Sunday 30 September 2012

Scarlett Rocourt of Wonder Curl



Please introduce Yourself!
I’m Scarlett Rocourt, creator of Wonder Curl products for natural hair, Haitian born Jersey girl and lover of pretty things.
How long have you been natural? Did you big chop or transition?
I began my natural hair journey back in 1998. I stopped relaxing for 6 months before doing the big chop. It was the first time my hair was so short and I loved it! After a few months, I began texturizing my hair because I didn’t know what else to do with it. I wasn’t happy with the texturizer and big  chopped a second time. I started blow-drying and flat ironing my hair. My hair became straight and thin from all the heat so I big chopped a third time in June 2006. This was my last big chop and I’ve only straightened my hair a handful of times.
Tell us about Wonder Curl.
Wonder Curl is a line of natural hair products created with the needs of our natural curly hair in mind. Our hair tends to be dryer and not always have defintion or shine. The products deliver definition, softness and shine without weighing the hair down or making it feel greasy. It was paramount that Wonder Curl products work with all textures, helping each individual to achieve their desired style with minimum effort and maximum results.
What inspired the name Wonder Curl?
I was brainstorming different names for a website and Wonder Curl sounded so much fun to me. After I bought the domain name, a friend of mine out of the blue called me a ‘wonder curl’ I knew at that point that it was the right name.
There are many product lines that claim to benefit “natural” or curly hair. What makes Wonder Curl different?
Wonder Curl products only uses ingredients that serves a purpose, whether it’s to strengthen the hair like Virgin Organic Coconut oil or nourish the hair like Neem oil. Since I use the products in my hair, I want my hair to not only look & feel great, but to also grow as strong as possible. The products are also versatile meaning you can use them to achieve any style you’re going for whether it’s a twist out or a wash-n-go and they work great for all textures.
What’s in the future for Wonder Curl?
Right now, Wonder Curl is available in 5 different countries and I’m looking to expand and make Wonder Curl even more accessible to curlies everywhere!
What advice do you have for transitioners, those who are curious about natural hair, or those having difficulty embracing their natural hair?
Using Wonder Curl products helps take the guess work out of what products to use because they all work well in any hair type. If you’re transitioning, the products will help you achieve the styles to keep your hair strong while maintaining a uniform look.
Where can people connect with you?
I’m everywhere!
instagram @wondercurl
facebook @wondercurl
facebook fan page @wondercurlcom
youtube @wondercurlcom
twitter @wondercurl
pinterest @wondercurl
www.wondercurl.com
And at Curls of Joy




Saturday 15 September 2012

How to Salvage Your Style: The Benefits of Dry Restyling


With the combination of my brassy and often dry-as the desert highlighted curls, as well as my daily walks to the metro in 90+ degree weather, there were many days this summer that my hair turned into an abundance of frizz and tangles long before I was ready to hop in the shower to restyle. Twisting, braiding, and creating cute and simple styles with the resulting braidouts and twistouts yielded some of my best hair days this summer! Whether you're returning to a busy work or school schedule, or just want to extend your style without re-wetting with winter just around the corner, here are some tips and benefits that dry restyling bring to the table.

1. Turn slowly wilting curls into a lovely set of elongated twists.
Around day 7 of my wash and go, or after a week old braidouts, instead of starting anew with the detangling process, I would dry twist my hair to not only get a few extra days out of my initial style, but to get get a slightly different look from ordinary twists. To achieve the longer, fluffier look of dry twists, some of these tips were incredibly beneficial:
  • Use small sections of hair to restyle. When dry restyling, it's important to remember that you may have several days of shed hair waiting to be unleashed  during your next detangling session, so being gentle is crucial. Work with small sections when twisting and gently remove any shed hair you may encounter. This will also ensure a smoother finish to your style.
  • Try to avoid products that are heavily water based and use creamy emollient products with a nice oil and moisture balance. I avoid spray leave ins and products with a watery consistency when dry restyling. For my curls, water plus dry hair equals frizzy, albeit moisturized curls. With products like Shea Moisture Curl and Style Milk, Curly Kinks Twist Whip, and Karen's Body Beautiful Sweet Ambrosia, I'm able to easily twist or braid my hair because the products provide slip, shine, and the perfect balance of moisture to my parched curls.
2. Turn lackluster products into styling dynamos when used on dry hair
Many products that have been lurking in my product stash that have just been blah at best on wet hair have completely wowed my when used on dry hair. My luck with the Karen's Body Beautiful completely changed when used on dry hair, not only is it a good way to use up product if you're an epic product junkie like myself, but dry styling is also a great way to find use for a product in a way you had not imagined.

3. Dry styling is actually a great way to get a jumpstart on Detangling Day, also known in my house as my Half Day Hair Date complete with washing and deep conditioning. 
When going through those sections to restyle, I notice that removing the shed hair I encounter as I move along the restyling process significantly decreases my detangling time in the shower come wash day. I am also gently loosening tangles that may have formed in between washings, so I am essentially dry finger detangling my hair as I style. Anything that helps me lessen the time it takes to take care of my hair is a must have in my regimen!

And there you have it ladies! Dry detangling is a method I haven't really utilized in the past, but now with winter coming fast and hard, my grow-out the ill-advised highlights mission, and my 60 hour work week that i'll be experiencing until November, dry restuling is going to me a must have. The bonus days of prolonging detangling day, the ability to use up my lovely product stash, the low maintenance ease of the styles, and of course the beautifully fluffy and different look it gives my hair all make dry restyling an epic win in my fun experiments with my natural hair. Check out my YouTube channel Curlypad for fun natural hair chat, and here is a video with my hair in a twistout that resulted from dry styling!! Happy hair ladies!!!
     
Pics: From Frizzy dry frazzled third day hair (1), to happy moisturized twists done on dry hair (2) to a fluffy, soft twistout that prolonged a full fledged detangling session for 8 more days (3)!!