Ask CurlyNikki

coco, you look great!!!! Chic

bajanprincess, one of my mother's employees reads my blog and knows a producer at channel 11. she submitted my info and the lady had curly hair too... the rest is history

tsa, I recommend lots and lots of conditioner to style. Check out Teri's site-- I think its tightlycurly or biracialhair.org. Her routine will work for you.

hollis, send me an email... i'll be able to answer at length.

tia, it looks awesome!!!! I'm loving this routine I wear my hair like that daily now. Let me know how your hair fares with this routine... I'm hoping for lots of growth

@CurlyNikki Hey Nikki! I have a question...well actually 2! Okay, I want to order the shampoo bars from mehandi.com for my hair. However, I noticed on the site that there are different kinds. Which one do you suggest?

Also, I was curious to know more about your new braid-n-curl routine. I definitely would like to try it....when will you have a video/pictorial?

Hey Natural83!

I like the cassia one and the zizyphus one!
I'll probably do a video when I get back home and settled. I tried a dry bantu knot-out last night... it's aiight... really tight curls! My hair is up to my ears!!

@CurlyNikki Thanks girl! I think Im going to go ahead and order one of the shampoo bars then! Im just anxious to order something new, LOL, so I think I'll try it out!

I have yet to try the bantu-knots! That'll be something I'll have to play around with one day soon! Can't wait for the new video girl!

TTYL!

natural83, check out the homepage... aunty just did a dry bantu knot-out and it was hot!

I tried some (with braids) and it was a hott mess!

good luck,
nik

Nikki, I wrote a post about products being made available at stores so we wouldn't have to order online. There is power in numbers, if we call get together and start contacting some of these larger chains, like ulta and Target, we should see some results. I especially would like to see Jessicurl and Carol's daughter be offered in these stores, that would make it much more convenient for us.

What are your thoughts on this?

@Veela, Carol's Daughter does have a sister product available in WalMart....I know that's just one but it look like your wish is slowly coming true.
I also noticed that one of the BSS in my area is starting to carry more natural products along with 100% shea butter

Hi Nikki
I luv your blog! Thank you so much for all the great info. You are my hair idol!!! I have a few comments and questions to ask...

1. Will henna damage my hair? I want to henna but I'm scared it will loosen my curls. I think my curl type is 3c/4a..i have corkscrew curls when dry. I read on your site that henna is good for the hair but i just don't want to take any chances on damaging my hair.

2. What do you recommend for moisture? I'm trying my best to get more into sticking with natural products. But what I have discovered that most natural products do not work on my hair. The products do not moisturize my hair like the "bad" products. Mayb i'm doing something wrong or buying the wrong products!

3. What do you do to help prevent a lot of shedding? My hair sheds like crazy!! Sometimes I hate to wash my hair because my hair sheds sooo much.

4. Can hair be sensitive to products that contain protein? I recently received Giovanni shampoo and conditoner as a gift and after washing/conditioning my hair it was dry. I have noticed that whenever I use products that contain protein my har becomes brittle and dry. Is this normal?

Hey!

1. Henna won't damage or 'change' your curls. Some culries, however, do notice less shrinkage. If you want to maintain your current texture/shrinkage level, mix in 1/4 amla powder into your mix.

2. I'm like you in that all natural, cone free products don't work for me either. I need a little cone in my life. My advice-- play around with some drug store conditioners... trying one at a time for 3 weeks. See how your hair responds and go from there.

3. I'm a shedder too. Comes with the territory... also the longer your hair gets, the more you'll notice the shed hairs. Garlic supplements are supposed to help, but most shedding is natural and cannot be prevented. We lose between 50-100 hairs a day. And depending on the season, we can lose more or less. Just remember to be gentle when detangling and styling... don't cause any unnecessary hair fall.

4. It most certainly can. The more you experiment the more you'll be able to discern which proteins mess with you the most. hydrolized wheat protein dries me out like none other.

good luck!!

Thanks Nikki! You have the best advice and tips [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] I think I'm going to henna before the end of the month but I have 1 more question. Do you think the Cassie will be better than the henna and whats the difference between the two?

Hi Nikki,

I sent you that email regarding my previous post. I had another question I noticed in your new routine you do not have Deva Curl One Condition listed. Do you find that the other products you have listed work better? Thanks!

Hi Nikki,

I tried AOHSR for a deep conditioner after washing with a shampoo bar- my hair felt coated once it dried. I always use Giovanni leave in with a little Qhemet Butter Cream for my hair and a tiny bit of Heavy Cream for my ends. So, the only difference was that I didn't shampoo after the DT. Hating the soft but coated curls, I rewashed with Gio Smooth as Silk shampoo and condish...no longer coated. Have you ever experienced that with AOHSR or did I totally misread your application steps?

It's nice to know I'm not the only one with a serious shedding problem. You would think I was going bald or loosing my hair with the amount of hairs that I shed. I have to sweep my bathroom floor everytime I do my hair. My hair is still full and long so it doesnt look like I'm loosing hair but it sheds like crazy. Its long strands not short peices so I guess thats not breakage???

MissCurly, as long as it's long strands, with bulbs on the end, and you're noticing no thin spots, YOU'RE FINE!! I'm a huge shedder... I'm sure my hair balls would scare young children. Shedding is natural.

RussianJoy, interesting. I never feel coated with AOHSR. But remember that no two heads are the same! I know many curlies that detest that conditioner... while others can't live without it! If it didn't work for you the first time, give it one more chance, and if it's a no go, ditch it and do what works for you! If your hair loves GIO, stockpile it

Hollis, if you read the blog post I just made, you'll see that they probably aren't working as well. My hair has been dry and icky feeling lately. A lot of the products I'm using have proteins in them... albeit light proteins, I think it's still effecting me. I'm going back to old faithful

flyychick, it depends on what you're looking for. Cassia and henna yield different results. If it's color and curl stretching and thickening you want, go for henna. If it's shine, with no color, and a little extra body, pick cassia.

I've started using the combo you mentioned in a previous post of the DevaCare with the sammy's curl creme and set if free or shea butter and my hair has never looked better! Everytime it comes out good. I am going to stick to this routine. Thanks Nikki!

The next time I wash (this weekend or the next), I'll use DevaCare as a leave-in...maybe even see what happens if I play with SheaMoisture too

are you still going to do your braid out on dry hair?

@CurlyNikki Hey Nikki! I really want to try the braid out on my hair today! I remember reading your steps as to what to do during the process. So let me get this straight...right now my hair is in dry twists (I slept with my hair twisted up last night). So in order to proceed to doing the braid out, will I just need to take the twists out and reset it with braids? How damp should I get my hair? Do you still roll the ends of your braids as you would do in the twist-n-curl? I was interested in trying the braid out because my hair tends to shrink a lot at times and I want to stretch it out more!

Sorry for the delay ladies!

Yes, on Friday my hair is wet set in 8 or so twists. I then let it dry completely and on Saturday or Sunday, I take down one twist at a time, detangle if necessary, and braid it up. I then roll it up and spritz with my conditioner mix. Your hair will be stretched out much more... with much more volume on day one. I love it! Very Tracee Ellis Ross-esque

I am going to try that. I am looking for something high volume but different from my norm as my V-Day style.

@CurlyNikki do you think castor oil would work to apply to each braid when you redo them? Are you still using the burnt sugar hair pomade? Thanks!

hollis,

yes ma'am! i love it!!!

Hi CurlyNikki...I want to try Henna but I'm a bit scared. I wanted to know what Henna product do you use and what is your mixture for it. I have 3c/4a hair, If it loosens is it permanent?

Mrs. Hudson, I use jamila henna from mehandi or buttersnbars . It temporarily loosens the curl (by making it heavier and weighing it down), and thickens the hair, but the effects wear off in 3 weeks. Also, everyone doesn't experience these side effects-- mostly fine, wavy curlies. If you want to counteract the loosening, use amla in your mix.

good luck!
nik

Nik, I confess. I am style challenged when it comes to doing my daughter's hair. So, if you don't mind, I STOLE some of your ideas and my daughter loves them so please don't be mad [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] lol. Here is the latest NikG stolen due.
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