Strength Before Length

Flexi Rod Success !!!

2011-12-08T19:06:00.005-05:00

Hey Ladies !! Sorry it took a few days to get back to you. Let me get right to it!!
I started the whole process on a friday night around 10pm or so. I used my new favorite conditioner (Cream of Nature Argan Oil Intensive Conditioning Treatment packet) mixed with a few drops of Hollywood Beauty Morrocan Oil. I left the mix on my head for an hour or so. I shampooed with my Shea Moisture Organic Raw Shea Butter Shampoo and then did a quick cowash with Tresemme Naturals conditioner to ensure all the shampoo was washed out.

I then sectioned my hair and applied Kinky Curly Knot Today Leave-in along with some Kera Care Foam Wrap Lotion. Finally I began to roll my hair, and I used some of my leftover Miss Jessie's Curly Meringue (hadn't really used it much) on each piece that I rolled. In total, I used 32 purple flexirods. My rods are the Annie brand, in the 3/4 diameter. Here is a link :

http://www.blackhairspray.com/annie-soft-twist-rollers-7-purple-5-ct-3-4-diameter-annie1205.html

After rolling, I sat under the dryer for about an hour, by then it was around 1-2 am and I was exhausted so I went to sleep. I wasn't sure if I was completely dry, so I slept with them in again o_O . It wasn't terribly uncomfortable though, I kind of found the perfect spot, hahahaha.

In the morning I just unrolled and picked the curls apart !! Not to brag, but this style was such a hit!! People who know me compliment me and even complete strangers keep making positive comments and stop me wondering how I did it and saying how gorgeous they think it is. I definitely will do this style again!!! It may be my staple style for a little while :)

The links to my flexirod tutorial are:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhGLj27rAIU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rb2mZEizvCg

Thank you as always!!!!

Rollersetting Challenge (Style # 2)

2011-12-03T11:35:00.004-05:00

Here are a few pics of my Flexi-Rod set!! I did this style in a rush last night(actually midnight-1am this morning!). I have a Christmas Party to attend today !!! I am about to head out now to get my last minute errands done before I leave for NYC...I just had to show you guys though !! I love the results.

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Thanksgiving Hair & My Rollersetting Challenge

2011-11-26T03:42:00.013-05:00

As you read in my last blog, I'm back on the roller/rods bandwagon!! I am challenging myself to refrain from flat ironing until my birthday in February. I am going to wear rollersets and other low manipulation styles until then!! I know it will be very very difficult, but this challenge is for my own good. It seems everytime I come on here, I say the EXACT same thing about doing a better job caring for my tresses..This time I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY do mean it. I notice my hair is not yet damaged, but it just lacks the life & body that it had before I went crazy on it. I really have been overusing heat!! I'm done torturing my poor head. I will be buying a wig just in case I feel the urge to straighten again !!! I love the fact I've been wearing my real hair the last 6-7 months, so the wig will sit in the closet as an emergency option only!

So far my tentative Plan Of Action is to wash/condition/roll my hair every 7 days. I will be doing intense deep conditioning treatments on the weekends, along with light protein & hot oil treatments. Go hard or go home...I gotta get my hair and scalp back in shape !!

On Thanksgiving day, I did a rollerset on the turquoise/aquamarine color rollers ( 1& 1/4 diameter magnetic rollers). I was a little off, but I got back into the swing of it. I used 30 rollers total, and I was really happy with the results !! Here is my hair before, during, and after ....

As you can see, I didn't get my hair on the rollers PERFECTLY but they still came out really nicely!!

Here is photo of my hair...I will update later with a better quality pic when I find my camera !!

The curls came out really softly, they weren't crunchy or hard at all.. I thought I used alot of foam wrap but I guess not !! My next rollerset will probably be done with the purple flexirods. I'm so excited !!!

Thank you for reading Everyone :)

********I almost forgot to tell you what I did !! For this rollerset, I oiled my scalp with African Royale Hot Six Oil, and then applied my prepoo mix with cheap conditioner. I slept with the mix on overnight. The next morning, I shampooed with my Shea Moisture Organic Raw Shea Butter Shampoo. Next I did a 30 minute light protein treatment with my ApHogee 2 Minute Reconstructor, rinsed it out, and did a brief deep condition with Cream of Nature Argan Oil Intensive Conditioning Treatment. I left that on for almost an hour, then I rinsed and applied some Kinky Curly Knot Today Leave-in, and some Kera Care Foam Wrap Lotion. I rolled my hair on the rollers and sat under the dryer on and off for 2 hours (probably under the dryer for an hour & 15 mins total though, the rollers were small so it took longer to dry). When I took out the rollers, I applied some Fantasia IC Heat Protectant Serum and straightened my puffy roots on low heat !!! That was it :)

Back to the Basics ....

2011-11-26T02:08:00.009-05:00

Hello Ladies & Gents !!

Let me fill you in on what's going on with me since I last blogged ...

On October 13th 2011, I got my hair colored THE EXACT same color again !!! I LOVE IT !!! It had been almost 4 months since I initially colored it. I love it so much!!! I found out the name and brand of the color for those who asked. My stylist uses Salerm brand, #6.4 and my color is simply called "Dark Copper Brown". Here is a link to it !!

http://i.pgcdn.com/pi/75/84/22/758422858_125.jpg.

Ever since June, I've been wearing my hair straightened. Well after 5 months, I've had enough !!! My hair is already colored and the constant heat thing is going to start taking a toll if I don't give my hair a rest. I started watching some youtube videos looking for perm rod/flexirod ideas, and now I'm back on the rollersetting bandwagon!!! I really would <333 LOVE to see my hair reach my waist by my birthday in February. I don't know how realistic this goal is, but I'm going to try my best !! I purchased some smaller sized rods so that I can rock the curly fro for an extended amount of time. Right now, my plan is to use rollers in the 7/8", 1", and 1 & 1/4" diameters (yellow, tan, and turquoise, pictured respectively)

I also went ahead and treated myself to a floor standing/rolling hair dryer. I love my old faithful table top dryer, but honestly it was a pain propping it on tables or books. I could never seem to get it to the right height. I also have a soft bonnet hair dryer that I can use on the bed or floor, but the air distribution was never even, and I could never get it completely over my rollers either. I'm glad I no longer have to worry about any of those issues!!

My new dryer is by Belson, the Gold N Hot Stand Hair Dryer, Model#GH053. I used it for the first time on Thanksgiving, it was great!! Nice and warm and just a dream after being immobile for so long, LOL... Initially I wanted a Pibbs Qwik Dry, but right now 300-500 dollars is just not a smart move for me to make. I'd rather buy a nice hair steamer to condition with for that kind of money if I had to! I purchased the dryer from Sally's, it was on sale for $88 dollars. I like that it is black instead of the white Conair brand dryers they usually sell. It comes with a 2 year warranty and was very simple to put together. I will keep everyone posted on how it hold up!! Here is a link with all the specifications and a picture :)

http://www.mississaugabeautysupply.com/belson-gold-n-hot-stand-hair-dryer-model-gh1053/

I'll have a blog on my rollerset results next !! Thank you for reading everyone :)

..:: My Regimen ::..

2011-09-18T17:18:00.006-04:00

Here is the MOST current version of my regimen as of September 2011. I have copied and pasted it exactly as it appears on my Hair Forum pages. Enjoy !!!! :-)

---------------------------------------------------------------

Quick Update : As of August 3, 2011, my hair is NL/SL when it's unstretched, and it just passes my bra when I do my flat irons. July 29, 2011 marked 2 Years since my Big Chop !

I have Hand-In-Hair Syndrome, so I prefer to do protective styles that don't require me to touch my hair for days and weeks at a time ! Although alot of ppl don't like that I wear wigs and weaves, they were the main reason I was able to retain all of my length each month. I grew my hair from my big chop (which left me with 3-4 inches at EL/NL) to APL in just a year by protective styling. TRUST ME, protective styles work!

Currently I'm enjoying my new length, I've been wearing my hair in stretched hairstyles. I enjoy rollersets/flexirod sets/flat ironing/blowouts, and I love my braidouts when I wear my hair curly. I only wear my hair stretched, I prefer having the length.

0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0

I don't have a regimen, I just wash my hair whenever I feel like it. If I had to guess what I do on average, I would say I try to wash it:

■every 10-14 days in the winter, every 5-7 days in the spring, and I cowash every 2 or 3 days in the summer.

■I always prepoo on dry hair, shampoo or cowash, and then apply my leave-ins and begin styling.
If I'm going to do heat styling with my flat iron or for a blowout, I take a few more steps in my regimen.

For rollersetting & Flat Ironing:

■Prepoo overnight on dry hair, shampoo the next morning, apply my light protein treatment, and follow behind that with another moisturizing deep conditioning treatment. Then I apply my leave-in conditioner, foam wrap, and heat protectant serum. I NEVER use double heat, so I do a rollerset first before flat ironing. I've never had any heat damage using this method. I do not worry about heat damage either. If I get it, I'll cut it off. Plain and simple.

For Blow-outs:

■I follow the same method as I would for rollersetting up to applying my leave-ins and heat protectant but instead of rollersetting my hair, I do cornrows to first stretch my hair, wait for my hair to become about 85% dry, then I do the blowout in small, detangled sections. I get incredible stretch using this method, and it's much more gentle on my hair than doing it on dripping wet hair.

■I try to moisturize daily with a dime size amount that I focus on the ends. I seal with oil.

■I oil my scalp every 2-3 days usually.

That's my total regimen in a nutshell

September Blowout

2011-09-18T16:33:00.006-04:00

Yesterday (9/17/2011) I had the joy of going to the salon for another Dominican blowout !!!

I did my prepoo that morning with some Nexxus Humectress and Hot Six Oil on my dry hair, then I headed out to the salon.

Once I got there, I was shampooed, deep conditioned under a Pibbs dryer, and asked if I wanted my hair set on rollers or just blown out. For time's sake, I opted for a blowout [[ I know what you're thinking, but hey, we all take shortcuts at one time or another right?!?]]

My hair was blown out with a roundbush and dryer, and then I was asked if I wanted a trim. I definitely wanted one !!! My stylist (Elita) cut about 1/4 in some areas, 1/2 in others, and possibly even a whole inch in the front where the ends needed some help. I LOVE MY RESULTS!!! My hair is so even and smooth. I love my layers once again. I probably will get one blowout a month, if even that. I currently have my eyes set on 2 lace front wigs that look exactly like my own hair textures [one curly, the other a yaki straight]. I hope to be able to purchase them ASAP so that I can give my hair another much needed break for maximum length retention.

Here is my new length after the trim!! Mid-Back/Waist Length hair, I'm coming for you !!!!

What is YOUR Dream Length Hair?

2011-09-05T18:56:00.008-04:00

I think we've all asked ourselves this question at some time or another during this Hair Journey.

I used to want Rapunzel-like hair all the way to my hips when I first started my journey and after my Big Chop, but now I think that's a little TOO extreme for my taste.

Now I want a nice curly SL/APL layered look like Rochelle Aytes (I had to Google her name! I've only known her by her character names of Lisa in "Madea's Family Reunion" and Denise in "White Chicks") I think this goal is very realistic since her texture is not too far from my own. The look in this pic can easily be acheived with a good twistout with perm rods, or flexirods!! Her length is believable, and incredibly full and healthy. This is my goal curly hair!! I think by next year I could possibly reach this look...POSSIBLY. LOL

My straight hair goal is exactly similar to the length and cut hair Beyonce has, and my straight hair styling goal is to get the Gabby's voluminous curls. I CANNOT WAIT to be here !!! I hope I am at this length by the spring/summer of 2012. This is so beautiful and healthy (even if they may be lace fronts or weaves. It's not dramatic or overdone at all to me! I really love B's color as well :)

What is your dream length hair, curly, straight, or both? I would love to see a pic if you can post a link below!!!

Closer To My Dreams :)

2011-09-05T16:44:00.009-04:00

The other night, I was passing time by looking at different profiles and pictures on the hairboards. I ended up going through some of my saved favorite pictures. Most of these saved favorites are from years ago, and the women all have bra-strap length hair and beyond.

I looked at these pics and for some reason, I just could not become excited or astonished. Don't get me wrong, these women had some G O R G E O U S healthy hair....but when I saw these pics for what felt like the 50th time, I found that I thought less along the lines of "I can't wait for the future when I'm there!!" and felt more like "Wow, I'm not very far behind her" ...

Then I took the time to go through my own picture collection, starting with my older pics and working my way up to my newest. I was just filled with complete and utter shock.

I can't believe it, but I've been on my HHJ almost 3 years now. December 15th will mark my third year on my journey!!! I can't believe I'm just months away from reaching my ULTIMATE hair goal, WL hair. It's surreal to me, I mean I'm in a state of complete disbelief.

Here is a pic of my hair dated September 9, 2009

Here is a pic of my hair almost 2 years later, dated August 2, 2011.

Don't get me wrong, I know that I'm only going to graze it in my longest layers. Nonetheless, I've met a MAJOR personal feat that I set for myself!! It's still amazing because I realize I started at my shoulders, cut my hair up to my ear, and now it tickles my lower back. All in 2 years time!!! I've never had that much success in any of my endeavors, and so quickly. NEVER...I've been blessed in other endeavors, but it's always taken alot of time. This will be a start to a happy end :)

Honestly, before my HJ I knew that long waist length hair was possible (in a wishful thinking, optimistic, "you-can-do-anything-you-put-your-mind-to" kind of way) but I honestly never pictured myself having it again as I did in my childhood. I had some silly reasons why it wouldn't be, such as, "I'm too old now," "my hair is too coarse," "I'm not a child anymore and my hair doesn't grow that quickly". Thank you LORD that I was wrong about myself!!! hehehehe

I'm so determined to get to WL ASAP!! I am going to reduce the amount of heat I use and bun my hair more frequently. I am also going to rely on flexirod sets, cheat rollersets, braidouts, and any other cute heat-free styles I can find!! I want to play with clip in pieces, and try making my very own homeade half wig. I really can't wait to get this wrap-up started ! I will be making videos again really soon you guys. I've been really blessed and I want to share the information I've learned with you all.

Thank you for reading !!!

2 Years Natural !!!

2011-08-07T22:58:00.008-04:00

Wow, I've been gone for so long !!!

Well on July 29th, 2011, I celebrated my second Big Chop-iversary !!! I went to the salon the next day for a Domincan blowout.

I haven't had much of anything going on in my HJ, besides getting my hair colored professionally !! It came out as brown/copper like color.

I also started playing around with braidouts on reverted flat ironed hair. I LOVE THEM !!!

That's all that's going on in my world right now. I will be back with some more updates later :)

May 2011 Sew-In with Mongolian Kinky Curly Hair:

June 2011-Length Check, Blowout, & New Color!!!

July 2011- Ponytails, Blowouts, and Braidouts !

August 2011-Length After Trim and My Color Growing Out !!

Photo Updates

2011-05-15T23:12:00.005-04:00

Man, it feel like I've just completely abandoned my blog and fotki ! Well I want you all to know that is NOT the case. Life has picked up, but I'll discuss that in my next blog for you =)

For those of you who may not be on the hair boards, I decided to give you some photo updates so that you aren't out of the loop :)

Lately, I've been wearing my hair in rollerset/flat ironed styles. I Love them !!! My hair is the longest it's been in a LONNNNNNNNNNNNG time ( I think I was 11 or 12 the last time it was this long) so I really enjoy seeing it this length.

It's funny, when I wear my hair in my fro, it looks the EXACT same length as it did about 8 months ago. I don't see much difference from the back of my head, nor do I see it when I style the front of my hair. Here is a comparison from August 2010 and April 2011 ( left and right respectively):

When I straighten my hair, it clearly has grown and I'm happy about that. August 2010 on the left and April 2011 on the right again:

Rollerset hair was easier to deal with this past winter since I didn't have to wash or style my hair at all. I enjoyed wearing my real hair and not having to worry about it each day. I would wear it straight for a week or 2, and then touch it up by putting flexirods in it to kind of "disguise" the reversion I experienced. Here are some pics of that....

I still rep #teamnatural though !!! Make no mistake :) Always and forever ...

February Flat Iron

2011-03-05T21:09:00.007-05:00

Hey Everyone !!! Nothing new has been going on in my HJ, so that's why you haven't seen any recent posts. I did flat iron and dust my hair on my birthday last month and I'm really pleased with the results !!

and here is my hair after dusting. I'm so pleased at the ends looking more healthy!!

I Flat Ironed Again....

2011-01-20T02:21:00.008-05:00

I Love my results !! I rollerset my hair on HUGE 3 inch rollers like these in the back:

I know that pic doesn't do a descrption must justice, but the 3" rollers are big enough for you to slide on your wrist like a bracelet. I also used my normal gray rollers for the front, and some 2" rollers in the middle and top.

I did a POOR job in rolling....I did NOT comb my hair well or smooth it onto the rollers flatly. Instead I just kind of sectioned and plopped my hair on the rollers. My hair was still pretty kinky when I took the rollers out, but I was okay with that. I mainly wanted to get my hair stretched and straightened w/o using a blowdryer. I knew my flat iron would fix any "patches" in my hair, which it did!

My Mom bought me an FHI platform for Christmas, I used it for the first time today and I LOVE it... It's AMAZING you guys. I only used it once, but I think I would recommend this flat iron for other natural ladies too !! I've used a CHI before, ughhh HATED IT !! FHI is my baby now <3

Just as an FYI, I prepoo-ed overnight with a moisturizing deep conditioner, then shampooed the next morning, applied some ApHogee 2 Minute Reconstructor as my protein treatment, then followed behind that with a moisturizing deep conditioning treatment. Then I applied my leave-in cream, my foam wrap lotion, and a dab of heat protectant serum. Rolled my hair, dryed, and then applied a little bit more serum. That's sooo many steps, but that's the method that works for me :)

Here is a comparison from last year to now :

This is from February 2010, and today. I'm getting a trim because the ends can look MUCH better.

HHJ everyone =)

The Game Returns Tonight !!!

2011-01-11T10:35:00.002-05:00

I hope this season is the best yet =)

1 Year Afro Puff Comparison

2011-01-03T16:20:00.006-05:00

First of all, HAPPY NEW YEAR !!! I wish everyone a wonderful HJ this year, as well as all other endeavors you take in 2011.

I was in the car a few minutes ago, and decided to take a pic of my puff since I'm really feeling it today. I remember taking a similar pic back in January of last year just like it. I couldn't wait to log onto pikistrip and make the comparison photo. Check it out for yourself =)

I love that my hair is fuller now. The main reason that I went natural is to have thicker hair. I love that my hair becomes thicker each month that passes. Although I loved my relaxed hair, I always had a 50/50 experience with it. Sometimes I'd have a great service done, other times my hair was overprocessed. I just like that I don't have to worry about that overprocessing anymore. I used to think of texlaxing, but I'm too in love with my afro to do that right now. Rollersets and flat ironing seem to work for me the days I want to be straight, I don't think I need a chemical. Even if they didn't work, I love wigs and they DEFINITELY give me the straight look if I ever feel I miss it.

Wow, I'm all over the place with this blog post !!! LOL... Sorry everyone. I'm sure posts like this make for annoying blog posts, but you must understand that I HAVE TO DOCUMENT milestones like this to keep myself inspired and to re-assure other women who have done their BC's recently that their hair will grow, it just takes time :)

I think I will do a rollerset for my next blog post since I tried it for the first time in January of last year also.

Thank you for reading ladies and gents !!!

Merry Christmas !!!

2010-12-25T15:32:00.002-05:00

Enjoy this holiday season with your family and loved ones.

Merry Christmas to those who celebrate !!

2 Years Relaxer Free !!! Happy 2 Year Anniversary to Me !!!

2010-12-22T13:59:00.007-05:00

Last week on December 15th, I made it to YEAR 2 of my Healthy Hair Journey !!! I can't believe how quickly the last 2 years have flown right by. I feel like it was just yesterday that I was watching Lorraine's rollersetting tutorials, Ateeya's half wig videos, and Bronzeg's amazing relaxed hair journey. I really do hate to sound cliche, but the time did FLY, it only feels like I've been on my journey for a few months.

December 15th 2008 was also my last relaxer date. I had been without a relaxer for almost 6 months at that point, so I had a bit of NG. I wore weaves the entire time. Unfortunately, I was gluing in those weaves and using a flat iron to blend everyday. My hair was left thin and broken. The stylist did a great job of getting my hair straight, but she left the relaxer in WAY too long. I don't have pics from that day, but I do have pics that I took 2 weeks later. Do you ladies see why I began researching growing african american hair ???

Well, 2 years later, I am back to my length before the big chop and now I feel as though I'm ready to grow my hair out to all sorts of unbelievable lengths. I will be doing my last flat iron of the year a few days after Christmas (My Mom bought me an FHI flat iron, but I have to wait until then to use it). I can't wait to show you ladies that update picture. Hopefully I'll have a new camera by then also :)

2010 Hair Journey Goals Revisited

2010-12-22T04:56:00.006-05:00

Going into this year, I decided to keep my HJ goals very simple. I made ONE set of goals for the year, which I tried to adhere to the entire time. Of course certain things needed to be tweaked along the way (detangling process, rollersetting techniques, braid and twistout styling, etc) but I MADE SURE that I always did everything in accordance to meeting these goals. Now that the end of the year is approaching, it's time I give myself a personal evaluation =)

Here were my goals for this year:

2010 GOALS

- Gain Thicker, Stronger Hair. MAINTAIN HEALTHY HAIR - Make a Nice, Full Natural Ponytail
- Master the art of Rollersetting my Natural Hair !
- Retain All Length
- Use Castor Oil & MN to regrow my damaged nape and thicken up edges
- Protect & Nourish My Ends
- Deep Condition w/ Heat for Better Penetration and Manageability
- Continue to Moisturize & Seal Regularly to Prevent Dryness & Breakage
Continue to leave my hair alone for optimal growth !

Overall, I feel I met all of the goals I set, however I feel I could have placed stronger emphasis on a few. Those goals include using castor oil & MN to regrow my nape/edges, deep conditioning with heat, and protecting and nourishing my ends.

I haven't been using anything on my poor edges to try to re-grow them. My goal in 2011 is to oil my edges EVERY other day... that's 3 to 4 times a week. I really know I can do it, and I'm committing myself to doing this.

As for deep conditioning, I think we all love our DC's with heat in the winter, but we slack off once spring/summertime rolls around and go back to cowashing. Sadly, even once the weather became cold, I still continued to wash as if the weather were warm. Prepoos overnight are great, but not enough. This winter is supposed to be extremely cold. Time to break out the dryer and probably invest in a steamer as well. I am committing to deep conditioning with heat at least every other wash, but I will try to make this EVERY wash for the duration of the winter and early spring. I also committ to DC-ing with heat as soon as the summer heat passes, and not waiting until it's winter.

As for nourishing my ends, I did a pretty good job with this task. I always remembered to moisturize and seal. In fact it's so innate that I don't have to remember to do it, I just do everynight before bed. I like to braid my hair into loose braids at night, and I dont do them w/o using a moisturizer first. However, I do feel I could do a better job of baggying my hair. I am committing to baggying my ends at least twice a week in 2011. I like to baggy for about 30 mins only, anything else would be too much and leave my hair over moisturized.

So there is my list...It's pretty simple and very realistic. I don't want to make outrageous goals that I know I can't possibly oblige to. I encourage you to make your own very basic haircare goals this year, in addition to your length goals. Your haircare will determine how much length you retain, so don't be so quick to overlook the small details ;)

HHJ Everyone. May all your hair dreams come true in 2011 !!!!

Better Late Than Never...

2010-12-22T04:31:00.007-05:00

Here are just some quick updates from the time I was gone. I did make sure to update my fotki in my absence, so you can check that out for a bunch of pics !!!

1. I did a blowout on my hair in November:

2. I did another rollerset & flat iron in November :

3. I did a flexirod set using Miss Jessie's Curly Meringue in early December. I rolled with Annie brand rods, the 5/8 diameter rods.

4.I finally decided to purchase a length check shirt. That's a big one, now I don't have to take anymore pics in my bra.

That's pretty much everything in a nutshell :) I'll be back later on today with more updates for everyone. Thank you as always for reading !!!

Beautiful Braidouts

2010-12-22T04:06:00.006-05:00

I've finally figured how to do the perfect braidouts on my hair texture !! I'll keep this blog short and sweet :)

1. I section the hair off, or just keep an idea of how many braids I want and finger comb them as I go through the hair.

2. I spritz my hair lightly with water and apply some shea butter,like I normally do when I moisturize.

3. I seal the section of hair with Eco Styler Olive Oil gel, using the rake and smooth method.

4. I immediately braid the hair after applying gel, either loosely or in a cornrow. I use in between 5 and 8 braids. Here are typical braid patterns I use :

5. The result is nicely shaped hair that I can wear down, in a 'fro, in a puff, or any other style you like to do !!

Here are various braidout results I've gotten using this method..Try it and tell me if it works for you !!! I will post a Youtube video on this as soon as I get a new camera ( my camera broke, so I'm limited to my phone for pics now).

I'm Back !

2010-11-19T14:45:00.001-05:00

Sorry I've been gone for so long ladies, but it's good to be home =)

Although I've been gone from Youtube and this blog, I have been playing catch up on my fotki album !!! It is up to date =)

Please stop by if you can't wait another minute for my updates LOL...

I Love You all and thank you for all the kind messages and comments. I will have a bunch of updates this week and this holiday season will be a blast for us !!!

Back to Gray Rollers !!! * Happy Dance Again*

2010-09-25T08:46:00.014-04:00

My hair can fit on gray rollers !!!I haven't used them since I was relaxed. Do you have any idea how excited I was to see that ?!?!?!?! TOO EXCITED !! hehehehehehehe !!

I hadn't done a rollerset on large rollers since March or April of 2009. I had a wonderful feeling of accomplishment when they were in. After more than a year of waiting, I'm able to pick back up where I left off.

Let me tell you, I would have never known that my hair could fit because whenever my hair is wet, there is alot of shrinkage. I started off saying to myself, "let's try and get a gray one in to see how much longer of a wait I have...." I put the roller in the very center front of my forehead. Well to my surprise, it worked !! I could wrap the hair around 1 and half times LOL... that was enough though !! The front of my hair is the shortest, I constantly dust my hair there because of the difference in textures. I need to stop though because there aren't any problems such as breakage or splits. I don't know why I like to snip so much.

Once I saw that first roller could fit securely, it was a WRAP... I knew I could do the rest of my hair too !!

I rolled my hair up and sat under the dryer. My boss called me in and so I had to cut my dry session short. I was upset, but money trumps a rollerset for right now!!!! lol... Here was the results after taking the rollers out too soon...(they didn't look that bad though)

I just wrapped my hair and wore a wig to work. The whole time I was at work, I kept thinking how excited I was to get home and finish though !!!

The next morning I did a saran wrap treatment under my hood dryer....

.... and then I asked my grandmom to press my hair out. Here are my results !!! I was super happy by them. Please check out the youtube video I made!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gql7l-FdWV0

Oh and before I forget, here is a quick comparison again.

This is a 7 month time period. I'm very pleased !! You can reference the blog on the February flat iron by clicking here

THANK YOU AS ALWAYS LADIES !!

Braidout on Stretched Hair

2010-09-25T08:25:00.008-04:00

I did a braidout on my previously blow dried hair !!

I only used some of my leftover Mango Butter by Elasta QP to do it =). I did a side to side cornrow pattern in the back of my head, and in the front I used some straight back cornrows. I was pleased with my results ! The youtube videos I made do this style better justice than what you see in this video though. I am on the hunt for some more curling products to experiment with over time. For now I'm still in love with my vanilla mint serum & green tea shea butter combo for great braidouts that are very moisturized !!

Here are some pics of it :

Here is the braid pattern that I did and the link to the youtube video on it :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzIZlvtVdJM

Thank you so much for reading ladies !!!

The 2nd Blowout Pics !

2010-09-25T07:49:00.006-04:00

I forgot to post pics of my second blowout !! Sorry Ladies =)

I made 2 Youtube video documenting the whole process if you would like to see it :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2jZvHKPab0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8JMZmSGjnY

I did a pre-poo, shampoo, protein treatment, deep condition follow up, and then I used some heat protectant serum on damp hair and blew it out !! I LOVED it this time ! My hair was stretched further than last time because I cornrowed my hair first which added length, then I blowdried hair that was already elongated. I got that tip from 1mits1 on Youtube !!! I LOVE her method and I will always use it in the future.

Here are the results of it !!

Thank you for reading Everyone =)

I Wore My Real Hair Out Yesterday....

2010-09-12T15:17:00.004-04:00

...for the first time. I LOVED IT !

I made a youtube video about how I wanted to do it, and I expressed that I was nervous to see if I got any rude comments or stares. Noone payed me any attention, LOL... if they said anything good or bad, they didn't do or say it to my face. That's a good thing! I am very sensitive, sometimes =)

I took a few pics of how my hair looked. It was just a big huge 2 week old braidout I guess you could say, because I had worn my wig for 2 weeks straight and just took the cornrows out the night before. I can't wait to start wearing my hair out even more =) I don't know why I was shy !!! I guess I just had to feel comfortable, and now that I have enough hair on my neck I don't feel as bothered by the length ! I'm excited to wear my real hair to work too so that my coworkers can actually see that I'm growing it out. I will play it subtle at first and stick to my ponytail, but after they get used to that I'm rocking all sorts of rollersets, afro puffs, flexirod sets, twist outs, perm rod sets, braidouts, bantu knot outs, ALL THAT JAZZ !!! LOL

thank you for reading everyone !!

The Blowout & Flat Iron

2010-08-26T04:41:00.011-04:00

I did it on Monday, August 23 to measure my length, and I'm pleased. I think next time, I'll let a salon do the flat ironing though !! My iron is just not warm enough to completely straighten my hair. That's okay though!! lol... I really don't like seeing my real hair straightened completely anyways. I just like to have an idea of where I'm at =)

Anyways, here was my fro after taking my cornrows out:

and here I am after my prepoo, shampoo, protein treatment, and my moisturizing deep conditioning treatment. (LOVE THIS FRO TOO LOL)

and here is my hair after blowing it out and LIGHTLY flat ironing it !!! Excuse my ends, but I don't wear my hair straight so I wasn't worried about them looking perfect LOL

Even though I straightened, I ended up just wearing my wigs to work anyways lol... I just wrapped my hair underneath. Wrapping gave it a nice little bend on the ends, it almost looked as if I did it on purpose !! I was going to rock the wig again today (sunday the 29th of august), but honestly I love my ponytail now, I wore that out!! It's really pretty. I've come a long way since last year =)

I will have a video on this entire process very soon !! Right now my house is too crowded to make a video lol.. I tried ya'll, but someone always barged in and it got annoying. Once we all get off of vacation and go back to work and school, I'll have the house to my self and be able to record uninterrupted lol. Thank you for reading as always !!!

Another One Year Comparison Pic Everyone Rolls Eyes LOL

2010-08-20T11:57:00.005-04:00

Yes, yet another comparison !!! But I have to say, I don't do it to pat myself on the back or make myself feel good. I know and I can tell my hair is growing and I'm blessed =)

I do post the comparisons because there are SOOOO many women who recently BC-ed and tell me how much the comparisons and videos keep them motivated to stay natural or continue transitioning. I agree... I love to look at fotki's and Hair board albums of women who have documented the journey for over a year's time. I personally just enjoy keeping my HJ documented. I don't think I would have BC-ed if I had not seen Maria G's fotki which documents her journey from the BC until now, about 3 years later. Her fotki was my favorite, among plenty of others. I also enjoy Sera's fotki too, her hip length hair is beautiful and to think she started off with a fade !!! Beautiful type 4 hair.

Oops I got off track.. Where was I? lol

Just Kidding ! Here is another comparison... This is a 1 year ( well more like 11 months, 3 weeks lol) comparison of my chunky 2 strand twists done on wet hair. In August 09 after the BC, I could wrap my twists around about 3 to 5 times max. Now I have twists that hang !!! WOOOO HOOOOOO !!

....HAPPY DANCE TIME !!!

Did I Just Ruin My Edges?!?

2010-08-20T11:12:00.008-04:00

I've decided to go back to MN. My nape and edges seem as if they have thinned from the wearing of my lace front, so enough is enough. I don't want to risk any damage. I am going to try some protective styles on my real hair and wear them from now on. I'm thinking rollersets and afro puffs again =).

Since I am challenged when it comes to styling my own hair, I plan to visit a local salon that specializes in natural hair. I hope they can give me styling choices to look cute with and still look professional and polished!! It will be my first time going to a salon since my last relaxer back in December of 2008. I hope to visit it by the beginning of next week.

I was going to keep this a surprise, but I can't hold it in when I'm this excited. I finally want to color my hair !! I am thinking of getting some highlights only in the front of my hair to start off slowly and gradually lighten as time goes on. I want to monitor my hair to see if it becomes damaged at all. I really don't think it will though. I've been wanting highlights on the top for the longest time now, since I did my BC. I think I'm going to ask the stylist to give me a Keri Hilson -like color service like her hair is here :

.... I really like her color there. I just want something small and subtle, yet cute. This look is perfect to me to achieve those kind of results. I won't be risking too much damage by starting small. Wish me luck !!! =)

**** I don't normally moderate comments, but I understand alot of people are against MN. I don't mind disagreements, but I will monitor this thread in case someone decides to disrespectfully bash my decision !! I know that won't happen though. I Love You all !! Thank you for reading =)

DO YOU KNOW WHAT TODAY IS? IT'S MY ANNIVERSARY !!!

2010-07-29T10:58:00.010-04:00

That's right... one year ago, I did the BC !!!! I was happy then, and I'm happy now. I got alot of growth, found some excellent products and developed an excellent routine, and there is nothing more I can really say besides enjoy the pics !!

I'm Blessed !!!

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS EVER WRITTEN A COMMENT, A MESSAGE, DID A YOUTUBE VIDEO, WATCHED MY YOUTUBE VIDEOS, SUBSCRIBED TO ME, BEFRIENDED ME ON THE HAIR BOARDS/TWITTER/FOTKI, ANY AND EVERYTHING !!! I LOVE EVERYONE AND COULDN'T HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT THE LOVE AND ENCOURAGEMENT OF MY (ONLINE) FRIENDS !!!

.... that was then......

.....and this is NOW !!......

I think I have excellent growth, even with my shrinkage....I can't wait to do a one year flat iron comparison in September next !!!

Thank you for reading everyone !!! =D

Summer Protective Style #1

2010-06-29T16:10:00.006-04:00

This is a phony bun that I made using Milky Way Indian Hair Brazilian Curl !!! I purchased 14 inches in a 1B. I LOVE IT !

- I cut the hair in half, and took one half of it to make my bun and saved the other half for another day =)

- I shampooed and conditioned the hair with my KeraCare Weaves & Extensions products.

- I washed my real hair as normal, applied my leave-ins, and then applied my Eco Styler Olive Oil Gel over my edges.

- I pulled my hair into a ponytail, and wrapped the tracks around my real ponytail.

- I bobby pinned the hair down, twisted it up into a bun, and wore that thing fiercely !!! Here are the pics and the link to my video where I show the entire process step-by-step.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHl1ieh2CqE

I LOVE IT !!! Alot of my transitioning subscribers expressed how they want to try this. I'm so happy for you ladies, you'll love this style. Nicole, if you're reading, THANK YOU SO MUCH AGAIN ! I love this style and I plan on wearing it forever, LOL

9 Month Comparison

2010-06-22T00:43:00.004-04:00

Just a little timeline of my flatirons on natural hair. It grows ! I have to look at these pics to remind myself sometimes. My shrinkage is becoming so intense with each wash day !!

JUNE FLAT IRON !

2010-06-22T00:23:00.007-04:00

I'll keep this blog short and sweet =)

I rollerset my hair on saturday/sunday night and then I lightly passed the flat iron over my hair !!! My ends look a little rough but that's okay bc I only straightened my hair with intentions to trim it. I don't like straightening my real hair, I'd rather use a clip in piece or a wig to get the relaxed look. I can't wait to cowash tomorrow and watch the curlies come back !!! Here are a bunch of pics from the experience !

Here is my hair after washing and then rolled up :

And here are the results !! Again I do apologize my ends look a little rough, I am going to trim them tommorrow (probably an inch). I did want a good idea of my true length though !!

I'm happy !!! Here is the before and after for you =) Thank you for reading !!!!

18 Months Since My Last Relaxer !!

2010-06-16T01:55:00.006-04:00

Yesterday completed a full 18 months ( a full year and a half) since my last relaxer !!! My last relaxer was December 15th 2008. I still can't believe how far I've come. It's like a dream !!

Anyways, I'm VERRRRRY close to wearing my natural hair out without a headband or any other kind of accessory. My fro is getting larger !!! It's not much of a TWA anymore. As you can see in the first picture, my shrinkage is around 50%. I can't wait to straighten it out and be amazed, LOL.. In these pictures, I just got off of work and took my cornrows down and this was the result ! I'm going to start doing more braidouts on dry hair to continue and give my hair that "hang".

Thank you for reading everyone !!! Hang in there transitioners !!

Eco Styler Olive Oil Gel- First Try

2010-06-12T21:41:00.011-04:00

Well I finally purchased this product after hearing so many youtubers and bloggers rave about it. I went to Sally's Beauty Supply on Thursday and it was on sale for $3.29. That price seemed good to me ! I bought the 32 oz jar and it will probably take me 2 years to use it all up. There's no way I can use all of it anytime soon. Anyways, I did my 2 strand twists with it in place of shea butter. The results were very pretty, but nothing worth going crazy over. I can't tell the difference between my results with this or any other product I use. I didn't use too much because I didn't want crunchy hair. I had intentions of undoing and wearing my twists out, but I still am not comfortable with my length. I ended up pulling my hair into a puff, as always. I can say though that I'm happy my hair isn't crunchy or hard at all. I look forward to revisiting this product in the future when my hair is longer, but for now I'll let my Mom and sisters use it. Maybe I'll use it to slick my puff back sometimes. I would rather wait until my hair is longer before I start to play with other styles other than the puff. Just my preference :-)

I did have a highlight of my day though !! I saw my old transitioning photos on fotki from one year ago and I was inspired to do a comparison photo. I'm really happy at what I see! One year ago I had about almost 3 inches of NG with those long stringy relaxed ends hanging... Now one year later I have 9 inches of all natural, thick healthy hair on my sides ! The inches honestly don't matter though, I'm just glad the strings are gone !!! Hang in there transitioners =)

Thank You !

2010-06-06T09:47:00.005-04:00

Thank you to all 85 readers who voted in the poll !! The majority of my readers are transitioning (44%) with a close 38% of ladies/gents who are already natural! That really shocked me, I thought the majority of my readers were recent BC-ers like I was. I never gave much thought into sharing my transitioning stories, but with this newfound info, I definitely will write more blogs geared toward the transitioners !! I will transfer some of my hair board blogs I wrote during my 7 month transition to this page. I am also going to begin featuring women who are transitioning (or have transitioned) so that you ladies can bond together. That is crucial for a successful transition. I would have quit and just relaxed if I didn't have my online friends (and my designated transition buddy Diana) on the hair boards to support me. I never told any of my friends in real life of my plans, because none of them could understand or appreciate my healthy hair journey. I want you ladies to be able to stay close and connected and encourage each other !

A good percentage of ladies are already relaxed/texlaxed and plan on staying that way (14%). Thank you to those readers as well, it makes me so happy that someone is reading even though you have no plans on going natural. I will begin to write about inspirational relaxed ladies too who have grown there hair out from damaged lengths to much more healthy, full lengths.

Only 2% of the chemically treated ladies are considering transitioning in the future. Don't worry, I won't try to sway your decision !! Going natural has to be a subjective decision, I don't ever deliberately try to change someone's mind, that pressure can lead to regret later on.

This insight really helps !! I never know who is reading so it's harder to think of what to write about. I will continue to document my HJ, but I will also write blogs geared to all women on a HHJ so that you can feel inspired =) Please feel free to share if you have an idea of what you would like to see mentioned on this blog. Have a great week everyone !!! =)

The Price of Being Cute...

2010-06-05T21:42:00.006-04:00

Yesterday was my youngest sister's 16th birthday! Our family went out for dinner. It was very hot and I decided I did NOT feel like wearing a wig. At the very last minute, I decided to do a quick wash and go. I knew I wouldn't have time to prepoo for at least an hour or overnight like I normally do, so I figured I would leave some Herbal Essences Long Term Relationship Conditioner in so that my hair would smell really sweet :-)

.... I could kick myself for doing that !! Something told me not to use the Herbal Essences Long Term Relationship Conditioner, use my Suave Naturals Tropical Coconut Conditioner (dimethicone free) instead. Suave always keeps my hair soft and detangled. Well of course the HE LTR is LOADED with fragrances and cones, both of which lead to my hair being TERRIBLY dry. For some reason, my hair always feels dry hours later after using my Long Term Relationship. That's not good, usually it takes a few days for me to feel the dryness a product can cause, but not with this particular conditioner.

Here was my hair before, it looked so soft, smelled sweet, and felt so great that I made a tweet about it !!

Just hours later and especially by the next morning, my hair felt and looked so dry !! I am going to make a youtube video so that you can see how bad my hair looks and feels. I took pics, but for some reason my camera is just not capturing the full extent of the dryness. The flash takes away from how serious the problem is, LOL... I really need to toss the HE LTR or give it away. It's just not a good product for my hair type. This product is always a hit or miss. 95% of the time, it's a miss. I haven't had a good experience with it since my relaxer days. I just don't have the heart to throw it away since I spent money on it.

As always, I am once again depending on my organic products to undo the damage and be my cure all! I wish I would have just washed with my Zipporah Beauty like I always do, but time didn't allow me to properly wash and deep condition the way I like to. No more shortcuts... I will make a youtube video so that everyone can really see just how dry my hair is right now and the steps I take to fix it.

Thank you for reading, as always !

Hair Hiding Again

2010-05-12T19:46:00.009-04:00

I've decided that I want to go back into hair hiding because my hair grows like a weed when I'm not touching it everyday. I am going to stick to washing & DCing once a week, and I will oil my scalp a few times a week as needed. I will also moisturize my hair as needed ( probably every other day).

I decided to go back to wigs because my schedule is just to hectic to deal with my hair everyday, and it's just easy to throw a wig on for a week and wash on the weekend !!! I am about to order my first full lace wig online too, I want a nice body wave wig that I can flat iron !!! I can't wait for that unit to arrive and show the pics of her.

Here are the wigs I am in right now... The first wig is my work wig, I rollerset it all the time to restore the curls. It is a wet and wavy type lace front that I bought from my local beauty supply store.

The second is a half wig that I cut to make more subtle... That thing was huge !!!

The first wig is by Zury, it's a lace front (not to be confused with a full lace wig) and it's called Ashanti..The second wig is a by Outre named "Evony".

Thanks for reading !!

My "Bunny-tail"

2010-05-01T22:08:00.018-04:00

I came across my bunnytail today by accident!

I decided to use Wild Growth Oil on my scalp when I woke up this morning, I haven't used it in a very LONNNNNG time and wanted to revisit it. It left this waxy film-on my scalp !! Then the smell of it was upseting me. I couldn't stand it anymore so I washed and shampooed my hair. The film was still on my hair!! It felt like a thin coat of candle wax was on my scalp. I realized that I would need to apply plenty of cheapie conditioner as a prepoo to get the film to soften and eventually come off, YUCK...

Anyways, my hair was still wet from being washed. I used a generous amount of Aussie Moist all over and pulled my hair into a pony. I haven't used it since last year, in December. I just applied it any kind of way, but my hair dried soooo pretty !! All I could think about was how pretty it would look if I had actually detangled and used the rake & smooth method to define my hair ! I'm going to try shingling my hair sometime later this month if I have time. Here are the other pics, enjoy !

No Natural Hair on the Job...Not Yet !!

2010-04-16T07:41:00.008-04:00

Well, as I just wrote in my previous blog, I have my career finally !!! I wore a synthetic lace front the first couple of days, but the lace was bothering me way too much, it irritated to the point I broke out on my hairline and scalp! That bothered me, not to mention the fakeness of it. I hate how synthetic hair looks like Barbie Doll hair !! Ughhh. I cracked and bought myself a human hair lace front and I will never buy synthetic again !! LOL...I bought this wig off of the mannequin head for a 20% discount so I don't have all of the info on it's name but if anyone wants to know I'll go back to my BSS to find out for you =)

Here is how it looks on the mannequin...

.... and this is my work look ! I love it. I can't wait until my hair is this long. Hopefully after a year and a half I'll be close..

I plan on wearing my real hair to work as soon as it is long enough to put in a ponytail/cute updo. For now it's still too short, but hopefully by the end of the summer I'll be able to =)

My New Job...

2010-04-16T07:18:00.003-04:00

Hey ladies !!! Well if you've read the older blog posts, you know I wrote about how I needed time to get away from youtube and the hair boards to get things in my personal life together. I didn't want to talk about all of my personal matters back then, but I can talk about everything going on now that it's all worked out =)

I have a new job !!! After being unemployed for almost 8 months, I finally am working again. I feel so blessed ! I've been training for the last 2 weeks and I still have about 2-4 more weeks of training. My training is rigorous, I have to become acquainted with a million and one different software programs and the correct way to use them. It's been alot of fun learning though !!! Somewhere in the hustle and bustle of my orientation and my hands on training I've been sooooo tired and just haven't had time to update here and especially not on youtube or the hair boards. I know time will free up eventually though !

I just wanted you all to be caught up on my doings so that you won't worry too much =)

I sincerely thank everyone for all the kind words and prayers ( a huuuuuge thank you to Nakeisha, Kim, Diana,Laine, and Sweetfm for their prayers for me !) and to everyone else who I haven't talked to yet but just wrote hello to me on any of my pages. Thank you all for just remembering me if nothing else, it's nice to know I have extended friends =) Right about now, you ladies know more about what's going on in my life than my own personal friends, hahahahaha .. I love typing in my blog about everything !

As always, thank you for reading everyone. I hope you enjoy your weekend !!

8 Months Since the Big Chop !! ( Afro Puff Comparison )

2010-04-01T16:36:00.001-04:00

Hey Ladies !! Well I just wanted to write a very short and sweet blog to update you !

On March 29th, I made it to 8 months post Big Chop !!! Today I'm rocking a super-sized puff and I LOVE it. Earlier today, my sister, who has teased me since the big chop by calling me She-baldi (hehehehe !! that's still funny to me)...

well get this... She says to me, "I like your hair today. It looks nice." :-O *jaw drop* Did I hear her correctly??? Wow !!! lol... My sister always asks me if I'm going to straighten my hair, or get it blown out and I constantly tell her no, I don't like it straightened. This is the first time she's told me that my natural hair looks nice, as is. I was shocked, like Fred Sanford, hand over heart, "Elisabeth, I'm coming to joing you !" shocked. Don't get me wrong, she doesn't call my hair ugly, but whenever I ask her if she likes it, she says how it will look cuter once it gets longer. Can't say I disagree with that, because I honestly have always felt that way.

Anyways, I'm just SO HAPPY that it's growing to the point others can see it =)

Here is a pic of my puff today. My hair almost completely covers the back of my hairline!! I can't wait to see my ponytail in another 8 months !

... and to the transitioners, hang in there!!! Here is an 8 month comparison of my afro puff. The pic on the left is from August 2, 2009 (4 days after the BC).
The pic on the right is today, April 1,2010 ( almost 8 months later)!! My hair has been growing the average 1/2 inch a month, nothing miraculous. I'm just glad to be retaining the length.

HHJ Everyone !

I Know How to Cornrow Now !!!

2010-03-28T12:44:00.000-04:00

Guess who did her first head full of cornrows ?!?! Yours truly !!! I couldn't believe how nice they came out! I have to work on getting them even and uniform, but honestly they came out really nice for my first try on my natural hair.

I did them a few times on my relaxed hair, but it was so much harder !! My hair would tangle so much for some reason. It's so much easier for me to do them on my kinky hair !! I'm not sure why. But I'm loving how easy it was !!! Check out the pictures. I tried doing a sew-in, but I didn't have enough packs of hair lol... so I left the cornrows in and just oiled my scalp. I had a professional meeting to go to a few days later, so I took them out and rollerset my hair. I can't wait to braid my hair up again !

Here are some pics :

I think I did well considering I have 2 left hands, hehehehehehehe !!!

Fro-Hawk Retry !!

2010-03-28T12:01:00.000-04:00

Well I re-tried the fro hawk earlier this month, this time I liked my results because I washed my hair first !!! I didn't wear it out, but I can tell as it grows larger I'll gain some more confidence with it =)

Here are a few shots of it :

The very top of my hair is so fuzzy and ill-defined compared to the rest of my hair. I love my hair no matter what, but the frizziness and lack of curl on the top is the reason why I limit my styles to the puff only. It just doesn't look good =(

I'm really hoping that as it grows out I can blend it better. I did a light dusting on my hair yesterday, maybe that will help as well ! Right now my hair is straightened, I had to go to a meeting and decided it would be best for me to straighten my hair for it. So I took advantage of my straightened my hair and clipped the fuzzies ! Maybe I'll see a difference on my next wash day later this week =)

Taking a Personal Break....

2010-03-24T12:17:00.001-04:00

I Love All of the friends I've made here, the hair boards, and on YouTube. You ladies are so encouraging and always offer encouragement and your friendships, and I can't begin to tell you how grateful I am to have met you.

This past week has been very trying and difficult. I know that I'm going through a test of my faith, and I am trying very hard to put all my trust in Christ so that I can get through this trying time. I am a Christian, and I am trying to be optimistic and remember what the good book says about times like this when we are troubled (James 1:2-4)

2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;

3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

I don't want you to worry about me AT ALL. I am not in any eminent danger and my health and safety are all just fine.

I am however still going through some personal issues that just don't need to be talked about here or anywhere else. At times like this, I want to keep my personal life separate from my hair journey. I need some time away from the internet and just want to be with my family. I will be back very soon though.

I hope you all can understand. I truly am sorry but I promise when I come back, I'll be a force to be reckoned with..... I will have SO MANY updates when I come back here and on Youtube, you'll be tired of seeing me ! For now though, I just do not feel like talking about anything related to hair or my personal life.

I Love You All... Thank you for your prayers and understanding.

-Love Michele

BTW, for those who will want to know, I will be keeping my regimen simple. I plan to wash and deep condition my hair once a week only, and I will moisturize and seal 3xs a week as well. I am cornrowing my hair and wearing a wig to give my hair a break. I am only going to be using my Zipporah's Beauty products for a long time while I try to undo the damage I've had. I use the Citrus Delight Shampoo & Conditioner, and I also use the Vanilla Mint Moisturizing Hair Serum in combination with the Green Tea Hair & Body Butter to moisturize before braiding. The products are awesome and I'm glad that my hair is doing well while I try to make things in my personal life go just as smoothly. God Bless Everyone

Hair Drama....

2010-03-22T22:11:00.000-04:00

This past month, I experienced some really bad drying. I mean REALLY BAD drying!! I don't know what the EXACT cause was, but I am certain I can say it was from the products I use.

Back in December, my hair felt exactly like this (dry and prone to breakage). I completely eliminated my cowashing with Aussie Moist & Tresemme, and I also rid myself of my ORS Hair Lotion. It seemed as if my problems were cured !! I cut out cowashing and began shampooing, and my hair felt much better for the next few months. In early February, I purchased some new products, and also continued on using my Cantu Shea Butter. I found my old Tresemme gel, and I began using it too when I tried shingling my hair.

Although my hair looked SO pretty on wash days, it sadly was becoming so dry and unhealthy in the days after, once again. I cannot say with 100% certainty what is causing the dryness, but I know it is either one or the combination of several products. Although I love them, they can be a gift and a curse. I think my hair also had a slight case of protein overload because I was using my Cantu Shea Butter Leave-In every wash.

I'm not taking any chances on breakage. I refuse to have any setbacks because of a product !!! I am so gentle and I don't ever do any styles to my hair. I wear an afro puff all the time, and it's never pulled too tightly. I keep my hair moisturized, and my scalp oiled. Still, something has been going terribly wrong !! Until I figure this out, I am going back to the products that NEVER let me down.. My all natural, organic products !!! I NEVER have drama with them. I feel bad I stopped with them, the only reason I didn't repurchase them was because I didn't like the smell !! You would think I would love how manageable and soft my hair was, but NOOOO ma'am.. I was obsessed with fruity/fragrant products !! That's just terrible. I'm paying the cost for that silliness now.

My Big Sister, Nakeisha, has finally opened her online store (Zipporah Beauty) and I am RELIEVED... I was about to go out to the Vitamin Shoppe or GNC to buy some natural products, but instead I can give my support to her. She is one of my best friends and my Sister in Christ so I am so happy to be using her line exclusively to help undo all of this damage I've been having. I've used the products twice, once this week and once last week. It seems as if my problems are all gone, so I am going to continue with the Zipporah line EXCLUSIVELY for the next few months just to be sure that my hair woes are completely cured. I really love the line, the products are all natural and organic, plus they smell GREAT ! That's really important to me, I really do not like bad-smelling products. I will write about my experience with each product in detail in my upcoming blogs =)

Stretching My 2 Strand Twists

2010-03-20T17:42:00.000-04:00

If you've read my past blogs, you already know how frustrating shrinkage is to me. I almost considered texlaxing my hair because I was so sick of it ! Well I did the rollerset/flat iron look for a month and LOVED it. Now I am loving my puff and fro again, and I have been using chunky 2 strand twists again to help keep my puff looking fresh and cute everyday.

On my Youtube channel, I decided to make a video series on how I "refresh" my fro once it gets dry and lopsided. One of my subscribers offered the suggestion that I try clipping my roots when I twist them in order to prevent that extra shrinkage. She told me how she does this on her twists, and her hair appears almost 3 inches longer. I tried it and it WORKS !!! You could not imagine how happy I was to see longer, fuller hair! I made a youtube video on it to thank her ( Thank you again Chrystal !!) and show the results of my trial. I never wrote a blog until now, here is how my hair looks after I clip it :

I had a hard time capturing how I do it, but I pull the twists downward to stretch the roots, and clip directly above where the twists begin. Be Sure you pull the roots downward and clip with tension. This is what makes the roots stay stretched. If you merely clip your roots, there will be no tension and you won't see any noticable change. The clips should feel securely in place, but not obnoxiously tight either. They don't hurt at all and I usually clip my roots before bed and enjoy the results in the morning ! Try this and let me know if it works for you =)

Be Blessed and Thank you for reading Everyone !

2-Strand Twistout Puff Results

2010-03-08T20:33:00.000-05:00

Hello Everyone !!!

Here was my Saturday hair (sorry for the shadow) :-)

It's growing ya'll !!!! LOL...

Last Friday, I uploaded the 4 part "Frizzy Fro" series on my YouTube channel. Part 5 with the results was a damaged file and did not post to my page. I wanted to make sure you could see the results though and know exactly how I completed the look.

First, after I finished twisting, I put on a cute scarf because I had to pick up my sister. The scarf was on for about 30 mins total. When I got back home, I took it right off and airdried for an hour. After that hour, I gently took apart the twists. I didn't comb them out, I left them chunky and super defined. I sprayed all around my edges only with water, and rubbed some KeraCare Edge Tamer all around my perimeter to give it a nice, glossy sheen and hold. I wore my hair around the house all evening before tying my hair up again at night.

The next morning, I re-wet my edges again, but this time I used Mimosa Hair Honey to slick my wet edges back. I like the sheen it gave my hair. I didn't like this product originally, but it is slowly growing on me. It does contain beeswax, so I may end up putting it back under the sink where all of my unwanted products are. I don't know how my hair will respond to beeswax over time, I'm monitoring for now.

thank you for reading =)

Keeping the Motivation

2010-03-08T19:07:00.000-05:00

I try to limit my comparison photos to once every 3 months so that I don't drive myself insane checking for progress. I'm glad that a full 3 months has passed since my last wet hair comparison shot in November. I was pleased with the results from today !! My hair is dripping wet here and was not detangled at all.

I'm glad that my hair is filling out on the sides each update. I can't wait to see my next update in May! I'm going to buy a nice curling product to try out on my hair so that I can finally wear these curls out !!! They're tired of hiding in the puff or rollersets =)

Living The Dream.....

2010-03-05T05:10:00.000-05:00

It has been 1 Year since I decided to go all natural !!!

One year ago, there was absolutely NO WAY I was going to do a big chop... I simply refused to have short hair...

.....and then some 21 weeks later, I decided not to fight anymore, and just cut off all the remaining relaxed ends!! Some long term, no BC transition I had !!

I never would have imagined making it this far in my hair journey a year ago. If you would have told me that a Big Chop was coming and that I'd be natural long before my 24th birthday, I would have looked at you like you were lying through your teeth !

I say all this just to remind you, don't be afraid to dream big ! I have the hair of my DREAMS and I'm enjoying watching it grow out healthy and strong.

My Second Flat Iron !!

2010-02-11T17:38:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I rolled my hair for my 4th time. I'm so happy because I've graduated roller sizes !!! I can use the red rollers now !!! (not much of a difference at all, but an accomplishment nonetheless for me lol)

After rolling I did a saran wrap, and then lightly flat ironed on low heat to make the hair lay down a bit.. here are the pics !!!

Check it out in my latest video, My Flat Iron parts 1 and 2

Shrinkage Comparison !!

2010-02-09T21:55:00.000-05:00

This is my hair after a wash and go, and also after combing out my rollerset. Wow ! What a difference... I love rollersetting for these cold winter months, it's nice to have hair on my neck once again. Rollersetting every week is helping my patience while I'm growing out this TWA !!

What I love most about rollersetting is that it becomes easier with time, my hair becomes "trained" to stay straight, and for longer, and when I prepoo or wash my hair, the curls snap right back and they have absolutely NO heat damage !!

Thank you for reading !!

2009 Hair Journey Progress Picture !!!

2010-02-06T23:28:00.000-05:00

It was a great year.. I did my BC, and pretty much made it back to where I was last year =) .. I'm excited to see what this year brings !

My Results with Miconazole Nitrate (MN)

2010-02-06T23:14:00.001-05:00

Alot of people want to know more about my personal results with MN, so here is the progress pic blog I originally wrote on the Hairlista network in September. That was also when I stopped using MN. I have copied and pasted it for you, enjoy !

ORIGINALLY POSTED TO HAIRLISTA ON SEPT. 19, 2009

Well I wanted to post the results of my personal 2 month MN challenge that I planned to do from my big chop ( July 29 ) to the end of this month (Sept. 30)

I know I'm cutting my challenge short,but I am too lazy to continue using and mixing MN every other week lol.. MN is wonderful, but the cream and oil separate and I'm so tired of shaking and mixing vigorously every time I have to apply. That is the only drawback I've had with it.

It has really helped my nape too. I'm no longer bald there, I have enough hair that I'm not ashamed to wear updo hairstyles with it showing ( I'll take pics of it soon for comparison). My baldie is the reason I tried MN in the first place. One of my friends on another hair board wears wigs bc she is balding in patches on her head. She tried tons of products but MN worked best to fill the spots in. She saw my blog back in March about my balding and suggested MN, but I wasn't trying to hear anything about coochie cream lol...Well 3 months later, it was too hot to wear my hair down all the time to hide my nape and I wanted to rock my bun so I tried it out. It's not a miracle, but it did work to be so cheap lol... I had ringworm on my nape back in gradeschool and the hair never grew back in sadly ... I've spent a good hundred dollars the past 10 years buying products that are supposed to regrow balding napes and edges and nothing else worked so quickly ( I havne't tried Rogaine though )

Just in case you can't tell, the pic on the left is from March 4, 2009. If you use my ears as a reference point, you can see my hairline stops at about the middle of my ear. In the second picture, its harder to tell, but my hairline starts at the bottom of my earlobe ( took that pick Sept. 6). Yay !! lol.. like I said, MN is no miracle product, but it really did work. I tried WGO and Castor Oil on my nape exclusively and I had no luck. I will go back to MN soon, I"m just lazy right now lol

I want to use EVCO exclusively for my next challenge. I am really loving the idea of using all natural and organic products now, my hair is responding so well to them, its time to use them on my scalp lol. I just started with Biotin this week, and I look forward to starting MSM powder when I go to my doctor and get the go-ahead =)

*** I've been applying MN 3-4 times a week to my entire scalp. I massage my scalp after I apply it, and I take a multivitamin everyday. That's it ! My MN is mixed with regular 100% castor oil and wild growth oil =) ****

Rollerset Again !!

2010-02-05T13:03:00.000-05:00

Here is the third attempt at rollersetting ! This time I rolled from ear to ear first, and omitted the mohawk method. I like it MUCH BETTER this way ! I was able to get rollers on and didn't need the flexi-rods. Here are the pics :-)

How I Did It:

-pre poo overnight with Elasta QP DPR-ll
-shampooed with KeraCare Shampoo for Weaves & Extensions
-sprayed ApHogee Keratin & Green Tea over my hair and combed through
-rubbed 5 squirts of my KeraCare Foam Wrap Lotion into my hair and combed through
-rolled with 33 turquoise rollers
-sat under my hooded dryer for over an hour, then airdried the rest of the night
-fell asleep with the rollers in my hair !! (it wasn't comfortable at all either)
-took down the rollers, and saran wrapped my hair, then back under the dryer for 15-20 mins
-shake and go !

I made a youtube video if you want to see how it looks real time =)

Thank you for reading =) !!

Fro-Hawk Fail

2010-02-04T22:04:00.000-05:00

Last sunday, I tried doing the frohawk... It didn't work !! I just don't have the right hair to pull off this look yet. Honestly, I don't have the right persona either.. My style is more of a reserved one. I just DID NOT feel right and I felt it looked wrong on me. This style is for the bold & edgy woman !! That's not me anymore, hehehehehe. Maybe I'll try again in the future though :-)

on a much better note, my favorite style ( THE AFRO PUFF !) is only growing larger every month !!! I'm TOO happy about that !! I hope to be able to make a decent sized ponytail by the summer, so that I can go swimming with it =P

I hope I don't sound vain and conceited, but I just want to stare at this pic when I see it !! The huge afro puff is one of my reasons for going natural !!!

Beauty Supply Store Haul !!

2010-02-04T21:16:00.000-05:00

Hello Everyone !! I hope you all had a great week and are ready for this weekend =) On the first of the month, I had the chance to go to the Beauty Supply Store and restock on some hair goodies ! I have cut out my former Product Junkie ways, and now I pretty much rely on my natural & organic products mostly. That makes me so happy ! My coils on the other hand, have been begging me to buy their old-time favorite, Elasta QP DPR-11...

I ran out of my beloved DC shortly after my big chop. I had such a hard time finding it at any of my local BSS (beauty supply stores). Well Monday I found it !! I almost walked right past it, I didn't recognize it in the new jar ! Not only is the jar new, something about the consistency, color, and smell are all new !! I didn't see any changes in the ingredient list though, so I was partially confused. At first I worried if it would still give me my PERFECT results like it used to..Well I applied it yesterday night, and while applying to my hair and using my "Fenman" ( fake denman!) to get it on evenly, I immediately fell right back in L-O-V-E!! I honestly can't tell a difference in the way it made my hair look and feel (compared to how it made my hair feel in the past when I used it). Somehow the product is different though, but I just don't know how. I need to go check the Elasta site and find out..I have no complaints though !!!

The second product I purchased was Lustrasilk's Shea Butter Cholesterol with Mango !! I hear great things about this particular product. In the past, I used the carrot oil formula on my relaxed hair, but sadly it did nothing for me. Since completing my BC, it has only done marvels !!! Go figure ... lol. Well the Shea Mango Cholesterol was just as FABULOUS !! I had to make a youtube video on how great it was =) I went heavy while applying it, because it seemed as if I didn't even apply any to the shaft. It almost felt like putting creamy water on my hair, it did nothing !!! I kept applying it though, and hoped that it wasn't a waste of my 3 dollars... Well sure enough, after letting it sit on for 30 mins, it made my hair feel sooooooo soft and it really defined the curls !! It will definitely become one of my staple prepoo/deep conditioners ! It is great to be fairly cheap. That is great for me because I don't have money to spend on a costly DC... I just want something that does great, and costs less !! I've found that in this product.

I also bought some more mango butter ! It ran out around the same time as the DPR-11. I wanted this again because I need something creamy to moisturize with when I rollerset ! My water based products would cause my hair to revert, and I'm not a fan of moisturizing with oil on dry hair unless I'm doing a hot oil treatment !!

So now I have all 3 of my babies !!! My Elasta QP Mango Butter & DPR-11 and my Shea Mango are all keepers forever =)

Progress Pics Time !!

2010-01-26T21:15:00.000-05:00

I am 3 days shy of January 29, 2009... The 29th makes exactly 6 months since my Big Chop !! Last night I did my second rollerset, it came out really well! (check my previous blog)

After I saran-wrapped my hair, I pulled half of it up with my claw and combed the back down. Here is the result:

Even though the rollerset loosened all the kinks, my hair is still shorter than it's true length. I did a slight tug on the ends to give you idea of how it would look had I used my flat iron to go over that part. I am really happy !! My hair is growing out nicely and I'm glad I can now document the progress here for everyone. Here is my tugged hair, lol :

For those who may not be members on the hair boards, you have probably never seen my hair straightened. Here is my pikistrip comparison I made last night !

The first pic on the left was taken September 9th, the middle pic was taken November 15th, and the right pic was taken last night on January 25th, 2010 !!! I am so happy to have done my big chop, I don't think my hair would have flourished like it has if I transitioned longer than the 7 months I was able to go.

Thank you for reading everyone !! =) Be Blessed

My Second Rollerset on Natural Hair !!

2010-01-26T18:14:00.000-05:00

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT ... I made a youtube video earlier too ! After the youtube video, I gently ran my flat iron over my bangs on low heat, just to give them a sleeker finish. I didn't overdo the heat at all though ! Here are some picture of the before and afters, ENJOY !!!

.........hair all rolled up .........

.....after the rollers......

....Saran Wrapped & Combed Out....

...Today's Look !....

I am so excited to continue rollersetting my natural hair and getting the hang of things !!! It's not perfectly straight and sleek, but that is not the look I want anyways !! I love the blownout poofy look, it reminds me of Tracee Ellis-Ross (who was another natural hair inspiration!). I definitely can get my hair smoother in the back eventually. Practice & Patience make Perfect! I was on the verge of texlaxing, but with my newfound hobby that will NOT be happening at all !!

Thank you for reading everyone !

My Weekly Routine

2010-01-21T07:53:00.000-05:00

Good Morning ! I wanted to make sure that I post the routine I've been using to keep my hair healthy & happy. It's funny, because just as I get the hang of things, I have to switch up my routine because of the weather changing, or just because my hair becomes alittle longer.

Just recently, I did my first rollerset on my natural hair !!! I was so happy and proud. It requires a different strategy with different results, but IT CAN be done !! I definitely will continue rollersetting my hair up until April so that I can see more of my true length.

I really do love my curls, but shrinkage is so irritating when you don't want to have short hair ! My shrinkage hides about 50%-60% of my total length ! It's quite amusing. Uncombed, the hair reaches the bottom of my earlobes. When my hair is blown out/rollerset/flat ironed, the longest layers are past my shoulders! Here are some pics to help illustrate the frustration:

The first 2 pictures were of a flat iron to my nape only. The top picture was from November 09, the middle pic is from the very end of December 09, and the bottom picture is a wash and go from New Year's day.

As promised, here is my most recent hair routine for the winter 2010. It may seem like I do alot, but in actuality it's very simple and extremely nourishing to my hair !

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MY NEW WINTER ROUTINE :

--> Lightly Oil my scalp at least every other day.
--> Apply Castor Oil to my edges everyday.
--> Massage my scalp daily

When Rollersetting:

-Prepoo w/ MillCreek Botanicals Organic Aloe Vera Conditioner mixed with some EVCO, Castor Oil & honey.
-Cowash at least once a week [Organix Coconut Milk or Tresemme Vitamin E]. Twice a month shampoo, using KeraCare Hydrating Detangling Shampoo, or with Cream of Nature (green label).
-Deep Condition under heat for 30-45 mins, using KeraCare Humecto Creme conditioner mixed with EVCO & AtOne Botanical Reconstructor, or with my Elasta QP DPR-11 mixed with EVCO & AtOne Botanical Reconstructor.
-Apply my leave-ins [NTM Silk Touch Leave-In and ApHOGEE Keratin & Green Tea Restructurizer]
-Apply my KeraCare Foam Wrap Lotion (5 squirts)
-Rollerset my hair all over using turquoise rollers & orange flexirods !!! lol
-If I decide to flat iron, I'll run a small squirt of Fantasia IC Heat Protecting Serum all over my dry hair evenly
-Pull hair into a loose pony at night, or wrap sometimes. Dare I say pincurl if my hair gets long enough? lol
-Moisturize and Seal with Shea Butter or Mango Butter and seal with EVCO

When Doing Wash & Go's, or Cornrows For My Wigs:

-Prepoo with MillCreek Botanicals Aloe Vera conditioner or Silk Elements MegaCholesterol. Mix either of the 2 with EVCO, honey, and Aloe Vera Gel.
-Cowash with Organix Coconut Milk, Tresemme Moisture Rich, Aussie Moist, or Herbal Essences Long Term Relationship .
-Sometimes after cowashes, I'll deep Condition under heat for 30-45 mins, using KeraCare Humecto Creme conditioner mixed with EVCO & AtOne Botanical Reconstructor, or with my Elasta QP DPR-11 mixed with EVCO & AtOne Botanical Reconstructor. Usually I skip this second DC though.
-Apply my leave-ins [Cantu Shea Butter or NTM Silk Touch Leave-In]
-Airdry completely. Then oil my scalp with EVCO and moisturize and seal. After moisturizing, I do about 12-16 twists all over my hair and tie my hair up for bed. I usually pull it into a puff the next morning. If I don't do twists, I cornrow my hair straight back and wear a wig cap and throw on a wig !! lol

I Also :

--> Take 2 multivitamins everyday.
--> Take 2000 mcg of Biotin at least 3xs a week.
--> Drink 8 full glasses of water each day, or more.
--> Detangle in the shower with my denman or shower comb with cheap conditioner on.
--> Do ApHOGEE 2 min. Reconstructor Protein Treatments about twice a month.
--> Clarify once a month w/ suave Clarifying Shampoo, then follow behind that with moisturizing shampoo.
--> Trim as needed !!! I can't stand ugly ends lol

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I love my new routine, it is very simple (although long when you read it!), easy to follow, and still just as great, if not better than the previous one. I wish everyone continued success on the quest for healthy hair !!! Keep shattering the myths ladies !! :-)

The Big Chop (aka the Dramedy - Emotional & Pretty Funny all in one * lol)

2010-01-21T07:35:00.000-05:00

You can find this blog on my social network accounts, as it was originally posted to both K.I.S.S. and Hairlista on Sept. 3, 2009

It just hit me that I never wrote a blog about my Big Chop Experience =( ...

( I have the vids posted on youtube if you want to see me actually cutting all my hair off )

- I braced myself by reading a scripture ( a random one that I landed on when I opened my Bible, I feel bad I don't remember it )
- I said a prayer
- I got scared again, and prayed again
- I recorded a video for youtube, and the power in my house almost went out. It was the hottest, sunniest day ever and all of a sudden it started to storm viciously when I decided I wanted to cut. I almost thought that was a sign not to cut my hair lol
- I got scared, AGAIN, and prayed again.
- I decided I was ready to do it, and applied some ORS mixed with castor oil so that my curls would stand out from the relaxed ends.
- I waited for the curls to come, and then did my first snip !
- It took me almost 4 hours to do my whole head lol
-Afterwards I shampooed my hair clean
- I ended up not being confident enough to wear my TWA out the house for the first 4 days. I wore my wig to work for the rest of that week.
-My Mom was soo hurt that I cut my hair. She supported my decision to go natural, but I don't think she ever believed I would really stick with it. She thought I would relax once my hair got longer, and it didn't help I was about to cut off all the progress that she paid for lol ( she gave me the seed money for all of my products, and anytime I wanted something, she bought it) . I was happy to do the BC for myself, but My Mom is my best friend and I felt bad that I let her down. I walked around my house with my scarf on because I didn't want her or my sisters to see my hair, they already tried to talk me out of cutting it. She didn't talk to me for about a day either, she was sooo hurt that I cut my hair lol.. It's funny now because it's grown on her, but at the time I felt like I had betrayed her lol

- The day after the Big Chop, I felt so good to be free of that relaxer !!! I didn't like the way my hair looked though. I felt like I looked like a man. Even though I was on Cloud 9 from the rush of the BC, the reality that my hair was gone set in. I didn't cry once over that hair, but I had alot of "now what??" moments. I thought about sew-ins or micros as a quick fix so that I wouldn't have to look at my hair... .....Cutting my hair off felt almost like a bad breakup.... After being in a bad relationship for so long, you feel empowered that you take the initiative to rid yourself of the stress, headaches, and drama !! At the same time, you are scared because it's a whole new world to you that you're no longer familiar with and you must take baby steps before you can "run" again.

This is probably the lowest moment on my short lived natural hair journey, I took a picture of myself. It was July 30, the day after chopping. I was sad in this pic, but not because of that relaxer !! I just didn't want short hair at all =(

I was hurtin ya'll !! lol ...

But things got much better after a few days !!!

On a much lighter note,

-Praise God that by day 4 I did a cowash with the conditioner method and I actually liked the way my hair looked. I felt more confident with my hair and started playing around in my makeup for the first time lol.. I ended up wearing my TWA out in public for the first time, and I actually felt GOOD about myself.
-The next workday, my coworkers all said how much they liked my hair. That really made it alittle better, bc the men liked it as well as some of the ladies who have gorgeous relaxed hair and no intentions of going natural lol..
-My students also loved my hair !! That was the BIGGEST surprise of all lol.. I work with 3-5 year olds, so you already know they can only be innocently, but BRUTALLY honest. They will tell you all about yourself and hurt your feelings with their honesty because they don't know how to protect anybody's ego lol...
-The most outspoken girl in my class ( 3 years old) yelled out in a pitch quiet assembly room of about 100 students, "I LIKE YOUR HAIR MISS MICHELE !!! " I was slightly embarrassed that she called me out in front of everyone, but sooo flattered at the same time !!

- And my absolute favorite recap of all, one of my boys has a HUGE crush on me ( you know how little boys are with their teacher lol ) and his mother even told me afer work that her son was "smitten" by me ( I blushed so hard and turned beet red when she told me that) ... Well I went to help another student tie their shoes, and while I knelt down to tie their sneaker, he felt all up in my hair !!! Running his fingers all up in it lmbo... I asked him what he was doing, and was he having fun? ... He looked up at me with the most precious smile and dimples and said loudly , " YOUR HAIR FEELS LIKE FUR ! " .. I had to excuse myself from my class and laugh out loud in the hallway. I came back in a minute later and asked him if that was a good or bad thing. He looked at me with that adorable smile and said, " THAT'S GOOD !!! " ... That is my favorite memory of the whole experience =)

Overall, I enjoyed the experience !! I have photos in my fotki album ( just finished making it yesterdaY !!! ) from the beginning of my HJ up until now as my first month natural, including ones of me with half of my hair cut off like this lol :

I'll be updating it every 2 weeks so I would love some other avid fotki ladies to add me as a friend so I can follow you ! It is becoming very addictive lol.. My username is ShelleyBean729 and the passwords are "runts" .. I would appreciate your comments !!

I'll do a progress blog w/pics on here as well.. It won't be anything miraculous, but hopefully it will inspire others who want to transition or do their BC .. HHJ and thank you for reading everyone !

Welcome To My New Blog !! [with a very BRIEF hair history]

2010-01-21T00:28:00.000-05:00

Welcome to my New Blogspot Everyone !!! I just want to thank you for stopping by. I will try to update my blog at least once every 2 weeks with pictures so that you can see and know what's going on with me !!! Some updates for those who may not know anything about me :

I began my Healthy Hair Journey in December of 2008 after my last relaxer left my hair terribly thin and overprocessed. Here is a picture of my hair at the start:

My hair was just too thin for my comfort. I joined several hair forums and started watching Youtube for inspiration. I started rollersetting my hair everyweek (protective styles are WONDERFUL, but I'm not a constant bun/braidout type of person. I like to enjoy my hair!) After a few months, my hair shaped up ! Around 3 months post relaxer, it was about time to do my touch up, but I had fallen in love with how thick my hair was and was NOT willing to go back to thinner hair at all.

Here was my hair one month after I decided to transition, and 4 months after my last relaxer:

It got to a really nice length and thickness ! I wasn't ready to part with the thickness though. 3 months later, I did a flat iron and decided that I no longer wanted to transition. I completed my BIG CHOP on July 29, 2009 and it really felt great !

I did miss my length, and I still do now sometimes. I'm almost 6 months post big chop, and my hair is FINALLY at a comfortable length. 3 days ago, I did my first rollerset on my natural hair ! I am going to continue rollersetting/flexi-rodding my hair for the winter to help keep my hair much more manageable and detangled. Most of all, I LOVE how it stretches my hair !!! Shrinkage is really intense and frustrating sometimes. I'm hoping that rollersetting will also help my ends to stay moist since they can get very dry when you're natural !! Here is a pic of my hair rolled up for the first time. As I get the technique down, I will add pictures ! For now they are safely hidden on my hard drive *smile*.