First Impressions: Oyin Hair Dew and Oyin Burnt Sugar Pomade

Happy Sunday lovelies!

I just had to stop by with these 2 new instant staples of mine! As you all know, I am officially unofficially transitioning. While I am just a mere 22 weeks post relaxer (about 5 months post), I am finding that I have to tweak my regimen a bit to fit my hair's changing needs. Awhile back, I found myself in Target, taking a stroll down the hair care aisle, when I laid my eyes on the Oyin Handmade products. During my my time on LHCF, I knew this was a solid product line and I wanted to see what the hype was all about. I walked out with Juices N Berries, Frank Juice, Hair Dew, and the Burnt Sugar Pomade.

My (hair) life hasn't been the same since.

This review is about the Hair Dew and Burnt Sugar pomade- 2 products that make my hair sing.


Price: $13.99+ tax for 8.4 fl oz (Hair Dew)/ 4 fl oz (Burnt Sugar Pomade (at Target) (Note: You can also get these products from Oyin's website. You can also get larger sizes of products which is a plus.

Ingredients:

Hair Dew-purified water, ricinus communis (castor) oil, olea europaea (olive) oil, aloe barbadensis leaf juice (organic), olea europaea (olive) oil, behentrimonium methosulfate (and) cetearyl alcohol (emulsifier derived from colza oil), cocos nucifera (coconut) oil, cetyl alcohol, phenoxyethanol (and) caprylyl glycol (preservative), squalane (from olive oil), fragrance, and love!


Burnt Sugar Pomade- castor oil, hydrogenated soybean oil, organic virgin coconut oil, mango seed oil, olive oil, unrefined hempseed oil, candelilla wax, cocoa butter, broccoli seed oil, fragrance... and love!

Their Claims (per the website):


Hair Dew-this creamy, conditioning leave-in is light enough for every day. it's great on 'naked' hair immediately after a cleanse, or as a way to reinvigorate tired hair all the way through your hair care cycle. for seriously protective hair experience, try using hair dew on moist hair (or over a quick spritz of one of our Juices herbal leave-ins) and then seal ends with one of the Sugar Pomades before gently manipulating hair into a protective style like braids, twists, or an updo. days of moisture, sheen, and hair happiness!

Burnt Sugar Pomade- Similar in texture to an old school 'hair grease,' This blend of oils, butters, and veggie waxes acts as a humectant and protectant for hair, increasing shine to a high glossy sheen and locking in moisture. It's packed with essential fatty acids to nourish scalp, and actually sinks into your hair and skin for a long lasting, non-greasy feeling. It's great for braids, imparts shine and moisture to loose hair, brushes nicely into the hairline for a glossy finish, and adds luster to locks! Contains virgin coconut cream, mango oil, and hempseed oil in a base of nourishing castor oil.
HOW TO USE Rub between your fingers or palms to soften/liquefy. Use to moisturize scalp, to twist locs, to seal the ends of twists or braids, to polish a pulled-back style or an updo, to add weight to the canopy of your hair, to weigh down flyaways or control frizz, or to create waves on super short cuts. Store in a cool, dry place, and use within one year.





I use these products to moisturize my hair prior to doing twist outs, bantu knot outs, braid outs, etc. I use these products in particular because they are glycerin free. I put a lot of time into my twist outs and I hate for them to be made into a frizzy mess by humid conditions (which is a pretty frequent thing in Eastern NC). Furthermore, I don't want to encourage the frizziness by using products with glycerin in them (glycerin is a humectant-meaning it can pull the moisture from that humid air, provide that moisture to your hair, and frizziness will ensue). Oyin Hair Dew and Burnt Sugar Pomade ensure that my hair is moisturized without adding glycerin to the mix. I typically apply the Hair Dew to my damp hair, seal with the Burnt Sugar Pomade, and then proceed with whatever style I plan on doing.


But what do you get when you open the product/ jar?

Let's start with the the Hair Dew. Oyin Hair Dew is white in color and isn't particularly runny or thick. It has a good consistency that makes it easy to spread throughout my hair. It also absorbs into my hair quite nicely. There have been times where I have been a little heavy handed with the product and I am left with the tell tale sign of "too much product application" (read: a white caste of product). Fortunately, by the time my hair dries, that white cast has gone away.

In terms of scent, I think Hair Dew smells AH-MAZING! To me, it smells like cookies and on more than one occasion, I wind up craving a snickerdoodle. However, as always, I caution those who may be sensitive to scent as this may be overwhelming to them.

When I use this product alone, my hair feels exceptionally moisturized. However, the bottle suggests using this product with the Burnt Sugar Pomade. Of course you know that I had to oblige.

Clearly this stuff gets used by me! I love it!
The Burnt Sugar Pomade is brown in color and THICK!! It can have a tendency to be a little gritty but that problem is solved by popping the container in the microwave to melt the product and then letting it solidify again in the refrigerator. When they say this product is like hair grease...they mean it! A little definitely goes a long way with this product. And I'm not just saying that. Because there are so many oils and butters in this product, you can be heavy handed with it if you want to...you'll wind up with weighed down hair. Just saying'. I usually apply this after I've applied the Hair Dew to my hair and I find that I don't have to use much. My hair absorbs it with relative ease which is a plus in my book.

Burnt Sugar Pomade un-smeared and smeared. This product spreads pretty easily
Much like the Hair Dew, this product smells like cookies. So it really intensifies the cookie cravings that I have. Those scent sensitive may want to avoid this product or try the sugar berries pomade.

In combination with the Hair Dew, my hair is moisturized for DAYS!! My little new growth curls up in satisfaction while my relaxed ends are neutral to it. As long as I don't use too much, my relaxed hair is fine.

In terms of twist outs, these 2 products make for the most defined twist outs I have ever done. Which is confusing. Great.....but confusing (although I suspect my giving my hair all the moisture it can stand prior to the twist out+ the butters in the pomade may have something to do with this). Let me explain. The Burnt Sugar Pomade is touted as a humectant pomade. But it also claims to control frizz. If you saw my brief mention of humectants being destroyers of twist outs, you'd understand why this is confusing too. However, Oyin was true to it's word about fighting frizz. My hair does not frizz up with this product. Which makes my current favorite style something that I can do pretty consistently.


Bottom Line: BUY. THESE. PRODUCTS. Buy them now. Especially if you are transitioning. Especially if you like moisturized hair. Or cookies. Or great twist/braid/bantu knot outs. Or all three.

My Unofficially Officially Transitioning Hair Plan

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately.


I've stated that I'm not really desiring a relaxer (and probably won't) so that puts me on the path of transitioning.


However, I don't have clear plan of what I want to do or how to get there.


Right now, I am currently 5 months post. Which really just feels like a long relaxer stretch to me. To get me through the last couple of months, I have been doing twist outs like they are going out of style (I REALLY like twist outs y'all). To guide me with actually handling my hair, I just follow the things that my mother did with my hair when I was a little girl--mainly only combing my hair when wet and keeping it moisturized (seriously, my mom did this. It's the reason why I didn't get a relaxer until I begged for one in middle school. My mom was really my first example in working with my hair and not against it). So far, everything is working out great.

Then I think of the first time I called myself transitioning. Yep it happened. Right at the start of my hair journey. All I knew was my hair was unhealthy and relaxers had a role in that. By month 8, I was back to relaxers. I had no clue on how to handle my hair, let alone 2 different textures. I had even less of a clue on how to style it. I was used to my hair being straight, so I was trying to beat my new growth into straight submission and using a TON of heat. All those years ago, I knew what I wanted to do but had no idea on how to get there so I went back to what I knew.


This go 'round, I think I am in a better position to transition. I tend to wear my hair in more curly styles than straight (the last time my flat iron got used was in February I think). If my hair isn't out, I know to bun it, wig it, or do something protective. I know that I have to modify my products to meet my hair's changing needs and I have a resource for potential products to try (LHCF, other blogs, etc.), and I am becoming versed in how to handle the 2 textures. Ultimately, I think that 7 years after failed transition, I am able to approach this as a "I just don't feel like relaxing anymore" scenario vs a "my hair is breaking off like crazy, let me try this natural thing but I have no clue what to do" scenario.

Hope that makes sense.

Now that I have the tools, I want to come up with a plan.

Right now, I want to transition for at least a year and a half. I know that whenever I cut those last relaxed ends off, I want some hair to work with. I'm thinking that once I get past month 8 (which was the month I went back to relaxers in the past), I will get my first trim. I'll then trim quarterly after that.

While I love my twist outs, I do want to hide my hair for the summer. So, 2 weeks from now, I will be getting box braids which should last me until mid-August (2 months). I'll then wear my own hair out for 2 or 3 weeks (I still want to get to know my hair) and get another set of braids that will last me until November. After that set of braids, I'll wig it up (with Outre Tammy, of course) until the New Year. This plan will bring me to 1 year post relaxer. And that's about how far I can plan out right now. In December, I figure out what I want to do for the remaining months of my transition. Right now I'm just concerned about getting through the year.

I'll be continuing with my regimen: wash, protein treatment, DC weekly as that seems to be working for my hair. I will adjust my products as needed so that they can meet the needs of my transitioning hair.


This is just a rough draft of what I want to do. For those who are transitioning or have transitioned: what do you think? Am I leaving anything out? What are your suggestions for a easy transition?

It All Starts With Not Relaxing......

Happy Tuesday lovelies.


Welp. It is June 2nd and I am nowhere near getting my relaxer that I was due to get last month. With each passing day, it looks like I may be bidding adieu to my relaxed days.

And I am actually fine with that.


Let me explain.

Lately, I have been on a major twist out kick, especially with the weather warming up. I have noticed that my twist outs look 10x better the further I get into my stretch. I'm also loving the curly/ coilyness of my new growth. It makes me kind of wonder what it would be like to have a whole head of the stuff. Kind of a shallow reason but eh.

Perhaps the most important reason why I have not ran back to my relaxers is that it really is not difficult to do my hair. I keep my new growth well moisturized, limit my detangling sessions to wash day, and since I'm not trying to maintain straight hair styling is a breeze. Ultimately, I'm not feeling particularly moved to relax.



I do have mixed feelings about this potential transition. I've been relaxed for so long and this blog was started with relaxed heads in minds. On the other hand, I have yet to experience my natural hair as an adult and I'm curious about it. Furthermore, I have noticed my students fascination with my hair. How amazing would it be for my students to grow up knowing that natural hair is beautiful? It gives me all the more reason to transition.

While I'm going to wait until the end of summer to officially announce if I'm transitioning (hey, I may get to month 8 and say NOPE!!), I just want the put y'all on notice since I am way behind on a relaxer and a length check!

So, I may be another relaxed hair blogger that is joining the natural train......


P.S.--Take a look at my best twist out thus far!! Can ya see why I'm contemplating the natural life? Lol!

First Impressions: Komaza Protein Hair Strengthener

Hello lovelies! I am back with a review of a product that has quickly earned its way back into my hair rotation. At the beginning of this year, I determined that I needed to incorporate more protein into my regimen. I have noticed that a lot of relaxed heads, myself included, have been taking care of their hair the same way that natural ladies do....meaning that their regimens are moisture heavy but lacking in protein. 2015 has been my year to right this issue in my regimen so weekly protein treatments (followed by a moisturizing DC) have been an absolute must for me. In my search for the perfect protein treatment, I saw that the Komaza Protein Hair Strengthener was being mentioned numerous times on LHCF. I figured that if it was getting praised that much, it must be a great product and decided to purchase it. I haven't looked back since.

Enough of my rambling, let's get down the the review!

Price: $15 for 8 oz+ shipping at www.komazahaircare.com

Ingredients: Distilled water, aloe vera, behentrimonium methosulfate, hydrolyzed keratin, hydrolyzed silk protein, hydrolyzed collagen, jojoba protein, wheat protein, gluconolactone and sodium benzoate (natural preservative).


Their Claims (per the website): Designed to mend split ends and control hair breakage by strengthening weak areas in the hair shaft. Protein is also vital to having and retaining great moisture.

This treatment should be followed with a deep conditioner. For damaged hair use once weekly. To stop breakage use once weekly. Once breakage has stopped use once every 2-4 weeks. Can be used on all hair textures.

I cannot sing enough praises for this product!! When I initially purchased the product (end of January/beginning of February), I used this product bi-weekly (alternating with the Aphogee 2-Minute Keratin Reconstructor on my off weeks) and I immediately noticed a difference. I used the protein strengthener immediately following my shampoo, right before my (moisturizing) DC for a period of 30 minutes. The bottle instructs the user to use this product without heat and without a plastic cap...which is what I do. I noticed that immediately my hair felt stronger and surprisingly softer. Well maybe the softness is not so surprising. This product contains behentrimonium methosulfate and aloe vera- which are ingredients which help with the whole moisturizing thing. Additionally, my hair responded very well to whatever moisture I gave it.

Eventually, I decided to use this product weekly. While my hair was stronger, I was still noticing some breakage. Using the product weekly, I'm noticing the same results I achieved before. However, I will say that my breakage has decreased significantly. As a result, I have been using the protein strengthener with every wash and will continue to do so until my breakage subsides.

Even though $15 seems like a lot for 8 oz of product, I have to say that this product is very thick and creamy and a little bit definitely goes a long way. It is the end of April and I still have enough product left to last for another 3, maybe 4 washes. The protein strengthener is white in color and has a very tropical, coconutty smell. So, if you find yourself sensitive to scents or just don't like the smell of coconut, you may want to steer clear of the product.

Bottom Line: Solid, solid product from Komaza!! A definite must for any relaxed girl's head!

April (Hair) Musings/Ramblings

Happy Sunday lovelies!

It's a rainy Sunday here in Greenville and since today was my wash day, I have been thinking about the progress of my hair so far. I have had a lot on my mind about things that I want to try, upcoming hair plans, etc and I decided to share them all with you.

1) Weekly protein is a must for my hair. I am noticing that my hair responds so much better with it. My hair hangs on to whatever moisture I give it a lot better. I'm also noticing that my new growth responds well to the added protein too. My hair is super easy to comb through on wash days and forms nice little curls when dry. I also suspect that I am retaining length. As of right now, my hair is drawn up a lot because I am at least 16 weeks post. However, when I stretch my hair a bit, it looks to be around MBL. Only a relaxer and a length check will verify my suspicions. And speaking of relaxers....


2) I have no clue on how long I want to stretch. Initially, the goal was to wait until the first week of May to relax but as of right now, I don't even feel like doing that. I found a hairstyle that I love (twist outs!!) and I know that style looks a lot better on my head with some new growth. Also, I'm thinking about getting box braids (weather is about to heat up....yall know that's traditionally braid season for me). There really wouldn't be a point in getting a relaxer only to get braids. Oh decisions decisions.


3) I'm really starting to wonder how my hair would respond if I used one line exclusively. I know product lines were designed to work together but I'm really interested in seeing if it would benefit my hair. I'm strongly considering using the Komaza line exclusively to see how my hair reacts. My hair adores their protein treatment and I really want to find out if my hair will respond just as positively to other products.


4) It feels good to be back on a weekly hair regimen again. I mean this is self explanatory. However, I'm finding that my hair time provides a break from the hustle and bustle of my daily life. It gives me an outlet that I sorely missed in 2014.


Anyway, that's it! 2015 has been spent getting back into the groove of things and my hair is responding once again. I can't wait to actually do a length check to see what my progress has been so far!

The Awkward Stage's Guide to the Perfect (Braid, Twist, Bantu Knot)-Out

Happy Sunday lovelies!

With Spring rapidly approaching and the temperature beginning to rise, I have begun to wear my (fill in the blank) out styles. While these styles are gorgeous (and they debunk the myth that relaxed hair has to be straight all of the time), the learning curve can be steep when you're trying to figure out the methods to achieving a great look every time you do them. So, I figured that I would share some of the methods that work best for me as well as some of the things that I consider before I style my hair.

With that said, let get this show on the road!


When I plan to do any type of "-out", I make sure that I have these 3 products on board:

1) A liquid leave in conditioner (Jane Carter Revitalizing Leave-In is my choice)
2) A moisturizer (Shea Moisture Coconut and Hibiscus Curl and Style Milk is bae lol)
3) A product that provides some kind of hold (my favorite is Taliah Waajid Curly Curl Cream. ORS Lock and Twist Gel is pretty decent too. Just remember the aim is for the product to provide a light hold, not a crunchy hold)

Now the leave in and moisturizer are there to provide the moisture that my hair needs (well, duh). However, the key product is the holding product. For us relaxed chicas, because our hair is straight, we have to ensure that our hair will maintain and hold on to those curls for longer than an hour. This is where that holding product comes in. While you may not use the exact product I use, please please PLEASE make sure you have a hold product in your "-out" rotation.

Styling

Once you have your products, you can decide if you want to do a braid out, twist out, or bantu knot out. For me, deciding which one to do is crucial because doing these styles on wet or dry hair can yield different results. For example, if I decide to do a bantu knot out, trial and error has shown me that for the best results, I have to blow dry my hair first then bantu knot my hair. My curls look better this way and last longer. However, there may be some heads of hair that have to do the opposite. On the other hand, my braid outs and twist outs have to be done on damp hair (hair that is about 75%-80% dry). Sopping wet hair results in frizzy braid outs and twist outs and dry hair doesn't hold the curl as well. I haven't a clue why my hair reacts this way, I just go with it.

The bottom line is this: doing these styles on sopping wet, damp, or dry hair may make all the difference in the world when it comes to the end result, so take your time to figure out which type of hair (wet, damp, or dry) gives you your desired results. Whichever state of hair you choose, MAKE SURE YOUR HAIR IS COMPLETELY DRY BEFORE YOU UNRAVEL YOUR TWISTS, BRAIDS, OR BANTU KNOTS. You will cry real tears if you take those jokers out while your hair is still wet. Don't say I didn't warn you.

When I'm ready to style, I section my hair, apply my products (minus the liquid leave in for my bantu knot out), and get to work.


For the "-out" newbies (and for those who just may need to see different ways of doing these styles, here are the videos I have reference that will allow you to see the setting process for these styles:

How to Get Perfect Bantu Knot Out Results On Dry Natural Hair (Alyssa Forever)

Even though this is targeted towards natural heads, the method is the same: blow dry prior to bantu knotting, section hair and apply moisturizing and hold products, bantu knot (except I two strand twist then bantu knot), repeat until finished setting, and unravel the next day.

Two Strand Flat Twist Out...Texlaxed/Relaxed Hair (Special K)

Here you can see how to flat twist your hair and how to bantu knot it at the end so that your ends are curly. Although her products are different than the ones that I use, this is my go to video for referencing how to do this style!


Braid Out Tutorial for Relaxed, Texlaxed, or Texturized Hair (TressedforSuccess)

This is the method I use (although I prefer to do these on damp hair): section hair, apply products to section, plait, place perm rod at the end of your hair, repeat, unravel the next morning


But What About Those Ends Though?

This is probably an important question. As a relaxed head, your ends will not automatically curl like someone whose hair is natural. Now if you want your ends to be straight for these styles, read no further. However, if you're like me and prefer a uniform look throughout your hair, read on.

Bantu knot outs will give you that uniform curly look because your hair is curling around itself in the bantu knot. So with this style you really don't have to think too much further about ensuring that your ends are curly. As long as you have a great holding product, you should be good for the day. Twist outs and braid outs (but especially twist outs) may be a different beast.

Me with the bantu knots in and when they are unraveled.
I have to admit, I am relatively new to twist outs because a) I didn't know what to do with the ends of my hair once I was done and b) I wasn't confident in my flat twisting abilities. This meant that I would have to have loose hanging twists and that just would have been a mess. So I took some time to get comfortable with flat twisting and I went to Youtube. I saw that in a lot of these twist out videos, folks would put perm rods or flexirods on the ends of their twists to ensure a curly look throughout the hair. That's all well and good, but I HATE sleeping in those things. I thought that there had to be a better way. And behold, there was. I saw several videos where after flat twisting, the end of the hair would be put into a bantu knot. This allows for comfortable sleeping and a shorter, curly 'do. I was sold! This method is my go to method for twist outs. Really this is flat twist bantu knot out but whatever. It works!

My flat twist bantu knot out. I love how my hair doesn't look stringy after unraveling my hair
I do braid outs differently than twist outs. I'm not good at cornrowing (yet!), so that means I have to place anywhere between 8 to 15 plaits on my hair (after I've applied my leave in, moisturizer, and holding product to each section, of course). After plaiting, I place a large size perm rod on my ends, either let my hair air dry completely or sit under a hooded dryer to complete the process, and unravel the following morning. I get pretty consistent results this way.

This was my most perfect braid out ever!
Unraveling

Your style has set overnight (or a few days) and you are ready to unravel your hair! Before I unravel, I take some hair oil (can be coconut oil, olive oil, etc. I'm currently using Curls Blissful Lengths Hair Oil), place it in the palm of my hands and distribute the oil to each section. Next, I unravel my hair. Unraveling is tricky because you may find that you have to split certain sections into smaller sections. That's fine but you want to make sure you don't do that too many times or you'll find yourself with frizzy hair. If I have to split a section, I will do so no more than one time. That's just me though. Your happy medium may be different.

Maintenance

The day is over and it's time to go to bed. What do you do with your hair when your hair is in these styles? The way I see it, you have 2 options: the pineapple method or re-twisting, braiding, or bantu knotting.

When I am wearing a twist out or braid out, I'll just re-twist and re-braid my hair nightly. However, as the week goes on, I'll just use fewer braids or twists since the curl pattern is there. Once I'm done, I place my bonnet on and go to sleep.

Bantu knots are different because I can't redo those every night. That would be murder on my ends. So I use the pineapple method. I covered the pineapple method in this post after a braid out but got similar results using this method after a bantu knot out.

Welp. There it is. Everything I do to get great "-out" results. You may find that you'll have to follow a different pattern to get great results. However, I hope this can be a starting point for those who are new to these styles or just looking for new methods to incorporate into their repertoire

3/2/15 LOTD: Flat Twist Bantu Knot Out

Happy Monday lovelies!

I'm here with a super quick post of my look for today. This weekend, I decided to try a flat twist out. However, mid-way through I began thinking about how jank the hairstyle could end up because my ends are definitely relaxed and it would be super evident in a twist out. Enter the flat twist w/ bantu knot. To make a long story short, after applying my leave-in and my moisturizer, I flat twisted my hair. Once I was done twisting, I formed a bantu knot at the very end so that my hair would have some curl. I undid my hair this morning and BAM!! My hair is curly and I think I found a new style for the spring/early summer.

I'm pretty happy with this considering that it was my first try with it. What do you think? Is this a style that you will try for yourself? Let me know in the comments below!!