Curly in Colorado

Straight Natural Hair Talk: Thoughts on the Texture Manageability System (TMS) by Beautiful Textures

Posted on by Michelle

curlyincolorado.com straight natural hair reversion tms beautiful textures

My straight natural hair

After spending several months wearing heat free styles, I decided to wear my hair straight for a few weeks. A couple of months ago, straightening my hair seemed silly because I would only get to wear the style for a short period of time. My psoriasis was in high gear so my scalp needed attention every couple of days. This meant cleansing my hair and scalp multiple times each week. At the time, it seemed necessary because my scalp was sometimes unbearable and had to be dealt with. Once my psoriasis calmed down, I decided that I would finally straighten my hair.

Wearing my hair straight during the summer heat may also sound silly but I can get away with it here. In Colorado we have a very dry climate so there is little to no humidity on most days. Still, reversion is always possible with straight natural hair. I have been hearing about the Beautiful Textures Texture Manageability System or TMS. This product claims that you can use it on natural hair to help with straight styles over a 4-6 week period. After a few weeks and multiple washes, the hair will supposedly return to its natural state. Well, after reading this article by The Natural Haven blog I’m not so sure.

Half up half down style
on my straight natural hair

The article gives a breakdown of what happens to the hair structure when using the product. It appears as though the hair bonds are effected but not permanently broken. So yes, the hair does return to a textured state after using the product. However, the product also seems to slightly change the protein bonds. This makes me wonder what would happen after using it multiple times.

Back to curly after wearing it straight

It would be nice to have straight natural hair that lasts longer but I think I’ll stick to my current routine. I use several heat protectants including grapeseed oil, IC Fantasia’s Heat Protectant serum and Tresemme’s Heat Tamer Spray. The serum helps to combat reversion while the spray and grapeseed oil protect my hair from heat damage. While it’s straight I use things like Herbal Essences Split End Protector to moisturize and grapeseed oil to seal. I also do either pin curls or wrap my hair at night to preserve the style. When I’m ready to go back to curly, I use Aphogee’s 2 Minute Reconstructor to give my hair a light protein treatment. My curls seem to always bounce back just fine with this routine so why change now?

What are your thoughts on the TMS system by Beautiful Textures? Please share below in the comments section.

Denver Natural Hair Care Expo 2014 Recap

Posted on by Michelle

curlyincolorado.com Denver Natural hair care expo

Michaela Sanders and I
getting caught up

If you follow me on Instagram then you already know about the fun I had last weekend at the First Annual Denver Natural Hair Care Expo. The event was one of many on the Evolution Tour which was founded by Malaika-Tamu Cooper, who was a special guest speaker. Colorado Urban Naturals was the local group organizing the event with Phaedra High as the head coordinator. The event was in the planning stages for 9 months and was received positively by many. There were classes offered throughout the day on health, wellness, haircare and coaching for entrepreneurs in the hair field.

My mother, who is also natural, attended the event along with me. We both enjoyed a Qi-Gong demonstration by Ronnie Ql and Pos from The Apprentice of Peace Wellness Studio in Denver. I also caught up with an old friend, Michaela Sanders, who was an instructor for one of the classes.

Natural men and women in attendance
at this year’s Denver Natural Hair Care Expo

Vendors selling jewelry, books and food

Natural hair blogger, Sabrina Perkins (left)
with Sister, Author Dormaine G.

There were many vendors present including, Melissa Vas from More Than Curly salon, Ron Springer from Akente Express and Dormaine G, an independently published author. Also, I was glad to have the chance to reconnect with fellow natural hair blogger, Sabrina Perkins who writes for her blog, Seriously Natural.

Pictured left; Melissa Vas discussing curly hair with an attendee, top right; Earrings from Akente Express, bottom right; Ron Springer, Owner of Akente Express.

Chatting with Facebook follower (and
future blogger 😉 ) Keisha

Originally, I was invited to participate as a presenter on one of the discussion panels along with other bloggers and stylists. Unfortunately, the heavy rain brought all of the outdoor activities inside which eventually led to a cancellation of our panel. Still, the event kept on, regardless of the weather and concluded with an upbeat hair show that celebrated the beauty of natural hair.

Myself with Pos (left) and
Ronnie Ql of
The Apprentice of Peace
Wellness Studio

I worked for several years as an event coordinator and realize that an event of this size is a huge undertaking. There are always hiccups here and there in the first year and I know that this took a lot of man hours and planning. However, it would be nice to see more publicity next time because it sounds like there were a lot of naturals out there who didn’t find out about it in time. It also looks like a larger venue may be necessary so that all of the vendors, classes, presentations and shows can be held under one roof. This would help streamline the event schedule and shelter everyone from bad weather conditions. Overall, the event was given a huge thumbs up by the naturals who came out.

Hopefully, there will be even more support for next year’s event. It will take all of us to help make it bigger and better! My thanks goes out to Phaedra High who had a vision for a Natural Hair event in Denver and saw it through. Congrats!

I had a lot of fun meeting new people and reconnecting with old friends at the Denver Natural Hair Care Expo. For updates on future events follow my blog and check out Colorado Urban Naturals on Facebook.

Denver Natural Hair Care Expo this Weekend

Posted on by Michelle

I’ll be a panelist at the
Denver Natural Hair Care Expo

My online blogging and vlogging life has always been more about my own personal hair journey than anything else. I’ve watched how other cities’ natural hair populations have grown leading to large events for naturals. I kept wishing the same for Denver and even discussed the matter with a fellow blogger, Sabrina Perkins, of Seriously Natural. A couple of years ago, we hosted a small meet-up in downtown Denver for naturals and transitioners. It was tons of fun to see local ladies getting together and discussing natural hair.

Since then I have noticed that other meet-up groups have popped up in the metro area and meet on a more regular basis. Now, Denver is getting it’s own Natural Hair Care Expo which will be held this Sunday, June 8th, at the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Theatre. The event is part of the Evolution Tour which is, “an 18 stop tour that crosses the country, educating people on natural hair care, holistic health and beauty.”

I’m so excited to announce that I’ll be on the discussion panel. Hopefully I’ll get to meet some of my readers there but mostly I’m glad to be a part of it all. Check out the promo photo below for more info. Hope to see you there!

CLICK HERE FOR WEBSITE AND

TICKET INFORMATION FOR

THE DENVER NATURAL HAIR CARE EXPO

In Review: Satin Lined Military Cap from Natural Born Hats LLC

Posted on by Michelle

Recently I was contacted by a company called Natural Born Hats LLC. When I saw that they

curlyincolorado.com satin lined hat review

Finally a satin lined cap that’s stylish
and fits over my natural hair

offered satin lined hats at affordable prices, I jumped at the chance to do a review. Why is a satin lining so important you ask? Well, for starters, it can help minimize frizz and matting that can occur when wearing a hat without the added lining. The smooth satin is what comes in contact with your hair which means less friction which in turn minimizes breakage. That’s music to my ears because I’m always concerned about how my hair will fare when wearing a typical hat. With this I have no worries.

About Natural Born Hats LLC

If you head over to the website, you’ll find the story detailing the relationship between the two friends who started the company. They were both on a hair journey and using satin bonnets and scarves, as we all do, to protect their hair at night. They, like me, wanted another option that was stylish for wearing out but still had the protective satin inside.

Satin lining inside

Military Cap Style

What I like about their hats is the sound construction and the variety of styles that are available. I was sent a Military inspired cap but they also carry sun hats, fedoras and lots of fun knit beanies. The Military caps are produced using a cotton blend. This is a plus because I’m planning to wear mine when I go on my walks this summer. The other hats are constructed using materials such as straw plaiting, flax and polyester. Each comes with a polyester satin lining. The knit beanies are polyester throughout which makes them machine washable but no dryer. I like that because I’m planning on getting one for my very active 12 year old son.

I know my new hat will get a lot of use this summer. I’m favoring braid outs lately which means my braids are sometimes not completely dry in the morning. Now I can just throw on my satin lined cap and head out the door knowing my braids are still protected. I’ve tried this before with other hats but was having trouble getting all of the braids to fit. It even has room enough when my natural hair is in full swang.

A hat that fits over my braids YAY!

If you’re interested in a comfy satin lined hat for yourself, be sure to head over to Natural Born Hats LLC and use Coupon Code: CURLYCO25 for an extra 25% off

NOTE: The code will be active for the next 2 weeks and must be entered using all caps.

May Onyx Box Review

Posted on by Michelle

Goodies from this month’s Onyx Box

I was recently sent a box full of goodies from www.WeAreOnyx.com. This site offers a subscription service geared towards fashion forward women of color who are looking to try new hair and beauty products. In each month’s box, subscribers can expect to find full size items from well known beauty brands. This month was geared towards nail art and skincare which was right on time for me.

The Colorado winter has been a beast and has left my hands wrecked and in need of some love. So I was delighted to see that the Onyx Box for May had some new things for me to try when I do my next manicure.

I already tried out the Shea Moisture Shea Butter hand creme which felt divine on the skin. I was upset though that the scent was a little overpowering for my taste. That is somewhat of a turnoff when I buy products because it can lead to headaches for me. The scent is similar to the Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie so if you’re fine with that, then it shouldn’t be a problem. If it wasn’t for this I would probably use it often because my hands sure do need it.

Other than that, I’m looking forward to using the nail polishes and skin wash that came in the package. Check out the pics below for a sneak peek at what was inside this month’s box!

I love the pretty packaging and full product sizes

CLICK HERE TO WATCH MY VIDEO UNBOXING OF THE MAY ONYX BOX

Products featured in this month’s Onyx Box

If you’re interested in subscribing for a monthly Onyx Box then head over to www.WeAreOnyx.com to get started. The monthly subscription fee is $25 USD but is well worth it considering each box includes items that, when combined, can retail for much more than that. You can look forward to receiving items such as hair, skin and nail products by well known brands. It’s definitely worth a look see!