Natural Hair Summer Fun!!

Hi Guys!!  I have done such a terrible job at posting anything on this site, but I'm going to try to do better.  I mainly focus on my Facebook and Twitter pages, which causes blogs to fall by the wayside.  But now since I'm getting bored with those social networks, I may just dedicate a little more time here.

So, what's going on with my natural hair?  Well, April 2010, I dyed it RED.  It was beautiful for the summer.  My hair was still so short, and I needed a change, so I decided to give my color a boost!  Now, I've heard the opinions that "a dyed head isn't a natural head" because of the chemicals.  Well, to each its own, but I'm rocking my own texture and loving it everyday!  The red hair brought out my skin tone, and I loved the way the sun rays bounced off of my skin and hair!  My mom and I dyed our hair the same color and she's loving hers as well. 

My favorite natural hairstyles for the summer were frohawks, afro puffs and finger coilouts.  I did a lot of wash-and-gos as well.  However, my hair is getting long and harder to detangle, so wash-and-gos are getting harder and harder to keep to a limited amount of time.  The good thing is, during the summer months, I could just walk out the house with my hair still wet and it would coil or curl up and dry in little to no time.

I never understood how anyone could say that my natural hair would become my enemy and my best friend, but now I see exactly what those folks were talking about.  While my hair is getting harder to manage when just stepping out of the shower, it looks the same way it did when I walked into a gym as when I leave.  I love the fact that everything doesn't have to be "in place".  While it takes me a couple of hours to do 2 strand twists, they last a couple days longer than they did when my hair was shorter.  So just like anything that you want to look good, taking care of natural hair takes time and effort. 

With all of that being said,  I'm still loving my curls. Going natural was one of the best and most liberating decision I've ever made!!  I love the fact that my hair does not have to be perfect and everything does not have to flow or stay a certain way, kind of like my life.  I enjoy change, ups, downs, twists, and turns in life, and I like the same for my hair. Enjoy your journey and embrace every part of it!

EcoStyler Olive Oil Gel

I have finally tried the EcoStyler Olive Oil Gel, and needless to say... this will be a regular product for me.  My hair has felt moisturized all morning, and I love it!!  I'm still going to use IC styling gel every now and again, but EcoStyler Gel is definitely my new gel of choice!! :)

1st Twistout

I just recently did a twistout and it's lovely!! I used Cantu Shae Butter to twist my hair and I kept it up for a whole week!! The older it got, the better it looked.  I'm loving all these new hairstyles!! :) :) :)

I'm a Redhead!

So, I wanted to try something different with my hair after being natural for 7 months.  It's still not quite long enough for me to do a lot of the things that I want to do with it, so I wanted to give it a little color to boost my Do!  I was very hesitant about coloring it, especially since I wasn't using Henna... but I loaded up on tons of oils and moisturizers to keep my hair from drying out.  I used Dark and Lovely conditioning hair color... and it's been 2 weeks now.  I'm loving it!  My hair is not dry at all, and I keep jojoba oil in it everyday.  I honestly think that I made a good decision and I hope my hair continues to grow and be healthy with my new tint.

My Transition

My transition from relaxed to natural hair has truly been a liberating and uplifting experience.  I have become more in touch with who I really am.  I know the saying goes that "I am not my hair", however, my natural hair has really boosted my self-confidence as a Black Woman.  I am really embracing my hair as my glory.  I feel as though my hair is a representative of myself;  strong, even though it's been through a lot of challenges & changes.  Now that it is true to it's natural state, it's even more stronger than ever, and that's what makes it Beautiful!!

I first did my big chop in July of 2009.  I was going through a lot emotionally and mentally, and both the stress & perms were taking my sides out. I made the decision to start all over.  I went into the beauty salon, sat in the chair and told the beautician to just chop it all off.  She took a size 3 blade, and I watched my hair fall to the floor.  I didn't cry, I wasn't sad... it was the best feeling ever!! It was a new start, and I fully embraced it. 

My hair has been so easy to work with since I went natural.  When I first cut it, I simply washed it, brushed it back, and kept it moisturized.  The longer it gets, the more I keep it moisturized with jojoba oil, Carol's Daughter Hair Butter, cocoa butter & Olive Oil.  I love wearing Wash & Go's & Twistouts on my  TWA.  The longer my hair gets, the kinkier it gets, and the more I love it!!  Every bit of it.

I love passing other natural sisters in the mall, at parties or in the grocery store. They always let you know how beautiful you are and that feels great! It's a bond that I've created with them, without even knowing their names.  I wouldn't change my natural me for anything in the world!!