Update

Hi everybody! I just wanted to update y'all and let you know about my upcoming posts. :)

Upcoming Posts

Progress update - I'm working on another progress update to show y'all how my hair has changed in the past few months. 

Product reviews - There are a few products that I've been using that I'd like to review, so I'll start typing those out soon. Some of the products include jessicurl spiralicious styling gel, jessicurl too Shea conditioner, a pomade I've been using to tame the edges for ponytails, and probably a couple of others.

Plopping - I plan on writing a post about plopping soon ;)

Also, at the end of this month I'll be posting about the giveaway winners. Don't forget to enter!!! Click here if you haven't entered yet.

What I've been using

Recently, I've regularly been using SheaMoisture's fruit fusion shampoo (LOVE that stuff) and Jessicurl's spiralicious styling gel. As for what conditioner I've been using, I've just been switching around trying out new ones each time.. I haven't really landed on one that I see myself using long-term quite yet. But I've been sticking with the same techniques mentioned in this post, except I've added plopping. After I get out of the shower, I plop my hair into my microfiber towel (copying the method that Jess demonstrates in this video) and leave it for 15-20 minutes (usually while I do my makeup). After that I take it out of the towel and dry it. Doing this has helped shorten my drying time quite a bit :)

Are there any certain products that y'all would like to see me review? Feel free to leave some suggestions in the comments section below. :)

Have a great week!

-CK

About Jessicurl

Hi! Welcome to Carefree Curls.
My apologies for not posting in a few days! :) I've been busy. In case you aren't aware: I'm currently hosting a Jessicurl giveaway. It'll run until the end of this month, so you have some time to enter and spread the word. ;) In this post, I'd like to tell you a bit more about Jessicurl. (Click here to check out my Jessicurl giveaway!)

Jessicurl was started by Jess in 2002 when she created an awesome new product: Rockin' Ringlets Styling Potion. She created this product during her search for the perfect products for her own hair, and it worked beautifully. She began selling it and eventually created more products, further growing her business.

Jessicurl has a really great backstory. :) Here's how Jess tells her story:

Until the time I was 14 I had thick yet fairly straight hair. Somewhere around the time that puberty struck, my hair grew more and more coarse and eventually started to curl. I was mortified and at a total loss for how to deal with it. The only advice my straight haired mother could offer was “Go brush your hair!” As we all know, that’s the WORST thing to do to curly hair! My dad was more sympathetic, as he’s the one who gave me the curls, but his motto when it came to “our” hair was “bigger is better”. As a self-conscious 14 year old who didn’t want to stand out, that wasn’t very helpful either.

 As my hair grew bigger and bigger, my peers grew meaner and meaner, calling me such names as Mushroom Head, Egg Head, Crusty and Helmet Head. (the latter two were due to the fact that I'd wet my hair down in between classes to keep it from puffing out.)  

As I grew up, my hatred of my hair didn't dissipate. Finally in 2002 I figured there had to be a better way, and typed "curly hair" into Google to see what the internet had to offer. 

The first thing that came up was www.naturallycurly.com. I was thrilled to find that there was an entire community of curly haired people who shared the same struggles as I did. Who knew?

I immersed myself in their Curl Talk message board and quickly made many "cyber friends" with whom I traded hair tips and horror stories. Much of what they talked about, however, were products. I would go out and buy any product that someone raved about, most of which didn't do anything to make me like my hair better. Many of them actually made the condition of my hair worse, drying it out with alcohols and stripping the natural oils with harsh detergents. 

One day I came across a very basic recipe for a hair gel made out of flax seeds. I remember thinking, "Wow, how cool would it be if I could just make my OWN hair gel? I sure would save a lot of money!" I tried that very basic recipe, and the results were less than stellar. By this time I was inspired, however, so I tweaked the recipe, adding other natural ingredients that I had learned are good for curly hair. The results were nothing short of miraculous. I was shocked that FINALLY my hair looked like I wanted, and I had made the product on my stove!! 

With much exuberance, I went back to the NaturallyCurly.com message boards and excitedly shared the recipe with my newfound friends. (The thought of going into business hadn't crossed my mind.) After posting my recipe I was flooded with emails from curly headed members asking if they could just buy some of the magic potion from me, as they really didn't feel like making it. The rest, as they say, is history! Rockin' Ringlets Styling Potion was born.

That was in 2002 - The business has also since moved out of her home and into their factory in Arcata, CA. Jessicurl now has many different products to choose from and is a wonderful curly brand! 

Jess also cares a lot about about what goes into her products; she uses great ingredients, and each one has a purpose! Click here to read about the ingredients she uses.

Over all, Jessicurl is an awesome brand that has helped out a lot of curly girls by creating great products! I definitely suggest that you check them out at Jessicurl.com. If you want to try out some of their products, you can enter my giveaway to possibly win a 2 oz. Rich & Radiant collection! Click Here to read about the giveaway.

Have an awesome weekend!

-CK

Have you tried any Jessicurl products? Post a comment if you have!

Jessicurl Giveaway (CLOSED)

Hi everybody! This is going to be an awesome month. It's time for my October giveaway!!! (Scroll down to the "How to enter" part to enter.)

****This giveaway has ended! See who won here: [link]****

This giveaway will be run from 10/01/15 to 10/31/15 at 12:00 AM EST, and the winners will be announced and notified on 10/31/15. Open to U.S. residents only.

Isn't their logo adorable?

As you may have guessed, the prizes are Jessicurl products! Jessicurl is sponsoring this giveaway and has kindly provided the prizes, so I'd like to give a shoutout to them. :) My next post will be all about Jessicurl so that I can tell you more about the company and why they're so wonderful! If you want to explore their products and learn more about Jessicurl right now, click here to view their website.

Now, let's get down to the good stuff.. ;)

Prizes

The winners will each receive one of Jessicurl's 2 oz. Rich & Radiant collections (pictured below)!!

Yes, I said winners & prizes! Plural. There will be three winners. Jessicurl has provided three of their 2 oz. Rich & Radiant collections (unscented). Each collection is worth $36 and includes 6 individual 2 oz. products, so that's 12 oz. total for each collection! The 6 products are: Hair Cleansing Cream, Too Shea! Extra Moisturizing Conditioner, Rockin' Ringlets Styling Potion, Confident Coils Styling Solution, Deep Conditioning Treatment, and Awe Inspiraling Spray. Don't you love the clever names? ;)
Jessicurl's description of this fabulous collection: "This collection is best suited for thicker, drier hair that is looking for curl enhancement and moisture.  From cleansing to conditioning to styling, this collection will give your thick curls all the moisture and bounciness they can handle. A handy step-by-step instructional insert is included to help you figure out the best techniques for frizz free curls."

Of course, that's not all: I must add my own touch to the prizes.. ;) I'll be throwing in some surprise goodies to each prize! The first selected winner will receive 3 surprise items, 2nd will receive 2, and 3rd will receive one. These mystery items could be product samples, hair accessories...who knows! You'll find out if you win! So, the prizes are as stated below.

1. Jessicurl Rich & Radiant 2 oz. collection + 3 surprise items
2. Jessicurl Rich & Radiant 2 oz. collection + 2 surprise items
3. Jessicurl Rich & Radiant 2 oz. collection + 1 surprise item

How to enter

It's super easy to enter! Just click the Rafflecopter widget below (the one that says "enter the giveaway"), enter your name and email address (note: this email is only provided so I can contact you if you win), and click the option that says "Click Here." Just type in your hair type (wavy, curly, coily, etc.), click "enter," and there you go! You've been entered! (Note - you have to type something in the box to be able to click enter.)

You can also get two extra entries (optional): one by following me @CalicoKitties on Twitter, and the other by subscribing to this blog through email. So, what are you waiting for?! Enter this giveaway; you just might get some free hair products! ;)

a Rafflecopter giveaway This giveaway is being run through rafflecopter.com, and the winners will be chosen at random through rafflecopter.com, which uses random.org to select winners. Please read through the terms and conditions before you enter (I typed it out)! :)

I encourage you to leave a comment on this post! You could tell your hair journey, list the products you use regularly, or even just tell us your hair type. Have fun, and good luck! Spread the word about this giveaway so we can spread the curly love!

This is Jess, creator of Jessicurl!
As Jess often says: "You have the right to remain curly." :)

Feel free to send me an email at carefreecurls@yahoo.com if you have any questions.

-CK

Meet Waterlily716!

Hi! Welcome to Carefree Curls.
In this post, I'd like to introduce you to one of my favorite curly-haired youtubers: Waterlily716!

Her name is Sarah, and she currently resides in Dubai (though she's from Kentucky)! She has gorgeous 3a/3b curls and helps a lot of curlies out by spreading great information about curly hair on both her blog and her YouTube channel.
Now, let's get to know her better! :)

1. How did you first get involved with vlogging/blogging, and how did you decide on your username (Waterlily716)?

"I starting making YouTube videos about 6 years ago because I had just started using the Curly Girl method for myself, AKA the 'no shampoo' method. And I was watching lots of youtubers, but no one on YouTube really had hair like mine. My username is a reference to my favorite painter, Monet, who is famous for painting water lilies."

2. Who is your favorite youtuber or blogger (aside from yourself, of course!)?

"I have so many! Most of them are listed in the 'other channels' section of my YouTube page.  Of the top of my head I would say CurlyPenny, Shalimarcat, and MahoganyCurls."

3. What's your absolute favorite hair product, and why? How do you use it?

"My favorite hair product is probably Curly hair Solutions Curl Keeper. I use it over my leave in and under my gel. It's an amazing frizz reducer."

4. What/who is a big inspiration to you?

"I think my biggest curly inspiration would be the one and only Lorraine Massey. I still think her book, the Curly Girl Handbook, is the best thing since sliced bread. She has beautiful hair, is an amazing curly stylist, and a successful business woman."

5. Describe your hair using only 3 words. :) 

"Ringletty, curly, springy"

6. What would you say is the one thing you love most about your hair?

"I'm happy to have natural hair that is very healthy, in that I rarely get split ends, and grows very fast. :D"

7. How do you usually deal with a bad hair day?

"Two options. 1) Deal with it and just keep wearing my hair confidently, even if I'm not loving it. I find I usually think my hair looks worse than it really does. 2) Put my hair up and use a headband to tame the frizz."

8. What are some words of encouragement that you would give to somebody who's having trouble embracing their natural hair?

"Try to embrace YOUR hair and YOUR curl pattern. Work towards healthier hair and loving your natural hair the way it is. Many times I see comments on social media by girls along the lines of 'I love your hair, it's so beautiful. My hair will never be like that D:'. That's the wrong mentality to have. Everyone's hair has the potential to be gorgeous, you just need to have confidence in yourself and give your hair some TLC."

9. Finally, if you could give a single piece of advice to all of the curly/wavy girls out there, what would it be?

"Straighten your hair, be happy for a day; learn to wear your hair curly and be happy for life!"

Thank you again to Sarah for taking the time to answer these questions so we can all get to know more about her! I appreciate it, and I enjoyed this interview. :) You can find Sarah on Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and some other sites @waterlily716. She also has a blog: curlsandblossoms.blogspot.com.

Make sure you check out her youtube channel, and don't forget to follow me on Twitter @CalicoKitties as well! Also, remember that I'm holding a giveaway this October, so make sure you come back to check it out and possibly win some free products. :) Have a great day, y'all!

-CK

Let me know in the comments if you'd like me to do another interview with someone! :)

Product Reviews: Elucence Products

Hello! Welcome to Carefree Curls.
In this post, I will be reviewing three of Elucence's products:

1. Volume Clarifying Shampoo
2. Moisture Balancing Conditioner
3. Volume Designing Foam

Elucence Volume Clarifying Shampoo

Price: $6 for 10 oz.

Ingredients: Salix Nigra (Willow) Bark Extract, Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Extract, Honey Extract, Anthemis, Noblilis (Chamomile) Extract, Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Extract, Dioscorea Villosa (Wild Yam) Extract, Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ in Purified Water, Sodium Myreth Sulfatel ) (Coconut Oil Derived), Sodium 14-16 Olefin Sulfonate (Mineral Derived), Cocomidopropyl Betaine (Coconut Oil Derived), Cocoamide MEA (Coconut Oil Derived), Salicylic Acid, Biotin, Panthenol, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, EDTA, Polyquarternium-10, Methylparaben (USP), Propylparaben (USP), Benzophenone-4 (UV Absorber), Fragrance/Parfum, FD&C Blue 1 CI 42090, DC&C Yellow 5 CI 19140.

My experience

My experience with this product has been pretty good. I live in an area with pretty hard water, so I get buildup sometimes and need a deeper clean than just a sulfate-free cleanser. This is why I grabbed this clarifying shampoo. I don't need to use it very often: just every now-and-then when my hair is feeling a bit icky. :)
This shampoo does the job! It has EDTA, which is something to look for in a clarifying shampoo because it helps get rid of the mineral deposits from hard water. Note that this isn't a CGM-friendly product because of the sulfates. Like I said, though, sometimes I just need a deeper clean. Also, when I did use it, my hair actually didn't feel dried out or anything.

Pros:

-It cleans my hair

-Surprisingly, it didn't strip my hair too much

-It's great for hard-water areas

-Affordable

Cons:

-I don't like the scent

-Could be drying for some because of sulfates/EDTA

I would recommend this product for anybody like me who lives in a hard-water area and needs a good clarifying shampoo every now-and-then.

Elucence Moisture Balancing Conditioner

Price: $8 for 10 oz.

Ingredients: Panax Ginseng root extract, cetraria islandia (Irish Moss) extract, saccharomyces cerevisiea (Brewer's Yeast) extract, Gingko Biloba extract, pimpinella anisum (Anise) fruit extract, prunis persica (Peach) extract in purified water, hexadecanol, stearakonium chloride, certimonium bromide, Squalane (olive oil lipid), Capric Caprillic Triglycerides (coconut fatty acids), Panthenol (pro-vitamin USP), Biotin (USP), imisazolidinyl urea, methylparaben (USP), fragrance

My experience

I'm not a huge fan of this conditioner, but I suppose it does the job. I don't like the feel of it in my hair, and it has a really odd sorta citrus-y smell.

Pros:

-Moisturizes hair decently enough

-Doesn't weigh my hair down

Cons:

-I don't like the scent

-Has kind of weird texture

-Doesn't help much with detangling

Over all, it's use-able, but I won't be purchasing it again.

Elucence Volume Designing Foam

Price: $8 for 7.5 oz.

Ingredients: Rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) leaf extract, urtica dioica (nettle) extract, melissa officinalis (balm mint) leaf oil, chamomilla recutita (matricaria) extract, aesculus hippocastanum (horse chestnut) extract, salvia officinalis (sage) leaf extract, tussilago farfara (coltsfoot) flower extract, equisettum arvense extract in purified water, vinylpyrrilidone/dimethylaminoethyl methylparaben, octooxynol-13 citric acid (usp) fragrance/parfum.

My experience

This product has been alright. The thing is, I had to use a lot of it each time I used it. Otherwise, it does nothing for frizz, definition, or forming the curls. It felt like I didn't even have product in my hair. However, when I tried using more, it worked out a bit better.

Pros:

-It works (IF you use a lot of it)

Cons:

-You have to use a lot

-Doesn't do much for frizz

-Doesn't do much for definition

-I don't like the scent

Would I recommend this product? Probably not. I'm just not a fan.

So, that sums up the products that I've tried from the elucence brand! As you may have noticed, I didn't like the scent of any of their products. I don't know why, but they all smelled..off..to me. I likely won't be repurchasing any of these (I did like the clarifying shampoo, but it has blue 1 in it. I didn't realize this when I bought it. I'm allergic to blue 1. lol).

-CK

P.S. Remember that I'm hosting an awesome product giveaway in October! Come back soon to check it out!

Deva Cut!

Hi! Welcome to Carefree Curls. :)
A couple of days ago, as you may know, I got my very first deva cut! (My apologies for not posting this yesterday.)

You may be wondering...

What's a deva cut?

Well, a deva cut is a special kind of cut for curly/coily/wavy haired people where the stylist has been trained/approved by the people at DevaCurl. You can find a Deva stylist near you by using DevaCurl's "find a stylist" tool! Click here to try it. This is how I found my stylist. These stylists know how to cut curly hair and give great cuts for curly, wavy, or coily hair!

A deva cut is where the stylist cuts your hair while it's dry. They do this because, as you likely know, curly hair has spring to it! When you get a "regular" haircut & they cut it wet, once it'd dry, your hair will sit differently than it looked wet. This is why they cut it dry. Makes sense, right?

My Experience

Over all, my deva cut experience was alright. I didn't go to the Deva salon in NYC; I just chose to go to a local Deva-approved stylist. I like the way she cut my hair, but I didn't like the way she styled it. You see, when she styled it, she raked her fingers through my hair (eep!) which my hair is too weak to handle; it pulled out all of my curl and made my hair just slightly wavy. However, when I styled it myself the next day, my waves popped into loose curls! I'm really enjoying the cut.

Here are some before shots..

Add caption

Honestly, I love my hair long, but the last few inches of my hair could be pretty unpredictable. They were constantly getting tangled and were a lot more undefined than the top sections of my hair. This is why I cut off so much; I figured it was probably from heat damage and decided that it would be best to chop it off and have a fresh start. ;) Here's the after shots..

This is such a fun length. :D I haven't had it this short in a long time! Anyway, like I mentioned previously, I disliked the way the stylist styled my hair. She raked the product through my hair which pulled out my curls and made them undefined. However, I was pretty satisfied with the cut, and I figured it'd look a lot better after I styled it myself. Here are some shots from after I styled it..

I'd like to note that I ran out of my favorite gel and had to settle with using a mousse (which I don't normally do), so once I style it with a gel it may look a bit different. Still: I like the cut a lot more the way I styled it! I think the shorter length is helping the frizz from the last haircut (where the lady slid her scissors down my hair to "make it weigh less").

I'm pretty happy with how the cut looks. I think it'll be fun to play around with my new, short length (or, at least, it's short to me lol)! I do love long hair, so I'll probably grow it out eventually, but I'm enjoying this length for now. :)

Post a comment and let me know what you think! Have you ever gotten a Deva Cut?

-CK


P.S. remember that I'm doing a hair product giveaway in October! It's going to be awesome, so check back in October to see it ;)

How my hair has changed

Hello! Welcome to Carefree Curls.
In this post, I will be discussing the changes that my hair has made since I started the CG method. I'm curious to hear if any of y'all have experienced your hair doing these as well!


Natural Highlights: Okay, this one actually has happened my whole life, not just after the CG method, but I still wanted to add it. :) During the summer and when it's sunnier or I'm outside a lot, my hair gets naturally highlighted by the sunlight; especially in the front on the top layers. It's just interesting to me. I just say that it gets sun-bleached. But these highlights have occasionally become so prominent that people have asked me if I highlighted my hair! I find it amusing. :) I have never highlighted nor colored my hair.. Once I haven't been out in the sun as much, it goes back to its normal coloration. You can especially see it in this picture from when I was still styling my hair straight..

Different parting: Ever since I started treating my hair better, it has begun parting naturally more towards the middle of my head. Just compare where it parted in the photo above to the one below..

I'm not even sure if y'all can really tell from that, but that whole curl in the front to the right used to be on the other side lol.

It's shinier: I've heard several people say that curly hair is less shiny than straight hair because light reflects better on flat surfaces. Makes sense, right? Well, my hair has actually been more shiny since I started the CG method! Maybe it's because I've begun rinsing in cold water (as described in step 3 of this post), or maybe it's because it's getting more moisture...who knows.

Needs less moisture: The longer I've done the CG method, the less I've needed to give my hair copious amounts of moisture. In fact, my hair has gotten over-moisturized a couple of times and seems to enjoy protein quite a bit. It definitely needed more moisture in the beginning than it does now; I haven't had to baby it as much as I did at first. :)


That's all I can think of that's changed, others than the fact that it's obviously gotten curlier lol. Also, I just got a deva cut! Pictures will be up tomorrow (so remember to come back and see how it turned out)! I got quite a bit of length cut off.. I haven't had it this short in awhile ;)

Post a comment if you've noticed anything interesting that has changed about your hair since you went natural!

-CK

P.S, I will be holding a giveaway during the month of October, so make sure you check back then!