In Review: Satin Lined Military Cap from Natural Born Hats LLC

Recently I was contacted by a company called Natural Born Hats LLC.  When I saw that they

curlyincolorado.com satin lined hat review
Finally a satin lined cap that’s stylish
and fits over my natural hair

offered satin lined hats at affordable prices, I jumped at the chance to do a review.  Why is a satin lining so important you ask?  Well, for starters, it can help minimize frizz and matting that can occur when wearing a hat without the added lining.  The smooth satin is what comes in contact with your hair which means less friction which in turn minimizes breakage.  That’s music to my ears because I’m always concerned about how my hair will fare when wearing a typical hat.  With this I have no worries.

About Natural Born Hats LLC

If you head over to the website, you’ll find the story detailing the relationship between the two friends who started the company.  They were both on a hair journey and using satin bonnets and scarves, as we all do, to protect their hair at night.  They, like me, wanted another option that was stylish for wearing out but still had the protective satin inside.

curlyincolorado.com satin lined hat review
Satin lining inside



curlyincolorado.com satin lined hat review
Military Cap Style 

What I like about their hats is the sound construction and the variety of styles that are available.  I was sent a Military inspired cap but they also carry sun hats, fedoras and lots of fun knit beanies.  The Military caps are produced using a cotton blend.  This is a plus because I’m planning to wear mine when I go on my walks this summer.  The other hats are constructed using materials such as straw plaiting, flax and polyester.  Each comes with a polyester satin lining. The knit beanies are polyester throughout which makes them machine washable but no dryer.  I like that because I’m planning on getting one for my very active 12 year old son.

I know my new hat will get a lot of use this summer.  I’m favoring braid outs lately which means my braids are sometimes not completely dry in the morning.  Now I can just throw on my satin lined cap and head out the door knowing my braids are still protected.  I’ve tried this before with other hats but was having trouble getting all of the braids to fit.  It even has room enough when my natural hair is in full swang.

curlyincolorado.com satin lined hat review
A hat that fits over my braids YAY!

If you’re interested in a comfy satin lined hat for yourself, be sure to head over to Natural Born Hats LLC and use Coupon Code:  CURLYCO25 for an extra 25% off

NOTE:  The code will be active for the next 2 weeks and must be entered using all caps.

May Onyx Box Review

curlyincolorado.com onyx box review
Goodies from this month’s Onyx Box

I was recently sent a box full of goodies from www.WeAreOnyx.com.  This site offers a subscription service geared towards fashion forward women of color who are looking to try new hair and beauty products.  In each month’s box, subscribers can expect to find full size items from well known beauty brands.  This month was geared towards nail art and skincare which was right on time for me.

The Colorado winter has been a beast and has left my hands wrecked and in need of some love.  So I was delighted to see that the Onyx Box for May had some new things for me to try when I do my next manicure.

I already tried out the Shea Moisture Shea Butter hand creme which felt divine on the skin.  I was upset though that the scent was a little overpowering for my taste.   That is somewhat of a turnoff when I buy products because it can lead to headaches for me.  The scent is similar to the Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie so if you’re fine with that, then it shouldn’t be a problem.  If it wasn’t for this I would probably use it often because my hands sure do need it.

Other than that, I’m looking forward to using the nail polishes and skin wash that came in the package.  Check out the pics below for a sneak peek at what was inside this month’s box!

curlyincolorado.com onyx box review
I love the pretty packaging and full product sizes
curlyincolorado.com onyx box review
Products featured in this month’s Onyx Box

If you’re interested in subscribing for a monthly Onyx Box then head over to www.WeAreOnyx.com to get started.  The monthly subscription fee is $25 USD but is well worth it considering each box includes items that, when combined, can retail for much more than that.  You can look forward to receiving items such as hair, skin and nail products by well known brands.  It’s definitely worth a look see!

Review: Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter

curlyincolorado.com revlon colorburst lip butter
Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Red Velvet #40
curlyincolorado.com revlon colorburst lip butter
I love this classic red tint

I am a fan of makeup but still tend to stay at the drug store level when I make a purchase.   I have a ton of glosses for my lips but recently decided to try the Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters.

I had been hearing rave reviews about the line for a while on the web so I figured I would give it a go.  At first glance, the line has a lot of different shades to offer.  I’m always a little leary though because I don’t want to end up with a shade that is too light or ashy for my skin tone.  However, there was quite a range in color, so finding a shade for me was not very hard.

I first went for a pinky color called, Berry Smoothie.  This one is nice for when I want a wash of color and a little moisture for my lips on the go.  However, the shade that truly makes me gaga is the Red Velvet.  The color is pigmented enough to pull my whole look together without much effort but also helps with dryness.  I love red lips but this gives me a nice, understated red that still works for everyday.

curlyincolorado.com revlon colorburst lip butter
A swatch of Red Velvet
curlyincolorado.com revlon colorburst lip butter
Red Velvet on the lips 

The Lip Butter formula is hydrating to the lips thanks to the added “mango, shea and coconut butters”.  It also imparts a shine which I love.  I tend to reach for either of these shades now when I’m in a hurry because they give me moisture and color in one swipe.

I highly recommend the Red Velvet for any women of color who are looking for a lovely red to add 
to their stash.

Jumbo Rake Comb Review

When I was talkin’ hair with my mother a couple of months ago she showed me a picture of a comb that she was interested in trying.  She checked out a copy of the book, “The Science of Black Hair” from the library and it listed a “rake” comb as a suggestion for detangling natural hair.  I remembered seeing the comb online (probably in a Youtube video) but didn’t exactly know where to track one down.  Recently however, I was at the Big Beauty Supply Store in Aurora, and noticed some for sale.  It was by the Annie brand and was called a “Jumbo Rake Comb”.   I figured I would grab it for my mom so she wouldn’t have to keep looking for it.  I thought that maybe I would give it a try too and since they were only $1.49 plus tax (USD) I bought two.

Jumbo Rake Comb for only
 $1.49 plus tax!

I didn’t really know what to use the comb for because I already felt like I had every comb that I needed.  I decided to use it one night when I was twisting my hair up after wearing it in a wash n’ go style.  I was surprised at how well the comb detangled my hair.  It’s almost like the front end helped to pull apart the tangles but the spacing toward the back end of the comb allowed my hair to glide right through.  When I saw this I decided to try it the next time I detangled my hair in the shower.

My normal routine for detangling is to do it while my hair is soaking wet and saturated with Tresemme Naturals conditioner.  I usually begin by finger combing my hair first which helps me to remove a lot of the shed hair and tangles before moving onto a comb or my denman brush.  So when I tried the Jumbo Rake comb my hair was already free from any major tangles.  Still, I knew that I would be doing a roller set that night so I needed to make sure my hair was thoroughly detangled beforehand.


My twists
used the rake comb
to detangle


Once again, the comb performed beautifully.  I was really surprised because I didn’t expect for it to be any different from my wide tooth comb.  Somehow though having the teeth closer together toward the front and wider in back is what I think makes it a more effective tool for detangling.  It really is able to pick apart at the tangles but the hair glides through.  You’d have to try it to see what I mean.  As for me, I do think that I’ll be using this instead of my denman brush because it removed shed hairs but not so many to cause concern.

My Mom’s hair sectioned and detangled with
the rake comb

I even tried it a week later when I was straightening my mom’s hair.  She is transitioning to natural and has about two inches of new growth.  I applied Paul Mitchell’s The Conditioner and a heat protectant to each section of her hair and then detangled with the rake comb.  Her hair was only damp but the comb still did a pretty good job.

I give it a thumbs up and would recommend it to anyone looking for a good comb for detangling.

Twistout Using Curls Unleashed Curl Defining Creme

I normally do braidouts when I want stretched hair because I know I’ll get consistent results.  The same is not true when I do twistouts.  Sometimes when I take the twists down, my hair is fuzzy and puffy before I even leave the house.  Other times I have trouble getting the twists to stay so the end result looks messy and not as defined as I would like.

This time I decided to use something to give the twists some hold and definition.  I reached for my Eco Styler gel (a staple) but thought maybe I should give the Curls Unleashed Curl Defining Creme a try.  The only other time that I used it was to do a wash n’ go style on wet hair.  I had really good results with it then but since I’ve been back to using my Eco gel I haven’t had much
use for it.

WATCH MY VIDEO ON HOW I DID A WASH N’ GO USING 


Small Grey Rods are great
for a spiral curl on the ends

For this twistout I started with clean hair.  First I applied my Paul Mitchell The Conditioner leave-in along with the Hollywood Beauty Olive Creme moisturizer.  I wanted to make sure that there was plenty of moisture under the Curls Unleashed product because I remember it having a firm hold.  I applied the Curl Defining Creme on top of the other two products and started doing two strand twists in medium size sections.  At the front I did flat twists on either side of my middle part and for my bangs.  Once all of the twists were done, I used small grey perm rods to spiral curl the ends.  I always use end papers for this step because I don’t want any of the ends to slip off of the rod while I’m sleeping.

When I woke early the next day, my hair was still damp so I decided to let it air dry completely rather than sit under the dryer.  The resulting twistout was so soft and defined I almost didn’t believe it.  The thing I liked most was that even after fluffing and styling my hair there wasn’t any frizz.  I like big hair and usually lose some definition when I separate and fluff.  I think I’m going to continue to
use this product when I want a nice twistout.  For now here are pics of my first try.

Curly Twistout results with a Satin Scarf for a headband
Before I separated the sections
After fluffing and separating