Get Right For the Summer!
Summertime, and and your hair roots are sweaty;
Scalp feels itchy, and your split ends are dry.
Your curls are knotted and your pockets are empty;
But hush, little bellas – don’t you cry
A little badly misappropriated music to kick off a new weekly feature, miladies!
I’ve lived all my life in climates that offer a kind of perpetual summer, and believe me, I’ve experienced and seen it all. The heat can damage your hair and burn your skin, and the humidity brings out the frizz and breakouts. Hot weather calls for a different kind of beauty regimen. Over the next few weeks, I’ll feature special summertime beauty reviews, giveaways, jams, and Ask Afrobella questions.
The heat in Trinidad feels like you’re baking, but at least there’s occasional breeze to keep the air moving. Here in Miami, summer’s a whole ‘nother story, and it’s about sweat, humidity, and hurricanes. You walk outside in the morning and it’s like you’ve entered a steam room — your hair wilts and your makeup instantly starts melting. Not a leaf stirrs in the trees. And depending on how hot it is and how much time I’ve spent outside, my hair turns a completely different texture. Knotty, gnarly, extra coarse, sweaty, and frizzled. It rains just about every day, which can break the heat, but just makes for a soggy, heavy feeling in the air. It’s hard to keep my curls looking fresh and springy with weather like that trying to battle my flyness.
Recently I was sent an amazing package of items from Elasta QP, and I must say, I was very pleasantly surprised. I always had the impression that these products were for women with relaxed or chemically treated hair. And while not all of the products worked well for my hair texture (the Intense Conditioner left my hair looking like a frizzy mop), some of them rocked my world. So far, two Elasta QP items are proving to be my summer salvation.
Allow me to introduce you to the DPR-11 Remoisturizer. It’s that heavy, super-thick, slather-it-on hair conditioner I’ve been craving. When I was at my busiest last week – driving the fam to and fro, going to work and meeting deadlines – I didn’t have the time to really take care of my hair the way I love to. Around this time a week ago, I hadn’t even passed a comb through my hair in over a week, and the undergrowth was almost impenetrable. Your girl was starting to look like Phil Spector, pre courtroom makeover. So I took a long, rejuvenating shower and slathered on some DPR-11 at the beginning, as a conditioner wash. It’s got a mild, pleasant, vaguely floral smell. After five minutes or so, I was able to easily comb through my curls (working from the bottom up, don’t forget), and restore my hair’s sanity. I haven’t had the downtime to sit under my old-fashioned steam cap with DPR-11, but I know it’d be great for lengthy deep conditioning treatments. It left my curls weighted down to perfection, soft, and springy.
My sister Petal has relaxed, colored hair, and she adores the Recovery Oil Moisturizer. “It’s definitely a cut above the other products I used to use, like that nasty Pink Oil. The Elasta QP is like on a good, salon level quality of product,” she said, after I called and woke her up this morning. (ha ha, love you Petal!)
My favorite, favorite Elasta QP product, and I’ve been using it daily for almost two weeks now so I can say this without hesitation — is the Mango Butter Moisturizer. Oh, it’s amazing. First of all, it smells like heaven. Like fruity perfume. I really, really dig the smell. I slick it on my hair when I’ve just come out of the shower, and it makes my curls so happy! If your summertime hair issues involve frizz, limp curls, or dry hair, this could be the product you’ve been looking for. It’s brilliant for wash-and-go natural hairstyles. Plus, did I mention that it smells like heaven? Oh yeah!
So all of this reviewing leads me to my biggest giveaway yet!
The good people at Elasta QP will be sending THREE of my lucky readers the amazing gift basket you see before you. It contains the following items:
Scalp Stimulating Shampoo 10 oz
Scalp Stimulating Conditioner 10 oz
Breakage Control Serum 6 oz
Mango Butter Moisturizer 4.6 oz
Design Foam 7.5 oz
Reflect 10 oz
Glaze 4 oz
DPR-11 16 oz
Recovery Oil Moisturizer Bonus 12 oz
Elasta QP for men Soft Hair .75 oz
Elasta QP for Men Glaze .4 oz foil package
Elasta QP for Men Wave + Styling Gel .75 oz foil package
QP logo Black Hat
QP logo V-neck T-shirt
QP logo Air Freshener
QP mini brochure
Altogether, the package is worth about $50! So you can try out all of their amazing products, hand some over to the afrofella in your life, and rock the hat for the days when you couldn’t reach for the Mango Butter Moisturizer (or are protecting your locks from the heat on the beach).
So how do you get in it to win it, you ask? In the comments, please tell me your biggest hot weather hair dilemma. At the end of the day on Monday, I’ll pick the three best questions to send over to Elasta QP’s hair experts, who will provide detailed answers next week. What are you waiting for? Get crackin’, bellas!
Category: Ask Afrobella, Hair
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Sites That Link to this Post
- Get Right For the Summer! — Consumer Health Products and Tips | June 14, 2007
- afrobella » Ich Don’t Think So | June 26, 2007
Where do we began? It all started the day I decided to lighten my hair. Just lil ol me tryin to experiment again. Bought a streaking kit and went to town. It looked nice, I actually took care of it for a few weeks. Then all of a sudden the excitement wore and the usual ponytail took over! Damage, split ends, and breakage is the only thing that came out of lightening my hair. My curly locks were naturally dark brown and had a beautiful bounce. I dont know if it is a coincidence but my product of choice happens to be the Elasta QP Feels Like Silk. This is the only thing that will control my curlies in the humidity. Until my true hair color grows back or I chop off the damaged hair, I wont have that beautiful bounce, sheen , and feel I had before. My biggest hot weather dilemma is needing to moisturize my situation moreso because of the streaking :/
I recommend the Feels Like Silk. For some reason if I dont use this and a cream based product (cant wait to try the Mango Butter, I was using Organic Olive Oil Cream), my hair dries up and will knot up! My true hair plus the product equals awesome curly Qs
To all those young girls be aware..color changes texture and that is a BIG hot weather dilemma
I’m a huge fan of this blog. I found it through Nappturality and read religiously.
I’m also a huge fan of summertime, but I hate what it means for my hair. I hate for my hair to be on my neck in the TN humidity and heat so I pull it up, I also swim, workout, lounge outside, and cycle on an almost daily basis. This means my hair is getting super damaged. I don’t know what to do to protect it from the pool chemicals, sweat, and sun that I know are so damaging. Outside of chopping it all off how can I deal with what is becoming my dry tanglely mess (once my gorgeous curly/nappy glory)?
a ps to my other comment: My scalp hates oil and I have a major dandruff issue so this problematizes the other issues even more…. Please Help Bella!
Well…(smiling), I’m locked with a super oily scalp. I wash my hair 3 times a month in the summer and get steam infusion treatments with peppermint. Since locking my hair the only problem I have year around is keeping my white office-mates from pulling, touching, and grabbing my hair. LOL!
Just want to say, love the poem!
I’m swimming every day at the pool. I’ve got natural hair, So, my hair gets EXTRA DRY. I do rinse with water and add Miss Jessie conditioner in it. (A product, I found out about on this website).
However, I’m a product JUNKIE. I’m always looking for something new! Do you have a product that can help my hair? A product that would be great to use after one goes to the pool? HELP! …. Remember, I’ve got natural hair NOT relaxed. So, I need a good moisturizer/conditioner.
My biggest hot-weather hair dilemma is actually two-fold:
1. I travel a lot, it seems more so in the summer months, and I go through extreme climate changes. Sometimes from the dry desert heat to the balmy, heavy swelter of the east coast, to the temperate but deceptively arid west coast. I’m even traveling this year to Kaua’i, the wettest place on earth (over 400†of rainfall a year!!!). Climate shifts wreaked havoc on my hair when I used to use the creamy crack. In DC, 100% humidity = Drop that curl like it’s hot! Cuz it would, usually in 2 minutes!!! Now that I’m a natural lady (did the BC in late August 2006), I fear that my hair care arsenal will not withstand the torture. I’m thinking I have to pile on the conditioner, which leads me to my other concern…
2. When I pile on the product, I have another dilemma: skin breakouts!!! In an effort to just tolerate my hair schizophrenia, I notice that product sits on my skin as it travels down in lovely glistening rivers of summer glow (a/k/a sweat). Like many other things in life, I’ve accepted that sweating is a part of being a woman. But summer for me invariably brings those sad little patches of adult acne on my temples and the nape of my neck. Ick.
OMG…where do I begin…my hair gets a MAJOR attitude problem in the summer!! I have a HUGE fro, thick and curly…and although I love my hair most of the time, we’ve almost had to part ways on a few occasions out of frustration of it getting tangled so easily. Its to the point where I don’t wash it as often as I should because it takes a good 2 hours or more just for me to comb it out (yep, I have that much hair). I get discouraged from styling it so most of the time I just throw a scarf around it and tie into a big puff. I know my scalp is thirsty as I don’t know what because it doesn’t see sun, water, or oil like it should (shame on me, I know). As for the curls…poor things…I normally put a moisturizer oil on it but its like my hair has multiple personalities…half of the curls respond and the other half just lies there…lifeless. I twist it every now and then (which takes an eternity) then do a twist out hoping that it will at least get me through a week or two…but even that is unsuccessful.
Even if I don’t win (although I seriously hope I do), could you do a blog (or point me in the direction) for afrobellas that have a massive amount of hair but is a little clueless when it comes to styling and nurturing the hair. My sister told me I have hair type “cantchadontcha”…meaning cantcha comb it, dontcha wanna.
Mz. Cleo,
Your hair sounds really amazing. Do you have a hair journal or something? I’d love to see your fro.
Btw, I’m going to have to start using cantchadontcha. haha!
My big summer dilemma is dryness. Yes, I do have a relaxer, but my hair is fairly normal till the weather gets hot. Then it gets super dry and loses all of its shine. Can I get some TLC from the Elasta QP?
I live in Texas. Our summers are notorious for the dry HEAT!! It is Very difficult for me to keep my hair moisturized. I have recently started working out and this has only added to my hair woes. My hair is colored and I now have developed a bald spot due to breakage. PLEASE HELP!! I need to win this package!!!
My biggest hair dilemma in the hot weather is dealing with the wonderful pasttime of summer: SWIMMING. I haven’t been swimming in a pool in 3+ years. Back in 2002, I cut my relaxed hair short and learned to swim. I was 26, and so proud of myself. One of most fun summers of my adult life. Unfortunately, since then, my hair has grown out and I’ve returned to hiding from the pool. The summertime makes me hate my relaxed hair and envy my natural sisters who no longer run from water.
And this summer is really rough. I’m transitioning! (Last relaxer – mid-February) That’s right, Bella, you folks have finally got me. So until I get my hair braided, these two textures upon my head are not coming withing 10 feet of any water that doesn’t involve suds and conditioner!
So pass those products on. They work for natural and relaxed? Well, I’ve got both!!
I live in So Cal and my challenge is protection and maintenance, over the summer my hair and scalp tends to burn (yes sun burnt hair !). I like wash and go styles, and in the heat my hair styles morph (sometimes good sometimes bad) as my hair transitions from wet to dry. I have been natural all my life and have yet to find a summer moisturizer that will maintain my styles while protecting my mane from the sun.
My biggest hot weather hair dilemma is frizz and shrinkage in high humidity. I just spent a week in Isla Vieques, Puerto Rico and the industrial strength humidity there just laughed at every hair product I threw at it — and I threw quite a few! The weather would let me have maybe an hour of good looking hair, then it would giggle and my hair would shrink and poof. In that weather, there is no moisture barrier strong enough to withstand the air’s humidity. What do you have to do to have a good hair day down there?
@ Cluziel (comment 2) I also used Elasta QP when my hair was relaxed. Back then I though they had the best relaxer on the market. From time to time I still by their oil sheen, I love the way it smells.
Bygbaby
I’ve been natural for a while but I can’t seem to find any products that leaves my hair soft and managable. Everyday I have to wet it just to be able to pick it. I’m excited to see this product can be used for natural hair I used to use it when I was relaxing my hair.
Help! I really do not know what I am doing. It has been more than 2 months since I’ve had a relaxer and now I am trying to decide if I want to keep the relaxer or jump ship and come over to the natural side. Right now I am stuck with a half afro/ half straight hairdo that is a full mess! (Don’t even mention the challenges that humidity add to it). I may not be able to decide what I want to do with my hair dilemma, but one thing I know is that I want HEALTHY hair. Can Elasta QP help me maintain healthy beautiful hair even in this in- between state?
Lordy somebody help me. I wear my hair natural during the summer months because of DC hot and humid weather. My main concern has been the smell of my hair after a day or two of washing it. It no longer smells fresh and then I want to wash my hair again but it just makes my poor scalp dry. Any suggestions?
Bella, it’s me again. I hope this doesn’t disqualify me. I noticed that you have products for guys!
I would love to give these to my teenage son. He take care of his hair and skin now and at times my items have been lifted because he has them.LOL. Good luck to everyone.
Bellas, Bellas, Bellas!
My biggest hot weather hair dilemma is developing (again) right now. I am desperately trying to let my relaxer grow out. I did fine all winter but now, with the weather temperature rising, so does the “Poof” in my hair. I find it very hard to hide the Poofs and it gets harder everyday. I am fine indoors and with hats,headbands, scarves, etc. but when it’s time to go to work, that all comes off. As soon as it’s time to head out to work (3p-11p phelbotomist) my roots start to do their thing, which would be fine if I did not have this straight stuff at the ends of it. I have not come to the point where I personally feel comfortable for the big chop yet so… off I go looking like I stuck my fingers in a socket. To top it off, my hair is so dry, it is breaking and I have patients handing me hair off of my uniform or strands that have fallen on them when I lean over them. : (
I went natural two years ago and have yet to find a leave in conditioner or serum that makes my hair easier to comb through/blow dry…I have tried conditioners, home made concoctions (banana, mayonaise, olive oil) and even baby oil to make the process easier and nothing is working….Bella, QP please help!!!
I’ve been using the mango butter moisturizer for about four years. And I love it! Some African American women in the south are some what closed minded when it comes to hair products. I’ve been trying to convert my friends and family members to Elasta QP. We all have permed hair and work in industrial jobs. My question is what product is best for permed hair when it’s time for a new perm and you just don’t have the time to go to the salon.
My biggest summertime dilemma is that this is my first summer with natural hair. So I don’t yet know if my hair has become damaged somehow or if the crazy dryness, and the stripped yet coated, tangly feeling of my hair strands is just a natural reaction to the weather change. My hair never did this when I was relaxed. Season to season was pretty much the same.
I went natural about a year and a half ago, and my hair is a summertime DISASTER!! This is the first time that I’ve tried to manage my fine, super-dry hair in its natural, kinky state. It dries hard and it doesn’t react well to several different products– I think it actually scoffs at them. I’ve tried to do different styles (braid-outs, twist outs, roller sets), but the dryness just makes it look like a mess. How can I moisturize my hair and lock it in, long term? And what can I use to make my styles look better?
May 25th was my 2 yr. mark and I have yet to find anything to work on my hair! Nothing that I’ve bought or tried to make seems to work. I am super tender-headed and it seems to have gotten worse the older I get. LOL If one more friend of family member ask me “why’d you do this to yourself?” or “how long are you gonna do this until you perm?” I’m gonna scream. I don’t know if it’s this hot, humid, Houston weather or if it’s just my hair, but I’m tired of looking like Miss Ceily’s hair stunt double!! Please help!!
My hair delimma is that I have naturally curly hair, when I wash it my friends say I look like Ice Cube when he had a jerry curl, when I let it air dry I look like a curly buckwheat. It always looks dry no matter what kind of moisturizer I put in it, and I’ve noticed recently I’ve had more dandruff the last few months than I’ve had my entire life.
Well, I know I’m not the only person here from Texas, but I’m sure I’m the only one in Midland..a.k.a. The Beginning of the Desert….
I started on my natural journey when I moved out here on Nov. 3, 2006. Since then, my hair has been giving me attitude. While I have 3c hair, the dry, hot, mositure-sucking air has left my natural hair extremely thirsty! My natural hair under the top layer is shiny and curly, but the outer layer and my edges are a dry, frizzy half-relaxed/have natural mess! My transitioning hairstyle right now is to slick my hair back into a curly ponytail (with the help of gel and a leave-in conditioner), but I’m thinking that is what is hurting my edges so much. I’ve tried olive oil cream with and without minderal oil, but it just leaves my hair either super greasy and tough or just dry… Any suggestions on moisturizing styling products?
Hi, I just went natural last summer… My dilemma is that I have eczema all over, so it causes not only my skin to be dry but also my scalp… I do have products to control the eczema on my skin, but not for my hair… My hair is extremely dry and brittle no matter what I try… I would like to know if you have ever dealt with anyone who has eczema and what can such a person do to get and keep their hair moisturized?
I just cut off my locs of 12 years last weekend. I an turning 40 soon and I wanted a change. After 12 years of not having to do much with my hair I had forgotten what my hair was like and now I don’t know what to do with my 4B hair that is now a short afro. I am overwhelmed with the all the products that are now out there and even more overwhelemed at the cost and I can’t justify to myself spending a lot of money on my hair. So not only do I not know how I am going to manage my hair this summer, I don’t know how I am going to manage my hair, except look crazy, tomorrow on my 40th birthday.
That Mango Butter Moisturizer DOES smell Oh-so-good!!!!!! It’s the best smelling hair product i’ve ever used!
ONe of my biggest problems regarding the summer is of course the heat! My question is: I have very light hair naturally (sandy brown), due to its color it retains heat, lightens my hair even more and of course dries it out. NOt only Does my hair color and its moisture factor change, it seems that there is just no definition left in my curl pattern. HOw do I retain moisture and retain the curl pattern in my hair?
My biggest problem is dryness, when my hair is wet, it’s thick and coily. Once it drys, it’s frizzy and extremely dry. I am trying to transistion to twist
styles or even rodding every now and then. Help!
My biggest summer hair dilmma? Keeping the sun from baking my scalp. I just about killed my hair ten years ago when the combination of sun and chlorine an entire summer bleached my hair and gave me the dry scalp and hair issues I still deal with today!
Well! Do I have a story for you. Let me start off by saying that I am currently suffering through that awkward time know as adolescence. Last year I decided to go natural. Since then I’ve been searching for the perfect products and rituals to ensure definition and moisture for my tight natural curls. Well, recently I thought that I had achieved this. After a shampoo, condition, deep conditioning, leave-in process that seemed to last all night, I was left with the natural curls of my dreams. What sucks is that the next day, the mercury was flowing high and the Toronto air was thick, humid, and smoggy. But I went to school anyways, anxious to show off my new coif. It was a nightmare! Since my school isn’t air conditioned, my hair went through hell! The whole day I could feel my divine curls transforming into a ball of frizz. I could feel the sweat dripping onto the back of my neck. By the time I got home, my beautiful do had become a terrible don’t. The constant sweating had stripped my hair of any of its original moisture! Crushed, I stepped into the shower for another swing at the perfect curls. Not by fondest memory, but hopefully a pretty good story!
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Hey Bella…
I went natural and did the “big chop” for the 3rd time back in 2005. My hair is thick (combo of tight curls and waves) and like so many other sistas, I am looking for the right products that will keep my hair moist so that I don’t have to keep my hair in braids all of the time. I love my natural hair and rocking my puffs but I am having a hard time finding products that will allow me to do so.
Can a sista not put her health to the side (not going to the gym because I don’t want my natural hair looking a hot mess) and rock my natural hair?
Please help!
I’ve had hot weather dilemmas for almost 30 years now. I have yet to figure out how to style and moisturize my hair in hot and humid climates. I’ve moved from FL to TX and now to CA. FL and TX summers were brutal on my hair because of the intense heat and humidity. By the end of the day, my hair is one big curly afro. I don’t know how the CA summer will be. I love to wear my hair in its natural state but sometimes want to straighten it just for a little change. I usually do that during winter because the weather is easier to deal with. How can I wear different styles in summer also?
I love Elasta QP Creme Conditioning Shampoo and H-Two Leave-In Conditioner. I don’t worry about humidity. I wear my have in two-strand twists. No worries there.
I love summer. The warm weather, summer clothes, and most important, my birthday
. But sadly, my hair doesn’t feel the same. It seems to like to double in size as soon as I step outside. Not only does it get bigger, it feels like hay. I use to try to combat the both issues by putting as much product as I could. I would come outside looking like I poured a whole can of crisco in my hair. I recently did the BC and have about 5-6 inches of hair so maintaining moisture and cutting the frizzies is crucial.
I started transitioning from relaxed hair to natural almost two years ago but have yet to figure out how to handle my hair in the summer. Last summer was the first time my hair was natural and I didn’t know how to control it. I would wash it every other day and wear it pulled back in a wet bun. I would also sleep in that hair style and the back of my hair broke off. So, I’ve learned from that experience but have not yet come up with a manageable way to maintain my hair in the summer. My hair is extremely dry and frizzy and thick. Is there anyway I could define the curls as well as control the volume without drying out my hair? For me controlling the volume is key, is there a way?
My biggest summer delimmas is that I can’t stop sweating. How can I keep my natural hair fresh and free of frizz during the humid summer weather. Which products can I use to tame the frizzies.
Dear Afrobellas,
My Hair Stats: I have 4b, fine stranded, but very densely packed coils, curls, and penspring spirals that are colored with a semipermanent and texlaxed to make my life easier. This constant double-processing forces me to pamper my head on a regular basis to keep damage at bay. So far so good – It has taken me six years of being natural to finally learn how to keep hair on my head and not the bathroom floor! Now, on to the next step of maintaining a healthy and beautiful curly fro that I can rock in a global corporate office environment as I grow professionally into a higher profile role! At 38 years old I am a late bloomer in many ways…
My biggest summer dilemma is working my curly fro in the humidity of the DC area combined with indoor dryness thanks to office air conditioning set to refrigerator levels. Although I’ve learned to accept shrinkage I am determined to conquer the frizzies and dryness. In the morning after spritzing, gel, and finger styling my wash’n’ go is on point. By the time I leave the office at the end of the day I am afraid to look in the mirror to see my nice curly fro transformed into a dry, straw-like, and frizzy ball of hair that is just crying for TLC!
I am afraid to count how much I have spent searching for my holy grail products. I want to minimize my products down a few fabulous brand lines rather than the smorgasboard of products that I put on my head right now. What’s a professional-minded lady to do! I believe this calls for Elasta QP to the rescue@! Help and thanks Afrobella for a wonderful blog !
Since I’m from the VI, summer has always been one of my favorite seasons. And since moving to the States, I’ve really learned to appreciate it when it’s single digits in mid January. However, suprisingly the summer is also the season in which I have the most problems with my hair. Although I regularly wash, condition, and mositurize, my hair still manages to be extremely dry, especially at the roots and the ends. I have random attacks of frizz and when I try to switch up from using cream moisturizers to say oils, I literally melt and end up with Crisco face. And to top that off my hair sheds more in the summer than it does in the winter!
While living on the coast of South Carolina, I can say I share the same hair woes. I’m also transitioning my type 4a hair in hopes of a new look and healthier hair for college(congrats class of 2007!) and I understand that the two textures of hair need more maintaining than usual, so I want to nurture my hair the correct way. My issue is that my hair is really thick but tends to frizz up in the humidity, and I’d like to be able to soften my roots as well. Although my hair is currently braided, I’d love to show it off with Elasta QP’s products and enjoy my summer. Hopefully I can create a regimen from the products and embark on my journey to healthy, soft, natural hair!