I Have a Guest!!! : )

I was in my dorm this evening supposed to be doing my homework with my friend, Carly, from across the hall. Instead we started talking about our curly hair. I told her about my blog and after checking it out, she told me that she wanted to be a guest in one of my videos. I thought it would be a great idea to get Carly's perspective and opinion about having curly hair. Let me know what you think. Post questions and comments. Enjoy : )

Another Video Update!

This is me in my dorm room at the University of San Francisco. Enjoy and feel free to leave comments and questions!

Update!

I try to do a post at least once a month, usually to give an update on my hair. This month has been really hectic. I got back from a month long vacation in the first week of August, and now I'm getting to leave for college this weekend! I haven't found the time yet to post pictures of how I'm currently wearing my hair or how I've worn it this month. Here is one current pic that happened to be on my pc. (It's actually gonna be my college id photo, how cool is that!)It's flat twists on the side and a twist out all over. I promise I will post more later.

Right now I'm trying not to stress about the fact that I have one day to pack and I have so much still to do. I'm afraid I'm gonna forget something. Why am I sitting in front of this computer? I keep asking myself the same thing.
I do have one question you may be able to answer. In the past couple of weeks I've been trying to figure out how I'm go to maintain my hair using as litle products as possible. My dorm isn't that big and neither is my budget.

Here's my plan: Co-wash weekly with Herbal Essences' Totally Twisted Conditioner, deep condition bi-weekly with Africa Organic's Hair Mayonnaise, and moisturize with Cantu Shea Butter, spritzer (water, hot six oils, and cocunut oil). Let me know what you think. Is that too much, is there a cheaper alternative? Tips and welcome.

When I get settled in my dorm, I will be sure to do a post on my current styles. And Alice, I haven't forgotten your request for my frohawk tutorial!

I've Been Tagged...10 Things About Me!!!!

I got tagged by Alice of "Diary of a Kinky Curly Transitioner". I didn't even know what it meant to be tagged before now! HAHAHA! So below are ten things about me.

1. This fall I will be a first year college student at the University of San Francisco. I'm super excited!!

2. I like bright colored nail polish. I use three to four colors at once.

3. I like to buy second-hand clothes. Great style at an affordable price.

4. Purple has been my favorite color since pre-school; my whole room is purple.

5. Chocolate is my weakness.

6. My biggest pet peeves are ignorance and close-mindedness.

7. Sweet potato pie is my all-time favorite dessert!!

8. I like window shopping at Target and Wal-mart.

9. I'm craving a Jamba Juice smoothie right now!

10. I love having natural hair!!!!

Half a Year Video

I tried to post the video in the other post, but it wasn't working. So I will try again. Hopefully it works this time. I thought posting a video would be easier than this. Anyways, like I said, feel free to comment.

Half A Year!!!!

June 30th marked my six month nappiversary. I decided to do a video post about it instead so it's above this post. Some things I didn't talk about in the video though, I'll post here. First, I know my last post was about my braids and how I did them myself. Tell me why I only wore them for a week! Hahaha. I really started to miss my own hair. It kinda felt like a waist of time since it took me a week to finish them. Oh well, it was cute while it lasted and I put some pics of them on this post. When I took them out though, my hair looked extra long because it had been stretched. I also have a picture of that. Recently I've been wearing really small two strand twists that give great curl definition once I wet them. Enjoy the pictures and feel free to comment.

Sorry....

I feel so bad about not posting in almost two months! I even noticed that I went from 29 followers to 26. That made me sad, but Ican't do anything about it. I have an excuse though as to why I haven't posted i so long. It was the end of the school year and I had so much to do regarding graduation, announcements, pictures, finishing school work, and a bunch of other things. But yesterday I finally graduated from high school! YAY! I'm so glad it is over. I made it and I'm proud of myself.

Anyways, here's an update on my hair. I recently got braid extensions. I did them myself! It was my first time and I think they came out nice. I will post a picture later.I am currently five months natural and wanted a different look for graduation and I wanted to see if low manipulation of my hair would really help it grow. I plan to keep them in for at least a month, maybe more.

Now that I'm on vacation, hopefully I will be able to post more often. Any suggestions on how to manage braids? I haven't worn braids since the 8th grade, that's four years, so help a sistah out. Thanks!

Duh?!

I just found this video on http://kyaras.blogspot.com/ and all I could say was DUH! What gets me about this video is that the reporter sounds clueless. Does she not realize she's damaging her hair also. Anyway, watch it and tell me what you think.

http://www.wkyc.com/video/default.aspx?maven_playerId=articleplayer&maven_referralObject=1072817430

(I had trouble embedding the video in this post. Sorry!)

It's Not a Petting Zoo!

Okay so lately, don't know what it is, but people keep touching and feeling all in my hair. gh! It is so annoying. They put their hands in it and when I turn and look at them like they've lost their mind, they smile or laugh like I'm supposed to be okay with it
"I just wanted to know what i felt like." That's what some of them say. That is no reason to touch it especially without asking. What the heck! It is extremely frustrating. Look with your eyes not your hands people.
Do you experience this? How do you feel about it? Opinions. Comments. I want to know I'm not alone.

Twist Out!

I'm so happy that my hair is now long enough to two strand twist! Today was about my third time doing it and it came out great. I got lots of compliments. All I use is water and IC Fantasia Aloe Vera Gel.

This is what it looks like after I twist all of it up at night. And in the morning...

Today was the best yet. I did flat twists in the front to spice it up. And after un raveling the twists I didn't separate the hair at all like I did the first two times I tried the style. Let me know what you think.

New Products

So about two weeks ago before I went to L.A. for a Black Student Union State Conference (which was so much fun), my mom took me to the Vitamin Shoppe (why do they purposely spell it wrong?). Anyway, I purchased raw shea butter, sweet almond oil, grapeseed oil, and jojoba oil.


I put the oils in spray bottle with water and ic Fantasia Aloe Vera Gel. It has worked okay so far, nothing really special from what I can see, especiall compared to the wonders vegetable glycerin worked. That's what I rally need to make my hair soft. I've only been using it for about two weeks now, so we'll see.
I've only used the raw shea butter once since purchasing it. It is really hard and solid so I melted it, mixed it with the oils and rubbed it in my hair. I actually want to try to whip it, but dont think my mom will let me use her electric mixer. Maybe. I don't know. I can't really comment on its effectiveness until I get to use more. Any suggestions?

OH YEAH!!!

Three months natural!! I can't believe it! I'm so proud of myself and so grateful for all the natural hair care blogs that keep me inspired and encouraged through this natural hair journey.
I haven't posted in almost a month so I have lots to say. I have divided what I want to say into five different topics and will post them following this one. Enjoy and comments are greatly appreciated.

Growth Check

Like I wrote previously, I'm two months natural, still a newbie. But I can see some growth when I compare past pictures. It's encourgaging because soetimes I don't feel like it's growing. I know it's only been two months, but I'm an impatient person. I need to work on that because I know this is a process and journey that takes time. But I posted some progress pics below. Check it out. Any advice on hair growth?

(few days after BC) (one month)

my hair looks kinda raggedy in this pic lol (current length)

Quick Protein Conditioner

A few weeks ago, I found a recipe for a conditioner on http://www.naturallysexy.co.uk/ (I suggest visting this site, it's cool). Anyway, it was the recipe for a protein conditioner that required egg yolks and water! I decided to try it today. Here are the directions:

Quick Protein Conditioner

2 egg yokes

¼ cup of water

Beat the mixture together and massage through hair well. Put on a plastic cap for thirty minutes and rinse thoroughly with warm water (not hot). Make sure all of the egg solution is rinsed from the hair (do not use shampoo). Dry your hair and style as usual.

I decided since it was so liquidy, it would work better if I sprayed the conditioner in my hair. So far, I don't really feel a difference in my hair, but I still have a lot of solution left. I plan on using it again next week. We'll see. Has anyone else used egg yolk in a homemade conditioner? How did it go for you? Let me know.

Catching Up...

I can't believe I haven't posed a blog in almost a month. Wow. I've been really busy lately though. School work, track and field, church, after school clubs, etc. Anyway...I'm gonna catch you up on how my hair's been doing.

So I'm two months natural now! Yipee!! It feels like it's been longer, but oh well. So far, I'll I've been using to keep it moisturized is water/glycerin spritz. I co-wash once a week with Suave Naturals Conditioner. Nothing's changed really.

I did try a new style that I really like. I use a african-printed wrap and make a bun in the back. I think it's cute and sophisticated. I want to go to the fabric store and get some more patterns, so I'll have a variety of wraps to switch up on. Right now I have two. Pictures are below. Tell me what you think.

Just Featured on BGLH"s Blog!!

At the end of January I sent my pictures in to Black Girl with Long Hair(http://blackgirllonghair.blogspot.com/) to be interviewed for "Questions from a Newbie". She sent me the questions and just posted the interview on her page yesterday. YAY! I'm excited because, one: I love her blog and all the knowledge she shares, and two: I got to ask three burning questions to natural vetrans.
1. What are some natural styles I can try with a TWA?
2. Where can I purchase natural oils and unrefined shea butter without having to go online?
3. What is the best way to moisturize type 4a hair so it stays soft and hydrated all day?
So far I've gotten some great feedback. If you have answers to any of these questions, feel free to past a comment. Thanks! Oh, and HAPPY VALENTINES!!

One Month!!

Today is my one month nappiversary! YAY!! I've learned so much about my hair and I'm really lovin' it. I wish I had always been natural or went natural a long time ago because natural hair really fits me. I think it's so cool that I don't look like anyone at my school. In this short period I have learned a little bit about my hair and some products I want to use, mostly just lots of natural oils. When I get the chance I would like to start only using all natural products in my hair because I want to be able to pronounce the ingredients I'm using, lol. I want to try the homemade shea butter hair cream posted on ohairofmine.blogspot.com. Anyway, I'm just really excited that I made it to a month. I posted some comparison pics of when I first got it cut and what it looks like now.

Encouraged...

I feel so encouraged about my hair because on Friday while waiting for the bus, I saw an old classmate who graduated in 'o7 who had just recently cut her hair. Her's was much shorter than mine, but it looked really cute and it was good to see someone around my age going natural.

Also, last night I finished doing little twists in my hair. It took like two days because I had to keep stopping to do things, but it came out cute. I was afraid I would finish it and not like it. So I'm glad I like it, and a few people at church today said they liked it also. Below are a couple pics of it. I'm gonna try to wear it like this for at least a week, two weeks at the most. We'll see how it goes.

Lastly, I don't know how to send private messages or I don't even know if that's possible, but I wanted to thank those of you who posted comments. Dasia, I am going to defenitely going to try the Mimosa Hair Honey. And Perfectly Me, where can I purchase Avacado Butter or is that something you make...and what does IMO mean? I know I'm a teen, but I still understand some of this shorthand sometimes. Lol. Thanks

HELP

I should be doing my homework right now, but I felt the need to post a blog and now I'm giving into that "need". I'm actually just avoiding doing it, but w/e.

I have a question about natural hair products. If you haven't read my previous post, I did the big chop two weeks ago. Yay me! LOL. Anyway, I wanted to know what are some good products for natural hair. I have hair type 4a and so far, all I've been using is Cantu Shea Butter as a leave-in and Suave Naturals Conditioner to wash and sometimes as a leave-in. They work pretty good except that by the end of the day, my hair is dry again.

I want to know what products will keep my hair soft and moisturized throughout the day. Even though I live in Cali and just yesterday it was about 74 degrees, it's still cold and it affects my hair. So if you know of any products that you have personally used that are cheap and work, please let me know.

Now I'm going to go do the dreadful, pointless homework.
Love. Peace. Hair Grease.

I'm Free!!

I did the big chop on Tuesday December 30. Why am I just now posting pics and a blog over a week later? It was a combination of procrastination and computer problems. Anyway, the pics are below this post now.

I love it! A lot! I was the only one in the shop not nervous about getting it cut! My mom's eyes were big and she was holding her breath. The stylist didn't know exactly how low I wanted it until I showed a picture I got off the web. She said, "Oh, so you want it low low?" Yes, please!! hahaha!! One girl said, "Man, I'd be crying if I got all my hair cut off." Now mind you, I was not in a natural hair salon, so I was surrounded by women with relaxed styles who probably didn't truly understand why I was doing what I was doing. And being 17, I was the youngest in there. But I love it and that's all that matters.

When I went to the New Year's service for youth at church the next day, my friends liked it and said it fit me. That made me feel good. Even though I didn't do it for them, it still feels good to know your friends like your new style. People at school liked it too, for the most part. One thing I noticed though, is that only a few guys said something about it. Most of them tried to pretend like they didn't even notice it, and I heard two of them whispering about it, but I didn't really know them.

My family liked it too. Only one person that I didn't know who was at my aunt's house thought I was a boy. It didn't help that I had sweats and a sweatshirt on, but I thought it was kinda funny. I've never been mistaken for a boy. I've gotten the name India from a few people now, because they say I look like India.Arie! I don't think so, but you be the judge.

Sorry, I started rambling, but the point is I love my new natural hair!

BEFORE

AFTER!!!