We’ve all been victim to texture envy during one point in our journey. When I first transitioned, I didn’t know what to expect of my hair when I BC’d. In fact, when I did BC, I didn’t have a present natural curl pattern. It didn’t matter at that time to me because I was mostly rocking Two Strand Twists.
But even then, the Green-eyed monster reared its ugly head.
As most newly natural naturals, I took to YouTube and was obsessed with all the different curl and coil types there were. At the beginning of my journey, there wasn’t much representation of the different hair types and if I had to type myself, I would type myself as 4B/4C. But that quickly changed and even though more 4C vloggers became known, I still wanted that looser, silkier hair and bigger natural curls.
And I have that type of hair. As a matter of fact, the base of my neck right in the middle is my silkier, looser texture with S curls. Actually, most of the back of my hair is silkier, with medium sized S Curls that eventually narrow down in smaller O shaped coils the closer it got to either side of my head. And that was that S curl hair that I wished I had all over my head.
It was hard for me to keep my more kinkier textures moisturized and I hated those sections of my hair for that. I wanted it to be like that silkier section in the back. In fact, I loved that section so much and hated the rest of my hair so much that it was starting to tear me apart and eat away at me, making my journey tougher than it should be.
The only time I didn’t hate that section is when I was wearing twists. Unlike the rest of my hair, that section doesn’t have a lot of shrinkage so my twists would just hang to oblivion in the section and make my whole head of twists look awkward.
Let’s not even get into WNGs. That section was so easy to define. Each single curl would stand out, loud and proud while the rest of my hair was just an undefined, kinky puff, shrunken to oblivion with coils so small you need a magnifying glass to see them.
But as I learned about my hair more and more, I started to change my tune. When I learned the true nature of my coils, I started to like them more and actually started to like the silkier section less and less (but not completely).
Now, I accept my hair for what it is. I still have a bit of texture envy. I mean, I wish that silkier section was more like my kinkier section but I don’t hate it. And I surely don’t let it eat away at me.
I still struggle with my hair on the day-to-day basis but I love my coils and curls in all their tiny glory!
Crochet braids from March (left) - May (right) 2016. I loved them but I couldn't wait to take them out. This was my second time doing crochet braids.
I am so Style Challenged....
I've been wearing Wash and Gos for the last 2 months.
So much shrinkage yet I can't let go of my love for my coils.
Q: How do I style this other than a puff?
A: A big pair of earrings and a lot of confidence! Easier said than done, but I'm getting the hang of it.
I think I might have went a little overboard with the deep conditioners but its because I put more emphasis on deep conditioning now. Plus, I’m the guru of two naturals in the household and the ambassador to 2 other naturals living outside of the house. So I have to know what’s what.
Ulta recently had a sale and since I’m upping my DC game, I had to take advantage. It was a BOGO (Buy One Get One half off) on Shea Moisture products and I was only interested in the Deep Conditioners as I use them as a base to my Henna Glosses.
So far, I love using the JBCO Strengthen, Grow and repair masque and the Deep Treatment Masque as my base but I wanted to try some other products on the line. I ended up getting the following:
- Marfura Oil Hydration Intensive Masque x2
- Fruit Fusion Coconut Water Weightless Hair Masque x2
- Sacha Inchi Rescue & Repair Hair Masque x2
- Tahitian Noni & Monoi Smooth & Repair Nourishing Hair Masque x2
Now, let’s see how well they do.
PS. I will not be using the Marfura Oil Hydration Masque as a henna gloss. I will be using that product as is.
Sometimes when we think a product is supposed to help, it hurts us even more. I suffer from traction alopecia in the front top section of my hair due to cornrows that I braided too tight when I was transitioning. Because of this, I have several bald spots in that section of my hair that makes most of my hairstyles fall flat.
I have tried many things to get my hair to grow back. I've spent time in the dermatologist office and we worked on a couple of things. I've tried all the herbal and natural growth aids from teas, to spices, to oils. None of which worked. However, I don't give up the fight. I still look for new ways to, if not stimulate growth in that area, at least thicken my hair.
Enter in, Sunny Isle Red Pimento Oil hair growth. I didn't seek this product out. As a matter of fact, I was just looking for a way to get Super Free Shipping with Amazon and decided to buy a regular bottle of JBCO. Only except, this bottle came with that Red Pimento Oil hair growth oil as a bonus. I looked at the reviews (the 1 and 2 star ones first) and was warned that some customers hair fell out when using it while for others, it completely did not work. And then on the other side of the spectrum, there were people who loved it. So I added it to my cart. Only because I knew Red Pimento Oil does stimulate hair growth. I mean, what's the worst that can happen.
I used the product sparingly, maybe 3 times a week only on the thin spots. Dabbed a little in my hair, massaged my scalp and was done. I didn't mind the smell at all because I was not using it regularly. Well, It didn't take long for me to find out which side of the spectrum from the product reviews I fell on.
Two weeks of using the product, My hair is now even more thinner than before and in places where I didn't experience any thinning previously but added the oil to. Am I upset? Yes! But that's apart of life. You live and learn. We all have setbacks, Trials, and Tribulations and it is what we learn from them that makes us better. What I learned from this?
Red Pimento Oil is the devil!
Top Left: BC
Top Right: 3 Months post BC
Bottom Left & Right: 5 Years post BC
Some Naturals love wash day and some naturals hate wash day. I'm no different. I did, too, when my hair was becoming more of a hassle to handle. Extreme shrinkage, wet pruny hands, product laced towels, hair everywhere. Doesn’t sound like fun. But now, I look forward to each wash day.
Not just because it’s a chance to style my hair again (and play in it). It’s because wash day is the biggest learning tool when it comes to learning about what you hair likes, dislikes, and anything in between. Let’s break it down:
Start with a basic 4 point regimen that includes detangling, washing, conditioning, and deep conditioning (or detangling, washing, conditioning/deep conditioning, and styling). Each part of the process will tell you key things about your hair from the previous week.
Let’s say you tried a new pre-poo/detangler. When it comes to detangling your hair on the following wash day, how’s the process? Is it harder? Easier? The same? Tried a new styler or moisturizer? Is you hair still moisturized? Is it drier? What about that shampoo or cleanser? Do you feel like your hair and scalp is not completely clean?
By paying attention to these key elements in the wash day process, I was able to find out what my hair likes or dislikes. Let’s break it down again with an example:
Example 1.Two weeks ago, I decided to change my styling product when doing my wash an go. Two days later, I was not happy with my hair so I decided to redefine. Two more days later, I hated my style again and decided to co-wash and redefine. Then on that Thursday, I styled my hair in a new style by adding more product and twisting.
By the time wash day rolled around again on that Saturday, my hair was screaming at me that I had manipulated it way too much. How I was able to tell? The amount of shed hair I got from detangling. It was more than usual.
The following week, I went back to my partly staple products and left my wng alone the entire week. My shedding when back to normal the following wash day.
Example 2. I wanted to skip out on following my regular wash day regimen and not use heat with my DC. Up until then for about a month, I had consistently used heat from my hooded dryer but this day I wanted to be lazy and just throw a scarf on my head. Well, I opted for being lazy. End results, my hair did not feel the same as it did the previous week when I used the hooded dryer (even though I was using the exact same products).
I spent years trying to figure out my hair and did not know that all I needed to do was look to wash day for the answers. It wasn’t easy at first. There was still a lot of trial and error. But as you become more consistent, any change that you make after that, you hair will let you know on wash day. Now whether its a good sign or bad sign, that’s up to your hair to decide.
This product was in a Curlkit (no idea what month) and I thought I would give it a go. At first glance, I didn’t know what to use it for as when I first received it I was in a protective style. As the name suggests, it is a styling cream.
The directions are as follows:
Apply to damp or dry hair. Place a small amount into the palm of your hands, and then rub hands together. Gently work into your hair and scalp, showing extra love to the ends. Style as desired.
And the ingredients look promising:
Water (Aqua), Glycine soja (Soybean) Oil, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Dilaurate, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglycerides, Fragrance (Parfum), Glycerin, Mangifera Indica (Mango) Seed Oil, Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Leaf Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Polyquaternium 11, Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Juice, Tocopheryl Acetate, Aminomethyl Propanol, Carbomer, Dehydroacetic Acid, Benzyl Alcohol, Beta-Carotene
I still didn’t know what I would use it for until recently. Last week’s WNG was a miss. So I decided to redefine with this product. It has this heavenly sweet smell, just like honey and mango. A+ for the mango scent because I love mangoes. The texture is a light creamy consistency like a rinse out conditioner. It's thick but creamy.
When I first put this in my hair, it was on old hair that was frizzy, semi-defined and already had product in it (i.e. Gel, leave-in, etc.). So it was a little sticky/tacky which I lend to the honey and glycerin that’s in the product. However, my coils soaked this product right up and with a few squeezes of the section after applying, my coils clumped back together.
Added bonus, this product promotes stretch and elongation which it delivered on. My coils, which are usually tight, round O coils where loosened just a bit to S curls. When it dried, my hair was a bit soft but had a light hold to it.
The second application, I decided to redefine with this product was on hair freshly done hair (2 days old) that was LCO’d and defined originally with IC Fantasia gel. Same results, as the first application. First a bit tacky but then soft when it dried.
Texture Shots:
The price is reasonable at $9.99 for 8 ounces (~$1.25/ounce). However, I currently can't get this on the ground so I would have to order from the site. The site offers a $5.00 flat rate shipping fee. Which means unless I'm ordering some of their other products I'm paying $14.99 for 8 ounces. I generally try not to pay over $1 per ounce for a product unless is it sent from the Gods.
The Verdict: 8/10. So far, so good. I like that is does what is says. It did elongate my coils (even if is was just a bit) and gave my WNG a new shape because of it. I will be trying this on under my WNG next week to see if the results are the same.
The Coiled Life came to me after I was struggling in my journey. I decided that blogging about my experience will help me through the frustrations of natural hair. But this isn't the first time I've blogged about my hair. Enjoy this throw back of the beginning of my Journey.
"First updo of 2013. Was channeling my inner CharyJay for inspiration." - 01-21-2013
A hair journey isn’t the only journey I’m on. For about 12 years now I have been on a weight loss journey as well (Who isn’t these days?). I have always been overweight all of my life but it wasn't until I was in my 20s that I decided to do something about it. At an all time high of 267lbs, I researched and gathered information on weight loss. It wasn't easy deciding
what would be right for me. There are so many different fad diets out
there. But I didn't want to diet. I wanted to change my life. Yay for Lifestyle
change! I was able to successfully lose 80lbs the first go around and 70lbs after gaining most of the weight back. That journey still continues today and it has been a very difficult struggle this last go around.
Through my trial and error, I did learn something crucial about weight loss and myself. Through my ups and downs I learned what works for me and what doesn’t.
What Doesn't: Going cold turkey and replacing all the bad junk for good food & eating 100% clean.
What Does: Counting calories.
As tedious as it is, it works for me. It wasn’t easy at first and I didn’t grasp it right away. It took some time to get used to being limited to a certain amount of calories everyday. But let’s even go back a bit further. Before I even started counting calories, I looked for serving sizes on the back of the label and ate according to that serving size. It worked for awhile but when I plateaued, I learned that the serving on the label may not necessarily be the serving of calories that you’re getting.
The Food Scale.
This is when a food scale becomes handy. I bought a food scale and then started weighing my food. It was then that I was able to see all the extra calories that was lost in translation before weighing my food.
The bigger picture of counting calories eventually led me to eat smaller portions of food. I was then able to look at food and grab smaller portions rather than big. I eventually ditched the scale and counting. This is how I maintained a healthier weight for almost 2 years before gaining all of those 70lbs back.
The reason why I am back to losing weight again is because, like our hair journeys, I let go of the basics and let free will completely take over. Especially during the time when I needed it most (About 3 years ago, I had a surgery and was placed on a medication that made me gain a lot of weight). Getting back to the basics will help me and hopefully help others lose the weight and keep it off for good.
P.S. The weight in my picture is not today's weight. I'm actually a pound lighter.
When I first went natural and up until maybe a couple of months ago, I used to question how some naturals can become product junkies. Even when they had their staples and continued to buy more products. I understand wanting to try new things but buying out an entire line as soon as it comes out or stacking up on additional products when you already have some still full... It just didn’t make sense to me.
Sure, I hadn’t found many staples in 5 years. When I think my hair likes something, two uses later, it hated it. But I continued to use that same product until their was no more and then when there wasn’t any product left, I usually ended up buying the same thing just out of convenience (and making it work with my hair somehow). There was no way in hell I would ever become a product junkie. Hair products are just too expensive and I don’t have time to being trying every product under the sun.
Enter in a new job, other naturals, and curiosity. The main reason why I bought the same products over and over is because they were cheap, they worked or semi worked with my hair, I can get them on the ground, and I didn’t have the money to try other products. When that changed and I was introduced into the world of other naturals asking whether or not I had tried a certain product, I knew something had to change.
So, instead of buying a bunch of products that I didn’t need or know how to use (I was an updo and twistout girl and when you can get the same/best results with one product, don’t change what ain’t broke), I put a little more thought into it and decided a subscription box will do. CurlKit.
It was reasonable. For $25 (back then $20) dollars a month, I could get a range of different products shipped right to me that I could try. After 2 and a half years, 1 year of protective styling with extensions on and off, and endless Curlkit later, I have found that I have way too many products. Because I was Protective Styling so much, I rarely used any of the new products and stayed with what I knew worked. My excuse was I’d rather use it on my hair when I wear it out to truly test it as opposed to in extensions when I won’t know how it works.
This is how I ended up with this:
I did give away some products to my friend. I told her to go shopping and there’s still a basket full in my hall closet. But this is how you unknowingly and unintentionally become a product junkie. Also, I still have my subscription and will continue it while buying new products at the same time. Now the task at hand... Use up this stash!
It took a while before I was able to find the right tools for detangling my hair. I have tried many different techniques and tools and found all to be breaking for my hair type. If you share similar tresses as mine and still don't know the skinny on what works best, stay tuned.
Dry, Damp, or Wet? Tools or No Tools?
Each state has its advantages and disadvantages, especially for very coily, fine hair. I have tried all 3 states on my hair. Here are the results of each:
Dry - this works best when you are finger detangling and for stretched styles. Using tools here will definitely rip your hair out. Instead, opt for fingers. Before tackling the section, coat with an oil of your choice. I have found that medium thickness oils have the best give such as Olive oil, Avocado Oil, or a 50/50 mix of Coconut Oil and Castor oil. Start and the ends and hold the section taught. Gently pull on the ends to release shed hair and uncoil any knots. If you do encounter a knot, stretch it down and pull the individual strands out of the knot or, if the knot is really stubborn, add more oil to it and grab a safety pin for additional aid.
Damp - works great with fingers and detangling/wide tooth combs on slightly shrunken hair or stretched hair. Dampen the section first with water, coat with oil, and start from the bottom. When choosing fingers, hold the section taught and lightly pull on the ends or comb through gently. This will release shed hair and untangle any knots. Move up the section piece by piece until you reach the root. By the end of the detangling section, you should be able to run your fingers or comb through the section of hair from root to tip with no or very minimal resistance.
Wet - works best with conditioner and detangling brushes on shrunken or stretched hair (especially works well under water stream). Most curly heads opt for this as their go-to detangling method. It is the faster way to detangle hair and does a good job at it. Soak the hair in warm water and squeeze out access water. Then grab a conditioner with good slip such as TRESemmé or VO5). As with the other detangling methods, start at the bottom while holding the rest of the hair taught. Gently brush any tangles out of the ends before moving up the section. If you feel that you don’t have enough slip, add more conditioner or water. You can even add a light to medium thickness oil.
Techniques
Now that you know what hair state works best with what tools, you should look at techniques and the reason why you’re detangling. Many coily and curly heads detangle their hair to keep it from tangling, obviously. But the method you choose to detangle your hair will dictate how your next style will look.
If your going for smoother styles such as twist outs, braid outs, coil outs, roller sets, or bantu knot outs, Dry and Damp detangling works best with the aid of a tool. This helps smooth the hair, even if your curls naturally pop during the process, using a tool will help smooth those curls and coils.
If your going to a textured style such as wash and gos, textured buns, or updos, it’s best to finger detangle and leave curls/coils intact throughout the entire process. Don’t comb through them, again, even if your curls naturally pop don't comb them. This will just add frizz to the mixture.
For my coiled tresses, I have found that Damp hair works the best with the aid of an oil. I have tried paddle brushes, Denman-like brushes, and wide tooth combs on Dry, Damp, and Wet (with conditioner) hair. These tools are way too harsh on my fine strands and I always end up hearing the “Snap & Pop Symphony.” Instead, I finger detangle now.
I haven’t always had the patience to do this but it comes easier over time. To minimize the amount of finger detangling time, I make sure my ends are properly coated and moisturized when first styling my hair. I use a pomade/butter to coat the ends and continue to make sure ends are properly coated and coiled, not tangled, throughout the week. This helps with the finger detangling process.
We’re now in present date and if you haven’t read Part 1 of this tale of the Wash and Go, head here to read.
I had just freed my hair again from it’s protective style and of course was ready to rock it out for the entire Spring/Summer. While desperately taking down my hair, I knew I needed to give my fine strands some TLC and some Respect by not having any tension put on it. Wash and Go season part deux. Here we go.
This time around, I had learned more about my hair and was armed with that information to tackle this problem. First up, Definition and Technique. I knew that raking my products in would define my coils (Good!) but I also knew that it would pull my hair out (Bad!). I needed a new approach. I studied my behind off by watching hundreds of WNG videos and methods. Enter ‘The Praying hands method.’
I’ve watched this technique before and said to myself, ‘That is going to do nothing for my coils.’ End of story. If I could slap the past me, I would. I tried it. Of course, it’s a bit difficult because my hair is short and when it’s wet, it’s even shorter but it worked. I mostly smoosh my fingers together instead of my palms and I get even, defined coils, and great product distribution. Best part, my hair doesn’t get pulled out. Looks like we found a winner for technique.
Next up is my ends. With tiny coils and high shrinkage, my ends loves to hug itself until its all tied up in knots. If I’m going to preserve my end and gain length, I can’t have them knotting up and tangling. Going back to my first WNG, I remembered using Jamaican Mango & Lime locking creme wax underneath my gel and while I can’t remember the detangling process, I do remember that my ends did not tangle very badly.
But I’m not putting that wax on my hair. Instead, a pomade would do and that’s the second thing I learned. During this application, I applied Oyin Handmade Sugar Berries Pomade on my hair and concentrated it even more so on my ends. Not only did it help with coil definition, it helped with detangling. Keeper!
Lastly, and this is not a given, but wet hair will give you amazing definition from root to tip but if you don’t lock it up from root to tip, you will get defined ends and puff ball roots. What does this mean? Product application at the roots is key to keeping that definition for poofing out too early.
I have to admit, with me being a heavy sweater (not clothing wise, I sweat heavily), I don’t like anything on my scalp and quite frankly, I was afraid to put any product directly on my scalp. My thinking was, ‘Product will just build up and I’ll end up having to wash my hair again in 2 days after the sweat feast has taken place and that’s something I’m just not down with (washing more than once a week).’ Take a step back and let’s try this out!
This go around, I applied both my styler and gel directly on my root and scalp. Results: Coiled from root to tip for days! I just have to make sure to dry the product on my scalp as soon as possible because when my scalp is wet, it gets really itchy!
While I don’t have everything wrapped up in a pretty Purple bow, I have to admit, the evolution of my WNG has been quite a learning task and a feat to tackle. There’s still more to learn but I think what I have right now is just enough to take me through many successful WNGs.
I remember this time last spring, I had just freed my hair for the summer and was baffled by what to do with it. My hair, back then and still to this day, is terribly uneven with all my shortness in the front and my longness in the back. I had no time to deal with my hair and with this unevenness, the Twist out was out of the question.
Bring in the Wash and Go. Since the beginning of time, or me being natural, I have wanted to be one of those girls who can set their hair in a wash and go and be done. I am lazy and while I love playing in my hair, when I need to be out and about, I don’t have time for it to not be on point and acting right.
When I first went natural, I often grabbed random sections, defined the coils with whatever products in my stash, and that was it. Never the entire head until my first wash and go. While most of my coils popped, the shape of the hair fall and the products that I used were a horrible combination.
The Moptop circa 2011:
Fast forward to 2015, I was not going to make the same mistake and while I learned that I can wet and shake my coils into place, as soon as my head lay to pillow, those soft coils are out the window. So, on this day that I freed my hair, I grabbed my Eco styler gel, smoothed and raked it through my hair, and after pulling out my hair and beating my coils into place, I did have a nice wash and go. Nicely defined at the ends, puff ball at the roots. Lovely! Just what I wanted.
When all else fails, hit youtube. Introducing, The Fake Wash and Go.
I had discovered that sometimes when I would twist my hair in Two Strand twists, that when I unraveled, my hair didn’t take the shape of my normal twist outs. Instead, there were these tiny coils that were defined and stretched. Ah ha! Break through! This is what I would do all summer long. Fake Wash and Gos.
Bust! I didn’t know what the hell I did to get my hair to fake that WNG look. And after figuring it out, my break through idea fell short because my hair felt hard, dry, and crunchy even though I did use any gel. Needless to say, that summer was then filled with awkward length twists and twistouts with headbands.
More to come...
We’ve all been victim to texture envy during one point in our journey. When I first transitioned, I didn’t know what to expect of my hair when I BC’d. In fact, when I did BC, I didn’t have a present natural curl pattern. It didn’t matter at that time to me because I was mostly rocking Two Strand Twists. 
