Review: Rollersetting with Eco Styler Gel

 I don't remember who or where I saw the idea of roller setting with Eco Styler gel, but I wanted to roller set my hair, and was hoping that Eco styler gel would be the answer to a smoother set... boy was I right!!!


After washing, I used Lasio Lasio Leave - in conditioner, and proceeded to roller set my hair, adding Eco-styler gel to each detangled and smoothed section, before placing my hair on the roller. I used my usual roller set placement, and sat under the dryer for at least an hour while doing my little mani. 


I was surprised by how straight and unbelievably soft my hair was, no crunch, just silky smooth and straight. I ran a little CHI Silk Infusion over my hair for a little shine, softness, and to lock in the moisture.



 Of course my roots were a little wavy, as with any roller set, but they might even have been the least wavy of any set I've done before. 


When I took the set out, I had no plans to go anywhere, so I just decided to pincurl and go to sleep. The next day I was supposed to be having an interview, but due to hurricane Sandy here in NYC, those plans were shut down. So to avoid cabin fever, I decided I would take some time and play in my hair. 


Taking down my pin curls resulted in an absolutely adorable  
 curly look. I decided to further experiment with a few quick up dos and my banana clip, and even came up with a super cute look that I didn't use a banana clip for, but would have needed Bobbi pins or hair combs instead.


I'd say my hair came out amazing, and I love the silky straight results! I don't think I will ever be roller setting without Eco Styler again, not to mention I didn't even have to use end wraps
 and my ends are straighter than usual.


I would say the only downside, and only to my own fault, that I might have used a little too much gel in some areas, as I did end up with a little residue but I was able to slide it off the strands with ease.



My hair is twisted up right now, in preparation for a twist out from this glorious set, which I imagine will come out even better because of the Eco Styler gel.

Hurricane Sandy definitely ruined my Halloween 2012, but at least she couldn't ruin my good hair life! lol


 Have any of you ladies done a roller set with Eco-Styler Gel? How'd that work out for you?! I love it!!

My heart is going out to NYC right now, all of those hit hard by Sandy, stay strong, this is NYC and we will fight through it!

How to Remove Your Twists for a Defined, Frizz Free Twist Out

I made a video for you all last week of how I twist out my hair. These twists were done on freshly washed damp hair, and left over night to dry.
 A lot of people always go goo goo over my twist outs and I'm not sure why, except for the fact that I know my curls are usually super defined... so much so that people think I have a straw or flexi rod set usually. I tried to make it short and sweet so I hope you all enjoy.. and stay tuned for another video of a couple of styles I did on my twist out!

Have you been loving your twist out results lately?

Quick and Easy After Pool/Beach Up-do

One thing I always remembered about the summer, was always needing to have some way to contain my hair during water activities. For the most part, as a child, I lived in box braids and single strand twists, so going in the water meant nothing but shrunken hair... which at that point meant nothing because my hair was always shrunken anyway. lol Since I was never the one in charge of my hair and my mother worked a lot, styles like braids and twists were essential to my mother, being able to easily rinse them and not have to worry about combing hair if she didn't have the time.
This time around while out in LA, I figured going in the pool with loose hair couldn't be that bad, now that I'm old enough to do my own  hair (lol) and my hair is now long enough to go into a ponytail... that would be my saving grace, and it was! I grabbed whatever conditioner I could find, and smoothed it onto my hair after I was finished with my pool shenanigans. On my way to tan, I put the back of my hair up into a little high bun and left what would be the bang area out. It shrunk up quite a bit... but if you don't mind the skrunken look and want to pull off a little more than a curly fro or ponytail after the pool or beach, this can be a cute and quick little updo look for you. Adding some conditoner is a great way to keep your hair from totally drying out from pool and/or ocean water and the sun, and get a little deep conditioning time in. You can even try a conditoner with SPF if you know you'll be out in the sun for a while, or adding a little oil to your conditioner if you have really dry hair.

 I hope this saves someone's beach/pool hair!

Perfect Second Day Hair + OOTD + Product Review

I know this is like an A-D-D post totally but f&%$ it! lol

I just had to post a pic from my hair today because I'm never able to achieve second day hair that looks the same or better and I finally did!!! Again, all I did was moisturize my hair, throw it in 3 loose, tucked under buns to sleep, and then took out and fluffed this morning. I put a few 2 strand twists in the bang area for definition, and same as yesterday, I just put my head band behind my bangs, and pushed it to the left. I figured while I was @ it I would just do a quick little OOTD + my accessories for you all while I looked semi-cute, lol.  Funny thing is I bought those earrings a while ago and hated how they looked on me, but now that my hair's bigger, I like 'em!

Wondering what has my edges held back so beautifully? One product I will quickly review:

Thanks Domin for recommending this because I < 3 it! (Click the link to watch her review 

She is definitely my number one hair inspiration, if she's not everybody's, lol)

I haven't really tried it for twist outs yet, but I will say it's amazing for slicking your hair back in ponytails. I wouldn't say it gives you as much hold and sleekness as a gel per say, but if you don't want that wet super sleek/slick look but still want to be able to control frizz and flyaways this is perfect. 

As you can see my edges and the hair going back into the puff looks well tamed. You know what?  It actually does exactly what it says on the jar: Fights frizz, Adds Shine, and Moisturizes. This cost me about $4 and a little bit goes a long way so you really get your bang for your buck. Plus the smell is divine... everyone loves a product that smells edible right? lol 

Done ranting now... goodnight! = )

New Ombre' Color + Curly Side Puff Updo

 Every year when the spring/summer comes around, I always get that itch for fun, vibrant, bright color! Last year I decided to go with some creative color I referred to as my party patch. This year I decided to lighten a piece of my hair in the front, in the same area where I had placed last years party patch (since it was previously lightened which would make the process a little easier). Being that my roots were virgin, I knew they would lift to blonde, and my end previously being dyed green, i knew would lift to a lighter green. (left)
Once my hair lifted to my desired level using B&W bleach and 40 volume developer, inspired by the oh so trendy Ombre' hair color effect, I decided to use Lie Locks and Shocking Blue from Manic Panic to create my own colored Ombre look. I used a little 10 volume developer on my own hair and then added the manic panic, starting with the Lie Locks and then fading into the Shocking Blue, without disturbing the already light green area. The photos below shows my hair with being highlighted with bleach in foils, then shows my hair immediately after the color was rinsed out.

 And here are some photos of what the color looks like a little damp... while contemplating doing a full head of 2 strand twists... (In the stretched hair photo, you can totally see all the bleach damage on the part of my hair that's green, since it's been bleached a few times :(

And here is my hair, fully dried,with the front twisted out, and everything pushed to the side with a headband. Those twists that didn't make it to a full hair style made a great set of twisted out bangs and my is hair so curly from the 4 braids I did the other night to sleep, after washing my hair...
which I wore yesterday in 2 buns which really helped to stretch out my curls while still keeping them in tact!

I am sooo in love with my hair today and hope I can try to re-visit this style next week when I actually have something to do! lol

How do you like the curly side puff with the heavy bangs? What about the color? Would you Rock it?

Twisted and Braided TWA Updo + Fun Makeup!

Yes, another video, and this one was actually filmed within 6 months of posting, lmfao.
I've been sick for the past couple of days with a cold, and not only have I been physically sick, but i've been sick of detangling, single strand knots and dryness, so with my scratchy throat and runny nose, I decided I couldn't take it anymore and got to styling... 

I had no specific style in mind, although I would say I was inspired by Curly Film Chick's many 2-strand twisted hairstyles which is what had me starting with the twisted bang area. The rest I totally freestyled, keeping in mind that I didnt want any hair hanging, and the back of my hair is soft and would slip out of twists. This updo was done on an old twist out that was picked out. I parted my hair into 5 sections, one for the bang area, and then 4 equal sections, with 4 flat twists in both front sections going inward towards the back/middle of my head. The back sections consist of 4 cornrows on either side, going inwards towards the middle/back of my head. Once all braiding and twisting was done, i twisted all of the braids and twists together, tucked where ever needed, and used booby pins to secure the style. I wasn't crazy about the bang area hanging but i love the way it looks with it pincurled in a pin-up sort of way.  One thing I did think of when doing this style was versatility and i like that I can take the bang area out and wear it as a twist-out or even put in regular 2 strand twists!

I only used 2 products while doing my hair: Shea Moisture Curl Enhacing Smoothie and Herbal Essences Split End Mender (which i quickly flashed in the video). I plan to keep this in for about a week and I'm hoping I actually stick to what I say this time! 

A shot of my makeup before I started doing my hair