Blog Expansion

Hello all! I just wanted to inform all my readers that my blog will undergo a bit of a transformation soon. There are other aspects of my life that do not include hair that I would like to discuss, but I cannot do so under my current blog title. I know that posting about other topics will help me keep the blog alive and avoid the long gaps in between posts.

No worries about the link name. That will stay the same. I will probably pay the fee to get rid of the "blogspot" part, but it will still redirect you to this page.

Some upcoming topic areas:

• Budgeting: Something we all want to work on, but some of us are having trouble (namely me!). I will discuss the steps I'm taking to improve my budget and report back with my results.
• Working Moms Time Management: Another part of my life that I'm constantly working on is planning my time. With a baby, going to school, and working full time, and my husband doing the same, there truly aren't enough hours in the day. I will share what I am doing and I would definitely appreciate it if you contribute your ideas as well!
• Gratitude: I have a journal called Gratitude that my godparents gave me and it talks about taking the time out to share things for which you are grateful and how to show your gratitude. Instead of writing in the journal, I'll follow the journal's instructions and post here from time to time. These will be relatively brief posts (probably 100-200 words max). It's not the focus of this blog and I won't go overboard with it.
• Healthy Eating: We ALL want to get to a point where we're eating healthy. I haven't gotten there, but I will share my journey to healthy eating as well.

Wish me luck!

43 weeks: Straightening During the Transition Pros and Cons

Hi readers! I'm so very happy with my hair right now...mainly because it's not breaking and I haven't had to do anything to it other than comb it. It's been in a ponytail all week and it's still straight. I am considering straightening my hair more often (about once a month) during the transition, but I'm on the fence. So being the list-manic person that I am, I made a list of pros and cons.

Straightening for the Transition Pros:

• Less breakage (at least when my stylist does it)
• Very little in between maintenance (depending on your hair products)
• Allows me to have the best of both worlds
• Allows me to slowly trim hair and really see how much I'm trimming
• Makes my husband happy to see my hair straight sometimes
• Stops me from playing in my natural hair and causing more potential breakage
• Gives me one uniform texture which aids in styling

Straightening for the Transition Cons:

• Potential heat damage and permanently straightened hair
• I don't get to play in my natural hair! 
• May have to start the grow-out process over
• Makes me want to cut more hair

Looks like the pros list is better to me. Anyone else have anything to add? Pros or cons, let me know!

42 Weeks and Temptation Abounds: My Stylist Visit

Okay this is going to be quite a story. Let me begin with what I had been doing to my hair before the stylist visit.

So you all know that I was washing my hair weekly in three ponytails. I had started only combing through with a shower comb while soaking wet, and letting it dry in the ponytails. I think we determined that was where the problem started. Previously I was combing once or twice during the drying process with a normal-sized comb, but I stopped that when my hair started coming out in large quantities. Coincidentally (or not), it started coming out in large quantities when I went two weeks without washing or combing my hair.

Now when my stylist got to my hair, she looked quite befuddled as she tried to figure out how she was going to get through all of the matted hair. She put a detangling conditioner on it and put me under the dryer for 15 minutes before she even attempted to shampoo it. She said washing it in the state it was in before would only do more damage. After that, she gave me a protein treatment AND a deep conditioning treatment before carefully blowdrying and straightening my hair. All in all, the process took over three hours!

Once it was straight, the temptation to relax again was overwhelming, especially with my husband showering me with compliments all day.

I will never let my hair get like this again. No more ripping and no more laziness. My transitioning 4b hair requires a lot more care than that. Honestly, I'm thinking I will keep my hair straight most of the time throughout the transition by visiting my stylist every 4 weeks. Once the relaxed ends are gone I think I will enjoy my natural hair more.

Without further adieu, my straightened hair:

The Lesson: Even though life is a bit busier with my loving little baby boy, I still have to take time for myself to take care of my hair. I feel like when I'm not at work I always need to be caring for him. Sometimes I forget that I have a supportive husband and wonderful mother who are more than willing to watch my dear son while I take some time for myself. So now, Saturday mornings are all for me. I will either wash my own hair and take better care to remove the tangles, or go to the salon.

Week....???? Just Trying to Make it

Well, I'm just kidding about the weeks...kind of. I had to go back and count actually. I'm 41 weeks into my transition as of today and it feels...awful to be honest. I've finally found some time to post, since my little one finally slept the longest he's ever gone: 7 hours! I feel wonderfully rested this morning! I wasn't able to conditioner wash my hair mid-week like I said I would, but I have been consistently washing every Friday night and styling Saturday morning.

Anywho, I finally found somewhat of a solution to the tangling and breakage, which is apple cider vinegar (ACV) rinses. I shampoo and rinse, then spray my hair with a bottle of 3-parts-water-1-part-ACV mix and apply V05 conditioner over that. I let it sit for 2 or 3 minutes while I shower, then detangle lightly with a shower comb and rinse. Again, this only cuts down on the tangling, but it does not rid me of the problem. Unless you have incredibly strong hair, I don't think there is a way to safely avoid tons of breakage while transitioning as a 4b unless you keep your hair braided, whether in braids or in a sew-in weave. Since I cannot afford braids at the moment, and I despise sew-ins on me unless they look INCREDIBLY real (which I also cannot afford), I'm a bit SOL.

However, I called my stylist last night and left a message for her to call me. I've lost entirely too much hair to turn back, but I really don't want to cut my hair either. I'm hoping I can just get it blow-dried and straightened and get a deep trim. As long as I can put it in a ponytail, I'll be happy.

Despite my frantic worrying, I have managed to keep it stylin' even with all of the breakage. I'm working with what I've got. Here is a picture of my hair today:

Learned My Lesson

After my last hair debacle, I decided to try something new. I bought a deep conditioning product called Bioinfusion Critical Care Deep Moisture Masque. I liked the ingredients and decided to give it a try. To be honest, right now deep conditioning is not a priority because I really don't have time for the process. My son is now 13 weeks and I'm both breastfeeding and pumping, I've gone back to work, and my husband is working and going to school almost full time.

Anywho, my hair is almost dry right now, but unfortunately I lost a TON of hair. I keep finding knots at the line of demarcation where the two textures meet. I've decided to make a big change to my regimen that I refused to consider before: I'm adding a mid-week conditioner wash, or cowash. I thought the extra manipulation would cause a problem, but honestly I don't think it could get much worse than this:

I put the quarter next to it so you could tell how much hair I lost. And this was just in the shower. Once I put the Bioinfusion product in my hair, I detangled in a painfully slow manner, finally getting through most, if not all, of the knots and tangles. I lost quite a bit more hair then as well. The finger detangling didn't work for me. I was missing too many tangles. I think I'm better off running the shower comb through my damp hair immediately after adding my moisturizer or leave-in products. My next post will of course be concerning my mid-week cowash experience. Wish me luck!

Side Note for Nursing Moms Who Work

Hi ladies. I know this has nothing to do with hair, but I think this is important information for pumping mothers to know. I originally posted this on LHCF's Pregnancy and Motherhood Forum, so that's why the formatting is a bit off. The posting is below.

I thought I would share my pumping at work story since I know some people might be contemplating doing this and in my experience, it's hard to find other people stories about this topic. So here goes.

First things first: I called ahead. I spoke to human resources who let me know that they have an empty office available in their building right next to a fridge and sink, but I could also ask my direct supervisor for a room if I wanted to be closer to my desk. As it turns out, she also had a room available, but I could choose which room would be more comfortable for me.

When I went in on Monday I had a 4 hour orientation, but the human resources secretary came to get me at a time I think she believed would be a good break time for me to pump. The first time, I admit, was awkward. I mean, milking yourself never really is comfortable, especially when you're wondering if people outside the door can hear your pump going.

I was also afraid that I wouldn't make much milk without DS around. So I pulled out my cell phone and flipped to my two videos of him to get my letdown started: one is of him cooing, and the other is of him nursing at around 4 weeks. I made 6 ounces of milk, which is average for the first pumping of the day. Some people make more, but 4-6 is normal for a 12-week-old baby.

At the end of my first day, I had made 21 ounces of milk (that is with an extra pumping session before I left home). I actually cut out the pumping session before leaving home because it was too much milk. I was feeding DS before DH took him to my mom's AND pumping an hour later. It wasn't necessary. I will add that session back when he goes through a growth spurt or I run out of frozen milk, whichever comes first. The second day I made 15 ounces.

An extra positive: My DS has never been a comfort nurser. He eats 5 minutes on each side and he's done, but he's actually BIGGER than the average baby! My doctor said he's an EXTREMELY efficient nurser. These days he's doing a bit more comfort nursing (light suckling, but taking in little to no milk). I never realized how much I missed something I never had! Most people don't recommend allowing comfort nursing, but I think it's a great bonding experience for a working woman who loses 40+ hours a week with their LO. I don't let him nurse to sleep though unless it's the middle of the night.

My recommendations:

• Make sure you have six bottles and three sets of pump parts (enough to pump three times per day). The last thing you want to do after pumping at work is to go to the kitchen sink and spend an extra 5-10 minutes washing parts for your next session. It's quite tedious. Trust me because that's what I'm doing until my extra parts arrive in the mail.
• Don't forget your bag! Make sure you have two mini cooler bags to store your pumped milk in to keep it all together. One for you at work and one for your babysitter/daycare. I can't tell you how many times I've almost walked out of the door without my cooler bag.
• Call ahead. Depending on your relationship with your supervisor, you can call and talk to them personally or go through HR. I kind of regret going through HR because I've worked with my supervisor before as a graduate assistant a couple of years ago and I didn't think they would talk to her before I did. I only called them to verify that they had a room for my first day during orientation and to make sure they didn't have a rule against pumping on company time which I've heard some jobs have.
• Pump ahead of time. It's great for your LO to have the freshest milk possible to reap the best benefits from the nutrients, but babies have growth spurts. Be sure to give your babysitter/daycare the fresh milk you pumped that day plus two or three frozen bags you pumped before starting work. They can keep them in their freezer just in case. Don't forget to label the bags with your LO's name if he's going to a daycare!
• Don't underestimate the hassle. Don't go in thinking pumping at work will be super easy. If you keep your expectations at the right level, you can get through pumping for as long as you desire, but take it day by day. You might want to pump for 12 months, but don't be too hard on yourself if you just can't get there. I'm going for 6, but hoping for 9-12.
• ETA: You MUST have a hands free pump bra. Period. If you think pumping on the job is hard, think about holding two hands to your breast for 15 minutes.

6 Ways to Deal with Long Term Transitioning Setbacks

Hi readers! I washed my hair on Friday and unfortunately encountered several horrible tangles and a few knots. I tried to be patient,  but after about ten minutes of struggling, the baby started crying, the laundry wasn't done, and I was only two hours away from needing to cook dinner with no meal plan in site and a dental appointment in 20 minutes. So...I pulled...


I tugged...


I tore...



I ripped...


And the knots came tumbling down...my confidence along with it. For the next day, I was tempted...SOOOO tempted to call the stylist who used to do my relaxers (yes, she's still listed in my favorites, so shoot me!). But something in me said: "STOP! You don't want to do this...Put down the phone...everything's going to be okay." And here I am blogging about it. And so without further adieu, my 6 ways to handle the setback.

1. Take a Deep Breath and Relax

Setbacks happen as a relaxed head, transitioning chick, and a natural, especially if you're learning to care for your hair. Just because you're not the Stephen King of hair care (who can write an entire 500 page novel perfectly the first time) doesn't mean you should give up. Everyone makes mistakes, and the more you make, the easier it is to handle them (trust me, I know. I've been working on hair care for almost eight years now). Don't make any rash decisions about going back to relaxers. In all honesty, it could make the problem worse depending on how bad your setback was. Imagine this...you got frustrated like me and ripped out tons of hair, then hopped in your car and drove straight to the stylist, pleading your case. He or she relaxes your hair and...half of it comes out in the comb! Yikes! No thanks. I'll take my chances continuing on the transitioning road.

2. Identify the Problem and Change One Thing at a Time

Don't do what I did and decide to try two new products and a new hairstyle for the week. It makes it much more difficult to identify what caused your setback. Now the only way to figure it out is to either reject both the style and the products, or test them out one by one; and that may result in even more breakage.

3. Indulge and Immerse Yourself (or more precisely your fingers) into Your Roots: 

If you're like me, you have a very hard time keeping your hands away from those fun, crinkly 4b roots. So instead of guarding and protecting them like a mommy bird over her hatchlings, dig in and enjoy it. It always makes me feel better when I massage my little nappies and imagine my super thick natural roots extending to the ends of my hair one day. It may help you, too.

4. Go Back to Someone Else's Roots

On my computer, I have a folder of transitioning and natural hairstyles that I LOVE. Whenever I look at them, they help me remember what the end result of long term transitioning will lead to. Unfortunately I can't post them since I don't know who half of them belong to and I can't credit them, but as I try the styles on my own hair, I'll show you my results. Maybe a new style will be my next post!

5. Go Ahead and Treat Yourself to the "Old You"

...or so you think. Yes readers, I said it! Go to the salon and get it straightened. Or if you don't trust stylists and think they might damage it straight, do it yourself. Then look in the mirror and embrace it. LOVE your straightened hair if you love it. It's not wrong! Straightened hair is just a look. At least when you're natural, a little water can wash away that slick look and you can get back to your roots. Just don't get too addicted to straightening. For my hair, I think I could do it once every three months, but I don't have any plans to do so. And who knows? You might find that the opposite is true and you've thrown away your love for the straight look like last years' rancid relationship. Those feelings you thought you still had may not be there anymore and you can look to the future.

6. Blog About It! 

Seriously! Sometimes in the midst of your woes, you forget why you decided to transition in the first place! When I go back and read my reasons for wanting to transition, I feel revitalized. I remember how I love the feel and look of my natural roots, and the versatility of my hair that no other race of people can replicate. Love it!

Week 37: Still Alive!

Hello readers! I'm so sorry about my random hiatus, but I've been spending some quality time with my little one and working on getting him acclimated to his future babysitter, Grandma! I'm going back to work on Monday, and I'm trying to balance all of my passions: reading, writing, blogging, and hair (and of course my first baby, but that goes without saying)! The plan is to update the blog once a week, probably Saturdays for future reference.

I wish I had some hair updates, but my hair has been on the back burner as much as my blog! I've been doing my usual three part ponytailed bun with headbands and other accessories. In the coming weeks, I'm going to be working on getting rid of the rest of my baby weight and still maintaining my transitioning hair in decent styles. Stay tuned for a much better update on Saturday!

Week 33: Braiding Getting Better!

Hi all! Sorry for the lull, but I had some more visiting family members drop in. Having a husband who has nine sisters and two brothers is exhausting! I still have two more planning to visit!

Anywho, transitioning is still going well. So far so good. I'm not excited about the washing process, but  I am super excited that my braiding skills are getting better. Last Monday I tried braiding the front and I think I did a pretty good job.  Funny thing is I literally have to chant to myself as I'm braiding to keep me on track. "Small pieces, tight hold...small pieces, tight hold..." If I don't, I end up grabbing a ton of hair and making a frizzy, loose braid. To each her own, I say! Here's my braided bun. My husband suggested that I braid it farther back next time:

I redid a couple of the loose ones later on. I still need some work on my parting skills, but to be honest, I didn't really try that hard to make them neat, lol.

Also, I do feel like my hair held moisture better this past week with Chicoro's moisture method. When I undid my bun today, I realized that my hair was a little dry, but still quite soft. I wanted to wash my hair today, but after incorporating a workout routine into my day, I was kind of lazy, so it's back in the bun. I'll wash tomorrow, and I may try to braid all the way around on Wednesday when I'm 34 weeks post. I should be posting again in three or four days with my report. Bye!

Week 32: Chicoro's Moisture Method Review

So readers, I've still been having a lot of trouble with dryness in my hair. It stays somewhat moisturized on day one, but after that it's like running my fingers over a desert cactus: Dry, hard, prickly hair that feels like it might crumble in my fingers. Well, of course the only thing to do when you have a problem is to try solving it; and I think I might have found my solution. It's one I'm sure those of you researching transitioners have heard of: Chicoro's moisture method. I've read about it in passing several times on my favorite hair board, LHCF, but I'm not a bandwagon-jumper, so I didn't pay too much attention to it. This time when I ran across the name I just so happened to be fingering my natural roots and thinking about my hair drought frustration, and decided, "What the heck? Nothing else has worked for longer than a day. So some of you may be asking, "What is Chicoro's moisture method?"

 Well I had to do a Google search to find the answer. A Grl Can Mac was one of the first blogs that came up. She interviewed Chicoro on her moisture method. Her method of moisture is based on layering specific types of products to keep your hair from losing moisture too fast: Moisture, oil, and an emulsifier. For moisture, I chose plain water to start (next time I'll use Shea Moisture's Hair Milk), for my oil, I used the same old Africa's Best Herbal Oil, and for an emulsifier I used shea butter since I had it on hand. So the results?

So far so good! My hair feels much softer and more moisturized than before. I will update you on my next wash day (some time this weekend). I'm hoping my hair will stay this way for the next two days.

31 Weeks Post: New Product and Taming My Transitioning 4b Bun

Hello all! I'm so excited, I can't even contain myself! I have been having soooo many issues wrangling my hair into a bun without it looking like a helmet on my head. I really don't like using gel on my hair because it just leads to massive buildup for me, no matter how little I use. I have tried water and gel, oil and gel, water and oil and gel, conditioner and gel, oil and conditioner and gel...well you get the picture.

Anywho, none of those worked for me, and I figured that since I figured it out, I should share for those of you 4b transitioners out there that cannot tame your wild side; namely your natural roots. So here's what I did.

I took out my bun and separated it into three sections with the intention of just moisturizing my roots, but I was suddenly hit my a determination to tame my bun. I separated the front and gave myself what I call a halo braid in the front. I moisturized the front section and put it in a ponytail to moisturize the middle and back. But I realized the front section fit into a flatter ponytail much easier than my hair altogether. Inspiration struck! Why not do the same with the middle and back and see if they hold better?


So, I proceeded to moisturize the middle and attached it to the front ponytail with another ponytail holder.

Then I did the same with the back, bunned all the hair as usual...

And...

Voila! A much flatter bun with a little flair. Just add hair accessories and poof! Instant cuteness if I do say so myself.

Oh, and all of the moisturizing was done with Shea Moisture's Hair Milk. Yes. I know. I said I hate Shea Moisture products, but so many girls on my favorite hair forum LHCF seemed to love this particular product which I hadn't tried. I couldn't help myself and bought it only to be pleasantly surprised at the wonderful softness it left in my natural roots. I sealed with Africa's Best Herbal Oil as usual as well. Well that's all for today. I think I'll do this same hairstyle next week as well. Hope this helps a fellow 4b transitioner!

30 Weeks Post and Update: Texture, Trim and Family Visits

Hi everyone! Just popped in to update you. I know it's been a while, but everyone is coming in from out of town to see my first born! It's exciting but exhausting. I've been visited by my mother-in-law (who stayed for two weeks but despite being a bit annoying was a God-send in the helpfulness factor), my sister-in-law, her husband, and their three kids (who stayed for five days at the same time as my mother-in-law...insert exhaustion here), my other sister-in-law,  her husband, and their 2 kids (who stayed for...wait for it...ONE DAY, which was too bad because she is one of my favorite in-laws), and guess what? MORE are on the way! My other sister-in-law and her FOUR kids are coming to stay...sigh...can a new mom get a break? I suppose you might be wondering, "How many sibling-in-laws do you have?" Well, you may not be wondering that, but I planned on telling you anyway. My husband has NINE sisters and TWO brothers for a grand total of ELEVEN in-laws, some of which may still be on their way here! Who has time for hair with all of this going on?

Well, that's kind of the reason I decided to try the simple bun again. Now, let me tell you. I LOVE simple buns. But the combination of my natural hair and relaxed ends have something to say about that...and it's "NOOOOOO!!!!" It ends up EXTREMELY puffy in the end and kind of looks like I'm smuggling contraband of the large round persuasion in my hair. But needless to say I didn't give up and I tried the bun again. This time it didn't come out so bad. My plan going in was: WEIGH IT DOWN. I used products that I had moved to No-Man's Land in the back of my bathroom cabinet back when I was in my light and moving relaxed hair phase. I decided on Redken Smoothdown Butter Treat again. My relaxed hair loved it for moisture, but I only used it if I were going to wear my hair up.

Alright, I'll stop rambling and going through the process. Soooo...I took out my plaits and braids, trimming each plaited section after I took down the plait. I sectioned my hair off into six sections with haphazard bantu knots and claw clips for extra security. I coated each section with V05 Moisture Milks Passion Fruit conditioner as a prepoo, but on a shower cap and left it in for two hours while I did laundry and nursed my sweet baby. I rinsed this out and shampooed with another No-Man's Land product: Giovanni Deep Moisture shampoo (I forgot I owned this and hadn't even used it once!). I deep conditioned with Organic Root Stimulator Deep Penetrating conditioner for another two hours, rinsed, finger combed under running water, and used the Aveeno Leave-in and Redken Butter Treat on each section, finger combing once more out of the shower (remember: I'm purposely trying to weigh my hair down). I sealed with Africa's Best Herbal Oil and put the sections in ponytails to dry.

Once my hair was approximately 80% dry, I took out the ponytail holders and finger combed my hair back into a ponytail. I then used a little water and Organic Root Stimulator Edge Control on my edges, added a little more oil, brushed back, and tied it down for the night. The result in the morning wasn't super relaxer-flat hair, but it was definitely my best attempt at flattening my hair. In a couple of days the plan is to spritz my hair with water and braid it down for a nice braidout.

Notice I only finger combed my hair and never used a regular comb. This is my first time doing this and I'm hoping I can better manage the inevitable breakage of my relaxed ends this way. Hopefu

Anywho, here are the very few pictures I took. Here's somewhat of a texture shot with my hair in the bantu knots:

And here are a few shots of the ponytails I airdried in. They also show my 4b texture:

Now here's the bun process. The first two pictures are before I tied the bun down. The third shot is the bun.If I can find the shot of my puffy bun, I will post it later.

That's all folks!

What Inspired My Transition to Natural and March vs. June Length Shot

Well, for this post let's start with a blast from the past...I believe this picture from mid-August 2012 when I got my next to last relaxer.

I had an AWESOME stylist. I still love her! I wish she did natural hair...

Anywho, now you may be wondering like soooo many others in my life..."Why would you transition to natural? Your relaxed hair looks great and you can maintain it, unlike so many others with relaxed hair." I heard some variation of this comment from several family members and friends. You want the truth? Honestly?

The first time I attempted to transition, I made it to 26 weeks post relaxer, then gave up. I was doing it for the wrong reasons for ME. I wanted to be chemical free for health reasons...now you're thinking, "Since when is being healthy wrong?" It's not! It just wasn't enough of a motivator for me to go natural. Once I started having to deal with the tangling, breakage, and lack of styling options (in my mind), I RAN to the creamy crack!

This time, I'm motivated to be natural because...I want a change! I finally realize all of the styling options for my natural hair and said to myself, "Hey, self!" (don't judge me. Yes, I talk to me ALL the time, lol) "Look at all of these gorgeous 4b transitioning and natural hairstyles on youtubers, bloggers, family members, and friends! What are you talking about when you say you can't find any styles? You're being lazy because you don't want to LEARN to do those styles. Come off it and try something new! Be free from the stinky chemicals! Go natural!"

Okay, maybe the self-conversation wasn't exactly like that, but you get the point. I was afraid that I wouldn't find any styles for my 4b hair because I thought 4b hair was unmanageable (I know, folks! Please don't stone me!). But I've grown, and looking at my 29 weeks post relaxed hair now, I can't help but be in love.

It's soft and fluffy and holds great potential and a million possibilities. That's why I was inspired to go natural. I finally saw what I thought was impossible as very possible thanks to all of the gorgeous 4b ladies before me rocking ridiculously lush natural hair. Thanks ladies! Thanks family! Thanks friends!

Length shot for your viewing pleasure (or pain if you're looking at the state of my hair, lol). Don't mind the bra difference. Use the armpit as a guide. Breastfeeding kind of...ahem...lowered the girls...depressing I know...

March 2012

June 2012

The Half Wig: Hubby Update

Hey folks! Just a quick update on the half-wig. So remember I mentioned hubby's aversion to half wigs, right? I just had to relay the conversation. It was hilarious to me. Here's how it went:

Hubby: "Baby, your hair looks great!"
Me: "Thanks!"
Hubby: (an hour later) "Baby, I can't believe how good your hair looks!"
Me: "Thanks!"
Hubby: "No, really! It looks amazing! I like it a lot!"
Me: (big smiles, trying not to laugh)
Hubby: (pause)"...It looks good...REALLY good...(sounding more suspicious) It's perfect...Wait a minute! Is that YOUR hair?"
Me: (HUGE smiles)
Hubby: (shakes his head and smiles) "I don't know if I like it anymore..."

He's so funny, lol. But he can't complain about this one since he thought it was real! He thinks that since I already have hair that I shouldn't need extra. But he's finally starting to understand the benefits of protective styling.

The Half Wig!

Bought this a while ago and I really didn't like it on me, but with braids in the front, I think it looks great! Next time I'll leave the braided front out and just do braids straight back with this half wig. Wigs give my husband heart palpitations, but if I can convince him of the benefits of wearing the half wigs to preserve my length while I'm transitioning, he might go for it. Here's the pic (I know, no makeup, looking haggard. I'm a breastfeeding mom of a 3-week-old. So sue me, lol):

28 Weeks Post - The Wash and Rebraid: Nursing and Washing Hair--WHEW!

Hey guys! The little one is asleep and I had a three hour nap this afternoon, so I'm awake and ready to go wit a new post!

Soooo....I undid my braids in the FRONT of my hair only (remember the back is in plaits with my own hair), coated the hair with V05 Moisture Milks conditioner, detangled, and washed all of my hair yesterday morning in the shower with my Creme of Nature Kiwi and Citrus (I was going to take a texture shot but...i kind of forgot! Next two weeks, I promise!). I then used Organic Root Stimulator's Deep Penetrating Conditioner and coated all of my hair with that. I did a few chores, nursed my newborn, then washed it out about 3 hours later. I would normally prefer 45 minutes (the recommended amount of time), but I'm and on-demand feeding supply, lol.

Anywho, after I rinsed out the deep conditioner, I added a little Aveeno leave-in to all of the hair, put the front of my hair in two ponytails to airdry. Once dry, I used As I Am twist cream to braid up my hair. The braiding probably took 3-4 hours all together (without all of the nursing and naps in between). Remember, I'm a novice braider. This is only the second time I have ever braided my hair. The braids are getting better I think, but I need to work on my parting. Here's the results:

Gosh I have a big head, lol. 

I think it came out better with the twist cream. They are neater. But that might have to do with the size of the braids. Anywho, I'm happy! I still have a few plaits to redo in the back that are HUGE because I got lazy, lol. Oh! And I have a half wig that I think will go perfectly with the braided front. Stay tuned!

Transitioning with a Newborn Update

Whew! It has been one SERIOUS week. And you know I must love my hair because I just gave birth to my little Ethan on May 12, 2012 and here I am back on the hair blog! I want to make this short and sweet because I do have a newborn to care for so here goes.

I have had NO time to do my hair. I finally washed it two days ago in that same plaited style I showed you in my last post and am in the process of rebraiding it. Breastfeeding a newborn and transitioning is tough, so I probably won't change my hair unless one of my family members coming in town to see the baby offers to do it. Here's my hair after I had Ethan. I put my phony afro puff on that day. I'm using Aveeno leave-in for moisture every few days.

Similar style at 41 weeks pregnant (not my favorite pic of myself, but focus on the hair, lol):

I had an appointment with the pediatrician this morning and I STILL have not finished rebraiding it. It's super fuzzy and crazy looking. So here is the style I threw together to run out the door. I unbraided the one braid in the front, threw on a beanie and ran! Little Ethan almost made me late! I didn't even wear makeup (first time in years I've been in public with none on). I should have undone that ponytail in the back where the bump is. Next time!

Again, my hairstyle throughout the next 5-6 months will NOT change much. I will keep it braided with my own hair, wash in braids every week, and rebraid (rebraid the front every week, and rebraid the back every 3-4 weeks). I will keep you posted on my progress! And I'm sure you are all curious, so here he is: the newest love of our lives!

Product Chat: Conditioners

Alright folks. Let's have a chat about my conditioners. I talk about what I do to my transitioning 4b hair, but I also want to make sure I note what products I'm using and how I'm using them. Here's something you will quickly realize about me: I REFUSE to get rid of any inexpensive products. Any conditioners that don't work for me get added to the pre-shampoo detangling conditioners. I haven't yet met a conditioner that doesn't add a little slip to the hair when thoroughly coating the strands. If that doesn't work, there's always adding a little extra virgin olive oil to it for a little assistance. (Note: Misting sections of dry hair with a little water before adding conditioner helps with the detangling process).

Anyway, I finally bought some much-needed conditioners so I'm not just limited to what I currently have: the Cantu leave-in (good for blow-drying, but not sure how it works in air-dried hair) and Redken Smooth Down Butter Treat (very thick and creamy, but I think it leaves my hair more coated than moisturized).

I haven't yet used the Cantu leave-in again since I stopped straightening my hair. It worked really well when I blow-dried my hair because it always left my hair moisturized instead of dried out. The Redken Smooth Down Butter Treat I've only used once on dry hair since I found it about a week ago in the back of my cabinet. I thought it left my hair moisturized, but I'm starting to realize that it may have just left my strands coated with product instead (adding to the pre-poo pile! There's not much left anywho).

I'm just about out of the Shea Moisture conditioner that I've been using as a pre-poo since I discovered its drying qualities on my hair. Since then, I bought Organic Root Stimulator Deep Penetrating conditioner (for use as a deep conditioner), Aveeno leave-in (for use as leave-in and light daily moisture), and a V05 Moisture Milk Passion Fruit (for use as a rinse-out conditioner).

Unfortunately I can't properly review the three new products right now since my hair is in the braids, but in about two weeks when I take them out I'll review the Organic Root Stimulator and the Aveeno leave-in. Thanks for listening!

My Little $20 Mini-haul: I Love Beauty Supply Stores!

Well, I just came back from the giant beauty supply store a ways away since I've been pregnant (41 weeks!) and stuck in the house. I just wanted to get out and I planned on getting a hair flower for an event I have to go to on Monday, but when I learned the flowers were only $1, I got a little excited! I spent $20 and here's my haul:

 

Four flowers and four knitted caps. The cap at the top is purple if you can't tell. It's kind of dark. I'm excited about wearing these in the next few weeks! I'll add pics of me wearing these in a later post.

Week 24: Wash Day and New Style

Alright! Finally made it to another wash day yesterday. I went a little different this time, plaiting in nine plaits this time and leaving them in while washing again with Creme of Nature Shampoo. Note: bad idea for me to wash in plaits. I wasn't able to get all of the product out of the length of my hair with it in braids, but that may just be because I didn't squeeze the shampoo through the braids enough.

Anywho, I took out the plaits one by one and used the tension method to blow dry my natural roots and the demarcation line, replaited, tied my hair down with a satin scarf, and air dried the rest of the way overnight. I undid the plaits this morning and decided to put in individual plaits with my own hair and braid the front. I'm not good at braiding and plaiting, so this took five hours, but I'm sure I'll get faster with regular practice. Here are the results.

Starting Plaits

End Results

I like it! I will be happy if this style lasts two weeks. I will still wash them the best I can with a stocking cap on once per week., maybe three if I'm lucky.

Dry, dry, dry, dry...oh, and did I mention dry???!!!

If you couldn't tell from the title, I've been suffering from some SERIOUS dryness. However, I think I've pinpointed some part of the problem. One of the reasons I gave up deep conditioning for longer than 10-20 minutes was because the dryness I experienced was unaffected by the deep conditioning no matter how long or how much money I spent on hair products. Once my hair dried, ALL moisture was gone!

I thought maybe using products with no cones would help. I've been using the Shea Moisture (yellow) hair product line, but I've heard a lot of bad things about that product on both natural and relaxed hair. I'm thinking I'll try mixing these products with olive oil to add slip so I won't have wasted my money. The conditioner works well on detangling my dry hair, so I'll just keep up using that one as a pre-poo/detangler before I wash my hair and cut out using it after I shampoo.

Today I decided to go back to the silicone-based products. My hair is only half an inch away from bra-strap length (BSL) when stretched, so I definitely have way more relaxed hair than natural. I went through section by section and moisturized my hair with my old favorite Redken Smooth Down Butter Treat, then sealed with Africa's Best Herbal Oil. I lightly brushed it, put it in a ponytail (with ends tucked and pinned), and tied my hair down with a scarf. When I took off the scarf and rebunned my ends, my hair felt a MILLION times better! It feels moisturized, and the natural hair is finally laying down so my bun looks smooth and neat. I don't know if using silicone-based products will have any long-term negative effects, but it was something that finally penetrated my fragile air-dried hair. I will continue using my tried and true cone-based products until I experience any further trouble.

I was thinking I would need to start adding a lot of heat to my no-heat regimen, but it looks like it won't be necessary. I will be adding a teeny bit of heat to the middle section of my hair (meaning not the roots, not the ends, but the middle) so that this section will finally fully dry overnight (it REFUSES to completely air dry in ponytails, braids, bantu knots--you name it my hair refuses it), but I'll let you know how that goes once I try it.

All in all, I'm very happy with my hair right now.!

Find a style and STICK TO IT!

This is what I'm trying to do now. This will be a very short entry. I'm getting tons of breakage, and I think there are multiple causes, including not moisturizing enough and changing my hairstyle every day. I haven't really been changing it per say. I keep trying to get my bun to lie a little flatter because it looks like a flotation device on top of my head. I take it out daily and finger detangle, finger detangle, finger detangle. Then I break down and comb it with the shower comb (I know, I know...NEVER comb dry hair, but I have truly learned my lesson after seeing all the hair on the bathroom floor), and try two or three different styles before I come right back to the easy, EXTREMELY FLUFFY bun.

Well, today, I'm trying double bunning. I have to get to an appointment so I'll have to post a picture when I get back and a little more detail (product and styling), but if it hold and doesn't get too fluffy, I'm making it my regular go-to style. Be back in a few hours with a picture!
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Alright back with pictures. I'm not a huge fan of this style either, but it is easy and low maintenance. Perhaps moving the part or the bun placements will help I don't know. Plus the red semi permanent in my relaxed hair is extremely different than my natural black hair. This transitioning is not easy!

I'm thinking next wash day I'll try the style below, but bantu knot my hair. I think it should last that way. If it does, and the tangles aren't too much, I'll make that it my regulary.

Second Wash Routine Attempt: Mistakes and Steps to Improve

So today was wash day, and with the braid-out, it was some rough detangling. I won't be using that as a regular style. It's too much manipulation and too much breakage when detangling. So this wash day, here is what happened:

1. I put my hair in nine pony tails instead of the four I did last week. 
2. For the first six sections, I parted, put extra virgin olive oil on it, detangled, and ponytailed. 
3. Then I realized my hair was still extremely dry and I'm getting a lot of breakage. So for the last three sections, I used Shea Moisture's Shea Butter conditioner to detangle. This REALLY helped. I wished I would have thought about it six sections ago, lol. 
4. From there, I changed my mind and decided I couldn't effectively wash nine sections and split then back into four, parting with the comb and finger detangling into the four ponytails. 
5. I washed each section with Cream of Nature's Kiwi and Mango shampoo for dry, brittle hair, then rinsed each section, changing my mind AGAIN, deciding that redoing the ponytails while soaking wet would cause too much breakage because the hair ties tangled with the wet hair. 
6. So halfway through washing, I decided to remove all of the ponytail holders and bantu knot each section.
7. Deep breath...SO! I had four soaking wet bantu knots when I exited the shower. I went section by section, undoing the knot, squeezing dry, toweling dry, coating section in Shea Moisture's Shea conditioner again, detangling with comb, and putting back into ponytail to stretch the new growth. 
8. In the end, I ended up with four ponytails again, which will air dry overnight. Here they are. Nothing special:

In the morning, I plan to undo the ponytails and put in four bantu knots with As I Am Twisting Cream, and cover with scarf. Then I'm going for a 30 minute walk (38.5 weeks pregnant, ZERO dilation, and STILL trying to get this little guy moving), and I'll take down the knots and see if it's possible to get a decent little puff to wear. If not, then I'm going to put it in a bun.

Improved (and shortened) plan for next wash:

1. Part in four sections and bantu knot
2. Take down each section and detangle with conditioner and shower comb
3. Redo bantu knots
4. Wash and rinse each section thoroughly, being sure to redo bantu knots as I go
5. Squeeze dry, condition, detangle, and ponytail section by section to moisturize and stretch new growth

First Braidout Attempt since last transition

I decided to test out a braidout on my transitioning hair. I wanted to try it before I washed my hair so I could know if I wanted to make it a regular transition style during the course of my transition. I haven't washed my hair since this past Monday (so I'll be washing my hair tomorrow). I took down my bun and parted my hair into four sections. I split the four sections into three plaits each, so I had a total of 12 plaits. I sprayed each section with a mixture of EVOO and water,detangled the sections, used Argan Oil Wrap lotion on the relaxed part for hold, and proceeded to plait each section (I just used what products I had on hand. I'm trying to avoid making any unnecessary purchases and filling my cabinet with hair products I never touch). I pincurled the plaits because I don't have any rollers small enough. I took the hair down and attempted to style, putting on a headband. The results (and yes, I'm 39 weeks pregnant with my first baby!)...

Well...I hated it. HATED! I felt like it made me look like a little girl and my husband didn't like it either.

So I played and played and played with it...and finally came up with this style somewhat stolen from my favorite natural youtuber, luvbeinnatural. I already had the same hair accessory. I just used a headband instead. I ended up taking off the one in the pic and just using a simpler headband. The result...

I like it! My husband likes it too. I quote him, "If this is how your hair is going to look when you're natural, then I'm all for it." For me that is a huge coup because he has NOT been on the natural bandwagon since I told him I'm transitioning. Instead of showing him pictures of other people in natural styles like I did before (which didn't work), I decided to show him the styles I like on me. Style #1: Unsuccessful. Style #2: Success! The style to me seems a bit dressy for my usual look, but I'm sure I'll figure out a regular more toned down style soon enough. All in all, I'm happy!