Hair Growth Crash Course

I've been dying to post some hair science for quite a while but I knew it would take me forever to type it out! The other day, while browsing through Youtube I came across a video that breaks it all down. I really love the way she explains everything and speaks very clearly, and is quite accurate. There was only one statement I didn't agree with (The hair not growing past shoulder length part), but otherwise, this corsetted lady knows her stuff! Plus with hair to her knees... I'd definitely listen for a minute.

Putting Together My Hair Looks for the Fall/Winter Season

 With all of this cool weather coming in NYC, my mind has been so preoccupied with what I'm going to do with my hair for this upcoming fall/winter season. My hair is about shoulder length when straight, and doesn't even pass my ears when fully shrunken, so I plan to live in roller sets and twist outs to be able to easily manipulate my hair into different styles.

With the idea of keeping my natural hair freedom, protective styling, and the look I would like to have for myself in mind, I took some time to google a few cool styles I can definitely see myself pulling off this fall/winter season. I know my hair is much shorter, and a lot more textured than a lot of these photos, but of course I will be tweaking them to my needs and liking (The In Be-TWA version).
I will also be trying using a curling iron on my natural curls and plan to buy some curlformers for some different sets. I don't think I would enjoy flexirods... they've never interested me really... and the flexirod tutorials I've enjoyed have all been on longer hair with huge flexirods... so I think I'll just wait to experiment with those on own my hair when it's longer.
I'm really liking the a little messy, carefree look a lot of these updo's have and with beautiful sets I can also create these controlled messy looks.
I really want to try to keep my hair up as much as I can this fall/winter because I'm scared of the breakage that ensues when fragile hair like mine rubs against the harsh fabrics of coats, hats, and scarves. I do my best to buy silk scarves and wear my bonnet under hats, but even then my hair gets caught in all the layers of fabric and snags, tangles, and/or gets dried out. If I am wearing my hair down, I will combat the damage by putting the back of my hair up to go outside with either pincurls and bobby pins or a quick ponytail or bun.
I'm pretty sure these are looks I'm going to love even as my hair grows longer so this will be a great post to refer back to when I need a little inspiration with styling my hair. A few easy, classy, and timeless looks that I will also enjoy translating for us TWA ladies as well.
Have you started forecasting your fall/winter hairstyles? Any of these spark your interest?

Reader Question: Transitioner Learning how to Style

Sietta (Not Pictured Above) said...

I'm looking to transition from wearing sew-ins to wearing my own natural hair again, but I'm lost about how to go about styling it :( I haven't worn my own hair for more than a week in almost 5 years and I don't have a perm so as you could imagine it is very difficult to work with at this point and I am concerned about styles because of this. Also, my coils are SUPER tight and idk what to do with them at this point because my hair has never been this untrained so I know I have a job ahead of me lol. Do you have any suggestions for styles until I can get my coils to loosen a little?

Hi Sietta, 
Thanks for asking and we're glad to help =)
For starts, I would say it'll be a little hard without a few extra details (Hair length? What look you would like to achieve? What do you mean by trained hair and coil loosening?)but I will give you the best advice possible for anyone in your situation or anyone who needs help learning their new texture and how to care for it.

Part 1 - Moisturize, Detangle & Stretch!!!
As a professional hair stylist, time and time again I've seen women trying to go natural after wearing weaves for quite some time, but feeling discouraged about their "rough, dry, hard" manes. They think they have this horrible texture of hair because it is usually dry and malnourished, and because of this, their hair may also be a lot more shriveled and shrunked up.

Start with a spritzer bottle with water, get some of your favorite slippery conditioner, take your hair in one section at a time, moisturize, detangle from the ends up, and either braid, twist, bun or band the little section to keep the moisture in and your hair from shrinking up again (You can also do this in the shower if it's easier/faster for you). 

Part 2 - Washing
Don't be afraid, moisture and water are your best friends :)
After detangling and moisturizing it should be much easier to deal with your hair now, and if you have a lot of hair you may want to leave it in those sections during your wash. If/when I wash in sections, I will bring a few hair clips in the shower with me so as I wash one section at a time, I can twist and pin it back up so it stays stretched and detangled and I won't need to comb through my hair again....or at least bring a scrunchie to throw it all in a ponytail.

Part 3 - Styling
When it comes to styling natural hair, it's all about knowing the look you're going for, and understanding what your hair will and won't do. Henna and other natural products like coconut milk have been known to cause a little curl loosening, but usually on looser textures. The way we usually go about loosening our curls usually is by way of chemicals or heat damage, as a lot of hairstylists will call burning your curls out "heat training." Know that this is not an accurate method (not a method at all) ladies.

I love the curly look and my hair is curly but shrinks A LOT so I live in twist outs as it lets me have the look of my own curls, minus all the shrinkage. Doing twist-outs, braid-outs, banding, or any other kind of Set that will stretch the hair, should help with your feeling of wanting to loosen your curls. When I want a curlier, froey-er twist out I will do it on wet hair or re-twist an old twist out, and if I'd like my hair to be a little silkier, I'll first rollerset my hair and do my twist out on that. 

Here are some links to help you along your journey:
Tips For Naturals
Creating Textures
Creating a Regimen

I hope this helped, and please, don't ever feel like your options are limited, And Haircare above all else!!!

2011 A TWA Year In Review: Protective styling by any means necessary...

This post is kind of like a 2011 in review post looking back on my second year being natural and growing out my hair from an inch long... I decided to come up with a "TOP 5" of categories to kind of track my hair progress or digression.. here they are in order from most to least important (for me, that is.)

Moisture ~ I have definitely learned how to perfectly moisturize my hair for all seasons and needs... My problem is remembering when the seasons change that I have to switch up my regimen too... I always seem to have a bumpy start at the begining of a season and then i'm like "Oh yeah... DUH. Time for the old one, two, switcharoo!"

Ends ~ Split ends and single strand knots (curse those things) Inevitable for me as with my hair texure and curl patterns. I just do my best to keep my ends protected, stretched, moisturized, and I dust them (small trim) every 2 months approximately.

Satin/Silk head covering while sleeping & under hats ~ When I wear a hat I always make sure to wear a bonnet underneath so my hair wont get dried out and ripped up by cottons, fleece, and wools... Yeah... this is where I start messing up... I'm so lazy!!! If I sit down without my bonnet when I'm tired, that's it, I'll knock out without it... sometimes I'll get up in the middle of the night and put it on (if I can find it). I've been much better about it though lately and my boyfriend will even put my bonnet on my pillow if he finds it first

Length Retention ~ The question I should have asked was set backs?! lol All due to me not tying my head down at night and it getting all tangled, dry, and forming single strand knots ::shudders at the thought::
Otherwise, on a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give myself a 7.5 on the length retention scale

Protective styling ~ I hate it!!!! Isn't that horrible? I'm going to be honest, all I wanna do is grow my hair out so I can wear it out, do cool updo's, cool styles with large long braids or twists, or wear it in a ponytail or bun... The only thing i've really been able to do from that list so far is wear my hair out and try an updo or two (which was a struggle)

Now that I'm finally growing out of this TWA stage, I feel like protective styling is starting to have much better options for me and I'm so ready because I want to retain as much length as I possibly can from now until my birthday! I just don't know what to do... Extension braids? A weave? Should I stay weaved up from now until the summer? I also really want to protect my edges, especially in the front, so we'll see...


This week's style:

Rollerset hair which I decided to lightly flat iron.... once it gets all puffy on me it'll be twist-out time... and guess what?! I made a video too so as soon as I can get it up and edited I will!

Fashion Week Hair

Ladies and (if we have any) Gentle-dudes,
I'm so sorry I've been gone from posting, things have just been so hectic with fashion week and all, but in a few more days things will be back to normal for me.... as if my life was normal before.. lol.
Anyhoo...
It's been crazy hectic for me chaperoning girls around the city to castings and fittings, going to a few different shows, working in the office at Wilhelmina, shooting girls for their showcards and books, and all while still taking my clients and hoping to get a moment in to eat, shower, and sleep... I've had 2 days off in the past month and the universe only knows what I'm running on..
My hair however has been running on Jamaican Black Castor Oil, Elasta QP's Olive oil and Mango Butter, Jojoba Oil and Shea Butter... whatever it takes to keep her majesty moisturized during these busy times when I can't remember when was the last time I washed my hair... Oh! And a new favorite product:

CHI Deep Brilliance Glisten

 I seal in my moisture with this stuff and my hair seriously does glisten, all while still being light and fluffy and softer than cotton candy, plus it smells awesome. I trimmed my hair sometime within this crazy month because my split ends were getting a bit ridiculous but I have been retaining length which i'm super excited about... my hair in the front is like a 1/4 inch from my top lip! I haven't been able to rollerset my hair since last month, so i just washed my hair and blew it out, and have been basically wearing it in afros or twisted up ever since. Everyone's been loving my hair and it's been a crazy, sexy mess! I love it too.
Rollerset Hair:

Wash and Go Curls:

Blown Out Hair:

Me extremely tired with my hair twisted up

And this was my hair today, the result of doing  cornrows to sleep, fluffing in the morning, and after much wind, Voila! lo.

 So Basically fluffed up fros have been my life this fashion week (though it been more like a month for me), as I really haven't had time for much else. I can't wait to have the time to do some DEEEEEEP conditioning and get back to my rollersetting regimen!

What do you or have you resort(ed) to as a regimen when you're too busy for your regular regimen?

Sisterly Advice: Keeping Natural Hair Moisturized in the Winter

One of my sisters, who's in college in Boston, called me not to long ago telling me that she wanted to deviate from her "box-braids routine" and wear her hair "out" for a little while and wanted to know what products she could use to keep her hair moisturized. I'm always excited when one of my sisters or cousins (and even my fiance's relatives) call to ask me what they should do or use on their hair, makes me feel like I may be doing something right with my haircare. I especially feel pleased when this particular sister calls me about hair stuff because I'm the one who convinced her not to ever relax it and promised I'd show her how to "rock what she got"-which is how I became interested in blogging about hair in the first place!

Anyway, I texted her a basic answer so that she could refer back to it later and then I thought I should also post about it, because it might help other inquiring minds. So again, the question is: How Can I keep My Hair Moisturized in the Winter? What Products Should I Use?
My Answer: To keep your hair from drying out, it's not just having the right product but the art of sealing your hair. This basically involves using a water-based product (ex. conditioner), and locking in the moisture with an oil (ex. coconut) or butter (ex. shea).

My sister also expressed not wanting to have to wet her hair everyday for moisture - after all it's winter time and no one wants to walk outside with wet hair. I recommended that she spritz her hair as needed with a home made mixture (in her case, she's always been good with Extra-Virgin Olive Oil and water) or buying a spritz. I personally swear by Oyin's Frank Juice, but she may want something she can buy locally.

At this point, I turn it over to you folks. Any product recommendations for my sister or tips you want to share for winter hair care? She'll be watching this post!

Healthy You Equals Healthy Hair

For me, embracing my natural hair taught me to become more aware of myself on different levels. Although hair is technically "dead," hair growth and the state of our hair starts with our insides. I remember last Spring when I was getting ready to graduate from college I had a whole laundry list of stress that took a toll on my hair. Besides direct neglect on my part, I wasn't eating well nor was I sleeping much because of the stress I was dealing with. The natural "sheen" to my hair went dim and it was constantly dry and tangled and I experienced some breakage.

I've changed my diet recently to non-meat eating, not for moral reasons but because I simply don't care for eating it at the moment--but better believe that when I crave some carne I will be eating it. Eating meat is actually not bad for our health because it's an excellent source of protein which is of course great for hair growth. I usually ate poultry (chicken) with the occasional red meat saved for when I went to Chipotle or Good Burger (omnomnom). Right now I've occasionally been consuming other sources of protein like fish, dairy and eggs and taking cod liver oil in pill form. (I used to have to drink the liquid as a child, and can't deal with the fishy taste so the pills are easier). Cod Liver Oil has omega-3 fatty acids which are great for hair. It also helps with vision and skin health and the immune system. I take 2 capsules daily.

I've also always been a heavy consumer of veggies, particularly green ones like spinach, broccoli and green beans. They are really easy to cook and great to add to a meal. I don't always eat organic, but I do shop at my local fruit and vegetable stand. Just like caring for your hair, caring for your body doesn't have to be expensive and I live in New York City where everything is pricey and I still more or less live like a "broke college student."

Tips For the Naturals With Lots O'Hair

My co-blogger SP has really been reppin' the ladies with TWA with all her tips. I, Curly Film Chick, the one who has massive amounts of hair hasn't really tapped into what it's like to have all this hair and how to care for it. When I first started reading up on natural hair, I was desperate to find folks who had what I considered an "issue" at the time. Having a lot of hair, whether it's long or dense (or long AND dense) is another level of care. I want to share some tips that I hope are helpful to those of us who are at this level.

Washing...
- in sections is best. I typically divide my hair into four sections and using the pads of my fingers I am able to effectively get to my scalp. Same applies to co-washing.
- with shampoo that has slip. If you're a natural like me who has a need for shampoo, then getting one that has some detangling power is helpful because your hair won't "mat" up. This is my reasoning for using Jessicurl Cleansing Cream and Curlicious Curls which helps me run my hands through my hair vs Giovanni Tea Tree that cleanses my scalp very well but is not moisturizing and tangles my hair a bit, which adds more time to detangling.
- with a non-moisturizing/slipless shampoo, I find that adding a detangling conditioner to your hair before rinsing out all the shampoo is very helpful in the detangling process.

Speaking of detangling....
- Fingers first! I always do this in sections before I even think of using a detangling tool.
- Use detangling tools that won't rip out your hair. I personally use a wide tooth comb, a denman brush and yes--a fine tooth comb but only for my ends when I'm braiding/twisting/rollersetting. It helps to keep my ends from tangling.
- detangle from the bottom to the top, or "tip" to "root" so that hair isn't ripped out, again in sections.

Styling...
- put your hair in workable sections
- anticipate using more product then recommended - even with products that "using a little goes a long way." I have found the best way to deal with using products where the quantity matters greatly with the results is by using the recommended amount on even smaller sections.
- anticipate using more rollers then expected. I still get left hanging with curlformers because I know I do not have enough. Usually whenever I'm doing a style I end up having to use two different types of rollers to get desired results.
- use a styling tool (comb, brush, etc) to make sure there is even distribution of product

Miscellaneous
- DON'T forget about your scalp! I know sometimes it's buried underneath all the hair but that's no excuse not to tend to it.
- Search and Destroy method is helpful for getting rid or single-strand knots and random splits. The name is self-explanatory--look through your strands and snip out with hair trimming scissors/shears as you see them. Again, best done in sections.
-I can't stress it enough about how sectioning your hair is helpful. So I'm mentioning it again. Workable sections for you. I realize for me "halves" isn't enough, I need my hair in "fours."

I really only deal with my hair once a week. That's when I style/wash/deep treat and what not. It used to take me about 30 min to wash my hair, but now I've got it to 15 minutes so I'm happy. Other things to consider when you have a lot of hair: shedding like a cat and finding a good method to put your hair in a ponytail/bun. Hope these tips are helpful!

Product Stash: Stylers

Note #1: See my stash of cleansers and conditioners.

Behold! My collection of stylers.

(note #2: I know, this is a lot but in all fairness, Mr. Smooth uses some =P)

Okay, so let's start with the Aloe Vera gel. I like to use it on both my skin and my hair because it leaves it soft. I moisturize with it mostly when my hair is in a protective style, like twists or braids as my "water based" product before I seal my hair with an oil. By itself it makes my hair feel really soft and it's nice and light. (note #3: this has been Mr. Smooth's favorite product for about a year). Next to it is the IC Fantasia Heat Protectant Serum. When I used to flat iron a lot, this was my staple. I recently bought it when I blew out my hair. It's a decent heat protectant to me and inexpensive. And next to that is Motions Foaming Wrap Lotion. This was actually passed to me from SP because she knows I set my hair with curl formers and she wanted me to give this a try. Then I have my IC Fantasia Gel which I've already reviewed and will still use it for wet setting. 

There are also three little bottles in the front, which are Jessicurl products that I have not really experimented with which are: Rockin' Ringlets, Confident Coils and Awe Inspiraling Spray. At the moment I don't really have a use for them because they seem to be 'wash and go' products and I'm not doing that any time soon. You can also see I still have the Jane Carter Solutions Wrap and Roll which I've used for dry setting (curlformers, twist outs ect) and it seemed to work okay. I'm still trying to finish the bottle and have no intentions of repurchasing. There are a couple of Aveda products back there: Phomollient Styling Foam and Brilliant Anti-Humectant Pomade, both given to me and that I'm experimenting with and probably won't buy because of their scary expensive prices. Next to that, you can see my beloved Burt's Bees Avocado Butter Pre-Shampoo Treatment which I'm running low on and will always buy because it's a staple. I use it as a styler as well as a pre-poo treatment. (oh and note #4: Kinky Curly Custard is in that picture, but I accidently hid it. I love it but it's pricey and I use sparingly and I probably won't be buying again)

Whew! I don't think I need to be buying anything until there's less products! This has really helped me put things into prospective!

Trying: Bentonite Clay

Recent Purchase from Whole Foods

I posed a question on the Curlynikki forum the other day about using henna for all it's benefits other than dye release. Now that my hair is hi-lighted, I've been a little manic about preserving my color, at least for now because I don't want any sort of red in my hair. I proposed to use just water in my mix instead of green tea (or anything acidic that would release the color). Some suggested using cassia and amla and even Bentonite clay. After doing a quick search I thought that the clay would be a good idea. I vaguely remember reading about it when I first started browsing natural hair blogs and I went right back to these blogs. I found some information that's really appealing to me, as told by the website Anita Grant it removes build up from the scalp and hair leaving it clean, like a clarifier. It's also great for skin which is good news because I have eczema.

What I'm thinking about now is in what ways I can mix it for my hair. There are various recipes floating around from other naturals, and I'm thinking of this one from Honey Brown Sugar because she used honey and I love adding honey to my hair (that's what both SP and I use in our henna mixes.) I'm going to do a treatment today so I'll update everyone in a couple of days on the results. Till then, Happy Holidays and be safe!

Creating a Regimen for your Growing TWA

Good Morning YAIS beauties and TWA growers!

When i originally started my natural journey back in March of this year, i had no idea how much i would learn about my hair. I've never been one of those girls who was good at sticking to a regimen, so i never even tried. I became a product junkie, buying every good product i researched, and just did my hair from day to day. Through much trial and error (and wasted time, hair and money), i learned that my hair taught me what it needed, wanted, and very much created its own regimen!

What has my hair told me it likes?

• Shampoo once a week, co-wash at least twice a week and more frequently in the summer. 
• Loves Henna!!! So now I Henna once a month
• Deep condition - Basically whenever i wash i DC, so i never NEED to, i just do.
• Finger detangle! - My hair has taught me if i keep a comb away, my hair will stay! =D I finger detangle my hair wet with lots of conditioner. Even with dry detangling i use my fingers so i can feel the tangles and separate them, instead of ripping through them. I use a comb sometimes, but very seldom. 
• Shea butter - My hair loves Shea butter, especially when it is in an Afro or going to be twisted, it keeps my hair highly moisturized, soft, and sets twist-outs beautifully.
• Trim away Single Strand knots - I learned that i only get SSK's on my tighter, coarser textures, so i check them often for SSK's and snip! Snip! SNIP!
• Protective Styling -My hair loves to be twisted! Flat twists are my fave right now until my hair grows a little more and i can wear more 2 strand twist styles.
• Where's my Satin bonnet?! - Dont forget to protect your hair as you sleep, or even under hats.

I guess that's the reggie my hair created for itself in a nutshell!

Important Information for Growing your TWA

When growing out your TWA, you will need a low manipulation, high care regimen in order to grow your hair to its fullest potential. Pay attention to what you use and how your hair responds to it, this will help you to learn what your hair likes and what kinds of products it like as well. Remember that the ends are the oldest parts of your hair, so pay special attention to keeping your ends healthy, that way you retain all or most of your length; Breakage and needing to trim often will greatly slow your growing process. Make sure your hair stays moisturized and if you are protective styling, make sure it is a style that wont cause any damage to your hair/hairline.

If you are a new natural, take some time to play with your hair and learn what it likes and needs, as all hair is different. Start with something easy like conditioner and learn how to make ur curls pop!

 Don't expect something that works for everyone to work for you, it may not, but you will find something that will :) Remember that just because your hair is short now, this little TWA will be your ends once your hair grows out so don't go crazy dying, frying or not taking care of your hair just because it's a TWA, trust me, you'll pay for it later (obviously speaking from experience =x).

So what has your little TWA taught you? Good luck listening to it and creating your own TWA reggie!

New Length Checks, Goals and understanding Growth

 Since i had not posted anything in a while, i guess you could consider these back-posts... 

So i took these length checks on December 9th, the day after i Henna'ed my hair. Being that i chopped my hair on October 16th, i am going to start doing length checks every other month on the 16th to monitor my growth, as i would like to see how much growth i get every 2 months. At the rate my hair is growing i would assume i do get an inch a month, or at least some where close to it, although i do notice that my tighter, finer, coarser textures seem to grow a little bit slower. 

Even though these pics are from the 9th they are my December pics so expect another set of length check pics sometime around February 16th, hopefully i will gain another inch!!!

In terms of hair goals, I of course had to rearrange my hair goals since the chop but my hair is really flourishing for the first time and i see no reason why it won't grow to the lengths of my dreams, lol.   

That being said, in all of the growing i did last year, without trimming i would have definitely been at shoulder length at least by now, so i know i can accomplish that in another year. I am aiming for Full Neck Length by my birthday, June 15th and i have no intentions on trimming before May, besides                     

snipping away at any SSK's, which i have been able to keep to a minimum with monthly Henna'ing and low manipulation styles. I used to love wearing my natural hair pulled back into a banana clip so that will be my birthday goal :)