Flour Sack Towels

These are great for plopping or drying your hair. They are very large and less bulky than a t-shirt for plopping. They are very absorbent, but thin; so they dry faster than a regular microfiber towel or t-shirt. They're great for travel because they're smaller, lightweight and dry quickly. They also are great because they absorb less product from your hair compared to a t-shirt or microfiber towel. Try them!


You can get them at Walmart or Target by the regular dish towels or on Amazon.

Aunt Martha's White Flour Sack Dish Towels, Size 28-Inch by 28-Inch, 2-Pack

White Flour Sack Towels -Pack of 5

 

Favorite Spray Bottle!!

I am in love with this spray bottle for refreshing. It's a continuous fine mist. Most spray bottles are too rough and frizz my hair. This one is so gentle that I get much less frizz! I added a little YTC with water and spritzed, then smoothed a little YTC condish over my hair. Pineappled damp for bed. Here's my day three results! Pretty good for my looser waves!

:)

Groom Industries Solvent Free Sprayer, Flairosol

Tips for Humidity and Frizz

Tips for humidity and frizz: 

Use hard hold gel, leave in what you think is a TON of conditioner, try a serum like curl keeper or original moxie hold up serum. Try avoiding glycerin and see if helps. Try plant film forming humectants like are in flax seed gel or the original moxie hold up serum. Some people's hair glycerin actually helps in the summer, so play with it and see what's best for you. :)

DIY Flax Seed Gel

FLAX SEED GEL

The ultimate curl enhancing gel: flax seed gel. Lightweight not sticky, feels natural, clumps curls, humidity fighting, cheap $.16 for flax seeds only...but you have to make it yourself. 

Here's my basic recipe:
1 1/4 cup water
3 tbls flax seeds

Boil water, add flax seeds, stir constantly with a whisk or fork, turn down to medium at a lower boil, boil until flax seeds float in the water and don't sink 3-5 min. When you lift the whisk you will see thin strings of gel. If you boil too long the strings will be too thick and you will have unstrainable goo. Give a final swirl and pour into a wire mesh strainer.

Add ins to strained gel:
Moisture: dietary aloe vera 1 tbls
More curl: Epsom salt 1/2-1 tbls could dry hair 
Hold: honey or agave 1/4 tsp
Thicken: Reheat strained gel, slowly add 1/4 tsp xanthum gum while whisking, careful it will clump
Scent-2 drops essential oil 
Deep moisture: a couple drops of coconut oil or any other favorite oil, careful can make you oily 
Add more or less as needed

Lasts 2 wks in the refrigerator so batch it and freeze it.

Best with a harder hold gel over it like la looks gel. FSG encourages curls but doesn't hold them very well. It is a very soft hold.

Curl Enhancing Gels

Here are some curl enhancing gels I reviewed:

Spray Gels

Here are some CG spray gels:

Suave Captivating Curls - Can get sticky, good hold and good for refreshing if you go very light.

DevaCurl Spray Gel - Haven't tried much. Didn't seem sticky. Medium hold, over another Deva gel, it will harden the hold. Haven't refreshed with it yet, but could have potential.

Raw Curls Spray Gel - Nice and light, not sticky, great refresher. Hardens hold of gel.

Ion Curl Solutions Spray Gel (from Sally's) - Light weightless hold, great for refreshing, but go easy or it can get sticky, but not as sticky as the Suave Captivating Curls.

Kinky Curly Spiral Spritz - Not exactly a spray gel, but you spray it in your hands, and it refreshes like a spray gel, but it is not sticky at all and is very light and natural. Not a gel hardener, more of a refresher.

Why Does Shea Moisture Dry My Hair Out or Make It Look Bad?

Shea Moisture has heavy oils and shea butter very high in the ingredients list. These can have a drying affect on low porosity hair types. The cuticle lies flat, so all the shea butter does is seal the moisture OUT of the hair, not good. Look for humectants that draw moisture inside of the hair. Kinky curly is full of humectants and is a good line to try or gvp cb. Clarify or low poo the shea butter or oils out with Kinky Curly Come Clean or another clarifier.

If you have fine or wavy hair, Shea Moisture might be too heavy for your hair, weighing it down. Hair will look greasy, dull, or weighed-down or will be over-conditioned. Again clarify or low poo to get back on track and start using something lighter and less moisturizing.

Shea Moisture can also cause a waxy-coated feeling or tangles on many hair types. Regardless, depending on your hair type and environment Shea Moisture may still build up on your hair and scalp so just be aware. It is ok to use if it works for you, but just know it could possibly do this. I have had to decrease using their products as often because they are building up on my scalp since I am becoming lower porosity on my healthy unbleached roots. I was getting an itchy scalp and white flakes on my roots. High porosity and curlier types generally fair better with Shea Moisture. It seals the moisture in on porous hair types. The hair is more porous so it doesn't build up as easily.