Congrats! Send me your info and I’ll pass it along so you can get your prize ASAP!
{ 0 comments }
…I decided to go ahead and flat iron my hair. I was on a No Heat Challenge until June of this year but once I thought about it, I realized that’s insane. I live in Humidity City, USA and by June things will be completely out of hand. Plus I want to get back to the pool by June, both for training and for fun with the kids!
As usual I did things differently than the last time I flat ironed. Honestly, I am still trying to perfect this process. Since I only flat iron every few months, that doesn’t give me a lot of practice. However, I’m improving with each try. Below is what I did this time around.
- Shampoo’d with diluted Suave Clarifying Shampoo
- Deep conditioned with Organix Coconut Milk Conditioner
- Rolled hair with large flexi rods and air dried
- Applied Garnier Blow Dry Perfector Straightening Balm, Sleek and Shine, 5.1 Fluid Ounce
- to each section and blowdried (more to add on this product below)
- Applied scant amounts of Aveda Brilliant Anti-Humectant Pomade
- Flat ironed with GVP Flat iron
Here are some pictures of the process
After blow out
I put it up in a ponytail because the roots were still a bit damp and I was waiting for them to air dry.That's when I noticed that my edges still had a bit of conditioner in them that I'd neglected to wash out. It was causing a flaky residue.
I ended up having to rinse my edges (very carefully!) to get the product out. I was rewarded with these little ringlets. As you may have read, my edges are recovering from post partum shedding. The area is thin but has had pretty good growth considering that they were near bald at one point
Close up
The product that I used from Garnier was just something I picked up in the grocery store. My main goal this time around was to use a ton of silicones in my products. I normally use a non- silicone deep conditioner and then use ‘cones in my heat protectant or leave in. I figured I might as well use them all the way through. That was my first change.
My second was using flexi rods, which have been under my bathroom sink since Moses was a baby, to stretch out the hair before blow drying it. I think the last time I straightened my hair, I did a rollerset with an attempt to get it as smooth as possible. This time, I was just trying to stretch the hair out and get it mostly dry. It was faster than rollersetting the other way and I just wasn’t in the mood.
Back to the product from Garnier. What I used is called Garnier Blow Dry Perfector Straightening Balm, Sleek and Shine.
.
This stuff really put doubt in my mind. First, it said that it lasted up to 7 shampoos. That sounds like some kind of relaxer or Brazilian Keratin Treatment to me. And I’m scared to death that one day one of these companies is going to sneak some kind of relaxing agent into their products. Also, there are warnings not to use it on relaxed hair, bleached hair, and you need to wear gloves when applying it? Heck no! Something ain’t right!
So I get home and read the reviews. I dodged a bullet. The reviews on Amazon are HORRIBLE! People’s hair falling out, texture forever damaged. It’s scary what some of these companies will put on the market. Anyway, please don’t confuse what I used with that kit.
Anyhoo, here is the finished result. I have to say, it turned out nicely. I pin curled my hair to wear it down but mostly I’ve been wearing it in a bun.
Pin curls
I pinned kind of big sections because I've found that if I use smaller sections, it creates more volume.
Would it be triflin' if I wore this out somewhere? 
Pulled my curls forward
Even thought it turned out nicely, I was still a little disappointed that my hair hasn’t appeared to have grown much since the last time I straightened it. Excuse me, I hadn’t retained much length since the last time I straightened it. At any rate, here is my length check.
As my hair gets longer, it gets harder to take pictures. This photo is courtesy of my 5 year old. I knew he'd start earning his keep around here! lol
This was almost a year ago vs today
So I see a little growth. Don’t get me wrong, I’m pretty happy with my length but I would love to see waist length just to say that I did it. I know that I’ve not been pampering my hair as I should so this is my own fault.
All I can do is try again…no regrets, right?
{ 8 comments }
The products below are up for grabs ladies! Post in the comment section and tell me how you’re wearing your hair today! The contest ends tomorrow (Thursday) at noon CST. The winner will be chosen randomly. Please read the disclaimer section before entering.
{ 19 comments }
Here are some things I absolutely can’t stand at work. First, hair flopping in my eyes. An errant piece of hair can be the most annoying thing on the planet. I have even gone so far as to borrow a paperclip to try and keep the hair out of eye.
Second annoying thing at work: Hair on my shoulders falling into patient beds. No matter how clean my hair is, it’s unacceptable for it to fall into the beds of my tiny patients with their fragile immune systems. To remedy this in the past, I have used a rubber band from the front office.
When I started dipping into the office supplies a little too much, I decided that it was about time I started carrying some backup.
Ouchless bands and headbands These are great for pulling the hair back into a puff (the remedy for any natural hair disaster) or just pulling it back from the face.
Bobby pins To tame that little piece of hair that always sticks up on the side of your head. Or that piece of hair that refuses to stay out of your eye. Oooor maybe you are not feeling today’s braidout and want to make a quick but stylish updo.
Spritz bottle Over the past, I’ve put all sorts of liquid in my mini spritz bottle. During the dryer months, I’ve used a leave in liquid conditioner to remoisturize on the spot. Right now, I have plain water with a few drops of lavender oil. Lavender (along with tea tree oil and rosemary) and water make a nice spritz post-exercise to refresh the hair.
Scarf Maybe your ouchless headbands aren’t doing the job and you need a bit more backup. A scarf, for me, is a must have. Sometimes it’s not even a matter of needing to fix a hair problem. Sometimes, I just want to accessorize and didn’t have time before I left the house. I usually carry a black colored scarf for simplicity sake.
Gel With the loss of my edges due to post partum shedding, I find gel to be more useful than I have in the past. Until my “nubs” grow back completely, a little gel is helpful in smoothing back the flyaway poofs.
Moisturizer The pink bottle contains a creamy moisturizer. I don’t use this much but I do keep it on hand. I also use it when I run out of lotion for my skin.
Trimming Shears Yes. It’s that serious, folks. I’ve spent too many days examining the same split end over and over. If I see one, I want to trim that sucker. Overboard? Maybe. Genius? Definitely!
——–
So there you have it. The only thing I’m lacking is a rain bonnet. Although I rarely run for the rain, there are times when I still don’t want to get my hair wet.
Do you have an emergency hair bag? What “supplies” do you carry with you at all times?
{ 3 comments }
Congrats, beautiful lady!
Kcurly: How long did you transition?
I transitioned for roughly 2 years. I’ve wore weaves for 15 years and I love my weaves! If anyone wanted to know about fake hair, how to treat and style it and what kind to buy, I was considered the “go to person”. As I started to learn extensively about my culture and history, I began to build an inner love for myself that outgrew the outer. Eventually, I started by cutting a chunk of my permed hair off while continuing to wear weaves for another 2 years. Just this past Sunday I couldnt get an appointment so I decided this was the perfect opportunity to “take the plunge”.
Kcurly: What styles did you transition with?
I wore a full head weave for two years. No one knew I was transitioning unless I told them.
Kcurly: What are your favorite products so far?
So far I love Kinky-Curly’s Knot Today. It makes my hair very manageable and gives my ends a beautiful curl, even if I didn’t braid it over night.
I also love Taliah Waajid’s Curls, Waves & Naturals (The Great Detangler) This makes my hair even softer than the Kinky-Curly product. It smells great and it detangles my hair wonderfully! Lastly, I just bought Eco Styling gel today and I absolutley love the way it helps my hair to lay down in the front. I just twisted my hair using it but haven’t taken them out yet. When I do, I would love to tell you the result.
Kcurly: What do you love most about your hair?
I love that it is my hair!!! I love that it is a naturally soft texture aand my boyfriend can finally stroke my hair when I lay down.
Kcurly: What qas the manner in which you BC’d?
First I cut off a huge chunk but I still had some permed ends. Everytime I had my weave re-done my stylist would cut off another inch until it was all gone. FYI – I took pictures and several videos of my BC and transitioning period.
Kcurly: List any opposition/problems you faced along the way.
I would’ve transitioned a lot sooner but one time I had a bad weave job and it pulled my edges out. I was giving it time to grow in but it took a very long time. I decided to continue to weave my hair and work extra hard to nurture my edges until they grew back in.
{ 0 comments }
Thanks to the beautiful and stylish Nneka for sharing her natural hair story! You can check her out at her blog Darker than Brown. She’s also got a Facebook and Twitter. Annnd if you’re lucky enough to be in the New York area you can check out her meet up group.
My name is Nneka and I am the owner of Darker Than Brown. I reside in the lovely state of New York, and wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. I am currently, on my second natural hair journey, and I’ve never been this content. The journey started with healthy hair, and gradually went to healthy diet. Other than that, I’m just like you all out there, happy some days,and sad on the others.
Kcurly: How long have you been natural?
First let me share that this is my second time going natural.The first time lasted, no more than a year and a half. This time around, I am approaching my three year anniversary in May (maybe June, or July). My journey wasn’t planned, so I don’t have a specific date. I sure wish I did though, so I could have that special day to celebrate like all the other ladies do. I didn’t start this journey because I hated perms. I was one of those people, who heard the ramblings about the possible dangers, but still got my perms. I am not anti weave, and I did not do this to embrace anything (myself, my heritage).
Honestly, I stopped perming my hair because I saw it as a waste of money. I wore weaves every day, minute and second, and figured it made no sense perming hair that was always hidden. My mother says I am the cheapest person she has ever met, and she may be right! Who knew then, that I would end up on this fantastic journey.
Kcurly: What have been your biggest obstacles to overcome?
I have had two main obstacles to over come, myself and breakage. Every forum, blog and Youtube video I watch/read, all have women who love and seem to embrace their natural hair instantly. After a year and a half, I stopped wearing weaves and wanted to give wearing my own hair a try. I was fearful of what others would think. I had it in my head that this unkempt hair was not to be seen outdoors. So I wore a hat, literally everyday and everywhere.
One day a six year old asked “why do you always wear that hat”, and all I could think of was “I like it”. However I didn’t like the hat, and that had me thinking. I credit the Darker Than Brown meet up group with helping me find the confidence I needed to proudly wear my hair. I am the owner/host so I felt I HAD to come with my hair out. At every meet up the women wear their hair so proudly. Then my new arrangement was to wear my hair out once a month for the meet ups only! However before you knew it, I threw the hat away, and it’s been me and my hair ever since. My second obstacle is breakage, it has been a my Achilles’ heel! No matter how I try, or what I do it is there. Very often I ramble on my blog about it, I should rename it the “Breakage of Darker Than Brown”.
Kcurly: What are your favorite styles to wear?
My absolute favorite style to wear right now is a flat chunky twist, with curled ends. I set flexi rods on the ends, to get the curled look. The results are always big fluffy hair, and if the weather cooperates, I walk around all day with it. The reason I love this style, is it frames my face nicely. I also wear a lot of updos, my dream is to one day achieve a great pompadour. However for now I like my old fashion pin a tuck styles.
Kcurly: What are your favorite products?
The funny thing is the products I use now are all different, from the start of my journey. Hopefully, these are here to stay. My hair adores all the products I am about to share. However, due to cost or convenience I am not able to use them all regularly.
Favorite shampoos: I prefer to use bentonite clay to clean my hair. However most times laziness takes over, and I grab a bottle of shampoo (Giovanni or Shea Moisture). If I could get my hands on a few bentonite clay bars I’d be in heaven!
Deep conditioner: If only I was a rich girl! I swear i’d never be without a bottle of Jessicurl Deep Treatment. Since I’m not a rich girl I use Shea Moisture Deep treatment mask (honey & olive oil added), or ORS deep replenishing treatment.
Rinse out conditioner: I use Mill Creek Keratin conditioner once month. Other than that I think rinse out conditioners are a waste of money.
Leave in conditioner: I am flexible here, many time I use one of the deep conditioners as a leave in. The Jessicurl deep treatment is also great as a leave in too! Other times I use Shea Moisture restorative conditioner, Giovanni direct leave in, or some Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine.
Kcurly: Any advice for the newly natural ladies out there?
In the beginning of this journey, I focused my whole world around natural hair. Take my word and don’t over do it, because I was surely obsessed! After a while the newness wears off and then you will figure out if you are on this journey for the long run. I’m glad to say I am!
{ 1 comment }
