Tag Archives: naturalhair

My Trip to the DC Black Hair Experience

Almost one year ago I went to The Black Hair Experience here in Atlanta. Once I heard that DMV opened one it was on my list to visit. Here are the details on my trip.

The DC Black Hair Experience was a fun way to spend my Saturday. The Black Hair Experience is a selfie museum dedicated to black hair and culture. I recommend if this is the major event for the weekend that you stay in the national harbor area. This area is very cute. It’s a waterfront area with plenty of food options and great views. We stayed at the AC Hotel by Marriot which was a very clean and safe hotel. It is across the street from a Starbucks (yay) and in walking distance to The Black Hair Experience (TBHE). I recommend pre-purchasing your tickets. They do time slots to help with social distancing. When you first get into the experience you get a wrist band to keep, scan your tickets and sign a waiver. Everything in DC requires a waiver (lol). The hair roller pit is the first stop. It’s similar to the childhood ball pit. You must have on socks to enter that area. They have an HBCU wall which was a great touch. I took a picture with my alma mater. Next to the HBCU wall is the hair oil lab. You can take pictures that give haircare chemist vibes. They have a photo area with the letters TBHE. This area is great for a boomerang or photo. The main floor has the selfie backdrops. They range from an aisle in a beauty supply, beauty supply store front, a hair salon, a kitchen with hot combs and more. My favorite area was a tunnel of mirrors that read “I am the magic.” I would allot 2 hours to get good photos and be able to get your money’s worth. They have a gift shop that features all black woman entrepreneurs. 

The food in the area around the experience is delicious. There’s a Crab Cake Cafe we went to for lunch. The cheesecake at Furlough Cheesecake was so good. It’s black woman owned. If you haven’t heard their story it’s inspiring. We took a Lyft to Ivy City Smokehouse which is a DC staple and in walking distance from that is Throw Social. The vibe in there is perfect. Games, drinks, good music and plenty of photo op areas.

Follow TBHE on instagram at @TheBlackHairExperience.

For more of my adventures follow me at @curlfriendsforever.

My Review of the African Pride CURLBOX

The African Pride CURLBOX was a great box. It included 6 full size products for $25 shipping included. Overall I would give this product line a 3/5. The prices of the products range from $3-$5 at local pharmacy type stores. I’ve attached amazon links just so you can see the products but I recommend buying from a store for a better price or buying the CURLBOX for a better deal.

The box included African Pride pre-shampoo. I usually use coconut oil as my pre-poo so I was excited to see a pre-made pre-poo. I tried to think about what the pre-poo felt like before I looked at the ingredients. The texture of the pre-poo felt like aloe. One of the ingredients main ingredients is aloe and coconut water. Pre-shampoos help decrease breakage by helping to get the tangles out and helps keep the hair from being stripped of its natural oils.

The honey and coconut oil African pride shampoo cleanses without stripping the hair. The smell is great and the product has great slip. The coconut oil conditions, hydrates and repairs while the honey helps retain moisture and adds shine.

The honey, chocolate, and coconut oil African Pride Moisture Miracle conditioner has a great smell as well. I like the addition of the chocolate. It’s intent is to stimulate hair growth.

The Aloe and Coconut water Curl Defining gel gave me good definition but it also left my hair feeling a little hard. I used too much of the product. A little of the product goes a long way.

The box also came with maximum hold edge styling wax. There was flaking but it was minimal.

I always like to ask myself which product I would buy again to judge what I really liked. If I ran out of any of these I would buy the pre-poo. It is exactly how I would make a pre-poo if it was my product line.

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Day 2 hair using products mentioned above

Save your roses! Rose water is a great detangler.

One of my sorority sisters posted herself making rose water last year and I knew it was something I wanted to try. I had never heard of it or its benefits. After using it I will never throw roses in the trash without making rose water.

Rose water smells so sweet. It can be used a body fragrance. Other uses are as a facial toner, setting spray, makeup remover, eye treatment, linen freshener and many uses for hair. Since this is a hair blog we will set our focus here. For your hair It can be used as a detangler and as a rinse. It has anti-dandruff effects, adds shine and reduces frizz. It helps maintain the ph level of hair, triggers growth, rejuvenates hair follicles and treats smelly hair and scalp.

I used the rose water as a rinse and my hair felt very soft and detangling was so easy. I also used the rose water in my bath water. It has a soothing effect anti-anxiety and antidepressant properties.

I used the simmer method to make it.

What you will need:

  • Rose petals
  • Water
  • Pot with lit
  • Strainer
  • Container with lid

How to make it:

  • Remove the petals from the stems and wash them.
  • Put the rose petals into the pan
  • Add water, cover and bring to a boil
  • Reduce the temperature, let simmer and cool
  • Store in the refrigerator

To use it run it through your hair AFTER shampooing.

If I could do it all over again I would have better containers. I ended up having to search my cabinets to find bottles to put the rose water in. I do suggest filling up a spray bottle. I twisted my hair after the wash day I used the rose water and used the spray bottle through the week to add moisture to my hair. My hair was so curly and fluffy. I actually had someone come up to be and touch my hair and say “yass fluff” which for me was a compliment because I love big hair.

Let me know if you try this!

Luv,

Curl Muva

You don’t have to spend a bag to be natural. My favorite must haves for under $5.

A lot of the times when I think of products I think of spending lots of money but it can be done on a budget. Yes there are some things that you are going to be expensive but overall you can have healthy hair for a reasonable price. This post was inspired because I was talking to my cousin Tiora and she was talking about transitioning back to natural hair and I told her that my favorite natural hair products that give me the BEST curls are less than $5 a bottle.

Aussie Miracle Curls has everything you need for healthy curly hair and each container/bottle is $5 or less. This blew me away because when I found out about them I was paying $22-$28 per bottle for products to curl my hair. The best place to get these products is Walmart. Sometimes they are marked down to $2.97. I use the co-wash, shampoo, deep conditioner, conditioner, creme pudding, frizz tamer, everything really. It gives the hair definition with no flake. They have everything you need to keep your hair healthy. If you look up aussie miracle curls on youtube there are tons of reviews on different types of hair so you can see the possible outcome on your hair. If this line doesn’t work well for your hair keep looking I’m sure you can find a line that works within your budget.

Here are a few other hacks that I use regularly that are free/inexpensive. Water is the best conditioner. I put water on my hair and ends daily to add moisture. A plastic grocery bag can be used for deep conditioning. Target has silk pillowcases for $12.99. I suggest a daily hair growth vitamin but if that’s not in the budget fruits and vegetables will give your body the same nutrients. While at the store grab your bag of rice for your rice water. My favorite affordable edge control is edge booster. The small container is less than $5 and it goes a long way. Wild growth hair oil is between $6-$8 and it lasts for a long time.

I get a lot of products at the Taaliah Waajid World Natural Hair Show. They have products for half the price that they are in the stores. They also give out a lot of samples that can be used to try products and for travel.

The internet is a good resource. I’ve won hundreds of dollars worth of products from instagram giveaways. If you need help finding giveaways DM me @curlfriendsforever and I will tag you in them. Youtube is a free outlet for teaching you how to do different styles and take care of your natural hair. It’s also good for reading reviews before purchasing.

I do invest in hydration treatments and trims because I’m not comfortable doing those things myself. I also invest in protective styles although one of these days I want to start doing those myself.

Let me know your favorite affordable products in the comments!

I hope this helps someone,

Luv,

Curl Muva