Third Time's the Charm

This weekend I re-twisted my hair with Herbal Essence's Totally Twisted and I HATED IT for two reasons:

1.) It didn't really give me enough slip to make my twist nice and neat...my hair was kinda bunching together as I twisted.

2.) My hair took FOREVER to dry. I woke up the next morning to soaking wet hair with no definition at all.

***Needless to say, I was bummed.*****

So last night I started the process ALL OVER AGAIN with Trader Joes' Nourish Spa conditioner at about 6:30 pm (twisting in smaller sections with gobs of conditioner). This morning my hair was almost completely dry, and I just sealed with some shea as I untwisted. Fluffed, pinned the top, and I was happy once more.

My last set lasted me three days, and on the last day I refreshed it by running my hair underneath the shower a few times and spraying it with some Dr. Miracles Braid Spray. The twist-out pattern stayed in tact and the water gave me more volume at the roots. The spray allowed me to moisturize without heavy cream conditioners and/or disturbing the curl pattern.

Any ladies with 4a/4b hair should try this out. It really helps to show your length and gives a funky, coily fro style to boot :)

Twist & Shout: Re-visited

Last night I actually set aside some time to pamper my hair and try some thing different. I clarified with the oh, so lovely betonite clay and followed that up with a serious detangling session while I watched Real Housewives of Atlanta (can you say DRAMA!) with some TJNS conditioner. While I was detangling I was amazed at how much growth I have gotten; all the tiny little spirals encouraged and inspired me to try something different for a change.

So I picked up the comb, and just parted.

I have no idea what made me part my hair the way I did, but it was in a sunburst-ish pattern all the way around my head and I did two-strand flat twist, curling the ends with my fingers. What surprised me the most was how easy it was for me to part and twist my hair…I am sure that it will only get better with each try, and I will definitely be keeping this look for a while.

Process:

Cleansed with Betonite Clay Hair Mask (See previous post)
Conditioned with Trader Joe’s Nourish Spa
Added TJNSP as a leave-in
Flat twisted all around, curling ends with fingers to secure each twist
Applied hair wrap and bonnet


This morning, most of my hair was dry, but there were some sections in the back that were really damp. I warmed some shea butter in my palms and coated my hands with Kemi Oyl before untwisting. This helped me to combat frizz and gave me some much needed sheen. Once I took them all out, lightly fluffed, and pinned the top with a few bobby pins (due to spaces in the very center) and I was good to *go*

Next time, I will be making them a bit smaller. The bigger twists give me more of a chunky look, which is haute, but the smaller sections (at the top of each twist) were more defined. I imagine it would be too cute all over :)

One Strand; Two Textures

At first I thought my mind was playing tricks on me but after careful examination, I am sure that I have two different textures of hair on each strand of my hair. This is not something that occurred naturally, however and is due to previous color processes that I had before my BC.

During the time that I had my sew in, I noticed a few strands of shed hair that were just kind of twisted up in the cornrows, and almost became obsessed with pulling them out. I would examine each one to see if it was a sign of breakage (from the cornrows) and all of a sudden noticed that the end of each strand was noticeably thicker, less curly (dare I say…straight!), and darker in color. The rest of the strand was a finer in texture and extremely coily.

At first I thought, WTH?!

But then I remembered the days of demi-permanently coloring my hair with Chromasilk Vivids. I would mix a pure red and a pure blue to make the deepest violet ever, and cover my entire head with it. The finished result would give me the jet black look I wanted, without looking like I dyed my hair with a “box” permanent color. The color was some kinda fierce, because you could only see the violet sheen outside in the sunlight or with the flash from a camera lens.

Now, when I think about it, my last color application occurred just after I decided not to relax my hair anymore…when I had about a month or so worth of new growth. So these dark ends that I am seeing are clearly what is left behind of a color that I thought was long gone. I used to think that demi-permanent color didn’t alter the composition of the hair but I see now that I was wrong. The color really changed the way the ends of my hair look, feel, and act as compared to my new, unaltered hair growing beneath it.

The next time I get the itch to color…which I hope will be later in this natural journey…you can bet that I will be looking to natural alternatives.

Have you ever experience a texture change after a semi or demi-permanent color?

It's About That Time

Cue the theme music to a bad horror movie because the moment that I have been dreading is definitely upon me....

IT'S TIME TO DO SOMETHING WITH MY HAIR OTHER THAN MY BELOVED PUFF :(

Honestly, I just got comfortable with the puff and have gotten it down to a science in the mornings; hop in the shower, refresh with TJNS conditioner, rub in my HE Totally Twisted mixed with Kemi Oyl, smooth edges with soft bristle boar brush, apply bra-strap head band, and voila! DONE!

But I get bored pretty fast and I am worried that the tension from wearing the band everyday will eventually break my hairline. A one inch ring of breakage would be a hot mess to end up with after all this work to transition and adjust to my natural hair.

Tonight, I played with some two strand twists on one side of my head, and it looks promising. There is some definite growth going on and I do believe that I am on track to have right at 6 inches of hair by the end of October. I have been growing my hair out since October of 2008, and if hair grows at the average of 1/2 an inch a month, then I should have at least 6 inches by then. I have not had a real trim since my BC and have always focused on keeping my hair moisturized to retain length. It seems to be working so far.

Fingers crossed; Today, I am going to work without the headband. I don't to try a twist out in the middle of the week because I don't know what to do with second day hair. Second day hair for me is *always* as flat as a pancake and very dry looking...SCARY.

Any suggestions on how to refresh twists on 4a/4b hair without re-twisting at night?

**PS- This pic is kinda old. I am still waiting on a new camera, but you can get an idea of the texture...now it's just a little longer :)

Shea Butter on DECK!

Finally got my hands on some pure shea butter!! I have been hearing *too* many good things about shea butter in the natural hair community and have been dying to try it out. There is a Discount Mall (see also FLEA MARKET..LOL) in Atlanta off of Old National Hwy, and I always purchase my shea there, but I never tried it on my hair in the past. They scoop it right into a little plastic container and the consistency is somewhere between crumbly and creamy...if you can imagine that. Half a pound at $6 wasn't too bad but I do plan to look for other sources to compare price and product differences across vendors. Some online reviews have lead me to believe that not all shea is created equal, if you know what I mean...

Over the weekend, I didn't have too much time to play with it, but I did rub a bit in my palms and smoothed it over the the edges of my puff, and I think I am really going to love it. I can tell that it will give me the hold that I have been looking for with a little bit of shine...very promising!

Now all I need is some Aloe Vera Gel to mix up a batch of this shealoe that I have been hearing about.. I think a trip to Trader Joe's is somewhere in my near future.

Trader Joe's Nourish Spa Conditioner

I am finally coming to the realization that all conditioners work well for specific purposes when it comes to my hair. The latest "Ah ha!" moment goes to Trader Joe's Nourish Spa conditioner (TJNS).


Since taking my hair out of the sew in, I have been cycling back through all of the conditioners in my arsenal of products and it's like using them for the first time all over again. Fun for me, and fun for my wallet, since I haven't purchased any new products in over a month..YAY for the budget! :)

Well one morning I was using the TJNS to co-wash and it hit me how fast the conditioner seemed to soften the strands of my hair. You know how sometimes you have to work a conditioner in and let it sit for a while before you can effectively detangle? TJNS skips all of the hassle and softens things right up, which is great for mornings when I am in a rush and don't have any extra seconds to waste. So this is now my staple morning refresher conditioner of choice.


At $2.99 a bottle it is a steal...you should try it. I have the Trader Joe's Tea Tree conditioner next on my list... I hope it is as lovely as this one..

Natural Hair Remorse

I'm not gonna lie... sometimes I miss my relaxed hair, especially this weekend. I used to be a relaxed hair model for Patric Antonio Bradley in the Bronner Brothers International Hairshows. Patric knows how to cut and color like no other and I would always have a fly new cut/color every six months or so. The summer 2009 show is going on right now and a part of me misses all the glitz and glamour of getting made up, dressed up, and "pressed out" for the show.


S0 this year I spent the weekend running around town with my mom and a few friends and they all wanted to know about my natural hair regimen and told me that they have thought of going natural. Many of them commented on how natural hair is "so easy" to maintain, and I had to quickly dispel that myth. There was one girl out of a group of 8 that was really pounding me with the questions, and I was happy to be able to offer what little knowledge I have learned so far. Her questions made me feel really good about my hair again and I would like to think that maybe I have inspired at least one out of the group consider going natural :)



Have any of you ever had moments where you wish you could go back? If even for a month, a weekend, heck even a second? If so, what keeps you motivated to rock your natural hair?

I'm BAAACKKKKK!!

I know it's been a while since my last post, mainly because my hair was put away for about a month under the sew-in. The curls are back with a vengeance, so back to my regularly scheduled posting as I try to keep them happy and tamed :)