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

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

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

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)

bored, but less lazy

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.

searching for a routine

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

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!

such a pretty mess

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!