Senegalese Twists

So I know I said I was done with braids....and I really only meant zillions. I'm excited for my 9:30am appointment to get Senegalese Twists tomorrow. They're basically kinky twists, just using a different texture of hair, and without the coiled ends. I'm not trying to run from caring for my hair. I actually love learning more and more about what makes my hair tick and work. I love my natural curl! But now it's time to prepare for the winter months, and even though it doesn't get as cold in Louisiana as it does in Michigan, I still want to protect my hair more, and keep it as very moisturized. Also, since I'm back in town for a week, I thought, what better time than to get a long lasting, fairly safe (as long as I do my part) protective style. I'm excited but nervous. I'm always that way when I get a new style or go to a new hair dresser, because there's no telling how it's going to actually look on my head. :/

I couldn't find any pictures that I liked, but my favorite youtube vlogger, FusionofCultures, had some and I really liked hers.

But anyway....I'll blog on the flipside. Night night lovelies. <3

Pictures

These have been sitting in my email/phone for a while now....but here are some pictures of my hair.

They might be a little hard to see, but this is my head. :)

This is the right side of my head, above my ears.

This is the left side of my head, above my ears.

This is the back right side of my head.

This is the top of my head.

This is the back of my head (a long shot).

And this is a front shot after work one day.

There's been lots of growth. Now I actually want to do a length check. Maybe within the next couple of weeks. I'm thinking about getting Senegalese twists when I come home for Thanksgiving, so I'll probably check my length right before I put them in.

<3

Update

I haven't blogged in such a while, but I'm just sitting around looking for something to do today, so why not?!

I love my curls more and more each day. Not only has this been a journey to take control of my hair, it has been a journey to love myself unconditionally and without always having society's acceptance of my outward appearance. I've been going through that struggle forEVER, but before May I was conforming by always and only wearing my hair straightened, among other things.

But anyway, my hair has a really really funny growth patten. So the front of my hair grows the fastest, then the back of my hair (around the nape of my neck) grows a little bit slower than that. There is this strip of hair about an inch above my ear lobes, that stretches from ear to ear that is the slowest part of my hair. I think it's partially because of how rough I am with my hair when I take out my two strand twists, but that can't be it. It also might be due to the fact that I have trouble retaining moisture in my hair. Either way it's the shortest spot and I got sick of the back of my hair being longer than that. So one night this past week I cut the back of my hair. I just took some scissors and snip, snip snipped it away. That had to be the first time in my life I cut my hair with no worries, cares or regrets. Now I know it isn't completely even, but I'm satisfied, even though the front of my hair is still much longer. I think as it grows out, that is just going to give it the opportunity to be more even.

I also started back using SheaMoisture's Curl and Style Milk this week. I don't know why I ever stopped because it helps keep my hair moisturized and soft like no other! When I washed my hair last weekend and put the curl milk on my wet hair and topped it off with shea butter, it held moisture all week. All I had to do was use coconut oil in the mornings to unravel my twists, and then set with a little bit of milk at night and it was good! There were a couple nights that I didn't even reapply the milk and I still woke up the next morning with moisturized curls.

I'm also still on the hunt for a conditioner and deep conditioner that I swear by, so this weekend I went on the hunt. There is this new website, hipapotheca.com, that was recently launched. One of the youtube bloggers that I subscribe to recommended them because of their amazing coconut oils (they are also fragranced), so I checked it out and bought some products so I could get my "free" coconut oil. If you want the opportunity, check out the website and type in the code ADARA with your purchase. Your purchase must be $29 before taxes and they'll send you the free coconut oil. They're a pretty expensive website, so I probably won't be going back. Then I ordered some Giovanni products.  I've been looking around town for them and I can't find them in any hair salon or store, so I went to the website. I've heard good things about their deep conditioner, and they had a Tea Tree Conditioner that is supposed to be good for your scalp. So I ordered them, and I'm excited for them to arrive so I can try them out.

My roommate went and got her hair done this week at a shop out here and the lady gave her a deep treatment before her sew in. She raved about it, so I might have to check her out. That would be exciting to find someone out here to consult about my hair because as easy as everyone makes this seem, it is incredibly hard and long and tedious, and I'm ready for some results!!

It's been a minute since I've posted so there was a lot on my mind :)

Thanks for reading!

Results!

So....my first attempt of a head full of flat twists was a fail! I ended up wearing a beanie to school on Tuesday because I really didn't like what the results were. But the next night I re-wet my hair and used the pudding to set two flat twists in the front of my head and my two strand twists in the back of my head. I really really liked how that turned out! I have pictures, I just take forever to upload them. I should have them on here before October :D

The hair from the flat twists nicely framed my face unlike how my hair normally looks. So that's something that I'm going to make apart of how I set my hair at night.

Today I did another protein treatment, but this one was completely homemade. I got the recipe from my favorite vlogger FusionofCultures.... The ingredients are:

• 1 banana
• 1 avocado
• 14 oz of coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon of honey
• 1 large egg

Steps:

1. Cut up banana and avocado.
2. Mix banana, avocado and egg.
3. Pour in half of the coconut milk. Mix it until fairly smooth.
4. Pour in the other half of the coconut milk and the honey and mix until smooth.

It smelled delicious! And it makes a lot! So I put the unused amount in the freezer for later use. As much as I despise the texture and taste of banana's and guacamole, this smoothie smelled like heaven in a blender! I put it on dry hair and completely saturated my hair with the smoothie and bagged it for almost 2 hours, it was really only supposed to be 1 hour but I got distracted by life. Then I rinsed it out and conditioned afterward. **Make sure you COMPLETELY rinse it out, because it's easy to get stuck with residue in your hair. lol Then I set my two flat twists and two strand twisted the back again. I set this with the Heavy Cream from Qhemet Biologics and Coconut Oil. I'm excited to see how it looks in the morning :)

Stay happy my nappies :)

Miss Jessie's

So my pops put a little bit of money in my account to hold me over until my first check at the end of September (thank God!), so when I ended up at Target and in the hair care aisle, I couldn't resist!

So I decided to do a mini-splurge (I don't know why because it's not like I have any income coming in) and bought Miss Jessie's Curly Pudding.

Sunday, after I co-washed, and put in my protein treatment I put the pudding in my hair and set my hair in flat two strand twists. This was also the first time I flat twisted instead of regular two strand twisting. When I took them out Monday morning, I realized my hair is not at a point that I like what flat twists look like and wore it under a beanie for the day. So I'm still trying to see how I like the pudding and figuring out the best way to use it with my hair. Today I co-washed, sprayed my hair with leave in conditioner, moisturized it with shea butter and set my two flat twists and the rest of my head in two strand twists with the curly pudding. We'll see in the morning.

But I have a new product that smells delicioso & I'm excited for the test run. I think I would be a product junkie if I had more money and time to play with all the products I bought. lol

But good night for now! And there will be another post with pictures showing the results and giving my final thoughts on this product.

Embracing Curly Me!

So my parents are in town for the holiday weekend and of course my dad has something to say. His first words when he sees me after a loooooooooooooooong Thursday are, "Did you wear your hair like that to school today?" After I responded yes he said, "It looks a mess."  Well thankyou father. But then again this is the same man that asked if I had a wig on one day, so whatever.

I feel like if I ever was self conscious about my hair, now is the time! As much as I love it and would never change it, I wonder what people are thinking in their heads when they see me coming.

Anyway.....There is another daily giveaway for the month of September on naturallcurly.com. It's called the 30 Days of Curl Power! Today's giveaway is for a Quidad Frizz Fighting Set valued at $60.00. Check back daily to sign-up!

My Hair Texture

So whenever you start going natural or start wearing your hair in a more natural state, people always want to find out what is your hair type? And it seems like a lot of naturals swear by the 1-4 (a-c) ranking system given to hair. Initially I was like okay, this is a nice categorization system to help me find others who have similar hair to me, and they will possibly have tips to help me find products that work best for my hair. But the more and more I play in my hair, the less and less I think of the system.

I already have issues with the social identity categories that so many people stick to so strictly, I don't know why I thought I would have an unconditional love and appreciation for the hair categories.

When I started, I was like I know I'm at the end of the spectrum. My hair is a 4c, I will never forget the day my best friend compared it to sheep's wool. But this is assuming a person has the same hair texture all around their head, and this is something I know is not true for me.

In some places of my head (like the back, nape of my neck area) my curls are extremely soft and fairly loose. If I do a twist out back there, my twists never hold! In the middle, crown area of my head, my hair is usually the most brittle. It definitely needs a little TLC. Above my left temple, there is a block of hair that can become bone straight without adding any heat to it. If I put it in a flat twist and untwist it later that day, that hair will be straight. And the area above my left temple/my bang area is where I get the best results for all of my twist outs no matter the size (even though shrinkage is always a problem).

So these are my words of advice when it comes to the 1-4 (a-c) categorization. Like most things, take it with a grain of salt. I don't want to knock the fact that in the beginning it helped, because real talk my hair is very different than someone who has a very wavy pattern, and I don't want to try the techniques they used because I would be very upset and unsatisfied with the results. But the best thing to do is learn your hair. And that happens by getting in there and playing with it, learn how the sections of your hair are the same and different from each other and what they need to flourish!

Moral of the story: Learn & Love Your Hair!

31 Days of Natural Beauty

So NaturallyCurly.com is doing a giveaway everyday in the month of August. Today's giveaway is a Qhemet Biologics set valued at $51.00.

I know it's some time into the month, but there are still a lot of days to win hair products. And each time you enter into the giveaway, you are also entered into a grand prize to travel to NYC to attend a meet-up with CurlyNikki.

Here's a direct link to the giveaway page --> 31 Days of Natural Beauty

Good luck to you all!

Struggle

Hey you all!

As much as I love my curls and the way things have been going so far, I have my days when I'm just over it. I want to chop my hair off and rock the epitome of a TWA. But I stop and think about the fact that when I get to that point, I'll probably want some length.

Or I get frustrated with the damage I have caused my hair and want to let it all start on an even playing field. Then again I don't feel like I'm cut out for a fade because I just do not know how my head looks with nothing on it.

There is so much damage to my hair, I can't wait until the day that it is all even and the same texture.

Just a short venting session. It's a journey and not everyday is pretty.

<3

Natural Sunshine

Hey you all!

So I've sent some of my friends emails inviting them to this website, but I want everyone to have the opportunity to get access to it if they choose so. It's a facebook kind of deal, but strictly about natural hair. You make a profile and you can join forums and networks, and talk to other women (and men) about things going on in your area and whatnot.

The website is naturalsunshine.ning.com ....and let them know I referred you :)

Have a beautiful day!

Natural Hair Meet Up

I'm sooo excited. I was upset when I missed the natural hair meet up in Detroit in May, but I found another one in the south!! It's on August 27th, in Jackson, MS and that's only a 3 and a half hour drive for me so I think I'm going to go! It's my birthday weekend, so it will be a treat for me since I'm away from my family.


It's called Two Little Black Girls: Natural Hair Sip and Social. It's only $5 and I'm really excited for the opportunity to product swap. Early registration is encouraged and that can be done at twolittleblackgirls.eventbrite.com. 


Most of you are probably in the north and not interested, but if you are go to HairCrush's youtube page for more details.


<3

Growth

Hey everyone!

I'm writing from my new apartment which I love!! The most exciting things about it are my bath tub and walk in closet...the patio's nice but those take the cake. Even though we don't have any furniture yet, I am loving it!

I'm coming up on my two month nappyversary :) And it's exciting! I've seen sooo much growth in these past 2 months, before I started wearing my natural curls, my hair (straightened) came to the top of my ears on the side, my bangs came to my eyebrows and the back of my hair barely touched the top of my neck, you can see in the picture below.

But my hair has grown so much since then. My bangs reach the bridge of my nose, my hair on the side touches my neck, and my hair in the back touches the middle to bottom of my neck (granted this is when i stretch my hair out).  Look at the pics :)

My hair is tightly coiled, but those couple of lower strands happened because I was playing in it after I took down my twists. I love my hair and I can't wait to see how it looks as it continues to grow. I want to find a natural salon out here, that might be hard/impossible, so I'll have to wait until I come back home or something. 

Stay happy nappy :)

1 Month & Some Change

So I've been living nappy for over a month now and I am soo happy with my journey. I no longer have to not do something because my hair is going to sweat out and my hair is feeling soo soft since I've gotten my Qhemet Biologics products, more specifically their Alma and Olive Heavy Cream. They came in the mail two weeks ago and I love them! But they are sooooooooooooooo expensive. So I working on learning more about the natural products that I have and want to use. But I'll be able to get more things when I move back to Louisiana.

There is a woman on staff here that has pretty similar hair to mine and she suggested using a deep conditioner by Giovanni. But I haven't been able to get a tester from her, but I will make sure to get some before the week is over. I ultimately want to make my own deep conditioner, but it's going to be a minute before that happens, so until then I will buy products.

My hair has definitely grown. Because this is my last week of institute, I'll have a little more time to blog because I'm ahead on all lesson plans. So I'll put up some pictures by the end of the week to show my growth. but I am starting to notice that the edges of my hair grow a lot faster than the middle. So I am anxiously waiting for that to grow in, but I am so excited about what I've been able to do with my hair. Granted, it follows the general shape of twist out in the back with some kind of do in the front, but I'm liking it.  When I finally get a nozzle for my blow dryer (or buy a new one)...I'll rock the blow dried fro.

 I would love my hair to be this big!

Product Review

Sooo I finally had the opportunity to wash my hair and use my tangle teezer and it is as amazing as I've heard it is! Usually it takes 20/30mins to detangle my hair and be satisfied with the results. I brushed through my whole head in like 10 minutes and was done! the brush is really unassuming and when I first looked at it I was like what is this flimsy thing going to do for me. But sure enough it just glided through my hair. And my hair has been compared to sheep's wool, so if it can brush through something as tough as sheep's wool I would say it's an amazing product to own. And it's only $10, so if you're looking for something to cut down the amount of time it takes to wash your hair, this will definitely help!  And it comes in some fun colors (mine is purple =] ).

Also my Qhemet Biologics products came in and my mommy is putting them in the mail for me today! I can't wait until I get them. I am soooooooooooooo excited. I'll let you know how they enhance my hair :)

 

On a more reflective note, at this point in my life I am on multiple journeys. One with my hair and another with my life in the classroom through Teach For America, which I started June 6. I think I'm going to either expand this blog or start another to also talk about my experiences in the classroom. Be on the lookout for that.

Stay happy nappy! <3 

Versatility

Hey everyone!

It's been a minute but I'm back :) And I'm blogging from Louisiana baaaaaby.

It's been fun down here and my transition has definitely helped a lot. My first day down here I met some black women in the Corps, and all 3 of them had natural hair. I'm in heaven!!

I've been consistently using the Shea Moisture products, specifically the Curl Enhancing Smoothie to set my two strand twists at night and the Hold and Shine Moisture Mist in the morning after I untwist. Today was a was day, but I did a condensed version of my routine. I washed with Shea Moisture Brilliant Curl Shampoo, I deep conditioned with Shea Moisture Deep Treatment Masque and set my two-strand twists with  Shea Moisture Conditioning Curl & Style Milk. I'll see what the results are like in the morning but I really like what the products have been doing for me, and it's great because I can purchase them from Walgreen's or Walmart, because I have not seen one beauty supply store yet, and I've already drove 2 hrs out of the city.

So it looks like Shea Moisture, and my Qhemet Biologics products when I get them, will be my products of choice. My hair has also grown some, and it is noticeable in my bang area....but I still have to give it some time.

But I am tired and tonight is the night that I'm trying to recooperate, so I will talk to you soon. Stay nappy : )

Tips From my Hairdresser

Soooo, yesterday I went to my hairdresser and got a quick lesson on straightening my hair. We did straighten it a bit, but nothing I would wear as a hair style (and I saved some money because I expected to be paying for it =] ). (It was also wash day so I napped back up later that night) So here are the tips she gave me...from blowdrying to pressing...

1. Use a blowdryer with a nozzle. It helps to focus the heat and focus your attention as you're blowdrying your hair. With this also use a paddle brush. This allows the heat to be even more focused on a section and for you to detangle as you go. She also said the straighter you get the hair when you're blowdrying allows for less heat from the pressing comb.

 .....this is a paddle brush.

2. Keep the blowdryer moving. Unless you are focusing on a particular section of hair keep it moving around your head. You don't want to focus it on one place for too long and use more heat than needed on that section.

3. Use an oil to press your hair. You want something that seeps into your hair follicles (like Wonder 8 Oil) and not something that sits on top of the hair, because that will leave a film on your hair just like it will on the comb. The oil also helps a lot while you're training your hair.

4. 30 seconds. That is the amount of time (once it initially warms up), that it should be in the oven/on the stove. And blowing on it does nothing to cool it down.

5. Have a white towel. Every time you bring the pressing comb off the heat, test it on the white towel (or napkin). If it changes colors it's too hot and will also burn your hair. Having another clean towel in your lap is also good to wipe your hands on to make sure they don't get too slippery from the oil.

6. Slide through your hair. You want the least amount of heat possible on your hair, so come through it smoothly and quickly. There is a technique she showed me (I might make a video), in which you use your finger as a marker for where to bring the comb in and glide it through your hair. It's complicated to explain without showing you.

7. The back of the comb is where the press comes from. The back of the comb has a lot of weight and a lot of heat so, make sure that touches every inch of hair because that is where the press and straightness comes from.

8. Wipe the comb off. Before you put it back on the stove/in the oven wipe off any oil or hair. You don't want to put a dirty comb back on the heat or burnt hair back in your hair.

9. Have a system. Start with the parts of your head you are most comfortable with. This also allows you to get more comfortable with the comb. Her method was doing the edges, then starting in the front and working her way to the back. I think I'm going to use that method too. : )

10. Be comfortable. It's your hair! Get comfortable with it. Get up close and personal and don't be afraid of it.

And all of this is for non-relaxed hair. My hairdresser loves pressing hair, she loves loves loves it!! When she realized she could have a short cut and press it (I was her guinea pig while I was growing my relaxer out), she cut out all of her hair. She can make your hair look like you have a relaxer in it without the chemicals, and if you know how to maintain it, it lasts for a decent while. If you want her information, leave me a comment and I'll make sure to get it to you : )

Want Some Tips?

So here it is :)

First and foremost I did some research on my hair and Naturally Curly helped a lot! Here's a direct link to the page that outlines the different hairtypes --> http://www.naturallycurly.com/hair-types . They also provide a list of products that work best with each hair type. Granted, I'm not the biggest believer in these categories, but it helped by giving me a starting point.

I searched youtube for tutorials, which lead me to others that were also on a natural hair journey. Granted we started at different points, but they were/are very helpful. Here are links to their pages.

BlackOnyx77 (she has kinkier hair and makes/sells her own products)
BlakIzBeautyful (she has kinkier hair and did her big chop last May, she does product reviews on her blog)
FusionofCultures (she has been transitioning for almost 2 years)
HairCrush (she's all about the potential your hair might have)
Naptural85 (she has a lot of tutorials and cute hairstyles)
Nikkimae2003 (she has a lot of tutorials and cute hairstyles)

And if you're looking for more natural hair care products here's a good website with a variety of them -->
http://www.qhemetbiologics.com/

Hope this helps!

Day 5

So this is a day late, but I just kept forgetting to send the pictures to my computer yesterday. So I had a feaux tiara yesterday. I kept the two strand twists in the front and bobbin pinned them across and then fro'ed the back out. I thought it was cute and got lots of compliments at church.

Day 4

Today I rejoined the living! For the past few days I've just been relaxing in the house and going out to mail a letter or just to the bank. Today I went to visit some family, the mall, and I'll be going out for the night. It's been funny, I've been getting a lot of looks and noticing a lot of women who are also wearing their hair natural. No new styles for today, I wore my hair like I did on day 2 because I didn't feel like trying anything new, but I think I'll do a frohawk tomorrow :)

Last night I put a lot of shea butter and olive oil on my hair so it's been moisturized ALL DAY! Which is a great thing. And the thing about those moisturizers is that they can also be used on your skin, if you choose. Tonight I'll probably set it with Kinky Curly Curling Custard, but we'll see. Here are some pictures of how I looked today:

When I get back home, I'll put up some links up of youtube video's that I like as well as websites that I frequent. I've been watching an array of people that do a lot of different things, some with my hair type, some with cute styles, some that are big on DIY and some that are just entertaining. You can pick which works best for you and subscribe to their channel if you so choose.

So enjoy your 3 day weekend =]

Pictures

Yay! So I finally transferred the pictures from my phone to my computer. So here you all can see how I've been looking the past 3 days.

Day 3 (Today)

Day 2

Day 1

Day 2

So it's 20 minutes until midnight and I'm getting ready for bed.

Today was a good day. I talked to a lot of people about my hair and got a lot of advice. When I went to my high school and visited my counselor (my soror and AP) she was soo cute telling me stories about how she has to be careful and not scare the white folk away with her natural hair. She also gave me the run down of all the changes in the school district and it is astounding...but that's for another day.

Also when my dad saw me (because he's been out of town for the past two days) he was actually supportive. He didn't dislike it, and that was great because I didn't want to have to debate him about my choice.

Then I talked to my tail and she gave me my own personal tutorial all the way from thee islands! I love her & miss her mucho and can't wait until she comes state side.

I wore my hair in a half up with the other half out and curly. I have a pic and can post that at a later date (I'm still learning how to use this technology).

Tonight, instead of the Kinky Curly Curling Custard to help me retwist, I used a shea butter and olive oil mix to lock in some moisture over night. I'll have to wait and see the results in the morning. So goodnight all and live nappy :)

Dark Girls

Take a look at this preview of a documentary that explores the deep seeded issues that plague dark women. I really want to see it when it comes out. I can really relate to some of their stories. It's inspirational, sad, and moving all at the same time....

Inspirations

Even though I am not ready for a commitment like dreads, hers are beautiful!

Her fro is beautiful! 

She's too fly! I love her earrings.

I haven't found a picture of my goal length, but when I do you'll see :)

Day 1

Everyone says they want to go "natural", but what does that really mean? Technically it means unprocessed hair that hasn't been chemically altered in texture or color. So I've been natural since my relaxer grew out in 2009. But honestly...when someone says natural they mean rocking their curls and not using heat in their hair. Which isn't easy for everyone, myself included. Herein begins my journey...

BEFORE today, I did a lot of research. You know how they say you can learn how to do anything on youtube. Tis true. I watched soo many videos about women who did the BC and how they were now working with their hair and it was sooo helpful! But as beautiful as their processes were, their hair types were rarely reflective of mine. So I decided to start my own blog to help others who are looking for help along their journey.

I've always wanted to be able to rock my natural curls, but with my 4a or b (I'm still trying to figure that out) hair, the lack of moisture in my hair has always stopped me. But I did it! Last night I washed and two strand twisted my hair and this morning I took it out. And I was amazed. My hair is curly and lasted all day. I went outside and wasn't afraid of what the humidity and rain would do to it. It is sooo freeing!

I washed my hair with Cream of Nature shampoo then did an Apogee Protein Treatment and then finished off with a Balancing Moisturizer. After I slightly blotted my hair, I put in Kinky Curly Knot Today as my leave in conditioner and began twisting. Each twist was topped off with Kinky Curly Curling Custard. Then after I finished twisting my whole head I topped it off with pure Olive Oil (I want to make my own moisture saving concoction sometime in the near future...I'm still just trying to get together my materials). I put on my bonnet (not satin, but I got a satin one today) and woke up ready to go. After a shower I untwisted all of my hair and  put Lotta Body on top and went to tackle the world. Sounds like a lot, but I think it's working....tomorrow I'll be able to see better. In a couple minutes I'm going to twist it back up for bed.

My dad's out of town so it will be interesting to see his reaction when he gets back. But I will have pictures soon. :)