The Pixie Drying Method

This is a method of drying hair that I stumbled across in my quest to combat frizz, and it works really well.

Ideally, once you've washed and conditioned you should leave curly hair well alone and allow it to dry naturally. Touching it disturbs the natural curl pattern and can cause frizz. However, in our busy lives it's not always practical to leave hair to dry on it's own like this - UK weather isn't always the warmest is it?! I've left the house many times with soaking wet hair, blasting it with the car heater on full blast and arriving at work with still-half-wet hair and a bright red face!

So the drying method I like best is this - the Pixie Method aims to disturb the hair as little as possible and therefore reduce frizz.

All you need is a hairdryer with a diffuser attachment (the bigger the diffuser the better, especially if you have a lot of hair). Once you have washed and conditioned, add your leave-in of choice plus any styling products. Before turning on the hairdryer, place a section of hair into the diffuser. Turn on the heat on a high setting and heat only this section of hair for approx 20-30 seconds. Before removing the hairdryer from the hair, turn it off. Repeat on the rest of the hair, drying small sections at a time and turning the heat on and off before and after you've done.

By stopping and starting the heat like this, you aren't disturbing the rest of your hair as you move around your head, and you also aren't subjecting your hair to the heat for very long each time. This keeps the hair in it's natural pattern and stops the frizz from forming. You can do it either standing up straight or with your head held upside down, depending on how much height you want.

If you've used a styling product, your hair will still look wet and will be 'crunchy'- resist the urge to scrunch it out yet. Keep Pixie drying until your hair is 75-80% dry and if possible leave the rest to dry on it's own. Your hair will still look wet because of the product, but once it's completely dry you can scrunch it out and will be left with lovely, soft, defined (and frizz-free) curls.

The first time I tried the Pixie method I was amazed at the difference it made. My curls were really bouncy and looked great. I discovered spirals that I didn't know I had and my own mum didn't believe they were natural! Give it a try, you'll love the results!

My Hair Story

Curl Nation was born after I spent much of 2011 searching for natural products to use on my newly-discovered curly hair. I spent most of my childhood and much of adulthood with short hair, because as soon as it grew longer than ear-length it became uncontrollably wavy, frizzy and I looked like a poodle. 

In 2007 I discovered hair straighteners, which solved some of my problems. Suddenly I had smooth, silky hair that stayed straight! I spent the next 4 years heating my hair to a burning 220 degrees EVERY DAY in my quest for straightness. I'd had a long-standing desire to grow my hair long, and finally there seemed a way to achieve it. My hair grew, and the time I spent each day washing and straightening it also grew.

After several years of using this intense heat I started to notice that my hair wasn't growing much. It was also breaking. I noticed short, ragged strands at the front where I used the heat the most. I was washing it every day as it was also becoming very greasy, and the straightening also continued every day. My hair wasn't well and I was fed up with all the time I spent trying to make it look ok.

One day I decided to leave it to dry naturally and noticed how curly the ends were. I started to investigate the underground world of curly hair and discovered huge numbers of people who were looking for a natural alternative. I learned how harsh shampoos and styling products were particularly bad for delicate curls. I started to hunt down gentle cleansers that would wash my hair without subjecting it to strong chemicals, sadly present in 95% of High Street products.  I found that my hair wasn't greasy as I'd always thought, it was actually dry and craving moisture. I learned which kind of conditioners and moisturisers were good for my curls.

I ditched the straighteners and my hair thanks me for it every day. At first there was frizz as my hair reached out for moisture. After a week or so there were curls, then more curls. I became a product junkie, always on the look for new, natural products to try.

One of the biggest problems was the lack of sulphate-and silicone-free products on the UK high street. Crucial for curly hair, however they aren't to be found on general sale in the UK. The internet became my saviour but with many companies selling a wide range of natural products it became difficult to find what I was looking for . 

I decided to create a new company to bring together the smaller suppliers of natural hair products in one place and promote them to the ever-growing world of curly customers. There are more and more people in the UK from a wide range of multi-cultural backgrounds, many with wavy, curly, kinky and afro hair. Curls have been given a bad name in the past, as harsh shampoos have stripped them of moisture and caused massive, uncontrollable frizz. But with just a little care and attention, and the right products, these curls can become glorious, shiny and healthy.

I look forward to introducing you to exciting, new, natural hair products that will help you on your journey.

Join the Curl Revolution!

Wendy, Curl Nation

Drying and Styling

Once you've finished washing and conditioning your hair, DO NOT RUB IT WITH A TOWEL. The first thing most people do to stop their hair dripping when they step out of the shower is to give it a good old rub with the towel, pile it up on top of their head and do the 'towel-twist' while they go about drying the rest of their body.

Most towel fibres are very absorbant (to dry us quickly) and they ruffle up the hair cuticles which causes frizz. To avoid this, use something smooth but absorbant - a pillow case is ideal, or some use an old cotton tshirt. Paper towels or microfibre cloths also work well - blot the hair gently rather than rub it.

If you wish to use a leave-in conditioner or other moisturiser, gently squeeze it onto your hair at this point, with an upward motion to encourage the curl pattern. If you like to keep your curls in 'clumps' just smooth the leave-in onto the curls that have already formed since you stepped out of the shower. If you prefer to separate them out, run your fingers gently through them, smoothing out any frizz that may have started, and then 'cup' the curls up towards your head to encourage them to form their own shape.

At first you may still need to use quite a lot of products at this point but as your hair becomes more moisturised you will just need a small amount - just a 50p size should be plenty.

Once your hair is fully moisturised, you may wish to use a styling product to hold the curls in place while your hair drys (silicone-free remember!) Gels are good and come in a variety of strengths depending on how hard you want your curls to set. Curl creams, pomades and mousses can all do this job, it's just a matter of personal preference. Try one of our trial-sizes to see which one you prefer. Apply your styling product evenly throughout your hair so that you don't have some areas holding better than others.

At this point some like to 'Plop' This is a method that involves 'plopping' your hair gently onto a pillow case whilst holding your head upside down. Bring the sides of the case around your head and secure,  and leave hair to sit for half an hour or so. This removes the remaining excess water while allowing your hair to form a natural pattern without it's own weight stretching the curls out.

Once done, release your curls from their 'plop' and let them hang gently down. Ideally you should leave them now to dry naturally but if you don't have time you can dry them gently using a hair dryer with a diffuser attachment. The 'Pixie' method doesn't disturb the hair too much and helps to reduce any frizz. Hold your head upside down, and with the hairdryer off, put a section of hair gently into the bowl of the diffuser. Turn the hairdryer onto a gently heat and dry that section for 20 seconds or so. Before taking the hairdryer away from the hair, turn it off and let the hair fall out gently. Repeat on other sections of hair until it is approx 75% dry or as required. The movement of air as you move the hairdryer around your head can contribute to frizz as it ruffles the hair cuticles, so this methods helps to avoid this.

If you still have a bit of frizz once you've done this, smooth a small amount of gel over the crown of the head to make it sit down. You may find yourself becoming quite critical of you hair and can't tolerate even small amounts of frizz, however just remember to compare your hair now to what it used to look like. Some days you'll find that there is frizz no matter what you do. The weather affects it a lot, so just try to accept it and enjoy your new curls! They look amazing!

Betty Buff Strawberry Sugar Scrub review

After meeting the lovely Ellie on Twitter @A1Betty I was lucky enough to be selected to receive a sample of her new Strawberry sugar scrub. Having extremely sensitive skin I was interested to read that her products contain no fragrances, colours or parabens and was excited to try the new strawberry flavour!

Having heard a few people mention it on Twitter already, I opened it as soon as it arrived and was knocked over by the gorgeous strawberry smell. Most strawberry flavoured products smell nice, but this was like smelling an actual strawberry! Not a manufactured smell at all, I could have tasted it - it truly smelled like a bowl of mashed up strawberries.

I took it into the shower and gave it a try. The sugar granules were big, and gave a very satisfying scrub to my skin, just what it needed after months under the cover of winter. The smell was delicious and I could still smell wafts of it several hours later. My skin felt smooth and shiny, and really clean. My only comment was that the consistency was quite runny, so I dropped some in the bath (aagh wastage!) so make sure you don't try to get too much out at a time.

A lovely new product from a lovely lady. I would recommend it to anyone, and hope to try some of her other flavours soon. She also sells Lime & Ginger, Morning Coffee, Peppermint and Scrummy Choco. They sell for £8.00 or Pamper Packs with a selection of products are £14.50. www.bettybuff.co.uk

Ingredients

Sulphates to avoid include:

Sodium Lauryl/Laureth/Myreth Sulphate

Ammonium Lauryl/Laureth Sulphate

Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulphonate

TEA Lauryl Sulphate, TEA Dodecylbenzenesulphonate

Ammonium/Sodium Xylenesulphonate

Ethyl PEG-15 Cocamine Sulphate

Sodium Cocoyl Sarcosinate

The following are gentle surfactants and are recommended instead of sulphates:

Cocamidopropyl Betaine

Coco Betaine

Cocoamphoacetate

Cocoamphodipropionate

Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate or Cocoamphodipropionate

Lauroamphoacetate

Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate 

Silicones that cause build-up

Anything ending in -cone, -conol, -col or -xane should be avoided. In particular the following which are not soluble in water and will build up, needed a sulphate shampoo to remove:

Dimethicone

Dimethiconol

Stearyl/Cetyl Dimethicone

Cetearyl Methicone

Amodimethicone

Cyclomethicone/Cyclopentasiloxane

Trimethylsilylamodimethicone

(the last three repel further deposits and therefore won't build-up but are still not water-soluble)

The only exception to this is when any of the above are prefixed with PEG- or PPG- which means they have been adapted and are water-soluble.

Water-soluble (good) silicones:

Dimethicone Copolyol

Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein Hydroxypropyl Polysiloxane

Lauryl Methicone Copolyo

A New Curl Routine

Now we've established which ingredients are bad for curls, it's time to find out how to change your hair routine to help look after your curls.

You will need:

1. Sulphate-free shampoo

2. Conditioner

3. Leave-in conditioner (can use 2 above or a thicker alternative)

4. Styler (gel/curl cream similar) if required

(2-4 must be silicone-free as discussed)

Wash

Please note - on the FIRST WASH ONLY of your new routine you will need to use your normal sulphate shampoo to clean out any previously built-up silicones in your hair. This is the last time you will use a sulphate shampoo but it is needed to give you a fresh, clean start. The next time you wash use your new sparkly sulphate-free shampoo.

As sulphates are responsible for the bubbles and suds you normally see in a shampoo, it's worth pointing out that sulphate-free shampoos often don't lather up. This puts some people off them as they think they're not doing their job but you just need to change the way you use them. 

Give your scalp a good scrub all over with your fingertips. This will loosen any dirt which will rinse away with the shampoo. Don't worry if your shampoo doesn't lather at all, it cleans your hair just as well.

Condition

Now you have clean hair it's time to put back some moisture. Using your silicone-free conditioner massage a good palm-full into your hair. When you first start this routine you may find your hair is still frizzy so you will need to use a lot of conditioner. As it starts to retain moisture the amount you need to decrease.

Use your fingers to smooth the conditioner through your hair, making sure it is all covered. You naturally shed around 100 hairs each day so it this point you will probably collect dead hair in your fingers. Don't be alarmed if it seems a lot, it's normal. Keep smoothing through until all the loose hairs are collected. Leave on your hair while you finish the rest of your shower. 

Rinse off most of the conditioner. At this point you may leave some in, or you can add back a small amount after you've rinsed. 

Curl Basics

If you have anything other than naturally poker straight hair, the chances are you've had problems getting it to look the way you want. Despite over 65% of woman having naturally curly hair, many of them are unsure about how to manage it in it's natural state. Instead, we spend thousands on products which promise to 'straighten' it, and heat it with stylers in an attempt to get it to look smooth.

Popular Hair Products

Sadly, a large percentage of the hair products we buy contain harsh chemicals which dry out our curls, and the added heat of straighteners and stylers only adds to the dryness. Causing more frizz, so more products, more heat...a viscious circle.

Sulphates are a group of chemicals present in 95% of shampoos on the UK High Street. They are a type of detergent or 'surfactant' and are very effective at breaking up grease and dirt in your hair. However, they can also strip your hair of it's natural oils and dry out your scalp. They can irritate those with sensitive skin and can cause dandruff and other scalp conditions. 

Curly hair is drier than straight hair so sulphate shampoos make curly hair even drier and are therefore more noticeably damaging. It can become brittle and break or won't grow past a certain length.

To combat this dryness we use an array of conditioners, moisturisers, oils and serums. Most High Street conditioners contain Silicones. These coat the hair strands and make them feel soft, shiny and frizz-free. Great! In the short term. However, most silicones are quite difficult to remove and need a strong surfactant to break them down.

A silicone-based conditioner will make your hair look lovely for a day or two, but if you don't wash it out the silicones will build up which will weigh your hair down and make it dull. It will also stop moisture getting into the hair itself. The smooth, glossy feeling doesn't come from the hair itself but from the artificial silicone coating.

To wash out the silicones completely you will need a surfactant ie.a sulphate shampoo...and so the cycle continues.

To Break the Cycle

In order to encourage our hair back to it's natural, healthy state we must break this cycle. To do this we must:

• Use a natural, sulphate-free shampoo. Common harsh sulphates include Sodium Lauryl/Laureth Sulphate, Ammonium Lauryl/Laureth Sulphate. See our ingredients page for more info.
• Moisturise using a silicone-free conditioner. Silicones ending in -cone -conol -col or -xane are impossible to remove without a sulphate shampoo and should be avoided. However some are water-soluble and therefore removable with a gentle shampoo or just water. See our ingredients page for more info.
• Add back moisture to damaged hair with a Leave-in conditioner or oil.
• Stop using heat stylers and brushes. The less you touch your curls the more natural they will become. Brushing breaks the curl formations and creates frizz.