I Get It From My Momma

Like I told you all, my mother finally decided to let me do her big chop. She was also so kind as to let me share her pictures with you all! I began by parting her already wet hair in 4 sections and rewetting with a spray bottle as necessary as I went along. I used an Herbal Essences in her hair to make it easier to tell between her natural and relaxed hair and snipped at the line of demarcation. I think she's a 3 blend (3a/3b/3c). Her hair goes straight overnight and has to be rewetted to get any curl back. Granted, we just chopped it and hair tends to act a little weird right after being chopped. We'll see though. I plan to keep you all updated! :) Here are the pictures!

Pause

Hello everyone! It's been over a month since my last update and I sincerely apologize. A lot has changed since my last update. Shortly after of course the holiday season began and then I was immediately thrown into finals week after Thanksgiving Break. This finals week, however, was a special one; my last one. That's right. I am a proud college graduate! I've earned my BA in Fine Arts at THEE Morgan State University! I'm all done now! Commencement won't be until spring but I am a proud 2010 grad. :) Now if that wasn't enough excitement, my family also moved into a new house the week after I moved out of my apartment at school. I've been packing and unpacking for about two weeks straight between my apartment, the old house and the new house. Things are finally beginning to settle down as we approach Christmas and the arrival of family. Still not done decorating but I will be posting pictures of my new room and bathroom. So as you can see, I've been a very busy bee but I have not forgotten about my blog! I still owe you all a length check from November 18th, I believe, and I actually did take the length check pictures that day so I'll post them and keep everything on schedule.

As you all know, my sister and I big chopped about 1 week apart from one another and are quickly approaching our 1 year curliversary in the next few months. Well what you DIDN'T know is that our mother had begun her transitioning process and is about 10 or 11 months in right now. Tonight or in the next few hours I will be doing her big chop and *crosses fingers* maybe she'll give me permission to post her pictures on here so that you all can see!

Well, I'll be back...just wanted to give you all a quick update and thank you for your patience and ask for just a bit more as my family and I get settled into our new home and our new lives. Until next time guys, Happy Healthy Hair Growing and enjoy your holidays!

Silk Salvation

Here's a deep conditioning concoction that my Soror came up with and I wanted to share it with you! Thank you Soror for allowing me to post this video! You all can visit her youtube channel by clicking here.

Twist It Up

Here's a hair tutorial that I simply fell in love with! Its from natural hair youtuber SimplYonique who's page you can visit by clicking here. Enjoy!

You Make Me Better

It's been over a year since I started YGY and I feel as though it should have blossomed into something more than what it is right now. Here's where you come in. What would you like to see here in the near future? I want this blog to reach its full potential in serving you all, the reader. Feel free to email me at donnajenay@aol.com or leaving your suggestions in the comment box. I'm looking forward to reading!

Never Have I Ever

This post will serve the purpose of putting on blast products that should never have even made the market. Products that make you hit the stale face and question who priced it. Products that left your precious mane completely jacked up and left you thinking "Never Have I Ever experienced such foolishness". WELP! Time to air them out! Express your frustrations and prevent other innocent curlies from the same fate. Now remember, no two curls are the same. What worked or didn't work for someone else may not be the same for you. However, it's always a nice contrast to the product's marketing team to see an honest review from someone who has nothing to gain from product sales.

"this product could be the equivalent of curl suicide"-DJ

So I'll go first. The absolute WORST product I ever tried was Hydrathermal Naturals' hair care line sold at www.healthyhairjourney.com; specifically their "moisture boosting" shampoo. The shampoo claims to "Delivers omega 3 and omega 6 essential acids to each hair strand which helps return the hair to its optimal 8% moisture level. Detangles, softens and hydrates the hair as it cleanses the hair and scalp. Infuses the hair with moisture without product build-up. Moisturizes the scalp, reduce dryness, decreases dandruff and regulates sebaceous secretion. We added high quality proteins to help prevent breakage and strengthen the hair. Superb for brittle, slow growing and chemically treated hair yet great for all hair types. " When I first ordered the products from the website, I hadn't thought about going natural yet and thus had not done any research yet and knew very little about how to maintain healthy hair. I was referred to the website from a friend (who I know is reading this :)) and was elated and excited reading the reviews and claims that were listed on the website. When I got the product, like I said, I knew nothing about the health of my hair and still had a perm. Two things about the shampoo stuck out to me both visually and performance wise. Visually, I could see the specks of algae and seaweed that was in the shampoo and that, to me, meant I had a good product that would deliver whatever benefits these products were supposed to have to my hair. Performance wise I recall the product stripping my hair like no other shampoo I had ever used before. At the time, this was fine. I liked the weightless quality about my stripped hair. It moved, flowed and bounced, and that was exactly the look I went for. I feel like for someone who has a relaxer and/or isn't too concerned with their hair's health, this shampoo is perfect. For someone who is natural, however, this product could be the equivelant of curl suicide. Our curls need moisture! I know exactly how my curls would react to the results this product yields and it is not good in any way, shape or form. My hair would be a matted, tangled mass before I even got out of the shower and only excessive amounts of conditioner would have able to rectify the situation.

I think what bothers me SO much is the product's name: HYDRAthermal NATURALS MOISTURE BOOSTING shampoo. Like, are you serious? You put that much emphasis on your moisturizing capabilities as it pertains to natural hair and then you have the audacity to strip my hair instead?! REALLY?! Unacceptable! The other product I tried out was the moisturizing growth lotion. This product wasn't so bad but it really wasn't the miracle moisturizer that the people who left reviews on the website made it out to be and it certainly was not worth the $14.99 plus ridiculous shipping charges this company has.

So in conclusion, this product sucks.....no, for real. If you have had a different experience with this product or would like to share your own horror story about this or another product/product line please feel free to share in the comment box!

Until next time, Happy Healthy Hair Growing!

Take Two

So I gave the Halo Style one more try and I was pleased with the results. The difference? I didn't flat twist it all the way around. I flat twisted it until I got right above my ear and then just I guess "monotwisted"? it to the back. Basically, I only used the hair I had left from the front flat twist without picking up any extra hair from the back. Also, the twist I did was not a two strand twist...hence me calling it a "monotwist". Seriously, what are those called? Anyway, here are the pictures!

Hold My Ponytail

If you haven't heard of B. Scott, you clearly live under a rock! If you haven't heard his club song "Hold My Ponytail"...well, I'll excuse you because it isn't all that popular LOL. But anyway, that has definitely been my theme song every time I look in the mirror and see that I have a freakin' ponytail!! My twists are noticeably longer and I have finally achieved a decent ponytail. I still have to pin a few in the front down but my progress is definitely noteworthy! Take a look!

Here's also a look/listen at the song I was referring to earlier. LOL enjoy!

Before I got to the end result of a ponytail, I was trying out another style. I call it the "Halo Style". Mind you, I absolutely hate it but my readers were on my mind before I took it down and I decided to snap a few pictures so that you all could have an oppourtunity to judge for yourselves. I think, maybe with some refinement, it could be a very cute style! If you decide to wear or tweak the Halo Style, send in your pictures to be shared!

Shiver Styles

So here on the east coast, the weather is finally starting to break and winter is approaching. This means we've got to pack up our summer wash-n-goes and carefree hair days to trade in for some shiver styles: styles that come in handy while we're shivering in the winter months! This is my first winter being fully natural so I'm learning every day what works and doesn't work for me. First, I tried wetting it at night and hoping that my hair was fully dried by morning; before I had to go out into 30 something degree weather. Well, that didn't work. Since my bed is right next to my window, the draft got to me in my sleep and I was waking up with sore throats which just simply would not do. Next, I tried bantu knots. Bantu knot outs were my signature style all throughout my transition but I'm learning that I do not like the look on my fully natural self. I find that my hair, for reasons unbeknownst to me, feels very dry and tangled/matted after the first day of the style. So again, wouldn't do. My very last resort was to return to my micro twist sets. Last night I spend the latter of my day installing the twists, and surprisingly it didn't take as long as it usually does. My regular 8 hours turned into a little under 7, a very small and unexpected victory. I plan to keep these in for at least a month (four weeks) to a month and a half (six weeks). The weather wasn't the only reason I chose this style though. I also needed a protective style as my ultimate goal is to see how long I can grow my hair. Protective styles prevent split and broken ends which is the main cause for lack of length retention. More than likely, once my four to six weeks are up, I'll just take them out, wash my hair and reinstall within the week. I mean, what else am I going to do with my hair? If you have any suggestions on what to do with natural hair during the winter months, please let us know! Just because we're shivering, doesn't mean that we can't be stylish! Pictures of my twists will probably be up within the week! Stay tuned!

Better Late Than Never

But never late is better! I know, I'm trying! LOL So remember that amazing wash-n-go I told you all about? How I used Aussie Moist and then diffused my hair and wound up with nicely defined, frizz free curls? Well here are the pictures of that. In these pictures, my hair is 90-100% dry and slicked back with Olive Oil Eco Styler gel.

Up Close & Personal

Keep It Cute

So last night I did a fabulous wash-n-go and I want to come and share it with you all! As you all know, one of my favorite conditioners is Aussie Moist. I absolutely love the smell and its moisturizing effects! I stated in the last post that I would not be putting any heat on my hair until Christmas and so I of course had to wash my straight look away. I did a heavy duty co-wash with Aussie Moist (of course), rinsed completely and did another wash. My first intentions were to do a deep conditioning treatment by simply leaving the conditioner on for about 25 minutes but the fact that I was waiting on the pizza delivery guy kind of got in the way of that. I instead took my blow dryer and diffuser attatchment and diffused (dried) my hair that way. My curls were left very defined and rather cute if I do say so myself! I popped a headband on and made sure that before going to bed I slicked my front edges back with some Eco Styler gel and wrapped a scarf just around my edges. Just to make sure my edges came out smooth the next morning, I loosely tied a knee high stocking around my hair, the same way I do my puffs for some added tension. The next morning (this morning) my edges were like butter! Perfect! All I had to do was take the scarf and knee high off, pop a headband on and do a little 5 second fluffing and I was good to go! Pictures coming soon!

Starting Over

that's me on the left :)

There was sooo much that I was trying to remember to eventually put up for YGY but after this homecoming week, I am completely drained and my brain is simply not working! I did however want to come and update you all on a couple things that I DID remember! Well for one, last weekend I lightened my hair with a honey blonde hair lightener. As I expected, my new growth absolutely did not take...AT ALL! However, I've been getting nothing but compliments on it so I'm very pleased! My ends needed to be trimmed after the excessive heat that it's been enduring over the past couple of week so I'm about an inch shorter but I'm not even upset. I will, however be going on a no heat challenge starting NOW until Christmas! YUP! THAT'S RIGHT! I SAID IT! CHRISTMAS! That's two whole months from today. Hopefully I can go longer but I'm thinking I may want to straighten it for the holidays. We'll see. Anyway, I do have pictures! Hope you enjoy!

Afro Love

Hey there! I know it's been a while! Although I was trying out a new style while I was gone, my phone was broken and thus I was unable to take pictures for YGY. I really do apologize for this and I promise to recreate it and update you all as soon as possible. Until then, I'll do my best to describe it! I do have a couple pictures of my hair when it was straight but the camera on my replacement phone wasn't taking very good pictures of the style that I tried out while it was straightened. Basically what I did was made sure that my hair was bone straight and then bantu knotted it up. This created soft beach waves that fell throughout the day and created a soft alternative to the harsh straight look. I got a lot of compliments on it and I will definitely be returning to this style the next time I straighten. I've come to dislike how flat my hair looks straightened; the perm look. Doing bantu knots allowed for a nice alternative as well as made it easier to maintain my straight style with minimal heat! It was a win/win! Here's a pic of my hair straightened:

More recently, I experimented with my very first afro! Usually, if I'm wearing my natural texture (no gels or defining products) I'll wear it in a puff. This time I decided to be a little more daring. I wore my hair out with a little moisturizer and allowed my curls to fall where they may. Now, I won't lie, I didn't get any compliments on it but when I asked a few close friends what they thought, I got good feedback. Hopefully they weren't just trying to be nice! Here's a few shots for you to decide! The first are from me just being on campus and the last is from last night when I went out for my birthday celebration. I'll be 22 years old on Wednesday, October 13!

Natural To Me

Twist Regimen

"look beautiful, longer"-DJ

Being as though it takes me upwards of 8 hours to do a twist set on my hair, I like to keep it in for at least three (3) weeks. During those three weeks, I also like to look decent. This requires me to take care of my hair as to prevent frizz and unraveling (although I'm not sure if that's even possible on natural hair). Here are some tips and tricks if you are also trying to get the most out of your twist set:

1. Moisturize: since washing and co-washing aren't an option during the time that you will have your twists in, moisturizing will be key in keeping your hair healthy. Honestly, water is the only real moisturizer but I find that adding any product with slip will keep your hair from frizzing, breaking and also adds a soft texture with shine. I use Silicon Mix by Avanti once a week but bear in mind, any products with silicones must be washed out with either shampoo or a baking soda rinse. This is just a quick fix for the time being. I follow the mix with pure grapeseed oil to seal.

2. Stretching: due to unforseen circumstances, your hair may begin to shrink over the course of time. Maybe you forgot to wear a shower cap, it was really humid one day or your hair just naturally shrinks over time. To combat this issue, I braid my hair in medium sized invividual braids all over to "stretch" the hair. I usually end up with about 10-15 braids. I think the longer your hair is the less you'll need. I just try to make the small enough to stay in. A huge braid will unravel itself instantly! So anyway, I usually keep the braids in overnight and take them out in the morning. Not only does my hair appear longer but also a little crimped from the braids.

3. Tieing: this one's a given. In order to maintain your hair you mus tie it up at night with wither a silk or satin scarf. Bonnets are a lot easier, however, if you're anything like me, you apprieciate how the scarf lays down your edges every night.

Hopefully these tips and tricks help you all to preserve your twists and keeps you looking beautiful, longer! Hope it helped! Until next time, Happy Healthy Hair Growing!

P.S., here's a quick shot of what the Silicon Mix I was talking about looks like. You can find it at any beauty supply store for about seven bucks.

Trader Girls

This Trader Girls edition is special to me because I am particularly proud of this young lady. We went to high school together. I have memories of us singing the latest tunes together in P.E. when we were probably supposed to be doing something else and now you can catch her on iTunes with her single "Yea, Yea"!

Sarrah Ade

Age: 22

Location: Bowie, MD

Hair Status: 5 months natural

Testimonial: My name is Sarrah and I am a fully natural sista! I transitioned for about 3 months until my BC (BIG CHOP). I was suppose to transition for a year and then get my BC but decided to make it a little sooner. I had been getting relaxers for as long as i can remember but to specific...since about ages 5-6 (I know..what a shame lol). I had been through hell and back with my hair. I recently decided to go natural on January 29th 2010 and my BC date was April 12th 2010. I hope my Journey and ultimate success inspires another girl to realize that she can love and embrace her natural God given hair.

^_^

Sittin' Sideways

Hello All! So I know I'm slowing down on the posts and it because school just started and I am busy busy busy!! I'm actually glad to be back at school though. I'm enjoying being back with my linesisters and FINE ARTS! Yesterday was the Alpha Kappa Alpha and Alpha Phi Alpha collaboration party called "Phrozen Pearls: Pumps and Ties" hosted by my chapter and the chapter of A Phi A here at my school. So ya'll know I had to get cute! Unfortunately, I woke up with a terrible cold Thursday morning and was completely out of it! I spent the whole entire day in bed on Thursday trying to get better in order help out the next day. So anyway...that didn't work! Friday I woke up feeling worst but trucked it to class anyway. After class I ran around getting things together and such. The day was a blur but around 5 or so I was able to slow down, take some medicine and take a nap. When I got up my first thought was "crap...I gotta look decent" LOL. That entire day I'd walked around in sweats and a hoodie just completely not feeling it. Ironically enough, I was hit on more yesterday than when I look decent on campus. Hm =/...but I digress! So I got up, got my outfit out, threw that sucka on and topped it off with some pumps and a tie! Next was hair and make-up!

So my make up was a subliminal shout out to the Ice Cold Brothers of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. with the gold in my inner corners and the shimmer black on the outter lid. It was cute but of course I didn't take any pictures..SMH. For the past week I've had in a micro twist set. As usual, I'm LOVING it! People ask me all the time if I plan to loc up and as much as I love my twists the answer is no! I have the power to get the lovely loc look and still take it out the next day to wear my natural curls or blow dry and flat iron this sucka toWhip My Hair Back And Forth (see the post below)! I'm too in love with the versatility at this point to settle with just one look! Now as you all know, I've been trying to figure out what else to do with my hair when it's twisted up other than just twisting the front. Well last night i did my usual twists but I went a step further to twist it into a side do. I loved it and even got a few compliments for the style! Below are some shots of it. Pictures of the party haven't gone up yet but if I find one that shows my style off a little bit better I will certainly show you guys. Hopefully these get my point across though. Enjoy! And also, if you recreate this style send in your pictures! We wanna see!

(Side Note: pardon the first picture, I was having a full blown conversation LOL)

Whip My Hair

If you didn't know, Will & Jada Smith's daughter Willow has recently launched her music career and her debut single "Whip My Hair". I LOVE this song! Right now my hair is in a micro twist set and I must say I and loving the whip action! Since my last twist set, my hair has grown noticeably and I am definitely whipping my hair back and forth! Check Willow out by clicking here to download the track. Enjoy!

Trader Girls

Hey there! Just a friendly reminder that YOU can be a part of my blog by simply sharing your hair testimonial via Trader Girls! Trader Girls is just a "segment" of the blog where YOU, the reader are granted the opportunity to put yourself and your lovely locs in the spotlight! Kind of like show and tell! Tell us what you do to keep that mane magnificent, those locs luscious and that hair happy! We wanna know! Got a tutorial? Type it up and send it in! Maybe you just have a funny story to share..whatever it is, don't hesitate to email it in! Just think to yourself "would this be a great add to Donna's blog? Girl, YES!"

Email the following to: DONNAJENAY@AOL.COM

Name:

Age:

Location:

Hair Status: (transitioning, natural, locs, etc.)

Story/Tutorial/Testimonial:

Pictures: (3 max)

Doin' It Up

After putting SO much heat on my hair, I thought it deserved not only a break but a protective style. A protective style is basically any style that keeps your ends, which is the oldest and most fragile part of your hair strands, protected from the elements and/or your clothing. Here's something I just threw together. Want a tutorial? Let me know!

Product Review: Sabino Moisture Block (Take Two)

As promised, I did not give up on the breakthrough product Sabino Moisture Block who's inventors claim to have made a product that makes your hair virtually waterproof! Last Tuesday, as you all know, I straightened my hair just to see how it would look with my new color. The following day I decided to give Sabino another try. Just as a recap, the last time I used this product, I used it on wet hair just before blowdrying which in comparison to this go 'round was a complete disaster! My hair felt heavy, sticky and untouchable; not good! So I had given it quite a bit of thought about what may have gone wrong in my execution and I decided to try something a little different.

Getting my hair straight has never, ever been an issue on my natural hair. It's always been keeping it straight that posed such an issue. So this time, instead of using sabino to get my hair straight, I used it to keep my hair straight! After a day of being straight, I parted my hair in the same small sections that I parted them in to initially get my hair straightened and smoothed very, very....very small amounts of the Sabino onto each section before using my flat iron to press the product into my strands as described on the video posted below. My hair didn't feel heavy or sticky. It was just like using a heat protectant serum! I wasn't too eager to jump straight into the steam test like the women on the video and instead, opted to just let nature take it's course (if she saw fit). Well, I can honestly say that I am officially a believer and would recommend this product to any and every woman who hates having her hair puff up in public or just in general! It's been FIVE days since I used Sabino Moisture Block and my hair hasn't even considered reverting! I've been out and about, in the humidity and even done some household cleaning, and nothing! The most accurate way to describe the way my hair feels is that feeling when you know your roots are starting to grow in from your last relaxer and maybe you need a slight touch up. But that is to be expected since my roots were the only part that I wasn't able to thoroughly use the product on. This product is AMAZING! I found it online for a reasonable price and I urge you all to click this link and buy this product immediately! No, seriously...I'm not kidding, click the link! Now! Go!

And as always, Happy Healthy Hair Growing!

Unconditionally

Hello there! And welcome back! Today I'm coming to you all with an official review of a product that I've been name dropping on in a couple posts. Well it's been a few months and I feel that I can now, officially say that this is my absolute favorite conditioner! What conditioner might that be, you ask? Why none other than Aussie Moist of course!
I absolutely adore the way this conditioner feels in my hair and makes finger detangling abreeze! The product's claims written on the bottle are as follows: "moist conditioner, with splashes of natural Aloe, replenishes natural moisture for healthy locks worth gushing about". And if that isn't enough to have you bolting for the nearest drug store, the smell and price are both AMAZING! I can't fully explain the smell but it just smells light, fresh and creamy if that makes ANY sense to ANY one other than myself! LOL. A 13.5 FLOZ bottle costs about $3.99 from a drugstore such as CVS. Now of course, there are pros and cons to everything. Aussie moist does contain cones, which as we know are great for adding slip to the hair but cannot be removed with just another co-wash. However, adding baking soda to your favorite conditioner/sulfate free shampoo can get them right out! Aussie Moist get a Girl, YES from me! Even with it's flaws, I love it "Unconditionally".

Until next time loves, Happy Healthy Hair Growing!

Length Check (Updated)

As we know, I had to cut away my poor frazzled ends after a mishap with a blow dryer and a brush. *tear, tear* Well, that was about three weeks ago and here I am with an official length update. You all may remember that I said I didn't have to cut much off the front so that part is cool. It's funny, even though my hair is straightened out I still had to pull it because of how ridiculously tight I bump my hair under. (Sidenote: I'm thinking of going lighter with my hair color in about a month or so. What do you guys think? Drop a comment and let me know!)

Give It To Me Straight

Excited like a child with a new toy, I wanted to see how my usual styles looked with my new color. I tried my usual twists in the front with my curly fro in the back, my pony puff and of course my wash-style-and-go with a head band. The only thing left to wonder about was how my color would look on straightened hair. It's a known fact that hair tends to look darker when it's wet so yesterday I straightened my hair out using all of my wonderful heat protectants and this is what I got...

Also, because hair dye destroys the elasticity of hair strands, I am making sure to keep my hair moisturized now that it's straight. When I wear my curly styles, the daily H2O handles that part but now that it's straight, I have to be extra careful. I think I'm doing a pretty good job with it. I've see maybe 10-15 broken strands since I've dyed my hair. Could be better, but not bad at all.

Color Me Spontaneous

Spontaneous as hell! So yesterday after I finished blogging, I looked up natural hair salons in the downtown Newark area and came across Cynthia's Natural Hair Salon. I called her up, got a price and was SOLD! At first I just want highlights which ran me $35. Not bad right? Well, after getting back to my internship a few blocks over and fully examining my new streaks, I decided that I wanted the color all over. I gave Cynthia a call back and she agreed to do my whole head for just $30 more. Now, I don't do hair salons but I think $65 for a dye job is pretty reasonable.....I guess. Well anyway...here are the pictures. First of my hair before going into the shop, before and after the streaks, and then finally the finished product. Today was a really gloomy day so later on I'll have better pics to show you all the color. It's Strawberry Blonde...check me out, right? LOL

As far as the salon itself goes, I'd give it a 6/10 and that's lieniant! It wasn't the cleanest, flies everywhere and not easy to find at all. However, Cynthia is one of the nicest stylists I've ever had to deal with. She was very sweet and helpful, not to mention QUICK! I would definitely go back. But that's just me, I can't say that I would rush you all to go check it out while in the area though. I'm from Newark, we're kind of rough around the edges but I've been to much, much nicer places still. I guess customer service is this shop's saving grace!