Ask Autumn of CurlyChronicles!

Thank you so so much for the info. I use about 6 of the products you listed; including the Giovanni leave in. I will try adding the coconut oil after to see how that works out.
Thanks again! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

No problemo!

The coconut oil is what saved me, before when I just used the leave in from Giovanni, my hair would be a bit dry at around mid-day.

I hope it works out for your hair!

AfrikanLatina wrote:

Curlychronicles wrote:

TerraD wrote:Hey girl, It's TheModelNurse, from Youtube, LOL. I'm stoked that you're on here!
I did your flat- twist out, and rolled the ends. Do you have any tips for reducing shrinkage with the flat-twist out?

Hey ModelNurse!

Yeap..I've hoped on! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

When I don't want shrinkage I blow dry my hair out and then start flat twisting. I do that for special occasions mainly. Otherwise, I just allow my hair to dry a bit after washing it - almost to the point of it being more damp than wet. Then start twisting. Coconut oil on the ends helps the ends shine A LOT! That tends to be my best lil secret weapon.

Hope that helps!

~Curlychronicles

I had the same question. Thanks! Oh and your video on how to crochet a hat/beanie was GREAT!! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

I wanna see that hat lady!!

sweetdrk1, I never finished it lol I ran outta yarn and I need to go to Michael's and pick up more yarn. But as soon as I do, I'll post the finished piece!

Hi Autumn,

Like everyone else said, I really LOVE your videos on youtube. They're really helpful. My question is about shedding. I've noticed that since I bc'd about 4 weeks ago, my hair's been shedding a lot. I've heard some contradictory information about when hair sheds the most - some say summer, some say fall, some say winter. Do you experience any shedding? Do you know how much is too much and what's normal? I've started henna-ing my hair because I've read it makes it stronger, so I might experience less shedding but...

Thanks for your help!

Hi Autumn,

I love your attitude on your vid's it has kept me inspired as I transitioned. I am now officially natural as of this past Wed. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] But I have LOADS of questions in between my new love affair with my hair.
Question --- what is your take on using humectants in the winter such as Honey (for pre-poos and DC's) or glycerin. I have heard that it can make your hair dry and the last thing I want is a bone dry TWA when it should be fly [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] (lol).
thanks for your help!
K

Autumn, I just want to say that Thank you so much for your "Big Hair" video. I feel like a super model with my hair like this. I think at 42, I've found my "flyness" again. I'm still not very confident about how I'm taking care of my hair. For instance, my hair doesn't look very shiny. It's dyed black, but it doesn't have a sheen to it. Also, how do you use the vegetable glycerin and the raw shea butter. I tried using both once, but I don't think I knew what I was doing. When I used it, I just washed my hair, sprayed it with a water and vegetable glycerin mix, then I applied raw shea butter than placed my hair in two strand twists. The next day my hair was a frizzy mess. Thanks

CocoPalma wrote:Hi Autumn,

Like everyone else said, I really LOVE your videos on youtube. They're really helpful. My question is about shedding. I've noticed that since I bc'd about 4 weeks ago, my hair's been shedding a lot. I've heard some contradictory information about when hair sheds the most - some say summer, some say fall, some say winter. Do you experience any shedding? Do you know how much is too much and what's normal? I've started henna-ing my hair because I've read it makes it stronger, so I might experience less shedding but...

Thanks for your help!

Thanks so much cocopalma!

I haven't really experienced shedding. I see hair that comes out after detangling, but it's not that much for me. I feel like our hair is suppose to shed just as the hair of a cat or dog would. However, anything that seems to look extreme i.e. big balls of hair you notice you're tossing out on a daily basis would require you to search for possible signs to find out why. I've heard that you shed more during certain seasons but I never really looked into it to see if that's true for me.

If my hair was shedding, the first thing I would look at would be my diet. The things we consume help out skin, nails, and hair continue to grow as well as keep them strong and healthy. Do you consider yourself a conscious consumer? Do you make your own food 5 days out of the week or do you order food more often? If you're preparing your own meals, are they colorful? Gotta make sure the fruits n veggies are getting in cause those are where the antioxidants and herbs come into play. Other than diet I would look at stress because that makes the hair fall out! Do you take time out for yourself for peace and relaxation? If you can increase the amount of time you sit in a silent and peaceful atmosphere, that definitely helps you keep the stress to a minimum. If I feel scatterbrained, I often go home and play kirtan or meditation/ambient styled music. It's calming and can be upbeat at the same time so you can relax and dance a little to loosen up or just sit down and rest.

I'm not an expert on this area but I hope this has helped a little. Sometimes we just need to make sure we're contributing daily to the things that keep our bodies functioning well!

~Curlychronicles

kbelle wrote:Hi Autumn,

I love your attitude on your vid's it has kept me inspired as I transitioned. I am now officially natural as of this past Wed. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] But I have LOADS of questions in between my new love affair with my hair.
Question --- what is your take on using humectants in the winter such as Honey (for pre-poos and DC's) or glycerin. I have heard that it can make your hair dry and the last thing I want is a bone dry TWA when it should be fly [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] (lol).
thanks for your help!
K

Hey kbelle!

Congrats on going natural!

I think using humectants should be just fine in the winter if they do what they're suppose to do but every head of hair is different so it takes tweaking sometimes to see how they'll work. Since I am vegan, I haven't used honey but I use vegetable glycerin and its similar in consistency.

For the record, I'd like to do more deep conditions with vegetable glycerin mixed with conditioner because it seems to penetrate the hair follicles a bit better for me. I haven't been doing them like I should but hope to start incorporating them in, it's so easy to get lazy! Humectants like vegetable glycerin tend to make my hair a bit dry/crunchy if I use too much of them at once. I made the mistake of spraying with equal parts glycerin and water and then styling before bed. In the morning, my hair felt more crunchy than soft so I fixed this by lightly (like super lightly!) misting my hair with the concoction (with added h2o!) and then adding my leave-in conditioner. It seemed to draw moisture in without it coming off on my hands. So the end result was adding a little moisture (leave-in conditioner) and locking moisture in (veg glycerin spray). So first step is to not be too heavy with it =D

So how to I use humectants? I mix about 3 parts water with 1 part vegetable glycerin and a few drops of essential oil for a moisturizing spritz. I don't use this as a styler but more as a mister to get my hair ready for styling or for right after I take my twists down in the morning and need a little boost of moisture. I tend to use things that are naturally moisturizing so that I don't have to constantly worry about moisture. Adding coconut oil, olive oil, shea butter, and aloe vera gel to your list of products will help keep your hair moisturized on a regular basis.


Hope that helps!

Curlychronicles

Bree125 wrote:Autumn, I just want to say that Thank you so much for your "Big Hair" video. I feel like a super model with my hair like this. I think at 42, I've found my "flyness" again. I'm still not very confident about how I'm taking care of my hair. For instance, my hair doesn't look very shiny. It's dyed black, but it doesn't have a sheen to it. Also, how do you use the vegetable glycerin and the raw shea butter. I tried using both once, but I don't think I knew what I was doing. When I used it, I just washed my hair, sprayed it with a water and vegetable glycerin mix, then I applied raw shea butter than placed my hair in two strand twists. The next day my hair was a frizzy mess. Thanks

Hi Bree!

Whoa 42? You look fantastic in your avatar! *2 snaps!*

My hair looks shiniest when it has a good leave in conditioner in and a little bit of oil. I've found that my Giovanni direct leave in and coconut oil work fine for my hair.

I cannot, under any circumstances, ever ever ever, (I know, I'm putting extras on it!) use veg glycerin and shea butter together. They both do the same thing for my hair so I've found that putting them both in is equal to putting on double the shea butter or double the veg glycerine (super oily/ a bitcrunchy). I didn't know what I was doing either at the time LOL. I use veg glycerin + water + essential oils as a mister prior to putting on my leave in conditioner or as a refresher in the morning if needed.

I use shea butter to seal the ends when I do two strand twists or I use it after applying a leave in conditioner. Here's a quick breakdown.

I either use:
veg gycerin + leave in conditioner
leave in conditioner + shea butter
leave in conditioner + coconut oil

I try not to use too many products at once. After day 3 I try to only moisturize with water or I just wash my hair...at day 3 I have a good amount of product in my hair so it's not always necessary.

Hope this helps a bit!!

Let me know how it goes

~Curlychronicles

Hey Autumn,

First lemme start of I love [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] love your youtube vids!!! I was just wondering what is the glycerin to water ratio that you use for your mist?

THANK YOU SO MUCH AUTUMN for the compliment and the info!!!!!

sunkissed2 wrote:Hey Autumn,

First lemme start of I love [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] love your youtube vids!!! I was just wondering what is the glycerin to water ratio that you use for your mist?

Thanks! I appreciate it!

I tend to put 3 parts water to 1 part glycerin, you don't want it to be sticky at all..that's a disaster waitin to happen haha

Hope that helps!

~Autumn

Hey Autumn:

I did try the coconut oil with the Giovanni leave in and it really makes my hair soft and moisturized. Thanks for that tip!! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

I wanted to ask you, what type/where do you get your coconut milk (for deep conditioning) from?

Thanks!

naturalkc wrote:Hey Autumn:

I did try the coconut oil with the Giovanni leave in and it really makes my hair soft and moisturized. Thanks for that tip!! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

I wanted to ask you, what type/where do you get your coconut milk (for deep conditioning) from?

Thanks!

Woot woot! I'm glad you like the Giovanni and coconut oil, that's the best concoction!

I get coconut milk from Trader Joe's or Vons, they both have it ..the type varies, sometimes I'll grab the light coconut milk other times the regular one. I think either is okay though

Hi Autumn- I too follow your youtube videos and advice. I BC almost a year ago and I am currently PINING for the length you have. Patience, right? In any case, I live in Ohio and it's cold here. Last week I tried adding vegetable glycerine to my shea butter mix but my hair came out terribly frizzy. Should I just use it in my spray bottle and possibly only minimally thru the cold season?

Hello Autumn!

I looooooove your youtube videos. Your hair styles are so beautiful and very original. Who wants to go around looking like everyone else, right!!!?? I want to look fly when I walk out the door! You provide good information and I have a question for you. You mention that you use a mixture of essential oils, glycerin, and water as a hair spritz. Do you use measurements for this mixture? If so, what do you recommend. I began transitioning sing Nov. 2008 and decided to just cut it all off one day and have bee natural ever since. I make my own hair products that have been helping my hair grow and look good. You were very instrumental in that. THANK YOU!

I look forward to your response.

God bless,
Michelle (aka God's Creations)

poeticlyspkng wrote:Hi Autumn- I too follow your youtube videos and advice. I BC almost a year ago and I am currently PINING for the length you have. Patience, right? In any case, I live in Ohio and it's cold here. Last week I tried adding vegetable glycerine to my shea butter mix but my hair came out terribly frizzy. Should I just use it in my spray bottle and possibly only minimally thru the cold season?

Hey Poeticlyspkng!

So sorry for the delay, life has been busy for me lately!

You're right, it's all about the patience! don't forget about those scalp massages and fruits n veggies too!

In the cold months, I find myself using more creamy, souffle type products. I tend to use my veggie glycerine spritz in the spring/summer. It seems like my hair simply doesn't need it during the cold months because it doesn't get that dry. It gets SUPER dry during the hot summers though! I've also been finding myself using it as a mister and not solely for styling and hold. It doesn't have that much umph to it. After I mist, I put on the shea butter (or some other creamy product) and get to twisting/braiding. It normally is nice and soft the next day.

Is your hair dry when you unravel it the next morning/day? Is your hair about 70% detangled? Are you taking your time? If you answered yes to both, you're on the right track. If you hair is still a little damp and not detangled that well, you end up with more frizz.. that happens to me when I rush. I hope this helps a bit, let me know if this still end up having to fight the frizz!

~Curlychronicles

GodsCreations wrote:Hello Autumn!

I looooooove your youtube videos. Your hair styles are so beautiful and very original. Who wants to go around looking like everyone else, right!!!?? I want to look fly when I walk out the door! You provide good information and I have a question for you. You mention that you use a mixture of essential oils, glycerin, and water as a hair spritz. Do you use measurements for this mixture? If so, what do you recommend. I began transitioning sing Nov. 2008 and decided to just cut it all off one day and have bee natural ever since. I make my own hair products that have been helping my hair grow and look good. You were very instrumental in that. THANK YOU!

I look forward to your response.

God bless,
Michelle (aka God's Creations)

Hey Michelle!

Congrats on the chop! Thank you for the nice compliments! You'll have your own fly style once you stumble upon that holy grail of products and techniques in no time.

I do use distilled water, lavender, veggie glycerine. I normally use roughly 3 parts water, 2 parts glycerine, and enough drops of essential oil to where I can smell the scent but not be overwhelmed (maybe 5 drops) and then shake and spritz. As I was telling Poeticlyspkng, this is great in the summer for my hair when it starts to get dry and it helps moisturize it a bit. I tend to spray it to slightly dampen my hair but not over saturate it because a water/glycerine mix takes a while to dry if you put too much in. I find myself experimenting a lot with the measurements because our hair seems to want more or less of certain things at different parts of the year. I may put in a little less glycerine and even more water or a little more glycerine. I'd love to know how this works out for ya, let me know!

~Curlychronicles

Oh and when I say 3 parts water 1 parts glycerine, for example for a large batch it'll be 1 cup water to 1/3 cup glycerine and 5 drops of lavender. I suck at math so smaller batches ..I guestimate! lol

Hey Autumn I love your hair and your youtube videos, youre such a hair-spiration (lol, i tried to play off of hair and inspiration lol).....but your hair is gorgeous, and I just started using the giovanni so now Im gonna try it with the coconut oil...thanks for the advice!!!

Right now Im having issues with my twistouts so I have a question, which provide better curl definition for you, twistouts on dry hair or wet hair? Also, how did you achieve the look in your avatar pic? that is gorgeous!!

thanks so much

Curlychronicles wrote:

GodsCreations wrote:Hello Autumn!

I looooooove your youtube videos. Your hair styles are so beautiful and very original. Who wants to go around looking like everyone else, right!!!?? I want to look fly when I walk out the door! You provide good information and I have a question for you. You mention that you use a mixture of essential oils, glycerin, and water as a hair spritz. Do you use measurements for this mixture? If so, what do you recommend. I began transitioning sing Nov. 2008 and decided to just cut it all off one day and have bee natural ever since. I make my own hair products that have been helping my hair grow and look good. You were very instrumental in that. THANK YOU!

I look forward to your response.

God bless,
Michelle (aka God's Creations)

Hey Michelle!

Congrats on the chop! Thank you for the nice compliments! You'll have your own fly style once you stumble upon that holy grail of products and techniques in no time.

I do use distilled water, lavender, veggie glycerine. I normally use roughly 3 parts water, 2 parts glycerine, and enough drops of essential oil to where I can smell the scent but not be overwhelmed (maybe 5 drops) and then shake and spritz. As I was telling Poeticlyspkng, this is great in the summer for my hair when it starts to get dry and it helps moisturize it a bit. I tend to spray it to slightly dampen my hair but not over saturate it because a water/glycerine mix takes a while to dry if you put too much in. I find myself experimenting a lot with the measurements because our hair seems to want more or less of certain things at different parts of the year. I may put in a little less glycerine and even more water or a little more glycerine. I'd love to know how this works out for ya, let me know!

~Curlychronicles

Hi Autumn!

Thank you so much for your response to my question! I am always looking for great ways to maintain beautiful hair. Your hair looks so beautiful. I loooooove your avatar picture. Is that a flat twist out??

Michelle

GodsCreations wrote:

Curlychronicles wrote:

GodsCreations wrote:Hello Autumn!

I looooooove your youtube videos. Your hair styles are so beautiful and very original. Who wants to go around looking like everyone else, right!!!?? I want to look fly when I walk out the door! You provide good information and I have a question for you. You mention that you use a mixture of essential oils, glycerin, and water as a hair spritz. Do you use measurements for this mixture? If so, what do you recommend. I began transitioning sing Nov. 2008 and decided to just cut it all off one day and have bee natural ever since. I make my own hair products that have been helping my hair grow and look good. You were very instrumental in that. THANK YOU!

I look forward to your response.

God bless,
Michelle (aka God's Creations)

Hey Michelle!

Congrats on the chop! Thank you for the nice compliments! You'll have your own fly style once you stumble upon that holy grail of products and techniques in no time.

I do use distilled water, lavender, veggie glycerine. I normally use roughly 3 parts water, 2 parts glycerine, and enough drops of essential oil to where I can smell the scent but not be overwhelmed (maybe 5 drops) and then shake and spritz. As I was telling Poeticlyspkng, this is great in the summer for my hair when it starts to get dry and it helps moisturize it a bit. I tend to spray it to slightly dampen my hair but not over saturate it because a water/glycerine mix takes a while to dry if you put too much in. I find myself experimenting a lot with the measurements because our hair seems to want more or less of certain things at different parts of the year. I may put in a little less glycerine and even more water or a little more glycerine. I'd love to know how this works out for ya, let me know!

~Curlychronicles

Hi Autumn!

Thank you so much for your response to my question! I am always looking for great ways to maintain beautiful hair. Your hair looks so beautiful. I loooooove your avatar picture. Is that a flat twist out??

Michelle

Hey Michelle!

You're very welcome and you're absolutely right! This is a flat twist
out, it's done on blown out hair for the maximum bigness lol

I was looking for a recipe for a spitz mix with glycerin. Thanks so much!I am glad I stop in on your thread. Love your flat twistout as well.

Thank you so MUCH for your tip on quick drying natural hair! I do it all the time now. I put my wet hair in big fat twists, and let it air dry like that for an hour or so, and then I take them down and let my hair air dry more, then by the time I'm ready for bed, I put in my smaller twists, and my twistsis fresh, dry and ready for a twistout by morning! The great thing is I can get stuff done in between as opposed to sitting there for an hour and change putting wet drippy twists all over my head
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- savvy