Natural Hair Length Check 2015 | The #WashDayExperience

I just realized that I haven't done a length check ALL YEAR! Why didn't one of y'all tell me! *smh*

You see, the thing is that I've only ever done "straight hair" length checks. Always after a fresh relaxer and a good trim.

But---the problem with this logic, now that my hair is completely curly---I have NO desire whatsoever to straighten my hair. I don't wanna blow it. I don't feel like flat ironing it. I just don't wanna. *Pouts and crosses arms*

The likelihood of me straightening my hair any time soon is extremely low. So, today---I'm bringing you curly haired length checks via ruler! *the crowd goes wild* Ha-ha! (Ain't this better than a boring ol #washdayexperience anyway!?!?)

I washed and deep conditioned my hair per my usual routine then applied my leave ins and grabbed a ruler.  My bangs area is the shortest at 7 3/4". Which didn't come to me as a surprise. I had to snip the most from this section when I trimmed a few weeks ago. I also know that my bangs grow slower than the rest of my hair. The left and right sides of my hair are 9" each. While, my left nape is 8" and my right nape is 9".

The biggest shocker to me was how much healthier my hair looked. My ends aren't as frizzy and my hair looks moisturized from root to tip. My guess is that getting back to basics (deep conditioning with heat and co-washing at least once a week) is actually improving the health of my hair. I also suppose that the Jamacian Black Castor Oil on my scalp and ends is helping too.

I'm not gonna make any promises but I do hope to do another length check later this year (maybe on the anniversary of my BIG CHOP eh?). Then I'll actually have a good reference point.

How was your #washdayexperience? When was the last time that you did a length check?

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2 Ways To Install Clip-In Extensions Without Leave Out | The #WashDayExperience

Headband Technique

I think that the most important part of a long term protective style whether it be braided extensions, weave, or wigs, is that it actually protects your real hair AND doesn't cause damage. I mean---the last thing that you really want is to have nasty breakage to deal with when you're trying to grow out your hair.

The cool thing about Kurly Klips is that the chances of breakage are pretty slim. You don't have to blend your real hair with the clip-ins to get a natural look plus there's also no stress on your edges. I know I know---it sounds a little too good to be true---but I promise---it's legit.

Headband Technique

Thanks to Lana's (the genius owner of Kurly Klips) amazing YouTube videos, I figured out two ways to install my Kurly Klips without leave out.

Headband Technique

What you'll need:

• Two sets of Kurly Klips. I used one set each of the Shoulder Chic and Mermaid length from the My Fro collection. I like using two different lengths to create a blunt full hemline and increase the volume. Volume is your friend when you're not leaving out any of your real hair. It helps hide the wefts plus---its cute!
• 2-3" head band ( I use Goodie Ouchless Hair Wraps)
• Hair ties
• Hair pins

Reverse Clip Technique

 Here's how I install my Kurly Klips without leave out:

1. First, I moisturize and seal my real hair. (Click here to see what I use and how I do it) I pull it back into a low pony tail and secure any shorter sections with hair pins.
2. Starting with the Shoulder Chic clips, place 3 clip weft from ear to ear about an inch above your nape.
3. Place the 4 clip Shoulder Chic weft next.
4. Next place three of the 2 clip shoulder chic wefts side by side.
5. Then,  place the 4 clip Mermaid length weft. 
6. You'll have a small area remaining at your crown. You can fill this area my adding your remaining 2 clip wefts horizontally using the headband technique. Just hide the wefts with a simple headband and fluff the hair. OR...
7. You can use the "reverse clip" technique to create an invisible part. First, snap a Mermaid 2 clip wefts backwards at the edge of your part. The volume makes the clips appear to be growing out of your scalp. (Hello AWESOMENESS!) Repeat until you fill in your crown area.

Reverse Clip Technique

Here's a video for my visual learners!

So what do you guys think? Which no leave out method do you like the best?

How was your #washdayexperience?

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How I Protect My Hair Under Kurly Klips | The #WashDayExperience

One of my biggest fears in getting a long term protective style was that I was gonna neglect my real hair underneath.

I'm lazy. 

I'm forgetful. 

Totally absent minded cloud chasing----ohhh what's that over there...

*wanders aimlessly for several minutes*

Wait...what was I talking about?

{Regroups for a sec}

I felt like if my hair was out of sight. Then it would be out of mind.

So I'm trying to force myself to still care for my hair---even tho I don't have to touch it every day--if I don't wanna.

Here's my plan to protect my hair while I'm rocking my Kurly Klips:

#1: Remove the clip-ins EVERY night.
It's disgustingly easy to set these bad boys and forget it. I'd be lying if I said that I never slept in them before. (Sorry Lana! I know that you're not supposed to sleep in them; I was beyond exhausted!) But I can't make that a habit.

#2: Massage my scalp.
I'm not sure if its because my scalp is tender. Or if I'm just not used to having anything attached to my hair but I will admit that there are areas of my head where the clips caused a little soreness. So at night, I gently massage my scalp with a little Jamaican Black Castor oil and try to remember to place the clip a little further away from my scalp

#3: Moisturize and seal my real hair.
Under my clips, my hair is in a set in about ≈ 20 two strand twists. So, I mist my hair with a Aloe Vera, glycerine spritz from root to tip, then apply a small amount of Jessicurl Too Shea Conditioner focusing on my ends. I usually seal with my DIY Hair Butter, but---because I want to really keep my ends protected from the exposure to the friction from the clip-in---instead I'm sealing with Jamaican Black Castor Oil. Then I pull all the twist back into a low pony tail and cover with my scarf.

#4: Co-Wash (as needed).
I workout just about daily, so I rinse my twists with warm water every 3-4 days. After my water rinse, I follow my same nightly routine by misting with my aloe vera concotion, applying a small amount of conditioner then sealing with JBCO. Thanks to my trim a few weeks ago, my ends actually stay twists throughout this process.

#5: Deep Condition once a week with heat.
Not washing my hair weekly simply is not an option for me. I plan to follow my usual regimen, shampooing once a month and deep conditioning with heat every week.

#6: Nourish my leave out.
If I plan to use a little of my real hair to blend the tracks,  I still mist with the aloe vera concoction and apply a little conditioner, but instead of using JBCO to seal my ends I use a dab of hair butter and Camille Rose Natural Curl Maker. I really need to review Curl Maker so that I can properly gush about how great that stuff is, but just know that if you want a fantastically defined twist out---this stuff is your winner winner chicken dinner!

I'm hoping to stick to my clip-ins for maybe 2 months (unless I get bored), then access my ends. In the meantime, I'll be sharing all about how I style them, blend my hair for a natural look, and my 3 favorite ways to install them.

How was your #washdayexperience?

Share all the dets with our hair obsessed tribe below!

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Unboxing Your Kurly Klips

HEATED doesn't even begin to describe how I felt when I unboxed my Kurly Klips.

I gotta keep it 100 with y'all.

I was not impressed.

I straight thought Lana, the genius Kurly Klips creator, had slipped me the okie-doke.

Just as I was about to send her a nice/nasty gram. I figured that I should do some due diligence and figure out why my clips looked NOTHING like the models on the website.

And as usual, YouTube had all the answers. (I'm still wondering why I EVEN went to college. YouTube knows eeevvveerrryyyttthhhaaannnggg...)

When you first open your My Fro collection, it will be big. REALLY REALLY BIG. A little crazy looking. Not at all what you expect. And, if you wear it straight out the box, it will not blend. But, if you like the mentally detrangled about to snap look then you straight BUT if you don't...

Fresh out the box

All you have to do is add some water. 

I deleted my nice/nasty gram and sent Lana an OMG girl this is the ish gram.


Here's how I did it:

1. Rinse the wefts one at a time with warm water. 
2. Because my natural hair is crazy fluffy, I didn't want my extensions to be too defined. So I only finger detangled the very ends of my clips just to clump the curls. 
3. After rinsing each weft, I ever so gently squeezed the excess water in the sink, then hung the wefts on a hanger to drip dry. (You can also lay them flat on a towel to dry.)
4. (Optional) Apply a very lightweight leave in conditioner or curl enhancing product to only the ends of the hair to define each weft. 

 BUT KEEP READING, there's more...

After a wash and light finger detangle at the ends

Be crazy careful with how much product you use and how you detangle the curls. The more product that you use, the more defined your clip-ins will be. Now, if you want really defined curls---a braid out texture---then go to town with your paddle or denman brush. But, like I said, my natural hair is extremely fluffy, therefore the voluminous appearance of the clips works for me. Volume will also help you if you only purchased one set of clips, it will help you with blending/covering the tracks and less manipulation will increase the longevity of your purchase. (Because this ish ain't cheap!) If you over define your curls, I'm gonna be real with you, the volume is virtually impossible to re-create.

So it's that simple. Take the hair out of the box, rinse it with a little water, define the curls to your liking, then let dry.

Soon I'll share the 3 ways that I install these suckas in 10 minutes or less!

Besitos!
KLP

Meet My Kurly Klips | #The WashDayExperience

After months of agonizing, weeks of drooling, and tons of Pinterest stalking, I've finally figured out what long term protective style I think that I can actually commit to AND pull off!

So, here's what y'all know: I'm anti-long term protective style. I love my buns, braids and updos but sometimes a girl wants a little more oomph! I adore braided extensions. I live for a natural looking wig. Sew-ins are crazy versatile.  But nothing in me wants to sit for 6+ hours to get my hair braided. I don't want to spend the time looking for a stylist to give me a realistic looking sew in. I Youtube'd "DIY Wig" and got about 75,100 results. *sweet baby Jesus* overwhelmed doesn't even begin to describe it! That's not a learning curve that this chica wants to ride....

My problem is that I love having access to my hair. The thought of not being able to play in my curls whenever I want to makes me stupid sad. And this is where my Kurly Klips come in!

Kurly Klips are naturally kinky curly clip in hair extensions. They are made from 100% human hair BUT have been steam processed to resemble natural curl patterns. Think sew in weave then replace the sew with clip. So that means...

- No stylist/cousin that went to beauty college/kitchen beautician...
- No intricate no way in the world that I can do braiding patterns...
- No closures--dye this--seal that...
- No marley/havanna/remi/yo mama/hakuna matata braiding hair
- I can take it out when I want...
- I can put it in when I want...
- It actually looks like it's growing out of my scalp
- PLUS it only takes 10-15 minutes to install and style?

Girllllllllllllll

I almost lost control!

Lana, the genius creator of Kurly Klips sent me the 4oz Shoulder Chic Fro Clip-Ins and the 4oz Mermaid Fro Clip-Ins to give a test drive.

Once I took the hair out of the package.

I was scurreedd.

LOOK at all that HAIR!

Not my usual running late to the bus stop/post office/commissary/play ground/workout look. But it was perfect for my bestie boo, Keyda's wedding!

See Related: Just Married! Congrats Keyda & Mark!


Here's how I pulled off this look:

Deep Condition- Matrix Hydrasource Conditioner + Almond Oil
Leave Ins- Almond Oil + Jessicurl Too Shea Conditioner + DIY Hair Butter + Camille Rose Curl Maker

I'd been wearing my hair in my Two Strand Twist Updo, so I pulled it down, misted with a little water then applied Matrix Hydrasource Conditioner to my hair root to tip in a couple of sections, detangling in the process. I sealed in the conditioner with a little almond oil, then covered with a plastic bag. To kick my conditioning up a notch, I sat under my heating cap for about an hour.

See Related: My Natural Hair Regimen

Afterwards, I hopped into the shower, rinsed each section thoroughly and re-twisted. I let a cotton t-shirt absorb the excess water from my hair and applied a little almond oil. Then, I applied my leave ins: Jessicurl Too Shea Conditioner + DIY Hair Butter + a dab of Camille Rose Curl Maker and twisted my hair in about 20 sections. The process took about an hour. I pulled the damp twists back into a ponytail, covered with my scarf and let them dry overnight.

The next morning, I installed 7 of the mermaid and 2 of the shoulder chic clip ins for this voluminous look. I unraveled a few of the twists from the front of my hair to help cover the clips, applied a little aloe vera gel, then twisted it back and secured with hair pins.

Yes. I will give you guys all of the dets on how I installed the hair, how I wash it, how I style it, etc etc etc. But for now, just know that I LOVE these clip-ins! I was too busy running here and there + partying at Keyda's wedding so I didn't get any shots of she and I together, but I did snap a few full length pics of me, my weave, and my dress!

What do you think? Can I pull off ALL of this hair or does it look to wiggy?

How are you rocking your hair this week? Feel free to share with the rest of our hair obsessed tribe!

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[Life] Just Married! Congrats Keyda & Mark!

I bet you guys are wondering...what happened to my hair obsessed partna in crime MK? Well..she's been crazy busy because now she's a MRS!

Her wedding was literally one of the most beautiful ceremonies that I've ever attended.

Because their love was as radiant as the sunset.

And It was crazy fun.

Totally Keyda & Mark style.

Authentic. Genuine. Sincere.

But of course, her hair game was on point too!

 
With a classic swirled double halo braid into a neat bun topped with a Haku Lei.

Ho'omaika'i 'ana Keyda and Mark!

Did You Win The Jessicurl Giveaway? (Plus Coupon Code!)

I wish that I could pull an Oprah...

You get a Jessicurl Confident Coils Collection gift pack. And you! And you! EVERYONE gets one!

*le sigh*

But I only have one gift pack to give away this month. I guess that a girl can dream right?!?

The winner of the August giveaway is: Khaya of Pocahontas' Hair Secrets!

If you didn't win, don't worry. You can get 15% Off Any 8 oz. using my coupon code: SOSHAIR15. {Expires 2/29/2016. Can not be combined with any other offers. Includes collections}


Besitos!
KLP

a Rafflecopter giveaway

[Tutorial] Two Strand Twist Updo For Natural Hair

I thought about sharing my uber boring #washdayexperience with you---but then I remembered that I owed you guys a tutorial on this delicious Two Strand Twist Updo!

It's definitely one of my favorite protective styles as of late. I love it because it keeps my hair stretched, my ends protected, and it's perfect for any occasion. I wear it to the gym, running errands and I even wore this style to my partner in crime MK's wedding! (More about the wedding and how beautiful MK was later!)

 

Anywhos, this style is actually very very simple and is perfect for neck length or longer hair.

1. Divide your hair ear to ear then create a side part.
2. Two strand twist the smaller section above your ear
3. Divide the larger section into 3 or 4 smaller sections then two strand twist it above your other ear.
4. Next, divide the back section in half. 
5. Gently rake one half towards the front of your air just above your ears
6. Join the back half with your previous twist by (you guessed it!) twisting it. 
7. Pull the twist back cross your head.
8. Secure across your head with hair pins.
9. Repeat on the opposite side by gently raking the back half of your hair forward and twisting.
10. Pull the twist back across your head 
11. Secure with hair pins.
12. If your hair is short like mine, just take the remaining twists from your bang area and use hair pins to connect it to the other twists.

Polish the look by smoothing your edges with little edge control. (My favorite is Chi Twisted Fabric) Then cover with a satin/silk scarf to tame flyaways.


I usually wear this style for several days at a time. At night simply over with a satin scarf. In the morning, I unpin each section, moisturize and seal if necessary then pull it all back again.


So what do you think? Would you give this style a try?

How are you rocking your hair this week? Feel free to share with the rest of our hair obsessed tribe!

An InLinkz Link-up