I go on to talk about two new products I’d tried and my thoughts on them. First I’d tried a hair mask made with hibiscus, henna and a little butter. There wasn’t any oil in it and as a result there wasn’t much slip. It was a new experience for me because I found it challenging to detangle. Initially, I was dissatisfied with the lack of absorption in my hair. The mask didn’t seem to be penetrating or hydrating my strands. I deep conditioned for an hour and once I washed it out, I was pleasantly surprised by how clean and strong my hair felt!

For two weeks after that, I'd tried the second product, Deva Curl Super Stretch Cream with butter in it. I could tell my hair did not like this product. Initially it felt dry, but the next day my hair began feeling soft and bouncy! It also smelled great. That’s when I realized that our hair absorbs product like our bodies absorb nutrients. That particular Deva Curl product would be the equivalent to a green juice. It’s not very filling, but still beneficial to our overall health. We tend to love hair products that have butters, and oil incorporated into them because they seem more satisfying. I consider those ingredients to be like our french fries and heavier food we love. Don’t get me wrong there’s nothing wrong with heavier ingredients but everything is about balance. It’s imperative to mix and match products, or create your own, that offer the overall nutritional value your hair needs. I’m not endorsing this Deva Curl product; it was something I chose to try.

One of the girls asked me how I achieve my afro style? I replied by telling her that I get my hair Deva Cut, in which the stylist goes in and cuts layers into the top of your hair. The layers are what help create the shape. I find that the longer my hair is, the flatter it lays. Cutting on curly hair is a skill on its own, so I highly suggest doing research on the Deva Cut stylist you’d be going to beforehand. All in all, I love my results and recommend the Deva Cut to anyone who’s natural. Your styling method also makes a huge difference in your hair results. Diffusing is great for creating more volume as well as using a pick to stretch your roots. You will lose some curl definition by stretching the hair but that’s one way to go about achieving a fuller look versus letting it air dry. Lastly, be realistic about your hair texture. Texture plays a big part in how our hair reacts to products, styling methods and volume. I recommend researching naturals with hair texture similar to yours to better understand their hair regimen and how they achieve results! Another quick recommendation, I can’t stress enough, is to switch up your hair parting. When we part our hair in the same spot it can create tension and tension can cause our hair to become fragile thus making it more susceptible to breakage. So, you can eliminate this potential issue by being mindful of that.

To stimulate hair growth, there are a few oils I love and often incorporate into my weekly wash day routine. I love cedarwood, lavender and or rosemary. I’ll mix up the combination of the three oils by incorporating them into my shampoo. After using them, not only does my hair smell great, it's shiny and promotes scalp stimulation which is essential to produce hair growth.