The Hair Journey Continues!!

Wow! My hair journey has been kicked into high gear! Not only have i been able to test and review several new products, but I am learning about what ingredients to look for in certain products and which ones are important for healthy hair (No Petroleum, No Cones, No Sulfates!). Some of the techniques that I have tried have given me magnificent results (Stretched Out Afros, Twist Outs, Curl Refreshers, Shingling, etc.) I have expanded my hair supplies to include various things that I didnt have before (Rat Tail Comb, Ouchless headbands, Bonnet, Wide Tooth Comb, etc). One of my new necessities include: 100% pure Shea Butter. I haven't developed a full list of staple items yet but I am getting there. Some the newest products that I have enjoyed are:

Carol's Daughter - Khoret Amen Shampoo, Conditioner w/Sea Moss & Smoothie plus Hair Milk (and for the body...Mango Melange Shea Souffle, Body Jelly)

Taliah Waajid's Black Earth Products - Herbal Cleanser, Total Body Shampoo, Enhancing Herbal Conditioner, & Loc It Up

Paul Mitchell's - The Conditioner - Leave In Moisturizer

Lush Cosmetics - Curly Wurly Conditioning Shampoo

Biolage By Matrix - Hair Conditioning Balm

Here is a short list of Natural hair terminology that may not be new to you but it was to me!

BC - aka Big Chop. this is the first step to your natural hair journey. It means that you have cut the perm out down to the new growth to start anew!

Co-Wash - Using Conditioner to wash your hair instead of Shampoo. This process cleans your hair without stripping it of the natural oils that exist.

PrePoo - Shampooing your hair with something like a Clarifying Shampoo prior to using your normal shampoo.

Shingling - Applying product, usually a Leave In Conditioner, to your hair in layers for full coverage.

Stretching - Manipulating your hair in a way that stretches your natural curls to show length.

(more terms to come!)

I haven't gotten my oils (Coconut, TeaTree, Jojoba, etc) locked down to an understanding yet. But I am learning about different oils and their benefits.

Most importantly I am having FUN! The exploration, the pampering, the ME time...it's all been enabled!!! Developing an afinity for the natural me has opened the doors to other needs, such as skincare and physical health, It's hard to explain, but I guess I could say that any improvements that you consciously make for yourself affects your ENTIRE well being. One step at a time, but the path has been shown to me.

Much Love!

HairStory - Days of My Napps

As many of you Natural girls know the road to NappiHappiness ain't easy. If you were like me, you've had relaxers in your hair for many years and dont even know what the natural pattern is. After my big chop I was pleasantly surprised to find a head full of small coils. While growing my hair out i mostly wore it in an afro. I am fortunate to be able to work from home so only my family and friends saw my hair as it transitioned from relaxed to natural. Their reaction has been pretty positive. i have been at this for almost 3 years, and have used various products. Finding products developed for natural hair hasn't been easy. I'll be honest and tell you that in the beginning, i never really thought that much about it. My hair routine had gotten so much easier, what else did i need to worry about? I started off with washing my hair once a week, but wetting it everyday to achieve the ringlets that I wanted. The wash included shampooing & Conditioning with Garnier Fructis. I used the conditioner as my comb thru. I would completely resaturate my towel dried hair with Infusium Leave In Conditioner for dry/damaged hair. I would then apply a palm full of Pink Lotion Hair Moisturizer, a follow with a quarter size dollop of Loreal Melting Gel. This was a MESSY process. It left my hair really curly in some parts and poofy in others. Once my hair dried it remained sticky to the touch. Think Coming to America when SOUL-Glo's parents were sittin on the couch. Yep, I think I had a Jheri Curl, Even tho I was using everything made for dry hair, my hair was not being moisturized and it was left dry and damaged. I was also experiencing a lot of shedding. TRIAL/ERROR (I told you it wasn't easy!) Eventually, my routine transitioned to washing once a week using Garnier Fructis Shampoo for Curly Hair. I changed my comb thru deep conditioner to Motions CPR (Critical, Protection, Repair) mixed in with Garnier Fructis Conditioner for Curly Hair. While my hair is still very damp I sprayed with Infusium Frizzologie Leave In Conditioner and followed with a palm full of Motions Conditioning Cream. This process seemed to do a good job of keeping my hair moisturized. It was a little oily to the touch, but not too bad. The shrinkage that i experienced with this routine was insane. By now my hair is shoulder length when straightened with a blow dryer(I would blow it out straight periodically to cut my ends evenly), however, it would shrink to a short afro during the drying process. Once completely dry, I could then pick and pull it out to a reasonably curly afro. I found that as hours of the day went on tho that my afro would get poofy, frizzy and unruly. I didnt mind this so much, but it was unpredictable. On a humid day, I would get a huge out of control mane and on dry days I would get the curls that I wanted but this never lasted into the next day. I was continuously having to rewet and reapply all of the products and would get different results after every application. If I am just chillin in my hood or with my fam/friends this is not a problem but a learning experience, HOWEVER! Not good on special occasions because i could never know what my hair would do. Various headbands & scarves became my perfect standbys in case of Hairtastrophies. (HairStory within a HairStory - Had a business meetin in FL. Got my hair into a nice perfect afro. It was dry and cutely cropped. Fell asleep on the plane and woke to find the back of my hair completely flattened, stiff and unmoisturized. The front was doing its own thing. I had no products, no supplies, not even a comb. I remedied this by wetting the back of hair in the bathroom and applying some hand lotion from my purse. I picked at it and blended it and got it all to at least look uniformily wet (but not dripping) and just prayed that I could get in and out of that meeting and back on the plane home before my hair dried again! OOPS was still in early learning stages!! LOL) My hair is like a Soap Opera - Days of My Napps, All My Napps, One Nap to Live, etc...lol its a different HairStory everyday!