Dividing Up My Hair Tasks

Photo Source HERE

As you all know, I have set a length goal to have my hair graze my shoulders unstretched. When setting length goals, its easy to look at the finished product and not think about the work that goes into natural hair that length.

My hair has not reached the goal I've set for myself yet. But, I'm already finding myself spending more and more time on my hair. It takes about 8 hours to put in average size twists now. It takes about the same amount of time to take them down while finger detangling them.

Therefore, I have found myself dividing up my hair tasks. In the past, I would take the hair down, then detangle, then wash, oil rinse, deep condition, and style. Things have changed. For instance, last night I took down my two-strand twists, detangled, and then braided it in jumbo braids to keep in detangled. I did not wash my hair or style it because it was about 11:00 pm. So I went to bed. This morning I just pulled the hair up. The next task I will tackle will be washing, oil rinsing, deep conditioning, and styling tonight.

I have accepted that I can't do all that I used to in one session unless I plan on doing my hair the whole day and not going anywhere. Not gonna happen.

Wish List: Shea Moisture

There are a new few products that are on my radar. I will probably be purchasing these products as a Christmas gift to myself. I have listed my top picks below:

1. Shea Moisture Raw Shea Butter Moisture Retention Shampoo - As mentioned previously, I will be switching my shampoos. I plan on leaving the Giovanni alone and picking up the shea moisture.

2. Shea Moisture Black Soap Deep Cleansing Shampoo - I also want to add this shampoo into my regimen. I feel it would be good for the times that I need a good clarifying.

3. Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie - This may work good for dry twist-outs--and maybe wet ones also. And I must admit that I am swayed by what is claims to do: restore moisture, reduce breakage, strenghthen hair, etc.

These are simply my top three Shea Moisture products to add to my arsenal. However, I do want to try some of their other products but, this is good for now.

Being Natural Doesn't Have to be Complex or Hard

Photo source is {HERE}

I was just sitting here thinking and I started thinking about the vast amount of hair regimens out there. They are wide and varied. I constantly stay on the natural hair blogs and I love to read other ladies hair regimens. And even though I like to read them, I don't pick up everything everybody does. I found what works for me and I'm sticking to it. (Yes, I may test or try out different things but, its gotta pass the test to be put in my regimen. LOL)

So, I said all that to say this. Being natural does not have to be hard or complex. I've heard it before and I am sure you have too, "I would go natural but, its too much work" or "I don't have time for that". Etcetera, Etcetera.

But, I come here today to say it doesn't have to be hard. I feel like I have adopted a simple hair regimen and I don't spend all day everyday in my hair. I mainly like to wear protective styles (braids, twists, updos, etc.) and this means low manipulation of the hair. Once I put that style in at the beginning of the week its going to last me about 1-2 weeks. To maintain it I just have to spritz, oil, and seal. This take about 5-10 minutes--if that long. I wash my hair every 1-3 weeks and this works. I am not--nor have I ever been--a product junkie. I don't always need super defined hair. So, if I'm wearing "out" styles I don't re-twist or braid them. I let the hair do what it do. You can go to the page tab of "My Regimen" to see further details of my regimen. Simply put, I like to keep it simple.

Now, even though being natural definitely doesn't have to be hard or complex it doesn't mean that you don't do anything to your hair. I feel like any hairstyle you have requires maintenance and care. I don't care if it is relaxed or natural, bald or long, colored or uncolored. It's going to take work. But, work doesn't always have to be long or hard.

Find what works for you. Find out what you're willing to spend time on and what's not really necessary. Find out what products/treatments are best for your hair. Just do you. And I guarantee you your natural journey won't be so complex or hard.

Fall/Winter Hair Regimen

It's that time of year again. This year, I'm keeping it oh-so-simple.

Below is my hair regimen plans for the Fall/Winter:
1. I will wear a full cornrow style for a week. This will help the hair stay detangled and give it a slight stretch.
2. I will take the cornrows down and then, put in two-strand twists.
3. I will wear the two-strand twists for about 2 weeks in various hairstyles (i.e. buns, updos, pin-ups, flat twisted)
4. I will take the twists down after the 2 weeks. I will then detangle, shampoo, oil rinse, co-wash, deep condition, and rinse.
5. I will then cornrow the hair back up and repeat the regimen.

**I will be spritzing my protective styles with my water-based mixture every day or every other day. I plan on applying EVOO, castor oil, or EVCO to my hair everyday. I plan on sealing my ends every other day with shea butter/EVOO mixture.

Simple huh? Well, that's it ;-)

Switching Shampoos

For awhile now I have been thinking of switching to a new shampoo. My main shampoo is currently Giovanni Deep Moisture and Giovanni Triple Tea Tree Therapy. However, lately I have been feeling as if those shampoos are too stripping. For this reason, I was only shampooing my hair once a month and I still thought that was too often.

At first I was considering Aubrey Organics--and I am still curious about their shampoo. But, I noticed that my sister Auset Abena and my fave YouTuber Ahsiek1118 were using Shea Moisture products. The sheen and moisture of their hair is out of this world. I was thinking, I want that for my hair.

So, recently my sister Auset Abena bought me two different types of Shea Moisture shampoo. How great is that!!!! So, I will be using the shampoo and letting you ladies know how I like it.

I also plan on trying out some of their other products...

My Hair Dries So Easily and Dry Hair Equals Breakage

I think I pretty much know my hair now after being in this journey for over a year. And one thing I learned about my hair is that it dries pretty easily. And gets dry even more so when my hair is out.

As I was detangling yesterday, I noticed some short breakage pieces. Of course, we know that short pieces of hair is not good. So, I think I'm going to do a protein treatment with coconut milk. And maybe a black tea rinse. My sister, Auset, tells about the benefits of using coconut milk for protein and strength. She also gives us a word of caution about using coconut milk treatments. The article can be found {HERE} and {HERE}

My main reason for using this coconut milk treatment will be for strength. My hair is growing, which is good. But, as the hair gets longer then, my ends get weaker because those are the oldest part of the hair. Since I do have length goals and am trying to retain length then I need to treat those older parts of my hair like a newborn baby.

I have learned that it is essential to observe and analyze your hair constantly. By doing this, you can take preventive measures to continue in your hair endeavors.

I just wanted to post this picture of my hair. This was last night after I finished twisting it. You can see the slight feathering that I am experiencing. This comes from weak ends and experiencing breakage on those ends. Strength is needed.

Let's Talk About Two-Strand Twists

It is now going on 4 weeks that I have been rocking two-strand twists. And I am really enjoying it. I definitely need to update my hair regimen for you all. I just thought I'd do a quick post telling about the perks of two-strand twists.

1. Less manipulation of the hair. When my hair is in two-strand twists I am not manipulating the strands as much as "out" styles. Of course, I do try out different hairstyles but, I could never do that many styles to my "out" hair without stressing my fine strands.

2. Versatility. Two strand twists are so versatile. I have tried so many hairstyles (which I love to do) and I am able to do them with the twists still in my hair. I can just wear the hair down, side swept, in two-strand flat twists, updos, and so much more.

3. Less tangles and fairy knots. The initial reason for my wearing two-strand twists has been to decrease the amount of tangles and fairy knots I was experiencing. Especially, from wearing my hair "out". My hair is growing and getting longer, which is a good thing but, the downside of this is more tangles. Now, I simply take down my twists and finger detangle during the process. I then detangle using the damp/dry method. And my detangling sessions are going by so much faster!

4. Length retention. Now, I don't know how to test this theory because I would have to compare the current growth of my hair to the growth of the past. And I really don't do length shots or length checks. However, I can understand the reasoning behind two-strand twists leading to length retention. Simply because it is a protective style, which means less manipulation of the hair. Also, when wearing the twists in updos the ends are protected.

Future Hair Plans...

So, I have been re-thinking my regimen (especially for the summer) and I have decided that I will start rocking more protective styles such as twists, braids, etc. The reason for this is that my hair is just getting too long and tangles are occuring more frequently. I mean they occur like crazy. And though I do have patience with my hair, I just don't want to have 2-3 day styling sessions with my hair. I have realized that I have a significant decrease in tangles whenever I rock styles such as twists. So, that is what I will be doing.

I'm not saying I won't ever wear my hair out but, I really do think that I will just rock my hair in "out" styles on very special occasions.

I am excited about rocking my protective styles. I plan on putting in some medium sized twists this weekend after I detangle, wash, co-wash, etc. I will continue to keep you posted and post pics of the hairstyles that I try with my medium sized twists. Maybe I should call them "midi twists"...

Wash N' Gos

So, I mentioned earlier that I have been a bit bored with my hair lately. Therefore, I decided to try something new that I have never tackled. A Wash N' Go!!

My sister, Auset, is the queen of WNGs so, I asked for her advice on how to achieve one successfully. She was kind enough to do an entire post on it, which can be checked out {HERE}.

I am so excited to try out this new hairstyle! The only thing I am worried about is the middle section in the crown of my head. That curl pattern is so different from the rest of my hair. It's usually easy to blend it when wearing braid outs or twist outs. But, I don't know how those wavy curls are going to look with my WNG. Also, I hope that I don't experience a large amount of tangles. But, I am still excited nonetheless.

I will post the results later on...

New Hair Day!

So, I finally decided to officially change my hair day from Sunday to Friday. Initially, I was debating between Friday and Saturday but, I made my final choice for Friday. And even though I go to prayer on Fridays I figured I should be back home no later that 8:30 p.m. and that should be enough time to start doing my hair. Then, if I go shopping or run any errands on Saturday I will just wear a head wrap, a beanie, etc.

So, why Friday? I chose Friday because that day would allow for my hair to fully air dry. Also, I could take the braids or twists out if I'm wearing "out" styles that Sunday morning and then, I would have an idea of how my hair would look for the week.

I must admit that I am kinda excited about this new hair day. Its different. The only con--which is not that major--is that now my hair will be covered on Saturdays and not out. But, its a good thing I learned how to do head wraps this week:-)

Here are my plans (I really am hesitant to post my plans because they may fall through, however; these are my plans if the Lord wills):
1. Co-wash my hair tonight using a conditioner (duh. but, I don't know which conditioner as of yet)
2. Oil rinse using 50:50 mixture of Castor oil and EVOO.
3. Apply a conditioner as a leave-in (not sure which conditioner I will be using)
4. Do a center part and do a chunky braid-out (nothing new about this hairstyle)
5. Allow hair to fully air dry over Friday and Saturday
6. Take braids out on Sunday morning.

Fairy Knots

Where do I begin? Where do I begin? Fairy knots.

I have learned to accept fairy knots as an inevitable part of my life and the life of my natural hair.

So what exactly are fairy knots? Fairy knots are knots that occur along the single strands of hair and is mainly present in curly hair. Of course, the curlier your hair the more likely you are to experience fairy knots.

How do you deal with fairy knots? I have learned to accept that fairy knots will come. However, I do believe that it is possible to decrease the amount of fairy knots that you experience.

• Protective styles - Protective styles help to greatly reduce the amount of fairy knots. I have noticed that after taking my hair out of protective styles, I find little to no fairy knots. I feel this is due to the hair being tucked away, which makes it less prone to wrap around individual or single strands. The most effective protective hairstyles to battle fairy knots for me are two strand twists and individual braids.
• Decreasing the amount of Wash N' Gos - Wash N' Gos will increase your chance of experiencing these little knots. I think the main reason is that the hair has been rubbed (sometimes vigorously) and then just left to do its on thing. So, when the curls dry naturally they will wrap themselves around each other. I think the most effective way to battle the knots when doing a Wash N' Go is to put the hair in twists or braids (if your length allows for it) and then, rub the conditioner and/or shampoo gently (VERY GENTLY) through the hair. DatFunkyFro even suggests to wash the hair in sections. I think this is a great idea. It will allow for you to pay special attention to each section, which will promote a gentle hand and not allow for you to rush through washing your entire head of hair--which can lead to more unwanted fairy knots.
• Detangle Your Hair - We all have different detangling methods and routines. However, no matter what method you use just make sure you have a detangling routine that you adhere to consistently. For instance, I detangle my hair once a week with "out" styles and once every two weeks with protective styles. I can't even imagine the state my hair would be in if I didn't detangle it.
• Prepoo - Try a prepoo of oils as some naturals do. Some naturals say the tangle just slip out of their hair when they do prepoo treatments. I have not tried prepooing as of yet, however; since I have been wearing my hair out I will be soon adding this to my regimen.
• A GENTLE and PATIENT hand - Sometimes we can simply prevent fairy knots by having a gentle and patient hand. For instance, when my hair is out I sometimes notice that my hair will begin the tangling process. I simply take my time and very gently detangle my hair as I encounter these tangles to prevent them from becoming fairy knots. Also, when styling my hair in protective styles I also take my time in detangling any tangles I may run into. And during my detangling session, I ensure that I don't rush the session and may baby any tangles that need my special attention.

So, if you experience fairy knots, what should you do about them? I do one of two things.

• Ignore Them - I know some people would say this horrible but, I am being honest:-/ I sometimes run my hand along the length of my strands and I may come across one, or two, or three knots and I will simply do nothing. I figure they will take care of themselves.
• Cut Them Out - Now, if I have a fairy knot that has a shed piece of hair attached to it then, I will cut it out. I can usually spot these fairly quickly because they are usually abnormally long strands.

Are there certain hairsyles that will make you prone to more fairy knots? Most definitely. As I mentioned before, wash n' gos will have an increase in knots. Also, everytime I do "out" styles I experience them more often--twist outs, braid outs, textured afros, etc.

In the end, fairy knots will occur in our glorious natural heads. However, it is possible to decrease the amount and do preventative measures.

Switiching Up That Side Part

So, I know that some people suggest that you switch up the parts in your hair. It is suggested that we switch up the parts to avoid thinning in that area. I must admit that I am not sure if this is true or not, however; I decided this past Monday to switch up my part.

I simply love parting my hair to my left side. I don't know why. I just like having more of the hair fall over my left eye (this eye is slightly smaller than the other from a horrible bike accident I had in my early teens). So, maybe subconciously I like having my part to the left side. I have done this for years---even during those relaxed times. My second go-to part is the center part. I do like doing this part every now and then for a different yet noticeable look. But, one side I do NOT like parting my hair on is the right side. And this past Monday I did it.

Really, I think it is all in my mind. But, I really am not a fan of parting my hair to the right. It just doesn't fall how I want it to fall. However, I think that its good that I switched up my side part to avoid depending on that other side of my hair. I think that I will continue to switch up my part every now and then, but I must admit that I prefer my left part.

What about you? Do you have a go-to part?

Things I Used to Do that I No Longer Do

So, I have been natural for about 10 months now. I was just thinking about some of the things I used to do that I no longer do. They are below:

1. Braid Hair Every Night - When I first went natural I thought it was imperative to cornrow my hair every night. I did this so my hair would stay looking fresh and defined (for either my braid out updos or afro puffs). Now, I just let my hair do what it do.

2. Pick My Hair (or comb my hair) - I used to be a big fan of the afro puff. I still think it is one of the most gorgeous hairstyles. So, each morning I used to take down my braids and then pick my hair out. Talk about damaging.

3. Wear Headbands - I had a horrible experience back in July 2010 with continuously wearing headbands. In a nut shell, that constant pressure caused me to lose hair in that area and I had a bald patch. That experience gave me a phobia of headband or hair ties. I think it may be alright to rock them every now and then but, I am just too afraid:-( So, I just don't go there.

4. Detangle Wet Hair - I used to detangle my hair when it was sopping wet and soaking with conditioner. However, I tried Moptop Maven's method of detangling on dry/slightly damp hair before washing and I never looked back! It became so much easier to wash my hair on hair that wasn't tangled (dealing with shed hair while trying to wash was a pain). I experienced less shed hair. And I didn't have to worry about water dripping constantly into my as I detangled.

5. Hollywood Beauty Olive Creme - I used to be a major fan of this product. And I don't know when I stopped using it or why. I just realized one day that it was sitting on my shelf and I haven't picked it up in months.

6. Use Conditioners with Cones - Now, I don't know when I stopped using my conditioners with cones and it wasn't a concious decision. I just noticed that on wash days, I usually flock to my Giovanni, Suave, or V05. I'm not saying I won't use my Herbal Essence conditioners ever again, I just don't flock to them like I used to.

7. Let go of all my leave conditioners except one - I used to use Cantu Shea Leave In and Garnier Fructise Conditioning Cream and Cream of Nature Lemongrass Leave in. But, I really did not like these leave-ins. The product build-up, the non-moisturizing factor, petrolatum, etc. So, I only use one leave-in and its one that I adore. And that's Giovanni's Deep Moisture leave-in.

8. Detangling with any wide-tooth comb - I used to use any wide tooth comb to detangle. It really didn't matter to me--as long as it was wide. However, I purchased a Conair seamless comb and it is my staple and only detangling comb so far. I don't think the other wide tooth combs gave my hair major damage. I just feel this new comb is much better.

I just think its amazing to look back at the things I used to do and that I no longer practice. Some of these were concious decisions while others were not choices conciously made.

Moisturizing Natural Hair

Recently, I was on a blog and the blogger said she moisturizes her natural hair once a week. Some people moisturize their hair everyday (my sister does). I usually moisturize my hair every 1-2 days. I think it just really depends on your hair and its needs. It's essential to know your hair because everything is going to be different for everyone.

First off, moisture is important. Moisture in the hair will help to prevent breakage, damaged ends, dry hair, and so much more. Moisture is obtained through water--not products. Many products will claim to moisturize the hair but, what they should say is they will help you promote/retain your moisture. Simply put, moisture is obtained from water. Water is the bizness.

Here are few tips to retain moisture:
1. Stay away from petroleum/mineral oil based products. They will lock out moisture.
2. Apply a water based spray or mixture to your hair. I like to use this mixture my sister made for me which contains water, EVOO, and aloe vera juice. This really helps me in those colder months when there is not much moisture in the air.
3. I'm sure you've heard it before and I'll say it again. Oil does not moisturize the hair. Water moisturizes the hair. But, it is fine (great really) to apply oil on the damp hair or after hair has been washed. I do and my hair loves it. Some oils are permeable and will allow for moisture to come into the hair.
4. Let that steam from the shower do its work:-)
5. Wash/Co-wash your hair on a routine basis. I usually co-wash/shampoo my hair every 2 weeks in the winter. Usually, in the hotter months I co-wash about 1-2 times per week. No matter what your wash routine is just don't go too long without washing the hair. Our hair loves the water!

My Night Routine

So, previously I did an updated Winter Regimen. However, I thought it would be interesting to show you all how simple my night routine is.

Each night I:
1. Oil my scalp with essential oils.
2. Oil my hair with EVOO
3. Sometimes I apply Shea Butter/EVOO mixture to my edges but I haven't done this lately.
4. I then cover my hair with a satin scarf/bonnet.
5. And to bed I go:-)

That is pretty much my night routine. Very simple.

My Winter Hair Regimen

1. Every 2 weeks I put in a protective hairstyle (braids, twists, updos, etc) and I keep the style in for the 2 weeks.
2. Every other night, I oil my scalp with essential oils and I oil my hair with Extra Virgin Olive Oil(EVOO) or Castor Oil.
3. Every other night, I apply a mixture of EVOO, Aloe Vera Juice, and water to my hair for moisture.
4. Every 2-3 days, I seal my ends with Shea butter/EVOO mixture
5. Every 2 weeks I co-wash my hair with V05 Moisture Milks or Suave Naturals in Coconut
6. I will either apply a oil rinse after co-washing or a honey deep condition. My leave-in after co-washing is usually EVOO.
7. Every 4-6 weeks, I shampoo my hair with Giovanni Deep Moisture shampoo.
8. After shampooing, I deep condition with Giovanni conditioner and apply Giovanni's leave-in

***Every now and then, I take my hair out from its protective style and will wear it out for about 2-3 days. This usully depends on if the weather is warm in Alabama.

Detangling: Part 2

In a previous post, I discussed the necessity of detangling. You can check it out HERE.

However, I am revisiting detangling because I recently changed the way I detangle my hair. In the past, I would detangle my hair after washing it while it was soaking wet. Yet, recently I saw a video and a blog post by Moptop Maven giving details how she detangles and shampoos so, I decided to try out her method.

Moptop Maven detangles her hair on slightly damp hair BEFORE she shampoos the hair. It is known that hair is the weakest when it is wet so detangling on wet hair my result in uneccessary breakage. So, this past Friday I printed off her instructions for detangling and proceeded to start the process.

Here are my thoughts:
1. It is great to detangle my hair and not have water constantly dripping into my face.
2. My detangling session went by so much faster.
3. I had a decrease in the amount of shed hair.
4. Because I detangled before shampooing my hair, I did not have to worry about shed hairs constantly coming out of my hair while shampooing. So, shampooing went by with a breeze.
5. She suggested using a shower comb (like the one pictured above) and I did and I am a big fan of this comb. My other comb which I detangled with in the past was average compared to this comb.

You can check out MopTop Maven's post HERE about detangling. Also, I did record a video of my detangling session using this method and it can be checked out HERE.

Oil Rinse

So, this past Saturday my sister, Auset, suggested I do an oil rinse on my hair. I have read up on oil rinses on other blogs but, I never really tried one. Check out my sister's post on oil rinses HERE. Or check out Moptop Maven's post on oil rinses HERE.

Here's what I did:
1. I co-washed my hair with Suave Naturals in Coconut.
2. My sister then applied her 50:50 oil, which consists of olive oil and castor oil.
3. I kept the oil in my hair for about 2-3 minutes.
4. I then rinsed the oil out with warm water.
5. Of course, there was still some oil left on the hair after the rinse but, I didn't mind.
6. I then applied my Suave Naturals in Coconut conditioner to my head.
7. I then started the detangling process.
8. After deep conditioning, I styled my hair as usual.

I do adore oil rinses and here's why:
1. My hair felt so soft.
2. By applying the oil to the wet hair, I believe this helps to lock in more moisture.
3. The detangling process went by so much faster.
4. I had a decrease in the amount of shed hair.

I can't think of any cons of this process. I just need to invest in some castor oil (because I used my sister's). I do believe I will add this to my hair regimen.

Weekend Hair Plans

It's Homecoming!!!

So, here's my plans for the weekend:
1. Take down this set of twists in my hair.
2. Co-wash my hair with Suave Coconut Naturals.
3. Detangle.
4. Deep condition.
5. Put in chunky twists.
6. Take twists out once fully dry for a twist out.

I plan on doing all of this tonight. Now, I won't be able to start until about 8:30 PM because that's around the time I will be out of church. I'm praying my hair will be fully dried by 9:00 AM Saturday for the parade:/

Weekend Hair Plans

Okey doke. It's that time again. What do I plan on doing with my hair this weekend???

Here goes:
1. On Sunday, I plan on taking out the twists that are currently in my head. Sunday will be 2 weeks that they were in.
2. I plan on shampooing, conditioning, detangling, etc.
3. I also plan on applying a honey mixture for my deep condition.
4. Next, I plan on putting a new set of twists into my hair.
5. I will then set the ends of the twists on sponge rollers.
6. That Monday morning, I will rock a fresh curly twist updo.

Sounds simple enough.