World's biggest Afro

I was browsing Concrete Loop and saw this video. It is about Aevin Dugas who according to the Guinness  World Records has the largest Afro in the world. It measures 4ft. Wow. 100% natural afro kinky hair. In some other videos I have watched she says the afro is not her everyday style and she usually opts for a more simpler style.

If anyone know what her youtube channel is if she has one please let me know

Here is another video where she is interviewed on BBC news.

I got hair huh!

When I took my hair out of the weave I caused damage to my hair. It is not too bad and I know better next time. I accidentally cut my hair at the back whilst removing the thread and tracks. So that means a whole length of hair is gone. Now because the X-pression hair mirrored m own it was hard to tell. Thankfully it was at the back so no one will see. 

I took this picture after combing out my hair after the weave was taken out. I shampooed my hair and conditioned it and used Miss Jessie's Sweetback Treatment. However I feel although I love that product I need a better product that is cheaper for deep conditioning treatments. This pictue lets me know I have a whole lot of hair. Just do not be fooled. It looks thick and lush. But it is simply dense and fine. my plaits have no oomph to them which is why I stopped doing twists and braids on my own hair unless it is bulked with extensions.

One of my friends who shaved off her hair and wore a TWA for over a year has been growing her hair out. She wears it in a fro with pride. I used to think my face would not suit such a style. However I took my hair out of big plaits and it was styled like a chunky curly fro. I looked in the mirror and thought wow it looks good and would be perfect for this summer with a maxi dress on. However the summer in the UK is not quite here. 

If you know of any good hair treatments that can be done weekly or bi-weekly please let me know. If it is not sold in the UK I will find a way to get hold of it.

All weaved up!

After going to the hairdresser I decided that I wanted to leave my hair alone kind of. I have tried sewn in weaves before and always hated the experience. My scalp would itch and at times feel as though it was on fire. This time around my experience is different. 

I have a friend who does hair and she does not charge me an arm and a leg for her services. so as she was super affordable I thought why not. Now I did not want to have any hair left out so I got a full head weave. My natural hair at times can be very resistant to heat and reverts quickly whether that be summer humidity or winter rain and snow. I am always cautious of my edges and thankfully she does not apply any noticeable tension on my edges or anywhere on my head.

The base is a standard circular canerow/cornrow base. She used a small bit of X-pression hair to thicken my own hair out for the base.  The only part of the  whole process was the closure. I got jabbed in the head a few times by the needle point. Other than that it turned out lovely.  Unfortunately I have not got the best of pictures as the hair turned into a mess way too quick.

I used two bags of Sleek Spanish Weave hair. Two of my friends did say this hair does not last long and indeed it did not. I feel like I could get a further 2 weeks out of this sew in but the hair has served its purpose. Right now I am wearing it in a bun until the weekend when I can take it out. 

To care for my scalp I used The Organics Root Stimulator Anti Itch Oil. I found this useful and my itching was not that bad. Also to keep my scalp clean I bought their Dry Hair Shampoo but found because of the braid patter would not be practical and I simply washed my hair with the weave. I think my scalp was grateful for a bit of clean.

Now the spanish weave hair jumped back to life in the shower and detangling was easy. However once dried it matted back up and needed to be untangled again. I know people who are serious about weave will probably tell me it is what you paid for but surely at £32 per bag, it could have been better. Next time I will try a straight weave. I am just trying to grow my hair back and gain additional length. I will also not neglect getting trim when I am supposed to.

Hannah Pool Black Hair Documentary.

I saw this small documentary on Black hair by Hannah Pool. The link was posted on the Black Hair magazines Facebook page. It covers the usual discussions on identity and culture but alas it concluded it was about personal choice. I do feel more black women are informed about their hair these days. You simply just cannot tell a Black woman how she should wear or style her hair or whether its okay to wear weave or au natural. If she does not feel the choice is hers she will not care what you think.

Hannah Pool Black Hair Documentary

Trimmed and treated

I was not able to take pictures yesterday. However I finally went to the hairdresser and sorted out my split ends. The breakage was so sporadic that he had to trim what needed to and then blend where was necessary. So for now my hair is at different lengths or layered. My stylist took off 1 1/2 inches. I also had a deep treatment too which was much needed. 

One thing though. My stylist does not believe that you can grow your hair by following any set routine. He feels that from his experience your hair will grow to its own desired length then stop and brake off. I think he meant natural shedding. I have however seen otherwise on others. I should sort out my hairs breakage and prove him wrong. But more so show myself with a little determination my hair can grow longer and healthier. 

What home treatments do you recommend? 

A few textured hair pics

lightly blow dried

I wash my hair yesterday and thought I would take some textured hair shots. I used Tresseme Naturals moisturising shampoo and conditioner. I find this one feels less stripping to my hair and definitely moisturising. Anyway I took this as an opportunity to share some textured pics. My hair is not yet in the best condition but it is getting there. I am finding that my hair needs washing at least once a week to help it's moisture levels. I could be wrong who knows but that is what I think. I need tips on moisture breakage prevention. As soon as I am able I am going to a professional to take off about 2 inches just to ensure all split ends are gone. I just still cannot work out why right in the middle of my head I have the strangest breakage. Some of pics are taken without flash as the hair was not showing up as I could see in the mirror. So I may need to work on my camera technique for the next time. 

with flash

I've Decided

I've decided that I am not going to relax my hair just yet. At the back of my mind the thought will remain but for now I will no be doing so. I had a good talk with a friend who is natural and she suggested that I level my hair off to one length and use a protective style like singles braids. Now giving my hair a cut is no problem to me. So hopefully in a months time I will start wearing single braids or rather twist extensions. I know i will have to be careful with my hairline. 

Its such a shame I have so many products I will not need. Some need to be thrown out so I will be doing that the moment I sort my hair out.

DM comment about Beyonce

I saw this comment in the Daily Mail. It is a newspaper I read only to see who they and their readers are slagging off. Sometimes they do have interesting stuff to read about but that is as and when. Beyonce always features in the DM and the reader comments always centre around her skin tone and and the validity of her hair. We know she wears extensions as do many white women. Beyonce even has a video that shows how her hair is canerowed prior to a weave so I doubt she dislikes her hair. If I was a celebrity I would weave it up myself and let my hair be free when I am not working. Oh and the blond hair argument is so defunct. I have black friends whose hair is naturally blond. Not Beyonce blond but blond indeed. Anyway check out the comment. Someone made the comment and someone's has quoted them and responded. Interesting to see that white people are beginning to appreciate natural hair too but at the same time acknowledge a woman's choice.

What do you think? I for one note that they always say African American women. I for one am not American. But I understand what they mean.

Comment from Daily Mail article

Thinking about Relaxers again

I consider myself to have been a natural hair sister since 2005. In 2002 shortly after I was married I experienced a very bad scalp reaction to my regular relaxer. For years I found my scalp was becoming indifferent to them. Sensitive scalp formulas offered no relief until I discovered a local salon that answered my dreams. However my scalp decided enough was enough.

Twist out 

My scalp was covered in thick yellow chunks of dandruff. The salon was so nice and offered me free treatments to correct the problem, but after my 4th free weekly treatment I decided to try something new. So it was not the burns that you get. After all I was trained to recognise this as part of the process since I was 5yrs old (could have been 4). My journey to natural hair began at 22yrs old.

To transition I wore my hair in extensions, head wraps (which I miss wearing), twist outs, braid outs. I googled natural hair and initially stumbled upon Black Hair Media, Nappturality, Motown Girl, Roshini whose current site is now Glamazini and not forgetting Afrobella. I had various resources and attitudes at hand to help shape me. I never entered any challenges I just took style ideas product junky pride and did the best I could. In between home styling I would go to my hairdresser and get a treatment and a trim until all the relaxer was gone. So in 2005 I declared I could not see anymore straight ends and welcomed it. I embraced my hair for what it was and have pictures of me out in town drinking with my friends.

Twists

Throughout this I discovered half wigs. Wow they transformed my look in an instant and my friends could not tell it was a wig as opposed to a weave. The curly hair styles became my staple. Imagine an accidental discovery becoming the go to look. Yes I have experimented with lace fronts but not for everyday wear. I just can not do that right now. Not knowing my hair was in a protective style it thrived. I gave birth twice as a natural and had no problems. 

I coloured my own hair unevenly all over and here is where I think it went wrong. The process dried out my hair to an extreme. Felt like straw afterwards. Took awhile to get it back in shape. 2010 I realised edges were thin and braking. 2011 I realised that from my hairlines to the middle crown of my hair it had broken off. So the remainder is longer at mid shoulder-ish when straightened, whilst the middle is not doing much. 

To make matters worst my hair feels so try. Now I do not know if this is down to me not washing my hair more often. I wash and condition my hair every week to two weeks. I tried co-washing but that process irritated my scalp. I used to use Castor oil to retain moisture. Maybe I need to re-discover it.

Canerow and afro puff

I just feel like right now my hair is dry, breaking, and my style options are stagnated. When my hair was relaxed I can only remember one time I suffered breakage. So that is once or twice in 17years. Whereas now it happens regular. I know relaxers are have negative effects. I am even considering a texturiser. Or maybe I should see if I can discover the natural laxers that don't sound natural.

  

Maybe a real return to protective styles such as twist extensions and a sew in weave. Well weaves never last long with me. I often wonder if I consciously made a better effort to lose weight if that would help. I personally feel I look better with certain styles when I have less fat on my body. 6 years of being chemical free is a long time. It is the only time besides birth in my life when my hair is as is. As much as I do not want to quit on my hair I want to be free from it. Surely natural hair was supposed to be the easier natural option. But it clearly is not for me at present.

Middle breakage but why?

I have noticed over the last 2 months that the middle of my hair is breaking. The texture of my hair feels weird there too. The roots are coarse and the ends are softer. I do not know if this means my hair texture is changing or my hair is suffering for some reason.

My current routine is very simple. I am wearing protective styles. I wash my hair every 1-2 weeks. I am trying to improve my diet and become more active. This bit is slowly happening. I just do not know how to eliminate what is wrong with my hair and how to stop it breaking. Should I wash it more often, put it away in a weave so it gets no manipulation at all. Visit my hairdresser to get his opinion on what I should do. I just do not know.

I guess I need to trawl the hair boards to see if someone can help me. Any suggestions would be great. 

Soft Hood Dryer

I bought this a few years ago for about £20. Now I could be wrong by a few or many pound coins. It is a Vidal Sassoon soft hooded dryer. The soft hood is made of some durable plastic that when you attach the dryer part to it, the hood inflates and distributes hot hair to your head. I like the fact that it is something that can be tucked away unlike the traditional hood dryer that is on a stand. I used it a few weeks ago to give my hair a deep hair treatment which it has not had in a long while. 

You have to hold a square dryer attachment in your hand or you can use the the strap to keep it out the way I guess. The hood gets really hot on the 1st setting alone. I am not able to manage the heat on the second setting unless I have a towel placed on my shoulders. For convenience this is quite good. Though I will probably one day invest in a traditional hooded dryer. Just because I am very conscious of the fact the dryer attachment lays by my chest and I am not overly keen on that at all. However it does what it does.  I have not used this to actually dry my hair, just for treatments.

The original Good Hair

Books by Lonnice B Bonner

Many years ago i decided to grow out my relaxer. It was not for any spiritual or cultural reason. it was simply because my scalp suffered severe dandruff. I am talking the yellow thick dandruff you could see a mile away. So although the salon I went to gave me weekly treatments, i decided enough was enough and thought I would forget about the relaxers.

So in my quest to understand my hair I did what I love to do and made google my friend. I looked up natural hair care and came across forums and blogs. On these sites I was introduced to an author called Lonnice Brittenum Bonner. Many ladies swore by her books Good Hair and Plaited Glory. As i was in the UK, it took me a moment or two to find it. The ever resourceful Amazon came to the rescue. I purchased both of those books back in 2004. The gave me a wealth of information and pretty much helped me along the way to my natural hair care. I have slacked quite a lot with hair care so I figured no harm in revisiting what was useful to me.

Good Hair: for colored girls who've considered weaves when the chemicals became to ruff. Originally published in 1990

Topics covered: Attitudes to hair, hair anatomy, hair tools, washing, maintenance, breakage, transitioning, styling step by step. There is also a bibliography at the back so if you wish to do further reading you have a great way of finding more resources.

Plaited Glory: for colored girls who've considered braids, locks and twists. Originally published 1996

Topics covered: signifying hair, parental guidance, preparation, salons and how to choose stylist, braiders, hair extensions, styling, nappy edges, care and taking down styles and how to styles with diagrams and pictures. There is also a small bibliography.

I have not listed the contents word word rather gave descriptive listings where needed to make it easier to understand what each book contains. Both of these books contain the basic guidelines you need to follow to care for your hair whether you are transitioning or simply trying to maintain your hair. The styles in these books are still popular today amongst many naturals such as twist outs and bantu knots. 

I highly recommend both of these books to new and old naturals. The author has two other books that i know of. One is called Kitchen Beautician and Nice Dreads. I am definitely considering buying Kitchen Beautician , but it looks like I will only be able to get a used copy which I do not mind at all. 

  

Practice makes perfect

I am quite pleased with this pic. No not the state of my edges but the canerow. Yes I was raised calling them both canerow and cornrow and used both. Anyway I have been practicing putting canerows in my hair for a while now. I am getting better. I can see that what I need to do is actually make smaller sections and maybe ease up on the tension. My hair is very fine so unsure how it will look. Just think if I can perfect this skill a bit more I could go on to try crochet braids or even a natural curly style weave. 

From previous advice and YouTube I need to work on my moisture levels. I wish Shea Moist was available in the UK as that looks like it would do the do. I have been told to try Bee Mine sulphur hair serum to help rejuvenate and strengthen my edges. They break and grow back in without me doing much. Though I must give it some TLC.

Stylistic - Loc's

I saw this while browsing pictures at Jamaican based dances. The photographer was just as amazed and in awe as I am when I saw it. I have no idea how this style is created. Maybe some silky loc's basket weave. I don't know but it looks very pretty. I can imagine many heads turning to stare and wonder at this beauty.

My Curls review

I was given the opportunity to try a new UK based natural hair product range. The company is called My Curls. The website states that these products are for natural and afro hair and come without many of the additives found in mainstream products.The company came to be out of the need for more UK based natural hair care products. I tried the Cleansing Cream and the Curl Smoothie.

The cleansing cream is a very nice shampoo that comes filled with Aloe Vera, Panthenol and oils from sunflower, lemon and tea tree. I am not the best with scents but it smells pleasant and is not over bearing. When I washed my hair it was laden with Miss Jessie's products and this shampoo did the job. It took three shampoos to get a massive lather. I use this as a sign of how clean my hair has become. I could have settled with the second shampoo but I like to wash my hair three times when it is being washed.  It was easy to wash out and my hair felt clean and not stripped. Overall this is a good product which does what he says it will.

The Curl Smoothie is a moisturiser which also contains many natural ingredients which are all listed on the My Curls website. After applying my usual conditioner I applied the curl smoothie to my hair whilst damp. I did not add anything else as I wanted to truly see how this product works on its own. I blow dried my hair and it came out soft and bouncy. Although I could feel some product not fully absorbed into my hair when I applied a small amount to my hair when dry. I think this is due to the glycerine. I am finding that many products that contain glycerine react this way with my hair. I did not need to add more to my hair the next day. Curl Smoothie is very light an did not weigh down my hair.

Very cute packaging My Curls Products

Overall I would say My Curls have the beginning of a very good product line. My Curls also do a conditioner called Coco Curly Conditioner. All three current products are now priced at £10.25 and can be purchased from their online shop.

 I hope to see more UK brands pop up so us consumers can buy more instead of pay huge postage cost. 

This post contains products sent to me for review!

Culture of weaves and wigs

I spotted this video over at Black Girl With Long Hair. I found it interesting. I like the fact our hair is being spoken about so much these days and what I am hearing is positive. The debates in America  are definitely ahead of the UK, but with so many UK based blogs and websites dedicated to natural hair popping up I hope to read more good stuff.

I used to switch between protective styles to wearing my hair out to wearing head wraps. Now I mainly wear protective styles which I will start to discuss. However I have a goal for my hair which once achieved I will wear my hair out more. What are your thoughts on the discussion?

Miss Jessie's Curly Buttercreme

I would like to think that I am kind of frugal but having discovered the wonderful site British Curlies I slipped up a little. They sell many products all aimed at naturally curly ladies. I will do a review of them in a later post.

As I browsed their shop I came to find that they were taking part in the Miss Jessie's BOGOF deal. So this would mean I could try a few products of theirs and kind of get a bargain deal. I bought the Curly Buttercreme and received Curly Meringue free. I also bought the Super Sweetback hair treatment and received the Curly Pudding free.  I chose these products based on what ladies with similar hair types to me had used and what I thought I could achieve.

The Curly Buttercreme has minty menthol like scent. It is not a classic hair product scent that I am used to. However this is a minor to me as I was not bothered by the scent. I decided to try a twist out. I have not done these in years as I do not feel twist suit me. Anyway I applied the product on damp hair which I spritzed with water after a fresh shampoo on the areas that dried quick. Then applied product and twisted away. As I am twisting I realise not all my hair feels like the same texture so all the twists came out different.

In the morning I unravelled the twists. The twists were well defined and smooth until I separated them into smaller sections. The ends appeared frizzy and where I had dyed my hair previously the ends looked  not so good. Though I believe it is the ends of my hair that need a good trim. 

Overall I do like this product. My hair felt nice and well moisturised. My hair naturally has more of sheen than a shine. So my expectations of the appearance may be a little off. I also need to work on my styling as if I had arranged my twists differently I would have had a nice wearable style. Practice makes perfect.