Accepting your natural hair

Accepting your nature texture is a topic of much discussion among naturals. In my journey, I learned that I am my toughest critic. Now, I was not immune to comments regarding whether my hair was properly moisturized or inquires as to what I planned to do with my hair. However, those voices were not louder than my inner voice. My inner voice said that hours at the salon was a waste of time and money. I want to determine when I swim or workout. In the heat and humidity of the Caribbean, my hair was frizzy more than I preferred.

At the end of the day, I have to walk around with this head of hair. I had a lot of support from my hubby and family. Actually, one of my sisters and her daughter are both natural. She is adamantly opposed to relaxing my niece's hair.  I am proud that she came to this conclusion. It is a choice that we all make and make for others too young to know the consequences of perm. I must admit that I did struggle at the beginning and middle of my transition. Here is a picture of me during my transition:

It was a process to find products that would work with two textures because I decided to be a long-term transitioner.  I had good days and bad days. It took me quite a bit of time to really accept the hair as it grows out of my head. I love my hair now and know how to care for it. I am certainly not the only person struggling with acceptance. Recently I read a disturbing post on www.curlynikki.com where a natural diva discussed her husband's suggestion that they separate because he didn't like her nappy hairstyles. They were happily married and she was pregnant with their second child. I was a little disappointed for her. Ultimately, they did not divorce and she remained natural. In a subsequent post she defended her marriage. This was even sadder than the first post. A link to the first post is attached here.

Curly Nikki | Natural Hair Styles and Curly Hair Care: "We will not lose our love, our marriage, OVER HAI...: Autumn writes: I don’t even know what to call this. But it happened – FOR REAL. Background: I’m married – 5+ years – to a wonderful hus...

 Now, I am not walking in her shoes and don't want to be. What you you do if someone wanted to leave you because of your texture?  Would you change your look or tell them to hit the road?

Growth

Hola chicas,

Recently, I was asked to offer some tips on what contributes to hair growth. I recently purchased Jamaican Black Castor oil. After just four short weeks, I have seen a difference in the length of my curls.  I know that it smells like tar, but after application it goes away. A lot of people noticed the difference in my hair.

Biotin is also great for hair and nail growth. In an unscientific study, I learned that not wrapping my hair at night with a silk scarf or bonnet can cause a lot of breakage. Some naturals recommend using silk pillowcases. 

Limiting the amount of heat is also helpful. Honestly, I use some heat when I deep condition but I always wear a plastic cap. I sit under the dryer for approximately 15 minutes. I stopped blow drying my hair because it takes too long. Really, leaving your hair alone in protective styles promote growth. When you are not tugging on your hair because its out of the way, growth naturally follows. I am guilty of having "hand in hair" disease. It takes some restraint. During the transition phase, it was near impossible for me to even commit to this principle. Trust me, it works. 

Massaging your scalp with a shampoo or conditioner containing peppermint oil can increase blood flow to the follicle and in turn promote growth. Green tea contains antioxidants that can boost your immune system and hair growth.

Stress and diet can impact growth. Bald spots often occur at the temple and crown when stress hits.

What are you doing to promote growth?

And the winner of the Jamila Henna Giveaway is . . . .

I am proud to announce that derbycitynaturals is the winner of my first product giveaway.  I will ship two boxes of Jamila Henna to you post haste. Thanks to all for participating and becoming a follower. Stay tuned for the next product giveaway.  :)

Sorry for the late posting. I was experiencing a brief power outage here. But I am back.

Protective styles - wigs

I was able to transition without cutting my hair by wearing wigs.  Wigs are also great as a protective style.  I prefer lace front wigs because they are not your grandmother's wigs. Wigs can be attached with tape or glue. I don't use either and pray that the wind won't blow it away. Just kidding. I use the adjustable straps to secure the wig to my head.  I recently started wearing indian remi lace front wigs which look as close to real hair as you can get. Although I was not styling my natural hair on a daily basis, I still had to take certain maintenance steps. 

Here are some tips for how to care for your hair while wearing wigs:

• treat the wig like a hat and take it off at home so your natural hair can breathe
• wash and condition your natural hair as needed
• wear a silk/nylon wig cap 
• never put a wig on wet hair

When wearing wigs, its best to use products designed for wigs.  Do not use a curling iron or flat iron on the wigs unless it is heat resistant. Store your wig on a wig stand. 

I am wearing a shake-n-go lace front wig.

Do you have any tips about how to care for your natural hair while wearing wigs?

Jamila Henna giveaway!!!!

Calling all henna heads and those interested in trying henna!

I am giving away two sealed boxes of Jamila Henna.

Henna is a plant and has been used to dye hair for thousands of years in Eygpt. I purchased this Henna from Mehandi over the summer. Henna is often used to strengthen hair to prevent breakage. It is great for making your hair shinier and smoother.  Many have raved about its ability to elongate the curl in natural hair. It worked for me. However, if I stretch my curl anymore, I might not be a curly girl. I applied it for about three hours although some natural girls love to leave it in their hair for up to 12 hours. I must admit that the smell is a little pungent for me but others do not mind. If you want more information on henna, check out: http://www.hennaforhair.com. 

To win the two boxes of henna, you have to do two things:

1. become a follower and
2. post a comment telling me what product you love and why. 

As a product junkie, I am always on the lookout for the next best thing. The giveaway ends on October 20, 2011.

My hair regimen

My hair regimen has changed significantly since I began my transition two and a half years ago.  I did not do a "big chop" because I didn't think it would fit my face and my hubby was totally opposed to it. I struggled at first to find products to deal with two textures: permed and natural hair. Trust me there were days when I want to chop it off and try all the great products I learned about on natural hair care forums.

I started out washing my hair every two weeks with the products I always used from Optimum. Then, I learned that my usual products contained parabens and sodium laurel sulfates. Parabens causes cancer. Sulfates dries out the hair. Then, you need to add moisture back to your hair when sulfates dries it out.  The picture below shows my hair at about five months of transitioning:

I made the switch to Carol's Daughter products because I was familiar with the brand. I fell in love with the Tui hair smoothie for deep conditioning and the smell was just divine. It wasn't cheap but it was effective. It retails for $20.  Some of Marguerite's Magic made combing my hair less of a chore given that my hair tangles easily when down and out.  When I learned to love the Rosemary Mint Shampoo, the company changed the formula so that it is a clarifying shampoo.  I preferred the old formula because the clarifying shampoo really stripped my hair. I would wear my hair in braidouts.  See the picture below:

I was trying out different natural hairstyles for my wedding. I stopped doing braidouts because my hair seemed frizzier when I grew out my relaxed ends. Of course, my products changed along with my go to style.

My new regimen includes the following products: UPDATE

1. Shea Moisture coconut and hibiscus curl and shine shampoo - from target
2. Organix hydrating teatrea mint conditioner - great for deep treatments w/ or w/o heat
3. Kinky Curly knot today - best darn detangler (i leave it in now)
4. Kinky Curly Curling Custard- excellent for a wash-n-go because it defines curls and reduces frizz
5. Curls creme brulee - great for twist and wash-n-gos
6. Black Castor Oil and Coconut oil are my favorite oils

I wash once a week on Saturday or Sunday.  I co-wash (wash only with condition) maybe once a week.  I try to stretch my wash-n-go look for a few days to extend the life of my product. Curly Magic looks great on the second and third day without re-washing. I don't like to repeatedly washing my hair to avoid drying out my hair.  I like Shea Moisture Conditioning Curl and Style Milk to refresh my twistouts. I avoid Argan Oil even though its supposed to be the holy grail to reduce frizz. It makes my hair super frizzy. I need to give that away. What is your hair regimen?

Transitioning hair tip - braids

I believe that braiding my own hair helped my hair to grow, but I know other women prefer extensions.  Hair braiding can be a great protective style to promote growth. When your hair is braided, you can easily add oils to moisturize you hair. I like Jamaican black castor oil. It doesn't have the best smell but the smell is not noticeable once applied to the scalp.

I try to avoid stylists who braid my hair too tightly because it can put stress on its edges. My hair was braided so tightly once that I felt like I was have a migraine headache after my styling appointment. I said hallelujah when the pain went away.  I never went back and could not wait to take it out. Let your stylist know if you are experiencing any pain during braiding.

Be sure to continue to cover your hair at a night with a silk scarf or bonnet if you do not have a silk pillowcase. It preserves the style and prevents friction from cotton pillowcases. 

I attached pictures of one of the styles my stylist Grace did to assist me during my transition:

She braided and twisted my hair. The hair closest to my scalp was braided while the ends were twisted and shaped in an updo. I wanted a style that was easy to manage and professional.  I loved the style. I do most of my hair styles except when my entire head is braided.