Tuesday, July 31

www.6footlonghair.com

I finally bought a domain for my blog. Blogging is a hobby of mine and probably always will be. I never saw the point in changing my url, but to make it easier for others, I decided to take the plunge.

So, you can now find me at www.6footlonghair.com
The old url will still redirect, but Friend Connect is not available on there.
It will take a few days for the change to be complete.

Thank you ALL for taking time to read my blog! I appreciate each and every one of you. :-)

Sunday, July 29

4 Ways I Keep My Hair Strong

Besides the normal low manipulation, no heat routine I'm on, the below products help keep my hair strong. 

1.) Henna

I do Henna(and Indigo) Treatments quarterly. This has been a staple in my regimen for almost 2 years now. 
I typically mix the henna with an egg, black tea and coconut oil, which all have strengthening properties yet my hair still comes out soft AND strong afterwards. 
I have many posts on Henna, so if you would like to read more, click here.




2.) Deep Conditioning with ORS Replenishing Conditioner

I only deep condition once a month now and use ORS Replenishing Conditioner.
I have praised this deep conditioner time and time again. It's a combo of moisture and protein, so it's definitely not a full blast protein treatment. It works well for my hair and keeps it nice and strong. 

Saturday, July 28

Video: How I Use Metagrip Ponytail Hooks

I purchased these ponytail hooks because the more natural hair I have, the harder it is to put my hair in decent ponytail with a normal ponytail holder. (how many times can I say ponytail in a sentence?)  I also haven't mastered a puff yet.


A while ago I saw Longhairdontcare2011 use these hooks and at first I was intimidated by them because the fear of ripping my hair out. But after watching a video by MsTanish, I realized you should place the hooks in your actual hair and NOT between each other. 

I purchased these from Sally Beauty Supply for $3.99...5 come in a pack. 



In this video, I have my hair in twists(they look pretty jacked up, but I plan on wearing scarves this week), but the same method applies to loose hair. 




This is a messy bun I today did using the hook.






Friday, July 27

Random Transitioning Photos

Hey Everyone!!! TGIF

So, today is wash night and I'm sitting with deep conditioner in my hair. Exciting, I know!
  Photos are great way to document your progress, so that's the main reason why I'm posting.  But I also wanted to share(with you) some photos of the last 7 weeks of my transition

Warning: They're not in order and completely random.



Top of my braid n curl at 34 weeks. This is how I flatted the front. My new-growth is a little longer, as you can probably see, but I only need that portion to be flat. 
Braid n curl at 34 weeks post 
My nape @ around 29 Weeks post?


Tuesday, July 24

Not Nappy Curls, But Pretty Curls?

I received the below comment last night and although I believe she meant no harm, I wanted to address this as a blog post. 
It would probably be best for me to think of a logical and polite way to convey my feelings, but I'm the type of person that says exactly what's on my mind...so here I go and I'm going to make this quick. 




I HATE the term nappy especially when it's used in a derogatory way. In comparison to pretty biracial curls, "nappy" hair must be ugly, right? 
Well let me tell you something, I have "NAPPY" hair and it's BEAUTIFUL!!
Honestly, people viewing more tightly coiled hair as ugly/not beautiful MUST stop. It disgusts me.  Yeah, I know, the more European features one has, the better? NOT! This mental slavery, aftermath of slavery or colonialism, European standard of beauty, etc..is disheartening and not only does it affect those who have "nappy" hair..it also affects those who have what some would call "good" hair. Don't even get me started on facial features and skin color because I can go on for days. 

Anyway.....

Having looser curls doesn't make your hair any more beautiful than those with tight curls. Having straight hair doesn't make your hair any more beautiful than those with curly hair. And having curly hair doesn't make your hair any more beautiful than those with straight hair. 
Your hair is not superior or inferior to anyone's because of the texture, length, thickness, etc. 
LOVE your hair, but DO NOT insult others. 




I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful, 
    I know that full well. ~Psalm 139:14

Ladies: Please do not be afraid to comment because of this post. I welcome all comments, but I do not tolerate ignorance such as this. We, as black people, have been taught to hate ourselves because of hair, skin color, facial features, body structure, etc. It's time for us to erase those teachings, promote self-love and embrace who we are.  


ETA: To answer your question since I accidently deleted the comment....yes, it was really an accident. 
You could mix this in your deep conditioners, apply as a hot oil treatment, use it after applying leave-in conditioner, or use it to seal in moisture after moisturizing your hair. 

Monday, July 23

Experiment: Castor Oil on Eyelashes

I have always read about using Castor Oil on your eyelashes to make them thicker and grow longer. I decided to finally give it a try. My eyelashes are kind of short because unfortunately, my sister and brother got all of my Mothers eyelash genes. Mascara does help, but I want them to naturally be long without the assistance of make-up. 


Here's what I am using






I will apply the Castor Oil to my eyelashes daily. I made the mistake of using too much and my eyes paid for it. So very little, goes a long way. 
Added Perk: My eyelashes look nice and shiny all day long. 

And here are my starting pics. I'll show comparison shots in 3 months. 




Has anyone used Castor Oil for their eyelashes? If so,what were your results? 

Thursday, July 19

Yesterday marked 8 months/35 weeks post relaxer!!! Doing the happy dance. 
Image Source

No thoughts of big chopping or relaxing in sight!!

Can't wait until I'm 1 year post(GW)...smooth sailing from there. 


Beyonce in Braids

Now y'all know I'm a braids gal, so there is no surprise that I always LOVED the braids Beyonce wore back in her Destiny's Child days. 
I'm glad to see her bring them back, although they are a little different than before. 
A lot of people are acting surprised to see her in them, but I recall braids being her signature style. Plus..braids on a black woman never surprises me. lol


One thing I could do without is the blonde...but then again, that's her signature hair color.  



I wish I didn't have a paparazzi pic of this, but it's all I can get



Beyonce Back in the days


Braids and twists 



Images courtesy of Google search 

Monday, July 16

Weekend Wrap Up- The Pineapple FAIL Edition

I had my hair out on Friday in a braid-n-curl and tried to preserve the look by pineappling(is that even a word?) my hair.



So, at the end of the night, I put my hair in a very high loose ponytail then wrapped with a satin scarf. 
I was left with this mess. LOL. 


I didn't even want to try and work with this, so I just put my hair back in twists and called it a day. Luckily, I already washed my hair before removing my twists, so I didn't have to deal with dirty hair. 

Saturday, July 14

Step 2 of my Long Term Transition to Natural: Preservation

When I first announced that I was going back to natural, the first step I identified was the mental transition. The mental transition process, for me, was pretty simple. I knew I wanted to and would go natural then created a plan to get me through this transition. I started a Tumblr to post all of my natural hair inspirations, watched more natural hair and transitioning videos, and participated in transitioning threads on my go to forum. 

The next step is preservation. What I mean by preservation is to preserve my relaxed ends and keep them as healthy as possible. At this point, I do have a lot of new-growth, but not enough to create the faux natural styles I wish to. So, in order to resist the urge to big-chop, I need my hair to look good throughout (most parts) the first year of my transition. 
I chose not wear any extensions because I want to get to know my natural hair and I am also not using any heat because I simply don't need it. 
The preservation stage, for me, started at 20 weeks post relaxer because my longest relaxer stretch was 20 weeks so I was entering un-charted waters. 

My two tips for those that are in the preservation stage are to:

1.) Find and PERFECT at least 2 low manipulation hair styles. 
This is important to keep you from getting frustrated or annoyed with your hair. If you have go-to styles, then the transition will be much easier for you.

My main go-to low-manipulation style is twists. Twists, as you can ALL see, are my ultimate favorite hair-style at this moment because they are so darn versatile. I can do just about anything with twists that I can do with my loose hair. They also keep my hair very moisturized, tangle free and I don't have to worry about detangling or fussing with my hair often. I also prefer twists over buns..because I can do so much more with them. 


My favorite out low manipulation style is braid-outs/braid n curls. 
I basically know what my results will look like and if it somehow becomes a fail, I can just throw it in an up-do. 


2.) Keep it Simple
Keep your regimen as simple as it can get. Don't try a whole bunch of new products unless you really need to and don't manipulate your hair a lot. I believe that's where the breakage begins for a lot of transitioners or even long-term relaxer stretchers. 
For me, I used to get the most breakage from de-tangling. So, early on in the game I found a new way to detangle that drastically reduced my breakage and even simplified my wash process. 
Basically, my advice is to stick with what works and don't jump on any band-wagons, 

I still have about 20 weeks left of my preservation stage...but because I already figured out my go-to styles and regimen, I am praying that it is a breeze. 



Friday, July 13

These Are My Confessions

1.) I only comb my hair once a month- That sounds crazy right? Let me clarify that statement...I only USE a comb once a month. All of my other detangling sessions are with my fingers. This is one of the main reasons why I have virtually NO noticeable breakage and my relaxed ends remain thick.(I know..seeing is believing. I will take a pic of my hair after my twists challenge)  I do not encounter knots, locs or tangles because my hair is either in twists or constantly stretched.



don't mind my nails...they grow super fast and this is just 4 days with the nail polish
This is how much hair I lose after 2 weeks in twists. 
When I actually use a comb to detangle, because I already finger detangle in between, I lose even less hair than the above. 


2.) I only Deep Condition once a month- Shocker! I am so not practicing what I preach. Hear me out though. I wash my hair either weekly or biweekly..but that's mainly when I'm in twists. So, once a month, the same time I detangle, I deep condition and do my whole thorough wash routine. My hair retains moisture very well in twists so I never have to worry about my hair drying out.

3.) I haven't been doing the "normal" transitioning trims- I dust or "trim" my ends about every 4 months and it's never more than a half inch. I don't plan on doing actual big trims until I'm at least 15 months post. My ends are healthy and I like my length..so I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing :-)

Tuesday, July 10

My Sulfur Oil Mix- Updated



Sulfur is a nutritional supplement found in great quantities in the human body. Often sulfur is referred to as the beauty mineral due to it's ability to increase growth in hair, nails and skin. Sulfur also is known for it's ability to improve circulation and decrease inflammation. With hair loss, sulfur can influence the amount of hair you are losing.



I purchased Sublimed Sulfur Powder in 2010 because I read how sulfur can help with hair growth. I haven't received accelerated hair growth from my Sulfur mix, but I NEVER have dandruff, itchy scalp or any scalp issues in general anymore. So I assume it's doing something right. Before I started using my mix, I would apply Sulfur 8 hair grease almost 3 times a week which worked really well.  I stopped using it because I prefer not to apply petrolatum to my scalp.

ETA: I switched up my mix because I now have different oils in my arsenal. Although I have not received accelerated growth in the past, I am hoping this new mix will give me that extra push. As most of you know, I am transitioning. My goal is to transition for 2 years, but if my natural hair can fit into a ponytail before then, I will chop sooner. Hence the use of the sulfur mix. I apply to my scalp 3-4 times weekly and about twice a week, I baggy after applying the mix. 

 
If anyone is interested in my mix, see below for the "ingredients"


 My Current Mix
1/2 Teaspoon of Sublime Sulfur Powder
4 oz of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 oz of Unrefined Coconut Oil
2 Drops of Tea Tree Oil
2 Drops of  Eucalyptus Oil
3 Drops of Rosemary Oil

Sunday, July 8

Kinky Twists on Relaxed Hair


I spent Saturday installing Kinky Twists in my sisters hair. I twisted her hair last
year, but this year was much easier! It only took about 7 hours this time around. 

Reasons why it was easier:

Her hair was longer than before
She did a braid-out the night before, so her hair was much more textured
I did them a little larger
They are still pretty long, but shorter than last time

After installing, I trimmed the ends then boiled them in hot water. We weren't feeling that look, so we twisted the twists, put rollers on the ends and boiled again in hot water. Much better! 
I also sprayed her scalp with a mix of Apple Cider Vinegar and water to prevent any itching.


The great thing about Kinky Twists is that they get better with age.  

Here are the results:




Friday, July 6

My Essential Oils and Their Benefits

I use 3 different essential oils in my Shea-Butter, Sulfur and Aloe-Vera-Juice mix. Below you will see the benefits of each oil and why I use them.
 One thing I can tell you about these, is that they last forever. Two or three drops are all you need!
If you are pregnant, please consult with your Doctor before using any Essential Oil!!!


Tea Tree Oil 

I originally purchased this oil for skin issues I had. My elbow had this horrible rash and Tea Tree Oil was the only thing that made it go away. 
Once that was taken care of, I had plenty left over for hair care. 
I don't like the smell of it, at all, but because of it's strong antibacterial properties I thought it was perfect for mixes. When using this is my AVJ mix, I get a very slight tingle on my scalp that I love. 

"Tea tree oil is a proven anti-fungal and will gently kill off harmful bacteria and leave your scalp dandruff free after just a few uses. Tea tree oil is a natural alternative to the strong chemical formulas found in dandruff shampoos and products."source 
You can also read more about it on here

Rosemary Oil

Wednesday, July 4

Video: 32 Weeks Post Relaxer Braid n Curl


This is just a brief video showing how I actually do my braid n curl. I finally got a chance to edit. 
I was too tired to record the take-down in the AM, but it didn't really entail much. I basically just took out the rollers then unbraided. Did not use any type of product since my hair had enough in it.  

Disclaimer: This is the best song I could find on the YT editor and I wasn't in the mood to search for hours. If you don't like it..feel free to mute it.