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!

Day T-H-R-E-E

Hey guys! Here with a quick shot of my hair three days after doing my wash-style-and-go with olive oil eco styler gel. In case you didn't read the post from yesterday, I've been keeping this style by simply tying it up at night with a satin scarf (though a satin bonnet would probably be better) and simply taking my hand under the faucet to gently press water into it in the mornings and finishing off with one fierce SHAKE! Check me out! Also, peep my favorite headphones. I was jammin out to Free by Bilal. Amazing song! Check that out too on youtube by clicking here! And in case you're really feeling the song, that particular upload includes a download link in the info box!