Hair Update- June 2011

Excuse the crazy face. Lol. Time for a hair update. I have been using Kinky Curly Curling Custard once a week and refresh my hair in the morning with a combination of Kinky Curly Gloss Pomade and Jane Carter's Nourish and Shine. My problem I have been facing is shedding; my hair never shed before, but it is summer so I have to pay attention to how my hair responds to the weather. I have to do my homework on that. Also, I have to make sure my hair is moisturized at night. I used to use oils but that wasn't working so next week I will use my Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie and see if there's a difference....other than that....my hair has been growing since I chopped off the sides and most of the top. I have a wedding in September so I have to look for some ideas for hair pieces. Enough rambling for today. Be blessed.

My Current Hair Regimen/Products

I haven't updated you guys on my hair in awhile. So, my staple item is now Kinky Curly Curling Custard. I use it every week. So here is my new staple products:

Shampoo(s): Kinky Curly Come Clean Shampoo (new fav, smells amazing)
                    Carol's Daughter's Tui Herbal Shampoo (old staple, hasn't let me down yet)
*I shampoo more than I used to; like 2-3 times a month because I used the KCCC).

Conditioner(s): Kinky Curly Knot Today (LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it. I thought it was an overhyped product until I used it).
                      Herbal Essences Hello Hydration (do I need to explain how wonderful my dry hair feels after I cowash with this?
                     Herbal Essences Totally Twisted (I feel in love with this conditioner because its for curly hair, it works just as well as the Hello Hydration and it smells amazing!)

Deep Conditioner Treatment(s): Henna: OMGosh!!!!I love this. Henna has made my hair so much stronger. I do have to admit my curl pattern isn't as tight as it used to be, so I cut down to deep treatments every two weeks with henna as opposed to every week.
                                                 Brahmi Ayurvedi Herb: I mix my Brahmi with Olive Oil or Coconut Oil and leave it in overnight. My curls are so defined and ready to pop as soon as I wash it out.

Oils: Jojoba Oil
       Apricot Kernel Oil
       Grapeseed Oil (makes my curls pop!)
       Castor Oil (at night before I go to sleep)
       Olive Oil (use with my conditioning treatments)

Moisturizers: Water (lol, no seriously.)
                     Lush R&B (can't fail, never fails)
                     Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie (it doesn't really "enhance" the curl, it moisturizes it).
                     Qhemet Biologics Amla & Olive Heavy Cream (Godsend! I mix it with the balm)
                     Qhemet Biologics Olive & Honey Hydrating Balm (great by itself, but amazing with the heavy cream).


So I'm back to 1 month of growth and I promise myself I won't cop out and cut my hair anymore. So I will be updating you guys more about my natural hair journey and giving reviews on some products for the girls like me who have chronic dry hair. Be blessed!

Fayruz Abdiaman- Sutherland Models

I LOOOOVVVVEEEEE her hair: Fayruz Abdiaman

Ferris of Urban Vintage

Too cool.....

Rachel Stewart Jewelry

Natural Hair Length Goal: Yaya DaCosta

The beautiful Yaya DaCosta: image source

Jodie Smith for ASOS Magazine June 2011

I love this girl:

ASOS

New Haircut!!!!

It's very military inspired.

Jodie Smith for ASOS

image source: flygirls.typepad.com

Kate Spade Naturalista Model!!!

image source: katespade.com

3 Months Natural!!!

The only things that drives me nuts so far is how dry it can get and the shrinkage....oh, the shrinkage. Oh, and I have to comb my hair now.....   -_- I never knew pain so bad, lol. I love it so far. I'm still learning and still sticking to natural products only.

Short Hair, Don't Care!!!

"with short hair you begin to crave pearl necklaces, long earrings, and a variety of sunglasses. and you brush your teeth more often. short hair removes obvious femininity and replaces it with style. when it starts growing out a little and losing its style, you have to wear sunglasses until you can get it to the hairdresser. that's why you need a variety. short hair makes you aware of subtraction as style. you can no longer wear puffed sleeves or ruffles; the neat is suddenly preferable to the fussy. you eye the tweezers instead of the blusher. what else can you take away? you can't hide behind short hair... you may look a little androgynous, a little unfinished, a little bare... but your face is no longer a flat screen surrounded by a curtain: the world sees you in three dimensions."


- joan juliet buck for american vogue, c.1988 (via the political quotidian)
 
 
Thanks to the glamourai for posting this quote!

2 Months Natural

I really didn't want to do this post. Mainly because I have been in a serious like/dislike relationship with my hair. After I posted the hair products I use; I did a complete 180. I decided to use only natural products......let me tell you, it has not been fun. I have been trying to figure out what works and what doesn't so it has been....interesting. That being said, I love the fact that my golden brown colour is starting to show at the roots (I miss my natural hair colour), and I dislike how my hair looks horrible when its lacking moisture. These two pics are from the retreat in the Poconos. It was cold and dry; which I forgot that I was supposed to take special care of my hair (smh, I walked with no shampoo or conditioner so it looked bad).

The products that I'm currently using, or trying to use:
Shampoo:

• Aubrey Organics Island Naturals Replenishing Shampoo: (Say that 3x fast, lol). Jury is still out on this. I do like it, but I don't shampoo that much so I'm not sure yet.
• Carol's Daughter Herbal Shampoo: So far, so good.

Conditioner:

• Aubrey Organics Island Naturals Replenishing Conditioner
• Carol's Daughter Tui Hair Smoothie

Deep Conditioners/Treatments:

• Bramhi Herbal Powder w/ Olive Oil
• Bentonite Clay Hair Mask
• ACV (Apple Cider Vingear) Wash

Hair Dress:

• Shea Moisture Curl Enchancing Smoothie: I love how thick it is!
• Shea Moisture Raw Shea Butter Strengthening Elixir: I use it every morning.
• Jane Carter Nourish and Shine: It is really thick; I don't use it too much because the smell worries me. Its really strong!
• Jane Carter Scalp Nourishing Serum: I apply it to my sides, I'm not sure about it wokring yet.
• Lush R&B (Revive & Balance) Hair Moisturizer: Smells a little weird but gives my hair the well deserved moisture it needs.
• Carol's Daughter Mimosa Hair Honey: This is my go to hair grease.

Oils:

• Coconut Oil
• Olive Oil
• Jamaican Castor Oil

Etc:

• Curls Passion Fruit Control Paste: OMGosh!! This product is highly addictive! I absolutely love it. At first I was a little put off by the product (because at first it looks grey on your hair) but after you rub it in, the definition looks amazing. Con: too much product means more shampoo than cowashes.
• Carol's Daughter Hair Milk: I just started to use it, but I like it so far.
• Carol's Daughter Tui Leave-In Conditioner: It came as a trio set with the shampoo and conditioner. I love the way it smells!

What I'm Learning:

• Shrinkage, Shrinkage, Shrinkage!!!!!
• My hair is chronically dry! (I hope that's a word, lol)
• I have coils and very few curls.
• Moisture is key for curl defintion (otherwise the coils/curls/kinks look like mini-dreads!)
• Brahmi is addictive (It defines my curls)
• ACV (Apple Cider Vingear) Wash makes my hair more manageable.
• I have to wash, condition, treat and detangle once a week because I like to use product daily.

I can't really review any of the products too much yet because I just started using most of them this past month. By month 3, I will give you my feedback for sure. Be blessed.

My Baby Sis BC'd!

My baby sis BC'd (Big Chopped) last Friday!!! I welcome her to the natural community! (More pics below).

Oroma Elewa in US Vogue March 2011

I had the pleasure of meeting and working with Oroma before she became the editor of her own magazine!!!! Pop'Africana is the new indie magazine to keep your eye on. That being said, I nearly did a backflip when I saw Oroma in the March issue of US Vogue. I am so happy for her, she's a sweet person and I wish her all the best.
image source

Love Dinner 2011

No Words- Atong Arjok

Amazing skin & face...

image source: williamlords.blogspot.com 

1 Month Natural*

Okay, so really I have been natural since the middle of November, but I stopped getting hair cuts in December to actually grow my hair out. I have an inch of hair!!!! That's alot for someone who had a fade for a while now. My hair is getting fuller and my natural sandy brown hair colour is starting to peek through. I have started to include more natural products into my routine to see how they work (bentonite clay, ayurvedic powders, coconut & castor oil as well as shea butter) and some non-natural products to see what they do to my curl pattern (Sebastian Wet and Care Feel Curl). It's really trial and error now. But the products I love are:

1. Care Free Curl-  it makes my hair look thicker.
2. Brahmi Ayuredic Powder- It defines my curl pattern and makes it look so pretty!!! It feels amazing after the treatment.
3. Carol's Daughter Hair Mimosa- I needed a product that worked like a hair grease minus the mineral and petroleum oil and this tops the list. I also love the smell.
4. Herbal Essence Hello Hyrdation Conditioner- I love this!! It smells AMAZING and its my go to item when I cowash.
5. Hollywood Beauty Olive Creme Hairdress for Dry Hair- A lifesaver.
6. Tea Tree Oil- Helps my scalp from itching and going wild.


There are tons of other products that I am still trying and as I remember I will add them. Have a bless day.

2011 Plans

So....I have been thinking about 2011 and what it means for me: Another year to get closer to who I am called to be. So these are the things I am looking forward to:

Designing: So....where do I start? I am planning to enter the Operation Bridal Dress this year for real (lol). The deadline is like next week, so I have to start asap. I am looking forward to purchasing 2 dress forms (1 size 6 or 8, the other size 16). I was blessed with a sewing machine by my founder of my church. I will be practicing with patterns, fabrics, etc. learning how to sew and design old school. By September, I should be ready for the Parsons Fashion Design Certificate Program.

Dance: I can't wait to start dancing again; I miss the freedom and discipline of it. I have events at church that I will have to start working on and now that we have 3 dance groups in the ministry I will have my hands full (but I won't complain; I'm actually looking forward to it). I am looking into Modern Dance, and Jazz now. I will always go back to Ballet but I want to broaden my abilities.

Wedding Planning: I guess this will end up being a part-time job soon, lol. I am in the process of planning my cousins wedding and pretty soon a sister from my church as well. I have the Love Dinner that is coming up in February and I will be in charge of the design and set up. We will be able to have more freedom and funds now that everyone is looking forward to it this year.


Decorating: I was planning on moving out but after some praying I realize I should stay in my current apartment (which is huge) and redecorate. As soon as I told my sister she got excited and nearly passed out. I am looking around for some cool pieces to make the apartment more like us.

Relationships/Friendships: Big problem in this area. I don't trust women enough to want to be around them. I have a couple of girlfriends that I trust and would do anything for but that's it. I have made a new guy friend who loves museums and whatnot so we have been running around everywhere late last year and early this year together but I'm still waiting for God to introduce more God-fearing and trust worthy friends into my circle. Relationship wise: I leave that COMPLETELY in God's hands. Lol.

Volunteer Work: I had the wonderful opportunity to participate in Boxes of Love last year. This year I would love to do more volunteer and community work. My dream goal is to be able to travel and do something amazing like Habitat for Humanity.

Hair: I want to understand my hair and not get frustrated and keep it short. I also would love to see my natural hair colour, so I will try (try being the key word) to not colour my hair as well. I don't consider myself a "natural" or on a discovery. I am just the same ole my (minus my gamine cut).

Health: I want to stay on top of eating healthy. I also want to stay fit (Love my hourglass; so I don't want to lose any weight).

Last but not least Spiritual Walk: Sigh.... where do I begin? I want to grow and have a better understanding of the word. I want to be an example to the younger girls that for some reason always find themselves attached to me. Most importantly I want to love unconditionally; that's a hard thing I'm learning. Loving people has been a hard thing for me; the more I am exposed to human nature the more I want to stay to myself....but apparently that's not God's will for me -_-



So, if it's God's will that I see the end of the year I can't wait to check off everything on this list (even the hair stuff, lol). Be blessed, and have an amazing and powerful New Year!

What I'm Learning About My Hair....

I have been natural since November and did my final cut removing all my relaxed hair; I'm learning some new things about my hair:

1. I Can't Define My Hair Texture......Yet: I actually don't care if my hair is 3c or 4a/b or whatever...My hair as it is growing out now is unruly. It's a combination of coils and curls. I will have to wait until it actually starts to grow out before I "define" it. Lol.

2. I Have To Use Natural Hand Lotions: I have eczema and it effects my scalp as well (one of the reasons I decided to go natural) and I have this problem keeping my hand out of my hair. Smh, it's bad, really bad. Every 5 minutes you will find me playing with a coil or massaging my scalp. So, I switched to Shea Butter hand cream because it doesn't have a fragrance that will irritate my scalp.

3. I Have No Hair Goals: I have seen/read tons of blogs by girls who are hung up on length. I have worn a pixie/gamine haircut since I was 13 (with the occasional grow out/weave), so I never had any kind of attachment and/or obsession with length. I do want healthy hair though; that's all I want. Whatever length it gets to is up to God and I receive the blessing. I do know that I used to fuss with my hair stylist because every six weeks I had to have my hair cut back into the style because it kept growing out, lol.

4. If I Don't Care, They Don't Care:  Anyone who knows me can tell you that I'm always changing my hair. I always keep my hair healthy, and do whatever up keep is needed to maintain my style. So since I have went natural, I have received comments about it but since I rock it like this was made just for me I get nothing but compliments. I have never been a person to have patience with transitioning. I just BC'd (Big Chopped) and moved on. I also like to be daring and walking around with a really short cut really tests how you really feel about yourself. With my haircut, there's nothing in front of you but my face; no cute cut, colour, style, length. It's just me.

5. Natural Products Work Best: I guess it would make sense since chemicals have been destroying my skin since a child (I use detergents with no fragrance, and most perfumes I stay away from because they actually blister my skin!!). I laugh now because I'm slowly turning into those people who are one product away from being a tree hugger).

6. Moisture, Moisture, Moisture!: My hair gets dry so incredibly fast! I have to apply oil to it before I sleep and a rich hair dress to it before I leave the house. I pay close attention to the way hair responds to the hair products. Trial and error works best for me these days.

7. Like Minded Inspiration: Whenever I like something, I always look up the image(s) and save them to look back on later. It helps me keep focused. I also like looking and reading  natural hair blogs but I don't follow everyone of them, just the ones that I feel like we're on the same page. Lol. You know what I mean.....



Well, I will try to keep documenting this interesting journey. I'm learning more about myself and embracing the way God made me. Be blessed.