Transitioning/Natural hair tips continued...

I was asked by a reader, if I had any tips for growing hair long. She is considering going natural(chemical-free hair) and asked if I had any tips on achieving long hair in the process.
Well, I did a post on the topic of natural hair and my journey so far to natural hair. It has been an incredible ride thus far.
If I had to type my hair, I would be a 4a/3c in the back. Hair typing is pretty lame in my opinion, because most people have an array of textures. It does allow you to understand your hair a bit better, but that knowledge will come with it or not. Check out curlyhairsalon for hair typing pictures and information.
My tips are still consistent to my previous post, Thinking About Going Natural. Keeping it simple is key. I don't do too much to my hair. I leave it alone and go on with my business.

My regimen is:

• wash hair weekly- Preferably with a sulfate-free shampoo. Shampoos with sulfate tend to strip the hair of its natural oils.
  
• deep condition- I usually deep condition using a heating cap for 30minutes to an hour. I currently have a heating cap but will probably invest in a Pibbs dryer soon. I have been slacking on this for the past month and I can already tell the difference
• moisturize daily- my natural hair tends to get dry alot quicker then when I was relaxed. It drinks up moisture! Products that I recommend, raw shea butter or cantu shea butter
• Vitamins- Biotin, castor oil, vitamin C, and multi-vitamin. Trying to get back to taking these daily. Not only for my hair but overall health.

My No-Nos

• HEAT- I can't stress this enough, frequent heat will not only fry your hair if not applied correctly but will destroy your curls. I recommend flat ironing only 1-2times a week, preferably with a ceramic iron...NOT ceramic COATED
• COMBING NATURAL HAIR DRY- You will rip your pretty hair. Causing breakage and thin ends. Please only comb and detangle hair when wet with conditioner
• NOT WEARING A SATIN BONNET OR SLEEPING ON A SILK PILLOW CASE at night
  
  

See, I keep it very simple. I lack the time and energy for over the top regimens.
Some websites I would recommend that have an overload of helpful information are:

Long Hair Care Forum
Grow Afro Hair Long

I don't have any secret concoctions, but I will say that growing hair long is not a challenge. Find a regimen that works(might take some time) and have patience. Your hair will not grow over night. Any questions, feel free to contact me.

---Antoinette Whitaker

Wigs as a Protective Style

Wigs can be a great way of protecting your hair on your healthy hair journey. From the beginning of my hair care journey, I have used wigs to protect my tresses. They can have their cons but I do believe that the pros out way them.

Pros:

• Different Diva everyday- One day you may want to rock a platinum blond short-do and the following week a black sleek waist length look. It is possible and easy to do this using wigs without damaging your hair.
• Cost Effective- On average I spend about $25 on a synthetic wig, which will usually last me 2-3 weeks. Wigs are an easy way to save money on getting your hair done every week or bi-weekly.
• Less manipulation- Wigs are pretty low maintenance and your natural hair will thank you for that. As long as you properly take care of your hair underneath your wig, your hair will flourish from the low manipulation and low maintenance.
• Hair is protected from the elements

Cons:

• Not all wigs are created equally- I would never want anyone to look a hot mess BUT there are some wigs that are just a straight up no-no. Be careful of extra thin, extra thick, or too shiny looking wigs. If you are going to wear a wig, I say the more natural it looks the better. Quality is very important when choosing a wig.
• Breaking Edges- Wigs can do damage to your edges if worn for an extended period of time with no breaks. Also using the comb attachments can be detrimental to your edges. Instead of using the comb attachments, use bobby pins to secure your wigs. I suggest wearing your wigs 2 months on and 2 months off, to give your edges a break.

A few tips-

• Try to wear natural styles for easier blending of your hair and the wig. You can do this by finger combing or braiding and twisting out your hair. This eliminates heat!
• Why not baggy your hair under your wigs for extra moisture? No one can see it!
  

• If you want a straight style, instead of flat-ironing...why not rollerset to smooth your hair? This once again eliminates heat use.
• When in a rush or just plain lazy, I put a headband over my wig. It looks natural and its quick and easy.
• Synthetic hair can be brought back to life. On my synthetic curly wigs I add a little mouse and brush it with my paddle brush. Tada! Just as pretty as when I first bought it. I can wear my curly wigs for up to 2 months sometimes!

Wigs have been my friend!

Product Review:Hawaiian Silky Miracle Worker 14 n 1

Purchase from: local BSS or Sally's

Consistency: some what thick and creamy

Value for Price: 5 stars

Ingredients: Water, Glycerin, Propylene Glycol, Mineral Oil, PEG-75 Lanolin, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearalkonium Chloride, Polysorbate-60, Triethanolamine, Acetimide AME, Hydrolized Vegetable Protein, Stearyl Alcohol, Propylparaben, Methylparaben, Menthol, Panthenol DL, Jojoba Oil, Anjelica Root Extract, Articum Lappa Root Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Extract, Symphytum Officinale Leaf Extract, Mistletoe Extract, Nettle Extract, Oatmeal Extract, Rosemary Leaf Extract, Sage Leaf Extract, Nasturtium Officinale Extract, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothizolinone, Fragrance

Scent: Pleasant

Review:

Pros: moisturizing, smells yummy, strengthens
Cons: mineral oil, hard to pump from bottle

This truly is a miracle worker! I love this stuff even with the mineral oil in it. I had read about HS 14n1 on the hair boards but never got around to purchasing it. One of my good friends(whose hair is gorgeous) happened to leave this product at my apartment. It was love at first sight.

I appplied it to my freshly washed hair and it didn't feel heavy or sticky. My hair was easy to detangle and comb. After my hair was about 60% dry, it felt so soft and moisturized. By the time my hair was 100% dry, it still felt soft and smooth.

I did not have to reapply for about a day or two. And the best thing is, I haven't experienced any sort of buildup from this product.

Recently I sprayed 14n1 on my hair prior to applying shea butter and my hair felt wonderful.

Pros: smells good, define curls, great moisturizer
Cons: hard to pump from bottle, wish it came in a bigger bottle

Purchase again? I love it! and it's easy on the pockets but I'd like to find a product that doesn't contain mineral oil.

Parisian beauty Adriana

Natural beauty. Beautiful wash-n-go

I work as a Film Editor
My jacket is from H&M.
My blouse is a BEL AIR.
My sarouel pants are from ET VOUS.
My shoes are from NINE WEST.
Bag by JEROME DREYFUS.
Perfume: Acqua di Parma,
Fashion is an evolution like all artistic things.
My look is a sporty-70's-woman look.
I love my man. I hate hypocrisy.
My message to the world: Life is a gift. Stop complain and have fun !

(http://easyfashion.blogspot.com)

Are the men in your life supporters of your natural journey?

So this is how I wore my hair to a luau gathering last night...
(it's my new wig!) If not all, most of the females loved it but the guys not too much! They didn't say anything outlandish but their comments said it all.

"What did you do to your hair?"
"WOW that's big hair...Diana Ross hair...lay it down" (I think Diana Ross' hair is fierce by the way!)

Me personally, I love the big wild crazy hair, i think its beautiful....

Are most men not fond of the NATURAL look ?? and WHY?

Yea Yea I know the history of our people and hair, but in my opinion women seem more open to natural hair and "change"( I guess you could say). But many(not all) of men aren't so welcoming to such a "change". why is that?... thoughts?

***New Youtube video on this wig will be posted soon***

Can Growth Aids grow my hair 3 inches in 1 month?

I highly doubt it. BUT I do know that they can help with growth and retention.

Do I currently use growth aids? No I do not. They are too much of a hassle for me right now.
I did however use them when I first started my hair care journey. Here is the dirt on the two that I did use consistently.

• Biotin- This is the first growth aid that I used on my hair care journey. I started off with damaged, glued in weave, hot mess thirsty hair. The first picture is my hair in July 2004 right after taking out my last glued in weave. The last two pictures is my hair two months later. During those two months I kept it simple. I just washed, conditioned, used infusium 23 and faithfully took my biotin.
  thin broken hair
  

my hair thickened up something serious and the growth was amazing.

The next growth aid I tried was MTG

• MTG- I loved me some MTG but the smell was a hammish mess. In May of 2005 I began using MTG. I would use it about 3x a week, wash weekly, and wear a protective style. The first pic is my hair in May 05 and the 2nd was Dec 05. MTG really helped with thickening my hair strands.
  

I also dabbled with the MN and Sulfur 8 but not for too long. I still take a few biotin pills here and there but nothing consistent. MTG would be a staple but the smell is really not appealing. I like my hair to smell good!

Thinking about going natural...

I never really thought about going natural until I began my quest for waist length hair. At the time I just wanted to have relaxed waist length hair, I tried many methods to keep my hair strong and for it to grow at it's full potential. One of these methods was stretching my relaxer; December 2006 I stretched my relaxer for six months. That was the longest that I had ever gone without a relaxer and my hair was not unmanageable at all. In fact I was obsessed with the texture and appearance of my new growth. I had hand in hair syndrome. The thought of being natural intrigued me. So I began my research. I was on every natural hair friendly board on the WWW and I would stalk the hair albums of natural women. Then one day I just took the plunge...

"I'm going to go natural."

I am 8 months 3 weeks in my natural hair journey.


It has not been an easy one at that and this will be my third attempt at it. I have learned a couple things that have allowed the transition to be a lot smoother and easier then my first and second attempt.

1. 
   
   
   Water is your friend: Water is the heaven of all moisturizers. I wet my hair every day and it has been a life saver. Natural hair can get extremely dry and the fact that my hair is colored causes it to get even drier. My hair is never thirsty and I've even noticed increased growth when applying water to my hair daily.


2. 
   
   
   Heat is your enemy: Well not necessarily your enemy, but too much heat is not good --relaxed, transitioning, or natural. I choose not to use heat more then once a week because I do not want to lose my curl definition--by consistently applying it. And when I do use heat, a heat protectant is used prior to the iron touching my hair.


3. 
   
   
   Protective Styling is queen: Protecting my hair through certain styles has helped my process drastically. I no longer have to worry about dealing with the two or more textures or what I am going to do with my hair. Buns, braids, weaves, twists, twist outs, cornrows, wigs--are all examples of protective styles


4. 
   
   
   Block the Haters Out: Don't share your natural journey with individuals who are going to discourage you. Nobody has to know--except those who will provide positive reinforcement. When I started my journey, I was lucky to have supportive people like my mother who was natural at the time, so I never really had to deal with it at home. But my (ex) man at the time was a different story. Excuse me?, how does my hair affect your well being?


5. 
   
   
   Enjoy the Journey: Embrace your natural curls, take pictures documenting your journey, play in your hair, come up with homemade concoction's, and most of all have fun!

Kinky, Curly, Relaxed, Wavy Black Barbie

Stacey McBride-Irby, a member of the Barbie design team has created a new and innovative doll collection; a line completely dedicated to African-American dolls. Mcbride-Irby explains, "Barbie has been such a positive model for moms and their little girls, and I wanted to keep that connection", but instead of the usual Euro centric looking African-American barbie coined "black barbie", she has created new individual sculpts with personality and goals.
The So In Style barbies embrace authentic African-American features such as curly hair, wide noses, and full lips. In order to capture the versatility among African-American beauty, McBride-Irby designed each doll with skin tones ranging from fair to ebony. There is even a barbie with Afro textured hair!

I was quite ecstatic when I heard about this; I can clearly remember playing with my black barbie and wanting to be cheerleader barbie. I had to switch to my white barbie because there was no black cheerleader barbie. I could only be "black barbie" with no career, no personality, no different outfit...just plane jane black barbie. So I tended to not play too much with her, her hair got chopped, leg broken and she was tossed under the bed.

This line can only bring goodness to the African American community. Young black girls will have barbies that they can identify with and cherish. No more brainwashing and subliminal messages. Hopefully it will assure our girls that black is indeed beautiful!

I wish something like this were around when I played dollhouse. I would have loved me some Trichelle and Courtney!

Not your usual formal introduction...

As you may not know, I am not a newbie to the blogsphere. First post have and will always be a painful experience for me.

How am I suppose to catch your attention? Attempt to draw you back in for more?
Babbling about my hair journey would be redundant, it's posted on my youtube channel.

(shameless promotion)

So....whats a gal to do?
Well I figured to start this blog off right, I would love the input of YOU all.

What do you look for in a blog? tutorials? product reviews? celebrity hair style? scientific articles? etc? etc?

Inform me so we can get this blog rockin' and rollin'. Cheesy I know..moving on...

Chica's I look forward to hearing your responses :)
*cricket.cricket*

Ciao,
Vinise