Product Review on "Swim Spray"

With the summer season here and in full swing, we head out to the pools/beach to relieve ourselves from the sweltering heat.  And mainly to have fun!

But for many of us, we are concerned with the amount of chlorine in the pools that can have negative affects on our skin and hair.   Especially our children who will only come out of the pool if we demand them to. 

Chlorine can have negative effects to the hair, such as; brittle, dry, smelly and leave it discolored over time. There are swimmer's shampoos that claim to remove chlorine from the hair. 

Recently, we were sent a product called Swim Spray, that says it removes chlorine odor and irritation.

Swim Spray is an all natural product and claims to remove chlorine from the hair safely. The only two active ingredients are, Vitamin C and Water.  That is it!  And I am assuming that is why it would be a better alternative to a swimmer's shampoo that contain several ingredients.

Upon receiving the product, I opened the container and smelled it.  And to my surprise, it had NO SCENT AT ALL!!!  No lingering scent...nothing whatsoever.  I was really impressed right there. 

My daughter, MadiMel has been swimming for several years and now diving.  She is in the pool very often and with the amounts of chlorine usually in it, it can affect her.  Using a swimming cap helps, but the hair still gets wet.  She has natural, chemical-free, coarse hair.

My usual and normal routine for her is to: wet and saturate the hair with a light conditioner.  The method I use leaves for less absorption of the pool water by the hair.

So I decided to test Swim Spray without doing my usual method on a few occasions.  She went into the pool and swam for at least an hour each time we tested the product.  I usually go to the local aquatic center where the chlorine content is high and also at our community pool, which also have moderate to high amounts too.

There are only three steps to follow when using Swim Spray:

1. Rinse hair after swimming.
2. Use Swim Spray, generously on the hair.
3. Shampoo as normal, etc.


Courtesy: Swim Spray

____________________________________________________

I rinsed MadiMel's hair off after she left the pool which still left a lingering scent of chlorine.  I sprayed a generous amount of the Swim Spray on her hair which were in twists, section by section. Then shampooed/conditioned her hair.  Her hair did not have a chlorine sent at all, and I know at times, after shampooing, etc., sometimes there is still an smell.   A few times using the spray, I could not tell the difference because some days, the pool was not highly chlorinated.  But I can say that her hair was not left feeling unusually dry, even after shampooing.

I would recommend this product for anyone that goes swimming often and are avid swimmers.  I am also guessing that it works for all hair types and textures, so any one can use it.  The product is odorless, has only two natural ingredients, clear like water,and very simple to use.
There are several reviews you can check out on their site.

Visit their site: http://www.swimspray.com/
Read their FAQs: http://www.swimspray.com/pages/faqs

Thank you for reading and God Bless!

Sdestra, mom to MadiMel



Required Hair Styles for "Special Events"

What happens when an activity requires a child's hair to be a certain style, especially for a special event?  Many of us are faced with this challenge from time to time.  How do you deal with this dilemma?   Have you thought about how the style will be achieved?  Or how to deal with the hair after the event?   Will the way you choose to attain the hair style cause damage to the hair?

Before the yearly recital at my daughter's dance school, itineraries are handed out with instructions on how the child's hair should be worn.  Each year seems to be the same; the high bun.  The hair style is also required for the professional photo shoot that is done a month prior.

From the mothers, I see the frowns, hear the whispers of disagreement and the rolling of the eyes because of the daunting task to accomplish the requested hair style.  It is not because they do not want the particular style; some simply feel that their child's hair cannot be styled that way.  Some of the mothers have to deal with hair that they may find challenging to manage or style.  

Some mention getting their child's hair professionally straightened.  That is a choice that is practiced often.  If using heat on the child's hair is an option, be sure that the hair is well moisturized.  Flat ironing/pressing the hair on dry hair (unmoisturized hair) can cause the hair to become more dry, breakage and damage the hair strands. Some automatically set the hair tool to the highest temperature, thinking that it will do the trick and get the job done.  Doing a strand test starting with the minimum amount of heat is a good way to know how much heat is enough to straighten the hair.  This can alleviate the issues mentioned above.   Start with a moderate heat setting to see if the hair will straighten enough.  If you are satisfied with the results, you have the perfect heat setting. If you are not, take a couple of strands and move on to the next higher setting.  Heat damage can happen on any type of hair, on natural or chemically processed hair.  Once the hair is damaged, it is damaged.  Keep in mind, the less heat you use over all, the better.

My daughter (MadiMelzCurlz) has a very coarse hair texture when dry without products. Her hair is in the 4 texture range. Straightening her hair would have been an option for me to manage her hair and put it into a bun. But for the past three years since she has been dancing in her recitals, I have found "heatless" ways that helped me manage her hair and style it into a bun. That has been a preferred choice of mine. I wash her hair as normal, moisturize and then set it into several jumbo twists or loose french braids in each section to air dry. Once her hair is dried, I can undo the twists/braids and style her hair.  The results show that her shrunked hair has been stretched out to make it more manageable and takes less time to style.  I moisturize the hair ends and use a light gel around the edges to flatten the hair for a neater look.  Here's a video below on styling the hair into a simple bun:

* Creating a Basic Bun (Two Different Ways)

There are several ways to stretch out the hair without using heat.  Below are two links that shows the ways we shared on our Youtube channel.  BlessedMomOf3 shows a way to stretch the hair with the "Banding" method.  This method can also be worn as a style which is absolutely beautiful too:

* "Banding" Stretching Natural Hair Without Heat

Here is another way to stretch the hair without heat by doing jumbo twists or braids:

* Stretching Natural Hair Without Heat

This is the time where lot of recitals, competitions, weddings, gymnastics, sports etc. are happening now or coming soon.  Hopefully some of this information will benefit some of you! What are some of your ideas that has helped you in a required style for the hair without heat?  What advice would you give to other parents who come across this issue?

Thank you so much for reading and God bless! 

Written by Sdestra
Mom to Blessed Curly Gurl, MadiMelzCurlz

My BCG's are M.A.T.U.R.I.N.G !!!

It’s been a while since we’ve last posted a blog entry on our page.  Life has been crazy busy with my BCG’s so time has been limited.  These days, my BCG’s have their schedules full with Soccer, church activities, school and their “Social” calenders!! Joifulzcurlz (my soon to be 8yr old) has become such a social butterfly that her schedule has become challenging to keep up with.  She just went to her first sleep over after weeks of hubby & I debating whether or not to let her go.  She had an absolutely wonderful time and is now asking to have one of her own. 

She is really into fashionable clothing, shoes, jewelry and requesting hairstyles that she can style on her own.  Here lately, 2 strand twists/rope twists and braids have been at the top of her list!!  She likes wearing them because she can choose how she’d like to wear them on any given day. 

Her styles include: Pony Tails (one on each side, a single pony, a high/low pony or side pony), Half up/Half down styles, a twisted bun with a few twists hanging to the side or a few hanging in the front. 

These twists & braids have kept the hair arguments at bay and they give me extra time to focus on AngelzCurlz (4yr old) and her style requests.  Yes, she seems to be following in the steps of her big sis.  The good thing is that she mostly wants to wear twists or braids just like her big sister.  JoifulzCurlz is always excited about styling her baby sister’s hair so that’s a win for me once again :-).

I am finding that the older they get, the more opinionated they’ve become.  They like the fact that I actually listen to them (most days) when they want to make a styling suggestion.  I’m happy, if they’re happy.  I am coming to terms with the fact that Joifulzcurlz is maturing.  The days of wearing bows & barrettes, flower accessories and beads are far gone.  She likes to keep it simple, yet stylish… she even says “no” to wash n go’s and she gives me an “I don’t know” when I ask if she’d like to wear a twist out, lol. 

Who knows what this next year will bring for her?  I know that she will soon experience some physical changes and began to have questions about them as she feels ready to do so.  I think that it is important that I take the time to embrace those changes (emotionally, physically, intellectually & spiritually) and build on our mother/daughter relationship. I have started to take more interests in those things that are important to her (hair, fashion, friendships, sports) just to lay the foundation for those things that are yet to come. 

Are any of you going through this phase with your BCG’s?  If so, what has worked for you?  Have you found it hard to adjust to your BCG’s as they mature and go through their stages?  I guess I’d better get used to it and enjoy the ride… for now.  These days they just seem to grow up much too soon...

~TheBlessedMomOf3 (mom to AngelzCurlz & JoifulzCurlz)

Happy Holidays from the Blessed Curly Gurlz !

Winter Hair Care Tips

MadiMelzCurlz at 5 months old (2005)

As the seasons change, the way we dress, our activities and even our diet changes too. With these few adjustments we would want to also consider maintaining the health of the hair. Wanting the hair to stay healthy is one thing, but doing something about it is another. Consistency and patience are key to a successful hair journey. While we may have great products that cater to our hair needs, we also need to adjust to our environments to maintain our hair’s health.


Here are some tips that can benefit yours and your Blessed Curl Gurl’z hairs to maintain healthy hair:


1. Deep Condition/ Cowash more often – Many of our workplaces, schools, homes are heated with artificial heat and can therefore dry the hair along the cold brisk air outside. Our hair thrives when it is well moisturized. Shampooing less and Conditioning/cowashing more will keep the moisture the hair needs to withstand the changes to the environment. After shampooing, sometimes there is a stripping feeling to the hair where you will definitely need to follow up with a moisturizing conditioner.



2. Wash-N-Go’s – Many love the “Wash-‘N-Go’s" or wearing the hair slightly damp and it is simply simple. Let us remind ourselves that one can get extremely sick by wearing their hair wet while being outside in the cold. Another reason why you would not want to do a Wash ‘N Go would be the experience of the hair freezing and easily breaking.



3. Hair Breakage – During the winter we wear scarves, hats and sweaters that are made with fabrics such as wool. For example, wool tends to dry out the tresses and also pull on the hair causing slow breakage. The areas that tend to get affected the most are the edges and the nape of the neck. To avoid these types of problems, you can line the hat with a satin or silk fabric as a barrier to protect the hair. If you’re not crafty, you can simply tie a scarf around the head prior to putting on the hat. Putting the hair up while wearing a scarf will also aid in keeping the hair healthy. The more protected the hair, the less damage.


 4. Protective styling – The hair will not rub as much on the sweaters that will cause hair dryness. Tucking your hair ends away during the harsh weather season will keep your hair from damage while staying moisturized. Not to mention that they are beautiful, you can also have fun with different styles to enhance the beauty of your hair.



5. Oils – BlessedMomOf3 and I use oils on our Blessed Curly Gurlz’ hairs, scalps and skin. We massage certain oils on their scalps, mix it with their shampoos and/or conditioners and use it as a daily moisturizer to help seal in the moisture their hair needs to stay healthy. Not only do oils moisturize the hair and body, but different ones do have several beneficial factors. Research the oils to see what best fits your healthy hair and skin needs.



6. Hair Products– In some cases, you may have to use a product that will do a lot for the hair this winter season. Something that may have been a bit too much for the summer but great for the winter. Other cases, you may just have to use more of the products you already consume to balance the amount of needed moisture.



7. Using less heat to NO heat – Using heat will help the cold air cause more dryness to the hair. We barely use heat to no heat on our daughters’ hair and rely mostly on protective styles such as our favorites: Twists, cornrows and plaits/braids.



8. Moisture, moisture and moisture – Moisturizing the hair is not just limited to the summer, but also recommended for the winter too. As mentioned before, between the extreme temperatures of the indoors and outdoors, moisturizing enough will help the hair to stay protected.



9. Stick to what works for you – There are several ideas when it comes to hair care. But remember to always stick to what works for you! Your hair will be happy and stay healthy.


Have a wonderful and safe winter. We hope that these tips benefit your Blessed Curly Gurl(z) and you too!

Post by Sdestra,


Mom to MadiMelzCurlz

Hair Types, Textures and Curl Patterns

Blog Post By: The Blessed Mom Of 3 (mom to AngelzCurlz & JoifulzCurlz)

Many people ask the question "What is my hair type?" at some point during their hair journey. There are so many articles, charts, pictures and etc... about hair typing that can be quite confusing and a bit overwhelming. Here's what hair typing is in a nutshell...

The Hair Type Classification System was started by Andre Walker (worked on the Oprah Show). He is basically categorizing curly hair and placing it into different hair types. The hair type classifications range from 1-4, "a-c".  Hair Type is not the same as Hair Texture. However, your hair texture & curl pattern are used to determine your Hair Type.  Knowing your hair type can equip you with the knowledge about the products that work best for your hair as well as styles, hair care tips and recommendations for all curly hair types.

 

We used this system in determining our Blessed Curly Gurl'z Hair Types and put together this detailed video to break it down for you.

 

 

 

For more information in determining both you and your Blessed Curly Gulrz' hair type check out http://www.naturallycurly.com/hair-types

I hope this information is helpful. Feel free to leave any questions or comments.

~blessings to you

 

*TheBlessedMomOf3*

800+ YouTube Subscribers! We are also now on Facebook & Twitter!