You Had Me At Hello!

Great day, Curlies!

I just wanted to share a quick picture of my coils right before Ordered Steps Productions' 6th Anniversary Celebration this weekend! We had a mighty blast, indeed! Gospel Artists from all over Dallas/Ft. Worth came to share their gifts with us....the ladies were elated (and downright giddy)! We packed the house, which melted my heart because it was such a fantastic outpouring of support.

OSP was schedule to dance one piece. It was a new one, "I Am" by Kirk Franklin. Whoa, that song speaks to me! Anywhoo, this was a shot of me in my two pigtails trying to stretch my coils right before the event started I have Shea Moisture Curl & Style Milk to define & the Curling Souffle with a touch of Eco Gel to hold down the frizz. I was loving my bangs, too. (I used clippies to stretch those babies dow). My hair is soft, shiny & so bouncy. I heart this combo for real.

We had a wonderful time! That was Saturday & my 'fro is still rockin' today.

Let's make it a great week!!! (Uh oh....ARE THOSE CROW'S FEET??!!! UUUGGGHHHHHH)

There's 2 sides to every FRIZZ,

natural dancer

Putting the Test to the FRIZZ: Beautiful Textures Product Review

Great day, Curly-Pies!

The nice folk over at Beautiful Textures sent me some of their new line of natural hair goodies to bounce off my coils so I can share my thoughts with you! Now, this line (available at Sally's retailing between $5.99 - $7.99) promises "amazing versatility" for mixed textures: i.e., curly, wavy, kinky-coily & frizzy strands. I've seen some great reviews on Beautiful Textures, so I gave it a whirl, too.

Ok, so we already know that no two curls are alike, right? Even those taking up housing on our own noggins. My coils are tight, perfect ringlets that don't succumb easily to much styling/techniques. So my satisfaction is solely based on the look & feel of my wild, loose coils. That said, my strands immediately did not take to two of the products: Rapid Repair Deep Conditioner & Tangle Taming Moisturizing Shampoo. Yeah....my curls tangled during the wash process. They haven't done that in ages. Now, so many other people praise the shampoo for its de-tangling properties, but that wasn't my experience. Again, my tight coils just weren't pleased but others may encounter great success with it. I will say, though both products let my mane SOFT. Loved that little surprise.

Here's what my hair ADORED from the line: the Moisture Butter Whipped Curl Creme & the Curly Control Defining Pudding. I used them separately & together. (Beautiful Textures encourages mixing of the products for various results, which I dig as well). Can I say the aroma of these products is.....Heavenly? OMG - I could not stop smelling them! I bounced them off my spirals in a WNG (my go to) & also a gasp....braid out. Now, my braid outs are always frizzy, so it was no exception here. On my second round, I dabbed a bit of my SM Curling Souffle for more hold & I loved the combo. The Beautiful Textures gives a light, bouncy, fluffy finish to manageable, touchable hair. Gotta admit, I couldn't resist whippin' my do around! Oh, yeah I also had much hang time too, which can be a blessing & a curse if you worry about your ends rubbing on clothes.

So there you have it, Curlies! There's lots of other yummy things to try in the Beautiful Textures line. And like I mentioned earlier, it all depends on what your curls like. If you give it a go, please let me know what you think. Specifically, the shampoo & deep conditioner which didn't work for me. All in all, I think this is a good intro to a new line; I'm interested to see more curlies use it. (Btw - please ignore the strings hanging from my new headband...I was in a rush to wear it & didn't cut them off yet.  :)  )



There's two sides to every Frizz,

natural dancer

Showing Some Love: Shea Moisture Curling Souffle

Hiya, Curlie-Pies! So, I really wanted review this product because it has been one of the most polarizing new natural hair goodies we've been introduced to in a minute! I mean, curlies either adore it or hate it....but whichever team you roll with, the feelings expressed are typically strong! Admittedly, I purchased mine back when it came out (last summer), immediately shelved it, & only recently developed a love for it. Because I learned how to use it. The Shea Moisture Curling Soufflé kicked up quite a bit of noise when it was introduced to the natural universe last year. I'm saying, some curlies swore by it, others returned it to the store. Because of my sheer love of Shea Moisture products in general, I didn't take it back to the store - even though my spirals weren't smitten with it upon the first use. The consistency (like unfinished Jell-O) definitely takes some getting used to. Now, because I can at times behave as a product junkie (not in purchasing products, but choking my curls with product) I went about my initial application ALL WRONG. I mean, I just scooped up a big ol' handful & went at it! FAIL. I was left with a cute, but gloppy mess on my noggin. Yuck. MAYBE, if I read the instructions more carefully, I would've paid attention to the little notice saying not to do what I had just done. It took forever to dry, it was sticky and just, ugghhhh. So I put it away months ago. Recently though, I revisited my old foe, and paired it with the SM Curl & Style Milk. I went very light with my application, and POW! Can't (pronounced cai'nt) nobody tell me nothin', lol! Seriously though, my curls are shiny, bouncy, defined, have major hold without the crunchy or sticky dramatic situation I had the first go around. I am receiving so many random compliments on my coils, it's unreal. I really do love this stuff indeed, and it's worth every dollar (even though this little baby costs a buck more than other SM products). I can rock my curly fro for at least a week (pineappling & such at night) and my crown still has a nice sheen & minimal frizz. Shoot, I tried a conditioner only WNG the other night & had to call the Soufflé my rescue from the frizz monster the next morning! It wasn't BAD, per se, but the Soufflé made it a little more polished, you know? I spayed some water, quickly shingled & it was on & poppin. Not to mention, I didn't have to wait for my hair to dry through the Whiteout time (when the condish or styler is clearly sitting on top of our heads, waiting to take up residence in our bed of curls). So there you have it, Curlie Pies! $11.99 at Target, Walgreen's or other retailers who carry SM products. A teeny bit actually travels far through the most stubborn of curls! I love it & encourage curlies who've decided they hate it to try again utilizing a different technique. You just may see a difference. I know I did! There's 2 sides to every Frizz, natural dancer

When A Curl Freezes Over!!!!!

Great day, Curlies! Well, well, well.....look what we have here. Could it be? I mean, really? Really. That I, (of whom is about to celebrate one year of natural glory next month), little ol' ME, who kicked, screamed & pouted most of my journey about this very sore subject - has suddenly turned a new curl to an old foe? Well, mark your calendars with today's date because it is officially the day a curl has frozen over & I am declaring my admiration of....SHRINKAGE. Yep, you heard (er, uh- read) it right, Curlie-Pies. Suddenly, Natural Dancer is all about the shrink. Sort of. How did this happen? So glad you inquired! Simple: Winter clothing. If my coils didn't have the massive shrinking situation going on, I'd have to strap them on top of my noggin every day. And since I have yet to master a decent twist -out, bantu knot, cornrow (you get the point) I like to let my spirals fly free & kinda crazy for variety. Hence, my new love for the shrinking flowers because the ends do not fall prey to wooly sweaters, scarves & such. So, my curls are happy. And if they're happy, I'm happy. I'm all about the JOY, you know? So what about you, curlies? Do you love on your 10-20% hang time? Are you protective styling? And finally, are you making changes to your 'do this year????? There's 2 sides to every Frizz, natural dancer