5k Pageviews!

Hey everybody! I've just realized that this blog has reached 5,000 pageviews!! Thank you for visiting my blog, everyone; I appreciate it & hope you enjoy it. :)

I'd just like to give y'all a quick update. I am soon going to set up an area where I can take nice pictures of products and such, so that's why I haven't been posting very much lately. Once I get that set up, I'll post more regularly. I wanted to wait until I've set that up so I can do better quality product reviews with pictures to show results :) so stay tuned! In the meantime, don't forget to check out my new blog: curlycosmetics.blogspot.com

-CK

New blog!

Hello everybody!

I've set up a new blog. :) It's Curly Cosmetics!
This new blog will be about makeup, skincare, and other beauty-related things. I've been wanting to post about stuff like that for awhile now, but I wanted to keep Carefree Curls exclusively about hair, so I created a new blog. :)

I will still be actively posting here on Carefree Curls as well! So, please feel free to check out my new blog and let me know what you think. Have a great week!

New blog: curlycosmetics.blogspot.com

-CK

10 tips for growing out hair

Hello curlies!

I am currently in the process of growing out my hair, so in this post, I will be giving you my top 10 tips for growing out your hair. Enjoy!

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1. Stop heat styling.

The first thing you need to do is drop the heat tools like flat irons and curling irons! These cause so much damage to the hair & can cause split ends. Instead, let your hair do it's natural thing! You can still dry your hair using a diffuser, but only use as much heat as you need. The lower the heat, the better. If you still need to "fix" a few curls, you can wet them, add a small amount of product, and wrap them around your finger. Then, clip/pin them to keep them in that form until they dry; once they're dry, you can un-clip/pin it and marvel at the fresh curl. ;)

2. Lead a healthy lifestyle.

This plays a pretty big role with the health of your hair! Try your best to maintain a healthy, balanced diet with plenty of protein. Exercise often & try to keep your stress levels low. Also, make sure you get lots of sleep & stay well-hydrated. Your hair (and body!) will benefit greatly from all of this.

3. Prevent damage/breakage.

Try to prevent breakage and damage to your hair by doing these things: use a silk/satin pillowcase, don't brush your hair (instead, to detangle, gently comb your hair with a wide-tooth comb in the shower while your hair is soaked & covered in conditioner), use a microfiber towel, and avoid using products with sulfates.

4. DT/PT.

Do deep treatments and protein treatments as needed to keep the protein & moisture balanced! The level of protein to moisture needed varies for different hair types & individual people, so you'll just have to find out what works for you. :) For deep treatments, I personally recommend using your favorite conditioner combined with some oils like coconut, Argan, or olive oil. For a protein treatment, I recommend a simple gelatin treatment like this one. 

5. Stop cutting your hair!

I know people think you're supposed to cut your hair every 6-8 weeks, but this just isn't true! The only reason you may actually need to get a trim is if you have split ends, in which case, go ahead and get those damaged ends cut off. Other than this, just let your hair grow out and do its thing! I haven't had my hair trimmed in a little over 4 months & have no damage at all. Whenever I spot a split end, I trim it, but other than that, I don't cut it. My hair is doing great!

However: if you have a lot of damage on the ends of your hair, you may need to do a "big chop" to get rid of that damage.

6. Massage your scalp w/ oil.

Take your favorite hair oil (my hair loves coconut & Argan oil, but you can use almost any oil) and gently massage it into your scalp. This will help the blood flow, moisturize your scalp, and encourage growth! This can also help out with dandruff. I like to do this an hour or so before a shower & then wash it out.

7. Go natural!

If you aren't already doing this, consider trying out the curly girl method. This method has greatly improved the health of my hair! Read this post to learn more about the curly girl method.

8. Keep an eye on ingredients.

This goes hand-in-hand with the tip above. Always look at the ingredients of a product before purchasing it! Try to find out what your hair does & doesn't like. This requires some trial-and-error, but once you've found out your hair's preferences, you can use products that you know it will love. Also, remember to avoid silicones & sulfates! This will help it stay happy and healthy.

9. Try hair supplements/vitamins.

There are supplements & vitamins that you can take to help your hair grow. Since I've never personally tried hair supplements or vitamins, I won't recommend a specific brand; just make sure whatever you try has biotin in it. :) As a bonus, hair supplements/vitamins usually help your nails look great as well!

10. Have patience!

Hair takes time to grow. Sure, you can do several things (like the stuff listed above!) to help it along the way, but it will still take time.

Try not to measure it too often; this may end up discouraging you if it isn't growing fast enough for your taste. I'm not saying you shouldn't measure your hair every now-and-then to keep track of your progress; go ahead and measure your hair every month or so (remember to stretch it so it's at its full length)! Just keep in mind that the growth rate of hair can vary greatly among each person.

Thus, my recommendation to you is to try to not be too obsessed with length. Instead, focus more on keeping your hair happy and healthy, and your hair will eventually get longer! The healthier the hair, the better it'll grow.

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I hope these tips will help y'all out with your hair! The picture below shows how much progress my hair has made within about 4 months.

So, what are your hair goals? Do you have any more tips to share? :)

Also, make sure to stay warm this weekend; it's snowing a lot where I am right now!

-CK

P.S. None of the pictures in this post (except for the last one) were taken by me.

Hi guys!

Hello everybody! I'm back from nowhere! I apologize for taking such a long break from blogging. I don't particularly have a reason for not posting other than I've just been focusing on other things. However, I'd like to get back to it and keep on blogging! So stay in touch and keep an eye out for new posts coming soon.

Let me know if you've discovered any new tips lately ;)

-CK

Jessicurl Giveaway Winners

In this post, I will be announcing the winners of my October giveaway!

If you didn't get the chance to enter this giveaway, don't feel too bad; I'm sure I'll be hosting more giveaways in the future. ;)

In case you've forgotten, each person will be receiving one of Jessicurl's 2 oz Rich and Radiant collections. Each of the three winners will also receive some bonus mystery items! ;) The first person will receive 3 items, second will receive 2, and third will receive 1.

Let's get to the winners!!! I've selected them randomly on Rafflecopter (they use random.org). Drum roll, please........

First place winner: Addie

Second place winner: Sarah Middleton

Third place winner: Talia

CONGRATS TO THE WINNERS!!! :) I will notify the three of you by email shortly. If any of the winners don't respond within 48 hours of the email being sent, a new winner will be selected & notified.

Thank you all for participating in this giveaway, and thank you again to Jessicurl for providing their lovely products!

Have a great Halloween, everybody!
-CK

Giveaway has Ended

Hi! I just wanted to inform you that the giveaway has ended, and the winners will be announced sometime today (Oct. 31st).

Also, HAPPY HALLOWEEN! :) Are any of you doing anything fun for Halloween?

Stay tuned!!
-CK

Progress Update

Hey everybody! It's been a few months since I've updated y'all on the progress of my hair, so I decided to make a post about it to show you how my hair has changed. :)

First off, here's what it looked like at the end of my last update:

July 14th, 2015

July 14th, 2015

And now to continue...

Aug. 16, 2015

Sep. 13, 2015

Sep. 13, 2015

Sep. 15, 2015

Sep. 16, 2015

Sep. 22, 2015

Sep. 22, 2015

Sep. 30, 2015

Sep. 30. 2015

Oct. 4, 2015

Oct. 4, 2015

Oct. 7, 2015

Oct. 7, 2015

Oct. 24th, 2015

That about sums it up! (My apologies for the worse-than-usual quality of that last picture; someone else took it, but it was the most recent picture I could find!) My hair has been fairly consistent lately, which is why I haven't been taking pictures of it very much since October started. "Consistent" is not a word that I could have even considered calling my hair when I first started the CG method, so that's a great accomplishment for me! There are still a few curls/waves that I have to "fix" occasionally with a curling rod, but not all the time.

The products I've been using regularly are: SheaMoisture's Fruit Fusion shampoo (read my review here!) and Jessicurl's Spiralicious Styling Gel (review coming soon). I've decided that SM's fruit fusion shampoo is definitely going to be a long-term product for me. :) Still undecided about the gel, though. I've been pretty inconsistent with the conditioners I've been using because I'm still searching for a long-term condish. (Feel free to comment with suggestions. I have several on my to-try list, but I'd like to use up what I have right now before I buy any more.)

I encourage y'all to try out the CG method if you aren't already doing it (click here to read about it)! I highly recommend it; it's changed my hair tremendously. Comment & let me know what you think!

-CK