, 2018

Natural Hair Rules I Don’t Follow

I just celebrated 9 years since I had decided to go natural. I will say that during that time I have learned a lot about my hair. My curls have flourished and my hair is the longest that it’s ever been. But with that being said I don’t always follow the common rules ya’ll like to establish for natural hair. Now before you all go and start judging me let me make this clear, I AM NOT A PROFESSIONAL!!! I just like to do what works for me, and as a result, my curls are popping and my edges are intact. Here are some rules I donot follow and the reasons why…

I’m Colored Treated.

I actually started exploring with hair color long before I became natural. I don’t want to hear that coloring my hair doesn’t make me less of a natural. Save it. There are such things as a color treated naturals. Honestly, I’ve had color in my hair for so long; I don’t feel right with dark hair. I tried it and I was not a fan. Now I will say that because I have been coloring my hair for so long I don’t always seek a professional before coloring. I recommend that if you are new to color that you seek someone who knows what they are doing. Especially if you want hair color that is going to last you want to keep your hair from being damaged in the process.

Sulfates are my Friend

I honestly don’t mind some sulfate shampoos for my hair. I know that they are not ideal but sometimes I need that squeaky clean hair. Sulfates do tend to strip your hair of their natural oils so I recommend if you are going to use a sulfate shampoo that you deep condition. Add as much moisture back in your hair as possible. I have not noticed any damage or dryness from using sulfates on my hair but at the end of the day, you do what’s best for you. I use shampoos based on how they make my hair feel during and after shampooing. I even went some time just using sulfate free shampoos and honestly, I didn’t really see too much of a difference in my hair.

I haven’t canceled Eco Style Gel

You all can cancel eco all you want but she works wonders for my curls so she is not going anywhere. Period…Point…Blank!!! I know that a lot of YouTubers have been complaining about the ingredients of the Eco Styler Gel but I have not had any problems and I have been using it since the beginning of my hair journey. Now, with that being said, I have found some other gels that work great for my hair as well. I have made flaxseed gel that did great as well as Aloe Vera Gel too. Both these natural gels have given me great results but Eco is way more convenient. I recently tried the Wetline Xtreme Gel on my hair, that’s the new gel people are raving about and I’ll do a full review coming up in a few days. My favorite Eco Style Gel right now is between the Cannabis and Sativa Oil and the Flaxseed and Black Castor Oil Gels. I have a review on the Cannabis and Sativa Oil Gel that you can look at here.

I only wear Wash and Go’s

I don’t have a lot of explaining about this one but my hair only likes Wash and Go’s. I didn’t a whole article on this…. You can check that out here. I have tried twist outs and braid outs but my hair always ends up being frizzy. I really just need to find the right products for my hair that will provide me with the results I need but until then I’ll be washing and going out this door. (After I diffuse my hair of course) Yes, that’s right I purchased a diffuser a few weeks ago. I’m still learning how to perfect using it but you know once I do that I’ll come to you all with a review.

I’m not afraid of heat

Every natural is concerned with getting heat damage after straightening. I used to saythat I wasn’t concerned that I will get heat damage because I don’t straightenmy hair often. That is until I straightened my hair and got some heat damage inthe front. I only put heat on my hair two to three times a year. Now, I will warn you, you have to do what is best for your hair. When I straighten my hair I use a heat protectant and I try to get it as straight as possible. I don’ttouch up my hair after the initial flat iron session. Even though I followed this I still got some heat damage it wasn’t as bad as it could have been and I was able to bring my back in order. I know what I did wrong and I know thatit’s a risk that you take.

**I still have my giveaway going on all you have to do is follow me on social media. Subscribe to my blog, and comment below a product or hairstyle you think I should try. **

Dec, 2018

DIY for the Win!!

I have been trying my hand at some DIY products this year. I spend so much money on hair products I figured it would be a great way to save some money. This post is going to be all about DIY homemade products I have tried in the past year. What worked and what I was not a fan of. I will say that most, if not all these products can be found on Amazon. I will also place my **affiliate links** below for what I am able to find.

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Dec, 2018

Twist Out Fail!!! Why I only do Wash and Go’s

I tried to do a twist out for ya’ll I promise I did. It was a FAIL. I really wish I took pictures of it before I threw this hair in a bun so you could see this mess. So this post is going to talk about my whole experience.

Nov, 2018

My Top 5 YouTube Influencers

If you have been natural for any amount of time I know that you have scrolled through YouTube looking for the next new product to add to your collection or the next hairstyle to try out. To be honest, I’m probably on YouTube way more than social media. I’m going to give you a little gift though, think of it as an early Christmas Gift. This post will be all about my Top 5 natural hair Youtubers. Now let me note that these will not be in any particular order. Also, they post regularly so make sure you are subscribed to their channels.

Bentonite Clay

Natural hair is hard work. It takes time, consistency and patience. Anytime I come across a product that makes my life a little easier I instantly get excited. So I’m going let ya’ll in on a little secret that has really changed my hair. Trust me when I tell you, you will see a difference in your hair within one use. The product that I am talking about is Bentonite Clay. Bentonite clay can be used as a face mask or a hair mask. I have used it as both but I mainly use it on my hair. It leaves my hair feeling moisturized and it’s the best treatment to keep my curls popping okay!