My Hair & My Life

2011-07-14T01:24:00.001-07:00

and yeah, I did just come on here and post like it hadn't been over a year since my last post. lol!

let me not be rude. Hello, everyone! How are you? lol!

2 years natural as of May 2011!

2011-07-14T01:22:00.000-07:00

I am happy to say that despite one too many hair cuts, I am finally APL (armpit length)! The greatest part is I didn't even realize it for a while. Actually, I was getting frustrated because I didn't think I had retained much length since my last cut/color in March.

The nape is apl and the front (bangs) is midneck. As soon as I get a chance, I'll post pics.

Current products: not much has changed though I do try random stuff every once in a while.
Poo: any of the Organix brand.
Condish: Herbal Essence brands (hello hydration or ltr)
Moisturizer: Shea moisture curl enhancing smoothie
sealant: Grape seed oil (love love love more on this later)
DC: DRP -11, ORS, and whatever other conditioner or oil I feel like adding

Styling: still not that big on styling but I've tried a few things and I'll make separate post about those. Still mainly wash n go. I'm going to post my wash n go routine also b/c everyone seems to have these extremely difficult or long processes and I just don't understand why. *shrug*

Shea Moisture Hold & Shine Moisture Mist

2010-06-07T14:09:00.000-07:00

With Target selling products for natural hair and my hair being dry, I figured I'd check out the selection. Of course, they had Ms. Jessie's but that's out of my price range. I looked at the Shea Moisture brand and saw they have moisturizing spritz. This line claims to be organic but like many others, it's just mostly organic. One of them actually had alcohol in it so I clearly didn't pick that one. I didn't want to contribute to the drying issue.

The one I selected says it's for thick, curly hair. The bottle says: Our all-natural moisture mist eliminates frizz, while hydrating hair and creating brilliant shine and curl control.

I really love the smell. It's got that coconut smell but not too strong. It's light weight and actually helps add shine to my hair. I guess my curl pattern does not promote shine but this definitely gives it a bit of shine. I've applied it to wet and dry hair, getting great results each time. It keeps my hair moisturized and helps it stay soft. I normally use it after I used water to fluff out my wash n go. I love the fact that it's not really greasy also.

This is will stay in rotation for me.

Tangles and color

2010-06-04T13:56:00.000-07:00

I haven't had a chance to take some good pictures yet but I finally got my hair dyed. I got it done during my salon trip last Saturday. It took a moment for me to adjust to the new color as I've never dyed my hair. But now, I love it! It was a spur of the moment decision so I didn't get the chance to deep condition before hand. I will do a serious dc this weekend though. Maybe an overnight treatment.

I believe I'd said before that I'd been mainly wearing wng. They are quick and easy which works well with my schedule. My hair has been getting horribly tangled these days though. I know the cause is not properly protecting my hair while I sleep. I've been sleeping at a friend's house more than my own b/c it allows me to get a bit more sleep. I rarely have a scarf with me and no satin pillow case. That means I'm sleeping directly on a cotton pillow case. I've only had the time to detangle once a week and I'm normally rushing through it on my way out the door. Bad for my hair.

I have been luck enough to detangle twice since my coloring. I'm not sure if it's the color but my Herbal Essence Hello Hydration is not working like it normally does. My hair has been even harder to detangle since then. It seems my beloved condish isn't giving me the same slip since I've colored. It was the same the 2nd time I detangled also. I used even more condish than I normally do. I'm going to take my time and detangle when I deep condish this weekend. Separating my hair into sections and going through it more carefully. That will let me know if it's my hair/color/condish combo not working or if I'm just not being careful enough with my hair.

One year and randomness

2010-05-30T14:38:00.000-07:00

I officially hit my one year mark of going natural. I'm proud of myself, my hair and that I've kept my hair healthy. MSatch hit her one year healthy hair journey as well and her hair is looking better than ever these days. I got to see her hair last weekend as she is nearing the end of another texlax stretch and it's looking great. It is curly, shiny, soft and thick. We exchanged a few products and as soon as I get the chance to try them, I'll do some reviews.

I found a natural salon in my area and decided to go to them and get my ends trimmed yesterday. I do think the chick was a bit scissor happy and took of a lot more than necessary but that's okay. It was only and inch and I'll have that back in no time. She did comment on how healthy my hair was and the she didn't have to even take off that much. I was disappointed though b/c the salon specialized in locs as do all natural salons in this area. They claim to do loose hair but really don't and therefore did not have the products to style my hair. I wanted a frohawk and had to explain to the what it was. smh. I ended up just getting a wash n go which meant they loaded my hair down with the stuff people use when they have texturizers. My hair was hard and jacked up. I washed it out immediately.

A high note from that whole thing was one of my sisters finally got the big chop! Yay! Her hair was so very badly damaged and now she rocking about 2 inches of healthy hair. I'm proud of her and it looks so cute on her! (my other sister is currently transistioning again. hope she makes it this time. She's lasted longer and made it through her first urge to give up and relax.)

I've always had an issue with scarves staying on my head and even moreso now that I'm natural. I was in Target and saw a satin pillow case for $4.99. I LOVE IT! I sleep with loose hair every night and my hair loves me for it. My wng last longer and don't seem to be as tangled as before. I only wear a scarf if I'm sleeping with medium two strand twist for a twist out. That's only because I'm afraid they'll unravel. I wore small two strands the other day and slept w/o scarf. I love that my twist were still fat in the morning.

On a personal note, I just have to say that I am really happy right now. Not with just hair but with life. I'm excited about my future and I can feel that everything is going in a positive direction. I am in a place where setback don't bother me because I know I can make it through. I may not have everything I want but I have what I need and then some. Doesn't get any better than that!

Product Haul

2010-05-01T21:37:00.000-07:00

I was trying to straighten up my bathroom closet and wicker back that I keep my products in today. It was easy to do since I never let it get that messy but I realized just how much product I have. It's not a lot compared to a lot of people but I was surprised at just how much stuff I have.

My wicker basket that contains the things I don't use every day. It's pretty much tons of conditioners and poos. I have a baggie full of headbands and 2 jars of IC Fantasia gel (don't use that very often). My beloved olive oil and honey are in there too.

Sorry for the sideways picture but this a 2lb tub of shea butter. One of the two I bought at AFRAM Festival in Norfolk,VA.

Protein dc mix.

Moisturizing dc mix.

Best moisturizer ever!

The Shea butter/Hollywood Olive oil Creme mixture. (I've been debating adding some olive oil and re-whipping this one.)

The base for all of my moisturizing dc mixes.

The only shampoo that doesn't strip my hair.

These are my regulars. The 4 products I use almost daily. Elasta QP moisturizer sitting on top of Shea/Hollywood Olive oil mix. A spritz bottle with the water/oil/condish mix ( I wrapped a bunch of headbands around it to stretch them.) And my all time favorite condish for wng and detangling Hello Hydration.

Whew!

Just a little spritz

2010-04-30T07:08:00.000-07:00

Shortly after I did my bc, I read how a lot of people would spritz their hair throughout the day to help combat dryness. I tried that, I don't remember what I was using (something I made, I believe) and my face started breaking out. I discontinued the use of it and dumped it down the drain. I rinsed my spray bottle and filled it with filtered water. I would only use it to revive my hair in the mornings.

With the moisture issues I've encountered, I felt I should try again. I don't want to moisturizer and seal everyday. That would clearly lead to buildup and I'm not a fan of shampoo. I filled my bottle with mostly water, added some EVOO and a little bit of Herbal Essence Totally Twisted. (I don't measure so have no idea how much. And the water was warm.) I shook the bottle for a few minutes to blend and help break down the conditioner. HETT is pretty thick so I had to shake for a while.

Just like with the plain water, I only use once in the morning to revive my hair. I have to say, this is soooo much better than just plain water. It helps to keep my hair from drying out through out the course of the day. I only use enough to dampen my hair. It's dry within 10 minutes.

Although this and using plain EVOO work okay, I'm still on the hunt for some way to better retain moisture. I still end up with really dry hair a lot. I'm going to have to set aside some time to go back through the things I've done in the past and figure out what I need to reincorporate into my routine. Pure shea worked really well but I don't like the buildup. Hmmm...what to do.....

Olive Oil to the Rescue!

2010-04-29T07:42:00.000-07:00

I'm sure I've mention before that I have been experiencing issues with moisture retention. I know a big part of this is because I wear my hair out a lot. But I'm at that odd length and can't really do the great protective styles. I can only get a good pony puff with a blow out or hair stretched from a old twist out so I can't do a bun yet. I haven't even tried pin up styles on stretched out hair yet. I haven't had the patience to play around with that. So wng and twist outs have been my styles.

I was twisting up and old wng last Monday while having worried thoughts about how long it would last due to dryness. I applied a liberal amount of Elasta QP Mango Butter, followed my shea mix. I added IC Fantasia gel because I wanted a lot of definition the next day. I had the thought of wanting shine (my hair always looks dull to me) to I grabbed the olive oil, poured too much in my hand and applied it through out my hair. My hair immediately felt softer.

The next day, my twistout came out funky because too much olive oil prevented it from becoming defined. I had to pin the front back. But my hair was very soft, shiny and held moisture really well for a couple of days. I've added olive oil straight from the bottle after a wng this week and was pleased to have similar results. This will probably be a step that I'll incorporate into my routine once or twist a week. My hair really loves olive oil.

Product mistake

2010-04-27T22:42:00.000-07:00

This post is extremely late but as I've told you guys before, the hectic work schedule I have is to blame. But there have been a few changes over the past 2 wks that will hopefully cure this for the most part.

Anyway, on to business! I headed to my local bss to pick up the new Elasta QP Mango Butter with the added olive oil ingredient. I love it. It works just as well as the original formula although here is a slight difference in the consistency. It's only a little bit thinner.

So, I took a quick trip around the store because I'm always on the hunt for a new moisturizer to try out. I saw this stuff from Ultimate Organics. It was a whip made from extra virgin olive oil. I looked at some of their other products and wasn't really impressed. The whip didn't have anything that JR doesn't like so I figured I'd give it a try. It was thick just the way she likes. I wasn't impressed with the smell. It had the hair product smell. You know how someone's hair smells when it's loaded with chemical based products? It's hard to describe but it smelled like processed hair.

I get it home and figure I'll try it out when I do a twist out. I have to admit, I'm not one to analyze a product too much before I purchase it. I took a quick look in the store and decided to buy. When I start to read everything on the container, this is what I read:

Directions: Rub a generous amount of cream into dry skin, concentrating on hard to soften areas as needed.

I was like what the heck? This nasty smelling stuff is for your body. I was shocked. I couldn't imagine using that and walking around all day with my skin smelling like a hair salon. I was too through. But that's what I get for not paying attention to what i was buying. Still smh at myself.

Suave's Professionals Almond and Shea Butter Conditioner

2010-04-15T13:34:00.000-07:00

After reading MSatch's review of Suave's Professionals Almond and Shea Butter Conditioner, I had to run out and buy me a bottle. I was just about out of conditioner anyway.

Product Description: Salon proven to moisturize your hair as well as Aveda® Dry Remedy® shampoo and conditioner. Infused with 100% natural almond and shea butter, which are known for their rich emollients. The shampoo and conditioner system replenishes lost moisture, leaving your hair well-nourished and beautiful. (I straight jacked this whole section from MSatch's blog! lol!)

First, I love the way it smells! It's sooo yummy. I really wanted to lick it off my fingers. It's nice and creamy which Jessi Rose loves and the slip is great. I've used it 3 times I think and it has made detangling really easy. I do have to use a lot of it though. More than any of the Herbal Essence conditioners. And did I mention I love the smell!

Although it smells good and is nice and creamy, I don't think it works well for JR. I've had it for about 2 weeks and am not pleased with how it leaves my hair. When I wng, I leave some in for hold. This products isn't holding anything. My hair ends up frizzy and curls undefined as if I washed all the condish out. I even added a little extra after I rinsed yesterday and ended up with the same results. And the worse part is, I think it's sucking the moisture out of my hair. I always end up with rough feeling and dried out hair by the time it's dry. I applied more Elasta QP mango butter than I normally do and it still ended up really dry. The only time I retained moisture is when I had my hair in two strand twist. But about an hour after my twist out it was dry and dull again.

So despite the great things, I won't continue to use it. I'll be making a trip to the store for some of that good 'ole Herbal Essence. I'll probably get the Hello Hydration. I miss that stuff and I know JR loves it! (And MSatch, this is another condish I'll be passing on to you and the girls next month!)

Random

2010-04-12T00:30:00.000-07:00

I don't think the overnight dc caused the itchy scalp issue. I'm feeling that since my hair is longer and I wearing it in more stretched styles, not as much product is reaching my scalp. No moisturizer on the scalp obviously leads to dryness and the itchies. I'm going to incorporate some type of moisturizing spray for my scalp or "greasing" it directly while wearing two strand twist. Shea butter will act as grease.

Speaking of two stand twist. I love them. I've begun to wear them often. I knew before I did my bc I would love wearing the twist. I am surprised at how much I love twist outs as at one point, I had a strong dislike for them.

I've been wanting to wear a beanie style hat since winter. I could never find one that seemed to look right. I was at a bss and saw one. I grabbed it without even bothering to try it on. Gave myself a twist out. Let the front hang out like a bang. I loved it! I was really feeling myself and the outfit that accompanied the hat.

With the exception of when my hair is stretched from a twist out, I continue to detangle a couple of times a week. The really tight curls in the back demand it. The twist out allows me to go longer since I retwist often and sort of detangle when I do that.

There will be a product review and product mistake coming up later this week.

Itchy Scalp

2010-04-04T19:42:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure what happened but the overnight dc made my scalp all itchy. I've never had an issue with dry itchy scalp before. I'm pretty sure that I rinsed it all out before using HETT for a cowash. But for some reason, my scalp was extremely itchy on Monday after I'd rinsed and styled. I was at work scratching like crazy. It was especially annoying b/c of how long it takes my hair to dry. I had soaking wet hair and itchy scalp for hours. I wished I had taken the time to diffuse my hair.

The itching continued all week. I did an awesome twistout on Wednesday which I wore wild and crazy for an event I went to. I absolutely loved it! For work the next day, I pulled it into a puff, using IC Fantasia to gel it down. The itching was worse than ever! I ended up adding some olive oil to filtered water and using it to spritz my scalp. It worked like magic. I could tell the spots that I missed b/c those still felt itchy.

Though I normally don't shampoo so quickly but I'm going to do so again tonight to clarify my scalp. Hopefully it won't be so itchy but if so, I'll just use the spritz again. I have to admit that I loved the spritz.

And this is why..

2010-03-31T13:39:00.000-07:00

..my wash n go only last 2 days

I had a serious case of Hand in Hair Syndrome last night. Had to convert into a twist out! lol!

Just because

2010-03-30T07:39:00.000-07:00

And just because I took about a million pictures, I'm going to share some pictures of the wng, turned blown out puff, turned twistout, turned twisted out puff. These are of the twist out and twisted out puff.

Deep Condition

2010-03-30T07:18:00.000-07:00

Lately, I've been shampooing and deep conditioning with protein every 2-3 weeks. That's based off of whenever I feel that my hair needs to be shampooed. This week, I had a lot of product in my hair from doing a blowout ( I wore a wng but decided I wanted big hair. I used the Palmer's Hair Milk when I blow dry. I did a puff so I applied tons of gel. I ended up turning the blown out puff into a twist out and then into a twisted out puff. And yeah, all this was within a week. lol!)

I was really tired last night but I knew I had to do my hair. So I shampooed with Renpure and applied the protein dc mix that I previously told you about. I left that on for a few hours before rinsing. I then applied the moisturizing dc mix. I ended up putting a bonnet over my shower cap and sleeping with the dc mix in my hair. I was too tired to finish washing my hair. I put a tight headband over my bonnet to make sure it and the shower cap didn't come off over night. When I woke up, I rinsed and detangled with Renpure. I then applied a little HETT to shingle and leave in a little bit for hold.

My hair turned out so great. It's soft and very moisturized. My curls are tight and well defined. This was truly a great treat for my hair. I will have to do this every once in a while, especially in the winter. I took some picts and was amazed at how my curls looked.

Twist it up

2010-03-29T13:17:00.000-07:00

I finally have enough length to do a style that I love seeing on other naturals: Two strand twists. And not just twisting and then taking out before I leave the house for a twist out. No...I mean twists that I wore for almost a week! I was so excited. I loved how they would hang and curl at the bottoms after I spritzed them with a bit of water.

I twisted on dry hair that I stretched out a little bit for some length. I did learn that doing a blow out would make the twist appear longer so that will be my method for future twist. I don't use a lot of products so I only had Elasta QP Mango Butter and the Hollywood Olive Oil Creme/Shea butter mixture in my hair.

The resulting twist out was awesome! I loved it! I just got bigger and better every day. The last day I wore it, it was big and fluffy. I wish I had gotten a picture. Some of the curl definition was gone but that just made it even better. I didn't retwist the entire time I wore them. Normally with twist outs I retwist every other day but I didn't when I did these and I'm glad that I didn't. I've done the style twice and gotten major compliments each time. I continued to use Elasta QP and Shea mix to moisturize my hair.

Renpure Organics Conditioner

2010-03-25T06:04:00.000-07:00

Again, the one in the green bottle: i love my hair! body &shine conditioner with hydrolyzed soy and wheat proteins, and chamomile flower extract.

I'm on the fence about this conditioner. I liked it the first time I used it but I also used all those dc mixtures so the results may have been from those, not this condish. The 2nd time I used it, was for a cowash. The slip is really good and made detangling really easy. I don't remember why, but I ended up using HETT for the leave-in when I did a wng that day.

I used this for the 3rd time and hated it. The slip was still good but the wng was horrible. My hair was frizzy and didn't even have close to the definition that I get with Herbal Essence. When I do wng styles, I don't completely rinse the condish out. Once my hair is dry, this condish leaves my hair feeling crunchy. It has done this every time I used it as a leave-in. I don't like crunchy hair. I love when my hair feels soft to the touch.

It's really interesting to me how Jessi Rose loves the poo but isn't fond of the condish. I'm thinking I'll use the rest of this bottle since the slip is good but probably won't purchase again after that. Guess as far as condish goes, I'll be sticking with Herbal Essence for now. Also crazy that she loved HE condish but hates the poo. lol!

Renpure Organics Shampoo

2010-03-25T06:03:00.000-07:00

I got the one in the green bottle: i love my hair! body and shine shampoo with hydrolyzed soy, wheat protein & chamomile flower extract.

I am not fond of the smell. It's sort of reminds me of a cleaning products. And unfortunately, the condish and deep penetrating reconstructor all have this smell.

Happily, that is the only thing I do not love about this product. Though I didn't think it possible, Jessi Rose has fallen in love with a shampoo! Normally, she's completely pissed after being poo'd. Curls completely gone, feeling wiry and rough. It would take a few days of extra moisturizing to get back on track. Even doing a wng after poo was a disaster. I have used this twice and for the first time after shampooing, my hair didn't feel completely stripped and lifeless. It felt moisturized and soft! I was shocked!

The first time I used it, I had a lot of product build up from playing around with different styles. I poo'd without using a prepoo and my hair felt great. 2nd time the same. No prepoo and my hair was soft and moisturized. This is a keeper! Love Love Love Love Love it!

Renpure Organics Amazing Miracle

2010-03-24T02:03:00.000-07:00

Okay, first let me say I'm sorry it's taking so long to review these products. My work schedule has been beyond ridiculous.

On to business. Renpure Organics Amazing Miracle deep penetrating reconstructor with aloe, kukui & silk protein. I'm not sure what the kukui nut does. I'll research and update when I have a bit more time.

I mixed this with 1 ORS packet, some DRP-11, honey and olive oil. I let it sit with no heat for an hour or so. My hair felt sooooooo soft. I really loved what it added to my moisturizing dc. It made it a little bit thicker and my hair really liked it. The wng I did after using this was one of the best I've ever had. People who see me with wng on a weekly basis were asking what I'd done differently to my hair. Permies were asking how to get curls like mine. It was crazy. Whatever this did to my hair, I love it.

I've used the mixture twice and gotten the same results. I know I say it every time I try something new with my dc but this is going to be a permanent part of my dc mixture. It seems to be giving consistent results and that is what my hair needs.

Next 2 blogs will be the Renpure poo and condish. After those, some new hair styles! I'll try to get a bit more blogging in b/c there is so much I want to share with you guys.

Hollywood Olive Cholesterol Deep Conditioning Creme

2010-03-17T04:58:00.000-07:00

So this was the free sample size deep condish that came with my newly beloved Hollywood Olive Oil Creme. It has the same gross smell that all cholesterol conditioners have. Since I love mixing stuff, I made a crazy mixture with this.

First of all, I'm always confused as to whether or not cholesterol deep conditioners are supposed to be protein or moisturizers. I read something different on every site. I was in dire need of protein and I wanted to use this new condish. I also didn't want to use the entire container on one usage although that would have been possible since it was just a sample. I ended up using half of the Hollywood Olive Cholesterol (2 oz), about the same amount of Lustrasilk Olive Oil Cholesterol and about 3 oz of Nubian Heritage Coconut & Papaya Conditioner. (I'm not sure if I work about Nubian Heritage C&PC. It completely organic and 100% Black owned. It's unfortunately hard to find. Just like the moisturizer that I loved but haven't been able to get more of. I'm not happy about paying for shipping on a 4oz moisturizer that already cost $8. It has really strong proteins in it. Ingredients: Coconut oil, Jojoba oil, Olive oil, Filtered water, Veggie Glycerin, Kaolin Clay, Coconut Milk, Wheat germ oil, Aloe vera, Veggie Wax, Pro-vitamin b-5, Veggie gum, Papaya extract, Vitamin E and Rosemary extract. Proteins are in bold. It was expensive: &9 for 8oz but a great product.)

These 3 mixed together turned out really good. The Nubian Heritage has a very strong clay smell and the cholesterols have that chemical smell. I really didn't like the smell. They worked well together though. It gave me the protein and strength I really needed and when I rinsed, my hair was actually feeling pretty good. I have been staying away from protein because of how rough it makes my hair feel. It was not the case here. My hair actually felt soft and had some curl definition (normally lose that after protein also).

Even if I never purchase the Hollywood Olive Cholesterol, I will continue to mix the Nubian Heritage with a cholesterol condish. My hair was a bit easier to detangle after the protein treatment.

Lovely Mix

2010-03-17T04:00:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post to say I am really loving the Hollywood Olive Oil Creme/Shea mix. It's been keeping my hair so soft and locking in the moisture without being greasy. I had a problem with my hair feeling really oily with the castor oil and feeling oily and being weighed down with pure shea. Mixing these two together is absolutely perfect! I am really happy with this. Luckily, I have a lot. I made the mix in a an empty Lustrasilk Cholesterol jar. Most of you know how big that is. And that was only about half of the Hollywood Olive Oil and I have tons of shea butter. I'll be using this mix for a long time! Yay!

Hollywood Olive Oil Creme

2010-03-09T14:22:00.000-08:00

In my last post, I talked about all of the products I purchased at Walgreen's. I'm going to start doing reviews on them. First up: Hollywood Olive Oil Creme (HOOC). I purchased this to use as a sealant. When I opened the jar, it was really creamy (hence the name but I had a duh moment. lol!) I was worried that with it being so creamy, it wouldn't seal in the moisture. I immediately decided to whip it with shea. I have tons of shea that I wasn't really using because I didn't like how it made my hair feel coated. I actually thought I was the only one with that problem but I have found out that some peoples hair just doesn't like oils. Their hair works better with creamier products. I knew this from using products too watery but didn't make the connection to oils until just recently.

Anyway, I whipped the entire container with a a little less than equal parts shea butter. I also added 2 tbsps of olive oil but I just did that because I felt like I should be adding something to the mix. I'm sure it didn't need it. It came out really fluffy and creamy. When I scoop it out, it looks like whipped cream!

I used this to seal after applying Elasta QP Mango Butter. The combination was perfect! The HOOC mix didn't leave my hair feeling coated and oily like most sealants do. When I touched my hair, it felt smooth and moisturizer, not oily. I kept touching my hair, expecting to pull back oily fingers but nope! None greasy moisturizer hair. The only thing I don't like is the smell. YUCK! It smells like Cholesterol Deep Condish from Lustrasilk or any other cholesterol dc. Those smells remind me of perms and always make me nervous when I use them. I keep thinking I'm going to rinse and end up with permed hair. lol! The mango butter and shea balance out the smell a bit but not enough for me. I'm going to have to get some type of EO to mix in there asap! But I love it despite the scent.

4 more products reviews to come. Stay tuned!

24hr Walgreen's

2010-03-05T00:25:00.000-08:00

Headed to Walgreen's to satisfy the pj in me when I got off work. To say this was a GREAT experience is an understatement. First, I only went to purchase two products: Renpure Organics poo and condish. I was initially disappointed because I wanted the moisturizing set but the tops were broken on all of them. I settled for the "I Love My Hair!" body and shine duo. Then, I was thinking about the fact that I haven't done a dc in forever so I grabbed Renpure Organics Amazing Miracle Deep Penetrating Reconstructor (with aloe, kukui & silk protein). Remembering that I needed something to seal and I'm out of Castor oil and not loving Shea right now, I turned around and grabbed Hollywood Beauty Olive Creme (smells like a perm though :-( yuck!). But I picked it up because it had a free container of Olive Cholesterol deep conditioning creme. Then, I saw Organic Root Stimulator Replenishing Paks (grabbed 2 for $1.39 each). And as I walked down the aisle, I saw shower caps (needed one for my dc as I just had to throw away the one I had) and black headbands (all black ones are broken). So, this long list of products cost me LESS than $25. The Renpure Organics was buy one get one free and all 3 of them have mail in rebates. So really, after I mail them in, I'll have spent $13!

All this for less than $13 after mail-in rebates

When I was checking out, the clerk told me how beautiful my hair was and said her granddaughter had natural hair down to her waist. She had been having trouble finding products to use on the child and asked my advise. I told her for detangling, I use HEHH or HETT. Upon her request, I showed her the two products, explained how I detangled and showed her a few other products I'd tried or heard were good. She was so happy! She told me again how beautiful my hair was and that she was so happy she was at work tonight so that she could meet me. She said that God sends angels when we least expect it and on this night, I was her angel. That was about 30 min ago and I'm still smiling. I almost went to Walgreen's last night but changed my mind and went tonight instead. There was obviously a reason why. I feel really good.

2010-03-04T13:22:00.000-08:00

Monday and Tuesday, I wore my hair in a w-n-g. I wanted to twist my hair on Monday night for big, wild hair but had an interview and went for a more subdued look. On Wednesday, my want for big hair hadn't gone away. I decided to try and wear my hair in a puff. I knew it wouldn't be long enough while curly so I did a quick blow out. I wet my hair with water and used a little bit of Palmer's Coconut hair milk. I detangled with a wide tooth comb and then blew it out. I used tons of IC Fantasia gel to slather my hair down and then picked out my puff.

Everyone seemed to really love my hair. I was called everything from Lady of Rage to Cleopatra Jones. I just laughed at these comparisons. It was crazy because I felt pretty sexy with my hair in a simple puff. So I put of the plans I had for my hair and I'm going to keep rocking the puff.

To preserve it, I kept my hair up and two strand twisted the puff. I'll be taking it out soon and fixing it up a bit for work tonight.

What to do with the left overs

2010-03-04T13:07:00.000-08:00

I was perusing a hair blog that I like and saw something interesting in the comments. A woman said she used conditioners she no longer uses/likes as shaving cream. She claimed to have smoother skin for it. I just so happen to have a bottle of HH Longterm Relationship that I'm not using. I wasn't too pleased with it and only really used it as a leave in when I was styling.

I shaved with soap under one arm and used the condish on the other. I have very sensitive skin and am easily irritated when shaving. The side with soap was irritated as usual. The side with condish, little to no irritation. The little I felt wasn't enough to bother me. If it weren't for the fact that I was being very conscious about it, I probably wouldn't have noticed. I tried my bikini area and same results. Just haven't done my legs yet.

This works better than shaving cream in my opinion! Guess this is what I'll be doing when I run low on condish. Instead of trying to squeeze out the last few drops for my hair (esp since it doesn't even do anything for my hair anyway since it's not enough) I'll use those drops to shave.

It's all in a name

2010-02-26T06:53:00.000-08:00

Across the hair boards, there a posts where naturals play the "Name your 'Fro" game. It's always cute and funny. Ladies select their name and explain why. I love it when I see something really original that actually has some type of significance. I tend to role my eyes at the ones saying they name their fro "Sasha Fierce" because it so fierce and they love Beyonce. Yuck! What does that really have to do with you?

I thought about it and decided I would do name my fro. She is official dubbed Jessi Rose. The reasons are as follows: My favorite romance/erotic writer is Beverly Jenkins. She writes a series of novels based in the 1800s about black men and women who accomplish great things. They range from deputies, conductors in the Undergroud Railroad, slaves, business moguels, doctors, lawyers, cowboys, train robbers, madams at brothels and the list goes on. They usually overcome so obstacle and do something for the greater good of thier towns and the black community. She also incorporates historicaly facts into every book. Jessi Rose comes from the book "The Taming of Jessi Rose." Jessi Rose is a woman who is confident, unafraid of what anyone says/thinks of her, unconventional and a bit on the wild side on the days she chose not to be tamed. Those are characteristics that people who know me well have described me as and I fell that my hair is the same way. My hair shows my confidence and gives me more. Although I did care at first, I no longer care of other people's opinions of my hair (although I do love to hear them if they are positive). Natural hair is unconventional. Natural hair can be wild or tamed, just depends on the day.

So, all of that to say, my 'fro is Jessi Rose, whether she be tamed or wild!

Detangling

2010-02-25T06:39:00.000-08:00

My hair is getting longer and with that, detangling sessions are getting longer. W-n-g's aren't so quick anymore but are still one of the styles I mainly wear. I've been getting fairy knots for the past month or two. I officialy despise those things! I'm also getting more tangled and knotted hair. They are easy enough to get out but still I worry about breakage and splits because of it.

Currently, I detangle using just my fingers. I prefer that to a wide toothe comb because right now, it's easier and it works. I did use a comb one day and felt like I was breaking off a bunch of my hair. It shed the same amount but I just didn't like it. Plus, I felt like it seperated my curls a little too much and gave me a jheri curl type of look. Lol! I love chunky curls. (Guess I won't be investing in a Denman after all.)

I shed a lot so I'm going to continue to detangle a couple of times a week. Stretching detangling sessions would probably be horrific. I'm going to stick with HE conditioners for detangling sessions. The slip they have is awesome. I'll only stray from this line when I go organic (meaning when I have more $$$$). I will continue to use my fingers as I am most comfortable and less scared about breakage as I have more control over what's happening to my strands. I will reincorporate monthly deep protein condish into my regimen because I'm noticing a lot of elasticity when detangling. My hair has too much moisture and very little strength. Gotta get over that protein fear because my hair is telling me she needs it. I will listen!

Keep it simple

2010-02-24T00:38:00.000-08:00

I was reading some hair site, not sure which one, and there was a woman with a fierce w-n-g. She wrote instructions on how she acheived hers. She had a long list of steps that were too much for a w-n-g in my opinion. To me, it's real simple: cowash, shake, moisturize and seal.

One good thing while reading her list was I remembered that my w-n-g turns out soooooo much better if I leave a little of the condish in when I cowash. So, using HETT, I did a cowash. I shook my head (I tend to use a washrag to cover my face so the condish doesn't get on my face). Moisturized with SoftSheen Carson Roots of Nature and sealed with castor oil. I let my hair drip dry so I wrap an old tshirt around my shoulders when I do whatever else I need to do. I've gotten to the point where I don't even blot my hair with the tshirt or a towel. It seems to work better for me that way because my texture easily gets frizzy. But to keep it from dripping too long, I do shake my hair for at least a minute to get rid of as much excess water as possible.

I immediately loved the results. My hair looked like it did when I just get out of the shower. Perfect curls with practically no frizz. And the curls were so well defined. I love it. A couple of people asked if I did a strawset. I've done it a 3-4 times with the same results.

One thing I can say, I don't like how my hair hangs down when it's dry. I fluff when it's 75% dry. I also think it's funny that the front seems to hang down like bangs if I don't fluff it a lot.

I feel the PJ in my coming alive!!!!!!!!

2010-02-17T12:58:00.000-08:00

I've never been much of a PJ (product junkie). I can honestly say I buy few products and use them completely before I purchase something different. But with this list of silicone-free hair products, I can feel my PJ clawing it's way to the surface!

http://ladylonghair.googlepages.com/'cone-freeconditioners

(link from Tia's blog Her Best Hair)

Other random things

2010-02-12T06:02:00.000-08:00

Here's a few other random things that happened while my hair was straight.

It rained Tuesday. I forgot that I needed a hood or umbrella. There is an umbrella somewhere in my Jeep. Not sure where. I was literally lol-ing as I ran throught the rain to my Jeep. Luckily, my hair didn't revert.

My supervisor (black woman) is always asking me when I'm going to loc my hair. I tell her at least once a month that I'm not. Apparently one of her relatives when natural via locs and she has it set in her head that I am too. When I straightened, she commented that it looked nice but she preferred my hair the other way. She said that it suits me and shows the amount of confidence I posess to wear it that way. I don't require anyone's approval to wear my hair any particular way but it pleased me that she likes it.

After the bantu knot out, I needed to dc, poo and do a w-n-g before work. I used my new favorite dc mix and let that sit for an hour. One thing I found interesting was the amount of dc I needed to use. My hair was straight and dry when I applied it. I used less than half what I normally use. I was shocked and it felt weird. But the dc took very well and my hair was soft and moisturized as always.

I got tons of happy compliments from family and friends once my hair was curly again. Also got a few request to never straighten my hair again because my natural is so becoming on me and it makes me, me. A few people who really pay attention to my hair commented that my hair seemed even curlier after that first w-n-g. It actually did. Not sure why.

Unexpected

2010-02-11T06:34:00.000-08:00

Well, I got some interesting reactions to my straight hair. No one like it. Well except for this black woman at my job but she always gives me the side eye when my hair is in it's natural state. Have to love the side eye. lol!

Everyone else, however, responded with "ooooh....you straightened you hair. Wow. It's long. So...when are you going to wash it and make it curly again." I confided in one coworker that I wasn't too thrilled with it myself and she responded with "good, wash it when you get home tonight. The natural hair had to grow on my at first but now I'm used to you with curly hair. I don't like it straight." I love my coworkers for their honesty. They had me cracking up laughing all night.

The next day, I was still wearing straight hair and was again questioned about how long my hair was going to stay this way. I told them I wouldn't be washing it because it took so long to do but I agreed to compromise and make it somewhat curly.
I orginially wanted to do pin curls because MSatch did some and they looked so great on her. But I tried a couple and wasn't really getting the hang of it. Enter the bantu knot!

This only took a few minutes and was fairly easy to do since I'm used to bantu knotting my single strand twist. Some of them didn't come out to well so the left side was tigher and looked way better than the right. The front right was real funky looking so I had to pin it up a little bit.

Wore this for one day but the curls had fallen a lot by the end of the night. I washed the next day.

Time on my hands

2010-02-09T23:19:00.001-08:00

I got bored and decided to straighten my hair. I used low heat to blow dry, Palmer's Coconut Oil Hair Milk to moisturize (and strengthen as it has a lot of protein) and pure shea to seal. The shea butter seemed to really help with straightening. It got a lot straight the first time around, not looking very frizzy.

One thing that I found interesting, I was less than half-way through flat ironing when I decided I didn't like it. The only reason I kept going was because I'd already put so much work into it. I did love the bangs however. I've always loved bangs and mine were long and hanging in my eyes. For some reason, I like that.

Picture time! Oh, and please excuse the pissed off expression in the picts. Someone was annoying the hell out of me and wasn't getting the hint that I wanted them to go away. lol!

WTF was I thinking?!?!?!?!?!

2010-02-07T20:30:00.000-08:00

Just a quick post to say I was in the shower doing what was supposed to be a quick w-n-g that turned into a damn-near 30 min detangling sessionon my TWA. Why? Because crazy me decided to sleep on a w-n-g for 2 days without any type of scarf to protect my hair. This lead to a horribly matted and tangled mess. Oh, and I was having a severe case of HIH (hand in hair) syndrome which I tend to get whenever I do a w-n-g so I was playing in my hair for 3 days.

I was so mad at myself this morning. But in that seriously horrible detangling session, I realized that I needed a protein dc because my hair was feeling really stretchy (meaning too much moisture and not enough strength).

One of my new favs!

2010-02-05T12:52:00.000-08:00

Elasta QP Mango Butter Moisturizer. I had been wanting some for a while but was having the hardest time finding. Not sure why. I finally found some and I was super excited to try it. I co-washed immediately so I could use it on fresh hair. The smell is divine!!!! Everyone in my house was oohing and ahhing over the smell (mainly b/c I was pushing it under their noses saying "smell this!).

It's really thick which is something I and my hair absolutely love. The thick moisturizers work so much better for me. I was already aware that EQMB has silk protein so I was worried about using it. My hair doesn't require a lot of protein and will quickly feel rough from the application of it. On the ingredient list, silk was pretty close to the bottom so I felt a little bit safer. There's probably not that much in it. I still only used a small amount and followed that with the shea/softsheen carson mix that I made before (hoping to offset any protein overload). Then, I sealed with castor oil.

I did this for a couple of days before realizing using all 3 of these was too much. My hair was feeling really good. Well moisturized and strong and soft but...it was too much product. You could feel it on my hair when you touched it. So I washed with poo to clarify and tried again. This time I used shea to seal (shea doesn't moisturize my hair) but still used both moisturizers (still have this protein fear). It was lighter with the shea instead of castor oil but I still felt it was too much. I cut back on moisturizing though. I normally have to do it every day. Esp in this cold weather. But with this combo, every other day or two was working perfectly.

I'm going to be brave and try just using the EQMB and shea and see how that works. Either way, I love this stuff and will be keeping it in supply. I love the smell and it really does make my hair feel silky smooth. (lol...silky smooth...so corny!)

2010-02-04T12:06:00.000-08:00

As I said before, I was finally able to get a deep conditioner for my hair. My beloved Elsta QP DRP-11. I tried a slightly different mixture and my hair loved it.

I mixed DRP-11 with Creme of Nature conditioner, salt, honey and EVOO. The mixture felt more whipped than creamy and that may have made the difference. I usually use HEHH instead of CON and I rarely add salt. The new mixture is going to be the one I use from now on. My hair felt so soft and moisturized.

As for new products, I ran out of HEHH and wanted to try HE Totally Twisted. I've been hearing a lot of naturalistas of every hair type saying how much they love that stuff. I used it for a co-wash a few days after I dc. Right now, I don't have a solid opinion of it. It is very creamy, even more than HEHH. I really liked that. I felt like I used less of it when detangling. My hair was well moisturized and felt great. As far as the w-n-g...it wasn't the greatest. A lot of strands were looking straight. It was weird but this happened to me before when I wore my hair in stretched out styles for a long time and the did a w-n-g. I think after I wash a few more times, I'll be able to better tell how it works. So far, I like it though.

Next post will be about a new moisturizer I got.

Back to our regularly scheduled program

2010-02-02T05:35:00.000-08:00

My hair was so mad a me a couple of weeks ago. I ran out of deep condish and due to lack of extra funds, couldn't purchase anymore. My hair has gotten used to the weekly dc routine and was feeling dry and nothing was keeping me moisturized. I had also discovered that wearing protective styles caused my hair to dry out more than when I wore w-n-g's. Stretched hair means less of the natural oils my scalp produced was making it to my ends (due to gravity) thus leading to more dryness.

I attempted to give myself a couple of different dc treatments that turned out horribly! First I attempted oil using melted shea butter and evoo. I guess I used too much b/c it was running down my face and was just a big mess. I also don't have a dryer so I was just hoping for penetration w/o the use of heat. I didn't notice any results but I know I did it incorrectly.

Second, I tried a mixture. I mixed Creme of Nauture condish with honey and the rest of the shea/evoo mixture. In an attempt to incorporate heat, I wet a hand towel with extremely hot water and wrapped that around my head which was covered in a shower cap. I rewet with the hot water when it cooled off. It worked okay but just didn't give what my hair needed.

In the meantime, I wore protective styles and moisturized daily. When I realized my hair seemed much dryer as it stretched more, I switched to w-n-g's daily. I was finally able to get more dc and another product I was exited to try. More on those things in my next post.

Surprise, surprise

2010-02-01T20:00:00.000-08:00

Okay, so you may remember my post on how irritated and disappointed I have been with a friend who was saying negative things about my hair and commenting on how "lucky" white girls are because of their hair texture. She calls me this weekend and announces that she has decided to transition. Apparently, a woman at her job has been natural for a few yrs and after seeing this woman's hair (I believe it was straightened) she has decided to grow out her perm.

She asked her co-worker for help and all she did was send her a link to a hair forum. She only said I just grew out my hair and I joined this forum. I'm thinking...really? That's all the info and encouragement you can give someone who's just starting their journey?

I have to admit, when she first asked me for help, I didn't want to. I was thinking of the stupid shit she's said about my hair and was like eff it, she can learn on her own. But then I thought about it. If I had to go through this alone, I wouldn't have even know what to do or even where to begin. So I agreed to help her as much as I can, including going to the store with her this weekend to help her pick out products. I sent her the links to a few of the sites I love and I'll just be one of the people in her support system as she goes through this transition. Hopefully she'll make it.

I just hope now she stop all that "white girls are lucky" crap and embrace her own hair.

And I'm still off topic...

2010-02-01T01:04:00.000-08:00

I'm excited about a venture I'm calling 30/30. What I'm working on right now is a challenge but not a very hard one. Either I do it or I don't. I've planned to write and post 30 short stories in the next 30 days for erotica website The House of Blerotica.

I'm off to a good start. I posted 2 stories tonight and hope to do another before work tomorrow night. Since these are shorts, I can write them fairly quickly and I've made a list of topics so I don't waste time struggling to come up with concepts. That's pretty good for me b/c planning ahead when I write isn't something I normally do. (yeah, I know that bad but that's just me.)

I'm pretty excited about doing this and hope that with this and some marketing, I can bring more readers to my site. Consistent vistors would be great too.

I've just created a Facebook page for THOB which I've already started using to let readers know about 30/30. I'm also going to be posting "status" updates on all social networks I belong to to attract readers that way. And of course, word of mouth so I'll just be telling a lot of pple. Hope this works out well.

A little off topic..

2010-01-28T13:06:00.000-08:00

I've been saying for a while, especially after a recent heart issue, that I'm going to start working out. Not soley for weight loss, but because I need to be healthier. I'm under 30 and have a premature heart beat. I don't want to be forced to take blood pressure pills which is the only medicinal thing that could regulate my heart beat. So my doctor says to exercise and stay away from caffeine, chocolate and drink less alcohol if I'm a heavy drinker. I'm not a heavy drinker and I cut back on my caffeine and chocolate intake.

As for exercise...I gave it a second thought and that was about it. I just didn't want to do it. But I got irritated a few days ago and started to feel the premature heart beat again. (I feel it most when trying to sleep and when I get pissed off or stressed out.) That reminded me that I need to stop playing around with my health and my life. I really really love pilates and wish I had the money to join a studio. Alas, I don't. Will probably find a pilates dvd.

And to be really honest, one of the major reasons I want to work out again is because I want to finish a tattoo I started a while back. I know it sounds crazy but I love tatts. The one I want to have completed is going to go diagonal across my back. In order for that to look as sexy on me as it does in my head, I need to loose some weight. Right now I have the beginning and end (under my left collar bone and right lower back) but I want the middle done.

I'm thinking pilates and walking is the way to go for me. Hopefully but July, I'll have lost a sufficient amount of weight where I'll feel ready for the tatt. I'm not weighing myself. I don't have a goal weight. I just want to feel and look healthier.

Polished Success

2010-01-07T13:20:00.000-08:00

A few months ago I wrote about purchasing nail polish and being a bit miffed that it wasn't lasting a long time. But then I'd found tips on how to properly apply polish and make it last longer. I was supposed to update when I tried it out...so here's the update.

The suggestions were to apply 3-4 thin layers of polish and also to let some of the polish go under the nail. Well, I didn't do the whole 3-4 thin layers, I just didn't feel like doing that. But I did polish over the tip and under just a bit. That works! My polish has been on since Sunday night and it still looks good. Not chipped at all. I can't believe that actually works. I used two coats of polish and two coats of clear top coat. I made sure to go over the tip with the color and clear.

My regimine...

2010-01-04T08:10:00.000-08:00

well....sort of. It's wha't I've been doing for the past couple of weeks and I'm liking it. There will be adjustments along the way I'm sure but this is the basics.

Day 1: Co-wash for the purpose of detangling. Once detangled and rinsed, lightly towel/t-shirt dry (just enough for my hair to stop dripping). Apply deep condish. I don't use heat so I let it sit for an hour or two if I get sidetracked. Rinse with luke warm water. I do this at night so no styling necessary. Also, I shampoo every two weeks and protein dc once a month. Those steps are done after I detangle.

Days 2 & 3: Wash n gos. Currently, my hair is at this weird length where my WNG doesn't last a few days like it used to. My hair gets tangled and looks crazy even when I fluff and spray with water the next day. It's unbelievable frizzy and I can't make it looke good even the 2nd day. So, I usually end up cowashing both days.

Days 4-7: Some type of twist out style. I spritz my hair with water until damp, apply Herbal Essence Long-Term Relationship as a leave-in, apply moisturizer and sealer and then style. It can be simply a twist-out or it can be flat twist design with a twistout in the back. How I maintain this is by retwisting every other day or daily if I don't like how it looks on a particular day. I love doing this though because the more I retwist, the bigger my hair gets. I alternate between flat twistout and two strand twistout. for instance, on thursday I did two strand and that saturday, I did flat twist. My one issue is retaining moisture. My hair dries out really fast when stretched. I have to moisturize everyday. I need a better moisturizer!

Picture time!

This is how my hair looks when I first styled it. I'll retwist like this some nights also.

This is retwisting at night with bantu knots for extra curl.

This is how the style looks after 2 days. Big!!!!!

Quick update

2010-01-03T08:07:00.000-08:00

Just a quick update on adding shea and whipping the SoftSheen Carson moisturizer. The longer it sat, the thicker it got. I love the thickness right now because it is very creamy. Only downfall, its not mosturizing my hair enough.

2010!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-01-01T23:37:00.000-08:00

My resolutions for my hair:

1. Improve moisture. I don't know what I need to do but I have to work on this. My hair dries out entirely to quickly. It's truly worse since it's winter but I need to figure out something to cure this before winter ends so I know what to do next winter.

2. Retain length. This hasn't been an issue thus far but I want to keep the growing going.

3. Do a slight revamp to my moisturizing dc and protein dc (as well as decide how often to use the proteing dc). I really like my current moisturizing dc but a few months ago while I was experimenting, I liked it better. I will go back and review past post to see which condish I was using that I like the most. For the protein, every one of them makes my hair feel rough for a few days. I have 2 and will find a way to incorporate them together with moisturizers and see how that works.

And, I got a new phone which has a wonderful camera on it. I'm sure I'll be able to post more of the picts I take....such as these two! lol! These are picts of wet hair with no product.

Liquidy yet creamy

2009-12-08T12:19:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-12-03T13:39:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-02T14:09:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-26T23:36:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-24T00:28:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-19T08:06:00.000-08:00

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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-11-18T13:24:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-03T13:08:00.000-08:00

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

2009-10-29T13:10:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-27T08:36:00.000-07:00

"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...

2009-10-25T16:17:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-22T00:55:00.001-07:00

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

2009-10-19T07:25:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-16T07:10:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-15T07:49:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-05T13:48:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-30T11:52:00.000-07:00

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?

2009-09-29T12:13:00.000-07:00

"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

2009-09-25T08:18:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-24T08:44:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-23T13:31:00.001-07:00

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

2009-09-22T08:18:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-21T13:50:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-09-21T08:37:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-18T08:37:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-18T01:28:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-09-17T12:29:00.000-07:00

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?

2009-09-15T08:12:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-11T12:06:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-08T13:09:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-07T09:26:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-04T12:35:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-04T08:37:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-02T01:31:00.000-07:00

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.

Finally, protein success

2009-09-02T00:58:00.000-07:00

I was informed the ORS pack I used was a moisturizing condish, not protein like I thought. So that kind of changed my prespective on it but only a little. I still like how soft my hair was but it pretty much gave the same results as the mixture I've made.

I was still wondering what to do for a deep protein condish. I had almost enough LustraSilk Cholesterol left for one use. I added the rest of the ORS pack, EVOO, honey, and some HEHH (only added because there wasn't enough of the other 2 condishs to cover my hair). I remember the condish breaking down a lot when I added salt so I didn't want it to be in the mixture too long. I mixed it in just before application. I let it set, no heat, for an hour.

As I rinsed, I was pleased that my hair didn't feel as rough as it normally does when I rinse out LustraSilk. It's not the normal softness but it felt really good. It was almost 230am by the time I rinsed and I wanted it to dry faster. Being very horrible to my hair, I rubbed a towel over my hair to absorb most of the water. My hair was poofy and curls were pretty much non-existent. I generously applied Nubian Heritage Coconut & Papaya Hair Butter. Some of my curls came back but it will require some work to look good tomorrow.

My hair is about 95% dry. It has never felt so soft after protein. I'm going to stick with LustaSilk Cholesterol as my protein. I realize now that I just have to add a really good moisturizing condish.

Oh and I had been thinking my hair was breaking off from lack of protein. When I rinsed my hair, I took the time to check out the hair I lost. Hardly any of it was broken hair, it was mostly shed hair. I saw the white bulb things on the ends so I knew there were shed. All of the strands looked really thick and strong.

3 Natural Sisters....

2009-09-01T09:42:00.000-07:00

Not sistahs but sisters. Me and my sisters. As we know, I did my BC a little over 3 months ago. I'm not sure if I mentioned it before but my oldest sister has admired my hair since my BC and is now transitioning. This has me super excited because every time I see her she is staring, touching and telling me how great my hair is. I've always looked up to her in regards to any standard of beauty so he attention and following in my footsteps is unbelievably cool. This morning, I chatted with my older sister. We don't get to talk often and she lives pretty far away. She told me she's getting her hair loced today!

My parents only had us three girls but we are so different.

Oldest sister: Her hair is naturally a light brown color. I vaguely remember her natural texture but based on her new growth, I'm thinking she'll be 3A possibly 3B.

Older sister: Her hair is dark brown, almost black. She is definitely 4A-4B. Her hair never seemed to really accept the changes a perm tried to make. Her hair is kinky but very fragile.

Youngest sister: That's me!! LOL! My hair is very dark also. I'm in the middle of my older sisters as far as curl type. I think I'm mostly 3C with some 3B in the front and 4A in the back.

It's true what they say, every curly head is not alike! Oh and it seems that this generation of women in my family have embraced the natural side. The youngest cousin (16) has never had a perm but she straightens her MBL hair. I have another cousin (19) who has just loced her hair. That leaves only 2 female cousins of this generation with perms.

My ORS experience

2009-08-26T12:52:00.001-07:00

Okay so as I was saying earlier, I'm using the ORS protein conditioner today. I love the citrus smell. I felt like I needed to add something to it but didn't really want to use the other products I have. So, I took this opportunity to try the salt. After I mixed it, the condish became very runny. MSatch told me this happens with every condish when she adds salt. I added a little more condish straight from the pak because I didn't feel like it was coating my hair well due to it being runny. I let it sit, no heat, for an hour.

I just rinsed it out and I'm on the fence about it. I'm really pleased with the fact that my hair doesn't feel hard and rough. That is why I didn't like protein. My hair feels really soft and my curls popped! I'm very very happy with the way my hair responded to the ORS. The downside, I tried to rinse with lukewarm water but it couldn't get the stuff out of my hair. It felt coated and sticky. I had to rinse again with warmer water to get it all out. Tha't's not really a big deal though. I probably didn't need to follow this up with my moisturizing deep condish mix but I am. I want to keep with my regular routine of protein and moisture deep condish on the same days.

I like it a lot and I'll be using this on a regular basis.

I did it!

2009-08-26T12:00:00.000-07:00

I went to Sally's yesterday and got exactly what I wanted. Nothing more, nothing less. Although the temptation was great.

I bought a pak of Organic Root Stimulator Olive Oil Replenishing Pak. It's a protein deep condish that is in my hair at this moment. I've had an interesting experience thus far and will tell all later. It smells really good.

I also bought Silk Elements Luxury Moisturizing Conditioner and Silk Elements MegaSilk Moisturizing Treament. Will tell all when I try them over the next couple of weeks.

And I got the Orly Enchanted Forest nail polish. I'm in LOVE. It went on so smooth and creamy. No streaking. It's got a great shine to it. I used two coats of that as well as two coats of Orly Sealon Topcoat. The color is so deep. In some lights, it almost looks blue. Anyway, picture time!

i know it's not the greatest pic but btwn camera phone and old ass digital camera, this is the best i could get.

Renewed Love Affair

2009-08-25T00:31:00.000-07:00

A while back, I had a sudden inspiration to paint my nails. I did it and loved it for a few short days. I neglected to do the whole top coat thing, chipped quickly and the affair was over. However, my love has returned in the form of Orly's Once Upon a Time Collection. More specifically the color you see to your right, Enchanted Forest. *you can't hear it but I just sighed with longing*

It's a creamy dark green and I have to have it. I will be making a trip to Sally's asap to retrieve this polish. I have to go anyway to find a protein deep condish. I can't wait to pick this up and try it. I'll be sure to get a great top coat too.

And in case this picture is not doing it any justice, here's another:

I think I'll have painted fingers and toes all fall with this one. There are some other fab colors in the Once Upon a Time Collection that I'll be checking out too. I'll let you know if I buy and and I'll update about the results for all of that.

Side note: still haven't gotten anything for the moisturizer i intend to make. will get on that asap b/c i'm starting to run low on my fav organic moisturizer.

Natural Hair Groupie...

2009-08-24T12:00:00.001-07:00

Okay, so I totally felt like a groupie a few minutes ago. I posted before how I've been wanting to color my hair. I was getting nowhere fast so I posted question on the Facebook Natural Hair Group. I checked the replies today and I got a response from a woman who was interviewed on one of the blogs I read. I want to say it was Black Girl Long Hair but I don't really remember. She gave me a few tips. So I replied with "OMG! I feel like a celebrity just replied to my question as I was just reading an interview you did." LOL! But I totally meant that. It was pretty cool. I'm a total groupie! lol!

And now for randomness:

Still don't know what I'll do for color but will be professionally done.

I was at a party on Saturday. I saw at least 5 other naturals, most of us with TWAs. One chick was sporting a real frohawk. She's brave, I can't cut off the side of my hair. I just did my first bc. I'm not ready for another when the style gets old in a few months.

I think it's funny how I used to be so frustrated with the top of my hair. Thinking it was getting straighter and that I must still have permed ends. Then suddenly, my curl pattern changed in the front and I love that part of my hair. It's got deep waves and a lot of spirals. I still have a hard time getting it to hold a style but I love the way it is without manipulation. And I'm noticing spirals in the very back which I didn't think would ever be tightly curls.

Oh yeah, I'm a horrible naturlista because I missed my 3 month bc on the 19th. I remembered a few days later. I took picts the week before but didn't post. May do that later.

And lastly, I used to be really excited about doing styles like braid outs and twist and other styles that require a certain amount of length. Not so much anymore. I want my hair to grow out but I love my texture so much, I don't know if I ever want to do anything to manuipulate it. I'm sure I'll try those styles at least once but I've got a feeling I won't be the girl doing a twist out every Sunday. I am excited about my hair being long enough to do a bunch of small single strand twist and wearing those for a period of time. I'm pretty sure once I have enough hair, that will be my protective style staple for the cold winter months.

To Dye or Not to Dye...

2009-08-20T13:14:00.000-07:00

That is the question....well...one of them. I've decided to dye my hair. I've never done it before, with the exception of highlights. I have no idea what color or what brand to use. I have a homegirl whose opinion I asked. She said she would research and get back to me. hmm...not to thrilled about that response. Then I talked to a homeboy who is very fashion forward. He's got an eye for what looks best on people. He immediately started naming colors and suggesting highlights with a particular color. He said he needed to get a good look at my base color since he'd never really checked it out and then we'd go looking for colors. Yay him!

I was caught up at first with not using chemicals or using very little to color my hair. But I've reazlied I cannot get away from it. I'll just have to take really good care of my hair once this is complete. And I read that coloring can loosen curls. I am very worried about this because I'm so in love with the recent texture change. My curls are getting tighter and I have a great deal of spirals. I know it's simply the change as it grows and it could change later but right now, I'm in love.

Ok, update. Just got a response from a forum and a girl said she never had issues with her curl pattern loosening. Makes me less worried about getting color.

OMG!!!!!

2009-08-16T12:44:00.000-07:00

I did my protein deep condish yesterday. I put the protein condish on dry hair, letting that sit for about an hour. I rinsed it out with luke warm water. Since protein makes my hair feel rough, I followed that up with a moisturizing condish mix I put together:
Hello Hydration (A little over the normal amount I use to cowash)
Shea butter (partially melted down so it would mix better)
Honey (I think I used about a tbsp. I know it was a lot)
EVOO (Probably abt a tbsp. More than I've ever used)
Coconut & Papaya Hair Butter/CPHB (This was very random. I just added b/c I felt I should add something more to the mix. Only a dime sized amount)

I let this sit on my hair for about and hour also. (No heat or shower cap with either). Once I worked the moisturizing condish into my hair, I immediately noticed that my hair was getting very wavy and curly. The not so defined/practically straight hair in the front was VERY well defined. The spirals that have been forming through out the crown and rest of my hair popped! The ones that were kind of frizzy and not so great were even fabulous. My hair was so curly. I couldn't believe it. I rinsed with luke warm water and the curls were still looking great. I blotted dry with a towel, applied some CPHB to moisturize and a litte bit of shea to seal. My hair loved that mixture! My mother saw me and said, "Wow, it looks like you did something to your hair." (Sounds a bit harsh but was a compliment.) She followed that up with several statements on how my hair has never looked that great. I have to agree, this is the best my hair has looked. She even said something about it this morning and that it was a shame I didn't go out last night so that people could have seen my hair.

My hair got smashed and a little dry over night but my curls are still looking pretty good. Some water and moisturizer should get me looking close to yesterday's perfection. Will definitely continue this treatment on a weekly basis.

Drum roll please

2009-08-14T10:25:00.000-07:00

I finished my first product since going natural. Yay me! I don't know but for some reason, I feel the need to somewhat celebrate this. Lol!

It was moisturizer, of course. I'm sure the next thing I finish will be my beloved HEHH conditioner. It'll probably be a year before I finish a sealer.

I still intend to make my own moisturizer but have yet begun the quest on locating the desired ingredients. I've been thinking about using a black cherry scented oil but feeling a bit weary. Will keep you updated.

A black woman is attractive only if...

2009-08-10T00:02:00.000-07:00

I was reading a blog today and it touched on two topics that are sensitive to me. Nappy hair and big butts. The blog was touching on how the African features of larger behinds has been accepted but not the African features of nappy hair. click here for the blog.

The subjects are sensitive for me because I just started my natural hair journey. I'm sporting a TWA right now. There is the issue of men finding me attractive because I have not only short hair but it's curly also. I tend to wonder if they immediately dismiss me as being a lesbian or just simply think "she not cute with that short nappy hair." I absolutely love my hair and am not going back to a perm because of this. I love the way I look but I cannot lie and say that at times, I don't feel a bit insecure. These are usually the times when I don't think I've dressed very feminine. Such as if I were wearing jeans and a polo shirt, instead of jeans and a more dressier, non-unisex type of shirt.

As far as the big butt thing goes, I don't have a butt. Never have. I've always felt insecure about it. So many times I have heard, "She would be okay if she had an ass." I hate buying jeans because they have to be really tight so that they aren't baggy around my butt or if I buy them more comfortably, they sag and I look like I have even less of a butt. I've dated guys who have asked why I don't wear clothes to make it look like I have a bigger butt. This lets me know that although they seemed to think I'm cute, they've had issues with my body shape. I actually feel a bit inferior when I'm with friends who have big butts. I feel like they will automatically get all the attention because that is the first thing a guy even bothers to look at. Ass first then face.

So with the combined issues of me not having a butt and now having short, nappy hair, I'm thinking I'm not going to have a man for quite some time. Part of me is laughing at this because of how shallow it seems. The other part of me is sad because I am not so naive as to realize that physical attraction is a big part of any relationship. Especially when first meeting someone. If I have a lack of attractiveness in the two main areas that black men seem to care about, how can I possibly find someone? Please do not misconstrue this as an effort to book a pity party, I'm just stating facts.

Protein issues....

2009-08-06T12:33:00.000-07:00

*sigh* This has got to be the hardest thing to figure out. I'm having issues as is MSatch. Mine isn't nearly as complexed as hers. I'm very hair lazy. She works hard to develop and stick to a regmine and I've seen the benefits she gets from it. I on the other hand, just randomly do stuff and my hair is rebelling.

My lazy routine has not consisted of deep conditioning or protein. What I considered deep co was putting HEHH on my hair when I first got into the shower. Letting it sit with the steam as my heat for a few minutes while I did my shower stuff. I realized the other day that I had not done a real dc in over a month and this also means no protein because my dc is the only protein I use. I didn't like using it because it made my hair feel hard and rough. In response, I've notice a lot of shedding and breakage when I wash and detangle. I went from having maybe 3-4 strands shedding to have a lot of breakage. And I mean A LOT.

I talked with MSatch and realized what I was doing. I just really don't like the protein because of how my hair feels afterwards. But clearly it is necessary. So two days ago, I used the dc by it self. Let it sit for 30 min. Then I followed up with a mixture of HEHH, EVOO and shea butter, letting that sit for 30 min. My hair didn't feel as hard but it was still rough. This will be my weekly dc from now on though because I have to get that protein in. I'm considering getting a different protein dc. I'm not sure if my hair likes this one.

Blah

2009-08-04T11:20:00.000-07:00

I told a friend that I was feeling rather blah today. I've had the feeling for the past 2-3 days. Don't like it very much but it's one of those situations where I learned something that I didn't want to learn. Truth is, I already knew it but I was trying not to know it. Unfortunately, when something repeatedly smacks you in the face, you have to acknowledge it.

So I go around feeling blah. And I decide to check out a blog I follow. It's written by a chick much younger than I but she has had a lot of life experience so she's spiritually older than me. She posted about this inspirational msg she got and how it made her look at things differently. I have to say, the msg was a great one. However, I am shocked to say that in my state of blahness, it didn't reach me. I read it and said, "hhhmmm." And that was it. On another day, I will read it and it will speak to me. Today, in all my blahness with the people in this world, those words were just words.

What have I learned? The greatest disappoint is expectation. Stop expecting people to be good or even expecting them to be who they say they are/want to be. It won't happen. Expect nothing, therefore, when something happens, you will be pleasantly surprised and appreciative. It will even make you appreciate the little things as you expected absolutely nothing.

Very Cool

2009-07-31T13:13:00.000-07:00

My best friend MSatch of the blog BTW is always finding something cool. She found a website that allows you to create a signature to use on blogs, websites and emails. Not just the regular signature like some quote you like or your contact info. But a real signature. You have to check her's out.

Obviously, since I think her's is super cool, I had to make one of my own. I'm debating about adding it to somethings on my website but feel a bit leary about that. I don't want people to think it is actually my signature. There is an option to scan an image of my signature into the site and have it created that way. I may do that.

Anyway, here's my signature for now.

Finally got it right

2009-07-31T12:27:00.000-07:00

I had tried a variety of ways to do a frohawk. Mostly, they were unsuccessful. But yesterday, I blew dry my hair because I intended to try Senegalese twist. It was a lot more work then I wanted to do yesterday. I had to do something so that I didn't waste time blow drying my hair. So I decided to flat twist my hair since it is so much longer than it was before. The twist came out really well, so I ended up doing both sides and making a frohawk. I don't really like the whole picked out fro look on myself so I wet the loose hair to get the curl back. I put a little bit of gel to enhance my curls and the look was fab.

Picture time!!!!!

2009-07-30T20:58:00.000-07:00

laughing at the email i just got from the site I used to blog with. They say my account and all my info has been upgraded to their new platform. So I type in the address...and it is still the same! The last 2-3 blogs I wrote do not show. smh. ridiculous.

Today's Randomness

2009-07-29T11:22:00.000-07:00

I went to the BSS yesterday and purchased something I wanted and needed. I needed more gel as I had used almost all of what little I had left doing kinky twist on my friend this weekend. I've been dying to try the IC Fantasia because I have NEVER heard anything bad about it. I also bought some hair so I can practice Senegalese twist on myself. It's much harder to braid/twist my own hair. So I parted a small section of hair and applied some of the gel (I was doing this to practice a twist) and my hair curled sooooo well! OMG! The back of my head has hardly any curl, never has. But this gel....DAMN! I love it already. Can't wait to apply to the rest of my hair.

I am getting a bit frustrated with my hair. It seems the back is getting curlier, producing tighter curls while the front is getting straighter. Uugh! I am getting so irritated with front and crown of my head. My best friend has been telling me to relax and just see what happens as it grows. When the hair gets heavier, the texture will change. She's right but I'm just worried about how it's going to come out as this will affect how I am able to style my hair. I'll probably twist my hair a lot sooner than I intended to so this will stop driving me crazy.

I was mixing together some stuff trying to figure out what to do for a moisturizer. I don't really like the mixture and won't bother to post ingredients. I noticed the few times I've used it that my hair feels kind of hard and sticky. I've used it 3 times and only made a small amount. It occured to me last night that I used too much honey. It's making my hair sticky. That was a "duh" moment. Lol!

And I came across something interesting when reading a blog The Golden Sparkle. She was talking about PJs (product junkies) and how she's trying not to become one. She came up with a great challenge to stop herself from accumulating a lot of products. I am totally not a PJ but thought her challenge was cool. http://thegoldensparkle.blogspot.com/2009/05/its-challenge.html

And one more thing...

2009-07-27T12:48:00.000-07:00

I have one more thing to say and then I PROMISE no more blogging about hair today.

So I was introduced to this guy who has a great head full of locs. They are awesome. He just started locing in October I believe. They've grown a lot. He mostly twists them himself but occasionally visits a shop. I think it's pretty cool that he took the time to learn to do them himself. It's take a long time to do this (any one who has tried to coil or two-strand twist their entire head knows what I'm talking about) and he made sure he learned how to do them right.

We were talking on the phone last night as he twisted his hair. I like talking to him for a number of reasons but I really enjoy talking to him about hair. It's hard to find anyone to talk to about my hair who understands and isn't just asking me why I've done my hair this way and how I keep it looking decent. He tells me things about his regimen and what's he's learned going through his process. He asks me questions about what I'm doing know and what I'll do later when I reach my hair goals. He has hair goals, which I think is super cool.

I love meeting naturals and this is the first guy I've met which makes it even more interesting.

How could I forget?!?!

2009-07-27T12:41:00.001-07:00

I saw my best friend on Friday!!!!!!!!!!!! First let me just say, it has been almost a year since I'd seen her and her family. Her GORGEOUS daughters have grown so much. I hate that I can't see them as much b/c the don't know me and even though I was to give them hugs and kisses, they are very young and don't remember so I don't want to freak them out and make them cry. But anyway, the hair on these girls heads is ridiculous! They both have very long curly hair. My best friend had these cut twisted styles in their hair. They looked adorable. (I'm a little jealous they have more hair than me! lol)

So as I have said before, my friend texlaxes her hair. It's looked really good. I could see the beautifully wavy texture of her hair. It looked a lot thicker than her hair used to and was very soft. She is doing a great job on her hair. She had it up in this cute bun type style. It wasn't actually a bun but just pinned up. It was cute. I can't wait til my hair get long enough for me to do sutff like that. I have hair envy of 2 toddlers and their mommy! lol! I love them all though!

Great start to my weekend which only got better as time progressed. Sad I couldn't see them again before they headed back home but thankful for the time I spent with my homegirl and her entire family.

Kink Twist

2009-07-27T12:23:00.001-07:00

So this weekend I did kinky twist for the first time. I did them on a good friend of mine who agreed to be my guinea pig. I was surprised at how easy it was to do them. I truly have to work on my technique so they come out better and faster (took forever!). She has thick shoulder length permed hair. It was fun though b/c I was doing them to a friend and we talked and laughed the whole time.

I realized when I was doing them though, I was doing more of Senegalese twist than a kinky twist. For those unfamiliar, a Senegalese twist is general done with human or jumbo braid hair as opposed to Kankelon hair. The hair is seperated into much smaller sections and the hair is double twisted. This makes the twist smaller and sleeker. So instead of thick puffly looking twist, you have a slimmer twist. At first glance, one might think someone with Senegalese twist has Pixie style braids. So my homegirl has a mixture of both. It's cute though.

Picture time!!!!!!!!!!
and apologizes for the sideways picts. too lazy to fix that today :-)

I'm thinking...

2009-07-22T13:42:00.000-07:00

about making a moisturizer for my hair. I like what I'm using but SoftSheen Carson Roots of Nature. But it's almost gone. I love how my hair reacts to the Nubian Heritage but as I said before, I'm not looking spend $9 on 4oz. I need more for the few dollars I have.

I got to thinking about the shea that I still haven't thought of anything to mix with. I like how my hair reacts to it. So I went YouTube researching to see what the naturalistas there are doing. I saw some who just mix shea with a natural oil to mask the nutty smell. I wanted a little more. I came across a vid by allthatsgold on How to make whipped shea mango butter hair cream. I've seen one of her videos before showing how do a wash n go and I like her hair. I felt her mixture was the best for me and personal taste as far as smells and things like that. Although I did see something additional about someone adding honey so I may do that also.

Anywho....as soon as I get the money to purchase the ingredients I want, then I will make a batch and let you guys know how it works. Hopefully this will be sooner than later. And being the creative minded person that I am, I've already thought of a name for my mixture. Shango Hair Creme. What do you think? Cute? Too much considering I haven't mixed it or settled on the exact ingredients? Yeah. lol! I know.

This is the starting list of what I will include:
Shea butter
Mango butter
Honey
Jojoba oil
Coconut oil
Veggie glycerin
Rosemary oil (not sure abt this b/c heard the smell is strong and I'm not big on flowery scents)
Castor oil (not sure abt this one either. no particular reason)

Excited

2009-07-22T00:05:00.001-07:00

At the end of this week my best friend will be back in VA!!!!! Yay! I'm super excited as I have not seen her and the family in a looooooooooooooooooooooooong time. And I'm thrilled to be able to see her with texlaxed hair for the first time. Her pictures show how healthy her hair is becoming and it looks great. Can't wait to see it in person and touch it. She's been blogging about her texlax/healthy hair journey on her blog BTW. She's always trying something new and it what give me inspiration to pretend to be the mixologist she is becoming.

Today is....

2009-07-19T15:32:00.000-07:00

month 2 of my nappy journey! Yay me! I am excited for so many reasons.

just because of what this celebrates: me and my continued naturalness. This is a great experience.
I was at a club last night and some random girl comes up to me, telling me how much she admires my hair. Her hair is braided and she says it's natural beneath the weave but doesn't know what to do with it. Unfortunately, I was a bit tipsy and unable to give her the advice she dearly needed. I'm sorry random girl! I really hope she takes a few moments to google natural hair and not go back to the perm.
I just took picts for my 2 month and am so very happy to see the progress. I used to get so irritated at how full the top of my hair is and then at the back would suddenly flatten (as if i had leaned back and flattened my fro) and was not as full. It's not nearly as flat as it was just 2 months ago. See comparison below.

And just because I got way picture happy, here are some more pictures that I took today.