Happy Birthday MOMMY!!!!!

My sister(kinky twists), Me of Course(bantu-knot out)  and The Birthday Lady (cornrows going in a ponytail)

Wishing you a blessed birthday and MANY, MANY, MANY, MANY more to follow!!

Solange, Cassie and Selita Talk Hair With Carols Daughter, Lisa Price

In Part 1 of this interview with Carol’s Daughter founder Lisa Price along with Solange Knowles, Cassie and Selita Ebanks, the beautiful women break down stereotypes about black hair, their different hair textures and more!


My family is very cultural. The woman in my family go from the brightest vanilla to the chocolately chocolate and all of our hair textures vary. Growing up, I had an identity crisis because I’m so light skin so I use to envy the girls when we were in the bathroom and they were able to wrap their hair with no pins, so I thought it was something wrong with my hair - Selita Ebanks


From the time I was born until I was 12 years old my hair was pin straight and I prayed every night that I could have [curly] hair like my mom. She’d press it out, she’d have her beautiful curls when we’d go to the beach. As soon as I hit puberty, I got that curl and now it’s going back the other way. I always wanted that and I had it for one moment of my life – Cassie


Cutting my hair, it doesn’t even feel brave but it was funny to see the social response and their interpretation of what a hair cut or hair change means. A hair cut, color, all of those things to me is just an outlet of expression – Solange



Source: NecoleBitchie

Going on another vacation, this time it's pleasure. Regular posting will resume towards the end of next week.

Yeah it was Cheap...But I Still Bought It!

So, let me give you a little background first.

The last time a flat-iron touched my hair was November 2009. As all who read my blog can see, I don't use heat on my hair much. So, I couldn't justify spending $100+ on a hair tool I would probably use twice a year the most.

So...I purchased the Infiniti by Conair SS9 1 1/2" Nano Silver Steam Straightner, for $27.99(free shipping) off of Amazon. When this first came out 2-3 years ago it was about $90.

Out of 108 reviews; 56 people gave it 5 stars and 18 people gave it 4 stars. I also read some good reviews from ladies with 4b hair. So....I purchased it and should be receiving it soon. I plan to flat-iron my hair after I relax it and air-dry sometime in May.

More about the item.

2-Stage styling and advanced technology

You’ll love what our new high-tech 2-stage styling system can do for your hair. As nano silver makes plates glide smoothly through hair, Tourmaline Ceramic™ smoothes hair’s cuticle layer to protect it from heat damage. The 2-step styling system first infuses hair with conditioning steam, and then locks in all that healthy moisture with heated plates. The results are sensational: silky, shinier, pin-straight styles that last! The advanced Nano Silver Tourmaline Ceramic™ technology and our 2-stage styling system lets you achieve longer lasting salon-straight looks, every time you style!

Retractable Detangling Combs

The retractable detangling combs separate tangles and tame even the most unruly frizz! The detangling comb spread the hair strands evenly between the plates to detangle while straightening, providing uniform results from roots to ends. Three different comb heights, high, low and off, make this the perfect straightener for any hair type, even thick and coarse textures. Three settings let you choose from low to maximum tension control. Set the comb height that is best for your hair type. Nano Silver Tourmaline Ceramic™ coating on the combs provides smooth glide and shiny, healthy looking results.

Steam Benefits

Automatic multi-level steam function steams hair straight while smoothing the cuticle layer and helping to lock in style. Conditioning steam helps add moisture and shine to hair, so you get salon results at home. Simply fill the removable water reservoir and pop into place for up to 20 minutes of hair-conditioning steam. The steam feature may be turned on or off, and you can choose high or low steam settings depending on your hair type for perfectly smooth and straight results. For coarse hair, select the high steam setting.

Tiny

Oh Man. This reminds me of a pack of Wild Berry Skittles

Via Tiny's Twitter page:

Nu hair..I luv 2 do me! I don’t let whats standard 2 da world control what I do! I express myself thru my hair


Hey...as long as SHE likes it..right?

Weekend Wrap Up

Hope everyone had a great weekend! It's never long enough for me..but oooh well!

So, I did detangle my hair and this is the amount of hair I lost through finger-detangling and detangling with a comb. This is a combination of shed hair and minor breakage.  It seems like a lot, but that's 2 weeks worth of hair, so I am not too alarmed.

I ended up wearing my hair like this on Saturday and Sunday. (sorry camera phone pic because I didn't feel like getting the digital camera)

I am 12 weeks post relaxer and itching to relax, but even if I wanted to, time wont permit.
Whenever I reach 12 weeks post, I contemplate transitioning to natural, but will I? No. Haha. I decided I will go back to natural under 2 circumstances.
1.) If my hair gets seriously damaged
2.) If I so happen to stretch longer then 9 months.

I started back on my MSM. I will be taking 1,000 MG/Day which is 1/4 tbspn. It's great for hair, but my main reason for taking it is because my skin is at it's best when I do. I have a healthy glow and my dark spots fade so much quicker. I haven't taken MSM in about 6 months, so I think it's about time I start again. The best brand in my opinion is Trimedica Opti Pure MSM, so thats what I'm taking.

Another Confession, I haven't gone to the gym in about 2 weeks. I do crunches at home, but that's not enough for me. My excuse for not going was because I "needed" new sneakers. I went to the mall on Saturday looking for some Reebok Easy Tones, (funny because I never wear Reebok) but they didn't have my size in the color I wanted. So, I opted for a pair of Air Max's. Got home and hated the way they looked. So, today, I will return the Air Max's and hope to find some sneakers to my likings.

 This nail polish was a b*tch to get off. I used like 2 tablespoons of Nail Polish remover and still couldn't get it off last night. And to top it off, I ran out of the remover. So I woke up at 5:30AM this morning, got ready as usual and went to Walgreens to buy some Acetone. It's not too good for nail health, but I was determined. I ended up removing the nail polish and doing my nails, but I am tired as who knows what.

2 Weeks... 2 Long

Oh Man, I have a very sad confession. I haven't de-tangled my hair in 2 whole weeks. Sad, but very true.

Why haven't I done so...out of pure laziness! It takes me 1-1.5 hrs. to detangle and I was not up for the task when I returned from my trip.

So...I devised a game plan to handle this madness.

Tonight, I will:

Spritz hair with warm water
Gently Finger Detangle
Apply Black Strap Mollasses mixed with Coconut Oil in sections from root to tip
Place Plastic Cap on my head
Leave in overnight

The Black Strap Mollasses help darken, strengthen and soften my hair..same for Coconut Oil


In the AM..I will rinse that out then gently clarify.

After Washing, I will Apply:

Aubrey Organics White Camellia Conditioner
Mixed with Hemp Seed Oil and Castor Oil

Then Do a Home Made Steam Treatment which entails:

Placing my Turban Towel in a bowl of water then microwaving it until it's pretty hot
Apply Turban over hair
then place a plastic cap over the Turban Towel
Then I will repeat that step one more time, so I will have two Turbans and Two Plastic Caps.
I will then go under the dryer for 25 minutes

When Complete..I will rinse out the Condtioner with COOL water to seal the cuticle.

Hopefully my hair is super moisturized after doing so..because after all of that..I will apply leave-ins then lightly detangle...let airdry for a half hour then FULLY DETANLGE as usual.

*My hair is super fragile while wet, so I HAVE to make sure it's strong before detangling

It has also been 8 weeks since I dusted my ends..I will do so tomorrow.

Fab Chicas

I know it may seem like I have hundreds of posts on Solange, but I just love her hair...and this is a hair blog...so I have to display it!

And of course the beautiful Cassie. I love how this hair color looks on her!

Source

March 2011 Purchases

Besides what I purchased in this post. I purchased the below as well.
I decided to switch relaxers and after reading many good reviews I will use ORS Lye Relaxer. I'm a Lye Gal.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
18.75 oz Organic Root Stimulator Lye Relaxer- Normal - $6.39 @ Sally Beauty Supply

2 packs of Organic Root Stimulator Replenishing Packs (to use after my relaxer)- had a $5.00 off $5.00 purchase so free but normally $1.19 each @ Sally Beauty Supply

16 oz Silk Elements Neutralizing Shampoo (this was free with the renewal of my Sally's Card)- Typically costs $4.49 @ Sally Beauty Supply

2 oz De la Cruz Avocado Oil- $3.00 @ Rite Aid

8.5 Oz Giovanni Direct Leave-In( I love this Leave-in after trying out the sample size, it's now my staple leave-in conditioner which I don't have to mix with anything)- $8.00 @ Ulta

12 oz African Pride Olive Miracle Moisturizing Lotion (my staple moisturizer)- $2.69 @ Sally Beauty Supply

Total Spent- $18.08 (had a 15% off coupon for Sally's)
Total Spent in March- $53.80

I'm proud to say I have YET to purchase any hair products in April and at this point I don't think I will need to.

Quick Tip- Seamless Combs

Do you suffer from Mid- Shaft Splits although you are doing "eveything" right to your hair?
Do you have weak hair strands?
If so, one thing you should evaluate is the comb you are using.
Now, we all know, when initially detangling or combing our hair in general, a wide tooth comb is preferred.
But sometimes you have to take an extra step and choose the "right" wide tooth comb.
Seams in combs can cause damage to your strands, so the best option is to use Seamless Combs!
They are typically more expensive then your normal comb, but worth it in the long run.


Now, instead of running out and purchasing a seamless comb, you could:
Soak your comb in water for a week or so
Then file the seams off


I was introduced to one the Seamless Hercules Sagemann combs by www.fromshorttolong.com and I could feel a change in my hair especially since I previously used combs with seams.

Jill Scott

Doesn't she look beautiful?!?!
Not sure if this is a sew-in or a wig...but I LOVE it!

Now, if I could get my braid-outs to be this big and nice, I would have no problem with big hair on me.
Source

Twist-Out #FAIL

Yesterday was wash day and while detangling I always put each section in two strand twists to keep the hair out of my way and prevent further tangling issues.

My Hair was about 80% dry and I just sprayed new growth with my spritz and added a little EVOO to my relaxed ends. Then I detangled working my way from the bottom to the top.
 I added too much oil...so it looks an oily mess..but if I were actually planning on doing a twist out...I wouldn't add that much oil


This is how the twists usually look- I had to block my face because I looked a hooottt mess mainly because I am growing out my eyebrows.

I wasn't planning on wearing my hair out at all because I already decided to bun all week...but this is how my hair looks when removing the twists. I added a flower in there because my edges weren't slicked back and look extra frizzy.

*Okay...no more blogging until I return. Works going to be crazy busy and I want to enjoy each state and city I visit!!

So Random

So, while doing tourist things, I bumped into an artist sellin paintings on the street.

He handed me his business card and told me to look at the left side:


Yes, it says....
Artist
Looking for a Wife
Interested?
Call or write...send photo!

hahahaha..just had to share this.

Had to block out the number..but if anyone is interested...let me know..jkjk

Traveling and Hair

Even though I'm on a business trip, I still have to take care of my hair. So, for the week..I packed my:

Vitamins (Multi, Vitamin A and L-Lysine)

Giovanni Direct Leave-in Conditioner

Moisturizer

Conditioner(for co-washes)

the F is my toner

My Aloe Vera Mix- for my new growth..I have a small spray bottle to transfer this into

EVOO

and in the small container is my Eco Styler Gel

My hair will most likely be in a bun, but because I'm in the South and the weathers really warm out here..I'll throw in some co-washes

I checked my bag in, but I still put everything in travel containers.

Brief Update

First, I would like to thank ALL of my readers, old and new!!!
I haven't been posting as regularly as I would like to or should, but life has been extremely busy lately.
Regular posting will resume soon....most likely the week of the 11th.

As for my hair...I am 10 weeks post relaxer and have no idea when I plan to relax. My new-growth is manageable so I'm taking this week by week.

I have about an inch of new-growth un-stretched in the front and more new-growth in the back.(my edges are reddish/orange due to the henna glosses)

I've just been bunning either all slicked back :

Or with "bangs":

Shrinkage is crazy!!!:

My goal is to stretch to 16 weeks, but who knows..I'm no longer putting a time frame on when I relax. I'm just listening to my hair. If I start to experience breakage at the line of demarcation, I will do a protein treatment then relax a week later...if not, then I will keep on trucking.

I hope everyone has a FABULOUS weekend!!