Monday 6/20/11
Well back at work again. Everyone else is enjoying day 4 at home. Friday was just 3 hours. Today is probably gonna be 10. But I need the money, so I gotta get it.
Anyway, this is a hair blog, not a broke-y bitch line right? LoL! Ok, so what IS going on with the hair on this fine day? Well I got tired of my hair being stuck to the back of my head in a dry mess when I wake up, so I decided to try baggy-ing (I can't spell, I know!) for the first time since jheri curl days. I spritzed and added some of the moisturizing lotion and a little Long Aid, put on my shower cap (I don't much line the ones I have. They're the colourful and like vinyl or something. I like the clear ones better, but this was all they had.) and my satin bonnet. When I woke up, through the caps my hair still felt the same. I was like "dammit!" Then I removed them... And it was pretty soft. Easily fluffed. If I'd gotten pressed for time, I could have just fluffed and left and not looked totally busted. The one thing I DIDN'T like was that "hat" smell that came from under that cap when I took it off! But it didn't last, so all in all, baggying works fine. My hair is still really, REALLY soft. I have to get some bigger, CLEAR conditioner caps though. (aka shower caps) So baggying works for Rebel. :)
My products are holding up pretty well. The Captivating Curls is a good product. It pretty much does what it claims, I saw more curl definition and my hair seems shinier. (Probably from all the CONES in this conditioner! This stuff is SO not curly girl friendly! If I kept using this I'd have to probably shampoo in 2 months or EARLIER!) The Olive Miracle Moisturizing Lotion works pretty well, but I have to- well I don't HAVE to, but I FEEL I need to- reapply it. But it gets greasy really easy. I mean just looks GREEEEZY sometimes. I guess it's that "pink lotion" effect. I feel the need to rinse EVERY DAY with this, and that defeats the purpose of baggying. I still think this is a good product. I just have to figure out how much to use. I think it doesn't NEED to be reapplied in the morning if you use it that night maybe. I think I keep putting it on because it smells so GOOD! Kind of like bananas or something. That's the closest I can think of. Anyway it smells so nice I wanna keep putting it in and it turns into greasy hot ass mess. Then I gotta rinse it out.
And I think I "secretly" like rinsing. :p I just like to rinse it out. Get it all wet and not have to worry about reversion (straightened), excess dryness (Relaxed) or it taking 20 minutes and then being SOAKING wet and taking all day to dry! (Locs) I know this is gonna get harder as my hair gets longer. I ALREADY notice it takes 10 minutes to detangle now. (I know, waaa, right? Ten WHOLE minutes! When lots of ladies spend 30+! 10 is a LOT for me! I'm LAZY!! LoL!) Not sure if it's because of the way I apply product or it's ALREADY growing! But it gets tangled more now. Hair loss is not massive, but damn! This is a TWA! or is it? I actually don't know what this is. My hair is under my chin in the front stretched. But the sides and back are short. So I call it a TWA still. ANYWAY! It shouldn't take long yet. LoL!
But even THAT I enjoy! I LOVE my hair. Who knew? If someone had told me that "nappy" wouldn't be in my vocab, and I'd LOVE my tight curls, I would consider "you need a perm" like sayin' "Yo' mama a stank bitch"- you fin'na get cussed out!- like 13 years ago, I would have called them CRAZY! Not miss "wanna be!" LoL! But here I am.. 33 years old. NATURAL! And proud of my tight ass curls! What a different mindset you have when you're grown up. :)
I guess that's it. It's time for slaving to take place.
Ciao!
Jen :D
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Saturday, June 18, 2011
I think I have a new home...
On WordPress. I'm going to be on there a lot from now on. The photo upload is much faster. and it's not a bad format. :)
So when you get time, stop by AfroCurls on WordPress.. I'll still be here occassionally, but I think I'll be there more.
Here's the link. http://AfroCurls.wordpress.com
Ciao
Jen
So when you get time, stop by AfroCurls on WordPress.. I'll still be here occassionally, but I think I'll be there more.
Here's the link. http://AfroCurls.wordpress.com
Ciao
Jen
New Products to try!! Always awesome!! :)
Good or bad, I LOVE having new products to test. And I have my little haul from Walmart last night. Right now I'm sitting here with Suave Captivating Curls conditioner in my hair, letting it work it's magic with my shower cap on it.. So far, it's OK. It's no Aussie Moist, but it's pretty good for under $2. It has great slip, but not as good as the Aussie. (I FINALLY got my huge bottle with the pump. SO happy right now.)
The hype:
Suave Professionals NEW Captivating Curls Conditioner
Salon proven to define curls as well as Redken
For curly or Wavy Hair
Salon quality hair care system proven to moisturize, control, and define curls as well as Redken Fresh Curls shampoo and conditoner. (I'mma have to stop them there, there is no way in HELL I'm using that sulfate shampoo on my hair.. Well, maybe.. But not on a regular basis. IF I used it, it would be 2-4 times a year.)
Moisturizing conditoner enriched with an anti-frizz complex nourishes and softens curls for frizz control and shine. Apply, rinse.
Up to 2X more curl definition! (Shampoo & Conditioner vs. non conditioning shampoo alone. Which is just stupid. I always hate this with systems. Saying the whole system works better than just a non conditioning shampoo ALONE just seems like you think your customers are idiots- or your product isn't any better than anyone elses.. But you think we won't read the fine print. What sucks is it's on most conditoners and shampoos that boast to be better.. Just plain... STOP it..)
OK, this is part one. The application. As I said, the conditioner has good slip. I had a bit of shedding, but it may not be due to this product. It may be just shedding, as I only detangle once a week.. Plus it wasn't THAT much shedding.. You know we naturals are paranoid about maintaining length and just making sure we nurture or strands PERIOD. My hair seemed to actually soak up this stuff like NOTHING! So it's good it's cheap. I mean I was SLATHERING it on, and it was just disappearing into my hair. I don't know if that's good or bad. My hair isn't very porous, so I don't know what to tell ya. The bottle still has a lot of conditioner in it. It's 14.5 oz (428 mL), and I feel it will last a month with weekly use.. Maybe even longer. All in all so far so good. I'd say at this point, it's worth the $1.78 I paid for it.. Or $1.97.. something like that.
The smell, is typical Suave Professionals. It's not the Naturals smell. No coconut, no strawberry, no sunshine and farts (Not even sure if THAT'S a good thing. LoL!) .. It's just Suave smell. I really don't have an issue with it, but I can't say it smells "luxurious". Just smells like conditioner... By Suave.. OK.. It's thick. Thicker than the Suave Naturals, more like lotion. And there is dimethicone in it.. LOTS of dimethicone. It's the 3rd ingredient in here, so if you don't like cones, keep walking cause this stuff is FULL of it!! I didnt' see that when I bought it, and I actually JUST read how far up on the list it is as I'm writing this! So that's a fail for me right there, as I exclusively co-wash. Dimethicone has to be shampooed out once it builds up, and I really don't like to shampoo.. this stuff is like cowashing with Aveeno LOTION! It rinses away (eventually) with water from your hands, but it takes a bit of working.
Here's your ingredient list:
Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Behentrimonium Chloride, Fragrance, Dipropylene Glycol, Lactic Acid, Potassium Chloride, Amodimethicone, Disodium EDTA, DMDM Hydantoin, PEG-150 Disterate, PEG-7 Propylheptyl Ether, Cetrimonium Chloride, Hydrolyzed Silk, Silk Amino Acids, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Niacinamide.
I'm deep conditioning with it right now and I'm about to rinse it out and see what I'm left with. Normally I leave it in for hours.. But the smell of this is kinda getting to me. Making me a bit nauseous, so I guess 2 hours will do! LoL!!
*******************************
OK. Now I'm all rinsed out and styled. I'm pretty happy with the results, BUT I can't say if it's the conditioner OR that I'm getting better with applying my stylers.. BUT, I did notice more curls defined before adding product than normal. So I guess it did define curls. Then again, so does Aussie. LoL! It's really not a bad product, I will use it up and may buy it again. I am a fan of Suave. All in all, it's nothing to write home about, but it is good. I'd recommend it to another curly gal out there.
The other product is the Olive Miracle Moisturizing Lotion by African Pride.
I like the smell of this product, but you can use it on we hair. I found that out JUST now. I tried to use it like hair milk on wet hair, expecting it to just maybe leave a little with haze that will dry clear... NOTHING DOIN'!! It started running back out of my hair and down my face, so I had to rinse that out. Too many oils I guess. I guess this is a damp hair product at best. Mostly made for use on dry hair. So I guess it fall in the catagory of "finisher" products. I was able to towel dry my hair a little and add a LITTLE bit under my Long Aid. It seems to be working and my hair is really soft. I'm actually thinking this may be a good idea for ALL my products. My hair won't absorb products wet. They just seem to bead up and sit on top. Especially in the front. But even with the little bit I was able to put in my hair damp, it smell really good. :)
here are those ingredients: (I think I listed them in another post.. I THINK I've pasted that here already. LoL! It gets confusing, all that copying and pasting from days past..)
Water, Soybean Oil, Propylene Glycol, Olive Oil, Shea butter, coconut oil, jojoba oil, avocado oil, Panax Ginseng root Extract, Rosemary Extract, Horsetail extract, Tea Tree Oil, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Steareth-2, Steareth-20, Polyquaternium-37, Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, PPG-1, Dimethicone, DMDM Hydantoin, TBHQ, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, CI19140 (FD&C Yellow #5), Fragrance
This list is looking pretty good to me. I'm no chemist, so I really don't know what those last ingredients are or what they are for, but the first ingredients sound edible! LoL! Like I can take this stuff and cook with it. There does seem to be a learning curve to using it though. I mean, I KNEW how to use lotions and such, i mean we use to SCRAMBLE to get that Pink Lotion.. But now we know about curl definition and all that crap and I'm still nervous about disturbing my curl pattern and all that. But I don't know why, cause I'm not a 2b or anything. A catagory 5 HURICANE couldn't disturb my curl pattern!! It is pretty much set in stone. Still, you know how new naturals are, they want to be as delicate as possible instead of getting all up in there. This hair I don't really KNOW yet. I mean, I had my last perm April 30, 2005. So I've been on the natural path for 6 years.. BUT all those years have been in locs. So I don't know what to do with my natural CURLS just yet. I'll get it. Anyway, all in all... I am loving this product so far. Long as I use it on hair AFTER it's dried. LoL!
Anyway, what else? I'm getting use to the fact that these little things on my head ARE curls and my patch is really growing out and looking more normal... but I have a really big HEAD! LoL! I take pictures of my patch and my hairline is like the size of a football field!! It looks so funny in pictures. That has ALWAYS been a problem of mine. I feel weird about my hairline. It is just so MUCH of it.. I guess I should be happy. I'm not bald.. I have hair to spare.. LoL!
Well, guess I'm done.. For NOW!! Here are some shots of Rebel for the week.. Wish this uploaded faster!
Ciao!
Jen
The hype:
Suave Professionals NEW Captivating Curls Conditioner
Salon proven to define curls as well as Redken
For curly or Wavy Hair
Salon quality hair care system proven to moisturize, control, and define curls as well as Redken Fresh Curls shampoo and conditoner. (I'mma have to stop them there, there is no way in HELL I'm using that sulfate shampoo on my hair.. Well, maybe.. But not on a regular basis. IF I used it, it would be 2-4 times a year.)
Moisturizing conditoner enriched with an anti-frizz complex nourishes and softens curls for frizz control and shine. Apply, rinse.
Up to 2X more curl definition! (Shampoo & Conditioner vs. non conditioning shampoo alone. Which is just stupid. I always hate this with systems. Saying the whole system works better than just a non conditioning shampoo ALONE just seems like you think your customers are idiots- or your product isn't any better than anyone elses.. But you think we won't read the fine print. What sucks is it's on most conditoners and shampoos that boast to be better.. Just plain... STOP it..)
OK, this is part one. The application. As I said, the conditioner has good slip. I had a bit of shedding, but it may not be due to this product. It may be just shedding, as I only detangle once a week.. Plus it wasn't THAT much shedding.. You know we naturals are paranoid about maintaining length and just making sure we nurture or strands PERIOD. My hair seemed to actually soak up this stuff like NOTHING! So it's good it's cheap. I mean I was SLATHERING it on, and it was just disappearing into my hair. I don't know if that's good or bad. My hair isn't very porous, so I don't know what to tell ya. The bottle still has a lot of conditioner in it. It's 14.5 oz (428 mL), and I feel it will last a month with weekly use.. Maybe even longer. All in all so far so good. I'd say at this point, it's worth the $1.78 I paid for it.. Or $1.97.. something like that.
The smell, is typical Suave Professionals. It's not the Naturals smell. No coconut, no strawberry, no sunshine and farts (Not even sure if THAT'S a good thing. LoL!) .. It's just Suave smell. I really don't have an issue with it, but I can't say it smells "luxurious". Just smells like conditioner... By Suave.. OK.. It's thick. Thicker than the Suave Naturals, more like lotion. And there is dimethicone in it.. LOTS of dimethicone. It's the 3rd ingredient in here, so if you don't like cones, keep walking cause this stuff is FULL of it!! I didnt' see that when I bought it, and I actually JUST read how far up on the list it is as I'm writing this! So that's a fail for me right there, as I exclusively co-wash. Dimethicone has to be shampooed out once it builds up, and I really don't like to shampoo.. this stuff is like cowashing with Aveeno LOTION! It rinses away (eventually) with water from your hands, but it takes a bit of working.
Here's your ingredient list:
Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Behentrimonium Chloride, Fragrance, Dipropylene Glycol, Lactic Acid, Potassium Chloride, Amodimethicone, Disodium EDTA, DMDM Hydantoin, PEG-150 Disterate, PEG-7 Propylheptyl Ether, Cetrimonium Chloride, Hydrolyzed Silk, Silk Amino Acids, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Niacinamide.
I'm deep conditioning with it right now and I'm about to rinse it out and see what I'm left with. Normally I leave it in for hours.. But the smell of this is kinda getting to me. Making me a bit nauseous, so I guess 2 hours will do! LoL!!
*******************************
OK. Now I'm all rinsed out and styled. I'm pretty happy with the results, BUT I can't say if it's the conditioner OR that I'm getting better with applying my stylers.. BUT, I did notice more curls defined before adding product than normal. So I guess it did define curls. Then again, so does Aussie. LoL! It's really not a bad product, I will use it up and may buy it again. I am a fan of Suave. All in all, it's nothing to write home about, but it is good. I'd recommend it to another curly gal out there.
The other product is the Olive Miracle Moisturizing Lotion by African Pride.
I like the smell of this product, but you can use it on we hair. I found that out JUST now. I tried to use it like hair milk on wet hair, expecting it to just maybe leave a little with haze that will dry clear... NOTHING DOIN'!! It started running back out of my hair and down my face, so I had to rinse that out. Too many oils I guess. I guess this is a damp hair product at best. Mostly made for use on dry hair. So I guess it fall in the catagory of "finisher" products. I was able to towel dry my hair a little and add a LITTLE bit under my Long Aid. It seems to be working and my hair is really soft. I'm actually thinking this may be a good idea for ALL my products. My hair won't absorb products wet. They just seem to bead up and sit on top. Especially in the front. But even with the little bit I was able to put in my hair damp, it smell really good. :)
here are those ingredients: (I think I listed them in another post.. I THINK I've pasted that here already. LoL! It gets confusing, all that copying and pasting from days past..)
Water, Soybean Oil, Propylene Glycol, Olive Oil, Shea butter, coconut oil, jojoba oil, avocado oil, Panax Ginseng root Extract, Rosemary Extract, Horsetail extract, Tea Tree Oil, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Steareth-2, Steareth-20, Polyquaternium-37, Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, PPG-1, Dimethicone, DMDM Hydantoin, TBHQ, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, CI19140 (FD&C Yellow #5), Fragrance
This list is looking pretty good to me. I'm no chemist, so I really don't know what those last ingredients are or what they are for, but the first ingredients sound edible! LoL! Like I can take this stuff and cook with it. There does seem to be a learning curve to using it though. I mean, I KNEW how to use lotions and such, i mean we use to SCRAMBLE to get that Pink Lotion.. But now we know about curl definition and all that crap and I'm still nervous about disturbing my curl pattern and all that. But I don't know why, cause I'm not a 2b or anything. A catagory 5 HURICANE couldn't disturb my curl pattern!! It is pretty much set in stone. Still, you know how new naturals are, they want to be as delicate as possible instead of getting all up in there. This hair I don't really KNOW yet. I mean, I had my last perm April 30, 2005. So I've been on the natural path for 6 years.. BUT all those years have been in locs. So I don't know what to do with my natural CURLS just yet. I'll get it. Anyway, all in all... I am loving this product so far. Long as I use it on hair AFTER it's dried. LoL!
Anyway, what else? I'm getting use to the fact that these little things on my head ARE curls and my patch is really growing out and looking more normal... but I have a really big HEAD! LoL! I take pictures of my patch and my hairline is like the size of a football field!! It looks so funny in pictures. That has ALWAYS been a problem of mine. I feel weird about my hairline. It is just so MUCH of it.. I guess I should be happy. I'm not bald.. I have hair to spare.. LoL!
Well, guess I'm done.. For NOW!! Here are some shots of Rebel for the week.. Wish this uploaded faster!
Ciao!
Jen
The SOLO Shopping Trip
The SOLO Shopping Trip
How awesome it was! And what a haul I came away with! Of course I got the usual groceries, BUT I was able to spend 45 minutes in the hair isle! I know, right?! Shopping sans hubby is really fun! Anyway. I saw the usual Wally-World stuff, Cantu, Just for Me Hair Milk (I'm instinctively turned off by any product with "straightening" right on front of the bottle.), That "Mizini" or what ever that petroleum ladened crap is called. Oh! I looked long and hard at everything. I actually found my Aussie Moist in the pump bottle ($4.84!! I was gonna pay $7 for this crap online!). That made me happy. :) I found Suave Captivating Curls conditioner, so I'm going to review that soon. Got my shower caps and some more satin bonnets...
Then I saw it. African Pride Olive Miracle Anti-Breakage Formula MAXIMUM STRENGTHENING Moisturizer Lotion. $2.87 for 12oz. It was petroleum free, and smelled WONDERFUL, so I decided I'd try it. Why not? Well I gathered my crap and came back to work to wait for DH to get off. Once parked, I decided to put a little of it in my hair. The Long Aid already had it soft with all the humidity today, so I figured what could go wrong?
My.. Hair... melted... Like... BUTTER!!! and the smell in the bottle does not do it justice, cause your hair smells so good after.. Like some sort of candy. I can't place it really, but it smells so sweet and good. And my hair is so SOFT right now!! This isn't a "proper" review, as I like to do those with clean hair. But I think this product is a winner. It had everything I want. For $2.87. Spectacular. :)
The ingredient list is terrific!
Water, soybean oil, propylene glycol, olive fruit oil, Shea butter, coconut oil, jojoba seed oil, avocado oil, ginseng root extract, Rosemary leaf extract, horsetail extract, tea tree leaf oil- just to name a few. There is Lanolin oil, but it's in the last ingredients, as is dimethicone, but I can live with these ingredients so far down the list.
I used it like 2 hours ago and my hair is still really soft and that smell is still going strong. (If you don't sweet smells, I'm sure there is a version somewhere with less scent. Then again, this product is so inexpensive there may not be! LoL!)
Now, it's dark & I'm looking in my car mirror but looks like my little curls are poppin' all over. This may be good for low humidity days product. I just can't get over the SOFTNESS!! Even DH felt it and was happy at how soft it is. He said the smell was ok. Then said he likes it! I guess this product is a miracle! LoL! If it makes him like ANYTHING about my natural hair it must be a miracle product.
Holy Grail? Maybe. I have to try it more than once & on clean hair. I'll use it tonight before putting on my satin bonnet and see how it feels in the morning, AND after co-washing to see if I feel the magic still. KeraCare taught me a lesson about declaring Holy Grail before you've truly tried a product start to finish! But it hair lotion, and I do love my lotions. I was looking for B&B castor oil lotion. Glad they were out of it, so I can try this out! LoL!
Well, that's all for now I guess. More details after the wash. :)
Ciao
Jen
How awesome it was! And what a haul I came away with! Of course I got the usual groceries, BUT I was able to spend 45 minutes in the hair isle! I know, right?! Shopping sans hubby is really fun! Anyway. I saw the usual Wally-World stuff, Cantu, Just for Me Hair Milk (I'm instinctively turned off by any product with "straightening" right on front of the bottle.), That "Mizini" or what ever that petroleum ladened crap is called. Oh! I looked long and hard at everything. I actually found my Aussie Moist in the pump bottle ($4.84!! I was gonna pay $7 for this crap online!). That made me happy. :) I found Suave Captivating Curls conditioner, so I'm going to review that soon. Got my shower caps and some more satin bonnets...
Then I saw it. African Pride Olive Miracle Anti-Breakage Formula MAXIMUM STRENGTHENING Moisturizer Lotion. $2.87 for 12oz. It was petroleum free, and smelled WONDERFUL, so I decided I'd try it. Why not? Well I gathered my crap and came back to work to wait for DH to get off. Once parked, I decided to put a little of it in my hair. The Long Aid already had it soft with all the humidity today, so I figured what could go wrong?
My.. Hair... melted... Like... BUTTER!!! and the smell in the bottle does not do it justice, cause your hair smells so good after.. Like some sort of candy. I can't place it really, but it smells so sweet and good. And my hair is so SOFT right now!! This isn't a "proper" review, as I like to do those with clean hair. But I think this product is a winner. It had everything I want. For $2.87. Spectacular. :)
The ingredient list is terrific!
Water, soybean oil, propylene glycol, olive fruit oil, Shea butter, coconut oil, jojoba seed oil, avocado oil, ginseng root extract, Rosemary leaf extract, horsetail extract, tea tree leaf oil- just to name a few. There is Lanolin oil, but it's in the last ingredients, as is dimethicone, but I can live with these ingredients so far down the list.
I used it like 2 hours ago and my hair is still really soft and that smell is still going strong. (If you don't sweet smells, I'm sure there is a version somewhere with less scent. Then again, this product is so inexpensive there may not be! LoL!)
Now, it's dark & I'm looking in my car mirror but looks like my little curls are poppin' all over. This may be good for low humidity days product. I just can't get over the SOFTNESS!! Even DH felt it and was happy at how soft it is. He said the smell was ok. Then said he likes it! I guess this product is a miracle! LoL! If it makes him like ANYTHING about my natural hair it must be a miracle product.
Holy Grail? Maybe. I have to try it more than once & on clean hair. I'll use it tonight before putting on my satin bonnet and see how it feels in the morning, AND after co-washing to see if I feel the magic still. KeraCare taught me a lesson about declaring Holy Grail before you've truly tried a product start to finish! But it hair lotion, and I do love my lotions. I was looking for B&B castor oil lotion. Glad they were out of it, so I can try this out! LoL!
Well, that's all for now I guess. More details after the wash. :)
Ciao
Jen
Friday 6/17/11
Friday 6/17/11
Well everyone's off but me.. Well not EVERYONE. I'm helping another department out while the rest of the plant takes a 4 day break!! The things Ol' Need Mo will make you do. and it's STORMING out here, so some people are gonna use that as an excuse to not come in... Sooooo, we are likely to be here ALL night! Damn!
Anyway, Rebel is LOVING all this humidity! It's 67% today and for Long Aid, that is OPTIMUM moisture weather! I also notice my little front poof is a little frizz pot!! It has a defined curl pattern and it's still 4 hair, but I can't really type it far as a letter. 4a maybe? It's not 4c because it is curly, not zig-zaggy. See, this is why I don't letter type my hair. It's just too mixed up for that. But it is type 4- or as I say Afro curls. I like Afro-Curls better. I know not all Africans have the same hair.. But MOST of us do. It paints a picture for a person who isn't actually touching your curls.
ANYWAY!!! It is a frizzy poofy spot. I'm not really BOTHERED by it. Still, it would be nice if it would coil like the rest of it. But it is a part of Rebel's natural spirit, so I can dig it. AND tomorrow is WASH DAY!! if I get off early tonight by some miracle I am going to Walmart and see if I can pick up a few hair goodies along with groceries. I'll have time to shop if DH isn't with me, and if he is... I'll just have to make it quick! LoL!
Well, to keep from rambling too much, I'll close my post here. There will be more to come. :p
Ciao.
Jen
Well everyone's off but me.. Well not EVERYONE. I'm helping another department out while the rest of the plant takes a 4 day break!! The things Ol' Need Mo will make you do. and it's STORMING out here, so some people are gonna use that as an excuse to not come in... Sooooo, we are likely to be here ALL night! Damn!
Anyway, Rebel is LOVING all this humidity! It's 67% today and for Long Aid, that is OPTIMUM moisture weather! I also notice my little front poof is a little frizz pot!! It has a defined curl pattern and it's still 4 hair, but I can't really type it far as a letter. 4a maybe? It's not 4c because it is curly, not zig-zaggy. See, this is why I don't letter type my hair. It's just too mixed up for that. But it is type 4- or as I say Afro curls. I like Afro-Curls better. I know not all Africans have the same hair.. But MOST of us do. It paints a picture for a person who isn't actually touching your curls.
ANYWAY!!! It is a frizzy poofy spot. I'm not really BOTHERED by it. Still, it would be nice if it would coil like the rest of it. But it is a part of Rebel's natural spirit, so I can dig it. AND tomorrow is WASH DAY!! if I get off early tonight by some miracle I am going to Walmart and see if I can pick up a few hair goodies along with groceries. I'll have time to shop if DH isn't with me, and if he is... I'll just have to make it quick! LoL!
Well, to keep from rambling too much, I'll close my post here. There will be more to come. :p
Ciao.
Jen
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Wednesday 6/15/11
Wednesday 6/15/11
More drama with DH and the new hair. Remember I told the tale of the very embarrassed sales clerk at Fredrick's about 10 years ago when my hair was real short. Well, for some DUMB ASS reason, I mentioned it to him. Why did I even engage in conversation with him? Especially about hair. Well, I tell the tale to other women who have big chopped and feel bad and not "feminine" because of the new short hair. Not to make them feel worse, just to let them know I've been there and lived. That hair grows back. Well he decided say "Well, you DON'T look good with short hair."
This is what you come up with... Really? I mean REALLY, DH?
Well, after a REAL evil eye moment, I was like "I look good with THIS short hair." I mean a LOT of neck rollin' was taking place ova there, honey child. He was like, "OK." As if to say I DON'T. Needless to say, I was quite heated. But I didn't fuss. Matter of fact, I didn't even want to get into it with him after that. I just said, "Well, hair does grow back." But I was thinking why do you love diggin' these holes? KNOWING when what I decide to do turns out AWESOME you end up looking like a pure-tee asshole. But even without all that, why would you say that to your loved one? "Loved" should I put it. I am my biggest critic. NOTHING looks good on me to me. But this I like. So that MUST mean it's fitting me PRETTY good at very least. And you tellin' me... Essentially, that I'm ugly. Just breaking it down. It is what it is. You tellin' me, that to you... I'm ugly. And this isn't the first damn time he has violated like that. He is TOO quick to say I'm ugly, fat, that I look like a man... But I can probably count the times he's complemented or told me I looked good. I mean without me asking him and he being ready to go, and wanting to just get me out of the house on time.
I remember a time when I would have just collapsed into a heaping pile of tears, but I guess I'm different now. I mean, if everyone was standing around me in a circle pointing and laughing and calling me ugly and throwing ROCKS at me calling me a hideous monster and the villagers were running after me with torches, maybe I'd feel so ugly I'd just start crying then. But I'm like. A hair style lasts 6 months befor it grows out unrecognizably. Not worth tears.. Not to me. Sorry...
I don't know. I feel "manly" with my short hair IF I wear the wrong shirt. Like a plain Tee. But with a nice top. Nothing doing. I just don't hate the way this looks. I imagine as more people see it, I'll get some insults. But even that.. I really just don't care what they say. Anyone who has nothing but bad things to say about me, their input really means nothing to me. Seriously. You have a right to your opinion, but in the end.. Still my head.. I know. It sucks, right. How they just WASTE breath? LoL!
Well, I guess that's it for now. OH! And I decided to keep the mid week rinse in my routine. I think it is a humidity thing as far as the dryness. And I can't get a real result today, as the humidity here is 38%. No humidity for my Long Aid to flourish in my hair. Suuuuucks.. So I just rinsed and added about a dime sized dollop of leave-in. Sealed and put the Long Aid in. It's a little dry still, but I think the rinse is a good thing. I just gotta find something to get moisture back in quickly. I'm a master natural, but my major is in Locs. Loose is new. :p So I'm still working on a routine. But I think the midweek rinse is good. :)
Well, that's it I guess.
Ciao.
Jen
More drama with DH and the new hair. Remember I told the tale of the very embarrassed sales clerk at Fredrick's about 10 years ago when my hair was real short. Well, for some DUMB ASS reason, I mentioned it to him. Why did I even engage in conversation with him? Especially about hair. Well, I tell the tale to other women who have big chopped and feel bad and not "feminine" because of the new short hair. Not to make them feel worse, just to let them know I've been there and lived. That hair grows back. Well he decided say "Well, you DON'T look good with short hair."
This is what you come up with... Really? I mean REALLY, DH?
Well, after a REAL evil eye moment, I was like "I look good with THIS short hair." I mean a LOT of neck rollin' was taking place ova there, honey child. He was like, "OK." As if to say I DON'T. Needless to say, I was quite heated. But I didn't fuss. Matter of fact, I didn't even want to get into it with him after that. I just said, "Well, hair does grow back." But I was thinking why do you love diggin' these holes? KNOWING when what I decide to do turns out AWESOME you end up looking like a pure-tee asshole. But even without all that, why would you say that to your loved one? "Loved" should I put it. I am my biggest critic. NOTHING looks good on me to me. But this I like. So that MUST mean it's fitting me PRETTY good at very least. And you tellin' me... Essentially, that I'm ugly. Just breaking it down. It is what it is. You tellin' me, that to you... I'm ugly. And this isn't the first damn time he has violated like that. He is TOO quick to say I'm ugly, fat, that I look like a man... But I can probably count the times he's complemented or told me I looked good. I mean without me asking him and he being ready to go, and wanting to just get me out of the house on time.
I remember a time when I would have just collapsed into a heaping pile of tears, but I guess I'm different now. I mean, if everyone was standing around me in a circle pointing and laughing and calling me ugly and throwing ROCKS at me calling me a hideous monster and the villagers were running after me with torches, maybe I'd feel so ugly I'd just start crying then. But I'm like. A hair style lasts 6 months befor it grows out unrecognizably. Not worth tears.. Not to me. Sorry...
I don't know. I feel "manly" with my short hair IF I wear the wrong shirt. Like a plain Tee. But with a nice top. Nothing doing. I just don't hate the way this looks. I imagine as more people see it, I'll get some insults. But even that.. I really just don't care what they say. Anyone who has nothing but bad things to say about me, their input really means nothing to me. Seriously. You have a right to your opinion, but in the end.. Still my head.. I know. It sucks, right. How they just WASTE breath? LoL!
Well, I guess that's it for now. OH! And I decided to keep the mid week rinse in my routine. I think it is a humidity thing as far as the dryness. And I can't get a real result today, as the humidity here is 38%. No humidity for my Long Aid to flourish in my hair. Suuuuucks.. So I just rinsed and added about a dime sized dollop of leave-in. Sealed and put the Long Aid in. It's a little dry still, but I think the rinse is a good thing. I just gotta find something to get moisture back in quickly. I'm a master natural, but my major is in Locs. Loose is new. :p So I'm still working on a routine. But I think the midweek rinse is good. :)
Well, that's it I guess.
Ciao.
Jen
Tuesday 6/14/11
Tuesday 6/14/11
Well I knew it was coming sooner or later. The "fat" day. Yes, today is my "cain't get rite" day. I feel fat and uncomfortable!! Like everything is on me WRONG!! I normally protect and cover my hair with my satin bonnet and scarf. Well the scarf feels like it too tight and in my face, my pants feel way too tight, I just feel bungled up and stuffed in a SAUSAGE casing!! Then Rebel is PUSHING the scarf FURTHER into my eyes! I am just UNCOMFORTABLE PERIOD!! UUUUUUGGGGG!!!
Ok, enough temper tantrum. :p
It's getting to be the middle of the week, and on cue Rebel feels sticky!! I'm like "GIRL!! Chill. Don't you remember what happened LAST week when I rinsed you mid week? DRY AS HELL! Sit down some where." LoL! Maybe she actually DOES need to be rinsed out mid week, but I HATE that dry "first day" feel. My first day hair is always dry. I can wash with glycerin and LARD and my hair would STILL be dry and dull on the first day. I don't know, maybe it looks fine, but to me it's a dry frizzy mess!! It's been that way from relaxed days to natural days. The only time it DIDN'T bother me was when I was locked. Because frizz was not an issue to me then. But since I am a Long Aid fan, it gets sticky after a few days.. I guess I'mma have to rinse her out tomorrow. It's weird. She's not sticky when I wake up, BUT after the day and I uncover everything she sticky as hell. It's not an "eeeewwwwww! You sticky!! Nasty!" feeling. Just that "curl activator" feel. Anyone familiar with jheri curls know what it feels like. THAT feeling. Maybe I need to learn to deal with it. That is if I don't want to dry my hair out so much.
All in all I guess I'm doing fine. Just a little irritable. I'm still loving the loose life. I have really... REALLY bad HIH!! My hands are ALWAYS finding their way to my curls! LoL! I am forever fluffing or just pulling a curl or SOMETHING! I don't see any damage from it and I actually think Rebel loves it. :) It's funny how i talk about Rebel Like a separate person, right? Anyone who didn't know we name our hair would be like "Is she talking about a cat?" No, Boo Boo. The Fro. LoL!
I was watching a YouTube video Sunday and this lady was talking about short natural hair and her feelings on it. (not for her. I respect that.) I agreed with her to a certain extent. Until she got to women with long hair seem to "take care of herself". Now, I just cut my hair off, so do I look unkept as result of that? Personally, I don't think people with long hair look any more well "kept" than a person with shor hair. In fact I don't really even notice long hair much. ESPECIALLY long straight hair. I do notice "big" hair. I mean I ain't mad at her as those were her views. She's got a right to her opinion. I just hope the rest of the world doesn't share her views.
Then again... Would I "care" if they did? Prolly not. :p As far as not looking good with short hair.. I always thought I looked bad with short hair. Honestly in my opinion I look just as "good" with this new short hair as I did with locs and BETTER than I did with relaxed hair. NOW, I DON'T look that good if I try to wear it in a bob type style short. It makes my head and face look real BIG! but up and away from my face? GOLDEN! I'm in love with this new style. So.. I think it's about finding he right style for your face than focusing on length. Just a thought.
Well, it's time to start my day, so I guess it's time to wrap it up. :)
Ciao.
Jen
Well I knew it was coming sooner or later. The "fat" day. Yes, today is my "cain't get rite" day. I feel fat and uncomfortable!! Like everything is on me WRONG!! I normally protect and cover my hair with my satin bonnet and scarf. Well the scarf feels like it too tight and in my face, my pants feel way too tight, I just feel bungled up and stuffed in a SAUSAGE casing!! Then Rebel is PUSHING the scarf FURTHER into my eyes! I am just UNCOMFORTABLE PERIOD!! UUUUUUGGGGG!!!
Ok, enough temper tantrum. :p
It's getting to be the middle of the week, and on cue Rebel feels sticky!! I'm like "GIRL!! Chill. Don't you remember what happened LAST week when I rinsed you mid week? DRY AS HELL! Sit down some where." LoL! Maybe she actually DOES need to be rinsed out mid week, but I HATE that dry "first day" feel. My first day hair is always dry. I can wash with glycerin and LARD and my hair would STILL be dry and dull on the first day. I don't know, maybe it looks fine, but to me it's a dry frizzy mess!! It's been that way from relaxed days to natural days. The only time it DIDN'T bother me was when I was locked. Because frizz was not an issue to me then. But since I am a Long Aid fan, it gets sticky after a few days.. I guess I'mma have to rinse her out tomorrow. It's weird. She's not sticky when I wake up, BUT after the day and I uncover everything she sticky as hell. It's not an "eeeewwwwww! You sticky!! Nasty!" feeling. Just that "curl activator" feel. Anyone familiar with jheri curls know what it feels like. THAT feeling. Maybe I need to learn to deal with it. That is if I don't want to dry my hair out so much.
All in all I guess I'm doing fine. Just a little irritable. I'm still loving the loose life. I have really... REALLY bad HIH!! My hands are ALWAYS finding their way to my curls! LoL! I am forever fluffing or just pulling a curl or SOMETHING! I don't see any damage from it and I actually think Rebel loves it. :) It's funny how i talk about Rebel Like a separate person, right? Anyone who didn't know we name our hair would be like "Is she talking about a cat?" No, Boo Boo. The Fro. LoL!
I was watching a YouTube video Sunday and this lady was talking about short natural hair and her feelings on it. (not for her. I respect that.) I agreed with her to a certain extent. Until she got to women with long hair seem to "take care of herself". Now, I just cut my hair off, so do I look unkept as result of that? Personally, I don't think people with long hair look any more well "kept" than a person with shor hair. In fact I don't really even notice long hair much. ESPECIALLY long straight hair. I do notice "big" hair. I mean I ain't mad at her as those were her views. She's got a right to her opinion. I just hope the rest of the world doesn't share her views.
Then again... Would I "care" if they did? Prolly not. :p As far as not looking good with short hair.. I always thought I looked bad with short hair. Honestly in my opinion I look just as "good" with this new short hair as I did with locs and BETTER than I did with relaxed hair. NOW, I DON'T look that good if I try to wear it in a bob type style short. It makes my head and face look real BIG! but up and away from my face? GOLDEN! I'm in love with this new style. So.. I think it's about finding he right style for your face than focusing on length. Just a thought.
Well, it's time to start my day, so I guess it's time to wrap it up. :)
Ciao.
Jen
Monday 6/13/11
Monday 6/13/11
Well it's Monday again. Seems like the weekend just FLIES by!! I guess I'm thankful to HAVE a job. Still I would LOVE to be a "house wife" right about now. Tired of slaving! LoL!
I was just thinking. I wonder what my co-workers and buddies think about my hair? By now they all know it's loose and I've shared with those who ask if I plan to perm it that I do not plan to....
But they've never actually SEEN my hair!!
Now, I don't go around with my head covered when I'm out and about. ESPECIALLY since I evened it out!! Oh, I FLAUNT them lil' curls!! LoL! But not at work. So I bet they assume I'm just ashamed of my "nappy" ass head. That it looks so bad I won't let anyone see it. LoL! JUST cause they haven't seen it yet. Like THEY are that "important" to me. Not at all.
Personally, I feel it's none of their business. Plain and blunt. I have no real interest in sharing this leg of the "journey with them. They are not the type of people who would understand why on Earth I wouldn't want straight hair- or care to understand it. Plus in the last year and 4 months of me knowing them they have gone out of their way to show me just how devious and just damn NASTY they can be. I mean, they are worse than ANY seasoned criminal you'll ever run into. I'mma tell ya, they'd give any demon a run for it's money!! So, with all that negativity around all the time, I'd just rather keep my hair covered, as I am a big believer in the connection of energy, hair, and spiritual well being. Negative energy DOES RUB OFF. Can't stop it, but I'm not gonna give them any ammo to spread that negativity. I had actually started covering my locs all the time at work, so this is not new.
I imagine at SOME point they'll see it out and about somewhere. A FEW people have actually seen it. Like my head is uncovered when I arrive at work and a few minutes after, so maybe 3 people have seen it. One when it was ALL jacked up!! LoL! But he really wasn't paying much attention. :) They'll see it when they see it. Personally, I don't care if they NEVER see it! LoL!
Another thought for y'all to chew on. Interracial marriage. Now, I have no beef with it per se. A lot of us wouldn't even BE here if no one was down with the "swirl". But what gets me is guys who marry outside their "race", but still wanna "Fu*k" around with their "race".
Now I know black women who are happy to do him! Like they are "taking" him back from that (usually) white woman. And they brag and gloat.. But chew on this little nugget.
He still MARRIED the white woman. All you are good enough to be is his "ho". Don't feel like such an "accomplishment" now, does it? Don't see no ring on yo' finger. In that man's mind, you are "good" enough to fu*k, but not "good" enough to MARRY. Sucks, but it is what it is.
And I'll leave on that note.
Ciao.
Jen
Well it's Monday again. Seems like the weekend just FLIES by!! I guess I'm thankful to HAVE a job. Still I would LOVE to be a "house wife" right about now. Tired of slaving! LoL!
I was just thinking. I wonder what my co-workers and buddies think about my hair? By now they all know it's loose and I've shared with those who ask if I plan to perm it that I do not plan to....
But they've never actually SEEN my hair!!
Now, I don't go around with my head covered when I'm out and about. ESPECIALLY since I evened it out!! Oh, I FLAUNT them lil' curls!! LoL! But not at work. So I bet they assume I'm just ashamed of my "nappy" ass head. That it looks so bad I won't let anyone see it. LoL! JUST cause they haven't seen it yet. Like THEY are that "important" to me. Not at all.
Personally, I feel it's none of their business. Plain and blunt. I have no real interest in sharing this leg of the "journey with them. They are not the type of people who would understand why on Earth I wouldn't want straight hair- or care to understand it. Plus in the last year and 4 months of me knowing them they have gone out of their way to show me just how devious and just damn NASTY they can be. I mean, they are worse than ANY seasoned criminal you'll ever run into. I'mma tell ya, they'd give any demon a run for it's money!! So, with all that negativity around all the time, I'd just rather keep my hair covered, as I am a big believer in the connection of energy, hair, and spiritual well being. Negative energy DOES RUB OFF. Can't stop it, but I'm not gonna give them any ammo to spread that negativity. I had actually started covering my locs all the time at work, so this is not new.
I imagine at SOME point they'll see it out and about somewhere. A FEW people have actually seen it. Like my head is uncovered when I arrive at work and a few minutes after, so maybe 3 people have seen it. One when it was ALL jacked up!! LoL! But he really wasn't paying much attention. :) They'll see it when they see it. Personally, I don't care if they NEVER see it! LoL!
Another thought for y'all to chew on. Interracial marriage. Now, I have no beef with it per se. A lot of us wouldn't even BE here if no one was down with the "swirl". But what gets me is guys who marry outside their "race", but still wanna "Fu*k" around with their "race".
Now I know black women who are happy to do him! Like they are "taking" him back from that (usually) white woman. And they brag and gloat.. But chew on this little nugget.
He still MARRIED the white woman. All you are good enough to be is his "ho". Don't feel like such an "accomplishment" now, does it? Don't see no ring on yo' finger. In that man's mind, you are "good" enough to fu*k, but not "good" enough to MARRY. Sucks, but it is what it is.
And I'll leave on that note.
Ciao.
Jen
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Fresh and so Clean Clean...
Just a quick post to say... It's so SOFT!! I did a deep condition with Aussie Moist like I said. I kept it covered for like 3 hours probably.. Maybe MORE! But when I took that bag off.. My hair was SOFT and buttery.. It felt so wonderful. Even after I rinsed it out.. Still soft, curls were poppin'.. It was just WONDERFUL! Love it..
here's what I used, and what I did.
I wet my hair a bit and applied a LAVISH amount of Aussie Moist, I mean a good little bit. I then combed it through. This is my detangling session. After I finished combing with my Goodie wide tooth comb (Like $2 and I thought THAT was expensive! LoL!) I put it in a ponytail (yes the top will fit into a ponytail! LoL!) Then covered with a plastic bag and threw on my satin bonnet. And I just let it sit... FOREVER.. I washed it out after about... I think I washed it out about 9pm.. I washed it around 4pm. so that's like 5 hours!! Don't think it takes that long, but that's how long it sat. I then rinsed it out, massaging the scalp as I did.
Once I was done rinsing it all out, I added Vo5 as a leave-in, then I added some KeraCare hair Milk (From that sample kit I got.. I actually like the hair milk. It's OK. I may purchase that.), I sealed with coconut oil, then put in a GOOD amount of my Long Aid. And now.. It's smellin' good and it's so SOFT!! I just had to post that. I love good hair results. :) All naturals do and we LOVE to gush!! LoL!
OK.. Now that's all for now.. Really..
Ciao.
Jen
here's what I used, and what I did.
I wet my hair a bit and applied a LAVISH amount of Aussie Moist, I mean a good little bit. I then combed it through. This is my detangling session. After I finished combing with my Goodie wide tooth comb (Like $2 and I thought THAT was expensive! LoL!) I put it in a ponytail (yes the top will fit into a ponytail! LoL!) Then covered with a plastic bag and threw on my satin bonnet. And I just let it sit... FOREVER.. I washed it out after about... I think I washed it out about 9pm.. I washed it around 4pm. so that's like 5 hours!! Don't think it takes that long, but that's how long it sat. I then rinsed it out, massaging the scalp as I did.
Once I was done rinsing it all out, I added Vo5 as a leave-in, then I added some KeraCare hair Milk (From that sample kit I got.. I actually like the hair milk. It's OK. I may purchase that.), I sealed with coconut oil, then put in a GOOD amount of my Long Aid. And now.. It's smellin' good and it's so SOFT!! I just had to post that. I love good hair results. :) All naturals do and we LOVE to gush!! LoL!
OK.. Now that's all for now.. Really..
Ciao.
Jen
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Saturday! Wash day!!
I really find myself so HAPPY it's wash day! I love washing and caring for my hair! Even the detanging is fun!! You get to see length and such and my hair is down to my NECK stretched out in the front, but with shrinkage, I have a TWA all the way around. It's wonderful either way. I've had long hair for years, so I'm not in any real hurry for my hair to get long- except for that back side.. I really need some roundness back there! LoL! But as for lenght and length checking and all that crap.. Maybe after a year or so I'll be curious about length and all that. For now I just want healthy hair, and it looks really... REALLY!! Robust and healthy!! :) And the curls are so wonderful.. I have so many springy well defined curls WITHOUT help!! I don't need HOLD, my curls hold all on their own!! All I have to do is co-wash ( I really need to find that big bottle of Aussie at a cheap price, because the regular size is only lasting about 4 washes!! then again at about $2.50 a bottle for a month of washes is pretty good.) Leave-in, seal, and Long Aid for curl definition and moisture (more for moisture than anything, as I said, my curls are really THERE!).. And I'm done.. Curly curls all over the place and happy ME right here, baby!! I imagine it will be more difficult once it gets longer, but for now.. I am on EASY street..
Any problems? Well, this wouldn't be the REAL world if there were NO problems.. My hair is always dry.. Long Aid does the best job with moisturizing, but there are always dry patches. My front is a really dry patch of hair, and I never noticed that. Also, I have loose curls in the front and more defined curls in the middle and around my hears.. The back is pretty much like the front, but from what I can see, DRIER!! Or it looks really dry. It feels pretty fine, but it looks really dry and... Not cute most of the time.. I mean, it's OK and I can live with it, but if I could find something that makes it LOOK moisturized, I'd be happy. I've heard all the hype from different products, but they are ultimately usually for other hair types than my little type 4 AfroCurls. If you have 3c hair your biggest problem is holding a curl and defining curls and eliminating frizz.. With type 4 there are other problems. Like my dryness and dullness that can't be cured with a little serum. I guess I just have to accept that it will always look like that and just be happy it's healthy...
And... Accepted.. :p (Still if I HAPPEN to find the miracle that changes that, I'm no idiot Imma be all over that! LoL!! But I gotta have some proof!! A sample or something.)
I was thinking of revisiting BB Castor oil hair lotion. it worked pretty good when I was relaxed.. I don't want to put bad products in my hair. As Taren of Areyaa said, once you know, you can't go back to NOT knowing. And that is so true. I know I don't want mineral oil and the likes in my hair anymore. I hate that I have to use petroleum jelly on my skin because of my eczema. If I could find a natural oil, I'd stop using that too. I'm thinking of trying to use my coconut oil again, as my eczema is kind of in remission a little bit. Last time it made me break out. The only think I can use is the grease and I HATE it. it makes my skin look so old.. Well, older than normal. I'd love to go back to regular lotion like normal people...
Oh well.. At least my hair can enjoy the good healthy life. LoL! Anyway, I'll research the B&B first then decide, cause it is hella cheap. Like $3 if I can remember correctly and it lasted FOREVER! Way better then Luster's Pink lotion.. More moisturizing and absorbed much better into my hair. Pink lotion took too long to soak in.
I also want to try the other products. The usual Mixed Chicks and the likes of those. Miss Jessie's just really doesn't turn my head. I mean, if I was able to get it free or at a deep.. DEEP discount I'd give it a try, but other than that.. I'll pass.. But Mixed Chicks sound promising as well as Jane Carter solution. Both sound like great products, but I also know they were not made for my hair type, but they might have some benefits. Still, I'd have to try a sample first. Imagine if I'd bought KeraCare only to find out it FLAKED like crazy.. I'd be TOTALLY pissed!
Well, I guess that's it.. I'm doing a deep condition with my Aussie Moist. I must look a hot damn mess. I got my plastic bag on my head... Let me elaborate on that.. My plastic bag.. Is just that.. A SHOPPING BAG!! LoL!! I got my satin bonnet on top just to keep from looking so silly.. I'll have shower caps once I go shopping, but this actually works the same.. Still, I'd rather have the genuine article. I reuse them until they just fall apart or get cluttered with crap I can't wash out.. One cap can last me months. A pack of caps last me over a YEAR! At maybe $1 a pack.. it's worth it. Still, keep in mind.. Them Walmart bags are a good alternative if you're into the green thing. :)
Well, that's it for now. I've rambled too long and I have to get to YouTube to do some video watching!!
Check Ya LATA!!!!
Ciao.
Jen
Any problems? Well, this wouldn't be the REAL world if there were NO problems.. My hair is always dry.. Long Aid does the best job with moisturizing, but there are always dry patches. My front is a really dry patch of hair, and I never noticed that. Also, I have loose curls in the front and more defined curls in the middle and around my hears.. The back is pretty much like the front, but from what I can see, DRIER!! Or it looks really dry. It feels pretty fine, but it looks really dry and... Not cute most of the time.. I mean, it's OK and I can live with it, but if I could find something that makes it LOOK moisturized, I'd be happy. I've heard all the hype from different products, but they are ultimately usually for other hair types than my little type 4 AfroCurls. If you have 3c hair your biggest problem is holding a curl and defining curls and eliminating frizz.. With type 4 there are other problems. Like my dryness and dullness that can't be cured with a little serum. I guess I just have to accept that it will always look like that and just be happy it's healthy...
And... Accepted.. :p (Still if I HAPPEN to find the miracle that changes that, I'm no idiot Imma be all over that! LoL!! But I gotta have some proof!! A sample or something.)
I was thinking of revisiting BB Castor oil hair lotion. it worked pretty good when I was relaxed.. I don't want to put bad products in my hair. As Taren of Areyaa said, once you know, you can't go back to NOT knowing. And that is so true. I know I don't want mineral oil and the likes in my hair anymore. I hate that I have to use petroleum jelly on my skin because of my eczema. If I could find a natural oil, I'd stop using that too. I'm thinking of trying to use my coconut oil again, as my eczema is kind of in remission a little bit. Last time it made me break out. The only think I can use is the grease and I HATE it. it makes my skin look so old.. Well, older than normal. I'd love to go back to regular lotion like normal people...
Oh well.. At least my hair can enjoy the good healthy life. LoL! Anyway, I'll research the B&B first then decide, cause it is hella cheap. Like $3 if I can remember correctly and it lasted FOREVER! Way better then Luster's Pink lotion.. More moisturizing and absorbed much better into my hair. Pink lotion took too long to soak in.
I also want to try the other products. The usual Mixed Chicks and the likes of those. Miss Jessie's just really doesn't turn my head. I mean, if I was able to get it free or at a deep.. DEEP discount I'd give it a try, but other than that.. I'll pass.. But Mixed Chicks sound promising as well as Jane Carter solution. Both sound like great products, but I also know they were not made for my hair type, but they might have some benefits. Still, I'd have to try a sample first. Imagine if I'd bought KeraCare only to find out it FLAKED like crazy.. I'd be TOTALLY pissed!
Well, I guess that's it.. I'm doing a deep condition with my Aussie Moist. I must look a hot damn mess. I got my plastic bag on my head... Let me elaborate on that.. My plastic bag.. Is just that.. A SHOPPING BAG!! LoL!! I got my satin bonnet on top just to keep from looking so silly.. I'll have shower caps once I go shopping, but this actually works the same.. Still, I'd rather have the genuine article. I reuse them until they just fall apart or get cluttered with crap I can't wash out.. One cap can last me months. A pack of caps last me over a YEAR! At maybe $1 a pack.. it's worth it. Still, keep in mind.. Them Walmart bags are a good alternative if you're into the green thing. :)
Well, that's it for now. I've rambled too long and I have to get to YouTube to do some video watching!!
Check Ya LATA!!!!
Ciao.
Jen
Friday 6/10/11
Friday 6/10/11
I remember when I began my loc journey and I felt such a connection to nature and the energy of the universe. I felt the strongest connection with trees. Because the branches remindedr me of wild free locs. Mine to be specific. What's funny is you'd think I wouldn't feel that now being loose.
But I still do! A nice bushy tree reminds me of my fro. It's all free and natural. I see my hair in trees. Damn. LoL! Now I'm sure you've heard it all!!
It's amazing where natural hair will take you mentally. I'm sure I wouldn't have these feelings if my hair was relaxed. I ONLY felt somewhat normal wiu relaxed hair when it had started getting "old" and I had it styled BIG! There is just something with me and wild free hair. Maybe it fits my little known persona. I, like my hair, am a rebel at heart so I guess that's why I like it like that. :)
OK. On to the hair talk. Rebel is feeling a little better today. (despite my own hangover!!) She starting to feel soft again.. JUST in time for wash day!! Ain't that always the way? Your hair starts getting "right" just in time to get washed. Or co-washed in my case. But it's gotta be done, so. Is she growing? Maybe. It's only been 20 days since the cut, so it's doubtful there is any noticeable growth yet. She does look a hell of a lot BETTER since I evened it out a little. It's still flat in the back. But it probably would be anyway, as my head is ACTUALLY flat in the back. Not a little flat.. Not a flat "egg". My head has basically no roundness in the back!! LoL! But that's ok I guess. Just another little unique feature that makes me me. But it does look funny as SHIT with the short cut! LoL! I'll survive it. And hair does grow back.
Well, I suppose that's all for today. I'm sure there will be more tomorrow. Oh! And y'all coulda told me I was spellin' CIAO wrong!! LoL! I'm just CHAO'ing my ass off!! Wrong as hell! LoL!
Now!!! Ciao! Ewww.. Looks like it's STILL wrong! LoL!
Jen
I remember when I began my loc journey and I felt such a connection to nature and the energy of the universe. I felt the strongest connection with trees. Because the branches remindedr me of wild free locs. Mine to be specific. What's funny is you'd think I wouldn't feel that now being loose.
But I still do! A nice bushy tree reminds me of my fro. It's all free and natural. I see my hair in trees. Damn. LoL! Now I'm sure you've heard it all!!
It's amazing where natural hair will take you mentally. I'm sure I wouldn't have these feelings if my hair was relaxed. I ONLY felt somewhat normal wiu relaxed hair when it had started getting "old" and I had it styled BIG! There is just something with me and wild free hair. Maybe it fits my little known persona. I, like my hair, am a rebel at heart so I guess that's why I like it like that. :)
OK. On to the hair talk. Rebel is feeling a little better today. (despite my own hangover!!) She starting to feel soft again.. JUST in time for wash day!! Ain't that always the way? Your hair starts getting "right" just in time to get washed. Or co-washed in my case. But it's gotta be done, so. Is she growing? Maybe. It's only been 20 days since the cut, so it's doubtful there is any noticeable growth yet. She does look a hell of a lot BETTER since I evened it out a little. It's still flat in the back. But it probably would be anyway, as my head is ACTUALLY flat in the back. Not a little flat.. Not a flat "egg". My head has basically no roundness in the back!! LoL! But that's ok I guess. Just another little unique feature that makes me me. But it does look funny as SHIT with the short cut! LoL! I'll survive it. And hair does grow back.
Well, I suppose that's all for today. I'm sure there will be more tomorrow. Oh! And y'all coulda told me I was spellin' CIAO wrong!! LoL! I'm just CHAO'ing my ass off!! Wrong as hell! LoL!
Now!!! Ciao! Ewww.. Looks like it's STILL wrong! LoL!
Jen
Thursday 6/9/10
Thursday 6/9/11
So it's been 19 days loose. Neat. Feels like longer! LoL! Not really in a bad way. Just in a "I can't wait till my hair grows out in the back" way. LoL! Honestly I'm still loving being natural. I may have done more harm than good rinsing my hair yesterday. Today it's kinda dry. Not sure why exactly. I put leave-in on AND sealed. Maybe I didn't seal very well. I really NEEDED that rinse, but I'm not loving this dryness. The humidity may be low today. I do use Long Aid and it is pretty much a glycerine based product. Didn't really check for that. Wouldn't have made a difference, as that is just what I use. It's not like I have a back up product for low humidity days. Probably should look into that though! LoL! Six year natural and I still ain't no expert. First problem is I am just too low maintenance!! Meaning I don't buy lots of luxury items. I keep contemplating ordering some stuff, but I don't know exactly WHAT to order! I mean, my hair is what it is. No product is going to change it's texture or type. So all these products are just over priced hype from my perspective. So I just end up closing the screen. Plus I need curl definition for MY hair and lots of products are just not gonna deliver. Which is weird that I would think that, as my hair has curls with NO product in it. Tiny little well defined curls, but they frizz up and need to be REdefined. If that makes sense. So I'm not trying to make curls where there are no curls. I'm just trying to define what is naturally there. That's more confusing to readers than you know if you actually get it. I've read comments on Kinky Curly that it's not a "miracle worker". If you don't have curls it won't make curls. Duh, right? But no I actually HAVE curls, but they need defining. Ok. Got that clear. LoL!
Anyway, long story short my hair is a little dry today. Still it looks pretty good, so it's not a "bad" hair day. I could probably NOT rinse if I went lighter on the Long Aid through the week. Still. How naked... NEKID water!! Make your hair feel squeaky. I mean, damn. I must be using AWESOMELY natural products for them to just melt away in plain water, eh? Maybe I should feel good about that! LoL!
Well, I guess that's it for the day. This is working out pretty good. Posting in my notepad, then copying and pasting to my blog. I'll have a decent amount of posts for 2011! Oh and I am ALSO 33yrs and 5 mos old today. :p This year is really moving along. I'm already looking forward to the holidays!!
More to come!
Chao.
Jen
Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/BlackAngelP
So it's been 19 days loose. Neat. Feels like longer! LoL! Not really in a bad way. Just in a "I can't wait till my hair grows out in the back" way. LoL! Honestly I'm still loving being natural. I may have done more harm than good rinsing my hair yesterday. Today it's kinda dry. Not sure why exactly. I put leave-in on AND sealed. Maybe I didn't seal very well. I really NEEDED that rinse, but I'm not loving this dryness. The humidity may be low today. I do use Long Aid and it is pretty much a glycerine based product. Didn't really check for that. Wouldn't have made a difference, as that is just what I use. It's not like I have a back up product for low humidity days. Probably should look into that though! LoL! Six year natural and I still ain't no expert. First problem is I am just too low maintenance!! Meaning I don't buy lots of luxury items. I keep contemplating ordering some stuff, but I don't know exactly WHAT to order! I mean, my hair is what it is. No product is going to change it's texture or type. So all these products are just over priced hype from my perspective. So I just end up closing the screen. Plus I need curl definition for MY hair and lots of products are just not gonna deliver. Which is weird that I would think that, as my hair has curls with NO product in it. Tiny little well defined curls, but they frizz up and need to be REdefined. If that makes sense. So I'm not trying to make curls where there are no curls. I'm just trying to define what is naturally there. That's more confusing to readers than you know if you actually get it. I've read comments on Kinky Curly that it's not a "miracle worker". If you don't have curls it won't make curls. Duh, right? But no I actually HAVE curls, but they need defining. Ok. Got that clear. LoL!
Anyway, long story short my hair is a little dry today. Still it looks pretty good, so it's not a "bad" hair day. I could probably NOT rinse if I went lighter on the Long Aid through the week. Still. How naked... NEKID water!! Make your hair feel squeaky. I mean, damn. I must be using AWESOMELY natural products for them to just melt away in plain water, eh? Maybe I should feel good about that! LoL!
Well, I guess that's it for the day. This is working out pretty good. Posting in my notepad, then copying and pasting to my blog. I'll have a decent amount of posts for 2011! Oh and I am ALSO 33yrs and 5 mos old today. :p This year is really moving along. I'm already looking forward to the holidays!!
More to come!
Chao.
Jen
Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/BlackAngelP
Thursday, June 09, 2011
Wednesday 6/8/11
I hate to keep repeating myself. LoL! But I'm trying to blog more and really journal this part of my journey. I kinda documented my locking process but not as much as I SHOULD have. So now y'all ain't gon be able to get ridda me. :p
Anyway, each day I get a little more comfortable with my curls. Evening it out helped A LOT! I do notice I need a rinse by mid week with Long Aid as it's pretty sticky by then. So today I just hopped in the shower, rinsed it out real good (my hair, not the shower.), and added a little Vo5 as my leave-in. I MEANT to use some of that KeraCare Hair Milk, but I forgot. I sealed with some coconut oil, got dressed, which gave my hair a minute to dry a LITTLE bit, then added my Long Aid. It looked refreshed. :) I did NOT detangle my hair!! I still plan to only detangle once a week. Honestly there is no reason in my mind to do so more than that. My hair isn't matting or really knotting up. So once a week seems fine. BUT I do need to rinse mid week as I said to keep my Long Aid from building up so bad. Not that Long Aid "builds up" per se. But it does... I guess "piles up" is a better way to put it. As it really doesn't cause an ugly hard to wash away film, but because I use so much of it it gets sticky and I just have to remove it.
And how easy is it to remove Long Aid from your hair? Got water? THAT'S ALL YOU NEED!! LoL! The stuff actually RINSES out!! How many curly products can make THAT claim?!! So it's a perfect product for co-washers like myself. I imagine it would work for those using the "Curly Girl" method too, as it is cone free. Not sure exactly if I'm on the Curly Girl method or not. I'll have to research that this weekend. I do exclusively co-wash for the most part and keep detangling to a minimum. Or should I say combing to a minimum. And I must say my little curls are POPPIN'!! I must say, Rebel seems really happy.
DH isn't really saying much. He doesn't like it. Like yesterday, I just bluntly told him, "I cut it.. Can't glue it back on." *DEAD* I tickled myself thinking about it!! LoL! But honestly. I want it to grow long and thick and BIG...
But I like the new short hair... And secretly.. Well maybe not much of a secret... I think I always HAVE loved short hair. Hmmmmmm... Repressed memory much? LoL! I was FOREVER cutting my hair as a youth. Much to my mom's dismay. I was always in trouble about my snippy snippy. :p
Well this has been quite a rant! LoL! Hope I'm not boring y'all too much. :) OH, almost forgot. Keystone Labs is supposed to be sending me a "gift bag". Keystone Labs is the makers of Long Aid and several other hair care products. I think (THINK!! Don't get me to lying! LoL!) they are a black owned company. Or began as one or something. So that's a plus I guess. They make more than Long Aid, I just can't think of them all right now. I know they make "Better Braids" and I think "Better Locs" sprays. I'll have to look it up again and list the products. Or you can go to http://Keystone-Labs.com The also have a facebook page you can like them on.
OK. Done promoting and rambling. More (unfortunately) to come. :)
LoL!
Chao.
Jen
Anyway, each day I get a little more comfortable with my curls. Evening it out helped A LOT! I do notice I need a rinse by mid week with Long Aid as it's pretty sticky by then. So today I just hopped in the shower, rinsed it out real good (my hair, not the shower.), and added a little Vo5 as my leave-in. I MEANT to use some of that KeraCare Hair Milk, but I forgot. I sealed with some coconut oil, got dressed, which gave my hair a minute to dry a LITTLE bit, then added my Long Aid. It looked refreshed. :) I did NOT detangle my hair!! I still plan to only detangle once a week. Honestly there is no reason in my mind to do so more than that. My hair isn't matting or really knotting up. So once a week seems fine. BUT I do need to rinse mid week as I said to keep my Long Aid from building up so bad. Not that Long Aid "builds up" per se. But it does... I guess "piles up" is a better way to put it. As it really doesn't cause an ugly hard to wash away film, but because I use so much of it it gets sticky and I just have to remove it.
And how easy is it to remove Long Aid from your hair? Got water? THAT'S ALL YOU NEED!! LoL! The stuff actually RINSES out!! How many curly products can make THAT claim?!! So it's a perfect product for co-washers like myself. I imagine it would work for those using the "Curly Girl" method too, as it is cone free. Not sure exactly if I'm on the Curly Girl method or not. I'll have to research that this weekend. I do exclusively co-wash for the most part and keep detangling to a minimum. Or should I say combing to a minimum. And I must say my little curls are POPPIN'!! I must say, Rebel seems really happy.
DH isn't really saying much. He doesn't like it. Like yesterday, I just bluntly told him, "I cut it.. Can't glue it back on." *DEAD* I tickled myself thinking about it!! LoL! But honestly. I want it to grow long and thick and BIG...
But I like the new short hair... And secretly.. Well maybe not much of a secret... I think I always HAVE loved short hair. Hmmmmmm... Repressed memory much? LoL! I was FOREVER cutting my hair as a youth. Much to my mom's dismay. I was always in trouble about my snippy snippy. :p
Well this has been quite a rant! LoL! Hope I'm not boring y'all too much. :) OH, almost forgot. Keystone Labs is supposed to be sending me a "gift bag". Keystone Labs is the makers of Long Aid and several other hair care products. I think (THINK!! Don't get me to lying! LoL!) they are a black owned company. Or began as one or something. So that's a plus I guess. They make more than Long Aid, I just can't think of them all right now. I know they make "Better Braids" and I think "Better Locs" sprays. I'll have to look it up again and list the products. Or you can go to http://Keystone-Labs.com The also have a facebook page you can like them on.
OK. Done promoting and rambling. More (unfortunately) to come. :)
LoL!
Chao.
Jen
Tuesday 6/7/11
Well I'm getting more comfortable with my little TWA. It's been years since I've had short hair, but I think I'm adjusting pretty well. DH still really doesn't like it, but. Honestly I don't think he ever will really. I don't even think it's short hair that he doesn't like. It's short Afro hair he hates. Not sure how he feels about long Afro hair. He doesn't care for afros that's been established. So I imagine he's gonna really be pushin' perms and weaves once Rebel's big. LoL! But I'm enjoying her baby years. I can just wash and go. With the exception of one extra step (applying product) she's as easy to take care of as she was when she was locked. That is one of the joys of short hair. The ease of care. Detangling is so easy. I think detangling will still be easy, well pretty easy, even when Rebel is longer. For some reason as tight as she is, when that conditioner gets up on her she just melts. And for that I'm thankful. :)
You learn so much about your hair when you're natural. Like when I locked, I would have probably given up on natural hair if I'd stayed loose simply because you cant just comb our curls all willy-nilly. Not sure if you can comb ANY curls like that. And because I couldn't just comb it like I "wanted" to, I would have felt like my hair was the nappiest, ugliest type of hair imaginable. And DH would have been right there with the perm talk. And eventually I would have CAVED. So I think locking was the best decision I could have made. Because NOW , I have 6 years under my belt as a natural. I know more about natural hair AND I accept my hair as it is. And I actually love it because it's what goes with me. It fits me. It's how I was made. The Maker does not make mistakes. So say what you want about my hair. If you don't like it don't look. And if you think it's wrong, you take it up with the One who gave it to me. :)
I've been trimming and I think I finally like how Rebel is shaping up. The back is even shaping up and seems to be growing nicely. I can see how it's gonna shape up once it grows. The back will be shorter than the front, but hella full. Either that or it will all end up the same length. Some how my hair tends to do that. So, either way will be fine. What I wonder, is why doesn't DH try to get in on the ground floor? I mean, like.. REALLY!! When we met, his issue was my weight. And for SOME stupid reason he assumed no one else wanted a fat girl. Well there are lots of guys who that is the LAST issue in their minds. When they started to notice, he was mad and VIOLENT with me. Now I could have handled things better. I was no angel in this situation. Just really not use to attention. But still he assumed no one would want my fat ass. OK. Locs. When I decided to loc and actually started growing them, he told me I look uncared for and my hair looked ATROCIOUS! Even hit me. YESSA! HIT... ME!! About the shit! Yeah, that was a bit FAR if you ask me. But after all that. It grew. FLOURISHED! Became down right REGAL! Complements started flooding in. He still didn't LIKE the locs, but he wanted to be part of the convo all of a sudden. Tellin' peeps how I did it and shit. I'm like. K. Like he was down with it the whole time. Now this. He's said it was butchered. (I say it was incomplete.) It's HIDEOUS! (I think it's awesome. Just needed tweaking.) The best I've been able to get him to give me was saying if I'd left the back unchopped it would have looked kinds neat. (He still wouldn't have really liked it.) As for how it looks after shaping it up a bit, he said it looked "wild". I told him it's cute to me. :) He said "OOOOOK". On any given day, my saying I like something that he doesn't would have sparked such an argument. And God forbid I defended myself. That would have nearly been a FIGHT!
And to think, all THIS drama is JUST with the HAIR!!
I've gone through the hair drama too. The whole "it's just hair" thing use to irk me but because it's not JUST hair, but it is hair. No need to kick someone's ass cause you don't like their HAIR. No need to commit suicide because you get a bad cut! Because your texture isn't what you "wanted". It's yours!! Own it!! I just don't understand how people lose it about YOUR hair! If it's that awful I'm the one looking like a chicken. Shouldn't I be upset? Then if I'm not why should YOU be?
Well time has run out. It's time for me to go in to work. More to come.
Chao.
Jen
You learn so much about your hair when you're natural. Like when I locked, I would have probably given up on natural hair if I'd stayed loose simply because you cant just comb our curls all willy-nilly. Not sure if you can comb ANY curls like that. And because I couldn't just comb it like I "wanted" to, I would have felt like my hair was the nappiest, ugliest type of hair imaginable. And DH would have been right there with the perm talk. And eventually I would have CAVED. So I think locking was the best decision I could have made. Because NOW , I have 6 years under my belt as a natural. I know more about natural hair AND I accept my hair as it is. And I actually love it because it's what goes with me. It fits me. It's how I was made. The Maker does not make mistakes. So say what you want about my hair. If you don't like it don't look. And if you think it's wrong, you take it up with the One who gave it to me. :)
I've been trimming and I think I finally like how Rebel is shaping up. The back is even shaping up and seems to be growing nicely. I can see how it's gonna shape up once it grows. The back will be shorter than the front, but hella full. Either that or it will all end up the same length. Some how my hair tends to do that. So, either way will be fine. What I wonder, is why doesn't DH try to get in on the ground floor? I mean, like.. REALLY!! When we met, his issue was my weight. And for SOME stupid reason he assumed no one else wanted a fat girl. Well there are lots of guys who that is the LAST issue in their minds. When they started to notice, he was mad and VIOLENT with me. Now I could have handled things better. I was no angel in this situation. Just really not use to attention. But still he assumed no one would want my fat ass. OK. Locs. When I decided to loc and actually started growing them, he told me I look uncared for and my hair looked ATROCIOUS! Even hit me. YESSA! HIT... ME!! About the shit! Yeah, that was a bit FAR if you ask me. But after all that. It grew. FLOURISHED! Became down right REGAL! Complements started flooding in. He still didn't LIKE the locs, but he wanted to be part of the convo all of a sudden. Tellin' peeps how I did it and shit. I'm like. K. Like he was down with it the whole time. Now this. He's said it was butchered. (I say it was incomplete.) It's HIDEOUS! (I think it's awesome. Just needed tweaking.) The best I've been able to get him to give me was saying if I'd left the back unchopped it would have looked kinds neat. (He still wouldn't have really liked it.) As for how it looks after shaping it up a bit, he said it looked "wild". I told him it's cute to me. :) He said "OOOOOK". On any given day, my saying I like something that he doesn't would have sparked such an argument. And God forbid I defended myself. That would have nearly been a FIGHT!
And to think, all THIS drama is JUST with the HAIR!!
I've gone through the hair drama too. The whole "it's just hair" thing use to irk me but because it's not JUST hair, but it is hair. No need to kick someone's ass cause you don't like their HAIR. No need to commit suicide because you get a bad cut! Because your texture isn't what you "wanted". It's yours!! Own it!! I just don't understand how people lose it about YOUR hair! If it's that awful I'm the one looking like a chicken. Shouldn't I be upset? Then if I'm not why should YOU be?
Well time has run out. It's time for me to go in to work. More to come.
Chao.
Jen
A new Way
I've decided a new way to blog. As you may or not know, I have no Internet or cell signal at work. (AT&T really sleepin' on their service in small towns! Maybe that's why Verizon kickin' they ass, right?) But there are times I want to write, but I'm at work.
Well, why not do it on my notes and just copy and paste when I get time. And that's what I'll be doing. :)
Monday 6/6/11
I am feelin' my fro more and more. After I shortened the sides a bit it just looks like I have it short in the back and shaped. Kinda cute. As I have found though, with my build if I wear a regular crew neck tee I look like a MAN! Which if I was going for that it would be OK. I'm not though. So that's not a good look. A v-neck seems to off set that a bit. Which leads me to the realization.
I'm not a very feminine person. (And I'm taking this so WELL, you may be thinking. LoL!) I've always been a kind of tomboy. And I have never been able to just be naturally feminine! It's always been a struggle. A struggle that I apparently just gave up on. Which sucks. It's cute on a small woman. On a big bitch. It tends to be a little intimidating. I'm not real "big". I'm only 5'7" on a good day, but I'm full figured and it's not just in the hips like a lot of black women. I'm pretty even all the way round. And I have wide shoulders. I don't know if they are freakishly wide, but to me.
I'm built like a man. Most men don't look good in Women's clothes. And that is the problem. The stuff other women wear to look pretty and frilly and PINK, just don't fit me right. I have nice boobs, but that will only carry ya so far. I mean you don't wanna showcase the girls all the time. If I had a more feminine form, I wouldn't have to.
I know this isn't totally about hair, but it ties in. Just wait for it. :p
Anyway, now I've got my totally boss TWA. (Flat back and all. LoL!) But will this make it worse? Last time I had short hair, a woman at Fredrick's of Hollywood mistook me for a man. (Which was so funny to DH, but that means she thought we we're a gay couple. Bet if he picked up on that he wouldn't have though it was so damned funny. ) It hurt!! Still does. (See I'm not taking it well at all. LoL!)
Anyway. This doesn't make me feel any different about natural hair or MY hair for that matter. I love being natural. I loved being locked, I love being loose. I "hate" the cut I gave myself. But that's just time to fix. I have time. :) I'm just insecure about myself. My appearance. So I guess this is just a rant. There is no REAL advice here. Except if you see something wrong with your new cut, analyze it and if a snip or two will make it better don't hesitate to just clip it. Might make it better. Might make it worse. But it will be a change. :) I was inspired to try to work with my cut by Taren916 on YouTube. She recently cut her BEAUTIFUL long hair into a TWA. (A BEAUTIFUL TWA!) And that's where I had the "ah ha!" moment of what made my hair look weird was the sudden drop off in the back. A little trim on the sided and near the "drop off point" and now it just looks like my hair is just short. Period. So if you ever read this Taren I owe you a big "thank you"! Be sure to check her out on YouTube guys! Our textures are nothing.. NOTHING!!! Alike. But still she Inspires me so much. Most of the ladies on YouTube do! Just search your hair type, or just natural hair and you'll be there all day watch videos!! Or is that just me? LoL!
Well I guess that's all for now. It's about time for me to go in for work. Oh, and I still haven't revealed my curls to my coworkers yet. They don't get the whole "natural hair movement". So not on their level. When my buddy found I had taken down my locs she suggested I perm it and go straight to a wrap and a weave. LoL! I was like look at this shit. Oh well, I like her pretty well, so you know if she didn't get to see it, these other folks will see it only by accident! LoL! I wear it out when I go somewhere. But here, I just don't feel like the whole "meet the press" thing yet.
K, now I'm done. :p
Chao.
Jen
Well, why not do it on my notes and just copy and paste when I get time. And that's what I'll be doing. :)
Monday 6/6/11
I am feelin' my fro more and more. After I shortened the sides a bit it just looks like I have it short in the back and shaped. Kinda cute. As I have found though, with my build if I wear a regular crew neck tee I look like a MAN! Which if I was going for that it would be OK. I'm not though. So that's not a good look. A v-neck seems to off set that a bit. Which leads me to the realization.
I'm not a very feminine person. (And I'm taking this so WELL, you may be thinking. LoL!) I've always been a kind of tomboy. And I have never been able to just be naturally feminine! It's always been a struggle. A struggle that I apparently just gave up on. Which sucks. It's cute on a small woman. On a big bitch. It tends to be a little intimidating. I'm not real "big". I'm only 5'7" on a good day, but I'm full figured and it's not just in the hips like a lot of black women. I'm pretty even all the way round. And I have wide shoulders. I don't know if they are freakishly wide, but to me.
I'm built like a man. Most men don't look good in Women's clothes. And that is the problem. The stuff other women wear to look pretty and frilly and PINK, just don't fit me right. I have nice boobs, but that will only carry ya so far. I mean you don't wanna showcase the girls all the time. If I had a more feminine form, I wouldn't have to.
I know this isn't totally about hair, but it ties in. Just wait for it. :p
Anyway, now I've got my totally boss TWA. (Flat back and all. LoL!) But will this make it worse? Last time I had short hair, a woman at Fredrick's of Hollywood mistook me for a man. (Which was so funny to DH, but that means she thought we we're a gay couple. Bet if he picked up on that he wouldn't have though it was so damned funny. ) It hurt!! Still does. (See I'm not taking it well at all. LoL!)
Anyway. This doesn't make me feel any different about natural hair or MY hair for that matter. I love being natural. I loved being locked, I love being loose. I "hate" the cut I gave myself. But that's just time to fix. I have time. :) I'm just insecure about myself. My appearance. So I guess this is just a rant. There is no REAL advice here. Except if you see something wrong with your new cut, analyze it and if a snip or two will make it better don't hesitate to just clip it. Might make it better. Might make it worse. But it will be a change. :) I was inspired to try to work with my cut by Taren916 on YouTube. She recently cut her BEAUTIFUL long hair into a TWA. (A BEAUTIFUL TWA!) And that's where I had the "ah ha!" moment of what made my hair look weird was the sudden drop off in the back. A little trim on the sided and near the "drop off point" and now it just looks like my hair is just short. Period. So if you ever read this Taren I owe you a big "thank you"! Be sure to check her out on YouTube guys! Our textures are nothing.. NOTHING!!! Alike. But still she Inspires me so much. Most of the ladies on YouTube do! Just search your hair type, or just natural hair and you'll be there all day watch videos!! Or is that just me? LoL!
Well I guess that's all for now. It's about time for me to go in for work. Oh, and I still haven't revealed my curls to my coworkers yet. They don't get the whole "natural hair movement". So not on their level. When my buddy found I had taken down my locs she suggested I perm it and go straight to a wrap and a weave. LoL! I was like look at this shit. Oh well, I like her pretty well, so you know if she didn't get to see it, these other folks will see it only by accident! LoL! I wear it out when I go somewhere. But here, I just don't feel like the whole "meet the press" thing yet.
K, now I'm done. :p
Chao.
Jen
Monday, June 06, 2011
What the hell? Afro.... Curls????
That's right the blog has a new name. Same address as before. Just with a new name. I felt this was more where my head was right now. I'm still on a journey, but I just wanted to change the name, just as I'm growing and changing. (Hopefully for the better!!)
It's still the same blog. You haven't been hijacked, this isn't a virus or anything taking you to this strangers site.. This is On A Journey. Just now it's called AfroCurls.. LoL!
So I've been shaping Rebel (my fro) up a bit and now she's starting to look normal. (well as normal as Rebel wanna look. LoL!) I took some off the sides and that trimmed it up a bit and now it looks less uneven and less of a drop off in the back. I mean there is a drop off, but my head is flat as shit so that was bound to happen anyway, right? LoL! But it looks more pulled together and less like "a woman in the streets who done rubbed all her hair out in the back." As DH so elloquently put it. LoL! Now it looks like a real cut. Now all it has to do is start growing..
And knowing Rebel it will be towards the SKY! She does love to stick up.
Chao.
Jen
It's still the same blog. You haven't been hijacked, this isn't a virus or anything taking you to this strangers site.. This is On A Journey. Just now it's called AfroCurls.. LoL!
So I've been shaping Rebel (my fro) up a bit and now she's starting to look normal. (well as normal as Rebel wanna look. LoL!) I took some off the sides and that trimmed it up a bit and now it looks less uneven and less of a drop off in the back. I mean there is a drop off, but my head is flat as shit so that was bound to happen anyway, right? LoL! But it looks more pulled together and less like "a woman in the streets who done rubbed all her hair out in the back." As DH so elloquently put it. LoL! Now it looks like a real cut. Now all it has to do is start growing..
And knowing Rebel it will be towards the SKY! She does love to stick up.
Chao.
Jen
Sunday, June 05, 2011
Gel Experiment.... Epic Fail...
I mixed some Smooth n Shine, Long Aid, and Coconut Oil together... And it was an epic fail.. My hair was not crunchy.. It didn't flake.. I just didn't look good as I wanted, so I had to rinse that stuff out, put some Vo5 in, sealed with coconut oil, and hit up my Long Aid. Now my fro is happy.. Also, I've found that my hair just looks better at this length UP.. Not pulled down around my face. The reason for that is I have a very... VERY fat face! LoL! And with my full face, the hair is shrunken just above or MAYBE at the cheek. And what it does is makes my face just look FULLER.. Being up, I can't say it slims my face, but it doesn't add to the sheer VOLUME of face I have going on.. So I think this will be my style as long as my hair is willing to defy gravity. :)
Also, with all the searching, I think my first thing is my best thing. Just my Long Aid and a nice conditioner as a leave in.. Sealing with coconut oil.. It is just so moisturizing and my little curls are defined.. My hair looks great to ME, which is all that matters.. So why am I looking for products that cost me $30 a pop (they know who they are!! LoL!) When I can get my Long Aid (16oz for $4, 32oz for just $6 most times.), Aussie Moist for co-washes. (14oz, I think I paid $2.50 for it, maybe less.. I can get the pump{33.5oz}around $6 or $7 online and maybe at the right store.), My Vo5 (between $.88 and $1.50 at most places for 15oz.)My LouAna cocount oil (32oz for JUST almost $6) And done.. Just plain done and I've spent at most.. AT MOST.. $20.50 if I buy the big sizes of Aussie and Long Aid and have to buy ALL my products at the same time.. In a nut shell, I can probably take $25 to the store and with tax and all I have ALL my products.. You can not beat that price.. So I think I've found my staples for now.
Not saying I won't try products. Mostly conditioners and the like.. There are products I want to try. But as for all these curl definers and all that.. I think I'm so over that. I do like moisturizers, so that will probably be my PJ addiction. Hair milks, creams and the like. I won't be needing any real heavy stuff until my hair is longer.. That could be 5 years from now.. Wonder how big will my fro be in 5 years? Look how long my locs were.. Can you imagine... Rebel that long.. LoL! She will be fierce for sho'!!
Wonder what I'll be wanting to do with her 5 years from now? I really hope not PERMING her.. I say I will never go back to the perms.. I think I can stick with that.. I remember I use to say locked for life!! And militantly encouraged everyone to join me in this.. And now look.. Not locked.. But I am clearly not dead yet.. Meaning I wasn't locked for life. So I guess the one thing I've learned (Other than patience for my hair.) is to never say never. Never even say always. Take life a day at a time, and just enjoy the scenery.. I loved my time locked, and now I'm loving my time loose and natural. I won't LIKELY perm my hair, as I don't really look that good with straight strands. My hair has always looked better BIG, so a perm probably isn't in my future. So that much I can say.. HOWEVER.. I can't say I'll never flat iron or straighten my hair with heat.. Just not chemicals.. But even THAT is a ways down the line.. I just don't want straight hair.. Sorry..
Well, I guess that's it for now. Just wanted to chime in on how my gel mix worked.. Maybe it will work for twist outs, but I don't have any of those planned for quite some time, so it will be drawered for now. :) Me and Rebel are just gonna hang loose for awhile. LoL!!
Chao.
Jen
Also, with all the searching, I think my first thing is my best thing. Just my Long Aid and a nice conditioner as a leave in.. Sealing with coconut oil.. It is just so moisturizing and my little curls are defined.. My hair looks great to ME, which is all that matters.. So why am I looking for products that cost me $30 a pop (they know who they are!! LoL!) When I can get my Long Aid (16oz for $4, 32oz for just $6 most times.), Aussie Moist for co-washes. (14oz, I think I paid $2.50 for it, maybe less.. I can get the pump{33.5oz}around $6 or $7 online and maybe at the right store.), My Vo5 (between $.88 and $1.50 at most places for 15oz.)My LouAna cocount oil (32oz for JUST almost $6) And done.. Just plain done and I've spent at most.. AT MOST.. $20.50 if I buy the big sizes of Aussie and Long Aid and have to buy ALL my products at the same time.. In a nut shell, I can probably take $25 to the store and with tax and all I have ALL my products.. You can not beat that price.. So I think I've found my staples for now.
Not saying I won't try products. Mostly conditioners and the like.. There are products I want to try. But as for all these curl definers and all that.. I think I'm so over that. I do like moisturizers, so that will probably be my PJ addiction. Hair milks, creams and the like. I won't be needing any real heavy stuff until my hair is longer.. That could be 5 years from now.. Wonder how big will my fro be in 5 years? Look how long my locs were.. Can you imagine... Rebel that long.. LoL! She will be fierce for sho'!!
Wonder what I'll be wanting to do with her 5 years from now? I really hope not PERMING her.. I say I will never go back to the perms.. I think I can stick with that.. I remember I use to say locked for life!! And militantly encouraged everyone to join me in this.. And now look.. Not locked.. But I am clearly not dead yet.. Meaning I wasn't locked for life. So I guess the one thing I've learned (Other than patience for my hair.) is to never say never. Never even say always. Take life a day at a time, and just enjoy the scenery.. I loved my time locked, and now I'm loving my time loose and natural. I won't LIKELY perm my hair, as I don't really look that good with straight strands. My hair has always looked better BIG, so a perm probably isn't in my future. So that much I can say.. HOWEVER.. I can't say I'll never flat iron or straighten my hair with heat.. Just not chemicals.. But even THAT is a ways down the line.. I just don't want straight hair.. Sorry..
Well, I guess that's it for now. Just wanted to chime in on how my gel mix worked.. Maybe it will work for twist outs, but I don't have any of those planned for quite some time, so it will be drawered for now. :) Me and Rebel are just gonna hang loose for awhile. LoL!!
Chao.
Jen
Saturday, June 04, 2011
New faster INTERNET...
Maybe I can upload some pictures now!! LoL!
Well, it's been like 3 weeks since I chopped my hair into a nice fro and discovered I'd botched the back.. I've been looking at it, and yes it does look oddly flat, but I am SO over it!! I'm coping and I DO NOT cover my head in public.. Also, I've been wearing it more fro like than curl like.. Like a chunky, curly fro.. Rebel is LOVING her new style. Don't think she LOVES being flat in the back, but she is like "gurrrrrl, I am WAY too fierce to worry bout what's goin' on back there!" LoL!!
I wonder why I was so ashamed of my hair in the past? I know public opinion plays a role when we're younger. I think I was just thinking my hair was different than it was.. I guess in my mind.. "better" than this.. Like the curls were bigger than they are.. And when I discovered they were TINY.. What folks call "naps".. Well.. I was just embarrassed... But now I know.. My hair is as it should be. It IS curly... RRRRRRRRREEEEEEAAAAAAALLY CURLY!! LoL!! And getting to know her, I think me and Rebel will get along just fine now..
Now if Rebel and DH will get along.. I'm not sure.. They are pretty much not speaking to each other right now. I catch DH lookin' at her like.. "UGH!" And she's lookin' at him like "Peesh! What EVA, Nigga." LoL! So they are not tight right now at ALL!! But I think she'll start to grow on him as she gets bigger and fuller in back.. And she will.. And I'll be happy, and she'll be happy, and DH... Well... Don't think men really get us and our hair or this natural hair obsession we have. So that remains to be seen.. If history is any indicator, he won't LOVE it.. But he'll learn to tollerate it at least. He'll stop insulting me so much about it.
OK.. On to products....
No more KeraCare.. I do have the Hair Milk left and I do use it pretty much daily. But I won't be buying anymore as far as I know. I like it better than the Butter Cream, but just because it soaks in faster. The Butter Cream is a little thicker. Still, pretty sure I won't purchase it.. I mean it's OK, but I'm sure I can find a cheaper, locally sold- Or BIGGER size at least cream moisturizer some where.
My Long Aid Curl Activator is doing WONDERFULLY now. It gets sticky nearing wash day, but since I figured out, NO ma'am.. I can't shingle with it.. Too greasy and wet.. BUT if I just work some in.. Back and front.. The stickiness is tollerable and the wetness isn't so bad. Plus it keeps my hair soft and pops those cute little curls PERFECTLY! Plus 16.5oz for less than $4.. Can't beat that. I bought more yesterday. :) It is a keeper.
Washing, you know I'm a co-washer. I only use Shampoo when I really REALLY need to. I used that Cleansing Cream from KeraCare and my hair started to stiffen up.. So.. Even sulfate free stuff dries my hair out. For co-washes I've been using Aussie Moist. I am BLOWING through that little bottle though. I gotta find a bigger size.. The one with the pump would be nice. I also have Vo5 Moisture Milks Conditioner in Passion Fruit Smoothie. It's a staple product, and since it's so light, I can use it as a leave in too. So I'm going to be keeping both those on hand.
Of course my LouAna Coconut oil for sealing. 32oz for just $5!!
Very simple routine so far and I'm hoping I can keep it as simple as it is now.. I know more has to be done once Rebel gets bigger, but for now.. It's pretty simple.. I actually had no idea it was so simple, as DH seems to think I'm making too much of this whole natural deal. But my routine is as simple as it was when I was locked.. AND relaxed!! LoL! Simple gal I guess.
I only comb once a week. I comb when my hair is wet and FULL of conditioner.. I detangle and rinse.. After that, no more combing except MAYBE finger combing while I'm applying product. I've had little shedding so far, so I must be doin' it right. LoL!
And that's it... All I do..
And that's it for the week.. Hopefully the photo upload works now..
Chao..
Jen
Well, it's been like 3 weeks since I chopped my hair into a nice fro and discovered I'd botched the back.. I've been looking at it, and yes it does look oddly flat, but I am SO over it!! I'm coping and I DO NOT cover my head in public.. Also, I've been wearing it more fro like than curl like.. Like a chunky, curly fro.. Rebel is LOVING her new style. Don't think she LOVES being flat in the back, but she is like "gurrrrrl, I am WAY too fierce to worry bout what's goin' on back there!" LoL!!
I wonder why I was so ashamed of my hair in the past? I know public opinion plays a role when we're younger. I think I was just thinking my hair was different than it was.. I guess in my mind.. "better" than this.. Like the curls were bigger than they are.. And when I discovered they were TINY.. What folks call "naps".. Well.. I was just embarrassed... But now I know.. My hair is as it should be. It IS curly... RRRRRRRRREEEEEEAAAAAAALLY CURLY!! LoL!! And getting to know her, I think me and Rebel will get along just fine now..
Now if Rebel and DH will get along.. I'm not sure.. They are pretty much not speaking to each other right now. I catch DH lookin' at her like.. "UGH!" And she's lookin' at him like "Peesh! What EVA, Nigga." LoL! So they are not tight right now at ALL!! But I think she'll start to grow on him as she gets bigger and fuller in back.. And she will.. And I'll be happy, and she'll be happy, and DH... Well... Don't think men really get us and our hair or this natural hair obsession we have. So that remains to be seen.. If history is any indicator, he won't LOVE it.. But he'll learn to tollerate it at least. He'll stop insulting me so much about it.
OK.. On to products....
No more KeraCare.. I do have the Hair Milk left and I do use it pretty much daily. But I won't be buying anymore as far as I know. I like it better than the Butter Cream, but just because it soaks in faster. The Butter Cream is a little thicker. Still, pretty sure I won't purchase it.. I mean it's OK, but I'm sure I can find a cheaper, locally sold- Or BIGGER size at least cream moisturizer some where.
My Long Aid Curl Activator is doing WONDERFULLY now. It gets sticky nearing wash day, but since I figured out, NO ma'am.. I can't shingle with it.. Too greasy and wet.. BUT if I just work some in.. Back and front.. The stickiness is tollerable and the wetness isn't so bad. Plus it keeps my hair soft and pops those cute little curls PERFECTLY! Plus 16.5oz for less than $4.. Can't beat that. I bought more yesterday. :) It is a keeper.
Washing, you know I'm a co-washer. I only use Shampoo when I really REALLY need to. I used that Cleansing Cream from KeraCare and my hair started to stiffen up.. So.. Even sulfate free stuff dries my hair out. For co-washes I've been using Aussie Moist. I am BLOWING through that little bottle though. I gotta find a bigger size.. The one with the pump would be nice. I also have Vo5 Moisture Milks Conditioner in Passion Fruit Smoothie. It's a staple product, and since it's so light, I can use it as a leave in too. So I'm going to be keeping both those on hand.
Of course my LouAna Coconut oil for sealing. 32oz for just $5!!
Very simple routine so far and I'm hoping I can keep it as simple as it is now.. I know more has to be done once Rebel gets bigger, but for now.. It's pretty simple.. I actually had no idea it was so simple, as DH seems to think I'm making too much of this whole natural deal. But my routine is as simple as it was when I was locked.. AND relaxed!! LoL! Simple gal I guess.
I only comb once a week. I comb when my hair is wet and FULL of conditioner.. I detangle and rinse.. After that, no more combing except MAYBE finger combing while I'm applying product. I've had little shedding so far, so I must be doin' it right. LoL!
And that's it... All I do..
And that's it for the week.. Hopefully the photo upload works now..
Chao..
Jen
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