Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Taking a break!

Hi everyone. I have a lot going on with studying for the GMATs and the holidays. So I don't plan on posting for at least a month or so. I hope everyone has a wonderfuly holiday and a fabulous New Years! I'll be back soon. :o)

Friday, December 12, 2008

Big Hair Envy

I have seen some of the hottest big curly fros this week and I definitely have had big hair envy! Don't get me wrong, I am loving my dry twist outs (which are getting better and better as I do them more), but I want some big hair. So after kickboxing on Wednesday, my twists were not nearly as definied and my curls were trying to make their return. I decided to pull all my hair back and pull the twists apart. I wasn't really feeling it at first, but today I am loving this look! I'll probably wash my hair tonight or tomorrow and do a dry twist out again, just because I don't feel like being creative and do anything else :o).
I think I am going to have to touch up color soon because my roots are already growing out. But the good thing about this color is that dark roots don't look awful next do the auburn/brown color.
I also haven't deep conditioned in a couple weeks. Yes I know, I am being lazy. I'll be sure to do that this weekend too!

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Disappointed! Hmmph!

Yesterday I received my copy of Textured Tresses and I must say that I am terribly disappointed.  I was expecting some great in depth information regarding natural hair care and styling.  Instead, I feel that the book provides very surface level information and definitely nothing earth shattering.  I'm sure the author is very well versed when it comes to natural hair, but the book did not put forth the knowledge I was hoping to gain.

Hmmph!

One of my natural friends suggested Good Hair: For Colored Girls Who've Considered Weaves When the Chemicals Became Too Ruff so that is next on my list of must reads.

So on to the next book! 

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

"Textured Tresses" by Diane Da Costa

As many of you know, I have really become intrigued by my natural hair and hair care in general and I think that I am going to start doing more research. I decided to order the book Textured Tresses by Diane Da Costa - a celebrity stylist. I just stumbled across a Q & A she participated in on the Black Voices website back in 2007 and I can tell that she definitely knows her stuff. She also recommended the following books:

NO LYE by Tulani Kinard
Good Hair by Lonnice Brittenum Bonner
Kinky Kreations by Jena Renee Williams


Has anyone read these books?

I'll be sure to post about any new discoveries I read about in her book. Hopefully I'll have it in a couple of days.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Spotlight - Mia

Here is the first spotlight! Check out the beautiful Mia. As long as I have known her, I just found out a few months ago that she was natural! I have always envied her hair because it is beautiful as you can see.

I plan on asking everyone the same questions, but if that gets boring, I'll switch it up a bit. Enjoy!
  1. How long have you been natural? I got my last perm in May 2007.
  2. Why did you decide to go natural? I had been envying my friends who had the “guts” to go natural for quite some time. It seemed like everyone went natural my last year of college but I just was not brave enough to rock a short fro and I definitely knew that about myself. When I was pregnant I read that perms in the first trimester were a no-no. That is really what pushed me into the realm of the natural. After three months of a long overdue perm, I decided to just go for it (I was quite round and uncomfortable already! So why not!)
  3. Were your friends and family supportive of your decision to go natural? The main person in my life most definitely was NOT! My boyfriend was scared to death that I was going to be “bald” or “nappy” or a slew of other terrible things that he associated with being natural (FYI he is now IN LOVE with my hair). My natural friends were very encouraging and I think my permed friends were just waiting to see what could be a disaster.
  4. Do you think society’s perception of you has changed now that you are natural? I mainly wear my hair straightened. I received a ton of complements on my hair and how healthy it looks and I make sure to take the time to tell people that it is all natural. When I do wear my hair out, I do seriously get the sense that people think that I am somewhat of a different person. I feel like white people associate it with being very afro-centric and I get the feeling they are shocked that they never knew that about me before—like I have revealed my blackness by not straightening my hair.
  5. Do you have any tips for those transitioning? KEEP THE FAITH!!!! Know that it IS hard in the beginning but it is so worth it.
  6. How would you describe your hair vibe? I am not really sure what this means….lol. BUT—I like wearing my hair straight because it is easy. I have not taken the time to explore my texture and products (which is why I live vicariously through this blog and rely on it for my hair education). But I have just started wearing my hair out and I would describe it as “young and eager to discover itself”. The possibilities are so vast and I just love having options!
  7. Which 3 hair products could you not live without? Miss Jessie’s Baby Buttercreme, Miss Jessie’s Curly Meringue and Tresseme Conditioner (I know I know—but it gets the job done!)
  8. What is your favorite hair style? Flat ironed straight.
  9. Are you completely satisfied with the state of your natural hair? If not, when will you be completely satisfied? I am 94% satisfied. I just want it to be longer I can’t wait to wear it out and have it be draping.
  10. Do you ever think you will go back to relaxers or texturizers? NEVER
  11. Last but not least, describe your daily routine and your wash routine? Generally I do a co-wash (thanks Elisa!), blow dry it straight and use my Chi to straighten it. I put a somewhat tight curl on the ends with the Chi and wrap it for about a week and a half at night, never having to put heat on it again until I wash. If I do wear it out, I co-wash and comb it out while the conditioner is in. Afterward, I just put some Curly Meringue throughout and pull it back into a ponytail.

Check me out!

Check me out on The Coil Review! I am the fourth from the top. This is a great site founded and owned by one of my sorors *skee-wee*. The Coil Review boasts many resources including a salon directory, stylists directory, natural tips and more! Take a peek! Thanks Kaeisha!

More Dry Twist Out Pictures + Spotlights

I hope everyone enjoyed their Turkey Day feasts! I know I enjoyed mine a bit too much and have swiftly gotten back into my normal gym routine! Well I wanted to post some more pictures of the dry twist out. This 'do is still from the first dry twist out I did on November 22 (I redid my hair on the Friday after Thanksgiving)! This style is so easy but it looks like I did something really time consuming and difficult. At night I just retwist and sometimes add some more Baby Buttercreme depending on how dry my hair feels. When I wake up, I pin it up and pick out the twists for volume.
Also, I am going to start spotlighting real natural women every. I am not sure of the schedule, but just stay tuned. I think it is important for women who are natural, transitioning or thinking about going natural, to see how real, every day women rock their styles. If you are interested in being featured, please contact me and I will give you more details.

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Lovin' the dry twist out!

Let me say that I am lovin' this hair style and I am glad to add it to my hair repertoire. So I washed my hair with the Hair One cleanser and left it in as my leave in conditioner for about an hour. After I washed it out, I put a bit more of the cleanser in as a leave in and blew my hair out. I really focused on little sections so I could get it as straight as possible. Below is a picture of my blow out.

Next as took sections of my hair and smoothed on a little Baby Buttercreme and two strand twisted my whole head. Miss Jessie recommended using Curly Buttercreme, but the smell of that stuff makes me naseau. Below is a picture of my dry 2 strand twists. Please focus on the hair and now how bad I look lol.
So I sat under the dryer for about 45 minutes and was a little skeptical, but once I started taking out the twists and playing with my hair a little, I feel in love. Below are the results of my very first dry twist out! I will definitely be rockin' this 'do for a while and hopefully with some practice I will perfect the look. What do yall think?

Friday, November 21, 2008

End of the week...

I'm on my way out the door to the gym - but as I was getting ready I realized that w/o the Baby Buttercreme, 6 days after I last washed, my hair doesn't feel or look this healthy.  People sometimes ask me how my hair looks right before I wash it, so I thought I would upload a quick photo.  For the month and a half of so, when I didn't have anymore Baby Buttercreme, my poof was all shrunken and dry.  I really am glad I bit the bullet and ordered some more hair crack!

Saturday Hair Experiment

Miss Jessie's website has a great section on style "how to's" and I have frequented this section often, especially when I was newbie to the natural way of things.  Well she now has instructions for a dry twist out!  So this will be my Saturday hair experiment.  Since my hair isn't that long yet, when I do stuff to it wet and let it dry, it shrinks so much and I end up looking like a lil' poof ball.  So since I blow my hair out anyways, I might as well twist it up for some definition!  I am concerned because I am not very good at blowing my hair out, as I have mentioned before.  So I think the key to this style is getting it as straight as possible.  Wish me luck!  I will post pictures tomorrow (or Sunday).

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

I deserve a cookie (or two)!

So a certain someone *smile* strongly suggested that I do a thorough cleaning of my closet which meant that I needed to throw some hair products away!!! I was too embarrassed to take a "before" picture of my linen closet, but below is a picture of the trash bag full of hair products followed by the new and improved hair product sanctioned spot in my closet. My hair products will no longer take over my closet or my condo! I must admit that I still have a xerox box full of hair products that I couldn't yet part with at the bottom of my closest - baby steps people! Maybe this will provide some much needed motivation to someone else who definitely needs to do a hair product inventory and clean up.

I am also putting myself on a hair product hiatus. Unless I need to replenish a product I normally use, I won't buy it! Let's see how long I can keep this up! Wish me luck!

Monday, November 17, 2008

New Discoveries...

So as many of you remember, I at one point raved about Wen Hair Cleanser, but I wasn't raving about it's $30 price tag. Well I was in Sally's over the weekend (sadly, the people who work there know me) and to my surprise discovered they have their own version of Wen by Fiske Hair One in 4 varieties (normal hair, dry hair, color treated hair and dry scalp). Like any product junkie would do, I picked up the formula for dry hair (Olive Oil) for $11. When I got home I compared the ingredients between the Fiske Hair One version and Wen (I still have a smidgen left) and low and behold, they basically have the same ingredients. So I used it this weekend after I touched up my roots and I am quite pleased with the results. My hair was nice and soft and I used some as a leave in too. I can't find any differences between the Hair One cleanser and the Wen cleanser. I definitely recommend it as a much cheaper alternative to Wen.

I'm throwin' in the towel yall. I have given up on my search to find a cheaper alternative to Miss Jessie's Baby Buttercreme. I can't find a thing that keeps my hair soft and moisturized like the Baby Buttercreme does and all the money I have spent in trying to find an alternative, could have bought me a new container of it *sigh*. So I broke down this morning and went to Miss Jessie's site to order some more and low and behold they are having a buy 1 get 1 free special on EVERYTHING! So if you are a Miss Jessie's junkie, hop to it!

Photos to follow tonight. Hugs!

Update (11/18/08) - Here are some more morning hair shots :o).

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Still straight :o)

Hello my lovelies!

I went to the salon again on Friday for another straight 'do.  This time I got a deep conditioner.  I don't know what they used, but it was great!  I will definitely have to ask the next time I go.  I was planning on going every 2 weeks, but I came to the realization that $100 a month for my hair is a bit much.  So I am going to stick to special occassions.

The hair dressers love my color but I have noticed that I have some serious roots.  I will have to take care of that.  I am finding that it is easier to keep my straight hair feeling moisturized compared to my natural 'do.  So needless to say I haven't found a really good fall/winter daily moiturizer.

As usual, I will keep you all posted!  Until then...

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Yippeee!

Let me apologize for being slow with my posts.  I hurt my back and as some of you may know, back pain is terrible!

But on a brighter note, my hair is still bone straight and looking fabulous!  I have been wrapping my hair at night using avocado oil to keep it nice and soft and moisturized.  My hair doesn't feel dry at all and it has a nice sheen to it.  This morning was the first day I had to break out the flat iron, but I only bumped a few straight pieces; I spent less than 5 minutes doing my hair this morning.  My bus stop buddy recommended using Fantasia IC Hair Polisher Heat Protector straightening serum to help repel the humidity.  I used some this morning and really like it.  Some straightening serums leave your hair feeling crispy and crunchy after applying heat, but my hair feels great. I now realize how much I have missed my straight hair.  I am very curious to see if I can manage to keep it straight until I hit up the salon again next Friday.  I'll be sure to post pictures when I get home tonight.

Also, I added a new supplement to my vitamin regimen.  Since my hair is particularly dry during the colder months, I thought I would try taking an Omega 3-6-9 supplement.  I will let you all know if I noticed a difference in my hair and skin in a few weeks.

Update: Okay I am the worse!  But forgive me.  Here are the pictures from Wednesday.  I tried to keep it straight until this coming Friday, but my hair was filthy so I had to wash and go back to the naps!

Friday, October 24, 2008

Another salon review soon to come...

Hi all my beautiful nappy followers!

So I am going to a wedding in about 2 weeks and I really want to rock a sleek, straight look since my dress is sleek and sassy.  So one of my "bus stop friends" told me about an Ethiopian shop up the street from me that does natural hair (roller set, blow out, and flat iron) for $40.  She has been taking her daughter for a while who has a beautiful hair of natural, thick hair that she always wears straight.  I am going to give this place a trial run tomorrow morning instead of waiting to the day before the wedding.  Wish me luck.  You all know that I have been trying to find an affordable salon so if this works out, I will have not only an affordable but close (probably not even 3 miles from my home) salon.  The idea of going to a salon really makes me nervous, but I have heard good things about this place so hopefully everything will be okay.

Stay tuned!

Update:  So I am back from the salon.  I rate my experience about a 6 out of 10.  My hair washed, conditioned and then set on rollers.  I sat under the dryer for about 30 minutes and then the styling began.  This shop used a ton of heat!  She pressed my hair then trimmed the ends and then use a flat iron to bump the ends.  I was a bit skeptical at first because she kept telling me how "hard" it was to get my hair straight, but the finished product was nice.  My hair was soft, the ends look neat and it was only $50.  I wouldn't go to this shop all the time because of the heat, but for a special occassion, I would probably go.  I was thinking about putting another dark brown rinse in my hair before the wedding, but I LOVE how my color looks with some heat on it.  Before my next visit I plan on doing some serious deep conditioning as well as a deep condition at the shop.  Pictures are below:

Friday, October 10, 2008

Overnight Pre-Poo

So when I was transitioning, I used to pre-poo (condition before shampooing) with a protein conditioner every time I washed (well just about every time). For some reason, once I went completely natural, I stopped pre-pooing. Well since I have hit a dry spell, I decided to revisit this. I've read a lot about pre-pooing overnight and have never done it b/c I am a wild sleeper and I can just imagine waking up with a bed full of hair products! Many naturals swear by pre-pooing whether it is with oils or conditioners they are trying to get rid of. So tonight, I have decided to pre-poo with various oils - castor oil, some of my leftover Carol's Daughter oils, and Better Braids Herbal Growth Oil (I highly reccommend this herbal growth oil).

I mixed all the oils together and used my color brush to apply the oil all over. I smushed it all in and put a plastic cap on my head and then my scarf. I am praying I don't wake up with oil all over my sheets.

Tomorrow I need to put another dark brown rinse in followed by a DC under the dryer. Ladies, I am starting to get very frustrated with my hair. It seems that the more it grows, the tighter it curls so it really looks shorter. Ugh! I need a pep talk!

Update: So after I cowashed my hair the next day, I still wasn't convinced that the overnight oil prepoo did much for me. But after the color rinse and a deep conditioner with Elasta QP DPR-11 Remoisturizer (which I LOVE), my hair did feel noticably softer. So I think I am on the right track with the overnight prepooing, but I might try using a conditioner the next time I wash my hair this week.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Colder weather = more deep conditioning!

So the weather is getting colder and my hair is getting drier.  I usually cowash/condition my hair once a week, but I think I will have to start doing my hair twice a week.  My hair needs the extra moisture.  I usually deep condition weekly without heat, but I think I am going to start adding heat to my regimen.  Tonight I cowashed and deep conditioned with a mixture of my favorite conditioners (Aveda Dry Remedy, Neutrogena Triple Moisture Deep Recover Hair Mask, Aubrey Organics Conditioner Honeysuckle Rose, and some left over Aloe conditioner made by E'tae).  I sat under the dryer for about 15 or 20 min and then styled as usual.

Since I have run out of my Miss Jessie's Baby Buttercreme, I picked up a shea butter pomade by Kemi and I really like it.  I'll let you know if I can replace the Baby Buttercreme with this.  That would really help my wallet too!  I haven't put another rinse in my hair because the dark brown is holding up pretty well.  Granted my hair isn't as dark as it was a couple weeks ago, but it is still a dark reddish-brown.

I am debating trying the E'tae products again now that I am natural... I am not sure yet though.  My hair is in need of a trim and I think I am going to get it straightened and trimmed for my company holiday party at the beginning of December.  I'll keep you posted!

Friday, September 26, 2008

And then there was... brown?

Hello all of my beautiful and nappy (or soon to be nappy) folks!  As I am sitting here getting ready to watch the much anticipated presidential debate, I thought I would whip up an update post.  Well as yall have probably figured out (if you didn't already know this about me), I am random and may change at the drop of a dime.  So after a couple months of the red, I opted for a dark brown rinse to tone down the red.  Why?  Because I felt like it.  Hell, I was PMSing - nuff said.  So in the sunlight my hair still has a lot of red shining through, but in normal light, my hair is a nice deep brown.

I'm digging the dark brown.

I haven't had any issues with my hair being dry.  I am still cowashing it about once a week, maybe twice a week.  As the cold weather comes along, I may have to opt for some heavy duty conditioners as my hair tends to get dryer in the fall and winter months.

I am sure that I am due for a trim soon, so I'm going to start thinking about that sooner rather than later.  But all in all I really can't complain.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

It's official - I am awful at getting my hair straight!

So I had this great idea to straighten my hair since it's not as humid anymore - boy was I wrong.  So I washed my hair with Hello Hydration shampoo by Herbal Essences (it was on sale and I had a coupon - as far as shampoos go, it's pretty gentle).  I conditioned my hair using my BioSilk conditioner and combed through my hair with the Knot Today detangler/leave in.  I heard great things about Paul Mitchell's Straight Works which is like a gel that helps keep wavy and curly hair straight, longer.  So I used about a quarter size of the gel and blew my hair dry on the warm setting.  So far so good - my hair feels nice and soft.

Next step - the straightening comb (calm down, it's an electric one).  So I took small sections and sprayed on a heat protectant by Motions.  I actually like their heat protectant.  It smells great and my hair was super soft.  I find that a lot of heat protectants leave you hair crunchy.  So below are some pictures of my hair only after the straigtening comb.
 
As you can see my hair still is pretty poofy.  So next step - the Chi flat iron.  I sprayed a little more of the heat protectant and then flat ironed each section.  Mind you it is around 12 a.m. at this point.  Below is the result of the flat ironing.
I still wasn't thrilled, but I told myself I would add some Baby Buttercreme and then wrap it and see what I ended up with in the morning.  So the next morning, I bumped the ends and got the below result.
 
It doesn't look bad, but it doesn't look great lol.  So it's official - I am awful at straightening my own hair and I will leave it to the professionals!!!!  I clipped some of it up before I went to work, because as soon as I went outside, all hell broke loose!  So that night, I braid my hair in 3 big cornrows and this morning I just wore it big and kinda wavy.  Now I just have to find someone inexpensive to straighten my hair for me.  HELP! :)

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Time to be straight?

So one of my favorite people convinced me to try and straighten my hair. She has a gorgeous hair full of natural hair that she straights every one and a half weeks. Please pray my hair turns out okay. I will be mad if I spend 2 hours trying to get it straight and it looks like poo tomorrow.

Any advice from anyone? I already have gotten some good tips but I need more. Her hair is trained so she can get it straight with a blow dryer and flat iron. I think I will need to use my electric comb because I swear my hair won't want to go straight!

Wish me luck! I have much to catch you guys up on! Pictures of the straight hair will follow soon!

Update: This was a big mistake. I feel like one big, red, poofy, hot mess! I will try to blog about this experience tonight or tomorrow. I hate humidity. Before I left my house, my hair looked great! The minute I stepped outside - POOF!

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Roots already!

So after 3 weeks I already have roots. Granted no one else can see them, but I know they are there! I tried to take a picture, but I couldn't even get a good picture of my roots, so maybe I'm trippin! Days like this I am glad to be natural. Since my hair is so big, no one can really see what is going on with my roots! But before I get it straightened in the fall I'll have to take care of that. Ugh! Color is definitely high maintenance - so anyone thinking about taking the color plunge please be ready for some extra work. This weekend I am thinking about putting in a rinse just to liven up the color. Red is the hardest color to keep from fading, so until I color it again, rinses will have to do! Jazzing has two colors called Spiced Cognac and Red Hot. I've used Red Hot before and it's definitely red hot, so we'll see. I need something to brighten it back up. As always I will post pictures this weekend.

Saturday, August 30, 2008

Curly ain't cuttin' it for me right now!

I re-discovered how much I like Pantene's Hydrating Curls conditioner! I used it for my co-wash and my "deep" conditioner on Saturday. Here are the next steps I followed:
  1. Knot Today as a leave in. I found that I didn't have to use as much after using the Pantene conditioner. My hair was very soft after my co-wash.
  2. Wet Set Pudding. This product didn't elongate my curls at all (not sure if it was supposed to). I like the consistency and texture and I can't really say if it defined my curls either.
  3. Kinky Curly Custard. I applied this as I normally do basically using the shingling technique.
  4. Air dried for an hour or so and then used a blow dryer to speed up the drying process. I think the combination of the Wet Set Pudding and the Kinky Curly Custard did make my curls hang better when they were wet but once it dried, I feel like my hair looked and felt the same.
And then after it dried...Don't get me wrong, it's cute and curly but I just wish my hair was longer so the curls would hang. So after a day of that look, I opted for the fro again. I re-washed my hair and blew it out. I'm excited for the fall/winter weather because I am going to try to get my hair straightened more often. My LS gets her hair done (she's relaxed) at the Hair Cuttery and her stylist does natural hair. So I'm going to give her a try in a few weeks and see what happens.

Natural Hair + Salt Water, Chlorine & Sun = Crunchy Hair

Hey everyone! So I am back and somewhat back on track. Mexico was great - the weather was perfect, food was awesome and the margaritas were yummy! I had high hopes of a low maintenance hair trip, but I was quickly shown that that wasn't the case. I tried to keep my hair dry for as long as possible because the minute it got wet and started to dry in the hot sun, it got crunchy and shrunk. I HATE that I have a hair shrinkage issue. UGH! I was able to keep it moisturized thanks to the Aveda Dry Remedy conditioner and Baby Buttercreme. After a day at the pool and the beach I washed my hair with tea tree shampoo and conditioned with a mix of the Aveda Dry Remedy and Paul Mitchell Tea Tree conditioner and then I blew out the fro. My fro was big and cute while I was in my room, but the minute I stepped outside, the humidity took over and my hair curled up.

So for a bit of a change and a break from the blow dryer, I am going to rock the curly look for a few days. I am going to try to use the Wet Set Hair Pudding (that I haven't used yet) and the Kinky Curly Custard. This time I am going to let it air dry for just an hour or so and then finish it off with a blow dryer so I can shape the curls. I'm curious to see how my color looks curly! So I'm off to cowash, deep condition and be curly! I'll be sure to post pictures!

Friday, August 22, 2008

Mexico here I come!

Hey everyone. I'll be gone through Wednesday so I'll be sure to post when I return. I'm sure I'll have stories to share regarding my hair and the Mexican climate. Hugs.

Thursday, August 21, 2008

My Transitioner Tips

Lately I have been getting a lot of questions regarding my transition, so I thought I would compile a list of my top tips for transitioning from the fire cream (aka relaxer) to becoming happy and nappy.
  1. Be patient and don't get discouraged! I can't stress this enough. There were many days when I wanted to just slap a relaxer in my hair and there are times when I didn't think I would be able make it the point where I am today.  People will tell you you are crazy and that you just need to put a relaxer in your hair.  But if you are really serious about going natural, don't let anyone discourage you.  Natural is beautiful!
  2. Maintain the moisture and protein balance in your hair. Different conditioners are protein or moisture based. I found that as my relaxer grew out and I had more natural hair exposed, protein conditioners didn't really benefit me. But when I had a relaxer, I found that I needed to use protein conditioners more often.  Check out a great post from one of my favorite blogs, Healthy Texutres.
  3. Be gentle. As your hair grows out you will have a demarcation line - the point at which your relaxed hair meets your natural hair. It is imperative that you keep this particular area of your hair in good condition and moisturized. If not, you will experience a lot of breakage and damage. With that said, no matter how gentle I was with my hair, my hair still snapped at the democration line. Some people say that you are able to transition experiencing little or no breakage, but I don't know if I really agree with that.
  4. Avoid heat as much as possible.  I know it's tempting to constantly try to keep your roots straight by using heat. I was a slave to my flat iron for months. But excessive heat can sometimes change your natural curl pattern. If you are tempted by the sight of your flat iron, curling iron or blow dryer, get them out of the house or wear hairstyles where you won't be tempted to use heat (i.e braids, weave, straw sets).
  5. Do the BC sooner rather than later.  I did the big chop after about 8 months (in March 2008) with no relaxers and I wish I would have done it sooner.  I would have saved myself time in maintaining two different textures, my hair would have grown faster and my curl pattern would have developed faster.  I know it's scary to cut all of your hair off, but trust me, you will be happier after you just go ahead and do it.  Buy some wigs, wear braids, get a weave - just cut it!  I cut mine myself but if you don't feel comfortable, go to a salon.  I eventually went to a salon to have my hair straightened for a nice trim in July 2008.
  6. Water and vitamins are you friend.  Be sure to get plenty of water and vitamins in your diet on a daily basis.  Not only will your hair benefit from this, so will your overall health.  In terms of vitamins, I take a multivitamin formulated for women and a Biotin supplement.  Not only is my hair growing like a weed, I don't get many skin breakouts and my nails are strong and long!
  7. Trial and error.  As you can see from my many blog entries, I have tried many products.  Everyones' hair is different therefore different products work for different people.  Unless you are a very lucky person, chances are you will have to experience a lot of trial and error to see what your hair likes.  Your natural hair might not like the products you used to use on your relaxed hair.
  8. Do your research.  There are soooooo many forums, blogs and websites focused on black natural hair care.  The questions you have have more than likely been asked by someone else.  So do your research and read the plethora of information available to you.  More importantly, talk to people you know who are natural and get a hair coach.  I have several! :)
  9. Be happy and nappy!  All of your hard work will pay off and you will be happier because of it!

Aveda Dry Remedy Moisturizing Conditioner + Brilliant Universal Styling Creme


Being that I just dyed my hair with permanent color and since I will be in the scorching Mexico sun for 5 days, I thought it would be a good idea to make sure I had products that would make sure my hair stayed super moisturized. After an especially sweaty session of Bikram Yoga last night, I knew I would have to wash my hair this morning. So I got in the shower and co-washed with my V05 conditioner and then used the Aveda Dry Remedy Moisturizing Conditioner mixed with my BioSilk conditioner. I let that sit on my head during my shower and washed it out right before I got out. Instantly I noticed that my hair seemed softer and not coated and weighed down with product, which sometimes happens after using a heavier conditioner.

I then applied the Knot Today leave in/detangler and had no problem coming through my kinks with a wide tooth comb. I let my hair air dry just a little (probably for 10 minutes). Before I started blow drying my hair, I applied a nickel size amount of the Brilliant Universal Styling Creme. I didn't want to use much because the product is thick and it is recommended to layer it in. As I was blow drying my hair, I would add a bit more of the styling creme.

My hair stills feels very soft but not greasy to the touch and I think it has a nice sheen to it. Before I go to bed tonight I will either use some Miss Jessie's Baby Buttercreme or the Brilliant Universal Styling Creme before I twist my hair. I definitely think these products will help me keep my hair in check in the Mexico climate.