Repost: Natural Hair Memories: Mistakes As A Natural Head

 How I felt once I realized the mistakes I made with my hair!

I've been natural all my life, but being a hair enthusiast wasn't me until about a year and a half ago. After all I've learned, I've been shaking my head at myself for all the havoc I used to put my hair through. You will not believe it! Not that I'm a masochist, but I really did abuse the hell out of my hair. I did things like:

*Dry comb my hair although in all fairness I always used a wide-tooth one
*Stayed away from water because I thought it was the death of me
*Flat-ironed dirty hair and almost everyday to keep it straight
*Flat-ironed or blew out hair without a heat protectant and watched my hair break off
*Greased my scalp with thick butters and pomades gross!gross!gross!
*Used rubber bands for ponytails specifically, large blue or pink ones that hold produce together like broccoli that pulled my hair out
*Slapped products on top of my hair instead of distributing it evenly with a comb or some other method, and then wondered why nothing worked!
*Using those damn boxed dyes without following up with some sort of deep treatment
*Scratching the hell out of my scalp with a comb to get all the "flakes" and that gave my scabs like you won't believe!
*Using products with mineral oil and petrolatum  these ingredients may not bother some people, but they make my hair very icky and no me gusta!
*Using shampoo and no conditioner O_o when I was low on funds, I often had to choose which one I could buy and usually bought shampoo even though I hated it

I could go on and on. I was such a naughty person when it came to dealing with my hair. I was definitely not educated.

What were some of the things you used to do, fellow hair enthusiasts?

Perfect TWA Finger Coils & Coil Out

What Became of a Co-wash and boredom... I'm trying my best to further preserve my ends until i can trim them, now that i see that a trim is imperative. I cowashed with Organix Coconut Milk and decided not to rinse all of the conditioner out. Instead, i started separating pieces, finger detangling and finger coiling. I was just playing at first but it went pretty fast and before you know it i was almost done. I didnt use a comb for any parts, just tried to take sections with like amounts. This is not a style i would say that i particularly love but im looking forward to seeing what a coil out will look like... In the meantime, i guess this will just be a temporary protective style for me

UPDATE!!!

So i have Hand In Hair syndrome so here goes my coil out :)

I didn't lift at the roots or anything, i just separated while i sat at the computer. I didn't use any oil on my fingers, just separated gently so as not to create too much frizz.

I will say, although i don't like how the coils and coil out looks on me, i do think the coils looked beautiful and the coil out even better! I think i will be trying coil outs when my hair gets longer and i can do larger coils :)

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."

Back to the Basics...

So i took my braids out Tuesday night because I've been kinda sick with a head cold that had my head so sensitive each braid felt like it weighed a ton!
I really wanted to keep these for another 2 weeks but at the same time I'm glad to have my hair and my head back!

1st thing out the braids, I detangled and was careful with removing dirt and shedded hairs, so as not to break my own hair. Once my hair was fully detangled I washed with Yes! To Carrots shampoo, rinsed and shook out the excess water to get ready to apply my Henna treatment! I LOOOVVVEEEE HENNA!!!!
I let the Henna sit for about 2 hours and then rinsed about 7 times with Suave Natural Coconut condish (the cheapie stuff), the last 2 rinses i used HEHH for a little extra conditioning and slip. Here's my hair a few minutes after rinsing out all of the Henna.

I put my hair in random twists and flat twists going in all directions, with the front twists twisted forward for more of a curly bang and all the others basically going outward from the middle of my head. I looovvveee my twist out actually and i'm totally loving my hair, and especially what Henna does for my hair. It really defines my curls and keeps my hair strong, not to mention i do like the little reddish tint that i get from it.
I used only my fingers to separate the twists coated with a little bit of Jojoba oil to prevent too much frizz. I separated and separated until my hair looked full enough to me and tried my best to lift at the roots with my pic to cover up the parts. This was one those perfect hair days for me, which always seems to happen on days when i'm just home in the house.
My hair did grow a bit but i'm going to wait to do my length check in February. Otherwise... i am going to need to trim sooner than later... so probably after my Feb length check because i do not want to keep these split ends and they get worse. My hair styles also don't look as good when i have split ends.

Natural does not = Afro (Creating Texture)

This post is for all of the relaxed ladies thinking of going natural, and all of those transitioners who are still a little reluctant about going completely natural...
Time and time again i have recommended friends to go natural, and i have gotten a few to start transitioning for the long haul, some in weaves, and 2 clients who have transitioned from relaxed to texturized.


The ladies who are thinking of going completely natural always seem to have the same question, or what seems to be more of a fear.
"Do i have to wear an Afro? I don't want to wear an afro."
The answer is NO... And what's so bad about an Afro anyway?
It's unfortunate that so many women are uneducated about their natural hair and think that there is no versatility in it, especially for the more tightly curled textures. There are so many different styles and results you can have when you learn how to style your natural hair, and i have learned thats it's all about creating the texture you want.

Straight Hair: People relax to permanently create a straight texture. Natural women can straighten their hair by various methods, usually combined. You can flatiron, maxiglide, press/hot comb, roller set, silk wrap and/or blowdry to create a sleek, smooth, straight finish. If you try straightening your hair and you have a lot of damage and split ends, it will show and probably not get as straight as possible, or you might have straight hair and 'afro ends.' Your ends may not be used to being straight so try your best to smooth your ends by silkwrapping, wrapping, pincurling, finger smoothing, whatever you can, and if that doesn't work, your ends may be split and in need of a trim. Remember to ALWAYS use heat protector when using heat so as to avoid heat damage.
You should also make sure to do your best to preserve your style by wrapping/ pincurling at night so as to avoid needing to add heat to the hair again. 
*A smoothing and heat protecting serum is a great way to keep away frizz and add a bit of moisture and shine.

Wavy/Curly Hair: To create wavy and/or curly textures, women rely on sets. What do you mean by "sets?"
A set refers to creating a texture and setting it to last. You can set your hair by using a curling iron, doing a rollerset, flexirod set, perm rod set, straw set, bantu knot/ china bump set, twist set, braid set, or setting your own curl using certain products/gels to help preserve your own natural curl pattern (example: Using a product like Kinky Curly Curling Custard or Ecostyler gel).


Sets have memory and can last for a few days depending on how you care for them, resetting by re-twisting a twist-out or putting rollers back in the hair to sleep can help to prolong your set. Wet/damp setting usually lasts the longest/ holds the most memory. If you want a long lasting style (usually set to last for a week), set the hair wet and let dry. Your final result will be up to you so remember to set your hair in the direction you want your hair to lay (example: If you are doing a twist out and want curly bangs, make sure you do the front twists coming to the front so when you untwist them, they're already hanging forward). Make sure you also use the right products to help you achieve your desired look, like using holding and frizz reducing products, or only moisturizing products and/or light hold if you like a more 'free' look.


Remeber that while setting, you are creating the texture you want, so for bigger waves/ curls, do larger twists/braids/knots or use bigger rollers/rods and vice versa for tighter waves/curls.
 Some people would rather dry set, probably because they want to stretch the hair first to show more length or have a sleeker/ less textured look. Braid outs, twist outs, roller and rod sets can be done on blowdryed/flatironed/air dryed hair as well.
Take your time and experiement with your hair and you will learn that your options and results can be endless. With any hair type, remember that everyone has bad hair days so if something doesn't come out perfect, try again or try a different approach.

Afros: Yes, an afro is a texture some choose to create, as not all people have hair that stands up as an afro would. An afro is basically a bunch of separated curls that stand out from the head and usually defy gravity. 
Some people may tease their hair to create an afro texture, set their hair on small rollers/ rods or in small braids or twists and then comb/pic them out to separate the curls/texture and shape the afro. 
Some people want a fully rounded/picked out afro while others like textured afros, created with either their own afro/texture or a set texture.
Either way, know that our options are NOT limited!
Now remember, it's always going to be harder to have and keep the texture that is the most opposite from your own hair texture, and remember that as women with textured hair we are not the only ones who go through these issues. Just as it can be difficult and time consuming for straight Asian hair to be curled and stay curly, the same goes for our curly hair and trying to straighten and keep it straight.
Once you go natural, it's always easier when you embrace your natural texture and natural styling, as opposed to always wanting to straighten, as it will of course be the most time consuming and damaging. 
If your texture is not ideal to you or you just want to try a new look, learn how to create the texture that you like and don't forget that your hair's health should come first and foremost. 


Have fun experimenting with creating textures!

Natural Hair Magazine Talk Continued...

Singer Chrisette Michele

Remember my post about wishing there was some sort of natural hair magazine? I just came across an article on Coco and Cream asking when will natural hair take over the magazines. I read some of the comments to this article and one of them mentioned that it's the celebrity that sells the magazines and we don't have enough representation there either.

CurlyNikki has managed to interview some natural celebs including Chrisette Michele (pictured above) so obviously they are out there but I guess not much. What do you guys think would make a natural hair magazine successful? What would it need, besides showcasing natural styles? 

We're Not Cookie-Cutter Images (Black Mixed Chicks)

I'm sure that by now those of us in the natural hair world have heard about the Mixed Chicks Twitter incident. (if not, here are two interesting posts on my favorite hair blogs at LITK and BGLH) My main issue with the tweet was that there seemed to be an underlying assumption that all mixed folks are light skinned. This also made me think about how in general, folks seem to think that a certain mix will yield a certain phenotype for individuals which is simply not the case. Just so readers are aware, both SP and I are "mixed chicks." No, we don't have light skin or light eyes or a predictable hair type but we are "black" and ethnically/culturally mixed and proud of it.

Now, I normally save these types of posts on my personal blog but I am going to discuss my background for a bit because it does relate to hair: I'm mostly a Native American and West Indian (black, white and Indian mix) and while I don't do blood quantities of my heritage, this is not one of those, I'm 1/16th this situations, they are pretty close. My father is of Cherokee decent and my mother is mixed. I have many half siblings (who are different ethnicities) but only one "full" sister, as in we share the same parental units and our hair is not the same. For a long time we didn't even have similar complexions. My younger sister was light, had light eyes for a brief time, and coily hair. I always had brown skin, dark eyes and wavier dark hair. Her hair is soft like cotton, fine strands that are dense, and still very coily. Mine is like "fluffy silk" with defined S-curls. Two mixed chicks and this is what we look like...

My sis and I, ages 4 and 7

December '10- we're both naturals

I get mistaken for different ethnicities and a few of my friends have mentioned it's because of my hair type, which if that's true it's rather foolish. (I semi-doubt that's all it is; an East Indian man tried to convince me for about 10 minutes that I must be one of his people, even though my hair was an undefined braid out because of the summer heat). I also resent when people (including my very own cousins) say anything about "mixed looking hair" but also in the same way I can't stand some people I've encountered who deny the mixed black folks existence (the, all black people are mixed anyway meme annoys me). I know a lot of black people who get annoyed with others if they admit that they are of mixed heritage and white people who demand proof of my Native American heritage. And it makes me sad when folks comment on the "good hair" my children will have if I have kids with Mr. Smooth who is Puerto Rican (of Taino, Spanish and Haitian decent). It's a frustrating hair world out there, with hair-typing and hair hierarchies and not enough representation for the those of us out there who are trying to untangle this mess. We have a lot of work to do....