Low Maintenance Hurr

Does anyone else practice low maintenance hair like me? I sure hope so! Here is my daily routine.

Come home from a long day of school/work,
take out my band and pins from my puff,
and go to sleep (on my satin pillowcase, of course)

and in the morning, I:

wake up to a flattened fro,
spritz with water,
massage with my shea butter mix and my none of your frizzness leave- in (occassionally, i massage my scalp with some coconut oil or castor oil),
re-puff,
and leave!

simple, right?!?!?!

SEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!?!?!?!

What is your daily routine?

shea butter for easy detangling???

Last time we spoke, I told you guys that I was going to try whipping the shea butter with coconut oil to prevent it from rehardening and for easier application aaand I did!I followed that tutorial I said I was going to follow and surprisingly, it worked. Not only did my mixture not harden, but my concoction was straight success. I applied it to my hair overnight and my hair felt like cotton for a straight week. It was sooooooo soft! I'm really thinking about packaging and selling it. What do you guys think?

Curly Nikki | Natural Hair Styles and Curly Hair Care: On the Couch with Joey Mazzarino

Curly Nikki | Natural Hair Styles and Curly Hair Care: On the Couch with Joey Mazzarino: "It's time for a Youtube pop quiz... Who is Antoine Dodson? If you answered 'Mr. Hide Ya Kids, Hide Ya Wife,' you'd be correct. Too easy?..."

New Additions to the Staple Product Family Part 2 [shea butter and coconut oil]

Okay so, if you peruse hair blogs like I do, you've most certainly seen/heard talk about shea butter in its natural state (unrefined) and/or coconut oil. Let me tell you, they aint lie [jay-z voice] lol. Recently, I discovered that the BSS (beauty supply store) in my neighborhood now carries unrefined african shea butter...imagine my PJ (product junky) excitement :D! So yesterday, I went out and bought a 16 oz jar for around 7 bucks (not bad considering that when whipped it's like 32 or more oz.) and decided that I would try to make shealoe (shea butter and aloe vera gel) little did I know, shea butter rehardens when cooled -___-   It still kind of worked tho, even though it was hard to work with. I washed my hair last night and melted my concoction in my hand and applied and them curls were poppin like L'il Mama's lip gloss! Anywho,  i did some research and found that in order to prevent shea butter from rehardening, one needs to add a carrier oil...hmmmm....yeaaaa idk what that means either, but upon further research, I learned that coconut oil does the job so, when I get home, I'm going to try again. Stay tuned!!!!

Here are links to the recipes I was going to combine and try:
1. http://www.agrlcanmac.com/2010/01/mixtress-chronicles-shea-pudding.html
2. http://mixology101.ning.com/profiles/blogs/shaes-pudding-curly-pudding

Here is the tutorial I'm going to use later:
http://blackhair.about.com/od/products/ss/howtowhipsheabutter.htm

BTW....
i also discovered that the vitamin shoppe has an entire line of natural products!!!!! (that's where I got my coconut oil and essential oil)  yaayyyyyyy!

Braid Out v. Twist Out

When I was transitioning, I despised braid outs. The pattern was just sooo not cute to me, it waved instead of curled and that's NOT what i was going for. Twist outs (well 2 strand flat twist bantu knot outs) gave me more of the curl that I was looking for.  Now that I'm natural, I've noticed that things are just the opposite. Twist outs, although they do give me the desired curl pattern, cause a lot of shrinkage and more frizz.  Braid outs, although they produce a wave rather than a curl give me the length I desire and makes my from so much more appealing to me. What I do is 2 strand flat twist the very front (bang) portion (cuz it makes it look oh so sexy) and braid the rest. I get the bangingest morning do's =D

P.S. I also recently learned that my length isn't qualified to be a TWA anymore, (womp, womp) because it's over 3 inches, so i am calling it post-TWA lol.

P.S.S There's a poll at the right side at the top of this page. I want your opinions on your favorite wet set styles this fall/winter season.

Shoutouts!!!

I have new followers!!!!!! Thank you all for following my little ole blog. I hope I don't disappoint! Like always, stay tuned!  And be sure to leave comments!!! 

 

Determined

I'm determined to be able to do this by March...that'll be my one year grow out mark and my 5 month since the BC mark. My hair is the perfect texture for this! AHHHHHHH can't wait!! I'm thinking bout coloring Renee too. Although she looks fab in her shade of brown, i've always wanted to experiment with lighteners. There's this hair lightener that some stylists use that has no bleach or peroxides...it's purely oil. What kind of oil? No idea, but when I do lighten ( when I have money) I will be using the oil lightener and putting in this color. I think it's like a 33 in weave. I'm excited =D

I have no idea who she is or where this picture is from, but her hair is to die!! <3

never been happier with my hair...BUT

I just did a little dance inside when I remembered/realized that I was completely natural (it's still kind of unreal to me to put the title to the state of being since it's only been a week). But, at the same time I cringed for my little sister. Today, yet again, my mother insisted that she needed a touch-up. From what I saw, her roots weren't even showing and at the crown there was hardly a quarter inch of new growth.  On top of that, she still had huge scabs from her last touch up which was over a month ago (probably why there's no new growth).  I said to myself (phew!) but at the same time, I was kind of sad because she's only 13, she doesn't want to perm her hair anymore, and as if that's not enough reason, her hair is falling out, breaking, AND her hairline is receding. If those aren't red flares, I really don't know what is. It's a damn shame I tell you, a damn shame! My sister insists that when she's old enough, she's going to go natural..my only fear is that by then, her thin hair will be far beyond repair. I only hope it works out for her.

Thank You Sesame Street!!!!

I'm sure many of you have seen this video on tons of other natural hair blogs, but you know I gotta get my 2 cents in ;).  I love this video! When I saw it on the Wendy Show, I was smiling sooo huge because this is exactly what little kids need to hear. When you are small, all you know is what other people tell you until you're old enough to observe the world for yourself, and by that time, you're already corrupted.  When I was small, all I heard about my hair was how much I had and how hard it was to deal with. By the time I was 6 years old I had already had my first relaxer. When I wasn't getting my hair relaxed, I was getting it hot combed. DAMAGE, DAMAGE, DAMAGE!!!!  Not only damage for my hair, but more importantly, damage for my self image. From that young, green age of 6 years old, I learned that my hair wasn't pretty unless it was relaxed and pin straight. Now don't call DYFS or anything on my mother (lol) she didn't (and still doesn't) know any better because she, like many black women out there is uneducated about how to take care of their natural hair because for soooooo long,black women have been told that black hair is unmanageable and ugly. Well, here's the duh for you...If you don't know how to do something, how are you going to do it? Uhm...learn!  DUH!!!! Granted, there were no resources back in 1995 (when I was 6) that aided black women in taking care of their natural hair, but we have no excuse now. It's time to start learning, educate yourself!!! I am so glad that Sesame Street made this video to show little black girls that their hair is beautiful and they are beautiful even if they don't look like the shiny hair girl on the perm box. :D

My First Puff! (tear)

The staple style among almost all naturals (if not all) is the afro puff. MsVcharles from youtube gives a tutorial of my favorite TWA style (for now) and below are my results.  I love this style because it's so simple and easy. Also, it makes your hair look bigger and longer than it actually is (teehee :D) love it! One alteration I made was instead of using gel (i hate the hardness) i used castor oil, pomade and leave-in conditioner. I think it smooths the front down even better than gel while moisturizing!!! 

[stay tuned for my review on Cantu Hair Dressing Pomade later].

my hair is crazy thick!!!!

prettiful flower <3

There you have it! Hope you like,

chunky twist out (frohawk)

Another thing I did while transitioning was youtube. I watched tons of youtube videos on styles for natural hair to make sure I was prepared. This is one of the styles that I was itching to try and adapt. Here's a pic of my first attempt. I two strand flat twisted the sides and used my oil mixture (mostly castor oil with an addition of avocado and/or olive oil) to give it a little shine.

More upcoming TWA experiments...stay tuned!!!
'til next time: 

Dear Transitioners,

When you're transitioning, you need to develop an entirely different mindset from the one you had while you were still relaxing. Here's what helped me to transition successfully:

1. I decided I wanted to transition and I had a solid reason.
2. RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH-- the internet is your best friend, look at pictures, read stories of fellow transitioners, learn about your hair, because if you don't your hair is going to be "unmanageable" solely for the reason that you have no idea what your doing.
3. Change your entire product artillery. Learn about ingredients, and figure out what is best for your particular texture through trial and error. Read the ingredients and reviews before you buy and be sure to look for key words that describe what your hair needs.
4. Stay away from heat! You're going to hear this everywhere...the line between your relaxed hair and your new growth is weak and prone to damage, so handle with care. When I was transitioning, here are some of the styles I did:
• months 1-2 after last relaxer---wash and go. I wore the waves that my relaxed hair had when wet along with a little help from styling mousse. 
• months 3-4ish (depending on you) ---braids! carefree, kept my hands out my hair, and promoted growth. I talk about my braid regimen in earlier posts. 
• months 4ish-6ish--twist and curl, braid outs, bantu knot outs, flat twist outs. I tried and loved everything. Find your niche and it'll be great.
5. Wash often! I co-washed weekly and shampooed monthly usually on Sundays because I had the most time on these days to properly detangle and primp.
6. When it's time for the BC, your hair will tell you, your soul will tell you. I did it without family support and succeeded. Don't let anyone bring you down!!

Good luck!

by the way....my hairspiration!!

I looooooooove this picture! Ima wear my hair just like this in a few months!!!

BIG CHOP...for real this time

Thursday night. October 7th, I BIG CHOPPED!!! I think i had a little too much time on my hands to look at pictures of young curlies on natural sunshine and curly nikki's blog. I came across this one girl who had the same length of hair as I had new growth and her hair was beautiful.Truly inspirational.  Completely unplanned and without apprehension, I came home, grabbed the sharpest scissors I could find along with my spray bottle and started chopping away. By 10:30-ish, i was completely natural!! Lemme tell you! It felt so nice. i had no connection to my permed ends, I didn't even take a before picture or measure it. It just felt like I was taking out a weave or braids... It felt like i was morphing into a new kind of beauty... a rebirth.

Meet Renee:

side view of Renee ;)

Renee is what I've decided to name my hair lol...odd? of course, but that's okay because I'm odd! lol.But peep the significance. Renee, in French means "re-birth" which is fitting because this natural hair is a re-birth of me. It symbolizes the shedding of my old sense of beauty and the birth of a new sense of beauty. My redefinition. Now, some of you who might not remember my old posts about why I embarked on this journey to natural hair can reflect on my first posts. If you do remember, you'll see why this name is perfect for my hair. Also, to add to the significance, Renee is also my middle name. So one could could infer that this re-birth is, in fact, me coming into the person who I truly aspire to be. A woman who is completely aware of herself, knows what she wants, and will fight to get it regardless of what haters think. Renee is just the beginning of my path to independence.

RU football game against UConn..pay no attention to his face lol.

Mini Big Chop revealed

So I have lots to tell you guys! Since my last post, I mini chopped and finally BIG CHOPPED!!
This is a picture of my mini chop:

after i cut it, i twisted it

3 inches!!!

  

trying on my sweatshirt for Friday's game with my mini chop. what you see is all i cut lol.

So, like I told you guys before, I did a little test chop a couple of weeks ago on a tiny section in the front of my head. On Monday evening, curious me wanted to see how I'd look if I chopped off the entire front portion of my hair (the relaxed ends).  And I thought it looked fab and I could sooo work it with my beanie....and I did....until (in the words of Alice from Alice in Wonderland) I got curiouser and curiouser! On Wednesday night, I put in coils:


They looked fabulous with my beanie and so Lauryn Hill-esque
Then, I figured: (1) it's my hair and I can do with it what I please (2) it's not like I'm altering my face or skin color, I'm only cutting my hair so how different could I possibly look (3) I cut the front portion, how hard could the rest of my head be?! and I chopped!!!!

Continued in the next post...

Mini Big Chop

Just thought I'd tease you guys... i did a mini big chop with the middle of my hair that I had in the poof today. I love it, its soo cute. Mind you,. I had no qualms in chopping off a huge portion of hair, but I did get lazy -_- otherwise, it would have probably turned into a complete big chop. Pictures soon. Sooner if I get some comments...nobody's been showing me any love on my blog lately :(

Beanie = Care free Protective Hairstyle

It's getting quite chilly in Jersey, and since my hair is getting longer, it's also taking longer to dry.  Because of this, I can't really do the wet set styles that I love any more :( However, I discovered beanies last year (while still relaxed) and always rocked it with my bang out.   When I decided to go natural, I didn't really think that I could where it anymore because my hair wasn't straight. THEN, I saw a lot of other naturals sporting gorgeously on the web and decided to try it too.

relaxed 

natural ...kind of ;)--side view

 

Method:

Last night (like every weekend) I triple conditioned my hair (co-wash, conditioner, deep conditioner). Then, I 2 strand flat twisted the sides with my fave oils (castor and avocado or olive oil) and Eco-Styler Olive Oil gel with a little spritz of my Aussie leave-in ...it's my fave thing to do! After that, I put the back in two braids and pinned them away, because I knew that portion wasn't going to show. To get my poof in that wave pattern I put my Herbal Essences leave-in on the whole front section, two strand flat twisted it and put the remaining hair into a bantu knot. It gives me the perfect curl/wave w/o being frizzy!

This, and variations of it, will most likely be my staple style until my BC...Stay tuned!!!!

BC postponed--NEW DATE!

So guys, I told you guys that I was going to do my BC last weekend. However, I came to a huge ROAD BLOCK when I realized that there was no one to do the cut for me :(.  and i couldn't do it myself because i have THREE INCHES of new growth so, it needs to be cut properly. That's the bad news...

I do have good news though....=D
This thanksgiving, we're having a huge shindig at my house (in Jersey) with all my aunts and cousins coming down from Florida. Two of these cousins happen to be married to hairdressers, who happen to do natural hair, and who are coming to MY house. Meaning, that the BC is set for the ending of November and not only will it be done, but it will be done right! I'm so excited!!!

Until then, the beanies are back! Last winter/fall, I bought a deep turquoise beanie and it was fab! I didn do my hair until the front was jacked up -_-. Now, since the front of my hair is natural, I can so rock it all winter!!! *drumroll please* Fab protective hairstyle+ beanie = warm head AND healthy hair AND therfore healthy new growth. I'm actually wearing one right now, but I'm in class (shhhh....) so I can't take a picture. I'll take a picture and upload it later =D.

 I've been away for a while, but I'm back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 =D Look for new posts on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays....
i love you guys for supporting me
<3 stay tuned!!!!!

none of your frizzness: smoothing leave-in cream

This one is good too. It makes my hair rly soft and it smells yum! It's also a good curl definer. My hair loves it! I actually like it better than the long term relationship leave-in because this has more of a water base, so sometimes I don't have to use anything else with it which really makes for less build up.I think I like the Aussie spray better, though.

Aussie Hair Insurance Leave-In Conditioner

I love, love, love this stuff! On the bottle it says "The Hair Insurance collection, accented with splashes of natural Australian Botanicals, helps protect and strengthen your precious ‘do against damage." I bought it because my herbal essences none of your frizziness leave-in was almost finished and I went to restock. Damage protection seemed ideal for my transitioning hair and I wanted a leave-in that wasn't so thick. Let me tell you how this leave-in made my hair feel amazing. I don't even need to use it on damp hair as instructed to get the desired results. I just spray it on a section (for a bantu knot out for example) and my hair comes out sooooo soft and bouncy the next morning and not at all greasy. I'm really loving it.

Lack of Support--hurdle #1

I said earlier that this weekend was going to be my BC wknd. and it really was, i swear! However, due to the huge absence of support, I had nobody to cut my hair for me and for fear that I would cut part of the natural hair, I did not cut it myself. Right now, I'm feeling so defeated. I'm determined to do this, but no one will help me. It's such a spirit killer for me, but i refuse to give up. I'm seriously thinking about going to a salon and letting them cut it for me, but costs and technique are very important and will probably defer my BC even more.

this is the amount that I cut off of the very front of my hair, then I got lazy -_-

You know what gets me really upset though?...when my mother tells me to just perm it because I don't have the face for short hair and i'm going to look ugly or whatever. I get so angry and then even more depressed because I can't really exert my anger. This just shows me how much support I don't have and that I'm really in this by myself over here. It's heartbreaking and sad, but I'm not going to let it kill me.  I'm determined to continue this journey.  It makes me think of other women who have made the decision to go natural, and gave up because there was nobody there for them. I wish I knew what to do, but right now, I'm feeling their pain. I have no urge to perm my hair though. I'm curious to see a new side of my beauty. Stay tuned. :)

Big Chop

Recently, my hair has been rebelling. I think it's getting too long for the styles that I loved so much towards the beginning of my transition. For this reason, I am seriously considering BCing earlier than anticipated. I've really been thinking about I and might bc as early as this wknd. We'll see, and as always, I'll upload pictures.


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UPDATE!

I've been off the blog scene for a while, due to my hectic schedule, but once I settle in and develop a routine, I'll be back. For now, a quick update:

• I'm still alive...
• and still transitioning...
• and still loving my curls!!!!
• This month marks 6 months post relaxer!!! 
• I actually have 3 inches (stretched) of natural hair!!! excited!!!
• Mom's pushing the BC, but I think that's more curiosity than anything.
• I can't wait to be natural.

Below, is a picture of a braid out I did last week, my hair is getting so long! For now, my BC date is still set for December...Stay tuned!!!

Disaster

So apparently, my hair thought it would be fun to just not listen at all today. SOOOO NOT COOL!!! As I've told you guys, Bantu knots have become my nightly routine to achieve the fro-ish curl look I've grown to love on this journey; so last night (like every night) I knotted my hair to prepare for luscious curls this morning. Little did I know, my hair took it upon itself to just not curl AT ALL!!!! Right now, I am under the dryer with my rewetted knots hoping that they curl :'(. Ugh!!!!! The one day that I actually have to go out, my hair decides to misbehave! Good thing I had time to deal with it this morning. This better knot (pun intended) happen again.
Note to my hair: It would be in your best interest to take heed to this warning! I'm soooo NOT kidding!! -_-

Stay tuned!!!!!

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It's been a while, here are some updates =D

So tomorrow is the official first day of school -_- but I do have good news! For the first time in my entire back to school career, I actually love my hair lol. I remember the years when I would get a fresh touch up right before school started up again just so I would look fresh, and by the end of the week  I would HATE  how flat and lifeless my hair looked.  Not this semester, honey, I'm going back with style and I'm gonna WORK this transitioning curly head.

On Sunday, I washed my hair and while playing in my hair semi-drying, I picked up a pair of scissors and did a semi mini-chop in a back section. I chopped off about an inch or 2 of relaxed hair (all that was back there) and immediately felt freedom. I was even more excited to see that my hair was actually long enough in the back to be seen in the front during it's natural state, and when stretched, it reached the nape of my neck! My baby is growing!!!!

Another update for you guys:

My mom is actually semi-supportive. I haven't heard "get a perm" from her in a while.She actually offered to mini twist my hair which I refuse because of the relaxed ends. I KNOW  they will not cooperate, and this past weekend, she offered to weave it so it can grow which I refuse because weaves are annoying. But I do appreciate the support!

I can't wait til i'm 100% natural. The world aint ready for the gorgeosity of my curls ;)

Pictures will follow soon....stay tuned!!!

When did Chemical Burns Become the Norm?

I remember getting touch ups every month and almost every single time, it resulted in a burn and i just blew it off deeming it ordinary. But think about it, if you stay out in the sun too long and get burned, you learn to put on sun block or just not stay in the sun too long; if you spill a chemical on your skin resulting in a burn, you get treatment and learn to be more careful; if your cooking, and you burn yourself on the stove, you learn not to stand too close to the popping oil, or use better heat protection. Why is it that when women get burns in their scalp, they brush it off and continue relaxing their hair? Burns are NOT acceptable!! So why do we accept it??

The last time I had my hair relaxed, it resulted in severe burn in the the entire front right quarter of my scalp along with minor burns on other parts of my scalp. The burns were so sever that I made the decision to NEVER put that crap in my hair ever again! Yet, women who are fully aware that their scalp is sensitive to the chemicals in the relaxer continue to relax their hair and suffer these burns. Is the pain really worth the week (more or less) of "beauty" you get from a fresh touch up? Is it really worth still having sub par hair and a clearly damaged scalp. Think about it!!!

Bantu knot out part 2

My Bantu knot out and new headband from xxi <3

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

i have come to realize something about relaxers....

they're just not real!!!! I mean, that's obvious, but it's becoming more apparent to me on this journey as i scope out more natural women. Today, my sister and mom went to the hair salon to get they're hair done. After, about 2 months of stretching her perm, my 12 year old sister went to get a touch up and a cut. FYI: she's been getting perms since she was 7 and when I decided to go natural, she wanted to do it too, but my mother detested it because she hates "nappy hair" and its just "not right", so my sister had to get a touch up.  When she came home, her hair looked nice, but it was obvious to me, that this style was not her. While stretching her relaxer, she wore braids, and braid outs, that fit her just beautifully, making it more apparent to me that pin straight "white girl hair" looked unfitting on her. If this is the case, why do black women continue to get relaxers? Can't they see the truth???

Kinky Twists

I am currently rocking kinky twists as we speak just to keep my hands out of my hair.  So far, It's working! I've had the twists in for a little over a week and I plan to keep them in until the end of the month. Then, i will redo the front myself. I learned how, through youtube and was even able to do my aunt's hair! So yea, I'm excited! Peep this pic!

New Additions to the Staple Product Family

Normally, this post would go under the "Product Reviews" tab, but these products are special....special enough to be featured as its very own post. "What are these products?" you ask, why! conditioners of course!!! I finally found the most perfect conditioner that leaves my hair feeling fabulous and doesn't cost an unreasonable amount of money.This conditioner is the Suave Humectant Conditioner. It is amazing. The thick consistency penetrates my defiant curls and softens them instantly making me swoon under its power (that sounds like a romance novel lol)  I truly love this product, I've NEVER, in all my years of washing and conditioning, felt my hair this soft days after my wash.  It is now Tuesday, and I washed my hair on Sunday, and it's still super soft without a tangle in sight!

Following this conditioner, I used a  Herbal Essences Leave-In Conditoner called None of Your Frizziness Smoothing Creme (hair forums rave about the long-term relationship one, but I prefer this one after trying both...the Long Term Relationship scent is kind of harsh). This creme eliminated frizz as promised and softened my already soft hair. I always thought that Herbal Essences products were only for "white people's hair" (whatever that is), but I'm so glad I tried it. I love love love my new staple products!

textures smextures

Wow! I haven't written in a while, and I apologize.  Now that I'm back, I need to
share with you guys some of the stuff that have been on my mind. While looking on other blogs and fotkis about transitioning, I've noticed that there is a common complaint among them: the two different textures are so hard to deal with! Maybe it's just me, but they're really not that hard to deal with.  As long as you keep your new growth soft by moisturizing and conditioning, you're good.  Avoiding your new growth is not going to aid your growth or management at all. For me, conditioning is a main part of my regimen. I condition every Sunday religiously. I deep condition rarely because I have yet to find one that my hair likes, and I apply a leave in condition daily.  This is really the key to keeping your new growth mangeable, otherwise, your hair is going to be coarse, hard, and you're going to want to relax it to make it more "manageable" which defeats the purpose of growing out your hair in the first place.

As of now, I'm still LOVING my curls.  When I wash my hair, I spend so much time playing in it that by the time I'm ready to style it it's dry! In order to keep my hands out of my hair, I'm thinking about getting kinky twists put in... stay tuned!!

two strand twist into a curly frohawk

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

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!

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.

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.

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!!!

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 ;)

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

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?

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

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).

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).

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!

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!!!

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!

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).

I can feel the difference in the texture at the roots!

Apparently, my hair, like me, loves attention because it's been thriving well. I've noticed recently that my hair is getting thicker and softer. It's so weird because when I used to relax my hair, I would notice how coarse my hair was when it needed touching up, but now, 3 (almost 4) months post-relaxer, my hair is growing out of my scalp soft and not at all coarse. Here's my regimen:

I twist n curl every night because I like the fresh look.

I use my Oragnic Root Stimulator Olive Oil as a sealer at the roots and ends, and my Lustrasilk olive oil protein to keep my hair moist.

I also use my Infusium 23 leave-in treatment before I start my twists.

I actually haven't been washing or rinsing my hair everyday like I thought I would, I just mist it with water in a spray bottle and my hair has been surprisingly moist and responsive to my olive oil fetish. One thing I've noticed, though, was that my ends are really weak (snapping off) which is probably a result of the micro braids ( i haven't cut the ends just yet, but when I do, I'm thinking 2 inches). I don't really care about that though, I'm trying to get rid of my relaxed ends anyway =D

That's just a quick update on my progress, I'll post pictures when I try my new style (two strand flat twists). I'm actually thinking about doing that this week, but I have to wait for a sunny day because I'm doing lemon juice highlights, too!

twist n curl results!

What I did was take out the curlers and take apart the twists and fluff them,and they looked a hott mess! So i smoothed the sides back, made a little hump up top and came up with this look!