Hola Chicas!

Last week I shared a few tips for all of you in the fine (and thin) hair struggle.  #IshIsReal

So let’s keep the party going. I’ve got 3 more magical tips to achieve fuller/denser/heavier looking natural hair, NOW. 

Read On!>>>

Scalp Massage– Where there’s stimulation and blood flow, there’s healthy growth.  But before you so easily dismiss this tip (mostly because it doesn’t give instant results but also because it’s played and everyone knows they should be doing it, they just don’t, because it’s annoying, disturbs your curls and your fingers stay cramped), know that I do it the right way.

I employ this joint right here–

…found it randomly at Marshall’s, but they appear to carry it on Amazon (I can’t vouch for the vendor, tho).  Only one of the smooth, ball-like heads had a piece of stray plastic, so I filed it down and now it’s perfect.  I use it to massage my scalp while I’m reading (which is most of the time), but because of the shape, it works to fluff my hair at the roots (and disappear parts from the twists!) even better than my metal Black Power fist-in-the-air pick and definitely more effectively than my 10 digits! So I’m stimulating my situation and achieving bigger hair #AtTheSameDamnTime.  If I’m feeling like a bawse, I’ll add a little coconut oil to the tips and go to town.

Stretch It- Sometimes, if I have something incredibly important to do, I’ll hit the roots with my blow dryer and air concentrator attachment.  It takes around 2 minutes or less and I do it by simply grabbing large sections of hair and angling the blow dryer down the hair shaft (up by the roots).  This relaxes the curl just a little and frizzes thing up just right.  Massive volume.  However, if you have the time, a quick (30 minute) pineapple (gathering all of your hair loosely at the top of your head in a scrunchie) works even better!  I get great stretch at the root and because the hair was all ‘going up’, when it falls, it has a lot of bounce and life.  Remember, on days when you use the blow dryer, reach for the heat protectant (a serum or oil based one to avoid reversion).  I highly recommend the quick pineapple, tho.  Thank me later 🙂 

Stingy with product- For bigger results, use less product. Duh.  If you’re all in, try lighter, less rich products (like Giovanni Direct Leave-In instead of SheaMoisture’s Hair Milk or Smoothie).  I generally stick with richer products, I just don’t use a lot– enough to protect and moisturize but not enough to weigh things down or create too much definition.  I can do this because I take care of the nourishing and protecting in the early stages of my routine– pre-poo with heat, conditioning and detangling in the shower and sealing the ends of my twists before I roll up.  All of these things help me to retain moisture between wash days, even though I didn’t slather on the leave-in styling cream.  I can go 3 days without re-applying anything and if my ends get a little dry or the length looks dull, I’ll add a very light oil. But be careful, some oils (like avocado, which I love) act as a humectant, attracting atmospheric moisture, and can frizz the shit out of your twist-n-curls.  I opt for a less organic dry oil/serum (like Dove’s Dry Oil or Carol’s Daughter Mongongo Oil) because it adds shine, locks moisture in (and out), and it’s light and doesn’t break up my curls.    

1. Henna Glossed (with aussie moist and Henna Sooq’s Red Raj) for 2 hours with heat — I henna gloss to color, smooth and thicken my situation.
2. Rinsed thoroughly and applied all the Aussie Moist Conditioner. ALL. THE. CONDITIONER. Lots. Hella.  A gang of it.
3. Detangled with my fingers under the shower head
4. Rinsed clean and added a generous amount of SheaMoisture Hair Milk to soaking wet hair (quarter sized amount to each side)
5. Created 35 two-strand twists and sealed the ends with Carol Daughter’s Mongongo Oil
6.  Rolled the ends (up to my ears, instead of my chin) on flexi rods (2-3 twists per roller)– the higher I roll the twists the more volume I achieve! Remember, shorter looking long hair = bigger, fuller looking hair!
7. Pinned the roots down with bobby pins and tied a scarf on the crown to keep the roots from poofing.   
8. Air dried over night
9. Took down and fluffed