What’s This Whole “Natural Hair Thing” about anyway? By Belinda Bullard

If we are honest, rocking our natural hair is not exactly new.  In my lifetime, I can remember 70’s images of Pam Grier as Cleopatra Jones and Teresa Graves of “Get Christy Love” fame.   I can also recall Cicily Tyson’s gorgeous cornrows, which are about as much the “Bo Derek” look as big bottoms can be attributed to J-Lo.    So, why the focus on natural hair?   I will share my own perspective, and some of the reasons that I embarked upon this journey, and perhaps in doing so I will touch upon something that resonates with you.

Health.  Rarely have I seen a more graphic image of the damage that sodium hydroxide, the primary component in chemical perms, can do than in the movie “Good Hair.”   Producer/ narrator Chris Rock engages in light dialogue with a scientist, who simultaneously conducts an experiment of soaking a soda can in sodium hydroxide.    Within minutes the soda is irreparably damaged; in hours there is no can.    Of course, hopefully none of us allow chemicals to remain on our heads for that long—few of us could stand it!   Yet, the image, and the images of scalp burns following this experiment are all too real for me.   I can remember my first experiment with a “bad” perm in middle school, and how I felt and looked as multiple burns began to leak pus, gluing my hair together over the next couple of days.   My mother was not one to allow to us to miss school for any reason, so I had to face my classmates on what redefined for me the meaning of a ‘bad hair day.’   It might be a function of age, but burns, especially around my scalp line, were becoming more and more of a regular occurrence, and it did not seem to matter how much water I drank prior to my retouch.   Moreover, it could not have been a coincidence that my normally full hair line was thinning in these same areas.

There is another, more simplistic, health-related reason that I decided to transition.    A naturally curly friend stated it plainly when she advised me, “I don’t put anything in my hair that I can’t eat.”   It sounded strange at the time, but it makes perfect sense.   Skin, regardless of where it is located, is porous.  We use certain soaps and lotions to give our skin moisture; we use hair serums and oils for the same reason.   Why introduce chemicals into our bodies through our hair, and for what reason?    So that we can be deemed acceptable by someone else’s standard of beauty?    Over the years, I have changed many facets of my lifestyle in order to preserve this vessel just a little longer.   I have cut pork from my diet.   I eat red meat at most once per month.   I eat more raw foods and drink far more water.   I read labels extensively—on food, on cleansers, and on body care products.   Dare I overlook the hazards I place on my skin every six weeks when I straighten my hair?     Sorry, I have lost too many close friends and relatives to various cancers to let that continue to slip by me.

  

Product knowledge. Treasured Locks. Naturally Curly.  Nappturality.  The Mane Source. Natural Sunshine.   And let us not forget about the 100 or so ladies on YouTube who have approached natural hair education with missionary-like zeal.   These are just a few of the resources available to help women who are either caring for children with natural hair, women who want to take better care of their own hair, or those like me, who are making different decisions about their hair.   I began my own natural hair journey through my two girls, and taking an honest look at their long, full, yet dry and tangled hair.   It was two years ago when I realized that their hair could not thrive on the same products that I used for my own permed hair.    I did not know how much information was on the web at that time, but I did get the slightest peek into the natural hair care product industry, and what a huge business it has become.    When I grew up, petrolatum-based products like Ultra Sheen were the oils, or, as we called it, “grease” of choice; a newcomer like TCB was considered a walk on the wild side.    Now, there are multiple product lines for the woman who chooses to embrace her God-given tresses, and those figures do not account for a growing population of women who scrap the manufactured versions altogether and head for the kitchen pantry shelves.   Anyone who even thinks they might toy with transitioning to their natural hair can easily find the support, the expertise, and the how-to’s to grow and maintain a head full of healthy hair.  

Embracing our heritage.   I often see women refer to their natural hair as “God’s plan A.”  Simply put, whatever you have is what He meant for you to have.   For too long, we have been sold a bag of goods that says we should have something else—the hair on our heads is not sufficient, not acceptable, and not worthy of the crowning glory that is spoken of in Proverbs 16:31 and 1 Corinthians 11:15.    That kinky-curly texture is the most villainized texture on the planet; we even refer to hair that is straighter or curlier as “good” hair.    In the midst of an era where we laugh about the wig or weave that is ours because we paid for it, there exists a critical mass of women who have said, “Enough is enough.   I am fearfully and wonderfully made, and God’s work in me is marvelous (Psalm 137:6).”    Mind you, embracing what is ours is not about hating what others have.   Nor is self-love of our kinky-curliness meant to divide us from our sisters who are equally resolved to chemically straighten their coifs.    But, after years of thinking otherwise, God’s original plan is good enough for me.   If you think so, too, I pray that you will seek after knowledge and wise counsel, and then join me.

Unparted Territory No. 5

So I decided to finally do a protective style about two weeks ago. I loved it. There is nothing like doing nothing to your hair! All I do after twisting my hair is put a scarf on at night and I'm good to go. To bad my it didn't last to long.

I could barley twists the hair at my temple (shown above) because the hair is still very short. I had to redo the flat twists that curve after four days because the friction caused by my scarf moving made the short hair to untwist. I'v been wearing my afro for the last week since I took this style down and washed my hair. I want to give my hair one more month before I can really do some intricate flat twist styles that will last. Until than I guess I'll be wearing my afro... 

Being Authentic to Your Own Beauty

 

 

      

      

The world we live in projects a "one type of beauty" ideal on us all. Millions of images tell us that to look good at we HAVE to buy, deprive, and work ourselves to death to be beautiful.  Everybody (regardless of race) is subjected to this in different ways. To a certain degree we all try to look like something we're not. Instead of appreciating what makes us unique and using it to our advantage we imitate something that in reality doesn't even exist. Not only is the beauty ideal to time consuming but for the majority of people it is the opposite of what nature gave them genetically. The way  women of European descent in America are told they should look exemplifies this:

• For white women who have straight hair, but having straight isn't enough. Hair must be straight yet have "volume".  Curly hair must be worn straight. 
• Having full lips is not a common feature, yet everything possibal must be doe to make it look as though ones lips are fuller. 
•  The body must be model thin yet "curvy" in the right places (Only specific body parts are allowed to be curvy.), and don't be to thine because it is unhealthy to have a "bad" body image.  
• Your completion can't be to white ( even though you have a light completion). If you are too pale you must tan in effort to get color which could result in premature aging. 
• Insert five other crazy unrealistic dictates from the beauty industry...  

Women of European decent are told that they should and can be the beauty ideal because they are White.  However because you are white does not mean you will look just like the beauty ideal, it means that you are close enough to believe it is within your reach. There are varying degrees of separation depending what race a person is and how close they come to these standards. When it comes to judging how black people look The more European ones looks the better.

• Lighter complexions are favored even though many of african decent have rich skin coloring.
• Black women are expected to spend enumerable hours altering their hair to that is will appear straight.
• Ether your can be stick thin or be curvy and have your body objectified and fetishized by the outside world. 
• Basically try to look like anything BUT of african decent.

The same goes for other races also. I used to think that colorisim was only a problem in the African American community. I was very surprised when I learned that this is a serious problem in Indian and Latin communities also. Interestingly enough these same standards don't apply to men. "Tall, dark, and handsome" anyone?

So why are pale people trying to be dark and dark people trying the be pale? Why do people with large lips want small lips, and people with small lips want big lips?  Today instead of appreciating our own features and celebrating them we hate and avode what makes us unique. Beauty to a large extent has become about changing ourselves instead of improving  our own looks (contrary to what companies say). How come I hardly ever see Black, Indian, or Latin actresses with a rich skin complexion? Why do you think the beauty industry promotes this to every women no matter how close she is to standard of beauty? Because a person trying the change them self will spend more money than a person who is not. Thats only one of the more simple answers to this complex issue which will be discussed more at length on this blog.
Many are already aware of the horrible beauty standard which is unattainable, unrealistic, harmful, sexist, and racist among other things. Still people to not stop to think about the images we see very day that do have an impact on us. However, there is something more important than figuring out why the beauty standards are so ridiculous. You need to ask yourself if you are going to to some else tell you whats beautiful and whats not. Will you let the beauty industry dictate what you spend your money on? Because they say we should all look the same way are you going to spend your time fighting the inevitable, your genetics? Everyday Photoshopped starved women share back at us, their eyes saying, "you are not good enough because you do not look like me, if you buy               you will be just as beautiful as I am." Let me give you my translation! "you are not good enough because you do not look like me, if you buy               you will only be told to buy something else to make you even MORE incontent with your looks than I'll try to sell you something else!" When these adds cross your path will you be fooled by the clever wording and dream come true promises? Are you going to let them exploit what you perceive are your own flaws? Beauty starts from the inside literary, figuratively, and spiritually. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. People look their best when they look their best. Not like a carbon copy. 


There will be more articles on beauty on my blog, I wanted to share my personal philosophy on beauty first.

What are your thoughts on the beauty industry today? Tell me in a comment below. 

The Not So Sunny Side of Sunscreen: Article from the Environmental Working Group

My Note

I am always suspicious of something thats suposed to be applied every two hours. Thats just the me. There is alot of information out there exposing sunscreen, this is an article I came across. I encourage you guys to think twice about the sunscreen you slather on. What goes on the body goes in the body... 

Sunscreens prevent sunburns, but beyond that simple fact surprisingly little is known about the safety and efficacy of these ubiquitous creams and sprays. FDA’s failure to finalize its 1978 sunscreen safety standards both epitomizes and perpetuates this state of confusion. EWG’s review of the latest research unearthed troubling facts that might tempt you to give up on sunscreens altogether. That’s not the right answer – despite the unknowns about their efficacy, public health agencies still recommend using sunscreens, just not as your first line of defense against the sun. At EWG we use sunscreens, but we look for shade, wear protective clothing and avoid the noontime sun before we smear on the cream. Here are the surprising facts:

1. There’s no consensus on whether sunscreens prevent skin cancer.

The Food and Drug Administration’s 2007 draft sunscreen safety regulations say: “FDA is not aware of data demonstrating that sunscreen use alone helps prevent skin cancer” (FDA 2007). The International Agency for Research on Cancer agrees. IARC recommends clothing, hats and shade as primary barriers to UV radiation and writes that “sunscreens should not be the first choice for skin cancer prevention and should not be used as the sole agent for protection against the sun” (IARC 2001a). Read more.

2. There’s some evidence that sunscreens might increase the risk of the deadliest form of skin cancer for some people.

Some researchers have detected an increased risk of melanoma among sunscreen users. No one knows the cause, but scientists speculate that sunscreen users stay out in the sun longer and absorb more radiation overall, or that free radicals released as sunscreen chemicals break down in sunlight may play a role. One other hunch: Inferior sunscreens with poor UVA protection that have dominated the market for 30 years may have led to this surprising outcome. All major public health agencies still advise using sunscreens, but they also stress the importance of shade, clothing and timing. Read more.

3. There are more high SPF products than ever before, but no proof that they’re better.

In 2007 the FDA published draft regulations that would prohibit companies from labeling sunscreens with an SPF (sun protection factor) higher than “SPF 50+.” The agency wrote that higher values were “inherently misleading,” given that “there is no assurance that the specific values themselves are in fact truthful…” (FDA 2007). Scientists are also worried that high-SPF products may tempt people to stay in the sun too long, suppressing sunburns (a late, key warning of overexposure) while upping the risks of other kinds of skin damage.

Flaunting FDA’s proposed regulation, companies substantially increased their high-SPF offerings in 2011. Nearly one in five products now lists SPF values higher than “50+”, compared to only one in eight in 2009, according to EWG’s analysis of more than 600 beach and sport sunscreens. Among the worst offenders are Walgreens and CVS stores and Neutrogena. Walgreens’ boasts of SPF higher than “50+” on nearly half of its sunscreens; CVS and Neutrogena make the same misleading claim on about a third of theirs. Read more.

4. Too little sun might be harmful, reducing the body’s vitamin D levels.

Adding to the confusion is the fact that sunshine serves a critical function in the body that sunscreen appears to inhibit — production of vitamin D. The main source of vitamin D in the body is sunshine, and the compound is enormously important to health – it strengthens bones and the immune system, reduces the risk of various cancers (including breast, colon, kidney, and ovarian cancers) and regulates at least 1,000 different genes governing virtually every tissue in the body (Mead 2008). Over the last two decades, vitamin D levels in the U.S. population have been decreasing steadily, creating a “growing epidemic of vitamin D insufficiency” (Ginde 2009a). Seven of every 10 U.S. children now have low levels. Those most likely to be deficient include children who are obese or who spend more than four hours daily in front of the TV, computer or video games (Kumar 2009).

Read the other five truths!

New Headbands

I dissided to get some more headbands from REI (don't remember what it sands for) which is an outdoor equipment and clothing store. Not that I am an outdoorsmen, I just happened to go into the store one time and was surprised to find a great selection of nice headbands. The main reason I got all these hand bands at once is because I am growing back my hair line and I wanted to be able to cover it up. Also my hair line is still a little discolored from seborrheic dermatitis. These are some wonderful headbands. I don't understand why I am never able to find handbands like this as places like target. 

This is what I got:

 

The first handband on the top left is by REI, the two hands to the right are by Prana (which can be found on the REI web site that is linked above). 

 

To the left are three more headbands by Prana, on the right is is an original Buff with can be worn many ways including as a handband. 

The picture to the left shows how large the buff is, On the left how the buff looks as a hand band. 

This is one of the ways I have been wearing the handbands

More styling ideas for head bands to come...

The the other articles this is the band band I have been wearing.

A Breakthrough: Fighting Dandruff with all My Might

In this article I discus what I did that got my dandruff under control. In another article I will give a detailed instructional article for getting rid out dandruff without experiencing the (MANY pitfalls, mistakes, letdowns, &) side effects I did. 

No wonder my hair was having trouble growing with a thin embedded layer of hair stifling dandruff...

My mom found this article on Earth Clinic (shout out to Mrs. B! who told my mom about the site) about natural dandruff cures and aside from clearing my scalp of dandruff ( no small feat!) it vindicated many of the things that I have learned the hard way throughout my seven year battle with dandruff. This Spring my hair had gradually thinned out in various spots with three larger areas of hair loss. I didn't notice this at first but as the months continued it became more apparent to me. Along with this I was dealing with mild dandruff which become worse. Within the last month my face began to peal and lighten in color where it had pealed around my noise. 

If I rubbed the skin that was pealing off it would become red and irritated looking (not show above). This sadly had happened to me before, however, I didn't put  raw( it makes a difference) ACV(apple cider vinegar) on my face to stop the pealing like I did last time this happen. This time though the skin pealing was worse and larger. If I put oil on at night (after rubbing off the pealing skin) the next day it would become stiff like a scab and whenever I spoke or opened my mouth I felt it. I had no idea what this was or why parts of my scalp were also discolored. 

When the dandruff was on my scalp or face it would appear to be the color of my skin. Under the very embedded dandruff my skin was noticeably lighter. 

The first day when I did the treatment dandruff

The dandruff treatment is very simple:

1.  I put " Raw Apple Cider Vinegar(ACV) and Hydrogen Peroxide: Dilute them by 1:10: 1 part ACV, 1 part Hydrogen Peroxide with 10 parts water" like the article said...  I recommend using Hydrogen Peroxide this the first time only than reaplying ACV alone to the scalp which works just as well. I used the mixture recommended in article about three times leaving it in for two hours each time and it bleached my hair. the color difference isn't striking but the dryness of my hair IS. 

2. Let this site in your scalp for one to two hours. This is just enough time for the mixture to get into the scalp and not enough time for your scalp to dry out.

3.  Rinse than scratch or scratch then rinse.  Which ever sounds best to you. I scratched, brushed, than rinsed.  If you have curly hair not try to rinse out large amounts of dandruff. Its not wise. It will all get intertwined in your hair and it is all but impossible to get ( sizable amounts of) dandruff out by just washing or rinsing.  So save your self a couple of hours of your life and BRUSH that dandruff out first.

4. Wash. DO NOT USE NORMAL SHAMPOO! I have found that most normal shampoos cause me to have more dandruff. The article in earth clinic also noted that, "For some reason, I[the writer of the article] found using shampoo as the cause of dandruff. " and 'Avoid absolutely the use of all shampoos. Use only a very mild soap to shampoo your hair. Salts in shampoos contributes to dandruff - which again causes scalp dehydration." FYI Dr. Bronners soaps( or any castle soap, or soap with FIVE ingredients or less) are your friend. I used  Dr. Bronners tee tree soap. Did I say i love Dr. Bronners? It has never caused me a problems.  Another shampoo I recommend if you are using hydrogen peroxide is the Aubrey Organics Swimmers Shampoo which is a great (sulfate free!) ph balancing shampoo.

5. Quickly put a little moisturizer on your hair so that your can put the oils on your scalp while your scalp is wettest. 

6. The article says that applying "aloe vera oil and tea tree oil apply to scalp" is helpful. So right after washing and throwing some leaving in the scalp I put aloe vera gel (only aloe gel! no fishy ingredients...), coconut oil, and tee tree oil on my scalp. I used aloe gel and coconut oil instead of aloe vera oil because I could not find it at my health food store. 

7. Moisturize and seal hair. 

I did this for 4 times with two to three days inbetween. 

the only ways that I deviated from the in article are that I did not use aloe vera oil, the first time I did the scalp treatment I put straight tee tree oil on, and the last time I did the treatment I used straight ACV (which I recommend doing).

My experience with this dandruff treatment

The first time this a good amount of dandruff came out here is a picture from the first time:

After I scratched out all the dandruff I put straight 100% tee tree oil on my scalp because I did not have aloe vera oil to mixe with it (at that point I did not know to mix aloe vera gel with coconut oil). Yes, it did burn... 

The two days my scalp felt stiff and tight. Which stands to reason.   

( Graphic pictures ahead)

 

Two days after I did the ACV hydrogen peroxide treatment again that I have detailed above with addition of putting the aloe vera gel + coconut oil + tee tree oil mixture(which did not burn). I put the mixture on after scratching out the dandruff and washing my hair . Me and my mom theorize that the use of straight tee tree oil triggered my scalp to make this thin layer of VERY embedded dandruff all over. I would fully agree with this, however many times before I have felt the same way my scalp felt with all "this" in my scalp. 

After that I did the treatment two more times with a day or two inbetween. The last two times There was little to no dandruff. The point of doing it more times was to totally kill and fungus...

On memorial day I was wearing a variation of my curly afro ( more about that later) and looking into the car window I saw that my hair had become lighter.

I don't have two got before and after shots but just know that my hair was back and now its is a brownish black. 

So yes this treatment did get rid of my dandruff which is AMAZING! my hair can now grow back normally and the places were I have hair loss are growing back. My hair has been bleached and is very dry. My hair cuticle has been blown open. I am going to start using hair products to close my cuticle and maintain moisture. 

After Math 

My hair was so dry! I would deep condition it for hours, moisturize it, and put in twists. The next day my hair felt like I had never moisturized it in my life! frantic and contemplating cutting my hair (it was that bad). I told my hair dresser about what I used to treat my dandruff and how my hair had become very dry and brittle. She told me that the hydrogen peroxide had taken the ph of my hair to high and that I needed to use an acidifying hair care line to bring my hair down and close the hair cuticle (suddenly I understood that ph was very important). She recommended the Redken Smooth Down Line. I bought the Conditioner and the butter treat deep condition treatment which can be left in ( I used it as a leave-in). However, I did not get the Redken shampoo! I am never going near another shampoo with sulfates! ever! Instead I used the sulfate free Aubrey Organics Swimmers Shampoo. These products worked wonderfully. My hair is almost back to normal.  

Word to the Wise

don't use Hydrogen Peroxide unless you have already used undiluted ACV and not gotten the results you want. I am sure that ACV  alone will kill the fungus. 

Over all

 The dandruff appeared to be gone. After a week or similar symptoms started to appear. This is a great on or two time treatment but if you have it as bad as me you neww somthing more,  The search continues. 

For more Ideas than were mentioned in this article visit the main reference:

Click here to read the amazing article I quoted throughout this post!

p.s. I know, this has typos. Will edit more later... 

Link love!

Part I of Links I love is now up on the blog!

The Afro Returns!

Here is a narrative of how I'v worn my afro for that last three days.... 

First Day.

After I washed my hair I sectioned my hair while I putting in leave-in conditioner, shea butter, and extra virgin olive oil in. I twisted my hair in medium to large two strand twists. I let my hair dry like this for an hour and a half (how long you leave the twists in can be as short or long as you want. In the two pictures bellow I twisted and moisturized after I got out of the shower and took them out before I left the door). This allowed my hair to dry better without becoming matted and gave my afro some more definition.

Night Routine:

Grab a section of hair than spray with stray bottle, apply shea butter and olive oil. Than Braid section, continue and repeat on the rest of hair. Sleep with scarf. 

The Second Day.

I took out the the braids and detangled the braids with my hands so that my afro would still be a defined. Notice how my afro is bigger than the day before because my hair was not wet when I braided it. 

 I wore my hair with a headband that day also.

Later on  inThe Second Day.

Can anyone say Shrinkage ?

The weather that day was very humid and rainy One good thing about wearing my afro out is that it gives me a reason to like humidity (water is my hairs best friend), otherwise I start dreaming about snow.

         

  

when I got home I braided my hair (and let the braids stay in for about two hours) again to that my afro would be larger when I left my house again later that day ( before and after above). I decided to re-braid since my hair had shrunken and I would be home of a couple of hours before I left again. This is definitely optional depending on how you like to wear your afro. This is how my hair looked after.

Third Day (Today).

Last night I repeated the same night routine as mentioned above. The only difference is that I braided my hair in slightly smaller sections. This made my afro bigger and gave a little more braid out definition on the ends.

 Word to the wise:

Spray bottle! Spray bottle! Spray bottle! Spray bottle! Moisturize! Moisturize! Moisturize! Shea Butter! Shea Butter! Shea Butter! Shea Butter! Extra Virgin Olive Oil! Extra Virgin Olive Oil! Extra Virgin Olive Oil! 

In that order. ALWAYS

Of course how much you moisturize depends on how the weather is where you live. The dryer the place the more the moisturizer, natural oils, and butters needed. That said afro textured hair still needs lots of:

 > moisture, meaning leave-in (conditioner, or lotion) and spray bottles with water being the main ingredient.

 >Oil NOT grease, ideally these oils are made from things that occur naturally in nature. 

>Butters, shea, avocado, coconut, whatever butter you use make sure that name on the cover is the first thing in the ingredient list.

Overall:

I love, love, love! my afro!   

From Where I Strand: Hair Revelations

My hair journey has been an eventful one to say the least. Ridden with hair loss and dandruff in cycles for years. Throughout all this I developed a strong desire for long hair which only became greater when I was introduced to the natural hair community. Before then I had thought my hair was pretty long for a natural. It was always  teetering between  shoulder  and  mid neck length. So when I started seeing all these beautiful women with really long natural hair I was elated. Black hair really did grow. I redoubled my hair efforts by wearing protective styles. My diet was also very good.
Hair (although it would be nice) is not a separate entity from the body and mind. I have noticed with myself that if  I do not deal with small stresses and try and put them on the back burner they will come back in three ways:

• Hair loss
• Dandruff
• Emotional Eating 

For the past year and a half  I have been working on dealing with stress and not internalizing and over thinking things.  During that time I changed my eating habits, started working out, and lost weight.  Still this hair drama persists despite the fact that all my life my hair has been finger combed, protectively styled, and moisturized. What I am realizing is that my whole way of thinking about my hair is flawed. I have subconsciously seen my hair a reflection of  "black hair." In my goal of inspiring other people I meet on their natural journey I have placed high expectations on my own head. A big part of this is that I need to stop thinking of my hair as a representation of black hair as a whole. I am one person, with one life, and one head.  Another part of this is pride. I don't want to be that natural who is always "stuck" in natural purgatory ( mid length hair) "I take care of  my hair". Without realizing it I have set out to make my hair proof  that black hair does grow. And that is not a healthy way of viewing ones hair. 

The last time I had my hair pressed  I felt mortified. My hair dresser told me I mite have a thyroid issue. I was almost happy, maybe this was what was behind all my struggles. Blood tests came back, and not only I was as healthy as ever, but I was back to square one.  I had no clue what my hair was doing or why.  When people gave me complements about my hair straighted I would say thank you, but what I was really thinking was my hair looks horrible.
 This is what I call the natural syndrome.  I became so use to being the only natural where I go ( in many places I still am)  which meant how my hair looked was very important so as not give off a bad impression of "natural hair."  

It is not our job as naturals to give people a good impression of natural hair. If thats what your aim is you are setting your self up for more frustration than any one head should cause.  My hair is reflection of who I am, not my hair length. Not anymore or any less. 

Scalp Update...

My Scalp has a layer of dandruff on it and my hair has become very dry ( which made it more frizzy than usual... I don't mind frizz, but when it comes early I hate it because that means the styles looks worse faster, like a shoe that gets worn out easily. You don't get much wear out of it.) for no apparent reason. I had this problem last time I did my hair. The moisture must not have been sealed (I didn't use shea butter or as much olive oil with my leave in). I could deal with the scalp ( I'v seen much, MUCH worse #horror story) but my hair feels dryer that it usually does.
 So inbetween uncharacteristically dry hair and itchy scalp I am going wash my hair as soon as I get up tomorrow! I'm starting to feel an afro coming on...
Wait, I know " why is she going to wear an afro tomorrow if her hair is feeling dry?" Well, my scalp must be washed!( I was lazy friday when I washed my hair and didn't really make sure scrubbed my scalp)I hardly even wear my hair out, and time is not on my side this week. On the weekend I will return to my regular routine of protective styling.

Unparted Territory: Flat Twists are Amazing!

 

 

 

Story and Procedure:

Yeah, I had to do my hair. It rained today and my hair got a little wet. I was probably going to do it anyway so getting it a little wet only made it certain. After pre-poing( pre-shampoo conditioning) ,washing, conditioning (my hair in large twists), and moisturizing my hair I started parting. Spraying my hair with my Spray bottle I made sure my hair stayed damp as I twisted. All the flat twists are flat twisted into one bigger flat twist and tucked in with one hair pin. I am happy to be curly. I feel like myself again.

Word to Wise:

Wear a do rag at night (a must. do rag = flat style, scarf = curly style). If a large twist gets realLy frizzy redo it.  

Over All:

I love this style! it's a new staple. This style will also look great with long hair (smaller individual flat twists left out or not).  

Side Note:

Curly hair really does hide hair loss best. The places wear parts are wider because of thinning are hardly noticeable. 

See the difference?

  

I am a master of d i s g u i s e . . .