My first successful Twist out

This was my first real shot at a two strand twist out and I loved it. I used Bee Mine Bee Hold Curly Butter on co-washed, conditioned, and detangled hair and the results were great. It was the softest I had felt my hair when dry and the first time I absolutely loved it. This will be a new staple for me as I continue my venture to form a symbiotic relationship with my hair. I tried to use the Curly Butter throughout the week as I attempted to maintain the style but it seemed to have worked its magic most when my hair was clean and wet. So now the next secret to unfold is how to maintain a style and moisture between washes.

Befriending my hair

So I went to licensed beautician a week and a half ago for my first trim. After attempting to blow dry my hair to get it straighter before going to her and watching most of it fall to the floor, I decided I was going to step away from the blow dryer and let her combat my hair. Sitting in her chair I was getting ready for her to tell me that she was going to have to chop off all 4-5 inches of my 4-5 inches of natural hair but she didn't. She didn't need to. Only 1/2 an inch. She didn't even have to blow dry the rest since it was straighter than she expected. That doesn't mean that what I heard next made me feel any better after at least learning that I could keep my hard earned 3c/4a kinky curls. My hair was diagnosed as unhealthy. It was brittle and in distress. The regimen that I had been using up to that point was working against my hair, not for it. She went on to explain that hair thrives on a consistently clean and healthy scalp. This I knew but I thought I had some. Hair has to be cleaned and conditioned from the inside out, meaning that, this may surprise you, but shampoo is not a no-go for naturals. I asked her about the whole sulfate ingredient protest. She didn't have much to say about it but that the best products I could find for my hair would be found in a salon since they had less fillers than the shelved products in stores. At that point all I heard was $$ but I kept listening. She went on to explain that the heavy products I had been using for the last 6 months where coating my scalp and hair shaft preventing moisture from getting in, hence the brittle texture. My hair lacked lustre cause it was so coated, she said. The best thing for me to do was to go back home and really wash it good with the best shampoo I had, rub a little oil into my scalp and sit with a rinse-out conditioner, only for as long as it said to keep it in (I learned that there's not use for sitting with them for hours cause they stop working after a period of time anyway, whereas shampoos keep cleansing), apply a great salon-brand leave-in, and use minimal stlying products. So I followed her instructions to a tee and what was the end result????? Great hair! I didn't even recognize my hair. I worked with me better than it ever had. I saw an instant change. The most noticeable was that I didn't have to tamper with my hairline at all to get it to lie down flat and not roll up. So that was the secret all along for my hair and I had to wait this long to find out!

This Just In....

My hair and I can be friends!! And all it took was a bottle of shampoo (yes, I said it, shampoo), rinse out and leave-in conditoner. And a nice little blend of oils too of course. Stay tuned for the details...

Quote of the week...

"Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall." -Confucius

Let's get this started

So I've had it somewhere in one of the dusty, remote back corners of my mind that I need to get on here and write and it's taken this long but I made it. I'm actually in the mood. I'm not sure of the tone I want to set with my contributions to this blog so until my niche is found my blogs will probablybe as random and as sporadic as my thoughts. So let's get aquainted.
Who am I? Good question. I wish I knew. I'm currently getting acquainted with Me myself. The Me that I am now. She's different from the Me that I was 6-, 8-, 12 months ago. This Me is about to go through some life changing events within the next 8 months or so. This Me is about to face some grown-up decisions that are going to put everything she is to the test. What I can tell you, following some half-focused, half-not, self-reflection and with the input of a respected and admired authority figure,and with some help of a recent personality questionnaire: I' m a planner, a control freak, empathetic, nuturing, I'm almost everything melancholy, with a choleric trait or two. I'm detail-oriented, a.k.a. a perfectionist. I like to keep peace but I can be confrontational (can be good and bad). I'm a thinker, a worrier, a question-asker. I'm individualistic - when called for. I'm a social butterfly (one day out of the month) but more often than not (as I'm beginning to realize) I like solitude. Insecure when I want to be, confident and secure when I have to be. I'm a friend (though when a bridge is burnt, it is rarely rebuilt), I'm a daughter, a grand-daughter, a sister, a neice, a cousin, a girlfriend, a student. I'm Me; the 'what-you-see-is-what-you-get' kind of Me. I'm natural...A natural, unique, Creator designed 'shade of beauty'.

Quotes of the Week....

"The future depends on what we do in the present." -Mahatma Gandhi

                                                          

                                  "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of  comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." -Martin Luther King Jr.

 

...a few of my favourite things...

1. My daughter (my heartbeat.my world.my life <3 <3)
2. <3 My 'Chocolate Sexy' <3
3. Spending time with family <3
4. Poetry...writing poetry...reading poetry...attending poetry concerts (a soulful release.loves it <3)
5. Chai tea...topped with whipped cream and cinnamon (...mmmmmmm)
6. Emus...(they're ugly as shit but MAD warm)
7. Shea butter
8. Funky, one of a kind earrings
9. SHOES!!! (nuff said...)
10. Colorful sunsets & glowing full moons (beautiful.inspiring.nature's expression)

...I could go on but I said 'a few'...