So, I talked to my boo about how I want to cut my hair and he wouldn't even talk about it. So...., as you can guess it didn't go to well. Now, I'm stuck in a rut with a choice to make in three months. Initially I was going to wait, but I don't know if I can wait that long to do my big chop. To be honest I'm not sure if my hair can wait that long for me to big chop before it decides to break off. The last thing I want is to damage the hair I have worked so hard to achieve in the past year and couple months. I have to admit it's really not easy working with two textures especially when the ends are severely weaker than the rest of your hair.
So I've created this poll and I will take everyone's comments and votes into consideration at the end of April. This is not an easy decision to make since my so and I have so much history that has accumulated over the past three years I honestly don't know what to do. HELP ME!!!
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Monday, March 9, 2009
Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Happy Valentines Day, and Happy Presidents Day
Okay I know I've been gone for a minute but I have been debating on when to do my big chop along with a few other things that I've been trying to do.
Updates Updates Updates
Growth Update
Unfortunately because I have new phone I can not post new pics of my hair length since I last took pictures. I honestly don't feel like I made progress but I know that I have. As of today which makes me officially more than 14 months into my transition the sides of my natural hair are 7 inches stretched and the back middle part that always gives me a lot of trouble is 6 inches stretched. Yes I know a full inch difference. Thats a lot of length. Now I truly understand why it is that my hair always grows in an inverted V in the back. I always thought it might be the way that I cut it, but I see now that it is just how my hair grows. Which really sucks.
Hair Texture Update
After cutting my hair in two areas the middle back and on the sides I have found that my hair on the sides are almost like a 3c with a small mixture of 4a and the back middle is a 4b texture. So this should be really fun when its time for my big chop. Three different textures!
Big Chop Date Update
Okay so you all don't know, but lately I've been seriously contemplating extending the date of my big chop. I'm not sure if I posted this before, but I'm assuming I didn't just to be clear. Over the break I had been thinking about extending the BC for another year which would make the date June 17, 2010 which would be a total of a 30 month transition. After much consideration I figured life is a beautiful transition and I should enjoy it, but it's also short so:
This is two days before my birthday. I'm so excited and I can't wait!
Regimen Update.
During my three months of preparation for my big chop I have decided to change my regimen specifically for this purpose. It is extremely rigorous, but the results will be well worth it. Last year around this time my hair grew pretty fast I believe this may be because of the frequent cowashes and wet buns I was doing at the time. So for the next three months I have decided that each week I will do at least:
3 Cowashes
1 Deep Conditioning Treatment (either over night or under a hooded dryer for 45 minutes)
After each wash or rinse I will:
Apply MT to the scalp only
Apply leave in conditioner to the hair
Seal with a mixture of olive oil, conditioner, shea butter, grape seed oil, and castor oil
Because MT has protein in it I will not need to do any protein treatments during this time. Also my MT is mixed with olive oil and tea tree essential oil. Since I will be cowashing so frequently I might only wear protective styles such as wet buns, cornrows, or a mix of the two.
Every two weeks I will:
Cleanse my hair with Bentonite Clay (absolutely no shampoo)
I just recently ordered the bentonite clay and will start using it this weekend, hopefully, which is when I hope to start implementing this regimen. I will probably do a review on it and tell you if I like it more than the baking soda and water.
More plans
In June I plan to do a henna treatment maybe a week or two before I do the big chop and then maybe the same day as the big chop. This way I can get a head start on keeping my new tresses healthy and strong.
So with all that said and all the updates.
Peace, Love, and Please No Hair Grease.
Updates Updates Updates
Growth Update
Unfortunately because I have new phone I can not post new pics of my hair length since I last took pictures. I honestly don't feel like I made progress but I know that I have. As of today which makes me officially more than 14 months into my transition the sides of my natural hair are 7 inches stretched and the back middle part that always gives me a lot of trouble is 6 inches stretched. Yes I know a full inch difference. Thats a lot of length. Now I truly understand why it is that my hair always grows in an inverted V in the back. I always thought it might be the way that I cut it, but I see now that it is just how my hair grows. Which really sucks.
Hair Texture Update
After cutting my hair in two areas the middle back and on the sides I have found that my hair on the sides are almost like a 3c with a small mixture of 4a and the back middle is a 4b texture. So this should be really fun when its time for my big chop. Three different textures!
Big Chop Date Update
Okay so you all don't know, but lately I've been seriously contemplating extending the date of my big chop. I'm not sure if I posted this before, but I'm assuming I didn't just to be clear. Over the break I had been thinking about extending the BC for another year which would make the date June 17, 2010 which would be a total of a 30 month transition. After much consideration I figured life is a beautiful transition and I should enjoy it, but it's also short so:
This is two days before my birthday. I'm so excited and I can't wait!
Regimen Update.
During my three months of preparation for my big chop I have decided to change my regimen specifically for this purpose. It is extremely rigorous, but the results will be well worth it. Last year around this time my hair grew pretty fast I believe this may be because of the frequent cowashes and wet buns I was doing at the time. So for the next three months I have decided that each week I will do at least:
3 Cowashes
1 Deep Conditioning Treatment (either over night or under a hooded dryer for 45 minutes)
After each wash or rinse I will:
Apply MT to the scalp only
Apply leave in conditioner to the hair
Seal with a mixture of olive oil, conditioner, shea butter, grape seed oil, and castor oil
Because MT has protein in it I will not need to do any protein treatments during this time. Also my MT is mixed with olive oil and tea tree essential oil. Since I will be cowashing so frequently I might only wear protective styles such as wet buns, cornrows, or a mix of the two.
Every two weeks I will:
Cleanse my hair with Bentonite Clay (absolutely no shampoo)
I just recently ordered the bentonite clay and will start using it this weekend, hopefully, which is when I hope to start implementing this regimen. I will probably do a review on it and tell you if I like it more than the baking soda and water.
More plans
In June I plan to do a henna treatment maybe a week or two before I do the big chop and then maybe the same day as the big chop. This way I can get a head start on keeping my new tresses healthy and strong.
So with all that said and all the updates.
Peace, Love, and Please No Hair Grease.
Friday, December 12, 2008
That Kink Back There Story Part 1
That Kink Back There
Part One
By: Apiphani B.
Part One
By: Apiphani B.
It was a strange thing that curl back there. It was resistant. Momma would try everything to get that one strand straight. She pulled it in a ponytail with jail (gel) and all. It still managed to break free and curl. She tried the pressing comb on a chilly winters day. It still broke out and did its thang by the end of the day. The only thing that got it to lay down and be still was that stuff she called a perm. But after a week that kink back there was parlayin like nothin ever happened. I admired it in a way. It was rebellious. It told a story all its own. That it would be the boss and no one else. Hey, it wouldn't even listen to me. I love it, that kink back there. I asked Momma, " Why can't we just let it be?"
"Let what be baby?"
"That kink back there that never lays straight like the rest when we pull it, burn it, or put that straightin'in stuff on there."
"Cause it aint cute to be walkin around with your hair uncombed and all that kinky nappy stuff just out and about. And its somethin that you just don't do."
For years I accepted this as the norm. It would have to be pulled, pressed, or chemically burned. Sometimes it would have to be all three. Especially when I got older. It seemed as though my hair was angry at me. Cause it started to be like that kink back there. They were not happy with this prison of jail and constant crack I was feeding it. It wanted nourishment. One day I fed it water and conditioner instead of puttin it in jail. And I'll be damned if they didn't lay down obediently. I thought it was a fluke. I threw those kinks back in jail and by the end of the day .... Lets just say it wasn't pretty. Those kinks were thirsty as hell. The jail didn't have nothin in it but alcohol so of course they would get dehydrated.
I think I was finally beginnin to understand my hair. Kinks may have been ugly to Momma, but ignorin them wasn't healthy for me nor my kinks. I decided to do some research on them chemicals and found more carcinogens in them than actual good stuff for my hair. So I decided to throw out all the unnecessary junk. Including my beloved jail. It wasn't good especially with all that alcohol. I think it was trying to get my hair drunk. Actually it did. Made it all intoxicated to the point where it wouldn't even move or budge and hurt like hell if I tried to move it. Water was the only thing that could wake them kinks up out of that slumber. It was the equivalent to my coffee but more healthy of course.
O, my poor kinks what have I been doing to you all these years?
...to be continued...
"Let what be baby?"
"That kink back there that never lays straight like the rest when we pull it, burn it, or put that straightin'in stuff on there."
"Cause it aint cute to be walkin around with your hair uncombed and all that kinky nappy stuff just out and about. And its somethin that you just don't do."
For years I accepted this as the norm. It would have to be pulled, pressed, or chemically burned. Sometimes it would have to be all three. Especially when I got older. It seemed as though my hair was angry at me. Cause it started to be like that kink back there. They were not happy with this prison of jail and constant crack I was feeding it. It wanted nourishment. One day I fed it water and conditioner instead of puttin it in jail. And I'll be damned if they didn't lay down obediently. I thought it was a fluke. I threw those kinks back in jail and by the end of the day .... Lets just say it wasn't pretty. Those kinks were thirsty as hell. The jail didn't have nothin in it but alcohol so of course they would get dehydrated.
I think I was finally beginnin to understand my hair. Kinks may have been ugly to Momma, but ignorin them wasn't healthy for me nor my kinks. I decided to do some research on them chemicals and found more carcinogens in them than actual good stuff for my hair. So I decided to throw out all the unnecessary junk. Including my beloved jail. It wasn't good especially with all that alcohol. I think it was trying to get my hair drunk. Actually it did. Made it all intoxicated to the point where it wouldn't even move or budge and hurt like hell if I tried to move it. Water was the only thing that could wake them kinks up out of that slumber. It was the equivalent to my coffee but more healthy of course.
O, my poor kinks what have I been doing to you all these years?
...to be continued...
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Braids: Life saver or inhibitor?
I apologize for not posting my braid regimen yet. Something is wrong with my yahoo account. I can't seem to access it through my computer at home. So I'll probably post that tomorrow morning while I'm at school.
I was just thinking about why I love my braids so much and I've kind of been questioning if I've just been putting them in to avoid doing the Big Chop (BC). I always tend to put them in when I feel like I'm playing in my hair too much or if I feel a little more breakage than what I'm used to. I think if I didn't know how to braid my own hair I probably would have BC'ed by now.
Do you remember when I talked about my hair growing in the inverted V? Well, I figured out part of the problem was because of the constant breakage back there. I'm extremely concerned now. Especially after braiding my hair last time. (One pro to braiding my own hair is that I can feel whats dry, brittle, and/or has broken off and I always have this one problem area.) Lately its just constantly been on my mind whenever I do something to my hair.
"What am I going to do when I take these braids out?"
I mean, I already know the first thing I have to do is a protein treatment with a major concentration on the line of demarcation and my permed ends. That's if I really want to make it through the holidays with my permed hair. Besides, I'm not ready to cut and I want to wait until my birthday. This will be my birthday gift to myself. It wouldn't be good as a Christmas gift because I wouldn't get to play with my hair until the spring and it gets brutally cold here between late January and the early part of April. Four months that I should keep my hair in braids or whatever protective styles I can get my hands on and a Wash n Go is definitely not one of them.
Anyways back to the plan of action once I take the braids down I'll do a protein treatment and a deep moisturizing treatment. The first style out of braids will probably be a flat twist out. I am not and I repeat I WILL NOT flat iron my hair for the holidays. Only roller sets, flat twist outs, and braids will be allowed and the only heat I will use is from my hard bonnet dryer and on the low setting. Even if that means I have to sit under that thing for five hours until it dries. So be it. NO MORE DAMAGE.
I think the problem area of my hair became damaged from the gelling and flat ironing I was doing shortly before I braided my hair. Then on top of that I wet bunned my hair without properly detangling that back section. SO. YEAH. Word to the wise, DONT DO THAT! Its a recipe for disaster. I just hope its not too late for me to save it.
I've been moisturizing my hair everyday since then and I've also been co-washing my braids with the VO5 moisturizing milks with protein in it. I hope it helps. AND if all else fails, yes I'm going to say it. These are coming out:
Ok, so they don't really look that intimidating. But please don't be surprised if I come back after Christmas, New Years, or Valentines Day with a new hair cut. Yeah i said it. It probably won't be the BC, but I guarantee you that the back of my hair will be all natural, but then again who am I kidding I get scissor happy.
I was so proud of myself the last time I dusted my ends. It was just a regularly dusting of the old ends, but this time, which will be as soon as the braids come out, I don't know if the scissors will be so forgiving. Its like they have a mind of their own. Wish me luck and look out for my braid regimen tomorrow.
Peace and No Hair Grease
I was just thinking about why I love my braids so much and I've kind of been questioning if I've just been putting them in to avoid doing the Big Chop (BC). I always tend to put them in when I feel like I'm playing in my hair too much or if I feel a little more breakage than what I'm used to. I think if I didn't know how to braid my own hair I probably would have BC'ed by now.
Do you remember when I talked about my hair growing in the inverted V? Well, I figured out part of the problem was because of the constant breakage back there. I'm extremely concerned now. Especially after braiding my hair last time. (One pro to braiding my own hair is that I can feel whats dry, brittle, and/or has broken off and I always have this one problem area.) Lately its just constantly been on my mind whenever I do something to my hair.
"What am I going to do when I take these braids out?"
I mean, I already know the first thing I have to do is a protein treatment with a major concentration on the line of demarcation and my permed ends. That's if I really want to make it through the holidays with my permed hair. Besides, I'm not ready to cut and I want to wait until my birthday. This will be my birthday gift to myself. It wouldn't be good as a Christmas gift because I wouldn't get to play with my hair until the spring and it gets brutally cold here between late January and the early part of April. Four months that I should keep my hair in braids or whatever protective styles I can get my hands on and a Wash n Go is definitely not one of them.
Anyways back to the plan of action once I take the braids down I'll do a protein treatment and a deep moisturizing treatment. The first style out of braids will probably be a flat twist out. I am not and I repeat I WILL NOT flat iron my hair for the holidays. Only roller sets, flat twist outs, and braids will be allowed and the only heat I will use is from my hard bonnet dryer and on the low setting. Even if that means I have to sit under that thing for five hours until it dries. So be it. NO MORE DAMAGE.
I think the problem area of my hair became damaged from the gelling and flat ironing I was doing shortly before I braided my hair. Then on top of that I wet bunned my hair without properly detangling that back section. SO. YEAH. Word to the wise, DONT DO THAT! Its a recipe for disaster. I just hope its not too late for me to save it.
I've been moisturizing my hair everyday since then and I've also been co-washing my braids with the VO5 moisturizing milks with protein in it. I hope it helps. AND if all else fails, yes I'm going to say it. These are coming out:
Ok, so they don't really look that intimidating. But please don't be surprised if I come back after Christmas, New Years, or Valentines Day with a new hair cut. Yeah i said it. It probably won't be the BC, but I guarantee you that the back of my hair will be all natural, but then again who am I kidding I get scissor happy.I was so proud of myself the last time I dusted my ends. It was just a regularly dusting of the old ends, but this time, which will be as soon as the braids come out, I don't know if the scissors will be so forgiving. Its like they have a mind of their own. Wish me luck and look out for my braid regimen tomorrow.
Peace and No Hair Grease
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
WAIT A MINUTE!!!!
Its no longer a dream Martin Luther King it is now life as we know it. No one believed it would happen for centuries to come, but it has. Its wonderful that now young african american boys can say when they are young, "I want to be president when I grow up." No longer a fairy tale or an unattainable goal. Anything is possible!
Tears of joy were shared all across the world as America made its voice heard and said, "Its time for change."
Clarify and Moisturizing Treatment
Please excuse this post because it is not completely documented with pics of the progress like I want it to be, but o well. So this is the question at hand. How'd I go from this:
To this wonderful pic right here:
Well let me tell you it wasn't as simple and easy it as it seems. Well the first part was kind of simple. So, lets start from the beginning. It all started with a flat twist out puff.
I took it down when I got home to get the first pic in this post. The small curls on the ends were acheived with the second to smallest perm rod rollers I could find at the Beauty Supply Store.
The next step involved one tablespoon baking soda and four cups of water to clarify my hair. I didn't use a comb or brush before rinsing the clear substance through my hair. I massaged it through my scalp for 60 seconds to break up any build up I may have had and immediately rinsed out for several minutes to be sure the mixture was all out.
Clean hair with a tangled mess.
Next came the moisturizing treatment. I took some tips from Traycee off of www.k-i-s-s.info and her prepoo. Since I've already clarified I won't be shampooing. I pulled out my wonderful Tresemme flawless curls and put 5 oz in my tint bowl and added .5 oz of jojoba oil and another .5 oz of Bonner Brothers Growth Oil (trying to stretch my jojoba oil its time for a new bottle other wise it would have been 1 oz. jojoba oil).
Then I added 1/4 teaspoon peppermint essential oil and 1/4 teaspoon eucalyptus essential oil ( I got this idea from Traycee). I mixed it up together using a folding technique where I fold the oil into the conditioner. Just a heads up the essential oils are very strong. Use according to your own tolerance. This is the mixture I got when I finished mixing everything up.
I separated my hair into four sections and applied the conditioner to my hair as I would a relaxer focusing on my natural hair and the line of demarcation <--very important especially for transitioners. (The line of demarcation is a stress point and it can easily be broken if not given enough attention and carefully handled. The last thing we want is breakage and damaged natural hair when we finally decide to big chop. Also this damage can cause us to end our transition sooner than we hoped to.) After applying it to the natural hair and line of demarcation I worked the excess product down into the relaxed hair and lightly detangled each section with a wide tooth comb. After the application
I covered my hair with saran wrap, a shower cap, and a scarf and went to sleep. I awoke at four a.m. with a tingling and cold head from the peppermint and eucalyptus essential oils. It was time to rinse. This is when I do my final detangle. While I rinse out the conditioner from each section I brush through it with my conair (wannabe denman) brush. I keep my sections separated so that my hair can stay detangled. I leave my hair in these four sections to air dry. I keep my hair up with hair roller pins in case you were wondering.
Thats what I do when I clarify my hair. Normally when I'm just gonna do a cowash I will do the moisturizing treatment as a prepoo and then after I rinse out the conditioner I would use VO5 moisturizing conditioner (moisture milks) to clean my scalp and give my hair a little boost of protein. I will post my protein treatment regimen next month when I take my braids down for Christmas.
After the treatment I decided that I needed to braid my hair especially considering that I have midterms and finals coming very soon. Which means I need to spend more time studying and less time playing in my hair trying to style every three days and what not. So I installed some micro braids and curled them using Curlformers and hot water. Next week I'll post how I care for my braids and wash them. I love my braids.
To this wonderful pic right here:
Well let me tell you it wasn't as simple and easy it as it seems. Well the first part was kind of simple. So, lets start from the beginning. It all started with a flat twist out puff.
I took it down when I got home to get the first pic in this post. The small curls on the ends were acheived with the second to smallest perm rod rollers I could find at the Beauty Supply Store.
The next step involved one tablespoon baking soda and four cups of water to clarify my hair. I didn't use a comb or brush before rinsing the clear substance through my hair. I massaged it through my scalp for 60 seconds to break up any build up I may have had and immediately rinsed out for several minutes to be sure the mixture was all out.
Clean hair with a tangled mess.
Next came the moisturizing treatment. I took some tips from Traycee off of www.k-i-s-s.info and her prepoo. Since I've already clarified I won't be shampooing. I pulled out my wonderful Tresemme flawless curls and put 5 oz in my tint bowl and added .5 oz of jojoba oil and another .5 oz of Bonner Brothers Growth Oil (trying to stretch my jojoba oil its time for a new bottle other wise it would have been 1 oz. jojoba oil).
Then I added 1/4 teaspoon peppermint essential oil and 1/4 teaspoon eucalyptus essential oil ( I got this idea from Traycee). I mixed it up together using a folding technique where I fold the oil into the conditioner. Just a heads up the essential oils are very strong. Use according to your own tolerance. This is the mixture I got when I finished mixing everything up.
I separated my hair into four sections and applied the conditioner to my hair as I would a relaxer focusing on my natural hair and the line of demarcation <--very important especially for transitioners. (The line of demarcation is a stress point and it can easily be broken if not given enough attention and carefully handled. The last thing we want is breakage and damaged natural hair when we finally decide to big chop. Also this damage can cause us to end our transition sooner than we hoped to.) After applying it to the natural hair and line of demarcation I worked the excess product down into the relaxed hair and lightly detangled each section with a wide tooth comb. After the application
I covered my hair with saran wrap, a shower cap, and a scarf and went to sleep. I awoke at four a.m. with a tingling and cold head from the peppermint and eucalyptus essential oils. It was time to rinse. This is when I do my final detangle. While I rinse out the conditioner from each section I brush through it with my conair (wannabe denman) brush. I keep my sections separated so that my hair can stay detangled. I leave my hair in these four sections to air dry. I keep my hair up with hair roller pins in case you were wondering.Thats what I do when I clarify my hair. Normally when I'm just gonna do a cowash I will do the moisturizing treatment as a prepoo and then after I rinse out the conditioner I would use VO5 moisturizing conditioner (moisture milks) to clean my scalp and give my hair a little boost of protein. I will post my protein treatment regimen next month when I take my braids down for Christmas.
After the treatment I decided that I needed to braid my hair especially considering that I have midterms and finals coming very soon. Which means I need to spend more time studying and less time playing in my hair trying to style every three days and what not. So I installed some micro braids and curled them using Curlformers and hot water. Next week I'll post how I care for my braids and wash them. I love my braids.
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