Switch it Up for Spring

Spring is finally here - Yay!!! You know when you begin to see tulips that the weather's a-changing.

Personally, I'm pleased with the warmer weather. It means that we can start putting away all those heavy coats, hats and scarves. I'm soooo pleased about that. The only downside to the Spring coming is the dreaded 'Spring Cleaning'. It means now the sun's shining everyone will be able to see the dirt that the winter shadows were hiding.

The same's true with our hair, I believe. The changing weather means it's time to re-evaluate our hair care and hair styles. In winter, you shouldn't be using glycerin rich products because they dry out the hair. This is because Glycerin attracts moisture to its own molecules, if there's less moisture in the air than in your hair, it'll suck the moisture right out of your hair to beef up it's own molecules. This makes Gylcerin my best friend in the warmer months because my hair's biggest bug-bear is DRYNESS!! So, now it's gotten a touch warmer, I've introduced glycerin back into my regimen.

I'm going to be doing some more reserch into other Spring-friendly natural hair products and will be looking at ways to switch up my regimen for Spring.

You all know I'm on the 90-day Twist challenge (update #1 coming soon) so won't be making the style switch just yet but Twist Outs will definitely be featuring big time, as will Flat Twist Outs, Braid Outs and maybe some Bantu Knot Outs. Lots of big hair is what I'm feeling this year for the Spring/Summer. will have to pick up a really good frizz buster - any suggestions?

How will you all be switching your regimens and styles up for Spring 2010? Bring on the sun baby!!

Till next time,

xxMwuahxx

Style File #1 - dontuwishuknu

I don't know about you, but I'm always on the look out for amazing natural hair styles to inspire me and what I do with my hair. One of the best places to look has got to be You Tube. There are so many natural sistas on there rocking such amazing styles, it can be a little bit overwhelming. The Style File is going to be a new feature that I'm going to use to bring you all those amazing styles I find to inspire us all. Here's first entry to the Style File.

Solange Knowles gets a TWA!!!

Solange Knowles, the younger sister of Beyonce, is turning heads... with her own head - a shaven one.

Solange, who is not yet the publicity target that her big sister is, has actually sported the hairless look for two weeks. The paparazzi apparently just noticed. Unfortunately, the her decision to sport a TWA (Tweeny Weeny Afro) hasn't necessarily been well received. I'm pretty sure she knew that was a given so, my question is why did she do it?

Solange, however, tweeted about the matter recently with the following message (please excuse the punctuation - it's hers, not mine):

i. have. done. this. twice. in. my. life. i. was 16. i was 18.

So why did the aspiring singer/songwriter shave her once gorgeous hair?
"this. phase. of. my. life. i. want to spend . the time. the energy. and the money. on something else. not in the hair salon."

More power to her I say. I believe that it's so empowering to 'chose' not to conform to the ways of this world and I suppose she's even putting her career on the line to do this. What do yall think? What do you think of her TWA - I think it's so cute and really suits her? Do you think her decision was smart/clever in relation to her career and aspirations?

xxMwuahxx

I'm Back!!

I'm back y'all! I'm sorry it's been a little while but I've super busy with 3 full time jobs - work, wife, mom. I haven't neglected my hair, just the blog - sorry :-(.



I'm still loving my Bantu Knot Outs - it's just too easy and really suits my lifestyle, which is crazy!



Just wanted to do a quick run down of my regime at the moment.



Saturday (WASH DAY!!)
- Co-wash (deep condition every other week and shampoo once a month) (am/pm)
- Detangle and moisturize as usual (am/pm)
- Bantu Knot (am/pm)
- Sleep with Satin Bonnet (pm)

Sunday
- Loosen Knots and Style (am)
- Sleep as usual (pm)

Monday
- Fluff out matted hair (hehehe) (am)
- Spray with moisturizing mist (water, leave-in conditioner, oil, glycerin) (am)
- Sleep as usual (pm)

Tuesday
- Co-wash (pm)
- Detangle and moisturize as usual (am/pm)
- Bantu Knot (am/pm)
- Sleep with Satin Bonnet (pm)

Wednesday
- Fluff out matted hair (hehehe) (am)
- Spray with moisturizing mist (am)
- Sleep as usual (pm)

Thursday
- Co-wash (pm)
- Detangle and moisturize as usual (am/pm)
- Bantu Knot (am/pm)
- Sleep with Satin Bonnet (pm)

Friday
- Fluff out matted hair (hehehe) (am)
- Spray with moisturizing mist (am)
- Sleep as usual (pm)

I'm loving this routine at the moment because it's so easy and it always makes sure I've got a fresh hair-do for church on Wednesday and Sunday!

On another note, my friend said to me the other day that since I started transitioning, my hair has looked much healthier and the bantu knot out is definitely working.

Bantu Knot-Out Review

Transition Style: Bantu Knot-Out

Apprx 'Fixin' Time: 15-30mins

Approx 'Settin' Time: Overnight-24 hours (depending on how much time I've got)

Tools: Wet-damp detangled hair, styling mousse and elastics (I'm using small fabric covered ones)

Pros: A million times quicker than either or the other styles I had tried before. The time it akes to fix literally depends on how long your hair is and how tight you want the curls when you take the knots out. The tighter the curls you want, the more knots you have to do. It's a really really easy technique as well and that's always a good thing.

Cons: If the knots aren't relatively small, it won't blend the new growth as well as the TnC when taken out. I think unless I sat under the dryer, which y'all know i don't have time for, it's not going to last all week - maybe 2-3 days max but then that depends on how tight you make the curls.

Rating: *****

Overall Comments: This is my signature transition style at the moment because it's so easy. The fact that you have to do it every 2-3 days suits me fine right now because of the new regimen I'm adopting for the summer. At night I sleep with a bonnet and fluff it in the morning with some moisturizing mist, put a band on the front and then i'm good to go - so quick! I love it!

(the picture is for illustrative purposes only and isn't me!)

Update

I've got a couple of reviews to come y'all, so please bear with me. I've got two product reviews and one style review to come.

Anyway, I've been wearing my hair in bantu knot outs for a couple of weeks now (style review coming soon) and it's just so easy except when I'm super super tired and lazy. I really like this style and I'm going to keep doing it for a while - till I get bored and what to try something else.

There are so many things I want to try you guys. I really want to try AGrlCanMac's moisturizing mist (see the blogs I'm following), which sounds absolutely fabulous. I don't know what the effect of glycerin will be on my hair but almost everyone recommends it so I really want to try this. I'm so going to try to be faithful to my 'one new product a month' rule otherwise I can so easily see me turning into a PJ.

Talking about AGrlCanMac, she's gotta be a huge inspiration right now because she's just celebrated her 1st anniversary of being a natural and that's so awesome! I read her post that day and I was like - I can't wait for that to be me. So a big SHOUT OUT to her - keep doing your thing girl!

I've just booked a vacation to the Costa Del Sol on the coast of Spain and for the first time, I'm not too worried about my hair because I won't have to take a whole bunch of paraphernalia with me, like straightening irons, clips, rollers etc and if I stick with the bantu knots, I should need a handful of products. What I am a little bit worried about is the heat only because it's a different kind of heat to that that's in England. It's just hot over here, with no breeze and hardly any humidity - my hair doesn't like it at all. This is why I really want to try AGrlCanMac's moisturizing mist becauseif I mix it into a small enough bottle, I should be able to carry it with me and remoisturize as necessary.

Ok, final thoughts. I'm going to a conference tomorrow and I was really stuck for what to do with my hair. Seeing as it's so short, the bantu knot outs which are fine for work, just aren't corporate, you know? Anyway, I posted the dillema on NaturallyCurly.com and a fellow curly suggested roller sets. Now that sounds like a great idea but you'll see from an earlier review that they take me a little while to do and they're not always fully dry in the morning. Tomorrow, I won't have time to mes around with hair that's not dry so I decided to exploit the veratility of natural hair and straighten it. In the middle of it right so will let you know how it turns out.

Till next time
xxMwuahxx

Rollerset Success!

This is different for me as I’m actually blogging from work via email! Just wanted to give you a quick update on the rollerset I did last night.

I was a little bit disappointed this morning when I took the rollers out because my hair was still a little bit damp at the crown so I had to spend 10 minutes drying it with a hairdryer. And if I’m honest my rollersetting skills aren’t the best anyway so I wasn’t holding out much hope for the style, just had my fingers crossed. Well, what can I say? It came out quite well. Hopefully I’ll do better next time but it’s good enough for work and church.

I got quite a few compliments on my hair when I walked into work today so it’s a good sign, I think. I’ll post some pictures as soon as I can.

Till later

xxMuwahxx

Sorry I'm MIA

So I disappeared for a little bit there. Went MIA for a little bit but I'm about and I definitely haven't 'backslidden' and gotten a relaxer. My hubby's been practically glued to the computer for a few days so I haven't been able to get my blog on.

Anyway, I've been rocked the twist n curl for about 2 weeks so I need to do a full review and tell you what I think in all honesty. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of the Twist n Curl!!

I'm sitting here and I've got rollers in my because I'm trying a rollerset, so I need to blog about that as well.

It's mad busy so I might not be able to do it for a couple of days because it's church tonight and then my daughter's birthday tomorrow, but I promise I'll do it.

I also tried a curly pudding recipe I got from AGurlCanMac on my daughter's hair, so I'll tell you about that as well. OMG so much to do, so little time!

I'm out, till next time.

xxMuwahxx

The pictures are finally here!!

I finally got the hang of the camera so I know how to download stuff to my PC now - yay! Here so pics from my Twist n Curl when I took out my crochet braids.

All the hair that broke off when I detangled the 1st time - I told you it was enough for a small mammal

Ok, so the breakage was major to say the least. I was so heart broken when i saw all that hair - MY HAIR! *sob sob* But the truth is that quite a lot of my length was damaged and would only have ended up falling out at some point anyway.

For picture number two, have a look at what my head looked like with the perm rods for the twist n curl all it in. This was actually just before I started to take them out. I'm dressed for church and ready to go, the only thing left was the hair. I know that it may look a little bit crazy but trust me and take a look at the next picture for how it came out.

I really liked the results and it really blends the new growth into the relaxed ends. I mean you can't really see the new growth as distinct from the relaxed ends in this picture. Once the week's truly over i.e. one more full day of work, I'll let you know how the styled fared during the week and if it was all totally worth it.

Till later, xxMwuahxx

Transition Style #1 - Twist n Curl

Ok, so I'm transitioning to a natural look and my hair's kind of short, so I'm a little bit low on the kind of styles I do while transitioning. I was thinking of doing a sew-in weave but it's getting too warm for all that. My hair's also very weak from years of frying so braids are also out of the question.


So I was searching for a transition style to try out. I've just taken out my crochet braids - sorry I don't have any pictures - but I loved them and I'll definitely be doing them again in the colder months. I've heard a lot of fuss about Twist n Curl on the Hair Boards esp CurlyNikki and I couldn't wait to try it.


Right now, I'm sitting with perm rods in my hair and I'm itching to see how it turned out. Here's what I did:

• Washed twice with Luster's Pink Oil Conditioning Shampoo and 1/4 cup of baking soda - I've heard that adding baking soda to your regular shampoo turns it into a great clarifier, which is what I needed after wearing the braids for 4 weeks. Also won't be using Pink Oil shampoo again because it's got Sodium Laureth Sulphate in and they are sooo bad for your hair.


• Deep Conditioned with Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Conditioner for 1 hour (no heat) - I absolutely love this conditioner!!! It's awesome! I use it on my daughter's hair and her hair is so soft and manageable. It made my hair much easier to detangle.


• Detangled with Wide Toothed Comb - OMG My hair was such a mess of knots and breakage - there was enough hair for a small mammal sitting on the side of the bath tub when I was done detangling.


• Rinsed and blotted with towel


• Sprayed in Aphogee ProVitamin Leave-In Conditioner


• Rubbed in Kids Organics Shea Butter+EVOO Detangler Moisturizing Hair Lotion (it's my daughter's) and did a final detangle - the comb was just running through at this point. Everyone raves about Shea Butter on YouTube and the Hair Boards so I'm definitely buying some in bulk and mixing up a batch of Purpleola's Special Shea Butter (hehehe) - I don't know what I'll put it yet though. I'll keep you updated.


• Rubbed in some Oils - Wild Hair Growth and Wonder 8 Oil - just some stuff I had laying about the house, which I may or may not use again.


• Parted into 4 sections


• Did a bunch 2 strand twists in each section with KeraCare Curling Wax- I had to trim my hair (each twist) because that's how I plan to transition without really doing the BC and my ends looked so ragged it was embarssing.


• Curled each twist on perm rods till it was all done


• Tied a satin scarf on it and went to bed

Shuantae1's video was my inspiration: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8X8xtcOdgA

It took a while because in the midst of it all, my duaghter wanted me to twist her hair and made sure I used some wax - "Mommy do it hair?" (while holding up the tub of wax to me) - she's going to rock a twist-out to church today.

So that's it. I'm excited to see what it'll look like and I'll add some pictures to this post and show the results real soon.

xxMwuahxx

I'm going nappy

Ok, so I'm tired of getting my relaxed, my new growth coming in and then running back to the salon for a retouch every 6 weeks - sometimes less because my hair was growing so quick. The truth is, I've been tired of it for a VERRRY long time, so I stopped going as often and would try to strech my relaxer. The problem was, I didn't know what I was doing, so my hair just broke off :-(. Then I said enough is enough! I'll just keep my natural hair!!!!

I have very thick, very coarse 4b textured hair - so it's coily, can be wiry, dry, brittle and then my hair's also super porous so whatever moisturizer I put on it, it just sucks in and dries up so it needs A LOT of moisture.

I've tried transitioning once before, about 4 years ago just before I got married. I had a sew-in weave for my wedding but took it out while I was on our honeymoon in Jamaica because it was too darn hot! So I got another relaxer and the cycle started all over again.

Now, I'm a mom of a gorgeous little girl with gorgeous 4a hair - hers is a little bit softer than mine but also super thick and coarse. But she's not yet 2 years old and there's no way I'm processing her beautiful hair - so I thought I've got to 'LEARN' about natural African-American hair care. I say learn because you know you don't really learn anything at the beauty salon. So I joined the hair boards. Thanks to my girl KP for leading to longhaircareforum.com, which led me to YouTube and there are soooo many natural and transitioning sisters on there - it's great. So I've learnt some things and my daughter's hair is FABULOUS!!! And I thought: "If it works for her, it can work for me". So I'm transitioning again.
I got a sweet haircut when I got my last relaxer in February 2009, so my hair's quite short, which makes transitioing a little bit scary because I want LENGTH not shrinkage, but I've started this journey now and I'm not turning back.
I just want to share this journey which anyone that wants to join me in my quest to have gorgeous, healthy, NAPPY hair.

xxMwuahxx