natural hair – Stay Golden Mama

The Best Edge Controls For Fine Natural Curly Hair

August 18, 2018 No Comments

I have a confession to make. I am not a pro at laying my edges/baby hairs. I feel like it is a right of passage for black girls to learn to properly lay their edges. I have struggled with this for a long time!

I can say that I definitely have gotten better at laying these things to the gawds. We still aren’t FKA Twigs level yet though. Give it time though, I will catch up!

I wanted to share a few edge controls that do help get your baby hairs in tip-top laid shape. As mentioned in the title, I have pretty fine curly natural hair, so I have found that gels are the best option to keep my hairs down. If you have thick hair, these could work for you as well, but I can’t guarantee it!

Olive Oil Eco Style Gel

I know, I know. There is a lot of controversy surrounding Eco Style and their reportedly carcinogenic ingredients in their products. I just bought this tub before the report came out about the possibly harmful ingredients, so I will be finishing it.

Am I worried I will get cancer? Honestly I think most of the products we use on a daily basis will give some people cancer. I plan to do my research and move to more organic and natural products soon, but for now this stuff works very well and taming the bbhairs!

Hold: 6/10 (my edges tend to curl up with this stuff after a few hours)

Good for: Laying edges for a few hours and taming ponytails

Gorilla Snot Punk Gel

You guys, this stuff is LIFE! I finally took the plunge a few months ago when I wanted to try something new and MAN. What was I waiting for? I love how this stuff stays in place pretty much all day and gives a really firm hold. Almost crunchy. But I like crunchy, so it’s cool.

Hold: 8/10 (lasts almost all day, but has tendency to flake if you apply too much)

Good for: Taming extra curly curls and a very firm hold

Murray’s Beeswax

This beeswax thing is growing on me. I recently created 2 “fun buns” that were super cute with beeswax and I loved the results! Beeswax naturally repels water, so it can be hard to get it out of your hair. I noticed that it worked well with my fine curly hair and kept my flyaways and curly pieces from popping up.

Hold: 7/10

Good for: Making hair shiny and repelling moisture, smoothing curls

Murray’s Edge Control with Beeswax

Ah yes, the cousin of the Murray’s Beeswax – the elusive Murray’s Edge Control. I like this stuff, but if you put too much on… well you might need to wash your hair. I found that building this product is your best bet. Start small and work your way up!

Hold: 6/10

Good for: Smoothing edges and more of a waxy gel hold

Design Essentials Sleek Edge Control

I love Design Essentials. As a brand, I feel like they have it down pat. I have been using this edge control to touch up my edges and I have been loving the flexible hold. I love using this for my stubborn fine hairs that will not lay down all the way.

Hold: 7/10

Good for: Keeping baby hairs down and adding shine, flexible hold

Curls Passionfruit Control Paste

Oh, Curls. At first I did not like you, but now I love you! I don’t really use this on my edges because it makes them curl up. But I had to give it a shoutout because it works wonders for smoothing back hair for buns and ponies. It also would probably work great for box braids. I will by trying some box braids in the next few weeks, so weeee shall see! Throw up a lil prayer for me, because I have never done them and I am scared!

I hope you enjoyed reading about the best edge controls for fine natural curly hair! If you have a good edge control recommendation, please drop it in the comments!

xoxo

Simone

Hair & Beauty

Tutorial: The Perfect 3 Minute Bun

June 12, 2018 No Comments

I don’t know about you, but I typically have about 10 minutes or less to look like a ~~supermodel~~ functioning human every morning. That leaves very few options to look presentable while saving time. Enter the 3 minute bun! I style my hair in some sort of bun for about 3 days or more per week. I find it to be one of the easiest and most protective styles when I want to be lazy or stretch out my wash days.

I wore this bun for a special date night with my fiancé and I was digging the ballerina/Riri vibes I was serving. Here is exactly how I get my hair in a Rihanna worthy bun!

1) Mist hair with water bottle

I used my FAVORITE spray bottle from Amazon to mist my hair around the perimeter of my head. I made sure not to completely saturate my hair. You do not need to have hair that is dripping wet!

2) Apply Passionfruit Curl Paste

After misting my hair up real good, I added some Passionfruit Curl Paste from Curls. I bought this with the intention of using it to lay my crazy curly edges. I learned that it did NOT tame my loco edges, but it does a great job of smoothing my hair down for a bun. I applied the paste all around the perimeter of my head.

3) Smooth hair and brush hair into a ponytail

I used a boar bristle brush and smoothed my hair up into a ponytail. I wrapped the hair tie around my hair twice and then on the third time, gathered my hair into a bun. I added a few bobbies and voila – near perfect bun! This step sometimes takes the most time to “finesse” because the bun is all about the shape. I like a very FULL bun, but it can look cute if it is a small bun as well.

4) Add baby hairs and smooth edges

This is the step that takes you from cute to cayuuutee! You know, when you catch your reflection in the mirror and do a double take!? Yes, that is the look. I used my good old reliable yellow Gorilla Snot Gel. I was very skeptical about this stuff, but I have to say that I worship this stuff. It is so sooo amazing. I smoothed my edges and added some pretty lil baby hairs to top my look off.

So there you have it – the easiest and most chic hairstyle for natural hair! If you would like to see the complete tutorial, check out the video below on YouTube!

Thanks for learning about my easy breezy hairstyle!

xo,

Simone

Hair & Beauty

Natural Hair: How to Achieve The Perfect Braid Out

May 15, 2018 No Comments

Do you ever have try style that looks so good, and takes SO little time and effort? Well that is this wavy hair right here!! Some of you may be familiar with “braid-outs” aka where you throw your hair in 2 braids and pray for the best.

I could not get the hang of this for YEARS. Fast forward to about 2 months ago when I found my favorite hair product at the moment, the Design Essentials Curl Enhancing Mousse. This ish right here – it will change your life, if you have curly hair. I put my hair in two french braids around 7pm with some mousse, then woke up at 6am and took them down. And voila! I had the perfect defined waves.

Here is exactly how I achieved this look:

Detangle hair and part down the middle. This style can be done on wet or dry hair. Dry hair will give you more volume and wet hair will give you more definition.
If hair is dry, dampen with water so it is damp, but not soaking. If it is wet, skip this step, obvi!
Apply a setting mousse all over damp or wet hair. This is my FAVORITE setting mousse ever. It is sooo moisturizing and leaves a great sheen.
Cornrow or dutch braid each side of your hair into two plaits OR you can section hair in up to 8 braids for a more defined look.
Go to sleep, girl!!! I suggest wrapping your hair in a silk or satin scarf before going to bed to prevent frizz and fly-aways.
After letting the braids “marinate” for 8 hours or more (add more time if your hair is high porosity), it’s time to take those puppies down.
Coat fingers with light oil (jojoba is my favorite) and slowly start to take down braids
Shake out hair and fluff with an afro pick or wide tooth comb.

If you would like to see me achieve this style, please check out the tutorial below. Make sure to subscribe to my YouTube Channel (SimoneAisha) if you haven’t already!

Simone