There are so many trends that come and go whether it’s hair styles or ingredients in products. For the past year or so odd hair colors have been trending ,in particular pastels and neutrals. I haven’t seen too many curlies rocking it but we can always count on Kelis, especially for crazy colors and cuts. I came across a few pictures on several blogs but I will let you all be the judge. Ignore the style and try to concentrate in the color. I know both are pretty out there.

I actually like it. I wouldn’t rock this but I think it’s cute for a few weeks… if you are an entertainer. After a week or so it needs to me rinsed with another color, I don’t think it would be cute for a whole season. Kelly Obsourne has been wearing it for a while and I think it’s time for her to let it go too!

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So what do you think? Like it? Love it? or Leave It?

Today’s fab curl is Chrisette Michele! She worked this TWA. I love how she spiced it up with big lashes and a statement making, huge feather earring. Her makeup is flawless and very natural looking too. To achieve this style you can do a wash and go leaving a light spray leave-in conditioner and seal with an oil or hair pomade. I think a combo of one of Oyin Handmade’s juices and pomades would work great. That line smells sooooo yummy! You could also achieve this look doing a coil out with a soft hold styler or hair butter. I was surprised to have read that Chrisette colors her own hair. Deep conditioning is a must weekly if you decide to color because keeping those curls moisturized will prevent damage and promote healthy hair.

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Have you recently BCd???….Please share your experiences and what products you use? Do you want to BC soon… Do you think you would like to rock a look like this?

My Winter Regimen

Since mastering how to manage my hair I have gotten way more organized. I try to create a regimen seasonally to cater to my hair’s needs and goals. I also try to keeps things simple to ensure health and promote growth. Last year my hair grew from ear to neck length. This year my goal is to grow my hair to APL which is about 10 inches in the back when straightened, which is about shoulder length curly. Shrinkage is not a big deal to me.

Currently my hair’s length is 9 inches in back, 7.4 inches on the side, and 5 inches in back. December 2010 my hair was cut into a bob with the longest in front and shortest an upside down “U” shape in back. The front of my hair has always seemed to have grown fastest and compared to last months measurements (7.5, 6.5, 3.5) its seems that it really does. On average hair grows .5 inches a month so in order to retain length you have to protect the ends. They are the oldest which require the most moisture and gentle care.  Some say hair grows slower in winter and with age. Some also say hair grows faster in warm months. I have to research this more but I plan to track my hair monthly to see what the case is for me. My hair grew approximately 1.5 inches in the front and back and .9 of an inch on the side. I said approximately because I think I may have measured incorrectly last month.

Before Straightening and Trim:

• Clarifying Shampoo
• Protein Treatment
• Moisturizing Deep Treatment

After Straightening:

• Heat Protecting Serum
• Penetrating and Heat Protecting Oils

2-4 Weeks after Straightening:

• Sulfate/Silcone-free Shampoo
• Protein Deep Condition

Curly Hair:

• Clarifying Shampoo monthly
• Deep Condition weekly (alternating between protein and moisturizing)
• Gentle Shampoo (sulfate free/silicone-free), Ayurvedic Mask, or ACV Rinse  weekly
• Cleansing/Detangling Conditioner 2-4 times a week
• Detangle w/ Shower Comb and Denman Brush followed by fine tooth comb
• Moisturizing Leave In
• Creamy or Buttery Styler
• Oil or Butter Sealant
• Essential Oil Scalp Massages as needed or as Pre-Shampoo

Styles:

• Pinned Up, Banana Clip, Ponytail, Occasionally Loose when straight
• Twistouts, French Braids, Protective Styles (wigs or  weaves), silky turban or hat (satin bonnet underneath) when curly

Sleeping:

• Satin Bonnet or Silk Scarf
• Satin Pillowcases

Other:

• monthly length checks
• pictures of length check after trim and return to curly
• occasional henna treatments
• trims every 12 weeks - 90 days

You can see what products I use in my previous post of my staples. What works for my hair and my hair type may not work for you. However you can use this as an outline to create your regimen and choose products appropriate for the needs of your hair. The most important thing is making sure your hair is moisturized and measures are taken to retain length if growth is your goal. When you focus on growth and obsessing over other people’s hair you tend to lose touch with reality and in my experience it usually ends up with a hair cut or overdue trim which could have been avoided. Love and learn the hair you have, the results will lead to happy and healthy hair!

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What is your winter regimen? What goals do you have for your hair this year?

Hey curls,

You may notice that things are movings around. I am organizing the blog before I change and update the design. I would love your input of what you like and don’t like and also what you would like to see, mostly in terms of design but also content. I want to clean things up and make navigation as simple as possible. There is nothing worse than a cluttered website but I still want some spice so I won’t go to minimal. Thanks for all the love especially those that have subscribed either email, facebook, or twitter! Continue to stay tuned and thanks for being patient on this journey. I’ve been learning as I go but this year I want take things to the next level. I have lots of goals for this blog the biggest is posting on the regular. I can’t believe I only posted 3 times last year. My goal for this year is to post 300 or more times. One thing I don’t want to stop is posting while I get things in order. Sometimes I get caught up with the appearance and neglect posting but I am working on both. The mission of this blog is to promote self-love. It started with my personal journey to loving my hair but it has turned to me finding joy and passion in several areas of my life and I plan to share that with you all. Enjoy your weekend!

XOXO,

Angelique

@SuiteAngelique @DiamondsCurls

www.facebook.com/DiamondsCurls

 

Since starting her career singer, Kelis has been known for her big hair. A few years ago she chopped it all off and has been rocking it like this ever since. Her sides were originally shaved so thats why it has this tapered shape.  This is how my hair looked after my BC (well chemo chop), too bad I only wore it out once. This style is so easy to achieve. I would shampoo (before I knew about co-washing), condition, and leave in a conditioner or curl cream. This look is beautiful and I would like to encourage all my lovely BC curls to rock their hair don’t cover it up, if I could do it all again I definitely would!

Hey Curls!

I recently purchased  Qhemet Biologics Aethiopika Hydrate & Twist Butter. I was hesitant to use it because I didn’t think it would provide any sort of hold. All of my successful twistouts in the past have been with various gels. I’m  holding out on a full review of the Qhemet products until I try the butter a few more times and I try their conditioner and oil serum. They have a sale coming up soon so I plan to splurge. I already love love love the Amla and Olive Heavy Cream and the Burdock Root Butter Cream. This line smells so frickin’ yummy and are light so it’s not overpowering.

But back to this twistout… It’s super soft and shiny. My hair is definitely moisturized.  I washed with Jane Carter’s Moisture Nourishing Shampoo, deep conditioned with Jane Carter’s Nutrient Replenishing Conditioner with my heat cap, applied Kimmytube’s leave in recipe (a mix of Kinky Curly Knot Today, aloe vera juice, coconut oil, and castor oil) and a Roux Fermodyl 619 Leave-in treatment, I then dug out a dime sized amount of the butter rubbed it together with wet hands and hair and applied to 8 flat twists. I sealed the ends with castor oil and rolled with satin rollers. I wore the twists under my favorite purple hat yesterday and took them down just now with my oil mix (olive, coconut, avocado, jojoba oil) on my hands and viola…a million steps later and some minor fluffing I have this beautiful flat twistout. No frizz & defined curls (even in back)!

I plan to try this again to make sure it’s not some freak case. I will co-wash and use Kinky Curly Knot Today as my leave in, twist with the butter, and seal my ends with castor oil. I also want to try it with bantu knots my favorite for twist outs. The for final confirmation I will do a 2 strand bantu twist out. I really want to try it with Qhemet’s Amla and Olive Heavy Cream or the Moringa Tree Conditioning Ghee but I am trying to control my product junkie habits until this sale.

Overall I am impressed and think I have found a winter staple and styler. Now I have to keep my fingers crossed that it will hold  up over night since it is a soft hold.  I will keep you all posted…until then… stay tuned and stay curly!

XOXO

Check this out curls…

Miss Jill Scott rocked this fab look at the premiere of “Why Did I Get Married Too”! Check out tips and products her stylist Felicia M. Leatherwood (total sweetheart) recommends over on Essence.

I like to apply a light leave in like Jane Carter’s Revitalizing Leave In Spray and follow braiding with an oil based hair butter to keep things smooth like Carol’s Daughter Loc Butter.  I’ve been eyeing B.A.S.K.’s Java Bean and Honey Hair Balm to replace CD’s butter. Leatherwood also stated she uses Bohyme Brazilian Wave my favorite curly weave of all time. These extensions blend so well with natural hair especially 3c and 4a tpyes.

As did my normal YouTube stalking. I came across a review from one of my favs EmpressRi. She had me ready to dump out my piggy bank to try a new line of products called b.a.s.k. I immediately went to the website and went straight to the hair section. Even from the tiny iPhone screen these products looked amazing and the ingredients were right up there so I had to share.

The line was created by Rashida Jefferson in Spring 2011. She creates these goodies from scratch in here studio in Macon, Georgia. I love the story and vision behind her line it embraces what Diamonds and Curls is all about, loving you and especially natural beauty.

Our Vision

B.A.S.K. is a specialty beauty company established to innovatively craft premium, gourmet-inspired, artisanal spa delectables that cater to the ethnic woman’s different cosmetic needs – such as dryer skin types and diverse hair patterns.  B.A.S.K. products aim to indulge those natural beauty aficionados who are seeking the finest ingredients without the compromise of effectiveness, luscious sweet aromas, & textures.

Our Mission

To encourage women of color to embrace & “bask in” their unique natural beauty.

Reminds me of a Jill Scott lyric “Sweeter than your favorite ice cream be/Bask in my glory baby”.  The line consists of hair butters, conditioners, and moisturizer which is great for these winter months and type 4 curls that can’t use water based products. I was trying to decide which ones to get for my hair but honestly I can’t decide they all look amazing. I’m trying to control my spending habits so I will be emailing her to see what she recommends for my hair but let me get to the good part and show you the line up:

Cacao Bark Deep Conditioning Hair Treat

Ingredients: Distilled Water, Prime Pressed Cocoa Butter, Virgin Coconut Cream, Kukui Moluccana Seed Oil, Agave Nectar, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Raw Cocoa Powder, Amalaki Fruit Powder, Cetyl Alcohol, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Butylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol and Ethylhexylglycerin.

Java Bean & Honey Hair Balm

Ingredients: Virgin Palm Kernel Oil,Castor Oil, Coffee Bean Butter, Macadamia Nut Oil, Prime Pressed Cocoa Butter,Soy Wax, Beeswax, Raw Honey, Lecithin, Vitamin E, & Fragrance Oil

Silk & Honey Latté Detangling Hair Milk

INGREDIENTS: Distilled Water, Babassu Oil, Castor Oil, Cupuacu Butter, Shea Butter Glycerides**, Raw Honey, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Honey, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Cetyl Alcohol, Fragrance, Butylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol (and) Ethylhexylglycerin, Hydrolyzed Silk, & Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride

• BLACKBERRY SAGE (fruity aroma of tart blackberries)
• CUCUMBER HONEYDEW (fresh melon w/ undertones of green cucumber)
• NECTARINE VANILLA (summer peach vanilla icecream….YUM!)
• SOUTHERN TEA (brewed lemon tea sweetened w/ sugar)
• UNSCENTED (no added scent)

Y.A.M. Nectar Intense Honey Hair Nourisher  

INGREDIENTS: Pure Clover Honey, Vegetable Glycerin, Yucca Oil (Virgin Olive Oil infused w/ Yucca Root), Avocado Oil, Meadowfoam Seed Oil, Manuka Honey, Behentrimonium Methosulfate (and) Cetearyl Alcohol, Panthenol, Essential oils of Rosewood & Copaiba, Fragrance, Phenoxyethanol (and) Ethylhexylglycerin.

Palm Tapioca Deluxe Hair Cream 

Ingredients: Distilled Water, Cocoa Butter,  Unrefined Cupuacu Butter, Cetearyl Alcohol, Babassu Oil, Virgin Coconut Oil, Organic Palm Oil, Virgin Palm Kernel Oil, Ucuuba Butter, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Beeswax, Ceteareth-20, Fragrance, & Phenoxyethanol (and) Ethylhexylglycerin.

Sevenfold Butter Blend Hair Butter  

Ingredients: Organic Palm Oil, Jojoba Oil, sevenfold butter blend (Tucuma Butter, unrefined Shea Butter, Mango Butter, unrefined Cupuacu Butter, Cocoa Butter, Illipe Butter, Kokum Butter), Vitamin E, & select essential oil of choice.

Sweet Manna Botanical Hair & Scalp Serum  

INGREDIENTS: Castor Seed Oil, Virgin Olive Oil infused w/ (Burdock Root, Nettle Leaf, Pygeum Bark, Muira Puma Bark, Fenugreek Seed, Horsetail, Saw Palmetto Berry), Jojoba Oil, Camelina Seed Oil, Tucuuma Butter, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Agave Nectar, Vitamin E, & Essential Oils of Benzoin, Lavender, & Peppermint.

As you can see these products are top-notch. They are moderately priced ranging from $14-$20 but you get what you pay for and none of these ingredients are cheap. You also get free samples with each order. Be sure to check out the sitefor your self she also has body and bath products. I’m really liking the hair gift set too. It’s currently not available but it includes some sample sizes of the most popular productsI recommend this line for thicker curls and those in cold climates.

Check it out and let me know what you think!

(FYI: The products in bold are the most important and the ones in purple are ones I love.)

Today’s curl is Raven-Symone. She did a big chop some months ago and her hair is progressing beautifully. Some entertainment blogs may opposed so we often she her wigging it out. Either way I love this girl. She also lost weight and looking so healthy and happy. She is such a great role model, not just to young girls but naturals too! Society should love our curls as much as we do but until then who cares what they say, love you!

Solange is now taking up modeling. She held it down being the only curl in the Alberta Ferretti show during Fashion Week Milan!