Daily Archives: July 3, 2012

Jul3

May-June GOC Update: Rebecca (#33)

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I hope everyone’s keeping cool this summer. I just wanted to give a quick update on my hair journey.

In May, when I kicked off the GOC, I finally got my mom to get a big chop to go natural and leave her long time affair with the relaxer. Now, here’s where I think I deserve a medal :P. I big chopped with her!!!

She was afraid to go through with it, so I did it with her to prove how carefree it would be to not have to be a slave to the salon every two weeks like she had been doing. Now, all the money that she saves from not going to the salon is used to help get her fix since … she is now an official product junkie, lol.

I must admit, as soon as I promised my mom what I was going to do it with her, I immediately thought about my hair goal. To bring me back to reality on the fact that it’s just hair, I had to remind myself that, for the last 5 months, I have been telling my mom, “A big chop is not a big deal and your hair will grow back to mid back length again, but healthier!” (She had breakage from heat styling and her scalp was sensitive to the relaxers.) I didn’t want to be a hypocrite, so I bit my tongue and went through with it. And, I must admit, I love the freedom of short hair!!! There’s no detangling sessions :)! However, secretly, the length shock did bug me a little at first.

I added some color to it mid May.

And then in June, I took it a step further!!

I got some honey blonde highlights. My thoughts on this was that my hair was short and this is a first for me, so I might as well experiment. Now I do DTs twice a week to keep it moisturized. I plan on still growing my hair out and keeping it healthy.

I’m not sure if you can tell, but my TWA has gotten a little higher since May. My hair is growing pretty noticeably, so I can’t wait to send another update in August!

Mom and I with our new hair cuts at the Naturally Curly Pool Party 2012!

♦

If you missed it, check out Rebecca’s Initial GOC-The Sequel submission here.

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Jul3

Another Braid Out

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My camera-to-computer cable is MIA right now, so you are getting a few pics from the Photo Booth app on my Mac Book Pro! LOL! This is a braid out that I released last night after wearing my hair in 12 braids that I did on Friday night. I did 6 braids on each side, 3 in the front quadrant and three in the back. On wash day, I pre-pooed with my Aubrey GPB and Vatika oil mix, washed with diluted DevaCare One No Poo and then applied Matrix Biolage Conditioning Balm for about 5 minutes. Finally, I applied Aubrey Green Tea Cream Rinse directly over the Matrix Biolage and rinsed with cold water. Once out of the shower, I spritzed my hair with diluted Aubrey Honeysuckle Rose (HSR) Conditioner, finger detangled and then applied a little more HSR (full-strength/undiluted) to each section before braiding. I finished by sealing my ends with JBCO.

For the 3 days that I wore the braids, I re-moisturized daily with the diluted HSR and sealed with Wonder Curl Polishing Pomade and/or virgin coconut oil. I released the braids on Monday night. I thought we were going out, but then we didn’t! If I had known I was in for the night, I wouldn’t have released the braids until Tuesday morning! Anywho, the pics of my braided hair are on the regular camera. So, I can only share these kind of fuzzy post-release pics.

So, I’m definitely back to stretching my hair. My ends were getting so knotty from those WnGs and I had to cut out quite a few SSKs. Now, my ends feel sooooo much better and I want to keep them that way! And again, Aubrey GPB and HSR are my new boos. I just love the results I get from them and they have definitely been added to my Holy Grails! I really like the Green Tea Conditioning Rinse too, but I don’t know if it gets Holy Grail status yet. I like using it as my final rinse though as I’m trying to eliminate Aussie Moist and Herbal Essences Hello Hydration from my regimen in lieu of more natural products. I’m not saying I’m going the completely natural/organic route, but I figure I can reduce the number of commercial and chemical-based products for a moderately natural regimen. DevaCare No Poo and Sally’s GVP and brand Matrix Conditioning Balm aren’t going anywhere though … yet.

Anywho, back to braid-outs, I thought it was such a coinky-dink that Naptural85 just posted this braid out tutorial yesterday! I definitely have to try her braiding technique to see if it results in bigger day 1 hair … though, I’m wondering if it would end up being too piecey for my finer strands. Whitney’s hair is just so thick, curly, shiny and frickin’ drool-worthy … NAKED … I can’t even stand it! *LOL*

via Naptural85

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Do you prefer braid outs or twist outs and why?

Jul3

Alissa: Natural in the Bahamas

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by Brittany of Island Curls

Hi Shelli! My name is Brittany, aka KinkyIslandGirl, and I frequently view your blog, as well as your updates on Facebook. I was happy to see that you were looking for guest bloggers, because I have recently started a natural hair blog that has an island twist, because I am from the Bahamas (though I reside in Minnesota). The blog is called http://www.islandcurls.blogspot.com. Below is an article featuring a Bahamian lady that I would like to share with your readers, if you would allow me. Thank you!

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Say Hi!
Hello, my name is Alissa. I’m 22 years old, born and raised in the Bahamas. Both of my parents are Black.

When and how did you transition into natural hair? Did you transition or big chop? How did you take care of your hair while going natural?
I have always been natural.

Do you love your hair? Have you always loved it?
There was a time when I disliked being natural. I wanted straight hair, because all of the celebrities I liked had straight hair and I thought I would have more versatility. I was tired of tangling and ponytails. As I grew older, I learned how to take care of my hair, which made it more manageable. I also learned more hairstyles and techniques, which I think make my natural hair more versatile than any other texture. Learning to love my hair was a process.

How would you describe your hair?
My hair is a 3c/4a texture. I have more of a S-curl/wavy texture around my edges and a tighter curl texture in the middle of my head.

What is your hair regimen and nightly routine?
I wash and deep condition once a week. I oil my scalp at least twice a week with olive oil or another natural oil and I moisturize and seal my hair everyday. Every night, I plait or bun my hair and wear a satin cap to prevent breaking.

How do you retain length and moisture in your hair?
To retain length, I make sure to always sleep with my hair in a bun or plait under my satin cap. I moisturize and seal my ends everyday. I wear protective styles most of the time. Those are styles that protect my ends from breaking by keeping them up and off of my shoulders and clothes. I only use a wide-toothed comb on well moisturized hair after finger combing. Sometimes I detangle while conditioning my hair. I avoid products with petroleum, alcohol or mineral oil and only use natural oils on my scalp.

What mistakes have you made with your hair that you’ve learned from?
I burned off and damaged the ends of my hair with hot combs and flat irons for a few years until I learned healthy hair habits. I had to cut it a few times to fix that. I also used to wear my hair in a puff a lot when I was in high school and I used an afro pic on it while it was dry. That broke my hair a lot. I used to shampoo and not condition not knowing how harsh shampoo is. I used to use vaseline on my scalp, pink lotion on my ends and slick my hair down with gel and beeswax. I was terrible and the list goes on and on.

What’s the best thing you do for your hair?
The best thing I do is add oils to my routine. Whether it be on my scalp, mixing it with my deep conditioner or sealing my ends.

If you were going away to a deserted place and could only take 3 products, what would they be and why?
Woowwwww! My garnier fructis shampoo, Elasta QP deep conditioner and definitely my extra virgin olive oil.

What is your go-to style?
The high bun… All day.

Who is your hair idol?
A vlogger named Megz who taught me so much of what I now know about black hair.

Any last words of wisdom?
Good hair is healthy hair. Spend time learning how to take better care of yours.