Liquidy yet creamy

If you remember, last week I was talking about the SoftSheen Carson moisturizer I purchased and how it was too liquidy for my hair. I was contemplating whipping it or something to thicken it up. Reason being, I'm broke so even when I get a product that doesn't give stellar results, I'll work with it and see how I can make it work with my hair. I have only purchased 2 products that I haven't used (because they had mineral oils) and even those, I gave away to people who wanted to use them.

Taking the advise of other naturals, I decided to whip the SSC with shea butter. I didn't want to use too much shea butter because I feel it doesn't act as a moisturizer for my hair, but a sealant. I melted the shea using the double boiler method (Or in my case, double cups. I use a microwave safe cup to heat up some water. I scoop shea into a disposable cup and set that inside of the heated water until shea is mostly melted). I poured both into an emptied and cleaned jar that once held Cholesterol deep condish. Since the mouth of that jar is really wide, I was able to blend them while in the jar. I have a hand mixer so just had to remove one of the blades to fit in the jar. I mixed for about 5 minutes and them put it in the freezer to help set it.

Initially I was disappointed. It was still pretty liquidy. I let it sit for a few days before using it and it thickened up a little bit. The consistency right now it okay but it's still not creamy enough for my personal preference. I'm thinking of whipping it again but I'm afraid to add more shea and end up with no moisture making it to my hair.

I've still got quite a bit of this stuff left though. I'm not sure what I'll do with it. Lessons learned from both moisturizers: 1. research before purchase to make sure it's not a protein since my hair doesn't like that stuff. 2. ONLY purchase cream moisturizers as the liquid forms aren't thick enough to work.

YTN...yep that's me!

I was checking out The Coil Review which is a great website for naturals. They relaunched several months ago and have a lot of really great articles.

This article in particular was UTTERLY FABULOUS! Not to knock the older women who have gone natural but being that I am 26, this article spoke to me. I'm officially calling myself a YTN now. I love the phrase and think it suits me.

Check it out and leave your thoughts here and there.

A little bit straight

On Sunday I was bored. Boredom usually leads me to doing something with my hair. I deep condished Saturday so I wasn't going to do that again. I was feeling a bit unsatisfied because my hair still is getting the proper amount of moisture. I'm not sure what's going on but I'm working on it.

I eventually decided to try and flat iron my hair. I had previously decided not to do so until I was one year natural. I'm 6 months right now. But I was bored and did it anyway. At first, it was coming out extremely frizzy and looked crazy. Then i realized that I wasn't using enough product. I added more and it came out better. I used the Palmer's hair milk and HCO. They worked great together for straightening my hair. My hair was silky and soft.

The first day it wasn't that great, it was rather frizzy. The 2nd day, I had to flat iton again as it got frizzy overnight. It got better the 2nd day. Not frizzy at all. I took picts from the 2nd day. I'm going to wash today and go back to my curls. I'm not really feeling the straight hair and I don't want to flat iron everyday.

Picture time!

A little off

This is a little bit off topic but....

Featured this month at The House of Blerotica is one of the latest stories I've written entitled Arousal.

Check it out and let me know what you think. Visit the "Contact Us" page to sign the guestbook, leave feedback or contact me via email.

Still in control

Okay, so I know this post is late but here is my review of the SoftSheen Carson Strengthening Oil Moisturizer from the Roots of Nature Collection.

What the bottle says: Strengthens and increases hair’s elasticity to eliminate breakage and help prevent split ends. Provides long-lasting moisturization and conditioning to repair damaged hair.

What the forums say: I wasn't able to find anything.

What I say: It smells just like the other moisturizer I was using from SoftSheen Carson. The smell doesn't bother me but it's not something I love. This moisturizer is not in the cream form like the ones I normally use. It's similiar to the hair milk from Palmer's but a little bit thicker. I don't think it's thick enough becuase I have to use quite a bit to give my hair the amount of moisture I need. Since the moisturizer is white, it makes my hair white and also doesn't mix well with pure shea. It made my hair really white but went away as my hair dried. It works okay but I think I'll stick with cream moisturizers, My hair seems to like them better.

Sidenote: I'm thinking about whipping this moisturizer to make it creamy. If it works, I'll let you know. Also, if you have suggestions or comments about trying this, please let me know.

Moisture Control

After a week of dealing with dry and rough hair, I finally made a trip to Walmart to purchase a much needed moisturizer. I bought two new products. Palmer's Coconut Oil Formula Replenishing Hair Milk and SoftSheen Carson Strengthening Oil Moisturizer from the Roots of Nature Collection. *both items purchased without prior research*

As for Palmer's, I gave that a try first. Actually, I looked on some hair care forums while I was sitting for an hour with a deep condish in my hair.
What the bottle says: Formulated with Pure Coconut Milk and Coconut Oil, Palmer's Coconut Oil Formula Hair Milk is a lightweight hair lotion that replenishes essential oils and adds incredible softness and shine.
What the forums say: Although some like, most do not because this product has protein. Protein is not something that most naturals need. Permed heads do need it as the chemicals in the relaxers weaken their hair. Naturals don't have to balance this out as much so protein overload is easily caused from even small amounts.
What I have to say: Okay, I love the smell because it smells just like the Cocoa Butter lotion that we've all used at one time or another. The smell was just as strong and long lasting as the lotion. I was smelling it for days until I washed my hair and I only applied it once. The consistency also reminded me of the Cocoa Butter lotion which I personally found to be a bit watery; not creamy enough. The protein was unfortunately too much for my hair. When it dried, my hair felt rough and wiry. Also, when I applied pure shea butter to my hair after the Hair Milk, they didn't mix well and left my hair white for a while. I'll just be using this as a backup if I run out of moisturizer and haven't been able to make it to the store. But once this runs out, I won't purchase again. (But I really love the smell and how long the smell lasted!)

I'll review SoftSheen Carson's product on my next post.

Freedom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay so I'm sure you guessed it: the Senegalese Twist are GONE!!!!!

I took them out Nov. 6th. Yes, I was supposed to wait another week but I couldn't. One, because they were getting on my nerves. Two, because one of my homegirls was having a birthday bash and I wanted to look cute.

My hair has grown a lot and looks a lot bigger. I'm happy about it looking bigger because I so want big hair. My hair felt really rough after taking out the weave and it was dirty. I shampooed but my hair was in serious need of detangling which prevented me from being able to shampoo thoroughly. I used HEHH to detangle which took a very long time due to the amount of shed hair that was just sitting in my hair. After detangling, I shampooed. While shampooing, I noticed I was still pulling out a lot of shed hair so I detangled with more condish. Once I was satisfied, I deep condish for an hour. After rinsing that, I shingled with HEHH.

That whole thing took a couple of hours. It's the longest I've ever had to spend on my hair. I realized after all of this though that I still hadn't gotten anything to moisturize my hair. I used HH Long Term Relationship condish as a moisturizer. I loved the way my hair smelled but it made my hair feel crunchy and like it was coated. What ever moisture it did supply didn't last long.

But a trip to Walmart should fix this problem.

Mixtress

I know I haven't done much lately but complain about these twist in my head. So I promise not to do that...for a few days. LOL! Actually, I really am not going to post anything about them until I write the words "they are finally out."

So I've been thinking about my role as a mixtress. I've tried a weak mixture with my shea butter. I was looking to make a combo of moisturizer and sealer. I ended up with just a sealer. I know this is because of the HCO. It's too heavy and I think I used a lot.

There are so many products I wasnt to incorporate into a mixture: mango butter (i'm dying to try this) JoJoab oil and Coconut oil being the top of my list. I also want some type of scent to add. Like...strawberry kiwi or something. But I realized something very important: I don't have the funds for that! It's rare that I come across extra money and although I love my hair, this would be an unnecessary purchase. I don't have to purchase these things.

I am in need of a moisturizer. That is a need, not a want. In the next couple of weeks, I'm going to scrap together some money and purchase some Aloe Vera gel so that I can make some Shealoe. I have never heard anyone say a harsh word about the mixture. I'm going to give it a try. And it won't break my pockets!

crazy....hair thoughts

I MISS MY HAIR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i'm only 2 weeks into having these Senegalese twist and I'm sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo over them. Actually, it's not even 2 weeks yet.

since this is clearly torture, I've told myself that I will not keep them in for longer than a month. They will be coming out 2 weeks before Thanksgiving. The weekend of November 14th to be exact. I think I can handle two more weeks of this.

i did this to protect my hair for the winter but this maybe the last time I ever get braids/twist with extensions. i'm way too interested in doing things to my own hair. experimenting with styles....co-washing a few times a week (my hair dearly misses this. it's all itchy and dirty because i can't really get it clean with these twist. i can't wash as often because with so much hair, it gets heavy and takes a long time to dry. now it actually is getting cold out and i don't want a head full of waist length wet hair when i go to work at night.)...and my hair needs another deep condish...and i know it's getting dried out from this weave all interlaced with it.

yes...i'm having a little pity party for my hair....yes, i'm completely tripping for no reason....yes, i probably should be wearing a straight jacket right about now for my irrational behavior. BUT after 4 months of getting to know the glorious hair that I have, putting it out of my reach was crazy. i never thought I could possibly miss my hair. BUT...i do.

T-shirt Method

"I got my t-shirt and my panties on..." That's the song I sing in my head when I think about the t-shirt method. Lol! I haven't done this before since my hair is in twa status but read about it and got a nice visual aid from the one and only MSatch. (For those who don't know, she has and awesome head of hair and she does the texlax method of straightening her hair. A rare method from what I've seen but it works awesomely for her. It I should ever go back to a perm, I would definitely texlax.)

Anywho, I washed my Senegalese twist on Saturday. Since they are almost waist length and I was having issues with my hair coming out of them, I wanted to be extremely careful when I dried them. While still in the shower, I bent over and flipped my hair over my head, towards my feet. I held the middle (like a ponytail) and then shook the ends to dispose of the excess water.

Now, I did the t-shirt method a bit differently because of the twist and the lengh. (Check out MSatch's description for a better way) I took a t-shirt that I "borrowed" from one of my best guy friends. I was too big for the neck to fit around my head so I stuck my head through one of the armholes. I wrapped the shirt around my twist then twisted that, again, making it into a type of ponytail. I took the the end and knotted it, to hold it together. I may not do the ends that way again as it was heavy and I could feel it pulling at my hair line. I ended up placing the knotted end on top of my head because it was so uncomfortable.

I only needed it on for about 10-15 minutes and my hair was over 60% dry. I took it off and rubbed shea butter on my scalp, following that up with castor oil.

I'll probably use the t-shirt method when my natural hair has grown out a bit. Mostly using it for when I'm going to style my hair though; ie, twist, twist out.

Tarnished gold or...

Saturday, I got the Senegalese twist done. I was very impressed because the stylist did them in 5 hours. He also didn't do them tightly so my scalp didn't feel like it was being ripped out. I was very pleased with those two things. Oh, and he did them to my lower back which is a great lenght with these type of twist.

That is where my pleasure in this experience ends. I was disappointed because although he works with natural hair, he used a fine tooth comb to detangle my dry curly hair. (I should have said something.) The finished look, although overall fab, was full of fuzzies. (Fuzzies meaning the hair that is usually trimmed or burned away at the end. I actually did a bit of trimming when I got home.) While irritating, I felt like I could deal with those things. Not that big of a deal.

But, this final issue...a very big deal. When I left the salon, I felt like my own hair was sticking out of the twist too much. I just felt that next time I do these twist, I need to blow dry my hair. I'm thinking it was probably because my hair was in it's natural curly state that this was causing and issue. As the week went on, more and more of my hair seemed to be sprouting from the twist. Yesterday morning, Saturday, I woke up because my head was itching very badly. I hadn't washed since last Friday. I watered down some poo and massaged it into my scalp. I shook the excess water from the ends and used the tshirt method to dry my hair. (I'll explain that in my next post.) When I removed the tshirt, it looked like the twist had been in for over a month, not a week. My hair was sticking out everywhere!

I was familiar with the basics of doing the twist so I carefully untwisted one. I examined the way he braided the hair into mine and then took it all the way out. I retwisted and then tackled the next one. (I'm using shea and ic fantasia gel to twist) I must say, I'm doing a pretty good job. My hair is looking better than it did last Saturday. Hardly any fuzzies at all! So although I'm upset that I paid for a style that should have lasted 3 months and barely lasted a week, I learned how to do Senegalese twist!

Silver lining people....silver lining.

Enter the Soapbox

Let me first say, I don't have anything against a woman with a perm. I may be one of the few naturals I know, but I had a perm for a long time and loved it. Second, let me say that I have nothing at all against weave. I had a sew-in for 3 months before my BC.

I have a friend who is a weave queen. She looks fab. The colors and cuts she picks compliment her skin tome and face shape very well. She doesn't wear them until the look messed up. Every few weeks she will purchase a new one. It is extremely rare that anyone sees her real hair. The few special occasions when she is not wearing a wig/hard wrap, she has some type of hair peice added. She feels her hair is healthier than most since she hardly does any manipulation. I have to say, her hair is thick. It would probably look healthier except the weave dries it out. She claims to be growing her hair to APL and then will stop wearing weave. (I say claim because she has been saying this for years and when it gets close, she cuts it in a bob. She does have a perm.)

I always felt she was insecure about her own hair but to each her own. If she wants to rock a wig everyday for the rest of her life, it's cool. Has no affect on me. Since I've gone natural, her insecurities about her hair seem to have mutiplied. Like seeing my hair in it's natural has made her realize her fears of her own hair. She made comments about having nightmares that her hair was short and nappy, causing her to wake up and touch the silky strands of her lace front for comfort. She's told me that my freshly washed hair smells like Jheri Curl. I haven't snapped on her for those comments because I see them for what they are: fear. Right after she makes those comments, she follows them up with statements on how she would go natural but she doesn't have "good hair" like I do. And she doesn't want to cut her hair. I tell her texture doesn't really matter. She'll never know what her's is like until she's natural. And I tell her she doesn't have to BC and that I'll help her through her transition is she honestly wants to try it one day.

The above is no big deal. Just converations we frequently have. What is making me mad is her revelations that she wants hair like a white girl. She has said to me twice in the past few weeks that white girls are lucky because they don't have hair like us. And asked why can't we be lucky like them and have hair like theirs. She feels their hair is better because they don't have to get it done all the time and they can just throw it up in a ponytail whenever they want. We have to get a comb and brush and stand in the mirror to put our hair up. She's upset that even with her weave, she can't achieve a quick pony because she has to make sure the tracks don't show. According to her, it's just not fair that they have better hair.

She's always trying to get me to agree with her on these statements. I keep telling her I don't agree because I love my coarse, thick, curly, nappy, sometimes unruly hair. I love that I can do so many different things. Most white women have the option of wearing their hair up or down. If they want a particular style, it takes hours at the salon, a lot more money than black women spend, and it only last one night. I can get a style for $35 that will last about 2 weeks.

Whether permed or natural, the last thing I envy is another race's hair. I like that I have options with my hair. While hair from anyone's head is unique and beautiful, I will not spend hundreds of dollars a month and never show my hair to emulate someone else's. It makes me angry and sad to see my friend so ashamed of her hair. I used to think the naturals who preached about self-hate in relation to hair were tripping, but I see that in some cases, it really does exists.

Moisture....or lack thereof

I'd been saying for a while that I would make a mixture with my shea butter. I made a mix but didn't say anything about it. Although I was feeling okay about the mix, I wanted to add som EO (essential oils) and other butters to it. I just never got around to doing it.

Currently the mixture is Shea, EVOO and Hollywood Castor Oil (it had a bunch of stuff that I can't pronounce mixed in it. I'm sure I won't be using it in the mix but I needed to add something and it was what I had. I have a lot because it's so heavy and thick, only a small amount is needed. I'm thinking I'll use it on my scalp this winter while I have the Senegalese twist in so I can try and get rid of it.)

Since I had the shea and HCO in the mix, I figured it would work as both moisturizer and sealer like pure shea does for me. WRONG! It wasn't doing any type of moisturizer, just coating my hair. My hair has been dry and rough for weeks and I couldn't figure out why. At first, it was feeling this way and the suddenly...dryness. I talked to MSatch and tossed around ideas like maybe it was because of my monthly cycle (she laughed at me) and that I wasn't drinking enough water and eating properly.

A few days later, I realized the problem. I had stopped using my beloved NHCP because I'd run out and the store I get it from was out of stock also. So I was just using the mix hoping it would tackle both moisture and sealant jobs. It totally wasn't cutting it. My hair would feel soft the day of a cowash but after that, dry and rough.

Now that I see the issue, I have started using pure shea to moisturize and the mix to seal. I'm thinking it the HCO that is preventing the shea from penetrating and moisturizing my hair. That's a big reason why I will not use it again when I make a mix. Since my hair is going to be gone for the winter, I won't be able to experiment with this issue til spring. I'll probably purchase some EOs and mango butter this winter so I'll be prepared though. (oh, and I am drinking more water. have to start with the inside and work my way out!)

Shake it out

The one style every natural is familiar with is the was n go. I learned of a variation a while back called the shake n go. I've read of it by another name but cannot remember. I'd tried it before but didn't notice a difference.

On Tuesday, I was in the shower detangling a four day old twist out (yes, four days! I was very happy about that.) I detangled and then added a little more of my beloved HEHH and raked it through my hair (it's called the shingling method. just means you apply tons of condish and rake your fingers through you hair. I used to be so confused because people descriptions of it seem so confusing. But I love raking condish through because it really helps with curl definition). I was standing under the water, rinsing away some of the condish and I shook my head. My hair felt really heavy under the running wate. I touched my hair and the curls were so tight and wonderful. I continued to shake under the water for a minute. I turned off the water and shook out at much of the excess water as I could. I did use a towel to blot my hair a very very small amount. I didn't want to rub it across the curls and ruin them but I detest water dripping down my face and neck while I'm trying to dry off.

The shake and go was above awesomeness. The curls were so tight and beautiful. I already have a hard time keeping my hands out of my hair but it was soooo bad that day. I'll definitely be repeating this method with every shake/wash n go that I do.

The successes with my hair these past couple of weeks has made me fall back in love with my hair. Now that I'm attempting styles that my hair is ready to do, I'm not feeling so impatient an irritated. The only bad thing is, my renewed love affair will be ending this weekend. I made an appt to get Senegalese twist on Saturday. (appt made while I was still mad) So this natural is going into winter protective mode. I'll miss my hair but look forward to all the new growth that will await me come spring. I'm hoping that with more hair and the knowledge I've gained of my hair these four short months, that I will have more exciting styles for this upcoming spring. I'm also hoping that with over 16 months worth of hair growth, that this time next year, I won't have to get twist with extension to do protective styles. I should be able to do protective styles with my own hair. Normally, I love winter but I can hardly wait for next spring!

Love...hate...LOVE

I haven't written anything in a long time. It actually feels weird that I haven't. So...my last couple of posts were about the fight I was having with my hair. I wanted something different. I wanted my hair to be pinned up or something that looked different than the wash n gos I'd been doing. I was over it. When it wouldn't (because I'm too impatient to wait for it to grow), I got upset with it. I was even tempted to scrap some funds together to purchase a really good flat iron to straighten it out. (This being bad because I promised myself no heat until at least next spring. Maybe even longer.)

Once I got over the fact that my hair isn't ready for all that, I got realistic. I tried to create another flat twist design but that didn't work. It was really hard. I started looking at my fav blogs and photo galleries of the natural hair groups on Facebook. I came across a tutorial I'd seen before on flat twist with bantu knotted ends. I got up and tried it. It came out ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS!!!!!!!!!! I was so happy because my hair did something I wanted it to do. I loved it! (of course i forgot to take picture.) I retwisted a few times because I took them loose while one side was still damp. That lasted a week.

After I wore a wash n go for one day, I flat twisted again. This time I did more twist, trying to get more definition. And I used HE Long Term Relationship conditioner as a moisturizer (I'm having moisture issues which I'll talk about later.) and a small amount of Shea butter and IC Fantasia gel. I loved the definition, however, doing them smaller meant more parts to cover. That was an issue considering my hair is short. Plus, more twist meant more knots which is cool but again, with short hair, it made for a wierd shape that I couldn't fix. I was doing too much manipulation and making my twistout frizzy. So I pulled it back with a headband. Above awesomeness. It looked great. I wore if for 4 days and it looked better with each day. I have learned that humidity from the shower helps make my twist outs better. Here's a pict from day three:

Still making mistakes

For the past week and half, my hair has been unhappy, which has made me unhappy. I noticed for the past week, my hair has been feeling really rough and is drying more than usual. I think I've said before that although my hair tends to be really soft, it dries out very quickly. Using moisturizer on a daily basis is generally the key to keeping my coils happy. (some times I can skip a day but that depends on how heavily I moisturize the day before.) My hair had gotten to the point where the only time it felt moisturized was the day I cowashed.

Today, I opened the closet in my bathroom and realized that I hadn't deep conditioned my air in weeks! Obviously the cause of my issue. So I did a deep condish today and will do so again in another day or so. Trying to remember to do this stuff on a regular basis can get hard some times but my hair won't let me forget. Hopefully by this time next week, I will have fully rehydrated hair.

Just to be a little different

As I said yesterday, I've been going through quite a bit with my hair. I want it to be stylable but....sigh.

Yesterday I decided to give myself a frohawk since I hadn't worn one in a few weeks. So I went to twisting away...and when I finished one side...I was unimpressed. It was just the beginning of the same old frohawk.

Then I remember a picture a friend showed me of this awesome design that was once cornrowed into his hair. I couldn't recreate but it inspired me to try a mini design with my flat twist.

Picture time!

Do I really love my hair?

"I'm going to miss my hair but i'm so ready for senegalese twist. I'm so over trying to style this short ass fro!!!! "

That is a direct quote from an email I sent MSatch today. And yes, I meant every word. I'm over it right now. I keep recycling the same hairstyles but I want something different. I spent an hour trying to style my hair yesterday. What happened? Nothing came out right, my hair wouldn't stay in the styles, I had to cowash just before walking out the door to look presentable.

I was thinking about waiting until the end of October to get Senegales twist but looks like it may be sooner.

A while back, I was internet surfing and came across the article Stages of Love. It's about the stages of "hair love." At the time, I was in the honeymoon phase. It was probably only a month after my bc. But now, just fouth months in, I'm somewhere between stages 2 & 3. I'm not considering going back to a relaxer and I'm not upset about my curl pattern. I'm just disappointed in it for not doing what I need it to do. And not being able to do more with it. People constantly say natural hair is the most versatile but I'm not seeing that right now.

Shower caps, combs and other randomness

I've been working on not wetting my hair everyday. So today, I'm getting ready to get in the shower and I look over at the shower cap that I use when I do deep condish. I look at it and debate whether or not I should put it on. I mean, I'm not wetting my hair. But then I decided not to put it on. I'd just let the steam from the shower refresh my curls. I'll probably only use a shower cap for condish. Wonder if other natualistas use shower caps in the shower.

I was in the shower and looked over at a wide tooth comb. It has been sitting in the same spot for a month and a half. I haven't touched it since I decided to finger detangle and use more HEHH (which btw I love b/c it enhances my curls). It's the only place in the house that actually has a comb and it's just sitting there all lonely. Maybe I'll use it again when my hair gets longer.

Almost wondering why I still have an umbrella. The only time it's come out of the truck since my bc was when permed friends have asked to use it.

Speaking of my lovely permies, they all ask me the same question: "How do you deal with nappy edges." I've read a few blogs where the women are always devising ways to get their edges to lay flat. They use gels, shea butter, head wraps and a multitude of other things. One of my friends who has no understanding of natural hair is always telling me to use brown gel or that Jam crap to lay my "baby hair" down. (I truly hate the term baby hair, we are adults!) I actually don't think about my edges. They blend with the rest of my hair. Nappy and curly. I do use gel for certain styles but for the most part, I don't even think about making my edges lay down.

Okay, think I'm done with randomness.

Length and stuff

I figured out part of the reason why it's hard for me to have 2 day hair. It's the length and possible texture in the nape, ear and temple area. These are the parts of my hair that are less culry than the rest. The rest of my hair is either very wavy or tightly coiled spirally type things. The nape/ear/temple has very loose and frizzy curls. My hair appears longer and thicker in those areas than the rest of my hair. So I tend to want to wet it everyday to make it shrink and not look so long compared to the rest.

Wonder if there is any way to fix this. Suggestions?

2 day hair

Everyone is always talking about how to make their styles last. From the wash n go to the twist out, everyone wants 1, 2, 3, 4 or even 5 day hair. I have to admit, when I did my twist out, I wanted it to last for a week. After all the work I did to acheive the look, I wanted it to last.

But there are two things keeping me from having lasting styles

1. my slight case of OCD. I have always been a perfectionist when it comes to my hair. Not a strand out of place, not a fuzzy curl, not a slightly tilted head band...none of that. I like fresh hair. the only time I was able to handle less then perfect hair was when I would crimp my permed hair and pin it up for that messy updo type of look. But even then, each strand was specifically selected to be imperfect. My hair is too short for a messy updo so the moment my twist out looked imperfect, I was retwisting to get the day one look.

2. HIHS (hand in hair syndrome) I did a really great wash n go yesterday. My curls were well defined, hair perfectly moisturized, thou maybe a little too much (will explain later). I should have been able to removed my bonnet, fluff and go. But alas, I keep playing with the curls. Twist, pulling, seperating and now my perfect wash n go looks crazy. I can probably make it work w/o a cowash by using a headband for a few days but I'll have to keep my hands out of my hair.

My goal for the next few days is to suppress my HIHS and not use a lot of water to restyle. I have to prepare myself for not using so much water this winter. I need to be able to make this cowash last until Friday or Saturday. I will attempt to only manipulate my curls if I have to do a few strategically placed coils to preserve the wash n go.

Even as I write this, I'm shaking my head and doubting my ability to make this happen. Lol!

Vision

I had a vision of how my hair will look in a year or so. It was georgous, long and BIG! The good thing is, the dream gods allowed me to show you all what I will look like at that time.

Ok, so really this is a picture of a hair style I had some time last year or maybe the year before. I loved it. I'll probably get this again during the winter. This photo actually keeps me inspired to keep growing my hair. Hopefully, I will acheive this length and look.

4

The 19th marked another month in this hair journey for me. Some times it hard for me to see this as a journey because when I think of a journey, I think of hardships. I think of going through a really difficult process but knowing there is a wonderful outcome, which is what makes the journey worth it. When I reflect on the past 4 months, it hasn't been very difficult. Rewarding yes, but not very difficult. The random comments and stares are annoying but not life altering.

For the most past, this has been more of an adventure than a journey. I've fallen in love with my kinky coils. I enjoy seeing my curls grow and form and define themselves. I love when I mix together the right products and get a lovely result. I love the Hand In Hair Syndrom I've developed. I really wish I'd had the knowledge and thought to let go of my perm sooner but all things happen in due time. And if I'm honest with myself, the only reason I wish I'd done it sooner is for the length, not for the health of my hair. (This whole patience thing everyone keeps talking about still confuses me. lol!)

Anyhow, this month, I figured I do a length check picture. I haven't done one before. I usually do a shape check. (Click here for explination). But I think my shape is okay and my hair is a lot fuller. Picture time!

It never ceases to amaze me how MSatch can lead my in the right direction without even knowing it. Like any other day, I go to her blog to see what's going on with her Telaxed tresses and I notice a link saying "Top Sista Sites." I click and after about 30 seconds of browsing this site, I find the article "How to make a manicure last."

I hadn't told anyone this but I was gettting frustrated with the Orly Enchanted Forest polish I'd purchased because it was chipping so quickly. I knew it wasn't the polish because it's a good brand and not cheaply manufactured. I knew it had something to do with my application. I just had no idea what it was.

Well, this article has let me know what I was doing wrong. I was trying to do what I'd seen done at the nail salons. Two thick coats of polish. Apparently, I'm supposed to do 3-4 thin layers. And I wasn't letting the polish cover the tips and go under them a little bit. I never realized that manicurist actually did that for a reason.

With these tips and a few others from that article, I will try my polish again and see how long it last. I'll give an update

Holy Hydration

I've run out of Herbal Essence Hello Hydration conditioner. I had every intention of going to the store to get more but somehow I haven't made it there. Prior to doing the twist out , I was in need of a cowash on Wednesday. I grabbed the only conditioner in my closet....Cantu Shea. I followed my normal wash n go steps and.....

IT WAS THE WORST MY HAIR HAS EVER LOOKED. I had barely any curl definition. My hair looked extremely frizzy and just a horrid mess. And it felt rather rough.

At this point I should have run to the nearest Walmart, Target, CVS, Walgreens...anywhere. But did I? No, of course not. I don't learn lessons very easily.

The next day I say to myself, "Renise, yesterday was a disaster. But today won't be. Cantu Shea will be forever banished to the back of the closet. But, today is a deep condish day and a great day to try the Elasta QP." I smile and nod my head thinking how great this is going to be. MSatch loves this stuff! (Sidenote: yes, my bestie love this stuff but she also adds things to it. I normally add the same ingredients to all of my deep condishs. Of course, one of those is HEHH). I add the usually stuff, minus HEHH, apply and go on as usual. I rinse and again, hardly any curl definition! Enter the twist out to remedy that issue.

Moral of the story, HEHH is my holy grail condish. It gives me curl definition like nobody business! I may try other HE condish but my hair has spoken. But just becuase I need back up for days when I run out or heavn forbid, HE discontinues this brand, I am going to get some Aubrey Organics that I've been dying to try. If it can give me organically whatHE gives me with the chemicals, I will have a hairgasm.

The writer

I realized that blogging about my hair was helping me keep everything in perspective. I can easily check to see what works, what doesn't and what I've loved and hated about the entire process.

Well, one thing that I really need to keep track of is what I'm doing as a writer. I recently started blogging about it but I haven't kept up with that blog (Speak of Black Erotica)the way I do this one. Even though hair is important, writing erotica is my future and what hopefully will pay my bills. I need to focus on what I'm doing and not doing that is affecting my career.

I don't get writer's block every often so I really should be writing more than I currently am. Time to write down what going on with that more often so I know what's going on.

I am very excited...

because yours truly has been featured on a great blog today. Naturalchica.blogspot.com. I really love this blog because it has a focus on TWAs and we tend to be forgotten about a lot in the natural community. Especially when it comes to styling. It's difficult styling short hair but tips are hard to come by.

anywho, click HERE to see my little interview.

Thanks, Mae!

Why is this a secret?

Why haven't my fellow naturalistas and healthy hair journey goers been singing the praises of the retail chain The Vitamin Shoppe? I was YouTubing again and came across a woman talking about her shea mix and she had a note saying she purchased ALL her essential oils (EO) from TVS. I stared at the screen blankly and then said "duh!!"

That should have not been something I never thought about. They are clearly a store that sells things that are good for your body. Why wouldn't the sell EO and things of the sort? I guess I just assumed it was a store that only sold supplements to be taken internally.

So I go the website and burst into a Koolaid smile when I see how inexpensive this stuff is. Every EO was under $10, some less than $5. Veggie Glycerin was $14 but it was a pretty big bottle. They have all types of scented oils also. And I just checked out the blog The New Napptural Me and this chick said she got coconut oil there. I checked TVS and they have a 14oz jar of organic coconut oil for $5.99!!!!!!!!!!

Again my healthy hair sisters: Why is this a secret?!?! We need to be shouting out TVS from the rooftop of every building! I will so be there tomorrow. I've made my list and checked it twice....sure I've been naughty but TVS seems to be so nice. Lol! Sorry for the rhyme, the writer in me came out! I'm just excited to go to TVS tomorrow.

Slander

Just thought I'd mention this. I've been seeing my name slandered an awful lot lately. I won't mention the name of the telaxed diva with the fierce new hair cut, but below, you will find a list of post where the good name of Renise B. has been dragged through the mud. Enjoy! Lol!

Hair Cut

Review of ORS

Twist and Shout

Reading MSatch's blog about winterizing her hair made me realize I still had no plans as to what I was going to do. It had been getting colder over the past few days and I realized these wet my hair everyday styles are not going to cut it any longer. I'm not ready for the Senegalese twist that I love to wear because I love seeing my hair right now.

So I stood in the mirror and stared at my hair for a few minutes. I decided to do a twist out. I spritzed some water on the back of my hair, applied a little gel and shea butter and started grabbing small sections for two-strand twist. My hair was shrinking really bad and I knew my hair would look really short. I untwisted and went to a section of dry hair. I started grabbing and twisting dry hair. It was stretching my hair as opposed to shrinking. I ended up doing dry twist all over and it only took a few hours!

Once finished, I wet my hair. Some of it started to unravel. I rubbed Hollywood Castor Oil and IC Fantasia gel over each twist and coiled them to tighten them back up. Once dry (I did have to use the diffuser a little bit) I carefully untwisted. I didn't seperate the twist, just untwisted. I used a pick to fill in the parts of my scalp that were visable. My first twist out came out FAB!

Still disappointed

because my old stylist never returned my phone call. Hmmm....guess she just doesn't want to deal with natural hair. Guess it's back to the drawing board. I have to find somebody to color these coils!

Hand in My Hair

This post was inspired by Mae over at the blog Going Au Naturale. She posted Hand in My Hair Syndrome.

This syndrome is exactly what is says. I keep putting my hand in my hair. Every since I've gong natural, I cannot keep my hands out of my hair! I've read about many naturals with this syndrome, especially us newbees. But I seriously thought I was the only one with a FAVORITE CURL! I actually have two, both on the right side of my head near the crown. They are side by side. Lol!

I'm always pulling and twirling them. It doesn't matter where I am: work, driving, at the club...anywhere. My fingers are searching for curls and relishing in the softness of my coils. So in love with my hair!

Disappointed

I am rather disappointed in a couple of hair stylists in my area. As I have said before, I want to get my hair dyed. I've made the decision to get a brown color and since I'm off until Thursday, I figured I'd get it done over the next few days.

I found a website that gave 2 natural salons in my area. I called one because it was also recommended by another Naturalista I meet via Facebook. The number is to a cell phone. The voicemail answers and says, "My phone is officially broken in half so leave a message. And if you want me to call you back leave your number." That's it. No greeting, business name, or even name of the person's who phone it was. If this is a business phone, it is helpful to leave some of this information so that someone who is not a regular client knows what's going on.

Then I try the 2nd listing. I call and this is a business phone as a man answered saying the name of the shop. I want to be sure this is indeed a natural shop so I ask if the specialize in natural African American hair.
His response, "Um.....yeah."
Then I thought maybe it was a salon for white people since he answered with a "duh" voice and I couldn't tell by his feminine voice if he was black or white. I say, "I'm sorry, African American natural hair?"
Him with the same attitude, "That's pretty much all we do."
Me, "Oh, okay. I just wanted to be sure."
Him, "What website did you hear about us from?"
Me, "blah, blah, blah."
Him, "Okay, they are supposed to have our web address up there but they took it down. If you had gone to our website that you would know that we specialize in natural hair."
Me (wondering why he has an attitude with me for not knowing abt the website and services when he already knows the other site took down his info) "I recently went natural and am looking to color my hair. I've never had this done before so I'm not really sure abt color."
Him, "ummmm....okay."
Me, "Can you tell me abt your services and prices?"
Him, "All of that is on the website. You need to go to the website. Do you have a pencil or something. go to blah, blah blah. You can make an appointment there too." Hangs up phone.

I look at the phone and shake my head in disbelief. WTF? How do you expect to get business with a nasty attitude and unwillness to assist a customer? I'm clearly telling him I'm newly natural and need color consultation. He's only focused on sending me to the website and having an attitude because I don't know everything about his shop. I guess this website is supposed to assist me in picking on the color that is right for my skin complexion.

Out of curiosity, I go to the website. They have a list of services and prices for perms, weaves, cuts and colors. I look a little further and there is a seperate section for naturals. There is a disclaimer stating services are priced seperately for naturals and are set according to personal requirements. This is because a consultation with the stylist is required for most naturals when getting styles or color. So not only do you rudely kick me off the phone, telling me to look at the website for prices, but there are no prices and you advised the customer to get in person consultation. Clearly, they do not wish to have an ever expanding client base.

Based upon these things, I have contacted my old stylist to see if she can color my hair. I've always trusted her to take care of my hair. She kept it healthy and looking great. I was put off by her comments when i decided to go natural but I can't blame her because I was going to her every two weeks. She was losing money. Hopefully she and I can work together to get a great color and hope she can work with my natural hair. She can cornrow so maybe I'll have her give me a frohawk with an intricate braided design. Who knows? Just waiting for her to return my call now.

Puff

I needed a new style for my TWA so as usual, I started browsing YouTube. The Naturalists there are the best at showing styles and now they achieve them. I saw a style that I don't have enough hair to acheive but revamped it and make it work for my curls.

After a cowash, moisturizer and sealer, I applied IC Fantasia gel to the back and side of my head. I took a stretched out headband and wrapped it around my neck twice. I pushed it back to the crown of my head. Since part of my hair had gel, that part slicked down and pulled into a nice mini puff. I used a rat tail comb to pull the front of my hair out of the headband. I stretched it and it gave the appearance of a hump. This was the result:

Color

I'm going to look into finding someone to color my hair some time between Friday and next Wednesday. I'll be off work so that's as good a time as any. I've decided I want a chestnut type of color. I want to speak to whomever will do the color prior to having it done just to be sure though.

I'll be doing 2 deep moisturizing condish to prepare my hair for this. That's also why I did the protein tonight after work.

I'm hoping to go to a natual salon for the color. If I can't find one, I'll get in contact with my old stylist. I'll feel safe with her doing it because she knows my hair but at the same time, she doesn't really know my hair anymore since it's natural. When I told her I was going natural her response was "wow....good luck" said in a tone like "you have lost your mind!" Her response kept me from going to her for my BC even though I wholeheartedly trusted her with scissors. I rocked very short hair the entire time I went to her.

The shop that did my BC only had locticians. I loved the shop but I know they don't have what is really needed for my loose hair. I've heard there are some other shops around so I'll be on the look out and making calls this week.