Side Puff Tutorial!

Here's a really quick, cute natural hairstyle...

5 Month Natural Hair Update

I big chopped on Feb. 22, 2011. Therefore, at the end of July, I've been natural 5 months. Here are some updates... Length check is 5 1/2 inches. I started out with about a half inch so that's about an inch of growth per month. (That's good!) Here are some pics...

Henna: The Gray Hair Killer!

Once I began my natural journey and did the BC, my hair was much shorter than it had ever been. With that, I began to notice gray hairs that I never noticed before. I started panicking! :) Maybe some people like the "salt n pepper" look but I don't. I want to keep my youthfulness for as long as possible. lololol. So, anyway, I was panicking because I decided not to use any chemicals or heat in my hair. What the heck was I going to do to cover these gray hairs? I researched and found 100% body art quality henna was completely natural (from a plant). I use henna every 6 weeks or so to cover gray hair new growth and it works extremely well for me. I want to clear up a few misconceptions as it relates to henna:

1. Henna does NOT come in different colors. Henna comes directly from a plant and is only one color (which will come out dark red). If your henna comes in different colors like black, brown, blonde, etc, it has been altered and is not in it's natural state. 
2. Henna does not darken naturally dark hair. My natural hair is really dark (probably jet black). Henna does not alter that color at all. Henna goes through and looks for the light hairs (in my case, the gray hairs) and turns them red. Everything else stays the same... 
3. Henna does NOT straighten your hair or make you lose your curl pattern. Your curl pattern will remain the same (just no gray hairs!). 
4. Henna may dry your hair a little so be sure to condition/moisturize your hair daily.

If interested, I ordered my henna from www.mehandi.com. The 100g package is enough for my short hair. However, if you have longer hair, you may need to order a bigger package. The recipe I use is as follows:

• 100g Ancient Sunrise Henna
• 2 cups water
• 2-3 green tea bags
• honey

Empty the henna package into a large mixing bowl. It will be a dark greenish/gray powder. Boil the water and tea bags on the stove to make green tea. Pour the hot tea into the bowl with the henna. Add one "swirl" of honey. (I don't know how to measure the amount of honey, but I just take the bottle of honey, and go around one time, as if I was drawing a circle on top of all the other ingredients.) Stir it well with a large spoon. It will start to look like dark green baby poop. lol. Stir it until all the lumps are out. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit for a couple hours. Then:

1. Section hair in 4 sections. 
2. Apply this as you would apply a perm. (**Use gloves because it will turn your hands orange!**)
3. Within each of the 4 sections, part smaller sections and apply the henna mixture.  
4. Continue until all hair is covered. 
5. Wrap your hair with plastic wrap and let it sit for atleast 4 hours. (The longer it sits, the better results.) 
• If you are in a rush, some people sit under the dryer (without the plastic wrap, of course) for an hour. It has worked for them... 
• I don't apply heat to my hair so I no longer do dryers. I wrap my hair in plastic wrap, put my satin head scarf on top of it and leave it all day, go to sleep with it and wash it out the next morning with shampoo. Remember to condition your hair as well and style as normal.

Daily Natural Hair Care Regimen

People ask me all the time, "What do you do to your hair to make it so curly?" And believe it or not, sometimes, people get a little mad or give me the "yeah right" face, when I say, "Nothing... My hair is naturally curly." But it's the truth. I cannot lie and say I don't put any product in my hair. I definitely do, but it's more-so for frizz and shine, not for curl enhancement. Once I did the Big Chop in February 2011, I began this daily regimen...

1. Co-wash every day (conditioner only). I use Mixed Chicks deep conditioner. The link to their website is below under our Suggested Links. Although it is deep conditioner, I do not use any heat. I wet my hair as soon as I get in the shower, put in the deep conditioner and leave it in my hair as I shower. Before getting out of the shower, I rinse it out. 
2. Shampoo weekly... On the weekends, I do a complete wash (shampoo and conditioner). Shampooing everyday dried my hair out so, since doing it weekly, I've seen a big improvement. I used Mixed Chicks shampoo and deep conditioner (mentioned above). On the weekends, I do not rinse out the deep conditioner as quickly as I do during the week. I leave the deep conditioner in for a few hours as I clean the house, workout, etc. 
3. Key for me is... apply product while your hair is soaking wet! Do not towel dry!! Towel drying creates more frizz. When I first get out of the shower, my hair is extremely curly (in little cork screws). That is the style I want to mimick, so even before getting dressed, I put Mixed Chicks Leave in Conditioner and Styling Oil in my hair. When I applied the leave in conditioner alone, it looked nice, but my hair was a little hard and crunchy. So, I put a small amount of leave in conditioner in my hand, also do one pump of oil, mix it together and apply that to my hair. I do it 3 times (for the back, middle and front of my head). 
4. Then, I do "the shake". lol I do not comb or brush my hair because it causes breakage. I finger through it while I'm in the shower (under running water) to detangle it. Once I apply the leave in conditioner and oil, I put my hands over my eyes and shake my head as from left to right (about 10 times). Then I shake my head up and down about ten times as well. This helps to separate the curls and give me a little more volume without combing, brushing, applying heat, etc. 
5. Style and done!    

To Big Chop or Not to Big Chop? That's the question...

I've always been used to having long hair, so when I began the transition, I'd convinced myself that I would successfully transition for at least a year (until I had new growth that was shoulder length) before I'd chop all the relaxed ends off. I was tooooo scared to big chop. However, as my transition process continued, I began to get really annoyed with the 2 different hair textures. My roots were really pretty and curly. But they were weighed down by my fried and dyed relaxed ends. Also, as my new growth came in, I grew excited at the potential of having a head full of hair that was completely free of any chemicals.

One morning (about 3 1/2 months into my transition), I woke up and was sick of the 2 hair textures. I went in the bathroom and just started cutting! I had researched online about the "line of demarcation" (the line where your new growth meets your permed hair). So, I knew to wash my hair, take sections, hold them up loosely and you can clearly see where your natural hair ends. That's where you cut. I began cutting and never looked back. :)

Be prepared for some resistance from family and friends (especially if you've always had long hair). My brothers and husband hated my big chop. They constantly teased me about my head or told me how ridiculous it looked. I don't know why, but most of the black men I know prefer long hair, but whatever! Something happened when I cut my hair off. I had NEVER had hair that short. I felt new. I felt sexy. I felt exotic. It was like I'd created an alter ego. My alter ego didn't care what anyone thought. She had so much confidence that she readily embraced her natural hair and vowed never to relax again.

I immediately began shopping for girly accessories to "glam up" my boyish short cut. I bought big earrings, eyeliner, lipgloss and mascara. So even though my husband hated it and my son wanted to know why I had "boy hair", I loved it. So begins my natural journey... February 2011

Transition Tips!

Once you decide to transition to natural, here are a few tips that worked well for me:

1. No heat (blow dryers, flat irons, etc.). Although you may think it helps to blend the 2 different hair textures, it actually destroys the natural curl pattern that's trying to come in. 
2. Treat your entire hair as if it's natural. I co-washed my hair daily. Cowash = washing with conditioner only. During cold months, I'd co-wash my hair at night, add leave in conditioner, twist it, roll the twists and let it air dry until bedtime. At bedtime, I'd put on a satin scarf, go to sleep and take out the twists in the morning. Depending on your preference, leave it out, put it in a bun, rock a headband, etc.
3. Go to the salon to have your ends trimmed monthly. The monthly trim will create the illusion that your hair is staying the same length. As new growth grows in, the stylist is clipping relaxed hair off the ends. Continue to do this until there is no longer any relaxed hair OR do the Big Chop! Big Chop (BC) is when you cut off all of your relaxed hair and are left with an extremely short TWA (teeny weeny afro).

**The pics below show 2 - 3 months of transition time.** (Notice there's a distinct difference between the new growth and the relaxed ends).

Going Natural?? Why?

I never thought I'd have to answer this question, but now that I think of it, it's a very good one. Why did I go natural? For me, I didn't have an "ethnic experience" in which I decided I wanted to "go back to my roots". I didn't say, "Whew, perms are too expensive." Unfortunately, my decision making process was less elaborate, but once I started, it was so liberating, I knew I'd never go back.

See, I've always had what most black people would call "good hair". That's a relative term because although my hair was wavy and everyone thought it was "nice", I hated my hair growing up. It was long and extremely frizzy. At that time, I'd give anything to get my hair to lay flat! :) But it wouldn't, so I wore ponytails and corn-braids until 10th grade (16 years old). I was working (shout out to Brooklyn's Summer Youth Employment program) so I had some money saved. I snuck out of the house (is "snuck" a word?) one morning, said I was going to my friend Asa's house and came back with a PERM! I was so happy. Woo hooooooo! The stylist cut "chinese bangs" across the front of my face and it was long in the back. Finally, my hair laid flat and I was officially addicted to the creamy crack!

Fast forward to my 30th birthday. Although my hair was still very long, I was getting bored with it. I decided to get a curly weave (Indian Remy) to add some spice in my life! lol It was the first time I'd gotten a weave. It was also the first time my husband called my hair "sexy". What? Maybe I'm guilty of over-analyzing that compliment but it's been 2 years and I still haven't forgotten it. Anyway, one year later (when I was 31), I sat down thinking about that compliment. A light bulb went off... Before I started perming my hair, it used to look very similar to that Indian Remy hair that cost me over $500 the previous summer. That's when I decided to transition to natural. It was more-so a challenge for myself to see if I could get my hair to go back to how it was before. 

So, in November 2010, I decided that I would not get anymore perms. The transition process began...