I had to give my press the boot yesterday, it was fun but I missed wetting my hair for two weeks. I did really like it, and just putting on the flexi-rods at night to revive the bounce factor was nice, so I think i’ll probably be getting it flat-ironed every now and then. I stopped using direct heat on my hair for like four months, but since I no longer abuse my hair I don’t think i’ll be waiting so long in between straight styles. The number one reason that I decided to go natural was for more versatility in styling. I had been getting so hung up with growing my hair that I forgot to have fun with it and enjoy it for what it is now. All my kinks and curls came back without a problem when the water hit it so i’m happy and my hair feels good. I did the bomb pre-poo with shea butter, a little Oyin Whipped Pudding, and some coconut oil. My coconut oil is all melted now so I really slathered it on and plopped a plastic baggy on my head for a few hours while I browsed youtube. I was wondering just the what the heck to do with this stuff now that I wet it and what do you know, somebody’s curly fro video came up on my recommended videos list. This was my little style last summer! Just in case you have never heard of it, the Curly Fro is coined by Dr. Akbari who also has a youtube channel. I washed my hair with my Trader Joe’s Tea Tree Tingle conditioner/ Peppermint Castille Soap mix and conditioned with some Herbal Essence Long Term Relationship. Highly recommended budget goodies I may add. I separated my hair in eight sections, added some Kinky Curly Knot Today and Sabino Moisture Block, and went to work twisting and tucking each section. I like doing this on wet or damp hair for more definition; Dr. Akbari does it on dry hair in her tutorial but I dont want a huge fro look, i’m a smooth definition kinda girl. It was really quick, but the drying time is killer since I did it on freshly washed hair, so if you have to leave the house that day I would suggest the damp or dry hair route. I gave up and sat under the dryer for 45 minutes basically negating the whole quick and easy factor of the style. It’s all good though, it came out nice. I posted a youtube video that I think does a good job of presenting the look and the smooth definition that I like; she also lists the original videos from Dr. Akbari so you can get the background. If you’re in a style rut, I would definatley try this one out, let me know how it goes!
I finally got a store coupon for Sally’s Beauty Supply that’s not expired. Now that I know they have them from time to time it’s like I cant even pay full price. This one lasts a long time, so i’m probably going to use it more than once before the end of the summer. For online purchases use code 555138 to get a free Aurora Rosemary Mint Shampoo and Conditioner sample. You also get the $5 off orders of $25 or more at SallyBeauty.com. Use code 555202 (expires 8/31/09)
Guess what you guys, I got my hair cut and flat-ironed last week and I was really feeling the look. I went to a new stylist so I didnt know what to expect. Since I only have a weave stylist on deck I went by a referral from a girl’s fotki I liked in my area. It actually turned out well, but I swear after I straightened my hair, it rained every day there after for a full week. I was determined to rock my silky straight look though, and I wouldn’t go down without a fight. I applied some humidy blocking product before leaving the house everyday and had my scarf in my purse at all times, lol. I did pretty good, but my curls were gone. Like my hair was flat as a pancake but it had been so long since i’ve worn my hair straight I didnt want to let it go, so I remembered how my college roomate used to put rolers in her hair at night and wake up with curls. I’ll admit I was baffled by the concept since her hair was relaxed stick straight prior and there was no heat involved, but it seemed to work so I said “what’s the worst that could happen?” Well it came out great! People were amazed, because i’m natural and it looked like I had a soft bouncy rollerset. I just used regular flex-rods, mostly orange but I threw a few blue in there. I have also heard them being referred to as hot dog rollers. I put some Oyin Handmade Burnt Sugar Pomade on and tied a silk scarf on top and was good to go. Depending on the direction you want to go with your curls is how you want to put them in, but if you dont really like sleeping with rollers put the top ones toward the back so you can sleep on your cheeks. My camera is sadly still MIA, sucks because i’ve been missing some good stuff, but I found a transitioner’s video that pretty much explains what I did… I guess its not a secret, lol. HTH, Comment and Subscribe!
One of the drawbacks of being a PJ is that you move onto the next best thing so much that you sometimes forget about the oldie but goodies that really do the trick. Generally Saturday morning is when I go to war with my hair and do the real wash(w/poo) and detangle. Lately it’s been getting really difficult, and I was about to really question this natural hair stuff when I remembered what I used to do last year. I did an oil rinse on wash days. I used to be on this olive oil kick for awhile and bought a big 2 liter bottle on a closeout sale at the supermarket. It was the same price as the 16 oz. so I had to hop on it, but after about a month it landed in my closet collecting dust. I was reorganizing last week when I saw it again, but I still didnt break it out… until now. If you are not familiar with an oil rinse, it goes a little something like this. Wash you hair with your favorite shampoo, castile soap, or cleansing conditioner. Next coat your hair with your favorite oil, for oil rinses I prefer Olive Oil because its heavier and actually just sits on my hair. Rinse with warm to hot water. Now add your conditioner, you can use your tried and true detangling conditioner or one with less slip since you’ve got the oil to help. Rinse with cooler/cold water. You can try detangling under the water and I promise you, you will notice the difference or if you are really bad off, like I was last weekend, detangle with the oil and conditioner still on there before that cool rinse. Just make sure you do the cool rinse, it seals the cuticle with all the goodness. You can finish with your favorite leave-in and proceed as normal. HTH, comment and subscribe!
It happens to the best of us I suppose, your hair is extra extra dry and you pull out your big guns, you know, your deep deep moisturizing conditioner and all is well with the world. At least for a day, and then its dry again and you’re like WTF?! So you may think well maybe I didnt leave it in long enough, shouldnt have been lazy and skip the heat part… and you step up the moisturizing again to no avail. If this is sounding familiar you’ve probably gone to far, when I first went natural and heard of people being overmoisturized I thought “that clearly is a relaxed thing,” since my hair was as dry as the Sahara to me when I finally did the Big Chop. Then it happened, my once go to puff was all mushy and drinking up my good products and spitting them right back out. Who knew dry hair can be caused by too much moisture! Talk about a hard lesson, but I searched the hair boards and the web and got my little self together. This week it was happening again, but I knew hot to recognize it and nip it in the bud. I was planning on writing a long drawn out word to the wise, but why reinvent the wheel. My favorite article on the subject is by Audrey Sivosothy aka SistaSlick called Protein and Moisture Balancing in Black Hair Care: When to Say No to Moisture. I would say it’s a must read, HTH!
