Chocolate Hair / Vanilla Care : Natural hair care for kids, adoption, and family life.

January 30, 2012

Head & Shoulders "Green Apple Hair Care" Review and $50 Visa Gift Card Giveaway

As many of you know, I've been using Head & Shoulders Eucalyptus Itchy Scalp Care since my review and giveaway back in November 2010 and have been pleased as punch with the results. In fact, I've been using it so consistently I was thrilled when I was asked to review Head & Shoulders Green Apple Hair Care, because I was just about running out of the Eucalyptus Itchy Scalp Care shampoo and conditioner!

Share the Hair: Pinned Buns

It's been a while since I've done a "Share the Hair"(see the bottom of this post if you are unfamiliar with this feature), mostly for lack of hair models. Thankfully, our neighbour K, who lives across the street, was turning 14 just this past week and was willing to have her hair done as part of her birthday celebration. So we put together a style based on one of Boo's most popular hair styles: The Side Flat Rope Twists with Pinned Buns.

Family Friday: Your Friendly Neighbourhood...Spider-girl?

Believe it or not, the day after Boo's 4-year-old Hello Kitty birthday party she asked that her next birthday party be Spider-man (yes, she's like her mother and plans ahead; like a whole year in advance!). Not that she was entirely over Hello Kitty, but she also has a love of super heros, not the least of whom is Spider-man. Although she's never seen the movie(s), she has seen the 1980's cartoon from my childhood (thanks Sean!). Since then she's been hooked.

New Movie: "In Our Heads About Hair" - Trailer

There's a documentary that will be screened at BAM's New Voices in Black Cinema film festival next month: In Our Heads About Hair, directed by Hemamset Angaza, "examines with candor and humor [of] Black women’s issues regarding hair and self-esteem, and advocates for the acceptance of all hairstyle choices."

Book Review: "Shield: Self-Care E-book"

Shield: A Framework of Self-Care for Foster and Adoptive Families, by Sharla Kostelyk, is a very short, to-the-point, how-to guide on taking care of yourself through the foster and adoptive process, such that you will be better equipped to care for your new child (or children). And boy do I wish that my adoption agency had passed out this e-book in its adoption literature binder.

All-Around Cornrows with Bangs

This style was inspired by my All-Around Flat Rope Twists, but modified a bit to use cornrows instead of rope twists, as well as having front braided bangs. I know I've mentioned this before, but cornrows don't do nearly as well on my daughter's hair as flat rope twists. I will likely be writing another post on why I believe this to be true for us, but suffice it to say that even though I did more rows with this halo style, they were immediately fuzzy, while our flat rope twists are not. That's okay. Fuzzies are a way of life in our household; they just come with the territory and we're all good.

Family Friday: Our New Family Addiction

Hi, I'm Rory, and I'm a craftaholic. *pauses for the obligatory "hi, Rory"* I'm not a scrapbooker or a teacher. However, after spending countless hours cutting out numerous Hello Kitty shapes for Boo's birthday party, I started researching the famous Cricut machine and devising a way I could get my hands on one without having to take out a 2nd on our house. Because why should I waste my time doing all the cutting when a machine could do it for me, right?

Celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. 2012 (VIDEO)

(Photo © Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

"History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people." - Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Today we celebrate MLK Jr. Day, and as my daughter is getting older we are working on ways to help her understand the importance of the holiday. Like with all other holidays (Memorial Day, Veteran's Day, Christmas, etc.) we try to do something special as a family to celebrate. This year, we've decided to start a new tradition, unique to this holiday.

Rounded Box Twist-Out

If you're keeping track, this is the third variation of our Rounded Box Twists that we put in two weeks ago. Since then, we have reworked this style into a Rounded Box Twists Up-Do, a Rounded Box Twist Bantu Knots, and now our Rounded Box Twist-Out. So that's a total of four styles all-together. It just goes to show that you can get quite a bit of style out of one simple set of parts and twists, that can last at least a couple of weeks!

Family Friday: Freshly Squeezed

My daughter could probably eat her weight in fruit. I'm kidding. Sort of. Back when we were DINKs (double income, no kids) it never dawned on us how much fresh fruits and veggies cost. Now that we're on a single income and have a child who eats both her fruits and veggies (and mine, and whatever is leftover of Daddy's) I very nearly hear change "ker-ching" with each swallow.

Rounded Box Twists Bantu Knots

If you're keeping track, this is style number two using the original Rounded Box Twists we've had in place. This style simply uses the same twists from the original style, forming Bantu Knots out of them.

Wordless Wednesday: Are You on Instagram?

Are you on Instagram? We are (user name "rorychvc")! Quite frequently I will post photos there that never make it to the blog (or Facebook page). I will also post "sneak peaks" of hairstyles we're working on, as well as our regular day-to-day life. Here is just a snippet of some of the photos that we've posted to Instagram recently....

Rounded Box Twists Up-Do

This style is and update from the Rounded Box Twists style I posted a few days ago. As you'll recall from that post, I made a point to do two strand rope twists, not regular twists, because I wanted to preserve as much of the length of the twists as possible. This style is the reason why.

Rounded Box Twists (Easy Style)

I love this style. It was quick, easy, and I will be reworking it throughout the week into different looks (stay tuned). If you're new to doing hair, this is a fun little style to try. You can both practice your two strand rope twists and your parting. And if your child's hair is long enough, you can do some fun stuff with it when you're done!

Family Friday: Rocket Launching (Ending the Year with a Bang)

Nothing like sending the New Year out with a bang. And that's just what Boo and Daddy did on New Year's Eve last week when they shared in Daddy's childhood love of launching rockets. Purchased from a local hobby shop the week before, Daddy and Boo worked on prepping them for launch day. The smallest rocket was Boo's, a purple snap-together (no glue needed) model. The middle rocket was a preassembled model with an orange nose. The largest rocket, however, was built by Daddy, dayglo green paint and all.

$50 Visa Gift Card Winner Announced!

A big congratulations go out to Kena F., our verified winner of the $50 Visa gift card from this Head & Shoulders review and giveaway, sponsored by BlogHer and Head and Shoulders. Many thanks to all of you who entered.

Bummed you didn't win this awesome prize? Don't be, there's going to be another one coming up soon, so stay tuned!

Product Review: Kinky-Curly Come Clean

We rarely use shampoo on Boo's hair these days. However, sometimes we need a good clarifying clean, something that our regular co-wash and/or apple cider vinegar rinse can't handle on their own. It's been a while since I've tried a new shampoo. However, since Kinky-Curly Come Clean is now available at my local Target (i.e., I didn't have to pay for shipping), I couldn't help picking up a bottle. Further, the timing couldn't have been better, especially since I had just removed Boo's yarn extensions. No matter how well we clean her scalp during her weeks/months of wearing them, there's always some build-up of dirt and grime where the yarn is anchored to the hair. So what better time to test out the new shampoo I had just purchased!