Let's Discuss My Hair Some More...

I don't know what to call my mane, but do know that she is full of wavy springs and coils. As SP said, I am not a fan of hair-typing using the popular Andre Walker system for a number of reasons, one of them being it's too limiting. So no, I won't be able to tell you what my type is in that sense. I can say that although I have a lot of hair, I do not have thick hair nor are my strands fine (ah, medium seems to be the word.) My texture isn't coarse either...


I tried a wash-n-go today, mostly because I was playing in my hair. So I co-washed with Sauve Naturals Tropical Coconut, used Knot Today as a leave-in, then added Kinky Curly Custard. I noticed a lot about my curl pattern today....the front has loose waves, the middle is very coily, and the back has slightly larger curls. interesting....

Wet with no product

Dry...end of the day with product

As a side note, I will probably do the wash-n-go again this way. I guess the right product and technique is key? My hair wasn't dry and tangled at the end of the day which I very much appreciated.

Seriously, I am taking proposals as to what I should name my hair. My two favorites are already taken (Majesty from SP and then Poofy from another natural hair blogger). So feel free to suggest.

#kthnxbai.

On Trimming

Okay naturals...to trim or not to trim? I hear some of ya'll don't think it's necessary and some of ya'll do. Some say you don't do it because you don't wear your hair straight. Others say you do because you want to keep the hair's shape...

I personally used to have my hair trimmed (or trimmed my own hair) because I had some heat damage and crazy split ends. So when I ran my hands through my curls I heard snap, crackle, pop. My last drastic trim was last November or December, because I really was sick and tired of my hair being tangly and fragile. I neglected my ends, which are the oldest part of the hair and lost nearly two inches but they were the best two inches I ever lost. My hair became smoother and easier to detangle.

I realize that my ends need dusting every three months or so. I get these damn single-strand knots ("fairy knots") so when ever I am arbitrarily touching my loose hair and feel or see a knot, I reach for my trimming scissors and snip them off. I know that I still have some splits because a the last couple of months of my college semester was so terrible stressful and I ignored my hair. Trimming, at this point is necessary for me because I do like the option of wearing my hair straight. Although I have no desire to do so right now (probably won't till November-December) I still need to be able to run my hand through my hair without snapping and I'm still learning to manage my ends.

So what's the verdict for you guys? To trim or not?

TWA Wash n Go Curly Fro

So today i wanted the afro look without the actual afro so i went with the wash-n-go curly fro!

Wearing an afro can be very drying to my ends so i try not to wear them too often, even though i have now grown to love mine. 

I decided i wanted my wash n go to be a little larger than usual, so i co-washed in the shower with Herbal Essences Hello Hydration, rinsed and shook my hair out to remove excess water and make my curls stand up. I then added equal amounts of these guys:

Let air dry for a bit, then used a pik to LIFT the roots only! do not comb through to the end of the hair if you want to leave your curls in tact at the ends. You can lift and shape your hair the way you would like it. Also, i did this while my hair was still damp. I know it will shrink so i will use the pik to lift it again once it dries.

My Summer Routine

There's a debate as to whether one requires a regular routine to maintain the health of their curls. I know some naturals who are hardcore followers of their routine and their hair has flourished. I know others who do whatever they do and their hair flourished. To each it's own I guess. I personally feel like finding a way to gently care for your hair, with regular moisture and less manipulation helps the hair flourish. However you can accomplish that, go for it.

And so for the last month, I've been following a routine that has been serving my hair quite well.  So far, I do the following:

* Wash my hair every 5-7 days in sections
*Pre-poo every wash day
*Deep condition every wash day for 30min-1hr, cold water rinse
*co-wash mid-week if hair needs moisture boost
*Moisturize 2x a day (morning and night) with water based moisturizer, seal in moisture with butter and oil
*Protective style most of the week to protect ends (two-strand twists, buns), wear my hair out for 2 days or less

Products:
Pre-poo: Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
Shampoo: Giovanni Tea Tree Shampoo
Conditioner(s): Sauve Naturals Tropical Coconut, Kinky Curly Knot Today
Deep Conditioner: Renpure Organics My Hair Is Parched
Stylers/leave in (depending on style): Oyin Shine and Define, Oyin Whipped Butter, Oyin Frank Juice, Kinky Curly Curling Custard, Garnier Fructis Sleek and Shine Conditioning Creme, Extra Virgin Coconut Oil

Tools:
Wide Tooth Comb
Denman Brush
Hooded Dryer (occassionally)

This routine is actually very easy to follow for me because it's not high maintance and actually quite inexpensive. The most expensive thing is probably the Kinky Curly Products, but they last me a while so I think that somehow cancels out and I am heavy handed with products like conditioners. This is the first summer I know my hair well enough to determine what it likes and the first summer that I actually have a workable routine.

My Majesty and her Textures Galore and Opinions on "Hair Typing"

When i decided to go natural for this last time, i had no idea what i was getting myself into in terms of textures. I started seeing this beautiful wavy pattern on top but my sides were always rough and i didn't appreciate it. I thought it was something i was doing wrong, that my sides were just dry and not as soft and wavy as the hair on top.                                                                        Then while going through different hair forums and blogs, i realized that i was not the only person with this "problem." I never took the time to realize how many people also had multiple hair textures, and from there, i started trying to understand and embrace each different hair texture for what it is. 

Curly film chick and i are not really into hair typing because we feel it boxes our hair into a small category. Our hair goes from such a wide range of straight hair,curl and wave patterns, and textures that it seems hair typing, especially with its limited categories is a bit inadequate.  I tried finding a chart so i could find an example but they all seemed a bit absurd to me, especially being that the person who made the chart isn't even a credible source and most of the girls in the photos have a twist out/set or thermal styling (using any hot tools to style the hair). It isn't even their real curl or the afros are wigs and weaves, why would i want to go off of that?                    That being said, I do sometimes try to figure out what my hair types would be if i were using the hair typing method just to learn a few things when i see people with similar hair textures to mine. Now that i am growing my hair out, i am wondering how my textures will hang and i am especially anxious to see how my hair will hang as it gets longer.

These photos are from a few days after i retired the relaxed ends on March 14th, and the photos below are from yesterday after a co-wash. As you can see i basically have a mohawk of looser curls with tighter curls going down the sides of the edges. My loosest curls are at my nape and crown, these are mostly waves actually. My hair has also thickened out a lot since starting to really care for it, especially since i stopped combing it and just started finger detangling during co-washes. Now I only comb when i have an afro and use a pik. Some quick length checks, why not? =D

iStyled...

Remember on wash day I expressed my dissapointment with the way my curlformers came out? Well I decided to take advantage of my hair being stretched out and braided the back half of my hair down like so...

Then took them out and got this...

and styled it like this...

This was on my day off though. For work this week I have been bunning my hair which is a bit more boring but hides my fragile ends and isn't much manipulation.

Renpure Organics My Hair Is Parched Moisturizing Conditioner

(damn, a mouthful...but I digress...)

Product Description: This formula contains Pomegranate Juice and Pomegranate Extract which helps restore normal moisture levels. It also contains Silk Protein which is used to repair damage and Olive Leaf Extracts which are used to smooth and repair split ends.



My Experience: I figure I should give this product a formal review, considering I've been asked about it. So yeah I really, really like this conditoner. I like the bottle it comes in and love the way it makes my hair feel. It has excellent slip for detangling and it's very moisturizing. I use this for mid-week co-washing when I feel like my hair needs a boosy of moisture. Lately, I have been using it as a deep conditioner and it works even more amazing. Best of all, it's found in drugstores so easy access! Downsides? It smells like some sort of dish washing liquid. although it's a faint smell so it's do-able. And the price might be a little problematic, it came out to about 7 bucks and it's not a huge bottle, but I believe it's worth it. And since I've been using it mostly as a deep conditioner instead of using it to rinse-out/co-wash, the bottle has lasted me a while.  (I don't know about it's claims of mending split ends because as far as I know, you can only temporary smoothen them out but the only way to get rid of split ends it to cut them out). But if your hair is need of moisture and you want great slip, I would definitely encourage you to give this a try. I'm even inspired to try the rest of their line, including their shampoos.

Ingredients: Water, Cetearyl Alcohol (Canola Oil), Behentrimonium Methosulfate (Canola Oil), Zingiber Officinale Root Extract (Ginger), Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Panthenol, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Hydrolyzed Wheat Starch, Vp, Dmapa Acrylates Copolymer, Dicetyldimonium Chloride, Cetrimonium Chloride, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil (Sunflower), Glyceryl Stearate (Palm Oil), Peg-100 Stearate, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Diazolidinyl Urea, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, Fragrance