Christmas Sunset
Christmas lights + trees + setting sun in December = Christmas Sunset
Our first ever :)
P.S. Star filters are amazing with Christmas lights!
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Monday, December 7, 2009
Friday, December 4, 2009
Blog Giveaway :)
Checkout my other blog for a Christmas giveaway! Its open until December 21, and you have 4 ways to increase your chances of winning!!
My Curly Routine :)
Wouldn’t it be fun to have curls like this?
I think I’ll have to follow this photographer’s
example and be on the lookout for curly models :)
For those who would like to know about curly hair techniques, I’d be happy to try and answer your questions! This post is in answer to my blog-friend Hannah’s question about how to care for curls :)
Here is my routine and why I do it. Feel free to use any of the ideas you see that would be helpful to you!
Daily: the curly stylist who cut my hair this week said I should wet my hair every day, apply gel, and clip the top layer of curls, and let air-dry.
To wet my hair, I stick my head upside-down under the shower (cold water!) until my hair is pretty wet. Then I scrunch it in a curl-friendly towel in an accordion-style scrunch (this still with my head upside-down), until my hair doesn’t drip a whole lot. I put gel and pomade in my hands and rub together then scrunch all over my head, and after doing the under-hair, I out my head up and do the top. Clips come next, and I push a bit of hair toward my part and clip. I try not to touch it while it dries so it can set well, and then I clip it up or let it stay down for the rest of the day.
Upside-down head: reason: the top layer of curls is more fragile and exposed to ‘the elements’ :D so letting the water hit the top layer can cause more frizz during the drying session, than wetting the hair upside-down.
Cold Water: reason: hot water makes the hair shaft split and results in frizzy hair, while cold water seals the shaft and makes it smooth. This is especially true with curly hair, because, no matter how thick it is, curly hair is unbelievably fine and delicate it needs cold water and the moisture in conditioner to bring in the bounce!
Curl-friendly towel: reason: terry cloth is rough on curly hair, so a jersey-knit fabric or towel is the answer. You can buy them online in cute colors and your curls will be SO happy!
Clips: reason: clips lift the top layer of hair just a bit so the under layers have more room to get springy.
Gel and pomade: reason: I am in the process of finding these 2 products for myself, right now I’m using what my sister and I have on hand. Clear gel is best, as colored gel can eventually make your hair look dull, and the pomade or even conditioner is just another way to put moisture in your curls and helps soften the gelled-hair look :) Try to get products with as much natural ingredients in them as possible, such as jojoba. I am using Trader Joe’s natural conditioner, only because we stocked up on TJ products and food while visiting Michigan….we don’t have a store in Texas….yet!!!
Weekly: I condition my hair 3 times a week, and I apply conditioner to my hair not my scalp. Rubbing in little circular motions over every bit of my scalp with my fingertips is all my scalp needs to loosed and rinse away dirt, oil, hair product, etc. Using just a bit of conditioner on my scalp doesn’t hurt anything, I just focus the conditioner on the rest of my hair :) Once a week or so I like to make a scrub of conditioner and brown sugar (1 T. sugar to 3 T. conditioner) and rub that all over my scalp…it feels and smells so good! After the shower, I do the above daily routine.
Conditioner vs. Shampoo: Shampoo strips the hair shafts of moisture and causes frizz. Conditioner adds extra moisture and makes curls bounce :) So, it’s not so much a question of using conditioner to get my hair clean as it is using it to keep my hair smooth and frizz-free. Rubbing your scalp as I mentioned is the real way to get your scalp clean :)
If you must use shampoo, use just a bit and that just on your scalp. Be sure to condition well after the shampoo!
When you go the curly-girl route, i.e. no shampoo or brushes, it will take a few weeks to a month or two for your hair to realize that you are giving plenty of moisture. It may get extra oily because its used to producing extra oil to combat all the suds that strip the hair shaft of moisture. Once you have been using shampoo very minimally and using lots of conditioner, your hair should respond by not producing as much oil. Hang in there! Your curls will be so ‘happy’ once you have a routine that works for you and helps your hair! :) Be ready for some fun curls!
I recommend the Curly Girl book by Lorraine Massey for better detail, lots of pictures, curly recipes, etc. She does an excellent job describing how to care for your curls :) The book does make reference to curly hair being ‘sexy’ and ‘finding your inner curl’, so if this offends you, skip the introduction, appendixes, and testimonials, especially before recommending the book to younger girls. Or…edit the book to your standards :) Also, check out the pages Young Ladies Christian Fellowship has about curls.
Was this information helpful? I hope I didn’t drown you in details :) :) Let me know if you have any more questions :)
your curly informant,
Allison <3
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