I Had a Moment...

So last night I had a moment... a moment of natural hair remorse.

After twisting my hair last Thursday so that it would look FABULOUS for the masquerade ball Friday night, I found my hair in need of yet another twisting session on Sunday night. I couldn't bring myself to do it...I mean, I started to and then I was like eff it!! My arms get tired and so do my fingers, and I have to re-twist my hair entirely too much (it seems like). I guess it doesn't help that my son's hair is a TWA and I have to braid/twist his hair once a week, too. The only word to sum it up is FRUSTRATION.

One thing about type 4 hair is that you can only do so much to it that will make it look any different. My curl/coil pattern is off the chain, and no matter how much product I use or how tight I twist, there is not much difference in the look/feel of my hair. Maybe for a day, but then my stubborn curls say to hell with all the jazzy-ness and it's back to normal.

I'm getting the itch for a change...I haven't the slightest idea what that change will be, but I know something has gotta give soon to keep me motivated. It might be time for another break, and put my hair up in braids or something. Maybe it will be color. All I know is it is definitely time to ponder the subject.

Today was a rough hair day...hopefully tomorrow will be better. Any advice ladies??

Liquid Gold

"Homer called it "liquid gold." In ancient Greece, athletes ritually rubbed it all over their body. Its mystical glow illuminated history. Drops of it seeped into the bones of dead saints and martyrs through holes in their tombs. Olive oil has been more than mere food to the peoples of the Mediterranean: it has been medicinal, magical, an endless source of fascination and wonder and the fountain of great wealth and power. The olive tree, symbol of abundance, glory and peace, gave its leafy branches to crown the victorious in friendly games and bloody war, and the oil of its fruit has anointed the noblest of heads throughout history. Olive crowns and olive branches, emblems of benediction and purification, were ritually offered to deities and powerful figures: some were even found in Tutankhamen's tomb."

(Excerpt taken from http://www.globalgourmet.com/)

What more can I say about olive oil, other than it is THE TRUTH!! While I was in college a friend dropped some knowledge on me about the benefits of using Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)on our hair and scalps. We used it to keep our hair sealed with moisture and our doobie wraps and roller sets were *too* fly.

I got away from using EVOO on a regular basis after a while, but have since gone back to it now that my hair is natural. My hair couldn't handle too much oil in its relaxed state, but natural I swear by it. During the summer months I was fond of Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (EVCO), but I can tell that need something heavier in the fall and winter, so EVOO fills that bill. Adding a equal parts to my conditioner as a leave in helps to set my twist and seal the conditioner into my strands.

You can use EVOO to luxuriate otherwise el cheapo lotions, too. I buy $1.00 cocoa butter lotion from the Dollar Tree and add EVOO to my palms as I rub it in. It leaves my skin silky smooth and moist. Sometimes, people tell me my skin is glowing and it is all because of the EVOO. Try scrubbing from head to toe with a sugar scrub, moisturize with the lotion/oil combo, and put on some cotton socks/plush loungewear... I promise you will be a believer :)

TGIF! I am going to a masquerade ball tonight and my roomie's engagement party tomorrow. I plan to rock a twist-out to both of these functions. As I type this, I my hair is in twist underneath a hat...just waiting to be unleashed in all its natural fly-ness!!

Goodbye "CurlyLikeMe" and Hello to "Queenofthe4s"

Today is an exciting day! Not only is it my birthday (my 3rd Annual 25th birthday), but today is the re-birth of my baby blog. I have been pondering this for some time now, and I feel like there is no better day than today. I have officially been relaxer free for one full year and can totally tell the difference in the health of my hair.

The reason for the name change of the blog is completely random on one hand and is truly fitting on the other.


One day I was reading through comments on CurlyNikki's blog and ran across another link to tightlycurly.com. Terri, the creator of the site, has biracial hair and has her own method of taming her curls which she plans to release in her new book, "Curly Like Me." I will admit that I was a little depressed to see that we both somehow came up with the same name. But to be honest, she obviously came up with it first, and I don't want anybody to get it twisted....I am not a "biter" by any means of the word, so I decided to change the name of my blog out of respect to her.


I think the new name is more fitting of me and my hair. I don't really have "curls" as much as I do tight coils and cotton puff patches that make up type 4hair. After a year of experimenting, I feel as though I am now (more) in control of my hair and it does what I want it to for the most part. It's only fitting that I am the queen of my two textures :) ...."Queen of the 4s"... I like it!!



You will notice that most of my pics up until this point don't really reveal my true identity, and I feel now is the time to put an end to that so that you all can get a better feel for what is going on with my hair. The intensity of this blog will increase with weekly and monthly segments as I set aside more time to devote to researching and editing material to post.





Happy birthday to me and to Queenofthe4s!! :)

Smooches,

Natasha

It's Almost Been a Year...

My, how the time flies!! It's almost been a year since my last relaxer in October of 2008. I am not sure when the exact date was, but I think it was around the 17th or 18th. Since that time, I have had some trials and tribulations with this hair of mine but I grow more and more comfortable with my decision each day. This month I will be celebrating for two reasons; my Nappyversary and my birthday on the 22nd!! Once I decided to go natural, I transitioned with roller sets using the green magnetic rollers. My great-grandmother taught me how to roller set hair at a young age (I'm talking elementary school age!!) and they would always come out looking fab. Once I found out about Elasta QP's Mango Butter I used that to moisturize my hair, especially at the line of demarcation (were the new growth meets the relaxer) and I managed to retain quite a bit of hair. The only thing I didn't like was re-setting it every three days or so, and as my hair grew out it became more and more difficult to manage during my co-wash days. If I were a little more patient, I could have transitioned for much longer with this style, but patience is a virtue that I don't have :) I included some pics of me with the curly set. I kind of miss these days...but I am not too far off from this look again. I bought some smaller rollers (blue and black-talk about tiny!!) and plan to try a roller set soon..