Sleek and Sexy

Penny here!

Many of you know that I have been on a mission to find the best anti-frizz product for my naturally curly hair. It has been a little easier to fight the frizz when I wear my hair curly, but more of a challenge when I go for a straight, sleek style. The method of choice at the moment is blow drying followed by a flat iron. When I want body and a chance to curl my ends a little, I opt for the wet set followed by a flat iron to the roots and half way down each section. If I blow dry, my hair tends to stay straighter and not hold a curl, even if I use a curling iron. So every once in a while I spend hours and hours with the wet set process. *sigh*

Quite a few of Penny's Posse members gave up the 'creamy crack' (chemical relaxer) and have chosen to work with their 'natural' hair texture. Some are completely chemical free...and some are like Penny...hooked on the dye bottle. LOL! But many of us have the same challenges when dealing with hair that is not chemically straightened. When the weather is humid or we perspire, it is hard to keep our hair from getting 'poofy' (yes, that is a professional term). No one likes wearing a 'hair helmet'...you know...where your once straight hair now has roots that lift it off your head like a helmet. Yeah...not a sexy look. LOL! (read full story...)

There are a couple of products Penny recently tried and wanted to share with you: Sabino Lok & Blok  and Paul Mitchell's Super Skinny Serum  (Ulta, $10-$16, 5oz) . They both are supposed to fight humidity, cut blow drying time, lock in moisture, and make your hair smooth and sleek.

So far I have found Sabino Lok & Blok to be the better of the two (http://www.sabinohair.com/ or http://www.gotfrizz.com/). It can take a few tries to learn the right amount to use on your hair. The first time I used it my hair got straight with the blow dryer but I used too much serum and looked like I had the greasies. Since then I've found the right amount and my hair gets much straighter when blow drying than it did without the serum. It is best to start with less serum and gradually increase the amount after you see how it works. It is very concentrated so I use no more than a pump and a 1/2 (nickel & dime size amounts) on my hair. I do one pump first, rub the serum between my palms and then work it through my damp hair thoroughly. I then do a half of a pump and work that into the thickest parts of my hair. You have to be sure to work it from the roots to ends; then comb through with a wide tooth comb to distribute evenly. You want your hair to be damp so that the product locks in the moisture. The only other product I put on before the Lok & Blok is a little leave-in conditioner. Penny has used this for blow drying her hair straight but it can also be used when wearing an air-dry curly style to prevent frizzing. I like it for both, but have other products I use for curly styling.

The Paul Mitchell's Super Skinny Serum worked okay, but it didn't leave my hair smooth after blow drying. It seemed to cut the drying time down some though. I used the same amount of Skinny Serum as I do the Lok & Blok but my hair was just not as smooth. One of Penny's Posse members recommended it after I noticed how nice and smooth her hair was. It was also shiny and healthy looking. So I will give it another try and maybe use a little more product next time. As with all beauty products...it takes trial and error. 

To finish my straight look I still have to flat iron my hair. For best results I use CHI 44 Iron Guard Thermal Protection spray (@ most beauty supply stores, or Amazon.com, $12, 8oz). I love how this spray coats my hair and leaves it smooth and shiny. The smell is nice too! Its keeps my hair from drying out. Sometimes during the week I may have to touch up my edges with the flat iron, so thermal protection is key.

Be blessed. Be beautiful.

P