Trying Something New...

Happy Holidays!!!  Well its that time of the year that we make appearances at holiday parties, take pictures and try our best to look great during it all.  During the holiday season we try to explore new looks since we have the opportunity to try display these looks in front of friends and family.  Now see I'm trying my best to do just that but I see its going to be more of a trial and error session than a change of things for me.

Since I'm going natural I want to try and wear my natural curls instead of straightening my hair all the time.  I know its a little to early to do so by itself, and I'm not yet ready to try different products because we may need more time to test them out, and I just don't have that time now.  So I went on line and followed different women going through their journey and found that a lot of them try bantu-twists.  This consists of two strand twists that are then coiled up and placed with hair pins.  It may be just too early to try this because it didn't come out exactly how I imagined.

So first we twist the hair.

Again two strands.




Then we coil the hair.

We wait for the hair to dry then we uncoil the twists.

Now here we were supposed to untwist and try to shape the twists into springy waves.

Well no matter which angle we try, it just didn't come out like I expected.  Now I think I played with it too much and I don't thing I had a great product to shape and hold the waves the way I wanted.  Another issue, if you look at the ends closely they're very straight which is because of the fact that I'm working with two textures and parts of my hair still has texturizer in it.  I want to give it another try.  Next time I think I will try to roll the twists in rollers instead of coiling them.  I also have to find some type of product that will give it better shape than it had.

Since I'm trying new styles, I think I have to get new tools as well.  Recently, I've noticed that once I straighten my hair it looks very dry and damaged.  I've been sticking to the same regimen when taking care of my hair and at first I didn't know why my hair was doing this.  That is until I glanced at my flat iron.  You see its not only ceramic but it also has tourmaline elements as well.  I've had a flat iron like this before but I let someone use it and since the dye in their hair wasn't of great quality, it damaged my iron and I had to get a new one.  However, after having this one for over a year it looks as though the quality of it was not that great because the top layer is stripping away down to just metal plates.  So now I have to replace it again.  I don't have the funds quite yet for a Chi or a Hai but I'll find something that will hold me over until then.  Well I'm going back to the drawing board.  I won't post again until after the new year so......HAPPY NEW YEARS ;)

Catching up.

Well it's been a while since I've posted an entry.  The holidays have gotten the best of me and I'm in the middle of a job search.  However, during this stressful time I have managed to stick to my new routine for my hair care. I've started to wash and condition my hair more than once a week.  This has helped minimize the breakage and has allowed my hair to look refresh more often during the week.  Also the process has become easier which allows me to wash more than once a week.

Now that I have taken an effort in cleansing my hair more often during the week, I also have to do more to protect as well.  I'll admit I haven't been one to wrap my hair but I think I'm going to have to get back on track with that aspect of my hair care.  I'm a wild sleeper so wrapping my hair each night should help with keeping it looking healthy.

Each time I wash my hair, I keep note of what state my natural curls are.  I can see that it's going to take some time and maintenance to get to the results that I'm looking for.  I don't think I'll go through the big chop that most do during their journey, but I will have to continue to get my hair trimmed on a regular basis.  I also think I'm going to have to start looking for a product to style my curls.  I want to try mouses but they just seem as though they'll leave my hair hard and crunchy.  Pomades seem to be a route to try out, I just hope its not too heavy on my hair.  I think I will have to start doing something since I've learned that I have to start training my hair on how to be in its natural state.

Well, I'm going to start a process of trial and error and let you all know how that's going.  Hope you're enjoying the holidays and I'll catch you next time.

Learning some things.

So I've been concerned about the constant shedding and dry scalp that I've experienced lately.  Every time I run a comb through my hair, a few strands seem to fall out and I've notice that my scalp seems a little dry in between washes.  However, I've found that it's quite alright to experience that during this time of my journey.

The shedding is do to the fact that new healthy hair is growing in and it needs to push out some not so healthy hair to make room.  I've notice this taking place since my hair is fuller and thicker.

When it came to my dry scalp it was just a sign for me to beef up my washing methods.  I've always washed my hair once a week but I'm noticing that I may need to add a wash or two during the week.  However, with busy schedules it can be difficult.  I do think I can fit in another washing if I just wash the night before, let it air dry over night and flat iron it in the morning.  My flat iron process takes about 45 minutes sand since I go to work mid day I can get that done before I go in.

Before I mentioned that I'm using less product and allow my natural shine to come through.  Well I'm using even less and more shine is coming through.  There's no doubt that this is beneficial to my journey.  I'm sure my natural curl be more manageable when it comes in fully because of it.

Well this week we're gonna try and change our routine so I hope it goes well ;)

So far, So good.

Here we are four or five months into my journey and so far I am pleased with the results.  I have established a routine where I have continued to wash my hair at least once a week and I have begun to use less styling products as well.  I believe that this routine has contributed to my results and I have noticed that there are quite a few changes that indicate much improvement in my hair care.

For starters, I'm noticing the hair around my temple is beginning to break less.  This is one of the areas that has always been fragile and would break during my years of receiving a relaxer.  There were also areas around the right side (my right) of my hair that were very fine and thin that have become thicker and fuller.  Also, more of my natural curl pattern has become visible around these areas displaying the amount of growth since I started my journey.

My routine for my hair care includes washing and conditioning my hair followed by Synergi Salon's Restore Leave-In Conditioner that I comb through.  Next I apply a small amount of Get It Straight Styling Glaze and blow dry my hair.  I apply another small amount of the Glaze right before I straighten my hair.  I then take small sections and straighten my hair with a ceramic tourmaline flat iron by Revlon.  We all know that ceramic is better for your hair but I discovered a few years ago just how much smoother my hair is with the added tourmaline.  After I'm done, I run a small amount of Garnier Fructis Anti-Frizz Serum to smooth out some of the fly-aways.  I've used this serum for years with both relaxed and natural hair and it's very light weight and get's the job done.  Also, it smells good too ;)


Since I've been on my journey, the switch to these products that are very light have allowed a healthy glow shine through.  Before, I used so-called "natural" oils that weighed down my hair and that gave it a greasy feeling that I didn't like.  The small amount of products that I use have prevented a build up that would other wise keep it from flowing naturally as it wished.

Moving along with this journey, I'm expecting to see more growth and finally see the head full of curls I've always wanted.  I don't know about the ultimate chop that some get through their journey but I'll be thinking about it.   I have an appointment this week and I'm thinking about bangs...well, we'll see how that goes ;)

Till next time B)

Third Time’s a Charm.

When I was younger I was known as the girl with the pretty hair.  From my parents’ friends to people in the streets to the kids I went to school with.  People always took notice of my hair before anything else.  They wanted to touch it, they gave suggestions and sometimes they just stared.  For a while it just seemed as though people were more interested in my hair than I was.  Maybe because I lived with it I just wasn’t too concerned, as other’s were, with the way my hair looked.

This mind set lead to laziness when taking hair of my natural locks.  I always left it to my mom and older sister to care for my hair instead of myself.  However, this wasn’t fair to either one for my mixed hair of African American and Puerto Rican decent was not familiar to either one.  So one day my mother decided that it was time that I start being responsible for my appearance.  I tried my best to treat my hair but the lazy one in me prevailed.  Watching my actions my mom made another decision to make my hair more manageable and introduced me to my first relaxer at the age of eleven.

At this point hair care became such an easy task for me.  A little Blue Magic and a flat iron and I was good to go.  I still received the comments that I had before so I just felt that I had the best of both worlds.  I continued to receive relaxers until my senior prom.  As I approached college, I desired a new look and announced that I would be going natural.  Knowing that it was what I really wanted and that I was capable to do so, my mom supported me. 

For the next three years I washed and conditioned once a week and began looking for a beautician that would support my decision.  I was successful in finding one, but found that she was rude and disrespectful at times so I just never returned to her salon again.  It wasn’t until two years into my journey that I felt comfortable with wearing my hair natural.  I received mix reviews and just decided to wait until I found a product that would allow my mane to look the way I had imagined it would look.  So I continued to straighten my hair with a flat iron and eventually began to use a hot comb.  I know.  What a big no no. 

Since I was straightening my hair more than wearing it natural, I chose to go back to the relaxer.  Again I thought it was easier and the best choice to make.  The only difference this time was that I was older and my hair wasn’t as strong as it used to be and couldn’t take the use of chemicals anymore.  So for a second attempt I went natural.  I saw less shedding and I became excited when I saw my little coils return.  After two years of success, my beautician convinced me to get a texturizer.  It seemed like exactly what I was looking for, but as we all know, it’s still a relaxer.  Noticing the different textures that were in my hair, I knew it was time to make that decision, again.

After seeing advertisements for the Synergi Salon, I found encouragement to give it another go.  Finally here was the help that I needed and knowing that there were others going through the same thing allowed me to feel more comfortable with my journey.  Now that I have helpful tools and guidance to go down this road, I know that this will be a successful third try.