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.

How to wash/style wavy hair

Hey there! Welcome to Carefree Curls.
In this post, I'd like to share a few styling tips for wavy hair. It's easy enough to find information about curly or straight hair, but what about us wavy girls?! ;) I've been doing some experimenting with how I style my hair (2B/2C), and I'm sure you'll find these tips helpful if you're in the 2A-2C hair type range.


This may all sound like it would take forever or be complicated, but I swear it's easy (otherwise, I wouldn't do it), so just bear with me; I simply wanted to give a detailed description of some tips and what I do. :)

The finished results of this routine!

Washing

Step 1- Okay, so, first thing's first; we gotta wash our hair. :) Begin by taking some sulfate-free shampoo and gently massaging it into your hair, focusing on the scalp. (Side-note: Every now-and-then I wash with sulfates to give my waves a fresh start if my hair feels like it has buildup.) Rinse out your shampoo.

Step 2- Grab your silicone-free conditioner and smooth it into your hair. However, try to avoid putting conditioner right on the roots of your hair; this will help you keep some volume at the roots because this area can be easily weighed down by conditioner. :) While you still have condish in your hair, grab a wide-tooth comb and very gently comb through your hair to get rid of tangles. Leave in the conditioner for the rest of your shower.

Speaking of combing your hair: don't brush your hair out while it's dry. The only time you should run a comb through your hair is when you're in the shower w/ conditioner in your hair. I'm sure you know from experience, but if you brush your hair out while it's dry, it'll end up looking like this..

Step 3- Rinse out your condish as usual. Then, flip your hair over and make the water as cold as you can stand (the colder the better!), and do a quick rinse with the cold water while scrunching your hair as the water runs through it. The scrunching helps your waves begin to form, and the cold water closes up the cuticle to seal in moisture, add shine, and help your hair clump nicely together. If you don't feel like freezing yourself at the end of your shower, you could probably just grab a bowl and fill it with cold water (maybe even ice water if you're brave) and dip your hair into it. Note that this whole cold-water thing is optional, but I've found that it really makes a difference for my hair. Even if you don't do this, I still suggest doing a final rinse upside down while scrunching to form your waves.

Styling

Step 4- Still upside down, scrunch a bit of leave-in conditioner into your ends (optional). Then scrunch out as much excess water as you can. (Side-note: I used to scrunch in product while my hair was still soaking. I've found that my hair looks better and dries a lot faster if I scrunch out excess water and then add product.)

Step 5- Scrunch in your product. I usually use a gel, but sometimes I use mousse. Which one you choose to use really depends on your hair and how much hold you need. Anyway, scrunch in a generous amount of product into your hair in sections. Note that we're still upside down here. :) (You don't have to do it upside down, but it really helps with volume.) After this, scrunch your hair using a microfiber towel (or cotton t-shirt) to get more excess water out. The more water you get out, the better, because the water can really weigh down our waves while they're drying! If you'd like, you can even scrunch a bit more product into your hair after scrunching with the towel.

Step 6- Let your hair air-dry or dry it with a diffuser. Don't touch your hair until it's fully dry! Once it's dry, you can scrunch your hair to get out the crunch from your products. If your hair takes forever to dry (like mine), you can "plop" it for about 15 minutes before diffusing it. I like to follow the plopping method shown in this video by Jess from Jessicurl (she calls it "plunking"): http://youtu.be/O2qD38ZYX6A




And that's it! Your waves will thank you for taking such good care of them by looking fantastic! ;) Try this method out and let me know how it works out for you.

-CK

How to protect hair while sleeping

Hi there! Welcome to Carefree Curls. :)


There are a few easy things you can do to protect your hair while you're sleeping. Here are a few quick tips on how to do so..

• Use a satin/silk pillowcase

This is more gentle on your hair than a regular cotton pillowcase.

• Wear a satin/silk sleep cap

This will help you not to smush your curls while you're sleeping! :)

• Pineapple your hair

Pineappling your hair is easy; you basically just make a ponytail on the top of your head. It's actually really fun. ;)

It's as simple as that! Your curls will thank you in the morning. <3

-CK

Top 8 Hair Oils

Hi there! Welcome to carefree curls. :)

Putting oils in your hair can be a great way to moisturize and add shine to your hair if used correctly. I'd like to list a few of the most popular oils (starting with a few that I personally love)!

Argan Oil

Oh my gosh this stuff is amazing. It adds shine, is easily absorbed so it doesn't weigh down the hair too much, and you barely need any of it (literally only 3-4 drops for my whole head of hair, and I have a lot of hair). I like to smooth the frizzy parts of my hair with this. My hair feels so much happier when I'm using Argan oil. ;) You can use it for DT's or to style your hair with. The only drawback with Argan oil is that it's pretty expensive (usually around $15-20 for 4 oz). However, it lasts a long time because a little really does go a long way!

Just so you know, when you're looking for Argan oil, DO NOT just go grab whatever product you see that looks like oil and says "Argan oil" on it. You want to look at the ingredients. Most "Argan oils"
have silicones and all sorts of other stuff in them. The best thing to do when looking for Argan oil is
find one that's cold-pressed and 100% Argan oil. Remember, always check the ingredients!

Olive Oil (extra virgin)

Okay, I admit, when I first heard of putting olive oil in my hair, I was a little grossed out. I eat it all the time because I live in an area with Italian food all around me! But on my hair? Ew. After doing more reading, though, I became more and more curious about what effects EVOO would have on my hair, and I decided to try it out. It works beautifully for deep treatments (like this one!) since it's a very moisturizing, heavy oil. I was pleasantly surprised! It also helps to seal in moisture.

Coconut Oil (extra virgin)

This is another oil that works beautifully for DT's like the one mentioned above. It's lighter than olive oil, but I wouldn't call it a light oil. It's a penetrating oil that gets moisture deep into your hair. :) My hair seems to really enjoy coconut oil.

(Those are the only oils I've been able to try on their own so far, so I may not have as much to say about the ones I'm about to mention. I'd like to eventually try all of them, though.)

Jojoba Oil

This is an oil that closely matches the oil (sebum) that your head produces; jojoba oil is pretty similar to Argan oil, but a bit cheaper and lighter. Since it closely matches the oils on your scalp, it can help prevent your scalp from overproducing oils and causing greasy hair. It's moisturizing, adds shine, and isn't a heavy oil, so it can be used for styling as well.

Grapeseed Oil

This is a light, moisturizing oil that can be used as a heat protectant when blow-drying, flat-ironing, or curling w/ a curling iron. It can strengthen hair & help with dry scalp issues.

Avocado Oil

This oil helps your hair grow, and it's very moisturizing.

Sweet Almond Oil

This is another good oil for hair that can be a good sealant to keep in moisture. Keep in mind that sweet almond oil is different than just almond oil!

Castor Oil

This oil is a heavier oil (which may be better for tighter coils) that helps to seal in moisture and add thickness to hair.

Those are all some great oils for your hair! Also, I didn't even talk about essential oils, which are also popular to use on hair. I still have no experience in the world of essential oils, so I decided not to talk about that in this post. Keep in mind that your hair might love some oils but hate others. For instance, I suspect that my hair strongly dislikes castor oil, but it obviously loves Argan oil. Think of it as though your hair has tastebuds. ;) It likes the flavor of some things, but not others! If you use any other oils, comment & I may them to the list! :) Hope you enjoyed this post.

-CK

Curly Girl on a Budget

Hi there! Welcome to Carefree Curls.

At first, the curly girl method can seem really intimidating, and you can get the impression that the products you have to use are going to break your bank. However, the curly girl method is totally doable on a low budget! There are plenty of great products out there for decent prices! I'll be talking about a few of the most popular options. :) Also, you should be able to find all of these pretty easily; I believe they're at most walmarts and/or targets. I should let you guys know that I haven't actually used any of these products; they're just what I've dug up in my research.


Suave naturals

Everybody seems to absolutely love this conditioner. I'd have to say it's the one I've seen most commonly recommended for newbies. There are different scents to choose from, but I believe the most popular scent is the tropical coconut one.This conditioner is readily available at a great price! You should be able to find it at target or Walmart.

Under $2 at walgreens' website: [link]

V05

This is another commonly recommended conditioner for newbies! There are different scents to choose from for this as well, and these are also readily available. One of the common flavored is strawberries & cream.

Only one dollar at Walgreens website:
[link]

LA Looks Sports Gel

This gel is a favorite of many curly girls, and the price is great! I would love to try it out, but unfortunately, I am allergic to blue #1 dye. It only bothers me when I eat it, but I figure it's safer not to slather something I'm allergic to on my hair. Anyway, you can get a 20 oz bottle for less than $3 at walgreen's website here: [link]

Or you can try a smaller 3 oz to test out the product for $1.50: [link]

Eco Styler gel

Eco styler gels are another favorite amongst us curly girls. There are a few different kinds; the two that seem to be common favorites are the Argan oil & olive oil ones. I believe the olive oil one is cheaper, so I'll post a link to that one. You can get 32 oz for $8 here: [link]

DIY flaxseed gel

This is very simple & cheap to make, and I've seen so many people say that they love it, so I wanted to add this to the list.

Click here to read how to make it: [link]

TRESemme Naturals

Buy a 25 oz bottle for a little under $5: [link]

As I Am

Even though this product didn't work AT ALL for me (read my review here), there are still a lot of people that love this product, and it works fantastically for them... so even though I can't personally recommend this product, I still wanted to include this on the list. You can get a 16 oz jar of it for a bit under $7 here: [link]


Shea Moisture

The whole Shea Moisture line is pretty decently priced and very popular. I've seen most of the products from this line at Walmart. :)



I hope this helped to give you some ideas for products to buy on a budget!

-CK



What are some cheap products that you love?

Must-haves for curly hair

Hi there! Welcome to Carefree Curls.

There are a few certain useful things that a curly- or wavy-haired person shouldn't live without. ;) In this post, I will list a few items that I have found to come in very handy!


Bobby pins

Bobby pins are extremely useful for a lot of things. I use them to pin my hair up into styles, fasten a shower cap on for a DT/PT, fix curls while I'm drying my hair, etc.! Bobby pins are definitely a must-have for any curly girl. Click here to get some bobby pins!


Shower/processing caps

These are great to have for a DT or PT. Click here to get some processing caps!


Spray bottle(s)

This isn't something you'd think of as a "must-have", but I've used my spray bottles/misters more often than I thought I would. You'll probably end up using a mister pretty frequently! Click here to get a spray bottle.


Comb

I keep two combs: one in my shower, and one at my sink. They both come in very handy! When I'm in the shower, I always comb through my hair when I have conditioner in it to detangle and evenly distribute the condish. :) Click here to get a comb!


Products

Okay, this one's obvious, but I still had to include it.. Every curly girl needs some hair products. A few important products to own are a conditioner, cleanser, and styling product (gel, mousse, cream, whatever works best for your hair).


Oils

This isn't necessarily a must-have, but they are definitely useful for moisturizing. Some awesome hair oils include argan oil (my personal favorite!), jojoba oil, coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, & sweet almond oil.


Satin/silk sleep cap or pillowcase

This is another not really necessary must-have, but using a satin or silk sleep cap or pillowcase protects your hair from breakage and helps keep your curl pattern in-tact.


A diffuser

If you want to dry your hair quickly, a diffuser attachment for your hair dryer is a very useful tool! Click here to read how to dry your hair with a diffuser.


Scrunchies

Scrunchies are more gentle on your hair than regular hair ties. Scrunchies are nice to have when you want to pineapple your hair or wear it in a pony-tail. :)


Microfiber towel (or cotton t-shirt)

A microfiber towel or cotton t-shirt helps absorb excess water without causing as much frizz as a terrycloth towel would. Click here to get a microfiber towel!



That pretty much sums up the must-haves that I can think of!
What are some things that you & your hair couldn't live without? Post a comment & let us know!

-CK

How to dry curly hair with a diffuser

Hi there! Welcome to Carefree Curls.
Have you ever heard of the pixie curl method? :) if not, read on!

The way you dry your curly hair can greatly affect the outcome. I've found that the best way to dry my hair is to do the pixie curl method. This method is pretty simple.

Step 1: Take a section of hair and put it into your diffuser, scrunching it up and holding the diffuser against your head. (See pictures below. Side-note: my hair doesn't look very good right now because it's still mad at me for trying a different conditioner! Lol)

Step 2: Turn the dryer on (preferably low heat) and leave there for as long as that section takes to dry. If your curls are frizzy or drooping when you're finished, you may not have held it in place long enough. I usually have to hold it there for 2-3 minutes.

Step 3: Turn the dryer off. Then, gently lower the diffuser and repeat the above steps with another section of hair until all of your hair is dry.

Done! It's that easy! Try it out next time you dry your hair. :)

-CK


How do you dry your hair? Post a comment and let us know!

Curly Hair Tips

Hi there! Welcome to Carefree Curls.
Here are a few tips that I've found to be helpful for my curly/wavy hair!


Use a microfiber towel.

A cotton t-shirt would also be acceptable. Using a microfiber towel (or cotton t-shirt) causes less frizz than your average terry cloth towel. Just scrunch in an upward motion with the towel or tshirt to get rid of excess water in your hair.


Sleep with a satin/silk sleep cap or pillowcase

This simply helps to prevent breakage and keep the curl pattern better. :)


Don't brush your hair.

If you're like me & you get a tangly mess if you don't brush your hair, don't worry! Just use a wide-toothed comb instead. It takes some getting used to, but it's better for your hair & won't make it frizz as much. To detangle, it helps to wet your hair (you can just spray it with water using a spray bottle) before detangling. For extra help, you can rub some conditioner or detangler into the tangle. :)


Always check the ingredients in products.

Don't just grab whatever product you want to try! Read the ingredients first. Stay away from sulfates & silicones. Remember that silicones (and sulfates) aren't always listed as just silicones. They disguise it with other weird words; dimethicone is one of the most commonly seen silicones. Keep in mind that there are water-soluble silicones that say "PEG-" in front of it with a number, and those are safe for your hair since it doesn't require sulfates to clean off.


Try to stay open-minded.

When you begin embracing your curls, you're probably letting go of a lot of "normal" things like regular bubbly shampoo, hairbrushes, and terrycloth towels. A lot of going curly goes hand-in-hand with going green/natural, which can seem kind of hippie-like at times. (I don't mean that in an offending way at all, just FYI! It's the only word I could think of to describe it lol.) It does take some getting used to, and I can almost guarantee that you'll run into some people who think it's weird to do stuff like putting gelatin in your hair, but I encourage you to stay open-minded and explore the different hair techniques & recipes that sound fun to you. :) I'm not saying that you have to put stuff in your hair if you think it's weird; by all means, don't! I'm just saying not to shun everything that's different from the norm & just try to explore some new things.


Do your research.

It's good to be knowledgeable about your hair. Do some reading about your hair type & figure out some stuff that it may or may not like. Before you try a product, read some reviews from people with similar hair types. Find out some good information on how to care for your type of hair.

That being said..


Don't overthink it!

It's easy to get bogged down with all of this new information. If you're like me, you overthink a lot of things & this whole embracing-your-curls thing can be very overwhelming at first; just try not to stress too much about it. Don't worry too much about whether or not your hair looks perfectly defined & frizz-free, either. Keep in mind that being a curly girl involves a lot of trial and error! If something doesn't work, just consider it a lesson learned & move on. :)

Lastly..


Have fun with your hair!

Try some new & exciting things! It's a very exhilarating process to let your hair go natural. :)



If you have any tips, feel free to comment & share them! :)

-CK