Well, Hello There!

Hey guys! It's been a long time! (I shouldn't have left you..) I'm back! Much has happened, so lets just dive right into it! This first post will be a length check! My last post was well over 9 months ago! As you can imagine, I've experienced quite a bit of growth since then. Below you will find a picture of my hair that was taken two weeks ago, after I straightened it for the first time since October 2011. Of course that date more than likely means nothing to you all, buttrust me, it's grown quite a bit even since then. So without any further adieu..
I must note that I have figured out a new and much better way to prep my hair to be straightened. Before, I would twist or braid my hair after washing and allow it to air dry. Blow dryers destroy my ends, and that still reigns true, but the twist/braid method left my hair too "textured" if you will. I actually stumbled upon my new technique/method sort of on accident. I had never had much luck using flexi rods, but after finding a HUGE bag of them that my mom had stored away from way back when, I thought I'd give it another shot. Well, I finally figured out how to get them to stay in my head and the end result was....alright. Not anything I'd wear out; But what I did notice was that my strands were straight or smooth. Much smoother than I could ever get them by just twisting or braiding and air drying. I suspected this would make the flat ironing process easier and hot damn I was right! Instead of the usual 6-8 hours it'd usually take me to tackle my hair, it only took me around 3-4 hours and the outcome was much straighter than I'd been able to get it before. My ends didn't seem as horrible either (I honestly can't explain this but I'm thankful! lol) I used Organic Root Stimulator Olive Oil Smooth-n-Hold Pudding and Cantu Shea Butter Super Shine Hair Silk to set my hair before rolling it up (soaking wet) with the flexi rods. Once they were completely dry, I used coconut and grapeseed oil to flat iron with. The results are what you see above. The only drawback would be the fact that my face breaks out when it has too much oil on it. I had about 3 or 4 zits to battle with that first week, but after that it seemed to be no bother. I know the oil was the culprit because the same thing happened when I was going through puberty in high school. The first time I wore bangs, my forehead was a battle field. Don't ask what made it stop after that first week cause I'm gladly accepting and asking no questions!

Well, that's all for now! As ALWAYS, Happy Healthy Hair Growing!!

P.S., here are pictures of the products I listed above:

Goodbye...For Now!

I'm coming to you all to say goodbye....for now. I just don't have time for my blog anymore but I AM leaving it up for you all to use the information. Right now I'm trying to get my graphic design business off the ground and I just have too many other things to worry about. I apologize to my faithful readers but I just can't do it anymore. I hope you all understand. Please support me in my new graphic design business by visiting http://www.donnadesigns.viewbook.com to view my portfolio. If you have any requests, I can be reached via email at donnajenay@aol.com. I do not do websites!!

Love you always,

Sha'Donna. xoxo

Sea Salt Curl Enhancer (Review)

So as promised, I tried the sea salt curl enhancer! I filled my spray bottle up and added about a half teaspoon of sea salt and shook it up. I spritzed my hair and scrunched the solution into it and allowed my hair to air dry. The results? Blehh. Not really my style. My curls were most definitely enhanced, though! I would describe the sea salt water as a curl tightener, if anything. I could see how someone with wavy hair would gush over the results but I'm pretty content with the diameter of my coils.

In other news, I have a mini twist set in that I plan to keep for about 3 weeks. Last time I had them in I don't even think I informed you guys but a couple things have changed! For one, they've grown a little bit and I'm a lot more comfortable wearing them down as opposed to my usual frontal flat twists. Also, I've started wearing them in different styles. Hopefully I'll remember to take pictures to show to you guys over the next few weeks! As far as care goes, I spritz them with pure water before leaving the house. Sometimes I add a little leave in and seal with coconut oil for added moisture. Even though these twists are very low maintenance, I don't want to neglect my hair's basic need for moisture. If you're also wearing a twist set, or plan to in the future, be sure to give your hair the same amount of TLC as you would normally. And as always, Happy Health Hair Growing!

Reminder

Don't forget ladies! You can share your story and be featured on my blog by submitting a "Trader Girls" form (found below) to my email DonnaJenay@aol.com!








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Name:
Hair Status: (Transitioning/Natural)
Tips/Tricks/Testimony:
Hair Pictures: (4 max)

Check out past Trader Girls by clicking tag under "quick search" to your left!

Sea Salt Curl Enhancer

Hey guys! So I did some digging around and word on the street is that sea salt water is a great, natural way to boost your curls! A lot of natural women rant about how their curls pop when their at the beach and sea salt sprays are where it's at. Now, the women talking about this said their "waves turned to coils" which leads me to believe that their hair type is a lot loser than mine but I'm still willing to give it a try! Be advised though that we also know that salt can erode the hair, which is a bad thing. This is the reason most curlies co-wash after heavy workouts. Maybe the sea salt makes the difference. I'm gonna mix sea salt and water and spritz my hair the next time I wear my fro and keep you all posted! Toodles!

Reminder

Hey guys, just a little FYI, I do have a fotki account that I update with pictures and whatnot. It's a great place to visually follow my journey without having to search for pictures on the blog. Check it out by clicking here!

Curl. EEEEE!

Curly CURL.EE curlie.

**i did not dye my hair. it was the lighting.

Cutesy Coil Out

"they're taking advantage of the fad"-DJ

Around my 2nd month of naturaldom I tried out my very first coil out. I'm not sure I even took a picture of it. And if I did, I have no idea where it is. It wasn't all that great at all. It actually looked like I was starting locs. Wasn't a fan. But now, here I am just a smidge over a year in and I thought I'd give it another try. I recently did the style on my mother's hair and thought it was pretty cute. Using Miss Jessie's Curly Pudding I coiled my hair up and allowed to air dry over night. Here are some pictures of the next day...All the accessories in these pictures were hand made by yours truly and will eventually be for sale right here on the blog via paypal! :)

I'm usually 99% against products such as Miss Jessie's, Kinky Curly, or any other product that I feel is targeted at newly naturals because of their price. I feel like they're taking advantage of the "fad" + lack of knowledge. A lot of women run for those products without any other knowledge of natural hair care and then are upset when the product does not yield miraculous results......but anyway! Miss Jessie's actually did a good job. I DID NOT purchase the product, my sister bought it a while ago, and like most women, was not too impressed and gave it to my mom who then gave it to me. (LOL) I used my Giovanni Direct Leave In and coconut oil underneath it as well. I'll do another coil out without Miss Jessie's to see if the product is really responsible for my results.) Here are some camera phone shots that better display the curl. :) I'll more than likely be doing a tutorial on this style as well.

Wonderful Concoction

Hey guys! Just wanted to come and share this hair recipe that I recently discovered. It left my hair feeling not only super soft but clean as well! Give it a try!

Proclaim Olive Glossing Conditioner - pretend you're only going to be putting this through your hair section by section and use the appropriate amount.

2 tablespoons Olive Oil

1 cap full of Apple Cider Vinegar

1 tablespoon Lemon Juice

Mix these ingredients in a bowl and apply to freshly washed or co-washed hair section by section. No matter what I do, I part my hair into 4 equal sections and start at the back right section of my head. Similar to my flat ironing video, I part (with my fingers) a smaller subsection and run the mixture through my hair. Once I've ran the mixture through enough hair to make a medium sized twist I twist my hair up and continue until my entire head is twisted up. Whatever is left over, I apply all over my head rubbing into my scalp. Leave the mixture on for about an hour with a plastic cap on. The last 10-15 minutes is spent under a hooded dryer with the settings on high heat. Untwist/Rinse simultaneously in the shower or wherever you rinse your hair and you're all done! Style as you normally would. I apply Organic Root Stimulator Olive Oil: Oil Moisturizing Hair Lotion and coconut oil to 4 equal sections and allow my hair to air dry in medium sized twists.

Survey Results

As you should already know, I recently administered a survey here on the blog. (and if you didnt know, scroll down and take it!) That was about two weeks ago. I've read over your responses and I'm ready to address them!

A lot of you asked for tutorials and I'm getting better at that! The main reason I wasn't doing them is because of the bad lighting in my room and the only camera I have is my webcam installed into my 20" screen iMac! In other words, it aint portable! However, you all have asked and I will make it happen! Next, I noticed that a large number of you didn't know that you can follow the blog. Well you can! Just scroll down and look on the left column just above the visitor counter. Following will automatically notify you just as soon as I update! So no more guessing on when I post!

My next tutorial will be on the quick and ridiculously easy muted ponytail...so stay tuned for that! Until next time, Happy Healthy Hair Growing!

Straightening 102

So after posting my own straightening video, I came across this one. Now, while I DO NOT recommend you do everything that she does (more specifically the way she handles her blowdryer) I do plan to use her comb chase technique in the future. Try it out!

What A Difference

I think the title speaks for itself! Here's a picture of my hair's growth over the past 6 months. That's big! Especially with my scissor happiness! I'm excited what it will look like in September, 6 months from now. (Click to enlarge)

Picture Perfect

So here's a couple shots from yesterday. One is a camera phone bathroom shot and the other is a preview of my senior portraits! Hair and make up both done by yours truly! Check em out!