Curly to Straight and back again...

This winter I decided to straighten my hair because I needed a trim... REALLY BAD. After the hack job the "salon that shall not be named" did on my hair for my birthday and just TIME, I need a trim super super bad but I didn't feel like vetting curly salons to get a DevaCut. My first DevaCut experience left me in tears and very angry about the money i spent so I didn't feel like wasting my time. (sn: I don't think DevaCut salons are bad but find a stylist that does YOUR KIND OF HAIR)

I know I said that I don't do heat but I say a lot of things when it comes to my hair so i'm going to stop saying "never" lol. The last time I straightened my hair was when I was transitioning in December of 2012. Anyway, I found this stylist through a friend of mine. I've had very bad experiences with stylists so I decided that I would wash/dc/detangle my hair at home and then I went to the salon so that he (the stylist) could blow dry and straighten my hair. I'm very happy with the decision I made and this salon experience went without incident *praise Him!*

When he straightened my hair he only did one pass with the flat-iron and was able to get bone straight results. My hair looks thick in its natural state but my individual strands are really thin. I've never had problem getting bone straight results ever. He trimmed a smidge more than an inch off all over but when I got home I sat in the mirror for a couple of hours and did a serious dusting. I basically cut off the single strand knots and split ends that were left off each individual strand.  That resulted in an additional 2 inches being cut off in a lot of places.

Basically I cut off all my growth between June and December lol . It's okay though. Now that I've gotten the trim, I notice that my hair doesn't shed as half as much as it used to and it's stronger so I know that it's going to grow back. I've changed my goal from #WLby25 to #WLat25 . I think I'll be able to reach my natural waist by December if I don't have any serious set backs. *fingers crossed*

Crochet Braids with 100% Kanekalon Hair

It's been over a month since I debuted my newest hairstyle on the blog. This has been a protective style I have been wanting to try since Chinelo opened my eyes to it: Crochet Braids!

at the Panamanian Day Parade in Brooklyn

Once I read that the style she had wasn't her hair, I immediately ran over to Mother Google to find out more about this witchcraftery lol. I went down a black YouTube hole which ultimately led me to discover the 100% Kanekalon Hair version of crochet braids. I rarely use heat and I don't straighten my hair so I though this would be a great alternative. Plus I was getting super frustrated dealing with my hair and I knew I had to put it away for a while.

3 Years Post Relaxer! & Future Hair Goals

I almost always miss my anniversary.

My natural hair anniversary!

Today marks 3 years since I've had a relaxer in my hair.

(which also means my birthday is in exactly 2 weeks... but that's neither here nor there lol)

Having natural hair brings SO many emotions.

Happy, frustrated, tired, free, beautiful, annoyed, and the list goes on lol

One of the main reasons I wanted to go natural was because I saw so many women whose hair grew to lengths I'd never seen before on the majority of colored women.

And here I am today having reached another milestone!

I have finally reached bra-strap-length (BSL) hair :-D

I know last year at this time I was only a few inches away but then I got a haircut with a salon I won't name lol and I thought that I wouldn't make it by my 3 yr ann. but I did!

The Color Purple - McCall's 6752

"All the other colors are just colors, but purple seems to have a soul..."
- Uniek Swain

This week I'm guest blogging over at Vintage Zest while Diane takes a small school break!

All the details about the dress will be there so head on over and read about it!

This dress is McCall's 6752 View B

Winter 2013 Regimen

Hello Beautiful People :-)

 

So since all I see around the blogosphere (well the natural hair one, anyway) is how everyone is taking care of their hair this winter, I decided I'd go ahead and add my two cents as well.

 

In the winter, and any other time of the year actually lol, I don't much like to fuss with my hair.

Whatever will make my hair easiest to take care of over long periods of time is usually what I roll with.

My New Staple - Le Wash&Go

I. Love. Wash&Gos.

One of the things that initially excited me about going natural was the fact that I wasn't going to have to do much to my hair or that I wasn't going to have to spend a bunch of time on it.

Unfortunately, with all of the twist-outs, braid-outs, bantu-knot-outs, flexi rods, banding, stretching, flat-twisting and everything else, that initial excitement turned into a complete myth.

In my 2-year relaxer free post, I stated that the twist-out was my new staple style.

And it was.

.......... For like, one more week after that post lol

I had just, at the time, been deemed the "Twist-out Queen" by a friend of mine and then I completely abandoned it.

And I'm not sorry.

The time it took me to wash my hair, all the way to being done twisting was almost 3 hours... on a good day.

*cue Sweet Brown*

 

3 hours.

To be frank, I love my hair and all.. but there are way more important things in life lol

And God has given me the opportunity to be involved in alot of things recently and my schedule no longer lends itself to a SuperBowl-Sunday-long hair session.

 

Not only THAT, but then there's the retwisting every night to preserve the styles and the RE-take-down in the morning!

o_O

 

As much as I loved how my twist-outs came out, I knew there HAD to be something lazier easier.

I originally thought I didn't HAVE wash&go hair.

"What IS wash&go hair?" you may ask....IDK. lol

 

I just thought my hair wouldn't do it.

Or it would be too tangled

Or it would be a poofy mess.

Or I was just being silly.

Like "they" say...

"Don't knock it 'til you try it."

I did it.

I fell in love.

And I'm not looking back.

3 day old wash&go

Two Years | No Lye

Guess what?!

TODAY

[June 25, 2013]

marks 2 years since my last relaxer!!

So today I am going to share my hair journey with you :-)

*caution: PIC HEAVY*