So I tried to do the twists and foam rods again, but instead I ended up buying medium sized perm rods. I took the advice over at Curly Chronicles and Mixed Girl Curls to keep the stress on my hair to a minimum.
Here’s what I did:
- I washed my hair using pH 4-5.5 shampoo without Sodium Laureth/Lauryl Sulfate (basically a mild shampoo without harsh soapy chemicals)
- I only put the shampoo on my scalp and shampooed only once
- I put in lots of Aloe Vera gel and allowed it to soak a little
- I took a brush and combed though sections of my hair starting from the ends and worked my way up
- I squeezed the excess aloe vera out then twisted each section to keep it detangled until I got out the shower (don’t rinse the aloe out)
To finish the style, I took each section out that I made in the shower and redid them into the size I wanted, then rolled each twist up with a perm rod. In the morning, I took the twists out.
The aloe vera gel is the best detangler I’ve EVER experienced. I barely had any hair come out on my brush. It was wonderful to have my hair stay on my head. There was no residue left back when it dried, no flaking or beading. The gel just left my hair curly and hydrated.
My suggestion, go read Mixed Girl Curls’ “Curly Primer Section” where she talks about her technique. Then take what you’ve learned and modify it to suit our own hair type and style desired.
I’m still open to suggestions about products that need to be reviewed. I’m willing to do the experimenting, so let me know!
Now It’s time for pictures pictures pictures! Here’s how my hair turned out. I quite like it! In this picture, I didn’t fluff my hair up. It’s straight from the twists.
I’ve never heard of using aloe vera. Thanks for posting this. One of my sisters has recently started to do her hair in 2 strand twists and I’m sure she’d like to give aloe vera a try.
Love your hair! the styles look very nice on you. I was wondering what type of aloe vera gel do you use? I have been looking but find only products that contain aloe vera but when I look at the ingredients I see other stuff and it’s the “other stuff” that scares me.
I use Aloex. What they have on their site is a fraction of what I see in the natural food section at my grocery store. http://www.santrel.com/enindexnew.htm
If you have a health food store near you or if your grocery store has a section for natural foods, check there. It’s usually next to the vitamins.
Some places online are selling what I got for $8 at the $20-$40 range. Not worth it. Amazon.com has a different brand, same stuff, for $7. http://www.amazon.com/Whole-Leaf-Aloe-Vera-Gel/dp/B000Q451AY/ref=sr_1_17?ie=UTF8&s=hpc&qid=1231468951&sr=1-17
I bought the aloe vera gel recently and it de-tangles and holds like a dream! Glad you posted the information about it.
Hi,
I tried the aloe gel this week, it work as an amazing detangler but I did finf it left a white residue. Did I use to much? I bought a bottle of the gel at walmart. They say it used of cuts and minor burns but I figured it would do the same for hair. The one I bought was alcohol free as well.
@Torontostyle – I find that when I use too much, it flakes like gel use to do back in the day. If you rinse it out, but not too much, just most of it, then it’s fine. I’ve even rinsed it out a lot and it still worked well. Just keep on trying different ways until you find the one that works for you.