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

Au Natural

Transition phase-Senegalese twists

Well, I finally did it!  After transitioning for 16 months, all relaxed end are are gone! I am 100% Au-natural!  April of 2010 was my last relaxer.  I cut my relaxed ends off August 6, 2011.

One day after "BIG CHOP"

During my transition, I mainly wore braids, more specifically Senegalese twists.  Wearing the twists made the transition period easier for me.  I was not tempted to put a relaxer in my hair.  It also meant that after I cut the relaxed ends, I was not experienced with taking care of my natural hair.  Of course during the entire transition I followed bloggers and you tubers of the natural hair community.  Curly Nikki of www.curlynikki.com and Prettydimples www.youtube.com/prettydimples were very inspirational to me.  It was amazing to see these beautiful young ladies and their natural hairstyles.  I often couldn't wait to get home from work just to see what was on the site that day.  Thank you ladies for keeping me inspired during my transition.  If it weren't for you all, I wouldn't be naturally me!