Happy Monday, Penny Darlings!

Preston and I are out on a SUPER fun photo shoot today! (and a very sweeeeeet one!) And there’s another two photoshoots set to go for this week, so hooray!

My book is IN progress! It’s going to be awesome and I am very excited about it!

Let me just end with the boring stuff so we can get to the goods! Ha! Check me out on Instagram here! I also have a selling Instagram page where I sell some of my old clothes/styles so that I don’t drown in my own wardrobe. I just listed a few new things – so check that out!

 

 

So today, I want to talk about something deeply important to me. This topic has affected my life so greatly that it has literally sent me into a panic attack.

My hair care products.

I wish I were being dramatic. But I did, for real, have a panic attack because I ran out of Plump for Joy by Not Your Mother’s hair gel.

I’m normal. I swear.

And it’s CURLY AF and FINE AF. And not only that, it’s NATURALLY CURLY AF. So I am always a hot (or humid) second away from a frizzy rats’ nest, flat curls, or getting a hair tie stuck it. Wind is my worst enemy. And don’t even get me started on the struggle that is detangling this mess. (Curly haired girls, amirite or amirite?)

I have been using Not Your Mother’s brand hair care products for at least the last eight years, RELIGIOUSLY. And literally every product they make, I love even more.

I wrote a piece about their new Curl Talk line that came out late last summer and it is a GAME CHANGER! But not only did I want to share the products I use, but how I attain these Shirley Temple curls!

Step One

Girl, wash your hair. I am a firm believer in ‘wash it only 2-3 times a week’ to keep it healthy! I use an extra moisturizing shampoo and a curl rich conditioner to help with the frizz! Everyone’s hair is different, so I recommend using whatever you need! There’s a shampoo or conditioner out there for you, I swear!

Make sure you rinse well, as I find even a SMIDGE of un-rinsed conditioner makes my curls go wonky immediately.

 

Step Two:

Dry it. This was a literal game changer in my adult life. Don’t blow dry it. Heat and wind are NOT great for curls. I can’t even find a diffuser to make it work. Tragic.

I started letting my hair air dry after a quick pat with a t-shirt. Yup. A t-shirt, not a towel! This is key! Those soft jersey tees are so much better for frizz and curl than a harsh towel! I started using an old tee for my hair in 11th grade and have never looked back!

Step Three:

Also controversial, I brush my hair. Some curly girls say they NEVER brush their hair, they can only use wide combs, or do nothing and hope for the best.

I brush the damp hair so my part is where I want it, there’s no tangles, and I have a more or less clean slate of curl!

Step Four:

Scrunch time!

I start with a dab of Not Your Mother’s Curl Cream from their Curl Talk line. I take a quarter size dollop, and work it into my damp hair from the bottom and scrunch toward the root. This a lightly scented, not too dense, and very effective curl creator.

Then I take NYM Beach Babe Spray and spritz a few spritzes up near the root. This helps give my VERY fine hair some texture and volume, and makes it so there’s weird crunchy curls (ya’ll know exactly what I mean)

Finally, I take a good scoop (scoop? dollop? whatever) or Curl Talk Mousse and separate and scrunch it in from the tips to the roots. This product was a GAME CHANGER in my life. I’ve been looking for this mousse my whole life. It makes my curls full and tight and it doesn’t give me the weird crunch. On busy days, I might just put a good amount in. It’s so perfect.

That’s all folks! Truly, I can be ready to rock in roll (with a little damp hair) in under thirty minutes, that’s how fool proof this curl care routine is!

I have used *mostly* every Not Your Mother’s product there is. I’ve used hairspray, texture spray, mousse, leave-in conditioner, volumizing powder, blonde treatment shampoo, detangler, literally everything. I am a true NYM addict.

I wanted to give a big shout out to my ‘honorable’ mentions products. These aren’t my every day curly hair, but I use them for different things!

Clean Freak Tapioca Dry Shampoo

I use this for *ahem* lazy days. Some days I just want to wear my hair in a messy bun and be a lazy bones. Clean Freak is the PERFECT dry shampoo. This is absolutely perfect for that! It helps my hair looking clean and full (and it smells AH-MAH-ZING).

Bonus: I also use this before bed after hitting a smoky bar or hanging out by a bonfire or in a restauraunt where someone orders something sizzling and then your hair smells like onions….thanks a lot JANET and your fajitas. This totally absorbs any weird odor and helps me be a clean freak!

 

Matcha Green Tea & Wild Apple Blossom Butter Masque

I use lots of hairspray and do all types of weird stuff to my hair. When I’m doing plays or have a special event, my hair is usually caked with hairspray and gel, or even because I (shhh) color my hair, it can get pretty dry and frizzed out.

Once a week (on like a Sunday night), I like to use this nutrient rich Matcha Green Tea & Wild Apple Blossom Butter Masque to help deep clean, deep condition, and add the essential nutrients back to the hair! It’s an easy way to treat yo’ self.

 

And ta-da, through all of these steps, I get my Shirley Temple-esque curls. Well this and a mix of genetics. So I guess it’s a mash up of Not Your Mother’s and actually my mother’s! Ha!

Double bonus: I can pick these up at CVS or Ulta, just around the corner, without breaking the bank!

I find my hair to be such a big part of my confidence and my femininity that I love to take care of it and find products I can stick with for a long time!

Seriously, switch out your hair towel for a tee and thank me later!

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*this post is sponsored by Not Your Mother’s Brand, however all thoughts and opinions are my own!*

SO HERE’S THE “END OF BLOG” SPIEL!

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Thank you for all that you do. You are truly extraordinary.

Love all you wonderful ladies (and gents!) out there!

How Very,

Abby