Progress

I actually hadn't intended to keep such close watch on my hair growth, but I am glad that I did.

This footage was taken September 27,2009:

This footage was taken January 8, 2010:

These videos were taken about 3 months and 11 days apart. Not too shabby, huh?

Note the Frizz Factor: The bottom video is taken after co-washing hair, which left over Qhemet AOHC in it. It is obviously more frizzy in parts, but I'm ok with that because my hair is well conditioned. I point this out just to give you an example of what I have been talking about in previous posts as far as how my hair reacts to oils.

These bottom pictures were taken January 9, 2010 after the oil was shampooed out. There is obviously still a bit of frizz which is natural, but my hair looks visibly less frizzy without oils.

Routine: Washed with Alaffia Shampoo, conditioned with AO White Camellia, leave-in Alaffia Hair Lotion, Gel - Herbal Essence Set Me Up

Ciao!!!

New Routine and "Fairy Knots"

Well, being that it's winter and extremely cold around here, I had to make a complete and utter overhaul of my hair routine. My previous motto was "no to oils" but that soon became a faint chant when it started to get crazy cold out and also - and perhaps most importantly- when I started to see those notorious little freaky "fairy knots" at the ends of my hair.

When I first began to realize that my hair did not like oils it was this past summer. I was wearing wash and gos with a vengeance and lovin' every minute of it. What I noticed, however, was that if I did a wash and go, and I used a product with oil in it, I got this crazy looking frizz all over my head. Not the typical frizz that comes from tightly curly/kinky hair, but an odd looking frizz that almost made my hair look like it was damaged or like I stuck my finger in an electric socket, but was slowly recovering:0p.

Anyway, what I discovered after clarifying my hair multiple times was that my hair became much more defined as I took more and more oil off of my hair. Yeah - I know, go figure, right:0?

So, with little to no oil in my hair, I ended up needing a lot less product (i.e. gel) to define my curls, which I found to be an awesome revelation!

What was to come next, however, was somewhat shocking. You see, up until this point I had this nutty idea that as long as I was not applying heat, as long as I was using a quality conditioner, and as long as I had enough moisture in my routine(i.e. water) my hair would be absolutely fine. Unfortunately, I soon began to realize, that this was most certainly not the case - not at all.

My first clue was when, as a I said earlier, I started to see those pesky little knots. And it wasn't just one or two knots, but multiple fairy knots at the ends of my hair. I mean, to me this was absolutely crazy, I was doing everything I could - deep conditioning regularly, treating my hair like silk - everything I could think of to do - I was doing. I mean, what in the world is up with that??

Here's a picture of the filthy little vermin:

Knots and Splits for your viewing enjoyment:0)

By the way, look at how thick my strands are :0/. When I say I have coarse hair, I mean - I really have coarse hair, ha! It's like wire...Seriously.

Anyway, I really started to beat myself up about these little buggers and assumed that it had to be something I was doing wrong. What I found though, is that "fairy knots" are pretty common for curly hair, in fact, they can even be found on straight hair (according to those folks who have straight hair and say they have experienced them too). So, it wasn't necessarily something that I had done wrong to get them. "Cool!", I thought. But with that said, what was I going to do get rid of them and then keep them from coming back?

Ok, so my next mission was to find an answer to this question.

Well, with regards to getting rid of these things, there are some people who say that they have actually taken a needle and tried to remove the knots. It's apparently something that can be done... hmmm.... The "gurus" however, say that the problem with removing the knots with a needle or anything else you can get into that small hole, is that the area of the strand of hair on which the knot was positioned is now damaged. So even if you are able to remove the knot, you're still dealing with a weakened strand of hair. So, once again, it seems that scissors have to come to the rescue - find the knot and snip it. Anything else seems to put your hair are risk of additional splits and other damage. And as you may already know, splits and damage on one strand of hair can definitely mean more splits and damage to the other hairs in close proximity. Good grief, they're like a virus, for crying out loud!

Thankfully, I did not have tons of knots, I had enough of them to make me feel uncomfortable, but no more than could be handled. So I took my time, got out my hair cutting scissors, and got to work.

Ok, step one complete, now to step two.

Once the knots were removed, my next goal was to prevent them from coming back. So, what was I going to do? Well - this is where oil has magically found it's way back into my routine. The only thing I could think of that I had used previously that had given my hair that smooth and conditioned feeling was Qhemet Biologics Amla and Olive Heavy Cream. I thought to myself - if I apply the Qhemet to my damp hair - first off, it will seal in moisture. Secondly, it will reduce friction between my strands and between my comb/brush and my hair, which is what I believed caused the knots in the first place.

So yes, I am back to using oil in my routine. Yes, my hair does look "crazy" frizzy when I apply the oil to my hair, but I'm ok with that. Because I, at this point, desire healthy hair, knotty-free hair, and if it takes oils to do this, then so be it.

My very last step was to start protective styling it. Thankfully, my hair is long enough at this point to do this. Sooo, for the last couple months I have been religiously wearing twists in my hair. Nope, not twist outs, just twists. I wash my hair, apply my leave-in, and then my qhemets, twist. Leave the twists in for a week, take them down, wash my hair and then start all over again. Boring? Yes. Yes, it has been very boring, but if it helps me to avoid those knots, then I'm all for boredom factor right now. "Go boredom - rah, rah, rah!!!" * insert rolling of eyes here*.

Overall, the knots have become substantially less. *Sigh* I wish I could tell you that I had no more "fairy knots" at all, but that just wouldn't be truthful.

If you have suggestions on how to avoid "fairy knots", please share:0).

Ciao!!!

MIA

Introducing: Sunshower!!

I stumbled across Sunshower's fotki while on NC.com. I spotted her avatar right away, and just knew I had to see more pictures of that gorgeous head of hair. After strolling through her album, I decided to contact her directly and see if she would be willing to share her amazing hair journey with us. She has graciously agreed! Enjoy!!

1)When did you decide to go natural? If there is a story behind your decision, please share it.

I decided to go natural my freshman year in college. I’ve always had long hair. When I was little, my hair was always braided and down to my tailbone. At age 11, I got my first relaxer. Honestly, I didn’t even know what a relaxer was at the time. My mother said I had to get one because it was time for me to start doing my hair myself. I kept getting them because I didn’t think there was any alternative to having a relaxer. All the other black girls were relaxed, so I thought that was the way it was supposed to be. Gradually, my hair started breaking off, partly because of overprocessing and partly because I had no idea how to take care of it. By the time I graduated from high school 7 years later, my hair had broken off to about APL. When I got to college, I decided I didn’t want to spend any more money on relaxers. I was a broke college student, after all. So I just started growing it out. I actually chickened out at first. Two months after my decision, I got another touch-up, but immediately afterwards I felt horrible for caving in. I decided to try again, and told myself that if I could make it past the four-month mark without another touch-up, I was set. That was 10 years ago and I haven’t looked back since!


2) Talk to us about your hair routine. What products do you like for your hair and which products do you dislike?

Fortunately, I learned very early on that my hair LOVES natural ingredients (oils, butters, herbs, etc.). The first product line I used after I started transitioning was Aubrey Organics. The GPB conditioner is the one product that I have consistently used since my natural journey began. I currently use the Honeysuckle Rose and Swimmers conditioners as well. I also love, love, love Ayurvedic powders. My hair was an absolute dried-out, frizz-ball mess before I discovered Ayurveda. I use the powders in hot oil treatments, for washing my hair, and as a monthly hair mask. Since I started using them, my hair has gotten so much silkier and softer, the curl definition is much better, and it doesn’t get as dry as it used to.

Finding a good moisturizer has always been the most difficult thing for me. I really love KBB Hair Milk. It detangles and moisturizes well without having to use a ton of product. SheaMoisture Leave-in is also a good one, but it doesn’t work well on dry hair. KBB works on wet and dry hair for me.

I won’t use product if it doesn’t contain mostly natural ingredients. They almost always dry my hair out. Sulfate shampoos are a definite no-no. They dry my hair out so badly, no conditioner can counteract the dryness. I’ve also tried the popular cheap conditioners like Suave Tropical Coconut and Trader Joe’s Nourish Spa. I tried them for co-washing, as rinse-outs, and as leave-ins. The result? “Hated it!” ©Men on Film. They made my hair feel dry also, but I can use them as a hair mask mixed with oils, honey, and my Ayurvedic powders. But overall, natural products are the way to go for my hair.


3)How has being natural effected you and your thoughts about your hair?

Being natural has helped me to realize that our natural hair is beautiful, no matter the texture. When I was relaxed, I had that whole good hair/bad hair mindset. It was force-fed to me from a very young age, so I believed it. As I transitioned and saw other naturals emerging around me, I started to appreciate the varying textures of African-American hair. When I did my BC, I was so intrigued when I realized that I had different textures on my own head. Our hair is so beautiful and unique. No two heads of hair are exactly the same.


4) Have you always had support with regards to your hair? (Does your family like it).

My mother wasn’t too thrilled when I cut off my long hair in favor of a short afro. She wanted me to wait until my natural hair was longer before I cut it. I had transitioned for 13 months and that was quite enough. I remember after my BC, one of my aunts coming up to me, running her fingers through my hair and saying, “I don’t like THAT!” Like I had a dead ostrich on top of my head or something. It’s just hair, people. It’ll grow back.

Some people did think it was cute. But some people thought I was crazy, and some people took it upon themselves to remind me that “Black people’s hair doesn’t grow.” I think most people just couldn’t understand why I’d want to cut off all my hair. But those same people who tried to criticize me then are the same ones who love to compliment me now.


5) What would you consider to be your hair type and why?

I believe my hair type is mostly 3c with some 4a on the sides, and possibly 3b or a loose 3c at the nape. It was actually much easier to determine my hair type when it was shorter. As it’s gotten longer, it doesn’t shrink as much and the textures seem to be blending together more, if that makes any sense.


6)What do you think about the hair typing system - do you think it's beneficial to know?

No hair-typing system is going to be 100% accurate for everyone. I remember when the 3c category didn’t even exist. We naturals made it up ourselves. I do think it’s good to have these systems because they’re helpful when trying to find someone with a similar hair type who can offer advice on techniques or product choices.


7)Do ever go to professional stylists, and if so, how do you get them to do what you want without damaging you hair? If not, how do you manage your hair all on your own?

I haven’t been to a professional stylist since I had my last relaxer in 1999. Since then, the only other person who has ever styled my hair is my aunt who helped me twist my hair for a wedding. I really don’t trust anyone else to do my hair. I had too many bad experiences with stylists when I was relaxed. But I am considering having it cut by a stylist for my birthday next year. I’d like to get several inches cut off. If anyone has any recommendations, please share! :)

As far as styling, I usually wear my hair in two-strand twists. They ‘re quick, low-maintenance, and they last a whole week. All I have to do is moisturize them and seal my ends at night, and in the morning my hair is already done and ready to go. Sometimes I do braidouts when I don’t feel like twisting. I rarely wear wash-n-go’s. I straighten once a year, if I feel like it, and only when the weather is cold. I live in Georgia…I refuse to deal with straight hair and this ridiculous humidity. :)


8)What would you say to someone who has a relaxer and is thinking about going natural?

Remind yourself that it won’t necessarily be an easy road. Many of us haven’t seen our natural hair since we were young kids and therefore have no idea what to do with it. There will be a trial-and-error process as you learn what products and ingredients your hair likes. You’ll have to figure out how to style it as it grows longer. You may encounter negative feedback from some people. But if this is something you really want to do, you can get through it and you’ll have a gorgeous head full of curls and kinks to shake in everyone’s face. :) There is a ton of support, advice, and inspiration on the hair forums. We’ve been through it and we’re here to help! And don’t beat yourself up if you decide to go back to the relaxer. Being natural just isn’t for everyone. The most important thing is that you do what makes you feel comfortable and that you keep your hair healthy.


9) Who are some of your hair idols?

I don’t really have any specific hair idols. I do love looking at big, poofy hair. Huge 4a/4b afros, little kids with long, wild hair, etc. Big hair is awesome!! :)


10)Anything else you would like to add that you think would help others in their hair journey?

You ladies who are just starting out on this journey are actually pretty lucky. When I first started out, all of these hair product lines that cater to naturals didn’t exist. We had Carol’s Daughter, and that was about it. There weren’t as many naturals on hair forums either. But we’ve managed to build up a nice little online community full of beautiful women with beautiful hair. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, even in real life. I love it when naturals ask me for advice. I know how difficult it can be sometimes, so I love to help whenever I can. Besides, I could talk about my hair all day!

...............

If you're interested in seeing more of Sunshower's lovely hair pictures, you can visit her fotki at:

http://public.fotki.com/hokukoroku/

Thanks so much, Sunshower, for sharing your story!!

Ciao!!

How Far are You Willing to Go For Long Hair? Hahaha!!

I was online today, looking up information about hair - what else - and I found some really shocking, yet extremely interesting information.

What I found was a woman giving a testimonial on how she happened to meet a Native American man with the most amazing waist length hair. She got up the nerve to ask him what he did to get his hair so beautiful, and this is was he told her. He said, every full moon he gathers his hair into a ponytail, and then burns the ends with fire! Yes, fire!! He said he burns it up the length about a half inch - gasp!!! And lastly, he told her he uses a conditioner created for horses (sorry, he apparently didn't mention which one - or she was just being stingy with the 411 - At any rate, I think we're all pretty familiar with Mane and Tail and other such products of horses, but maybe there's some other more quality type products available, but I digress).

Anyway, this lady said she actually tried his technique and to her surprise - it worked!!

So of course you know this got my attention, right?? Ha! And yes, I began looking for more information about cutting hair with fire. Guess what?? I found some!!

There is actually a barber in Memphis who prefers cutting hair with fire versus using scissors because apparently with scissors you run a greater risk of getting split ends. For anyone who has grown their hair out, it is well known that if you don't keep your ends in order, you might as well forget it, because split ends will literally destroy any growth your may have accumulated.

Here is a video of Mr. Warren giving his customer an awesome fire hair cut, hahaha!!!

As frightening as this may seem, people actually do go to him for their cuts. Take a look as these:

Yes, frightening, isn't it?!?

Ok, so if any of you don't know how I am, you will soon, because I tend to be very curious, often times to my own chagrin, but that's besides the point:0). The point is, does this fire thing actually work? And I was about to find out!

Ok, so does it work? Well, I have to tell you...and no, I didn't flame my head:0). What I did do was take a couple of my shed hairs, which I had inadvertently left in the shower this morning - stuck to the wall - yes, I know that's gross - but hey, they were there, so I used them:0). They were fortunately fully dry, so I took a few of them, lit a match and puff! The ends beaded right up!

Now, mind you - if you are going to do this with your hair still attached to your head, you might want to make sure you don't have any hair product on it, (i.e. hair spray, grease, butta, whateva) because if you do, your head is gonna lite up faster than you can say, "Oh Shi".

Fortunately my shed hairs were freshly clean, but even with fresh, clean hair, it burned and when it burned, it burned lightening fast. It was a piece of cake though to put out the flame, just a quick tap - similar to what Mr. Warren does in his flaming treatment video above.

Anyway, once the flame was out, what did I have left? A tiny little fused end!! I pulled at it, and pulled at it, and that little fused baby would not budge!! And, I could honestly see how it would be extremely difficult, if not impossible for the hair at the end of your strand to split!! Super cool!!

But all is not fabulous in hair burning world, because as most of us know, splits can occur anywhere on the strand. Which has been so fabulously illustrated below:

So in other words, fire burning - if you dare - might be a good solution for you, only if you have cojones the size of Manhattan, and only if your hair is relatively "virgin". Otherwise, if you're chemically processing your hair with dyes, relaxers or lots and lots of heat (i.e. flat ironing) - basically anything that can chemically alter the structure of your hair - you might want to forego this fire cutting technique as a hair cutting option, because you'll still have to contend with all the other issues and risks that the above types of processes will bring to your hair. And if that's the case, save yourself a headache and heart attack - and just use scissors.

Ciao!!

Pantene Smooth Conditioner

Sorry the video cut off - not sure why I keep having so many problems with my video, but I was pretty much done talking anyway.

As I mentioned in the video I decided to add some cones into my routine, since I've pretty much cut out oils. I believe it was nappy_curly_crown, who mentioned adding cones to her routine in the winter for extra protection, and it sounds to me like a very good idea. What I intend to do is add a cone conditioner to my routine once a week, after I shampoo. All other days it will be my previous routine, using the GVP Conditioning Balm, the KBB Super Silky as my leave-in, and an HE gel to style. I figure using the cone only once a week will prevent buildup and give me some of that added protection.

As I also mentioned in the video, I did notice a lot more shedding, which I was surprised to see. I have no idea why this happened, but I do remember other people mentioning that something similar happened to them when using it. So that said, I won't be using it again. Just one more product to add to my hair product graveyard:0?.

Pantene Smooth Conditioner ingredients:

Water, Stearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Chloride, Cetyl Alcohol, Bis-Aminopropyl Dimethicone, Benzyl Alcohol, Fragrance, Panthenol, Panthenyl Ethyl Ether, Lysine HCl, Methyl Tyrosine HCl, Histidine, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Hydroxide, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone.

Ciao!!!

Update on the Oil Issue

This video was done today with minimal gel applied - see video below where I applied a bit more gel for added hold (Gel used in both cases: HE Body Envy).

Close ups:

Products I'm using now and will continue to use:

First and foremost - WATER, WATER, WATER

GVP Conditioning Balm

Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Propylene Glycol, Myristyl Alcohol, Cetrimonium Chloride, Cetearyl Alcohol, Decyl Oleate, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance (Parfum), Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Hexyl Cinnamal, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Hydrastis Canadensis (Golden Seal) Extract, Fucus Vesiculosus (Bladderwack) Extract, Methyl-2-Octynoate

Karen's Body Beautiful Super Silky

Ingredients: Purified Water, Aloe Vera Juice, Vegetable Wax, Arnica Extract, Jojoba Oil, Panthenol, Organic Rosemary Hydrosol & Vitamin E

Herbal Essence Body Envy or Set Me Up Gel

Body Envy Gel:

Ingredients: Water, laureth-23, polyquaternium-4, coral flower (russelia equisetiformis) extract, prunus persica nectarina fruit extract, fragrance, propylene glycol, hydroxyethylcellulose, benzyl alcohol, acrylates/beheneth-25 methacrylate copolymer, amino methyl propanol, dmdm hydantoin, acrylates copolymer, disodium edta.

Set Me Up:

Ingredients: Water, laureth-23, polyquaternium-4, bambusa vulgaris leaf/stem extract, cereus grandiflorus (cactus) flower extract, fragrance, propylene glycol, hydroxyethylcellulose, benzyl alcohol, acrylates/beheneth-25 methacrylate copolymer, aminomethyl propional, dmdm hydantoin, acrylates copolymer, disodium edta.

As you can see from the ingredients in both gels, they are essentially the same except for the extracts. I like them both equally in terms of performance, but I really like the smell of the Body Envy - it has a fresh peachy scent.

BioInfusion Conditioning Hydrating Balm - for my weekly Deep Conditioner:

Ingredients: Water, Myristal Alcohol, Centrimonium Chloride, Cetearyl Alcohol, Iso Decyl Oleate, Propylene Glycol, Fragrance, Methyl/propylparaben, Phenoxyethanol, Hexyl Cinnamal, Coumarin, Linalool, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Hydroxycitronellal, Amyl Cinnamal, Polysorbate-20, Geraniol, Algae/Algae Extract, Rosemary Extract, Golden Seal Extract.

This video was done yesterday - used a bit more gel in it than I used today:0).

Some of you may be thinking, "Gee, her hair looks the same as it did with the other products". Well, I think that's essentially true, the difference is my need to load on lots of gel to tame the frizz, and the difference is how my hair looks with very little product in it. The top video and pictures are of my hair with a minute amount of gel - I mean really - perhaps a half tablespoon is all I used! That is unheard of in my house :0). The bottom video is of my hair with perhaps 2 tablespoons full of gel - if that. I mean to me, this is a big deal:0).

Now, I am on the look out for a gentle shampoo - preferably oil free. Is that even possible:0?

Lastly, I have loads of product (some just barely used, if used at all) that will have to go. I need suggestions on what I should do with them - should I try to sell them here in the blog or on the NC.com swap - should I try swapping product for product? Should I do giveaways, asking the winner to pay for shipping(though I would like to get a least a little something for them)? Your suggestions are welcome:0).

Thanks for reading!!

Ciao!!!