progress

Well my hair is au natural now. I dont have any set routine. Yes i do wear my hair in braids and canerows. but i also wear my hair out. right now its just in a pony puff but i am finding my ends are getting knotty. any solutions much appreciated.

Looks like i will be twisting my hair up tomorrow as i will have a busy friday.

I love the castor oil. but it is thick. so i use it sparingly. I wore my hair in a twist out to church and everyon was so in awe. so i know that is one style to keep using. but rain and mist caused frizz. mmm solutions

wearing my own hair

Yes thats right. I am wearing my own hair and have been for the past week. This is week 2. i have it styled with canerows in the front and the back is left out. i usually do a braid out which i am am so proud of or i put in a pony. I never realised people could be so obsessed with my hair. quite shocked that some people asked me if it was my own hair. they werent black those that asked.

my two newest purchases have been organic root stimulator jojoba oil it came with a free sample of soy oil and palmers frizz ease serum. now i use the frizz when i set my hair as it makes the style look sharp.

my scalp is still flaking up so i may have to wash it more often. unsure really.

to be honest i thought wearing my hair out would be bad but it is really nice. i am loving it. now i just need to work out how i am gonna do an afro puff for summer.

micro madness

I cannot believe that it has taken me 4 days to take out my micro humain hair extensions. I cut my own hair as i forgot my hairs lenghth. It was just pure madness. Luckily my friend helped me with the last few.

Now i am in style limbo. So my hair was seriously dry that my hubby pointed this out to me. So i gave my hair a pre-shampoo oil treatment. of coconut oil, amla etc. its called Vatika and indian hair treatment 100% natural. it felt nice in my hair i am tempted to use it as a daily pick me up when my hair needs it.

After my micro hell i am considering canerows som much easier to take out. I did try doing my own hair myself but i cant canerow backwards the way i would need to make the style work.

Well as they say practice makes perfect

discovering natural remedies

Well I have been looking at natural hair remedies. Let me tell you the ladies on Nappturality know their stuff but so does my friend. She is indian and she has been telling me of natural remedies that they use
First there is Shikakai which is a natural shampoo.

"Shakakai" which means fruit of the hair and is a low ph balanced fruit used as shampoo and conditioning. the stuff i read on the web says that it promotes hair growth and helps prevents dandruff basically the powder form is mixed with water to make a paste and used as shampoo

Fenugreek which is a herb, she says that I should mix it with plain natural yoghurt and apply to scalp and that it does good stuff for scalp and hair.mmm yoghurt in hair...recently found that people use mayo in hair so i am assuming it cant be that bad

Though my first natural remedy will be a product called Vatika. My friend gave this to me. The bottle says that it is premium coconut hair oil enriched with Henna , Amla and Lemon(oil). You apply to the scalp and hair. The bottle says best results leave overnight but i am going to use it as a pre-shampoo treatment. I am sure there many other ways to use this.

I also have in my natural collection - pure coconut oil, coconut oil (not pure as mixed with other stuff), Castor Oil, Glycerin and Coco butter oil...Its like i never knew afro hair shops sold most of these. well i cant waut till i BC so i can use them all depending on style.

Must not forget Aloe Vera gel...the thing is though how do i know if i am getting 100% pure stuff i have an aloe vera plant(single bible) mmm...on a mission to find out how.

Kinky Twists

Well i do like kinky twist i think they look really regal. so in say a month or two when my micros come out i will be getting either kinky twists or canerows.

my scalp is still flaky ish so i will be going to the hairdressers to have a extensive scalp treatment. If i cant afford to i will just do it myself at home.

anyway i am off to find some afro kinky hair for the kinky twists as i do like to store my hair in bulk so in those days when i am broke i can still do my hair.

dry scalp

Happy new Year !

Right now my scalp is suffering. Its dry and flaky which is not good when your hair has been immaculately braided by someone else. My friend suggested lavender water whih i never heard of. I am a bit scared of using an additive as such. i have considered many things but feel the best i can do is get a cloth damp it and wipe my scalp clean. Then oil my scalp again. This time i will use the dry and itchy. I am tempted to go and buy sulphur8 though if i do i will buy the light formula.

i was going to keep my hair in these micros for 3 months so that i wouldnt have to re-do my hair for my holiday. But i will take it out and get some canerows styish ones at that.

human hair

Got my micros done. Which i must say i am so pleased with. This is the first time i have used human hair to do my extensions. My aunty chose the hair type which is wet n wavy. i bought two 14 inches but turned out i needed one 14 and one 16 inch as my hair was longer than what my aunt thought. Her back is not too good but she braided my hair for me in what could have been done in a day but left the last hours work till the morning. It is shoulder length. she had some red 16inch hair so she used that to top up mine. in all it worked out that we only used one bag of hair roughly.

No i like human hair but for curly styles though. Me, I just need to work on my grip to be able to take up those small curls on my neck

shampoo...style

Well i finally gave my hair a thorough wash and condition whilst in the shower. My hair feels lovely. I plan to try my first conditioner wash prior to putting my hair back in extensions.

my hair was doing this puffy thing at church so i got out my flat irons just give some control. Th effects of a flat iron dont last long in my hair as within a day my hair is back curly/frizzy. i do like it still

By the end of 2005 i hope to have done my BC. fingers crossed emotions ready....

Twists

Well I was truly a bit reluctant to have my hair out. My aunty said she would twist it up for me. So the two of us took down my red extensions which i started to dislike, and she canerowed the front of my hair and twisted the back. The ends unravelled a little but it looks nice still. Gives my hair movement. I like it. just wish hair was thicker or had more body.
sofrolushes indeed!!!

the finishing touch

Although I have mastered doing my braid extensions. I am not entirely satisfied with them. The middle gives way to centre part and for the life of me i can not correct it right now. So I am hoping and praying that I do get to fix it soon.

I used the shea butter by organic root stimulator it really moisturises my roots and scalp. I will see what the condition of my hair is when i take down braids. My mission is to find some hairstyles to put my braids in. Also i am starting to like the sound of that dominican blow out. But heat control - I will need to make sure it is only done once ever so often.

Been trying to get onto nappturality to top up my natural haircare knowledge. But due to some site upgrade i cannot get in. fingers cross it is sorted by the weekend.

Practice makes perfect

I can say that i am now fully fumctioning in self dependence. I love the fact that i can do my own hair in single braids. they are not as neat as i would like or dont have the finish i love. but practice makes perfect. sorry no digital camera so i cant show you any pics yet.

I recently bought organic root stimulators shea butter for braids locs and natural hair. it was reccomended to someone else so i thought i would give it go. seems okay. anyway my next challenge is to be able to do canerows and canerows extensions.

My key terms today are Dominican blow outs and twists.

nappy ever after!!

transitioning times

I originally posted this poem on a forum. it somes up my journey.

Transitioning times

woa is me for these are transitioning times
my scalp is sore my
scalp is over dry
why or why lye
got so used to the creamy crack
thought i couldnt turn back
the abuse that society induced
felt like i was one step away
from injecting the lye to keep my hair in line
now blessed be He who has shown me love for the napp
my hairdresser seemed distressed
whilst my hair is becoming diverse
two textures i have at war
curly roots through to straight limp ends
pass me the shea butter and my wide tooth comb
curls today twists tomorrow
a revolution is amongst us
watch the manufactures scramble
to entice me to buy natural hair care
however now i can make my own
stay blessed forever nappy and loving it!!!

extensions by me

Well it has been a long time since I have written in my hair diary. I just stumbled on it today. So here is what’s new
I have successfully put my entire head in single braid extensions. So proud of myself. Basically I have always wantd to do this but finally decided aftr some events words that I need to stop depending on people to do my hair. I should only be spending the cost of the hair. Plus those who do my hair for free I often feel it’s a chore to them. But anyways I am very happy. When I last took my hair out and was blow-drying my hair I felt rough hair at the line of demarcation. Its what is called scab hair. Its texture is in such contrast to the rest of my hair , well at least it will get rimmed off eventually.
My next task is to be able to do extension canerows in my hair. I am gathering info on home recipes for hair care.

single braid challenge

Yesterday I tried to do all my hair in single braid extensions. I managed to do most of the sides and some of the front. In the end I got my friend Stephanie to finish it off for me. She did a good job too as it looks lovely. I just have to make sure that I oil my scalp as I do not want that to get overly dry. She told me of a ginseng spray that she has used whilst her hair was in braids. I am going to invest in one.
When I was trying to put my hair in braids in I realised how long my journey will be but yes I am determined to succeed.

progress

Okay so now I am making progress with my hair. I have discovered many natural hair sites. Some of them are www.nappturality.com whereby all talk of chemical treatments is met with harshness. The site is strictly pro natural. Also other sites www.euronaps.com www.roshini.net http://motowngirl.com www.cornrows.co.uk . Another site which is not just about natural hair but caters for all types and style choices of black hair and beauty is www.blackhairmedia.com .

The other day I spoke to my aunty . I told her I was going natural, which she is already, she said many girls in London are going natural. I find my hairdresser pretty much pro relaxer. Though now they except some what that I intend to grow the chemical ends out. They suggested that I come back every two weeks for treatments. I cannot afford to do so. A sister has bills to pay. Plus I can always slap conditioner on my head and go in the bath or steam room at the gym and get the same effect.
Today I was meant to put my hair in single extensions by myself, but a combination of me babysitting from the night before to getting the small things done meant it just was not gonna happen. So I have rescheduled for next week Thursday and good Friday. I cant wait. I have bought bags of hair.
I am also learning new phrases and words in relation to natural hair. Seems like I have been missing out on loads. One that I found interesting was ‘no poo’. This basically means that instead o using shampoo to cleans the hair you just use the conditioner. From what I have learned. Shampoo often contains many harmful chemicals that do more bad than good to your hair and the conditioner can clean your hair just as good. I am not ready to try this out yet, but will make note. Another phrase is a TWA or teeny weenie afro, which speaks for itself. Other phrases are twist out and braid out.
My main aim whilst transitioning is to learn many techniques to help me manage my hair myself.

Transitioning begins

Today my hair is styled in flat twists at the front and the back is left out. On Saturday just gone I began my intensive treatment regime at the hairdressers. My hairdresser assessed my scalp as I have been experiencing dry itchy scalp. This has been intense since my last relaxer. So fingers cross my hair will be fine. By the time my treatment program ends it will be April. I am also going to the gym. I wonder if this will have any effects on my hair. I am told that I will need to do weekly hair washes as opposed to fortnightly. I will just have to see how my hair turns out when its au natural
Funny thing is that whilst telling my friends about my adventure into the natural sisterhood many are shocked many amazed others just say that they have heard this before. True. But I am determined. This is just another of those things I am doing for self.

Decision time

Back in October 2002 I had decided to grow out the relaxer and become a natural hair sister. When I say natural , I mean without any chemical treatments. I have grown up not knowing what my own God given hair was like except that when my hair grew my roots were curly. In the current state that its in its fine in texture . I hoping that by going natural it will be thicker and much more exciting. I still love straight hair with sweeping bangs Aaliyah style but I guess I can get an accessory to do that. I am also hoping that I will have more styling options. I had my hair cut and grew it out with extensions for a year and then relaxed it back. So far I have tried growing my hair natural 3 times and gave up. But I am hoping that I can do this. It will be a challenge. I have also got someone to give me tips in doing my own singles braid extensions. Oh yeah when I say I am going back to my roots, I mean my natural hair.