AFRICAN CHEETAH: one little brown girl's hair-story

one big, huge, supersize update

2007-11-12T06:50:00.000-05:00

I am a lazy blogger. It's true. Partially that's because I'm a lazy blogger. But additionally, it's because I have been trying to figure out the easiest, most seamless way to update the look & feel and navigate-a-bility of the blog. Any suggestions? I had looked into Wordpress a while ago, but I'm not sure.

[Back on topic]

Here is everything that has happened since my last post.

This is from late October...

...after the co-wash & deep condition I detangled (using Qhemet Biologics Olive & Honey Hydrating Balm and my Denman D3) and put my hair in 5 mini-puffs.

This time I braided the roots and THEN did the 2-strand twists. It prevented them from being puffy at the roots, but it made the take-down time super long!

I twisted using Qhemet Biologic's Amla & Olive Heavy Cream (YUMM!!!) and QB's Hairbush Tea (which is basically a very light gel). This stuff is like Manna from Heaven, y'all...I'm telling you!

...I thought I was really doing something! (CLICK on the pic above to see the detail.) It took 7 hours this time and I think that's because of the braided roots. It took a while for me to get the hang of that and I never did really get into a groove like when I just do straight twists. Oh well, better luck next time...

(CLICK on the pic above to see the detail.)

...the hot roller experiment (it wasn't terribly successful)...I went out and got some of those mesh rollers instead & they worked much better. because of my length, the hot rollers just made the twists stick up a little. the mesh ones made it do more of a spiral-y thing and it was much cuter. I'll have to get more so I can jazz up my future twist styles...

That's some pretty serious shrinkage!

BAM!!! Now you can't tell me that twist-out ain't hot like fire!

This was a labor of love, I swear. I used those same Qhemet Biologics products...

...not exactly my original plan for how the back would look, but OH WELL! By the time I got done with the front I really didn't care WHAT happened back there!

I held on to this style for 2 weeks. Surprisingly it held up fairly well.

Those flat twists unravel very nicely. I like how they maintain the length, unlike the 2 strand twists...

This was the next last-minute-emergency-my-hair-is-staaaaank project. I'm getting pretty creative, huh? :-)

Unfortunately, I didn't love it. The only reason is because of the back. Now how pissed off was I: I have like 4+ inches in the back. But when I did this style, those twists barely came up off the back of my head! It was ridiculous!! So it was reasonably cute in the front and in the back I looked like a 1 year old boy. So, since I had a holiday function to go to & I couldn't possibly go looking like a baldheaded hoe (well, I guess I didn't exactly look like a hoe...I wonder what hoes look like exactly...is there a look, per se?.......)

So this was the resulting twist-out. Cute, huh?

I was knocking 'em dead at that holiday party!

I was so impressed with my hair that after 3 very big, very strong drinks, and a long night of bowling, chatting, and generally being cute, I re-twisted about 80% of it, so it would still have some definition today. Not bad...not bad atall!

I can't believe how much my hair has grown sometimes.

This was my very first twist-out, back in May of this year...the 28th, to be exact. All I can say is WOW! What a difference a few months makes.

new skillz

2007-10-22T17:21:00.000-05:00

Hey y'all!!

FLAT TWISTS

I finally took the time to try some flat twists...and they seem to have worked.

(now, you know you gotta click on 'em to make 'em bigger...)

(I know, I know, it's not the neatest)

TRIMMED ENDS

After a long & futile search for someone to trim my ends, I decided to do it myself. I used to cut my hair way back in the day when I was a permie & it was all good. So I took the plunge...

I co-washed my hair and parted it into small, bite-sized sections. I detangled each section with my Denman D3 brush and pulled the hair straight, bringing thumb & forefinger all the way to the end & snipped in a straight line. So I cut probably less than half a centimeter from each little section. It took about an hour, & I'm pleased with the results.

(it's all puffy in the front!)

(this style reminds me of Vanessa's boyfriend Robert on the Cosby Show)

MORE FLAT TWISTS

So, hanging around on Nappturality, I got inspired, thinking I could get creative with the flat twists. I did ok, considering I was super crazy rushing, didn't even finish and wasn't looking in the mirror (lazy, just plain ole' lazy). It's still not finished, but I'm sure I'll get 'er done sooner or later. It was a great idea, in theory...

here and there and everywhere

2007-10-09T05:10:00.000-05:00

I don't have much to say. Just a few things here & there to keep you in the loop.

ROUTINE

My routine has pretty much stayed the same as the last time we spoke. At a minimum I wet my hair every day. At least every other day, I put in a reasonable amount of MotownGirl's L-IC.

Lately I have also added a small amount of Carol's Daughter Mimosa Hair Honey to my fingertips also, for some additional moisture & sheen. If I don't use a ton of it (like no more than a dime sized scoop) I don't have the allergic & acne reaction to the stuff that I did when I first got it. I definitely can't use it every day, though. It's way too heavy for that and it does drip down my face if there's too much on there. The rule of thumb has become, one dime-sized application of CD MHH between each co-wash. Anything more is a recipe for disaster. The results have been nice though.

The Clairol Herbal Essences None Of Your Frizziness is working so well, I added it to my latest batch of MotownGirl's L-IC. It is still doing amazing things to my curls!

HAIR STYLES

My hair style has been fairly consistent since we last spoke, but here's a few pix anyway...

(this one above is a good texture shot to click on, if you're not sick of looking at my curls!!)

Those twist-y things in the front take me between 10 and 15 minutes to do, but I am so lazy, once I put them in, there's no taking them out. It's really kinda sad. But oh well...

RESOURCES

I have to take a moment to acknowledge that I have given in and started reading the Nappturality forums. When I initially BCed, I had folks tell me about Nappturality.com. I went & checked it out but didn't care for the format (not to mention it runs slow as molasses on my home computer). But I have been going there recently and it would be wrong for me not to at least give a shout out to that community. Those ladies have been extremely helpful, inspiring and entertaining. It is a fantastic resource and I'm glad to have re-discovered it.

So if you haven't already, check it out.

.....and last but not least.....

GROWTH!!

(can you tell I'm excited??)

I have decided that every now & then I will do a growth check in these same spots on my head. Unfortunately I don't have much of a comparison. I have done the front on 2 separate videos (the first time was on "i'm parched (& wordy...and possibly drunk)" and the second time was on "catch up"). But I don't think I have any pix of the side length or the top length, except the ones below. I'll do better...swear!

After 8 months that's how long my hair is! And this (below) is all I've got for comparison (from week 1 and 2):

[EDIT]

and scrolling through old posts, I found this pic from July

That GNC UltraNourishHair is doing it's thang!

the Gerber baby is back!

2007-09-26T19:11:00.000-05:00

The last few days have been quite exciting...remember when my hair was shorter & I used to always talk about my curls this, my curl pattern that, oh my cute spirals/springs/coils? It's been a long time since I've seen any of that and I wondered if it would ever be my circumstance again.

Lo and behold.....the curls have returned!

This is what I'm doing these days:

I am limiting co-washes to once or twice a week now. Instead, when I need to cleanse my hair and scalp, I'm doing the baking soda rinse (see below for recipe). It gets everything clean & rinses out the product without being harsh or drying, with the added bonus of making my curls go *POP*!

I have FINALLY figured out that I don't need handfuls of product in my hair. So I have gone back to using MotownGirl's L-IC (see below for recipe). Turns out using a nickel or quarter sized portion goes a long way. And it also doesn't result in the white-head that was happening when I was slathering goo-gobs of the stuff all over myself every day.

I apply the L-IC differently now too. Instead of the aforementioned slathering, I work it around in my hands and only put on what's on my fingertips. Of course what's there doesn't stay for long so then I rub my hands together again to redistribute and go for again, gently, with my fingertips. It helps to control how much product goes on as well as where it goes. It also helps me to touch & manipulate the hair less while it's wet, so that I don't end up with a funky looking fro.

If I feel like I need some additional product or moisture or whatever during the initial styling process, I've been occasionally using either a finger full of the Cantu Shea Butter L-IC or a dab of Herbal Essences None of Your Frizziness Conditioner. If moisture is needed during the day, I spritz with (a lot of) water or (a few squirts of) water/glycerin mix (15:1).

My hair has been full and moist and soft and I really hope it lasts. Oh, and I got this style idea from one of my YouTube girls (Check out nappygungun's "Going To School" vid). I know there's nothing innovative or new about it, necessarily. I just always seem to draw a blank on what to do when I take the twists down.

So here's my most recent pix. All of them should be clicked on and looked at in the giant size so you can really see those curls. Even my "massa" part is starting to curl up a bit!

BAKING SODA RINSE

1 tablespoon Baking Soda
2 cups Warm Water

MOTOWNGIRL'S LEAVE-IN CONDITIONER

1 cup thick, heavy conditioner
1/8 cup oil (I used mostly coconut, then a splash of olive)
1 tblsp Vegetable Glycerin
1 tblsp Silk Peptide Powder

catch up

2007-09-12T05:48:00.000-05:00

Did you miss me?

Child, child, honey child....I have been a busy little bee these last 5 weeks or so. I have a few pics, and a few things to say. Hopefully I'll get back onto a more regular schedule soon, so y'all don't forget I'm over here!

JAMAICA

So, I had a week in Jamaica. Before I went, I co-washed, deep conditioned & detangled and in the hours after all that, I got to playing around. Ended up with a modified mohawk.

Anyway, extreme laziness (and business, honestly) set in and I didn't have a chance to start my vacation twists until late the night before departure. Two & a half hours in...

...four hours in...

I was delighted to discover that instead of 8, these twists only took me 5 hours! So I'm getting better at this, thank goodness. I also discovered that you can't take gel on the airplane. Technically I knew that, but the thought didn't cross my mind until we were about to get in the take your shoes off & get groped line. Obviously they threw it away, all while politely turning down my pleading request to "just let me put some in my hands".

I ended up doing the front (my softest part! the part that needs the gel the most!! [groan]) with some honey that I acquired from the Starbucks at the Charlotte airport. I mixed a tiny amount of honey with some water and made a makeshift gel. It was a little bit stuck to my bandana after a few hours but that didn't last. Lucky for me the twists DID last and looked great! They held up well through all kinds of swimming and other random water play (it was a few days prior to the hurricane, so there was lots of rain) and because I was in chlorine and salt water, I did 3 baking soda rinses without the protection of a stocking cap. And I did the Sea Breeze thing on my scalp a few times too.

The twists held on for 4 weeks.

Last Jamaica comment.....I thought it was very nice that the "Children Crossing" sign clearly shows people of color.

TWIST OUT

As always, the twist out was super cute!

THE WASH & CONDISH

A week later & it's time to wash my hair. I used 2 new products....Herbal Essences Hello Hydration and None of Your Frizziness for my co-wash and was happy with the results. I used so much, I actually got a pretty good lather going! I needed it - my hair was a mess after 5 weeks of no combing or detangling and only cleansing the hair/scalp a few times. Surprisingly though, the detangling process was very simple and quick. I mean don't get me wrong, in 5 weeks I had shed enough hair to cover several small children....but the comb through was not problematic. My only issue is my perpetually clogged shower drain.

And boy is it growing!!!!!

THE VIDEO

quickie braid - out

2007-08-03T16:48:00.000-05:00

In an effort to bring back the moisture and loveliness to my hair, I had an idea.....how about instead of waiting to do the long drawn out twist & twist out, I just do a right-quick thing that I can rock for a few days. That right quick thing ended up being a quickie braid out. I randomly braided the front & sides and in the morning I removed said braids so I should have some texture.

Results....

...the first time I tried this, I was shocked to discover that my hair is way too short to make big chunky braids and I am way too lazy to deal with making a bunch of braids. So I ended up with a cornrow single/combinations...

To get some hold in the braids I used a combination of the Organic Root Stimulator Loc & Twist Gel and the Giovanni Sunset Styling Lotion.

They were still a little damp in the morning, but it was all good. I took down the braids & sprayed in just a bit of water and the Aldrea's L-IC, and VOILA!...a new hairstyle is born!!

Kinda cute, huh?

That braid-out lasted about a week, and my hair was a little nicer for it. It wasn't nearly as soft and luxurious as with the previous twist & twist-out. But much better than after I used that shampoo. I'm definitely feeling like I need to co-wash less, and find a milder shampoo to use when I do co-wash. I'm beginning to think that because it's summer time, my product mix needs to change to account for all my hours in the sun.

I did it again a few days later, made the braids much neater and had good results again.

i'm parched (and wordy...and possibly drunk)

2007-07-31T20:34:00.000-05:00

FINALLY!

I have managed to upload the video that was supposed to accompany the last post. After asking every computer person I know, contemplating making a $30 video editing software purchase, and going through many many additional changes...I have a 2 part video that I hope you will enjoy.

It's extremely long (which is the reason for all of the nonsense) so I won't bore you with tons more commentary. I just gotta say that one of the things I had to do was download a free trial of a software that would convert the video format from .MOV to .WMV....so there's a pesky thing that covers the screen throughout the video. It couldn't be helped.

PART 1

PART 2

i'm parched

2007-07-18T21:31:00.000-05:00

This here is my post-shampoo & detangle puff. I got a few compliments at Whole Foods that day...much to my delight!

Here is what happens when I put that Cantu stuff on the "...massa" part in the back. (This is a good one to click on to get a larger, more close-up view.)

And here I am w/ that Cantu stuff all over my head.

I was hoping for a better shot of the shoes, but oh well. It was their debut...but it was also the debut of the dress, so I guess that compensates for you not being able to get the full effect of the shoes. Not really, though. I guess I'll just have to wear them some more...

It's time for the montly deep conditioning process...

...length check...

new hair style...

There is a video that is supposed to accompany this post. Sadly, I am terribly long winded after my 2nd glass of Shiraz...and YouTube won't accept videos over 10 minutes...and I'm having a hell of a time finding the program that will allow me to break the durn thing up into 2 or 3 separate videos.

Hopefully I'll work it out soon.

In the meantime, I have decided to fight back against this ongoing hair drama.

Here's what I have noticed:

* when my hair was twisted, I had Zero moisture issues
* when my hair was twisted, I wasn't washing it constantly
* when my hair was twisted, I didn't put any product on it

SO........

the new plan is to do quickie twist-outs & braid-outs for a while, wash my hair a lot less, and quit putting tons of L-IC in it every day.

[fingers crossed]

shampoo is bad

2007-07-15T15:40:00.000-05:00

now i remember why i stopped using shampoo.

because it had been a month since my hair had been thoroughly cleansed, i decided (foolishly) to use my Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Castille Soap instead of my usual no-poo method.

and now my hair is extremely coarse & dry and my feelings are real hurt. :-(

i will deep condition either later today or tomorrow and hopefully that will revive it.

never again! (y'all hold me to that)

wild 'n out

2007-07-06T18:13:00.000-05:00

3 weeks! 3 whole weeks! Sometime during this last week, I started worrying that I might not know or be able to recognize the signs of my hair beginning to loc.

As I may have mentioned before, I started wearing them wild and free to work and all.

Because it's the 1st of the month, the pressure was on for me to take the twists down so I can eventually (sooner, rather than later) do my monthly deep conditioning routine. So I started on my way home from work.

I know, I know...that was kinda boring. I swear I'll try to be more entertaining in future videos.

So twist-out # 2...so far, so cute!

I am determined not to put any product on my hair so that it doesn't get gunky & gross while I'm rocking this style. It's so soft & shiny, right now, I don't see any reason to put anything on it.

for the long haul

2007-06-30T18:36:00.000-05:00

I said I was going to try to keep them in a little longer this time, and so far it has been a success. (Mostly because I haven't particularly felt like taking them out.)

I did go back a re-twist many of the top/front twists using the ORS Loc & Twist Gel. That section of my hair is so puffy, I felt that the twists needed a little more definition. Plus, it helped them not be quite as frizzy right off the bat.

The other thing I did was cleanse my scalp just about every day with Sea Breeze Sensitive Skin astringent. I feel that worked very well - my hair & scalp never felt or smelled dirty, which is quite a feat since I've been working out four times a week, sweating like a pig.

The only product I put on my hair was my Coconut Oil/Water combo, that I spritzed on approximately every 2 or 3 days. My mixture this time was pretty heavy on the oil, so I haven't needed much - it makes my hair moist enough. I have occasionally sprayed some water on the twists and once or twice I have sprayed on my Glycerin/Water combo. But I've tried not to use anything other than water & the coconut oil so that my hair & scalp are not so gunky. I really think that has been a success.

As of today it has been 14 days. I am on the fence about whether I'm going to take them down this weekend or let it ride. What do you think?

DAY 2

I re-twisted those sticking up ones in the front. They just would not sit down, no matter what I did to them. I think that because I was rushing the last few rows in the front, I probably wasn't as consistent with the direction that I was forcing the hair...hence the "at attention" direction of those few...

DAY 4

You can see that they quickly started filling out as the days went on. Those "spaces" on the sides don't look so thin.

DAY 6

- Cute earrings.

Well, thank you! Target...$7

- Do you ever have on a shirt?

[thoughtful pause] I guess not.

DAY 8

- Seriously, do you even wear a shirt to work?

[another thoughtful pause] I think so.

DAY 14 (also known as today)

does my pajama top count as a shirt?

Shirt vs. no-shirt discussion aside, I think the twists are holding up pretty damn well at the 2 week point!! Stay tuned...

got me twisted

2007-06-17T14:16:00.000-05:00

a month later & I'm back at it!

this time, it took slightly less time than before and I (think) they're a little smaller. only time will tell...

[clearing throat, again]...alrighty then. now that we've worked through that

here's where I was at 4 hours

and at about 8 (yes, eight!) hours, I was really excited about the growth

I finally finished. Since it's Sunday, they will be wild & free for the day

I have since gone back & re-twisted 2 or 3 of the front one's because they were super-frizzy. On the re-twist, I used the ORS Loc & Twist Gel and it made a big difference - the hair is much more contained, so to speak. I'm sure I'll re-do that whole top section over the course of the next few days, 'cause I really am trying to keep these in more than a week this time.

I've been dabbing Sea Breeze on my scalp with a cotton square nightly because I have been working out every day. This weekend, I'll decide how I feel about the cleanliness of my hair and scalp and maybe I'll try to wash it. Maybe not. So far it feels pretty clean. The only other thing I've put on it so far has been my Water & Coconut Oil mixture. I spray a little of that on in the morning for moisture & sheen. And I'm sure that I will start with the Water & Glycerin mixture before long, to get some additional moisture going.

So that's what's happening. I'll keep you posted.

(Obviously)

& stuff

2007-06-17T13:37:00.000-05:00

since we last spoke, I have had a few more days of headband-mania

which made the front straighter than usual, so you can see the length a little better than before

and I started using a hair growth serum (details in a few weeks) to try to stimulate some growth on those temples
[note to self - no more micros - ever]

and I finally found time to do my twists...

but that gets it's own post

STAY TUNED!

I keep forgetting

2007-06-13T08:32:00.000-05:00

I don't think I've ever mentioned my hair vitamin regime in this space. I'm not sure how in the world I overlooked that very important tidbit, especially since my last post was about growth. (duh!)

But, there's no time like the present, so...

...here's the skinny...

Since June 7 of 2006, I have taken 2 GNC UltraNourishHair pills with lunch every weekday. Back then when I started, I still had a relaxer. The growth was very noticeable. I used to get touch ups every 5 weeks, and once I started with the pills my new growth would be outrageous by touch up time. And I think I started to see results after about a month.

It's been a year now & it's not as easy to mark the growth since I'm not getting relaxers anymore. But I can certainly see the amount of growth at different times... like when I had the twists, it was easy to see the line where the color ended & my natural color began. In a lot of areas it was kind of like half & half. I can also tell when I wash my hair, because it totally lays down now when I'm washing it. The finger-combing process is a little more involved now than it was 2 months ago. And this past weekend, I went around different sections of my hair and just did a basic length check. Some parts measured slightly longer than my index finger, and others (mostly in the very back) were about as long as my pinky finger. One day I'll come up with a better way to mark the length.

For now, suffice it to say that it's growing. Oh, and the pills help.

(not so) T. W. A.

2007-06-07T22:09:00.000-05:00

I can see that my hair is growing! Can you?

(February 25th)

(Today)

Not so teeny weeny any more, huh?

I'm liking the new headbands, but I've promised myself that I would seriously limit the amount of time that I am using them. I have finally acknowledged the thinning around my temples, so I know I should not stress that part of my hair any more than necessary.

over and out

2007-05-28T21:21:00.000-05:00

I couldn't wait for a reply to my question in the last post (about how to wash my hair), so I put on a stocking cap & just went for it. It had been so long, and so many products that I don't normally use, I mixed up a 18:1 solution of Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Castille Soap, instead of conditioner-washing it. (I wasn't sure how that would work thru the stocking cap anyway.)

The result was nothing special, lots of fly away hairs. Nothing I could salvage without some work. So, I took the twists out. This is the night I took them down. I took the pic, 'cause I had no idea what it was gonna look like after I had tied it down & slept on it all night.

Here's my very first, super cute twist out...

(This last picture is a really good one to click on. It's the best one to see the texture.)

Again, I had no idea what to do, so I just sprayed a little of Aldrea's L-IC into it, and fingered in a teensy, tiny bit of MotownGirl's L-IC, and sprayed on a little of my 5:1 water/glycerin mix. Then I shook it around a bit with my hand and let it do what it do. I think that went well, don't you?

I have to go to work tomorrow, so we'll see how it looks when I wake up. I may be taking Corporate America to a new level of nappy!

holding on

2007-05-21T20:16:00.000-05:00

Well, the twists have gone over very well so far. Lots of compliments on them; how nice of a job I did (considering it was my first time and all), how flattering the style is, etc. I'm not in love with them, but I'm very pleased. Once I take them out & see how the twist-out looks, I'll be able to decide if I need to use products next time.

I'm also hoping for a short break in my hectic schedule very soon 'cause I'd like to re-do those one's in the front & top. I need this style to last through the week. And another thing, does anybody know how I should go about washing my hair with these things in?

I've thought about co-washing with a stocking cap on, doing just a baking soda rinse, obtaining some Sea Breeze. I'm having a hard time finding somebody to tell me what has worked for them, instead of just guessing.

Well, enough of my blah, blah, blah. Here is how they looked Sunday. I sprayed them with a little water/glycerin mix (5:1).

Wrapped them in satin Sunday night, and with the exception of that last row in the Massa part, they all stayed pretty well in tact. I spritzed a little water on Monday morning and slapped on some Coconut oil for sheen...

(click the picture to get a bigger, better view)

(stupid, dumb, stupid massa!)

I am still trying to get a feel for how much glycerin will make the curls pop without giving me jheri curl forehead & neck. And I still need to make time to re-twist the front/top ones. They're so puffy.

I was super cute in my wrap dress on Tuesday, so naturally, there was a photo shoot...

By Thursday, though, I was a hot mess about the head. Talk about frizzy! Lawd ha' mercy...

So, I grabbed some Organic Root Stimulator Loc & Twist Gel and freshened them up a bit. First I was trying to take them apart & re-do them, but that got old REAL quick, so after that I just took the gel and smushed it around on the existing twists. I propmtly put on my scarf & went to bed. When I woke up, they looked a lot less frizzy. Still puffy, especially at the roots, but better.

Voila! 7 days later....still holding on...

new toy, new hair

2007-05-19T22:20:00.000-05:00

I may or may not have mentioned that I am seriously enjoying my new camera.

I got myself a memory card, so now I can take zillions of pictures without stopping to upload them. Plus, I can also take hours of video! I got some lithium batteries, and I am cooking with gas now.

Friday night my only plans included eating a salad and watching the Cav's play. So I decided to try to do some twists. I won't do a whole lot of typing on this post 'cause I think I have enough "footage" to speak for itself.

Getting Started

Almost Halfway Done

On Break

The Next Morning; (still at it...)

Finally Done

When I got toward the front, I started noticing the twists getting puffier. I think that part of that was me getting tired, and part of it was because my hair texture kind of changes up there. So I pulled out my (as yet unused) Carol's Daughter Healthy Hair Butter. I had problems with the Carol's Daughter Mimosa Hair Honey, because the smell was extremely irritating and it dripped down my face & caused a pretty gross breakout. (I have a buddy who had the same problem, only more so 'cause she kept using it. She has gross black marks all over her from that stuff.) The Healthy Hair Butter doesn't have nearly as strong a smell and I didn't use much - just enough to kind of weigh my hair down in the front. Hopefully it won't be a problem.

So far I have spritzed it with a little water/coconut oil blend, and put on a little of some old gel from the first 2 weeks after the Big Chop (that seems like sooooo long ago now). And I tied it down, hopefully in a way that will be suitable in the morning. I'll keep you posted. I might even feel comfortable rocking this style at work. (I certainly hope so since it took up several hours of my life!)

back to what works

2007-05-17T21:18:00.000-05:00

I had to do a thing on public access television this evening, so in my hasty attempt at preparation this morning, I decided to go back to using only Aldrea's L-IC. I remembered how much I liked my hair when that's all I was doing, and I'm not really sure why I switched up and started using MotownGirl's thicker one.

So I went bananas with it. That stuff was all over the place, damn near used the entire 8 oz. spray bottle.

But once I put on my morning drip uniform...

...I was all good. There was crazy shrinkage...

...but the coils were back in full effect!

(CLICK the picture above to get up close & personal with the coils and see the texture!) (This camera is amazing.)

And I can see some growth (finally).

Oh, and did I mention that my camera is AWESOME??!!

If you wanna see the fa real, up close & serious version of anyof these pictures, just click on them. You'll be seeing more of my hair than you ever dreamed of (and probably way more than you were really interested in).

update

2007-05-15T19:05:00.000-05:00

THE LEAVE-IN CONDITIONER FIASCO

Well, the one I made turned out to be pretty underwhelming. I can't think of anything particularly bad to say about it & I can't think of anything specifically good to say about it. I can surely say that it will not be replacing the Aldrea/MotownGirl hybrid that is working so well.

Speaking of the hybrid, it's working. I know I should just leave well enough alone & just use both, but that just seems like quitting or giving up, ya know? If I merge those 2 things then the L-ICs won, and we can't have that!

So, I haven't done any new mixing. I'm trying to determine a few key things before I try a new formula.

- how to get the thicker MotownGirl L-IC to not give me "whitehead"
- how to reduce the glycerin so that it doesn't make puddles on my neck, but still makes my coils pop
- what (if anything) is the Aloe Vera Gel doing for me? (I read on Nappturality.com today that AVG is a humectant, like glycerin. I definitely need a second opinion, but it's a start. Also, a lot of people use it instead of using commercial hair gels - I guess it has some hold properties to it.)

GROSS JHERI CURL NONSENSE

I don't know if I've mentioned it here before, but when it's humid (which happens almost daily where I live) all glycerin concoctions drip down my face/neck/chin like crazy. People use curl activator because it has glycerin in it....remember how gross & drippy those things were. (Don't front like you didn't have one. I know I did, and I was a hot mess just like everybody else!)

I have absolutely had it with trying to establish work-arounds for the grossness. Some days, I can get it under control by 10:30, 11:00 in the morning and then as soon as I step out the door for lunch I'm wiping my face for the next several hours. I leave the house with a trouser sock around my temples and a bandanna around my neck, to try to minimize the wiping that I have to do in the car on the way to work. It's unreasonable.

Here is a photo that might show some of what I'm dealing with...this is what is happening about 15 minutes after I step out of the shower (notice the unnatural sheen on the neck):

PICTURES

The good news is, I bought a digital camera (woo hoo!!). The bad news is, I didn't buy a memory card.

So I've taken a few pictures - you know how it is when you get a new toy. And I think you can FINALLY see that back part of my head, that I have lovingly named "the-somebody-got-raped-by-the-massa" part 'cause it's so straight. Check it out...

(click on the above picture for more definitive proof that the massa liked dark meat)

So you can kinda see it, right? From this angle, this size, it just looks curly & thin. Trust, when you are up on it, especially when it's wet, it looks crazy compared to the rest of my hair. If you click on these 2 pictures (above) you can see the texture REALLY, REALLY well.

Even though I don't have the ability to take more than a few pictures at a time, you will finally have a chance to see some photos that look different from the last one's for a change! I'm even taking a special night-time shower just so I can take some special pics for your viewing pleasure.

mixing it up

2007-05-05T15:53:00.000-05:00

I don't want to be a mixer. I don't want to be one of these people who sits around experimenting with new combinations of ingredients, always searching for that perfect mix. I don't want to have to go through all of that just to get and keep my hair the way I want it.

Unfortunately, I have no choice but to mix it up.

My decision to stop relaxing my hair was made, in part, because I want to reduce the number (and intensity/toxicity) of chemicals that I put in and on my body. Fortunately, I found MotownGirl right around the time when I started thinking this way and she showed me that there are simple ways to maintain hair without using a lot of man made crap. The Homemade Hair Recipes tab on her gem of a website is just chock full of alternatives to commercial products.

Unfortunately, NO TWO PEOPLE HAVE THE SAME HAIR. She reiterates this constantly on her site. Of course, doing the extra work to find resources for and people who have my hair texture & length has proven to be even more of a help. MotownGirl and Aldrea have beautiful natural hair that is significantly longer than mine, and I suspect, a different overall texture. So I quickly discovered that what works for them may not always work for me in the same way.

Last week, I started a Hybrid Leave-In Conditioner (L-IC) experiment, 'cause I liked certain things about both of the ones I had been using.

RESULTS:

I didn't feel compelled to use sooooo much of MotownGirl's L-IC since my hair was already moist and glycerin-y from Aldrea's L-IC
The first day, I still had some dripping. But it didn't last nearly as many hours through the day and it was slightly less gross than when I used Aldrea's L-IC alone.
So, the second day I used less of both. I was very pleased with the results.

But I would like to not need 2 products every day, ya know? I had been trying to mentally isolate what is good (product-wise) about each of the L-ICs. We know my hair loves glycerin, but that I suspect that that is what's been sliding all down my neck and face throughout the day. I know that my scalp agrees with the olive oil. We have determined that the thicker conditioner (used in MotownGirl's L-IC) leaves a gross white residue that is hard to remove without compromising the shape of my fro. And we know that the thinner conditioner (used in Aldrea's L-IC) doesn't do that. The last 2 times I've made that one, I have used Suave Green Apple Conditioner. It smells good, even though I am not wild about the fact that it's lime green. I try not to think about it, 'cause so far I've been happy with what it's doing for my hair. And lastly, I know that I like the thicker consistency of the MotownGirl L-IC.

So here's what I came up with, based on what works & what doesn't work:

African Cheetah's Leave-In Conditioner (1st Draft)

1.5 oz / 3 tablespoons Vegetable Glycerin
3.0 oz / 6 tablespoons Suave Green Apple Conditioner
1.5 oz / 3 tablespoons Aloe Vera Gel
4.5 oz / 9 tablespoons Water
.25 oz / .5 tablespoon Olive Oil

The consistency is thin and watery. It doesn't have a strong smell and it's not at all sticky to the touch. It also doesn't leave any kind of residue on the hands, except for a little of the oil. (But who can't use a little extra lotion on their hands every now and then?)

I guess we'll see what happens...

~

Since it's the 1st weekend of the month, I'm changing the Easter fingertip towels to the Spring/Summer fingertip towels; I'm running vinegar through the coffee pot; I'm cleaning my jewelry; and (the part you care about) I'm doing the Deep Conditioning Routine that I ripped from MotownGirl last month. Here's a re-cap...

STEP ONE:

Baking Soda Rinse

1 tablespoon Baking Soda
2 cups Warm Water

This cleans my hair and scalp in a way that my co-wash does not. I don't use many products on my hair so I don't have "product buildup". But I like the clean that comes from this rinse. It's not gritty like you might think and it makes my curls POP!

STEP TWO:

Deep Conditioner

Giovanni 50:50
Olive Oil

I really like the consistency & the ingredients in this conditioner (click here to see ingredient list). I leave it in for at least an hour, wrapping my hair in Saran Wrap and covering that with a tight-ish wool winter hat.

STEP THREE:

Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse

1 tablespoon Organic Apple Cider Vinegar
2 cups water
10 drops Essential Oil of Peppermint

I follow this with a cold rinse of water. Apparently that helps seal the hair's cuticle. This rinse is supposed to help with shine/sheen. Adding the Peppermint EO is supposed to help cut the smell, but I'm told that the smell doesn't linger on your hair anyway.

May is the 2nd month of this routine and I'm still very pleased with it. As I said last month, it is not nearly as tedious or cumbersome as it sounds.

new season, new thoughts

2007-05-02T16:39:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I still want my twists. I mostly just don't want to pay anybody right now, and I can't commit to doing it myself. I've never been good at those long tedious processes.

In other news, I have been feeling like Motown Girl's Leave In Conditioner wasn't packing the same punch as it was when I first started using it. I'm in the first few applications my second batch of the stuff and I just decided to revisit Aldrea's Leave In Conditioner.

Here's the visual...

See, you can kind of see that back part of my hair for once. I just recently discovered that it is extremely straight back there. It won't even bend over good - it's just kind of straight. You know, like that allegedly good hair that all nappies wanted back in the 80's when that shit was in...

Well now that I have a small patch of this so-called "good hair", I feel that I can safely say that it is a pain in the ass & I'm glad that texture is not consistent all over my head. I would never be able to mix it up!

So here are my initial observations, after 2 or 3 days.

The MotownGirl Leave-In

It's so easy to use because it's super thick so it doesn't drip.
I don't like that it doesn't provide tons of moisture or sheen.
I really don't like that I have to use such a small amount to avoid my hair having white residue in it.
After a while, I wasn't feeling like it was giving me those cute, springy coils I adore so much. I'm not sure if that's because my hair got tired of responding to that formula...or because of the change in seasons (and presumed increase in humidity)...or because I just didn't use the same proportions this time.

The Aldrea Leave-In

It's easy to make & doesn't require measuring cups & spoons.
My hair seems to maintain it's shiny-ness for most of the day.
The water doesn't stop dripping down my neck & face for HOURS after I spray it in. This is an enormous problem. I can't be wiping my face & neck down all damn day. It's kind of gross!
The glycerin drips down my face & neck all day and all night. At least I'm assuming it's the glycerin. I don't think that it's the olive oil, because it makes me sticky. It also makes me shiny about the forehead, which is also pretty gross.
But it makes those adorable little spirals....[if you can't tell, I'm whining at this point]

So my conclusion is that I'm going to use both for now & see what happens. I tried adding a bit more conditioner to Aldrea's version, but I didn't notice any remarkable results.

Here's a re-post of the 2 Leave-In's referenced above:

ALDREA'S LEAVE-IN

1 part glycerin
1 part conditioner
3 parts water

MOTOWNGIRL'S LEAVE-IN CONDITIONER

1 cup thick, heavy conditioner
1/8 cup oil (I used mostly coconut, then a splash of olive)
1 tblsp Vegetable Glycerin
1 tblsp Silk Peptide Powder

smile...click!...smile...click!

2007-04-27T10:08:00.000-05:00

Who doesn't love an impromptu photo shoot on a day when you are looking good?

(I still want my twists, though.)

bored, but less lazy

2007-04-25T17:06:00.000-05:00

I want some twists!!! Dammit...

And not flat twists, and not with any hair added...just some plain 'ole twists with my hair. Dammit....

I have been told that wearing the bra strap headband makes me look like I'm "baldheaded" and that I should set my afro free, so...

I'm still using Motown Girl's Leave In Conditioner, but I wish I could figure out a way for it to not leave white conditioner on my hair. I have a stock supply of folded-up paper towels in my car so I can try to relieve myself from looking......I don't know...white (or something). I'm sure that I'm using too much. After all, excess is my middle name. But I'm saying..it never feels like there's enough of it in when I just use a little like she says on her site. [groan] I guess I'll try to follow the damn directions tomorrow.

Dammit.

Last week I went to the "Rap Sessions" thing that is touring the country. I saw the screening of "Hip Hop: Beyond Beats & Rhymes" and did the Town Hall Meeting called "Does Hip Hop Hate Women?" and I was super duper inspired by all the sisters there with different natural styles. In particular, one young lady had twists. They were about 3 inches long and kinda curled, like maybe she put them on sponge rollers. And I haven't been able to stop thinking about that hairstyle ever since. I need to start brainstorming and making calls.

'cause I'm bored.

l-a-z-y

2007-04-18T10:36:00.000-05:00

Right now I am a lazy blogger.

Obviously.

I wanted to get some flat twists last week, but my hair was too short on the sides. So I ended up with cornrows.

Overall I'm fairly pleased with them. They're too tight, though. And he didn't do a great job getting my frizzy/curly/nappy ends into the braid, so I'm a little fluffy unless I put some gel on them & tie 'em up for an hour or so.

And I miss my hair.

But I'll keep them in until I don't feel like it anymore. Originally I was going to try for 2 weeks. We'll see. I've re-discovered the joy of not having to do my hair in the morning...

finally

2007-04-07T14:48:00.000-05:00

This is bound to be a long, wordy post. The past 48 hours have been full of hair excitement.

I'll start at the beginning.

So I finally caught up with Ola, who was happy to trim my ends this past Thursday. When she was finished, she had enjoyed touching my hair so much and marvelling at it's growth & softness that she couldn't help but put some cornrows in it. I was happy to let her go right ahead.

Obviously the R. Kelly look was not appropriate for work, but I wasn't ready to take the braids down straightaway the next morning. So, I wore my newest "hat" to work the next day.

(For some reason the picture of me in the new wig won't upload. I'll try again & update this post whenever it works.)

Whew, Lawd...."they" didn't know what to think about that!

So this morning I went ahead & took the braids down. I would have been happy to keep them in a bit longer but

1. I had planned on doing a whole deep condition, etc. routine today
2. I can't really do anything tomorrow 'cause it's Easter & I gotta cook & eat & be w/ family and stuff, and
3. I ain't really trying to rock them braids or that wig any more.

So, what I was hoping would be a super cute preview of how my braid-outs & twist-outs will look when I have more length, turned out to be a dud. The only thing I see is that it doesn't take much for my hair to dry straight - it looked like I had a relaxer.

...then I put in some of the "old" Leave-In Conditioner, from Aldrea's site...

I keep trying to find a way to show y'all those coils that are all over my head all the time. There's got to be some angle, just the right amount of light. [grrrr]

So after much B-Sing and procrastinating, I finally got started. I did a brief co-wash, then a Baking Soda Rinse. This is my third time with the Baking Soda Rinse and I'm still fascinated by how it whips those coils right into shape. And how clean it makes my hair & scalp feel. It's pretty intense. I'm thinking that I probably could have skipped the co-wash and just done that.

Baking Soda Rinse (in case you missed it the last time)

1 tablespoon Baking Soda
2 cups warm water

Then I took my new Giovanni 50:50 Conditioner and added about a tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and about a tablespoon of Unscented Amla Oil to it. I have been researching the Giovanni Organic line for several months now. I really like the ingredients in their products a lot. They hardly have any chemicals at all, and the few that are included are like 20th on the ingredient list!

Ingredients
Aqua (Purified Water) with Rosemary Oil , Nettle Oil, Thyme Oil, Birch Leaf Oil, Chamomile Oil, Clary, Lavender, Coltsfoot Leaf, Yarrow Oil, Mallow, Horsetail Oil, Soybean Protein, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Acetamide MEA, Cetyl Alcohol (Plant Derived), Trace Minerals, Citric Acid (Corn), Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate, Grape Seed (Citrus Derived)

See?!

So I slathered a bunch of that concoction into my hair.

You can kinda sorta see the coils jumping out of my head, right? (I'm obsessed with those things!)

Next step in my day of beauty...wrap my hair up in saran wrap, cover it with a winter hat & chill.

[cue the Jeopardy music]

I left the Deep Conditioner in for about 6 hours, during which time I baked a cake and uploaded all these pictures so I could start this post. I had also spent some time this morning using white vinegar to clean my coffee pot, shower drain and iron (I know this seems totally irrelevant, but...) so since I was still trying to flush the crap out of the iron, I decided to put that steam to use on my hair. I held the iron over my saran-wrapped head about 6 times, for about 2 minutes at a time.

When I finally rinsed the Deep Conditioner out, I finished the whole process off with an Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse followed by some cold water.

1 tablespoon Organic Apple Cider Vinegar
2 cups water
10 drops Essential Oil of Peppermint

The ACV rinse and the cold water was supposed to seal the cuticle of my hair (whatever that means)and make it shiny. I have no idea about any cuticles being sealed or unsealed or anything, but my hair certainly has a sheen that I haven't seen before. It's pretty darned soft too. And of course it's full of those coils that I'm so excited about.

I finally had a chance to try out MotownGirl's routine. So far I'm pretty pleased with it. It wasn't as cumbersome or tedious as it looks written down and I love how my hair and scalp feel.

is that a routine I see?

2007-04-04T18:26:00.000-05:00

It just might be...

But before I go getting ahead of myself here, lemme tell y'all what's happening.

First of all, procrastinating usually leads to some disappointment and a change in plans. This theory certainly held true where the trimming of my ends is concerned. I finally, finally, finally decided that I would go handle that sometime today. But when I called the shop to find out Ola's availability, homegirl was like "she doesn't work here anymore". Before the panic could set in, I sent out an email & got the new information. She starts at a different shop, same mall, tomorrow. Whew! Hopefully I'll still be motivated tomorrow. I'm sure I will because I keep looking at these ringlets all over my head & thinking, if I had a trim, they'd be even more coily.....if that's even possible!

Second of all, I have come to the realization that I have to stop bullshitting and get a digital camera. I tried to have some pictures taken of the back of my head and this is the best that stupid Kodak disposable camera could do...

I guess fuzzy, blurry back of head photos are better than no back of head photos. [grrrr!]

Anyhooo...I'm beginning to feel like I'm getting the hang of this!

As of this very instant, this is my (dare I say it?).....(is it a jinx if I use the actual term?)......(what if I change my mind tomorrow?).......[holding breath]....[closing eyes].......[peeking].......ROUTINE.

[exhaling]

- at night: I put in an unmeasured mixture of Amla Oil, Carol's Daughter Hair Milk and Organic Root Stimulator Shea Butter Softening Hair & Scalp Lotion. I know all the chemicals in the ORS stuff are bad news bears, but I'mma tell you, that stuff makes my hair moist than a mug! The Amla is supposed to be good for strengthening the hair & possibly promoting growth. I got the unscented kind from From Nature With Love.

- in the shower: All the traditional co-wash steps here. Rinse without touching the hair, finger through the hair to detangle a little, apply Suave Tropical Coconut Conditioner to scalp, wait, apply conditioner to hair, wait, finger through hair to detangle more vigorously, rinse. Apply MotownGirl's Leave In Conditioner. Hurry up and bathe - you're late!

- after that: To tell you the truth, there is no after that. With the new Leave In, it's not even dripping down my neck so much anymore. There is nothing to do but get on with the business of being cute.

Today I rocked my TWA sans bra-strap-headband. I did this partly because during the oiling up process last night, I realized that it might be kinda cute. Or at least different. And also partly because I was thinking I'd get my trim today and it would be a lot easier for her to go at it if my hair was just out, doing it's thang.

I don't love the way it looks, but I don't hate it either. It's just not as feminine as the standard bra-strap look. But who cares. I know I'm a girl.

2 months later...

2007-04-02T08:17:00.000-05:00

Today is my 2 month anniversary of The Big Chop!

I have settled into a bit of routine with my haircare & I'm learning more every day about what my hair does and does not like.

This weekend I took down the twists. I took a few pictures of the bootleg twist-out that followed...

I got right to the business of washing that front part and doing an extensive finger comb to detangle my hair. I probably need to do that more often. And I decided to stick with the "new" Leave In Conditioner for a few days, just to see how I feel about it. Here's the recipe that I got from MotownGirl's site:

MOTOWNGIRL'S LEAVE-IN CONDITIONER

1 cup thick, heavy conditioner
1/8 cup oil (I used mostly coconut, then a splash of olive)
1 tblsp Vegetable Glycerin
1 tblsp Silk Peptide Powder

The first adjustment that I needed to make with this is that I don't need tons of it. A very small handful is enough - it's so thick. I've used this every day so far and I like it. My hair is soft and my curls are curly. I think I'll stick with this one for a while. The one from Aldrea's site needs some tweaking.

My next project: find a deep conditioning product & routine. I'll keep you posted.

I AM the "Gerber Baby"

2007-03-30T07:58:00.000-05:00

You ever see those Gerber (or Pampers) ads that have those absolutely adorable brown babies with the soft curly hair? I'm convinced that I am the 33 year old incarnation of those kids. My hair anyway...

The Suave Tropical Coconut Conditioner co-wash every other day or so is doing big things for the curls...big things. Most importantly, they're soft (and clean...I guess that's pretty important too).

I have done my second Baking Soda Rinse also and I'm even more impressed with it. Not only does it tighten up my curls like Archie Bell & The Drells [love that song], it makes my hair and scalp feel tingly clean. Sorta like how I would feel after getting a relaxer...like I could feel the wind blowing in my scalp again...so fresh & so clean.

The twists have been in for 10 days now and they still look pretty reasonable.

It's been a fun & convenient style, but I'm 'bout ready to take them down. My hair feels dirty up there in the front, even though I ran the Baking Soda Rinse through there. Plus I need to get my ends trimmed in the worst way, so I need to be taking them down. I think it has definitely provided a nice, needed respite from the bra strap headband, though.

As we all know, I'm in love with all things Glycerin. The Leave In Conditioner I got from Aldrea's site many weeks ago is still the best thing that ever happened to my African Cheetah hair. I have made a minor modification by adding the Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and I need to make some adjustments to the proportions 'cause most days I have water/EVOO/glycerin dripping down my neck for the 2 hours after I get out of the shower. It's kinda gross, so I'm thinking I might need to reduce the amount of oil I'm using.

And I got a new product that I tried out this morning. (I know I said I wasn't buying anything else, but I just had to...I had to!) I bought some Silk Peptide Powder from From Nature With Love to make MotownGirl's Leave In Conditioner. Well, I made it this morning and used it for the first time, so we'll see what happens.

In the meantime, the sun is shining, I have a new springtime shirt, love is in the air and I AM THE GERBER BABY!!!

eureka!! (I think)

2007-03-22T09:25:00.000-05:00

I did my first official co-wash this morning with the Suave Tropical (not Toasted, Tropical!) Coconut Conditioner. And lemme tell ya...I could feel my hair growing softer by the second.

I really took my time & did what all the co-wash advocates have told me to do.

1. I gently and thoroughly massaged the Conditioner onto my scalp.

2. Then, in sections, I started gently rubbing it onto my hair, from root to tip.

3. I let it sit for a moment, massaged my scalp a bit more without manipulating my hair too much, then rinsed thoroughly.

I'm so serious, my hair hasn't felt like that in 6 and a half weeks since it's been cut!

So I'd say that went well.

And after that, I tried something a little different. I put the Shea Butter on while my hair was wet, before the Leave In. After squirting the Leave In Conditioner on, I did my usual & proceeded with my shower so that the humidity in the bathroom could activate the Glycerin. Then I put a little Coconut Oil on for sheen.

So far I'm pretty impressed with the results. We'll see what's happening at the end of the day.

(You can really see the color in this picture! Sometimes I forget that I got it dyed a little when I got the Big Chop, 'cause the color is so close to my natural color.)

still searching...

2007-03-21T12:52:00.000-05:00

I think I'm closer to having a routine than I was last week, but I still don't feel entirely confident that I've "got it".

So here's what I've done since last week:

1. No-poo, but also no conditioner wash. I tried it with the Mizani MoistureFuse, but that conditioner is a bit too thick I think. I have since purchased 3 other conditioners...Tresseme something or other (for my leave in conditioner mix), Suave Green Apple (for a scented leave in conditioner) and Suave Toasted Coconut (for my no-poo/co-wash). I haven't used the Coconut yet, but I will sometime this week.

2. Baking Soda Clarifying Rinse (from MotownGirl)
1 tbsp baking soda
1 cup (or more) warm water

I wasn't certain what to expect from this, but here's what I got. My hair was the coily-est it has ever been. But I didn't do any type of conditioner afterwards, deep, hot oil or otherwise, so it was stiff & dry. It seemed pretty clean, though - no more funky product build up from what I could tell. But I think I need to do better with the conditioning.

3. Started back with the shea butter at night. As I've said before, that Carol's Daughter Hair Milk is working miracles on my crunchy, crackly nighttime hair...but my hair is drinking it like it's free (and it's not). I don't know how soon I'll be re-creating it - there's a lot of ingredients in there that I don't already have. So I have to come up with alternatives, preferably ones that include products that I already have...hence the shea butter - I've got tons of that. I don't know how much it's helping, but I'm pretty sure it's not hurting. We'll see.

4. Got flat twists in the front.

Yes, I was taking pictures while driving again. At the time, this always seems perfectly safe. Then when I see the picture & all the cars in the background, I wonder if I'm crazy for thinking this is normal behavior.

I had just shoved some food in my mouth, hence the goofy look on my face!

So, before bed I did a whole Shea Butter, Carol's Daughter Hair Milk thing and this is what was popping off in the morning. It's so hard to see the texture & moisture & curls in my hair - I gotta get a real camera and let this camera phone thing go. [sigh]

Next time I'll have her do my whole head, for sure. Wetting the back without disturbing the twists was easier than I thought it would be. I'm excited to see how long I can keep them in. And I'm glad that the front of my hair (and the back for that matter) is getting a break from the bra strap headband.

I thought it was a good idea to just have her do the front this time though, since I'm struggling with the routine. I think it would be counterproductive to stop playing around with moisture retention methods right when I'm learning what works & what doesn't.

Oh, did I mention last week that I had added some Extra Virgin Olive Oil to my Leave In Conditioner? I think it's helping. I have also put a little Coconut Oil on it for sheen for the last 2 or 3 days. That stuff is greasier than I would like, but it definitely adds sheen and sort of keeps me from having my hands in my hair all day - 'cause I hate to pull them back & they're all greasy. Yuck! It leads to non-stop hand washing.

I didn't do the Apple Cider Vinegar rinse because I realized that I don't have any Apple Cider Vinegar! I have white vinegar and I have Red Wine Vinegar, but no ACV! Which is why I ended up doing the baking soda thing instead. I will do that one again for sure, once I get a feel for what kind of conditioner my hair needs.

And of course, I have bought even more stuff & will be testing it all out as soon as it arrives. I swear I'm gonna stop buying stuff soon!

searching for a routine

2007-03-15T13:04:00.000-05:00

The drama continues...

After the last post, I got home from work that night and my hair felt borderline Brillo-Pad-ish! I put on some Carol's Daughter Hair Milk that night & wrapped it up. The next morning, I rinsed, sprayed the water/Rosemary Oil, and sprayed the Leave In Conditioner. And all was well with the world.
Also, I have been putting the Organic Root Stimulator Loc & Twist Gel on the front so I can push the bra strap back a little farther without my "baby hair" (LOL!!) popping out all around the sides. All of that is working well.

This morning I decided that I have to stay away from shampoo of any kind. I'm totally sworn off shampoo (for at least the next week or so). If I feel like I have a bunch of gunky product in my hair, I'll try Aldrea's Apple Cider Vinegar Clarifying Rinse.

1 part Apple Cider Vinegar
4 parts water

So I started a no-poo thing (for more information see Motown Girl's comprehensive article) semi-officially this morning. I decided to go with the Mizani MoistureFuze. Did a 3 or 4 minute rinse & scalp massage with just water. Then I gently massaged the conditioner into my scalp, then my hair. I let it sit there for about 5 minutes (or however long it takes to shave my legs), then rinsed gently. And just because I can't leave well enough alone, I put in some Carol's Daughter Hair Milk. (I get so paranoid that my hair is gonna be dry!) And then on with my usual routine of water/Rosemary Oil & Leave In Conditioner.

So far, so good. It's 2 in the afternoon & I'm not too greasy...not too stiff. My curls are kinda curly...I'm not seeing anything overly frizzy up there. My biggest problem today was that I put the "puff" too far back & didn't like the way it looked.

Do I look thoroughly disgusted, or what!!

I had to show off the flowers that were sent to me...even if the hair itself is hard to see, get a load of those roses! [sigh]

No biggie - I just pulled the bra strap down a bit & now I'm back to normal.

So we'll see what happens. I guess now I have to figure out how often I need to conditioner wash. Every day? Every other day? Once a week? And am I ever going to stop being lazy and do some kind of deep conditioning treatment again?

[That last part kind of reads like an old school radio program or a soap opera or something. Like there should be some dramatic music underscoring a dude with a deep voice, trying to create a suspenseful ending.]

[I am so dramatic.]

40 days & 40 nights

2007-03-13T11:16:00.000-05:00

Ok, well technically it's only been 37 days and 36 nights....but it's Lent & Easter time and all, so why not?

It's going to be hard, I think, show a true growth comparison here, but I'll try. Here I am 35-ish days ago...

I was still able to smush all that hair down neatly....

...even though there was sooooooo much of it!

I wouldn't even attempt to try to smush it down NOW!

As you can (hopefully) see, it is growing like crazy. I am anxious for the back to grow a little longer, a little faster, so my afro puff can sit a little higher on my head...but I know I'll get there.

In the meantime, I'm struggling to come up with & maintain a routine.

I am still using the Leave In Conditioner every day and very happy with the way that's working. I have changed my morning routine a bit so that I do all my hair stuff as soon as I get in the shower. That way, the humidity has a chance to work on the Glycerin, and it can do it's magic on my curly, girly 'fro.

However, the past week has presented some new difficulties:

1. Tangles.
I have to be honest, once I saw how the Glycerin was making those adorable little coils in my hair, I stopped combing & brushing it. And after a week or so, those coils were all over my head. I'd be driving down the street, absentmindedly playing in my hair, discovering those things in all different areas of my head - front, back, top, sides. But I knew there would come a time when I'd have to put a comb to all that cuteness and it would take a few days for it to return. Before I even did a comb through, I did as much detangling as I could with my fingers. I thought I was keeping a pretty good handle on it since I finger comb pretty thoroughly each day in the shower. But it seems that I need to pay more attention to untangling those ends. I probably also need a haircut. I'll try to squeeze that in next week & see if it helps.

2. Moisture (or lack thereof)

I just don't know how to work it out consistently. I've been using the Carol's Daughter Hair Milk at night sometimes. It's greasy and my hair easily soaks up 3 or 4 quarter sized dollops of it (which is an awful lot considering it cost me $10 for 8 ounces). But it feels softer when I wake up in the morning. And I had been spraying the water/Rosemary Oil in while I'm in the shower. And in this last week, I'm just not sure what happened. It has been super dry...like parched & crunchy, for the past couple of days!!!

I washed my hair with a homemade glycerin soap about a week ago. I haven't followed up to see what ALL the ingredients are, so that may have something to do with it. The soap is super lather-y.

I washed my hair a few days later with Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Castille Shampoo/Soap. But I've been too lazy to properly dilute it, so I am sure I used way too much, 'cause I was just putting it on by itself. That has probably contributed to the problem also.

Not to mention, I hadn't washed it in probably 2 weeks before this recent rash of shampooings!

And then yesterday, before I did anything else, I put some of the Mizani conditioner in for a few minutes. I did everything else the same & my hair was quite crispy!

So, once again I'm trying something new. Last night I used the Carol's Daughter Hair Milk before bed. Then this morning before I put in the water/Rosemary Oil and the Leave In Conditioner, I used some Carol's Daughter Healing Hair Butter. Then when I got out of the shower, I put a little coconut oil up-in-and-thru there.

It's really greasy right now. Every time I touch it I have to wash my hands. But it's shiny and it doesn't feel like it's been in the desert for several weeks. This is annoying!

Yes, I'm supposed to be working. But I'm obviously obsessed with my hair........obviously!

Don't worry, I was at a stop sign this time!

bringin' back nappy

2007-03-06T20:06:00.000-05:00

The love affair with my hair continues....

Anybody who knows me can attest to the fact that I don't really need a reason to take obscene amounts of photos of myself - any random excuse will do. And this whole "new hair" thing is providing me with lots of excuses.

So, I have modified my style options ever so slightly over the last week...

I'm still obsessed with the Leave In Conditioner recipe I got from Aldrea's website:

1 part glycerin
1 part conditioner
3 parts water

I use it every day. And about every other day, I spritz in a Rosemary Oil & water mixture.

I haven't combed my hair in I-don't-know-how-long...I've just been finger combing it in the shower. And the glycerin makes it so curly, I finger it most of the day too!

So, ever since last week, when I had no choice but to come to work in all my nappy glory, I haven't tried to smush all this hair down anymore. I alternated between my "flesh toned" knee high stocking and a black or white trouser sock. A girlfriend of mine who is in the process of loc-ing felt some pity on me and gave me her bra strap headband.

So I look a lot less tacky than before. Trust, trying to keep the knee part of the knee high tucked in was not easy.

But I started to be worried about breakage around the hairline. So I went out and got some of those itty bitty butterfly clips and...

I used the Carol's Daughter Mimosa Hair Honey...

...finally found a good reason to use this Organic Root Stimulator Loc & Twist Gel...

What I've Learned:

1. any twists or braids I do to the front are going to be fuzzy for a while, because my of initial haircut - she took down that front part for some reason

2. the fuzzy short part in the front is going to be even fuzzier if I don't take the time to do actual 2 strand twists, instead of just kind-of twisting my hair back (I was being lazy)

3. the Carol's Daughter Mimosa Hair Honey has a tendancy to drip down my face & neck and irritates me. the smell is soooo strong, it's a bit overwhelming and I keep feeling itchy, like I'm having a reaction to it.

4. even when I work a 12 hour day, I am still inspired to take pictures of my hair & post them on the blog.

Wow!

2007-02-26T14:48:00.000-05:00

I just had to take a picture of this...

When I was massaging the Leave In Conditioner in my hair last night, this coil just sprang up. The picture doesn't do it any justice - it was PERFECT!

Then I stretched it out to see how much shrinkage I had, and woah!! I know it's not that long all over, but still...wow.

to smush or not to smush

2007-02-24T00:21:00.000-05:00

I love my hair...love it. I love touching it, twisting it around my fingers, massaging products into it. I haven't regretted my "Big Chop" decision for a moment.

But I'mma be real honest, getting up every day trying to get hair together before work is a significant pain in my ass. For most of the last 11 years, I have had a weekly standing appointment with my beautician. He or she knew that I had no specific requests of them as far as style. I only ask that whatever they do be professional, presentable in the conservative corporate workplace, and that I not be required to do anything to it during the week. So that meant, during the course of any week I may have combed my hair once or twice...maybe. Depending on the style, I may have had some hard rollers in my hair over night for two or three days. And I slept in a bonnet. Beyond that, my only responsibility to my hair was to write the check, have a seat & be fabulous.

Now, when I go to bed at night, I look like this...

...and when I wake up in the morning, I look like this...

Ever since I discovered the curl-defining power of glycerin, it has been a lot harder to get my hair to look like this again...

So, I rushed out (to Amazon.com) and bought a slew of Carol's Daughter products to try to help the process along. Not to mention I was trying to find some natural, chemical-free alternatives to that stankin' gel that I had. The first of her products that I tried was the Carol's Daughter Mimosa Hair Honey.

In addition to the yummy fruit & flower extracts and essential oils, the Hair Honey has some sort of wax in it, so I thought surely it would be helpful in the smushing process. I was pretty adamant about this smushing thing, 'cause I wasn't feeling like I had any other hairstyle options for work right now. All the compliments I got from bosses were about how "professional" and "neat" it was. (I'm not about to spend any energy here dissecting the subtext of these comments...but you can feel free to deconstruct them.)

So my product came in the mail, morning rolled around, I rinsed the products out of my hair (whatever was left from the day before) and worked in a nickel sized dollop of Mimosa Hair Honey in, brushed through it and tied it down. A couple of hours later...

Talk about smushy!! You can see where the rag was tied down though, on the sides & the back.

Smush success was indeed achieved!

But no process is failsafe. Over the course of the next couple of days, I learned that:

* if you slide the tip of an applicator bottle through your hair, it will leave lines
* those lines will be visible all day, no matter what you do to try to pat them out or smooth them down
* if your hair doesn't have a chance to dry under the scarf, it won't be as flat & smushy as you want it
* it's hard to know what shape your hair is smushed down in under the scarf
* there are going to be days when smushing is simply impossible

I experienced my first "no-smush" workday this past week. Due to some unforseen circumstances, I was not able to go through my usual morning beauty & hygiene process (ask me no questions, and I'll tell you no lies). As always, I had put a generous amount of leave in conditioner in before bed, so when I woke up it was just as soft and moist as can be. I had to think fast. In that moment, the decision was made...the people at my company are going to have to find out sooner or later that despite my "neat and professional" appearance, my educational history and my dazzling ability to articulate, that I am Black and turns out my hair is nappy.

DISCLAIMER: Please do not attempt to take photos of yourself while driving your car on the freeway in rush hour traffic. This was a really bad idea on my part, no matter how positively cute I was and regardless of the fact that I knew I needed to document my first official un-smushed workday...taking pictures of yourself while draving is a bad idea. And I will try really hard not to do it again.

So, what I did was spritzed a little water mixed with Rosemary Oil, just to refresh the leave in conditioner. I massaged it around a bit & tied the front of my hair down with a knee-high stocking. (The next day I used a trouser sock.)

And I have been unsmushed ever since...

soft & beautiful

2007-02-15T16:10:00.000-05:00

I have updated my routine just a smidge, based on the things I've learned recently (like the 1st gel I bought sucks and it's getting harder to smash my hair down into it's work-ready position).

Today's Routine:

1. On the eve of the snow day, I made Aldrea's Leave-In Conditioner.
2. Slept in it, spritzed a little water on yesterday, slept on it again.
3. Rinsed it a bit in the shower this morning.
4. Combed my hair in the shower, instead of at the sink when I got out.
5. Rubbed a dime-sized dollop of Coconut Oil into my hair.
6. Smoothed on some of my new "gel", Giovanni Sunset Styling Lotion.
7. Gently brushed.
8. Wrapped in satin scarf.

Today's Result:

Certainly not the best picture in the world, but there it is. Turns out, you can't communicate texture & softness through a photograph - who knew!

But seriously, I don't think it's been this soft (after using the old gel) since I chopped it. So far, I'm very pleased with the new gel. Although, the consistency is more like thick setting lotion than gel.

I think I'll use some Shea Butter with the Coconut Oil. I also took a break from the Extra Virgin Olive Oil & Essential Oil concoction this morning. The Leave In Conditioner made it so soft & moist I thought I'd see what would happen if I skipped a day "greasing" my scalp. The Shea Butter made it super sheen-y (which is different from shiny....obviously) last week. Why did I stop using it?

Let's see if the new routine & the new products keep me soft & beautiful all day...

snow day

2007-02-14T11:41:00.000-05:00

There's about 1 million feet of snow outside my door this morning! Even though I pay my little $85 Homeowner's Association Dues on time each month, I cannot count on waking up to a shoveled parking area & walkway. Sure enough, there's so much snow out there I can hardly see anybody's tires on their cars. Long before my boss called to tell me the office was closed today, I knew I wasn't going anywhere.

So I immediately got back in the bed. And as I laid myself down (again) to rest (some more) I realized that staying home meant I had a whole day to PLAY IN MY HAIR!!!

Well, actually, I did a bit of playing last night, truth be told. Ok, the night before, too. I guess I'll start there.

Monday I decided to make myself a pre-shampoo conditioner aka shrimp marinate using:

approx 1/2 cup honey
approx 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
approx 1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 extremely ripe banana

I put all of this in a spray bottle & went to work. I sprayed this shrimp marinate on my hair, wrapped it up in a plastic curl bag and went to sleep.

Lessons learned...

First of all, no matter how ripe a banana is, one probably ought to put it in a food processor or blender or something before adding it to a spray bottle & attempting to spray it onto hair. My spray bottle got clogged 2 or 3 times (I just flushed the pump with warm water to un-clog).

It's Wednesday, I've shampoo'd, I've conditioned, I've rinsed, I've combed...and I'm still finding little pieces of banana in my hair.

The gel I bought at the salon last week is making my hair dry.

I intend to re-work this formula a little (starting with a blender for those bits of fruit!) and try it again. I think the biggest reason I didn't see any real noticeable results is because of that stupid gel sucking all the moisture out of my hair. I have since bought over $50 worth of other styling products & will provide feedback as I have it...

So Tuesday was not my best hair day ever. Getting my thick, curly, carpet-like tresses to lay down is not easy. My 'fro was a little lumpy yesterday, but what are you gonna do?

One of the products that I read about over & over again on other folk's blogs/websites/journals is Vegetable Glycerin.

There is lots of talk of "defining the curl pattern" on these other sites. It took me a couple of days to figure out what that meant. But once I (thought I) did, I ran out and bought some. Last night I made a Leave In Conditioner that Aldrea has posted on her site:

1 part glycerin
1 part conditioner
3 parts water

I put all of this in a spray bottle & went to work. I could feel my curls curling up immediately. I wrapped my head in a bandana & a bonnet & slept on it. When I woke up, my hair was still extremely moist; not wet, but moist! So I did a little finger-comb...

then added some water (in a spray bottle) so I could get a comb/pick through it...

It's been over an hour (probably closer to 2) and I can still comb through my hair and boy, lemme tell ya, that glycerin is making my kinky-coily-curls super curly-coily-kinky! It's soft to the touch, although very slightly sticky (I probably need to add a little more water to my mixture if I'm going to use it as a leave-in).

Thank God for snow days!

[yawn]
I'm going to sleep now.

oh, the possibilities

2007-02-11T03:44:00.000-05:00

Five days into the new me and I have discovered that I have a lot of hair on my head! You wouldn't know it from looking at me with it styled. In the morning I have been wetting it, putting in a little Mizani Moisturfuze conditioner, combing through it with a wide tooth comb & a very lite gel and tying it down with a satin scarf. It has been difficult to deal with leaving the house with my head wet in the dead of winter! But so far I have not been cold or sick. I just make sure that it is tied down tightly with that satin scarf and then cover it with sweater and jacket hoods & winter wool scarves.

I always knew I had a lot of hair, that's not what I mean. I mean it's looooong! And I had no idea Ola had left that much hair up there.

Slightly assimilated corporate accountant by day...

African Cheetah by night...

Come on...you didn't think it was this long, did you? Tell the truth!

I stayed up half the night putting two-strand twists all over my head. (Well that's not true - I left about 2 or 3 sections unbraided because I was falling asleep!) This time I didn't use any oil or gel, mostly because it was all very spontaneous. I was talking on the phone, using my hands free unit and before I realized it, I had twisted one row already. So I just kept going - wanted to see what it would look like with the twists and then once I took them out.

It certainly doesn't look like much in the pictures, but I was quite impressed with the way the curl set in just overnight, without styling products or anything! I just need to brainstorm & figure out how I'm going to parlay that into a real hairstyle. Also, next time I'll use some Organic Root Stimulator, Lock & Twist Gel. I purchased it when I had the braids and was very happy with the consistency of it - it's lite & smooth, not sticky or heavy.

I was also thinking that it might be fun to blow dry my hair, then twist it. Perhaps I'll try that next weekend.

such a pretty mess

2007-02-11T03:04:00.000-05:00

After wearing the micros for 6 months, I decided that I was ready to see what my hair looked like. I even took it out myself (with the help of a kind, unsuspecting girlfriend). Everybody kept asking, "What are you gonna do with it?". I had no idea. I just knew I was ready to touch it and play in it and start using some of the new techniques & products I had been researching for so long.

Braids came out in a couple hours on Super Bowl Sunday. No problem. I came home and washed my hair. No problem. Once I stepped out of the shower, it took a minute, but I remembered how I used to handle my hair when it was wet...part it off into four sections and braid it. Problem.

And this should have been my first clue. Braiding that half natural, half relaxed hair was IMPOSSIBLE. As of Sunday, I had about 3 or 4 inches (if straightened) of new growth and about 3 to 4 inches of relaxed hair. Much to my surprise, I wasn't "mad" at the new hair. I was annoyed that that old, dead chemically altered hair was in my way, blocking my view of my "real" hair. But I put it in ponytails, instead of trying to braid it and went to bed.

I woke up the next morning ready to play. I was certain that I was going to spend my day off from work creating these beautifully elaborate & neat flat twists. Didn't work out that way. No, not so much. By noon, I was on the phone/text/email/myspace with my been-there-done-that-here-when-you-need-support-or-a-reminder-of-why-you're-doing-this team. By 1pm, I had consumed a glass of wine. (It was cocktail hour somewhere!) All I could think was, somebody needs to twist my hair until I can figure out what the hell I'm gonna do...or somebody needs to just cut out this relaxer and let me get started already. And this somebody needs to hop to it 'cause I gotta go to work tomorrow & can't go up in there looking like a confused pickaninny.

Thanks to the hard work, dedication and perserverance of the aforementioned team, I ended up at probably the only house of beauty on the planet that's open on a Monday.

"Just ask for Ola. She'll take care of you."

I was comfortable immediately. Her energy was perfect and I knew that I was in good hands. She was very excited for me & couldn't wait to play in my head. When I left 2 hours later, I got in my car & turned my camera phone on myself and....

I left there with 2 kinds of gel and some conditioner (so far, I'd only recommend the conditioner - Mizani, Moisturfuse)

Let the games begin!

what I learned

2007-02-10T18:49:00.000-05:00

I spent much of 2006 researching natural hair care online. The first two websites I found were Aldrea's Do-It-Yourself Natural Hair, and Motown Girl. Those two ladies were a large part of my inspiration to let go of my relaxer. And because I learned so much from their sites, I decided that I would document my process as well. Let's face it, there are not a lot of resources out here for someone thinking of transitioning. So the more, the merrier, right?

One of the things that I found most immediately useful from Motown Girl was her homemade hair recipes. My beautician had already told me that I should use Extra Virgin Olive Oil on my hair & scalp. And because I have excema, I already knew that Essential Oils of Neem, Nettles, Bergamot and Tea Tree were going to ease some of my itchy, scratchy suffering. But the idea that I could pretty much eliminate chemicals from my hair regime had never occurred to me. Of course, I didn't realize the types of chemicals I had been putting on my head all these years...until I did some digging around, that is.

The first thing I found out was how drying shampoos with Sodium Lauryl Sulphate are (and Lauryl Sulphate, and Sodium Laureth Sulphate and Ammonium Lauryl Sulphate). Light bulb moment - a good friend of mine had told me once that she doesn't shampoo her hair. I was just meeting her at the time & didn't want to be rude, intrusive or just plain ole' ingorant, so I just smiled & nodded. It was a new concept for me, but I figured she always looked and smelled clean, so it must be working for her. Never really thought of that again, until I started poking around online. Who knew? And of course, Motown Girl has a pretty comprehensive list of ingredients to avoid.

While I had the micro braids, I didn't want to spend money on SLS-free shampoo, since I had all that fake hair. But I did get a color applicator (approximately $2 at Sally Beauty) so that I could easily put the oil on my scalp every day.

1 ounce of Olive Oil
30 drops of Tea Tree Oil
30 drops of Bergamot Oil

With this little concoction, my hair was always shiny and didn't feel dry, itchy or flaky.

Sometimes, in addition to (or instead of) the Essential Oils listed above, I would use Peppermint Essential Oil or Rosemary Essential Oil.

And my search for the right shampoo & conditioner continued...

coping

2007-02-10T18:42:00.000-05:00

This is part of a re-post from August 2006.

Saturday I'm getting micro-braids. I will be a walking, talking example of "never say never", 'cause I sure said I would never get those things again! I was ok with the amount of time it took (back in the day it was 22 hours; hopefully this time will be closer to 8). It was the removal of said braids that made me want to shoot myself. Why is it that when you need help taking your micros down, nobody wants to step up? Well, the only reason I agreed to do this again is because my regular beautician agreed to take them down for me, as well as maintain them for as long as I keep them in. Ok, well there's more reasons than that I guess. I don't do well with new growth. I dig & scratch at it. Since I'm trying to transform myself and there won't be any chemical altering of my natural coils, I'm gonna need to wrap those coils in some $40-a-bag, 20 inch, Yaki Perm, human, made in China hair.

*UPDATE*

It's six months later & I have to say that the braids had their pros and cons. The obvious benefit was that I didn't have to try to maintain any kind of hairstyle during my transition. Of course I let my hair breathe for at least a week between braids, so I was wearing it pressed (and significantly shorter, as the relaxed hair was being cut down). Unfortunately, the last time I got the micros, they were ridiculously tight around the edges and I lost a lot of hair. I mean braids coming out of my head with ALL MY HAIR, bulb and all. But I can't complain...it could have been worse. I just know that I won't allow anyone to braid my hair at the temple or the nape of my neck anymore. I will be rocking much "baby hair" from now on.

the journey begins (a re-post from August 2006)

2007-02-10T18:19:00.000-05:00

Like all of the major changes in my life, this one happened with almost no effort on my part. Sure there was months of talking, thinking, imagining, retreating, dismissing and reading. That's always my Phase One. Phase Two typically involves creating a timeline, determining the financial implications of my endeavor and executing my thoroughly thought through plan. Phase Three - completion.

I don't think I've ever gotten to Phase Two. Typically I go straight from Phase One to Phase Three and friends marvel at how I got to be so lucky as to skip the hard part.

Without me realizing it, this journey began on April 1st, 2006. I had survived winter coat + wool scarf. I had recovered from too tight at the edges. I was coping with stress + digging (no, not scratching...digging...with whatever was available...ink pen, metal letter opener...whatever). The morning of April 1st, however, I found out that I was NOT coping well with winter coat + wool scarf Part Deux.

I pulled out all of my trusty coping tools. I avoided looking at myself in the mirror. I reminded myself that it would grow back and it would be healthier. I promised myself that next winter I would take more preventative measures. I tried not to cry.

And then I saw one of my dearest girlfriends.

Oh my gosh, you cut your hair!!

And the dam broke. Don't worry, I didn't start crying openly in the bar. But I was weeping, wailing and moaning on the inside.

A conversation followed, during which my girl asked me why I didn't just go natural...locs even. I couldn't handle it. I snapped - conversation over. Is she f-ing kidding me? Hello, say it with me, people: "Corporate America".

But the seed had been planted. And it wasn't a bad idea. Upon further review (and execution of Phase One) I determined that it was actually a pretty good idea.

In theory.

Like I said, the universe has a way of taking care of my business for me when I'm too stuck on scared to do it myself. When I sat in the chair Saturday July 29th eagerly awaiting the harsh, smelly chemical that would instantly transform me from African Cheetah to Business Barbie, I had no idea that my scalp had other plans for me. That magically transforming process was over before it had a chance to start. I'm certain that she lit a match to my scalp, the burning was that instantaneous and intense.

Scalp is burning, scalp is burning,
look out, look out,
FIRE...FIRE...FIRE...FIRE
pour on water, pour on water

And just like that, Phase Three began. The African Cheetah was born again. My journey began with no steps (unless you count the swift and deliberate steps I took to the shampoo bowl, demanding that that relaxer be rinsed out immediately).

For twelve days I have tried to hide the TWA that has taken up residence under my hairstyle; I have cursed the stupid, dumb, itchy, nap....kinky African Cheetah hair; I have apologized to my tresses and begged their forgiveness and long term cooperation; I have obsessed over the possibilities; I have handed this journey over to my inner goddess.

pre-transition (a re-post from July 2006)

2007-02-10T17:31:00.000-05:00

little girl with a press n curl
age eight i got a jheri curl
thirteen i got a relaxer
i was the source of so much laughter
fifteen when it all broke off
eighteen and i went all natural
february two thousand and two
i went and did what i had to do
cause it was time to change my life
to become the woman that i am inside
ninety seven dreadlocks all gone
looked in the mirror for the first time and saw that

i am not my hair
i am not this skin
i am not your expectations
i am not my hair
i am not this skin
i am a soul that lives within

Yeah, India, I am so feeling you girl! The chronology and the ages are a little different, but all in all, my story is the same.

My mommy has never known how to do hair. She has never done anything to her own and she was pretty much incapable of making mine look decent. Several thousand miles away from her nearest family member, she was left to her own miserably incompetent devices. So for the first six years of my life, I had an afro. Sometimes that afro was teeny-weeny. Other times it was fluffy and unkempt with a ribbon attached to a bobby pin jammed into it's side.

Suddenly, things changed...and more capable family members were close at hand. Let the braiding begin! At first, there were cornrows in creative and elaborate styles. I couldn't have been happier! Until the cornrow-er went out of business and was replaced with a single braid-er. Now don't get me wrong, I realize that singles can be attractive and stylish. Back in 1980, a $2 package of colored plastic beads was all it took to take a head full of individual, slave-style plaits to the next level.

Unfortunately my braider thought those plastic beads looked cheap and tacky, so instead, I got some antique wooden beads. (Yes, they were wood. Like from trees.) They were gold and there was one on each 3 inch braid. With aluminum foil on the bottom to keep them on. Needless to say, I wasn't off to a good start in my new city at my new school with my new hair. Second graders are mean!

Before long, St. Jerry, the patron saint of little brown girls with major hair issues, heard my cry. Yes, dear reader, the Jheri Curl was born! Even though the bearer of the wooden beads would not even entertain the idea, once I was deposited into my father's hot little hands for the summer, it was a done deal. Finally! Not only did I have hair that moved, but I had hair like all the other girls. Of course mine was significantly shorter than most (think Easy-E, circa 1988) but it was a step in the right direction, regardless.

Anybody who was a child of divorce can probably remember that there was one thing that your estranged parents used as a tool to get at one another. For my mother, it was my hair. Upon my return after the summer of Jheri Curl #1, she promptly cut off all of my hair. It was back to the teeny weeny afro look, once again. The next summer, my teeny weeny afro had once again evolved into plantation plaits and I was off to visit daddy again. And he marched me right over to the local beauty shop and paid for more of those silky (aka greasy) curls. And when I got back home my mother cut off all my hair again. By the time the summer rolled around, I had cycled through the now familiar stages of hair regrowth. I even graduated from the Medusa look to the popular but impractical press and curl. Hot combs are indeed hot, rollers are pretty uncomfortable and not being able to swim was torture. I looked forward to Curl #3.

In a devastating turn of events, my mother wised up and cut my hair pre-visit!

Well, not to be outdone, my daddy waited patiently for my hair to get just long enough to wrap around one of those little rods.....and just like that, I was cool again! And this time, my exhausted & battle weary mother surrendered. The curl stayed.

Fast forward to 1988. Unless you were a gangsta rapper, the curl was no longer the style of the stylish. And I still had mine. By now I had experienced not only the original Jheri Curl, but the California Curl and the Wave Nouveau. And I was trying desperately to convince my mother to let me get a relaxer. Nope. Not happening. So here I was again, same city, new school, same bad hair. Tenth graders are mean!

In a totally spontaneous act of teenage defiance, I freed myself. Yes, I took matters into my own hands and got rid of that stankin' curl once and for all. Unfortunately, like most spontaneous acts of teenage defiance, mine lacked proper planning & regard for long term consequences. I won't take you through all of the ugly details, but I will tell you there was a blow dryer and a pressing comb involved. During the 5 days that it took for all of my hair to fall completely out, my mother employed one of her most memorable vigilante parenting tactics - she did nothing. She wouldn't take me to the beauty shop for services of any kind. I had to go to my new school with my new adolescent hormones with my new look (think Tina Turner, circa 1986). Tenth graders are still mean!

So the updated version of the hair re-growth process includes a relaxer (finally), finger waves (brown gel and all), finger waves and pineapple waves (yes, at the same time) and the Nefertiti cut (I swear it was in style for a few weeks!). And then I discovered weave. (It was around this time that I removed my mother from the hair care process. Her work was done.)

Fast forward 16 years to right now. My hair issues are not nearly as dramatic. Thanks to my standing weekly appointment at Styling Divas, I really don't have to think about my hair much at all. Until summer rolls around (don't worry, y'all, I really am over the jheri curl) and I want to enjoy swimming and other water related fun. Like now, I'm preparing to drive 7 hours to the most romantic place on earth (by myself, thanks for asking) to frolic in Lake Michigan. So I get braids. Not the crappy, individual braids of yesteryear, but the sleek, stylish cornrow of the millennium.

As I pulled into the parking lot at my job yesterday, I chuckled to myself in anticipation of my co-workers' awkward compliments and the questions of the bolder ones...

"now, can you wash that?"

"what happened to your other hair?"

"can I touch it?"

And just like in the movies, right when I was imagining these upcoming scenes, India Arie's hot new track, "I Am Not My Hair" came on.

How poetic!