One month until my one year nappiversary!

I will have great updates. A post about what I learned, products I loved, products I hated, the nitty gritty on the different colors of my hair, what I wish I would have done, goals I will set for next year, etc... I'm so excited! ^_^

half mohawk style.

I washed my hair today and decided to define my curls further than what I've done in months. What I mean by this is, actually raking a product through my hair to define each and every strand. I used Smooth N Shine Curl Activator Gel. I hadn't used it to define my curls since I first did my Big Chop, 11 months ago.

After I defined my curls, which took about 15 minutes, I noticed that I didn't know what to do with it. My hair is at the awkward length where it's not long enough to do many styles with it, but it's not short enough to be considered a TWA.

Anywho, I simply pulled the sides back and secured with about 3 bobby pins on each side. Simple as that. :)

M.I.A...again.

I'm so sorry I've been gone for almost a month. It happens a lot. :\
But I do have pictures and a little commentary (look at posts below).

I got a few new headbands so I'll probably do an update on those. Lol.

Thanks for the love and support. Muahh!

Texture and Color shot.

First Braid out.

March 19, 2011.
It turned out okay. It was my VERY first one. I loved the volume, I just wish the coils at the top were like that all over. I just did two twists at the top also. :)

First Successful Twist out.

March 13, 2011.
I loved this and so did everyone else on campus!

It lasted a few days down, but I had to wear a twist out puff.

Natural hair vs. Relaxed/Permed hair.

I sometimes get annoyed when naturals think they’re special because they don’t get perms. So…how were you feeling with that perm? I understand you take pride in your natural hair, as do I, but seriously? You’re the same person you were before you stopped getting perms. (At least I would hope so) I understand feeling free, liberated, and more confident, but you’re still you, and vice versa. Some girls are walking around slanging their weaves to naturals. So you think you’re better than I am because you had that 16 inch junk sewed into your head and glued to your scalp? Oh ok.

I don’t understand the discrimination in our own community.

I loved my relaxed hair just as much as I love my natural.

I haven't really had a weave so I don't know how that feels. Lol. *shrug*

Pros and Cons of Blowouts.

Hi everyone! I know I haven't been around for like a stinkin' month, but I've been busy with school and dwelling in a lot of self pity. Tsk Tsk. I know. But I've also been trying to work on my relationship with the Lord. If you don't believe...well I'm sorry.

Anywho. I haven't been doing much to my hair at all lately. The "Fro Comparison" was my second blowout on my hair since I've been natural and that's pretty much have I've had it since the time I took that picture about a month ago. I decided to blow it out because I cannot be walking out of the house with wet hair from a wash and go since it's winter and raining and snowing all over the place. The blow out is actually less maintenance also. 

Pros of blowouts: 

• Stretched hair, no battling with shrinkage.
• Don't have to wet hair everyday (as I had to do) for your hair to look decent. 
• Easier to keep tangles away and to detangle of there are any.
• Somedays I just fluff, put on a headband, and go.
• More styles that shrunken hair won't allow.

Cons of blowouts:

• If you want to have stretched hair for awhile, washing your hair is pretty much out of the question unless you don't mind blowing it out again (after washing of course)
• It takes about an hour or two for me to blowout my hair because my hair is 4A (very very kinky coily), so I have to do very very small sections to avoid breakage and tangling.
• Possible heat damage if not done correctly. (Direct heat or high temperatures.)

Steps I do to blow out my hair:

• Wash my hair thoroughly, because it will be about a week or two before I wash it again so it has to be clarified.
• I use Cantu Shea Butter Leave In Conditioner all over while it's wet and wait until my hair is damp to began.
• I take a small section from the back, put oils on it, then a small amount of heat protectant. (I clip the rest of my hair out of the way.)
• Next I detangle with a wide tooth comb.
• Then I stretch my hair with my hands and blow dry that section.
• Once I get to the ends, I use a comb while the blow dryer is blowing, and comb through.
• When I am done with that section I twist it to get it out of the way, and go on to the next section.

It may seem like a lot of product in my hair but it isn't at all. My hair is light and has shine and movement when I am done. I hope that was clear to you all. :)

Have a wonderful rest of the weekend loves!

By the way: the picture above is a 3-4 day old twist out on blown out hair. I just fluff and go in the mornings.

fro comparison.

July 31st, 2010 to January 6th, 2011.

Introduction to hair typing.

• Type 1: Straight hair.
• Straight hair reflects the most sheen. It is also the most resilient hair of all of the hair types. It is hard to damage and next to impossible to curl this hair texture. Because the sebum (natural oil produced in the sebaceous glands of the scalp) gently works its way from the scalp to the ends without the interference of curls or kinks, it is the most oily hair texture of all.

• Type 2: Wavy hair.

• Wavy hair lies somewhere between straight and curly hair. It also imparts sheen, more than curly hair, but less than straight hair. The further down the wavy spectrum you go the less sheen the hair will impart. Wavy hair is typically more prone to frizz. While type A wavies can easily alternate between straight and curly styles, type B and C Wavy hair is resistant to styling. 

• Type 3: Curly.

•  If you pull a strand of a type 3 curly, you will notice it has a definite S shape. Granted, the S may be a lower case s or upper case S, or it may even resemble a Z on some occasions...however, there is a definite curl pattern in place, with our without products. This hair type is full bodied, climate dependent (humidity = frizz), and damage prone. Lack of proper care renders dull curls. 

• Type 4: Kinky.

• Despite many misconceptions, this tightly coiled hair is quite fine and fragile. It is wiry, and delicate by nature. Each strand usually has a zig zag pattern. Kinky hair is the driest hair type, thus it is more prone to breakage and requires a gentle touch. A misconception exists that this hair type does not grow. Kinky hair grows at the same rate as other texture, however, if not treated properly it breaks more than other textures. Treat this hair type like a fine silk blouse – cleanse gently, detangle softly, and avoid harsh chemicals.