My Natural Hair Journey - Kinks 'N' Curls

Braid Out!

2010-11-17T15:16:00.000-08:00

This will be a short post. My hair didn't hold up the way I wanted it to. After I co-washed my hair got frizzy and so today I decided to just take them out and I am pleasantly pleased. I got compliments today and I haven't gotten any of those in a while. It felt really good. :) So here's the pics.

Co-Washing

If you notice in the last picture the braids started coming loose.

Braid Out

Braids

2010-11-10T14:43:00.000-08:00

So I decided to put braids in my hair last night. I finished at 2 AM and was so tired! I wasn't even sure I wanted to do them yesterday but I decided why not, I didn't want to do my fro again. I sometimes miss my curls when I do twists or braids, it's weird lol. But braids and twists are fun.

So I co-washed with HEHH and spritzed with my AVJ mix and then applies Shea Moisture smoothie and jojoba oil. Here's the end results:

Miconazole Nitrate: The New Hair Growth Treatment My Opinion

2010-11-10T14:20:00.000-08:00

Before I begin, you are free to try it, and free to use it, but I am also free to discuss how I feel about it. This topic has actually intrigued me because it's so experimental, and it's interesting to see the increase in growth women show. But I also wonder, why? Is it for the growth, just to try it?

I came across people discussing Miconazole Nitrate online and never heard of it before, thought it was some fancy chemical or pill (as you can see I'm not prone to yeast infections lol), and found out that people actually use Monistat on their scalp for increased growth. If you are completely oblivious to this, you can go HERE to read more about it.

So let's get on to some opinion based reasons. I guess if you want ultimate and immediate satisfaction of long hair then this is not a problem. I'm all for experiments, but not with things like MN. I've obviously caved into using EVOO, and may attempt other things. I won't at all dispute that I can have some violent allergic reaction to a natural product, but I'd rather that then use something not as intended. I guess I just don't understand the hype of having long hair and quick, and this is coming from an impatient and impulsive person. I do want long hair one day but I am happy to just have hair, and won't want to risk losing it because I wanted it to be longer right now.

I also don't believe this because genetically the way our hair grows, how fast it grows, and ultimately how long it will be is determined genetically. In the article above it mentioned that Miconazole Nitrates increase blood flow so that is the only thing that I can fathom could be the cause, but pepper and even peppermint will do the same thing, and peppermint oil has a very pleasing smell. Peppermint oil would be something I wouldn't mind experimenting with. But, how many things do we need to take of our hair?

I guess this is just a case of differing opinions. I spent about 4 hours watching a show called Taboo, and we all do different things that other cultures may find strange. Some cultures actually find the way Americans bury the dead to be strange. And within our own cultures we find what individuals do may be not be considered okay to some of us, it's just how life is. So with that said, this is just one woman's opinion, who is not trying to change that of others, I just usually don't have anyone else who wants to hear me rant about it lol.

College Woes

2010-11-04T14:58:00.000-07:00

This is not hair related, but I have finally come to a decision that I feel is best for me and since I can't stop thinking about it, I felt I should blog it.

I was recently getting a portfolio together to go into Early Childhood Education. My current degree is Child & Family Development so I would have been a double major. I am already a semester behind because of a terrible first semester at school. I've decided that I just want to graduate with my one degree. I feel that this would be better for me, I no longer feel like i have YEARS of school looming ahead of me. The reason I wanted the other degree was so that I could make more money when I graduate. Child Development degrees do not have good outcomes financially, you have to really love your job. Now, I'm not saying I wouldn't, because I don't know, but I want to school, to not only be happy in my job, but also to make money! I am technically in debt because of student loans and I have to have money to pay them off! Lol. I would also like a family of my own and my own house and I can't do that without...MONEY. :P

But I felt like, if I were to be in school for an extra 4 (maybe less) years then I might as well get a Master's in my degree and I will have more opportunities, plus I can work while getting this degree, instead of being in school and racking up the debt. I will be seeing my advisor on Monday so hopefully she will have encouraging words as far as future job outlooks. Well, I feel a little better now, and if anyone wants to speak on this, you are free to do so. :)

Wash Day #2

2010-11-02T15:18:00.000-07:00

So today is another wash day for me. I actually sat here for about an hour and typed up a section I'd like to start called IMHO or In My Humble Opinion. Then I figured that it may not be a good idea. So, there goes an idea out the window lol. Maybe if another topic strikes my fancy I will start that section up, but for now, I'll just do what I do. :P

So today is Wash Day for me, I missed it on Saturday thinking I was getting my car fixed, but I was not! Plus, I had my hair in twists and was not sure how a DC would work. Next time though, I will at least wash my hair, I'll just be super gentle to not rip out the twists!

I will be shampooing and conditioning with Aussie Moist, and DC with ORS Hair Mayo, I will not be adding Olive Oil. I am writing this before I actually go wash my hair lol. But I assume everything will go according to plan. If not, I will definitely update this. :P Hopefully I won't end up with brittle hair. :-/

Have a good day everyone!

My Hair Types (Yes, All 4 of them) Edited: Dec.5th

2010-10-18T21:34:00.000-07:00

So, I've come to post what I believe to be my hair types, based SOLELY on Curl Pattern. I'm no expert on hair types, just going off what various websites have listed (which quite frankly, are not much help lol), and adjusting to what I believe my hair type is. I guess you have to guesstimate with this stuff because all hair is different. But regardless, there's 4 different types in my head lol. I've also come to accept that the "frizz" in my head is probably just type 4b hair, but it's not like it would neatly place itself in it's own little section, no no no, it wants to sit all over my head. *mumbles*. But at the same time I like it, it diversifies my hair, and also cooperates with braidouts, unlike my 4a hair lol. There are some parts of my head that truly refuse to partner up with the curls, but the others I believe to be type 4b. So, on to the Hair Types! Oh, and as a side note, I don't use 4c.

Type 4b

Undefined, z-shaped strands.

Type 4a

Stretched. Notice the S shape.

Several tightly coiled strands.

More Tight coils.

And more, notice that they have a small circumference, and are very tight.

More Type 4a.

Type 3c/4a
Some people may still classify this as 4a, with a larger curl. It's up to you.

Slightly looser and larger than the 4a strands.

Circular, spiral.

Type 3b

And these are the loose curls that are over the front of my hair.

And that is the end of my Hair Typing session, lol. Hope it helps someone out there. Again, I believe that hair typing is subjective, and you also shouldn't sweat it too much, though some people find it helpful as a guide to buying products. But when you have hair like mines (which many do), it doesn't matter to me! Happy growing everyone!

Wash Day

2010-10-17T09:09:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was wash day, but I didn't start until like 10PM. I did a lot of shopping yesterday, got a food chopper to mix together some shea butter mixes. I order my shea butter today from Shea Essentials and so when I get my package I'll make an update about how it is! One last thing before I get into my wash day is that this post will be number 13. I am going to combat my superstitiousness and say that this is okay. I mean, I did B/C at 13 1/2 months. Now, onto the important stuff.

I purchased, from Sally's, Ion's Hard Water Shampoo and conditioner because I haven't clarified in a long time and felt like before I D/C I should start with a clean slate, plus I was too lazy to pick up my Joico from my mother's house. So, I shampoo'd twice since I didn't get a good lather the first time especially in the front where I applied EcoStyler. It left my hair squeaky clean, which I like. Plus just about all the shampoo's I use do that. Then I applied EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil), and I felt like it was a big waste to have just used a clarifier, but anywho, oil rinses are supposed to make hair easier to detangle, and i figured, why not try it? So I put it in and rinsed out with warm water, then applied the Ion conditioner and left it in for a few minutes, and within that time, combed through my hair with my wide toothed shower comb. I suppose it felt slightly easier to comb, but I won't say it works until I use it a few more times in different conditions.

So after this, I rinsed the conditioner out with cool water and began to prepare my DC. I mixed Aussie Moist 3 min Deeep Conditioner with EVOO, and parted my hair, applying it all over, placed a plastic cap on and did nothing of importance for 1 1/2 hours. After that I rinsed it out and my hair felt very soft. I feel I should get a new DC though because I'm sure Aussie formulated it to do whatever it could within 3 minutes. I do like it though.

This is where I faulted. After I rinsed the DC out I went to apply Aussie MOist conditioner as my leave in, and as I slapped it on the front It got real foamy very easily. I wondered why it won't like that, and ran to look at which bottle I picked up...the shampoo. I felt stupid for not even reading the bottle or notice the different colored tops. So I hopped back in the shower, rinsed it off, and applied the conditioner there.

So that was my wonderful day, a DC pretty much gone to waste, but nonetheless, got to try new products. That's it for now, have a good day everyone!

The Big BC! Oct. 11, 2010

2010-10-17T08:45:00.000-07:00

So, I did my BC on October Eleventh, Twenty Ten. I feel like I should actually note this before I move forward and make new posts about what I am doing to my hair. At ~1 AM in the morning I made my first snip and took a picture of it! It was a lot of hair! I would guestimate 4 inches was cut off, but not all around. Because since cutting my hair I've noticed why one side was shorter. It's because my hair is noticeably tighter on one side, I find it very annoying. I mean, I have like 4 different textures on my head, frizz, AND hair that is shorter on one side! My hair was never uneven while I was getting relaxers, soooo I guess that's what gave me the illusion of my hair breaking on side, well, that doesn't matter anyway because now I have a head full of natural healthy hair.

I am proud to have made it to APL, the first I've been there since before my relaxers, and even if that's as far as my hair will grow, I will be happy, but I am pushing for WL lmao! At the moment my hair is SL from the back. It's weird for me to judge my hair length because it's not the same, so I just measure it from the back. Anywho, on to the photos!

Before I cut.

The first piece cut

All the hair at the end, could have made a wig!

Length of the front of my hair

First Puff!

First Braidout!

Braidout

Me messing with my hair lol

A shot of my textures.

It's Been A Year!

2010-10-07T15:00:00.000-07:00

*throws confetti*

So, I am technically 13 (I dislike this number lol) months post-relaxer! It's been one heck of a journey. I have a few photos that I could update this with. But the picture thing is kind of annoying here. I'll try my best, but I apologize if this post gets all screwy.

Alot has changed since my last post. I've tried many new products, moisturizers and shampoos and conditioners, and at the moment Beyond The Zone (at the request of a fellow natural) is my new best friend. They're pretty affordable so I am happy with them! I have the Noodle Head leave-in but this one I'm not so sure about. I have to try other leave ins to see how a leave in should work! I hope that makes sense lol. The product doesn't spread over my head evenly so I wonder if all my hair benefits from the leave in. I also have a curling creme that is WONDERFUL. I can apply to my dry hair in the morning and my hair is revived. I would like to work on a water bottle concoction soon though.

At this time in my life, I've been kind of itching to cut my hair. I love my curls and throwing my hair in a ponytail ruins it. I end up with curls that stick up, strayed, and pissed off for being forced to lay down. I was planning to cut 2 inches in December and flat-iron it to give myself a rest (we all need breaks from everything, even good things in life). But I'm kind of thinking, why not cut it all now??

Well, I'm not really sure what else to babble on about here so I'll move on to the pictures, the third picture is where I tried to scrunch my hair... Hopefully we all still like things short, sweet and to the point.

My "Regimen" & How My Hair Is Doing

2010-05-19T10:27:00.000-07:00

How you dewing!?
Haha!

Well today I decided to post my regimen because I don't think I've ever disclosed this before! So here I go. Keeping in mind that I don't really follow a set thing, but this is just some of the things I may do.

My Regimen

1) If hair is not straightened, wash once a week with either: Dove, Herbal Essences, or Joico K-Pak.

2) Add Conditioner and thoroughly comb with a wide tooth comb or fingers.

3) Rinse.

4) Apply Hawaiian Silky 14 in 1, and seal with Coconut Oil, or Organix Shea Butter.

5) Style as desired.

So there's my regimen! Pretty simple. I keep the products simple (sort of), lol, and I like to try new products to see if something gives me a better desired look than the other one! Who doesn't love to try new products?! :)

Beyond that, I am doing pretty well. Since my mom doesn't mind paying, and I'm home from vacation I get to rely on a stylist to do my hair once every other week :) I have started taking a B Complex and it's only been a few days, but we'll see if it does any wonders for me. It should considering I lack a true healthy diet on campus. Without a car I rely on chicken wings, pizza, fries, and cheese. Since I don't like a lot of food on campus, I tend to have been eating the same things over and over again.

Jasper, my cockatiel is doing wonderfully, he's a pretty healthy and hardy bird! I love him to bits, but I still want a dog. I want a few dogs in fact. A Chocolate Doberman, a Maltese, a Chocolate Chihuahua, an Italian Greyhound, a Great Dane, and a Brindled Boxer. I could probably handle two at a time as I get older. :P It might even limit the amount of kids I have, lmao!

Anyways, life is good, and hair is good! I'm working on getting a car and then I'll be back to school to do this all over again! Happy Growing everyone!

Tight Curlies!

2010-05-19T09:31:00.000-07:00

I have wonderful tight coils in a small section of the back of my head. They're really adorable. I absolutely love them! Hopefully the rest of my hair catches on! Lol! I've also started B Complex vitamins and so far I've got some more energy. :)

As you can see I have to stretch it out to show the coils.

My Hair Length Check

2010-04-23T15:25:00.000-07:00

I haven't figured out how to properly add pictures without have my words skewered where I don't want them around the picture, but the longest part is from the middle of my head, and the rest from the right, and the crown.

It's That Time Again!

2010-04-02T14:37:00.000-07:00

Yay! So, today is the day I wash my hair. To look somewhat presentable I put in some curl activator to slick my hair done. I noticed today that this product is rather sticky but it hydrates my hair rather well and it was cheap, very good product for the price (you get what you pay for). There's a small amount of ingredients in the product, and one of them is yes, Propylene Glycol, but I find that there is not good research stating the harm in this product when used in small amounts. In large amounts or 100% purity it's perfectly safe to say that you shouldn't use it. Here's a link to take a look at: http://www.cosmeticscop.com/skin-care-facts-propylene-glycol-msds-concerns.aspx

But, I do think this products has other ingredients that should be looked into, so it's not the /best/ but for $2.49 and for a gel it's working right now. :D But I do not think I would buy it again lol.

-----

So I don't know what that was about, but right now, I am moving on. I bought a spray bottle, it's some type of hair spritz, and I'm just going to pour it out, and use it as the spray bottle I needed! (I Actually just went to the BSS later and bought a spray bottle, lol) :D Add a little bit of oil and /bam/ there's my moisturizer. I'm going to see how that works, and also purchase some Hawaiian silky this Sunday, and Kinky Curly, or EcoStyler Gel if I can find it. So I'm excited, hopefully these two products will be okay on the ingredients side. I need an ingredients book to carry with me lmao.

I'm going to twist my hair tonight, so I'll post some pictures of my hair later while it's wet and when it's all done being twisted. :D

I have also noticed, that while using this Softee Curl Activator that I mentioned above, my relaxed hair is VERY moisturized, and my natural hair could use a bit more. So that's a problem, but I don't blame the product. I may use too much lol.

Twist Out Finale

2010-03-31T14:09:00.001-07:00

Lol, I'm sorry that I did not post the pictures. When I thought about it, I thought I had done it already! Anyways here they are.

It turned out okay. I think next time I may do smaller twists, and then I can actually wear the twists for awhile. :)

March 25th, 2010. Doing a Twist Out

2010-03-25T20:31:00.000-07:00

So I washed my hair and it just had this funny frizzy feeling and sure enough after I'm done, my hair is very frizzy with my relaxed hair. So annoying.

Well I am trying my first Twist outs tonight, so i hope they look good tomorrow. :) And my birthday is saturday so I am excited! I am turning 20!

So I finished my twist out, still in twists lol. I found a coiled piece of hair that I posted a picture of at top. And uh, I found many more of them, but I think because my hair frizzes, I can't see the definition of the curls, so it's very sad. :( I put curl activator in my hair and sealed with shea butter (liquid). So on to the pictures! Enjoy!

Childhood Pics

2010-03-19T10:44:00.000-07:00

Can you believe I was only two in the third photo!?

In the first picture was my first relaxer. My hair was so long! And now, it has never been that length again, but maybe now I can get those results again.

Natural Hair Journey #2

2010-03-19T09:54:00.000-07:00

I have got my last perm in August 2009, at which point I cut my hair.

The following pictures were taken September 12, 2009

My Natural Hair Journey Part #1

2010-03-19T09:48:00.000-07:00

Posted September 6th, 2009

Every week I will update this (I try!) with new pictures of my wash and dried hair (I let my hair air dry so they will be a day apart) if time allows me to do so!

So I am not going natural because of a "fad" that people may believe is starting to emerge, or whatever trash you may think. And I am in no way encouraging other black females to rid the weaves or wigs, or the relaxers. You do you. I have never influenced anyone before anyways...Okay that's a lie but w/e.

When I was a wee lass As you can see in my baby photo, I had some thick hair for real, and it was just growing. My mom always did my hair in twists and put these cute colorful baubles in and though it hurt like hell, you know my hair was always stylin' afterwards (as a kid). But I was just tormented in school. When your a little girl stupid shit is just a torment right!? Nowadays I'm like...I seriously got mad at those losers? Anyways, I had to start somewhere. Everyone in middle school was getting their hair straightened, and I still had my thick hair poppin', so I was being made fun of for my hair, my weight (boy when I stopped growing all them calories was packing lmao), my glasses (real ugly frames n shit), my name, my boobs (went through puberty at 10-11), whatever you can think of I got called it! But my hair and glasses were the first things to start bothering me. So I begged my mom for years to rid me of the puffiness, of the curls, of the thick! I wanted straight long hair like everyone else!!!

So...on my 13th birthday my mom took me to the stylist. I don't remember the lady of the process, but I remember how silky long my hair was.....It came to rest on my chest, boy I was the talk after that! "Patrice! Your hair is so long! WOW!" ATTENTION!!?? WHATTT!!!??? Lmao! I was SO happy!!! Then...my hair started breaking...I got my hair cut to my shoulders and my hair has never been back to where it was originally...I want my longer hair back...I want to love what God gave me...And I promise to make my own kids love what God gave them! Unless they're mixed then I mean...what's there to say...Sorry I keeps it real.

So anywho on Sunday September 6th, 2009 at 12:43 P.M. I vow to never get my hair relaxed again...flatiron is a different story I mean a bish can't have a fro all da time.

I am hoping that my hair will grow back longer than before but I don't know if it would really do that. I don't even know what the texture of my hair would be...wavy? tight thick curls? limp? I think this would be an interesting experience for me and I am curious to see how it might influence my future...more confidence? Less confidence? Who knows.