Long winded answer

Jazzy made this comment on another post and I knew I was going to be long winded, so I just decided to make it into a seperate post. Thanks for the comments Jazzy, and keep them coming!

Its a miracle I found this site! I think your hair is very similar to mine, but I’ve had my hair natural since I was 13 (25 now) and I still have not found products and styles that I absolutely love and are easy to manage. It was only relaxed once when I was 12 and I went through the whole “growing out” period when I was in high school so I never did the BC like you did.

I used to get my hair braided a lot back when I lived on the island, and I went to the hairdresser once a month, but honestly I believe the products they used are not for my hair type at all. I recently checked out Naturally Curly and the other site by dickey and I was still not convinced enough of the products that would best match my hair.

I’m a medical student and I have limited money to spend on my hair but I was hoping to experiment on some styles and products before my clinical rotations start so I can be able to effectively manage my hair.

How long does it take you to take care of your hair, on average? I know that most of the products you review can be found online, but have you seen any of these same products in beauty stores?

I love your hair and the fact that it is so versatile and fun, and my goal is to get to where you are!

I appreciate your advice, Thank you

Thanks for the comment Jazzy! To answer your questions, I first have to say that I spend more time on my hair than I need to because it’s a hobby for me right now. I love trying things out and, as one can tell by reading my blog, my product junkie tendencies are in full force . So I typically do my hair once a week if I’m doing protective styling. Styles like twists, braids and coils can last for 2 weeks for me (for example, wear the twists for 1 week and then wear the twist out for another week). For 3-4 hours of work, 2 weeks  of wear is totally acceptable. And I’ve seen some ladies who are able to go longer than that.

In fact, I know of a medical student that I’ve seen at work who frequently wears twists. You just have to get to the point where you can do the styles properly and they will last. For the summer time, I will do wash n gos frequently and that will take about 15 minutes in the morning and I usually am able to put it up in a puff the next day after moisturizing (takes less than 5 minutes).

Now, in the beginning when I was still experimenting with what my hair liked, I took much longer, but now that I’ve got my routine down, things are great!

As for the products, yes a few of these can be found in stores. Depending on where you live, you can even find Miss Jessie’s and Kinky Curly in the stores. Check the websites to find out their retail locations. They are not available in my area however.

I do, as many people do, have access to products such as Suave, Fantasia Gel, Long Aid Gel, Giovanni (usually found at Target and Kroger), Aubrey Organics (found at Health Foods Stores), and many natural ingredients such as shea butter and oils. Check out a local whole foods and health stores too. GNC also sells some things too.Finally, TJMAxx and Marshall’s often have expensive salon quality products at affordable prices.

I also made a post not too long ago about local/inexpensive products that you might want to check out: Newly Natural on a Budget.

I hope this helps!