Monday, May 28

Put a Straw In It

Although I didn't go away for Memorial Day weekend.. I still had plans, so I wanted to make sure my hair was clean and styled. It was very hot/muggy and I knew wearing my hair out would be a fail. So after shampooing my hair,  I decided to twist it...as usual!!

I hate how stringy the ends look due to the relaxed hair, but I also didn't want my twists to look super short...So, instead of doing a bantu-knot out or using my satin rollers, I curled the ends with some straws.


I just cut the straws up so they would be about 1.5-2 inches long. Dipped the straw in water, rolled the ends then secured each straw with a bobby-pin.





Friday, May 25

Transitioning Woes

Although my transition is going relatively well, I do sometimes have issues. My issue this week is slicking down my edges. 

I am now 27 weeks post relaxer and this week is my "bunning" week. 


Reader Question: New-Growth Spritz

I received a few questions about my New-Growth spritz  that I previously used when stretching relaxers. 
The main ingredients in my home-made spritz were: Aloe-vera juice, castor oil, eucalyptus oil and rosemary oil.
I still use something similar, but now add distilled water,glycerin and sometimes a drop of Silk Amino Acids if I need protein in my hair. I also switched out castor oil for an oil in my current product arsenal such as safflower or coconut oil.

Anyway, the main question was if they should make the spritz or if there is something comparable they can just buy. 

I definitely suggest purchasing a commercial product if the person doesn't already have the ingredients readily available. 

The only product I can recommend (that can be easily found in stores) with similar ingredients and that has MANY positive reviews is Taliah Waajid Protective Mist Bodifier. 




Price:$7.00- $12.00 for 8 oz


Can be Found:  Walgreens,CVS, Amazon and many Beauty Supply Stores
You can also search for places it is sold using this link:  http://www.naturalhair.org/storelocations.aspx


Ingredients: Deionized Water (Aqua), Wheat Germ Extract, (Triticum Vulgare), Aloe Vera (Aloe Babadensis) Leaf, Cetrimonium Bromide, Cetyl Alc., DMDM Hydantoin, Olive Oil (Olea Europaena), Glycol -(Vegetable Derived), Silk Amino Acid, Bay Laurel Extract (Lauris No Bilis), Fragrance (Parfum).

Monday, May 21

Hair Products Update

As of now, the only commercial hair products I have used on my hair is a Deep Conditioner and Shampoo. 

I deep condition on "dry hair" before washing and currently use ORS: Replenishing Conditioner(which I adore). 


For shampoo, I use Shea Moisture: Moisture Retention Shampoo.




That shampoo is running low, so once it's complete.. I will finally have a chance to use the WEN I was gifted.

For a leave-in, detangling and moisturizing spritz..I use my AVJ Mix which contains:

Aloe Vera Juice
Distilled Water
Glycerin
an Oil of my choice (either Safflower, Coconut or Vitamin E)
a few drops of Rosemary, Tea Tree and Eucalyptus Oil

Sunday, May 20

Braid-Out @ 26 Weeks Post Relaxer

Y'all already know that my go-to out style is a braid-out.




So..I took my twists out on Friday night, finger detangled, spritzed hair with my AVJ mix, sealed with Shea-butter mixed with coconut oil then braided my hair up to prepare for the braid-out.



I put some satin rollers on the ends so the braid-out wouldn't have straight ends


 I kept the braids in all day Saturday(wore a beanie during the day) and took them out for Saturday night.


I ended up rebraiding at the end of the night and wore a braid-out Sunday(today) as well. I plan on bunning for the remainder of the week.



I have some more pics, but my eyebrows look even more jacked than the first pic (lol) and my forehead looked super shiny(researching natural ways to beat the shine!)!

Wednesday, May 16

Thoughts of a Long Term Transitioner


  • I can't believe it!!  It has been 6 months/26 weeks (well in 2 days it will be) since I last relaxed my hair!
  • This is the longest time in my life I have stretched a relaxer without the assistance of extensions. As a reward, I bought an Afro Pick online! LOL!  I will use this to fluff out the roots when I do braid-outs/curls..etc. I read that metal is better for the hair since it wont snag like the plastic picks sometimes do.


  • On May 30th, it will be 5 months since I  used direct heat on my hair and I don't plan on straightening AT ALL this year!
  • Times have truly changed. I like the look of straight hair, but I LOVEEEE the look of big, huge,kinky textured hair! 
  • I sometimes get overwhelmed but excited with thoughts of how I would look with all natural hair.  
  • Patience is key for transitioning. Patience while detangling. Patience while growing out the natural hair. Patience to make the "chop" date. 
  • I read transitioning gets more difficult around the 8th month. So, I decided to install single braids when I'm 8 months post. 
  • People tend to get the urge to chop around 8 months and I can see why...so braids are the best option. 
  • I can't wait until I have some more new-growth. I usually get more growth in the summer which I highly anticipate. I'll measure my growth at 1 year post to see if I get the average "6 inches" 

Sunday, May 13

Curled Twists

During the week I typically wear my twists in a bun or some sort of up-do (Kind of like how I used to bun my loose hair during the week, but instead with twists). On weekends I like to wear the twists down, so I can enjoy them a little more. I would either do a bantu-knot out or a twist and curl. This time it was a twist and curl.

 I just:
  • sprayed the twists with my Aloe Vera Mix (Water, AVJ, Vitamin E oil, Safflower Oil, Essential Oils)
  • sealed that in with some shea-butter (I take a small chunk of shea-butter, put it in the palm of my hands, spray the chunk with my Aloe-Vera Mix, then rub my hands together to create a creamy consistency)
  • did 5 flat twists
  • put satin rollers at the end of each twist.  
  • Put some aloe vera gel on edges
  • wrap hair with satin scarf and let hair set overnight
  • in the AM take out rollers and flat twists
  • flat twist the left side of hair and pin down

These were the results:




*These are 2 week old twists.

Styles I Will Do Before The Big Chop

Happy Mother's Day to all of the beautiful Mothers out there! You are appreciated!

When I first started my hair journey, I would stretch my relaxer for 4 months at a time. After each relaxer, I would make a list of what I would do to my hair during the 4 months to keep me patient enough to make it through the stretch.
That really worked for me because I always knew what I would do next to my hair so I rarely had any bad hair days.

Well, I wrote a LONG list of styles I would like to do before I BC. It is a mix of protective and low manipulation styles that could last from 1-8 weeks.

When I have a chance (or if I can find any I like online) I will post some pics of them. But this post is primarily for myself, so I can go back and check off each style as I go. Of course I will post either tutorials or pictures of style I create.

I may add some more but for now I want to do:

1.) Single Box Braids (extensions)
2.) Bantu-Knot out
3.) Senegalese Twists (extensions) 
4.) Flexi-rod Set
5.) Twist and Curl
6.) Crochet Braids
7.) Roller-sets with smaller rollers
8.) Half wig- will get a kinky curly one
9.) Roller Set hair, Blow dry roots on cool air then Caruso Roller-Set
10.) U-Part Wig
11.) Infinity Bun
12.) Cornrows (extensions)
13.) Curly Puff
14.) Variations of Buns(braids or twists in front) and up-do's
15.) Phony Pony ( I may braid my hair up into one. Or get a afro-textured pony..not sure yet)
16.) Chiney Bump Out
17.) French Braid (or 2)
18.) Kinky Twists (extensions)

19.) Chunky twists with my own hair- Will do this once I get past 13 months post
20.) Variation of styles with my signature twists (will include flat twists or braids in the front)

*In between each long term protective style, I plan on wearing my hair out for 2-4 weeks hence all the styles with my own hair.




Thursday, May 10

Bre Scullark

I posted this picture on Tumblr a little while back, but because I think she looks soooo beautiful I decided to post it on here too.
Read more about her hair story here. Curly Nikki interviewed her back in 2010 around the time she cut her hair.



Wednesday, May 9

3 Tips for Hair Care on a Budget



1.) Product reviews- Before purchasing any new product,  read or watch numerous reviews from people with hair similar to yours. Although everyone's hair is different, there is a good chance that your hair will like the product if the majority of the reviews are positive. Whenever I am in a store and see something interesting, I pull my phone out and search for reviews before purchasing. 

2.) Stick to the essentials- For our hair to be healthy, we don't need millions of hair products. Just refer to number 1 before purchasing any of the below.
The necessities are: 
Shampoo
Conditioner
Deep Conditioner
Leave-in/Moisturizer
and Oil
The most expensive product you will most likely purchase is a Deep Conditioner, but even a good one doesn't have to cost over $20.00.

3.) Double it up- When I first started my hair journey, I thought I HAD to rotate between protein and moisturizing deep conditioners. Later on I found, that a moisturizing DC with a good amount of protein works just as well. 
Also, a normal conditioner with added oil can make a good deep conditioner and a normal conditioner diluted with some filtered water(you can also add oil) can make a good leave-in. 
I know some people don't like to doctor up hair products, but when times are tough and you want your hair to be healthy, it helps. 


***Be sure to know the stores return policy before purchasing items. A lot of stores accept returns on hair products which is great if a product you purchase doesn't work well in your hair. 

More tips coming soon.