Tips for adding *bling* to natural/curly hair?

[Glib Gurl]

Hey Everyone -

As I transition (yep, it's official, I am transitioning ) I am noticing that my curlier/natural hair doesn't reflect light the same way my hair does when straight. (This phenomenon was confirmed in my reading of Thank God I'm Natural.)

So I'm wondering, besides keeping my hair well-conditioned/well-moisturized, what can I use/do to make my hair look shiny???

 

[Nonie]

@Glib Gurl, I think gels can help. I seem to think there's one with some glistening thingies in it. But in pursuit of something that isn't typical of your hair, you might find your hair getting hard or just not behaving right.

If it were up to me, I'd tell you to stop trying to get your hair to do something that isn't naturally what it's about. The sooner you embrace your hair and what it has to offer, the easier life with it will be. We do ourselves an injustice when we try to make our hair do what our relaxed hair did or what the hair of someone with a different texture from ours does. JMHO.

 

[Glib Gurl]

If it were up to me, I'd tell you to stop trying to get your hair to do something that isn't naturally what it's about. The sooner you embrace your hair and what it has to offer, the easier life with it will be. We do ourselves an injustice when we try to make our hair do what our relaxed hair did or what the hair of someone with a different texture from ours does. JMHO.

See, I think of it as testing the limits of what my hair can achieve But I hear what you're saying

 

[Nonie]

See, I think of it as testing the limits of what my hair can achieve But I hear what you're saying

The kinks in your hair are why it doesn't shine because light bouncing off is interrupted before it makes it back to the eyes of onlookers. The best you can do is use acidic products so that your hair's cuticles is closed. But otherwise you will get to see the most shine when you straighten it, because straight hair reflects light better.

 

[kandake]

Oils may help. But like Nonie said, the bling may not be possible for your hair. Unless you have a silkier texture.

 

[mzteaze]

Some people use products that coat the hair in search of shine. Clear rinses are one way. However, I agree with Nonie, curly/kinky/textured hair has far more twists and turns which make it more difficult for oils to travel from root to tip (as it does with straight). You can manually add oils in quanity at a risk of having greasy hair. I was able to do it with nightly applications of JBCO but the greasy/sticky hair wasn't worth it in the long run.

As the health of your hair improves, you will start to see it's own natural beauty without having to slath it with coating products.