Sunday, October 21

Trimming Twists on Relaxed or Transitioning Hair

I put my hair in some twists today and after doing my second twist, I  noticed my ends looked thin. 
So, I decided to cut about .5- 1 inch off each twist.

This is some of the hair I trimmed off

The trim made my ends look much better. The last time I dusted/trimmed my ends was on September 1st and although that wasn't too long ago, this was needed.




I plan on keeping these in for about 3 weeks since it took me almost 4 hours to install. 

Saturday, October 20

11 Months Post Relaxer!

My hair last night at 11 months post


Earlier this week I made 11 months post relaxer! 
I still have more relaxed ends than natural hair. 
I have been dusting my ends, but haven't done any big trims. So in February I will cut off about 2-3 inches.
One thing I must say is that transitioning get's easier the further along you get. 
Oh and I LOVE my hair!! 




I will give a more detailed update once I hit one year post. 

Wednesday, October 17

New Job HAIR Jitters

Throughout college(Undergrad), my hair was natural and I wore it in braids or curly sew-in weaves, but mainly braids. My senior year, I decided to ditch the braids and relax my hair to prepare for interviews in Corporate America. I felt as if braids were not "professional" and my hair needed to be straightened in order to get a job. 
Well a month after I relaxed my hair and went on my first interview, I landed a job with a pretty large company. I have now been with that company for 5.5 years and that journey is now coming to an end. Within those 5.5 years, I wore my hair straight, curly, in braids, twists, cornrows, just about anything and received tons of compliments from men and women. 
So why is it now that I'm about to start a new job, I am constantly thinking about how co-workers will perceive my  hair?

Let's face it, I am basically 40% natural and wear my hair primarily in twists. Although my twists are always neat and presentable I was starting to feel like they weren't "acceptable" to wear at this new company.
I had sudden bouts of insecurity. My plan was to wear my hair in a bun, like I did for my interviews, for the first couple of weeks to gauge the work environment then wear my twists. 
But you know what? I threw those plans out the window. I am going to wear my hair just how I want  and not how I think THEY want me to. Why not just be myself from day one? 
My styles of choice should not be an issue. They hired me based on my credentials and personality.  I stand by my previous thoughts in my,"Black Hair in Corporate America", post. As long as my hair is neat, presentable and smells good, it's professional. That means I'm going to wear my twists, braid-outs, twist/braid-n-curls, single braids, whatever it may be. And I'm going to wear it proud! 
Honestly, hair should be the last thing I think about when starting a new job!! 

Friday, October 12

#Random Hair Update & More

Happy Friday!!!
I just want to thank each and every one of you for reading my blog and sticking with me through-out my dry spells! 
This post is going to be full of randomness. So because I  haven't been posting as often as I would like..I'm going to fill you in on what I can remember! 


  • My hair is in twists and will remain in them for the next 5 weeks(will re-do every 2 weeks).  I assume you all have seen enough pics of those..so let me not bore you with more
  • I tried to do a puff last week when my twist-n-curl was on it's last leg and it resulted in this:
#Fail..lol

  • I got a new job!!! I have accepted a position with a different company a few weeks ago, so I am extremely busy training and transferring my current duties. This new position is exactly what I wanted and prayed for. It feels great to advance in my career despite the current state of our economy. So for everyone out there...if you want something: pray on it, work smart/hard and you will get it. 
  • I have lost 5 pounds since I started working out more aggressively. So now it's all about maintaining my weight and toning up EVERYWHERE. Below is my starting size and I will update you all in December with my final weigh in for the year. Sorry I'm not showing the legs..they are not a concern of mine, but I will show them in another pic. I need my waist to be smaller though!! 
Taken on August 18 and 19th 2012 

Monday, October 8

Mustard Oil for Hair Growth




Whenever I go back home to visit my Parents/family,  I always stop by some near-by Moroccan and Indian stores to purchase my hair oils, ayurvedic powders or shea-butter. I didn't really need to re-stock on anything this time around, but felt like trying something new.
The first thing that stood out to me was Mustard Oil. I vaguely recalled reading about how it can stimulate hair growth, so I checked out a few articles online while at the store then decided to give it a try.

Before I get into the benefits of Mustard Oil..let me tell y'all something. This oil STINKS to high heavens! As soon as I opened the bottle, I almost gagged. I had my Mother smell it and she told me to only use it before I wash my hair so I don't walk around smelling all funky, yet she asked for some to add to her oil mix..lol. But when she added it to her oil mix, the essential oils in it cancelled out the Mustard Oil smell, so I knew I would be okay.

Anyway..here are the benefits of Mustard Oil

Friday, October 5

46 Weeks Post Relaxer: Twist Out


I have done exactly ONE twist-out since the start of my HHJ. I always liked braid-outs better, but I decided to try a twist out last night. Well..it's more of a twist-n-curl. This was one of the styles on my list :-)

So..last night I:

  • washed the twists I installed 2 weeks ago with WEN
  • Airdried the twists for about 30 minutes so my hair was still very damp
  • Took the twists out in sections
  • Once each section was taken out, I finger combed it
  • Then applied a mix of Aloe Vera Gel and EVOO/Coconut Oil
  • Twisted the section
  • Bobby Pinned the roots down 
  • Then curled with small flexi-rods
  • Let the set sit overnight and removed in the morning

****I did a total of 11 twists. Now, if I planned on keeping my hair out longer, I may have done more..but my hair is going back in twists on Monday.

I ran out of small flexi-rods, so I used a larger one to secure two twists. 

Because of that larger flexi-rod..that side came out JANKY!

Wednesday, October 3

5 Things I MUST Do While Transitioning

I sometimes wonder if I am qualified to give transitioning tips since I haven't completed my transition yet. So, I will list things that I (emphasis on I) MUST do while transitioning in hopes to help at least one person reading my blog!


1.) Wash My Hair in Sections- I have learned the hard way, that washing my hair loose causes massive tangles. I also need my hair firmly sectioned. So washing my hair in multiple ponytails, helps my wash day go much smoother. 

42 weeks post relaxer


2.) Deep Condition Before Shampooing- I'll be honest with y'all. I can't take those extra long wash day sessions anymore. I have been able to eliminate many steps and prefer not to go in and out of the shower. So, I deep condition before shampooing and my hair feels great! I am also cutting down on the water bill! 

3.) Detangle on Damp Hair- I am one of those people that can't comb soaking wet hair without getting breakage. Because I mainly detangle before washing, it makes sense to do so on dry hair. I just lightly mist it with my AVJ mix (add glycerin for slip), finger detangle first, then comb with my wide tooth comb. 
I believe this is one of the main reasons why I have retained ALL of my relaxed ends. 

4.) Keep My Hair Stretched- You all know that I live in twists. Twists are the only way I can keep my hair stretched without using heat and not manipulating my hair during the week. 
I must keep my hair stretched to avoid matting, tangling and knots. If I don't plan on wearing twists during the week, then I MUST braid, twist or bantu-knot my hair at night in order to keep it stretched. 

5.) I MUST practice Patience-  Transitioning can be difficult at times for various reasons. My main reason is the anticipation to have natural hair. But I know I want LONG natural hair. Sorry, I guess I am "long hair obsessed". But I know if I were to BC now, I would be obsessing about length. So why not wait until I am completely comfortable with the length of my natural hair? 
I also have to be very patient when detangling and styling my hair so I don't experience any breakage.