The Hair
by IrishPenny
I'm a twenty something college grad who decided to take the plunge. I come from a blended background of Senegalese, Native American, Jamaican, and Irish. This blog will follow the challenges of dealing with the beast affectionately known as the Hair.
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posted on Dec 27, 2012
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As the blogging contest season draws to a close, I look back on the past year. It was a year I began one of the most important journeys in my life. A journey that isn't over yet. The temptation to pick up the scissors and be done with it is still quite prevalent. The only thing stopping me is the subsequent horror of my family and potential employers. For all I know, I'd look adorable with a twa, but I made a promise and I'm going to keep it. I'm still experimenting these days and have stumbled upon a new method, the tightly curly method. The diagnosis...I love it and so does my hair. You can read and see the results on my new blog WondErfully Made (werwonderfullymade.tumblr.com). I'm expecting a pack of Curlformers in the mail any day now, so I'm finally going to get a chance to try them (insert excited squeal here). It may just be the thing to keep me from eventually succumbing to scissoritis (yes I made up another word). Seriously, every time I plunge my hand into the fluffy undergrowth, I feel the urge to snip away the processed masses. What I like most about the tightly curly method is that it allows my style to last longer (5-6 days), and it only takes about an hour and a half to wash, condition, detangle, and style my hair. An hour and a half only once a week is like heaven to a curly I'm sure. All I do is refresh my style with a bit of coconut oil and bottled water from the second day onward Now if I can just hang on until my b-day next year, and get a Devacut like a champ, my transition will finally come to a peaceful not to mention cute end :) |
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posted on Nov 6, 2012
Well, my fellow curlies, my french twist with a twist was a disaster but at least it was a salvageable one. So I think I finally overcame my boredom. Nothing like a little failure to make you appreciate a sure thing. I decided to go back to my wash-n-go, but I shook things up a bit by adding a leave-in from the same line as my conditioner. Yea, I know what you're thinking you should've already been using a leave-in conditioner. Well, I was using a growth milk from a different line by the same company. I finally got my hands on the curl & style milk that goes with the gel I use. Omg, the first time was not the charm but when I made sure I distributed it thoroughly from roots to ends, my curls are straight poppin' y'all, perfect little spirals...keyword being little. I don't know why but I have the worse time with shrinkage no matter what I try. My past shoulder length hair won't even dry to my shoulders (insert epic sad face here). The only saving grace is that it looks good and is uber shiny. Yes, I said uber. Oh, and did I mention that it is soft. It doesn't have that crunchy, hey world I used gel feel to it.
My next project is a homemade refresher mist. Does anyone know any good recipes? I've tried mixing conditioner with water but I wasn't really satisfied. I want to kill frizz and flyaways while maintaining my shine. So far it's been a learning curve for me but I'm hoping that the third time will be the charm in this case. I'm not even sure what essential oils are or if we have a store in Podunkville that sells them (insert sigh here), so I hope it'll be fine without it. I'm going to try a version of a recipe I saw that used 2 ounces of distilled water and 2 Tablespoons of coconut oil. I'm wondering if I should replace one of those tablespoons with a tablespoon of leave-in conditioner instead, but coconut oil does hydrate. I'm starting to realize more and more that learning your hair and going natural is like getting a degree. You do tons of research, hair projects, and experiment...a lot. It's a process that can take years. Is it worth it? I think so because instead of a piece of paper, I got a more confident, happier, healthier me and that's cause for celebration. Happy Curliness, Curlies!
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posted on Oct 30, 2012
That is the question I've asked myself time and time again these past few months. I tried individual twists about five months into my natural journey. They turned out okayish, but the ends were straight. Being the perseverer that I am I tried it again...and again using different methods every time from chunky twists to flat twists. The most important thing these styles had in common for me was that they all failed. I felt like I'd failed as a transitioner. I'd seen so many pics and read so many articles about other transitioners and naturals who turned to two-strand twisting as their go-to style in order to protect their hair or blend two textures. I was half expecting the natural police to revoke my future naturalista card. I know I know protective styles may not work for everyone, but without them I almost felt as if I didn't belong. I was a one-trick pony...all I could do was a standard wash-n-go. The only thing I ever changed was my part. I'm about ten and a half months into my transition, and I've been wearing a wash-n-go the whole time.
Then just last week the worst happened. I got bored with a capital B-O-R-E-D. I felt like grabbing a pair of scissors and going to town. I know what you're thinking, "Put down the hair shears, girl, and walk away." I tell y'all I almost snapped. My only saving grace was that I decided to try the flat twists again. It didn't go well and I was forced to wear it in a ponytail, but it was different at least. I just had to do sunnen different to my hair or I was gonna go nuts. I literally almost broke my promise to my bff and big chopped early just to wear a different style. After the twist fiasco (was so not lovin the look thanks to frizzed out edges), I decided to style my hair in a half up/ half down style while it was still wet. The results were great. My edges curled perfectly with little wispy curls that make you smile. I tell you I've got the styling bug again. I'm still disappointed over the twists, but I'm going to try a french twist with a twist this week, which is basically a french twist with the ends left out. I would so love to show y'all the results, but I still can't figure out how to upload the pics to my blog...lame I know. Maybe I'll get it figured out for my next blog. Wish me luck, curlistas! |
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posted on Oct 9, 2012
I've heard a lot of negative things about Shea Moisture's Curl Souffle. Most curlies have probably steered clear of it due to the polarizing reviews the product has received. When I first heard of it, it was a new product and nobody seemed to be raving about it. So I did what anyone might do. I decided to wait and see. Instead of being hailed as a wonderful styling solution like most of the Shea Moisture line, it was grossly underestimated and written off as a waste of money and good hair days. For a while I listened to this onslaught of negative reaction. Then about three weeks ago I ran out of my Curl Enhancing Smoothie. My hair had been acting up anyway, so I was looking for another product. That was when I came upon a review that changed my life. A brave natural blogger had retried the souffle and deemed it the best product she'd ever used. She speculated that the negative reviews were from users who hadn't used the product properly. They'd just globbed it on like it was going out of style.
I tell you friends. The best decision I've made since my journey began...aside from switching to formaldehyde-free products was buying the Curl Souffle. I read the Very detailed instructions and presto change-o my hair turned out pretty good. I'd had to seal my hair with coconut oil with the smoothie to keep it from frizzing out. The souffle was a totally different story. All I needed was the product itself and a very small amount of that. My curls elongated more bringing my heretofore ear-length bob down to almost shoulder length. I loved it. My hair was shiny and dried into soft curls versus crunchy ones. Also, I had to go back to using my wide-toothed comb to detangle instead of just using my fingers. My hair thanked me by behaving a lot better. It's still not quite how I want it to be but at least I have guaranteed good hair days. My definition is outta sight, and I love the smell. Even my ever skeptic mother likes the way my hair looks these days, which if you've been following my posts is definitely a miracle.
I'm still trying to figure out how to upload pics into my blog, so hopefully I can share the results of my experimentation. As always my fellow transitioners and fully naturals...Happy Experimenting and stay tuned for more hair adventures! |
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posted on Sep 22, 2012
Ack! There is nothing I dread more than tangles. When I was a kid (in my pre-pressing days), my mother used to comb my hair from the roots down. Talk about ouch. The neighbors thought she was beating me because I screamed, yelped and cried a great deal. My moment of freedom came when I was fourteen and I learned to detangle my own hair in the shower. For years after that I never worried about tangles. Then, I decided to go natural. It was fine for the first few months but then it became a whole different ball game. My tangles had tangles. I finally found the right conditioner for my hair, but detangling was still a chore. I'd have to finger comb my hair first and then use a wide-toothed comb...so not the vision. I scoured the internet for any tips I could find. The only thing that seemed to help was time. As my layers grew, the tangles were less of a menace. Of course I had to do the unthinkable. I trimmed my hair which I've done before; however, this time I forgot to use the proper technique. Some of my curls ended up shorter than I wanted, and now the tangles are back and taking no prisoners. The shorter strands stick to each other like Velcro no matter how much conditioner I use. Finally, I had to chuck the wide-toothed comb step and just use my fingers. It's tough but it's a bit less painful. Only time will tell if the tangles hit the depot anytime soon and leave me in peace.
I passed my nine month mark a couple of weeks ago, and to be honest I feel like a child sometimes. I'm having to figure things out about my hair all over again. I'm rather excited about the beautiful curls covering my head right now. I'm having a little trouble being patient though. I thought my curls would have stretched out some more by now. My one year plan is looking more like a one and a half plus plan. My hair stays at bob length...not because it's not growing but because my curls are tighter than Scrooge McDuck's grip on money. I want to do more with my hair but I can't until it grows out of this awkward stage. If I didn't think they would tighten up more without the additional hair I would be rocking a pixie right now. I'm so over this! Sorry, I don't mean to whine. I just wish the progress was more noticeable. I bought a flower clip to stick in my hair for a lil extra umph. I'm hoping it'll make the wait a bit more bearable. My confidence is crazy these days. I feel more sure of myself and I think it's mostly because of the Hair. I feel more like myself, which feels good. That and prayer are the only things getting me through my transitioning period right about now. The weird part is I don't miss the silky straightness. I just can't wait for the world (and me) to see the 7-8 inch 3b curls in all their glory. Well hopefully they'll be closer to 10-12 inches when I finally do the famous chop. To all my other transitioning curlies out there...remember that the best is yet to come :) |
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