I'm Back!

I'm ba-ack!  It has been sooo long since I've done a blog post!  I'm back now & ready to talk about hair!

During the time that I was gone, I didn't really do anything different with my hair.  I basically practiced the same regimen.  I styled my hair in mini twists & twist outs.  I've just done the same old thing...until now...

I have decided to try the Curly Girl (CG) method on my hair.  For those of you who don't know, the CG method was designed by Lorraine Massey.  She has a book called Curly Girl.  It describes in detail on how to care for your curly hair.  Yes, we as African Americans do have curly hair.  With her methods, you do not use shampoo on your hair.  I know it sounds crazy to some people but you do not use it on your hair.  You may however use a shampoo that is sulfate free if you feel as though you have to shampoo your hair.  You wash your hair with conditioner (Co-wash) that is free from silicone.  Also, you do not use any type of styling tools on your hair.  That means no combs, brushes, flat irons, blow dryers, etc.  I  know you are reading this & by now you are probably saying, "No shampoo, no combs. This girl is crazy."  This method has been proven to work on all types of curls from waves to zig zags.  Gel may be used as a styler.  The gel should not contain alcohol, silicone, or parabens.

Over the weekend, I tried out this method with my hair.  Right now I think I have the Scary Spice look!

  The book says that it may take about 2-6 weeks before you are able to notice a difference in your curls.  I sort of followed mahogany curls' (www.youtube.com/mahoganycurls) technique of the CG method.  I washed and finger detangled my hair with Tresseme Naturals conditioner.  I then applied TIGI Bed Head Moisture Maniac conditioner to my hair as a leave in & applied ECO Styler Gel.  I used the brown protein gel that has a level 8 hold.  I don't think it turned out horrible.  I think that as my hair gets the proper moisture, my curls with flourish.  Some parts of it are a little frizzy.  I think it is partly due to lack of moisture.  Also, you should not disturb the curl while it is wet.  I couldn't keep my hands out of it.  It took a long time for my hair to dry.  I did my hair Friday night.  Sunday night, one portion in the middle of my hair was still not dry.  I'm not sure if I applied too much product to that section or if that's just how long it is going to take to dry.  If you wish to not use gel on your hair, Summyr1988 (www.youtube.com/summyr1988) also explains how she does the CG method on her hair.  She just started the CG method a few months ago & she documents her progression.

For more info on CG method, Lorraine Massey's book Curly Girl is a great starter point for the basics.  You may need to do some tweaking based on your hair & your lifestyle.  There are also many great bloggers out there that demonstrate how the method is done.

Have a great day!

Naturally Me

Mini Twist-out results

I finally did it!  I took out the mini twists that I've been rocking for about a month.  Yeah, I wore them for an entire month.  I knew it was time when the pizza guy asked me if I was growing dreads.  I then proceeded to tell him (in the pizza line) about how I don't put heat to my hair, how I twist it to dry it, etc.  Poor guy.  I know he thought I was crazy.  He said, "I was just trying to tell you that it was a nice look for you."  Oops, guess I gave him just a bit too much information. 

I'll probably wear this style for about 2 weeks, moisturizing every few days or as needed.  I'm not quite sure what I will do with my hair next.  We'll see...

Morning shot.  I think it was actually 6:19 am, not 7.  I think that you can see the definition a bit better in this pic.

  

Naturally Me

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!  I hope that everyone has a prosperous new year filled with many blessings!

Wow!  It's been about a month and a half since I have posted to my blog.  So much has been going on in my life.  I've had to take a step back and remember to put God first in my life.  Needless to say, things are most definitely looking brighter in my life. 

I hope that everyone has enjoyed their Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year.  I hope that everyone got a chance to fellowship with family and friends.

Let's talk hair!  Did anyone do anything special with their hair over the holidays?  For Thanksgiving, I rocked an old twist out, and I do mean old.  As I look back at the pictures now, I really wish I would have freshened it up a bit.  Although I didn't think it was my best look, I received many compliments regarding my hair.  Below are pictures of my twist out.

Twist out

Twist out-side view

Four days later on Thanksgiving day, it looked like this...



This is another picture of of an old twist out.  This twist out is at least a week and a half old.

Somehow, this one turned out better.  I didn't do anything different than I usually do but somehow for some reason, it looks much better.

Over the Christmas holidays, I've been wearing mini twists.  I didn't originally intend to wear mini twists.  It just sort of happened.  When I shampoo and condition my hair, I generally twist it so it can dry.  Everyday I planned to take the twists out and it never happened.  I think I have had the twists in for 2 1/2 or 3 weeks now.  I am seriously going to take them out this week & probably rock a twist out the next.  We'll see what happens.

Naturally Me





Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!  I just wanted to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving.  Be sure to take time out and think about all of the things in your life that you are thankful for.  I am thankful for having wonderful family members in my life.  I am blessed to work with a "vibrant" group of people.  I am thankful that I am healthy.  I have a beautiful 7 year old who is healthy and happy. Oh yeah, and my hair is pretty fly!  LOL!  There are so many things in life to be thankful for.  Remember to thank God daily for all the many blessings that occur in your life, big and small.

What are your holiday hair plans?  I'm rockin' an old two-strand twist out.  I thought about re-doing it, but, it still looks pretty good.  I re-twisted a few in the front that had become a little frizzy.  Otherwise, I think my style is good to go.  Pics to come...

I hope everyone enjoys Turkey day!

Naturally Me

My Regimen

It has been 3 months since I have been completely natural.  Over the last 3 months, I have learned so much about taking care of my own hair in its natural state.  As a new natural, you are tempted to try almost every hair product out there that promises beautiful curls.  The most important thing to remember is that what works for one person may not work for the next so "Do You".  DO NOT be disappointed if you have followed your favorite curly's hair regimen to a "T" and you don't get the same results.  Use other's regimen as a starting point or a reference to create your own look.  Remember, we are each uniquely and wonderfully made!

Currently, my regimen goes as follows:

Shampoo with Taliah Waajid Total Body Black Earth Shampoo
This is a natural shampoo.  It seems to work fairly well.  It does not leave my hair feeling stripped.

Detangle with TRESemme` luxurious moisture conditioner
This is a great detangling conditioner.  I finger detangle under running water with conditioner.  It's not very expensive so feel free to pile it on while trying to get rid of those tangles.  I have read that some ladies also use this as a leave in.

Deep condition with Le Kair Cholesterol Plus (Yes, I still use this).  Sit under dryer about 20-30 min
Yes, you read right.  I still use the cholesterol from back in the day that "momma" would put on when conditioning my relaxed hair. 

Leave in conditioner Mixed Chicks
This seems to work pretty well.  No complaints here.

Styling/Moisturizing products

Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie
I have found that this does not really enhance any curls.  Maybe, I'm using it incorrectly.  I have found that it is a great moisturizer for my hair. 

Organic Root Stimulator Nature's Shine
I put this on to seal in the moisture that I just applied.  This contains coconut oil, soybean oil, kukui nut oil, essential oils of lemon, bergamont, and spearmint.

Miss Jessie's Curly Buttercreme
I have found that this product holds a style extremely well.  Of all the products I have tried for natural hair, this is probably my favorite.  Right now, I'm rockin' a 6 day, yes 6 day flat twist out.  I love this stuff.  You do not have to apply a lot.  A little goes a long way.

Flat twist each section & let dry
My hair is extremely thick.  I usually have about 16-17 flat twists when I'm finished.  Most of the time, I let my hair air dry.  It probably takes 8 or more hours for my hair to completely dry.  I have seen several ladies that set their hair, wrap it up, go to bed, and their hair is dry the next morning.  That does not work for me at all.  If I have time constraints, I will sit under the dryer for at least 2 hours. 

I hope this helps someone start a healthy hair care routine.  What hair care regimen has worked for you?

My Hair Story

I just wanted to share with everyone my hair story.  This is a post from previous blog I had started.  This was originally written in December of 2010.

I'm Going Natural!

I have made the decision to go natural! I am very excited about my decision! I think it will be a learning experience for me. I initially tried to go natural about 3 years ago & I was unsuccessful. At that time I had no idea what to do with my hair except wear it in braids. It was way too time consuming for me to keep my hair braided so I eventually took the braids out & relaxed my hair.

Even though my hair was relaxed, I often wore textured styles. Very rarely did I just wear my hair straight. I loved the wavy/curly look. Therefore, more often than not, I wore braidouts, twistouts, & styles with curls. Braidouts were my favorite. All I had to do was shampoo, condition, plait (braid) my hair & then take it out. No heat required. I hated having to blow dry & flat iron my hair. It took up way to much of my time.

April of this year was my last relaxer. I originally didn't inted for it to be my last relaxer. It just sort of happened. I was never one to get a relaxer every 6 weeks. I would always stretch it to about 8-10 weeks depending on the condition of my hair. 8 weeks rolled around & I was going on vacation to the beach so I got cornrows put in my hair. I took them out & shampooed & conditioned my hair & I was enjoying the feel of my new growth. I loved the texture I was feeling. I kept my hair up my regular shampoo/condition routine & styled my hair in braidouts & twistouts. Vacation time came around again & I again got more cornrows. By this time it was the end of July, beginning of August & I said to myself, I've gone this long without a relaxer, I might as well keep going. Of course by this time I'd watched a ton of youtube videos with all these natural sistas with gorgeous hair, all types & textures & I realized that was what I wanted.

I needed a plan of execution! How was I going to get that goregous textured hair? I decided against the BIG CHOP. Although, after my last set of cornrows, I was extremely tempted. I finally understood why women just proceed to cut out the relaxed hair. It came to a point where managing the two texturs became very difficult. My braidouts were starting to look a hot mess. I decided to do my hair with Senegalese twists. I thought it would be easier than individual box braids & take a little less time. I searched youtube for how to videos & then I got to work. Initially it did take me a long time to do the style, but, I think it was b/c I was still learning how to do it. Now, I am able to easily retouch my hair & it doesn't take me that long!

It has been 8 months now since I have had a relaxer & I don't regret it one bit. The next time I redo my hair, I will be sure to do a growth check & cut out more relaxed ends. I'm just excited to be on this journey. My daughter, who is 6 absoloutely loves her hair in it's natural state & I don't think she would have it any other way. More to come on my natural hair journey soon...

Mini Me

I am the proud mother of a 7 year old little girl.  She is the light of my life.  She's smart, she's funny, very entertaining, outgoing.  I could go on and on.  Mini me has natural hair.  I have decided not to put chemicals in her hair.  I believe that permanently altering her hair is a decision that she can make when she is older and able to take care of her hair on her own.  My prayer is that I will be able to educate her about how to care for & manage her hair so that she will not feel the need to permanently straighten her hair. 

Up until recently, I had kept Mini me's hair in braids or ponytails.  Last week, I let her wear her hair out or loose.  It turned out really well.  We were both pleased with the results.  She received a lot of compliments.  She was grinning from ear to ear!

Naturally Me