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.

Various Hair Textures

I know I am not the only one out here that has a wide range of hair textures throughout my head. I accept the uniqueness of my hair but, I thought it would be great to talk about and share.

My hair texture is so different in different areas of my head. Check out the break down below for an idea:

Back/Nape Area: Very Coarse and tightly curled. The strands are very fine, therfore; breakage is more prone in this area. My most difficult section to detangle.
Middle Back Area: Very Coarse and tightly curled. However, the strands are thicker in this area. This is another hard part to detangle.

Front Sides Area: Very coarse. The strands range from fine to thick in this area. But, the strands aren't as fine as my back/nape section.

Middle Front/Top Portion Area: Wavy and loose texture. This area of my hair just baffles me. It has no curl whatsoever. SN: When doing my BC I kept clipping this section because I thought it was relaxed pieces. I then came to the conclusion that this was the texture in theis area.

I think its simply amazing how the texture ranges throughout my hair. In the past I thought I was an exception. But, when looking at Br0nzeqt, Whoissugar, and many other videos on YouTube I realized I wasn't alone. They talked about their diverse textures and this helped me.

So, do I treat different textures differently? Subconciosly I think I do. For instance I tend to constantly moisturize and seal the ends of my back/nape section far more than my middle front/top potion area. I also tend to twist these sections sometimes when I am rocking "out" styles. The thing is that area dries out easier, tangles faster, and breaks at a more rapid rate. I found myself treating that area like a newborn baby and the other areas like toddlers. LOL.

Have any of you noticed the different textures in your hair? How do work with them?

Photo Source: Here

And This Is Why I Don't Trust Salons...

This morning while at work a fellow natural associate of mine came in my office. I noticed her hair looked a little off but, I didn't say anything to her about it. She later on volunteered the information to me.

She said she went to the salon in Walmart to get a texturizer. She feels her hair is very kinky and that she needed to loosen her curl pattern and make the curls pop more. This was her first time going to this salon.

During the process, she noticed that the application smelled like a perm. However, she has been natural for 2 years and thought that maybe she was just trippin. But, when she looked in the mirror she noticed her hair was bone straight. She asked the stylist about this but, she said she didn't finish the process. She then set her hair on rods to put curls in it.

Conclusion: Her hair is now straight. The application--whether it was a relaxer or texturizer--straightened her hair completely. She did complain to the headquarters and she has plans to grow her hair out again. She was so distraught and cried all night. I am truly sorry this happened to her.

My thoughts: I don't trust salons. Most don't know how to work with natural hair. So, I do my own hair. Also, I have learned that its best to just accept your natural texture because these "recipes" for loosening the hair texture usually end in disaster.

Lazy Hair

So, this past week and a half I have been on leave from work. I enjoyed my time off and I am now back to blogging. Over my break, I didn't do anything major to my hair. I took my twists out, detangled, shampooed, co-washed, oil rinsed, deep conditioned, and styled. I know that sounds like a lot but, I do that to my hair anyway so, it wasn't anything major.

But, over my break I was being lazy with my hair. See, I'll be moving soon and I spent that time packing up everything in my apartment so, I just didn't feel like doing my hair at the end of the day. Therefore, I put my hair in french braids the majority of the time. And for church I kept the french braids in the front and did a pin-up in the back.

I must admit that even though I love to try new styles, I love lazy hairstyles. And french braids are definitely my go-to lazy hair. Its quick, a protective styles, and cute.

Do you have any lazy hairstyles that work?

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.

My Thoughts on my Wash N' Go

My how the times have changed! I always assumed that I would not be a Wash N' Go (WNG) kinda girl. (They tell you what happens when you assume). Simply put, I always loved trying out new hairstyles and doing new hairstyles. I always thought WNGs would lead to a crazy amount of tangles and matted hair. I always thought that WNG = Lazy Hair Day. How my thought process has changed these past days!!

Here's what I love about WNGs:

1. I can achieve the Day 3 or Day 4 (of a twist out or braid out) hair look--which I was always partial to--on Day 1 of a WNG.

2. I actually have much less and I mean much less fairy knots and tangles. I don't know if this was because of the oil rinse but, I always do oil rinses whenever I wash my hair. So, I think this is due to my hair not being constricted into a twist or a braid--meaning the strands are not formed together in this set spiral or wave.

3. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my hair texture. (This kinda goes back to number 1). See, I like braid-outs and twist-outs every now and then but, like I said I never really liked that set look. But, with a WNG my hair does what it does. I simply adore those random pieces and curls that would just pop out.

4. With a WNG I can simply wake up n' go after Day 1. I did this anyway with my twist-outs and braid-outs but, I can also do this with my WNGs.

5. I no longer equate WNG with Lazy Hair Day. I equate WNG with Easy Hair Day.
6. Did I mention how fierce a WNG looks? I noticed from looking at my sister, Auset, and other pics on the internet how on-point WNGs look. You really can just be rocking some sweats and  a t-shirt and still look like the bizness

I do plan on doing more hairstyles. And since I am going to be on vacation next week I even debated putting in some mini twists. But, I decided that I am going to rock another WNG next week (just cause I want to) and I also want to wear a WNG to my sister's graduation. So, I think that I am going to put the mini twists in on Monday, May 16th after my sister's graduation. I am pretty excited about trying out some new hairstyles and updos with the mini twists. I have so many floating around my head! However, I am just more excited about WNGs :-)

Natural Inspiration: Solange Knowles (again)

Yall, I know that I featured Solange as a natural inspiration before but, I just had to feature her again. I simply ADORE Solange. One day I just realized, I am a Solange Knowles fan.

Why? Simply because she breaks the mold. Her fashion is her own. Her personality is hers alone. Her voice is beautiful and I love her style of music. And she just rocks her natural hair beautifully. I really could go on and on...

Now, back to her fashion. Solange's style is amazing! If I didn't work in an office I could see myself rocking a number of her looks. She wears the most unique vintage pieces and she is not afraid of color. She is my girl!

So, a special honor goes to Solange because she is the only natural inspiration that I just had to feature twice.

Is my hair too big???

Ever since I have been natural one of my main goals has been to have BIG, HUMONGOUS, GORGEOUS, THICK hair. However, I have noticed that lately the questions about straightening my hair are occuring more and more frequently.

Honestly, I am kinda getting tired of the questions. I just want to snap, "No, I'm not doing it!". But, that's not me.

So, I wonder if maybe the questions are occuring more becuause my hair is getting bigger. It makes me start thinking about what is going to occur even a year later--if the Lord wills--and I have more hair? Will my hair no longer be professional enough to wear out to work? Will I be limited to pulling it back and wearing only protective styles? I really don't know.

What I do know is that I like my hair. I like the length it is and I like how thick it is. But, I am now starting to question if it is too much?

I just had to vent for a quick sec:-/

This is how my hair looks at a typical day at work.

How To Be A Frugal Natural and Still Stay Fabulous!

At the point I am in my life, I don't have very much money to spare or waste. I make sure my bills are paid and after that I don't have much left for many luxuries. However, I don't let this stop me from staying naturally fly! Below are a few tips I follow to stay oh-so-fabulous in the natural world:-)

1. Research any products before buying. Because I don't have the money to go just randomly try products to see if they work for me or not, I always do thorough research on any product before purchasing. I first look at the ingredients. I then google reviews online from blogs or websites. And next I go to YouTube to see how the product worked for other naturals (I usually flock to reviews from naturals with my similar hair texture).

2. Find what works for me and stick to it. I mentioned this before. I am by no means a product junkie. I find what works for me and I stick to it. I have one shampoo, one detangling comb, a few conditioners, a few oils, etc. You get the point. I find what works for me and I stick to it. Why mess up a good thing?

3. Throw out hints to family members. Yeah, I do this. I throw out hints to my sisters and parents about products I am in need of or products I wouldn't mind having. I must admit that this method usually works pretty well.

4. Stay away from the "hot and new" thing. I go to many blogs and I hear great things about many products and lines out there. But, I look at what the products purpose is and I analyze if I am really lacking in that area. For example, if a product claims to give great definition, shine, and thickness. I think, I have a my styler and my oils. So, even though it would be nice to try the "new" things I would rather wait for a better time.

5. Don't sacrifice quality for cheapness. One thing I do not do is sacrifice quality just to be cheap. Even though there are some great products out there that are very cheap (ex. V05 conditioners), there are some things that I can't go cheap on. For example, I will not use just any old shampoo on my head (only Giovanni for me). No sulfates will touch this head.

These are just the rules I follow for my budget. Maybe one day I will be a baller and be able to splurge. LOL. But, my frugal methods work for me:-)

First Black Charlie's Angel...and She's Natural:-)

Photo source: www.theybf.com

The "Charlie's Angel" franchise has finally cast their first Black Angel. She is actress Annie Ilonzeh. When I saw pics of her I was so excited. Not only is she black but, she is also natural!!

Her hair is simply gorgeous!

I am so happy that Hollywood is learning to embrace our natural hair and showing the world that it can be the norm.

Click {HERE} for more pictures of Annie in her role and on the set. There is even a scene where she gets her hair wet---putting an end to those thoughts about black women not wanting to get their hair wet.

Let's Talk About Day 1 (and 2) Hair

I've been natural for almost a year now (April 5, 2011 will be my anniversary). And I've learned many things in my natural journey. One thing I know without a doubt is that I am not a fan of Day 1--or even Day 2--hair.

You've heard me mention this before on this blog in passing but, I decided to have a post dedicated to this topic.

Day 1 hair is associated with:
1. Super defined look - I know some people love that super-defined look but, I am not a big fan of it. I find myself seperating my hair so much when I first take down my braids or twists in order to achieve my fuller, more natural look.
2. No emphasis on the true texture of the hair - This goes back to the hair being super defined. Because of this the true texture is not really shown. I don't fight frizz, I embrace frizz. Its simply beautiful to me.
3. Too much of a sheen:-/ Yeah, I said it. I mean I want my hair to have a nice sheen but, sometimes I think it just looks too relaxed-like. Its hard to explain but, I hope you get my drift.

Its not that I hate Day 1 hair, it just isn't my favorite day of my twist-outs or braid-outs. I don't like that super defined, not quite natural looking look of my hair. Now, as for Day 3 and on up...I LOVE it. That's when the true texture starts coming to the forefront and it just looks glorious!

I've Changed My Mind

So, remember in a previous post I said I wanted a "Tangle Teezer". Well, I've changed my mind.

I am glad that there is so much support in the natural community. And even though I hate that bad things had to happen to other natural sisters' hair using this product, I am happy that they were helpful and honest to let others know of the dangers. (I also make sure I tell of any bad/tragic experiences with my hair to help others.)

CurlyNikki stated that she experienced horrible split ends from using this product and that she had to cut of about 2 inches of hair. I hate that this happened to her especially since she was aiming to grow out her hair. Yet, it is pure love that she decided to share her honest opinion with us on the product. Her review is [HERE].

Now, some people do like the product. I know that br0nzeqt of YouTube likes it. But, because of the mixed reviews of this product, I just can't risk it.

So, I'm sorry:-( But, I will not be purchasing the Tangle Teezer. I guess I'll be saving that $9.99.

Oh, the Ignorance...

So, I'm going along with my Friday with not a care in the world and I decide to check my Facebook. My sister, Auset, posted a link to an article on Black College Wire so, I thought "Let me check this out." Oh the horror!

First off, READ THE ARTICLE {HERE}.

Now, let me get started. I started reading the article with an open mind. I was curious about the title "Natural Hair and Nappy Heads" but, moved on. In the beginning, of the article I was just going along with the flow. La-di-da. She was going on about: reasons for going natural, natural being a trend, guys preferring natural hair, etc. Nothing that really pushed my buttons.

Then, she lost me and my respect with this statement, "Only a handful of females can pull off a short hair cut, let alone natural hair." All females can pull of natural hair because that is the way God made it.

But, she didn't stop there! She goes on to say that "extemely nappy" haired people shouldn't go natural. She says that if you look more like a "slave" than a "queen" with your natural hair then don't do it. She says, "I hate that girls walk around thinking that natural bush is fly when it is not." All of these are IGNORANT comments and I can't believe they came out of her mouth!

I could go on and on about how this article really pushed my buttons but, I won't. I will state my opinion on the matter. Point blank, natural hair is beautiful. I don't care if you are fat, short, skinny, tall, big head, little head, light skinned, dark skinned, brown skinned, etc. Your natural hair is GORGEOUS! Don't get mad that women with natural hair are walking around with confidence. They are confident. And I am tired of the comments of natural hair being equated with looking like a "slave" and "Celie". Please just stop it. God gave us this texture. He made no mistake, no mess in doing so. Embrace it.

And what is funny is that she is rocking a cute TWA. I guess she passes her criteria to rock natural hair:-/ This just goes to show you that you can't judge a person's mindset by their hair.

That's my opinion and I'm out.

In my mind...Spring Is HERE = Hair is OUT

So, I don't think the official day of spring has arrived yet. However, if you are in Alabama you know that it has officially made its arrival. We have been having weather in the 60s-70s. And today has been 74 degrees. To me that is hot enough to have my hair out.

Of course, I adore protective styles. My hair loves them. But, I feel my hair was also telling to let it out and breathe! It is a relief to wake up in the morning and simply take of my bonnet and just shape my hair. Getting ready has been cut down enormously! I don't have to pin, or tuck, etc. my hair.

One reason, I don't like wearing protective styles for so long is that people get used to my hair being contained. So when I wear it out I get a few looks. One of my co-workers commented on my hair. "I see you did something different with your hair...You wanted to be flamboyant." Flamboyant??

I think this warm weather is here to stay. So, you will definitely see me wearing more out styles. I will still keep the styles diverse though:-)

Advice From Fellow Naturals

First off, I apologize for my hiatus. But, I am now back in the game.

So, the natural community is so warm and welcoming. Since I have been natural, I have met other naturals and we would share and discuss what works for us and what doesn't. Even on this blog, many of you offer me great advice that has helped me in my natural journey (YouTube subscribers also helps with this). Also, it doesn't hurt having 2 natural sisters (My other sister went back to the relaxer) to give me great advice and keep me up-to-date. So, I begin to think about the vast advice I have been given and what has worked for me and what hasn't. They are below...

1. "Walking around the house while shaking your head at random moments will allow for you hair to fully air dry." I remember I received this advice from one of my followers and I also heard MsVaughn of YouTube say she did this. But, this just does not work for me! I tried it again this past Sunday. I walked around the house starting at 5:00 pm until 11:00 pm---doing various chores and what not. And the next morning my hair was still wet. So, my braid-out turned into a textured afro but, I still liked it.

2. "Blow dry on cold air." This is the advice given from many naturals on YouTube. This is to avoid heat damage, which I can understand. I have tried to blow dry on cold air twice and I didn't like it. I felt like I was getting no where so, I just decided to stick to the air drying. You know I ain't putting that dryer on anything higher than cold (I avoid all types of heat). The blow dryer is now used to hurry along the drying of any handwashed clothing:-)

3. "Oil rinsing will help your hair." My sister, Auset, gave me this advice and it is one of the best things I've ever done for my hair! I use a 50:50 mixture of castor oil and EVOO each time I wash. I leave it in for about 2-3 minutes--making sure to dip my hair ends in the mixture--and then wash it out. (I will then continue to co-wash, deep condition, etc.) The sheen my hair has after this is out of this world! And I love that some of that oil stays on my hair so, I don't have to worry about oiling my hair after I wash it:-)

4. "Detangle on dry/damp hair." This method is the truth! I have experienced a significant decrease in shed hair, washing now goes by in a breeze, and it doesn't take forever to detangle. I think I've said it all!

I am pretty open to taking advice from other naturals. As long as it doesn't entail heat, blowing out, etc. But, as you can see some things may works for some but, it may not work for me. And I am sure that some of the things that I practice may not work for others. However, I still love the advice nonetheless. So, keep it coming!

I actually have received so much more advice than this but, I think I will save it for another post...

Oh, the random things people say

Photo credit: LeCoil

So, this past Friday I was attending a conference hosted by my department. The conference was in a hotel and various vendors were set up. They were selling such things as clothes, purses, oils, shea butter, jewelry, etc. I tried to resist purchasing anything but, I could not resist this sale one vendor had on clip-on earrings. Lately, I have really been feeling clip-on earrings. They have that whole 50s era, ladylike vibe. But, I digress...

This is how the conversation went:
Me: "Oh, I see you have a sale on clip-on earrings."
Vendor: "Yes, I do. Your ears aren't pierced?"
Me: "Yes, my ears are pierced but, I like the chunkiness of clip-ons and they don't pull at my earlobe."
Vendor: "Ok. I noticed your jewelry over there. I thought it was different that you had on such glamorous jewelry since you have locs. Don't you like ethnic jewelry? Most people with locs wear ethnic jewelry."
Me: "Actually, I like all types of jewelry. I have a nice size collection. And my hair is in twists not locs." Not that there is anything wrong with locs, I just wanted to point that out.
Vendor: "Oh, ok. So, do you wear it out?"
Me: "Yeah, I change it up."

I just thought it was funny that because I wear a certain hairstyle, I should be limited to certain jewelry. As I told her, my jewelry collection really does range from ethnic, to glamorous, to simple, to classic, etc. I never felt my hair should limit my style. I think this just goes back to the stereotype of natural hair and a certain look that is associated with it.

Natural Inspiration: Corrine Bailey Rae

She is so pretty!

I absolutely adore her voice, hair, features, etc. They just all work.

There is no doubt that Corrine Bailey Rae is beautiful and successful. Her voice just soothes me and put me in that mellow, chill mode. Of course my favorite song by her is "Closer". It's on point.

I think she has the cutest and most adorable pixie features. I feel her features were accentuated more with her shorter hair. However, I am digging the longer hair too. Either way, she is rocking it!

I Have Been Spoiled...by protective styles

So, this past winter/fall I have been wearing my hair in protective styles. And I must admit that protective styles come with a number of perks.

Here they are:
1. I never have to worry about my hair brushing rough fibers.
2. My hair is tucked away so, I am not picking in it constantly. (Yeah, I have "hands in hair" syndrome)
3. I have little to no fairy knots when the hair is in protective styling.
4. Sleeping and covering my hair at night is a breeze. When I wear my hair out, it gets difficult to tuck it under my satin bonnet--I know I need something on a larger scale.

Because of these perks, I immediately put my hair back into a protective style. It was nice to have an "out" style for that brief period but, I'm back to the twists. I wore my hair in the side swept twist-out for 3 days, which was longer than I intended. However, we traveled this past weekend and I didn't have time to do it. But, last night I sat down and put some medium size two-strand twists in my hair and wore an updo today.

So yeah, I have definitely been spoiled by protective styles. I wonder how my hairstyles are going to go in the warmer months. We shall see...

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.

Wish List: Tangle Teezer

UPDATE: I have decided to not purchase the Tangle Teezer. You can check out my reasons why HERE.

So, this is not only a wish...this is a must. I have heard too many great things and reviews about this product. It claims to help with detangling hair that is usually tough to detangle.

As naturals, we are always on the lookout for the best thing for detangling.

So, it is now on my agenda to purchase a Tangle Teezer from Sally's Beauty Supply Store. I hope all goes well with my experience. And best believe, I will be doing a video of my experience.

Toodles:-)