When Ray Charles sang, “You know the nighttime (night and day) is the right time (night and day) to be (night and day) with the one you love” I am sure that he didn’t have The Huxtables… or my Double Lined Charmeuse Satin Bonnet by EboniCurls in mind. But, what I love right now (almost as much as I loved The Cosby’s in the 80’s) is how this bonnet has changed my Curly-life.
My nighttime hair regimen is as integral to the health of my hair as my daytime no-pooing, conditioning, detangling, hennaing, so my hair can grow regimen. However finding something to protect my hair from my curly-drying cotton sheets hasn’t been easy…
(Re)Introducing… The Scarf The scarf I depended upon to protect my hair always had a way of slipping, sliding, and disappearing in my sheets in the night which led to an all night cat and mouse game of Slide-And-Go-Get-It. No bueno.
Presenting… The Satin Pillowcase I purchased satin pillowcases as a remedy to the runaway scarf however my head (and thus my curls) inevitably ended up on the cotton fitted sheet by morning. Boooooo!
Maybe You Should Try… A Full Satin Sheet Set Ummmmm… NO! Move along!
What About A Satin Bonnet… I searched high and low for a satin bonnet that felt soft to the touch like true (ball gown, wedding dress, REAL) satin. What I found were “satin” bonnets that weirded me out with their cotton elastic bands and outlandish claims that they were infused with a magic potion that would make my hair grow… Seriously… Com’on Son!
What About A REAL Satin Bonnet… During one of my random YouTube sessions (you know those sessions when you watch one video, then click the next suggested video, and the next, and the next, until you can’t remember what you were looking for in the first place?), I stumbled upon a video posted by MahoganyCurls. In her hand she held a bonnet that was made by EboniCurls… The bonnet was hot (as in HAUTE) pink, large, and absolutely adorable... (insert light bulb here). I had to have one…
I looked for EboniCurls and found the Etsy store where she exclusively sells her bonnets (which she has coined “Ebonetts”)… EUREKA! Well, almost Eureka! The store was completely sold out. Looking through the sold items in the store I salivated much like a small child looking at a doggie in the window… I was so close, yet so far. And I wanted one… BAD! I Etsy-mailed EboniCurls and asked her how I could get my hands on an Ebonnet. Her response was something along the lines of: I restocked my store on the 1st and they’ve sold out once again. I am currently working to fulfill orders placed on the 1st and I will be restocking my store on the 1st of next month.
I looked at the calendar to see what the date was and to my surprise it was only the 2nd of the month… (What?!) Now I really had to have one of these bonnets. I started following EboniCurls on Facebook and Twitter so I remained in the loop. As soon as I saw that the store was restocked on the 1st I went straight for the design I had stalked the entire month before (Peacock Dreams) when I encountered a problem… A NEW DESIGN that I hadn't noticed before??? What to do? Ebonnets were selling out left and right… My indecisiveness was going to cost my curls another month of CSID (Cotton Sheet Induced Dryness). I finally pulled the trigger and went for the new design (Tail Feather Nights).
Approximately three weeks after placing my order a package arrived in the mail and inside was my Ebonnet accompanied by a hand written note to boot (I Abso-freakin-lutely LOVED the personal touch… AND she lives in the BAY… Should have known!)
That night I donned my Ebonnet and off to dreamland I went. When I awoke the next morning I realized that my days of playing Slide-And-Go-Get-It with my slip-and-slide scarf were over. The imbedded drawstring and elastic did a magnificent job of keeping my Ebonnet right where I had left it… on top of my head. When I removed the Ebonnet and began unbraiding my hair for my braid-out, I immediately noticed that my hair was softer than usual. The moisture from the conditioner I applied the evening before hadn’t gone running about my sheets in the night, rather it remained where it should be… in my curls. The Ebonnet was well worth its cost ($45 for the doubled lined style). I was hooked, line and sinker.
The Ebonnet is softer and thicker than any satin bonnet I’ve ever felt in the beauty supply store varieties. I recently asked EboniCurls why she began making her bonnets and she replied, “the bonnets sold in most beauty supply stores, Sally's, Walmart, or Target are marketed as satin but the material is mostly in the nylon family.” While nylon is probably much better than cotton when it comes to protecting our curls, it’s far from the best alternative. EboniCurls’ motives were personal, she mentioned that her curls “could never retain moisture, and [her] hair strands would stick through the holes and cause breakage.” And I don’t know a Curly in the world who doesn’t want to protect from moisture loss and breakage.
So, how was the EboniCurls store born? Initially, Ebonicurls made bonnets for people who contacted her after watching a DIY tutorial she had posted on YouTube. After making that HAUTE pink beauty for vlogger Mahogany Curls, EboniCurls began to give serious thought to opening a retail site. In May of 2012 EboniCurls took her Etsy store live and her Charmeuse Satin Ebonnets have been flying off the virtual-shelf ever since.
One might think that the creator of this enterprise would go to sleep wearing a different Ebonnet every night (perhaps I am projecting here). However, when I asked EboniCurls how many Ebonnets she had in her personal collection she surprised me by replying, “Honestly, I do not have an Ebonnet at this time. I've made three for myself in the past but each time someone will ask me for the one I’m wearing and I will give it away”. EboniCurls does have plans to right this selfless wrong in the near future as she is working on a one-of-a-kind Ebonnet for herself. “I've saved a piece of material from every Ebonnet I’ve made. I am in the process of sewing each piece together so when I’m done, I am going to have an Ebonnet collage of Retro, Damask, Peacock, Kitty, Eco, Paisley, Floral, Bubble Gum, Tail Feather, Zebra, etc.” I am sure there are quite a few of EboniCurls’ fans who hope that replicas of her E(Cou)ture Ebonnet makes it to the sales floor in the future. All in all the success EboniCurls has experienced in the past 5 months has not fallen upon her unnoticed: “It makes me feel honored and proud that someone wants something that I’ve made. God has truly blessed me this year.”
Well, I am PERSONALLY glad that EboniCurls’ blessing has been played forward in spades because my curls are happier than they’ve ever been since I purchased my Ebonnet. And as an added bonus, I am much more fashionable in bed these days (despite the popular belief of my male co-workers who suggested that I only wear “that thing” in bed... ALONE... Note to self, no more opening personal mail at work).
Now… You might be wondering how you can score a hand-made-to-order Ebonnet of your very own… Check the calendar... What is the date today??? EboniCurls will be stocking her Etsy store on November 1st… She keeps the exact stocking time a mystery so get your computers fired up, log on to her Etsy store here, place your mouse on the refresh button, and snag an Ebonnet before they are all gone… And if history is any indication… they will be… and FAST! Good Luck!
What do you use to protect your curls at night?
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