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