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 :)

Coastal Scents 88 Ultra Shimmer Palette

I first read about this palette when Wes of Honey.Brown.Sugar. blogged about it a few months ago, and knew I had to get my hands on it. I ordered mine from CoastalScents.com for only $19.95 on sale. The regular price is about $24.99 (two other people ordered with me so we would qualify for free shipping- can't beat that!)

All I can say is that my eyes have some serious bling going on! Almost any color you can think of is on this pallet, and it is a nice size for the price. I have been playing with the colors which are highly (and I do mean HIGHLY) pigmented so the colors show true to form. Right now I am rocking a killer dark green above my lash line and blended to the lid with a dark gold hue...ooh la la!

My one and only complaint- which I can definitely get over- is that the color has a tendency to fall onto my lower lashes quite a bit. So much so that it looks like colored eyeliner and I have to wash it off with a damp cloth...LOL..might be cute for a party, but not for work :)

They also have this same palette in a matte version and an 88 palette of neutrals. Try it- you won't be disappointed. For the price alone, it is well worth it.

Protective Styling: It's for My Own Good!!

Ok...I finally broke down and admitted that I needed to give my hair a break, so I am finally rockin a curly sew-in weave. I have really small cornrows in the front from ear-to-ear, and red tinted spirals in the back. It's too cute! I decided on curls because I couldn't bring myself to put long, straight hair all down my back after rockin my TWA for last two months... the word "traitor" kept playing in my head every time it crossed my mind. The curls remind me of my own hair and I feel very comfortable in it.

The crazy thing is... I am DYING to co-wash my hair already and it's only been about 5 days. I need to put all of my conditioners away so that I don't instantly throw a gob of it into this weave one morning..LOL..that would be a hot mess!

I have concocted a spritz using some Kemi Oyl, water, and Trader Joe's Nourish Spa Conditioner to keep my braids thoroughly moisturized. The key to protective styling is moisture, and I would hate to take this style down in a month or so only to find crispity, crunchity natural hair underneath!! I plan to spray my cornrows twice a week, and the braids under my sew in at least once a week; washing every two weeks. I am hoping for some serious growth/retention after all of this.

I do have pictures on my BlackBerry, but I do not know how to upload them to a computer. Any suggestions?

Now that my hair is put away, I will probably direct some energy into my diet, skin, and nails so don't be surprised if you see some posts about those topics soon.

Betonite Clay Mask and Avocado Honey Deep Treatment

As promised here are the details of my natural clarifying and deep conditioning session. I first clarified with betonite clay and used a homemade avocado treatment to moisturize...All I can say is that I am a true believer in natural, kitchentician concoctions doing wonderful things for natural hair. I will outline my steps to each process below. Keep in mind that I have a 4-inch TWA, so adjust amounts as you see fit...you will need more for longer hair.

Betonite Clay Mask

You will need:

• 3 heaping tablespoons of Betonite Clay (I purchased mine from a natural seller on e-Bay for about $3.75/lb- Lasts FOREVER!)


• Water (as needed)

Process: In a small mug, I gradually added water and stirred continuously until I had a pretty thick paste. It is nearly impossible to get all of the lumps out, but they smooth into the hair pretty well so don't worry about it. Afterwards, I wet my hair completely but did not use any other products, ie. shampoo or conditioner, and sectioned my hair into fours. Then I started gobbing on the Betonite clay working from front to back until every section was coated, covered with a plastic bag so that it wouldn't dry out, and commenced to doing some housework.

About 30 mins later, I rinsed in the shower, and it rinsed right out for the most part. The plastic bag kept it from drying in my hair, which made it easier. I could immediately feel a difference in my hair; it was softer and I could feel that the curls had a lot more spring and definition. Most importantly, it was CLEAN and it didn't feel dry or stripped. LOVED IT!!

Avocado & Honey Deep Treatment

You will need:

• One ripe avocado (the skin should give under slight pressure)


• One tablespoon of honey


• One tablespoon of oil (I used soybean, but Extra Virgin Coconut or Olive Oil would be best)

Process:

I halved the avocado and removed the pit, scooping all of the pulp into a mug. I added the remaining ingredients and stirred very well to try and get the lumps out, but it was still somewhat lumpy. I sectioned in four and applied all over and covered with a plastic cap. Then I wrapped my hair in a steam towel and covered that with a dry towel to ward off any drips. About 45 mins later I rinsed and noticed a few strands of the avocado pulp were stuck in my hair, so I re-rinsed. There were still a few little white strings hanging on in there, but I didn't care at that point. All I could do was stare at my hair..how clean it was and how nice and smooth it felt from root to tip. I didn't even want to use a leave in, but I know better than that...so I added some HE and oil and rocked a wash-n-go. This will definitely be a once a month session for me.

You ladies should try it and let me know your thoughts on it, too!!

Product Review: Jessiecurl Weekly Deep Conditioning Treatment

Product: Jessiecurl Weekly Deep Conditioning Treatment

Scent: "Earthy"

Price: $12-13.00 for an 8oz jar





Ingredients: Water infused with Lemongrass, Nettle, Burdock, Kelp, Marshmallow Root, Horsetail, Basil, Bay Leaf, Oregano, Rosemary, Peppermint, Sage and Thyme, Aloe Vera Juice, Behentrimonium Methosulfate and Cetearyl Alcohol, Shea Butter, Cocoa Butter, Glycerin, Lecithin, Fragrance,Diazolidinyl Urea (and) Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate.



My Results: This is the second product that I have tried from my NaturallyCurly.com FAK for Curly Hair and I really did have high hopes for it. I am sad to say that I was not impressed for many reasons. It has a rather peculiar scent, very "earthy" if you can imagine that..LOL..but I can get over a scent if the product works wonders. I applied the treatment after co-washing with HE conditioner and let it sit under a shower cap/steam towel combination for about 30 minutes. I must say that it felt great going on, and I just knew I was going to love the results but that was a definite no-go. My hair felt very much like straw, and it looked very scraggedy (is that a word) and my curl pattern was all fuzzed out.. It really looked a mess! Later, I just couldn't take it anymore and decided to co-wash it all over again, which helped a little, but it took a day or two for the fuzz to calm down.



I don't know what went wrong with this application...maybe I should have clarified before using this. I won't give up on it just yet, so I will be trying this product again to give it a fair chance.

Product Review: Curl Rehab by Curl Junkie

Product: Curl Rehab by Curl Junkie

Scent: Gardenia and Coconut

Hair Types: All

Function: Moisturizing Hair Treatment

Price: $20.00 for an 8oz jar

Ingredients: Water, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Cetearyl Alcohol, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter) Fruit, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Equisetum Arvense (Horsetail) Leaf Extract, Urtica Dioica (Nettle) Leaf Extract, Melissa Officinalis (Melissa) Leaf Extract, Mentha Piperita (Pepperment) Leaf Extract, Yucca Leaf Extract, Rosa Mosqueta (Rosehip) Fruit Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, Theobroma Grandiflorum (Cupuaçu) Seed Butter, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Vanilla Planifolia oil, Cananga Odorata oil, Lecithin, Fragrance, Citric Acid.

Directions: Use daily, weekly, or monthly depending on the state of your hair. Apply generously to clean hair and comb through. Leave on hair for at least 5 minutes. For extra conditioning, leave on hair for at least 15 minutes with a plastic cap. Rinse thoroughly with water.

Review: This is the first product that I tried from my NaturallyCurly FAK, and I must say that I really loved the way it made my hair look and feel. Looking at all of the butters and oils listed in the ingredients -I can see why. I used this on a day when my hair was feeling particularly dry for some reason and it softened my hair immediately and the feeling lasted after I rinsed. I also use rinse out conditioners as leave-in and this one passed that test as well. My curls looked more defined than usual, even after my hair dried. LOVE THIS CONDITIONER!!

Next up from the FAK: Jessiecurl Weekly Deep Conditioning Treatment

NaturallyCurly FAK

I won! I won! I WON!!

I am usually the person that rarely wins anything..but I submitted to a contest on NaturallyCurly.com and won their summer First Aid Kit (FAK) for curly hair. It arrived in the mail yesterday and being the semi-product junkie that I am...I tried out one of the conditioners before I could get the box open good. It was LOVELY! Stay tuned to see what it was and more on the NaturallyCurly FAK!

Sheer Laziness...

..has kept me from doing a natural clarifying and deep conditioning that is well overdue at this point. I have had the necessary ingredients for some time now, so I really need to just set aside some time and DO IT ALREADY!! I have read that DC's are the life of natural hair and should be done on a weekly basis, so no time like the present to get started.

Tonight, I will be clarifying with a Betonite Clay hair mask and following that up with an Avocado/Honey DC..all made from natural ingredients. I hope to be able to post pics of the process and the results but I let my sister borrow my camera, and of course it was damaged while in her care *sigh* ...so we shall see..

Shrinkage

I don't know if I should even be worried about this problem yet, but I am for some reason. I'm not sure really what my "hair type" is but I think it's a mix of 4a/4b and the shrinkage is outta control. It's really hard to be patient with this whole growing out process, because it kinda looks like my hair isn't growing AT ALL when I know it is. I would say that my hair looks about 75% shorter than it really is and I am clueless as to how I can get the curls to stretch a little. I am tempted to try Miss Jessie's products but my budget tells me otherwise; I am trying like mad to not become a product junkie...and most of the products that I try have to be $5 or less. It makes absolutely no sense to go natural only to spend huge amounts of money trying every product under the sun, but this shrinkage issue is getting on my nerves and I am *this close* to shelling out some cash to see if I can find something that works. Anyone with a 3-4 inch TWA got any suggestions? I am about to get in the kitchen and start mixing stuff of my own at this point.

Twist and Shout

As promised, here are the results of my very first twist out. I opted to do twists over the finger coils for some reason...don't ask me why :) This was an enlightening experience to say the least... I learned a lot about what my hair can and cannot do/likes.

I started by shampooing with Creme of Nature Shampoo for Dry and Damaged Hair (green and white label); not that my hair is dry or damaged, but I love detangling with this shampoo more than any conditioner that I have tried so far. It makes the knots just melt away under the little shampoo-scalp scrubber thingy...you know..the one with the short teeth that they use at the salons...my TWA is loving that thing now. I can imagine it won't work quite as well once as my hair grows back.

Then I conditioned with HEHH (mentioned in my previous post) and left some of that in with some soybean oil. Yep..I said soybean oil, also known as common vegetable oil. I'd used some before to remove some hair glue and the bottle was just chillin with the rest of my hair oils, so I gave it a spin. It worked quite well actually and became a staple of mine for a few weeks, until I rediscovered my bottle of Kemi Oil...more on that later, but Kemi Oil is the ish..

So with the conditioner and oil applied, I twisted random sections of hair, parting with my fingers as I went. My hair twists very easily and also "sets" very quickly. I didn't like the turnout on my hair b/c it is so short and I am not a fan of scalp showing through my curls..so I will keep this in my arsenal for later, once I get some length. I do need to think of some TWA stying options b/c it is quickly starting to look a little bit like a Jerri-curl as it grow and that is *so* not the business. I wonder if I can pull of a mini fro-hawk...hmm.. I wonder..

I Need a Regimen...

SO LATELY I'VE BEEN FEELING KINDA LOST...Like I don't know what to do next with my hair. I will say that I have finally managed to wear my hair out everyday for the last week and a half (YAY!). For the first two and a half months after my big chop, I wore my hair in braids or covered it with a wig...not that I was ashamed of my kinky hair, though; I think it had more to do with how SHORT it was. My hair has always been at least shoulder length, and right before my first BC it was between my shoulder blades. So to see it go from there to a 2 inch TWA was a bit of a shock :)

I guess I have "somewhat" of a regimen. I co-wash my hair EVERYDAY...sometimes twice a day, because if I don't it is a matted mess and it gets extremely dry by the end of the day. I co-wash with Pantene "Texturize" conditioner which has a really creamy feel and a clean smell to it. I found a huge bottle on clearance at Target for about $4. Afterwards, I lightly pat out excess water and apply Herbal Essence's Hello Hydration all over as a leave-in. Reading other natural blogs, I know I should be sealing with oil, but I haven't quite figured out how to do this without disturbing the curl pattern as it dries (any suggestions?) and going to work with gooey/white hair. My hair looks fab by the time I get to work...by the end of the day? Not so much....

Sometimes I apply warm water to my hair to "revive" the dried leave-in conditioner..and sleep with a shower cap under my satin bonnet..then wake up and repeat. I will be doing my first deep conditioner this weekend with a Dr. Miracle's Treatment and hope to try my first coil out.. I've noticed that my hair fingercoils really well. Wish me luck! I will post pics afterwards..

How These Curls Came to Be...

First things first...I mean, I just wanna put this out there...I am truly a NOVICE when it comes to natural haircare. I am learning...I am evolving...and I am LOVING EVERY MOMENT OF IT!! So this blog will be for those who are new to this natural journey; those who may have recently Big Chopped (BC'd); those who are just starting to transition to natural hair; or those who are just *thinking* about going natural and want to see someone else do it first....just in case.. :)

To tell you a little about myself, I am a young adult from Memphis, TN, by way of Atlanta,GA ; the second oldest of 9 children; a mother...all which will become apparent as this blog grows, and you all *really* get to know me. But right now, lets just get to the nitty gritty of it all...how CurlyLikeMe came to be ...

The Seed was Planted during the summer of 2008. In search of a no fuss, "roll out of the bed in the morning" style I resorted to kinky twist for about two and a half months. Nothing special. I didn't use special products to keep my hair moisturized, didn't use a silk scarf to cover them at night...Nothing. I did wash them every two weeks or so, cuz I don't do dirty hair.. and they served their purpose. Two and a half months later I took them out to find that my real hair looked a hot-garbage mess!! The relaxed ends were matted and dry, it was broken off in different places, and just looked unhealthy overall. But my new growth looked amazing! It was shiny and soft..and to my surprise..coiled in the cutest little curls. I sat in the mirror for about an hour debating whether or not to just cut my relaxer out right then, but sadly, I relaxed it again.

The seed was watered during the fall of 2008 when I noticed that my great-grandmother was totally natural after about, oh, 50 some-odd years of sporting the relaxed look. While washing her hair one day, I noticed that her hair was curling all kinds of ways and it made me wonder what my hair would look like if I could ever get the courage to grow it out and endure months of looking like I "needed a perm." Yet and still, two weeks later, I relaxed my new growth...

The seed blossomed into a full blown mission shortly thereafter. I am not the type of person who jumps blindly into things, so I decided to research natural hair care to see if it was something that I was even capable of maintaining. The very first site I ran across was Mane and Chic, which was totally inspirational to me. I must have sat up until 2:00am reading her detailed story of transitioning and at that moment I knew there was no turning back. Going natural was something that I WAS going to do, so no time like the present to get started...

Fastforward to today...after a much shorter transition period than I *thought* I would have, I now have a Teeny Weeny Afro (TWA) that I am just growing to know and love. My BC was on February 12, 2009 (a funny story that will be told in a later post) and I have been totally natural ever since.

So that is where the story begins... and I am curious to see all the twists and turns (and coils!) as it unfolds... Something tells me its going to be a wild ride..so follow me!