What's the deal with hair gel part 2...

Onwards and upwards. Literally. (In price and quality). So I copped a couple natural hair gels from natural shops. Literally a couple cos they're kinda pricey.

 1) Komaza Care Coconut Curly Pudding
This stuff is good. But expensive. But lasts ages if you're using it for your edges and holding down the front of your hair. But expensive. But lasts ages. See the dilemma??

 (Pic copyright  is www.britishcurlies.com)

Pros:

•  Smells like coconuts. Yum.
• All natural.
• Minimal flaking.
• Good hold.
• Doesn't make hair really stiff (I only use it on my edges).
• Didn't get spots from it. (you know how hair gel can make you breakout around your forehead?)
• 1 pot is lasting me a good year. (I hope it hasn't gone 'off')

Cons:

• Pricey, pricey, pricey. For hair gel?? I think I got overexcited and imagined I was a BALLER.
• Can't use it to define curls (which is what it says it does), without a moisturiser underneath, otherwise you get hard hair.
• Did I mention it was expensive? (cop this joint at www.britishcurlies.com (if you're from the U.K))

 2) Holland and Barret Aloe Vera Gel

This stuff is meant for your skin, but can be used on hair. Picture copyright H and B. Before they come and sue me. I guess any Aloo vera gel would work, so US and Canadian version would be like Lilly of the Valley Aloe Gel.

Pros:

• Cheaper than other natural hair gels. (£4.99 for large size, £2.99 for small).
• Natural ingredients.
• Good for skin and hair (double use product..this is GREAT at clearing up skin, I try to remember to use it regularly)
• Moisturising.

Cons:

• A bit flaky, left white gunk.
• No yummy smell :-(.
• Hold isn't great

Overall Hair gel verdict:

Natural hair and gel dooo go together, but you have to find the right one for your hair type, budget and combo of products. If you use a lot of products in your hair, you will might white goop and potentially flaking.
Unlike moisturisers etc, there are some shop brands that are just as good as the natural ones, and they're pretty affordable. However, the natural gel I use the most (Komaza) is great and I like the smell and ingredients. Having said that, I also regularly use the Organic Root Stimulator lock and twist gel, and found that to be great as well.  Natural hair doesn't have to be expensive...It's up to you!

Peace, Love and Hair grease folks x

What's the deal with Hair Gel? (plus reviews) Part 1

Who remembers the days (I'm hoping they're long gone), when everyone used to gel down their fringes to the side of their face, one eye peeping out from behind, and inevitably acne erupting from the goop slathered on...? I can't lie and say i never attempted to do it, but my poofy hair just wouldn't lie down flat no matter how much JAM I used. So what's the deal with natural hair and gel? Should you use it? How often? What type?

Generally the main ingredients in hair gel are (according to wikipedia) cationic polymers, that bind to the neagtive anions of hair keratin (bit of science for ya..), so that the hair can be moulded into shape. Hair gel often has non-curly friendly ingredients such as drying alcohols, mineral oil or petrolatum, polythene glycol etc.
So should you use hair gel? Well, it's up to you.

Pros:

• It can make edges look neater/ more presentable.
• It can provide better hold for styles such as twist outs, braid out, two strand twists etc.
• It can give greater styling options and variety.

Cons:

• Depending on what type you use, it can dry out your hair.
• Gels often don't mix well with other products, leaving a white goop, or flakes.
• Regular use of hair gel around your edges can lead to spots, and clogged pores.

Shop Bought Gels

I've used a couple of these.You can buy them in any normal black hair shop and don't have to go online or go to a health shop to get them...

1) Let's JAM Shining and Conditioning Gel
So this hasn't got airplay in years, mainly because it has mineral oil high up on the ingredient list, and secondly because as I recall, it didn't work too well on my hair, and my hair was a looser texture then than it is now (due to blowdrying etc).

 Pros:

• It is a lot less prone to flaking etc than other hair gels,but can be a little greasy. 
• It doesn't seem to leave hair very hard.
• I quite like the smell..like sweets. Some people might find it a bit sickly sweet.
• Isn't water based. I know my cousin used this because water based gels would just make her hair frizz. 
• Cheap

 Cons:

• Bad ingredients. Mineral oil, basically nothing natural.
• Will melt in fervent heat. Lol. Be prepared for a nice oily halo.
• Doesn't have great hold.
• Isn't water based. I personally like water based gels.

2)Elasta QP  Feels Like Silk Design Gel

 I used this once for a wash and go when my hair was shorter. I remember my curls being defined, but kinda crunchy and hard.

Pros:

• Good ingredient list - no alcohols, no silicones, no petrolatum. Thumbs up.
• Good hold
• Non - greasy
• Cheap

Cons:

• Made my hair a bit crunchy
• Not moisturising
• Has parabens (if you avoid parabens - I'm try to, but I'm not too stringent about it)

3) Organic Root Stimulator Lock and Twist Gel

This is a gel to use when twisting, plaiting or locking the hair. I really love this stuff. It's cheap as well and you can get it from any black hair shop.

Pros:

• Mostly natural ingredients.
• Reaaaaly moisturising
• I like the coconutty smell. (I have a thing for coconut)
• Black owned company (from what I last heard....yup, it's good to support black business, folks)
• Will leave shiny twists.
• Good with extensions as well.
• Cheap

Cons:

• Holding power isn't as great as other gels.
• Could get a bit greasy if overused.

In part 2 I'll review some of the more pricey gels I've used (only 2 or 3 to be fair) and weigh up whether it's worth the extra cost....

Peace, Love and Hair Grease folks! x

Natural Hair Accessories

Sooooo...natural hair is never boring in my opinion. But - there's alway a million and one more ways to make it look even more afrolicious. Hair accessories are a great way to liven up a boring style, or to switch a look up from daytime to evening styles.

Scarves

This is a really fun look with polka dots. The way the scarf is tied seems quite intricate though..might see if I can figure that out another time..

For a retro/ quirky vibe a red bandanna can be used to make a simply ponytail look different. I like the way she's added a quiff at the front...

Sometimes, there are those bad hair days when all you ant to do is hide your hair....a colourful printed scarf  can even be good wnough for evening wear/ going out ...I think Tracee Ellis Ross looks lovely.

 This is just me with long kinky twist extensions.....the edges were getting messy and looked like peppercorns, so the scarf was neeeded...

I wouldn't usually use a pastel colour like this, but I like the way she's swept her fringe under the scarf..

Hats

This is just simple. Side ponytail with a hat at an angle.

This is a really casual look...good for when you want to completely hide your hair and just slum around.

Not sure if I would be brave enough to rock this one, but Solange manages to pull it off...

This was just before I went on holiday to Jamaica a couple years back. I had my hair in two strand twists (small ones), and just jammed a straw hat on top..

More of a turban than a hat.

Flowers

From www.weddingbee.com - a great style for summer, and something that could be replicated on looser or tighter textures and look cute.

This was for s hot I did for Afrocenchix (www.afrocenchix.com)...I did my hair in a side ponytail, and added a flower at the side...

www.madamenoire.com ....Simple curly afro look with a flower.

If you have any inspirational photos of you rocking a natural accessory, share them! I'd love to post them up....

Peace, Love and Hair Grease folks xx

Side ponytail tutorial

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fD2pNwaEGpc

 Hey guys..I made a youtube tutorial of my side pony tail...check it out! xx