Everything She Wants

Nearly half of African-American women who go natural want versatility when it comes to hair styling options.  Thanks to Motions Straight Finish Heat Styled System , going from kinky-curly to straight without any chemicals just got a whole lot easier. The products are meant to be used with heat--either with a blow dryer or flat iron or a combo of both.  But after using the Straight Finish line, your hair's curl pattern will bounce back immediately after one wash. With a blend of natural oils and Keratin protein, the unique, smoothing, salon-tested formulas prep, protect and seal naturally curly hair, allowing for optimal straightening results. I haven't tried the system yet, but I grew up using Motions and I'll give it a whirl the next time I get a blow-out. Here's how the 3-step, bounce-back system works: Step 1: Straight Finish Cleanser ($6.99) includes a blend of Shea Butter, Soy Bean Oil and Keratin Protein to gently cleanse, soften and condition hair....

Winter can be harsh on your hair.  But African-American women with natural hair have an added challenge to keep our hair moisturized and protected from the elements. To find out what we can do to keep our hair healthy this holiday season and beyond, Everything She Wants stopped by SheaMoisture 's pop-up store at The Holiday Shops at Bryant Park (open through January 6, 2013). SheMoisture's pop-up shop at Bryant Park. We picked up a few fab and fragrant bath and body products like the new Olive and Green Tea line (on sale 3 for $25 or 3 soaps for $10), and chatted with natural hair guru Diane Bailey. Here are Bailey's tips for "winterizing" your natural tresses: Moisture is key. "Curly kinky hair thrives on moisture," says the Brooklyn hair stylist.  To keep your hair pliable and spongy, she says SheaMoisture has wonderful, interchangeable systems.  So you can layer different products. Bailey's picks : Use the  Raw Shea Butter Resto...

Everything She Wants  is on a mission to find the best natural hair care products that promote hair growth and thickening.  On this quest, we’ve tried effective moisturizing shampoos, conditioners and oils from  SheaMoisture ,  Nubian Heritage  and  Kinky Curly .  But one popular product we can’t recommend is  Virgin Hair Fertilizer . Although some women swear by the petroleum-based cream with herbal extracts and a strong minty smell, from our experience, the product’s tingling sensation didn’t signal hair growth.  Instead, it produced further scalp irritation.  One product we firmly endorse, however, is  Badger’s Argan Botanical Hair Oil For Dry & Damaged Hair ,  which   Everything She Wants  was gifted at a  Whole Body|Whole Foods Market  press event. We’ve used it for a couple weeks and have already noticed fuller hair forming in thinning spots around the temples and in the crown....

Everything She Wants is all about healthy hair, and we particularly encourage women of color to embrace their natural curls and coils.  So we enlisted a few natural hair care tips that promote hair growth from Natasha Gaspard, creator of Mane Moves TV and co-host of the web series, Make Me A Naturalista . Naturalista, Natasha Gaspard. "Hair grows naturally at a specific rate that differs from person to person based on genetics and other factors," explains Natasha.  "The best way to realize that growth is to preserve the hair as much as possible.  What you want to do is to make sure your hair doesn't break from the ends." Here are Natasha's tips on what you can do to give your natural strands a chance: 1. Don't over cleanse your hair. Natural hair is dry..that's a simple fact.  The more you wash it, the more you strip away the essential oils it needs to stay soft and pliable. I wash my hair every 3-4 weeks!  If there is a lot of ...

I'm so proud of my hair.  It's finally grown to a length where I feel comfortable wearing it out in double strand twists and a twist-out without the assistance of added hair.  Thanks to my new natural hair stylist who put in a luscious dark brown color by Clairol, trimmed and twists my hair every four to six weeks, my hair is glowing and growing. Me and my double-strand twists. But Everything She Wants also has to give major credit to the tried-and-true and new Kinky-Curly products I was gifted, which help me condition and re-twist my own hair in between appointments with newfound ease.  The products are made with all-natural, organic ingredients and formulated to add moisture and hold without drying out your hair. Here's the Kinky-Curly regimen that's worked wonders for me this summer: Wash with the sulfate-free shampoo, Come Clean , made with a blend of Mandarin Orange extract and Sea Kelp. Add Knot Today to wet hair as a leave-in conditioner.  Thi...

Remember back in the '90s when wearing box braids was all the rage? I sported a box-braided bob from 1993 until at least 1998, and probably wouldn't have stopped if my hair hadn't started thinning in the crown and around the edges.  Now all of a sudden, box braids are back, especially the long and thick style popularized by Janet Jackson in the 1993 flick, Poetic Justice .  The film was dreadful, but we all remember Janet's jinglin' baby braids. Janet Jackson's iconic braids in 1993's Poetic Justice . Solange Knowles wearing the retro braid style in 2012. Everything She Wants recently spotted a striking young woman and asked her about her Poetic Justice -reminiscent hairdo.  Her name is Adrienne Green (see last two photos) and she's been wearing long box braids for about four months.  Before adopting box braids as her signature summer look, the 22-year-old wore her own hair in double-strand twists. Photo by Tracy E. Hopkins Adrienn...

Recently, Everything She Wants shared my hair makeover at dana's loft HAIR .  During my visit, personable celebrity hair stylist Dana Gibbs also gave me a few winter hair care tips I'd like to share: Hair stylist Dana Gibbs. Use a moisturizing shampoo.  It's important to cleanse your scalp, but you don't have to get your hair squeaky clean anymore.  So you don't strip your hair of its essential oils, use a moisturizing shampoo. Keep it simple.  With so many products on the market, people get confused.  We use so much product, it starts to work against you.  Try Dana's Kera Plus line or stick with a regimen that works for you. Condition, condition, and condition.   Cowash (washing your hair with conditioner instead of shampoo) in between washes to keep your hair moisturized and sit under the dryer with a deep conditioner.  After styling, put in a leave-in conditioner. A silk scarf is your friend.  Sleep in a silk scarf and wea...