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!

Straightening 101

"Five Freakin Days!"-DJ

Hey guys! I don't know if you all remember or not, but last December I reached the conclusion that my hair's natural enemy was the blow dryer and vowed never to use it again to dry my hair. Each time I used the blow dryer, my hair needed a serious trim to get rid of all the split ends and dead hair. Well, I also said that I would be straightening my hair for my senior portraits which are now to be taken on tomorrow afternoon! You also know that I've had my hair in mini twists for the past 2-3 weeks. So what did all of this mean for me? A LOT of work! I literally spent 5 days on my hair! Crazy, right? Let me break it down for you. Monday, I decided to take my twists out which consumed my entire day. By the time I had finished unraveling each individual twist toward end of Monday, I knew that washing my hair, and all that that entails would not be possible. Tuesday I shampooed, conditioned and detangled my hair and allowed for it to air dry in bantu knots. The issue with that? I had somewhere to be later that evening and had to take them out before they were fully dried. Once I returned home that evening I braided my hair into individual braids to try and reverse some of the shrinkage and tight curling that had taken place and allowed it to continue to dry overnight. The next morning (Wednesday), I took my hair out of the braids and straightened. Thursday, my plan was to get my first professional trim since I did my big chop, but I chose not to since my ends weren't all that bad. Today, Friday, I added my Sabino Moisture Block! ...Five Freakin Days!

But there is always a silver lining, now isn't there? Because I so rarely straighten my hair, and because the survey you all participated asked for more tutorials, I took this oppourtunity to make a video tutorial on how I straighten my hair. It can be seen below as well as some shots of my hair through the various stages. Check it out!

Pretty Puff

Hey you guys, I found this style tutorial on youtube and wanted to share. I think it's more of a summer style than anything but it's cute! Check it out!

A Classic Twist

Hey guys!!! I am so excited about this post! Why, you may ask? Well, I'll tell you! I have finally made my first tutorial video and I can't wait for you all to see it! In the video below I am giving a tutorial on the style that I accidentally discovered the other night while trying out the other twist style. In the video I used a comb but I don't like the neat look too much and highly recommend using just your fingers!

Sharing is Caring

Here's a video I found that may come in handy for you! Enjoy!

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!

Natural To Me

Or Not..

I tried this treatment out and got no result whatsoever. In hindsight, my hair laughs at chemical dyes so what made me thing cinnamon would have any effect, I don't know. Maybe you all will be more successful.

Youtube Flow

I finally got MY journey (so far) onto youtube...check me out! :)

The Morning After

So I definitely forgot to tell you all about my first co-wash after I'd straightened my hair last weekend! My bad! As previously stated, while straightening my hair I made sure to use a ton of heat protectant. I've done enough research to know the dangers of heat damage to us naturals. For those of you who don't know I'll explain a little later. Back to the story: So I hopped in the shower and used my detachable shower head to saturate my hair in H2O while simultaneously giving myself a scalp massage. I mean my hair was soaked! However, when I didn't automatically feel my hair revert back to it's natural texture I started to freak. What in the world was going on?! If I had just gone 5 and a half months without a perm only to ruin all of my progress in one weekend I don't know what I would have done! So, I slapped some good ole Herbal Essence's Hello Hydration onto my hair in hopes that it could salvage my curls. They came back a little but not nearly as much as usual! My heart was broken until I remembered one last trick: LeKair Cholesterol Plus! I saturated my hair from root to tip in the stuff and let it sit with a plastic cap for about an hour or so. Once I removed the cap, I saw that my lovies had returned! I was indeed a happy camper! So that was one more thing that I learned about my hair: it requires TLC after heat in order to return to a normal state.

Now, to those of you who may not know about heat damage I'll do my best to explain. Heat damage occurs when the hair is exposed to too much direct heat. (i.e. flat irons, blow dryers, curlers, etc.) The hair is damaged beyond repair and for those of us with kinky or curly hair, the effects are very obvious. Are you a natural who uses direct heat often? If you are you may notice that your curl pattern isn't as bouncy and healthy or possibly even non-existent. It is very common for women who have heat damage to have straight areas that simply will not revert back to their natural pattern. For women who are transitioning, it is extremely important for them to find a "transition style" that will allow them to manage their two textures without heat. For some, this can be too much and hence "the big chop". Personally, I find that co-washing and bantu knotting my hair at least twice a week helps to mask the two textures and allow for me to pretend I'm fully natural! LOL You've seen in a lot of my pictures on here that I'll wear my hair in puffs quite often. Other transitioners use flexi rod sets, braid outs, twist outs, hair extensions, and other styles to transition without heat. In case I haven't made myself clear up to this point let me make it plain: using too much direct heat while transitioning can cause your natural hair to becoming permanently straightened and thus defeating the purpose of your transition process. If straight is your thing then by all means, relax! Just make sure your hair is healthy. Remember, natural does not mean healthy and "perm/relaxer" is not a four letter word. As long as you're happy with your decision and your hair is healthy..have at it!

Here's a video that I found on youtube that I thought you all may find interest in. Enjoy!

Hello dolls, I was on youtube and came across this video and thought I'd share. Enjoy!

Fab For Less

Hey girlies, one of the lovely natural ladies that I subscribe to on youtube posted a video that I thought would be very beneficial for all (especially high school/college students) to see. In the video posted below, Dontuwishuknu gives the perfect example of how we can all maintain our beautiful tresses on a budget. Again, no two curls are the same and what may work for her may not work for you...but at these prices, it's worth a shot! I wanna send big thanks to Dontuwishuknu for giving me permission to use her video on Girl, yes!

Broke, Broke Phi Broke. We Aint Got It!

Being in college over these past 3 years has taught me a lot of things. Time management, team work, leadership, and how to spot a bargain! Unless you've been hiding under a heavy rock in a desolate cave, you have to have at least heard about Kinky Curly Curling Custard. This product is raved about all over youtube and on various natural hair care forums on the net. Being a mere transitioner, I have not personally been able to give this product a shot and at nearly $30 a pop I'm kind of glad that I didn't! That is before discovering what I am about to share with you all. 

Being as though, I'm not fully natural, and thus unable to perform my own product experiments; I asked youtuber lia81 if it would be alright for me to post her KCCC vs. Eco Styler Gel video and she so kindly obliged! Thank you lia81! This video shows the difference between the infamous $24 KCCC and the Eco Styler Gel which costs $4.69 ($3.50 on sale) at Sally's Beauty Supply Store. Well, enough rambling from me! Watch, enjoy and make a wallet/purse friendly decision the next time you go splurging on your mane!