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!

First Roller Set

So, I decided to go ahead and try my first roller set. I think I'm hooked!!! I'm lovin the results and the way my hair feels. It is moisturized, soft, and LOVELY!! It only took me an hr to put all the rollers in. I let them air dry throughout the day, and ended up sleeping with the rollers in just to protect my curls and make sure they were dry. I took them out this morning and was mesmerized ;-) I separated them using the single-strand twist, curling/twirling method with oiled hands & fingers to minimize frizz. Even though I did the twirl/curl method trying to stretch them, y'all know how our curly locks do...shrink right back up! I look like curly Sue...LOL, but I like it (pics to come soon). Or you can check out my youtube vid: 

Length Check Update

So, it's OFFICIAL...I finally did an exact measurement to obtain my baseline length for later comparison. Without further ado (adue???), here are the results:
~4 in both sides & back
~5.5 in front

I wasn't too far off when I guessed in my original "Length Check" post. There you have it...let's see how much I can retain or how far I grow :) If you would like to see me doing my length check in action, you can check out my youtube vid: 

Say Y.E.S.!!!

Ok...so please tell me why I've been sleepin on this product...YesToCarrots. They have other flavors that you may be more familiar with like YesToCucumbers, tomatoes, and even berries (blueberries). I picked mine up from my local Walgreen's and at the time they only had the cucumbers and carrots, but the cucumbers was for color-treated hair, so I decided not to get it and opted for the carrots. (Today, I saw that Walmart has the whole line...it's where the Giovanni and Burts Bee stuff is). So, glad I chose this product y'all!!!

It has my hair feeling AMAZING!!! I knew from the second I put it on my hair that I was in love...CAN WE SAY LOVE AT FIRST TOUCH???!!! I seriously think I have stumbled upon my stable condish...FINALLY! I really don't know why I kept passing this up on the shelves. I think maybe I had enough conditioners at the time and wanted to use them up or get rid of the ones I already had before I purchased more (trying to refrain from being labeled a PJ...LOL). I told other natural youtubers that it may have been because I saw somthing in the ingredients list that I didn't like (possibly the alcohol, but come to find out its a good alcohol and not one of the drying ones). Irregardless, I'm loving this stuff...so, I say YES, YES, YES!!!

My Protective Style for May

So, have any of you heard of Chicoro and her book Grow It!??? I recently purchased and have been reading it. I sneak in little sections during the little time I have between class readings ;-) It is a quick read, so it shouldn't take me long to finish. I am impressed with the amount of informative explanations she provides. I got through the section where she talks about dry and wet detangling and the process for each. I NEVER thought I would be one to dry detangle, but after reading that section, I decided to give it a try on my twist-out-wash-n-go (I JUST MADE UP MY OWN HAIRSTYLE...LOL). Here is what I did:

I decided to take out week long twists that I had in because they started to look a bit rough for my liking and plus I wanted to do a product review of My HoneyChild's Honeynutt and Jessicurl Weekly Deep Treatment. After I cowashed w/ the twists still in, I used Honeynutt to untwist & semi-detangle while I was in the shower. Once I got them untwisted and out of the shower, I used Jessicurl as my DC for a little over an hour (30 min of low heat w/n that time). I rinsed all that out and used KCKT as my leave-in, pulled my hair up using a knee-high stocking and did the baggie-method overnight (since hair was still wet). So, Thurs morning I ended up rocking my twist-out-wash-n-go (TOWNG) UNTIL I got bored during class and decided to try out Chicoro's advice about dry detangling.

Real quick product review: Honeynutt was ok...I say ok b/c it was very thin and I prefer thicker, creamier conditioners. It did pretty well with detangling. That was the first time I tried it. The next time I use it, it will be as a DC b/c directions say you can use it as both a detangler and bi-weekly DC. I loved the Jessicurl!! I will definately be using it again, but it will be alternatively with my homemade DCs and sparingly b/c it is a bit more pricey than I like to pay.

Anyway, as I sat in class unevitably getting more and more bored, I began to dry detangle and retwist my hair in smaller twists (YES, I did it during class from about 8-3, but I was still paying attention!...of course, there were breaks in between. I didn't completely finish til midnight that night).. I wish I had come across this book a LONG time ago b/c I probably could have retained much more length had I NOT been rippin through my tangles. I NOW know I have to take my time and comfort PRECIOUS and slowly separate and work each strand aloose from the other. It takes a while, but I believe its worth growth retention in the end! I hope this helps the next niave natural :) No since draggin this out, here are the results...




My goal is to try to make these last til the end of the month (hence, the TITLE), but anybody who knows me knows that this is a challenge in & of itself b/c I get bored with styles easily and will be wanting to try something new w/n a wk or so...

Length Check

I've never really done length checks before...don't get me wrong, I have checked in the confines of my own bathroom, but not for documentation or journal purposes. But, I thought - since this is a grow-out challenge, I might as well start or at least have a baseline for future comparison. Being that I'm a rookie at length checks, I have yet to whip out the ruler for an official measurement (but I will update soon!).

I really liked the post added to CN about NOT being discouraged when comparing your curls to others' who have the same or similar BC anniversaries because you don't know what length they actually started their journies nor their particular routines/regimens. I found myself caught up in the comparative dilemma (like SOOO many other natural sistaz!)...BUT my discouragement and disappointment in my growth led me to the point I'm at now. With all that said, the reason for this post is not only to establish myself a baseline comparater, but this is a PERSONAL challenge for myself to see how much growth I can retain over the next few months. SSSOOOOO....LEGGO!!!

Hair Appreciation

"I'M SO EXCITED...AND I JUST CAN'T HIDE IT!  I'M ABOUT TO LOOSE CONTROL & I THINK I LIKE IT!"

I am LOVING MY HAIR right now...at the moment, I have conquered the devilish dryness that has plagued Precious for SOOOO long! I have come to appreciate the beauty behind my naptural 4a/b strands. Thank God for OYIN! I recently purchased the regular size of the BSP and the Shine & Define. This will be the first time I have purchased or will use the Shine & Define and I will definately post a review. Oyin hasn't disappointed me thus far, so I'm sure I will love it too. I did a flat twist/twist-out using juices & berries to refreshen & moisturize, then used Qhemet Biologics AHOC then Oyin Whipped Pudding for styling. When I did the twist-out, I used my ayuverdic oil infusion mixed with a couple sprays of the Shea Moisture Elixir (about the ONLY product I have kept from the few that I purchased to try!). Here are pics:

I have to say that I also tried the Bentonite Clay Mask and I LOVE IT!!!!  I love how it made my hair feel afterwards...check out my video on youtube and mini review:

OMG...Oyin!!!

Do you believe in love at first sight?  Well, I do!  From the moment I began using Oyin's Juices & Berries (and later Frank Juice), I was in love.  I think I can FINALLY say that I have found my FIRST staple company/product(s) because now I have ventured out to some of their other products...HAIR DEW & BSP (burnt sugar pomade).  OMG y'all..."I'm so in love...I found IT finally!!!!"  It really makes me wanna say O O O O O O O MY GOD!!! (I don't even like that song!!!)

I first tried the hair dew on wet/damp hair and it didn't work so hot, but on dry hair that stuff is the TRUTH!!  I love it love it love it...did I say LOVE IT??!!  Sorry, I'm just REALLY excited I finally found something that works on dry hair.  I mean it's hard enough for me to keep the water spritz in my hair long enough.  So, this is truly an accomplishment and movement past a milestone for me :)

I use the BSP to seal ends and it works great.  I see why so many people rave about this stuff.  So, my next plan is to purchase the regular size because I have been using the sample size I purchased when I reup'd on my juices & berries/frank juice and when I purchased the hair dew for the first time.  I still need to find something that will work well in combination with these two products to keep me well moisturized all day long...maybe that's where the juices & berries/frank juice will come in handy.  I normally just use those as my initial moisturizer, but I forgot they suggested to use it as a mid-day spritz...LIGHT BULB MOMENT ;-)

If you have any suggestions of things I can try to retain moisture throughout the day, please let me know...thanks in advance.

As always...DEUCES (PEACE) & LOVE!!!

Moisture from Shea Moisture...

Sssoooo...I decided to take advantage of the BOGO at Walgreens last week (end of Mar - beg of Apr) on the Shea Moisture products because I had been hearing so many fellow naturals raving about how good it is and how much they love this one and that one.  The only ones I was able to purchase from my Walgreens here in town were the Moisture Retention Shampoo & the Deep Treatment Masque.  I also wanted to try the leave in and the elixir, but I had to order them from Amazon (paid triple the price!!) b/c my Walgreens didn't have them.  Anywho, I need your opinion(s)...

Now, I know you can't jump to a judgement too quickly b/c you have to give your hair enough time to react to a change in product(s).  On the first go round, I think I like the shampoo, but was NOT too happy w/ the masque.  I used the shampoo while I still had my nubian twists in so that I could really get to my scalp for a good cleansing.  I like the smell and how it felt on my head, but I can't really say how my hair strands felt since they were covered by the twists.  I proceeded to condition, remove my nubian twists and detangle, as usual, w/ Garnier Triple Nutrition.  My hair still felt pretty good while wet, but once dry (sections began to dry as I continued removing twists around my head)...my hair was DRY!!  I think I may have to give up the Garnier...it feels good while wet, but my hair gets crunchy once dry (that's another story for another day!).  I tried to rinse most of the Garnier out since my hair felt so crunchy, then I followed up w/ a DC using Beauticurls Curl Enhancing Moisturizer Treatment (15-20 mins under heated cap) and rinse out.  Once I white t-shirt blotted semi-dry, I spritzed w/ my ayuverdic-distilled H2O infusion and Oyin Frank Juice for a refreshment and to remoisturize and sealed w/ my ayuverdic oil infusion...so, once again, my hair felt pretty good, but I would QUICKLY be disappointed all over again!

Anyway, on to the next one...the masque!  Did I mention that I WAS NOT HAPPY with it???  I planned on using it as my leave-in/styler b/c you can use it as either a DC or styler.  I don't know if it was the technique or what, but I tried using CN's (Curly Nikki) advice about waiting to put moisturizers, leave-ins, or stylers on damp or semi-damp hair (versus dripping wet - which is what I used to do) to better benefit from the product or allow the product to really work on your hair instead of on all the water in your head...if this process is a tell-tale sign about this product, then it is NOT a good one!  My hair felt like HAY...NOT GOOD!!!  I was like OH, HECK NAW...let me get this crap outta my hair!!!  I didn't want to go through the whole process of co-wash, DC, moisturize ALL OVER AGAIN!  So, I just refreshed my hair w/ distilled H2O and sealed w/ the Oyin BSP (burnt sugar pomade); then, used KCCC to do single strand twists.

Through ALL of that, will I give it another try?  OF COURSE!  I can't just give up on it from one try, but I will try it on soaking wet hair next time to see if there's a difference.  So, what's your take on any of the Shea Moisture products?

PLEASE Protect PRECIOUS!!

I finally came up with a name for my kinky curls...PRECIOUS.  It fits almost perfectly...on second thought PERFECTLY!!  She's a true diva in that everything must be pampered just so!  No cuttin' corners or she will get pissed and shrivel up & get sour (dry out) on you :(  So, the utmost TLC must be given to her for her to act right...hence, the name Precious.

What is the secret behind that TLC that she so painstakingly calls for day in and day out???...MOISTURE, MOISTURE, MOISTURE!!  Once I figure out how to maintain the moisture that my Precious so desires, I think we both will be on a road to success and happiness.  So, I come to you fellow natural haircare bloggers to get some advice and ideas on how to maintain this moisture and keep my Precious diva'd up...LOL.

I would like to know what protective styles have worked for you in your journey that has helped you maintain moisture, promote growth, and is low maintenance.  If you have tutorials or videos, please share.  I love to try new things and would be interested in whatever you have to offer :-)

flat twists from the back

twists from the side (in combo w/ flat twists above)

Continued blessings on your "rollercoaster" of a journey!