Welcome to the first post of the new weekly series: Slores on Beauty. My lovely co-host, the fabulous Miss Cunning Linguist, and I will alternate bringing you advice on a range of beauty products from hair care to make-up to skincare. We are also seeking advice from you, as well as taking any questions.
This week, we’re talking about how to sport your “ethnic hair” in the summertime. Like many other sistas, the summer brings about a challenge for our hair. The idea of standing beneath a hot blow dryer for 30 minutes and then flat ironing your hair for another 30 minutes is not the most ideal way of how to spend an hour when it’s 100 degrees outside. Even if we did, rarely do we end up looking like this:
It’s especially heartbreaking when you have the prospect of the humidity blowing it up as soon as you walk out the door (depending on where you live). Like me, you may even want to go swimming and *gasp*, get your hair wet! If you workout with any regularity, you also face this conundrum as your hair does some heavy lifting in the perspiration department.
So, what do we do? Like I have seen many other women doing lately, I have been sporting my hair in a natural state. That is, I am doing away with the abusive relaxer and wearing it curly. OH NO! What will people think? I decided to do this mostly because I’m lazy concerned about the condition of my hair after getting highlights, and wanted to minimize the breakage that comes with heat styling. It’s still shoulder length, so finding the right product to tame the beast is crucial.
Because this wasn’t a terribly well thought out process, I turned to the products available to me at Target, which I picked up between snatching up my copy of 50 Shades of Grey (never) and 50 cans of cat food (maybe). The products I chose, for no particular reason, were the following: Pantene Moisture Renewal conditioner, John Frieda Frizz-Ease Hair Serum, Original Formula, John Frieda Frizz-Ease Curl Reviver Styling Mousse, and CHI Keratin Mist Leave In Strenghthening Treatment (I have alternatively tried CHI’s Twisted Fabric which ended in a matted, sticky disaster that I won’t revisit here).
I comb the conditioner through my hair with a nice wide-toothed comb first thing while in the shower and leave it on while handling other matters. When I’m done, I squeeze out the excess water but DO NOT DO ANYTHING ELSE. I use a healthy squirt of the mousse with two dollops of serum, blend it in my hand, then squish it into my hair. I finish it off with a few spritzes of the Keratin Mist.
The thing is, it looks AWESOME while it’s still wet. However, about halfway though the day after it dries, I feel like Chaka Khan, which would be fantastic I were actually Chaka Khan. But it’s ultimately not the look I am going for. I like a bit more control. Inevitably, I end up reaching for a hair tie without metal (NOT a scrunchi) like these cloth-covered Ouchless bands when I’ve had enough.
Your Slores on Beauty say: Not for this hurr. Go with a creamier, heavier product to control and nourish your curls but still allows them to move. We give these products two heavenly hammocks out of five.
If you have product and styling suggestions for similarly situated hair, please make them in the comments.
Please also email me at [email protected] or Cunning Linquist if you have ideas for future posts.