What if my man doesn't like my Natural Hair???

Every once in a while someone will ask me the question, "What if my man doesn't like my Natural Hair?" 

Every situation is different, I can't speak on every relationship...but in my case HE LOVES MY NATURAL HAIR...now.

When I made the Big Chop it was in the wee hours of the morn and everyone was nestled quietly in their beds...lol...I wrestled with the idea for YEARS. Every time I decided to go natural I lost my nerve and talked myself out of it. This particular morning I couldn't sleep. I stood in the bathroom mirror staring at my long bone straight tresses and nappy roots. My new growth was screaming for me to pick sides. I was either going to perm my new growth or cut all my hair off. I grabbed the scissors and went to chopping.

After I came down from my rush reality set in, the alarm was going to go off in a couple hours and I had to be at work in a few. 

I put on a scarf and called my husband in the bathroom. I snatched off the scarf and his jaw hit the floor. It seemed like he couldn't stop blinking...he didn't have any words!! LOL!

Even though I told myself that it didn't matter what he thought of my hair. I loved it and that was all that mattered!!! HMPH!

(In reality, I stood there sheepish awaiting his approval. lmbo)

He was like, "What in the world?" He turned me around trying to figure out if he liked it or not. Then he said, "I like it...I think." He shaped up my TWA and I threw on  a wig and went to work.

Basically, he was shocked to see the head of hair I had been growing for the decade we were married all over the floor. Honestly I don't think he really cares either way. I could tell it took a little adjusting because he would stare at my head sometimes when he didn't think I knew he was looking. Five years later my hair has hardly ever been the topic up for discussion. He just kinda sees only ME and not my hair. I am very fortunate because I am always doing something to my hair.

MY TWO CENTS::

As long as your hair is clean and kept I don't think ANYONE should be shunned for wearing their hair in its natural state. Its hard to believe it when sistas tell me their boo was turned off and left them because they went natural. It says alot about the person and how they view their significant other. 

I would have probably done the BC anyway even if I knew he wouldn't have liked it because it was something I wanted to do. You have to compromise in relationships but not for the sake of your self worth. If it makes you feel good, do it!! 

When was your last trim? Trimming Natural Hair

My hair was starting to look raggedy on the ends. I tried moisturizing and sealing the ends of my hair to no avail. That was when I knew my hair was overdue for a trim. I clip my ends every few months because frayed ends drives me nuts. Not only that but my hair grows so much faster when my ends are clipped. 

When my hair was relaxed I preferred to cut my hair when it was wet. Now that my hair is in its natural state I detangle my hair and put about six chunky twists and clip off the dead hair. I know its not the best method but it works for me. lol...  Some naturalistas blow dry their hair before clipping while other sistas go get their hair professionally cut.

You may need to clip your ends if:

* Excessive shedding

*If your hair breaks easily

*You style your often and wear your hair down often

*Slow/No growth

*Feathered ends

*If you use heat on your hair often

My hair a week or so after trim. 

Non-Natural Color on Natural Hair...

DISCLAIMER: My hair is in its natural state, I BC'd in August 2008. I am happy to be nappy! However, I do not profess to be the kind of 'natural' who will use nothing but organic products made only by juices and berries. I strive to purchase products that are sulfate & paraben free but occasionally I may use product(s) that aren't necessarily Curly Girl Approved.  No shame in my game whatsoever... It's just not that serious for me, no one will take my "natural card" away for using certain products on MY hair. Try to limit products with harsh chemicals, dyes, cones, and alcohol but don't loose any sleep if you do, OCCASIONALLY.

I purchased all of these supplies from Sally's except the Miss Jessies..

I mixed the powder packet with the cream... I applied the product and in 5 minutes the color was already changing. 

The fumes are intense so make sure its plenty of ventilation...

These are the results after washing, conditioning, moisturizing, oiling and twisting my hair.. I only colored a small section of my hair..

This is a 5 day old twist out..

These twists were done 2 weeks later after washing and a oil rinse, Color treated hair requires alot more moisture to prevent breakage. I only have color on the right side of my hair. My plan is to put a plum/berry color on in a few weeks. The color will be more vivid on the lightened parts...

I will follow up with pics after I add the berry color. I am still undecided on the exact color I want to use.

Stay Tuned. *wink*

Getting Henna-fied!

Henna for African Hair

This was my first time trying the Henna for African Hair, I usually use the Jamila Henna...

Day 1: First ,I added some EVOO. I never measure anything, I just "eye ball" the ingredients... I have henna'd so many times I just add a little this and that. Here is the very first time I used henna on my old BLOG. I doubt I measured anything that time either.

My hair LOVES honey, so I added quite a bit of honey...

You can use any conditioner...  I bought this conditioner AGES ago, I didn't care for the smell so I squeezed most of the bottle into my mixture.

Stir...and stir...

I added water...

If it looks gross, you are doing it right. I didn't have lemon juice so I used some Orange Juice. FAIL!!!...it didn't have enough acidity to lift the color. I learned my lesson. DON'T FORGET LEMON JUICE!! 

I put the lid on it and let the ingredients "marinate" over night. 

Don't forget the gloves. I usually use disposable gloves but I ran out... 

Day 2... Time to get my HENNA on!! Here goes...

I have my henna mixture, towel, and gloves. It can get messy so lay newspaper on the floor for the inevitable mess.

Apply from Root to Tip.

My hair used every drop..

Work the mixture in every strand... I saturated each section and put it in clips.

This was how it looked before I put the shower cap on...

Day 3...I rinsed out all of the mixture but it still seemed like it wasn't fully washed out so I used some AS I AM Co-Wash to fully clean out all the left over henna. I'm glad I did because the water was still muddy looking.

I used this Keratin Replenish Masque (2 pks) and put on a NEW disposable shower cap... I left the conditioner on for a few hours.

The RESULTS ARE IN::: The henna didn't add color to my hair. My gray hairs turned an auburn color but thats about it. My hair color remained the same. 

I am happy with the turn out... My kinks stretched out. Major ELONGATION!!! I have only conditioner in my hair and I have curls and coils. My hair felt soft, detangled and strong. I didn't get the color I wanted but I loved the results. My hair is alot more manageable and it hangs alot longer on my shoulders/back. I prefer the Jamila henna for color but my hair responded really well to this type of henna. I love the results!!

Leave any questions in the comments and I will try to answers them. 

Happy Henna'ng!!!

Glitzy Flat Twists!!

I recently posted a picture of this young lady (pictured below) who had awesome results from flat twists. I showed my daughter (pictured above) ^^ and she wanted to try the style on her hair. So, Friday night I twisted it and this is how beautiful it  looked this morning. We love it! I'm always looking for ways to style our natural hair without using any heat.

 Picture Source: Google

Cobalt Coilz!

Hey Glitzies!

Testing for Porosity... Know your Hair!!

Testing for Porosity

In order to find out what your hair porosity is, take a piece of shed hair from your comb or brush. It’s important that you get a shed and not broken hair to test. In order to determine if the hair was broken or shed naturally, examine the ends. If you see a little white ball on one of the ends, it means that it was shed. Take the hair and drop it in a glass of water. If the hair immediately sinks it means that it readily absorbed the water and has high porosity. If the hair remains at the top, floating, it means that it is unable to absorb the water and has low porosity. If it floats to the bottom slowly then it has normal porosity. Source: Naturally Curly

My hair QUICKLY floated to the bottom..

My hair has High Porosity...

Knowing your hair porosity is far more important than knowing your curl pattern since it will greatly affect your ability to have moisturized healthy looking hair.

For those with low hair porosity, it is imperative that you use lighter more liquid based products that will not just sit on top of your hair making it oily or greasy. Also, you will be able to get away with fewer moisturizing sessions to avoid build up.

However, with high hair porosity that easily loses moisture, layering on products to retain moisture is a necessity. Many high porosity naturals, after washing their hair, apply a leave-in conditioner, then a thick water based moisturizer followed by a heavy butter. By layering your products, you are providing your hair with the moisture it needs from the leave-in and moisturizer, and ensuring that the moisture remains near the hair shaft by using a heavy butter or oil to act as a protective layer to prevent the moisture from being lost to the atmosphere. High porosity naturals may also find it necessary to moisturize often and some high porosity naturals moisturize once or twice daily.

If you have normal porosity hair then count your blessings, listen to your hair’s needs and moisturize accordingly.

Source: Naturally Curly Dot Com

Kinky Glitzy!

Happy Monday!!

Electric Geek!!!

These pics were taken around midnight after I did the Dark N Lovely Au Naturale Product Review.... Check it Out!! 

Sweater: ASOS