Hey Lanegra,
1) I got curlformers at a Duane Reade in the city. You know the one on/near East 86th? I think near Lex. Anywho, couldn’t figure out how to use them. Threw ‘em in the trash

Threw them in the trash? Guapa, don’t you know you could have gifted them to someone? I mean, I’m not gonna mention any names (wink, wink) LOL.

Never, ever throw out your hair gadgets, unless they are hopelessly broken. You know there is always someone willing to buy from you, or would really appreciate it if you passed it on to them when you’re done. All jokes aside, I broke down and ordered some (my Sally’s was out) and I knew that it would take way more than a handful to get my entire head done. I would have gladly bought yours

2) Question on behalf of one of my girlfriends. We were talking last night and she told me her hair had gotten heat damaged (again..just after she grew out the old, heat damaged hair!). She’s been rocking a short cut (bob) for about idunno a year now. Now, she’s giving up on short cuts as she’s found that she’s too addicted to heat styling…as opposed to when her hair is longer. She’s natural. Her hair texture has a defined curl pattern with fluff (lol, real descriptive, right? I’d say it’s a little looser than mine, but that’s equally unhelpful. Umm so, let’s say it’s that corbin blue texture give or take). Any suggestions for wearing a short cut and keeping relatively straight styles without too much heat? I told her I had to abandon short cuts for that same reason…so, I wasn’t much help. Oh, and she said Dominican blowout/rollersets really don’t seem to work for her. I don’t know if it was the salon she went to or if they really don’t get the job done.

If you can remember, I told you that my natural hair is similar to Corbin Blue, but I have more frizz and kink to mine. I told my stylist, at one point when I was still in NYC and going through my, “I’m sick of being a slave to relaxers!” phases, that I wanted to be natural AND short.

Um…let’s just say that she damn near scalped me and I don’t mean while she was in the act of cutting my hair.

She, not so nicely, pointed out that I have:
1. a lot of hair,
2. with super tight curls,
3. and kinks
4. and unless I wanted to look like a perpetual chia pet….

it just wasn’t a good idea for me to go really short.

If I looked good in an afro, I would not have cared, not one bit. However, I’m not one of those chicks, who can rock a fro…at least not a short one. Big, natural hair…not a problem, but shorter hair, just doesn’t look good on me.

Now, given the high temps and humidity we’ve been experiencing, there is nothing that I could do with heat, or without, even with my longer length, to prevent the inevitable frizzing, poofing and outta control hair. At my best, a headband (to keep my hair out of my face), a high bun (to keep me cool) and occasional braids (cuz I just was too hot to give a shizz what I looked like) were my only options.

So, you tell your friend that I said, when SHE comes up with a suggestion…let ME know, because I would entertain anything ideas. I just cannot see how she’s going to achieve, OR maintain the look she wants for very long with relatively little heat. My only suggestion, since she said that Dominican blowouts don’t work for her, would be to flat iron the life out of hair, but that’s what lead her to heat-damage to being with, right?

3) It was hot today and I wanted to chop my hair off too lol. Can we say buzz cut?
take care, my dear…hope all is well

Ohhh, I totally hear you on the buzz cut LOL!!!

All is well here, wishing the same for you

Mil besos,

LaNegra

I LOVE my mother!

She always says, “Por qué, mija, no vuelves a Nueva York? No tendrás que hacer el pelo!”

Yeah, yeah…going back to NYC would be great. I could go to my stylist without an appointment; I could find all of my favorite products without effort; I did not have to spend the entire day working on my own head of hair. But, right now…moving back to the Big Apple isn’t in the cards.

Now, despite the efforts my mother puts into trying to coax me to come back home, she always hooks me up. She knew that I had been looking for a Creme of Nature Detangling Shampoo replacement and thought that I should try the companion to my current favorite conditioner. Um…why didn’t I think of this?!

So, the other day I get this little care package from Mami. No note, nothing, just a bottle of shampoo. Ya gotta love moms. On one hand they’re fussing because, we’re away and too far from home. On the other hand, they’re always looking out for us.

Ok, ok…enough blabbering. My mother sent a bottle of Halka Baba de Caracol Regenerative Shampoo. I hadn’t planned on shampooing that day, but you can believe that I cracked that bottle open with the speed of light.

Upon opening the bottle, I notice that it’s rich and thick, just like Creme of Nature. We’re off to a great start. I had tried various shampoos, including kiddie shampoos, which were too thin and watery.

First lather…pretty good.

Second lather…still pretty good and I can pass a comb through my hair.

Impressions? I like it! I like it! But, don’t get too excited yet. I decided a while back that any new product would have to pass the thrice-as-nice test. That means if I like it just as much after the 3rd time, it’s a keeper.

Stay tuned…and if you all have tried it and like it, let us know

Mil besos,

LaNegra

I was wondering how often is ok to wash your hair? I got stuck in one of the black girl myths that you should wash your hair every two weeks to a month and now am finding out that that is not true.

Also, I just recently moved back to NC from metro atlanta and it really sucks now because I do have to do my own hair. The closest one to me in Greenville is almost an hour away! Before I lost my job, I got my hair done religously at Domincan Hair Salon by Masiel’s ( One in Lawrenceville and in Snellville. BTW, Fifa is the best!) so now I am stuck doing my own hair, which I am terrible at.

So I guess,my questions are…how often should I wash my hair( I have a course and dry texture) and what things can I do to make my hair healthy again. Ever since I stopped going to the salon my hair length has decreased quite a bit and its terribly frustrating. I just bought a tea tree oil yesterday also. Would you recommend that?

So sorry for the long post! Thank you so much in advance! Your sight is incredibly helpful! Dios te bendiga!

Hola Sylvia – I’m so sorry that it has taken so long to reply. It seems that some posts have been sitting in a spam box.

Anyway, I shampoo my hair based on my activities. For instance, if I shampoo, do rolos and a blowout I try to make it last. For me, the longest length is two weeks.

On the other hand, if it’s a period where I’m at the gym on a daily basis, sweating like crazy, then I  shampoo every other day. However, I deep condition and rinse daily to remove the sodium (from sweating) and to put some moisture back in my hair.

If you’re daily life include going to the gym often, or any other activity that causes you to sweat a lot, then you will have to shampoo often. If you’re life is rather sedentary, then you can skip frequent shampooing, but still must use discretion.

Limp, lifeless hair typically means you need to shampoo, but kinky curly hair can often be deceptive, as it doesn’t go “limp and lifeless.” Let your scalp do the talking for you. An oily, greasy scalp means that your pores are clogged and it’s time to shampoo.

Dry hair? This is not uncommon for us kinky/curly/coarse girls. Invest in some good quality conditioners (Humecto, Baba de Caracol, or any other moisturizing conditioner of your choice).  Even if you cannot do a roller set, deep condition at least every other week (more frequently if necessary).  Tea tree oil is an excellent oil, not only for stimulating hair growth. I find that it’s a wonderful antiseptic and I always keep it in my stash.

Also, have you had a decent trim lately? That may help you maintain some length too. Often, when we skip getting trims we’ll see our length disappear; split ends are notorious for turning a healthy head of hair into a frizzy, uncontrollable mess and they definitely chew away at the ends of our hair.

Whew…sorry…I know you probably wanted the Reader’s Digest version, lol.

Anyway, feel free to contact me if you need more help

Besos!

LaNegra

When it comes to my hair my first concern is not how straight I get it, but how healthy I keep it.

With that said, I had a couple of heat related debates with well meaning people. There is is always a misconception that getting your hair styled requires heat. Granted, heat is the method of choice used to straighten hair (usually), but I opt for healthy methods.

For instance, when I do my rolos I don’t use hot air. I typically put the dryer on lukewarm, even the cool setting at times. Knowing that I’m going to use high heat from my blower is a great reason for me to turn down any other source of heat.

I also recognize that using heat too frequently will lead to dried out tresses and pulling my hair too much with the brush during a blowout may cause breakage, so I try to limit that as well.

While I keep an open mind and respect the opinions of everyone, it’s my duty to remind people that roller sets do NOT mean that you have to scorch your hair while you dry. You all know my motto. It’s better to have a head full of nappy hair, then a handful of fried hair. Me entendéis?!

Speaking of keeping an open mind…a friend of mine from NYC has been bragging about her “magnetic rollers” replacement. Yeah, this is way off topic, but I know you mujeres keep up with the hair trends and make some awesome recommendations. Anyhoo, my friend has been going on, and on, and ON about Curlformers.

When she first mentioned these things, I thought it was an appliance that she would use once, maybe twice and then be done with. However, she’s been consistently using them, stating that they require no heat, dry quicker and leave the hair with perfectly symmetrical curls.

So, if any of you ladies have used them…speak up! I looked them up and although I’m curious, I need to know before I splurge, whether or not they snag the hair when you pull the hair through the mesh. The rod also scares me a little…looks like it would rip some hair out if done incorrectly.

Ok…climbing off, sliding under my bed, my overly used soapbox

My question is what would you personally do or recommend doing while on a beach summer vaca. In the past i would just not get my hair wet to not be bothered but im tired of being a slave to my hair and really want to enjoy myself in the pool and beach…i will be away for a week getting in and out of the pool throughout the duration. Of course i will not have my pibbs with me and probally not taking my turbo as well…so what would you recommend? Also, just fyi..I am in the new stages of wanting to (trying to) grow out my relaxer so I do have about 2 inches of new growth along with length of relaxed.

Thank you for all you do for us!
Kensmom

Hola Kensmom! Hace mucho tiempo. It’s good to hear from you

This is an excellent question. In fact, was just engaged in a conversation about “hair woes” when vacationing.

There was a time when I would be completely stressed out about how my hair. I would think to myself, “What am I going to do with my hair if it’s really humid? My hair is going to frizz and I’ll look horrible!”

One year I had been looking forward to going away with a few friends. They were SO angry with me, because I wouldn’t go swimming or water parks all because I had my hair blown out and didn’t want to mess it up. They were completely frustrated with me and now I understand why. What’s the point of going, if I’m not going to enjoy myself and why ruin it for everyone else, right? Right.

In recent years, I learned that if I’m going to swim, just take precautions. Before I enter a pool I shower, completely wet my hair, as if I were going to shampoo. I load up my hair with a really thick deep conditioner, such as Baba de Caracol or some other moisturizing conditioner.  I pin my hair up and then put my swim cap on.

Women often think that a swim cap keeps the hair from getting wet. Not true. However, if you wet your hair and apply ample conditioner, it will prevent your hair from absorbing so much chlorine. When you’re done swimming you can shampoo with a clarifying shampoo and deep condition again. If your pressed for time, just rinse out the conditioner you put in prior to swimming and style as usual.

As for styling, bring your favorite serum, some spray sheen and wear your hair curly or wavy. If your hair is not naturally curly, no problem…just twist your hair, or braid it at night, applying a little serum, then finish up with your spray sheen. In the morning let your hair down and your hair should be full of waves or curls and be full of body.

Another option is to put finger curls (pin curls) in your hair and style in the morning. To cover up frizzing hairlines, use a pretty scarf to tie around your head, like a decorative headband.

Ultimately, you do not want to spend your vacation stressed over your hair. You want to have fun and believe me…worrying about your tresses will not make for a fun time.

Hope this helps  and enjoy your vacation!

LaNegra

Im dominican and s you may know ofcourse i have super curly hair..i  just cut it for the first time in a long time and also i don’t do blowouts on my hair. Im seeking you advice i live in san antonio tx and i found a dominican beauty salon. Will getting rollos and blowouts every two weeks help me or hurt my super curly thin dry hair. I’ve always thougt that the best way to treat curly hair is with leave in conditioners and leaving it alone…i need your help chica!!

Hey amiga, I cannot see why doing rolos every other week would be harmful, as long as you condition well and moisturize. I find that for my coarse, curls doing rolos and blowing out the roots has been beneficial, even when I do not have a relaxer. This allows the oils in my hair to work down the hair shaft, rather than stopping at the scalp. I actually find that my hair maintains more moisture when it’s blown out. I have noticed that my hair is dryer when I wear it natural, curly.

If you do rolos and skip sitting under the dryer, allowing your hair to airdry, or setting the dryer on a medium temp will minimize heat damage. If you decide to blow out your roots, do not pull too much. Let the blower do the work, not the brush.

Now, before you start a rolo regimen, get yourself a few decent conditioners or at least use oils to deep condition and moisturize religiously. If you must…buy an inexpensive conditioner, add some olive oil to it and let it send on your head for at least half an hour, before rinsing out. This can be done before or after shampooing.

I also recommend Humecto, Baba de Caracol, or any other deep moisturizing conditioner. My favorite leave in is CHI Silk Infusion, so I highly recommend investing in a bottle of this. It’s a little costly, but does the hair well wet, or dry.

Keep me posted

BTW, can you share the salon in TX? I’m sure a few folks would be happy to get that info.

Hi ladies!

Hope you all are holding up well during the blistering heat wave.  I’m doing well, but I cannot lie…I feel like I’m wearing a wool hat on my head. It’s HOOOOOOT!

I’m trying to decide whether or not to cut a few inches off…I said a few inches, don’t throw anything at me

I did get a trim the other day, had my layers and ends cleaned up, but now considering taking my hair up to my shoulders.

I found a new dominican salon in Greensboro, NC.  It’s in the back of a nail salon called The Nail Place.  Hello, *Dominican salon sighting*

It’s located at 3711 High Point Road, for those in the know, it’s the TJ Maxx shopping center.  The phone# is (919) 638-8207 and the sign out front is advertising doobie’s for $15.00.  I haven’t been, so no co-sign from me; but there was quite a line out front.  That’s usually a good sign.

Kandi-Style

Good looking out Kandi!

If you get your hair done there, let us know. $15.00 for a dubi?! I cannot even get it that cheap in NYC anymore. LOL

Can you also find out the name of the salon, so I can add it to the maps? Gracias!

Venus Salon and Spa
3463 deltona blvd.
springhill fl. 34606
352-684-5488

They specialize in ethnic hair. They also do hair extensions , nails and body wax. the
telephone # is . Dominican hairdressers from Bronx, New York.

I straight my hair alot and this whole summer i am going to try not to (i have to think of some hair styles to do 2 what do you do?) and Do you know any products i can use to help repair my hair?

Hola Jackie, I think it’s great that you are laying off the heat during the summer. For many of us, the summer is difficult, as we sweat heavily, causing our freshly blown out hair to frizz. In addition, the heat of the sun, compounded by the heat of styling tools, doesn’t make for healthy hair. It’s a good idea to give your a break

As for repairing the hair…well, once it’s damaged, it’s a wrap. Before you panic, let me explain. Our hair endures the elements, handling and even chemicals, but if it should become damaged, and depending on the type of damage, there’s nothing you can do to repair the damaged portion.

For instance, if you have split ends, they will continue to be split, no matter what you use to seal or seal them together. Yes, there are products that will give you temporary relief from the fly-aways, but ultimately, a good trim, possibly a cut, will be the ONLY thing you can do to permanently “repair” your ends.

The same holds true for chemically damaged hair, or heat damaged hair. You can use products to maintain your hair until you grow it out, but damaged hair is forever damaged.

Ok…enough gibberish…if you are experiencing damage, I highly recommend Aphoghee 2 Step Protein Treatment. Just like the name says, it’s a two step product, which requires that you buy both products, but it’s well, well worth it. If used properly, in conjunction with proper handling, you should be able to maintain your hair while pampering your new growth. However, I don’t recommend using this more than once every other month.

I also recommend a good moisturizing conditioner, such as Humecto and Baba de Caracol. These are my two favorites. Of course, you’ll need a good leave in. Hands down it’s CHI Silk Infusion. CHI is my liquid crack. I cannot live without it!

So mamita, here’s to healthy hair!

LaNegra