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!

Curl. EEEEE!

Curly CURL.EE curlie.

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

Name That Style

"All I had were the bobby pins in my head!"-DJ

Over the weekend I went to visit my old campus where I spent some time with my sorority sisters and my college friends. While I was there, there was a party on campus that I unexpectedly attended. Unfortunately, I was ill prepared. I really wasn't expecting to do anything extravagant to myself while there and didn't bring any hair supplies! All I had to work with were the bobby pins in my head! Thankfully though, my old roommates helped me out with some extra pins and a ponytail holder and I was able to throw together this style. It's another, more funky version of the muted ponytail. One of my sorority sisters said it was reminiscent of Janelle Monae's spunky, offbeat style; a compliment that I enthusiastically accepted! I really can't think of what to call it so it's really up to you guys. It was simple enough to achieve. Like I said, all I had was a ponytail and some bobby pins. Want a tutorial? Let me know!

(Note: my sides were not yet gelled down in these pictures!)

Comparing Curls

Hey guys! Its been a while since I've posted a picture of my hair. Today I did a summery puff (a puff on wet hair left to dry in the style as opposed to my puffs I do on a dry twist out due to the cold weather)and remembered a picture I had of one I did back in July. Here's a picture of today side by side with the picture from six months ago! Now, this isn't the official length check but it is a pretty cool look at how much my hair has grown. Keep in mind, though, that I've trimmed several times over that 6 moth period.

Bigger Is Better

As you all may have gathered, I enjoy my mini twist styles. However, mini twists take me anywhere between 6 1/2 to nearly 8 hours! After being on my youtube and looking at a few of my subscriptions, I was inspired to try my twists a little differently; bigger. The obvious benefit to making my twists larger was that it would most certainly reduce the time it takes to install them dramatically. Also, it offers me an out whenever I get tired of them without thinking of all my hard work going to waste. So, I did it. I did my twists about double their usual size and it only took me about 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Major difference. It was almost a breeze. I will say, however, old habits die hard. I have a few twists in the bunch that are a little smaller than the rest just because it felt weird to be gathering that much hair. So I plan to keep these until...well, whenever I get tired of them.

So lets rewind. <<<< Remember when I was telling you guys about how I was pondering a second chop after my graduation pictures and yadda yadda yadda? Well, I think I have leaned back over to the side of reconsideration. I'm not sure that's exactly what I want to do anymore. While I do still want a fresh start, I just don't think I'm ready to let go of the length that I've acquired so far. Not saying my hair is anywhere near long, I just feel as though I've come a heck of a long way from last year and I don't really want to go through all of that again. So fast forward to the present >>>> Unfortunately, I've noticed a major change in my hair. The thing I've feared since before I even did my big chop last March. Yup, you guessed it: DAMAGE! My hair is damaged you guys. I'm not exactly sure when or how it happened but all signs are pointing toward my dye job and excessive heat over the fall semester. Bad, Bad, Bad! If you remember, my pattern in the front was ridiculously loose anyway. But now? Its almost non-existent and I hate it. So instead of a second big chop, I guess you can call what I plan to do a second transition. I'll mark the beginning as late August 2010. I will continue to do trims until all of my damage is gone and try to do better at taking care of my hair. That means more protective styles, more deep conditioning treatments and less heat. Eventually (not sure when) I want to go on a 12 month NO HEAT challenge. I've got to get my hair back to the condition that it was in last summer. And I will.

P.S., this post is dedicated to my best friend Tasha who harrassed me for at least 20 minutes via skype about blogging. :)

Ya Live & Ya Learn

So I finally tried out that twisted style that I posted a tutorial on a few weeks back and I'm here with pictures and comments. First of all, I am still absolutely IN LOVE with this style. Just, not so much on myself. It's really quick and easy and I would recommend it highly to anyone looking for a sophisticated style or someone who thinks they look good in up dos. Unfortunately, I am not one of those people who think up dos "dos" me any justice. (cue bad joke sound effects *womp womp*) It took about 10-15 minutes to accomplish this style on a still slightly damp braid out. I left the style in for the entire day, mostly wrapped up, until I finally retired it to try yet another, more fitting style. I have pictures of both below. On the up side though, the twist style provided for a very nice twist out to do my next style on. My hair was elongated and this way I had more hair to work with. Oh, the other thing I wanted to make mention of. The youtuber in the tutorial twisted her back section upward whereas I made individual twists and pinned those up into the top twists. I thought that added a little more jazz to it. Give it a shot and let me know how it came out. Here are the pictures of both styles! Enjoy!

Happy New Year!

Feliz Anos Nuevo! That's HAPPY NEW YEAR! It's 2011 and I am definitely ready for the wonderful things that this year will have in store! My only real resolution for this year is to lose 20 lbs by May for my graduation. I figure the more people I tell, the more likely I am to stick with it. This would mean the world to me if I were able to accomplish my goal and reap the benefits of the hard work that I plan to put forth. My first step is the obvious: begin working out; but I want to take it much further than that. I want to limit my drinks to only water and my new favorite health drink Bolthouse Perfectly Protein Vanilla Chai Tea as well as cut back on junk foods, greasy foods and fast foods. Three things that I refuse to give up however: Chic Fil A breakfast biscuits, Wise Cheez Doodles and cream of crab soup from this amazing seafood place near my house. Now these foods aren't an every day thing and thus they shouldn't pose too big of an issue in my journey. Also, my sister is giving up meat throughout her own personal weight loss journey which should make it a little easier for me to stay on track. Today I'm going to ride the stationary bike and tomorrow I will power walk around my neighborhood with my sister. She's a bit under the weather and so we're playing it safe by not going out today.

As far as my hair goes, I don't really have any resolutions. I have, however, been toying with the idea of a second chop. My ends are horrible and I think I have identified my hair's natural enemy: the blowdryer. It seems no matter how many split ends I trim, right after I blowdry, I am greeted by the same problem again. I will probably be chopping shortly after my graduation pictures are taken since I think I want a little length for that. Now, when am I taking my pictures? Who knows! I'll definitely keep you all updated though. But enough about me. What are your New Year's Hair Resolutions? Share in a comment! I'd love to know! Until next time, Happy Healthy Hair Growing!

P.S., just a quick update, I successfully completed my No Heat challenge. I did not apply direct heat to my hair until the night before Christmas! I'm pretty proud of myself on that!

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.

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!

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)

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!