Hello! I began my natural hair journey almost three years ago, and this site documents my successes as well as challenges over this time period. I’ll share my product reviews, hairstyles, and feelings on what it is for me being a curly girl in a straightened world.
May Curlkit, Hair Update, and New Products
Products
Ynobe Amla & Nettle Moisturizing Deep Conditioner $12.75 for 8 ounces
Ynobe Silky Shea Cream $5.95 for 4 ounces
Oyin Handmade Hair Dew $13.99 8.4 ounces
Code Yellow – Hair Rescue
I’ve nursed my hair for the past few weeks because of the permanent hair color I used a couple of months ago. The filtered shower head has made a tremendous difference in my hair. My twist-outs aren’t frizzy, and my hair is soft. Since I no longer use Kinky Curly Knot Today as my leave-in, I decided to try using the Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose as my leave-in. Well, I didn’t realize that there was glycerin in it, and it’s drying out my hair. Geesh!
So today, I went on the hunt for a leave-in conditioner without glycerin and aloe vera. I found one, and it was AG Hair Cosmetics Fast Food Leave-in Conditioner. I went to Beauty Brands to buy a bottle. When I arrived, one of the Sales Girls asked if I needed help. I told her what product I was looking for, and she led me to the product. She said that AG Hair conditioners were heavy and very oily. Well, my hair cannot take a lot of oil. She then lead me to another product line, Amika. Now, I seen this line in passing, but never looked into it. The very first ingredient is water which is a plus, but the third ingredient is a cone. No bueno. I’ve made a concerted effort not to use any cones in my hair for quite some time. It also has Obliphica (aka as Sea Buckthorn). Obliphica has natural Vitamin C and moisturizing oils that are reported to delay the process of aging. It’s supposed to protect hair from the exposure to sunlight and air pollution. Obliphica is reported to be the most effective in immediately restoring damaged hair. (Side eye)
So, tomorrow will be spa day for my hair for a couple of reasons. The first is that I need to cover my melanin challenged strands. The second, is that my hair is so dry. Tomorrow’s activities will start with a pre-poo using Yes to Carrots Conditioner and a hot oil treatment. I’ll rinse that out, and apply a bentonite clay mask for about an hour. I’ll rinse this out, and apply color to my hair. I’ll shampoo that out, and deep-condition with the Aubrey Organics. My leave-in will be the Amika Leave-in Cream.
I have two cons already. The first is the scent. It is strong. It isn’t unpleasant, but it is very strong. I’m hoping that it wears off after a while. The second is the cost. It’s $23.98 for 8.45 ounces. Ouch! The one upside is that I can return it to Beauty Brands if I don’t like it.
Hey Culligan Man!
My quest for a filtered shower head ended in disappointment when I tried to buy a unit from both Lowe’s and Home Depot. Neither company had the brand, Sprite, was recommended to me. When I went to Lowe’s, their inventory show no units in the state of Arizona! So what was a girl to do? I went to Amazon, and ordered one. The unit arrived on Friday, but it didn’t fit my shower! Argh!
My husband and I were out on Saturday, and decided to stop by a local Ace Hardware to see if they had a filtered shower head. We found one there, and it was by Culligan. I installed it on Sunday, and washed my hair. OH MY GOODNESS! I saw an immediate improvement in my hair. It was so incredibly soft and no frizz! I pre-poo’d with a hot oil treatment under my steamer, and washed my hair with diluted Terressentials Organic Hair Wash. I combined my deep-conditioning step with my leave-in conditioner by using my steamer to apply the conditioner. This eliminates an extra step. My leave-in conditioner was Aubrey Organics’ Honeysuckle Moisturizing Conditioner. I sealed with grape seed oil, and twisted my hair with mango butter.
When I untwisted my hair, I couldn’t keep my fingers out of my tresses. My hair hasn’t been this soft and moisturized since going natural. I could kick myself for doing this when a friend told me about the filtered shower heads!
I’ve also decided to return to washing (co-washing) my hair twice a week. I want to make sure that I’m taking extra special care of my hair since it has permanent color.
Another Lesson Learned
For the past two weeks, I’ve been nursing my hair, and trying to figure out why it’s been wigging out. Today it hit me like a ton of bricks. It’s the permanent color on my hair and the hard water here in the Valley of the Sun. I had a flash back to the issues that I experienced when I moved here eight years ago. (Man, I’ve lived here too long). When I moved to Arizona, my hair was relaxed, and it was almost armpit length. Over the course of 5 months, two stylists, and highlights, one side of my hair was as short as Halle Berry’s pixie cut, and the other side was long. I had to get it all cut off.
So this morning, I had an epiphany about the hard water and the Shea Moisture Color in my hair. The nightmare had returned. So what do I need to do? First thing is to buy a shower head that filters out chlorine and other nasty things that can adversely affect my hair. This will be taken care of tonight. Second, return to my henna. I have a box waiting for me. Thirdly, continue to nurse my hair.
As this was a day for lightbulbs going off, I also realized that I should use my steamer when applying my leave-in conditioner to my hair. Hey why not? What could it hurt?
Best Low Porosity Video
This morning, I was cruising YouTube to find videos on low porosity hair. I stumbled across one of the most imaginative video on how to care for low porosity hair. This vlogger has three videos on how she manages her daughter’s low porosity hair, but this one is the best. Here is the link to her channel, http://www.youtube.com/user/Itsknotsoeasy?feature=watch. Enjoy!
Time to Nurse the Edges
I will use this product on my edges every day, and I’ll massage it in for five minutes.
My Soul Wonders “Why”
Today, I read the most amazing thing, and it caused me to really shake my head as well as roll my eyes. A fellow natural was upset when she was referred to as the woman with an afro. She shared that she feels as though her texture is far from an afro. Really? This reminds me of the division that still exists in the Black community on “good” hair. It’s another form of separation in the natural community where we type our hair. Almost everywhere we turn, I’m a 3C, 4A, or a combination of 2, 3, or 4. IT DOESN’T MATTER PEOPLE! Some members of the natural community are obsessed with typing their hair to the point where they consider it offensive if their tresses are seen as very tightly coiled. What about having healthy hair free from harsh chemicals? Isn’t that why you went natural in the first place?
I never drank the Kool-Aid when it came to hair typing. When I did my Big Chop, my main concern was learning how to take care of my hair, and ensure that it was healthy. I tired very quickly when people asked me how I got my hair to curl. Umm, it grew out of my head this way. My own doctor told me that I was “mixed” with something because her hair couldn’t curl in the same fashion. Companies are capitalizing on the “good” hair mentality by selling “natural relaxers” to make natural hair more manageable. WHY GO NATURAL IN THE FIRST PLACE?!!
It’s clear that although some are no longer removing the kinks from their heads the kinks still exist in their minds. When people stop second-guessing or making excuses for what their hair does/doesn’t do, maybe we can move forward. Until then, we’re going to continue with the hair typing, and not being satisfied with what we have. If it wouldn’t be considered rude, I’d loved to tell these women that there’s a woman fighting cancer who would love to have hair on her head. So, get over it.
I love Afros!
