Friday, December 28, 2012

Hair 'Nspiration | Natural Curls and Waves

New Year means "New You with New Hair"! With the new year upon us this is a great time to transform ourselves into the beauties that we are and try new styles. If you're suffering from hair loss, let's say goodbye to the loss and hello to some beautiful flawless hair! Natural curls and waves are the hottest trend right now. Move forward into the new year with your own head of natural curls or waves. To give you some inspiration here are a few photos from www.essence.com of natural hair styles that can be achieved with your lace system.  

If you're a YouTuber like me then you know who she is...the beautiful Ms. Taren Guy!

This is my favorite style! The two-tone colors are beautiful.


Thursday, December 20, 2012

Alopecian Mother's Fear: Her Babies Hair

A few weeks ago, I posted a picture of my daughter's natural hair on my Facebook page. Being that I have Alopecia, I always fear that it may happen to one of my children (I have three). Two of my babies have long hair while the other prefers his nice & short. I take extra care when caring for their hair to avoid any type of hair loss. When I was younger, no one could tame my wild, frizzy curls so I received my first perm when I was in the sixth grade. Thinking back, I wish a perm never touched my hair because I feel that this may have caused the development of Alopecia Areata. I am so thankful for the times that we live in now where there's a large source of information on how to care for natural hair down to the exact hair type. I search for most of my help on NaturallyCurly.com

I made a vow to not ever put any chemicals in my daughter's hair and to teach her how to embrace and care for natural hair. I only use a handful of products on my babies hair where some are natural and all are alcohol-free. The products that I mainly use is Mixed Chicks, Carol's Daughter, Creme of Nature Argan Oil collection (use when pockets are tight...lol), Shea Moisture, and Moroccan Oil.

I use a different regime for my daughter and my son because they have different hair textures. My daughter's hair is Type 3C between 18-20" in length, and my son is Type 4A between 8-9" in length. 

Daughter's Hair Regime:
I wash her hair once a week with Mixed Chicks Shampoo, Deep Conditioner, and Leave-In Conditioner. I leave the Deep Conditioner on for about 10-20 minutes and once a month I let her sit under the dryer for a deeper condition mixed with Moroccan Oil treatment. 
For curly/wavy styling (ponytails): I use Carol's Daughter Marguerite's Magic and Shea Moisture Organic Coconut & Hibiscus Curl & Style Milk. Throughout the week, I allow her to lightly spray her hair with conditioner water (10% Mixed Chicks Leave-In Conditioner diluted with water in a spray bottle) to revive the curls. I do not use too much product on her hair because it will weighed down too quickly. 
For straight styling: I follow the same wash pattern as above and skip the Mixed Chicks Conditioner. I spray her hair with Luster's Pink Glosser and dry the hair in section with an hair dryer. When all dry, I apply the Carol's Daughter Marguerite's Magic around the edges of her hair. In small sections, I spray the Luster's Pink Glosser and flat iron the hair straight. At night, I wrap her hair up in a satin scarf/bonnet. The straight style will actually last a week, if she doesn't get it wet. No extra oils are needed because the Luster's Pink Glosser provides all the necessary oils to protect the  hair from heat damage, conditions it, and gives off a nice sheen all at the same time.


Son's Hair Regime:
Now with my four year old son's hair, I have to treat his quite differently. One because he has a different hair type, two he doesn't sit still for too long. I try washing his hair once a week, but most of the time it pushes to the two week mark. The only shampoo that detangles his hair fast, quick, and in a hurry is the Mixed Chicks Kids Shampoo. I actually use the whole kids collection on him. I use Moroccan Oil Treatment and Carol's Daughter Original Hair Milk. If my son gives me problems, I will shorten the process by just cowashing his hair. I do no styling with his hair because he has no patience...lol. As shown in the picture is how his hair is styled every day.     


I purchase Mixed Chicks, Carol's Daughter, and Moroccan Oil Treatment from a local salon in the mall. The other products I go to my local Target or Sally's Beauty Supply store. I hope this post will help other mothers on how to care for their child's natural hair. I am not a Cosmetologist.....just a mother who has Alopecia Totalis trying to protect her babies hair. 

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Tips on How to Remove Stubborn Adhesive From Lace Unit

Removing stubborn glue from you lace unit does not have to challenging. With a few simple tips, your unit will be free of residue and ready to be bonded again. 

Tip #1 - Take a cottonball soaked in 91% or 99% alcohol and in a circular motion, slowly & gently remove the adhesive from the perimeter of the unit. 
Tip #2 - After majority of the adhesive is removed, fill a basin with cool water and pour some Neutrogena Shampoo Anti-Residue Formula* in the water. Soak the lace cap in the water using your fingers to gently massage the perimeter of the lace to remove the build up of residue.

*I use this shampoo to clean my makeup brushes and decided to try it on one of my wigs to remove build up. It works like magic! This product can be found at Walmart and Target. 

Friday, December 7, 2012

Hair 'Nspiration | Draya Michele's Sexy Razor Edge Bob

If you're a fan of Basketball Wives LA, then you will know that Draya Michele has always kept her hair in long locks. Well Draya switch up her long locks for a sexy, edgy, asymmetrical bob. And I must say that her new look gives her a more mature look that is Glamorous and Sophisticated. Draya posted a pic on Twitter of her new 'do a couple weeks ago. Check it out! I love how her roots are of natural color and gradually goes to blond. 
Source: Twitter

Product Review | Beauti-Full-Brows



Happy Friday Couture Beauties! Please watch my video...I did a review on the fabulous temporary tattoo eyebrows. This is an excellent product for my fellow Alopecians. Update: Brow style Aaliyah in Brunette. You can purchase the brows at www.beauti-full-brows.com

Hair: 14" 100% Malaysian Light Yaki Full Lace System | www.couturelacecrowns

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Protect Your Crown Investment With Proper Care

I've been wearing lace wigs for some years now and cannot remember the last time I actually wore a regular wig. Last night as I was washing my Malaysian Light Yaki unit, I thought about how many regular wigs I used to purchase on a monthly basis.

I used to buy at least 3 to 4 regular wigs a month, which averaged about $180 monthly. Some were synthetic and human. So my yearly cost on wigs WERE $2,160! Yes...you read that correctly. My hair loss was costing me a lot of money at the time not including the treatments that I was getting to grow my natural hair back. These wigs would last me from three days to maybe a week or two. I have a small head so the wig caps never fit and were bulky on my head. The hair shed like nobody's business, frizzed up, became dull after one wash, and would melt in the heat (synthetic units). At the time before I knew about lace wigs, I was stuck with these wigs.

When I was introduced to lace wigs, I was on cloud nine and I've been glued (literally) to them ever since. The average cost of a full lace wig can range from $300-$1000, depending on customization. In my opinion they are worth the investment because it acts just like the hair that was or is growing on your head. I treat all my lace wigs like princesses. The picture below is my Malaysian unit, which retails for $350, and she is 10 months old. So with her, I saved $1,810!!!!  She's been colored twice, cut, trimmed, shampooed and conditioned multiple times. She is my go to unit for my most natural look and she still has that bounce, strong hair strands, tons of luster, no tangles, minimal shedding, and the lace is still as strong as it was when I first received her.

Below is my routine hair care for this particular unit:
  • Wash & Condition once a week with Nunaat Silicon Moisturizing Shampoo, Hair Masque, and Leave-in Conditioner
  • Seal the knots before & after washing hair with Pump It Up hair Spritz by Bronner Bros. and Got2B Freeze Spray
  • Apply a serum every other day (Moroccan Oil treatment or Organix Coconut Milk)
  • Wash once a month with Nunaat Silicon Fortifying Shampoo to strengthen the strands to keep them strong & healthy
  • Always allow unit to air dry. Only hair dryer to seal the knots faster.
  • Use heat protectant prior using flat iron or curling iron. I normally flat iron hair once a week.
  • Every night I spray conditioner water lightly on the hair and pay special attention to the ends to avoid split ends.
  • If she is bonded, I wrap her up and tie on a satin scarf. If she's on a wig stand, I cover her up in the satin scarf or bonnet.


Nicki Minaj Going Solo with MAC Viva Glam Lipstick 2013

Nicki announced via Twitter "I'm going solo as MAC's VIVA GLAM girl beginning February 2013!!! " This will be Nicki's first time doing a solo campaign with MAC and I am uber excited! She deserves it and has worked very hard to make her mark in this world. All proceeds from the new VIVA GLAM Lipstick will go to help women, men, and child who are affected by HIV/AIDs. As soon as I seen the tweet, I already knew this would be the lipstick for me because of course I love every color of the purple family. Can't wait to get mine in February!