Once again, Sally’s Beauty Supply has proven to be my downfall. As I was minding my own business purchasing a new vat of deep conditioner, my product junkie peripheral vision picked up these little gems:
The Hydra Cap
The Hydra Cap is, for all intents and purposes, a conditioning cap that shrink wraps to your head with the application of heat from a blow dryer. Its benefits (allegedly) include: less mess, conditioner penetrating better, traps heat more efficiently . Here…you can learn more from this comparison.
See? There is nothing but misery without the Hydracap and then…once you get it…yay! Bliss!
I kid, I kid…before and after pictures are always so funny, no matter if it’s related to hair or weight loss.
So anyway, even though I plan to stick to my plastic bags, I thought this would be fun to try out. The cost was $3.99 and there were 4 in the pack. Here’s what they look like fresh out of the bag.
I figured that the lady in the picture had more than likely wrapped her hair around her head. Easy enough to do if you are relaxed…a little more work intensive for us naturals (this is probably a lot easier if you have shorter natural hair). I ended up doing what I usually do, which is placing my conditioner soaked tresses in big “plaits”. I then pinned them flat against my head (or as flat as it gets for me).
Conditioner soaked hair before applying cap
I then put the cap on. It wasn’t easy to slip on (though it might be because of my big head) like the regular plastic caps which at least have the elastic around the edges. I got it on shortly, so no biggie.
Ta Da!
Ok so here’s where I screwed up. I didn’t place the cap over my ears. If I’d watched the video (scroll to the bottom), I would’ve seen that the lady placed hers over her ears as well. So I think that’s why I didn’t get a good seal, as you can see below.
Edges left out...bleh
So I realized this after I started blowdrying. It starts collapsing pretty quickly once it’s blowdried, so it took me less than five minutes to get it all done. I started with the edges first, as the packaging suggests. I left it on for one hour.
So, how did it hold up? Pretty well! I felt dripping after about 15 minutes around the ear areas, but not nearly as much as I would from a regular bag. The areas that were flat against my neck did not leak at all. Did it condition better than with a regular bag? Honestly, not really. Did it trap heat better? A little, but not by much.
All in all, it was nice to visit, but I could not see myself buying these on a regular basis. I don’t know if it would be worth the trouble of digging up the old hair dryer everytime I DC. Also, shelling out the money, however little, would hurt my pride. If you hate the messiness of DCing, this might interest you…or you could get a towel, like I do and wrap it over your head after applying the plastic.
Wow, I stumbled across this on the Time website (see the full article here).
I’ve heard stories about the “Hair Wars” in Detroit. I have to say, they have some eye catching hairstyles and it would be incredibly interesting to attend. I was hoping to see more natural-eque styles, but I still got an eyeful. From the article:
This is not some eccentric reality show. This is Hair Wars, a 25-year-old Detroit tradition, this year featuring about 34 stylists and 300 models, that has become one of the premier hairstylist events in the U.S. The talent and exuberance on display takes the notion of an economically and psychologically depressed city, and turns it on its beautifully sculpted head. Hair salons are one of the few thriving businesses in Detroit, a hub of innovation in the $9 billion black-haircare industry, and Hair Wars can be a springboard to fame.
Jennifer, thank you so much for this. I think it’s important to note that you can be natural for years and still have those childhood and media ideals in your head. These ideals can make us self conscious for a long time. Kudos to you for continuing to learn and love your hair!
See more of Jennifer and her beautiful tresses at her blog: http://beingpurposeful.wordpress.com
My last perm was in 2001.
But only recently have I learned how to properly take care of my hair, and worn it in its full bushy glory on a weekly basis. I have learned conditioner is my BFF, and that I can not leave my hair in twists or braids for months at a time (or out for more than a few days) without the consequences of dealing with loc-ed pieces all over. I have learned that my hair does fall out (because its suppose to), but I have a gazillion hairs on my head so I should not panic when I seen those gold curlicue pieces on the floor. I have learned that my hair doesn’t have the ability to lay flat on my hair in any style I have, and I look good with poofy hair.
All in all, it’s been a challenge to love my natural curly hair, and I think I am succeeding.
Attitudes I’ve had about my hair stem from what is common in society and what is common in my family. Women wearing natural hair styles are few in any location in the US; Bushes, afros, puffs, large ‘Celie’ braids, and twists are not seen as frequently as weaves, extensions, or just permed straightened hair. Finding a salon which does not bulk at the texture of my hair OR expect me to ask for a perm are few and far between. I go to one salon in my area when I have some extra income, but primarily I do it myself.
I only know 1 family member beside myself who wears her hair natural in public, and the rest have perms, wigs, or weaves. Growing up I did not have any role models for my keeping my hair natural or any real guidance on how to take care of my permed hair. My mom gave me a relaxer when I was 7 years old, and since then I felt like I had a perpetual bad hair day. I never could maintain my hair and I just put it into ponytails or wore it in braids. I had split ends all the time, and my hair never really grew beyond shoulder length. My hair is dense, which always posed a problem for styling my permed hair because it never laid flat, no matter what I did, permed, wore a scarf, some flat ironing here and there…it always turned into puffed-up mass on my head. So that proper laying down hairstyle with some curly ends was always a little out of reach for me.
Even after I stopped perming, I continued to just wear my hair in braids , because it was easy, cheap and low maintenance, but in retrospect my hair was ok, but not ‘healthy.’
I continued that practice until a few years ago after researching how to take care of natural hair, after a desire to experiment more with my hair. So now I mix between French braids, twists, and an afro – twists being my dominate style. I’ve avoiding getting braids now because my hair is longer (and I swear thicker) and the small braids I use to wear would take at least 2 days and require a lot of upper arm strength. I don’t do small twists anymore either unless I get them done at the salon.
For me, as a super self-conscious individuals, I am still not accustomed to compliments or stares as I walk through the city with a bush or large twists. People who walk past me and start laughing are the enemies of my self-esteem – and I constantly have to adjust my thinking, because 99% of the time they are NOT laughing at me. I have to say a mantra to myself that “I am not my hair, but my hair is my choice and a reflector of who I am, where I come from, and where I am going.”
So I know a lot of people are sick unto death of Twilight. My stance? Yes, I’ve read the books, I’ve been to the movies. The books I enjoyed, the movies I endured. In the spirit of other parody films (ie Scary Movie), there’s a new Twilight parody called “Vampires Suck”. I think this could appeal to both those who hate and love the series. It looked pretty funny to me!
Congrats to Kim on her BC! You can check out more of her at her blog, dedicated to locs (Kim’s future goal), at http://irocklocs.blogspot.com. If you’re into locs, as I am, you’re in for a treat! Kim, you look GAWJESS!!
Relaxed
Transition time - I only went three months without a relaxer before I got tired of dealing with two textures and ready to take the leap!
Favorite products - I don’t know that I have favorites yet because I just just BC’d on Friday (Jun11), but I’m currently using Organics Uplifting Shampoo & Hair Mayonnaise. I’m also using a shea butter mixture a friend gave me as a “Welcome to the Natural Side!” gift. I’m pretty frugal and plan to use what’s in my house before I venture out, but I am researching and surfing blogs to find the right products.
What you love most about your hair – I love the feel of my kinky curlies! I can’t stop touching my hair!
The manner in which you BC’d - I went to a barber and he just took the clippers with a long guard and started cutting!
Newly Natural!
Any opposition/problems you faced along the way – My husband is not the most excited about the cut, but it’s growing on him. Since I’m a school teacher, I haven’t been back to work yet, so I don’t know what the reaction will be there.
It’s been great having these braids in the past month or so. I’ve rinsed them twice since putting them in.
I must admit: they would’ve lasted longer if I’d kept them tied up more when I slept. I still slept on a satin pillowcase, but they were still flopping around.
The take out was a bit rough, I won’t lie. It took more than an hour, I lost track after that. Here’s a tip for taking out braids: apply a little oil to the ends to help take them down. I remembered my oil after these babies popped up.
Knots!!
Yikes, very frustrating and not fun. After using a small dab of olive oil on each braid, they came apart much easier. I wore the braidout today and yesterday, but I know there’s a ton of shed hair to get out and detangling I need to do.
And I tried to take a belly picture but it didn’t do my belly justice. Believe me, it’s much bigger:
Congrats to both of your ladies, comments numbers 2 and 9 were chosen using Random.org. Reinna, you win the earrings and Shaharazad, you are the winner of the bobby pins. Congrats to both of you! Please send me your addresses at kcurly@newlynatural.com as soon as possible!
House of Accessories is sponsoring a giveaway of the following two items! Click on the pictures for the product description page. In order to enter this giveaway, simply respond to this post, telling me your favorite activity to do while settling in for a long hair styling session. It’s ok if you don’t have long [...]
Girl! I had my big ultrasound yesterday and, in addition to being healthy, Kcurly Jr is also a little girl! She’s going to have great hair, I can already tell My 3 year old son was present at the ultrasound and in response the to fact that it was a girl he said “I said [...]
An email from April: Hi-so I am transitioning back to natural from locs-but how do I know if my texture is 4a or 4b? Thanks April April, congrats on starting your transitioning journey. Honestly, I’m kind of over the whole hair typing deal. It really never helped me with anything. Words like “kinky” “coarse” “thick” [...]
Gabrielle, thanks for sharing your journey! I think a lot of black women feel the same way: that perming our hair is just something we do, that it’s a given. I’m glad you had, for the most part, good support. You are beautiful and your natural hair only magnifies that by 100! (Bolded areas per [...]
Speaking of Prince…(but isn’t he somehow related to all things?) From CNN.com (click here for the whole article): Iran has laid down the law: mullets won’t make the cut. The Islamic regime, which strictly enforces head coverings for women, issued grooming guidelines for the guys this week. Among the do’s that are now don’ts? The [...]
Including blogs! But that’s another post…! I was thumbing through a copy of Jet magazine the other day. Now, I hadn’t read an issue of Jet since Moses was a baby, but this particular edition had Prince on the cover in his finest church-lady hat, so I had to see the rest of the pics. [...]
What if… You have a small son who’s hair is growing like a weed. His daddy insists his hair be left to grow, however, he refuses to be involved in any styling as he thinks you do a much better job (at least that is what he says!) Daddy says he will be heartbroken if [...]
Ya’ll were able to crack up me and my other judges. (All of the stories were hilarious!) Thanks so much for all of the entries! Please send me your email addresses (or mailing address if you prefer) and I will get your gift certificates out to you by Monday!!
Thanks for reading! Remember that our hair is a gift and that it can blossom and grow if we take good care of it. If you have questions, want to share your story, or just want to say hi, please email me at kcurly@newlynatural.com
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