Hiyas! This is a quick post about an old doll... of mine, actually. LOL! Pic is self-explanatory.
These braids are on their second week and still not that frizzy. I used EcoStyler gel and that's it. I don't normally use gel like that on anyone's hair, but the way these braids are holding up for me AND her is phenomenal. Whatever works, rock it! #divachic
Until next, my divachics! (Yes, I have a new name for you guys. LOL)
Hey guys!This is just apost about my experience with mini braids, and that I took my mini braids down yesterday, washed my hair, and now it feels fresh and free once again. LOL!
I haven't worn mini braids since I was a teenager... maybe 14 years old... before I got my first perm at 15. That was my staple hairstyle. That was all my mom knew to do with all the hair I had, with out-of-this-world thickness. I didn't like them then because that was practically all I had my hair in, but my hair had always grown long because they were in for at least a month.
My hair wasn't that healthy because I know my ends were split and straggly like mad, and regular hair grease was used to braid my hair, but it still grew. I thought about that more recently, and although braids take longer to install, they tend to last longer. So I did the mini braids in my hair last Monday and left them in for a week and a half.
I used EcoStyler gel on damp hair. Awesome technique. It worked well, and I honestly didn't get much noticeable frizz until the second week. I don't use gel like that, but for this it worked like a charm. They also looked great on me.
Now, they're not as small as some people would probably do theirs, but ain't nobody got time fo'dat! Not with three kids! This size was great for me. Bad enough it took two hours to do, which is a miracle for my hair.
When the second week began, the itchiness began. My hair likes being washed at least once a week and it goes crazy if it isn't washed once a week. So, you see my dilemma. I almost tried washing it with the braids still in, but I knew already that that would cause major frizz. The gel would be washed out of it, and the manipulation and the water would cause the braids to be frizzy afterwards and I knew this. Plus, it would also be hard to condition my hair. So that was it. My scalp was too itchy, no matter how much I spritzed my scalp with my water/peppermint oil concoction. It was time for the braids to go! I was kind of sad taking them out, but I could easily find the time to do them again if I wanted to. Besides, with the working out that I have been doing lately, my scalp needed the wash to remove sweat. I have started doing the Insanity workout program. Yes, the crazy hard one, with Shaun T. It's AWESOME. I've got some major pounds to lose, about 30, and since I've changed my eating habits greatly, I've already lost 3 pounds. Combine that with the biking and other random exercises that I have started doing (push ups, jump ropes, crunches, squats), I've added INSANITY to the mix and have lost 3 MORE pounds. So happy! I am seeing my baby gut go down finally.
If you do INSANITY, too, let me know. How far are you in it? Challenges? Given up yet? I've only done the first two videos so far.
Ever done mini braids? How long did it take? Did you like the results? How long did they last before your scalp was on it's knees, begging for shampoo? Tell meh! I like hearing hair stories.
Peace out till later, curly mamas!
Hiya, curlies! Syriah Lynn turned 4 years old on March 3rd. I did a completely new, made-up hairstyle on her. Loved the results. I got the idea from someone else, but the way I did it... completely unique. I had several people ask me how I did it.
It's quite easy, actually. All I did was moisturize, de-tangle with damp hair, oil, and CantuLeave in cream, and held a ribbon at the top of the hair section before securing a hair band. It's as if the ribbon was a regular piece of hair. Had to be careful, though, so that the ribbon didn't come out of the band in the process.
Then I just twisted regularly.
With the back, I did bantu knots instead, but I parted her hair in the shape of the number 4 before doing so. It came out awesome. She want to Chuck E. Cheeses the day before and got plenty of compliments. ;-)
Here is a picture of the mini twists I had in her hair prior to her birthday, before I washed it. They didn't last as long as her first mini twists did, and that's because I used different products. Just goes to show you that simplicity is best. The first mini twists I'd ever done on her were created with my whipped shea butter only. I guess I didn't need gel here. I barely use gel in her hair anyway except for the edges, but I tried something different and they only lasted a week, and that's with her hair being ridiculously fuzzy on the fifth day. I was ready to take these suckers down then!
I learned my lesson. Never again. Oh, and that new Cream of Nature conditioner I got recently... still hate it. I'm going to use it because I paid for it, but never again. Me no likey. I ranted in a previous post about that stuff. I got the same crappy coating in Syriah's hair as well. Bleh.
Soon, I will be selling my own whipped shea butter and whatever else I can conjure up. Screw this! lol xD
Tip of The Day: If your daughter has 3B hair, more than likely she won't need gel to hold her hair in place. A simply light, milky cream will probably work best, although I like using the thick, buttery stuff. Do not load her hair with gel; it isn't necessary and you'll regret the hardness and flakes later.
Well, hope you guys enjoy the hairstyles. Peace out til later!
Hiya, curlies! Today I'm displaying my beauty supply haul from two days ago, and the results of me straightening my natural hair for the first time in over a year!
So, here's what I got the other day. The Cantu Shea Butter leave-in cream I have already tried a long time ago and wanted to get it again for the hell of it. There's a Cream of Nature Moisture Extreme conditioner here. I've never tried this before, and I got tired of my Tresemme conditioner. Just wasn't working for me anymore. I don't like it because it has not one natural ingredient in it. I only got it because it was cheap at the time. So I got this new one to use with my Shea Moisture shampoo.
I know that I mentioned in a very old post about 'brand-hopping' hair products not being the best thing to do because if something went wrong with your hair, you wouldn't know what product to blame. But I wanted to try this, anyway.
I also got the Roots of Nature shea butter and green tea deep conditioner simply because I needed one, preferably one with protein and natural ingredients. Re-stocked on my EcoStyler olive oil gel, found a flat iron for ten bucks, and finally found my JBCO in store! Yay, no more ordering!
Spent fifty bucks in there, and it was well worth it.
After I 'doctored' up my hair for a few days, I decided to try the new flat iron. It was cheap, but it has a one year guarantee. As long as it lasts a year and does it's job, I'm not going to spend 50-100 bucks for a flat iron, just to (hope to) get top-notch quality! This one works just fine. The last time I attempted any heat on my hair was November 2011, so it's been over a year. Those results were not good because my hair wasn't that healthy at the time. No, I don't have a picture of that hot mess. Today, the results are great!
The picture speaks for itself, and the process is there, too. I love how my hair came out. I only used a small amount of grape seed oil on each section that I straightened. I had to pass through my hair twice, some areas three times because although I had banded my hair overnight, it was still hard to get as straight as possible. It took almost two hours to complete. But my hair is extremely soft, full of body and moisture. I can whip it back and forth lol!
Hope you guys enjoy this post! Questions, comments, advice? Write meh somewhere! When was your last battle with the flat iron? What did you do?
Hiya,guys! I'm just making a quick post about gel. I've had my EcoStyler Olive Oil gel for about a year (huge container) and I just ran out of it. NUUUU! (hyperventilates) MUST GET MORE!
I'm surprised that it lasted that long. But I'm not that avid of a gel user. I usually only use it to smooth edges down and nothing else... on rare occasions. I don't wear ponytails or buns often.
Lately, I've started using more gel for my two strand twists. I use a cream on a section first, make sure my hair is de-tangled, and smooth in some gel throughout the entire section before I twist. It's been working awesome. My twists tend to unravel because I have 3B-3C hair, so I need something to where they won't come undone every minute. The EcoStyler is doing it! Sorry that I don't have pictures at the moment. Life's...well, busy. Tip of the Day:If your twists come apart a lot, try using gel before you twist. Use only a fingertip amount, depending on how small your twists are. But make sure your twists are moisturized first. You'll reduce the 'crispy' feeling that you usually get with gel, and you hair won't feel hard when it dries. Trust me; it works!
And when you're done wearing the twists, you can take them down for a wicked twist-out. ;-)
I am super excited! Tomorrow, Saturday, October 6th & the 7th, 2012, there will be a natural hair show being hosted at the Georgia International Convention Center in College Park. I am so grateful to live near this event, so I am going and I am taking my big girl Syriah Lynn. There are going to be so many hair products for sale and so much to do. It's going to be like heaven! http://www.naturalhairshow.org/
This is the first time I have ever been to a hair show, period, and the first time I've got a chance to really get out of the house in ages.
I have a new style that I made up on Syriah the other day. I used my shea butter on damp hair and flat twisted in two different directions. Looked really cute and lasted three days. It would have been longer, but I took them out because I wanted to style her hair in advance yesterday for the hair show. I did mine the same way... co-washed my hair with my new conditioner and twisted my hair with the Shea Moisture Smoothie and EcoStyler gel I used for my last twist-out in my video. Can't wait to see the results tomorrow!
I will probably make another blog post tomorrow after I attend this hair show and go broke buying a million hair products. I get to splurge. Woo hoo!
Until next time, curly mamas! Stay natural!
Virgin hair. This is something that I never imagined I'd have. Even though I had what everyone calls "good hair", I didn't actually know or believe that until I stopped perming completely.
I was always infatuated with hair, period. I played with my hair endlessly in high school especially. As a little girl, my hair was just like any other little black girl's hair... except that my hair was long and super thick. In a previous post, I've established the fact that I am not by any means mixed.
I wasn't tender-headed like my sister, thank God, but I didn't always like getting my hair done. I hated the hairstyles that I wore because I thought they were babyish once I'd gotten to middle school. My signature style was mini twists, but they always looked raggedy after a certain time, and I had so much hair that my mother often didn't know what else to do with it. Childhood Years
I wanted my hair straight in high school like everyone else. Of course, we all know what it's like, being an outcast because of your looks. I wasn't allowed to perm my hair until I was 15, probably because my mom did not want me looking too grown, being 13 and starting 9th grade. I don't think she really knew the full dangers of perming, just like every other mother in those days. But I'd made the decision myself, so when I was 15, I got my first perm. I was thrilled. My hair was now straight and flowing like everyone else's, and I was able to comb it much easier instead of struggling and greasing it down, trying to get it to cooperate.
I don't remember exactly if,how, or when my hair went downhill as far as health, because at the time, I didn't know much about hair health, and neither did anyone else around me. I did get trims when I needed them, and I actually did not get perms very often. My mom did know that perming was bad, and if you were going to get one, you needed to do it sparingly, not like the cliche 'every 6 weeks' that women have been traditionally programmed to do. My sister was extremely tender-headed, so my mom had no choice at the time but to perm her hair when she was nine years old. Our hair was already longer than the average, so when it was straight, we were able to see the length better. A lot of people loved my hair, and everyone thought I was mixed. Rawr.
So I wore my hair straight a lot, and gradually started wanting it curly when I went to college. My perm time had gone way down to every six months, literally. I was totally stretching my perms, and I didn't really realize that I was helping my hair. Me, my mom, and my sister had all started stretching our perms, and that was when we realized that we didn't even need the 'creamy crack' at all! Our hair textures didn't even call for it. 2005-2008
So I wore my hair curly mostly through college, creating my own twist outs with permed hair. I obsessed in the mirror every morning with a full length mirror propped up on the door to see the back of my head, trying to get the perfect twist out. I could never get it. My hair was often stringy-like from using the classic pink oil every night. Between my sister and I, we went through that pink stuff like water. I liked the fact that my roots were flat, but I soon realized that they stayed flat enough on their own without a perm. I had almost gone a year without a perm once. 2009 I got married and got pregnant with our honeymoon baby, which is the little hair model of mine that's all over this blog. (LOL!) During my pregnancy, my hair grew even faster than it usually did, of course, because of hormones and vitamins. This is my hair in 2009, after taking out braids. I did not perm my hair the entire time, because I had heard that it isn't good to have those type of chemicals entering your bloodstream during pregnancy.
After I had Syriah, I permed my hair and had it flat ironed. I felt good because I was able to get my hair done right after having a baby and look good again.
But I was really frustrated with my hair. I had a passion for natural/organic things, as well as overall health and fitness, so why was I perming my hair? I didn't even need it. I had gotten tired of sitting for hours and hours at salons, getting burnt when the damn stylist yapped on the phone and left the crap in my head too long, getting burnt from the flat iron of hellfire, and getting little random scabs in my head after all was said and done. My head had this irritating, itchy sensation, and my scalp had become very sensitive. I could hardly touch my scalp without this creepy, prickly feeling. I no longer had the excitement of going to get my hair done. The perm thrill wascompletely gone. Plus, I had been doing my own hair at home forever anyway, and that was working out better than being straight all the time. So by the time I had Syriah in March 2009, my mom, my sister, and I agreed to stop perms completely and rock what God gave us.
Well, of course, you can't just stop perming and then say, oh, my hair will be fine. I'll figure out what to do with it and it'll be alright. No, you've got to do some research! I began to do research things to do while you transition from a perm, and how to manage the new growth. I began to love my hair. I had heard about 'big chops', and I was way too afraid to do that. No way. My hair was about 16-17 inches at this time, and I was not going to lose all my length just like that. I told myself that I would just grow the perm out, so that's what I began to do. 2009-2010
I learned about protective styling, and then I had a new signature hairstyle... twists. I had always been afraid to wear these out of the house because I thought it made me look younger, and I already looked way younger than 21 at the time. But I wore them, anyway. I began to protect my ends, and trim them when needed. I got pregnant again when Syriah was 8 months old, with our son. My hair was healthier then because I was no longer perming, and it grew like a weed. By 2011, I had transitioned for two years, so I decided to begin chopping off the old permed ends. It started in January. I was having a rough period in my life at this time, anyway, and I needed a change. I cut off about two inches around this time, and in three months, I had gotten the courage to whack off literally about 6-8 inches of my hair. My husband was shocked, but he liked the new short look. It was a new me.
No, I didn't cry at all loosing all that hair. I was so ready to get rid of that old dead hair. It was like getting rid of the old me. I had grown tired of the two textures, and it was irritating, seeing the top of my hair nice and lush and thick, and the rest thin, limp, and broken. I felt very proud of myself, and I had a new look. I had to get used to seeing myself with short hair, but it kind of complemented my 'fatter' face at the time. I'd had back to back pregnancies and still had weight that I hadn't lost yet. So my face was still... round. (LOL!) As you can see, my son looked a lot like me as a baby.
I had even cut myself a bang at home for the first time in my life. For my birthday, I had gone to a Dominican hair salon and got it straightened to see how long it was. I originally wanted to ask then to cut it all the same length, but they would have charged more. Suckers. I was already paying 60 bucks just for a wash and flat iron. Ugh. What a rip-off.
The picture of me and my hubby was when I had tried something new with my curly bang... and I didn't like it much. That was our 3rd anniversary. =) 2011
So, that was my big chop. I had cut my hair a little past my ears by that summer and I didn't care. I just wanted my hair to be healthy. I was going through a whole lot in life during this time, and that was another reason why I didn't care how short my hair looked or how many people were astonished. I had transitioned for two years and it was time for the 'big chop'. How much you decide to cut off your own head is always up to you. Big chopping doesn't mean that you have to be bald, unless you truly want to do that.
By September 2011, I was pregnant with our third baby, and my hair started growing like a weed again. This was around the time when our finances had picked up greatly and I was able to begin experimenting with natural products, I was overjoyed. I was tired of not getting the hair results I wanted with my hair as well as both my kids' hair. I bought EVOO for the first time ever this year, and began to use it on my hair and Syriah's, and also on our skin. I saw major differences already. I ditched the Pantene hair moisturizer I was using and the hair cholesterol from the dollar store and began using EVOO as an overnight conditioner before washings. My hair was silkier than ever, and I didn't even need a wash out conditioner anymore. By November, I had also ordered some unrefined shea butter and began to use that for styling our hair. Totally freakin awesome.
Pink lotion wasn't even an option at all anymore. I researched and I researched hard. That was when I realized that I had a passion for this stuff, and that I might as well start a hair blog to help educate people about natural hair care. However, at the time, I was intimidated because it seemed as if everybody and their mama was doing a hair blog, and frankly, I didn't think that I knew enough about the subject yet. But I kept up the research. I joined every last natural hair care website I could find and bookmarked it. I tried different things and got great results. By the end of the year, I was totally satisfied with the way my hair was acting.
So the next year, 2012, I became totally serious. By February, I was 7 months pregnant and loving my hair growth and the way my curls were popping. In March, I finally got the courage to start this blog, and I couldn't have been more proud. I had found something that I'd LOVED to do. My hair health has only gone uphill since then. I have ditched sulfate and paraben shampoos for good. I purchased some Shea Moisture products for the first time ever, and they were awesome. I also found out about Eco Styler gel, and that's become of my best friends. (LOL!)
2012-present
So, there is is, guys. My long hair journey. I have happily been natural now for 3 years, and every day, I'm loving it more and more. I'm proud to say that my hair is now fully a virgin! (LOL!) I'm learning more and more about what works for my hair. I believe that my hair is 3B-3C with a little of 4A. My hair had several textures in it, which as you may know, can be tricky to deal with. Syriah's hair is 3A-3B only, like my husband's hair. I have no idea how long my hair has gotten now, but pretty soon I will schedule an appointment to get a flat iron and an all-even cut so I can see the length.
You know I'm gonna post that update when I finally do it. Haha! It's been really busy around here with 3 kids, but I somehow manage to do something with my hair to keep it from over-drying and going to the pits. I hope I managed to get everything into this blog that I had done with my hair over the years. If not, I shall come and update it when I remember something. Let me know if you enjoyed this post about my natural hair journey!
Oh, and here is a video that I created after this post about my hair journey. Enjoy!
Peace out, curly mamas!
So, I finally tried the famous Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie mixed with Eco Styler Olive Oil gel in my hair. I had been thinking about this idea for a while anyway, but YouTube inspired me even more. I LOVE the consistency of both of these products, so I worked them into my damp hair.
What I did was use a small amount of the SM in small sections, about 6 twists on each side of my head, and then applied an even bigger amount of gel to each section. I didn't bother actually mixing them in a container; I just wanted to try it out first before dumping a bunch of one thing inside the other. My hair was automatically elongated and very moisturized. After that, I did smaller twists from each section, until I had about 15-20 twists on each side. I wrapped it up for bed and left the twists in for two days. When I took then out, I'd had one of the best, well-defined twists outs that I'd ever achieved so far during my entire hair journey.
So now I love this mixture! My hair was very moisturized, and a bit crunchy, as to be expected with any type of gel. But I loved it. I separated every twist to make it fuller, and fluffed it around a bit. I was able to fling my hair back and forth without effort, and it looked as if I'd just wet my hair. I've now been rocking this twist out for two days now, and it's a tad bit fuzzy but still wearable as long as I wrap it in a satin bonnet before bed.
Normally, my twist outs last for 3-4 days, no matter what I use to define them, but this stuff is definitely a keeper. I will be using this SM mixed with the ES for my best twist-outs ever!
Happy 4rth of July, everyone! I really wish I knew how to do one of those fancy hairstyles that I've seen other people do, you know, the ones where they put big corn-braided stars in their daughter's hair. It looks really difficult, and I haven't had much time to even try it. much less practice it. But they look awesome.
Doesn't matter, though. I'm not big on holidays anyway. LOL! It just would have been another new hairstyle to practice and perfect.
On another note, I have a picture to show of Syriah's puffball that she wore yesterday to a kid's play place called Kids Planet. It surprisingly still looked good after her playing around for four hours.
I used Eco Styler gel in her hair for the first time ever, along with some shea butter. Loved the results! I'm not looking forward to washing her hair again when I can, because the new shampoo that I've been trying isn't working all that well. It's a brand called Organix, and their coconut shampoo isn't as moisturizing as I would have liked. I only got it in the first place because last time I went to Walgreens to get my Shea Moisture shampoo, they were fresh out... of that and the other curling stuff they have. Both of them were gone, and when I asked an employee about it, they said that the truck hadn't come in yet with another stock.
Figures. This whole natural kick is going viral, and every natural product ever created is beginning to fly off the shelves lately. Walmart had better get with it! They're beginning to, though. I've heard that they now carry Taliah Waajid products now, even though I think that brand has way too many chemicals to be considered natural.
Well, I've got to roll now. It's dinner time. I cooked some good stuff... brown rice, sweet potatoes, and baked chicken! Haha!
Besides, with the working out that I have been doing lately, my scalp needed the wash to remove sweat. I have started doing the Insanity workout program. Yes, the crazy hard one, with Shaun T. It's AWESOME. I've got some major pounds to lose, about 30, and since I've changed my eating habits greatly, I've already lost 3 pounds. Combine that with the biking and other random exercises that I have started doing (push ups, jump ropes, crunches, squats), I've added INSANITY to the mix and have lost 3 MORE pounds. So happy! I am seeing my baby gut go down finally.
The picture speaks for itself, and the process is there, too. I love how my hair came out. I only used a small amount of grape seed oil on each section that I straightened. I had to pass through my hair twice, some areas three times because although I had banded my hair overnight, it was still hard to get as straight as possible. It took almost two hours to complete. But my hair is extremely soft, full of body and moisture. I can whip it back and forth lol!
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I got married and got pregnant with our honeymoon baby, which is the little hair model of mine that's all over this blog. (LOL!) During my pregnancy, my hair grew even faster than it usually did, of course, because of hormones and vitamins. This is my hair in 2009, after taking out braids. I did not perm my hair the entire time, because I had heard that it isn't good to have those type of chemicals entering your bloodstream during pregnancy.
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I used Eco Styler gel in her hair for the first time ever, along with some shea butter. Loved the results! I'm not looking forward to washing her hair again when I can, because the new shampoo that I've been trying isn't working all that well. It's a brand called Organix, and their coconut shampoo isn't as moisturizing as I would have liked. I only got it in the first place because last time I went to Walgreens to get my Shea Moisture shampoo, they were fresh out... of that and the other curling stuff they have. Both of them were gone, and when I asked an employee about it, they said that the truck hadn't come in yet with another stock.