January 9, 2009 at 11:19 am (natural hair)
Tags: afrobella, black hair, goodbye, happy to be nappy, livejournal, natural
I decided that there are very many natural hair blogs that are sharing knowledge and inspiration around. Plus, I’ve been rather busy with this and with classes to blog regularly. So, while I will use this blog one day, for now, check out Afrobella’s natural hair blog, the natural hair community on livejournal, and if you’re at the beginning of your natural hair journey (or still deciding) I highly recommend checking out this article: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Embrace the Kinks.
Do you, natural beauties, and God Bless.
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May 24, 2008 at 9:53 am (Uncategorized)
Tags: hair woes, question
I just got my ‘annual press & curl’. I usually only press my hair once a year to see how much it’s grown and to cut it. This time I discovered I had some breakage in the back, thanks to not moisturizing or trimming my hair regularly. The stylist cut it, evening out my very uneven strands but It’s not going to be the big round fro it used to be. At least my hair is healthier for it.
Currently, I’m trying to figure out a style to rock for a wedding! I’d like it to be fancier that just a simple afropuff. Any Ideas?
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May 8, 2008 at 11:26 pm (Hair Experiments)
Tags: afro, afro puff, black hair, experiment 002, hairstyle, natural, wash and go
The stylish and speedy style of choice for me for my current hair length is the afro puff. All you need for a basic afro puff is an elastic hair tie. Other products and tools can help you create different looks.
Products Used:
Any leave-in Conditioner
Tools Used:
Pick/Comb
Large elastic hair tie
Brush (optional)
This simple afro puff can be done right after washing or pretty much anytime.
First, comb through with your favorite leave in conditioner. Right now I use olive oil hair lotion, an affordable product that is available at Target, CVS, etc. Make sure you comb the front and sides back as if you were making a ponytail.
Next, put on your elastic hair tie, wrapping it around your head twice if need be. For the look to work, it needs to be tight. (but not so tight it cuts off your circulation!)
After that, push the hair tie back on your head until you have a puff of your desired size and location.
You can use a brush to smooth out the front if you want to but I didn’t in this picture.
Another Variation:
I did this puff as a wash and go style. After washing, I styled as described above, also using Hot Six Oil after towel trying my hair to seal in moisture. Next, with my hair still wet I did large twists all over my fro, then took them out. The twists are much softer than they will be for a twistout, but I still liked how it turned out.
Next time: Variations on a Twistout!
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April 28, 2008 at 2:57 am (Hair Experiments)
Tags: afro, experiment 001, garnier, hairstyle, hot six oil, natural, pre-poo, wash and go
I usually don’t have time to do a complicated style in the morning, so what can I use to make my hair soft and easy to style, right after washing it?
Original State:
Just out of braids
Products Used:
African Royal Hot Six Oil
Burt’s Bees More Moisture Raspberry & Brazil Nut Shampoo
Garnier Fructis Length & Strength Cream Conditioner
Garnier Fructis Soft Curl Cream
Garnier Fructis Curl Shaper Spray Gel
Tools Used:
A good old fashioned pick
Wide toothed comb
—
Fresh out of kinky twists, I’m trying to see what products leave my hair soft after washing my hair, ready for a simple “wash and go” style. I’d read about “pre-poo” techniques (treating your hair with conditioner before washing), a friend had also told me about leaving some conditioner in after washing for ringlets when the hair dries. I ended up trying both. I know you’re only supposed to change one variable at a time for an experiment, but after being in braids for 3+ months (don’t do that!) my hair needed all the treatment it could get.
After detangling and combing my hair out, I used the Hot Six Oil as a “pre-poo” treatment. I left it in my hair for about 10 minutes then headed to the shower to shampoo.
I used my favorite Burt’s Bees shampoo, then the Garnier conditioner, not rinsing it completely out so it served as a leave-in.
Afterward, I noticed that my hair was softer than it usually was and easier to work with. After combing it out, I used Garnier’s Soft Curl Cream and Curl Shaper Spray Gel to style and this was the result:
close up on detail:
The texture is pretty good, nice ringlets, and the Soft Curl Cream actually had curls to work with! Usually I have to wear a twist-out to get the style to look like this. I’m pretty sure it’s the oil treatment that helped achieve this result, because I’ve done the leave-in conditioner thing before.
Bottom Line: Using the Hot Six oil as a pre-treatment did help make my hair softer, but I still had to work with it (using the Garnier styling products) to get the look I wanted.
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April 27, 2008 at 8:55 pm (About the Author)
Tags: black hair, first post, hair, happy to be nappy, My AfroStory, natural
Just before starting high school, I decided to go natural after some advice from my mother. I didn’t really wear my hair in “out” styles, and just kept in braids, occasionally wearing it in a fro for a week or straightening it for a couple of weeks. In truth, I was just going natural to let my hair “rest” from relaxers and could not wait to perm and get what I thought would be long, healthy hair. I permed my hair in senior year and was amazed by how long my hair was. . .
. . . By the end of senior year my hair was broken, damaged, and back to my pre-high school length. I went back to wearing my hair natural and haven’t gone back since. This summer marks my 3rd year of wearing my hair natural.
The second time around I’ve done things a little differently. I’ve sought advice, I’ve changed up my hair products, and I don’t just wear braids! My current challenge is figuring out what products to use, and figuring out how to combine them to make my hair do what it wants. Too often I try a combination of things, love the results, and forget what I used and in what proportions.
So, my goal is to keep a record, and hopefully, by sharing this record with you I’ll gain suggestions and help others in their natural hair experiences.
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