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.