GERMANY! I'm Back.

Back at it again in Germany, Love this place. The people, the beautiful colored houses, the vast fields of greens, the cool trains, the amazing white chocolate, the relaxed way of life. I could sing of my love for Germany forever!


So....My Senegalese twists did not even make it to two weeks before I got bored and took them out. *Sigh* I decided to do my signature style for my Germany trip, Janet collection Kinky braids! Hair styled up and barely visible in this pic, but more to come...SOON!

Senegalese Twists Curls and Style

Hello Hello!!

If you look at the previous post, you can see that I had my Senegalese twist straight...but straight is a bit boring so I decided to curl it up!!!

Curled up and Lovin it! 

Senegalese Twists!

HA!

This is another proud moment in my natural hair Journey ALBUM. I said in my previous post that I was going to learn how to do Senegalese Twists and then do it on my hair, well true to my word, I DID learn and I DID do it on my own hair! I mean it took me only like the whole night to finish, but mission was definitely accomplished! An even prouder moment was when I came back to NY and my mom asked me "who did your hair?" I have never smiled so brightly and felt so proud as I answered "Me Mama, ME! I did  it". Of course at first she didn't believe me knowing my history of being hair illetrate, but when I finally explained to her exactly what I did and how long it took me, she was even prouder of me than I was of myself! "WOW" was all she finally said! My mother has always braided my hair for as long as I can remember, it felt really good to get the "wow" acknowledgement from her!

Anyways, I used Marley braiding hair, and my whole head took like 4 packs and a half.

Hairevidence below...

Style update to follow Soon...!


Happy 12.12.12!!!

The Ambidextrous Project: Protective Styling.

Hello Beautiful(S).

Have you ever had one of those proud moments where the final results of something amazes you so much you can't believe it?

Well, after countless hours and months of youtube watching, I failed miserably at trying to do my own two strand flat twists. I even told myself that this is one braiding trick my hands would not, could not master, and so I went many months without trying to learn how to do the flat twists again. I was almost ready to admit defeat, but I'm one of those people who hates defeat, and I was determined to conquer the flat twist. About two weeks ago I went back on youtube to keep watching the flat twist videos, and one of the natural youtube hair vloggers explained it best for me. She said that a flat twist is just a two strand twist, done flatly on the hair. It was in that moment that a light went off in my head, (like duh! how come I never thought of this? ) The concept was so simple that I did not need to watch anymore videos, because if I could easily do a two strand twist, why not a flat twist?! All i had to do was tell my hands to do exactly what it always does when am doing a two strand twist, adding more hair and twisting flat on my scalp.  My first EVER two strand flat twist was amazing considering I have never done it before, I was so proud of it, so proud of myself for not giving up!


Hairvidence below...

After this first trial, I could not wait to try doing another one! I had these on for one week then took them out, and did another style of flat twists below..

 #mommywouldbesoproud! 

If I CAN flat twist, then I think anybody can flat twist. It takes practice and you might not get it on your first try, but keep trying until you reach perfection. YOU CAN DO IT!

Natural hair lesson : If at first you don't succeed, wash it off and try again! 

My next protective style that I want to learn how to do and do it on my hair is Senegalese twists. Still learning at the moment, but one thing is clear, I WILL master it! #Nogivingup! 

10 Months Hair Journey Video Montage.

My 10 months Natural Hair video, finally finished it!

You can click the youtube link to watch it on youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAirP3J6PiI&feature=plcp

 

10Months Natural--Pride, Passion, Patience and Positivity.

Hello Beautiful(s).

I can't believe it!! November has been more than good to me! I made it to 10 months! 10 months sans relaxers and weaves. It has been an incredible journey and my hair has taught me so much. We (me and my hair my hair and I) have learned so much from each other. Here are a few lessons my hair has taught me. I call these lessons my 4 P's!

#1-- PATIENCE--- Oh! how I wish somebody had told me when I went natural that I would need a jar full of patience. My hair has taught me how to cultivate patience, how to give her what she needs. How to endure her bad days without letting it affect me emotionally, how to treat her with extra care when i feel like yanking her out of my scalp, how to put her in protective styles when needed so she doesn't break...oh, the lessons are endless.

#2--POSITIVITY--- I'm just going to say this out loud and clear, Natural hair is not for the negatively minded, you can't make it past the first few months without a positive attitude. Because if you don't believe in yourself and your hair, there's no use in wanting to go the natural route. You will simply drive yourself Mad. My hair has taught me how to stay positive, through the endless hours I spent in front of the mirror learning how to bantu knot, two strand twist; through the endless youtube videos learning how to style, through the many MANY endless hair forums reading on how to care for her, my hair has taught me that having a positive mind, goes a long the way.

#3--PRIDE-- I'm going to let you in a little secret, having natural hair must come with pride in one's self. My hair has taught me how to be proud of her, no matter what everyone else says or think. You have to be proud of your hair and be brave to wear it out without shame of what others will think of you. If you lack pride and self confident, you will continuously compare your hair with other people, and doing this is like treading on a treacherous slippery slope. The minute you compare your hair with other people, your self confidence start to diminish, because you might feel like your hair is not as good as theirs, not as curly or shiny as your friend's hair, and so you begin to beat yourself up, wishing you had someone else's hair. People will even tell you how hard, tough and rough your hair looks and feel, but do not listen to them, ignore them because if you start arguing with fools you're bound to get angry and believe me, anger doesn't solve anything. Confronting people who talk trash about your hair has to be done in an educated manner, instead of talking back or cursing them out, turn the other cheek and let them say whatever they want. I always say, "kill them with kindness", because these are the same people who will one day come to you and tell you how beautiful your hair looks, how much they wish they had your hair. Lack of education about natural hair breeds ignorance and stupidity, to the point that people are afraid of their own hair, because they don't know what to do with it in its natural state. Be proud of your hair,  if it is not as curly as your friend's hair, EMBRACE IT. If it is not as soft as you would want it (deep condition, co-wash more often, moisturize, MOISTURIZE!) so that you can get it to where you want it. Whatever you do, DO NOT COMPARE your hair with other people's hair because doing this is like looking at your own child and wishing you had your neighbor's kid, not only is it wrong, it is sad and abominable. Be proud of what God gave you, embrace it, love it, wear it with pride that speaks and peaks higher than the mountains.

#4--PASSION---Do I even have to explain this one? Be passionate about your hair, so passionate that when others look at you, they wish they could have your self confidence and fierceness.

Pride, Passion, Patience and Positivity, Love your Natural Roots!


Here's 10 Months Natural Hairvidence:!

Waiting for the One Year Natural Mark!! 

9Months-Bumptious Positiveness

Hello Beauties.

October was a month of bumptious positiveness! The amount of growth I had after taking my kinky braids out was great! One reason why I love my cherry colored hair is because I can see how much growth I have gotten over a certain period of time, and it feels AMAZING! I definitely have to say that natural hair growth takes TIME and PATIENCE and a POSITIVE attitude.

Check out my hairvidence. 9 months Natural.

I must say that I'm very proud of my hair. We have come a long way, through the valleys of weaves and the mountains of relaxers, we made it to the natural ground and I'm ecstatic!!

8Months-Protective Designs.

September was pretty low Key, I had my hair in a protective style. Kinky Braids.

He's like super duper COOL to hang out with! @ Atlantic City. 

The good, the bad and the worst. Product Reviews

Since going natural, I must admit that my product Junkism has gotten under control compared to the first few months. When I was still a natural newbie, I'm ashamed to say that I became a serious PJ. My addiction took me to various beauty stores buying all the IT products. I admit, it was more curiosity than need that led me to waste so much money on products that I'm yet to open or use. But I'm also proud of myself because I have finally learned refused to spend money on products that everybody says works wonders on natural hair. I co-wash my hair four times a week or sometimes even daily, so finding a good conditioner is really a neccessity. It took me a while to find the product that works best with my hair. I remember reading on some natural hair forum about the wonders of hello hydration herbal essence conditioner and Aussie Moist. Many naturals swear by these two conditioners, and I told myself that maybe this might be it, this might be the conditioner that works for my hair.

The verdict:

Hello Hydration did not really do it for me. It did not give me any slip and left my hair needing more moisture. I don't know why but this conditioner didn't work well for me. I have not tried the totally twisted brand, but maybe some time in the future I might give this a try again and who knows, it might just work its wonders. But until then, Goodbye hydration.

The verdict:

Bluh. Ok, I was really amped when I bought this conditioner, but image my disappointment after conditioning my hair and not getting the results I so hoped for! Aussie moist was more like Aussie dry for me, I really gave this conditioner a chance but it left me with nothing but disappointment and thirsty hair. Again, maybe I might give it another chance in the future, but for now it's a no no, my hair disapproves. 

So...I think I might have found THE ONE. Now wait, I know it might be a bit irrational to call my new found love the one, but I can assure you that nothing has pleased me so dearly like Shea. Yup, my new found love is the Shea Moisture Conditioner. It turns out that Shea was hiding in plain sight! Everytime I go to CVS, I always walk right past Shea, I have never NEVER thought of giving Shea a chance, until recently. In fact, Shea pleased me so much that I went out and bought the whole Shea Moisture line. Shampoo, Conditioner, Masque, and Smoothie. Yup, It was Co$tly, (Like every natural hair product out there)  put a big hole in my pocket, but definitely worth the price tag. 

Here's Shea and her sisters. 

I rarely shampoo my hair so I don't really care much for shampoos especially since they contain sulfates that strips my hair of moisture. I do however, use shampoos occasionally to clarify and get rid of the product build ups.  Shea moisture retaining Shampoo is hands down, The best I've used so far. 

Another Shea product I love is the Curl enhancing smoothie. It smells SO GOOD! I could bathe in it daily! The Shea smoothie really REALLY loves my hair, or rather, my hair loves it. It keeps my hair moisturized and soft, I can go three days without having to reapply it and my hair remains moisturized and soft. However, I have learned that moderation is KEY. The first time I used it at night, I put so much on my  hair that when I woke up the next day, it did not, would not dry out! I had to rinse it out and of course, put a small amount for reapplication. The Shea Smoothie is really good, better than this one....

A friend of mine gave me this curl defining cream at work as a gift and I was so excited because at that time, I really wanted it.  The price tag on this is $34, so you can imagine my joy when it was given as a gift and didn't have to spend my dime on it. My hair liked this product, but my only problem is that it tends to be a bit sticky. I used it maybe about three times and threw it under the sink, my mom happen to love it so you know, one man's trash is another man's treasure. 

I must MUST mention Kinky-Curly Curling Custard. 

Ok, when i first Big Chopped, I searched and searched every product available to help define my curls. From hair forums to youtube videos to hair blogs, most natural swore that this product is the best out there. And so I spent $17 and hoped against all odds, that this product would help defined my unruly tight 4 curls. The verdict? EPIC FAIL! I so don't know why my hair rebels against the most acclaimed natural hair products, I really really don't know why. I was so disappointed with this product that I swore never to buy hair products based on reviews again. But you know what they say, never say never. 

After trying many different gels and getting disappointed with each trial, I finally stumbled upon this gem in my mom's bathroom...

I love this gel. It leaves no flakes, provides super moisture and amazing curl definition. I truly love this gel! I ran out of it and when I went to buy another one, I couldn't find it! So I had to settle for the ECO styler olive oil gel. I have read a lot of many good reviews about it, so I figured why not give it a try... 

I will can't wait to see if this gel lives up to the hype it gets. 

I have more products to write about but at the moment am quite hungry and not entirely in the product review mood, so will have to do another post another time to continue. Adios for now! 

7Months-Color Me Cherry

Hello Beautiful(S).

So the month of July was very Cherry! I was getting really bored with my TWA and decided to spice it up a little bit. Here's the thing, I get bored with my hair easily, there is only so much styles I can do before wanting to change it up. My hair has been growing really thick, which is a far much better cry than the thin hair I had in my parallel universe of wigs and weaves. Anyways, I decided to color my hair but NOT WITHOUT RESEARCHING FIRST! It took me a week to research about the pros and cons of coloring hair, and the best color brand to use. After a week of searching and questioning my options, I settled on the clairol textures and tones, designed specifically for women on color. The best thing I liked about this color is that it has NO AMMONIA. Natural hair is really dry and brittle, and putting color chemicals like ammonia and peroxide can do more harm than good. When coloring natural hair, it is BEST to stay away from chemicals like ammonia and peroxide. There are many coloring options like rinses. Hair rinses are the best because they do not penetrate the hair shaft, the hair cuticle doesn't lift up, which means it can fade with ten washes or so. Henna is the best color dye. Henna is a natural plant that really moisturizes hair and it has been used for centuries as a natural hair dye. Henna colors the hair red, and I'm a total henna lover. So, before coloring your natural hair, remember these simple rules of hair engagement.

#1-- Do your research! Don't just walk into a beauty store and pick any color off the shelf, read the ingredients, know what you're putting in your hair.  Avoid Chemicals like the plague. Think of this like food, when you go to a restaurant, you have to know what you're ordering and know what you're eating, same with hair. Be knowledgeable.

#2--Try semi-permanent color or rinse---Before you commit to a permanent color, try coloring your hair with a rinse or semi permanent color. If for whatever reasons you don't like the results, take joy in knowing that you will not be stuck with this color for a long time. Rinses typically fade after ten washes.

#3--Know what color match your skin tone--This is pretty self explanatory. You don't want to end up with Green hair, try something that does't scream "OBNOXIOUS".

#4-- Know how to take care of color treated hair---This is REALLY important. Natural hair is generally prone to dryness, it needs moisture to thrive. Dyed hair is DRY hair. You need to constantly replenish the moisture so that the hair does't break. DEEP CONDITIONING color treated hair is not a choice, it can not be done whenever you feel like or want to. IT IS MANDATORY!. Deep conditioning is essential and I deep condition my hair two or three times a week since I colored it.

#5--Consider Professional help. If it is your first time coloring your hair, you might want to consider letting a professional do it, because most of the time they know what they are doing. I colored my hair by myself, but this is only because I did lots of research and knew what I was doing.

#6-- Embrace your colored curls. People will often try to tell you what NOT to do with your hair or how to treat it. The fact is,  It is YOUR hair. Don't let people make you feel like you made a bad choice by coloring your hair, be comfortable in your own skin and fxck what everyone else thinks! Own your hair, wear it with pride, make haters weep when they see how beautiful your natural hair truly is.


Take a look at my Hairvidence. I colored my hair Cherrywood by Clairol Textured and Tones.


Before color---in process.

After---Hello Mi Cherry!

I'm definitely feeling my new colored look!

6Months: Delicate Disguises

The month of July was very low key, me and my hair went on a delicate disguise affair. As much as I love wearing my natural hair out, I have learned that low manipulation is the key to length retention.

There are a couple reasons why I love wearing my hair protective style :

#1-- Low Manipulation- I recently discovered that my hair is very prone to breakage, especially when it's dry and lacking moisture. So to combat this madness, low manipulation is definitely key.

#2- Hand in Hair Syndrome-- Yup, I have what other natural hair lovers call hands in hair syndrome. Whenever i wear my hair out, I CANNOT STOP TOUCHING IT! Sometimes I do it without even noticing, the hair on my back can attest to this because recently i just discovered that the hair in the back is a bit shorter, and the skin very tender. Wearing a protective style prevents me from constantly touching my hair, which helps me retain length by preventing breakage.

#3--Laziness--Ok, sometimes after coming back from work, the last thing I want to do is spend four hours detangling, deep conditioning, washing and twisting. Sometime I just want to come home and have a Hair off day! But this doesn't mean I don't moisturize my hair, moisturizing has become more like second nature to me. I spritz my hair in the morning, and at night before I go to sleep. In fact, I have learned my hair so well that when I don't put enough moisture on it, she pays me back very dearly in knots and dryness. I HATE DRY HAIR!

#4--Growth-- So like I mentioned before, protective style is very important because it also helps the hair to grow. I usually leave my kinky twist in for 4 weeks and every time I take them out I can always see a the new growth. Braiding my hair really helps my hair to grow.

#5--I can't think of another reason why I love protective style but when I do, I'll add it!

Here are my signature look kinky braids protective style..

5Months: Comforting Reassurance

Hello Beautiful.

June marked my 5th month since my BC. I have to say, June was my comforting reassurance month, going natural is the best decision I ever made. I realized that since my BC, i hadn't trimmed my hair and i had some seriously damaging split ends. I haven't gotten into the habit of doing length checks every month, but I can tell that my hair has definitely gotten thicker and healthier. So this month I trimmed my hair and perfected my bantu knots style.

Check out the hairvidence below...


Split ends, dead ends, whatever you wanna call them.  Yup, I cut a lot off.

Bantu Knots, my second favorite style!

As you can see, my edges are still recovering from abuse during my parallel universe of wigs and weaves. 

4Months: Admissible Evidence

Hello Beautiful[S].

The month of May definitely revealed some admissible evidence!

During this month I experienced growth that made me dispel some natural hair myths that I had in my parallel universe of wigs and weaves. I realized the importance of co-washing, and how much my hair loves moisture and craves it. I did my first bantu knots in this month! Turned out great! I also did my first 'banding'.


The Myths:                                                

#1. Black hair doesn't grow--NONSENSE,  IT DOES!

#2. Only Mixed people can have beautiful natural hair---Well in my parallel universe, my lack of knowledge and ignorance about natural hair brought about this myth, which is simply not true. Everybody can have beautiful natural hair, it doesn't matter if you're white, black, mixed, green, purple, blue or yellow. The key to having beautiful healthy hair is CARE!

#3. Black hair is tough, rough, can't be tamed---From a personal experience, the hair gets dry, tough and rough only when it is not cared for. When I don't put enough moisture on my hair due to laziness, of course it's going to be thirsty, and by thirsty I mean dry. When black hair gets dry, it breaks and BREAKS. When hair breaks, you don't get length, and when you don't get length, you wonder why your hair isn't growing. It's like a domino effect, A leads to B which leads to C. You can't get to C without A or B. I have learned that the best way to keep hair soft and manageable is to give it what it deserves, and this brings me to myth # 4.

#4. Black hair hates water-- In my parallel universe of wigs and weaves, my relaxed hair hated water. I washed it twice a month, which is every two weeks. Natural hair thrives on WATER! WATER! I can't stress enough the importance of water. For a newly natural like me, I can't go two days without washing my hair. And by washing I simply mean co-wash. Conditioner +Water.  Even with my protective style, I moisturize my hair every morning when I wake up and every night before I sleep. There are many products out there that you can buy for moisturizing, but all I use is water. I add some coconut oil in the water, mix it, and spritz away.

#5. Guys don't like girls with natural hair---This is Absurd. Again, in my parallel universe of...(ok you should know it by now WIGS AND WEAVES), i used to think that guys only liked women with straight wavy hair, and that only weirdos/lazy people wore their hair natural. It's quite ironic really, but I have to say that since going natural, I have received more compliments from men than before. Not that it matters really, since I'm already spoken for, but I'm simply mentioning it to convey a point. Some men love natural hair, some hate it, some just don't care about hair because it's simply not that important to them. So my advice, do you beautiful. Wear you hair the way it makes you feel fierce!


Hairvidence Month 4:

My first time wearing my hair out, I stretched it out using the 'banding' method. 

My first bantu Knots, I was so super excited to try this one out! It took me a while to master the technique, but finally got how to do it. 

My hair has definitely grown, which definitely nulls myth # 1 above, black hair DOES GROW!