this post is well over due...it's now february '17, and i received these in april '16, but hear me out.
last summer i began wearing the not so knappy 24in clip-ins by KRS. i wanted to give sew-ins a rest since i have really dry hair and scalp, and decided to go with probably the best method for my hair at the time. this isn't my first time wearing clip-ins (see my youtube), so this time i knew exactly what i was looking for.
being a content creator on youtube, i run across so many beauty related videos. it's probably the best source when you want to review an item and see how it works in action. i specifically searched for clip-ins for african american hair texture. KRS is pretty much all that came up.

packaging:

surprisingly, when i received my package, it was basic. i was expecting some sort of cute packaging like bellami hair. you know, hair tied with a ribbon and placed in a satin drawstring bag. but no, this hair came in a long clear bag like pack hair with a letter attached to it, telling you how to care for the hair.

i mean, it's not the worst packaging in the world, but for the cost, they can do better. on the plus side, the hair came without any dents or tangles, and smelled good.

** about two months after ordering my hair, i see they have these new cute black drawstring bags that they ship the hair in **

pricing: 

oh. my. gosh. buying the 24in set is the most i have ever paid on hair. when i tell you it hurt to hit that paypal button, it hurt! it honestly took me a week just to decide if i really wanted to purchase them at $329. i searched and searched for coupons, but the only ones available at the time were for the other textures. but i went ahead and took the plunge after yelling at the computer screen that this better be the best damn hair ever, and that i better be able to dye, style and have these for at minimum 2 years. overall, after wearing them for a month, i can honestly say, they are overpriced, and here's why..

texture: 

when i reviewed posts on their instagram and even sponsored posts on youtube, what i found was that some of the photos and videos submitted were not the actual clip-ins. one women's hair on their instagram looked like freshly relaxed hair, and when i asked her how she got the not so knappy hair that straight, she told me the hair in the photo the company put on their instagram was another brand of bundle hair, but that she had a video of the clip-ins up on her channel.
and then some of the ladies actually had the hair installed in their videos and on their instagram, which then helped me out greatly on deciding what texture i should get.

when i do straighten the clip-ins, i blow dry the hair first, then use my remington flat iron between 400-450 degrees. your iron has to be between those ranges to get the hair as straight as possible. my clip-ins stay straight until i co-wash them. to add about the texture, the hair is very soft, lightweight and matches my hair color perfectly. i am surprised with how light the hair feels when installed, since it's 200g.
washing:
as of right now, i'm co-washing the hair. i just figure it'll be less stress on the hair that way. i am using organix conditioner, and plan to switch over to creme of nature's conditioner at some point (i read it works well w/KRS hair). i use a moisturizing conditioner so the hair can maintain it's luster and softness. the hair goes back to it's natural state after every wash and i let it air dry overnight, on a towel.
styling:
styling however has been a bit tricky. KRS claims their extensions can be curled, however i have had the worst luck. i have used curling irons, wands, flexi rods and flat irons and NONE OF THEM WORK. i even talked to a coworker who owns the same texture in a shorter length, and she claims they curled amazing! when i curl the hair with hot tools, the curls lasted about 10 minutes!! the only time curls have lasted about a day (see picture above), is when i curled my hair the night before using my flat iron at 450 degrees, then slepted in flexi rods overnight. i even went to KRS instagram asking what to do, and they just told me to not straighten the hair prior to curling. duh.
review process:

here we are 5 days into the new year, & i still feel the same way i did just a week ago in 2016. if i had to come up with two words to describe my 2016, it would be content & turbulence. content in the first half of 2016, then turbulence in the last half of 2016. 

in the beginning of the year, i launched my online store, was accepted into an amazing art school for my internship, my nephew was born, i wrapped up my last graduate class, had endless evenings spent poolside with friends, almost rekindled an old friendship with a jerk, applied for my first home & even had time to squeeze in a quick miami vacation for my friend's birthday. however, came august, all hell broke loose.

turbulence - in the sense of instability & disorder. it's like the universe came & knocked me off my high horse. never in my life have i been so humbled in such a short amount of time. it was like every time i turned around, something else would occur, which resulted in more stress. first it was my home buying process. as most of the stories we hear, it is never a smooth ride. to make a long story short, i went after a short sale property, & at the 11th hour, i found out almost half of the neighborhood is behind 2 months or more on their HOA fees. which for me meant one of two things: either i put down 20% or some of those people pay their HOA fees up to date. so, i backed out. i worked on that home for 4 months & some shit like that happened last minute. multiple obstacles got in my way with that house, so i took those all as signs. i'll try again next year. 

then i started internship in combination with a full-time & part-time job. i thought i would be able to go part-time at my full-time job to balance all three, but that did not go as planned. so i quit my new part-time job after 3 months cause it was making me sore, swollen & tired due to being on my feet for hours in the hospital. plus, the team i worked with wasn't of much support. it's sad cause i really wanted that additional experience. 

even with quitting my new job, i am still barely above water. i'm spending about 65 hours per week at work (w/mandatory overtime) & interning. luckily, i intern at a university that was out for a month and a half for the holidays! 

i can't forget that i have had the flu since mid december (still coughing & have a headache), & that i had a severe family emergency that really took my family by storm. i wasn't even interested in the holidays, in work or school. at times it was even hard to get me to hang with my friends. i just have't been motivated to do anything really between august & december. all i have been wanting to do is hit the reset button on life & rest.

overall, i am blessed that i was able to see another year. i am happy that i still came out with more highs than lows, & that everyone i care about is still here with me. i find myself reflecting more now than ever about life. here's what i plan to do moving forward:

self-care: i'm a huge advocate of self-care, & usually is really good at it, but fell off pretty bad towards the end of last year. i plan to first start with my inside. eating healthier, exercising more, decreasing my intake of alcohol & dining out, while increasing the amount of times i detox. & most importantly, going to the doctor & dentist regularly. on the outside i want to work on my skin & hair care routine & indulge in more bubble baths for relaxation & detoxing. 

practice patience: yeah. don't have much of it, but i do plan to really put effort into being more patient. it's difficult when you're a millennial who's use to instant gratification. at times, having to actually wait for something, makes me anxious, but being impatient causes me stress, & stress is something i don't need nor want. i'll just take it one step at a time.

take more breaks: this includes vacations (especially after internship), reading more books, walking during my lunch instead of being on my phone. taking 10 minute breaks a couple of times while at work, not running errands every off day, but actually resting or going to the spa.

do less talking: last year & probably the year before, i ran my mouth so much. this has resulted in good & bad reactions. either way, i need to sit back & let my actions do the talking. this will also keep me out of trouble. as a child, i was super shy - came college, that all changed. i really want to get back to being more of a listener. i find myself more at peace then.

invest & save: if it's one thing i really want this year, it's an increase in income. i'm talking more than i've ever made & saved. i have some ideas in mind on how to accomplish that. i plan to consult with some professionals about investing. 

figure out how, not what: lastly, we can all talk the talk, but can we walk the walk? it’s so easy to say what you want to do, but ask yourself how you’re going to do it. it’s so important to list the actionable steps in order to be able to do so. this year my two words are increase & execute. i’m great at planning, but often get lost in the details of execution. everything i do this year should lead me back to those two words in some way. the questions i’ll be asking myself this year are “will this allow you increase in some way?” & “is this helping you execute your goals?“

hello!

i'm kay, the author of ohheykay.

i thought i would introduce myself before diving into all of the awesomeness coming your way in the new year.

some of you might be familiar with me from my old blog, cmorekayeeshia or my youtube channel (which i'm also going to start back working on).

i started blogging back in 2011, after dealing with severe burn out at work. i wanted to do something fun for a change, and fell in love with blogging. fast forward to now, i am still having fun, but wanted a fresh start. i am getting back into the swing of things, and i want to touch on some new topics.
for a more indepth introduction, check out the about me sections.

if you have any questions, feel free to send me an email to shopkaybella(at)icloud.com or leave a comment down below.

check out my social media links (to your right) for current adventures & news.

i am so excited to have a fresh start! i have a few things in store for the new year!