From the category archives:

Winter Hair Tips

HatSoMe Review Plus Discount Code!

by kcurly on December 13, 2011

in Deals and Sales,Hair Accessories,Hair Blog Highlight,Winter Hair Tips,Winter routines/Protection from the cold

The folks at HatSoMe sent me a couple of loaner hats to try out (you can see my other posts about HatSoMe here and here). I just finished drying my tears as I repackaged them to be sent back. But, I did get to try them out and they are fantastic.

The first thing I worry about with items made of fabric is the quality. I’ve had an off and on relationship with sewing, quilting, and crocheting so, as a result, I have certain standards. I can’t stand shoddy workmanship. Fortunately, this was not something I had to worry about with HatSoMe.

The hats I was sent are very well made, from what I can see. The knitting looks great and the lining is well done. I was really worried about the lining because I’ve seen linings just half-arsed thrown into too many items. Next thing you know, your lining is literally hanging on by a thread.

Now, of course, I am no expert and can’t vouch for the life of the hats long term, but they look to be pretty sturdy.

I loved, loved, loved this first hat. It was probably my favorite. (You can see the hat here). I liked it because the knit felt so soft, it fit my head really well, and it was super cute. The stones and gems also give it a unique flair. In the day that I wore it, I got a ton of compliments.

Mostly, it felt great wearing a hat like that (ie something warm!) and not worrying about my hair underneath or having to apply my satin bonnet beforehand.

The sizing on this one is medium-large, according the site. I have a big head and even bigger hair, so I need a nice sized hat.

(Side note: My daughter went for her one year check up and they said her head circumference is in the 95th percentile. That’s a big ole head! I said to the doctor “Yeah, that’s all me right there”)

The cost is $39.95, it’s an acrylic blend and comes in pink, grey, and taupe.

The next hat I tried was a pink cable knit with speckles (I friggin’ love cable knit!). I loved the hat…from afar. It did not fit well on my head. The website says the size is medium. It was a tight squeeze when my hair was in twists and it was uncomfortable once my hair was in a big twist out. I think the model wearing the hat in the picture has a TWA or fade, so it fits her nicely.

My best friend has a normal sized head (she sports locs) and it fit her pretty well too. It costs about 30 bucks and is available in other colors that include black and white.

Close up of lining and rim of hat

Hat turned inside out. Close up of lining.

Next was the hooded scarf.

I aint gonna lie.

This thing was gorgeous on me.

I loved it! Not only is it very unique but is toasty warm. I wore it on a trip to an outside shopping mall. When I’d go in the shops, I’d take the hood off and still have on a fashionable looking scarf. Very well suited for my bigger hair styles and also my bun.

Here are my only negatives. First, I noticed that it did “ride up” a few times, making the point of the hood stick up in the air. A quick readjust and it was all good. I’m sure I could’ve tucked it some kind of way that would’ve permanently helped the situation but my laziness coupled with trying to keep my 1 year old from ripping her hat off stopped me from putting in any serious effort

Close up of hooded scarf-satin lining

Entire hooded scarf

The other issue was that the satin will not protect all of your hair if comes to/past your shoulders. As you can see from the pictures above, there’s only a certain amount of satin so you have to still watch your ends if your hair is a certain length.

It’s made of a nice and sturdy , but soft, wool/acrylic blend. The cost is about 50 bucks and it comes in other colors. There are also some other styles of knit if you don’t like the one featured.

Anyhoo, thanks to HatSoMe for letting me try these out. I will no doubt be making a purchase soon, once I can figure out which one I want.

HatSoMe was also kind enough to provide Newly Natural readers with a holiday discount! Use the code HsNN10 and receive 10 percent off your entire purchase (this is really awesome because I think they have a sale going on too!) The code expires December 31, 2011.

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It’s that time again! Booo, winter!

by kcurly on November 12, 2011

in Hair Accessories,Winter Hair Tips,Winter routines/Protection from the cold

I apologize for not having blogged in awhile. I hate that I have so much to say but sometimes not enough time to sit down and commit 100 percent of my time to blogging. I will do better!

It’s time for winter or, as it has become known around here, ashy-skin-dry-hair season. And once again we reach for those hats and scarves that suck the moisture from our hair. A great way to stop this is with satin lined or silk lined hats.

For your viewing pleasure, here again are some sites that sell these types of hats as they can sometimes be hard to find.

You’ve seen me blog about Hats So Me before. Well they are back this year with more new designs.

Gorgeous!! And, sometimes more importantly, they look nice and warm. You can choose from berets, fedoras, knit hooded scarves, newsboy hats, and just plain scarves.

Next we have Curly Zebra, a company I’ve also blogged about in the past. They sell mostly kids hats but also make adult sizes. They also have some designs for this winter.

Very cute! The styles include pillbox, chullo, and stocking hats. The prices range from $20-$25 with occasional clearance items at $15.

My little girl’s hair is quick to go awry after wearing a hat, so I really need to get her a silk/satin lined hat. I will actually probably be ordering from this next Etsy business: Mustard Seed Creations.

I’ll just be honest. I’m probably ordering from this shop as opposed to CurlyZebra because of the great price. These hat range from $9-$12. I haven’t witnessed the quality to compare them, however.

I still haven’t tried Hatsome so I can’t vouch for the quality though I’ve heard reviews that they are pretty good.

Anyway, I’m always on the lookout for new satin/silk lined hats so if you know of any, please share in the comment section!

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HatSoMe! Silk and satin lined hats with a discount!

by kcurly on December 8, 2010

in Hair Accessories,Healthy Hair Tips,Winter Hair Tips

It’s winter again and we know what that means: dry air and moisture wicking materials on our precious locks! A good solution is the use of satin or silk lined hats. HatSoMe contacted me about their beautiful hats and hooded scarves.

These silk or satin material lined hats range in price of $24.99 to $39.99 with free shipping in the US. They also have hats for the, ahem, bigger haired individual.

For NewlyNatural readers, HatSoMe is offering a holiday discount of 10 percent off orders of 25 dollars or more. The discount code is NewlyNatural10 and expires 12/31/10.

I will be reviewing a sample soon. I can’t wait!

(Just a tip: If you’re looking for some great kids’ satin lined hats for the winter, try Curly Zebra ! Here’s my interview with the owners from last year.)

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CURLS Holiday Do’s and Don’ts

by kcurly on December 10, 2009

in Winter Hair Tips

Winter is the season that wrecks the most havoc on curly tresses. From the seemingly instant change in climate to the daily assault of dry, brittle wind and frizz-producing rain — a curly girl just doesn’t have a chance! However, you can counter the evils of winter by incorporating a good hair regime and using only quality products for your hair. Look for moisturizing cleansers and conditioners and hydrating styler’s and leave in products. CURLScreator, Mahisha Dellinger list’s her Holiday Hair Do’s & Don’ts.

Holiday Hair Do’s

Go natural! Explore you hair and all of its glory. Go for the sexy, messy, “straight out of the bed” tousled look. Cleanse, condition, moisturize your curly tresses and follow up with a light curl lotion for the natural wave look. (CURLS Milkshake is recommended)
STYLE TIP: Once your hair is dry, gently secure various ringlets tautly to your scalp with bobby pins. Allow a few curly tresses to dangle in your face.
Give your hair a pre-holiday deep conditioning treatment with heat, especially if you plan to heat style your hair. Add a little olive to your conditioner to up the ante. This extra step will help protect the cuticle from damage. (CURL Ecstasy Hair Tea Conditioner is recommended)
Nothing is more unattractive then sparse, stringy ends, especially on curly girls. Regular trims should be a part of your hair care regimen. Curly hair should be trimmed 1x every 3 months, and 1 week before a major event or party. NOTE: Don’t just trust anyone with your gorgeous locks. Ensure that your stylist is familiar with styling and cutting curly hair.

Holiday Hair Dont’s

Avoid products that contain mineral and petrolatum oil or silicone. Mineral and petrolatum oil are synthetic oils that coat and suffocate the hair shaft blocking moisture out. Silicone acts the same way, while they temporarily add sheen, dryness is a long term affect. Furthermore, they clog pores in your scalp and can retard hair growth. Read your labels. Remember, the ingredients are listed in order of volume. If you hair requires an oil, use only natural oils that penetrate
Avoid frequently shampooing hair. Over shampooing and under conditioning are common culprits for dry, frizzy hair. Winter weather further exacerbates the issue. Therefore, shampooing more than 1x a week is not recommended. I recommend shampooing 2-3x a month, for dry and/or damaged hair, and 1x a week for undamaged curly hair with CURLS Curlicious Curls Cleansing Cream.
Don’t overdo the heat styling. Excessive blow drying, flat ironing and curly will perpetuate dryness and encourage breakage.

Let the sparkle and shimmer of the winter season inspire you to have fun with your hairstyle. A little red dress, stunning stilettos, and accessories to die for are just what a woman needs to turn heads at any bash. Top it all off with the perfect curly hairstyle and you’ve got a look that’s simply stunning!

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In Regards to Moisture–Part 2

by kcurly on November 17, 2009

in Healthy Hair Tips,Winter Hair Tips

One of my first posts on this blog was how I keep my naturally dry hair hair moisturized. I’ve decided that I can expand on this a bit more. So I present to you lovely ladies the second part of this post.

Deep conditioning on dry hair

I know I already mentioned deep conditioning on my last post. But have you tried deep conditioning on dry hair? Think about it. If the hair is clean and has not absorbed water or other products, it can absorb more moisture from your deep conditioner. I’m sure there’s a fancier, more scientific explanation, but there’s mine!

I don’t do this much anymore. Frankly, I hate waiting for my hair to dry these days. However, if you are really hurting for moisture, please give this a shot. I typically do the following:

Shampoo or rinse hair
Let hair air dry. Put it up in twists if your hair tangles and knots easily.
Apply deep conditioner to completely dry or almost dry hair.
Apply plastic cap/bag and let it sit for an hour or more

You will be blown away by the results. There are a few downfalls of deep conditioning on dry hair, so be warned:

It will take longer to do your hair with the added step of waiting for your hair to dry
It may make detangling worst if you let your hair dry naked
You will use more deep conditioner because your hair will absorb more. Mine is quite thirsty and I use almost double what I use on wet hair.

I remember my mother doing this when I was a little girl. Funny how some of those hair practices keep coming back.

Baggying

When you “baggie” your hair, you are essentially apply a moisturizer of some sort and then putting a plastic cap or bag over it. You can do this overnight or for a few hours. I think I’ve pointed this out in another post before, but Chicoro, author of Grow It! , has a wonderful Baggie Tutorial on her fotki.

The only time I’ve ever done this was with my TWA. In most tutorials you find online, people just baggy their ends while it’s in a ponytail with sandwich bags. Of course you can’t do that if your hair is 2 inches long. I found that it worked just as well with a plastic cap and moisturizer applied to my whole head.

When doing the baggie method, watch out for:

overmoisturizing. If your hair starts to feel mushy, then you may need to hold off on this for awhile.
breakage. If you’re doing the bun method, your edges and also where the hair meets the elastic band may suffer. Take care.
jherri curl jokes. Man, some people are so mean when you wear a plastic cap to bed!

The hair does not need to be wet or even damp, just well moisturized. There’s no need to wash beforehand, just apply your favorite moisturizer to dry hair. You can also seal with an oil if you desire, which leads me to my next point…

Sealing

Sealing is something I tried and then quickly dumped as a newly natural lady. It was just not needed at that point in my hair’s growth. But now I find myself doing it a lot.

Sealing is applying an oil, pomade, or butter following the application of a moisturizer. Think of it as “sealing” moisture into your hair. I also find that it keeps the dreaded single strand knots at bay.

I prefer a light oil when doing this so that my hair doesn’t feel too greasy. Grapeseed and coconut oil are nice choices.

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Winter Care of the TWA

by kcurly on October 27, 2009

in Winter Hair Tips

I’ve been receiving a few emails about the upcoming winter and changes in routine. Since everyone (in the blogging world) seems to be focusing on that right now, I don’t think there is too much that I can add.

Here are some helpful posts I’ve seen on this subject:

Proper Hair Care for Winter and Fall-Texture Playground

It’s that time of year again-Urban Curlz

Seasonal Hair Tips- Black Hair Planet

How will your routine change?-Curly Nikki

I will say this: Do what works for your hair. You do not HAVE to change your routine if it is working for you. These are only suggestions, evaluate your hair health as winter progresses and act from there.

And now I will say something that might be controversial: Wash n Go’s are not deadly in the winter time. You will not get sick from having a wet head in the winter. Germs cause illness not the cold. We tend to get sicker in the winter because humans congregate more in the cold season than in the warm.

Now, I don’t necessarily find it comfortable to be out in the winter weather with a wet head, so my suggestion is using a diffuser if you decide you need to do a wash n go.If you are not suffering ill effects from doing your wash n gos on a regular basis, then continue as long as your hair likes what you’re doing.

In case you don’t know, a diffuser is an attachment that goes on a hand held dryer. It dries the hair without blasting the hair and disturbing the curl pattern. It’s not necessary to use it on full blast. I always use mine after my hair has been wrapped in a microfiber or curls like us towel. The longer my hair gets, the longer it takes to dry with this, but it does get rid of the drippies. Remember, you always want to use caution with high heat. Also remember that frequent wash n gos can cause tangles and knots for some people.

If you’d like to revive your curls without washing your hair again, spritzing a nice moisturizing spritz or creamy leave in may help. It probably won’t look like a first day wash, but sometimes frizz gives your hair character. Believe me, I know. Baggying (moisturizing and then applying a plastic cap) at night may also help preserve a wash n go without rewashing in the morning. Trial and error is part of this.

Other style suggestions include banding, twists, twist outs, braid outs, fingercoils, wigs, and headwraps . If you have 3-4 inches of hair, you can do twist outs and coils/coilouts. Moisturize and retwist at night as best you can.

I know, I know… it’s hard to twist when you have shorter hair. I used hair pins to pin the ends so they would stay and also used perm rods to keep the style. Some of you may be able to get away with just moisturizing and then wearing a bonnet overnight without disturbing your twist out pattern.

Something really simple I did in my TWA days was a “Coily Fro”. See how I did it here.

If you haven’t perfected your coiling and twisting technique, try to find someone locally who can do it for you. Twists and coils are relatively easy to maintain. Just spritz on some moisture and go.

Braids and kinky twists with extensions are good choices too. See care of hair in braids here.

Wigs are also an option. If you are really having a dry winter, you can baggy or DC under your wig. Just put on a plastic cap, then your wig cap, and finally your wig. I was able to do this a lot when my hair was shorter. Take care of your hairline when wearing wigs though.

Headwraps and hats can also be your friend during the winter. Protect your hair under these with a satin scarf or beanie if they are made of drying materials.

Rollersets and rodsets are good ways to make a curly fro. Not heat necessary, just air dry.

Twists with perm rods at the ends. Try this at night to keep the twist out pattern in tact. Moisturize while retwisting to protect your hair from the cold weather.