Facebook Live: Curly Nikki Answers Hair Questions About Pudding, Products, Twist-Outs and More!

Did you catch our live chat today with Nikki Walton, a leading natural hair blogger, founder of CurlyNikki and author of the new book ‘Better Than Good Hair? If not, it’s okay. We highlighted some of the best questions and answers below, which addressed everything from curly pudding to product recommendations. Be sure to check into our Facebook page at 1pm EST next week to participate in the live chat about everything hair. In the meantime, click though to see the advice she doled out for our loyal Facebook fans.

LeRose :My daughter’s hair is thick and unruly. It’s not tangled (nappy) at the roots but it is very tangled at the ends. She is only 4 don’t wanna use anything too harsh. What to do?

CurlyNikki: Practice lots of protective styling, only allowing her hair to be down or rocked in puffs once a week, if that. Keep her hair in box braids, pig tails with the length twisted… styles that allow the hair strands to fortify each other (stronger in numbers)! Keep it moisturized (paying special attention to the ends) and be mindful of her edges, don’t twist or braid too tight! Hth!

Oneida: My hair is on the thin side and most long term protective styles look scalpy and unattractive. Are twist outs a good option to retain length?

CurlyNikki: I have thin hair too. I rely on twist-outs, roller sets and other ‘low mani’ styles to help me retain length since you don’t have to re-style very often. Although your ends aren’t protected and tucked away like in traditional protective styles, manipulation is reduced. Keep those ends moisturized and lubricated though!

Nakeisha: I cannot find a product that will hold my edges. I tried a wax stick and that works for a little bit but everything else is just too moist and bring my curls back.

CurlyNikki: A trick that works for me and many of my readers is a scarf! I apply a little shea butter to my edges and tie on a scarf… for 15 minutes, an hour… overnight… whichever, and it helps your hair to lay! Give it a try!

Margaret: Do you recommend “puddings” for lasting curls?

CurlyNikki: I’m more of a curl cream girl… puddings take FOREVER to dry! Some folks swear by them though. Which one are you using?

Margaret: I am going to experiment today…which one do you recommend in cream and pudding?

CurlyNikki: For something you can get on the ground, today, you can try one of SheaMoisture’s curl creams (the Hibiscus smoothie is a popular one), CURLS has a few creams you can get at Target. Of all the ground curl creams, I guess I’d have to say SheaMoisture would be a fave ,especially for my daughter. For online stores, my fav hands down would be Curl Junkie Coffee Coco curl cream and it doesn’t take forever to dry like some creams do!

Tanya:  Can you recommend a product for babies hair that won’t change the texture yet maintain it?

CurlyNikki: I try to use organic products on my baby because her skin is sensitive. However, even some ‘organic’ products will cause her to break out. The CaraB, Qhemet, Blended Beauty, SheaMoisture and MopTop Fuzzy Duck lines are all great. If I had to pick a favorite right now, I’d say the Qhemet Moringa Tree Conditioning Ghee is a great detangler and conditioner for my daughter. I primarily use it on her dry hair to keep her box braids fresh and popping.

Tanya: What products do use on your natural hair? (Shampoo, conditioner, etc…)

CurlyNikki: Since I’m a product junkie my staples are always in flux. Right now, in my shower is a bottle of Herbal Essence’s Hello Hydration conditioner (for conditioning and detangling), Mizani Supreme Oil Shampoo (it was gifted and I really like it), and a mostly used bottle of Aubrey Organics GPB (my fav light protein conditioner… great balance of protein and moisture). If I’m doing a wash and go, I use either Curl Junkie’s Coffee Coco Curl Cream or a conditioner from the shower. If I’m doing a dry twist-n-curl like I’m currently rocking, I use a light oil (Monongo Oil cause it also has anti heat properties) and Qhemet’s Moringa Tree Conditioning Ghee

Marie: I wonder if natural hair bloggers feel a pressure to do their hair a certain way because they have chosen this career path.

CurlyNikki: Sometimes I feel the need to switch it up, but not because I’m a blogger… because I’m a ‘girly girl’. But my readers will tell you that I stick to the tried and true. What works for my site, curlynikki.com is that it’s a social space for me to tell folks a little about my life, my hair, my fashion and travel journeys and for other women to share theirs as well. So even if I’m not experimenting with new styles and products, other readers and bloggers, with different hair lengths and textures can share their adventures and everyone wins.

Jacintha: How do you protect a hair line please & what is the right way to place a hair net?

CurlyNikki: To protect your hair line, please avoid styles that require you to pull the hair taught… don’t twist, braid, bun or pony tail tightly. Also, at night, sleep on a satin pillow case and if you choose to wear a satin bonnet, make sure the elastic is further down on your forehead, not riding and rubbing your edges.

Candice: I have 2 different textures.. my occipital bone area has the most coarse part. all the other hair grows long but that area seems not to. it won’t hold 2 strand twist or a press what should i do?

CurlyNikki: Like me and the majority of the natural hair community, you have different textures… the different sections of my hair have different temperaments. My hair in the front grows fast and shrinks very little while the hair in the back grows slow and shrinks a TON. To work with what I’ve got, I had my stylist hook me up with a graduated bob. Maybe you can do the same? lol, if not and it is truly a concern, make sure your hair isn’t breaking off in that area. If it is, assess your regimen and make the appropriate changes. If it’s a matter of textures (that area doesn’t show length as well as others), you could use heavier products there like gels to hold the style. Hope that helps!

Lisa: What is the best “real” Shea butter product for natural hair? I try to use products with natural oils and ingredients.

CurlyNikki: You could opt for pure shea butter and skip all the additives. Check out butters-n-bars– http://www.butters-n-bars.com/

Sharon:  Newly natural and looking for a good leave in conditioner.

CurlyNikki: I like Curl Junkie’s Smoothing Lotion, Shea Moisture’s Hibiscus Milk (and it’s easy to get at Walgreens or Target), and a lot of folks like Giovanni Direct Leave-in (although it’s not moisturizing enough for me). That’s a just a few but it’ll give you somewhere to start!

Taneise: My friends hair is fully natural but it doesn’t hold a two strand twist. It basically has a light twist (almost straight) what can she do to get it to curl?

CurlyNikki: If her hair doesn’t curl naturally and is too soft to hold a curl, you may need to look to other styling options. You can’t create natural curls where they don’t exist. You always have the option to do a skinny flexi-rod set or straw set on wet hair. If you want to try to bring out the natural pattern she does have, a product like AG Re-Coil (curlmart.com) may help… I’ve read great things about it for looser wave curlies.

Jazmyn: Is a leave in conditioner necessary?? I use Cantu Shea Butter and I seal it with oil, but find it leaves my hair dryyyyyyyyy. Any suggestions?

CurlyNikki: For most naturals, a leave-in is a must. If Cantu is leaving you dry (it did that to me as well), try some new products! Above in response to a few others, I listed some popular leave-in conditioners, You definitely want to use something after your wash and condition to moisturize and protect your strands. After that, apply an oil to seal in the goodness!

Alicisa: I wear a twist out style. Should I re-twist every night or can I skip a night?

CurlyNikki: I would recommend trying to find a way to AVOID re-twisting every single night. The manipulation and friction may cause premature wear and tear and splits and breakage on your ends. If you can, try sleeping with your hair in a satin bonnet or scarf, sleeping on a satin pillow case, or pineappling. I have more details here– http://www.curlynikki.com/2012/12/back-to-pineappling-my-nighttime-regimen.html