Straight hair...WHAT?!?

Yea...so, for my bday I treated myself to a trim.  I went to the salon to get it done b/c I just didn't feel like spending all that time trying to blow dry & flat iron my hair (I really should have done it myself b/c I probably wouldn't have lost as much hair).  She really didn't cut much off...it was the torture my hair went through during the process.  Of course I used heat protectants and such, but just the rigorous brushing, blow drying & flat ironing was enough!  I love how my hair turned out and my color definately looks 10x better in the straight form, but don't get used to it :)  This is what it looked like day 1...when she first did it...

I actually made my hair last for about 4-5 days.  I touched it up with a flat iron once and decided I didn't want to keep putting heat to it; so then I used rollers.  Here is how it turned out...



Then, I started missing my curls and decided to bring them back!

Birthday Hair

One of my good friends hooked me up with a good look that lasted for 2 WEEKS!!!  That's an amazing accomplishment for me because I can't seem to keep styles long out of boredom and curiosity of trying new things.  Without further ado...

After 2 wks and a twist-out later, it's still hanging in there :)  Y'all know I had to cowash in between cause my scalp won't let me get away with it.  So, what I did was use a baking soda, water & a little bit of lemon juice mixture and cleansed my scalp using a toothbrush so I wouldn't disturb the braids too much.  I used AS I AM CLEANSING CONDITIONER to cowash the braids and twists themselves and LOVE that stuff.  My hair felt great...nice & moisturized!  I did have to retwist the front b/c of course they ended up frizzy, but here's the twist-out look after ~2 wks...

In the Mean Time...In Between Time...

Ok, so, I neglected to tell y'all what I had been doin in my spare time while on break from school. I have found another addiction...making wig caps/pieces :) So, the following pics will be of several pieces that I have made within the past few months...my very first one I made for one of my sisters (she is the reason I'm addicted..would have never gotten started had it not been for her...LOL). Brief tidbit regarding her hair status - she's the one I have convinced to go natural. She transitioned for a period of time and recently (~3-4 months ago) had me do her 'BC', but she is not comfortable sportin her TWA so she wanted something until her hair grows out more (instead of the regular micros she transitioned with). Like me, she has alopecia (bald) spots in several places on her head; so, I think that may be another reason she really doesn't want to wear her TWA out. Anywho, here are the pics of her wig (and that's her in the pic)...after the shape-up & BEFORE flat-ironing...





AFTER flat-ironing...



My first personal wig - TINA...I wanted a natural look for whenever I get tired of wearing my hair out or want to give it a break, but still would like the natural look. I love it, but it can get VERY hot!!! I've worn her out a few times, but I can tell she will be more for the winter time :)





On the next one, I tried to go for the flipped look in the middle, but I don't think I went high enough to really see it from the front, but oh well, here she is...I will shape up to give it a different look after it has been worn for a while...







I have another one that I made, but I haven't shaped it up yet to how I want it, but I promise to get back with that sometime. Let me know what you think or if you have any experience with wigs, then help a sista out :)           

On, On to the Next One!!

So,

I have moved on to the next protective style...I opted for braids this time, thinking that maybe they will last a bit longer. I kept the last style in for almost a week before I felt like my hair needed a good cleansing...so who knows, but here it goes:




So, the braids were going from one side of my head to the back slightly at an angle. I twisted the ends of the braids and then flat-twisted the ends going up. The previous pics were after a braid-out of the bangs had been tortured in a day of humidity...can we say POOF-factor!!! Since I wasn't happy with the definition, I decided to twist up the bangs instead of rebraiding them...



I plan on wearing it like this for a couple of days & then seeing how the twist-out comes out. Until then, let me know what you think :)           

Whip It REAL Good!!!

Ok, so I've been a pretty good girl this time...I have kept my protective style for almost a week now and I have worn it almost ALL the way down :) I told yall before that I was ready to take it down around day 4, but I wanted to see what the twist-out mohawk looked like. So, here it is....

..

Look @ Me Now...OH!!!

HEEEEYYYYY,

I know it's been a VERY long while, but I've been super busy with school, trying to finish up the last quarter and LIFE in general! But, I wanted to update you guys on what my hair is talkin bout now...so, here's the protective style I'm rockin at the moment...










I finally decided to stop bein lazy and twist myself up...went for the mohawk style that I enjoy :) Tell me what you think...

I wanted to do smaller twists so that they would hopefully last longer, but who was I kidding?! I know my hair don't last in styles very long before I think they begin to look disgustingly frizzy and old!!! I have now had my hair up for about 4-5 days (sinceThurs., June 29) and I am tryin to make it last...I want to see what the twist-out of the middle-hawk looks like, but my poor lil twists on the sides lookin a bit ragged :(

I am also very tempted to take them down b/c I feel my hair needs a cleansing!!! I may do it
again, but with braids this time...idk, the JOYS of natural hair...so MANY options :)

So, before I go to bed, I split the hawk into three sections & band each, then I flat twist the bang portion and band the ends to keep my twists stretched. I tie it down with my satin scarf and cover with a stocking cap to keep my scarf from moving all over my head as I toss & turn throughout the night :)

What's WRONG?!

Soooo ladies,

I decided to go ahead and do something I have been debating for the past few months...I colored my hair again :) I have been going back and forth with my decision b/c when I first did it, I did not have great results. I mean, I loved the color, just not the state of my hair. I think most of the dryness had to do with me not knowing the right products that worked for me at that time. Now that I have tackled my routine and have had the dry-factor defeated for several months now, I decided to try color again. A couple of reasons led to my decision. One, I wanted to try it again to see if I can successfully manage my hair and maintain growth with color (since my hair is still fairly short where cutting it - if need be- would not be so devastating). Two, I wanted something different b/c I was getting bored AGAIN!!


I must say that I am loving the way my hair reacted to the color and is feeling right now...definately moisturized and soft!!! So, I hope this color will last for a while. I like how it's not one color all around. It may be a little difficult to tell the difference...it's more subtle in the front where you can definately tell its lighter. I have 15-30 days to do a free "fix" if I don't like it or if I want it different (lighter). I don't regret doing it and I hope I have not broken any rules of the challenge. I do have a question for you ladies though...should I get it lightened in some areas???









More pics to come with my hair out when I do my twist-out of course!