Sunday, April 24, 2011

Tips for Beautiful, Healthy Hair

We’ve all seen the ads for hair products ranging from shampoo and conditioners to hair serums, heat protectors, deep conditioners and glosses. So how do you know which products are best for your hair?
The main ingredient, found in approximately 90% of shampoos is Sodium Lauryl Sulfate or Sodium Laureth Sulfate. Sodium Laurel Sulfate is used mainly because it is an inexpensive detergent that mixes well as a foaming agent. Detergents like this can be toxic to your body and strip follicles of natural oils. It is recommended to use more gentle, natural ingredients for your skin and hair products.
Look for plant-based ingredients like castille soap, which does not lather up the way traditional shampoos do, but is much better for the health of your hair and your body. You can also use a gentle cleanser or baking soda with a few drops of your favorite essential oil.
You may choose to wash your hair every day, once it is balanced out, but it may be better to wash every 2 or 3 days to keep the natural oils locked in. Gently massage your scalp with your fingers to increase circulation and eliminate any hard-to-reach debris.
Hair follicles are gentle and should be treated as such. After shampooing, you should rinse your hair completely with cool water, which will lock the cuticle, rather than harsh hot water. Gently brush your hair with a wide-toothed comb and pat dry. Limiting the use of heat styling products like hair dryers, curling irons or flat irons will also help to keep your hair shiny and healthy.

How do you keep your hair healthy and beautiful?

Source: http://www.yeahtips.com/2009/03/11/tips-for-beautiful-healthy-hair/

Happy Easter!

Sunday, April 17, 2011

The Curly Girl Handbook

{CURLY GIRL BY Massey, Lorraine(Author)}Curly Girl: The Handbook [With DVD] (Expanded)[paperback]Workman Publishing(Publisher)

Some of you gals might know that I am currently following the curly girl method and so far, I am loving it! You don't need a whole lot of money, just patience.


To begin the curly girl method a curlie needs to buy the right products as specified by the method. It is recommended that you write down the no-no ingredients and a few products you are interested in trying. This makes it easy when going to the store. You also might want to start out with less expensive products so you can get a feel for what your hair needs, before buying more expensive lines.


Start with the basics which are a no-sulfate shampoo, no-silicone conditioner and oil and/or gel (no-silicone nor alcohol)

This book is a great investment so read a few pages free by clicking on the above image and buy it today! Right now, I am on day 5 using this method and it is the best thing since sliced bread!

The Do-It-Yourself Weave Manual


Part of being a black woman is to be very versatile especially when it comes to style. I'm not an expert when it comes to wearing weaves so I think you should check out this ultimate guide to everything you want to know about hair extensions. If you're tired of paying your beautician hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars to look fly then this guide is perfect for you.

Click Here! To Download this guide today!

Cancer for Straight Hair?


This report is highly controversial on the most prolific cover-ups the hair and beauty industry has ever seen. The Brazilian Keratin Blowout is not worth the risk. Get informed today!

Click Here! To find out more

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

3 weeks after Big Chop!



Hair Update! Intro to Curly Girl Method.

Curly Sue

110_0202 by rrcoley2
110_0202, a photo by rrcoley2 on Flickr.

Accessories look so much better on natural hair. Go to Bridgestreet Mall in Huntsville, AL to stock up on these girly items.

Tim Ferriss: 7 Great Principles for Dealing with Haters



They are green with envy. So what! Check out these tips to learn how to deal with the haters and use them as well. The more you got, the better.

 Tim Ferriss: 7 Great Principles for Dealing with Haters

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Child Relaxer: It's Not That Deep!

This is horrible! I don't know what's worse, the girl getting the relaxer, the camera man laughing, or those damn dishes in the sink! You be the judge.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

5 Things to NEVER Put on Your Hair

I know some of ya'll are guilty of this. Don't be ashamed, I won't tell anyone ;). Check out this article courtesy of NaturallyCurly.com

5 Things to NEVER Put on Your Hair

Crazy for Coconut Oil


Coconut oil for hair? Coconut oil has served the human head's crowning glory for millennia. Its unique chemical structure enables it to harmlessly clean, nourish, protect and beautify your hair.


Hair Facts

Your head has about 100,000 hair follicles. Each follicle can grow about 20 individual hairs in your lifetime.

True healthy hair begins in the hair follicle. Blood carries nutrients through arteries connected to your hair follicles.

Coconut oil and hair growth goes hand-in-hand. Coconut oil replaces the natural oils your hair looses on a regular basis.


Hair Protein Loss

Unlike other oils used in shampoo formulations, coconut oil helps minimize protein loss during washing to keep each hair strand strong. Try these coconut hair oil recipes and see what fits your fancy.

Coconut oil keeps protein loss at a minimum because of its close association with hair proteins. It’s mostly medium chain triglycerides (MCT) which can pass freely through the cell membrane. The smaller molecular structure of MCT-rich coconut oil enables efficient penetration inside the hair shaft.

MCTs are at the heart of the coconut oil baldness beneficial link. Reports of coconut oil counteracting hair loss and even promoting hair growth are fairly common. I'm living proof of this! :-)


Healthy Hair from Within

Using coconut oil for hair externally or topically is the best way to go. But don't forget that stress, illness, malnutrition and medication all have something to say about the health of your hair.

Cooking with coconut oil is one of the easiest ways to maintain good overall health, including your hair. Its tremendous antimicrobial blessings assist in giving your hair full body and radiance.

Very few people know that thyroid disease often manifests first in the condition of the hair. A coconut oil diet can promote normal thyroid gland activity such as controlling how your body makes protein necessary for hair roots.



Sebaceous glands secrete a fatty substance called sebum, which protects and waterproofs your hair and scalp skin to keep them from drying and breaking. Like coconut oil, sebum contains MCTs.

Remember, scalp skin is just like the rest of your skin. For this reason, coconut oil uses for skin are equally remarkable.


Direct is Best

Religiously massage virgin coconut oil (VCO) directly on your hair and scalp and it's hard not to have beautiful hair. It's such a fantastic conditioner and the rewards are virtually instantaneous.

At this point, the idea of coconut oil shampoo has probably crossed your mind. In my experience, this approach usually doesn't help simply because most contain a myriad of harmful ingredients as well.

Want to make sure your hair is unharmed? Only use a shampoo and conditioner made from 100% all-natural ingredients.

In case you're wondering how to use coconut oil in general, you'd be surprised how quick and easy it is to benefit from The Healthiest Oil on Earth.

For thousands of years, whole generations have relied on coconut oil to give their precious crowning glory radiance. Now, it's our turn.

Coconut oil is very safe, cost-effective and really works. So, go natural! Use coconut oil for hair.


Source: http://www.coconut-oil-central.com/coconut-oil-for-hair.html

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

The Best Deep Conditioner Ever!


The ultimate deep conditioner for any hair type! With mostly natural ingredients you can't go wrong with this. Try it today, you will not be disappointed.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Monday, March 21, 2011

Happy Birthday!

Today is my birthday so I apologize for not posting anything in a while. I hope you gals (and guys) have a great spring break! I will be back with my new hair style :).



Add caption

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Quit Making Excuses!

I must admit, it feels good to have people come up to me asking for hair advice or sharing hair stories. It tells me I must be doing something right :). But why do these same women ask questions as if they are very inquisitve then turn around and say, "I know my hair can't do that, only Your kind of hair can". First of all, I still do not know what my hair can do since I still have a few inches of relaxer on hanging on. Second, when was the last time you saw your hair fully natural to judge what it can and can not do? We are so quick to compare ourselves to others which will only hinder our growth and development as a race. Now, I can't be mad at them because they are just stating what they have perceived from their environment. But come on, it's the 21st century! There are way too many resources out there that will help aid you to reach any goal that you may aspire to achieve. If you constantly compare yourself to others you already lost the battle before it began. Will people hate on you or try to share their "2 cents"? Yes. Will you feel like what you are doing is risky or pointless from time to time? Yes. Will you feel like you are the only man (or woman) stranded on an island? Hell, yeah! Trust me. This is normal. You have to reach a point in your life when you just don't care what other people think. Stop making excuses and take chances especially if there is minimal risk and you can easily reverse it if things don't work out the way you expected it to do.

I express this because I know natural, black hair is a very controversial topic. Everyone has their own opinions about it, but how do we expect to receive respect from other ethnicities when we can not even take the time to respect ourselves?

So to help make the decision process a little bit easier for you, here are a few tips to keep you motivated during your transition to natural hair or just to stay natural.

  1. Focus on the Why
There are many reasons to go natural but each individual is unique so ask yourself why do you wanna go natural in the first place and STAY FOCUSED on that reason.


    2.   What chemicals are really in relaxers?

Other than sodium hydroxide being the main ingredient, there are definitely others that will cause long term damage to you scalp. Ever wonder why you get headaches close to touch-up time? Do your research and you'll be immediately turned off by the "creamy crack".

    3.   Who are you impressing really?

Married womem can attest to this. We represent our husbands thoughts and beliefs outside our homes so it's only natural that we want to look good for him at all times. But remember, a good amount of men are conditioned to believe straight hair is better because we led them to see us in straight weaves and styles the majority of our lives. If your man acts indifferently towards your decision to go natural, don't trip about it. Condition him to love it. Having control over your hair brings confidence and men love confidence. Don't worry, he will come around and if not then... maybe you should question your relationship.

    4.   Never stop learning

A person that stops him or herself from trying to learn new things is a person that will break under pressure. Don't expect to learn how to care and nurture your natural hair overnight. You haven't seen it in over 10 or 20 years! All you saw was it's alias. Be patient, grasshopper (lol) and make realistic goals about your hair journey. When you focus positvie attention on something you will receive an astronomical reward for it. When you focus on negative attention than you are back at feigning for the cream, then you relapse. Stop over analyzing. It's just hair! Enjoy the ride to the enlightenment of a new you. You never know. It may influence you to set goals on other things you would like to improve in your life like your weight, relationships with friends and family, your financial stability, etc. The sky's the limit!

So stop focusing on what you do not have and embrace what is present in your life. I will conclude with this quote below. Feel inspired and live life.
"Nobody can give you freedom. Nobody can give you equality or justice or anything. If you're a man, you TAKE IT!" -Malcom X

Monday, March 14, 2011

Is the Music Industry REALLY This Desperate?



This is perhaps the best, worst song I've ever heard on YouTube. Is that even possible? I love/hate it! It got more than 2.2 million views so far so you gotta check it out!

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Last time staightening hair 1



Check out these videos about my staight hair



This is a flat iron technique that I love :)

Another Movie Remake?

Hey, Chicas! Thanks to my dad I am a big Conan the Barbarian fan and I just found out the remake has just been released. What it is up with all the remakes these days? Some are pretty cool but some, like this movie, should be left alone. Besides, no one can look as good as Arnold with dirt, cuts, scrapes and bruises on his half naked body. Oops, you caught me thinking out loud. I'm gonna stop right there before I get in trouble with the hubby. LOL.

Check out the video below and tell me what you think about this video or any other remakes.





Arnold Schwarzenegger is still #1 to me :)


Saturday, March 5, 2011

The Mega Bun


Need a break? Bun it up! Protective styling has been my #1 go to hair style and is the reason why I was able to transition from relaxed to natural hair. Protective styles includes braids, wigs, half-wigs, buns, and so much more. Sometimes protective styles can get a little boring so spice it up with some hair accessories. Hair flowers are my fav.

What are your favorite protective styles and/or accessories?

Video Intro

Hello All! This is me :). Enjoy

Saturday, February 26, 2011

My Hair Story

I don't have any horror stories about getting a bad relaxer, if you don't count the many times when I felt like my head was on fire. LOL. I just could not stand the fact that my ends would dry up or break off everytime I "needed" a touch-up.

I got my first relaxer at the age of 10 in Frankfurt, Germany to make my hair more manageable for my mom's sake. I went from having bra-strap length hair to shoulder length by the time I was a sophmore in highschool. By then, my mom started working more so she did not have the time to do my hair like she wanted to. I had to do it myself and that was when my prejudice of my hair began. I walked around with crunchy pieces of broken hair scattered all over my shoulders due to daily curling iron usage. And funny enough, I thought this was normal. What made matters worse, my hair is very soft so getting touch-ups every 6 weeks was definitely a big no-no. I got touch-ups every 2 or 3 months so those in between stages were really tough to deal with. You can tell just by looking at my high school pictures that when my hair looked bad, I felt awful. Which was most of the time.

By my senior year in high school my hair was in decent shape since I used less heat but I was bored with it so I got a haircut inspired by Bird and Terry from "Soul Food" the series and I loved it! My mom did not talk to me for that whole day (she was overly protective of my hair), but she eventually came around and complimented it.

In my early 20's, I went though the "ugly phase" of growing out my hair. Despite my lack of hair care knowledge back then, I was able to grow it from 3 inches above my shoulders to 1 inch past my shoulders in just 6 months. My hair was a soldier! Then being pregnant and keeping my hair in kinky twists for 4 months I got my hair just a little above arm-pit length.

I'm Bored Again
While web surfing, I found a website called Longhaircareforum.com (http://www.longhaircareforum.com/) and the first thing I tried was co-washing (conditioner washing) and I immediately saw great results so I was hooked! By then, I said good-bye to "Just For Me" relaxer kits and regulary received professional touch-ups and trims for my hair. My hair looked great but yet I was bored with straight hair and I knew that to reach my full hair potential and length I had to get rid of the chemical forever! I was scared, but I loved how the hair surrounding my ears would coil like it did not have a care in the world. So if these hairs were like that, then why couldn't I be care-free?

So on October 30, 2008 I received my last touch-up and started my transition. With daily cowashing and wet donut buns, everything went great. Between months 6-9 months post relaxer, I felt a little discouraged. I even scheduled at least 2 appointments but then cancelled them when I realized how far I have come. I continued to get small trims in between and stuck with my wet buns and occassional press outs and braid outs. So on a scale of 1-10, 10 being the most difficult, I would rate my transition journey a 3. Patience and persistence were definetly my best friends.

Now I know I'm ready to do what needs to be done to fully embrace whatever hair type I have. On my birthday, March 21st, I will get a "little" big chop and be fully natural.

Stay tuned, subcribe and be ready for videos related to this wonderful journey :).

An Eye Opener

On September of 2008, while surfing the web on a very ordinary day at work, I stumbled upon the beginning of my new life. I know that sounds kind of dramatic, but that is what literally happened, though not intentionally. What started as just web surfing for hair styles for work became a real serious passion to get my hair to it's fullest potential. I honestly had no idea there were other women of color that were working together and sharing a plethora of information about something that was truly unique from every wave, bend, kink, or coil that rest upon heads.

After over 2 years of researching and implementing ways to transition from relaxed to natural hair, I decided it was time to come out of the shadows and show you that with A LOT of TLC black hair is something God has blessed up with, not fear.

This is not just another hair blog because no one has hair like me. So if you feel the same way that I do and say to yourself, "I can't relate to any other blogs because her or his hair is not like mine" then you have come to the right place at the right time. No, your hair may not be like mine, but you know how it feels to be, well...different. Trust me. I've been told that for as long as can remember. Now, looking at 2 years and 4 months of new growth I understand why I'm considered different and I truly Love It!

Again, welcome and I hope you enjoy riding the natural wave (pun, intended) with me.

Welcome!

Hello and welcome to my blog. Join me as I go through my journey from relaxed, limp hair to thick voluptuous waves and coils.

The purpose of this blog is to encourage me and anybody else to accept and let go of old ways and old baggage that was deemed as acceptable by others like friends, family and even co-workers. As we all know, society has painted a negative image about what is considered "beautiful" and now that we are in a new decade in this millenium it is time to share and encourage information amongst ourselves.