Two weeks ago, I was approached for the first time with questions about transitioning to natural hair! Coincidentally, it was my sister's friend from high school. I provided some basics and directed her to natural hair sites such as Curly Nikki and BGLH and youtube videos. Thinking back to my own transition, I remember feeling overwhelmed by all of the information. I bought products unsure of how they would work on my hair. And I found myself confused by conflicting ideologies of bloggers and vloggers. That's when I really started to think. What is some of the basic information and specific resources you would provide to a transitioner or new natural? It doesn't have to all inclusive...just a springboard to get them started. This is where I need your help. If your hair is "natural", are there any specific blog posts or videos that you think would be particularly helpful? If you are a transitioner or new natural, what information would you find helpful? And here are some pics...
In the midst of all the baby hoopla, I forgot to celebrate my one year no lye anniversary. Last year, on April 26, 2010, I cut my hair into a Rihanna cut. I later decided that I was over relaxers and it was inadvertently was my last.
My new easy breezy hairstyle is to rock twists for a few days and then rock a twist-out. In the coming weeks, I'll have to do some product reviews and regimen updates. I don't try new products often, but I have tons of products that I have used over an extended period of time. I can provide some detailed reviews for those products.
The biggest lesson(s), I've learned over the last year is:
Keep it simple and if it ain't broke don't fix it.
Do you have any specific hair questions you would like me to answer?
I'd like to introduce you to my new favorite hairstyle. I finally came to the realization that my hair is finally long enough to do updos with ease...so I went for it. It was actually quite simple... Step One: Dampen Hair, with particular attention to any section you plan on parting. (You don't want to hear snap, crackle, pop) Step Two: Use scrunchies to hold your sections Step Three: Apply styling products. ( I used Margherites' Hair Magic and Eco Styler gel) Step Four: Tuck and roll to your heart's desire Step Five: Seal with an oil Optional: * Add Accesories * Lay down edges with a headtie
I was bored so I tried a different hairstyle yesterday and I'm wearing again today...
At least I can laugh about it. And I promise I put myself together when I go in public. But honestly, I find pockets of me time whenever I can. Yesterday, I did a bentonite clay treatment on my face. I exercise at least 20 minutes a day. When daddy gets home, I'm taking a long shower and washing this hair of mine. And on Friday, these eyebrows are getting threaded. (Your days are numbered.)
Tomorrow, I'll let you know the results of my fitness assessment. I'm basically fit and recovering well from my pregnancy a.k.a. I need to get a grip and be patient.
Now back to baby. She is suffering from hold me syndrome. If you have a cure, please let me know. Le sigh. How do you find time to take care of YOU?
According to the urban dictionary, this word means better than great. But I'm adding a new definition, because I surely haven't felt better than great over the last few weeks. And for the record...if I disappear from the blog, you can guess one of three things. I'm sick. I'm exhausted. I'm in labor (real or "practice").
But enough with the formalities. Back to my mattastic hair....
Because I've been feeling under the weather, I've been neglecting my hair. Straight...abuse. I literally let my hair dry up, mat, knot, and just covered it with a bonnet and/or hat. I paid dearly for my actions. Last week, I lost more hair than usual. This week, my detangling session -- which included coconut oil, hair oil, deep conditioning, and lots of patience -- took all day. I was determined not to lose a lot of hair! ` To avoid the aggravation this week, I roller set my hair and sat under the dryer. (Sorry no pics.)
On April 28, 2011, it will be one year since my last relaxer. Throughout my journey, I'm always placed with new challenges. My newest challenge is matting. In fact, my hair is very prone to matting. When I was a kid, my past shoulder length hair shriveled up to a small twa on wash day. It's just what my hair does. And as my hair grows back, I'm learning the hard way that I can't be lazy (sigh). I must keep my hair stretched and detangled. I don't have wash and go hair. I can't just spritz my hair with water to refresh. (I can spritz and retwist though.) Big twists for a twist-outs result in matting [points above]. (Don't be fooled. The top is the only defined part of my hair. The rest is matted.)
LESSON LEARNED: I'm one of those people who if I did nothing to my hair, I would have one large dreadlock on my head...lol. I'm referencing kimmaytube, btw. Coincidentally, the same day I decided to stop my matt-causing habits...I found this video.
Check it out...
Does anyone else struggle with hair that is prone to matting/tangling/single-strand knots? Any tips?
As promised in part 1, here is part 2 of my Hana flat iron review. I have to say that I was pretty pleased with the flat iron results. (Please note that I used a creamy leave-in to help with detangling since I was wearing wash 'n gos the week prior so my hair was a bit fluffier than usual.) To sum up the difference
between my old flat iron and the Hana Flat iron, it: (1) had a lot of movement (2) did not make me worry that my hair wouldn't revert. I'm going to have to follow up with results when I use an appropriate leave-in for straightening...but so far so good.
