I Flat Ironed My Hair, finally! Carol's Daughter Chocolat and Split Ender review

Well, I finally flat ironed my hair and I decided to bring you all to the Salon with me. 

Cicely j presents Curly Lox

Many of you are already acquainted with Curly Lox so no introduction is needed but some of you have no idea who this character is so I am presenting her to you today. Curly Lox (CL) is my alter ego. As you all know I have been wearing my hair natural since way back when, before it was a movement, before there were hair journeys, before all of these hair care lines started catering to natural hair and waaaaay before all these natural hair social media outlets took over a portion of my life. Nicki Minaj has Roman, Beyonce has Sasha Fierce, so I figured I be like pop culture and give my persona a name as well.
Back in the day before it was popular I was making and mixing my own concoctions and protective styling my tresses. Well in the recent years I was nick named Curly Lox because of my naturally curly/coily hair. My hair is so big and volumous that it sometimes takes on a personality of its own. Today I am launching my first t-shirt:

I am so excited about this venture because this is the first time ever an article of clothing will have my name behind it. With this will come the future launch of my very own natural hair care (and body care) line Curly Lox. Stay tuned ladies, we are making things happen over here slowly but surely. Thank you for believing, supporting, and helping me get closer to my dream.
You can pre-order the shirts now. They will be shipped in a week or so.

Cicely J aka
Curly Lox

New Products for 2012

Ok ladies, I have made a ridiculous list of all the hair products I am going to try this year. I already have a few staples I just can't do away with (Kinky Curly Knot Today, Mane n Tail detangler and conditioner, As I Am Coconut Co-Wash, grapeseed oil and all of my Eco Styler gels) but there are so many other products I want to try and rotate as the seasons change and thus, my hair response changes. Being that I am a self proclaimed product junkie (well not really self proclaimed per se' because my cousins say that my toiletry collection looks like the Health and Beauty section of a department store, but I digress.) I already have so many products under my sink that I either have not used yet, have not used up, don't know how to use properly or simply I don't like. So my ever shopping habits in search of the perfect regime continues.  Here is my tentative list. Let me know what you use and how it has worked for you. I will follow up w/ pics and updates on my youtube channel:

New Products
Curl Junkie Curl Pusha/Curl Rehab
Elasta QP Cream
Deva Curl
Oyin Handmade Hair Dew
Cream of Nature Argan Oil Conditioning Treatment
Drama Queen Knotty Girl Moisture Balance Condish
JessieCurl Too Shea JessieCurl Deep Condish
Elucence Moisture Benefit Shampoo
Curls Curl Souffle
Organicals Deep Condish Cream
My Honey Child Olive You Condish
Jamaican Black Extra Dark Castor Oil
Jamaican Black Jojoba Oil
Aloe Vera Juice (whole leaf)

And hopefully, as time progresses I will continue to reap the benefits of the research and shopping I have been doing for Curly Lox. 

Hair Regime, New Products, Random Talk, Length Check

Ok, so the purpose of this blog is not to talk about hair although this seems to be what it has accidentally turned into (although I love talking about hair, makeup, fashion) since I am a die hard product junkie. Lately I have been taking these vitamins I picked up at Walgreen's. They are made by Nature's Bounty called: Hair Skin & Nails and so far I am pleased with the results of all three:

I have also been using Gro Aut oil since I found this group of women on Hairlista who swear by it. I have never been one to buy hair growth products. My hair has always been long and I figured if I take good care of it, it will remain long and healthy. I did have the misconception that my hair would not grow past a certain length. I just figured it would get to my bra strap and that would be it, mainly because that's how long I only recognize it to grow.
Well, I cannot attribute all of my current hair growth to the vitamins and the oil which have become staple products in my regime, but I would also like to think that it is the way I am caring for and treating my hair. I used to complain about my hair frequently because it is big, bushy, curly, frizzy, untamed, prone to tangles, and dry. I kept searching for products that would help me manage this thick mane and I finally found some youtube gurus and it changed my life. I now have a bathroom full of hair care products for hair just like mine and I am enjoying discovering new styles, techniques, and regimes to keep this frock healthy and maintained. My hair is now MBL (mid-back length) well past my BS (bra-strap) and I am clearly on my road to WL (waist length) and I am so excited about this journey.

Check out my youtube channel: cicelyj707 if you wanna see some tutorials, product reviews, and my daily regime.

If you are interested you can get this oil from: http://www.groaut.com/

Happy Hair Journey Ladies!!!!

Au Naturel

I have been wearing my hair naturally curly for several years since way before it was popular and became a "journey" or a "movement." I did not always embrace my natural hair with all of the kinks, knots, tangles, and coils I would experience because back then (my high school days in the 90s) big, bushy, curly hair was not the business. Everyone wanted that slick SWV look.

I remember some days pressing or flat ironing my hair out (in essence burning my hair) to try and achieve the popular styles, but because of my hair's natural curl pattern and proneness to frizz my straight styles would never last.

Now I have come to love and embrace my curls and have done research on youtube to try and find the perfect products to give me that curl, shine, and bounce I always wanted but never knew how to really get it. So today I want to share with all of my other naturalistas out there the products I have found that my hair absolutely loves.

I have 3b hair which is color treated. I color my hair (professionally in a salon) only twice a year. I only straighten my hair once a year for a length check (although I haven't worn it straight at all in 2011 - I will in January 2012)

Today I used the Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie and the Coconut & Hibiscus Curl and Style Conditioning Milk (Target). On the base I rubbed a little Argan Moroccan Oil (Sally's) and on the top to seal it all in I used a little Eco Styler Olive Oil Gel. For this weather it worked great on my hair. I will be doing some Youtube product reviews as soon as my webcam gets here and I'll be sure to come back here and show you all my results.

My blog is real random. Today I might talk about hair tomorrow I might talk about condoms. But I promise to try and always keep it interesting.

Cicely J aka Curly Lox

Love is Not Black and White

Black man, I blame me.  I listened to my mother when she told me to go to school, get good grades, be smart, and go to college.  She told me to get a degree in higher education and ‘never depend on some man to take care of you.’  So, I listened, I went to school, I got the degree, and landed that job.

I paid attention to the trends with women’s liberation and the movement that taught us to be independent and not submissive.  They moved us out of the home and into the factories, sold us cigarettes and told us we didn’t have to wear dresses and aprons every day.

We got educated, with BA’s, Masters, PhDs and other degrees.  We put off dating and marriage because we wanted to be independent.  All types of government programs were set aside so we could go to school and get an education.  They told us that we had it made, “you’re a double minority so you can go to school almost free!”  I almost became a professional grant writer because of how convenient it was to be a smart black girl.  But while we were so busy going to school to learn about America and finance, the black men in our neighborhoods were being left behind.  You, black man, were introduced to drugs, pimps, and a get-rich-quick lifestyle while we were conjugating verbs and dissecting frogs.  You were dating all of the other girls in the neighborhood so that now if I want to be with you I have to deal with your three baby mamas.

Now we have a huge disparity between our college educated females and our would-be suitable mate: the African American man.  We out-number you, some say, 3:1, while more recent studies show its closer to 5:1.  But it seems like every time I hear a black man’s odds, its 2:1.  Can someone please tell us the truth? If it’s really 2:1, as you say, then why are so many of us single? Statistics stacked with the odds against the black woman say its 70%. Well 70% of black women being single vs. a ratio of 2:1 just doesn’t add up, no matter how many times I try to process it in my mind. More feminist movements lean toward the numbers being at 49%. I don’t care about the numbers, I care if our black men still love us and view us a suitable to mate with.

Tell me, black man, what do you want us to do? We see you choose white women over us, every day.  We grin and bear it, and keep on pushing, even when we know we want to settle down and be married, too.  As a result, we are dating, marrying, and procreating with white men.  And take note, we’re not doing it as often as you are with white women, but our numbers are escalating every year.

So we need to talk! This is a conversation, black man.  The dialogue is open and we want to know exactly how you feel.  Do you love us enough to try and work out our differences, and forge strong family units; or should we just continue on our quest for happiness and, thus, sleep with your enemy?