7.26.2010

Bantu Knots

So yesterday was hair washing day and what a marvelous wash it was. I don't know if it was the week's worth of oil in my hair or what, but my hair felt soooooooo soft even before I shampooed it. I'm truly in love with essential oils. After I washed my hair, I was going to have the sides braided again, but I decided against it just to give the sides a break from the stress. Here's a picture of the knots:

  
I think I made a mistake in twisting it like a corkscrew instead of two strand twisting it because my hair was extremely tangled this morning. I'll do that next time. When I did the knots, I really didn't have a style in mind, I just felt like experimenting. This morning when I took it out, I did a updo style that I found on Curly Nikki's site.  I'm not sure if I love it, but with accessories and some fixing, it might work. This was just a trial run. By the way, I need to tell you guys about castor oil, it's AMAZING!! Stay tuned!

my hair looks soft here

the curls came out pretty good =D
I need to find more pretty hair accessories! <3

7.25.2010

Additions to my arsenal

Yesterday, I finally found glycerin! I found it in the most random store too! Guess where....Kmart! Like i said in my product reviews, you'd be surprised how many products and beauty supplies you can find at a general supply store. I only wen there for a leave-in, but I decided to look through the other aisles and in the very last aisle of the beauty section, there were tons of natural oils! I got tea tree oil, sweet almond oil, rosemary oil ( i have no idea what i'm going to do with that yet), glycerin, castor oil, and olive oil all in the same section. Time to do what I do best....experiment! Wish me luck!

P.S: I also got a Conair shower comb, can't wait to try it!

7.22.2010

Naturals...they're everywhere!...even in the workplace!

Everywhere I look, I see naturals. There're naturals in almost every show I watch, in every store I go to,and  every time I turn around, I see a woman with beautiful natural hair. If this is a fact, then why does the myth that natural women can't find work even exist? That's like saying that Spanish women with hair just as thick as ours (and I kno many) can't work. That that is barbaric and unbelievable to any degree. Many Hispanic women I know are very successful women and they wear their naturally curly hair to their job with no problem.  This rumor needs to stop! It's ridiculous! It's fairly understandable that a woman with a BAA (Big A** Afro) would be seen as unprofessional in an interview because they're hair would be just too wild in appearance, but this should not be an obstacle in the road to naturality. There are tons of amazing styles that natural women can wear that can still look presentable, and if you're using your hair as an excuse why you can't get a job, then you're settling. Explore your hair! Natural women are literally everywhere. Yes, people will confront you and ask questions, but that happened to me when I was relaxed. The black woman's hair regimen is a mystery to most people, it's our job to inform others and relieve them of their ignorance. Embrace your natural hair responsibly.

7.20.2010

Embracing the inner me - Natural Sunshine.com

This is a post that i put on my Natural Sunshine page (community for naturals) on July 4th. I actually didn't realize, until now, the symbolism in this post being written on independence day. I'm a strong believer in signs, and this sign, to me, signifies success. My journey WILL be successful, it has no choice:

One thing I'm learning in my journey is to be comfortable with myself. I'm the type of person who really couldn't care less about what alot of people think about me. The way I see it, no matter what you do, someone somewhere is gonna have a problem with it, so just do you. That's why I do me! That's one of my reasons for transitioning. I wanted to be me. I really love the woman I am becoming and I feel that in order to fully become that woman, I need to "do me." The shamika I see in the future has curly hair, she knows what she wants, and she's not afraid to go get it. That's really who I strive to be. I find myself admiring my curls and my new growth, but sometimes when I try to pull my hair back and it's not perfectly flat, I get a little upset and I kind of miss my relaxed roots. I need remember the reason I chose to do this transition: to essentially liberate myself from the mental and physical constraints I've allowed others to put on me. So, what I'm going to do is continue my journey and not give up because I really want this. I finally have control over something in my life and I love it! I have decided that for my birthday, which will be 9 months post-relaxer, I am going to BC. Im going to start my twenty first year off the way I want to....finally.

7.19.2010

CURLY FRO-HAWK!!!

My Love Affair With My Curls

The title says it all...I absolutely LOVE my little curls and coils that are sprouting. They are sooooo beautiful! I wish I had a camera that would capture it's beauty! I find myself getting distracted while I'm setting my hair and stopping to feel each curl and straining to find a mirror that would allow me to see it, but apparently it's impossible to see the crown of my head. I find that the hair at my crown is very thick and the curls there group together much more than the curls at the sides of my head. I'm starting to see a curl pattern (or something like it). The curls at the front are loose, the curls at the sides are tiny and tight, and the curls in the back seem  follow the curl pattern of the front. I'm thinking that the sides are weird because of the stress from the micro braids, and the braids for my staple style, so I'm trying to think of another style so that my ladies are happy =D. Also, I'm trying to find a name for my hair lol (i name everything!) I'm thinking Sahara, because she's sooo dry and thirsty, any suggestions?

New hair ideas??

Although I love my staple style, I'm kind of bored with it, and I need a change. I'm thinking a straw set, but I don't know if it's wise to do it myself, and I'm kind of broke so....yea. Any ideas on new styles? BTW, i want to avoid straight styles: i love my curls!!!

7.18.2010

you know your hair is thick as hay-ell wen...

So, on Sunday when my mother did my trim, I put a side comb in my hair to secure loose hair and so I wouldn't lose it. After the trimming was done, guess wat? I lost the side comb! I basically tore the place where I was sitting apart only to find that it was in my hair. Mind you, I checked my hair twice and could not feel it at all!! lol. If you think that's bad, just a moment ago while I was setting my hair, I found a tooth from my side comb! I haven't worn the side comb since friday...and I'm just finding out now, more than 36 hrs later, that it broke? lol. My hair is THICK! It was thick when I had it relaxed and It's gonna be even thicker when it's natural. I'm kind of excited to lose stuff in it lol. I'll just use it to my advantage how I use my bosom lol ;)

7.14.2010

Softness is Bliss

I've come to the conclusion that my hair doesn't like Lustrasilk Protein Conditioner. Instead of diagnosing my hair as protein sensitive, I will simple say that my hair is senstive to this particular type of protein. In sunday, after I did a cowash and got my trim, I used my moisturizing spritz and castor oil to set my twists. Today, I finally took the rods out and my hair is incredibly soft!!! Before, only my roots were soft and the rest was kind of hard, but now, all of my hair is soft and apparently moisturized. I don't think I'll be needing that Lustrasilk protein anymore., my hair feels amazing without it. I used the castor oil to seal my ends and you should see how they glisten in the light. I've said this in previous posts, but I think these oils are my new best friend =D

7.13.2010

Newark Women's Style Examiner

Newark Women's Style Examiner

This has nothing to do with hair, but I just wanted to let you guys know that I have been hired as the Newark Women's Style Examiner for examiner.com. I would love if you guys would support me and read my articles. Your feedback, support, and subscriptions are greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!!!

Trim, Trim, Trim

I finally trimmed those gross ends of mine (maybe about 2 inches in some places). Trichologist, Lisa Akbari, stated that when transitioning, one must cut off all dead ends because the dryness of the ends can damage the rest of the strand. So, in order to promote growth, I finally got rid of my ends. I haven't noticed any drastic change (except the difficulty in sealing ends while twisting) since I just got it done on Sunday, but I hope this will make my hair less brittle in the future.

As for my moisturizing spritz, it is still treating me very well, my hair feels softer than ever! I can easily see my obsession with oils flourishing. I have yet to get the glycerin, but I will have to soon, my spritz is almost done! :(

What do you do to keep your hair moisturized?

7.12.2010

Moisturizing Spritz Results

A couple days ago, I told you guys about the moisturizing spritz I concocted for my twist n curl. When I took the twists out, my roots were really soft and responsive (like I said, my hair loves olive oil), but I hadn't made much so it was done really quick. Luckily, I had some more Infusium 23 Leave-in Treatment and my friend gave me more oils so I just made more. This new one was even better because it had castor oil, Vitamin E, and olive oil in it. My hair was even softer!! I looooove soft hair! I'll let you know how this one turned out, stay tuned!!!

Natural Women Before and After

I don't know if it's just me, but I've noticed that women often look better when they're hair is natural than when it is relaxed. Sometimes, they even look like completely different people. Relaxed hair is such a norm that we often think our hair is supposed to be straight, but looking at these pictures made me want to go natural even more. It's like before, these women looked like they fit in, of course, conforming to social norms, but after, when these women were completely natural, they were really themselves. A lot of women have no idea how their natural hair looks. They have no idea how it curls or how beautiful it is when their hair is relaxed, but when they finally go natural its like they have a hairpiphany (yea i said it...i'm an English major so i can make up words lol) and you can see it in their face and in their style. It's like they're no longer forced to conform; that's what I mean when I say they finally become themselves. I can't wait to become myself =D

Here's some links to before and after pictures:
http://www.curlynikki.com/2010/07/walking-down-memory-lane-with-antre.html
http://newlynatural.wordpress.com/about/
more coming soon....i might even make this a new page =D

7.09.2010

My Moisture Spritz

I've been reading on other blogs that when doing a wet set, the best thing to use is not the obvious liquid: water. Naturalistas such as Milan and Mae have said int heir blogs/vlogs/ and fotkis that a moisture spritz is the best way to go because water dries out eventually, but oils lock in moisture. Being an experimenter, I decided to try it last night, but since oil and water are infamous enemies, they need an emulsifier (glycerin) to make them compatible.  At that particular moment, however, I didn't have access to any glycerin :( but I remembered that I had a leave-in treatment (Infusium 23). I checked the ingredients and lo and behold! There was glycerin! So here's what I did, I took a little oil mixture I bought at my BSS and poured a little of both in a separate bottle.  Honey, it was so moist and sealing, my hair rejoiced!!! The Infusium 23 is also a detangler, so a detangler that moisturizes is definitely the best of both worlds; I didn't even feel the need to put an extra sealant on the ends. It even felt like my line of demarcation was stronger, but i don't know just yet, we'll see!. I can't wait to see how it looks when I finally take them out! Until then I'll continue to spritz! Stay tuned!

Texture Shot


Can you see my curls?!?! This was taken right after a co wash.

Hair Accessories!!!!!


Okay, so I finally found headbands!! I found these headbands at H&M for less than $6 before tax! and there's two of them! I was a little too excited when I found this out. Also these headbands are satin-ish so they won't rip out your hair!

 I realized that with my newly found bigger hair, headbands look better on me. I also found that I love bows and flowers kind of overwhelm my hair. Here's my new favorite headband to add to my staple style. Please don't mind the frizz by the braids. Apparently my hair grows faster than the braids can bear to stay fresh. Also, my new growth shrinks alot! I co-washed it on Wednesday so it's actually longer than it looks (i need to actually stretch it when setting it tonight).


7.08.2010

My nails are breaking my hair!!!

Okay, so I've said before that my relaxed ends are snapping off and I didn't care because I was trying to get rid of them anyway, but now it's annoying!!! It's especially annoying when a strand gets stuck in a pin or in another strand and snaps, but worst of all when my it gets stuck in a snagged nail and snaps! Its detrimental for both my hair and my nails, so I've come to the conclusion that I'm going to wear my nails low like a boy. The Mane and chic blog suggests wearing gloves for this reason, but I hate gloves lol. I really don't like wearing them. In the winter time, I wear fingerless gloves which would defeat the purpose in this case :-/. So, my solution is going to be to cut my nails down really low. I've been told that I have really long nail beds so it won't look too boyish, but my hair will be safe (hopefully).

7.07.2010

Beauty Lies--Interview with Karen

Yesterday, I told you guys that I would see about getting an interview with the filmmaker of "The Natural Hair Revolution" on youtube, Thesmallaxx, and I have! We are arranging a time to conduct the interview, so stay tuned! 

Also, stay tuned for interviews from other naturalistas!

The Natural Hair Revolution! "Beauty Lies" part1


The Natural Hair Revolution "Beauty Lies" part2

YouTube - The Natural Hair Revolution! "Beauty Lies" part1

YouTube - The Natural Hair Revolution! "Beauty Lies" part1

The videos above opened up my mind to actually think about the origination of the relaxer. I've done research papers on women's fashion throughout different decades, and for the most part, fashion changed and evolved due to the simple want to change (with a few exceptions, of course). Makeup was invented to enhance features, curly perms and waves were invented for style, and etc. What I was frightened to learn was the reason the relaxer was invented: to make us, black women, resemble the our mistresses, the white woman. Now, don't get me wrong, anyone who knows me knows that I'm not one of those people who preach at you about black rights and everything, nor am I one of those people who are anti-white. I am actually guilty of saying that I would never go natural because it wouldn't look right on me. What I failed to realize was that I was born with natural hair and I had natural hair for 6 years, I was put on this earth with natural hair, so why wouldn't it look right?

Most women who relax their hair have either never seen their hair natural or have had perms for so long that they don't remember seeing their hair natural. We've been told for so long that our hair is too nappy and unmanageable to wear natural and most of us just believed that myth failing to realize that we aren't the only black women here on this earth. There are black women all over the world who are able to take care of their hair and wear it quite beautifully, so why can't we. There are tons of beautiful styles that we can do with our natural hair that we cannot do with limp relaxed hair. Natural hair can be stylish! It's actually more manageable and easier to style than relaxed hair. We need to take a step back and actually learn about ourselves and our hair and ask ourselves, why we're relaxing our hair. Do you really have a reason?

I'm actually trying to get an interview with the woman who made this video. I'll let you guys know how things go, stay tuned!

7.06.2010

Just to clarify, this is not solely about length

I just want to clarify that I am not hung up on getting long hair; I've always had short hair and I actually like it better. The only reason I've named such specific lengths is because I want to see the progress that my hair has made. I'm also curious to see exactly how long my hair can grow. I have no burning desire to have hair down to my ankles, I'm just testing the waters ;)

you can see that the new growth is halfway to the ponytail!!!



7.03.2010

back to reality

After some thinking, I 've come to the realization that BSL is not realistic for May 2011 simply for the reason that my current length is (NL) neck length and my (NG) new growth is only about 2-3 inches off of my head. For this reason I have decided that my new May 2011 goal is most likely gonna be damn near close to (APL) arm pit length. Today I decided that I'm gonna do my BC (big chop) in December, my birth month! I will be turning 21 and I want to start my twenty-first year completely curly since I've always admired curly hair. So, this year around December 10 (probably the weekend before) I am going to a nappy salon and getting my hopefully 6 inches of naturally curly hair styled gorgeously!! I am kind of excited...wish me luck!!

As for my two-strand flat twist, they came out a hott mess! I had to go out in the morning, so I turned them into a updo and kept it moving, when I came back I did my twist n curl in the back and two-strand flat twisted the front and it came out nice. Unfortunately, I was unable to take pictures before it messed up :T....maybe next time!

7.01.2010

Flat Twist Out

I washed my hair today, and conditioned and deep conditioned it. It feels so soft! Well, except for the very end which feels quite trashy..i need to cut that. Other than that it feels fab! Anyway, I used Pantene Pro-V Relaxed and Natural Shampoo and Conditioner (my fav) then for DC, I used Lustrasilk Olive Oil Cholesterol and my Organic Root Stimulator Olive Oil and some Pantene Pro-V moisturizer and left it in. My hair felt soooo soft!

As we speak, I am two strand flat twisting my hair as close to the root as possible. Im kind of scared to see wat will come of it in the morning. I might put perm rods at the ends, but im not too sure about that either... we'll see! I will definitely post pictures tomorrow (biting my nails).
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