Potective Style: Braided Crown with hidden ends

My babies left me recently to head down south for a family reunion. They were only gone for 4 days, and while I knew they were in good hands with my dad and sister, I was beside myself with worry. My family always jokes with me that my kids come with more instructions than a new swing set (at least I think they're joking), though I can't figure out what the big deal is. Make sure they wear sunscreen. Remind them to brush/floss. Don't let them near water unless someone is DILIGENTLY watching them. No soda. No candy.   No rated R movies. They will try to convince you that they are allowed to watch 'Family Guy', but they are NOT. You know, typical mom stuff. :)

Obviously, one thing I do not want them to have to worry about is hair. So before travelling or overnights away from mommy, I like to make sure the girls' hair is styled and protected. Here is the style that Li'l Bit rocked for the weekend. These pictures were taken 5 days after her hair was styled, and she DID swim without a cap, and she DID sleep without her satin pillowcase, and that IS lint, or grass, or something else in her hair that I did not see until looking at the pictures. But its a cute style, so I thought I'd share anyway:

Starting with freshly washed and conditioned hair, Li'l Bit wore plaited hair for a day to stretch it out. I have found that her hair is easier to braid when it has been stretched somewhat, and I always braid her hair when it is dry. Her hair tends to break when  I braid it while it is wet. 

I parted the hair from ear to ear, but the part was not directly on top of her head, it was back more toward her crown area. Then I began to braid her hair. I freestyled the braids on top, but the ones in the back were braided straight up toward the part. The loose hair (after the cornrowed parts) were braided. Then I started on the left of her head and cornrowed the loose braids toward the center. Then I went to the right side and also braided those to the center. I twisted and tucked and pinned it all under itself until I liked the way it looked. (Did that make sense? I dont know how else to explain it.) I used two bobby pins, and plopped those two cute little clips on top just because she wanted me to. :)

See the hair at the bottom that is left out? I intentionally leave that hair out whenever I am braiding/styling her hair. It is not as long as the rest of her hair, so I am afraid of pulling it. In addition to that, it hurts her if that hair is tugged at all. Since I am more concerned with her comfort and the health of her hair than I am with how it looks, that section is always left out. :)

 

I really like this style, and I am going to try and get another week out of it. :)

Product Review: Shea Moisture's Organic Coconut and Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie

Ths is my first product review, so I am not quite sure of how I want to layout my reviews. I will probably switch it up a few times until I find something that works for me and is pleasant to the eye for you. :) So please don't  be shy! I am new to this blogging thing, and comments are welcomed with open ears (and eyes?).

Product: Shea Moisture Organic Coconut & Habiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie

 

Ingredients:  Deionized Water , Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter) , Cocos Nucifera Oil (Coconut) , Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil , Persea Gratissima Oil (Avocado) , Vegetable Glycerin , Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract , Silk Protein , Ammonium Salt , Melia Azadirachta Seed Oil (Neem) , Daucus Carota Sativa Seed Oil (Carrot) , Sorbitol Esters , Panthenol (Pro-Vitamin B-5) , Caprylyl Glycol , Essential Oil Blend , Lonicera Caprifolium Flower and Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract (Honeysuckle and Japanese Honeysuckle) , Tocopherol (Vitamin E)

Description: (From Walgreens.com):
Nutrient rich vegetable butters condition hair, restoring moisture, body and shine. Enhances curls, minimizes frizz and provides curl control. For thick, curly hair. Sulfate-free and color-safe.

Natural product, color and aroma may vary.

Made in USA

Where to buy it: I ordered mine from Walgreens.com, but they can be found in Walgreens stores and at select Target stores.  I saw these for sale on Amazon.com as well, but I know they were a little  more expensive.

First Impressions:

This product has a great consistency for thicker hair types. I knew right away that it would not work best on The Princess's fine hair, but of course I tried it anyway. The smell is natural, I could smell the shea butter and coconut right away upon opening the jar. The smell is fresh, the husband said it smells like cocoa butter, Li'l Bit said it smells 'like yummy'. It did not leave my hands greasy or sticky.

    

On Ally's hair:

The Curl Enhancing smoothie did not enhance Ally's curls when I wanted to leave her hair down. It was a little bit too heavy for her type 3a/3b hair, and it weighed her curls down. We like big, bouncy curls so we won't be using it for that purpose on her. It did, however, work very well on her mini box braids to get rid of the frizz and keep them nice and neat after co washing. In just rubbed it into her wet braids from root to end, and they looked almost new at 2 weeks old.

On The Princess's hair:

I was right when I assumed that this product is too thick for The Princess's thin, limp hair. Her 2c hair looked more greasy than moisturized after application. I tried using this product while putting her dry hair into corn braids, and it kept them nice and smooth, frizz free. The braidout afterwards was AMAZING! So great for braids, too heavy for twists or 'out' styles.

On Li'l Bit's hair:

This product states that it is for 'thick, curly hair', and from this family's experience, that is precisely where it had its best effect! I applied this product to Li'l Bit's hair while wet, after using Shea Moisture's hair milk as a leave-in conditioner. I used my fingers to separate medium sections of hair, and gently applied the smoothie with my fingertips. I did not comb or brush her hair, and I tried to manipulate her hair as little as possible during the application. Remember, type 4 hair is the hair that needs the most care, as it frizzes more, breaks easier, and is more prone to drying out and being otherwise damaged than the other hair types. If I had've combed this product through her hair, I would have ended up with a poof, or a 'fro, instead of these delicate little curls. I love me a neat 'fro, but that is not the look we were after today. In short, this product is PERFECT for Li'l Bit's hair, and is definitely a new staple in my hair care arsenal.

  

Summary:

I would recommend Shea Moisture's Curl Enhancing Smoothie for braids and cornrows on any hair type. If your hair is wavy or straight, it will probably be a little bit heavy for you, and I would suggest trying something else. (Unless you are going for a braid-out. Its great for braid-outs.) Type 4 curlies will be the most likely to love this product, but it also worked well on my 3c hair to keep my curls in check. 

If you have used this product and would like to share your experience with it, please leave a comment below.

*Note: I bought this product with my own money, and was not compensated in any way for this review.