Look at the Fro

Look at the Fro!

My New Best Friends

Well after all of my ranting about needing different products I decided to go out an do some "me" shopping.  Look at what I found at Walgreens:

Nourishing coconut milk shampoo and conditioner.  I bought these because  they were buy one get one free and they had 50% more product for free.  So for $7.99 I think I got a pretty good deal.


I immediately went home and washed my hair!  Must I say that I really, really love these products.  I went back to Walgreens to purchase another set but all of the bonus sizes were gone so I didn't purchase anymore.

I also purchase some Elasta QP products from Walgreens.  The Olive Oil & Mango Butter Moisturizer (bonus size 80% free) was about $3.99 and the Glaze Conditioning Shining Gel (50% more) was about $3.49.  This was a very good day for me.  I love, love the Olive Oil & Mango Butter Moisturizer.  It smells yummy, kind of like mango ice cream.

I used these products to do finger coils in my hair.  It turned out pretty good.  Usually I would use gel to do these coils and like I said earlier I was looking for other products (not wet ones) to do styles with.  I think I have found that product!  My hair is shiny and it's very soft but it holds the styles perfectly.  I'm going to see how long I can rock these coils.


More to come later...

June Update

Yea, I have been natural for 7 months after transitioning for 6 months.  I am enjoying this!  Now I'm wondering if I still have a twa.  My hair is too long for wash and goes but it's not long enough for the beautiful twist outs and braid outs that I see all over You Tube.  What's a girl to do?

A friend at work asked me when was I going to straighten (flat iron) my hair.  Well I haven't really given it a thought.  If I flat iron my hair in this Florida heat it will revert back before I can make it in the office.  I really don't have any desire to straighten my hair at this time.  I love the curly locs that I have.

I still have not found the perfect curl defining product(s) for me.  Do you have any suggestions?  The Eco Styler gel really works to define my curls but I want to find something that's not so wet.  When I use the Eco Styler gel it takes a really long time to dry and I don't like walking around with a wet head.

I'm still learning and adjusting to my natural hair and I have no desire to go back to the creamy crack.

More to come...

Products That I've Used So Far

A lot of people are product junkies but I don't want to be one of those people, lol.  Over the past 6 months I have tried a few products, some of them I liked and some I hated.  I'm going to give you my opinion on some of the products I have tried.

Cantu Shea Butter -- This was the very first product I purchased while I was transitioning.  I needed something to soften up the bush.  I used it for braid out and twist outs but I didn't like the smell and it didn't go well with a lot of other products.

Jamaican Black Castor Oil -- I love, love, love this product.  I apply it to my scalp.  It softens up the hair and gives it a light sheen.  Recently I purchased a cold press castor oil and it does basically the same thing but it does not smell as good as the JBCO.

Beautiful Curls Shea Butter Curl Activating Cream -- OMG I hated the smell of this product right away but I still used it.  It cost $13 so you know I had to give it a couple of tries.  The jury is still out on this one.  I attempted to do a few twistouts with this but they didn't turn on the way I wanted it to.  I think I'm going to try this product again once my hair is longer.

Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie -- The jury is still out on this product also.  It smells ok but after a while I kinda get tired of the smell.  I use it to do twist outs and braid outs but they also come out frizzy.  I have my hair braided right now with this product.  If this braid out does not turn out right I will not use this product again until my hair gets longer.

Eco Styler Gels -- This is one of my staple products.  I love this one.  I mostly use the olive oil version but I have used the moroccan oil gel.  The only problem is I can't use a leave in condition with the gel so my solution is to co-wash when I get in from work apply my leave in conditioner and then rinse my hair in the morning.  Now the hair will be ready for me to apply the gel.

Organic Root Stimulator Lock & Twist Gel -- I love this product.  I use it to do finger coils but after a few days it starts to break down and flake.

Infusium 23 -- This is a great leave in treatment/conditioner.  I mix it with vegetable glycerine and water and spray it on my hair after washing it. 

Giovanni Smooth as Silk Deep Moisture Conditioner -- I love this product.  I use it mostly for co-washing.  It leaves you hair smooth.

Giovanni Direct Leave-In Weightless Moisture Conditioner --  I also love this product.  It is a great leave in condition and it makes my hair soft and silky feeling.  I use my tangle teezer to work it into my hair.

Organic Root Stimulator Olive Oil Replenshing Pak -- This is a must have deep conditioner.  I leave it in my hair for about an hour or so.  My hair is super soft when its rinsed out.

These are most of the products that I use.  I think my hair is a type 4a/4b.  I have a little patch in the front that will not curl I think it may be a 4c or something.  If you have any suggestions on products or what products work together best please let me know.  I'm still learning how to take care of my hair. 

Thanks to all of the ladies on You Tube.  Without your help a lot of us new naturals would be lost or we would still have relaxed hair.

Until next time...

Why I Decided to go Natural

I have been suffering from very bad dandruff for a long, long time.  No matter what type of shampoo  I used (believe me I have tried many) I was never able to get rid of the dandruff.  One day I came to the conclusion that my dandruff was a result of the relaxer.  You know the drill, relax the hair, burn the scalp, scalp starts healing, the scabs begin to slough off (my dandruff) and before it completely healed I would relax it again.  My scalp never had the chance to heal completely! 

I contemplated going natural for more than a year.  I would start to transition and before you know it the creamy crack was calling my name.  I was not mentally prepared and could not handle the new growth so I would relax it. 

In May 2010 everything changed!  I made it up in my mind that I was going natural!  My youngest sister has been natural for almost two years.  She gave me a lot of encouragement in the beginning and she gave me a lot more encouragement during the transitioning period.


Dandruff has had a lot to do with me going natural.  Now my dandruff is under control and I am able to wear black blouses without the worry of having white stuff on my shoulders.

It's been almost a year since I decided to go natural and I have loved just about every minute of it.  I have no intention of going back to the relaxed hair.

By the way my twin sister (we are identical) decided to go natural and she transitioned for a little while.  More information to come on her journey...

Stay tuned.

The Beginning of My Journey

All photos are copyright protected and can not be used by anyone without my permission. 

All Natural

2nd to the last hair cut.

I decided to go natural when my relaxed hair started shedding.  My hair was on my shoulders when it started falling out.  I tried cutting it to stop the shedding but it kept on falling out, ugh. My relaxed hair was dry, dull and dead looking.  It seemed as though no products worked to make my hair shine and look healthy. The last time I got it cut the girl botched the job.  My hair looked nothing like the picture I showed her!  That did it for me!  The last day I relaxed my hair was May 29, 2010.

TRANSITIONING

I transitioned for almost 6 months.  I wanted to transition for a year but it was too much of a hassle to deal with both textures (relaxed and natural).  Some of my transitioning styles included braid outs, twist outs and roller sets and since it was cold at the time I wore beenies a lot.




Braid Out



BIG CHOP

So on November 25, 2010 I took the plunge and did the big chop.  My sister did my big chop.  She has been natural on and off for a while.  She did her last big chop around 2 years ago and she does not plan on going back to the creamy crack.  After my big chop my sister put some gel on it and tried to slick down the sides but it did not work for my hair.

Well, hummm my hair, my hair, my hair.  What did I do!  My natural hair was shorter and courser than I thought.  The ends were straight and what was under the straight ends felt like barb wire.  Some people describe the straight ends as "scab hair" but I believe the ends were sraight because of the weight of the relaxed hair. 



After Big Chop



I didn't know what to do with my hair!  I watched a lot of You Tube videos trying to get some kind of idea of what to do with my TWA (teenie weenie afro). 

 

I didn't feel very confident with wearing my TWA yet because I didn't know what to do with it.  So I decided to wear wigs, heck it was still cold outside and the wigs would keep my head warm, lol.  I spent a lot of money on wigs.  I also spent a lot of money on different hair care products but it seemed as though none of them would work on my TWA.

DAY OF RECKONING

Yes!  I finally found a product that works for me, Eco Styler Gel.  Some ladies on You Tube gave raves to Eco Styler Gel so I decided to go out an buy some.  Oh what a difference it made to my hair.  I was able to enhance my curl pattern and make my twa look good.  At first I did some finger coils and later I did some finger twist.  I also did a curly afro.



Finger Coils



First Style Worn to Work

January 1, 2011 began a new year and I said "You know what, I'm going to do it".  I showed up at work with my TWA and I never wore another wig.  I got a lot of compliments on my hair.  At first I wore styles using the Eco Styler Gel then I went to the barber and got my hair shaped up and later started wearing afros.



After visiting the barber



I have come out of my shell.  A lady walked up to me one day and asked me how I got my hair like that (finger twist)  I told her how to do it.  She also asked when was the last time I combed my hair.  I told her I combed it that morning when I styled it.  She said somebody told her not to comb her hair so she had not combed it in 4 weeks.  After I picked my jaw up off of the floor I told her about the Tangle Teezer (I love my Tangle Teezer) and Eco Styler Gel so I hope she was able to get control of her hair.

I'll be back soon with more information....Stay tuned.

All photos are copyright protected and can not be used by anyone without my permission.