Blog – Page 2 – BlackHairKitchen

The 4C Natural Hair Struggle

Hey girl…you over there frustrated with your natural hair. Ohhh lawd that rhymes! Are you over it? Tired of the dry, unmanageable, impossible to detangle, won’t/can’t/never stay moisturized? No amount of grease will add shine to your coils? Do your twist-out’s always succumb to shrinkage and just become a ball of fuzzy puffiness?

Well, hey girl, hey! I am here just for you! I’ve curated this list of my vlogs that will help you on the journey to embracing and enjoying your natural hair! We have to break down the barriers of a natural hair community that has perpetuated the myth of shiny curls and baby hairs as the standard for natural hair. Your coils and kinks are just as beautiful, if not more versatile. So let’s start with some quick tips:

Your hair is fine, there’s nothing wrong with how it grows.
Moisturizing starts with the wash routine. Also steaming the hair can do miracles for those who have had a hard time getting hair to stay moisturized.
The weather definitely affects your hair’s moisture. Summertime humidity can make it tricky with the glycerin and winter time frigid air just drys up everything.
Stop styling your hair wet….girl, just no. Damp or close to dry is key. Allow your hair to air dry post wash in chunky twists with a dab of moisturizing product in your hair. Complete your moisture regimen once your hair has dried up a bit. This cuts back on shrinkage and overall dry time. Ain’t nothing like spending a few hours setting your hair at night to take it out in the morning and it still be wet. UTTER. DISAPPOINTMENT. -_-
If you want to grow your hair long and would like to see more growth, protective styling is where it’s at.

Now on to the details, details:

First thing, a lot of times frustration with our hair comes from unrealistic expectations on what our hair can do. And this is ever more true for women with kinky texture hair or those who identify as 4C natural, because we are so often left out of the healthy natural hair discussion, as we are picked over for women with naturally curly hair. Just because your doesn’t curl or grow curly doesn’t mean it isn’t healthy. Click the thumbnail for my discussion on the Realistic Expectations for 4C Natural Hair.

Next we move into routine. Let’s be clear and honest here you do NOT need to do every new trend of routine, whether it’s putting your whole kitchen sink or greenhouse, cherry lane whatever method. Find what works for you and stick to it. Often times, the root of our hair care problems start with how we wash and condition our hair. I’ve curated a list of videos that go over technique and routines that you can employ to ensure healthy hair. Click the thumbnail for the video playlist specifically tailored to those struggling with 4C natural hair.

Okay, so we all know that product junkism and real and folks often believe that miracles can be found in the bottom of a hair care product. That’s not what I’m ever willing to promote. Honestly speaking, you can make all your own products and be fine. You do NOT need to buy every hot or new product out there in order to get your hair to act right. Really, your hair regimen should consist of 4-7 products from shampoo to styling. For my favorite products, I have a full comprehensive video and a detailed one by one series that I am still updating with favorites from each product category. You can also check my product reviews that showcases different product lines and tools that I have found useful on my natural hair journey.

I personally love to wear my hair in curly styles. Mostly because it keeps my hair stretched and decreases single strand knots, and tangled hair. Also, because I love the texture of my hair in curls, especially big curls where you can still see the kinky of my hair as it’s spiraled into curls. Everyone has a different aesthetic, and I fully believe that your hair care routine should fit you, in not only your lifestyle but how you like to see yourself. Just because you went from relaxed to natural does NOT mean you have to regress to wearing hairstyles that are better suited for a 12 year old. It also doesn’t mean that your only styling option is the high puff. You can enjoy a wide range of curly, protective, braided and ‘fro do’s. Click the thumbnail for my Guide to Curls for 4C Natural Hair.

For all my natural hair professional ladies, with those good corporate jobs. I have a few tutorials that are perfect for the work environment. Also for the mothers or just busy women, I also have a few styles that can last you throughout the week.

Shine on and shine bright dolls! Any other questions about your hair? Tweet me @jouelzy your questions and find my on Facebook where you can post pictures of the fly styles you have achieved on your hair. I promise, it only gets better from here.

Great Expectations: 4 Realistic Expectations for 4C Natural Hair

Oh no this is not a negative post about 4C hair. The goal is for this to be helpful in setting some realistic expectations for your hair so you can overcome the hurdle of complicatedness and get to loving what God gave you. It’s all about embracing, baby.

Continue reading “Great Expectations: 4 Realistic Expectations for 4C Natural Hair”

Best Darn Twist Out on 4C Natural Hair

Girl it’s only a year and half later but I’m finally getting around to doing the blog post to accompany my popular video on the best twist out ever for 4C natural hair. Please excuse my tardiness.

I’m often asked about how I do my twists out, or how to get twist outs to look right on kinky hair in general. I think for many of us without super thick heads of hair, getting the twist out with the mushroom effect isn’t really that easy as simply twisting hair at night and taking it out in the morning. For me, it was about finding the right products or more so ingredients that would puff up my hair just enough to give the illusion of thicker hair, while still holding the definition of a twist out. Enter Shea Moisture. Continue reading “Best Darn Twist Out on 4C Natural Hair”

The Best Kinky Straight Wigs

Kinky straight wigs are the new trend, offering a more realistic look that blends well whether you are natural or relaxed. And with winter right around the corner many our looking for protective styles that are easy to apply. Wigs are one of the best protective solutions as you can take them off and on as need be. I have become a kinky straight wig hoarder, as I review variations of kinky straight wigs from different Chinese vendors. But how do you tell them apart? Are they all created equal?

The answer: absolutely not.

Hair Texture – this is, generally speaking, Chinese human hair that is processed into the kinky straight texture. Even though wig companies will give you the option for Indian/Remy/Yaki and charge you more for each, trust me, there’s no real difference as it is Chinese hair. The difference will simply lie between the wig companies and the hair texture that they are producing which will range from slightly silky to coarse. The best, IMHO, lies directly in the middle, a slightly dense texture that can be soften with a flat iron.
Lace Front Area – basically how much lace/parting area does the wig give you and is it lace or a silk closure. All my favorite wigs have ample parting space, though I have received other wigs where the lace front area was extremely small and the line of demarcation was very noticeable. Lace vs. silk closure has it’s pros and it’s cons. One wig I feature has a silk closure and for someone who doesn’t like to leave any of their hair it, it works great. However if you want to blend your leave out the silk closure can be a bit of a hassle. It is really just personal preference.
Cap Construction – for the most part any wig with combs and the elastic straps at the nap, will be lace in the front, and a stretch material through the center and back. I do not mind this at all, as this is how I prefer my caps to be constructed. I do not like full lace wigs, because I am not glueing the wig down. Nah child, my edges are flourishing and precious, no need to mess up a good thing. You want a well ventilated wig so that it is not prone to shedding.

Now let’s get into my actual favs here from least to best!

Premiere Lace Wig Kinky Straight – this one is the cheapest option, ranking as a fav because it is a bargain buy. Decent construction, a lovely soft and airy texture and the wig lays flat! The biggest con for me is the cap construction, as the front of the wig is lace and the rest is tracks sewn on the lace, leaving the wig on the slightly thinner side and it’s very prone to shedding. It’s a good entry wig, for those super hesitant to drop the coin, but the life span on this wig will be limited. Still great to get your feet wet with.

April Lace Wig Kinky Straight – oh this wig is all over YouTube and for good reason. I love it, a lot a lot. It was sent to me at 14″ and I chopped it in a bob that most people think is my real hair. This is the wig with the silk closure, which works well for me since I don’t ever leave any of my hair out. But for those who want to blend this may take some getting use to. I manipulate and style this wig often but it holds up very well. The hair strands are closer to the coarse side, but not too much, they call it “Italian yaki.” It’s a thoroughly beautiful wig.

(And 4) Eva Wigs Kinky Straight – this is my absolute favorite! So much so that I have two, one at 16″ and another at 24″. The longer one, I’ve now had for over a year and it shows no wear or tear, that’s after wearing it constantly for three months, several flat iron, wand curl and wash sessions later. I love it. It has the perfect texture and a nice sheen without adding any product. That’s a sheen not a shine, making it look super authentic. I would stay away from the ear tabs on EvaWigs, but otherwise I prefer their construction the most. Love it!

Which kinky straight wig is your fav? Are you considering buying one, or have you already taken the splurge? Let us know about your experience in the comments below.

What is 4C Natural Hair?

Some will say that hair typing isn’t worth it. Often that’s people with looser curl patterns who have seen plenty of representations throughout the natural hair scene of their hair texture or just a person who has longed figured out how to work with their hair and jumped over the hurdles that would leave others flatlined and frustrated. But for those who are thinking that they are doing something wrong because their hair doesn’t curl like hers, doesn’t shine like that YouTube guru, their twist out doesn’t cascade into waves, bantu knot outs are a wiry mess, hair typing might help them figure out that there’s nothing wrong with their hair, it’s just different from what is most often shown.

Realizing that there’s nothing wrong with your hair, it just requires a bit more patience and a lot more moisture is the starting foundation to healthy hair. More importantly realizing that there is NO MAGIC PRODUCT that will define a looser curl, give you the ultimate shine or magically cause your hair to grow overnight, will save your bank account a good bit of money. It might even provoke a woman to take pride in hair and move from “I’m natural under my weave” category, as feel so many women with my hair texture are. We don’t see it as much, because we’re still hiding, with no direction, so we stick to are normal comforts. There’s nothing wrong with relaxers, wigs or weaves, but everyone should have the flexibility and know how to properly deal with their natural hair.

Hair typing is not the bible to hair care, it’s simply a starting point, especially for those who don’t know where to start. It’s easier to find hair care tips and tutorials when searching for 4C natural hair. I certainly can’t brand my hair tutorials as videos for “extra nappy/kinky hair”, 4C is a much easier identifier. 4C is not just a section of your hair that you can’t figure out. All hair won’t look the same because there are many more variables that impact an individual’s hair. 4C natural hair is a tightly coiled and often zig zag hair pattern that shrinks up to almost nothing no matter the length. 4C natural hair is often characterized as low porosity and extremely dry hair. But 4C natural hair can be manageable and manipulated into a bevy of hair styles. Continue reading “What is 4C Natural Hair?”

Healthy 4C Hair: QRedew Hair Steamer

Hair steaming is a GREAT thing for ladies with the extra coarse hair. DarkerthanBrown recently reviewed the QRedew steamer which she has implemented as part of her regimen for her 4C hair and I had to hop on the bandwagon right after her. Steaming is great because specifically helps with some of our biggest problem areas when it comes to 4C hair.

Continue reading “Healthy 4C Hair: QRedew Hair Steamer”

Semi Protective Up-Do & Bee Mine Product Review on 4C Natural Hair

My most recent video is an extension of the Guide to Curls for 4C Hair video series. In this video I show you how to achieve a cute and curly up do with flexi-rods on my 4C natural hair. This style is great because it will last for at least 3 days since the curls are on top of your head and they won’t be smushed when you sleep and the bulk of your hair will be protected in a Dutch braid. Great for the girl on the go and as a special occasion style (I wore it to my mother’s wedding).

I used Bee Mine Moisturizing Cream and Bee Hold Curly Butter to set the flexi rods. I absolutely love the Bee Mine products. They’re both light weight creamy products that with a dash of castor oil kept my hair soft and moisturized I had super soft and bouncy curls that held all day. I’ve convinced my little brother to grow his hair out. I’m totally amused that I am the only one in my immediate family with coarse hair and I want to see how curly is hair gets. But he has SUPER dry hair, so he’s been using the Bee Mine Moisturizing cream and sealing with castor oil to moisturize. It was threatening to cut his hair until I let him use the Bee Mine product.

Continue reading “Semi Protective Up-Do & Bee Mine Product Review on 4C Natural Hair”

Favorite Winter Protective Styles for 4C Natural Hair

It’s cold outside, hopefully if you’re listening to Christmas music on repeat it’s the MoTown or Cee-Lo x-mas albums and your hair is probably telling you that your summer time moisturizing process ain’t giving you the fluff you had during those long sunny days. Unfortunately, I do not have the magical answer on how to make everything all better with balancing the cold air and moisture in your hair. Because even if you do get a moisture regimen under wraps, it’s very likely that you’ll have to do it ever few days, leaving you with your hands in your hair a lot, a lot. And hands in hair, leads to breakage my dear. So here we are at a pinnacle. Yup, protective styling is a must during the winter time. It does mean you can ever rock your natural steez, it just means you might want to reserve that for more special occasions, especially if you’re focused on retaining length. But never fear, I’m here with some dope styles that you can rock during the colder days. Follow along. Continue reading “Favorite Winter Protective Styles for 4C Natural Hair”

Maintaining Curls on 4C Hair with Original Moxie

The number one question that I get on every single video is how do I maintain my look? How long does my hair style last? And what magical doo da and I’m doing at night to help hold my styles. This is particularly prevalent on curly hairstyles videos, and I’ve been trying out different product so that I can fully answer your question(s). The honest truth is I do my hair often, I don’t work (currently) work a regular 9-5 and so I have the flexibility to style my hair often – therefore I don’t get that caught up in it lasting. Without any holding product and depending on how small I style the curls (the smaller the curler = a tighter curl = lasts longer) I can get a curly flattwist t0 last for about 2 days. But I do read every comment left, and I try to answer questions to the best of my ability or better yet find the right solution.

Continue reading “Maintaining Curls on 4C Hair with Original Moxie”

How to Wash 4C Natural Hair

I actually already have a video on this, but that video is prior to me getting my fancy smancy camera equipment and folks still haven’t figured out that YouTube is owned by Google, meaning the search function is pretty darn awesome…so ya know, I guess it was time to do a new one. I still think my old one is much more thorough, but this one is much more shiny.

Continue reading “How to Wash 4C Natural Hair”