One Year Later...

I AM FREE!

Free of the Creamy Crack! Ok, I've been off the crack for a while now, but the effects of it's use are finally gone. I did the BC (Big Chop) last Friday. At first I was a little scared, not knowing for sure how my hair would react to the change from half natural/half relaxed to all natural. And for the first few days I don't know if it was in my mind or not, but it seemed my hair was a little confused too. But it has seemed to settle in nicely. It's really curly right now. Here's hoping I'll still be this confident as it starts to grow out and lengthen due to the weight of the hair. I'll keep you posted!

It's Been Awhile, I Know...

Ok, it's been a long while since the last time I posted. I've been busy and experimenting with what works and what doesn't and different techniques to use. What I didn't expect is how much fun this would be, figuring out what works for my hair and what doesn't. I'm pretty pleased with my decision to go natural.

I'm washing my hair twice a week or about every 4 days. One big reason being it's not long enough in the back to pony-tail or bun it. So when it starts to get fuzzy the only real choice I have is to re-twist. And since I would rather re-twist with fresh hair I have to wash it.

On the weekends I wash with shampoo, then apply a reconstructor, cover with a plastic cap and sit under a hooded dryer set on low heat for 30 minutes. After that I rinse out the reconstructor, apply my leave-in and follow my usual twist and curl routine. During the week I wash with a rinse out conditioner, apply my leave-in conditioner, and twist and curl. I usually air-dry overnight but depending on what leave-in I use I may have to sit under a dryer for a little bit to make sure my hair is dry through and through before I take down my twists.

Products I am currently using:

Shampoo - Organix Nourishing Coconut Milk

Rinse out Conditioner - Suave Naturals (right now I'm liking the Fresh Mountain Strawberry)

Leave-in Conditioner - Garnier Fructis Sleek and Shine Fortifying Conditioner

Alternate Leave-In Conditioner - Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Moisturizing Conditioner

I can live with this routine for a little bit longer as I wait for my BC. Oh yeah, don't forget to check out CurlyNikki.com and TightlyCurly.com, a couple of my favorite natural hair sites.

And I'll keep you posted...

My Hair Inspirations

Girlfriends was one of my favorite shows! Each of those independent women had their own sense of style. But it was their hair that always drew my attention. I admired Toni's perfectly weaved tresses (except for that awlful wig she began wearing after she married Todd - but I digress). Lynn was a free spirit and so was her hair. Mya's transformation and personal growth over the years was reflected in how the quality of her hair changed with her economic status. And then there was Joan Carol Clayton. When she was in a scene it was her hair that got everybody's attention. I spent many a show wondering what she and her stylist did to get her hair to look like that. If you wondered too follow this link to find out what Tracee Ellis Ross uses in her gorgeous hair: http://www.hairboutique.com/tips/tip000220.htm

Other curly manes I've envied:

Cree Summer ("Freddie Brooks") of A Different World fame

Rachel True ("Mona Thorn") from Half & Half


If one day I can acheive anything close to any of these results I'll be satisfied. For now, I'll just have to be content waiting for the day that I can do my BC.

Michael Jackson 1958-2009

Back in the day, Michael Jackson was the boy! I remember as a young teen dancing and singing to his music, following his every move in Ebony, Jet and all the other teen magazines.

Then came Thriller which changed everything(although I will always say his breakthru album was Off The Wall). Michael was on fire! Everything he touched turned to gold and then platinum. I even remember that being when I decided I wanted a Jeri Curl after seeing the video for Thriller.

Whatever your personal views on Michael the man, it can't be denied that Michael the Artist was a true innovator. His talent is truly missed...

A Very Curly Morning

Just wanted to show how my hair turned out this morning. I was pleased when I left home this morning for work. I loved how the back turned out using the Mixed Chicks conditioner on my curly RH (Relaxerless Hair - I wasn’t able to get a decent pic to upload, cuz I was in a hurry). I do like using the Mixed Chicks leave in on the rest of my hair. However, I think I want to try some other products to see if I can get a smoother, longer lasting finish. This weekend I will be doing some shopping…

My Take on TightlyCurly Primer & CurlyNikki TNC

Monday my hair started looking a little fuzzy so I retwisted it that night without washing it. I'm still doing a lot of online research and mulling over all the things I'm learning. So today I decided to come home after work and re-do my hair from scratch.

Wendi's Technique:

1. In the shower I started by Co-Washing with a Suave moisturizing conditioner. I massaged my scalp but concentrated on squishing the moisturizer through my hair to gently cleanse it.
2. Rinsed thoroughly making sure no conditioner was left.
3. Generously added my leave-in conditioner. At present I'm using Mixed Chicks Leave-In Conditioner. I wet my head again to make sure the conditioner would work it's way through my hair to the ends and then concentrated putting more conditioner on the ends.
4. Detangled my hair with (you guessed right) my brand new Denman Brush. I LUV IT! This also served to further distribute conditioner throughout my hair.
5. No rinse!
6. While still in the shower, separate my hair so that curls can begin to form in the back (the part that I wont be Twisting)
7. After I got out of the shower, for the sides and the top back of my head I did my own take on the CurlyNikki Twist and Curl (http://www.curlynikki.com/2008/10/as-promised-t-n-c-tutorial-is-here-d.html). My hair is currently cut into an Elongated Bob so I still have relaxer on the ends in the front. The back of my head from the top of my ears down is relaxerless and curly so I just let that air dry undisturbed. I'll let the twists dry over night and take them down in the morning.

I followed many of the steps in the Curly Primer found on TightlyCurly.com. I can't wait until my hair has grown enough to do the BC so I can see what my hair really will do following Teri's whole technique.

Thanks to Teri and Nikki here's my look at bedtime:








Sweet Dreams!