My Mini Chop….Sort of

So…
While at my parent’s house this weekend, I got a little scissor happy and cut off the relaxed ends around the nape area. I juiced it up with a little Giovanni Direct Leave-In and tried to define with IC Fantasia Gel. I’m not sure how I feel about it yet. I definitely don’t hate it. I’m just still not sure if I should go all the way yet. It seems very easy to manage though. As far as the texture, I may be a 4a but I’m not really sure. I think I’m going to play around with it for a while. I’ll post pictures of what it looks like and I may even try to flat iron it sometime. I can’t lie…I’m a little scared to do that but I’m curious as to how long it really is. Anyway, just wanted to post an update.

Until next time….

Natural Hair Confession #1

Well, well. I’m back. I’ve been a bit busy with summer classes but now it’s over, for now at least.

I’m approaching month 9 of my transition. It will be official August 6th. It’s crazy how time flies!! As I continue in my transition I get more and more anxious about doing my big chop. I’ve already started snipping off a few annoying little relaxed hairs already. I just have to muster up the confidence to go all the way. But please believe me, it’s coming soon.

Anyway, I guess I’ll get into the purpose of this post.

I have a confession to make. A natural hair confession (even though I’m not natural yet, i try to treat my hair as though it is). I haven’t been keeping my hair moisturized. With all of the research that I’ve done, you would think that me knowing the importance of moisturizing, that I would actually do it. But I don’t. Or at least I don’t as much as I should. I’m sure the naturals out there are appalled. But truthfully, in a week, I may only moisturize twice throughout the WHOLE week. What’s even worse, is that in my attempts to moisturize more, I’ve used HORRIBLE petroleum, mineral oil containing products. Horrible, I know.

I really need to get my act together. I’m going to the store to buy some EQP mango butter this weekend. The one I had before lasted entirely too long. I’ve should have been using it everyday but I wasn’t. I need to take a look at my current regimen and make sure I have moisturize & seal in there. Honestly, the only reason my hair feels halfway decent is because I do deep condition every week. But I still need to moisturize daily.

My transition has been pretty bearable thus far, but I feel that I could be doing a whole lot more to benefit my hair. I’ll definitely start with moisturizing my hair as I should, as well as improving on a few other areas of my hair journey that I neglect. I’ll save those things for another confession post.

Anyway, I’ll plan to post more over the next couple of weeks before Fall classes start. I’ll have a bit more time on my hands for a little while.

Until next time….

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To Chop…or Not to Chop?

…That is the question.

I’m in the middle of pre-pooing my hair right now and I keep having the urge to snip those little lifeless,  relaxed ends off. Seeing my natural hair and all of the curls has me really wanting to just go all the way.

But, I’m scared.

I have quite a bit of length now, but if I BC, my hair will definitely be the shortest that it’s every been. I’m afraid that I may not like it. I’m not sure if I’d be comfortable with it. There are so many other reasons why I could and should BC though. Who knows? Maybe I’m experiencing some kind of phase of transitioning or something.

What I do know is that I’m tired of seeing my relaxed ends and I want to be fully natural. The biggest problem I’m having is the length. My hair will barely touch my neck! I’d definitely have a TWA. I’ve seen women who wear their TWA’s so beautifully, exuding so much confidence and everything. Not sure how I’d rock it out. Also by BCing when my hair is a lot longer, I feel like I’d be missing out a bit.  It would be nice to experience every part of the natural hair journey. I kind of would like to go through the TWA phase as well.

I don’t know ya’ll….I’ll figure something out, I guess.

Here’s a video of LoveIslandBeauty. I love her hair!! I’m not sure how long she transitioned, but I’m pretty sure she didn’t transition as long as I have. I definitely how more new growth now than she did when she BC’d but I loved her TWA!

Check it out….

My Staple Cheapie Product

SUAVE NATURALS!!!!!

Yep, that’s me allllll day!  I love this product. I use it for my pre-poo with a bit of EVOO added in. It’s perfect and does a pretty good job defining my curls. It smells good and adds so much moisture to my hair. It also makes my hair very easy to detangle and manage while wet. I hope to use it for my co-wash and as much as I can use it for when I become natural.

Rewind!!!

As promised, I’m going to recap what all I’ve been up to as far as hair over the past seven months. Below I’ve posted pictures so that you can see my progress and get an overall idea of the current state of my hair. They are pictures of my hair from around December until early June. My last perm was November 6th, 2009.

I skipped my wash day last weekend so my hair is SUUUUUUUUUPER dirty! I will definitely be washing it this weekend and I may post photos of the new growth.

Happy Hair Growing/Journey!! Enjoy!

December 2009- June 2010

Update

I’ve been a bit M.I.A for a while. Finishing up classes, beginning new ones….Oh the life of a college girl. Needless to say, I’ve been pretty busy. But I’m back, and the first order of business is updating you on my hair journey. I am almost 7 months post! WOW! Didn’t think I would make it this far. It’s already been over half a year since my last perm.

I’ve been keeping up with my regimen, washing and conditioning my hair every week. It feels a lot stronger but also soft and pretty manageable, outside of the tangles I get from the relaxed ends. My regimen is still the same, and I haven’t tried anything new yet. Overall, I have to say that I’ve had a pretty good transitioning experience thus far.

The only problem is that I haven’t been documenting my journey like I had hoped to. What I had planned to do was take pictures and make videos so that by the time I BC, I could look back on the progress I made. My camera, however, is broken so all that I have is the one on my Blackberry. It takes decent, quality pictures but handling it is a bit of a pain sometimes. Regardless, I still will be posting the pictures that I have from each month of my hair journey. Stay Tuned!

How-To: Roller Set

Hello, Ladies (and Gentlemen). Spring is at it’s peak and we all know what that means…

HUMIDITY!

For my transitioners out there, this means that while your relaxed hair may lay flat, your virgin hair will BLOW UP!! So, it is important, especially during this time of year, to find ways to blend the two. I am by no means an expert, so the only thing that I know how to do is roller set. I’ve tried braid outs, bantu knots(which should be THE easiest thing to do), twist outs, but none have come out as good as the roller sets. Needless to say, I need more practice.

For those of you who may be experiencing the same problems with these styles, then I assure you that the roller sets I do are much easier. For this post, I will explain how I achieve these looks.

-To achieve this look, you will want to have freshly washed hair. You can follow the steps I take to wash my hair or whatever wash method you may already have.

-After your hair has been washed, part your hair in four sections and make sure to de-tangle.

-Starting in one section, begin to make smaller sections and roll that hair with medium sponge rollers. For one section, three medium rollers work for me; however, it may differ person to person depending on hair type.

– Continue to do this for each section, using smaller rollers as you get closer to your hairline.

-After all of your hair has been rolled, cover with a silk scarf and allow at least 8 hours for drying.

-Once dry, take the rollers out and fluff your curls! You can add a moisturizer and a bit of gel to your edges.

You’re done! This style can be worn for about a week, maybe even a bit longer depending on your upkeep. I make sure to moisturize every day and wear a silk scarf at night. I even roll some sections again if the curls begin to fall. I hope this helps!

Happy Hair Growing!! 😉

Product Review

I’m about 6 months into my transition and I’d already consider myself a product junkie!! I’m always going to the beauty supply store to pick up some kind of hair product.  I’ve researched and read so many reviews about various products. These reviews differ from person to person based on hair types and personal preference, so be advised that just because a product may work for one person, it may not work for you. But for the ladies who have no clue where to start, I’ve included just a few reviews on some products of mine that I’ve already tried (I have a full cabinet of things that I haven’t even cracked open yet, lol).

Africa’s Best Ultimate Herbal Oil: I use this oil to add sheen and moisture to my hair. For the most part, I mix the oil with the conditioners I use to add a bit of slip when applying the mixture to my hair. The herbal oil is also good for skin as well. I would definitely buy this again.

EQP DPR-11: I love this stuff! This is a deep conditioner that I use on wash days. I apply it to my hair and sit under the dryer for 30-45 minutes with a plastic cap.  Afterward, I wash it out and my hair feels so good! It feels very soft! I’ve used it probably three or four times and it’s great.

Aphogee 2-minute Recontructor:  This is a protein conditioner that I use  before I do my DC  during every wash. It smells so good and it makes my hair feel amazing! It is so soft and very easy to de-tangle. The directions say to apply it to your hair, cover with a plastic cap, and leave it on for 2-5 minutes. I’ve only leave it on for 2 minutes each time I use it, but I’ve heard of some women even letting it stay on longer. I’ve heard only good things about this product and now that I’ve used it myself, I have to agree that it’s great.

EQP Mango Butter: I like this product a lot. It definitely adds moisture to my hair. It is a water based moisturizer so I wouldn’t advise using it after straightening your hair, as it will make your hair revert to its curly state, but if you’re wearing a curly style then it’s great! EQP Mango Butter can be used daily.

African Pride Heat Protector Spray: This heat protectant works. My hair seems to revert back to it’s natural state when I wet it again. The only problem is that it stinks!! It smells like nasty dog breath! It doesn’t smell on my actual hair, but spraying it is horrible. It’s also kind of sticky, so it leaves my hair feeling like I’ve put a lot of product in it even when it’s been freshly washed. I wouldn’t get this again…EVER. But, since I do have it, I might as well use it up.

These are just a few of the products that I’ve used so far while transitioning. As I try out different products, I will be sure to do reviews on those as well. Hope this has helped some.

Happy Hair Journey!!

Fashion Friday: FashionJewelry21.com

Okay, Ladies!

This is the first FASHION FRIDAY blog!! On Fashion Fridays I will plan to post information about anything I find interesting that relates to fashion.

Today I definitely have a treat for you all. Although this post would appeal to almost everyone, I really want to talk to my college students. Being a traditional college kid myself, money can be a bit tight sometimes. But when you do get a bit of extra cash, it’s always nice to treat yourself to some nice things, right?

Well, lately I’ve been in NEED of accessories/jewelry, so I did Google searches and came across various websites and Youtube videos advertising very cheap and affordable items. One website that I stumbled upon was FashionJewelry21.com. This site sells very cheap fashion jewelry, handbags, and other accessories for every style. There are a few pricey items, but most items are less than $5.  They sell hair accessories which is definitely a plus!

I searched around the website and ended up buying some pearl studs, a scarf, and a necklace with a cross pendant. I received the items in a matter of a few days and was very impressed. They were of great quality and were just like the pictures that are shown on the website. The really loved the items that I purchased and even got some great compliments on them.  I will post links to the items that I bought. Next time, I plan to purchase some more scarves and hair accessories, so be on the look out for post about those items.

Crystal Cross Pendant Necklace

Fresh Water Pearls

Crinkle Colored Scarf